March 22nd Power Rankings & Playoff Projections.....

Hey there guys,
Today I am going to introduce my first SEC Baseball Power Ranking and SEC Tournament Predictions, as well as my usual NBA and NHL Power Rankings and Playoff Predictions. The opening top team in my SEC Power Poll is the #20 ranked (Baseball America) University of Alabama Crimson Tide as they opened up the season by taking the series from #24 Vanderbilt, with #2 Florida coming in at the second spot after a sweep of the Mississippi State bulldogs, and finally #18 Ole Miss rounds out the top 3 after a nice series win taking Friday and Saturday from Kentucky. This weekend series should tell us more about each team but for the time being I really think the Tide have something good going in Tuscaloosa. In the NBA I still have LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top, and to win an NBA Title, but in the Western Conference it seems I am flip flopping every week as to who I think will win it. Dallas? Denver? This week it's the Los Angeles Lakers. The team everyone expects to win it. Call me crazy but I haven't seen any dominating performance from the Lakers here recently. That being said they have a ridiculously good roster and should do just fine. And in the NHL the Washington Capitals regain the top spot as they went 3-1 this past week, 2 of those wins without star F Alex Ovechkin. These guys are scary. The top 5 was shuffled up a little bit as Phoenix jumped up to #2 and San Jose and Chicago slid to #5 and #3 respectively. A team that is quickly climbing the charts is the Atlanta Thrashers, who I honestly considered done last week, but now they are a point out of the playoffs and host the #8 team Boston tomorrow. That should be a TREMENDOUS game that I cannot wait to watch. On the other hand the Ottawa Senators are falling fast, losers of their last 5, including going 0-3 this past week with losses to Toronto 1-3, Atlanta 3-6, and Dallas 3-4. They still have a solid hold on their playoff spot but this is the wrong time to get cold. Should be fun to watch as the final 9-12 (depending on the team) play out. Hope you enjoy.

My Power Rankings & Playoff Projections.....

SEC Baseball

Power Rankings

1. #20 Alabama Crimson Tide 16-2 (2-1)
The tide opened up the first weekend of conference play by taking the series from a tough Vanderbilt squad, 4-1, 8-2, and 4-5. But what is most impressive is that so far through one weekend is that Alabama ranks in the top 3 in Batting, Pitching, and Fielding, making them for a tough team the rest of the season. Starting Pitcher Jimmy Nelson is one of the best in the Conference and Jimmy Dugas is currently leading the SEC in batting average at .459. They will really be tested this weekend as they have to face the TOUGH Arkansas Razorbacks.

2. #2 Florida Gators 16-3 (3-0)
The Gators also had a very impressive opening weekend as they swept Mississippi State 7-2, 5-4, and 4-1 as they continue to have a great season winning 9 of their last 10. This team is very fundamentally sound, especially in the field, where they have the highest fielding percentage in the SEC. C Austin Maddox has had a great start to the season as he is hitting .367 and already has 6 home runs. Alex Panteliodis has been the ace of the staff so far this season as he has won all five games that he has appeared in with a 1.52 era. The #9 Gators are going to be challenged this weekend as they head to Oxford, MS, to take on the #18 Ole Miss Rebels.

3. #18 Ole Miss Rebels 15-5 (2-1)
The Ole Miss Rebels opened up the season by taking the series against the, then, ranked Kentucky Wildcats 9-0, 7-6, and 3-12. The Rebels are a solid pitching team that features this week's SEC Pitcher of the Week in Starter Drew Pomeranz, who shut out the Wildcats in 6.0 innings of work fanning 9. For the season Pomeranz is 3-0 with a 1.23 era, good enough for 2nd in the conference. As far as hitting goes the Rebels are not an offensive club but they are improved from a season ago and one of the surprises has come in the form of Tanner Mathis, whose .391 avg and .533 obp are leading the team right now. As mentioned in the team above the Rebels host the #2 ranked Florida Gators this weekend in what should be a fantastic series.

