Just Some Thoughts... 1/21/12

Wow!!!! What a great day of college basketball!!!

1. I know that polls mean nothing, but I personally don't think Mississippi State will fall in the polls this week. That Vanderbilt win was HUGE. Speaking of polls, we will have a new number 1. And in my opinion, that team should (and will) be Kentucky.

2. Ole Miss pulled out an awesome win at Georgia today. They played very well and continued to play solid basketball for the second straight game. It looks like to me that Andy Kennedy is doing his best coaching under pressure.

3. A crazy day for the top 10 in college basketball. #1 Syracuse fell to Notre Dame without major player Fab Melo (all-name team, right?) #3 Baylor lost at home to #5 Missouri in a close game #4 Duke broke a 45- game home winning streak on a last second shot to Florida State.

4. My picks for this weekend:
Baltimore (35%) @ New England (65%)- New England's offense will just be too much for Baltimore's Offense to keep up with.
New York Giants (55%) @ San Francisco 49's (45%)- This is the most intriguing match up of this weekend. My gut just tells me that Eli will be clutch this weekend.

Any thoughts/ comments/ questions? Thanks for reading!

Just Some Thoughts... 1/15/12

It's been a rather exciting weekend in sports. Let's get to talking about it.

1. The Saints lost to the 49's this past Saturday. It was exciting game. Congrats to the Niners and their fans. It's been a while since they've won at all. The Saints had a record-breaking season and it was a success if you ask me.

2. Tebow-Mania is over (at least for this year). Does anyone else think that Tim has made this season very memorable? He is a great story and I can't wait to pull for him next year.

3. Eli and the Giants knocked off the top seeded Packers today. Does it seem like 2008 again? I personally like the Giants to win it all now.

4. College Basketball in the state of Mississippi. Ole Miss lost to Auburn(@ AU) in 2OT by 1 point. Yes, you heard that right. Ole Miss lost to Auburn. Mississippi State beat Alabama in a close one at the Hump. I think this win will help the bulldogs in the long run. With all of that said, boy am I looking forward to this Wednesday. Mississippi State @ Ole Miss. It ought to be a good game. Look for the Rebs to press the dogs in the backcourt. And look for MSU to get the ball inside to Moultrie for easy points ( UM can't hang with the MSU frontcourt).

Any thoughts/comments/questions? Thanks for reading!

Just Some Thoughts...1/11/12

 I think its important to continue to post on the blog (even during the "off season"), so I'm gonna try to write in the blog several times a week. KEYWORD: TRY. This is a new feature I'm going to write when I don't have much else to write about. So here I go. 

1. Shout out to Lane Myers, who says he doesn't keep up with the blog (he obviously does). He won the blog's college bowl mania challenge with a 98.8%(!!!) accuracy. I will say this for Lane: It's about time he wins something (he's a Tennessee Volunteer). 

2.Congrats to the University of Alabama on their most recent national championship! They were obviously the better team (this time). Some ideas here: a) Is Alabama the #1 team in the nation? (I think so.) b) Will this hurt the SEC's chances of having another all SEC national championship in the BCS-era? (I don't think it will matter. All signs point to a "plus-one" system next year.)

3.As I was writing this, I watched USM lose to Memphis yet again in basketball. Then this thought popped into my head: Has USM EVER  beaten Memphis? I looked it up. Memphis leads USM 63-23 (according to the UM website).

4.I guess I have underestimated the importance of home-court advantage in college basketball. Two examples: a) Logic would tell you that Mississippi State would have beaten Arkansas badly. Not at Bud-Walton Arena. They thrashed MSU.  b) Also as I am writing this, Ole Miss is beating Arkansas by 9 points early in the second half at the Tad- Pad. The only thing (in my opinion) that could explain this abnormal occurence? Home- Court advantage.

5.My picks this weekend in the playoffs with a percentage (picks in bold caps):

Denver (30%) @ New England (70%)- I am SO pulling for Tim Tebow. 

Texans (35%) @ Ravens (65%)- This game doesn't interest me much.

Giants (40%) @ Green Bay (60%)- Good match up. It will ultimately come down to the giants ability (or inability) to score.

Saints (55%) @ 49's (45%) - I don't think there is any defense that can stop this offense. 

Any thoughts/ comments/questions? Thanks for reading!

SEC Basketball Preview

The non-conference basketball season is over (for the SEC at least), with a few exceptions. And before I actually start the "real" preview, let's recap what has happened to this point for each team.

