The Nine N' 5 2/21/2007

Bracket Busters weekend was one of the best weekends in college basketball this season as some surprised on the road (Drexel, App. State) while others disappointed (VCU, Wichita State). Some of the the usual upsets took place as well as Florida went down at the hands of Vandy. Those shocked by that game should slap themselves as Vandy looks like a sleeper for the sweet 16 if they get a decent draw. No worries here though you won't be seeing an underachieving Buckeye team in the top spot, this isn't a ladder like those rankings the four letter network puts out.

1. Kansas (3) 24-4 11-2
I almost left Florida in their top spot even with the loss to Vandy but decided since I look at the whole profile (well most of it) I'd give the Jayhawks the nod this week. They did beat Florida by two on a neutral court this season even though Corey Brewer had mono. Kansas followed up a solid week last week with another blitzing of Nebraska by 53 and another win over K-State, this time in Manhattan. The only game they could lose left on the schedule is the season finale when they host Texas. If Kansas can put it together in March for once they could win the whole thing, I for one just don't see it.
This Week: 2/24 Iowa St, 2/26 @ Oklahoma

2. Florida (1) 25-3 12-1
The hardly surprising loss at Vandy barely costs them this week as Florida still looks like the best team in the country overall. Those who were shocked should remember Vandy led Florida by 11 at the half in their first meeting in Gainesville but couldn't hold on, this time they did. I for one am happy as maybe this will show the Gators they can't always come back. Also this past week Florida routed South Carolina who really isn't recovering well from the devastating loss of Renaldo Balkman after their NIT championship last year. Florida looks good to finish 15-1 in the SEC at this point though if the good Tennessee team shows up Tuesday they could knocked off the Gators.
This Week: 2/24 @ LSU, 2/27 @ Tennessee

3. UCLA (6) 23-3 12-2
UCLA slides past Ohio St. after going into Arizona and blowing out the Wildcats. Just when you thought Arizona was figuring it out they get embarrassed at home. UCLA is good but are they really that much better than Arizona? On paper definitely not, unfortunately for some #1 seed Arizona could be landing in a 8-9 match up near you. UCLA did need an 18-2 run to close to beat Arizona St. by 6 who at the time was still win less in league play. USC took the honor of losing to the Sun Devils, but hey at least they were on the road. The Bruins appear locked in for a #1 seed in the big dance as long as they can beat Wash St. March 1st and win the conference regular season championship. They'll look for a little vengeance this week as they welcome Stanford to Pauley Pavilion.
This Week: 2/22 California, 2/24 Stanford

4. Ohio State (4) 25-3 13-1
The Buckeyes hold steady in this spot after playing another close one with Penn State, I truly do wish one of these basement dwellers would pull off the upset. So many have gotten close and that is one of many reasons I think the Buckeye faithful will be crying again this march. Marco over at JCMJ breaks down why OSU is heading back to Columbus early this year and I couldn't agree more. The Buckeyes can't afford another bad outing this weekend as they welcome the Badgers to town with the league title on the line. If they do lose this one I have a feeling we could be seeing some more cruelty towards animals on the Ohio State campus.
This Week: 2/25 Wisconsin

5. Washington State (5) 22-4 11-3
After a week without games I elected to leave the Cougars right where they were last week with only UCLA jumping over them. Not much else to say other than they must win out to win the regular season title, that includes winning the aforementioned match up with UCLA.
This Week: 2/22 @ Oregon, 2/24 @ Oregon State

6. Wisconsin (2) 26-3 12-2
I expected the loss to Michigan State because they're a good home team and Drew Neitzel plays especially good at home. They should return the favor in Wisconsin to close the regular season I still think they need more consistent contributions from Brian Butch to go far in march. They probably lose a second consecutive game this weekend when they travel to Columbus with the league title on the line.
This Week: 2/25 @ Ohio State

7. North Carolina (7) 24-4 10-3
The Heels stay idle at the seven spot this week after wins over Boston College and NC State. I still think UNC is one of the best in the country and the big rotation they use should be a large advantage against a team like Florida if they can get the Gators into foul trouble. They only have one game on the schedule this week as they had to Maryland for a game that I can see the Terps stealing.
This Week: 2/25 @ Maryland


