Darrel C. writes: "What's up with the new Adidas uniforms for March Madness? Do you like or dislike?"
Straight Up Response: Darrel, thanks for the question. For those of you who have no idea what he is talking about, he is referring to these new uniforms that Adidas released this week:
I normally like the new uniforms or big game uniforms that have been becoming increasingly popular over the last few years. The key word there is normally. I don't even know where to start with these. The teams that have chosen to adapt these uniforms for the NCAA Tournament are Cincinnati, Kansas, Notre Dame, Baylor, UCLA, and Louisville. This honestly looks like something that you would see a surfer or BMX rider wear. What's next from here? Glow in the dark? Advertisements?
There are some teams that you just don't mess with the uniforms. UCLA and Kansas have two of the most classic and recognizable uniforms in college basketball. You don't mess with that. You don't mess with perfection. Michigan and NC State, the two Adidas teams that opted out of wearing these uniforms, will wear their regular Adidas gear during the NCAA Tournament. But in the long run, it's not the uniform, but the team on it that matters.
Hank M. writes: "Which team will take the Honey Badger? One who needs him bad enough to risk his off the field issues? Do his 4 bench reps matter?
Straight Up Response: Hank, thanks for hitting me up on Twitter with this question. Being confined to 140 characters can be difficult, so I'll expand on this a bit. Hank is talking about Tyrann Mathieu (at right), a former LSU defensive back, who was dismissed from the team before the 2012 season for drug issues. Mathieu, who was nicknamed the "Honey Badger" in college, is a prospect that is practically covered in red flags. The off the field problems are obviously a big one, but his combine results, including the bench press reps that Hank mentioned, are a bigger issue. He also has not played in a game in over a year.
Despite all of these issues, I think Mathieu has cleaned up his act, and will be a great pickup for a team in the 2-4 round. I think that the Pittsburgh Steelers are the team that is most likely to pick him. They are depleted in the defensive secondary, and are in desperate need of an interception producing player. That was one of Matthieu's strengths in his time in Baton Rouge. He forced 8 turnovers in just a 13 game season. The Steelers' star corner back Keenan Lewis is also testing the waters of free agency, making secondary a must get position for the Steelers in the draft. Another incredible upside to Mathieu is his punt and kickoff returning skills. If playing defense never works out for Tyrann, he could always be converted to a Devin Hester type kickoff and punt return specialist, seeing limited action on the offensive end. The Steelers have also struggled with finding a solid kick and punt returner, and Tyrann might be their guy.
So to recap: I think the Steelers will take him (but I've been known to be wrong), the upside greatly outweighs the negative (especially if he slips to the 3rd or 4th round), and I think the bench reps don't matter a whole lot in the end (the Steelers will care more about his good 40 time). Thanks for the great question Hank, and remember that the NFL Draft is just around the corner!
Dave R. writes: "What is your opinion on Wisconsin basketball? Do you enjoy watching the games? What do you think of Bo Ryan as a coach?"
Straight Up Response: Thanks for the email Dave! I have the feeling that this is a loaded question considering you said you were from Wisconsin, but I'll answer it truthfully anyways. Wisconsin basketball bores me. It verges on almost painful to watch at times. But that does not mean that it isn't good basketball. Sometimes it is hard to watch a team because they are sloppy, or can't make a shot. This is not the case with Wisconsin. Their whole strategy is to slow the game down to the point where they take almost every shot with less than 10 seconds left on the shot clock. Don't think about running on them either: they forego offensive rebounds to get every player back in transition. You might think that there is no way that Wisconsin can win like this, but they have been extremely successful under Bo Ryan's scheme. He never recruits top players because he recruits specifically to his scheme, and then develops his players into what he wants them to be. I think Bo Ryan is one of the best coaches in the country. Over the 12 seasons that he's been at Wisconsin, they have never finished worse than 4th in the very tough Big Ten, and have made the NCAA Tournament every singe year. He's on his way to do the same this year, leading the Badgers to a 20-8 record, including 5 wins over ranked teams Maybe the only criticism result wise with Bo Ryan that he has never gotten a team to the Final Four. But I think that the Badger faithful can live with that one. Ugly, hard to watch, slow basketball can work as long as you have the right coach and the right scheme. Bo Ryan is that coach, and so far in his career, his scheme is working just fine.
I think this first mailbag is a success. Remember, email me at straightupsports1@gmail.com or tweet me @straightsports1, and maybe you can have your question answered! 'Til next time.
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