Groce Has Illinois Recruiting Heading in the Right Direction

Quentin Snider

Football season is in full swing but the excitement of college basketball recruiting has many looking forward to the winter. With the recruiting talk comes the discussion and anticipation of seeing where the top two recruits decide to commit. Jahlil Okafor of Whitney Young High School and Cliff Alexander of Curie High School are the hype for the 2014 class and rightfully so.

Both big men possess a feather-soft touch around the rim and a dominance in the paint that darn near nobody possesses at the high school level. Combine the inside dominance with the quick feet and fundamental post game and these two young men are showing flashes of NBA talent. Both have cut their lists of schools down yet neither has declared a timetable for their final decision.

Perhaps the biggest shock throughout the recruiting process for the top two recruits is the fact that University of Illinois head coach John Groce seems to have a legitimate shot at landing the two big men. It seems too good to be true: Illinois being able to recruit the Chicago area? The inability to do just this is part of the reason Bruce Weber was shown the door at the end of the 2011-2012 season. Yet here is John Groce, in the same battle as coaching greats such as Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo for five-star recruits.

Illinos fans have many reasons to be excited about where the basketball program is headed. Since Groce's arrival in Champaign he has managed to reel in two Chicago kids both of whom are from Simeon Career Academy, the best basketball school in the state of Illinois. Point guard Jaylon Tate and shooting guard Kendrick Nunn are sure to be the beginning of a great process at Illinois.

Yet Chicago is not what is going to make or break Illinois' program. Is it a big part of the recruiting process? Yes, by all means. After all Chicago has provided the best talent in the land the past few years with recruits such as Derrick Rose, Anthony Davis, and Jabari Parker coming out of the Windy City.

However, John Groce has already snagged two top 50 recruits for the 2014 class with the commitments of Quentin Snider and Leron Black. With the help of these two future Illini, John Groce's 2014 recruiting class is currently fifth in the nation. A top five recruiting class with the top to recruits still considering the University of Illinois proves John Groce is doing big things. Should things continue to move in the right direction, Illinois will be doing big things too.

6 Things to Watch in College Basketball

Russ Smith of Louisville

Last night I was sitting on my couch and engaged in a conversation with a roommate about college basketball and the upcoming season. In my excitement for the season to begin I rushed to the store and bought the newest college basketball preview magazine. What entailed was four hours of poring over endless material for what is sure to be a dynamite season all around.

Change is abound in college hoops and the landscape of the game was drastically altered on July 1 when conference realignment was officially implemented. Say hello to a new Big East and welcome in the American Athletic Conference. Say goodbye to some of the game's best rivalries such as Syracuse-Georgetown and bid adieu to Conference USA as a "power conference" (sorry Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion).

Yes, change is the theme of this year in college basketball, but there's no sense in complaining anymore. This is the way it is. So rather than getting your panties in a bunch about the breakup of the Big East, focus on the new great rivalries that realignment has given us. Notre Dame, Syracuse and Pittsburgh joining the ACC creates some enticing matchups as does Butler, Xavier and Creighton joining the Big East.

Don't feel bad if your head is spinning from all these changes. It's hard to keep up anymore, but here are six things to watch for this upcoming season.

1. Can Louisville repeat as national champions?
No team since Florida in 2006 and 2007 has repeated as national champions, but the ingredients are there for Rick Pitino's Cardinals. Nearly every major piece returns and the big one is Russ Smith. The 6-foot dynamo flirted with the NBA, but opted to return. That means Louisville has it's leading scorer (18.7 ppg) back to go with a great frontcourt. Luke Hancock was the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and Wayne Blackshear started 34 games last season. Chane Behanan and Montrezl Harrell are two physical presences as well. Kevin Ware, barring any setbacks in his rehabilitation process, should be available by October.

