The Kentucky Wildcats remain on top of the Coaches Poll for men’s basketball after slipping by UNC on Saturday. A last second block sealed the win as they proved that having all-stars doesn’t mean anything (See Miami Heat for details). However, because they lost against a number 1 seed and they have the best overall line up in college basketball, they remain at #6.
Duke dropped from #4 all the way down to #5? Wait a minute, how do they only drop one spot after getting smoked by #2 Ohio State 85-63, you ask? Because they are the Blue Devils. No one will count them out of the top ten even if they lose the next 3 games because of their constant dominance of unranked teams. Seeing as they don’t face another ranked team until the Tar Heels in February, you can expect to see them up here for a while.
These next 4 weeks are kind of on the dull side for most NCAA teams with Christmas tourneys and non-conference games (With the exception of Ohio State vs. #13 Kansas this Saturday). Therefore, many teams will not be changing position unless they somehow get upset by their random opponents. Let’s hope that UNC and Duke are some of those teams…
The NHL Power Rankings came out this morning on CBS, and to no surprise, the Bruins are posted up at the top of the ladder. With their incredibly successful month of November rolling over into the early days of December, the B’s moved from the No. 2 spot last week to No. 1 in Week 10 at 16-7-1, for 33 pts. The Bruins are currently ranked 1st in goals against, allowing a mere 2.1 goals against per game and 2nd in goals per game with an average of 3.4 pucks netted each time they hit the ice. Much of this success can be attributed to the depth of their team. I mean each line poses a threat. Going into tonight’s game vs. the Penguins, the B’s have four players in the top four spots for Plus/Minus Ratings. Yes, I said four in the top four, meaning the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th slots are occupied by Bruins. Atop the slate is the young stud Tyler Seguin. Following a competitive year where he struggled for playing time, the youngster spent the off season planning his coming out party. The early 2011-12 season is showing every sign of being his breakout year, as Seguin continues to establish a name for himself among the NHL’s best. Chara, Marchand, and Kelly polish off the other Plus/Minus spots, in that order as the B’s look to brush off Crosby and the Penguins tonight in Pitt in hopes of replicating November’s success.
It’s a few years old, but with the Celts season quickly approaching, I figured it’d be a good flashback. Check below the video for lyrics and props to @CelticsFans for the tip.
My Celtics baby. #17 yo we got another banner. Gonna put it in the rafters. LL-Lakers got the molliwhop. I say the LL-Lakers got the molliwhop. I say the LL-Lakers got the molliwhop. I say the LL-Lakers got the molliwhop. [Chorus] Kobe Bryant sucks, Boston tears it up, We the champions there ain’t no stopping us see now we #1. Kobe really sucks, Celtics tear it up, we the champions there ain’t no stopping us see now we #1. [Verse 1] Ok the Celtics we the champs right now. We got the Big 3 beat LA to the ground. Ray-Ray, P, KG getting down. Best record in the league but the haters still doubt. Perk doing work. Rondo so thur. House in your mouth. Posey that’s murder. Three’s raining down like unh-unh, Pierce driving through the lane like dunk-dunk. [Hook] Mr. MVP I say the LL-Lakers got the molliwhop, I say the LL-Lakers got the molliwhop. I say the LL-Lakers got the molliwhop. I say the LL-Lakers got the molliwhop. [Chorus] Kobe Bryant sucks. Boston tears it up. We the champions there ain’t no stopping us see now we #1. Kobe really sucks, Celtics tear it up, we the champions there ain’t no stopping us see now we #1. [Verse 2] What you gon’ do when the Celtics get hot and they’re dropping them, we hittin’ every shot. Ohhh the Lakers try to stop us. They got rocked. Kobe said the team that he with can’t win. Kobe want a trade ’cause the Lakers ain’t ****. Got a couple players but you still ain’t ****. (Pau Gasol?) Kobe crying, crying like a little *****.
The BCS system has done its annual part in ticking off most college football fans again. Although Alabama may very well be the second best team in the country, there are a lot of people out there who think that they do not deserve another shot at the LSU Tigers because they have already lost to them 9-6 in a defensive game. Alabama’s defense is actually ranked first and LSU is right behind them in almost every category. Oklahoma State has the same record as Alabama but they had lost to Iowa State a few weeks ago and they are 8th in their conference. It’s a little tougher for Alabama since they are forced to play their division rivals during the season. Alabama’s coach Nick Saban trusts the system and thinks that LSU and Alabama are the top two teams in the country. Either way, it looks like the SEC will win its 6th consecutive national title this season. One ESPN writer compared it to the Yankees and Red Sox playing in the world series. What do you guys think?
