Last Minute predictions for the Field of 68

Here are my predictions for who will play who in the NCAA Tournament. I plan of seeing how accurate I am in predicting these, as you will see in my next article.


SOUTH
#1 Florida
#16 Milwaukee
#2 Kansas
#15 Wofford
#3 Syracuse
#14 Manhattan
#4 Creighton
#13 Western Michigan
#5 Ohio State
#12 Harvard
#6 Cincinnati
#11 Dayton/NC State
#7 Saint Louis
#10 Arizona State
#8 Stanford
#9 George Washington


West
#1 Arizona
#16 Albany
#2 Wisconsin
#15 Weber State
#3 Iowa State
#14 UNC Central
#4 San Diego State
#13 Delaware
#5 Kentucky
#12 North Dakota State
#6 Gonzaga
#11 Colorodo
#7 UConn
#10 SMU
#8 Pitt
#9 Texas


East
#1 Michigan
#16 MOUNT Saint Mary's/Costal Carolina
#2 Villanova
#15 AMERICAN U
#3 Virginia
#14 MERCER
#4 UCLA
#13 New Mexico State
#5 New Mexico
#12 Tulsa
#6 VCU
#11 Xavier/Nebraska
#7 Oklahoma State
#10 Saint Joseph
#8 UMASS
#9 California


Midwest
#1 Wichita State
#16 Cal Poly/ Texas Southern
#2 Duke
#15 Georgia State
#3 Louisville
#14 Eastern Kentucky
#4 Michigan State
#13 Stephan F. Austin
#5 UNC
#12 Providence
#6 Oregon
#11 Tennessee
#7 Oklahoma
#10 Iowa
#8 Memphis
#9 Kansas State

NCAA Basketball: My thoughts as March Maddness Nears(Part 1)

We are now in the month of March. We all know what that means: we are approaching March Madness.  I thought it would be a good idea if I would give out my thoughts on who I think the best teams in the country are, and also who I think is overrated/underrated, and teams who I think could turn a lot of heads in a few weeks.

Let's get into it.

Top Teams

Florida

#1 for a reason. Have 4(almost 5) players averaging 10 or more points per game. Have a good combination of size and athletic ability.  The Gatos are lead by senior forward Casey Prather, who is averaging close to 15 points per game, and Michael Frazier, who hit 11 3 pointers in Tuesdays blowout win over South Carolina. They also have one of the best coaches in the country in Billy Donavon. The interesting thing about Florida is, statistically they are not what one would think of when they are thinking of a #1 team. They only rank in the top 100 nationally in 1 major offensive statistic, and that is field goal percentage at a underwhelming #83. One big statistic in their favor is the fact that they have allowed only 58.2 points per game, good for 6th fewest in the country. One thing that should be noted however, is rebounding. The Gators are only 169th in the country in rebounds per game, at 24.2, and that could hurt them in the tournament. Nevertheless, a 28-2 record and #2 RPI does not lie.

Wichita State

31-0. A lot of teams have played in crap conferences over the years, but none has ever accomplished that feat in the regular season. I think that the Shockers are very much for real, and it should not be a shock to anyone if they are in the Final 4 once again(sorry, had to do it.) The Shockers are defensive minded, and are 13th in the country in points allowed per game (59.9) and 17th rebounds per game (26.8). Another thing that helps them beat teams is offensive rebounding. The Shockers are 25th in offensive rebounds per game. Very solid team all the way around, and Greg Marshall is one of the better coaches in the country. Cleanthony Early is also a player to watch, as he averages nearly 16 points a game and is a 6'8 beast. Statisticaly, the Shockers are ready for a deep run in the tournament, but one factor plays against the: 1 team in history has gone undefeated for a full season, and that was Bob Knight's Indiana Housiers, in 1975-76. Stranger things have happened though.

Arizona

I said Florida was ''#1 for a reason'', and it is true, because there is a reason behind everything in life. That being said, I believe the best team in the country resides in Tuscan. I just love the way these guys play. Duquense legend TJ McConnell(pictured at top of post) is a old school point guard. Far from the being mentioned among the nations most physically gifted players, as he averages less then 10 points a game, McConnel makes great use out of the talents that he does posses: getting the ball to the players who do possess great physical talent, being a leader and playing hard as hell. McConnel does all of these things very well, and does exactly what coach Sean Miller wants him to do, and any fan of another team who has a brain would love to have this kid running the point for their team. Aaron Gordon, part of this years very talented Freshman class around college basketball, has been very effective, averaging 12.2 points and 8 rebounds per game. Nick Johnson is the teams leading scorer, averaging 16 points a game. The only 2 games Arizona has lost this year were on the road, both at Cal and Arizona State. Since the Wildcats destroyed both of those teams in Tuscan, maybe they were just flukes. The loss of Brandon Ashley is a problem, and may hurt this team down the stretch, but they have not proven me yet that they can not overcome it. They may not be the best team in the country after all, but for now, this is my opinion.

