Duke beats UConn

If I had to make a list of college basketball teams I hate, it would go:

1. UNC
2. Tyler Hansbrough
3. UConn
4. Maryland
5. Villanova

So watching Duke take care of UConn today to win the pre-season NIT was enjoyable, to say the least. However, I almost come out of this game a bit discouraged for a few reasons:

a) Apparently, Coach K read my last post begging him to use more than 7 players this year. He responded by...basically playing only 7 players in this game. Ok K, you won this game with 7 players, but I am 100% guaranteeing you that if you continue to use this strategy, Duke is not making it past the Sweet 16 again this year. You have 10 incredibly talented players, for the love of God, use them.

b) Another typical Duke problem reared its ugly head again today. The team doesn't know how to put teams away. They were up by 20, completely in control, and let UConn come back into the game. And this was a UConn team that played terribly on offense today. Duke just looked awful offensively in the last 10 minutes or so. A better opponent would have come all the way back.

c) Whatever those ugly designs are on the back of the uniforms, get rid of them, please.

But hey, a Duke over UConn win is a Duke over UConn win, and all in all, a great start to the season.

Duke Season Preview

I figured everyone was anxiously anticipating a write up about their favorite college basketball team, the Duke Blue Devils, so I will deliver. Yes, the season has already started, but unlike college football, the first few months of college basketball really don't matter.

Duke is currently 4-0 and ranked 7th in the AP poll. They have dominated their first few opponents, winning by an average score of 94-59. You can say they haven't really played anyone so far, but they have beaten Coastal Carolina (alma mater of Tyler Thigpen, so they must be good at all sports), Charlotte (typically a very solid team and has made the tourney several times recently), and Radford (predicted to win the Big South conference, pretty much the SEC of college basketball).

Ok, maybe I'm stretching here a bit, but the Dookies have looked good so far, and unlike any Duke team I've seen in years, they have a ton of size. They have seven players that go 6'8 or taller, which is unheard of for this team. Duke has been killed by their lack of size in recent seasons, but that shouldn't be an issue this year.

Another aspect of this year's team which has been lacking in previous season is depth. Right now, Duke goes 10 players deep. I say right now, because Coach K has been known to play a lot of players early in the season, then ends up sticking with they same seven guys late in the year. Coach K, if you're reading this, and I know you most likely are, PLEASE stick with the 10 man rotation this year. You will be a better team for it, I promise.

The Christian Laettner/Grant Hill/Shane Battier/Jay Williams/J.J Redick of this year's team is Kyle Singler, a 6'8 Junior. The preseason ACC Player of the Year is undoubtedly "The Man" on this year's team. So far, he's averaging 18.3 points, 6.5 boards, and 3 assists per game. Because of the team's new found size, he'll no longer be forced to play power forward, and looks much more comfortable in his natural small forward position. The team will go as he goes.

The X-Factor (I hate using X-factor, but oh well) of this year's team will be Junior guard Nolan Smith. Smith missed the first couple games, but has looked great in the last two games, averaging 22 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. He's not a pure point guard, but he's easily the best playmaker the team has this year. Duke doesn't have the backcourt depth that they've had in previous year, so Smith's play will be key.

The other key player on this year's team is Senior guard Jon Scheyer. Although Scheyer is bulit like a 2 guard, the team played much better with him running the point last season. He'll assume that role this season, and his outside shooting and passing abilities will be vital to the team's success.

Two freshmen will also play big roles for Duke this season. Ryan Kelly has a game similar to Singler, but he's taller and probably even a better outside shooter. Andre Dawkins is a guard who is not afraid to put up a 3 at anytime, and he has been a pleasant surprise early in the season.

All in all, this Duke team has some very exciting potential. They're definitely a different Duke team than we've seen in recent years, and that should be for the better. With North Carolina looking a bit lost without my favorite guy, Psycho T, you have to say Duke is the favorite to win the ACC right now. Now all they have to do is get past the Sweet 16.

