The St. Louis Cardinals have overtaken the Pittsburgh Pirates for second place in the NL Central. Now, the Cardinals are trying to make another late charge toward the playoffs like they did last year.
The Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets begin their 2012 NFL Preseason as they face off on Friday at Paul Brown Stadium.
The Cincinnati Reds are looking to continue their winning ways, building off a sweep of their in state brethren the also surprising Cleveland Indians.
If you are like me you are just waiting for the Detroit Tigers to wakeup and realize they are the best team in the AL Central.
Heading into the first leg of inter-league play Cincinnati is hanging in there in the National League Central.
The Cincinnati Bearcats are on a serious roll right now. No they did not win the Big East Tournament but check this: in their last 11 games they are 9-2 with only 5 points separating them form 11-0; 5 of those wins were against ranked teams with their only losses to tournament teams South Florida and Louisville.
Cincinnati Bearcats vs Ohio State Buckeyes
Thursday March 22
East Region – Boston, MA
9:45PM
Moneyline: No money line currently listed
Spread: Ohio State -8
O/U: 129
Cincinnati
I am not saying the Bearcats are my pick to win it all but they certainly deserve to be here and won’t be intimidated by Ohio State.
Cincinnati is coming off a win against Florida State which is no easy task.
Guard Sean Kilpatrick got his game back scoring a team high 18 points as forward Yancy Gates was neutralized in the post by the Seminoles. The game against FSU was far from pretty but it showed the Bearcats have more than enough grit.
I really like the way they locked in at the foul line making 82% of their shots (they were 64% during the regular season).
Ohio State
I suppose I have to eat some humble pie after Ohio State eliminated my Gonzaga Bulldogs. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
In the first half the Zags were all over the Buckeyes but their staying power wasn’t very strong, surprising because I still think they are the deeper team. Ohio State didn’t dominate but they got the job done.
Fellow Ohio school Cincinnati is in the way but this is a favourable matchup despite the steam behind the Bearcats right now.
I am still looking for the evidence that Jared Sullinger is going to be a good player at the next level.
If that is the case he should be able to have success against Bearcats beast of a power forward Yancy Gates. I think it will be a bit of a stalemate which is fine for the Buckeyes who are superior at all the other spots.
They will probably win going away this time. Next us Wisconsin? Maybe.
Spread Pick: Ohio State -8
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Ohio State 72 – Cincinnati 62
I thought the Cincinnati Bearcats might squander an opportunity and lose to Texas in the first round – they didn’t.
#6 Cincinnati Bearcats (25-10) vs #3 Florida State Seminoles (25-9)
Sunday March 18
East Region – Nashville, TN
9:40PM
Moneyline: No money line currently listed
Spread: Florida State -2
O/U: 127
Cincinnati
Now they have an even bigger opportunity to make it to the Sweet Sixteen, something nobody could have predicted a few months ago.
As you can tell by the small line they have a legit shot too.
Florida is one of the most unpredictable teams of recent memory.
Against the Longhorns center Yancy Gates dominated (15 points, 10 boards and 3 blocks). It was to be expected as Texas had no one who could really look him in the eye. Florida does so they are going to have to get production from him and other sources to pull off the upset.
Sean Kilpatrick is the Bearcats leading scorer but he had a poor game with just 8 points. If he has another these guys are history. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Florida State
Other than that one route against North Carolina it seems that the Seminoles never do things the easy way. They escaped against Atlantic 10 champ St. Bonaventure by tightening things up in the second half – winning by three and leaving ATS bettors with losing tickets.
They really put the clamps on A10 player of the year Andrew Nicholson who didn’t miss in the first half and that made the difference.
On offense they seem to have finally figured out that they should just keep feeding Bernard James in the post. He shot 8 for 11 and scored a season high 19 points with 9 rebounds.
Cincy, with Gates, has better size to matchup but they should still work the offense through James.
I feel confident in writing that they can not afford another poor performance by Michael Snaer in this tournament. He was 0 for 7 for the game .
Spread Pick: Florida State -2
O/U Pick: Over
Score Prediction: Florida State 69 – Cincinnati 62
The Cincinnati Bearcats are a study in contrasts this year. After the brawl with Xavier they regrouped and played very good basketball, so good they surprised Syracuse in the Big East Tournament.
The Big East tournament final is a shocker between a couple of unranked teams in Cincinnati and Louisville.
Duke (25-4) has won 6 straight and they are getting closer to snagging a #1 seed in the Big Dance.
The Cincinnati Bearcats will look to gain ground on Big East leaders Syracuse with a rare win at No. 11 Connecticut on Wednesday night.
The NFL playoffs kick off Saturday afternoon in Houston. A few weeks ago the Texans beat Cincinnati 20-19 on a last second touchdown. It looked like that would knock the Bengals out of the playoffs, but they backed their way in because other playoff contenders flopped at the end of the season.
Houston has just missed the playoffs several times, but they are finally a part of the postseason.
Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) vs. Houston Texans (10-6)
Time/Date: 4:30 PM EST, January 7, 2012
Venue: Reliant Stadium
Broadcast: NBC
Bengals vs. Texans Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
Spread: Texans -3
Moneyline: Houston (-170) Cincinnati (+150)
Over/Under: 38.5
The Bengals were expected to be terrible, but this young squad came together quickly.
