Roundball Rockin'

Collegiate Hoops

There are over forty NCAA games today.  There won't be forty picks made.  After last night's startling results on the hardwood, it makes one rethink the choices to be made.  Nah, time to pick some games.  Still won't catch me in Vegas or Atlantic City, though.

1. Alabama has a phenomenal football team; however, Coach K and his Blue Devils squad led by Jabari Parker will remind them with a sound whipping tonight in the NIT Semi-Finals.
2. Arkansas goes up against Gonzaga.  Go, Bulldogs.
3. Wisconsin faces off against West Virginia in Cancun. Adios, Mountaineers.
4. Syracuse beat Cal last night and now take on the eighteenth-ranked Baylor Bears.  Orange triumphs again.
5. The Drexel Dragons square off in the NIT Semis against the Arizona Wildcats.  Arizona will stay undefeated.
6. Illegal Game of the Day features Eastern Michigan at Kentucky.  That paycheck must be a good one.
7. Late Game: TCU Horned Frogs play at Alaska Anchorage in the Great Alaska Shootout Tourney at 2:00 A.M. CST.  I'll check the results tomorrow morning over coffee.  Push.

Pro-Speak

One dozen professional-level games get played today, but only a few rate my interest.  I agree with Charles Barkley about the East being terrible.  He gets paid to watch that madness while I get to pick what will sully my eyes.  Is there no one who can defeat the Miami Heat in the East? No one? Sigh.

1. LA Lakers at Brooklyn tonight? Brooklyn loses like they did until the Toronto game last night. Huh? How'd they do that?
2. Joke Reel: Cleveland has the Miami Heat coming to town.  I've seen the ads about the new face of the Cavs against the former face of the Cavs. James and Co. annihilate the Cavs tonight. Yawn.
3. San Antonio's Grumpy Old Men visit the youngsters in OKC.  This one will be too exciting to call at this point.  My son is pulling for the Spurs as usual, but I find Durant an intriguing player. Push.
4. Will Lob City return in the game against the visiting NY Knicks? Tony Kornheiser sure hopes not and will hopefully mention something about the game on PTI later today.
5. After that crazy 360-degree dunk last night, Washington bears watching.  Too bad they're playing the Bucs. Yawn number two.

Last Words: Cheers to the Dallas Stars for the win at home over Anaheim.  Three goals in fifty-three seconds just makes the eyes dizzy and the heart race with delight if the team you want to win does it.  Good job, guys!

Lady Grid out.

Tuesday's Thoughts: Something for Almost Everyone

NFL:  Ahmad Brooks has a point about Robert Griffin, III.  It would be best for him to get that knee completely rehabilitated before testing it against some of the fastest LBs in the league.  I think Coach Shanahan needs to rethink the use of number ten for now.  Future mobility is at stake.  Peyton Manning is still a favorite quarterback for this gridiron fan.  There is a certain je ne sais quoi about him.  Many people prefer and idolize Pretty Boy up in New England; that is their prerogative.

Round Ball Action

1. Toronto hosts the Brooklyn Nets: it won't really matter in one hundred days who won this game. Let's hope Garnett and crew put on a decent show in Canada. Some of the Raptors players are day-to-day on the injury report, so we'll see how that works out for Coach Kidd and crew.
2. The Lakers visit the Washington Wizards.  This will be highlight reel footage of Laker domination yet again even without the new $48 million dollar man Kobe Bryant.
3. Orlando comes to Atlanta in a battle of the South. We'll see if the Magic can find some of themselves on defense and put up a win instead of a brick. 
4. The New Orleans Pelicans prepare to take on the Golden State Warriors. If Stephen Curry is well enough, it will be a bad night in NOLA.

NCAA Women's Basketball:

1. Get the brooms! Stanford will sweep the floor with the Lady Boilermakers.  It's tradition.
2. DePaul stops by for a trouncing by the Lady Irish.  Tsk.
3. Lady Spartans pay a call on Temple; they won't want tea.
4. South Carolina State goes down to Georgia to try to beat the Lady Dawgs.  Ha. Ha. Ha.
5. How much money does Massachusetts Lowell get to play Oklahoma State in Stillwater?  It's not enough for the pasting they'll take tonight.

NCAA Men's Basketball:

1. In the Maui Invitational Tournament, I'm going with the Orange to beat the California Golden Bears tonight.  Go, Syracuse!
2. Baylor will ground the Dayton Flyers in their match-up.

