UNLV

Saturday Night Fever: Conference Tournament Update

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 18:40:19 -0700

Some thoughts on an exciting Championship Week Saturday.. with an eye on the Big Dance: - Tulsa learned in a big way this morning that Memphis owns the CUSA. Having won 10 of 13 games, and with 20 overall, the Golden Hurricanes are hoping they've done enough to impress the NIT selection committee. Regardless, the emergence of 7-0 big man Jerome Jordan is a great sign for the future. - Give Va Tech credit for taking UNC down to the wire.. but don't give them too much credit. The Hokies overall resume is virtually identical to Creighton, but they're only getting a look because of their ACC affiliation. Creighton has one more overall win, the same 1-6 record against Top 50 teams, and both finished 7-5 in their last 12. Yet you don't hear anyone claiming the Jays should be dancing.. - Bo Ryan is a coaching genius. With Indiana and MSU expected to be the top dogs in the Big Ten, it is Ryan's unheralded Badgers that will most likely walk away with the title. Wisconsin's been to the title game 4 of the last 5 years, and this year's team features no one that the average sports fan has the slightest clue about. - The real question though is whether any Big Ten team can get past the Sweet Sixteen? - If Illinois wins the Big Ten, they should immediately change the rule giving automatic bids to conference champions. - Duke proved what we already knew about them.. that they're going to live and die by the three. 6 for 26 won't cut it for a team with no inside presence.. and you have to figure they're going to run into a similar rut in week two of the tourney that will be damning. - As soon as you get your bracket, just mark down UCLA in the Final Four and realize you have at least one guaranteed lock. The Bruins just find ways to win. Today, it was Darren Collison (taking a career high 22 shots) and offensive rebounds that pushed them over Stanford. Tomorrow, it could just as easily be another formula. - Early on, it looked like St. Joseph's was going to run away with the A10 title. But Temple's two leaders, Mark Tyndale and Dionte Christmas, kept on fighting and ultimately the tides turned. St. Joe's (particularly Pat Calathes) ran out of gas and they foolishy stopped getting the ball in Ahmad Nivins' hands. Now Temple has secured a spot in the field for the first time since 2001, while the the Hawks will be sweating it out tomorrow. It would be fitting, after all the ups and downs in the A10 (teams like Dayton, URI, and UMASS rising and falling all year), that the league whose numbers are right there with the Big Six still ended up with 3 bids. - Good to see Kent State taking care of business in the MAC, ensuring that an undeserving Akron team doesn't steal a bid. I've been admittedly slow to jump on Kent State's bandwagon, but you can't argue with a 28-6 record. - Wink Adams completed an impressive MWC tournament by scoring 23 in UNLV's championship win over BYU. Adams averaged 24 ppg as the Rebels won their second straight conference crown. I'm not a huge fan of UNLV or BYU, but both have top 30 RPI's and will get Top 10 seeds in the tourney. I just wouldn't expect anything more than a win out of either. - Georgia's currently up on Mississippi State as I write this. Perhaps there would be no greater proof of the SEC's mediocrity this year than one of Georgia or Arkansas being the title holder. Tennessee's loss to Arkansas perhaps opens the door for an outsider to steal a #1 seed.. but UNC, Memphis, UNC, and Tennessee are still my choices. - I have nothing against NMSU.. but thank God Boise State won the WAC title. If you get lucky enough to host the conference championship for no reason, and you get lucky enough to get into a 3rd OT despite getting outplayed most of the night.. and you still lose.. then you don't belong anywhere near the Big Dance. - Houston has apparently accepted a bid into the new College Basketball Invitational.. the first of what should be many interesting twists and turns in the life of this new tournament's rivalry with the NIT. - I have to own up to my mistakes.. and underestimating Pittsburgh is one of my biggest. Before the season, I didn't even think this team would make the Big Dance.. and we ranked them pretty low in our preseason rankings. Even coming into tonight, I favored Georgetown heavily.. and was wrong again. Like Bo Ryan above, it's becoming clear you don't mess with Coach Dixon.

