« Games To Watch - 12/19/07 | Main | The MRI vs. The World, 2007-8 »
December 20, 2007
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%
MRI #16 Gonzaga at Oklahoma: Gonzaga continues what is their annual trip all over the country tonight. Oklahoma is surprising early but there is still some doubt whether they can continue this well as they head into their Big XII season. A win against Gonzaga could go a long way towards showing they are real contenders. The MRI thinks that Gonzaga will challenge that "statement" from Oklahoma.
MRI Predicts: Gonzaga Confidence Factor: 51.02%
MRI #1 Duke vs. MRI #10 Pittsburgh in New York: By far the best game of the night, and it will mean the end to one team's perfect season. Duke has defied the odds and won without a strong interior presence by pressing and shooting well. They have also spread the ball around a lot better than they have in the past. Pittsburgh is a different team now that Aaron Gray is not taking up the middle. They still have a nice freshman in the middle in DeJuan Blair, but instead of being dependent on the inside game, they also spread the ball around to get shots from all over the floor. Duke has a "home court advantage" in this one as they have been 15-5 at Madison Square Garden since Coach K took over all those years ago. Look for the better shooting of Duke mean the difference in this one.
MRI Predicts: Duke Confidence Factor: 59.13%
MRI Stats:
Yesterday: 39 - 12
This Season: 599 - 216, 73.50%
All Time: 12286 - 4818, 71.83%
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 December 20, 2007 11:28 AM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.mrisports.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/531