1. Mahomes will have to wait his turn in line- Before Harrison Butker booted the ball into the sky of Raymond James Stadium to kick off the Super Bowl, all of the talk was about Mahomes and Brady; new vs. old. It was almost advertised as a classic western showdown between the saloon and horse stables; however, reality kicked in when Patrick Mahomes face became friends with the grass. We can talk all about how the Chiefs didn’t have Eric Fisher to protect their five hundred million dollar quarterback, and we can scream from the rooftops about all of the picky calls against the Chiefs, but at this point it just doesn’t do any justice. I don’t want to toot my own horn too much and ramble on about how smart I am, but I did predict a dominant performance from Tampa Bay’s defense pre-game. Again, I don’t want to toot my own horn. All I want to say is that I had a hunch that Devin White and Lavonte David would fly around the field like—what Will Ferrell would refer to as—whirling dervishes swirling about. 

2. Lamelo shines in his new starting spot- It’s kind of funny to think that the same goofy kid featured on overtime as a freshman high school phenom is now averaging around 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists a game. Truth be told, his recent promotion to the starting lineup of the Charlotte Hornets has done wonders for his 19 year-old confidence. More and more we are starting to see him take over the reigns of the Hornets organization, and his 34 point game against the Jazz just adds the cherry on top. It’s one thing to scorch a team with 34 points, but it’s another to be the only other Hornet rookie to do it since retro Alonzo Mourning in 1993. Talks about him being a steal at number three are already starting to float around NBA locker rooms, and I can’t find a reason to shush them.

3. Pop the Champaign- Call me crazy, or call me nutty, but I have a pretty unpopular pick to win the NCAA tournament. I’ll give you some hints to clear the dust off the board. They fight, and they’re the Illini. You guessed it; I am picking Illinois to win the National Championship. A team who has a monster seven footer, a team who has an explosive 6’5 guard, and a team who has a polished veteran can’t be overlooked in March. Any given night they can strangle you with an onslaught of points. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a bunch of other NCAA teams that can stir the same pot as Illinois—maybe even some that can do it better than the Fighting Illini. As long as Ayo Dosumu and Kofi Cockburn keep on picking up where they left off last March, though, I’ll keep my bet right where it is for now.