Frustration of an Illini Fan

Yes I am frustrated. First an inexcusable loss to UIC at the United Center. I wrote that off, took a few days break and thought ya know what? Sometimes teams lose games they shouldn't. We've got a good team, senior leadership. We didn't get up for a small game and it bit us in the ass. Fine I'm moving along - it's time to think about Missouri. Get the Braggin' Rights game and all is good again.

Illinois Freshman Foward, Jereme Richmond

I notice a tweet right before the start of the game and see that Jereme is starting. I'm excited, he deserves it. He comes with energy and passion (something, unfortunately, I am not sure I can say about too many other members of our team). Didn't know who he was starting for, I had hoped to see him take Davis' spot at the 4 to start the game to try and match up with the quickness of Missouri. Davis makes too many poor passes and doesn't understand his role as well as Cole.

He's starting at the 3, moving Cole to the bench. Alright I'm ok with that.

We looked bad early, we missed layups, put backs. Then we got going and had a seven point lead. Cautiously optimistic (as I always am) I'm starting to think we might be able to make a nice push and get a good lead, something I assumed we'd need to have any chance at winning the game, we just can not close games out (more on this later).

Then we fall apart with turnovers, missed shots. Tie game at half.

Well, at least we're not down.

A tight second half, we're up a few late and we do the ONE THING, the ABSOLUTE ONE THING I HATE about this team.

We slow it down and walk the ball around for 25 seconds before we decide we'd better take a shot, usually ending in a bad look or worse, a jacked three. Sometimes they go, but they are still bad shots.

Why? It makes no sense to me. Maybe this is why I'm not coaching on the hardwood but I can not seem to understand how that helps us win games? Every single time. Every single game. No killer mentality. No thought of trying to put a team down and deliver the knockout punch. Never.

And I am not one to rip on players, they're not paid the big bucks. But I'm trying to decide where the problem lies? I'm not sure you can coach toughness and killer instinct. You either have it or you don't, yet at the same time I wonder why we are playing guys that don't seem to care to win when the game is on the line.

"What happened to this is our year and we haven't done nothing yet," Davis?

Box out. Put your butt on a guy. We lose games because we can't hustle, we don't know where to put ourselves on defensive rotations. All to often we make a poor rotation and leave someone else open, closer to the basket.

It's time for the seniors to step up. Actually it's time for everyone to step up. Davis played well yesterday but nobody else came to play. I love that we have five to eight players who could score double digits any given game but we have to have consistency. We have to run our offense. I lost count of the number of plays last night I watched four Illini players stand around while someone dribbled. Pick, Cut, something! Or else tell coach to put someone else in because you don't feel like playing. I'm sure Crendall and Tyler would love more playing time.

If we lose, because we are not as talented. I don't care. But lose with passion, show you care. Don't lose because you were completely outplayed.

Big Ten ball is just around the corner and right now, we're not ready. I'm not ready to put this on the coach, yet; right now it seems like the guys just don't get it and just don't care to get it. And that's scary.

I'm sure I will elaborate on my thoughts more as the day goes on. It wasn't a bad loss, but a game we should have won.

But however things go ILL-INI.

It's time to go kick the crap outta Iowa.

Week 15 NFL Pick 'em

First off before we get to the NFL picks, here were my picks for the three bowl games today. 2-1 with Ohio being my lone miss. I believe that puts both myself and ConnZag at 2-1. Yup, found the tweet.

These will be quick.

Houston @ Tennessee (-1)
zhawks: Do I have to pick? Wow I'll take Houston (+1)
ConnZag3: Houston

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis (-4.5)
zhawks: Indianapolis (-4.5)
ConnZag3: Jacksonville

New Orleans @ Baltimore (-2)
zhawks: New Orleans (+2)
ConnZag3: Baltimore

Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins (-5)
zhawks: Miami Dolphins (-5)
ConnZag3: Miami

Cleveland @ Cincinnati (pk)
zhawks: Cleveland
ConnZag3: Cleveland

Detroit @ Tampa Bay (-4.5)
zhawks: Tampa Bay (-4.5)
ConnZag3: Tampa

Philadelphia @ New York (-3)
zhawks: New York (-3)
ConnZag3: Philadelphia

Arizona @ Carolina (-2.5)
zhawks: Can Clausen win the game and keep the Panthers from drafting Andrew Luck? Carolina (-2.5)
ConnZag3: Arizona

Kansas City @ St. Louis (-3)
zhawks: St. Louis (-3)
ConnZag3: St. Louis

Washington @ Dallas (7-5)
zhawks: Grossman? Really? Dallas (-7.5)
ConnZag3: Dallas

Atlanta (-6.5) @ Seattle
zhawks: Seattle (+6.5)
ConnZag3: Atlanta

New York @ Pittsburgh (-5)
zhawks: Pittsburgh\
ConnZag3: Pittsburgh

Denver @ Oakland (-7.5)
zhawks: Tiiiiiiiiiiiiim Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeebow! Give me no points and I'd take him. Denver (7.5)
ConnZag3: Denver

Green Bay @ New England (-14)
zhawks: Ouch, who coulda guessed the line would be this high a few weeks ago? New England (-14)
ConnZag3: New England

Chicago (-8) @ Minnesota
zhawks: In the Ice Bowl I think I'll take Chicago (-8).
ConnZag3: Chicago

One down, what's next?

Sometimes the NBA doesn't make sense and right now I am still trying to come up with how the Magic trade really made them that much better. They give up Vince Carter (to Phoenix) and Rashard Lewis (to Washington) and a few others and netted Gilbert Arenas and a few spare parts.

Gilbert Arenas won't be wearing a
Wizards Jersey anymore after today's
trade to the Orlando Magic.

I question this because Vince Carter was the highest on the Magics +/- with 153 and nobody else is really close. I'd compare it to Arenas' but it's the Wizards and I don't think that is fair. When you look at two player combinations Carter is a part of almost all of the top duo's on the team. And Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis are #4 on the team with +85.

Seems like a complete panic move and really doesn't put the team in that much better of a position and locks them up with a lot of huge contracts.

And man do I feel sorry for Steve Nash, so close to the Finals last year and now they've dismantled the team.

So what happens the rest of the way? I don't think the Suns are done. Not by a long shot. I expect to see Nash traded by the deadline. I also think we'll see Detroit make a move and trade either Tayshon Prince and/or Rip Hamilton.

Oh and let's not forget about 'Melo.

So let's start with the obvious. How does New York get Carmelo Anthony?

First they need to get another first round pick. Rumor has it that they can get one for Anthony Randolph. Done. Whatever team it is. Done.

Next the team graciously takes 'Melo from Denver, giving up three first rounders (two 2011 and one 2012) and giving up Eddy Curry's expiring deal and Timofey Mozgov for Carmelo. Works with the ESPN Trade Machine. I think Denver would do something as small as this, because they realize that Melo is gone and they are quietly moving into panic mode and would want to get anything as opposed to nothing out of their franchise player. I don't see the Nets staying in the Melo game if they aren't 100% sure that he will sign a long term deal to stay with New Jersey.

Will Steve Nash end the season playing
for the Suns?

Next I think we'll see Steve Nash be dealt. Where? Once the Knicks have went out and gotten Melo I think their next move is to go out and land Nash. I don't think the trade would take too much, Raymond Felton and Roger Mason and a second rounder or two and I think we'll have another "Big Three." ESPN Trade Machine.

Seems like a legit New York move and something that would not only bring them back into the basketball world, i.e. the Amar'e signing, this might actually give them a shot at the Title.

