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.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
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!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Observations from the World of Sports: Dec. 17
Today saw a slew of games, with finals over for the most part. The majority of teams played this weekend, so there's a lot to report on.
-Blowout wins were recorded by Syracuse, Kentucky, UNC, Marquette, Florida, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Michigan, Michigan State, and Creighton. Louisville had to hold off a late run and 28 strong points from Will Barton to escape against slumping Memphis, while Ohio State had to play the majority of the game without Jared Sullinger, yet again. Sullinger suffered a bone bruise in his foot, and is day-to-day. OSU scrapped out a 74-66 win over South Carolina, led by Deshaun Thomas's 30, a career-high. Baylor's Perry Jones III, recently back from a suspension, also had a scary moment when he collided knees. To the relief of Bear fans, he came back in and had a clutch tip-in with 20 ticks left to seal a 86-83 win at the Marriott Center against BYU. Mississippi State, off to a hot 11-1 start, almost were knocked off by the Horizon League's Detroit Titans, but scored the final 5 to notch a 80-75 win. In Indianapolis, the Hoosiers rode the Cody Zeller train to defeat Notre Dame, 69-58. After 3 treys from Alex Dragicevich in the opening 5, Notre Dame immediately went ice-cold, at one point going an astounding SIXTEEN minutes without a field goal. F Jack Cooley, fresh off a pair of 22 point games, didn't score until the second half and only had 12. Alabama ran into a train of a team in Kansas St., and was handily defeated 71-58. The bulk of their production came off the bench from two obscure players in Jordan Henriquez and Angel Rodriguez. Both had career days; Henriquez, 17 and Rodriguez, 13. After a 7-0 start, 'Bama has lost 3 of 4. UNLV reminded us why they deserve to be a top 25 team with a thumping at Illinois, 64-48, handing the Fighting Illini their first loss. UCLA transfer Mike Moser had a gritty double-double, putting up 17 points and 11 boards. The Illini shot a woeful 25.4% from the field. Indiana State showed why Vanderbilt should never have been ranked after their last loss in the first place with a marquee road win, 61-55. WITH 6:18 remaining, the Commodores were up 53-47. They would not score another field goal until there was 53.2 seconds remaining, down 57-53. The SEC's top scorer in John Jenkins accrued a season-low 11.
-Texas had a second-half surge to take down Temple, 77-65. In an in-state battle in the Orange State, it took 2 OT's for Miami to put away the pesky Owls of FAU, 93-90. A slumping Butler team revived itself in the second portion to stun Purdue yet again, 67-65. Andrew Smith had the game-winning tip with a single second left to clinch it for the Bulldogs, who are still under .500 for the season at 5-6. Northern Illinois, one of the six winless teams remaining, fell again in the Battle of Illinois, 62-49, to Southern Ill. Another one of those 6, Chicago State, went down as well, losing to Loyola (IL), 64-49. The final 6 winless teams are Northern Illinois, Chicago State, Hartford, Towson, Binghamton, and Grambling State. Murray State remained perfect, taking down Arkansas State at home, 66-53. The Racers have the best record in the NCAA at 12-0.
-It's tough to be a team from the SWAC (SouthWestern Athletic Conference). Not one of the 10 teams is anywhere near .500, with Southern University as the only school to have 3 wins thus far. The conference is a combined 16-72. That's a winning percentage of .18, far-and-away the worst record in the nation. Of the 16 wins, only 6 are against D1 schools. In fact, Grambling State is probably the worst team in the nation. Their leading scorer averages 8 a game. They're dead last in the NCAA in scoring (40.2), FG% (27.3), and 3rd to last in APG (8.2) They haven't scored more than 45 points. They lost to a team from the Great West, Utah Valley, by 30. The Great West doesn't even get a bid to the NCAA! No one from this conference deserves an NCAA bid.
-Teen phenom Lexi Thompson won her second professional event, the Dubai Ladies Masters, shooting -15 to win by 4 shots. No one can tell what kind of career she'll have; she seems to be the real deal, unlike Michelle Wie.
-Tony Romo and Co. used a 28-0 halftime lead to coast to a 31-15 win against the quickly-fading Tampa Bay Bucs. Romo threw a TD each to Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and his new favorite receiver, Laurent Robinson, while accounting for the fourth on his own with a 1 yard run. Robinson has 9 TD's this season, all coming in the last 8 weeks. Only once was he denied a trip to the endzone (Week 10 in the stunning los to Arizona).
-In a season in which Penn State has had the hammer thrown down on them, it has surfaced that QB Matt McGloin got in a fight with one of his receivers, Curits Drake, after a practice, and then was immediately hospitalized after suffering a seizure. No word on what McGloin's condition is for the bowl game against a dethroned and angry Houston team in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on January 2.
-The Reds may have obtained their top-of-the-rotation pitcher in Mat Latos, acquired from the Padres in exchange for Yonder Alonso, who was marooned behind Votto at 1B, catcher Yasmani Grandal, frustrating SP Edinson Volquez, and RP Brad Boxberger. Latos had a 3.47 ERA last season, indicative of a high-position for him in the rotation.
-Blowout wins were recorded by Syracuse, Kentucky, UNC, Marquette, Florida, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Michigan, Michigan State, and Creighton. Louisville had to hold off a late run and 28 strong points from Will Barton to escape against slumping Memphis, while Ohio State had to play the majority of the game without Jared Sullinger, yet again. Sullinger suffered a bone bruise in his foot, and is day-to-day. OSU scrapped out a 74-66 win over South Carolina, led by Deshaun Thomas's 30, a career-high. Baylor's Perry Jones III, recently back from a suspension, also had a scary moment when he collided knees. To the relief of Bear fans, he came back in and had a clutch tip-in with 20 ticks left to seal a 86-83 win at the Marriott Center against BYU. Mississippi State, off to a hot 11-1 start, almost were knocked off by the Horizon League's Detroit Titans, but scored the final 5 to notch a 80-75 win. In Indianapolis, the Hoosiers rode the Cody Zeller train to defeat Notre Dame, 69-58. After 3 treys from Alex Dragicevich in the opening 5, Notre Dame immediately went ice-cold, at one point going an astounding SIXTEEN minutes without a field goal. F Jack Cooley, fresh off a pair of 22 point games, didn't score until the second half and only had 12. Alabama ran into a train of a team in Kansas St., and was handily defeated 71-58. The bulk of their production came off the bench from two obscure players in Jordan Henriquez and Angel Rodriguez. Both had career days; Henriquez, 17 and Rodriguez, 13. After a 7-0 start, 'Bama has lost 3 of 4. UNLV reminded us why they deserve to be a top 25 team with a thumping at Illinois, 64-48, handing the Fighting Illini their first loss. UCLA transfer Mike Moser had a gritty double-double, putting up 17 points and 11 boards. The Illini shot a woeful 25.4% from the field. Indiana State showed why Vanderbilt should never have been ranked after their last loss in the first place with a marquee road win, 61-55. WITH 6:18 remaining, the Commodores were up 53-47. They would not score another field goal until there was 53.2 seconds remaining, down 57-53. The SEC's top scorer in John Jenkins accrued a season-low 11.
-Texas had a second-half surge to take down Temple, 77-65. In an in-state battle in the Orange State, it took 2 OT's for Miami to put away the pesky Owls of FAU, 93-90. A slumping Butler team revived itself in the second portion to stun Purdue yet again, 67-65. Andrew Smith had the game-winning tip with a single second left to clinch it for the Bulldogs, who are still under .500 for the season at 5-6. Northern Illinois, one of the six winless teams remaining, fell again in the Battle of Illinois, 62-49, to Southern Ill. Another one of those 6, Chicago State, went down as well, losing to Loyola (IL), 64-49. The final 6 winless teams are Northern Illinois, Chicago State, Hartford, Towson, Binghamton, and Grambling State. Murray State remained perfect, taking down Arkansas State at home, 66-53. The Racers have the best record in the NCAA at 12-0.
-It's tough to be a team from the SWAC (SouthWestern Athletic Conference). Not one of the 10 teams is anywhere near .500, with Southern University as the only school to have 3 wins thus far. The conference is a combined 16-72. That's a winning percentage of .18, far-and-away the worst record in the nation. Of the 16 wins, only 6 are against D1 schools. In fact, Grambling State is probably the worst team in the nation. Their leading scorer averages 8 a game. They're dead last in the NCAA in scoring (40.2), FG% (27.3), and 3rd to last in APG (8.2) They haven't scored more than 45 points. They lost to a team from the Great West, Utah Valley, by 30. The Great West doesn't even get a bid to the NCAA! No one from this conference deserves an NCAA bid.
-Teen phenom Lexi Thompson won her second professional event, the Dubai Ladies Masters, shooting -15 to win by 4 shots. No one can tell what kind of career she'll have; she seems to be the real deal, unlike Michelle Wie.
-Tony Romo and Co. used a 28-0 halftime lead to coast to a 31-15 win against the quickly-fading Tampa Bay Bucs. Romo threw a TD each to Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and his new favorite receiver, Laurent Robinson, while accounting for the fourth on his own with a 1 yard run. Robinson has 9 TD's this season, all coming in the last 8 weeks. Only once was he denied a trip to the endzone (Week 10 in the stunning los to Arizona).
-In a season in which Penn State has had the hammer thrown down on them, it has surfaced that QB Matt McGloin got in a fight with one of his receivers, Curits Drake, after a practice, and then was immediately hospitalized after suffering a seizure. No word on what McGloin's condition is for the bowl game against a dethroned and angry Houston team in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on January 2.
-The Reds may have obtained their top-of-the-rotation pitcher in Mat Latos, acquired from the Padres in exchange for Yonder Alonso, who was marooned behind Votto at 1B, catcher Yasmani Grandal, frustrating SP Edinson Volquez, and RP Brad Boxberger. Latos had a 3.47 ERA last season, indicative of a high-position for him in the rotation.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Observations from the World of Sports: Dec. 16
Extremely lackluster day. It features a few piecemeal teams, as well as a home-run king avoiding jail, and another king joining the land of Tiger Woods. On we go!
-Barry Bonds was sentenced yesterday to 30 days of house arrest, 2 years probation, and 250 hours of community service for obstruction of justice in the Greg Anderson/BALCO case. Such a light sentence is typical of athletes, and that's no surprise here. The feds wanted 15 months for him, but no way that would happen. At least 8 people involved in the BALCO case were convicted of felonies, and their case against Bonds really fell apart because of Anderson.
-In the game of the night (that wouldn't be the game of the night on any other day), UMKC (Missouri-Kansas City) kept up their recent winning ways in a gritty 72-67 win over Canisius College. The 'Roos of UMKC were down by 10 in the first half, after a hot start with two 3 point plays by big Logan Manhertz. The 'Roos also started 0-9 from the 3 point line before converting their first attempt. As the game rolled on, however, it became the Snoop Show. "Snoop" is the nickname for sophomore Trinity Hall, who put up a career-high 27 points to make up for the slow production of their leading scorer, guard Reggie Washington, who averaged 20 a game. Washington only had 10, with a lackluster 2-8 from behind the arc. UMKC as a team struggled from behind the arc, going 4-26. Canisius had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, but only had 2 in the second. Their leading scorer, Harold Washington (19 ppg), only had 12. A bright side for Canisius (now 1-8) was Josiah Heath, who averages 4 points and 5 boards per game. Heath had career highs in points (16, leading the team) and rebounds (18, accounting for over half of the Golden Griffins' 34 rebounds).
-Poor Kobe. Vanessa Bryant has filed for divorce from the Lakers superstar, citing "irreconcilable differences". The Bryants had been married for a decade, but it's all over now. And officially, there is NO PRENUP. So Kobe loses around 200 million. Oh, and that 4 million dollar ring he gave her after the scandal.
-Barry Bonds was sentenced yesterday to 30 days of house arrest, 2 years probation, and 250 hours of community service for obstruction of justice in the Greg Anderson/BALCO case. Such a light sentence is typical of athletes, and that's no surprise here. The feds wanted 15 months for him, but no way that would happen. At least 8 people involved in the BALCO case were convicted of felonies, and their case against Bonds really fell apart because of Anderson.
-In the game of the night (that wouldn't be the game of the night on any other day), UMKC (Missouri-Kansas City) kept up their recent winning ways in a gritty 72-67 win over Canisius College. The 'Roos of UMKC were down by 10 in the first half, after a hot start with two 3 point plays by big Logan Manhertz. The 'Roos also started 0-9 from the 3 point line before converting their first attempt. As the game rolled on, however, it became the Snoop Show. "Snoop" is the nickname for sophomore Trinity Hall, who put up a career-high 27 points to make up for the slow production of their leading scorer, guard Reggie Washington, who averaged 20 a game. Washington only had 10, with a lackluster 2-8 from behind the arc. UMKC as a team struggled from behind the arc, going 4-26. Canisius had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half, but only had 2 in the second. Their leading scorer, Harold Washington (19 ppg), only had 12. A bright side for Canisius (now 1-8) was Josiah Heath, who averages 4 points and 5 boards per game. Heath had career highs in points (16, leading the team) and rebounds (18, accounting for over half of the Golden Griffins' 34 rebounds).
-Poor Kobe. Vanessa Bryant has filed for divorce from the Lakers superstar, citing "irreconcilable differences". The Bryants had been married for a decade, but it's all over now. And officially, there is NO PRENUP. So Kobe loses around 200 million. Oh, and that 4 million dollar ring he gave her after the scandal.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Observations from the World of Sports: Dec. 15
Well, yesterday was pretty boring basketball-wise. Two ranked teams played two teams that are below .500 in extremely weak conferences, so you can guess the results.
-Missouri rolled over Kennesaw State, 104-67, to stay perfect on the season and advance to 10-0. Mizzou shot an eye-popping 60% from the field, and four players scored double-figures, led by 18 from Ricardo Ratliffe (8-10 FG) and Michael Dixon, who provided 25 quality minutes off the bench. Delbert Love paced all scorers with 27 in the loss for the Owls.
-Wisconsin literally doubled up Savannah State, 66-33, to move to 10-2. Wisconsin flexed their impressive defensive muscles yet again, holding a team to either 31 or 33 points for the fourth time this season! Only in their two losses, against two very good teams in North Carolina and Marquette, did their opponents break the 60 point mark (60 and 61, respectively.) Wisconsin's leading scorer, Jared Berggren, had 13.
-The Racers of Murray State kept their undefeated streak alive, trouncing Lipscomb 89-65. Murray State is one of nine teams still unbeaten, and the only one left off either poll. (They're 24 on the AP Poll, and unranked on the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, being snubbed by a weak Vanderbilt team.) Senior Ivan Aska put up 16 for the Racers.