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: UNLV

Joel Welser — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 10:33:05 -0700

UNLV Rebels

Mountain West (26-7, 12-4)

Big Wins: 11/24 Nevada (79-67), 1/15 BYU (70-41), 2/2 New Mexico (79-60)

Bad Losses: 11/27 at UC Santa Barbara (60-63), 1/12 at Air Force (53-65), 2/6 at Utah (73-81)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2007, Sweet Sixteen loss to Oregon

Coach: Lon Kruger (13-10 in 10 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Wink Adams, Junior, Guard, 16.6 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg

Rene Rougeau, Junior, Guard, 9.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.1 spg

Curtis Terry, Senior, Guard, 11.2 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.3 rpg

Corey Bailey, Junior, Forward, 6.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Joe Darger, Junior, Forward, 11.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Mareceo Rutledge, Junior, Guard, 3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg

Kendall Wallace, Freshman, Guard, 2.3 ppg

Matt Shaw, Sophomore, Forward , 6.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Among the flash of Las Vegas, UNLV has gone widely unnoticed with their steady offense. Ranking in the top ten in the nation, the Rebels turn the ball over less than 11 times per game. They also share the ball quite well and rank in the top ten in assist-to-turnover ratio. Wink Adams will run the show and he will dish nearly two assists for every turnover. However, it is wing Curtis Terry who leads the team in assists and his versatility has propelled UNLV into the postseason.

Even the forwards rarely turn the ball over. Matt Shaw has developed into a consistent scorer and rebounder and Corey Bailey has the versatility to stretch the defense and get to the basket or hit the mid-range jumper. The Rebels will force a ton of turnovers, mostly due to the stingy defense of players like Rene Rougeau who acquires over two steals per game. With the turnover numbers greatly in their favor, UNLV will almost always have more shots than their opponent.

Why They Can Disappoint:

And UNLV needs all the shots they can get because most of them do not go in the basket. The team loves the three-ball and hits almost eight per game, but they only shoot 33.1 percent from behind the arc. Normally that is horrible number, and it certainly is not good in this case, but Coach Lon Kruger’s squad can make up for it with their extra possessions. However, UNLV will give up some extra possessions of their own on second chance points. The team will consistently get outrebounded. The wings have good size and will help on the glass, but the big guys are not that big. Shooting guard Rougeau is 6-6 and leads the team in rebounds. Baiely is only 6-5 and Shaw, at 6-8, is the tallest player on the team who sees any significant playing time and he will usually come in off the bench.

Who To Watch:

That leaves it up to 6-7 forward Joe Darger to do all he can to at least help neutralize the rebounding margin. Darger grabs about five boards per game, but it would be very beneficial if the junior could consistently grab eight or nine rebounds. Yet, that is not what Darger does. On other teams he would be a wing, but that is not the case at UNLV. Darger is a scorer first and foremost. He is the most consistent and prolific shooter on the team from beyond the arc and will be a mismatch against most defenders. Usually a much bigger, slower player will defend Darger and he can use his three-point shooting ability to make most defenders who are used to hanging out in the paint very uncomfortable on the perimeter.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 70.2 (144^th nation, 3^rd in conference)

Scoring Defense: 62.3 (43, 2)

Field-Goal Percentage: 42.4 (239, 8)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.5 (40, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.7 (74, 3)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 33.1 (240, 8)

Free-Throw Percentage: 74.3 (31, 2)

Rebound Margin: -2.2 (256, 7)

Assists Per Game: 15.4 (52, 3)

Turnovers Per Game: 10.9 (6, 1)

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Games of the Night: UNLV at New Mexico

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:47:48 -0800

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

UNLV (22-6) at New Mexico (22-7)

9:00 PM

With an RPI of 27, and marginally good OOC wins against teams like San Diego, Minnesota, Nevada, and UTEP.. UNLV is basically a Tournament lock. New Mexico meanwhile is barely in the field of 65, right there with Virginia Tech on the edge of the bubble. The Lobos have a lot of wins, but are just 2-5 against Top 100 teams.. which is rather pathetic. They are a rather good home team, but lost to the MWC's other top teams (BYU & SDSU) at home.. so a win tonight is not a given. UNM is the safe pick (a loss is simply not an option for them), but I like UNLV against the 6 point spread.

