2012 March Madness: South Region First Round Breakdown

by John Huffstetler

1 Kentucky vs. 16 Western Kentucky- Western Kentucky is a great story, but Kentucky will dismantle them. 1 Kentucky advances

8 Iowa St. vs 9 UConn- Iowa St. had few quality wins out of conference this year. They managed to win several close home games in conference against high quality foes Kansas, Baylor, Kansas St., and Texas, but they had little success on the road in conference with their one good road win coming at Kansas St. UConn is by far the more talented team, but struggled all season to find consistency amidst the turmoil surrounding Jim Calhoun's health. They found their rhythm late in the season and played their best basketball all year long in the Big East tourney. They also have the far superior defensive squad (19th in effective fg% compared to 147th), a good indicator in tourney time of success. 9 UConn advances

5 Wichita St. vs. 12 VCU- VCU uses a high pressure defense to attempt to disrupt the flow of the opponent's half court offense and force turnovers. The problem in this match-up is Wichita St.'s ball handling capabilities. Almost every position on the floor can handle the basketball. VCU is a solid team again this year, but without the turnovers forced on their side, their average shooting will become a major liability. 5 Wichita St. advances

4 Indiana vs. 13 New Mexico St.- The Verdell Jones injury doesn't hurt Indiana as much as the general public believes. Indiana is a strong team with an incredibly efficient offense (4th in the nation) and several wins over elite teams (Kentucky, Ohio St., Mich St.). NM St has an interesting squad that uses their offensive rebounding ability to create numerous extra possessions on offense, but the Hoosiers should win this game in the end. 4 Indiana advances

6 UNLV vs. 11 Colorado- The Pac-12 is terrible. Cal showed exactly what level of play typified the Pac-12 this season. Colorado does not impress in any facet of the game. They had precisely zero quality non-conference wins and didn't even perform that well in conference before the tourney. An 11 seed baffles me for this should be 14 seed. UNLV isn't great in any aspect of the game, but they don't have any glaring weaknesses either, and thus, they should win this game by double digits. 6 UNLV advances

3 Baylor vs. 14 South Dakota St.- Baylor's only glaring weakness is their penchant for turning the ball over. SD St., however, ranks only 220th in the nation in turnovers forced. Baylor is more likely to lose to a high pressure squad like Missouri (3 losses to them this year) than a conservative squad like SD St. 3 Baylor advances

7 Notre Dame vs. 10 Xavier- Xavier is a much better team than their seed indicates. They have tourney experience and several upperclassmen, and without their brawl earlier in the year, they probably would have 3 to 4 more wins. On the other side, Notre Dame probably maxed out their potential earning a 7 seed thanks to a terrific coaching job from Mike Brey again ths year. I don't know how much more he can get out of this, frankly, talent-lacking squad. 10 Xavier advances

2 Duke vs. 15 Lehigh- Lehigh is a solid team making this match-up much closer than the names would indicate, but Duke should still win this game. Duke has several defensive deficiencies, but Lehigh doesn't have an offense good enough to take advantage. 2 Duke advances

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2012 March Madness- 6 Things You Need to Know Before Making your Bracket

by John Huffstetler

1) The Mid-Majors are as strong as ever- There is more mid-major depth and strength in this field than ever before. This doesn't necessarily mean two mid-majors will make the final four again this year, but it does mean there will be several upsets in the early rounds. There were only a few strong mid-major teams (MTSU, Drexel, George Mason, and Nevada) that didn't make the tournament as automatic qualifiers or at-large recipients, which means many mid-majors have a chance to go deep in the field.

2) Which Mid-Majors have the best chance to make a deep tourney run- 6 Murray St.- The Racers have a section of the draw that could open up for them to make a deep run. 11 Colorado St. is a favorable first round match-up that they should win. If 3 Marquette does advance past 14 BYU, the Racers match-up relatively well against them and 2 Missouri. Neither team has the ability to overpower 6 Murray St. from a size perspective, which is the major roadblock that many promising mid-major teams encounter.

