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MoCo Men’s Final Four Preview

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with the Men’s Final Four Preview. The games are Saturday evening, starting at 6 p.m. Eastern and for the first time since 2008, all four number one seeds made it to the final weekend in college basketball. Let’s take a look at each of them. Florida Why They’ll Win Sometimes, the best team just wins. Florida, at least since the beginning of 2025, has been one of the best teams in the country. They’ve been in the upper tier of championship caliber programs all year. And in a loaded SEC, it was Florida who finished on top, capturing the conference tournament crown. They’ve won ten in a row, including defeating last year’s champs UConn—a team with a ton of postseason resolve. Walter Clayton Jr. leads a Gators backcourt that can really shoot it. He’s proven that he can carry the…
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MoCoMedia

MoCo Women’s Final Four Preview

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with the Women’s NCAA Final Four Preview. After two intense weekends of hoop that saw upsets, drama and of course heartbreak, two more nights of basketball with three total games are left in the season. This year, chalk rang true as we have three number one seeds left: Texas, UCLA and South Carolina, with UConn there as a number two seed. Let’s look at the ways in which each team can cut down the nets, and how they possible can be thwarted from doing so. Texas Why They’ll Win Defense, defense, defense. The Longhorns’ road to the championship starts on the end where their team does not have the basketball. Texas puts incredible pressure on their opponents’ guards, especially in inbound situations. Against TCU, Texas employed a, “three-on-two” method in which three defenders—led by senior guard Rori Harmon—defended the two…
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MoCoMedia

MoCo Womens’s College Basketball Tournament Preview

Selection Sunday has passed. The field is set. The bracket has been revealed. For the next three weekends, 64 teams will vie for the NCAA basketball championship. Here is a preview of the women’s bracket. What We Know The #1 Seeds: UCLA is the top overall seed, with South Carolina, Texas and USC joining them. South Carolina comes into the Tournament having won last year’s championship. While they’re missing the dominant interior presence they’ve had in years past, they’re still a formidable opponent for anyone else in the field. The Gamecocks and their supporters may be a little surprised at not being the overall number one seed, but either way, they’re done talking. UCLA has been the best team for the most part of the season, but their two losses are to their biggest rival, who’s also on the #1 line. If chalk holds, the two Final Four matchups—Texas and…
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MoCoMedia

MoCo Men’s College Basketball Tournament Preview

Selection Sunday has passed. The field is set. The bracket has been revealed. For the next three weekends, 64 teams will vie for the NCAA basketball championship. Here is a preview of the men’s bracket. What We Know The #1 Seeds: Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida are atop the bracket, with the Tigers nabbing the top overall seed. All four are the top four odds-on favorites to win the title, but championships aren’t won on sportsbook apps. The Field Record conference dominance. Conference realignment has shifted the makeup of college sports all across the board. One of the main ways it has affected college basketball is in the fact there are more cross-country matchups within conferences. Another is that the bigger conferences have a chance to have more teams in the field than ever before. One year in to this new alignment and the SEC is already reaping benefits. The…
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MoCoMedia

MoCo NWSL Preview

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me ya boy) is here with something other than hoops. As the title suggests, we’re going to preview the upcoming National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The NWSL was first established in 2013, with eight charter teams. The first championship was won by the Portland Thorns FC with the New York Flag winning the NWSL shield due to then playing in their fourth league in four years. A dozen years later, the NWSL has 15 teams now, with the Orlando Pride winning last year’s championship. The league has expanded to the point where regular season matches can be seen in multiple ways. Games will air on Amazon Prime, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+, CBS and CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, ION and NWSL+. Roku just announced an NWSL Zone, exclusive to Roku Sports. The Zone will showcase live and upcoming games, popular programming and more for the league.…
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MoCoMedia

Hoop Recap: One of One

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another hoop recap. There have been so many things to happen since we last spoke, but this post will be a little different. Normally, I pick a couple general topics or happenings around basketball and give a little additional perspective that’s hopefully different and insightful. Today’s post rightfully focuses on one person. Let’s talk about Diana Taurasi. For nearly 25 years, Diana Taurasi has been a staple in the landscape of women’s basketball. One of her first landmark moments in hoop came in college. However, as much as she won in her life, it is with a loss where this moment occurs. In her freshman year at UConn, Taurasi and the Huskies lost in the 2001 Final Four to Notre Dame. She vowed that UConn, “would never lose another Tournament game while I’m wearing this uniform.” Three straight National…
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MoCoMedia