8. Georgetown (8)
The Hoyas continued their winnings ways this week after Jeff Green hit a big shot with 19.8 seconds left on the clock. Roy Hibbert went three strait halves against Villanova this season with attempting a shot befoire the second half of that game. He needs to be a little more consistent and impose his will on the front line if the Hoyas are going to make a return trip to the Sweet 16 or further. They have a chance to steal the Big East this weekend with a trip to Pitt, If Aaron Gray doesn't play I like G'Town in this game.
This Week: 2/24 @ Pitt

9. Southern Illinois (9)
SIU has all but sewn up the MVC regular season title and they had a fantastic week this past week going to Butler and knocking off the Bulldogs. My biggest question for the Salukis is the same as last year; Can they score enough to win in March? I'm not sure yet I think it really depends on their draw how far they go this season. I was thoroughly impressed with the job they did shutting down A.J. Graves against Butler. This team is a true wild card I just don't know yet.
This Week: Regular Season Finale 2/24 Evansville

Also Considered: Texas A&M, Memphis, Nevada, BYU and Texas

This Weeks 5:
Who are those potential top four seeds with a good chances to exit early come March? Here are a couple candidates, though I think it all depends on the draw.

5. Wisconsin - See what I said above, though I am beginning to think that I've been short changing their potential over the weeks.
4. Memphis - The talent is definitely there but they haven't played anyone and I doubt they get a draw as favorable as last year.
3. Oregon - If Brooks doesn't get it together they're going down in round one.
2. Ohio State - They tend to forget Oden's on the team and show their age way too much. If they have to play a team who can put up points in bunches and plays defense I think they could be in trouble.
1. Pittsburgh - Even with Aaron Gray I just do not like the Panthers while experienced their wing plays don't really impress me. I see the Panthers bidding adieu by round two as a best case scenario for them.

The Nine N' 5 2/14/2007

Upsets, near upsets, and strange blowouts highlighted the week in college basketball. Allowing it to easily maintain its spot as the most unpredictable of big time sports on the planet. Their's quite a shakeup in The Nine this week with all the top tier HOME losses.

1. Florida (1) 24-2 11-0
The Gators got off to a great start against Kentucky this weekend before letting the Wildcats come back to make a game of it. I think I may have figured out how to beat the Gators and UNC may be the team to do it. It's going to take a deep team with good big men that can compete well inside against Horford and Noah and get them into foul trouble. For the record their were a lot of tick tack foul calls in the Kentucky game but the Gators survived and now may be flirting with an undefeated SEC record. I do think they need a loss before the NCAA tournament starts however as trying to put together a thirty of so game winning streak would certainly be tough to do. The streak currently stand at 17 which ties last years season opening streak would hit 22 if they win their final 5 regular season games. The Gators also decided to let another team think they might beat them as Alabama just like Vandy led the game by 11 at half only to lose by 9 in the end after the Gators turned it on in the second half. The Gators are playing with fire a little bit but I still think they're far and away the best team in the country.
This Week: 2/17 @ Vandy, 2/21 South Carolina

2. Wisconsin (3) 25-2 11-1
The Badgers get this spot almost by default having played really no one this past week. They even struggled for most of the game tonight against a 9-16 Minnesota team before putting them away for the 13 point victory. I do think Wisconsin is currently the weakest overall team in terms of #1 seed contenders. They deserve a #1 without a doubt but I just think as I've said before they rely too much on Alando Tucker. If he has an off game they're going to get beat by a team that shouldn't even be able to compete with them. As of now I'm going to go ahead and say Ohio State wins the rematch and the Big Ten regular season title. That is assuming they don't go into one of there "Who's Greg Oden again?" lulls during that game.
This Week: 2/17 Penn State, 2/20 @ Mich St.

