Friday, February 22, 2013

The Alley-Oop

Saturday, February 23

William & Mary (12-14, 6-9) at George Mason (16-11, 9-6)

 
Prediction: George Mason 65, William & Mary 64

NC State (19-7, 8-5) at North Carolina (18-8, 8-5)


Prediction: North Carolina 75, NC State 68


Top 10

Saturday, February 23

#2 Miami (22-3, 13-0) at Wake Forest (11-14, 4-9)


Prediction: Miami 57, Wake Forest 53

San Diego (13-15, 6-7) at #3 Gonzaga (26-2, 13-0)


Prediction: Gonzaga 78, San Diego 64

Arkansas (17-9, 8-5) at #5 Florida (21-4, 11-2)


Prediction: Florida 84, Arkansas 63

#11 Georgetown (20-4, 10-3) at #8 Syracuse (22-4, 10-3)


Prediction: Syracuse 67, Georgetown 65

TCU (10-16, 1-12) at #9 Kansas (22-4, 10-3)


Prediction: Kansas 90, TCU 58

Seton Hall (13-14, 2-12) at #10 Louisville (21-5, 9-4)


Prediction: Louisville 76, Seton Hall 64


Sunday, February 24

#4 Michigan State (22-5, 11-3) at #18 Ohio State (19-7, 9-5)


Prediction: Michigan State 63, Ohio State 61

Boston College (12-14, 4-9) at #6 Duke (23-3, 10-3)


Prediction: Duke 70,  Boston College 57

Illinois (20-8, 7-7) at #7 Michigan (22-4, 9-4)



Prediction: Michigan 68, Illinois 63


Last Week: 10-2
Overall: 16-6

Friday, February 15, 2013

The Alley-Oop

Pretty terrible slate of games in the Top 10 this weekend. However, that being said, this has been one of the most upset filled seasons I can remember, so it may turn out to be interesting. For George Mason, Saturday is Homecoming and I was lucky enough to score free tickets to the game, that should have me just a few rows away from the action. North Carolina will be looking for revenge against Virginia, and badly needs a quality win.



Saturday, February 16

Georgia State (13-14, 8-6) at George Mason (15-10)

An odd season for the Patriots continued last night, as they came from behind to defeat Drexel on the road. In years past, even when Mason had pretty good teams, those teams would struggle on the road, but were always dominant at home. This season, a mediocre Mason team hasn't been that great at home, but has played most of their best games on the road. They hope to put forth a strong home performance for Homecoming on Saturday against Georgia State.

Athletic guards have given Mason problems this year, so it could be a long day trying to guard the Panthers R.J. Hunter. Hunter has struggled with his shot in his last two games, shooting a combined 6 for 26. But he is also capable of exploding, like he did for 38 points against Old Dominion. The Panthers other dangerous guard is Devonta White. White has scored in double figures in every game this season but one. The transfer from Virginia Tech, Manny Atkins, is the Panthers leading rebounder and third leading scorer. The Panthers have no shortage of offensive firepower, so Mason will have to play some excellent defense.

The Patriots leading scorer Sherrod Wright has looked a little off in his last three games, and I think for Mason to win Saturday he will have to get back on track. Obviously, he will need some help, but Mason will need his firepower to keep up with the Panthers guards. It would also be nice if Eric Copes can continue his strong play, and limit the effectiveness of Atkins on the boards.

You never know which Mason team you will get from game to game, but hopefully a packed house for Homecoming will have the team mentally prepared and ready to put forth the performance necessary to earn a victory.

Prediction: George Mason 67, Georgia State 62

Virginia (18-6, 8-3) at North Carolina (16-8, 6-5)

The Heels have dropped their last two games, and now have to face a red hot Virginia team. The Cavaliers beat UNC in Charlottesville to start the ACC schedule, and have won seven of their last eight games. The catalyst for their strong player has been guard Joe Harris. Harris has gone for over 20 points in four of his last five games. For Carolina, James Michael McAdoo has not looked good in the last two games and needs to play much better on Saturday. His shoot has looked off and his dreadful free throw shooting really cost the Heels against Duke.

Carolina had their worst offensive performance of the season against Virginia, mostly because only Reggie Bullock bothered to show up. Point guard Marcus Paige had a terrible game, but has improved since then. He will have to find guys like Bullock, Dexter Strickland, and P.J. Hairston when they are open, and let everyone get into the flow of the offense.

