What a weekend

What a weekend it was in the state of Utah. The Jazz beat the Lakers and the Clippers (the former being much more impressive than the latter). The final Conference (Un) Holy War was an exciting hard fought game that once again came down to the wire (12 out of last 14 have been decided by 7 or less). And finally the storm of the year that was supposed to be on Tuesday actually came on Sunday, blasting the wasatch front with snow (if you are travelling today, do so safely). Oh yeah and BYU's basketball team won a preseason tournament in San Padre Island (6-0 on the year). Here are some of my thoughts after one of the best weekends of the sports year.

College Football:

First off how about the shockers we had on Friday? Auburn comes back from 24 down to win 27-24!! Oregon beats Arizona in a shoot out. And Boise St. can't hit a field goal and loses to Nevada in OT to end their hopes at the BCS title!! Wow. But lets get to what we really care about, the BYU/Utah game. I must admit that when the 4th quarter started I was trying to contain my excitement as BYU had a 13-0 lead and Utah had looked more than awful all day. BYU's defense looked dominant and Jake Heaps was completely out playing the Jordan Wynn/Terrance Cain combo. Then all hell broke loose. The Utes kick a routine FG to get the 4th started, then BYU starts a drive getting a first down in 2 plays, business as usual. Heaps then throws a bomb to Luke Ashworth. The ball was perfect, but Ashworth dropped it. The very next play the freshman RB Quezada gets confused on the play and knocks the ball out of Heaps hand, fumble, Utes recover. The next play, Christopher makes an absolutely spectacular catch over Brian Logan who is playing excellent defense, for a TD. 13-10, crap. BYU takes the next drive down the field for a FG. 16-10 ok I can breath a little. Utah's offense doesn't go anywhere and has to punt. The punt is so freaking bad that it hits a BYU player that is trying to run away from the ball, Utes recover. 3 plays later, Jordan Wynn throws the Utes 3rd interception of the night to Brandon Bradley. Bradley then loses the ball in the process of getting tackled. Replay clearly showed his knee was down, but the play was ruled a fumble recovered by Utah (ask any objective person and they will tell you that he was down). 2 plays later, Asiata TD. 17-16 Utah, 4 minutes left. Jake Heaps leads the Cougars down the field with poise and precision. They get to the Utah 22, then Anae and Bronco play for the FG. They end up settling for a 42 yd FG attempt. The kick was blocked on an outstanding play by starting corner Brandon Burton. Game over. Utah 17 BYU 16. I was sick to my stomach. I couldn't believe what had happened. Now BYU was an underdog in this game, 10 point underdog for that matter. I should feel good about the close game. But I don't. The problem is that I know that BYU should have won that game. I am not blaming it on the blown fumble call or the lucky bounce off the horrible punt. But I am putting it on Bronco for two critical decisions that lost the game. In the 3rd quarter Bronco and Anae went for a play action pass on 4th and 1 from the Utes 12 yard line, leaving points on the board. If they kick that FG, in all likely hood I am giddy right now. Next, on the final drive, Heaps was masterful, so let him win the game, play to win, don't play not to lose. But with all that said, looking forward there is a lot to be excited about for BYU. They played several key freshman who played very well in this game. Heaps, Quezada, Vanoy, Hoffman, and Stout all have bright futures and have steadily improved this season. Conversely, for Utah, I am worried. Jordan Wynn is clearly not the guy going forward. And entering the PAC-12 without a QB is not a good idea. The defense will be good, but they lose both RB's as well. A lot of question marks for the Utes.

One last prediction... BYU will win the next 3 rivalry games, Heaps is too freaking good.

NBA:

How about them Utah Jazz?!?! A huge win on Saturday night over the hated Lakers. The Jazz continue to fight and scrap in every game, regardless of the deficit or the opponent. Sure the Jazz were down by 19 to the Lakers in the 1st half, that didn't stop them from fighting back and winning the final 3 quarters to win by 6. Deron Williams is unreal. He is the best PG in the World, period. There is no argument. On Wednesday, last week, he dominated Chris Paul. Argument over. There is no PG with his combo of shooting, play making ability and strength. The Jazz should win the next two games before another tough test from the Dallas Maveriks, who are playing great right now.

That is all I have for today. Keep enjoying the View from the Upper Bowl

The Last Most Important Un-Holy War Ever

This post is 100% dedicated to The Rivalry that consumes the state of Utah during the last week of the college football season and has done so for decades... The (Un)Holy War. The season has been a roller coaster for both teams following different paths. I will break down how we got to this point and give you some predictions before the match up that is coming on Saturday at 1:30.

The University of Utah Utes:

How they got here: They started off the season ranked fairly high and played arguably the absolute worst opening schedule in the NCAA. This is what transpired:

In an opening Thursday night game the Utah defense bottled up Heisman Hopeful Dion Lewis of Pitt, while Jordan Wynn and the offense were inconsistent and played to a standstill after regulation at home. They head to overtime, where freshman Blechen picked off Pitts awful QB to seal the win for the Utes 27-24. This win seemed impressive until we realized that Pitt is awful and would lose to probably 45 other teams in the country too.

Next, the Utes were gifted a home game against UNLV by the MWC in the second week of the year. As expected they beat up on the Rebels 38-10, but I am not even sure they covered, they were probably favored by more than 28.

That was followed up by the Utes first road test of the year at... New Mexico, oh OK so it was not really a road test but they beat the snot out of them 56-14.

Next came an out of conference home game against perennial bottom feeder San Jose St. The Utes had their most complete game of the year in a 56-3 shellacking.

Then the Utes traveled to Iowa St to play a Cyclone team with talent, but with out winning tradition. Offensively this was the best game for the Utes by a long shot winning 68-27. Iowa state is a team that beat Texas, and almost beat Nebraska , but ultimately is 5-7.

That trip was followed by a trip to Laramie to play the Cowboys of Wyoming. They beat the Cowpokes 30-6. Another inconsistent offensive performance for the Utes, but the defense stayed on track.

Next came a home bout with Colorado State. The Utes played a great defensive game and shut down the true freshman Pete Thomas of CSU en route to a 59-6 win. Now to this point in the year the Utes had played 7 opponents with a current combined record of 16-51 (23.8%).

Now things become interesting, the Utes take their top 10 ranking to Air Force, the Utes offense struggle mightily and thanks to a litany of turnovers by Air Force manage to avoid the upset narrowly winning 28-23.

Next, TCU rolls into town, and to avoid causing Ute fans to relive this day again we will just say that the Horned Frogs rolled in this one 47-7 at Utah. The Utah secondary and defense looked pathetic and lost at home against the Top-3 opponent.

