Hold: No mens college basketball team has run the table--the full table of regular season and NCAA Tournament--since Indiana in 1976. As Wichita State continues to chase perfection, one has to wonder if head coach Gregg Marshall feels like his team might be better off losing prior to entering postseason play, very likely as a number one tournament seed. The Shockers' remaining regular season games are against Loyola and Bradley on the road and versus Drake and Missouri State at home before the Missouri Valley postseason conference tournament, March 6-9. As the Shockers continue to win, the chances for an early-round NCAA exit seem to rise.
Buy: The two U.S. Olympic stars thus far who look poised to parlay their success into post-Olympic marketing dollars are T.J. Oshie and Sage Kotsenburg. Oshie's hockey shootout success against Russia will only grow in status should the U.S. survive the knockout rounds and play for the gold. Kotsenburg is full of wide-eyed, "hey dude" wonder that will be a natural for brands hoping to tap into the X-Games audience.
Sell: The alpine skiing events aren't over yet but the U.S. Ski Team misses the marquee power of Lindsey Vonn. Ted Ligety, used in advertising by a couple of Olympic sponsors, has been a disappointment and Bode Miller shockingly failed to medal in the downhill.
Sell: Just how long can Scott Drew continue to coach at Baylor without being considered on the hot seat? For sure, let's give Drew credit for rescuing the program and making it relevant. Let's also call him out for once again failing to deliver on high preseason expectations--his team stands at 4-8 in the conference and has only won three of its last 10 games. Saturday's double-overtime win over Kansas State provided a needed injection of hope but after tomorrow's Big Monday matchup versus Oklahoma State, the Bears must travel to West Virginia and Texas. Baylor will once again end up in the NIT.
Hold: NBC's coverage of the Olympics has been questionable, at best. The peacock's programming took a hit with Bob Costas' ill-timed eye infection and the lack of compelling U.S. storylines. Let's face it--Matt Lauer and Meredith Viera are not the approachable, warm hosts needed for a prime-time event of this magnitude. Further, it seems that NBC has not optimized its cable outlets to complement overall coverage. NBC over-indexes on figure skating coverage, which is made tough-to-handle given the sappy coverage provided by Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Tracy Wilson. Thankfully, Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinsky have been refreshing with their commentary.
Buy: I'm in the midst of reading Seth Davis' new biography about John Wooden and it's terrific. Davis does a terrific job at uncovering the little known and unknown facets of Wooden's life and coaching style. It's a great read for anyone interested in college hoops.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Texas Tech needs to act too
A college athlete pushes a fan in an opposing arena. That newsworthy encounter has dominated Twitter and college sports media over the past 18 hours. And, in this nothing-is-private social media world in which we live, the opposing fan has received his share of public scrutiny, including digging up a YouTube clip that shows his boorish behavior in a past game.
We'll hear from Marcus Smart and his coach, Travis Ford, in a couple of hours. Will we hear from Texas Tech and/or the fan combatant in this story? If so, there's little coming out of Lubbock that would indicate any rush to fair judgment on this so-called "super fan" who spends a lot of time trekking from home in Waco to Lubbock to other venues where his beloved Red Raiders play ball.
It will be a shame if Tech does not, at minimum, conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident and what, if anything, was actually said between the fan and Smart. In no way am I condoning Smart's physical contact with a fan as that has absolutely no place in sports at the college or pro level. Yet, we all have been witness to, and recipients of, fan behavior at games that runs from the boorish to the scary. I never cease to be amazed how some fans feel that their purchase of a game ticket provides them the freedom to say whatever they want, at whatever volume they want, to those seated around them and to the participants on the floor.
The word I keep coming back to for this incident is "sad." It's sad that we're witnessing, in national media, the meltdown of a 19-year old who came back to his school for laudable reasons. It began with the reputation as a flopper to the technical foul in Manhattan, KS to the kicked chair to the petulant behavior. Now, it's this--a push of a fan who didn't deserve the attention and the ensuing ill-advised decision to not escort Smart off the court immediately. Here's hoping that Oklahoma State doles out the appropriate punishment for Smart; that this becomes a time for Smart to accept the punishment, change his behavior and move on; and that Texas Tech quickly follows suit with their own announcement of what they plan to do with the fan, and improved security in their venues.
