2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 17 (Part 2)

Hope you all had a good holiday! The coalition made its early picks already, and now we return for the remainder of the Week 17 slate.

I'm not off to a great start, as I whiffed on both Christmas Day games as well as the Thursday contest; everyone else in the group managed to hit on at least one. This means Joe has pulled to within one game of me, while Adam now has a two game edge with the three of us all taking Seattle in the Thursday game. The top of the board remains the top of the board, and they appear to have pulled clear for the group title this season, with Geoffrey currently boasting a one game lead on Jim.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. No hero picks were made on Christmas.

Looking ahead to the remainder of the week, Adam and I disagree on just a single game, Joe and I on five, and the two of them on six of the remaining 13. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 17 (Part 1)

We're briefly working the holiday... at least long enough to cover the holiday as the coalition comes down to the end of the 2024 season!

The good news last week is I got myself back into the column contest and Adam regressed to the mean. Joe and I each took three of four from him while we split our four disputed games. That cuts Adam's lead to me down to just a single game with 32 to play.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Overall group wise, it's pretty much a two-man race at this point as Jim and Geoffrey are five games up on Adam at this point.

You'll notice the title says this is a Part 1. With games on Christmas day, and Christmas falling in the middle of the week, we're grabbing the early games on the schedule and will follow up later this week with the rest.

For Part 1, Adam and I disagree on one, Joe and I on two, and the two of them on one gamee out of the first three on the Week 17 docket. From all of us at Confessions of a Sportscaster, have a Merry Christmas! Let's get to the picks.

Game Notes: (MBK) Concordia- Chicago @ North Central College (12/20/24)

Final Score
NCC 86, CUC 78

Game Summary
This one started great, as the Cardinals (9-2) opened the game with a 12-4 lead. However the Cougars (4-5) stayed tough with the Cardinals, going on a 15-3 run to take their first lead of the game. Despite trading baskets for a bit, the Cardinals ultimately took control, taking a 40-34 lead into the break. The Cougars started strong in the second half though, fighting back and taking a 50-49 lead about five minutes into the final stanza. But a quick 5-0 Cardinal run flipped the momentum, and a separate 15-0 Cardinal run that spanned five minutes effectively sealed the deal, with Concordia getting some garbage time points to make this game closer than it appeared.

Key Players

• Terrance Moncrief (NCC): 8-9 FG (2-2 3PT), 1-4 FT; 19 pts, 5 reb (1 off), 3 ast, 1 blk. I walked into Merner about 20 minutes before tipoff, Terrance saw me, and said something to the effect of "We need you." Though early on, T was enough, as he scored 10 of NCC's first 12 points in the opening five minutes. He did get himself into trouble late in the first half though, picking up his second foul with just over five minutes remaining, then compounding the issue with a technical foul in the immediate aftermath. It ended up not mattering, as Moncrief did not pick up another foul, and scored seven in the second half to help push the Cardinals to the victory.
• Tyler DiSilvio (NCC): 4-7 FG (1-3 3PT), 2-2 FT; 11 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl. While Alejandro Diaz (16 pts) was the second-leading scorer for the Cardinals and paced the team with five steals, DiSilvio's personal 5-0 run that was mentioned above ended up being the turning point in the game. DiSilvio hit a pair of free throws to give the Cardinals a 51-50 lead, and he followed that up with a three to push the lead to four, and the Cardinals essentially never looked back from there.
• Jacob Collicott (CUC) 13-22 FG (2-5 3PT), 2-3 FT; 30 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl. Throughout the game, Collicott struck me as the kind of guy you love if he's on your team and hate if he's on the opposing team, but he had a phenomenal floor game as well. He hit some deep shots, and had a lot of success getting to the basket as well. It's was a little surprising, but also not, to see him have the dominant scoring output that he did.

Key Stats

• NCC: 19-29 FT (65.3%). This is not going to get it done against the better teams. The Cardinals got to the line way more in this one (CUC was 5-7 for comparison), and were 10-12 in the first half, but went cold as the game went on, which is part of why the margin was closer than the game really was. This is something the Cardinals will need to work on.
• CUC: Outscored NCC in the paint 54-38. This is also something the Cardinals will need to work on, but it was also partially a function of the Cougars' full court pressure defense. It wreaked some havoc to the tune of 15 Cardinal turnovers (though NCC also forced 15 and outscored the Cougars off turnovers). But between those and some breakdowns in the half court set, the Cardinals do have a little work to do over the holiday.

Final Thoughts

I'm skipping the CCIW scoreboard since we're breaking from conference play for now. But this game wasn't necessarily the prettiest game I've ever seen. There was a lot of sloppy play, with guys getting easily stripped a ton (off the combined 30 turnovers, 20 were a result of steals). Ultimately though, a 30-8 Cardinal run sealed the deal, and the Cardinals beat a team they are better than and won a game they were supposed to.

This puts NCC at 9-2, with a 2-1 CCIW mark. The Cardinals have one more non-conference game against Anderson on 12/30, but are already 7-1 outside of the CCIW, which is phenomenal. So far, with the exception of losing at home to Millikin, they've beaten everyone they're supposed to, although it hasn't always looked pretty. I'm still not sure what the ceiling for this Cardinal team is, but they've never been out of a game and have found ways to win when they haven't been at their best. That'll be good for this group the rest of the way.

Prior to that Anderson game, the Cardinals will get a rare treat of a game at the D-1 level as they go to take on UW-Milwaukee on Sunday. I don't expect the Cardinals to win this game by any stretch of the imagination, but I think they'll at least compete against a team GM'd by former Cardinal Mike Winans.

Following the Anderson game, it'll be all CCIW competition from here on out, and I think this Cardinal team can compete, especially for a home conference tournament game. We'll see how it goes from here.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 16

Three weeks and just 48 games remain in the 2024 NFL regular season, and we're getting down to the nitty gritty both on the field and in picking what happens on the field.

Turnabout was fair play last week, as Adam swept all six games disputed with me and took three of five from Joe; Joe ended up grabbing six of seven from me. Fortunately the stuff we did agree on worked out well, leaving me with a mediocre mark for Week 15 while Adam ended up tying the best ever mark for a full week's worth of games.

