The Academy Awards honored the film "Slumdog Millionaire" as the Best Picture of the Year---if anything that's what one feels like following college basketball in the area-- where a huge win or two transports one from the outhouse to the penthouse and a few losses does the exact opposite.
Georgetown dropped back to back games against Marquette and Louisville...landing with a thud against the Cardinals Monday night. The usual suspects showed their faces again (39% shooting, 3-16 from three-point range, outrebounded by 9)...and the onetime top ten Hoyas find themselves with a different ten--as in conference losses. Currently Georgetown's in 12th place-- and would play St John's in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Up next: a Saturday visit to Villanova.
By the way, I'm not a fan of allowing all 16 league schools into the Big East Tournament. The race for #12 in recent years was actually a nice subplot to the latter stages of the regular season--and now there's nothing pushing 4-10 St Johns or 3-11 South Florida. Seriously, do we need a fifth day of play in NYC with 0-14 DePaul and 1-13 Rutgers? I'll be watching the CAA, WCC or "How I met Your Mother"...
Maryland's 88-85 overtime win against North Carolina puts the Terrapins back on the map for this March--Greivis Vasquez's 16 straight points to start the game wasn't as much of a surprise as the Terps' rally from 16 points down in the second half--and finishing regulation with a 9-0 run to force OT. I've long said that UNC under coach Roy Williams has plenty of talent but suffers from basketball ADD...but there's no way one should have thought this Maryland squad could have matched up with this Tar Heel team. Next up: Duke comes to Comcast Wednesday night...be prepared for another monster fist-pump by Gary Williams.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the ACC race currently has matchups of #5 Wake Forest-#12 Georgia Tech (winner faces #4 Florida State), #6 Boston College-#11 Virginia (winner plays #3 Duke), #7 Maryland-#10 Miami (victor meets #2 Clemson) and #8 Virginia Tech-#9 NC State (for the right to face top seed North Carolina).
George Mason lost on the road--only this time it wasn't at a CAA foe...this time the Patriots fell at Creighton 76-63. Free throw shooting (10-17) continues to be a concern, as well as Mason's inability to win outside of Fairfax (six straight road losses). Still, 20 victories are within reach as is the top spot in the CAA. Next up: Wednesday at UNC-Wilmington...the Seahawks are last in the league but this is on the road.
I admit I was pulling for Frost-Nixon Sunday evening...unfortunately my faith in Oscar was betrayed by Dances with Wolves (made Ben Hur seem like a short) and Forrest Gump (let me get this--he ran from Atlantic to Pacific several times?). Oh, and Kate Winslet should have won for Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind.
George Washington's hopes for a 12th place finish in the Atlantic Ten and a ticket to the conference tournament took a hit when the Colonials lost 71-53 to Xavier. GW's 2-10 league record is one and a half games behind St. Bonaventure...and the window is closing.
Next up: Wednesday against 11th place Charlotte.
My favorite Oscar moment and subsequent snub--a few years ago when "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" was nominated for best song...Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara sang the song in character as "Mitch and Mickey"...and then some song from the Lord of the Rings movie won.
American took a two game lead in the Patriot League by beating Holy Cross 56-50. Garrison Carr led the way with 28 points...and the Eagles held the Crusaders to under 40 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers. AU needs to split one of its last two regular season games or one loss by Holy Cross in one of its final two tilts to wrap up the regular season title and home court advantage for the conference tournament. Next up: Navy comes to Bender Arena Wednesday.
What is the deal with the musical numbers at the Oscars? I know we've come a long way since Rob Lowe sang to Snow White--but who enjoys these things? Unless Will Ferrell and Jack Black are singing "you're boring"...I'm out.
Howard bounced back from a tough loss to MEAC leading Morgan State by outscoring Coppin State 81-74...Eugene Myatt's 41 points tied a career high for the best player around the beltway noboby knows about...while Curtis White added 17 points in the victory. At 6-7 the Bison are in a three way tie for 6th...depending on what happens over the final three regular season games, Howard could finish as high as second or as low as tenth place in the conference standings. Next up: Saturday at second place North Carolina A&T.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Beltway Basketball Bonanza--plus cookies and Presidential brackets...
