Who Would Win 2019 College Bowls as Basketball Games?

 

What if the 2019 college football games were played as basketball games during the 2019-20 season? How would these teams stack up and who would win?

Oregon (24-7) vs Wisconsin (21-10)

About the bowl: Oregon beat Wisconsin 28-27 in a very fun 2020 Rose Bowl. QB Justin Herbert ran for 3 touchdowns, including a 30 yard run with 8 minutes to go, to give Oregon the lead for the last time.

About basketball: The bowl win came 9 months after Oregon upset Wisconsin as a #12 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. After going into halftime tied 25-25, Ducks came out and crushed the Badgers, winning 72-54. Payton Prichard, the 2020 PAC-12 Player of the Year, led Oregon with 19 points and 7 assists in that game. For Wisconsin, their top guys in 2020 D’mitrik Trice, Nate Reuvers, and Brad Davison combined for 21 points, 7 assists, 11 rebounds.

Oregon won 6 of their last 7. Wisconsin won 9 of their last 10 and 8 in a row to end the season as both teams finished first place in their respective conferences.

Prediction: Oregon

Arizona State (20-11) vs Florida State (26-5)

About the bowl: This might be my favorite basketball game on the list, which is ironic considering how dull the Sun Bowl matchup was. In football, this was a battle between 7-5 and 6-6 teams. Arizona State won 20-14, after leading 9-0 at the half. Florida State scored 14 in the third, but Arizona State scored 11 in the fourth to win.

About basketball: In basketball, Florida State was the outright ACC champion, for the first time since joining the conference in 1992. Arizona State finished near the top of the PAC-12 and was expected to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

I love watching ASU’s Remy Martin (19.1 ppg), but Florida State is too good – too deep and well-coached. Devin Vassell, Trent Forrest, MJ Walker, and Patrick Williams all averaged at least 9 ppg and would just be too much for Sun Devils.

Prediction: Florida State

Florida (19-12) vs Virginia (23-7)

About the bowl: The 2019 Orange Bowl was meh. Virginia finished 9-4 and in my opinion didn’t deserve the spot, especially after getting blasted 62-17 in the ACC Championship. They were more than respectable in the loss to Florida, losing 36-28, but they did score their last touchdown in the final seconds.

About basketball: The basketball game would be fun. Virginia, coming off a National Championship, spent the first half of the season lingering near the bubble, but won 11 of their last 12 games.

This is a rematch of a second round matchup in 2017, where Florida steamrolled Virginia 65-39.

Prediction: Virginia

Penn St (21-10) vs Memphis (21-10)

About the Bowl: When Penn State played Memphis in the Cotton Bowl, it felt like a lopsided game on paper. Almighty Penn State, the well-known prestigious Big Ten school with tons of history facing a team from the American Athletic Conference, who set a new school record for wins and had never been on this kind of stage before. It was a great game, that Penn State won 52-39. 

On paper in basketball, this also feels a bit lopsided. But incredibly, not the way you would think…

About basketball: Considering Memphis had the #1 recruiting class in the country in 2019 and Penn State hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2011, would you believe that Penn State would be the big favorites here? 

Precious Achiuwa, the AAC Player of the Year in 2020, is a matchup nightmare for anyone, but Penn State does have a strong defense and Memphis is one of the most turnover-prone teams in the country. While Achiuwa is a matchup problem for Penn State, Lamar Stevens and his 17 ppg would equally be a problem for Memphis.

Prediction: Penn State

Iowa (20-11) vs USC (22-9)

About the bowl: Iowa controlled the Holiday Bowl from start to finish, beating USC 49-27. USC QB Kedon Slovis got hurt, and that was the end of any comeback chances. Iowa’s defense forced three turnovers.

About basketball: Iowa’s Luke Garza was named Sporting News National Player of the Year. He was also named a consensus First-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year.

Ultimately, I think Iowa’s guards would have made the difference in this basketball game, but watching 6’11 Luke Garza (23.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.8 bpg) go up against 6’9 Onyeka Okongwu (16.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 2.7 bpg) would be so much fun.

Prediction: Iowa

Tennessee (17-14) vs Indiana (20-12)

About the bowl: Indiana led the Gator Bowl 22-9 with 5 minutes to go, and was on track to win their first bowl game since 1991. Tennessee scored two touchdowns within 30 seconds (an onside kick recovery occurred between scores). With just over 2 minutes, Indiana missed a 52 yard field goal, got the ball back again with 2 minutes to go and moved into Tennessee territory, but failed to capitalize, losing after a thrilling 5 minute stretch.