This next trade is a bit out there, but don't ever put anything past Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The ESPN Trade Machine shows us something as simple as Andre Iguodala for Caron Butler. The 76ers need to make more playing time for Evan Turner and Butler has an attractive expiring contract. This would give the Mavs a play maker and would allow Dirk to play as more of a secondary option and be the recipient of many open shots because of the attention that AI2 attracts. Otherwise if that deal is not to Cuban's liking we could see a trade with Charlotte who is rumored to be shopping Gerald Wallace, the Trade Machine shows this deal works with Butler as well. The Mavs would likely have to add draft choices to get Wallace. Either of these trades make Dallas a much better team and might give them the chance to beat out LA.

Next up there has been a lot of speculation about my Utah Jazz and Andrei Kirilenko. While I feel that AK47 will end up being with Utah through the end of the year, I think that Utah would make a trade if they felt it helped their team. Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton have been linked with potential trades and this one works out and saves Detroit money, although this would require Utah to step up with the check book. ESPN Trade Machine.

With such big names on the market and many teams looking to either improve or cut spending this winter will be unpredictable and exciting.

Raiders to get Tebow'd

Reports are that Bronco's rookie QB Tim Tebow will be getting his first career start this weekend at Oakland.

I'm calling it right now everyone, Tebow over Oakland.

Tebow is looking to get the start because Kyle Orton is nursing bruised ribs after having been sacked a career high 34 times behind Denver's weak offensive line.

While interim coach Eric Studesville has not come out and said that Tebow will be tomorrows starter, I'm still coming out and saying Tebow will be a winner tomorrow.

Hopefully playing with the Bronco's hasn't done away with Tebow's winning ways; seriously that's all this kid did at Florida.

To Mark Cuban (cc BCS officials)

Thanks for finally being someone to step up and try and make playoffs work! College Football has needed this for quite some time. I'm not sure how you exactly plan on having the  playoff work, I know you have mentioned 16-18 teams, but I think that might be a few to high. 16 teams requires four games to crown a champion and I think I have a way to do all this while keeping conferences happy.

But hey Mark, if you get this to work and it ends up being 16-18, even four; anything is better than two.

First, Mark is right there has to be financial gain for the institutions involved. Good, lets sell naming rights to either each game or to the entire playoffs. Seems like a win win situation. You can't tell me that someone wouldn't be willing to pay for that.

I'm for a much simpler solution that chooses teams for the playoffs. You must win your conference championship game.

This would create even more buzz for already high profile championship games and bring more revenue into the conferences. If a conference decides not to have a championship game than they are not eligible to send someone to the playoffs. If you are Notre Dame, you might want to consider getting off your high horse and getting with the Big Ten or you won't be winning anymore National Championships.

So how does it work? Let's assume that the big six all have title games, we'll say the Big 12 is smart enough to bring one back. I don't care how the Conferences choose who plays in them that can be their problem but the Conference Championship game is round one of the playoffs, it's like the basketball playin games, except we all actually turn on the TV to watch these. The winner of those six games get slotted into the eight team playoff. That leaves two openings left.

I'm going to even try to help keep the BCS happy here too, let's keep the formula and computer and the highest ranked conference champions from any other conference gets in. So let's move on and see how this might actually look in the future.

Big Ten
18 Nebraska (Legends) v 6 Ohio State (Leaders)

Big Twelve
17 Texas A&M  v 7 Oklahoma

Big East
3 TCU v 22 West Virginia

Pac-10
4 Stanford (North) v 19 Utah (South)

ACC
13 Virgina Tech (Coastal) v 23 Florida State (Atlantic)

SEC
16 Alabama (West) v UR Florida (East)

Lets use those as our sample Championship games. I'll take the winners in italics (I am using this years BCS numbers). We can then use the BCS standings to seed the teams as well. Then let's assume other conferences have made a move to a championship game style as well. Heck we're basically giving the little guys 25% of the field, I think they'd be dumb not to!

Let's start with the Mountain West Conference, which would have had a great matchup; lets use ChrisT's thoughts here.

MWC
10 Boise State v 24 Hawaii

And let's just go with the depleated WAC for simplification.

WAC
15 Nevada v UR Fresno State

We'll go with an upset here. So this is what your bracket looks like going into Championship Saturday. (Seriously this could make a lot of money)

Exactly what every office needs!

So what do we think? Perfect? No, but is it better than what we currently have? Absolutely! I am sure that there are other things that could be improved but who wouldn't love sitting down each week to watch some great college football? This basically takes an eight team tourney and turns it into 16 or more, with other conference championship games playing for a potential berth.

The best part is we can still have the other bowls that nobody cares about except for some of the fans of said schools that are participating.

And most of all - I can't wait to start an office pool for December Madness when this happens!

----

Interestingly enough from Cuban's blog he reports:

You should also consider that the playoffs are already owned by someone, as in, the patent for resolving the FBS championship by  way of a playoff was issued long ago.  It’s called a method patent, so be careful not to infringe it.

Anyway, if you want to know who owns assets in this field, let me know.  I can put you in touch with one of my attorneys who can let you know what you’re in for.  It’s much more complex that it’s commonly understood to be.

Yup. You read that right. Someone already owns the playoffs, regardless of if they can actually do it or not. Crazy.

Arena Adventures: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center

Arena Adventures: Entry #5

Arena: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center

City: Notre Dame, IN

Date: December 11, 2010

Teams: #23 Notre Dame vs. Gonzaga

After a speedy departure from the Gentile Center it was 2 hours in the car to get from Chicago to South Bend for an 8:30 pm EST tilt between two of the most well-know religious schools in the country, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Gonzaga entered this game on a 2 game losing streak and having lost 4 of 6 overall. While 3 of those losses were to top 20 teams in San Diego State, Kansas State, and Illinois, as well as a loss in the always tough to play in Paloose against Washington State, Gonzaga had looked pretty bad in its last 2, getting routed by Illinois in Seattle and Washington St. in Pullman. The Bulldogs were giving up 3 point baskets at an alarming rate as the perimeter defense was just not closing out on shooters. This spelled trouble heading to Notre Dame and their sharpshooters Tim Abromatis and Ben Hansbrough.

As the game started, both teams came out hot. It was raining 3's from Steven Gray of Gonzaga, Abromatis, and even Carlton Scott of the Irish was getting into the action. By the 10 minute mark of the 1st half, both teams were on pace for about 120 points a piece. As the half progressed, the shooting proficiency on both sides subsided and the Irish staked themselves to a 43-37 halftime lead behind an unlikely and career-high 19 points from Carlton Scott in the first half. Gonzaga's big 3 of Elias Harris, Robert Sacre, and Gray kept Gonzaga in the game, all while each picking up 2 fouls in the first half, which would spell trouble later on in the game.

For a good part of the 2nd half, the action was pretty back and forth, with the Irish maintaining at 6-8 point lead, until a personal 8-0 run by Abromatis capped by a 3 from the wing gave the Irish a 13 point lead with about 8 minutes to play. Gonzaga turned to its stars Gray and Sacre to lead the comeback, but the most consistent player of the night was probably Manny Arop. In this, and the 2 previous Gonzaga games I watched in person this season, Arop seems to be the key auxiliary scorer that Gonzaga needs to have as Gray, Harris, and Sacre cannot win a game alone.

Gonzaga managed to whittle the ND lead down to 5 with under 10 seconds to play behind some timely shooting and drives to the basket, especially drives by PG Demetri Goodson using his quickness to get to the rack, along with some untimely FT misses from Hansbrough and Atkins. As GU inbounded with under 10 seconds left, Gray pushed the ball up the court and drained a 24 foot 3 from the wing to give the Irish a tenuous 81-79 lead with 3 seconds to play. The Bulldogs fouled Hansbrough, sending him to the line for 2 FTs to seal a win for the Irish. Hansbrough calmly knocked both FTs down and as David Stockton half-court heave just missed at the buzzer, the Irish had held on for an 83-79 victory over Gonzaga. Scott and Abromatis lead the way for ND with 23 and 21 points respectively, while this game saw 4 of the 5 starters for Gonzaga foul out of the game.

