Celtics set to play the Cavaliers in first round

The Boston Celtics are back in the playoffs after their one-year absence.

On Monday night the Chicago Bulls defeated the Brooklyn Nets, giving the Celtics a playoff birth, which we know now will be the seven seed.

After a loss to the Miami Heat on February 1, the Celtics were 14 games under .500 at 16-30 overall. Since then, Boston has gone on a hot streak, spurred by the acquisition of guard Isaiah Thomas, winning 23 of 34 games since February 3.

Boston’s 23 wins give them third-most wins in the league (tied with Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers) since Feb 3. Only the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs have better records.

Now, after Tuesday night’s last second win over the Toronto Raptors, the Celtics post-season birth became a definite seven seed, despite what Indiana or Brooklyn would do in their final contests.

Indiana Final Four Stirs Boycotting

Indianapolis, Indiana – Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act on April 2, 2015. The controversy stirred behind this bill comes from the permission of discrimination against LGBT individuals. It took an uproar and travel ban for the Governor to sign a revised bill. And the timing of all this preceded the NCAA Final Four hosted by Indianapolis.

Connecticut, New York, and Washington were three of the states that recently lifted their travel ban. Uconn men’s basketball coach, Kevin Ollie, would be under refusal to travel to Indiana for the Final Four and the conference for National Association of Basketball Coaches. In a statement from UConn President Susan Herbst about the attendance of Uconn coaches.

All in a year’s time

UConn basketball fans woke up this morning with their team still holding the reigns as defending champions of the Men’s College Basketball world. However, when those same fans go to bed tonight, they will instead be the fans as just another team after a disappointing season.

Many will remember the Huskies starting last year’s March Madness as an unimpressive seven seed, quickly impressing everyone they faced. Many will remember players like Shabazz Napier and DeAndre Daniels coming up with big play after big play during their six-game streak.

And unfortunately, many will also remember UConn’s NIT first-round exit just a few weeks ago.

Husky fans have been blessed during the past few years with undersized, yet dominant guard play such as Kemba Walker in 2011 and Shabazz Napier in 2014.

Connecticut fans were hopeful Ryan Boatright would be able to play Superman like the ones before him, but despite a still impressive year, proved he wasn’t able to do it by himself.

UConn finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 20-15, going 10-8 in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The Huskies went into the conference tournament winning their first three games before losing to SMU in the conference championship.

With that loss and UConn’s tough regular season record, the Huskies were bounced from any chance they had to compete in March Madness. Instead, the Huskies played in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), however, lost to Arizona State in their first-round game.

Moving forward, the Huskies will lose Boatright, however, younger players like Daniel Hamilton and Rodney Pervis depicted with more experience they can take over the spotlight.

After a disappointing year, UConn fans are hoping to get back to their traditional winning ways next season, ultimately watching their team raise another banner into the rafters in 2016.

Why Geno Auriemma Should Take His Own Advice

Geno Auriemma caused a stir on Wednesday when he expressed his dissatisfaction with NCAA men’s basketball during a Final Four teleconference. The UConn women’s head coach blasted college basketball from a spectator’s perspective, calling the men’s program “a joke.”

“Forget that I’m a coach, as a spectator, watching it, it’s a joke. There’s only like ten teams, you know, out of 25, that actually play the kind of game of basketball you’d like to watch,” Auriemma said.

While he did comment that women’s basketball is “behind the times,” all the focus has been on his harsh critique of men’s college hoops. Ironically, Auriemma’s words can be reflected onto his own team perfectly.

Why we must hate Kentucky

After their dominating performance over West Virginia on Thursday, the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats continue their streak of 38-0 this season. While seeing the Wildcats dissemble the Mountaineers 78-39, I said to myself, “No way anyone can beat them.”

On Thursday, they looked like an absolute unstoppable force, throwing punch after punch to the face of West Virginia. However, that only makes rooting against them that much easier.

I would like to think I’m not the only one watching these games thinking how badly they would want Kentucky to fall, but I’m left thinking “Why?” For me, it comes down to two main reasons…