May 13, 2008
Tragedy at the Derby - sorting the hype from the truth
As if the happenings of another Presidential Election year couldn’t remind us enough, this past week the sporting world help demonstrate just how much many people in this country can use a loud voice to divide and blame rather than work together to work on real change.
Last Saturday, the 2008 Kentucky Derby saw both an amazing and tragic performance – unfortunately from the same horse. While winner Big Brown saw an exceptional performance, his victory was overshadowed by the strong place (2nd) finish of Eight Belles and her subsequent death after breaking both her front ankles on the cooldown.
What followed in the national press the following couple days was a barrage of misinformation and hype that misused the opportunity to move the horse racing industry on a continued train of horse safety improvement. The ‘accuse now, find out the reality later’ mentality left innocent people in the crossfire for no legitimate reason.
Continue reading "Tragedy at the Derby - sorting the hype from the truth"
Posted by chahn at 8:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 14, 2008
MRI 2007 - Week 7: Welcome Memphis to the contenders
If North Carolina is separating from the pack, then we might just want to focus on the battle for #2. Memphis closed in on #2 Kansas this week, now making the spread very tight between the two.
Xavier managed to hold strong at #4 while UCLA lurks just behind at #5.
Taking a tumble out of the top 25 this week was Syracuse who fell from #17 to #42, which in this season of parity could be very damaging for the Orange. Every close game, close loss, can hurt your chances at this point, because climbing back up into the mix is going to just get tougher. The Orange are hanging just in the field now, but as we have seen in the past, that is no guarantee.
Check out all the rankings in Week 7 of the MRI.
Continue reading "MRI 2007 - Week 7: Welcome Memphis to the contenders"
Posted by bmiraski at 10:41 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 7, 2008
MRI 2007 - Week 6: North Carolina Separates
North Carolina continues its reign at the top of the MRI after two weeks of games and extends its lead over Kansas at #2.
Memphis, Xavier and UCLA move into the top 5 after strong weeks, especially in the case of the Musketeers of Xavier. They had the biggest gain over the two week span, blowing out every team that they faced.
Check out all the ratings in Week 6 of the MRI.
Continue reading "MRI 2007 - Week 6: North Carolina Separates"
Posted by bmiraski at 7:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
January 2, 2008
The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8, Part 4
It looks as if we have our winner in the MRI vs. the World contest. No matter what happens over the last 5 games of the bowl season, a champion has been crowned. And we should all be ashamed.
Colin Cowherd has won the MRI vs. The World contest.
I can't believe it myself. When the Schwab was replaced, I thought that this was the year for someone to take away the crown. Yet, not so much.
Give ESPN some credit here. They have consistently had very good picks in the Fan Challenge and it makes it very hard for anyone else to win the MRI vs. The World Challenge when they do so well.
On the other hand, it was not a good showing so far from the boys at CBS. And I don't just mean last place, I mean last place by a big margin. Oh well, CBS, you can't win them all, and if you picked better, well, maybe you wouldn't be working at CBS.
Just a reminder that our lineup of Bowl Experts comes from the following list:
CBS Experts (Darst, Dodd, Harmon): Listed Here
Congrove Computer: Listed Here
Pat Forde (ESPN.com): Listed Here
Bruce Feldman (ESPN): Insider Article on ESPN, 1st Half Picks, 2nd Half
Colin Cowherd (Replacing The Schwab): Listed Here
Erick Smith (USA Today): Listed Here
Tulsa World Picker (Crazy Cartoon Hero): Part 1 Listed Here, Part 2 Listed Here (No TCU-Houston Pick), Part 3
The Fiesta Bowl
Why to watch?: Even without a coach, there is still a strong team in West Virginia. But I say that with the caveat that Pat White must play the entire game. This is probably the fastest defense they have seen all season, so expect a short lull for them at the beginning of the game. Oklahoma is, well, Oklahoma, and wants a shot at showing the AP voters that maybe they deserve another look.
Oklahoma: The MRI, Harmon, Darst, Dodd, Congrove, Forde, Feldman, Cowherd, Smith, Picker, The World (87%)
West Virginia: None
The Orange Bowl
Why to watch?: Maybe Kansas is better than we thought. They managed to come back against Missouri when they were down and almost completed that miracle. Virginia Tech is no scoring machine like Missouri. How many kicks will the Hokies block and return for TDs in this one?
