#icons hachimura | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rickhorrow · 4 years

Text

15+5+5 To Watch 111819

15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18

with Jacob Aere

1. Last Monday was Veteran’s Day, but sport’s support for military personnel continues throughout the month of November. Here’s one great example: Learfield IMG College’s ticket arm is working with 22 of its school partners to provide free football tickets for military personnel for the seventh straight season. The initiative, called “Seats for Service members,” will send 35,000 active duty or veteran military to a college football game this month as a way to honor their service. More than $500,000 in ticket donations have been collected across the country for the program. Penn State took it a step further by hosting personnel at the Bryce Jordan Center for a pre-game tailgate prior to their November 16 game against Indiana. With 8,000 expected to attend the tailgate, it was the largest of its kind in the Big Ten; Penn State followed that up with a decisive 34-27 win over the Hoosiers .

2. A draft agreement between Miami-Dade County and the Dolphins would "pay the team at least" $2.5 million a year for bringing a F1 race to Miami Gardens. According to the Miami Herald, the subsidy is "tied to an existing agreement" from 2014 that pays Hard Rock Stadium up to $5.75 million annually for big events. The drafted F1 agreement would "boost that cap" to $7 million, a 20% increase. However, Miami-Dade Deputy Mayor Jennifer Moon affirmed the Dolphins "dropped the request for the higher cap." Even without the higher cap, the proposed F1 agreement would make the 2014 agreement a "more reliable source of county revenue" for Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross. The Dolphins "already are allowed" a $1 million payment for the Miami Open tennis tournament. International soccer matches “qualify for a $750,000 payment, while a college football championship brings in $3 million. An annual F1 race would let Ross lock in another $2.5 million more for the yearly allocation allowed under the 2014 agreement.

3. In a new poll commissioned by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, 77% of voters are for keeping the A's. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, building a privately financed ballpark at the Port of Oakland's Howard Terminal "got the support of 68% of the voters, even if it means setting up a special tax district to pay for infrastructure." The poll also shows that 44% of voters believe the city should “drop its lawsuit over the Coliseum land sale,” compared with 28% who support the lawsuit and 28% with no opinion on the matter." Analytics firm FM3 took a poll of 601 registered voters October 29-November 1 as part of the chamber's annual Pulse of Oakland survey. The poll, "which has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%, came as the clock ticked down" on the deadline Major League Baseball set for the city to "drop the suit or risk the A's relocating to another city.” Since the city has lost the Warriors and soon, the Raiders, it’s not surprising that a majority of voters would back keeping its one remaining pro sports team.

4. EverFi chants “Let’s Go Lightning.” Last Friday, the Tampa Bay Lightning invited 5,000 middle schoolers from the area to practice as part of their partnership with the Future Goals program from EverFi. The NHL and NHLPA are sponsoring the program that brings hockey into the classroom to explore STEM topics through sports. Future Goals features computer modules aimed at students in third through eighth grades on various topics. “We actually tried to use math and science in our ball hockey stuff,” Vice President of Community Hockey Development Jay Feaster shared with the Tampa Bay Times. “We show angles. If you pass off the boards here, or the different angles in the openings around a goalie.” While some of the students attending the Friday practice were hockey players, EverFi‘s NHL partnership recognizes that even those who don’t play the game have a better time absorbing STEM information through the lens of the sport.

5. Black News Channel, the brainchild of former football and political star J.C. Watts, has moved its launch date from November 15 to January 6. The Tallahassee, FL-based network co-founded by former Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts and TV exec Bob Brillante made the date change to take advantage of new distribution platforms. “If we have the opportunity to include the largest African American audience possible from day one, then that should be our top priority,” said Watts. The network, which offers 24/7 news serving African American viewers, has carriage deals set with Comcast, Charter, and Dish Network, and will be available in TV markets including New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Watts entered the national conversation as a star quarterback for the University of Oklahoma in 1979 and later made a name for himself on Capitol Hill both as a congressman and a lobbyist backing diversity and economic issues still resonating in sports — and elsewhere — today.

6. The Pac-12 has announced that the University of Washington and Tulane University will meet in 2020 in the sixth edition of the Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group. Federation of University Sports of China (FUSC), which operates under China’s Ministry of Education, will serve as the co-host for the game. “As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of our Pac-12 China Game and nearly a decade of the Pac-12 Global Initiative, we look forward to the continued relationship between the Conference and our China partners in welcoming Washington and Tulane in 2020,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “The tenet of our Pac-12 Global Initiative is that higher education and sports have the power to foster learning, understanding and togetherness between people and cultures. We’re proud to work with Alibaba and the FUSC in continued efforts to engage our universities and student-athletes in global experiences.” After last month’s NBA China debacle, it is critical that relations between China and the American sports community continue to positively evolve and strengthen.

