Life's been busy.
Once the brackets come out, you'll see more from me.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
TOURNEY WEEK: DAYS 3 AND 4
Computer issues are never fun...time to make up for it!
MARCH 5
Wednesday brings us the beginning of the Big South, OVC, and Northeast tournaments, as well as continuing the Patriot League's.
First up is the Big South, which features a twelve team bracket, giving the top two teams in each division byes.
TOP HALF
(3) Radford def. (6) Presbyterian, 78-73.
(4) Winthrop def. (5) Liberty, 77-65.
BOTTOM HALF
(3) Gardner-Webb def. (6) Longwood, 81-65.
(5) Charleston Southern def. (4) Campbell, 81-71.
The Northeast Conference has a standard eight team bracket.
(1) Robert Morris def. (8) Fairleigh Dickinson, 60-53.
(2) Wagner def. (7) Central Connecticut State, 83-59.
(6) St. Francis (PA) def. (3) Bryant, 55-54.
(4) Mount St. Mary's def. (5) St. Francis (NY), 72-71.
The Ohio Valley's bracket is a staggered eight-teamer. Top two seeds get double byes, seeds three and four get a singular bye.
(5) Tennessee Tech def. (8) SIU - Edwardsville, 74-67
(6) Southeast Missouri State def. (7) Eastern Illinois, 79-61.
The Patriot League resumed second round action.
(1) Boston U def. (9) Lafayette, 91-54.
(2) American def. (7) Colgate, 59-50.
(3) Holy Cross def. (6) Lehigh, 54-48.
(5) Army def. (4) Bucknell, 72-71.
MARCH 6
Thursday provided OVC, MVC, MAAC, A-Sun, and WCC action.
Atlantic Sun
(1) FGCU def. (4) East Tennessee State, 69-64.
(2) Mercer def. (3) USC Upstate, 78-75 (2 OT).
The Metro Atlantic Athletic has an 11 team bracket, with the top five teams getting byes.
(11) Niagara def. (6) Marist, 78-76.
(7) St. Peter's def. (10) Fairfield, 65-62.
(8) Rider def. (9) Monmouth, 71-60.
In the Missouri Valley, the top six get byes.
(10) Loyola (IL) def. (7) Bradley, 74-72.
(9) Evansville def. (8) Drake, 69-61.
Oh snap, it's getting crazy over here! Two upsets...and that will end with Wichita State.
OVC
(4) Morehead State def. (5) Tenn Tech, 76-61.
(3) Eastern Kentucky def. (6) SE Missouri State, 84-76.
Again, six byes are rewarded, this time in the West Coast.
(10) Loyola Marymount def. (7) Portland, 67-64.
(9) Santa Clara def. (8) Pacific, 81-64.
Oh boy, more insanity! Again, this will end quickly. BYU or Gonzaga will win this tournament...unless the sneaky Dons of San Francisco can make a run.
MARCH 5
Wednesday brings us the beginning of the Big South, OVC, and Northeast tournaments, as well as continuing the Patriot League's.
First up is the Big South, which features a twelve team bracket, giving the top two teams in each division byes.
TOP HALF
(3) Radford def. (6) Presbyterian, 78-73.
(4) Winthrop def. (5) Liberty, 77-65.
BOTTOM HALF
(3) Gardner-Webb def. (6) Longwood, 81-65.
(5) Charleston Southern def. (4) Campbell, 81-71.
The Northeast Conference has a standard eight team bracket.
(1) Robert Morris def. (8) Fairleigh Dickinson, 60-53.
(2) Wagner def. (7) Central Connecticut State, 83-59.
(6) St. Francis (PA) def. (3) Bryant, 55-54.
(4) Mount St. Mary's def. (5) St. Francis (NY), 72-71.
The Ohio Valley's bracket is a staggered eight-teamer. Top two seeds get double byes, seeds three and four get a singular bye.
(5) Tennessee Tech def. (8) SIU - Edwardsville, 74-67
(6) Southeast Missouri State def. (7) Eastern Illinois, 79-61.
The Patriot League resumed second round action.
(1) Boston U def. (9) Lafayette, 91-54.
(2) American def. (7) Colgate, 59-50.