Prediction: New Mexico

#15 Purdue (23-6) at Ohio State (17-12)

7:00 PM ESPN

The Buckeyes are an embarrassing 0-9 against Top 50 teams.. but did play Wisconsin and Indiana pretty evenly in Columbus. Though they're on the outside looking in right now, a win over Purdue wouldn't place them very far behind teams like UNM or VT in the pecking order. I actually like Buckeyes to pull out a low-scoring 57-52 type win.

Prediction: Ohio State

Miami (14-13) at Kent State (23-6)

7:00 PM ESPN

Despite the wide gap in overall record, these two teams are more similar talent-wise than you'd think. Miami played a brutal non-conference schedule and their last 4 conference losses either went to OT or were decided near the final buzzer. With that said, Kent State is still the favorite at home where they're 14-0.. but the 6-point spread is enticing.

Prediction: Kent State

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 78-48)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

February 28th - Maryland at Wake Forest (2-1)

February 27th - Miami at Clemson (2-1)

February 26th - Tennessee at Vanderbilt (0-3)

February 25th - Marquette at Villanova (2-1)

February 21st - South Alabama at WKU (1-2)

February 20th - UNC at NC State (3-0)

February 19th - Purdue at Indiana (2-1)

February 18th - Texas A&M at Texas (2-1)

February 16th - Stanford at Arizona (1-2)

February 14th - Wisconsin at Indiana (2-1)

February 12th - Michigan State at Purdue (2-1)

February 11th - Kansas at Texas (2-1)

February 10th - Indiana at Ohio State (2-1)

February 9th - Georgetown at Louisville (2-1)

February 7th - UCLA at Washington State (2-1)

February 6th - Duke at North Carolina (1-2)

February 5th - Florida at Tennessee (2-1)

February 4th - Gonzaga at SMC (1-2)

Daily Dribble: Top 10 Players in the MWC

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 10:49:08 -0800

Continuing with my conference player rankings, its on to the Mountain West. This list was compiled just before the season started, but some names not listed have gotten off to quality starts: Andrew Henke of Air Force is averaging 15 and 7 after two consistent games. Senior Alvarado Parker is averaging 14 and 10 after two games, including a double-double in a blow out win over Rice. Top 10 Players in the MWC 1. Brandon Ewing, G, Wyoming 2. Luke Nevill, C, Utah 3. Trent Plaisted, C, BYU 4. Wink Adams, G, UNLV 5. JR Giddens, G, New Mexico 6. Lorenzo Wade, F, San Diego State 7. Brad Jones, G, Wyoming 8. Johnnie Bryant, G, Utah 9. Tim Anderson, G, Air Force 10. Kevin Langford, F, TCU Next In Line Ryan Amoroso, F, San Diego State Lee Cummard, G, BYU Tony Danridge, G/F, New Mexico Kyle Spain, F, San Diego State * Richie Williams, G, San Diego State - Williams was on the list originally, but has been removed since he has been suspended indefinitely. * Beas Hamga, C, UNLV - The freshman big man is not ineligible currently, but was originally included in the Next in Line section. The final ranking of the WAC will be up soon.

Daily Poll:Who Will Win the Mountain West?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:57:56 -0700

2007-08 UNLV Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:21:43 -0700

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels

Overall Rank: #67

Conference Rank: #3 Mountain West

2006-07: 30-7, 12-4, 2^nd

2006-07 postseason: NCAA

UNLV had a terrific season last year, but losing four starters will certainly make the Rebels need a little time to adjust. Coach Lon Kruger has plenty of talent on hand and has done a great job bringing the team together throughout his reign in Las Vegas, yet it remains to be seen if he can do it again. UNLV will have problems early and as long as some non-conference struggles do not damage the team morale, the team will battle for a MWC title.

Who’s Out:

Sometimes losing four starters can be misleading, but that is not the case here. All five started at least 30 games last year and were the top five players on the team in minutes per contest. While a few other players earned a handful of starts, the Rebels are losing four big time players in Wendell White, Kevin Kruger, Michael Umeh and Gaston Essengue. White, a 6-6 guard who played power forward, led the team with 14.4 points and 6.1 rebounds. Kruger was the team’s most dangerous long range threat and averaged 5.1 assists per game. Umeh’s production decrease during his senior year, mostly due to a knee injury suffered during the 2005-2006 campaign, but the 6-2 guard still had the ability to put up some big scoring numbers. At 6-8 and 245 pounds, Essengue was a force under the basket. However, the team’s best defender in the paint was Joel Anthony. Anthony averaged nearly three blocks per game and his ability to come off the bench and make a big impact on the game will be missed. Guard Efrem Lawrence will not be returning to the team after playing in just two games last year.