In this end, ND had built too much of a lead during the mid-stages of the 2nd half, but one has to wonder if the Bulldogs' confidence is beginning to wean. Is Mark Few's "anyone, anytime, anywhere" schedule catching up to the young Bulldogs who still appear to lack a player who can take over the game when necessary as Adam Morrison and Matt Bouldin had been in years past? While Gonzaga has numerous chances to build up its non-conference resume still with games against Baylor in Dallas, Xavier and Oklahoma St. in Spokane, and a mid-conference tilt against Memphis, right now Gonzaga appears to have to win the WCC Tournament to make their 12th straight NCAA Tournament Appearance; which will be no easy task with the likes of St. Mary's, Portland, and Loyola Marymount being good or better than last season.

Arena Adventures: Gentile Center

Arena Adventures: Entry #4

Arena: Gentile Center
City: Chicago, IL
Date: December 11, 2010
Teams: Loyola (IL) vs. #5 Kansas St.

It's not very often you see a top 5 team in the nation playing a road game against a Horizon League opponent. This was not just any other game for Kansas St. though. It was homecoming for star guard, Jacob Pullen. Pullen played his high school ball at Proviso East in Maywood, IL and his mother in fact works as a database analyst for Loyola University - Chicago. K-State head coach, Frank Martin, promises his recruits a homecoming game in their senior season as part of his recruiting tools and I think it is a great way to recruit kids to come play in Manhattan, KS (besides getting the opportunity to square off each season with the likes of Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma). As a result, this game was all about K-State and Jacob Pullen.

Obviously most teams in the Horizon League do not have state-of-the-art venues and the Gentile Center is no exception. With bleacher seating for most of the fans and a capacity of under 6,000 or so, it is a perfect arena for a mid-major school; not exactly some place you would expect to see a Big XII team venture to. The atmosphere of the game was pretty electric at tip with a plethora of K-State fans in the building decked out in their purple and white hoping to see their star put on a show for the hometown crowd. Early on, it looked like it would be a pretty standard Power 6 school running a mid-major out of the gym as K-State grabbed a quick 10-2 lead. However, Loyola battled their way back behind the play of former Wisconsin Mr. Basketball, Andy Polka, and Ben Averkamp. From the beginning, the Wildcats looked a bit disinterested in the game besides Pullen, who one could tell was trying a bit too hard to show off for the home folks.

By halftime, it was only a 5 point lead for K-State as they shot less than 40% for the half were actually outrebounded by Loyola in the first half even though the size and strength of players like Curtis Kelly, Freddy Asparilla, and Jordan Henriquez-Roberts should have had the upper hand. As the game progressed, it continued to be a back-and-forth contest as the referees continued to call numerous fouls and take all flow out of the game whatsoever. With both teams in the bonus by the 10 minute mark of the 2nd half, it was quickly looking like this game was going to come down to whether or not K-State could make enough FTs in the clutch moments as they are one of the worse FT shooting teams in the country.

As the crowd continued to get on the officials for the constant whistles on K-State, the atmosphere became quite tense. Most K-State fans I think came into this game expecting it to be over by halftime. Turns out, this game would not be over until the final seconds. With K-State struggling to score consistently, both from the field and the charity stripe, the Wildcats found themselves up only 3 with 45 seconds left. Pullen calmed knocked down 2 FTs to give the Wildcats a 5 point lead that would never become less by the final horn. When the clock read all zeroes, K-State had escaped the Gentile Center with a 68-60 win behind 19 points from Pullen, but on a paltry 5/17 from the field.

I applaud Coach Martin for his approach to these games and being willing to take a highly-ranked team like the Wildcats on the road to unfamiliar territory for what is basically a lose-lose game for him and his team in most peoples eyes (if they lose it's damaging to ranking, RPI, and team confidence; if they win, well they should have won). In the end, the Gentile Center got a great game between a highly ranked Power 6 team and a team that having seen them in person could still be a sleeper team in the Horizon League despite the Ramblers 0-2 start to conference play.

Week 14 NFL Picks

These will be quick. ConnZag3 is on the road, he text me his picks so I will write those as well. Dude needs to learn to use Twitter so we can all see he really did make those picks!

Tampa Bay (-3) @ Washington

zhawks & ConnZag3 - Tampa(-3)

This game might not even be close, here's to hoping no backdoor cover like Thursday. Thanks Collins.

Cleveland @ Buffalo (-1)

zhawks & ConnZag3 - Cleveland (+1)

I'll take the Browns with a point, how is Buffalo even favored?

Atlanta (-7.5) @ Carolina

ConnZag3 - Atlanta (-7.5)
zhawks - Carolina (+7.5)

This line seems a bit high. I tried this last week taking Buffalo and the points and it didn't pan out. Guess I didn't learn my lesson.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh (-9)

ConnZag3 - Pittsburgh (-9)
zhawks - Cincinnati (+9)

They covered against New Orleans last week, so they can do it again this week, right?

Oakland @ Jacksonville (-4)

ConnZag3 - Jacksonville (-4)
zhawks - Oakland (+4)

This is a game I hope I get wrong. Jacksonville has to mess up their playoff chances at some point, right?

Green Bay (-7) @ Detroit

zhawks & ConnZag3 - Green Bay (-7)

First game in Detroit this week and the Lions are bad.

New York (-3) @ Minnesota

ConnZag3 - Minnesota (+3)
zhawks - New York (-3)

It's not a home game anymore and attendance likely is not going to be good.

St. Louis @ New Orleans (-9)

zhawks & ConnZag3 - St. Louis (+9)

And I was hoping I could pick up a game with this pick.

Seattle @ San Francisco (-5.5)

ConnZag3 - San Francisico (-5.5)
zhawks - Seattle (+5.5)

When in doubt take the points.

Miami @ New York (-6)

zhawks & ConnZag3 - New York (-6)

Chad Henne is one of the worst QBs in the league, behind whoever Arizona sends in and, well that might be it.

New England (-3) @ Chicago

ConnZag3 - New England (-3)
zhawks - Chicago (+3)

Trap game 'nuff said.

Denver (-4) @ Arizona

zhawks & ConnZag3 - Denver (-4)

I'm still waiting to hear that Urban Meyer will be the next head coach in the mile high city. A friend shared this with me. Priceless.

Kansas City @ San Diego (-10)

zhawks & ConnZag3 - San Diego (-10)

Brodie Croyle, the safest bet in sports. 0-9 as a starter, soon to be 0-10.

Philadelphia (-3.5) @ Dallas

ConnZag3 - Philadelphia (-3.5)
zhawks - Dallas (+3.5)

I'm still riding the Dallas bandwagon.

Baltimore (-3) @ Houston

zhawks & ConnZag3 - Baltimore (-3)

Will Gary Kubiak be the next coach fired? On paper Houston looks better each year, on the field totally different story.

The Heisman Way

 "The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity."

Tonight at 8:00 PM eastern time we will see if Heisman voters feel that Cam Newton exemplifies the first line of their mission statement. Will the fact that his father asked for money keep him from joining the Heisman Fraternity? Or all the problems he had at Florida come back and haunt him?

Unlikely.

Since this is likely the case, does anything matter except the gridiron?

Apparently not.

While there are four players invited to New York tonight for the Heisman ceremony, I'd be shocked if more than two of them received first place votes.

Andrew Luck, the Standford Cardinal QB who is currently slotted to be the #1 pick in next years NFL Draft. Luck lead the Cardinal to an 11-1 record, #4 ranking and a bid the Orange Bowl where they will play Virginia Tech. He threw for 3,051 yards, 28 touchdowns and 7 interceptions with a 166.10 QB rating.