3. Kansas (9) 22-4 9-2
Big jump for the Jayhawks this week but with nearly everyone else losing and they;re utter domination of since losing a game they should have won against Texas A&M. The 'Hawks won by a combined 47 points on the road against Missouri and Colorado after beating a Kansas State by 27 at home following the A&M game. Julian Wright looks like the real deal, he can fill up every inch of the stat sheet and if he's playing well this team can beat anyone in the country. They should continue their dominance this week as they take on Nebraska who they beat by 20 two weeks ago and also a rematch with K State in Manhattan.
This Week: 2/17 Nebraska, 2/19 @ Kansas State

4. Ohio State (5) 23-3 11-1
The Buckeyes had another solid week pushing their win streak to 10 against mediocre Big Ten opposition. They were all set to take the #3 spot over before they barely squeaked by Penn State on the road tonight. Geary Claxton is one of the better players in the Big Ten who gets no publicity at all and he put together a solid all around game in this one with 19 and 10 boards but the Nittany Lions couldn't pull off the upset. The Buckeyes fell into one of those previously mentioned lulls in the second half of this one, much like the Mich St. game getting outscored 24-43 by the Nittany Lions. I still think they'll steal the Big Ten from Wisconsin but it'd hard to be encouraged by the way they play against the bottom feeders in the Big Ten. This is one of the reasons I think they're nothing more than a lock for a #2 seed come march.
This Week: 2/18 @ Minnesota, 2/21 Penn State

5. Washington State (7) 22-4 11-3
The Cougars continue to climb the rankings and build a strong case heading toward march. Wazzu is beginning to look like the best team in the talent rich Pac-10, better maybe even than UCLA. They did lose in Los Angeles but will get a chance at redemption in Spokane when the Bruins come calling' on the first day or March. This past week Wazzu knocked off Cal and also won on the road against the state rival Huskies. Wazzu had 8 days off after tonight's game with Washington before a double dip at the Oregon schools.
This Week: Strangely No Games

6. UCLA (2) 21-3 10-2
In their only game of the week UCLA went to West Virgina and came out with a 70-65 loss at the hands of the Mountaineers. Darren Collison did not play however, if he does I think they win that that game. UCLA still has the inside track to win the Pac-10 and get a #! seed though as the WVU game was out of conference. The rematch with Wazzu could decide the conference regular season title on the second to last day of the Pac-10 regular season.
This Week: 2/15 @ Arizona State, 2/17 @ Arizona

7. North Carolina (4) 22-4 8-3
Despite being swept by Va. Tech this season and suffering their first home loss UNC is still one of the best four teams in the country and has to make this list. Not to mention they beat another team by a ridiculous margin, that team Wake Forest fell 104-67 in Chapel Hill. BC has them by half a game right now in the ACC but I still like the Heels to win the conference regular season and tournament titles and entering March on the right track. You have to like the Hokies chances come march if they can shake the inconsistency and come to play every night.
This Week: 2/17 @ Boston College, 2/21 NC State

8. Georgetown (UNR) 19-5 9-2
The Hoyas have ripped off 8 strait wins and appear to be heating up at the right time. In their last two wins they absolutely dominated Marquette and a West Virgina team that was coming off a win over UCLA. Does that make G'Town better than UCLA? Probably not but I do like this team to do some major damage in March if Roy Hibbert continues to play the inspired ball and dominate the paint like everyone expected when the season started. The Hoyas have a shot to steal the Big East from Pitt if they can beat Pitt on the road in two weeks.
This Week: 2/17 @ Villanova, 2/21 @ Cincinnati

9. Southern Illinois (UNR) 22-5 13-3
The Salukis are an impressive 13-3 in one of the toughest most balanced conferences in the country, the Missouri Valley. Their wins include season sweeps of Creighton and Missouri State the second and third best teams in the conference. The Salukis are on pace for a top 5 seed in the tournament especially if they can pull off the upset and beat Butler on the road this Saturday. Should be a great game, I know I'll be on my couch watching it. I don't know if the Salukis have the scoring punch to make a major run in the tournament this year but they've had an impressive season and a win over Butler would change my mind.
This Week: 2/17 @ Butler, 2/21 @ Indiana State

Dropped Out: Texas A&M, Marquette, Oregon Also Considered: USC, Texas, Va. Tech, San Diego State, Pitt, Nevada, VCU, ODU, BYU

This Weeks 5:
Mid-Majors who likely need to win their conference tournament to make the dance.

