It's not Soprano it's Sparano
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Wayne Ellington's Game Winning 3 v. clemson
A great opening conference game, Wayne Ellington had a huge game and put the Tar Heels on his back
Monday, January 7, 2008
CONFERENCE PLAY IS BACK!
The college basketball conference season is under way, lets take a look at the front-runners and make sense of each BCS conference.
ACC:
Front-Runner: North Carolina
Surprise Team: Miami
Biggest Disappointment: Maryland
Must See Game: Duke at North Carolina February 6th, North Carolina at Duke March 8th
Outlook: Clemson gave UNC a big scare last night is their overtime loss. They look very good at home but it remains to be seen how they play on the road. Duke has rebounded well since their loss to Pittsburgh but their inside game remains as their Achilles heal. North Carolina State has been up and down but still remains as a tough game any night. UNC and Duke seem to be the top teams however Boston College, Wake Forest, Clemson, NCST, Miami, and Florida State seem to be jockeying for position for the upper tier and middle tier of the ACC.
Big Ten:
Front-Runners: Indiana and Michigan State
Surprise Team: Penn State
Biggest Disappointment: Michigan
Must See Game: Mich. State at Indiana February 16th, Indiana at Mich. State March 2nd
Outlook: Indiana stud G Eric Gordon has been banged up in recent weeks but is returning to form at a crucial time. Gordon, DJ White, and Jordan Crawford will be needed if Indiana expects to win the Big Ten. Michigan State is also hitting stride and will test the Hoosiers. Every game will be tough especially for young teams like Ohio State and Purdue. New coaches Tubby Smith and John Beilein are not winning yet but if their teams buy into their systems then a late season upset will not be out of the question.
Big Twelve:
Front-Runners: Kansas and Texas
Surprise Team: Baylor
Biggest Disappointment: Oklahoma State
Must See Game: Kansas at Texas February 11th
Outlook: Kansas has been relatively quiet despite their undefeated record. Bill Self has developed a team that is both deep, talented, and experienced. They have three quality ball handlers and a surplus of big men to grab rebounds and score in the post. Texas has a very finesse attack and has been scoring points at a torrid pace. Texas A&M is 14-1 and should not be overlooked either because they have quality pieces in Josh Carter, Joe Jones, and DeAndre Jordan. Oklahoma and Baylor should be able to snag an upset win on their home court but in the end, Kansas and Texas will be battling for number one in the Big 12.
Big East:
Front-Runner: Georgetown
Surprise Team: West Virginia
Biggest Disappointment: Louisville
Must See Games: G'town at Notre Dame January 19th, Marquette at Syracuse March 8th
Outlook: Georgetown and Louisville were voted co favorites but Rick Pitino's squad has imploded because of injuries, pouting, and bad play. If hey can get the Cardinals back on track than they should be successful. Marquette is hitting stride right now as well as Villanova. Syracuse and Pittsburgh have been battling injuries but have the coaches to still make them dangerous. Notre Dame is also playing well and should challenge teams like Marquette and Georgetown for first place.
Pac-10:
Front-Runner: UCLA
Surprise Team: Arizona State
Biggest Disappointment: Southern Cal
Must See Game: Wash State at UCLA January 12th, UCLA at Wash State February 7th
Outlook: UCLA and Washington State are both in the top ten but UCLA's athleticism and overall talent gives them the early nod as favorites. Oregon, California, and Arizona remain always dangerous while Arizona State will be a tough out in the desert. USC has a great player in freshman OJ Mayo but they still need time to become a cohesive unit. The Pac 10 could be the best and deepest conference in basketball.
SEC:
Front-Runner: Tennessee
Surprise Team: Vanderbilt
Biggest Disappointment: Kentucky
Must See Games: Vanderbilt at Tenn. January 17th, Tenn. at Vanderbilt February 16th
Outlook: Bruce Pearl's Volunteers are running through a great non-conference slate but still have a big game vs Memphis looming on the schedule. Vanderbilt has shocked many with their undefeated start behind Shan Foster and AJ Ogilvy. Florida, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss all have teams that are young and/or inexperienced. They will be tough at home but easier on the road. The SEC West is wide open and Arkansas, Ole Miss, or Alabama could take it but to win the SEC tournament, all roads lead to Tennessee and their frenetic style.
