Blog # 52 with some Football

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:

 

 

There have been some classic Florida-Georgia basketball games in Gainesville. Two come to mind. On January 11. 2003, Anthony Roberson hit a three-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer in a 66 - 63 Gator victory http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/2003/01/11/georgia-63-florida-66 . Then on the other side of the ledger there was two-sport Fred Gibson, a Bulldog wide receiver, who scored 13 points and hit all four of his free throws down the stretch to upset # 2 ranked Florida 74 - 69 on  January 19, 2002 http://staugustine.com/stories/012002/spo_443270.shtml.

 

On Thursday night the two matched up again in Gainesville. Georgia dominated the first half pounding it inside, shooting 60 % for a 33 -26 lead at the break. Then the Gators turned it up a notch in the second stanza with Chandler Parsons overcoming his deep thigh bruise getting back into the flow with 16 points.  Kenny Boynton nailed 3 consecutive threes to separate the two teams with under 6 minutes left resulting in a 71 - 62 win for the 13th ranked Orange and Blue, clinching a first place tie in the SEC East   http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/boxscore.php?gameid=9468 . 

 

When Boynton is effective offensively, which has not been frequent, the Gators are extra tough to beat.  In this game, when he was on the court the Gators outscored Georgia by 18. While he was on the bench, Georgia outscored Florida by 9. So, the Gators were 27 points better having him in the game than sitting him down http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player/florida/kenny-boynton/plus_minus . (I love that website - check out how your favorite team performs when certain players are on the court versus on the bench).

 

A final observation is from new bloggee Holt, emphasizing Parsons' value. When teams play zone against Florida because of their constant shooting struggles, Parsons has a knack of getting  behind the zone on the baseline leading to easy shots by him. When he sat out the LSU game last Sunday, that weapon was missed, especially in the second half.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Old Dominion continued its hot play Thursday night with a convincing 75 - 59 road victory over James Madison http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102240282 . All-BB Frank Hassell was outstanding again with a double-double, 21 points on  9 for 12 shooting and 10 rebounds. The game was televised on ESPNU so I was able to watch him in action and his 6 ' 8  245 lb wide body dominated the boards with his teammates. In fact, James Madison only had 3 offensive rebounds in this rout. This toughness by the Monarchs should serve them well in March.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Another All-BB player, the nation's leading rebounder, Morehead State's Kenneth Faried, had a double-double Thursday night with 15 points and 13 rebounds in a 70 - 62 road loss to Murray State http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102240381 . Faried and his buddies did outrebound the Racers 40 - 26 but Murray State shot 9 for 17 from the perimeter while frequently playing with four guards. As long as they are hot, that may work for Murray State, as it did as a 13th seed in the first round upset of 4th seed Vanderbilt in the NCAA's last year 66 - 65 on a buzzer-beater. But, I prefer beef and Faried's Eagles in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament next week which will determine its likely one-bid.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

It is time for You Make Me Feel Old . Look who comes off the bench for Gonzaga....redshirt freshman walk-on point guard David Stockton son of another guy who used to play that position for the Zags....John  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/89766  .  David, at 5' 10  150 lbs plays about 15 minutes a game, averaging 4 points and about 2 assists per game. Why does his size not surprise me? 

 

On Thursday night he played 28 minutes scoring 5 points with 5 assists as Gonzaga won in overtime at St. Mary's 89 - 85 to tie for first in the West Coast Conference with those same Gaels http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102240538 . Yes, David Stockton, You Make Me Feel Old .

 

By the way, in third place in the West Coast Conference just a game back at 9 - 4 are the Dons from San Francisco. Who is their head coach? Former Kansas  guard in the early 90's  Rex Walters  http://www.usfdons.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/walters_rex00.html   NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

In Blog # 42, a trivia question dealt with John Hadl an NFL quarterback who wore a number greater than 19. I asked to reply with some college players who also wore an unusual number in the 1960's and later.  Bloggee Tom brought up Heisman winner Boston College's  Doug Flutie and his number 22 throwing the desperation touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan to defeat the U   47 - 45 in 1984  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ykWbu2Gl0 .

 

Blogee Joe, a former Colgate running back, submitted another name, the former quarterback at Penn State during the late 60's, Chuck Burkhart who wore # 22 . "QBed the undefeated Nittany Lions against Kansas, led by Pepper Rodgers and Bobby Douglass, in the famous 1969 Orange Bowl.  They won the game on a 2-point conversion after the first attempt was unsuccessful against a Kansas defense consisting of 12 players.  What most people don't remember is that Kansas had 12 men on the field for most of Penn State's touchdown drive but the refs only managed to discover it during the first conversion attempt.

He was also my QB mentor at the 1970 Penn State QB-Receivers Camp for PA high school players.  A great guy". Thanks, Joe.

 

Two other college QBs with unusual numbers were NC Congressman Heath Shuler http://shuler.house.gov/ , who wore # 21 while at Tennessee in the 1990's and Bernie Kosar whose laundry displayed # 20 in the mid-80s for the U.  THAT'S IT.

