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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
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“MICHIGAN MAN…ALOT OF THEM”
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The NCAA Trophy sits with all the Maize & Blue confetti falling from the sky.
The Connecticut Huskies hopes of adding  to their dynasty seemed to die in the second half.

Dusty May and the Michigan Men sledgehammered their way to a win on Monday Night, a dominant (69-63) win.

Hail to the Victors…Michigan, a basketball school, not a football school now.

Pick a storyline and there were segments that impacted the outcome.

Michigan’s guards mauled U Conn on defense, even if UM went (0-16) shooting early in the backcourt.

Michigan’s Aday Mara struggled early but then found his game.  But then wave after wave came off the bench and that was the difference on the frontlinel

Michigan’s Eliott Cadeau kept making shots and banging people at the other end of the game and that was a sizzling 19-point night he had.

Michigan’s front line flexed its muscle with 4-blocked shots in one stretch.

U-Conn started fast, had the lead for 15-minutes, and then you could sense it was getting away from them

Tarris Reed virtually disappeared with all the bigs collapsing around him.  The proven veteran Alex Karaban lost his outside shot a week ago, and was a non factor despite all his experience.  The Huskies 3-point shots went away too.

The Huskies guards got in foul trouble by halftime and could not do what they have in games past.

U Conn kept fouling. Michigan kept swishing, hitting 20-free throws in a row in the 2nd half.

The UM lead went to 11 at one point and knowing how hard it was for UConn each trip up the floor-you sensed it was an impossible mountain to climb.

Michigan’s jumping jacks around the basket played at a furious level.  U Conn tried hard inside, mised outside, and wound up shooting (31%)

The refs, their hands full, let them play rough-house basketball.

For this tourney, it marks a changing of the guard.  No ACC.  No Big East.  No longer a drought for the Big 10.  And Michigan did it with a unique blend of 5-transfer starters, athleticism, length, toughness and depth.

Great tourney.

Hail to the Victors.  Michigan Men, in basketball, becoming champions.
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Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast..1:30pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics-Stay for Fans Forum
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“HERE-THERE-EVERYWHERE”
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Stories everywhere…opinions on everything.

UCONN-MICHIGAN…Who would have thought these two would survive March Madness.  No Duke.  No Arizona.  Just not sure the Huskies have enough bigs, nor enough guards to handle what the Wolverines have shown.

ARIZONA..Hard to believe too the deep and big Wildcats, who hammered their way thru the tourney, got run off the floor so bad by all the matchups Dusty May created for UM.  Tommy Lloyd and UA looked lost.

NORTH CAROLINA…It’s part of their history…the last 3-NCAA tourney losses, they had double digit leads in all three and lost all three games.  That’s replaced the great times with Coach K-Roy Williams and Dean Smith.

UCLA LADY BRUINS..What a beatdown of South Carolina, 48-hours after the Lady Gamecocks destroyed Connecticut.  UCLA’s bigs played beyond big, 49-rebounds, 5-blocked shots, holding South Carolina to (29%) shooting and taking away their threes (3-14).

U CONN..Awful loss, and awful post game misconduct from Geno Auriemma, the argument with South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, refusing to shake her hand or the hands of the players, and then blasting the refs and the Gamecocks in the formal postgame press conference.  Rudeness beyond anything we see from Dan Hurley.

LAKERS WOES…From red hot, 16 wins in 18-games, to this mess.  They trailed Oklahoma City by 46-points on Friday night in a blowout loss, and then in a 12-hours span,  they lose Luke Doncic (6W) and Austin Reaves (4W) with hamstring and oblique injuries in that game in OKC.  Now they look in big trouble just 2-weeks before the playoffs.  How do they survive playoff matchups?

CLIPPERS WOES…Not sure I want to see this off season coming quickly.  Will the NBA drop the hammer on the Clippers owners and on Kawhi Leonard, voiding his contract and ripping the Clippers of 3-first round picks for the Salary Cap circumvention.  And now this story, that Steve Ballmer is looking to make a bid on the NFL-Seattle Seahawks,up for sale.

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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
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“MARCH MADNESS-BATTLE OF BIGS”
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The old adage…’you better have a great point guard to win March Madness’ no longer holds true.

At least not this year, this era of college basketball, or these teams in the final four in Indianapolis

Locked-loaded-and-big, the only way to describe the rosters.  The bigger story, which big men get in foul trouble or which bigs can stay on the court.

A look see at what should be a war:

ARIZONA..So deep, starting with Koa Peat and rolling thru Motei Krivas and the bigs off the bench.  Of course they are led by hi scoring guards Jayden Bradley and Brayden Burries in the backcourt.  Deepest team in the tourney.

MICHIGAN..They counter the Wildcats with their own tall timber, led by explosive scorer Yax Landeborg and the big Spanish center Aday Mara.  Does Michigan have enough guard scoring to hold up.