About basketball: Indiana was poised to make their first NCAA Tournament since 2016, while Tennessee was on pace to miss the tournament for the first time since 2017.

It would be fun to see Devonte Green matched up with Yves Pons and Trayce Jackson-Davis matched up with John Fulkerson.

Prediction: Tennessee

Louisville (24-7) vs Mississippi State (20-11)

About the bowl: Louisville win 38-28 in the Music City Bowl, and I would expect a similar basketball result.

About basketball: Jordan Nwora (18 ppg) lead the way for Louisville in 2019-20. Mississippi State’s Reggie Perry shot 50% from the floor and averaged 17.4 ppg and 10.1 rpg and would certainly provide problems for Steven Enoch and Dwayne Sutton down low.

Prediction: Louisville

Oklahoma (19-12) vs LSU (21-10)

About the bowl: In the Sugar Bowl, as part of the CFB Playoffs, Burrow threw 6 first half TD passes in a 63-28 blowout against the Sooners. LSU led 49-14 at halftime. Burrow finished the game with 493 yards and 8 total touchdowns (1 rush).

About basketball: Good news for Oklahoma – Joe Burrow doesn’t play basketball (if he did, I’m sure he would dominate though). Skyler Mays and Javonte Smart are good players for LSU, but not Burrow-good.

Prediction: LSU

Other Notable Games

Ohio State (21-10) vs Clemson (16-15)

Clemson won a classic in the Fiesta Bowl to improve to 3-0 all-time vs Ohio State and advance to the National Championship Game. Too bad Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne don’t play basketball. Clemson would be no match on the hardwood for the Buckeyes.

Cincinnati (20-10) vs Boston College (13-19)

Something tells me this game would have been awfully similar to the football version, where Bearcats won the Birmingham Bowl 38-6.

Georgia (16-16) vs Baylor (26-4)

Baylor spent more time than any team ranked #1 this season. This game would not be close, but anytime you could watch Georgia guard Anthony Edwards is worth the time.

Minnesota (15-16) vs Auburn (25-6)

2020 Outback Bowl rematch features a Minnesota team that vastly underwhelmed in basketball, after overwhelming and breaking through in football. Auburn followed up a disappointing football season with an improved year in 2019, beating Oregon and Alabama and in basketball, finished near the top of the SEC once again, after making a run to the Final Four.

Alabama (16-15) vs Michigan (19-12)

Alabama roll(ed tide) in the Citrus Bowl, winning 35-16. In basketball, Alabama coach Nate Oats (previously at Buffalo) and Juwan Howard (previously assistant coach of Miami Heat) just completed their first seasons, respectively, at their schools and both did well given the circumstances. These guys are no Nick Saban or Jim Harbaugh, but they should be able to have consistent success in the future. 

Kentucky (25-6) vs Virginia Tech (16-16)

Belk Bowl rematch features Virginia Tech coach Mike Young getting another shot at Kentucky. Young coached Wofford from 2002-2019 and after leading the school to their first ever NCAA Tournament win in round 1, they fell short of a historic upset in round 2 losing to Kentucky. 

Utah (16-15) vs Texas (19-12)

Texas has been underwhelming in both sports, but did finish the football season strong by beating Utah in the Alamo Bowl, after a 7-5 regular season. Utah started 11-1 and was on the brink of making the Playoffs, but lost the PAC-12 Championship Game and then this and finished 11-3.

In basketball, Utah was very disappointing – the 16 wins were there fewest since 2013. Texas was right on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament. If they missed, it would have been the third time in four years.

North Carolina (14-19) vs Temple (14-17)

UNC blasted Temple in the Military Bowl 55-13. They finished second-to-last in the ACC, going 6-14 in conference play. Injuries and lack of veteran leadership hurt them. But if Cole Anthony and Garrison Brooks were healthy, I would still take UNC over an average Temple team.

Notre Dame (20-12) vs Iowa St (12-20)

Notre Dame won the Camping World Bowl 33-9 and would likely win in basketball by a similar margin.

Texas A&M (16-14) vs Oklahoma State (18-14)

A&M won the Texas Bowl 24-21. One month later, Oklahoma State returned the favor in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Cowboys won on the road 73-62.

