College Hoop Ramblings

No Super Bowl. No Patriots. No Tom Brady's ankle (it can't be that bad if he's shacking up with Giselle this week). It's all college hoops. One team that looks down right now that I think could sneak into the Sweet 16 is Kentucky. The Wildcats have started slow at 7-9 but this team could go on a tear. Freshman forward Patrick Patterson is a monster down low and new coach Billy Gillespie will have the 'Cats playing better come February and March. They have the guards in Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford around Patterson to make a run. If they can survive the SEC, Kentucky will be a team to watch in March... I am a huge North Carolina fan but even at 18-1, I'm not sold on this Tar Heel club. They are at their best when they are running all over the court with speedy Ty Lawson at the point but NC's best player, Tyler Hansbrough, is at his best when the game slows down and they pump the ball to him inside. I don't see the Heels surviving that type of identity crisis in March... If the season ended right this second, a Memphis-Kansas -- the two best teams as of January 22 -- national championship game would be one of the best in NCAA history... UCLA's Kevin Love throws the best outlet pass of this generation. I never saw Wes Unseld or Bill Walton play so I won't go as far as trying to claim he could be the best ever (he has played just 18 collegiate games) but if you get the chance to watch him play, you won't be disappointed... My All-American Team right now is Chris Lofton and Eric Gordon in the backcourt with Hansbrough, Chris-Douglas Roberts and Roy Hibbert up front... My Final Four right now is Georgetown, Memphis, Kansas and Indiana... BC's Al Skinner never gets any credit. He brings in players who fit his sytem and then coaches them to play beyond their talent level. There is no way a team that runs the flex, isn't capable of full court pressure defense and is built around a streaky shooting 5'9 guard should compete in the ACC but Skinner always finds a way... Local product Corey Lowe of Newton North is scoring 18.6 points-per-game for Boston University. Charlestown alums Ridley Johnson (9.4 ppg at Toledo) and Tony Lee (14.3 ppg at Robert Morris) are making Jack O'Brien proud... I can't give Al Skinner love without mentioning the great job Travis Ford has done at UMass. At least BC is in the ACC, which helps Skinner bring players to Chestnut Hill. Ford is working his magic in the Atlantic-10. This stae should enjoy him while it can before he jumps to a bigger job... A year after Greg Oden and Kevin Durant stormed college basketball as freshman, names like Eric Gordon, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose, Patrick Patterson, Kevin Love are popping up this season...

Patriots-Celtics Comparison; Football Picks

I have had this feeling for some time now but after Bill Simmons broke it down in his column this week, I am again thinking about the odd similarities between the 1986 NBA World Champion Boston Celtics and the 2007 New England Patriots. Both teams are led by athletes who are at the top of their games and were league MVP's. For those scoring at home, that would be Larry Bird and Tom Brady. Both teams had unbelieveable supporting casts. The C's featured Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Bill Walton, Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedman. The Pats trot out Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Asante Samuel, Rodney Harrison, Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Adalius Thomas, Junior Seau among others. (Sorry for the rambling list of Patriots, there are just too many solid players. I can't believe I skipped over Ty Warren, Ben Watson and Stephen Neal.) Both teams picked up a former star who was seen to be on the downside of their respective career before storming back with great seasons. Bill Walton was the NBA's 6th Man of the Year in 1986 and Randy Moss ... well, you already know what Randy Moss did to opposing defenses in 2007. Both teams also missed out on playing their biggest rivals in the postseason. The 1986 Celtics were denied revenge on the Lakers, who knocked off the C's in the 1985 NBA Finals, because L.A. lost to the Houston Rockets. The Patriots were denied revenge on the Colts, who bounced the Pats from the AFC Championship Game last January, because Indy choked against the San Diego Chargers last week. Another similarity, and this one sends a few chills down the spine of any true Boston fan, is that both teams held high draft picks following their great seasons. The C's had the No. 2 overall pick in the 1986 Draft, courtesy of trading Gerald Henderson to Seattle. We all (sadly) remember how that played out. The Pats have the No. 7 overall pick in the 2008 Draft courtesy of trading the No. 28 pick in the 2007 Draft (offensive lineman Joe Staley of Central Michigan -- sadly I didn't have to look that up) to San Francisco. (A quick sidebar ... that trade with the 49ers could end up as the most lopsided trade in the history of sports even if Staley morphs into the next Anthony Munoz. The Pats dealt the No. 28 pick to the 49ers for a 2008 No. 1 -- which is the seventh overall choice -- as well as a 2007 fourth round pick. Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick then sent that fourth round pick -- who became cornerback John Bowie -- to Oakland for Randy Moss. Moss, by way of his record breaking 2007 season and his role in the team being 17-0 heading into Sunday's AFC Championship Game, already has made it a lopsided trade. However, if/when Pioli/Belichick nail that No. 7 pick, the trade will be remembered by history as one of the all-time great steals.) Both teams even have the perfect coach for their respective teams. K.C. Jones gets very little credit for the job he did with that 1985-86 team because of his laid back manner but when you are dealing with a team of 12 players that included Hall of Famers Bird, McHale, Walton and Parish as well as All-Stars D.J., Danny Ainge and Wedman, there wasn't too much tinkering that needed to be done. Also, basketball players tend to be more sensitive to criticism so K.C. letting the team play instead of overcoaching made them a success. Bill Belichick is the perfect football coach. He is tough and accepts no excuses, he game plans better than any other coach in the NFL, he makes players earn his trust before trusting them on the field, and he obviously loves his players (not that his love makes any of them safe from criticism or saves their jobs) because he does return that trust. Belichick has also built a dynasty in the era of the salary cap which has lifted the degree of difficulty for team building many notches higher than Paul Brown, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh or Jimmy Johnson ever dealt with. The only thing the 2007 Patriots currently do not have in common with the 1986 Celtics is the championship ring. For all the talk of the undefeated season and the records they have set, this Patriot team can not go down in history with the '86 C's if they fail to win the Super Bowl. As for the picks... PATRIOTS (-13.5) over San Diego The Pats just have too much, even if the Chargers were at full speed. The injuries to Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates hurt the Chargers but even those three couldn't prevent the inevitable from occurring. 45-10 Pats NY Giants (+7.5) over GREEN BAY The whole country is already planning for the David (Green Bay/Brett Favre) v. Goliath (New England/Tom Brady) Super Bowl but I have a funny feeling that Eli Manning will step up to the plate like his brother always fails to in the clutch (The Pats choked away last year's AFC Championship Game and had an inferior team anyways and the Bears may not have been an AFC playoff team let alone a Super Bowl team). The Pats will get their shot at a Manning this winter, they'll just have to settle for Eli. 24-16 Giants Last Week: 1-3 Playoffs: 3-4-1 Regular Season: 120-109-6

