TCU to Join Big East

TCU has accepted an invitation to become the 17th member of the Big East Conference and the 9th football member, beginning in the 2012-2013 season.  The move puts the basketball conference in a very precarious position, as a league with 17 members, with potentially more members to come, makes scheduling, organization, and distribution of revenue very difficult.  By comparison, the 2nd largest basketball conference, the Atlantic 10, has 14 members, and has neither the money nor the national prominence of the Big East.  Such a prominent conference with so many teams will be difficult to manage.  However, like most decisions with regard to conference realignment, it was driven by football and the money that comes with it.

Big East football is struggling, and its position as a major football conference has been in jeopardy.  The BCS evaluation period for the Big East’s automatic bid ends in December 2011, and recent history suggests that the conference is not always worthy of an automatic BCS bid.  An addition of a perennial power like TCU is essential for the Big East to retain its BCS automatic bid and the revenue that comes with it.  The Big East will be able to report TCU’s accomplishments and prominence to the BCS for this evaluation, which will most likely secure the BCS automatic bid until the next evaluation period for the 2016-2017 season.  Also, the addition of the Dallas television market, one of the top 5 markets in the country, is a major benefit for the Big East.

The move to a major conference was important for TCU as well.  By joining the Big East, TCU will have an opportunity to earn a BCS bid every year, without concern about BCS rankings or the image of non-automatic qualifying schools.  In addition, the Horned Frogs’ strength of schedule will improve with the move from the Mountain West to the Big East.  The opportunities that exist for the TCU football program in the Big East were unmatched.  The decision to move to the Big East was a perfect match for both entities, as both were filling a void for the other, and now both are in a much better position athletically and financially moving forward.

Where does the Big East move from here?  With 17 schools for basketball, and 9 schools for football, an addition of at least 1 more school is likely.  The Big East desires at least 10 football schools so that it can lobby to the NCAA, just as the Big XII did, for a conference championship game, even though traditional NCAA regulations require 12 teams for a conference championship game.  Candidates for the 10th football spot include Conference USA teams like UCF, Memphis, and Houston, among others.  Another possible addition for football is Villanova, which is already a basketball school in the Big East with a football program at the FCS level.  The offer was made to Villanova to move the football program to the Big East at the beginning of this season.  The potential move by Villanova is currently being reviewed by the VU Athletic Department, and is being led by Athletic Director Vince Necastro.  The decision will be made by early Spring 2011, according to President Father Donohue.  I have been strongly against the potential move from the FCS to the FBS, for many reasons (See my Letter to the VU Athletic Director and the President, http://bobsportsblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/10/nova-to-the-big-east-in-football/).

How will the Big East change beyond football with the addition of TCU?  First, the scheduling and organization of basketball will change dramatically.  At this point, each conference team plays all other teams at least once, and plays 3 teams twice in the regular season, which fulfills the 18 game conference schedule.  With the addition of TCU, and perhaps more schools, the number of repeat conference games per season will decrease or even disappear, which would lead to more balanced scheduling but greater disparity among the quality of teams in the Big East.  In addition, the format of conference tournaments in all sports will need to be changed significantly.  A 17 team conference will become extremely difficult to schedule efficiently and effectively.

Another concern is the travel for TCU.  The Big East consists of teams primarily on the Atlantic Coast, and primarily  in the North.  Teams like Marquette, Depaul, Notre Dame, and South Florida are the exceptions.  However, none of these teams are nearly as far from “Big East Heartland” as TCU.  TCU joins Depaul as the only other Big East team in the Central Time zone, and joins South Florida as the only other Big East team located below the state of Kentucky.  TCU is the farthest outlier geographically, which will certainly affect sports besides basketball and football in terms of transportation.  It is interesting to note; however, that TCU is actually less of an outlier now than it was during its time in the Mountain West.  While in the Mountain West, TCU was the only team in the Central time zone, and more than half of the teams in the conference were 2 time zones away, in the Pacific time zone.  Therefore, long distance traveling will not be new for TCU athletes, but will certainly affect scheduling for the Big East, which hasn’t had to deal with a school located so far from the rest of the Big East schools.