Which team will move on?
Andy Dalton will get plenty of consideration for Rookie of the Year honors, and he definitely deserves it. Carson Palmer deserted this team after a 4-12 year last year, and many believed the team would do even worse this year. Dalton stepped into a difficult situation and excelled in his rookie season in the league.
He threw 20 touchdowns and had a respectable 80.4 quarterback rating this year. A.J. Green definitely helped make Dalton’s transition easier. Green topped the 1,000 yard receiving mark in his rookie season. He is destined to be a star for many years to come. The Bengals must get Cedric Benson and the ground game going in this one.
It was the Cincinnati defense that led this team to the playoffs this year. Several weeks into the season they were the top ranked defense in the NFL. Key injuries to guys like Leon Hall and Keith Rivers hurt this unit in the last few weeks, but they have continued to be solid. Nate Clements and Reggie Nelson lead a solid secondary, while Domata Peko and Geno Atkins provide strength on the front line. Cincinnati gives up 20.2 points per game.
Houston saw its top two quarterbacks go down with an injury this year. Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart are both expected to miss the rest of the year, so it is up to rookie T.J. Yates. Yates was an unheralded rookie coming into the season, but he has filled in admirably for this team. Yates completed 61% of his passes this year, and he threw for 949 yards in limited action. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Texans are led by a great tailback tandem. Arian Foster and Ben Tate combined for more than 2,100 rushing yards this year. Foster’s versatility in the passing game is a big perk for this team. Tate was a bit of surprise to most of the league, but he averaged an impressive 5.4 yards per carry this year. Andre Johnson missed a lot of time this year, but he is expected to be ready for this one.
Last year the Houston pass defense was the worst in the NFL, and this season they ranked third in the league. Johnathan Joseph, formerly a star for the Bengals, stepped in and made this Texans secondary much better right away. Joseph led the team with 15 pass deflections and four interceptions this year.
Brian Cushing led the team in tackles, and this group of linebackers is ultra-talented. Overall, the Texans finished the regular season ranked second in the NFL in total defense.
Both of these teams are led by a strong defense. I don’t expect either team to put up big points in this one. I like the value on the under.
Free NFL Pick: Under 38.5
There is a lot on the line this Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals. The Bengals need a win to guarantee a playoff spot, while the Ravens need a win to earn home field advantage in the playoffs.
There will be no resting starters here. It will be an all out fight to the end in Cincinnati. This should be one of the best games of the weekend.
Time/Date: 4:15 PM EST, January 1, 2012
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium
Broadcast: CBS
Ravens vs. Bengals Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
Spread: Ravens -2
Moneyline: Ravens (-130) Bengals (+110)
Over/Under: 37.5
Baltimore is 11-4 on the season, but they are just 3-4 on the road. Clearly, this is a team that definitely needs to get home field advantage in the playoffs. This is a game they badly need to win. Quarterback Joe Flacco has had his worst year as a professional this year. Flacco has been extremely inconsistent, and he is completing just 56.8% of his pass attempts. Can he be trusted to win a big game in the playoffs? Many experts don’t believe he can at this point. Ray Rice has put together a tremendous season in the backfield. Rice leads the team in rushing yards and receptions this year. He is probably the most versatile running back in the NFL.
The reason Baltimore has 11 wins is the spectacular play of their defense. Terrell Suggs leads the team with 13 sacks, and he has had the best year of a highly successful career. Ray Lewis isn’t quite the player he once was, but he leads the team with 67 tackles this season. This is a defense that thrives on forcing turnovers. Haloti Ngata has two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. LaDarius Webb leads an impressive secondary with five interceptions. Baltimore allows just 16.7 points per game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Andy Dalton came into a difficult situation and Cincinnati, but he has had an amazing first year with the Bengals. Dalton wasn’t picked until the second round, but he’ll get some serious consideration for Rookie of the Year in the NFL this season. Dalton has racked up 20 touchdown passes against just 13 interceptions. It has definitely helped to have star receiver A.J. Green on the outside. Green is only a rookie as well, but he has 63 catches for 1,031 yards. Jermaine Gresham has become a security blanket over the middle of the field for the Bengals. Cedric Benson had some problems with ball security last week. The Bengals must get a good performance out of him this week if they hope to win.
Cincinnati’s defense has suffered some major injuries, but this unit has done a nice job staying together of late. Leon Hall, Pat Sims, and Keith Rivers are out for the year with injuries. Reggie Nelson has revived his career with a strong season at the safety spot for Cincinnati this year. Nelson has 12 pass deflections and four interceptions. Thomas Howard and Rey Maualuga have been leaders at the linebacker position. The Bengals have allowed just 19.9 points per game this year.
I like both defenses a lot, but I think 37.5 is a little bit too low for this one. The last meeting between these two finished at 31-24. Look for this one to get into the 40’s.
Free NFL Pick: Over 37.5
The Cincinnati Bengals will try to stay in the AFC playoff hunt on Sunday when they travel to St. Louis to take on the lowly Rams.
The Connecticut Huskies will look to play the role of spoiler this Saturday afternoon when they face the Cincinnati Bearcats at Paul Brown Stadium in this Big East conference clash.
Two surprisingly competitive AFC North teams do battle on Sunday as the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals hope to keep their playoff hopes alive (for the Browns chances are slim).