We'll hear from Marcus Smart and his coach, Travis Ford, in a couple of hours. Will we hear from Texas Tech and/or the fan combatant in this story? If so, there's little coming out of Lubbock that would indicate any rush to fair judgment on this so-called "super fan" who spends a lot of time trekking from home in Waco to Lubbock to other venues where his beloved Red Raiders play ball.
It will be a shame if Tech does not, at minimum, conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of this incident and what, if anything, was actually said between the fan and Smart. In no way am I condoning Smart's physical contact with a fan as that has absolutely no place in sports at the college or pro level. Yet, we all have been witness to, and recipients of, fan behavior at games that runs from the boorish to the scary. I never cease to be amazed how some fans feel that their purchase of a game ticket provides them the freedom to say whatever they want, at whatever volume they want, to those seated around them and to the participants on the floor.
The word I keep coming back to for this incident is "sad." It's sad that we're witnessing, in national media, the meltdown of a 19-year old who came back to his school for laudable reasons. It began with the reputation as a flopper to the technical foul in Manhattan, KS to the kicked chair to the petulant behavior. Now, it's this--a push of a fan who didn't deserve the attention and the ensuing ill-advised decision to not escort Smart off the court immediately. Here's hoping that Oklahoma State doles out the appropriate punishment for Smart; that this becomes a time for Smart to accept the punishment, change his behavior and move on; and that Texas Tech quickly follows suit with their own announcement of what they plan to do with the fan, and improved security in their venues.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Buy, Sell or Hold in the Big 12
We're three games in to the Big 12 basketball conference season and the league leader has a familiar look--Kansas, winner of the past nine straight conference championships. There's plenty of hoops left to be played--15 games to be exact--but KU's victory at Iowa State was even more impressive than a week ago when the Jayhawks won in Norman, OK after laying an egg at home the prior Sunday versus San Diego State. The road doesn't get any easier for Kansas--Oklahoma State and Baylor at home on Saturday and Monday--but a 3-0 start has silenced, for now, the doubters.
So, with one-sixth of the regular season under our belt, let's check in on who we should Buy, Sell or Hold in the Big 12.
Buy: Kansas, of course. The puppies in Lawrence are growing up and appear to be a quick study on what it takes to win now on the road given non-conference road losses at tough gyms in Gainesville, FL and Boulder, CO. Last night's win was not only impressive because it came against the #8 team in the country, but also on a night where Perry Ellis was off offensively. The Jayhawks have many, many weapons and are deep--they can win big and they can win small. The perennial conference champ is definitely a strong "buy" the day after they deflated the so-called "Hilton Magic."
Hold: Iowa State. Conversely, Iowa State has now lost two games in a row and faces a tough road test on Saturday with a trip to Texas. The Cyclones have feasted on opponent mismatches and have ridden conference player-of-the-year candidate DeAndre Kane's playmaking ability and offense. KU exposed ISU's lack of post presence and the consequence of State's reliance upon the three.
Sell: Kansas State. Tonight is a crucial game for Bruce Weber's Wildcats who are coming off a 26 point blow-out loss at Kansas. KSU built a gaudy record, after losing early to Charlotte and Georgetown, but in that 10 game winning streak were no true road games. A win tonight followed by a Saturday win at home against West Virginia will momentarily right the ship but I'm not convinced that this team is a top four squad in the league. Given the toughness of the Big 12, KSU will make the NCAA Tournament but...I'd sell this investment.
Buy: Joel Embiid. The past two opponents have exposed that Embiid's shy nature off the court changes dramatically when on the court. We also saw, last night, the dramatic growth curve of this superb talent--he took over the game in a key second half stretch that included an assist, block/steal, two baskets and altered shots by the opposition, all done while looking like some cross of Wilt, Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon. The guy is special.
Hold: Look for Baylor to be the team solidly in second place to Kansas entering the month of February. The Bears are at Texas Tech on Wednesday, then return home for an important date against Oklahoma. They travel to Lawrence for Big Monday next week and then face Texas and West Virginia, both at home, to close out January. The play of Isaiah Austin has been a disappointment but Cory Jefferson and Brady Heslip are guys who seem like they've played at Baylor for six years. The Bears seem tougher than past BU teams but we've also seen that opinion change once conference season rolls around and Scott Drew's teams get punched in the mouth by the likes of KU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Baylor is solidly in the Hold category for now.