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy......going to Samford's last home game today versus 1st place Chattanooga.....will be taping the Florida-Kentucky CBS game beginning at 3:00 CST...check out the preview of the game by bloggee Kevin http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20110226/ARTICLES/110229578/1136?Title=Florida-aims-to-spoil-Kentucky-s-32-game-home-streak- ........next week starts tournament week, wow did this season fly,

 

 

Barry

 

Blog # 51

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:

 

 

Just like the Gators' trip to the Plains last month, Alabama struggled mightily in its 51 - 49 victory over Auburn http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/scoreboard?d=2011-02-23&refresh=60 . I will take a break and provide you with the recap furnished by bloggee Steve who viewed the entire game:

 

 

Ugly game from the start.  Bama had 1 point in the first 6 minutes and trailed by 10 or more for most of the game.  Bama could do nothing against the Auburn Zone defense.  They were 11 of 42 for the game.  That's right, a whopping 26% shooting from the field.  I could probably throw the ball backwards over my head 42 times and make at least 11 of them.  There was a turnover on virtually every possession.  Bama had 19 and Auburn had 23!  You would have thought the ball was a ticking time bomb.  Nobody wanted anything to do with it.   

I have never seen a more timid team trying to bring the ball up the court than Auburn.  Their point guards were constantly backing up under Bama's full and half court pressure.  It seemed like everytime they took a step forward it was followed by two or three steps back.  What happened to attacking the press?     

At the end of the day, Bama won the game by being able to get to the free throw line 40 times.  They didn't shoot the ball well from the stripe (67%), but they got there enough to put them over the hump.

 

 

Fine recap, bloggee Steve. In fact, too good. I am worried you may start your own blog!  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

When it comes to the SEC, Kentucky is no Roger Miller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmOe27SJ3Yc  they are not "King of the Road".  Their road record in the conference dropped to 1 - 6 after its 77 - 76  Wednesday overtime loss to Arkansas. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102230019 .

 

Rotnei Clarke led the Hogs with 26 points, converting 11 out of 12 free throws, a stat you all know I cherish. It is not a good sign when a team plays seven players in an overtime game and the seventh player is Gator transfer, Eloy Vargas, who played just two minutes for the Wildcats. Stacey Poole Jr., whose Pop was a Gator basketball standout from 1989 -1993 and 4th all-time career points leader (behind  4-year players Ronnie Williams, Andrew Moten and Udonis Haslem,) did the same thing as John Calipari during the game.....he watched it from the Kentucky bench. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although grateful for the road SEC win on Sunday I was a tad disappointed that lowly LSU gave the Gators so much trouble, making a game out of it near the end before Florida went on to victory. Imagine how supporters of Mississippi State felt after Wednesday night's loss at home to that same rebuilding LSU team 84 - 82 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102230366 .

 

Other than the home victory over the Gators last month 71 - 64 when Florida was 9 for 19 from the free throw line, http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201101290366  Mississippi State's 14 - 13 record does not include any other significant wins leading to an astronomical 145 RPI rating for the SEC school. Rick Stansbury should be glad that spring football is soon upon us to deflect the attention away from his disappointing season. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ex- Auburn coach Jeff Lebo helped out a former in-state competitor, UAB, with his East Carolina Pirates'  83 - 76  Conference USA upset victory over the sliding UTEP Miners http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102230178 . UTEP's loss was its third out of its last four games dropping them into a three-way tie for 4th a game out of 1st where there is also a three-way tie:  UAB, Southern Miss and Memphis  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/standings . Ladies and gentlemen, we have a horse race in Conference USA. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chip # 2 is doing cartwheels as his hometown Cincinnati Bearcats virtually clinched an NCAA bid with its  58 - 46 upset victory over the 11th ranked Georgetown Hoyas http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102230229 on Wednesday.  With its 9 - 6 conference record along with an unbeaten 13 - 0 nonconference record, this will be the first time that Mick Cronin dances as the head man during his five years in Pete Rose City.

 

Be sure to note, you bracket fillers, that Georgetown lost its senior starting point guard, Chris Wright, to a broken hand. He was averaging 13.1 points and 5.4 assists per game including 26 points last Saturday at South Florida in the 61 - 55 victory http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73264 .  A story has already come out that he should be back by the beginning of the tournament, but if he is back, how effective will he be?  I will have the Hoyas watching the Sweet Sixteen. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All-BB  Noah Dahlman was back to his high-percentage ways on 9 for 11 shooting for 23 points as Wofford demolished Chattanooga  97 - 58 on the road  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102230581 . He is currently 6th in the country with a shooting percentage of 62.7 %. Wofford seems to be peaking at the right time with the Southern Conference tournament next week which happens to also be at Chattannoga, the site of Wednesday night's stellar performance.   THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy.....big TV hoops night.....Florida vs. Georgia at 6:00 CST on ESPN 2....there is an All-BB player double header on ESPNU, at 6:00 CST Frank Hassell and Old Dominion clashes with James Madison while Kenneth Faried of Morehead State and his nation-leading 14.2 rebounding average, clashes with Murray State at 8:00 CST.....Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls match up with the Miami Heat at 7:00 CST on TNT....I am already exhausted,