Wisconsion

On fire. 25-5, a few very quality non-conference wins. Bo Ryan's team always plays together, rarely having a standout player. Much like Florida, the are not a great team statistically, for example they are 270th in the country in offensive rebounding. But, they play great defense and are hot at the most important time of year.

That concludes part 1. Part 2 will deal with other top teams and potential bracket busters. Thanks for reading.

2014 MLB Season Previews: Pittsburgh Pirates

I am probably the biggest Pirate fan out there. Anybody who knows me knows what this team means to me. I have been going to games regularly since before I could walk. I went to my first game when I was a little over a month old(which was I believe a 7-6 victory over the Florida Marlins). I sat through all of the losing, cried over it, wondered why I decided to become a fan, hoped that things would change,  so you can imagine what it meant to me when my team finally broke through in 2013. What do I expect from this team is 2014? Well, you'll find out soon enough in this article.

Starting Pitching
Solid. Franscio Liriano, Wandy Rodriguez, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton and probably either Jeff Locke or Edinson Volquez to start the season(Jameson Tallion will probably be inserted in around June) make up a deep and strong rotation that will perform well on most nights.
Liriano was without question the anchor of the staff in 2013, winning 16 games and posting an era of 3.02. Any time the team needed him, he was there to dominate, especially when it came to the St. Louis Cardinals. A lot of people expect Frankie to regress, but I wouldn't be so sure. People almost unanimously said the same thing about AJ Burnett coming into last season, and he statistically outperformed what he did in 2012. Given the fact the Burnett is 7 years older then Liriano is, and considering how good of a pitching coach Ray Serage is, it is very possible that Liriano does the same.

Rodriguez missed the last 4 months of 2013, after injuring his forearm in June. Wandy is getting older, but I think he will still be solid and that the Pirates should be glad to have him back.

Cole is a flamethrower, and throughout the last 2 months of last season, he was really showing why Neil Huntington drafted him 1st overall in 2011. I do not think Cole will suffer the dreaded sophomore slump, and that he will continue to blossom in 2014.

Charlie Morton was the unsung hero of the Pirates rotation last season. Like Liarino, he was very reliable and possess a quit confidence, and if it were not for Michael Wacha, he would have been known as the man who pitched the Pirates to there first postseason series victory since 1979.


Locke and Volquez are question marks. If Locke pitches the way he did April-July last year for a full season, that would just be fantastic for this club, but if he pitches the way he did the last 2 months of last year which is when he completely hit a wall, then it could spell doom, at least for a few months. I think Locke will be somewhere in the middle, probably a ERA in the low 4's, and may even be out of the rotation when Tallion is ready.


Volquez was picked up as a free agent from San Diego this December, and Huntington is hoping that he will be Franscio Liarino 2.0. Although the 2 are similar, considering that both of them were awful before they came to Pittsburgh, and that they both have solid stuff, I don't think it will happen. Volquez is too erratic, as he led the majors in runs allowed last season, and does not have as much potential to turn it around as Frank did. He will probably be closer to Jonathan Sanchez/James McDonald, and will be relegated to the bullpen fast.

Overall, this is one of the better rotations in all of baseball, and could be one of the best if things go well. Tallion throws HARD, and could be a big boost to the Bucs if he follows Cole's path. The loss of AJ Burnett is disappointing, but he can be replaced.

Grade: A

Hitting

We all know the obvious: Andrew McCutchen. #22 was the unquestioned leader of the Pirates, and established himself as one of the best in the game. As most of you know, he was the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player, and that tells you all you need to know about this man who has not gotten a haircut since Timberlake was in NYSNC.

3rd Baseman Pedro Alveraz made more progress in 2013. The Big Bull blasted 36 homeruns last season, tying for the NL lead in that category with Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. He keeps getting better, and I think he will continue to improve this season, probably going over the 40 homerun total for the first time in his career.