2. Kentucky's freshmen class for the ages
We have grown accustomed to watching John Calipari win with a host of freshmen on his Kentucky roster, but last year his young crop of talent didn't possess the brains or the heart to get the job done. This year, six McDonald's All-Americans enter Lexington in hopes of bringing the national championship back across the state. Some media outlets have pegged Andrew Harrison and Julius Randle as All-Americans and Calipari has mentioned his aspirations of going undefeated. Stay tuned.

3. Can Tom Izzo win another title?
I hate to give Tom Izzo grief for only having one national championship to his name, especially because he has been to six Final Fours. However, his 2000 team is the only one that has hoisted the trophy and that's surprising with how much talent has gone through East Lansing. Like Louisville, Michigan State has several key pieces returning, most notably Gary Harris. Harris is versatile on the offensive end and gets after it on defense. Keith Appling is back to run the point and Adreian Payne will anchor the frontline. There's no reason these Spartans shouldn't be in Dallas.

4. How will Creighton, Xavier and Butler do in the Big East?
All three teams have had plenty of success in recent years, but let's not forget that just two years ago Butler was competing against the likes of Cleveland State. Sure, the Bulldogs had great tournament runs, but can they have success throughout the season playing teams like Marquette and Georgetown? Don't expect much from Butler this season, but Doug McDermott and Creighton could contend for the title. Xavier will most likely be middle of the pack.

5. The inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference
The funny thing about the inaugural season for the AAC is that it's going to look different next season. Louisville and Rutgers are members for this year only and then they will depart for the ACC and Big Ten respectively. Tulsa, East Carolina and Tulane will fill the void and the conference will rely on Cincinnati, Memphis and UConn for national exposure. For this year, the renewal of an old rivalry between Louisville and Memphis should be fun to watch, but again, it won't be here for long.

6. Freshmen sensations Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins
Much has been made about these two players. Parker will suit up for Coach K and Duke after leading Simeon (IL) to four straight state titles. He is smart player who is versatile at the forward position. Wiggins is enrolled at Kansas and was regarded as the nation's top player. Many believe that he will be the number one pick in next year's NBA Draft, but he has the ability to take KU deep into March despite being a freshman.

Yes, college football just started, but it's never too early to prepare for March Madness. There are plenty of storylines as the season commences. Kentucky will be number one in most polls, but there is plenty of experience on the Michigan State and Louisville rosters. Coach K will have Duke primed for a title run and Arizona has a nice mix of new recruits and old veterans.

It may only be September, but it's never too early to let the Madness begin.

Notre Dame and Michigan Prepare for One Last Showdown

Historically in the Midwest there is no greater college football than at Notre Dame and Michigan. Forty times the two teams have met and their storied histories and gaudy team records make their rivalry one to circle on the calendar. On Saturday the two will meet again, as has become the norm early in each season, but this time will be different. Because this time will be the last one for a while.

It's a complaint that has been filed too many times to count by college sports fans, but it's inescapable. Conference realignment stinks. Period. Kansas and Missouri no longer play basketball, Nebraska and Oklahoma won't see each other on the gridiron any time soon and Syracuse and Georgetown have played their last conference basketball game. Now, because of Notre Dame's new agreement with the ACC, the Irish won't play Michigan through at least 2017.

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly made a silly remark earlier this week that the ND-Michigan rivalry wasn't "one of those historic, traditional Notre Dame rivalries." Earlier today he backtracked and said that the game was "a great and historical rivalry." Kelly was wise to change his tune because he was dead wrong with his first remarks.

Back in 1887 Michigan won the first meeting ever between the two teams and they proceeded to rack up eight straight victories against the Irish. Since those eight games, Notre Dame has a slight edge in the series, going 16-15-1. The rivalry is evenly matched and pits two of the top teams in college football against each other.

The two schools are numbers one and two in winning percentage all-time and numbers one and three in all-time wins. On top of that, they both own 11 championships. Every game since 2009 has been decided by seven points or less and in 2011 Denard Robinson left us with an instant classic as he led the Wolverines back from a 24-7 deficit and scored the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left in the first night game ever at The Big House.