As a result of Adam's bipolar picking tendencies, he's somehow managed to work his way back into contention as he's just one off Geoffrey's pace. I fell off but remain just a few games back. Six of the seven folks in our group are above .500 for the year; Matthew is the only one below, and even then, to be just ten games under for his first time isn't too bad.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. I can no longer boast about a perfect hero record, as that was one of my disputed picks with Joe and Adam. We all also hit on two consensus picks last week to bring our record there back above the .500 mark.

And so as we look ahead to Week 16, we have history this week. While there will never be a week where any of us completely match each other barring some level of shenanigans (likely on my part), this is the first time that our disputed counts all match as we each disagree with each on four separate games. Let's get to it!

Game Notes: (MBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (12/14/24)

Final Score
NCC 68, Carroll 66

Game Summary
There was more drama in the nightcap than there was in the game that preceded it, though at first it didn't seem like it. The Pioneers (2-7, 0-3) took the lead early and just built on it. They had a double digit lead with nine minutes gone in the contest and got it as high as 14 before the Cardinals (8-2, 2-1) started to make some headway and cut it a seven point game before the Pioneers made one late push to end the half up 37-25. After a Kobe Simpson three made it 40-27 about two minutes into the second half, Carroll went cold, and the Cardinals embarked on a 16-3 run that tied the game with under 12 minutes to play. This turned the game into a back and forth classic, with neither team being able to push out to a two possession lead. Carroll tied the game for the 13th time at 66 with about 15 seconds to go. The Cardinals took two and a half ticks to get across halfcourt for a timeout to draw up the final play. And from there... we'll let the video do the work.

Goaltending? You be the judge. #d3hoops pic.twitter.com/gAxIUukjvN

— Lucas Mitzel🎙 (@northsider89) December 15, 2024

Key Players

• Ethan Helwig (NCC): 7-12 FG (2-6 3PT), 4-5 FT; 20 pts, 11 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl.  Helwig was a large factor in the comeback, with 14 of his team-high 20 coming after the intermission. But no play was larger than the final offensive possession when he took a bounce from Alejandro Diaz, lost the handle, somehow got it back, fired up a fadeaway that somehow, someway, bounced home. Just two days after picking a pocket for the game-winning layup at Loras, he does it again.
• Terrance Moncrief (NCC): 8-13 FG (1-1 3PT), 2-3 FT; 19 pts, 6 reb (2 off), 3 ast, 4 stl. Someone came by the table late in the second half and asked what Moncrief was at scoring-wise; it might have even been after he hit his lone three to put the Cardinals up by that much with under 90 seconds to go. You talk about guys have a "quiet" 19 where you aren't really paying attention to his output, go to check the box score at the end of the game and his numbers are really good. Moncrief though, had a loud 19. He was attacking the basket and got a ton of shots to fall, none bigger that that three, even though Carroll immediately came back to tie the game.
• Evan Bland (CRL): 5-8 FG (2-4 3PT); 12 pts, 3 reb. There's probably a few different ways I could've gone, but Bland led the Pioneers in scoring coming off the bench, and hit some big buckets for them in this one. It just wasn't enough on this night.

Key Stats

• NCC: 10-34 FG 1st half (29.4%). This was a big part of it; the Cardinals couldn't buy a bucket early in the game. This mark included a 1-10 effort from beyond the arc. Obviously it got better after halftime (17-30, including 4-9 from beyond the arc), and that helped the Cardinals to a comeback victory.
• CRL: 8-29 FG 2nd half (27.6%). And this ultimately tells the other half. Carroll went about seven minutes without a field goal when the Cardinals were mounting their comeback. The numbers got buoyed by the late efforts to answer Cardinals baskets, but it just wasn't enough.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• CAR 82 (7-2, 2-0), @ AUG 70 (5-3, 1-2)
• NPU 78 (6-3, 3-0), @ WHE 75 (3-8, 0-2)
• BYE: MIL (5-4, 1-1)
• Sunday 4pm: ELM @ IWU

Final Thoughts

Okay, I didn't address it when I dropped the video originally, so let's get to the elephant in the room. Yes, that probably should have been goaltending on Tyler Swierczek. It was pretty clear both in real time and then again on replay that he touched the rim. But in keeping with how most of this game went, they let both teams play.

The Cardinals have now won 12 in a row against Carroll dating back to December of 2018, and that includes a three game sweep last year highlighted by a Sean Molloy fadeaway winning the game in somewhat similar fashion as well as a game in the CCIW Tournament. North Central continues to find ways to win games, even when they don't necessarily play their best. But at 8-2, with a 2-1 mark in CCIW play, they're in good shape.

This is it for conference play for the calendar year. Concordia Chicago comes calling on Friday (a reschedule due to NCC Football doing NCC Football things), plus an exhibition against D-I UW-Milwaukee before the holiday.

Game Notes: (WBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (12/14/24)

Final Score
Carroll 85, NCC 58

Game Summary
This one wasn't pretty. The Pioneers (6-4, 2-1) scored the game's first eight, and while the Cardinals (5-4, 1-1) fought back to cut the deficit to make it a 15-8 ballgame, Caroll finished the opening quarter on an 11-3 run to go up by 15 after ten minutes. A 9-0 Pioneer run keyed their second quarter to a 51-27 halftime advantage. The Cardinals would not threaten in the second half, and Caroll got the lead as high as 32 before settling into the final margin.

Key Players

• Olivia Rangel (CRL): 7-11 FG (1-1 3PT), 3-4 FT; 18 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 4 ast, 1 stl. I could've gone a few different ways, but Rangel had the best floor game for the Pios.
• Emilie Wizner (CRL): 8-15 FG (1-6 3PT), 4-4 FT; 21 pts, 1 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl. Wizner I feel like had kind of a quiet 21. I called her name plenty of times, but it didn't feel like she was the big threat. Maybe part of it was the poor three point night. Regardless, she did enough from elsewhere on the floor to make up for it.
• Elle Sutter (NCC): 5-14 FG (0-1 3PT), 3-4 FT; 13 pts, 10 reb (3 off), 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. Not a great shooting night, as Elle missed some looks from in close (though through contact that was not called much either way all night), and yet she still managed to put up a double-double. For her second official game back, not too bad. She'll get there.