14 Belmont- Has there ever been this even of a 3 vs 14 match-up in the first round? Probably not. From the perspective of Vegas (line of GTown by 3.5) and Ken Pom (GTown by 2), this game is virtually a coin flip. This is by no means an indictment of 3 GTown but more an indication of the strength of 14 Belmont. Should they get past the Hoyas, they would be a favorite over either 6 SD St. or 11 NC St. After that, they would most likely face a 2 Kansas team that is known for their inability to live up to their usually lofty seeding. It would be an intelligent upset pick to take 14 Belmont to the Sweet 16.

3) Which teams are overseeded- 1 Syracuse- The Orange are only listed here because of the recent news that C Fab Melo will be ineligible for the entirety of the tournament. Suddenly, Syracuse is an undersized team significantly worse at rebounding the basketball and playing defense. The vaunted Cuse match-up zone depends on the length of their players, and they are losing their longest, most disruptive player. Syracuse still has a chance to make a final four run, but suddenly that bracket is soft and wide open for teams like 5 Vandy, 4 Wisconsin, 12 Harvard, and 8 Kansas St.

3 Florida St.- They beat 1 UNC and 2 Duke each twice. That's a great accomplishment. No one has done that since 1996; however, if you examine the rest of their season, they secured few impressive victories. They won a close home game over 10 UVA (by 3) and went on the road to beat 11 NC St. by 14 for their victories against other quality tourney teams. In addition, they lost 4 games to tourney teams, losing by double digits on the road to 7 Florida and 1 Michigan St. and in tight neutral games to 9 UConn and 12 Harvard. How good is this team? They are certainly not worthy of a 3 seed, but they are still a solid team that plays high quality defense.

6 SD St.- Of the 3 Mountain West teams that earned high seeds in this years tourney, 6 SD St is by far the worst. They're an average shooting team with a 50.3 effective fg % (123rd in the nation), they have a mediocre turnover margin, and they don't rebound particularly well. They played several solid tourney teams in their non-conference schedule with mixed results, beating 12 LB St. by 4 and 12 Cal by 1, while losing to 8 Creighton by 2 and 3 Baylor by 10. They are the quality of around a 9/10 seed, and 11 NC St. has a great chance at an upset.

4) Which teams are underseeded- 9 UConn- This team is obviously not the same squad that won the title last season, however, they still have the talent of a 4/5 seed. They won several games against high quality squads, but faced turmoil this year with the health issues of head coach Jim Calhoun and the frequent ineligibility of Ryan Boatright. If UConn comes out focused and playing their best ball, they have the talent to make a deep run. Unfortunately for them, they have to face 1 Kentucky in the second round if they beat 8 Iowa St.

10 Xavier- Before their crippling suspensions following the 6 Cincy brawl on December 10th, 10 Xavier was ranked in the top 10 with 3 wins secured over tourney teams in 5 Vandy, 10 Purdue, and the aforementioned Bearcats. Following the suspensions, they lost 5 of 6 games, dropping them outside of the top 25 for the remainder of the season. Certainly, 10 Xavier showed early in the year that they have the ability and tourney experience to make a run this year. With first and second round match-ups against teams with obvious flaws in 7 Notre Dame and 2 Duke, 10 Xavier could make it to the second weekend.

7 Florida- 7 Florida impresses mainly from a statistical standpoint. Ken Pom ranks 7 Florida as the 19th best team in the country (comparable to a 4 or 5 seed), mainly because they are an incredibly efficient offensive squad. They rank as the 3rd most efficient offense behind 2 Missouri and 1 Kentucky with a 54.8 effective fg% and a terrific turnover margin. They also have a track record of performing well in the tourney under Head Coach Billy Donovan. 10 Virginia will still pose a stiff threat in the first round, and then 7 Florida would need to face one of the only teams better offensively in the country in 2 Missouri.

5) The best potential first round upsets- 14 Belmont over 3 Georgetown- See explanation above. The statistical odds make this play too logical to ignore.