LaMichael James, the Oregon Duck who will be playing in the National Title game against Auburn ran for 1,682 yards and 21 touchdowns with a 6.0 yards per carry average. The Ducks are currently ranked #2

Kellen Moore, the Boise State Bronco who led his team to a 11-1 season and a #10 ranking. A late season loss to Nevada killed the Bronco's BCS Bid and likely any real shot that Moore might have had at the Heisman. Moore passed for 3,506, his 3rd straight year over 3,500 and 4th straight 3,000+ season. Moore also contributed 33 touchdowns and is three away from 100 for his career.

Finally, Cameron Newton, the Auburn Tiger who is likely going to run away with the voting. Cam has taken the Tigers to a #1 ranking and a bid to play the Oregon Ducks for the National Title. He passed for 2,589 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for 1,409 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The stats clearly lean towards Newton. He has been the most electrifying player in the nation, without a doubt. But that isn't all that is in the Heisman's Mission Statement. The question isn't if Newton has been the best football player, has he done it with integrity?

My answer is simply no. Unfortunately I do not have a Heisman vote, but if I did it would not be cast for Cam Newton.

2010-11 NCAA Bowl Pick'em Challenge & Analysis

Below are all 35 bowl games for the 2010-11 bowl season. Over the course of the next few weeks we will provide some analysis on selected games as well as have a bowl pick'em challenge between myself and zhawks to see who knows the FBS postseason better.

December 18, 2010

New Mexico Bowl
University Stadium, Albuquerque, NM
BYU vs. UTEP

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl
Bronco Stadium, Boise, ID
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Ohio vs. Troy

December 21, 2010

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl
Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL
Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville

December 22, 2010
MAACO Las Vegas Bowl
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Utah vs. Boise State


December 23, 2010
S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Navy vs. San Diego State

December 24, 2010
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI
Hawaii vs. Tulsa

December 26, 2010
Little Caesars Bowl
Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Florida International vs. Toledo

December 27, 2010
AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Air Force vs. Georgia Tech

December 28, 2010
Champs Sports Bowl
Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
West Virginia vs. NC State

Insight Bowl
Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
Missouri vs. Iowa

December 29, 2010
Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman
RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
East Carolina vs. Maryland

Texas Bowl
Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX
Illinois vs. Baylor

Valero Alamo Bowl
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Oklahoma State vs. Arizona

December 30, 2010
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Gerald Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX
Army vs. SMU

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Kansas St. vs. Syracuse

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
LP Field, Nashville, TN
North Carolina vs. Tennessee

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA
Nebraska vs. Washington

December 31, 2010
Meineke Car Care Bowl
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
South Florida vs. Clemson

Hyundai Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX
Notre Dame vs. Miami

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl, Memphis, TN
Georgia vs. UCF

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA
South Carolina vs. Florida State

January 1, 2011
TicketCity Bowl
Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX
Northwestern vs. Texas Tech

Outback Bowl
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Florida vs. Penn State

Capital One Bowl
Florida Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL
Alabama vs. Michigan State

Gator Bowl
EverBank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Mississippi State vs. Michigan

Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Wisconsin vs. TCU

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Connecticut vs. Oklahoma

January 3, 2011
Discover Orange Bowl
Sun Life Stadium, Miami, FL
Stanford vs. Virginia Tech

January 4, 2011
Allstate Sugar Bowl
Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Ohio State vs. Arkansas

January 6, 2011
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio)

January 7, 2011
AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, TX
LSU vs. Texas A&M

January 8, 2011
BBVA Compass Bowl
Legion Field, Birmingham, AL
Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky

January 9, 2011
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA
Nevada vs. Boston College

January 10, 2011
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game
U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Oregon vs. Auburn

Week 14 NFL Picks - Thursday Game

Indianapolis Colts (-4) @ Tennessee Titans

I tweeted my pick earlier in case I couldn't get it up in time. While Peyton might be hurt he is playing one of the worst pass D's in the league this year. Colts snap a 5 game skid that started when my Black Lightning acquired Peyton for a deep playoff one.

Don't let me down Mannining!

Week 14 NFL Picks - Thursday 12/9

Indianapolis Colts (-4) @ Tennessee Titans

I feel like this is one of the toughest games to pick this week. The Colts lost to the lowly Cowboys last week and Peyton has looked horrible lately as all his key weapons are injured. It's not like the Titans have looked much better either with Rusty Smith under center the last couple weeks. However, tonight the Titans get back Kerry Collins and WR Kenny Britt to hopefully provide some much needed offense. The Indy secondary is terrible as usual.

Taking those things into account, I'm going to take the Titans straight up and against the spread. Titans 30-28.

Week 13 NFL Picks - zhawks

Alright folks, quick picks are in.

Saints (-7) @ Bengals

This game shouldn't even be close. Bengals are bad.

Redskins @ Giants (-7)

Giants need to get healthy but they are too much for the 'skins.

Jaguars (+3) @ Titans

The Titans are really favored in this game? Jacksonville looks to make a playoff push.

Bears (-5) @ Lions

Luster has worn off the Lions. Bears win handily.

Bills (+5.5) @ Vikings

I'll take the Bills and the points.

Browns (+5) @ Dolphin

I'll stick with the Avalanche and the points here.

49ers @ Packers (-9.5)

Is this line too low?

Broncos @ Chiefs (-9)

Might be McDaniels last game after he gets embarrassed, again.

Raiders @ Chargers (-13)

It's no longer November, but I'll stick with the Chargers.

Falcons @ Buccaneers (+3)

I'll take the points in this one. Falcons on the road after a tough win against the Pack.

Panthers @ Seahawks (-4.5)

Awful. Yes I'm talking about the Panthers.

Rams (-3.5) @ Cardinals

I'll take the Rams, unless Derek Anderson's smiles start being worth points.

Cowboys (+5.5) @ Colts

You never bet against Peyton, I'll take the Cowboys and the points. Especially since they are actually running an offense now.

Steelers (+3) @ Raven

I'll take Mendenhall and three points.

Jets (+4) @ Patriots

I'll take the Jets, who are one of the top teams in the AFC. Pats can't win them all.

Week 13 NFL Picks - Sunday

These picks are based on the bodog.com line from 12/4/2010

Saints (-7) @ Bengals - Saints
Redskins @ Giants (-7) - Redskins
Jaguars @ Titans (-3) - Jaguars
Bears (-5) @ Lions - Bears
Bills @ Vikings (-5.5) - Vikings
Browns @ Dolphins (-5) - Browns
49ers @ Packers (-9.5) - Packers
Broncos @ Chiefs (-9) - Broncos
Raiders @ Chargers (-13) - Raiders
Falcons (-3) @ Buccaneers - Falcons
Panthers @ Seahawks (-4.5) - Seahawks
Rams (-3.5) @ Cardinals - Rams
Cowboys @ Colts (-5.5) - Colts
Steelers @ Ravens (-3) - Ravens
Jets @ Patriots (-4) - Jets

Arena Adventures: Assembly Hall (Part 1)

Arena Adventures: Entry #3

Arena: Assembly Hall
City: Champaign, IL
Date: November 30, 2010
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Teams:North Carolina @ #20 Illinois

Illinois Assembly Hall

This was not my first time at the Assembly Hall, I have actually been there for quite a few games in the past. However this was my first ACC/Big Ten Challenge game and it did not disappoint.

The game started out slow, with Illinois making the first bucket and North Carolina taking an early lead after that. The main turning point of the game was when Illinois senior guard Demetri McCamey took the ball down the lane and picked up the third foul on North Carolina junior forward Tyler Zeller.