NFL at Mid-Season

This is a real post, it will not include Vince from Slap Chop or Tyler Hansbrough.

Halfway through the season, and here's what we know for sure:

1) There are a lot of really bad teams. Like a lot. How this is possible in a league with a salary cap and a billion scouts and personnel per team is beyond me. I think the Florida Tuskers from the UFL could beat the Browns this year. If Roger Goodell wants to help the league, he'll start by firing Eric Mangini and Tom Cable himself.
2) There are a few pretty good teams. The Colts and the Saints seem like good teams, but I don't necessarily think they're great. Maybe we were all spoiled by the Patriots a couple years ago, but I just don't see that dominant team this year. It's still pretty wide open in my view. I could see the Saints, Colts, Patriots, Steelers, Vikings, Cowboys, Giants, and sure, the Eagles as possible Super Bowl contenders.
3) Andy Reid still doesn't know how time works in football. Sigh.

Awesome. Here's how I see the rest of the season playing out, starting with awards:

Mid-Season MVP: Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
I mostly say this so my coffee table doesn't get mysteriously flipped over. Like last year, the MVP race will most likely come down to Brees and Peyton Manning. Manning is certainly deserving. He's been incredible despite a lack of experienced receivers besides Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, and a non-existent running game. However, Brees has been the predominant reason why the Saints, a historically terrible franchise, are undefeated and the current NFC favorites.

Mid-Season Rookie of the Year: Mike Wallace, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
It's not often that a third round wide receiver wins Rookie of the Year, but it's not often that a third round wide receiver has been the best receiver on a defending Super Bowl champion team. Percy Harvin is also very much in the running for this award.

Mid-Season Coach of the Year: Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
You can certainly make a strong argument for Josh McDaniels, who looked like he was gonna get fired by the Broncos before even coaching a game, who now has his team at 6-2. But the Saints' success has been the story of the season so far, and Payton has to be the front runner for this award.

Most surprising team of the mid-season: Denver Broncos
The Broncos offseason was an all out disaster. They parted ways with their franchise QB, Jay Cutler. They made some very questionable picks in the draft and Josh McDaniels seemingly couldn't do anything right. However, they're 6-2 at the midway point and in first place in the AFC West. They've come down to Earth a bit, but they're still very much in it. The Bengals are the runner-up.

Most dissapointing team of the mid-season: Tennessee Titans
I predicted a dissapointing season for the Titans from the get go, but not quite this bad. They've won two straight games under Vince Young, sure, but there's no way they get past 5-6 wins this year. A huge let down for a team that had the league's best record last season. And there was that 59-0 lost to the Patriots.

How I see it finishing out:

NFC
1: New Orleans Saints (14-2)
2: Minnesota Vikings (12-4)
3: Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
4: Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
5: Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
6: New York Giants (10-6)

AFC
1: Indianapolis Colts (13-3)
2: New England Patriots (12-4)
3: Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
4: Denver Broncos (10-6)
5: Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)
6: Baltimore Ravens (9-7)

Playoffs:

Giants over Cowboys Eagles over Cardinals Steelers over Ravens Broncos over Bengals

Saints over Giants Vikings over Eagles Colts over Broncos Patriots over Steelers

Saints over Vikings Patriots over Colts

Super Bowl XLIV: Patriots over Saints

NBA Predictions yaaaaaaaay

In case you didn't notice, and in all likelihood you probably didn't, the NBA season started last week. So for all zero of you who care, here are my predictions for the upcoming season...

