Eighth in the Coaches Poll...

[chad1966]

Impressive! How far will the Shockers go this year?

[chad1966]

Considering early season injuries I expect the Shocks will stumble a couple of times as things warm up; a 2-1 finish in Maui and dropping one to one of the Big 12 opponents they face. Not quite yet at full strength when conference play begins, I expect an early AAC loss, split with Cincy, and another loss on the road. Whether or not they win the American, they will be in great position for the tournament and by that time they will be deep and seasoned. The late start of key players means experience gained by other players that will be a benefit in March. They coast through the first and second round games and head into the Sweet Sixteen. After that anything is possible, but as always it can be a matter of luck, injuries, and match-ups. It should be a fun year.

[chad1966]

Shamet is back earlier than expected; that's a good thing.

UMKC - Should be another warm-up. Lost most of their scoring from last year's mediocre team. Predicted to finish near the cellar of the WAC, a conference that's not what it used to be.

C of Charleston - Shocks will win, but this will be the first test. Charleston is expected to win the Colonial and gain a spot in the tourney. They have all five starters back from a team that won 25 games (sound familiar). This will be a statement game for C of C.

Note: Some studies show people who talk to themselves aren't crazy, they're actually geniuses...but I doubt that holds true for someone who posts to a sports thread on a hooker site! Lol

[chad1966]

My prediction for the Maui tournament:

8th Chaminade
7th California
6th LSU
5th Marquette
4th VCU
3rd Michigan
2nd ND
1st WSU

[BlackStallion]

Very reasonable pics. My problem with the Shocks is that they rarely play to their potential. On paper they are a hell of an exciting team.

[carguy3162]

Wtf? This is the first year they've had a highly regarded recruiting class and none of those players will suit up until next year. The only reason they have such a high ranking is because they constantly outperform what they look like on paper.

[chad1966]

I'll give myself a "D-" on my Maui picks lol... only reason it's even passing is at least I had the right teams in the championship and the right ones playing for the bottom spot. On to Savannah State, middle of the pack MEAC team and their last year in D1, dropping to D2 next year. I hope the Shocks have fun tonight...rougher water ahead starting this coming Saturday.

[BlackStallion]

Great win for the Shocks over a very good team. The guys that were supposed to step up did just that.

[IQ160]

Rock! Chalk! Jayhawk! KU! #2!

[chad1966]

Originally Posted by IQ160

Rock! Chalk! Jayhawk! KU! #2!

...hoping Preston's issues get resolved and he comes back, would take the Hawks to an even higher level

RE: WSU I haven’t seen SD St’s stud play, be interesting tonight to see if he’s worth the hype

[chad1966]

Originally Posted by chad1966

Considering early season injuries I expect the Shocks will stumble a couple of times as things warm up; a 2-1 finish in Maui and dropping one to one of the Big 12 opponents they face......

Well the prediction I made in October for the early season was spot on...time will tell how accurate it is from here. The Shocks are a very good team, better than the everyone they will face from here out (especially when McDuffie is back). But I am holding with my predicted three American Conference losses for various reasons but mostly because it's a tall task to always play to your potential. Some of the teams they will face are talented and will exploit a bad night. No worries though the Shocks will be ready for March...and as I said in October, it's going to be fun.

[chad1966]

"You know that movie 'Gladiator'?"….. "I felt like one of those guys, like they just threw us in the middle of the ring with no chance."
That's what Houston's coach Kelvin had to say after last night's game. If you were there you saw the best basketball the Shocks have played this year. Certainly many factors come into play and my prediction of three AAC losses may still hold true, but after watching last night and looking at the schedule, I can't tell you where they will come from.

[chad1966]

Hmm... the Shocks aren't the only team that's been hard to figure out this mid-season. Hard to know if they've just been a slumping version of the team Houston's coach described ^^^^^ or if this is the new norm... a decent seed and a chance to prove themselves is still out there... but no guarantees. If more Temple type finishes are to be avoided, everyone will need to step up.

[chad1966]

With the regular season over, here’s a recap my original predictions made back on October 23…must say I did alright…back in the day I used to make a little $$ at this (paid for some hobbying adventures lol)
So here’s what I predicted:
1) 2-1 finish in Maui: Correct. Wins v. Cal & Marquette, lost to ND
2) Dropping one to one of the Big 12 opponents they face: Correct. Wins v. Baylor & OSU, lost to OU
3) An early AAC loss: Houston road loss qualifies here.
4) Split with Cincy: Correct.
5) Another loss on the road: Temple
The outcome that not on my radar was the home loss to SMU.. but all and all not a bad run. I predicted 5 losses and the Shocks suffered 6.
On to March Madness! No more predictions, I never had much luck with post-season.
[...Sorry for bumping your post rmg, this is likely my last entry this season long thread...feel free to bump it back]