With Notre Dame joining the ACC, Michigan was left out of the Irish's schedule. Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke insists that Notre Dame "chickened out" but the reality is that the conference alignment will always have the final say. Notre Dame has agreed to play five games against ACC competition which is absolutely ridiculous because everyone really wants to see the Irish play a team like Wake Forest instead of Michigan. Wrong.

So this is it for awhile. Notre Dame and Michigan on a September Saturday. Enjoy this one because in an ever-changing world of college sports it may not be back again. However, this game is historic and it's traditional and that is why it's one of the best rivalries in college football.

Celebrity Role Models: Though Hard to Come By, They're Out There

If you haven't yet seen the footage of Miley Cyrus' performance at the VMAs then you probably haven't been near a TV or computer all day. The dreadful and horrendous performance that Cyrus and Robin Thicke put on last night is one that may just top Madonna and Britney Spears' kiss as well as Justin Timberlake's revealing of Janet Jackson's chest on stage. What happened last night left many people asking how Miley Cyrus could act in such a manner that would make those who grew up idolizing her as "Hannah Montana" wonder what they saw in her. Not only was credibility lost, but so was a little bit of faith in celebrities as a whole.

It has become that way in sports as well. This entire summer has been all about yet another performance-enhancing drug bust with Alex Rodriguez being the main perpetrator. The same A-Rod who was said to beat Hank Aaron's home run record the right way is now potentially, though not likely, facing a lifetime ban from the game.

Thinking back to being a kid that just ended my Little League career when the Mitchell Report was released and seeing my childhood idol Sammy Sosa be labeled a cheater was one of the more crushing blows I have dealt with while being a fan of baseball. It's never fun being lied to and it's never fun knowing that the excitement of someone's career was done with dishonesty and carelessness.

It is becoming tougher and tougher to find those celebrities that kids, teenagers, and adults can admire and hold on a pedestal. While not every singer prances around a stage with a foam finger between their legs and not every baseball player cheats, there comes a stereotype and collective skepticism whenever a situation such as these arise. Celebrities are constantly called in to question and must deal with more pressure in the public eye than most of them care to endure.

Yet there are people that handle themselves in a way that, like them or not, deserve respect and admiration. In the game of football Tim Tebow and Robert Griffin III have dealt with being in the spotlight nearly everyday this summer. With Tebow now a New England Patriot and RGIII recovering from a torn ACL, both have been egged on by reporters to say something negative or call someone out via interview. However, handling themselves with nothing but class, both athletes have turned away from these chances.

For Tebow coming off a frustrating stint with the New York Jets, reporters practically drooled over the chance to hear the goody two shoes Tebow speak his true thoughts on the Jets organization and head coach Rex Ryan. For RGIII, the questions early on were all about what he thought of head coach Mike Shanahan leaving him in late in the game when the Redskins appeared to have the game in the bag. Both deflected the negativity and failed to take advantage of the media's encouragement to speak ill of their head coaches.

The point is that even though our society has come to focus on the negative side of show business, there are those that represent the profession and sport in a way that we as fans and viewers can still admire and respect. While everyone is watching and waiting for the next athlete to slip up and make headlines on ESPN for weeks, there are athletes that we can be assured will never fill ESPN for negative reasons. Yes, role model-worthy athletes and celebrities are becoming hard to find, but they're most definitely not extinct.

NL Central Race Could End With Three Playoff Teams

The calendar is about to flip to September and the dog days of August are coming to a close. August is the month that separates the contenders (see Kansas City) from the pretenders (see Philadelphia), but in the National League Central Division there is not separation. Three contenders remain in a deadlock atop the division standings with Pittsburgh and St. Louis tied for first and Cincinnati just 2.5 back.

The final sprint to the finish will be incredible to watch and it's likely that there could be three teams make the playoffs. All three teams have the ingredients for postseason success with quality rotations and deep lineups. Here's the forecast for the Pirates, Cardinals and Reds as we head to the final month of the regular season.