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 50

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:

 

As we start the 50th blog of the season, I checked that 12 of you have endured all 50. I am not sure who is in more need of therapy, you 12 or me....probably all of us. Our passion for college basketball does make us do some crazy things....like writing and reading blogs about the game we love. NEXT

 

 

 

 

If you continue to play games at an antiquated facility, you better win there. Well, after Tuesday night's  60 - 51 home loss to Tennessee http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102220615 , Vanderbilt might be having some architects visit today. The 'Dores collapsed in the last 13 minutes, outscored 29 - 9 by the Vols who had 15 steals during the game. It reminds me of ESPN Jimmy Dykes who would say "Vanderbilt's players need to protect the ball like it was their kid sister at a fraternity party."

 

Gator fans loved the upset stretching its SEC lead to 3 games in the loss column over three teams, with 4 games remaining. Florida plays two of those teams on the road, Kentucky and Vanderbilt and the other team, Georgia, at home. In between, the Gators host SEC West Champ, Alabama, next Tuesday. These next two weeks will be interesting, no doubt. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

A few blogs ago I mentioned the recent shooting woes of South Carolina's freshman point guard Bruce Ellington. His massive slump has continued as he shot 1 for 11 (1 for 9 from the arc)  at Kentucky on Saturday and 3 for 11 (0 for 5 from the arc) Tuesday night against Ole Miss. So, in his last 10 games he has shot 37 for 141 or 26.2 % and 14 for 76 or 18.4 % from deep  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/97663 . It is no wonder the Gamecocks have dropped to the SEC East cellar when a player has such a low percentage while still taking a bunch of shots. Devan Downey, they miss you in Columbia. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Free Throw Sensations   The Gamecocks and Sam Muldrow's double-double (23 points and 10 rebounds) defeated Ole Miss on Tuesday in spite of Ellington's shooting and  33 points from the Rebels' Chris Warren. The Ole Miss point guard was 7 for 7 from the line giving him a season total of 139 for 147 or 94.6% !  He now leads Division I (men and women) finally surpassing Samford's Emily London. 

 

Since we last reported, Emily went a mortal 7 for 9 from the stripe during Saturday's regionally televised 83 - 80 win at Elon (she scored 33 points)  http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2010-2011/sam0219.html  and a more London-like 6 for 6 on Monday in the 59 - 52 win at UNC Greensboro http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2010-2011/sam0221.html . She still leads all Division I women with 93.2 % on 96 for 103 !  Kyle Macy, her free throw mentor, should be proud!   NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday night was not a good night for Gator transfers. Jai Lucas, who now attends my grad school alma mater, University of Texas, found himself with more playing time in the Longhorns 76 - 53 rout of Iowa State (coached by the "Mayor", and former Cyclone star Fred Hoiberg) http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102220585 . In his 12 minutes, he took 7 shots and sank just 1 of them.  Jai, I encourage you to study hard at 40 Acres http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/40_acres_university_of_texas_at_austin/ and get your degree.

 

Jonathan Mitchell and his Rutgers Scarlet Knights did a BB (Barry's Blog) no-no on Tuesday night by scoring less than a point a minute in its home 55 - 37 loss to Louisville http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102220492 . Mitchell contributed to the low offensive output with 4 points on 2 for 8 shooting in 28 minutes.

 

A few years back, I met the brother of a friend from Atlanta and he had just broken up with Miss Universe. Can you imagine that? Well that is what I think when I hear of someone transferring from the University of Florida....the Miss Universe of colleges. I can see alumni bloggees nodding their heads, especially thinking about springtime in that paradise (almost sounds like a Jimmy Buffet song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBsPZV14I-k ) . NEXT

 

 

 

 

I have decided to change the All-BB team to only include mid-major players to give them the recognition they so richly deserve and to help bloggees when considering upsets in their brackets:

 

 

 

Enjoy....Joakim Noah is finally returning to the Chicago Bulls this evening...basketball Iron Bowl tonight in Tuscaloosa....tomorrow night is the basketball Cocktail Party in Gainesville at 6:00 pm CST on ESPN2,

 

 

 

Barry

 

Kenneth Faried - Morehead State http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73970

 

Tu Holloway - Xavier  http://www.blogger.com/ - On Tuesday night, although he shot 2 for 6 from the field, he was 2 for 4 from three-land, 6 for 6 from the charity stripe for 12 points, dished out 15 assists and just missed a triple-double with 9 rebounds in the 100 - 62 walloping of LaSalle.