Kansas: The MRI, Darst, Picker
Virginia Tech: Harmon, Dodd, Congrove, Forde, Feldman, Cowherd, Smith, The World (77%)
Continue reading "The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8, Part 4"
Posted by bmiraski at 9:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 31, 2007
The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8, Part 3
Things have tightened up in the MRI vs. The World challenge this season. Instead of a few entrants running away with the whole thing, we have most of the entrants running away from the CBS talking heads.
Aside from the Congrove Computer, which has 13 points and leads the contest, there are 8 entries within three bowl wins. With enough discrepancy over the final week of games, this contest is still anyone's game. That is, anyone but Dennis Dodd and Darin Darst.
Just a reminder that our lineup of Bowl Experts comes from the following list:
CBS Experts (Darst, Dodd, Harmon): Listed Here
Congrove Computer: Listed Here
Pat Forde (ESPN.com): Listed Here
Bruce Feldman (ESPN): Insider Article on ESPN, 1st Half Picks, 2nd Half
Colin Cowherd (Replacing The Schwab): Listed Here
Erick Smith (USA Today): Listed Here
Tulsa World Picker (Crazy Cartoon Hero): Part 1 Listed Here, Part 2 Listed Here (No TCU-Houston Pick)
These predictions take us into the new year and our last installment will be January 2nd with the close-out of the contest.
The Armed Forces Bowl
Why to watch?: Cal wins for the most disappointing team this season, not any of those schools in Florida. This is their last chance to prove that they were better than they showed.
Air Force: The MRI, Darst, Dodd, Forde, Feldman, Smith, Picker
Cal: Harmon, Congrove, Cowherd, The World (74%)
The Humanitarian Bowl
Why to watch?: The Blue turf will complement the gold and red of the Georgia Tech and Fresno State uniforms so nicely. This is Georgia Tech's chance to see if they can break the streak of teams without a coach losing.
Georgia Tech: The MRI, Harmon, Dodd, Congrove, Cowherd, Smith, Picker, The World (71%)
Fresno State: Darst, Forde, Feldman, Smith
Continue reading "The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8, Part 3"
Posted by bmiraski at 12:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 28, 2007
Games To Watch - 12/28/07
It has been over a week since the last Games to Watch article. That week was one that saw the downing of a number of our top teams in their first losses of the season.
Fridays don't normally bring us much in terms of Games to Watch, and likely won't have us losing any undefeateds, but it does have some interesting games on tap.
Let's check out what exactly those might be.
Delaware State at MRI #20 Xavier: Xavier has had a rough stretch lately (losses to Tennessee and a big MOV loss to Arizona State) and has fallen from their #1 MRI spot all the way to #20. Facing Delaware State should be a remedy to what ails them.
MRI Predicts: Xavier Confidence Factor: 94.22%
St. Joseph's at Siena: Two teams which could emerge as contenders in their conferences. St. Joe's has the benefit of the Atlantic 10 being slightly stronger and potentially up for multiple bids. They would still have to overcome a rocky start to the season, but conference season has a way of separating the best teams from the pack. Siena doesn't have any the advantage of the stronger league. That makes this all the more important for the Saints to win at home.
MRI Predicts: Siena Confidence Factor: 70.76%
Continue reading "Games To Watch - 12/28/07"
Posted by bmiraski at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 27, 2007
The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8, Part 2
It has been a strong start to the Bowl season for the MRI. Despite taking a loss picking Boise State (along with "The World" and all of the experts) the MRI has held its own and is among the leaders in the race for the Bowl trophy this season.
Just a reminder that our lineup of Bowl Experts comes from the following list:
CBS Experts (Darst, Dodd, Harmon): Listed Here
Congrove Computer: Listed Here
Pat Forde (ESPN.com): Listed Here
Bruce Feldman (ESPN): Insider Article on ESPN, 1st Half Picks, 2nd Half
Colin Cowherd (Replacing The Schwab): Listed Here
Erick Smith (USA Today): Listed Here
Tulsa World Picker (Crazy Cartoon Hero): Part 1 Listed Here, Part 2 Listed Here (No TCU-Houston Pick)
And now for the next set of games, games that will take us through December 30th. Our next update will come on New Year's Eve and should define who has the inside track to the trophy this season.
The Holiday Bowl
Why to watch?: Arizona State is looking for a reason to be happy after not making a BCS bowl game. Maybe the Wii they got for playing this one will help. Beating an underperforming Texas squad sure will.