U CONN..What a run in March with different heroes every night.  Some tourney by 6’11-Tarris Reed-who has exploded, coupled with veteran shooting forward Alex Karaban.  Big issue is Reed must stay out of foul trouble.  Where do the points come from if the Huskies big’s cannot carry the load?

ILLINOIS…What an eclectic collection of European transfers, led by the shoot Andrej Stojakovic.  The real stunner, the growth of 3-other bigs, Tomislav Ivisic, his brother Zvon, and the unheralded David Mirkovic.  They just keep beating on you.

WHO WINS:  Arizona wave after wave of talent.  Illinois to pull off an upset with all their bigs overwhelming the Huskies.

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Hacksaw’s Great Sports Weekend Podcast…1:30pm
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics-Stay for Fans Forum
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“MARCH MADNESS-LADIES VERSION”
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We are heading to Final 4-Weekend, capping off a spectacular couple of weekends of wild college basketball.

But as the country pays attention to what happens on Saturday, when Arizona faces Michigan and U-Conn tangles with Illinois, lost in all the conversation is a piece of history.

The March Madness scoreboard flashes back to the greatest teams of all times.  History tells us so much:

UCLA…11-NCAA titles…the legendary John Wooden winning 10-crowns in an 11-year span, going (335-22) in that decade plus that incorporated the greatness of Jabbar and Walton.

KENTUCKY..A history that brought 6-titles, starting with Adolf Rupp in 1948, with 4-wins in a 6-year span.

NORTH CAROLINA..A modern day version of greatness, six crowns, triggered by Dean Smith and carried on by Roy Williams.

DUKE..reeled off 5-times cutting the nets down thanks to the brilliance of Mike Krzyzewski.

U CONN..A modern dynasty thanks to Jim Calhoun and now Dan Hurley with its 6-wins.

So many special ceremonies over the lifetime of basketball.

But with all the conversation, no one hardly ever mentions what is happening in that other tournament.  The NCAA’s Women’s Tournament has spawned the birth of the WNBA, and 1-school is responsible for its explosive growth.

LADY HUSKIES..Gino Auriemma has U-Conn back in the Final 4-for a 25th time in his Hall of Fame career.  He has won 12-women’s titles dating back decades when the tourney was small and no one paid attention.  He has (1,288) career victories.  This team has a (38-0) record, and has won 54-games in a row.  U Conn has had two (39-0) seasons already and a (40-0) year in 2014.  And if you posted the names of greatness, they would flash in neon lights as to their specialness.  Think Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewrt, Maya Moore, Paige Beuchers and this year’s star Azzi Fudd.  In 44-years of women’s tourney play, U-Conn has been to the Final 4-25 different seasons.  Can you say ‘Dynasty for a Lifetime’?

So while we watch what happens in Saturday’s men’s semi finals, don’t forget about what will come first on Friday, U-Conn-vs-South Carolina..and UCLA-vs-Texas.

The Ladies Version has become so impressive, and now as important as a Christian Laettner jump shot, Jimmy V-rushing the floor, Magic-vs-Byrd or so many other magic moments in modern basketball time.
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“LAKERS-SEEING IS BELIEVING”
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No one expected this, but here we are, with a week to go in the season, and the Lakers are playing at a frantic pace that has gotten them to 50-wins.

This is the same team that scuffled early in the season.

The one that had 10-games where they lost by 20 points or more.

A team that was staggered by nagging injuries, to Luka Doncic, an aging LeBron James, and the wear and tear type things that took Austin Reaves and others out of the lineup.

But that was then, this is now.

The message to players changed from JJ Redick.  This is your role.  Be part of this. This is Luka’s team, add to what he can do.

LeBron has come back different.
The dual centers Jaxon Hayes and DeAndre Ayton are different now.
Rui Hachimura has found health and his 3-point shot.
The trade deadline deal brought in Luke Kennard and his 3-point artistry.

And this hot streak, 15-wins in 17-games, has not necessarily come against the have-nots in the league, Utah-Portland-Washington etc.

The Lakers beatup really good teams, Minnesota, Denver, Oklahoma City, Houston.

They did it with lots of 3’s, a high octane fastbreak, and some sizzling in your face defense.

Granted the playoffs match your talent against really good teams.  You face Oklahoma City or Detroit, the Knicks or Minnesota in home and home playoff series, the road gets rougher.  Boston-Cleveland and others are looming out there too.

But for once, this looks like a complete Lakers team, not some false facade living on past laurels.  They look, complete, dangerous, explosive, committed, and maybe ready to go deep into post season.

The Lakers have 1-championship in a decade plus.  Shaq & Kobe, Magic & Showtime, West-Baylor-Jabbar was a long time ago.

This looks different, feels different, seems to be like a season of greatness.

Only time will tell.  But this potential has come together.

It might be LeBron’s farewell season in LA.  Might be Luka’s greatest season ever.  Might be the best team we have seen in years.  And no one could have expected this.
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