Bullet Points: Furious Final Frame Helps Bullets Beat Bucks

By Mark Bacon

• The Wizards definitely have demonstrated the ability to close out games with furious finishes. Friday night in Milwaukee was no different. Bradley Beal lead the charge as DC unleashed a late barrage of 3-pointers to bury the Bucks, 118-113. 
• The Wizards are now 2-0 to start the season for the first time since 2005-06.
• Starting the fourth quarter down 10, Beal's first three of four treys capped an 11-0 run to get Washington back into the game. His four 3-pointers were part of the team's seven deep balls in the quarter. Beal finished with a team-high 26 points and also added three assists and three rebounds to the winning effort. 
• John Wall and Ramon Sessions joined in the fourth-quarter 3-point attack. The two DC point guards were outstanding all night, as Sessions led the Wizards' bench with a massive 23-point performance. 
• John Wall was his usual self, scoring 19 points and dishing out 10 assists to eclipse the 3,000 mark in the category for his career.
• The Wizards' hit seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal the deal in a come-from-behind win.
• Washington shot over 50 percent from the field (51.5) and behind the arc (57.1) on Friday. 
• Sessions and the second unit combined to outscore Milwaukee's bench, 53-26.
• With 2:51 remaining, Bradley Beal's 3-pointer put the Wizards ahead 105-102. Washington never relinquished the lead after his basket.
• Bradley Beal was player of the game - 26 points (9-16 FG, 5-6 3PT), 3 assists, 3 rebounds
• Nene’s performance Friday is not to be overlooked. While the frontcourt wasn't the focus, he quietly posted nine points, eight rebounds and four assists. He also had the team's highest +/- mark with a +17 on the night. 

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Bullet Points

By Mark Bacon

• The Washington Wizards spent the preseason establishing a new rapid pace, high-scoring offense that coach Randy Wittman wants to be their identity. One game into the new season, it's a work in progress.

• John Wall hit a floater with 12.7 seconds to play and Washington rallied to defeat the Orlando Magic 88-87 Wednesday night in the season opener for both teams. It also was the Wizard’s ninth straight victory over the Magic. And their first season opening win since 2009.

• Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 24 points, followed by Wall with 22 points and five blocks.

• The Magic had a chance to win in the closing seconds, but a controversial goal tending call on Nik Vucevic's jumper went in favor of the Wiz.

• Orlando built an eight-point lead early on the fourth quarter, before a 12-0 spurt by the Wizards negated it. A 3-pointer by rookie Mario Hezonja and dunk by Tobias Harris capped a 9-0 Magic response to put them back on top 87-82 with less than two minutes to play.

• The Wizards frenetic pace in the first half yielded mixed results.

• Washington connected on six of its first nine shots, but the Magic took the hit and generally were able to match the Wizards' energy level in the second half.

• ''We've got to get in better shape to play at that pace. It's a process. It's different,'' Wittman said. ''We didn't play that way the last couple years, so ... this is Game 1. We've just got to keep working at it.''

• The game slowed down in the second half as both teams relied on traditional half-court sets.

• The Wizards won despite shooting a pathetic 15 of 25 from the free-throw line.

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NBA Predictions and Noteworthy Items

by Mark Bacon

The 2015-2016 NBA season begins this week, and not a moment too late. I'm a hoopaholic, and times were getting lean. Here's what I am looking forward t in the coming season:

1. Kevin Durant is back. Hopefully, the return of the 2014 MVP lifts an injury curse that touched way too many superstars in last season. Durant’s comeback from three foot surgeries might be the most intriguing storyline. He’s got a new coach in Billy Donovan and an expiring contract that might make him the league’s most coveted free agent come July

2. The Warriors.  Was Golden State’s title run an offensive revelation? Can three-point teams without a low-post scorer win a title? Can small ball defenses hold up well enough to win a title? Yes, yes, and yes—now watch as everyone rushes to copy the Warriors’ offense. “Pace and space” will continue to sweep the league in 2015–16, as witnessed in Washington and beyond.

3. Is this Kobe Bryant’s last stand? The future Hall of Famer is entering his 20th campaign and the final year of his current contract. After three consecutive season-ending injuries, his future grew even cloudier when his preseason was cut short by injury.

