5 Reasons to Fear, 5 Reasons to Hope

posted by Jeremy Chrysler on 3/16/2009 - -

Fear

1. NDSU is as good or better than Nebraska, Penn State, and a bunch of other big-conference teams.
2. This team is dominated by Seniors.
3. These Seniors have been waiting for 5 years for this one game and this is the biggest sporting event in the history of the Dakotas.
4. They don’t turn the ball over very often.
5. NDSU shoots an amazing 41.2% as a TEAM from the three point line.

Hope

1. The toughest team they’ve played since Christmas is Oakland.
2. They allow a high percentage of shots, particularly 2 pointers.
3. They will be feeling a ridiculous amount of pressure to perform on the moment they’ve been waiting for…they do have something to lose.
4. They play at about the same pace that we do.
5. Decent (e.g. top 100) teams have torched their defense.

REL Standings: Projected Co-Champs declare, “It’s not nice to share”. . .

posted by Mark on 3/9/2009 - -

Projected Winners went 4-1 on the season’s final day of action.

The only L was not a REAL surprise, being that it belonged to Baylor, the league’s most underachieving team in this—or almost any—season. In fact, based on their last twelve games, in which their 3-1 record dropped to 5-11, they probably belonged in the Third Tier with Iowa St, Tech, and Colorado. However, those three teams won only four games total against teams that were not their Tier peers: ISU beating NU and Baylor; and Tech beating KU and Baylor.

The Bears’ saving grace was three W’s vs. Tier Two Teams: at k-state and vs. Okie St and A&M.

In another oddity, KU went from experiencing the most embarrassing loss in Big 12 history Wednesday night (losing to a team it bettered by 11 games in the conference standings), to claiming the outright conference championship three days later in a gutsy second half performance vs. a focused UT team determined to give the program its first win ever in Allen Fieldhouse. Fortunately, they failed. Again.

For the season, the record of Projected Winners improved to 62-11, as UT, Okie St, NU and Mizzou all won at Home.
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In the only at-risk game A&M won one for the Home team by taking out Mizzou. Home at-risk teams finished 7-16 for the season.

Projected Winners and at-risk Road teams were a combined 78-18.

FINAL STANDINGS: 3/7/09

The final 2009 standings, with each team’s pre-season projected record and ultimate difference in parentheses:

1. 14-2

KU (12.5-3.5) (+1.5)

2. 13-3

OU (12.5-3.5) (+.5)

3. 12-4
MU (7.5-8.5) (+4.5)

4. 9-7

A&M (7.5-8.5) (+1.5)

k-state (7-9) (+2)

OSU (7.5-8.5) (+1.5)

UT (11.5-4.5) (-2.5)

8. 8-8

NU (8.5-7.5) (-.5)

9. 5-11

Baylor (12-4) (-7)

10. 4-12

ISU (3.5-12.5) (+.5)

11. 3-13

Tech (2.5-3.5) (+.5)

12. 1-15

CU (3.5-12.5) (-2.5)

Now Y’all have a REAL good time until next January.

And this March.

. . .and April?

ROCK CHALK!

–Mark