(3) Holy Cross def. (6) Lehigh, 54-48.
(5) Army def. (4) Bucknell, 72-71.
MARCH 6
Thursday provided OVC, MVC, MAAC, A-Sun, and WCC action.
Atlantic Sun
(1) FGCU def. (4) East Tennessee State, 69-64.
(2) Mercer def. (3) USC Upstate, 78-75 (2 OT).
The Metro Atlantic Athletic has an 11 team bracket, with the top five teams getting byes.
(11) Niagara def. (6) Marist, 78-76.
(7) St. Peter's def. (10) Fairfield, 65-62.
(8) Rider def. (9) Monmouth, 71-60.
In the Missouri Valley, the top six get byes.
(10) Loyola (IL) def. (7) Bradley, 74-72.
(9) Evansville def. (8) Drake, 69-61.
Oh snap, it's getting crazy over here! Two upsets...and that will end with Wichita State.
OVC
(4) Morehead State def. (5) Tenn Tech, 76-61.
(3) Eastern Kentucky def. (6) SE Missouri State, 84-76.
Again, six byes are rewarded, this time in the West Coast.
(10) Loyola Marymount def. (7) Portland, 67-64.
(9) Santa Clara def. (8) Pacific, 81-64.
Oh boy, more insanity! Again, this will end quickly. BYU or Gonzaga will win this tournament...unless the sneaky Dons of San Francisco can make a run.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
TOURNEY WEEK: Day 2
Yesterday, a pair of conferences started their tournaments: the Atlantic Sun and the Horizon League.
The A-Sun uses a conventional eight-team bracket with nary a bye, and the first round went completely as scheduled.
(1) Florida Gulf Coast def. (8) Stetston, 77-55.
(2) Mercer def. (7) Jacksonville, 85-64.
(3) USC Upstate def. (6) North Florida, 80-74.
(4) East Tennessee State def. (5) Lipscomb, 89-88 (2 OT).
The Horizon League's bracket is a little wonky, featuring nine teams. The top two seeds get a double bye, and seed three gets a single bye. Similar to the A-Sun, no surprises here.
(4) Valparaiso def. (9) Illinois-Chicago, 73-63.
(5) Milwaukee def. (8) Detroit, 83-73.
(6) Oakland def. (7) Youngstown State, 96-92 (OT).
The Oakland and Youngstown St. match-up was particularly riveting; both teams were paced by performances in the 30's. Kendrick Perry put up 35 for YSU, and Travis Bader notched 39 for the Golden Grizzlies, many of them in key situations. Bader scored five points in the final eight seconds to take it to the extra stanza, and another pair with nine ticks left that would wind up being the game-winning points; he finished the night a sterling 18-18 from the foul stripe. The 6-5 senior from Okemos, MI has already eclipsed a pair of NCAA records this season, becoming the career leader in both made and attempted 3-point FGs.
The A-Sun uses a conventional eight-team bracket with nary a bye, and the first round went completely as scheduled.
(1) Florida Gulf Coast def. (8) Stetston, 77-55.
(2) Mercer def. (7) Jacksonville, 85-64.
(3) USC Upstate def. (6) North Florida, 80-74.
(4) East Tennessee State def. (5) Lipscomb, 89-88 (2 OT).
The Horizon League's bracket is a little wonky, featuring nine teams. The top two seeds get a double bye, and seed three gets a single bye. Similar to the A-Sun, no surprises here.
(4) Valparaiso def. (9) Illinois-Chicago, 73-63.
(5) Milwaukee def. (8) Detroit, 83-73.
(6) Oakland def. (7) Youngstown State, 96-92 (OT).
The Oakland and Youngstown St. match-up was particularly riveting; both teams were paced by performances in the 30's. Kendrick Perry put up 35 for YSU, and Travis Bader notched 39 for the Golden Grizzlies, many of them in key situations. Bader scored five points in the final eight seconds to take it to the extra stanza, and another pair with nine ticks left that would wind up being the game-winning points; he finished the night a sterling 18-18 from the foul stripe. The 6-5 senior from Okemos, MI has already eclipsed a pair of NCAA records this season, becoming the career leader in both made and attempted 3-point FGs.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
But, for real this time.
Let's try that again, shall we? Baby steps...not too long a post.
