Ole Miss Self-imposes

Back in 2013, whispers started circulating about Ole Miss and their recruiting practices. How did a lower tier team draw three of the top fourteen players in the country to come to their school? Everyone wondered, but most people assumed dirty recruiting. Here we are, three years later and all three of the gems from the class are in the NFL living their dream out.

Today, Ole Miss woke up with a hangover from the experience. Except not really. The funny thing about the whole setup is that they have already beat the system. They self-imposed 11 lost scholarships over the next 4 years. A hilarious undersell considering that they had 13 violations and 8 of them were what the NCAA deemed Level 1 aka the worst. The NCAA is a notorious joke when doling out punishments and Ole Miss has essentially laughed in their face and dared them to do something else about it. Will they? I highly doubt it.

The moral of NCAA violations that Ole Miss seems to have learned is that if you punish yourself, no matter how minor you do it, the NCAA will likely tuck it's tail and take it. I'm fully anticipating them to do the same in this, or possibly even give them back the 11 scholarships. Nothing surprises me at this point.



All my love,
@corbeech

NBA Draft Withdrawal Day

May 25th

Today is the last day that players can withdraw and return to college. With the new rule implemented by the scumbags at the NCAA, players can now go through the combine and get proper feedback without losing their college eligibility. Most players have taken advantage of this new rule. 117 underclassman to be exact. Today is the day that players have to decide one way or another, and a few already have. Let's take a look at players from SEC Country, and others from around the nation. 

Isaiah Briscoe

Kentucky Freshman

Guard

Returning

All season long, it was assumed Briscoe would be returning for his sophomore year. A point guard in high school, Briscoe played behind Tyler Ulis and Jamal Murray. Briscoe struggled shooting the ball all year. His free throw percentage was abysmal, but improved later in the year (46%). Taking advantage of the new rule like many others, Briscoe was able to workout for teams and receive feedback on what he needed to work on. Going back to Kentucky will be huge for the team. He is a solid finisher and the rim and a lock down defender. 

Marcus Lee

Kentucky Junior

Forward

Returning, Transferring

Lee didn't produce the numbers that Kentucky big men have in the past few years, but was another key piece on the team. What he lacked in shooting percentage, he made up for with his rim blocking and rebounding. Lee is Top 20 all-time in blocks at UK. Lee will return to college, but has decided to transfer closer to home. The California native is expected to transfer somewhere out west. 

Malik Newman

Mississippi State Freshman

Guard

Returning

Newman was a highly touted five star guard who joined Ben Howland's team. A top shooting guard, Newman wasn't the savior in his first campaign at Miss State that people thought he would be. While he said he would be withdrawing from the draft, rumors are that Newman might transfer, or even opt to play overseas. 

Other Notable Decisions

Josh Hart

Villanova Junior

Guard

Returning

James Blackmon Jr

Indiana Sophomore

Guard 

Returning

Troy Williams

Indiana Junior

Forward

Staying in the Draft

Dillon Brooks

Oregon Sophomore

Guard

Returning

Tyler Dorsey

Oregon Freshman

Guard

Returning

As the list grows, this post will update. Still waiting to see what Maryland PG Melo Trimble decides. Have a good day!

-Dug

@chansm1th

Looking Past the NBA Lottery

Last night, the NBA Draft Lottery took place will Philadelphia gaining control of the first overall pick. Now, we turn our eyes towards the NBA Draft. Underclassman now have one week to return to school should they not wish to enter the Draft. Be on the lookout for a few of these players to come back, but there shouldn't be any surprises when it comes to that. 

Having the number one pick is good for Philly, but now they have a big decision to make. There are really only two players who are seriously being considered for the pick: LSU's Ben Simmons and Duke's Brandon Ingram. Whichever way the organization goes, they are going to have a solid player. 

Ben Simmons

Freshman

Louisiana State University

6'10"  240 lbs

19 years old

Ben Simmons was undoubtedly the best college player this past season. He is long and very athletic. At 6'10", Simmons is a versitile post player who can square up nicely from mid-range. He also handles the ball like a top-notch point guard. The few times that I saw him on TV, and in person, he would dazzle you with his ball handling ability. Multiple scouts are comparing him, often, to both Magic Johnson and LeBron James. Anytime your name is thrown in with those two, you are very highly thought of. 

The only real issue with Simmons could be his attitude. He decided to skip the NBA Combine, which isn't common for players who will be highly selected. But one thing that stands out was in his lone year at LSU. Simmons apparently did not wish to play in the post season if the Tigers did not make the NCAA Tournament. This was a decision that drew a lot of backlash from the media. While the Tigers did not make the tournament, they were invited to the NIT. They declined. Just imagine if Ben Simmons had any other coach besides Johnny Jones!

Simmons has a lot of potential. He's an oversized point guard who can post you up, or posterized you. The attitude issues are flaws that can be easily fixed. Don't expect teams to overlook him based on that alone. If he isn't picked first, he would be a great fit in LA.

-Dug

@chansm1th

NBA Draft and What Leads Up to It

Your Guide to All that is the NBA Draft

Good evening! With the NBA Playoffs in full swing, I felt the need to fill you, our valued readers, in on what all is to come. My beloved Pistons have already ended their season, so for me it is time to look ahead to the future. Let's jump in with some key dates to remember.

