Best way to relive some of last night's best plays, whether it was a dunk or Onions in the bank, is to see the video...
Let's start with Kansas, who barely escaped Iowa State at home, in overtime (97-89). The Jayhawks were down three in the final seconds, when Ben McLemore hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game. Chaos commences at the Phog.
McLemore finished the game 6-6 from 3, and 10-12 from the field, ending with 33 points. Kansas escaped this one and narrowly defeated Temple at home over the weekend. On the other side, The Mayor, Fred Hoiberg, will second guess his strategy not to foul Kansas, when his Cyclones held a 3 point lead under 5 seconds. The #foulordefend debate is a good on. Check out the hashtag on twitter.
Our old friends down in Morgantown, WV had a big road test last night in the Big 12. At Texas, the Mountaineers led by 3 with just five seconds left. They chose not to foul. Any guesses what happened next? From the corner....
Luckily, WVU ended up winning the game in overtime 57-53, which could have saved their season. A nice road win in conference to hopefully get Huggins' crew back on track.
In the Big Ten, it took only 3 minutes and change for Brandon Paul of Illinois to put Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe on a poster.
Mbakwe and the 8th ranked Gophers had the last laugh though, winning 84-67.
Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State got his Dunk Contest resume tape ready last night, going a little Tracy McGrady, off the backboard to himself.
Other games of note in the Big East: Syracuse got a road win at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, beating Providence 72-66. The Orange rallied from a 9 point first half deficit. Rutgers, who is 2-1 after Daily Onions wrote about Mike Rice, got a nice road win over St. John's, while Villanova won its 7th straight game with a victory at South Florida. Nova heads to the Dome on Saturday to square of with Syracuse, and Daily Onions will be there.
Showing posts with label San Diego State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label San Diego State. Show all posts
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Friday, October 5, 2012
Return of the Onions
What happens when you are on an airplane for four and half hours, need a break from doing your "real" job (thank you wifi on Southwest!), and start seeing some tweets about college basketball media day? You rededicate yourself to your college basketball blog, that's what you do!
And then you go and post this song to get it stuck in everyone's head - throwback to high school anyone?
By the way, did you know that the Return of the Mack official video has 8,996,280 views on youtube? I have no bearing on whether or not this is super high or average. As reference, This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan has just over 9 million views, while Thong Song has over 17 mllion views. And that ladies and gentlemen, is how you work The Thong Song into a college basketball blog post.
Now, onto more pertinent information regarding some college hoops. Here are a few stories we are following (not breaking).
Sunk my aircraft carrier? Our beloved Syracuse Orange were set to square off against San Diego State on November 9th on the retired USS Midway aircraft carrier flight deck, which is docked in San Diego. This would be the second straight year a basketball game was being played on a aircraft carrier (last year it was UNC and Michigan State).
As of this morning, it looks like this game is in limbo. Apparently the fan fest, concert, and other tomfoolery around the event are all being canceled because the inability to find a national sponsor. Interesting since the game is just over a month away. I'm sure Ron Burgundy and Champ Kind will have more details as this story breaks.
It would be ironic if the game does get canceled though. Syracuse, who gets a bad rap for not playing outside the state of NY until January most seasons, tries to not only go across the country to play again, but they aren't even playing the game on land. Maybe its just not meant to be. Stay at the Dome, Jimmy B.
Jabari Parker: The top ranked player in high school hoops since LeBron James happens to reside and play in Daily Onions backyard on the south side of Chicago. The Simeon High School (same as Derrick Rose) senior has narrowed down his list to five schools. Unfortunately for those fans of in-state schools, DePaul and Illinois are nowhere to be found. According to ESPN recruiting folks, Simeon coach Robert Smith said DePaul was the toughest school for Jabari to leave off the list. Wonder if Oliver Purnell and company can use that in their recruiting pitch..."We were #6 on Jabari's list!!"
