March Madness is one of the best events on the sports annual calendar and Blog SH is covering various parts of the madness. Today I have a guest to discuss the recently released bracket before the 64 teams begin playing. Jonah Skiles is a fellow CCU student who has an avid knowledge for college basketball.
[4:33:14 PM] jonahskiles: Thanks for having me Jack. March Madness is my personal favorite event in all of sports. Obviously I am a huge college basketball fan, as well as a life-long supporter of the North Carolina Tar Heels.
[4:35:42 PM] Jack Kavanagh: Happy to have you here. Lets jump right in and take a look at the South portion of the bracket. Can we assume the #1 overall seed Florida Gators will advance to the final four or is there a team in here that can take them down?
[4:44:29 PM] jonahskiles: Well in my opinion, they will advance to the Final Four due their senior leadership, defensive pressure, and unselfish brand of basketball, not to mention their great coaching staff led by Billy Donovan. However with all that said, there are a couple of teams that I could potentially see giving Florida a run for their money. Kansas is as talented as any team in the country, and if they are to make it through the first couple of rounds without Joel Embiid on the interior, they have enough versatility and athletic ability to take down the Gators. You also have Syracuse in this region, who despite having slipped up a little in late stages of the regular season, held the number one spot in the country for quite some time. C.J. Fair and Tyler Ennis could lead the Orange past Florida. Finally, you cannot forget about VCU. Shaka Smart always has his team ready to play by tournament time and this year should be no different.
[4:48:04 PM] Jack Kavanagh: I also do think they will reach the Final Four but Kansas will definitely give them a run for their money if they match up in the Elite Eight.
[4:48:58 PM] Jack Kavanagh: Where can we expect to see upsets in this portion of the bracket? Is the 31-2 Stephen F. Austin team really all they're cracked up to be?
[4:56:17 PM] jonahskiles: I think Stephen F. Austin is a really good team. They are riding a 28 game winning streak into the tournament, which is impressive for anyone. They crash the glass hard, and force lots of turnovers. They should give VCU all they can handle in the first round. Another potential upset to watch out for is the 13-seed Tulsa over the 4-seed UCLA. Former Kansas great, Danny Manning, coaches this team and leads them in to the tournament on a current 11 game win streak. If they can keep UCLA from making 3-pointers, they should have a chance due to their excellent defense inside 2-point range.
[4:59:30 PM] Jack Kavanagh: That is certainly a popular upset pick this year and will be a great game to watch but what do you think the most exciting game will be in the East?
[5:07:37 PM] jonahskiles: That's a tough question because there are some very interesting match-ups in this region. The one I am most interested in is the 3-14 contest between Iowa State and North Carolina Central. Most people overlook this matchup because of the star power of Iowa State in Melvin Ejim and DeAndre Kane, but N.C. Central has a star of their own in Jeremy Ingram. This young man averages 20.6 PPG and has shown he can do it against big time opponents (27 against Cincinnati, 37 against Wichita State). If they can limit the fast break chances of Iowa State, this game could be close. They play excellent defense in the half-court set and have been competitve against high profile teams, beating N.C. State and losing to Cincinnati by 13 and Wichita State by 11. If Ingram gets hot, this game could become very intriguing.
[5:12:55 PM] Jack Kavanagh: That's interesting because I was not even considering that as a possible upset. Let's move on to West portion which to many is seen as wide open. Is Arizona the one to emerge victorious or can Creighton, Wisconsin, or another team take down the Wildcats?
[5:18:01 PM] jonahskiles: I think Arizona would be the favorite to win the region, but no one should overlook Oklahoma State. Marcus Smart, Markel Brown, and LeBryan Nash could propel them past the Wildcats in a potential second round match. Wisconsin can slow you down and make you play at their pace, which could be enough for them to continue to advance. Creighton is another interesting case. Doug McDermott could shoot them all the way to the Final Four. He's that talented as a scorer. But aside from him, the rest of the team is solid as well, so they could be a tough out for anyone.
[5:21:24 PM] Jack Kavanagh: All solid points. One team that surprised a lot of people this year is Nebraska, are they a cinderella candidate this year?
[5:23:48 PM] jonahskiles: It's a possibility, but I'm not sold on the team. I think Baylor is just too athletic and long for Nebraska to advance to the round of 32.
