The Niner devoted are at last able to see their cherished squad from San Francisco in the playoffs yet after having a long vacation from the post season, are the Niners all set to play against the offensive machine that the New Orleans Saints have? This is debatably among the most interesting first round playoff competitions in pro football and this January 14th battle in NFC will host two teams who have surely worked tough to get to this position. The Niners were able to amass a 13-3 record while the New Orleans Saints had the same record.
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The devotees of the nfl aren’t surprised to see the New Orleans Saints in the playoffs but most are surely surprised with how well the Niners competed this year. At 13-3 most devotees will admit that it’s the Niner’s defense that made this feasible as their offense isn’t essentially the greatest in the league. The New Orleans Saints on the flip side are continuous their offensive barrage on foes as Drew Brees was able to throw for 5,476 yards and shattered pro football record.
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Both teams were able to end the season well with winning streaks as the Niners ended with 3 straight while the New Orleans Saints were able to win 8 straight competitions to close the season out. Even though this is the playoffs, their records will surely have an effect on the game. The teams are fully rested and are all set to battle it out in San Francisco. The important players will surely be the two qbs as Drew Brees and Alex Smith will be battling it out in the pocket to determine which squad will be able to score more points. Expect a high scoring game however the Niners will surely be able to come out ahead. Here is the year of the Niners and it will take over Drew Brees’ and the New Orleans Saints to knock this cinderella squad off.
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The Sacramento Kings are facing an uphill battle when they face the Houston Rockets in Houston on January 13th. This is a case of both teams rebuilding for the longer term as both teams look nothing like their early 2000′s heydays. The Kings look to go back to their previous popularity in the west with outstanding play from their young stalwarts. The Houston Rockets are still handling the fallout from the retirement of Yao Ming. The Houston Rockets are liked by 3 points by the oddsmakers and this seeks to be a difficult game to call.
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Sacramento is paced by G Marcus Thornton and PG Tyreke Evans, which offer a young center for the Kings to build on. The frontcourt is helped by PF DeMarcus Cousins and his steady play. The Kings are also helped by the expert presence of SG John Salmons coming off the bench as a deep menace. Former Indiana Hoosier great Keith Smart coaches the Kings.
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The Houston Rockets look dramatically diverse from the days of Yao Ming and Steve Francis running the show. Young PG Kyle Lowry runs the offense with help from PF Luis Scola and PG Goran Dragic. Vets help the Houston offense with fellow SG’s Courtney Lee and Kevin Martin contributing when they can. Former Celtics great Kevin McHale leads the Houston Rockets at head coach.
Just a while back, this competition could have been all over tv with the likes of Mike Bibby, Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, and Bobby Jackson pacing the Kings. The Houston Rockets had Yao Ming, Steve Francis, Robert Horry, along with Tracy McGrady in it. The times have certainly transformed things for both teams as the age of free agency and income caps have rendered long-term dynasties almost obsolete.
This ought to be an excellent competition between these 2 once-mighty teams with the game itself too close to call.
Saturday night on January 14th, the New York Knicks come into Oklahoma City to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in this big contest between these 2 squads. It’s a tale of 2 squads as the Oklahoma City Thunder arrive in the game with a stable team of young guns versus the NY Knicks who it appears from year upon year always comes into play with plenty of changes going on. The NY Knicks are preferred by 4 points and this could hold unless Durant has one of his usual killer matches.
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The NY Knicks have had a soap opera in the previous 15 years roughly in the nba. From almost winning all of it with Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston to Allan Houston’s well-known 100 Million-Dollar deal and his following knee injury and that just covers the butt end of the 1990′s. The Isiah Thomas era of the NY Knicks will go down in nba history as one of the most catastrophic campaigns in recent memory. With such setbacks in past seasons, the NY Knicks looked to make some noise in the offseason and they did when they secured Amare Stoudemire from the Phoenix Suns. The NY Knicks are paced by celebrity SF Carmelo Anthony and the above mentioned Amare Stoudemire at power forward. C Tyson Chandler brings presence as well as veteran leadership at center whilst young guns G Iman Shumpert and PG Toney Douglas complete the team.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder have had excellent promise within the last few few seasons with celeb SF Kevin Durant breaking out and owning opposing teams with his play. Oklahoma City is comprised of a young team behind Durant with G James Harden, PG Russell Westbrook, and PF Serge Ibaka picking up the slack. PG Nick Collison is the one mainstay from the old Supersonics team, which relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Oklahoma City Thunder are now atop in the rankings in this young season with excellent promise to finish out the season ahead.
