Here are my projected winners to each major conference for the upcoming NCAA basketball season.

ACC = North Carolina
Big East = Pittsburgh
Big 12 = Kansas
Big Ten = Michigan State
C-USA = Memphis
Pac-10 =  UCLA
SEC = Florida

MG's #1 teams entering March Madness 2009: (in no specific order)

Michigan State
Kansas
North Carolina
UCLA

And, my NCAA 2008-2009 Champion is...

who else?

The Michigan State Spartans!

GO SPARTANS!

-Mike Greenspire

After the August 30 upset of 17th ranked Virginia Tech, I looked at how the East Carolina Pirates won that game and came up with the answer "by the skin of their chin".

Well, naturally, with that kind of reaction to a 27-22 victory, I picked the West Virginia Mountaineers to defeat East Carolina yesterday, September 6.

When the Pirates won, I was officially on the bandwagon. This team held Pat White and the WVU offense to only 3 points! How does that happen? Plus, it was great, because being from Pittsburgh, how often do I get to hear "Pirates win!" anymore? Not very often. It was quite refreshing.

The guy who really impressed me these past two weeks is Patrick Pinkney, the ECU quarterback. His play has been terrific, and his play alone is what is keeping them above the rest of Conference-USA. Pinkney has one of the best weapons in all of C-USA to utilize in RB Jonathan Williams. The ECU running back is an ideal balanced offensive weapon, and he could be another big NFL draftee from this school when he's done at the collegiate level.

The Mountaineers never got anything going, and Pat White for the first time in his career, looked confused. I've never been able to say that as long as I've been watching him play at the highest level. He coudln't read the defense, and was often sacked, hurried, blitzed, or had to take off with the ball because nobody wearing white was open. When he did run the ball, he went down quickly, and that's what was amazing about the Pirates defense; they never let him get an opening. It seemed like there weren't eleven, but 22 guys on ECU's defense. They were everywhere, crowding the lanes, double-covering, sacking! White finished 11 of 18 for only 72 yards passing, while rushing 20 times and getting 97 yards.

This week (Saturday, 9/13), the Pirates take on the unranked Tulane Green Wave, who lost to 13 Alabama 20-6 on Saturday. Here is their upcoming schedule:

9/13- @ Tulane
9/20- @ North Carolina State
9/27- vs. Houston
10/11- @ Virginia

If the team I've seen pull of two upsets in two weeks is the REAL East Carolina, then these four games look like 4 more wins. Imagine that, a 6-0 C-USA team, looking for more! Wow, I LOVE College Football!

Skip Holtz has got an incredible thing going on down there in Greenville, and if the Pirates continue on their current run, they might be as big as the other Carolina teams, the Tar Heels or the Gamecocks, or maybe EVEN BIGGER?

-Mike Greenspire

Every great big man in the NBA needs one of these.

KG just recently requested one. He asked for it to be "The Cobra"

Kobe's is "The Mamba"

Lebron's is "King James"

Do you know where I'm going with this?...

Yes, every great NBA player needs to have a nickname!

In my opinion, Michael Beasley needs one!

So, start some debate, and tell me: What is Beasley's NBA nickname?

Let's go! Give me some cool ones, and maybe we'll get a hold of Tirico, Smith, or Wilbon and suggest it! Just remember, if it sticks, you have been the one who christened one of the best stars in the Draft ever. HAHA YEEAH!

-Mike Greenspire

We very rarely see the post-season seedings system actually work.

For example, the Super Bowl match-up, according to the seedings, would have been New England vs. Dallas. As we all know, it was actually New England vs. the 5th seeded New York Giants.

In baseball, the match-up last October would have been the Boston Red Sox vs. the Chicago Cubs (I think?)

The only one in recent memory to actually work was the Memphis vs. Kansas NCAA Championship Game.

Now, we have another upset-favoring match-up in the Championship Game. The Boston College Golden Eagles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the two teams scheduled to meet in the NCAA Hockey Frozen Four National Championship Game tonight. If the seedings system actually worked, the title game would feature the two losers of the Frozen Four matches, the North Dakota Fighting Sioux (lost to Boston College) and the Michigan Wolverines (lost to Notre Dame).

This game will be very exciting, and, being a Michigan State fan, I always look forward to it because the Spartans are usually pretty good in hockey.

The Irish are the upset special, the team that got here by the skin of their teeth. They made their first trip into the Frozen Four this past week, and now are ion the Title Game for the first time in school history.

On the other side of the ice, the Eagles are making their 3rd straight appearance in the Title game (I apologize, but I don’t know for sure if they won in 2006. I know they lost last year to
THE SPARTANS!!!)

If I were a betting man, I’d start to paint a picture, and realize that the Eagles cannot win. Nothing against them, they are a great team, but since the Red Sox won the World Series sin October, two New England area teams have gotten to their championship game in their own sport, and lost. First the New England Revolution, in MLS. Then, the Patriots, to the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. And now, another Boston area team is preparing to play another national title game, only to lose, despite having momentum and odds on their side.

Notre Dame-4, Boston College-2

-Mike Greenspire

Draft Day: You're On the Clock!

Join now! Give me your first round mock draft in your comments below, and I will post them prior to the Draft!

Whichever blogger has the most right wins… nothing. Just thought it would be fun! Test your knowledge!

Don’t post your mock just yet, I only want you to sign up now! Lock in your picks the Friday before the Draft, which is the 25th of April! I’d like to get 10 people playing, so let’s go! Sign up now!

-Mike Greenspire

NHL Playoff Pick ‘Em Game!

This game is a very NCCA Tournament-like game, where you lock in your bracket at the beginning of the playoffs, and cannot edit it the entire way. Pick your Stanley Cup champion at the beginning as well. I emphasize that to people like me, who #### up their March Madness Online Bracket. LOL!

Here is the scoring system:

Correct First Round Series Winner: 1 point each (8 series’ total)
Correct Second Round Series Winner: 2 points each (4 series’ total)
Correct Semi-Finals Series Winner: 4 points each (2 series’ total)
Correct Stanley Cup Champ: 8 points

Sign up now! The season is drawing to an end! A new season is about to begin: The Stanley Cup Playoffs!

-Mike Greenspire