Ohio State Buckeyes « Jaryd Wilson

Ducks not flying together this offseason

25 02 2010

Ducks fly together.

It’s the motto that helped Gordon Bombay’s little league hockey team win the district championship in the film Mighty Ducks. Apparently that motto never made it to Eugene, Oregon.

Chip Kelly’s football “Ducks” look more like a scattered cluster than a flock. Plagued by off-field issues since being trampled by underdog Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, the Oregon football Ducks are getting their wings clipped.

More like severed, actually.

All this coming when it seemed Oregon would put a stranglehold on a conference dominated for years by USC. The Ducks are being picked as a preseason top five team in nearly every “way too early” poll you look at. But the unraveling just won’t stop.

It started On Jan. 24, just three weeks after the Rose Bowl embarrassment. Police charged sophomore kicker Rob Beard with assault when he entered a 20-person fight to help former kicker Mike Bowlin. Beard was knocked unconscious, had to spend two days in intensive care, and had facial surgery. Bowlin left the team after the brawl.

That same weekend, starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and wide receiver Garrett Embry were accused of stealing computers, a guitar and a projector from the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house, supposedly because members of the house kicked Embry out earlier at a party. Police have not made any arrests yet.

Six days later, policed charged defensive end Matt Simms for misdemeanor assault after Simms attacked a person he thought was involved in the Jan. 24 brawl with Beard. Kelly dismissed Simms from the team.

Last Wednesday, police arrested star running back LaMichael James after a fight with his girlfriend and charged him with strangulation, assault and physical harassment.

On Saturday, policed arrested and charged linebacker Kristian Kiko Alonso for driving under the influence of alcohol. In response to a rumor that Kelly decided to dismiss Alonso from the team, wide receiver Jamere Holland posted several derogatory and expletive comments on his Facebook page, blasting the coach, the program and students who didn’t support him. He has since deleted those posts, but it was too late. Kelly kicked Holland off the team.

If all that wasn’t bad enough, Kelly got into a verbal argument during a radio interview with Portland Oregonian John Canzano.

So what does all of this mean? Well, it means at least three players won’t be showing up to spring practice. It could be more if Kelly decides to take action against Masoli or James. It could cost them a Pac 10 title. It could have no effect.

But it has put a black eye on the program.

And it’s on Kelly to get the Ducks flying together again.

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Tags: Chip Kelly, Eugene, Facebook, Garrett Embry, Gordon Bombay, Jamere Holland, Jeremiah Masoli, John Canzano, Kristian Kiko Alonso, LaMichael James, Matt Simms, Mighty Ducks, Mike Bowlin, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oregon Ducks, Pac 10, Portland Oregonian, Rob Beard, Rose Bowl, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, USc Trojans
Categories : Sports

Imagine “BCS Madness” in basketball

18 02 2010

Every day brings about an argument with my roommates about sports. These days, a visitor would likely hear me quibbling with one of them over the number of Big East teams that deserve to be dancing in March. During the college football season, the arguments predictably led to a debate over the current playoff system.

Which is why my eyes lit up when my roommate suggested what very few, if any, had ever thought of.

“What if college basketball used the BCS system?” he asked.

Hmm…what if?

I should say right now that I love March Madness. The tournament is a lot of fun, and I would never want to see it go away. But before you dismiss the following idea, consider the proposal below.

Let’s say college basketball did use the BCS system. There would be no tournament. The two best teams out of 347 Division 1 teams would play for the national championship. As for the rest? The next 32 could play in the NIT perhaps. Or maybe I develop “bowl” games for the 62 next-best. Either way, it’s not important. What is important is how college basketball would determine its national champion.

My roommate and I agree that if the BCS is used, it would have to triple the field to six eligible teams because there are about three times as many D1 basketball schools (347) as FBS football schools (120). So six teams make the BCS championship, and the champion is determined as follows:

#6 at #3 (winner plays at #2)
#5 at #4 (winner plays at #1)

Winner of 1 vs 4/5 plays winner of 2 vs 3/6 on a neutral court for the title.

Easy enough.

Now on to how to determine the six eligible teams.

The BCS uses the Coaches Poll, Harris Poll and average of six BCS computers to determine the football rankings. In college basketball, there is a Coaches Poll but not a Harris Poll. I suggest replacing Harris with RPI. Though I think the AP Poll is more valid than the Coaches Poll, using both AP and Coaches Polls would not be good because the top six are usually identical.

Four of the six BCS computers also rank college basketball teams (Anderson & Hester and Richard Billingsley do not), so I can use the same computer methods. Ken Pomeroy will be used as a fifth computer. Because there are only five computers, I will throw out only the median ranking, rather than the highest and/or lowest.

So who would be eligible to play for a national championship right now?

The top six in the Coaches Poll are Kansas, Kentucky, Villanova, Purdue, Syracuse and Duke.

The RPI reads Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia and Villanova.

All five computers have Kansas ranked #1. Since both the Coaches and RPI also have the Jayhawks #1, it’s easy to give them the #1 seed in the basketball BCS. Their average is 1.

Kentucky does not do too well in the computer rankings. Only the Colley Matrix has the Wildcats #2. The median is 4 and the average is 4.5. Averaging together with the Coaches and RPI gives them a 3.17.

Pomeroy’s computer is going to bring Villanova down. The Wildcats are ranked #15 in that computer, bring the computer average to 5.75 and the overall average to 4.92.

Purdue got a big win over Ohio State Wednesday, but they are still a consistent 6 in all but one computer, giving them a 5.75 computer average. Overall, the Boilermakers are a 6.25 because of their low RPI.

Syracuse has a huge game with Georgetown tonight that could alter the rankings, but for now, the Orange have a computer average of 3.25 and an overall average of 4.08.

Duke is ranked sixth in the Coaches Poll but has the #2 RPI. The Blue Devils have a computer average of 4.5 and an overall average of 4.17.

Outside the top six, West Virginia seems to be the most likely contender. However, the computers spit out an average of 8.67 for the Mountaineers, giving them an overall average of 6.89. Purdue’s 6.25 barely beats West Virginia for the sixth spot.

The only other team in consideration is Kansas State. The Wildcats’ computer average is 9.25, pulling the overall average down to 7.75.

So the six teams in the tournament happen to be the top six in the Coaches Poll. The matchups are as follows:

(6) Purdue at (3) Syracuse
(5) Villanova at (4) Duke

Purdue/Syracuse at (2) Kentucky
Villanova/Duke at (1) Kansas

Championship on neutral court

I know you are lying if you say you would be even the slightest bit intrigued by this. Imagine how West Virginia fans would feel. The Mountaineers are the TCU of college basketball. Then again, West Virginia did lose to Purdue, who has the sixth and final spot.

How fun would it be to watch college basketball every night, knowing that a loss by any of the top six could make way for #7 or #8 to slide up into the field.

Consider reducing the field to four teams. Then Villanova, ranked #3 in the Coaches Poll, would be out.

Again, this is purely just for fun. Everyone imagines what it would be like if college football used college basketball’s system.

Thank you, roomie, for making me imagine the opposite. Even for just one day.

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Tags: Anderson & Hester, AP Poll, BCS, Big East, Coaches Poll, Colley Matrix, Duke Blue Devils, Georgetown Hoyas, Harris Poll, Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Ken Pomeroy, Kentucky Wildcats, March Madness, NIT, Ohio State Buckeyes, Purdue Boilermakers, Richard Billingsley, RPI, Syracuse Orange, TCU Horned Frogs, Villanova Wildcats, West Virginia Mountaineers
Categories : Sports

Bubble growing with one month to go

15 02 2010

Four weeks from yesterday is Selection Sunday, the college sports world’s national holiday. To nobody’s surprise, the bubble seems to be growing as conference play heats up. Below is the complete list of who’s in and who’s out (at large berths only) if the tournament started on Valentine’s Day. For now, I’m just saying that the team with the best conference record in each conference is automatically in, which is why you won’t see them on the list of “locks.” In cases where teams were tied for the conference lead, I gave the team with the higher RPI the bid.

At large locks:

ACC (3)
Wake Forest
Virginia Tech
Maryland

Atlantic 10 (3)
Temple
Charlotte
Xavier

Big East (4)
Syracuse
West Virginia
Pittsburgh
Georgetown

Big Ten (3)
Ohio State
Purdue
Wisconsin

Big 12 (4)
Kansas State
Texas A&M
Baylor
Texas

Conference USA (1)
UAB

Mountain West (2)
BYU
UNLV

SEC (2)
Vanderbilt
Tennessee

West Coast (1)
St. Mary’s

This leaves 11 at large bids up for grabs. Below is who takes them (in order) as of tonight.

1) Rhode Island Rams – That’s right. The strongest bubble team is the Rams. With an RPI of 21, the 19-5 Rams have wins over Dayton and Oklahoma State, and no terrible losses. The Atlantic 10 is better than the Pac 10, SEC and Mountain West, at least in the top half.

2) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Despite the recent slide, the Jackets have the best strength of schedule in the ACC after Duke, and still only seven losses. They have five wins against the RPI top 40, and if you’re wondering how deep the ACC is, know that Tech is currently in eighth.

3) Clemson Tigers – Clemson’s resumé is nearly identical to Georgia Tech’s. The Tigers’ strength of schedule ranks 31, and they are #30 in the RPI. They sit sixth in the ACC with nonconference wins over Butler and South Carolina, as well as wins over Maryland and Florida State.

4) Dayton Flyers – Another A-10 team deserving of a spot is the Flyers. They are 17-7 but have slipped to seventh in the conference at 6-4. They beat Georgia Tech and Old Dominion out of conference, and Xavier in conference. The RPI ranking is #32, and the strength of schedule is #30.

5) Missouri Tigers – The nonconference schedule was not great, but wins over Old Dominion and Illinois are looking better this month than they did in January. Quality losses include Richmond, Vanderbilt, Kansas, Baylor and Texas A&M. The Tigers are in sixth in the nation’s best conference.

6) Marquette Golden Eagles – Marquette has been competitive in every game this season, and the worst is behind them. However, an RPI ranked #56 and a strength of schedule ranked #54 are worrisome, but they have worked themselves into a situation where they could finish fourth in the Big East.

7) Florida State Seminoles – FSU lacks the big win, but does have enough quality victories and few enough bad losses to warrant a tournament berth. Losing to Maryland twice hurt, but they did beat Georgia Tech twice to make up for it. They are tied for sixth in the ACC.

8) Oklahoma State Cowboys – If the Cowboys’ worst loss is at Oklahoma, count them in. The Pokes have wins over Kansas State and Texas A&M, no bad losses and a strength of schedule ranked #44. The RPI is in the top 40, and they are 5-5 in the Big 12.

9) Mississippi Rebels – Ole Miss has done just enough to squeeze into the field, the biggest asset being a win over Kansas State. Four of the Rebels’ seven losses are to teams in the top 20 in RPI. The strength of schedule isn’t eye-opening, but outside of Arkansas, they’ve won all the games they’re supposed to win.

10) Illinois Fighting Illini – The Illini were a lock until the Ohio State blowout. Even so, they’re winning the games they should win in the Big Ten, and playing well at the right time. Wins over Michigan State and Purdue were a big boost for the team currently in fourth in the Big Ten.

11) Florida Gators – They’ve played a tough schedule and have only two losses against teams with an RPI below 27. Their biggest problem is lack of quality wins. Despite that, I’m still taking the Gators as my last team in with only eight losses over a Louisville team with three bad losses and nine overall losses.

On the outside looking in:

Louisville
Texas Tech
Wichita State
Mississippi State
San Diego State
Virginia
Cincinnati
Washington
South Carolina

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Tags: ACC, Arkansas Razorbacks, Atlantic 10, Baylor Bears, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Butler Bulldogs, BYU Cougars, Charlotte 49ers, Cincinnati Bearcats, Clemson Tigers, Conference USA, Dayton Flyers, Duke Blue Devils, Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles, Georgetown Hoyas, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Illinois Fighting Illini, Kansas Jayhawks, Kansas State Wildcats, Louisville Cardinals, Marquette Golden Eagles, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan State Spartans, Mississippi Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Missouri Tigers, Mountain West, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma Sooners, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Old Dominion Monarchs, Pac 10, Pittsburgh Panthers, Purdue Boilermakers, Rhode Island Rams, Richmond Spiders, RPI, San Diego State Aztecs, SEC, Selection Sunday, South Carolina Gamecocks, St. Mary's Gaels, Syracuse Orange, Temple Owls, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M Aggies, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Red Raiders, UAB Blazers, UNLV Rebels, Valentine's Day, Vanderbilt Commodores, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Washington Huskies, West Coast, West Virginia Mountaineers, Wichita State Shockers, Wisconsin Badgers, Xavier Musketeers
Categories : Sports

Way too early top five for 2010

10 01 2010

Guest columnist Blake Borron

I was expecting my first post in far too long to be a victory rant about the Texas Longhorns. In lieu of certain…occurrences, I have instead decided to give a taste of things to come for next season. As much as my heart wants me to crown UT as the preseason #1 team for 2010, my brain and last week’s game only allow one team to surface as the king of the first season of the new decade. Roll Tide!

1. Alabama Crimson Tide: Last year’s national champs are only getting stronger with monster recruiting class after monster recruiting class. Nick Saban is an arrogant tool who wouldn’t smile on his wedding day, but he’s one of the best recruiters and X’s and O’s guys in history.

Strengths: The stars on offense twinkle so brightly you need Oakleys to block out the glare. The running back tandem of Heisman winner Mark Ingram and the possibly even-more-talented Trent Richardson is the best college football has seen since Reggie Bush and LenDale White. Julio Jones will be possibly the nation’s most talented wide receiver, but Marquis Maze is the silent assassin that gives the passing game legitimacy.

Weaknesses: The defense loses massive defensive tackle Terrence Cody and playmaking cornerback Javier Arenas to graduation. Expect linebacker Rolando McClain, the leader of the defense, to follow them to the NFL a year early. The greatest deficiency may be the play of quarterback Greg McElroy. After a dismantling of Florida in the SEC Championship game, Texas returned the favor and embarrassed the first year starter in the National Championship. His play, as well as that of an offensive line that needs to give him better pass protection, will be counted on far more next year.

2. Texas Longhorns: All the momentum the Horns had at the beginning of the National Title Game went out the door when Colt McCoy went out of the game after only five offensive plays. Backup Garrett Gilbert, wide receiver Jordan Shipley, and the defense did their best to pull UT out of a big first-half deficit, but fell just short when Gilbert fumbled the ball inside his own ten.

Strengths: After a sluggish start, Gilbert showed flashes of brilliance against a fierce ‘Bama defense in spite of many miscues by his wide receivers and no semblance of a rushing attack. He will only get better after an off-season knowing he’s THE guy for next year. The team speed on offense, while raw, is matched only by Florida. The UT defense will be one of the best in the country as long as Will Muschamp is in town. The Horns return as much defensive talent as anybody in the country, including freakish lockdown cornerback Aaron Williams and defensive end Sam Acho, who led the team in sacks.

Weaknesses: There are a bunch on offense, most notably the need to improve an offensive line that can only be qualified as one of the worst in UT history. Consequently, that has led to the chronic degeneration of the running game since UT’s title in 2005. The graduation of Shipley, arguably the best wide receiver in UT history, leaves a group of young and/or inconsistent receivers that will now be counted on to make plays with regularity instead of deferring to Shipley. If they don’t step up, there are even younger guys behind them in what many are calling UT’s best receiver recruiting class ever. Injuries have decimated the tight end position the last two years, which has limited Texas’s ability to run. Star departing seniors Sergio Kindle, LaMarr Houston, and Rod Muckelroy, as well as early entry Earl Thomas, must be replaced on defense.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes: Few teams have been doubted more the past few seasons than the Buckeyes, but that seems to be a vanishing state of mind. After a dominant performance in the Rose Bowl over a talented Oregon team, tOSU returns all their skill position players and the majority of their offensive line. A home date with the talented and speedy Miami Hurricanes will go a long way to validating or erasing the perception that Ohio State can’t handle teams with superior fast-twitch muscles!

Strengths: Terrelle Pryor finally seems to be grasping the offense and coming into his own as a playmaker at quarterback. His performance, though far less awe-inspiring, mirrors Vince Young’s 2005 Rose Bowl victory. That led to a national title in the next season, and Pryor hopes to mimic Young’s success. All his weapons return, including favorite target DeVier Posey. The offensive line mauled Oregon’s less talented defensive front and four out of the five starters return. Jim Tressell is still one of the best defensive coaches in college football, so expect to see the usual toughness and strength out of the Buckeye defense.

Weaknesses: Tressell’s seeming lack of ingenuity on offense will plague the team until he unleashes Pryor like he did with Troy Smith in 2006. That will come with increased confidence in Pryor’s decision making, which was impressive in the Rose Bowl. At times the running backs were underwhelming, they need to be more explosive with such a strong offensive line and dual-threat QB like Pryor to take the pressure off of them. On defense, the line must be rebuilt and both standout safeties graduate. DE Cameron Heyward and CB Chimdi Chekwa are a good place to start, but they will need younger faces to step up and make plays if they are going to maintain the standard of play they’ve been at the past few years.

4. Florida Gators: Florida looked fantastic in the Sugar Bowl. Funny how much easier it is against a lackluster team like Cincinnati than, say, Alabama. Timothy Christ…err, I mean Tebow has finally graduated, meaning Urban Meyer (assuming he decides to return) will have to find a new boy toy to fawn over. Perhaps that will be likely starter John Brantley, a highly-touted recruit three years ago.