Neil Walker(Pine Richland class of 2004, eat your heart out WPIAL Insider), is a solid all around player and a gamer. The Real Deal had several clutch hits in September of 2013, and although he went into hibernation 2 months early in the post season, he is still a big part of this team. Left Fielder Starling Marte is this teams sparkplug.

The Leadoff Man is fast, has 20 homerun potential and plays great defense.

Catcher Russel Martin is really nothing special with the bat, but is a huge part of this team with his handling of a pitching staff and ability to throw out anything with 2 feet.

I like Right Fielder Jose Tabata more then most people do, but I am not sure what he will be able to do now that he will most likely be playing almost everyday, at least until Gregory Polanco arrives, with the departure of Marlon Byrd this offseason.  He could be an asset. We will see. I don't even want to talk about 1st base right now. It will be interesting, lets just say that. Jordy Mecer will be Walker's Double Play partner. This will be his first full season, and I expect a respectable batting average. He will be backed up by Clint Barmas, who people dislike. I really don't get why, as he is statically a top 5 defensive shortstop in the game.

Overall, while this offense is not terrible, it is not great either. We will see what happens.

Grade: C

Bullpen

''The Shark Tank'' will defiantly not perform like it did last season. Closer Jason Grilli and Setup man Mark Melancon will not be able to replicate what they did in 2013. However, they are both still assets, and fans should still fell pretty comfortable with a late game lead. I am not as sure about Jenmar Gomez and Vin Mazzaro. Both were great assets for the Pirates last season, but I am not so sure what they will do this year. Justin Wilson and Tony Watson both throw solid stuff, and I expect them to continue to be reliable out of the pen, although I don't think Wilson will perform as well as he did in 2013. Jared Hughes also could be an asset if he gets back on track. We will see.

Overall, this is still a bullpen that most teams would love the have.

Grade: B

Farm System

LOADED. Gregory Polanco, Jameson Tallion, Tyler Glasnow, Allen Hanson, Nick Kingham, Austin Medows and Reese McGwire. Do some research on these guys. They have POTENTIONAL, and you will be seeing most of them at PNC Park quite soon, Tallion and Polanco most likely in 2013. The future is bright.

Overall: I expect the Pirates to regress in 2014. Not like REGRESS, but to take a small step back. They will probably win around 86-90 games, and maybe miss the playoffs. I am ok with that, because this team will be elite in 2015. I am almost sure of it.

Prediction: 88-74, 2nd in NL Central

That's all. Thanks for reading.

MLB Team Previews: Houston Astros

Now that Spring Training is upon us, I thought it would be fitting to do a in depth-preview on every single MLB team. I am doing this in the same format that the MLB draft is done: worst goes first, best goes last. Unfortunately for the city of Houston, the Astros(and Texans) were the worst, and therefore, I will start of my series with the Houston Astros.

2013
To the surprise of pretty much nobody, the 2013 Astros were horrendous. Their 51-111 record pretty much tells you all you need to know about the season, which is pretty much summed up perfectly by this play. http://houston.astros.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_05_17_houmlb_pitmlb_1&mode=recap&c_id=pit#gid=2013_05_17_houmlb_pitmlb_1&mode=video

Pitching


The Houston pitching staff posted the 3rd worst team ERA in all of baseball(4.72), but this year should be a improvement in that department. The 2014 Opening Day rotation is expected to consist of 23 year old Jarred Cosart who posted a 1.95 ERA in 10 starts last season(and called Justin Bieber a homosexual slur on twitter, look it up) 24 year old Brett Oberholtzer(2.75 ERA in 10 starts) and recently acquired Scott Feldman, who went 12-12 and posted a combined 3.86 ERA with the Orioles and Cubs last season. It gets pretty ugly after that, consisting of Brad Peacock(5-6, 5.18 ERA), Paul Clemens, who started only 5 games last year, but posted a 5.40 ERA pitching mostly out of the bullpen, and LHP Dallas Kuchal(6-10, 5.15 ERA). Another starter who will be fighting for a rotation spot in Spring Training will be Lucas Harrel, who had a putrid 2013, going 6-17 with a 5.86 ERA. Overall, this rotation is a work in progress. There is talent and upside, but little proof of success. Cosart and Oberholtzer will both continue to blossom this season, but I think Feldman will be a disappointment. He has always been just decent at best, and moving to the heavy hitting AL West will not help. I expect that at least one pitcher in the bottom half of the rotation will improve significantly from last year(probably Clemons, since he is a flame thrower with high upside). Overall, this rotation is not great, but I think it will give Astros fans hope for the future.


