The New Year certainly saw the face of college basketball change quickly and fairly drastically.
The AP top-10 in week seven looked like this:
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Author: Barnabeee
Ravens Vs. Miami
Run, Ravens, run: All of the Baltimore starting pass catchers are listed as “questionable.” Wide receiver Clayton has a bad knee, tight end Todd Heap’s having back trouble and wideout Derrick Mason’s shoulder is injured. Will the three starters play? Most likely, yes. But their range, durability and output will probably be reduced. Rookie QB Joe Flacco will be handing the ball off a lot to running backs Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. The best thing that the Ravens’ offense can do is play cleanly, allowing the team’s defense to play its game and control Miami.
Falcons Vs. Cardinals
Anquan Bolden: He’ll play and be used in a variety of ways by Arizona to create a pseudo running game today. Bolden is an expert at catching short passes and gaining a lot of yards after the grab. The Cardinals don’t have a running game, so this will have to suffice. This can turn the game around if it works.
Continue reading “Quick Hits on the NFL Playoffs on Saturday”
As NCAA basketball starts conference play, this is a good time to look at the top teams in the nation. They’ve played non-conference clubs primarily. Many, but not all, of those games were cupcakes as some of the best in some of the toughest conferences met weaker teams in weaker leagues. Now the battles begin to determine league dominance and national prominence. Each team has about 16 regular-season contests left to go. Here’s a thumbnail sketch of the five top-ranked clubs in the nation.
If you’re looking for something or someone that might tip the scale this week in the playoffs, I’ve got a few ideas.
Matt Leinart: Remember him? He was supposed to start for the Arizona Cardinals at quarterback this season but a funny thing happened on the way to his being named the first-string QB. Leinart played poorly in the pre-season and vet Kurt Warner looked great. Warner has had a fantastic season. But what if Warner goes down when the Cards meet the Atlanta Falcons? It’s possible. Warner is old and prone to injury and the Atlanta “D” is extremely brutal. Leinart certainly knows the scheme but can he pull it off? I say “no.”
So, the question is, “How much football can you watch?” The answer is, “A lot.” But if the gridiron scene is starting get a bit old like this week’s Christmas turkey leftovers, here are a few events that are certainly worth a look if not a watch.
Continue reading “Non-pigskin sports that are hot this month”
Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin seems to have figured it out—how to win. Run the ball as much as possible while asking quarterback Eli Manning to do enough but not too much to win. If winning in the NFL is about balance, then Coughlin may very well be a high wire walker and a successful one at that.
The Boston Celtics have lost two straight (sort of like the bar if Ivory Soap sinking to the bottom of the tub—that never happens with Ivory. It always floats). And, apparently, the Celtics are not supposed to lose two in a row. But they have and folks are proclaiming that they have “run out of gas.” Maybe they have but there’s little need to panic. Everyone knows that the price of gas has plummeted and the team from Beantown should be refueled and on another winning streak shortly.
Here are two things that I’m thinking about concerning the conference finals.
Sure they play two centers—Tim Duncan and Kurt Thomas. At least they did the other night. The starting rotation of two centers, two small forwards and a point guard says something about the Spurs. They’ve geared up for the playoffs and are ready to play tough and rough inside-the-paint basketball. That fact could be a major plus for the club as they head towards the second season.
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