4. #7 LSU Tigers 16-3 (2-1)
While I think that LSU has a great Baseball team I am a little wary of them right now as they have not played a terribly rough schedule to this point. Kansas (RPI 94) is their best Out of Conference series, and they lost that series. In Baton Rouge. So call me a skosh skeptical. They seem to be on the lower side in pitching, which is never good, look what happened to Georgia this past weekend. The lowest qualifying era on their staff, by Jordan Rittiner, is good enough for 16th in the SEC. That being said they do have a pretty good offense, lead by Mikie Mahtook, whose .677 slg % and .487 obp both pace the Bayou Bengals as well as his 11 stolen bags. Tennessee, while being on the lower end of the baseball talent this season, will be no slouch especially seeing as the Tigers must play them in Knoxville.

5. #24 Vanderbilt Commodores 16-4 (1-2)
It's hard to get a good hold on the Commodores as they have been rather inconsistent all season long. In a tournament in California they faced two top 100 RPI Teams in UCLA (RPI 1) and lost 2-9 while beating USC (RPI 53) 10-1. Against Western Kentucky (RPI 44) they lost the first one 2-17 while winning the second 17-6. They went 1-2 @ Alabama this past weekend which is almost expected of a team with their ranking. But I still am not sure what this Commodore team is going to show the rest of the season. What I do know is that, despite their inconsistencies, they are one of the best hitting and pitching teams in the conference, as they have the 2nd best team batting average, slugging percentage, and on base percentage as well as the 2nd most stolen bases in the conference. Leading all of this is Curt Casali who has a team high batting average of .432 and slug % of .705. The Commodores are also boasting the conference's best ERA and leading the way in that category is Sonny Gray (3-2 2.73 era). The Commodores are off to a rough start but get a chance to get back on track as they take on slightly overrated Kentucky this weekend.

6. #16 Arkansas Razorbacks 13-5 (1-2)
The Razorbacks gave LSU one hell of a battle down in Baton Rouge this past weekend and I think they are a solid team but of the 4 major things in baseball, Hitting, Running, Pitching, and Fielding. They can only do 2. Pitch and Run. And they Pitch very well. Their 3.21 Team ERA is 3rd highest in the SEC and they are lead by a solid rotation of Brett Eibner, Drew Smyly, and Mike Bolsinger. All 3 of these guys are going to give opposing offenses hell this season . Where they have problems are on offense. Outside of Zach Cox (.405 bavg .489obp) what else do they have? And their fielding percentage as a whole is 9th in the SEC. If they can get better on defense and some increased offensive production this very well may be a potential SEC Title Contender. They host Alabama this weekend and if they can take the series then you should definitely watch out for the 'Hawgs.

7. Auburn Tigers 14-5 (3-0)
RPI: 26
Last Weekend: Swept Georgia 20-3, 4-3, 19-3
Next Weekend: vs. #14 South Carolina

8. #14 South Carolina Gamecocks 16-4 (3-0)
Don't get me wrong, the Gamecocks are a good team, but how much do they deserve to be ranked #14 in the country? Who have they beaten? What notable series have they taken? Tennessee (RPI 98) was the first series with a team with RPI UNDER 100 that they have taken. The Next Best RPI SERIES wins? Davidson (RPI 165) in a 1 game series and Brown (RPI 177) in a 3 game sweep. And they didn't dominate Brown either. Nope. In fact the average margin of victory was just over 2 runs a game. How have they done against teams with an RPI of 1-50? They lost both series. To East Carolina (RPI 48) and Clemson (RPI 2). That makes this weekend's series at Auburn (RPI 28) very very interesting. The Tigers don't have much in the way of defense so you can expect to see Scott Wingo (.370 Bavg) do well. But the #1 ranked offense in the SEC? We'll see if Blake Cooper (3-0 2.90 era) can keep up his solid performance.

