@WahooBasketball's Game by Game Predictions - 2013/14

I've stated many times on my twitter account that while I feel the potential is great.. I am withholding some optimism until I see the product on the court.  I sat down and went through the schedule and did my game by game predictions.. based on very little other than some slight knowledge off the top of my head on the opponents, a lot of knowledge on our team, and the general ebbs and flows of college basketball seasons.  Just went with my gut and didn't edit anything.  I did this two years ago and was pretty damn accurate.  I'd like to think most of this is pretty reasonable.. I got a little carried away at the end because we just need to taste some postseason success.. but I still think its all plausible.  Tweet me your thoughts!  @WahooBasketball

11/8 (H) - James Madison – WIN – 72 - 58  This game actually scares me a touch. Just because it's game one and JMU won't be god awful.  Yes, they graduated four from their NCAA team a year ago, but Andre Nation is a good player and Andrey Semenov can shoot it.  They've had a taste of success.  I'm sure it's just pressure building for an anticipated season, we should win easy, but just a hair nervous.  (1-0)

11/12 (H) - VCU - WIN – 68 – 64  Have you heard?  We play VCU this year.  Not sure if you knew about it.  I still don't think we are good against the press, despite improvements last year... but VCU will have to play our game a lot more than we will have to play theirs.  In fact, I find it hilarious that their fans seem to think they will have us running up and down the court.  We win a tight one.  (2-0)

11/16 (N) - Davidson - WIN – 66 – 60  Davidson will own the SoCon again in their last season before moving to the A10.   They lose 3 starters, but return their best player, add a talented transfer, and add Mr. Basketball in Ohio.  We win easily at home, but this will be a battle in Charlotte.  (3-0)
 
11/19 (H) - Navy – WIN – 78 - 55  Despite the Midshipmen getting really fired up by the quote we have etched into our building, we lay down our first good ole fashioned spanking.    (4-0)

11/23 (H) - Liberty – WIN – 66 - 51  Ritchie McKay was the head coach here.   He preferred to be an assistant for us.  (5-0)

11/26  (H) – Hampton -  WIN – 69 – 47  We win.  (6-0)
 
11/29 (N) – SMU - LOSS – 71 – 65  This may not be a popular pick.  But Larry Brown has an athletic team that returns a lot of scoring and adds some serious young talent.  They are a borderline NCAA tourney team according to a lot of prognosticators.  I expect us to stumble somewhere, and with our history in these lower tier early season tournaments, I thought this was a good spot.      (6-1)

11/30 (N) - Missouri St. – WIN – 61 - 48  We miss out on A&M by losing to SMU.  Hurts our RPI.  Doesn't matter.   (7-1)

12/4 (H) – Wisconsin - WIN – 57 – 55  Wisconsin will be better.  Virginia will be better.  What gives?  Our post shows why many are calling them one of the deepest in the country and set the tone for our win despite hot Wisconsin shooting.  (8-1)

12/7 (A) Green Bay – WIN – 69 – 52 Inside the building the Bennett's built and Coach was setting NCAA shooting records.  Nostalgic.  Joey Hoops will show Tony he can rain jumpers here also.  (9-1)

12/21 (H) Northern Iowa – WIN – 58 – 46  First game after break and its a tough opponent.  Our athleticism shuts down these bracket busters. (10-1)

12/23 (H) Norfolk St. – WIN – 83 – 51  They try to get us up and down the floor, and fail miserably because we are good.  (11-1)

12/30 (A) Tennessee – LOSS – 66 – 65 Tennessee's arena seats a million people for some reason and they will be pumped because they are good and the football team is not very good.  Sound familiar?  We lose at the buzzer on the road.  (11-2)

1/4 (A) Florida State – WIN – 61 – 54  We play better than them in their building and then seem to lose.  Not happening this time.  We are too good. (12-2) (1-0)

1/8 (H) – Wake Forest - WIN – 68 – 48  Bennett is to Bzdelik as Kate Upton is to Roseanne Barr.   (13-2) (2-0)