NHL:The Dallas Stars haven't been doing as well as I would like as far as scoring goals, but here's hoping they can put together a win over the visiting Anaheim Ducks.  Go Stars!

Lady Grid out.

Edge Fest

Don't get excited, alternative music fans.  Your concert comes next spring.  If the final margin of points separating winner from loser is seven or less, it's an edge.  St. Louis dominated the Bears with a score of 42 to 21; that's not an edge.  The Buccaneers edged the Lions. The Chargers edged the Chiefs.  That bears repeating: the Chargers edged the Chiefs.  The Cowboys edged the Giants for the second time this season.  I can't believe the Silver and Blue has beaten every team in their division at least once this year.  Hubby is ecstatic about the NFC East standings with Dallas ahead of Philly. The Titans edged the Raiders out in Oakland.  Pretty Boy and the Patriots edged General Peyton and the Broncos in a late finish in overtime after the Broncos were leading 24-0 at the half.  These were the wins I didn't expect to happen, or at least, I picked the loser of the match-ups thinking, "Heh, heh, I'll get these picks right!" I threw up a brick in my college and pro picks, so we'll see how my previous prediction of a Niners win turns out.  Watch Robert Griffin, III, have a banner night to spite me and avenge his alma mater's lackluster performance in Stillwater. Ouch, the brick hit me in the head.  Ugh.  I'll take two aspirin now please.

Fly-by-night NBA chat

1. Were we surprised the Lakers beat Sacramento? Nope.
2. How about the Clippers trouncing the Rose-less Bulls? Nope. I do wish D. Rose a complete recovery from knee surgery later today.  We'll see if he returns to the hardwood this season after waiting it out so long last year.
3. Surely Phoenix over Orlando in Orlando. Nah, visit Disney World.
4. OKC whipping up on Utah. Nope.
5. Maybe the win by Detroit over the Brooklyn Nets? You're kidding, right. Not surprised at all. Give me two more aspirin in four or so hours, and it'll be good.

Lady Grid out.

Pros Primer/College Review - November 24, 2013

College Review:

Where did I go wrong? Everywhere critical, apparently!  LSU made mincemeat of my Aggies. Was Manziel distracted by his NFL announcement prior to our post-season bowl appearance?  Let's not have a LeBron James-esque program blocking out prime time television for that, okay?  I won't be watching, and I LOVE my Aggies. I just can't figure out Jonathan Manziel or what makes him tick. Baylor just couldn't get things going their way. No more BCS dreams for them.  The Oregon Ducks really made a poor showing against Arizona. No more BCS dreams for them. The Minnesota Golden Gophers managed one TD, and Arizona State slid by UCLA.  Yikes! 

Professional Match-ups:

1. The New Orleans Saints can play better than they did in their victory over Atlanta.  They need to practice outside more often.
2. Tampa Bay heads north to the Motor City and Megatron.  They should just stay home to avoid embarrassment again.
3. Yawner of the week, one—Pittsburgh visits Cleveland. With the way the seasons of both of these teams going, I feel apathetic about the outcome.  Push.
4. Carolina hops over to visit the Miami Dolphins who still don't have their act together.  Cam & Co. win.
5. Joke Reel of the Week:  Jacksonville in Texas to play ball against the Houston Texans.  Security won't have to make sure Mr. Johnson stays on the sidelines this time.  Texans play to the lower common denominator but manage to eke out a victory against the woebegone Jags. Yawn.
6. The NY Jets make an appearance in Baltimore.  It won't go well for rookie QB Geno Smith against a defense who is trying to forge a new identity in the post-Ray Lewis era.  Ravens win.
7. Dallas goes to play ball against the resurgent NY Giants.  Yikes. November means things for both teams. Cowboys lose late in the fourth quarter despite leading most of the way.  Eli Manning strikes again.
8. And the point is? San Diego heads east to visit Kansas City who just lost to Denver and plan to smash whoever is in their path?  Chiefs dominate the Bolts.
9. Yawner of the week, part deux: Tennessee faces Oakland in Oakland.  The land of the silver and black attack will go home sad? happy? Push.
10. Indianapolis comes to the desert to play Arizona; they leave tanned and refreshed after temporarily sidelining the Cardinals hopes for a positive post-season. Next week, Cards.  You can peck that Eagle to death.
11. Chi-Town in Archway City: Bears crush the Rams and have mutton stew for dinner.
12. Oh yeah, Minnesota Vikings go to Lambeau Field.  Depending on which QB is playing in Green Bay, it's kind of a pushy match-up.  Leaning towards the Vikings but not really concerned.  Yawn number three.
13. The anticipated match-up of Manning versus Brady 14.0 begins on Sunday night.  I want the Broncos to win, and the Patriots are still miffed about the non-call.  Coach Belichick is creating something nasty for General Peyton's ankle.  Come on , Broncos O-line!
14. San Francisco comes calling in Washington D.C.  Despite the heroics of sophomore QB Robert Griffin, III, the Niners leave victorious.  This is good news for NFC East buffs.