In terms of competition in athletics, TCU will bring an unique presence to the conference.  In basketball, TCU will struggle in a conference that has been the best in college basketball in recent years.  In baseball, TCU will dominate, and will fight with Louisville for conference supremacy most years.  In football, TCU will finally get a bit of a test in conference play.  It will be very exciting to see how TCU will fare against West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and others in the Big East.  In the same vein, it will be exciting to see the impact TCU will have on the conference on the whole, and if recruiting, quality of play, and general excitement around the conference will change with the addition of the program.

TCU brings a new era and a new opportunity to the Big East with the change in affiliation.  Big East football is thankful for the opportunity given by TCU, and TCU is thankful for the opportunity given by the Big East.

First Team All American Selections

As posted on the blog 2 days ago, the First Team All American Selections included Wesley Johnson (Syracuse), Evan Turner (Ohio State), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), John Wall (Kentucky), and DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky).

Second Team All Americans were James Anderson (Oklahoma State), Sherron Collins (Kansas), Jon Scheyer (Duke), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), and Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia).

My thoughts on the selections?  On the whole I thought the AP did a good job in the selections.  Scottie Reynolds and Wes Johnson were arguably the 2 most productive players in the Big East, although Greg Monroe also had a great year.  Evan Turner was the National Player of the Year.  John Wall was a freshman sensation that brought energy back to Lexington and was, at times, the most explosive player in college basketball.  DeMarcus Cousins was an inside force that helped Kentucky to advance to the top spot in the country.

However, if the AP made a mistake, it was the selection of DeMarcus Cousins.  Cousins averaged 15.1 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game, which are very impressive statistics.  However, he only played 23.5 minutes per game, or just over half a game per night.  While the production is there, I find it difficult to name someone an All American who wasn’t consistently on the floor.  Every other first team All American selection averaged over 30 minutes per game.  Cousins’ consistent foul trouble and his unsportsmanlike antics at times limited his play and effectiveness.  Therefore, Cousins was a very talented, productive player, but he was not on the floor long enough to be deserving of an All American honor.

So who should have replaced Cousins?  There are several good candidates on the second team.  James Anderson averaged 22.3 points per game with 5.8 rebounds per game.  He would be the primary suitor to replace Cousins, because of both his stats and what he meant to the Cowboys.  He was by far the best scorer on the team and almost singlehandedly led the team to the NCAA tournament.  He was double covered every night and still put up impressive, consistent statistics in the biggest moments, including 27 points and 30 points in the season defining wins over Kansas and Kansas State, respectively. 

Another candidate for that spot is Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez.  He averaged 19.6 points per game and 6.3 assists per game, and most notably led the Terps with 20 points in an emotional win over Duke on Senior Night.  Greivis’ statistics and importance to the team should have been impressive enough to jump Cousins in the voting. 

When comparing these two very deserving second teamers, James Anderson’s season was more impressive than Greivis’ season.  His numbers and his leadership were unbelievably impressive, and he led the Cowboys to the NCAA tournament  because of his ability and poise.  Although both DeMarcus Cousins and Greivis Vasquez had very impressive seasons, Anderson was more deserving of the First Team All American honor than either Cousins or Second Team All American teammate Vasquez.

College Basketball All-America Team

First Team All American:

Wesley Johnson (Syracuse)

John Wall (Kentucky)

DeMarcus Cousins (Kentucky)

Scottie Reynolds (Villanova)

Evan Turner (Ohio State)

Second Team All American:

James Anderson (Oklahoma State)

Sherron Collins (Kansas)

Greivis Vasquez (Maryland)

Jon Scheyer (Duke)

Da’Sean Butler (West Virginia)

Stay tuned tomorrow for my analysis of the picks for the All America Team.

NCAA Tournament Rounds 3-4: What we Learned?

We learned that Butler is for real.  The Bulldogs beat the much more talented and athletic Big East and Big XII powerhouses Syracuse and Kansas State in succession to advance to the Final Four.

We learned the Gordon Hayward can really play with the big teams and players.  Hayward had a great year, but some (including myself) still questioned his ability to score consistently outside of the Horizon League.  He proved us all wrong by being the major factor that allowed Butler to advance to Indianapolis to play a virtual home game in the Final Four.

We learned that Tom Izzo is the new Mr. March.  If Reggie Jackson is Mr. October, then Tom Izzo can claim the title of Mr. March.  He has helped Michigan State advance to 6 Final Fours in the past 12 years, including the past 2 seasons.  This year’s journey was especially difficult, as the team was a 5 seed and advanced to the Final Four without the services of point guard and team leader Kalin Lucas for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games.  No one in recent memory has prepared his team better for the NCAA tournament than Tom Izzo.