SEC STANDINGS (I've put them into categories)

TOP TIER
1. Kentucky (14-1, #2 AP)- Kentucky. That's about all you need to know about this team. They look like Kentucky. They play like Kentucky. They win like Kentucky. Their only loss came this buzzer beater to now #12 Indiana.  Other than that, they have just taken care of business.

2. Mississippi State (13-2, #15 AP)- A surprise team to most, Mississippi State has had some quality wins (Texas A&M, Arizona, West Virginia) and a (semi?) disappointing loss to Akron.

3. Florida (12-3, #13 AP)- Florida has had a great non-conference season, adding some good resume-building wins(Arizona, Texas A&M). Their three loses were all (mostly) understandable (@ then #3 Syracuse, @ then #3 Ohio State, and 2OT to Rutgers).

4. Alabama (11-3, received 1 vote in AP poll)- If you want to see a team that was over-hyped in the preseason, take a good look at Alabama. They were ranked as high as 12th. They lost to now #9 Georgetown, and seemingly started an uncontrollable spiral downward (3 losses in 4 games). They now seem to have that under control.

MEDIOCRE AND/OR UNDERACHIEVING

4. Arkansas (11-3)- This team has played a rather soft- preseason schedule. They were not expected to win any of their 3 losses (Houston, then #10  UCONN, Oklahoma). They have lost team-leaders PF Marshawn Powell to injury and Rotnei Clarke to transferring to Butler.

5. Auburn (10-4)-  Auburn is mediocre and overachieving. Losses include Seton Hall, (a good) Long Beach State University, UTEP (UGLY!!!), and a 29 point loss to Florida State. Notable Wins: South Florida, Hawaii (Do those even count?).

5. LSU (10-4)- An all-around inconsistent team. I can't decide if they're on the rise or if they just get lucky every now and then. Losses: Coastal Carolina, Northwestern, University of South Alabama in OT, then #23 Virginia. Good Wins: then #10 Marquette.

5. Ole Miss (10-4)- Just a plain, old mediocre team. With losses to then #19 Marquette, Southern Miss, Middle Tenn. State University, and Dayton, it is not going to get any easier to win for Ole Miss now. As of today, Ole Miss's leading scorer Dundrecous(sp?) Nelson was booted from the team for, as he stated under oath,  "unlawfully and willfully used paraphernalia to ingest or inhale a controlled substance." Notable wins include: Miami, Penn State, TCU.

5. Vanderbilt (10-4)- If you want to see another over-hyped team, look no further than Vandy. A consensus top-10 basketball team in the preseason. Losses: Cleveland State, then #11 Xavier, then #6 Louisville, Indiana State Sycamores (yes, they are the sycamores). Wins: BLOWOUT @ then #13 Marquette.

THOSE EASTERN TEAMS THAT WILL BE LUCKY TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING

6. Georgia (9-5)- Inconsistent. Notable Wins: Notre Dame, USC. Losses: then #18 CAL, then #12 Xavier, Colorado, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech

7. South Carolina (8-6) Even more inconsistent than Georgia. Bad losses, but hung with then #2 Ohio State until after halftime. Notable Wins: Clemson. Losses: then #1 UNC, USC, Providence, then #2 Ohio State, Elon, Tennessee State(!!!!!!!!).

8. Tennessee (7-7)- Just bad. Dealing with the NCAA doesn't help either. Notable Wins: none. Losses: then #6 Duke, then #8 Memphis, Oakland, then #17 Pittsburgh, Austin Peay, College of Charleston. It may be a long year for the Vol faithful.

PREVIEW

Well now that our recap is complete, I'm gonna preview the SEC season. Complete with best and worst case scenarios, NCAA tournament and NIT chances, and my Pre-SEC season- ALL SEC- Team.

1. Kentucky. This is not a hard choice. Easily the most talent in the SEC.

Best Case Scenario: 16-0. Hey, it could happen.

Worst Case Scenario: 12-4. Are there even 4 teams in the SEC that could hang with Kentucky?

NCAA TOURNAMENT? Yes, 1 seed. 2 seed at worst.

2. Mississippi State. One reason I have MSU over Florida is the easier schedule. The second reason wears jersey #3.

Best Case Scenario: 13-3. MSU will drop some close ones and maybe one they aren't supposed to.

Worst Case Scenario: 9-7. Another late-season collapse leads to a disappointing season.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? Yes, anywhere from a 3 seed to a 7 seed.

3. Florida. Just continues to be a solid basketball team under Billy Donovan.

Best Case Scenario: 14-2. All wins except two close ones to either Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vandy, Alabama

Worst Case Scenario: 8-8. An injury to Kenny Boynton would kill UF.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? Yes, 3 seed to a 9 seed.

