Are we there yet? ACC play will finally begin in less than two weeks, which could lead to some shake-ups in the rankings after a slow holiday push. As it is, there’s little question about who the top three teams in the league are right now (although the order, of course, is always up for debate). But the fourth? Fifth? Sixth? 1. North Carolina: The Tar Heels’ dismantling of Texas was impressive, even if it was a younger, shorter Longhorns team than seasons past.
Continued here:
Conference Power Rankings: ACC
Filed under Basketball by on Dec 27th, 2011. Comment. 
Kansas State took top honors this week after winning the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Here are 10 other teams that impressed. 1. North Carolina: The Tar Heels crushed Texas in Chapel Hill and finally looked like the dominant No. 1 team it was projected to be at the start of the season. 2. Providence: Yes, the Friars made the grade this week. They won easily at rival Rhode Island, which might not mean much considering the Rams have only one win, but it was a strong statement for first-year coach Ed Cooley, who has his program trending upward heading into Big East play.
Read more:
10 teams that impressed this week
Filed under Basketball by on Dec 26th, 2011. Comment.
Texas vs. North Carolina: Probable starters TEXAS No. Player Pos. Ht.
Visit link:
Texas vs. North Carolina: lineups, stats, notes
Filed under News by on Dec 21st, 2011. Comment.
Dana O’Neil wrote about the top 25 things she’s looking forward to this season. Now the rest of our experts weigh in with their selections. Stephen Bardo : I’m looking forward to seeing if the trend of mid-major teams advancing deep into the NCAA tournament continues. We’ve seen Butler, VCU, and George Mason crash the Final Four in recent seasons. This season should have more mid-majors capable of surprise runs, including Belmont, Creighton, Drexel, Fairfield, Harvard and Wichita State. Jay Bilas : The Big East tournament in Madison Square Garden. This could be the last season of the Big East as, hands down, the best conference in the country. Before West Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and perhaps others bolt the league, the last Big East tourney with all of the participants will bring great drama — and some tears. Things change, but I will miss the Big East tournament. Eamonn Brennan : The upheaval in the Big Ten. We know Ohio State is the league’s best team, and you can bank on Jordan Taylor and the ever-steady Wisconsin Badgers pushing the Buckeyes at the top of the conference. But after those two, the league is more unpredictable than any time in recent memory. Will Michigan State bounce back? Will a retooled Illinois team emerge? Can Indiana fight out of the cellar? Will Northwestern finally make the tournament? Where’s Michigan’s ceiling? Can an experienced Nebraska team make an impact? The search for answers to those questions — and many more — begins this week. Fran Fraschilla : Madison Square Garden in March. Sadly, I am looking forward to watching the final Big East tournament as I’ve known it. Regardless of how conference realignment turns out, there will never be another 30-year period in a college basketball conference like we’ve seen in the Big East. UConn’s five-day run through the tournament last March was emblematic of the type of excitement we expected in New York. From Ewing to Mullin to Pearl to Ray Allen to Gerry and Kemba, it’s never going to be the same. John Gasaway : The last (real) Big East tournament. I’m as realistic and progressive as the next guy. I don’t fear change, and there’s no doubt in my mind the ACC will be a much better basketball conference once Syracuse and Pitt join it next season. But for the past couple of decades, the Big East tournament has had something that — to be quite honest — no other major-conference tournament has had. And with the league losing programs like Syracuse and Pitt (and West Virginia to the Big 12), that “something” is about to disappear. But not before we enjoy one last good old-fashioned Big East tournament, March 6-10, at the Garden. It’s as if someone said this will be the last season we play football on Thanksgiving. I’ll see you at the Garden in March. Doug Gottlieb : Legit big men in the college game. Having a wealth of young and experienced big men make the games more balanced and better to watch. Jared Sullinger , Tyler Zeller , Joshua Smith , the Plumlee brothers, Thomas Robinson , Quincy Acy , Harper Kamp , Aziz N’Diaye , Derrick Nix , Alex Oriakhi and Festus Ezeli are just a few names you will hear about this season. With overall point guard play being down — in terms of transcendent lead guards — the focus on size and improving skill will be refreshing. Add to that list, several new talents like Anthony Davis , Cody Zeller and even Andre Drummond , all of whom are very confident and maybe more comfortable on the floor, the intrigue grows. The closer we get to conference play and postseason play, the games generally slow down and become half-court affairs. Expect these big men to become huge storylines this season. Andy Katz : How does North Carolina handle the expectation of being No. 1? Will Kentucky be able to mesh a talented roster yet again with a new point guard? What are the chances Connecticut can repeat behind the newcomer Drummond? Will this finally be the season that Xavier or Gonzaga break through to the Final Four? But more than anything, I’m looking forward to seeing how Creighton, New Mexico, Wichita State, Drexel, Detroit and others develop over the course of the season. We’ve been spoiled with Butler and VCU in March. Can we possibly get another sleeper in 2012? Jason King : Conference races. North Carolina seems like a shoo-in to win the ACC, but the other Big Six leagues are intriguing. Kentucky, Vanderbilt or Florida in the SEC
Read more from the original source:
What the experts are looking forward to
Filed under Basketball, Football by on Nov 7th, 2011. Comment.
