Blog # 45

My Beloved 92 Bloggees:

 

I might have to get an unlisted email address. After the last blog, I was barraged with emails from UAB supporters for not mentioning its Wednesday night road win at Marshall 64 - 48 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102090341 . I know that Marshall has a reputation for being extra tough at home as evidenced by its 15-point win over Memphis and 30-point win against UAB-slayer Southern Miss. Plus they did win at rival and ranked West Virginia. So, kudos to the Blazers and Cameron Moore with his double-double of  18 points and 14 rebounds.

 

Ensuring that bloggees get their money's worth, I took another look at the game and found this unusual statistic:  UAB shot 2 free throws the entire game. Yes, for the entire 40 minutes, the Thundering Herd only committed 6 fouls. Some might look at that as playing clean, perfect defense....my take without seeing the game is that they were probably playing too softly. With Marshall gathering only 21 rebounds in the game, 3 on the offensive end, that supports my theory they were not playing with much aggressiveness. It might be time for Marshall to bring out the football helmets and shoulder pads on the practice court, Tom Izzo-style http://hubpages.com/hub/Tom-Izzo (scroll to the bottom of that link). NEXT

 

 

 

 

I am hearing Tide Nation on the message boards is developing a true love affair with former Gator assistant Anthony Grant, Alabama's 2nd-year head coach. Even though they lost at Vanderbilt's Rec Center Thursday night 81 - 77 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102100615 , fans are seeing how hard the Crimson and White play for Grant and it has been paying off. They must have loved the fire he showed in Music City after not getting a crucial foul call down the stretch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRdqSN70_zA .

 

During the beginning of the first half, I almost picked up the phone thinking I needed to get the prescription for my eyeglasses  updated. Vandy's 90 % free throw shooter, all-BB (Barry's Blog) John Jenkins, was fouled on a three-point shot attempt and it appeared I saw him miss two of his three free throws! No worries, he nailed his next eight. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

I have determined that http://www.espn3.com/ is an excellent way to control one's weight and pocketbook. On Wednesday night, Florida was playing South Carolina in a regionally televised game that was not being shown in Birmingham. Before discovering http://www.espn3.com/ I would have gone to a sports bar and met bloggees Robin and Jenny to watch it, dropping $25 on unhealthy and fattening food. Instead, I avoided knowing the score, watched it on http://www.espn3.com/ later in the night (they archive games about an hour after their completion) and I ended up thinner, less poorer and preserved marital bliss (which is not easy for a hoops junkie). By the way on http://www.espn3.com/ you can fast forward through commercials dragging with your mouse the time tab at the bottom.

 

Apparently, if a live broadcast is blacked out on http://www.espn3.com/ like last Tuesday's Jacksonville - North Florida game, you can still watch a replay of that game on the website. That is what I did Wednesday, when I heard that game came down to the final shot. I fast forwarded until the final exciting minute and watched Gator-beater Jacksonville win a thriller. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Jacksonville, to the dismay of Gator fans, they got thumped Friday night by East Tennessee State 80 - 64 in Spurrier, TN  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102110176 . The Buccaneers bounced back from its upset loss at Stetson last Sunday after winning 13 of their previous 14. Former UAB coach Murry Bartow leads the ETSU brain trust which includes former Samford assistant, a super guy, Thomas Johnson. Don't forget, Crimson Tide Justin Tubbs  and his 9.4 ppg http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/60338 starts for this Atlantic Sun team.  Tide fans might want to go to http://www.espn3.com/ and watch a bit of Tubbs in action during the replay of Friday night's game. NEXT

 

 

 

 

As I  indicated in a previous blog, I love Southwest Airlines. Last weekend, I made a reservation to Houston for Final Four Monday morning, just in case Florida gets there. I had a free ticket, which is easy to earn especially if you have their credit card  http://www.mychasecreditcards.com/southwest/air?int=HOMEAIR1BMYCHSE110208. In fact, it looks like you now get two free roundtrips after your first purchase with a new Southwest Visa card. (I do not make a dime or earn Southwest credits if you sign up for their credit card. I just want to spread the word to you, my loyal bloggees.)