Hold: Kansas' throwback uniforms. Why isn't this a Sell given that the Jayhawks are 2-0 wearing these togs? Well, the issue is adidas--the uniform supplier. While the three-stripe company is to be applauded for the design of the two sets of unis, in typical adidas merchandising style the replica jerseys and shorts aren't available until next season. Huh!? But, hey, you can buy t-shirts right now that utilize the two designs.
Hold: Texas is a work in progress and two important tests are upcoming--Iowa State in Austin on Saturday followed by KSU at home the following Tuesday. Texas owns what, at the time, was a marquee win at North Carolina but given the Tarheels' issues, that win has lost a bit of luster. The Longhorns lost at Oklahoma State and at home to Oklahoma, held serve versus Texas Tech and won at West Virginia. It's hard to know what we'll get from UT over the next six weeks--let's hold on to this investment for now.
Sell: Brent Musberger. Big 12 fans were rudely reminded last night that, once again, we get Brent Musberger as the play-by-play guy on ESPN's broadcasts. Musberger, whose voice is more tightly linked to college football, is out of his element on basketball broadcasts. He's ill-prepared, acts as if he is more of a hoops expert than he is, and simply has lost several steps. Among ESPN's stable of game broadcasters, Musberger trails--far behind--Dan Schulman, Dave Pasch, Sean McDonough and pretty much anyone the World Wide Leader has to offer. Last night's broadcast made me reminisce of the days of Ron Franklin and Jon Sundvold.
So, with one-sixth of the regular season under our belt, let's check in on who we should Buy, Sell or Hold in the Big 12.
Buy: Kansas, of course. The puppies in Lawrence are growing up and appear to be a quick study on what it takes to win now on the road given non-conference road losses at tough gyms in Gainesville, FL and Boulder, CO. Last night's win was not only impressive because it came against the #8 team in the country, but also on a night where Perry Ellis was off offensively. The Jayhawks have many, many weapons and are deep--they can win big and they can win small. The perennial conference champ is definitely a strong "buy" the day after they deflated the so-called "Hilton Magic."
Hold: Iowa State. Conversely, Iowa State has now lost two games in a row and faces a tough road test on Saturday with a trip to Texas. The Cyclones have feasted on opponent mismatches and have ridden conference player-of-the-year candidate DeAndre Kane's playmaking ability and offense. KU exposed ISU's lack of post presence and the consequence of State's reliance upon the three.
Sell: Kansas State. Tonight is a crucial game for Bruce Weber's Wildcats who are coming off a 26 point blow-out loss at Kansas. KSU built a gaudy record, after losing early to Charlotte and Georgetown, but in that 10 game winning streak were no true road games. A win tonight followed by a Saturday win at home against West Virginia will momentarily right the ship but I'm not convinced that this team is a top four squad in the league. Given the toughness of the Big 12, KSU will make the NCAA Tournament but...I'd sell this investment.
Buy: Joel Embiid. The past two opponents have exposed that Embiid's shy nature off the court changes dramatically when on the court. We also saw, last night, the dramatic growth curve of this superb talent--he took over the game in a key second half stretch that included an assist, block/steal, two baskets and altered shots by the opposition, all done while looking like some cross of Wilt, Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon. The guy is special.
Hold: Look for Baylor to be the team solidly in second place to Kansas entering the month of February. The Bears are at Texas Tech on Wednesday, then return home for an important date against Oklahoma. They travel to Lawrence for Big Monday next week and then face Texas and West Virginia, both at home, to close out January. The play of Isaiah Austin has been a disappointment but Cory Jefferson and Brady Heslip are guys who seem like they've played at Baylor for six years. The Bears seem tougher than past BU teams but we've also seen that opinion change once conference season rolls around and Scott Drew's teams get punched in the mouth by the likes of KU, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Baylor is solidly in the Hold category for now.
