About time I finish my 2011-12 College Hoops Outlook

Because the NBA is back baby! I wrote most of this post back on November 14th, but now the college basketball season is officially underway, meaning it's about time I get out my second part of the season outlook. I explained why North Carolina is the team to beat, so now let's take a look at the top pro prospects on each team like I did last year. With the returning sophomores combined with a strong freshman class, the 2012 draft looks stacked.

#2 Kentucky Wildcats-Carolina's main threat due to the sheer amount of pure talent.
-Anthony Davis, Freshman F/C. 6-10, 220. The potential #1 pick, Davis is a very intriguing prospect as a former 6'3 guard who sprouted 7 inches after his junior year of high school. His athleticism, skill, and new found length give him to the potential to be the next Kevin Garnett. This is especially true with his motor on the defensive end that can truly have a huge impact on a game. He still needs to add strength, but his perimeter skills for a big man are for real. You can even compare him to Kevin Durant in some regards.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kentucky have already taken down Thomas Robinson's Kansas squad.

-Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Freshman SF. 6-7, 210: I love MKG's game as he's the consummate team player who only cares about winning. His passing ability and defensive versatility and tenacity make him the ideal Scottie Pippen type of player that could bring a championship to the Big Blue Nation. If he could master an outside shot, he'd be a top 3 pick.

Happy Thanksgiving! with Week 12 Picks

I hope everyone has a wonderful Turkey day and appreciates what they're thankful for! I struggled with my picks last week with a couple picks being just a point off, so I'm going to post my Thanksgiving games picks first before fully hashing out the rest of the week. UPDATE: Quick picks added at the end.
Last week: 5-9
Overall: 86-74

Week 11 Lines

I've been working on the second part of the College Basketball outlook, and it's almost ready. For now, though, here's the NFL picks for this week.
Last week: 10-6
Overall: 81-65

Week 10 Lines, meaning Thursday Night Games are here

Full disclosure, I quickly made my picks early in the week before putting a lot of thought into them until now. It's been a hectic week, so I took the Raiders +6.5 before the Thursday night game more on a whim. Not-so-funny story, I missed almost the entirety of the game because I was the idiot who booked a 5:42 flight out of Santa Barbara even though my last last didn't get out until 4:45. Of course, I was late and had to be on standby for most of the game before getting the 28th seat in a 28 passenger flight to San Francisco. Here's hoping I'll actually get to watch games after my flight on Sunday.
Last week: 6-8
Overall Season: 71-59

2011-12 College Hoops Preview aka North Carolina's Year

This is part one of a two part look at the upcoming college basketball season. Grantland.com has written an excellent look at championship contenders, starting with North Carolina. This is my perspective as a Tar Heels fan who's followed the team pretty closely the last few years.

Yes, the preseason #1 team will win the championship this year. Bold statement, I know. But let me lay it out for you as to why my favorite team is the best in the land.

Week 9 Lines

Week 9 already? I guess that means we have a pretty good idea of each team now, so I was thinking of doing a midseason look in for each team. Bill Barnwell is doing such a kick-ass job at Grantland, though, that it probably  isn't necessary. So here are just my Week 9 picks, which is full of great games:

Last Week: 6-7
Overall Season: 65-51

A Lone Cardinals Fan's World Series Perspective

A lot of people ask me why I'm such a big Cardinals fan. I'm from the San Francisco area, and I go to school at UC Santa Barbara, not exactly Red Bird territory. However, my dad is from the midwest, so he's been a Cards fan since he was a kid. A lot of his friends were fans of the Cubs, but he liked the birds on the bats and some of their players. Thus, I grew up a Cardinals fan my whole life just like my dad.

Still, being from the Bay, the A's were naturally my American League team, and I supported the Giants as a secondary team. That changed in 2002, though, when the Giants faced off against my beloved Cardinals in the NLCS. I became alienated from my friends who naturally supported the Giants, and I ended up rooting for the Angels in the ensuing World Series. The Cards were my team no matter what.