2019 Women's College World Series Predictions

I want to begin this article with an apology. I am sorry that I did not put out predictions for the 2018 Women's College World Series last year. Coming off of my first year of law school, it wasn't as easy jumping back into blogging like in years before.

Fortunately, I have returned from my second year eager and ready to keep putting great content onto ZKS! So without further adieu, here are the top 16 seeds in the 2019 Division I NCAA Softball Tournament along with my winners below.

Oklahoma leads the field as the No. 1 national seed. Moving down the list, the rest of the national seeds are: No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Florida State, No. 5 Florida, No. 6 Arizona, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Texas, No. 10 LSU, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 13 Oklahoma State, No. 14 Kentucky, No. 15 Michigan, and No. 16 Northwestern.

Regionals

Norman Regional

No. 1 Oklahoma (49-2)
UMBC (30-22)
Notre Dame (36-16)
Wisconsin (40-12)

Winner: No. 1 Oklahoma over Notre Dame in regional final

Why: Oklahoma lost two games all year. TWO. Both those losses also came against then No. 1 ranked Florida State and then ranked No. 2 UCLA. They went 18-0 in Big 12 play and were on pace to win their third consecutive Big 12 Tournament title before it was cancelled due to weather. They should steamroll through their regional.

Evanston Regional

No. 16 Northwestern (43-10)
Detroit Mercy (31-26)
Southern Illinois (33-13)
Louisville (33-21)

Winner: No. 16 Northwestern over Louisville in regional final

Why: The Wildcats posted an impressive 13-1 mark at home this season and finished second in the Big 10 by just one game. If they were to meet up with Louisville in the regional final, history would be on Northwestern's side. The Wildcats played the Cardinals in three neutral-site contests this season and won every game by scores of 1-0, 9-8 (in 9 innings), and 4-2, respectively.

Austin Regional

No. 9 Texas (41-14)
Sam Houston State (34-21)
Texas A&M (28-25)
Houston (37-17)

Winner: No. 9 Texas over Texas A&M in regional final

Why: In an all-Texas regional, Texas has previously defeated both Sam Houston State and Houston this season. The Longhorns have yet the face the Aggies in 2019, but given that A&M finished dead last in the SEC, the third-best team in the Big 12 should have no issue dispatching their in-state rival at home.

Tuscaloosa Regional 

No. 8 Alabama (52-7)
Alabama State (24-23)
Lipscomb (41-13-1)
Arizona State (33-18)

Winner: No. 8 Alabama over Arizona State in regional final

Why: Alabama won the SEC regular season title this year and came one run short of upending the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game to double down with a tournament title as well. The Tide have lost only seven games and every single one of those defeats has been a close contest. Though Arizona State has been a historically well-renowned softball program, they will not stop the Tide from rolling.

Gainesville Regional

No. 5 Florida (44-15)
Boston University (37-18)
Stanford (32-18)
Boise State (34-14)

Winner: No. 5 Florida over Boise State in regional final

Why: The Gators have been inconsistent to say the least this year. Nonetheless, they still managed to win the SEC Tournament and earn themselves a 5-seed in this year's NCAA Tournament. Per usual, I expect them to take care of business at home and yet again advance to super regionals. The Orange and Blue just may be getting hot at the right time.

Knoxville Regional

No. 12 Tennessee (39-14)
Longwood (37-20)
Ohio State (34-16)
North Carolina (35-18)

Winner: No. 12 Tennessee over North Carolina in regional final

Why: Tennessee finished second in the SEC regular season standings and was shut out 2-0 against Auburn in their first game of the SEC Tournament. With two unideal performances in conference play, the Lady Vols have a prime opportunity to redeem themselves with very favorable matchups at home. It may be a little rocky on rocky top, but the Vols will advance to their third consecutive super regional.

Stillwater Regional

No. 13 Oklahoma State (39-14)
BYU (29-24)
Arkansas (38-18)
Tulsa (35-18)

Winner: No. 13 Oklahoma State over Arkansas in regional final

Why: The Cowgirls are hosting their first regional since 1998, a year where they went to the Women's College World Series. They were able to finish second in the Big 12 behind rival Oklahoma and had a potential rematch against the Sooners looming in a Big 12 Tournament that was rained out. Take out the three-game sweep against OU, and Oklahoma State has won 13 of their last 16 games. This team has been hot and they will handle business in Stillwater.

Tallahassee Regional

No. 4 Florida State (51-8)
Bethune-Cookman (26-29)
South Florida (40-17)
South Carolina (36-17)

Winner: No. 4 Florida State over South Carolina in regional final

Why: This one is a no brainer. The Seminoles are the defending national champions and have been ranked in the Top 5 nearly all season. They shouldn't break a sweat against any team in their regional.

Seattle Regional

No. 3 Washington (45-7)

Fordham (29-4)
Mississippi State (33-21)
Seattle University (39-15)

Winner: No. 3 Washington over Mississippi State in regional final

Why: The Huskies finished with an identical 20-4 conference record along with UCLA to share the Pac-12 regular season title. This squad finished as the national runner up last year and boast four seniors and four juniors who took part in that run to the title game. Among the four seniors is ace pitcher Taran Alvelo, who is 24-4 with a 1.61 ERA and 257 strikeouts in 174.1 innings pitched.

