Last call for the big dance!!

UConn and Kentucky vie for title

UConn will face off with Kentucky for the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball crown in Dallas to finish off another season of college basketball.

Neither team was picked to be here but both have proved they belong through the "madness" of March. UConn benefited from two crucial games close to home at Madison Square Garden en route to Dallas For the title tilt though they will need excellent defense from their back court again to fend off the young Kentucky crew with a penchant for hitting shots in the clutch. UConn does however have a few holdovers from their championship team of the Kemba Walker era and may be poised enough to take the crown from the thoroughbreds. 

Of course I had a Florida-Wisconsin final picked so each team made me look bad in the semi finals. For the championship, I think the Huskies will finally rattle the Wildcats enough to sneak past them for the crown which will be a big coup for the American Conference in its first season of existence.

Prediction: UConn 69 - Kentucky 66

NBL Finals kicking off tonight...

Perth and Adelaide set to battle

Regardless of the sport, when Perth and Adelaide face off, it will be intense. Things will be no different in the 2014 NBL Championship Series.The teams split the season series with Perth's version of a Valentine's Day Massacre highlighting the four matches of the season where each team won twice on their home court. That could be troublesome for Adelaide as the Wildcats hold the home court advantage for the three game series.

Both teams feature scrappy defences and efficient offensive play. The Wildcats rely on the scoring of James Ennis with assistance from three point shooter James Beal and shot blocker Tom Jervis. Adelaide will be led into battle by the scoring and rebounding of Daniel Johnson to go with the ball distribution of Gary Ervin.

I expect it to go to three games in the end.

Prediction: Perth 2-1

There will be a champion in Dallas for a change at the end of the weekend

NCAA down to four!!

The 2014 NCAA tourney is down to it's final four teams and way back at the start I had a Final Four of Florida, Virginia, Wisconsin and Louisville in my Bracket Predictions. Well two out of four with my championship picks alive isn't bad I suppose.

OK...let's predict Saturday's games:

Florida (1) vs UConn (7)

Ok, here we go, UConn has been the latest buzz "team of destiny" and they persevered until now with the good fortune of a few games close to home in Madison Square Garden. There is also a lot of hype about their win over Florida waaayyy back in December.

Yes UConn has been on a great run similar to their last title run of a few years ago but Florida has been on a mission. Also factor in the UConn win over the Gators was on the Huskies' home court. Well to keep my title game picks intact...I have to pick the Gators....but would have probably picked them regardless!!

Florida by 8

Wisconsin (2) vs Kentucky (8)

Here we go with another Kentucky one and done crew that is mega talented. Wisconsin meanwhile has a solid team thatt has a couple of years maturity under their belts.

Opinions on the "one and done" phenomenon vary widely so I will not go into my own diatribe on the topic at the moment. Rather just stick to picking the game. The atmosphere will be daunting for even the most seasoned players let alone five or so freshmen on the court at once. The key will be how quickly the young Wildcats can bounce back from any lulls. 

Wisconsin will be relentless in their attack and will rebound with reckless abandon. Look for my picks of a Florida-Wisconsin final to come true at the end of this one!!

Wisconsin by 5

Enjoy the games and good luck to all....

AFL and NRL weekend tips...

Gotta be better this weekend!

Ouch!! After a 2-6 week for the NRL in Round 4, I can only get better....hopefully!!

On the other side of the coin, I had an 8-1 mark in my Round 2 AFL picks to balance thinngs out prediction wise. 

So for the seasons thus far...I am 15-14 NRL wise and 12-5 for the AFL so....no time for fanfare...straight to the picks:

NRL

Brisbane vs Parramatta

Broncos by 13

Cronulla vs New Zealand

New Zealand by 8

Penrith vs Canberra

Could be one of those last team with the ball wins type of games!!

Penrith by 2

St George vs South Sydney

St George by 4

Melbourne vs Gold Coast

The Storm needs to find a bit of form again....

Melbourne by 22

West Sydney vs Manly

Manly by 6

North Queensland vs Newcastle

NQ by 8

Hoping for a decent round from the above....

AFL

Hawthorne vs Fremantle

Hawthorne by 14

Western Bulldogs vs Richmond

Richmond by 26

Adelaide vs Sydney

Pretty much a coin flip!!

Sydney by 10

Gold Coast vs Brisbane

Gold Coast by 16

Collingwood vs Geelong

Geelong by 28

West Coast vs St Kilda

West Coast by 32

Greater Western Sydney vs Melbourne

GWS by 22

North Melbourne vs Port Adelaide

Port Adelaide by 14

Essendon vs Carlton

The woes continue for the Blues....and I love it!!

Essendon by 18

That will be all until next week.....