4. Alabama- Will hopefully improve since the non-conference schedule.

Best Case Scenario: 13-3. This Alabama team is known to play great defense. If they get hot... LOOK OUT!

Worse Case Scenario: 8-8. A lack of effort can become contagious on a team.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? On the bubble, could be anywhere from a 8 seed to a 13 seed

NIT? If they don't get an NCAA berth, look for Alabama to host a NIT region.

5. Vandy- I think they will get better.

Best Case Scenario: 12-4. They basically return all the key clogs from an excellent team last year.

Worst Case Scenario: 8-8. Ezeli could get reinjured. That would be very bad.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? On the bubble, Vandy as a 9 seed is very possible. Heck, Vandy as a 7 seed is very possible.

NIT? Well if they don't make the NCAA, look for Vandy to host.

6. Arkansas. We're gettin' on down the list.

Best Case Scenario:11-5. They play a very potent full-court defense. They could get hot.

Worst Case Scenario: 7-9. Injuries could stack up on a team that already only plays 9 scholarship players.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? If they make a run in the SEC season and go fairly deep in the SEC tourney, they could be anywhere from a 10 seed to a 13 seed.

NIT? Very likely.

7. LSU. A team that has definitely improved from last season.

Best Case Scenario: 10-6. Trent Johnson could finally wake the sleeping Tigers.

Worst Case Scenario: 6-10. Another LSU basketball season.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? Probably not, but if they make a (unlikely) run in the SEC tourney, it IS possible.

NIT? Extremely likely.

8. Ole Miss. Andy Kennedy will probably be on the hot seat by the end of the season.

Best Case Scenario: 11-5. Jelan Kendrick could step and be the star he's capable of being.

Worst Case Scenario: 6-10. Lack of depth could hurt the Rebs.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? Probably not, they would probably have to win the SEC tourney to grasp a 12 seed.

NIT? Almost definitely.

9. Georgia. They have a tough schedule.

Best Case Scenario: 10-6. They could get lucky. That's all I've got.

Worst Case Scenario: 4-12. Like I said, they have a tough schedule. Kentucky X2, Florida X2, MSU, Vandy X2

NCAA TOURNAMENT? No.

NIT? Probably.

10. Auburn. Just a inconsistent team.

Best Case Scenario: 9-7. They could win most of their home games and maybe two or three more.

Worst Case Scenario: 4-12. It's Auburn basketball.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? No.

NIT? Maybe. I'm leaning towards no.

11. Tennessee. The only thing that separates UT from South Carolina is the talent level.

Best Case Scenario: 10-6. They DO have talent. Just some poor coaching.

Worst Case Scenario: 4-12. Bad coaching. It happens.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? No.

NIT? Maybe. They would have a better chance of making it than Auburn just for their namesake.

12.South Carolina. Just bad. Just really, really bad.

Best Case Scenario: 8-8. They could win the easy ones.

Worst Case Scenario: 2-14. Now THAT would be bad. Like fire your coach midseason bad.

NCAA TOURNAMENT? No.

NIT? Nothing is impossible.

Pre-SEC season-ALL SEC-Team

PG: Dee Bost, Mississippi State

SG: John Jenkins, Vanderbilt

SF: Doron Lamb, Kentucky

PF: Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

C: Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Any comments/ thoughts/ questions? Thanks for reading!

Music City Bowl Preview

This Friday, Mississippi State will play Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN. Many have marked Mississippi State's season a disappointment. Mississippi State started the year ranked top 20 in most polls. Injuries on the offensive line and close games have lead the Bulldogs to a 6-6 season. And while, yes, it was a disappointing season, most everyone will tell you that reaching this bowl game was a rather large step for MSU in the long run. This marks only the 4th time in school history that the Bulldogs have reached back-to-back bowl games and the first time since the 2000 season.

The Bulldog's opponent, Wake Forest (6-6), is in the process of getting back on top. The Demon Deacons received a BCS-bowl bid in 2006. They lost in the Orange Bowl to Louisville 26-14. This is the Demon Deacons first bowl bid since the 2008 season.

Mississippi State has been somewhat of a mystery this season with performances that range from a dominant victory against Ole Miss to a blowout loss to Arkansas.However, Wake Forest has played fairly consistent this season. With a win against ranked (at the time) Florida State and a near win against BCS-bound Clemson. Both of these teams will be looking to claim a winning season.