With a revenge tour in mind, nobody should stand in the Huskies way as they cruise through regional play.

Lexington Regional

No. 14 Kentucky (33-22)
Toledo (29-26)
Illinois (32-23)
Virginia Tech (45-9)

Winner: No. 14 Kentucky over Virginia Tech in regional final

Why: The Wildcats technically finished second in the SEC regular season standings with an identical 14-10 record along with Tennessee and LSU. In their last SEC series of the year, Kentucky actually went into Tuscaloosa and won their series against the then No. 3 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.

Though the Tide would get revenge on the Wildcats in the SEC Tournament, Kentucky proved they can win against tough teams in hostile environments. That being said, hosting a regional should alleviate some of that pressure and allow them to beat a very good Virginia Tech team that will probably give Kentucky a run for its money.

Oxford Regional

No. 11 Ole Miss (37-17)
Chattanooga (37-15)
UL-Lafayette (50-4)
Southeastern Missouri State (45-16)

Winner: No. 11 Ole Miss over UL-Lafayette in regional final

Why: Well Hotty Toddy! In their fourth ever NCAA Tournament appearance, the Rebels are hosting a regional for the second time. Ole Miss has series wins over both Florida and Tennessee to boost their resume and will need all of the Rebel faithful to come out and support as their regional final matchup will probably be a hot Ragin' Cajun team that has not lost since March 20th.

Tuscon Regional

No. 6 Arizona (42-12)

Harvard (25-17)
Colorado State (38-10)
Auburn (37-19)

Winner: No. 6 Arizona over Auburn in regional final

Why: Arizona finished the regular season on a pretty high note as they took two of three form then No. 3 ranked UCLA to deny the Bruins an outright Pac-12 regular season championship. Finishing third in the conference themselves, the Wildcats should have no problem in a possible matchup with Auburn, who has stumbled a bit since making two WCWS in the last four years.

Minneapolis Regional

No. 7 Minnesota (41-12)
North Dakota State (42-14)
Georgia (40-17)
Drake (42-14)

Winner: Georgia over No. 7 Minnesota in regional final

Why: My first and only upset of regional play goes to the Georgia Bulldogs. The Dawgs finished with an identical 12-12 record as Florida for fourth place in the SEC regular season standings and took the No. 1 seeded Alabama Crimson Tide to extra innings in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Having made three WCWS this decade (2010, 2016, 2018), the Dawgs are a junior-laden team as they have eight juniors to just two seniors. The only item of concern is their 7-7 record on the road.

On the other hand, Minnesota is no rollover. They finished third in the Big 10 regular season standings by half a game and lost to regular season champion Michigan by a score of 3-2 in the Big 10 Championship. Since April, they have posted a 16-3 record. However, the Golden Gophers are hosting only their second ever regional and in the entire history of the program and have only advance to super regionals just once.

Baton Rouge Regional

No. 10 LSU (40-16)
Monmouth (36-16)
Louisiana Tech (44-14)
Texas Tech (39-14)

Winner: No. 10 LSU over Louisiana Tech in regional final

Why: LSU is always consistent on the diamond and has been to three WCWS in the last four years. Had they not had a rough weekend at home against Alabama, the Tigers would have been the ones hoisting up the SEC regular season championship.

Regardless, a 10 seed for the Bayou Bengals is still a nice landing place and they should have no real issues dispatching any of their foes in this regional. Given the fandom and support from the local Baton Rouge community, Tiger Park will be packed and rocking. 

Ann Arbor Regional

No. 15 Michigan (43-11)

St. Francis (Pa.) (29-29)
James Madison (47-7)
DePaul (34-14)

Winner: No. 15 Michigan over James Madison in regional final

Why: I love the Dukes but will not be a fool like I have in prior prediction articles about this sport. Michigan swept the Big 10 regular season and conference tournament. Hosting a regional for the first time since they finished as national runner-up in 2016, the Wolverines have a much better shot at reaching a super regional than they have in years past.

Los Angeles Regional

No. 2 UCLA (46-5)
Weber State (26-19)
Cal State Fullerton (38-16)
Missouri (32-23)

Winner: No. 2 UCLA over Missouri in regional final

Why: Rounding out regional play are the mighty Bruins of UCLA. Having lost one non-conference game the entire season, UCLA will shred through their competition to reach their sixth consecutive super regional.

Super Regionals

This is where the real fun starts. Now that I have predicted the regional winners, it is on to the super regionals! Keep in mind that a team needs to win two out of three games to advance to the Women's College World Series!

Norman Super Regional

No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 16 Northwestern

Winner: No. 1 Oklahoma 

Why: I really do not think it needs to be reiterated how dominant Oklahoma has been this season. They win the super regional in two games.

Tuscaloosa Super Regional

No. 8 Alabama vs No. 9 Texas

Winner: No. 8 Alabama

Why: Alabama vs Texas is always a good matchup regardless of the sport. Here, the Tide may need three but they will best the Longhorns to get back to Oklahoma City for the first time since 2016.