 

Frank Hassell - Old Dominion  http://www.blogger.com/

 

Noah Dahlman - Wofford  http://www.blogger.com/

 

Andrew Goudelock - College of Charleston http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73564  THAT'S IT

 

Blog # 49

My Beloved 95 Bloggees:

 

 

Florida does not have a history of playing well against SEC West teams, especially on the road. That is why Sunday's game at struggling LSU without injured red-hot Chandler Parsons was a concern for Gator Nation.

 

In the first half against LSU's man defense, UF pounded it inside and was successful giving the Gators a 40 - 25 point halftime lead. Then LSU head man, Trent Johnson, switched to zone. Without consistent perimeter shooting, especially from 2-guard Kenny Boynton, it posed problems for the Orange and Blue who still hung onto a 68 - 61 victory http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102200319 . Between you and me, I hope other teams don't see the game film and duplicate LSU's zone strategy. I don't even want to think about a Syracuse matchup-zone . NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, Alabama kept its unbeaten home record intact for the year at 14 - 0  by defeating Arkansas 69 - 56  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102190006 .  Tony Mitchell has taken his game to a different level as evidenced by his career-high 27 points on 11 for 15 shooting along with 9 rebounds. It is the 6th time out of his last 7 games that he has scored 20 points or more.  Coach Anthony Grant's pressing defense resulted in 11 steals by the Crimson and White as the team is reflecting the no-nonsense, business-like personality of its outstanding coach.

 

Next Tuesday's showdown in Gainesville against the Gators is certainly anticipated -- a battle between the two SEC Division leaders and mentor (Billy Donovan) versus his former assistant coach, Grant. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

The SEC East is showing its muscle with 5 teams in the top 37 with respect to RPI. Georgia is at the 37th position with an 18 - 8 record and all 8 losses have been to Top 50 teams http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/polls?poll=5 . Saturday's 69 - 63 win at Knoxville helped in its attempt to impress the NCAA Committee. Thursday's game at Florida and the season-ender at Tuscaloosa against the Tide could be pivotal.

 

With respect to Tennessee (32), the Volunteers must avoid falling below .500 in the Conference. They are currently 6 - 6 with a road game at Vandy tonight and a home matchup against Kentucky, sandwiched around a home date against Mississippi State and a road trip to South Carolina. If they continue to receive production from just Scotty Hopson and Tobias Harris, they might be in trouble. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Conference USA is starting to arouse some interest in terms of multiple NCAA bids, a sentiment echoed by bloggee Arnold in his recently published letter to the Birmingham News (http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/02/sound_off_birmingham_news_read.html  scroll down to the last letter to the editor).

 

After UAB's 63 - 58 home win over UCF Saturday night followed by UCF's 74 - 68  win at UTEP on Monday, there is a virtual 5-way tie for first with 4 losses. Based on the RPIs (shown in parentheses) of those five teams, Southern Miss (44), UAB (30), UTEP (60), Memphis (34) and Tulsa (92), it looks like UAB, Memphis and Southern Miss might all go dancing if they finish the season strong. The only remaining regular season game among those three against each other will be on Wednesday March 2nd when UAB travels to Southern Miss.  Then of course there is the conference tournament.....what a great time of the year!  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Virginia Tech is trying to hang in there for an at-large bid with its 4th place position in the ACC. However, losing at Virginia 61 - 54 on Saturday did not help its chances. Coach Seth Greenberg showed everyone his faith in his reserves. Only one player came off the bench and he only played five minutes. Check out this unusual-looking box score  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102190618  .

 

With Duke coming to town next Saturday and a season-ending road game at Clemson, the former Gobblers might need to win one of those two games along with home victories against Wake Forest and Boston College to make it to the Dance.   NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clemson will have a tough time making the NCAA field even with its 63 - 59 victory at the U on Sunday http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102200355 . Thursday night's loss at North Carolina State hurt as does its RPI of 66. I feel they have two chances and neither of them are likely....win at Duke a week from Wednesday or win the ACC tourney. Sorry bloggee Bebe. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Horizon League is now well-respected thanks to the success league-members Butler, Valpariso and Wisconsin-Milwaukee have had in March this past decade. However, current 1st place team, Cleveland State, was man-handled by BB-Sweet Sixteen pick Old Dominion (27) on Sunday 74 - 63 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102200447 . ODU showed why it has been out-rebounded in just one game this year by dominating the boards 51 - 22, with 21 on the offensive end. All-BB Frank Hassell gathered 15 caroms and also had 3 steals, 3 blocks and 12 points on 4 for 12 shooting for the Monarchs. With Old Dominion, shooting percentage is not as critical because of their propensity to retrieve its own missed shots.

 

 

Here is a short trivia question. Which three schools have the highest RPI among the universities in Virginia? How about three members of the tough Colonial Athletic Association: George Mason (20), Old Dominion (27) and VCU (56). The two members of the ACC, Virginia Tech (66) and Virginia (145) are looking up to their in-state counterparts. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Jacksonville University played their ideal disruptive defensive game (Florida's players can remember it from their December loss to JU) in its Friday night  75 - 60 home victory over Kennesaw State  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102180281 (and its head coach, March 14th Birmingham Tipoff Club speaker, Tony Ingle). The Dolphins had 12 steals during the game which if duplicated in the Atlantic Sun tournament, could spell trouble for top teams Belmont and East Tennessee State. Birmingham's Ayron Hardy led the way for JU with 15 points on 7 for 12 shooting.

