Janie BoschmaLast week, Frank once again out-predicted Nick. Frank managed three accurate predictions, while Nick was correct only twice. Frank’s prediction percentage is now at .666, while Nick’s dropped to .500. The longest streak stat is still tied, with each editor managing to string together five consecutive accurate predictions.
Men’s basketball – who will win the men’s basketball season opener? (A) UW-Eau Claire (B) St. Scholastica (Minn.).
Nick: The Blugolds obviously haven’t played a game yet this season, so there aren’t any stats that really represent this year’s team. One thing I did notice, however, is that the Blugolds are 11-0 all time against St. Scholastica. I’m going to go with my gut and predict that the Blugolds will remain unbeaten against St. Scholastica. My prediction: (A) UW-Eau Claire.
Frank: Eau Claire was just picked to take eighth out of nine teams in the WIAC in the preseason poll conducted by the league’s sports information directors. This leads me to believe that the team is going to have somewhat of a rebuilding year and may struggle out of the gates.
However, St. Scholastica comes into this season possibly in a worse situation, with 8 of 14 roster spots being filled by freshmen. The youth from St. Scholastica will need time to grow, and you can’t argue with the history Nick pointed out. My prediction: (A) UW-Eau Claire.
Football – Who will win Saturday’s regular-season finale? (A) UW-Eau Claire (B) UW-River Falls.
Nick: The Blugolds are on a winning streak – a two-game streak, but a streak nonetheless. That, coupled with the fact that River Falls is a dismal 3-6 overall and 1-5 in the WIAC on the season, is why I’m going to predict a Blugold victory. My prediction: (A) UW-Eau Claire.
Frank: Eau Claire is just 5-4, but they’ve really only gotten blown out in one game this year and have made the rest of their games fairly competitive. Like Nick said, the team has put together consecutive wins and has done so in convincing fashion. On top of that, another victory would clinch fourth place in the WIAC for the Blugolds. Like I’ve been saying all season, Eau Claire’s offense is dynamic and will not be slowed by the measly Falcon defense. My prediction: (A) UW-Eau Claire.
Men’s Hockey – What will the outcome of the weekend series against UW-River Falls be? (A) UW-Eau Claire sweep (B) Split (C) River Falls sweep.
Nick: I’m throwing a changeup your way, Frank – a question with three options. Eau Claire rebounded from a rough start to the season to win its last two games, bringing its season record to 2-2. River Falls, on the other hand, is 4-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the WIAC. In its five games this season, River Falls has already scored 22 goals. By comparison, the Blugolds have scored 11 goals in four games. Eau Claire has a talented team and has home-rink advantage; however, the team suffered a pair of injuries over the weekend. My prediction: (B) Split.
Frank: Yes, Nick, nice “changeup.” If only our readers knew you don’t know enough about baseball to tell them what kind of pitch that even is (well they do now!). Back to the hockey, though, like Nick said, the Blugolds rebounded nicely last week, picking up two wins and bringing their record back to .500. In those two victories Eau Claire faced the same two teams River Falls faced last weekend: Augsburg College (Minn.) and Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.). Eau Claire took the first one against Augsburg 3-0 and followed it up with a 3-1 win against Gustavus.
When River Falls faced those same teams they took on Gustavus first, winning 3-2, and then narrowly edged Augsburg 1-0. Since these games were all played in the same weekend, it’s not unreasonable to conclude that the Blugolds are the superior team with their larger victories. My prediction: (A) UW-Eau Claire sweep.
Volleyball – How many games will the Blugolds win this weekend? (A) More than four (B) four or fewer.
Nick: I’m predicting an opening-round win in the NCAA championship tournament for the Blugolds over St. Olaf (Minn.), implying they will win at least three games. If Eau Claire does advance to the second round of the tournament, odds are they will be matched up against top-seeded UW-Oshkosh.
Last weekend, in the WIAC tournament, the Blugolds upset the Titans 3-2 – only the second loss of the season for Oshkosh. So, the question is, can the Blugolds win at least two games in their third match-up against the Titans? As much as I would like to see Eau Claire advance even further, I don’t think they can pull off another upset, and I don’t think they will make it past the fourth game either. My prediction: (B) four or fewer.
Frank: I agree with Nick and think Eau Claire will take the first match against St. Olaf, winning three games in the process. However, I see the second going differently against UW-Oshkosh than Nick does. The first time the Blugolds faced Oshkosh this season they were downed 3-1 and only picked up one game. But, like Nick said, Eau Claire took down Oshkosh 3-2 the last time they faced each other. I’m taking the average of the two games for the Blugolds and think they will lose the match 3-2, giving them 5 total games for the team this weekend. My prediction: (A) More than four.
National – Who will win Friday’s rematch of last-season’s Western Conference Championship match-up? (A) Los Angeles Lakers (B) Denver Nuggets.
Nick: These are two of the Western Conference’s best teams. The Lakers are defending champions and only improved their lineup since the last time these two teams met by adding Ron Artest. They have, however, been bitten by the injury bug – bigmen Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are both expected to miss substantial time due to injuries. The game is also being played in Denver, so I’m giving them the nod. My prediction: (B) Denver Nuggets.
Frank: After starting 5-0, Denver has lost consecutive games and is a less-than-perfect 5-2 overall (at the time this was printed). Even with the “injury-bug” biting the Lakers, they are still 6-1 and have this guy named Kobe on their team – he’s pretty good. Home court advantage isn’t as big in basketball as it is in football and doesn’t necessarily give a team any extra advantage. I’m going with Kobe and the champs. My prediction: (A) Los Angeles Lakers
