Posted by Tim McCollum
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Former CBA point guard and current Rutgers walk on Mike Kuhne is alive and well and an avid blogger. Kuhne’s corner is a fun read. I was wondering why there was a desk and laptop at the end of the RU bench.
I took some criticism for ranking Raritan so high. Freehold Township scoring a big win on opening night makes me realize a ranking correction is necessary.
I don’t know how far to drop them because Freehold is one of my sleeper teams. I can’t tell yet if Raritan has fallen that far off or have the Patriots taken a giant leap forward.
A north will be that much more fun if they did, and especially so considering Manalapan’s impressive opening night win.
The value of a moral victory depends on the situation. Losing a close game to Colts Neck bodes well for Toms River North.
Neptune wasn’t too crisp tonight. Fuqan McDonald had his best game as a Flier. Too many missed layups. Too many missed FT’s. Too many turnovers.
Lakewood’s Beverette was great tonight. Efforts like this will put many accolades in his path.
I’m going to quickly guess my way through the WOBM since the first round is tomorrow. Unfortunately I’m missing it because I promised to wear a red suit and bear for some kids.
#1 Jackson vs #16 Brick – Not going to be the cakewalk a 1/16 should be put Jackson has too much size. Jackson in a lower scoring closer than you would think but not quite the threat of an upset type of game.
#8 Southern vs #9 Ocean — The 8/9 is supposed to be closely matched and this should be no exception. Ocean is scrappy and will throw one haymaker after another at you. I think Geisicki is going to have a little bit of a coming out party in this one. I’m going to take Southern and call it a mild upset.
#4 Point Boro vs #13 Lacey — Both teams should have been seeded higher so its a tough draw for the Lions. I think Shaun Cooke will be the difference but this game will be up for grabs in crunch time. Might even be the game of the day.
#5 Barnegat vs #12 TRS — I hate Barnegat’s draw because I think they are one of the tournament favorites. Their bracket could not be any tougher. I think they serve notice they are playing to win and roll.
#3 Manchester vs #14 RBC — With a loss on opening night Manchester is going to be a motivated bunch. Unfortunately the Caseys are the bug and the Hawk’s are the windshield.
#6 TRN vs #11 Central — I’m really liking the TRN karma. Losing a close game to Colts Neck is a good thing for an up and coming team. This will go to the buzzer but I think the home team eeeks it out.
#7 Wall vs #10 Memorial — Memorial is a bit underrated and I think they will score the upset. This is always a gritty bunch who push the ball, crash the boards, and have no fear. Wall will be in it to the end but drop a close hard fought game.
#2 St Rose vs #15 TRE — I’ll take an order of Kukoda to go please. East is a strong 15 seed and this will still be a game at halftime. I think it takes awhile for the Roses to pull away, but pull away they will.
Quarters
#1 Jackson vs #8 Southern — Southern is in a tough spot because they can’t match Jackson size for size and they won’t be able to out quick them with Kenney in their face. I like Southern. Hate this matchup for them. Jackson will appear very strong after this one.
#2 St Rose – #10 Memorial — The roses will need every second of a 32 minute game to eeek this one out in a game featuring an army of guards vs another army of guards. Kukods will be the best of the bunch and find a way to get the Roses into the semi’s.
#3 Manchester vs #6 TRN — I think this is the TRN coming out party. Manchester will want to push the ball and TRN will oblige. Cancel out the guards and the big man Wrightson is the difference maker. There will be juice in the arena for this one with plenty of oooo moments. I like North to pull the upset.
#4 Point Boro vs #5 Barnegat — I hate going against the Panthers. They always burn me when I do. Shawn Cooke will have a terrific game. Boro likes to slow the tempo choose their spots to run. To beat them you have to have to be balanced with multiple finishers. You have to be able to get Boro out of their comfort zone. I think the Bengals do that. The closer this gets to the 60′s the better for Barnegat. I think they get there and score a very close win.
Semifinals
#1 Jackson vs #5 Barnegat — If someone can upset the Jags I think Barnegat wins the tournament. I think the Jags are here and that’s bad news for them. Kenney and McDonnell can handle the guards. Jackson can run with them and they have the size advantage to control the boards. I give Barnegat a punchers chance but give me in Jags in a one or two possesion game.
#2 St Rose vs #6 TRN — North has enough guards to check Kukoda and a big man that the Roses lack. If St Rose can flawlessly run their offense they will take Wrightson out of the game because he’ll have to be a one man zone in the paint. St Rose has to keep this in the 40′s and shoot a good percentage to win. If they don’t it will feed TRN into the break and make for too many empty possesions with Wrightson on the boards. I like TRN to stun the defending champs in this one.
Finals
#1 Jackson vs #6 TRN — Cinderella runs into the wrong bunch. Jackson will run if they want to run and have the post play to grind if they need to grind. Holup helps neutralize Wrightson and Kenny and McDonnell are the best players on the floor. This will be a terrific game with I think the Jags winning a close one.
Later in the week I’ll post my traditional holiday tournament guide. Until then I’ll see you … On the ShoreLine.
