It is almost 2013! Before you celebrate, though, there are many sports events coming up before the New Year that will be incredibly exciting to watch. What do I prescribe you watch?
College Basketball:
Dec. 28: Baylor at Gonzaga- 5pm West Coast time. This game will be very exciting. A solid backcourt battle between point guards Pangos and Jackson will be fun to watch. Pangos is the better shooter and passer, but Jackson is a much greater athlete who puts up a ton of shots. Isaiah Austin looks like a match-up nightmare for most teams, but Gonzaga has compiled a lot of frontcourt depth. If the likes of Olynyk, Dower and Karnowski can stay out of foul trouble, Austin could have an off night. The pick: Gonzaga 77 Baylor 72
Dec. 28: Missouri at UCLA- 7pm West Coast time. UCLA has been arguably the biggest enigma in the country thus far. Blessed with highly touted freshmen, and solid upperclassmen role players, this UCLA has disappointed thus far, going 9-3 (including a loss to Cal-Poly). Missouri has been impressive, with G Phil Pressey leading the way. He has not shot the ball great this year (i.e. vs. Illinois), but he has improved his point guard skills drastically over the last year. This will be a very tight game in Pauley Pavilion, but I expect UCLA, led by Shabazz Muhammad, to knock off the 7th ranked Tigers. The pick: UCLA 73 Missouri 66
Dec. 29: UNLV at North Carolina- 11am West Coast time. This was, in my opinion, one of the best games of the year last year, when UNLV upset the top ranked Tar Heels. The 2nd year of a home and home, North Carolina has lost a lot of the talent that they had last year. UNLV has been impressive, but lost potential first round pick Mike Moser to an elbow injury. The match-up to watch will be Anthony Bennett vs. James Michael McAdoo. This will be Bennett's first real test against another lottery type talent, and McAdoo has not developed into the star Tar Heel fans expected he would be. The pick: UNLV 80 North Carolina 78 in overtime.
Dec. 29: Kentucky at Louisville- 1pm West Coast time. Expected to be a powerhouse game, Kentucky enters the match-up unranked. They still boast an impressive freshman core, led by Nerlens Noel and Alex Poythress, but lack veteran leadership like the team had last year. Louisville has lost only once (to top ranked Duke), and has been led by potential All-Americans Russ Smith and Peyton Siva, who could be the best backcourt in the nation. Big man Gorgui Dieng will return from injury, and upgrade the already outstanding Cardinals defense. I expect Noel to have a monster game on the glass, blocking a plethora of shots, but the Cardinal's backcourt will be too much to handle. The pick: Louisville 70 Kentucky 61
Dec. 31: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh- 9am West Coast time. Cincinnati is no longer unbeaten, after losing yesterday to New Mexico. Pittsburgh has only lost once, to top 5 team Michigan, but hasn't beat any marquee opponents. Cincinnati's strength lies in its guard play, led by Cashmere Wright and Sean Kilpatrick. Pittsburgh will be better up front. Steven Adams, from New Zealand, has failed to impress thus far. Against an average Bearcat frontline, this is as good of a chance as he's had to breakout. The pick: Cincinnati 65 Pittsburgh 58
Dec. 31: Michigan State at Minnesota- 11am West Coast time. Both ranked teams, Minnesota is led by seniors Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams, and Michigan State led by JR. Keith Appling and SO. Branden Dawson. Michigan State has suffered one more loss than Minnesota, though is the only team to beat Kansas. In this game I expect Michigan State to expose the overrated Minnesota. The pick: Michigan State 74 Minnesota 60
Dec. 31: Gonzaga at Oklahoma State- 3pm West Coast time. The Zags make this list for a second time, mainly because they play one of the best non-league schedules year after year. Just as Pangos vs. Jackson was a great match-up, there will be a better one against Marcus Smart. At 6'4 Smart is one of the bigger point guards in the country, which means Gary Bell Jr. will most likely be forced to defend him when Gonzaga goes man on defense. I expect this game to be a shootout, but Oklahoma State will have to hit outside shots to win this game, which has not been easy for the team thus far. The pick: Oklahoma State 77 Gonzaga 76
NBA: (with an emphasis on the Blazers)
