NBA Rankings - 3 Feb

The hottest team of the week is one that is projected to finish #10 in the West, but if they are able to keep up the momentum from their two big wins this week, the Utah Jazz could see themselves sneaking into the playoffs, especially with Blake Griffin gone from LA and DeMarcus Cousins out for the season in New Orleans. Here are my full current rankings and playoff picks:

				Rec		Proj
TW	LW	Team	Rating	W	L	W	L	MOV	SOS	PO Seed
1	1	Golden State	-8.56	41	11	64	18	1	8	W1
2	2	Houston	-7.76	37	13	60	22	2	26	W2
3	3	Toronto	-7.31	35	16	58	24	3	23	E1
4	4	Boston	-4.71	38	15	56	26	4	30	E2
5	5	Minnesota	-4.3	33	22	50	32	5	16	W3
6	6	Oklahoma City	-3.82	30	23	47	35	6	21	W5
7	8	San Antonio	-3.23	34	20	49	33	7	27	W4
8	7	Philadelphia	-2.83	25	24	45	37	10	2	E4
9	9	Denver	-2.56	27	25	43	39	9	24	W8
10	13	Washington	-2.05	29	22	45	37	8	29	E6
11	11	Portland	-1.75	29	23	44	38	11	22	W6
12	18	Utah	-1.57	23	28	40	42	17	1
13	10	New Orleans	-1.54	28	23	44	38	13	11	W7
14	12	Indiana	-1.17	29	24	43	39	12	28	E7
15	15	Charlotte	-1.1	22	29	38	44	16	20
16	16	LA Clippers	-0.97	25	25	41	41	15	19
17	17	Cleveland	-0.73	30	20	46	36	14	25	E3
18	19	Miami	-0.54	29	23	45	37	18	13	E5
19	14	Detroit	-0.49	24	26	40	42	19	9
20	20	Milwaukee	-0.27	28	23	43	39	20	18	E8
21	22	New York	0.75	23	30	36	46	21	12
22	21	Dallas	0.765	16	36	29	53	22	4
23	24	Memphis	1.687	18	33	30	52	23	10
24	23	LA Lakers	1.998	20	31	32	50	24	7
25	25	Brooklyn	2.642	19	34	30	52	25	15
26	28	Orlando	3.307	15	35	27	55	26	5
27	26	Chicago	3.392	18	33	29	53	27	6
28	27	Atlanta	3.941	15	37	25	57	28	17
29	29	Phoenix	5.524	18	35	25	57	29	14
30	30	Sacramento	6.169	16	35	24	58	30	3

Playoff Picks

First Round

(1) Raptors over (8) Bucks
(2) Celtics over (7) Pacers
(6) Wizards over (3) Cavaliers
(4) 76ers over (5) Heat
(1) Warriors over (8) Nuggets
(2) Rockets over (7) Pelicans
(3) Timberwolves over (6) Trail Blazers
(5) Thunder over (4) Spurs

Second Round

(1) Raptors over (4) 76ers
(2) Celtics over (6) Wizards
(1) Warriors over (5) Thunder
(2) Rockets over (3) Timberwolves

Conference Finals

(1) Raptors over (2) Celtics
(2) Rockets over (1) Warriors

NBA Finals

(1) Raptors over (2) Rockets

Basketball Predictions - 3 Feb

Upset picks are in italics.
Pick of the Day in bold.

Chicago at LA Clippers - Clippers by 6.5
Miami at Detroit - Pistons by 2
Philadelphia at Indiana - Pacers by 0.5
Washington at Orlando - Wizards by 3
Houston at Cleveland - Rockets by 5
New Orleans at Minnesota - Timberwolves by 5.5
Utah at San Antonio - Spurs by 4.5
Golden State at Denver - Warriors by 3.5
Dallas at Sacramento - Mavericks by 3