9. Mississippi State Bulldogs 11-9 (0-3)
RPI: 21
Last Weekend: Swept by #2 Florida 2-7, 4-5, 1-4
Next Weekend: vs. Georgia

10. Kentucky Wildcats 15-5 (1-2)
RPI: 36
Last Weekend: Lost Series to #18 Ole Miss 0-9, 6-7, 12-3
Next Weekend: @ #24 Vanderbilt

11. Tennessee Volunteers 10-10 (0-3)
RPI: 98
Last Weekend: Swept by #14 South Carolina 2-4, 7-10, 0-4
Next Weekend: vs. #7 LSU

12. Georgia Bulldogs 8-12 (0-3)
RPI: 86
Last Weekend: Swept by Auburn 3-20, 3-4, 3-19
Next Weekend: @ Mississippi State

Playoff Projections
(Italic wins their divison; BOLD wins regular season title; RED wins Tourney Title)

1. Florida Gators vs. 8. Arkansas Razorbacks
4. Ole Miss Rebels vs. 5. South Carolina Gamecocks
3. LSU Tigers vs. 6. Auburn Tigers
2. Alabama Crimson Tide vs. 7. Vanderbilt Commodores

NBA

Power Rankings

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Denver Nuggets
5. Utah Jazz
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Oklahoma City Thunder
9. Atlanta Hawks
10. San Antonio Spurs
11. Boston Celtics
12. Portland Trail Blazers
13. Milwaukee Bucks
14. Miami Heat
15. Houston Rockets
16. Charlotte Bobcats
17. Memphis Grizzlies
18. Toronto Raptors
19. New Orleans Hornets
20. Chicago Bulls
21. Indiana Pacers
22. New York Knicks
23. Sacramento Kings
24. Los Angeles Clippers
25. Detroit Pistons
26. Golden State Warriors
27. Philadelphia 76ers
28. Washington Wizards
29. New Jersey Nets
30. Minnesota Timberwolves

Playoff Projections
(ITALIC wins division; BOLD wins conference; RED wins Title)

Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 8. Toronto Raptors
4. Boston Celtics vs. 5. Milwaukee Bucks
3. Atlanta Hawks vs. 6. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic vs. 7. Charlotte Bobcats

Western Conference
1. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 8. Portland Trail Blazers
4. Dallas Mavericks vs. 5. Phoenix Suns
3. Utah Jazz vs. 6. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. Denver Nuggets vs. 7. San Antonio Spurs

NHL

Power Rankings

1. Washington Capitals
2. Phoenix Coyotes
3. Chicago Blackhawks
4. Vancouver Canucks
5. San Jose Sharks
6. Los Angeles Kings
7. Nashville Predators
8. Pittsburgh Penguins
9. New Jersey Devils
10. Buffalo Sabres
11. Colorado Avalanche
12. Detroit Red Wings
13. Calgary Flames
14. Montreal Canadians
15. St. Louis Blues
16. Philadelphia Flyers
17. Anaheim Ducks
18. Boston Bruins
19. Atlanta Thrashers
20. Minnesota Wild
21. Dallas Stars
22. Ottawa Senators
23. New York Rangers
24. Carolina Hurricanes
25. Florida Panthers
26. Columbus Blue Jackets
27. Toronto Maple Leafs
28. New York Islanders
29. Tampa Bay Lightning
30. Edmonton Oilers

Playoff Projections
(ITALIC wins their divison; BOLD wins Conference; CAPS wins Presidents Trophy; RED wins Title)

Eastern Conference
1. WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. 8. Ottawa Senators
4. New Jersey Devils vs. 5. Montreal Canadians
3. Buffalo Sabres vs. 6. Philadelphia Flyers
2. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 7. Boston Bruins

Western Conference
1. Chicago Blackhawks vs. 8. Detroit Red Wings
4. San Jose Sharks vs. 5. Nashville Predators
3. Vancouver Canucks vs. 6. Los Angeles Kings
2. Phoenix Coyotes vs. 7. Colorado Avalanche

Alright guys as always I love to hear any comments, questions, or ideas so just let me know. I will be working on My MLB Preview and some work on my NFL Draft Position Rankings. Thank You for Reading.