Key Stats

• NCC: 2-15 3PT (13.3%), 14-24 FT (58.3%). It's the combination of these, really. The Cardinals did a poor job at the line, though that wouldn't have been enough to turn the tide. Maybe doing better from deep would have helped. The looks were open, but other than Cate Uhren hitting a pair in the first half... that was it.
• CRL: 56 points in the paint. I mean, considering the Cardinals only scored 58 total, this seems like the game. Carroll did a great job moving the ball around and finding some open looks, and made the Cardinals pay despite them doing all they could.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ IWU 93 (9-0, 3-0), ELM 56 (7-2, 1-2)
• CAR 71 (6-2, 1-1), @ AUG 57 (3-7, 1-3)
• @ WHE 68 (6-5, 2-1), NPU 35 (3-7, 0-3)
• UW-Platteville 60, @ MIL 47 (2-6, 1-1)

Final Thoughts

I hate playing Carroll in women's basketball. It's a credit to Lindsey Schultz, her staff, and the players that they continue to dominate this series, winning the past eight matchups between these two teams. While we're nowhere near Wheaton territory yet, it's getting there.

I was hoping for a little more competitive a game, but this team will have to have a short memory and be ready to go, as they hit the road on Tuesday for a game at Coe. That will be their last game before a two week break for the holidays; that game in Iowa will be the first of five straight on the road. North Central will not be home again until January 15th when they welcome Wheaton to town.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 15

We're coming down to the home stretch with just four weeks remaining. The race for this year's crown remains tight.

Up until Monday night I was tied for first place, but fell in the final game of Week 14. That also meant that Adam took four of five disputed games from me in a tremendous rebound effort and three of five from Joe; Joe took three of four from me as I stumbled a little bit.

Despite that, as noted I remain just a game off the lead currently held by Geoffrey. Jim and Adam both remain within striking distance, just three and four games off the pace, respectively. All told, 11 games separate first from last place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam and Matthew each hit on their sixth successful hero pick this past week; that leads all pickers, though I remain perfect in my small sample size. Geoffrey's lead continues to be buoyed by his strong showing in 4-3 split games.

With all byes officially completed, we've got 16 game slates the rest of the way. This week, Adam and I disagree on six games, Joe and I on seven, and the two of them on five. Let's get to it!

Game Notes: (MBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (12/7/24)

Final Score
NCC 76, Augustana 69

Game Summary
After a tough loss to open CCIW play on Wednesday, the Cardinals (6-2, 1-1) opened with a pair of layups on their first two possessions to go up 4-0. Then the seesaw came out as the Vikings (5-2, 1-1) scored the next five. Neither team could gain a large edge as the game stayed within one possession for the rest of the half, the Vikings scoring with eight ticks left to take a 36-35 halftime edge. Augie pushed their lead to five early in the second half before the Cardinals stormed back, hitting back to back threes to get the seesaw going once again. NCC would lead by as many as four, but the seesaw kept going. After 14 ties, the Cardinals took the 30th lead change of the game on a pair of free throws with just over a minute to go, then hit six more while shutting out the Vikings the rest of the way to seal the home victory.

Key Players

• Ethan Helwig (NCC): 6-11 FG (3-7 3PT), 8-8 FT; 23 pts, 2 reb, 3 ast. Ethan's had some rough games to start the year, but in this one got the ship righted. It was a big boost to get his scoring average back into double figures, he hit some big shots, but it was his work at the free throw line late that helped seal the deal. Helwig hit six in a row in the final minute-plus, including the ones that gave the Cardinals the lead for good.
• Tre Davis (NCC): 3-6 FG (1-2 3PT), 2-2 FT; 9 pts, 1 reb, 2 stl. While I could have gone with the only other double figure scorer in Tyler Swierczek (16 pts), I'll go with the guy who made arguably the play of the game. After Augie tied the game at 53, they shut NCC's offense down for 29 seconds before knocking the ball out of bounds and forcing an inbound with just one second on the shot clock. In past years, the Cardinals would have drawn up a lob play inside; instead Drew Gaston found Davis for a fallaway jumper at the buzzer that, at least for the moment, gave the Cardinals some momentum. Davis followed that up a few minutes later with his lone three that again gave the Cardinals the lead. Not a statistically driven game for Davis, but he hit big shots when his team needed him, and his two steals helped on the other end as well.
• Tyler Knuth (AUG): 6-15 FG (4-9 3PT), 6-6 FT; 22 pts, 1 reb. Knuth's main contribution came from his shooting, as he hit a number of big threes for the Vikings while also taking advantage of his trips to the free throw line. It just wasn't quite enough on this night.

Key Stats

• NCC: 9-23 3PT (39.1%). This is a very good shooting night on its face, but it came in the wake of a rough shooting night on Wednesday where the Cardinals hit just eight of 30 treys (26.7%) in a loss to Millikin. On this night, they didn't settle for threes. They largely came in the flow of the offense, and most importantly: they hit them when they needed to. It's a good bounceback effort.
• AUG: Outscored NCC in the paint 28-16. The Vikings had the size advantage in this one, and they used it. Guys were able to make their way to the basket, and then even in instances where they may not have hit, they got to the free throw line where they also had a good night (11-14, 78.6%). It just wasn't quite enough in this one.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ NPU 73 (5-3, 2-0), MIL 64 (4-4, 1-1)
• IWU 72 (7-1, 1-1), @ CRL 66 (2-6, 0-2)
• @ ELM 73 (4-4, 1-1), WHE 67 (3-7, 0-1)
• CAR 95 (6-2, 1-0), Knox 69

Final Thoughts

After missing the tough loss on Wednesday, it was good to get back to Merner on Saturday. We saw a tough, physical game a lot like many other North Central-Augustana games of the past. They largely let both teams play in this one (from a biased perspective, I thought to NCC's detriment at times in the second half). But when teams did get to the line, they took advantage; the Cardinals were near perfect (23-24, 95.8%, probably could/should have been my key stat for NCC). It got them back in the win column and to .500 in CCIW play.

