Things to do in Austin when you're under the weather

I feel really sick at the moment, I think I got the flu Monday at work. So I sat home and watched college hoops all night.

Texas 80, Texas Tech 73

Where to begin... The first half was horrible for Texas Tech. Texas ran a high percentage of zone and Texas Tech, predictably, shot 25%. Texas's twin toothpicks, Brad Buchman and Jason Klotz, were cleaning up on the boards. Daniel Gibson and Kenton Paulino got hot and stayed hot the whole game.
Second half was a little better. Tech got more aggressive on the glass and ended up out-rebounding Texas 37-33. Ronald Ross actually put the team on his back and finished with 29 points. Devonne Giles had a great game with 18 points and 13 boards. He actually found the high post holes in the zone in the second half, which I hope Knight and the coaching staff noticed. Darryl Dora continues to disappoint offensively. Martin Zeno disappeared, but still got 10 points. No contribution from the bench (1 point from the non-starters the whole game).
Overall, I think Texas deserves some credit for regrouping after the bad loss at OU. Daniel Gibson is starting to look like the second coming of T.J. Ford. Texas Tech needs to show some killer instinct when facing a team who is playing without their leading scorer and coming off a bad loss. If Giles continues to find holes in the zone and make shots it will help teams get out of the zone and let Tech run their motion offense. Although if Texas's two deathsticks got off to a good start down low, I shudder to think what OU'S Bookout and Gray are going to do in the paint.

Illinois 75, Wisconsin 65

Great job by Illinois going into a hostile environment and winning. Since I only saw the game at timeouts in the Texas-Texas Tech game, I'll just point you to people who actually saw the whole thing for their analysis.

• Blogger "Illini Wonk": "The most impressive thing about this win is the deficit they overcame late in the game. At about the mid-point of the second half, the Illini were staring at an eight point defecit and a crazed crowd. While holding that eight-point lead, the Badgers had two offensive trips that could have extended the lead to double digits.
  But, as Dick Vitale said in the postgame on SportsCenter, 'all of a sudden you could see the look in their eye. They had the look of a champion and responded in a positive way.' The positive response by Illinois was a 13-2 run led by their bench to retake the lead. But, Wisconsin wasn't done. Two straight baskets from Mike Wilkinson and one by Alando Tucker gave the Badgers a 64-61 lead with four and a half minutes remaining in the game."
• Tom Oates, [Madison, WI] Wisconsin State Journal: "Alas, noise can only carry a team so far. No matter how much electricity is in the air or how loud the roar that cascades from the seats, the game is still decided by the players. ...
  In a game that somehow managed to live up to the hype - no small feat given the immense national and regional buildup that preceded it - the Illini rallied to beat the Badgers 75-65. The crowd did its part, creating the most electric game-long atmosphere ever at the Kohl Center, but Illinois still put an end to UW's home streak."
• Jay Mariotti, Chicago Sun-Times (and occasionally ESPN) : "As anticipated and incessantly hyped, the Kohl Center was playing like a medieval dungeon Tuesday, treating the top-ranked team in college basketball like a slab of cheese in an attic of rats. In the Illinois huddle, the boys weren't reacting too well to a rare dilemma: an eight-point deficit, a 17-4 Wisconsin run, a ravenous crowd smelling blood, Dickie V at courtside ready to anoint Duke as the best team in America.
  'Our guys started arguing a little,' coach Bruce Weber said. 'I looked at them and said, 'Look, what's with you guys? We've come all this way, and now you're going to start fighting?' We lost our poise. We weren't defending.'
  In the Grateful Red section, filled with students, a party was about to break out. 'Overrated! Overrated!' the kids chanted, peppering every Illini fan in sight with a choice backside-related insult."
  But in the end, it turned out only the building was overrated."
• Dick Vitale, ESPN.com: "In the end, it was the resiliency of Bruce Weber's team, coming back from an eight-point deficit in the second half, that got Illinois to the winner's circle. Those kids wouldn't go away after Wisconsin went on a 12-0 run to build a 56-48 lead.
  Then Illinois had a look in its eyes, and like a true champion, the Illini fought back. There was unbelievable intensity and emotion all night, and the Orange Krush prevailed 75-65. The final score didn't indicate how close this really was. It truly was a great college basketball game."