[5:26:18 PM] Jack Kavanagh: That should be a fun game to watch but what potential match up in the later rounds of the West gets you excited?
[5:30:37 PM] jonahskiles: I would say that this the weakest region, but having said that, the possible Elite 8 contest between Arizona and Creighton would be exciting. Arizona has tons of talent with Nick Johnson leading the way. Flanked by Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson the Wildcats have an uber-talented roster. But I would never count out McDermott and the Blue Jays.
[5:31:50 PM] Jack Kavanagh: I would love to see McDermott match up against some of the other top talent in the country as well.
[5:34:11 PM] Jack Kavanagh: Let's here your thoughts on the Midwest Region. The Midwest in my opinion is the most intriguing region and contains the best competition. Where does our favorite lie in this quarter of the bracket?
[5:38:33 PM] jonahskiles: Well I'm going to have to ride the nation's bandwagon on this one and choose the defending champion Louisville Cardinals. They are peaking at the right time and have the championship experience to go the distance. I truly think they will have a rough time getting past Wichita State in a potential Sweet 16 match-up. Wichita St. has a better team this year than last year's Final Four team. The only issue could be the pressure of living up to the undefeated record with which they enter the tournament. Coach K is always going to have his Duke squad ready to play as well. The Jabari Parker-Rodney Hood tandem could be the best 1-2 punch in the nation.
[5:43:30 PM] Jack Kavanagh: Louisville has really been impressive these last couple weeks. One team I haven't heard anything about is Mercer. They come out of the same conference that Florida Gulf Coast does and I think we all remember what happened last year. Mercer faces up against Duke a team that lost to 15 seed Lehigh two years ago. Is this game a match made in heaven or a 35 point loss for Mercer?
[5:46:40 PM] jonahskiles: Well this Mercer squad knocked off Florida Gulf Coast this year in the Atlantic Sun Conference final on Dunk City's home court. That is an accomplishment in its self, but I think Duke is just too strong and talented from top to bottom for Mercer to pose a huge threat.
[5:52:31 PM] Jack Kavanagh: As we move on to the East, this region has special significance for you and I. Coastal Carolina lines up against ACC Champions Virginia. There has been a lot of hype for this game being that it is a 1 VS 16 match up. Can the Chanticleers be the first 16 seed to ever take down a 1 seed?
[5:57:16 PM] jonahskiles: Well it's a stretch, that's for sure, but the Chants might have a chance. They have enough length and athleticism to challenge the Cavaliers. Badou Diagne could be the X-Factor in the game with his relentless attack of the boards and his knack for momentum-shifting plays. If Elijah Wilson and Warren Gillis can get hot from the floor, it's at least doable. But if they are even the slightest bit off their game, Joe Harris and Virginia will bury them because they rarely make mistakes.
[5:58:35 PM] Jack Kavanagh: It would be a real treat for Coastal Nation especially the two of us because we will be attending the game Friday night in Raleigh.
[5:59:05 PM] jonahskiles: That would be something special to witness.
[6:00:25 PM] Jack Kavanagh: Indeed. Now is the East similar to the Mid-West in that the four seed Michigan State is the favorite?
[6:04:27 PM] jonahskiles: I believe so. They are my pick to win the tournament. You can pretty much throw their record out the window because of all the injuries they have faced throughout the year. Keith Appling, Adrien Payne, and Gary Harris provide such a strong core, and when everyone is healthy this team has showed that they can beat anyone. They dismantled Michigan in the Big 10 Conference final this past week. With everyone on the team healthy, it will be hard not to bet on the Spartans. Also, Coach Tom Izzo has never failed to take a senior class to the Final Four in his tenure at Michigan State.
[6:06:43 PM] Jack Kavanagh: They are a popular pick to win the title. With that said my final question will be how do you expect your beloved UNC Tar Heels to fair against Providence and beyond?
[6:12:51 PM] jonahskiles: Providence is riding a confidence high off of their Big East Championship win and have a star in Bryce Cotton. However, the team is not deep and each starter plays over 30 minutes per game. With UNC's breakneck pace that they love to play at, Providence should run out of gas. UNC has been extremely up and down this year. They have beaten Louisville, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Duke but have bad losses to UAB and Belmont among others. If Marcus Paige can keep up his stellar play and can get some help from James Michael McAdoo and J.P. Tokoto, they could potentially make a deep run. But if McAdoo doesn't show up to play, they could have an
early exit. I guess we'll see what they're really made of in the next few days.
