They say all good things must come to an end. This is the final edition of the Most Improved Player Rankings and I— I’m sorry … I … told myself I wasn’t going to cry. (sniffle) It’s been an amazing run here at the Most Improved Player Rankings. We’ve talked about donut races, wildebeests, and Andy Enfield’s wife. We’ve made fun of just about every basketball announcer out there and also Jim Nantz. But now it’s finally time to get down to the business
I’ll admit it: I teared up a little last night. When the buzzer sounded in Atlanta, and Louisville emerged as the NCAA champion, I was humbled by my own role in it all. After all, I’m not a hero. I’m just a man writing a column about the most improved players in the NBA. But once again, I became the center of the basketball universe. I didn’t do any interviews because I wanted this moment to be about the players and the
There are less than three weeks left in the NBA season. Three weeks. And I’m having a breakdown. It’s up to me to rank the Most Improved Players in the league this season, but I might as well be tasked with coming up with the goofiest Lopez brother, the dumbest “Real World” contestant, or the craziest old lady on “The View.” Here’s the thing: I just can’t decide which of the candidates have risen above the rest. There are so many players
If you know the difference between a basketball and a bocce ball, you know that upstart Florida Gulf Coast has come out of absolutely nowhere to capture the nation’s attention and become the first 15-seed in NCAA history to advance to the Sweet 16. What does this have to do with the Most Improved Player Rankings? Well, FGCU coach Andy Enfield called his team “the most improved team in the nation.” You know that caught our attention. That. of course, and
It’s time for Week 3 of the Greatest Fake Tournament in the history of sports columns. Let’s get right to the games, with Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery on the call. GUS JOHNSON: Welcome back to Most Improved Player Madness. I’m Gus Johnson alongside Bill Raftery, and Bill, It’s been a thrilling tournament so far, and it has left our readers completely speechless. They can’t even click on the link because of all of the spontaneous excitement. I’m so happy I
Southern won the SWAC championship by knocking off Prairie View A&M on Saturday. Here are five things you didn’t know about the NCAA Tournament-bound Jaguars: 1. They’re 22-4 in their last 26 games. Since a 1-5 start, Southern has been on fire. The Jags rolled through the SWAC schedule at 15-3 and captured the tournament title by knocking off Alabama A&M and Prairie View A&M, who were a combined 14-22 in conference. 2. They made the NCAAs in part because Texas Southern was
The University of the Pacific is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 after winning the Big West Championship on Saturday night. 1. They don’t score much. Senior point guard Lorenzo McCloud leads them with 11.4 per game. The rest of the Tigers average under double figures in scoring. Travis Fulton is second on the team at 9.1 points per. 2. They’re Pacific Ocean-deep. See what I did there? Ten guys average at least 11 minutes per game, and
Mississippi is back in the Big Dance for the first time since since 2002 after winning the SEC championship by defeating Florida on Sunday afternoon. Here are five things you need to know about the Rebels: 1. Marshall Henderson is their heart and soul. He’s crazy, outspoken and brash, but Henderson’s tongue-wagging enthusiasm is what makes the Rebels tick. He averages 20.1 points per game and virtually carried Ole Miss to the SEC title. 2. They score a lot of points. The