Isaac Likekele led Oklahoma State with 13 points while three players led Texas A&M each with 11 points (Josh Nebo, Emanuel Miller, Quenton Jackson).

Michigan State (22-9) vs Wake Forest (13-18)

Michigan State won 27-21 in the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City’s Yankee Stadium. Despite Wake’s recent struggles, this game is much more appealing on paper at NYC’s Madison Square Garden. Of course, Michigan State would win almost any year, but watching Tom Izzo’s Spartans is always worth the time.

History of Oregon Ducks Quarterbacks in NFL

 

On Thursday April 23rd, Justin Herbert is going to become the 6th Oregon Ducks quarterback drafted in the first round and the 19th Oregon QB drafted overall (first since 2015 in both areas).

Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers are the two teams considered the favorites to draft Herbert.

Oregon first round picks have a combined record of 104-171-2 as starting quarterbacks.

A look at most notable Oregon Ducks quarterbacks in the NFL.

First round QBs

Marcus Mariota (#2, 2015) – Mariota is extremely accomplished college quarterback. In 2014, he won the Heisman Trophy and led Oregon to the first ever CFB Playoffs Championship Game (lost to Ohio State). Mariota won almost a dozen other awards during his historic 2014 season. But his skills never really translated to the NFL.

Mariota was 29-32 over 5 years as a starter for the Titans. They made the playoffs in 2017 and won in Kansas City, in a crazy comeback, before losing the next week to the Patriots. Mariota has 76 career TD passes and 44 INT. His 7.5 yards per pass attempt is low – that plus a 62% completion rate shows that Mariota was careful more than careless, but didn’t always take a ton of chances. Mariota played a couple years under Mike Mularkey, a conservative head coach who never maximized his potential.

In 2017, he ran for 5 TDs, but beyond that ran for 2 TDs in three seasons and 0 in a 2019 season that saw him get benched early on and never be seen again. Mariota left the Titans to sign with the Raiders as a backup for the 2020 season.

Joey Harrington (#3, 2002) – Unlike Mariota, Harrington did not win the Heisman Trophy, finishing 4th as one of the finalists. He was PAC-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2001 and is a member of the Oregon Hall of Fame.

In 4 years as the Lions QB, Harrington went 18-37. He threw 60 TD and 62 INT, while completing just 54.7% of his passes.

Harrington never fit into coach Steve Mariucci’s west coast offensive system, and eventually he was benched for Jeff Garcia. In 2005, Harrington was traded to the Dolphins. He started 11 games for Miami in 2006 and started 10 games for the Falcons in 2007, filling in for Mike Vick the season he was arrested.

Akili Smith (#3, 1999) – In 1999, QBs went 1-2-3 in the draft, with Tim Couch going to the Browns #1, Donovan McNabb to the Eagles at #2, and Smith to the Bengals at #3. Smith won PAC-12 co-Offensive Player of the Year in 1998.

To put it kindly, Smith was awful in the NFL. He started only 4 games in 1999, after a lengthy contract holdout and a failure to learn the playbook.

He started 11 games in 2000, showing an inability to grasp the playbook and lead the team. Bengals were 2-9 in his starts, he completed a putrid 44% of his passes and threw only 3 TDs, compared to 6 INTs. He started only 1 game during 2001 and 2002, before he was out of the league by 2003. He did spend time playing in NFL Europe for a few years. Smith’s career record was 3-14.

Chris Miller (#13, 1987) – Miller played 7 years for the Falcons, who drafted him in 1987 and compiled a 23-43 record with Atlanta and 34-58 overall, including 23 starts with the Rams and 3 with the Broncos. For his career, Miller threw 123 TD and 102 INT.

Falcons, who originated in 1966, won their second ever playoff game in 1991, with Miller at the helm. In two playoff starts, Miller completed 35-62 passes, 469 yards, 3 TD, 5 INT.

George Shaw (#1, 1955) – Shaw was the #1 pick by the Baltimore Colts. He was quickly inserted into the starting role and started 12 games in 1955. In 1956, he continue his strong play breaking his leg. Shaw was replaced by Johnny Unitas, and the rest is history.

He spent two years with the Colts as a backup to Unitas, starting 3 games in 1958. He started 6 games for the Giants between 1959-1960, 4 with the Vikings in 1961, and 1 with the Broncos in 1962. His overall record was 12-17-2, throwing 41 TD and 63 INT.