Arizona State: The MRI, Darst, Dodd, Forde, Cowherd, Smith, Picker, The World (54%)
Texas: Harmon, Congrove, Feldman
The Champs Sports Bowl
Why to watch?: Catholics vs. Convicts, the couch burning version. Biggest test here is if Michigan State can overcome what seems to be a brain deficiency when it gets cold outside. Boston College might be too good for that.
Boston College: The MRI, Harmon, Darst, Congrove, Forde, Feldman, Cowherd, Smith, Picker, The World (91%)
Michigan State: Dodd
Continue reading "The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8, Part 2"
Posted by bmiraski at 11:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 26, 2007
MRI 2007 - Week 5: North Carolina #1 in a 3rd Poll
With the holidays here, game slates are smaller, but in some cases more important. This week saw Duke, Clemson, and Georgetown all lose their first games of the year, and all of those losses came in games against other undefeated teams.
Nroth Carolina took advantage of some of these slips to jump to the #1 spot this week, unseating Kansas. The two teams have separated themselves from the pack a little and now have a nice lead on #3 Wisconsin.
Rounding out the top 5 are Texas A&M and West Virginia.
With the short week, the next MRI will be published on January 7th. That also corresponds with the start of my return to school books at Northwestern. As a result, I am not sure how often the MRI website will be updated with Games to Watch, or other articles. However, I will do my best to keep you updated with your favorite numerical rankings.
But, until then, you can check out all the rankings in week 5 of the MRI.
Continue reading "MRI 2007 - Week 5: North Carolina #1 in a 3rd Poll"
Posted by bmiraski at 5:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 20, 2007
The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8
It is Bowl Time again, which means the MRI will again be taking on The World, consisting of Expert picks around the Internet, and the all important fan vote, taken from FanIQ.com.
Last season's champion is gone. The Schwab more than proved himself worthy over the two years he was a part of the MRI's competition and has retired from picking. In his place is someone I know a lot of the Internet loves to hate, Colin Cowherd. Judging from Cowherd's picks, he will end up around the same score as Dennis Dodd, who again proved that he likes to go against the grain and pick a little on the wild side.
Here is this year's lineup of challengers to the MRI:
CBS Experts (Darst, Dodd, Harmon): Listed Here
Congrove Computer: Listed Here
Pat Forde (ESPN.com): Listed Here
Bruce Feldman (ESPN): Insider Article on ESPN, 1st Half Picks
Colin Cowherd (Replacing The Schwab): Listed Here
Erick Smith (USA Today): Listed Here
Tulsa World Picker (Crazy Cartoon Hero): Part 1 Listed Here
This first listing will take us through all of the picks up until December 26th, the day after Christmas, when the picks for the next set will again be published. Good luck to all of the challengers again in this year's challenge.
The Poinsettia Bowl
Why to watch?: Triple Option games are fun! Utah's defense is fun-ner.
Utah: The MRI, Harmon, Dodd, Congrove, Forde, Feldman, Smith, Picker, The World (70%)
Navy: Darst, Cowherd
The New Orleans Bowl
Why to watch?: Friday nights are a bad NCAA basketball night.
Florida Atlantic: The MRI, Darst, Dodd, Congrove, Forde, Cowherd, Picker
Memphis: Harmon, Feldman, Smith, The World (65%)
Continue reading "The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8"
Posted by bmiraski at 1:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Games To Watch - 12/20/07
Maybe I should put a call out to Wofford in every edition of Games to Watch when they play. The Terriers came through last night with one of the three biggest numerical upsets of the year so far in the MRI by beating Purdue at in West Lafayette. It was a game that went back and forth throughout the night. Two big reasons for the success of Wofford was their shooting from beyond the arc, and staying close on the rebounding margin. The win was only Wofford's second Division 1 victory of the season.
Ohio also came through on the road in Hawaii. The game was close as the numbers from the MRI thought it would be. If only the MRI had been correct on that game. Overall, still a good night for the MRI. Let's look at tonight with a slightly smaller slate of games.
DePaul vs. MRI #19 Mississippi in Puerto Rico: Mississippi is on the road in Puerto Rico, and maybe that will be the turning point in their season so far. They seemed to have stalled in the MRI, not able to make up much ground and climb the rankings, but still holding onto the numbers which make them the best team in the SEC. Will facing a team from a BCS conference for the first time this season make a difference and give the Rebs their first loss? The MRI seems to think it is unlikely.