 

Jacksonville held serve again at home on Sunday with a 74 - 68 victory http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102200281 generating another 11 steals. Of course, to Gator fans, the more JU wins, the merrier. THAT'S IT

 

 

 

Enjoy.....congrats to bloggee Dick who picked 16 out of 16 games correctly in the Birmingham Tipoff Club Contest  last week which included big upsets, Kansas State over Kansas and St. John's over Pitt ...guess who is getting a call before I fill out my bracket.....Joe Dean, Sr. spoke to the Club on Monday and it was a thrill to hear a live "String Music" from the podium,

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 48

My Beloved 95 Bloggees (Welcome Holt):

 

 

What a crazy game in Athens on Wednesday night when Vanderbilt defeated Georgia 64 -56 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102160230  I was not able to watch it but the box score and recap indicated many noteworthy happenings:

 

For Vanderbilt:

 

1. Blog favorite, John Jenkins, was shut out the first half missing all 5 field goal attempts before erupting with 21 in the second half.

2. Jeffrey Taylor was an anemic 2 for 18 from the field making him 3 for 25 or 12 % the last two games. Taylor did contribute positively with 13 rebounds.

3. Festus "Gunsmoke" Ezeli ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwg8y3-XnIQ&feature=related ) had 7 blocked shots and 7 offensive rebounds out of his 12 total boards.

4. In fact, Vanderbilt had 22 offensive rebounds easing the pain of its 21 - 65 shooting or 32 %. Their 47 total rebounds surpassed the Dogs by 17.

5. Vanderbilt finished the last 9:49 of the game on a 24 - 3 run! And don't forget it was not at their crazy gym.

 

For Georgia

 

1. The Dogs defended well inside the arc, limiting Vandy to just 9 of 40 two-point attempts but as indicated above, were dominatied on the boards.

2. Stars Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie  were ice cold on 2 for 10 and 2 for 9 shooting respectively.

3. The "Human Racquetball Court",  6' 8  270 lb Jeremy Price, was in foul trouble severely limiting his minutes and production...just one rebound and that was on the offensive end. 

 

This game was another memorable SEC East classic that has happened frequently this season. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Bloggee Chip # 2 is doing the cha-cha after his hometown Cincinnati Bearcats upset Louisville Wednesday night 63 - 54  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102160116  in the Chili City. The apprentice defeated the mentor as Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin won the revenge game against his former boss, Rick Pitino. (Cronin was a 2-year assistant at Louisville.)

 

The Bearcats are 7 - 6 in the Big East with 5 remaining games: 2 against Georgetown, home against UConn, at Providence and at Marquette. Putting on my Joe Lunardi bracketologist hat on, I believe they will have to win at least 2 of the remaining 5 to go dancing.  That would give them a .500 conference record....below .500 and Cronin's Cronies will be going to the you-know-what.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

It is time to for our regular feature Who is that Assistant Coach? Thusday night I attended the Wofford - Samford game and noticed in the game program an assistant coach of Wofford was Mark Prosser. He looked familiar with a bunch of hair and yes, he is the son of the late Skip Prosser, the former coach of Xavier and Wake Forest, if you remember, also had an impressive mane http://woffordterriers.com/staff.aspx?staff=66 .

 

Speaking of the game, we all were "oohing and aahing" over All-BB (Barry's Blog) center, Noah Dahlman of Wofford. The undersized 6 ' 6  215 lb Dahlman did not take a shot beyond 2 feet but his quick release with either hand led to 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting in the paint. He maintained his national ranking of 5th in field goal percentage with 62.8 %. Dahlman is special. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

UAB's attempt to make the NCAA field suffered a painful setback at Memphis Wednesday night 62 - 58 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102160349 . Memphis coach Josh Pastner was once again successful in carrying on the tradition of his predecessor and former boss, John Calipari, by not losing to UAB's Mike Davis, who is 0 - 10 against the school formerly known as Memphis State.

 

Without its star, Cameron Moore because of a broken hand, UAB seemed to do everything needed to beat the Tigers....outrebounding them 34 - 27, Anthony Criswell and Ovie Soko stepping up to contribute double-digit scoring, 12 and 18 points respectively....less turnovers 15 - 13......and the nation's leader in  assists, Aaron Johnson, equaling Memphis's total by himself with 10.

