Beech Tree News Network

If you're a UK basketball fan you could owe some thanks to Michigan State University and coach Tom Izzo.

All the crazy 40-0 talk for the Kentucky Wildcats is over after only three games. Thanks to MSU and their 78-74 win on Tuesday night the Cats know they aren't invincible, and now it's time to work on getting better.

It's clear that UK is going to be a great team, but watching college hoops this week it became obvious that they won't be the only tough team in America by March. North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, Louisville and several other squads will have their say about who is the best team in the land. Cats fans need to understand that the landscape of college basketball is loaded this year, and UK isn't a lock to win the title.

If you're a real fan of college hoops, isn't this the way you want things?

Last year college basketball was weaker as a whole than it's been in a long time. No team really established themselves as a front runner early, and the talent level was down a bit from recent years. This year the big programs all seem loaded, and there's several teams loaded with seniors and play-makers ready to pull some upsets between now and the Final Four.

I like to think I'm a hoops can first, and a UK fan second, so this sets up pretty good to me. However if you're a die-hard UK fan isn't this the way you would want the competition to be this season? Wouldn't a UK title run set against a field of tough opposition make a championship all the sweeter?

A couple of things are clear for UK at this point, both good and bad. First, Julius Randle is a beast!! The big freshman never quit fighting on Tuesday night, and finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds. At times he seemed unstoppable. Also good is the emergence of Alex Poythress. Poythress was disappointing as a freshman. Much of the time last season he seemed lost on both ends of the floor and didn't play as tough as expected from someone with his size. If Poythress can continue to develop he will be an integral part of the team by the start of league play.

With the good usually comes some bad, and nothing stuck out more on Tuesday than UK's total lack of free throw shooting. The Cats have to do better at the line or teams will just foul them into submission. UK also needs to get better minutes from the highly touted Harrison twins. The twins looked lost on defense against the Spartans, and I didn't see the effort that the pair has shown against UK's two easy regular season opponents. Point guard play will be critical for this team, and if the twins don't step up their game UK could have some nights where they struggle.

All told I feel good after the loss, but is think more losses are coming soon. UK has a rough schedule between now and the open of SEC play in January. The tough games are probably just what this team needs to keep them grounded, put their egos in check, and motivate them to do the hard work it will take to cut down the nets in early April. One thing is for sure, it's going to be a fun ride.

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Unless something drastic happens on Sunday in Homestead, Florida Jimmie Johnson is about to be a six-time NASCAR champion. Johnson needs only to finish 23rd or better to lock up the title over rival Matt Kenseth.

I'm not a Jimmie Johnson fan, but it think it would be a shame at this point if he doesn't win the championship, because his team has been the best in the sport all season. At one point Johnson held a race-and-a-half lead over the second place driver in the series. He has the most wins on the season with 8. He's in the top three in laps led. His team has consistently had the best pit stops of any crew throughout the season. Basically they've been the best at everything.

I don't like NASCAR's championship format, but this year the title is going to the driver that certainly set himself apart from the rest of the field. And if you're like me and not a fan of Johnson, be forewarned. This guy and his team aren't done yet. I don't expect him to stop at six, and I've decided I'm going to cheer for the opposition, but enjoy Jimmie Johnson's historic dominance. Guys like him don't come along very often.

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After my NFL picks went 9-5 last week I'm 94-52 for the season. With that finish I'm still right at 65% for the season, with the football season heading into the home stretch. I correctly picked the Thursday night winner again, so I'm holding into a win heading into the rest of the week.

My picks this week are; Bills, Bears, Bengals, Eagles, Lions, Falcons, Cardinals, Texans, Chargers, Saints, Packers, Seahawks, and Denver.

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