Penguins Beat Rangers

The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New York Rangers in Round One by a series total of 4-1.  This was a revenge series for the Penguins, as they now knock out early the same team that has knocked them out the prior two years.  Two years ago, it was a 4-3 victory for the Rangers in the Second Round after getting down 3-1.  Last year, it was the Rangers against the Penguins who snuck in as the Second Wild Card.  It went exactly the same that this series went, except for the fact that both teams are switched around.  The Rangers won game one at home, the Penguins took game two at the Garden, and then the Rangers won the following three games.
I wasn't easy for the Penguins.  Marc-Andre Fluery, their regular goalie, had been out for a couple of weeks with his second sustained concussion of the year.  Their backup, Matthew Murray, suffered a concussion in the final game at the Flyers, so the Penguins were left with their third goaltender, Jeff Zatkoff.
Zatkoff would start the first two games, the first Stanley Cup playoff games he has ever started, and was good in the first but the magic ran out.  Luckily, Murray was cleared for game three, and in his postseason debut, he allowed only one goal in a 3-1 Pens victory, as well as a 5-0 shutout in game four, and a 6-3 win in Game 5.
Murray outplayed King Henrik Lunqvist, considered to be possibly the best goalie in the game.  Lundqvist got poked in the eye by a teammate's stick, and got taken out of game one, but was fine the rest of the series.  He got lit up in games 4 and 5, and got benched.  All ten that he allowed in the two games were not all his fault as his defense was terrible against the speedy Penguins skaters.
Rookies played a big part in the Pens success in this series.  Murray, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary, Bryan Rust, and Tom Kuhnhackl all were key in this series win.  The most impressive was Sheary, who has moved into the first line with Sidney Crosby has been impressive, and his chemistry with Sid the Kid.  This, along with Evgeni Malkin coming back and Phil Kessel heating up, this Pens team is dangerous, and Fluery might be on his way back.
The Penguins are put into a showdown with Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Captials, who have never gotten past the second round in the Ovechkin era.  Crosby and Ovechkin have only met once in the Playoffs in a 4-3 Pens victory, the same year they won the Stanley Cup.  The President Cup trophy winners in the Caps against the second-best team makes no sense, and I might rant about the playoff system, like the New York Islanders tanking to avoid the Metro side.  But, the Caps should be a good Conference Semifinal, but it's a shame it's not a Eastern Conference final.  The action will start this week.

Jake Arrieta Throws No-Hitter

Jake Arrieta has done it again.  For the second time since August, Arrieta has thrown a no-hitter.  Last year, it was at the Los Angeles Dodgers, and this year, it was at the Cincinnati Reds on Thrusday night.  This game was over from the start, as the Cubs offense was pouring it on against the Reds struggling pitching staff.  By the end of it, the Cubs offense put up 16 runs.  So as well as having the pressure of trying to throw a no-hitter, Arrieta was getting cold with all of these innings where the offense was tearing the cover off of the ball.
Through six innings, Arrieta had around 85 pitches, and it looked like he might not have enough left in the tank to finish off the game for the Cubs.  But, manager Joe Maddon thinks that the pitcher should get a chance at making some history, so it wouldn't have mattered if his pitch count got really high.  But, he had two very quick innings, and was set up well with the chance to pitch his way to history.  But, after a walk and two outs, the last batter, Zack Cosart stepped up to the plate.  After taking two borderline pitches for balls outside, it was a 2-2 count.  But, the next pitch he popped up to shallow right field.  Jason Heyward called for it, and secured it, making Arrieta one of the very few to pitch multiple no-hitters in their career.
Just three years ago, he had a 6+ ERA for the Baltimore Orioles, and was traded that July 2nd to the Cubs.  For who?  Scott Feldman and Steve Clevenger, as well as the Cubs getting Pedro Strop.  Looking back, is that a big steal or what?
How about that offense?  16-0 is the second biggest margin of victory in a no-hitter since a 18-0 no-hitter in 1884.  That's like less than twenty years after the Civil War and President Lincoln getting killed, as well as over twenty years before the Cubs won their first World Series title in 1907.  Kris Bryant led the charge with two home runs and six RBI's, including a grand slam.
Another interesting note.  The last two times the Cubs started 13-4?  1907 and 1908, the two years they won the World Series. Hopefully, that is foreshadowing a World Series title.
The Cubs took 3 of 4 from the Reds, are standing at 14-5, 3.5 games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Central.  Arrieta will go next on Wednesday night vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, a series that starts on Tuesday at Wrigley Field.

Eagles Trade for Second Pick

Well, another big shake-up has taken place in the 2016 NFL Draft.  About a week after the L.A. Rams for the first pick.  It was rumored that the Browns were trying to trade their second overall pick, and that turned out to be true.  It turned out the team they traded it to was the Philadelphia Eagles.
This is an interesting move for the Eagles, as they signed Sam Bradford to an expensive contract extension this offseason.  There was still a good chance that they would draft a quarterback, perhaps a developmental prospect such as Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch.  But, by trading up to number two, this means that they are looking to get a quarterback to be face of the franchise.  They will get to choose either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, based off of who the Los Angeles Rams, who hold the number one pick, take. 
Here is what each team gets in the deal
Cleveland Browns get: Eighth pick in First Round, third round pick (77th), fourth round pick (100th), a 2017 first rounder, and a 2018 second round pick.
Philadelphia Eagles get: Second Pick in First Round and a 2017 fourth round pick
For the Browns, this very well may mean that Robert Griffin III is their guy.  After Goff and Wentz, the next best quarterback is Lynch, who would be a huge reach at pick number eight.  I think that they will take a quarterback somewhere in the Draft.  They have twelve picks, so they can build around RGIII, and if he doesn't work out, they can draft a QB next year.  Or, with all of those 12 picks, they could trade down in the first round, acquire even more picks and take Lynch in the twenties, as I think that he will fall all the way to the Broncos at 31.  But now they might draft Ezekiel Elliot out of Ohio State as the first running back in the Draft, but we will see.

Jake Arrieta Continues Tear, but cubs Lose Series

On Saturday, Jake Arrieta took to the mound at Wrigley for the first time this season.  When Arrieta takes to the mound, it always feels like a for sure victory for the Chicago Cubs.  Again, this start was the same.  He went for eight shutout innings with eight strikeouts, and he made his 23rd quality start in a row.  This moved the Beast to 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in three starts.
Arrieta has shown here early that last year's historic season was not a fluke.  He has looked like the best pitcher in baseball, and that is not all that he has done.  He hit a 442 foot home run in Arizona, and has showed just how good of an athlete that he is.
The offense took care of business on Saturday as well.  Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler went back-to-back on consecutive pitches in the bottom of the 4th.  Dexter Fowler then hit a three run home run in the bottom of the seventh and then the Cubs added one more in the bottom of the eighth, and the Cubs won 6-2.
The rest of the series didn't go as well for the Cubs.  On Friday, they lost by a score of 6 to 1.  It was a very bad day for the bullpen, defense, and offense.  They could only muster one run in the later parts of the game, and the defense was terrible.  They committed four errors that afternoon, in which was one of the worst defensive games that you will see the whole rest of the year.
Sunday was a terrible day for the Cubs offense as well.  They only got three hits in the entire game, and they couldn't push in a run. On the bright side for the Cubs, Jon Lester kept up his great season.  In 7.1 innings, he gave up only one run.  That was off of a home run in the basket for Nolan Arenado.  It stayed 1-0 the whole rest of the way, until Arenado came up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  With a full count against Justin Grimm, Arenado went yard again, giving the Rockies a 2-0 victory and a series win against the Cubs in Wrigley.
The Cubs are back at it tomorrow the 18th on the road against the Cardinals.  It is the return to Busch Stadium for former Cardinals John Lackey and Jason Heyward.  It is John Lackey (2-0, 5.68 ERA) against Mike Leake (0-1, 6.97 ERA) at 7:00 CST.

Josh Gordon Fails Another Drug Test

Earlier this week, we again heard news from troubled suspended NFL wide receiver Josh Gordon.  Gordon was suspended for the full year last year, and was in the process of getting reinstated.  We finally heard some news on him this week, but it wasn't what Gordon wanted to hear.  It was leaked out that he had failed yet another NFL drug test, which means that he is still not ready to be reinstated by the NFL.
This begs the question: Is Gordon ever going to get back into the League?  If he does ever get back, I don't think that he would have any trouble getting action.  Because first, the team that he played for, the Cleveland Browns, are a big joke.  The most games they have won in a season since 1999 was ten, and they still failed the make the Postseason.  They are always picking early in the Draft, and this year isn't any different.  They have the second pick, and they are set to ruin yet another quarterback's career, this time it is most likely Carson Wentz's career.
Secondly, he is a good player.  The last year he played a full season, he went for over 1,000 yards and was one of the elite pass catchers in the NFL.  With all of that talent, you would think that he would concentrate on football and get off of drugs, right?  Well, I guess not.  He keeps doing drugs and is missing out on millions of dollars and perhaps getting out of Cleveland to get a chance to win a Super Bowl.  But, I guess bongs mean more to him.
This isn't the only receiver in the NFL to have problems with drugs.  Martavis Bryant of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the latest to experience this problem.  After missing four games to start the season, Bryant failed yet another drug test this offseason and is suspended for the season.  He will have to find a way to improve and then get reinstated, and get back in the flow of the Steeler offense.
The other case was Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon.  After being taken as a top five pick, Blackmon showed the off the field issues he had during college that scared off teams.  He had numerous DUI's and failed drug tests, and is out of the League.  Gordon and Bryant will have to turn it around before it gets Blackmon bad.  I don't think that Gordon has a chance to have a place in the League, and it isn't getting better.
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Los Angeles Rams trade for First Pick

