All the new news: From Peyton Manning to the NCAA Tournament

 

         
          The greatest free agent the NFL has ever seen. Peyton Manning is on the market. Words that a year ago I thought I would never speak. Denver, Miami and Arizona are all likely suitors for one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. I see Miami being the best choice, for a few reasons. First, he will have a big time receiver who will actually try hard if he is there, Brandon Marshall. Marshall may not be the worlds hardest worker, but the kid has talent, and I think Manning would whip him into shape real fast. Second, the weather. Manning has made his living in a dome, so heading for pleasant weather would be a plus. Third, Reggie Wayne already said he would follow Manning to Miami if he went, and he may not be the only one (Dallas Clark is another name that comes to mind). Why wouldn't Manning jump at the opportunity to play with two of his greatest teammates? Now I understand that Arizona has a dome, and has arguably a top 3 receiver in Larry Fitzgerald, but for some reason I have them sitting behind Miami in the Manning sweepstakes. Denver is the other team that analysts have suddenly all but confirmed as the frontrunner. I doubt Manning goes to cold weather, and let's play a game, name a Denver Bronco receiver! Don't worry, I'll wait. They have NO big name receiver that Manning can make his instant favorite target. Yes, they have a great defense and I'd love to see Tebow get shipped out of town in the blink of an eye, I just don't see this being a match. Anyway, who wouldn't want to see Brady vs. Manning twice a year IN THE SAME DIVISION! I pray to the football gods that I may get my wish.
          Now If I remember correctly, UNC recently beat Duke up and down the floor, on Miles Plumlee's senior night, AND he got a faceful of John Henson's lower half. THAT my friends was a beautiful day. Then, we had the good fortune of running into NC State in the ACC Tournament. "Oh my god, the refs cheated us out of that game!" no NC State, your coach blew it when he left your best player in with four fouls and over 8 minutes to go. "Yeah, but all the calls went UNC's way!" I assure you that if calls went our way, Zeller wouldn't have watched the final minute of the game. And lastly, yeah Kendall dropped his shoulder, but your team blew the game when they turned the ball over TWICE in the last minute. We won, you lost, for the 13th time in a row I believe. With all due respect, I am glad that you made the tournament, you were seconds away from beating both us and Duke this year, and certainly were well deserving of a spot in the big dance, congratulations.

This will NEVER get old

          On that point, The Tarheels are a #1 seed, and the sun is shining. In my honest opinion, Syracuse and Kentucky both have tougher brackets than we do, and I'm not saying that because Duke is in that bracket. And honestly where does Michigan State come from?!?! Every single year they come from nowhere to be a high seed in the Tournament. Tom Izzo is literally a basketball genius. He took a team that got manhandled early this season by UNC and Duke, and turned them into a #1 seed. Unbelievable. I don't think they deserved the #1 seed though, I believe Missouri is a much better team that will make a deep run in the tournament, and I think they should have been the fourth #1. But seeding makes little difference really because it's all about execution.

          My Final Four could be called a little bit biased, but I feel like it has some credibility. I have Missouri, Kentucky, Florida State and UNC (Surprise!). Obviously this is a very primitive selection, that is likely to get completely dismantled by the end of the first weekend, but who knows. Kentucky: do I even need to explain this one? Davis and his unibrow is the frontrunner for player of the year and he deserves it. Kentucky should make it out of their bracket without many bumps, even as tough as it is. Missouri: as I said before, I think they should have been the last #1 seed, and I think they will prove it by making their way to the final four. Kim English, the Pressey brothers, and Ratliffe inside drive this team to the Final Four. Florida State: probably the team with the most momentum in the country right now, after beating Duke and UNC twice this year, and coming off back to back wins against them to win the ACC tournament, they are on fire. Very tough defensively, Snaer is a great player and probably was snubbed from the All-ACC team, and they shoot the three well. They will be a tough team to beat, and I think they make it to the Final Four. UNC: well this is as much of a pick with my head as any of the others I assure you. Kendall Marshall is the best point guard in the country, and now he's scoring the basketball too. Harrison Barnes has played well, not great, but I think he steps up in the tournament as a big game performer. Hopefully John Henson returns to the lineup by next Sunday, and is still the defensive wall that he was before he reinjured his wrist. Reggie bullock has surprised everyone by being a terrific defender in Strickland's absence, can't say enough about his effort. And last but certainly not least, Tyler Zeller. If you could have scripted the perfect senior season for Zeller, I don't think it would be much different than this one. He has been absolutely the best player on our team, the most reliable in all but a few moments, and at times he's an unstoppable force in the paint. I can't wait for the day I see his jersey hang in the rafters of the Dean Dome.

          So there you have it, my Final Four picks, with a little reasoning behind each one (a little more reasoning behind UNC, but that's me). Feel free to disagree, then we can all laugh together when a mid major busts everyone's brackets like always. Until then, everyone enjoy the greatest month in sports, welcome to March Madness!