Hoop Recap: Big Moves, Bigger Questions

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another hoop recap. Let’s catch up on some things that’s gone down across the basketball realm. Well, February certainly has started with its share of dreams and intrigue. In both the Men’s and Women’s National Basketball Associations, moves have been made and transactions have been processed. Major names have changed addresses and both leagues will have a new look to them going forward. First, in the W, it seems like Unrivaled has become a recruiting ground for players in free agency and looking for a trade. From Brittney Griner signing with Atlanta to Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum involved in a trade to the Connecticut Sun dismantling their core to start anew, the WNBA seems to be taking advantage of this increase in attention and fandom. More people truly care what’s going on this off-season, and the W has…
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MoCoMedia

The Growth of Trae Young

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young has been one of the NBA’s more productive players since being drafted in 2018. For me, if the NBA had an Offensive Player of the Year award similar to the NFL, he would be in the running nearly every year. Statistically, Young is right there with the Association’s best in terms of scoring and assisting. He is in his 7th-straight season of at least 19 points and 8 assists a game, and the sixth averaging over 25 points per game. Young has been a sublime scorer and shooter even going back to college. In his one season at the University of Oklahoma, he led the nation in scoring and assists—the first player ever to do so. But to carry that level of production into the NBA as one of the league’s smaller players—he’s listed at 6’0”—is remarkable in itself. Factor in that Young is…
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MoCoMedia

Hoop Recap: Lift The Trophy High

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another hoop recap. There is so much to cover and touch on in the hoop realm that using NBA or WNBA couldn’t encompass it all. So going forward, that’s the new title. Alright, so this will likely be the last post from me in 2024. And I’m sure like most of you reading this, this year was more than a doozy in so many ways. I have had my share of setbacks and challenges that latch themselves onto the negative feelings like doubt and anxiety that cause me to not feel like I’m progressing every day. And that doesn’t include any physical problems that have arisen throughout the year. Since January 1st—and of course, well before that date—life has certainly done life things in a way that doesn’t always feel good. Doesn’t it also seem like this is both…
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MoCoMedia

WNBA Recap: Championship Edition

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with the final recap of the 2024 WNBA season. And wow, what a season it was. From the coverage to the entertainment to the quality of hoops all the way through the final day of the year, the W excelled with more eyes on it than ever before. Congratulations to the New York Liberty got winning their first championship in franchise history. One of the original teams that are still around finally has a title in its trophy case. Center Jonquel Jones was named Finals MVP and the Liberty defeated and incredibly tough and competitive Minnesota Lynx team in five closely-contested games. The atmosphere in the Barclays Center was beyond electric. It was fitting for the kind of year that W had. Not to mention the edition of Ellie the Elephant, the wonderful mascot of the New York Liberty, who…
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MoCoMedia

WNBA Recap: Lady of Magic

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another WNBA Recap. As the regular season winds down, let’s take a look at a couple highlighted things around the W. This post will be mostly dedicated to two-time MVP and consensus best player in the W, A’ja Wilson. Now, those who faithfully watch the W will already know all the superlatives that come with the way A’ja plays. So this won’t be a running just of her baby, baby achievements and abilities. Instead this is a perspective based around three broader view of 2024—which starts with the end of the 2023 season. For most, A’ja at the very least was a runner-up for the 2023 regular season MVP. Instead, she finished third in voting—with one infamous fourth-place vote—keeping get from winning her third MVP award. Rather than allow that slight to send her game into a rut, A’ja…
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MoCoMedia

WNBA Recap: Golden

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another recap. This time, we’re highlighting what was an unbelievable 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Overall, the Olympic Games were the spectacle we have known them to be. From an outstandingly visual opening ceremony, to all the old and new events, the two weeks in August were fantastical in every way. When it comes to hoops, both US National Basketball Teams did what was expected—win gold—even if the results were somewhat unexpected. Both teams defeated the host nation, France’s, teams in their respective gold medal games. And in both contests, Team USA found itself in an intense battle. In the women’s game, France held a ten point second half lead, before players like A’ja Wilson (MVP of the event) and Kahleah Copper took over in the fourth. That game came down to France’s Gabby Williams, a former WNBA player,…
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MoCoMedia

W/NBA Recap: Two Nights to Remember

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another recap. Let’s get into it. What a weekend for the W! All-Star festivities were in Phoenix this past weekend, with the Skills Competition and the Three-Point Contest on the same night. That night belonged to Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, as she won both events. The Dream’s All-Star guard defeated host favorite Sophie Cunningham of the Mercury by 2.4 seconds in the final round. Then, Gray squared off against the Liberty’s Jonquel Jones in the final round of the three-point contest. It came down to Jones’ final shot, which missed, giving Gray the win. Gray became the first player to win both competitions in the same night. This was a truly remarkable night for 2017 first-round pick and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist. Speaking of Olympians, night two of the W’s All-Star weekend saw the 2024 US Women’s Basketball Team take…
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MoCoMedia