4. Anthony Davis at full speed. The frighteningly athletic, tremendously skilled big man is amped up by a fast-paced offense. We see the future of the NBA in Mr. Davis this year.

5. A deep, MVP race that’s already amazing. LeBron James or Kevin Durant. Stephen Curry (the 2015 MVP), James Harden (the 2015 “Players’ Choice” MVP), Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul all can claim stakes.

6. My Preseason Awards:

Eastern Conference Champs: Cleveland Cavaliers
Western Conference Champs: Golden State Warriors
NBA champs: Golden State Warriors

MVP: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Rookie of the Year:  Stanley Johnson, Detroit Pistons

Coach of the Year: Steve Kerr, Golden State Warriors

Defensive player of the year:  Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans
Sixth Man of the Year:  Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics
Most improved player Otto Porter, Washington Wizards

…and will KD sign with the Wiz? No.

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“You like that! You . . . like . . . that!”

Like doesn’t do it justice.

Love. Adore. Revere. Grab a thesaurus and shout out every complimentary word that applies. The Redskins’ triumph over the Buccaneers (16 penalties for 142 yards) has the potential to be a momentous moment in a desired rebuilding effort. But for now? I like Kirk's comments. Rejoice.

(31-30, Skins over Bucs. Greatest comeback in franchise history.)

Wizards Lose to Heat, 110-105, But First Unit's Showing Cause for Optimistism

By Mark Bacon

In the first quarter Wednesday night, the Washington Wizards’ new offense demonstrated its potential. The Wizards shared the basketball. They constantly pushed the ball and spaced the floor. They made open shots and attacked the basket relentlessly.

By the end of the first stanza, they scored 29 first-quarter points and held a 12-point lead over the Miami Heat after building a 16-point advantage. They assisted on seven of their eight baskets. They made 3 of 5 three-pointers. They generated nine free throw attempts. And inflicted most of the damage on one of the NBA’s best starting lineups.

It was the best DC’s offense has looked through six preseason games given the quality of opponent. The problem was they couldn’t sustain the effort when the second unit was on the floor in their 110-105 loss.

“Our first unit was really efficient,” Coach Randy Wittman said. “It’s still a work in progress. I thought in the second quarter we lost our pace a little bit and allowed them to get into a rhythm. You want this pace thing to be a thing for 48 minutes. We walked the ball up a couple times on their missed but for the most part I was pretty satisfied, especially with our first unit tonight.”

The Wiz didn’t have Bradley Beal, who sat to rest, but their starting five, with Gary Neal replacing Beal, still outscored Miami’s 75-43 and pounced on the Heat again the third quarter, reopening a 13-point gap. Wittman then pulled most of his starters by the end of the period while the Heat kept three on the floor to finish the game, and Washington went on to lose the lead.

When the first unit was on the floor everything clicked. All five players reached double figures. Marcin Gortat led all Washington scorers with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while supplying standout rim protection by blocking four shots and altering others. Kris Humphries added 16 points, including a couple three-pointers, and 12 rebounds. John Wall, back from a one-game absence, recorded 14 points, seven assists, and a dangerous leap over the first row near the Heat bench in the first quarter in an attempt to save a loose ball.

“You never know when it will be your last game so it might be your last game so I just try to give it everything I’ve got,” Wall said. “I thought I saved it but I cleared them. That just shows my long-jump skills.”

When Washington pushed the pace, it was relentless, on Heat makes and misses. One sequence particularly stood out to Wizards guard Garrett Temple: When the Heat’s Tyler Johnson flushed a dunk in the third quarter, Ramon Sessions, the Wizards’ backup point guard, needed just five seconds to make a layup and earn a trip to the free throw line for a three-point play.

This preseason, Wall is growing accustomed to not asking for the ball on opponent misses, as he did in previous seasons. He is now comfortable running the floor on the wing and allowing Otto Porter Jr. or Beal or Gary Neal or another capable ball-handler to push the ball, giving him a chance to attack defenses that aren’t set.

But Wittman and players emphasized there is still room to grow and improvements could be made in their preseason finale Friday against the Toronto Raptors in Montreal. So just how much can the Wizards’ offense, nearing the end of its dress rehearsals, improve?