Eastern Conference

Atlantic
1. Boston (1)
2. Toronto (4)
3. Philadelphia (8)
4. New Jersey (13)
5. New York (14)

Central
1. Cleveland (3)
2. Chicago (5)
3. Indiana (10)
4. Detroit (11)
5. Milwaukee (15)

Southeast
1. Orlando (2)
2. Atlanta (6)
3. Miami (7)
4. Washington (9)
5. Charlotte (12)

Western Conference

Northwest
1. Utah (3)
2. Denver (4)
3. Portland (5)
4. Oklahoma City (9)
5. Minnesota (14)

Pacific
1. LA Lakers (1)
2. Phoenix (7)
3. Golden State (11)
4. LA Clippers (13)
5. Sacramento (15)

Southwest
1. San Antonio (2)
2. Dallas (6)
3. New Orleans (8)
4. Houston (10)
5. Memphis (12)

Playoffs
Boston over Philadelphia Orlando over Miami Cleveland over Atlanta Chicago over Toronto
LA Lakers over New Orleans San Antonio over Phoenix Dallas over Utah Portland over Denver

Boston over Chicago Cleveland over Orlando LA Lakers over Dallas San Antonio over Portland

Cleveland over Boston San Antonio over LA Lakers

San Antonio over Cleveland

Phillies-Yankees World Series Preview

Just as a certain handsome, genius blog writer predicted at the beginning of the MLB season, the Phillies and Yankees will meet in the World Series. Needless to say, this World Series matchup has a little more juice to it than last year's Phillies-Rays series. This is Philadelphia vs New York, two cities that absolutely hate each other. It's the current champs against the all-time greatest baseball franchise. It's Kevo vs. Barr.

So, here's a breakdown of the matchup, position by position:

Starting Pitching
You can't ask for a much better matchup for game 1 than Cliff Lee vs CC Sabathia. Both are former AL Cy Young award winners, both with the Indians oddly enough, and both are coming off stellar seasons and even better postseasons. Lee and Sabathia pretty much cancel each other out, so the rest of the starters will decide this one. For game 2, it will either be Cole Hamels or Pedro Martinez vs AJ Burnett. We know what Hamels can do in the postseason, but he hasn't been good this year, where Pedro has been very good as of late. Burnett has been solid, but nothing spectacular for the Yankees. Game 3 for the Yankees will go to Andy Pettite, vs either Hamels or Pedro, and Joe Blanton will go in Game 4 for the Phillies and the Yankees will probably go back to Sabathia. Overall, there isn't much separating the starting pitching staffs. If Hamels pitches the way he can, the edge goes to the Phils. But for now, it's too close to call.
Advantage: Push

Bullpen
Brad Lidge seems to have straigtened things out, which will be huge for the Phils. But no matter how good Lidge is, he can't match the mystique that is Mariano Rivera. Rivera has been simply masterful in all of the Yankees postseason runs. When you add Joba Chamberlain to the mix for the Yanks, they get the edge here.
Advantage: Yankees

1st Base
Ryan Howard vs Mark Teixeira, it doesn't get much better than that. Normally I would say this is a push, but with the way Howard has been hitting this postseason, and the way Teixeira has not been hitting in the postseason, the edge goes to Howard.
Advantage: Phillies

2nd Base
Chase Utley vs Robinson Cano. As we all know, Chase Utley is the man. However, Cano is very underappreciated and lost amongst all the big names for the Yankees. Utley has struggled a bit this postseason, but at the end of the day, there's still no second baseman I would rather have.
Advantage: Phillies

Shortstop
Jimmy Rollins vs Derek Jeter. Jimmy Rollins has always been the Phils' catalyst. If he hits well in this series, the Phils have a great chance of winning. However, it's Jeter, it's the postseason. I hate to do this.
Advantage: Yankees

3rd Base
Pedro Feliz vs Alex Rodriguez. Since we all know where this is going, A-Rod is a cheater and all-around jerk.
Advantage: Yankees

Left Field
Raul Ibanez vs Johnny Damon. This is a tough one to call. Ibanez has the advantage in power and driving in runs, whereas Damon is better at getting on base and setting the table for the powerful lineup. However, the one area in which Ibanez was supposed to struggle at, defense, has been surprisingly good for him this season. We all know how Damon struggles in the outfield. So,
Advantage: Phillies

Center Field
Shane Victorino vs Melky Cabrera. Cabrera has looked good in the postseason, but Shane is entirely different player in the playoffs. Shane gets the edge offensively and defensively. Easy choice.
Advantage: Phillies