 

History will show I did not jinx myself by making the reservation. I did the same thing a few months before the end of the 2006 football season to Phoenix  and in 2008 to  Ft. Lauderdale and was rewarded watching the Gators win the national championship games while other Gators missed out (or later paid a ton for airfare) by not having the foresight. I also did it to Indianapolis a few months before the end of the basketball season in 2006 and watched the Orange and Blue cut down the nets sitting next to bloggee Richie. (I drove to Atlanta for the 2007 Gator hoops national championship game or Southwest would have gotten the call).

 

The bottom line is go ahead and do it now if your favorite team has even a remote chance of making it to the Final Four. Make your plane reservation on http://www.southwest.com/. If you have a free ticket on Southwest, it will cost you between $5 - $10 security fee which is refundable if you cancel. If you don't have a free ticket, you can still make a reservation now and if you cancel, you get to apply 100 % of the fare to future flights. You can't lose. That is why as a college basketball fan, I certainly love Southwest Airlines.

 

My final comment on Southwest Airlines. I am not a big hitter........however, I pay for everything on my Southwest Airlines Visa and as a result, I earned a Companion Pass meaning my wife flies free whenever I fly. They are the best...also no baggage fees.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

Jay "Jason" Williams spoke to the Birmingham Tipoff Club on Monday and was excellent. (Bloggee President Chris does a great job lining up outstanding speakers.) He told us about the trauma of his motorcycle accident and then being told in the hospital that he may never walk again. His college coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski, came to visit him in the intensive care unit within 24 hours and took off a pendant he was wearing and gave it Jay saying, "Give it back to me when you step on the court during a game". Jay responded that he was just told that he may never be able to walk. Coach K emphasized that he would return to the court and needed to believe that.

 

After three long years of intense rehab against all odds, he was warming up before his first NBA pre-season game for the New Jersey Nets. Coach K was sitting at courtside. Jay came over to him and returned the pendant to his former coach...quite powerful.

 

Williams also surprised me when he announced who he thought would be Krzyzewski's eventual successor. I was sure he would say current Stanford coach, Johnny Dawkins, the former Blue Devil point guard. Or maybe it would be another former Duke point guard, Tommy Amaker, who after a tough time at Michigan is getting it right at Harvard.

 

I had the pedigree right....it was a former point guard for Coach K, except it was current associate head coach, Steve Wojciechowski, otherwise known as "Wojo". Here is something you might not know, it was new to me. Jay indicated 5' 11 "Wojo" coaches the big men and is so shrewd around the paint, that Jay has a tough time in pickup games when the smaller "Wojo" posts him up. THAT'S IT

 

 

 

Enjoy.... Today:  Gators play on ESPN at 5:00 Central against TN, Bruce Pearl is 8 - 2 against Billy D......Samford gets a break playing at Western Carolina at 2:00 after the home team won last night at 7:00 (postponed from Thursday night because flu virus attacked its opponent, Chattanooga.....ESPNU covers St. Louis Chaminade's high school game at 4:00 that features Gator McDonald's All-American, Bradley Beal),

 

 

 

Barry

 

 

Current All-BB team only includes SEC and mid-major players excluding Florida and Samford (so there is no personal bias) and freshmen (to not encourage one and dones) :

 

John Jenkins - Vanderbilt  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/88606

 

Tu Holloway - Xavier  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/82077

 

Frank Hassell - Old Dominion  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/60439

 

Noah Dahlman - Wofford  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73602

 

Andrew Goudelock - College fo Charleston http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73564

Blog # 44 with some Baseball

My Beloved 92 Bloggees (Welcome Randy):

 

Florida played Wednesday night like a first place SEC team with a revenge 79 - 60 "never in doubt" road victory against South Carolina http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102090525 . Chandler Parsons was brilliant with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. Erving Walker was outstanding with 25 points on  7 of 9 shooting, 4 of 5  from the arc. Walker spent a lot of time covering Gamecocks rookie sensation, Bruce Ellington (in the previous blog I mistakingly referred to him as Elkington), limiting him to 6 of 19 and just 2 of 10 from way downtown for 14 points, much better than giving up the 23 he scored in Gainesville.  Vernon Macklin put the Gators on his back in the first half scoring 14 points on 6 for 6 shooting and finished with 16. Solid conference road win. 

 

I probably saw Dominique Wilkins, the Human Highlight Film, play nearly 1000 games in the NBA and college. I cannot remember the Hall of Famer scoring one time using his left hand. That is why it so impressive to see on Wednesday night  the Gators big men like freshman Patric Young and his move to the basket finishing with the left hand. Vernon Macklin, Erik Murphy, and Alex Tyus have also shown adeptness from the port side http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_a_boats_left_side_called_port_side .

