Oden's Outlet Pass...........Question 2
First i want to thank everyone who participated in the first question later on today i will pick the 3 winners, i also want to thank Josh McRoberts and Michael Conley Jr. for particiapating. People please check the first questions comments to see if you are a winner.
WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP?
It kind of hard for me to tell right now who is going to win the National Championship but i hope some team from the Big 10 can make it.
Comments 1-50 (of 122):
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The DUCKS!
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Hmm, I'm gonna have to go with UCLA this year.
They've got the experience, and I think Memphis is too succeptible to getting their weird drive offense thrown off by a good defensive team. -
It's going to be IU! IU will be the Cinderella Team this year!
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You know what, it might be BUTLER! Bring it home for Indiana! Yeah Baby!
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Duke looks great but Carolina will be better.
North Carolina will win it all.
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Memphis
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UCLA
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Georgetown. They return everyone but Jeff Green from last year's Final Four squad. John Wallace is clutch and have an 7'2'' NBA ready player manning the post. Hoya Paranoia!
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Syracuse - cause my 13 year old son dreams of playing point guard for them in about 5 years....
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I like Duke this year after a tough run through the season. Their young team will have the veteran leadership from Nelson, and they'll have enough experience throughout the season to make a run in March. Singler is wise beyond his years and Paulus is finding ways to get his teammates involved. I can tell that Coach K is rejuvenated with this club, as they have household names that the nation will know about in the upcoming months.
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I think UCLA is going to win. Even though I would like the Beavers to make it, I think the baseball team has a better chance at winning the basketball national championship then their basketball team. UCLA has a good chance because they have been winning without there top player Collison, and with the freshman Love I think they are going to make run.
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UCLA will finally get it. Kevin Love is a beast and will only improve throughout the season. The Pac 10 is stacked this year so if UCLA can beat the high level of competition there, they will be ready for the tourney.
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UCLA, With Kevin Love and the return of Darren Collinson they will be unstoppable.
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Villanova!
They're young so it'll be a little while before they get rolling, but Corey Fisher is nasty at point, Scottie Reynolds has crazy range, and both of those guys can play at either guard spot. Also, Cassiem Drummond gives the Wildcats what they haven't had in a long time: presence in the paint. He had 17 or 18 boards last night against NC State.
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I have to go with Michigan State as an upset. Narrowly losing to UCLA proved they've got what it takes. Sometimes it takes a defeat to shake up the system and climb back to the top. Neitzel should easily win Big 10 player of the year as much as I'd like to see someone from tOSU get it. He'll lead his team there along with Morgan, who is proving to be a huge threat. Their schedule isn't too bad, but a few more losses can be expected. Regardless, they can be expected to cruise their way to the tourney and from that point, they'll be golden!
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I have to pick UCLA. I think Kevin Love will help them win. Big men win championships that is why we drafted you G.O. I wrote a research paper for college on comparing you and Durant. BIG MEN WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS... Kevin Love will help UCLA reach the final four agian which I think will be like the fourth year in a row. I think its time they get over the hump and win it all.
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I'm going go with IU, although I'd rather see the Buckeyes win it all.
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This is going to be perhaps one of the only unbiased responses you're going to get here (I'm an Australian living in Japan with NO affiliations with any NCAA team!)...
Going to stick with the favourites and say the Tar Heels...
Both Lawson & Hansborough will be in for big seasons this year, and Ellington is pure quality. The only thing that concerns me is the lack of height at center, but they have the shooters to spread the floor and compensate.
They're in for a good season.
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Syracuse and that young squad... if not them another Big East team definately has it
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I've got to go with UCLA but there is by no means a clear cut favorite. So many star freshman this year makes me believe that any of them can catch fire in the tourney to propel their team deep. But one thing those freshmen don't have is experience...something UCLA has a lot of since they have been in the Final Four the last two years.