Strengths: As long as Meyer is at Florida, the recruiting juggernaut will be full steam ahead. That means the Gators will consistently have more talent than basically any other team in the nation, which is why I have them rated so highly despite such heavy losses. The offense is led by speedsters Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey at running back. Lightning-fast Deonte Thompson is the only returning receiver with any kind of experience. He will be joined by the also freakishly-fast Andre Debose, who missed last season with an injury. The offensive line is the best in the nation if Maurkice and Mike Pouncey return at guard and center respectively, but the Gators have some work to do if they both choose to enter the draft.

Weaknesses: It obviously starts at QB, where Tebow leaves to the imminent obscurity of his NFL career and whatever other potential football institutions spring up during his tenure as a professional football player. The man nigh unanimously deemed the greatest player in the history of competition by ESPN, CBS, and, of course, Urban Meyer leaves a gaping hole in the Florida backfield with consequent expectations that Peyton Manning, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Jesus Christ, and, certainly John Brantley would not live up to. The defense loses stud linebackers Brandon Spikes and Ryan Stamper to graduation, and shutdown CB Joe Haden to the draft. Freakishly talented defensive end Carlos Dunlap may accompany him. It’s not an issue of talent with the Gators, it’s an issue of getting that talent ready to play week in and week out in the grueling SEC.

5. Oregon Ducks: The other half of the Rose Bowl game returns all but three starters, including proven stars QB Jeremiah Masoli and RB LaMichael James. Oregon has a rare opportunity–the chance to take over the Pac 10 conference. Pete Carroll is Seattle bound and USC is not the team or program it was over the past decade. West coast primacy is shifting north to Eugene in a hurry!

Strengths: It all starts with the multifaceted attack of Masoli and James. Masoli runs the zone read to perfection, and he has good speed in the open field. James, on the other hand, has elite speed and will be one of the top tailbacks in the country after only his freshman year. Backup Kenjon Barner is another speedster in the same mold as James. Oregon loves to get him on the edge and he is a special teams demon. The defense returns all but two starters from a solid unit. Perhaps Oregon’s greatest asset is head coach Chip Kelly, one of the brightest minds in college football.

Weaknesses: Just take a look at the Rose Bowl and you’ll see why I was hesitant to put the Ducks this high on my list. Ohio State out-toughed, out-physicaled, and out-hustled Oregon all afternoon. Oregon just didn’t have the attitude to play in that game, and it resulted in them getting their butts kicked up and down the field for much of the game. Too much finesse, or, to put it simply, they were “soft.” They also don’t have the defensive talent that the top three teams possess. Their defensive line loses both the starters on the defensive side of the ball, which may be a positive because they got absolutely worked by the Buckeyes.

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Tags: NFL, Cincinnati Bearcats, Oregon Ducks, Sugar Bowl, Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC, Greg McElroy, Miami Hurricanes, Jeremiah Masoli, Rose Bowl, Heisman, Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, USc Trojans, Ohio State Buckeyes, Tim Tebow, Eugene, Pac 10, Pete Carroll, Colt McCoy, Nick Saban, Terrelle Pryor, John Brantley, Peyton Manning, Mark Ingram, Jordan Shipley, ESPN, Garrett Gilbert, Trent Richardson, Vince Young, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Julio Jones, Marquis Maze, Terrence Cody, Javier Arenas, Rolando McClain, Will Muschamp, Aaron Williams, Sam Acho, Sergio Kindle, LaMarr Houston, Rod Muckelroy, Earl Thomas, DeVier Posey, Jim Tressell, Troy Smith, Cameron Heyward, Chimdi Chekwa, Urban Meyer, Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey, Deonte Thompson, Andre Debose, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, CBS, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Christ, Brandon Spikes, Ryan Stamper, Joe Haden, Carlos Dunlap, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, Chip Kelly
Categories : Sports

The top 100 sports stories of the decade

10 01 2010

I ranked these in order of importance, number of people it affected, and how dramatic the story was. Feel free to comment or post your own rankings.

100) NHL starts winter classic
The NHL had its first ever “Winter Classic” on New Year’s Day 2008 as the Buffalo Sabres hosted Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins outdoors in front of 71,000 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The Penguins won in an overtime shootout.

99) Pirates set losing seasons mark
The Pittsburgh Pirates became the first franchise in sports history to have 17 consecutive losing seasons when they finished the 2009 season 62-99. The last time the Pirates had a winning season was 1992, when the team won the division.

98) Celtics edge Bulls in dramatic series
The 2009 NBA playoffs featured an opening round series that saw the second seeded Boston Celtics defeat the seventh seeded Chicago Bulls in seven games. Four of the seven games went to overtime, and there were seven total overtime periods.

97) Four UNC players taken in top 14
The UNC draft class of 2005 was so talented, four players were taken in the top 14 of the NBA draft. The Hawks took Marvin Williams #2, the Bobcats took Raymond Felton #5 and Sean May #13, and the T’Wolves took Rashad McCants #14.

96) Rocco Mediate takes Woods to 91st hole
One of the most exciting playoffs in golf took place at the 2008 U.S. Open. Relatively unknown Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods were tied after 72 holes. After the 18-hole playoff, the two were still tied until Woods bested Mediate on hole 91.

95) Tim Tebow sets college football legacy
Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow sat behind senior Chris Leak as a freshman and watched the Gators win a national championship in 2006. He became the starter in 2007, won another national title in 2008, and was a Heisman winner.

94) UConn women go 39-0 twice
The most dominant women’s hoops team of the decade was the Connecticut Huskies. In 2002, the women claim their second of five decade championships with a perfect 39-0 season. In 2009, they would go a perfect 39-0 again.

93) Kevin Everett suffers life-threatening injury
One of the scariest injuries of the decade was when Buffalo Bill Kevin Everett suffered a career-ending and life-threatening cervical spine injury on opening day in 2007. Everett was able to walk again even after doctors said he would not.

92) Paul Tagliabue steps down as NFL commissioner
Paul Tagliabue stepped down as commissioner of the NFL in 2006 after 17 years at the helm. During Tagliabue’s time there were no lockouts or strikes, and he introduced a strict salary cap and six new franchises to the league.

91) Four one-seeds reach Final Four.
For the first time, March Madness produces four #1 seeds in its Final Four as North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis and UCLA all made it to San Antonio in 2008. Not surprisingly, the attendance for the ‘08 tournament was the highest in history.

90) Texas upsets USC in Rose Bowl
Numbers one and two all season, Texas met USC in Pasadena for the national championship in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush led an explosive USC offense, but Vince Young got the last laugh as Texas won 41-38.

89) Thirteen pitchers throw no-hitters in 2000s
Hideo Nomo, A.J. Burnett, Bud Smith, Derek Lowe, Kevin Millwood, Randy Johnson, Anibal Sánchez, Mark Buehrle (2), Justin Verlander, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Carlos Zambrano and Jonathan Sánchez threw no hitters this decade.

88) Jimmie Johnson wins AP male athlete of the year
In 2009, NASCAR racer Jimmie Johnson became the first racing athlete to ever win the AP Male Athlete of the Year Award. Johnson won the Sprint Cup Series for the fourth consecutive year in 2009, and has been in the top five every year since 2002.

87) Phillies become first franchise to lose 10,000
The Philadelphia Phillies became the first sports franchise to lose 10,000 games, losing number 10,000 on July 15, 2007. Ironically, the Phillies weren’t losers that year – they won the NL East. The Atlanta Braves have the second-most losses.

86) Pacman Jones suspended for legal troubles
Adam “Pacman” Jones was arrested in 2005 for assault, in 2006 for disorderly conduct, and in 2007 for a shooting and drug deals, among other incidents. The NFL suspended Pacman for a total of 22 games in the 2007 and 2008 seasons.

85) Ravens win Super Bowl with stellar defense
The Ravens throttled the New York Giants 31-7 to win Super Bowl XXXV. Baltimore proved it doesn’t need flash to win. Trent Dilfer did just enough, and the defense dominated, allowing the fewest points and rush yards in a single season.

84) Golden State shocks Dallas
The eighth-seeded Golden State Warriors defeated the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs. The Warriors, coached by former Dallas coach Don Nelson, were the first eight seed to win a best of seven series.

83) Ohio State (#1) defeats rival Michigan (#2)
The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes defeated their hated rival Michigan Wolverines 42-39 in the last regular season game for both teams. The matchup featured the rivalry with a #1 ranking, the Big Ten title and a national title berth on the line.

82) Biggio records hit number 3,000
Craig Biggio, a 20-year veteran with the Houston Astros, recorded hit number 3,000 on July 28, 2007 against the Colorado Rockies. Biggio was the 27th player to join the club. Less than a month later, he announced he would retire.

81) Titans advance with Music City Miracle
Down one with 16 seconds left, the Tennessee Titans used a throwback on a kickoff return to score a touchdown and beat the Buffalo Bills 22-16 in the 2000 Wild Card round. Frank Wycheck threw laterally to Kevin Dyson, who took it 75 yards to win.

80) Super Mario rescues Jayhawks with three pointer
Dead in the water through 38 minutes, the Kansas Jayhawks stage a dramatic comeback, helped by Memphis Tiger missed free throws, to win the 2008 national championship game. Mario Chalmers’ three with two seconds left forced overtime.