 

Former Alabama coack, Mark Gottfried, is starting to capture my fancy as a broadcaster. Wednesday night he pointed out the Gators were taking advantage of the open baseline when the Gamecock center came out to guard the ball. He constructively criticized a nonaggressive drive by Kenny Boynton that came up empty and an ill-advised shot near the end of the half by Scottie Wilbekin that was attempted too early. Also, he explained why a referee made a correct backcourt call. Viewers learn from Gottfried and are entertained. When he told his sidekick Dave Neal that he recruited Chandler Parsons and that if he would have gotten him, "I probably wouldn't be sitting here next to you". Mark, keep up the good work. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BB (Barry's Blog) mid-major darling, Old Dominion, continued its winning ways last night overpowering Bill and Mary 69 - 53 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102090658 .  Once again ODU outrebounded it opponent as it has done every game but one, against physical Drexel. BB All-star Frank Hassell, the 6' 8  245 lb  5th-year senior, had another double-double, his 6th in his last 9 games, with 21 points on 9 for 11 shooting along with 11 rebounds.

 

The game had an unusual statistic. William and Mary was 17 for 44 from the field and 7 from 13 at the free throw line. Out of all those misses on the offensive end, they only had 1 offensive rebound. It just confirms the ODU Monarchs take pride in their rebounding, especially on their defensive boards. I love that passion during March Madness, which is why I am picking them as a Cinderella going to the Sweet Sixteen. I can see bloggee Charlie nodding his head in Norfolk. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you kidding me? Gator killer UCF lost again and it was at home? What a heartbreaker on Wednesday night! UCF was up by 2 with 2.6 seconds, when Memphis's guard, Antonio Barton, launched a three-point shot...just like Kentucky's Brandon Knight did against Florida on Saturday and North Florida's Brad Haugabrook against Jacksonville on Tuesday night...all three in nearly the exact situation.

 

UCF was not as fortunate as UF and JU. Barton was the only of the three to nail the game-winning three-pointer sending former Gator assistant Donnie Jones and the UCF Knights to their eighth straight defeat, after starting 14 -0 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102090103 .  

 

I can't help but think of Jack Llewellyn, the noted sports psychologist who John Smoltz, seeked in 1991 after the former Atlanta Braves pitcher, started the season 2 - 12. Smoltz ended up 14 - 13 and pitched 7 1/3 innings in the classic 1 - 0 loss in game seven of the 1991 World Series (the Lonnie Smith "deked" game  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0910/mlb.postseason.bloopers/content.4.html ) . Do you think UCF Athletic Director, former Gator footballer, Keith Tribble should hire Llewellyn to make a long house call with the UCF coaches and players? NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Jay Wright and his Villanova team might also need a visit from Dr. Llewellyn. On Wednesday night, Villanova was up by 5 with 8 seconds left......  also up by 3 with 1 second left and still lost in regulation! What! You can click on the following link to see the highlights as Gator transfer Jonathan Mitchell nailed a 3-pointer with less than a second left and was fouled! He made the free throw and Villanova immediately had that "I lost my wallet" feeling  http://espn.go.com/video/clip?categoryId=2459792&id=6107022 

 

Mitchell has been on fire lately. In his last 7 games he is averaging 21 points on 50 % shooting pushing his season average to 14.5 while shooting over 46 %, including 41 % from three. Along with his 6 rebounds per game and 76 % free throw shooting, the Orange and Blue could use him now  http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=31833 . If only it were baseball and we could trade for him down the stretch. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Another all-BB player, College of Charleston's  Andrew Goudelock, had one of his "unconcious" evenings much to the glee of his legendary coach, Bobby Cremins. In Wednesday's 85 - 67 road win at Elon, Goudelock was not bashful with his 21 field goal attempts, sinking 13 of them. Better than that, he had 12 shots from the perimeter and made 8 of them during his 34 point performance http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102090195 . He may not have the supporting cast to make the NCAA tournament in the one-bid Southern Conference which would be a shame. America would love Goudelock. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

In the previous blog, I omitted Justin Hamilton from the list of lock-down defenders in recent Gator hoops history http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/bios.php?year=2003&bio=hamilton.html. In his 2002-2003 senior year, he shut down current Washington Wizard, Kansas's Kirk Heinrich, limiting him to 5 points on 2 of 8 shooting while scoring 14 points himself. http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2002/11/29/florida-83-kansas-73. 