“Oh a lot, man. It’s not even close,” Wall said. “I think we can get better. You saw with the first unit we were moving the ball, getting good shots and then it kind of died down and we tried to get back in and get back into a rhythm and just get into a flow. We missed some easy shots but we also missed some layups and some free throws. If we play the way we started and get everybody to play that way for 48 minutes, we’ll be good.”

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Hurricane Katina

The allegations brought forth by self-proclaimed escort have brought a storm to the doorstep of UofL athletics unlike any I have seen.

By: Raashaan Myers

     The University of Louisville men's basketball team is caught in the tempest of a hurricane. This ferocious storm of public, private, media, and most importantly NCAA scrutiny is as transparent and damaging as any I can remember. This storm should be aptly named Hurricane Katina and the UofL Athletic department, coaches, players, and fans should just go ahead and prepare for the storm of the century.

     I'm not writing this piece to talk about the allegations put forth by Katina Powell and everything she says happened at Billy Minardi Hall over the span of 4 years at UofL. The court of public opinion is doing that job very well in the form of Twitter, Facebook, as well as radio and television. I'm not here to get into the ramifications of these possible infractions as far as post season bans and lengthy probationary periods. The NCAA will conduct their investigation on that and once that is complete and the facts are known I will comment on those then. My question is how in the world this situation could have gotten this far without anyone knowing and the awful look that has been given to the program REGARDLESS of the outcome of the investigation.

     UofL basketball has been under a firestorm of negative press before in situations involving players such as Chane Behanan, Chris Jones, and the general issues with previous players as well including Terrence Williams and Derrick Caracter. These problems have been alarmingly consistent and ongoing and are truly shocking considering the guys this issue includes may have been one of Coach Pitino's most highly thought of groups of players from a morals and ethical standpoint. With all the talk in the aftermath of the Karen Sypher situation and the microscope placed on this program one would think a better job of self-policing would have been done.

     Now ESPN comes out with this Outside the Lines investigation interviewing Powell and naming names of guys both at UofL and others that never even committed. To say it is ugly is the understatement of the year. Coach Pitino says that he didn't know anything about this going on pertaining to this situation and I absolutely believe him. I don't think this reflects on him and no I don't think he should lose his job. What I do believe is that UofL should be better than this. Maybe I am completely blind but I really do believe they do things the right way and I think the guys at the top Tom Jurich and Rick Pitino live by that. But obviously more needs to be done to make sure you KNOW they guys under you share your belief in doing things the right way as well as the staff around the players as well to make sure if there is anything shady going on that it gets back to the top.

     I remember when UofL hired assistant coach Larry Gay to replace Wade Houston who was headed to that the head coaching job at Tennessee. Gay was supposed to be a great recruiter and known for getting guys and UofL needed that replacing Houston who was a key part of bringing titles to UofL because of his recruiting efforts. Well Gay did recruit and the way he recruited Samaki Walker landed UofL on sanctions and really put a bad stain on the latter years of Denny Crum's Hall of Fame career. I don't want to see Rick Pitino go out like that so there needs to definitely be some changes made to ensure nothing like this happens again because it is an exhausting and tired narrative that has shown itself WAY too many times lately. My word of advice to UofL, Card Nation, and everyone associated with the program is to batten down the hatches because Hurricane Katina is here and she's just getting started. And her path of destruction will be felt for years to come.

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Washington Redskins Report: Ashburn Flat Lining

By Mark Bacon

The late Yogi Berra once said, “It gets late early out here.”

In Ashburn, VA, HQ of the Washington Redskins, the team can no longer deny a sobering reality: for all the apparent improvements, the Skins are a 2-4 team — just one win better than last season’s record through six games — and issues are bubbling that could render progress imperceptible. As premature as it sounds, the season is already nearing a breaking point. Cousins tenure as starting QB may be over and Gruden’s job security precarious.

After the Redskins’ worst performance of the season, Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the New York Jets, Coach Jay Gruden called next week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — in Week 7— “…very critical. It’s a code red for us.”