Football Picks

No time for a rant this week, preparing my first batch of mid-terms. Anyone who tells you teaching is not a lot of work is LYING. Not that I'm complaining -- I love my job -- but the hours are just as long as the rewards, which are many. As for the picks... Seattle (+8) over GREEN BAY The Packers should win this game but with the way the Seattle defense -- led by Lofa Tatupu -- is playing right now, this game should be decided by a field goal. PATRIOTS (-13) over Jacksonville The Jacksonville defense is slowed by injuries and with the weather expected to be cold but calm on Saturday night, the Pats should score a ton of points. This will take the Jaguars ofense out of the hands of Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew and into the hands of David Garrard. Garrard is a solid QB but he's not capable of putting up enough points to stop the Pats. INDIANAPOLIS (-9) over San Diego I'm not too certain on this game. If Philip Rivers plays well and Tomlinson puts up over 100 yards, the Chargers can go into Indy and win. However, Rivers playing well will be key because Peyton manning and the Colts are rested ad ready to score some points. NY Giants (+7.5) over DALLAS Tony Romo and the Dallas offense has been shaky the past few weeks and a hobbled Terrell Owens makes that matter worse. The key for Dallas will be to pressure Eli Manning early and often. Make Manning rush his decisions and the 'Boys should win. Last Week: 2-1-1 Playoffs: 2-1-1 Regular Season: 120-109-6

BCS Mess; Football Picks

I don't pretend to be an expert on the BCS and the state of chaos that seems to be the process that determines college football's national champion but that doesn't make me any less mad at the system. The major bowl games -- Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, Orange -- and the BCS National Championship Game have been or seem like they will be disasters. USC's romp over Illinois in the Rose Bowl, followed by a similar beat down of Hawaii by Georgia, ruined my New Year's Day. The Fiesta was another let down as West Virginia cruised past Oklahoma. The Orange Bowl was a close game but the Kansas-Virginia Tech matchup did nothing for me, I barely watched the game. After those four games -- and the pending debacle that the BCS Championship Game could turn out to be with two-loss LSU facing untested Ohio State -- I am ready to scratch my eyes out of my head. I would love to see a playoff scenarion where the higher seeded teams play a first round home game followed by two rounds of bowl games that would determine the true national champion. It would look something like this: FIRST ROUND No. 8 at No. 1 No. 5 at No. 4 No. 6 at No. 3 No. 7 at No. 2 SEMI-FINAL 1/8 winner v. 4/5 winner at the Orange Bowl 2/7 winner v. 3/6 winner at the Fiesta Bowl CHAMPIONSHIP GAME Orange Bowl winner v. Fiesta Bowl winner at the Rose Bowl There are some flaws in this plan (like one major bowl being out the equation every four years, of course that game could host the best two teams not in the "Elite Eight" plan) but it would be a playoff, fans of the top four teams would be forced to travel only twice (which shouldn't be too much of an issue) and the old bowl system could stay in place for the teams not in the championship picture (with the mythical No. 9 and No. 10 teams playing in either the Rose/Sugar/Fiesta/Orange Bowl). Check out Sports Illustrated online today to read Stewart Mandell's piece which should be a tad bit more enlightened than mine. As for the picks... In the NFL -- for the games I picked -- I finished 120-109-6, something that gives me an ounce of pride. In college (picking five games a week except for the last week when I picked four) I finished 25-31-3, not too godd but not completely Loserville. Here are this weekends picks: SEATTLE (-3.5) over Washington Everyone seems to think the Redskins can rise out the wave of emotion left over from Sean Taylor's tragic death. I love their passion but the Seattle defense should be too much for Todd Collins. Jacksonville (-2) over PITTSBURGH The Jags run the ball to well for the Steelers to stop them and without Willie Parker, Pittsburgh can't run the ball enough to keep the Jags off the field. NY Giants (+3) over TAMPA BAY There are many reasons to go against the G-Men: other than Dallas, no team has won the week after losing to the Patriots; their offense has too many droughts to win a playoff game on the road; Tom Coughlin teams generally don't do well in the playoffs. However, Eli Manning showed me something against the Patriots, a level of play I didn't think he could reach. That's enough for me to pick New York. Tennessee (+9) over SAN DIEGO I think the Chargers will win this game but Vince Young and LenDale White will do just enough to keep it close until the 4th Quarter. BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME LSU (-4) over Ohio State Too much speed, too much Glen Dorsey and a two-loss National Champion.