Other notable Oregon QBs in the NFL

Norm Van Brocklin (1949 – round 4, pick 37)- The first Oregon QB to play in the NFL won 2 NFL Championships (pre-Super Bowl era) in 1951 with the LA Rams and 1960 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Van Brocklin won league MVP in 1960 and was a 9x Pro Bowler.

Dan Fouts (1973 – round 3, pick 64) – Fouts is currently a CBS announcer, but before that he was 3x First-team All-Pro with the Chargers. He is in the Chargers Hall of Fame and was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team in the 1980s. Fouts led the Chargers to 4 consecutive playoff appearances between 1979-1983, going 3-4.

Dennis Dixon (2008 – round 5, pick 156) – Dixon started only 3 games in his NFL career. But he was a good enough backup to be a 2x Super Bowl Champion – with Steelers in 2008 and with Ravens in 2012.

Cincinnati Bengals All-Time Draft History

 

The Cincinnati Bengals went 2-14 in 2019. As a result, the Bengals will draft first overall for the first time since 2003, after going 2-14 in 2002.

Bengals last made the playoffs in 2015, and haven’t won a playoff game since 1990, possessing the league’s longest playoff win drought (29 years).

Perhaps, things will start to look up for the franchise as the Bengals are going to draft Heisman winning QB Joe Burrow from LSU.

In this article, I look back at the history of the Bengals and the NFL Draft, reviewing previous #1 overall picks, notable QBs drafted, and LSU players drafted.

History drafting #1

2020 will be the 4th time the Bengals draft #1 overall.

QB Carson Palmer (2003) – It ended ugly in Cincinnati for Palmer, but he had a really good 7 year career, leading the Bengals to two playoff appearances, including one in 2005 which snapped a 14 year playoff appearance drought for Cincy. Palmer was 46-51-1 in his career as a starter.

RB Ki-Jana Carter (1995) – Bengals moved up to #1 by trading their first (#5, QB Kerry Collins) and second (#36, DE Shaun King) round picks to the Panthers. Carter injured his knee in his first pre-season game and missed his entire rookie year. Injuries plagued him throughout his career. In addition to 1995, he also missed the 1998 and 1999 seasons (mostly) due to injuries.

Carter was drafted ahead of long-time LT Tony Boselli and QB Steve McNair. He was also drafted #1, one year after the Bengals passed on Hall of Fame RB Marshall Faulk to draft a defensive tackle.

DT Dan Wilkinson (1994) – Wilkinson, drafted one spot ahead of Marshall Faulk, spent just four seasons with the Bengals. He clashed with ownership and had some bad things to say about the city of Cincinnati on his way out the door. In four years, Wilkinson, only missed 3 games, and recorded 25 sacks and 162 total tackles.

History drafting QBs

Bengals have drafted 37 quarterbacks all-time, dating back to their inaugural 1968 season. Here are the most notable QBs, including all 5 previously drafted first rounders.

First round QBs

Carson Palmer (2003, #1) – Palmer was the leader of an exciting offense that included RB Rudi Johnson and WRs Chad Johnson/Ochocinco and TJ Houshmandzadeh. In 2005, Palmer led the NFL with 32 TD passes and led the Bengals to their first playoff game since 1990. After 2010, Palmer “retired” in an attempt to force the team to release him and he was ultimately traded to Oakland for first and second round picks.

Akili Smith (1999, #3) – QBs went 1-2-3 in 1999. Tim Couch (#1), Donovan McNabb (#2), and Smith. The four guys drafted immediately after Smith – Edgerrin James, Ricky Williams, Torry Holy, and Champ Bailey.

Smith only started 17 games, and was 3-14 as a starter. He started late as a rookie, after a lengthy contract holdout, and reportedly failed to connect with teammates and grasp the playbook.

David Klingler (1992, #6) – In 24 starts, Klingler was 4-20 as the Bengals starting QB, throwing 16 TD and 21 INT.

Jack Thompson (1979, #3) – Not long ago, Thompson was listed as the 26th all-time NFL Draft bust. He started only 5 games with the Bengals, going 1-4 as starter. Thompson was a backup on the 1981 Super Bowl team.

Greg Cook (1969, #5) – 1969 was only the Bengals’ second year of existence, and they were members of the AFL. Cook won AFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, starting 11 of 14 games, going 4-6-1 throwing 15 TD, 11 INT. Cook led the league with 9.4 yards per attempt. He was forced to retire early due to a serious shoulder issue.

