AL EAST
1. Red Sox
2. Yankees
3. Rays
4. Orioles
5. Blue Jays
I am picking the Boston Red Sox as the clear favorite to come out of the AL East because of the acquisition of 1B Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez extends their lineup and makes it deeper. Barring injuries to the Red Sox like those of which they had to endure last season, I don’t see why the Sox can’t win 100+ games. I expect the Yankees to finish second based on pedigree. Their starting rotation will struggle with Ivan Nova learning to pitch in the majors for a full season and Freddy Garcia not being as effective has he has in the past. The Rays will compete all the way to the end, but with aging veterans in Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon and young pitching from Jeremy Hellickson will be their Achilles heal at the end of the season. I believe this year the Orioles will climb out of the AL East cellar due to off season signings of Vladimir Guerrero, Derrek Lee, Kevin Gregg, and J.J. Hardy. The biggest reason why this will be a better season for the Orioles is because of their skipper Buck Showalter. Showalter took over halfway through last season and had a record winning over .600. Showalter knows how to get the best out of his players and with a full season as the manager, don’t be surprised if the Orioles play spoiler and win 70+ games. The Blue Jays draw the short straw in this division. Last year we saw Ricky Romero and Brandon Morrow mature and Jose Bautista blast 50 home runs, but there isn’t much else going on for the Blue Jays. The pitching staff still needs to develop, the bullpen lost their closer in Gregg and their lineup isn’t that deep past Bautista and Lind.
AL CENTRAL
1. Tigers
2. Twins
3. White Sox
4. Royals
5. Indians
Once again the central division will most likely come down to the last week of the season with the top three teams (Tigers, Twins, and White Sox) right in the mix of everything. The reason I put the Tigers at the top of the division is because of the free agent signings of Victor Martinez and Joaquin Benoit. I also strongly believe that Rick Porcello and Max Scherzer will have bounce back years. Both spent time in the minors working on their mechanics and pitches and both pitched effectively the latter part of last season. The Twins are very capable of taking this division, but the health of 1B Justin Morneau is a big question mark. If he doesn’t have a productive season, then the Twins will struggle for power in the middle of the lineup. Also, Carl Pavano won’t pitch as well as he did last year and Francisco Liriano has been talked about here and there in trade rumors. The White Sox are another team capable of taking down this division, but their question marks are the health of Jake Peavy and the closing abilities of Matt Thorton. But, with Adam Dunn hitting in the middle of the lineup now, it’s possibly, but can the starting rotation of Peavy, Buerhle, Danks, Floyd, Jackson keep it together for an entire season. The Royals will finish ahead of the Indians as the Indians do not have much going for them in either the hitting or pitching department besides catching sensation Carlos Santana (who is also coming off a major knee injury).
AL WEST
1. Athletics
2. Rangers
3. Angels
4. Mariners
I chose the Athletics as my sleeper team this year and I am sticking by them. They will win their division and their starting rotation of Cahill, Gonzalez, Anderson, and Braden will lead the way. All four matured a lot last year and now with another year of experience under their belt, expect them to soar. Also, the A’s bullpen is one of the stronger ones in the AL with Wuertz, Balfour, Breslow, Fuentes, and Bailey. Their offense also got a shot in the arm with acquisition of CF David DeJesus who had a nice year with the Royals last year before getting injured. Despite the Rangers winning the division last year, I think they will have a small fallout with the loss of Cliff Lee and trade rumor speculations of Michael Young. The Rangers tried to fill Lee’s spot with Brandon Webb but has not pitched since the 2009 season and is coming off shoulder injury/surgery. Colby Lewis won’t pitch as effectively as he did last season and Adrian Beltre won’t put up the same numbers as he did in Boston. The Angels are a tricky team to pick as it is hard to go against Mike Scioscia, but if you look at the team as a whole, some red flags pop up. The Angels outfield is aging with Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter, and Vernon Wells. Kendray Morales will be starting the season on the DL and their starting rotation doesn’t go past three deep. Weaver, Santana, and Haren will pitch well and put up their expected numbers, but Scott Kazmir has struggled badly this spring and I expect it to continue into the regular season. The Mariners did not do much in the offseason to improve their team around King Felix and Ichiro Suzuki.
Predictions:
AL MVP: Evan Longoria
Going into his 4th season, Longoria should have a breakout year belting 30 + HR, 100+ RBI’s and bat above .300 as he has really gotten to know the pitching in the American League
AL CY Young: Justin Verlander
Even though Felix Hernandez won it last year with tremendous pitching numbers, I think the number of innings pitcher over the past couple years coming into this year will catch up with him and cause arm fatigue. Verlander pitched well last year and has electric stuff and this is the year he puts it all together to have a CY Young type of season.
AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson
This kid has excellent control, a lot of confidence in himself and his stuff. He possesses one of the better change-ups in the game already as a young pitcher. With Price and Shields to lead the way for him, I expect Hellickson to run away with the Rookie of the Year award.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The Final Four
We started with 68 teams, but now we are down to the 2011 Final Four. Two names well known to the biggest stage, one who is a repeat from last year, and one who can make history as the biggest underdog ever.