The top 5 for Jabari looks like this (in no particular order): Stanford, Michigan State, Duke, BYU and Florida (no Kentucky, thank goodness...Calipari did get the Harrison twin brothers yesterday though, both ranked in the top 5 of the class of 2013). Parker and his family are Mormons, so that explains BYU. From all accounts, Jabari is a great kid all around, (check out this article on him from Sports Illustrated) including the classroom, to go along with his basketball ability. Would be pretty cool to see him go to a BYU or Stanford. My early prediction that doesn't mean a damn thing, Michigan State. I'm basing this on Tom Izzo make a couple of extra trips to Chicago during the season last year, just to sit court side and make eye contact with Jabari.
Butler heading East: You didn't think we were going to get through our first post of 2012-13 without mentioning Onions favorite Butler and Brad Stevens did you? Well the Dawgs are on their way to the Atlantic 10 this season. Stevens and company were at the Jay-Z Center in Brooklyn today for the conference media day. Butler has some high expectations this season (despite being picked to finish 6th in the league), after missing the NCAA tournament last year. They bring everyone important back except Ronald Nored (graduation) and Chrishawn Hopkins (dismissed from team). They also add 6-6 freshman guard Kellen Dunham (2-time All-State player in Indiana), as well as senior Rotnei Clark, who transferred from Arkansas. Clark is said to be one of the best shooters in the country. As he'll soon find out, the measurements in Hinkle Fieldhouse are the same as his court back at home ("10 feet........15 feet").
Happy Birthday! Shout out to Daily Onions loyal reader, my dad. He's celebrating his birthday today (October 5th) poolside or green-side down in Florida. Appreciate all the support, whether it was while I was on the basketball court, on the blogosphere, or life in general. Enjoy!
And then you go and post this song to get it stuck in everyone's head - throwback to high school anyone?
By the way, did you know that the Return of the Mack official video has 8,996,280 views on youtube? I have no bearing on whether or not this is super high or average. As reference, This is How We Do It by Montell Jordan has just over 9 million views, while Thong Song has over 17 mllion views. And that ladies and gentlemen, is how you work The Thong Song into a college basketball blog post.
Now, onto more pertinent information regarding some college hoops. Here are a few stories we are following (not breaking).
Sunk my aircraft carrier? Our beloved Syracuse Orange were set to square off against San Diego State on November 9th on the retired USS Midway aircraft carrier flight deck, which is docked in San Diego. This would be the second straight year a basketball game was being played on a aircraft carrier (last year it was UNC and Michigan State).
As of this morning, it looks like this game is in limbo. Apparently the fan fest, concert, and other tomfoolery around the event are all being canceled because the inability to find a national sponsor. Interesting since the game is just over a month away. I'm sure Ron Burgundy and Champ Kind will have more details as this story breaks.
It would be ironic if the game does get canceled though. Syracuse, who gets a bad rap for not playing outside the state of NY until January most seasons, tries to not only go across the country to play again, but they aren't even playing the game on land. Maybe its just not meant to be. Stay at the Dome, Jimmy B.
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| SI.com |
The top 5 for Jabari looks like this (in no particular order): Stanford, Michigan State, Duke, BYU and Florida (no Kentucky, thank goodness...Calipari did get the Harrison twin brothers yesterday though, both ranked in the top 5 of the class of 2013). Parker and his family are Mormons, so that explains BYU. From all accounts, Jabari is a great kid all around, (check out this article on him from Sports Illustrated) including the classroom, to go along with his basketball ability. Would be pretty cool to see him go to a BYU or Stanford. My early prediction that doesn't mean a damn thing, Michigan State. I'm basing this on Tom Izzo make a couple of extra trips to Chicago during the season last year, just to sit court side and make eye contact with Jabari.