Sure it is easy to pick the #1 team in the country but they are #1 for a reason, They play excellent team defense, holding the normally high scoring Terps to only 59 POINTS. The next night they beat #11 Michigan State on a neutral court. All of this without Collison (but to MSU's defense, Drew Neitzel was ill). Love will only get better but he will not be counted on as much as all the other super freshmen. He will have 4 other scorers to distribute to from the post (Collison, Mbah a Moute, Shipp, and Westbrook), talk about loaded!
I also still like Tennessee even after their loss to Texas. -
Uconn
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The Buckeyes will be a 2 seed at the end but they will win it all
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"I'll take College basketball for $200 Alex"
"This team won the 2007-2008 national championship"
BUZZ
"The Memphis Tigers! Cmon! Willie Kemp, CDR and Doneal Mack! The guy's name is DONEAL MACK for crying out loud! Who's gonna challenge? Duke? Pfft - soft. UCLA? No guts now that Afflalo's gone and their new guy is named KEVIN LOVE (wow, how scary!)...Memphis for sure, easy sched (thank you C-USA!), great coach, high-motor team."
"Uhhh...good point, but you forgot to put it in the form of a question" -
Great coach who has never won a championship and consistently chokes in the tourny. Memphis has no shot even with all the talent.
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Memphis has all the horses, but I think Xavier is the long shot in this race. They only missed out last year thanks to your boys big shot. They had you guys beat last year GregO!
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Hello, there is no question that U of Memphis will win it all this year. They return their entire starting lineup from back to back Elite 8 appearences. They will be playing a schedule 2nd to none that is only for preparing for the Tournament AND the only added the best freshman PG in the nation Derrick Rose to the mix.
The only thing that stopped them last year was Greg Oden and Mike Conley JR. and both of them/you have gone on to the NBA. Mike Conley JR will be right here in Memphis watching and rooting on the Memphis Tigers this year! He will be our good luck charm to the final game!!
Greg, if I win, will you autograph the game for me? That way, I can find Mike one day here in Memphis and get him to autograph it too.
Memphis Tigers #1!! -
Im going to go with memphis tigers. when ur best person is not your leading scorer (im talking about derrick rose) you are bound to go somewhere far. UCLA is also a good pick because kevin love and marques johnson's son but im biased.
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wait i dont think his son is playing
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and they had a good start averaging better than 80. sorry to sway off topic but did u kno T Macs half brother plays for ucla his name is Chance McGrady. look at there practices u can see there defenses and defense wins Games.
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I wish it were the Duke Blue Devils, but I can't see then beating a couple of the top teams like Memphis and UCLA. They would give them a great game, but with the talent both of those two teams have, it would be very tough. I am going to pick Memphis then, especially because most of their team is back from last year, and superstar freshman Derrick Rose.
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Wow this was tough. My preseason Final Four-
UNC
Memphis
Ohio State
Texas A&M
It was a toughy, and earlier I would've went with UNC, but after watching their sloppy play, it will not get it done vs. great teams. A&M, however, is a great team, and proved to me vs. Ohio State, they limit the mistakes to 0 in big games. They made their shots, and didn't commit stupid fouls. A&M in an EXTREMELY close game. Last shot. -
You didn't say football or womens/mens basketball so I am going to do both.
In football I think Mizzou will win the national championship. They are 11-1 and their next game is against Oklahoma which is who they lost to during the regular season but the second time you play someone it is a whole new ball game. They are also ranked number 1 in the nation. With Chase Daniel as QB Mizzou will definately do well.
For men's basketball I think UCLA because they are high in the polls and they have a great team this year. They went far last year and will do even better this year.
Then for womens basketball I think that tennessee will win the national championship because they have a great program and some really awesome players. Candace parker is a leader and can take the vols all the way.
[insert video]
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Please... Ohio State will play WVU and despite the speed, our offense will be to much for that fragile little defense. Missouri is beyond overrated, and would get killed by WVU if they got the chance. We all know, as overrated as OU is and was, they are still far better than Mizzou. Buckeyes take football for the second time in 5 years.