Then came the rebound for the Utes as they travel to storied Notre Dame right? Wrong, the Utes fell flat on their face in front of TD Jesus and put up 3 whole points in the process of getting embarrassed by a mediocre Notre Dame team starting a true freshman QB.

So the Utes again try to rebound, this time on the road at San Diego St. The Aztecs have a high powered offense and showed it early, putting up 27 in the first half. SDSU was in complete control of the game marching in to score to go up 34-10 but a ball goes off of a WR's hands into the waiting arms of a Ute DB. That was followed up by a hail mary from Wynn to Moeai as the first half expired, making it 27-17 a huge swing. But given that they Utes still needed 3 Ryan Lindley interceptions to seal the deal in San Diego.

That brings us to today, and what do we know? That the Utes are capable of blowing out awful teams. That the defensive backfield is mediocre at best when facing a capable passing attack. That the defensive line is very good. That Jordan Wynn is even more erratic then he was as a freshman. That they are not even close to being in the same league as TCU (but very few are). And I think we know that the Utes are mentally weak. No one on this years team knows how to lead.

The Brigham Young University Cougars:

How they got here: The Cougars started off the season with a moronic 2 QB system and very few play makers on offense. A difficult opening schedule would really test the Cougars.

First, the Cougars played at home versus the Washington Huskies. The Cougars 2 QB system worked for a week, but everyone with a pair of eyes could see that Heaps was a real QB and Nelson just a RB with a weak arm. The defense flew around the field containing the overrated Jake Locker and getting a 23-17 win.

Next on to Air Force in the 2nd week of the year. BYU was in this one at the half, then the Coaches made the unfortunate decision of going with Nelson for the 2nd half and sitting Heaps. The result, 0 points and a 35-14 loss. The defense looked completely uninspired.

Then on to Florida State. The team with superior athletes and a freakishly good O-line out lasted the cougars, winning 34-10 in Tallahassee. BYU was simply out manned and the defense could not get off the field on 3rd down.

Then back home, finally the 2 QB system is gone, and the Nevada Wolfpack head to town. Lead by Collin Kaepernick, who is a freak, Nevada won a game in which BYU never gave up, 27-13. BYU's defense showed signs of life, but the offense looked anemic.

Finally on to Logan to get their automatic W of the year right. Wrong. But apparently no one told Jaime Hill that Utah State actually wanted to win that game because his defense was absolutely atrocious. The Cougars suffered an embarrassing loss 33-16 and it probably wasn't that close. Bronco followed this up by firing D-coordinator Hill and inserting himself into that position. Result...

At Home the Cougars faced off with San Diego St. BYU controlled the game from start to finish keeping the ball for 45 minutes of the 60 played. The defense played inspired and held a good offense to 21 points. BYU's offense found out that they have a bunch of 300 lb lineman and some good RB's.

Then the Cougars head to TCU. Surprisingly the Cougars were down 3-0 with about 2 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter, then TCU scored 2 times on short fields to go into the half 17-0. BYU's defense held TCU to 31 points, 10 below their season avg. The offense only mustered 3 points though on the road.

Next BYU traveled home to take on the weak part of their schedule. First up, Wyoming. The Cougars managed a 25-20 win at home. The defense looked good again, but the offense needed some precision and the WR's had been as awful as one could imagine.

After the bye week the Cougars took on UNLV. BYU put together the first of 3 complete games winning 55-7. Heaps and the offense finally had some cohesion, the defense looked very good.

Next came a trip to Colorado State. Another complete game, BYU won 49-10.

Lastly BYU hosted New Mexico. BYU had a lot of penalties at home which helped control the damage but ultimately BYU won 40-7.

That brings us up to speed. So what do we know about BYU? We know that their offense needs to be balanced in order to win. We know that the defense is very different under Mendenhall, and very good. We know that after the Utah State loss BYU is 5-1 albeit against teams with a combined current record of 26-41 (38.8%). We know exactly what BYU is. If Heaps has time he can kill you with the massive cannon the 19 year old is slinging around. We know that the 3 headed running attack has a lot of change of pace and rarely fumbles. We know that the defense is going to hit you hard and not give up big plays. We also know they lack play makers at WR.

Now just before the prediction is unveiled lets look at common opponents:

Air Force:

Utah 28-23

BYU 14-35 Advantage Utah (+26)

TCU:

Utah 7-47

BYU 3-31 Advantage BYU (+12) Running total (Utah +14)

San Diego St.:

Utah 38-34

BYU 24-21 Advantage Utah (+1) Running total (Utah +15)

New Mexico:

Utah 56-14

BYU 40-7 Advantage Utah (+9) Running total (Utah +24)

Wyoming:

Utah 30-6

BYU 25-20 Advantage Utah (+19) Running total (Utah +43)

UNLV:

Utah 38-10

BYU 55-7 Advantage BYU (+20) Running total (Utah +23)

Colorado St:

Utah 59-6

BYU 49-10 Advantage Utah (+14) Running total (Utah +37)

Lastly a look some key stats:

Utah's Offense: Rushing 162.9 yds/gm, 4.8 yds/attempt

Passing 251.7 yds/gm

BYU's Offense: Rushing 172.8 yds/gm, 4.4 yds/attempt

Passing 186.9 yds/gm

Utah's Defense: Giving up 20.2 pts/gm

BYU's Defense: Giving up 21.8 pts/gm

Predictions: Here is what I think will happen:

1.) Jake Heaps will continue his hot streak. Utah's secondary might have been the most overrated group in all of college football. Heaps will throw 3 TD's and 1 pick.

2.) Jordan Wynn will be erratic. Wynn just isn't as good as we thought he was. But he wont kill his team this week. He will go for 2 TD's 1 pick.

3.) Asiata and Wide will have a better day then Quezada, DiLuigi, and Kariya. This has everything to do with Utah's front 4. But if BYU's O-line opens holes this could change quickly because the defensive backfield might struggle with Quezada.

4.) There will be a lot of penalties. Both teams will be sloppy. The emotions run too high in this game and that might actually favor all the freshman at BYU who don't have the disdain built into them.

5.) Utah will lose the turnover battle. But this is no surprise they have been losing this all year.

6.) Shaky Smithson will make some big plays on special teams. Falsev for BYU will not.

And finally (drum roll please).... the winner of the final (Un) Holy War between conference foes will be.... BYU 27-24. Ending Utah's disastrous year (yes 9-3 would be disastrous after the start) and kick starting BYU's run at another 10 win year next season.

P.S. Did anyone really think I would pick Utah??

Feel free to disagree, or applaud my predictions all you like. Let's see some traffic this time people. Happy Thanksgiving and remember everyone Stay Classy.