Notable non-first round QBs

Andy Dalton (2011, 2nd round, #35) – In 2011, Dalton was drafted one spot ahead of Colin Kaepernick and one round after Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Christian Ponder. In 9 seasons, Dalton has missed just 11 games, and is a rare Bengals QB with an all-time winning record – 70-61-2. During a stretch of 5 straight playoff appearances, Dalton went 0-4 from 2010-2014.

Boomer Esiason (1984, 2nd round, #38) – Boomer was 62-61 in 10 seasons as the Bengals starting QB. In 1988, he did the unthinkable – he led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII, a 20-16 loss to the 49ers. That season, Esiason was named league MVP, All-Pro, AFC Player of the Year, and made 1 of his 3 Pro Bowls as a Bengal.

Ken Anderson (1971, 3rd, 67) – Before Esiason, there was Ken Anderson. Anderson and Esiason are the only 2 QBs in Bengals history to win playoff games, and Anderson did it first, in 1981. That year was their first Super Bowl, they lost XVI to the 49ers. He spent his entire 16 year career with the Bengals, winning MVP during that 1981 season and Offensive Player of the Year. In 1981, he was First-team All-Pro, and 2 other times was named Second-team and he made 4 Pro Bowls. Anderson is one of the best NFL players to not make the Hall of Fame.

Ryan Finley (2019, 4th round, #104) – To be honest, there’s nothing notable about Finley, other than the fact that he is the last quarterback drafted by the Bengals. Last year, Cincinnati drafted him to backup Dalton and he ended up starting 3 games (losing all 3), completing just 47% of his passes and throwing 2 TD, 2 INT. Bengals will hope the next QB they draft is better than the last one.

History drafting players from LSU

Joe Burrow will become the 9th player from LSU to be drafted by the Bengals.

RB Jeremy Hill (2014, 2nd round, #55)

2014-2017 – Exceeded 1,000 yards only once, during his 2014 rookie season (1,124 yards) and ran for 5.1 yards per carry. His 29 career TDs were all scored between his first three seasons.

WR James Wright (2014, 7th round, #239)

2014, 2016 – Wright played 24 games, mostly on special teams. He caught 18 career passes for 197 yards and no TDs.

LT Andrew Whitworth (2006, 2nd round, #55)

2006-2016 – Whitworth missed just 8 games during his 11 year career with the Bengals (6 in 2008, 2 in 2013) and after his rookie season, started every game played (211 career starts).

WR Bennie Brazell (2006, 7th round, #231)

Never played a game for the Bengals.

S Mark Roman (2000, 2nd round, #34)

2000-2003 – Roman played cornerback (2000-2001) and free safety (2002-2003) for the Bengals. In 50 games (27 starts), he had 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, 2.5 sacks, and 173 total tackles.

RB Charles Alexander (1979, 1st round, #12)

1979-1985 – Alexander spent his entire 7 year career with the Bengals. In 1980, he ran for a career-high 702 yards. Beyond that, he exceeded 500 yards one other time (1983) and never ran for more than 3 touchdowns in any season.

LB Bo Harris (1975, 3rd round, #77)

1975-1982 – Harris his entire 8 year career with the Bengals. He had 7 career interceptions and 1 touchdown and 2 sacks.

DB Tommy Casanova (1972, 2nd round, #29)

1972-1977 – Casanova was used solely as a punt returner, and on 91 career returns, ran just 1 back, as a rookie in 1972.

College Football Teams With Surprising Losing Records Against Opponents

 

A fun look at some well-known and historically great college football programs, who have never beaten or have a losing record against inferior opponents.

Alabama

0-3 vs Rice

Rice has played 12 bowl games all-time. Alabama has played 12 bowl games since 2012.

Rice won their first four bowl games, including the 1954 Cotton Bowl against Alabama, winning 28-6. Alabama would lose regular season games each of the next two seasons 20-0 in 1955 and 20-13 in 1956.

1-3 vs Boston College

Since 2009, Alabama has won 5 National titles. Boston College has won 10 or more games just 4 times in school history.

But Alabama has just 1 win in 4 chances against BC.

Tide won the 1943 Orange Bowl and have lost three straight since (1946, 1983, 1984).