MRI Predicts: Mississippi Confidence Factor: 78.71%
Continue reading "Games To Watch - 12/20/07"
Posted by bmiraski at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 19, 2007
Games To Watch - 12/19/07
Things basically went as planned last night, with only five losses for the MRI out of 32 games. The biggest shocker was South Carolina Upstate getting their first Division 1 win of the season. Other than that, the most surprising victory might have been Mount St. Mary's taking out Winthrop. Given the way things have gone for Winthrop and Davidson this season, maybe we are seeing a rotation of the powers at the low major level.
Big slate of games tonight. Let's see where the MRI stands.
MRI #11 Memphis at Cincinnati: Remember when this was one of the biggest games in Conference USA? Not anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if Memphis won by about 30.
MRI Predicts: Memphis Confidence Factor: 70.69%
Wofford at Purdue: Purdue might also win this game by 30. If you want a sleeper surprise team in the early going this season it might be the Boilermakers. It is too bad they will beat up on the MRI's mascot team tonight.
MRI Predicts: Purdue Confidence Factor: 92.03%
Continue reading "Games To Watch - 12/19/07"
Posted by bmiraski at 11:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 18, 2007
Games To Watch - 12/18/07
Monday night didn't bring us much to watch, hence the lack of a Games to Watch last night. The biggest news in the MRI world came in two games last night.
Duke easily brought down Albany. That win moved them back to the #2 spot in the MRI. I mentioned in yesterday's ratings release that Duke's strength over the early part of the season was a major reason that they were still in the top 5 after not playing for an entire week. Last night served almost as a scrimmage for Thursday's big game against Pittsburgh. Duke currently has a 59.15% chance of winning that game, at the "neutral" site of Madison Square Garden. I quote neutral because Duke has a ridiculous record at MSG, which could work in their favor.
The second game of interest in the MRI last night was the loss by the Southland's Texas Arlington to TCU. The loss was the first of the year for UT-Arlington and dropped them from #46 to #59 in the MRI. That doesn't seem like much, but UT-Arlington needed every victory they could prior to conference season beginning. Positioning themselves higher in the MRI and other statistical rankings was almost the only way that the team could remain on the radar for an at large bid come March. It is a possibility that UT-Arlington could get back in the mix, but the bottom half of the conference will definitely pull down the Mavericks as they continue to play out the season (and likely win a majority of the games).
There remain 13 teams without a loss this season, and there are still 13 teams without a Division 1 victory.
On to tonight:
Southern Illinois at Western Michigan: Another test for Southern Illinois. I am not sure what to think at this point about the Salukis given they crazy season to date. The win over St. Mary's was impressive, and could have Southern Illinois back on track. The game at Western Michigan tonight is a big deal to both teams. The MRI slightly leans toward the Salukis on the road.
MRI Predicts: Southern Illinois Confidence Factor: 52.26%
Continue reading "Games To Watch - 12/18/07"
Posted by bmiraski at 2:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 17, 2007
MRI 2007 - Week 4: Rock Chalk Flies To #1
All it took was a less than stellar week for Xavier and the "X' no longer guard the top spot in the MRI. After a close win against Cincinnati - always expected in the rivalry series - Xavier went down to Arizona State in crushing fashion. The Sun Devils, who looked anything but good in Maui to start the season, showed that Xavier might be a decent team, but they are no #1. The Musketeers fell to #12 in the latest rankings.
So, who is the new #1? Remember that Ohio team which pulled the MRI's predicted upset over Maryland earlier in the week? No, they aren't #1, but they did get blown out of the gym by the new front runner. Kansas took Ohio to task on Friday, winning 88-51. The Kansas squad, which was a little inconsistent in the early season, had no problems with what should be one of the best teams in the MAC, and one of the best mid-majors in the country. The halftime score was 46-20, and things didn't get any prettier from there.
One reason for the Kansas surge is the return to health of much of their rotation. Brandon Rush made his first start of the season, and Sherron Collins made only his second appearance of the year in the rout. This was a highly thought of team going into the season, and if this is how they will play at full strength, it might be a while until we see another team at #1 in the MRI.
Pulling into the #2 spot is North Carolina, who quietly sneaked up the rankings and jumps from a #5 showing last week. North Carolina is my pick to win it all this season assuming they stay healthy. That is always an issue with the Tar Heels, especially in the grueling ACC season. Tyler Hansbrough is probably glad the ACC season is still a few weeks away, if he can even remember that. Hansbrough suffered a concussion in a win against Rutgers on Sunday. That can't be a good sign with the banging that he takes under the hoop.
Still at #3 is that pesky Wisconsin team which keeps hanging around despite two losses already this season. They polished off two system schools this week. They are off until facing Valpo on Saturday. After that, another week will pass until we see what they can do against rising star Texas.