We learned that freshmen, though talented, are still freshmen and can still be affected negatively by lack of experience in the NCAA tournament.  John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Eric Bledsoe were the leaders for the Kentucky Wildcats.  However, after a convincing win over Wake Forest in the 2nd round, the team went cold and could not make up for its inaccuracy and sloppiness.  The Wildcats almost gave Cornell the game in the Sweet 16, but Cornell could not hit jumpers with any effectiveness.  Kentucky did lose to West Virginia, who did make shots.  Kentucky committed too many turnovers (16), missed too many foul shots (55.2% from the line), and was too inconsistent from 3 point range (4-32).  Freshmen mistakes were far to commonplace for Kentucky in the regional semis and final.

We learned that initial predictions mean almost nothing.  Most analysts picked Duke as the first #1 seed to be eliminated, and expected Kansas to win the National Championship.  However, it was Kansas who was the first #1 seed eliminated, and Duke is now the only #1 seed remaining in the NCAA tournament.  Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and Brian Zoubek have all played very well in the tournament, and look to lead the Blue Devils to a National Championship.

In the next few days, we will again learn, as we do every year, how long the week wait between the Elite 8 and Final Four is.  What to watch during the long week?  The NIT semifinals will be played tomorrow night on ESPN2, and the final will be played Thursday.

The Final Four is Set

The final 2 spots in the Final Four were decided today, as Michigan State beat Tennessee in a thriller, and Duke pulled away late to beat Baylor and advance.  This coming Saturday, Butler will face Michigan State at 6:07 ET, and West Virginia will face Duke at 8:37 ET.  The Final Four will be played in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.

My predictions:

In the early game, Butler and Michigan State will square off in what will be a battle of defensive minded teams.  Both teams have shown the ability to control the ball and the game itself in the most important moments of games.  In this game, I believe Butler will be able to feed off the home Indianapolis crowd.  The Bulldogs will be able to control the tempo, and will be able to score with more efficiency than Michigan State.  Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard lead a dynamic inside out offense, with 3 point shooters Shelvin Mack and Willie Veasley providing the fireworks from beyond the arc.

Butler will have to deal with Michigan State big men Delvon Roe, Raymar Morgan, and Draymond Green off the bench.  However, the slightly undersized Butler team has handled much bigger teams during the tournament and has still managed to advance.  The Spartans’ tallest consistent player is 6’8″ (Roe and Morgan), while Kansas State and Syracuse both have starters taller than those of Michigan State.  Therefore, I do not believe that Michigan State’s slight size advantage will dramatically affect the course of the game.  I think Butler will play strong defensively, and Michigan State will not be able to shoot well enough to keep up with the hot shooting of Butler.

Butler 57–Michigan State 55

In the late game, West Virginia will play Duke in a battle between traditional conference powers in the Big East and ACC.  Duke will look to control the perimeter, and West Virginia, albeit having success from the perimeter against Kentucky, will look to control the inside with its size and athleticism across its roster.  The premier matchups will be Jon Scheyer against Da’Sean Butler and Brian Zoubek against most likely Kevin Jones inside.  Will these Duke players be able to stay will Jones and Butler? And will Butler be able to quell the scoring power of Jon Scheyer?  The answers to these questions may ultimately determine the winner.

In addition, the game will hinge on West Virginia’s ability to shoot the ball.  West Virginia is one of the most inconsistent shooting teams in the country, but when the team is shooting well, almost no team in the country can control their mix of inside and outside effectiveness.  I think West Virginia will struggle initially to shoot in Lucas Oil Stadium because of the difference in depth perception in a football arena and a basketball arena.  Yes, I realize the team played in the Carrier Dome in regional semifinal and final, but the Carrier Dome situates the court entirely differently than Lucas Oil Stadium will.  In Syracuse the court stretches sideline to sideline in the endzone relative to the football field, whereas it will stretch from 35 yard line to 35 yard line in Indy, providing for a very different depth perception for players on an already inconsistent shooting team.  I do not think Duke will be affected as badly by this distraction because of its consistent shooting ability. 