5. Hofstra - Needed to beat ODU on the road on Tuesday.
4. Wichita St. - Tonight's loss at Drake was likely the final nail in their coffin.
3. Drexel - Those non-conf road wins are useless if you can't win at William & Mary.
2. Bradley - A Win at VCU would help, but not enough to cover up that 29 point thumping @ MSU.
1. San Diego St. -Despite throttling Air Force and UNLV in the last two weeks the non-conf is pretty bad. Not to mention can the MWC really get four bids? I doubt it.

No Gays Allowed On My Team!

While there have been some interesting comments thus far regarding the admission by John Amaechi that he is in fact a homosexual. The latest by former NBA player Tim Hardaway certainly takes first prize at the republican bigot national convention. Hardaway who was making the media rounds today representing the "NBA Cares" for an upcoming project over all-star weekend appeared on the Dan Le Batard show in Miami. His interview was almost over but Dan wanted to ask him one last question. How would Tim deal with a gay teammate?

"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team," Hardaway replied. "And second of all, if he was on my team, I would really distance myself from him because, uh, I don't think that is right. I don't think he should be in the locker room while we are in the locker room. But stuff like that is going on and there's a lot of other people I hear that are like that and still in the closet and don't want to come out of the closet, but you know I just leave that alone."

It gets even better folks, when Dan asked him what he would do if he had a gay teammate Hardaway said he would ask for the player to be traded or bought out of his contract. This is by far one of the most asinine things I have ever heard in my life. I found it particularly surprising considering I had only a little while before seen Tim interviewed on ESPNews. During that particular interview Tim seemed to be doing a good job of promoting what the NBA would be doing this weekend. I will not be explaining what that is as Tim doesn't deserve any positive publicity regardless of what their doing this weekend. Dan obviously caught him off guard as ESPN did not ask him anything about Amaechi, it is possible of course he asked them not to. He has in the last hour or so apologized for his comments, but if you hear the audio its pretty clear he meant everything he said. He responded with exactly what he thought on the subject and retracting the statement at this point isn't going to change that. He should have asked Jim Mora about making comments on radio shows they get around fast no matter what show it is. Le Batard's show I would imagine is pretty big though considering he's on ESPN all the time. Congratulation's to Tim Hardaway, he just made Shavlik Randolph looks like a nice and accepting guy.

To see the rest of Tim's comments visit The San Jose Mercury News' article hear.

Hear Tim's comments here. Its under Motion in the box on the right side of the page.

It's What's On The Outside That Counts!

It amazes me sometimes how just being an attractive woman and ending up on television at the right moment can lead to a spread in Maxim. Not to mention a job with SI for FSU Cowgirl Jenn Sterger, she may be coming to a campus near you. This particular woman managed to get "fuck" on national television by creating a t-shirt for herself. Maxim went ahead and picked her up and took photos of her and I'm sure they competition was fierce to land her. Here's a small excerpt from her interview with Maxim:

Are you a season ticket holder?
Yeah. I sit in the same seats, every game, 30-yard line. So the one day I'm wasted and half-undressed, I make it on national television with "Fuck" on my shirt. [laughs] Just insane. Usually I don't get drunk at the games because I need to pay attention to what's going on.

But this time you had a few too many?
Yeah, just to give you a little insight into how my day was going, before the game I was drinking Red Bull and vodka and pouring Pop Rocks into my mouth, letting it foam out.

Nothing like a little hard earned publicity, it is the American way after all. I'm not hating though, good for her, she sure isn't painful to look at. Without a doubt the "Fuck Jeff Feagles" shirt is the best one. We may never know which of these pictures truly reflects her appearance, but it probably falls somewhere in the middle. If she comes trailer free I'll take here...

Thanks to Just Call Me Juice as it took me a few minutes but I remembered where I had originally seen her before her over publication.

Is It Just Me?