One reason why I enjoy the finishing kick towards the conference tournaments is this is the time of year Girl Scout Cookies arrive...the perfect snack to enjoy while watching a Big East battle royale or an ACC extravaganza... although I did learn last year that in some parts of this fine country Cookie titles have been "dumbed down". Yes, in parts of South Carolina and Pennsylvania--kids aren't selling "Tagalongs" but rather "Peanut Butter Patties"... and if that wasn't bad enough, "Samoas" are called "Caramel Deelites". Not only a lame title that leaves nothing to the imagination, but do we have to spell delight "deelite"? Think about kids across this nation growing up thinking one spells delight "deelite", splendour "splenda" and Captain "Capn" (thank you Crunchberries for not only putting out an easily soggy cereal but one that doesn't spell correctly".
Georgetown bounced back from a tough road loss at Syracuse (I still can't believe the Hoyas had a chance to win at the end of regulation)...drilling South Florida 65-40. Coach John Thompson III's team outrebounded back to back opponents for the first time in memory this winter while sophomore Chris Wright and freshman Greg Monroe are both responding to their first full conference schedule (Wright was injured much of last year). Also, sophomore Nikita Mescheriakov has seen increased minutes over the last few weeks and appears to be doing a lot of the little things that don't show up in the stat-sheet. Next up--the hammer/anvil combination of Marquette and Louisville...two teams the Hoyas notched hard fought victories against last year.
Speaking of South Florida--here's a little bit about the big man that got away from College Park: Augustus Gilchrist finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds over 23 minutes for the Bulls...the freshman is averaging 10 points and 4 rebounds while shooting under 40% from the field...would he have made a difference with the Terps this winter--and how much of a difference?
Maryland followed up a fantastic 83-73 win over Virginia Tech with a 93-64 loss at Clemson that was a five-point game with 17 minutes remaining in regulation. The Terps just couldn't stop the 13th ranked Tigers, allowing 57.8% shooting from the field...the absence of a productive big man continues to hurt as Maryland was outrebounded for the fifth straight game. Amidst the Washington Post special articles and dual press conferences, Landon Milbourne is quietly having a solid season-- averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds a game...Next up: hammer and anvil, ACC style: home games with North Carolina and Duke...the bright spot being if the Terps can steal one of those two they leapfrog back into the NCAA consideration pack.
Interesting series of articles in last week's Washington Post regarding the current state of Terrapin Nation--this site has mentioned the seemingly rotating door for assistant coaches over the last few years as one reason why recruiting has been down. The AAU culture was an interesting read as well--I just wasn't into Saturday's wrapup...it kind of seemed tacked on. Much like a lot of my work here I know, but it didn't give me as much as Thursday's article did.
George Mason despite all of their road woes find themselves one game out of first place in the CAA with two conference games remaining. The Patriots need Virginia Commonwealth to lose twice while sweeping their remaining slate--tilts at UNC-Wilmington (3-13) and against Towson (4-12). GMU got into position to be in position by downing Northeastern 64-53 and nipping Drexel 49-48...Darryl Monroe's gamewinning shot with seven seconds left capping a night where the senior tallied 15 points and 9 rebounds. Next Up: Bracket-Buster at Creighton.
C-Span recently released their presidential rankings--and naturally as a college hoops fan I envisioned a bracket of the 42 former leaders...I mean who wouldn't want to see a second round matchup of #15 Clinton against #18 GHW Bush? Or the dream regional of #27 Nixon-#38 Harding (scandal showdown) with the winner facing #6 JFK? By the way, the undercard of Kennedy-Nixon II(this time it's personal)-- would be #11 LBJ - #22 Ford... with Gus Johnson announcing: "THE POLLS CLOSE! AND WE GO TO THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE!"
