Game-Planning 11: Early Edition

After a one-week hiatus, the Game-Planning blog is back. I decided to forego writing it due to being very busy this past week with school, and I also considered that not many people would care about much outside of the Super Bowl.

Now, I guess it depends on how you interpret matters such as this, but to me this would be an early edition of Game-Planning, right? Or are you considering this late from last week? Nonetheless, it's here and I have some great game to break down for you. But first, I would like to tell you have I have fared with my predictions so far this season. I will say that I'm pretty sure I did better than Dan's Ravens-Eagles SB prediction. Overall, I have posted a solid 33-16 record on my predictions. I have had a winning record in all but two weeks and have made beautiful upset calls such as Texas beating UCLA, Villanova over Pitt, and West Virginia over Marquette to name a few.

However, I have been wrong on more than a few occasions as well. Most notably, I was dead wrong in thinking Indiana would defeat UConn and I admit it was a terrible predictions. (There ya go, Tracy) I was also wrong in picking Clemson to upset my favorite team, Duke. This in no way means that I will stop being wrong though as that is what makes bloggers like myself so popular. Anyway, without any furthur adieu (that's how it's spelled; not ado, Nomarfan)...


1st Quarter- #2 Duke at #3 North Carolina

I thought I would start this edition of Game-Planning off with a bang heading down Tobacco Road to the greatest rivalry in all of college basketball. You have no right calling yourself a basketball fan unless you tune in to watch this game. In my opinion, Duke has no choice but to shut down Tyler Hansbrough or they lose this game. That is much easier said than done though as the Blue Devils have not featured a solid big man all year. Look for the Tar Heels to get Lance Thomas in foul trouble very early similar to what Maryland did.

Both of these teams love to get out and run so expect to see a score in the 80s by the end of this one. Duke is led by DeMarcus Nelson (15 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast), Gerald Henderson (14 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), and Greg Paulus (10 pts, 2 reb, 4 ast). UNC, on the other hand, is led by Hansbrough (22 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast), Wayne Ellington (17 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast), and Ty Lawson (14 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast).

The big matchup that I want to watch in this game is Paulus against Lawson. These two are both fantastic players coming off great games. Lawson had 16 points, 10 assists, and 3 steals the other night against Boston College. Paulus is averaging 19 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in his last two games against NC State and Miami.

By 11:30 on Wednesday night we will know the winner of this game. I am picking the North Carolina Tar Heels. Duke's lack of a good interior presence will doom them in this one. Make sure you tune in on Wednesday, February 6th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


2nd Quarter- #11 Indiana at Illinois

You may be asking yourself what the big deal is with this game, right? Let me explain. Eric Gordon, the Hoosiers' star, committed to home-state Illinois before backing out and deciding to play for rival Indiana. Last time these teams met, the Hoosiers got the better of the Fighting Illini by four points at home. This time, however, they will be going on the road into Illinois where Gordon will most likely be verbally abused by the student body in Champaign.

Indiana is led by Gordon (21 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) and D.J. White (17 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast) who, as I mentioned before in my blogs, combine to form one of the better inside-outside tandems in the entire nation. Trying to stop them will be Illinois, who is led by Shaun Pruitt (13 pts, 8 reb, 1 ast), Trent Meacham (11 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast), and Brian Randle (10 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast).

The key to this game will be how Gordon responds to all the despise among the home crowd and whether the Illini will be able to keep White off the boards. All that pressure is tough for a freshman and Pruitt, with the help of his teammates, is more than capable of stopping White. I say Illinois takes the W in this one. Make sure you tune in to watch Thursday, February 7 at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


The Halftime Show

During this segment of The Halftime Show, I will be talking about the Final Four. As I see it now, Memphis, Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA are all near the top of my list of the best teams in the nation this year. However, Texas, Duke, Tennessee, and Michigan State are not far behind. After that, you have the sleeper teams such as Texas A&M, Baylor, Kansas State, and Xavier that could always make a nice tournament run come March.

Anyway, my midseason Final Four choices are North Carolina, Memphis, Michigan State, and either Kansas State or Xavier. I'm not quite sure on the last pick. I'm thinking it will be one of those last four teams though. I like Xavier's chances just because they have a fantastic ball handler to rely on late in games in Drew Lavender. I also chose the Spartans because of the dynamic inside-outside duo they feature in Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan that many, many teams will have trouble matching up with. Tom Izzo definitely has the experience to know what he's doing.

Memphis and UNC were fairly easy picks. Both are having great seasons and have very good chances at #1 seeds, especially the Tigers. The other four teams rounding out the Elite Eight will be Duke, Texas, UCLA, and once again either Xavier or Kansas State. Nonetheless, we still have over a month of basketball to play before the regular season wraps up and the seedings for the tournaments are announced. Enjoy watching all the great basketball until then.