The University of Connecticut has been run all year by the coaching of Jim Calhoun, and the stellar superstar play of Kemba Walker. In 19 days the Connecticut Huskies have won 9 games. Five straight wins to capture the Big East Championship started this hot streak, followed by an opening round beating on the number 14 seed Bucknell. When the field was narrowed to 32, the Huskies faced off against Big East foe Cincinnati, and defeated them for a second time in a see saw brawl. After that UConn headed to the west coast for their regional Sweet 16 match up against San Diego State. Despite the tenacity of the Mountain West Conference winner, Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker combined for 60 points to defeat SDSU. Finally in the Elite 8, Connecticut led by their two stud guards, were able to overcome a late run by Arizona. The Wildcats had two chances to win it at the end, but could not take advantage. Connecticut will go on to the Final Four, being the hottest team in America, adding in the fact that they have a leader like Kemba Walker, who has made big shot after big shot. The Connecticut Huskies may be the team to beat of these four, but as we have seen in this tournament, anything can and will happen.
The Butler Bulldogs will make their second consecutive trip to the Final Four, after making yet ANOTHER epic run. Coming into the season Butler had to face the fact that their best player from a year before (Gordon Hayward) was now gone. Despite losing their best shooter the Bulldogs still had two of the key pieces that brought this team to the promised land a year before. Shelvin Mack has arguably played better then any guard this entire tournament. Matt Howard, the heart and soul of Butler, made game winning shots in both their victory over Old Dominion, and their first upset against the number one seed Pittsburgh. The upsets did not end their as stellar defense held the number four seed Wisconsin to 30% shooting, and sent them home early. The biggest test was yet to come, as they took on the number two seeded Florida Gators who had been streaking as of late as well. Another back and forth battle, saw Butler do the impossible and defeat the Gators who are known to be a tournament team in the recent past. Mack's brilliance shined as he scored 27 points, five in the overtime period. What people may not realize is that Butler has won 13 straight games. Butler will hope for revenge after losing in the National Championship last year against Duke.
On selection Sunday the entire world was shocked to see the name Virginia Commonwealth name be called. Media, critics, and fans all were disappointed as they believed teams like Colorado and Virginia Tech were snubbed. Two weeks later we now find VCU as one of the Final Four teams. VCU has won the most games in this years tournament, as they had to defeat USC to get into the round of 64. After that they took down Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State, and Kansas. For Virginia Commonwealth they have made two statements. The first statement made was that they DID belong in this tournament. This choice by the committee was questioned at first, but no one can argue whether they belong or not. The second statement made was that the little conference teams can compete and defeat the power conferences. In this NCAA run, the Rams have defeated teams in the Pac 10, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and the Big East, which sent 11 teams to the tournament. Led by the point guard play of Joey Rodriguez, and the all around game of Jamie Skeen VCU will be playing in the Final Four, and the third 11 seed ever to get to this point.
John Calipari had all the talent in the world last year, but could not vault his young Kentucky team into the final weekend. After seeing the likes of Demarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton and John Wall all leave early for the draft, what was Kentucky to do? Reload. Kentucky reloaded again with more talent then imaginable with Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight. After early season struggles in winning road games, Kentucky finds themselves winning four games in neutral sites and a trip to the National Semifinals. For John Calipari this is the first time he sees the Final Four since bringing a Memphis team there years ago. That team lost to Kansas in 2008 despite a near triple double by current NBA star Derrick Rose. Kentucky in their past two games went against the toughest number two seed in North Carolina, to go along with their Sweet 16 victory against arguably the best team in the nation in Ohio State. Brandon Knight has been one of the most exciting players thus far, but a familiar face has been the reason for the success. Despite the youth strength Kentucky portrays the accelerated play of big man Josh Harrellson has really paid dividends. For Kentucky everyone is playing well, but the scary aspect is that we have not seen the best of star freshmen Terrence Jones yet.
Final Four Match ups
#11 VCU against #Butler- Cinderella vs Cinderella. David vs David. Only one of these small program teams will move on, but in all reality this may be the most exciting and unthinkable Final Four match up of ALL TIME. VCU will be playing with the chip on their shoulder that they have been playing with all tournament, while Butler seeks gaining the trophy which they see as destiny.
#4 Kentucky vs #3 Connecticut- The rematch. In game one back in November, UConn defeated Kentucky by 17 points, to win the Maui Invitational. The difference between now and then, Kentucky has excelled to be one of the most dangerous teams in the nation due to stellar inside and outside game. Buckle up for the ride, as Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker will be battling at all costs for their chance at the National Title.
The unique Final Four features two big time programs facing off , and two Cinderella hopefuls trying to do the impossible. One thing is for sure, all four teams are here for the same reason... WIN.
The University of Connecticut has been run all year by the coaching of Jim Calhoun, and the stellar superstar play of Kemba Walker. In 19 days the Connecticut Huskies have won 9 games. Five straight wins to capture the Big East Championship started this hot streak, followed by an opening round beating on the number 14 seed Bucknell. When the field was narrowed to 32, the Huskies faced off against Big East foe Cincinnati, and defeated them for a second time in a see saw brawl. After that UConn headed to the west coast for their regional Sweet 16 match up against San Diego State. Despite the tenacity of the Mountain West Conference winner, Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker combined for 60 points to defeat SDSU. Finally in the Elite 8, Connecticut led by their two stud guards, were able to overcome a late run by Arizona. The Wildcats had two chances to win it at the end, but could not take advantage. Connecticut will go on to the Final Four, being the hottest team in America, adding in the fact that they have a leader like Kemba Walker, who has made big shot after big shot. The Connecticut Huskies may be the team to beat of these four, but as we have seen in this tournament, anything can and will happen.