George Washington had a shot at a tie for 12th place in the Atlantic Ten slip through their fingers...getting smacked around by Charlotte for 25 minutes (and trailing 50-20 with 14:39 remaining)...opportunities to climb back up into the A-10 tournament are out there: four of GW's remaining opponents have losing conference records. Coach Karl Hobbs' crew surprised us last year with much-improved late season play--so why not this February? Next Up: St. Bonaventure's 4-7 in league action--has lost 5 of 7 and three straight road games.
Other Presidential Bracket-busters: potential regional semifinal battle between Eisenhower (master general) and Wilson (master peacemaker)...as well as Jackson-Polk in a regional final battle reminiscent of Knight-coach K in the '92 Final Four..."Old Hickory and the Little Napoleon"...
American moved a game ahead of Holy Cross in the Patriot League standings with a 58-36 triumph over Army...the Eagle defense shining once again (allowing 27% shooting by the Black Knights after allowing 31% by Colgate and 30% by Bucknell). Coach Jeff Jones received another fine effort from his backcourt--Derrick Mercer notched 17 points while Garrison Carr added 13...Mercer's had seven games where he hasn't scored in double figures this winter--just one of them has come in league play. Next up: a Patriot League showdown with Holy Cross that will go a long way towards determine who has home court for the conference tournament. AU lost at the Crusaders 71-62 last month in what has been the Eagles lone loss since December 22nd.
My Final Four: #1 Lincoln over Eisenhower, #13 Jackson over #12 Polk, #2 Washington over #10 Reagan and #3 FDR over LBJ...with Lincoln upending Roosevelt in the finals...with Jim Nantz's not-canned final call "AND HONESTLY, IT'S ABE!"
Howard's high-flying February came to a thud with back to back to back losses...the last a 74-69 defeat against MEAC leader Morgan State--a game where the Bison wasn't as much outshot but outrebounded and turned the ball over an unlucky 13 times. The Bears have obviously been reading this blog and my heralding of Eugene Myatt as the best player nobody knows about in and around the beltway came back to haunt Howard's leading scorer...as Morgan State held the senior to a league play-low 12 points. Next up: a Monday night matchup with tied-for-second place Coppin State.
Georgetown bounced back from a tough road loss at Syracuse (I still can't believe the Hoyas had a chance to win at the end of regulation)...drilling South Florida 65-40. Coach John Thompson III's team outrebounded back to back opponents for the first time in memory this winter while sophomore Chris Wright and freshman Greg Monroe are both responding to their first full conference schedule (Wright was injured much of last year). Also, sophomore Nikita Mescheriakov has seen increased minutes over the last few weeks and appears to be doing a lot of the little things that don't show up in the stat-sheet. Next up--the hammer/anvil combination of Marquette and Louisville...two teams the Hoyas notched hard fought victories against last year.
Speaking of South Florida--here's a little bit about the big man that got away from College Park: Augustus Gilchrist finished with 11 points and 3 rebounds over 23 minutes for the Bulls...the freshman is averaging 10 points and 4 rebounds while shooting under 40% from the field...would he have made a difference with the Terps this winter--and how much of a difference?
Maryland followed up a fantastic 83-73 win over Virginia Tech with a 93-64 loss at Clemson that was a five-point game with 17 minutes remaining in regulation. The Terps just couldn't stop the 13th ranked Tigers, allowing 57.8% shooting from the field...the absence of a productive big man continues to hurt as Maryland was outrebounded for the fifth straight game. Amidst the Washington Post special articles and dual press conferences, Landon Milbourne is quietly having a solid season-- averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds a game...Next up: hammer and anvil, ACC style: home games with North Carolina and Duke...the bright spot being if the Terps can steal one of those two they leapfrog back into the NCAA consideration pack.
Interesting series of articles in last week's Washington Post regarding the current state of Terrapin Nation--this site has mentioned the seemingly rotating door for assistant coaches over the last few years as one reason why recruiting has been down. The AAU culture was an interesting read as well--I just wasn't into Saturday's wrapup...it kind of seemed tacked on. Much like a lot of my work here I know, but it didn't give me as much as Thursday's article did.