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WVU is a strong team, but I agree with you that their defense will not be able to handle OSU's offense. I hope OSU gets a chance at WVU. Go Sooners!!
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we're talkin college basketball.
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Ok let's start with the top teams that will not win the Championship:
UCLA- They are talented and have a strong coach, but they do not have that killer instinct, swagger yes, but not that "I'll knock you out before you get close to me" look that championship teams have when they are in a close game that needs clutch and gritty performances.
Memphis- I have met Coach Calipari on more than one occasion and he has a knack for landing the most athletically gifted ball players available. Every year his team features a couple of lottery prospects. However, they never seem to gel in the tournament. They always crash and burn because it takes a "team" to win a championship. "Too many chiefs and not enough Indians."
Duke- Paulus and Nelson seem like they've been playing for Duke for 8 seasons now. Nelson is the lone contributing senior. Their lack of a consistent and serious post presence will doom their tourney trip. Too many liabilities on defense if they aren't able to play zone or press.
IU- I know they are more of a darkhorse team, but a lot are picking them to make some noise (and I really didn't want to post on Kansas). They will knock off some Goliaths during the season, but inconsistency will get them in the end. I do like Eric Gordon to tear up the Big 10 this year, but DJ White never really panned out the way he should have. They will end up getting beat by someone like Tennessee because they look ahead to the better opponent.
AND NOW TIME FOR THE 2008 NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS........
UNC- I know this isn't an underdog and I hate picking them (I'm a Maryland Fan at heart). They aren't the most athletic, the best shooters, or biggest. They do have a lot of Basketball IQ (Coach Williams does a good job at teaching), a lot of Heart (Hansbrough has enough for the whole team), and experience (well a lot of gifted players that decided to stick around an extra year instead of going pro early). They've got solid Big and Guard play. They can beat you defensively in a low scoring battle and they can put points up in a hurry if need be. They have a Big 10 philosophy in the ACC conference. My crystal ball shows me that they will enter the tournament as a 2 seed and will win it all. -
Memphis will win it this year
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Have to go with Uconn; with the big fella' Thabeet playing Center, they are dangerous everytime they step on the floor. My hope would be that George Mason wins though, that program is awesome, a lot of their team is a strong core that have been playing together for multiple years now. In fact their starting 5 from last year all returned this year...(except 1 player maybe?) so i like their team concept and tough nose style of play.
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Although I'm a huge OSU fan..this is probably Kansas' year. UNC is also very talented, but doesn't have the same expierance the guys on Kansas have, namely, Brandon Rush. It's hard to tell this early in the season, but I think it's their title to lose.
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I'm gonna take UCLA. They got just about everything you could ask for. They obviously have experience and a great head coach after going to the Final 4 the previous 2 years. Even though they've lost great talent like Jordan Farmar and Aron Afflalo leave, they've proved that they have the depth to make up for it and maybe be better off than before. Being a Hoosier, a huge part of me wanted to say IU, but after the loss to Vavier, UCLA has set themselves away from the pack in my eyes. I believe it will be UCLA-North Carolina as the top 2 teams. Also, they have one of the most underrated top recruits in the nation, Kevin Love, I know just about everyone knows who he is, but I don't think they know how good he is and he's the big man that true contenders need nowadays. Florida had great college big men like Horford and Noah that set themselves away from everyone else last year, and the only person that came close to stopping them was a team with another big man. I think we know who that is, but anyway I think that proves that the national championship doesn't just go to the team with the best guard play anymore.UCLA will go all the way this year.
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UCLA will get close but ultimately fail and Kevin Love will split to the NBA. I figure it will be Georgetown.
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My final Two I feel will be between Georgetown vs. UCLA... Between the two Georgetown will be the victor. Roy Hibbert Provides to big of a mismatch in the Center Position. Georgetown was led by Jeff Green last year and even though he left I feel that the nucleus to the team is still quite strong... By the way GO DUCKS!!!
