NBA's Paul Davis on Millionaire Matchmaker

Former NBA player Paul Davis, a college basketball standout center and previous member of the LA Clippers roster, is currently looking for the perfect female partner. To get the assist he needed to score in the game of love, Paul Davis appeared on Bravo's reality documentary show "The Millionaire Matchmaker". The show features professional matchmaker Patti Stanger who attempted to help Davis find the right female for him. Her team of helpers includes personal shoppers, date coaches and therapists who give two wealthy clients bigtime makeovers and then send them on handpicked dates especially tailored to the individuals' personalities and expectations.

On the new episode 8 which aired April 2, 2009 on Bravo TV, Patti tried to help a successful Harvard graduate named Alex by giving him a physical makeover to propel his dating success. She also helped NBA player Paul Davis with a major personality makeover. According to reports on the episode Paul had some pretty high expectations when it comes to love but his date on the show with Kimi was successful. The two went to an upscale bowling alley and wagered over who could bowl better. Davis won the bet which gave him the prizes of Kimi cleaning his condo dressed as a french maid, making him sushi and then making him French toast the next morning. Shoot...Score!

According a Chicago Sun Times blog, Davis said the following about the date:

"I would definitely go out with her again. I think, you know, she's a great girl, great personality. And she definitely is somebody, regardless of what happens down the line, just to have a friend in your life -- I really think she would be one of those people."

See photos from the show here

In case you're wondering about Paul Davis' NBA career, he played just 2 years professionally after playing his NCAA college basketball for Michigan State Spartans and finished the 2005 season as leading rebounder. Lindy's College Basketball ranked him as the number 3 center at the time. By his senior year he was averaging a near double-double with 17.5 points and 9.1 rebonds. He was awarded Mr. Basketball of Michigan. In 2006, he went at the #34 draft pick in the NBA draft's second round to the Los Angeles Clippers, wearing the #40. Once the 2007-08 NBA season had ended, Paul Davis became a restricted free agent. The Clippers renounced his rights but resigned him in August 2008. Paul Davis was released from the LA Clippers in January 2009. In 2008-09 he averaged 4.0 points and 2.50 rebounds per game with the Clips. View Paul Davis' NBA.com bio info page.

Kemba Walker propels UCONN to Final 4

UCONN is hatching yet another new star as it gained another big victory in the 2009 NCAA tournament. NCAA basketball analyst Jay Bilas made the comment during UCONN's game against Missouri that UCONN freshman Kemba Walker came from the Bronx, New York, where some of the roughest streetball is played. That toughness and intensity enabled the young Walker to play a fearless brand of basketball, leading the Huskies to their 3rd final 4 appearance in a span of 10 years. In one play in particular, Walker drove quickly down the court charged into the midst of the Missouri players then flew underneath two defenders with a beautiful scoop shot layup. Perhaps a slight bit of Air Jordan mixed in for good measure.

The game wasn't easy for Connecticut as Missouri played ferociously all game. Bodies hit the floor, hands were contesting every shot, every dribble, every pass. It was perhaps the toughest, swarming defense that UCONN has seen all season long. However, UCONN persevered and outlasted yet another opponent. The end result was an 82-75 win behind Kemba Walker's career high 23 points. The beauty of this UCONN team is there's always a player ready to step up and take the lead, whether it's 7'3 center Hasheem Thabeet blocking shots and scoring inside, or point guard AJ Price draining 3's and driving to the hoop to dish to the open man. The West region's #1 seed UCONN now awaits the winner of Sunday's Louisville versus Michigan State matchup.

In the nightcap game, an all-time tournament classic game was had. The game went right down to the wire between two other Big East opponents UCONN is quite familiar with: #3 seed Villanova and #1 seed Pittsburgh. Pitt had been exhibiting some sloppier play in the NCAA tournament despite looking brilliant during the regular season. That sloppiness was surely exposed Saturday night as a constantly improving Villanova team took advantage and scored a basket with under a second to go, breaking a tied game. The 3/4 court drive by Nova's Reynolds was the deciding factor in a game which featured plenty of grit and an amazing stretch of 21-21 free throw shooting by Villanova. Nova now advances to the Final Four in a run reminiscent of their 1985 run, and will wait to meet the winner of Sunday's UNC vs. Oklahoma winner. This also makes at least 2 of 4 Big East teams in the Final 4, with a potential third coming if Louisville wins its game against Michigan State on Sunday.