Dec 28: Portland at LA Lakers- 730pm West Coast time. Portland beat the Lakers at home on halloween. Surprisingly, Portland has a better record than LA thus far, who were largely projected to be among the top 3 teams in a stacked Western Conference. Kobe Bryant has been scoring at will, but the team seems to struggle the more Kobe scores. Beyond LaMarcus Aldridge and JJ Hickson, Portland is young up front, and they should look to Howard and, yes, Pau Gasol early and often in the post. Portland needs to do the same with Aldridge, but they need Lillard and Batum to score at least 20 apiece. This game will be decided by who can play the most efficient game. The pick: Portland 108 Los Angeles 100
Dec. 29: Philadelphia at Portland- 7pm West Coast time. Both teams will be in the second day of a back to back (PHI gets GS the night before). The star in Philly, Andrew Bynum, is still out, meaning they will continue to rely on Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner to score and make plays. Holiday and Lillard, as well as Turner and Batum, are intriguing matchups, as they involve similar types of plays (except for Turner creating his own jumpshots). Where Portland has an advantage will be inside. LaMarcus Aldridge and JJ Hickson should shine against a front line of Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen. I expect LA to go for 25 and 10, and Hickson go for 14 and 14. If the Blazers dominate inside, as they should, Portland will have no issues with this 76er squad. The pick: Portland 97 Philadelphia 84
College Football Bowl Games
Dec. 29: Oregon State vs. Texas (Alamo Bowl)- 345pm West Coast time. Both teams limped into this game, with Texas dropping their last 2 and Oregon State losing big at home to the rival Ducks. Cody Vaz gets the nod at QB for the Beavs, though Mannion will be ready, and David Ash for the Longhorns. This game will be won or lost based off of the turnover battle. I expect Jordan Poyer to return an interception, and Scott Crichton to get to the quarterback for a few sacks. Texas' year is next year. The pick: Oregon State 31 Texas 24
Dec. 29: West Virginia vs. Syracuse (Pinstripe Bowl)- 1215pm West Coast time. This game will be one of the most exciting bowl games this year. Both teams boast solid offenses. Geno Smith has potential to be the number 1 pick in the draft, and he has exceptional playmakers in Tavon Austin (who Seattle should draft!) and Stedman Bailey. Relatively unknown, Syracuse boasts a future NFL quarterback in Ryan Nassib. I expect Nassib to be drafted no lower than the 3rd round, even making his way into the late 2nd as something I would expect. Syracuse also had 2 backs rush for over 600 yards, with Jr. Jerome Smith breaking the 1000 yard barrier. This game will be a shootout. The pick: West Virginia 49 Syracuse 48
Dec. 31: LSU vs. Clemson (Chick-Fil-A Bowl)- 430pm West Coast time. A great offense vs. a great defense. Offensively, LSU has struggled, while Clemson, led by QB Tajh Boyd, has succeeded. Boyd has future NFL starters at reciever in Watkins and Hopkins, and, one or both of these receivers MUST make big plays in this game. Defensively, LSU has one of, if not the top, the best defensive lines in college football. Mingo and Montgomery are great on the edges and will put lots of pressure on Boyd. In the end, I see too much defense. The pick: LSU 16 Clemson 14
There are also some intriguing match-ups in the NFL, with the Bears, Vikings, Cowboys and Redskins fighting for playoff berths. Here are some quick picks for the NFL week 17:
Falcons 31 Bucs 17
Bills 20 Jets 6
Bengals 21 Ravens 20
Bears 17 Lions 14
Titans 16 Jaguars 7
Colts 24 Texans 21
Saints 35 Panthers 24
Giants 21 Eagles 20
Steelers 7 Browns 6
Seahawks 38 Rams 20
Broncos 35 Chiefs 10
Packers 20 Vikings 17 (OT)
Patriots 27 Dolphins 14
Chargers 10 Raiders 9
49ers 20 Cardinals 13
Redskins 23 Cowboys 17 (OT)
As always, Go Blazers tonight against the Lakers! Here are the keys to the game:
1. Win the rebound battle- This will not be easy, but Hickson and LA have performed well on the glass over the past week. Keeping Howard off the glass is especially important.
2. Make 10 3s- This is a lot, but outside shooting is a necessity against this Laker squad. Batum, Lillard and Babbitt should have the green light.
3. Turnovers under 12- This is one I have used many times this season, but it is incredibly important for this team, especially with a rookie point guard. In games where the Blazers take care of the ball, they win most of the time. The Blazers cannot give a talented team like the Lakers easy baskets!
Follow on twitter @ZRey12
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