Week in Review

A new piece that we will have on the Upper Bowl is the "Week in Review" and will be posted on Tuesday's after the end of the NFL week. We will talk about the week in sports and any newsworthy issues. So lets get to it.

The NFL:

I am not sure I remember a crazier time in the NFL. Coaches are losing their minds. Shanahan in Washington benched Donovan McNabb when his team was down 1 score to the Lions with only a couple of minutes left in the game. What?!? Brad Childress decided to waive Randy Moss. Which on its own doesn't seem so bad, except they traded for him 1 month ago and gave up a 3rd round draft pick for him. The Vikings are dismal right now, Brett Favre can't decide if he wants to send inappropriate messages to former Jets employees or just throw TD's. Look for Childress to get fired sooner or later. Tampa Bay keeps winning, the Rams are decent and the Lions might actually be building in a positive manner. The Elite appear to be rising to the top. The Patriots, Colts, Ravens, Steelers, Falcons and Saints look like the only teams to take seriously right now. The Giants might make a push over the next couple of weeks to join that group, but right now that is how I see it. Speaking of the Giants....

The Worlds Series:

Typically we don't talk much baseball here at the Upper Bowl, mainly because it is an antiquated sport that is pretty boring. But lets give the San Francisco Giants their due. Their hodge-podge line-up and stellar pitching staff went out and dominated the Texas Rangers (the overwhelming favorite) in 5 games. Good for them, good for San Francisco.... Now they get to have another parade, something that San Francisco is awfully familiar with.

The NBA:

The first week of the NBA was an interesting one. The Heat went out on opening night and got spanked by the Celtics, but then railed off 3 wins by playing suffocating defense. If they defend like that all year long then beating them is going to be awfully difficult. The Lakers are unbeaten, and look good but not invincible. The Jazz are Jekyl and Hyde, they lost two games by 20+ points each game, but then ended the week by beating the tar out of the Thunder in Oklahoma City. I think that we will see the Jazz become more consistent with time but don't be surprised if this inconsistency continues for a couple of weeks. If the Jazz are sitting at .500 or better after next weekend then I would consider that a positive since the Jazz have a roadie next week at Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, and Charlotte. The real question for the Jazz comes from their bench. CJ Miles and Gordon Hayward are not enough from the bench, they need Watson or Francisco or Fesenko to contribute something.

College Football:

A couple of the pretenders of college football were eliminated last weekend. Missouri was blasted by Nebraska, and Michigan State was routed at Iowa. So now there are 5 unbeatens left in College Football: Oregon, Auburn, TCU, BSU, and Utah. Those 5 teams are ranked in that order in the BCS, which good for the BCS I actually completely agree with these rankings based on schedule and impressiveness to this point. Oregon doesn't look like the are going to lose any time soon. Auburn plays in the crazy SEC and still has to play 2 ranked teams, including Alabama. If both Oregon and Auburn go unbeaten then they will play for the national championship, no question about it. The question is what happens if one loses. Well then we have a problem. Either TCU or Utah will lose this weekend, we know that since they match up in the monster match up this weekend in SLC. But BSU is not going to lose, unless they stub their toe at Nevada or at home versus Hawaii. I doubt it though. But the winner of the TCU/Utah game has to stay ranked above BSU, don't they? And don't forget Alabama, the 1 loss, 6th ranked team in the BCS. If they beat Auburn and finish off the rest of the year with just one loss, they will jump up into the top 2 and then possibly 2 non-bcs teams will get screwed, the winner of the TCU/Utah game and BSU both hosed again.

Now for a quick breakdown of the games to come for our local teams.

BYU vs. UNLV: UNLV is bad, really bad and BYU is not terrible at home. I would expect after the bye week for BYU that the offense will look a little better. Now I am not saying that they are going to go crazy and score 40 or something but 28-35 isn't out of the realm of possibility. Look for Heaps to have a 2 TD 0 Int day and somewhere around 200 yards passing.

Utah vs. TCS: Now for the big game, ESPN is bringing Gameday to SLC again, even though they don't have the rights to the game. Craig Bolerjack even managed to get CBS to let him call the game on CBS College Sports. This game pits a phenomenal defense (TCU) against a very very good offense (Utah) and a great defense (Utah) against a versatile offense (TCU). I feel confident in saying that neither team will get into the 30's. We know that the crowd at Utah will be insane. The blackout will get fans extra excited, not to mention ESPN Gameday's presence. One issue I have here is with the Mountain West, how in the world is this game on at 1:45 pm? This needed to be a night game, a 6 pm start time under the lights, they really dropped the ball on that. But despite that look for this game to be intense and close. I am predicting that Utah will win at home 28-24 on a late drive to seal it.

That is all I have from now. Expect a NCAA basketball preview on Thursday. For now enjoy the View.

NBA Preview

It is finally here! The moment you have all been waiting for! The NBA preview! In the past we have had a "committee" of sorts to roll this out, however this year we are going with the committee of 1, me. Lets get right to the preview:

2010-2011 NBA Preview

5 Things to Watch for:

1. How do the Heat function as a group? The Heat had the biggest off-season in my memory, landing Lebron James, Chris Bosh and several key reserve players. On paper this team might be the best NBA team (talent wise) ever assembled. You could argue that the Lakers teams in the 80's or the Celtics in the Bird/Mchale era could rival the Heat. But we don't know how 2 of the games top 10 players will coincide, let alone a 3rd top 20 guy. We also know nothing of injuries, Wade and and sharpshooter Mike Miller have already been hurt, and Miller is expected to miss time. If the Heat can prove they can co-exist and stay healthy then I don't know what could stop them. However, if they don't we could see them fall short of their ultimate goal.

2. Can the Lakers make it to a 4th straight NBA Finals? The Lakers won the title in June and had a pretty decent off-season, signing Steve Blake and Matt Barnes to compliment their already very good core of Kobe, Lamar, Fisher, Pau, and Bynum. But Bynum and Kobe both had knee surgery. Bynum is expected to miss a few weeks and Kobe is ready to go, but will have his minutes limited. The Lakers could start to follow the Celtic/Spur model which is to not stress too much over the regular season get in to the playoffs as a 3-6 seed and then turn it on in the playoffs and win the West. But only 1 other team has ever made it to 4 consecutive finals, that was the 70's Celtics. So clearly it isn't easy, maybe the deep playoff runs take their toll this season and the Lakers fall short?

3. How does the shift in power (from West to East) affect the other Western Conference teams? This free agent season saw some stars move East, namely, Amare and Boozer and a couple more are rumored to be on the move soon, Carmelo and CP3. So we all agree the Lakers are the best on paper, but then what? Oklahoma City stayed the same virtually, some think they are ready to make the jump. The Nuggets are still dysfunctional and Carmelo could be gone soon. Phoenix lost it's best athlete and Nash is still getting older. Half of the Spurs are able to park in handicap spots they are so old. Houston is Houston, don't they always find a way to mess it up? Portland, could be poised for a nice little run, barring injury, but injuries have bee ever present lately for them. The Jazz, well we will get to them. Dallas, I don't believe that they are built for playoff success, and everyone there is getting older too.