Butler heading East: You didn't think we were going to get through our first post of 2012-13 without mentioning Onions favorite Butler and Brad Stevens did you? Well the Dawgs are on their way to the Atlantic 10 this season. Stevens and company were at the Jay-Z Center in Brooklyn today for the conference media day. Butler has some high expectations this season (despite being picked to finish 6th in the league), after missing the NCAA tournament last year. They bring everyone important back except Ronald Nored (graduation) and Chrishawn Hopkins (dismissed from team). They also add 6-6 freshman guard Kellen Dunham (2-time All-State player in Indiana), as well as senior Rotnei Clark, who transferred from Arkansas. Clark is said to be one of the best shooters in the country. As he'll soon find out, the measurements in Hinkle Fieldhouse are the same as his court back at home ("10 feet........15 feet").
Happy Birthday! Shout out to Daily Onions loyal reader, my dad. He's celebrating his birthday today (October 5th) poolside or green-side down in Florida. Appreciate all the support, whether it was while I was on the basketball court, on the blogosphere, or life in general. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Day 3 of the Madness: Party Foul
There were eight games on the schedule yesterday and the majority of them did not disappoint. We'll start with the games that weren't as close, and work our way to one of the most bizarre finishes in college basketball tournament history.
Teach Me How To Jimmer: We are betting that there are going to be a lot of babies named Jimmer popping up in about 9 months. The Cougs are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981 after having no problems with Gonzaga, winning 89-67. Jimmer dropped 34, which means he is averaging a healthy 33 ppg so far this tournament. Now the Cougs will face Florida (who took out UCLA 73-65), in New Orleans. Make sure you brush up on that Honor Code boys.
Kentucky Split: The young Wildcats were able to avenge the school's loss to West Virginia in last year's tournament, beating the Mountaineers 71-63. The problem that hurt the 'Eers all year long was true once again on Saturday - no go-to, crunch time scorer. We miss you Da'Sean Butler. The other Kentucky squad still playing wasn't as lucky, as Morehead St.'s season came to an end at the hands of Richmond. The Spiders, the #12 seed in the Southwest, now await the winner of Kansas-Illinois.
Aztecs, Huskies and Badgers, Oh my: The Fighting Dunphies gave #2 San Diego State all they could handle yesterday, as the Aztecs eeked out a 7 point win in double overtime over Temple. SDSU now faces Kemba and the Huskies in the Sweet 16. UConn disposed of fellow Big East member, Cincinnati. SDSU has a slight advantage, as the game will be played in Anaheim. Meanwhile, Bo Ryan isn't quite ready to vacation in South Jersey just yet. His Wisconsin Badgers ended Jacob Pullen's college career, despite the Beard putting up 38 points. Coach Frank Martin's scowl took over the final few seconds of the game, as he didn't look too pleased with a few of his player's non-execution of a final play - that seemed to be NOT drawn up for Pullen.
Doin' the But: On Thursday, Butler won their game with a put back basket by Matt Howard as time expired. On Saturday, as the Bulldogs took on #1 Pitt, it was the final seconds that once again dictated who won the game. In what was one of the most bizarre endings ever, Butler took the lead with 2 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Gilbert Brown was fouled by Shelvin Mack (it was the right call). Brown at the free throw line, shooting 2, down 1, with .9 seconds left. He makes the first. Tie game. The second, clanks off the iron and Howard pulls down the board. For some reason, Pitt's Nasir Robinson fouls (it was the right call) Howard with .2 seconds left. Howard makes the first, misses the second on purpose, Butler is back in the Sweet 16 and Pitt is back to the Steel City early, once again.
Daily Onions, who normally is in the camp of "let them play" when it comes to officiating, completely agrees with both of the calls made at the end of the game. Officials you are off the hook. The way Pitt handled the late game situation is a teachable moment for basketball players and coaches of all ages. With .9 seconds left, and a tie game, why even risk the possibility for a foul on the rebound. I don't have a problem with Jamie Dixon keeping players on the lane, as this gives Brown a more "normal" look at the foul line (if normal exists at this situation in the game). But you need to be 100% clear with your players to not commit a foul on the potential miss (as Gilbert Brown said after the game - all I needed to do was make the 2nd shot and we wouldn't be having this conversation). Robinson also admitted that is was an awful mistake and that he's been playing basketball for way too long to know better than that. Robinson's foul didn't even look accidental, as he clearly grabbed and hung on to Howard's arm. A bizzare mental lapse by Robinson. It's unfortunate that the game had to end under these circumstances. Mack is lucky he is off the hook for his last second mistake. Unfortunately for Brown and Robinson, this one is going to sting for a while.