3rd Quarter- USC at #17 Washington State

Washington State, in my humble opinion, is one of the most overrated teams in college basketball. It was one of my easier predictions in calling their loss to UCLA earlier this year. They are led by Derrick Low (14 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast), Kyle Weaver (12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast), and Aron Baynes (11 pts, 6 reb, 0 ast). The Cougars will be facing the Bruins yet again on Thursday and expect the same result.

USC, on the other hand, is led by freshman OJ Mayo (20 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast), who I have already spent time writing about why I am not a fan, and Davon Jefferson (13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast). This is a team that lost their first game of the season to Mercer by FIFTEEN points! They have come a long way since then though with impressive wins over Southern Illinois, Oklahoma, and Washington and close losses to Kansas and Memphis by four.

The last time these two teams met Wazzou won by 15 points. In that game, the Trojans shot from the free throw line only four times compared to the Cougars' eighteen attempts. USC also had thirteen turnovers to WSU's 7. (If it matters, five of those thirteen were supplied by Mayo.) In conclusion, USC can win this game if they limit their turnovers and get to the line early and often.

Do I see that happening against a very disciplined team such as Wazzou? No. That's the exact reason as to why I'm picking Washington State in this one. Make sure you tune in Saturday, February 9th at 3:30pm eastern time on ABC.


4th Quarter- #6 Georgetown at Louisville

If you're a fan of my posts you'll now that I don't think the Hoyas are as great as everyone is chalking them up to be. Roy Hibbert is vastly overrated as he was shut down and held to only six rebounds against the undersized Memphis frontcourt not too long ago. They are led by Hibbert (13 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), DaJuan Summers (11 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast), and Jessie Sapp (10 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast). They are currently 8-1 in Big East play.

Louisville is one of favorite teams to do very well in the Big East and NCAA tournaments. They are peaking at just the right time with back-to-back wins over Rutgers by 37 and Marquette by 14. The Cardinals are headed by many players as they have five players averaging at least ten points per game but none averaging more than thirteen. They have a balanced attack under Coach Rick Pitino who, like many of his past teams, loves to play with pressure defense on the opponent.

Honestly, I think G'Town will lose this one to the surging Cards of Louisville. The score in this game will probably get up in the 70s or 80s so it should be fun to watch. The game will be shown Saturday, February 9th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


Overtime- Clemson at #3 North Carolina

I focused much of the First Quarter segment on the Tar Heels so Overtime will be used to talk about Clemson and the last time these two teams met. The Tigers are led by K.C. Rivers (15 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast), who is one of five players on Clemson's roster that averages 11 or more points per game. The other key player for them will be Trevor Booker. He, along with the rest of the frontcourt, will have the job of stopping arguably the best big man in the nation, Tyler Hansbrough.

The last time these teams played it was a hard fought battle in the Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson ended up losing by two but if not for a defensive lapse at the end, Wayne Ellington doesn't get such a good game-winning shot. Another reason the Tigers lost that game was their free throw shooting. I just read an article in my local paper this week about the poor free throw shooting going around nowadays. Where has it gone? Clemson shot 14-27 against UNC last time while the Heels were 24-30 that game.

I'm going with the upset in this one. After defeating Duke on Wednesday, North Carolina will let their guard down just long enough for Clemson to sneak in and take the victory in Chapel Hill. This game can be seen Sunday, February 10th at 6:30pm eastern time on FSN.


Double Overtime- #4 Kansas at #12 Texas

After predicting the Longhorns' upset of UCLA, I seriously considered making them my pick to win it all. Since then, however, it has been a roller coaster ride for Texas. They dropped two straight and three out of five games to Michigan State by six, Wisconsin by one, and Mizzou by thirteen. Texas then followed it up by winning their next three games before getting their asses handed to them by Texas A&M. I do believe they are on the up again, and their handling Baylor very nicely on the second of February proves it. (Baylor is my dark horse pick for the NCAA Tournament.) In that game, D.J. Augustin didn't play that well. I think that shows that this team relies on more than just their one playmaker.

Texas is led by Augustin (20 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast) and A.J. Abrams (17 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast). They also receive much-needed contributions from Damion James (13 pts, 11 reb) and Connor Atchley (11 pts, 6 reb) down low. They will be going up against the 22-1 Kansas Jayhawks, who are spearheaded by Darrell Arthur (13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast), Brandon Rush (13 pts, 5 reb, 2 ast), Darnell Jackson (13 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast), and Mario Chalmers (12 pts, 3 reb, 5 ast).

Kansas has a very tough game against Baylor on Saturday before having to travel to Austin to play this game. I do not see the Jayhawks winning both games. That is why I'll be picking the Texas Longhorns to win this game. Kansas won't be able to shut down all of Texas's weapons and it will cost them. Make sure you tune in to watch Monday, February 11th at 9pm eastern time on ESPN.


The Postgame Video Vault






That's it for this week's Early Edition of Game-Planning. I will be back with more next week. Enjoy your day!

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Poll Result- Which team is currently the best in the NBA? 50% of voters thought it was the L.A. Lakers while 25% agreed on it being the Boston Celtics. The Suns and Hornets also drew 12% of the vote each.