ACC:
Front-Runner: North Carolina
Surprise Team: Miami
Biggest Disappointment: Maryland
Must See Game: Duke at North Carolina February 6th, North Carolina at Duke March 8th
Outlook: Clemson gave UNC a big scare last night is their overtime loss. They look very good at home but it remains to be seen how they play on the road. Duke has rebounded well since their loss to Pittsburgh but their inside game remains as their Achilles heal. North Carolina State has been up and down but still remains as a tough game any night. UNC and Duke seem to be the top teams however Boston College, Wake Forest, Clemson, NCST, Miami, and Florida State seem to be jockeying for position for the upper tier and middle tier of the ACC.
Big Ten:
Front-Runners: Indiana and Michigan State
Surprise Team: Penn State
Biggest Disappointment: Michigan
Must See Game: Mich. State at Indiana February 16th, Indiana at Mich. State March 2nd
Outlook: Indiana stud G Eric Gordon has been banged up in recent weeks but is returning to form at a crucial time. Gordon, DJ White, and Jordan Crawford will be needed if Indiana expects to win the Big Ten. Michigan State is also hitting stride and will test the Hoosiers. Every game will be tough especially for young teams like Ohio State and Purdue. New coaches Tubby Smith and John Beilein are not winning yet but if their teams buy into their systems then a late season upset will not be out of the question.
Big Twelve:
Front-Runners: Kansas and Texas
Surprise Team: Baylor
Biggest Disappointment: Oklahoma State
Must See Game: Kansas at Texas February 11th
Outlook: Kansas has been relatively quiet despite their undefeated record. Bill Self has developed a team that is both deep, talented, and experienced. They have three quality ball handlers and a surplus of big men to grab rebounds and score in the post. Texas has a very finesse attack and has been scoring points at a torrid pace. Texas A&M is 14-1 and should not be overlooked either because they have quality pieces in Josh Carter, Joe Jones, and DeAndre Jordan. Oklahoma and Baylor should be able to snag an upset win on their home court but in the end, Kansas and Texas will be battling for number one in the Big 12.
Big East:
Front-Runner: Georgetown
Surprise Team: West Virginia
Biggest Disappointment: Louisville
Must See Games: G'town at Notre Dame January 19th, Marquette at Syracuse March 8th
Outlook: Georgetown and Louisville were voted co favorites but Rick Pitino's squad has imploded because of injuries, pouting, and bad play. If hey can get the Cardinals back on track than they should be successful. Marquette is hitting stride right now as well as Villanova. Syracuse and Pittsburgh have been battling injuries but have the coaches to still make them dangerous. Notre Dame is also playing well and should challenge teams like Marquette and Georgetown for first place.
Pac-10:
Front-Runner: UCLA
Surprise Team: Arizona State
Biggest Disappointment: Southern Cal
Must See Game: Wash State at UCLA January 12th, UCLA at Wash State February 7th
Outlook: UCLA and Washington State are both in the top ten but UCLA's athleticism and overall talent gives them the early nod as favorites. Oregon, California, and Arizona remain always dangerous while Arizona State will be a tough out in the desert. USC has a great player in freshman OJ Mayo but they still need time to become a cohesive unit. The Pac 10 could be the best and deepest conference in basketball.
SEC:
Front-Runner: Tennessee
Surprise Team: Vanderbilt
Biggest Disappointment: Kentucky
Must See Games: Vanderbilt at Tenn. January 17th, Tenn. at Vanderbilt February 16th
Outlook: Bruce Pearl's Volunteers are running through a great non-conference slate but still have a big game vs Memphis looming on the schedule. Vanderbilt has shocked many with their undefeated start behind Shan Foster and AJ Ogilvy. Florida, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss all have teams that are young and/or inexperienced. They will be tough at home but easier on the road. The SEC West is wide open and Arkansas, Ole Miss, or Alabama could take it but to win the SEC tournament, all roads lead to Tennessee and their frenetic style.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Going Bowling
Thoughts from the Bowl Season so far...
