As the lone member of the NRF media, I feel that it would be wrong of me to not make some predictions before tonight. As All-Star festivities officially kicked off last night for the Uptown and Downtown Conferences, tonight's three-point and skills competitions are going to be just as enjoyable.

Three-Point Contest

Here's the field: Paul Rivera, Chris Dowling, Nick Blatchford, Juan Reyes, Bobbito Garcia, Reggie Dance, Smiley, Gabe Urist, Tony Chan, Scott Hurwitz, Billy Dodson, Terance Takyi, Lou Miguel, Derrin Woodhouse, Justin Leonard, Josh Gotthelf, Brain Saul, Mike Tumberello, Jomo Davis, J.J McGowan

At first glance, the favorite has to be Nick Blatchford. Averaging 2.7 threes per game, the rookie can fill it up from deep. But don't count out cagey veterans Bobbito Garcia and Lou Miguel, who met in the finals last year. Miguel came out on top, and since that day, Garcia has been talking about his revenge. But in addition to these three, the competition is going to be stiff. First-timer Josh Gotthelf is rumored to be bringing his shooting coach to the gym, and on any given night, Paul Rivera or Justin Leonard (when they're in the building) can knock 'em down. If I had to pick a sleeper, it would be rookie Billy Dodson. Averaging 2.2 threes per game, Dodson has a quick release and should put on a show.

My Pick: Nick Blatchford

Skills Competition

Here's the field: Air Force 1 (Lucian Dickson, Cory Hogan, Dao Yi Chow), Uptempo (Mau, DJ Reason, Rashaun Smith), Dunk (Thomas Harden, Jason Tsai, Will Dubose), Delta Force (Sureshot, Jose Carlson, Myorr Jahna), Terminator (Dan Gladstone, Treasure Neal, Andrew Simon), Huarache (Roscoe, Chris Griggs, Matthew Bowman), Hyperflight (Iz Mateo, Jay Corbin, Jed Berger), Shox (Richard Ting, Mazzi, Jeremy Jenson), Foamposite (Chris Petrie, Brain Bachelor, Justin Monroe), Generation (Dan Alotta, Curtis Pemberton, Ricardo Viramontes)

The skills competition is always an interesting one. Clearly it takes teamwork, but it also takes jump-shooters. With the spots on the floor to knock shots down from including a lay-up, wing, free-throw line, three-pointer and half court, you need to choose your spots wisely. Looking at the field from each team, the squad that stand out to me are Delta Force, Terminator and Generation. You need quick guards and guys that can knock down jumpers at any given moment. These three teams have that.

My Pick: Terminator

All-Star Game

Here's the field: Uptown - Rafael DaSilva, Joe Branch, LeKeith Taylor, Will Perkins, Jeremy Siler, Chad Gittens, Christian Grant-Fields, Pat Cassidy, Do Kim, Ron Jackson vs. Downtown - Scott Williams, Mike Won, Jason Burke, Brandon Smith, Dan Solomito, Bang Takenouchi, Omar Grant, Al Reyes, David Jacoby, Lenny Dixon

Note: This game will still be played with only one basketball! Both teams will have to learn to pass the rock tonight, especially with all the talent (and egos) on the floor at the same time. Upon first glance, Uptown should hit the court with a starting lineup of Chad Gittens, Rafael DaSilva, Pat Cassidy, LeKeith Taylor and Christian Grant-Fields. Reuniting the Big Three from Huarache of yesteryear, this lineup will be a nightmare to match-up against. For Downtown, they should start with Omar Grant, Brandon Smith, Scott Williams, Dan Solomito and Jason Burke. Looking at these two teams, the match-ups are going to be crazy. While I'd say Downtown's starters get the edge, Uptown is definitely a deeper squad. This is going to be a close game, but I'm going to have to give the edge to the Downtown because of their three-point shooting.

My Pick: Downtown