Conference tournaments began yesterday with a couple of first round games from the Patriot League.
(7) Colgate def. (10) Navy, 57-51.
Brandon Venturini led all scorers with 26 in the losing effort for the Midshipmen.
(9) Lafayette def. (8) Loyola (MD), 84-71.
When you lose a player who scores a third of your points in Dylon Cormier, you're in trouble, and Loyola (MD) can attest to that. After a nice upset of American in the game following Cormier's injury, a fractured hand, the Greyhounds dropped six of their last seven, only defeating cellar-dwelling Navy.
Conference tournaments began yesterday with a couple of first round games from the Patriot League.
(7) Colgate def. (10) Navy, 57-51.
Brandon Venturini led all scorers with 26 in the losing effort for the Midshipmen.
(9) Lafayette def. (8) Loyola (MD), 84-71.
When you lose a player who scores a third of your points in Dylon Cormier, you're in trouble, and Loyola (MD) can attest to that. After a nice upset of American in the game following Cormier's injury, a fractured hand, the Greyhounds dropped six of their last seven, only defeating cellar-dwelling Navy.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
OMG, I'm back.
It's time to resume my dream. BACK TO SPORTS WE ARE!
-Last night's action featured a potent matchup against two of the top four teams in the land, pitting Ohio State against a Duke team already having one of the strongest Novembers in recent memory with wins over Louisville, VCU, and UK. This was Duke's fourth game in six days, and it showed in the first half. They looked sluggish, tired, and just overall drained from the recent slew of games as they entered the half down 31-23. But Coach K obviously spoke some magic into those kids, and Duke came out on all cylinders, led by a very strong performance from freshman G Rasheed Sulaimon, who seemed to nail all the clutch shots. Mason Plumlee continued his typical double-double performance, notching some huge boards down the stretch, along with a #SCTop10 play from a one-handed alley-oop from Quinn Cook. Duke took down the Buckeyes 73-68. Sulaimon finished with 17, all in the second half.
-Arizona whooped up on Northern Arizona, getting some more great play from my man Mark Lyons, leading all scorers with 18. Illinois, UNLV, and newly-ranked New Mexico also took care of business.
-A couple of top 15 teams squandered, notably Creighton. Creighton suffered its first November home loss since 1989, at the hands of the hot Boise State Broncos. Their leading scorer, Derrick Marks, put up an insane 35 in the upset. Boise State is 5-1, with their only loss a nailbiter against Michigan State, so this is a team that is on the rise. Speaking of Sparty, they also fell to Miami in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. This is the typical look of an Izzo team; start weak, finish strong. We'll have to see if they pick it up, however.
-This week also saw Boston U pick up its first win against a languishing Coastal Carolina team, and it wasn't just a win; it was a 74-44 beatdown. Long Island Brooklyn also picked up its first W.Ohio U continues its winning ways against the Bonnies, and DJ Cooper is a player that needs to be watched all season long. At this point, there are 27 undefeated teams, and 11 winless teams, most of those coming from the dreaded SWAC.
Hopefully, this sees me returning to form on the writing front. Perhaps I'll be returning to school soon and finally pursuing a sports journalism degree; we'll see.
-Last night's action featured a potent matchup against two of the top four teams in the land, pitting Ohio State against a Duke team already having one of the strongest Novembers in recent memory with wins over Louisville, VCU, and UK. This was Duke's fourth game in six days, and it showed in the first half. They looked sluggish, tired, and just overall drained from the recent slew of games as they entered the half down 31-23. But Coach K obviously spoke some magic into those kids, and Duke came out on all cylinders, led by a very strong performance from freshman G Rasheed Sulaimon, who seemed to nail all the clutch shots. Mason Plumlee continued his typical double-double performance, notching some huge boards down the stretch, along with a #SCTop10 play from a one-handed alley-oop from Quinn Cook. Duke took down the Buckeyes 73-68. Sulaimon finished with 17, all in the second half.
-Arizona whooped up on Northern Arizona, getting some more great play from my man Mark Lyons, leading all scorers with 18. Illinois, UNLV, and newly-ranked New Mexico also took care of business.