79) Tom Watson makes historic British open run
Tom Watson made a historic run at the British Open Championship in 2009. The 59-year-old veteran led most of the tournament and had the gallery on his side, but three-putted the 72nd hole to fall into a playoff. He lost to Stewart Cink.

78) Lakers defeat Kings in epic seven-game series
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Sacramento Kings in seven games in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Robert Horry’s last-second three wins game four, Mike Bibby’s shot wins game five, and the Lakers take the last two of the dramatic series.

77) Expos move to Washington
The Montreal Expos moved to Washington D.C. and became the Nationals after the 2004 season after 35 years in Canada. Major League Baseball bought the team, and the league decided to make the move to the U.S.

76) Detroit Lions go 0-16
The Detroit Lions made NFL history in a bad way in 2008-2009 by becoming the first NFL team to lose every game of a 16-game schedule. Daunte Culpepper quarterbacked for most of the season, and Ron Marinelli coached the team.

75) Rachel Alexandra wins Preakness
Racehorse Rachel Alexandra made history in 2009 by becoming the first Filly in 85 years to win the Preakness Stakes. Alexandra actually won eight major races in 2008 and 2009, and has won nine races in a row. She will race again in 2010.

74) Rockies win 21 of 22 to make playoffs
One of the best stretches of baseball came in 2007. The Colorado Rockies won 21 of 22 games, including a dramatic one-game playoff, to win the NL Wild Card. They would sweep their way to the World Series before falling to Boston.

73) Penguins get revenge on Wings to win Stanley Cup
One year after losing to the Detroit Red Wings in six, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2009, defeating the Wings in seven games. Every team won on home ice through the first six, but Pittsburgh steals game seven in Detroit.

72) Weinke becomes oldest player ever to win Heisman
After leading Florida State to two consecutive national championship games, Chris Weinke threw for 4,167 yards in his senior year and won the Heisman Trophy in 2000 at age 28. Florida State went to its third straight national championship.

71) Spurs continue decade’s best dynasty
Say what you want about the Lakers, the best NBA team this decade was San Antonio. After winning its first championship to close the 1990s, the consistent Spurs tacked on three more this decade – in ‘02-’03, ‘04-’05, and ‘06-’07.

70) Yankees begin, close decade with championship
The New York Yankees won the Subway Series, beating the crosstown rival Mets in 2000. The Bronx Bombers then went the rest of the decade without winning a title – an unusual feat for them – until beating the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.

69) McMahon’s XFL falls flat
In 2001, WWF owner Vince McMahon created the “Xtreme Football League.” A league with custom-name jerseys and rules to “toughen” the game did not go over well, and the league failed after one season due to low TV ratings and attendance.

68) Home teams win dramatic one-game playoffs
In 2007, the Colorado Rockies scored three runs in the bottom of the 13th to beat visiting San Diego 9-8. In 2008, the Chicago White Sox rode a Jim Thome HR to a 1-0 win over Minnesota. In 2009, Minnesota walked off in 12 to beat Detroit 6-5.

67) Marlins win the World Series
No World Series winner was more unpredictable than Florida’s 2003 run. After being in the NL East basement, they fired manager Jeff Torborg, replaced him with Jack McKeon, and shocked the Giants, Cubs and Yankees to win as a Wild Card.

66) LeBron arrives in the NBA
The 2003 -2004 season was the first for LeBron James, the number one overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers straight out of high school. James quickly became one of the most dominant players in the league, and has an MVP and a gold medal.

65) Terrell Owens can’t stay in one place
Terrell Owens, one of the greatest wide receivers in the NFL, might be better known for his unwillingness to cooperate. Owens left the San Francisco 49ers in 2003 and played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills.

64) Florida wins back-to-back basketball titles
Lead by a superb frontcourt that included Joakim Noah and Al Hortford, the Florida Gators won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. All five starters returned after the surprise first title to help lead the dominant Gators.

63) Armstrong finishes third in return to Tour
After three years of not racing in the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong returned to professional cycling in 2009. His goal was to “raise awareness of the global cancer burden.” His third-place finish in the 2009 Tour was inspirational for many.

62) Syracuse defeats UConn after six overtimes
In one of the most exciting college basketball games of all time, the Syracuse Orange defeated the Connecticut Huskies in the 2009 Big East quarterfinals. Eric Devendorf’s shot was waved off at the end of regulation, setting the stage for 6 OTs.

61) Steve McNair shot and killed
Among the tragic losses in 2009 was former NFL MVP Steve McNair, who was shot and killed by his mistress in a murder-suicide. McNair played for the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens and was selected to the Pro Bowl three times.

60) Schottenheimer fired after 14-2 season
The 2006-2007 San Diego Chargers went 14-2, but lost in the AFC divisional round to the New England Patriots. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer was fired one month later. The move puzzled many because of his success during the season.

59) Zidane headbutts Materazzi
A bizarre scene took place during the 2006 World Cup final match when Zinedine Zidane, France’s best player, inexplicably head butted Italy’s Marco Materazzi in overtime. Zidane was ejected, and Italy won the World Cup in a shootout.

58) Celtics complete largest turnaround in NBA history
The 2006-2007 season was a terrible one for the 24-58 Boston Celtics. But Danny Ainge traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and the Celtics went 66-16 in ‘07-’08, a 42 game improvement. They beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals.

57) Nadal overtakes Federer as world’s #1
Rafael Nadal sat number two behind Roger Federer for 158 weeks before taking the world’s number one ranking away from him in August 2008. Nadal and Federer played each other four times that year, and Nadal won all four to help boost him.

56) Boise State shocks Oklahoma in Fiesta Bowl
The undefeated Boise State Broncos defeated the favored Oklahoma Sooners with a bundle of trick plays in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. A hook-and-ladder tied the game with seconds remaining, and a Statue-of-Liberty play won the game in overtime.

55) Williams gets into legal trouble
In 2002, former NBA star Jayson Williams was on trial for the murder of a limousine driver, though the charge was reduced to manslaughter. In February, he was Tasered after a violent hotel incident, and was arrested after a May bar fight.

54) Mets blow seven game lead in September
One year after owning the best record in the National League, the 2007 Mets seemed poised to finish what they couldn’t in 2006. But in the last 17 games of the season, the Mets blew a seven game lead, allowing the Phillies to win the NL East.

53) Adrian Peterson sets single game rushing record
One of the greatest single-game performances in NFL history occurred on Nov. 4, 2007 when Adrian Peterson set the single-game rushing record with 295 rushing yards. Corey Dillon ran for 278 in 2000, and Jamal Lewis ran for 295 in 2003.

52) Ichiro comes to America, brings hit barrage
The Seattle Mariners signed Ichiro Suzuki, one of Japan’s most prolific hitters, in 2001. He has 200+ hits in each of his first nine seasons, including an MLB-record 262 hits in 2004. He already has 2,030 hits in his MLB career.

51) Manning finally beats New England, wins a ring
Peyton Manning had not beat the Patriots in the playoffs. But in the 2007 AFC Championship game, that all changed. Manning’s Colts beat New England 38-34, overcoming an 18-point deficit, then beat Chicago 29-17 to win the Super Bowl.

50) Pete Sampras retires
Tennis legend Pete Sampras officially announced retirement in August of 2003. Sampras won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, which was a record until Federer broke it at the 2009 Wimbledon. He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.

49) Stallworth suspended for 2009 season following manslaughter
NFL wide receiver Donte Stallworth plead guilty to DUI and second degree manslaughter after killing a pedestrian while driving in 2009. Stallworth served just 24 days in jail, but the NFL suspended him for the entire 2009 season.

48) Michael Phelps’ behavior questionable
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps ran into trouble a few times. In 2004, he was sentenced to 18 months probation for pleading guilty to driving under the influence. In 2009, pictures were released showing Phelps smoking marijuana.

47) Grady Little leaves Pedro in
With a 5-2 eighth inning lead in game seven of the 2003 ALCS against rival New York, Red Sox manager Grady Little decided to leave starter Pedro Martinez in the game following three straight hits. Pedro blew the lead, and the Red Sox lost.

46) Annika Sorenstam plays with the men
One of the most successful female golfers of all time, Annika Sorenstam may be best known for playing in the 2003 Bank of America Colonial – a men’s PGA Tour event. She also won 10 LPGA majors and 72 tournaments overall, both records.

45) Pat Tillman dies while serving in the Army
Pat Tillman, the former linebacker and safety for the Arizona Cardinals, left the team in 2002 to enlist in the U.S. Army after the attacks of 9/11. Tillman died while serving his country in Afghanistan in 2004, supposedly by friendly fire.

44) Roy Williams finally wins a national championship
The only thing that had eluded college coaching great Roy Williams was a national championship. That finally came in 2005 as Williams’ North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Illinois in the championship. Williams would win another title in 2009.