11 NC St. over 6 SD St.- 11 NC St. and 11 Texas are the two most "unlucky teams" in the field this year because they both lost an inordinate number of close games to quality teams. NC St. held 2nd half leads over 5 Vandy, 4 Indiana, 1 Syracuse, 10 Virginia, 1 UNC, and 2 Duke only to lose in tight affairs in the end. As shown above, 6 SD St. has some major weaknesses and the Wolfpack should be able to pull off the seeding (Vegas favorites) upset here.

12 Harvard over 5 Vanderbilt- The general public is currently enamored with 5 Vandy after upset win over 1 Kentucky. My bracket even has 5 Vandy to the elite eight, however, they have consistently struggled over the last few years as high seeds. Based on the performance of previous seasons, 12 Harvard has a strong chance to continue the line of early round upsets at the hands of 5 Vandy.

12 Long Beach St. over 5 New Mexico- 5 New Mexico is not a weak team, but they played a weak non-conference schedule compared to 12 LB St.'s non-conference slate. 12 LB St. managed to lose in close games to impressive teams on the road, losing by 8 at 2 Kansas, 6 at 1 UNC, and 4 at 6 SD St. They have shown clearly that they can win a few rounds in the tourney and this upset would be a great way to start.

6) Don't overthink the champion: just take Kentucky- Say what you want about Calipari and the endless string of one-and-done players entering the program, but 1 Kentucky is by far the best team in the country. Anthony Davis is the nation's best player, thriving both offensively and defensively at an elite level. They are 1 of only 3 teams in the country (2 Kansas and 2 Ohio St. being the other two) to rank in the top 10 offensively and defensively in efficiency. The draw is difficult with potential match-ups against 9 UConn and 4 Indiana early, but this team should weather the strong competition to make a deep run. Several other teams could win, but the logical choice is 1 Kentucky.

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11 on 11 NCAA Bracket Challenge

We are offering a free March Madness Bracket Challenge on the website. The winner of all entries will receive a free $25 iTunes gift card, so unlike the "Million Dollar" bracket challenges on other sites, you actually have a great shot of winning a cool prize for free!! In addition, if you correctly pick the final four, finals, and winner, you will earn an extra $50 gift card from iTunes as well. Our writers will be participating as well but are ineligible for the grand prize (we just want the bragging rights). We have set up a group on CBS Sports Bracket Manager.

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Redskins Land RG3 - A Long Time Coming

To me, the battle for the NFL's new superman (Or is it Cam? Griffins' got the socks, but Cams' got the dance. This could be a Shaq-Dwight Howard-like feud. Or nothing will be made of it at all.) was a win-win for the NFL. The two teams that seemed most heavily in the mix for Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III were the Cleveland Browns and the Washington Redskins - two teams with tortured fan bases who both haven't had a good quarterback for over twenty years.

So, with the number two draft pick available, one of those starved teams was going to get that guy. That guy that brings electricity and excitement. That guy that you can pin your hat on as your leader and the face of your franchise. That guy whose jersey every little kid and too many big kids will get for Christmas this year. Well ho, ho, ho, Redskin nation.

It's time to forget, Skins fans. It's time to forget about Rex Grossman, John Beck, Donovan McNabb (extra Campbell's Chunky), Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey, Tim Hasselbeck, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Tony Banks, and Jeff George. It's time to forget about Albert Haynesworth, Champ Bailey, and Daniel Snyder's existence, and to brace yourselves for a bright, bright future.

(Note of consolation to Cleveland fans - At least you hit on Kyrie Irving. He might be one year away from being a top five point guard, and you're just bad enough this year that you should get a nice building block in the first half of the first round. It wouldn't have been fair if you got Irving and Griffin III, while Washington is stuck with John Wall, who has all the potential in the world but to me still looks like an Olympic athlete who is very confused as to what sport he's playing.)

The Redskins pulled off the massive trade yesterday, sending their first round pick (6th overall), second round pick, and first rounders for the following two years to the St. Louis Rams for the rights to the second overall draft choice.

Right move? Wrong move? Risky move? Sexy move? Good value? Bad value? Nice fit? Poor fit? What is a horseshoe? What does a horseshoe do? Are there any horse socks? Is anybody listening to me?

I'll answer all that and more with these eleven thoughts on Griffin to DC...