The Butler Bulldogs will make their second consecutive trip to the Final Four, after making yet ANOTHER epic run. Coming into the season Butler had to face the fact that their best player from a year before (Gordon Hayward) was now gone. Despite losing their best shooter the Bulldogs still had two of the key pieces that brought this team to the promised land a year before. Shelvin Mack has arguably played better then any guard this entire tournament. Matt Howard, the heart and soul of Butler, made game winning shots in both their victory over Old Dominion, and their first upset against the number one seed Pittsburgh. The upsets did not end their as stellar defense held the number four seed Wisconsin to 30% shooting, and sent them home early. The biggest test was yet to come, as they took on the number two seeded Florida Gators who had been streaking as of late as well. Another back and forth battle, saw Butler do the impossible and defeat the Gators who are known to be a tournament team in the recent past. Mack's brilliance shined as he scored 27 points, five in the overtime period. What people may not realize is that Butler has won 13 straight games. Butler will hope for revenge after losing in the National Championship last year against Duke.
On selection Sunday the entire world was shocked to see the name Virginia Commonwealth name be called. Media, critics, and fans all were disappointed as they believed teams like Colorado and Virginia Tech were snubbed. Two weeks later we now find VCU as one of the Final Four teams. VCU has won the most games in this years tournament, as they had to defeat USC to get into the round of 64. After that they took down Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State, and Kansas. For Virginia Commonwealth they have made two statements. The first statement made was that they DID belong in this tournament. This choice by the committee was questioned at first, but no one can argue whether they belong or not. The second statement made was that the little conference teams can compete and defeat the power conferences. In this NCAA run, the Rams have defeated teams in the Pac 10, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and the Big East, which sent 11 teams to the tournament. Led by the point guard play of Joey Rodriguez, and the all around game of Jamie Skeen VCU will be playing in the Final Four, and the third 11 seed ever to get to this point.
John Calipari had all the talent in the world last year, but could not vault his young Kentucky team into the final weekend. After seeing the likes of Demarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton and John Wall all leave early for the draft, what was Kentucky to do? Reload. Kentucky reloaded again with more talent then imaginable with Terrence Jones and Brandon Knight. After early season struggles in winning road games, Kentucky finds themselves winning four games in neutral sites and a trip to the National Semifinals. For John Calipari this is the first time he sees the Final Four since bringing a Memphis team there years ago. That team lost to Kansas in 2008 despite a near triple double by current NBA star Derrick Rose. Kentucky in their past two games went against the toughest number two seed in North Carolina, to go along with their Sweet 16 victory against arguably the best team in the nation in Ohio State. Brandon Knight has been one of the most exciting players thus far, but a familiar face has been the reason for the success. Despite the youth strength Kentucky portrays the accelerated play of big man Josh Harrellson has really paid dividends. For Kentucky everyone is playing well, but the scary aspect is that we have not seen the best of star freshmen Terrence Jones yet.
Final Four Match ups
#11 VCU against #Butler- Cinderella vs Cinderella. David vs David. Only one of these small program teams will move on, but in all reality this may be the most exciting and unthinkable Final Four match up of ALL TIME. VCU will be playing with the chip on their shoulder that they have been playing with all tournament, while Butler seeks gaining the trophy which they see as destiny.
#4 Kentucky vs #3 Connecticut- The rematch. In game one back in November, UConn defeated Kentucky by 17 points, to win the Maui Invitational. The difference between now and then, Kentucky has excelled to be one of the most dangerous teams in the nation due to stellar inside and outside game. Buckle up for the ride, as Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker will be battling at all costs for their chance at the National Title.
The unique Final Four features two big time programs facing off , and two Cinderella hopefuls trying to do the impossible. One thing is for sure, all four teams are here for the same reason... WIN.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Big LEAST, Not Big East
It was the greatest thing that could have happened to the Big East Conference two Sundays ago. Eleven of the sixteen teams in the conference were selected to take part in the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. This was a record for representatives from one conference making it into the national tournament. We sit here a week later and see the best case scenario, turn into the worst.
After the first weekend of tournament play, the Big East Conference is only sending two (#3 Connecticut, #11 Marquette) of those original eleven to the Sweet 16. The top EIGHT teams in the conference are all eliminated from the tournament. Of those nine that are back at school, four were a five seed or higher, and three were a three, two or one seeds. Also, of those nine teams, FIVE lost to seeds ten or lower.