Hold: Kansas' throwback uniforms. Why isn't this a Sell given that the Jayhawks are 2-0 wearing these togs? Well, the issue is adidas--the uniform supplier. While the three-stripe company is to be applauded for the design of the two sets of unis, in typical adidas merchandising style the replica jerseys and shorts aren't available until next season. Huh!? But, hey, you can buy t-shirts right now that utilize the two designs.
Hold: Texas is a work in progress and two important tests are upcoming--Iowa State in Austin on Saturday followed by KSU at home the following Tuesday. Texas owns what, at the time, was a marquee win at North Carolina but given the Tarheels' issues, that win has lost a bit of luster. The Longhorns lost at Oklahoma State and at home to Oklahoma, held serve versus Texas Tech and won at West Virginia. It's hard to know what we'll get from UT over the next six weeks--let's hold on to this investment for now.
Sell: Brent Musberger. Big 12 fans were rudely reminded last night that, once again, we get Brent Musberger as the play-by-play guy on ESPN's broadcasts. Musberger, whose voice is more tightly linked to college football, is out of his element on basketball broadcasts. He's ill-prepared, acts as if he is more of a hoops expert than he is, and simply has lost several steps. Among ESPN's stable of game broadcasters, Musberger trails--far behind--Dan Schulman, Dave Pasch, Sean McDonough and pretty much anyone the World Wide Leader has to offer. Last night's broadcast made me reminisce of the days of Ron Franklin and Jon Sundvold.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Putting a bow on the BCS...and this season
We bid adieu to the Bowl Championship Series--whipping boy for pundits and fans alike but a system that over its shelf life of 16 years brought together the nation's number one and number two team each of those post-seasons. In comparison, the number one and two teams met in bowl games only eight times in 56 prior years. (Remember the Bowl Coalition and the Bowl Alliance? Yeah, I didn't think so.) So, while flawed, the BCS ratcheted up interest in college football such that the sport is now pushing the NFL in avid fan interest and is solidly in second place in viewership, attendance and overall interest among our nation's sports fans.
Let's put a bow on this season, and the BCS, with some final observations about 2013-2014.
Best national championship game ever? It's hard to point to another BCS National Championship Game that was better than Monday night's Florida State victory over Auburn. The 2005 Texas win over USC, also in the Rose Bowl, was the prior best final game with the Ohio State two-overtime win over Miami, in 2002, also in the running.
Phil Steele. Let's give it up for Phil Steele, the guy who publishes what annually is the best preseason manual for the coming college football season. Steele picked Florida State as his "surprise team of the year" and they certainly delivered with a magical 2013 season.
SEC. Which SEC team won a meaningful bowl game? Well, that would be Missouri and its win over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. Not only did Auburn fail to continue the SEC national championship streak but Alabama whiffed against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
Johnny Football. Love him or not, name me another college football player in recent memory who has been so mesmerizing on the field as Johnny Manziel. He's the kind of player who makes you run back into the TV room to see what he'll do when Texas A&M has the ball. If Manziel announces today that he is leaving for the NFL, college football will lose one of its most compelling stars.
Brent. It's time for Brent Musberger to go quietly into that announcing night. Musberger's awkward forays into hip-hop mentions and other odd on-air left turns were a continuation of the Katherine Webb dust-up last year. There simply are other, quality options for on-air talent for a stage as big as the national championship event.
ESPN. The Monday night Megacast was a hit as ESPN used its portfolio of programming options to provide fans with coach insight and unique camera views for the national championship game. Let's hope the Worldwide Leader, and other sports cable programmers, do more of this unique viewing solution.
The fans. Fans are watching college football in droves with viewership on the title game eclipsing the NCAA basketball final, NBA Finals, Daytona 500 and other major non-NFL sports events. However, a danger cloud is on the horizon and that is fan attendance and ticket buyer satisfaction. The college game has got to get its act together when it comes to customer service, game-day experience, affordability and venue bandwidth in order to attract students, alums and fans back into stadiums.
Let's put a bow on this season, and the BCS, with some final observations about 2013-2014.
Best national championship game ever? It's hard to point to another BCS National Championship Game that was better than Monday night's Florida State victory over Auburn. The 2005 Texas win over USC, also in the Rose Bowl, was the prior best final game with the Ohio State two-overtime win over Miami, in 2002, also in the running.