Prepare for 2009 March Madness!

Once again that time of year has descended upon the college campuses and states all around the country, March Madness. Die hard fans are preparing all around the US for the NCAA College Basketball tournament. In the 2009 edition, there were 3 conferences with a total of 7 teams sent to the tournament this year: ACC, Big Ten and Big East; displaying the power of these particular conferences. The brackets revealed three #1 seeds this year all from the Big East: Louisville, UCONN and Pittsburgh. The fourth seed will come from the ACC, a team that bounced back and forth at the #1 spot all season long, North Carolina's Tarheels. Here's a quick look at each of the four regions and their top teams.

The Midwest's #1 seed, Louisville finished off their season in impressive style. The Cardinals won the Big East title and then the Big East Tournament as well, defeating a Syracuse team that had showed a ton of heart playing through a total of 7 OT's in 2 games, and logging almost 4 hours playing time on the court by same players through the tourney. Also joining Louisville in their bracket will be the #2 seed Michigan State team who many thought might grab a #1 seed themselves. Fellow Big East team West Virginia grabbed the 6 seed in Lville's bracket. Other top teams include last year's champs the Kansas Jayhawks with a #3 seed, #4 Wake Forest (who was #1 in the country this past season) #5 Utah, and #7 BC.

The West will see the University of Connecticut Huskies as its top seed, despite the team failing to win the Big East and losing in the conference tournament to a lower seeded Syracuse team. The Huskies will have potential spoiler teams in #10 seed Maryland, #3 Missouri, #4 Washington Huskies and at the other end of the brack, the #2 Memphis Tigers, last year's NCAA Championship runner-ups.

In the East, Pittsburgh emerged as the #1 seed. The Panthers failed to capture the Big East tournament after losing to West Virginia this past season, but saw 2 impressive victories over UCONN, the top team in the nation several times. Joining Pitt will be the recent ACC Tourney champs, the Duke Blue Devils who scored a #2 seed. Villanova takes the #3 seed, with Xavier at #4, Florida State at #5 and UCLA at #6.

#1 out in the South, The North Carolina Tarheels were considered one of the top teams at the start of the season and reclaimed that spot again at season's end. A disappointing ACC tournament saw Florida State upset them, but they were without the services of player Ty Law. Law claims he'll be ready when Tournament action starts. Also in the South will be another former #1 this past season in the 2 seed Oklahoma with star powerhouse player, Blake Griffin. The 3 seed will be those pesky Syracuse Orangemen, with Gonzaga at #4. The South may be the region to keep an eye on with all sorts of compelling possible matchups and upsets. Clemson, Michigan State, Butler, Arizona State and Illinois are also in the bracket, hungry to advance to the Final 4.

Play will begin Thursday afternoon with people all over the world betting and filling out their ESPN or office pool brackets frantically over the next several days. Let the madness begin!

View and print out complete 2009 NCAA Tournament brackets here.

Instant Classic: Syracuse Outlasts UCONN in 6th OT

Last night saw an extended Big East tournament matchup between the #4 Connecticut Huskies and #20 Syracuse Orangemen which went into the wee hours of the night. Originally the game was thought to have ended in regulation on a Eric Devendorf three pointer at the buzzer. But Devendorf's celebration was premature; upon further review the ball didn't leave Devendorf's hands in time. The game continued into overtime number 1. From there the two teams continued to battle it out, but UCONN failed to hit the buzzer beating last second shot opportunities they had in several overtimes. Player after player fouled out for both teams including Devendorf for Syracuse and big man Hasheem Thabeet for UCONN. Once OT number 6 came, the Orangemen simply had more gas in their tanks while UCONN was losing key players. A Rautins 3 sparked off a run that saw Syracuse outscore UCONN 17-7 in the final period. After six overtimes and close to four hours a classic game came to an end. Final score: Syracuse 127 UCONN 117.

The game was a true testament to just how tough and competitive collegiate athletes really can be. It saw feats of endurance and skill, including 7 foot 3 center Hasheem Thabeet diving to the floor for a loose ball for UCONN, then quickly getting a timeout out of the deal. The game also featured two hall of fame coaches and a well-known big East rivalry. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was proud of his team's win, while Jim Calhoun admitted the Huskies had chances at the free throw line and with several missed shots. After an exhausting extra 6 rounds in a heavyweight fight, both teams were seen exiting the garden around 2 AM in the morning.