7. Japanese hoops star Rui Hachimura made history before ever stepping on an NBA court. The 6-foot-8 forward became the first player born in Japan to be drafted when the Washington Wizards selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in June. His popularity in Japan is unmatched, making him unique among this year's NBA rookie class. Because of Hachimura's status as a national icon in Japan, there was intense competition to land him as a sneaker endorser. Initially, seven companies presented to Hachimura, including such basketball staples as Nike subsidiary Jordan Brand and multiple China-based companies. Hachimura ultimately decided to sign with Jordan Brand, which offered a blend of proven performance products, marketing cachet around the world, and an opportunity to join a smaller stable of players within the larger Nike umbrella. Look for other major endorsements to come Hachimura’s way for brands eager to penetrate the style-forward Japanese market.

8. Go Go Gopher. It is "too early to say" how the University of Minnesota's victory over Penn State last Saturday will affect prospective UM student applications, but the school’s PR director Jake Ricker told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that "all the attention the school has received...'can't hurt. UM is now 10-0 for the first time since 1904, and it is "generating an uptick in interest from fans wanting to buy products from the Minnesota Alumni Market." The Penn State victory also generated lots of social media buzz. The team's Twitter account saw 9.2 million impressions, 18,700 retweets, and 133,600 likes on Twitter in the ensuing week. For the entire month of September, the account had only "10.3 million impressions, 7,600 retweets, and 76,800 likes on Twitter." UM's athletic department also said that GopherSports.com "saw about 75% more visitors than the previous week" and the football "saw more than double the number of page views as the previous week." Any tangible long term results won’t be seen until admissions applications for 2020 start rolling in in December and donors open their wallets -- however, the Gophers’ loss to Iowa on Saturday might cause a few bandwagon would-be students to delete their online apps.

9. WWE and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy have announced that WrestleMania 35 generated $165.4 million in economic impact for the New York/New Jersey region last April, according to a study conducted by the Enigma Research Corporation. This marks a more than 60 percent increase from the $101.2 million generated for WrestleMania 29 in New York and New Jersey and the eighth consecutive year that WrestleMania generated more than $100 million in economic impact for its host region. Over the past 13 years, WrestleMania has now generated more than $1.3 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. WrestleMania 35 also generated approximately $27.1 million in federal, state, and local taxes. A sold-out crowd of 82,265 fans from all 50 states and 68 countries attended WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza this past April, making it the highest-grossing entertainment event in the history of MetLife Stadium. Next year, WrestleMania 36 will take place Sunday, April 5, from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay and looks to positively impact a hurting sports industry in Tampa Bay.

10. The Chiefs prepare to meet the Chargers in Mexico City — in Colorado. “This will be the third team now, so hopefully that's becoming a trend" -- Air Force athletics Chief Program Officer Nick Kiger, told the Colorado Springs Gazatte, about the Academy hosting the Chargers for practice this week ahead of their game next week against the Chiefs in Mexico City. The first meeting between the division rivals is this Monday night in Mexico City. The game will be played at Estadio Azteca which sits at an elevation of 7,200 feet above sea level, so Coach Anthony Lynn has been leading practices in Colorado Springs this week to prepare his players for the thin air. The NFL is expanding beyond the USA and into Europe and Mexico to try and create a global passion behind American football.

11. TB12, the retail arm of the Tom Brady brand, goes for deeper coverage. John Burns, CEO of TB12, spoke last week of the company's plans to double its retail outlets from two to four in 2020, with one more Massachusetts store in the works as well as another out of state. With a customer base of aging men and women concerned with living an active, pain-free lifestyle, Burns believes that the Patriot quarterback's personal story will prove more compelling than NFL team loyalty. TB12 currently has two retail outlets one at Patriot Place in Foxborough, the other, which opened in late August, on Boylston Street in the Back Bay. The stores sell apparel, workout gear, nutritional and dietary supplements, as well as one-on-one sessions with body coaches that are focused on performance, pliability, and recovery. Now that Brady has cemented his legacy on the NFL field, he looks to a life of success after football in business – looking perhaps to other legendary athletes such as Michael Jordan or Ronaldo as athlete business tycoon role models.