 However, I do think that West Virginia’s inside presence will be the difference in the game.  Duke had trouble with Baylor’s big men today, and West Virginia’s big men are as big and arguably more talented than those of Baylor.  West Virginia will hit just enough outside shots to keep themselves in the game, and the Mountaineers’ solid defense will thwart Duke’s offensive attack.  West Virginia will control the inside and rebounding as it has done all  year.

West Virginia 68–Duke 62

The NCAA National Championship Game will be played on Monday night between the winners of these two games.

Final Four Update

Butler has just defeated Kansas State to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.  Between this region, the West, and the Midwest region (Mich St. vs. Tenn), there will be 2 teams seeded 5th or higher that will advance to the Final Four. 

In the late game tonight, the Kentucky Wildcats will play the West Virginia Mountaineers in the East regional final.  Tomorrow, the Duke Blue Devils will play the Baylor Bears in the South regional final, and the Michigan State Spartans will play the Tennessee Volunteers in the Midwest regional final.

Another interesting statistic: With the Kansas State loss today, only 1 conference has more than 1 team remaining in the NCAA tournament.  That conference is the SEC, which certainly isn’t the conference most were expecting to have the most success in this year’s tournament.

***************************************************************************

UPDATE:  After West Virginia’s win over Kentucky, the SEC was reduced to 1 teams remaining in the NCAA tournament.  Now 6 conferences have 1 team remaining in the tournament: Big East (West Virginia), Big XII (Baylor), ACC (Duke), SEC (Tennessee), Big 10 (Michigan State), and the Horizon League (Butler).

NCAA Tournament Round 2: What We Learned

After the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament, which ended today, we learned that the Big 10 is a darn good conference.  The Big 10 leads all conferences with 3 teams in the Sweet 16; including Purdue, which is missing Robbie Hummel, and Michigan State, who lost Kalin Lucas for the rest of the season halfway through the Maryland game today.  The Big 10 is not a second tier conference below conferences like the Big East and Big XII anymore.

We learned that the Big East is not as good as we originally thought.  Although I have been pushing the power of the conference all year, I must admit that the Big East teams’ performance in the NCAA tournament has been less than impressive at times.  All that remains from the Big East are the top two teams, Syracuse and West Virginia.  However, with 2 teams remaining, the Big East is tied with the Big XII and SEC for 2nd in that catagory, trailing only the Big 10.  The conference still has power at the top, and both these teams have the opportunity to advance to the National Championship.  However, the Big East is not by far the best conference in basketball as was proposed throughout the season.  Instead, conferences like the Big 10 and Big XII are very comparable to the Big East.

We learned that the Mountain West was overrated.  The conference went a combined 2-4 in the tournament, and advanced zero teams to the Sweet 16.  Considering that the Pac 10 and A-10 were ranked behind the Mountain West in RPI before the NCAA tournament, and both these conferences have a team in the Sweet 16 and better overall records in the tournament, the Mountain West is a conference which was overrated by national pundits this season.

We learned that nothing is a sure thing.  Between the upsets of Kansas, Villanova, and Georgetown (in the first round), people have lost their final four teams and their national champions in their brackets.  And who pulled these upsets?  Northern Iowa, Saint Mary’s, and Ohio, respectively.  The success of small conference teams like these, as well as Cornell, has been admirable and has made for some very exciting and unexpected upsets. 

Finally, we learned that Cornell is a really good team.  The ability for Cornell to perform so well offensively against 2 great defensive teams in Temple and Wisconsin is scary for #1 seed Kentucky, who the Big Red will face in the Regional Semifinal.

Big East Player of the Year

The Player of the Year Award in the Big East Conference has yet to be announced, and there are many qualified candidates.  This has prompted many to debate which player deserves to be the Player of the Year.  In my opinion, there are 8 realistic candidates for the honor.  First team All Big East players Scottie Reynolds (the only unanimous first teamer), Da’Sean Butler, Greg Monroe, Dominique Jones, and Wes Johnson highlight the POY candidates.  I left 2 time Big East Player of the Year and First Team All Big East player Luke Harangody off the list because of his injury which sidelined him for weeks this season.

