Sunday, January 30, 2011

Picks Winner 2010 2011

Ranny Kennon was our 2010-2011 college football picks. He started smoking us in the bowl picks and we really did not want to know how badly he smoked us, we did tell him he could write his own article and include his stats. But, he was a gracious winner and declined the victory lap. Now, a couple of the guys on this pick crew were more college basketball guys. We will do some late season college basketball, followed by our own tournament challenge, and that is the one thing our guys pride themselves in. They love their March Madness.-Josh Neighbors

Thursday, January 27, 2011

BY WHU?

BYU(20-1, 6-0 MWC) got a huge victory last night at home against San Diego State(20-1, 5-1 MWC). This game was a very simple one. Everyone knew it was going to come down to how one guy was going to play. Jimmer Fredette boosted himself past Kemba Walker last night, in my mind, in the player of the year race. Fredette put 43 points on a very good San Diego State defense. He was 14 for 24(58.3%) shooting, and he was 5 for 8(62.5%) from behind the arc. He was sensational, of course he did get some help. But for the most part, Fredette was lights out and he is the clear leader of this BYU team. The Aztecs are no longer the team everybody is talking about, BYU is.-Josh Neighbors

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

The Mountains Best

In Provo ,Utah tonight, two top 10 teams will collide. #4 San Diego State(20-0) is on the road against #9 BYU(19-0).

San Diego State
Player to watch: Forward #15 Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is a very talented sophomore, and leads this team in scoring and in rebounding. He averages almost 16 points and about 10 rebounds per game. Now, San Diego State basketball is a team oriented deal. They have spread scoring throughout there players, and there defense is air tight. 11 times this season  they have help their opponents under 60 points. No individual player, with the exception of Leonard, sticks out as a star. They play well as a team on both sides of the ball, and just seam to have great chemistry.
Keys to Victory: Lockdown on Jimmer Fredette. BYU has other players, you just need to make them beat you as opposed to Ferdette.

BYU:
Player to watch: Guard #32 Jimmer Fredette. This guy can shoot lights out from 3, just about anywhere inside the half court line. This is going to make SDSU extend their defense, which will open up scoring opportunities for other players. Fredette will score tonight, it is just a matter of how many. He shoots almost 48% from 3. He averages almost 27 points per game. There is no way to stop him completely, he will shoot and he will drive. Can SDSU limit him enough? That is the big question.
Keys to Victory: Force SDSU to take bad shots, which they do a lot of. But, they need to do this even more so tonight. They need to also deny Leonard the basketball. When Leonard gets the ball, defenses tend to collapse on him leaving open shots for other. That cannot happen tonight, like I said SDSU does not really have a star shooter. BYU would rather have a big night from Leonard in a win, then a big night from the SDSU offense in a loss.-Josh Neighbors

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Old and The New


Ohio State has dominated this college basketball season. They are 20-0 and have just won in Champagne Illinois which, in my mind, is in the top 10 for toughest places to play. What is the key to their success? They have balance, in age, in skill sets, and in players on the court. They start 2 freshman, 1 junior, and 2 seniors. Jared Sullinger is most likely going to be freshman of the year, he is a monster inside. He averages almost 18 points, and inhales 10.2 rebounds per game. He is the rock on the inside. This is why they start 4 other guards, Sullinger is that good. Then there is another solid freshman, Aaron Craft. he averages 6.3 points per game, and almost 5 assists. That is very solid productivity from a freshman, those numbers will only get better as time goes on. William Buford is a junior guard, not in a leadership roll, but experience counts in all sports. And William Buford has experience. You know coach Thab Matta isn't complaining about Buford's averages. 13.4 point and 4.1 rebounds per game.  At guard/forward they have senior leader David Lighty. Averaging almost 14 point and 4 rebounds per game. His leadership ability is his most valuable asset. It is tough to win on the road in the Big 10, and having a guy who has been around the block helps. Lighty is that guy. 1 good leader deserves another. Senior guard Jon Diebler is another great leader for the Buckeyes. He is a dead eye marksman from three. He shoots around 48% from behind the arc. He is a lot like Andy Routins, if he gets hot, he is tough to stop. He averages 11.7 points per game and 2.5 assists per game.
If I am any other coach in the country, I am very jealous of coach Thab Matta. Not only does he have the number 1 ranking, but he has the perfect players to sustain that. And maybe into next year........ depending on Jared Sullinger's decision, which looks like he will be heading to the NBA, but lets not worry about that right now. Ohio State's road does not get easier. They play #13 Purdue Tuesday, and then have a stretch where they have to go to #19 Minnesota, to #17 Wisconsin, host #18 Michigan State, and host #22 Illinois. I am not guaranteeing a perfect season, but do not be surprised to see a 30 in the win column for the Buckeyes, come March.-Josh Neighbors

