By Ray Bennett
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Last season, after a long decade of futility, failed draft picks and a revolving door of coaches, the Detroit Lions finally proved to the NFL that they will be a viable force for the foreseeable future. Entering the month of December with a record of 2-10, the Lions won four straight games to finish the 2010 season at 6-10.
Building off a strong defense and an offense with many skill options, third year head coach Jim Schwartz looks to take the the Lions to the next level of finishing at or above .500 for the first time since 2000. However, that task will seem far from easy in the NFC North, a division that features the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers, the NFC Championship runner-up Chicago Bears and a Minnesota Vikings team that added veteran Pro Bowl Quarterback Donovan McNabb to their roster.
The biggest strenght the Lions had last season was their defensive line. The front-four was anchored by 2010 Defensive Rookie-of-the-Year Ndamukong Suh, who not only led all rookies but all defensive tackles in sacks with 10 last season. He leads a defensive line that includes veterans Kyle Vanden Bosch, Lawrence Jackson and Cliff Avril. Detroit's 2011 1st-round pick, former Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley, will also be used on the Lions defensive line after he comes back from a foot injury suffered during training camp.
The linebacking corps is headed by third-year middle-linebacker DeAndre Levy. In 2010, Levy had 72 tackles, 34 of them which came during Detroit's four-game winning streak at the end of last season. Surrounding Levy in the back three are two key free agent signings. On Levy's left will be Stephen Tulloch, who played his first five seasons in Tennessee, three of which came when Schwartz was the Titans defensive coordinator. The other starting outside-linebacker Justin Durant comes to Detroit after four years in Jacksonville.
The biggest hole on the Lions defense entering this season is in their secondary. Detroit is still looking for a dominant cornerback. Among the CB's the Lions will use this season include veterans Chris Houston, Eric Wright, signed from Cleveland, and Alphonso Smith, who led the Lions in interceptions with five in only ten games last season. At safety, the Lions pair up third year player Louis Delmas with former Atlanta Falcon Erik Coleman.
The success of the Lions offense this season rests on the shoulders of third year quarterback Matthew Stafford. Stafford was limited to three games last season after suffering two separate injuries to his throwing shoulder. In the preseason, he's shown he's made significant progress after shoulder surgery.
In the three games he played, he threw for 6 touchdowns and only one interception. In case Stafford goes down with another injury, the Lions are loaded with depth at the quarterback position with veterans Shawn Hill and Drew Stanton. Both Hill and Stanton led the Lions to wins last season in Stafford's absence.
Second-year running back Jahvid Best returns after a rookie season that slowed his progression after suffering a turf toe injury. Starting in 15 games, Best averaged 3.2 yards per carry off 555 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Best also caught 58 passes for 487 yards and 2 recieving touchdowns.
After an Achilles injury in training camp to Illinois rookie Mikel Leshoure sidelined him for the season, the Lions went out and signed former Browns and Eagles RB Jerome Harrison. The Lions also picked up former Redskins power back Keiland Williams after camp. He'll be there in place of veteran Maurice Morris until he comes back from an injury sustained in camp.
Entering 2011, Detroit and Stafford will have big options at wide receiver and tight end. The receiving corps is led by fifth year wide out Calvin Johnson. Last season, Johnson led the Lions in receiving yards (1,120), receptions (77) and receiving touchdowns (12) on his way to his first career Pro Bowl selection. Next to Johnson is ninth year veteran Nate Burleson. Burleson was a huge pick up in 2010, amassing 68 receptions for 1,006 yards and 9 touchdowns as the Lions number two receiver.
Joining Johnson and Burleson at wide receiver are 2011 second-round draft pick Titus Young out of Boise State, former Bears receiver Rashied Davis, return specialist Stefan Logan and former Buccaneer Maurice Stovall.
The Lions are stacked at the tight end position with Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew. In 2010, Scheffler caught 44 passes for 378 yards and one touchdown, while Pettigrew had 77 catches for 722 yards and 4 touchdowns.
The success of Stafford will be based on how well the offensive line will protect him. The Lions offensive line will consist of veteran left tackle Jeff Backus, who has started in all of the 160 career games he's played since 2001, third year right tackle Gosder Cherilus, veteran center Dominic Raiola and guards Stephen Peterman and Rob Sims.
The Lions record this season will sorely be based on how well they play inside the NFC North against the Packers, Bears and Vikings. With Green Bay coming off a Super Bowl-winning season and the Bears making it all the way to the NFC title game to face the Packers, the Lions will have to fight with Minnesota to get near the top two in the division.
Key games in the Lions 2011 schedule include a Week Five home game against the Bears on Monday Night Football. It will be the Lions first Monday Night game in ten years. The Packers come to Detroit for the Lions annual Thanksgiving Day game in Week Twelve. Other key games in the schedule include matchups against defending AFC West champion Kansas City in the Lions home opener in Week Two, defending NFC South champion Atlanta in Week Seven, a trip to New Orleans to face the Saints in Week Thirteen, and a Christmas Eve home game against the San Diego Chargers in Week Sixteen.
Detroit opens the season in Tampa, FL to face the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 11th at 1:00 PM EDT on Fox.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Now that NFL Lockout is over, what happens next?
By Ray Bennett
Monday July 25, 2011
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive DeMaurice Smith took the podium outside of NFLPA headquarters in Washington D.C., both men were smiling at the fact that both sides finally reached a labor agreement that took them over 4 months to complete. The look of happiness and relief was echoed by select player representatives that attended the meeting.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement, first approved by NFL owners last Thursday, solved the core issues that were brought up when discussions began after last season ended. The rookie wage scale, that assures that drafted and undrafted players have to earn the money that veteran players make, a fair 52-48 revenue split in favor of the owners, added retirement benefits and leaving the current 16-game regular season untouched were far from easily solved.
After the finishing touches were ironed out, players, owners and fans of the NFL will not have to worry about labor issues for another decade.
Now that the labor agreement is in place, along with the fact that the preseason begins in just a few weeks, the league has to make up for over four months of lost time. The lockout has forced league general managers to wait to negotiate and sign with free agents, rookies and current players that they want to keep around.
The guidelines that the league handed out after the CBA was agreed upon for off-season transactions will make the next couple weeks for front office members and players the most quick, torrid and raggid time that the NFL has ever seen.
On Tuesday, a day after the league allowed teams a look into a huge free agency pool, that includes players like former Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha and Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, and an extension of team rosters to 90 men, teams can begin discussions with unrestricted free agents, however, they cannot sign them until Friday. Teams can also begin trading players, like disgruntled Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb, and sign drafted and undrafted rookies, along with players team's would want to keep. On Thursday, teams can free up salary cap space by releasing players that are owed large sums of money that drain a team's payroll.
If the movement of players wasn't enough to get teams discombobulated, current contracted players can enter team facilities and report to camp on Wednesday. The pattern of teams entering training camp will be based on how long until a team's first preseason game. 10 teams on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will enter training camp 15 days before their first preseason game. The New York Jets and Houston Texans will be the final two teams to start camp on Sunday.
Even though the league and players union have agreed to a new CBA, the NFLPA has until August 4th to recertify as a union. This means that all players must write in and send their union card to union head Smith in order to finish the CBA process. Once everything is settled by the first preseason games on August 11th, the league can return to normal business.
The quick pace and the eventual stress that is involved in squeezing over four months of off-season activity in less than two weeks will indeed be frantic for every member of every rank in the NFL. Although all the movement may seem exciting for fans, every move that is made until August 11th will have a major domino effect on every team and every free agent. For example, if Asomugha signs a huge deal worth over $60-$70 million, it will dictate how much money Antonio Cromartie and Jonathan Joesph will make. Every free agent player will be affected by who signs with what team for how much money they are given.
The next two weeks in the NFL will be the most craziest time the league will ever see in it's 80+ year history. Brace yourself for a lot of player movement in only a few days time.
Monday July 25, 2011
When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Executive DeMaurice Smith took the podium outside of NFLPA headquarters in Washington D.C., both men were smiling at the fact that both sides finally reached a labor agreement that took them over 4 months to complete. The look of happiness and relief was echoed by select player representatives that attended the meeting.
The Collective Bargaining Agreement, first approved by NFL owners last Thursday, solved the core issues that were brought up when discussions began after last season ended. The rookie wage scale, that assures that drafted and undrafted players have to earn the money that veteran players make, a fair 52-48 revenue split in favor of the owners, added retirement benefits and leaving the current 16-game regular season untouched were far from easily solved.
After the finishing touches were ironed out, players, owners and fans of the NFL will not have to worry about labor issues for another decade.
Now that the labor agreement is in place, along with the fact that the preseason begins in just a few weeks, the league has to make up for over four months of lost time. The lockout has forced league general managers to wait to negotiate and sign with free agents, rookies and current players that they want to keep around.
The guidelines that the league handed out after the CBA was agreed upon for off-season transactions will make the next couple weeks for front office members and players the most quick, torrid and raggid time that the NFL has ever seen.
On Tuesday, a day after the league allowed teams a look into a huge free agency pool, that includes players like former Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha and Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, and an extension of team rosters to 90 men, teams can begin discussions with unrestricted free agents, however, they cannot sign them until Friday. Teams can also begin trading players, like disgruntled Eagles backup QB Kevin Kolb, and sign drafted and undrafted rookies, along with players team's would want to keep. On Thursday, teams can free up salary cap space by releasing players that are owed large sums of money that drain a team's payroll.
If the movement of players wasn't enough to get teams discombobulated, current contracted players can enter team facilities and report to camp on Wednesday. The pattern of teams entering training camp will be based on how long until a team's first preseason game. 10 teams on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will enter training camp 15 days before their first preseason game. The New York Jets and Houston Texans will be the final two teams to start camp on Sunday.
Even though the league and players union have agreed to a new CBA, the NFLPA has until August 4th to recertify as a union. This means that all players must write in and send their union card to union head Smith in order to finish the CBA process. Once everything is settled by the first preseason games on August 11th, the league can return to normal business.
The quick pace and the eventual stress that is involved in squeezing over four months of off-season activity in less than two weeks will indeed be frantic for every member of every rank in the NFL. Although all the movement may seem exciting for fans, every move that is made until August 11th will have a major domino effect on every team and every free agent. For example, if Asomugha signs a huge deal worth over $60-$70 million, it will dictate how much money Antonio Cromartie and Jonathan Joesph will make. Every free agent player will be affected by who signs with what team for how much money they are given.
The next two weeks in the NFL will be the most craziest time the league will ever see in it's 80+ year history. Brace yourself for a lot of player movement in only a few days time.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Reports: Rockets C Yao Ming, 30, to retire due to lingering foot & ankle injuires
By Ray Bennett
Friday July 8, 2011
In his eight seasons in the NBA, Yao Ming extended the league's global reach to Asia and beyond. However, in his past few seasons, lingering injuries have put an end to his short NBA career.
Multiple league sources are reporting that the Houston Rockets 30-year-old Chinese-born center has decided to retire from playing basketball due to recurring foot and ankle injuries. The 7-foot, 6-inch Yao only played in 5 games this past season averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. In his short time in the NBA, Yao left a lasting impact on the game and it's global presence.
Yao's playing career began in his early teens for the Shanghai Sharks junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association. With his seven-foot plus height, he managed to work his way up to the main team at the age of 17. In his first season on the Sharks main squad, Yao averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds in 21 games.
After missing his second season with a broken foot, Yao came back to lead the Sharks to to the first of three consecutive appearances in the CBA Finals, losing the first two to the Bayi Rockets. Yao led the Sharks to the CBA title in their third straight appearance, averaging 38 points and 20 rebounds in the playoffs. This was enough for Yao to take his game overseas to America.
Yao was the first ever internationally-born player without any American-college experience to be selected number one overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. After getting off to a slow start in his NBA-rookie season, Yao averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in all 82 regular season games and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He started every game in his sophomore season, averaging 17.5 points and 9 rebounds per game to lead the Rockets to his first playoff appearance, losing in a five-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The next season, after the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady from Orlando, Yao led them back to the playoffs only to exit the first round again, this time at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. He also made the Western Conference All-Star team for the third straight year, breaking the record for all-star votes that was previously held by Michael Jordan with over 2.5 million fan votes.
However, by the 2005-2006 NBA season, Yao's injuries began to mount up. In that season, he ended up missing 21 games after having surgery on his big left toe. When he came back, he averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds in a 25 game span. He ended the season averaging a double-double for the first time in his NBA career with 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 57 games. With his team out of the playoff picture, he ended up breaking his left foot near the end of the season that required surgery.
The next season, he was well on his way to the best season of his career averaging nearly 27 points and 10 rebounds per game before breaking his right knee in a game two days before Christmas. He ended up missing 34 games, including what would have been his fifth career All-Star game. When he returned, he helped lead the Rockets back to the playoffs, only to lose in the first round again, this time to the Utah Jazz in seven games.
The 2007-2008 season saw Yao and the Rockets start a huge winning streak that reached 12 games in mid to late February. However, it was reported that Yao had a stress-fracture in his left foot and would have to miss the rest of the season. After Yao was shut down, the Rockets won ten straight games, stretching their winning streak to 22 games, the second longest in NBA history. His recovery time was long enough for him to play for his native China in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The following season in 2008-2009 had Yao playing in his first full year since 2004-2005, playing and starting in 77 games, almost averaging a double-double with 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds. The Rockets made it back to the playoffs and finally got past the first round, beating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. Houston lost in seven games to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-finals, with Yao suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot in Game 3, missing the rest of the series.
The injury forced Yao to undergo another operation on his left foot and resulted him to sit out the entire 2009-2010 season. When he came back the following season, the Rockets tried to limit his playing time to 24 minutes a game and to not play him in consecutive games in order to keep him healthy. However, midway through the month of December, the Rockets announced that Yao suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle, forcing him to end his season and his career in the process.
In his eight NBA seasons, Yao averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2 blocks in 486 career games. He was also voted a starting All-Star in all of his eight seasons, only playing in five. In 28 career playoff games, Yao averaged 19.8 points and 9.3 rebounds. He also won three FIBA Asian Championship Gold Medals for China in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
When Yao first broke onto the NBA scene, he opened the door for other Chinese-born players to enter the league. In 2007, a game that featured Yao's Rockets and fellow country-man Yi Jilanlian playing for the Milwaukee Bucks was broadcasted on 19 different networks in China and viewed by over 200 Million people. This made it one of the most viewed regular season games ever in NBA history on an international level. His outreach has helped the NBA grow their influence in Asia and made Yao the most popular athlete in his native country.
Friday July 8, 2011
In his eight seasons in the NBA, Yao Ming extended the league's global reach to Asia and beyond. However, in his past few seasons, lingering injuries have put an end to his short NBA career.
Multiple league sources are reporting that the Houston Rockets 30-year-old Chinese-born center has decided to retire from playing basketball due to recurring foot and ankle injuries. The 7-foot, 6-inch Yao only played in 5 games this past season averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds. In his short time in the NBA, Yao left a lasting impact on the game and it's global presence.
Yao's playing career began in his early teens for the Shanghai Sharks junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association. With his seven-foot plus height, he managed to work his way up to the main team at the age of 17. In his first season on the Sharks main squad, Yao averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds in 21 games.
After missing his second season with a broken foot, Yao came back to lead the Sharks to to the first of three consecutive appearances in the CBA Finals, losing the first two to the Bayi Rockets. Yao led the Sharks to the CBA title in their third straight appearance, averaging 38 points and 20 rebounds in the playoffs. This was enough for Yao to take his game overseas to America.
Yao was the first ever internationally-born player without any American-college experience to be selected number one overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. After getting off to a slow start in his NBA-rookie season, Yao averaged 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds in all 82 regular season games and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting. He started every game in his sophomore season, averaging 17.5 points and 9 rebounds per game to lead the Rockets to his first playoff appearance, losing in a five-game series to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The next season, after the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady from Orlando, Yao led them back to the playoffs only to exit the first round again, this time at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks. He also made the Western Conference All-Star team for the third straight year, breaking the record for all-star votes that was previously held by Michael Jordan with over 2.5 million fan votes.
However, by the 2005-2006 NBA season, Yao's injuries began to mount up. In that season, he ended up missing 21 games after having surgery on his big left toe. When he came back, he averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds in a 25 game span. He ended the season averaging a double-double for the first time in his NBA career with 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds in 57 games. With his team out of the playoff picture, he ended up breaking his left foot near the end of the season that required surgery.
The next season, he was well on his way to the best season of his career averaging nearly 27 points and 10 rebounds per game before breaking his right knee in a game two days before Christmas. He ended up missing 34 games, including what would have been his fifth career All-Star game. When he returned, he helped lead the Rockets back to the playoffs, only to lose in the first round again, this time to the Utah Jazz in seven games.
The 2007-2008 season saw Yao and the Rockets start a huge winning streak that reached 12 games in mid to late February. However, it was reported that Yao had a stress-fracture in his left foot and would have to miss the rest of the season. After Yao was shut down, the Rockets won ten straight games, stretching their winning streak to 22 games, the second longest in NBA history. His recovery time was long enough for him to play for his native China in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The following season in 2008-2009 had Yao playing in his first full year since 2004-2005, playing and starting in 77 games, almost averaging a double-double with 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds. The Rockets made it back to the playoffs and finally got past the first round, beating the Portland Trail Blazers in six games. Houston lost in seven games to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semi-finals, with Yao suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot in Game 3, missing the rest of the series.
The injury forced Yao to undergo another operation on his left foot and resulted him to sit out the entire 2009-2010 season. When he came back the following season, the Rockets tried to limit his playing time to 24 minutes a game and to not play him in consecutive games in order to keep him healthy. However, midway through the month of December, the Rockets announced that Yao suffered a stress fracture in his left ankle, forcing him to end his season and his career in the process.
In his eight NBA seasons, Yao averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2 blocks in 486 career games. He was also voted a starting All-Star in all of his eight seasons, only playing in five. In 28 career playoff games, Yao averaged 19.8 points and 9.3 rebounds. He also won three FIBA Asian Championship Gold Medals for China in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
When Yao first broke onto the NBA scene, he opened the door for other Chinese-born players to enter the league. In 2007, a game that featured Yao's Rockets and fellow country-man Yi Jilanlian playing for the Milwaukee Bucks was broadcasted on 19 different networks in China and viewed by over 200 Million people. This made it one of the most viewed regular season games ever in NBA history on an international level. His outreach has helped the NBA grow their influence in Asia and made Yao the most popular athlete in his native country.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Red Wings D Lidstrom, 41, signs one-year deal to return for 20th NHL season
By Ray Bennett
Monday June 20, 2011
The Detroit Red Wings won't have to worry about another veteran defenseman retiring, especially when it's their captain.
On Monday, 41 year old Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told the Red Wings front office that he will sign a one-year contract to return for his 20th NHL season. It was reported that Lidstom will make the same $6 Million salary that he had last season.
Lidstrom, who has spent his entire career in Detroit, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career in which he scored 16 goals and notched 46 assists in a full 82-game season. Lidstrom even became the oldest player at the age of 40 to record his first career hat trick early in December against St. Louis.