San Diego County Credit Union, Meineke Car Care, AutoZone, PetroSun, Bell Helicopter, R+L Carriers, Brut, Gaylord Hotels. What do all these have in common? They all unfortunately sponsored bowl games and their companies led to the ridiculousness of calling a game, " The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl" and "The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl." I know these games need sponsors but the product saturation is overkill. Every commercial break you can bet on hearing something about the company sponsering the bowl.
Now, onto the play on the field...sort of (See Above Video)
If you watch college football or are even a casual fan, chances are you heard the name Chris Jessie after the Texas-Arizona State game. Jesse, a member of the Texas staff and stepson of Mack Brown, received a penalty after he touched the ball while it was on the field. Jesse thought it was an incomplete pass but it was clearly a lateral pass and a fumble. Jesse's blunder helped give momentum to ASU, even though they got crushed in the second half and lost 52-34.
Now, game reactions...
Dan LeFevour and Curtis Painter put on a show during Purdue's 51-48 win in the Motor City Bowl. Central Michigan's close loss also helped coach Butch Jones jump into the West Virginia coaching search.
California RB Justin Forsett closed out his season strong with 140 yards and 2 TD's in the Bears 42-36 win over Air Force. The Bears had a very disappointing season and they ended strong with a win and hopefully can take some momentum into 2008.
Oregon's redshirt freshman QB Justin Roper threw for four scores and RB Jonathan Stewart ran for 253 yards as the Ducks crushed South Florida 56-21. Oregon's swarming D frustrated USF QB Matt Groethe as he and backup Grant Gregory each threw 2 INT's. Oregon looked lost without Dennis Dixon but coach Mike Bellotti rallied his guys to an impressive W.
Missouri was snubbed from the BCS games and took out their frustration on Arkansas. They roughed up McFadden and company 38-7. RB Tony Temple had a Cotton Bowl record 281 yards and ran threw the Arkansas D like mall shoppers on Black Friday.
Michigan sent Lloyd Carr to Del Boca Vista (Phase 3) a happy man with a huge win against heavily favored Florida 41-35. Senior QB Chad Henne had a career high 373 yards and showed fans and scouts that he could be a steal in the NFL Draft. Michigan's seniors finally gave Carr the Gatorade bath for the first and only time in their Wolverine careers
Illinois never had a chance in the Rose Bowl as USC blitzed them 49-17. Freshman RB Joe McKnight showed the Reggie Bush like flashes of game breaking ability that led him to be so highly recruited out of high school. On the flip side, USC blitzed Juice Williams and forced him to be a passer downfield, something that obviously did not turn out to well. The Illini are young and could make even more noise next season.
Hawaii is no Boise State. The faster and stronger Georgia Bulldogs dismantled the boys from the island. Freshman RB Knowshon Moreno had two TD's and very well could challenge golden boy Tim Tebow for the Heisman next season.
San Diego County Credit Union, Meineke Car Care, AutoZone, PetroSun, Bell Helicopter, R+L Carriers, Brut, Gaylord Hotels. What do all these have in common? They all unfortunately sponsored bowl games and their companies led to the ridiculousness of calling a game, " The Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl" and "The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl." I know these games need sponsors but the product saturation is overkill. Every commercial break you can bet on hearing something about the company sponsering the bowl.
Now, onto the play on the field...sort of (See Above Video)
If you watch college football or are even a casual fan, chances are you heard the name Chris Jessie after the Texas-Arizona State game. Jesse, a member of the Texas staff and stepson of Mack Brown, received a penalty after he touched the ball while it was on the field. Jesse thought it was an incomplete pass but it was clearly a lateral pass and a fumble. Jesse's blunder helped give momentum to ASU, even though they got crushed in the second half and lost 52-34.
Now, game reactions...
Dan LeFevour and Curtis Painter put on a show during Purdue's 51-48 win in the Motor City Bowl. Central Michigan's close loss also helped coach Butch Jones jump into the West Virginia coaching search.