43) Division 1-AA Appalachian State defeats Michigan
In 2007, Appalachian State defeated then #5 Michigan 34-32 in the ‘Big House’ in one of the biggest upsets in college football history. The win was the first by an FCS team over a ranked FBS team, and led to FCS teams being eligible for the AP Poll.

42) Cal Ripken Jr. retires
One of baseball’s most beloved players decided to call it quits in 2001 after 21 years in the league, all with the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken hit a home run in the 2001 All-Star game and was named MVP of the game. He has 3,184 lifetime hits.

41) Phil Jackson returns as coach of Lakers
Phil Jackson left Chicago following Michael Jordan’s retirement, only to return one year later to open the decade as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have won four NBA championships in Jackson’s nine years as coach, including 2009.

40) Griffey has injury-ridden decade
After playing 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Ken Griffey Jr. was injured in each of his nine seasons with the Reds to open the decade. Many think that the steroid-free slugger would have the most HRs of all time if not for the injuries.

39) Players brawl with fans during NBA game
A disturbing scene took place during a Detroit Pistons home game against Indiana in 2004. After a hard foul led to some pushing and shoving, fans sparked a brawl with Pacer players. The NBA suspended nine players and two fans faced charges.

38) Nick Saban leaves LSU for the NFL
Nick Saban spent the first five years of the decade at LSU, winning two BCS bowls and a national championship in 2003. But when the Miami Dolphins offered him $5 million and control of all operations, Saban left, but went 15-17 in two seasons.

37) Brett Favre retires, then unretires…twice
One of the greatest and most well-liked quarterbacks of all time called it quits in 2007, then returned with the Jets after Green Bay wouldn’t take him back. After one season in New York, he retired again, only to come back with Minnesota.

36) Kobe scores 81 points
Kobe Bryant had one of the greatest single-game performances of all-time on Jan. 22, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors when he scored 81 points. Bryant shot 60 percent, making seven threes and scoring 55 of the 81 points in the second half.

35) Serena Williams takes over women’s tennis
Williams became the #1 ranked tennis player for the first time in July of 2002, and has been ranked #1 five different times. She had all four Grand Slam titles at once in 2002-2003, and has won 23 Grand Slams overall, including doubles.

34) Tim Donaghy bet on games he officiated
One of the black stains of the NBA occurred when Tim Donaghy, an NBA referee from 1994-2007, pleaded guilty to betting on NBA games he officiated. It was believed that he purposely miscalled games to affect point spreads and win his bets.

33) Danica Patrick first woman to win a race
Patrick became the first woman to ever win a race when she won the Indy Japan 300 in 2008. She started racing in the Indy Car Series in 2005, where she was named rookie of the year. She is arguably the most influential female athlete.

32) Michigan legend Bo Schembechler dies
Michigan coaching legend Bo Schembechler died in 2006, one day before the Wolverines took on rival Ohio State. Schembechler coaches the Wolverines from 1969-1989, compiling a 234-65-8 overall record. He also coached at Miami.

31) New England becomes NFL team of the decade
A Drew Bledsoe injury made way for an unknown QB named Tom Brady in 2001. Brady took New England to the Super Bowl, winning that and two more after that. The Patriots seemed destined to win the 2002 Super Bowl following 9/11.

30) Unlikely pair throw perfect games
Randy Johnson is considered to be one of the most dominant and powerful pitchers in baseball history, while Mark Buehrle is known better as a finesse, fast worker. Both threw perfect games this decade – Johnson in 2004, Buehrle in 2009.

29) Marion Jones admits to steroid use
Marion Jones, a dominant track and field athlete, was forced to forfeit her five gold medals from the 2000 Olympic games after admitting that she took steroids before the games. Jones was sentenced to six months in jail, which she served in 2008.

28) White Sox break 88-year drought
Lost in the losing streaks of the Cubs and Red Sox was the Chicago White Sox’ drought, which was actually longer than Boston’s. The White Sox broke the streak by winning the World Series in 2005, highlighted by an 11-1 postseason.

27) David Beckham signs with the L.A. Galaxy
David Beckham, one of the world’s top soccer players, left Real Madrid in 2007 to play soccer in the United States. Beckham had hoped to boost the popularity of the sport in America, a country considered to be behind the curve with soccer talent.

26) George Mason goes to the final four
Cinderella’s slipper fit the Patriots perfectly in 2006. George Mason entered the NCAA men’s basketball tournament as a #11 seed and upset Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and Connecticut before falling to Florida in the semifinals.

25) Katrina forces New Orleans teams to relocate
The massive destruction Hurricane Katrina put on New Orleans in 2005 forced the city’s Hornets and Saints to relocate. The Saints played home games in Baton Rouge and San Antonio, while the Hornets played two seasons in Oklahoma City.

24) 2006 Duke lacrosse scandal proved false
A North Carolina Central student accused three Duke lacrosse players of raping her. Though the accusations were later deemed false, the scandal forced the cancellation of the rest of the season, and coach Mike Pressler resigned.

23) NBA creates one and done rule
Prior to 2006, high school players were allowed to enter the NBA draft, so players like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett never went to college. The new rule forced players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose to spend a year in school.

22) NHL lockout cancels 2004-2005 season
A dispute between players and owners over salary issues, including a salary cap, caused the cancellation of the entire season. It was the first time an entire pro sports season had been cancelled, but resulted in the new salary cap we have today.

21) Steelers win record six Super Bowls
In 2005-2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers won their record-tying fifth Super Bowl under Bill Cowher as a #6 seed, beating Seattle 21-10. Three years later, the Steelers would do it again, winning a 27-23 thriller over Arizona for the record.

20) Tiger Woods scandal shakes golf
Tiger Woods, considered by many to be the greatest golfer of all time, was accused of having an affair with a nightclub manager. The next day, he crashed his car, leading to media attention surrounding his personal life and family.

19) Federer emerges as most dominant man in tennis
Roger Federer became the world’s number one ranked tennis player in 2004 and held that ranking for 237 consecutive weeks. He briefly fell to #2, but regained the #1 ranking to close the decade. He has 15 Grand Slam titles – the most all time.

18) USA men’s basketball team slips at Worlds, Olympics
Loaded with a slew of NBA All-Stars, the USA men’s basketball team finishes sixth at the 2002 World Championships, then settles for bronze in the 2004 Olympics. It’s the lowest finish by the team ever at Worlds and tied for lowest at the Olympics.

17) ‘Iron Mike’ era ends with loss to Lewis
In one of the most publicized and highly anticipated fights in boxing history, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis tangled on June 8, 2002. Lewis dominated, KOing Tyson in the eighth round. Tyson would fight a few more times before finally retiring.

16) Dale Earnhardt Sr. dies
A tragic final-lap crash at the 2001 Daytona 500 took the life of one of NASCAR’s all-time greats. Earnhardt won 76 races and seven Winston Cup Series titles. After Earnhardt’s death, NASCAR focuses on safety with safer cars and tracks.

15) BCS creates controversy beginning in 2004
In 2004, the Auburn Tigers became the first undefeated BCS team to be left out of the BCS National Championship. Utah went undefeated in 2004 and 2008, Boise ran the table in 2006 and 2009, and TCU and Cincinnati went undefeated in 2009.

14) Kobe Bryant accused of rape
Arguably the best player in the NBA was accused of rape by a woman in Denver. Bryant was acquitted of sexual assault charges but admitted committing adultery. The golden boy of the NBA was no longer considered to be a role model by many.

13) Bartman sparks big inning for opponents
In 2003, the die-hard Cubs fan took a would-have-been out away from Moises Alou, extending Luis Castillo’s at-bat in game six of the NLCS. The Marlins, down 3-2 in the series and 3-0 in the game, won both. The curse of the billy-goat lives on.

12) Michael Vick indicted for dog fighting
Former overall number one draft pick Michael Vick, who two years earlier had led the Atlanta Falcons to the NFC championship, was indicted on dog fighting charges in July of 2007. He would spend a year in prison before returning to the NFL in 2009.

11) Team USA spectacular in 2002, not so much in 2006
Team USA soccer gave America a thrill in 2002, making it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup before eventually falling to Germany 1-0. The Americans upset Portugal and Mexico along the way. In 2006, they failed to win a game in the Cup.

10) Jordan indecisive about retirement…again
After Michael Jordan had called it quits following his sixth NBA championship, the love of the game brought him back again. Jordan played two seasons with the Washington Wizards before retiring. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2009.

9) Barry Bonds sets *HR records
In 2001, Barry Bonds broke Mark McGwire’s single season home run mark by belting 73 long balls. Six years later, Bonds would pass Hank Aaron for most HRs all time with his 756th. The authenticity of these records may forever be debated.

8) Patriots go perfect, only to lose in Super Bowl XLIV
The New England Patriots had the perfect team and the perfect record. They were the first team to ever finish a 16-game regular season unbeaten. But the New York Giants had other plans. Eli Manning and company upset New England 17-14.

7) Sports goes on after 9/11
In a time when America could have caved and crumbled after the attacks of 9/11, the sports world did not. The NFL postponed all games for week two, and the MLB postponed its games for three days. But, like America, sports went on.