Gainesville Super Regional

No. 5 Florida vs No. 12 Tennessee

Winner: No. 12 Tennessee

Why: I love my Gators, but I am going with the Lady Vols here. Tennessee came into Gainesville earlier this season and took two of three from Florida. Like I said about regional play, Florida has been inconsistent all year and I think unfortunatley their season will reach its conclusion in a three game heartbreaker against the Lady Vols.

Tallahassee Super Regional

No. 4 Florida State vs No. 13 Oklahoma State

Winner: No. 4 Florida State

Why: The Cowgirl upset is tempting, but I will not pick against the defending champions who are 28-2 at home. The Seminoles take it in two.

Seattle Super Regional

No. 3 Washington vs No. 14 Kentucky

Winner: No. 3 Washington

Why: Washington will not break a sweat. They will sweep Kentucky in two games.

Tuscon Super Regional

No. 6 Arizona vs No. 11 Ole Miss

Winner: No. 6 Arizona

Why: Ole Miss may steal one from Arizona, but at the end of the day the Wildcats will grind out a WCWS berth in three games.

Baton Rouge Super Regional

No. 10 LSU vs Georgia

Winner: No. 10 LSU

Why: Gifted a super regional thanks to Georgia's upset of Minnesota, LSU will look to replicate their regular season success against the Dawgs where they went into Athens and left with a three-game sweep. The Tigers take it in two.

Los Angeles Super Regional

No. 2 UCLA vs No. 15 Michigan

Winner: No. 2 UCLA

Why: Michigan is UCLA's one non-conference loss I talked about earlier, but that was in neutral site action. In Los Angeles, I think the Wolverines keep it close but ultimately lose in three hard-fought games.

Women's College World Series

If all of my picks were to come true, let's see how the Women's College World Series would turn out!

Women's College World Series First Round

No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 8 Alabama

Winner: No. 8 Alabama

Why: Now here's the first record-stopping pick of this article. That's right, I believe the Alabama Crimson Tide will find a way to upset the No. 1 overall seed in the first round in Oklahoma City. I could see this being a one-run game and a pitcher's duel.

No. 4 Florida State vs No. 12 Tennessee

Winner: No. 4 Florida State

Why: The defending champs will continue from where they left off and easily dispatch Tennessee to advance to the second round.

No. 3 Washington vs No. 6 Arizona

Winner: No. 3 Washington

Why: The Huskies swept the Wildcats on the road. Now in a neutral site action in the WCWS, Washington will nab their fourth win of the year over Arizona.

No. 2 UCLA vs No. 10 LSU

Winner: No. 2 UCLA

Why: I love LSU, but in a rematch of the 2017 WCWS opening round it will be  No. 2 UCLA who emerges as the victor this time.

Elimination Games

No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 12 Tennessee

Winner: No. 1 Oklahoma

Why: OU may have lost a tough one to Alabama, but they will bounce right back and knock out the Lady Vols to keep their postseason alive.

No. 6 Arizona vs No. 10 LSU

Winner: No. 10 LSU

Why: Facing another Pac-12 foe, LSU will outlast the Wildcats to stay in Oklahoma City for at least one more game.

End Result: No. 6 Arizona & No. 12 Tennessee ELIMINATED

Second Round
No. 4 Florida State vs No. 8 Alabama

Winner: No. 4 Florida State

Why: A tough one to pick no doubt, I think the Seminoles survive an instant classic against the Tide.

No. 2 UCLA vs No. 3 Washington

Winner: No. 2 UCLA

Why: The Bruins swept the Huskies in Seattle, so now it'll be Washington who feels the pain of going 0-4 against a team who had their number in the regular season. 

Second Round Elimination Games
No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 3 Washington

Winner: No. 1 Oklahoma

Why: The Sooners will continue to claw back from the loser's bracket as they narrowly defeat Washington to reach the WCWS semifinals.

No. 8 Alabama vs No. 10 LSU

Winner: No. 8 Alabama

Why: Alabama swept LSU with the SEC regular season title on the line. Now with the season at stake, the Tide will again roll and defeat their conference rival to advance to the WCWS semifinals.

End Result: No. 3 Washington & No. 10 LSU ELIMINATED

WCWS Semifinals
No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 4 Florida State

Winner: No. 4 Florida State

Why: The Sooners will win the first semifinal game to make the 'Noles break a sweat, but ultimately FSU will channel what ever mojo it used to beat OU in the regular season and advance to back-to-back WCWS Finals.

No. 2 UCLA vs No. 8 Alabama

Winner: No. 8 Alabama

Why: Having to beat UCLA is no small task but is completely doable as Florida State accomplished that exact feat on route to their national championship run last season. Having already knocked off OU to kick off the WCWS and beaten an arch rival in an elimination game, the Tide will find a way to steal two from the Bruins and advance to their first WCWS Finals since 2014.