The Continuing Saga of Colorado's Basketball Budget Woes

As previously reported by this blog and the Denver Post, Ricardo Patton's CU Buffaloes are missing more class because budget cuts in the athletic department are forcing the team to cancel charter flights. Well, It's gotten worse. CU women's coach Ceal Barry has reduced the senior banquet to a backyard barbecue in order to keep her charter flights. (not that there's anything wrong with a backyard barbecue, it's just that you should do something a little nicer for your team at year's end).
Now we know where the money is going, at least in part.
According to the Associated Press, The Rocky Mountain News has obtained financial information that states that the fooball team spent $35,000 in electronic tchotchkes as rewards for it's players making the EV1.net Houston Bowl. This despite the CU athletic program being $3 Million in the red because of the football scandals! So not only are they running a deficit, they are potentially running afoul of the NCAA once again, and the program in the most trouble still has a blank check to do what it wants. Just the sort of thing that would make a CU alum proud of his alma mater.

Why hasn't Bob Ley got wind of this? Or Sports Illustrated? This story deserves more attention than it is getting.

Places I'd like to see a game.

ESPN Writers Andy Katz, Pat Forde, and Fran Frachilla each compiled the list of their 5 best collegiate arenas. Naturally, this has spawned a spring of Top 5s on blogs across the country.

I've only been to 4 college hoops arenas in my lifetime (Tech's United Spirit Arena, the Erwin Center here in Austin, the old Miami Arena, and the Dean Dome. I also went to NC State's RBC Center, but that was for a Hurricanes-Avalanche game), so I really can't really come up with a top 5 list of basketball arenas I've been to. I think you need to go to at least 10 arenas so you can eliminate some truly bad ones. That said, there are some places I'd like to see a game. So here's my top 5 wish list in each sport:

Top 5 College Hoops arenas I'd like to see

1. Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas) - I've been to Lawrence, but that was over Spring Break one year and by that time, the tournament was underway.
2. Assembly Hall (Indiana) - Just to see where Bob Knight got his start
3. Freedom Hall (Louisville) - Because if I have to pick one arena in Kentucky, I'm picking the one where Pitino is.
4. The Palestra (in Philly)- I've heard Philly fan loves it's basketball. I want to see it for myself.
5. The Pit (New Mexico) - Supposedly the best arena in the Mountain West.

Also recieving votes: Maples Pavilion, Gallagher-Iba Arena, Noble Center, Hofheinz Pavilion, Rupp Arena, U. of Miami's new arena, Pauley Pavilion.

Top 5 College football stadiums I'd like to see:
(I've been to Jones Stadium (Tech), and DKR-Memorial(UT) in case you are curious)

1. The Big House (Michigan) - Just to see if it lives up to it's rep.
2. Florida Field (Florida) - ditto
3. Notre Dame - Because every college football fan should make a pilgrimage here once. Besides, the College Football Hall of Fame is here.
4. The Rose Bowl on New Years' Day - Every fan should also make it out to a Rose Bowl also
5. Tiger Stadium (LSU) - just for the crawfish at the tailgate. I love crawfish.

Also Recieving votes: Cotton Bowl (OU-Texas Game), Owen Field(OU), Neyland Stadium(Tennesee), "The Hedges" (Georgia).

Top 5 Pro Football Stadiums i'd like to see:

1. Texas Stadium - Yes, believe it or not, I've never been to a Cowboys home game. As soon as I publish my novel, that will change
2. Lambeau Field - This is another stadium I want to see if it lives up to the hype
3. Reliant Field - Because anything has to be better than the Astrodome
4. The artist formerly known as Pro Player Stadium - but only when Miami hosts the Super Bowl
5. Network Associates Coliseum (a.k.a. "the Black Hole") - see #2

Top 5 Hockey Arenas I'd like to see:

1. Pepsi Center - Would like to see an Avs home game for once, I've only seen the Avs in person twice, both on the road (although one time was Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals)
2. Xcel Center (St. Paul, MN)- It hasn't been open that long, but I understand it's one of the best atmospheres
3. Wachovia Center (Philly)- Supposedly another great atmosphere
4. FleetCenter during the Beanpot (Boston) - Just so I can say I saw a Beanpot game.
5. Any arena in Canada. Just to meet the people who understand hockey best.