George Mason despite all of their road woes find themselves one game out of first place in the CAA with two conference games remaining. The Patriots need Virginia Commonwealth to lose twice while sweeping their remaining slate--tilts at UNC-Wilmington (3-13) and against Towson (4-12). GMU got into position to be in position by downing Northeastern 64-53 and nipping Drexel 49-48...Darryl Monroe's gamewinning shot with seven seconds left capping a night where the senior tallied 15 points and 9 rebounds. Next Up: Bracket-Buster at Creighton.
C-Span recently released their presidential rankings--and naturally as a college hoops fan I envisioned a bracket of the 42 former leaders...I mean who wouldn't want to see a second round matchup of #15 Clinton against #18 GHW Bush? Or the dream regional of #27 Nixon-#38 Harding (scandal showdown) with the winner facing #6 JFK? By the way, the undercard of Kennedy-Nixon II(this time it's personal)-- would be #11 LBJ - #22 Ford... with Gus Johnson announcing: "THE POLLS CLOSE! AND WE GO TO THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE!"
George Washington had a shot at a tie for 12th place in the Atlantic Ten slip through their fingers...getting smacked around by Charlotte for 25 minutes (and trailing 50-20 with 14:39 remaining)...opportunities to climb back up into the A-10 tournament are out there: four of GW's remaining opponents have losing conference records. Coach Karl Hobbs' crew surprised us last year with much-improved late season play--so why not this February? Next Up: St. Bonaventure's 4-7 in league action--has lost 5 of 7 and three straight road games.
Other Presidential Bracket-busters: potential regional semifinal battle between Eisenhower (master general) and Wilson (master peacemaker)...as well as Jackson-Polk in a regional final battle reminiscent of Knight-coach K in the '92 Final Four..."Old Hickory and the Little Napoleon"...
American moved a game ahead of Holy Cross in the Patriot League standings with a 58-36 triumph over Army...the Eagle defense shining once again (allowing 27% shooting by the Black Knights after allowing 31% by Colgate and 30% by Bucknell). Coach Jeff Jones received another fine effort from his backcourt--Derrick Mercer notched 17 points while Garrison Carr added 13...Mercer's had seven games where he hasn't scored in double figures this winter--just one of them has come in league play. Next up: a Patriot League showdown with Holy Cross that will go a long way towards determine who has home court for the conference tournament. AU lost at the Crusaders 71-62 last month in what has been the Eagles lone loss since December 22nd.
My Final Four: #1 Lincoln over Eisenhower, #13 Jackson over #12 Polk, #2 Washington over #10 Reagan and #3 FDR over LBJ...with Lincoln upending Roosevelt in the finals...with Jim Nantz's not-canned final call "AND HONESTLY, IT'S ABE!"
Howard's high-flying February came to a thud with back to back to back losses...the last a 74-69 defeat against MEAC leader Morgan State--a game where the Bison wasn't as much outshot but outrebounded and turned the ball over an unlucky 13 times. The Bears have obviously been reading this blog and my heralding of Eugene Myatt as the best player nobody knows about in and around the beltway came back to haunt Howard's leading scorer...as Morgan State held the senior to a league play-low 12 points. Next up: a Monday night matchup with tied-for-second place Coppin State.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Beltway Basketball Bonanza-- hoop season's like a box of chocolates...
Valentine's Day for me always had a measure of danger-- would I wind up happy or heartbroken? You think you've played your cards right and have made the right decision--only to find you've made the worst mistake possible--bad chocolate choice. Nothing's worse than choosing wrong when eating from a box of Chocolates -- you can't leave a half-eaten piece where you found it (at least once you turn ten years old). Area hoop fans open their respective boxes this weekend--hoping for coconut or caramel and dreading "Rummed Pear".
Georgetown's margin of error shrunk with last weekend's loss to Cincinnati. The elements present in the Hoyas swoon were evident again--poor shooting (0-8 in OT) and an inability to rebound. A 4-7 Big East mark means the team likely needs to win five of its remaining seven games to solidify NCAA consideration. John Thompson III's team visits Syracuse this weekend...a place where they've lost the last two seasons--despite having the better team.