[6:13:55 PM] Jack Kavanagh: They surely have been up and down this year but are undoubtedly one of the most exciting teams to watch all year.
[6:15:46 PM] Jack Kavanagh: I think and I believe you share the same opinion that we are in for one of the best tournaments in recent years. Thank you for giving us your time here today it is greatly
appreciated by all of us here at Blog SH.
[6:17:03 PM] jonahskiles: Thank you very much for having me Jack, and thanks to Blog SH for taking my insight and opinions!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
UNC Asheville and The Greatest Upset That Could Have Been (featuring interview with former player Matt Dickey)
By: James Decker
Selection Sunday has come upon us. I am sure a lot of people
are like me and can barely control their heart racing as Greg Gumbel reads off
the names of the teams that have made it to “The Big Dance”. I know that practically every serious
bracket-maker besides the members of the schools who are the 16th seeds
are quick to advance the 1st seed past the round of 64. I’m not trying to sound
like head coach Danny O’Shea of the “Little Giants” delivering his famous “One
Time” speech, but to me there is always that small chance that a 16th seed will
finally knock off a number one. UNC Asheville almost proved that to us two years
ago.
UNC
Asheville came into this game champions of the Big South, finishing at 24-10
overall and 16-2 in the Big South. Syracuse came in at 32-2, regular season
champions of the Big East. UNC Asheville came out to play right away; led by
J.P Primm, Jaron Lane, Jeremy Atkinson, and Matt Dickey, the Bulldogs
controlled the pace of the game and were able to get good looks against the
Syracuse 2-3 for much of the first half. They took a 34-30 lead heading into
halftime. Syracuse gained the lead about midway through the second half, and
were able to get a 62-54 lead with 2:37 left in the game. Watching this game, I
personally thought that Syracuse had pretty much sealed the deal with an eight
point lead in this game; but then things got really interesting and
controversial. A quick 4-0 run by UNC Asheville cut the lead to 62-58. Syracuse
had trouble getting the ball inbounds, and if you look at the ref in the video
below, this could definitely be seen as a five-second violation.
Syracuse was then awarded a timeout and Scoop Jardine knocked
down two foul shots after he was fouled by Dickey when the ball was inbounded.
Jaron Lane knocked down a three, followed by a Brandon Triche layup for
Syracuse and two foul shots from J.P Primm had the score at 66-63 Syracuse with
38 ticks left. Syracuse had more trouble getting the ball inbounds again, and
this time a pass was thrown that looked to be off the hands of Brandon Triche.
Take a look at the video below and decide for yourself (start at 2:00).
According to the recap on ESPN.com, “Coordinator
of officiating John Adams said he would have given the ball to UNC Asheville on
the inbounds play.” Instead, Syracuse got the ball and Jardine knocked down two
more clutch free throws. UNC Asheville ended up falling to Syracuse 72-65.
I
will never say that refs completely decide the outcome of this game because who
knows that UNC Asheville would have done if they received the ball on either
occasion. My main purpose in writing this is to show that number 16 seed should
ever go underestimated. This Syracuse team had a dominant season and the
Bulldogs had them on the ropes. I was able to get in contact with Matt Dickey
via Facebook, who averaged 16.1 points per game in what was his senior season
at UNC Asheville. He had this to say about his mindset coming into the game, as
well as the controversial calls.
James
- As a team and personally what was your mindset prior to the game against
Syracuse?
Matt – “We went into the game with the mindset that we
could win. We knew a 16 had never beaten a 1, but we knew how good we were and
had played a couple of the other 1 seeds during the year and competed well
against them, so we knew if we played our best we could win.”
James-
Did you ever feel as if Syracuse was taking your team lightly?
Matt- “No, we didn't feel that Syracuse took us
lightly at all (though there coach/players may say different). We had a game
plan and we followed that game plan well. We also played great defense and made
them work for everything they got. So no, I don't feel that they took us
lightly. I think we made everything tough on them and that may have made it
look like they were taking us lightly.”
James-
I remember a few questionable calls down the stretch in that game. Do you feel
as if the refs took you guys out of a chance to win?
