Miscellaneous Articles

2010 South Korea World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/12/2010

Eight years ago South Korea soared to heights never seen before when they rallied behind fans and their former head coach Guus Hiddink to finish fourth in the 2002 World Cup. No longer led by the Dutchman, new coach Huh Jung-Moo has helped this Asian football nation reach its seventh straight World Cup.

World Cup Handicapping: Group E Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/11/2010

There is absolutely nothing easy in the World Cup, but the draw that the Netherlands was given is as close as it gets. Their competitors - Cameroon, Denmark, and Japan - aren't disastrously bad by any means, and Cameroon is potentially pretty good, but a team as good as the Dutch are should be able to get through to the round of 16 without really breaking a sweat.

World Cup Handicapping: Group F Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/11/2010

Italy and Spain are the top two teams on continental Europe. Conspiracy theorists won't be able to help noticing that those two teams have the easiest draws in the whole tournament. You can argue whether Italy's grouping is this group is easier than Spain's in Group H, but the fact remains that both should be able to move on without a whole lot of stress.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday TNT Doubleheader
by Matt Severance - 3/11/2010

This is not exactly the best TNT doubleheader of the year with each game featuring a losing team and only the Orlando Magic are considered an elite club among the four playing. But in a way it’s nice change to see teams other than the Celtics, Lakers, Cavs or Nuggets get some national coverage.

World Cup Handicapping: Group A Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

Group A is the answer to a trivia question that few people would be able to come up with - it is the only group in this tournament that has two former World Cup winners. France, the 1998 champion, is the obvious one. The other is more obscure - Uruguay took the first ever World Cup in 1930, and then added another in 1950.

World Cup Handicapping: Group B Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

It's 1994 all over again. In that year Argentina, Greece and Nigeria played in the same group - just as they will be doing in Group B this time around. Greece will be hoping things go better this time. Back then they didn't win a game, and were the only team from their group to advance (the 24-team field back then meant that four of the six third place teams also advanced).

World Cup Handicapping: Group C Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

If there is one thing we know about this group it's that it is going to play in front of some big, rowdy crowds. Outside of the South Africans, fans from the U.S. have bought the most tickets for the games, with England close behind. That means that both teams will have virtual home crowds for each game and, in the case of England at least, hooligans will be out in full force.

World Cup Handicapping: Group D Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 3/10/2010

Group G is unquestionably this year's group of death, but Group D should also be considered at least a group of serious injury. None of the squads in the group are serious favorites to win it all, but all have the talent and the potential to pull off a serious surprise and even win an elimination game or two.

NCAA Tournament Projections Updated March 8
by Robert Ferringo - 3/8/2010

Well, there is good news and bad news for bubble teams the country over. The good news is that Northern Iowa won the Missouri Valley, leaving just four conference tournaments left where if the regular season champion losses they would steal a bid, and that Gonzaga, Old Dominion and Butler have each reached their conference tournament final. The bad news is that most of the bubble teams – even those that I’ve had definitely in for the last month – are doing everything in their power to play their way out of the field regardless of what is going on with the mid-majors.

College Basketball Free Pick: North Carolina at Duke
by Matt Severance - 3/5/2010

I grant you that there are better games on Saturday and with more at stake than North Carolina vs. Duke, but it just feels wrong not to preview college basketball’s best rivalry even with the Tar Heels being a massive disappointment and a likely NIT team. And, of course, ESPN GameDay and Dickie V will be there.

NASCAR: Kobalt Tools 500 Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 3/5/2010

Jimmie Johnson will try to win his third consecutive Sprint Cup race on Sunday at 3:15 p.m. as NASCAR heads to wicked fast Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Kobalt Tools 500. In case you hadn’t noticed, driving fast is something Johnson does very well.

NCAA Tournament Projections Updated March 4
by Robert Ferringo - 3/4/2010

Below is a look at my 65-team field and some NCAA Tournament projections as of the start of business on Thursday. I didn’t worry about regions or matchups or pods or any of those intricacies that make the final bracket the dazzling dance card that it is.

NBA Power Rankings
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/4/2010

The playoffs are finally in sight and this is the time of the year when teams are reaping the benefits of their trade deadline deals while other teams are questioning if they had done enough. The top of the NBA Power Rankings remain steady but there is plenty of fluctuating after that.

Free NBA Picks: Thursday TNT Doubleheader
by Matt Severance - 3/4/2010

For once, NBA fans and bettors aren’t force fed LeBron James and the Cavs on one of the TNT games on a Thursday night, but we do get the two other best players in the league facing off in Kobe Bryant vs. Dwyane Wade. As for the nightcap … unfortunately, the Suns’ improbable 18-game losing streak on TNT was ended back in late January, but they and the Jazz continue to jockey for playoff position and very well could meet in the first round.

NFL Combine Report: Impressive Players
by T.O. Whenham - 3/3/2010

With the NFL Combine now in the books we have a clearer picture of the upcoming NFL Draft. There is increasing debate about the significance of the Combine these days now that players don't always participate, and players are scouted early and more intensely. Still, a good performance helps a player get drafted, and a great performance can send a player rocketing up the draft boards. After watching a good portion of the Combine, here are 10 players that stood out for what I saw them do:

College Basketball Free Picks - ESPN Wednesday Night Doubleheader
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/3/2010

Another Wednesday night ESPN doubleheader for college basketball means another day of breaking down the big games and analyzing trends and matchups. On schedule for Wednesday night is a Big East showdown between two bubble teams and an ACC rivalry game pitting two ranked teams against each other.

NASCAR: Shelby American at LVMS Odds and Predictions
by Christopher G. Shepard - 2/26/2010

For the first and only time this season NASCAR heads to the desert as the Sprint Cup series visits Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the newly branded Shelby American this Sunday, Feb 28 at 3:30 p.m. Hometown hero Kyle Busch will look to win this race for the second year in a row.

NBA Free Picks: ESPN Friday Night NBA Doubleheader
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 2/26/2010

A pair of inter-conference games is on tap Friday night with the Western Conference’s Dallas Mavericks traveling to face the Atlanta Hawks in a matchup of two playoff teams and then Orlando Magic visiting a New Orleans team that is trying to start a late season surge to get into the postseason.

NCAA Tournament Projections Updated Feb. 25
by Robert Ferringo - 2/25/2010

I’m going to do my NCAA Tournament projections article a bit differently this week. Right now all we’re hearing about is “bubble teams”, “must-win games”, “good” and “bad” wins and losses, and “Judgment Week”. It’s all nonsense, really. And as you’ll see in a moment, right now the “bubble” is really just 11 teams fighting for six open at-large bids, with about five conferences, outside of the “major” leagues, sitting there with potential bid stealers and X-factors waiting for the conference tournaments to start.

NBA Free Picks: Thursday Doubleheader On TNT
by Matt Severance - 2/25/2010

Boston has played well since returning from the All-Star Break in winning four of five (2-3 ATS) – which includes victories at the Lakers and Blazers. The C’s beat the sliding Knicks by four on Tuesday night in Nate Robinson’s debut with Boston (he had four points). Cleveland had lost three straight coming out of the break but then righted its ship by beating the Hornets by 10 on Tuesday.