 

Later that year, Baltimore bloggee John got us great seats for defending national champion Maryland's first game in their new building against Florida. Hamilton limited current Los Angeles Laker, Steve Blake, to 5 points only connecting on 2 of 7 field goal attempts and I remember he had a tough time getting off just those few shots http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2002/12/14/florida-69-maryland-64 . It still amazes me that Blake has had such a long career in the NBA (8 years) after witnessing him getting Hamiltonized http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=1994 . Justin only played in the NBDL.   THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy.......big game on ESPN at 8:00 Central between Alabama and Vanderbilt.....Roll Tide and Anthony Grant......sorry bloggee Vanderbilt Henry......Samford, how about an upset tonight at Appalachian State and their scary point guard Donald Sims,

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 43

My Beloved 91 Bloggees:

 

In the first half of Tuesday night's game at Georgia, Xavier's Tu Holloway must have felt the pressure from the acclaim that has been given him in this blog. He had zero points in the first stanza. He regrouped in the second half with 18 points including 11 for 11 at the free throw line leading the Musketeers to a 65 - 57 victory over the Bulldogs http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102080230 . Both stud Trey Thompkins and Jeremy Price fouled out for Georgia which was another big factor in the game.

 

Don't worry Georgia bloggees, last year Xavier came down to Gainesville about this same time last year and spanked Florida  76 - 64. (Florida got revenge this year up in Cincinnati 71 - 67). The Gators were still able to get an invitation to the Big Dance. If you win your 3 home games against South Carolina, Vanderbilt and LSU and split your 4 road games against South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Alabama, you should be a lock regardless of what happens in the conference tournament http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/teams/gaf/schedule . With your talent, that can happen.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Infatuation. That is the word I use to describe my feelings toward lock-down defenders. On the football field you think of cornerbacks such as soon-to-be inducted Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and future Hall of Famer  Darrelle Revis. On the basketball court as a long-time Gator hoops fan, I think of Hosie Grimsley (still can't forget when he held 8-year NBA player, Arkansas's Todd Day to 5 of 15 shooting) Brian Thompson (Final Four 1994), Major Parker (Final Four 2000) and Corey Brewer (National Champs 2006 and 2007). Did you notice that trend at the end of the list?

 

University of Kentucky aficionados have similar infatuation with DeAndre Liggins.  The 6' 6 junior lock-down defender took Tennessee's Scotty Hopson out of the game Tuesday night in the Wildcats'  73 - 61 victory over the Volunteers at Ashley Judd Arena.  http://www.state-journal.com/news/article/4978287  . Liggins limited Hopson, who missed the previous two Vol games with a sprained ankle, to just 11 points on 3 for 8 shooting http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102080292 . Besides his 5 steals, DeAndre had 19 points on 5 for 6 shooting, 2 for 2 from deep and 7 for 8 from the stripe. That is an MVP night.

 

On Saturday night, the Gators scoring point guard, Erving Walker, was "DeAndred" throughout the night resulting in 1 for 9 shooting. South Carolina's freshman phenom point guard, Bruce Elkington, also felt the wrath of DeAndre a couple of weeks ago, shooting 3 for 11 for 8 points. DeAndre Liggins. you rock my basketball viewing world, whatever that means. NEXT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clemson is inching closer to a possible NCAA bid. On Tuesday night, the Tigers won at home against Boston College, 77- 69 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102080120 . Jerai Grant, son of Harvey and nephew of Horace, led the way with 17 points on 7 for 9 shooting along with 3 blocked shots.

 

I believe the Tigers need to win a couple games on the road the rest of the way....either at Miami, NC State or (let me clear my throat) Duke. So far, the only road wins have been at the College of Charleston and Georgia Tech. Also, they need to win at least two of three at home.....(pardon me again) North Carolina, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech (formerly known as VPI...remember that acronym along with its nickname, the Gobblers, until the late 70s).

 

I bet if we were asked  the name of the first-year Clemson coach, 90 % of us hoops junkies would not know without googling.....Brad Brownwell who came from Wright State. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gator killer, Jacksonville University, featured my type of "hard hat" player in its big Tuesday night's home 71 - 67 Atlantic Sun Conference win against crosstown rival North Florida http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102080281 . Even though 6' 7, 215 lb  Delwan Graham was 2 for 6 from the field, he was 10  for 10 at the gift lane (thank you, legendary Georgia Tech broadcaster, the late Al Ciraldo for coining that phrase) for 14 points, 15 rebounds with 7 on the offensive end, 3 assists and 5 blocked shots.