-A couple of top 15 teams squandered, notably Creighton. Creighton suffered its first November home loss since 1989, at the hands of the hot Boise State Broncos. Their leading scorer, Derrick Marks, put up an insane 35 in the upset. Boise State is 5-1, with their only loss a nailbiter against Michigan State, so this is a team that is on the rise. Speaking of Sparty, they also fell to Miami in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. This is the typical look of an Izzo team; start weak, finish strong. We'll have to see if they pick it up, however.
-This week also saw Boston U pick up its first win against a languishing Coastal Carolina team, and it wasn't just a win; it was a 74-44 beatdown. Long Island Brooklyn also picked up its first W.Ohio U continues its winning ways against the Bonnies, and DJ Cooper is a player that needs to be watched all season long. At this point, there are 27 undefeated teams, and 11 winless teams, most of those coming from the dreaded SWAC.
Hopefully, this sees me returning to form on the writing front. Perhaps I'll be returning to school soon and finally pursuing a sports journalism degree; we'll see.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Observations from the World of Sports: Dec. 18 & 19
It's time for a special! Double issue!
December 18
-Xavier was shown just how vital the three guards of Holloway, Lyons, and Wells are, with an absolutely smackdown at the hands of the Summit League frontrunner, Oral Roberts, 66-42, for their first loss. ORU's leading scorer, Dominique Morrison, showed a lot of poise in knocking down several threes with hands in his face to notch 19 to lead all scorers. Travis Taylor lead with 11 for Xavier. Kenny Frease only had 4 points on 2-9 shooting, and was double or even triple-teamed many times. He had no help in front of him, so what else do you expect to happen?! Frustrating day, from beginning to end. Also, Missouri took care of a languishing William & Mary team.
-FUTILITY UPDATE: Grambling State continues to be the pride of the SWAC (jokes!), notching yet another loss; this time, at the hands of Texas Tech, 87-59. God be with you, Tigers. But on the positive side, note the 59! They finally scored in the 50's; hell, they almost reached the 60's! Unfortunately, they're still dead last in PPG and FG%. Baby steps, right?
NFL ROUNDUP:
-The Bills' season fall is complete. After starting 5-2 and being the darling team of the NFL, Buffalo has dropped 7 straight to lose any chance of a playoff spot, or even a winning record. Ever since Fitzpatrick got his (extremely overpriced) contract, he's played like, in all honesty, piss. This week, it was the surging Dolphins. Tony Sparano should never have been fired.
-The Seahawks also continue their hot ways, dismantling an extremely banged-up Bears team that got even more banged up. Johnny Knox, after fumbling a catch near the goal line, had his back bent BACKWARDS while trying to recover. He's obviously done for the season, and had a lumbar fracture. His career is in serious jeopardy.
-The Titans chance at a wild card took a big hit with the loss of the year; to the Colts! Yeah, you read that right. Dan Orlovsky led the Colts to their first win of the season, holding off a late 4th quarter run by backup Jake Locker. This was Dan Orlovsky's first win since his final game at Connecticut, in 2004! Long run for the guy, and congrats to him.
-The Packers hit an unexpected road bump at Kansas City, and lost to the Chiefs to drop their first game in over a calendar year. Aaron Rodgers struggled immensely with the injuries to his offensive line piling up. Starting OT Bryan Bulaga had a knee strain, and his back-up snapped his leg in half. This was also Rodgers' first game with under 50% of his passes completed since Week 8 in 2010.
-Wins were also notched by the Bengals, Saints, Redskins, Panthers, Lions, Patriots, Eagles, Cardinals, and Chargers.
December 19
Monday saw a pair of Top 15 teams go down in flames, with one losing its perfect record.
-#10 Marquette was stunned by a better-than-expected LSU team, 67-59. LSU was helped by their FG% on the night, going 23-43 from the field.
-#11 Kansas was also upset, this at the hands of perennial stunner Davidson, 80-74. The two teams went back and forth, Kansas seeming to match every run Davidson had. The only problem was, Davidson had more in them. Nik Cochran drained a clutch three from a different timezone to nail it down for the Wildcats. Cochran led with 21.
-Duke, North Carolina, Baylor, Florida, Indiana, Michigan St., Creighton, and UNLV all notched easy wins. Illinois almost fell to Cornell, and I still firmly believe this Illini team is not T25 material. Oh, and all the SWAC teams lost. Again.