The game stayed close to for a while after this point and Illinois took a nine point lead going into half with a buzzer beating three ball by sophomore guard DJ Richardson. The Illini didn't let down to open the start of the 2nd half with Mike Davis scoring two of his 20 points on an ally-op dunk from fellow senior Mike Tisdale.

While the Illini didn't finish the game off strong, they never let it feel like North Carolina was back in the game and as an Illini fan that was great to feel.

So let's talk about both teams Fab Freshmen. We've all heard about Harrison Barnes, both pre-season when he was hyped as an All-American and now in season when he hasn't had nearly the start that many expected. But what about Illini forward Jereme Richmond? He came in with passion and intensity and wanted to show Barnes that he has game and that is exactly what Richmond did. He scored 12 points and did not back down form the pre-season All-American.

Illinois forward Jereme Richmond
Photo by Cary Frye

Barnes finished with 8 points and 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 27 minutes, shooting 2-9 from the field including 1-4 from beyond the arc, while Richmond scored 12 points, grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out an assist in 26 minutes of play. It's tough to judge two players on one single match-up but I'd have to say that so far this year Richmond has looked a lot better than Barnes has and made a point to take it right at Barnes the moment he entered the game.

The highlight of the night was a great up and under dunk near the start of the second from Jereme that had the Hall rocking.

After the game I am not quite sure what to think of North Carolina. They have talent but they just aren't playing well at all. Barnes has not even come close to living up to all the hype he received. Illinois did not play that well and they controlled the game handily. If Mike Davis can drop his inconsistency of last year and give the Illini 15 and 10 every night they will absolutely compete for the Big Ten title. Although for this to happen I think Tyler Griffy needs to get healthy and give Davis a break. Mike played 38 minutes on Tuesday and that happen each game.

A great atmosphere as always at the Hall!

Week 13 NFL Picks - Thursday 12/2

I'm going to keep my pick for tonight's game brief.

The Philly secondary is going to be porous if Asante Samuel cannot go, or is significantly less than 100%. The Texans have the best WR in the game in Andre Johnson and a top 10 QB in Matt Schaub. Arian Foster has been a surprise so far this season after a less than stellar career at Tennessee.

That said, the Eagles are just too balanced on both sides of the ball (notice no mention was made of Houston on the defensive side of the ball above). Mike Vick throws a couple TD passes and LeSean McCoy visits the end zone a couple times as well (I hope for my fantasy team's sake at least...).

Eagles 34-21.

Week 13 NFL Picks - Thursday 12/2

Well it's time for me to start beating up on ConnZag3 in weekly NFL picks, so here we go.  We'll be using the bodog.com line from http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/odds within 24 hours of kickoff.

Houston WR, Andre Johnson

Houston Texans @ Philadelphia Eagles (-9)

Who is Andre Johnson going to knockout this week? Does bodog have odds on that yet?

The Texans have been awful, Gary Kubiak needs to be fired. I can't even sit here and think that the Texan can begin to stop the Vick/Jackson/Maclin trio at all. Although hey, they did stop Rusty Smith last week so apparently there is some sort of pass defense in Houston.

Philly looked bad last week against Chicago but I fully expect to see them get on track back at home this week with a big win over Houston.

Houston has so much talent on paper you'd think 9 points would be enough to take them, not true. I'll take Philly.

ACC Big Ten Challenge - Wednesday Games

This is going to be quick.

Maryland @ Penn State

I badly want to pick a Nittany Lion upset here, but I'll stick with the better team and take the Terps in a close one.

Indiana @ Boston College

I don't really like either of these teams much at all, although it's not at bad as the Iowa/Wake Forest game last night. I'll take the Hoosiers in a swing game that could decide the series winner.

North Carolina State @ Wisconsin

The Badgers do not look good so far this year, but they are playing in the Kohl Center (which is clearly built as a Hockey Arena). I will get this game wrong regardless of who I pick and since I want to see Bucky go down I'll take the Badgers by 3.

Purdue @ Virginia Tech

Another toss up. I am still not sold on Purdue without Hummell, especially on the road aginast a tough Hookies team. I'll take Tech by a half dozen.

Michigan State @ Duke

How sweet would it be to see Duke lose the deciding game in the Series again this year? Oh so sweet. In a I-hate-Duke-and-love-watching-them-lose-(-oh-and-by-the-way-Sparty-is-good-especially-in-tough-games) Upset Special I'll take Sparty to get back on track with a late win.

By the way, thanks Clemson for ruining my perfect night. Damn Wolverines. 4-2 picking the series so far.

ACC/Big Ten Challenge - Tuesday Games

Well so far I am 0-1 and I really think that the Minnesota loss is going to hurt the Big Tens chances of winning their second challenge.

Iowa @ Wake Forest

Not much to like about this match-up at all. Neither team is anything to write home about. I will take the home team in this one but I am not confident at all in that prediction.

Georgia Tech @ Northwestern

Georgia Tech is almost as bad as Wake Forest and Iowa, actually they might be worse. I expect John Shurna to lead the Wildcats to an impressive victory at home.

Michigan @ Clemson

We'll go with another Home team victory here as well. The Tigers have much more firepower than the Wolverines. Expect Demontex Stitt and Milton Jennings to out do Hardaway Jr.

Ohio State @ Florida State

My first away team predicted winner. The Ohio State University has way too much firepower for FSU to compete with. I expect Jarrod Sullinger and the Buckeyes to be #1 and undefeated when they venture to Assembly Hall to take on the Illini in late January.

North Carolina @ Illinois

I am going to jinx my Illini with this pick. UNC has not looked good, Harrison Barnes has not looked like an All-American and Illinois has looked improved from last year. I'll take Illinois.

ACC/Big Ten Challenge - Virgina @ Minnesota

The Big Ten Challenge Starts tonight. It is the 12th Annual event and the Big Ten won for the first time last season.

We have some very impressive match-ups this year, with North Carolina going to Assembly Hall to take on the Fighting Illini and Michigan State going on the road to Cameron Indoor to take on the Blue Devils. I feel that those games will end up in a split. I will be attending the UNC/Illinois game tomorrow night and expect the Hall to be rocking. You can expect an Arena Adventures 1a from Assembly Hall, as I will travel there numerous times this year, in hopes of watching many Illini triumphs.

As I don't have enough time to properly finish this article before the games start tonight lets start off with our series opener.

Minnesota guard, Blake Hoffarber

Monday, November 29th

Virginia (3-3) at (15) Minnesota (6-0)

I really don't think this game is going to be too close. Minnesota looks good, or maybe North Carolina is just that bad, again. The sweep of UNC and WVU in Puerto Rico was impressive out of Tubby Smith's club. KenPom currently ranks the Golden Gophers 30th and has the Cavaliers ranked 91st.

Minnesota is paced by senior Blake Hoffarber (15.0 ppg, 4.8 apg) and junior Trevor Mbakwe (13.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg). Meanwhile Mike Scott is the only Cavalier scoring double figures with 16.5 ppg and 9.3 rpg.

I'll take Hoffarber and the Gophers to win this one somewhere along the lines of 77-63. I don't think that Blake will need another one of these to take home the W.