Maryland picked up a huge road ACC win at Georgia Tech Sunday despite shooting 36 percent from the field...thankfully they were able to turn over the Yellowjackets 24 times. Unfortunately that's the last they'll see of Paul Hewitt's team in the regular season. The Terps host Virginia Tech Saturday--last year the Hokies took both tilts...including a game in Comcast where one of their players vomited on the court.
George Mason's road woes continue with losses at James Madison and Delaware...two games where the Patriots shot 5 of 26 from three point range and 21 of 42 from the free throw line. The good news is three of GMU's final four CAA games are in Fairfax; they also face a Northeastern team that's cooled off somewhat (Huskies have dropped two of three).
George Washington missed a chance to move into a tie for twelfth place in the Atlantic Ten...slipping against La Salle 68-57 despite 20 points from Damian Hollis. GW gets another chance Saturday--facing current 12th place Charlotte in what will be the first of two games against the 49'ers...can't wait for the return game at the Smith Center.
American's the hottest team in the Beltway with five straight wins...AU's 2 point victory at Bucknell saw the Eagles' defense hold the Bison to 30% shooting. Coach Jeff Jones' team appears to be on a collision course with Holy Cross for the Patriot League title...before the two teams tangle a week from Saturday the Eagles host Colgate and Army (combined 16-30 record this winter).
Howard has gone from the MEAC cellar to a five way tie for fourth place thanks to four straight wins...the latest a 59-43 thumping of Delaware State where the Bison held the Hornets to 29% shooting. The challenge for Eugene Myatt (still the best beltway player nobody knows about) and company is--now that they've joined the conference's middle class, can they stay there? Four of the six remaining MEAC games are against schools tied for fourth with Howard; the other two are against league-leader Morgan State and second place Hampton.
Georgetown's margin of error shrunk with last weekend's loss to Cincinnati. The elements present in the Hoyas swoon were evident again--poor shooting (0-8 in OT) and an inability to rebound. A 4-7 Big East mark means the team likely needs to win five of its remaining seven games to solidify NCAA consideration. John Thompson III's team visits Syracuse this weekend...a place where they've lost the last two seasons--despite having the better team.
Maryland picked up a huge road ACC win at Georgia Tech Sunday despite shooting 36 percent from the field...thankfully they were able to turn over the Yellowjackets 24 times. Unfortunately that's the last they'll see of Paul Hewitt's team in the regular season. The Terps host Virginia Tech Saturday--last year the Hokies took both tilts...including a game in Comcast where one of their players vomited on the court.
George Mason's road woes continue with losses at James Madison and Delaware...two games where the Patriots shot 5 of 26 from three point range and 21 of 42 from the free throw line. The good news is three of GMU's final four CAA games are in Fairfax; they also face a Northeastern team that's cooled off somewhat (Huskies have dropped two of three).
George Washington missed a chance to move into a tie for twelfth place in the Atlantic Ten...slipping against La Salle 68-57 despite 20 points from Damian Hollis. GW gets another chance Saturday--facing current 12th place Charlotte in what will be the first of two games against the 49'ers...can't wait for the return game at the Smith Center.
American's the hottest team in the Beltway with five straight wins...AU's 2 point victory at Bucknell saw the Eagles' defense hold the Bison to 30% shooting. Coach Jeff Jones' team appears to be on a collision course with Holy Cross for the Patriot League title...before the two teams tangle a week from Saturday the Eagles host Colgate and Army (combined 16-30 record this winter).
Howard has gone from the MEAC cellar to a five way tie for fourth place thanks to four straight wins...the latest a 59-43 thumping of Delaware State where the Bison held the Hornets to 29% shooting. The challenge for Eugene Myatt (still the best beltway player nobody knows about) and company is--now that they've joined the conference's middle class, can they stay there? Four of the six remaining MEAC games are against schools tied for fourth with Howard; the other two are against league-leader Morgan State and second place Hampton.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Presidential Separation--a Preston's Perspective Classic...
initially appearing last year...
Hope everyone has a fun Presidents' Day planned-- the holiday brings a very pressing matter to mind: Just one holiday for 43 people? I'm all for honoring our nation's leaders-- but does James Buchanan deserve equal billing with George Washington? Did Benjamin Harrison have the same impact as Franklin Roosevelt?