 

The game was blacked out on ESPN3.com here so I was not able to see the thrilling finish when after Jacksonville took a two-point lead with 7 seconds left, North Florida missed a potential winning 3-pointer at the buzzer....sounds like the exact breathtaking ending of Saturday's Gator 2-point win over Kentucky. I am sure bloggees Alan and Paul were dancing in the streets (thank you, Hall of Fame Astros broadcaster, Milo Hamilton, for popularizing that phrase) after the game. NEXT

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

When you get a chance, click on the following link to read the USA Today's inspirational cover story in its Wednesday sport section about Division III LaRoche College. The Redhawks lost their 41-year old head coach, Scott Lang, to a fatal heart attack two months ago  http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/2011-02-08-scott-lang-death-laroche-basketball_N.htm . THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy....don't forget Gator fans in the southeast, your only chance of watching the South Carolina game tonight is on http://www.espn3.com/ 7:00 CST......and to correct an error in a previous blog....Dick Vitale's Duke-North Carolina game is on ESPN tonight (not Thursday night)  at 8:00 CST,

 

 

 

Barry

 

 

Blog # 42 with a Football Trivia Question

My Beloved 91 Bloggees (Welcome Steve):

 

 

 

While many SEC hoops fans will be focusing on Tuesday night's 8:00 CST Tennessee - Kentucky game on ESPN, I am interested in the intersectional battle of Gator victims, Xavier at Georgia, 6:00 pm on ESPNU. How will all-BB (Barry's Blog) all-star Tu Holloway fare against the tough SEC East team? Will Georgia's big and athletic front line of Jeremy Price, Trey Thompkins and  Travis Leslie prove to be too much for the Atlantic 10's Muskateers?  I like these nonconference matchups during this time of the year. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Remember when UF slayer, former Gator assistant Donnie Jones and his UCF Knights were 14 - 0 and ranked after their opening conference win against Marshall in early January. They have since lost 7 in a row in Conference USA, buried in last place, which will sour the NCAA Committee when evaluating the Gators. Their only good news last week was the postponement of  Wednesday night's game at league-leading UTEP due to a winter storm.  However, it turned out to be a pain because after some flight delays out of Orlando, the team did make the schlep out to West Texas for naught and then were stuck there. http://www.clickorlando.com/sports/26723624/detail.html  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have to give some love to bloggees Irby and Eli (and others I may have forgotten) and their Penn Quakers. Penn is 9 - 9 overall but their pre-conference schedule was difficult losing to Villanova, Pitt, Temple and Kentucky http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/teams/pag/schedule . They did defeat well-coached Davidson, who impressed me Thursday night at Samford, in their opening game 69 - 64. The Quakers are 3 - 1 in the conference, one game behind Princeton Without a conference tournament in the Ivy League, each regular season game is almost like a tournament game.

 

Penn is coached by one of its former stars from the 90s, Jerome Allen. Gator fans remember him on the Penn squad that was defeated by Florida to reach the Sweet Sixteen in 1994 before eventually going to the Final Four for the first time in UF history. Bama fans remember him in the following year when Penn lost in overtime to the Crimson Tide in the first round of the Dance. During Allen's last three years as a player at Penn, they went undefeated in the Ivy League, 14 - 0 each year.

 

I love when alumni, coach their alma maters except it makes it more difficult to fire them, if that needs to be done.  Did I hear someone say Mark Gottfried? NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmer Fredette and his 29 points were a handful for former Gator coach Lon Kruger and his Runnin' Rebels of UNLV in BYU's 78 - 64 victory on Saturday  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102050068 . Although he had 5 turnovers and shot less than 50 % from the field , 6 for 14, in his 39 minutes, Fredette's eye-opening 16 for 16 from the gift lane warrants mention. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

You Make Me Feel Old   When I was an Atlanta Hawks season ticket holder in 1984 the Milwaukee Bucks had a classic playoff battle against the Hawks. The Bucks featured guys like Sidney Moncrief, Junior Bridgeman, Alton Lister, Marques Johnson and Paul Pressey. 