CBE Classic Recap

In Arena Adventures, Entry #2, I blogged about the semifinal games of the CBE Classic, which were won by #1 Duke and #4 Kansas St., setting up a top 5 showdown for the title, with pretty much a decided homecourt advantage for the Wildcats. In order to get to the championship game, the consolation matchup between #22 Gonzaga and Marquette had to be played. This was an interesting matchup, if not for the teams themselves, but for the universities as these are 2 of the most respected Jesuit schools in the nation. Living in Wisconsin, this is a matchup I would like to see played on a more regular basis as I feel like these schools match up well academically and athletically. As for the game itself, it looked early like a Gonzaga blowout was in order. Steven Gray of Gonzaga was absolutely on fire from 3 in the first half, hitting 4 in a row within the first 10 minutes and a 5th before half to pace the Zags before Marquette settled down and held the Zags to only a 9 point halftime lead. In the 2nd half, Marquette battled back, lead by Jimmy Butler, eventually drawing to within 2 points within the final minute. After Gray split 2 FTs for the Zags, Marquette had 1 final chance to force OT, but Butler's shot from about 30 feet came up a bit short and Gonzaga held on for a 66-63 win. Gray and Elias Harris led the Zags, but the play of Mangisto (Manny) Arop off the bench was the biggest factor in Gonzaga getting the win. His 15 points made up for the missing Robert Sacre, who managed to only score 3 points in the game. This tournament was a good learning experience for Gonzaga, but it was absolutely imperative for the Zags to beat Marquette after dropping decisions to SDSU at home and K-State the previous night as a part of the CBE. However, I foresee both of these teams being factors come March.

As the consolation game wound down, the stands started to fill (with mostly purple-clad fans) in anticipation of the Duke/K-State showdown. With Coach K going for his 800th win as the coach at Duke, the team had extra incentive to down the Wildcats, even though I don't think the Blue Devils really needed any extra motivation. The atmosphere was electric (turning off the lights and doing NBA-style pregame intros didn't hurt either), and after the ball was tipped you could tell both teams were jacked up for this game. K-State was a little too jacked up though, committing foolish turnovers, committing silly (and questionably called) fouls, and shooting just etrocious from the charity stripe. Duke jumped out to an early 10-2 lead and never looked back the whole game, leading by double figures for much of the first half before K-State closed the margin to 8 at half. Kyrie Irving and Nolan Smith were the catalysts for Duke in the first half and throughout the game, blowing by K-State defenders at will and getting open shots for teammates. Curtis Kelly was the only reason K-State was even within striking distance at half, scoring 11 first-half points off the bench.

In the 2nd half it was more of the same, Irving and Smith scoring at will, Kelly being K-State's only offensive weapon, and fouls piling up on the Wildcats. Eventually, the lead swelled to over 20 before Coach K called off the dogs and the final margin of victory was 82-68. Even though the final margin was only 14 points, it seemed as though K-State never had a chance in the game. Whenever K-State made a run, Duke always had an answer. Additionally, star K-State PG, Jacob Pullen, had arguably his worst career game, scoring only 4 points and taking a host of terrible shots in the 2nd half trying to bring his team back. While K-State has some talented players in Kelly, Rodney MacGruder, and Wally Judge, Pullen is clearly the team leader and #1 offensive option. With him off his game, there was no way K-State was shocking the world with the upset. However, even if Pullen had been on his game, I don't think Duke was going to be denied in KC. The Blue Devils clearly showed why they are #1 and there is no doubt in my mind they should be #1 (as much as it pains me to say that). They may not have the most talent or athletes in the nation, but they have the best coach in the nation, and play the best team basketball. The schedule doesn't get any easier for Duke to defend its #1 ranking, with a tilt against Michigan St. on tap for 12/1/10 as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

To wrap up the CBE, Irving was named tournament MVP, and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by: Mason Plumlee (Duke), Steven Gray (Gonzaga), Jimmy Butler (Marquette), and Jamar Samuels (KSU). From the tournament I think I learned that Duke is going to be hard to beat all season and is clearly the best team in the nation right now; K-State might be a bit overrated as the loss of Denis Clemente might be greater than originally thought; Gonzaga is a bit overrated as well as their young players need to continue to develop and the lack of a scoring threat from the PG position is going to be damning all season long as teams sag off of Demetri Goodson and his lack of a consistent jumpshot; and Marquette has a chance to do some damage in the Big East if players like Devante Gardner and Jae Crowder continue to grow to support veterans Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom. I think we will see all 4 of these teams in the field of 68 and I will be excited to see each team continue to grow as the season progresses as all have the potential to be good, with Duke and K-State having the potential to make the trip to Houston for the Final Four.

Dear TCU - Stop ruining our fun!

I am pretty sure that is what Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee meant when he told TCU fans that they didn't play a hard enough schedule and shouldn't be included in the hunt for the National Title.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the Ohio State president said, "Well, I don't know enough about the X's and O's of college football," said Gee, formerly the president at West Virginia, Colorado, Brown and Vanderbilt universities. "I do know, having been both a Southeastern Conference president and a Big Ten president, that it's like murderer's row every week for these schools. We do not play the Little Sisters of the Poor. We play very fine schools on any given day. So I think until a university runs through that gantlet that there's some reason to believe that they not be the best teams to [be] in the big ballgame."

I am trying to dissect which gauntlet he meant?

Ohio State played a brutal Non-Conference schedule of Marshall, Ohio and Eastern Michigan all at home. Of those three brutal games, only Ohio is above .500. Talk about a gauntlet.

To give Ohio State credit they did play Miami (FL) (then #12), but this game, again, was at home. Tough to call it a gauntlet when every game you get to choose, you choose to play at home.

In non-conference games TCU hosted then #24 Oregon State and bowl eligible Baylor. TCU also did take advantage of being a powerhouse by scheduling a home game against Tennessee Tech, but unlike Ohio State, TCU went on the road to face Southern Methodist (above .500).

So when we compare Non-Conference schedules, I think it clearly goes the way of the Horned Frogs.

According to Gee, he plays a "gauntlet schedule" so by that you'd assume they play ranked teams on a daily basis, right?

Not so fast my Friend!

Let's start again with Ohio State. They have played 3 ranked teams, one at home, Miami (FL) and two on the road, Wisconsin and Iowa. Of these 3 games the Buckeyes are 2-1, losing only to the Badgers.

TCU? Well unlike Ohio State, TCU has played a top 10 team, Utah, and the aforementioned Oregon State. While they have also beaten Baylor and Air Force, who both have been ranked during the year.

Ohio State? Not so much. The rest of their schedule consisted of Big Ten cupcakes, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, Penn State and, obviously, the final game this weekend against Michigan.

So what does it come down to? Gee was terribly mistaken when he made his comments, he clearly has little to no understanding of college football, other than he realizes that the Power Six, well doesn't quite have the "Power" it use to (although it does have a helluva  lot of it).

So if you're TCU Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, what do you do?

"Anytime. Anyplace. Anywhere," Del Conte said. "Buckeyes against the Horned Frogs. Tee it up. Let's go."

Absolutely. Put your money where you just threw your mouth Ohio State. Put up or shut up.

What we've learned so far

The road to Houston is underway, after the first two weeks of the college basketball season and the completion of many of the Pre-Season tournaments, what have we learned so far?

• Kemba Walker is good. 

UConn Junior pg, Kemba Walker

Anybody else think the AP wants to re-vote and select Kemba over Harrison Barnes as a preseason All American? Kemba lead the UConn Huskies (more on them later) to the Maui Invitational title with 90 points in three games, three short of the Maui record. Unranked UConn started off with a solid win against Wichita State (many didn't think they'd even win that game) and then beat #2 Michigan State in the second round before burying Top 10 ranked Kentucky in the final. It is still early to name anyone Player of the Year, but Kemba gets my vote for Novembers Player of the Month.

• Duke is the best team in the Nation.

Duke forward Kyle Singler and guard Kyrie Irving

I hate to say it but it's true. Only UConn has, arguably, played better talent and done better. Duke walked through the CBE Classic in Kansas City during Feast Week with a good win over a solid Marquette team and then didn't only beat Kansas State but dominated them in what was considered by many to be a home court advantage for the Wildcats. The Plumblees look good, Nolan Smith is on and Kyrie Irving looks like the stud we thought he'd be.