4. The BIG 3 in the East. The Heat, Celtics and Magic should give the Eastern Conference an absolutely dynamite post-season and if everyone stays healthy a crazy regular season. We know the Celtics will probably take it easy and coast into the playoffs at the 4 or 5 seed. The Magic were the 2nd seed a year ago and have no reason to go backward. The Heat have potential to win 70 games. Throw in the Bulls and Hawks and you could have some fun out East.

5. How will the Utah Jazz respond to the huge turnover? Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Wes Matthews... gone. Al Jefferson, Raja Bell, Francisco Elson, and Gordon Hayward... here. I have argued for years that Al Jefferson is better than Boozer, I think we will see that early on in the year. Having Raja is great for the locker room and the defensive side of the ball, but can he knock down that corner three with consistency still? Elson is old and isn't going to be a game changer but he will rebound a few balls and block a few shots which is more than what backup centers have given us in the past. Gordon Hayward, we have no idea what he will do. How these new pieces fit and run Jerry's offense will determine much of how the season goes.

Predictions

Okay so here are the predictions (guesses really) that I feel comfortable with making right now:

The Lakers will NOT win the West.

The Jazz will finish higher in the West then they did a year ago.

The Heat will NOT win the East.

Carmelo Anthony will be traded, Chris Paul will not.

The Clippers will finish 8th in the West.

Lebron James will average a triple-double.

Kevin Durant will win MVP.

Paul Milsap will win Most Improved Player.

Dwight Howard will win Defensive Player of the Year.

And finally, Jerry Sloan will win Coach of the Year for the shockingly 1st time.

Division Winners

The Atlantic Division (Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto)

This is like the NFC West in Football, with exception of the Celtics, so they will have to win this division by default.

Winner: Celtics

Record: 53-29

The Central Division (Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Detroit, Indiana)

This division is pretty bad too, Milwaukee could make some noise, but the Bulls will ride Derrick Rose to the division title.

Winner: Bulls

Record: 54-28

The Southeast Division (Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, Washington)

This division is brutal. Atlanta is pretty dang good and is the 3rd best team. I think Miami will have some bumps and we will see Orlando maintain dominance in the division.

Winner: Orlando

Record: 59-23

The Southwest Division (San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis)

This division is also tough to pick. Picking against the Spurs never makes sense, but I will anyway. Houston could surprise us with Kevin Martin, Aaron Brooks and Yao back, but I am going with Dallas. I think Dirk is still good enough.

Winner: Dallas

Record:57-25

The Pacific Division (LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Golden State, Phoenix, Sacramento)

I know that I am a little down on the Lakers but look around this division, there is no one capable of winning it besides them, except maybe Phoenix and I just don't see it with them this year.

Winner: Lakers

Record: 56-26

The Northwest Division (Utah, Portland, Oklahoma City, Denver, Minnesota)

This division could have 4 playoff teams, likely 3 but could have 4. The Blazers should be difficult but I have them 3rd in the division. The Jazz will be better then last year think 55+ wins. But I think the Thunder are going to be scary good, so I have them winning the division.

Winner: Thunder

Record: 59-23

Playoff Seeds

Eastern Conference

1. Orlando

2. Miami

3. Chicago

4. Boston

5. Atlanta

6. New York

7. Milwaukee

8. Charlotte (Don't ask why)

Western Conference

1. Oklahoma City

2. Dallas

3. Utah

4. LA Lakers

5. San Antonio

6. Portland

7. Phoenix

8. LA Clippers

So that is everything I know, or think I know at this point, about the NBA this 2010-2011 season. It should be a wild and crazy next 8 months. And it all gets kicked off tonight with Boston vs. Miami, and tomorrow the Jazz get things going at Denver. Feel free to comment, argue, or agree with me and my predictions.

Guess what is back.... you guessed it!

So I know it has been a long time (too long) since I have written a post. I would like to blame it on being busy with school, but that is only partly true. Really I have been too lazy and I strongly dislike baseball season. So I should have put up my NFL and NCAA preview posts but I didn't so we will move on and pretend like I did. Today I have some other issues to talk about.

The NFL:

So this NFL season has been pretty nuts. No one is still undefeated. No one looks dominant. The best team is.... I have no idea. I would like to say the Colts but they have lost 2 times on the road in the division. I definitely don't want to say the Patriots, but they are 4-1. However, they are trading away players like they are rebuilding. I certainly can't say the Steelers their starting QB just played in his first game of the year, and I definitely believe that we will see them fall apart with Big Creepy Ben at the helm. Is it the Ravens, maybe, but they just lost to the Patriots and haven't been consistent. It might be the Jets, but they are like a walking frat party and I still don't trust the offense. So that leaves us at a loss. Looks like we have a few more weeks to go before we find out who really is elite in this league.

On a side note, how about our local guys?!? Their have been a lot of them playing big roles in the league thus far. Most notably - my boy Austin Collie is killing hit. He is on pace for 117 catches 6 TD's and 1300 yards receiving, pretty good for a "slow" white WR from BYU. Also, Max Hall went from Ute Hater to undrafted rookie to starting QB in less than 10 months. I don't know that it will go well for him unfortunately but I am happy for him.

College Football:

So college football has been crazy yet very familiar. There have been a lot of fun upsets, good game nearly every weekend. There are a bunch of the small schools that are highly ranked, Boise St., TCU and Utah all in the top 10. Other schools like Air Force and Nevada are having up years. But as much as these changes are nice to see, the old themes of College Football are familiar. The initial BCS rankings are a joke. Does strength of schedule matter? If so, why is Boise 3, and TCU 5? TCU has played a tougher schedule to date. Does schedule not matter? If soWhy is Auburn not in the top 3. Why is Boise not number 1 as the pundits predicted? It is all a joke. Hopefully the IRS brings down the BCS sooner rather than later and something happens to cause change.