 

When I watched the Missouri - Kansas game on ESPN Monday night, I heard two different Presseys being mentioned during the telecast. It is an uncommon name plus they showed an old  team picture of Nolan Richardson's University of Tulsa with the faces of both Mike Anderson and Paul Pressey circled. Of course, I knew then that it was Paul Pressey's two sons, Matt and Phil, who were playing for Anderson's Missouri Tigers.  http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2010/10/13/family_more_than_just_coachspeak_at_missouri/

 

Matt, is a 6' 2 junior guard who is a JUCO transfer averaging 7.3 points a game. Phil is a 5' 10 freshman guard with a 6.9 points per game average.  Matt Pressey and Phil Pressey, You Make Me Feel Old   

 

By the way, in its 103 - 86 home victory, Kansas shot from the field an amazing 37 for 61 or 60.7 %. and that included Tyshawn Taylor's paltry 4 for 14 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102070287 . Without him, Kansas would have been 33 for 47 or 70 % for the game. Kansas should end up in the Final Four getting the taste of last year's Northern Iowa upset loss out of their mouths.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emily London Update.....the senior point guard and all-time Samford women's scorer converted both free throw attempts on Monday night on her way to a team-leading 13 points in just 18 minutes, and a 68 - 48 victory at Wofford http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2010-2011/sam0207.html . So for the year, she is 76 out of  78 for an incredible 97.4 free throw shooting percentage! Her next game is Saturday at home against Appalachian State. I might have to go see her in action again. I may never see a free throw shooter like her....ever. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To football....I was having a discussion with a buddy at a Super Bowl party. The topic of jersey numbers of quarterbacks came up, especially those greater than 19.  It resulted in this trivia question.....what San Diego Charger legendary QB wore the number 21?  Scroll down to the bottom for the answer. Also, feel free to reply with other QBs, college or pro, who wore a number greater than 19. (Now an NFL quarterback must wear a jersey number between 1 and 19 http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/index.nsf/Documents/0-jers-nums .)  THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy, Gators play a revenge game at South Carolina on Wednesday at 7:00 CST  broadcast regionally on the SEC Network....if you are in the wrong region, like we are in Birmingham, you can watch it at http://www.espn3.com/ ,

 

 

 

Barry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Hadl  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hadl

Blog # 41

My Beloved 90 Bloggees (Welcome AJ, Andy, Steve and Paul):

 

The Gators held serve on ESPN's GameDay Saturday  prime time game 70 - 68 http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/boxscore.php?gameid=9464 . It was just by a matter of inches as former Gator recruit, Brandon Knight, bounced a three-point shot off the front of the rim as time expired. Alex Tyus, helped the cause by putting a hand in Knight's face and a minute earlier played excellent defense on Terrence Jones causing him to miss badly on a short jumper when Florida was up by one. Tyus followed up with a soft jump hook over Jones that snuck in the basket thanks to a friendly rim giving the Gators some late-needed cushion.

 

The Gators starting guards, Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton were a joint 2 for 12 from beyond the arc but fortunately, Scottie Wilbekin and Chandler Parsons helped offset that with a combined 4 for 6 long-range shooting. Parsons' double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds was crucial in his 37 minutes including no break in the second half. Another important home win for the Orange and Blue. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even if you are not a women's hoops fan, you will find something interesting about this Emily London update.....on Saturday she was 3 for 3 from the foul line in the Samford 63 - 54 victory at Furman http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball/boxscore?gid=201102050220  (Emily scored 23, including 4 for 9 from the perimeter). London is now 74 for 76 for the year for a whopping 97.4 % leading all Div I men and women. Last year Emily converted 101 out of 112 free throw attempts for  90.2 %.

 

How has this Lexington, KY native mastered the craft of free throw shooting? Do you remember in the late 70's, a University of Kentucky point guard who was just under 90 % from the free throw line for his career and used to rub his socks before each attempt? http://www.aseaofblue.com/2009/10/27/1102509/q-a-with-kentucky-basketball That was Kyle Macy and Birmingham bloggee John gave me the scoop that Macy is a family friend of the Londons and has helped her into becoming a better free throw shooter than he was. 