1. The Price Was Right - First of all, I'd just like to try to quell the notion that the Rams should have even thought of drafting Griffin themselves and trading Sam Bradford. I do love Griffin, but Bradford is just as much of a franchise guy and his value wouldn't get the right return after his disappointing year last year. Bradford is a Tom Brady-like pick you apart with accuracy and smarts kind of quarterback, yet last year was asked to run a Josh McDaniels system with terrible receivers and a porous offensive line. Bradford is going to be a star in this league, and you can book that. Here's to hoping the Rams land Justin Blackmon with that 6th pick. As for the Skins, some people are bashing the price they paid, which sets the Rams up beautifully down the road. But this is a quarterback driven league. Name me the all the teams in the league without an established franchise guy, and you'll also have named the teams that have no chance to win the Super Bowl next year. That's just the way it is (things will never be the saaaame). If you think that you've found a guy with the skill set and the intangibles to be your leader for the next fifteen years, than there is really NO PRICE that is too high for that person. Mike Shanahan and company think they've found that guy, and they did what they had to to get him, and I completely agree with the move.

2. Griffin immediately becomes the sexiest looking QB in the NFL - The Redskins sneakily have some of the best uniforms in the NFL, and I say sneakily because they've been bad for so long that the stink has sort of rubbed off on the uniforms too. But Griffin will end all of that, and become one of the coolest looking players in the NFL. It was a close one between Griffin and Cam Newton, but to me it comes down to the number. I've just never really liked players wearing number one, and so for me Cam can't jump Griffin until he gets his old number back (this is just another reason why I hate Jimmy Clausen). All-blue Tim Tebow and all-black Drew Brees are pretty great jersey schemes, but I don't like the rest of those teams alternate options as much. Michael Vick was also in the conversation, but again I like the Redskins variations more than the Eagles. Nothing will ever touch Atlanta Vick though. The all-black Atlanta Vick was the coolest looking athlete of all-time. Griffin could give him a run for his money, though.

3. The Redskins, dare I say it, might have the best long-term NFC East future - The NFC East is one of the most difficult and competitive divisions in football, and while I certainly won't be picking them to win the East crown this year, I like them most long-term. The reigning champion Giants won't be going anywhere anytime soon. They have the perfect mix of young stars and veterans, but in three years, we'll be looking at a 34 year old Eli Manning while Robert Griffin will be entering his prime. The Cowboys are another immensely talented team, but Tony Romo is also 31 and is perhaps two or maybe even one bad year away from being given up on. The Eagles are the epitome of a win now team, with another 31 year old quarterback in Michael Vick and Andy Reid on the hot seat. MORAL OF THE STORY - You've got three teams, all more talented than the Redskins, in win now mode over the next two (Eagles and Cowboys) or three (Giants) years. But after that, those three teams should be rebuilding while the new star of the division is hitting his stride.

4. The Browns can now go two ways - This is only indirectly related to the Redskins and RG3, but give me a break, it was hard to think of eleven angles for this story. As I see it, the Browns now have two options after losing out on the Heisman winner. First, they could trade back a few spots, gather some picks, and draft Ryan Tannehill. Lost amidst all the Luck and Griffin discussion is Tannehill, who I think is going to be another franchise quarterback from this draft. I would've bet on the Browns landing RG3 because I really saw Shanahan falling in love with Tannehill, who would've been just as good a fit for his scheme as Griffin and would've cost much less. The problem with Tannehill though is that he's going to take time to develop, a la Jake Locker. So the Browns could nab Tannehill and then sign a veteran or let Colt McCoy continue to start, or draft another building block and try to win the campaign for the number one pick next year, which I'm now dubbing "Try Hardly for Barkley."