The Tennessee Titans held the first pick after the 2015-16 NFL season, and it was known that they were going to actively shop it for a king's ransom.  It didn't look like they were going to get a deal done, until early today.  In a surprise blockbuster trade, the Los Angeles Rams traded for the first overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.  In order to do this, they gave up a ton.
The Rams Get: The No.1 Pick, fourth round pick (113), and a sixth-round pick (177)
The Titans Get:  Picks 15, 43, 45, and 76.  They get the Rams first and third round pick in 2017.
This looks like a deal that will be of great benefit for both teams.  The Rams will get a chance to draft a franchise quarterback.  The Titans have stockpiled picks.  They now have six of the first 76 picks in this year's draft, as well as two first round picks in next year's draft.
There is no question at what position the Rams are going to draft first.  You don't give up all of those picks to trade up and draft an offensive tackle.  They are going after a franchise quarterback.  The decision comes between California's Jared Goff and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. Whomever they choose better work out.  If they don't, this will end up being a terrible trade for the Rams.  They have no pick after the first until the fourth round, which means they won't be able to pick up many pieces.  As well as next year, they have already given up their first and third round picks. If it turns out to be RG III like, the Rams will be in a sticky situation for a while.
The Titans could be set up well for a while.  With 6 of the first 76 picks in the Draft, the Titans can stock up on prospects and fill up on needs.  With a franchise quarterback already in place, the Titans can take over a very weak AFC South for years to come.  We will see what positions they address to surround Marcus Mariota with some more talent.
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Willett Wins Masters After Spieth Collapse

Going into the back nine, Jordan Spieth had just made four birdies in a row to get to seven under par.  He had a five stroke lead over Danny Willett, and it looked like Spieth would cruise to his second straight Green Jacket.  But, he went the Greg Norman route and it all fell apart on ten.  He bogeyed ten and eleven, and walked to the Par-3 12th Hole.  The first shot hits and rolls back into the water.  Then, from the drop zone, he chunked his wedge like I do and it went into the water.  Then, he overcompensated and hit his fifth shot into the greenside bunker.  From there, he got up-and-down for a quadruple bogey. Spieth fell to fourth and Willett took the lead at -4, later extending that score to -5, where he would finish.  Spieth made birdies at 13 and 15 to get him to three under, but missed a short birdie putt on sixteen.  He then bogeyed 17, and needing a hole-in-one on the par-4 18th hole, Willett was guaranteed the Green Jacket.  He becomes only the second Englishman to ever win a Green Jacket, joining Sir Nick Faldo, who won it three times.  Willett almost didn't play, because his wife Nicole was due to have a baby.  But, that baby was born about 11 days early, and Willett was the last to arrive late Monday night, and the rest is now history.
For Spieth, this 80th playing of the Masters will haunt him.  He had a chance to become one of the few elite names to win the Masters in back-to-back.  But, he ties for second with Englishman Lee Westwood.  We will see how he recovers from this, and if he will be able to defend his U.S Open title and perhaps add a British Open and PGA Championship to his resume.
Cedar Rapids native and Elmcrest member Zach Johnson missed the cut by two strokes, after he hit the water on his backswing on the thirteenth hole on Friday, tough luck for the 2007 Masters winner.

 

Cubs get Devastating News

Coming into Thrusday's game, things were looking good for the Chicago Cubs.  They were 2-0 after a sweep in Anaheim, and they put up fifteen runs in those two games.  But, the wind got taken a little bit out of the sails in the bottom of the second against the Arizona Diamondbacks.  With the Cubs trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the second, Diamondbacks second baseman Jean Segura hit a bomb to left-center.  Kyle Schwarber and Dexter Fowler both went full-speed at the ball, and neither one of them called for it.  They collided, and Schwarber was laying down on the ground in obvious pain.   Segura got home for the inside the park home run, but, for the Cubs, that was the least of their problems.  Schwarber was surrounded by teammates and trainers, and he was down for a couple of minutes.  Then, he got up, and put a little weight on his leg, but couldn't move.  They called for a cart and an x-ray.  He was diagnosed with a severely sprained ankle, and had an MRI the next day.  
It turns out it was much worse than an ankle sprain.  He also tore his ACL and LCL.  That means he is done for the year.  Three games in, and the Cubs were already down their second year slugger three games into the year. 
This is a big loss for the Cubs.  Last year he hit .246 with 16 home runs and 43 RBI in just 69 games with the Cubs last year.   He was big last year.  Without him, the Cubs only scored about three runs a game last year.  He was supposed to play left field against right handers and catch Jason Hammel.  Now, Jorge Soler will be thrust back into a starting spot in the outfield this year, and Hammel will have to pitch to either Miguel Montero or David Ross.  Soler has had some problems at the plate dealing with breaking balls, and now he will have to learn as the starting right fielder.
Another thing to worry about with his injury is for his future.  Will he be able to play the outfield now?  How much power will he lose with this happening to his plant foot?  We won't find out those answers until next year, and it is very concerning.
The Cubs took care of the Diamondbacks today 7-3 in Arizona.  The Cubs took three out of four in a place where they usually struggle, and are 5-1.  Tomorrow, the Cubs play their home opener against the surprising Reds who are 5-1 for a battle for first place early in the NL Central.  It will be the Reds' Brandon Finnegan (0-0, 3.00 ERA) against the Cubs' Jon Lester (1-0, 1.38 ERA) at 7:05 CT. 

Cubs Sweep Angels to Start Season

On Monday night, the wait for one of the most anticipated seasons of Chicago Cubs baseball got underway.  This year they started off with a two game series against American League foe Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
They got off to a fast start.  To lead-off the game for the Cubs, Dexter Fowler pulled a grounder down the line for a double.  After outs made by newcomers Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo came up to the plate with Fowler on third.  He beat the shift and hit an RBI single up the middle for the early 1-0 lead.  Then, the reigning  NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta took the mound and was right where he left off last year.  He was masterful all day, going seven innings, giving up two hits, one walk, and struck out seven.  He could've  finished off the game, but with the Cubs having a comfortable lead and it being the first game of the season, they took him out.
The next runs came in a fourth inning outburst.  After Rizzo and Kris Bryant both walked to start the inning, second year player Jorge Soler singled home Rizzo and advanced Bryant to third.  Then, catcher Miguel Montero reach on an infield single that scored Bryant.  In the top of the sixth, Montero hit a home run that scored Soler, making it a 6-0 lead.  Then, in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Matt Szuzur hit a two-out bases loaded triple to end the scoring at 9-0, and giving the Cubs an Opening Day victory.
The next game was very similar to the first.  Just like Garrett Richards the night before, the Cubs got to lefthander Andrew Heaney early.  To lead off the top of the third after two quick scoreless innings, Szczur lead off the top of the third with a bomb to left to go up 1-0.  Then, catcher David Ross, in his first at-bat of his last season, doubled.  Then, Fowler reach on an infield single, and Heyward grounded into a fielder's choice giving him his first RBI as a Cub and driving in Ross.  After Bryant flied out to left and Heyward tagged up, Rizzo hit a home run to straight away center field for his first and gave the Cubs a 4-0 lead.  The Cubs extended that to 6-0 after a Fowler home run that scored Szczur.  Jon Lester looked good, with a lot more junk on his pitches than last year.  He went seven strong, giving up only a Craig Gentry RBI single to left.
This series couldn't have gone better.  Mike Trout and Albert Pujols combined to go 0 for 15 with five strikeouts.  That was against the best player in baseball and someone who was a Cub killer when he was in St.Louis.  With that and the offense going off for 15 runs without Kris Bryant going hitless and Jason Heyward only collecting one is a good sign for the offense.  The best start probably belongs to Fowler, who is hitting .625(five for eight) with one homerun and two RBI's. The biggest surprise goes to Matt Szczur, who is up for Javier Baez.  Szczur is right up there with Fowler, perhaps even having a better start than Fowler. He is hitting .600 with one homerun and four RBIs.
The Cubs send out John Lackey against Rubby De La Rosa and the 1-2 Diamondbacks in Arizona tonight at 8:40 CST.
 