It's hard at this point to say how good the CCIW on the whole is this season, but we'll find out more on Saturday when the Cardinals welcome Carroll to Gregory Arena for the first time since their CCIW Tournament meeting in February.

Game Notes: (WBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (12/7/24)

Final Score
NCC 72, Augustana 60

Game Summary
After trading baskets to open the game, the Vikings (3-5, 1-1) went on a 7-2 run to take early control. The Cardinals (5-3, 1-0) followed that up with an 8-0 run to take the lead. North Central pushed their advantage to six before settling into a 19-15 lead after ten minutes. Augie hit a three to open the second quarter, but the Cardinals followed that up with an 11-2 run to push their lead to double digits, and allowed just seven second quarter points to go up 35-22 at the break. North Central led by as many as 20 in the third quarter, and while the Vikings would fight back in the fourth quarter, but it took them until the final minute to get back to a single digit margin.

Key Players

• Biz Daly (NCC): 8-13 FG, 10-15 FT; 26 pts, 7 reb (3 off), 2 ast, 2 stl. Another night, another dominant showing from Daly. Her free throw numbers came down from where she's been for much of the rest of the year, but she continues to shine offensively on the whole. Through eight games, she's averaging 19.8 points, tops in the CCIW.
• Megan McClure (NCC): 4-9 FG; 8 pts, 8 reb (1 off), 4 ast. After what was a rough night on Wednesday (she had 10 rebounds, but turned the ball over six times), she had a good bounceback effort in this one. Her eight boards led the team, and after struggling some to start the year she's starting to find her touch on her midrange jumpers again. If she's hitting those, she's one of the best players on the floor.
• Paige Melton (AUG): 4-8 FG, 9-13 FT; 17 pts, 5 reb (3 off), 1 ast. Coming off a 31 point outburst against Elmhurst three nights prior (only the 11th 30+ point night for a Viking in the 21st century per Matthew Nicol of Augustana), she followed this one up with a good second half outburst, primarily at the free throw line. This solid performance combined with her Wednesday outburst earned her CCIW Player of the Week honors for the prior week.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outscored AUG on fast breaks 20-7. The scoring off turnovers only barely favored the Cardinals (17-15), but when NCC got out in transition they made the most of it. Now granted, many of these fast break points were counted off of free throws according to NCC's stats, but it's then a credit to the Cardinals for making enough of those to help power to a victory.
• AUG: 24 turnovers. NCC continues to employ a backcourt press defense off of inbounds plays, and it continues to wreak havoc on opponents. Augie was called for one ten second call, and came close a number of other times. Again, this resulted in 17 Cardinal points, with Cardinal defenders recording 10 steals for the contest.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• IWU 80 (8-0, 2-0), @ CRL 71 (5-4, 1-1)
• @ ELM 73 (7-1, 1-1), WHE 58 (5-4, 1-1)
• MIL 67 (2-5, 1-1), @ NPU 57 (3-6, 0-2)
• Bye: CAR (5-2, 0-1)

Final Thoughts

You may have noticed if you looked at the box score that Jocelyn Trotter's name was not mentioned. Apparently she suffered a knee injury somewhere along the line and was held out of the game on Wednesday against Chicago. At the time she was day-to-day, though talking to her pregame she gave a timeline of "a couple weeks." Hopefully that holds true; while the Cardinals will be okay, she's a big piece.

In the interim, the Cardinals needed reinforcements... and they got them. Fresh off another successful soccer season, Elle Sutter is back for her fifth year (fourth, given that she lost a year with a knee injury). This was a very quick turnaround decision for her, as she did not suit up on Wednesday but came off the bench on Saturday. With a modest line (5 pts, 5 reb), she'll probably need a little time to get back into basketball shape, but she'll get there, and when Trotter returns it'll make this group even scarier than they already are.

NCC followed this game up with a trip to Chicago to take on UIC in an exhibition on Sunday. They fell 113-53 in that game; not a surprise against a D-I foe, but a good tuneup. They'll get a chance to rest up and prepare for a big one against Carroll, a team that's had their number in recent years, but off to a slower start in 2024-25.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 14

The coalition returns as we begin the stretch run of the 2024 NFL season, but we do so with a look at the history of the contest.

I dug back through a decade's worth of records, and we've had some bad weeks over the years. I overlooked what my worst week was, but I'm pretty sure I had a three win week somewhere along the line. Adam has put up 2-11 weeks a couple times, but it's been years since those. Geoffrey once put up a 2-12 week, with the asterisk of some of those losses being counted because he forgot to get his picks in. Both Geoffrey and, back when he was participating, my dad each had a 3-13 week. The... "gold" standard for bad weeks was Joe during the Covid year somehow only getting one game right. But in a decade-plus of picking games, we have a new low for a full 16 game slate.

I took three of five disputed games from Joe, which is fine because he and I both swept Adam in our disputed games last week. The rest of the group had a mediocre to good week, while Adam, in his words, "would like a redo." As a result, what had been probably a four guy race at the top is likely down to three with five weeks to go. Geoffrey is now in sole possession of first place, I gained a game on him, and sit tied with Jim for second and just a game out of the lead.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam's dominance in superminority games vanished this week, though he remains tied for the best average in those games. Geoffrey retains the best record in 4-3 split games, which is largely why he's in front right now. Jim has the second best mark in those games, while I've notched the best mark in hero games regardless of who's gone it alone (though my 4-0 mark doing so remains the best in the group thus far).

And so as we get back to it, Adam disagrees with Joe and I on five games apiece; Joe and I dispute four of out 13. Let's get to it!