I believe it's completely unfair; we as a country place a premium on being a successful chief executive but then honor everyone with the same 1/43 share-- that's 2.33%. Thomas Jefferson brought us the Louisiana Purchase, and gets less than a 3% tip?
The solution: create a Presidents' Day Weekend. Separate the wheat from the chaff and honor those who don't make the cut on Friday afternoon/evening, followed by "Super Presidents' Day" on Monday.
Who exactly is a "Super President"?
1--Must be deceased-- (sorry Bill)...
2--Mount Rushmore-- If you are chiseled into the side of a hill-- you qualify. That means Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
3--Money-- You get consideration if you're on a coin or a dollar bill-- but it's not automatic. Sorry Grant, Cleveland and McKinley--congratulations FDR, Wilson and Jackson.
4--Veterans Committee-- An alternating honoree from the 19th and 20th centuries--two highly underrated chief executives: James K. Polk is my 1800's choice for this year; Harry Truman my 1900's representative for 2010.
5--Partisan Picks-- Let's throw a bone to each party by adding Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy--as each respective party is looking for the next Reagan or JFK anyway. There you are-- ten super presidents honored together the third Monday of February-- while the other 33 share a happy hour at Tchotchkies (Grant would love that).
Hope everyone has a fun Presidents' Day planned-- the holiday brings a very pressing matter to mind: Just one holiday for 43 people? I'm all for honoring our nation's leaders-- but does James Buchanan deserve equal billing with George Washington? Did Benjamin Harrison have the same impact as Franklin Roosevelt?
I believe it's completely unfair; we as a country place a premium on being a successful chief executive but then honor everyone with the same 1/43 share-- that's 2.33%. Thomas Jefferson brought us the Louisiana Purchase, and gets less than a 3% tip?
The solution: create a Presidents' Day Weekend. Separate the wheat from the chaff and honor those who don't make the cut on Friday afternoon/evening, followed by "Super Presidents' Day" on Monday.
Who exactly is a "Super President"?
1--Must be deceased-- (sorry Bill)...
2--Mount Rushmore-- If you are chiseled into the side of a hill-- you qualify. That means Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt.
3--Money-- You get consideration if you're on a coin or a dollar bill-- but it's not automatic. Sorry Grant, Cleveland and McKinley--congratulations FDR, Wilson and Jackson.
4--Veterans Committee-- An alternating honoree from the 19th and 20th centuries--two highly underrated chief executives: James K. Polk is my 1800's choice for this year; Harry Truman my 1900's representative for 2010.
5--Partisan Picks-- Let's throw a bone to each party by adding Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy--as each respective party is looking for the next Reagan or JFK anyway. There you are-- ten super presidents honored together the third Monday of February-- while the other 33 share a happy hour at Tchotchkies (Grant would love that).
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Beltway Basketball Bonanza... who'll make March memorable?
February is a transition month--for the first time since July there's no football urgency and we're still a ways away from Grapefruit and Cactus League games...as previously mentioned in this space I like to look at this month through the college basketball lens -- titling it "February Fever"...much like October in college football, this operates as a "moving month" where schools try to be in position...to be in position for the big dance. Unfortunately most of the area schools are dancing like Ronald Miller ("it's the African Anteater Ritual") without the benefit of once dating Cindy Mancini.
Georgetown stopped a five game losing streak by beating Rutgers--a 57-47 grinder that won't win style points with anyone...another game where the Hoyas got hot from three point range (7 of 18) but got outrebounded (28-25). The next few games represent a somewhat of a breather in Cincinnati, Syracuse and South Florida (a combined 13-16 in conference play) before back to back tilts against heavyweights Marquette and Louisville. Conventional wisdom is the Hoyas need to finish 9-9 in the league to have a shot at the NCAA's...they're five wins away with eight games remaining.