-Oh yeah, and my Falcons won. Atlanta blitzed an extremely weak Jacksonville team 41-14. Roddy White hooked up with Matt Ryan for 2 TD's, with Julio Jones getting the other. Matty Ice only had 224 yards, but he was extremely efficient, going 19-26. Even ATL's backup, Chris Redman, went 5 for 6. Michael Turner had a weak day, only accruing 61 yards on 19 carries, totaling a tepid 3.2 YPC. Turner did punch in a touchdown, however; his 48th. That touchdown tied him with Falcons great Gerald Riggs for most rushing touchdowns in franchise history. Blaine Gabbert couldn't hold on to the ball, coughing it up twice deep in their own zone for easy ATL scores. In fact, Gabbert had -1 yard at halftime. Times sure are ugly in Jacksonville. Atlanta moves to 9-5 and secures yet another winning season. Next week is the real test; the Falcons travel to the Superdome to avenge a loss to New Orleans in overtime, which you may remember as Mike Smith's "D'oh!" moment, in which he went for a 4th and 1 around the 30 yard line and failed.
-Missouri rolled over Kennesaw State, 104-67, to stay perfect on the season and advance to 10-0. Mizzou shot an eye-popping 60% from the field, and four players scored double-figures, led by 18 from Ricardo Ratliffe (8-10 FG) and Michael Dixon, who provided 25 quality minutes off the bench. Delbert Love paced all scorers with 27 in the loss for the Owls.
-Wisconsin literally doubled up Savannah State, 66-33, to move to 10-2. Wisconsin flexed their impressive defensive muscles yet again, holding a team to either 31 or 33 points for the fourth time this season! Only in their two losses, against two very good teams in North Carolina and Marquette, did their opponents break the 60 point mark (60 and 61, respectively.) Wisconsin's leading scorer, Jared Berggren, had 13.
-The Racers of Murray State kept their undefeated streak alive, trouncing Lipscomb 89-65. Murray State is one of nine teams still unbeaten, and the only one left off either poll. (They're 24 on the AP Poll, and unranked on the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, being snubbed by a weak Vanderbilt team.) Senior Ivan Aska put up 16 for the Racers.
-Oh yeah, and my Falcons won. Atlanta blitzed an extremely weak Jacksonville team 41-14. Roddy White hooked up with Matt Ryan for 2 TD's, with Julio Jones getting the other. Matty Ice only had 224 yards, but he was extremely efficient, going 19-26. Even ATL's backup, Chris Redman, went 5 for 6. Michael Turner had a weak day, only accruing 61 yards on 19 carries, totaling a tepid 3.2 YPC. Turner did punch in a touchdown, however; his 48th. That touchdown tied him with Falcons great Gerald Riggs for most rushing touchdowns in franchise history. Blaine Gabbert couldn't hold on to the ball, coughing it up twice deep in their own zone for easy ATL scores. In fact, Gabbert had -1 yard at halftime. Times sure are ugly in Jacksonville. Atlanta moves to 9-5 and secures yet another winning season. Next week is the real test; the Falcons travel to the Superdome to avenge a loss to New Orleans in overtime, which you may remember as Mike Smith's "D'oh!" moment, in which he went for a 4th and 1 around the 30 yard line and failed.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Mental Gymnastics In Video Games? Bring It On.
To be frank, I can't remember the last time I really had to think, and think hard, during the whole course of a video game for my Xbox 360. I'm one for the standard fare of first-person shooters, blindly storming through levels (done ad finitium ever since Doom came out in 1991), as well as the range of sports games (Madden, Tiger Woods, FIFA). But FINALLY, and unintentionally, I've managed to pick up a game I highly recommend if you feel like giving your brain a workout, and that game is L.A. Noire (Rockstar).
If you own a 360, you know about Rockstar. Hell, even if you don't, I bet you know of Rockstar. Makers of the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto series, as well as Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar has gone through a lion's share of criticism for their GTA series; a lot of it, in all honestly, well deserved. Go shoot cops. Bang some broads. Deliver some weed. You can do it all, and parents don't realize that. But Rockstar's latest release moves from the genre (a little bit), and, surprisingly, produces a game that really requires you to think. This, of course, is L.A. Noire. Created by Team Bondi, a company based out of Sydney, Australia that went belly-up three months after its release, L.A. Noire is a gritty, yet hopeful sleuther which places you in the shoes of Cole Phelps, an officer fresh out of the second World War. In a world full of seedy men, Cole is THE shining epitome of an exemplary man. He wants what's right for the world; it really is that simple. But what about the mental difficulty? That is realized very quickly as you begin searching the crime scenes and interrogating your suspects. I went through the first case again and found four (FOUR!) clues I missed the first run through. With my first interrogation, I accused the poor girl of lying when she was telling the truth. The secret lies in the ground-breaking facial technology that you have to read very carefully in order to determine whether the person of interest has been telling the truth or not.
In the second mission, Cole is called to the scene of a crime outside a bar, where a man has been plowed over by a car and left for dead. You engage in the usual fare; collect your evidence, and be thorough about it; talk to your witnesses and see what you can get. You seem to be running through the motions; after all, the guy's obviously been the victim of a hit-and-run. But a great detective searches for whatever he can. In a trash can behind the bar, you find a steak knife. Seems innocuous enough; it's probably animal blood. Suddenly, the coroner calls you with stunning results. It seems the man was actually stabbed twice before he was hit! Now, that steak knife looks a little more suspicious now, eh? I was able to make the arrest right there and then without any further investigation; my initial fine combing of the scene actually bent the story around, creating a different ending! (Now, if I had only not let the guy that drove the automobile a failure to stop warning. Yep, you made an amazing discovery and feel great about it, but you still didn't QUITE do your job. It's that precise.) It's moments in gaming like that which reassure myself the medium is evolving, and rapidly. Simply a treat
If you own a 360, you know about Rockstar. Hell, even if you don't, I bet you know of Rockstar. Makers of the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto series, as well as Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar has gone through a lion's share of criticism for their GTA series; a lot of it, in all honestly, well deserved. Go shoot cops. Bang some broads. Deliver some weed. You can do it all, and parents don't realize that. But Rockstar's latest release moves from the genre (a little bit), and, surprisingly, produces a game that really requires you to think. This, of course, is L.A. Noire. Created by Team Bondi, a company based out of Sydney, Australia that went belly-up three months after its release, L.A. Noire is a gritty, yet hopeful sleuther which places you in the shoes of Cole Phelps, an officer fresh out of the second World War. In a world full of seedy men, Cole is THE shining epitome of an exemplary man. He wants what's right for the world; it really is that simple. But what about the mental difficulty? That is realized very quickly as you begin searching the crime scenes and interrogating your suspects. I went through the first case again and found four (FOUR!) clues I missed the first run through. With my first interrogation, I accused the poor girl of lying when she was telling the truth. The secret lies in the ground-breaking facial technology that you have to read very carefully in order to determine whether the person of interest has been telling the truth or not.
In the second mission, Cole is called to the scene of a crime outside a bar, where a man has been plowed over by a car and left for dead. You engage in the usual fare; collect your evidence, and be thorough about it; talk to your witnesses and see what you can get. You seem to be running through the motions; after all, the guy's obviously been the victim of a hit-and-run. But a great detective searches for whatever he can. In a trash can behind the bar, you find a steak knife. Seems innocuous enough; it's probably animal blood. Suddenly, the coroner calls you with stunning results. It seems the man was actually stabbed twice before he was hit! Now, that steak knife looks a little more suspicious now, eh? I was able to make the arrest right there and then without any further investigation; my initial fine combing of the scene actually bent the story around, creating a different ending! (Now, if I had only not let the guy that drove the automobile a failure to stop warning. Yep, you made an amazing discovery and feel great about it, but you still didn't QUITE do your job. It's that precise.) It's moments in gaming like that which reassure myself the medium is evolving, and rapidly. Simply a treat
Sunday, December 11, 2011
A Thought About Cronin's Suspensions
Here's some perspective about the Yancy Gates/Cheikh Mbodj suspensions. (Octavius Ellis' suspension, also 6, is acceptable in my opinion.) LeGarrette Blount, a running back of the Oregon Ducks football team, punched a player after a scuffle in the opening game of the 2009 season against Boise State. He ended up missing eight games that season. Their season was only 13 games long; that equates to missing 61.5% of the season. Gates and Mbodj, on the other hand, only miss six. Their season is 31 games long. That equates to only 19.3% of the season, and in games in which they play their typically horrible out of conference schedule in teams like Wright State (4-6), Radford (3-8), Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-5), Chicago State (0-9, and they play in the Great West, a conference that gets a bid not the the NCAA, but the CBI!!), and Oklahoma (7-1, but with a soft schedule who's only loss was to unranked Saint Louis). The trio miss ONE Big East game: @ #14 Pittsburgh, which in all likelihood, is a game they would lose with a full team. #FoodForThought
Monday, November 28, 2011
Perfect So Far
As of this point, we're about 20% through the season. This season has produced some interesting surprises thus far, including a bevy of teams still perfect through 3-8 games this season. In this edition of the Dirty Bird, we'll take a look at the remaining unbeatens and see whether they're a contender or pretender (a la ESPN).
Obvious CONTENDERS (Highly Ranked): Duke (7-0), Missouri (6-0), Baylor (5-0), Xavier (4-0), Syracuse (6-0), Louisville (5-0), Marquette (5-0), Ohio State (6-0), Wisconsin (6-0), Kentucky (6-0), Alabama (7-0).
Saint Louis (A10), (6-0): Senior forward Brian Conklin has stepped up in a big way so far for the Billikens this season, averaging an even 17 ppg. Last year, not a single player posted a double-digit scoring average for this team. Joining Conklin as double-digit producers are fellow juniors Kwamain Mitchell (12.5 ppg) and Cody Ellis (11.3 ppg). While their wins so far have not been extremely impressive, they have added a tournament title to their belt with a sound thumping of the Oklahoma Sooners, 83-63, in the 76 Classic. While this team will probably not be a team knocking on the door of the Top 25 polls, these guys are definitely a good-looking this year in the A-10, but are nationall PRETENDERS.
Weber State (Big Sky), (4-0): Weber who? Here's some info on the Wildcats. They are a public institution located in Ogden, UT, with an enrollment of just over 25,000. They've appeared in the Big Dance 14 times, last in 2007, when the Wildcats, as a 15 seed, lost to UCLA, 70-42. A pair of upsets in the NCAA Tournament were handed down by them in the 90's, as they defeated Michigan State in 1995, as well as North Carolina in 1999, both times as a 14 seed. This season, they're led by two strong guards in juniors Damian Lillard (23 ppg, T6 in D1) and Scott Bamforth (18.8 ppg). They appeared to have a strong win over in-state rivals Utah State, but the Aggies appear to be in an off year, losing to before-then winless Texas A&M Corpus Christi in OT. Their only other wins are versus Jacksonville State (RPI 295), Northern New Mexico (NAIA), and California-Irvine (RPI 280). Sorry Wildcats, but this team so far are PRETENDERS. The first step to getting rid of that title comes against St. Mary's.
Illinois (Big 10), (6-0): Illinois this year has a very young team, with only two seniors and three juniors. Projected to place in the middle of the Big 10, the Fighting Illini have so far had an OOC schedule that's softer than a pillow. With wins over teams with RPI ranks 55 (Richmond), 160 (Illinois St.), 218 (Loyola - Illinois), 248 (Lipscomb), 309 (Chicago St.), and 313 (SIU - Edwardsville), this team has a long way to go. Currently, they're PRETENDERS.
Indiana (Big 10), (6-0): The Hoosiers are back, it appears. After landing a big recruiting class, including star F Cody Zeller (who, by the way, leads the team with 14.8 ppg), hopes are high in Bloomington. Last year also saw a 6-0 start, only to lose 20 out of their last 26. But this is definitely a different team. However, I think the wait for a return to power lasts one more year, so at this point IU is still a PRETENDER.
Tulane (C-USA), (7-0): Last year, Tulane went 13-17, including a dismal 3-13 in the CUSA. Not a whole lot has changed in New Orleans, and their 7 wins are against a set of teams that rivals Illinois for worst OOC schedule. PRETENDERS.
Marshall (C-USA), (5-0): Marshall is a sneaky pick for the C-USA crown this year, if they can match up with Memphis. Four easy wins preceded the solid away win at Cincinnati (dampered somewhat by Cincinnati's previous loss to the Blue Hose of Presbyterian, again at home). Not many second chance opportunities will arise against the Thundering Herd, who are sixth so far in rebounds behind junior Dennis Tinnon (8.8 rpg). So far, this team are PRETENDERS in the national picture, but with a win or strong showing against upcoming #5 Syracuse, a re-evalution may be in order.
Harvard (Ivy), (6-0): If this Harvard team does not win the Ivy League, it will be a major shock to me. Just a year ago, this team was thought by many to be a snub of the NCAA Selection Committee. With the core of this team intact this season, Harvard is poised to do even more damage; they've already won the Battle 4 Atlantis, knocking off #20 Florida State in the process, with a gritty 46-41 win. Mark this game on your calendars: December 8th @ UConn. Harvard did get lucky in not having to face the Huskies in the Battle 4 Atlantis (upset by UCF), but this team wants blood, and they want it bad. Look out for these CONTENDERS.
Creighton (MVC), (5-0): It appears the often sneaky Jays are back. Often a feared mid-seeded opponent in the NCAA Tournament in the early 2000's, it appears the Jays are back for more. With an unselfish offense who leads the NCAA in assists, Creighton has posted decent wins over Iowa and then-undefeated Campbell. This team will come and go with leading scorer Doug McDermott, who is fourth in D1 with 23.4 ppg. Already ranked, the Jays are catching eyes. And for good reason; they're CONTENDERS.
Missouri State (MVC), (4-0): Losing coach Cuonzo Martin to Tennessee hasn't hindered the Bears so far this season, who were the MVC regular season champions, before losing in a heartbreaker in the MVC title game versus Indiana State to miss the dance. With a bevy of starters gone, it will be difficult for the Bears to repeat, and with four wins versus cupcake teams, this team is a PRETENDER thus far.
UNLV (MWC), (7-0): It's pretty damn easy to say UNLV are CONTENDERS. They just beat the best team in the nation in North Carolina, led by a career-high 28 from Chace Stanback, who is second on the team with 14.2 ppg. Their next chance to make more noise comes on Dec. 10 @ #7 Wisconsin.
Murray State (OVC), (7-0): The perennial frontrunners in the OVC are off to another hot start, albeit against seven weak teams, including two NAIA teams and a D2 team to which they almost lost, Alaska-Anchorage. So far, they're PRETENDERS, but a big game for them is coming up in #21 Memphis on Dec. 11.
Auburn (SEC), (3-0): Auburn is not projected to make any significant noise in the SEC, and have defeated three subpar teams. They're PRETENDERS.
North Dakota State (Summit League), (6-0): The Summit League is one of the weakest in the NCAA. They, as many of these other teams, have played extremely weak opponents. Don't expect these PRETENDERS to be undefeated much longer.