Brief NBA Item

The Chicago Bulls are now 21-19 and 1 1/2 games behind defending champs Detroit (currently 4th) in the Eastern Conference with a lineup that features former collegiate All-Americans Chris Duhon, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon. Think college experience doesn't matter anymore?

Super Bowl Item of the Day

ESPN's Sal Paolantionio reported on SportsCenter last night that Terrell Owens' orthopedic surgeon is not clearing him to practice or play at the moment. Looks like everything's falling right for the Patriots.

I'm going back to bed now.

Tomorrow: More hoops, More Super Bowl

Denver Post loves the Raiders

Texas Tech gets some print love

Texas Tech basketball, who faces one of their biggest tests of the season when they face the Texas Longhorns tonight, got a favorable write-up from the Denver Post's Chris Dempsey:

Get to know the names Ronald Ross, Jarrius Jackson, Martin Zeno, Devonne Giles and Curtis Marshall. They are the Tech starters and each average at least 10 points. The Red Raiders have smoothed over the transition from losing high- scoring guard Andre Emmett, who led the Big 12 in scoring a year ago at 20.6 points per game. The scoring from Zeno, Giles and Marshall has not only helped bridge the gap left by Emmett, but Tech is scoring nearly 10 points more per game than it did last season (73.2).

Nice to see the players actually get the attention rather than the coach/lightning rod for once.

Bedlam on Big Monday

When Texas beat Oklahoma State last Monday playing primarily zone defense, it raised some questions about the Cowboys ability to play against a zone. Sure enough, the Cowboys go into Oklahoma's barn and lose Monday night while facing a heavy amount of zone defense. Questions answered.

Around The Horn panelist and Dallas Morning News Columnist Tim Cowlishaw, on the other hand, was more impressed by Oklahoma's play.

At least they are trying...

The NHL owners and players are meeting to hammer this lockout thing out. At this point, Middle East peace looks more likely, but at least they are talking and trying to resolve it. But there's no way the "coalition of the coerced and bribed" takes any offer from the owners seriously.

Super Bowl item of the Day

Chad Lewis, Eagles backup TE and key player in the goal-line set, is out for the game with a broken foot. Eagles could sure use him in their goal line package.

Tomorrow: Texas Tech-Texas, Illinois-Wisconsin, and more Super Bowl

Wall-to-wall sports

What a packed weekend in sports, imagine how much more I'd have to write about if hockey was playing.

Colorado in hot water. Again.

This fell under the radar, but I'm leading off with this story because it needs to be out there. The Denver Post reported Sunday that Colorado head basketball coach Ricardo Patton is not happy that cuts in the athletic department travel budget are undermining his players' academic performance. This from a school still reeling from football scandals involving sex as a recruiting tool and sexual harrassment of a former female player. You would think they would do anything to avoid a potential academic scandal in the basketball program given the circumstances. You would be wrong, of course, but you'd think it.
Before you get cynical and tell me "Of course something like this would happen in Colorado/college sports", know this: Patton is the anti-Gary Barnett. He generally considered one of the best all-around people coaching in the Big XII, a coach who is unwilling to take shortcuts to win a few extra games, and someone who cares about his players. And while most coaches would prefer to cover up academic woes, Patton has done the right thing and made it known to administration and fans.
That said, Patton's good deed may not go unpunished. ADs usually break off the coach whenever academic trouble comes to light, whether it's the coaches' fault or not. It may be more likely in this situation since administration was criticized for not letting Barnett go after the all the football scandals. And it would send the wrong message.