End Result: No. 1 Oklahoma & No. 2 UCLA ELIMINATED

WCWS Finals
No. 4 Florida State vs No. 8 Alabama

Winner: No. 8 Alabama

Why: In a grueling three-game series and a second round rematch, the Alabama Crimson Tide will get revenge on the state of Florida after the Gators handed them a finals lost back in 2014. The Tide and 'Noles have not met all season and this would be a very fitting end for a pair of teams that consistently bordered each other in the Top 5 rankings. I can promise this would be a great final to watch if it did indeed come to fruition.

National Champion:

Alabama!

Final Takeaway

Well there you have it. Another softball tournament prediction from ZKS is in the books. It'll be fun to see how it all plays out as the #MAYhem (the NCAA's hashtag not mine) unfolds. Of course, I just hope for a very entertaining tournament and another great showing of softball at the collegiate level!

Thank you for taking time to read this article! I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned as I'll be putting out more content periodically throughout the summer!

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Magic at the PMAC

The 2018-19 LSU Tigers men’s basketball season has been a campaign for the ages involving seven overtime contests, upset victories, a looming FBI investigation, and the Tigers’ first SEC Regular Season Championship in a decade. LSU is averaging over 80 points per game (81.6) for the first time since the 1993-94 season (80.0) and their position at 10th in the AP Poll is the program’s highest ranking since reaching 5th in 2006-2007 season.

The Bayou Bengals finished the regular season with a 26-5 overall record and will be the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament with a 16-2 conference mark. LSU’s 16 conference wins are the second most in school history after the program won 17 games back in the 1980-1981 campaign. After securing the hardware for the regular season, LSU now has a legitimate shot to double down and win their first SEC Tournament Championship since 1980.

Assessing their overall record, four of LSU’s victories have come against ranked opponents. In mid-December, they defeated the then No. 24 ranked Furman Paladins 75-57 at home. Given that Furman is 25-6 and third in the Southern Conference standings, this win still looks very good on LSU’s resume.

Fast-forward to the third game of conference play in mid-January when an unranked LSU went into Oxford and bested the then No. 18 ranked Ole Miss Rebels 83-69 in mid-January. Even though Ole Miss went on to drop four of their next five after the LSU loss, the Rebels finished sixth overall in the SEC standings and stand at 20-11.

The two sweetest Tiger victories of the season would come about a month later. Facing a then No. 5 ranked Kentucky Wildcats team who had won 10 games in a row, LSU relied on a last-second tip-in from Kavell Bigby-Williams to escape with a stunning 73-71 upset win at Rupp Arena.

11 days later, LSU would again match up against the No. 5 team in the country when the Tennessee Volunteers came to town. Overtime would be needed and last second heroics would again take the forefront. Taking the place of an ill Tremont Waters, freshman Ja’vonte Smart sank two free throws with less than a second remaining to propel LSU to an 82-80 victory.

Both games would be difference makers, as Kentucky finished at 26-5 and Tennessee finished at 27-4. Both teams were just one game behind LSU in the SEC standings, giving the Tigers an outright conference championship.

Looking at LSU’s five losses, they can be split into “quality losses” and “bad losses”. Let’s look at the quality losses first. In mid-November, the Tigers suffered an overtime loss to the then No. 14 ranked Florida State Seminoles in the AdvoCare Invitational Semifinal by a score of 79-76. The Seminoles have climbed and fallen in the rankings throughout the year, but currently they sit at No. 14 with a 23-6 overall record. This is not a bad loss.

Three games later in mid-December, LSU traveled to Houston and at one point held a 14-point lead on the then No. 24 ranked Cougars before losing 82-76. Houston finished the regular season as the No. 12 ranked team in the nation with a 27-2 record and losses to Temple and UCF. Though the Houston game was one that LSU should have definitely won, this is not a bad loss either.

Now the three bad losses for LSU are sprinkled throughout their schedule. After losing a heartbreaker to Florida State, LSU dropped their next game to the Oklahoma State Cowboys by a score of 90-77. Oklahoma State wound up second-to-last in the Big 12 with a 12-19 record.

After the Oklahoma State loss, the Tigers ripped off a 10-game winning streak before falling at home to Arkansas by a score of 90-89 due to poor late-game play calling. Arkansas ended the regular season in the bottom five of the SEC with a 17-14 record on the year.

Finally, LSU’s last regular season loss came in mid-February when the Florida Gators came into Baton Rouge and shocked the Tigers with an 82-77 overtime win. The Gators finished the regular season 17-14 and are one of the last four teams projected to even make the NCAA Tournament.

Despite the tough loss to Florida, LSU remained in the driver’s seat and won their final five games of the regular season to win the SEC. They are now guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season and are currently a projected No. 3 seed in the West bracket according to Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology.

If this projection comes to fruition, LSU would have their highest tournament seed since the 1980-81 season. That year, LSU was a No. 1 seed and lost to the eventual National Champion Indiana Hoosiers in the National Semifinal.

Though much credit should be given to head coach Will Wade in just his second season at the helm (amidst rumors of his alleged connection to the college basketball corruption scandal), the players making the magic happen on the court should not be overlooked.

Here’s a quick glance at the team leaders for the Tigers throughout the regular season. In the blocks department, senior forward Kavell Bigby-Williams leads the team with 2.0 blocks per game. In free throw percentage, junior guard Skylar Mays has converted 85.5% of his shots from the charity strike. Sophomore guard Tremont Waters leads the team in a plethora of categories as he is averaging 15.3 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. Rounding out the group, highly touted freshman forward Naz Reid leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game.