6) Lance Armstrong wins seven straight Tour De France titles
American Lance Armstrong dominated cycling for years, winning the Tour De France the first six times in the decade, and seven dating back to 1999. What may have been more remarkable about the streak was that he is a cancer survivor.

5) Boston Red Sox end curse of the Babe
Because the Red Sox were so close for so many years, it almost appeared as though the curse of the Babe would never be broken. But the rival Yankees set a perfect stage for a remarkable turnaround, blowing a 3-0 ALCS lead to the division rivals.

4) Usain Bolt breaks sprinting world records
Perhaps no one dominates their sport the way Jamaican Usain Bolt dominates sprinting. In Beijing in 2008, he won three golds and set three world records in the 100, 200 and 4×100. A year later, he would break his own 100 and 200 records.

3) Michael Phelps rakes in the gold
In the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Phelps took six gold medals and two bronze medals – an incredible feat for a 19-year-old. In Beijing in 2008, he was even more remarkable, breaking Mark Spitz’ record by winning eight golds.

2) Diamondbacks beat Yankees in 2001 World Series
The Yankees tugged on America’s heartstrings in the first sports championship post-9/11. New York, for the first time, were the good guys. But after Pettitte got rocked and Rivera blew game seven, it was the cardiac ‘Backs who prevailed.

1) Steroids forever change baseball
Nothing has changed the landscape of sports more than the recent steroid saga. Players, records, teams and championships will forever have asterisks next to them thanks to the likes of McGwire, Sosa, Bonds, Palmeiro, Clemens and Rodriguez.

Bonus – What we didn’t see this decade:
- Triple Crown winner in horse racing
- Triple Crown winner in Major League Baseball
- Cubs winning the World Series
- True Grand Slam in golf
- Eagles winning the Super Bowl

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Categories : Sports

Xavier shafted by timekeeper, officials

21 12 2009

Every week in sports seems to provide some type of controversy. For the most part, referees and umpires do a great job. They get 98 percent of all calls right, yet fans love to harass them for everything they think the men (and women) in stripes get wrong. Truth is, referees and umpires do a far better job than anyone complaining about them could ever do. This is why I never argue with officials, and why I hate those who do. Coaches, players and fans who yell at the refs look like idiots. And yes, they are usually always wrong, yet the argue anyway.

However, there are select few instances when a blown call cannot be ignored. One such occurence happened over the weekend in a very important game between Butler and Xavier. If you missed it, you can check out the final six minutes by viewing the video below.

A judgment call, such as a foul or who touched the ball last before it went out of bounds, should never be argued by coaches or players. It’s a judgment call that the refs saw a certain way. But there are other calls, such as a shot clock violation or 10 second violation, that the referees should never miss because they have the help of an automated clock.

Butler, down by a point, tracked down a loose ball in the backcourt. The clock operator, thinking it may be a backcourt call, stopped the clock with 14.7 seconds left, then restarted it after realizing that the whistle didn’t blow. First of all, that person should be fired for causing this whole drama in the first place. You have one job – start the clock on the official’s signal and stop it on a whistle. You don’t even need a high school education to do that, just a set of ears and eyes.

Anyway, that pause allowed Butler extra time to dribble back the other way and set the stage for a dramatic finish that saw Willie Veasley rebound his own miss and set up Matt Howard for a layup with 1.2 seconds left. It was only after the layup did the clock operator point out the “malfunction.” The referees went back and reviewed it, and somehow determined that the clock had stopped for 1.2-1.7 seconds. How they came to that conclusion I have no idea, but Xavier got shafted.

I’m trying to figure this out, and I simply cannot. Before I proceed with my logic, I beg you to ignore Bob Knight’s analysis of the situation in the video. He is absolutely clueless. Not only is he the worst color commentator in college basketball history, but he obviously has no sense of time. He said the clock stopped for “a fraction of a second.” Not even close actually. The clock stopped for at least one second, but probably closer to two.

The referees determined that it had stopped long enough not to reward Xavier with any extra time, yet not long enough to disallow Howard’s shot. That’s a pretty tight window considering it took only .5 seconds for him to release the ball and make it.

The more I watch it, the more I think Howard’s shot would not have counted. But if the refs had made that ruling, there would have been a bigger uproar. Veasley would have argued that he would have shot the ball off the rebound if he had known there was less time than what the clock showed. Although, that play should have never happened because Veasley actually should have been called for traveling before the pass to Howard. His right knee was on the floor when he gained possession of the ball, and he picked it up before the pass. Again, that’s a judgment call, so I won’t complain.

But I will complain about the officials denying Xavier an opportunity to win the game. When you’re a mid-major school, you only have so many opportunities to prove yourself out of conference. Xavier’s loss to Butler means more than Ohio State’s loss to Butler because unlike the Musketeers, the Buckeyes play a bundle of NCAA tournament teams in January and February.

So why even review that play? I wonder how many games decided by one possession there have been in NCAA history that have included a clock error. Come to think of it, I think the clock stopped for a second or two early in the first half of Kansas’ victory over Memphis for the championship in 2008. How unjust would it have been to go back and review that, and decide to take away Mario Chalmers’ game tying three as a result? Okay, so there was no clock error in that game, but you see my point right?

Nobody from Butler would have complained if the refs decided not to review it because nobody even noticed that it happened. I didn’t. You didn’t when you watched it in real-time.

But Xavier sure noticed when they found out they were beat by the buzzer…and the referees.

Comments : 8 Comments »
Tags: Bob Knight, Butler Bulldogs, Kansas, Mario Chalmers, Matt Howard, Memphis, Ohio State Buckeyes, Willie Veasley, Xavier Musketeers
Categories : Sports

Five must-see bowls, five snoozers

8 12 2009

The 2009-2010 bowl season is sure to produce some interesting storylines, even if the games may not be great. In the Sugar Bowl, a top five offense will clash with a top five defense. In Dallas, a Cotton Bowl matchup features two teams with explosive offenses who both have to feel disappointed to be in that game. The day after Christmas, USC will play a bowl game. Six days later, Bobby Bowden will coach his final game, against his former team. Three days after that, two non-BCS schools will meet in a BCS bowl.

Here, I give you five bowls to watch even if it means skipping work or family reunions, and five bowls with which you can hit the snooze button.

Sleep through…

5) Chick-fil-A Bowl: When Virginia Tech meets Tennessee on New Year’s Eve, things will get ugly. The Hokies have to consider this season a disappointment, yet they have a chance for another 10-win season under Frank Beamer. The Hokie defense will make life miserable for a vanilla Tennessee offense and should win comfortably. Alternative suggestion: start your New Year’s Eve plans early.

4) Fiesta Bowl: Is the BCS really this scared? Two of the past three years, a BCS buster has knocked off a powerhouse. So logically, the BCS puts its two undefeated busters up against each other as to not ruin this system by having another Oklahoma or Alabama fall in the spotlight. I thought the point of these teams making it to a BCS game was to see how they matched up with BCS schools. Now we’ll never know. Alternative suggestion: rewind time and put TCU up against Georgia Tech and Iowa against Boise State.

3) Texas Bowl: Navy still has one more game to play, meaning they lose two weeks of preparation on Missouri, whom they will play on New Year’s Eve in Houston. Not only that, but Navy can’t throw the ball. In fact, they won a game this year in which they didn’t even attempt a pass. If they try to run, Missouri will stuff it (12th in the nation against the run). If they try to throw, they will be out of their element. On the other side, the Tigers have scored at least 32 points in five straight games. It won’t be close. Alternative suggestion: see Chick-fil-A Bowl suggestion.

2) Gator Bowl: That’s really nice of the Gator Bowl to invite Bobby Bowden to play his last game there. So cute. Too bad the whole nation will be watching a different 1 p.m. New Year’s Day bowl instead. Bowden and Florida State do not belong in this game after a .500 finish. Not only that, but they are going up against a talented West Virginia team which ended the season with wins over Pitt and Rutgers, and a near shocker in Cincinnati. The ‘Noles don’t have a defense, and West Virginia will exploit that early and often. Alternative suggestion: watch ABC (see below for why).

1) Emerald Bowl: Yes, the most boring yet comedic thing to watch will be Boston College trying to move the ball on USC’s defense. Despite the Trojans’ struggles this season, the defense has been relatively stable against bad offenses, and Boston College’s is ranked 97th in the country. Give Pete Carroll a month to prepare for anyone, and they’re in trouble. The Eagles don’t have a chance, especially in San Francisco. Alternative suggestion: leave one Christmas present unopened so you have something to look forward to the next day.

Must-see games

5) Holiday Bowl: What a dandy this will be. Heisman candidate Ndamukong Suh and the ninth ranked Nebraska defense faces a top 20 defense in Arizona. Normally I like Nebraska in this game, but the game being in San Diego neutralizes things. Arizona is riding high after winning at USC, and Nebraska is feeling good about their “win” against Texas. Double digits may be enough to win this game.

