Final Four Predictions

After another ridiculous weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, I am going to make my picks for the two National Semifinal games. My "Reggie Miller Lookin' Good" bracket only correctly picked one team (West Virginia) to make the Final Four, but with the craziness of this year's tournament, I feel lucky that I got at least one.

Wrap your head around this, according to ESPN.com, of the some 4.7 million brackets submitted to their Tournament Challenge, only 200 brackets correctly picked West Virginia, Duke, Butler, and Michigan State to reach the Final Four.

Perhaps I shouldn't feel so bad...

Without further ado, here are the two teams I will immediately give the kiss of death to...

My Final Four Predictions

(5) Michigan State Spartans vs. (5) Butler Bulldogs:

Winner: Michigan State-- I see Izzo's bunch advancing to their second consecutive championship game after another thrilling OT victory over the home town Bulldogs. Raymar Morgan and Korie Lucious will get a rare second chance at cutting down the nets.

(2) West Virginia Mountaineers vs. (1) Duke Blue Devils:

Winner: Duke-- Coach K's squad has it all; three-point assassins, a strong inside presence, experience, and perhaps most importantly; confidence. I see John Scheyer shooting lights out and Brian Zoubek dominating the paint as the Blue Devils reach their 10th title game.

I think we get to see a classic match up of Hall of Fame coaches next Monday night.

But then again, who knows?

---J

What ASU Needs to Do to Get Invited to the BIG Dance

With selection Sunday only 6 days away, bubble teams across the nation are trying impress the NCAA Tournament committee as much as possible.

The Arizona State Sun Devils are no exception. Herb Sendek's squad needs a strong showing at this week's PAC-10 tournament at the Staples Center if they want to better their case for an At-Large bid to the dance. The Sun Devils finished regular season play with a 22-9 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the PAC-10. Not too shabby considering they lost the 3rd and 31st overall picks in last year's NBA draft. No wonder Herb Sendek was named the PAC-10 Coach of the Year today.

In any other season, a 12 win PAC-10 season combined with another 10 non-conference wins would get your foot in the tournament door with no problem. However, with the PAC's down year (currently zero teams ranked in the top 25), there is a chance that the only team partaking in this year's Madness will be the squad climbing the ladder with scissors next Saturday at the Staples Center.

Obviously if the Devils win three straight in LA they will be relaxing come next Sunday as the conference's automatic bid and PAC-10 Tournament Champions. But if they don't win the tourney I think they should still make it as an At-Large bid. I think the Devils' can get in by simply making it to the Championship game. This would mean the Devils would go 2-1 in LA and would finish with a 24-10 overall record, which in my opinion is plenty to receive an invite to the Big Dance. I'm no Bracketologist, nor do I want to be, but 24 wins in a big conference like the PAC-10 is a pretty good resume. Some of these other bubble teams have 17-18 wins this season and even though the PAC-10 is weak this year, it is still 10 times stronger than the Colonial League or the Big West.

If the Devils get to 24-10 and don't get an invite to the tourney it will be a definite snub, but if Derek Glasser and Co. really want ensure back-to-back tournament appearances... they know exactly what they need to do.



---J

Things To Look Out For At... the 2010 NFL Combine

This edition is:

2010 NFL Combine

Look Out For:

1. Guy from a small school who runs a great 40-- It seems like every year at the Combine there is some dude no one has ever heard of out of Southeast Central Middle Kentucky Tech State who runs a 4.3 forty... then can't get off the line in training camp.

2. Analyst embarrassing himself doing the drills -- It is always entertaining to watch, but seeing Rich Eisen "running" a 40 in 10.74 seconds in slacks further cements why he is covering the event and not participating. Look for the hammy pull as well, a Combine staple.

3. Big time lineman who shows up way out of shape -- I never understand this one but it always happens. Some top 10 lineman from Alabama or Oklahoma somehow shows up to pre-NFL athletic testing completely out of shape. He rolls in like 60 pounds heavier than his playing weight and looks like he has been doing 12 oz. curls exclusively as his Pre-combine regimen. The Combine is a pretty well publicized event, so I find it hard to believe that he was unaware that the combine was this week. Maybe mix in a salad or a jog.

4. Player who can dominate the bench press and shuttle... but... -- There is nothing wrong with dominating the tests at the Combine, the only problem is when you dominate the tests... but can't play football. Every year scouts get enamored with some freak dude who throws the ball 80 yards on his knees... or a guy who runs the fastest 40, but can't catch... It seems like the teams who forget that its a football team, not a circus have trouble winning games.