Winning the SEC Tournament would be the next logical step for this LSU team to take, but the bigger goal is only two weeks away. If LSU can rip off six more victories in mid-March going into early-April, then they will bring home the first basketball national championship in school history.

2018 New Orleans Saints: A Year In Review

The 52nd season in New Orleans Saints franchise history came to a heartbreaking conclusion on January 20, 2019, after an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship. This defeat will haunt the Saints and their fans for years due in part to a crucial missed call in the last two minutes of regulation. On 3rd down and 10 inside the red zone, Saints quarterback Drew Brees dropped back, and tried to connect with wide receiver Tommylee Lewis sprinting down the sideline. 

Lewis would have no shot at catching the ball as Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman crushed him before the ball even got there. It looked like pass interference and at the very least targeting due to the helmet-to-helmet contact, but no flag was thrown. Robey-Coleman even admitted after the game that he got there early and that it was pass interference.

Instead of a new set of downs, it was 4th down and kicker Wil Lutz would make the go-ahead field goal to put the Saints up 23-20. This lead would not last long as the Rams would drive down the field and tie the game with a field goal of their own with less than 20 seconds remaining.

The Saints would get the ball to start overtime, but on the fourth play of the drive Drew Brees was intercepted. It would take the Rams just five plays before kicker Greg Zuerlein nailed a 57-yard attempt to send the Rams to their first Super Bowl since 2001.

This loss, as bitter and unfair as it is, should not take away from the incredible season that the Saints had. They finished the regular season 13-3 with a home loss to ‘FitzMagic’ and Tampa Bay in Week 1, a road loss to Dallas in Week 13 that snapped their 10-game winning streak, and a home loss to Carolina with all of their backups playing in Week 17.

The 13-3 mark represents the 12th time that the Saints have won double-digit games and ties the 2011 and 2009 squads for the best record in franchise history. In addition, the Saints won their fifth NFC South division title, making it the first time in team history that the Saints had won back-to-back division titles. In the postseason, the Saints clinched their third ever first-round bye (second time as the No. 1 overall seed) and won the third divisional round playoff game in team history.

Individually, the expected Saints players led the team in their respective statistical categories. Drew Brees finished his 2018 campaign with 3,992 passing yards, 32 touchdowns (6th best in the NFL), and 364 completions. On the ground, second-year man Alvin Kamara rushed for 883 yards, and 14 touchdowns (2nd best in the NFL).

Kamara also posted 709 receiving yards (4th in the NFL among running backs) and had four receiving touchdowns as well. Pacing the receiving corps was the always reliable Michael Thomas, who led all NFL wideouts with 125 receptions for 1,405 yards (6th best in the NFL), and nine touchdowns (tied for 10th in the NFL).

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Demario Davis led all Saints defenders with 110 total tackles (74 solo, 36 assisted) and five sacks. In the secondary, defensive backs Marcus Williams, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, and Chris Banjo all led the team with two interceptions each.

Lattimore also topped the team with four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. As a unit, the Saints defense was second in rushing yards allowed per game, giving up only 80.2 yards to opponents on the ground.

In the kicking game, the 24-year old Wil Lutz was spectacular. He converted 28 of his 30 kick attempts (93% and 8th best in the NFL), and missed only one extra point as he made 52 of his 53 attempts (98%).

Coming one win shy of the Super Bowl is a tough pill to swallow, especially when the action (or in this case inaction) of the referees plays a substantial role. However, this loss cannot take away from the fact that the Saints are in a prime position to still keep contending. Even in the waning years of Drew Brees’s legendary career, the Saints still look to be one of the most formidable teams in the NFL for years to come.

Wading in Deep Water

Will Wade is entering his second season as the head coach of LSU’s Men’s Basketball team. In his first year at the helm, Wade led the Tigers to an 18-15 (8-10 SEC) record and a second round finish in the NIT Tournament. This had been LSU’s first winning season since 2015-16, and their first NIT Tournament appearance since 2013-14.

Wade had a very encouraging track record before taking the LSU job. He posted a 51-20 (28-8 A-10) record as the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University while taking the Rams to two straight NCAA Tournaments and winning an Atlantic-10 Regular Season Conference Championship in 2015-16.

Prior to his VCU stint, Wade began his head coaching career at the University of Chattanooga. In his two seasons as the Mocs’ headman, Wade had an overall record of 40-25 (27-7 SoCon), placed second in the regular season standings in both years, guided the program to its only CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, and won Coach of the Year honors for the 2013-14 season.

As the 2018-19 season approaches, the expectations have risen for Wade and the LSU basketball program. He has the Tigers ranked No. 23 in the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll and has an incoming recruiting class ranked No. 3 in the nation and No. 2 in the SEC behind Kentucky. Despite this newfound optimism and excitement surrounding LSU basketball, there is still a dark cloud that lingers not too far away from the program.