• The Big Ten is the best conference

Ohio State Fab
Freshman Jared Sullinger

Yes it's early, but the Big Ten looks really good. Many thought Michigan State would pace the league this year but watch out for the Ohio State University. The Buckeyes look very good behind stud freshman Jared Sullinger and, based on their schedule, might be undefeated and #1 in the nation when they go to Champaign to face the Fighting Illini, which appears to be the teams next test after the dismantling of the Florida Gators. And speaking of Illinois, they have the chance to be a very good team this year as well, they lost to a good Texas team in the Coaches v Cancer last week in Madison Square Garden, but look like they could challenge for a Big Ten Title. And let's not forget about Minnesota who knocked off North Carolina and West Virginia in route a Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship. The team lost in the suffle in the Big Ten so far is Purdue, who has yet to be tested this season. I expect to see the Boliermakers struggle without Robbie Hummel in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Cassell Coliseum where they play Virginia Tech. Although even with a loss there the team still should come out of non-conference play with two or less losses. I think we'll see one of Michigan State, Ohio State or Illinois win the conference with Purdue and Minnesota close behind them. And I can see numerous Big Ten teams making deep pushes in March, maybe even multiple Final Four Teams.

• UConn's hiatus is over, for now.

Clearly the most underrated team coming into the year. Nobody expected Kemba Walker to look like a top 5 NBA draft pick and nobody expected UConn to dominate the Maui Invite. It is still relatively early in the season and things can change fast (see Texas last season) but right now UConn looks like a team that could seriously contend for the National Title. Let's see how they look come Big East time.

I waited to have the benefit of hindsight in picking my Final Four, which is awesome because now I can feel much better about leaving North Carolina out of my Elite Eight and much better about putting a few teams in.

Elite Eight

Duke, UConn, Michigan State, Memphis, the Ohio State University,Villanova, Kansas State, and Washington

Final Four

Duke, the Ohio State University, Kansas State and Washington

Championship Game

Duke v the Ohio State University

National Champs

That's right I picked Duke to win back to back titles. Tough call and I hate picking Duke but they are the odds on favorite and going with anybody else but the boys from Durham after the shelling they put on the Wildcats in the CBE Classic in Kansas City would be foolish.

San Diego State Sophomore Foward, Kawhi Leonard

Mid-Major Watch

Top Mid-Major to watch out for: San Diego State without a doubt in my mind. This team has all the pieces of a team that will give the big boys fits in March. Expect Kawhi Leonard, D.J. Gay and Billy White to help the Aztecs to a few March wins.

Is Jacksonville for real?

Three weeks ago I sent a buddy of mine a text "We really need to stop winning or we have no chance of landing a franchise QB and getting the franchise on track."

Since then - back to back wins at home against Houston (31-24, The "Law of Gus" win) and Cleveland (24-20).

Boy am I right, and it pains me!

David Garrard, Jaguars QB

It is the typical Jaguar cycle, we are good enough to get a late teens pick one year and than a pick around 10-14 the next year and blow the picks on decent player we could have gotten 20 picks later, just like the Tyson Alualu pick this past year at #10. Alualu has been playing well and might end up being a solid pro, but the fact remains that we could have traded back 20 picks, acquired an additional pick and still have taken him!

It is this type of management that annoys me to no end. Garrard is not a franchise QB, I'm sorry. Sure he went to the Pro Bowl last year, only because every other QB decided not to play. He has lead to some solid wins, but has also played extremely poor all too often. (Did anyone watch the Monday Night game against Tennessee?)

Unfortunately at this pace I think we will end up winning at least three of our final games. I expect to get destroyed at the Meadowlands next week by the younger Manning, but after that the schedule looks very favorable. At Vince Young-less Titans, Home to the Campbell lead Raiders (Campbell is one of the few NFL starters that is actually worse than Garrard), @ Lucas Oil against the better Manning. Honestly we should win at least one of those games, if not two. That already puts us at .500. We then finish with a Home game against Washington and a road game against the soft Texans. Could Jacksonville really have the potential to be a 10 win team? Does that get us into the playoffs? Am I ok with a playoff appearance?

Jake Locker, Washington QB

Wow, all huge questions. I wanted Andrew Luck. Too bad he will be throwing to Steve Johnson next year, the player that is single handily making me look like a fool in my fantasy league. Thanks.

So that leaves Mallet and Locker on the table.

If we end up getting a pick in the early teens, we might get lucky and be able to nab Jake Locker or Ryan Mallet but I doubt it.

Other than the Bills, who would be foolish to draft anyone other then Luck with their first pick, who else needs a QB? The 49ers need one, although I am not sold that they will draft one this year. Depends 100% on Locker and Mallet's combine and interview accomplishments. The Bengals desperately need to replace Carson Palmer. Just ask ESPN Sports Guy, Bill Simmons how he feels about Palmer.

". My favorite thing about Palmer: His conventional statistics keep throwing everyone off his rancid scent -- 1,855 yards (seventh overall), 12 TDs, seven picks, 83 QB rating. Not terrible, right?

So you have to dig a little ... and that's when you find out that he's last in third-down passing (49 percent completion rate, 431 yards, 62 rating), or that defenders have dropped 215 possible Palmer interceptions (approximate), or that his receivers unofficially lead the league in walking off the field shaking their heads at one another (which, by the way, really should be a stat)."

So if I were Marvin Lewis (if I still have a job after this year) or Mike Brown, I would absolutely consider investing in a franchise QB in this draft. Mallet or Locker could learn behind Palmer for a year or two and take over a solid team after that. Expect the Bengals to do the opposite though.

And then there is the Broncos, oh wait they drafted Tim Tebow. My bad.

The Lions? They better hope that Stafford comes back from his injury problems.

Vikings? They had better take a QB. I'd expect Locker to be their pick, he has a lot more upside than Mallet and makes too much sense for them to take, right? Good thing Chilly is gone or they'd probably take someone else.

And then there is the Cardinals. Please tell me they are going to take a QB, please please PLEASE! I am tired of watching Larry Fitzgerald without a QB (cue Bill Bidwill "Hey Kurt, would you like to Favre this shit and come back next year? Larry's been asking for you...).

Then we still have the Redskins and Dolphins that might have a QB need.

Point is, we are not getting a top tier QB unless we lose out.

So I guess that means I am cheering for playoffs, although that hinders the franchises long term ability to field a competitive team.

Let's hope to getting Michael Vick, Kevin Kolb or Donovan McNabb this off-season.

(Hey Kurt, you wanna come back?)

Arena Adventures: Sprint Center

Arena Adventures: Entry #2

Arena: Sprint Center
City: Kansas City, MO
Date: November 22, 2010
Teams: 2010 CBE Classic Semifinals: #1 Duke vs. Marquette & #4 Kansas St. vs. #22 Gonzaga

Having been to Kansas City before to visit the College Basketball Experience (CBE) I had seen the outside of the Sprint Center before. From afar, the arena looks like a giant tire covered in glass. Very visually appealing, especially since it is less than 5 years old. I had never been to a preseason tournament before so I did not know what to expect in terms of fan attendance and overall atmosphere as the teams are typically coming from quite a ways away. My expectations were a bit higher for this tournament, however, with Kansas St. being a preseason top 5 team in the country and being only 2 hours or so away from KC. Additionally, everyone knows Duke has fans and detractors alike across the nation, plus with them having the #1 ranking in the land, basketball fans in general would be out to see the defending national champion Blue Devils.

The seating bowl of the arena is angled quite sharply, helping for fans to be more on top of the action, granted I would think sitting in the upper levels it could be a bit treacherous after a few beers maybe. I was quite impressed by the turnout of K-State fans for the first game of the day between Duke and Marquette. There were very few empty seats, especially in the lower levels, through the midway point of the first half of Duke/Marquette. I give props to K-State fans (and Gonzaga as well) for using their tickets for both games, not just their team's nightcap against Gonzaga.