These two teams have been doing comparatively well this season. This shouldn’t be a shocking to any person as these two colleges are well known for their share of triumphs in basketball for plenty of years. These two teams will be at it on the court on January 9, when Western Virginia visits Connecticut.
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The Western Virginia Mountaineers is arriving from an outstanding 21 point win vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights, where the senior Darryl Bryant took the Knights to task by dropping 29 points on them, together with Kevin Jones who had a great game with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Connecticut on the other hand lost their previous game vs the Seton Hall Pirates by 12 points. Jeremy Lamb was still outstanding nonetheless with 19 points.
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West Virginia is just a greater team than Connecticut offensively when you compare these 2 teams. Defensively, Connecticut is the greater team, but you have Kevin Jones who averages a double-double for the season and Darryl Bryant who’s just a monster offensively, which helps West Virginia get the edge over Connecticut. Kevin Jones is one of the greater rebounders in the league this year and he’ll hop over people to get that rebound. The Huskies do not have any person that can box this kid out. I would not say that this match up in the clash of the titans or anything of that sort, but it ought to be an interesting game to watch.
If I were gambling on this game, I would wager for the Western Virginia Mountaineers winning vs the Huskies considering the Huskies do not have any person on the team that can guard both Kevin Jones and Darryl Bryant. Both of them will make you pay if you leave them undefended. One of those will surely have a big game on Monday January 9.
The Jan 9 – Oklahoma at Oklahoma State game still has its own brand of anticipation, despite the fact that this particular game might not have the same intensity that its football version does. With the conference basketball year just arrived, both the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys will make an effort to established the tone for the remainder of their year with this match. In Oklahoma’s case, they’re going to be looking to continue what has been a great start as they finished the non-conference slate with a 10-2 record.
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Oklahoma State, on the other hand has fought mightily against their out of conference schedule, putting up a meager 7-6 record so far. Just considering the Oklahoma Sooners seem to be rather a bit better than the Oklahoma State Cowboys right now does not mean their win is a foregone conclusion. Forecasting who will win and by what amount becomes even harder when you take a look at this match through a gambler’s eye. Neither Oklahoma nor Oklahoma State has precisely lit the world on fire with regards to competing versus the spread. Actually, when you check out the 2 squad’s records versus the spread, the one issue that is apparent is that neither team is likely to play in addition to those laying money on the game would hope.
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Offensively, the Oklahoma Sooners have relied heavily on junior guard Steven Pledger. Pledger is shooting a fantastic 48.4 percent from three-point land and has averaged 18.8 ppg so far this year. It is not surprising that in Oklahoma’s 2 non-conference losses, Pledger struggled, shooting 33 percent, and averaging only 11 points in those matches.
For the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the offensive attack has counted on several competitors, with Keiton Page being the main go-to guy. In the non-conference slate, Page has average 13.6 ppg. Oklahoma State’s number 2 scorer, Le’Bryan Nash is scoring an average of 11.7 points per contest. Both competitors will must step up in order to have a shot at the Oklahoma Sooners.
It is not merely the Division I-A schools getting face time on ESPN, on January 7th the NCAA Division I-AA Championship game is played at Pizza Hut Park in Fricso, TX. In a fight of the 2 greatest small colleges in the country, the North Dakota State Bison face the Bearkats. Both the Bearkats and the Bison have steamrolled their rivals all year long and both are also arriving into play with similar styles on offense. Anticipate plenty of running and plenty of 1st downs by each team as the defenses are going to get a workout. The sports book is having a difficult time with this one as the line now is currently at North Dakota State (-1) with the over-under scheduled at 46.
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The Bison have set the pace all year arriving into play with a 13-1 record as well as a 7-1 record in the MVC. They put the hurt on St. Francis on September 9th with a 56-3 beatdown, which saw a 95-yard touchdown run by Sam Ojuri. The Bison average 13.6 ppg on defense and 32.4 ppg on offense. NDSU is paced behind center by sophomore Quarterback Brock Jensen who enters into play with a 146.35 passer efficiency rating with 2,404 passing yards. The Bison are stacked on the run with sophomore Sam Ojuri who has earned 1,078 rushing yards. Fellow RB senior DJ McNorton is also nearing the century mark in rushing yards with 981. Senior Wide receiver Warren Holloway has had an excellent year with 75 receptions and 988 yards.