Throughout his career, Lidstrom has been regarded as the best defenseman and European to play in the NHL in the past quarter-century. In his nineteen seasons, Lidstrom is a twelve-time All-Star, a four-time Stanley Cup winner and a six-time Norris Trophy winner for the league's best defenseman. On Wednesday, Lidstrom will find out if he'll win his seventh Norris Trophy in the NHL's annual awards ceremony.
Lidstrom also won the 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs most valuable player. He also has a Gold Medal for his native Sweden, winning it in the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. He is also a member of the Triple Gold Club by having Gold Medals in both the Olympics and World Hockey Championships and a Stanley Cup Championship.
After Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman retired after the 2005-2006 season, Lidstom became the team's 38th captain in team history after spending nearly a decade as the team's alternate-captain. After winning his fourth career Stanley Cup in 2008, he became the first European-born captain to win the Cup.
The news of Lidstrom's return comes at a time in which the Red Wings need to fill holes on defense. Just a few weeks ago, veteran defenseman Brian Rafalski announced his retirement after 13 NHL seasons. People inside the Red Wings front office, including General Manager Ken Holland, thought that Lidstrom would go the same route as his former teammate.
This past week, Lidstrom told Holland and the Red Wings that he would tell the team of his decision of whether or not he would return for a 20th NHL season in the span of a few days. On Monday during a conference call with Holland, Lidstrom confirmed him he would return.
Monday June 20, 2011
The Detroit Red Wings won't have to worry about another veteran defenseman retiring, especially when it's their captain.
On Monday, 41 year old Swedish defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom told the Red Wings front office that he will sign a one-year contract to return for his 20th NHL season. It was reported that Lidstom will make the same $6 Million salary that he had last season.
Lidstrom, who has spent his entire career in Detroit, is coming off one of the best seasons of his career in which he scored 16 goals and notched 46 assists in a full 82-game season. Lidstrom even became the oldest player at the age of 40 to record his first career hat trick early in December against St. Louis.
Throughout his career, Lidstrom has been regarded as the best defenseman and European to play in the NHL in the past quarter-century. In his nineteen seasons, Lidstrom is a twelve-time All-Star, a four-time Stanley Cup winner and a six-time Norris Trophy winner for the league's best defenseman. On Wednesday, Lidstrom will find out if he'll win his seventh Norris Trophy in the NHL's annual awards ceremony.
Lidstrom also won the 2002 Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs most valuable player. He also has a Gold Medal for his native Sweden, winning it in the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. He is also a member of the Triple Gold Club by having Gold Medals in both the Olympics and World Hockey Championships and a Stanley Cup Championship.
After Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman retired after the 2005-2006 season, Lidstom became the team's 38th captain in team history after spending nearly a decade as the team's alternate-captain. After winning his fourth career Stanley Cup in 2008, he became the first European-born captain to win the Cup.
The news of Lidstrom's return comes at a time in which the Red Wings need to fill holes on defense. Just a few weeks ago, veteran defenseman Brian Rafalski announced his retirement after 13 NHL seasons. People inside the Red Wings front office, including General Manager Ken Holland, thought that Lidstrom would go the same route as his former teammate.
This past week, Lidstrom told Holland and the Red Wings that he would tell the team of his decision of whether or not he would return for a 20th NHL season in the span of a few days. On Monday during a conference call with Holland, Lidstrom confirmed him he would return.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
NHL returns to Winnipeg after sale of Thrashers to Canadian Investors
By Ray Bennett
Tuesday May 31, 2011
In 1996, after 23 years of existence, the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada bid farewell to their professional hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets. For years, the Winnipeg community has clamored for support for a team to return to the city.
16 years later, the citizens of Winnipeg and Manitoba got their wish from a group of investors trying to buy a struggling franchise in Atlanta, Georgia.
On Tuesday, a Canadian group of investors known as True North Sports and Entertainment announced that they have finalized a sale that would move the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg and begin play just in time for the 2011-2012 NHL season. The announcement was made at the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg as former Jets fans cheered outside the town's main square.
After certain league approval in the Board of Governors meeting on June 21, the team will pack up and move north of the boarder. The Thrashers will also have to change their name because the Thrasher name was coined after the official state bird of Georgia. Rumors are going around that the Jets name could be used, however no decision has been made by the soon-to-be new owners. The team will play in the Eastern Conference for the 2011-2012 season.
After the Jets moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996, the city of Winnipeg pushed the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman to bring back the franchise or create an expansion team. After the original Jets, now named the Coyotes, got into trouble looking for a new owner, Winnipeg was hoping that their Jets would return. The closest the Coyotes were to possibly moving back to Canada was after their elimination in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season. However, the City of Phoenix struck a deal to keep the team in the desert for at least another year.
After the Coyotes to Winnipeg talk died down, rumors started to circulate that True North started talks with the struggling Thrashers franchise. A couple of weeks ago, league officials were sure that the Thrashers' owners Atlanta Spirit, who also owns the Atlanta Hawks NBA franchise and Phillips Arena, would sell the team to True North.
Since the team's inaugural season in 1999-2000, the Thrashers have struggled to find a fan base in the largely urban city of Atlanta. The team has served as the launching pad for the career's of Danny Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuck. In the team's eleven seasons of existence, the Thrashers have only made it to the playoffs once, getting swept by the New York Rangers in the First Round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Thrashers have been plagued by financial trouble and low attendance. Since their first and only playoff appearance, average attendance for Thrashers games at Phillips Arena have been the near the bottom of the league for the past few seasons. With the team losing money and fan support, Atlanta Spirit had no choice but to sell and move the team.
The move of the Thrashers also marks the second time an NHL franchise will relocate from the city of Atlanta. Back in 1980, the Flames moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada after struggling in Atlanta for eight seasons. After the relocation to Canada, the Flames have been to the Stanley Cup Finals three times in 1986, 1989, and 2004. The Flames won their first and only Cup in 1989. Atlanta is the first city in the modern era of the NHL to lose two separate franchises.
The new Winnipeg franchise will play their games at the 15,000+ seat MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg. The deal to buy the Thrashers is reportedly priced at $170 million. The new owners will have to pay a $60 million relocation fee to the league to ensure the move of the team.
Tuesday May 31, 2011
In 1996, after 23 years of existence, the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada bid farewell to their professional hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets. For years, the Winnipeg community has clamored for support for a team to return to the city.
16 years later, the citizens of Winnipeg and Manitoba got their wish from a group of investors trying to buy a struggling franchise in Atlanta, Georgia.
On Tuesday, a Canadian group of investors known as True North Sports and Entertainment announced that they have finalized a sale that would move the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg and begin play just in time for the 2011-2012 NHL season. The announcement was made at the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg as former Jets fans cheered outside the town's main square.
After certain league approval in the Board of Governors meeting on June 21, the team will pack up and move north of the boarder. The Thrashers will also have to change their name because the Thrasher name was coined after the official state bird of Georgia. Rumors are going around that the Jets name could be used, however no decision has been made by the soon-to-be new owners. The team will play in the Eastern Conference for the 2011-2012 season.
After the Jets moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1996, the city of Winnipeg pushed the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman to bring back the franchise or create an expansion team. After the original Jets, now named the Coyotes, got into trouble looking for a new owner, Winnipeg was hoping that their Jets would return. The closest the Coyotes were to possibly moving back to Canada was after their elimination in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season. However, the City of Phoenix struck a deal to keep the team in the desert for at least another year.
After the Coyotes to Winnipeg talk died down, rumors started to circulate that True North started talks with the struggling Thrashers franchise. A couple of weeks ago, league officials were sure that the Thrashers' owners Atlanta Spirit, who also owns the Atlanta Hawks NBA franchise and Phillips Arena, would sell the team to True North.
Since the team's inaugural season in 1999-2000, the Thrashers have struggled to find a fan base in the largely urban city of Atlanta. The team has served as the launching pad for the career's of Danny Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuck. In the team's eleven seasons of existence, the Thrashers have only made it to the playoffs once, getting swept by the New York Rangers in the First Round of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Thrashers have been plagued by financial trouble and low attendance. Since their first and only playoff appearance, average attendance for Thrashers games at Phillips Arena have been the near the bottom of the league for the past few seasons. With the team losing money and fan support, Atlanta Spirit had no choice but to sell and move the team.
The move of the Thrashers also marks the second time an NHL franchise will relocate from the city of Atlanta. Back in 1980, the Flames moved to Calgary, Alberta, Canada after struggling in Atlanta for eight seasons. After the relocation to Canada, the Flames have been to the Stanley Cup Finals three times in 1986, 1989, and 2004. The Flames won their first and only Cup in 1989. Atlanta is the first city in the modern era of the NHL to lose two separate franchises.
The new Winnipeg franchise will play their games at the 15,000+ seat MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg. The deal to buy the Thrashers is reportedly priced at $170 million. The new owners will have to pay a $60 million relocation fee to the league to ensure the move of the team.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Red Wings Defenseman Rafalski to retire
By Ray Bennett
Tuesday May 24, 2011
Veteran defenseman Brian Rafalski, who has played the past eleven years in the NHL and was intricate part of Team USA's silver medal runs in the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics, is expected to retire from hockey. Rafalski, who has played the past few seasons in Detroit after playing seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils, confirmed a report from TSN in Canada that broke on Monday that he will end his playing career. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Detroit that will also include Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland.
The decision by Rafalski to retire gives the Red Wings an additional $6 million in cap space for next season. Rafalski would have entered the final year of a five-year, $30 million contract that he signed back in 2007 if he chose to come back.
A native of Dearborn, Michigan, Rafalski had a tough time trying to break into the NHL. After playing college hockey for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rafalski traveled overseas to play in the Swedish Eliet League for Brynas IF in 1995. After spending a season Sweden, he then moved to Finland to play in SM-liiga for three seasons for two different teams. After a season in which he scored 19 goals and 34 assists in 53 games for HIFK, the New Jersey Devils were impressed by his offensive output and signed him as a free agent for the 1999-2000 season.
A rookie at the age of 26, Rafalski recorded 5 goals and 27 assists with a plus/minus of 21, tying all NHL rookies in total points. Rafalski was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league's top rookie, losing to teammate Scott Gomez. Paired with future hall-of-famer Scott Stevens, Rafalski contributed to the Devils' 2000 Stanley Cup Championship run. He increased his production the following season, recording 52 points in 78 regular season games. The Devils made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to be beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in a hard fought seven game series.
The 2001-2002 NHL season saw Rafalski selected to his first All-Star Game, only to not participate due to an injury. The following season saw Rafalski and the Devils win another Stanley Cup, this time against the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games. Rafalski played in two All-Star Games as a member of the Eastern Conference, starting in the 2004 game and as a reserve in 2007. After his seven seasons in New Jersey, Rafalski signed to play for his hometown Detroit Red Wings after the 2006-2007 season.
Teamed up with another future hall-of-fame defenseman in Nicklas Lidstrom, Rafalski set a career-high in goals scored in his first season with the Red Wings with 13 goals in 73 regular season games. He helped the Red Wings win their eleventh Stanley Cup in team history and his third in eight NHL seasons. In the series-clinching sixth game, he scored the team's first goal in 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In eleven NHL seasons, Rafalski scored 79 career goals and 436 assists in 833 games.
Rafalski was also an accomplished Olympic athlete, playing in three Winter Olympic Games for Team USA in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He first represented the United States in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, winning a silver medal after losing in the Gold Medal game against Canada. After a disappointing performance with the rest of Team USA in the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy, Rafalski returned to represent his country in 2010 Games in Vancouver. As an alternate captain, he led all Olympic defensemen in points and goals scored with four goals and four assists in another silver medal campaign, falling short to Team Canada again. Including a stint on Team USA in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, he scored five career goals and eleven career assists in four separate appearances in international play.
Tuesday May 24, 2011
Veteran defenseman Brian Rafalski, who has played the past eleven years in the NHL and was intricate part of Team USA's silver medal runs in the 2002 and 2010 Winter Olympics, is expected to retire from hockey. Rafalski, who has played the past few seasons in Detroit after playing seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils, confirmed a report from TSN in Canada that broke on Monday that he will end his playing career. A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Detroit that will also include Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland.
The decision by Rafalski to retire gives the Red Wings an additional $6 million in cap space for next season. Rafalski would have entered the final year of a five-year, $30 million contract that he signed back in 2007 if he chose to come back.
A native of Dearborn, Michigan, Rafalski had a tough time trying to break into the NHL. After playing college hockey for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rafalski traveled overseas to play in the Swedish Eliet League for Brynas IF in 1995. After spending a season Sweden, he then moved to Finland to play in SM-liiga for three seasons for two different teams. After a season in which he scored 19 goals and 34 assists in 53 games for HIFK, the New Jersey Devils were impressed by his offensive output and signed him as a free agent for the 1999-2000 season.
A rookie at the age of 26, Rafalski recorded 5 goals and 27 assists with a plus/minus of 21, tying all NHL rookies in total points. Rafalski was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league's top rookie, losing to teammate Scott Gomez. Paired with future hall-of-famer Scott Stevens, Rafalski contributed to the Devils' 2000 Stanley Cup Championship run. He increased his production the following season, recording 52 points in 78 regular season games. The Devils made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, only to be beaten by the Colorado Avalanche in a hard fought seven game series.
The 2001-2002 NHL season saw Rafalski selected to his first All-Star Game, only to not participate due to an injury. The following season saw Rafalski and the Devils win another Stanley Cup, this time against the then Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games. Rafalski played in two All-Star Games as a member of the Eastern Conference, starting in the 2004 game and as a reserve in 2007. After his seven seasons in New Jersey, Rafalski signed to play for his hometown Detroit Red Wings after the 2006-2007 season.
Teamed up with another future hall-of-fame defenseman in Nicklas Lidstrom, Rafalski set a career-high in goals scored in his first season with the Red Wings with 13 goals in 73 regular season games. He helped the Red Wings win their eleventh Stanley Cup in team history and his third in eight NHL seasons. In the series-clinching sixth game, he scored the team's first goal in 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In eleven NHL seasons, Rafalski scored 79 career goals and 436 assists in 833 games.
Rafalski was also an accomplished Olympic athlete, playing in three Winter Olympic Games for Team USA in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He first represented the United States in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, winning a silver medal after losing in the Gold Medal game against Canada. After a disappointing performance with the rest of Team USA in the 2006 Games in Torino, Italy, Rafalski returned to represent his country in 2010 Games in Vancouver. As an alternate captain, he led all Olympic defensemen in points and goals scored with four goals and four assists in another silver medal campaign, falling short to Team Canada again. Including a stint on Team USA in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, he scored five career goals and eleven career assists in four separate appearances in international play.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Cavaliers win NBA Draft Lottery; obtain No. 1 overall selection
By Ray Bennett
Tuesday May 17, 2011
In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers changed the course of their franchise's history by picking Lebron James with the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft. Eight years later, Owner Dan Gilbert has a chance to rebuild the team around two possible players that could bring them back to the playoffs.
The Cavaliers won the annual NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, beating out the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and nine other teams for that honor. Cleveland is expected to select Duke guard Kyrie Irving with the number one overall pick. Cleveland had the second best odds to win the lottery, behind the Timberwolves who ended up with the number two overall pick.
The Cavaliers also obtained the number four overall pick via the Barron Davis trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Utah Jazz is the other team with multiple lottery picks, obtaining the third overall pick from the Derron Williams trade with the New Jersey Nets and the twelfth overall pick for missing the playoffs. The Toronto Raptors round out the top five, picking at the fifth spot.
The Cavaliers are coming off their first season without Lebron James after he left the city to play for the Miami Heat. This past season under first year coach Byron Scott, Cleveland finished with an overall record of 19-63, the worst in the Eastern Conference and the second worst in the league behind the Timberwolves. The transition season included an NBA record 26 game losing streak that lasted from late December to early to mid-February.
Last year's lottery winner the Washington Wizards ended up with the sixth pick in the draft. Last year, the Wizards selected guard John Wall from Kentucky. Wall had a strong rookie season, finishing with 16.4 points per game and 8.3 assists per game. The Sacramento Kings (7th), Detroit Pistons (8th), Charlotte Bobcats (9th), Milwaukee Bucks (10th), Golden State Warriors (11th), Phoenix Suns (13th) and Houston Rockets (14th) were the other teams involved in this years lottery as they missed the playoffs.
Although he missed most of his freshman year at Duke with an injury in his right big toe, Irving is considered the top prospect in this year's draft. Irving played and started in eleven games averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game in his only year at Duke.
Many have considered this year's draft class as the weakest since the 2000 NBA Draft. With only a few players like Irving, Arizona power forward Derrick Williams, Turkish forward Furkan Aldemar and Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, finding a franchise player will be hard to come by. Other notable players in this years draft class includes Connecticut guard and the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player Kemba Walker, Texas forward Tristan Thompson, Kansas forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris, guard Josh Selby and Kentucky guards Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins.
The 2011 NBA Draft will take place on June 23 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. This will be the first time that the NBA Draft will be held at an NBA arena since 2000 when it was held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. From 2001 to 2010, the draft was held at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The NBA Draft is expected to be the last time that teams can move players before the looming standoff between the NBA and the players association. The league's current collective bargaining agreement expires at midnight on July 1.
Tuesday May 17, 2011
In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers changed the course of their franchise's history by picking Lebron James with the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft. Eight years later, Owner Dan Gilbert has a chance to rebuild the team around two possible players that could bring them back to the playoffs.
The Cavaliers won the annual NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, beating out the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz and nine other teams for that honor. Cleveland is expected to select Duke guard Kyrie Irving with the number one overall pick. Cleveland had the second best odds to win the lottery, behind the Timberwolves who ended up with the number two overall pick.
The Cavaliers also obtained the number four overall pick via the Barron Davis trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Utah Jazz is the other team with multiple lottery picks, obtaining the third overall pick from the Derron Williams trade with the New Jersey Nets and the twelfth overall pick for missing the playoffs. The Toronto Raptors round out the top five, picking at the fifth spot.
The Cavaliers are coming off their first season without Lebron James after he left the city to play for the Miami Heat. This past season under first year coach Byron Scott, Cleveland finished with an overall record of 19-63, the worst in the Eastern Conference and the second worst in the league behind the Timberwolves. The transition season included an NBA record 26 game losing streak that lasted from late December to early to mid-February.
Last year's lottery winner the Washington Wizards ended up with the sixth pick in the draft. Last year, the Wizards selected guard John Wall from Kentucky. Wall had a strong rookie season, finishing with 16.4 points per game and 8.3 assists per game. The Sacramento Kings (7th), Detroit Pistons (8th), Charlotte Bobcats (9th), Milwaukee Bucks (10th), Golden State Warriors (11th), Phoenix Suns (13th) and Houston Rockets (14th) were the other teams involved in this years lottery as they missed the playoffs.
Although he missed most of his freshman year at Duke with an injury in his right big toe, Irving is considered the top prospect in this year's draft. Irving played and started in eleven games averaging 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game in his only year at Duke.
