The MWSF NCAA Hoops Challenge!
The inaugural week of the MWSF NCAA Hoops Challenge is now!
The idea will be that I'll pick four games from the upcoming week(for my purposes, each week will begin with Sat., since that's when the majority of college hoops is on) and I'll make my picks. Basically a 4-per-week NCAA Tourney challenge, going for the rest of the season.
My current plan is that at least 3 of the games will be Top 25 games, and since I'm a Big 10 guy, at least one every week will be a Big 10 game. The fourth game I'm going to try to pick a game that could have major importance for both teams but doesn't involve top 25 teams.
This week's games:
Today, Jan. 6 - UNLV at #16 Air Force
Today, Jan. 6 - Quinnipiac at St. Francis(PA)
Tues, Jan. 9 - #6 Ohio State at #4 Wisconsin
Wed, Jan. 10 - #13 Butler at Illinois-Chicago
The picks:
UNLV at #16 Air Force
Probably the most undervalued game this week, but these are two teams that would be LOCKS for the Tourney and would likely get seeded somewhere in the 3 to 6 range if they had to choose today. It also seems like Air Force would be the favorite, being ranked and having the home game, but their current RPI suggests otherwise. UNLV is currently ranked 11th in the nation in RPI, Air Force 15th. This could be a very important game in the MWC between two 1-0 teams.
I'm going to take the upset and pick UNLV to go into Air Force and take the game.
Quinnipiac vs. St. Francis(PA)
Normally I won't do this, since I know nothing about either team, but it's always intriguing when two teams this equally matched and this equally bad come together to play a game. In the RPI, these two teams(keep in mind, there are 336 teams in Div. 1 Hoops) are ranked 333rd and 326th respectively. Now, I'm in no position to speak ill of these teams, since my alma mater is smack-dab between them ranked 330th currently, BUT - Alcorn State isn't our opponent this week(334th), so WIU's game isn't very compelling on any level.
I'll go with the favored home team in 326th ranked St. Francis(Go Catholics!).
#6 Ohio State vs. #4 Wisconsin
The big game this week! Two potential #1 seeds going at it in Madison. Madison is one of the toughest places in America to get a road win, but Ohio State has man-child Greg Oden and a very talented overall group of young players, many of whom have never played and lost in that gym before.
I look at this one as a coin-flip, but I've decided on taking Ohio State to go into Wisconsin and take a key Big 10 road win. (This could be a rebound game after OSU at Illinois, as Illinois MIGHT be one of the few teams equipped with a big enough front line to combat OSU's size)
#13 Butler vs. Illinois-Chicago
I kept the midwest theme in this one, picking a UIC game as my final pick. Butler has the chance to do something very special. They're currently the #3 team in the nation in RPI. RPI Forecast unfortunately has them forecasted to finish around #20, which is due in large part to their conference dragging them down. But nevertheless, if Butler could run the table in the Horizon league(and who's going to stop them? Milwaukee-Green Bay?) then they could finish in position to earn themselves at LEAST a #3 seed in March. Every game is a land mine for Butler, but this is early in the season and I see no reason why UIC would beat a team that has already dispatched Notre Dame, Indiana, Gonzaga and Tennessee.
The pick: Butler keeps it going.
I know this is probably too late to really get anyone else who might regularly read this involved wholly, since games start very soon, but if anyone wants to post picks, throw them in the comments section. Even if you only pick the two games during the week this week, that'd be a good start.
Update! Not an auspicious start for me. UNLV lost in a close game to Air Force 56-50 and St. Francis let me down, losing 89-82. Today's games were the suspect picks though. GO OSU AND BUTLER!!
The idea will be that I'll pick four games from the upcoming week(for my purposes, each week will begin with Sat., since that's when the majority of college hoops is on) and I'll make my picks. Basically a 4-per-week NCAA Tourney challenge, going for the rest of the season.
My current plan is that at least 3 of the games will be Top 25 games, and since I'm a Big 10 guy, at least one every week will be a Big 10 game. The fourth game I'm going to try to pick a game that could have major importance for both teams but doesn't involve top 25 teams.
This week's games:
Today, Jan. 6 - UNLV at #16 Air Force
Today, Jan. 6 - Quinnipiac at St. Francis(PA)
Tues, Jan. 9 - #6 Ohio State at #4 Wisconsin
Wed, Jan. 10 - #13 Butler at Illinois-Chicago
The picks:
UNLV at #16 Air Force
Probably the most undervalued game this week, but these are two teams that would be LOCKS for the Tourney and would likely get seeded somewhere in the 3 to 6 range if they had to choose today. It also seems like Air Force would be the favorite, being ranked and having the home game, but their current RPI suggests otherwise. UNLV is currently ranked 11th in the nation in RPI, Air Force 15th. This could be a very important game in the MWC between two 1-0 teams.
I'm going to take the upset and pick UNLV to go into Air Force and take the game.
Quinnipiac vs. St. Francis(PA)
Normally I won't do this, since I know nothing about either team, but it's always intriguing when two teams this equally matched and this equally bad come together to play a game. In the RPI, these two teams(keep in mind, there are 336 teams in Div. 1 Hoops) are ranked 333rd and 326th respectively. Now, I'm in no position to speak ill of these teams, since my alma mater is smack-dab between them ranked 330th currently, BUT - Alcorn State isn't our opponent this week(334th), so WIU's game isn't very compelling on any level.
I'll go with the favored home team in 326th ranked St. Francis(Go Catholics!).
#6 Ohio State vs. #4 Wisconsin
The big game this week! Two potential #1 seeds going at it in Madison. Madison is one of the toughest places in America to get a road win, but Ohio State has man-child Greg Oden and a very talented overall group of young players, many of whom have never played and lost in that gym before.
I look at this one as a coin-flip, but I've decided on taking Ohio State to go into Wisconsin and take a key Big 10 road win. (This could be a rebound game after OSU at Illinois, as Illinois MIGHT be one of the few teams equipped with a big enough front line to combat OSU's size)
#13 Butler vs. Illinois-Chicago
I kept the midwest theme in this one, picking a UIC game as my final pick. Butler has the chance to do something very special. They're currently the #3 team in the nation in RPI. RPI Forecast unfortunately has them forecasted to finish around #20, which is due in large part to their conference dragging them down. But nevertheless, if Butler could run the table in the Horizon league(and who's going to stop them? Milwaukee-Green Bay?) then they could finish in position to earn themselves at LEAST a #3 seed in March. Every game is a land mine for Butler, but this is early in the season and I see no reason why UIC would beat a team that has already dispatched Notre Dame, Indiana, Gonzaga and Tennessee.
The pick: Butler keeps it going.
I know this is probably too late to really get anyone else who might regularly read this involved wholly, since games start very soon, but if anyone wants to post picks, throw them in the comments section. Even if you only pick the two games during the week this week, that'd be a good start.
Update! Not an auspicious start for me. UNLV lost in a close game to Air Force 56-50 and St. Francis let me down, losing 89-82. Today's games were the suspect picks though. GO OSU AND BUTLER!!
Labels: Hoops Challenge
posted by Matt at 10:45 AM
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