Right Field
Jayson Werth vs Nick Swisher. Swisher is hitting .125 in the playoffs. Werth set a team record for home runs in the postseason, and could beat the all-time record. Next.
Advantage: Phillies

Catcher
Carlos Ruiz vs Jorge Posada. Chooch has been very impressive this posteason, both at the plate and behind it. Still, there's no doubt that Posada has the postseason experience and bat to be the choice here. Sorry Chooch.
Advantage: Yankees

Designated Hitter
Matt Stairs/Ben Francisco vs Hideki Matsui. I imagine Charlie Manuel will use Stairs against righties and Franciso against lefties. Stairs can hit it out at anytime, obviously, and Francisco has done well for the Phils. Still, they're not everyday hitters like Matsui is.
Advantage: Yankees

So, position by position, it's a 5-5 tie. Scientifically, this means the Phils will win the World Series in six games. Listen, you can argue and call me a homer all you want, but there's no denying that the Phils have been a better team this postseason than the Yankees have been. And remember, most of this current Yankee team has not been to World Series; the Phils were just there last season. The Phils will be loose, rested, and as the best road team in the majors this year, certainly not scared of Yankee Stadium. Get ready to celebrate again, Philly, just not like this guy:

Week 6 Picks

Last week: 11-3
Overall: 54-22
Upset Picks: 3-2

Cincinnati over Houston

Green Bay over Detroit

UPSET PICK: Baltimore over Minnesota (it's the best I could do this week)

New Orleans over NY Giants

Pittsburgh over Cleveland

Carolina over Tampa Bay

Washington over Kansas City

Jacksonville over St. Louis

Philadelphia over Oakland

Seattle over Arizona

New England over Tennessee

NY Jets over Buffalo

Atlanta over Chicago

San Diego over Denver

NFL Power Rankings and Week 5 Picks

I know, I'm a terrible blogger and forgot to put up week 4 picks. Sorry to all of those who lost money last weekend because they couldn't use my picks. To make up for it, this will be an extra long awesome blog. First, here are my power rankings after week 4.

32. St. Louis Rams (0-4)
They just have nothing to be positive about right now. Kyle Boller is their starting QB right now, they have no good receivers, and the defense is just terrible. Steven Jackson is on pace to rush for over 1,400 yards, but he is also on pace to run for 0 TDs. With the first pick of the 2010 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams select...

31. Kansas City Chiefs (0-4)
Boy, Matt Cassel sure has been a lot better this year than Tyler Thigpen was last year. Good thing they gave him $209304 million or whatever it was.

30. Cleveland Browns (0-4)
All Notre Dame bias aside, Brady Quinn had about zero chance to be a successful QB on this team. No running game, no receivers (Braylon Edwards doesn't count because he stopped trying about 2 years ago) and terrible coaching. I hope he gets out of Cleveland and proves he can be an NFL QB somewhere else.

29. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-4)
Why aren't they starting Josh Freeman? I guess they feel more comfortable with "veteran" Josh Johnson. Whatever, they stink.

28. Oakland Raiders (1-3)
Remember how I said they looked like they might be ok after week 1? Whoops.

27. Detroit Lions (1-3)
Looks like they're going in the right direction. Of course, we've said that before. They really need to start drafting some defense.

26. Washington Redskins (2-2)
Has there ever been a worse 2-2 team in history? And they just keep playing bad team after bad team. They're going to get destroyed by the NFC East, and I can't wait.

25. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
It's strange, I feel like they have the talent to be a good team. Oh wait, they have the human INT machine at QB. Seriously, time to pull the plug on Jake.

24. Tennessee Titans (0-4)
Finally I was right about the Titans being bad. They might as well throw Vince Young back in there to see if they can salvage his career.

23. Miami Dolphins (1-3)
Well at least they now have the best QB ever from Coastal Carolina, Tyler Thigpen. START HIM.

22. Buffalo Bills (1-3)
Remember when I said TO would have one good season in Buffalo? This is why I don't do this professionally.