Teach Me How To Jimmer: We are betting that there are going to be a lot of babies named Jimmer popping up in about 9 months. The Cougs are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1981 after having no problems with Gonzaga, winning 89-67. Jimmer dropped 34, which means he is averaging a healthy 33 ppg so far this tournament. Now the Cougs will face Florida (who took out UCLA 73-65), in New Orleans. Make sure you brush up on that Honor Code boys.
Kentucky Split: The young Wildcats were able to avenge the school's loss to West Virginia in last year's tournament, beating the Mountaineers 71-63. The problem that hurt the 'Eers all year long was true once again on Saturday - no go-to, crunch time scorer. We miss you Da'Sean Butler. The other Kentucky squad still playing wasn't as lucky, as Morehead St.'s season came to an end at the hands of Richmond. The Spiders, the #12 seed in the Southwest, now await the winner of Kansas-Illinois.
Aztecs, Huskies and Badgers, Oh my: The Fighting Dunphies gave #2 San Diego State all they could handle yesterday, as the Aztecs eeked out a 7 point win in double overtime over Temple. SDSU now faces Kemba and the Huskies in the Sweet 16. UConn disposed of fellow Big East member, Cincinnati. SDSU has a slight advantage, as the game will be played in Anaheim. Meanwhile, Bo Ryan isn't quite ready to vacation in South Jersey just yet. His Wisconsin Badgers ended Jacob Pullen's college career, despite the Beard putting up 38 points. Coach Frank Martin's scowl took over the final few seconds of the game, as he didn't look too pleased with a few of his player's non-execution of a final play - that seemed to be NOT drawn up for Pullen.
Doin' the But: On Thursday, Butler won their game with a put back basket by Matt Howard as time expired. On Saturday, as the Bulldogs took on #1 Pitt, it was the final seconds that once again dictated who won the game. In what was one of the most bizarre endings ever, Butler took the lead with 2 seconds left. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Gilbert Brown was fouled by Shelvin Mack (it was the right call). Brown at the free throw line, shooting 2, down 1, with .9 seconds left. He makes the first. Tie game. The second, clanks off the iron and Howard pulls down the board. For some reason, Pitt's Nasir Robinson fouls (it was the right call) Howard with .2 seconds left. Howard makes the first, misses the second on purpose, Butler is back in the Sweet 16 and Pitt is back to the Steel City early, once again.
Daily Onions, who normally is in the camp of "let them play" when it comes to officiating, completely agrees with both of the calls made at the end of the game. Officials you are off the hook. The way Pitt handled the late game situation is a teachable moment for basketball players and coaches of all ages. With .9 seconds left, and a tie game, why even risk the possibility for a foul on the rebound. I don't have a problem with Jamie Dixon keeping players on the lane, as this gives Brown a more "normal" look at the foul line (if normal exists at this situation in the game). But you need to be 100% clear with your players to not commit a foul on the potential miss (as Gilbert Brown said after the game - all I needed to do was make the 2nd shot and we wouldn't be having this conversation). Robinson also admitted that is was an awful mistake and that he's been playing basketball for way too long to know better than that. Robinson's foul didn't even look accidental, as he clearly grabbed and hung on to Howard's arm. A bizzare mental lapse by Robinson. It's unfortunate that the game had to end under these circumstances. Mack is lucky he is off the hook for his last second mistake. Unfortunately for Brown and Robinson, this one is going to sting for a while.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
How It Will Be Won: West Region
We've digested the weaker side of the tournament with the Southwest and Southeast Regions, now we head to the big boy brackets and we'll start with the West.