Many have considered this year's draft class as the weakest since the 2000 NBA Draft. With only a few players like Irving, Arizona power forward Derrick Williams, Turkish forward Furkan Aldemar and Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas, finding a franchise player will be hard to come by. Other notable players in this years draft class includes Connecticut guard and the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player Kemba Walker, Texas forward Tristan Thompson, Kansas forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris, guard Josh Selby and Kentucky guards Brandon Knight and DeAndre Liggins.
The 2011 NBA Draft will take place on June 23 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. This will be the first time that the NBA Draft will be held at an NBA arena since 2000 when it was held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. From 2001 to 2010, the draft was held at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The NBA Draft is expected to be the last time that teams can move players before the looming standoff between the NBA and the players association. The league's current collective bargaining agreement expires at midnight on July 1.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Rangers F Derek Boogaard dies at 28; cause of death unknown
By Ray Bennett
Saturday May 14, 2011
New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard, a feared enforcer in the NHL for the past few years, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment late Friday night at the age of 28. Members of his family discovered that he was unconscious and unresponsive. No cause of death was reported at the scene. Police said that they will perform an autopsy and results will not be known for at least 3-4 weeks.
Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather released a statement after news broke of Boogaard's death: "Derek was an extremely kind and caring individual. He was a very thoughtful person, who will be dearly missed by those who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time."
Boogaard was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on June 23, 1982. After playing junior league hockey in the Western Hockey League for three teams, Boogaard was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. After playing for a few years in the East Coast Hockey League for the Louisiana IceGators and the Houston Aeros, Boogaard made his first NHL roster for the Wild in the 2005-06 season.
Nicknamed "The Boogyman" for his rough play, Boogaard was mostly known in his NHL career as an enforcer. His first notable incident was a knockout of former Anaheim Ducks enforcer Todd Fedoruk during a fight in his rookie season, resulting in a shattered cheekbone that had to be reconstructed with titanium plates. Ironically, Fedoruk would later become a teammate of Boogaard's for the Wild for a short time in the 2007-08 season.
Boogaard lived up to his reputation as an enforcer, racking up 589 career penalty minutes throughout his six year NHL career. Boogaard signed a four year, $6.5 million contract last summer for the Rangers, re-joining former Wild teammate Marian Gaborik. He had a goal, an assist and 45 penalty minutes in 22 games before a concussion and knee injury prematurely ended his season. Boogaard tallied 3 goals, two of them in his rookie season, and 13 assists in his six years in the NHL. He appeared in the playoffs twice for the Wild, getting only one assist and 44 penalty minutes in 10 career playoff games.
The NHL honored Boogaard with a moment of silence before Game One of Saturday's Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins.
Saturday May 14, 2011
New York Rangers forward Derek Boogaard, a feared enforcer in the NHL for the past few years, was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment late Friday night at the age of 28. Members of his family discovered that he was unconscious and unresponsive. No cause of death was reported at the scene. Police said that they will perform an autopsy and results will not be known for at least 3-4 weeks.
Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather released a statement after news broke of Boogaard's death: "Derek was an extremely kind and caring individual. He was a very thoughtful person, who will be dearly missed by those who knew him. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates during this difficult time."
Boogaard was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on June 23, 1982. After playing junior league hockey in the Western Hockey League for three teams, Boogaard was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. After playing for a few years in the East Coast Hockey League for the Louisiana IceGators and the Houston Aeros, Boogaard made his first NHL roster for the Wild in the 2005-06 season.
Nicknamed "The Boogyman" for his rough play, Boogaard was mostly known in his NHL career as an enforcer. His first notable incident was a knockout of former Anaheim Ducks enforcer Todd Fedoruk during a fight in his rookie season, resulting in a shattered cheekbone that had to be reconstructed with titanium plates. Ironically, Fedoruk would later become a teammate of Boogaard's for the Wild for a short time in the 2007-08 season.
Boogaard lived up to his reputation as an enforcer, racking up 589 career penalty minutes throughout his six year NHL career. Boogaard signed a four year, $6.5 million contract last summer for the Rangers, re-joining former Wild teammate Marian Gaborik. He had a goal, an assist and 45 penalty minutes in 22 games before a concussion and knee injury prematurely ended his season. Boogaard tallied 3 goals, two of them in his rookie season, and 13 assists in his six years in the NHL. He appeared in the playoffs twice for the Wild, getting only one assist and 44 penalty minutes in 10 career playoff games.
The NHL honored Boogaard with a moment of silence before Game One of Saturday's Eastern Conference Finals between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Tigers P Verlander Throws Second Career No-Hitter; takes Perfect Game into 8th inning; Tigers beat Blue Jays 9-0
By Ray Bennett
Saturday May 7, 2011
At the end of seven innings in Toronto, the fans in attendance at Rogers Centre had a feeling that something big was going to happen. The man who was pitching for the visiting team missed a big career achievement. However, he made up for it with achieving an even bigger feat.
Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander threw his second career no-hitter in a 9-0 victory Saturday over the Toronto Blue Jays. The no-hitter is the seventh in the Detroit Tigers 100+ year history. Verlander also became the second Tiger to pitch multiple no-hitters, joining Virgil Trucks and his two gems back in 1952.
Verlander had chance to pitch the first Perfect Game in team history. After retiring the first 22 batters in the game with one out in the eighth inning, Verlander faced off against Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia. The at-bat went was full of foul tips and outside pitches. On the twelfth pitch of the at-bat, Verlander threw a 100 MPH fastball on the outside for ball four, walking Arencibia and breaking up the perfect game after seven-and-a-third innings pitched.
The next batter Verlander faced was Edwin Encarnacion. On a one-one pitch, Encarnacion grounded out into a six-four-three double play to end the inning, keeping the no-hitter in tact.
Entering the bottom of the ninth, Verlander got David Cooper to pop out to Tigers second baseman Scott Sizemore for the first out. The next batter John McDonald grounded out to Sizemore for the second out. The next Blue Jay at the plate was right fielder Rajai Davis. On a two-two count in the at-bat, Davis swung and missed at a fastball, capping off the second no-hitter in Verlander's career.
When he pitched his first no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12, 2007, Verlander struck out 12 batters. In Saturday's no-hitter, he only managed to record four strikeouts. This is the second no-hitter of the week, with the first being thrown by Francisco Liriano of the Tigers' division rival Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo had a no-hitter going into the eighth in Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, until it was broken up by St. Louis third baseman Daniel Descalso.
Verlander had a lot of help from his teammates on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. In the top of the third, facing Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero, Sizemore walked with the bases loaded to score catcher Alex Avila. With Magglio Ordonez at the plate, Romero threw a wild pitch that scored Tigers 3B Brandon Inge. Later in the at-bat, Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson, who went 3-5 with a double in the game, scored on an Ordonez ground out.
In the top of the fourth, Tigers Shortstop Jhonny Peralta hit his first home run of the season by hitting a pitch to deep left field. After a Ryan Raburn double, Avila homered to deep right, his sixth of the season, increasing the Tigers lead to 5-0. Romero left after giving up the home run, pitching only three-and-one-third-innings.
The Tigers increased the lead to six with a Victor Martinez RBI Single that scored Miguel Cabrera. In the bottom half of the inning, Verlander faced Encarnacion, who hit the ball off of Verlander's glove. Verlander then managed to get the ball and throw to Cabrera in time for the final out of the inning. Cabrera made another great defensive play by catching a liner with two outs in the sixth to preserve the then perfect game-bid.
The Tigers added two more runs in the top of the ninth. After Blue Jays reliever Casey Janssen walked the bases loaded, Octavio Dotel came in for him and gave up RBI Singles to Martinez and Peralta, making the score 9-0.
Verlander, who brought his 2011 season record to 3-3 with the victory, also becomes the 27th pitcher in Major League history to pitch multiple no-hitters. The record for the most no-hitters ever thrown by one pitcher is held by Baseball Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan, who pitched seven no-hitters with four different teams in his 26 year Major League career. Ryan is the current co-owner of the Texas Rangers, one of the teams he played for in his career.
The Tigers win brings their overall record on the 2011 season to 16-18. The Blue Jays loss drops them to 15-18. Both teams continue their four game series on Sunday. Brad Penny starts for Detroit, while rookie Kyle Drebek goes for Toronto.
Saturday May 7, 2011
At the end of seven innings in Toronto, the fans in attendance at Rogers Centre had a feeling that something big was going to happen. The man who was pitching for the visiting team missed a big career achievement. However, he made up for it with achieving an even bigger feat.
Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander threw his second career no-hitter in a 9-0 victory Saturday over the Toronto Blue Jays. The no-hitter is the seventh in the Detroit Tigers 100+ year history. Verlander also became the second Tiger to pitch multiple no-hitters, joining Virgil Trucks and his two gems back in 1952.
Verlander had chance to pitch the first Perfect Game in team history. After retiring the first 22 batters in the game with one out in the eighth inning, Verlander faced off against Blue Jays catcher J.P. Arencibia. The at-bat went was full of foul tips and outside pitches. On the twelfth pitch of the at-bat, Verlander threw a 100 MPH fastball on the outside for ball four, walking Arencibia and breaking up the perfect game after seven-and-a-third innings pitched.
The next batter Verlander faced was Edwin Encarnacion. On a one-one pitch, Encarnacion grounded out into a six-four-three double play to end the inning, keeping the no-hitter in tact.
Entering the bottom of the ninth, Verlander got David Cooper to pop out to Tigers second baseman Scott Sizemore for the first out. The next batter John McDonald grounded out to Sizemore for the second out. The next Blue Jay at the plate was right fielder Rajai Davis. On a two-two count in the at-bat, Davis swung and missed at a fastball, capping off the second no-hitter in Verlander's career.
When he pitched his first no-hitter against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 12, 2007, Verlander struck out 12 batters. In Saturday's no-hitter, he only managed to record four strikeouts. This is the second no-hitter of the week, with the first being thrown by Francisco Liriano of the Tigers' division rival Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo had a no-hitter going into the eighth in Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, until it was broken up by St. Louis third baseman Daniel Descalso.
Verlander had a lot of help from his teammates on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. In the top of the third, facing Blue Jays ace Ricky Romero, Sizemore walked with the bases loaded to score catcher Alex Avila. With Magglio Ordonez at the plate, Romero threw a wild pitch that scored Tigers 3B Brandon Inge. Later in the at-bat, Tigers center fielder Austin Jackson, who went 3-5 with a double in the game, scored on an Ordonez ground out.
In the top of the fourth, Tigers Shortstop Jhonny Peralta hit his first home run of the season by hitting a pitch to deep left field. After a Ryan Raburn double, Avila homered to deep right, his sixth of the season, increasing the Tigers lead to 5-0. Romero left after giving up the home run, pitching only three-and-one-third-innings.
The Tigers increased the lead to six with a Victor Martinez RBI Single that scored Miguel Cabrera. In the bottom half of the inning, Verlander faced Encarnacion, who hit the ball off of Verlander's glove. Verlander then managed to get the ball and throw to Cabrera in time for the final out of the inning. Cabrera made another great defensive play by catching a liner with two outs in the sixth to preserve the then perfect game-bid.
The Tigers added two more runs in the top of the ninth. After Blue Jays reliever Casey Janssen walked the bases loaded, Octavio Dotel came in for him and gave up RBI Singles to Martinez and Peralta, making the score 9-0.
Verlander, who brought his 2011 season record to 3-3 with the victory, also becomes the 27th pitcher in Major League history to pitch multiple no-hitters. The record for the most no-hitters ever thrown by one pitcher is held by Baseball Hall-of-Famer Nolan Ryan, who pitched seven no-hitters with four different teams in his 26 year Major League career. Ryan is the current co-owner of the Texas Rangers, one of the teams he played for in his career.
The Tigers win brings their overall record on the 2011 season to 16-18. The Blue Jays loss drops them to 15-18. Both teams continue their four game series on Sunday. Brad Penny starts for Detroit, while rookie Kyle Drebek goes for Toronto.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Bulls Point Guard Rose becomes youngest MVP in NBA History
By Ray Bennett
Tuesday May 3rd, 2011
In 2008, the Chicago Bulls used their number one overall lottery pick on a young point guard who grew up on the city's south side. Many within the organization believed he would be the first piece to rebuilding a team that has never tasted success since their string of two separate three-peat's in the 1990's. Three years later, the young man they drafted now holds the NBA's highest personal award.
On Tuesday, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose won the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player award. At the age of 22, Rose becomes the youngest player in league history to win the honor. Former Baltimore Bullets star Wes Unseld was previously the NBA's youngest MVP when he won it along with rookie of the year award at the age of 23. Rose obtained 113 first-place votes from esteemed members of the media.
Rose, who helped lead the Bulls to a league best regular season record of 62-20, averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. Many league general managers believed that his play this past season would lead him to this personal accolade. Rose will officially obtain the award when Commissioner David Stern presents it to him before the Bulls Game Two match-up against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard finished second among players in MVP voting. Last year's winner, Miami Heat small forward Lebron James, who won the award playing for Cleveland, finished in third. Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant finished in fourth and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant finished in fifth.
Rose joins legendary Bulls guard/forward Michael Jordan as the only two players in franchise history to win the MVP award. Jordan won it five times in his career, the last time in 1998, his final season with the team before retiring for the second time in his career. Jordan is now the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Rose is also the second Bull this year to win a regular season award, with his coach Tom Thibodeau winning the league's Coach of the Year award in his first season this past week.
Rose played one year of college basketball at Memphis under former coach John Calipari. He helped the Tigers reach the 2008 national championship game, which they lost to Kansas in overtime. Later that summer, he was drafted by his hometown team. His eligibility at Memphis, however, was questioned by the NCAA after accusations about his low S.A.T scores came to light.
In his rookie season, he won the league's Rookie of the Year award at the age of 20. He became a rising star in the league after a memorable first-round playoff series in which the Bulls pushed the then defending champion Boston Celtics to the brink in a seven-game series. In his playoff debut, Rose tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored by a first-time player with 36 points. The Bulls ended up losing the series to the Celtics four games to three.
In Rose's second season, he became a first time all-star as a reserve and the first Chicago Bull since Jordan to play in the game. This past season, Rose was elected back to the all-star game, this time as a starter. He also became the third player in league history to have over 2000 points and 600 assists in a single season. The other two players to achieve this were Jordan and Lebron James.
Rose is expected to start Game Two of the Bulls series against the Hawks after re-injuring his left ankle near the end of Monday's Game One loss. Rose first injured the ankle during their first round series against Central Division rival Indiana. The Bulls won the series in five games to advance to the conference Semi-Finals.
Tuesday May 3rd, 2011
In 2008, the Chicago Bulls used their number one overall lottery pick on a young point guard who grew up on the city's south side. Many within the organization believed he would be the first piece to rebuilding a team that has never tasted success since their string of two separate three-peat's in the 1990's. Three years later, the young man they drafted now holds the NBA's highest personal award.
On Tuesday, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose won the National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player award. At the age of 22, Rose becomes the youngest player in league history to win the honor. Former Baltimore Bullets star Wes Unseld was previously the NBA's youngest MVP when he won it along with rookie of the year award at the age of 23. Rose obtained 113 first-place votes from esteemed members of the media.
Rose, who helped lead the Bulls to a league best regular season record of 62-20, averaged 25 points, 7.7 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. Many league general managers believed that his play this past season would lead him to this personal accolade. Rose will officially obtain the award when Commissioner David Stern presents it to him before the Bulls Game Two match-up against the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard finished second among players in MVP voting. Last year's winner, Miami Heat small forward Lebron James, who won the award playing for Cleveland, finished in third. Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant finished in fourth and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant finished in fifth.
Rose joins legendary Bulls guard/forward Michael Jordan as the only two players in franchise history to win the MVP award. Jordan won it five times in his career, the last time in 1998, his final season with the team before retiring for the second time in his career. Jordan is now the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. Rose is also the second Bull this year to win a regular season award, with his coach Tom Thibodeau winning the league's Coach of the Year award in his first season this past week.
Rose played one year of college basketball at Memphis under former coach John Calipari. He helped the Tigers reach the 2008 national championship game, which they lost to Kansas in overtime. Later that summer, he was drafted by his hometown team. His eligibility at Memphis, however, was questioned by the NCAA after accusations about his low S.A.T scores came to light.
In his rookie season, he won the league's Rookie of the Year award at the age of 20. He became a rising star in the league after a memorable first-round playoff series in which the Bulls pushed the then defending champion Boston Celtics to the brink in a seven-game series. In his playoff debut, Rose tied Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most points scored by a first-time player with 36 points. The Bulls ended up losing the series to the Celtics four games to three.
In Rose's second season, he became a first time all-star as a reserve and the first Chicago Bull since Jordan to play in the game. This past season, Rose was elected back to the all-star game, this time as a starter. He also became the third player in league history to have over 2000 points and 600 assists in a single season. The other two players to achieve this were Jordan and Lebron James.
Rose is expected to start Game Two of the Bulls series against the Hawks after re-injuring his left ankle near the end of Monday's Game One loss. Rose first injured the ankle during their first round series against Central Division rival Indiana. The Bulls won the series in five games to advance to the conference Semi-Finals.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
UMass to join FBS, MAC in 2012
By Ray Bennett
Wednesday April 20, 2011
The University of Massachusetts football program is considered on of the best in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. Beginning in 2012, the Minutemen will take the next step into national recognition.
On Wednesday, the Mid-American Conference officially announced, in addition to joining the Football Bowl Subdivision, that UMass will become it's fourteenth member for football starting in the 2012 season. Currently, the team plays in the Colonial Athletic Association in FCS.
The Minutemen will not officially begin as a full time member of the conference until 2013 as NCAA rules state that a team moving to the FBS must play a partial schedule of teams of the same subdivision for two seasons, beginning this year and in 2012.
In addition to moving to FBS, UMass will play their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA in 2012 and 2013. This move allows the school to upgrade their current on-campus stadium, McGurik Alumni Stadium, to Division I FBS attendance standards. According to NCAA rules, teams that participate in the FBS level need to have a yearly attendance of over 15,000 for two seasons. McGurik currently has a maximum capacity of about 17,000. The school will pay for the stadium renovations from revenue generated from the games played at Gillette. Gillette Stadium is the current home for the NFL's New England Patriots.
The program will also receive an increase of the amount of football scholarships that the school offers. Scholarships at UMass will increase from 63 to 85 starting in 2012.
The Minutemen are just the third team in the past few years to leave the CAA. Many believe that the move to FBS was due in part by Northeastern and Hofstra ending their football programs just recently.
Not only does the Minutemen's move to the MAC help the conference as a mid-major power in football, it also helps their academic standing in the NCAA. The school was recognized as the 56th best academic school in the world by The Times World University Rankings in 2010.
UMass becomes the second football-only program in the MAC along with Philadelphia-based Temple, whose football program joined in 2007 after years in the Big East and as an FBS independent. Both school's play their other sports in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Including Temple, The Mid-American Conference has schools based in the Great Lakes region. The other twelve schools, which are full-time members of the conference includes Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan. All schools for football in the MAC are public universities.