Pittsburgh Pirates (76-54) -- On this blog just last month I said time will tell if this band of Pirates was legit. Time has told us yes they are. Whereas the last few years the Pirates had crumbled in the second half of the season, this year they have continued to play good ball while persevering through some injuries. Six games each against the Cards and Reds remain on the schedule. Closer Jason Grilli remains on the 15-day DL, but GM Neal Huntington said a big step would be a simulation game this week. For the Pirates, the final stretch will be a new challenge to conquer. The playoffs haven't been in Pittsburgh since Barry Bonds, but making the postseason would be the next step for this team. There are growing pains that come with learning to win and that's why winning the division might be a year away for this team, but they are a force to be reckoned with if they sew up one of those Wild Card spots.

St. Louis Cardinals (76-54) -- The Cardinals are in a completely different spot than the Pittsburgh Pirates despite their records saying the same thing. St. Louis is a veteran team with a nice mix of young talent. The core of the team has won one or two World Series and has been a part of two fantastic playoff series the last two years. St. Louis weathered the storm during the first half of the month, but they are in the midst of another difficult part on the schedule. They recently took three of four from Atlanta, but their next 12 are against the Reds and Pirates. The schedule after that is favorable and if they stay healthy then they should be the division winner. The offense has been outstanding from the start and with the way St. Louis drives in runs they will be hard to beat in the playoffs. Add in their experience and this team should be playing for the NL championship.

Cincinnati Reds (74-57) -- Cincinnati has been an underachiever as far as the postseason goes the past few years and, for a time, it looked like this year's playoffs wouldn't be happening in the Queens City. However, the Reds had a good month and are now very much in playoff contention. The offense is there for Cincinnati. They are 13th in runs scored and they seventh in on-base percentage. There are a few questions in the starting rotation and the main one is how good will Homer Bailey be? We've seen him throw two no-hitters, but he has also had his low moments. A good Homer Bailey would be huge for the Reds and if they team has the lead late in the game then you can forget about it because that means it's Aroldis Chapman time. A Wild Card spot is there for the taking and the series against the Cardinals starting tonight is the biggest of the season for this team.

All three teams have proven they are playoff teams and they do so by being good at the plate and out on the field. St. Louis has the playoff experience and the best offense, but the Pirates are a team on a mission. Cincinnati isn't far behind and has nightmares of last year's playoff collapse to the Giants. Count on all three to make the playoffs if they don't beat up on each other over the next month.

Castro's Struggles Raise Questions About Future in Chicago

Starlin Castro is having one of those years. The young phenom for the Chicago Cubs has seen his stats plummet and seems to have a disconnect with the coaching staff. In a particularly rough week for the two-time All-Star, Castro was benched after a fielding error in the Cubs' nationally-televised game against the Washington Nationals and was then demoted to eighth in the lineup. As you could imagine, he doesn't like it.

The game came so easy to Castro in his first three seasons that "struggling" was a word that was rarely attached to his name. Now, it's the word that has defined his 2013 campaign. His batting average is at .237 after hitting .300+ in his first two seasons and he's not even making much contact. Castro has already whiffed 108 times which is a career-high. His previous season high was last year's mark of 100, but he's already surpassed that and still has 34 games remaining.

Much has been made about why Castro has fallen off. The "too many voices" theory has been used often and Castro has insisted that he will stop listening to so many people. He is in the midst of a major slump at the moment and the stats show that the once-aggressive Castro is taking more pitches than ever before, but it hasn't translated to more walks. He is 24th in the National League in pitches seen at 3.90 and that's the highest of his career. However, he has drawn just 21 walks and has a measly on base percentage of .273.

Whatever the reason is for Castro's struggles they must be solved soon. Chicago is in the midst of a major rebuilding project and Castro is the focal point of it all. With Alfonso Soriano gone, Castro is now the longest tenured position player on the Cubs' roster. He was so good his first three years that it's easy to forget that this is a 23-year-old kid who is being counted on to produce at an All-Star level while leading a young, talented bunch as they try to rebuild in the big city of Chicago. Not exactly an easy assignment.

