2018 March Madness: #7 Arkansas vs #10 Butler

The Butler Bulldogs were among the bubble teams awaiting their fate during the Selection Show. They had a few Quadrant 1 wins, like when they beat Villanova, but they also lost some easy games down the stretch against Georgetown and St. John’s.

The Southeastern Conference secured eight spots in the field of 68. The conference had a great season. I didn’t expect them to receive so many bids. Arkansas didn’t have much to worry about on Sunday as they were a no-brainer choice for an at-large bid.

Can Arkansas play good enough perimeter defense to stop Butler’s dead-eye shooters?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #7 Arkansas Razorbacks or #10 Butler Bulldogs?

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2018 March Madness: #7 Texas A&M vs #10 Providence

Every year there’s a team that just catches fire during their conference tournament. Some win the whole thing, but most just knock off a top-seed. Providence beat Xavier and nearly pulled off another upset, but lost to Villanova in overtime.

Texas A&M were on the other side of an upset in their conference tournament. Alabama freshman Collin Sexton hit a buzzer-beater to send the Aggies home. They made a bonehead mistake on defense that led to the shot.

Will Providence come into this game flat after three-straight overtime games?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #7 Texas A&M Aggies or #10 Providence Friars?

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2018 March Madness: #7 Nevada vs #10 Texas

The NCAA Tournament committee selects team based on a lot of factors. Even though Nevada played lesser competition in the Mountain West, they were still seeded above Texas due to their overall résumé. The Wolf Pack won 27 games and were consistent all season long.

The Texas Longhorns faced adversity, lost players to illnesses and suspensions, but still managed to win 19 games in a deep Big 12 conference.

How much will injured freshman big man Mohamed Bamba play in this game?

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #7 Nevada Wolf Pack or #10 Texas Longhorns?

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2018 March Madness: #8 Seton Hall vs #9 NC State

The #8 vs #9 seed games are often volatile. The nine-seed has just about as much chance of winning the game than the eight-seed. I think the nine-seed has historically actually won the most games in this first-round match-up.

NC State has a new coach and no one expected them to be this good. They got lucky when the NCAA cleared Ohio State-transfer Braxton Beverly. He was left in limbo after Ohio State fired Thad Matta.

Seton Hall pushes the ball up and down the court all game. They excel when teams play their tempo, which is ‘frenzy’ tempo.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Seton Hall Pirates or #9 NC State Wolfpack?

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2018 March Madness: #8 Virginia Tech vs #9 Alabama

We hope to help you beat your co-workers in your office bracket pool.

The Virginia Tech Hokies didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but they took the next step this season. They were one of the best teams in the ACC and had wins against all of the storied programs in the conference.

Alabama started the year with some nice conference wins over Texas A&M and Auburn. They leaned on youth and needed star freshman Collin Sexton to be a leader right away…and it paid off for the Crimson Tide.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Virginia Tech Hokies or #9 Alabama Crimson Tide?

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2018 March Madness: #8 Missouri vs #9 Florida State

We hope to help you beat your siblings/friends in your bracket pool.

Missouri had high hopes of being a top seed going into the season. They were unlucky and lost star Michael Porter Jr. in the first game of the season. Well, he’s back and this team could be a tough out in this tournament.

Florida State struggled down the stretch in the ACC, but they are a difficult physical match-up with nearly any team as they are long.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Missouri or #9 Florida State?

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2018 March Madness: #8 Creighton vs #9 Kansas State

We are here to help you fill out your brackets and finally beat your cubicle neighbor in your office pool this year.

We start out our picks with a game pairing a Big 12 team against an explosive Big East squad.

Kansas State is undersized, but efficient. They are also battle-tested by running through an underrated Big 12 conference.

Creighton faced their share of monsters in the Big East, but did have some easy wins down the stretch.

Who do you think will win?

Do you have #8 Kansas State Wildcats or #9 Creighton Bluejays?

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2018 March Madness: Which Bubble Teams Didn’t Get In?

There are 351 Division-I teams in college basketball eligible for the postseason 2018 NCAA Tournament. Obviously, not every team can get an invite.

These teams were all on the bubble, but failed to make it into the field of 68.

There were a few upsets in conference tournaments this year. Many deserving teams were left out of the field of 68. I was surprised a few times during the Selection Show, but I feel good about the field overall.

How many Big 12 bubble teams missed the cut?

Here is a list of bubble teams which had their bubble burst.

USC Trojans (22-11) – USC needed to win the Pac-12 Tourmanet to get into the NCAA Tournament. They had a nice run, but the loss to Arizona in the final was the last straw. In my opinion, Andy Enfield’s team should have been in with an RPI of 35.

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Los Angeles Angels

The Angels made the biggest move this offseason when they won the sweepstakes for the Japanese phenom, Shohei Otani. He will be in the six-man starting rotation and will be their designated hitter most games. It has been a long time since a starting pitcher could hit as well as Otani. You would probably have to go all the way back to some black-and-white footage.

The Angels have a lot of talent around superstar Mike Trout, but his teammates are getting long in the tooth. Ian Kinsler and Albert Pujols have both seen better days and newly-signed infielder Zack Cozart might end up being a bad signing.

Can the Angels make the postseason in 2018?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Los Angels Angels.

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Kansas City Royals

The Kansas Royals are no longer World Series contenders. They had a nice run with homegrown talent. They saw some of those guys leave for big money deals, but they still have a competitive squad coming into the season…but could look different by season’s end.

The Royals were able to keep one of their core homegrown talents that led them to a World Series title a few seasons ago. Mike Moustakas was hoping to land a huge contract after belting 38 homers last season. He turned down a qualifying offer, but found the landscape barren. Teams are saving their money for a talented free agent class next offseason. Moose came back for a deal that’s about half of the qualifying offer he turned down.

Will the Royals make any more moves towards a full rebuild?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Kansas City Royals.

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Houston Astros

The Houston Astros did everything right last season and won the World Series. They were arguably the best team from beginning to end.

Houston didn’t stand pat hoping the current squad was good enough to win another championship. They went out and traded for another arm (starter Gerrit Cole) to bolster what was already one of the best rotations in the Majors.

The AL West is always a competitive race. Nearly every team in the division made big moves this offseason. It will be hard for Houston to repeat last year’s success against an improved Angels and Mariners rosters.

Can the Astros repeat and win back-to-back rings?

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Houston Astros.

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2018 MLB Season Preview: Detroit Tigers

The Tigers look a lot different than they did going into last season. They traded a lot away and now are just a mix of aged-out veterans and replacement-level players.

I hate to throw Hall of Fame candidates like Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez in the ‘aged-out’ category, but age finally reared its ugly head last season. They are clearly on the downside of their prolific careers.

The Tigers fired manager Brad Ausmus at the end of the season and hired a manager with experience, Ron Gardenhire. He managed a rebuilding team during his 13-year tenure as the Twins skipper. He’s the perfect guy for this job.

Here is the 2018 MLB season preview for the Detroit Tigers.

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