5. The Skins can now sign a legit WR - More good news for Washington - they've just acquired one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the game right before free agency in a year with one of the best free agent wideout classes of all time. And this is a position they desperately need. Santana Moss is underrated but getting older, Jabar Gaffney is Jabar Gaffney, and Leonard Hankerson is an intriguing young player, but this group needs to improve before the season starts. Rookie quarterbacks tend to find "their guy" and lean on them as they continue to learn the game (Cam Newton/Steve Smith, Andy Dalton/AJ Green, Christian Ponder/Percy Harvin). Griffin especially needs that guy, because he played that way all through college with Kendall Wright. Luckily for the Skins, Vincent Jackson, Brandon Lloyd, Marques Colston, Mike Wallace, DeSean Jackson could all be had this offseason, and I'm sure they'd all love to play with Griffin.

6. The Redskins Running Game will be near the top of the league - In Mike Shanahan's system, the running game is always going to be effective until the other team just dares you to throw. They won't be able to do that anymore with Griffin under center. Also, Griffin's ability to take off himself on bootlegs and when the play breaks down will prevent defenses from committing to the run. Just look at what Michael Vick did for LeSean McCoy's production. I like Roy Helu's potential, but really regardless of who's in there the Skins running game will be dangerous next season.

7. Two Concerns to Quell the Hysteria - I do want to point out two minor problems I have with RG3 which are closely related. First off, has anyone noticed something weird about the way he runs? I can't quite put my finger on it, but something about his stride is a little bit off, a bit reminiscent of Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch. Secondly, when I see RG3 run, I mainly see him beating people with straight line speed, which is fine, and totally makes sense because he was a sprinter. But in the NFL, if you're going to be a running quarterback, you need to be able to make people miss, and I just haven't seen enough of that yet from Griffin to say he'll be a great runner. Cam Newton, Michael Vick, and even Aaron Rodgers can not only run out of the pocket but can avoid tacklers for those extra couple of yards or to get out of bounds. If Griffin only has straight line speed, injury could become a serious threat.

8. Chris Cooley should be more motivated than ever - One of the few bright spots for the Redskins last year other than Ryan Kerrigan was the improved play of Fred Davis, that is before he started smoking the devil's lettuce with Trent Williams. He played so well that many analysts began to call for a trade of the two-time Pro Bowler Cooley, which would free up some cap space and allow the Skins to move forward with Davis. But with the emerging importance of tight ends in the NFL, why not keep both, and give your young quarterback as many safety blankets as possible? A good running offense in a two tight end set with a healthy Chris Cooley and a clean Fred Davis with Robert Griffin III running the show? This team could be a sneaky play in Madden 13.

9. Dan Snyder can still never salvage his reputation - "But I just got RG3, the Heisman winner, I signed off on it. We're going places!!!" No Dan, it was Shanahan and his staff's decision. You have no say in anything anymore and everyone knows it. You single handedly ruined a franchise for ten years. You still suck.

10. The Redskins will finish last in the division, but it won't mean a thing moving forward - If I had to predict the NFC East right now, I'd go Giants, Eagles, Cowboys, and then Redskins in that order. But that says a lot more about the rest of the division than it does about RG3's potential rookie success. Despite the down year from the East this year (at least during the regular season), I could see the Skins going 7-9 and still finishing last. The Giants should be improved, which is just scary. The Cowboys will probably make some moves to patch up a porous secondary that still didn't stop them from making a run at the Giants. The Eagles obviously had a nightmare season last year, but the two biggest problems were chemistry, which time heals, and turnovers, which are most of the time a cyclical thing. Everyone's killing Vick for his turnovers from last year, but I can count seven interceptions just in my head that came off tipped balls. Remember that Eli lead the league in interceptions two years ago. I think the Eagles will be right there with the Cowboys and Giants, with the Redskins just a notch below because they'll have a rookie quarterback and a lack of elite firepower on offense. This isn't at all an indictment of RG3 , though, which leads me to my next and final point...

11. Rober Griffin III will be a Superstar for the Washington Redskins - I really could think of a better fit for city and player. Griffin falls into the perfect system under a great coach with a tremendous fan base desperate for a leader. What I like most about Griffin is his intangibles. Intangibles make good players great. The cannon arm, above average accuracy and 4.4. speed are nice, but its Griffin's leadership and intelligence that leave me convinced he'll flourish as a Redskin. Griffin is fairly raw, and has a long way to go in terms of reading coverages and learning the complicated Shanahan scheme, but he has the smarts to do it, the playmaking ability to get himself out of trouble, and the leadership and swagger it takes to step in and be the franchise guy from day one. Congratulations, Washington fans, you finally got that guy.