Wednesday April 20, 2011
The University of Massachusetts football program is considered on of the best in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. Beginning in 2012, the Minutemen will take the next step into national recognition.
On Wednesday, the Mid-American Conference officially announced, in addition to joining the Football Bowl Subdivision, that UMass will become it's fourteenth member for football starting in the 2012 season. Currently, the team plays in the Colonial Athletic Association in FCS.
The Minutemen will not officially begin as a full time member of the conference until 2013 as NCAA rules state that a team moving to the FBS must play a partial schedule of teams of the same subdivision for two seasons, beginning this year and in 2012.
In addition to moving to FBS, UMass will play their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA in 2012 and 2013. This move allows the school to upgrade their current on-campus stadium, McGurik Alumni Stadium, to Division I FBS attendance standards. According to NCAA rules, teams that participate in the FBS level need to have a yearly attendance of over 15,000 for two seasons. McGurik currently has a maximum capacity of about 17,000. The school will pay for the stadium renovations from revenue generated from the games played at Gillette. Gillette Stadium is the current home for the NFL's New England Patriots.
The program will also receive an increase of the amount of football scholarships that the school offers. Scholarships at UMass will increase from 63 to 85 starting in 2012.
The Minutemen are just the third team in the past few years to leave the CAA. Many believe that the move to FBS was due in part by Northeastern and Hofstra ending their football programs just recently.
Not only does the Minutemen's move to the MAC help the conference as a mid-major power in football, it also helps their academic standing in the NCAA. The school was recognized as the 56th best academic school in the world by The Times World University Rankings in 2010.
UMass becomes the second football-only program in the MAC along with Philadelphia-based Temple, whose football program joined in 2007 after years in the Big East and as an FBS independent. Both school's play their other sports in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Including Temple, The Mid-American Conference has schools based in the Great Lakes region. The other twelve schools, which are full-time members of the conference includes Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan. All schools for football in the MAC are public universities.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Schwartzel wins 2011 Masters after back nine charge; Woods finishes tied for 4th; McIlroy collapses
By Ray Bennett
Sunday April 10, 2011
In a long rich tradition of South African golfers, names like Gary Player, Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman come to mind. You can add another name to that list.
On Sunday, Charl Schwartzel, a 25-year-old from Johannesburg, became the third South African to win The Masters. He outlasted Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day on the final few holes to capture his first major championship. His win capped off a wild final round at Augusta, which saw many lead changes.
Schwartzel started out the day at -8. Paired with K.J Choi, Schwartzel started out his final round with a birdie on the first hole. Two holes later on a Par 4, Schwartzel chipped in an eagle for a tie for the lead at -11. He finish the front nine at -10 after a bogey on the fourth hole.
Schwartzel and the rest of the contending field caught a huge break on the back nine after a monumental collapse from Rory McIlroy. McIlroy held the lead through his run in the front nine at -11. He then hit the wall on the tenth hole. After his first shot went way off the course, McIlroy had to shoot out of many obstacles. This resulted in a triple bogey, knocking him out of the lead for the first time in the tournament. A bogey on the next hole and a double bogey on the Par 3 twelfth doomed his chances of becoming the second youngest golfer ever to win The Masters at the age of 21 years and 11 months. He finished the day shooting an 80 on the Par 72 course, finishing the tournament at -5 in a tie for fifteenth.
Once word spread of McIlroy's fall from the top of the leaderboad, the rest of the field took notice. Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods managed to recover from a terrible third round. Entering the final round on Sunday, Woods was seven strokes off the lead. After two birdies and a bogey on his first five holes, Woods started to show his once feared poise by hitting birdies on six and seven. On the Par 5 eight hole, Woods hit an eagle putt to take his score to -10 and a tie for second place.
Woods and Schwartzel were in a huge battle on the back nine with others that were near the lead. Australians Adam Scott, Jason Day and Geoff Ogilvy started to make their move towards the lead. Ogilvy, who started the day at -5 with Woods, managed to get close to the lead on the back nine. After shooting an even 36 on the first nine holes, Ogilvy strung together five consecutive birdies on holes twelve through sixteen, ending the day at -10. Scott and Day teed off together in the final round. Scott had the upper hand on the front nine, shooting a 34 to Day's 36.
Scott made his move on the eleventh hole with a birdie to bring him to a five-way tie for second with Woods, Schwartzel, Choi and Angel Cabrera. Woods had many chances to take the lead on the back nine. After reaching the green on two shots on the Par 5 fifteen hole, Woods had an opportunity to take sole possession of the lead with an eagle. However, his shaky putting came back to haunt him as he missed the potential go-ahead eagle. He tapped in for birdie on his next putt. On the next hole, a 170+ yard Par 3, Tiger had a chance to tie for the lead. However, he missed his birdie putt, eventually saving for par. Woods finished at -10.
On the tail-end of the round, Schwartzel, Scott and Day made the final few holes very entertaining. Day got back in the hunt for the green jacket after getting birdies on thirteen and fourteen. After two Schwartzel birdies on fifteen and sixteen, Scott sunk a birdie putt on sixteen, bringing him to sole possession of first place for the first time in the tournament. After Scott hit par on seventeen, Schwartzel hit a key birdie put at seventeen to take the lead at -13.
Scott and Day entered the eighteenth and final hole in second and third place. After getting a 3 on seventeen, Day managed to get another birdie to bring his total tournament score -12. Day posted the best score from a golfer at his first Masters with a total of 276 strokes. Scott had a chance to tie with Schwartzel on his birdie putt. However, his putt broke away from the hole and Scott could only save it for par, finishing with a -12. This sealed the tournament for Schwartzel, who birdied the final hole when he only needed to two-putt to win.
This is Schwartzel's first win in a major tournament. With the victory, he joins Gary Player and Trevor Immelman as the only South Africans ever to win at The Masters. Player was first to win a green jacket in 1961. He added two more in the 1970s with wins in 1974 and 1978. Trevor Immelman, who finished this year's tournament tied for fifteenth at -4, won the tournament back in 2008. He also joins Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen as the fifth man from his country to win one of the four major tournaments (Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and The PGA Championship). This is also Schwartzel's first victory on American soil in his first official year on the PGA Tour.
(This story correctly identifies Ogilvy as Australian. The previous three stories misidentified him as South African)
Sunday April 10, 2011
In a long rich tradition of South African golfers, names like Gary Player, Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman come to mind. You can add another name to that list.
On Sunday, Charl Schwartzel, a 25-year-old from Johannesburg, became the third South African to win The Masters. He outlasted Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day on the final few holes to capture his first major championship. His win capped off a wild final round at Augusta, which saw many lead changes.
Schwartzel started out the day at -8. Paired with K.J Choi, Schwartzel started out his final round with a birdie on the first hole. Two holes later on a Par 4, Schwartzel chipped in an eagle for a tie for the lead at -11. He finish the front nine at -10 after a bogey on the fourth hole.
Schwartzel and the rest of the contending field caught a huge break on the back nine after a monumental collapse from Rory McIlroy. McIlroy held the lead through his run in the front nine at -11. He then hit the wall on the tenth hole. After his first shot went way off the course, McIlroy had to shoot out of many obstacles. This resulted in a triple bogey, knocking him out of the lead for the first time in the tournament. A bogey on the next hole and a double bogey on the Par 3 twelfth doomed his chances of becoming the second youngest golfer ever to win The Masters at the age of 21 years and 11 months. He finished the day shooting an 80 on the Par 72 course, finishing the tournament at -5 in a tie for fifteenth.
Once word spread of McIlroy's fall from the top of the leaderboad, the rest of the field took notice. Four-time Masters champion Tiger Woods managed to recover from a terrible third round. Entering the final round on Sunday, Woods was seven strokes off the lead. After two birdies and a bogey on his first five holes, Woods started to show his once feared poise by hitting birdies on six and seven. On the Par 5 eight hole, Woods hit an eagle putt to take his score to -10 and a tie for second place.
Woods and Schwartzel were in a huge battle on the back nine with others that were near the lead. Australians Adam Scott, Jason Day and Geoff Ogilvy started to make their move towards the lead. Ogilvy, who started the day at -5 with Woods, managed to get close to the lead on the back nine. After shooting an even 36 on the first nine holes, Ogilvy strung together five consecutive birdies on holes twelve through sixteen, ending the day at -10. Scott and Day teed off together in the final round. Scott had the upper hand on the front nine, shooting a 34 to Day's 36.
Scott made his move on the eleventh hole with a birdie to bring him to a five-way tie for second with Woods, Schwartzel, Choi and Angel Cabrera. Woods had many chances to take the lead on the back nine. After reaching the green on two shots on the Par 5 fifteen hole, Woods had an opportunity to take sole possession of the lead with an eagle. However, his shaky putting came back to haunt him as he missed the potential go-ahead eagle. He tapped in for birdie on his next putt. On the next hole, a 170+ yard Par 3, Tiger had a chance to tie for the lead. However, he missed his birdie putt, eventually saving for par. Woods finished at -10.
On the tail-end of the round, Schwartzel, Scott and Day made the final few holes very entertaining. Day got back in the hunt for the green jacket after getting birdies on thirteen and fourteen. After two Schwartzel birdies on fifteen and sixteen, Scott sunk a birdie putt on sixteen, bringing him to sole possession of first place for the first time in the tournament. After Scott hit par on seventeen, Schwartzel hit a key birdie put at seventeen to take the lead at -13.
Scott and Day entered the eighteenth and final hole in second and third place. After getting a 3 on seventeen, Day managed to get another birdie to bring his total tournament score -12. Day posted the best score from a golfer at his first Masters with a total of 276 strokes. Scott had a chance to tie with Schwartzel on his birdie putt. However, his putt broke away from the hole and Scott could only save it for par, finishing with a -12. This sealed the tournament for Schwartzel, who birdied the final hole when he only needed to two-putt to win.
This is Schwartzel's first win in a major tournament. With the victory, he joins Gary Player and Trevor Immelman as the only South Africans ever to win at The Masters. Player was first to win a green jacket in 1961. He added two more in the 1970s with wins in 1974 and 1978. Trevor Immelman, who finished this year's tournament tied for fifteenth at -4, won the tournament back in 2008. He also joins Ernie Els and Louis Oosthuizen as the fifth man from his country to win one of the four major tournaments (Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship, and The PGA Championship). This is also Schwartzel's first victory on American soil in his first official year on the PGA Tour.
(This story correctly identifies Ogilvy as Australian. The previous three stories misidentified him as South African)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
McIlroy in command; Takes four stroke lead into Final Round of Masters
By Ray Bennett
Saturday April 9, 2011
Saturday was the time in which Rory McIlroy needed to assert his dominance at Augusta National. Everyone got their answer after he went to the clubhouse.
McIlroy shot a 70 on Saturday to bring his three day tournament total to -12. He holds the lead over four other golfers, 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera, South African Charl Schwartzel, K.J Choi, and young Australian Jason Day, by just four strokes, each at -8. McIlroy also became the second youngest at 21 to hold the lead after the first 54 holes of the tournament, a year behind Tiger Wood's performance in his first Masters championship at the age of 20 in 1997.
The young Northern Irishman started out his round in the last group with Day. After shooting an even 36 on the front nine, McIlroy ran into a little trouble with a bogey on the tenth hole. However, he managed to regain his composure on the remaining eight holes of the back nine by getting birdies on thirteen and fifteen. On what could be considered his defining moment of the tournament, McIlroy managed to sink a key birdie on the Par 4 seventeen hole to bring his score to -12.
His partner for the third round Jason Day got off to a fast start by putting in birdies on holes two, three and five, bringing his score to -11 and the tournament lead. After that, Day then hit the wall, by getting bogies on his next two holes. Another bogey on thirteen sunk Day's chances of catching McIlroy, finishing the third round where he started at -8.
Former Masters winner Angel Cabrera was the biggest mover up the leaderboard on Saturday by shooting a 67. Cabrera breezed right through the front nine, hitting birdies on holes two, seven and nine. His only hiccup of the day was a bogey on ten. Afterwards, he managed to stay in the hunt for his second green jacket with three more birdies on twelve, thirteen and fifteen. Cabrera will be paired with McIlroy in the last group on Sunday.
26-year-old South African Charl Schwartzel also moved into the four way tie for second after shooting a 68 on the course. After four birdies and two bogies on his first eleven holes, Schwartzel managed to hit a birdie putt on the Par 3 twelfth hole. He reached the tie for second after a birdie on fifteen.
K.J Choi shot a 71 on the Par 72 course on Saturday. He reached -9 after completing a consecutive string of birdies on eight and nine. After a par on ten, Choi bogied his next two holes. He could only manage to birdie thirteen to bring his score to -8 for Sunday.
Even though he's still in contention, Tiger Woods moved down to a tie for ninth place along with four others at -5. After a second round that saw Woods hit nine birdie putts, his short game hit another snag. Woods only birdied three and thirteen on the day, while he managed to bogey four holes in the third round. Tiger is tied for ninth place entering Sunday along with Ross Fisher, Bubba Watson, Fred Couples, and Geoff Ogilvy.
Last year's Masters winner Phil Mickelson could be out of the hunt for a fourth green jacket after only raising his score to -3 on Saturday. He is tied for eighteenth place with five others,which include Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood and Alvaro Quiros. Other notables on Saturday include Ricky Barnes (-2, T-24), Ryo Ishikawa (-1, T-30), Sergio Garcia (-1, T-30), Camilo Villegas (+2, T-42) and former Masters champions Miguel Angel Jimenez (-2, T-24) and Trevor Immelman (-1, T-30).
Kyung-Tae Kim will be the first to tee off in the final round on Sunday at 10:30 A.M. McIlroy and Cabrera will be the final pair to tee off at 2:40 P.M. Weather at Augusta National on Sunday will be very hot and humid for the golfers, with mostly sunny skies and a high of 90 degrees.
Saturday April 9, 2011
Saturday was the time in which Rory McIlroy needed to assert his dominance at Augusta National. Everyone got their answer after he went to the clubhouse.
McIlroy shot a 70 on Saturday to bring his three day tournament total to -12. He holds the lead over four other golfers, 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera, South African Charl Schwartzel, K.J Choi, and young Australian Jason Day, by just four strokes, each at -8. McIlroy also became the second youngest at 21 to hold the lead after the first 54 holes of the tournament, a year behind Tiger Wood's performance in his first Masters championship at the age of 20 in 1997.
The young Northern Irishman started out his round in the last group with Day. After shooting an even 36 on the front nine, McIlroy ran into a little trouble with a bogey on the tenth hole. However, he managed to regain his composure on the remaining eight holes of the back nine by getting birdies on thirteen and fifteen. On what could be considered his defining moment of the tournament, McIlroy managed to sink a key birdie on the Par 4 seventeen hole to bring his score to -12.
His partner for the third round Jason Day got off to a fast start by putting in birdies on holes two, three and five, bringing his score to -11 and the tournament lead. After that, Day then hit the wall, by getting bogies on his next two holes. Another bogey on thirteen sunk Day's chances of catching McIlroy, finishing the third round where he started at -8.
Former Masters winner Angel Cabrera was the biggest mover up the leaderboard on Saturday by shooting a 67. Cabrera breezed right through the front nine, hitting birdies on holes two, seven and nine. His only hiccup of the day was a bogey on ten. Afterwards, he managed to stay in the hunt for his second green jacket with three more birdies on twelve, thirteen and fifteen. Cabrera will be paired with McIlroy in the last group on Sunday.
26-year-old South African Charl Schwartzel also moved into the four way tie for second after shooting a 68 on the course. After four birdies and two bogies on his first eleven holes, Schwartzel managed to hit a birdie putt on the Par 3 twelfth hole. He reached the tie for second after a birdie on fifteen.
K.J Choi shot a 71 on the Par 72 course on Saturday. He reached -9 after completing a consecutive string of birdies on eight and nine. After a par on ten, Choi bogied his next two holes. He could only manage to birdie thirteen to bring his score to -8 for Sunday.
Even though he's still in contention, Tiger Woods moved down to a tie for ninth place along with four others at -5. After a second round that saw Woods hit nine birdie putts, his short game hit another snag. Woods only birdied three and thirteen on the day, while he managed to bogey four holes in the third round. Tiger is tied for ninth place entering Sunday along with Ross Fisher, Bubba Watson, Fred Couples, and Geoff Ogilvy.
Last year's Masters winner Phil Mickelson could be out of the hunt for a fourth green jacket after only raising his score to -3 on Saturday. He is tied for eighteenth place with five others,which include Steve Stricker, Lee Westwood and Alvaro Quiros. Other notables on Saturday include Ricky Barnes (-2, T-24), Ryo Ishikawa (-1, T-30), Sergio Garcia (-1, T-30), Camilo Villegas (+2, T-42) and former Masters champions Miguel Angel Jimenez (-2, T-24) and Trevor Immelman (-1, T-30).
Kyung-Tae Kim will be the first to tee off in the final round on Sunday at 10:30 A.M. McIlroy and Cabrera will be the final pair to tee off at 2:40 P.M. Weather at Augusta National on Sunday will be very hot and humid for the golfers, with mostly sunny skies and a high of 90 degrees.
Friday, April 8, 2011
McIlroy heads into weekend leader of Masters at -10; Woods, Day surge near top of leaderboard
By Ray Bennett
Friday April 8, 2011
Heading into Saturday's third round at The Masters, everyone will have their sights set on one 21-year-old Northern Irishman and a former four time champion.
Rory McIlroy retained his his first round lead by shooting a 69 to extend his tournament total to 10 under-par in Friday's second round of The Masters. Entering the day he was tied with two other golfers, Alvaro Quiros and Y.E Yang, who, at one point, was in the lead while shooing on the front nine.
McIlroy shot a 33 on the front nine, with birdies on holes two, five and nine. His only mishap of the day was a bogey on the twelfth hole. He quickly recovered on the next hole with a birdie and finished his round shooing for par on his remaining five holes.
Quiros was still at -7 entering the back nine. He ran into trouble on the Par 3 twelfth hole with a double bogey, sending his score down to -5. He finished the day at -6 after a birdie on the eighteenth hole.
Yang started his second round on a roll. After a bogey on the first hole, he quickly came back with three consecutive birdies on two, three and four. Yang held the tournament lead for the first time in his career after a birdie on the eight hole. However, that lead would be short lived as he bogied nine, ten and sixteen to finish the round back at -5 and tied for seventh.
The biggest mover of the day was 23-year-old Australian Jason Day. After shooting at par in the first round, Day dominated Augusta with eight birdies to lift him to just two strokes back of McIlroy. This is Day's first time competing at The Masters.
Not too far behind McIlroy and Day is Tiger Woods, who shot a 66 to a tie in third with K.J Choi at -7. Woods struggled to start his second round, with bogies on three of his first seven holes at even par. Once his group hit the eighth hole, we began to see the Tiger Woods of old, obtaining three consecutive birdies. He had another string of consecutive birdies on thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. He finished his surge with a 3 on the the Par 4 eighteen hole, ending the day with a back nine score of 31.