While Virginia has been winning as of late, they have some really bad losses, so they can't rest on their laurels if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. Both of these teams will be desperate and this game should have a postseason level of intensity to it. It will really come down to whether or not the Heels can get their offense flowing, and defensively, not allow anyone else besides Harris to take over.

Prediction: North Carolina 61, Virginia 58


Top 10

Saturday, February 16

Purdue (12-13, 5-7) at #1 Indiana (22-3, 10-2)

Indiana still appears to be the favorite come March to cut down the nets. They recovered from the tough loss at Illinois, by earning an impressive road win at Ohio State. This is their second time playing Purdue this season, a team they beat by 37 on the road earlier this year. This will be a chance for some subs to get some garbage time minutes.

Prediction: Indiana 82, Purdue 64

#2 Duke (22-2, 9-2) at Maryland (17-7, 5-6)

Not many of these battles left with Maryland bolting for the Big Ten in 2014-2015. This is a huge game for the Terps, as a loss will basically mean that they have to win the ACC Tournament to make the NCAA's. Duke seems ripe for an upset, they barely survived at Boston College last weekend, and struggled for most of their win against North Carolina. Terps big man Alex Len has to have a big game, especially with Ryan Kelly absent. Len was too much of a non-factor in their meeting in Durham earlier this season. The Terps will also have to find a way to contain Duke guard Rasheed Sulaimon, who torched them for 25 points. Seems like a tall task, but Duke isn't as strong away from Cameron, and I think the desperate team will come out ahead.

Prediction: Maryland 66, Duke 64

#5 Gonzaga (24-2, 11-0) at San Francisco (11-14, 4-8)

Gonzaga had a statement win last night, thrashing St. Mary's on the road in the second half. They are basically biding their time until the NCAA Tournament starts. It is looking more and more like they may be a real factor in March.

Prediction: Gonzaga 72, San Francisco 57

#6 Syracuse (20-4, 8-3) at Seton Hall (13-12, 2-10)

The Orange are looking to bounce back after falling at UCONN earlier this week. For Seton Hall to have a chance at the upset, star player Fuquan Edwin will have to get some help. However, the Pirates have dropped six straight, so Syracuse shouldn't have much trouble.

Prediction: Syracuse 68, Seton Hall 58

#7 Florida (20-3, 10-1) at Auburn (9-15, 3-8)

The Gators put away any question who the class of the SEC was this year, with a home thrashing of Kentucky. At this point they are playing for seeding and hoping to try to move up to a number one seed. Their smallest margin of victory in all their SEC wins this year, is 14 points. That is incredible.

Prediction: Florida 75, Auburn 55

#8 Michigan State (21-4, 10-2) at Nebraska (12-13, 3-9)

The Spartans are feeling pretty good about themselves after their demolition of Michigan on Tuesday. Because of that, I think they are due for a letdown in this game in Lincoln and will have more trouble with the Huskers than people think. While they might struggle, G Keith Appling will make sure they walk away with the victory.

Prediction: Michigan State 65, Nebraska 59

Baylor (16-8, 7-4) at #10 Kansas State (19-5, 8-3)

These teams head into this game in opposite directions. Kansas State didn't bother showing up for their rivalry game at Kansas. Baylor has looked dominant in their last two wins, although those both came at home against poor opposition. Pierre Jackson is a terrific point guard for Baylor, while Rodney McGruder serves as the Wildcats mister everything. I expect this to be a close, exciting game.

Prediction: Kansas State 71, Baylor 70


Sunday, February 17

#3 Miami (20-3, 11-0) at Clemson (13-11, 5-7)

Miami just keeps on winning in the ACC, and if all goes according to plan, they should still be undefeated in conference when they take on Duke on March 2 at Cameron. They better not get caught looking that far ahead, as Clemson is a tough team to beat in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers Devin Booker will be clanging and banging with the Canes Reggie Johnson. Miami has won three of their last four road games by single digits and I think they are due for an upset loss at some point.

Prediction: Clemson 67, Miami 65

Penn State (8-16, 0-12) at #4 Michigan (21-4, 8-4)

Poor Penn State will be the sacrificial lamb for the Wolverines to take out all their frustrations from their embarrassing loss at Michigan State, and heartbreaking loss at Wisconsin.