W/NBA Recap: The Platinum Trophy

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another recap, highlighting a few things around the hoop world. Let’s get to it! The NBA Draft was recently. The two-day event saw 58 of the next crop of NBA hopefuls be selected by teams to begin their journey in the Association. The country of France, after having the number one pick come from their land, doubled down on it this year with Zaccharie Risacher (pronounced “ree-sah-share”) and Alex Sarr being taken by Atlanta and Washington #1 and #2 respectively. Various players, like UConn’s Stephen Castle and Purdue’s Zach Edey were selected. But that’s not what we want to discuss, is it? With the 55th pick, the Los Angeles Lakers selected LeBron James Jr., pairing the USC guard with his father—the first time such a thing has happened in NBA history. In baseball, Ken Griffey Sr. joined the Seattle…
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MoCoMedia

(W)NBA Recap: Confetti

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with the latest recap of the NBA and WNBA since we last spoke. Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning their 18th championship as a franchise, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Jaylen Brown was named Finals MVP, and Boston completed their dominant regular season and postseason with a title. From the first game of the regular season until the last game of the Finals, the Celtics went 80-20, literally winning 80 percent of their games. As much as luck and injuries matter in a championship team’s journey, the critics still have to beat the opponents in front of them. Otherwise, those of us around basketball would chastise them for being so good but not completing the championship mission—like how the sentiment was in 2022 after Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. With this victory,…
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MoCoMedia

(W)NBA Recap – Legacy?

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another recap of The Association and The W. There has been a lot going on and a lot of new chatter about all that has been going on. But I’ll hone in on a couple topics I’d like to highlight. But first… [I literally took a deep breath before this paragraph] For all the discourse and debate around the treatment of Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, I’ll simply say that we as fans have the ability to control how the W is talked about. We do not have to resign our fates to some impending doom of women’s basketball being harder to watch because of some hot takes and short-sighted opinions. If someone having a bad opinion about a music artist you like won’t stop you from listening to their music, then “casual” fans and their pairing of limited…
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MoCoMedia

Play It Where It Lies: On Scottie Scheffler and How We Respond

Early Friday morning, as the second round of the PGA Championship was slated to begin, a person was struck by a vehicle outside of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. That person lost their life, and traffic was slowed as police looked to properly assess the situation. World’s number one golfer Scottie Scheffler was heading to the course to begin his pre-round routine ahead of his 8 a.m. tee time, and the commotion delayed him. He attempted to drive around, only to be stopped by an officer. After what Scheffler calls, “a misunderstanding,” the golfer continued on. The officer attached himself to Scheffler’s car, resulting in him being dragged a bit. The officer then implored Scheffler to stop his car. He then opened the door, dragged Scheffler out and placed him in handcuffs. Scheffler was booked and detained for an hour, and the start of the round of golf itself…
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MoCoMedia

(W)NBA Recap: Brave New World

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another recap. This time, we will include much more WNBA, articles, takes and opinions from now until the 28th season is ended. Twelve teams, including last year’s champion Aces, will look to be the one to hold up the trophy at the end. Along the way, there are sure to be amazing performances all across the league, as the journey to the title is just as important as winning the title itself. As fans, we are in for an amazing ride over the summer and early fall. This is an Atlanta Dream-leaning blog, but I will be sure to highlight the paramount happenings throughout the season. In so many ways, the start of this season feels different. Coming off the biggest and most-watched season of women’s college basketball ever, that momentum will be carried into the pro season. Those…
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MoCoMedia

NBA Recap: Euphoria

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with another recap. The first round of the NBA playoffs are complete, and the Association has eliminated half the teams. Here is where the real contenders are revealed. And here is where some team’s season goes from good to very good and promising, while others still will have underachieved despite winning a postseason series. But while all of that is true, I would like to discuss a season-long arrival that appears to be culminating with a superstar entrance in these playoffs. Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards has more than announced himself as ready to ascend to the top of today’s NBA. Earlier in the year, he was already ordained to take, “The Leap,” which is that jump from good young talent to potential All-NBA perennial selection. With an infectious smile atop a relentless aggression has a lot of the…
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MoCoMedia

NBA Recap: Special Stage

Wassup y’all! Ya boy (it me, ya boy) is back with an NBA postseason recap. With eight different series going on, I won’t just simply give a quick breakdown of each of them as usually constructed by other publications and sports mediums. While that may be necessary and informative, that format is not as fun to write. And what are we doing if we are not trying to find good fun in all we do? The playoffs feel like a special invitation. And it is, despite more teams being invited than not. In fact, the fact more than half the teams make the playoffs matters even less with the excitement of the Play-In games—which adds more teams post-regular season. Basketball is the one sport that has managed to stay closest to the purest form of its product while giving us more of the product in many different forms of ingestion.…
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