Weekend Sports Prediction Round 2

Much to my surprise, I successfully picked 4 out of 5 games last weekend. I’ve already celebrated my success and I am ready to move on to the next round of picks; but first I must respond to a comment from last weekend’s column. Kperry said…”The Vikings were robbed”. With all due respect, Kperry aka Krista “the Pear” Perry, the Vikings were not robbed they were “Favred.” We have all seen this ending before and should not be surprised with the way the game finished. The same script played out not too long ago in Green Bay, when Favre dashed the hopes of the Packer faithful by throwing a similar interception, which set up the Giant’s game winning field goal in overtime of the 2007 NFC Championship Game. For all us non-Favre lovers and/or bitter Packer fans, we could not have asked for a better ending. A Viking’s loss and a monumental Favre interception will surely keep us satisfied for quite some time. Well, at least until next year after he decides to retire, holds a tear filled press conference, only to unretire after all his teammates have gone through their OTAs and minicamps.

I’ll get on with my picks for this weekend. For the most part these are pretty straight forward, as the match ups this weekend don’t provide for too many upsets.

Northwestern at Michigan State: The Wildcats could really use a victory over a top ranked team to help support their ever dwindling argument that they deserve to make their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010. However, this is unlikely to happen as it is being played in East Lansing. I do expect NW to keep it close as Sparty may be looking ahead to road trips to Wisconsin and Purdue. MSU 68 vs. NW 58

Kansas at Kansas State: Manhattan, Kansas will be hosting the College Game Day crew this weekend, which should pump up the KState fans even more. I’d expect to see a very raucous crowd, which will complement Frank Martin’s ferocity and intensity on the sidelines. Look for the Wildcats to come out blazing but Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins will be too much to handle over the course of 40 minutes. KU 72 vs. KSU 66

Duke at Georgetown: Duke barely tested itself on the road during the non-conference season and it showed. The Dukies lost their first two road conference games but have bounced back with some nice wins. JTIII has loosened the reigns a bit on his Princeton style offense and his players are rewarding him for that decision. Look for Georgetown to take advantage at the small forward/forward positions. This is a chance for Greg Monroe to show the nation why he is one of the most talented big men in the country. Hoya Saxa. GU 69 vs. Duke 64. Side note: George I hope you are going to this game. The UW vs. Duke game was one of the best sporting events I have ever attended. Seeing Coach K and Duke in person is amazing.

Florida at Tennessee: I’ll make this one short and sweet. I expect Florida to take down Tennessee at Rocky Top. Playing without 4 scholarship players is starting to catch up to the ‘Vols. Bruce Pearl will bring the intensity but it won’t be enough this weekend. UF 68 vs. UT 56

Minnesota at Ohio State: Ohio State and Evan Turner will roll in this one. The Gophers have been underachieving all year and have way too many off the court issues to pull off an upset. (I know this will come back to bite me in the butt when Bucky heads up to the Twin Cities, but I got to call them as I see them, right?) OSU 71 vs. UM 57

NFC vs. AFC: The Pro Bowl is this weekend in Miami and will be the first time since 1980 that it was played anywhere but Hawaii. The game is also being played the week before the Super Bowl, which should increase viewer interest a little bit. Well, maybe not but at least it is not at the end of February when everyone has forgotten about football and gearing up for March Madness. I really have no clue which players are participating on Sunday or what pro bowlers made up injuries so they can get out of this commitment. However, I did catch a glance of a Chicago Bear helmet when they flashed to a Pro Bowl practice on ESPN. Any team with a Bear player on it is destined to win. NFC 35 vs. AFC 27

Bet the House,

The Bean Spiller