From the Second Team All Big East, Lazar Hayward, Andy Rautins, and Jeremy Hazell are quality players that are potentially worthy of the honor.  Given this list of 8 players, which deserves the prestigious award?  Here is my take:

I will eliminate Dominique Jones and Jeremy Hazell simply because both their teams (USF, Seton Hall), were bubble teams with multiple opportunities to qualify for the NCAA tournament, but most likely will not.  However, these players missed multiple big opportunities to enhance their resumes both in the regular season and in the Big East Tournament, as both teams lost handily today with opportunities to pick up a quality win.  While I do understand that Harangody won the award last year when Notre Dame made the NIT, the difference this year is that there are so many more quality candidates for the award this year than there were last year.  The closest competitors last year to Harangody were maybe Jonny Flynn or Dejuan Blair, and these players, while talented, didn’t put up nearly as good of numbers as Harangody did.  This year, there are multiple players that put up the numbers that Jones and Hazell did.  For example, Jones and Hazell scored 21.3 and 21.1 points per game, respectively.  These players were often reluctant or unable to get their teammates involved, while inflated their numbers as well.  That isn’t Player of the Year material.  Comparatively, Scottie Reynolds scored 18.8 points per game, which becoming much more of a facilitator than either of the above players.  Greg Monroe is a double-double machine, and averaged 16 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game.  This year, the Big East has players of comparable ability and statistics to Jones and Hazell who have led their teams to the NCAA tournament, unlike last year when Harangody was by far the best Player of the Year candidate even though he was on an NIT team.  The players from the better teams are simply more likely to win the award because there is more of an accomplishment from these players than those players from NIT teams.

Down to 6.  Next, I will eliminate Wes Johnson because he is not even the best Player of the Year candidate on his own team.  His Syracuse teammate Andy Rautins is the physical and emotional leader of that team, and although Wes Johnson has slightly better numbers, I do not think one can realistically give the Player of the Year Award to a player who wasn’t even the most important player on his own team.  Also, Johnson is lacking in the points scored category, as he has only scored 15 points per game this year.  Next, I will eliminate Andy Rautins.  Although he is the best player on the best team in the Big East, his numbers do not compare with those of Monroe, Butler, Hayward, and Reynolds.  Rautins averages 11.6 points per game, which is well behind the statistics of other Player of the Year candidates.  His 4.8 assists are what hold up his resume, but the numbers simply aren’t good enough.

Down to 4.  Da’Sean Butler, Lazar Hayward, Greg Monroe, and Scottie Reynolds.  Da’Sean Butler averages 17.2 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game.  The flaw in his Player of the Year resume is the fact that his 3 point shooting is extremely inconsistent at times, and his affinity to shoot even while in a funk has cost West Virginia games this year.  Butler also has had stretches where he can not seem to miss, but one never knows which Da’Sean Butler will show up for a game.  His frequent and ineffective shooting, especially from 3 point range, is what eliminates him from the Player of the Year consideration, because a Player of the Year needs to be a consistent player.  It may seem to be nitpicking to critique his performance on a game by game basis, and yes, I admit it, it is nitpicking.  However, nitpicking is the only way to differentiate among such great players in a great conference, and sometimes inconsistency is a factor that can eliminate a player like Butler from consideration.

Down to 3.  At this point it is extremely difficult to differentiate.  One can make a case for any one of these three remaining players.  All have impressive scoring numbers, all are the featured players on their respective teams, and all have led their teams to impressive seasons.  However, I will start by eliminating Georgetown center Greg Monroe.  Monroe averaged 16 points and 9.6 rebounds per game for the Hoyas.  His presence inside also adds to his value, as he cannot be matched inside by most teams and consistently forces double teams, which allows his teammates opportunities to score.  In addition, he is the best big man passer in the Big East, which has allowed him to thrive in the John Thompson III system.  The only knock on Monroe is that he is not as much of a force inside as he could be.  Although he has improved since last year, he still can be tentative inside at times, which has limited his impact and scoring. 

Down to 2.  Scottie Reynolds and Lazar Hayward.  I will eliminate Scottie Reynolds.  Scottie averaged 18.8 points per game and is the unquestioned leader of the Villanova team who graduated 3 team leaders in Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, and Shane Clark.  Scottie has led Villanova to another tournament appearance and has helped the team to retain its top 10 ranking the entire year.  Reynolds’ prowess has been most evident in the 2nd half of games when games are on the line, as he has averaged well over 10 points per game in the 2nd half.  He has picked up right where he left off after last year’s game winning shot against Pittsburgh in the Elite 8.  Scottie’s game has few flaws, if any, but his play this year has only been trumped by Lazar Hayward.