Friday was also the day the tournament had to cut the field down to just a handful of golfers. The cutline this year at Augusta was at +1. Only 49 golfers managed to get at or above the desired cutline. Among those who made it into the weekend was veteran South African Ernie Els. Els entered the day at three over par. After a bogey on the tenth hole, Els needed a miracle to stay alive. He got it in the form of an eagle on the Par 5 thirteenth hole. Els birdied the next two holes and finished the day with a 70.
Those who missed the cut include the world's number one ranked golfer Martin Kaymer, who only managed to shoot at +6 for his two days in the tournament. Other notable names that missed the cut include Anthony Kim (+2), Zach Johnson (+2), Lucas Glover (+2), Graeme McDowell (+3), Retief Goosen (+4), Padraig Harrington (+5), and former Masters champions Mark O' Meara (+6), Jose Maria Olazabal (+6), Tom Watson (+7), Vijay Singh (+10), and Mike Weir (+11).
The Third Round of The Masters begins at 10:45 A.M on Saturday with Ernie Els teeing off. The weather outlook at Augusta National calls for a possible thunderstorm in the afternoon and highs in the mid to upper 80s.
Friday April 8, 2011
Heading into Saturday's third round at The Masters, everyone will have their sights set on one 21-year-old Northern Irishman and a former four time champion.
Rory McIlroy retained his his first round lead by shooting a 69 to extend his tournament total to 10 under-par in Friday's second round of The Masters. Entering the day he was tied with two other golfers, Alvaro Quiros and Y.E Yang, who, at one point, was in the lead while shooing on the front nine.
McIlroy shot a 33 on the front nine, with birdies on holes two, five and nine. His only mishap of the day was a bogey on the twelfth hole. He quickly recovered on the next hole with a birdie and finished his round shooing for par on his remaining five holes.
Quiros was still at -7 entering the back nine. He ran into trouble on the Par 3 twelfth hole with a double bogey, sending his score down to -5. He finished the day at -6 after a birdie on the eighteenth hole.
Yang started his second round on a roll. After a bogey on the first hole, he quickly came back with three consecutive birdies on two, three and four. Yang held the tournament lead for the first time in his career after a birdie on the eight hole. However, that lead would be short lived as he bogied nine, ten and sixteen to finish the round back at -5 and tied for seventh.
The biggest mover of the day was 23-year-old Australian Jason Day. After shooting at par in the first round, Day dominated Augusta with eight birdies to lift him to just two strokes back of McIlroy. This is Day's first time competing at The Masters.
Not too far behind McIlroy and Day is Tiger Woods, who shot a 66 to a tie in third with K.J Choi at -7. Woods struggled to start his second round, with bogies on three of his first seven holes at even par. Once his group hit the eighth hole, we began to see the Tiger Woods of old, obtaining three consecutive birdies. He had another string of consecutive birdies on thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. He finished his surge with a 3 on the the Par 4 eighteen hole, ending the day with a back nine score of 31.
Friday was also the day the tournament had to cut the field down to just a handful of golfers. The cutline this year at Augusta was at +1. Only 49 golfers managed to get at or above the desired cutline. Among those who made it into the weekend was veteran South African Ernie Els. Els entered the day at three over par. After a bogey on the tenth hole, Els needed a miracle to stay alive. He got it in the form of an eagle on the Par 5 thirteenth hole. Els birdied the next two holes and finished the day with a 70.
Those who missed the cut include the world's number one ranked golfer Martin Kaymer, who only managed to shoot at +6 for his two days in the tournament. Other notable names that missed the cut include Anthony Kim (+2), Zach Johnson (+2), Lucas Glover (+2), Graeme McDowell (+3), Retief Goosen (+4), Padraig Harrington (+5), and former Masters champions Mark O' Meara (+6), Jose Maria Olazabal (+6), Tom Watson (+7), Vijay Singh (+10), and Mike Weir (+11).
The Third Round of The Masters begins at 10:45 A.M on Saturday with Ernie Els teeing off. The weather outlook at Augusta National calls for a possible thunderstorm in the afternoon and highs in the mid to upper 80s.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
McIlroy, Quiros tied after 1st round of Masters at 7-under-par; Michelson, Woods near top of leaderboard
By Ray Bennett
Thursday April 7, 2011
On a crystal clear 80+ degree day, professional golf's most prestigious tournament got underway in Augusta, Georgia. On the first day, two Europeans got off to a tremendous start.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Spain's Alvaros Quiros are tied at 7-under-par after the first round at The Masters at Augusta National Country Club. Both shot a 65 on the Par 72 course on Thursday.
21-year-old McIlroy was the first to shine on golf's biggest stage. Rory started off the day with three consecutive birdies on holes two,three and four. McIlroy added three more birdies on nine, fourteen and fifteen to cap off his first round, never getting a bogey or worse. McIlroy's best career finish at The Masters was a tie for tenth in 2009. He missed the cut the following year. He also became the youngest to ever hold or tie for the lead at The Masters.
Quiros also got off to a good start, shooting a 33 on the front-nine with birdies on two, seven and eight. After two more birdies on ten and thirteen, Quiros bogied on the fourteenth hole. However, he quickly recovered with a birdie on the Par five, fifteenth hole. He finished the day with two more birdies on the final two holes of the back-nine. The 28-year-old Quiros, a European Tour golfer, has never made the cut in his two previous appearances at Augusta.
Both McIlroy and Quiros lead South Koreans Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi by two strokes at -5. Yang, the 2009 PGA Championship winner, was once tied with McIlroy for the lead after a birdie on the sixteenth hole. However, he bogied seventeen and eighteen to end day one with a 67. Choi rallied late on the back-nine, getting birdies on five of the last seven holes after a bogey on eleven.
Defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson finished his first round in a ten-way tie for fourteenth place, shooting -2. Michelson had a fairly decent day, making par on thirteen of eighteen holes. He bogied eighteen after reaching three-under through seventeen. The three time Masters champion is coming off a three stroke tournament win in last week's Shell Houston Open.
Four time winner of the fabled Green Jacket Tiger Woods is tied for twenty-fourth after shooting a 71 on the day at -1. Woods shot a 35 on the front-nine when he entered the tenth hole. However, he got into trouble with bogies on ten and eleven. Tiger quickly recovered with birdies on thirteen and fourteen, finishing the back-nine on par with 36.
Woods is tied along with 2009 Masters winner Angel Cabrera, 19-year-old Japanese golf phenom Ryo Ishikawa, European Tour golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez, veteran Fred Couples, Texas' Ryan Palmer and 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink.
Other notables from day one include 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman tied for seventh at three-under par along with Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy among others. Englishman Lee Westwood shot even par along with seventeen others in thirty-first place, which also includes Steve Stricker and amateur Peter Uihlein. 25-year-old Californian Anthony Kim is tied for forty-ninth at one-over par. Two time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, ten year pro Bubba Watson and Englishman Justin Rose also shot +1. Other former Masters winners that finished above par include Vijay Singh (+4), Mike Wier (+4), Mark O' Meara (+5) and Tom Watson (+7).
The Second round on Friday will determine who will make the cut for the final two rounds over the weekend. The projected cut entering Friday is currently at +3. The first person is scheduled to tee off is at 7:45 A.M eastern time. Weather for Friday calls for a stray chance of a thunderstorm with a high in the lower 80s.
Thursday April 7, 2011
On a crystal clear 80+ degree day, professional golf's most prestigious tournament got underway in Augusta, Georgia. On the first day, two Europeans got off to a tremendous start.
Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Spain's Alvaros Quiros are tied at 7-under-par after the first round at The Masters at Augusta National Country Club. Both shot a 65 on the Par 72 course on Thursday.
21-year-old McIlroy was the first to shine on golf's biggest stage. Rory started off the day with three consecutive birdies on holes two,three and four. McIlroy added three more birdies on nine, fourteen and fifteen to cap off his first round, never getting a bogey or worse. McIlroy's best career finish at The Masters was a tie for tenth in 2009. He missed the cut the following year. He also became the youngest to ever hold or tie for the lead at The Masters.
Quiros also got off to a good start, shooting a 33 on the front-nine with birdies on two, seven and eight. After two more birdies on ten and thirteen, Quiros bogied on the fourteenth hole. However, he quickly recovered with a birdie on the Par five, fifteenth hole. He finished the day with two more birdies on the final two holes of the back-nine. The 28-year-old Quiros, a European Tour golfer, has never made the cut in his two previous appearances at Augusta.
Both McIlroy and Quiros lead South Koreans Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi by two strokes at -5. Yang, the 2009 PGA Championship winner, was once tied with McIlroy for the lead after a birdie on the sixteenth hole. However, he bogied seventeen and eighteen to end day one with a 67. Choi rallied late on the back-nine, getting birdies on five of the last seven holes after a bogey on eleven.
Defending Masters champion Phil Mickelson finished his first round in a ten-way tie for fourteenth place, shooting -2. Michelson had a fairly decent day, making par on thirteen of eighteen holes. He bogied eighteen after reaching three-under through seventeen. The three time Masters champion is coming off a three stroke tournament win in last week's Shell Houston Open.
Four time winner of the fabled Green Jacket Tiger Woods is tied for twenty-fourth after shooting a 71 on the day at -1. Woods shot a 35 on the front-nine when he entered the tenth hole. However, he got into trouble with bogies on ten and eleven. Tiger quickly recovered with birdies on thirteen and fourteen, finishing the back-nine on par with 36.
Woods is tied along with 2009 Masters winner Angel Cabrera, 19-year-old Japanese golf phenom Ryo Ishikawa, European Tour golfer Miguel Angel Jimenez, veteran Fred Couples, Texas' Ryan Palmer and 2009 British Open winner Stewart Cink.
Other notables from day one include 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman tied for seventh at three-under par along with Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy among others. Englishman Lee Westwood shot even par along with seventeen others in thirty-first place, which also includes Steve Stricker and amateur Peter Uihlein. 25-year-old Californian Anthony Kim is tied for forty-ninth at one-over par. Two time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal, ten year pro Bubba Watson and Englishman Justin Rose also shot +1. Other former Masters winners that finished above par include Vijay Singh (+4), Mike Wier (+4), Mark O' Meara (+5) and Tom Watson (+7).
The Second round on Friday will determine who will make the cut for the final two rounds over the weekend. The projected cut entering Friday is currently at +3. The first person is scheduled to tee off is at 7:45 A.M eastern time. Weather for Friday calls for a stray chance of a thunderstorm with a high in the lower 80s.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Opinion: After National Title, Where Does UConn Go From Here?
By Ray Bennett
Tuesday April 5, 2011
When the game clock hit 0.0 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX Monday night, The Connecticut Huskies claimed their third national title in Men's Basketball. After taking the long beaten path to Houston which started in the Big East tournament, Jim Calhoun's squad capped off an impressive eleven game winning streak to end the season.
Junior point guard Kemba Walker was considered the anchor of the team, leading the Huskies in scoring and assists during the tournament on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player. Other key players like freshman shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, sophomore center Alex Oriakhi and freshman power forward Roscoe Smith helped the Huskies in their historic run.
Entering the 2010-2011 season, the team, coming off an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament the previous season after losing in the 2009 Final Four, was far from the favorite to win the tournament. After hitting a bump in the road near the end of the regular season, many didn't believe that the Huskies would go far if they made it. Those doubts were quickly cast aside after UConn got hot at the right time of the year.
Now that the nets have been cut down, what happens next for the Huskies? Will Walker stay for his senior year? If Walker leaves, will others follow suit? And does Calhoun, who became the fifth head coach in NCAA history to win three or more national championships and the oldest to win one at the age of 68, call it a career?
After his high caliber performance not only in the tournament, but also in his three years up in Storrs, CT, There's no reason why Kemba would not consider leaving for the NBA. After setting career highs in points per game and free throw percentage in his junior year, Walker is considered by many draft experts as one of the best guards in the nation. If Walker foregos his final year of elegiblity, he could be selected as an early lottery pick within the first 5-10 picks. His shooting and ball handling skills can help a fledging team's bench if he does come out.
However, there are two things that might make Walker decide to stay for his senior year. One factor is the possible work stoppage that NBA might go through after the season. If the league and the player's union do not reach an agreement on a new C.B.A by July 30, a lockout might happen. Just like what might happen to incoming rookies in the NFL during a lockout, the new NBA players might have to wait until a new labor agreement is reached.
Another factor in Walker's decision is if any of his teammates will bolt for the NBA as well. Smith and Oriakhi, possibly along with junior forward Benjamin Stewart, could stay for another year. Their decisions will be based off of what Walker does and what the incoming freshman class will look like. Walker's decision on whether or not to leave for the pros is up to him. His stats in his three years at UConn make a case for his departure, while trying for a chance to repeat and getting his degree might influence him to stay.
In his 25 years at Conneticut, Jim Calhoun, like women's counterpart Geno Auriemma, has built one of the most elite basketball programs in the nation. With Calhoun's third national title, he joins other legendary college coaches such as John Wooden, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, and current Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski as the only coaches to have three or more national titles to their resumes.
At the age of 68, there is good reason for Calhoun to retire from coaching. A national championship, along with 850+ career wins in his 39th year of coaching, might be the reason for him to retire. He may also not want to deal with the NCAA again if something happens. He had to miss the first three Big East regular season game this past year after the NCAA found out he made illegal phone calls to recruits a few years ago.
On the other hand, he could try to join Wooden and Krzyzewski with four or more national titles. Calhoun is in decent physical health, even though he had to take a leave of absence back in 2009-2010 season. He might also want to see what his next class of recruits will look like as they try to go for back-to-back national titles. A third championship might warrent Calhoun's retirement. However, he might want to try to build momentum from the remarkable performance his team put out in this years tournament for next season. With his track record, Calhoun might want to stay for a few more seasons.
No matter what happens in the next few weeks, the future of the UConn Huskies will greatly be affected. If Walker decides to leave along with a few other players and if Calhoun retires from coaching, their chances of repeating as champions will possibly decrease. Playing in a tough Big East Conference, UConn will need Either Calhoun or Walker or both to defend their conference tournament crown. Their future's are up to them.
Tuesday April 5, 2011
When the game clock hit 0.0 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX Monday night, The Connecticut Huskies claimed their third national title in Men's Basketball. After taking the long beaten path to Houston which started in the Big East tournament, Jim Calhoun's squad capped off an impressive eleven game winning streak to end the season.
Junior point guard Kemba Walker was considered the anchor of the team, leading the Huskies in scoring and assists during the tournament on his way to being named the Most Outstanding Player. Other key players like freshman shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, sophomore center Alex Oriakhi and freshman power forward Roscoe Smith helped the Huskies in their historic run.
Entering the 2010-2011 season, the team, coming off an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament the previous season after losing in the 2009 Final Four, was far from the favorite to win the tournament. After hitting a bump in the road near the end of the regular season, many didn't believe that the Huskies would go far if they made it. Those doubts were quickly cast aside after UConn got hot at the right time of the year.
Now that the nets have been cut down, what happens next for the Huskies? Will Walker stay for his senior year? If Walker leaves, will others follow suit? And does Calhoun, who became the fifth head coach in NCAA history to win three or more national championships and the oldest to win one at the age of 68, call it a career?
After his high caliber performance not only in the tournament, but also in his three years up in Storrs, CT, There's no reason why Kemba would not consider leaving for the NBA. After setting career highs in points per game and free throw percentage in his junior year, Walker is considered by many draft experts as one of the best guards in the nation. If Walker foregos his final year of elegiblity, he could be selected as an early lottery pick within the first 5-10 picks. His shooting and ball handling skills can help a fledging team's bench if he does come out.
However, there are two things that might make Walker decide to stay for his senior year. One factor is the possible work stoppage that NBA might go through after the season. If the league and the player's union do not reach an agreement on a new C.B.A by July 30, a lockout might happen. Just like what might happen to incoming rookies in the NFL during a lockout, the new NBA players might have to wait until a new labor agreement is reached.
Another factor in Walker's decision is if any of his teammates will bolt for the NBA as well. Smith and Oriakhi, possibly along with junior forward Benjamin Stewart, could stay for another year. Their decisions will be based off of what Walker does and what the incoming freshman class will look like. Walker's decision on whether or not to leave for the pros is up to him. His stats in his three years at UConn make a case for his departure, while trying for a chance to repeat and getting his degree might influence him to stay.
In his 25 years at Conneticut, Jim Calhoun, like women's counterpart Geno Auriemma, has built one of the most elite basketball programs in the nation. With Calhoun's third national title, he joins other legendary college coaches such as John Wooden, Bob Knight, Adolph Rupp, and current Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski as the only coaches to have three or more national titles to their resumes.
At the age of 68, there is good reason for Calhoun to retire from coaching. A national championship, along with 850+ career wins in his 39th year of coaching, might be the reason for him to retire. He may also not want to deal with the NCAA again if something happens. He had to miss the first three Big East regular season game this past year after the NCAA found out he made illegal phone calls to recruits a few years ago.
On the other hand, he could try to join Wooden and Krzyzewski with four or more national titles. Calhoun is in decent physical health, even though he had to take a leave of absence back in 2009-2010 season. He might also want to see what his next class of recruits will look like as they try to go for back-to-back national titles. A third championship might warrent Calhoun's retirement. However, he might want to try to build momentum from the remarkable performance his team put out in this years tournament for next season. With his track record, Calhoun might want to stay for a few more seasons.
No matter what happens in the next few weeks, the future of the UConn Huskies will greatly be affected. If Walker decides to leave along with a few other players and if Calhoun retires from coaching, their chances of repeating as champions will possibly decrease. Playing in a tough Big East Conference, UConn will need Either Calhoun or Walker or both to defend their conference tournament crown. Their future's are up to them.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Granderson Home Run leads Yankees to Opening Day Win Against Tigers 6-3
By Ray Bennett
Thursday March 31, 2011
On Thursday, Curtis Granderson entered Yankee Stadium to face his former team the Detroit Tigers. Once the final out was recorded, he left as a big contributor to the team's eleventh straight Opening Day home win.
The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on a very cold and misty Opening Day Thursday in the Bronx. Granderson hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning off of Tigers reliever and former Yankee Phil Coke. This marks the third straight Opening Day in which Granderson has hit a home run, the second straight year as a member of the Yankees. This was also the Yankees eleventh straight Opening Day win at home.
The game was gearing up to be a pitchers dual between aces Justin Verlander for the Tigers and CC Sabathia for the Yankees. Detroit got the first run of the game in the top of the second off a Jhonny Peralta sacrifice fly that scored Miguel Cabrera. In the bottom of the third with two out and two runners on, Yankees first baseman Mark Texieria hit a Verlander pitch deep to right field for a three run shot. Texieria, who has been known to be a slow starter for the Yankees offensively, hit his third home run in the month of March/April as a member of the Yankees in his third year with the team.
In the next half-inning, after Sabathia walked Cabrera and gave up a Ryan Raburn single with one out, Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge singled down the left field line to score Cabrera to cut the deficit by one. The fifth inning saw Cabrera get an RBI off a sacrifice fly that scored centerfielder Austin Jackson.
Verlander got into a jam late in the bottom of the sixth. After Alex Rodriguez hit a double off the wall in right-center and a Robinson Cano walk with one out, Verlander struckout both Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada on full counts to end the inning.