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UCLA looks to be te top favorite right now! They are on of the teams i think will be there in the end. I also think OSU will be a remarkable repeat visit. Thad Matta is one of the "hottest" collegiate coaches in the country. He has had 20 plus winning seasons what the last 4 or 5 years and a NCAA post-season tournament appearance each season! He always find a way to get his team there!
And lets not forget i think you or Conley said that part of you decision in leaving was knowing that OSU would be ok and have success!!
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Memphis. Not only are they a very veteran collegic team, even the freshman seeing as Rose is mature beyond his years, unlike North Carolina Memphis plays excellent and INTENSE defense, which is a much( as seen with OSU/Florida last year, but very good defensive teams, OSU should thank you for that, haha), Memphis also has several offensive scorers that they can afford a bad game from a star because they are so deep other players such as Doneal Mack, Shawn Kemp, Robert Dozier and Antonio Anderson will be able to pick up the slack.
Memphis also has one very important thing they havent had these past few seasons, A TRUE POINT GUARD. As you probably know, playing with Conley, a true PG can increase the level of play of everyone, and Derrick Rose will be able to even bring the uptempo Memphis to another, fast and more efficient level.
Also, Memphis players are very hungry. When you think about CDR, Dorsey, Dozier and Anderson, you see a group of guys who wants to prove they arent just a bunch of athletes. They want to prove that they didnt need the Rodney Carneys, Shawne Williams and Darius Washington. Also, im positive Dorsey wants to redeem himself from his ownage by you.
Memphis will go all the way. -
Damn... I'm late with my pick, but here they are...
Final Four:
UCLA vs Washington State
Memphis vs Georgetown
National Championship:
UCLA vs Memphis
National Champion:
UCLA: You have to go with UCLA because of their experience. They went to the National Championship game in 2006 and made it to the Final Four last year. They lost to the National Champion both years! This year they bring back a lot of talent and add Kevin Love, the best freshman big man in the country who is great fit. You also have to look at their coach... Ben Howland is a tough/defensive minded coach who is a proven program changer! They're not my favorite team, but UCLA looks like the early favorite right now.
For the women... Give me Tennessee because they're the defending National Champions and they return Candace Parker, the best player in the country.
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KANSAS
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Wow - 40 picks until someone gets it. College Basketball is largely a crap shoot because in single game elimination the best team often loses. Kansas brings all but one player back from last year, has more NBA talent than any other team and are exceptionally well coached. Most teams have a big man that they feature. Kansas has four bigs. And Kansas has (per Sports Illustrated) the most talented back court in college basketball. What all this adds up to is depth and talent that does not rely on one or two players. Seven players can give Kansas 20 points in a game (not all at once of course). Behind Kansas is UCLA. Nobody else has the depth and size to take it but someone else can win based upon luck or breaks. To predict who is luckiest before it happens is folly so I will again commend you are your choice.
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I've gotta go with Ohio State. I think Oklahoma will win this weekend to set up West Virginia and Ohio State. The Illinois game will give the Buckeyes the film they need to prepare for the spread option. I see a Buckeye redemption for last year's game. (I know you were asking for basketball and frankly I have no clue. I'm hoping the Bucks can make a run with Kufous, the greek version of Greg Oden)
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I going to go with a short of long shot. I pick Indiana first of because thats my team, but secondly beecause i believe this year they have the athletasism inside and out to go deep in the tourny. D.J. White is back again although he wont be relyed upon nearly as much to put up points with shooters like Eric Gordon, Armon Bassett(Greg i know you've seen both of these first hand), Jamarcus Ellis, and off the bench Jordan Crawford. Also, once A.J. Ratliff gets his head straight in the class room he'll contribute late in the season. The Hoosiers also have a top coachign staff with Sampson and six other former head coaches. The newcomer Thomas is a monster down low and is quite agile. EJ will have to put the Hoosiers on his shoulders and carry them through a few games now doubt, but thats the type of player he is and i see him coming through when they need it. Go Hoosiers and good luck greg with the knee and i cant wait to see you on the floor!! stick with it man Tyler Eslick THS 06'
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