Tag Archives: NCAA

College Weekend Review

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Just as I expected, #2 Syracuse toppled UConn by double digits, while Senior Guard Scoop Jardine managed to score 21 points against the Calhoun-less Huskies. #4 Mizzou also beat #6 Baylor, while #5 UNC ran right over #20 Virginia, and #16 UNLV upset #14 San Diego State.  Unfortunately, I was wrong about one game, and that was when #3 Ohio State was upset by defensive-minded #12 Michigan State.

#7 Florida was also upset against unranked Tennessee by 5 points. #15 Creighton lost their third straight game Saturday against Wichata State. You can guarantee that they will not see the top 25 come Monday morning.

Games to watch for this week:
#2 Syracuse vs. #23 Louisville (Monday @ 7)
#5 UNC vs. Miami (Wednesday @ 8) Miami beat Duke last week
#12 Michigan State vs. #22 Wisconsin (Thursday @ 7)

Weekend Preview

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Another big weekend in college basketball begins Saturday (once again, omitting Harvard’s game on Friday). My favorite team, UConn, will face #2 Syracuse and almost definitely lose by double digits. #4 Missouri will host #6 Baylor in a Big 12 showdown at 1:30. #5 UNC will try to avenge their last loss when they welcome #20 Virginia to Chapel Hill. #3 Ohio State will play #12 Michigan State, while #14 San Diego State plays #16 UNLV.

Predictions
Syracuse over Uconn (Still my favorite)
Mizzou over Baylor (Baylor got smoked against Kansas)
UNC over Virginia (hate them but they are home)
Ohio State over Michigan State (Still think Ohio St. has a chance of winning it all)
UNLV over SD State (Could go either way but I’ll go with the home team)

Remember the Eagles?

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Boston College was a great basketball team once upon a time. Well, they showed that kind of life again last night when they stunned #17 Florida State in a conference battle.  The 8-16 Eagles were led by 5 Foot 8 guard Jordan Daniels.  Although he normally only averages 5.8 points per game, he was able to dish in 21 on Wednesday night.  He shot 7-13 from the field, and 4-7 from 3-point range.  Jordan is merely a freshman, but then again, BC has 9 freshmen on their roster, so they are definitely built for the future.  So, although I’m a not a fan of Boston college Hockey (because I go to Merrimack), I am still happy for their basketball team.

Boeheim Making History

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It was more than just a big night for the Syracuse men’s basketball team. It was a huge night for their coach.  Coach Jim Boeheim passed legend Dean Smith for third all time in wins, with 880.  He now only trails Bob Knight (902) and Coach K (919).  Coach K will coach until he’s 103 so I don’t see him catching up unless my dreams come true and Duke finally starts to suck.  But unless Bob Knight makes a return to coaching, or Boeheim gets on the wrong end of the scandal allegations (See Joe Paterno), then Boeheim should be able to pass Knight by next season.  However, Boeheim now holds the record for most wins at a single school. (Coach K coached Army and Duke)

It was a great win in overtime over Georgetown 64-61. He has been head coach at Syracuse University since 1976 and was an assistant coach for 7 years prior to that.  He has coached great players such as Carmelo Anthony, Wesley Johnson, Billy Owens, and won the NCAA tournament in 2003.  Congratulations to Coach Jim Boeheim!

Crazy Rivalry Night

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This night seemed to turn out a little bit better for my picks than usual.  #10 Kansas topped #6 Baylor 68-54.  Junior 7 foot center, Jeff Withey was able to drop 25 points on 8-10 shooting from the field.  Thomas Robinson added 15 points of his own while snagging 11 rebounds.  On the flip side, Baylor’s Perry Jones III shot 1-8 from the field and only scored 5 points against the Jayhawks.

#2 Syracuse barely escaped an upset from #11 Georgetown in an overtime thriller.  The final score was 64-61.  Syracuse senior forward, Kris Joseph, was able to put up 29 points against G-Town while Fab Melo was only able to pitch in 11 of his own.

Finally, in case you somehow missed it, #9 Duke shocked #5 UNC at the buzzer as Austin Rivers made a  3-pointer at the buzzer to give them the win, 85-84.  Doc’s son finished with a career high 29 points and the biggest shot of his career thus far.  Both Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes both finished with 25 and 23 points, respectively.   This was probably the most exciting game to watch this season, with an NBA-like vibe and score.

Rivalry Week Round Up

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Even though it was close early, #1 Kentucky proved to be a little bit too much to handle when they battled #7 Florida in an SEC conference game.  Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 13 points and added 13 boards in the 20 point blowout. Doron Lamb added 18 and Anthony Davis added 16 and a few nice blocks and alley-oops.