(4) Duke at St. John's - Blue Devils by 10
Oklahoma State at (7) Kansas - Jayhawks by 14.5
(8) Cincinnati at Connecticut - Bearcats by 9.5
Notre Dame at NC State - Wolfpack by 3.5
Houston at UCF - Cougars by 1.5
DePaul at Butler - Bulldogs by 15.5
Toledo at Akron - Rockets by 3.5
Ball State at Eastern Michigan - Eagles by 2.5
Furman at Citadel - Paladins by 9.5
Binghamton at Maine - Black Bears by 0.5
(10) Texas Tech at TCU - Horned Frogs by 3.5
(20) Clemson at Wake Forest - Tigers by 3
(21) Kentucky at Missouri - Tigers by 3
Miami at Virginia Tech - Hokies by 5
South Carolina at Texas A&M - Aggies by 10
Memphis at East Carolina - Tigers by 5
Denver at Fort Wayne - Mastodons by 9
Missouri State at Loyola-Chicago - Ramblers by 9.5
Dayton at Massachusetts - Minutemen by 1.5
Fairleigh Dickinson at Robert Morris - Colonials by 8.5
Jacksonville State at SIU-Edwardsville - Gamecocks by 7
Fresno State at Wyoming - Cowboys by 3.5
Boston U at Lehigh - Mountain Hawks by 2.5
Liberty at Longwood - Flames by 7.5
Radford at Winthrop - Eagles by 8.5
Minnesota at (24) Michigan - Wolverines by 12.5
Providence at Marquette - Golden Eagles by 6.5
Idaho State at Southern Utah - Thunderbirds by 3
South Dakota at North Dakota State - Coyotes by 1
Oral Roberts at Western Illinois - Leathernecks by 3
Louisiana at UL Monroe - Ragin Cajuns by 8.5
American at Army - Black Knights by 14.5
Northern Kentucky at Cleveland State - Norse by 11.5
Charleston Southern at Gardner-Webb - Bulldogs by 6
Arkansas at LSU - Tigers by 3.5
Kent State at Bowling Green - Falcons by 2.5
Central Michigan at Ohio - Bobcats by 2.5
Central Connecticut at Sacred Heart - Pioneers by 3
(2) Virginia at Syracuse - Cavaliers by 5
(3) Purdue at Rutgers - Boilermakers by 13
Kansas State at (15) West Virginia - Mountaineers by 8.5
Alabama at (23) Florida - Gators by 10.5
Florida State at Louisville - Cardinals by 5.5
Loyola Marymount at Portland - Pilots by 4
Chattanooga at East Tennessee State - Buccaneers by 20
Texas A&M-CC at Incarnate Word - Cardinals by 2.5
Evansville at Illinois State - Redbirds by 5
Indiana State at Northern Iowa - Panthers by 6
Davidson at George Washington - Wildcats by 6
Saint Joseph's at La Salle - Explorers by 4.5
LIU Brooklyn at Bryant - Blackbirds by 2
St. Francis (PA) at Mt. St. Mary's - Mountaineers by 1.5
St. Francis (BKN) at Wagner - Seahawks by 14
Belmont at Morehead State - Bruins by 5.5
Montana State at Northern Colorado - Bears by 12.5
Eastern Washington at Portland State - Vikings by 8
Drexel at William & Mary - Tribe by 13.5
Towson at James Madison - Tigers by 3
UNC Wilmington at Northeastern - Huskies by 16.5
Vermont at UMBC - Catamounts by 3.5
Holy Cross at Loyola (MD) - Greyhounds by 8
Western Kentucky at UTSA - Hilltoppers by 4.5
Coppin State at Bethune-Cookman - Wildcats by 13
Delaware State at NC Central - Eagles by 18.5
Florida A&M at Howard - Bison by 8
Hampton at North Carolina A&T - Aggies by 6
Tennessee Tech at Eastern Illinois - Panthers by 2.5
Wofford at Mercer - Bears by 6
McNeese at Northwestern State - Cowboys by 5.5
George Mason at Richmond - Spiders by 10
Miami (OH) at Northern Illinois - Huskies by 2.5
USC Upstate at Kennesaw State - Owls by 8.5
Presbyterian at UNC Asheville - Bulldogs by 4.5
Oregon at Stanford - Cardinal by 1