Matt-
“It's really hard to say that the refs took us out of a chance to win the
game. There were a few missed calls down the stretch, but Syracuse also made
some big shots as well. I will never blame a game on the refs.”
James-
How often do you talk about that game with family, friends, old teammates, etc?
Matt-
“Every once in a while it will get brought up in conversation with friends,
family and teammates. It is still a little tender because we knew we should
have won that game, but we can hold our heads up because we knew we gave it our
all.”
Thanks again to Matt
Dickey for taking the time to answer these questions. I love the line “I will
never blame a game on the refs”, because I feel like it would be easy for a
team trying to pull off an upset to blame the referees in a situation like
that. Also, hats off to Matt Dickey for providing us with a great buzzer
beater. I am 100% taking a shot at fellow Blog SH member and current Coastal
Carolina student Jack Kavanagh by putting this video up.
So before you fill out
your brackets, study up on the 16th seeds because you truly never know what can
happen. I have a feeling that this could be the year of the 16th seed. Cheers
to Selection Sunday, St. Patrick’s Day, and let the Madness begin!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Blog SH Preview For All-Star Weekend
ALL STAR SATURDAY
The Three-Point Competition is constantly over shadowed by the
Slam Dunk Contest on All-Star Saturday especially this year with the dunk event
containing numerous high profile names.
This year’s Three-Point Shootout contains 8 prolific shooters who all
rank in the top 70 among three point percentage and in the top 37 for three
pointers made. If we go by
percentages Marco Belinelli would be the favorite however if we based our
predictions on three pointers made, Steph Curry would win while Belinelli would
finish in last. Whoever catches
fire will win as is the case every year but I think the best chance lies with
either Beal or Belinelli. Both are
catch and shoot/spot shooting specialists and should excel at the stationary
racks. In the end it will be Beal
who comes out on top because he possesses the purest jump shot in the
league. Overlooking Curry might be
insane especially because he has been called by some the greatest shooter of
all time but he excels shooting off the dribble and over defenders not wide
open while picking balls off a rack.
3 Point Contestants and their 3PT
Statistics
-Stephen Curry – 171 Made 3PT – 41.5%
-Kyrie Irving – 90 Made 3PT – 36.9%
-Arron Afflalo – 93 Made 3PT – 42.5%
-Bradley Beal – 89 Made 3PT – 43.0%
-Marco Belinelli – 81 Made 3PT – 44.8%
-Kevin Love – 114 Made 3PT – 37.0%
-Joe Johnson – 94 Made 3PT – 39.0%
-Damien Lillard – 149 Made 3PT – 40.4%
Almost all of the contestants in
this year’s Slam Dunk Contest are intriguing with Ben McLemore’s inclusion
being the only head scratcher. We
all know what defending champion Terrence Ross can do as well as past
participant Paul George. I don’t
know what to expect from John Wall or Damien Lillard although both are superior
athletes who can defy gravity and fly. Harrison Barnes has a good dunk reputation and is tied for
the tallest participant with George.
The fans love to see a small player win but they also like to see a
superstar win so in that department George and Lillard both have a good chance. Ross would not be a bad bet to repeat
as champion but I think the favorite does have to be Paul George. Ross will not be able to live up to
last year’s performance and Lillard will be too burnt out from competing in 48
other events this weekend. We saw what George can do in game a couple weeks ago
and he will demonstrate some more of that creativity and athleticism en route
to winning the first ever “Dunker of the Night”.
Dunk Contest Contestants and
their Height
-Harrison Barnes – 6’8 -
-Damien Lillard – 6’3 -
-Terrence Ross – 6’6 -
-John Wall – 6’4 -
-Paul George – 6’8 -
McLemore could be a prop in the contest… but let’s be fair here we
go!
NBA All-Star
Game 2014
By: Sal Pellone
When: February 16th 8pm
Where: Smoothie King Center in New
Orleans, Louisiana
Host: New Orleans Pelicans
Imagine a Skills Challenge,
a Three-Point Contest, and a Dunk Contest all mixed into one game. You are
saying to yourself, “Wow that would be pretty sick, the NBA should do this.”