Prediction: Michigan 83, Penn State 58

#9 Arizona (20-4, 8-4) at Utah (11-13, 3-9)

The Wildcats have played very poorly their last two games, and were pushed around by Cal last night. The Utes could prove to be the cure to their woes, although they are coming off a nice home win against Arizona State.

Prediction: Arizona 75, Utah 69


Last Week: 6-4
Overall: 6-4

Friday, February 8, 2013

The Alley-Oop

College basketball is a sport that doesn't always get the attention and respect it should. Sure in March, every Joe schmoe starts caring becauase they want to win their bracket pool, but only real diehards tend to follow the regular season. Us diehards have been rewarded this year with one of the most topsy turvy seasons in history. Last night made it the fifth straight week the number one team in the country lost, as Indiana blew a late late at Illinois. The man pictured to the right, Cody Zeller, got caught napping on an inbound pass, and the Illini converted a layup as time expired. For those of you that are new to the site, each Friday I will pick my alma mater George Mason's game, my other favorite North Carolina's game, and the Top 10 action for the weekend. Let's get to it.



Saturday, February 9

Delaware (11-12, 6-4) at George Mason (14-9, 7-4)

It has been a frustrating season for George Mason fans. With VCU moving on to the Atlantic-10 and preseason conference favorites Drexel and Delaware struggling, Mason fans assumed that the team would shoot to the top of the standings. Instead, they currently sit in fourth place, behind teams like James Madison and Towson. Mason is a team with just one senior, and he never plays, so it is expected that there will be some inconsistency. That is why at points, Mason looks tremendous, like they did for 39 minutes against New Mexico early in the season, and other times, where they will look awful, like when they blew a 20 point lead at home to Drexel. A major problem has been trying to find a consistent scoring threat besides G Sherrod Wright.  However, in the last three games, F Jonathan Arledge has begun to emerge. If he can continue his growth, then Mason has a chance to make a run against a depleted CAA Tournament field. It is almost ridiculous how much the team relies on Wright, who as a guard is also the team's leading rebounder.

Delaware has been up and down all season. Early in the season they lost five straight, then recently won five straight, followed that up with a three game losing streak, then won three in a row, and were then soundly defeated by Towson in their last game. Where they have found consistency is in the play of G Devon Saddler and F Jamelle Hagins. Mason has struggled defensively against electric guards this season, so Saddler could be in for a huge game. Hagins also could potentially dominate on the boards, as he averaged over 10 rebounds per game. It will be Arledge's job to try to not let Hagins give the Blue Hens multiple shot opportunities.

The Patriot Center hasn't been the house of horrors for opposing teams this season as it normally is. The last home game for Mason was the aforementioned loss to Drexel. Although Mason is in fourth place, they would have the three seed right now as Towson is ineligible for this season's conference tournament. A win would put them ahead of James Madison based on tiebreaker and into the second seed. The question is, can Mason play a consistent brand of basketball for 40 minutes? You never know what team will show up, so predicting their games is very difficult. I will choose to be optimistic and believe that Mason will defeat Delaware, but make it nail biting as usual.

Prediction: George Mason 71, Delaware 67


Top 10

Saturday, February 9

Mississippi State (7-14, 2-7) at #2 Florida (18-3, 8-1)

The Gators had been steamrolling the SEC but then were steamrolled themselves by Arkansas on Tuesday night. That's bad news for Mississippi State, who is completely dreadful, and already lost earlier this year to Florida by 35 points. Expect seniors Kenny Boynton and Erik Murphy (no, not the guy from Entourage) to have big games.

Prediction: Florida 85, Mississippi State 59

#3 Michigan (21-2, 8-2) at Wisconsin (16-7, 7-3)

With both Indiana and Florida losing this week, the Wolverines could find themselves right back at number one with a victory at Wisconsin. Winning in Madison is no easy task but I feel that the Wolverines have too many offensive weapons for the offensively challenged Badgers to match their scoring. Guard Trey Burke is one of the best players in the country and along with Tim Hardaway Jr. makes up the best backcourt in the nation.
 
Prediction: Michigan 71, Wisconsin 64

#5 Kansas (19-3, 7-2) at Oklahoma (14-7, 5-4) 

The Jayhawks are desperate for a win following an embarrassing loss at TCU on Wednesday night. You have to think that Bill Self is kicking their ass in practice these last few days, and I would be stunned if the Jayhawks don't come out and play inspired ball.