SB XLIII thoughts--what have we done to deserve another thrilling finish? For the fifth time in nine years what used to be called the "Super Bore" has given fans fourth quarter heroics... the new hit this year was Nikki's corn-bread...which I consumed in between the buffalo chicken dip (pregame only)...and the butter bars (after the first half). Also, Larry asked me only 12 times if I was having a good time. Thank goodness the game wasn't a rout.
Maryland played well over the last week, getting an emotional win over Miami at home (nobody fist-pumps like Gary Williams) before falling at North Carolina...with a surreal "vote of confidence" from Athletic Director Debbie Yow sandwiched in between. All the right things were said, although it had the feel of a Liza Minnelli-David Gest press conference. The Terps can crawl back into the ACC's middle class with wins against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. How they'll do it with an underachieving frontcourt and an inconsistent backcourt is anyone's guess.
Alma Mater update--SU's early top ten prospects have dimmed somewhat...although they had a nice victory over a gritty West Virginia team. On the bright side, I'm still able to watch every game at a downtown DC location where the wings are 25 cents apiece while the game's in progress...unfortunately one of my fellow alums didn't understand and downed four Bloody Mary's during the team's loss to Louisville on an empty stomach. He then had to call his parents to pick him up; adding that the only reason he drove into DC was because he didn't think he'd be drinking. Hello? You went to A BAR!
George Mason bounced back from a heartbreaking loss at Old Dominion (I thought the game tying shot was going down instead of rimming out) to smack Hofstra 78-54. John Vaughan's recovery from the concussion continues...the senior tallied 16 points and 7 rebounds in the win over the Pride. Yes, that's right--Hofstra's nickname is "the Pride"...although I heard "Dignity" was the runnerup. The Patriots have a showdown with Northeastern coming up on Valentine's Day--but first have to take care of James Madison and Delaware; both games are away from Fairfax and GMU is 2-3 on the road in the CAA.
24 musings--it's always weird seeing 90210-castoffs on 24 (in season two Jack drugged the guy who took Brenda to the senior prom--Luke Harangody's lookalike)...the newest one is Gil (the senior journalism teacher Andrea had a crush on) as the "bad secret service agent". Glad we've given up on the whole mole thing, people.
American stands tied atop the Patriot League with the only blemish on their conference mark being a loss at co-leader Holy Cross. While Garrison Carr (17ppg) and Brian Gilmore (42% from three-point range grab the bulk of the headlines, Derrick Mercer's improvement in directing the offense and Jordan Nichols' gritty rebounding represent the glue the Eagles will need to hold things together for a late-season drive. Next up: road trips to Lehigh and Bucknell.
Girls Hoops? Congratulations to Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt for posting her 1,000th career victory...and enduring Bob Knight referring to her sport as "girls' basketball". Reminds me of when I announced Ball State women's games in the late 90's and my analyst referred to them as "gals"--one step above "chicks" or "babes" on the evolved male scale. A note to Bob Knight: whether or not you enjoy the sport, give the women their due and title them properly... and good luck if you get the boys' job at Georgia.
George Washington's having the worst winter since Valley Forge; and even those colonials had Pepperpot Stew (my mother made it every Feb 22). GW has dropped eleven straight (insert Spinal Tap remark here)--with the last six coming by ten points or less. Coach Karl Hobbs' team can still make the A-10 Tournament: they play 12th place Charlotte twice and host 13th place Fordham this weekend. Next up: tomorrow against the Rams (9-29 combined record on the Smith Center floor)...
Howard won back to back MEAC games over North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State; the league's Saturday-Monday travel arrangement makes two game swings all the more prevalent. Eugene Myatt (AKA the best beltway player nobody knows about) is getting some major help of the bench from Randy Hampton (23 points over 40 minutes in the Bison's two victories). Next up: back to back home games against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Delaware State (combined 5-11 conference mark)...
Georgetown stopped a five game losing streak by beating Rutgers--a 57-47 grinder that won't win style points with anyone...another game where the Hoyas got hot from three point range (7 of 18) but got outrebounded (28-25). The next few games represent a somewhat of a breather in Cincinnati, Syracuse and South Florida (a combined 13-16 in conference play) before back to back tilts against heavyweights Marquette and Louisville. Conventional wisdom is the Hoyas need to finish 9-9 in the league to have a shot at the NCAA's...they're five wins away with eight games remaining.