Now on the the College teams that matter to us. Namely, BYU and Utah. First, Utah is having a very good year. But what do we know about Utah? We know that they are very good at beating bad teams. We know that Jordan Wynn has been good but inconsistent. We know that they have 2 good running backs and some playmakers on offense. We know that they have a typical Kyle Whittingham defense. I think that they are really good. I think that they have benefited tremendously from having the schedule that they have had to this point. The real tests start in a couple weeks. This week is a walk in the park, next week Air Force will be the real first test of the year. Now on to BYU, it has been rough. They have played a difficult schedule, but that is not a pass for being 2-5. They knocked off a decent Washington team, then get embarrassed at the Air Force Academy. Air Force is up so losing is not a huge problem but losing the way they did was a joke. The Florida State loss was acceptable, they are a good team. The Nevada loss actually brought some hope. The team fought hard and just didn't have the weapons on offense to keep up with the Nevada pistol. The Utah State game was a joke. Losing the way they did was inconceivable to me before the game and still hard to believe. Jaime Hill deserved to lose his job and so did Robert Anae after that display. Luckily for Anae, Bronco knows nothing about offense so Hill was the only one fired. And that move has proven to be a good one so far, the defense has been far superior to its former self. Against San Diego St. we saw a lot of good things, the o-line showed it knows how to lean on people and move forward, the defense showed real fight and determination. Against TCU, the defense played it's heart out. It just wasn't enough and the offense was really bad. Now this week BYU fan has jumped off the proverbial cliff. Just take a deep breath people, it is going to be okay. Here is why...the next 4 games for BYU are going to be wins for BYU. They play awful teams (all of the ones Utah has beat) and they are headed in the right direction despite the 31-3 loss at TCU. That loss by the way is simply on par with their losses the past 2 years to TCU. Last year the Cougars lost by 31 in Provo with Max Hall, Dennis Pitta, Harvey Unga, and Andrew George. Two years ago they lost by 25 in Texas with all of those players plus Austin Freakin' Collie! So this loss was the same as the others. They will bounce back this weekend and will do so impressively, my prediction is a 31-14 win over Wyoming. Now, one last BYU issue. Jake Heaps. For crying out loud people be patient. He is 19 years old. He is a true freshman, as David Locke showed in a research project he did, even the very best QB's that started as true freshman haven't been good. Granted Jake has been bad, 1 TD to 6 INT's is bad. But give him some help. Mackay Jacobsen where are you? Cody Hoffmanc catch the dang ball! Luke Ashworth either start catching the ball or give back your scholarship money, honestly I have never seen such an inept WR. And lastly Robert Anae, do you even realize that you are starting a freshman? Do you know that the strength of your offense is the offensive line and your running backs? Please Bronco if you have any sense, take play calling away from Anae and give it to someone who understands the personnel they are dealing with.

NBA and College Basketball previews will come by next week. But for now enjoy the view of the NFL and college football from the Upper Bowl

Lebron... how could you?

Lebron James made an unprecedented move on Thursday night. The King decided to go to Miami and play with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in the biggest free agent coup in the history of professional sports. Because of that decision Jazz fans everywhere are dismayed by the fact that the King didn't choose to take a giant pay cut and play in SLC... okay I can't pull that one off. But seriously a lot of changed Thursday night. Lets talk about some of those things.

The first big change comes on the landscape of the NBA. The West is no longer the best of the conferences. This doesn't only have to do with Lebron, but rather with the fact that every free agent worth anything is signing in the East, unless you count David Lee as an elite free agent... yeah I don't think so either. Now the next thing to look at is the Heat. For the first time in history we have 3 players who are at least All-Stars on the same team... while in their prime. This isn't the Boston Celtics and their 3 over the hill stars, this is three guys 7 years into their careers and at the top of their game. Will this set a precedent for future years? Will teams start unloading every player that demands a paycheck so that they can create their own super team of All-Stars? Even if they do will it work? Take New York for example, they have be selling their fans on Lebron in New York for 3 or 4 years now and used it as an excuse to be awful during that time. And if New York can't even get these type of guys, who can? Don't be surprised if before long all you see is a few great teams and a bunch of awful teams in the NBA. In a NBA like this the small market teams don't stand a chance.

That brings me to my next point, the small market teams are screwed. This hits home for all of us in Utah. The Jazz are most definitely not a big market team. They have been successful through sound business practices and great team management. Their are a few teams like the Jazz out there, the Spurs, OKC and Phoenix can be included in that list. But if this summer has the effect that I feel it might, then soon enough great team management wont be enough to produce a good product. The owners who are responsible, and not willing to just throw away millions upon millions of dollars at players who don't deserve it, will be priced out of the talent market sooner rather than later. So if you are a fan of a small market team get used to mediocrity, unless you can somehow draft really well and manage to get a loyal guy.

Which brings me to my next point, what ever happened to loyalty? Now understand that I am not a proponent of remaining loyal to a business simply because they gave you a shot. No that shouldn't be required of your every day business person or of elite athletes. However, why do we Jazz fans love John Stockton? Because he worked hard, never complained and never left Utah. But today's athletes are not like John Stockton. How out of touch can these athletes be? Take Lebron as our example. He is from Akron, Ohio born and raised. When he was 16 he was on the cover of every sports magazine (as the Savior of Basketball, we will get to that). His hometown Cavs tanked it in an epic fashion just to have the best chance to win the Draft Lottery and select Lebron. Upon being selected James gave Cavs fans hope. Now just because they chose him does that require him to stay their forever? No. However, Lebron should realize that by leaving you are crushing a fan base, not to mention how you are letting down every NBA fan who defended you over Kobe and cited your overwhelming character as a deciding factor. Worst of all Lebron showed everyone that not even the lure of playing hometown hero, being immortalized in Ohio, and the possibility of accomplishing the impossible and bringing a championship to Cleveland is enough for one mega star to remain loyal to a small market team.

The last point I wanted to cover is that of Lebron's legacy. Lebron James was once dubbed the Savior of Basketball... when he was 16 years old (as I have explained countless times to people when describing the greatness that is (was) Lebron). The day Lebron graduated from high school he signed a 100 million dollar contract with Nike, and shortly thereafter was given his own brand, like Jordan. During his first 7 years in the league fans everywhere have lauded his class and professionalism. Most people would tell you that Lebron is as good as Kobe if not better, on his way to becoming one of the greatest ever. Last night (and over the past 8 days) all of that changed. Is he still supremely talented? Absolutely. But what about the rest? Unless you are a Heat fan, you can not possibly think he is a man with class now. What type of man with class sets up a 1 hour ESPN Special to rub his decision in America's face (most notable Cleveland's Face)? What professional strings out 6 NBA teams for 8 days when it was apparently decided on July 1 where he was going (as reported by Stephen A Smith)? A man with class is not so out of touch with his fan that he thinks the spectacle put on last night is a good idea. Forget the class for now, can Lebron ever be considered the best player in the world now? No. He might be the best, but no one will ever see it that way. No. Lebron has now become Robin to Dwayne Wade's Batman. Perhaps Lebron has too much Dr. J in him and is not interested in being "the man." Lebron will forever be thought of as the guy that didn't want to have the burden of being the best. You can no longer consider Lebron the King, when he needed to GO to Miami to play WITH Dwayne Wade in order to win. No matter how this plays out Lebron will never have more rings than Dwayne Wade now, let along Kobe Bryant. He can not be considered the best. He will be viewed as the guy who didn't want to do it on his own, didn't want to take that last shot, didn't want to be the Savior of Basketball anymore. Now can you or I blame him? No. Not everyone is wired like Mike or Kobe and every team needs the guy who cares more about passing for the winning shot than hitting the winning shot. However, for all the fans that wanted him to be that Savior of Basketball we are now left with Kobe (I think I just threw up in mouth a little) or no one. In my estimation the NBA may be doomed to a popularity similar to that of MLB, bereft of likable heroes and driven by deep pocketed owners in big cities. (Should we expect a steroids scandal soon?).