Little do we know, this jumble of all three events into one is known as the NBA
All-Star Game. This year’s game will be the 63rd edition and will be
played in The Big Easy. New Orleans
previously held the event in 2008 (I always knew David Stern and Adam Silver
were huge Mardi Gras fans). This year we anticipate more exotic colored
sneakers, sleeved jerseys, and less and less defense.
Jerseys
I do not like the NBA’s transition into
sleeved jerseys one bit. They look like those cheap fake jerseys you would get
as a kid at Modell’s. I do admire the creativity of the logo design though. The
logo is the Fleur-de-lis symbol that is presented on the jerseys of most New
Orleans sports teams and defines the city’s rich background.
I LOVE the warm-up jerseys for the
all-star game. I immediately got goose bumps after seeing these. These jerseys
represent the accolades of each player and they get to wear it with pride.
Snubs
As you should know, the fans vote for the
NBA starters that will participate in the All-Star Game. The coaches get the
privilege to select their bench players. Many players have gotten belligerently
snubbed from the big game. So I picked my NBA Snub teams for the Eastern and
Western Conference.
EAST
All-Star Snubs
G: Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors) 16.7 PPG, 7.6
APG, 4.5 RPG
G: Lance Stephenson (Indiana Pacers) 14.1
PPG, 5.1 APG, 7.3 RPG
F: Arron Afflalo (Orlando Magic) 19.4 PPG,
3.7 APG, 4.1 RPG
F: Evan Turner (Philadelphia 76ers) 17.5 PPG,
3.6 APG, 5.9 RPG
F: Al Jefferson (Charlotte Bobcats) 20.1 PPG,
10.5 RPG
WEST
All-Star Snubs
G: Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies) 18 PPG,
6.3 APG
G: Goran Dragic (Phoenix Suns) 20.3 PPG, 6.2
APG, 3.5 RPG
F: David Lee (Golden State Warriors) 18.8
PPG, 9.8 RPG
F: Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans) 20.5
PPG, 10.1 RPG, 3.1 BLKPG
*Note
Davis was originally snubbed but is now on the roster
F: DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings) 22.5
PPG, 11.7 RPG
Game
Prediction
Now, lets get to the big game we are all
waiting for. The Western Conference has been more superior to the Eastern
Conference this year and the past 3 all-star games. The West definitely has the
more star-studded roster with stars galore. Although the East has Indiana
Pacers coach Frank Vogel who is a great defensive coach, expect absolutely no
defense from both teams.
West
OVER East
MVP
Every player is competing for that MVP
award secretly. It is so hard to predict when LeBron James, Kevin Durant,
Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry and others stars are competing. I am going with
the unexpected pick for MVP, he is going to have alley-oops to Anthony Davis,
Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Durant. The ex New Orleans Hornets
player wins it.
Chris
Paul
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Preview
By: Sal Pellone
Vancouver 2010 was where
we left off with Olympic hockey. Sidney Crosby of Canada squeezed an overtime
goal past USA's goalie Ryan Miller resulting in a heartbreaking dagger through
American's hearts. Our friendly neighbors from the North hoisted the beloved
gold medal in their hometown while Americans had to resolve with a silver
medal.
Olympic hockey is back and more hectic than ever in Sochi, Russia
this year. From killing stray dogs to poor hotel conditions, it seems as if
Sochi was not ready to host such a prolific world event. Let's just say the
Olympics probably will not be back here for a while. In the midst of all the
turmoil occurring in Sochi, we just have to take a deep breath in and remember
that Olympic hockey is back.
Group A
Russia
2010 Finish: Sixth
Notable Players: (F)Alex Ovechkin, (F)Evgeni Malkin, (F)Ilya Kovalchuck, (G)Sergei Bobrovsky
Preview: The Russians have home field advantage heading into the tournament. They have a solid offense behind NHL stars Ovechkin and Malkin. It will be pretty neat seeing Kovalchuck play again after he suddenly parted ways with the NHL for the KHL. Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov will most likely split time in net.
Prediction: Silver
Slovakia
2010 Finish: Fourth
Notable Players: (F) Marian Hossa, (D) Zdeno Chara, (G) Jaroslav Halak
Preview: Slovakia came close to a medal in 2010 finishing fourth. They face a tough group featuring Russia and the USA. The giant Zdeno Chara is the leader for the Slovaks along with Blues goalie Halak. The offense is a little shaky but have some key players like Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, and Michal Handzus. Marian Gaborik will be missed due to an injury.