The Huskies will most likely head into the 2009 NCAA Tournament as a top seed, to be determined Sunday night. As the Huskies get a much needed rest from the 6 overtime epic game, Syracuse must press on to their next contest, a 9PM meeting with West Virginia, scheduled for just 2 halves. In the words of ESPN commentators, "What could the Orange possibly have left?"

Read more about Thursday night's classic Big East basketball game at MSG.

Roane State's Old School Baller, Ken Mink

You may not be familiar with Roane State Junior College or Ken Mink, but Love & Basketball NBA blog wants to show some love for an old school baller. You see Mink recently was put onto Roane State's roster. You might ask why that's special. Mink played basketball at Lees Junior College in Jackson, Kentucky, about 53 years ago. He missed out on his second year of playing basketball at the Junior college due to his signing with the Air Force. That's right, 53 years ago, but Ken's no Encino man. Back to present day, Ken was shooting hoops at a neighbor's home and decided to write several area colleges about possibly suiting up again. Coach Randy Nesbit of Roane State (in Tennessee) took him in for some try outs, and Ken has practiced with the team since August. Just recently he was added as an official member of the Roane State Raiders (team roster), and has already begun contributing. In a win by Roane against King's College, Mink chipped in 2 points to the team's point total, and to his season stats. Yahoo News has the following about Mink's performance:

Mink entered the game with about 16 minutes left in the second half and attempted one shot in about three minutes. Seven minutes later, he went back in the game, was fouled and made two free throws.

"I found myself on the free-throw line 52 years after my last college game," Mink said. "I said, 'Just relax and shoot it like you know how to all day long.' I just floated the shots in there. I'm in the books now. I can relax a little bit."

Major kudos to this 73-year old baller who's out on the court shooting hoops, defending and more while there's many current NBA stars who seem to "take it easy" on the court. Mink may soon be appearing on the AND1 Senior Citizens tour near you... :)

Watch YouTube video about Ken Mink & Roane State Raiders!

Roane State Basketball page

2008-09 AP College Basketball Top 25

The University of North Carolina has received the #1 rank heading into the college basketball season for the 2nd straight year. Rounding out the top 5 are Connecticut, Louisville, and Pittsburgh. The Big East not only has about 1/3 of the top 25 teams, but 3 teams in the top 5. Memphis, who was a runner up in the finals last season, is ranked at #13. Last season's NCAA champions, the Kansas Jayhawks are down in the bottom of the 25.

Top 25 NCAA Men's (by AP)

AP Top 25 Preseason Poll
Rank School Record Pts Pvs
1. North Carolina (72) 36-3 1,800 1
2. Connecticut 24-9 1,661 16
3. Louisville 27-9 1,638 13
4. UCLA 35-4 1,487 3
5. Pittsburgh 27-10 1,319 17
6. Michigan St. 27-9 1,311 18
7. Texas 31-7 1,259 7
8. Duke 28-6 1,250 9
9. Notre Dame 25-8 1,243 15
10. Gonzaga 25-8 1,162 24
11. Purdue 25-9 1,099 20
12. Oklahoma 23-12 987 --
13. Memphis 38-2 977 2
14. Tennessee 31-5 920 5
15. Arizona St. 21-13 645 --
16. Marquette 25-10 592 25
17. Miami 23-11 570 --
18. Southern Cal 21-12 414 --
19. Florida 24-12 403 --
20. Davidson 29-7 347 23
21. Wake Forest 17-13 312 --
22. Georgetown 28-6 311 8
23. Villanova 22-13 256 --
24. Kansas 37-3 233 4
25. Wisconsin 31-5 196 6

Sports Illustrated's website goes into detail about UNC's expectations for this season. You can read the full article here.

The Latest Basketball HOF Inductees

The 2008 basketball Hall of Fame inductees have been announced. This year's class includes a well-known coaching legend, a very recognizable voice in college basketball, a Detroit owner and several all-star legends from NBA past.

There will be 3 former NBA stars heading to the hall this season. First up is Hakeem "the Dream" Olajuwon, who racked up several titles while with the Houston Rockets. He also achieved several NBA accolades including all-star appearances and the 1994 MVP award. The impressive rebounder, scorer and defender Hakeem finished out his career in a back-up center role for the Toronto Raptors.

