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NFL Mock Draft 2009 Draft of 2009 Lacks Star Power NFL Draft 2009: Getting Started Super Bowl Well Worth Tuning In For
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Prospects On Center Stage NBA Preview 2008/09: Final Call
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Jumpology: My Bracket By Ron Jumper So here it is, my actual bracket. After 6 weeks of comparing resumes and trying to figure out who was in and who was out then judging what seed they deserved, it is time for the fun part. Be honest, filling out that bracket turns you into a little kid all over again. You get excited, you pick your upsets, and root on your Cinderella team for as long as they survive (which, at times, hasn’t been all that long). It gives you an excuse to do a pool with your friends (probably on Facebook these days) or an office pool at work… I mean… no, that’s totally illegal… don’t do that… But seriously, here is my entire bracket. (Two years ago, I picked 29 of 32 first round games right and all four Final Four teams. Last year, I picked well but not spectacular. Hopefully, this year will be more like two years ago. My fingers are crossed…) Midwest: Round 1 1 Louisville over 16 Morehead State Obvious one to kick things off… 8 Ohio State over 9 Siena Lightning doesn’t strike twice for Siena this season. 5 Utah over 12 Arizona Utes are better than you think. 4 Wake Forest over 13 Cleveland State Lock city, the Vikings are just too undersized. 6 West Virginia over 11 Dayton Close game, but Huggins crew pulls it out. 3 Kansas over 14 North Dakota State Jayhawks win, but not by as much as you would expect… 7 Boston College over 10 USC Trojans worn out after PAC-10 tourney run. 2 Michigan State over 15 Robert Morris Easy win for Tom Izzo and co. Round 2 1 Louisville over 8 Ohio State Buckeyes lack fire power to pull this one out. 4 Wake Forest over 5 Utah Demon Deacons just have too much size and quickness. 6 West Virginia over 3 Kansas Upset Special! Young Jayhawks go out early! 2 Michigan State over 7 BC Spartans cruise to Sweet 16. Sweet 16 4 Wake Forest over 1 Louisville Wake Forest will give the Cardinals all kinds of matchup problems because of their size and should be able to pull off the upset here. 2 Michigan State over 6 West Virginia The Spartans squeak by hot Moutaineers. Elite 8 4 Wake Forest over 2 Michigan State Jeff Teague makes all the difference, as both teams rebound well and defend. Region Winner: Wake Forest West: Round 1 1 UConn over 16 UT-Chattanooga Huskies roll easy in this one. 8 BYU over 9 Texas A&M Cougars are pretty solid and should win here. 5 Purdue over 12 Northern Iowa Boilermakers playing great right now. 4 Washington over 13 Mississippi State Huskies beat a fatigued Bulldog club. 11 Utah State over 6 Marquette Golden Eagles not the same without Dominic James. 3 Missouri over Cornell Tigers just too athletic. 7 Cal over 10 Maryland Bears solid all-around against up and down Terps. 2 Memphis over 15 CS Northridge Tigers just too athletic. Round 2 1 UConn over 8 BYU Thabeet will dominate inside. 5 Purdue over 4 Washington Boilermakers playing great basketball right now. 3 Missouri over 11 Utah State Aggies great season comes to an end. 2 Memphis over 7 Cal Tigers will win, but not by a lot. Sweet 16 1 UConn over 5 Purdue JaJuan Johnson can’t handle Thabeet inside. 3 Missouri over 2 Memphis Tigers are BETTER, this isn’t an upset. Elite 8 1 UConn over 3 Missouri Huskies can match the athleticism but Tigers can’t match the size. Region Winner: Uconn East: Round 1 1 Pitt over 16 ETSU Panthers roll with or without Fields. 9 Tennessee over 8 Oklahoma State Vols have been playing well as of late. 12 Wisconsin over 5 Florida State Upset Special! Badgers are a tough matchup for Seminoles. (This is one of the toughest games for me to pick because, if FSU does beat Wisconsin, they could really do some damage. They are better, in my opinion, than Xavier and would give Pitt all they could handle. I just feel like Bo Ryan will slow the game down and really limit the clean looks Toney Douglas gets, forcing the Seminoles to play a style they are uncomfortable with.) 4 Xavier over 13 Portland State Musketeers move on, but not as easy as one would think. 