12. The National Women’s Hockey League announced that it had closed a new round of equity funding that ensures continued growth for the league for many years to come. According to Cynopsis, the financing was led by insurance and IT entrepreneur Andy Scurto, who now joins a group of more than 20 NWHL investors. The funding round is another boost for a league whose existence was in doubt after a tumultuous summer. According to Sports Business, the five-team, U.S. based NWHL is continuing to operate despite the fact that more than 200 of the world’s top female ice hockey players pledged to not compete in North America this season in an attempt to gain better pay and working conditions. The NWHL also recently signed a partnership with athlete marketing platform Opendorse in an attempt to increase its players’ presence and engagement on social media. If the players can have their salary wishes met, this league has a chance to become equally prominent to the NHL in 10 years’ time.

13. The shift is here: more fans are streaming sports than paying for TV packages. According to SportsPro, fans are watching more live sport on their smartphones and connected devices than they do on TV, despite the majority of sports media rights being held by linear broadcasters, according to new research by cloud video specialists Grabyo. While more than 50% of fans watch sport via a satellite or pay-TV subscription, Grabyo’s OTT Video Trends Report claims that more than 60% view sports content via either an OTT or premium social media service. Overall, Grabyo’s research found that the global market penetration of OTT services has hit 38%, with DAZN and Kayo Sports cited as the most popular dedicated sports streaming platforms used by fans. Furthermore, Grabyo links a growth in short-form video, real-time highlights, and viral video consumption with the widespread adoption of social media use on smartphones as social media platforms such as Facebook Watch, Twitter, and YouTube TV capitalize on a growing demand for streaming options.

14. ABC officially picked up the new competition series “Ultimate Surfer.” According to Laughing Place, the eight-episode series is set to feature up-and-coming surfers who train and live together as they battle it out at the World Surf League’s Surf Ranch in Lemoore, California, powered by Kelly Slater’s man-made wave technology, in the hope of competing amongst the best athletes in the world’s fastest-growing sport. Production will begin in 2020 and an airdate will be announced later this season. Slater will serve as on-air talent and special correspondent for the show. Alliances and rivalries will be front and center in “Ultimate Surfer” as men and women compete in individual and team challenges focused on specific surfing disciplines. Weekly eliminations will leave two men and two women as finalists who will vie for the male and female titles of the Ultimate Surfer and the opportunity to compete on the WSL World Tour, the pinnacle of professional surfing. Slater’s remarkable, one-of-a-kind, man-made wave – the most even playing field for measuring surf mastery – is at the heart of the series and provides him a boost as a brand while putting the fastest growing sport in the world in the spotlight.

15. The Houston Rockets lose $20 million in sponsorship over general manager Daryl Morey’s political tweet. According to SportsPro, Morey’s actions last month caused a host of Chinese partners to end their deals with the NBA and its franchises, with the Rockets in particular feeling the pinch. ESPN reports the team has lost the most as a result of the spat with Chinese authorities, with the franchise seeing more than $7 million in revenue disappear this season as a result of canceled sponsorship agreements with Chinese firms and nearly $20 million overall with multi-year deals factored in. Tensions between Chinese companies and the NBA have continued, with little sign of a resolution. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly made it clear he will support Morey, despite calls for him to sack the 47-year-old. In addition, players are at risk of losing endorsement deals, including Rockets star James Harden, with ESPN reporting that Harden's endorsement agreement with Shanghai's SPD Bank Credit Card is under threat. Despite the off-court uncertainty, the Rockets have made a solid start to the season. Boasting a 9-3 record as of November 16, they sit second in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers.

Top Five Tech

Bleacher Report’s soccer property B/R Football debuts an interactive show on its YouTube channel. According to Digiday, the series is part of the sports publisher’s recent shift to produce more mid- and long-form programming for platforms like YouTube rather than shorter fare made for social platforms like Instagram. Called “Your Call,” the series will have viewers play the role of an up-and-coming soccer star, making choices such as which soccer team to join and what the size of his contract should be. Since YouTube does not have an official feature to enable interactive videos, B/R Football is using the video recommendations that appear at the end of videos to serve as the interactive elements. Each 45- to 60-second episode will end by presenting viewers with up to four choices. After people select a choice, that corresponding video will play. In total, the series spans 30 individual videos, and the full experience is expected to take eight to 10 minutes to complete. Since October 2018, B/R Football’s YouTube channel has grown from 235,000 subscribers and 10.8 million monthly views to 1 million subscribers and 21.5 million views in October, 2019 thanks to other Bleacher Report properties. Although YouTube is yet to have interactive experiences built into its platform, the B/R experiment may pan out to draw in its biggest new batch of fans to date for a Generation Z that is looking to be more involved with its favorite sports and teams.