Wake Forest plays a unique style of a 3-4 defense. This defense has many different schemes and blitzes. Look for Miss. State to take advantage of  linebacker-wide receiver mismatches during this game. Screen passes and quick throws will neutralize this blitz-happy defense.

On offense,Wake Forest will use an air attack that the Bulldogs haven't seen since Arkansas (and that didn't turn out too well for MSU). Lead by Tanner Price ( 2803 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs), WF will test Mississippi State deep through the air early and often . And MSU better keep an eye on WR Chris Givens, a Mississippi native who is having a very special season ( 1276 yards, 74 receptions, 9 TDs).

With all of that said, let's look at my keys to this game.

Wake Forest's Keys to the Game

• Test the MSU secondary DEEP early and often.
• Get the passing game going early, and it will open up the ground game.
• Blitz Bulldog quarterbacks Chris Relf and Tyler Russell and force them to make costly mistakes.

Mississippi State's Keys to the Game

• Take advantage of any Linebacker-WR mismatches.
• Use screen passes and quick throws to slow down WF's Defense
• Play assignment football on defense. Lock down the passing game and WF won't be able to do much on offense.
• Run the ball down hill at the defense. WF is a speedy team. Don't go around them, go through them.

Prediction: I just pointed out what each team will have to do to win this game. I think it will be easier for MSU to beat WF for one reason: They have a team that is battle-tested because they have already played the best teams in the nation. One of those top teams (Arkansas), thrashed the dogs. If WF can match Arkansas's offensive firepower, it could be a long day for MSU.  Not Happening.  MSU 41, WF 24.

A competition.

In anticipation for bowl season, I have created a group for ESPN's College Bowl Mania. Winner gets a shout out on the blog!

Click here to be taken to the group homepage. The password for the group is goodwin.

The End (And the Beginning of Something Special)

Basically, football season is over. Yes, there are bowl games, championships, all-star games, and even coaching controversy,but nothing will ever replace the empty void left in me on Friday nights and Saturdays. And since I must acknowledge this, I will recap this past season to help cope with the emptiness that is the end of football season.

High School Football

I had the pleasure of going to all but one of the Madison Central football games(missed the Greenville game), and I have never been more proud of being a Jag. The Jags DESTROYED teams on the ground by essentially running about 5 plays. It is tough to not make it past the North State Championship game for the 4th year in a row, but the Jags will recover and regroup this offseason like they always do. This season was not short of drama for MC. The Jags started off 0-2, beat rival NWR 52-20 in a hyped-up, televised game, and lost a close game against the eventual 6A state champions, Olive Branch, in the North State Championship game. But let me tell you one thing. If you thought the Jags were talented this year, wait till next year. The Jags sophomore class is as talented as any in the school's history. The sophomore class has won its conference the past three years with a combined record of 24-0. Olive Branch will have lost most all talent by next year. South Panola will be just as much of a non factor next year. Look for the Jags to make a run at their first 6A championship ever.

College Football

Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State had disappointing seasons. The good news for Ole Miss? The season is over and you have hired a new coach who has pumped new life into the nearly dead football program. So the question posed to you, Ole Miss fans, is: Are Hugh Ready?(PUN. NY) State's disappointing season was highlighted earlier in the season with a close loss to Auburn. There were several games decided by very few points. Who knows? A few different outcomes on plays, and State might be a 8-4 team.

Southern Miss football was not a disappointment. Recording the schools most victories in a season and a C-USA championship had Larry Fedora's name popping up like Dan Mullen's at nearly every school without a coach. Since then, Larry Fedora has accepted the job at the University of North Carolina.

Conclusion

Thanks for following my blog with me the last couple of weeks for football and other things. I hope this was as much fun for you as it was for me. I'm looking forward to next year and possibly expanding the blog's coverage to more schools than just MC.  It's time to shift gears to basketball and baseball. Hopefully I will be covering MC in these sports as well (as often as possible).

Finally, it will be tough to continue to write here (seeing as baseball and basketball are not exactly the king sports in Mississippi). I will try to write as often as possible. However, lots of information will be passed through twitter. So as soon as you're done reading this go to twitter and follow me @GOODWIN_SPORTS.

A proposition. If you are at all interested in writing for the blog (no matter the opinion), contact me on twitter. If you would like to write for your high school sports team, I would be more than happy to use that on my blog. I would love to make this a place for eveyone's opinion and not just mine.

And on a personal note, I would like to thank everyone for their continued support. The thoughts and comments have meant a lot to me. Continue to read and develop your own personal opinion of all things in the world. Thank you so much.