Donovan McNabb went unclaimed last week by all 32 NFL teams and is now currently a free agent. The fact that there are so many teams in need of a veteran QB and no one took a shot at the veteran McNabb just baffles me. What about the Texans? For the first time in the history of the franchise they have an opportunity to go to the playoffs and even make a serious playoff run. They have a great running back, and one of the leagues best defenses yet they are satisfied with T.J. Yates starting the rest of the season. Yes, they picked up Jake Delhomme, but would you really rather start Jake Delhomme over McNabb? Not only do I believe McNabb is better than either of the two options in Houston, but he has the playoff experience. Delhomme started the first 4 games last year for the Browns before being benched for rookie Colt McCoy. He threw 2 touchdowns and had 7 interceptions. McNabb wasn’t great for the Vikings this year, but he still threw 4 TD’s and only 2 interceptions in the 6 games he started. McNabb will manage the game for you and keep your team in it. He is much less likely to cost his team a victory than untested rookie T.J Yates or washed up Jake Delhomme. If I were a Texans fan I would be very disappointed that they passed up on an opportunity to save their season.
No complaints this weekend. Although a semi quiet stretch, Boston fans can start the week off on a good note. Both the Pats and Bruins continued to show dominance in their leagues, pushing themselves further ahead of the pack at the top of their division standings. After what seemed to be a complete blowout through 3 quarters, covering the 21 pt spread was denied as the Pats seemed to let up a bit entering the 4th quarter. Whatever though, a win is a win. And besides, it was the Colts. We felt bad. The Bruins on the other hand had no remorse for Toronto, as they swept the Leafs in their back to back games this past week and all four on the season. An AFC East leader and a Northeast Division leader. These weekend recaps are starting to seem repetitive, but who’s going to complain? Happy Monday folks.
Rex won’t take the loss this week, the games this late in the season mean too much to the Jets to let this one slip away. The Redskins finally got decent QB play from Rex Grossman last week and it is almost a must win for both teams I just don’t see the Redskins coming out on top.
Prediction: Jets 24 Redskins 14
Raiders @ Dolphins 1PM
The Raiders are averaging 25 points per game since Carson Palmer took over the offense, and are 3-1 in those four games. Michael Bush has been great and has averages 106 yards per game over the past 5 weeks. The Dolphins have looked like a completely different team and almost stunned the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The Raiders look determined to make the playoffs this year and I don’t see this game getting in their way. Raiders improve to 8-4.
Predicition: Raiders 27 Dolphins 17
Titans @ Bills 1PM
Chris Johnson looks much better than he had at the beginning of the season, and the Titans are still in 2nd place in the AFC South. Their defense is has allowed the 7th least amount of points in the whole NFL, and they have a chance to catch the Texans. Buffalo has completely fallen apart since the beginning of the season and I expect to see that continue.
Prediction: Titans 23 Bills 21
Chiefs @ Bears 1PM
Kyle Orton or Tyler Palko? It doesn’t matter. Matt Cassel isn’t a top-tier quarterback but he is still better than both of them, let alone Orton doesn’t even know the offense yet. They weren’t a good team without Cassel, and they certainly won’t be with Cassel. The Bears defense should dominate the Chiefs this week. Expect Matt Forte, Marion Barber combination should run all over the Chiefs defense.
Prediction: Bears 23 Chiefs 10
Broncos @ Vikings 1PM
It’s looking like the Vikings will be without their only true star on the offensive side of the ball again. Peterson’s high ankle sprain will likely keep him out this week and their offense just is not the same without him. Tebow has been shutting up critics week after week and has earned the job as the Denver QB. His mental toughness is incredible and it has rubbed off on the whole team. His 8/1 TD to INT ratio is the main reason the Broncos are winning. He is keeping the team in a position to win and the results have shown. Tebow mania continues this week.
Prediction: Broncos 20 Vikings 13
Bengals @ Steelers 1PM
The Bengals escaped a scare in Cleveland last week for a much-needed victory to stay in the chase with the Ravens and Steelers in the AFC North. This is a must win if the Bengals want any chance of winning the AFC North. The Bengals are 1-4 against teams with a winning record this season; I see that going to 1-5. Steelers win at home.
Prediction: Steelers 23 Bengals 17
Falcons @ Texans 1PM
In a matchup of 7-4 teams the Falcons take on the Texans at Reliant Stadium. T.J. Yates will be making his first career start for the Texans after both Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart went down with season ending injuries. The Falcons offense has been playing much better as of late, mainly because of the improved play from QB Matt Ryan. The injury to Schaub is just going to be too much for the Texans to handle. Don’t be surprised if the Titans take over the AFC South division come playoff time.