Indianapolis Colts and Payton Manning part ways

by Ian Palmer of Feedcrossing.com

The Indianapolis Colts made it official on March 7 when the NFL club announced it was releasing quarterback Peyton Manning after 14 years with the team. Manning spent his time well in Indiana by becoming the league’s only four-time MVP.

As with most press conferences when players retire, are released, or traded, there are many tributes paid and this one was no different. Jim Irsay, the Colts owner, let everybody know how great Manning has been for the club, the city, and the state and said there will never be another player like him.

However, for all of his talent on the field and ticket-selling ability, Irsay didn’t feel it was worth paying Manning a $28 million bonus by March 8, which would have triggered the last four years of his $90 million, five-year deal which was signed last summer. The team suffered without Manning last season, going 2-14, and now has the number one overall pick in the draft and plans on using it to select quarterback Andrew Luck out of Stanford.

Manning is now a free agent and can sign with anybody he likes, The early favorites appear to be Cleveland, Arizona, Miami, Kansas City, the New York Jets, Seattle, Washington, and San Francisco. He sat out the entire season last year due to injuries and a series of neck surgeries. He’s been cleared for action by doctors, but it appears that Irsay just wasn’t sure the 36-year-old Manning could return to his usual form or could see out the remaining four years on his contract because of his medical situation.

The Colts managerial team changed dramatically when the team’s record plummeted without their all-star quarterback as coach Jim Caldwell and GM Bill Polian were both fired and replaced by Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson. Now it’s believed the playing roster will also be overhauled with the release of Manning and the expected release of Reggie Wayne. Wide receiver Pierre Garcon is also set to leave town since he turned down a contract offer from the club and will test the free-agency waters.

The Colts are still on the hook for $10.4 million on the salary cap next season because of Manning’s contract, even though he’ll be playing somewhere else. Manning was drafted originally by Indianapolis in 1998 with the number one pick overall from the University of Tennessee. With the Colts, he won seven AFC South crowns, a pair of AFC titles, a Super Bowl ring, and earned the MVP honors at Super Bowl XLI. He was also named to the Pro Bowl team 11 times and statistically is the franchises’ all-time leading passer.

He leaves the team with 399 touchdown passes and a total of 54,828 yards. He managed to start in 208 straight games with the Colts before suffering a neck injury and missing the 2011 campaign. He may be able to start a new streak if he can prove to interested teams that he’s healthy enough to play. However, he’ll have a bit of competition in the free agent market since Chad Henne, Kyle Orton, and Matt Flynn are also available and will cost a lot less than Manning.

With Manning though, a team will be getting a consistent performer. He owns the fifth-best winning percentage of all time for quarterbacks and led the Colts to 12 or more wins for seven straight seasons, which is an NFL record. His passing percentage has never dipped below 62 per cent other than his first season in the league and he took the team to the playoffs on 11 occasions. Whatever team ends up signing Manning will instantly become a legitimate contender.

2012 MLB Preview– Washington Nationals

Rewind the clock to 3 years ago in an effort to gain a little perspective on the Washington Nationals’ makeover. Their opening day lineup in 2009 was: Lastings Milledge, Cristian Guzman, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns, Ronnie Belliard, and Jesus Flores. Their starting 5 was John Lannan, Scott Olsen, Daniel Cabrera, Shairon Martis, and rookie Jordan Zimmermann.

That team started 2-7 and ended up losing 103 games.

Just 3 short years later, the 2012 lineup could feature these 8 guys: Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Jayson Werth, Michael Morse, Adam LaRoche, Wilson Ramos, Ryan Zimmerman, and Bryce Harper (maybe?). Their starting 5 is locked in with Jordan Zimmermann, Stephen Strasburg, Edwin Jackson, Gio Gonzalez, and either Chien-Ming Wang or Ross Detwiler.

Now that’s an impressive overhaul.