Monday, January 10, 2011

When Opposites Attract

It is finally time for the national championship. We have been waiting since the middle of summer for this, and now its time. The matchup, Auburn vs Oregon. These two teams have nothing in common. But yet, here they stand today, both undefeated, and both looking for the most coveted trophy in all of college football. In the beginning of the season, I did think Oregon would be in the national championship, but not Auburn. If someone had told me Auburn was going to win the SEC, I would have said no. If you had told me Gene Chizik and Gus Malzhan would have one of the best of offenses in the NCAA I would have said no way. And if you had told me, Cam Newton would win the Heisman Trophy I would have laughed at you. But, they are in Glendale and are ready to go. Oregon mowed through everyone to get to Glendale, and have yet had a close game against great team. Chip Kelley has done an excellent job of coaching this dynamic Oregon offense. Here are my keys to victory for each team
Auburn: Obviously, it all starts with Cam Newton at quarterback. It is almost a given that he will give you a quality game running the ball. The key for Auburn offensively is to have quality play from your roll players. Michael Dyer needs to be able to run the ball effectively. Darwin Adams needs to get open and be a target for Cam Newton. And, the offensive line needs to do a quality job blocking this Oregon defense, especially picking up blitzes by The Ducks talented linebacking core.
Defensively, Nick Fairley needs to get a steady rush and get to Darrin Thomas quickly, because if Thomas has time he will pick apart this weak Tigers secondary. Secondly, The Tigers must make every effort possible to tighten up their secondary, if they do not play well it is obvious Oregon will win, despite what type of game Auburn’s offense plays.
Oregon: Offensively, The Ducks will run the football early and often. LaMichael James will get a lot of touches. If Oregon can establish a solid run game, they can then transition to the play-action pass. If they achieve this, Darrin Thomas and LaMichael James will find holes all over this Auburn defense.
Defensively, stay strong, especially at linebacker. The Ducks will need to swarm to the football when Cam Newton has it. This Duck defense is very strong, they are are number 12 in the country in points allowed per game. They must use the athleticism of their defense to their advantage. Look for Cliff Harris, the cornerback, and special teams monster for The Ducks, to cause problems for Cam Newton.
    The sad reality will set in for Auburn tonight, that 1 player does not make up a team. Oregon will rip apart this Auburn defense, and win this game 49-31.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Bowl Picks (part3)

*-BCS Bowl

TicketCity Bowl
Northwestern(7-5) vs Texas Tech(7-5)               Nash/Connor .NW        Ranny/Taylor/Josh/Andrew.TTU
Outback Bowl
Florida(7-5) vs Penn State(7-5)        Connor/Nash/Taylor/Josh.Fla               Ranny/Andrew.PSU
Capitol One Bowl
Michigan State(11-1) vs Alabama(9-3)            Connor/Taylor/Josh.MSU            Nash/Ranny/Andrew .Bama
Gator Bowl
Michigan(7-5) vs Mississippi State(8-4)         Connor/Andrew/Nash/.Mich           Ranny/Taylor/Josh.MSU
*Rose Bowl
Wisconsin(11-1) vs TCU(12-0)                Connor/Ranny/Josh/Taylor .Wisc                Nash/Andrew.TCU
*Fiesta Bowl
Connecticut(8-4) vs Oklahoma(11-2)               .UConn         Connor/Nash/Ranny/Taylor/Josh/Andrew .Okla
*Orange Bowl
Stanford(11-1) vs Virginia Tech(11-2)              Nash/Ranny/Taylor/ .Stan           Connor/Josh/Andrew.VT
*Sugar Bowl
Arkansas(11-1) vs Ohio State(11-1)          Nash/Josh/AndrewArk.             Ranny/Taylor .OSU
Go-Daddy.com
Middle Tennessee State(6-6) vs Miami O.(9-4)      .MTSU          Nash/Ranny/Taylor/Josh/Andrew.M-OH
Cotton Bowl
LSU(10-2) vs Texas A&M(9-3)    Nash/ Ranny/Taylor/Josh/Andrew .LSU          .TAMU
BBVA Compass Bowl
Pittsburgh(7-5) vs Kentucky(6-6)        Nash/ Ranny/Taylor/Josh/Andrew .Pitt           .KU
Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl
Nevada(12-1) vs Boston College(7-5)      Nash/Ranny/Taylor/Josh/Andrew .Nev     .BC