Gonzaga (WCC), (4-0): With leading scorer and rebounder Robert Sacre returning, this team looks to win the WCC yet again, despite a challenge from BYU. CONTENDERS year after year.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Championship Week! March 12
Five games, five wins...no problem. Hell of a tournament, Connecticut.
ACC: (1) North Carolina def. (4) Clemson, 92-87, OT.
(2) Duke def. (6) Virginia Tech, 77-63
**I think Clemson and Virginia Tech both need to be IN.**
America East: (2) Boston def. (5) Stony Brook, 56-54.
**Poor Seawolves. Still looking for their first NCAA. Congrats to the Terriers, though!**
A-10: (3) Richmond def. (2) Temple, 58-54.
**Richmond is now a LOCK.**
(9) Dayton def. (12) Saint Joseph's, 64-61.
**Dayton is really looking to burst someone's bubble in today's A-10 Final.**
Big 12: (1) Kansas def. (2) Texas, 85-73.
**Kansas can LOCK up their #1 seed.**
Big East: (9) Connecticut def. (3) Louisville, 69-66.
**Kemba Walker's 130 points in a conference tournament is the record for any player in a conference tournament in the past 15 seasons. Congrats to the Huskies on the revival of their season!**
Big 10: (1) Ohio State def. (4) Michigan, 68-61.
**Michigan is IN.**
(6) Penn St. def (7) Michigan St, 61-48.
*Both teams are IN as well.**
Big West: (7) California-Santa Barbara def. (1) Long Beach St., 64-56.
**The Gauchos are going dancing for the second year in a row, with long odds! Congrats guys.**
C-USA: (4) Memphis def. (3) Texas-El Paso, 67-66.
**And my Tigers get the auto bid! Sorry UTEP, but you're OUT.**
Great West: (3) North Dakota def. (4) South Dakota, 77-76, 2OT.
**No auto bid here; sorry, ND. You are going to the CIT, though.**
Ivy: Princeton def. Harvard, 63-62.
*My heart goes out to the Crimson...Douglas Davis hit a THAT-DID-NOT-JUST-HAPPEN buzzer-beater to down the Crimson, yet again. The Crimson have not been to the tournament since 1946, and unfortunately, they'll keep waiting, as they are OUT, despite a good case for a bid.*
MAC: (6) Akron def. (1) Kent St., 66-65, OT.
**Unfortunately, there was a little squabble after the game that required security to come out and hold back the two teams. The Zips get their ticket punched!**
MEAC: (2) Hampton def. (4) Morgan St., 60-55.
*Congrats, Pirates!*
MWC: (2) San Diego St. def. (1) Brigham Young, 72-54.
*What a convincing defeat for the Aztecs, who I think are a high 2 now. BYU may fall to a 3.*
Pac-10: (3) Washington def. (1) Arizona, 77-75, OT.
**Isaiah Thomas hit a buzzer-beating fadeaway in OT to get the win for the Huskies, who were picked to win the league early on before falling during the season.**
SEC: (1E) Florida def. (3E) Vanderbilt, 77-66.
(2E) Kentucky def. (1W) Alabama, 72-58.
*The Roll Tide are really going to sweat it out today. I can't even make a call on these guys.*
Southland: (7) Texas-San Antonio def. (1) McNeese St., 75-72.
*The Roadrunners are in, besting the Cowboys in a close, hard-fought game!*
SWAC: (4) Alabama St. def. (6) Grambling St., 65-48.
**Acting just like the 8 ball we call Grambling St. in pool in the Gallagher Student Center, the Tigers just can't get it done in the end. Again.**
WAC: (1) Utah St. def. (2) Boise St., 77-69.
*The highly touted Aggies looked pretty weak during this whole tournament, but they lock up the auto-bid, and Georgia, Alabama, and Co. are thanking them profusely.*
ACC: (1) North Carolina def. (4) Clemson, 92-87, OT.
(2) Duke def. (6) Virginia Tech, 77-63
**I think Clemson and Virginia Tech both need to be IN.**
America East: (2) Boston def. (5) Stony Brook, 56-54.
**Poor Seawolves. Still looking for their first NCAA. Congrats to the Terriers, though!**
A-10: (3) Richmond def. (2) Temple, 58-54.
**Richmond is now a LOCK.**
(9) Dayton def. (12) Saint Joseph's, 64-61.
**Dayton is really looking to burst someone's bubble in today's A-10 Final.**
Big 12: (1) Kansas def. (2) Texas, 85-73.
**Kansas can LOCK up their #1 seed.**
Big East: (9) Connecticut def. (3) Louisville, 69-66.
**Kemba Walker's 130 points in a conference tournament is the record for any player in a conference tournament in the past 15 seasons. Congrats to the Huskies on the revival of their season!**
Big 10: (1) Ohio State def. (4) Michigan, 68-61.
**Michigan is IN.**
(6) Penn St. def (7) Michigan St, 61-48.
*Both teams are IN as well.**
Big West: (7) California-Santa Barbara def. (1) Long Beach St., 64-56.
**The Gauchos are going dancing for the second year in a row, with long odds! Congrats guys.**
C-USA: (4) Memphis def. (3) Texas-El Paso, 67-66.
**And my Tigers get the auto bid! Sorry UTEP, but you're OUT.**
Great West: (3) North Dakota def. (4) South Dakota, 77-76, 2OT.
**No auto bid here; sorry, ND. You are going to the CIT, though.**
Ivy: Princeton def. Harvard, 63-62.
*My heart goes out to the Crimson...Douglas Davis hit a THAT-DID-NOT-JUST-HAPPEN buzzer-beater to down the Crimson, yet again. The Crimson have not been to the tournament since 1946, and unfortunately, they'll keep waiting, as they are OUT, despite a good case for a bid.*
MAC: (6) Akron def. (1) Kent St., 66-65, OT.
**Unfortunately, there was a little squabble after the game that required security to come out and hold back the two teams. The Zips get their ticket punched!**
MEAC: (2) Hampton def. (4) Morgan St., 60-55.
*Congrats, Pirates!*
MWC: (2) San Diego St. def. (1) Brigham Young, 72-54.
*What a convincing defeat for the Aztecs, who I think are a high 2 now. BYU may fall to a 3.*
Pac-10: (3) Washington def. (1) Arizona, 77-75, OT.
**Isaiah Thomas hit a buzzer-beating fadeaway in OT to get the win for the Huskies, who were picked to win the league early on before falling during the season.**
SEC: (1E) Florida def. (3E) Vanderbilt, 77-66.
(2E) Kentucky def. (1W) Alabama, 72-58.
*The Roll Tide are really going to sweat it out today. I can't even make a call on these guys.*
Southland: (7) Texas-San Antonio def. (1) McNeese St., 75-72.
*The Roadrunners are in, besting the Cowboys in a close, hard-fought game!*
SWAC: (4) Alabama St. def. (6) Grambling St., 65-48.
**Acting just like the 8 ball we call Grambling St. in pool in the Gallagher Student Center, the Tigers just can't get it done in the end. Again.**
WAC: (1) Utah St. def. (2) Boise St., 77-69.
*The highly touted Aggies looked pretty weak during this whole tournament, but they lock up the auto-bid, and Georgia, Alabama, and Co. are thanking them profusely.*
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Championship Week! March 11
My Muskies went down. But do not despair: Dayton always plays out of their asses against us.
ACC: (1) North Carolina def. (9) Miami, 61-59.
**Miami really blew it. They had a 53-34 lead with 10 minutes left, and threw it away. Ouch.**
(2) Duke def. (7) Maryland, 87-71.
*Nolan Smith apparently injured his toe tonight; we'll see what happens.*
(6) Virginia Tech def. (3) Florida St., 52-51.
**The end to this game was a real treat. Erick Green hit the jumper with 4.7 ticks left, ending a terrible shooting night for him, and Derwin Kitchen made a shot at the buzzer, and it appeared Florida St. had won. But the refs determined the ball was still on Kitchen's fingertips when it hit 0.0, and the basket was waved off, giving V. Tech a much, much needed win, putting them IN.**
(4) Clemson def. (5) Boston College, 70-47.
*A real surprise here, and both Boston College and Clemson are very unaware of their fates right now. Boston College: OUT. Clemson: IN.*
A-10: (9) Dayton def. (1) Xavier, 68-67.
*Ugh.*
(2) Temple def. (10) LaSalle, 96-76.
(3) Richmond def. (6) Rhode Island, 55-45.
(12) St. Joseph's def. (4) Duquesne, 93-90, OT.
*And Duquesne's monumental collapse after their 8-0 conference start is complete.
Big 12: (1) Kansas def. (5) Colorado, 90-83.
(2) Texas def. (3) Texas A&M, 70-58.
Big East: (3) Louisville def. (2) Notre Dame, 83-77, OT.
(9) Connecticut def. (4) Syracuse, 76-71, OT.
*Kemba Walker set the Big East Tournament point record with 111 points, eclipsing the mark previously set by Eric Devendorf with 84 in 2009.*
Big 10: (1) Ohio St. def. (8) Northwestern, 67-61, OT.
(7) Michigan St. def. (2) Purdue, 74-56.
*Purdue's seeding is really going to fall; they might be a 3 now. Michigan St. has to be IN for sure now.
(6) Penn St. def. (3) Wisconsin, 36-33.
**Yes, the score above is RIGHT. What an ugly game it was. It took seven and a half minutes for Wisconsin to get its first points.
(4) Michigan def. (5) Illinois, 60-55.
*I believe both Michigan and Illinois are IN.*
Big West: (1) Long Beach St. def. (5) California-Santa Barbara, 74-63.
C-USA: (3) Texas-El Paso def. (2) Tulsa, 66-54.
**UTEP continues to climb in bubble consideration, but I still have them OUT.**
(4) Memphis def. (8) East Carolina, 76-56.
*I really don't get why Memphis is getting very little bubble love.*
Great West: (4) South Dakota def. (1) Utah Valley, 72-70.
(3) North Dakota def. (7) Houston Baptist, 65-63.
MAC: (1) Kent St. def. (4) Ball St., 79-68.
(6) Akron def. (2) Western Michigan, 79-68.
MEAC: (4) Morgan St. def. (1) Bethune-Cookman, 61-48.
(2) Hampton def. (6) Norfolk St., 85-61.
MWC: (1) Brigham Young def. (5) New Mexico, 87-76.
***Jimmer had 52...but no big deal, right?***
(2) San Diego St. def. (3) Nevada-Las Vegas, 74-72.
*D.J. Gay had the go-ahead basket to clinch it for the Aztecs.*
Pac-10: (1) Arizona def. (4) Southern California, 67-62.
**An impressive end to Southern Cal's season -- I'm throwing them IN.**
(3) Washington def. (7) Oregon, 69-51.
Patriot: (1) Bucknell def. (6) Lafayette, 72-57.
**Congratulations to Bucknell, knocking off the surging Leopards to include themselves in the NCAA Tournament.
SEC: (1W) Alabama def. (4E) Georgia, 65-59, OT.
*Now both of these teams as well are firmly right on the bubble.*
(1E) Florida def. (5E) Tennessee, 85-74.
(2E) Kentucky def. (3W) Mississippi, 75-66.
**This game was closer than the score indicated, and UK struggled for a good majority of the game.**
(3E) Vanderbilt def. (2W) Mississippi St., 87-81.
SWAC: (4) Alabama St. def. (1) Texas Southern, 73-66.
(6) Grambling St. def. (2) Jackson St., 81-75, OT.
WAC: (1) Utah St. def. (8) San Jose St., 58-54.
(2) Boise St. def. (3) New Mexico St., 81-63.
Non-conference play: Saint Mary's def. Weber St., 77-54.
ACC: (1) North Carolina def. (9) Miami, 61-59.
**Miami really blew it. They had a 53-34 lead with 10 minutes left, and threw it away. Ouch.**
(2) Duke def. (7) Maryland, 87-71.
*Nolan Smith apparently injured his toe tonight; we'll see what happens.*
(6) Virginia Tech def. (3) Florida St., 52-51.
**The end to this game was a real treat. Erick Green hit the jumper with 4.7 ticks left, ending a terrible shooting night for him, and Derwin Kitchen made a shot at the buzzer, and it appeared Florida St. had won. But the refs determined the ball was still on Kitchen's fingertips when it hit 0.0, and the basket was waved off, giving V. Tech a much, much needed win, putting them IN.**
(4) Clemson def. (5) Boston College, 70-47.
*A real surprise here, and both Boston College and Clemson are very unaware of their fates right now. Boston College: OUT. Clemson: IN.*
A-10: (9) Dayton def. (1) Xavier, 68-67.
*Ugh.*
(2) Temple def. (10) LaSalle, 96-76.
(3) Richmond def. (6) Rhode Island, 55-45.
(12) St. Joseph's def. (4) Duquesne, 93-90, OT.
*And Duquesne's monumental collapse after their 8-0 conference start is complete.
Big 12: (1) Kansas def. (5) Colorado, 90-83.
(2) Texas def. (3) Texas A&M, 70-58.
Big East: (3) Louisville def. (2) Notre Dame, 83-77, OT.
(9) Connecticut def. (4) Syracuse, 76-71, OT.
*Kemba Walker set the Big East Tournament point record with 111 points, eclipsing the mark previously set by Eric Devendorf with 84 in 2009.*
Big 10: (1) Ohio St. def. (8) Northwestern, 67-61, OT.
(7) Michigan St. def. (2) Purdue, 74-56.
*Purdue's seeding is really going to fall; they might be a 3 now. Michigan St. has to be IN for sure now.
(6) Penn St. def. (3) Wisconsin, 36-33.
**Yes, the score above is RIGHT. What an ugly game it was. It took seven and a half minutes for Wisconsin to get its first points.
(4) Michigan def. (5) Illinois, 60-55.
*I believe both Michigan and Illinois are IN.*
Big West: (1) Long Beach St. def. (5) California-Santa Barbara, 74-63.
C-USA: (3) Texas-El Paso def. (2) Tulsa, 66-54.
**UTEP continues to climb in bubble consideration, but I still have them OUT.**
(4) Memphis def. (8) East Carolina, 76-56.
*I really don't get why Memphis is getting very little bubble love.*
Great West: (4) South Dakota def. (1) Utah Valley, 72-70.
(3) North Dakota def. (7) Houston Baptist, 65-63.
MAC: (1) Kent St. def. (4) Ball St., 79-68.
(6) Akron def. (2) Western Michigan, 79-68.
MEAC: (4) Morgan St. def. (1) Bethune-Cookman, 61-48.
(2) Hampton def. (6) Norfolk St., 85-61.
MWC: (1) Brigham Young def. (5) New Mexico, 87-76.
***Jimmer had 52...but no big deal, right?***
(2) San Diego St. def. (3) Nevada-Las Vegas, 74-72.