NFL ROUNDUP:
-The San Fran 49ers proved they're legit with a sound defeat of Pittsburgh, 20-3. The game was delayed by a power outage then delayed yet again because of an outage. The 49ers still haven't allowed a single rushing TD all season. Impressive stuff. Big Ben struggled with his high ankle sprain, throwing 3 picks.
December 18
-Xavier was shown just how vital the three guards of Holloway, Lyons, and Wells are, with an absolutely smackdown at the hands of the Summit League frontrunner, Oral Roberts, 66-42, for their first loss. ORU's leading scorer, Dominique Morrison, showed a lot of poise in knocking down several threes with hands in his face to notch 19 to lead all scorers. Travis Taylor lead with 11 for Xavier. Kenny Frease only had 4 points on 2-9 shooting, and was double or even triple-teamed many times. He had no help in front of him, so what else do you expect to happen?! Frustrating day, from beginning to end. Also, Missouri took care of a languishing William & Mary team.
-FUTILITY UPDATE: Grambling State continues to be the pride of the SWAC (jokes!), notching yet another loss; this time, at the hands of Texas Tech, 87-59. God be with you, Tigers. But on the positive side, note the 59! They finally scored in the 50's; hell, they almost reached the 60's! Unfortunately, they're still dead last in PPG and FG%. Baby steps, right?
NFL ROUNDUP:
-The Bills' season fall is complete. After starting 5-2 and being the darling team of the NFL, Buffalo has dropped 7 straight to lose any chance of a playoff spot, or even a winning record. Ever since Fitzpatrick got his (extremely overpriced) contract, he's played like, in all honesty, piss. This week, it was the surging Dolphins. Tony Sparano should never have been fired.
-The Seahawks also continue their hot ways, dismantling an extremely banged-up Bears team that got even more banged up. Johnny Knox, after fumbling a catch near the goal line, had his back bent BACKWARDS while trying to recover. He's obviously done for the season, and had a lumbar fracture. His career is in serious jeopardy.
-The Titans chance at a wild card took a big hit with the loss of the year; to the Colts! Yeah, you read that right. Dan Orlovsky led the Colts to their first win of the season, holding off a late 4th quarter run by backup Jake Locker. This was Dan Orlovsky's first win since his final game at Connecticut, in 2004! Long run for the guy, and congrats to him.
-The Packers hit an unexpected road bump at Kansas City, and lost to the Chiefs to drop their first game in over a calendar year. Aaron Rodgers struggled immensely with the injuries to his offensive line piling up. Starting OT Bryan Bulaga had a knee strain, and his back-up snapped his leg in half. This was also Rodgers' first game with under 50% of his passes completed since Week 8 in 2010.
-Wins were also notched by the Bengals, Saints, Redskins, Panthers, Lions, Patriots, Eagles, Cardinals, and Chargers.
December 19
Monday saw a pair of Top 15 teams go down in flames, with one losing its perfect record.
-#10 Marquette was stunned by a better-than-expected LSU team, 67-59. LSU was helped by their FG% on the night, going 23-43 from the field.
-#11 Kansas was also upset, this at the hands of perennial stunner Davidson, 80-74. The two teams went back and forth, Kansas seeming to match every run Davidson had. The only problem was, Davidson had more in them. Nik Cochran drained a clutch three from a different timezone to nail it down for the Wildcats. Cochran led with 21.
-Duke, North Carolina, Baylor, Florida, Indiana, Michigan St., Creighton, and UNLV all notched easy wins. Illinois almost fell to Cornell, and I still firmly believe this Illini team is not T25 material. Oh, and all the SWAC teams lost. Again.
NFL ROUNDUP:
-The San Fran 49ers proved they're legit with a sound defeat of Pittsburgh, 20-3. The game was delayed by a power outage then delayed yet again because of an outage. The 49ers still haven't allowed a single rushing TD all season. Impressive stuff. Big Ben struggled with his high ankle sprain, throwing 3 picks.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Busy Today.
Due to a lot going on today, I'll be doing a double-edition tomorrow that features the goings on of both yesterday and today. Tune in then!
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