Phil Steele. Let's give it up for Phil Steele, the guy who publishes what annually is the best preseason manual for the coming college football season. Steele picked Florida State as his "surprise team of the year" and they certainly delivered with a magical 2013 season.
SEC. Which SEC team won a meaningful bowl game? Well, that would be Missouri and its win over Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl. Not only did Auburn fail to continue the SEC national championship streak but Alabama whiffed against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.
Johnny Football. Love him or not, name me another college football player in recent memory who has been so mesmerizing on the field as Johnny Manziel. He's the kind of player who makes you run back into the TV room to see what he'll do when Texas A&M has the ball. If Manziel announces today that he is leaving for the NFL, college football will lose one of its most compelling stars.
Brent. It's time for Brent Musberger to go quietly into that announcing night. Musberger's awkward forays into hip-hop mentions and other odd on-air left turns were a continuation of the Katherine Webb dust-up last year. There simply are other, quality options for on-air talent for a stage as big as the national championship event.
ESPN. The Monday night Megacast was a hit as ESPN used its portfolio of programming options to provide fans with coach insight and unique camera views for the national championship game. Let's hope the Worldwide Leader, and other sports cable programmers, do more of this unique viewing solution.
The fans. Fans are watching college football in droves with viewership on the title game eclipsing the NCAA basketball final, NBA Finals, Daytona 500 and other major non-NFL sports events. However, a danger cloud is on the horizon and that is fan attendance and ticket buyer satisfaction. The college game has got to get its act together when it comes to customer service, game-day experience, affordability and venue bandwidth in order to attract students, alums and fans back into stadiums.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Why do we care about preseason rankings?
On the eve of the last BCS National Championship Game, let's pause, go back and take a look how one national media outlet, like most others, whiffed on predicting the top teams in college football for the 2013 season.
Sports Illustrated issued its preseason edition of the magazine on August 19 and chose Alabama as its number one team. The top ten was rounded out by Alabama, Stanford, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Oregon, South Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame, Florida and Clemson. Nope, no Florida State and no Auburn, and no Michigan State or Missouri either. SI had the Seminoles at #13 with Auburn failing to dent the top 25. Missouri also didn't make it into that preseason group as the Tigers weren't chosen over the likes of Virginia Tech (25), Northern Illinois (24), Northwestern (22) and Boise State (20.)
As for the Heisman winner, SI tabbed Jameis Winston as 25 to 1 to win the award, listing him with others who "are a long way from New York City but could replicate Manziel's rise and make an out-of-nowhere run at the Heisman Trophy."
Now, it's easy to yelp about how the media once again failed to adequately predict who would be the winners and who would be the losers in this season of college football. But, isn't that unpredictability what makes this sport great? I'm all for holding these preseason predictors accountable but also love that, each year, there is an Auburn who comes from nowhere with a story that's compelling and sucks us all in.
Here's to another stellar year of college football--let's hope tomorrow night's BCS National Championship Game will be a fitting jumping off to the new College Football Playoff that debuts next year.
Sports Illustrated issued its preseason edition of the magazine on August 19 and chose Alabama as its number one team. The top ten was rounded out by Alabama, Stanford, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Oregon, South Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame, Florida and Clemson. Nope, no Florida State and no Auburn, and no Michigan State or Missouri either. SI had the Seminoles at #13 with Auburn failing to dent the top 25. Missouri also didn't make it into that preseason group as the Tigers weren't chosen over the likes of Virginia Tech (25), Northern Illinois (24), Northwestern (22) and Boise State (20.)
As for the Heisman winner, SI tabbed Jameis Winston as 25 to 1 to win the award, listing him with others who "are a long way from New York City but could replicate Manziel's rise and make an out-of-nowhere run at the Heisman Trophy."
Now, it's easy to yelp about how the media once again failed to adequately predict who would be the winners and who would be the losers in this season of college football. But, isn't that unpredictability what makes this sport great? I'm all for holding these preseason predictors accountable but also love that, each year, there is an Auburn who comes from nowhere with a story that's compelling and sucks us all in.
Here's to another stellar year of college football--let's hope tomorrow night's BCS National Championship Game will be a fitting jumping off to the new College Football Playoff that debuts next year.