*D.J. Gay had the go-ahead basket to clinch it for the Aztecs.*
Pac-10: (1) Arizona def. (4) Southern California, 67-62.
**An impressive end to Southern Cal's season -- I'm throwing them IN.**
(3) Washington def. (7) Oregon, 69-51.
Patriot: (1) Bucknell def. (6) Lafayette, 72-57.
**Congratulations to Bucknell, knocking off the surging Leopards to include themselves in the NCAA Tournament.
SEC: (1W) Alabama def. (4E) Georgia, 65-59, OT.
*Now both of these teams as well are firmly right on the bubble.*
(1E) Florida def. (5E) Tennessee, 85-74.
(2E) Kentucky def. (3W) Mississippi, 75-66.
**This game was closer than the score indicated, and UK struggled for a good majority of the game.**
(3E) Vanderbilt def. (2W) Mississippi St., 87-81.
SWAC: (4) Alabama St. def. (1) Texas Southern, 73-66.
(6) Grambling St. def. (2) Jackson St., 81-75, OT.
WAC: (1) Utah St. def. (8) San Jose St., 58-54.
(2) Boise St. def. (3) New Mexico St., 81-63.
Non-conference play: Saint Mary's def. Weber St., 77-54.
Friday, March 11, 2011
UAB - In or Out?
UAB suffered a devastating loss to ECU last night in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. Let's take a look at the Blazers.
UAB Blazers
Record: (22-8)
C-USA Record: (12-5) [includes ECU loss]
RPI: 30
SOS: 72
Last 10 Games: 7-3
Marquee Wins: VCU [RPI: 50]
Bad Losses: @ Arizona St. [RPI: 160]
Record versus RPI Top 25: 0-1
Record versus RPI 26-100: 9-6
Record versus RPI 101-345: 12-1
Eye-testing the Blazers.
Record: Pass. 22-8 is a good record.
Conference Record: Pass. They won the C-USA regular season championship.
RPI: Pass. (I really don't understand how UAB's RPI is 30. They played one good team, got rocked. It confounds me.)
SOS: Fail. They really didn't do anything OOC; their only good win is against VCU, who isn't even a tournament team. It looks like the only tournament team UAB beat is Kent State, assuming they win the MAC. I can't pass that.
Last 10 Games: Pass. All three losses were to RPI Top 100 teams, which is ok.
OVERALL: Fail. That loss to ECU wasn't exactly a profile killer, but it was close. UAB just, in my opinion, didn't do enough, and their gaudy computer profile hides their playing, which isn't great.
UAB Blazers
Record: (22-8)C-USA Record: (12-5) [includes ECU loss]
RPI: 30
SOS: 72
Last 10 Games: 7-3
Marquee Wins: VCU [RPI: 50]
Bad Losses: @ Arizona St. [RPI: 160]
Record versus RPI Top 25: 0-1
Record versus RPI 26-100: 9-6
Record versus RPI 101-345: 12-1
Eye-testing the Blazers.
Record: Pass. 22-8 is a good record.
Conference Record: Pass. They won the C-USA regular season championship.
RPI: Pass. (I really don't understand how UAB's RPI is 30. They played one good team, got rocked. It confounds me.)
SOS: Fail. They really didn't do anything OOC; their only good win is against VCU, who isn't even a tournament team. It looks like the only tournament team UAB beat is Kent State, assuming they win the MAC. I can't pass that.
Last 10 Games: Pass. All three losses were to RPI Top 100 teams, which is ok.
OVERALL: Fail. That loss to ECU wasn't exactly a profile killer, but it was close. UAB just, in my opinion, didn't do enough, and their gaudy computer profile hides their playing, which isn't great.
Championship Week! March 10
Yesterday saw, in my opinion, a bubble popped of a marquee RPI team. Let's get to it!
ACC: (5) Boston College def. (12) Wake Forest, 81-67.
(6) Virginia Tech def. (11) Georgia Tech, 59-43.
(7) Maryland def. (10) NC State, 75-67.
(9) Miami def. (8) Virginia, 69-62, OT.
Big 12: (1) Kansas def. (9) Oklahoma St., 63-62.
(2) Texas def. (10) Oklahoma, 74-54.
(3) Texas A&M def. (6) Missouri, 74-54.
(5) Colorado def. (4) Kansas St., 87-75.
**With this win, I reluctantly can move Colorado IN.**
Big East: (9) Connecticut def. (1) Pittsburgh, 76-74.
**Kemba Walker hit a nasty jumper buzzer-beater, breaking Gary McGhee's ankles to clinch the upset for the Huskies.**
(2) Notre Dame def. (7) Cincinnati, 89-51.
*A nasty loss for the Bearcats, but Notre Dame shot lights out.*
(3) Louisville def. (11) Marquette, 81-56.
(4) Syracuse def. (5) St. John's, 79-73.
Big 10: (6) Penn St. def. (11) Indiana, 61-55.
**Penn State is still on the outside looking in, and is still OUT.**
(7) Michigan St. def. (10) Iowa, 66-61.
*Michigan St. is still IN, but a loss would probably have knocked them out.*
(8) Northwestern def. (9) Minnesota, 75-65.
Big West: (1) Long Beach St. def. (8) California-Irvine, 79-72.
(7) California-Riverside def. (2) Cal-Poly, 70-66, OT.
(3) Cal State Northridge def. (6) Cal State Fullerton, 75-54.
(5) California-Santa Barbara def. (4) Pacific, 79-67.
(5) California-Santa Barbara def. (3) Cal State Northridge, 83-63.
*I feel bad for the Gauchos, playing games pretty much back to back, but they got the job done.*
Conference USA: (8) Eastern Carolina def. (1) Alabama-Birmingham, 75-70, OT.
**This, for me, knocks UAB OUT of the tournament. I'll do an evaluation on them like Villanova.**
(2) Tulsa def. (10) Rice, 81-72.
(3) Texas-El Paso def. (6) Marshall, 77-65.
(4) Memphis def. (5) Southern Miss, 66-63.
Great West: (7) Houston Baptist def. (2) N.J.I.T., 72-70.
(3) North Dakota def. (6) Texas-Pan American, 71-70.
(4) South Dakota def. (5) Chicago State, 73-70, OT.
MAC: (1) Kent St. def. (8) Buffalo, 73-62.
(2) Western Michigan def. (7) Bowling Green St., 67-56.
(6) Akron def. (3) Miami (OH), 82-75, 2OT.
(4) Ball St. def. (5) Ohio, 76-73, OT.
MEAC: (6) Norfolk St. def. (3) Coppin St., 55-53.
(4) Morgan St. def. (5) North Carolina A&T, 77-59.
MWC: (1) Brigham Young def. (9) Texas Christian, 64-58.
(2) San Diego St. def. (7) Utah, 64-50.
(3) Nevada-Las Vegas def. (6) Air Force, 69-53.
(5) New Mexico def. (4) Colorado St., 67-61.
**If New Mexico can pull off the upset on BYU yet again, I'll consider them for an at-large bid; Colorado State is now OUT and NIT bound.**
Pac-10: (1) Arizona def. (9) Oregon St., 78-69.
(7) Oregon def. (2) UCLA, 76-59.
**UCLA is still in, but this really hurts their seeding.**
(3) Washington def. (6) Washington St., 89-87.
*A real thriller here: Klay Thompson, fresh off his suspension for marijuana possession, scored a Pac-10 Tournament record 43 points in a losing effort for the Cougars.*
(4) South California def. (5) California, 70-56.
SEC: (4E) Georgia def. (5W) Auburn, 69-51.
(3W) Mississippi def. (6E) South Carolina, 66-55.
(5E) Tennessee def. (4W) Arkansas, 74-68.
(3E) Vanderbilt def. (6W) Louisiana St., 62-50.
Southland: (1) McNeese St. def. (4) Texas St., 91-83.
(7) Texas-San Antonio def. (3) Sam Houston St., 79-70.
SWAC: (6) Grambling St. def. (3) Mississippi Valley St., 65-62.
(4) Alabama St. def. (5) Alabama A&M, 81-61.
WAC: (3) New Mexico St. def. (6) Nevada, 66-60.
(8) San Jose St. def. (4) Idaho, 74-68.
ACC: (5) Boston College def. (12) Wake Forest, 81-67.
(6) Virginia Tech def. (11) Georgia Tech, 59-43.
(7) Maryland def. (10) NC State, 75-67.
(9) Miami def. (8) Virginia, 69-62, OT.
Big 12: (1) Kansas def. (9) Oklahoma St., 63-62.
(2) Texas def. (10) Oklahoma, 74-54.
(3) Texas A&M def. (6) Missouri, 74-54.
(5) Colorado def. (4) Kansas St., 87-75.
**With this win, I reluctantly can move Colorado IN.**
Big East: (9) Connecticut def. (1) Pittsburgh, 76-74.
**Kemba Walker hit a nasty jumper buzzer-beater, breaking Gary McGhee's ankles to clinch the upset for the Huskies.**
(2) Notre Dame def. (7) Cincinnati, 89-51.
*A nasty loss for the Bearcats, but Notre Dame shot lights out.*
(3) Louisville def. (11) Marquette, 81-56.
(4) Syracuse def. (5) St. John's, 79-73.
Big 10: (6) Penn St. def. (11) Indiana, 61-55.
**Penn State is still on the outside looking in, and is still OUT.**
(7) Michigan St. def. (10) Iowa, 66-61.
*Michigan St. is still IN, but a loss would probably have knocked them out.*
(8) Northwestern def. (9) Minnesota, 75-65.
Big West: (1) Long Beach St. def. (8) California-Irvine, 79-72.
(7) California-Riverside def. (2) Cal-Poly, 70-66, OT.
(3) Cal State Northridge def. (6) Cal State Fullerton, 75-54.
(5) California-Santa Barbara def. (4) Pacific, 79-67.
(5) California-Santa Barbara def. (3) Cal State Northridge, 83-63.
*I feel bad for the Gauchos, playing games pretty much back to back, but they got the job done.*
Conference USA: (8) Eastern Carolina def. (1) Alabama-Birmingham, 75-70, OT.
**This, for me, knocks UAB OUT of the tournament. I'll do an evaluation on them like Villanova.**
(2) Tulsa def. (10) Rice, 81-72.
(3) Texas-El Paso def. (6) Marshall, 77-65.
(4) Memphis def. (5) Southern Miss, 66-63.
Great West: (7) Houston Baptist def. (2) N.J.I.T., 72-70.
(3) North Dakota def. (6) Texas-Pan American, 71-70.
(4) South Dakota def. (5) Chicago State, 73-70, OT.
MAC: (1) Kent St. def. (8) Buffalo, 73-62.
(2) Western Michigan def. (7) Bowling Green St., 67-56.
(6) Akron def. (3) Miami (OH), 82-75, 2OT.
(4) Ball St. def. (5) Ohio, 76-73, OT.
MEAC: (6) Norfolk St. def. (3) Coppin St., 55-53.
(4) Morgan St. def. (5) North Carolina A&T, 77-59.
MWC: (1) Brigham Young def. (9) Texas Christian, 64-58.
(2) San Diego St. def. (7) Utah, 64-50.
(3) Nevada-Las Vegas def. (6) Air Force, 69-53.
(5) New Mexico def. (4) Colorado St., 67-61.
**If New Mexico can pull off the upset on BYU yet again, I'll consider them for an at-large bid; Colorado State is now OUT and NIT bound.**
Pac-10: (1) Arizona def. (9) Oregon St., 78-69.
(7) Oregon def. (2) UCLA, 76-59.
**UCLA is still in, but this really hurts their seeding.**
(3) Washington def. (6) Washington St., 89-87.
*A real thriller here: Klay Thompson, fresh off his suspension for marijuana possession, scored a Pac-10 Tournament record 43 points in a losing effort for the Cougars.*
(4) South California def. (5) California, 70-56.
SEC: (4E) Georgia def. (5W) Auburn, 69-51.
(3W) Mississippi def. (6E) South Carolina, 66-55.
(5E) Tennessee def. (4W) Arkansas, 74-68.
(3E) Vanderbilt def. (6W) Louisiana St., 62-50.
Southland: (1) McNeese St. def. (4) Texas St., 91-83.
(7) Texas-San Antonio def. (3) Sam Houston St., 79-70.
SWAC: (6) Grambling St. def. (3) Mississippi Valley St., 65-62.
(4) Alabama St. def. (5) Alabama A&M, 81-61.
WAC: (3) New Mexico St. def. (6) Nevada, 66-60.
(8) San Jose St. def. (4) Idaho, 74-68.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Championship Week! March 9
Yet another few tickets were punched tonight! But the travesty of the day is this game. God, what officiating.
Big 12: (5) Colorado def. (12) Iowa State, 77-75.
*If Colorado loses to K. State, I can't put Colorado in this tournament. I still have Colorado OUT.*
(6) Missouri def. (11) Texas Tech, 88-84.
(10) Oklahoma def. (7) Baylor, 84-67.
**This convincing defeat of Baylor definitely knocks them out of the NCAA, and they are OUT.**
(9) Oklahoma St. def. (8) Nebraska, 53-52.
*Nebraska can also be trashed from the NCAA consideration: OUT.*
Big East: (5) St. John's def. (13) Rutgers, 65-63.
*This game was just a load of crap. Rutgers got hosed in the end. The video's above.*
(11) Marquette def. (6) West Virginia, 67-61.
**I already did this, but now there's no debate. Marquette moves into LOCK status.**
(7) Cincinnati def. (15) South Florida, 87-61.
**Well UC did something Nova couldn't: defeat USF. Convincingly, I might add.**
(9) Connecticut def. (8) Georgetown, 79-62.
*Georgetown is in major danger of receiving a very low seed; this team is not the same without Chris Wright, who distributes the ball for all of Georgetown.*
Big Sky: (1) Northern Colorado def. (2) Montana, 65-60.
*Northern Colorado's first NCAA appereance. CONGRATS GUYS!*
Conference USA: (5) Southern Miss def. (12) Tulane, 63-47.
(6) Marshall def. (11) Houston, 97-87.
(10) Rice def. (7) Southern Methodist, 58-57.
(8) Eastern Carolina def. (9) Central Florida, 75-60.
MEAC: (1) Bethune-Cookman def. (9) South Carolina St., 66-50.
(2) Hampton def. (10) Maryland-Eastern Shore, 77-55.
(6) Norfolk St. def. (11) Howard, 68-53.
MWC: (9) Texas Christian def. (8) Wyoming, 70-61.
NEC: (1) Long Island def. (3) Robert Morris, 85-82, OT.
*A thriller of a game, as a trey by RMU clanged off the front iron as time expired.*
Pac-10: (7) Oregon def. (10) Arizona St., 76-69.
(9) Oregon St. def. (8) Stanford, 69-67.