Who’s In:

Just about every starting position is up for grabs and all the newcomers will have the opportunity to earn a starting job. The most likely starter is forward Lamar Roberson. The 6-8 transfer from Houston is a good athlete and can score from anywhere on the floor. Roberson made seven three-pointers in one game during his freshman campaign with the Cougars and UNLV will take numbers like that any day. Adding needed bodies up front are centers Beas Hamga and Emmanuel Adeife. Hamga, a seven-footer, does not have much of an offensive game to speak of, but he will grab some easy put-back buckets. His rebounding and shot blocking abilities will be enough for the Cameroonian to earn major minutes as a freshman. Hamga may be the more talented player overall, but Adeife has the experience. Adeife played, albeit rarely, at Houston as a freshman and at Polk Community College in Florida last year. The battle for playing time on the wings will be fierce and Troy Cage and Mareceo Rutledge will be in the mix. Rutledge will score in a variety of ways. He is a tremendous outside shooter and will use his the strength to get to the basket. With his experience, Rutledge is expected to at least provide a spark off the bench. Kendall Wallace will be in a battle for a starting position as well. The 6-4 combo guard will use his intensity to battle for the starting point guard position.

Who to Watch:

For now, the starting point guard spot is Marcus Lawrence’s to lose. Lawrence was stuck down the depth chart, but still managed to earn seven starts as a freshman. The highly touted recruit has a nice shooting touch, but he is a pure point guard who will look to pass first. If Lawrence can live up to his prep potential sooner rather than later, UNLV will have its steady floor leader. Shooting guard Wink Adams is the lone returning starter and averaged 13.9 points per game last season. His outside shooting may be a little inconsistent, but Adams will find other ways to score if his shot is not falling. Curtis Terry, Joe Darger and Corey Bailey have important roles to fill at the small forward spot. Terry will not put up big numbers, but he is a senior leader and a prototypical glue guy. Darger is a solid outside shooter and will at least be a sharpshooter off the bench. Bailey showed promise during his first year at UNLV after spending two years at Butler Community College in Kansas, but was rarely given the opportunity to reach his full potential.

Final Projection:

Without White, Essengue and Anthony, the frontcourt is full of questions. Matt Shaw, at 6-8, is the tallest returning player and he only averaged 4.1 minutes per game in 21 contests as a freshman. If the newcomers cannot hold down the post, the Rebels could be in trouble. However, with Roberson, at least there is an experienced frontcourt option at this level. If Roberson can be a solid scorer, the incoming centers can at least grab some boards and a floor leader emerges at the point position, UNLV will be near the top of the MWC standings.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Marcus Lawrence, Sophomore, Guard, 1.4 points per game

Wink Adams, Junior, Guard, 13.9 points per game

Curtis Terry, Senior, Guard, 4.5 points per game

Lamar Roberson, Sophomore, Forward, DNP last season

Beas Hamga, Freshman, Center, DNP last season

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | College Basketball Schedule | Discuss the Preview

Best Non-BCS Freshmen: Part One

Kevin McNeill — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:58:55 -0700

The NBA Draft is finally behind us, where half of this year’s top dozen picks were freshmen. 2008 looks to be no different, with the likes of one-and-doners Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley in all likelihood hearing their names called early.

But of course, not all incoming freshmen are already fielding calls from would-be agents. In fact, not every member of the stellar Class of 2007 is even going to the so-called “Big Six” power conferences. Many are going to be thrilling fans at the mid-major level as well.

On a side note, just for the purposes of this column, I will not classify either Gonzaga or Memphis as “mid-major” programs. The two schools have become perennial Top 25 stalwarts, have consistently been a top 3 seed or better in the Tournament in recent years (with the notable exception of last season for the Zags) and have run roughshod over their respective conferences. Memphis has the fourth ranked incoming class of 2007 according to scout.com, while Gonzaga is in the top 20 as rated by rivals.com.