Lady Grid out.

College Preview - November 23, 2013

High school playoffs are still big business here in Texas.  Centennial fell to South Oak Cliff and their phenomenal Jordan Stevenson who has already signed for Texas when he graduates in 2015. What a player!  Frisco High defeated Lincoln High School in the playoffs and face Ennis next.  Good luck!

It's college time.

Some of the match-ups make sense.  Others defy logic.  Why have some nearly non-conference level games this late in the season? 

1. Texas A&M heads to the bayou to face the LSU tigers.  Here's hoping Manziel & co. can make themselves a nice tiger-skin coat or two.  Fingers are crossed for this one.
2. Baylor heads north to Stillwater to hang out with Pistol Pete.  The bear whips the cowboy and leaves him begging for mercy.
3. USC visits Colorado and makes mincemeat out the Buffaloes. [Example number one]
4. Oklahoma will annihilate poor K-State.
5. Memphis should stay home instead of facing off against Louisville.
6. Duke is surprising everyone and controlling its own destiny.  Blue Devils beat the Demon Deacons.
7. Michigan plays rough with Iowa in Iowa. [Example number two]
8. Why would the Citadel play Clemson? They apparently need the money.  Where's that tiger? Licking his chops.
9. The Ducks fly south to Arizona and cruise to an easy victory. [Example number three]
10. Wisconsin thinks it will have an easy time at Minnesota.  Ski-U-Mah!  Gophers surprise them.
11. Arizona State heads west to see the Bruins at UCLA.  Bruins don't like being poked by the Sun Devils' tridents, so they smash 'em up right.
12. Indiana dares to visit the Buckeyes from Ohio State University. Tsk. [Example number fou]
13. SMU treks to South Florida and returns to Big D with an overall record of 5-5 after a win today. Ponies are feeling frisky after downing UCONN last week.
14. Cal at Stanford? Ha ha ha! Now I am laughing in my coffee.  [Example number five]

Lady Grid out.

Late Night Ball

In area high school action, the Centennial Titans took on the South Oak Cliff Golden Bears at AT&T Stadium beginning around 9:45 P.M. CST.  At this writing, the score was 35-7 in favor of SOC.  It remains to see how things turn out. This post will be updated once the final seconds expire.  Highland Park beat Kimball High School handily.

Speaking professionally, the Lady picked the Saints to win tonight, and she got that one right.  Either tomorrow or early Saturday will find her predictions for the college match-ups.  More anon.

Lady Grid out.

My, Oh, My!

The sports talking heads will be buzzing about the end of the Panthers-Patriots game. Where to weigh in? Perhaps a Yellow Flag of Shame? I'll tune in once my family awakens.

A Yellow Flag of Shame to the referee who apparently cursed at Redskins' OT Trent Williams.  It was uncalled for if it happened.  Possible Yellow Flag of Shame to Williams.  What happens if he breaks a fingernail during a pass rush?  Will we hear about that? How about a scratch from one of the DEs?

Where the Lady Went Wrong:

1. The Buccaneers and Falcons' records match after the win on Sunday afternoon.
2. Who would have guessed that the Bills had so much chutzpah?
3. The Lions couldn't hold back the Steelers.
4. The Texans' Andre Johnson walked off the field with one minute of game time left.  Their season has been abysmal at best.
5. Yergh alert: I picked the Chargers on my Fantasy game but figured the Fins would win.  I should have trusted my instincts late in the week. 

At least the Mavericks won against the Sixers; Mavericks are unbeaten at home. Woo-hoo.

Lady Grid out.