Like A Box of Chocolates: Cause you never know what ya gonna get, when it comes to teams like Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, with a little side of UConn thrown in there as well. All these teams have shown signs of greatness (Tennessee beat Pitt early in the year; Texas won at Kansas and was in the Top 5 most of the year; Missouri was great at home and awful on the road; UConn won the Big East Tournament with 5 games in 5 days, but struggled in the month of February), but who is to know which ones show up with their season on the line. We like UConn to win a few games, but not sure how long their legs hold up. Texas and Tennessee each win a game, but bow out in Round 2 to Arizona and Duke respectively. We'll lean in favor of the Big East when Cincy takes on Mizzou.
Pennsylvania Pride: How do you like your PA basketball? Heart of Philadelphia Temple style, or Big Ten Penn State style? We'll see which one prevails in this 10-7 match up, but we are picking Temple to advance to face #2 San Diego State. The Owls could give the Aztecs trouble, but we think Temple will be headed back to the City of Brotherly love after Round 2.
Don't I Know You? Thanks to 11 Big East teams getting into the Tournament, there is a chance this bracket could see UConn going up against Cincinnati in Round 2. For those of you scoring at home, the Huskies defended their home court and beat the Bearcats by 8 in late February.
What will happen? Call it chalk, call it boring, call it what you will, but we have #1 Duke playing #5 Arizona, and #2 San Diego State playing #3 UConn in the Sweet 16. As we predicted back in mid-February, Duke will advance to the Final 4, after ending San Diego State's storybook season.
Our next post will breakdown the toughest region of them all, the East. Funny how the Big East is the best conference, and the East is the best region on paper.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
Like A Box of Chocolates: Cause you never know what ya gonna get, when it comes to teams like Tennessee, Texas, Missouri, with a little side of UConn thrown in there as well. All these teams have shown signs of greatness (Tennessee beat Pitt early in the year; Texas won at Kansas and was in the Top 5 most of the year; Missouri was great at home and awful on the road; UConn won the Big East Tournament with 5 games in 5 days, but struggled in the month of February), but who is to know which ones show up with their season on the line. We like UConn to win a few games, but not sure how long their legs hold up. Texas and Tennessee each win a game, but bow out in Round 2 to Arizona and Duke respectively. We'll lean in favor of the Big East when Cincy takes on Mizzou.
Pennsylvania Pride: How do you like your PA basketball? Heart of Philadelphia Temple style, or Big Ten Penn State style? We'll see which one prevails in this 10-7 match up, but we are picking Temple to advance to face #2 San Diego State. The Owls could give the Aztecs trouble, but we think Temple will be headed back to the City of Brotherly love after Round 2.
Don't I Know You? Thanks to 11 Big East teams getting into the Tournament, there is a chance this bracket could see UConn going up against Cincinnati in Round 2. For those of you scoring at home, the Huskies defended their home court and beat the Bearcats by 8 in late February.
What will happen? Call it chalk, call it boring, call it what you will, but we have #1 Duke playing #5 Arizona, and #2 San Diego State playing #3 UConn in the Sweet 16. As we predicted back in mid-February, Duke will advance to the Final 4, after ending San Diego State's storybook season.
Our next post will breakdown the toughest region of them all, the East. Funny how the Big East is the best conference, and the East is the best region on paper.
Now that you've seen our picks for region, show us YOUR onions. Send us an email (jrsacks22@gmail.com) with your Elite 8, Final 4 and Championship game (winner) picks, or post them in the comments section!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Gimme Jimmer
Jimmer mania is sweeping the college basketball nation. Daily Onions has only seen his highlights on Sportscenter, so we were pumped to watch the #9 BYU Jimmers host still unbeaten #4 San Diego State. In honor of the joyous occasion, which was being shown on CBS College Sports Network, I decided to keep a running diary of all the action - to help those of you that don't get CBSCSN, or those of you that fall asleep before 10 pm EST/9 pm CST (usually me). This post is inspired by the numerous running diaries by the Sports Guy, Bill Simmons that we've all enjoyed reading over the years. Here it goes (time listed is the time left in the half/game):
11:25 Brandon Davies scores again for BYU. Has 8 of their 13. Thinks the 24 NBA Scouts in attendance are there for him.
