February 29, 2012
TOP 10 NBA MVP Hopefuls
February 29, 2012
Sleeper Alert….Indiana Hoosiers
Heading into the season nobody would have imagined the Hoosiers (22-7/9-7) would enjoy at least a .500 season in the Big Ten. A winning season overall, sure. But finishing at least .500 in a very tough conference? Well, that still seemed a year away.
Instead, Indiana has met all its expectations for this season and more thanks to a combination of better maturity, better hunger and, more than anything else, slowly learning to win on the road. The Hoosiers have struggled from inconsistency away from home, but they have used their experience this season to become more competitive in nearly every time out.
IU’s only bad road outings during the Big Ten season game at Ohio State and Iowa in a pair of ugly losses. In both of those games the Hoosiers came out flat and didn’t play like they believed they could win. The Ohio State loss was almost understandable considering how powerful the Buckeyes were at home early in the season, but the Iowa loss was more troubling. Indiana put forth little effort and played like a team that had peaked too soon.
The bottom line is the Hoosiers have a legitimate shot at winning 24 games this season and have earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. By any measure, that’s a successful season for the Hoosiers right now, and the team is hungry for more.
February 28, 2012
Nike needs to …”WAKE UP”!!!!!!!
Sneaker fanatics who lined up outside stores overnight for a first crack at a new outer-space themed Nike basketball shoe have become so unruly in some cities that police have been called to restore order…..More than 100 deputies in riot gear quelled a crowd in Orlando, Fla., where the Friday release of the $220 Foamposite Galaxy coincided with this weekend’s NBA All-Star Game. In at a mall in Hyattsville, Md., one person was arrested for disorderly conduct.
Malls in Florida, New York and Maryland reported bringing in police to manage fans clamoring for the purple and blue shoes, which have star-like flecks of white. Some shoppers lucky enough to get their hands on a pair immediately posted them for sale on eBay at skyrocketing prices: $1,000 and up…..
Nike better wake up and smell the coffee, what they are doing is casuing a frenzy amongst the younger “Shoe Crazed” generation, this is a disaster waiting to happen….I’m all for fashion and staying hip, but at what price….sadly it’s only a matter of time before somebody loses their life …..over a pair of “Limited Edition Shoes“….like Mars Blackmon (Famous Nike Spokesman) would say….WAKE UP!!!!
February 28, 2012
Sleeper Alert….. Marquette
It’s the kind of year for Marquette (24-5/13-3) where the Golden Eagles can go on the road, suspend three of its starters for the first half and its sixth man for the second half, and still win at a place it hadn’t won at before.
Even without Darius Johnson-Odom, Junior Cadougan and Vander Blue for the first 20 minutes, the Golden Eagles still won at West Virginia on Feb. 24 to improve their record to 13-3 in the Big East. Though Syracuse has already locked up the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament, Marquette is in sole possession of second place with two games to play.
And as an added bonus, coach Buzz Williams got to give some players who normally wouldn’t see the court some extended playing time in one of the toughest places to play in the Big East….That extra depth could come in handy in the final week of the regular season. Marquette closes against Cincinnati and Georgetown, two teams fighting for a top-four seed in the conference tournament that each provides their own challenges. Williams is without much size thanks to injuries, and has had to rely on his team’s quickness and tenacity to win.
The Golden Eagles already have the most wins ever in Big East play with 13. If it sweeps its final two games this week, the team will set the school mark for conference wins as well. It enters the week at 13-3 in the league, and went 14-2 in Conference USA in 2002-03.
February 27, 2012
West and Durant Shine 152-149
Kobe, KD and the West looked ready to deliver a quick KO….Kevin Durant knew better.
”With all these great players on the floor, you never know what will happen,” Durant said. ”Guys making big shots, and they cut it down to one. We were up 18.”
Just enough, it turned out, to hold off LeBron James and the East in the NBA All-Star game.
A bloodied Bryant scored 27 points, moving past Michael Jordan as the career scoring leader in the game, Durant had 36 in an MVP performance, and the Western Conference won 152-149 on Sunday night.
James and the East cut a 21-point deficit to one in the closing seconds, but weren’t able to move in front. James had 36 points and fellow Heat star Dwyane Wade finished with a triple-double.
”It was fun,” Durant said. ”That’s the type of All-Star game you want to see.”
Blake Griffin scored 22 points for the West, which rang up 88 points in the first half, setting an All-Star record. But he won the game with his defense, picking off James’ pass when the East had a chance to tie in the final seconds.
”When I tried to throw it late, that’s what usually happens and it results in a turnover,” James said. ”Definitely wish I could have that one back.”
Griffin then hit one free throw with 1.1 seconds left, and Wade was off on a 3-point attempt from the corner. He finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, joining Jordan and James as the only players with All-Star game triple-doubles.
February 27, 2012
Huskies smack Cougars
Tony Wroten scored 21 points and went 9 of 12 from the free throw line as he led Washington over Washington State in true comeback fashion 59-55.
Washington (20-8, 13-3) erased a 45-32 deficit with 11 minutes left in the game to win.
Ultimately, the game came down to free throws. WSU (14-14, 6-10) went 11 of 12 to keep the game tied at 28-all despite shooting 27 percent in the first half.
In the second half, the Cougars shot 6 of 20 from the free throw line, while the Huskies, who only went 2 of 5 in the first half, finished 17 of 24.
The Cougars out-rebounded the Huskies 42-35.
CJ Wilcox finished with 16 points for Washington while Abdul Gaddy finished with 10.
Brock Motum led the Cougars with 17 points and Marcus Capers added 14.
February 27, 2012
O-ooohh…Something Fishy in Oregon????
Oregon has acknowledged in documents that it did not adequately monitor its football program and that it did not follow NCAA regulations relating to recruiting and use of recruiting services
A statement of ”proposed findings of violations” submitted by the NCAA to the Oregon athletic department was obtained Friday in a public records request by several media outlets.
The NCAA has been looking into Oregon’s recruiting practices since questions arose over a 2010 payment of $25,000 to Willie Lyles and his Houston-based recruiting service. The information that Oregon said Lyles provided for the fee was largely outdated.
Oregon has not received a formal Notice of Allegations from the NCAA. The heavily redacted documents released Friday do not include any possible penalties.
February 24, 2012
NBA Friday…All-Star Weekend
FRIDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES
TeamShaq
Blake Griffin, LA Clippers
Jeremy Lin, NY Knicks
Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves
Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns
Kemba Walker, Charlotte Bobcats
Landry Fields, NY Knicks
Norris Cole, Miami Heat
Brandon Knight, Detroit Pistons
Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Greg Monroe, Detroit Pistons
TeamChuck
Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Cavaliers
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings
Derrick Williams, Minnesota Timberwolves
Paul George, Indiana Pacers
MarShon Brooks, NJ Nets
John Wall, Washington Wizards
Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs (out with injury)
Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
February 24, 2012
Sleeper Alert…Temple Owls
TEMPLE OWLS (22-5/11-2)
Steady, under the radar and successful…. the Owls remain atop what’s a pretty deep Atlantic 10, they have defended their home floor and have the experience necessary to win in March. Temple’s early season wins over Wichita St. and a January win over Duke keeps looking better and better, and the Owls are playing well at the right time of the year….A move from the A-10 to the Big East in all sports figures to take Temple’s football and hoops programs to even greater heights. In hoops, Temple’s facilities are first-rate and their coach, Fran Dunphy, is one of the best coaches in the country. His players improve by leaps and bounds every year and if Dunphy is in the Big East, then he should be able to keep some of the city’s best players from escaping to the Main Line to Villanova or to other Big East schools.