Southland: (1) McNeese St. def. (8) Nicholls St., 61-54.
(7) Texas-San Antonio def. (2) Northwestern St., 97-96.
(3) Sam Houston St. def. (6) Stephen F. Austin, 61-45.
(4) Texas State def. (5) Southeastern Louisiana, 72-68.
SWAC: (1) Texas Southern def. (8) Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 50-45.
(2) Jackson St. def. (7) Prairie View, 50-38.
WAC: (8) San Jose St. def. (5) Hawaii, 75-74.
(6) Nevada def. (7) Fresno St., 90-80.
Big 12: (5) Colorado def. (12) Iowa State, 77-75.
*If Colorado loses to K. State, I can't put Colorado in this tournament. I still have Colorado OUT.*
(6) Missouri def. (11) Texas Tech, 88-84.
(10) Oklahoma def. (7) Baylor, 84-67.
**This convincing defeat of Baylor definitely knocks them out of the NCAA, and they are OUT.**
(9) Oklahoma St. def. (8) Nebraska, 53-52.
*Nebraska can also be trashed from the NCAA consideration: OUT.*
Big East: (5) St. John's def. (13) Rutgers, 65-63.
*This game was just a load of crap. Rutgers got hosed in the end. The video's above.*
(11) Marquette def. (6) West Virginia, 67-61.
**I already did this, but now there's no debate. Marquette moves into LOCK status.**
(7) Cincinnati def. (15) South Florida, 87-61.
**Well UC did something Nova couldn't: defeat USF. Convincingly, I might add.**
(9) Connecticut def. (8) Georgetown, 79-62.
*Georgetown is in major danger of receiving a very low seed; this team is not the same without Chris Wright, who distributes the ball for all of Georgetown.*
Big Sky: (1) Northern Colorado def. (2) Montana, 65-60.
*Northern Colorado's first NCAA appereance. CONGRATS GUYS!*
Conference USA: (5) Southern Miss def. (12) Tulane, 63-47.
(6) Marshall def. (11) Houston, 97-87.
(10) Rice def. (7) Southern Methodist, 58-57.
(8) Eastern Carolina def. (9) Central Florida, 75-60.
MEAC: (1) Bethune-Cookman def. (9) South Carolina St., 66-50.
(2) Hampton def. (10) Maryland-Eastern Shore, 77-55.
(6) Norfolk St. def. (11) Howard, 68-53.
MWC: (9) Texas Christian def. (8) Wyoming, 70-61.
NEC: (1) Long Island def. (3) Robert Morris, 85-82, OT.
*A thriller of a game, as a trey by RMU clanged off the front iron as time expired.*
Pac-10: (7) Oregon def. (10) Arizona St., 76-69.
(9) Oregon St. def. (8) Stanford, 69-67.
Southland: (1) McNeese St. def. (8) Nicholls St., 61-54.
(7) Texas-San Antonio def. (2) Northwestern St., 97-96.
(3) Sam Houston St. def. (6) Stephen F. Austin, 61-45.
(4) Texas State def. (5) Southeastern Louisiana, 72-68.
SWAC: (1) Texas Southern def. (8) Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 50-45.
(2) Jackson St. def. (7) Prairie View, 50-38.
WAC: (8) San Jose St. def. (5) Hawaii, 75-74.
(6) Nevada def. (7) Fresno St., 90-80.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Dilemma that is Villanova
By now, a lot of us realize the plight Villanova has fallen into. Losers of five straight (vs. Syracuse, vs. St. John's, @ Notre Dame, @ Pittsburgh, and now USF in the Big East tournament), Joe Lunardi now has the Wildcats as a 11 seed...facing Xavier. (Interestingly enough for Cincinnati, they are projected as a 7 facing...Butler. Talk about tough 1st round games.) A lot of talk is flying around about whether Villanova is even a lock for the NCAA Tournament anymore. ESPN's Bubble Watch decided to keep them as a lock; I find this a problematic position to take. You really need to reassess the Wildcats' profile and make sure they're deserving. So here's the tale of the tape...Villanova.
Villanova Wildcats
Record: (21-11)
Big East Record: (9-10) [including USF loss in BE Tournament]
RPI: 37
SOS: 25
Last 10 Games: (3-7)
Marquee Wins: vs. UCLA [RPI: 33], vs. Temple [RPI: 29], vs. Cincinnati [RPI: 31], vs. Louisville [RPI: 21], @ Syracuse [RPI: 18], vs. West Virginia [RPI: 15].
Bad Losses: @ Providence [RPI: 152], @ Rutgers [RPI: 119], vs. South Florida [RPI: 150].
Record versus RPI Top 25: 3-7
Record versus RPI 26-100: 6-1
Record versus RPI 101-345: 11-3
Let's do the "eye test" with the Wildcats.
Record: Pass. 21-11 is a fine record, especially in the Big East.
Conference Record: Pass. 9-9 isn't great, but remember it's in the Big East. This conference tears people up.
RPI: Pass. An RPI this high pretty much insures inclusion into the tournament, but see the notable cases where this wasn't the case.
SOS: Pass. The Wildcats played UCLA, Tennessee, and Temple OOC, going 2-1. And with the brutal Big East, this number has to be high.
Last 10: Fail. 3-7 is not good enough to show you are trending upward during the crucial part of the season.
OVERALL: Pass. It's notable that no team has ever been chosen for the NCAA Tournament after losing the past 5 games, but I guarantee those teams didn't have the wins that the Wildcats have. Their seed will most certainly suffer, but they can't be kept out of this tournament. Personally, I currently have Villanova as a 10.
Villanova Wildcats
Record: (21-11)
Big East Record: (9-10) [including USF loss in BE Tournament]
RPI: 37
SOS: 25
Last 10 Games: (3-7)
Marquee Wins: vs. UCLA [RPI: 33], vs. Temple [RPI: 29], vs. Cincinnati [RPI: 31], vs. Louisville [RPI: 21], @ Syracuse [RPI: 18], vs. West Virginia [RPI: 15].
Bad Losses: @ Providence [RPI: 152], @ Rutgers [RPI: 119], vs. South Florida [RPI: 150].
Record versus RPI Top 25: 3-7
Record versus RPI 26-100: 6-1
Record versus RPI 101-345: 11-3
Let's do the "eye test" with the Wildcats.
Record: Pass. 21-11 is a fine record, especially in the Big East.
Conference Record: Pass. 9-9 isn't great, but remember it's in the Big East. This conference tears people up.
RPI: Pass. An RPI this high pretty much insures inclusion into the tournament, but see the notable cases where this wasn't the case.
SOS: Pass. The Wildcats played UCLA, Tennessee, and Temple OOC, going 2-1. And with the brutal Big East, this number has to be high.
Last 10: Fail. 3-7 is not good enough to show you are trending upward during the crucial part of the season.
OVERALL: Pass. It's notable that no team has ever been chosen for the NCAA Tournament after losing the past 5 games, but I guarantee those teams didn't have the wins that the Wildcats have. Their seed will most certainly suffer, but they can't be kept out of this tournament. Personally, I currently have Villanova as a 10.
Championship Week! March 8
Yesterday saw the start of the long, five-day Big East tournament, as well as a few more tickets punched. Let's get to it!
Atlantic 10: (9) Dayton def. (8) Massachusetts, 78-50.
*Not good for X fans -- any game to Dayton can be a L.*
(12) St. Joseph's def. (5) George Washington, 71-59, OT.
**Pretty big upset, as Saint Joseph's has been playing with an inexperienced, highly freshman-based team.**
(10) LaSalle def. (7) St. Bonaventure, 75-73, 2OT.
*Bonnies looked flat and defeated in the OT's.*
(6) Rhode Island def. (11) Saint Louis, 70-61.
Big East: (9) Connecticut def. (16) DePaul, 97-71.
*Notably, UConn's first win in the Big East Tournament since 2005.*
(13) Rutgers def. (12) Seton Hall, 76-70, OT.
**Jonathan Mitchell went 8-10 in OT to notch the win for the Scarlet Knights.**
(15) South Florida def. (10) Villanova, 70-69.
**A huge upset for the Bulls of USF, as Villanova has now lost 5 straight and 10 of its last 15. Are they still in in the tournament? We'll see.**
(11) Marquette def. (14) Providence, 87-66.
**With this win, I move Marquette to LOCK status for the tournament.**
Big Sky: (2) Montana def. (3) Weber St., 57-40.
**Notably, Weber St. still has a game left: against Saint Mary's.**
(1) Northern Colorado def. (4) Northern Arizona, 73-70.
Horizon: (2) Butler def. (1) Milwaukee, 59-44.
*Bubble teams rest easy yet again, as another bid-stealer was defeated here. This also prevented Milwaukee from the trifecta of wins against Butler this season.*
Ivy: Princeton def. Penn, 70-58.
*A one game playoff with Princeton versus Harvard will take place at Yale.*
MAC: (7) Bowling Green St. def. (10) Northern Illinois, 74-54.
(6) Akron def. (11) Eastern Michigan, 67-53.
(8) Buffalo def. (9) Central Michigan, 64-50.
(5) Ohio def. (12) Toledo, 74-57.
MEAC: (9) South Carolina St. def. (8) Delaware St, 64-59.
(10) Maryland-Eastern Shore def. (7) Florida A&M, 87-85, 2OT.
Summit: (1) Oakland def. (2) Oral Roberts, 90-76.
*Big bracketbusting possibility here.*
Sun Belt: (5W) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (4W) North Texas, 64-63.
**A great game with a classic finish. Sun Belt Player of the Year Solomon Bozeman goes coast-to-coast and hits a game-winning trey with 1.5 seconds left to clinch it for the Trojans.**
Atlantic 10: (9) Dayton def. (8) Massachusetts, 78-50.
*Not good for X fans -- any game to Dayton can be a L.*
(12) St. Joseph's def. (5) George Washington, 71-59, OT.
**Pretty big upset, as Saint Joseph's has been playing with an inexperienced, highly freshman-based team.**
(10) LaSalle def. (7) St. Bonaventure, 75-73, 2OT.
*Bonnies looked flat and defeated in the OT's.*
(6) Rhode Island def. (11) Saint Louis, 70-61.
Big East: (9) Connecticut def. (16) DePaul, 97-71.
*Notably, UConn's first win in the Big East Tournament since 2005.*
(13) Rutgers def. (12) Seton Hall, 76-70, OT.
**Jonathan Mitchell went 8-10 in OT to notch the win for the Scarlet Knights.**
(15) South Florida def. (10) Villanova, 70-69.
**A huge upset for the Bulls of USF, as Villanova has now lost 5 straight and 10 of its last 15. Are they still in in the tournament? We'll see.**
(11) Marquette def. (14) Providence, 87-66.
**With this win, I move Marquette to LOCK status for the tournament.**
Big Sky: (2) Montana def. (3) Weber St., 57-40.
**Notably, Weber St. still has a game left: against Saint Mary's.**
(1) Northern Colorado def. (4) Northern Arizona, 73-70.
Horizon: (2) Butler def. (1) Milwaukee, 59-44.
*Bubble teams rest easy yet again, as another bid-stealer was defeated here. This also prevented Milwaukee from the trifecta of wins against Butler this season.*
Ivy: Princeton def. Penn, 70-58.
*A one game playoff with Princeton versus Harvard will take place at Yale.*
MAC: (7) Bowling Green St. def. (10) Northern Illinois, 74-54.
(6) Akron def. (11) Eastern Michigan, 67-53.
(8) Buffalo def. (9) Central Michigan, 64-50.
(5) Ohio def. (12) Toledo, 74-57.
MEAC: (9) South Carolina St. def. (8) Delaware St, 64-59.
(10) Maryland-Eastern Shore def. (7) Florida A&M, 87-85, 2OT.
Summit: (1) Oakland def. (2) Oral Roberts, 90-76.
*Big bracketbusting possibility here.*
Sun Belt: (5W) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (4W) North Texas, 64-63.
**A great game with a classic finish. Sun Belt Player of the Year Solomon Bozeman goes coast-to-coast and hits a game-winning trey with 1.5 seconds left to clinch it for the Trojans.**
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Championship Week! March 7
Not a whole lot of action last night, but the games that WERE played were definitely good ones!
CAA: Bubble teams, breathe easy.
(2) Old Dominion def. (3) VCU, 70-65.
*This game was an absolute thriller. Old Dominion raged to a 42-24 lead, before VCU stormed back to make it a game before ODU finally locked it up. Bodies flew, treys were sunk left and right, and Frank Hassell dominated down low, yet again, for 24 to lock up the NCAA berth for the Monarchs.*
Take a look at what happened a minute into the game, when the Monarchs' mascot realized fog machines and powder don't mix.
MAAC: St. Peter's (4) finished their improbable MAAC tournament run with a 62-57 defeat over (2) Iona. It's kind of hard saying "The Peacocks are in! The Peacocks are in!" Yes...their mascot is the Peacock. For the love of God...Congratulations to them, nonetheless. Especially in their knockoff of Fairfield @ Fairfield. That was huge.
Southern: I've had a firsthand experience with Wofford, and Noah Dahlman, in the Cintas Center. It took us 3OT to take down the Terriers, and now the Terriers are in the tournament, as Wofford (2S) defeated favored (1S) Charleston, 77-67. I can say with confidence that this Wofford team, winners of eight straight, will be a tough out in the tournament. Congrats to them on their second straight NCAA berth.
Summit: (1) Oakland def. (5) South Dakota St, 110-90.
(2) Oral Roberts def. (3) IUPUI, 83-77.
Sun Belt: This conference has been turned on its head with the tournament! Top seeds, kiss your bid goodbye.
(4W) North Texas def. (3E) Western Kentucky, 81-62.
(5W) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (2E) Middle Tennessee, 65-56.
West Coast: To be honest, the result didn't matter here.
(2) Gonzaga def. (1) Saint Mary's, 75-63.
*Both of these teams are going to the NCAA Tournament with the weak bubble this year anyways.*
CAA: Bubble teams, breathe easy.
(2) Old Dominion def. (3) VCU, 70-65.
*This game was an absolute thriller. Old Dominion raged to a 42-24 lead, before VCU stormed back to make it a game before ODU finally locked it up. Bodies flew, treys were sunk left and right, and Frank Hassell dominated down low, yet again, for 24 to lock up the NCAA berth for the Monarchs.*
Take a look at what happened a minute into the game, when the Monarchs' mascot realized fog machines and powder don't mix.
MAAC: St. Peter's (4) finished their improbable MAAC tournament run with a 62-57 defeat over (2) Iona. It's kind of hard saying "The Peacocks are in! The Peacocks are in!" Yes...their mascot is the Peacock. For the love of God...Congratulations to them, nonetheless. Especially in their knockoff of Fairfield @ Fairfield. That was huge.