Both Verlander and Sabathia did not disappoint in their season debuts, getting no decisions. Sabathia went six innings striking out seven Tiger batters, while giving up six hits and three runs. Verlander also exited after the sixth, striking out eight, while giving up three hits and three runs.
Once the bottom of the seventh rolled around, Granderson went deep off of Coke. Granderson and Coke, along with Austin Jackson, were involved in three team trade back in 2009 that also featured Arizona. Last year in his first at-bat with the Yankees, Granderson hit a home run against the rival Red Sox. He also hit a home run on Opening Day as a member of the Tigers in 2009.
New York added another run in the same inning thanks to a Derek Jeter sacrifice fly that scored catcher Russel Martin. Jeter went 0-2 on the day with the RBI. Jeter enters the 2011 season trying to reach the 3000 career hit mark, needing just 74 hits to get there. The Yankees added one more in eight off a Swisher bloop single that scored Rodriguez.
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera shut the door on a Tigers comeback, pitching a one-two-three ninth inning to end the game. The 41-year-old Rivera needs 40 more saves to reach the 600 career mark. Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain picked up the win out of the bullpen, going one-two-three in seventh. Coke, who will work in the Tigers starting rotation later on in the month of April, picked up the loss.
Tigers catcher Victor Martinez went 1-4 in his team debut, getting a single in his first at-bat for Detroit. Martinez was the designated hitter for the game as backup catcher Alex Avila started at that position. Cabrera went 1-2 in three at-bats, scoring two of the Tigers three runs. Inge went 2-3 with the RBI single and a two out double with no one on in the sixth.
Despite scoring six runs, the Yankees only had five hits in the game. Along with the Granderson and Texieria home runs, new Yankees catcher Russel Martin went 1-3 scoring two runs. Both teams have the day off on Friday. They will finish the three game series on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Either Rick Porcello or Brad Penny will start on Saturday against Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett.
Thursday March 31, 2011
On Thursday, Curtis Granderson entered Yankee Stadium to face his former team the Detroit Tigers. Once the final out was recorded, he left as a big contributor to the team's eleventh straight Opening Day home win.
The New York Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-3 on a very cold and misty Opening Day Thursday in the Bronx. Granderson hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning off of Tigers reliever and former Yankee Phil Coke. This marks the third straight Opening Day in which Granderson has hit a home run, the second straight year as a member of the Yankees. This was also the Yankees eleventh straight Opening Day win at home.
The game was gearing up to be a pitchers dual between aces Justin Verlander for the Tigers and CC Sabathia for the Yankees. Detroit got the first run of the game in the top of the second off a Jhonny Peralta sacrifice fly that scored Miguel Cabrera. In the bottom of the third with two out and two runners on, Yankees first baseman Mark Texieria hit a Verlander pitch deep to right field for a three run shot. Texieria, who has been known to be a slow starter for the Yankees offensively, hit his third home run in the month of March/April as a member of the Yankees in his third year with the team.
In the next half-inning, after Sabathia walked Cabrera and gave up a Ryan Raburn single with one out, Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge singled down the left field line to score Cabrera to cut the deficit by one. The fifth inning saw Cabrera get an RBI off a sacrifice fly that scored centerfielder Austin Jackson.
Verlander got into a jam late in the bottom of the sixth. After Alex Rodriguez hit a double off the wall in right-center and a Robinson Cano walk with one out, Verlander struckout both Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada on full counts to end the inning.
Both Verlander and Sabathia did not disappoint in their season debuts, getting no decisions. Sabathia went six innings striking out seven Tiger batters, while giving up six hits and three runs. Verlander also exited after the sixth, striking out eight, while giving up three hits and three runs.
Once the bottom of the seventh rolled around, Granderson went deep off of Coke. Granderson and Coke, along with Austin Jackson, were involved in three team trade back in 2009 that also featured Arizona. Last year in his first at-bat with the Yankees, Granderson hit a home run against the rival Red Sox. He also hit a home run on Opening Day as a member of the Tigers in 2009.
New York added another run in the same inning thanks to a Derek Jeter sacrifice fly that scored catcher Russel Martin. Jeter went 0-2 on the day with the RBI. Jeter enters the 2011 season trying to reach the 3000 career hit mark, needing just 74 hits to get there. The Yankees added one more in eight off a Swisher bloop single that scored Rodriguez.
Yankees closer Mariano Rivera shut the door on a Tigers comeback, pitching a one-two-three ninth inning to end the game. The 41-year-old Rivera needs 40 more saves to reach the 600 career mark. Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain picked up the win out of the bullpen, going one-two-three in seventh. Coke, who will work in the Tigers starting rotation later on in the month of April, picked up the loss.
Tigers catcher Victor Martinez went 1-4 in his team debut, getting a single in his first at-bat for Detroit. Martinez was the designated hitter for the game as backup catcher Alex Avila started at that position. Cabrera went 1-2 in three at-bats, scoring two of the Tigers three runs. Inge went 2-3 with the RBI single and a two out double with no one on in the sixth.
Despite scoring six runs, the Yankees only had five hits in the game. Along with the Granderson and Texieria home runs, new Yankees catcher Russel Martin went 1-3 scoring two runs. Both teams have the day off on Friday. They will finish the three game series on Saturday and Sunday afternoon. Either Rick Porcello or Brad Penny will start on Saturday against Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett.
Friday, March 18, 2011
NCAA Tournament Round-Up: Second Round, Day Two
By Ray Bennett
Friday March 18, 2011
The Second day of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament got off to a moderate start on Friday afternoon. The action included easy victories by top seeded teams, a non-power conference team beating their major-power conference counterpart, and a close finish in the West region. Here's a quick recap of the games from this afternoon. The evening games will be added later on tonight.
Last second block lifts Arizona past Memphis
The Arizona Wildcats needed a clutch block from forward Derrick Williams to get past the Conference U.S.A. champion Memphis Tigers 77-75. The game was a close contest, with Memphis leading by as much as ten before halftime. Arizona got a spark from Williams that started a huge scoring run that led to a three point halftime lead at 43-40. They added seven more in the first two minutes of the second half, extending their lead to eight.
Memphis answered with an onslaught of their own, scoring 13 straight points to reclaim the lead at 53-48 about five minutes into the second half. Both teams then traded scoring runs throughout the second half. With the game tied at 68-68 with under two minutes remaining, Arizona guard Lamont "MoMo" Jones hit the go-ahead three-point field goal with 1:35 left. Memphis had a chance in the final minute to try to force overtime. Down by three with five seconds left, guard Joe Jackson hit the first free throw after a quick Arizona fowl. After missing the second free throw, forward Wesley Witherspoon grabbed the offensive rebound. He tried to put up the potential game-tying basket when Williams blocked the shot, effectively ending the game.
Williams led the Wildcats with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jones added 18 of his own for the West region fifth seeded team. Memphis was led by brothers Antonio and Will Barton, who scored 17 and 12 points respectively. Arizona will play their third round game on Sunday against Texas, who held off a late surge from Oakland University of Michigan with a 85-81 win. Their games were played at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Michigan puts on second half shooting clinic; beats Tennessee by 30
The Michigan Wolverines battled back from an early first half deficit to beat the Tennessee Volunteers 75-45. Michigan's huge scoring display began late in the first half, going on a 16-6 run to lead 33-29 at halftime. The team came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders, hitting nearly all of their shots in the second half, including a 16-0 run. Tennessee couldn't get anything going in the half, not scoring in over an eight minute time frame.
Zach Novak led the Wolverines with 14 points and 10 rebounds, including two key three-point field goals in one of the huge second half scoring run. Four other Michigan players also scored in double figures: Tim Hardaway, Jr. (11), Stu Douglas (11), Matt Vogrich (11), and Jordan Morgan (10). The Wolverines also became the first team in tournament history to win a game without making a single free throw, going 0-1 from the line. Michigan will face Duke, who cruised to a 87-45 win against Hampton, on Sunday at the Time Warner Cable Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
George Mason beats struggling Villinova
The George Mason Patriots, who are most famous for their deep run in the 2006 tournament, rallied from a 10 point first half deficit to win against the East region's ninth seeded Villinova Wildcats 61-57. The Patriots outscored the Wildcats 32-22 in the second half after trailing 35-29 at halftime. Their comeback was led by Luke Hancock, who led the Patriots with 18 points.
Hancock hit the go-ahead three-pointer to give his team the lead with 21 seconds left. Villinova, needing a two to tie the game, had guard Corey Stokes take the potential game-tying shot. However, his shot hit the top of the backboard. George Mason forward Mike Morrison then grabbed the rebound and slammed it home, winning the game for the at-large Colonel Athletic Conference team.
The Villinova loss capped off an end of the season six game losing streak. This latest collapse was the defining moment for their season in which they were ranked as high as No. 5 in the coaches poll. George Mason will play Ohio State, who won against Texas-San Antonio 75-46, for a chance to move on to the round of sixteen on Sunday. The game will be played at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Florida State holds off Texas A&M
The Southwest region's tenth seeded Florida State Seminoles relied on their defense to eek out 57-50 victory over the seventh seeded Texas A&M Aggies. Florida State, who leads the nation in opponent field goal percentage, held the Aggies to 31.4 percent shooting in the game. Both teams were in a battle throughout most of the game.
Texas A&M led 26-23 at halftime when Florida State strung together a 13-0 run to take the early second half lead. The Aggies tried to catch up with the Seminoles, trailing by as little as two with 7:10 remaining. Florida State guard Derwin Kitchen gave his team full control of the game after a three-point play with 4:48 remaining. Kitchen led the Seminoles with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Their next game is against Notre Dame, who won their second round game against Akron 69-56, on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Update: 12:50 A.M. Eastern Time
Marquette gets past Xavier
The Marquette Golden Eagles, seeded eleventh in the East region, moved on to the third round by beating the sixth seeded Xavier Musketeers 66-55. Marquette practically held the lead the entire game thanks to poor shooting from Xavier. The closest Xavier was from the lead was midway in the first half. The Musketeers loss snaps a three year streak of them playing in the round of 16. Michigan State also had the same streak of three straight sweet sixteen appearances snapped on Thursday.
The Golden Eagles were led in scoring by guard Darius Johnson-Odom, who had 19 points in the game. Johnson-Odom shot 4-for-6 from beyond the three-point line. Guard-forward Jimmy Butler scored 15 points for Marquette while forward Jae Crowder scored 10. Andrew Taylor led the Musketeers in scoring with 16 points. Kenny Frees and Dante Jackson were also in double figures for Xavier, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively. Marquette will face the winner of the Indiana State/Syracuse game on Sunday in Cleveland.
Illinois dominates UNLV
The Illinois Fighting Illini, led by stand-out star forward Mike Davis, defeated the UNLV Runnin' Rebels 73-62. Davis led the Illini with 22 points, tying a season high set on February 1st against Penn State. Guard Demetri McCamey added 17 points and 7 assists of his own. Guard D.J. Richardson was also in double figures with 10 points.
Illinois started the game with a early 15-0 run. The Illini led by as much as 25 in the second half to the easy victory over UNLV. Heading into the tournament, Illinois had lost 10 of their last 16, bringing into question how they even got into the 68 team field. Those questions were answered on Friday with what seemed to be an easy rout. The ninth seeded Illinois play their third round game on Sunday in Tulsa versus the Southwest's number one seed Kansas Jayhawks, who defeated Boston University 72-53 earlier in the evening.
VCU upsets Georgetown
The Virginia Commonwealth Rams continued their journey in the NCAA tournament with an upset victory over the Southwest region's sixth seeded Georgetown Hoyas 74-56 in Chicago. The Rams played their way into the round of 64 on Wednesday by defeating USC in a First Four game. VCU obtained the lead midway through the first half. Georgetown, who has not won a game in a month heading into Friday's match-up, looked sluggish throughout the game.
The Rams were led in scoring by senior guard Brandon Rozzell. Rozzell scored 26 points and shot 6-10 from beyond the three-point line. Other players in double figures for the Rams include Joey Rodriguez with 17, along with Bradford Burgess and Jamie Skeen who each scored 12. The leading scorer for Georgetown was sophomore forward Hollis Thompson. Thompson had 26 points along with 7 rebounds. Next for VCU is No. 3 Purdue, who easily defeated No. 14 St. Peter's 65-43.
Washington holds off Georgia
The Pac-10 tournament champion Washington Huskies staved off a late push by the Georgia Bulldogs, winning their second round game 68-65 in Charlotte. The hotly contested game was considered by many to be one of the games to watch in the second round. Both teams did not disappoint those in attendance at the Time Warner Cable Center on Friday night.
Both teams were tied at 28-28 at halftime. Washington took early control of the second half, leading by as much as 9 leading into the final five minutes. Georgia stormed right back in the final minutes cutting the deficit down to one with 16 seconds left off a three-point field goal. After Washington missed the second free throw off a one-and-one, Georgia tried to hit a deep three to try to force overtime. The pass was tipped by Washington guard Isaiah Thomas. Georgia guard Travis Leslie picked up the ball and heaved it pass half-court. However, the shot hit the top of the backboard at the buzzer, leaving the Huskies with the win.
Thomas led the Huskies with 19 points and 7 assists. Scott Suggs had 10 points of his own for the Huskies. Georgia was led by Trey Thompkins, who led all players in scoring with 26. Thompkins also had 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Washington will face North Carolina, who walloped Long Island 102-87, on Sunday.
Friday March 18, 2011
The Second day of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament got off to a moderate start on Friday afternoon. The action included easy victories by top seeded teams, a non-power conference team beating their major-power conference counterpart, and a close finish in the West region. Here's a quick recap of the games from this afternoon. The evening games will be added later on tonight.
Last second block lifts Arizona past Memphis
The Arizona Wildcats needed a clutch block from forward Derrick Williams to get past the Conference U.S.A. champion Memphis Tigers 77-75. The game was a close contest, with Memphis leading by as much as ten before halftime. Arizona got a spark from Williams that started a huge scoring run that led to a three point halftime lead at 43-40. They added seven more in the first two minutes of the second half, extending their lead to eight.
Memphis answered with an onslaught of their own, scoring 13 straight points to reclaim the lead at 53-48 about five minutes into the second half. Both teams then traded scoring runs throughout the second half. With the game tied at 68-68 with under two minutes remaining, Arizona guard Lamont "MoMo" Jones hit the go-ahead three-point field goal with 1:35 left. Memphis had a chance in the final minute to try to force overtime. Down by three with five seconds left, guard Joe Jackson hit the first free throw after a quick Arizona fowl. After missing the second free throw, forward Wesley Witherspoon grabbed the offensive rebound. He tried to put up the potential game-tying basket when Williams blocked the shot, effectively ending the game.
Williams led the Wildcats with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Jones added 18 of his own for the West region fifth seeded team. Memphis was led by brothers Antonio and Will Barton, who scored 17 and 12 points respectively. Arizona will play their third round game on Sunday against Texas, who held off a late surge from Oakland University of Michigan with a 85-81 win. Their games were played at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Michigan puts on second half shooting clinic; beats Tennessee by 30
The Michigan Wolverines battled back from an early first half deficit to beat the Tennessee Volunteers 75-45. Michigan's huge scoring display began late in the first half, going on a 16-6 run to lead 33-29 at halftime. The team came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders, hitting nearly all of their shots in the second half, including a 16-0 run. Tennessee couldn't get anything going in the half, not scoring in over an eight minute time frame.
Zach Novak led the Wolverines with 14 points and 10 rebounds, including two key three-point field goals in one of the huge second half scoring run. Four other Michigan players also scored in double figures: Tim Hardaway, Jr. (11), Stu Douglas (11), Matt Vogrich (11), and Jordan Morgan (10). The Wolverines also became the first team in tournament history to win a game without making a single free throw, going 0-1 from the line. Michigan will face Duke, who cruised to a 87-45 win against Hampton, on Sunday at the Time Warner Cable Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
George Mason beats struggling Villinova
The George Mason Patriots, who are most famous for their deep run in the 2006 tournament, rallied from a 10 point first half deficit to win against the East region's ninth seeded Villinova Wildcats 61-57. The Patriots outscored the Wildcats 32-22 in the second half after trailing 35-29 at halftime. Their comeback was led by Luke Hancock, who led the Patriots with 18 points.
Hancock hit the go-ahead three-pointer to give his team the lead with 21 seconds left. Villinova, needing a two to tie the game, had guard Corey Stokes take the potential game-tying shot. However, his shot hit the top of the backboard. George Mason forward Mike Morrison then grabbed the rebound and slammed it home, winning the game for the at-large Colonel Athletic Conference team.
The Villinova loss capped off an end of the season six game losing streak. This latest collapse was the defining moment for their season in which they were ranked as high as No. 5 in the coaches poll. George Mason will play Ohio State, who won against Texas-San Antonio 75-46, for a chance to move on to the round of sixteen on Sunday. The game will be played at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH.
Florida State holds off Texas A&M
The Southwest region's tenth seeded Florida State Seminoles relied on their defense to eek out 57-50 victory over the seventh seeded Texas A&M Aggies. Florida State, who leads the nation in opponent field goal percentage, held the Aggies to 31.4 percent shooting in the game. Both teams were in a battle throughout most of the game.
Texas A&M led 26-23 at halftime when Florida State strung together a 13-0 run to take the early second half lead. The Aggies tried to catch up with the Seminoles, trailing by as little as two with 7:10 remaining. Florida State guard Derwin Kitchen gave his team full control of the game after a three-point play with 4:48 remaining. Kitchen led the Seminoles with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Their next game is against Notre Dame, who won their second round game against Akron 69-56, on Sunday at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Update: 12:50 A.M. Eastern Time
Marquette gets past Xavier
The Marquette Golden Eagles, seeded eleventh in the East region, moved on to the third round by beating the sixth seeded Xavier Musketeers 66-55. Marquette practically held the lead the entire game thanks to poor shooting from Xavier. The closest Xavier was from the lead was midway in the first half. The Musketeers loss snaps a three year streak of them playing in the round of 16. Michigan State also had the same streak of three straight sweet sixteen appearances snapped on Thursday.
The Golden Eagles were led in scoring by guard Darius Johnson-Odom, who had 19 points in the game. Johnson-Odom shot 4-for-6 from beyond the three-point line. Guard-forward Jimmy Butler scored 15 points for Marquette while forward Jae Crowder scored 10. Andrew Taylor led the Musketeers in scoring with 16 points. Kenny Frees and Dante Jackson were also in double figures for Xavier, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively. Marquette will face the winner of the Indiana State/Syracuse game on Sunday in Cleveland.
Illinois dominates UNLV
The Illinois Fighting Illini, led by stand-out star forward Mike Davis, defeated the UNLV Runnin' Rebels 73-62. Davis led the Illini with 22 points, tying a season high set on February 1st against Penn State. Guard Demetri McCamey added 17 points and 7 assists of his own. Guard D.J. Richardson was also in double figures with 10 points.