The win/loss result is not even the big deal here, it is the way most (not all) of the teams in the conference went out. #9 Villanova lost to #9George Mason in the first round, because they could not execute at the end of the game. It did not help there case that there best players, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes showed up for only the first half. Villanova's season ended with their team losing six straight games. #4 Louisville had their season come to a crashing end, when they were shocked and upset by #13 Morehead State. Louisville may have been looking forward to the next rounds, but they sure overlooked Morehead St. Losing with seconds left on the clock makes this situation worse for the Cardinals. No excuse why a Big East elite, loses to an Ohio Valley team, NONE. Two of the Big East #6 seeds lost in the first round of the dance, as #11 seeds Gonzaga and Virginia Commonwealth defeat St. John's and Georgetown respectively. In a year where St. John's defeated the rest of the Big East, this game held true of how they are overrated. They can't win away from Madison Square Garden, and they struggle against lower teams. The DJ Kennedy injury affected this team, but even with him they get beat by Gonzaga. Georgetown once again could not get into their offense, and could not handle a team that should not be in the tournament. VCU is making noise and all, but the fact is if there were basketball people on the selection commitee, then VCU does not even get that opportunity. Georgetown basically lost to an NIT team when it mattered the most. The highest seeds the Big East had won one game, then got beat in the round of 32. #2 Notre Dame was smothered by #10 Florida State. Notre Dame was never in this game, being down double digits almost the entire game. Florida State defeated Duke, but in all honestly not that great of a team as they have lost to the likes of Auburn, Maryland, and Virginia Tech (twice). Notre Dame was exposed, and proven to be one of the most vulnerable teams in the tournament. Pittsburgh, supposidly the best team in the Big East, gets the pumpkin thrown on them, as Cinderella Butler wins this game. At the end of this game Pittsburgh has a chance to win this game by making a free throw. Pittsburgh misses the free throw with minimal time remaining. To make it worse, the team is set inside the blocks on the free throw line, which they should not have been because at that point there was no time to do anything. As Matt Howard grabs the rebound, Pittsburgh fouls him and Butler wins the game at the line. So for the so called "best," of the Big East, they lose because of coaching, and just lack of common sense in basketball. No blaming the refs for making the CORRECT call. The Big East Conference all year was the class of college basketball, and that one conference everyone feared. Looking at it now, the Big East seems to only fear themselves as #3 Syracuse, and #6 Cincinnati were bounced by the only two BE teams remaining.
The only two remaining teams are two teams that deserve to be there. #11 Marquette took out fellow Big East foe #3 Syracuse, in a ground and pound game. #3 Connecticut defeated #6 Cinncinnati, to continue their hot streak. I am not trying to take anything away from either of these teams, but these are games that they have won already. Before I make my next statement, I would like to say that UConn has been playing arguablly the best basketball in America as of late, and is the hottest team, by far so cudos to them. Both UConn and Marquette defeated their opponent earlier in the year. You csn say that it is harder to beat a team two times in a row, but if you already know how to beat a team, you should be able to beat them again. Period.
So, going into the Sweet 16 the Big East has two teams left representing them. After beating eachother up all year in that conference, they may have been a bit tired, but in all reality the conference as a whole may have been a tad overrated.
After the first weekend of tournament play, the Big East Conference is only sending two (#3 Connecticut, #11 Marquette) of those original eleven to the Sweet 16. The top EIGHT teams in the conference are all eliminated from the tournament. Of those nine that are back at school, four were a five seed or higher, and three were a three, two or one seeds. Also, of those nine teams, FIVE lost to seeds ten or lower.
The win/loss result is not even the big deal here, it is the way most (not all) of the teams in the conference went out. #9 Villanova lost to #9George Mason in the first round, because they could not execute at the end of the game. It did not help there case that there best players, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes showed up for only the first half. Villanova's season ended with their team losing six straight games. #4 Louisville had their season come to a crashing end, when they were shocked and upset by #13 Morehead State. Louisville may have been looking forward to the next rounds, but they sure overlooked Morehead St. Losing with seconds left on the clock makes this situation worse for the Cardinals. No excuse why a Big East elite, loses to an Ohio Valley team, NONE. Two of the Big East #6 seeds lost in the first round of the dance, as #11 seeds Gonzaga and Virginia Commonwealth defeat St. John's and Georgetown respectively. In a year where St. John's defeated the rest of the Big East, this game held true of how they are overrated. They can't win away from Madison Square Garden, and they struggle against lower teams. The DJ Kennedy injury affected this team, but even with him they get beat by Gonzaga. Georgetown once again could not get into their offense, and could not handle a team that should not be in the tournament. VCU is making noise and all, but the fact is if there were basketball people on the selection commitee, then VCU does not even get that opportunity. Georgetown basically lost to an NIT team when it mattered the most. The highest seeds the Big East had won one game, then got beat in the round of 32. #2 Notre Dame was smothered by #10 Florida State. Notre Dame was never in this game, being down double digits almost the entire game. Florida State defeated Duke, but in all honestly not that great of a team as they have lost to the likes of Auburn, Maryland, and Virginia Tech (twice). Notre Dame was exposed, and proven to be one of the most vulnerable teams in the tournament. Pittsburgh, supposidly the best team in the Big East, gets the pumpkin thrown on them, as Cinderella Butler wins this game. At the end of this game Pittsburgh has a chance to win this game by making a free throw. Pittsburgh misses the free throw with minimal time remaining. To make it worse, the team is set inside the blocks on the free throw line, which they should not have been because at that point there was no time to do anything. As Matt Howard grabs the rebound, Pittsburgh fouls him and Butler wins the game at the line. So for the so called "best," of the Big East, they lose because of coaching, and just lack of common sense in basketball. No blaming the refs for making the CORRECT call. The Big East Conference all year was the class of college basketball, and that one conference everyone feared. Looking at it now, the Big East seems to only fear themselves as #3 Syracuse, and #6 Cincinnati were bounced by the only two BE teams remaining.