Southern: I've had a firsthand experience with Wofford, and Noah Dahlman, in the Cintas Center. It took us 3OT to take down the Terriers, and now the Terriers are in the tournament, as Wofford (2S) defeated favored (1S) Charleston, 77-67. I can say with confidence that this Wofford team, winners of eight straight, will be a tough out in the tournament. Congrats to them on their second straight NCAA berth.
Summit: (1) Oakland def. (5) South Dakota St, 110-90.
(2) Oral Roberts def. (3) IUPUI, 83-77.
Sun Belt: This conference has been turned on its head with the tournament! Top seeds, kiss your bid goodbye.
(4W) North Texas def. (3E) Western Kentucky, 81-62.
(5W) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (2E) Middle Tennessee, 65-56.
West Coast: To be honest, the result didn't matter here.
(2) Gonzaga def. (1) Saint Mary's, 75-63.
*Both of these teams are going to the NCAA Tournament with the weak bubble this year anyways.*
Monday, March 7, 2011
Championship Week: March 6
Finally, some exciting, big-time upsets!
America East: (5) Stony Brook def. (1) Vermont, 69-47.
**This was a stunning development, and Stony Brook is looking for its first ever NCAA berth.**
(2) Boston def. (6) Hartford, 55-49.
*This was a tough loss for Hartford, on their homefloor and finally playing well.*
Colonial: (4) VCU def. (1) George Mason, 79-63.
**This was a shock, a big shock. George Mason has four players that average 40% from downtown, but they were dominated down low by the Rams.**
(2) Old Dominion def. (3) Hofstra, 77-69.
--The bubble teams will certainly be cheering for Old Dominion, as both OD and GM are by all means tournament teams, and are locks for the tournament. VCU, if they were to win against OD, would make the bubble shrink a bit and throw out a team such as Virginia Tech or Colorado.--
MAAC: (4) St. Peter's def. (1) Fairfield, 62-40.
**Except for VCU's win, this was the most shocking development. Fairfield is usually a great defensive team, holding Marist to 31 in their last game. But the usually tough Stags allowed an amazing 40 points in the first half, while only scoring 15 to put them in a hole that they could not escape out of. This was also on Fairfield's home floor.**
(2) Iona def. (3) Rider, 83-59.
*Iona has defeated their two opponents in the tournament by 54 points total.*
MVC: (3) Indiana St. def. (1) Missouri St., 60-56.
*Personally, this result broke my heart. Missouri State was a team that rose from the bottom of the MVC to the top, winning the regular season championship. Because of this loss, Missouri State is now OUT.*
NEC: (1) Long Island def. (4) Central Connecticut St., 69-67.
(3) Robert Morris def. (2) Quinnipiac, 64-62.
Patriot: (1) Bucknell def. (4) Lehigh, 66-64.
(6) Lafayette def. (2) American, 73-71, 2OT.
**This was a heart-stopping loss for American, another team to lose on their court before reaching the title game in their conference. Lafayette made a trey in the corner with 0.2 seconds left to clinch the win.**
Southern: (2S) Wofford def. (1N) Western Carolina, 86-72.
*Not as surprising as it looks, given the North was much weaker than the South.*
(1S) Charleston def. (3S) Furman, 63-58.
**Charleston looked very ugly early on, trailing by double digits for much of the game. Andrew Goudelock stepped up for the Cougars, scoring a big 31 points. Goudelock continues to rank among the NCAA elite in scoring, averaging 23.3 PPG. He is now 4th in the NCAA. If Charleston wins the Southern conference, they are a team to look out for in the NCAA Tournament, as they probably will be a 13 seed. They have had big wins against Coastal Carolina, a very close loss @UNC, another close loss against Clemson, a huge upset win @Tennessee, and a Bracket Buster win against Vermont.**
Summit: (5) San Diego St. def. (4) IPFW, 85-75.
*That completes SDSU's dominance of IPFW, winning all three matchups this season.*
(3) IUPUI def. (6) UMKC, 79-55.
Sun Belt: Exciting bunch of games here.
(3E) Western Kentucky def. (2W) Lousiana-Lafayette, 81-76.
(4W) North Texas def. (1E) Florida Atlantic, 78-64.
*FAU had been a big team on the rise this year, and finds their chances shot down.*
(2E) Middle Tennessee def. (6E) Florida International, 73-38.
*What an ugly score. The second half saw MT outscore FIU 49-21.*
(5W) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (1W) Arkansas St., 59-52.
**Another team with NCAA hopes goes down; notably, Arkansas St. had given Memphis trouble earlier in the year.**
West Coast: (1) Saint Mary's def. (4) Santa Clara, 73-64.
(2) Gonzaga def. (3) San Francisco, 71-67.
**Both (1) and (2) were expected to win easily, but had more trouble than initially thought. With reaching the championship game, both of these teams are IN the tournament.**
America East: (5) Stony Brook def. (1) Vermont, 69-47.
**This was a stunning development, and Stony Brook is looking for its first ever NCAA berth.**
(2) Boston def. (6) Hartford, 55-49.
*This was a tough loss for Hartford, on their homefloor and finally playing well.*
Colonial: (4) VCU def. (1) George Mason, 79-63.
**This was a shock, a big shock. George Mason has four players that average 40% from downtown, but they were dominated down low by the Rams.**
(2) Old Dominion def. (3) Hofstra, 77-69.
--The bubble teams will certainly be cheering for Old Dominion, as both OD and GM are by all means tournament teams, and are locks for the tournament. VCU, if they were to win against OD, would make the bubble shrink a bit and throw out a team such as Virginia Tech or Colorado.--
MAAC: (4) St. Peter's def. (1) Fairfield, 62-40.
**Except for VCU's win, this was the most shocking development. Fairfield is usually a great defensive team, holding Marist to 31 in their last game. But the usually tough Stags allowed an amazing 40 points in the first half, while only scoring 15 to put them in a hole that they could not escape out of. This was also on Fairfield's home floor.**
(2) Iona def. (3) Rider, 83-59.
*Iona has defeated their two opponents in the tournament by 54 points total.*
MVC: (3) Indiana St. def. (1) Missouri St., 60-56.
*Personally, this result broke my heart. Missouri State was a team that rose from the bottom of the MVC to the top, winning the regular season championship. Because of this loss, Missouri State is now OUT.*
NEC: (1) Long Island def. (4) Central Connecticut St., 69-67.
(3) Robert Morris def. (2) Quinnipiac, 64-62.
Patriot: (1) Bucknell def. (4) Lehigh, 66-64.
(6) Lafayette def. (2) American, 73-71, 2OT.
**This was a heart-stopping loss for American, another team to lose on their court before reaching the title game in their conference. Lafayette made a trey in the corner with 0.2 seconds left to clinch the win.**
Southern: (2S) Wofford def. (1N) Western Carolina, 86-72.
*Not as surprising as it looks, given the North was much weaker than the South.*
(1S) Charleston def. (3S) Furman, 63-58.
**Charleston looked very ugly early on, trailing by double digits for much of the game. Andrew Goudelock stepped up for the Cougars, scoring a big 31 points. Goudelock continues to rank among the NCAA elite in scoring, averaging 23.3 PPG. He is now 4th in the NCAA. If Charleston wins the Southern conference, they are a team to look out for in the NCAA Tournament, as they probably will be a 13 seed. They have had big wins against Coastal Carolina, a very close loss @UNC, another close loss against Clemson, a huge upset win @Tennessee, and a Bracket Buster win against Vermont.**
Summit: (5) San Diego St. def. (4) IPFW, 85-75.
*That completes SDSU's dominance of IPFW, winning all three matchups this season.*
(3) IUPUI def. (6) UMKC, 79-55.
Sun Belt: Exciting bunch of games here.
(3E) Western Kentucky def. (2W) Lousiana-Lafayette, 81-76.
(4W) North Texas def. (1E) Florida Atlantic, 78-64.
*FAU had been a big team on the rise this year, and finds their chances shot down.*
(2E) Middle Tennessee def. (6E) Florida International, 73-38.
*What an ugly score. The second half saw MT outscore FIU 49-21.*
(5W) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (1W) Arkansas St., 59-52.
**Another team with NCAA hopes goes down; notably, Arkansas St. had given Memphis trouble earlier in the year.**
West Coast: (1) Saint Mary's def. (4) Santa Clara, 73-64.
(2) Gonzaga def. (3) San Francisco, 71-67.
**Both (1) and (2) were expected to win easily, but had more trouble than initially thought. With reaching the championship game, both of these teams are IN the tournament.**
Observations from the World of Sports: March 6
Sunday saw a few upsets, along with a top-tier team show why they are a top pick to win it all this March. Let's get to it!
-Ohio State was downright amazing in their win against Wisconsin, 93-65. Ohio State was an amazing 14-15 from downtown, including 7-8 from Jon Diebler on senior night. That 14-15 mark is the best in D1 history in 3PT%, with minimum 10 attempts.
-Kentucky finally got a big road win, defeating Tennessee 64-58 on UT's senior night, in which Allan Houston saw his jersey (20) retired. It was their first road win since January 22 @ South Carolina.
Some bubble games:
-Boston College finished their regular season with an easy win over bottom-feeding Wake Forest, 84-68. At this point, I have BC IN.
-Penn State also finished the regular season with a win, defeating downtrodden Minnesota, 66-63. Even with the win, Penn State is currently OUT and needs a big run in the Big 10 tournament.
-Florida State avoided a hiccup with their win @ NC State, 72-62. Seeing them win without key player Chris Singleton is a good sight, and they're IN.
-Ohio State was downright amazing in their win against Wisconsin, 93-65. Ohio State was an amazing 14-15 from downtown, including 7-8 from Jon Diebler on senior night. That 14-15 mark is the best in D1 history in 3PT%, with minimum 10 attempts.
-Kentucky finally got a big road win, defeating Tennessee 64-58 on UT's senior night, in which Allan Houston saw his jersey (20) retired. It was their first road win since January 22 @ South Carolina.
Some bubble games:
-Boston College finished their regular season with an easy win over bottom-feeding Wake Forest, 84-68. At this point, I have BC IN.
-Penn State also finished the regular season with a win, defeating downtrodden Minnesota, 66-63. Even with the win, Penn State is currently OUT and needs a big run in the Big 10 tournament.
-Florida State avoided a hiccup with their win @ NC State, 72-62. Seeing them win without key player Chris Singleton is a good sight, and they're IN.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
I just had to post this.
Eric Capannari says the following: "Cincinnati will beat Nova in the second round of the big east tournament and put up a fight against Notre Dame but lose. They will be a 6 seed in the NCAA March Madness Tournament and make it to the Sweet 16."
I'm not sure about this, but it's bold. And UC is on a roll. They're definitely dangerous going into the tournament, and the reason is their defense. (I believe UC is a one and done team. They'll get a win in the NCAA but won't get past the round of 32.)
(For those wondering, Joe Lunardi has Cincinnati as a 7 seed in the Southwest bracket, playing Virginia Tech. They would play (probably) Purdue in the second round.
I'm not sure about this, but it's bold. And UC is on a roll. They're definitely dangerous going into the tournament, and the reason is their defense. (I believe UC is a one and done team. They'll get a win in the NCAA but won't get past the round of 32.)
(For those wondering, Joe Lunardi has Cincinnati as a 7 seed in the Southwest bracket, playing Virginia Tech. They would play (probably) Purdue in the second round.
Championship Week Results: March 5
Yesterday introduced the first members to join the NCAA Tournament.
America East: (1) Vermont def. (9) Binghamton, 57-46.
(5) Stony Brook def. (4) Albany, 67-61.
(2) Boston def. (7) New Hampshire, 69-60.
(3) Maine def. (6) Hartford, 66-63.
*Only mild surprise here.*
Atlantic Sun: 2nd team in! (1) Belmont thrashed (4) North Florida, 87-46. An amazing 11 players scored for Belmont, including Milford graduate Brandon Baker, who notched two straight treys from the same spot to cap a 12-2 run.
Big Sky: The tournament started yesterday, with nothing surprising.
(3) Weber State def. (6) Eastern Washington, 79-70.
(4) Northern Arizona def. (5) Montana St., 65-62.
Big South: (1) Coastal Carolina's meteoric collapse is complete, with a defeat by (4) UNC-Asheville, 60-47. This is Asheville's second tournament appearance.
Colonial: Nothing surprising, yet again.
(1) George Mason def. (9) Georgia St., 68-45.
(4) VCU def. (5) Drexel, 62-60.
(2) Old Dominion def. (7) Delaware, 59-50.
(3) Hofstra def. (11) William & Mary, 72-56.
Horizon: Conference tournament seem to get boring...
(2) Butler def. (3) Cleveland St., 76-68.
(1) Milwaukee def. (4) Valparaiso, 70-63.
Ivy: No conference tournament, but Princeton blew a chance to win the auto-bid with a loss at Harvard. Harvard clinches their first ever Ivy League crown, but if Princeton wins against Penn, they share the crown, and will play a neutral-site playoff to decide the NCAA Tournament bid.
MAAC: Snoozefest again!
(1) Fairfield def. (9) Marist, 55-31.
(4) St. Peter's def. (5) Loyola (MD), 70-60.
(3) Rider def. (6) Canisius, 79-64.
(2) Iona def. (7) Siena, 94-64.
MVC: Wichita State let me down.
(1) Missouri State def. (5) Creighton, 60-50.
(3) Indiana State def. (2) Wichita State, 61-54.
OVC: The third ticket was punched here. Congratulations to (2) Morehead State, who defeated (4) Tennessee Tech, 80-73. Morehead led by double-digits the whole game, but almost blew the lead at the end.
Southern: Still yawning. Where's the excitement?
(1N) Western Carolina def. (5N) UNC-Greensboro, 77-66.
(2S) Wofford def. (3N) Appalachian St., 69-56.
(3S) Furman def. (2N) Chattanooga, 61-52.
(1S) Charleston def. (4N) Elon, 78-60.
Summit: More normal proceedings.
(1) Oakland def. (8) Southern Illinois, 82-66.
(2) Oral Roberts def. (7) North Dakota St., 72-65.
Sun Belt: Something at least happened here.
(E3) Western Kentucky def. (W6) Louisiana-Monroe, 66-50.
(W4) North Texas def. (E5) Troy, 83-69.
(E6) Florida International def. (W3) Denver, 53-49.
**Stinks for you, Denver. Win a game in your tourney next year.**
(W5) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (E4) South Alabama, 82-68.
WCC: This is a weird bracket to begin with. Only 8 teams, but the top 2 teams get double byes.
(4) Santa Clara def. (8) Loyola Marymount, 76-68.
(3) San Francisco def. (6) Pepperdine, 76-59.
America East: (1) Vermont def. (9) Binghamton, 57-46.
(5) Stony Brook def. (4) Albany, 67-61.
(2) Boston def. (7) New Hampshire, 69-60.
(3) Maine def. (6) Hartford, 66-63.