Another one bites the Dust

The number of undefeated teams was reduced to three as Villanova beat Kansas 83-62 at the Wachovia Center Saturday, a victory only 'Nova fans and ESPN's Digger Phelps saw coming. Curtis Sumpter made the most of his national TV showcase, scoring 25 points, 15 of which came from beyond the arc, and Allen Ray did his best Ray Allen impression, scoring 27. What makes this even more interesting is that Kansas never threatened after 14:30 in the first half. Blogger "RS" made the following observation in the comments secton of Yoni Cohen's College Basketball Blog (an observation I happen to agree with):

A lot of what happened has to do with Nova..Kansas was sloppy on offense but Allen Ray and [Curtis] Sumpter didnt miss and once that started happening Kansas slumped their shoulders..i will repeat that this Kansas version will not be final four bound..those close games against average to below average teams at home are not an abberration..at some point it becomes the truth.

More College Basketball Notes

• Three potential bracket busters in the Missouri Valley go down: Southern Illinois (to Wichita State), Northern Iowa (to Bradley), and Creighton (to Illinois State).
• The P.J. Tucker-less Texas Longhorns lost to Oklahoma and face the serious prospect of losing 2 in a row against Bobby Knight's Red Raiders Tuesday.
• Speaking of Knight, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that he made a grand gesture to a 93-year old St. Louis college basketball fan, inviting him to Tech's game with Missouri, and posing for pictures with the man afterwards and signing autographs. (Also seen at the same game: St. Louis Cardinals' slugger Albert Pujols, who sat behind the Tech bench.)
• Charlotte beat #25 Marquette at home. The 49ers are making a serious pitch for the NCAA tournament and could be a bracket buster.
• Wake Forest also won a tough road game at Cincinnati. Hmm... North Carolina and Cincinnati in the same week. Nice trophies for the Deacs to hang on the wall.
• Georgia Tech is fading fast without B. J. Elder. They dropped one to ACC newcomer Virginia Tech.
• College Gameday's basketball debut Saturday at UConn was excellent. They managed to maintain the high-energy atmosphere of the show's football incarnation, and provide very good analysis. Even better: No guest appearances from Lee Corso. Sadly, the Huskies couldn't capitalize on the pre-game ESPN vibe, choking away a game to Pitt.

Conference Championships

• Patriots 41, Steelers 20 - The Pats continue to impress with brilliant game planning. They knew Roethlisberger was struggling, and they went for the kill, choking off the one dimension of the Steelers' offense that was working. They continue to show signs of being on a mission to make history.
• Eagles 27, Falcons 10 - How defensive coordinator Jim Johnson continues to roll out game plans that stop Michael Vick is anyone's guess, but he did it again Saturday. Not only that, he held the Falcons other rushing threat, Warrick Dunn, to 59 yards. As expected, the Falcons had no answer for former Villanova Wildcat(Been a pretty good weekend for 'Nova) Brian Westbrook, who had an excellent game with 135 combined yards.

So let the Super Bowl hype begin. Next week, I'll give my pick. (Keep watching!)

Take care, God bless, and R.I.P. Johnny Carson

Tomorrow: Okahoma-Oklahoma State on Big Monday

For entertainment purposes only...

Wake me when they have an agreement.

The NHL and it's players met for 48 hours this week without Goodenow and Bettman, in the futile hope that a framework for an agreement could be reached without the two polarizing figures. No dice. Unfortunately, all the owners, not just Bettman, want a salary cap and the players, the new "coalition of the bribed and coerced," has been forced into supporting the belief that the NHL doesn't need one. Which means one of two things will happen. Either an impasse will be declared and players will inevitably cross picket lines or a couple of franchises will go bankrupt and the players will have to give in or face further job losses.
The NHLPA is, at this point, merely prolonging the inevitable when they make the salary cap issue a "non-starter." The Toronto Star's Damien Cox makes the point (in ESPN.com) that the players overrated their value in the overall North American market. Maybe they thought people in the U.S. would beat down the doors of Gary Bettman and pressure the NHL to return. Hockey fans in the U.S. are saying, "Wake me when you have an agreement."