There is a lot more that I could say on this, but let me know how you feel. Agree or Disagree? I didn't even get into whether or not the Heat will be any good with their Trio of Stars, what do you think?

Playoff Predictions Roundtable Style

OK Folks here it is, what you have all been waiting for... (drum roll please)... Our shotty attempt at predictions for the NBA's Second Season. But first lets take care of some predictions for end of year awards.

MVP:
Kyle - Lebron James. He is the best player in the league and means more to his team than any other player. That is a rare combination and a slam dunk for the MVP award.
Patrick - Lebron James. He is the best. (Patrick really went in depth on this one)
Nic - Lebron James. He is the best player in the league, and impacts his
team more than any other player.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Kyle - I am tempted to go with Lebron because he has to guard a guy who can light up teams far more often then Dwight Howard does. But Dwight Howard does absolutely change games so I will go with Dwight.
Patrick - Dwight Howard. He is a beast in the paint.
Nic - Dwight Howard. He is a beast, and all stats
aside, has the biggest influence on the defensive end of any player in the
league.
6th Man of the Year:
Kyle - Manu Ginobli. No other 6th man is an all-star. Plus you can't tell me that every single fan of an NBA team would love him on their team.
Patrick - Lamar Odom. HE is the reason that LA is so scary.
Nic - Jamal Crawford. He is averaging 18.0 ppg off the bench! Enough said!
Coach of the Year:
Kyle - I think it should go to Jerry Sloan (It wont) because he won 53 games with 1 lottery pick. That is incredible.
Patrick - Scott Brooks. I want to choose Jerry but I know everyone will vote for Scott Brooks.
Nic - Jerry Sloan. He will get shafted again, and OKC's coach
will probably win this year, but Jerry truly deserves it.
Most Improved Player:
Kyle - I originally said Andrew Bogut, but I am instead going with Kevin Durant. I know it sounds crazy, but the difference between his game last year and this is unreal.
Patrick - Aaron Brooks. He has become a factor against any team.
Nic - Channing Frye. Although Chris Douglas-Roberts had better improvement in per game averages from 2009 to 2010 (11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.9 steals, It's hard to give
an award to a guy on the worst team in the NBA.) Channing Frye improved his outside shooting in the off season, and helped the Suns snag the #3 seed in the West.
Rookie of the Year:
Kyle - Stephen Curry. Mainly because my love fest for Curry has been going on since his sophomore days at Davidson.
Patrick - Brandon Jennings. Mostly because of his hair do.
Nic - Tyreke Evans

OK now here comes the playoff Predictions
Cleveland v Chicago:
Kyle - Cleveland in 4.
Patrick - Cleveland in 4.
Nic - Cleveland in 5.
Orlando v Charlotte:
Kyle - Orlando in 5.
Patrick - Orlando in 6.
Nic - Orlando in 5.
Atlanta v Milwaukee:
Kyle - Atlanta in 5.
Patrick - Atlanta in 5.
Nic - Atlanta in 6.
Boston v Miami:
Kyle - Boston in 7.
Patrick - Boston in 6.
Nic - Boston in 7.
LA v Oklahoma City:
Kyle - LA in 7.
Patrick - LA in 7.
Nic - LA in 5.
Dallas v San Antonio:
Kyle - Dallas in 7
Patrick - Dallas in 5.
Nic - Dallas in 7.
Phoenix v Portland:
Kyle - Phoenix in 5.
Patrick - Portland in 6.
Nic - Phoenix in 5.
Denver v Utah:
Kyle - Denver in 7.
Patrick - Utah in 7.
Nic - Utah in 7.

Second Round
Kyle:
Cleveland v Boston: Cleveland in 5.
Orlando v Atlanta: Orlando in 6.
LA v Denver: LA in 6.
Dallas v Phoenix: Phoenix in 6.
Patrick:
Cleveland v Boston: Cleveland in 5.
Orlando v Atlanta: Atlanta in 7.
LA v Utah: LA in 6.
Dallas v Portland: Dallas in 4.
Nic:
Cleveland v Boston: Cleveland in 6.
Orlando v Atlanta: Atlanta in 7.
LA v Utah: LA in 6.
Dallas v Phoenix: Phoenix in 7.

Conference Finals:
Kyle:
Cleveland v Orlando: Cleveland in 7.
LA v Phoenix: LA in 7.
Patrick:
Cleveland v Atlanta: Cleveland in 6.
LA v Dallas: Dallas in 7.
Nic:
Cleveland v Atlanta: Cleveland in 6.
LA v Phoenix: LA in 6.

NBA Finals:
Kyle:
Cleveland v LA: Cleveland in 7.
Patrick:
Cleveland v Dallas: Cleveland in 6.
Nic:
Cleveland v LA: LA in 7.

Miscellaneous Questions:

What is your opinion of how the Jazz season went?
Kyle - You know I am pleased with the season. I feel like if we look at the overall picture there was a lot to be happy about. We had a lot of injuries and through great scouting and key player pickups, we ended just 2 games from the 2 seed. Plus, in a surprise, Bill Simmons on ESPN finally relented on the Deron Williams v Chris Paul debate. He now acknowledges that Deron Williams is every bit as good as Chris Paul. Finally.
Patrick - Great! Without injury we would be a 2 seed but what NBA team can't complain about that.
Nic - I am happy with how they did this year. As always, they struggled with key injuries at inconvenient times, but such is the life of professional sports. The one disappointing
thing is their playoff matchups. The 2 teams I am most afraid of for the Jazz, they will face in the first two rounds (DEN and LAL)

Which team is the most surprising this season?
Kyle - I have to go with Milwaukee here. When they were healthy they were legitimately good. Bogut and Jennings are a huge part of that.
Patrick - Bobcats. I didn't think they could make the Tourney and they did.
Nic - The most surprising team for
me is the Milwaukee Bucks. In the 2008-2009 season, they went 34-48, didn't add anyone substantial in the off season and this year turn in a 46-36 record and the 6th seed in the East. Like most people I wrote the Bucks off long before this season truly got under way.