4) Rose Bowl: The best BCS matchup features the perennial Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes and…someone other than USC. This alone makes it a must watch, but considering it’s the Ducks, a team that got white-hot after an opening night loss to Boise State, it should be a classic. Terrelle Pryor and Jeremiah Masoli should set off plenty of fireworks.

3) Las Vegas Bowl: It’s amazing that a team can go from playing on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl to playing in a bowl on Dec. 22. But that’s exactly what happened to the Oregon State Beavers after a heartbreaking loss in Eugene Thursday night. In comes BYU, a team with lofty expectations before being trampled at home by Florida State, then TCU. And if there’s anyone who can take apart the Beavers, it’s underrated senior quarterback Max Hall, who is ahead of Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow and Kellen Moore in passing yards per game despite fewer passing attempts. Buckle up for an offensive explosion.

2) Poinsettia Bowl: Ironically, last year’s Poinsettia Bowl featured Boise State and TCU, with a final scored of 17-16. This year the San Diego bowl game should be equally entertaining. Two teams ranked in the preseason top 25 meet, and this will be about Utah’s defense trying to stop California’s Jahvid Best, who will be returning from a concussion suffered last month. Both teams are out to prove that early season losses were a fluke.

1) Capital One Bowl: The best bowl game of the season takes place in Orlando on New Year’s Day. LSU will face Penn State, and if you recall, things were looking up for these teams in November. Penn State had Ohio State coming to Happy Valley for the conference championship, while LSU actually held a lead on Alabama. Neither team came through though, and wind up here instead. The key to this game is LSU’s defense. They must hold Penn State down, because the Tiger offense, ranked #108 in the country, won’t have a lot of opportunities against Penn State’s eighth ranked defense.

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Tags: ABC, Alabama, Arizona, BCS, Big Ten, Bobby Bowden, Boise State, BYU, California, Capital One Bowl, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Christmas, Cincinnati, Colt McCoy, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Dnamukong Suh, Emerald Bowl, Eugene, Fiesta Bowl, Florida State, Frank Beamer, Gator Bowl, Georgia Tech, Happy Valley, Iowa, Jahvid Best, Jeremiah Masoli, Kellen Moore, Las Vegas Bowl, LSU Tigers, Max Hall, Missouri Tigers, Navy, Nebraska, New Year's Day, New Year's Eve, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma, Oregon Ducks, Oregon State Beavers, Orlando, Penn State, Pete Carroll, Pittsburgh, Poinsettia Bowl, Rose Bowl, Rutgers, San Diego, San Francisco, Sugar Bowl, TCU, Tennessee, Terrelle Pryor, Texas, Texas Bowl, Tim Tebow, USc Trojans, Utah, Virginia Tech Hokies, West Virginia
Categories : Sports

Staff favors Heels over Bucks

14 11 2009

The first big showdown of the season takes place Thursday when the defending champion Tar Heels head to New York for a showdown with the Buckeyes. And while most of my staff took North Carolina, I’m going with Ohio State. More specifically, I’m going with Evan Turner. In two games, Turner has 38 points, 34 rebounds and 14 assists. Keep in mind this is a guy who is switching to point guard this year. When your point guard is averaging 17 rebounds per game, you know you have a unique player. Turner has sparkled so far. North Carolina is still rebuilding from the losses of Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson. It should be a great game in the Garden.

Basketball picks

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Tags: Evan Turner, Madison Square Garden, New York, North Carolina Tar Heels, Ohio State Buckeyes, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington
Categories : Sports

Football rankings and bowl projections

10 11 2009

There goes Iowa. One week after I touted the Big Ten cinderella story, they lose their trap game to Northwestern. The Hawkeyes can’t play for a national championship now, and will likely lose out on a BCS game after Ohio State punishes them this week. Hawkeye fans can say it was because Ricky Stanzi got hurt. I can fire back by saying he’s played mediocre at best this year. Northwestern was able to stop an offense not known for its quarterback play, so how big a loss was Stanzi? The point is, Iowa is now in a must-win situation against Ohio State in Columbus if they want a BCS game. Otherwise it’s likely back to the Outback Bowl for the Hawkeyes.

Speaking of bowls, it’s time for me to make my first BCS bowl projections, so that will follow my rankings.

1) Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) – Every week they seem like they play a big game, and every week they win. The schedule has been brutal, yet they are unbeaten. They outgained LSU by 199 yards and had 11 more first downs.

2) Florida Gators (9-0) – It’s official. With their wins this weekend, the Gators and Tide have secured trips to the SEC championship game. Florida did it with their usual defense, holding Vanderbilt to under 200 yards of total offense.

3) Texas Longhorns (9-0) – The past few weeks, the Longhorns have looked more like themselves, holding their past three opponents to a combined 17 points. The offense is revamped, and Jordan Shipley was simply amazing against UCF.

4) Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) – Is there a quarterback controversy in Cincinnati? Because there should be. Since Tony Pike’s injury, backup Zach Corallos is 79-89 with 1,100 and eight touchdown passes. West Virginia is next.

5) Boise State Broncos (9-0) - The Broncos aren’t impressing the BCS with their margins of victory, and it happened to them again Tuesday. With the rise of TCU, Ohio State, Georgia Tech and USC, Boise may not see a BCS game without help.

6) TCU Horned Frogs (9-0) – Here’s another team with a lot to prove over the past few weeks, and boy have they stepped up. They’ve won their past four games by scores of 38, 31, 41 and 43 points. They are getting closer to Boise every week.

7) Iowa Hawkeyes (9-1) – The Northwestern loss was bad, but this team still has nine wins with two games to go and can earn a Rose Bowl date against Oregon with a win over the Buckeyes in Columbus. But the last time that happened? 1959.

8) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-1) – Surprisingly, it’s Georgia Tech, not Miami or Virginia Tech, that has taken control of a competitive Coastal division. The Jackets needed overtime to knock off Wake Forest despite 412 rushing yards.

9) Pittsburgh Panthers (8-1) – This may be the quietest team in the nation. But Pitt is 8-1, 5-0 in the Big East and have their eyes on an Orange Bowl berth. Two tough games stand between them and the showdown with Cincinnati on Dec. 5.

10) Houston Cougars (8-1) – It’s hard to talk about the Cougars without bringing up Case Keenum. He already has more than 3,800 yards to go with his 28 touchdown passes. And his team is 8-1. He’s got my vote for Heisman.

11) LSU Tigers (7-2) – LSU’s two losses are to Florida and Alabama, so how far can they really drop? They put up a good fight against both teams, but didn’t have the offense to make the plays at the end to win either game.

12) Oregon Ducks (7-2) – Well on their way to the Rose Bowl, Oregon stumbled back into the Pac 10. We’ve seen this before. A team beats USC, then stumbles, allowing the Trojans to win the conference. See 2008. Or 2007.

13) Miami Hurricanes (7-2) – The ‘Canes are this high because of the wins against Oklahoma and Georgia Tech, even if the Virginia Tech loss looks worse now. A contending Virginia team came into Coral Gables and got embarrassed by 35.

14) USC Trojans (7-2) – Pete Carroll’s defense gave up 27 against Notre Dame, 36 against Oregon State and 47 against Oregon. When the defense does play well, as it did against Arizona State the offense doesn’t show up. They’re inconsistent.

15) Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) – Amazingly, this team is once again in the driver’s seat for a conference title. The Iowa loss didn’t matter, but a huge win in Happy Valley sure did. The Buckeyes racked up 228 rushing yards in the win.

16) Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2) – Penn State’s two losses have come to Ohio State and Iowa, and they didn’t play Wisconsin this year. That means their best win is at Northwestern. Their offense looks lost when they play good defenses.

17) Utah Utes (8-1) – After an early season loss to Oregon, Utah has battled their way back by beating up on the bottom of the Mountain West. Now they take their 5-0 conference record to Fort Worth, where an upset gives them the conference.

18) Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2) - I can’t get behind a team that gave up 45 and 41 points to the only two ranked teams they’ve played all season. It’s pretty sad that Dez Bryant is still the second leading receiver on this team.

19) Arizona Wildcats (6-2) – Guess who can go to the Rose Bowl by winning its next four games? Yep. Arizona is a half game back in the Pac 10. To win four straight though, the ‘Cats need wins at Cal, against Oregon, at Arizona State and at USC.

20) Wisconsin Badgers (7-2) – Living on the edge is working this year for Wisconsin. Five of their seven wins have come by one possession, and their two losses came to the teams playing for the conference championship Saturday.

21) South Florida Bulls (6-2) - The Bulls have two losses – to Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Other than that they are 6-0. B.J. Daniels and Moise Plancher are combining to average more than five yards per carry. They go to Rutgers Thursday.

22) West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) - West Virginia has shown signs that they are a good team, but haven’t played consistent enough. To win the Big East they’ll need November wins over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, starting Friday in Ohio.

23) BYU Cougars (7-2) – BYU bounced back from a tough loss to TCU with a 52-0 smacking of Wyoming. Max Hall threw four touchdown passes for the Cougars, who now need a win over Utah and some help to claim the Mountain West.

