40 Acres Sports

This weekend is one of the best times of year to be a sports fan. Wall-to-wall college basketball on television and everybody has a little something extra riding on the games. March Madness finally begins today.

Here are some of day one’s most interesting games:

(3) Xavier vs (14) Georgia – 11:20am
Can the Bulldogs keep any of that SEC Tourney magic going or are they worn out? A lot of people have Xavier going pretty far and I think they win this one easily. Prediction: Xavier

(11) Kentucky vs (6) Marquette – 1:30pm
Billy Clyde Gillispie’s Wildcats started off the season terribly and I thought he might not survive his first season in Lexington. They went on a late conference run and I think it continues today with the upset. Prediction: Kentucky

(11) Baylor vs (6) Purdue – 1:50pm
One of the games I’m most interested in today. Scott Drew has brought [tag]Baylor[/tag] lightyears from where they were a few years ago, can they get a first round victory? I think so. Prediction: Baylor

(11) Kansas State vs (6) USC – 6:10pm
Probably the premier national game of the day pitting two of the country’s top youngsters. Will [tag]Kansas State[/tag]’s Michael Beasley or USC‘s OJ Mayo prevail in this match-up of this year’s top five NBA draft picks? Prediction: Kansas State

(9) Texas A&M vs (8) BYU – 6:25pm
Farmers versus Mormons… fight! The Aggies will go as far as giant freshman DeAndre Jordan will take them. He’s not the best player on their team, but he’s the most important. Prediction: BYU

Related Links

• ESPN scoreboard
• Printable bracket (PDF)
• My Tourney Challenge bracket

AccuScore predictions for first round of NCAA Tournament. Giving Austin Peay a surprising 14% chance to win.

SI.com experts NCAA Tournament picks. Again, four out of five have Texas in Final Four.

CFN’s 2008 pre-preseason top 10 has Texas Tech at #10 and the Horns at #15. Ha. About right for us but Tech will be Tech again.

2007 Holiday Bowl
	#11 Arizona State (10-2) vs. #19 Texas (9-3) Dec. 27, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)

One of the biggest games of the 2007-08 bowl season, the [tag]Holiday Bowl[/tag] features the 19th ranked Texas Longhorns facing off against the 11th ranked [tag]Arizona State[/tag] Sun Devils. Each of the two teams are capable of putting up big time points and neither defense may be able to say anything about it. Like Holiday Bowls in years past, this game has all the makings of a high scoring, close game that will come down to a wild finish.

When Texas is on offense things will fall on [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]’s still young shoulders. The team can still win when the sophomore quarterback doesn’t play his best, but it will be up to McCoy to manage the game, protect the football, and convert a few big third downs if the Horns are going to come out on top. Running back [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] may be the Horns biggest weapon, but has disappeared at times this season due to scheme and playcalling. Get Charles rolling early and the Horns could roll as well.

Arizona State’s offense is equally potent and QB Rudy Carpenter is one of the nation’s most skilled passers. If the offensive line can give him time to throw the Texas secondary can be exploited. The Longhorns will need defensive tackle [tag]Frank Okam[/tag] and his line mates to get pressure on the QB without help from the linebackers. If the linebackers can help out with pass coverage then cornerback [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag] and the rest of the secondary might stand a chance.

Players to Watch: ASU QB Rudy Carpenter, ASU LB Robert James, ASU S Troy Nolan, UT QB Colt McCoy, UT RB Jamaal Charles, UT DT Frank Okam, UT CB Deon Beasley

Prediction: Arizona State 31, Texas 41

SI.com Holiday Bowl breakdown. Mandel thinks the Horns win by three.

Nebraska newspaper writer thinks Colt McCoy will pick apart Blackshirts in Texas win and win big over Nebraska.

Kirk Bohls’ predictions for the 2007 football season. Pretty positive outlook for once.

SI predicts Texas in Fiesta Bowl against Wisconsin. OU to Sugar and Okie Lite to Cotton.