Prediction: Kansas 74, Oklahoma 63

Loyola Marymount (8-15, 1-9) at #6 Gonzaga (22-2, 9-0)

Waiting for the day that the Zags will join a real conference. People are hyping up Gonzaga but hard to believe that this season will be any different than the others. They will beat up on the WCC, then flame out early on in the NCAA Tournament when matched with legit competition.

Prediction: Gonzaga 81, Loyola Marymount 60

North Carolina (16-6, 6-3) at #8 Miami (18-3, 9-0)

It was hard to know what to expect from the Tar Heels this season. They had a mass exodus of talent to the NBA, but Roy Williams strong recruiting meant they still had enough talent to compete this season. They have been unable to land a signature win this season, but they get their chance Saturday against the biggest surprise of the season, the Jim Larranaga led Miami Hurricanes.

F James Michael McAdoo has made the leap into the Tar Heels best player that many expected he would. He is terrible at the free thow line and turns the ball over a bit too much, but other than that is exceptional in every other phase of the game. Another player who has stepped his game up is Reggie Bullock. Bullock is shooting 47% and is a lethal 44% from three point range. He and McAdoo are also the team's leading rebounders. Freshman guard Marcus Paige hasn't made anyone forget Kendall Marshall, but also hasn't brought back nightmares of Larry Drew II. He is going through some growing pains, but the flashes are there. Dexter Strickland remains a tough, gritty defensive player, who can provide you some extra offense on occasion.

Paige will have his work cut out for him Saturday, when he tries to guard Shane Larkin. He did a nice job against Larkin the first time these teams played, holding him to just one assist. It was F-C Kenny Kadji who dominated the Heels in Chapel Hill, as he poured in 18 points. The Heels also let Julian Gamble go off on them for 14 points, and Gamble only averages 6 on the season. C Reggie Johnson will play in this game, which will make winning even more difficult for Carolina. Johnson missed the first game, and his presence makes the Hurricanes absolutely dominating on the glass.

I keep thinking the Hurricanes have to lose at some point, and the Heels have to get a signature win at some point, to restore balance to the ACC. I think that Carolina can complete and not have their doors blown off like they did at NC State earlier this season. I just think when it comes to crunch time, the veteran presence that the Canes have will overcome the youth of Carolina.

Prediction: Miami 75, North Carolina 72


Sunday, February 10

#1 Indiana (20-3, 8-2) at #10 Ohio State (17-5, 7-3)

No time to rest for shell shocked Indiana, who has to follow their stunning loss at Illinois, with a very difficult game at Columbus. Cody Zeller and Victor Oladipo lead the Hoosiers in scoring, as they feature one of the best offensive attacks in the country. The Buckeyes are not as proficient on offense, but make up for it with stifling defense. Deshaun Thomas is their do everything player. A guy who can score, rebound, passes well, and plays great defense. He is also from Indiana, so his success probably burns Hoosiers fans a bit more than it normally would. I picked Indiana to win this game before their loss last night, and despite that, I am sticking with them. I believe this team is too good to drop back to back games. The atmosphere will be intimidating, but it comes down to matchups and talent, areas the Hoosiers have an advantage over the Buckeyes in.

Prediction: Indiana 78, Ohio State 73

#4 Duke (20-2, 7-2) at Boston College (10-12, 2-7)

At least this game isn't in Durham, so we won't have to hear any chants mocking a player's recently deceased grandmother. A typical Duke season of doing well in the regular season, but will likely end with them flaming out early on as a 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The biggest revelation this season has been how important Ryan Kelly is to the Blue Devils success. No one knew that he was the second coming of Rik Smits.

Prediction: Duke 68,  Boston College 58

California (13-9, 5-5) at #7 Arizona (20-2, 8-2)

The Wildcats haven't drawn a ton of national attention but they should be a team to be reckoned with in March. G Mark Lyons and F Solomon Hill give them a lethal inside out combination, and Lyons followed coach Sean Miller from Xavier to Arizona. There were questions about how well he would mesh with Arizona, but he has answered those resoundingly. He is coming off one of his best games of the season, a dominating performance against Stanford.