MLB Opening Day

As the calendar flips from March to April, it's that time of year again, and it's one of the best times of year.  It is Major League Baseball's Opening Day.  Usually, there was one Sunday night game, and then the rest would play the next day.  But, this year we got treated to three games on the first Sunday of the baseball season.  So, we had to wait seven hours less than we did last year.  Not much difference, but any cut into the wait is a good thing for baseball fans.
The three match-ups that we did get were pretty good ones.  The first one was a divisional rivalry in the NL Central between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals in Pittsburgh.  The offenses were almost shut down in this one.  The scoring got started when the Pirate pitcher Francisco Liriano had a single, which is one more run than he actually gave up to the Cardinals.  Adam Wainwright gave up three runs in six innings if work, so he was good, not great.  Liriano had the same amount of innings but gave up zero wins and got the win.
Then, the game that was kind of forgotten about was the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays in Tampa Bay.  Toronto got off to a hot start against Chris Archer off of a Edwin Encarnacion two run single.  Marcus Stroman made the start for the Blue Jays, pitching eight innings and only allowing three runs off of six hits.  The Rays got Hank Conger on third with two outs in the bottom of the ninth down 5-3, but they couldn't drive him home and get the tying run on base.  5-3 was the final score.
The big one was the Kansas City Royals against the New York Mets.  The schedule came out in August, so this was a great coincidence.  This was a rematch of the 2105 World Series, which the Royals won 4-1.  It was Matt Harvey against Edinson Volquez, who pitched a great game in Game One after his father died,.  Harvey also pitched Games 1 and 5 last year like Volquez did, and had a blod clot in his bladder and almost didn't pitch.  At 4-3 with one out in the top of the ninth, runners were on the corners with one out.  Closer Greg Holland struck out both David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes to get the tough save.
Twelve games tomorrow, including the Chicago  Cubs (Arrieta) at Los Angeles Angels (Richards)

Penguins Stay Scorching Hot

I know so far that I have failed to blog about hockey this whole year that I have had this blog, but I'm doing it now.  I don't have the best hockey knowledge, but I'm still going to talk about it.
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a great weekend, beating two Metropolitan Division rivals. First, on Saturday night, the Penguins beat the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center 6-0.  Then, this afternoon they beat at home the rival Philadelphia Flyers 6-2.  Combined, the Penguins beat two playoff contenders 12-2 in the same weekend.  Both of these games came without starting goalie Marc-Andre Fluery, who missed both games with a concussion. 
It has been an up-and-down year for the Penguins, who got off to a terrible start.  They started off 0-3, recovered, but were under five hundred for a while in December and January.  During that time, Mike Johnston was fired and got replaced by Mike Sullivan, which has turned into a great move.
On Tuesday, March 8th, the Penguins lost at the Islanders 2-1.  They were 34-24-8 after that game, with 76 points, and were in a Wild Card spot.  It didn't look like they were going to do much in the Playoffs, if they even made it.  But, they ripped off six wins in a row against Metro opponents.  This includes learning of Evgeni Malkin being called out for 6-8 weeks on March 12th.  After losing those six, they lost a home dud against the New Jersey Devils 3-0.  But, they continued to win, and have now won six in a row.  This means they have won 12 of 13, and have picked up 24 points in that span.  They now sit five points ahead for second place in the Metro over the Rangers, who the Penguins took two road games against during this 12-1 stretch.  They are also seven points ahead of the Islanders, who still have five games left compared to the Penguins' three.
A big reason is Sidney Crosby.  After a slow start, he is a big reason for the Penguins success.  He has a point in 17 of 18 games, which is not a coincidence.  He now has 82 points, including 33 goals and 49 assists.  They are peaking at the right time, but injuries are a big problem.  What will happen to Fluery?  When will Malkin return?  We will see as they gear up for the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs.   

Bradon Hutton Transfers from Iowa

With six recruits in the 2015 recruiting class, everybody knew that there was a good chance that at least one of them would transfer.  Yesterday, it came out that redshirt Brandon Hutton will transfer.
Coming into the year, it was considered a huge pick-up for two reasons.  First, he was a defensive-minded player, which is a huge need for the Hawkeyes.  Both of the late-season swoons that the Hawkeyes have had in the last three years came mostly because of poor defense.  The second reason is that he is from Chicago.  That is important because that could of meant that the recruiting pipeline to Chicago that the program had lost.  Hutton, as long as Isaiah Moss, who also redshirted and is also from Chicago, were thought to be game-changers.
I am very disappointed that he left.  I though that he was going to be the best out of the whole class, but he will instead be taking his talents somewhere else.
Now, the question becomes, is anybody else going to transfer?  With ten underclassmen with a chance to get playing time, I would think that somebody else will want to transfer.  My guess?  It would be Brady Ellingson.  After red shirting, he was a freshman that year that lost his spot in the rotation entirely by the end of the year.  He was supposed to be a sharpshooter, but that did not happen this year.  I didn't really like what I saw in his game last year.  Plus, with sharpshooter Jordan Bohannon coming in and as well as Christian Jones, it might be hard for him to find playing time.  My guess if it is not him, it would be Andrew Flemming.  Flemming was also recruited as a shooter, and he played even less than Ellingston.
This scholarship could go to three different places.  It could go to a class of 2016 player such as Christian Vital, go to a graduate transfer, or go to Nicholas Baer.  My guess is that it will end up going to Baer, as McCaffery said numerous times throughout the year that he deserves a scholarship.
All of this, including the question of if Peter Jok will declare for the NBA Draft will make for an interesting offseason for the Hawkeye basketball program.    

Syracuse Makes Surprise Run to the Final Four

I, along with many other people thought that at 19-13, the Syracuse Orange didn't deserve a bid.  They still didn't, I mean they lost to eight win St.John's and had a RPI near 75.  But, they caught breaks and are the the fourth double digit seed and first tenth seed to ever make it to the Final Four. 
They beat seventh seeded Dayton 70-51.  Then, Middle Tennessee State pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in Tournament history, beating 2 seeded and my championship pick Michigan State.  So, the Orange took care of business, winning 75-50.  Then, they got 11 seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, who crushed 3 seeded Utah Utes.  Syracuse came from behind and won 63-60.  Then, they got ACC for and one-seeded Virginia Cavaliers.  The 'Cuse ended the game on a 29-8 run and got revenge, winning 68-62.
They get a rematch with fellow ACC conference member North Carolina Tar Heels, the only one seed to not get taken down in the Elite Eight.  The Tar Heels, led by senior leader Marcus Paige, won in New York 84-73 in the ACC season.  Syracuse will look to keep their surprising run from the bubble to the Championship.  A win would make them the only double-digit seed to go to the Final.  It should be a good slate of games on Saturday night.

Northern Iowa loses in Heartbreaker

After winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, the Northern Iowa Panthers were rewarded with the 11 seed in the West Region.  They were paired up against the 6 seeded Texas Longhorns of the Big 12 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  This was a higher seed for the Panthers than anyone predicted, but they were still a popular upset pick over the Longhorns.  They did not disappoint.
Texas got up early, but Northern Iowa took over and had a sizable lead for the rest of the half.  A Javan Felix three point shot with eight seconds left in the half made the halftime score 44-36.  UNI's biggest lead was sixteen at 33-17, but with 14:05 left in the game, Texas took the lead back and it was close the whole rest of the way.  With three seconds left, Texas tied it up at 72.  Then, Paul Jesperson took the in bounds pass, launched it from forty-two feet, and made it, giving the Panthers a 75-72 victory. 

But, after the best ending in the Tournament, it would all change in around 48 hours for the Panthers.  Next, they faced off against the third-seeded Texas A&M Aggies out of the SEC.  Texas A&M demolished 14 seeded Green Bay Phoenix.  The Panthers had control of the game in the first half, eventually extending the lead to a 32-22 halftime score.  The Panthers got out to their biggest lead of the game early in the half, going up 15 at 39-24.  Northern Iowa was up 69-57 with 44 seconds left in the game.  Many Aggie fans had already left and even more started to leave.  Panther fans were getting ready for the Sweet Sixteen in Anaheim against Buddy Hield and the Oklahoma Sooners.  But, one of the greatest collaspes in NCAA Basketball history was about to unfold in Oklahoma City.  By the time there was seventeen seconds left in the game, a Klint Carlson dunk extended the now slim lead to five.  Then, A&M got a drive, the bucket and one of the worst and-one calls on Paul Jesperson I have ever seen.  As the ball went through the hoop, Jamie Luckie blew the whistle.  As our friends from the ACC call it, the UNI Panthers got "Luckied".  The free throw cut it to two.  The next inbounds, Wes Washpun caught it in a corner, hopped up to try to bounce it off of an Aggie, but Danuel House just picked it up and got the easy lay-up.  If he would've stayed on the ground, it could've worked, but they head into overtime.  Washpun fouled out early, and after a clutch three by Wyatt Lohaus to give the Panthers a 82-79 lead with 29 seconds left, the Aggies ended up tying it up after a lay-up, Jeremy Morgan making one of two from the line, and an Alex Caruso jumper took it into a second overtime.  Jesperson fouled out with 2:36 left after A&M jumped out to an early lead at 85-84.  Robert Knar, who barely played all year had to come in, and it ended up being a 92-88.

For the seniors: Washpun, Jesperson, and Matt Bohannon, it was a tough way to end their careers.  Bohannon, the usual in-bounder, was hurt, and missed the last minute of the half with what we now know to be an ankle injury, was significant. 

But, this is March.  They were on top of the world Friday night, and had crying Jordan memes on them Sunday night after the biggest collapse in NCAA Tournament history.  They had their up-and-downs, as this was a team that was once 2-6 in MVC play.  It was amazing that they got to this point, but it was disappointing how it ended.

They have one of the best coaches in college basketball in Ben Jacobson, who took the blame for the loss, who has been offered high level jobs (Texas A&M had interest before hiring Billy Kennedy), and returing players such as Jeremy Morgan, who went for 36 points and 12 rebounds in the last game.  Lohaus returns and his brother Tanner joins the team next year.  They didn't get to play Oklahoma, but with the Wichita State Shockers and Evansville Purple Aces losing key players, Jake and the Giant Killers might get a chance to dance with the big boys again next year.  