That dark cloud manifested itself as a 2017 FBI investigation regarding corruption, fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery in NCAA Division-1 Men’s Basketball. The main parties involved included apparel company Adidas and over 20 Division-1 college basketball programs. In sum, this entire scandal was a pay-for-play scheme.

The leading men were Christian Dawkins (an aspiring sports agent), James Gatto (an Adidas employee), and Merl Code (a former Adidas consultant). They would essentially bribe high school basketball prospects to attend Adidas-sponsored universities and then pay the coaches (mostly the assistants) to make sure that these same players then signed with Adidas and certain sports agencies upon entering the pro level. The coaches who were indicted would also receive payments to sway certain recruits to come to their schools.

LSU was not in the first group of schools initially implicated, but in a second sweep it was revealed that guard Tim Quarterman had supposedly received $16,000 during his three-year career for the Purple and Gold. This money came from ASM Sports, a sports agency who Christian Dawkins was affiliated with until his termination in 2017.

By itself, this allegation would be concerning. However, it does not pertain to Will Wade because Quarterman was no longer with the team when he began his coaching tenure. Instead, Wade has something a tad more difficult to explain. According to phone records, Wade exchanged three phone calls with Christian Dawkins between June 19th and June 30th in 2017 that were recorded with a wiretap.

One conversation in particular related to improper benefits concerning the recruiting of 7-foot-tall center Balsa Koprivica from Montverde, Florida. When Dawkins asked if Wade wanted Koprivica, the LSU coach was quoted in the transcript as saying, “OK, but there is other [expletive] involved in it…. Wait, I’ve got to shut the door … I can get you what you need but it’s got to work.”

During the October 16th trial of Dawkins, Gatto, and Code in federal district court, Adidas defense attorney Casey Donnelly tried to admit this taped conversation into evidence. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan denied the entry of the evidence, but Donnelly did get to read the transcript aloud. When asked about the use of these statements at SEC media days on October 17th, Wade denied having any interaction with Dawkins and also pointed to the fact that the evidence was not let in.

He also refused to answer any “yes” or “no” questions regarding if the conversation did in fact take place. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva has come out in support of Wade and stated that the university would be ready to comply with the NCAA to “ensure compliance in all athletic programs.”

This is now the second time that Wade has been mentioned in the FBI’s NCAA probe since being hired at LSU. The NCAA has been exploring his recruiting methods all the way back to his time at VCU, but has found nearly nothing out of the ordinary in their prolonged search. As far as the FBI is concerned, they are not even looking into Wade despite the hazy LSU connections to the investigation.

Nike's September to Remember

Nike is arguably one of the most successful athletic apparel/equipment companies in history. Founded by Oregon alumnus Phil Knight in 1964, Nike is currently valued at $29.6 billion and last year raked in $34.35 billion in profits. In addition, they sponsor a countless number of professional athletes ranging from LeBron James to Serena Williams as well as over 70 NCAA Division 1 schools. LSU is among one of the ten SEC universities who has a contract with Nike.

On September 5th, Nike made the decision to feature former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the 30th anniversary of their “Just Do It” advertising campaign. Kaepernick, most known for his kneeling protests during the national anthem, had not taken an NFL snap since 2016.

The commercial launched the night of the NFL Kickoff Game on September 6th and included the likes of Usain Bolt, LeBron James, Serena Williams, and Seattle Seahawks rookie Shaquem Griffin. Kaepernick narrated the entire one-minute advertisement but was actually shown in it for roughly about 10 seconds.

Approximately 30 seconds into the TV spot, Kaepernick uttered the notable line, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” This quote, on its face and as an impartial phrase, would tend to not rile up any reasonable person. However, because Kaepernick was the one saying it, various people throughout nation gave this statement more weight in either a positive or negative context.

As Nike probably expected, this move would send shockwaves throughout the entire country as the company’s stock price dropped about 2.2%. There were about three general types of responses that most Americans exhibited when the news broke of the Kaepernick advertisement campaign.

First, there was the upset crowd. Some of the more extreme people in this group tended to burn any and all Nike apparel they owned, cut off the Nike logo from any apparel that was not ablaze, and swore they would never buy anything the company manufactured ever again.

These people believed that Kaepernick’s kneeling before a football game had no resemblance whatsoever to the actions of the men and women in the military, fire department, and police force who are willing to sacrifices their lives every day.

Next, there was the supportive crowd. The people in this group praised Nike’s decision and saw it as a great promotion for social activism given the clout that the company has in both Corporate America and around the world. They took no issue with Kaepernick’s kneeling as the First Amendment of the United States Constitution gave him the right to peacefully protest.

Finally, there was the neutral crowd. The people in this group were either going to buy or not buy Nike products because that was their own prerogative. At the end of the day, Nike deciding to use Kaepernick in a commercial did not matter to them. It is possible and in fact very plausible that they just preferred other brands like Adidas, Under Armour, Reebok, and many others instead of Nike.

Though these reactions were reported more at the national level, Louisiana was not immune from the controversy. On September 5th, Mayor Ben Zahn of Kenner, Louisiana, sent out a memo that forbade booster clubs in the area from using or purchasing any Nike products. This ordinance lasted about a week before a protest rally featuring New Orleans Saints players Cameron Jordan and Terron Armstead prompted Zahn to talk to a lawyer and overturn the ban.