The NHL’s Washington Capitals owners launch Caps Gaming Brand. Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE), the owners of the Washington Capitals NHL franchise, has launched an esports division called Caps Gaming, which will host a 32-team EA Sports NHL 20 competition. The Caps Gaming Showcase, a six-versus-six ice hockey esports tournament, which will launch on Xbox One, will feature an eight-week regular-season beginning in early December, with the top 16 teams advancing to a postseason stage held in late February, competing for a $15,000 prize pool. As part of Monumental’s gaming expansion, the esports division has also signed up professional NHL gamer John Casagranda, who is also known as “JohnWayne” and joins the Caps Gaming organization as an official streamer on the Caps Gaming Twitch channel until the end of June. In addition to being 2018 NHL Stanley Cup champions, Monumental owns and operates pro sports franchises based in the U.S. capital, including the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the WNBA champion Washington Mystics. By investing heavily in esports, MSE and the Capitals have kept themselves at the forefront of innovation across the NHL and are primed to cash-in on the rise of esports.

NASCAR fans who tweet about Kevin Harvick are awarded free Busch beer. According to Mobile Marketer, the reason Busch was offering free beer for a year to NASCAR fans who tweet about Harvick is due to the fact that Busch Beer sponsored Harvick’s #4 Ford car. The contest took place during the Monster Energy Cup Series finale on November 17 and whenever Harvick led the race, fans who posted tweets with hashtags #Busch4Harvick and #sweepstakes were entered for a chance to win the free beer and a limited-edition Busch can sporting Harvick's signature. Busch determined the number of winners by the final number of laps Harvick led in the NASCAR season finale race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race is 400 miles long, giving Harvick multiple chances to lead and for Busch fans to win free beer. Busch's Twitter sweepstakes aimed to keep viewers glued to their TV and smartphone screens as the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series concluded. However, there's a bit of irony that Homestead was won by the #18 Toyota car driven by...Kyle Busch.

Advertising and patches in esports take root: Wizards District Gaming pen NBA 2K jersey patch deal with Alarm.com. According to SportsPro, the deal sees the Alarm.com also get virtual in-game signage during Wizards District Gaming play in the NBA 2K League, deepening its relationship with MSE, which also owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals. Alarm.com will also receive exposure during the NBA 2K League Draft, for which the Wizards’ esports team holds the number one overall pick this season. Further, the partnership features experiential activations, including a Wizards District Gaming sponsored employee program and players appearances, as well as social media features, branded content, digital banner advertisements on the team’s website, and brand integration within Amazon-owned streaming platform Twitch. Esports is the perfect place for tech-oriented agencies to advertise to appeal to fans who are always looking to upgrade their digital devices and software.

Sports tech and analytics company Whoop raises $55 million for its discreet wearables. Whoop, which makes a sensor-equipped and screen-free strap that continuously tracks your activities 24/7 and then provides a multitude of performance metrics and other data based on that activity, has closed a round of $55 million funding that it will use to continue expanding its business into a wider range of wearables and analytics that can be gathered around them. According to TechCrunch, the devices measure things like how much strain a workout is causing you, how you are recovering afterwards, your sleep, whether training is having the desired effect, whether you are working at a level that will be less likely to cause injury, and how you are likely to perform. Looking ahead, the plan is to place the sensors into more environments than just the strap it currently makes. One notable shift Whoop has seen in the last year is that it has dropped the price of its wearable from a sizeable $500 down to free. Instead, it bundles the strap into a wider membership program that you do pay for, starting at $30/month and decreasing, depending on what you would like to measure and use the data for – and because it's simpler than Google’s recently-acquired Fitbit, Whoop may find more success by providing simplicity in an over-inundated tech world.