[2012 MLB Preview Central]

Having locked up their franchise player Ryan Zimmerman and showing a relentless attitude toward building a contender, the Nationals may finally be ready to give the Phillies and Braves a run for the NL East crown.

3 Up

Best Case Scenario for 2012

Is it too ridiculous to say that this team could shock the world and win the National League East? I’m not so sure about that. Not only are the Nats extremely talented, but they are young and confident. Expect their offense to take the next step and move into the top half in terms of run production. Their pitching staff was passable in 2011 and should dramatically improve this year with the additions of Gio and Edwin. The bullpen still features Drew Storen and Tyler Clippard, which makes the 8th and 9th innings a safe place to be. Hey, stranger things have happened – the Nationals could win this division.

Most Important Nationals

Ryan Zimmerman just inked a 6-year, $100M contract extension that will keep him around DC for a long time. Does a guy who is a .288 lifetime hitter averaging 21 homers and 82 RBI’s/season deserve that kind of cheese? Well, apparently so, and now that he has it he needs to stay on the diamond and be the 162 game/season leader that this team sorely needs. Injuries have not been kind to Zimmerman, who has managed just 137.5 games on average since becoming a full-time player 6 years ago, including just 101 a season ago. He has a great ballpark to play in and a talented roster surrounding him. His time to be elite is upon us.

From a pitching perspective, Stephen Strasburg is the most important National for a variety of reasons. First, he’s quite simply their best pitcher. Second, he turned Washington into a national team of interest from day 1. Third, his ability to be one of the top 5 pitchers in the game will legitimize this franchise for years to come. Strasburg, entering his first full season away from Tommy John surgery, will be on the Jordan Zimmermann plan of 160 innings and out. You can bet the house that they will be some dynamic, eye-popping innings. He should approach 200 strikeouts even with the workload cap. Buckle in, it’s about to get really fun in D.C.

Potential Breakout Players

Offensively, how could it be anyone other than Bryce Harper? The Nationals are going to take a long look at the 19-year old phenom this spring to see if he can handle the rigors of a full major league season. The smart money is on him playing significant games this year for Davey Johnson’s team. Whether that is from Opening Day or not is another matter. The Nats need left-handed pop in their lineup and Harper is ready to provide it. When he joins the big club the Nationals will have the most intriguing lineup this side of Kansas City. Ross Detwiler will be battling Chien-Ming Wang for the 5th starter spot. If he gets it, he has the ability to be solid. In 10 starts last year for the Nats he only gave up more than 3 earned runs once. He was consistent and at age 26 still has plenty of upside. With the big 4 taking up the marquee, Detwiler could be a sneaky good addition to the pitching staff, ala Vance Worley in 2011 for the Phillies. He isn’t a huge strikeout guy but he possesses above average command and should have some run support to lean on.

3 Down

Worst Case Scenario

The Nationals won 80 games last year. When you factor in the talent upgrades to the pitching staff, the floor is probably a .500 season. Make no mistake; the Nationals are here to contend for a division title in 2012. If they can keep their pitchers out of Tommy John-land, things should be just fine. They do need to see progress from Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa from an offensive standpoint as well. If those 2 players live up to their potential, no one will be talking about the Nationals and worst-case scenarios anymore.

Areas of Concern

In the past few years the Nationals have had their top 2 pitching prospects endure season-ending elbow surgeries and their star catcher got kidnapped. All of this on top of a slew of injuries to franchise player Ryan Zimmerman. Oh, and don’t forget the lackluster season they got from prized free agent Jayson Werth. $126M over 7 years should get a better return on investment than a .232 average and 58 RBI’s. To put it another way, the Nationals haven’t exactly been living in Lucky Charms Village. They are either a cursed franchise or due some good fortune. Bet on the latter.