 

What brought the Blazers down was the cold shooting of JaMarr Sanders and Dexter Fields who shot a combined 3 for 18 from the field bringing the team percentage for the game down to 36 %. Memphis shot 47 % which turned out to be the key statistic in its victory.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Carolina has been fading, losing 6 of their last 7. Freshman Bruce Ellington has run into the rookie wall seeing his field goal percentage drop to under 35 %. He has not shot over 50 % since January 15th when he was 8 for 15 in the 72 - 69 upset at Florida http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/97663 . Lately, his poor shooting has been like the measles and it has been caught by senior  Sam Muldrow who is shooting 7 for 28 or 25 % his last two games including 3 for 14 in Wednesday night's 73 - 67 loss to Tennessee http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102160580 .

 

With respect to Tennessee, I admire Bruce Pearl's coaching ability and the talent of some of his players like Scotty Hopson, Tobias Harris and Brian Williams, but I feel there is too much tumult and uncertainty around the program for the team to make an impact in March. Focus is difficult for players and coaches in this situation. I hope I am wrong, as do bloggees Bebe, Karen, AJ, Paul, Eli and Pace. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Belmont is flexing its muscles as it prepares for the NCAA tournament. Thursday night the Atlantic Sun Conference leader overpowered second place East Tennessee State 68 - 58 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102170047 .  Belmont, a BB sleeper pick for the Sweet Sixteen, outrebounded Murry Bartow's club  42 - 23, which helped compensate for its poor 33 % shooting for the game.

 

By the way, Tide transfer,  6' 3 Justin Tubbs, scored 14 points in 31 minutes for ETSU, but strangely had zero rebounds and zero assists....quite unusual for a player his size. For the year, he is averaging 9.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and .3 assists per game  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/60338 . NEXT   

 

 

 

 

 

 

if you want to see a glimpse of Samford's Emily London, the top free throw shooter in Division I basketball (men and women) and featured prominently in these blogs, record the Samford - Elon game on SportsSouth, not Fox Sports South, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SportSouth  at 1:00 CST on Saturday. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

The legendary Joe Dean, Sr. is speaking to the Birmingham Tipoff Club, http://www.birminghamtipoffclub.com/ , on Monday at noon ("String Music" , "Reggie King, he is like a mule in there, John", "Nothing but the bottom of the sack" , "He can fill it full"  "Stufferino".....just some of the Joe Dean, Sr. "poetry" from  when he used to do SEC telecasts with the late John Ferguson and with Tom Hammond in the 70s and 80s). Here is a fantastic recent article on the SEC icon http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/SECNation/SECTraditions/tabid/1073/Article/219392/sec-traditions-the-king-of-string-music.aspx  THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy......Florida plays on ESPN  st LSU at noon CST on Sunday, Alabama's tight win also at LSU on Thursday night should get the attention of the probable Chandler Parsons-less Gators.....I will be at the Samford - Furman game Saturday hoping to see a turnaround by the hometowners as the conference tourney is two weeks away.....will be taking the holiday weekend off from the blog and will catch up next week ......thanks for the many referrals....if this were a multi-marketing pyramid, many of you would be rich,

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 47 with some Football

My Beloved 94 Bloggees:

 

 

 

Florida got some good news when its "earlier in the season victim" Kansas State shocked the world Monday night in decisively defeating its state rival, # 1 Kansas 84 - 68 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73347 . Bloggee Charlie  resides in the "Little Apple", Manhattan, Kansas, home of the Wildcats but is also a fan (and alum, I believe) of the Kansas Jayhawks. Reminds me of the 1976 Mary MacGregor song, "Torn between Two Lovers"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1F5BLLFAeM .

 

Back to the game, All-American Jacob Pullen put his Kansas State team on his back scoring 38 points including a radar-like  5 of 6 behind the arc. Against Florida at a neutral site in December, he scored just half of that and was only 1 of 7 from the perimeter http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73347 . What a difference two months makes!  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

A team that plays a lot of seniors has a big advantage during the March Madness pressure-cooker. Bloggee Bob hopes this is true with respect to his alma mater, Virginia Tech, featuring four seniors with its top dog being  6 ' 3 senior guard Malcolm  Delaney and his 19.1 scoring average http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73217 .  On Sunday, Delaney led the Hokies to a revenge win over Georgia Tech 102 - 77 with 33 points on 9 for 14 shooting, 3 for 4 from three-land. Then on Tuesday night Delaney was only 3 for 14 from the field but a perfect 14 for 14 from the free throw line (gives me chills) resulting in a team-high 22 points in the 91 - 87 victory over Maryland.

 

The three other seniors who regularly receive a majority of Hokie minutes are  6' 7 Jeff Allen, 6' 5 Dorenzo Hudson and 6' 7 Terrell Bell who average 13.8, 10.4 and 7.2 points per game respectively. Virginia Tech's head man, Seth Greenberg, is counting on this quartet to capitalize on their experience to finally make a run in the NCAA tourney. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I figured I needed to go see the top Division I free throw shooter in the country (men and women), Samford's senior point guard Emily London, with her 97.4 % accuracy on 76 of 78 shooting. (She had no free throw attempts in her previous game on Saturday). So on Monday night I went to see her play her last home game (yes, it was Valentine's Day....my wife had a dance class that night...c'mon, do you really think......)