Or is the NBA season already boring? I don't know about everyone else but even as a die hard basketball fan I can barely watch an NBA game. Instead I've watched all kinds of obscure college games (Florida A&M-N.C. A&T anyone?). The NBA season is only approaching the mid-season break and It's already predictable how it will end. I could probably name where I think each team will finish in each conference and only miss one or two. Those two would likely be bottom feeders or late movers (Rockets?) who are getting injured players back into shape, and into the lineup. I truly believe the league needs to figure something out to keep it's fans interested throughout the season. I go through this every year, I'm as pumped as ever for the first ball to be tipped and then by February I'm ready for the playoffs to start. I'm ready for the real drama, which unfortunately is not how many games the Celtics can actually lose in succession. It's all about elimination games where it really counts. Honestly the Mavericks have more or less locked up first out West with Nash's injury providing some breathing room. The Pistons appear to have the East firmly as they continue to improve with Webber (Wow, was I wrong on that one, so far anyway). The rest will fall in line behind those two conference leaders. The only things about the NBA currently interesting to me are the Nuggets losing, and the Rockets pulling with a half game of San Antonio for the 3 spot out West.

Meanwhile, David Stern is somewhere smiling enjoying the revenue and looking forward to a Las Vegas party. Stephen Jackson I would hope will be barred from the event, all things considered. Yet watching Gerald Green dunk, Mike Miller shoot, and the ridiculous skills contest is of no interest to me. Oh and don't even get me started on that stupid shooting stars competition. I'd rather watch the D-League All-Star game than that, the D-League game I do not believe is televised unfortunately for those of you who got excited. It is taking place in the Mandalay Bay south convention center for those of you who will be in the area. Rather than putting his players in a place where the potential to do bad things is so great its almost a guarantee. I would anticipate this being mid-level guys though for those of you hoping for pictures of LeBron leading gangland beating of a bar manager like Jamaal Tinsley did. I think its pretty clear he'd have to be traded to the Pacers first. It really must be boring in Indianapolis because I don't remember Marquis Daniels ever getting into trouble before this year. It is possible that it just wasn't as publicized because Dallas sportswriters actually have something else to write about.

I don't know exactly what the NBA should do about its predictability and the overall distraction it can be from what really matters. College Basketball where all the players actually care not just half of them. Maybe a Mark Cuban-Dwayne Wade death match? Before the match both must re-draft their last will and testament leaving all possessions to the winner. I honestly have no idea where to from here, but I know one thing. The rest of the season won't be much different from the first half. Let's get to the playoffs already, or at least start Baseball early...

The Nine N' 5 1/7/2007

It was an interesting week in College Basketball with top teams going down one after another. One constant remains however, and that is this weeks top team.

1. Florida (3)
The Gators extended the nations longest winning streak to 15 tonight with a win at Georgia in a more or less boring game. It wasn't a blow out by any means as the Gators won by 10, but watching it at no time did I even consider Georgia a threat to win it. Florida also blew out Tennessee this week, minus Chris Lofton it won't be as easy when they see a healthy Lofton at Rocky Top. Florida takes its show on the road this week to Kentucky and then hosts Alabama, both teams can beat them but I think only Kentucky is a threat. 'Bama is a horrible road team and has a good chance to get routed by the Gators.
This Week: 2/10 @ Kentucky, 2/14 Alabama


2. UCLA (6)
The Bruins jump four spots this week after going 3-0, including a game against Oregon in which they result was never in question. UCLA also blew Oregon St out of the gym and knocked off USC as well. The game against Oregon was probably the most impressive as they took a solid 10 point lead out of the gate and never let Oregon get within striking distance. I was expecting it to be a much more hard fought game but it was far from it. UCLA heads to West Virgina this for a game they should win, but going on the road cross country is never easy and WVU could pull the upset.
This Week: 2/10 @ West Virgina

3. Wisconsin (5)
The Badgers put together a 2-0 week with a relatively easy victory on the road over Penn State and a home win over Northwestern. Wisconsin had little trouble dispatching N'western after struggling against them on the road. The Badgers get bonus points for bouncing back strongly from last weeks loss to Indiana. Wisconsin should keep it rolling as they take on Iowa and Minnesota this week, neither of which is a very good team. They've got to continue to win games against lesser competition by 10+ points to hold this spot.
This Week: 2/10 Iowa, 2/14 @ Minnesota