The only two remaining teams are two teams that deserve to be there. #11 Marquette took out fellow Big East foe #3 Syracuse, in a ground and pound game. #3 Connecticut defeated #6 Cinncinnati, to continue their hot streak. I am not trying to take anything away from either of these teams, but these are games that they have won already. Before I make my next statement, I would like to say that UConn has been playing arguablly the best basketball in America as of late, and is the hottest team, by far so cudos to them. Both UConn and Marquette defeated their opponent earlier in the year. You csn say that it is harder to beat a team two times in a row, but if you already know how to beat a team, you should be able to beat them again. Period.
So, going into the Sweet 16 the Big East has two teams left representing them. After beating eachother up all year in that conference, they may have been a bit tired, but in all reality the conference as a whole may have been a tad overrated.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
What We Learned Day 4 of NCAA Tournament
Here is some aspects we learned from Day 4 of the NCAA Tournament:
It is not over until the clock hits zero- Playing the best team in the ACC, and an argument can be made that they are the most complete team in the tournament, Michigan fought back from 15 points to push Duke to the limit. By hitting shots and playing good defense, Michigan shook Duke by cutting the lead down to two. Unfortunately, Michigan missed a runner with no time remaining. Michigan was a team who was tied for last in their conference for an amount of time this season, and led by heart and passion almost pulled off an unthinkable comeback.
The stars come out to play at the right time- Down two and under ten seconds against Texas, Arizona star Derrick Williams made a circus shot and hit the free throw to complete the and one, that put Arizona ahead. Arizona completed the win and move onto the next round. Williams had 17 points, and 14 of them came in the second half. Despite the shaky ending, Nolan Smith of Duke proved why he is a player of the year candidate, scoring 24 in Duke's winning way. Harrison Barnes the star and standout at North Carolina hit timely threes and led the Tarheels to a tough victory over the #7 Washington Huskies as well, moving them to the Sweet 16.
Even good coaching goes bad- Coach Rick Barnes can make mistakes. Barnes a good, veteran coach may have lost this game for the Longhorns today (losing to #5 Arizona). Having a freshmen inbounds the ball that late in a game is not the correct call. This showed as soon as the ref blew the whistle and Texas got called for a 5 second violation. Coach Barnes... tisk tisk it meant the season. Coach Boheim of Syracuse also was at fault as late in the game he didn't use timeouts when appropriate. Instead of calling a play late to shorten a lead, he let his team play which hurt the game. Scoop Jardine missed a forced three and #11 Marquette takes the upset in heroic form. Darius Johnson-Odom hit the go ahead three pointer before the Jardine force.
Final Scores of Day 4
(2) North Carolina 86, (7) Washington 83
(1) Duke 73, (8) Michigan 71
(1) Ohio State 98, (8) George Mason 66
(5) Arizona 70, (4) Texas 69
(11) Virginia Commonwealth 94, (3) Purdue 76
(11) Marquette 66, (3) Syracuse 62
(1) Kansas 73, (9) Illinois 59
(10)Florida St 71, (2) Notre Dame 57
We are now on to the Sweet 16. Check back for the thoughts on the Big East, and the reaction to the "great," conference only getting two of their eleven into the round of 16.
It is not over until the clock hits zero- Playing the best team in the ACC, and an argument can be made that they are the most complete team in the tournament, Michigan fought back from 15 points to push Duke to the limit. By hitting shots and playing good defense, Michigan shook Duke by cutting the lead down to two. Unfortunately, Michigan missed a runner with no time remaining. Michigan was a team who was tied for last in their conference for an amount of time this season, and led by heart and passion almost pulled off an unthinkable comeback.
The stars come out to play at the right time- Down two and under ten seconds against Texas, Arizona star Derrick Williams made a circus shot and hit the free throw to complete the and one, that put Arizona ahead. Arizona completed the win and move onto the next round. Williams had 17 points, and 14 of them came in the second half. Despite the shaky ending, Nolan Smith of Duke proved why he is a player of the year candidate, scoring 24 in Duke's winning way. Harrison Barnes the star and standout at North Carolina hit timely threes and led the Tarheels to a tough victory over the #7 Washington Huskies as well, moving them to the Sweet 16.
Even good coaching goes bad- Coach Rick Barnes can make mistakes. Barnes a good, veteran coach may have lost this game for the Longhorns today (losing to #5 Arizona). Having a freshmen inbounds the ball that late in a game is not the correct call. This showed as soon as the ref blew the whistle and Texas got called for a 5 second violation. Coach Barnes... tisk tisk it meant the season. Coach Boheim of Syracuse also was at fault as late in the game he didn't use timeouts when appropriate. Instead of calling a play late to shorten a lead, he let his team play which hurt the game. Scoop Jardine missed a forced three and #11 Marquette takes the upset in heroic form. Darius Johnson-Odom hit the go ahead three pointer before the Jardine force.