 

As I sat with bloggees Jeff and John, in her first five 5 throw attempts, she missed 3 of them.  All year she misses just 2 and then I show up and I see her miss 3 free throws. Was it the pressure from the blog? By the way, Emily did sink her last 5 free throws for a 7 for 10 effort on her way to 19 points in the 58 - 47 victory over Davidson http://samfordsports.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/stats/2010-2011/sam0214.html .  She still leads Division 1 at 94.3 % with Ole Miss's Chris Warren in second at 93.8 % on 122 of 130 free throws. And no, she doesn't wipe her hands on her socks before each free throw like her mentor, Kyle Macy .NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cliff Ellis's Coastal Carolina Chanticleers were on a 22-game winning streak that was the talk of the South, if not the basketball nation. It has been an amazing coaching comeback for the former South Alabama, Clemson and Auburn top man. However, on Tuesday night Coastal Carolina was upset at home by lowly Gardner Webb 59 - 57 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102150122 . That may have destroyed  any hope of the 75th RPI ranked Chanticleers getting an at-large bid if they falter in the Big South Conference tournament.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

To football...this next link might be the most entertaining website for college football fans in the history of the internet. http://www.larrymunson.com/audio.asp  There is no doubt  former Georgia Bulldog announcer, Larry Munson, is one of the best college football radio broadcasting "homers" to ever grace the airwaves. When I lived in Atlanta from 1979 - 1995, one of the highights of each fall Saturday, was to turn to WSB 750 AM and listen to Larry do his thing.

 

If you haven't done so already, you need to click on the link above and scroll down to listen to the brief "Munson" excerpts of:

 

1.  2001 GA - TN,

 

2. 1992  GA - Aub

 

3. 1982  GA - Aub

 

4. 1980  GA - FLA (this is painful but an amazing call)

 

You can follow the narrative on the website after you Click to Listen Now.   He is something. THAT'S IT

 

 

 

 

Enjoy,......going to see all-BB Noah Dahlman and the Wofford Terriers tonight against struggling Samford.....UAB has to go on the road tonight without star Cameron Moore and play their "Daddy", Memphis, as they are clawing, reaching and scratching (sounds like Larry Munson) for that elusive at-large bid to the NCAAs.,

 

 

 

Barry

Blog # 46 (a tad longer than usual)

My Beloved 94 Bloggees (Welcome Jonah and Bob):

 

 

One of the funniest signs I have ever seen at a game was the one an Oklahoma fan in 1973 held up "Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Selmon" referring to the parents of three star defensive linemen, Lee Roy, Dewey and Lucious Selmon, playing together for the Sooners http://www.onyxmagazine.com/aspx/selmon.aspx . Well if I were in Gainesville on Saturday, I would have been toting a sign "Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Wilbekin" to the parents of  one Gator defensive stalwart, Scottie Wilbekin .

 

For much of the Gators' 61 - 60 squeaker over Tennessee  http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/men/boxscore.php?gameid=9466, Kenny Boynton and Chandler Parsons were unsuccessful trying to stop the Vols' terrific shooting guard, Scotty Hopson, who had already scored 22 points. Then it was freshman Wilbekin's turn (according to ESPN's Jimmy Dykes, the Gators were finally "bringing two fists to the fight") and the 17-year old 2-star recruit who skipped his senior year in high school, shut out Hopson (who was a 5-star recruit) for the last 6 minutes on smothering defense. Add that to the gutty driving left-handed game-winning layup among the "trees" by 5 ' 8 Erving Walker with 14 seconds left and you get another "routine" Gator victory over an outstanding SEC East team.   NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

Alabama bounced back from Thursday's heartbreaking loss at Vandy Thursday night, with classy Coach Anthony Grant calling the controversial officiating as  "water under the bridge". The Tide's fan base was ecstatic with another sold-out win in Tuscaloosa, this time against a hot Ole Miss team 74 -64 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120006 . Freshman point guard Trevor Releford outplayed his more-heralded counterpart, Mississippi's Chris Warren, and the phrase "star quality" is being directed toward Releford around Tide Nation. I can't blame them after Trevor had 7 assists, 3 steals and 14 points while serving as the team's adept quarterback. NEXT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arkansas's Rotnei Clarke scored 25 points on 7 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 6 beyond the arc in the Hogs 80 - 61 victory over LSU  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120019 . It makes one appreciate more what a phenomenal job Kenny Boynton and Scottie Wilbekin did shadowing Clarke when the Gators shut him out three weeks ago. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony Barbee showed again why Auburn AD Jay Jacobs nailed this basketball hire, with a memorable 65 - 62 comeback victory over Mississippi State on Saturday http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102120028 . With less than 4 minutes left, Auburn was down by 13. Then Barbee's guys  went on a 17 - 0 run to seal the home victory. I predict next year at this time, Auburn fans will be feeling the same love for their basketball program as Alabama is enjoying now.  Rick Stansbury might have to polish his sales skills to convince his Mississippi State bosses to treat this year as a mulligan, especially after this devastating loss. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