Game Notes: (WBK) Concordia University- Wisconsin @ North Central College (11/30/24)

Final Score
NCC 85, CUW 66

Game Summary
This one didn't start the greatest, as while the Cardinals (4-2) were able to get some early points, the Falcons (0-4) were able to answer quickly back, and built a 25-18 lead after one quarter. They pushed that lead to double digits at 34-24 midway through the second quarter, then the Cardinals made their run, outscoring the Falcons 10-1 to get back into the game, and briefly taking a lead before going into the break tied at 38. A three for NCC opened the second half scoring, and the Cardinals never trailed again as they fairly quickly pushed the lead to double digits.

Key Players

• Jocelyn Trotter (NCC): 7-13 FG (1-1 3PT), 1-1 FT; 16 pts, 14 reb (5 off), 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl. Make it two straight double-doubles and three for the year as the sophomore is almost averaging one through six games this season (she's one rebound shy). While Trotter led the team in scoring, it wasn't in a dominant, take-over-the-game way. She hit the go-ahead three early in the second half that gave the Cardinals the lead for good, and got many of her other baskets either off putbacks or takeaways. And the rebounding was great to see.
• Josylin Simmons-Doxie (NCC): 6-10 FG (1-1 3PT); 13 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl. JSD was a complementary piece off the bench for most of last year, but the senior has stepped into a starting role this year and is excelling so far. This was a good floor game where she attacked the basket, took advantage of an open look from deep, found open teammates, and wreaked havoc on the defensive end. She's a key part of NCC's pressure defense off made baskets, and it shows.
• Gracie McNabb (CUW): 7-11 FG (5-8 3PT); 19 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast. Probably the Falcons' best player, McNabb had a couple key buckets in the first half. She hit a three right before the first quarter buzzer that pushed the Falcon lead to seven, and she followed that up to tie the game at 38 right before halftime. I overheard Cardinal coach Maggie McCloskey-Bax mention to her team not to let her get hot, and while McNabb did get hot, it just wasn't enough this day.

Key Stats

• NCC: 20-23 FT (87.0%). In years past, free throw shooting has been a thing that's doomed the Cardinals, but in the two games I've seen in person so far this year that hasn't been the case. The Falcons played an aggressive defense on Saturday and were whistled for 24 fouls as a result of it. The Cardinals made them pay, and that's part of why the game went the way it did.
• CUW: 21 turnovers. This was the other piece. A whopping 16 Cardinal steals factored into this total as the aforementioned pressure defense wreaked havoc, especially in the second half. These 21 turnovers led to 24 Cardinal points. For comparison, 14 Cardinal turnovers led to 18 Falcon points.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• Elmhurst 69 (6-0), @ Manchester 67
• Webster 80, @ Augustana 68 (2-4)
• @ Ripon 71, Carroll 62 (4-3)
• @ Carthage 70 (5-1), MSOE 52
• IWU 65 (5-0), DePauw 59

Final Thoughts

I was a little leery in the first half, given that this Concordia team was winless to start the year, with big losses to Whitewater and Wheaton on their resume, so to be tied at halftime wasn't great. But the Cardinals woke up in the second half and put the game away fairly convincingly. They're off to a 4-2 start with the Aurora game starting to fade from my memory a little bit. I don't know exactly what the ceiling of this Cardinal team is yet, but I know at minimum this group will be competitive in the CCIW. They won't get to open conference play right away though, as the Cardinals get the bye on Wednesday, and will spend it hosting Chicago for a non-conference tilt in a game I won't be able to make. But hopefully a strong showing there will give this team more confidence going into their opener on Saturday.

Game Notes: (MBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/26/24)

Final Score
NCC 86, Benedictine 78 (OT)

Game Summary
In another tight contest that the annual Battle for Chicago-Maple Avenue continues to provide, the Cardinals (4-1) jumped out to the early lead. While the Eagles (1-5) were able to keep it close for a while, they couldn't get over the hump, partially thanks to a technical foul, but managed to stay within four at 40-36 going into halftime. The Eagles scored the first four points of the second half to tie the game, but a 10-0 Cardinal run sparked the home crowd. North Central would push the lead as high as 15 with about 13 minutes to play, but the Eagles slowly chipped away, and eventually took their first lead of the game at 71-69 with just over a minute to go. But a Terrance Moncrief layup tied it at 71 with 49 seconds to go. Benedictine missed a go-ahead three, and with a chance to win, NCC briefly coughed up the ball before heaving an ill-advised prayer to result in an extra session. The Cardinals proceeded to score 10 of the first 11 in the extra session and iced the game at the line to bring the Bill Warden-Tony La Scala Trophy home.

Key Players

• Terrance Moncrief (NCC): 8-15 FG (0-2 3PT), 2-2 FT; 18 pts, 6 reb (2 off), 4 ast, 1 stl. The senior has been a big part of NCC's 4-1 start to the campaign. After hitting a layup at the buzzer to beat Whitman in Washington a couple weeks ago, Moncrief has continued to play well, and his relentlessness in attacking the basket has helped open up opportunities for his teammates.
• Drew Gaston (NCC): 2-6 FG (0-1 3PT), 9-10 FT; 13 pts, 8 reb, 1 blk. Gaston played 20 minutes off the bench last night, but was a key part in lifting the Cardinals to the win. His eight rebounds were second-most on the team behind only Ethan Helwig's nine, but it was his work late at the charity stripe that iced the contest. Gaston through five games is 30-31 from the line.
• Noah Mason (BEN): 8-11 FG (2-3 3PT), 4-9 FT; 22 pts, 6 reb (3 off), 2 ast. Just a freshman, Mason looked really good in this contest. He arguably should have been assessed the technical foul for a dead ball shove (the tech was assessed to Ryan Tucker, who may have also done some shoving), but otherwise played very well both inside and out, though he would eventually foul out of the contest. The one number that should jump out at you though? Don't worry, we're getting there.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded BEN 49-34. I debated about the rough showing from three in this game (7-26, including missing their final 12 in the second half), but for a team that was getting outrebounded by about five per game through the first four contests to win that battle by 15 was a good sign. This bore out in second chance points too, with the Cardinals outscoring the Eagles 18-5 in that category.
• BEN: 20-32 FT (62.5%). This was the big one. Down 15, Benedictine did what you should be doing in that situation: attack the basket, draw fouls, and try to score with the clock stopped. It got a bunch of North Central players into foul trouble, with two Cardinals fouling out. There's just one problem: during their second half comeback, the Eagles repeatedly split their pairs of free throws and managed to hit just 12 of 21 in the second half. In a game where you went to overtime missing that many... you do the math.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ UW-Platteville 77, Augustana 50 (3-1)
• MSOE 88, @ Carroll 80 (2-4)
• @ Carthage 76, Ripon 66 (3-2)
• @ Elmhurst 82 (3-2), St. Mary's (MN) 68
• @ Millikin 49 (2-3), Aurora 45
• @ North Park 72 (2-3), Anderson 64
• Hope 73, @ Wheaton 46 (3-4)