SB XLIII thoughts--what have we done to deserve another thrilling finish? For the fifth time in nine years what used to be called the "Super Bore" has given fans fourth quarter heroics... the new hit this year was Nikki's corn-bread...which I consumed in between the buffalo chicken dip (pregame only)...and the butter bars (after the first half). Also, Larry asked me only 12 times if I was having a good time. Thank goodness the game wasn't a rout.
Maryland played well over the last week, getting an emotional win over Miami at home (nobody fist-pumps like Gary Williams) before falling at North Carolina...with a surreal "vote of confidence" from Athletic Director Debbie Yow sandwiched in between. All the right things were said, although it had the feel of a Liza Minnelli-David Gest press conference. The Terps can crawl back into the ACC's middle class with wins against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. How they'll do it with an underachieving frontcourt and an inconsistent backcourt is anyone's guess.
Alma Mater update--SU's early top ten prospects have dimmed somewhat...although they had a nice victory over a gritty West Virginia team. On the bright side, I'm still able to watch every game at a downtown DC location where the wings are 25 cents apiece while the game's in progress...unfortunately one of my fellow alums didn't understand and downed four Bloody Mary's during the team's loss to Louisville on an empty stomach. He then had to call his parents to pick him up; adding that the only reason he drove into DC was because he didn't think he'd be drinking. Hello? You went to A BAR!
George Mason bounced back from a heartbreaking loss at Old Dominion (I thought the game tying shot was going down instead of rimming out) to smack Hofstra 78-54. John Vaughan's recovery from the concussion continues...the senior tallied 16 points and 7 rebounds in the win over the Pride. Yes, that's right--Hofstra's nickname is "the Pride"...although I heard "Dignity" was the runnerup. The Patriots have a showdown with Northeastern coming up on Valentine's Day--but first have to take care of James Madison and Delaware; both games are away from Fairfax and GMU is 2-3 on the road in the CAA.
24 musings--it's always weird seeing 90210-castoffs on 24 (in season two Jack drugged the guy who took Brenda to the senior prom--Luke Harangody's lookalike)...the newest one is Gil (the senior journalism teacher Andrea had a crush on) as the "bad secret service agent". Glad we've given up on the whole mole thing, people.
American stands tied atop the Patriot League with the only blemish on their conference mark being a loss at co-leader Holy Cross. While Garrison Carr (17ppg) and Brian Gilmore (42% from three-point range grab the bulk of the headlines, Derrick Mercer's improvement in directing the offense and Jordan Nichols' gritty rebounding represent the glue the Eagles will need to hold things together for a late-season drive. Next up: road trips to Lehigh and Bucknell.
Girls Hoops? Congratulations to Tennessee women's coach Pat Summitt for posting her 1,000th career victory...and enduring Bob Knight referring to her sport as "girls' basketball". Reminds me of when I announced Ball State women's games in the late 90's and my analyst referred to them as "gals"--one step above "chicks" or "babes" on the evolved male scale. A note to Bob Knight: whether or not you enjoy the sport, give the women their due and title them properly... and good luck if you get the boys' job at Georgia.
George Washington's having the worst winter since Valley Forge; and even those colonials had Pepperpot Stew (my mother made it every Feb 22). GW has dropped eleven straight (insert Spinal Tap remark here)--with the last six coming by ten points or less. Coach Karl Hobbs' team can still make the A-10 Tournament: they play 12th place Charlotte twice and host 13th place Fordham this weekend. Next up: tomorrow against the Rams (9-29 combined record on the Smith Center floor)...
Howard won back to back MEAC games over North Carolina A&T and Norfolk State; the league's Saturday-Monday travel arrangement makes two game swings all the more prevalent. Eugene Myatt (AKA the best beltway player nobody knows about) is getting some major help of the bench from Randy Hampton (23 points over 40 minutes in the Bison's two victories). Next up: back to back home games against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Delaware State (combined 5-11 conference mark)...
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