Dawgs are Dancing, Duke Delivers Revenge Win, Back Nine Surge for Bhatia in Orlando

Dawgbone Jr's Weekend Observations

Red-Hot Dawgs

The Dawgs have been lighting it up on the court recently and continued it with another incredible week. First, on Tuesday the Dawgs hosted the Crimson Tide in the last home game of the season and earned their biggest win of the year. Kanon Catchings was the star of Tuesday night as he put up a career-high 32 points. He went 7-of-13 from beyond the arc and Alabama had zero chance of stopping him. Blue Cain was also a problem for the Tide as he came through with some clutch baskets late. The Dawgs then moved on to Starkville for the regular season finale to take on a struggling Mississippi State squad. State made it tough as they held the lead at halftime, but the Dawgs took over in the second half. Catchings again led the team in scoring with 23 points, heating up at just the right time. The Dawgs scored 102 points on Saturday and kept showing why they are one of the top offenses in the nation. MSU hung around, largely because of Josh Hubbard, who poured in 42 points. It is unfortunate Hubbard is stuck on a struggling team, because he is one of the best players in the SEC. The Dawgs are a lock for March and will only improve their seeding with a strong run in the SEC Tournament.

#17 North Carolina 61 - #1 Duke 76

The previous meeting between these rivals was an instant classic, capped by Seth Trimble’s game-winning shot to knock off the Blue Devils. UNC was coming into Durham without their best player, Caleb Wilson, who suffered a season-ending injury during a dunking drill in practice. The Blue Devils were heavy favorites, but the Tar Heels were right in it through the first half. The second half was a different story entirely as Duke went on one of the most dominant runs you will ever see. The Blue Devils went on a 24-2 run, completely pulling away from North Carolina and cruising to a dominant victory. Cameron Boozer once again shined, finishing with 26 points and 15 rebounds, which is just about an average night for the nation’s best player. Senior Maliq Brown also had a strong performance with 15 points and 9 rebounds on senior night, one of the best games of his long career in Durham. The Blue Devils finished the regular season with just two losses and now set their sights on a top seed in the Tournament. This is the best team in the country and they will prove it in March.

Conference Tournament Predictions

SEC: Florida
Big Ten: Michigan
Big 12: Houston
ACC: Duke
Big East: St. John’s

Akshay Bhatia Wins at Bay Hill

Sunday at Bay Hill is one of the best days of the year in golf and it delivered a classic. Daniel Berger opened the day with a one-shot lead over his playing partner Akshay Bhatia. Berger set the tone early by extending his lead and making an incredible birdie on hole 4, where he hit his second shot from the creek. He was in full control heading into the back nine, but Bhatia was lights out on the second side. Bhatia birdied his first four holes on the back nine. Perhaps the biggest swing came on 13, where Berger made bogey after finding a fried egg in the bunker while Bhatia drained a birdie putt, and suddenly it was a duel to the finish. On 16, Bhatia was down two shots but hit the best shot of the tournament, sticking a 6-iron to four feet and converting the eagle to cut the lead to one. He gained another shot on 17, and after 72 holes both players stood tied at 15-under. Berger struggled off the tee on the difficult 18th, and on the playoff hole he pulled his tee shot right while Bhatia found the center of the fairway. Both players reached the green, but Berger was over 100 feet away and proceeded to three-putt, handing Akshay Bhatia the Arnold Palmer Invitational title. Bhatia earns his third PGA Tour victory and looks primed to add more before the season is over.

Early Major Championship Predictions

The Masters: Justin Rose
PGA Championship: Collin Morikawa
U.S. Open: Jon Rahm
British Open: Scottie Scheffler

Dawgbone Jr (aka Bennett Wiggins)