Prediction: Arizona 77, California 69

St. John's (15-8, 7-4) at #9 Syracuse (19-3, 7-2)

This could be the last time these two rivals play each other for a while, as Syracuse moves on to the ACC next season. St. John's is squarely on the bubble but has mostly feasted on the weak parts of the Big East. If they are to make the NCAA Tournament they will have to earn it, as five of their last seven games are against ranked teams. They have a tremendous, young nucleus in sophomore guard D'Angelo Harris and freshman forward Jakarr Sampson. Cuse coach Jim Boeheim continues to keep the Orange at the top of the rankings year after year, despite consistently losing talent early to the NBA. Brandon Triche and C.J. Fair have seen increased minutes this year and rose to the challenge by upping their contributions. This should be a good, old fashioned Big East slugfest, something that will be missed.

Prediction: Syracuse 63, St. John's 56





Friday, February 1, 2013

The Hail Mary - Super Bowl XLVII

Super Bowl XLVII: #4 Baltimore Ravens (13-6) vs. #2 San Francisco 49ers (13-4-1) in New Orleans, Louisiana, San Francisco favored by 3 1/2

The Super Bowl brings in millions of casual fans, that will probably be watching their first football game of the season. For people not interested in matchups, or which team has the better offense or defense, there is still plenty to become invested in with this game. You have Ravens LB Ray Lewis, playing in the last game of his career, trying to go out a champion, and win a lifetime supply of deer antler spray. For the 49ers, you have QB Colin Kaepernick, making just his 10th career start, playing for a championship. You will also probably see plenty of shots of former starter, Alex Smith, looking forlorn on the sideline, as the team excels without him. But most of all, you have the Harbowl. Brothers Jim and John, coach of the 49ers and Ravens respectively, facing off in the biggest game either has coached in their lives. Then you have the stories that have led up to this game during the week. Deer antler spray and whether or not Lewis took a banned substance. 49ers CB Chris Culliver's homophobic remarks, that put the the 49ers into crisis control mode. These stories all add layers of interest to the game, but they mean nothing once the game starts. Football, like any other sport, comes down to matchups.

On paper, the Ravens are a team that doesn't really stand out. In the regular season, they ranked in the teens in both passing and rushing offense. Their defense, long a stalwart of the franchise, was beset by injuries and old age and ranked just 17th against the pass and 20th against the run. This all seemed to catch up with them late in the season, when they lost four of their final five games and backed into the playoffs. But after a sloppy Wild Card win at home against Indianapolis, a flip seemed to switch and the Ravens became the best team in the AFC. They took out #2 seed Denver quarterbacked by Peyton Manning, and #1 seed New England quarterbacked by Tom Brady on the road. Against Denver, their defense allowed just 21 points, and forced Manning into an interception that ended up costing Denver the game. Against the Patriots, the Ravens dominated New England in the second half, and once again the defense was there to make stops and force turnovers. Having Terrell Suggs, Lewis, Haloti Ngata healthy, to play alongside Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard is the biggest reason we have seen improvement from the Ravens defense in the postseason. They have also been successful in getting pressure on the quarterback, leading playoff teams with 6 sacks this postseason. The MVP of the postseason thus far for Baltimore, has been QB Joe Flacco. Flacco has thrown 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions in three games. He has done a tremendous job of evading any pressure, and his retooled offensive line has also done a good job of protecting him. Bryant McKinnie, Michael Oher and Marshal Yanda are the players to watch on the Ravens offensive line. It will be their job to control the 49ers defensive front and linebackers. For years, people have believed the Ravens offense should run through Ray Rice, and it is tough to argue with him. Rice is a threat both running and catching the ball. His fellow running back, Bernard Pierce doesn't get much press, but has actually led the Ravens in rushing in two of their three playoff games. The Ravens receivers are underrated but dangerous. Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones are both speedsters and guys that Flacco likes to target deep. Anquan Boldin is his mister reliable, and someone that can make and out-muscle corners for almost any catch. TE Dennis Pitta has emerged as another reliable and dangerous target for Flacco. The 49ers have struggled at times to contain tight ends, so Pitta is definitely someone to watch. The Ravens special teams has struggled in coverage at times, but they are dangerous on their own with Jacoby Jones. Punter Sam Koch has had a career year averaging 47.1 yards a punt. Kicker Justin Tucker has been money all season and gives the Ravens a definite advantage at that position.