 

Emily's next game is Monday night in Spartanburg, SC against Wofford. Let's see if her hot hand continues. I wonder if our Spartanburg bloggee will sneak over to get a peak. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arkansas's rabid hoops fans are not doing somersaults over the team's two consecutive home losses, especially the last one against Mississippi on Saturday night 69 - 60 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102050019 . Ole Miss's Chris Warren was 10 for 10  from the free throw line and had 15 of his 19 points in the second half...reminiscent of what he did in Gainesville earlier this season. Marshawn Powell led the Razorbacks with 19 points despite sitting out more than five minutes to start the game after tweaking an ankle during the pre-game shootaround. Take it easy, Marshawn.

 

Coach John Pelphrey needs to continue to remind the fans of his highly-ranked recruiting class coming to Fayetteville, otherwise more losses down the stretch, including a few more at Bud Walton Arena, could eventually be "hazardous to his wealth." NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia almost destroyed its NCAA hopes having to go into overtime at home against short-handed Auburn on Saturday before coming out ahead, 81 - 72 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102050230 . Auburn's 6 ' 10 starting center, Rob Chubb, continued to serve his indefinite suspension, but Earnest Ross put on a clinic.....12 for 18, including  5 for 7 from the perimeter for 30 points, including a team-leading 7 rebounds and also had 3 steals. The Bulldogs' Jeremy Price's double-double of  22 points and 14 rebounds saved the day for the home team still dealing with the death of UGA VIII http://www.redandblack.com/2011/02/06/uga’s-death-shocks-univ/ .  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anthony Grant is showing why he was such a sought-after major college coach a couple of years back while serving his apprenticeship at VCU. After just a year and a half in Tuscaloosa, the no-nonsense Grant has shown the Tiders how to win, as evidenced by another road win Saturday, a 65 - 60 overtime win against Tennessee http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102050580 . Talking to Tide fans who regularly attend their games, the attitude adjustment among the players is evident in contrast to the late stages of the previous regime.

 

Give credit to he talented Volunteers. They battled the SEC-leading Crimson Tide, outrebounding them 42 - 32, but just came up short, even without ankle-injured Scotty Hopson and coach Bruce Pearl who was serving the final game of his 8-SEC game suspension. ESPN's Jimmy Dykes likes Tennessee to do some damage once again this year at the Big Dance. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks ago I went to a theater to see a comedy toupe perform. After fifteen minutes of disappointment (I was probably too old to appreciate the humor), I went to the ticket office and asked for a refund.  If I were in New Orleans on Saturday at Fogelman Arena, I might have done the same thing at halftime of the UAB - Tulane game. The score then was 19 -12. Many of you know by now how I feel about games when there is less than a point scored per minute by a team....here it was both teams! Eventually UAB came out on top   47 - 39 in a game that fortunately was not televised  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102050598 .

 

Neither team shot over 28 % and from what I read about the game, the low numbers were not attributable to great defense. Unless UAB wins the conference tournament, the NIT might have to be renamed the Mike Davis Invitational. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a crazy week for North Carolina starting with backup point guard junior Larry Drew II, son of the Atlanta Hawks head coach with the same name, quitting the team on Friday unexpectedly . Coach Roy Williams received the news from a phone call from Drew's dad which is a bit odd. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=rivals-1185382 

 

Drew II had lost his starting job to freshman Kendall Marshall in the middle of January, but had played well in the reserve role. Why he didn't wait until the end of the year is perplexing. If he transfers to a Division I school he won't be eligible until Novermber 2012 with a possible exception if he graduates before then. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/ted_keith/02/04/drew.transfer/  Even though he indicated he would transfer, my guess is that he is going to pull a Christian Drejer, and immediately start playing in Europe, the way the former Danish Gator deserted the Orange and Blue midseason in February 2004.

 

On Sunday, Marshall made North Carolina forget about Drew with 16 assists in 36 minutes in its 89 - 69 thrashing of previous Gator-victim FSU   http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102060413 . He also had 9 points on 3 for 4 shooting including perfect from three-point range on his two attempts. (By the way, Bama transfer Justin Knox scored 8 points in 16 minutes for the Tar Heels nailing 3 of his 4 field goal attempts.)

 

Next up is Duke on Thursday night in Durham. Two questions:

 

1. Can Marshall duplicate his performancet?

 

2. Will Dick Vitale be able to sleep before his dream matchup? THAT'S IT

 

 

 

Enjoy.....will be seeing former Duke star and current ESPN Jay Williams speak at the Birmingham Tipoff Club meeting today,

 

 

Barry