Difficult or not, this is the way it is for Castro. He has been handed the keys to the team. What will he do with them? Will he turn it around and get back to being the player he was while developing into the leader Chicago needs? Or will he continue to struggle and not see eye-to-eye with management? If it's the latter then his days on the North Side may be numbered.

Theo Epstein is a mastermind at building championship ball clubs. In Chicago, Castro is the main piece to the puzzle. Several young players have shown flashes of promise this season and the Cubs boast a solid farm system. The future is bright in Chicago, but if Castro can't work out his troubles then it's noticeably dimmer. This year is basically lost for him, but perhaps he can break out of his funk and finish strong.

Whether he does or not, the focus is already on 2014. Which brings up an old Cubs fans' hopeful saying; wait til next year.

Northwestern Looks to Take Next Step in 2013

Kain Colter and Northwestern are looking for a Big Ten title

As goals are accomplished, bigger goals are established. So it is with the Northwestern football team as they prepare for the 2013 campaign after exorcising the bowl-game demons with a 34-20 Gator Bowl victory over Mississippi State to cap last season. It ended the Wildcats' streak of nine consecutive bowl game losses, which is tied for the longest streak of all-time. With that mountain climbed and conquered, Northwestern can set their sights on something bigger this season -- like a Big Ten conference title.

Make no mistake about it, winning the Big Ten title this season won't be a walk in the park, but the Cats have the talent to pull it off. Start with the backfield of Venric Mark and Kain Colter. Northwestern finished 19th in the nation with 225.5 rush yards per game and Mark racked up 1,366 yards on the season. Eight times Mark rushed for 100+ yards in a game and he found the endzone 12 times. The senior may find it difficult to duplicate those numbers, but Colter will provide assistance.

The dual-threat quarterback, or whatever you want to call his position, does just about everything. Last season he threw for eight touchdowns and ran for 12 more. Oh, and he he also caught 16 passes for 169 yards. He's the type of player that can do whatever needs to be done, but Northwestern hopes his passing will improve this season. He completed 67.8 percent of his passes, but he's now completely healed from a shoulder injury he suffered back in high school and that may make him more comfortable at quarterback.

No matter where he lines up, the bottom line is that Colter will have an impact, and the Cats need him to because their schedule is anything but easy. Road games at Wisconsin and Nebraska plus home contests versus Ohio State and Michigan highlight the schedule. It's a far cry from 2012 when Northwestern went 10-3, but didn't play a Top 25 team. Barring a host of disappointments, that is impossible this season as all four of those teams, plus Northwestern, are in the USA Today Preseason Top 25. Michigan State will also probably also see time in the polls and they will come to Evanston on November 23rd.

However, despite the increased strength of schedule, not to mention the target that comes with going 10-3, this is the kind of season where good teams become great teams. Will Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats improve, stay the same or fall? Anything less than nine wins and a New Year's Day bowl game would and should be considered a drop off from last year. Sure, the schedule is tougher, but this team has been knocking on the door for a few years and now it's time to bust through.

It's time for Northwestern to become a mainstay in the Top 25 and the top of the Big Ten standings. While many outside of Big Ten country may not know about the Cats they could know fairly soon. When the Buckeyes travel to Evanston on October 5th the ESPN-televised game will be in primetime at 8:00. That would be a great time to introduce the nation to Northwestern football.

Greg Jennings Just Keeps on Yapping

Apparently Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver Greg Jennings can't hear. However, his mouth works just fine. The newly acquired receiver from Green Bay must not have heard his head coach's request to stop making comments about his former team because he was at it again today. Today Jennings claimed that the Packers "brainwashed" him into thinking that the Green Bay franchise is "tiers better than anyone else in the division."

The most bitter man in the world must be Jennings because why else would he embark on this relentless attack on his old team? It started with Jennings comments that Aaron Rodgers had created the spotlight for himself and wasn't about the team anymore and then, as apologies go in the sports world, Jennings only made it worse. He later said he was just joking and everyone should have known that. Whatever Greg.