4. North Carolina (1)
The young and talented Tar Heels got bored and managed to let a mediocre NC State get them on the road before taking their trip to Durham tonight. UNC trailed for most of the game against Duke before coming back to pick up a tough road victory over the Blue Devils who have lost 3 strait for the first time since 1996. Despite playing a bad all-around game the Heels took advantage of an exhausted Duke team late to win. My advice for March would be to slow them down and force them into the half court but then again most people already know that. UNC should win both games this week, despite being dominated by Va. Tech on the road they're just too good at home and Va. Tech has been shaky lately. I think the Heels could have both of there games this week won at halftime.
This Week: 2/10 Wake Forest, 2/14 Virgina Tech

5. Ohio State (7)
The Buckeyes got consideration for the four spot this week but neither of their victories was impressive enough to over take the Tar Heels, It's not their fault the Big Ten is as bad as it is but there not playing anyone too good. OSU didn't have much trouble in East Lansing beating the Spartans by more than they did on their home floor, disapproving many who thought they would lose, me included. They also welcomed a bad Michigan team to Columbus and picked up another big ten victory as everyone looks forward to their rematch with Wisconsin in Columbus to end the month. They should pick up another two victories this week as they face some more bad Big Ten competition.
This Week: 2/10 Purdue, 2/14 @ Penn State

6. Texas A&M (UNR)
The Aggies posted an impressive week with wins at Kansas and over Texas at home. In the Kansas game they trailed by double digits for a large portion of the second half before going on a 17-4 run to end the game and walk out with a win. Acie Law's 3 ball down by two late in the game would prove to be the dagger, and you have to wonder why Brandon Rush would give him that much space. That wasn't enough for the Aggies however as they went home to welcome Texas and suddenly they were a high scoring team. That probably has more to do with the 'Horns than the Aggies but A&M blitzed the 'Horns 100-82 in a game that was over in the early part of the second half. It's a much easier week for the Aggies this week as they try to hold the top spot in the Big 12. I anticipate a 2-0 week ahead as they get Texas Tech at home this time, and Tech is a horrible road team.
This Week: 2/10 @ Nebraska, 2/13 Texas Tech

7. Washington State (8)
Solid 2-0 week for the Cougars as they hit the two Arizona schools in one road trip and came out unscathed. They won at Arizona by 6 and the result was never really in question in the final minutes of the game. Derrick Low looks fantastic and he seems to shoot the lights out every time I get to watch the WSU play. Low attempted just six shots two days later making half of them as his team barely escaped Arizona St with a win 48-47. I don't know if they were tired or not but theirs no reason they should struggle against the worst team in the Pac-10. WSU heads into a three game week that ends in Washington against the in-state rival. They'll be looking to avenge a previous loss to Standford, this time at home and the Cal game should be a win if they wanna stay on this list.
This Week: 2/8 Stanford, 2/10 Cal, 2/14 @ Washington

8. Oregon (2)
The Ducks drop 6 spots after an 0-2 road trip through Los Angeles that included a bore fest of a loss to UCLA, and another close loss to USC. Though USC was in control for most of the game Oregon got it close late but just couldn't pull off the road win. Oregon will finally return home this week after 4 consecutive road games that saw them finish 1-3, if not for their strong resume up to this point and the strength of the Pac-10 as a whole some might be talking bubble for Oregon right now. But no one is for a reason, Oregon's a lock unless they completely fall apart at home. They'll be welcoming the two Arizona schools to Eugene this week and should be able to bounce back from a tough last two weeks.
This Week: 2/9 Arizona St, 2/10 Arizona