These are not the normal recruiting traits of so called “non-BCS” schools.

With that said, here are some of the best prospects coming to a mid-major school near you this fall.

Manuel Cass, UTEP

Cass is one of the premier talents in this class to come out of Illinois. He lead Carbondale to the Class AA state title game in 2005, went on to star at Boys to Men across town, and averaged 15.7 points and seven rebounds last season on a South Kent (CT) team that had eight players offered scholarships at the Division I level.

At the same time, Cass was kicked off the team at Carbondale for unspecified reasons and has reportedly had academic and discipline issues throughout his prep career. He de-committed from DePaul, despite the fact that Coach Jerry Wainwright was one of the first coaches to show interest in the prospect. Cass claimed he simply no longer wanted to play in an urban environment. However, possible NCAA penalties against the Blue Demons as a result of Wainwright allegedly visiting Cass during a no-contact period might have played a larger role in the decision.

Regardless, Coach Tony Barbee’s first recruiting class has been impressive, with Cass joining big men Claude Britton and Wayne Portalat as well as guard Randy Culpepper. Should Cass continue to develop, and mature, he should emerge as the dominant scorer of a newly dangerous Miner team.

Keenan Ellis, UAB

The lanky 6-10 power forward needs to add a few pounds, but has all the traits of a future superstar who will have an instant impact on his team next year.

Ellis will also be a part of something of a resurgence by the disappointing Blazers, as Coach Mike Davis will compliment Ellis with a freshman class that includes Terrence Roderick and Aaron Johnson. This is in addition to the arrival of transfers Robert Vaden, who followed Davis from Indiana, Walter Sharpe from Mississippi State and guard Channing Toney from Georgia. Davis will also have star guard Paul Delaney back in the lineup, who had a breakout year last season.

But Ellis should have no trouble fitting in with all the new talent. After all, he did play alongside OJ Mayo and Bill Walker at North College Hill (Ohio) High. With his help, UAB just might be the only team with a chance of preventing a possible top-ranked Memphis team from running the table in the conference once again.

Beas Hamga, UNLV

Coach Lon Kruger is definitely making a name for himself in Sin City. Coming off an improbable MWC Championship and Sweet Sixteen run in just his third season, Kruger and his staff should continue their success in 2007 thanks to a first-rate recruiting class, anchored by 7-footer Beas Hamga.

Hamga, originally from Cameroon, averaged a double-double (13 points, 12 rebounds) his senior year. However, more impressive is his shot blocking ability, using his standing reach of 9 feet, 6 inches to swat away seven shots a game.

Originally committed to Iowa, Hamga rescinded it when Coach Steve Alford left for New Mexico. He chose the Running Rebels over New Mexico (where his high school teammate Darrington Hobson committed) as well as the likes of UConn, Indiana, Kentucky and Georgetown.

Darrington Hobson, New Mexico

There is no doubt Hobson is a premier talent with a world of potential. When he transferred to Decatur Christian in Chicago - his third school in three years - the Chicago Sun Times gushed that he was “the most highly touted out-of-state transfer since Kevin Garnett left South Carolina and landed at Farragut in 1994.”

Well, that might be a bit much. Still, the 6-7 self-proclaimed “triple-double threat” has shown he can dominate, scoring nearly 20 points and pulling down a dozen rebounds a game during his final year at Decatur. He should immediately have an impact on the Lobos, who will also add Dairese Gary to the backcourt, a highly touted guard who backed away from his commitment to Iowa to follow Coach Steve Alford to Albuquerque.

However, there’s a question as to how long he may stick around – possibly jumping to either the NBA or to another program. In addition to his frequent stops during his prep career, Hobson also had verbally committed to both Wyoming and Pepperdine before finally signing with the Lobos.

In a revealing interview with rivals.com he explained why he seems to have trouble sticking to one team: "I hate sitting on the bench. I want to play. If I don't start, I'd like to go somewhere that I can get some good minutes.” He also added that “I don't think a lot of people know what I can do. That's why I want to go somewhere that I can play as much as possible."