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Iowa Gets Crushed by Villanova After Beating Temple

The Iowa Hawkeyes basketball season came to an end on Sunday in the Round of 32.  The first game was against Fran Dunphy's Temple Owls in a good old-fashioned Fran-off.  Iowa got a seven seed and Temple got a ten seed.  Iowa led almost the whole game, but made it interesting down the strech like they always do.  With under ten seconds left, Peter Jok came to the line up two with a one-and-one.  This was the case ten years before, as three seeded Iowa came in after winning the Big Ten Tournament played against 14 seeded and Southland winner Nortwestern State Demons.  Iowa led the whole game and got up double digits with five minutes to go, but it was a two point game with 14.6 seconds to go.  Senior forward Greg Brunner had a one-and-one up two, and missed the front end.  The Demons drained a lucky three from the corner with .06 seconds left, and won and made me cry all the way up to Minneapolis after listening to Gary Dolphin's call.
I remembered that, and I thought Iowa was going to blow it the Iowa Basketball way.  But, Jok hit the front end, and missed the second.  Then, Anthony Clemmons fouled the three point shooter, which hit all three, and we went to overtime.  Iowa got the last possession, tied up at 70.  For some reason, Mike Gesell decided that he was going to take the final shot on a ridiculously tough shot, and air balled it. But, Adam Woodbury put it up and in at the buzzer for the put back and the overtime victory.  He got so much hate for no reason for four years, and it was great he won the game.
The next challenge was two seeded Villanova, who had not made it to the Sweet Sixteen since 2009, even after receiving numerous top two seedings.  Iowa got down big early, and were down 54-29 after a red hot Villanova team played lock down defense, and they eventually got the win 87-68, which happens to be the score of the Gonzaga-Iowa Round of 32 game between a two and seven seed. Villanova is off to the Final Four and looks hard to beat, while Iowa's season ended.
The biggest story is the end of the careers to the senior class that turned the program around.  Woodbury, Gesell, Clemmons, Jarrod Uthoff, and Okey Utah.  Utah didn't play really at all, but the class came into a program that was awful, and got two tournament wins and three tournament appearances, along with a loss in the NIT Final.  Woody and Gesell had offers from places like North Carolina and Stanford, but chose to stay close to home and go to Iowa.  Uthoff was also a four star recruit who averaged 18.9 points per game this season and is a Wooden Award finalist, who transferred from Wisconsin after a big fight with Bo Ryan about telling him where and where he can't go.
This is a class that will always be remembered, and paves the way for future success, starting with a team next year that will only have three upperclassmen as of now that will compete for playing time. But, Jok might go pro. But, this includes a class with three in-state recruits, and perhaps the biggest get for Fran McCaffery since he got to Iowa, in Top 100 player Tyler Cook out of St. Louis.  It will be an interesting year with a very young team, and they will look to continue the success the program has had of late.    
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Austin Peay and Holy Cross Make Inspiring Runs to the NCAA Tournament

In the OVC, the Austin Peay Governors finished eight in the regular season, and almost missed the OVC conference tournament.  It didn't look like they'd have a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament.  They beat the five seeded Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 92-72.  Then they beat the four seed Tennessee State Tigers by a score of 74-72.
But, next one-seeded Belmont Bruins stood in their way.  The OVC powerhouse, there would be no way right?  They beat them 97-96 in overtime to send the Bruins to the NIT.
The West Division champion UT Martin Skyhawks, looking for their first ever Ohio Valley Conference crown.  With the crowd yelling "Let's go Peay!" And they won 83-73 to become the only eight seed in OVC history to win the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.  This happened while Loos' Young granddaughter Rhyan got finished getting cancer surgery in New York, making it more special than it already was.  They are at 18-17 and face number one overall seed Kansas Jayhawks Thursday at 4:00 EST.
The Holy Cross Crusaders entered the Patriot League Tournament at 10-19 and as the nine seed.  They would have to win four road games in a row.  They beat the eight seeded Loyola (MD) Greyhounds 72-67.  Then they went on the road to the top-seeded Bucknell Bison 77-72 in double OT.  They then crushed a cold-shooting Army Black Knights team that was a four seed 60-38.
Then, they went to two seed Lehigh Mountain Hawks.  Led by Malachi Alexander, the Crusaders 59-56, with the Mountain Hawks missing four three pointers in the last possession.  They are lead by ex-Northwestern coach Bill Carmody, ironic because the Wildcats have never played in an NCAA Tournament.  They play in Dayton Wednesday against the SWAC winning Southern Jaguars at 6:40 EST on Wednesday in Dayton for the honor of playing the one-seeded Oregon Ducks on Friday in Spokane.

Iowa Hawkeyes Suffer Embarrassing Loss in Big Ten Tourney

Again, the Hawkeyes take a bad loss, this time at the hands of the Fighting Illini.  Again, they look destined for an early out, just as they did two years ago.  This is the third year in a row that the Hawkeyes have lost in the first game they played in the Big Ten Tournament, and the twelfth time in the last twenty-one years!  What the crap?  That is terrible!  At least we're not Rutgers, but, at least that dumpster fire sucks the whole year, instead of falling apart at the end.
Iowa got down early by 11, and they crawled their way into a lead, but trailed at halftime by two.  Then the Fighting Illni got on fire, led by freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands, and led by eleven with about four minutes left, and it looked like it was all over.  But, Iowa went on an 11-0 run and tied it up with over a minute left.  It looked like the Hawkeyes might be able to pull it off.
Oh wait, Iowa can't play late in a close game.  That's right.  So of course they didn't pull it off.  Illinois got up by two and Iowa got back control of the ball.  They called timeout(!!) with fifteen seconds left in the game.  At five seconds, they are forced to take a timeout, and with three seconds left, Mike Gesell turned it over.  Fifteen seconds.  No shots. (Inserts crying Jordan meme.)
Ok, I think that is enough sarcasm.  The Hawkeyes have some serious problems, folks.  Jarrod Uthoff had twenty-one, and Peter Jok had twenty-nine, but fouled out on an awful double technical foul.  Nick Baer had eight points.  The rest of the team had EIGHT total points.  EIGHT.  You won't be winning very many games doing that.  Jok was on fire, going 4 for 6 from downtown, and five for five from the free throw line.  Uthoff was 2 for 5 from deep and 9 for 16 overall.  But, those were the only two that could be relied on in this game.
Another big problem?  The coaching.  I think that Fran McCaffery gets outcoached a lot.  He is a poor in-game manager.  He almost always ends up with two or three timeouts in his pocket.  That includes those games where the fourth timeout disappears at halftime.  Instead of setting something up at the end of a half, they'll just go.  What is he saving those timeouts for?  They don't carry over from game to game, so you might as well use most or all of them.  He has the philosophy that he lets the players play the last possession and to let them figure it out, but that has not worked too well with this team.  With how bad Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons have played, there is no reason for them to take important shots, and they can't figure that out.
At the beginning of the season, I said they would go 12-6 in conference and be a 6 or 7 seed.  So, I was right, but with the way it started, it turned out to be a huge disappointment.  It'll be like two years ago when the motto was "Rising", but they ended up having the same conference record and barely sneaking into the tournament as an eleven seed in Dayton in the First Four with a game against Tennessee. The same would happen now, around the same seed and the same conference record, with a late season swoon again.
This loss will most likely make them a 6-8 seed.  My guess is that they will be a 6 or 7 because of all of those quality wins they had in January.  It might not even matter, because with how they're playing, it'll be one and done.
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Will the Shockers make the NCAA Tournament?

After the Wichita State Shockers lost for the second straight year in the semifinals of Arch Madness, this time to the Northern Iowa Panthers.  The Panthers will get the automatic qualifier out of the Missouri Valley Conference for the second straight year.  Now, the big question is whether or not the Shockers will get an at-large bid to the tournament?
There is a big variance in opinion between people.  Some people think that the Shockers are safely in, some think they are barely in, and some think that Wichita State are out.  To be honest, I agree with the people that think that the Shockers have not done enough to deserve an at-large bid.
First of all, they only have one win in the RPI Top 50, which was at home against number nine Utah.  That is it.  That win compared to four losses.  They are 3-3 against teams ranked 51-100.  8-1 against 101-200, and 8-1 against 200+.
I get it, they were hurt awfully bad in Orlando at the Old Spice Classic.  They lost USC, Alabama, and Iowa.  Those would have all been big wins, but there is no guarantee that they would have won them.  I know that the committee will bring that into play, but I don't believe  that it will be enough.
I do agree that I would rather see a mid-major like Wichita State instead of a middling major conference team like Vanderbilt.  But, the committee usually favors the major team in that situation.  The Monmouth Hawks also have an argument, but, again only have two top fifty wins, but have had fewer chances, so the Shockers and Hawks get a bad deal with that.