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| I am Jimmer, see me score. |
Ted Robinson and Steve Lappas on the call tonight for CBSCSN. Lappas doesn’t know he has a microphone and is yelling uncontrollably.
18:50 Jimmer misses his first shot, a runner in the lane.
18:37 SDSU's D.J Gay fouled on a 3 pointer. Lappas discusses why you need to get out on shooters – “When a guys is on that kind of fire….you need to close out on him" Never knew there was more than one kind of fire.
18:20 2 on 1 break for BYU – Jimmer keeps it ans is on the board with a layup….
17:55 Jimmer drives to the lane, gets blocked. SDSU didn't get memo that you are NOT allowed to block Jimmer like that…
Nothing important happens in the game, so I realize that Lappas's Bronx accent is out of control. He sounds like he is announcing a boxing match and yelling everytime Robinson stops talking. No way he lasts the entire game at this pace.
14:08 Our first TV timeout, SDSU up 8-6. During the break, I Google Lappas 30 tweets pop up asking why Lappas is yelling so much.
12:15 Jimmer hits his first three pointer. 12-11 SDSU leads.
10:14 SDSU calls timeout with the score tied at 15. Very quick pace thus far. Jimmer has 5 points.
9:50 Jimmer threads the needle on a ¾ court pass…teammate blows the layup. Jimmer decides he won't pass the ball again.
8:58 Jimmer drives, takes on contact from big man and gets the layup. Has 7 of BYU's 17 points. That drive reminded me of seeing Jameer Nelson(St. Joseph's) at MSG against Gonzaga back in 2003 (the same night my roommate fell in love with Alabama's Chuck Davis). Jimmer says he compares himself to Deron Williams (strength) and Mark Price (shooter/PG)
8:08 Shotclock down to 8, Jimmer hits a 17 ft pull up jumper on the baseline. Has 9 of BYU's 19 points
7:21 Official timeout. Actually the under 12, score tied at 19. Out of the timeout, Jimmer not on the floor, 70 percent of audience changes channel.
6:44 Under 8 timeout. I’m going to be pissed if Jimmer is on the court when the game returns
6:43 Jimmer returns. Then proceeds to jump in the air with nowhere to go and turns it over. Bad Jimmer.
5:14 ANOTHER Foul called. That's 2 fouls in the last 2 minutes. There were 2 fouls in the first 13 minutes. Clean it up guys, you are cutting into Jimmer time.
5:10 Steve Lappas makes a "chopped liver" reference.
4:41 Jimmer pumps, takes a dribble and nails a 3…has 12 of 22….on the way back down court tells Lappas to stop talking
3:34 Someone just fouled Jimmer, which takes us to under 4 timeout. SDSU leads 24-22 SDSU.
3:12 My first holy sh*t, Jimmer is the man moment. Nasty crossover and drains the three. Has 15 of 25 BYU points.
2:35 Jimmer drives, pulls up..cash 17 points.
1:50 Jimmer drives, draws foul. Makes 1 of 2, BYU is up 28-26. Jimmer has 18.
1:25 Jimmer with the blow by and the layup. 30-26 BYU. Jimmer with 20 points.
:05 SDSU's Kawhi Leonard, who has the flu, drains a three to put SDSU up 31-30 at the half. Jimmer scored the final 15 for BYU, has 20 of team's 30 points.
State of the Onions Address
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| (From L-R) Raftery, Daily Onions, Johnson |
Today I want to begin by congratulating the men of THE Ohio State University basketball team, as well as your stud freshman Jared Sullinger, for remaining undefeated with a dominating performance over Purdue last night. You truly showed us that you deserve to be ranked number 1 at this point in the season.