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The Bearkats come in the game with an unbeaten record at 14-0 and 7-0 in the Southland Conference. The Bearkats average 39.1 ppg on offense and 14.8 ppg on defense. This offensive juggernaut put on a fireworks display on October 29th in a total destruction of Lamar University winning 66-0. The Bearkats put up 382 rushing yards with 559 yards of total offense in that match. Sophomore Quarterback Brian Bell has had a steady year with 1,954 passing yards and an efficiency rating of 165.6. Sophomore RB Tim Flanders has had a phenomenal year with 1,560 rushing yards and 22 Tds. Sophomore Wide receiver Richard Sincere is deadly down field and in the backfield with 965 rushing yards and 449 receiving yards.
Birmingham, AL plays sponsor to the Compass Bowl on January seventh with the Pitt Panthers competing with the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. The Pitt Panthers come in just after the one-year Todd Graham experiment at head coach. After taking the head coaching position at Arizona State, Graham quit his post on December 14th. Defensive Coordinator Keith Patterson will don the headset for the Pitt Panthers in this clash of titans. SMU comes into competition with the threat of the “Death Penalty” passed on in the 1980′s still being discussed today. Former Nfl and Hawaii coach June Jones is currently in his fourth year on the side lines of SMU. The gambling line has this set at Pittsburgh (-3) with an over-under of 47 points.
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Pittsburgh comes into competition with a 6-6 record and also a 4-3 record in the Big East. Winning versus #16 South Florida 44-17 on September 29th, they’ve had one contest versus a rated opponent. Pittsburgh’s defense gives up 22.4 points per game, whilst their offense puts up 25.8 points per game. Junior Quarterback Tino Sunseri comes into the game with 2,433 passing yards and a passer rating of 124.8. Junior RB Ray Graham has counted 958 rushing yards and 9 Touchdowns to date this year. Sophomore WR Devin Street is Sunseri’s fave target catching 48 receptions with 2 Touchdowns. Junior WR Mike Shanahan is a great second target with 35 receptions and 4 Touchdowns.
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SMU comes in competition with a 7-5 record and a 5-3 record in Conference USA. They have gone 1-2 versus rated opponents this year, winning over #20 TCU and losing to #8 Texas A&M and #11 Houston. The SMU Mustangs offense averages 25.7 points per game whilst allowing 24.5 points per game on defense. June Jones has traditional had pass-heavy teams previously, counting on the run-and-shoot offense to put up major statistics in offense. This SMU Mustangs squad this year has a 1,000 yard rusher, unusual in the Jones’ technique. Senior Quarterback J.J. McDermott with 3,182 passing yards and 16 touchdowns steadies the passing game. Junior RB Zach Line has had a great year with 1,224 rushing yards and 17 Touchdowns. Junior WR Darius Johnson with 72 catches and 998 receiving yards and senior WR Cole Beasley with 79 catches and 954 receiving yards steady the SMU Mustangs receivers.
It all boils down to this as the #1 rated LSU Tigers battle against the #2 rated Alabama Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship Game at the Superdome in New Orleans, LA on January 9th. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no stranger to this match, winning the national tournament in 2009 and additionally winning it with LSU as a head coach in 2003. LSU head coach Les Miles is additionally no stranger at this moment as he has won the national tournament in 2007. Two great squads and head coaches meeting on a collision course in what is sure to be a great game. The oddsmakers presently have this at Alabama (-1) with the over-under scheduled at 40 points.
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The LSU Tigers come into play unbeaten at 13-0 with an 8-0 record in the SEC. They have additionally gone a staggering 8-0 against rated squads with wins over number 3 Oregon, #25 Mississippi State, #16 West Virginia, #17 Florida, #20 Auburn, #2 Alabama, #3 Arkansas, and #14 Georgia. This game is a rematch of the classic November 5th game at Alabama with the Tigers winning in ot over the Tide 9-6. With 38.5 ppg landed, the Tigers have a great offense rated 12th in the nation. LSU’s actual weapon is their defense which is rated 2nd in the nation with merely 10.5 ppg permitted. Senior Quarterback Jarrett Lee with 1,306 passing yards and a 152.0 rating mans the Tigers passing attack. With each racking up over 700 yards on the ground, the tandem of sophomores Michael Ford and Spencer Ware pace the LSU running attack. CB Tyrann Mathieu concluded 5th in the Heisman race while nabbing 6 picks and getting 173 yards off of those picks which rate first in the nation.