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Coaches, memories and a November to remember
Where were you: I can remember where I was when Doug Flutie worked his magic against Miami in 1984, when Charles White ran amok for four second half TDs versus Notre Dame, and when Vince Young seemed to single-handedly beat USC for a national championship. Last night will be another to add to that list.
Where were you when Auburn's Chris Davis pulled off a "War Damn Miracle" by returning a failed field goal the distance against hated rival Alabama, catapulting the Tigers into next Saturday's SEC Championship?
Yes, the wonderful world of college football has given us yet another "where were you" moment and this one is, arguably, the greatest ever given the oddity of the play, the stakes, and the rivalry.
The November to remember: Has there ever been a better November in college basketball than the past month? It's been less than three weeks since we saw Julius Randle and Kentucky lose to Michigan State's veterans, the scintillating overall game of Duke's Jabari Parker and the late-game heroics of Kansas' Andrew Wiggins. Since then, Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State positioned himself as the clubhouse leader for Player of the Year honors, Arizona showcased what perhaps is the best overall team in the land, and Villanova beat Kansas and Iowa to likely jump into the top ten. If November is any indication, this year's college basketball season will rival the drama we've witnessed over the past few weekends in college football.
Feel good: It's incredibly fitting that Missouri's Henry Josey scored the winning touchdown in last night's Tiger win over Texas A&M. Josey is the feel-good story of this college football season given his return from what seemingly was a catastrophic knee injury.
Coaches, coaches, coaches: Votes of confidence were issued yesterday to notable coaches Bo Pellini of Nebraska and Will Muschamp of Florida. Elsewhere, Kansas athletics director Sheahon Zenger did the same for his coaching hire, Charlie Weis. While I agree with Zenger's sentiment that turning around a program takes time, it's obvious that Weis' short-term fix approach of transfers and junior college players was an abysmal failure. Weis first over-sold Dayne Crist and, this year, did the same with Jake Heaps and Justin McCay. Only one juco transfer, Cassius Sendish, panned out to the level expected of those that joined the KU program. Next year, Kansas will have a senior-laden lineup and, if rumors are true, a new offensive coordinator and O-line coach in John Reagan from Rice. The seat is very, very hot for Weis given the growing apathy surrounding the Jayhawk program.
Rules: I remain skeptical about the positive impact of the rules changes/emphasis in college hoops. The charge call is a distant memory in the college game and players, coaches and officials all seem to be struggling with how this change has affected the sport.
And, finally: There's something fitting about Auburn beating Alabama in the year that the historic trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn, AL had to be chopped down due to the poison that a misguided Bama fan used on the oaks. The lack of trees didn't stop Tiger fans from littering that historic intersection with toilet paper last night.
Where were you when Auburn's Chris Davis pulled off a "War Damn Miracle" by returning a failed field goal the distance against hated rival Alabama, catapulting the Tigers into next Saturday's SEC Championship?
Yes, the wonderful world of college football has given us yet another "where were you" moment and this one is, arguably, the greatest ever given the oddity of the play, the stakes, and the rivalry.
The November to remember: Has there ever been a better November in college basketball than the past month? It's been less than three weeks since we saw Julius Randle and Kentucky lose to Michigan State's veterans, the scintillating overall game of Duke's Jabari Parker and the late-game heroics of Kansas' Andrew Wiggins. Since then, Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State positioned himself as the clubhouse leader for Player of the Year honors, Arizona showcased what perhaps is the best overall team in the land, and Villanova beat Kansas and Iowa to likely jump into the top ten. If November is any indication, this year's college basketball season will rival the drama we've witnessed over the past few weekends in college football.
Feel good: It's incredibly fitting that Missouri's Henry Josey scored the winning touchdown in last night's Tiger win over Texas A&M. Josey is the feel-good story of this college football season given his return from what seemingly was a catastrophic knee injury.
