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.