Final Thoughts

Photo by Chris Kohley

The Battle of Chicago-Maple Avenue always seems to produce some weird results, and this is arguably one of them. Just a few days after this North Central team went up to Platteville to take on the Pioneers, the #2 team in the country, lead by double digits, before ultimately falling in overtime up there, the Cardinals needed an extra session again against a team that had one win in the bank so far this season. Unlike this past Saturday though, the Cardinals were able to pull it out.

I'm not sure how good this Cardinal team truly is. A couple of their wins should probably have been by more, but it's early enough in the season that I'm not too worried about things yet. This team has beaten who they should have so far, and has a few more tuneups prior to their CCIW opener in a week.

Game Notes: (WBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/26/24)

Final Score
NCC 76, Benedictine 63

Game Summary
Finally getting to play in front of a home crowd for the first time this season, the Cardinals (3-2) pulled out to a comfortable eight point lead late in the first quarter and kept that margin at the end of the frame. The lead would grow to double digits in the second quarter before the Eagles (2-2) made a run and cut it to three right before the break, but a quick answer on a layup pushed it to a 33-28 Cardinal lead at the intermission. North Central opened the second half on a 13-4 run to pull away, and the Eagles would not threaten the rest of the way.

Key Players

• Biz Daly (NCC): 10-14 FG, 6-6 FT; 26 pts, 4 reb (2 off), 3 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl. A year ago, Biz Daly was a rotation piece for a Cardinal team that finished fourth in the CCIW; she averaged about 3 points in 10 minutes per game. Through the first five games of her sophomore campaign, she's averaging 19 a contest and has already surpassed her freshman year scoring total. The leap from Year 1 to Year 2 has been amazing, and she's even turned into a midrange threat a la Megan McClure. The future is bright.
• Jocelyn Trotter (NCC): 10-16 FG (1-1 3PT), 1-1 FT; 22 pts, 11 reb (5 off), 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. The reigning CCIW First Year Student Athlete of the Year, one season after notching seven double-doubles just put up her second of the young campaign. Her game continues to improve, as she showed a lot of confidence both on layups and pull up jumpers. Her rebounding was exceptional, and with her as a cornerstone on this team, once they find their footing they'll be a tough out.
• Makenzie Carroll (BEN): 6-11 FG (0-1 3PT), 1-2 FT; 13 pts, 5 reb (3 off), 2 ast, 2 stl. Carroll was one of the better Eagles on the floor, tying for second on the team in rebounds and leading their offensive attack. Her two steals were also a team high.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded BEN 42-33. One game after getting crushed on the boards by Aurora, while there were some stretches that were a little bit of an issue, the Cardinals cleaned it up. Benedictine did have 15 offensive rebounds to NCC's 13, but the Cardinals outscored the Eagles 21-12 in second chance opportunities.
• BEN: 8:13 A:TO ratio. Generally you want to see better. Eight assists on 25 field goals isn't particularly good, especially combined with the 13 turnovers. They didn't have a lot of procedural turnovers; 8 of the 13 were off NCC steals. The Cardinals, by contrast, had a 23:11 ratio.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Augustana 89 (2-3), Monmouth 68
• @ Chicago 81, Carroll 70 (4-2)
• Carthage 79 (4-1), @ Lake Forest 54
• Illinois Wesleyan 84 (4-0), @ UW- Whitewater 78
• @ Knox 84, Millikin 74 (1-4)
• Wheaton 58 (4-3), @ Concordia (WI) 36

Final Thoughts

It's good to get back to writing these again. Workload for a while didn't allow for enough time to dedicate to these, but I'm finally back in a good enough place where I can.

It was good to see this Cardinal team play for the first time this season, though it's hard to gauge exactly how this year will go. After winning their first two contests by significant margins, a tough loss at Colorado College followed by getting beat up by Aurora last week gave me a little concern. Even last night, this was one the Cardinals probably should have won by a little bit more. But at the end of the day, a win is a win. I'm excited to see the growth from this group, and as they gel (and maybe, just maybe get some reinforcements) this team should prove to be a tough out for most of the rest of the CCIW.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 13

The accelerated deadlines are on the books, which means we're at it early with our Week 13 NFL picks against the spread!

It was a mediocre week for most of us, with a number of hero picks on the docket. Ultimately I couldn't gain any ground at the top as Adam and I split our six disputed games. We're pulling away from the bottom though as Adam took four of six from Joe and I swept the two games we disputed.

Jim had the best week of all of us, which enabled him to pull into a three way tie for first place. I remain in striking distance, just two games off the pace. The gap is starting to widen at the bottom as 11 games separate the top from the bottom, and I have a four game lead on the folks behind me.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. The group as a whole split six hero picks this past week. Adam still has the most correct out of everyone but out of several more tries; I remain perfect at 4-0 when I've gone alone. Adam's group-high 12-6 mark in Superminority games (where just he and one other person picked a team) has helped buoy him, Geoffrey has a dominant 22-11 mark in Majority (4-3 split) games, and Jim has a similar 19-11 mark. We went 0-2 on consensus games this past week, and while we're still over .500 in that category, it's been trending downward.

As we get to feast this holiday, Adam and I disagree on half of the 16 game slate, Joe and I on five games, and the two of them on seven.

From all of us at Confessions of a Sportscaster, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Let's get to the picks.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 12

We're nearing the two-thirds mark of the 2024 NFL season, and the coalition continues to do fairly well on the whole, and the top of the standings remain tight.