Final Scores of Day 4
(2) North Carolina 86, (7) Washington 83
(1) Duke 73, (8) Michigan 71
(1) Ohio State 98, (8) George Mason 66
(5) Arizona 70, (4) Texas 69
(11) Virginia Commonwealth 94, (3) Purdue 76
(11) Marquette 66, (3) Syracuse 62
(1) Kansas 73, (9) Illinois 59
(10)Florida St 71, (2) Notre Dame 57
We are now on to the Sweet 16. Check back for the thoughts on the Big East, and the reaction to the "great," conference only getting two of their eleven into the round of 16.
What We Learned Day 3 of the NCAA Tournament
Here are a few things that we learned after the first games of the third round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament:
Teams that go in on fire, continue streaking and vise versa: Richmond continues to roll as they kill Morehead St, and are streaking since taking over the Atlantic 10. The Big East will be another perfect example. UConn, despite struggling shooting for a majority of the night, defeated a Cincy team that was out for revenge, after losing to the Huskies on their own home court earlier in the year. UConn continues to roll since their major run in the Big East Tournament. After stumbling into the Big Dance with an early exit in the B.E.T, Pittsburgh falls on their face and under estimate Butler.
Cinderella is still spelled B-U-T-L-E-R: Butler takes down another elite opponent and advances to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. This was also the second straight game that Matt Howard played hero. Butler may be the team to beat in the region, now that they took out the number one seed.
Jimmer may prove to be real with one more win- Still am not sold on Jimmer, but with another amazing performance he may be one step closer to gaining my respect. After defeating Gonzaga today they will play a formidable opponent in Florida, as they defeat UCLA today.
Wisconsin has officially shut up the critics- With another strong showing throughout the entire game, all the critics that said Wisconsin is not that good, and will lose in the first and second round need to sit down and shut up. Wisconsin seems to be playing peak basketball, and with the Pittsburgh loss may be able to take over the region, watch out for the glass slipper in the next round.
Final Scores of Day 3
(4) Kentucky 71, (5) West Virginia 63
(2) Florida 73, (7) UCLA 65
(12) Richmond 65, (13) Morehead State 48
(2) San Diego State 71, (7) Temple 64
(8) Butler 71, (1) Pittsburgh 70
(3) Brigham Young 89, (11) Gonzaga 67
(4) Wisconsin 70, (5) Kansas State 65
(3) Connecticut 69, (6) Cincinnati 58
Teams that go in on fire, continue streaking and vise versa: Richmond continues to roll as they kill Morehead St, and are streaking since taking over the Atlantic 10. The Big East will be another perfect example. UConn, despite struggling shooting for a majority of the night, defeated a Cincy team that was out for revenge, after losing to the Huskies on their own home court earlier in the year. UConn continues to roll since their major run in the Big East Tournament. After stumbling into the Big Dance with an early exit in the B.E.T, Pittsburgh falls on their face and under estimate Butler.
Cinderella is still spelled B-U-T-L-E-R: Butler takes down another elite opponent and advances to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row. This was also the second straight game that Matt Howard played hero. Butler may be the team to beat in the region, now that they took out the number one seed.
Jimmer may prove to be real with one more win- Still am not sold on Jimmer, but with another amazing performance he may be one step closer to gaining my respect. After defeating Gonzaga today they will play a formidable opponent in Florida, as they defeat UCLA today.
Wisconsin has officially shut up the critics- With another strong showing throughout the entire game, all the critics that said Wisconsin is not that good, and will lose in the first and second round need to sit down and shut up. Wisconsin seems to be playing peak basketball, and with the Pittsburgh loss may be able to take over the region, watch out for the glass slipper in the next round.
Final Scores of Day 3
(4) Kentucky 71, (5) West Virginia 63
(2) Florida 73, (7) UCLA 65
(12) Richmond 65, (13) Morehead State 48
(2) San Diego State 71, (7) Temple 64
(8) Butler 71, (1) Pittsburgh 70
(3) Brigham Young 89, (11) Gonzaga 67
(4) Wisconsin 70, (5) Kansas State 65
(3) Connecticut 69, (6) Cincinnati 58
Friday, March 18, 2011
GAME 2 UNH Wildcats-Merrimack College Warriors
UNH v Merrimack: Game 2
1st Period notes
The period started off in questionable fashion as UNH scored from center Ice on a bouncing puck, the goal was later disallowed after review because a UNH forward was offside during the shot attempt. So Merrimack dodged a bullet early. Five minutes later the Wildcats were able to punch in a power play goal, goal was scored by Stevie Moses and assisted by Mike Borisenok and Matt Campanale. The shot was taken from the left slot. After this it was all Warriors as they were able to capitalize on a short-handed opportunity after a hit from behind call that put them a man down. Then they built on that again when Brendan Ellis tipped in a Karl Stollery slap shot. The Wildcats may have the shot advantage after one but the Warriors are really staying true to their attack mantra.