Illinois started the game with a early 15-0 run. The Illini led by as much as 25 in the second half to the easy victory over UNLV. Heading into the tournament, Illinois had lost 10 of their last 16, bringing into question how they even got into the 68 team field. Those questions were answered on Friday with what seemed to be an easy rout. The ninth seeded Illinois play their third round game on Sunday in Tulsa versus the Southwest's number one seed Kansas Jayhawks, who defeated Boston University 72-53 earlier in the evening.
VCU upsets Georgetown
The Virginia Commonwealth Rams continued their journey in the NCAA tournament with an upset victory over the Southwest region's sixth seeded Georgetown Hoyas 74-56 in Chicago. The Rams played their way into the round of 64 on Wednesday by defeating USC in a First Four game. VCU obtained the lead midway through the first half. Georgetown, who has not won a game in a month heading into Friday's match-up, looked sluggish throughout the game.
The Rams were led in scoring by senior guard Brandon Rozzell. Rozzell scored 26 points and shot 6-10 from beyond the three-point line. Other players in double figures for the Rams include Joey Rodriguez with 17, along with Bradford Burgess and Jamie Skeen who each scored 12. The leading scorer for Georgetown was sophomore forward Hollis Thompson. Thompson had 26 points along with 7 rebounds. Next for VCU is No. 3 Purdue, who easily defeated No. 14 St. Peter's 65-43.
Washington holds off Georgia
The Pac-10 tournament champion Washington Huskies staved off a late push by the Georgia Bulldogs, winning their second round game 68-65 in Charlotte. The hotly contested game was considered by many to be one of the games to watch in the second round. Both teams did not disappoint those in attendance at the Time Warner Cable Center on Friday night.
Both teams were tied at 28-28 at halftime. Washington took early control of the second half, leading by as much as 9 leading into the final five minutes. Georgia stormed right back in the final minutes cutting the deficit down to one with 16 seconds left off a three-point field goal. After Washington missed the second free throw off a one-and-one, Georgia tried to hit a deep three to try to force overtime. The pass was tipped by Washington guard Isaiah Thomas. Georgia guard Travis Leslie picked up the ball and heaved it pass half-court. However, the shot hit the top of the backboard at the buzzer, leaving the Huskies with the win.
Thomas led the Huskies with 19 points and 7 assists. Scott Suggs had 10 points of his own for the Huskies. Georgia was led by Trey Thompkins, who led all players in scoring with 26. Thompkins also had 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Washington will face North Carolina, who walloped Long Island 102-87, on Sunday.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
NCAA Tournament Round-Up: Second Round, Day One
By Ray Bennett
Thursday March 17, 2011
The 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament got into full swing on Thursday with sixteen second round games. The early games were an indication of the unpredictability of the tournament. The early action saw nail biting close finishes, a buzzer-beater and a big upset of major conference team. Here's a quick look at the action so far.
Morehead State Upsets Louisville with Three-Pointer in Final Seconds
The Morehead State Eagles stunned the Louisville Cardinals with a last second three-pointer, winning 62-61. The Ohio Valley Conference champions, seeded thirteenth in the Southwest region, started off the game with a 10-0 run. Louisville then stormed back midway through the first half. A Morehead St. three-point field goal at the buzzer tied the game 33-33 at halftime. The back and fourth battle continued early in the second half, with the Cardinals getting the upper hand. However, the team lost leading scorer Preston Knowles with 8:51 remaining in the game after he apparently rolled his right ankle.
The loss of Knowles completely changed the course of the game near the end. Morehead St. then went on a 7-0 scoring run, leading the game 57-52 with about five minutes remaining in the game. Louisville then answered back with a 9-0 scoring run of their own, leading the game 61-57 with 1:14 left. Morehead St. needed a big rally and got that with 6'8" Senior Kenneth Fareid hitting two free throws to cut the deficit to two. Then after fouling Louisville Forward Elisha Justice, he then missed the front-end of a one-and-one. This set up the play that resulted in Morehead St. guard Delonte Harper hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with 4.2 seconds left.
After a timeout, Louisville had a chance to win. After in-bounding the ball, a Louisville player tried to shoot a potential game-winning three-point field goal. However, Fareid blocked the shot to end the game. This is the second straight year that Louisville has lost in the round of 64. The fifth seeded Cardinals were one of a record eleven teams from the Big East Conference to participate in the tournament. Morehead St. will face Richmond, who upset sixth seeded Vanderbilt 69-66, at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on Saturday.
Last Second tip-in lifts Butler over Old Dominion
Coming off of last year's impressive run to the national title game, Butler had to get past Colonial Conference champion Old Dominion via last second shot, winning 60-58. In a game that went back and fourth, Butler was the team that ended up moving on to the third round.
The game had 22 lead changes with no team leading by more than six. With the score 49-43 with about twelve minutes left in the game, Old Dominion strung off a 6-0 run to tie the game with 10:09 remaining. The Monarchs did not score a field goal for seven and a half minutes, until Frank Hassell, who led the team with 20 points, hit a basket that led to a 6-0 run to tie the game with 32 seconds left.
Butler guard Shawn Vanzant then drove up to the basket. However, he lost his footing and had to quickly shoot it towards the rim. Butler forwards Andrew Smith and Matt Howard were both at the basket when the shot was put up. It was Howard who tipped it in at the buzzer to win the game for the Southeast seeded number eight Bulldogs. The Bulldogs will face the Pittsburgh Panthers, who cruised to a 71-54 win over North Carolina-Ashville, on Saturday at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
Kentucky Survives Upset Scare from Princeton with Last Second Lay-up
The SEC tournament champion Kentucky Wildcats were on the verge of being upset by the Ivy League champion Princeton Tigers. They needed a Brandon Knight lay-up with two seconds left to get to the third round 59-57. The lay-up was the only basket of the game for Knight, who was shut-out earlier in the game due to poor shooting and being well defended by the Tigers.
The game was a back and fourth struggle for both teams. Kentucky had a four point lead with under a minute left when Princeton's Kareem Maddox hit a field goal jumper with 58 seconds left. On their next possession, Dan Mavraides, who led the Tigers with 14 points, hit a shot with about 36 seconds remaining.
This set up the Knight lay-up that powered the Wildcats to a third round match-up with West Virginia, who railed from an early deficit against Clemson to win 84-76. They will play each other at the St. Petersburgh Times Forum outside of Tampa, FL early on Saturday.
Fernandez's Last Second Jumper Leads Temple Over Penn St.
A late basket by junior forward Juan Fernandez of Argentina propelled the West region seven seeded Temple Owls past the tenth seeded Penn State Nittney Lions 66-64. Fernandez hit the shot with just 0.4 seconds left. The win also snaps an eleven game tournament losing streak for Temple head coach Fran Dunphy.
Penn St. stared off strong, leading by as much as nine midway through the first half. Temple then charged right back to take a 35-33 point lead into the half. The intensity picked up once the second half began with both teams holding the lead for about five times each. In the final minutes, Penn St. guard Talor Battle hit an NBA-type three-point field goal to tie the game with 12.2 seconds left. This set up the Fernandez basket and the Temple win. Fernandez lead Temple with 23 points. The Owls will face San Diego St., who won their second round game 68-50 against first time tournament participant Northern Colorado. Both teams will face each other on Saturday at the McKale Center on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ.
Fredette's 32 Leads BYU Over Wofford
Jimmer Fredette, the nation's leading scorer heading into this year's tournament, scored 32 points in BYU's 74-66 win over Wofford. Fredette, who also had seven assists, shot 10 for 25 from the field. The Terriers tried to rally from eight behind late in the game. However, Fredette and the Cougars were too much for Wofford.
The Cougars held the lead throughout the whole game. Wofford cut the BYU lead to eight with about seven minutes remaining. Both teams traded baskets for a while until the Terriers didn't make a shot for three and a half minutes. This resulted in Fredette and the Cougars to pull away with the win. They move on to play the Southeast region's thirteenth seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, who upset the sixth seeded St. Johns Red Storm 86-69 Thursday night, on Saturday in Denver.
Late Michigan State Rally Not Enough; UCLA Wins Close Contest
The UCLA Bruins held off a late surge from the Michigan State Spartans for a 78-76 victory on Thursday night. UCLA led by as much as 23 midway through the second half. Michigan State then started to click after a sloppy start to cut the deficit by more than half.
Spartan guard Keith Appling hit a three with about ten seconds left to within two. After a foul and two missed free throws, Michigan State got the ball back with about three seconds left. After the ball was in-bounded, senior guard Kalin Lucas tried to heave a shot from half court. However, he was called for a travel with 0.2 seconds remaining to end a tumultuous season for the Spartans. UCLA held the lead throughout all of the game. Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee led the Bruins with 16 points each. The Southeast region's seventh seed will face second seeded Florida, who easily defeated UC Santa Barbara 79-51, on Saturday.
Kemba Walker's near Triple-Double leads UConn past Bucknell
Connecticut's Kemba Walker was two rebounds shy of a triple-double in a 81-52 blow-out win over West region fourteenth seeded Bucknell. Walker set a career high in assists with 12 while scoring 18 points in the UConn victory. Roscoe Smith and Jeremy Lamb, who scored 17 and 16 points respectively, also scored in double figures.
The Huskies held the lead on the Bisons throughout the whole game without letting up. Walker was taken out of the game with just under four minutes remaining in the game. The game was also Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun's 850th career win. The Huskies are now riding a six game winning streak that started in last week's Big East Tournament. Their next opponent is Cincinnati, who held off Missouri for a 78-63 win later on in the evening. They will play each other for a chance to play in the round of sixteen on Saturday in Washington D.C.
Wisconsin Downs Belmont
The Wisconsin Badgers easily got past the Belmont Bruins on Thursday night with a 72-58 win. Their win salvaged a bad day for the Big Ten Conference, with Penn State and Michigan State losing close games. Wisconsin moves on to face Kansas State, who beat Utah State 73-68, on Saturday in Tucson.
Both the Badgers and Bruins played each other close in the first half, with Belmont leading by as much as three with three minutes left in the first half. Wisconsin lead 34-27 at halftime. Once the second half began, the Badgers caught fire thanks to guard Jon Lauer, who scored 17 of his 22 points in the half. Wisconsin shot 12 for 22 from beyond the three point line in the game.
Thursday March 17, 2011
The 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament got into full swing on Thursday with sixteen second round games. The early games were an indication of the unpredictability of the tournament. The early action saw nail biting close finishes, a buzzer-beater and a big upset of major conference team. Here's a quick look at the action so far.
Morehead State Upsets Louisville with Three-Pointer in Final Seconds
The Morehead State Eagles stunned the Louisville Cardinals with a last second three-pointer, winning 62-61. The Ohio Valley Conference champions, seeded thirteenth in the Southwest region, started off the game with a 10-0 run. Louisville then stormed back midway through the first half. A Morehead St. three-point field goal at the buzzer tied the game 33-33 at halftime. The back and fourth battle continued early in the second half, with the Cardinals getting the upper hand. However, the team lost leading scorer Preston Knowles with 8:51 remaining in the game after he apparently rolled his right ankle.
The loss of Knowles completely changed the course of the game near the end. Morehead St. then went on a 7-0 scoring run, leading the game 57-52 with about five minutes remaining in the game. Louisville then answered back with a 9-0 scoring run of their own, leading the game 61-57 with 1:14 left. Morehead St. needed a big rally and got that with 6'8" Senior Kenneth Fareid hitting two free throws to cut the deficit to two. Then after fouling Louisville Forward Elisha Justice, he then missed the front-end of a one-and-one. This set up the play that resulted in Morehead St. guard Delonte Harper hitting the go-ahead three-pointer with 4.2 seconds left.
After a timeout, Louisville had a chance to win. After in-bounding the ball, a Louisville player tried to shoot a potential game-winning three-point field goal. However, Fareid blocked the shot to end the game. This is the second straight year that Louisville has lost in the round of 64. The fifth seeded Cardinals were one of a record eleven teams from the Big East Conference to participate in the tournament. Morehead St. will face Richmond, who upset sixth seeded Vanderbilt 69-66, at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on Saturday.
Last Second tip-in lifts Butler over Old Dominion
Coming off of last year's impressive run to the national title game, Butler had to get past Colonial Conference champion Old Dominion via last second shot, winning 60-58. In a game that went back and fourth, Butler was the team that ended up moving on to the third round.
The game had 22 lead changes with no team leading by more than six. With the score 49-43 with about twelve minutes left in the game, Old Dominion strung off a 6-0 run to tie the game with 10:09 remaining. The Monarchs did not score a field goal for seven and a half minutes, until Frank Hassell, who led the team with 20 points, hit a basket that led to a 6-0 run to tie the game with 32 seconds left.
Butler guard Shawn Vanzant then drove up to the basket. However, he lost his footing and had to quickly shoot it towards the rim. Butler forwards Andrew Smith and Matt Howard were both at the basket when the shot was put up. It was Howard who tipped it in at the buzzer to win the game for the Southeast seeded number eight Bulldogs. The Bulldogs will face the Pittsburgh Panthers, who cruised to a 71-54 win over North Carolina-Ashville, on Saturday at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.
Kentucky Survives Upset Scare from Princeton with Last Second Lay-up
The SEC tournament champion Kentucky Wildcats were on the verge of being upset by the Ivy League champion Princeton Tigers. They needed a Brandon Knight lay-up with two seconds left to get to the third round 59-57. The lay-up was the only basket of the game for Knight, who was shut-out earlier in the game due to poor shooting and being well defended by the Tigers.
The game was a back and fourth struggle for both teams. Kentucky had a four point lead with under a minute left when Princeton's Kareem Maddox hit a field goal jumper with 58 seconds left. On their next possession, Dan Mavraides, who led the Tigers with 14 points, hit a shot with about 36 seconds remaining.
This set up the Knight lay-up that powered the Wildcats to a third round match-up with West Virginia, who railed from an early deficit against Clemson to win 84-76. They will play each other at the St. Petersburgh Times Forum outside of Tampa, FL early on Saturday.
Fernandez's Last Second Jumper Leads Temple Over Penn St.
A late basket by junior forward Juan Fernandez of Argentina propelled the West region seven seeded Temple Owls past the tenth seeded Penn State Nittney Lions 66-64. Fernandez hit the shot with just 0.4 seconds left. The win also snaps an eleven game tournament losing streak for Temple head coach Fran Dunphy.
Penn St. stared off strong, leading by as much as nine midway through the first half. Temple then charged right back to take a 35-33 point lead into the half. The intensity picked up once the second half began with both teams holding the lead for about five times each. In the final minutes, Penn St. guard Talor Battle hit an NBA-type three-point field goal to tie the game with 12.2 seconds left. This set up the Fernandez basket and the Temple win. Fernandez lead Temple with 23 points. The Owls will face San Diego St., who won their second round game 68-50 against first time tournament participant Northern Colorado. Both teams will face each other on Saturday at the McKale Center on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ.
Fredette's 32 Leads BYU Over Wofford
Jimmer Fredette, the nation's leading scorer heading into this year's tournament, scored 32 points in BYU's 74-66 win over Wofford. Fredette, who also had seven assists, shot 10 for 25 from the field. The Terriers tried to rally from eight behind late in the game. However, Fredette and the Cougars were too much for Wofford.
The Cougars held the lead throughout the whole game. Wofford cut the BYU lead to eight with about seven minutes remaining. Both teams traded baskets for a while until the Terriers didn't make a shot for three and a half minutes. This resulted in Fredette and the Cougars to pull away with the win. They move on to play the Southeast region's thirteenth seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, who upset the sixth seeded St. Johns Red Storm 86-69 Thursday night, on Saturday in Denver.
Late Michigan State Rally Not Enough; UCLA Wins Close Contest
The UCLA Bruins held off a late surge from the Michigan State Spartans for a 78-76 victory on Thursday night. UCLA led by as much as 23 midway through the second half. Michigan State then started to click after a sloppy start to cut the deficit by more than half.
Spartan guard Keith Appling hit a three with about ten seconds left to within two. After a foul and two missed free throws, Michigan State got the ball back with about three seconds left. After the ball was in-bounded, senior guard Kalin Lucas tried to heave a shot from half court. However, he was called for a travel with 0.2 seconds remaining to end a tumultuous season for the Spartans. UCLA held the lead throughout all of the game. Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee led the Bruins with 16 points each. The Southeast region's seventh seed will face second seeded Florida, who easily defeated UC Santa Barbara 79-51, on Saturday.
Kemba Walker's near Triple-Double leads UConn past Bucknell
Connecticut's Kemba Walker was two rebounds shy of a triple-double in a 81-52 blow-out win over West region fourteenth seeded Bucknell. Walker set a career high in assists with 12 while scoring 18 points in the UConn victory. Roscoe Smith and Jeremy Lamb, who scored 17 and 16 points respectively, also scored in double figures.
The Huskies held the lead on the Bisons throughout the whole game without letting up. Walker was taken out of the game with just under four minutes remaining in the game. The game was also Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun's 850th career win. The Huskies are now riding a six game winning streak that started in last week's Big East Tournament. Their next opponent is Cincinnati, who held off Missouri for a 78-63 win later on in the evening. They will play each other for a chance to play in the round of sixteen on Saturday in Washington D.C.
Wisconsin Downs Belmont
The Wisconsin Badgers easily got past the Belmont Bruins on Thursday night with a 72-58 win. Their win salvaged a bad day for the Big Ten Conference, with Penn State and Michigan State losing close games. Wisconsin moves on to face Kansas State, who beat Utah State 73-68, on Saturday in Tucson.
Both the Badgers and Bruins played each other close in the first half, with Belmont leading by as much as three with three minutes left in the first half. Wisconsin lead 34-27 at halftime. Once the second half began, the Badgers caught fire thanks to guard Jon Lauer, who scored 17 of his 22 points in the half. Wisconsin shot 12 for 22 from beyond the three point line in the game.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
68 Team Field Set For 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
By Ray Bennett
Sunday March 13, 2011
The day has finally come. Some found out who they will play in their first game. For others, they wonder why they did not get in.
The new 68 team field for the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was set on Sunday. The field is set up in four regions. There are sixteen teams per regional section of the bracket. In three of the regional brackets, two or more teams will play for spots in the second round (formerly the first round). There are 32 automatic qualifying teams who get in by winning their conference tournament. The other 36 teams in the field are at-large bids. The winners of the regional brackets will then play in the annual Final Four, held this year at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The top seeded teams in this year's tournament include last year's national champion Duke, who won in the ACC tournament on Sunday against North Carolina. The Blue Devils, 30-4 overall record this season, are the number one seed in the West region. They will play their first game of the tournament against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Hampton Pirates (24-8 overall record). The winner of that game will play the winner of the Michigan(8th seed)/Tennessee(9th seed) game in Charlotte, NC. Other games in the West region includes Mountain West Conference champion and number two seeded San Diego St facing fifteen seeded Big Sky Conference winner Northern Colorado, Big East Tournament winner Connecticut against fourteenth seeded Bucknell, Big XII power Texas versus Summit League champion Oakland, Pac-10 regular season champions Arizona playing Conference USA tournament winner Memphis, Cincinnati playing Missouri and Atlantic-10 at-large team Temple facing fellow Pennsylvania team Penn. State.