Most surprising Player?
Kyle - I am going to go with Wesley Matthews. This is simply because no one expected him to be on a team, let alone starting for a semi-contender in the brutal west.
Patrick - Kevin Durant. I didn't think he would be an MVP candidate, but hopefully he doesn't pull a Dwayne Wade and disappear.
Nic - The most surprising player for me was someone I didn't even know existed when the season started. Wes Mathews! He is an undrafted rookie that is now starting for one of the best teams in the league and playing considerably well. I don't think anyone saw him coming, and in my opinion should be recognized by the league on the Rookie team (probably 2nd team),
but probably won't because he plays for the Jazz.

Which team was most disappointing this season?
Kyle - I have to go with the Toronto Raptors. They make this big splash in the off season and get Turkoglu, they already have Bosh and in the awful east they still make the playoffs.
Patrick - Clear cut for me, the Knicks disappointed me by winning. Jerks.
Nic - The most disappointing team this year for me was the 76ers. Last year they are the 6th seed in the East and this year, losing Andre Miller, but having Elton Brand healthy, they are
a lottery team.

Most disappointing player?
Kyle - I would have to say it's hard not to go with Gilbert Arenas, but I am going with Hedo. He has to be the biggest bust as a free agent.
Patrick - Gilbert Arenas. When you are in the NBA and a star, you have to know better than that.
Nic - Chris Paul is the most disappointing player this season. As much as I hate the Deron Williams v Chris Paul debates, I think it is great to have 2 players that play the same position and match up well able to compete at a high level. In a sense, I think Chris Paul doing well makes Deron do better. So for Chris Paul to be injured almost half the season

Well folks that is all for now. WE here at the Upper Bowl hope that you thoroughly enjoy the NBA's Second Season. Go Jazz.

NBA Tidbits Possibly Worth Your While

With the NBA season winding down in spectacular fashion, I thought it would be a good time to through out some thoughts and observations on the NBA season thus far.

Awards:
This is my take on the NBA awards for the year

MVP: This one is easy. Lebron James. He is the most dominant player in the league. We could just pencil him in for a few years to come.
Defensive Player of the Year: This one is funny to me because everyone automatically says that Dwight Howard is the winner of this one, but I feel like they do not give enough consideration to the likes of Lebron James or Andrew Bogut. Lebron is a beast that physically can hound any player, and Bogut has been very good on the defensive end. Although I am tempted to give this to Lebron, I still say Dwight Howard. He just changes everything.
6th Man of the Year: While most "experts" are saying Jamal Crawford, I am going with Manu Ginobli. Yes, everyone loves to hate Manu, especially in Utah. But he is an all-star that comes off the bench and Jamal Crawford isn't.
Most Improved Player: This one is up for grabs, you have Bogut, George Hill, Russell Westbrook. But I would have to give it to Durant. And that seems a little counter-intuitive to me, but here is why. From last season to this he has improved in every single statistical category, most importantly W's.
Coach of the Year: This award is a mystifying award. Year after year this award has no consistency. One year it is given to Phil Jackson for coaching Kobe or MJ, the next year it is given to Byron Scott for his team being better than expected. What exactly is the criteria for this award? 3 out of the last 5 winners of this award are not even currently still coaching, what does that tell you. With all that said, I would say that Scott Brooks, coach of the Thunder, will win this award. And it is a load of crap! Jerry Sloan absolutely deserves this award. What if I gave you the following two seasons and asked you to pick the coach that did the better job: Season #1. The team has a 54-28 record. The team takes 1st place in their division and is the #2 or #3 seed in the Western Conference. Their record last year was 48-34 when they were the #8 seed in the Western Conference. The number of Lottery picks on the roster is 1. Season #2. The team has a 50-32. The team is the #8 seed in the Western Conference. Their record last year was 23-59. The number of Lottery picks on the roster is 6. Which coach would you say did the better job? This is my problem with this award, I say the coach of Season #1 did the better job because he did it with less talent and has finished higher in the conference. Season #1 is coached by Jerry Sloan. But Jerry will get screwed again and be left off the ballot by most voters. Won't even make the top 5.

Predictions:

Final Standings: This is how I think the final standings will look.
Eastern Conference:
1. Cleveland
2. Orlando
3. Atlanta
4. Boston
5. Miami
6. Milwaukee
7. Charlotte
8. Chicago
Not much drama there.
Western Conference:
1. LA Lakers
2. Utah Jazz
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Phoenix Suns
6. Portland Trailblazers
7. San Antonio Spurs
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
There are a lot of assumptions made in these standings. Those assumptions come via the predictions I have made regarding the last 4 meaningful games of the year. Portland should beat Golden State tomorrow night and that will solidify them at the 6th seed due to tiebreakers. So the 4 meaningful games are as follows: Denver at Phoenix tonight, San Antonio at Dallas tomorrow, Utah at Golden State tonight and Phoenix at Utah tomorrow. Basically if Denver wins tonight at Phoenix, they get the 3 spot and Dallas gets the 2, regardless of what else happens. However, if Phoenix wins at home tonight then the circus ensues. Scenario 1: Phoenix wins tonight and then wins in Utah. While Dallas wins tomorrow. Then the order would be Dallas 2, Phoenix 3, Denver 4, Utah 5. Scenario 2: Phoenix wins tonight but loses in Utah. While Dallas wins tomorrow and Utah wins tonight also. Then the order would be Dallas 2, Utah 3, Denver 4, Phoenix 5. Scenario 3: Phoenix wins tonight but loses in Utah. While Dallas loses tomorrow and the Jazz beat Golden State tonight. Then the order would be Utah 2, Dallas 3, Phoenix 4, Denver 5. Scenario 4: The Jazz lose tonight to the Warriors. Then the Jazz are at best 4 and worst 5, while Dallas is 2, Denver 3 and Phoenix 4 or 5. So as you can see from my predicted standings above, I have Phoenix winning tonight, Dallas losing tomorrow and the Jazz winning out. Whatever happens the last 2 days of the regular season will be crazy that is for sure.