6 UCLA over 11 VCU It pains me to pick against Eric Maynor, but this is UCLA. 3 Villanova over 14 American Wildcats roll at home in Philly. 10 Minnesota over 7 Texas Texas will lose, as poor point guard play will plague them. 2 Duke over 15 Binghamton Blue Devils win easy. Round 2 1 Pitt over 9 Tennessee Pitt wins, but this game goes down to the wire. 4 Xavier over 12 Wisconsin Badgers don’t match up as well with Xavier. 3 Villanova over 6 UCLA Location. Location. Location. 2 Duke over 10 Minnesota Tubby’s club scares Duke, but they come up just short. Sweet 16 1 Pitt over 4 Xavier Levance Fields makes the difference here, as Xavier lacks a veteran PG. 3 Villanova over 2 Duke Dante Cunningham will make the difference, as he provides balance. Elite 8 3 Villanova over 1 Pitt Not to be overlooked, the Wildcats beat Pitt by 10 in the regular season. Pitt, as is the annual tradition, gets everyone excited going into the tournament but always lets you down. This year will be no different. Region Winner: Villanova South: Round 1 1 UNC over 16 Radford Ty Lawson or not, Tar Heels roll. 8 LSU over 9 Butler Tigers win over a young Butler team. 5 Illinois over 12 Western Kentucky Fighting Illini are tough inside and play great defense. 4 Gonzaga over 13 Akron The Zags will roll easy in this one over the Zips. 6 Arizona State over 11 Temple Sun Devils play smart and advance. 3 Syracuse over 14 Stephen F. Austin The Orangemen should win but, of all the 1-3 seeds, this has the best chance of an upset. 7 Clemson over 10 Michigan Tigers have too much speed and athleticism. 2 Oklahoma over 15 Morgan State Sooners blow out MSU. Round 2 1 UNC over 8 LSU Tough draw for the Tigers. 4 Gonzaga over 5 Illinois Bulldogs have too much firepower for Illinois to keep pace. 6 Arizona State over 3 Syracuse Sun Devils are a tough out because they don’t beat themselves. 7 Clemson over Oklahoma Upset Special! Tigers press unravels Sooners and neutralizes Griffin. Sweet 16 1 UNC over 4 Gonzaga Tar Heels win in a high scoring affair. 6 Arizona State over 7 Clemson Sun Devils win again and James Hardens cements himself as a top 5 pick. Elite 8 1 UNC over 6 Arizona State Tar Heels run Sun Devils into the ground. Region Winner: UNC Final Four: 1 Connecticut over 4 Wake Forest Wake Forest was just physically superior to all the teams they faced during the first two weekends, but the Huskies can match athlete for athlete, big body for big body. It will come down to experience and coaching, which gives the edge to Jim Calhoun and Connecticut. 1 UNC over 3 Villanova The Tar Heels depth is second to none and, against a thinner team like Nova, I could really see it being a huge advantage. After Dante Cunningham, the Wildcats don’t have a stable of bigs to call on. North Carolina can just keep coming and I see them getting this game up into the 80s or 90s. National Championship: 1 UNC over 1 Connecticut Before the season, everyone picked UNC to win it all. Throughout the season, it was Pitt, Duke, Wake Forest, UConn, and Oklahoma who took their turn at the top. Now, assuming Ty Lawson is fine by this point, the Tar Heels are the most talented team in the field. This is a classic matchup of offense vs. defense, making it a tough game to pick. However, against teams that really get up and down, Thabeet struggles because he doesn’t even make it past half court a lot of the time before the play is over. UNC will fly up and down the floor, Hansbrough will get great position and the Heels will put up more points than the Huskies can match. March 18, 2009 |
| NCAA Football | |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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