9a. Kansas (4)
I copping out to keep Kansas on the list this week after tonight's absolute destruction of Kansas State. Kansas had a disappointing week however falling to Texas A&M in a game they lead the entire way and had no business losing. The 'Hawks failed to take advantage of having the two teams only meeting this season at home and it may have cost them the Big 12 regular season crown. Kansas lead the game throughout and up until the last few minutes appeared as though they would cruise to a 10-12 point victory. Yet with less than a minute left they found themselves up by just 2 points with Acie Law putting the dagger in their hearts, and in Brandon Rush's eye. Kansas missed a bunny and then a 3 point attempt at the buzzer, but the game was over when Law hit that shot. The shot is one Law never should have been able to take. Rush gave him way too much space in a pressure situation because he was afraid he was going to drive right past him and tie the game. Law undoubtedly noticed this and ended the game right there, you have guys defending behind you for a reason you absolutely have to play tight at this point in a game. Rush was the goat on this night and come March it may be the same story for the 'Hawks is they see themselves making another early exit. Teams have apparently caught on to Rush's iffy ball handling skills in the half court and have tried to keep Kansas slowed down and force him into mistakes. He's a fantastic player but he makes strange decisions at times and never seems to show up in the big games (was 3-13 from the field vs A&M). Kansas has a pretty easy week ahead despite a pair of road games.
This Week: 2/10 @ Missouri, 2/14 @ Colorado

9b. Marquette (9)
The Golden Eagles extended their win streak to eight this past week avenging a previous loss to Providence and knocking off Rutgers as well. The Eagles have their toughest test since winning at Pitt. this week as they head to Georgetown to try and knock off the Hoyas who have been playing pretty well lately. It's an interesting match up on paper as G'town is a large team compared to the Eagles who start three guards and looks to beat you with speed. I like Marquette here but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Hoyas pick up the victory.
This Week: 2/10 @ G'town, 2/14 @ DePaul

NOTE: Had to do the 9a, b this week because I couldn't knock Marquette off the list after a perfect week and Kansas hasn't quite fallen of the radar yet.

Others Receiving Consideration:
Pittsburgh, Butler, USC, So. Illinois, and Nevada.

The Bottom 5:
The candidates for early exit come march reside on this list, their are many more but I keep it to 5.
5. Alabama - Starting to finally get it together it appears winning a rare road game, albeit at LSU this past week. They did need a buzzer beat to beat Ole Miss at home however.
4. Oklahoma State - Now losers of 7 strait big 12 road wins, the once lock for the tourney could be heading for the bubble if they don't right this ship.
3. Clemson - After a 17-0 start the Tigers are just 2-5 since including a three blowout loses, one of which was to... Georgia Tech of all teams.
2. Duke - Losing to UVA on the road was fine, but the loss to Florida ST at home isn't and they made it three strait losses tonight at home against UNC.
1. Michigan St - Just when you think they might be getting it together they get outscored 36-12 in the second half by Purdue of all teams and lose 62-38 to extend their losing streak to 4.

The Time Has Come

For the last two weeks I have refrained from commenting on the football game to be played today. I felt like you had all heard enough from the mainstream media that you didn't need my thoughts until the last minute. Not to mention all the uncertainty that surrounds a game that everyone seemed to think was a route when Indy survived the Patriots. The media got the hype machine rolling though, and thanks to the Bears impressive score against the Saints were able to garner some respect. The score in that game, was not at all indicative of how close it was. If the Saints don't turn the ball over four times they win, bar none, without a shadow of a doubt. Drew Brees threw the ball all over the Bears defense all day, so what do think Mr. Manning might do? If the Colts win and I'm saying IF I think they not only cover the spread but make it 14 at least. A Bears victory I think results in a close hard fought game with Robbie Gould hitting the game winner. Now for my prediction......

Colts 34 Bears 17

Theirs a chance I'm wrong here but if the Colts can move the ball on the ground even somewhat effectively, and their defense makes most of the tackles they win easily. They don't need to be the defense they were against the Chiefs but we can't have the defense they showed up with against Houston either. The Bears secondary is in for a long day, their only shot rests on getting to Manning early and very often. Meanwhile, I think the speed of the Colts ends will be a little much for the Bears and they'll be in Grossman's face all day long leading to maybe many mistakes. If the Colts get up 2 scores its over... end of story. That's it for me, now go enjoy your parties, your booze, and your tears if your team loses.