As for the on-court action, the first game between Duke and Marquette provided a lot more drama than did the K-State/Gonzaga game, much to my surprise (and chagrin). The Blue Devils ran out to a quick 10 point lead early on behind preseason All-American Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. Marquette battled the entire half, behind the strong play of Jimmy Butler and some tough post play provided by freshman Davante Gardner who brought some much needed strength to the post for Marquette to combat Duke's immense size. However, Marquette was only able to close to within 9 by the half. Coming out to start the 2nd, Marquette continued to chip away at the lead behind the play of Butler and reserve forward, Jae Crowder, eventually drawing even with the Devils at 57 with just over 10 minutes to play. The Blue Devils proceeded to score the next 9 points, led by the Mason Plumlee, who had a career night of 25 points and 12 rebounds, to put the Golden Eagles away. Marquette made the final score of 82-77 closer than it really was by watching the Devils miss 3 front ends of the 1 and 1 with under a minute left. If Marquette coach Buzz Williams had made the decision earlier to resort to the late-game foul tactics, Marquette might have just had a chance to force OT or get the win. Buzz's end game management was very questionable, especially the full timeout called with 0.9 seconds left down 5. In the end, the #1 Blue Devils had too much size and experience for the Golden Eagles to overcome, but Marquette laid a blueprint for beating Duke. Duke needs to shore up the free throw line in late game situations and Kyle Singler needs to not disappear for long stretches at a time if Duke wants to cut down the nuts at Reliant Stadium in April.

20 minutes after the Duke win, K-State tipped off with Gonzaga. Gonzaga, coming off a home loss to San Diego St. on Tuesday night, was looking to take down a top 5 win in basically a road atmosphere in KC, about 125 miles or so from the little apple of Manhattan, KS. With probably 75% or more of the crowd at the Sprint Center clad in purple and black, this was going to be a big test for the young Zags, and they looked young and shell-shocked from the tip. K-State opened the game on a 10-2 run before the first media timeout on a couple trifectas and a couple drives to the tin. Gonzaga was so discombobulated that coach Mark Few resorted to bringing in walk-on point guard David Stockton into the game at the first media timeout (Yes, Stockton is the son of Gonzaga and Utah Jazz legend John Stockton). Stockton brought some much needed energy and spunk to the Zags, scoring a bucket, dishing 2 assists, and forcing 2 K-State turnovers in the first 3 minutes on the court. Stockton's lack of size, however, made him an easy target for mismatches or for shooters to shoot over him. This was evidenced by the 3-point barrage K-State showed in the first half, led by Jacob Pullen and Will Spradling. Through most of the first half, the Wildcats were 9/13 from 3-point land, yet only 3/8 from the charity stripe. The hot shooting of K-State helped them build a lead of 17 points, before a 6-0 run by the Zags to end the half on a high note and close the deficit to 11 at 49-38.

The question for the Zags in the 2nd half would be who would step up and lead the comeback with former WCC Player of the Year, Matt Bouldin, no longer eligible due to graduation. The most likely candidates were Steven Gray, who had 35 points in the loss to SDSU, or projected 1st round NBA draft pick Elias Harris who dropped a gooseegg in the first half due to foul trouble. In the end, no one seems to be able to spark the Zags, who managed to get the lead to as few as 6 points early in the 2nd half at 57-51, before K-State steadily pulled away behind Pullen, who scored 18. The balanced scoring and hot shooting of K-State resulted in a final margin of victory of 81-64. Robert Sacre led the Zags with 17 points, who were dominated on the glass 37-24 by the Wildcats as well.

The Wildcats advance to the championship game of the CBE against Duke in the matchup all K-State and Duke fans (and ESPN for that matter) were hoping for when the participating teams were announced in March. This game could be a preview of a national semifinal or final in Houston in 4 months. The key to the game is going to be the free throw line for both squads as well as the stars (Singler for Duke and Pullen for K-State). Whichever teams makes more FTs and is able to better contain the opponent's star should walk out of the Sprint Center tonight with the trophy. K-State has the size to combat the Devils post presence, but do they have the mental toughness and experience? We shall see in front of a very partisan crowd in a few hours.

In the end, all 4 teams get 2 quality games out of this tournament with Gonzaga squaring off against Marquette in the consolation game this evening. No team wants to go 0-2 in a preseason tournament, but the urgency needs to be there for the Zags tonight as they have 2 losses from this tournament already due to the ridiculously quality matchup they were given in SDSU while Duke, K-State, and Marquette were fattening up on the cupcakes of Princeton, Miami (OH), Presbyterian, James Madison, Bucknell, and Green Bay, respectively. Duke and K-State showed why they are national championship contenders in the semifinals while Marquette and Gonzaga should both be solid NCAA teams come Selection Sunday.

Enjoy the championship tilt tonight! I know I will. I'll be tweeting live from the games starting at 6:30 (CST) for the consolation game at @connzag3.

Phil Knight or Fan Art?

Last week new NFL jerseys, supposedly for the 2012 season, were 'leaked' onto the internet. Immediately Nike shot down the rumor stating that they had not leaked NFL versions of their "Pro Combat" game uniforms worn by ten NCAA teams, dubbed "Total Combat." As has been confirmed by many media outlets Nike denies this being the case.

Nike's Pro Combat Jersey's

Now I'm no conspiracy theorist, but wouldn't you deny it too? If Phil Knight and Nike had decided to look into new NFL jerseys, and many would agree they do, wouldn't you try to leak this information to get fans reactions? These jersey's are drastically different than current NFL jerseys, wouldn't you want to know if everyone was going to say they are horrible?

If I were Nike and we were contemplating releasing new, revolutionary jerseys, you'd better believe I'd find a way to leak them to the public to get a reaction. And you'd be damned sure I'd deny it up and down the moment someone asked.

Jaguars Black Alternate "Total Combat"

Now let's get to the jersey's, I do like a few of them but my Jags one really needs an upgrade. At least the Jags black alternate is somewhat bearable. I think someone thought to hard about putting the jaguar skin on the uni's, solid thought but it just doesn't work for me.

Now if you are an NFL do you agree to go with a total overhaul of your jerseys? Let's think like an owner "Well if we get new jersey's, then that means that every fan will have to buy new jerseys... Sounds like a great idea!" The obvious answer is, absolutely! Doesn't mean us as fans have to like it but you'd better believe if there is money to be made the owners are saying yes.

Unless you're Art Rooney and someone puked all over your Pittsburgh Steelers. Seriously those things are Ugly, with a capital U. What is with that arm band? It looks like something that Allen Iverson should be wearing over in Turkey, not something I am seeing on the gridiron. And speaking of AI, maybe if he'd practiced a bit more he wouldn't be broke playing in Turkey, or maybe he would have scored more than two points last night. But really, here is the million dollar question, where was David Kahn? You can't tell me signing Iverson didn't cross his mind, seriously they need a few more point guards there and/or over paid high draft picks who can't play. Sorry Darko.

Sorry that's already way to much AI isn't it?

 Fine back to the gridiron.

I have to say there were a few I liked, the Bengals was solid and I really liked the Patriots, unlike many others. The Jets, Eagles and Falcons were solid. But I think my favorite was the Cardinals. I bet Kurt Warner would come out of retirement to wear one of those bad boys. I don't think Max Hall or Derek Anderson is going to live up to that fierce looking Cardinal though.

I think jersey's based on the Pro Combat NCAA uni's would be a welcome change to the NFL, not everyone will agree but I think it is about time for a change in jerseys.

Oh and if you'd like one last look at Moss in a Vikings Jersey, look no further.