CBS's Jerry Palm has the Shockers in the final four teams out
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/bracketology

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has the Shockers as a eight seed
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/bracketology

Bracket Matrix averages bracketolgists, and ranks them
http://www.bracketmatrix.com/

Andy Bottoms, the top ranked veteran bracketologist, has the Shockers in a play-in game as a ten seed
http://assemblycall.com/ncaa-tournament-bracket-projections-march-8-2016/
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Tight End Depth for Steelers an Issue Without Heath Miller

After Heath Miller's retirement, a big issue has arisen for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  That would be tight end depth.  It was known that Miller was getting older, and that eventually the Steelers would need to look for depth at the tight end spot.  They started last year with the investment of a fifth round pick of Jesse James from Penn State.  He was third on the tight end depth chart this year behind Miller and Matt Spaeth.  Now, he will have to take a bigger role next year.
Miller will be tough to replace.  He was Ben Roethlisberger's favorite teammate, so much so that he gave his team MVP vote to Miller.  He was the best tight end in Steelers history.  He had 592 receptions, 6,569 yards, and 45 receiving touchdowns.  That are all highs for Steelers tight ends, and he is one of only four Steelers to catch 500 passes or more.  But, he was also undervalued.  He was named to the USA Today's All-Joe team during after the 2008 season for his efforts that usually went unnoticed. 
He was always a tough player who came up big in clutch moments.  There is almost no better example than in Week 5 against the San Diego Chargers, where with less than ten seconds left on the clock, he caught a pass from Michael Vick at the one, and hung on while taking a very hard hit to the head area.  The Steelers would call their last timeout, and on the next play Le'Veon Bell took the snap from the wildcat and snuck it in right before his knees hit the ground for the walk-off touchdown.  Plays like this was the reason why he won two Super Bowls with the Steelers.
Now, what do the Steelers do now?  I think that they need to pick up a tight end in the NFL Draft.  The thought before this retirement was that it might be a possibility that the Steelers take a tight end.  But, this makes it almost imperative that they take one this year.  The tight end that stands out most among the tight ends in the Draft is Arkansas' Hunter Henry.  Henry is projected as the one tight end to go in the first round.  He is a good offensive tight end, something that would fit in well with this explosive Steelers offense is a 6-foot-5, 250 pound tight end, so he fits that Steelers mold.  He also played in a pro-style offense in Arkansas, so he likes that offense and would have less of a learning curve.
The biggest argument against that, of course, is that the Steelers need to go defense in the first round.  Then, they draft one the third day like a Darion Griswold or a Nick Vanett.  It doesn't matter what round they draft one in, because they need one.  I really like Hunter Henry, but I do think that the Steelers need to focus on defense.  Of course, the Steelers draft thought is that they need to take the best player that is available, and that will most likely not change this year.  So I think that since the top cornerbacks will already have been taken by the 25th pick.  So, my guess is that there would be a good chance that if Hunter if still on the board, he would be taken by the Steelers. 

Iowa Hawkeyes in Another Late Season Swoon

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in a swoon.  They lost their second straight game Wednesday night against Wisconsin, their first home loss in over a year(excluding the loss to Augustana in an exhibition).  This came a week after a bad loss at Penn State.  That was after a loss at Indiana and a close win at home to Minnesota.  So, after staring the conference season at 10-1 and in sole possession of first place, they have fallen a game and a half behind the Indiana Hoosiers at 11-4.  Does this sound familiar?  Well, it should.  Two years ago, the Hawkeyes were ranked number ten at one point, and were ranked 15 and 8-4 in conference, before losing five of their last six to end the season.  They lost in their first game of the Big Ten Tournament, and getting knocked out by Tennessee in the First Four, meaning they were one of the last four teams that received an at-large bid.
This year was thought to be different, with them starting four seniors and one junior, with all of them on that  2013-14 team that collapsed and that 2014-15 that advanced to the Round of 32.  This team looks like what happened two years ago.  The bench has disappeared, which was one of their strengths early on.  They lack much offense beside giving the ball to Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok and letting them shoot threes.
Of course, last year the Hawkeyes lost two awful games right in a row vs. Minnesota and at Northwestern to fall to 6-6, and they finished 12-6. 
The Hawkeyes this year still have a chance to win the Big Ten regular season title.  If the Hawkeyes win out, which includes a home game against the Hoosiers, and Michigan State wins out, or if Indiana loses out to Iowa and Maryland.  So, the Hawkeyes still have a good chance to complete the goal of the Big Ten title.  If so, the Hawkeyes will almost clinch for sure the first and second rounds of their pod will be played in Des Moines and as a top four seed. But first they have to beat Ohio State at Value Center Arena in Columbus, where they have won the last two games played there between the two teams.  They have more than enough time to get the season back on track, or to continue this slide. 
  

Dexter Fowler Resigns with Cubs

In a big surprise Thrusday, Dexter Fowler surprised teammates by showing up to the Cubs' spring training facility.  It was thought before that Fowler came to terms on a three year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, with center fielder Adam Jones saying that Fowler's on his way to the Orioles.
Soon before all of this happened, the Cubs traded INF/OF Chris Coghlan for RHP Aaron Brooks.  This was an interesting move at the time, because he was a big piece last year whose trading got rid of outfield depth.
This signing gives the Cubs a true leadoff man, and makes this deep lineup even deeper.  My projected lineup is:
1. Dexter Fowler CF
2. Ben Zobrist 2B
3. Anthony Rizzo 1B
4. Kris Bryant 3B
5. Kyle Schwarber LF
6. Jason Heyward RF
7. Miguel Montero C
8. Pitcher
9. Addison Russell 2B

That is crazy.  The Cubs sixth hole hitter would be someone that they invested 184 million dollars in.  They also would have Javier Baez and Jorge Soler on the bench.  Baez came up in September and the playoffs and Jorge Soler hit .474 in the Playoffs last season.  But, expect the lineup to change around.  Manager Joe Maddon likes to rest his players, and to play them in different positions.  So, don't expect to see the same lineup everyday.
The Cubs also signed OF Shane Victorino to a deal where he would get a million dollars for one year if he were to make the club.  He could bring experience in the playoffs, including winnng the World Series with the Boston Red Sox.
Cubs single game tickets went on sale today, and already six games have sold out, with interest in the
Cubs at an all-time high.

Heath Miller Retires

In a shocking move, on Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers' long time tight end Heath Miller decided to hang up his cleats.  This came out of almost nowhere, besides Miller and perhaps some people in the Steelers organization. 
Miller was regarded as a humble guy, who put the team first and was a great person and teammate.  Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said that Miller is by far the best teammate that he has ever had, and even voted for him as the team MVP every year.  When Miller told Roethlisberger that he was hanging up his cleats, Roethlisberger started crying.  That was how much that he meant to the Steelers organization and his quarterback.
He was the 30th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, the year after Roethlisberger was drafted.
He played in 168 regular season games, 592 receptions, 6,569 receiving yards, and 45 touchdowns, all records for a Steelers tight end.  He also started 15 postseason games and won two Super Bowls, Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII.
He will be sorely missed by everyone in with the Steelers, fan, player, the Rooneys or otherwise.  Words can't describe what he meant for this team, and how underappreciated and clutch he was.
This puts a huge hole in the Steelers depth chart at tight end.  They have now second year tight end out of Penn State Jesse James who looks promising, Matt Spaeth and Xavier Grimble.  This makes tight end most likely a draft need, or a free agent signing.
It was an interesting time for Miller to retire, with the Steelers being Super Bowl contenders this year, but now they have a big void to fill in one of the best offenses in football.

Hawkeyes Suffer Bad Loss at Penn State

For the second time in the last three games, the Iowa Hawkeyes lost a road conference game.  The last one was to first place now #22 Indiana Hoosiers, who are undefeated at Assembly Hall this season.  Then they hung on at home against the Minnesota Golden Gophers who came in without a conference win.  Then, they came out flat and lost to the Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday night.
Iowa started off the first five minutes or so well, leading 6-0 at the first TV timeout and starting on a 8-0 run, but it all went downhill past the under eight TV timeout.  After leading 25-21, Penn State went on a thirteen to 2 run, making it a 34-27 lead, and they never gave that lead back.  After making one three pointer the entire game in the blowout loss at Carver-Hawkeye a few weeks back, and Shep Gardner going three games without making a three, went four for seven.
The biggest reason for the Hawkeyes these past three games in my mind, is that their free throw shooting has been atrocious.  They were 25-35 in this game, 21-30 against Minnesota, and went 13-23(!!) against Indiana, which combined is 67%.  Jarrod Uthoff hasn't played very good, and he and Peter Jok, the leading scorer in this game, have taken too many shots, and senior center Adam Woodbury hasn't gotten the ball enough after a stretch of double-doubles.
It was by far their worst loss of the season.  This was the first one that was against a team outside of a top 35 RPI, and the first loss against a team that will not make the tournament.  This may be a good loss for the Hawks to have, because it could wake them up, but there is never a good loss, so probably not.  But, with the Maryland Terrapin loss to Minnesota with Diamond Stone suspended, the Iowa-Indiana game at Carver on Senior Day on March 1st could be for the regular season championship.
The loss at worse probably moves the Hawkeyes down to the two line, and if they win out, they will almost for sure get a one seed and possibly if they only lose one Big Ten game and run the table in the Big Ten Tournament.  It will be an interesting during the three weeks leading up to the NCAA Tournament.