For the protesters, they were more concerned with the children of Kenner being targeted for wearing Nike apparel along with the economic impact the ban could potentially have on New Orleans. Cameron Jordan actually spoke at the rally and said the following, “Everything that Nike has done in its slogan is pushing forward.

So when it comes to something like this and it’s affecting the community that we’re in right now... how is this pushing forward?” Though he did repeal the Nike prohibition, Zahn was unapologetic. He reiterated that he had his focus “on the city of Kenner and the many great projects we have in store for our city.”

A month since the Kaepernick ad, tensions have appeared to calm down and Nike’s stock has moved back up to nearly $85 a share. The company still remains No. 18 on Forbe’s “Most Valuable Brands” list and is the only member of the apparel industry to hold one of the 100 spots.

Keep in mind also that on a global level, most foreign nations do not care about the actions of an American football player when it comes to companies they are deciding to invest in or buy from. This is evidenced by the increase of sales in China by 16%, in Europe by 13%, and in Latin America by 8%. Domestically, Nike’s stock as a whole has been up 50% this year and has surged to 134% since 2013.

Kristian Fulton: The Fighting Tiger

The LSU football program has long referred to it itself as “DBU” (Defensive Back University) and contains a hallowed lineage of Tiger cornerbacks and safeties who have paved their way into the highest level of professional football in the National Football League. Kristian Fulton, hailing from Metairie, Louisiana, was hoping to continue the trend as the latest talented cornerback to emerge from LSU.

After playing in just three games as a true freshman, the former five-star cornerback was poised for a bigger role in the secondary with the loss of both safety Jamal Adams and cornerback Tre’Davious White to the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Fulton’s collegiate career would suffer a major setback when it came time for him to submit to an NCAA Performance Enhancing Drug test on February 2, 2017.

In the early hours of that Friday morning, Fulton was caught using the urine of somebody else as he thought the test was one for street drugs (i.e. heroin, marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids, etc.) instead of PED’s. The test administer noticed that Fulton had been dumping out a portion of the small bottle into the beaker which he was supposed to fill with his own urine. When Fulton was confronted, he emptied the beaker’s contents into a urinal and proceeded to use his own urine sample to fill it.

Six days later, the NCAA hit Fulton with a violation of Section 3.4 of the NCAA Drug-Testing Program Protocol. In short, the provision stated that a person who tampered with a NCAA drug-test sample would be suspended for two seasons. Fulton appealed his suspension, but on March 8, 2017, the NCAA appeals committee rejected his request.

For the entire 2017 season, Kristian Fulton could do nothing but watch as the Tigers posted a 9-4 (6-2 SEC) record without him. Though LSU put up quality defensive numbers in 2017, Fulton’s suspension was a blow to their secondary as he was the No. 22 overall recruit in the country and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Louisiana when he committed to the Bayou Bengals. To make a terrible situation even worse, the Tigers had lost out on an entire season to develop Fulton into the team’s next potential star cornerback.

Despite having to miss what would have been his sophomore season, Fulton did not give up his legal battle. He reached out to Alabama-based sports attorney Don Jackson, who played college baseball at Alabama State University before obtaining his law degree from the University of Virginia. Jackson took up Fulton’s case in the summer of 2017 and began to look more closely into the circumstances surrounding the drug test and suspension. In his yearlong investigation, Jackson discovered that the appropriate drug-testing protocol had not been adhered to during Fulton’s screening.

On May 31, 2018, a New York forensics panel concurred with Jackson and Fulton that the correct drug-testing procedures had not been complied with. This brought up chain of custody issues regarding how the urine specimen was handled and transferred. As Section 7.5 of the NCAA Drug-Testing Program Protocol stated: “If chain of custody is broken at any point in the process, the NCAA may collect another specimen.” With this new evidence, Jackson filed a motion for reconsideration on July 27, 2018, and the NCAA reopened Fulton’s case.

A week later, LSU sent a letter to the NCAA reconsideration committee arguing for Fulton’s eligibility, but the NCAA came back with yet another denial six days later. However, the university would not quit in its fight for Fulton’s collegiate career as a Tiger. On August 17, 2018, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva wrote to the NCAA interpretation panel with a four-page letter stating that Fulton had been erroneously punished. Alleva claimed that instead of tampering, Fulton should have been charged with “urine substitution”.

This distinction is huge as urine substitution carried only a one-year ban with it as opposed to the two-year sentence associated with tampering. Upon reviewing Alleva’s argument, the NCAA interpretation panel agreed with him and ruled that Fulton was to be immediately reinstated. After a 19-month battle, Fulton was now able to once again dawn the purple and gold.

This was a huge legal victory for both Fulton and the LSU team as a whole. After finishing the 2017 campaign 9th in Team Passing Efficiency Defense (110.89), 12th in Total Defense (316 Yards Per Game), 21st in Passing Yards Allowed (187.6), and 54th in Passes Intercepted (12), LSU’s defense will look to improve upon these numbers with Fulton’s return. 