Power of Sports Five

John Cena confronts veteran suicide through charity. Cena has partnered with the FitOps Foundation, a nonprofit committed to training and certifying veterans as personal trainers as the suicide rate among U.S. veterans continues to increase. According to Sports Illustrated, FitOps runs camps for its training sessions, providing a recognizable feeling for the veterans who attend. In addition to raising awareness about the needs of vets, Cena is also raising funds to expand the FitOps program. A number that really jumped out to Cena to inspire change was that roughly 20 veterans a day commit suicide. In a fundraising effort for FitOps, Cena pledged to match all donations up to $1 million through Veterans Day, as well as offer a VIP meet-and-greet with Cena to one lucky donor. Fittingly, on Veterans Day, the project crossed the $1 million threshold. An integral part of FitOps is rebuilding the sense of community and purpose that many veterans lose when returning to civilian life. While Cena has always showed his appreciation for the military, his current actions have him involved directly.

Senegalese Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng gives back to his home country. According to CNN, the T-wolves center is a seven-year NBA veteran who signed a four-year $64 million contract extension with the team in 2016. With the help of Minnesota-based global health nonprofit MATTER, Dieng set up the Gorgui Dieng Foundation in 2015. The foundation provides aid to Senegal through four different methods: medical, food, agriculture, and athletics. Senegal is a country in which 29.6% of the 15.4 million population live in poverty, according to the World Health Organization. Last summer, Dieng sent 300,000 bags of intravenous fluid to Senegal and visited a neonatal hospital in Diamniadio that benefited from his organization's donations. He's helped send beds, dialysis machines, X-ray machines, and patient monitors for a new dialysis center to his hometown of Kébémer. In recognition of his work, Dieng became the third player to receive the Offseason NBA Cares Community Assist Award on November 8. Dieng and the Timberwolves have started the season at 7-6, and he will look to continue his efforts off the court when he isn’t busy playing in the NBA.

Indonsesian women are using surfing to change societal sexist attitudes. According to Reuters, few local women surf in the Southeast Asian archipelago of 17,000 islands, which has some of the world’s best beaches, dive, and surf spots, including Bali and Raja Ampat, attracting millions of visitors each year. XX Surf is a surf school with a social mission on the island of Lombok seeking to empower girls through surfing while also tackling issues such as child marriage and teen pregnancy. Indonesia has the world’s eighth-highest number of child brides, according to the United Nations, with one in nine girls marrying before they turn 18 due to poverty and tradition. XX Surf was set up with a mission to change that. Enthusiasm is growing slowly in the country, with 17-year-old Kailani Johnson making history in May as the first Indonesian woman to compete in the pro World Surf League Women’s Championship Tour. XX Surf, donates a third of its profits to a local charity supporting girls’ education and hopes to inspire gender-equality change through sport, especially with surfing set to debut at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

The United Soccer League looks to launch a women's league rivaling NWSL and bring in USWNT players. According to Yahoo! Lifestyle, the United Soccer League is looking into starting a Division I women’s league by 2021. This comes two weeks after the NWSL introduced allocation money, though USWNT players would be kept out of the influx of cash. Some USL owners also own NWSL teams, and the league, which is the second tier in men’s professional soccer in the United States, announced earlier this month plans to include women in the USL Academy. The news is similar to what’s happening in the hockey world, where the National Women’s Hockey League is fighting to grow the sport while fighting other competing forces. With two competing leagues, it is likely that there may be more pressure to increase salaries for women in U.S. soccer leagues in order to have them play for one league over another.

All-electric racing series Formula E sees BBC extension to include two races on FTA television. According to SportsPro, the Marrakesh ePrix on February 29 and the Rome ePrix on April 4 are the two races that have been chosen for the BBC’s television coverage, although it is not yet confirmed which channels will air the events. The extension will also see the BBC continue to show every Formula E race across its online platforms, including the BBC iPlayer and its website. Coverage of select races will also be available via the BBC red button. The expanded deal comes ahead of Formula E’s return to the UK, with a double-header race through London’s ExCel exhibition center and along the waterfront on the streets of the Royal Docks set to close the 2019/20 season on July 25-26. Formula E, which debuted on the BBC last season, will also be broadcast in the UK this season on Discovery-owned channel Eurosport, with select events also being shown live on free-to-air network Quest. This is an eco-friendly racing league that allows for the same excitement as non-electric racing with the benefit of no negative carbon emissions and could set an example for NASCAR in the U.S.

0 notes

buddyrabrahams · 5 years

Text

10 college basketball games to watch in December

November college basketball is a wild ride. Half the games are big time match-ups fabricated by sponsored tournaments and the other half feature certain blowouts. One thing both genres share in common is lack of national interest. Tournaments held during Thanksgiving week draw out the die-hards but lack attendance or TV viewing from even casual basketball fans.