Power Ranking the NL Central

It finally that time again, as all teams pitchers and catchers report for Spring training this week in order to get ready for the 2016 season.  The favorite for almost everyone to not only win the NL Central, but to win it all this year is the Chicago Cubs.  But, breaking the 107 year curse will have to start with getting through the NL Central.  The Central had three of the four best regular season teams in all of baseball last year.  The Cubs beat the Pirates in the Wild Card game, and then beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 in the NLDS.  Don't expect to see fewer than two teams from the Central in the Playoffs.
1. Chicago Cubs
You knew that this one was coming.  The Cubs are loaded on the offensive side of the ball.  They stole outfielder Jason Heyward from the Cardinals, as well as signing second baseman Ben Zobrist. Both who signed for less money than their highest bidders to come to the Cubs. They also return a load of young talent from last season.  Stars such as Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler, Addison Russell, and Anthony Rizzo.  All of that top talent graduated from the farm system(Expect for Rizzo mostly, as most was with the San Diego Padres), and they still have the top catching prospect in baseball in Willson Contreras.  They also got pitching help in John Lackey, taking him from the Cardinals.  The biggest question is whether the Cubs will play like the World Series favorites, or will play bad like last year's pick, the Washington Nationals.
Projection: 98-64
2. St. Louis Cardinals
After getting to 100 wins during the season, the Cardinals season came to an end in the NLDS.  The offseason was not the best for them.  Jason Heyward bolted to the Cubs for less money, and John Lackey left to the Cubs.  They then lost starter Lance Lynn for the season due to a torn rotator cuff.  They did sign Mike Leake to bolster their rotation, as well as flipped Jon Jay for Jedd Gyorko.  Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina are aging.  Both were hurt last year, and Holliday and especially Molina's good health are vital for this team to have success.  Matt Adams is coming back from surgery, and Adam Wainwright missed almost all of last year.  Their top prospect is not a top 100 one, and is RHP Alex Reyes, so the Cardinals have not a lot of depth after the guys in the Majors. But, I think that the Cardinals will be a playoff team.
Projection: 95-67
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
Poor Pirates.  They won 98 games last season, had the second best record in the Majors, and had to play in the Wild Card game.  This was where gifted the chance of playing against NL Cy Young winner Jake Arrieta, who had the best second half of a season for a pitcher since forever.  The year before?  Eventual World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner.  The year before they did win, but got knocked out in the NLDS by the Cardinals.  After nineteen years without a winning season and three years of the Wild Card, will Pirate fans finally get rewarded? 
No, you're probably headed to the Wild Card game again.  They have a star in center fielder Andrew McCutchen, but two rising stars are battling injuries right now.  Jung Ho Kang is still fighting back from that leg injury suffered last September against the Cubs, and fire baller Gerrit Cole is battling an injury right now.   They did not make enough moves in my mind to compete with the Cubs.  They traded hometown boy Neil Walker to the Mets for left-hander Jon Niese, and that was about it.  They have a top closer in Mark Melancon.  But, I will think that they will get a Wild Card spot again.  It's tough being a small market team, but they need to do more to improve, and maybe make some trade deadline deals.  With a top 5 farm system, like  RHP Tyler Glasnow, they have the pieces.
Projection: 94-68
4. Cincinnati Reds
Well, I don't know what to say.  This team is bad.  They traded away all of their talent.  They flipped All-Star hero Todd Fraizer to the White Sox, for not a big haul.  They flipped lefty closer Aroldis Chapman to the New York Yankees, a gift to the rest of the division.  Now, if the Reds bring  a lead into the ninth, opposing teams will have at least a slim chance of winning.  This is a make or break deal for the speedy Billy Hamilton to see if he can get that OBP up from below .300.  Another big question mark is if Brandon Phillips will drop the no-trade clause and get traded.  Top prospect OF Jesse Winkler might spend part up in the Big Leagues. Let's see if Tucker Barnhart, with one of the best last names in sports will get it done.  Or at least to seventy wins.
Prediction: 68-94
5. Milwaukee Brewers
Again, I don't know what to say.  They traded away Jean Segura, and are left with Ryan Braun and Jonathon Lucroy.  They traded away mike Fiers and Carlos Gomez at the Trade Deadline last year, and are still stuck with Matt Garza's big contract to be a mediocre 5.00 ERA+.  To paraphrase.  They suck.  At least top prospect SS Orlando Arcia could be up as soon as the start of the season, so, a little bit of a bright spot.
Prediction: 64-98 

Former Steelers Kevin Greene and Tony Dungy Part of 2016 NFL Half of Fame Class

Two former NFL players who put on the black and the gold of the Pittsburgh Steelers will be apart of the National Football League's Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016.  Safety/quarterback Tony Dungy and linebacker Kevin Greene.
Dungy only played three years and two of them with the Steelers, the other with the San Francisco 49ers.  He played 30 games for the Steelers starting two in 1977-78, and 15 games and 7 starts in 79 for the Niners.  He had nine interceptions.  Inculding one game where he is the only player in NFL history to have an interception on defense, and to come in later and throw an interception on the offensive side.
But, he is more known as the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning.  He was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach for six years, and became the Colts coach in 2002, winning Super Bowl 41 in the 2006-07 season.  He had an overall record of 139-69 overall and 9-10 in the playoffs.
Greene played eight years for the Los Angeles Rams, three years for the Steelers, one year for the Panthers, a year for the 49ers, and two more for the Panthers, retiring after the 1999 season.  He was also a linebacker coach for the Green Bay Packers.
Greene was a monster of a linebacker.  He had 160 sacks and 669 tackles in 15 years.  He won a Super Bowl ring as the linebackers coach of the Packers against his former team the Steelers, unfortunately for me  After waiting five years, he finally got his well deserved trip to Canton.
Tony Dungy is getting in because of his coaching accomplishments.  I don't think he did enough to be considered one of the best like Bill Walsh, Tom Landry or Chuck Noll.  I'm not 100% about him getting in.
The full class is Brett Favre, Greene, Orlando Pace, Dungy, Marvin Harrison, Dick Stanfel, Eddie DeBartolo, and the late Ken(the Snake) Stabler.  It is another great class.  

Johnny Manziel

Well, it keeps getting worse for Johnny Manziel.  After being drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns, the character problems that were in question at Texas A&M have showed up badly.  Let's start with what happened after becoming the 22nd pick of the 2014 NFL Draft.
The first incident came during the Preseason against the Washington Redskins.  Manziel had been outplayed by Brian Hoyer to this point, and to make matters worse, he flipped the bird to the Redskins sideline.  Hoyer was named the starter the next day.
In November, Johnny's squad got into a fight with a Browns fan who got injured from it, and later said he was sorry.  But, anytime that a player's crew gets into a fight with a fan, that's never a good sign for that player's future.  But, after the Browns started 7-5, including a drubbing of Cleveland's big brother, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a road win at another divisional rival, the Cincinnati Bengals.  Hoyer started to struggle, and Manziel got the start against the Bengals at home. He only went for 80 yards and ten completions with two interceptions.  He finished out the season, and then checked into a rehab facility for ten weeks after the season.
Josh McCown started over Manziel until he was lost for the season.  But, in October, he got into a fight pulled over on the side of a highway, fighting with his girlfriend.  No charges were filed from either side.  He got benched after drinking during the bye.  In Week 17, he allegedly showed up under the influence to a meeting, and was partying in Vegas wearing a disguise the night before the Week 17 matchup against the Steelers, making Austin Davis the next Browns starter.
New coach Hue Jackson said they are moving on from Manziel in March.  Then, in January, he allegedly punched his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley so hard, he ruptured her eardrum, and she is still regaining her hearing in that ear.
Manziel has shown that football is not his priority.  He retired the money sign, and it looked like he was getting his life together.  When he played this year, he looked good most of the time, including going for 372 yards against the Steelers on the road. But, I don't think that he will get a second chance, and is just wasted talent.
Manziel was so bad in college, that Kyle Allen said that the culture at A&M was lazy, mostly because of Manziel, leading him to transfer to Houston, and AAC school.
How bad is Manziel?  His dad, Paul Manziel says he won't make it to his 24th birthday if he doesn't get help.  He is 23.  Former NFL Quarterback Ryan Leaf, a year after being released from jail in Montana, said its like looking in a mirror.  His dad has tried to get him to go to two different facilities, but he has rejected them both.
What to do with him?  Nobody can do anything.  The NFL and players have tried to help him, but it hasn't worked.  If Manziel doesn't want help from the NFL or his parents, he's a lost cause.  He can't get helped if he is willing to get that help.  Maybe he'll turn it around like it seems Jameis Winston has.  Or maybe he'll be in a Montana prison twenty years from now.  It's up to him.  His career is probably over, but he can turn his life around.

Antonio Brown, runner-up for NFL OPOY, but Not a MVP Vote

On the Saturday night before the Super Bowl, the NFL had its award show.  Antonio Brown got the Fantasy Player of the Year, and he got runner-up for the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, behind Newton.  Nothing unexpected.  But, he did not garner any MVP votes. Newton got 48 votes, Tom Brady got 1 vote, and Carson Palmer also received one vote.  Like usual, it is all quarterbacks, as it is a quarterback driven league.  Even so, why not vote for Antonio Brown?
A wide receiver has never won the MVP, so there was a very big uphill climb for Brown.  But, let's look at the stats.  He had 136 catches for 1,834 yards and 10 touchdowns.  That was without Ben Roethlisberger for about five games.  With Roethlisberger. he would've easily gotten 150 catches and probably 2,000 yards, and possibly the record of 1,964 yards receiving in a season set by Calvin Johnson in 2012.  One would think that Brown would break that if Roethlisberger stays healthy.
Secondly, let's look at his numbers against the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos.  He went for 16 catches and 189 yards with two touchdowns.  That was all against Chris Harris Jr., an undrafted cornerback who hadn't let a touchdown in two years.  Two years.  That was his second 15+ catch game on the season, the other coming against the Oakland Raiders, including a quarter without Big Ben. 
What did Cam Newton do against this defense?  18-41, 265 passing yards and one interception and a fumble.  What about Tom Brady? 27-56, 310 yards, one touchdown and two picks.  Combined, they scored 28 points. The Steelers scored 24 in one half and 34 in total in one game, as well as scoring 16 against them in the Divisional Round without Brown.
How important is Brown?  If the Steelers have him against the Broncos, the Steelers win the game easily.  MVP stands for most valuable player, right?  Why not Brown?  I don't think he should've won it, as Cam Newton had a great season.  But, Brown should get more consideration.
 This guy is 5'11, but he's still the best receiver in the NFL by far.  He was a zero star recruit.  He was a sixth round draft pick. He keeps getting better, I think he'll break some more records, and he will continue to garner more attention from voters. 