I was feeling great around 5:30 on Sunday, and despite cooling off and dropping my last three, a dominant early slate helped lead me to the top score of last week, as I took four of seven disputed games from Adam and five of seven from Joe; Adam took four of six from Joe.

Adam and Geoffrey remain tied atop the group through Week 11, but I continue to come back from my early Great Reversal doldrums and now find myself just two games back after being seven back about a month ago. Overall, just nine games separate first from last place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. My fortunes in hero picks, both for and against, is largely what's buoying me. Adam has the best mark by far in 5-2 split games, and Geoffrey's position tied with Adam is helped by his dominance in 4-3 split games.

As we move onto Week 12, Adam disagrees with Joe and I on six games apiece. Groupthink largely prevails between Joe and I as we only have two disputed games out of the 13. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 11

As we get into the nitty gritty part of the season, the race at the top has really tightened up. Just three games separate first place from fifth place.

I had a shot Monday night to move into a tie with Adam, but he salvaged that game, leading me to take only five of eight from him. Adam split his six with Joe, but I swept our two disputed games to pull ahead of the back of the pack.

Groupwise, Adam has moved back into a tie for first with Geoffrey, but again, it's a crowded picture as Jim drops to just a game out of first, John is just a game behind him, and I'm lurking just one behind John. I'll take hanging around for now.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We went 4-1 combined in hero games this week, including me hitting on my third and remaining the only person perfect in those games. Adam remains brilliant in superminority games, going 11-5 so far when he and just one other person agree on a game. Geoffrey has done incredibly well in the 4-3 split games, hitting on a group-best 35 of those 65 games. Consensus picks continue to go well, as after a 2-0 week we're hitting on over 60 percent of those games.

Looking ahead to this week, I disagree with both Joe and Adam on half of the 14 game slate apiece, while they dispute six games. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 10

The second half of the season is underway and the coalition returns from the intermission to resume our quest to successfully pick NFL games against the spread!

It was a decent week for most of us. Adam and I split our six disputed games, while he and I each took three of five from Joe. The slow week though knocked Adam out of first place, though he is just a game off the lead behind Jim. A total of eight games separates the entire group, so we're all doing fairly well.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. It was not a good week for hero picks, though superminority folks had a pretty good day. Ultimately my struggles in these 5-2 split games on both sides is a big part of why I'm six games off the pace.

As we move onward, Adam's taking a shot at extending his lead as he and I disagree on eight games and he and Joe on six. Joe and I, meanwhile, have major groupthink as we only dispute two. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 9

Consider this our two minute warning before halftime on this All Hallows Eve. The midway point of the 2024 season is upon us, and so continues our quest of picking games against the spread.

Strong performances from last week did not really continue on the whole. I did take three of five from Adam to eat into his lead, but Joe grabbed three of four from me and five of seven from Adam for the best week out of the columnists.

Adam was texting us mid-week last week asking how we could have let Jim get into second place, and all this time Adam should have been paying attention to his rear view mirror, as Jim has surged into a tie for first place. Geoffrey remains in striking distance, just two games off the pace. Poor Matthew, meanwhile, after a strong start has faded into last place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. With Jim's successful hero pick of the Chargers this past week, everyone in the group has managed at least one for the year. Adam's hold on first evaporated thanks in part to a bad week of superminority picks. And despite a bad week for consensus, we're still above .500 for the season.

Looking ahead now, Adam and I disagree on six games, while Joe disagrees with each of us on five games. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 8

For the first time all season, the entire coalition is over .500, and against that backdrop, back into the fray we go.

It was a good week for most of the group, and for me in particular. I took Game 7 from both Joe and Adam for a narrow edge last week, while the two of them split their eight disputed games. My tie for the week high has me back within six of the lead, and I'm only two games out of second place. Adam retains a four game advantage on Jim through seven weeks.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We've come back to earth a bit on hero games, collectively going 12-15 so far. I have the most wins in games involving a hero pick (including 2-0 in games where I've gone hero), but my struggles elsewhere explain my current deficit. Adam, meanwhile, has dominated games with a 5-2 split among the group, going 20-7 in those games. Joe has a strong showing in hero games (including a 2-1 mark where he's been the lone wolf), but a 4-11 mark in Superminority games has hurt him.

Looking ahead to this week, Adam and I disagree on five games, Joe and I on four, and the two of them on seven games out of 16. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 7

If we go by weeks, we are officially a third of the way through the NFL season. And with that, we begin the second period of picking NFL games against the spread.

I was thrilled mid-afternoon on Sunday as I was in good shape, but I crashed a little bit in the late slate. Ultimately, Adam took four of seven games from me, I took three of five from Joe, and Adam took five of eight from Joe in Week 6. This means for the column, Adam was able to gain a little bit of ground, as I find myself seven games back and Joe nine. Groupwise though, Adam was outshone by much of the rest of the group, and his overall lead has been trimmed to just three games.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Part of the reason everyone had decent weeks was the fact that collectively the group went 0-4 on hero picks, including Adam missing a couple. As such, I'm the only one without a miss on a hero pick; unfortunately that's out of a sample size of two, which doesn't help my cause. We hit on our lone consensus pick this week though, which puts us at easily our best mark since we started keeping track back in 2016.

And so as we look ahead to Week 7, I disagree with both Joe and Adam on seven games apiece, while the two of them disagree on eight games out of 15. This could be a big week of shakeups, so let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 6

The coalition returns off a solid week across the board as we get ready for Week 6 of the NFL season!

The good news is that Adam and I split our six disputed games and I swept the two with Joe, while Adam took four of six from Joe. The bad news for me is that Adam maintains his fairly sizable lead over the rest of the group. The rest of us are all clustered together, with Matthew currently alone in second place after an outstanding week.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam maintains his dominance in games where he's heavily in the minority. Of note, we went 3-0 in consensus games this past week, putting us well over .500 in that category for the season. Hopefully we can maintain that, as it's good for all of us.