MY BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  LAZAR HAYWARD

Lazar Hayward has led his team impressively this year after Marquette graduated Wesley Matthews, Dominic James, and Jerel McNeal, three of the best guards in school history.  The Golden Eagles have overcome countless heartbreaking losses early in the season to rebound and make an impressive run to put themselves easily into the NCAA tournament.  Hayward was the most important piece both on the court and off the court in terms of leadership, development of the young players, and team unity, which has allowed Marquette to stay strong and not crumble after a terrible, unlucky start from which most teams would be completely demoralized (losing 3 of its first 4 games by 5 points).  His emotional impact on the Marquette team are as important, if not more important, than his numbers themselves.  Without Hayward’s presence, experience, and leadership, players like Jimmy Butler, Darius Johnson-Odom, Maurice Acker, and David Cubillan would not have blossomed into important, quality role players.  Hayward is a classic example of a player who has used his basketball and leadership skills to uplift the performance of his entire team, and for that he should be rewarded.

Let’s not sell his stats short either.  He averages 18 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game while being by far the most keyed on player by the opposition.  While players like Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom have been very impressive this year, teams worry about Hayward when they play Marquette.  Hayward has done an extremely impressive job of both carrying his team when he is needed and putting his teammates in great opportunities to make plays.  This is the sign of a good player; a player who can put up big numbers when he is double covered every night, but also having the ability to involve and improve his teammates due to the increased defensive attention on himself.  Hayward has been the best player in the Big East this year because of his numbers, his leadership, his ability to replace 3 of the best players in Marquette history, and his ability to enhance the performance of his teammates.  While he most likely will not win, I respect everything he has done this year and throughout his career at Marquette, and truly believe that he is most deserving of this award.  It is a shame that Marquette is often overlooked in the Big East, and in this case it may cost Hayward the Big East Player of the Year Award.

Brief Recap of the Night

This Friday night was not a typical Friday night in sports, which was highlighted by the Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver.  The story that overshadowed the Opening Ceremonies was the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili after a practice run today on the Olympic course.  This accident, combined with previous concerns about the danger of the course due to uncontrollable speeds at times on the course, has caused concern and trepidation among coaches and lugers.  The Luge event will not be the same in terms of atmosphere and environment during this year’s Winter Olympics.

Tonight was also a big night in college basketball, a rarity on a Friday night.  Pitt and West Virginia squared off for the second time in 2 weeks in the “Backyard Brawl,” this time at Pitt’s Peterson Events Center.  If the bitter rivalry wasn’t enough to fuel the teams’ fires, Pittsburgh assistant coach Tom Herrion was struck by a coin thrown by a West Virginia student in the first edition of the Backyard Brawl earlier this year.  Needless to say, Pitt was ready for this game, and came to play.  In a 3 overtime thriller that included a 5 point comeback by Pitt in the last minute, two 3 point scores at the end of the first 2 overtimes by West Virginia, and finally a missed shot at the 3rd OT buzzer by West Virginia, Pitt scored itself a big upset over its biggest rival, and with the win hoisted itself in the Top 25, which I will release Monday.

In the other big college basketball game of the night, Penn upset Ivy League rival and 22nd ranked (ESPN Coaches Poll) Cornell at the Palestra in Philadelphia.  For a Penn team that has struggled mightily (4-15), and a Cornell team that has been impressive all year (20-4), including a close loss to Kansas, this win by the Quakers was as big of an upset as any all year.  This loss severely impacts Cornell’s at-large bid hopes, and nearly erases all hopes of 2 bids from the Ivy League, which could have occurred if Harvard won the Ivy League regular season title and Cornell earned an at-large bid.  With no conference tournament, a Harvard regular season title would almost definitively eliminate the Big Red from NCAA tournament contention after a loss like this and the team’s soft resume to this point.

In addition, Cy Young Winner Tim Lincecum signed a 2 year, 23 million dollar deal with the Giants today.

Finally, in Jim Calhoun’s first public statement after returning from his leave of absence, he refused to speak about his specific health problems.  He said that he is looking forward to coaching the rest of this season, and is unsure and hasn’t thought about coaching past this year to this point.