On September 2, 2018, the underdog No. 25 LSU Tigers kicked off their season against the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes in the 2018 Advocare Classic in Arlington, Texas. More importantly, Kristian Fulton took the field for the first time since December 31, 2016. He registered three total tackles (two of them were solo) with two passes defended as the Tigers stunned the Hurricanes in a 33-17 upset.

2018 College World Series: No. 1 Florida Knocks Out No. 13 Texas in First Elimination Game

The No. 1 Florida Gators (48-20) have kept their season alive with a 6-1 victory over the No. 13 Texas Longhorns (42-23) in their first elimination game of the College World Series.

Pitching
Junior right-hander Jackson Kowar (10-5, 3.04 ERA) took the mound for Florida and spun an absolute gem for his 10th win of the season. The 33rd overall draft pick dominated Texas as he allowed zero runs on five hits, struck out a career-high 13 batters, and walked two Longhorns on a  season-high 121 pitches in 6.2 innings.

When it was time for Kowar to exit with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Florida was leading 5-0 with Texas runners on second and third. Cue freshman left-hander Jordan Butler, who needed just four pitches to notch the inning-ending strikeout.

After back-to-back walks from Butler in the eighth inning, it was Michael Byrne time. The junior right-hander would give up a run, but would limit Texas's damage to one as Florida carried a 6-1 lead into the ninth. The run of course would be charged to Butler.

In the game's final frame, Byrne would use a line out and a strikeout to obtain the first two outs before giving up back-to-back singles. There would be no Texas rally, however, as he induced a fly out from junior clean-up man Kody Clemens to end the game and Texas's season.

Batting
Florida's offense look much more rejuvenated in this game as the Gators banged out 10 hits and scored a run in the first inning, four in the sixth inning, and tacked on one more in the eighth inning. Four Gators had multiple hits in this contest.

Out of the two-hole, junior designated hitter Nelson Maldonaldo recorded his second consecutive multi-hit game in Omaha as he went 2-5 with an RBI single in the seventh inning and a run scored. Right behind Nelly in the three-hole, junior third baseman Jonathan India went 2-5 as well.

The No. 5 overall pick in the draft kicked off the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. Then in the sixth inning he hit a three-run home run out to left field to make it 5-0. India finished the day with four RBI's and a run scored.

Down in the six-hole, sophomore left fielder Austin Langworthy went 2-3 with a walk. Rounding out the quartet after Langworthy in the seven-hole, junior second baseman Blake Reese went 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and a stolen base.

The remaining Gators with hits were both seniors. First baseman JJ Schwarz went 1-5 while centerfielder Nick Horvath went 1-3 with a walk and a solo shot in the eighth inning to extend the lead to 6-0. Though he went hitless, junior shortstop Deacon Liput is worth mentioning because he worked two walks and scored twice.

Fielding
Florida cleaned it up defensively as they had their first errorless game since Game 2 of Super Regionals. Texas's lone miscue came on the first pitch of the third inning as sophomore third baseman Ryan Reynolds could not cleanly field a ball off the bat of Jonathan India. This would not result in any Gator runs though.

Final Takeaway
The Florida Gators (48-20) looked like the No. 1 team in the country again as they will live to fight another day. Before previewing their next matchup, here are my final tidbits on their elimination game victory over Texas:

• For the first time since 1991 and third overall time in school history, Florida has won their first elimination game immediately following an opening round loss in the College World Series.
• Florida is now 9-10 all-time in College World Series elimination games.
• Florida is now 20-23 all-time in the College World Series.
• Florida is now 2-2 all-time against Texas.
• This was India's 26th, Nelly's 22nd, Reese's 17th, and Langworthy's 15th multi-hit games of the season.
• India's home run was his team-leading 21st of the season while Nick Horvath upped his total to seven.
• Blake Reese's second inning steal of second base gave him the lead in this stat category as he now has 13 on the year. His double also tied him for the team lead and is his 17th of his junior campaign.
• This was Jackson Kowar's second game of the year with double-digit strikeouts and sixth outing where he went over 100 pitches. That last factoid probably agitates the Kansas City Royals (who drafted him) just a bit.
• Texas's leading hitters were junior catcher DJ Petrinksy (1-4 with an RBI), senior first baseman Jake McKenzie (2-4 with a stolen base), and junior left fielder Masen Hibbeler (2-4 with a double)

The Gators still have an uphill battle as they need three more wins to reach the College World Series Finals. It may feel improbable, but if Florida can duplicate this performance a few times it is definitely possible.

The Orange and Blue will await the loser of the No. 5 Arkansas/No. 9 Texas Tech game on Wednesday, June 20th. Either opponent will be a rematch for Florida and this game will be set for 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 21st, barring any weather delays. It can be seen on ESPNU.

Freshman right-hander Jack Leftwich (4-5, 4.32 ERA) will probably take the bump for Florida, but nothing has been set in stone at this moment.

As for the No. 13 Texas Longhorns, they finish the season 42-23 and have to feel very optimistic about the future after reaching their first College World Series since 2014. Congrats on a great season for the Longhorns!

*All stats accredited to FloridaGators.com

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