Four To Watch - Inagural edition

Today Debuts a feature in which I pick four key contests in sports for the upcoming weekend and comment on each. During the football season, it will be a mix of college and pro football games. From Conference Championship Week until the start of the college fooball season, it will be whatever 4 games (or weekend series in the case of baseball) are of importance that particular weekend. So here's this week's Four To Watch in chronological order:

1. #18 Cincinnati at #3 Wake Forest (Interconference game. Saturday, noon Central on ABC) - A rare late-season non-conference tilt that should be a dandy. Will Cincinnati beat a major conference team? Will the Demon Deacons continue their Carolina hangover? No and no, but it will be close.
2. #11 Texas at #21 Oklahoma. (Big XII game. Saturday, 2:45 pm Central on CBS) - Texas's first true test of how they will respond to the loss of leading scorer and rebounder P.J. Tucker comes at the Lloyd Noble Center against Oklahoma. Time for some in Texas's stacked freshman class to step it up and prove they belong on a college floor.
3. Atlanta Falcon at Philadelphia Eagles (NFC Championship. 2:00 pm Central on Fox) - Two talented quarterbacks, two top defenses, and a contrast in styles. It has all the makings of a classic. Even without Terrell Owens, the Eagles still have enough to get to the Super Bowl. Expect Brian Westbrook to be a factor running and recieving for the Eagles. His versatility is something Atlanta hasn't ever faced.
4. New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC Championship, 5:30 pm Central on CBS) - The consensus among football analysts, many of whom are shell-shocked after picking Indy last week, is that New England will win the game. Considering the Patriots will have Corey Dillon, who didn't play in the Pats' Week 8 loss to the Steelers, and unfinished buisness (winning a 3rd Super Bowl in 4 years), I think this time conventional wisdom is right on.

(DISCLAIMER: Your definition of "important" may differ from mine. Feel free to suggest during the week starting next week what games you think I should preview here, and I will give it consideration. Bear in mind that if you suggest, as an example, a weekend series between the Nationals and Pirates when neither team is in contention, it may not make the cut)

(ANOTHER DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any money you lose picking with me, because my info is as good as any phone tipster, which is to say, it's not really based on any handicapping knowledge. If you can't stay away from the sports book, you probably need help.)

Take care, God bless, and please continue to help the tsunami victims.

Monday: Let the Super Bowl hype begin!

Oh, the possibilities...

The other day, I couldn't sleep, so I watched old Super Bowl films on ESPN.com. They showed Super Bowls 27 and 28, the first two Super Bowls the Cowboys won in the 1990s. Being the big Cowboys fan that I am, this brought back a lot of happy memories. It was nice to see Troy, Emmitt, Michael, Moose, Alvin, Jay, and the Cowboys' top-ranked defense at their absolute peak, wreaking havoc on the hapless Bills. Seeing the Super Bowl XXVIII film, though, got me thinking a bit.

That Super Bowl film gives you a sense that the Cowboys were on their way to being a great dynasty on the level of Walsh's 49ers or the Steel Curtain Steelers. And certainly in 1993 they were. They had the best defense in the league, Emmitt Smith was the best running back, Troy Aikman was on top of his game, and he had 3 great targets in Michael Irvin, Alvin Harper, and Jay Novacek. They had talented assistants like Dave Wannstedt, Butch Davis, Norv Turner, and Dave Campo, all of whom would later get head coaching jobs. With 7 Super Bowls left before the end of the decade, they had a good chance to get 2 more and be the "Team of the Decade"

What we didn't know at the time is that the offseason after Super Bowl 28 was, despite another Super Bowl victory in 1995, the beginning of the end for the Cowboy dynasty.

People point to the departure of Jimmy Johnson as the beginning of the decline, but really it was the salary cap which caused the Cowboys descent. Slowly but surely, free agents defected for bigger paychecks, injuries forced key players into retirement, and the Cowboys frequently lacked the cap space to replace their losses. By the 2000 season, only Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson remained from the 1993 team. Sure, they were still "Team of the 1990s" but only because no other team won more than 2 Super Bowls.

I look at this year's Patriots heading into the championship game and see a team a lot like that 1993 Cowboys' team, a team that has a lot of potential to be this decade's dynasty. But they have to beat Pittsburgh and win the Super Bowl this year to have a chance. Who knows when players from this years' team will go elsewhere because the Patriots' won't be able to afford them?