Grade: C-


Hitting
This will be easily the strongest asset for Houston this season, although they scored the 3rd fewest runs in the league in 2013. 23 Year Old Jose Altueve is one of the better 2nd baseman in all of baseball, and he will continue to blossom in 2014.


Altueve's Double Play partner will be 22 year old Jonathon Villar, who is quick, good with the glove and had 18 stolen bases in 57 games in 2013.


24 Year Old Matt Dominguez will be at 3rd base. Dominguez showed a lot of promise in his first full season in the majors last year, hitting 21 homers and driving in 77 runs. Domingiz is also solid defensively, as he was 2nd among AL 3rd baseman with 323 assists.


Catcher Jason Castro is one of the best hitters in the game for his position. At 26 years of age, Castro set several Astros records last season for the catching position, with most homeruns for a catcher(18), doubles(35), extra-base hits(54) slugging percentage(.485), multi-hit games (33) and OPS (.835). Castro also posted a batting average of .276.


Chris Carter is expected to start at 1st base. Carter can crush it(29 Homers, 83 RBI in 2013), but isn't as great as those stats may lead one to believe. He strikes out a stunning amount, and is putrid defensively. He also hit .223.


 Houston's outfield is very young and talented, and I expect them to blossom greatly this season. Former Pirates prospect Robbie Grossman will start in left field. Grossman showed a lot of promise in the 2nd half of last season, hitting .322 with an OPS of .816 from July on last season. In Centerfield will be the newly acquired  Dexter Fowler. I always thought that Fowler was an asset when he was with the Rockies. Solid leadoff man, very fast and good defensively, and has some power. The biggest problem with Fowler is his health. He has been snake-bitten with injuries throughout his career, and in order for him to be an asset for Houston, he will need to stay healthy. Right Field will be a battle between George Springer and LJ Hoes. If I'm Bo Porter, I give Springer the job. The 24 year hit 37 homeruns and stole 45 bases last season in the minors. I guess you can call this Springer before Hoes(hehehe). Brett Wallace will probably be my guess as to who will DH for Houston.


Overall, the Astros lineup isn't great, but like the pitching they show a lot of promise and I expect them to improve.


Grade: C-


Bullpen
The Astros did a good job of improving a once putrid bullpen by adding Chad Qualls from Miami, Matt Albers from Cleveland and Jesse Crain from Tampa Bay. Qualls provides great experience and will compete for the closers roll with Josh Fields, a Rule 5 draft pick who struck out 40 batters in 40 innings last season. Albers did a solid job with the Tribe last year, and Jesse Crain, by far Houstons best offseason acquisition, dominated bats last season, first with the White Sox, then with the Rays, posting an ERA of 0.74 and making the AL All-Star team. Flamethrower Wesley Wring also has potential Overall, I don't think this bullpen will be great or even very good, but it will be a big improvement from last year.


Grade: B-


Bench: Either Hoes or Springer will be solid options off of the bench. That's it. Other then that, they have nothing.


Grade: F


Manger: I love Bo Porter. He is perfect for this young team, and reminds me of a younger version of Clint Hurdle. In game managing is not great, but neither is Hurdle's. Perfect man to lead this team back to relevance.


Farm System
This should make any Astros fan drool.  Mark Appel, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Jonathan Singleton, Lance McCullers. All of these kids have the potential to be stars in this great game. Houston has done so well in selecting talent that many ''experts'' are declaring this to be the best Minor League system in all of Baseball. "Experts'' are wrong a lot of the time, but I feel that they may have a case here.


Grade: A+


Conclusion
This will be another lame duck season in Houston, with the AL West getting even stronger over the offseason and the Astros still being not quite ready. I expect a pretty big improvement wins wise, but it still wont look very good. But Astros fans fear not. GM Jeff Luhnow is doing what the Cardinals have been doing for years, what the Pirates started doing recently, and what several other successful franchises have done in the past, which is build a winner through the farm system. The future is bright in Houston, although fans will have to sit through another rough season in 2014.


Prediction: 64-98, 5th in AL West.


Credit to The Indiana Sports page for giving me a lot of the information used for this article.