While Washington was a play or two against Atlanta from being just fine, perhaps a play or two against Miami from being in an ideal spot, that’s NFL life. Sometimes you need a magnifying glass, or more, to judge bad from good from great. You are your record, and you will be judged by your most recent game.

For the sake of job security, Gruden doesn’t need this team to revert to a disaster with a bye week looming after the Tampa Bay game. Not if he values his job. Gruden wants to sustain progress, and that ain’t happening if the team has run out of tricks to mask it's bad enough to not reveal it is good. I believe in Washington’s competitiveness and improved mind-set, but I'm not sure it has advanced to having an absolute belief that won’t shatter if controversy intensifies. And I hear cracking noises.

Against the Jets, the Skins played their worst stretch of football during the second half, allowing NY to score 24 consecutive points before the bleeding stopped. It turned a gritty first-half effort, in which Washington led 13-10 at halftime, into a teeth gnashing blowout. And the problems are hot-button issues that very well can turn into divisive drama if the team isn’t careful.

Once again, Cousins threw two more interceptions. He has thrown two picks in each of the Skins’ four losses, on a pace to throw 21 interceptions over a full season, which is unacceptable for any NFL QB. And even more troubling when the quarterback is directing an offense where coaches want Kirk to be a game manager, play it safe and deploy a short-passing attack. Cousins is a better this season, and has had some good moments, including the late fourth-quarter comeback against the Eagles. But his turnover propensity remains, and the more Gruden defends Cousins’ mistakes, the less credible Gruden becomes.

All season Washington has been a third-quarter debacle, having been outscored 46-3 in that period; that blame for that must fall on the coach. This is a one-trick-pony team, so limited that it doesn’t have many adjustments it can make. Gruden’s team has failed in almost every way possible in the third quarter. It’s not just the offense. It’s also the defense, special teams, penalties or lack of depth. That about sums it up, no? Every third quarter speaks to the Skins’ inability to receive a halftime message and implement it. In the third quarter, the players often look like a team that went into halftime too satisfied with its performance.

It’s only a perception, but when you’re a second-year coach who doesn’t have a history of success to combat these perceptions, your intentions can get lost in the debate. Quickly.

Can it get worse? Yes. Beyond the third-quarter debacle, the next major concern is that the team’s early-season strength — physical on the interior, run the football and stop the run. It has disappeared. The past two weeks reveal a stunning regression. The Falcons and Jets rushed for 397 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. The first four opponents combined for 312 rushing yards.

On offense, Washington’s run game has produced just 85 yards on 41 carries the past two weeks. Alfred Morris has gained only 36 yards his past 19 rushes.

No wonder Gruden ordered the code red. Ashburn is flat lining.

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NBC Sport’s Rodney Harrison: Robert Griffin III ‘was a flat-out jerk’

By Mark Bacon (Via @Bearsoutsider)

Main Event Sport Radio’s Haven Harrington asked me last week on air if the media scrutiny of the Skins in DC was as intense as it has been in years past. (It is.) And it turns out it’s just not in Washington. The following comes to us from Chicago, via @Bearsoutsider.

As we’ve seen, some observers believe that Kirk Cousins is treated differently than Robert Griffin III. Turns out this issue is also a topic in Chicago, where a local radio host brought it up during an interview with NBC Sports’ Rodney Harrison.

“I was not a fan of Robert Griffin III the last year and a half, last couple years,” Jason Goff said this week during the Spiegel and Goff show on 670 The Score. “He was hurt, he seemed like he was saying all the wrong things. But Kirk Cousins is bad. And it seems like all the grenades that everyone is trying to fall over — because they were proved right that Robert Griffin III wouldn’t be a lasting, viable option — it seems like nobody is making the same comments about Kirk Cousins, who has been underwhelming at best, and who is getting to the point where he’s going to start losing football games for the Washington Redskins.”

“Well first and foremost, we see every week that there’s a lot of bad quarterback play, so I think we’re used to that,” Harrison replied. “What we don’t see is guys being jerks at the quarterback position. And Robert Griffin III was a jerk. He was a flat-out jerk. And when you look at Kirk Cousins, he comes and he says all the right things. And he’s trying, he’s fighting, his team is out there supporting him, he’s doing everything he can to win.