Shots UNH-13 MC-11
Final Review:
Another stagnant period in this game, with the action not really coming until the last 4 minutes of the period. Merrimack supplied the only of the period on a scramble in front of the net, when Mike Collins banked a shot off of a UNH defenseman who was prone in the net trying to cover for DiGiorlamo. Since allowing the bouncing puck, Cannata was huge for the Warriors in the third period, never mind the whole game. Merrimack displayed great team defense in all three zones, which helped control the flow of the game and kept UNH from building any real momentum to tie the game up in a 2-1 game. Merrimack sealed the victory night with an empty net goal by Sheen, ending in a 4-1 final.
Boston College and Merrimack College will battle for the Hockey East Championship tomorrow night at the TD Garden. Merrimack is 2-0 against Boston College this season.
1st Period notes
The period started off in questionable fashion as UNH scored from center Ice on a bouncing puck, the goal was later disallowed after review because a UNH forward was offside during the shot attempt. So Merrimack dodged a bullet early. Five minutes later the Wildcats were able to punch in a power play goal, goal was scored by Stevie Moses and assisted by Mike Borisenok and Matt Campanale. The shot was taken from the left slot. After this it was all Warriors as they were able to capitalize on a short-handed opportunity after a hit from behind call that put them a man down. Then they built on that again when Brendan Ellis tipped in a Karl Stollery slap shot. The Wildcats may have the shot advantage after one but the Warriors are really staying true to their attack mantra.
Shots UNH-13 MC-11
Final Review:
Another stagnant period in this game, with the action not really coming until the last 4 minutes of the period. Merrimack supplied the only of the period on a scramble in front of the net, when Mike Collins banked a shot off of a UNH defenseman who was prone in the net trying to cover for DiGiorlamo. Since allowing the bouncing puck, Cannata was huge for the Warriors in the third period, never mind the whole game. Merrimack displayed great team defense in all three zones, which helped control the flow of the game and kept UNH from building any real momentum to tie the game up in a 2-1 game. Merrimack sealed the victory night with an empty net goal by Sheen, ending in a 4-1 final.
Boston College and Merrimack College will battle for the Hockey East Championship tomorrow night at the TD Garden. Merrimack is 2-0 against Boston College this season.
UPDATED: Hockey East Tournament- BC-Northeastern
1st Period: BC v. Northeastern
The first period started out at a decent pace, with both teams trading chances up and down the ice for the first 5 minutes of the game. At the 5 minute mark Boston College lead the game in chances, featuring two separate one on none chances. Northeastern remained opportunistic and was able to draw first blood 13:48, on a rebound chance set up on a short side pass from Senior forward Steve Silva. The goal was scored by captain Tyler McNeely, who was able to get a lucky bounce off of an Eagle, Joe Whitney and into the net past John Muse. The Eagles were able to draw even at the 16:05 mark on a weak wrister from Senior center Brian Gibbons. Gibbons took a feed from Cam Atkinson behind the net and shot a puck on edge at the net and was able to find a hole past goaltender Chris Rawlings. The rest of the period came down to neutral zone possession and missed opportunities entering the attacking zone for both teams.
Shots: BC-10 NU-8
P.S.
BC mascot 1 – Northeastern mascot - 0
UPDATED: 2nd Period: BC v Northeastern
In what was a penalty filled 2nd period, BC ended up capitalizing on their opportunities. The action for the most part on even strength was back and forth between the two teams but Northeastern was guilty of 4 penalties while BC was guilty of 3. BC got on the board first at the 6:56 mark of the second period on a power play goal by left winger Kevin Hayes. In what was a tic-tac goal set up by Hayes’ older brother Jimmy and Pat Mullane, Kevin Hayes finished off the crisp passing going low glove side on Rawlings, to make it 2-1 BC. Not too long after that goal by Hayes, Northeastern capitalized on a turnover in the neutral zone and Wade MacLeod beat John Muse far side low. MacLeod picked up speed down the left side and fired a sharp wrister from the left face-off dot, tying it up 2-2 less than a minute later. After these goals, the game started to shift to more physical play and more penalties started to amass. Matching roughing penalties saw the two teams skating 4 on 4 for two minutes. BC capitalized on the open ice play and Steven Whitney put on a fine display of stick handling and strength. Falling down, Whitney unleashed a powerful backhand, going to shelf on Rawlings making in 3-2 BC. As the period came to a close BC was rewarded with yet another power play and did not disappoint as they moved the puck out to point man Tommy Cross who then positioned himself on the half wall and fired a wrister short side top shelf beating the goaltender, and giving BC the 4-2 lead. It was Crosses 7th goal of the year as he is known more as a defensive presence for the Eagles. The Huskies have changed goaltenders for the third period as #31 Clay Witt is between the pipes.
