Weekend of 6/6
Game 1: #24 St. Josephs (8-2) at Charlotte (7-3)
Storyline: Charlotte is certainly one of the surprise teams of the year, seeing that they're 1 of only 5 simAI coached teams to be top 50 RPI. On the flip side, St. Joseph's (coached by zamiam) looks to add yet another impressive win to their resume, having already beaten two ranked teams (and experienced coaches) in back-to-back games to open their season. The main question heading into this one is how long can simAI coached Charlotte keep up the amazing pace?
Key Players:
Saint Joseph's: PG D. Ropp, who's #4 in the nation in scoring at 22 ppg
Charlotte: SF M. McGohan who puts up nearly 12 points and 6 rebounds per game
My Pick: In the battle between Man vs. Computer, I am obliged to give the victory to St. Joseph's and their star PG
Game 2: #9 Southern (9-2) at Jackson St. (6-4)
Storyline: In this battle between two very evenly matched teams, Jackson St. hopes to use evey advantage it can get to open up it's conference play with a bang. Having a roster loaded with upperclassmen and home court advantage should help coach options4 score his 2nd win verses a ranked opponent this season. Southern, riding a 7 game winning streak into conference play, looks to return to it's championship form from season 40 when umpikes led them to their first and only national title.
Key Players:
Jackson St.: SF M. Clifford who scores 12 ppg while shooting a solid 60% from 3 point land
Southern: PG M. Rosenfeld is a key piece to Southern's puzzle, putting in 8.7 ppg while handing out over 2 assists
My Pick: This game is going to be close, probably even overtime, but im calling upset here and picking Jackson St. by a hair due to their HCA
Game 3: Texas (6-4) at Oklahoma (7-3)
Storyline: Big 12 conference play opens with another installment of it's fiercest rivalry: Texas vs Oklahoma. UT has dominated the series, leading it 50-21, while coach viperhoops has had the upper hand over nickjyd. Defending champion Texas has been on a downslide lately, having lost 4 of their last 5 games this season. OU hopes that it's HCA can balance out their youth and help them steal a game in the Red River Rivalry.
Key Players:
Texas: SF W. Craig scores 13 ppg, grabs 4.5 boards, and shoots around 50% from both the field and beyond the arc
Oklahoma: Senior PF J. Lane is the total package. He leads his team in both points and rebounds, with 11 and 7.5, respectively
My Pick: Since I couldn't pick out a definite advantage for either team, I made my pick based on coaching. If viperhoops could lead his team to a national title, then he sure can lead Texas to a victory here
UPSET SPECIAL: #23 Arizona St. (10-0) at uSC (8-2)
Storyline: USC, one year removed from reeling in the number one recruiting class in the nation, hopes that it's youth will decide to show up against a solid #23 Arizona St. squad. During non-conference play, USC showed it's inexperience by following up a huge victory with a tough loss to an inferior simAI team. In other news, coach thorknight has never lost to Arizona St.'s powermad, with a 9-0 record (this may come in to play later on...)
Key Players:
Arizona St.: SF T. Janik is the Sun Devil's wildcard: he averages a team leading 12.4 points coming off the bench
USC: PF M. Jackson is the senior leader of this young Trojans squad; he averages nearly 19 points and 8 rebounds per game
My Pick: While home court advantage will cetainly help, the reason i'm picking uSC is because thorknight hasn't lost this matchup yet and seemingly has the answer to everything Arizona St. can throw at him
Game of the Weekend: #1 Virgina (10-0) at #14 Duke (9-1)
Storyline: Virgina, which is on a mission to prove the the fullcourt press is still a championship defense, finds themselves undefeated and #1 in the nation after non-conference play. Their first conference game won't be easy though- they'll have to play in front of the Cameron Crazies in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke, led by senior John Corbin, have won 9 in a row and have their minds set on taking down #1 Virgina. Will the Dukies 1st game versus a ranked opponent (much less #1 in the nation) be too much to handle?
Key Players:
Virginia: C L. Wright leads the Cavaliers in points and rebounds, all while playing less than 20 minutes per game
Duke: SG J. Corbin scores almost 20 ppg while shooting a over 50% from deep
My Pick: Both of these teams come in to the game playing at very high levels, with a combined 19 wins in a row. However, in a mathup this close, I have to side with the home team. Duke should be able to pull off this win, and in the process add more fire to the debate on HCA in the new engine