Of course, every player wants minutes. You don’t bust your hump every day in practice to get a courtside seat during the games. Still, players that put such an emphasis on their “PT” that they will bounce around from school to school have had a tendency to not put the interests of the team ahead of their own. Hopefully that won’t be the case here.

Matt Howard, Butler

Thanks for the dream season, Bulldogs. Can we have another one?

That seems to sum up the sentiment of Butler fans as newly hired Coach Brad Stevens looks to continue their remarkable success from last season, where they made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and set a conference record for having 16 consecutive weeks in the Top 25.

That will largely depend on 6-7 forward Matt Howard, a leave-it-all-on-the-floor bruiser who will look to start immediately for the Bulldogs. Despite his relatively small size for a forward, Howard recently held his own among some of the top recruits from the region, putting up 12 points and 9 boards in 18 minutes in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star game, which features the best high school players from both states.

With Howard joining the returning backcourt of Mike Green and potential All-American AJ Graves, as well as fellow freshman Zach Hahn, Butler basketball fans should be able to look forward to another great season, and a possible return to the NCAA Tournament.

Check Back Tomorrow For Part Two of the Nation's Diamonds in the Rough.. including Xavier's Dante Jackson and NMSU's Herb Pope.

What Low Seed Will Make the Final Four? If Any..

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:15:11 -0700

Expert Predictions: Wisconsin at Michigan St Edition

CHN — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 08:31:42 -0800

Experts Picks

CHN experts predict four of the biggest and more importantly, closest games each week..

#2 Wisconsin at Michigan State

Tuesday, 7, ESPN

#13 Air Force at UNLV

Tuesday, 10

#9 Texas A&M at Oklahoma State

Wednesday, 9

#17 Duke at Clemson

Thursday, 9

Jeff Borzello

The Spartans need a marquee win for their resume, but the Badgers have too much at both ends for MSU.

Wisconsin

MWC showdown. UNLV nearly knocked off AFA on the road, and will get the job done this time with their athleticism edge.

UNLV

Oklahoma State is struggling mightily lately, and Acie Law will come through down the stretchfor A&M.

Texas A&M

Will this one come down to a timing error? Duke has turned things around, but Clemson is desperate and will get the W.
Clemson

Jason Brubaker

Tucker and company simply have too much talent for the Spartans, even on the road. Taylor can contain Neitzel, and the Badgers should have their way inside.
Wisconsin

Falcons failed last big road test at SDSU, but they will atone for it here. AFA's style and poise will frustrate the Rebels.

Air Force

Cowboys are tough at home(13-1), and will be fired up after loss to Mizzou. Aggies, led by
Law, will make it tough, but ultimately fall short.

Oklahoma State

Blue Devils appear to have rebounded from mini-slump and regained the Duke swagger. Outside shooting and defense will be the keys as Duke walks out of Clemson a winner.
Duke

Kevin McNeill

The back-against-the-wall rule for the talented-home-team-that desperately-needs-a-win hasn't failed me yet. Why tempt fate.

Michigan State

The Rebels haven't lost at home since before Thanksgiving and are looking for some revenge and some national respect. They should get both here.

UNLV

The wheels have come off the Cowboy bandwagon, and A&M has not lost to
anybody not named Texas Tech since early December.
Texas A&M

Clemson, once the nation's last undefeated team, has lost 7 of 9, officially ending their feel good story for the season. Duke should
put an end to their NCAA Tournament hopes..
Duke

Shawn Siegel

Wisconsin fans feel I've slighted them in the CHN Top 50 all year.. the disrespect continues today.

Michigan State

Last time I picked Air Force on the road, they got hammered by 21 at SDSU. I wont make the same mistake twice.

UNLV

Basically I'm going with the same reason as Kevin above. Cowboys are in danger of dropping to 8th in the Big 12.

Texas A&M

Clemson came oh so close to beating Duke in Cameron.. so you figure Clemson will win at home, right? Wrong.

Duke

Predicting Record

Brubaker (23-13), Siegel (19-17), Borzello (17-19), Silver (11-5), McNeill (11-9), Tomassini (8-8)

Check the archive of Expert Predictions

Poll: Which is the Most Surprising RPI team?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 09:20:27 -0800