Montana at North Dakota - Grizzlies by 6.5
NJIT at Lipscomb - Bisons by 9.5
Alabama State at Mississippi Valley State - Delta Devils by 3.5
Nicholls at New Orleans - Privateers by 1.5
Coastal Carolina at UT Arlington - Mavericks by 10
South Alabama at Troy - Trojans by 7.5
Austin Peay at SE Missouri State - Redhawks by 1
Stephen F Austin at Lamar - Lumberjacks by 0.5
Appalachian State at Texas State - Bobcats by 7
Georgetown at (6) Xavier - Musketeers by 17
Ole Miss at (18) Tennessee - Volunteers by 14.5
Iowa at Penn State - Nittany Lions by 9.5
Georgia at Mississippi State - MSU Bulldogs by 4
USC at UCLA - Bruins by 2
Central Arkansas at SE Louisiana - Lions by 2.5
Georgia State at Little Rock - Panthers by 5
UT Rio Grande at New Mexico State - Aggies by 17
Brown at Princeton - Tigers by 12
Harvard at Cornell - Crimson by 0.5
New Mexico at San Jose State - Lobos by 5.5
Florida Gulf Coast at Jacksonville - Eagles by 4.5
Rice at North Texas - Mean Green by 14
Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M - Panthers by 3
South Carolina State at Savannah State - Tigers by 11
(12) Oklahoma at Texas - Longhorns by 3.5
St. Bonaventure at Duquesne - Bonnies by 3
Morgan State at Norfolk State - Spartans by 7
Alcorn State at Jackson State - Tigers by 6
Southern at Grambling - Tigers by 6.5
New Hampshire at Albany - Great Danes by 12.5
Charleston at Hofstra - Pride by 5
Tennessee State at Eastern Kentucky - Colonels by 1.5
Murray State at UT Martin - Racers by 8.5
Delaware at Elon - Phoenix by 10.5
Hartford at Stony Brook - Seawolves by 6
Dartmouth at Columbia - Lions by 10
Yale at Penn - Quakers by 7.5
Stetson at North Florida - Ospreys by 7
Lafayette at Bucknell - Bison by 18
Wright State at Youngstown State - Raiders by 6
Campbell at High Point - Panthers by 8
UC Davis at Long Beach State - Aggies by 0.5
Southern Miss at FAU - Owls by 5.5
UAB at Old Dominion - Monarchs by 8
Louisiana Tech at FIU - Bulldogs by 2
Middle Tennessee at Charlotte - Blue Raiders by 14.5
Abilene Christian at Sam Houston State - Bearkats by 6
Samford at Western Carolina - Catamounts by 5
Pittsburgh at (19) North Carolina - Tar Heels by 20
Oregon State at California - Beavers by 4.5
Iowa State at Baylor - Bears by 10
Valparaiso at Southern Illinois - Salukis by 7
Drake at Bradley - Braves by 9.5
Fordham at Saint Louis - Billikens by 10.5
Georgia Southern at Arkansas State - Eagles by 5
UNLV at Boise State - Broncos by 9
Nevada at Colorado State - Wolf Pack by 11.5
Alabama A&M at Arkansas-Pine Bluff - Lions by 11.5
(5) Michigan State at Indiana - Spartans by 7
Vanderbilt at (11) Auburn - Tigers by 17.5
(13) Saint Mary's at San Diego - Gaels by 4.5
Chicago State at Grand Canyon - Antelopes by 24
Weber State at Northern Arizona - Wildcats by 7.5
Marshall at UTEP - Thundering Herd by 2.5
BYU at (14) Gonzaga - Bulldogs by 12
Pacific at Pepperdine - Tigers by 4.5
UMKC at CSU Bakersfield - Roadrunners by 10
Utah Valley at Seattle - Wolverines by 2.5
Air Force at San Diego State - Aztecs by 18
Hawaii at Cal Poly - Warriors by 1
UC Irvine at CS Fullerton - Titans by 4.5
CSU Northridge at UC Santa Barbara - Gauchos by 19.5
Idaho at Sacramento State - Vandals by 3.5
(9) Arizona at Washington - Wildcats by 2.5
San Francisco at Santa Clara - Dons by 1.5