Coaches, coaches, coaches: Votes of confidence were issued yesterday to notable coaches Bo Pellini of Nebraska and Will Muschamp of Florida. Elsewhere, Kansas athletics director Sheahon Zenger did the same for his coaching hire, Charlie Weis. While I agree with Zenger's sentiment that turning around a program takes time, it's obvious that Weis' short-term fix approach of transfers and junior college players was an abysmal failure. Weis first over-sold Dayne Crist and, this year, did the same with Jake Heaps and Justin McCay. Only one juco transfer, Cassius Sendish, panned out to the level expected of those that joined the KU program. Next year, Kansas will have a senior-laden lineup and, if rumors are true, a new offensive coordinator and O-line coach in John Reagan from Rice. The seat is very, very hot for Weis given the growing apathy surrounding the Jayhawk program.
Rules: I remain skeptical about the positive impact of the rules changes/emphasis in college hoops. The charge call is a distant memory in the college game and players, coaches and officials all seem to be struggling with how this change has affected the sport.
And, finally: There's something fitting about Auburn beating Alabama in the year that the historic trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn, AL had to be chopped down due to the poison that a misguided Bama fan used on the oaks. The lack of trees didn't stop Tiger fans from littering that historic intersection with toilet paper last night.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Wiggins, Selden, Andrew Baggett and other sporting odds 'n' ends
Hype: I don't know that I've ever anticipated an exhibition game more than tonight's Kansas vs Pittsburg State match-up. Yes, Pitt State is a NCAA Division II institution that is one of KU's regular exhibition foes. And, yes, these games are typically blow-outs or feature lackluster play--or both. But, this year--this year is different.
The hype machine that is Andrew Wiggins and his Fab Five freshman cronies has been on overdrive. Tonight--finally--we get to see, at least partially, what the hype is all about.
Reality: Personally, I'm actually more excited to see Wayne Selden of Kansas in action tonight. Selden is Wiggins' fellow McDonald's All-American recruit, and several members of the media have gushed about Selden's skill and practice work ethic.
Sickening: The morons and cowards who have bashed Missouri's Andrew Baggett via social media should be ashamed. In case you missed it, Baggett is MU's kicker who missed a field goal attempt in the third overtime, thus securing South Carolina's come-from-behind victory. The world of social media lit up with several tweeting sickening rants aimed at Baggett.
Reality-check: Look, I think Baylor is really, really good and that this Bear team finally has a defense that can stop someone. The offense is, well, the most potent this side of Eugene, Oregon. Let's then look at who these Bears have beaten, shall we? Kansas? Check. Louisiana-Monroe? Check. West Virginia? Check. Wofford? Check. The harsh reality for Baylor is that, after this bye week, they now face Oklahoma and Texas Tech at home followed by Oklahoma State on the road. Baylor then finishes with unranked TCU in Ft. Worth and Texas at home, marking the last game at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. It's hard to see Baylor going through those five games without a couple of losses.
Hype: How do you set a decibel record in an very open stadium in the last few minutes of a game after many in the crowd are comatose from hours of tailgating and pre-game fun? Just askin'...
The hype machine that is Andrew Wiggins and his Fab Five freshman cronies has been on overdrive. Tonight--finally--we get to see, at least partially, what the hype is all about.
Reality: Personally, I'm actually more excited to see Wayne Selden of Kansas in action tonight. Selden is Wiggins' fellow McDonald's All-American recruit, and several members of the media have gushed about Selden's skill and practice work ethic.
Sickening: The morons and cowards who have bashed Missouri's Andrew Baggett via social media should be ashamed. In case you missed it, Baggett is MU's kicker who missed a field goal attempt in the third overtime, thus securing South Carolina's come-from-behind victory. The world of social media lit up with several tweeting sickening rants aimed at Baggett.
Reality-check: Look, I think Baylor is really, really good and that this Bear team finally has a defense that can stop someone. The offense is, well, the most potent this side of Eugene, Oregon. Let's then look at who these Bears have beaten, shall we? Kansas? Check. Louisiana-Monroe? Check. West Virginia? Check. Wofford? Check. The harsh reality for Baylor is that, after this bye week, they now face Oklahoma and Texas Tech at home followed by Oklahoma State on the road. Baylor then finishes with unranked TCU in Ft. Worth and Texas at home, marking the last game at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco. It's hard to see Baylor going through those five games without a couple of losses.
Hype: How do you set a decibel record in an very open stadium in the last few minutes of a game after many in the crowd are comatose from hours of tailgating and pre-game fun? Just askin'...
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