24) Auburn Tigers (7-3) – Give credit to Gene Chizik for coming in and turning this program around. In his first year, he has knocked off West Virginia, Mississippi and Tennessee. Two tough games remain with Georgia and Alabama left.

25) Stanford Cardinal (6-3) – Stanford had a great win over a red-hot Oregon team Saturday. They racked up more than 500 yards of offense and put up 51 on the Ducks. They go to USC Saturday, and we all remember how the last trip there went.

BCS Bowl Projections

Rose Bowl – Oregon vs Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl – Boise State vs TCU
Orange Bowl – Georgia Tech vs Pittsburgh
Sugar Bowl – Alabama vs USC
National Championship – Florida vs Texas

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Tags: BCS, Oklahoma, Georgia, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Cincinnati Bearcats, Big East, BYU Cougars, Oregon Ducks, Boise State Broncos, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Sugar Bowl, Dez Bryant, Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC, Orange Bowl, Miami Hurricanes, Utah Utes, Rose Bowl, Heisman, Florida Gators, Texas Longhorns, USc Trojans, Penn State Nittany Lions, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers, TCU Horned Frogs, Rutgers, Pittsburgh Panthers, Tennessee, Wyoming, Houston Cougars, Tony Pike, Oregon State, Max Hall, Coral Gables, Pac 10, Happy Valley, Auburn Tigers, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Ohio, Iowa Hawkeyes, Case Keenum, Gene Chizik, Wisconsin Badgers, South Florida Bulls, B.J. Daniels, Moise Plancher, Columbus, Big Ten, West Virginia Mountaineers, Fort Worth, Ricky Stanzi, Outback Bowl, Jordajn Shipley, UCF, Zach Corallos, Mounatin West, Arizona Wildcats, Cal, Stanford Cardinal, Fiesta Bowl, National Championship
Categories : Uncategorized

College football rankings – Oct. 26

26 10 2009

Longhorn fans, hate me all you want. Your team is now #4 in the most prestigious rankings in the country. This despite a 34 point blowout road win. Gator fans, hate me all you want. Your team is still #2, despite Alabama’s near collapse against the Vols. Bronco fans, hate me now. Your team is #6, despite a blowout win on the island. Yes, my rankings may make your head scratch and your forehead wrinkle. But there’s justification here. Boise State hasn’t played anybody, prompting Iowa to jump them. Alabama has still played better teams than Florida. And I’ll explain the Texas setback in a blog post tomorrow, for it is the one that could mean the most come Dec. 6.

1) Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) – I picked the Vols to win, and they probably should have. But they didn’t. Alabama’s defense was stiff enough in another quality win. They get a bye week to prepare for LSU’s trip to Tuscaloosa.

2) Florida Gators (7-0) – Something is off with the offense. Playing a relatively weak SEC schedule, they have broken 30 just once in five conference games. Red zone offense has been a problem. In 35 trips, they have only 16 touchdowns.

3) Iowa Hawkeyes (8-0) – The Hawkeyes are 8-0 for the first time ever after beating a hot Michigan State team in East Lansing. It’s not pretty, but this team finds ways to win. The offense, ranked #87 in the country, needs to play better.

4) Texas Longhorns (7-0) – Colt McCoy is closing in on the all time FBS wins record after an impressive 41-7 win against Missouri. It’s Texas’ first well-played game in the conference, and it comes just in time. They go to Stillwater next.

5) Cincinnati Bearcats (7-0) – Can we still say Cincinnati is flying under the radar? They are blowing teams out while making their best case for a title shot. After Syracuse, things get tough with games against UConn, West Virginia and Pitt.

6) Boise State Broncos (7-0) – If the Broncos want any prayer of playing for a national championship, they’ll need four teams ahead of them on this list to lose. They are winning by similar margins against much worse teams – simple as that.

7) LSU Tigers (6-1) – LSU came off the bye week by throttling Auburn. Their only loss is Florida, and they’ve allowed 20+ points just twice. They go to Alabama in two weeks and can still control their own destiny to a conference championship.

8) Oregon Ducks (6-1) – The Ducks continue to roll. Jeremiah Masoli came back this week to throw for 157 yards and a touchdown, and added two rushing touchdowns too. If they beat USC Saturday, The Trojans will miss a BCS game.

9) Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1) – Hammering Michigan by 25 in the Big House will get you back on track. Penn State’s defense is the reason they are beating teams up. They are #3 in the nation, allowing just 240 yards per game.

10) TCU Horned Frogs (7-0) – The Horned Frogs’ four biggest wins have come on the road. After blowing out BYU in Provo, TCU should finish 12-0. Will the BCS take both them and an undefeated Boise State team?

11) Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-1) – The Texas A&M win looks better after A&M blew out Texas Tech in Lubbock, but otherwise it hasn’t been much of a schedule for the Cowboys. A win this week puts them in control of the south.

12) USC Trojans (6-1) - Maybe my expectations are too high for this team, but I just don’t think one possession wins are good enough against the Pac 10. Matt Barkley’s two interceptions are concerning, as is the defense all of a sudden.

13) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-1) – Virginia was the only remaining unbeaten in the ACC until Georgia Tech crushed them. With the Miami loss, the Yellow Jackets are now in line to win the Coastal if they can beat Wake and Duke.

14) Houston Cougars (6-1) – It’s time to start seriously considering Case Keenum for Heisman. He leads the nation in total offense, completions per game, passing yards per game and is second in touchdown passes.

15) Pittsburgh Panthers (7-1) – A solid win over South Florida topped with a lot of one loss teams going down bumps Pitt up to 15. They now enter a stretch in which they play just two games in 33 days. The showdown with Cincy is Dec. 5.

16) Virginia Tech Hokies (5-2) – The Hokies still have that bitter taste in their mouths from the Georgia Tech loss, but can still win the ACC with some help. Ryan Williams averages six yards per carry and has 10 touchdowns already.

17) Miami Hurricanes (5-2) – The ‘Canes just couldn’t shake Clemson, and eventually lost the game in overtime. An uncharacteristic defense gave up 410 yards, and Jacory Harris threw three interceptions for Miami.

18) Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2) – Terrelle Pryor needed a huge game after the Purdue meltdown, and he delivered. Pryor went 13-25 for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 104 yards and a score in the win over Minnesota.

19) West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1) - The Mountaineers are quietly playing well since the Auburn loss and are undefeated in the Big East. They still have Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Rutgers, but first is a trip to South Florida.

20) Utah Utes (6-1) – Here’s a team that has lost to the only good team it has played, yet sits at #19 at 6-1. Utah is doing all the right things to win, as they showed in overtime against Air Force. They still go to Provo and Fort Worth.

21) South Carolina Gamecocks (6-2) – Steve Spurrier is eking out wins, but he’ll tell you that against the SEC, winning is all that matters. They outgained Vanderbilt by 158 yards and were turnover-free, yet needed a late TD to hold on.

22) BYU Cougars (6-2) – I don’t think anyone saw that coming. BYU failed to show up against TCU, leaving them all but out of the Mountain West championship hunt. Five TCU players scored in a game that was over after the first quarter.

23) Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) – Despite not having won since Oct. 3, the Badgers are back in the rankings after a few two loss teams fell this week. For Wisconsin, 10-2 is a legitimate possibility, although this season, who knows?

24) Kansas Jayhawks (5-2) – Two weeks ago they looked like they could challenge for a BCS game. Now they’re thinking bowl eligibility and maybe a north title after OU blows them out. Kansas fans should be looking toward basketball.

25) Central Michigan (7-1) – Why not? Butch Jones has the Chippewas at 7-1 going into the showdown at Boston College. They have a win at Michigan State and played Arizona tough in the desert. They’ve also won seven in a row.

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Tags: ACC, Air Force, Alabama Crimson Tide, Arizona, Auburn, Big House, Boise State Broncos, Boston College, Butch Jones, BYU Cougars, Case Keenum, Central Michigan Chippewas, Cincinnati Bearcats, Clemson, Colt McCoy, Duke, East Lansing, FBS, Florida Gators, Fort Worth, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Heisman, Houston Cougars, Iowa Hawkeyes, Jacory Harris, Jeremiah Masoli, Kansas Jayhawks, LSU Tigers, Lubbock, Matt Markley, Miami Hurricanes, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Mountain West, Ohio State Buckeyes, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Oregon Ducks, OU, Pac 10, Penn State Nittany Lions, Pittsburgh Panthers, Provo, Purdue, Rutgers, Ryan Williams, SEC, South Carolina Gamecocks, South Florida, Steve Spurrier, Stillwater, Syracuse, TCU Horned Frogs, Terrelle Pryor, Texas A&M, Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech, Tuscaloosa, UConn, USc Trojans, Utah Utes, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech Hokies, Vols, Wake, West Virginia Mountaineers, Wisconsin Badgers
Categories : Sports

Jaryd Wilson

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Staff favors Heels over Bucks

Football rankings and bowl projections

College football rankings – Oct. 26

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