Prediction: Seventh
Slovenia
2010 Finish: Failed to Qualify
Notable Players: (F) Anze Kopitar
Preview: Slovenia failed to put a team in Vancouver last Olympics. They feature only one NHL player on the team Anze Kopitar. I do not see them winning one game in the entire tournament. Maybe this Olympic appearance will erase the minds of Slovenians missing out on the World Cup.
Prediction: Eleventh
United States
2010 Finish: Silver
Notable Players: (F) Patrick Kane, (F) Phil Kessel, (F) Zach Parise, (D) Ryan Suter
Preview: The Americans came up short in 2010 and are hungrier than ever this year for the gold medal. They have one of the few rosters in the Olympics compiled of all NHL players which helps immensely. Phil Kessel and Patrick Kane are both in the top five among NHL points leaders. The three goalies for the U.S. Jonathan Quick, Jimmy Howard, and Ryan Miller are all having mediocre years which leaves speculation in the net.
Prediction: Bronze
Group B
Austria
2010 Finish: Failed to Qualify
Notable Players: (F) Thomas Vanek, (F) Michael Grabner
Preview: Austria missed the last Olympics and they sure as hell do not bring anything to the table in this Olympics. Although they are a new team to the tournament, Vanek and Grabner could spark some life into the Austrian roster. I do not see them winning any games.
Prediction: Ninth
Canada
2010 Finish: Gold
Notable Players: (F) Sidney Crosby, (F) Ryan Getzlaf, (F) Rick Nash, (F) Corey Perry, (F) John Tavares
Preview: The Canadians are completely loaded with a surplus of NHL stars. They are for sure the favorites heading into the games. If I could name the whole Canadian roster I would, but that would defeat the purpose of the notable players. The only weak spot on this roster are the goalies Carey Price, Mike Smith, and Roberto Luongo.
Prediction: Gold
Finland
2010 Finish: Bronze
Notable Players: (F) Teemu Selanne, (G) Tuukka Rask
Preview: Finland grabbed a medal in the last Olympics and they have the potential to win another. In my opinion, they have the best goalie tandem with Tuukka Rask, Kari Lehtonen, and Antti Niemi. Top defenders Sami Salo and Kimmo Timonen along with forwards Teemu Selanne and Olli Jokinen are older than dirt but will try and triumph the Suomi.
Prediction: Sixth
Norway
2010 Finish: Tenth
Notable Players: (F) Mats Zuccarello
Preview: Norway has nothing to offer here. Zuccarello is the lone NHL player on the roster. The Norwegians' only shot is verse Austria in this division. Other than that, there is no hope.
Prediction: Tenth
Group C
Czech Republic
2010 Finish: Seventh
Notable Players: (F) Jaromir Jagr, (F) David Krejci, (G) Ondrej Pavelec
Preview: Another old timer roster featuring Jaromir Jagr and Petr Nedved will need support from young guns David Krejci and Martin Hanzal. This is a strong roster with a mix of old and new which can make a run deep.
Prediction: Eighth
Latvia
2010 Finish: Twelfth
Notable Players: (F) Zemgus Girgensons
Preview: Latvia is going to be an absolute atrocity. They have a premature roster that features one NHL player. Latvia will be grateful to achieve 5 goals in this entire tournament. This team will be a quick exit.
Prediction: Twelfth
Sweden
2010 Finish: Fifth
Notable Players: (F) Daniel Sedin, (F) Nicklas Backstrom, (D) Erik Karlsson, (G) Henrik Lundqvist
Preview: The Swedes are favorites to win the group and can make some noise in the medal race. Henrik Sedin will be missed with his injury keeping him out. Henrik Zetterberg and Daniel Alfredsson are the leaders of the team with a lot of talent to coincide.
Projection: Fifth
Switzerland
2010 Finish: Eighth
Notable Players: (G) Jonas Hiller, (D) Mark Streit, (D) Roman Josi, (F) Nino Niederreiter
Preview: The Swiss are my underdog team heading into the tournament. The defense runs behind Mark Streit, Roman Josi, Yan Weber, and Raphael Diaz. Goaltender Jonas Hiller is a having a great year with the Ducks and led the Swiss last Olympics. Watch out for Switzerland to defeat the odds this year.
Projection: Fourth
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