Prediction: Falcons 24 Texans 21
Panthers @ Buccaneers 1PM
Cam Newton comes into the game needing just over 650 yards to pass Peyton Manning’s rookie passing record. Although I don’t see him breaking that this week it is a possibility seeing how bad the Tampa Bay defense is (Kidding). This game will be a battle of two of the worst defenses this year as the Panthers and Buccaneers come in at 31st and 29th respectively. Josh Freeman’s shoulder injury might keep him out of this game, but regardless I see Tampa relying on LeGarrette Blount to carry the offense this week. Cam leads the Panthers to their 4th victory of the season.
Prediction: Panthers 31 Buccaneers 23
Ravens @ Browns 4:05PM
The Browns get the Ravens this week then take on the Steelers on a short week next Thursday. I expect two loses, as I’m sure most of you do. Believe it or not Joe Haden and the rest of the Browns pass defense has been one of the best in the league this year. Expect Ray Rice to carry the load for the Ravens offense (although my fantasy football future hopes otherwise.) Expect Cleveland to hang around in the first half, but in the end don’t expect a victory from the Browns.
Prediction Ravens 23 Browns 10
Cowboys @ Cardinals 4:15PM
Kevin Kolb is back this week for the Cardinals so the short-lived John Skelton era is over for the time being. Kolb hadn’t done much up until his injury so don’t expect much from him this week. The Cowboys have been playing better but barely escaped their Thanksgiving matchup with the Dolphins. Expect Dallas to be throwing early and often as always.
Prediction: Cowboys 27 Cardinals 13
Rams @ 49ers 4:15PM
Sam Bradford has had a less than impressive sophomore year after his great rookie season last year, and the rest of the Rams seem to be following in his place. The Brandon Lloyd trade looks like a great move as of now but their defense just isn’t cutting it against the better offenses. The 49ers showed they could at least compete with the best in the league when they lost last week to the hands of the Ravens so this isn’t just some fluke that they are 9-2. Their offense still struggles at times, especially if they get behind early and need to rely on Alex Smith. Expect the 49ers to come out running the ball on this shaky Rams defense.
Prediction: 49ers 23 Rams 10
Packers @ Giants 4:15PM
This has been one of the most hyped up games this week and it’s for a reason. Aaron Rodgers has been 07’ Tom Brady like this year and has a shot at breaking a lot of the passing records Brady currently holds. They attack through the air better than any team in the NFL and so far this season that doesn’t exactly bode well for the Giants defensive strengths. They key to this game are the play of the Giants defensive ends; if they can generate enough of a pass rush and help out their secondary they have a chance at this one. You can’t stop Aaron Rodgers; you can only hope to slow him down. My bold prediction of the week is as follows.
Prediction: Giants 28 Packers 24
Lions @ Saints 8:20PM
Ndamukong Suh’s attempt to get his two game suspension reversed was denied today by the NFL and that is a huge blow to this Lions team. Unfortunately the Lions don’t have that true veteran presence in the locker room to put him in line. Drew Brees and the saints offense has been on fire as of late and they are beginning to look more like the Saints that won the Super Bowl a couple of seasons back. I don’t see the Lions being able to stop the Saints passing attack and the loss of Suh certainly won’t help.
Raiders second-year linebacker Rolando McClain, who missed practice Wednesday to attend his “grandfathers funeral”, ended up in police custody Wednesday night for allegedly discharging his firearm within city limits. The victim claims McClain held a gun to his head. As the victim begged for McClain not to shoot, McClain fired a shot next to his ear. He’s been charged with third degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment and discharging a firearm in city limits. This is the second time in a few years McClain has been in trouble with the law. In 2010 an Alabama University student, where McClain attended college sued McClain for allegedly hitting him twice with his car, and then getting out of the car and assaulting him. I guess what they say is true. Money can’t buy class. What I really just don’t understand is why these rich athletes need to put themselves in these situations that risk their careers.
I am not a huge fan of the Pats. I admire the organization’s emphasis on winning and how Belicheck could be the best coach of all time. The front office is fantastic at football related decisions, and that’s illustrated by their ability to draft the likes of Tom Brady in the 8th round, Wes Welker, Gronk and Hernandez, all while still making deep runs into the playoffs. ESPN.com just reported that Robert Kraft – who is an absolute boss – is looking into adding a Casino-like resort in Foxboro right near Gillette Stadium. Honestly, big props to this guy for bringing something to the table. I’ve been to Foxboro, and the entire city revolves around Gillette Stadium, regardless if it is a Sunday or a Wednesday. He just dropped millions into this place making it more than just a stadium and now he wants to combine two things that go together better than spaghetti and meatballs – Football and Gambling. Kraft just become an even bigger ‘G’ in my book with this move. If this thing goes through, Foxboro could become one of the greatest cities on the east coast. Because let’s get real, nothing good has come out of Foxboro besides the Pats.
Boston Sports Blog 