Looking ahead, Adam and I disagree on seven games out of 14, Joe and I on five, and Joe and Adam on eight. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 5

We're about a quarter of the way through the season, and the coalition returns to action for Week 5 of the NFL season.

Adam has long had this theory of "The Great Reversal," where everything we think we know about an NFL season flips on its head. That informed a lot of his picks this past week, and to an extent it worked; he took six of our eight disputed games. Joe, meanwhile, finally caught fire as he swept our six disputed games and grabbed four of six from Adam.

Adam remains in the lead overall, but with my down week, he now holds a sizable five game lead on the nearest competitor. The rest of us are all hovering in that 5-7 game range. This is fine; everything is fine.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. As a general rule, those of us who have been picking more contrary to everyone else seems to be having more success, and Adam's numbers bear that out, as he's 5-0 in games where he's either gone hero or had one other person agree.

And so as I make an attempt to claw my way back in our first week with byes, Joe and I disagree on only two games, but Adam disagrees with each of us on six out of 14. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 4

With three weeks in the books, the coalition returns for another week of picking NFL games against the spread!

This week ran the gamut for the group from good to bad, but the standings by and large stay the same. Adam did extend his lead by taking three of five from me, though we increased our gap with Joe as I took four of five from him and Adam took five of their six. At this point, seven games separate first place from last place, and five of the seven pickers are within four games of each other.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. As a group, we went 1 out of 3 on hero picks, but we're still hitting on over 50% of them as a group. Adam and I are the only two not to lose a hero pick through three weeks (granted, out of a sample size of 2 apiece). We're also just over .500 on consensus picks.

As we look ahead, Adam and I disagree on eight games this week, while Joe disagrees with each of us on six games. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 3

Two weeks down, and the coalition returns to action for a third week of picking NFL games!

Adam has often said that Week 2 is when we start to see things get more towards the norm for a season compared to the surprise of Week 1. I'm hoping that's not a sign, as he took five of seven games from both me and Joe last week; Joe and I split our four disputed games. Adam's strong Week 2 showing has him in first place among the group, a game ahead of me. Most of the rest of the group is still right in the mix, though John has fallen to the back of the pack, six games off the pace.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We're continuing to do fairly well on consensus picks, and folks who have gone hero so far are 6-4 in such games. I think my favorite sub-stat of that is that the three of us columnists are a combined 5-0 when we've gone hero. Again... I hope this isn't an omen because regression to the mean never happened for Adam last year.

Looking ahead now, I disagree with five games apiece with Adam and Joe, and the two of them on six games out of 16. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 2

First week jitters are hopefully out of the way, and now we move on to Week 2 of our quest to pick NFL games against the spread!

So far, even year magic is working fairly well. As a group we had a good opening slate, splitting our two consensus picks and finishing above .500 combined between the seven of us, and a year after we hit on just over 50 percent of hero picks collectively (mostly thanks to Adam), we went 2-3 this week.

Column wise I'm off to a good start after taking three of four from Adam and four of six from Joe; they split their four disputed games. Group wise, this has me one off the overall lead after I missed the Monday night game.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. As we look ahead now to Week 2, Adam and I disagree on seven games, Joe and I on four, and the two of them on seven games out of 16. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 1

We back.

Confessions of a Sportscaster has largely gone by the wayside with the chaos of life in general, but the one longest running feature will continue for its 13th overall season and 11th featuring its main participants.

Every year, I've been doing NFL picks against the spread, often failing fairly miserably, sometimes acquitting myself fairly well. I'm hoping 2024 will be a redemption year, because 2023 was... not good. It follows a pattern though, looking back.

For those of you new to COAS, we have an annual group on ESPN's Pigskin Pick 'Em contest where we pick games against the spread set on ESPN and try to see how well we fare. My picks, along with a rationale, will appear here weekly every Thursday morning (earlier for holiday weeks). But it wouldn't be as much fun if it was just me. So joining me once again this season is Adam Quinn, who won the column title in 2023 by a wide margin. Joe Klecka will also have his picks featured on a weekly basis. Also in the ESPN group, though their picks will not appear in the column, are 2023 champion and co-host of Then There Were Two: A History of the World Series Geoffrey Clark, Joe's uncle Jim, and rounding out our group this year are a couple new entries in Adam's friend John and my seven year old son Matthew.

While ESPN keeps track of scores, I also tally up how we've picked in relation to each other on a weekly basis on a Google sheet. In 2023 Adam accounted for nearly half of all "hero" picks (i.e. he was the only one to pick a team in a game) and hit on a group-best 66% of those games. That seems to be a key factor in figuring out who wins.

So as we prepare for another amazing season of NFL football, for our opening act groupthink largely prevails as Adam and I disagree on four games, Joe and I on six, and the two of them on four games out of 16. Let's play!

2023 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 18

And so it all comes down to this. 16 games. A one game gap at the top of the standings. Pride and bragging rights on the line.

I mean, not for me. While I'm on a bit of a heater, it's come far too little and far too late to be of any impact as I'm locked into the basement of the group for 2023. And so it's little solace that I split my six disputed games with Adam from last week's podcast, though he and I each took three of five disputed games from Joe.

It was solid week for the coalition, all told, as Geoffrey takes a one game lead over Adam going into the final lap. Jim and Joe both sit around the .500 mark, while I'm locked into a losing campaign and can only catch Joe if I run the table and he loses out. You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Geoffrey's ridden consistency in all categories this season and has the second best hero success rate in the group, but in a fairly small sample size. Adam, meanwhile, has gone hero in a staggering 18 percent of games this year and has hit at an absurd rate up until the past couple of weeks as the regression to the mean I've been screaming about all year is finally catching up with him. We did jump back above .500 in consensus picks this week after a drop off in Week 16, if nothing else.

And so as we get started with our final round of the 2023 season, I invited our current leader in the clubhouse to join the column this week. Geoffrey's picks will appear below along with Adam's and Joe's. Among the usual columnists, Adam and I disagree on nine games, Joe and I on seven, and the two of them on eight games. The most important number to look at this week: Geoffrey and Adam disagree on seven games out of 16 in their race for a group championship.

Without further ado, for the final time this season, let's get to it!