Quick Hit

Missouri's tournament hopes continue to slide. They lost to Texas Tech, a team that has struggled on the road under Bob Knight, at Mizzou Arena. Considering all the scandal and mediocrity Mizzou has had under Quin Synder, why is he not on the hot seat?

Tomorrow: Conference Championship preview.

The server ate my post

I think in the future I'm going to start typing my posts in Word before I post them. An "internal server error" wiped out what I was going to post today. So I leave you with a few thoughts.

• USA Today reports that 66% of baseball fans think baseball's new steroid policy doesn't go far enough. The enforcement issues are fixed. What more do the fans want? Taking away homers from Barry Bonds? Sending Bonds and Giambi to Gitmo? Neither are gonna happen, guys.
• Wake Forest was celebrating too much after thei big win against UNC and laid an egg against Florida State. A mere hiccup. Wake will still be a #1 seed come Tournament time.
• Far too much ink and airtime is being spent ahead of this week's NFC championship game on the Falcons-Eagles playoff matchup 2 years ago. In today's NFL, 2 offseasons is enough time to turn over an entire roster, so it's really unfair to both the Eagles and Falcons to compare this game to a game 2 years ago.
• If anyone in baseball deserves $22 Million next year, it's Roger Clemens. There's no one out there with his credentials.
• Gotta love Longhorn spinmeister Kirk Bohls. He's trying to spin the hiring of Auburn's Gene Chizik, who will probably depart next season when the 'Horns finish second in the Big XII South with one loss, as a sign that the program is going in the right direction. Yeah, assistant coaching turnover is always good. Especially since it's the assistants who do the bulk of the recruiting and who the kids know the best.

Tomorrow: The end of the last NFL dynasty.

Really Big Monday for 'Horns

The Texas Longhorns basketball team was in dire straits last night with LaMarcus Aldridge out, P.J. Tucker in academic limbo, a falling national ranking, and Oklahoma State coming to town. So how do the Horns respond? By rolling over the 5th ranked Cowboys 75-61 in front of a national TV audience. Point guard Daniel Gibson had a career high 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and basically outplayed his opposite number, John Lucas. What is interesting is that Texas played most of the second half in a stifling zone defense that crippled the Cowboys' offense. (Nice to know someone else in the Big XII besides Texas Tech is having trouble running zone offense!). Rare was the play in the second half where OSU made an outside shot, and all of those were with a hand in the shooter's face.

Will this be a game that exposes the weaknesses of Oklahoma State? Possibly, but we need to see them play another team that plays a heavy amount of zone defense to be sure. OSU needs to regroup quickly because they have Texas A&M, who already took down Texas at home, on Wednesday.

Texas is not out of the woods either. P.J. Tucker, a key contributor in Texas's victory last night, is going to hear today whether or not his grades will let him continue this season. Aldridge will know by Wednesday whether his hip injury is season-ending. (The Austin American-Statesman's Kirk Bohls wrote an article detailing the Horns' potential losses) We'll see if Daniel Gibson can handle the load.

Quick Hits

• While the year for Celtics GM Danny Ainge has been less than spectacular, it's been great for his family. Son Austin Ainge is starting in the backcourt for BYU (Danny's alma mater). Nephew Erik Ainge saw significant time at quarterback for Tennessee.
• The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Randy Galloway suggests that the only problems with Philly should be their past demons(subscription req'd). I disagree. Mike Vick is a pretty big problem for an agressive defense like theirs.
• TSN (Canada's ESPN) and the Canadian Press are reporting that an extended NHL lockout could be the end of a career for some prominent NHL veterans.
• In a move that may signal the end of the West Coast offense in its San Francisco home, Ravens' defensive coordinator Mike Nolan was hired to coach the 49ers.
• The Ravens weren't done shuffling their coaching staff either, Jim Fassel was promoted from consultant to offensive coordinator and disgraced former Washington and Colorado coach Rick Neuheisel was named quarterbacks coach.
• Interesting fact about Neuheisel: He was 3-0 as a scab quarterback for the San Diego Chargers during the NFL's 1987 players' strike.

Tomorrow: Still up in the air.