California RB Justin Forsett closed out his season strong with 140 yards and 2 TD's in the Bears 42-36 win over Air Force. The Bears had a very disappointing season and they ended strong with a win and hopefully can take some momentum into 2008.
Oregon's redshirt freshman QB Justin Roper threw for four scores and RB Jonathan Stewart ran for 253 yards as the Ducks crushed South Florida 56-21. Oregon's swarming D frustrated USF QB Matt Groethe as he and backup Grant Gregory each threw 2 INT's. Oregon looked lost without Dennis Dixon but coach Mike Bellotti rallied his guys to an impressive W.
Missouri was snubbed from the BCS games and took out their frustration on Arkansas. They roughed up McFadden and company 38-7. RB Tony Temple had a Cotton Bowl record 281 yards and ran threw the Arkansas D like mall shoppers on Black Friday.
Michigan sent Lloyd Carr to Del Boca Vista (Phase 3) a happy man with a huge win against heavily favored Florida 41-35. Senior QB Chad Henne had a career high 373 yards and showed fans and scouts that he could be a steal in the NFL Draft. Michigan's seniors finally gave Carr the Gatorade bath for the first and only time in their Wolverine careers
Illinois never had a chance in the Rose Bowl as USC blitzed them 49-17. Freshman RB Joe McKnight showed the Reggie Bush like flashes of game breaking ability that led him to be so highly recruited out of high school. On the flip side, USC blitzed Juice Williams and forced him to be a passer downfield, something that obviously did not turn out to well. The Illini are young and could make even more noise next season.
Hawaii is no Boise State. The faster and stronger Georgia Bulldogs dismantled the boys from the island. Freshman RB Knowshon Moreno had two TD's and very well could challenge golden boy Tim Tebow for the Heisman next season.
Top 5 Non-Conference Games of the Year
5. Memphis 62 vs USC 58 (OT) December 4th at Madison Square Garden
This was one of the first big matchups of the freshman class in college hoops. It was billed as Derrick Rose vs OJ Mayo. This match was back and forth but it had a much sloppier style than anticipated and was a great defensive game. USC coach Tim Floyd played triangle and 2 for much of the game to stifle the scoring of Rose and junior Chris Douglas-Roberts. His plan worked because USC stayed in the game and even forced overtime. Memphis hung on and showed how tough they can be while USC showed the flashes that could make them very dangerous in March.
4. Butler 57 at Southern Illinois 55 December 28th at Shryock Auditorium
Two of the best mid-major teams in the nation locked up in an epic battle for Midwest supremacy. Southern Illinois' raucous home crowed helped pump up the Salukis and they responded by staying close with the Bulldogs for much of the game. After taking a 55-54 Butler guard AJ Graves shocked the building with his pull-up jumper from close to 25ft out to win the game at the buzzer. It once again cemented Butler's place among the top 25 but it also game SIU confidence going into their conference slate.
3. Wisconsin 67 at Texas 66 December 29th at the Frank Erwin Center
It was a game that on the outside looked as if Texas would run away with it. Wisconsin had been struggling early in the year and was playing without starting guard Trevon Hughes. The Badgers had many obstacles to climb over but they showed tremendous courage and heart by staying with the Longhorns the whole game. DJ Augustin began to take over for Texas late in the game but with the score at 66-64, Wisconsin guard Michael Flowers decided to take the game into his own hands. Out of a timeout, Flowers got a pick from F/C Brian Butch and rose up for a deep three over the out stretched arm of AJ Abrams. Flowers then made another heady play by stealing the in bounds pass and throwing it into the air as time expired. A huge confidence boost for Wisconsin and a minor set back for Texas.
2. Pittsburgh 65 vs Duke 64 (OT) December 20th at Madison Square Garden
Down 12 at halftime, the Panthers used their size and grit to come from behind and force overtime. Duke's inside deficiencies were magnified in NYC by Pitt big men Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. The two combined for 32 points and 27 rebounds as they helped keep the game close in the second half and in overtime. But it was guard Levance Fields who won the game. The NYC guard dropped in a three with 4.7 seconds remaining and then Pitt held on to win by one. That was their biggest win of the season but now they are facing uncertainty with the season ending injury to Mike Cook as well as the 8-12 week injury to the hero of the game, Fields.