*Only mild surprise here.*
Atlantic Sun: 2nd team in! (1) Belmont thrashed (4) North Florida, 87-46. An amazing 11 players scored for Belmont, including Milford graduate Brandon Baker, who notched two straight treys from the same spot to cap a 12-2 run.
Big Sky: The tournament started yesterday, with nothing surprising.
(3) Weber State def. (6) Eastern Washington, 79-70.
(4) Northern Arizona def. (5) Montana St., 65-62.
Big South: (1) Coastal Carolina's meteoric collapse is complete, with a defeat by (4) UNC-Asheville, 60-47. This is Asheville's second tournament appearance.
Colonial: Nothing surprising, yet again.
(1) George Mason def. (9) Georgia St., 68-45.
(4) VCU def. (5) Drexel, 62-60.
(2) Old Dominion def. (7) Delaware, 59-50.
(3) Hofstra def. (11) William & Mary, 72-56.
Horizon: Conference tournament seem to get boring...
(2) Butler def. (3) Cleveland St., 76-68.
(1) Milwaukee def. (4) Valparaiso, 70-63.
Ivy: No conference tournament, but Princeton blew a chance to win the auto-bid with a loss at Harvard. Harvard clinches their first ever Ivy League crown, but if Princeton wins against Penn, they share the crown, and will play a neutral-site playoff to decide the NCAA Tournament bid.
MAAC: Snoozefest again!
(1) Fairfield def. (9) Marist, 55-31.
(4) St. Peter's def. (5) Loyola (MD), 70-60.
(3) Rider def. (6) Canisius, 79-64.
(2) Iona def. (7) Siena, 94-64.
MVC: Wichita State let me down.
(1) Missouri State def. (5) Creighton, 60-50.
(3) Indiana State def. (2) Wichita State, 61-54.
OVC: The third ticket was punched here. Congratulations to (2) Morehead State, who defeated (4) Tennessee Tech, 80-73. Morehead led by double-digits the whole game, but almost blew the lead at the end.
Southern: Still yawning. Where's the excitement?
(1N) Western Carolina def. (5N) UNC-Greensboro, 77-66.
(2S) Wofford def. (3N) Appalachian St., 69-56.
(3S) Furman def. (2N) Chattanooga, 61-52.
(1S) Charleston def. (4N) Elon, 78-60.
Summit: More normal proceedings.
(1) Oakland def. (8) Southern Illinois, 82-66.
(2) Oral Roberts def. (7) North Dakota St., 72-65.
Sun Belt: Something at least happened here.
(E3) Western Kentucky def. (W6) Louisiana-Monroe, 66-50.
(W4) North Texas def. (E5) Troy, 83-69.
(E6) Florida International def. (W3) Denver, 53-49.
**Stinks for you, Denver. Win a game in your tourney next year.**
(W5) Arkansas-Little Rock def. (E4) South Alabama, 82-68.
WCC: This is a weird bracket to begin with. Only 8 teams, but the top 2 teams get double byes.
(4) Santa Clara def. (8) Loyola Marymount, 76-68.
(3) San Francisco def. (6) Pepperdine, 76-59.
Observations from the World of Sports: March 5
Although many conference tournaments have started, and a few have even concluded, the major conferences are concluding their regular seasons in the next couple of days. Let's get at it!
-Kansas clinched a 7th straight Big 12 title with a narrow 70-66 victory over Missouri. The Jayhawks played sloppily throughout, committing a season-high 24 turnovers. Fouls were abundant in this game: Kansas committed 26, and Missouri committed 25. Numerous players as a result were in heavy foul trouble: Tyshawn Taylor fouled out for KU, and the Morris twins, as well as Elijah Johnson, had 4. Ricardo Ratliffe fouled out for Mizzou, and 5 players had 3. Laurence Bowers led all scorers with 22, coming off the bench for 34 great minutes for the Tigers. He actually had a double-double, notching 10 boards. Marcus Morris led the Jayhawks with 21, and he as well as Thomas Robinson, back from his meniscus injury, got double-doubles. Notably, Kansas's FG% was 43.6, while Missouri's was only 29.3.
-BYU wasn't going to lose again. Not to Wyoming, who was 3-12 in the conference, and not on senior night. Not on Jimmer's senior night. And Jimmer proved why he should be the Player of the Year in the NCAA, putting up 38 big points on 12-24 shooting, along with 4 treys, in a 102-78 thrashing. Wyoming was led by Francisco Cruz, who put up 18 on a good shooting night, going 7-11. Charles Abuou continued his 2nd half surge with 25, going 9-12.
-Duke and North Carolina faced off, yet again, with big implications: winner-take-all in the ACC. And UNC prevailed, winning by a comfortable margin, 81-67. Duke had the top two scorers in Nolan Smith, who dropped 30, and Seth Curry, who dropped 20, but the rest of their team struggled immensely. Kyle Singler went 3-14 from the floor, and didn't make a single trey, scoring only 8 points. Mason Plumlee didn't score, and the rest of the team only had 9 points. However, for the Tarheels, balanced scoring emerged from the great PG play of freshman Kendall Marshall, who had 15 points and 11 assists. Harrison Barnes led UNC with 18, but 4 players were in double figures.
-Pittsburgh defeated the Villanova Wildcats again for the season sweep, and completed Jay Wright's slide as coach of Villanova in a 60-50 win. It was an extremely slow and ugly game, shown by the 22-18 halftime score. Ashton Gibbs had 18 for Pitt, and was the only scorer in double figures. Maalik Wayns led all scorers with 27, notching 6 treys, but the rest of his team was off, including key G Corey Fisher, who went 3-14, and only 1-8 from downtown for a measly 7 points. Wayns and Gibbs were the only double-figure scorers. The Panthers clinched their first outright Big East title since 2004. Villanova now has four straight losses, and six of their past eight, with their two wins against bottom-half Seton Hall and cellar-dweller DePaul in OT.
-The surging Purdue Boilermakers were stunned in Des Moines, falling to the Hawkeyes of Iowa, 67-65. Purdue lost a lot with this game: they still had a shot at the Big 10 crown, as well as a number one seed with the losses by BYU and Duke. But despite this impetus, Iowa was the team that hustled more, and got their first win over a ranked opponent since January 12, 2008. The Hawkeyes were led by balanced scoring, with 4 of their 5 starters in double-figures. JaJuan Johnson led all with 22 for the Boilermakers in a losing effort.
-Notre Dame eked out a close win at UConn, 70-67, despite a very large absence. Ben Hansbrough, leading scorer, fouled out with more than 8 minutes remaining, but they held on with clutch plays down the stretch by Tim Abromaitis (11 points) and Carleton Scott (13 points). Hansbrough led ND with 21, and Kemba Walker led all scorers easily with 34. But the rest of UConn's team stunk, and scored only 33 points. No one else was in double figures. Even hot Jamal Coombs-McDaniel went only 1-5 from the floor, scoring two. Along with Villanova, Connecticut ends the Big East regular season with a 9-9 record, and will have no byes in the Big East conference tournament.
-Texas is on a big slide, and it almost continued. They trailed Baylor by four at half, but got big offensive boards and points from freshman Tristan Thompson to get the victory, 60-54. Thompson had a double-double and led Texas with 19. LaceDarius Dunn became the Big 12's all-time scoring leader, accruing 22. But the Bears fall to 7-9 in conference, and are very much on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. I have them OUT.
-San Diego St. gets a share of the MVC title with an easy win over Colorado St., 66-48. This pretty much takes Colorado St. off bubble consideration.
-Louisville shot itself in the foot, having a disasterous last 30 seconds in allowing West Virginia to upset them on senior night, 72-70. L'Ville was up 68-64 with 25 seconds when Casey Mitchell nailed back-to-back treys to tie it at 70. Preston Knowles missed a trey with five seconds left, and then, stupidly, fouled Truck Bryant on the rebound with eight tenths of a second to give Truck two chances to probably seal it. He sunk both. Kevin Jones led all with 25 for WV, and Kyle Kuric had 21.
-Syracuse destroyed the hell out of DePaul, 107-59. Not a who lot to write about here, except Syracuse clinched a double-bye in the Big East tournament.
-Florida clinched the best record in the SEC with a great road win over Vanderbilt, 86-76. All five starters for Florida were in double-figures, accounting for 72 points. John Jenkins paced the way for all with 22 for the Commodores, whose blistering 59.2% field-goal shooting just wasn't enough. The Gators also shot well, shooting 49.2%.
-After being tied early in the second half, St. John's became themselves again and easily took down South Florida, 72-56. St. John's was led by a remarkable amount of seniors: ten! D.J. Kennedy had 16, and Dwight Hardy had 14.
-Georgetown's slump was completed with another defeat at the hands of hot Cincinnati, who easily won with a 69-47 stomping. The Bearcats allowed Austin Freeman to score 21 to become the leading scorer of the game, but they shut everyone else down, leading Georgetown to a poor 32.1% from the field. On the contrary, Cincinnati shot 42.9%, and Dion Dixon had 14, Yancy Gates 13, and Sean Kilpatrick came off the bench yet again for 13 solid points in the victory. A big shoutout to Eric Capannari, who boldly predicted some big wins for UC down the stretch, including the sweep of Georgetown, and wins against Marquette and Louisville.
-Arizona, Utah State and Texas A&M all easily won in their conference games. Utah State actally won 72-30. Yeeeesh.
Some big bubble team results:
-Virginia Tech really loves being on the bubble, I guess. After dropping Duke, they've dropped a pair themselves, losing to Boston College and Clemson. As of right now, I'd say VT is still IN.
-Richmond completed Duquesne's fall after their 8-0 start, winning 68-56. If Richmond can get to the semi-final of the A-10 tournament, I'd put them IN as well.
-In a huge bubble battle, Alabama took down Georgia 65-57. This is a very tough call for both teams: Alabama is 12-4 in the SEC, but they've defeated easy teams in the weak SEC West. I'd say Alabama is still OUT, and with Georgia's loss, they need to do damage in the SEC tournament. With a loss in their first game, they're OUT as well.
-Michigan St. really folded up shop this year, finishing the year by being swept by the Wolverines, 70-63. I believe both of these teams will be IN.
-Marquette probably had a chance to lock their entry with a win against Seton Hall, but blew their chance, losing 85-72. However, as long as they don't blow their first game in the Big East tournament, I'll put them IN.
- UAB won the regular season C-USA crown with a win against ECU, 66-48. They really should win the C-USA tournament, but as long as they don't lay an egg, they're IN, because of their high RPI (28).
-Colorado defeated Nebraska, 67-57, in another big bubble game. Nebraska had the better chance before this game, and consequently, both teams, barring huge runs in their conference tournament, are OUT.
-USC continued their surge with a 62-60 win at Washington. Washington is still IN, and USC is still OUT, however. USC has way too many poor OOC losses: Rider, Bradley, Nebraska, and TCU, and losses in conference against Oregon, Oregon St., and Cal. Oregon actually swept them.
-Kansas clinched a 7th straight Big 12 title with a narrow 70-66 victory over Missouri. The Jayhawks played sloppily throughout, committing a season-high 24 turnovers. Fouls were abundant in this game: Kansas committed 26, and Missouri committed 25. Numerous players as a result were in heavy foul trouble: Tyshawn Taylor fouled out for KU, and the Morris twins, as well as Elijah Johnson, had 4. Ricardo Ratliffe fouled out for Mizzou, and 5 players had 3. Laurence Bowers led all scorers with 22, coming off the bench for 34 great minutes for the Tigers. He actually had a double-double, notching 10 boards. Marcus Morris led the Jayhawks with 21, and he as well as Thomas Robinson, back from his meniscus injury, got double-doubles. Notably, Kansas's FG% was 43.6, while Missouri's was only 29.3.
-BYU wasn't going to lose again. Not to Wyoming, who was 3-12 in the conference, and not on senior night. Not on Jimmer's senior night. And Jimmer proved why he should be the Player of the Year in the NCAA, putting up 38 big points on 12-24 shooting, along with 4 treys, in a 102-78 thrashing. Wyoming was led by Francisco Cruz, who put up 18 on a good shooting night, going 7-11. Charles Abuou continued his 2nd half surge with 25, going 9-12.
-Duke and North Carolina faced off, yet again, with big implications: winner-take-all in the ACC. And UNC prevailed, winning by a comfortable margin, 81-67. Duke had the top two scorers in Nolan Smith, who dropped 30, and Seth Curry, who dropped 20, but the rest of their team struggled immensely. Kyle Singler went 3-14 from the floor, and didn't make a single trey, scoring only 8 points. Mason Plumlee didn't score, and the rest of the team only had 9 points. However, for the Tarheels, balanced scoring emerged from the great PG play of freshman Kendall Marshall, who had 15 points and 11 assists. Harrison Barnes led UNC with 18, but 4 players were in double figures.
-Pittsburgh defeated the Villanova Wildcats again for the season sweep, and completed Jay Wright's slide as coach of Villanova in a 60-50 win. It was an extremely slow and ugly game, shown by the 22-18 halftime score. Ashton Gibbs had 18 for Pitt, and was the only scorer in double figures. Maalik Wayns led all scorers with 27, notching 6 treys, but the rest of his team was off, including key G Corey Fisher, who went 3-14, and only 1-8 from downtown for a measly 7 points. Wayns and Gibbs were the only double-figure scorers. The Panthers clinched their first outright Big East title since 2004. Villanova now has four straight losses, and six of their past eight, with their two wins against bottom-half Seton Hall and cellar-dweller DePaul in OT.
-The surging Purdue Boilermakers were stunned in Des Moines, falling to the Hawkeyes of Iowa, 67-65. Purdue lost a lot with this game: they still had a shot at the Big 10 crown, as well as a number one seed with the losses by BYU and Duke. But despite this impetus, Iowa was the team that hustled more, and got their first win over a ranked opponent since January 12, 2008. The Hawkeyes were led by balanced scoring, with 4 of their 5 starters in double-figures. JaJuan Johnson led all with 22 for the Boilermakers in a losing effort.
-Notre Dame eked out a close win at UConn, 70-67, despite a very large absence. Ben Hansbrough, leading scorer, fouled out with more than 8 minutes remaining, but they held on with clutch plays down the stretch by Tim Abromaitis (11 points) and Carleton Scott (13 points). Hansbrough led ND with 21, and Kemba Walker led all scorers easily with 34. But the rest of UConn's team stunk, and scored only 33 points. No one else was in double figures. Even hot Jamal Coombs-McDaniel went only 1-5 from the floor, scoring two. Along with Villanova, Connecticut ends the Big East regular season with a 9-9 record, and will have no byes in the Big East conference tournament.