Flipping the calendar from November to December makes things start to feel real in college hoops. Some conferences tip off league play, while some blue-blood programs schedule enticing match-ups in on-campus gyms. Gone are the sleepy vacation resort crowds, and in their place are the pep bands and student sections that make this sport great.

Over the 31 days of December, there is plenty to attract your attention, highlighted by this slate of games featuring top teams throughout the nation.

Purdue at Michigan, Dec. 1

Last year, the Big Ten moved a few conference games for each team to the early part of January to compensate for the league playing its conference tournament abnormally early. Most power conferences end their tournament in the 48 hours prior to Selection Sunday. Because the Big Ten wanted access to Madison Square Garden, which is already booked in mid-March by the Big East Tournament, the Big Ten moved things up a week.

This year, the Big Ten Tournament is back where it belongs in Chicago, but the early December conference games remain on the schedule. Big Ten brass looks to the semester break and a newly expanded 20-game conference slate as the reasons.

Whatever the case, it will always feel strange to have important conference games just days following Thanksgiving. That’s where we find ourselves this very Saturday, with two of the league’s top teams squaring off already.

Though it feels like Conference Player of the Year won’t be awarded for millennia, Carsen Edwards can cement himself as the frontrunner for the honor. Getting off to a hot scoring start, especially with a win in Ann Arbor, would put the spotlight on Edwards for the rest of the Big Ten season.

Iowa at Michigan State, Dec. 3

Just two days later, two more of the Big Ten’s best will go toe-to-toe. This is not a match-up that necessarily flashed off the calendar preseason. Michigan State looked to be the class of the conference and while Iowa seemed poised for a strong year, they have impressed more than expected. The Hawkeyes are undefeated, with wins over Oregon, UConn, and Pitt. Iowa can already start to prove itself as a team capable of a tournament run with a win in East Lansing.

In the other locker room, things have not gone fully according to plan. Sparty has already lost twice, to Kansas and Louisville, as they adjust to life without Miles Bridges on campus. Michigan State has the talent to be in the conversation at the top of the bracket, but needs to start banking high quality wins to stay in that conversation. This would be the perfect game to do so.

Iowa State at Iowa, Dec. 6

Just three days after that crucial conference match-up, Iowa turns around and hosts one of the most underrated rivalries in college basketball. The Cyclones and Hawkeyes play in two of the sport’s most iconic venues and have tussled once per year since 1970. Since the teams started playing yearly, Iowa leads the series by a narrow margin of 25 wins to 23.

This year’s match-up will be greatly affected by the availability of a host of Iowa State contributors. So far this season, four Cyclones have yet to suit up. Lindell Wigginton and Solomon Young have been injured, while Cameron Lard and Zoran Talley were suspended by the program for the team’s first seven games. Combined, those four players started 97 times last season. Coach Steve Prohm is hopefully that his team will continue to build as it comes back together healthy.

So far, even with a chunk of the team unavailable, Iowa State has looked excellent, winning twice at the Maui Invitational. Freshman Talen Horton-Tucker looks like a future star and Virginia transfer Marial Shayock has always been able to score.

Nevada vs. Arizona State (in Los Angeles), Dec. 7

If you’ve only been following college basketball from the surface so far this season, you’ll want to check out Nevada as soon as possible. The Wolf Pack isn’t just good for a mid-major; Eric Musselman has built one of the best teams in college basketball. After reaching the Sweet Sixteen last March with a team already almost exclusively assembled via transfers to Reno, Musselman added three more quality transfer players and a talented freshman in big man Jordan Brown.

The Wolf Pack will make an interesting challenge for Arizona State freshman guard Luguentz Dort. The Canadian phenom has been spectacular this season, yet has not faced Top 25 competition yet. Nevada has tons of options when defending Dort, making this a very intriguing match-up when the Sun Devils have the ball.

Gonzaga vs. Tennessee (in Phoenix), Dec. 9

The Zags look like the headliner in this match-up, thanks to their fantastic win over a dominant Duke team in Maui. I wouldn’t, however, overlook Tennessee when considering possible Final Four teams. Perhaps because the Vols lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, many seem to have forgotten just how good Tennessee was last season. A team that won 26 games last season returns the 11th-highest percentage of its minutes played last season. Grant Williams won SEC Player of the Year last season and has been treated like a relative afterthought this year.