It's no secret that those of us reading this today are disappointed in Syracuse's performance last night. The debates over whether or not the Cuse is overrated have been contentious; Daily Onions has fought fiercely for our beliefs that Syracuse is a top tier team. And that's a good thing. That's what a robust fan base does.
But there's a reason Syracuse's three game losing streak has given us pause. Amid all the noise and passions of what team is the best in the Big East, Seton Hall reminded us that no matter who steps on the court on any given night, if you shoot over 60% from behind the arc, the Syracuse zone is in trouble. If your team comes out and sleepwalks through the first 20 minutes of the game, odds are you won't be victorious. Whether or not the Orange can break out of this funk will be back on display this Saturday in Milwaukee. At that point in time, with backs against the wall, we shall see what kind of resolve Coach Boeheim and his boys have.
At stake right now is not who wins the next game — after all, we have games every night. At stake is whether new teams in the top 5, like San Diego State and previously unknown players like Jimmer, make long runs in this upcoming March Madness. It's whether the hard work of mid-majors like Cleveland State, St. Mary's and Utah State is rewarded. It's whether we sustain the leadership from players that have stayed in school for four years, to make sure their school is not just a place on a map, but a team to be reckoned with come March.
That basketball world has changed. And for many, the change has been painful. Kansas State was once ranked in the top 5, and now they are a few games under .500 in Big 12 play. Michigan State has struggled all season, and just dismissed one of their best players from their team. Two other teams from last year's Final Four aren't even ranked right now. We've heard about this in the frustrations of fans who've seen their wins dwindle or their team pride disappear.
The idea of the college basketball season endures. Our destiny remains those three weeks in March. And today, more than five weeks away from Selection Sunday, it's because of our love for the game of basketball and our favorite teams, that our future is hopeful, our journey of a season goes forward, and the state of Daily Onions is strong.
Thank you. God bless you, and may God bless the next two months of the college basketball season. (Applause.)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Still Perfect After All These Games
We'll return to our regularly scheduled Big E Hoops Weekend preview later, but we couldn't let last night's jam-packed Top 25 slate pass without any comments.
-The big news going into last night's games was that the five remaining unbeaten teams were all in action (#1 Duke, #2 Ohio State, #3 Kansas, #4 Syracuse and #6 San Diego State). Most people thought UNLV over San Diego State or St. Johns over Syracuse would mark one of the undefeated's going down. Instead, it was the top-ranked Blue Devils that fell on the road to Florida State. Big deal? I don't think so. There was no way Duke was going unbeaten this year. A loss on the road in ACC play won't hurt them that much and puts to rest all the hype of a possible undefeated season. Duke is usually always good for a road loss in conference play to a Florida State or a Virginia Tech, etc. In fact, I see the Blue Devils losing another game or two in conference play, even if they are the ONLY ACC team ranked in the Top 25. We all know Duke isn't the same team without Kyrie Irving, but they are still a top 3 team and I'd be surprised if they weren't in Houston come early April (Daily Onions Final Four Projection??). Breathe easy, Dick Vitale, your boys in blue will be just fine.
-With Duke losing, THE Ohio State University will take over the #1 position after their four point win at Michigan. OSU is 4-0 in the Big Ten, but three of those four games have been decided by 5 points or less. The Buckeyes host red-hot Penn State on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are coming off back to back home wins against Michigan State and Illinois. Can they make it three in a row over top 25 teams? In a word, No.
-Kansas was able to hold off the Mayor Fred Hoiberg and his Iowa State Cyclones, 84-79 in Ames. Don't sleep on the Cyclones. Hoiberg has them playing good basketball and while I don't think they'll make the tournament this year, they won't be a cake walk in the Big 12.
-Syracuse does what it does best, wins at Madison Square Garden, beating St. John's, 76-59. For the first time in a long time though, Syracuse has some company from another basketball squad in orange and blue that is playing well at the Garden (Knicks are 22-16, currently 6th in the Eastern Conference).
-A hundred percent of the time, San Diego State wins every time this season. The Aztecs kept its 18 game winning streak alive with a win over UNLV. They now own the longest active win streak in Division 1 basketball (and they ate a whole wheel of cheese). Stay classy, San Diego...State.