May 11-15

NBA Combine

The NBA Combine is very similar to the NFL's. Players are welcomed through invitation only and work out in front of scouts, get measured, and conduct interviews, The workouts consist of various activities that range from shooting drills, vertical jumps, bench presses, and sprinting exercises. Players are also measured for wingspan, height in shoes, without shoes, standing reach, body fat, and even hand size. There is a multitude of testing done on potential draftees during these five days. The Combine can have a drastic effect on where a player might be drafted. A good or bad combine can define whether someone is a lottery pick or if they fall out of the first round.

May 17

NBA Draft Lottery

The NBA Draft Lottery determines where the teams who didn't make the playoffs get to make their selections. Supposedly, it is based off pure chance. With the new rules, the top three picks are determined by the lottery while the remaining 13 are based off of win-loss record. 1,001 outcomes are possible with the league-worst record having a 25% chance of getting the first overall pick. The best record of the teams in the lottery will only have a 0.5% chance to win the first pick. The Lottery debuted in 1985 (Patrick Ewing was selected first that year). Since then, the team with the worst record has only won the Lottery five times! You be the judge of just how "fair" it really is.

May 25

NCAA Deadline to Return

This is a new date in the system. Before this year, the deadline for an underclassman to return to school was on April 16. As you can tell, that was nearly a month before the Combine was even held. The Evil Stepmother that is the NCAA has for once decided to look out for their student-athletes. By extending the day, potential draftees may now attend the Combine, receive reviews from NBA scouts, and then return to college with the know how of what they need to improve on. Also new, student-athletes now have no restrictions on how many times they declare for the draft. Great job for once, NCAA, you bastards.

June 23

NBA Draft

Now we've made it to the big night. If you have stuck around this long, you're pretty sure that you will be drafted. It's a night every kid who ever played basketball has dreamed about. Hearing your name called will be one of the greatest moments of your life. Dreams will come true, and your journey for the previous 18-22 years is now complete. Congratulations, you have made it.

I will continue to keep you up to date on the developments that will lead to draft night along with some of my predictions that are involved with it. Who will be number 1? Number 2? Even 3? You won't know until the night of June 23. Thanks for reading!

-Dug

@chansm1th

Joe Mixon Can't Run Forever

Uh oh Joe! That sound you hear is your sins running to catch up with you! Earlier today, the Oklahoma Supreme Court did the world a great justice by ruling that the video of Mixon's assault would become public record and everyone could see just how big of a scumbag he is.

For those of you unfamiliar with the situation, Mixon was arrested before his Freshman season at Oklahoma after punching a female student. The punch was so violent that it fractured her jaw, cheek, sinus, and orbital bones. Sounds rough, eh? Yea, Mixon is a piece of garbage. I don't care if you're an 18 year old kid, accountability is a thing and he seemed to skip away from it by serving a one year suspension and then coming back like it was all cool.

Once the video drops, he's ruined. Should I be excited for a 20 year old kid to have his life ruined? Probably not. However, I make exceptions for scumbags and people who are truly idiots. Video changes everything. Don't believe me? Ask Ray Rice how his life changed once the video dropped. He went from a 4 game suspension to blackballed from the entire league. He at least had the decency to apologize, but the damage had been done. How is Mixon's apology going, you ask? About as well as his future prospects. Peace out Joe. Enjoy the life you've made.

Also, keep in mind that his coach (Bob Stoops) and athletic director (Joe Castiglione) saw this video before making their ruling not to kick him out of their school. Food for thought.

All my love, 

@corbeech

Possible Big XII Expasion

The Big XII lost huge teams in the last 6 years. Texas A&M, Nebraska, and Missouri. Then they lost Colorado. Dropping the conference down to just 8 teams. West Virginia and TCU were added to try and stop the bleeding (which are two perfect additions by the conference).

Here in 2016, conference champions have an easier path to the College Football Playoff. The Big XII does not have a conference championship game because the NCAA requires a conference to have 12 teams to hold a championship game. Oklahoma suffered from not having a conference game this last year. Oklahoma held the #3 spot in the Playoff rankings going into week 14. After week 14, conference championship week, Michigan State jumped Oklahoma and the Sooners dropped to #4. Just ask TCU and Baylor how great being named co-champions back in 2015 helped their College Playoff chances.

Rumors have been swirling about who the Big XII plans on adding to the conference. Houston and Memphis have been the 2 teams most media outlets are reporting to join the Big 12. There are also some rumblings about Cincinnati, UCF, BYU, and Colorado State.

All of these teams make sense. Houston would add another team in Texas, but that could end up being a good rival for Oklahoma or Texas. BYU is a football team that always gives P5 teams problems. The Cougars have had at least 8 wins in the past 5 seasons. They're crazy Mormon but a good team with a good rival in Utah. Cincinnati would get the Big XII into Ohio, which surprisingly has a lot of football talent. The Bearcats would give West Virginia a natural rival. UCF gets the Big XII into Florida. The Knights have been up and down in the last few years, but Orlando is central to a lot of talent that would help the conference. Finally, Colorado State, this seems like a way to get the state of Colorado back. Colorado State has had some recent success, and getting out of the Mountain West would improve the Colorado-Colorado State rivalry. Any wins over the Pac 12 in Big XII country is a win in recruiting for the conference.


I would love for the Big XII to call up Boise State to add the Broncos. How awesome would it be to see TCU and Boise State battle it out every year after the battles in the WAC and MWC?! But honestly, I just want to see that beautiful blue field on TV more.

Who else do you want to see in the Big XII? Hit me up in the comments below.

Alty
@ericaltenhof