Big Ten regular season and tournament champion Ohio State (32-2 record) will be the number one overall seed in this year's tournament out of the East region. They will play their second round game close to home at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH against the winner of the Texas-San Antonio/Alabama State game. The winner of that game will face either George Mason, who is remembered for their deep run in the 2006 tournament, or struggling Villinova, who lost in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Other second round games in the East region include North Carolina (#2 seed) facing Long Island (#15 seed), Syracuse (#3) against 1979 national finalist and Missouri Valley champion Indiana State (#14), SEC Tournament winners Kentucky (#4) versus Ivy League champions Princeton (#13), West Virgina (#5) facing either Alabama-Birmingham or Clemson, A-10 at-large Xavier (#6) playing Big East at-large Marquette (#11) and Pac-10 tournament champions Washington (#7) against bubble team Georgia (#10).
Big XII tournament winner Kansas gets the top seed in the Southwest region. They open tournament play against America East team Boston University. The winner will play in the third round against either UNLV or Illinois. Second-seeded Nortre Dame will play Mid-American Conference champion Akron. Other games include third seeded Purdue facing St. Peter's, No. four Louisville versus Ohio Vally champion Morehead St., No. five Vanderbilt against A-10 tournament winner Richmond, No. five Georgetown playing First Four match-up winner USC or Virgina Commonwealth and Texas A&M going up against ACC team Florida State.
The Southeast region includes top seeded Pittsburgh, who was the regular season champion of the Big East conference. They will play either North Carolina-Ashville or Arkansas-Pine Bluff for their second round game. The winner of that game will play either Horizon League champion and last year's runner-up Butler or Colonial Athletic Conference champion Old Dominion, making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Other match-ups in the Southeast include No. 2 Florida playing No. 15 California-Santa Barbara, No. 3 Brigham Young, led by national player of the year candidate Jimmer Freddete, facing Wofford, No. 4 Wisconsin against Belmont, No. 5 Kansas State going up against Western Athletic Conference winners Utah State, upstart No. 6 St. John's playing West Coast Conference winner Gonzaga, and UCLA facing a Michigan State team that had a tough time trying to get into the tournament.
The Big East led all conferences with a record eleven teams in this year's tournament. The Big Ten had the second most with seven teams. Among all of the 36 at-large bids, only seven of them came from the non-power conferences, down from eight last year.
Bubble teams that missed getting into the tournament include Big XII team Colorado, who beat three tournament teams (Texas and Missouri once and Kansas State three times), the ACC's Virginia Tech, who won against Duke two weeks ago, and West Coast Conference runner-up St. Mary's of California. Many consider the placement of UAB and VCU as huge suprises, along with Georgia.
The tournament begins with the newly implemented First Four March 15th and 16th in Dayton, OH, followed by the second and third round games March 17-20. Regional Semi-Final and Final games will be held the week after the second and third rounds in Anaheim, CA (West), New Orleans, LA (Southeast), San Antonio, TX (Southwest) and Newark, NJ (East) on March 24-27. The regional champions then face each other in the Final Four in Houston on April 2nd with the winners of the national Semi-Finals facing each other in the national championship game April 4th.
Sunday March 13, 2011
The day has finally come. Some found out who they will play in their first game. For others, they wonder why they did not get in.
The new 68 team field for the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was set on Sunday. The field is set up in four regions. There are sixteen teams per regional section of the bracket. In three of the regional brackets, two or more teams will play for spots in the second round (formerly the first round). There are 32 automatic qualifying teams who get in by winning their conference tournament. The other 36 teams in the field are at-large bids. The winners of the regional brackets will then play in the annual Final Four, held this year at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The top seeded teams in this year's tournament include last year's national champion Duke, who won in the ACC tournament on Sunday against North Carolina. The Blue Devils, 30-4 overall record this season, are the number one seed in the West region. They will play their first game of the tournament against the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion Hampton Pirates (24-8 overall record). The winner of that game will play the winner of the Michigan(8th seed)/Tennessee(9th seed) game in Charlotte, NC. Other games in the West region includes Mountain West Conference champion and number two seeded San Diego St facing fifteen seeded Big Sky Conference winner Northern Colorado, Big East Tournament winner Connecticut against fourteenth seeded Bucknell, Big XII power Texas versus Summit League champion Oakland, Pac-10 regular season champions Arizona playing Conference USA tournament winner Memphis, Cincinnati playing Missouri and Atlantic-10 at-large team Temple facing fellow Pennsylvania team Penn. State.
Big Ten regular season and tournament champion Ohio State (32-2 record) will be the number one overall seed in this year's tournament out of the East region. They will play their second round game close to home at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH against the winner of the Texas-San Antonio/Alabama State game. The winner of that game will face either George Mason, who is remembered for their deep run in the 2006 tournament, or struggling Villinova, who lost in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Other second round games in the East region include North Carolina (#2 seed) facing Long Island (#15 seed), Syracuse (#3) against 1979 national finalist and Missouri Valley champion Indiana State (#14), SEC Tournament winners Kentucky (#4) versus Ivy League champions Princeton (#13), West Virgina (#5) facing either Alabama-Birmingham or Clemson, A-10 at-large Xavier (#6) playing Big East at-large Marquette (#11) and Pac-10 tournament champions Washington (#7) against bubble team Georgia (#10).
Big XII tournament winner Kansas gets the top seed in the Southwest region. They open tournament play against America East team Boston University. The winner will play in the third round against either UNLV or Illinois. Second-seeded Nortre Dame will play Mid-American Conference champion Akron. Other games include third seeded Purdue facing St. Peter's, No. four Louisville versus Ohio Vally champion Morehead St., No. five Vanderbilt against A-10 tournament winner Richmond, No. five Georgetown playing First Four match-up winner USC or Virgina Commonwealth and Texas A&M going up against ACC team Florida State.
The Southeast region includes top seeded Pittsburgh, who was the regular season champion of the Big East conference. They will play either North Carolina-Ashville or Arkansas-Pine Bluff for their second round game. The winner of that game will play either Horizon League champion and last year's runner-up Butler or Colonial Athletic Conference champion Old Dominion, making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Other match-ups in the Southeast include No. 2 Florida playing No. 15 California-Santa Barbara, No. 3 Brigham Young, led by national player of the year candidate Jimmer Freddete, facing Wofford, No. 4 Wisconsin against Belmont, No. 5 Kansas State going up against Western Athletic Conference winners Utah State, upstart No. 6 St. John's playing West Coast Conference winner Gonzaga, and UCLA facing a Michigan State team that had a tough time trying to get into the tournament.
The Big East led all conferences with a record eleven teams in this year's tournament. The Big Ten had the second most with seven teams. Among all of the 36 at-large bids, only seven of them came from the non-power conferences, down from eight last year.
Bubble teams that missed getting into the tournament include Big XII team Colorado, who beat three tournament teams (Texas and Missouri once and Kansas State three times), the ACC's Virginia Tech, who won against Duke two weeks ago, and West Coast Conference runner-up St. Mary's of California. Many consider the placement of UAB and VCU as huge suprises, along with Georgia.
The tournament begins with the newly implemented First Four March 15th and 16th in Dayton, OH, followed by the second and third round games March 17-20. Regional Semi-Final and Final games will be held the week after the second and third rounds in Anaheim, CA (West), New Orleans, LA (Southeast), San Antonio, TX (Southwest) and Newark, NJ (East) on March 24-27. The regional champions then face each other in the Final Four in Houston on April 2nd with the winners of the national Semi-Finals facing each other in the national championship game April 4th.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Spartans Hold Off Hawkeyes In First Round Of Big Ten Tourney 66-61
By Ray Bennett
Thursday March 10, 2011
With their 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances streak in doubt, Michigan State needed to battle back from a seven point deficit to stay on the bubble.
The Spartans defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 66-61 in a first round game in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. This year's tournament is held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The win comes at a very desperate time for Michigan State as early season losses in non-conference games and key losses, including a February 2 loss at Iowa, in the Big Ten may become the deciding factor on whether or not they make it to their fourteenth straight NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State started the game on a 7-2 run in the first two minutes. They capitalized off of Iowa's early foul troubles from forward Melsahn Basabe, who only played three-and-a-half minutes after getting two fouls in the first half, and guard Zach McCabe. The key player in the first half for Michigan State was junior forward Draymond Green, who scored 10 of the Spartans first 23 points. Iowa kept the game close in the first half by tying the game at different points of the first half. However, the Hawkeyes could not take the lead once they evened up the score, including two missed free throws by senior forward Jarryd Cole. Michigan State led the game at halftime 33-31, with Green scoring 15 points.
Once the second half began, Iowa got a spark from two of their key players. Freshman guard-forward Roy Devyn Marble gave Iowa their first lead of the game in the first two minutes of the half with a three point field goal. Then junior guard Bryce Cartwright got hot hitting a few key shots. Cartwright's hot streak, and five Michigan State turnovers on five straight possessions, brought Iowa to a lead 54-47 halfway through the second. However, Michigan State answered back with an 8-0 run, lead by guards Kalin Lucas and freshman Keith Appling. Appling hit a lay-up with 8:20 remaining to make the score 55-54. Michigan State had a 62-58 lead, until Iowa's McCabe hit a three with 1:33 left, cutting the deficit to one point. The Hawkeyes had a big possession in the final minute; however, they missed three shots and fouled Spartans senior guard Durrell Summers, who hit both free throws with 14.5 seconds left. Iowa then failed to hit a three point shot on their next possession. After fouling Summers again, he then hit both free throws to sew up the Michigan State win.
Draymond Green led the Spartans with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Lucas and Appling were also in double figures in scoring, with 11 and 10 points respectively. Cartwright led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. Junior guard Matt Gatens was also in double figures with 13 points. The Spartans led in field goal percentage shooting 41% to the Hawkeyes 34%.
The win for the seventh seeded Spartans sets up a quarterfinal game against number two seeded Purdue on Friday night at 7 P.M. Eastern Time. The Boilermakers swept both games in the season series and are looking for their third consecutive win against the Spartans. Iowa's season comes to an end after the loss. The tenth seeded Hawkeyes went 11-19 in the regular season, with a 4-14 Big Ten record. One of their four wins in the Big Ten was against Purdue, defeating them in Iowa 67-65 March 5. The Big Ten Tournament runs through Sunday with the title game at 3:30 Eastern Daylight Time.
Thursday March 10, 2011
With their 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances streak in doubt, Michigan State needed to battle back from a seven point deficit to stay on the bubble.
The Spartans defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 66-61 in a first round game in the Big Ten Conference Tournament. This year's tournament is held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. The win comes at a very desperate time for Michigan State as early season losses in non-conference games and key losses, including a February 2 loss at Iowa, in the Big Ten may become the deciding factor on whether or not they make it to their fourteenth straight NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State started the game on a 7-2 run in the first two minutes. They capitalized off of Iowa's early foul troubles from forward Melsahn Basabe, who only played three-and-a-half minutes after getting two fouls in the first half, and guard Zach McCabe. The key player in the first half for Michigan State was junior forward Draymond Green, who scored 10 of the Spartans first 23 points. Iowa kept the game close in the first half by tying the game at different points of the first half. However, the Hawkeyes could not take the lead once they evened up the score, including two missed free throws by senior forward Jarryd Cole. Michigan State led the game at halftime 33-31, with Green scoring 15 points.
Once the second half began, Iowa got a spark from two of their key players. Freshman guard-forward Roy Devyn Marble gave Iowa their first lead of the game in the first two minutes of the half with a three point field goal. Then junior guard Bryce Cartwright got hot hitting a few key shots. Cartwright's hot streak, and five Michigan State turnovers on five straight possessions, brought Iowa to a lead 54-47 halfway through the second. However, Michigan State answered back with an 8-0 run, lead by guards Kalin Lucas and freshman Keith Appling. Appling hit a lay-up with 8:20 remaining to make the score 55-54. Michigan State had a 62-58 lead, until Iowa's McCabe hit a three with 1:33 left, cutting the deficit to one point. The Hawkeyes had a big possession in the final minute; however, they missed three shots and fouled Spartans senior guard Durrell Summers, who hit both free throws with 14.5 seconds left. Iowa then failed to hit a three point shot on their next possession. After fouling Summers again, he then hit both free throws to sew up the Michigan State win.
Draymond Green led the Spartans with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Lucas and Appling were also in double figures in scoring, with 11 and 10 points respectively. Cartwright led the Hawkeyes with 14 points. Junior guard Matt Gatens was also in double figures with 13 points. The Spartans led in field goal percentage shooting 41% to the Hawkeyes 34%.
The win for the seventh seeded Spartans sets up a quarterfinal game against number two seeded Purdue on Friday night at 7 P.M. Eastern Time. The Boilermakers swept both games in the season series and are looking for their third consecutive win against the Spartans. Iowa's season comes to an end after the loss. The tenth seeded Hawkeyes went 11-19 in the regular season, with a 4-14 Big Ten record. One of their four wins in the Big Ten was against Purdue, defeating them in Iowa 67-65 March 5. The Big Ten Tournament runs through Sunday with the title game at 3:30 Eastern Daylight Time.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
First Three Teams Punch Tickets to 2011 Men's Basketball Tournament
By Ray Bennett
Sunday March 6, 2011
On Saturday, while some of the top ranked teams in the nation played their final regular season games, three teams were busy trying to win their way into the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Those three teams, North Carolina (Ashville), Belmont and Morehead State, won their conference tournaments on Saturday to clinch automatic bids to the NCAA's now 68 team Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Unlike their major collegian athletic conference counterparts (the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, SEC, Pac 10), these three teams had to win their respective conference tournaments (the Big South, Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley Conferences). In the tournament, their are 32 automatic bids for conference championships, 31 of those 32 coming from teams winning their conference tournaments. The Ivy League is the only Division I conference that does not have a conference tournament, instead they send the winner of their regular season champion. The other 36 teams get at-large bids, mostly from the major conferences. The three winners from Saturday will have to wait until March 13 to find out who they will play either in the new four team opening round The First Four or in the second round (formerly the first round).
The UNC Ashville Bulldogs became the first team to punch their ticket to the big dance by defeating the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 60-47 in the final in The Big South Conference tournament. This is the Bulldog's (19-13 overall, 11-7 conference record) first conference tournament championship and their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003. The game was played at Kimble Arena on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC. The Chanticleers won the regular season championship and was the top seed in the Big South tournament. Conference rules designate the regular season conference champion to hold the Semi-finals and Final game at their home-court. The #3 seeded Bulldogs lead through most of the game and did not surrender the lead in the second half. Coastal Carolina will most likely play in the National Invitation Tournament for their post-season play.
The Belmont Bruins coasted to a 87-46 victory over the North Florida Ospreys to represent the Atlantic Sun Conference in the big tournament. The game took place at the University Center on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. This conference title marks the private Nashville, Tennessee university's fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament in the last six years. The Bruins were the top seed in the conference tournament, going 19-1 in regular season conference play with an overall record 30-4. The team gained national notoriety in the 2008 NCAA tournament as the #15 seed by almost pulling off an upset victory over national power Duke. They lost the first round game 71-70.
The Morehead State Eagles defeated the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 80-73 in the finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The contest was held at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. Morehead State, located in Morehead, Kentucky, was the #2 seed in the tournament after finishing conference regular season play with a 13-5 record (22-9 overall). The Eagles will go to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in school history, second time in the last three years. Tennessee Tech, who finished and seeded fourth in the conference tournament (12-6 OVC record), got into the finals by defeating regular season champion and top-seeded Murray State (14-4 OVC record) in the Semi-Finals. Morehead State has lost in the first round in all of their NCAA tournament appearances.
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament begins on March 14 and 15 with the newly implemented First Four in Dayton, Ohio. This year's field of teams has expanded from 65 to 68, along with a brand new television contract with both CBS and Turner Sports. The First Four games will air on Tru TV (formerly Court TV as of 2009). The second and third round games will air simultaneously on CBS, TBS, TNT and Tru TV with games starting 30 minutes apart of each other March 17-20. The regional Semi-Finals and Finals will take place the next week March 24-27. The Final Four will take place at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas with the National Semi-Finals on April 2 and the National Championship game on April 4.
Sunday March 6, 2011
On Saturday, while some of the top ranked teams in the nation played their final regular season games, three teams were busy trying to win their way into the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
Those three teams, North Carolina (Ashville), Belmont and Morehead State, won their conference tournaments on Saturday to clinch automatic bids to the NCAA's now 68 team Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Unlike their major collegian athletic conference counterparts (the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, SEC, Pac 10), these three teams had to win their respective conference tournaments (the Big South, Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley Conferences). In the tournament, their are 32 automatic bids for conference championships, 31 of those 32 coming from teams winning their conference tournaments. The Ivy League is the only Division I conference that does not have a conference tournament, instead they send the winner of their regular season champion. The other 36 teams get at-large bids, mostly from the major conferences. The three winners from Saturday will have to wait until March 13 to find out who they will play either in the new four team opening round The First Four or in the second round (formerly the first round).
The UNC Ashville Bulldogs became the first team to punch their ticket to the big dance by defeating the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 60-47 in the final in The Big South Conference tournament. This is the Bulldog's (19-13 overall, 11-7 conference record) first conference tournament championship and their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003. The game was played at Kimble Arena on the campus of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC. The Chanticleers won the regular season championship and was the top seed in the Big South tournament. Conference rules designate the regular season conference champion to hold the Semi-finals and Final game at their home-court. The #3 seeded Bulldogs lead through most of the game and did not surrender the lead in the second half. Coastal Carolina will most likely play in the National Invitation Tournament for their post-season play.
The Belmont Bruins coasted to a 87-46 victory over the North Florida Ospreys to represent the Atlantic Sun Conference in the big tournament. The game took place at the University Center on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. This conference title marks the private Nashville, Tennessee university's fourth appearance in the NCAA tournament in the last six years. The Bruins were the top seed in the conference tournament, going 19-1 in regular season conference play with an overall record 30-4. The team gained national notoriety in the 2008 NCAA tournament as the #15 seed by almost pulling off an upset victory over national power Duke. They lost the first round game 71-70.
The Morehead State Eagles defeated the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 80-73 in the finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The contest was held at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. Morehead State, located in Morehead, Kentucky, was the #2 seed in the tournament after finishing conference regular season play with a 13-5 record (22-9 overall). The Eagles will go to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in school history, second time in the last three years. Tennessee Tech, who finished and seeded fourth in the conference tournament (12-6 OVC record), got into the finals by defeating regular season champion and top-seeded Murray State (14-4 OVC record) in the Semi-Finals. Morehead State has lost in the first round in all of their NCAA tournament appearances.
The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament begins on March 14 and 15 with the newly implemented First Four in Dayton, Ohio. This year's field of teams has expanded from 65 to 68, along with a brand new television contract with both CBS and Turner Sports. The First Four games will air on Tru TV (formerly Court TV as of 2009). The second and third round games will air simultaneously on CBS, TBS, TNT and Tru TV with games starting 30 minutes apart of each other March 17-20. The regional Semi-Finals and Finals will take place the next week March 24-27. The Final Four will take place at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas with the National Semi-Finals on April 2 and the National Championship game on April 4.
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