Speaking of rising stars, West Virginia, under Bob Huggins is making a name for themselves in the MRI this season. The Mountaineers are a basket away from a perfect season, and while the rankings are not yet giving them notice, the rest of the country sure is. They have a chance to continue their winning ways against Radford and Canisius this week.
Rounding out the top 5 is Duke who had the week off. It is a testament to their season so far that a week off the court led to an erosion of the MRI score of only 0.15 points and three places. While normal teams might have dropped 5-10 places, the Blue Devils appear to have staying power at the top. They warm up against Albany tonight before the anticipated game against Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
Check out all the rankings in Week 4 of the MRI.
Continue reading "MRI 2007 - Week 4: Rock Chalk Flies To #1"
Posted by bmiraski at 4:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 14, 2007
Games To Watch - 12/14/07
Neither of the undefeateds went down last night. Winthrop couldn't pull off the upset over Mississippi and Mississippi State lacked the drive to get it done against Miami.
Maybe we shouldn't count Miami out in the ACC this season. They seem to be among the teams playing consistent basketball that is lacking from normally steady Boston College and Maryland.
Slow Friday slate as is typical for this time of year. Only 3 Division 1 games and only one to keep a small eye one.
Drake at Iowa: I talked about Drake in my rant yesterday. The fast start could be bolstered by a win over Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been inconsistent to say the least. After four straight wins to open the season against less than stellar competition, Iowa followed with four straight losses, including a loss to Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. That was a game that should have gone to the Big Ten. They also lost to Louisiana-Monroe in that stretch and that shouldn't be happening to anyone in the Big Ten, even Northwestern. But then there were two straight wins including one at Northern Iowa, which seemed to signal they were back, until dropping one to Iowa State three days later. Who knows what Iowa will show up tonight. They are catching Drake at the wrong time. This is a team with a lot to prove prior to the Missouri Valley season when a lot of the games will "disappear" from the public eye unless someone is on a huge run.
MRI Predicts: Drake Confidence Factor: 66.84%
MRI Stats:
Yesterday: 10-2
This Season: 432 - 173, 71.40%
All Time: 12119 - 4775, 71.74%
The MRI is a computer basketball ranking system. It has been picking games since 2003. Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com
Posted by bmiraski at 11:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
December 13, 2007
Games To Watch - 12/13/07
Calling the ACC. Time to reassert that you are the best basketball conference in America. That means not losing to Massachusetts. That means not losing to Ohio.
Granted both of those losses last night were by teams which weren't among the "elite" this season, such as Duke or North Carolina. I still thought that Boston College was showing something more than what they had against Massachusetts. Guess not.
My beef for the day is that the ESPNU College Basketball Podcast is stealing my thunder here. Their lead offs and final shots over the last two weeks have covered material you would have heard about first in the MRI by reading Games to Watch. Topics have been about Xavier, about the WAC, and some teams to keep an eye on for Selection Sunday that would come out of the smaller conferences. Just remember you heard it here first that the Colonial will be lucky to get two teams this year, and should be happy with a single berth. Just remember that you heard about Duquesne and the possible resurgence of the Atlantic 10. Just remember that you saw Drake in the Top 25 of the MRI during week 3 when they start to win a few games in conference later.
So with that, I am stealing one of their items which shouldn't be news. Davidson has long been a name to worry about when it appears on your schedule. They routinely put scares into the North Carolinas and Dukes of the world. They are in the upper echelon of teams which come from the bottom third of conferences.
In years past, they have done everything they can, including winning a few of those big name games, and going undefeated in the conference regular season. Still, if they slip up during the conference tournament in the Southern conference they lose out on a bid in the tournament, even though they might be better than the 7th team out of a power conference. So they year, they went out and scheduled the heck out of things. Look at the schedule to date: At North Carolina, At Western Michigan (probably one of the best MAC teams), at Duke, at Charlotte (surprisingly decent this season), at UCLA. That is a road warrior's nightmare schedule. Predictably, they lost all five of those games. And so Davidson has a very un-Davidson-like 2-5 record against Division 1 teams. They are still the class of the Southern conference though. They continue that season tonight, already with a win over Appalachian State under they belt.
The Citadel at Davidson
MRI Predicts: Davidson Confidence Factor: 91.96%
In other MRI action, we get a chance to see two teams without losses take a fall tonight.
Continue reading "Games To Watch - 12/13/07"
Posted by bmiraski at 11:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