-Texas is on a big slide, and it almost continued. They trailed Baylor by four at half, but got big offensive boards and points from freshman Tristan Thompson to get the victory, 60-54. Thompson had a double-double and led Texas with 19. LaceDarius Dunn became the Big 12's all-time scoring leader, accruing 22. But the Bears fall to 7-9 in conference, and are very much on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. I have them OUT.
-San Diego St. gets a share of the MVC title with an easy win over Colorado St., 66-48. This pretty much takes Colorado St. off bubble consideration.
-Louisville shot itself in the foot, having a disasterous last 30 seconds in allowing West Virginia to upset them on senior night, 72-70. L'Ville was up 68-64 with 25 seconds when Casey Mitchell nailed back-to-back treys to tie it at 70. Preston Knowles missed a trey with five seconds left, and then, stupidly, fouled Truck Bryant on the rebound with eight tenths of a second to give Truck two chances to probably seal it. He sunk both. Kevin Jones led all with 25 for WV, and Kyle Kuric had 21.
-Syracuse destroyed the hell out of DePaul, 107-59. Not a who lot to write about here, except Syracuse clinched a double-bye in the Big East tournament.
-Florida clinched the best record in the SEC with a great road win over Vanderbilt, 86-76. All five starters for Florida were in double-figures, accounting for 72 points. John Jenkins paced the way for all with 22 for the Commodores, whose blistering 59.2% field-goal shooting just wasn't enough. The Gators also shot well, shooting 49.2%.
-After being tied early in the second half, St. John's became themselves again and easily took down South Florida, 72-56. St. John's was led by a remarkable amount of seniors: ten! D.J. Kennedy had 16, and Dwight Hardy had 14.
-Georgetown's slump was completed with another defeat at the hands of hot Cincinnati, who easily won with a 69-47 stomping. The Bearcats allowed Austin Freeman to score 21 to become the leading scorer of the game, but they shut everyone else down, leading Georgetown to a poor 32.1% from the field. On the contrary, Cincinnati shot 42.9%, and Dion Dixon had 14, Yancy Gates 13, and Sean Kilpatrick came off the bench yet again for 13 solid points in the victory. A big shoutout to Eric Capannari, who boldly predicted some big wins for UC down the stretch, including the sweep of Georgetown, and wins against Marquette and Louisville.
-Arizona, Utah State and Texas A&M all easily won in their conference games. Utah State actally won 72-30. Yeeeesh.
Some big bubble team results:
-Virginia Tech really loves being on the bubble, I guess. After dropping Duke, they've dropped a pair themselves, losing to Boston College and Clemson. As of right now, I'd say VT is still IN.
-Richmond completed Duquesne's fall after their 8-0 start, winning 68-56. If Richmond can get to the semi-final of the A-10 tournament, I'd put them IN as well.
-In a huge bubble battle, Alabama took down Georgia 65-57. This is a very tough call for both teams: Alabama is 12-4 in the SEC, but they've defeated easy teams in the weak SEC West. I'd say Alabama is still OUT, and with Georgia's loss, they need to do damage in the SEC tournament. With a loss in their first game, they're OUT as well.
-Michigan St. really folded up shop this year, finishing the year by being swept by the Wolverines, 70-63. I believe both of these teams will be IN.
-Marquette probably had a chance to lock their entry with a win against Seton Hall, but blew their chance, losing 85-72. However, as long as they don't blow their first game in the Big East tournament, I'll put them IN.
- UAB won the regular season C-USA crown with a win against ECU, 66-48. They really should win the C-USA tournament, but as long as they don't lay an egg, they're IN, because of their high RPI (28).
-Colorado defeated Nebraska, 67-57, in another big bubble game. Nebraska had the better chance before this game, and consequently, both teams, barring huge runs in their conference tournament, are OUT.
-USC continued their surge with a 62-60 win at Washington. Washington is still IN, and USC is still OUT, however. USC has way too many poor OOC losses: Rider, Bradley, Nebraska, and TCU, and losses in conference against Oregon, Oregon St., and Cal. Oregon actually swept them.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Championship Week!
I apologize for the lack of posts recently; school called, and I had to answer. It's been a crappy few weeks, but Spring Break is finally upon us! And that means basketball. Conference tournaments around the nation have already begun: let's check out some of the results.
ACC: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
America East: Nothing surprising yet. 1 seed Vermont defeated 9 seeded Binghamton, and Stony Brook (5) defeated Albany (4).
Atlantic-10: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
Atlantic Sun: In a surprising twist, the 6 seed North Florida Ospreys defeated the heavily favored 2 seed East Tennessee State in the semifinals. The 1 seed Belmont Bruins (who are in the conversation for an at-large berth) will definitely have the edge against the Ospreys.
Big 12: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Big East: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
Big Sky: Conference tournament begins later tonight with Eastern Washington (6) vs. Weber St. (3), as well as Montana State (5) vs. Northern Arizona (4).
Big South: First ticket has been punched to the Big Dance! North Carolina-Asheville took down a depleted and wounded Coastal Carolina team, 60-47, to be the first automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament. Asheville didn't have to take on 2 seed Liberty, as they fell in the first round to 7 seed High Point in the only other upset of the tournament.
Big Ten: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
Big West: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
Colonial: George Mason and VCU have held serve with wins in their first games of the tournament, albeit in different ways. George Mason blew out the competition yet again, while it took a buzzer-beating layup from Jamie Skeen to take down the Dragons of Drexel.
Conference USA: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Great West: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
**This conference does not receive an NCAA berth.**
Horizon: Not a single surprise yet, as all of the higher seeds have won. (2) Butler plays (3) Cleveland State right now, and (1) UW-Milwaukee plays (4) Valparaiso tonight.
Ivy: The lone conference without a conference championship; the regular season winner gets the bid. Tonight, the top two teams in the conference face each other: (1) Princeton (11-1) and (2) Harvard (11-2). Princeton still has 2 games remaining.
MAAC: Only the 4 bottom seeds have played before today. (1) Fairfield continued their feared defense, allowing only 31 points against (9) Marist, and (4) St. Peter's easily defeated (5) Loyola (MD).
MAC: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
MEAC: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
MVC: (1) Missouri State eked out a close win over (8) Southern Illinois, and followed that up today with a solid 10 point defeat of (5) Creighton. At this point, it appears (3) Indiana State will upset (2) Wichita State, ending their hopes of an NCAA berth when previously, their chances looked very good. (It's a final: INST - 61, WICH - 54.) Missouri State will be the favorite in the championship game, for sure.
MWC: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
NEC: Yawn fest. All the top seeds have won, and the 1 and 2 seeds in convincing fashion.
OVC: (1) Murray State lost? Well, hell, that blows this tournament wide apart. (4) Tennessee Tech took them down, and will face (2) Morehead State in the final tonight. Look for Kenneth Faried to dominate the glass in pursuit of a berth.
Pac-10: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Patriot: The only upset so far is (6) Lafayette taking down (3) Holy Cross.
SEC: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
Southern: (4S) Davidson surprisingly lost to (5N) UNC-Greensboro, who still haven't gotten to double-digit wins this season. Everything else has gone by the book.
Southland: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Summit: Conference tournament begins tonight.
Sun Belt: Conference tournament begins tonight.
SWAC: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
WAC: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
West Coast: (8) Loyola Mariemount took down (5) Portland, and (6) Pepperdine beat (7) San Diego, but this conference is all about (1) Saint Mary's and (2) Gonzaga. They don't have to play until the conference semis.
ACC: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
America East: Nothing surprising yet. 1 seed Vermont defeated 9 seeded Binghamton, and Stony Brook (5) defeated Albany (4).
Atlantic-10: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
Atlantic Sun: In a surprising twist, the 6 seed North Florida Ospreys defeated the heavily favored 2 seed East Tennessee State in the semifinals. The 1 seed Belmont Bruins (who are in the conversation for an at-large berth) will definitely have the edge against the Ospreys.
Big 12: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Big East: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
Big Sky: Conference tournament begins later tonight with Eastern Washington (6) vs. Weber St. (3), as well as Montana State (5) vs. Northern Arizona (4).
Big South: First ticket has been punched to the Big Dance! North Carolina-Asheville took down a depleted and wounded Coastal Carolina team, 60-47, to be the first automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament. Asheville didn't have to take on 2 seed Liberty, as they fell in the first round to 7 seed High Point in the only other upset of the tournament.
Big Ten: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
Big West: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
Colonial: George Mason and VCU have held serve with wins in their first games of the tournament, albeit in different ways. George Mason blew out the competition yet again, while it took a buzzer-beating layup from Jamie Skeen to take down the Dragons of Drexel.
Conference USA: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Great West: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
**This conference does not receive an NCAA berth.**
Horizon: Not a single surprise yet, as all of the higher seeds have won. (2) Butler plays (3) Cleveland State right now, and (1) UW-Milwaukee plays (4) Valparaiso tonight.
Ivy: The lone conference without a conference championship; the regular season winner gets the bid. Tonight, the top two teams in the conference face each other: (1) Princeton (11-1) and (2) Harvard (11-2). Princeton still has 2 games remaining.
MAAC: Only the 4 bottom seeds have played before today. (1) Fairfield continued their feared defense, allowing only 31 points against (9) Marist, and (4) St. Peter's easily defeated (5) Loyola (MD).
MAC: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
MEAC: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
MVC: (1) Missouri State eked out a close win over (8) Southern Illinois, and followed that up today with a solid 10 point defeat of (5) Creighton. At this point, it appears (3) Indiana State will upset (2) Wichita State, ending their hopes of an NCAA berth when previously, their chances looked very good. (It's a final: INST - 61, WICH - 54.) Missouri State will be the favorite in the championship game, for sure.
MWC: Conference tournament begins on March 8.
NEC: Yawn fest. All the top seeds have won, and the 1 and 2 seeds in convincing fashion.
OVC: (1) Murray State lost? Well, hell, that blows this tournament wide apart. (4) Tennessee Tech took them down, and will face (2) Morehead State in the final tonight. Look for Kenneth Faried to dominate the glass in pursuit of a berth.
Pac-10: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Patriot: The only upset so far is (6) Lafayette taking down (3) Holy Cross.
SEC: Conference tournament begins on March 10.
Southern: (4S) Davidson surprisingly lost to (5N) UNC-Greensboro, who still haven't gotten to double-digit wins this season. Everything else has gone by the book.
Southland: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
Summit: Conference tournament begins tonight.
Sun Belt: Conference tournament begins tonight.
SWAC: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
WAC: Conference tournament begins on March 9.
West Coast: (8) Loyola Mariemount took down (5) Portland, and (6) Pepperdine beat (7) San Diego, but this conference is all about (1) Saint Mary's and (2) Gonzaga. They don't have to play until the conference semis.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Power Rankings: Week 15: Feb. 21
The number in parenthesis is the previous ranking I gave. Includes games through the 20th.
1. Ohio State (2)
Their loss at Purdue, while not exactly expected, is no big deal for the Buckeyes: everyone loses in West Lafeyette. I have them still above Duke because of their all-around play. Sullinger still put up 25 in the loss to Purdue, and it took a very rare occurence of a TO:FG ratio of 1. Ohio State probably won't do that again. Oh, and it took a career-high 38 from E'Twaun Moore, which won't happen again.
Next week: Feb. 22 vs. Illinois, Feb. 27 vs. Indiana.
2. Duke (5)
Duke was the big winner of the week, even though they played two lackluster opponents in Virginia and Georgia Tech. I still believe this team isn't as complete as Ohio State, and once their shooting goes cold, they could be gone. This week will be a much better indicator of the status of their team at this time.
Next week: Feb. 23 vs. Temple, Feb. 26 @ Virginia Tech.
3. Texas (1)
A loss at Nebraska? Really not expecting that, but it did an important thing for us viewers: showed the extreme importance of Jordan Hamilton. Him aside, the team doesn't really have any prolific scorers (Tristan Thompson, the freshman big, is 2nd with 12.6 PPG). Stop Hamilton, and you have somewhat of a chance of stopping this team, which I before thought was not this easy.
Next week: Feb. 22 vs. Iowa State, Feb. 26 @ Colorado.
4. Pittsburgh (4)
Pitt may have lost to St. John's at MSG, but just add them to the long list. Ashton Gibbs was back, and in full force, scoring 26, but it makes one wonder whether the team is better off without Gibbs or not. With him, their offense seems to become predictable. Time will tell.
Next week: Feb. 24 vs. West Virginia, Feb. 27 @ Louisville.
5. Kansas (3)
The main reason I have Kansas below Pittsburgh is because of the breaking news regarding Tyshaun Taylor. The junior averages 8.8 PPG and 4.7 APG, and he has been indefinitely suspended from the team for violation of team rules. This is a big loss for the Jayhawks, and it puts a lot of pressure on Selby, which I don't know if he can handle.
Next week: Feb. 21 @ Oklahoma State (W, 92-65), Feb. 26 @ Oklahoma.
6. Brigham Young (7)
BYU moves up with the loss by Notre Dame over the weekend, and they have a final test in the MWC before their rematch against San Diego St. in upstart Colorado State. This is a big, big trap game: this Colorado State team, with the weak bubble, has a chance to place themselves firmly in the tournament with a win. It's gonna have to be Jimmer Time...yet again.
Next week: Feb. 23 vs. Colorado St., Feb. 26 @ San Diego St.
7. San Diego State (8)
Unlike the Cougars, San Diego State can look squarely at their rematch against BYU, as their final game before it was a win at Air Force. The five returning starters have a week to prepare for the battle that awaits...and for Jimmer.
Next week: Feb. 26 vs. Brigham Young.
8. Purdue (11)
Purdue was far and away the winner of the week in the Top 25, with extremely good wins against Wisconsin and Ohio State. E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson are making people all around the country say, "Robbie Hummel who?" But unlike last week, they have to leave West Lafeyette for both of their games.
Next week: Feb. 23 @ Indiana, Feb. 27 @ Michigan State.
9. Notre Dame (6)
Notre Dame's recent grasp on the Big East was released, and forcefully, with a thrashing by West Virginia. Perhaps Tim Abromaitis needs to stop being the cocky player he is. They have a light fare this week, and should secure both wins.
Next week: Feb. 23 @ Providence, Feb. 26 vs. Seton Hall.
10. Wisconsin (10)
Wisconsin had the week expected of them, falling at Purdue and taking down pesky Talor Battle and Penn State. Keaton Nankivil had a big game against Penn State, nailing all five of his treys. This week should be a sweep.
Next week: Feb. 23 @ Michigan, Feb. 27 vs. Northwestern.
11. Georgetown (9)
12. Florida (13)
13. Connecticut (12)
14. Arizona (17)
15. Louisville (14)
16. Villanova (16)
17. North Carolina (18)
18. Syracuse (15)
19. Vanderbilt (20)
20. Kentucky (19)
21. Xavier (21)
22. George Mason (23)
23. Temple (24)
24. Missouri (22)
T-25. Utah State (NR)
T-25. St. John's (NR)
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