Cubs Sign Jake Arrieta to One Year Deal

The Chicago Cubs avoided having to go to an arbitration hearing on Tuesday, as they agreed to a 10.2 million dollar deal.  This is well deserved for the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner.  After a sub 2.00 ERA season, he had to get a raise over the six million or so he got last year. 
This is a short term solution for the Cubs, as they are trying to lock him up to a long term deal before he hits the free agent market.  A big problem is that Arrieta's agent is Scott Boras, one of the toughest agents to deal with when it comes to his clients.  This will be no different.  To be honest, I have no idea what he's trying to get for Arrieta.  My guess would be that he is going to try to command Zack Grienke type money.  Which would be over 200 million dollars. 
A big question would be if the Cubs could afford that type of investment.  The problem is, they can't afford not to get him to return to the Cubs.  If they did that, their starting rotation would be a very thin group.  Perhaps that is the reason that the Cubs did not chase after a David Price or another high priced pitcher.  Instead, they spent a bunch of money on position players like Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist.  I think they can afford the investment in Arrieta, and I think that it will happen almost for sure.  But, they have to worry about this next season as the World Series favorites, as Spring Training starts in a couple of weeks in late February.  Arrieta and company will get ready for the World Series run.

Iowa Hawkeyes Take First Place Alone in Big Ten After Beating Illinois

Another Sunday game, another win for the Iowa Hawkeyes (19-4, 10-1 Big Ten).  This one was over the Illinois Fighting Illini (11-13, 3-8 Big Ten).  Coming into this one, the Hawkeyes had lost 11 of their last 12 at Champaign, the only win coming the last time they played there in 2014.  So, even though the Illini came in banged-up and coming off of a triple overtime win on the road at lowly Rutgers, the Hawkeyes did not come in thinking that this was going to be an easy game.  It was close early on, with the Hawkeyes leading by nine at the half.  But, the Hawkeyes got up by twenty early in the second half, and the Fighting Illini could never fight their way fully back into this one.
Seniors Adam Woodbury and Jarrod Uthoff came up big with double-doubles. Woodbury had 10 points and 14 rebounds, with five of those being offensive.  Uthoff had 18 points and 12 rebounds, a very quiet double-double if there is such a thing.  For the Illini, Malcom Hill had 14 points and 8 assists, and Jalen Coleman-Lands added 17 points on five three pointers and 1 rebound.
That wasn't the only good thing that happened for the Hawks. On Saturday night, the Indiana Hoosiers lost at an awful Penn State team in Happy Valley, the team that the Hawkeyes beat on Wednesday.  That put the Hoosiers at 9-2, with a brutal week ahead.  Number five Iowa on Thursday, and at Number 10 Michigan State on Sunday.  In total, they play four top ten teams and five ranked teams the rest of the season. 
 Number one Oklahoma Sooners lost at Kansas State, and number two North Carolina Tar Heels lost at Louisville and at Notre Dame.  With the top two teams losing this week, the Hawkeyes will most likely move into the top three, and might get some first place votes.  The top three will probably be Villanova, Maryland, and Iowa.  Those three can be in any order, as Maryland and Iowa were only separated by seven points.
Right now, Maryland is behind Iowa by half a game and has the head-to-head tiebreaker.  So, Iowa will probably need to be 16-2 or 17-1 to win the Big Ten outright, which is very possible, considering their remaining schedule.  I would expect them to win out, or have their only loss be the final game at Michigan.  I think Maryland will lose at Purdue, and finish 15-3.  Iowa has played the toughest schedule of the contenders, and it would be more impressive than any other team winning it.  It'll be a great finishing weeks in the always interesting Big Ten race.
 

Super Bowl 50

It's that time of year again.  After a long season of football, it all comes down to this.  The 17-1 Carolina Panthers face off against 14-4 Denver Broncos. It is a battle of a 39 year old quarterback against a new generation, 26-year old Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.  But, Newton was a far better quarterback than the legend of Manning.  Newton is set to become the League's MVP, throwing for 35 touchdowns and only ten interceptions. Manning threw nine touchdowns to seventeen interceptions, even though he missed almost half of the season due to his foot injury.  He might possibly be the worst quarterback in the history of the NFL to start in the Super Bowl.
Manning's defense is preparing to face off against Newton.  They were the top defense on the year, so they so be ready, and it should be a good battle. But, the real question is if that Broncos offense can go against this Panther defense and keep up with Cam Newton.
To be honest, the Broncos are the third or fourth best team in the AFC.  Behind the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, and probably even the Cincinnati Bengals.  How did they get by them all?  Because all three of those teams had bad injuries.  The Broncos beat the Bengals in overtime at home against backup A.J McCarron.  That would've gotten the Bengals a bye week, instead of the Broncos. They beat the Steelers without Antonio Brown, who torched them when they played in December.  Ben Roethlisberger was questionable all week, they were without DeAngelo Williams, so they were down to their third string running back, Fitzgerald Toussiant.  They were driving up one before he fumbled it, giving the Broncos the game. The Patriots were without their top two backs, but c'mon, who wasn't happy when the Patriots were knocked out?
  This will be the Broncos record tying eight Super Bowl played in, tying the record with the Steelers, Dallas Cowboys.  The Steelers are 6-2, their last one played was a loss in Super Bowl 45 to the Green Bay Packers, and their last won was Super Bowl 43 against the Arizona Cardinals.  The Cowboys are 5-3, with their last win being twenty years ago in Super Bowl 30 against the Steelers, and their last loss against the Steelers in Super Bowl 10. 
The Broncos are 2-5, losing those five by an average of thirty points, the last in Super Bowl 48, a 43-8 loss against the Seahawks, and their last win was Super Bowl 33 against the Atlanta Falcons, the second of back-to-back Super Bowl victories.  The Panthers are 0-1, their only loss being against the Patriots in Super Bowl 38.  They have only been a franchise since 1995, and not much Super Bowl success.
My prediction is that the Panthers will win handily, but the Broncos keep it close early in Peyton Manning's most likely final game.  If it's close late, I give the Broncos a great chance.  But, it will be another big loss in the Super Bowl for the Broncos.
Panthers 37, Broncos 20

What Happened to Northern Iowa?

Last year, the Northern Iowa Panthers basketball team had one of the two best seasons in the team's history.  They got over thirty wins, got a MVC Tournament title, was a five seed, got a tournament win over Wyoming and got knocked out by an Elite Eight team in the Louisville Cardinals. 
Coming into this year, they lost a lot off of that team.  They lost their star, Seth Tuttle, who was an All-American who touched the ball almost every time the Panthers had the ball.  They lost point guard Deon Mitchell, who, along with Tuttle, is now playing in Germany.  They also lost won of their best three point shooters, Nate Buss.  There was no possible way that they would be that good this year, but they had some good players coming back.
They got back key contributors, such as Wes Washpun, sharpshooter Matt Bohannon, breakout freshman Wyatt Lohaus, and Paul Jesperson.  They were expected to compete for a MVC crown and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.  It looked like they were going to be one of the teams to beat within the first two weeks of the season, as they took down number one North Carolina Tar Heels at home.  Later in the non-conference, at the Big Four Classic in Des Moines, they took down heavy favorite Iowa State.  Things were looking good for the Northern Iowa Panthers.  They looked to be contenders in the Missouri Valley, and perhaps even up for a chance at getting an at-large bid.
They crushed a bad Bradley Braves team at home by thirty-six to start the conference slate.  But, they lost at Southern Illinois and then at Missouri State.  They beat Drake, but then lost four in a row, including a really bad Loyola team at home.  At 2-6, the Panthers did rebound a little, winning two in a row, including a home win today against Southern Illinois.
Right now, they are in seventh place, one game behind Missouri State, but the Panthers play the Bears at home later in February, so they will have a good chance to get payback.  At this point in the season, it's just imperative that the Panthers stay out of the bottom four that have to play on Thursday.  If you get stuck in that first day, you are not going to win the conference tournament.  If you're one through six, it doesn't matter.  You just have to win three games in three days.  At this point, the Panthers have a 12-11 record, so they will most likely not even play in the CIT or CBI, so they might have to get to ten conference wins.  That is very disappointing, as Iowa and Iowa State continue to win, UNI (As well as Drake) have lost a lot this year.  Drake was expected, as this was a rebuilding year, but UNI's season was unexpected, and they are looking to turn it around, starting with extending the two game win streak they are on against Evansville at home on Wednesday.

Why Play the Pro Bowl?

The Pro Bowl is a pretty big waste of time.  First of all, nobody wants to play in it.  Like Tom Brady, after a long season and a rough ending, why would he want to play in the Pro Bowl?  Secondly, star players are hurt after a long season.  Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, and Carson Palmer are probably three of the biggest examples of stars being hurt.  That's down the best receiver in the game, an elite two-time Super Bowl winner and Palmer, who had a great season.  Instead, we get Teddy Bridgewater. Around 180 players were named All-Pro.  Really. Another reason is that the game is so boring.  No one tries.
The Pro Bowl is up there with the NBA All-Star game as the worst All Star games.  The NHL and MLB's are far better.  The MLB has the Home Run Derby, and the NHL has skills competitions on Saturday night and now a three-on-three tournament the next day.
As an avid MLB fan, I watch at least some of the All-Star game anyways, but I'm not as big of a fan of the NHL.  The All-Star game intrigues me, and although I didn't get a chance to see the tournament,  Saturday night was a blast, and the John Scott story made it that more interesting
The NFL needs to have skills competitions like they used to.  That would allow the fans to see the best compete in things such as the bench press.  That gets people excited.  If they don't change anything at all, it should be shutdown for good. 
The changes they have tried to make have not worked that well.  The biggest change, of course, is the fantasy draft.  The first year, it was interesting, but the other years it has been meh.  The week before the Super Bowl is stupid, because if Super Bowl bound players want to compete, they can't.  Wouldn't the Pro Bowl get more viewers if Cam Newton was playing?  I would think so.
Of course, they still get good ratings so the NFL most likely won't change anything, so none of what I said before matters.  If changes are going to be made, it will happen when the ratings get low if at all.

