Danielle RyanGoing Streaking is a weekly prediction column in which Nick Gourdoux and Frank F. Pellegrino, the sports editors of The Spectator, compete head-to-head in an attempt to see who can accurately predict more sporting events.
Last week, Nick accurately predicted four of the five events, tying his season best. Frank, who still maintains the season lead, only predicted two correctly. With four more weeks of predictions in the semester, including this one, Nick needs more weeks like the previous one if he wants to catch up.
Men’s Basketball – Who will win the Friday night matchup against Concordia University? (A) UW-Eau Claire (B) Concordia University.
Frank – The Blugolds got off to a strong start in their regular season opener on Saturday, picking up a dominating 87-47 win against St. Scholastica (Minn.). Concordia also won their opener, but only came away with a 86-81 victory against a weak opponent. Eau Claire holds the edge 8-1 in this series’ history, and I think the Blugolds will continue on that success. My prediction: (A) UW-Eau Claire.
Nick – I’m not going to crown the Blugolds the NCAA champions just because they nearly scored twice as many points as their opponent in their first game, but they did look good. Sure, St. Scholastica may not be a good team, but any time a team can win by 40, you’ve got to be impressed. Concordia doesn’t appear to have a good team this year. My prediction: (A) UW-Eau Claire.
Men’s Hockey – How many goals will the team score Friday night against UW-Superior? (A) two or less (B) more than two.
Frank – Eau Claire’s offense has been solid this year, averaging 2.2 goals a game. However, the team was held to single digit goals the previous two games. Superior is giving up 3.2 goals per game and hasn’t given up less than two. I see the Blugolds offense rebounding with a three or four goal game. My prediction (B) more than two.
Nick – Superior has a better overall record than Eau Claire, but it has been shut out twice in WIAC play. I think the Blugolds will win on Friday, and probably on Saturday too. It’s tough to decide whether or not they can score more than two goals though. As Frank pointed out, the Blugolds average 2.2 goals per game, but have only scored two in their previous two games. I going to pick two or fewer goals, simply because I need to differ with Frank to gain ground in the season-stats. My prediction: (A) Two or less.
Cross Country – Which team will finish higher in the NCAA nationals this weekend? (A) Men’s team or tie (B) Women’s team.
Frank – The women’s team placed better than or tied the men’s team in every meet this season. Likewise, the women’s team is coming off a first place finish in their NCAA regional whereas the men’s team took fifth. On top of that, the women’s team will enter nationals ranked No. 3 in the country and have a legit shot and winning a national title. Sorry guys, this one wasn’t really fair. My prediction: (B) Women’s team.
Nick – I don’t know why we keep picking this question. Every time, as Frank pointed out, the women have finished higher, and every time we add this question, we both seem to pick the women. This, to me, is the closest thing to a sure-thing prediction that we’ll probably ever have. I think Frank is just afraid to pick tough questions in fear that I will overtake him as the semester nears an end. My prediction: (B) Women’s team.
Women’s Hockey – How many goals will the team give up this weekend in their two matches against Adrian College (Mich.)? (A) four or less (B) five or more.
Frank – The Blugolds give up exactly two goals a game, so this is a tricky one deciding whether or not they will go above or below that. On top of that, Adrian averages exactly two goals a game. We usually try to make the questions so they are pretty equal, but this one is stalemate and I’m struggling with who to pick. Eau Claire gave up four goals in their last game, so maybe they are on a downswing. My prediction: (B) five or more.
Nick – I don’t know where Frank is getting his stats from, but Eau Claire did not give up four goals last game – I would know, I cover the team. Yes, the team has given up an average of two goals a game, but in the four games the team has played this month, they have only given up six goals – an average of 1.5 a game. My prediction: (A) four or less.
National – Who will win this matchup? (A) Green Bay Packers (B) San Francisco 49ers.
Frank – If you have been following this column all year, you will recall me declaring myself a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, so obviously my opinion is a little biased. However, to me, the Packer’s season was already over prior to their 17-7 victory over the Cowboys. The 49ers, after a 3-1 start, have lost four of five, and have not looked good in recent weeks. Although I still think the Packers are very mediocre, I’m giving them the edge with their home field advantage. My prediction: (A) Green Bay Packers.
Nick – Frank claims to be a Packer fan, but his loyalty to the home-state team doesn’t come close to mine. I haven’t missed a Packer game since the mid 1990s. I am probably more biased than Frank, but I am also more knowledgeable when it comes to football. I think the experts are writing the Packers off too soon, and I think they have a very good chance of making a late playoff run. The managing editor of The Spectator, Scott Hansen, won’t like that both Frank and I picked a Packer’s victory over his favorite team, but that’s the way I foresee it. My prediction: (A) Green Bay Packers.