0-1 vs UCF

Alabama and UCF have a lot in common and a lot of differences. In 2017, UCF beat Auburn and Alabama lost to Auburn. As a result, UCF claim a share of the National Championship, which Alabama won by beating Georgia.

Before the two schools shared the National title in 2017, Alabama lost 40-38 in 2000.

0-1 vs Northern Illinois

Nick Saban got his first head coaching job in 1990 at Toledo and Rockets went 9-2 that season.

All-time, Alabama has played just 4 games against the MAC, losing to Northern Illinois 19-16 in 2003, during Mike Shula’s first year as Bama head coach.

Georgia

0-1 vs Rice

Is Rice the best college football program that no one knows or talks about? Owls are 3-0 against Alabama, 2-0 against Auburn, 4-3-1 against Florida. And in 1936, went into Athens, Georgia and beat the Bulldogs 13-6.

0-1 vs Miami Ohio

Georgia is a prestigious SEC school, with 13 SEC championships and 2 claimed National titles. But one thing they don’t have? A win over the Miami Redhawks from the MAC.

Georgia lost 21-10 in the 1974 Tangerine Bowl.

LSU

0-1 vs Cincinnati and 0-1 vs Rutgers

Cincinnati and Rutgers used to be rivals in the Big East. Now, Cincinnati is considered one of the better “group of five” teams and Rutgers is one of the worse “power 5” teams.

But other than sharing time in the Big East, another thing these schools have in common in shutting out LSU.

Cincinnati won 28-0 on January 3, 1898 and Rutgers won 25-0 on November 7, 1922.

Hard to believe that the defending National Champions have been outscored 53-0 to Cincy and Rutgers.

Florida

1-2 vs Temple

In the late 90s, things got so bad for Temple football that the Big East “expelled” them from the conference – kicking them out for not complying with standards such as attendance and competitiveness.

Funny to think that a program that bad, has won 2 out of 3 all-time games against one of the SEC’s top programs.

Gators won the most recent game in 1987, winning 34-3. They lost a home and home series in 1937-1938.

0-1 vs Indiana

LSU won the last bowl game of 2020, the National Championship. Indiana last won a bowl game in 1991.

In 1916, LSU lost on the road 14-3 to the Hoosiers.

Michigan

0-1 vs Toledo

The 2008 season is one Michigan fans want to erase from history. Wolverines went 3-9 in the first season under Rich Rodriguez. The disaster included a 13-10 home loss to Toledo, after Michigan’s kicker missed a 26 yarder to tie the game with a few seconds left.

Penn State

0-1 vs Toledo

Like Michigan, Penn State has never beaten Toledo. In 2000, Nittany Lions lost their home opener to Toledo 24-6, to fall to 0-2 to start the season.

Notre Dame

0-1 vs UConn

In 2009, UConn shockingly went into South Bend and beat Notre Dame 33-30. In hindsight, this score is hilarious when you consider Notre Dame has been a playoff contender the last few years and UConn is more of a mid-level FCS team than a competitive FBS ones.

Texas

3-8-1 vs Vanderbilt

TEXAS IS BACK! Unless they aren’t? In the early 1900s, Texas was definitely, most certainly NOT back, when it came to playing Vanderbilt. The last meeting between the two was in 1928.

What Happened to the NBA Logos?

 

What happened to the NBA logos? Back in the ’90s, the NBA logos were awesome – they were colorful and featured unique designs, that often included big block letters and/or animals and symbolic features related to the team name.

But as time went on, and as we approached 2010s, the unique logos are all gone and teams now utilize bland, generic logos that mostly involve circles and generic fonts. No more animals and symbols (mostly). Definitely no cartoon looking creatures. And no more bold, block lettering.

Toronto Raptors

One of the greatest logos and jerseys in sports history – the Raptors got rid of the red and purple dinosaur look in 2015, in favor of a generic circle with a boring gray basketball that has, what seems to be dinosaur claw marks.

If you are named after an extinct animal from Jurassic Park, why would you not lean into it? You could argue the initial logo may be too childish, but there has to be a way to modernize the raptor and create a logo better than a basketball.

It’s just such a shame that Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry had to wear these boring black uniforms and the red ones that read “north” when they won the NBA Finals in 2019.

Yes, we get it – Toronto is in the north. Cool. But you know what else is cool? The Raptors are DINOSAURS. Rep the dino, not the direction.