5. Quarterback who is learning to throw a football -- Actually you won't see this because former Florida QB Tim Tebow will not throw at all at the combine. He is "tweaking" his throwing motion and will throw only at his Pro Day in Gainesville. I'm no NFL GM, but if I'm drafting a guy and giving him millions of dollars to play QB, I would like him to know how to throw before the draft. But that's just me.

---J

NCAA Basketball Power Rankings

Here's my top 10 as of today as the Madness approaches...

1.Kansas Jayhawks- This team is loaded. Upcoming home games against Colorado and Oklahoma should be wins #26 and #27 for Bill Self.

2. Kentucky Wildcats- Survived a scare last night in overtime at Mississippi State. Face a tougher test at #17 Vanderbilt Saturday.

3. Syracuse Orangemen - An 11-2 conference record in the Big East is pretty impressive. 24-2 overall ain't too shabby either.

4. Purdue Boilermakers- A win at #8 Ohio State tonight would cement the Boilermakers as a top-5 squad.

5. Villanova Wildcats - A absolute gauntlet upcoming... on the road at #21 Pittsburgh, home against South Florida and back on the road at #3 Syracuse. Rough.

6. Duke Blue Devils- The class of the Atlantic Coast Conference. A Sunday Showdown against Virginia Tech for 1st place in the conference.

7. Michigan State Spartans- G Kalin Lucas is back and his ankle injury appears to be a thing of the past.

8. Ohio State Buckeyes - Difficult week for Thad Matta's bunch. Home against #4 Purdue and at #7 Michigan State. A sweep of the two would be huge for the Columbus crew.

9. West Virginia Mountaineers - Coach Bob Huggins has 4 players averaging more than 10 points per game in Morgantown.

10. New Mexico Lobos - A little love for the Mountain West here. The Lobos are 23-3 overall and 9-2 in a pretty solid MWC this season.

---J

Things To Look Out For... At NBA All-Star Weekend

A new segment here on Jake's Take. It's called Things To Look Out For.... ________________. A few things your sure to see at whatever event fills in the blank.

This edition is:

NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas

Look Out For:

1. Mark Cuban -- The ratty T-shirt wearing billionaire owner of the Mavs will be all over everything, from pre-game shows to post-game parties. If there is a camera around, Cuban's face will be in front of it. Sorry bearded Men's Fashion Warehouse guy, but I guarantee it.

2. Old Timers heaving up half court shots -- What's the All-Star Weekend without "Thunder" Dan Majerle and Bill Laimbeer chucking up half court bombs in the Shooting Stars competition. Combo them with a WNBA player nobody knows and a current NBA bench player and you got can't miss TV.

3. NBA players pushing each other and jumping around on the court -- During the dunk contest every year, no matter how cool, or how average the dunk, all the players sitting court-side push each other and freak out like it's the first dunk they've ever seen. Also, look for the semi-closed-hand-over-the-mouth "Oooohhhhh" move, a dunk contest staple.

4. Terrible defense -- Now this one is no secret, but the effort on defense during the All-Star game is worse than Brady Morningstar's free throw attempt. (In his defense, Morningstar later went on to say that the ball was slippery)

5. The NBA All-Star guard who can't pass -- Every year during the PlayStation Skills Challenge, someone has a ridiculous amount of trouble passing the ball into a tire. After the 5th miss, they finally take their time and make it through...

Give 'em a break though, most of these players don't pass in games, so this is a new skill set for them.

6. Donald Faison -- The former Clueless star (using the term "star" loosely here) earns his role on Scrubs by showing his poor basketball performance in the "Celebrity" Game. It doesn't matter what the sport, if there's a "Celebrity" Game, you better believe Petey from Remember the Titans will be there.

---J

NCAA Basketball Power Rankings

Here's my top 10 as of today. Remember, a lot can change before the Madness begins...

1. Kansas - Too much talent and depth inside and out, defensively who do you key?

2. Kentucky - See above, ranked behind KU only because of youth factor at key positions.

3. Syracuse - Impressive so far this season in the toughest conference, the Big East.

4. Villanova - Perhaps the best unis in college hoops, G Scottie Reynolds isn't too shabby in his own right.

5. West Virginia - If fans stop throwing things onto the court they will challenge for the Big East crown.

6. Purdue - E'Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel are a dangerous combo.

7. Duke - Coach K has 3 guys averaging 15 or more, but the Blue Devils need more help off the bench.

8. Texas - Monday's match up at home vs. (1) Kansas will reveal a lot about the Longhorns.

9. Michigan State - The ankle injury to star G Kalin Lucas leaves Sparty with a lot of questions.

10. Georgetown - C Greg Monroe is averaging 15.5 ppg and 9.7 rpg in a strong Big East conference.

---J