Here's the point: Greg Jennings is going to miss Aaron Rodgers regardless of anything he says. He can say whatever he wants, but the fact of the matter is that he has Christian Ponder throwing him the ball this season rather than arguably the NFL's best quarterback. So keep it up Greg because reality is going to hit one of these fall Sundays.

Today's comments are bizarre from multiple angles. For one, aren't teams supposed to have confidence and hold themselves up -- especially a team with as rich of a history as Green Bay? Also, what's the problem with that mindset if it's true? The numbers don't lie and the numbers say that the Packers have owned the NFC North since Jennings entered the league in 2006.

Since that point the Pack has won three division titles while Minnesota and Chicago have two. In 2010, a year the Packers were the Wild Card, they won the Super Bowl which is the only time a NFC North team has won since '06. Green Bay also leads in wins (74) and playoff appearances (5) in that time span as well, so yes, they are better than everyone else in the division and that's just the facts.

What we have here is a player who is bitter that he is no longer a member of the team. Jennings spent seven seasons in Green Bay and won a title with them. Now, he's no longer a member of that team and instead is trying to play it off that the grass is greener across the state line. No doubt, the Vikings will be good this season and they may even win the division, but Jennings can't change the past and, rather than enjoying the time he spent there, he is sullying his relationship with his former employer.

But when all is said and done, his comments truly mean nothing. What does mean something is October 27th. That's the night Greg Jennings will come face-to-face with Green Bay on Sunday Night Football and then, we will see if all the talk is backed up. Something tells me he will be a marked man.

Jay Bilas Makes the Protest of the Year

Manziel could be suspended for profiting off his own name

Let's all give Jay Bilas a hand. Seriously, how awesome has he been today? In light of the Johnny Manziel controversy that the Texas A&M quarterback profited off of autographs he signed for brokers, Bilas took to Twitter to expose the NCAA Shop for profiting off of players' names.

As he pointed out 14 times on his account, by searching a player's name in the search bar (i.e.-Manziel, Zeller, Muhammad) shopNCAAsports.com will turn back results with all of their jerseys. This hardly seems fair. In fact, it's not fair one bit. There's a possibility that Manziel could be suspended for the season because of this. It's about time these athletes get paid for the NCAA using their name for profit.

This is nothing new in the world of college athletics. The debate on the NCAA using players' likeness has raged on for years (see "Fab 5 Michigan"), but it has heated up recently and the Manziel story comes at the perfect time. Find a way to explain how it's fair that someone can search "Johnny Manziel" on a NCAA website and get back results with any kind of Texas A&M #2 jersey? The NCAA sees all of that money, but Manziel won't see a dime.

So, just to make sure we're clear here, Manziel doesn't own his own name. The NCAA owns his name for the time that he spends in college. Johnny Football can win the Heisman and be apart of dozens of functions that make the NCAA money, but Johnny Manziel can't make any money off his own performance. So, what it really comes down to, is that the NCAA encourages/wants Johnny Manziel to be as big of a business as he can, but if that business includes himself then it's the wrong kind in the NCAA's eyes.

What a shame because Texas A&M is rolling in the dough due to Manziel's celebrity. How many millions of dollars has the school made because of television revenue and bowl game payoffs that was mostly generated my Manziel? Too many too count, but the quarterback won't see any of it. Sure, they will thank him after this year is over, pat him on the back and hope the door doesn't hit him on the way out. Then they will wait for the next Johnny Manziel to come along and get the Benjamins flowing again because that's the way college athletics works.

It's a flawed and corrupt business. The ones who are making the money for the NCAA aren't seeing any of it and it's about time that changed. Props to Jay Bilas for exposing part of the corrupt nature of the NCAA and, in fact, he exposed them so badly that they disabled the search bar halfway through the day.

Problem is, their next move will most likely be to disable Manziel's attempt at a Heisman repeat and national championship run. Just because the guy thought he owned his own name. Silly him right?

Jay Bilas' Twitter account: https://twitter.com/JayBilas