Joining Hakeem is one of his familiar foes from the paint, Patrick Ewing. Ewing was a long-time star for the New York Knicks, who never quite achieved title fame. Ewing excelled at the center position but never could quite surpass those pesky Chicago Bulls' squads. However, Ewing racked up plenty of great stats, all-star appearances and All-NBA team nods. He also has served as part of the Houston Rockets' coaching staff. Both Hakeem and Ewing were included as members of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

A former coach of Ewing's is the legendary Pat Riley, who will also be introduced into the Naismith Memorial HOF. Riley coached both the Los Angeles Lakers (showtime era) and Miami Heat to achieve several titles during his continued career. Despite a poor season this year in Miami, Riley continues to be one of the best coaches in the game, and has plenty of playoff and regular season victories to show for it. In addition, he's a 3 time Coach of the Year award winner.

Three members being inducted into the hall have ties to Detroit. There's former all-star Piston, Adrian Dantley, as well as 85 year old Pistons & Shock owner, Bill Davidson. Davidson achieved sports titles with 3 different pro sports teams in 3 different leagues (three with the Pistons, two with the Shock and one with the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning) They will be joined by Dick "Awesome with a capital A Baby!" Vitale, who anyone who watches college basketball has definitely heard. Vitale brings an unmatched excitement and exuberance to the games while fulfilling his commentator role with ESPN during the entire NCAA season. He also was the Detroit Mercy (1972-77) and Pistons coach (1978-79).

The final inductee of the current class is coach Cathy Rush, a women's basketball pioneer. The official induction ceremony takes place September 5th in Springfield, Massachussetts.

See the official website for the Basketball Hall of Fame for more info.

Kansas Jayhawks' = 2008 NCAA Champs!

Monday night's NCAA Men's basketball final game was definitely the opposite of what I expected. Looking at the Final 4, I figured we'd be seeing a North Carolina vs. UCLA historic type matchup for the ages. However, it was their opponents who prevailed to make it to the big game, with the Memphis Wildcats knocking off UCLA and the Kansas Jayhawks dethroning what seemed like an unstoppable UNC team.

The two #1 seeds met up in San Antonio in a great final game Monday night. Memphis seemed in relative cruise control until the final 2 minutes of the game. It was Memphis' free throw troubles that truly hurt them in regulation though, as they missed several down the stretch which could have sealed the game. The Jayhawks' Chalmers hit a huge 3 with just under 5 seconds left in regulation, to send it to OT. Analysts are also noting that Memphis could have fouled the Jayhawks and not allowed them to take the 3 to tie things up. The Kansas Jayhawks pulled away from Memphis in the Overtime session to win the title 75-68.

So now the coach Bill Self and his Kansas Jayhawks cut down the nets and are the reigning NCAA Men's champions. Self noted that it was the anniversary of Kansas' last NCAA title win, back in 1988 when it was "Danny Manning and the Miracles". Manning, the former NBA star and Kansas Jayhawk now serves as an assistant coach on the team, and was shown cutting his piece of the coveted net following the win.

Congrats to the Kansas Jayhawks for claiming the title in 2008!

Women's 2008 Final 4 is Set

We now have both the men's and women's Final 4 fields set for this year's NCAA Tournament. On the women's side of things, Tennessee, LSU, Connecticut and Stanford have all reached the promised land, and are ready to grapple for the Women's title. The NCAA Women's Final Four will be held in Tampa, FL.

In a feat of perseverance, Tennessee's Candace Parker pulled out one of the gutsiest performances of either side of the tournament. When Tennessee faced Texas A&M, Parker separated her shoulder not once, but twice during the contest. A sleeve was put on her arm to stabilize it, and she continued to play, scoring 26. Parker's performance helped her team to an 8 point win and a trip to the Final 4. In case you've never seen her, Parker has dunked in more than a few games during her career, so she's definitely someone to watch for on the highlight reels.

Stanford & UCONN also have star performers capable of really taking over a game. On UCONN you have guard Maya Moore, who's been simply amazing this past season and tournament, leading her team throughout. Moore struggled against Rutgers but with the game tied with about 3 minutes left, she hit a tie-breaking 3 to bust things open. Stanford defeated Maryland to earn its trip to the 4. This came thanks to the other Candice, Candice Wiggins, who scored 44 points in the game, the third highest ever in the women's competition. Wiggins added 10 rebounds as well. UCONN will definitely have its hands full in their next game. It could wind up being yet another one of the great rivalry games in basketball, with UCONN facing Tennessee in the finals..