The 49ers have had a transformation themselves since turning over the keys to Kaepernick. Under Smith, they were a team that won games on the back of their defense, while the offense's job was to not screw up and run the ball. Since Kap has taken over, and in the postseason particularly, the Niners have been winning games because of their offense. The Niners defense has given up an average of 27.5 points in the two playoff games, but the offense has averaged 36.5 points. The defense has struggled in four of the last five games, giving up 34, 42, 13, 31, and 24 points in those games. The run defense has been mostly strong, but the pass defense has really struggled. Carlos Rogers, Culliver, Tarell Brown will have to step up their games on Sunday. They have been beaten physically, especially by Julio Jones in the NFC Championship, something that hadn't been done to this defense in a while. They will also need to be on the same page as safeties Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson. There have been some communication breakdowns during this poor run that have led to disastrous results. The Niners also need to find ways to get more pressure on the quarterback. Matt Ryan was torching them in the first half and had all day to throw. In the second half, the 49ers threw some blitzes at him and made things uncomfortable. Justin Smith is not at 100% and needs help from guys like Ray McDonald, Ricky Jean Francois, and Isaac Sopoaga. The player most affected by Smith's injury has been LB Aldon Smith. Aldon has gone five games without a sack after coming close to breaking Michael Strahan's single season record. He needs to bust out on Sunday, and also hopefully fellow LBs Novarro Bowman, Patrick Willis, and Ahmad Brooks can add to the pressure. Willis and Bowman will also be needed in coverage against Pitta, and watching Rice out of the backfield. Kap needs to just keep doing what he is doing. Leave teams guessing on the read option and continue to throw the ball accurately and forcefully. Frank Gore has been tremendous all season long, while LaMichael James, has provided speed and a spark since becoming active. Big game moments are when Randy Moss still makes his presence felt, and him being on the field has opened things up for Michael Crabtree. The biggest bright spot in the win over Atlanta, was the reemergence of Vernon Davis. Davis gave the 49ers and Kap a third option at receiver. I expect the Ravens to gameplan hard on him, so hopefully that means more opportunities for Moss and Crabtree. The 49ers offensive line has been one of the best all year long. Kap has made their lives easier, with his ability to take off and run, whereas Smith would hold the ball forever. Joe Staley has been playing hurt but you wouldn't know it based on his performances. Anthony Davis, Jonathan Goodwin, and Mike Iupati have been consistent all season and are the least of the 49ers worries going into Sunday's game. The 49ers special teams could be a major factor in this game. Ted Ginn might be able to break off a return or two against a weak Ravens special teams. Punter Andy Lee is consistently good, but the biggest question is kicker David Akers. Akers is kicking with zero confidence, and the 49ers may constantly have to think of Ravens territory as four down territory.

My biggest fear is the 49ers will start slowly and get behind. They have trailed in each of their playoff wins but they haven't face a team as physical as Baltimore in those games. The Ravens feeds off punching guys in the mouth, so I am hoping the Niners can exert their own hard hitting, toughness early on and set the tone. The defensive line has to make life difficult for Flacco or he will pick apart the Niners secondary. I am confident the defense will limit the effectiveness of Rice and Pierce, so it really comes down to limiting Flacco's opportunities to make plays. I think Kap might come out a little overwhelmed to start, similar to how he has looked in the opening of both playoff games. But he has shown, that he will settle down, start making his reads, and can take over a game. The Ravens defense shut down the Patriots passing game, but the 49ers read option is an extra dimension New England doesn't have. The Ravens saw something similar this year with Robert Griffin III and the Redskins, but the 49ers aren't as reliant on it as Washington is. It is important that Gore's presence is established immediately, and that offensive coordinator Greg Roman is committed to the run game. Crabtree, Moss, and Vernon Davis have to be ready to be hit and can't shy away from it. I pray that this game doesn't come down to Akers having to make a kick, as I don't even trust him to hit a 19 yard field goal at this point. Whoever wins the turnover battle will win the game. It's cliche as hell but with how evenly matched these teams are, it will likely be the difference. Besides that one slip up against Green Bay, Kap has been excellent protecting the ball. The 49ers can't afford a botched pitch or anything like that. Flacco has got to be due for an interception at some point, and I think he will give the Niners one in this game. This will be another close Super Bowl and is really a toss up. I don't think a team will win because the other team played terrible. I believe we will see a well played game, that comes down to the team with the ball last winning. I predict that team will be the 49ers, and Kaepernick will finish his dream season off with a win and the MVP trophy.

Prediction: San Francisco 24, Baltimore 20

Last Week Against the Spread: 1-0-1
Overall Against the Spread: 122-135-8

Last Week Straight Up: 1-1
Overall Straight Up: 172-93-1