Friday was a big day of sports; look forward to some exciting college basketball games tomorrow, including Michigan State vs. Penn State, which I will be viewing from the front row of the student section, Providence vs. Villanova, and Tennessee vs. Kentucky

The Most Classless Fans in College Basketball

Last night, the Pittsburgh Panthers traveled to Morgantown, West Virginia, to play the West Virginia Mountaineers in the “Backyard Brawl,” one of the most bitter rivalries in sports.  The Mountaineers had control for the majority of the game, the Panthers cut it close early in the 2nd half, then the Mountaineers pulled away to win handily 70-51.  However, the score and outcome are not what will be remembered from this game.

With 12:08 remaining in the 2nd half, after Pitt went on a run to close the gap and make the game close, fans started throwing objects on the floor, and officials needed to stop the game in order to get the court cleaned up.  At this point Bob Huggins grabbed the courtside microphone and addressed the students, telling them not to throw objects, that they could hurt someone, and that it was “stupid.”  He then asked the students to point out anyone who they saw throwing things so that they could throw him out.

First, I find it disturbing that fans are throwing objects on the court at all.  It is disrespectful, classless, and dangerous to players, coaches, officials, and other fans.  Second, I find it disturbing that Bob Huggins needed to be the one to instruct the students on how to behave.  If there is a coach who has, in the past, exhibited poor behavior and has been a model for how NOT to act as a college basketball coach, it is Bob Huggins.  After leaving Cincinnati after being forced out for his illegal and unethical actions both inside and outside the coaching game, and coaching for 1 year at Kansas State, he was hired as the head coach at West Virginia.  The hire makes sense, for one, because he is a WVU alum, but it also was a perfect match because West Virginia is one of those schools that consistently shows a lack of class from its players to its students.  Therefore, the fact that Bob Huggins looked like the  saint and the peacemaker last night really shows us what the West Virginia students are all about, and the embarrassment that they bring that school.

If only that one occurrence was the end of the story.  With 5:14 remaining in the game, while officials were reviewing a dust up between opposing players to ensure that nothing blatant or intentional occurred, the students took to their classless ways once more.  A coin descended to the court and hit Pittburgh Assistant Coach Tom Herrion on the side of his face, barely missing his left eye.  This caused a gash on his face and caused him to bleed.

At this point I was infuriated.  The fans had thrown things on the court at 12:08, and it was so bad that the coach had to come out on the court to instruct them to stop.  Check that: BOB HUGGINS had to come out on the court to instruct them to stop.  However, a fan STILL thought it would be a good idea to throw an object on the court, and a coin nonetheless.  I have 2 problems with that.  For one, throwing a coin onto the court is extremely dangerous, and the fact that it was thrown towards the Pitt huddle makes it even more dangerous.  A coin can and almost did take someone’s eye out, and for what, because WVU students didn’t appreciate the scuffle between the Pitt and West Virginia players?  That is completely ridiculous and uncalled for.  What makes it even worse is the fact that the dust up really wasn’t anyone’s fault, just a few players getting mixed up going for the ball and causing some bodies to go down.  No dirty play was involved (other than that of the fans of course).

My other problem with the throwing of the coin is the economic ramifications.  If you want to throw something, throw something else.  By throwing that coin (most likely a quarter), that student threw about half of the entire state of West Virginia’s annual revenue onto the court.  Such an action is indeed, as Bob Huggins stated,  “stupid.”  In economic times like these, you can’t be throwing such a big proportion of your income away, which is probably what got West Virginia into the economic problems it is having in the first place.

In all seriousness, this developing trend by the West Virginia students is very frightening.  If my memory serves me correctly, Bob Huggins had to address the students of West Virginia once before for an issue like this one in his tenure there.  In addition, just this season West Virginia students were heard on television using much profanity during the Ohio State game and were heard chanting Rick Pitino’s mistress’s name during last Saturday’s Louisville game.  While I disagree with students using foul language during the game, the throwing of objects is the biggest problem.  As mentioned, it is a safety hazard to everyone in the arena, and opposing teams should not be put in these dangerous situations.  The school should have sanctions placed against their fans to limit to danger of playing in the Coliseum.  For me, it is very scary that the Villanova Wildcats will have to go to West Virginia on Big Monday to face this object hurtling, classless crowd.  The WVU fans are the most classless in college sports, and for the safety of everyone involved, need to be sanctioned and controlled.