Results

NBA: 7-2 (.778) 485-289 overall (.627)
Upsets: 50-67 overall (.427)
NCAA: 12-3 (.800) 3186-956 overall (.769)
Upsets: 2-1 (.667) 270-243 overall (.526)
Upsets: 80-3

NCAA Bracket Prediction - 2 Feb

There are 6 new teams in this week's bracket, but 5 of them are new conference leaders from smaller conference that will each have just one representative. The other is Virginia Tech, which jumped in as a 10-seed, completely jumping past the final 8 teams in, and knocking Providence out in the process. Here is my current bracket, with projected conference champs in bold, teams new to the bracket in italics, teams that rose this week in green, and teams that fell in red:

	EAST			SOUTH
1	Villanova		1	Virginia
16	NC A&T/Ark-Pine Bluff		16	Wagner/UNC Asheville
8	Florida		8	Butler
9	Middle Tennessee		9	Arkansas
5	West Virginia		5	Kentucky
12	Vermont		12	Louisiana
4	Arizona		4	Texas Tech
13	East Tennessee State		13	Loyola-Chicago
6	Nevada		6	TCU
11	USC		11	Boise State
3	Clemson		3	North Carolina
14	Montana		14	UC Santa Barbara
7	Wichita State		7	Miami
10	Kansas State		10	Arizona State
2	Xavier		2	Auburn
15	Northern Kentucky		15	Rider
	WEST			MIDWEST
1	Duke		1	Purdue
16	Penn		16	Florida Gulf Coast
8	Gonzaga		8	Florida State
9	Texas A&M		9	Texas
5	Rhode Island		5	Creighton
12	Missouri/Maryland		12	New Mexico State
4	Oklahoma		4	Ohio State
13	Buffalo		13	Belmont
6	Saint Mary’s		6	Seton Hall
11	Marquette		11	Alabama/Syracuse
3	Tennessee		3	Michigan State
14	Bucknell		14	South Dakota State
7	Michigan		7	Louisville
10	Virginia Tech		10	Houston
2	Cincinnati		2	Kansas
15	Stephen F Austin		15	William & Mary

Last Four Byes

Houston
Kansas State
USC
Marquette

Last Four In

Maryland
Missouri
Syracuse
Alabama

First Four Out

Providence
Western Kentucky
NC State
Nebraska

Next Four Out

St. Bonaventure
UCLA
Notre Dame
Utah

Basketball Predictions - 2 Feb

Upset picks are in italics.
Pick of the Day in bold.

Indiana at Charlotte - Hornets by 2
Atlanta at Boston - Celtics by 11
LA Lakers at Brooklyn - Nets by 2
Portland at Toronto - Raptors by 7
Miami at Philadelphia - 76ers by 4.5
New York at Milwaukee - Bucks by 3.5
New Orleans at Oklahoma City - Thunder by 5.5
Utah at Phoenix - Jazz by 4
Golden State at Sacramento - Warriors by 12.5

(22) Rhode Island at VCU - URI Rams by 3.5
Western Michigan at Buffalo - Bulls by 13
Fairfield at Monmouth - Hawks by 9
Niagara at Saint Peter's - Peacocks by 5.5
Manhattan at Siena - Saints by 2.5
Canisius at Marist - Golden Griffins by 6
Quinnipiac at Iona - Gaels by 17
Brown at Penn - Quakers by 12
Harvard at Columbia - Lions by 4
Dartmouth at Cornell - Big Red by 5.5
Yale at Princeton - Tigers by 10
IUPUI at Detroit Mercy - Titans by 3.5
Green Bay at Milwaukee - Panthers by 5.5
Utah at Colorado - Buffaloes by 2
UIC at Oakland - Golden Grizzlies by 10

Results

NBA: 4-1 (.800) 478-287 overall (.625)
Upsets: 1-0 (1.000) 50-67 overall (.427)
NCAA: 41-22 (.651) 3174-953 overall (.769)
Upsets: 2-7 (.222) 268-242 overall (.525)
Pick of the Day: 79-3