#15 Creighton was upset by sub-par Evansville in a Missouri Valley Conference showdown. They have lost two straight now, and since they have not beaten any ranked teams, or even played any for that matter, they will most likely fall to the 22nd-25th rank, or just won’t make it at all.

#3 Ohio State was barely able to hang on against unranked Purdue. Senior Guard William Buford was able to drop 29 points and grab 7 rebounds while other star Jared Sullinger was able to score 18 points and grab 6 rebounds of his own.

College Weekend Review

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Since we are pretending Sunday didn’t happen, I decided to take Monday off as well. Let’s call it a “personal day”.  Scores are a bit late but seeing as everyone was focused on the game that didn’t happen Sunday evening, I figured none of you would care.

Just as predicted, Kentucky & Syracuse both won with ease.  #3 Ohio State beat #20 Wisconsin by 6 points in a tough battle where Sullinger had to drop 24 points and grab 10 boards in order to hold on.  Unfortunately, my other prediction was wrong… barely. #8 Kansas was unable to upset #4 Missouri because they decided to heave up a contested 3 pointer with 3 seconds left rather than kicking it to the wide open 3 man for a clear shot.

Anyways, there was some good in the weekend (on the basketball court, not football field).  #5 Duke was upset by Miami. HA. #10 Michigan State was able to beat #22 Michigan by 10 points in an in-state rivalry game.  If only I could pick my bets as well as I pick these games.

Since it’s a day late, we also know this week’s rankings so here is the top 5.

  1. Kentucky
  2. Syracuse
  3. Ohio State
  4. Missouri
  5. North Carolina*

*Denotes overrated team

College Basketball Weekend Preview

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A few high magnitude games this weekend beginning on Saturday.  Yes, once again I am leaving out the face that Harvard is playing on Friday.  #1 Kentucky & #2 Syracuse both have conference games but against teams that are 2 games below .500.  The first dual-ranked game is between #3 Ohio State & #20 Wisconsin.  This is both a ranked game, and a Big Ten conference game.


Prediction: Ohio State

The other big game is between #4 Missouri & #8 Kansas. Once again, this is a conference match-up and I think it’s going to be real close.  I am really tempted to pick Kansas because I think Thomas Robinson is a beast.  However, Missouri is home and they have only lost 2 games all season.  I just haven’t fully bought into the Mizzou hype yet.
Prediction: Kansas

On Sunday, #5 Duke takes on unranked Miami.  Miami is 13-7 so they are not a team that will be walked right over.  However, I do not see the Blue Devils losing this game.  #10 Michigan State is home against rival #22 Michigan in a battle of the Big Ten. Gonna be another close game as always but since State is home, I think they can hang on. 


Prediction: Michigan State

Tragic A and M

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Just days after he was offered the head coaching job at Texas A&M, former Murray State coach Billy Kennedy had been diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease.  Often starting with something as little as a twitching hand, Parkinson’s is no joke.  His wife had been poking fun of the way his arm moved because she thought it was due to a shoulder injury.  However, a neurologist discovered that it was something more. Parkinson’s is an incurable disease. Kennedy explained:

“I just threw it to the side and kept going. I tried to hide it. I thought I could keep going without anyone ever knowing a thing.”  

A&M decided to put this off as an “undisclosed medical condition”, in order to protect Coach Kennedy’s privacy.  Although the Aggies were picked in the pre-season to win the Big 12 conference, the three weeks that Kennedy had to take off seemed to be disastrous.  That coupled with a few key injuries.  He has since turned things around but they are nowhere near where they were projected to be, at only 12-8 overall.

There have been other famous people who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s as well.  Michael J. fox, and Muhammad Ali to name a few.  Coach Bill Kennedy vows to get back to each and every individual who sent him letters and prayers throughout his struggle.

National Signing Day

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Just as expected, Texas and Alabama were awarded the best recruiting class after National Signing Day on Wednesday.  Ohio State, Michigan, and Florida rounded out the other 3 spots in the top 5.  However, the big story of the day is how Missouri ended up signing the nation’s top recruit, Dorial Green-Beckham, who had been recruited since he was a freshman.

He is an extremely athletic wide receiver who is already being compared to Calvin Johnson, AKA Megatron.  He currently holds the nation’s highest receiving yard career record, with 6,353 yards.  He is 6’6, 220 lbs and is going to need all of that when Mizzou moves to the SEC next season.