The Vols showcased what they are capable of already by taking Kansas to overtime earlier this month. Williams fouled out just before the extra period and the Jayhawks prevailed, though Tennessee was impressive. The game felt as much like a tournament match-up as any other game so far this season, except for Gonzaga’s win over Duke. This game should have plenty of juice behind it and be a nice test for both teams.

Villanova at Kansas, Dec. 15

Although Villanova has bounced back to a certain degree, there may be no worse fate for a team in need of turning things around than a trip to Phog Allen Fieldhouse. In 15 years at Kansas, Bill Self has more Big XII Conference titles (14) than losses in his home gym (11). It’s just so rare for any team to sneak into Lawrence and leave with a win, especially for this Villanova team, which is clearly both less talented and less polished than any Jay Wright has had in half a decade.

The Wildcats have taken the 9th most three-point attempts this season, but have shot just 32.9 percent as a team. No Villanova team has shot under 33 percent since 2012. That number could recover with a hot shooting night, but that percentage is a symptom of a deeper problem. Villanova isn’t making shots because none of the Wildcats excel at creating shots, for themselves or for others.

Against a rangy Kansas defense, that could be a serious problem. Kansas fans will be salivating at the chance to avenge NCAA Tournament losses to the Wildcats in 2016 and 2018.

Gonzaga at North Carolina, Dec. 15

Because Gonzaga has reached a point in its program history where it can seek a number one seed every March, but still plays in the West Coast Conference, we as the viewing public are treated to a few extra gems involving the Zags every December. While most high-profile teams will play one or two big games, often because they are sanctioned to do so in a tournament or challenge-type event, the Zags find themselves scheduling tough games, often away from the comforts of home.

This game features one key question for the Tar Heels: who on the Carolina roster can cover a player like Rui Hachimura? We’ll see who Roy Williams tries on a player of Hachimura’s size and athleticism during this game, taking notes for later down the road. Coach K will have an eager eye on UNC’s defense against a player as springy and agile as Hachimura, knowing he and freshman Zion Williamson have at least two future dates with North Carolina.

Duke vs. Texas Tech (at Madison Square Garden), Dec. 20

You didn’t think we could make it through this entire list without a Duke game, did you? Of course not! The Blue Devils have been the hottest ticket in college basketball all season. Every win has been exhilarating and full of dunks and highlights. Duke’s only loss was arguably the best played game of the young season. So of course we have to recommend checking out the Blue Devils in their home-away-from-home at the “Mecca of Basketball” in New York City.

They’ll face a Texas Tech team that should provide ample challenge. Sophomore Jarrett Culver has increased his scoring, rebound, and assist numbers this year, now posting 18.8 points per game with 50 percent shooting from long range. He is a rising name among NBA scouts and should make for an intriguing defensive assignment for the Duke guards as they also try to impress decision makers at the next level.

Kansas at Arizona State, Dec. 22

While Kansas gets Villanova in the comfy confines of Phog Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks will travel to Tempe to face off with Luguentz Dort and the Sun Devils. Remember that stat above about how few home losses Bill Self has at Kansas? One came last year at the hands of Bobby Hurley’s Arizona State program. The Jayhawks started that game on a 15-2 to run before losing in convincing fashion.

The second half of the home-and-home series gives Kansas a chance for revenge. Lagerald Vick should draw the assignment of guarding Dort, though based on match-ups, this should be a game dictated by the Kansas bigs. Dedric Lawson is poised to comfortably record a double-double in this one.

North Carolina vs. Kentucky (in Chicago), Dec. 22

Give Roy Williams and his staff some credit this year. The Heels will play five KenPom Top 50 teams before Christmas and also started their season with true road games at Wofford and Elon. Duke, by the way, won’t play a true road game until Jan. 8, while the Tar Heels will have played five away games by that date.

This game, like so many early season Kentucky tilts, will be a good measuring stick to determine which freshmen are prepared for conference play. That goes for both teams here, as UNC is also giving high volume minutes to two freshman. Point guard Coby White looked pedestrian at Michigan this week. An up-and-down race with Big Blue is the kind of game where his attacking style could thrive.

Shane McNichol covers college basketball and the NBA for Larry Brown Sports. He also blogs about basketball at Palestra Back and has contributed to Rush The Court, ESPN.com, and USA Today Sports Weekly. Follow him on Twitter @OnTheShaneTrain.

from Larry Brown Sports https://ift.tt/2PaAfKZ

0 notes