Memphis Grizzlies

When the Grizzlies moved from Vancouver to Memphis in 2001, they maintained the same logo, just changing the city name. But in 2004, they went from fun cartoon grizzly to boring corporate grizzly.

As a result, they went from awesome, fun teal jerseys to boring, generic very unexciting jerseys.

The color scheme and current jerseys are just so blah. They are very bland and generic. I would pay a ton of money to own a Ja Morant teal jersey. I couldn’t be paid a ton of money to own the jersey on the right.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets used to have a literal rocket in their logo. I used to love this one because it had so many elements – the block Rockets, with the outline in the team colors, hovering over a red basketball, with the rocket ship ready to take off. In 2003, they moved towards the general “R” logo.

Denver Nuggets

I am a huge fan of anything light blue, so when the Nuggets transitioned from ugly navy blue and brown jerseys, to light blue jerseys I was a huge fan.

Since 2008, the Nuggets have transitioned away from baby blue and focused more on dark blue and have now gone back to the traditional navy blue and brown look, with the a little bit of yellow/gold. I think? To be honest, it’s hard to keep up with the Nuggets current colors because they seem to change every game.

…………….. Current jerseys

Utah Jazz

If the Raptors have the best throwback jerseys in the NBA, the Jazz might be a close second. I love the Rocky Mountain jerseys that John Stockton and Karl Malone used to wear. Especially, when you compare them to the generic Donovan Mitchell jerseys today.

So much bad here – they got rid of the mountain, got rid of the excitement, and they got rid of the purple. These dark blue jerseys with a yellow trim are very unappealing. The rocky mountain jerseys also represent the franchise’s best moments, as the Jazz went to the Finals in 1997 and 1998. Since than, not much…

Atlanta Hawks

Think about this – your team name is the Hawks and your logo is an awesome hawk. Right? But then, one day you wake up and someone suggests changing your logo from an actual hawk (the team name) to Ms. Pacman’s second cousin. How would you feel about that? Apparently some felt pretty strong about it and decided to do it.

In 2015, why in the world did the Hawks get rid of the hawk??

Golden State Warriors

When it comes to the Warriors, I like today’s logo. Even though it’s a generic circle, at least it has character with the Golden Gate Bridge. It still includes a symbolic symbol and not just a basketball.

I love both sets of jerseys, but actually lean towards the throwbacks. In this case, the block letters work perfectly as the logo, while throwing the full modern day logo on today’s jerseys make them a bit busy.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Do you know why the Timberwolves have one playoff appearance in 16 years? It’s because the two-toned scary wolf used to live in the forest, surrounded by trees. Now, the wolf is howling inside a basketball with a green eye.

Washington Wizards

The red, white, and blue color scheme is an obvious fit for DC’s basketball team. But once upon a time, the Wizards utilized a dark blue, black, and brown color palette. The Michael Jordan-era Wizards rocked these colors.

Comparing today’s logo against the old wizard man, this is actually a rare case where I prefer the modern logo. It fits the brand better.

Milwaukee Bucks

Kudos to the Bucks on their modern day logo. They evolved from a triangle to a circle (like everyone else) but they maintained the buck inside the circle. They also sacrificed the big block letters, for today’s generic font.

Charlotte Hornets

Hornets are one of the NBA’s rare teams that includes an animal (or symbol) AND no circle. Their modern day hornet is fine, it includes a stinger and wings but nothing beats the ’90s hornet, with the pattern under the sneakers, the H across it’s chest and the basketball in one hand.

Detroit Pistons

Today, the Pistons are where they started 40 years ago. The Pistons logo in 2020, is the same logo they used from 1979-1996. In ’96, they evolved into a firey horse, over the block letters and completely changed the color scheme, using teal as a primary color. That only lasted from 1996-2001, before they went back to the red and blue color scheme, but kept the firey horse logo. In 2005, they evolved into a more traditional basketball, and by 2017, the font was generic and the block letters were all gone.

Bonus logos

Bobcats weren’t a ’90s logo, which makes the inclusion of an animal even more unique. Bobcats replaced the Hornets in 2004, and lasted 10 years (doesn’t feel that long) before re-branding to the new-era Hornets logo above.

I miss the Sonics. Who doesn’t? They had several different logos before moving to Oklahoma City, but I always loved the one on the left for it’s inclusion of the Space Needle, a symbolic picture of the city of Seattle. At least the one on the right was more than just a circle (but included one) and also had block letters.