Playoff Pairings and Results
Based on the above information the playoff pairings in the East are:
Cleveland vs. Chicago (My prediction Cleveland in 4)
Orlando vs Charlotte (Orlando in 4)
Atlanta vs Milwaukee (Atlanta in 5)
Boston vs Miami (Boston in 7)
The pairings in the West are:
LA vs Oklahoma City (LA in 6)
Utah vs San Antonio (Utah in 7)
Dallas vs Portland (Dallas in 5)
Phoenix vs Denver (Denver in 6)
Based on those predictions, here are the second round pairings in the East:
Cleveland vs Boston (Cleveland in 6)
Orland vs Atlanta (Orland in 5)
In the West the second round pairings are:
LA vs Denver (LA in 7)
Utah vs Dallas (Utah in 6)
Taking it another step further, the Conference Finals are:
Cleveland vs Orlando (Cleveland in 7)
LA vs Utah (LA in 7)
Moving it to the Finals:
Cleveland vs LA (Cleveland in 5)

Once the playoffs are actually set. We will put out a round table with more opinions than just mine and some actual analysis. That is probable enough babbling on from me for now. Expect more from the Upper Bowl soon.

What could have been

Last night a fantastic sporting event took place in Indianapolis. The Butler vs Duke NCAA Championship was a classic. It was not a classic because it was an exceptionally well played game, in fact at times there were several mistakes and misses that you wouldn't typically see. It was not a classic because there were tons of NBA players on the court. It was not a classic because of the way it ended (although it could have been). No last nights game was classic because it exhibited everything that is great about college basketball.
The game was as physical as it could have been and I felt that the referees let the kids play, it was great. The defense in the game was something to behold, as an aspiring basketball coach I found the defense in this one to be a thing of beauty especially that of Butler. But beyond the physical nature of the game and the beautiful defense being played, the game exhibited two teams that both run systems to perfection. It featured two coaches who seemingly do everything the right way. It featured 1, maybe 2, future pros. And most of all it featured 2 teams full of guys that will stay for 4 years, earn their degrees and be college student-athletes. There was not a single "1 and done" player on the court, no John Wall or Derrick Rose type. This was two college teams proving that your team doesn't have to have the "1 and done" type players to win. It was a great exhibition of intensity and passion, but without any weird moments (like the moment when West Virginia's coach Bob Huggins was laying on top of De'Sean Butler hugging him after Butler hurt his knee... a little much for me).
The only thing that I would have changed in this game that would have made it even better was the ending. I have never been shy about my hatred for Duke University, I have long disdained the Blue Devils. My night last night would have been perfect had Gordon Hayward's fall away baseline jumper found the net. It would have been even better had Hayward's half court desperation prayer been answered. Both shots missed by only a matter of inches or even less. We were that close to seeing one of the greatest upsets of all time, not because Duke was that much better than Butler, this was not Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma vs Underdog NC State. No Butler's win would have shown everyone that in College Basketball it is win when you are from a small league like the Horizon League. It would have shown everyone that you can take 2 or 3 star recruits and turn them into champions regardless of location or athletic budget. I think that even though Butler lost, they showed that they belong, they were no fluke. As a result I think that some time in the near future we will see a team like Butler win the championship. All of that is something that is impossible in college football. For those reasons people everywhere will still gravitate towards March Madness as the greatest sporting event in College Sports, and second only to the Super Bowl on a national level.
My last comment about the game last night is that I still disdain Duke, but I was extremely impressed with how their players and coach handled the win. It is easy once it is all over to say something wrong and disparage a team that you beat or be a poor winner. But Duke didn't take that road, in fact they answered everything perfectly (which in no way makes me dislike Duke any less). And it all started with Coach K. As much as I have loathed Duke over the years I have always had a lot of respect for Coach K, and that respect level only went up last night. That said, I can't wait until next year when the Tar Heels beat the crap out of the Dukies.

That is the View from the Upper Bowl for now.

Looks like I was wrong

I realize that I am a little behind on admitting this but I figure "better late than never." I was wrong... about the NCAA Tournament. (This is NOT an admission to being wrong about other things or very often for that matter) Out of my 5 Bold predictions, all of them have "Gone Wrong" as I predicted (so does that make me wrong and right?): BYU sadly did not make it to the Elite 8 as they were outplayed and just out manned by a Kansas State team with better athletes, Baylor did not make it to the final four although they were awfully close but were barely beat out by Duke whom I predicted would fall short of the final four, Cornell did pull off the upset of Temple on their way to the sweet 16 and lastly Kansas got beat in the 2nd round, far short of cutting down the nets in Indy, by Northern Iowa. My bold predictions have left my bracket in shambles. The only team I correctly "predicted/guessed" would end up in the final four is West Virginia. But, lucky for me everybody else had a very similar experience with their own bracket. All the bracket woes aside, this Tournament has been a tournament to remember. Here are just a few of the highlights for me:

1. Watching the opening round games at work with a big screen and lots of good food and better company. It was while I was at work that I saw the last second buzzer beater by Murray St to upset Vanderbilt, which was a great shot and a fantastic game. Also on that first day at work we saw the Villanova escape from Rob Morris, the Old Dominion upset of Notre Dame and the BYU double OT win over Florida. Which leads to my next highlight...
2. BYU winning a tournament game for the first time since 1993. Yes the Cougars have been plagued over the years with a lack of postseason success, but this year was finally the year that BYU broke through. Thanks in large part to Jimmer Fredette and Mike Loyd Jr, the guards combined for roughly 60 points in the Cougars double OT thriller. It was a great game and a lot of fun to watch.
3. Ali Farokhmanesh. Ali Farokhmanesh is the guy none of us had ever heard of. He plays point guard for Northern Iowa. I picked Northern Iowa to win in the first round over UNLV, but I never thought it would come down to a shot with less than 30 seconds remaining and his team down 1. That shot was a three from 5 feet behind the line, big time shot. What could he possibly do for an encore? See two days later, this time he was playing against the number 1 team in the country, Kansas. With his team up one, with the ball and less than 35 seconds remaining he gets the ball out in the open court with a decision to make. Does he a) hold the ball and make Kansas defend the possession/foul b) attack the rim and pass off to his big man standing on the other side of the only Kansas defender on this side of the court or c) hesitate and then shoot a completely uncontested yet unnecessary three pointer that would essentially be the dagger in the back of Kansas? While most people would say a or b, Farokhmanesh chose c, hitting the biggest shot of his life and the tournament. It was great!
4. I got to be at the Elite 8 game between Butler and Kansas St. Thanks to my uncle having tickets and a my aunt and cousin choosing not to go. It was a defensive battle that was a lot of fun to watch, and of course Butler the team for the Horizon league won and now gets to go to the Final Four in it's hometown of Indianapolis.
5. Watching the last 14 seconds and both overtimes of the Kansas St. vs Xavier game with my wife. That game was absolutely bonkers. Kansas St. looked to have the game won several times but Xavier hit big shot after big shot to keep forcing OT and Kansas St. to make another play. Which in the end Kansas St. did make just a few more plays.

Now I look forward to the Final Four this weekend. Go Butler and West Virginia! I hope everyone else has enjoyed the greatness of March Madness as much as I have. That's all for now folks.