1. Texas 63 at UCLA 61 December 2nd at Pauley Pavilion
This was a game with immense hype before it and these two teams did not disappoint. Darren Collison and DJ Augustin headlined the matchup because of Collison's defensive ability vs the scoring of Augustin. The Longhorns and the Bruins battled after Texas got up 16 only to give it up in the second half. DJ Augustin and Damion James were carrying the team offensively because AJ Abrams was having an off night. With the shot clock winding down and the game deadlocked at 61, Augustin lost control of his dribble and threw up a shot to beat the shot clock. The runner from the side was too strong however it landed in the hands of a jumping James who threw down the pass to put the Longhorns up 2. UCLA's last ditch efforts were unsuccessful as Texas went on to beat the then #1 Bruins on the road 63-61.
This was one of the first big matchups of the freshman class in college hoops. It was billed as Derrick Rose vs OJ Mayo. This match was back and forth but it had a much sloppier style than anticipated and was a great defensive game. USC coach Tim Floyd played triangle and 2 for much of the game to stifle the scoring of Rose and junior Chris Douglas-Roberts. His plan worked because USC stayed in the game and even forced overtime. Memphis hung on and showed how tough they can be while USC showed the flashes that could make them very dangerous in March.
4. Butler 57 at Southern Illinois 55 December 28th at Shryock Auditorium
Two of the best mid-major teams in the nation locked up in an epic battle for Midwest supremacy. Southern Illinois' raucous home crowed helped pump up the Salukis and they responded by staying close with the Bulldogs for much of the game. After taking a 55-54 Butler guard AJ Graves shocked the building with his pull-up jumper from close to 25ft out to win the game at the buzzer. It once again cemented Butler's place among the top 25 but it also game SIU confidence going into their conference slate.
3. Wisconsin 67 at Texas 66 December 29th at the Frank Erwin Center
It was a game that on the outside looked as if Texas would run away with it. Wisconsin had been struggling early in the year and was playing without starting guard Trevon Hughes. The Badgers had many obstacles to climb over but they showed tremendous courage and heart by staying with the Longhorns the whole game. DJ Augustin began to take over for Texas late in the game but with the score at 66-64, Wisconsin guard Michael Flowers decided to take the game into his own hands. Out of a timeout, Flowers got a pick from F/C Brian Butch and rose up for a deep three over the out stretched arm of AJ Abrams. Flowers then made another heady play by stealing the in bounds pass and throwing it into the air as time expired. A huge confidence boost for Wisconsin and a minor set back for Texas.
2. Pittsburgh 65 vs Duke 64 (OT) December 20th at Madison Square Garden
Down 12 at halftime, the Panthers used their size and grit to come from behind and force overtime. Duke's inside deficiencies were magnified in NYC by Pitt big men Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. The two combined for 32 points and 27 rebounds as they helped keep the game close in the second half and in overtime. But it was guard Levance Fields who won the game. The NYC guard dropped in a three with 4.7 seconds remaining and then Pitt held on to win by one. That was their biggest win of the season but now they are facing uncertainty with the season ending injury to Mike Cook as well as the 8-12 week injury to the hero of the game, Fields.
1. Texas 63 at UCLA 61 December 2nd at Pauley Pavilion
This was a game with immense hype before it and these two teams did not disappoint. Darren Collison and DJ Augustin headlined the matchup because of Collison's defensive ability vs the scoring of Augustin. The Longhorns and the Bruins battled after Texas got up 16 only to give it up in the second half. DJ Augustin and Damion James were carrying the team offensively because AJ Abrams was having an off night. With the shot clock winding down and the game deadlocked at 61, Augustin lost control of his dribble and threw up a shot to beat the shot clock. The runner from the side was too strong however it landed in the hands of a jumping James who threw down the pass to put the Longhorns up 2. UCLA's last ditch efforts were unsuccessful as Texas went on to beat the then #1 Bruins on the road 63-61.
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