More Big E Hoops Weekend news coming later.
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| It's Storm Season in College Basketball, as seen in Tallahassee last night (AP) |
-With Duke losing, THE Ohio State University will take over the #1 position after their four point win at Michigan. OSU is 4-0 in the Big Ten, but three of those four games have been decided by 5 points or less. The Buckeyes host red-hot Penn State on Saturday. The Nittany Lions are coming off back to back home wins against Michigan State and Illinois. Can they make it three in a row over top 25 teams? In a word, No.
-Kansas was able to hold off the Mayor Fred Hoiberg and his Iowa State Cyclones, 84-79 in Ames. Don't sleep on the Cyclones. Hoiberg has them playing good basketball and while I don't think they'll make the tournament this year, they won't be a cake walk in the Big 12.
-Syracuse does what it does best, wins at Madison Square Garden, beating St. John's, 76-59. For the first time in a long time though, Syracuse has some company from another basketball squad in orange and blue that is playing well at the Garden (Knicks are 22-16, currently 6th in the Eastern Conference).
-A hundred percent of the time, San Diego State wins every time this season. The Aztecs kept its 18 game winning streak alive with a win over UNLV. They now own the longest active win streak in Division 1 basketball (and they ate a whole wheel of cheese). Stay classy, San Diego...State.
More Big E Hoops Weekend news coming later.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
You Stay Classy, San Diego.....State
One can only imagine what the coverage would be like if Ron Burgandy and the Channel 4 News Team were covering this year's San Diego State basketball team. San Diego State? Why do we care about San Diego State.
Well, mixed in with the 5 Big East teams and the normal Duke, Ohio State and Kansas, San Diego State is sitting comfortably in the Top 10....in the country. They are ranked 7th. Pretty impressive for a Mountain West Conference team. In fact, I'm not even mad, that's amazing.
The Aztecs best win of the season was game #2, when they beat then 12th ranked Gonzaga by 3. The rest of their wins have been a grab bag of victories over the likes of IUPUI, St. Mary's, San Francisco, etc.
Once the New Year hits, we'll start to learn just how classy the Aztecs really are, as in their first 6 games of January are matchups with Utah, UNLV (who just beat a short-handed Kansas State team), and the BYU Jimmers (for preseason All-American Jimmer Fredette).
What we do know about San Diego State is that they are well coached. Steve Fisher, the same Fisher that won a National Championship at Michigan in 1989, has had the Aztecs in the tournament three times during his tenure. Getting back to the field of 68 (that sounds weird) will be tough though. From the Mountain West Conference, there are four teams (SDSU, BYU, New Mexico and UNLV) that are receiving votes in the polls this week. Notice to all the BCS conference teams....beware of the Mountain Westers that might burst your bubble.
But March is a ways away, so in the meantime, let's just enjoy the Aztecs for now, and tune into Champ Kind's sports report on Channel 4 each night....whammmmmy.
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| I'm sure these guys would be enjoying SDSU's early season success (Anchorman) |
The Aztecs best win of the season was game #2, when they beat then 12th ranked Gonzaga by 3. The rest of their wins have been a grab bag of victories over the likes of IUPUI, St. Mary's, San Francisco, etc.
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| Coach Fisher doin' his thing (Getty) |
What we do know about San Diego State is that they are well coached. Steve Fisher, the same Fisher that won a National Championship at Michigan in 1989, has had the Aztecs in the tournament three times during his tenure. Getting back to the field of 68 (that sounds weird) will be tough though. From the Mountain West Conference, there are four teams (SDSU, BYU, New Mexico and UNLV) that are receiving votes in the polls this week. Notice to all the BCS conference teams....beware of the Mountain Westers that might burst your bubble.
But March is a ways away, so in the meantime, let's just enjoy the Aztecs for now, and tune into Champ Kind's sports report on Channel 4 each night....whammmmmy.
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