NBA Player of the Week - 17 Nov

There were a lot of great players last night in the best matchup of the season so far, between the Grizzlies and the Knicks. Last week's player of the week, Carmelo Anthony, put up another 20 points, and Memphis' entire front line scored at least 17 points each, but one player stood out in that game and over the past week in total, and that player is:

Zach Randolph

Randolph had his worst season in a decade last year after battling various injuries, but he is back at full strength and leading the best team in the NBA, as proven by last night's victory over the previously undefeated New York Knicks. Memphis has now won 7 straight after an opening night loss to the Clippers, and this week has been especially impressive, with 3 wins against Miami, Oklahoma City, and New York, a virtual murderer's row of opponents. Despite the quality of those foes, Randolph was solid in each game, putting up double-doubles in each, including 20 points and 15 rebounds last night. He also shot over 50% from the field in each victory and missed only one free throw in 13 attempts, and has led the Grizzlies in rebounding in every game this season.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA

Toronto at Boston - Celtics by 6
Utah at Washington - Jazz by 5
Memphis at Charlotte - Grizzlies by 19
Dallas at Cleveland - Cavaliers by 1
New Orleans at Milwaukee - Bucks by 11
Denver at San Antonio - Spurs by 9
Chicago at LA Clippers - Clippers by 15
Miami at Phoenix - Heat by 12

College Basketball

(4) Ohio State vs. Rhode Island - Buckeyes by 32
Samford at (17) Memphis - Tigers by 34
Jacksonville State at (18) UNLV - Rebels by 21
(20) Notre Dame vs. BYU - Fighting Irish by 13
(25) San Diego State at Missouri State - Bears by 1
Florida State vs. Saint Joseph's - Hawks by 18
Davidson at Milwaukee - Wildcats by 21
North Dakota at Northern Iowa - Panthers by 19
Oakland at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 31
New Mexico State vs. Bucknell - Bison by 10

Prediction Results

NBA: 4-5 (.444) 83-46 overall (.643)
Upsets: 2-2 (.500) 17-13 overall (.567)
College Basketball: 8-2 (.800) 76-13 overall (.854)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 4-5 overall (.444)

NBA Player of the Week - 11 Nov

Technically, we've had about a week and a half so far this season, but with Brooklyn playing only one game in week one due to Hurricane Sandy, I decided to combine the first two weeks together in choosing my first player of the week and early-season MVP candidate. There were a lot of good candidates, but the top player so far is:

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo Anthony is my choice as the top player of the season so far for several reasons. The first is that his New York Knicks are the only undefeated team left in the NBA, despite Amare Stoudemire being out with knee problems again and all 4 of its games being against playoff teams from last season. Carmelo has been steady in each game, with his best performance against Miami when he scored 30 points and grabbed 10 boards, but he's scored at least 21 in each game so far and has just taken over as the league scoring leader as well. He is also averaging over a block a game, which is something he has never done before in his 10-year NBA career. We always knew he was great on offense, but if he can stay respectable on defense and keep his Knicks winning, we could be looking at your next MVP.

Predictions

Upset picks are in italics.

NBA Sunday

Orlando at Brooklyn - Nets by 21

Atlanta at LA Clippers - Clippers by 10

Miami at Memphis - Grizzlies by 1

Cleveland at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 14

Sacramento at LA Lakers - Lakers by 16

College Basketball

Sunday

Manhattan at (2) Louisville - Cardinals by 10

Albany at (4) Ohio State - Buckeyes by 31

(9) Syracuse at (20) San Diego State - Aztecs by 5

Alabama State at (10) Florida - Gators by 46

Florida Atlantic at (11) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 18

Charleston Southern at (12) Arizona - Wildcats by 6

Jackson State at (19) Baylor - Bears by 38

Southeast Louisiana at (23) Wisconsin - Badgers by 36

Tennessee-Martin at (24) Cincinnati - Bearcats by 40

New Mexico State at Oregon State - Beavers by 23

Monday

North Dakota State at (1) Indiana - Hoosiers by 23

IUPUI at (5) Michigan - Wolverines by 21

North Florida at (17) Memphis - Tigers by 19

Northern Arizona at (18) UNLV - Rebels by 24

West Virginia at (21) Gonzaga - Bulldogs by 20

Monmouth at (22) Notre Dame - Fighting Irish by 22

Buffalo at (25) Florida State - Seminoles by 2

Lamar at Kansas State - Wildcats by 48

Yale at Saint Joseph's - Hawks by 28

Davidson at New Mexico - Wildcats by 2

Toledo at Minnesota - Golden Gophers by 31

Oglethorpe at Mercer - Bears

Fordham at Pittsburgh - Panthers by 30

Prediction Results

NBA: 7-2 (.778) 58-30 (.659)

Upsets: 3-0 (1.000) 11-7 (.611)

College Basketball: 24-4 (.857)

Upsets: 2-3 (.400)