Number 3 Iowa at Number 8 Maryland

One of the biggest games of the Big Ten season occurs in College Park between the Iowa Hawkeyes 16-3 (7-0) and the Maryland Terrapins 17-3 (6-2).  This is the only meeting between the two contenders.  The Hawkeyes are coming in extremely hot, winning six of seven games in the Big Ten slate, as well as sweeping Purdue and Michigan State.  Maryland looks to get closer to Iowa and Indiana in the Big Ten.
This is a big game for these teams for tournament seeding.  According to Jerry Palm's Bracketology, Iowa is a one seed in the West while Maryland is a five seed in the South.  This is a win Maryland needs to have, as they have no wins against the top 50 in RPI.  Their best RPI win is Princeton, but their best overall win is against UCONN on a neutral floor, with their best Big Ten win being at number 69 Wisconsin.  They're really only a five seed because of their top 5 preseason ranking.
Iowa's resume is one of the best if not the best in the nation.  They have four top 25 wins, and seven total top fifty wins.  They have no bad losses either, as all three losses have come inside the top 34.  They even let the Iowa State game get away on the road, a win that could have had the Hawks at one or two in the AP right now, perhaps even the top overall seed.
The players to watch for Maryland is Melo Trimble and Diamond Stone.  Trimble averages 14.5 points per game, and Stone gets 13.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.  Trimble runs the show at the point, and Stone owns the paint.  If one doesn't show up, the other picks him up.  If neither show up, they have so many other weapons, such as Robert Carter, the second leading scorer, and Rasheed Sulamion, who came over from Duke.  The Hawkeyes need to contain them.
The Hawkeyes star is Jarrod Uthoff.  Uthoff has 18.9 points, 2.9 blocks and 1.3 assists.  He is a Wooden Player of the Year Award candidate.  The other is Peter Jok.  He averages 14.7 points per game, and is a sharpshooter that has developed a little bit of a post game.  Others to watch is Mike Gesell, the senior point guard, and freshman walk-in Nicholas Baer.  A lot of firepower should make this a great game.
 

The Big Ten Race

The Big Ten race for men's basketball is almost at the halfway point, and the team that have a shot to win it has already trimmed to just a few.  A few of them are surprises.  The two teams that have not lost yet, are shocks to most people around the Conference and the nation.  They are the Iowa Hawkeyes and Indiana Hoosiers.  I covered their resumes in the last article that I wrote, so I'll give you a summary.  Iowa has played the toughest conference schedule in the country, has swept Michigan State and Purdue, and beat Michigan.  Indiana has played the weakest conference schedule in the Power Five conferences.  But, they have crushed these teams, like putting up a hundred against Illinois and beating a pesky Northwestern team by 30.  They have their first tests coming up in the next couple of weeks, while Iowa's schedule gets easier after the Maryland game.  They play each other twice.
Next up is the Maryland Terrapins.  The Terps are 6-2 in conference, leaving them a game and a half behind Iowa and Indiana.  Their only losses have come at Michigan and Michigan State.  Those are very acceptable losses, as both teams are tourney bound and are tough places to play at.  The Iowa game is a must-win.  Not only to stay in the conference race, but to bolster their tournament resume.  They haven't beaten a RPI Top 50 team yet, and Iowa would be a humongous win for them.  Plus, if they lose to Iowa, that gives the Hawkeyes basically a four game lead over them with the tiebreaker. That would all but eliminate them from the regular season title.
Next is the Michigan Wolverines.  The Wolverines are 5-2 in the Conference, with their losses being at Iowa and Purdue.  Losses at hostile environments against good teams, so no shame in those losses.  But, they might be without their best player in Caris Lavert for the season, and it would be tough to win the title without him.  Right now, they are about a seven seed, with their top win being against Maryland at home.  They get Indiana at home, and their last game is against Iowa at home.  They will need to win these games.  They have Indiana as well as Michigan State upcoming on an unusual four game home stand.
Next is Purdue.  Purdue is 5-3, getting swept by Iowa and getting upset by a bad Illinois team on the road.  It'll be uphill, needing Iowa to lose four games and winning out as well as needing Indiana to lose three games, as well as Michigan and Maryland losing.  Uphill, but not impossible.  Their best win is against Michigan at home.  They have a tough schedule, playing at Maryland, Indiana for their only meetings, Michigan at Michigan and Michigan State at Mackey Arena.  They can shoot, with Kendall Stephens and company, and they also have three seven footers, and Caleb Swanigan, who decommited from Michigan State and is a five star freshman with three point range, and are very dangerous.
The next up is 4-3 Ohio State, which will not win the title.  The other is Michigan State, who at 4-4 needs the Hawkeyes to lose five games, which looks doubtful. Could be a threat with Denzel Valentine and Matt Costello to win the Big Ten Tournament and go far in March with Tom Izzo.  It will be a good race for the title.
   

Hawkeyes Stay Hot

The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team has picked right off the football team's success, ripping through Big Ten play without a loss.  Their resume is great right now.  They have the season sweep of the Michigan State Spartans and Purdue Boilermakers, and home wins against the Michigan Wolverines and Nebraska Cornhuskers.  According to RPI, the Hawkeyes have played the toughest conference schedule in America.  They have the best resume in the nation at 16-3 and 7-0 in Big Ten play.

The only other team that is undefeated in conference play is the Indiana Hoosiers.  The thing is, they have played the easiest Power Five conference schedule in the country.  The highest team that the Hoosiers have played in conference is the sixth-placed Ohio State Buckeyes.
It all starts for the Hawkeyes with National Player of the Year candidate Jarrod Uthoff.  This senior has been nothing short of unbelievable.  He has averaged 18.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.  He is only one or two players in America with a stat line like that. He is a nightmare for teams to guard.  He is six foot nine, and he can shoot.  If there's a man in his face, it means nothing.  He will just shoot it over you, whether it's from behind the arc or five feet away in the paint.  He is playing himself into an Iowa Hawkeye great, and a potential first round NBA pick.  He got the thousand points  his career plateau against Rutgers.  He didn't know about it until a reporter asked him, and he said "It doesn't mean anything to me.  I hope that helps your quotes."  Showing he only cares about the team, and is kind of like Marshawn Lynch with the media.
The Hawkeyes start three other seniors, Adam Woodbury, Anthony Clemmons, and Mike Gesell.  They have all been really good, and their experience has helped this Hawkeye team immensely.  They all have the ability to go off, if Uthoff has a bad game, as shown by Gesell and Clemmons twenty point games against Michigan State and Rutgers respectively.  The other starter is junior Peter Jok, who is not only a sharpshooter, he can do work inside.  He was once a coveted recruit, coming over from Sudan, he shined as a player in Des Moines.  He had offers from big programs, but needed surgery, and he is finally fully healthy, and is turning into an elite Big Ten player.  He is showing why he was once a potential five-star recruit, and might be an NBA player.  The Hawkeyes also have a strong bench, usually going nine deep with players such as freshman walk-on Nick Baer and sophomore German Dom Uhl.
The next game is a big one.  They will go on the road on Thursday against currently ranked number seven Maryland Terrapins.  Iowa will most likely be in the top five, maybe even cracking the top three.  Maryland could stay in the top ten.  If Iowa wins this game, they will be way ahead in the Big Ten race.  This is their toughest game left, with at Indiana being the next toughest.  Iowa has played the tougher half of their schedule so far 7-0, which is amazing.  They are on track to earn a top two seed and get to play in Des Moines, which will be two home games.  They will play a small school, and then play a game against a good team. 
Fun Fact: Football, Men's Basketball and wrestling are all ranked in the top ten for the first time since the mid-80's.  Amazing, and all three should have success for a while.  
 

Divisional Round Picks

Chiefs-Patriots

The Chiefs are hurt, and the Patriots are getting healthy.  I have to take the Patriots at home, Tom Brady is an easy pick over Alex Smith.
Patriots 27-21

Packers-Cardinals

The Cardinals won 38-8 in Arizona when they played week 16.  The Cards have Carson Palmer and David Johnson, who be too much for the Pack to handle.  Aaron Rodgers keeps it close. But same venue, same teams and a banged up o-line for Rodgers and a healthy Cards team gives Carson Palmer his first playoff victory.
Cardinals 31-20

Seahawks-Panthers
Two talented and young QB's in Cam Newton and Russell Wilson make this close.  But the Panthers good defense will make more plays than the Legion of Boom.
Panthers 17-13

Steelers-Broncos
The Steelers will be without Antonio Brown, the best receiver in football, and leading rusher DeAngelo Williams. Ben Roethlisberger will play, not at a hundred percent.  The Broncos have noodle armed Peyton Manning, a terrible cold weather and Playoff quarterback.  Manning will throw picks, but the Broncos defense is solid.  The Steelers went for 34 in Week 15 at home, but with a healthy Big Ben, Williams, and Brown.  I would pick the Steelers with Brown, but my homerism isn't great enough to pick them to win.
Broncos 23-20