“We understand that you’re not going to be Tom Brady, you’re not a future Hall of Famer,” Harrison went on. “But I think we do respect that a guy’s out there fighting. You look at [Josh] McCown for the Cleveland Browns; he didn’t play particularly well a couple weeks ago, he comes back and throws for [457] yards or whatever it was. But I think we respect guys that work hard and try to do the right thing and stay humble. Robert Griffin didn’t do that, and he lost the respect of his teammates, as well as the guys in the media.”

As early as last November, Harrison was advocating the Redskins cut ties with Griffin, far before this became a mainstream opinion.

“I’ve seen enough. I don’t think he fits in the system. I think you have to get rid of him,” Harrison said after Griffin’s poor showing against the Buccaneers. “They’ve surrounded [Griffin] with great weapons. I just think it comes down to RGIII. I don’t think he can read coverages. The offensive line is really bad. Defensively they gave up a lot of plays. They have a lot of issues on this team.”

By the way, you’ll recall that a great many folks — present company included — suggested that Griffin would be an unbearable distraction if he remained on Washington’s roster as the third quarterback this season. That seems to have been, um, incorrect.

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Georgetown’s D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera Selected to Cousy Award Watch List

By Mark Bacon

Georgetown University senior men's basketball player D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central/Oak Hill) is one of 20 Division I players selected to the watch list for the 2016 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

Named after former Boston Celtic great and Basketball Hall of Fame honoree guard Bob Cousy, the annual award, recognizes the top point guards in NCAA D1 men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

Smith-Rivera was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection in 2014-15.

He led Georgetown with 16.3 points per game. Smith-Rivera, who had nine games last season with at least 20 points, became the 45th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career and finished his junior season ranked 18th all-time at Georgetown with 1,386 points.

By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2016 Bob Cousy Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.  The winner of the 2016 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show on Friday, April 8, 2016.

Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Delon Wright, Utah (2015), Shabazz Napier, Connecticut (2014), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011), Greivis Vasquez, Maryland (2010), and Ty Lawson, North Carolina (2009).

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Comeback Kirk? Not To Be.

By Mark Bacon

A victory turned last-minute defeat turned last-second comeback turned overtime despair. The paradox of quarterback Kirk Cousins’s game-saving greatness in the final 24 seconds of regulation and his interception washout in overtime on a play in which wide receiver Ryan Grant fell down running his route.

Shaking off a day long poor performance, Cousins rescued the Washington Redskins at the Georgia Dome on Sunday. His reward was the most bitter defeat of his 14-start NFL career. A 25-19 defeat at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons.

Washington (2-3) deserved so much more. It played solid defense despite facing a potent passing game without starting cornerbacks Chris Culliver and DeAngelo Hall. It led for most of the game despite having to move the ball without their most potent receivers DeSean Jackson and Jordan Reed. Though injured and pitted against the 5-0 Falcons, Washington played the better game and looked like it would end the day with an above-.500 record for the first time in three years.

Instead, the focus will be on the 153 rushing yards Devonta Freeman gained, an inability to capitalize on turnovers and disappointment over not putting away the game despite chances the offense and defense were given to finish with a flurry.

They were so close to a signature victory over one of the NFL’s best teams. So close to a victory that would have made the city and country acknowledge their own improvement.

This game shouldn’t turn into the usual postmortem on Cousins’s ability as starting quarterback. But it will. Cousins has played well enough through five games to warrant patience. But few will give it to him now. His pick-six to end this game was complicated.

Cousins was on the brink of posting last-second rallies in consecutive victories. But even when he’s not entirely to blame, Cousins can’t avoid being the guy who throws killer interceptions.

On the last play of the game, he released a pass quickly before blitzing linebackers could sack him. Grant, the intended receiver, fell. The throw sailed wide toward the Atlanta sideline. Cornerback Robert Alford snagged his second interception of the game.

Alford collected himself before stepping out of bounds and sprinted 59 yards for the TD — and to the torment of a quarterback who had just made three excellent throws to extend the game.