Shots BC- 17 NU-14
Third Period and Final Review
Another penalty saddle period saw the Eagles nearly blow a 3 goal lead to the Northeastern Huskies. The Eagles were able to pull out to a 5-2 lead with about 12 minutes to play and from there it looked like BC was in the drivers seat. Turned out that wasn’t the case as the Eagles had some untimely penalties that saw them 2 men down for a solid 4 minutes in the 3rd period. If it weren’t for some very timely saves from Senior goaltender John Muse, the Eagles were looking at an overtime game or even worse a defeat with 3:34 to play. Northeastern took a chance and with a two-man advantage, they pulled their goalie giving them a 6 on 3 with an opportunity to pull within 2 goals. The risk paid off as the Huskies scored a quick goal from the point and pulled within 2 goals. The Eagles were victimized with another penalty and this gave the Huskies another powerplay chance. Northeastern scored another goal at 18:57 off the stick of Wade MacLeod, his second of the game, and it brought the Huskies within a goal with less than a minute to play in the game. John Muse made the biggest save of the game with 30 seconds to go with the help of Brian Gibbons in front of the net. Northeastern center Steve Silva had a clear shot at the net between the dots, and with a diving effort by Gibbons was able to alter the shot enough for Muse to get a shoulder on it and deflect it over the net. What turned out to be a great comeback by the Huskies was cut short and all momentum was lost when Braden Pimm was called for a slashing penalty at 19:47. Give credit where credit is due, and John Muse would have to be the star of the game. He was shorthanded most of the game and ended up facing 37 shots, stopping 33.
Boston College was able to hold on and advance to the Hockey East Final for the 13th time in 27-year history of the Hockey East. Boston College advances to tomorrow night and plays the eventual winner of #4 Merrimack and #2 New Hampshire.
The first period started out at a decent pace, with both teams trading chances up and down the ice for the first 5 minutes of the game. At the 5 minute mark Boston College lead the game in chances, featuring two separate one on none chances. Northeastern remained opportunistic and was able to draw first blood 13:48, on a rebound chance set up on a short side pass from Senior forward Steve Silva. The goal was scored by captain Tyler McNeely, who was able to get a lucky bounce off of an Eagle, Joe Whitney and into the net past John Muse. The Eagles were able to draw even at the 16:05 mark on a weak wrister from Senior center Brian Gibbons. Gibbons took a feed from Cam Atkinson behind the net and shot a puck on edge at the net and was able to find a hole past goaltender Chris Rawlings. The rest of the period came down to neutral zone possession and missed opportunities entering the attacking zone for both teams.
Shots: BC-10 NU-8
P.S.
BC mascot 1 – Northeastern mascot - 0
UPDATED: 2nd Period: BC v Northeastern
In what was a penalty filled 2nd period, BC ended up capitalizing on their opportunities. The action for the most part on even strength was back and forth between the two teams but Northeastern was guilty of 4 penalties while BC was guilty of 3. BC got on the board first at the 6:56 mark of the second period on a power play goal by left winger Kevin Hayes. In what was a tic-tac goal set up by Hayes’ older brother Jimmy and Pat Mullane, Kevin Hayes finished off the crisp passing going low glove side on Rawlings, to make it 2-1 BC. Not too long after that goal by Hayes, Northeastern capitalized on a turnover in the neutral zone and Wade MacLeod beat John Muse far side low. MacLeod picked up speed down the left side and fired a sharp wrister from the left face-off dot, tying it up 2-2 less than a minute later. After these goals, the game started to shift to more physical play and more penalties started to amass. Matching roughing penalties saw the two teams skating 4 on 4 for two minutes. BC capitalized on the open ice play and Steven Whitney put on a fine display of stick handling and strength. Falling down, Whitney unleashed a powerful backhand, going to shelf on Rawlings making in 3-2 BC. As the period came to a close BC was rewarded with yet another power play and did not disappoint as they moved the puck out to point man Tommy Cross who then positioned himself on the half wall and fired a wrister short side top shelf beating the goaltender, and giving BC the 4-2 lead. It was Crosses 7th goal of the year as he is known more as a defensive presence for the Eagles. The Huskies have changed goaltenders for the third period as #31 Clay Witt is between the pipes.
Shots BC- 17 NU-14
Third Period and Final Review
Another penalty saddle period saw the Eagles nearly blow a 3 goal lead to the Northeastern Huskies. The Eagles were able to pull out to a 5-2 lead with about 12 minutes to play and from there it looked like BC was in the drivers seat. Turned out that wasn’t the case as the Eagles had some untimely penalties that saw them 2 men down for a solid 4 minutes in the 3rd period. If it weren’t for some very timely saves from Senior goaltender John Muse, the Eagles were looking at an overtime game or even worse a defeat with 3:34 to play. Northeastern took a chance and with a two-man advantage, they pulled their goalie giving them a 6 on 3 with an opportunity to pull within 2 goals. The risk paid off as the Huskies scored a quick goal from the point and pulled within 2 goals. The Eagles were victimized with another penalty and this gave the Huskies another powerplay chance. Northeastern scored another goal at 18:57 off the stick of Wade MacLeod, his second of the game, and it brought the Huskies within a goal with less than a minute to play in the game. John Muse made the biggest save of the game with 30 seconds to go with the help of Brian Gibbons in front of the net. Northeastern center Steve Silva had a clear shot at the net between the dots, and with a diving effort by Gibbons was able to alter the shot enough for Muse to get a shoulder on it and deflect it over the net. What turned out to be a great comeback by the Huskies was cut short and all momentum was lost when Braden Pimm was called for a slashing penalty at 19:47. Give credit where credit is due, and John Muse would have to be the star of the game. He was shorthanded most of the game and ended up facing 37 shots, stopping 33.
Boston College was able to hold on and advance to the Hockey East Final for the 13th time in 27-year history of the Hockey East. Boston College advances to tomorrow night and plays the eventual winner of #4 Merrimack and #2 New Hampshire.
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