No matter who makes the championship game, we have a Final 4 including dunkers, highlight makers and high scorers. And there's people who still say women can't ball like the men do...

More about Final Four at Salt Lake Tribune.

Read more about Candice Wiggins' 41 Point performance

And Then There Were 4...

The Final Four teams were set for the Men's NCAA Tournament this past weekend. It played out perfectly for those contestants who put the #1 seeds in their Final Four brackets. Each of the 1's it this time with no Cinderellas getting to San Antonio, TX.

1) North Carolina Tarheels - Showed yet another impressive performance as they defeated Louisville. Tyler Hansborough continues to work hard, score, grab rebounds and show why he's player of the year. The Tarheels next opponent is Kansas.

2) Kansas Jayhawks - Withstood another valiant and gutsy effort from the 10th seed, Cinderella team, Davidson. Stephan Curry's team lost by just 2, showing that maybe the Jayhawks are the most seucceptible to a Final 4 loss.

3) Memphis Wildcats - Defeated Texas handily. The knock on Memphis continues to be they can't hit free throws, and the better the team they play, the more this could expose them.

4) UCLA Bruins - They'd have to be considered the favorites right now, as they were in the Final 4 the past 2 years as well. And they have "true Love", with their outstanding player Kevin Love.

So its Carolina vs Kansas and Memphis vs UCLA. The best game for the championship would have to be Carolina vs. UCLA battling it out for supremacy. It would put two future NBA prospects against each other with Kevin Love of UCLA against Tyler Hansborough of NC. Carolina seems as if they are destined to win it all this year and cut down the nets. UCLA has some impressive basketball history on their side, but NC isn't too shabby either. So one of these historic teams should be your 2008 champion.

NBA-NCAA Family Ties

If you follow this year's NCAA Tournament like millions of fans, you'll not only see players about to burst into the NBA in the next few seasons, but also players with NBA Family.

Georgetown is probably the most prominent example, as it features the talents of Doc Rivers' son as well as Patrick Ewing's son, Patrick Ewing Junior. Both former NBA players (now coaching staff) have been on hand at the games. Drake was eliminated from the tournament yesterday but featured the look-a-like brother of Kyle Korver, Clayton. One player who had an amazing game was Del Curry's son for Davidson, who scored 40 points with his proud parents watching and rooting him on. The young Curry will go on to the second round on Sunday. While none of his family was involved, Bobcats player Adam Morrison was seen watching his Gonzaga team lose yesterday.

There's also the top NBA prospects such as Georgetown's Roy Hibbert, UCLA's Kevin Love, Stanford's Brook Lopez and UCONN's Hasheem Thabeet (who made an early exit in round 1).

Keep an eye on the action, not only for the future prospects but for a look at some NBA family. The NCAA tournament resumes round 2 with games on Saturday and Sunday to determine the Sweet 16. Catch the action on CBS, beginning about 12:30 PM EST.

Feel the Madness of NCAA Basketball!

While the primary focus here at Love and Basketball is NBA basketball, March Madness is now upon us! As of yesterday, the 65 team field for the 2008 NCAA Men's basketball tournament was announced. I'm definitely biased in favor of my alma mater, the UCONN Huskies, who have been on a bit of a tear during the second half of the college basketball season. However, they appear to be in probably the toughest of the brackets, the West region. This region includes #1 seed UCLA, #2 Duke and then West Virginia who just knocked off Connecticut in the Big East tournament. The Huskies will need to really step up their play to make it out of this bracket, or the other 3 teams will need to really be off.

The other 3 top seeds in the tournament are North Carolina, Kansas and Memphis. Memphis has had a strong season, but the knock on them is free throw shooting. Kansas and UNC are already being penned in by many analysts as favorites to win it all, while the Georgia Bulldogs and Pitt Panthers are considered just two of the possible cinderella/sleeper/spoiler squads. Both teams have been on impressive 4 game runs which they ended by winning their respective tournaments to earn bids into the NCAA Tourney.

To bring it back to NBA basketball, we will definitely be seeing several potential superstars for the NBA's future. Roy Hibbert of Georgetown, Hasheem Thabeet of UCONN and Tyler Hansborough of UNC are 3 big men who may be coming to a NBA court near you in the next 2 seasons.

The NCAA tournament games get started Thursday on CBS. The full bracket and tourney info is available at: WWW.NCAA.COM. Start filling your brackets out now on ESPN.com, but just don't get caught making picks during work!