At the end of regulation, after Freeman’s six-yard touchdown run gave Atlanta a 19-16 lead with 24 seconds remaining, Cousins hit tight end Derek Carrier for a 20-yard gain. Then he connected with Pierre Garçon for a 19-yard gain. Finally, he found rookie Jamison Crowder for a 7 yard gain. With three passes, Cousins drove Washington 46 yards in 19 seconds. It enabled Dustin Hopkins to kick a 52-yard field goal as time expired.

One week after Cousins helped his team beat Philadelphia on four-yard pass to Pierre Garçon with 26 seconds left, he was splendid in the clutch again.

And then he wasn’t.

On a day in which the Washington running game produced a season-worst 51 yards on 24 carries, it needed Cousins to be more accurate. Still, the Redskins were in position to win for most of the game, and in the few moments they weren’t, Cousins resuscitated them. Then he failed to capitalize and become Comeback Kirk.

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The End Of An Era?

By Mark Bacon

This past Thursday was Rick Pitino's worst day since last Friday. That was the day a press conference went down, right before that book was released. A presser forcing Pitino to face a bevy of cameras and media to discuss another sex scandal; one that could eventually bring harsh penalties to the Louisville men's basketball program. One that could force Pitino out as head coach.

This past Thursday began with a report from a former Louisville recruit, JaQuan Lyle, confirming for the NCAA the "gist" of the allegations made about him in "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen.” A day that additionally confirmed two former Louisville players have acknowledged parties with dancers inside Minardi Hall, and was capped by a tense conversation between Pitino and Louisville radio personality Terry Meiners,  broadcast live.

The 17-minute conversation was riveting. It began with Pitino insisting he won't resign because he doesn't "know what resigning would accomplish" and ended with him claiming he will indeed resign if he gets the feeling that's what UL president James Ramsey wants.

"I'll pack my bags and leave," Pitino said. In just 17 minutes, it all went downhill.

It may well be what Ramsey wants. In a statement released Thursday, before Pitino appeared on Meiners' program, Ramsey released a statement, in which the words “Rick” or “Pitino” were never mentioned. Ramsey mentioned the values of the school, his unwavering support of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich, and moving forward. Noticeably, and certainly not accidentally, it didn't mention Pitino. Which led to Pitino to declare he was sorry Ramsey "didn't think enough to mention me, but that's something I can't control."

Things haven't improved since last Friday, instead they’ve gotten worse. And there's no reason to think they won't disintegrate further. The “dumpster fire” I alluded to last week? There is real smoke and real fire. It very well may culminate in the end of the Pitino Era at Louisville.

The Washington Wizards Unveil New Offense In Preseason Opener

By Mark Bacon

The new four-out, one-in offense was on full display for the Washington Wizards in their first preseason game of the new season. Philadelphia was the victim, wholly dismantled 129-95.  The Wizards played fast, moved the ball efficiently and shot a boatload of threes. They attempted 26 threes – more than in 84 of last season’s games.  Not only did they shoot a lot of threes, they were very effective from distance, dropping 15/26.  Eight different Wizards knocked down shots from beyond the arc, and seven finished in double figures.

At one point during the game, referee Danny Crawford asked Coach Wittman an unusual question. “Are y’all going to play like this the whole season?” the referee asked, according to Wizards guard Garrett Temple. “Because I’m not ready for this.” The Wizards’ traditional reliance on big men in the front court, gave over to a frenzied pace throughout. A pace better suited for the thoroughbred backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal.

Wall just missed a preseason double-double, going for 10 points and nine assists in his 20 minutes.  He did commit four turnovers, though. Beal lit it up, and while he did take several midrange jumpers, he made a conscious effort to get to the rack. He shot 9/13 from the field and finished with 19 points.


Otto Porter carried his playoff form over to this preseason, starting off on absolute fire (13 points in 1st quarter, 3/3 from long distance.) He finished with a game-high 22 points on a perfect 4/4 shooting from outside. Porter is the type of player who does not fall in love with one particular thing on the court. It is what makes him so valuable.

Coach Randy Wittman said of Porter “I thought he had, start to finish, as good a game as you can play. Activity, hands on balls. Forget about the shots he made, being in position. His knack for being at the right place at the right time, whether it’s offensively or defensively, his reads and cuts to the basket.”.