I saw the halftime score of the Georgia at South Carolina game on Saturday  with the visiting team leading 28 - 9. Yes, I was shocked when I saw it....nine points in 20 minutes!  The Gamecocks fought back in the second half and it took the Dogs stud Trey Thompkins's block of a potential-tying 3-pointer by freshman sensation Bruce Ellington to preserve the 60 - 56 victory for the Athens crew http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120525 . Ellington wasn't sensational that afternoon shooting 1 for 12,  0 for 6 from the perimeter. His game has gone on the skids lately.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an marquee matchup of heralded offensive star vs. defensive star, Vanderbilt and my guy, sharpshooting John Jenkins, hosted Kentucky and also my guy, lock-down defender DeAndre Liggins. It was similar to the Super Bowl matchup of Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers  against safety Troy Polamalu...in both cases the offense won. Jenkins was ridiculous scoring 32 points  on 11 for 17 shooting, 6 for 10 from you know where. Liggins picked up his 4th foul with 10 minutes left and lost the battle as did Kentucky, 81 - 77 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120615 .  

 

Vanderbilt is 2 1/2 games behind the Gators in the SEC East, but Florida still has to play at Vandy, at Kentucky and still needs to play Alabama and Georgia at home. It is not over...not even close.  NEXT

 

 

 

 

Somehow on Saturday North Carolina managed to hang on and defeat Clemson 64 - 62 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120120 . Of the nine Tar Heels who participated, four starters scored 62 of its 64 points. The remaining five Carolina players were a combined 0 - 11. They are going to need more punch from the bench to make an impact in March. Freshman point guard Kendall Marshall and his stellar play such as his 18 points against Clemson is starting to make the departed Larry Drew II just a memory. 

 

Clemson's Jerai Grant did not make his Uncle Horace or his dad, Harvey, very proud with his zero points and one rebound in 16 minutes. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

FSU had a costly 63 - 56 victory against Virginia on Saturday http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102120213 . After its top scorer and rebounder, 6 ' 9 Chris Singleton scored 11 points in the first 10 minutes, he fractured his foot and could miss the remainder of the season.  The Seminoles are hoping the wins over Baylor and Duke will convince the NCAA Committee to let them dance even if they falter the rest of their season without their fallen star. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a previous blog, we featured  Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. in You Make Me Feel Old. On Saturday, he had a career-high 26 points on 9 for 11 shooting including 4 for 6 deep in the Wolverine's  73 - 69 win over Indiana http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120357 . I understand Hardaway Jr. does not do the "killer crossover dribble" like his old man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0HRPIu02Xo .

 

By the way, Hardaway's teammate, Jon Horford, Al's brother, was scoreless in 5 minutes. NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

UAB's hopes for an NCAA bid were fractured a bit over the weekend when it was learned that 6 '10 Cameron Moore broke his hand during practice. It is not known how long he will be out, but it puts more pressure on Mike Davis and the Blazers who already had a depth problem. One solution is if 6' 4 senior Jamarr Sanders takes over like he did in Saturday night's 74 - 68 home victory over Rice http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120034 . Sanders lit up the Owls for 37 points on 11 for 22 shooting including 8 for 14 from the three-point line.

 

You know how I love greater than 90 % free throw shooting. Rice was perfect on all 15 of its free throw attempts. Connor Frizzell, whose free throw proficiency was highlighted in an earlier blog, made all 4 of his free throws boosting his percentage to 91.8 %, sixth in the country http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/statistics/player/_/stat/free-throws  NEXT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

UCF and former Gator assistant, Donnie Jones, finally broke its 8-game losing streak....barely.....defeating Tulsa at home 58 - 57 when the Golden Hurricane's Scottie Haralson missed a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer (that seems to be happening a lot lately in Southern games). http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recap?gid=201102120103 .  UCF brings Michael's son, Marcus and the Jordanaires to Birmingham on Saturday for a key 5:00 matchup for UAB.   NEXT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, I had the pleasure to see my Sweet Sixteen sleeper pick, Old Dominion, upset 1st place VCU on the road 70 - 59 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102120613 . If you enjoy relentless board work, then you need to watch Old Dirty (nickname for Old Dominion). They pound the boards constantly led by All-BB (Barry's Blog) Frank Hassell (rhymes with last name of Sam Cassell) who is an even  bigger beast than he looks in the box score.

 

Hassell had a double-double with 18 points on 8 for 14 all within the arc and gathered 11 rebounds. ODU nearly doubled VCU in the rebounding totals, 40 - 21, primarily due to the 18 - 5 discrepancy on the offensive boards. VCU's coach Shaka Smart, a former assistant for Billy Donovan, had to have been crushed by this beating. THAT'S IT.

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy....to preserve marital bliss, athletic directors across the country should not schedule games on Valentine's Day....be sure to click on this recent ill dunk by the Clippers' Blake Griffin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CJHue02GGk ,

 

 

 

Barry