Who Needs to Bounce Back From a Down 2011

To quote Lois Einhorn from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, “What do you know…about PRESSURE!?” Jayson Werth had been living the good life in the shadows of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in Philadelphia; however, when a rebuilding team drops $126M in your lap, the spotlight couldn’t be any brighter, and Werth’s blemishes appeared for all to see. The 19 steals he grabbed was the only statistic he was able to maintain from his Philly days. If the Nationals want to be elite and challenge Werth’s former team, they will need him to break out of his funk and get back to being the power/speed menace they thought they paid for. Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond also need to wake up their bats before Washington’s front office starts getting wandering eyes. The keystone combination gets a little more rope due to their slick fielding up the middle but they both have the strength and legs to do a lot of damage on offense. If they can start getting on base with regularity, Washington’s offense could be truly special.

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NCAA Basketball: Bubble Team Breakdown- Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC

by John Huffstetler

Updated through Friday February 24th

Big Ten

Locks- Mich St., Ohio St., Mich, Indiana, Wisconsin, Purdue

Northwestern- Record- 17-12 (7-10)
Games Remaining- at Iowa
Ken Pom Rating- 53
Ken Pom SOS- 5
Quality Wins (vs. Ken Pom Top 75)- Mich St., LSU (neutral), SHall (neutral), at Ill, Minn
Bad Losses- None
Record vs. Other Bubble Teams- 2-1- Wins over SHall, Ill and Losses to Ill

In or Out right now- Out- If the Wildcats don't make the NCAA field, they will look back and regret the two OT losses to Michigan. Those games or the 2-point loss this week to Ohio St. could have them in the field right now. As they stand, they have no losses outside of the top 69 on Ken Pom and have a strong quality win over Michigan St. They most likely need a win over Iowa and at least one win in the conference tourney to get in the field.

Illinois- Record- 17-13 (6-11 in Big Ten)
Games Remaining- at Wis
Ken Pom Rating- 69
Ken Pom SOS- 12
Quality Wins (vs. Ken Pom Top 75)- Ohio St., Mich St., Gonzaga, St. Bona, Minn, at NWestern
Bad Losses- at Penn St., at Neb
Record vs. Other Bubble Teams- 1-1- Wins over NWestern and Losses to NWestern

In or Out right now- Out- On January 18th, Illinois looked like a guarantee to make the NCAA tourney, but after losing 10 of their last 12 games, the Illini are currently on the outside of the field. They have several high quality wins, including victories over two top 10 squads in Michigan St. (#3 in Ken Pom) and Ohio St. (#2 in Ken Pom). They are currently barely on the bubble simply because of those high quality wins and the opportunity they still have to earn a high quality win at Wisconsin. A win at Wisky and a few Big 10 tourney wins could still get them in because of the high strength of schedule.


Big 12

Locks- Kansas, Missouri, Baylor, Kan St., Iowa St.

Texas- Record- 19-11 (9-8 in Big 12)
Games Remaining- at Kan
Ken Pom Rating- 27
Ken Pom SOS- 21
Quality Wins (vs. Ken Pom Top 75)- at UCLA, Temp, Iowa St., Kan St.
Bad Losses- None
Record vs. Other Bubble Teams- 0-1- Loss to NC St.

In or Out right now- In- Texas has played a difficult schedule in a top heavy Big 12 conference. 7 of their losses were against Ken Pom top 20 teams. Additionally, they have lost 7 games this year by 6 points or less, showing they can be competitive in the tournament. A win at Kansas would guarantee a berth, but they by no means need it to get in.


SEC

Locks- Kentucky, Florida, Vandy, Alabama

Miss St.- Record- 20-10 (7-8 in SEC)
Games Remaining- vs. Ark
Ken Pom Rating- 82
Ken Pom SOS- 77
Quality Wins (vs. Ken Pom Top 75)- Ariz (Neutral), WVa, Tenn, Bama, at Vandy, LSU
Bad Losses- at Ark, at Ole Miss, UGa, at Aub
Record vs. Other Bubble Teams- 3-0- Wins over WVa, Ariz, Bama

In or Out right now- In- The Bulldogs have no business being in this spot. They earned several quality wins early in the year, but have floundered down the stretch with 5 straight losses, including two bad losses to mediocre Georgia and Auburn squads. They are still currently in the field, but they need to take care of business and earn a victory over Arkansas and at least one win in the SEC tourney to stay in.

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