1/11 (A) - NC State - LOSS – 73 – 67  A game we should win.  But alas, it just doesn't always work out that way especially on the road.  Gottfried is slime, for the record.  (13-3)  (2-1)

1/13 (A) - Duke – LOSS – 69 – 61 Playing against a team I think we match up poorly with on one day rest.  Thanks ACC.  (13-4)  (2-2)

1/18 (H) - Florida State – WIN – 67 – 49  Might be tight at their place, we win going away at ours.  (14-4)  (3-2)

1/20 (H) - UNC – WIN – 73 - 68  I love how we matchup with Roy.  I don't care about his personnel.  No way we lose our cool and play their game at home like we did at their place last year.  (15-4)  (4-2)

1/25 (H) – VPI - WIN 60 - 40  We play down to their level and still win by 20. (16-4)  (5-2)

1/28 (A) - Notre Dame – LOSS – 67 – 64  This one will be a battle.  I see a lot of similarities, but Notre Dame can spread the floor on offense and really wear you down defensively, especially in their building (16-5)  (5-3)

2/2 (A) - Pittsburgh - WIN – 67 – 64  Pitt will be better than some think.  Metric based systems like them.  They also like us.  I think our ability to take our game on the road and make you play it guts this one out.  (17-5) (6-3)

2/5 (H) - Boston College –  LOSS – 75 – 71  What?  Lose at home to BC?  I really like Donahue, I think their style is tough to defend, Hanlan is the real deal, and teams that can essentially shoot right over top of the pack-line scare the hell out of me.  Plus short turn around after a battle at Pitt.  This is the one home loss that REALLY hurts.  (17-6)  (6-4)

2/8 (A) - Georgia Tech – WIN – 64 – 54  I think Gregory is building this thing a bit.  They are a physical team that is finding their way.  Golden is over-rated.  We are better.  Key road win that sparks a run.  (18-6)  (7-4)

2/10 (H) - Maryland – WIN – 65 – 61  Anderson is on the ticket.  He doesn't like Maryland.  I think he plays good angry.    (19-6)  (8-4)

2/15 (A) – Clemson - WIN – 70 – 55  I think Brownell is a good guy and a good coach.  Problem is, he is an AWFUL recruiter.  Not easy to win big on the road in the ACC but it happens here.  (20-6)  (9-4)

2/18 (A) – Virginia Tech - WIN – 63 – 55  This would mean we win 3 of 4 on the road in the ACC.  I really like our chances in this circumstance.  (21-6) (10-4)

2/22 (H) Notre Dame – WIN – 70 - 54 Another battle with Notre Dame, but this time, our home crowd will be AMPED off this winning streak and we LAY DOWN THE LUMBER  (22-6)  (11-4)

2/26 (H) – Miami - WIN – 75 - 62  They graduated like 8 5th year seniors and lost Shane Larkin.  (23-6)  (12-4)

3/1 (H) – Syracuse – LOSS - 68 – 63  We don't practice against a zone.  Ever. They run the best in the business.  They provide some matchup problems.  A sell out home crowd goes home unhappy.  (23-7)  (12-5)

3/9 (A) - Maryland -  LOSS - 68 - 67  Everything tells me will lose this game.  Because I want to beat them SO BAD on their senior night before they finally get their couch burning asses out of our league.  Because Akil brashly predicted it at ACC media days.  It's damn near impossible to win 5 consecutive road ACC games.  And only because I want it so bad, I just can't shake the feeling they will win on some total BS late in the game.  There is some real technical analysis for you.  (23-8)  (12-6) 

POSTSEASON:

For the purpose of this I am going to assume the 12-6 record nets us 4th in the conference, giving us the bye until Friday in the newly restructured ACC tournament format.  

A win on Friday puts us in the semi finals puts us at (24-8).

I say we WIN our semifinal game to go to (25-8).  Yep, heard it here first!

Lose in the Finals to go to (25-9)

Four seed in the NCAA's.  Win two, lose in sweet 16.

FINAL RECORD:  (27-10) 

Thoughts?