21. Jacksoville Jaguars (2-2)
Still the most boring team in the NFL, perhaps professional sports. I've never seen so many empty seats in an NFL stadium, except for when Temple plays at the Linc.

20. Seattle Seahawks (1-3)
Don't the Seahawks realize Seneca Wallace is not good by now? They always throw him in every time Hasselbeck gets hurt, and he stinks. Maybe I just wanna see Mike Teel start.

19. Houston Texans (2-2)
NEXT year is the year the Texans will finally break out. I'll say it every year until it happens.

18. Arizona Cardinals (1-2)
Really, are they ever gonna give Matt Leinart a chance? Assuming he's not busy getting drunk in a hottub with underage girls.

17. Dallas Cowboys (2-2)
Wade Phillips definitely won't make it to next season, and I'm starting to think Tony Romo will be searching for a new job as well.

16. San Diego Chargers (2-2)
Have the Chargers of the past few seasons been the most underachieving NFL team of all-time? They've had an incredible amount of talent for years, but haven't sniffed a Super Bowl. They'll be done soon.

15. Green Bay Packers (2-2)
They might be undefeated if they had an average offensive line. Aaron Rodgers deserves better.

14. San Francisco 49ers (3-1)
A good start, but I'm still not convinced they're for real. That's still good enough to win the NFC West though.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2)
Big Ben was a good host on RAW. He should probably focus on football now, since the Steelers are in third place. Never though I would say that.

12. Chicago Bears (3-1)
Remember how I said you shouldn't take too much stock in a team after week 1, and I proceded to say the Bears were done? Whoops.

11. Cincinatti Bengals (3-1)
Some will say they should be undefeated barring a miracle play from the Broncos. Of course, they needed overtime to beat the Browns. We'll see how good they are this week against Baltimore.

10. Atlanta Falcons (2-1)
It's pretty hard to tell how good they are right now. They had a tough game against the Patriots, and two other good, not great, performances. 49ers game this week should tell alot about both teams.

9. Denver Broncos (4-0)
Yeah yeah, maybe I'm just hoping they're not that good. Remember, they had the West lead for a while last season too. They'll slow down, starting with this week.

8. New York Jets (3-1)
The defense is legit, but Mark Sanchez will become a rookie QB, see last week. They'll hang around for a while because of the D.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (2-1)
Tampa, Oakland, Washington the next three weeks, followed by a showdown with the Giants. Donovan should be plenty warmed up for that game, which will be for first in the East.

6. Baltimore Ravens (3-1)
They're not the best team in the NFL yet, but they're real close. Steelers fans should be real worried.

5. New England Patriots (3-1)
No, Brady is not gonna throw 50 TDs. Most people forget he wasn't amazing statistically before that 50 TD season. So they're fine, they're gonna win the East, relax.

4. New Orleans Saints (4-0)
If that defense keeps playing as well as they did last week, look out, they could be the favorites in the NFC.

3. Minnesota Vikings (4-0)
Adrian Peterson is awesome. The defense is awesome. They have a QB. That's all I'm gonna say about them.

2. New York Giants (4-0)
Since I hate having them this high, I'll just say that watching Eli Manning doing that little hop after he hurt his foot was hilarious.

1. Indianapolis Colts (4-0)
Yeah Peyton is good. And he's doing it with a Frenchman at wide receiver. He deserves the MVP just for that.


WEEK 5 PICKS
Last week: 10-4
Overall: 43-19
Upset Specials: 2-2

UPSET SPECIAL: Cleveland over Buffalo

Pittsburgh over Detroit

Dallas over Kansas City

Minnesota over St. Louis

New York Giants over Oakland

Philly over Tampa Bay

Carolina over Washington

Baltimore over Cincy

Atlanta over San Fran

New England over Denver

Arizona over Houston

Seattle over Jackonville

Indy over Tennessee

New York Jets over Miami