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The Crimson Tide come into this match attempting to avenge their loss to LSU back in November. With a 7-1 record in the SEC, the Tide has gone 11-1 total. They have gone 4-1 against the Top 25 this year with wins over #23 Penn State, #14 Arkansas, #12 Florida, and #24 Auburn. Their merely loss was the aforementioned game against LSU in November. The Tide has averaged 36.0 ppg on offense with a stellar running game. As great as LSU is on defense, the Tide are even better at it standing first in the nation merely giving up a mindboggling 8.8 ppg. The Tide place the offense in sophomore Quarterback AJ McCarron’s hands, McCarron has 2,400 passing yards and a 149.8 passer rating. Junior Running back Trent Richardson concluded 2nd in the Heisman whereas getting 1,583 rushing yards and 20 td’s on the ground.
Perhaps the Detroit Lions just are unlucky when it comes to scheduling. 1st, they finish their regular season against their division rival Packers, who also boast the league’s greatest record. They then follow that up by drawing the New orleans saints in the 1st round of the playoffs.
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The Jan 7 – Lions against New orleans saints game will be the 2nd meeting of the 2 teams this year. New Orleans won the 1st meeting in New Orleans 31-17. New Orleans is a 10.5 point favorite to defeat Detroit this week, and this is perhaps part of the reason.
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The other is that New Orleans is on a roll. They have won eight matches consecutively arriving into this week’s game with Detroit, defeating 3 other playoff teams throughout that stretch. Following kicking an opposing player with his cleats, defensive star Ndamukong Suh was suspended for 2 matches, but Detroit managed to pull things together. They won 3 from their last 4 matches of the year, only losing a tight game to 15-1 Green Bay. When they last confronted New Orleans, they were devoid of Suh, and Detroit is hoping the return of his existence to the defensive line could be the change they need to stop Drew Brees and the potent New Orleans offense.
Regrettably for Detroit, that New Orleans offense has been amazing for the 2nd half of the year. They have obtained over 40 points in their last 3 matches, and gone over 40 in four of their last 6. Earlier this year in New Orleans they tumbled 62 points on Indianapolis, plus they are 8-0 in their home stadium this year.
Detroit has struggled this year against higher powered competition, going 1-5 against playoff teams (only defeating Denver). Their offense has the potential to be high-flying, and so it will likely be up to their defense to keep them in this game. If Suh will make up for his two-game suspension, this is the time.
The ugly specter of the Lockout had loomed huge over the NBA world until earlier this month. With both the competitors and the owners at last coming to a deal, the NBA has successfully tipped off in earnest over Christmas weekend. The NBA welcoming committee goes to the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. when the Celts (1-3) battle against the Wizards (0-3). Both squads enter the competition with shaky records and a slow start to the season. The sportsbook appears to have the nod on the greater squad as the line presently stands – Boston (-7) 184 ½ .
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As their 56-26 record got them bounced from the Eastern Conference Semifinals 4-1 by the Heat, the Boston celtics come into the game attempting to rebound from a frustrating season last year. As Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen are in the final year of their individual contracts, this year signifies a turning point for the Boston celtics. It’s unlikely that the Boston celtics will manage to resign both competitors as the “Big 3″ era could come to a close. In this young season, the Boston celtics are lead by Ray Allen and his regular long distance pyrotechnics. Celebrity point guard Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce offer a regular complimentary force behind Allen. The wear and tear of 15 prior NBA seasons might be catching up with Kevin Garnett, who has gotten off to a slow start. Guard Keyon Dooling has supplied an excellent shooting spark off of the bench. The Boston celtics come in averaging 96.3 PPG and permitting 100.8 PPG.
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The Wizards enter the competition attempting to right the good ship previously referred to as the Bullets. Washington had a sub-par 23-59 season last year but was lifted by the breakout of superstar shooting guard Nick Young who averaged over 20 points per game until going down with injury. The Wizards this season are averaging 82.7 PPG, which is among the worst showings in the league. Washington is permitting 97.7 PPG on average, which is somewhat much better than the Boston celtics. Guards Nick Young and John Wall steady the balanced Wizards attack.