Gary Neal made a solid impression in his first appearance in a Wizards' uniform, showing some of the shooting touch Washington brought him here for.  He went 3/4 from deep and scored 13 points.


The Wizards’ new commitment to the four-out and one-in offense was evident in who played power forward. Kris Humphries, not Nene, got the start Tuesday. Coach Wittman maintains he was experimenting with combinations and will continue to do so.

“I can view a lot of starting lineups with this team depending on who we’re playing,” Wittman said. “I’ll have to keep working at that, and look at Nene at the five and [Gortat] at the five and see what we can produce there.”

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Rodney Furman October 4, 2015 @ 6pm

 

It’s hard trying to make a case for the Wildcats to be legitimate competition in the SEC with games like these.  This is the second scare the Wildcats have been dealt with against teams that were supposed to be “easy wins”. The first being the victory against Louisiana-Lafeyette where they blew a 24 point lead in the third quarter, and allowed the Ragin’ Cajuns to tie the game with 7:36 left in the 4^th quarter. Mind you, this is the season opener. From there, it wasn’t a good start for the Cats, but it was followed but three hard fought games against top football programs. One being Florida, which is appearing to be a lot better than people expected. Big Blue Nation wanted revenge against the Gators for the very questionable loss down in ‘The Swamp’ last year that potentially could have cost them a bowl game. But losing by a mere 5 points doesn’t seem that bad when the Gators defeated Ole Miss (the same Ole Miss that just defeated Alabama for the second season in a row) by an eyebrow raising 28 points.

So what does this all mean? It means that UK has some growing up to do. It’s not over for the Cats, in fact they’re just getting started. Just because they were in hot water against two questionable teams doesn’t mean Cats fans should fret. It just means they can’t go into these games like they’ll be “easy victories” and start smelling themselves too much, because those opposing teams are waiting for opportunities like these to shock the world. Just like how we’ll be waiting for those same opportunities against teams like Georgia and Mississippi St. They should instead view these games as wake up calls that we have to play every game to the fullest, as we also get a chance to see who the real playmakers are for the Cats.

Prediction for UK vs. Auburn on Oct.15: 17-24 UK

White Light, White Heat*, White Trash

By Mark Bacon

Dumpster Fire is defined by urbandictionary.com as:
1. A complete disaster. 
2. Something very difficult that nobody wants to deal with.

I thought nothing in the sports world could compete with the disaster that is The Washington Redskins. Guess again...

The NCAA and the University of Louisville are investigating allegations in a newly published book that a former director of basketball operations paid a service to provide sex for Cardinals recruits.

The book, Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen was rapidly released late Friday. Not only the title, but the timing of the release, are notable. It alleges that a woman named Katina Powell was hired repeatedly by former Louisville player, graduate assistant and director of basketball operations Andre McGee to provide strippers and prostitutes during recruits' campus visits.

U of L athletic director Tom Jurich said during a news conference Friday "We're still trying to uncover the facts. We want to get to the bottom of it as much as anybody does ... and we will."

LSU freshman and ex-Louisville commit Antonio Blakeney spoke to the NCAA several days ago about his experiences on a recruiting visit, according to published sources.

The book alleges that 43-year-old Powell provided erotic entertainment for 22 parties from 2010 to 2014 at Billy Minardi Hall. Powell said she, and three of her daughters, along with other women, participated. Powell reveals in the book that she received more than $10,000 for supplying women for the parties. The book also includes a text message between Powell and McGee in which they discussed game tickets as a form of payment.

Powell acknowledges up front, her three daughters were working with her. The oldest was 19 when Powell alleges the business with U of L started. The middle child was 17. The youngest was only 15. It’s possible some sociopath mother has sent a daughter along the path of prostitution. But three?! Working with Mom at times without apology? Something’s wrong with this picture.

Madame author has come under attack, and that’s understandable, given her background. But in the end, attention has to turn to the substance of what she is saying, and whether it is true. Readers and fans can look at the smoke, but no one has yet seen the fire.

But it smells like something is burning. A dumpster fire that could consume the Louisville Men’s Basketball program.

* With apologies to The Velvet Underground

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