There’s a rumor floating around that there’s a pretty big game in Tuscaloosa this week. Here’s a look at what to watch around the league in Week 10: 1. Winning up front: With all the focus on the two defenses in the Alabama and LSU game, keep a close eye on who gets it done up front on offense, especially in the second half. Both of these offensive lines have a way of imposing their will on teams after halftime. They should be healthy, too. Guard Anthony Steen is expected back for Alabama after missing time with a concussion, and LSU will get back center P.J. Lonergan, who didn’t play in either of the Tigers’ last two games while recovering from an ankle injury. The team that plays the best on the offensive line is the team that’s going to win this game. 2.Big-play receivers: With both the Alabama and LSU defenses being so stout, it makes sense that the team that wins is going to have to hit a few big plays in the passing game. It was Jarrett Lee completing the third-down bomb to Rueben Randle last season to ice the game for the Tigers, and two years ago, it was Julio Jones’ 73-yard catch and run that put the Crimson Tide ahead to stay. LSU’s Randle has been one of the best big-play receivers in the league this season. He has seven touchdown receptions and is averaging 19.3 yards per catch. Russell Shepard is somebody else to watch for the Tigers, while Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks are also plenty capable of striking from long distance for the Crimson Tide.
Read the original post:
What to watch in the SEC: Week 10
Filed under Football by on Nov 3rd, 2011. Comment.
1. One by one, the challengers to Alabama junior tailback Trent Richardson for the Doak Walker Running Back Award have been felled by injury. Oregon junior LaMichael James , the 2010 winner, led the nation in rushing when he dislocated his elbow earlier this month. South Carolina sophomore Marcus Lattimore and, as of Wednesday night, Pittsburgh junior Ray Graham have suffered season-ending knee injuries. If Richardson stays healthy, the award is his to lose. Of course, staying healthy has been the problem. 2. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told Chuck Todd on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown on Wednesday that West Virginia University “had a done deal” with the Big 12 before politics — ewwww — entered the fray. Manchin suggested that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) may have intervened with the conference on behalf of Louisville. To counter the use of politics, Manchin suggested a Senate hearing. I’m guessing the irony went completely over his head. 3. There’s a lot of ways in which history says that No. 8 Oklahoma will beat No. 9 Kansas State, but this is the most interesting: the Sooners, coming off their 41-38 loss to Texas Tech, haven’t lost consecutive games since 2003. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the next longest streak, shared by Boise State, TCU and Oregon, dates to 2007. How unusual is Oklahoma’s streak? Of the 120 FBS teams, 81 have lost at least two straight this season.
Continue reading here:
3-point stance: Doak contenders dropping
Filed under Football by on Oct 28th, 2011. Comment.
1. One by one, the challengers to Alabama junior tailback Trent Richardson for the Doak Walker Running Back Award have been felled by injury. Oregon junior LaMichael James , the 2010 winner, led the nation in rushing when he dislocated his elbow earlier this month. South Carolina sophomore Marcus Lattimore and, as of Wednesday night, Pittsburgh junior Ray Graham have suffered season-ending knee injuries. If Richardson stays healthy, the award is his to lose. Of course, staying healthy has been the problem. 2. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told Chuck Todd on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown on Wednesday that West Virginia University “had a done deal” with the Big 12 before politics — ewwww — entered the fray. Manchin suggested that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) may have intervened with the conference on behalf of Louisville. To counter the use of politics, Manchin suggested a Senate hearing. I’m guessing the irony went completely over his head.
See the article here:
3-point stance: Doak contenders dropping
Filed under Football by on Oct 28th, 2011. Comment.
1. One by one, the challengers to Alabama junior tailback Trent Richardson for the Doak Walker Running Back Award have been felled by injury. Oregon junior LaMichael James , the 2010 winner, led the nation in rushing when he dislocated his elbow earlier this month. South Carolina sophomore Marcus Lattimore and, as of Wednesday night, Pittsburgh junior Ray Graham have suffered season-ending knee injuries. If Richardson stays healthy, the award is his to lose. Of course, staying healthy has been the problem. 2. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told Chuck Todd on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown on Wednesday that West Virginia University “had a done deal” with the Big 12 before politics — ewwww — entered the fray. Manchin suggested that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) may have intervened with the conference on behalf of Louisville. To counter the use of politics, Manchin suggested a Senate hearing. I’m guessing the irony went completely over his head. 3. There’s a lot of ways in which history says that No. 8 Oklahoma will beat No. 9 Kansas State, but this is the most interesting: the Sooners, coming off their 41-38 loss to Texas Tech, haven’t lost consecutive games since 2003. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the next longest streak, shared by Boise State, TCU and Oregon, dates to 2007. How unusual is Oklahoma’s streak? Of the 120 FBS teams, 81 have lost at least two straight this season.
The rest is here:
3-point stance: Doak contenders dropping
Filed under Football by on Oct 28th, 2011. Comment.
ESPNU Midnight Madness tips off the basketball season with more schools than ever before, including both the men’s (UConn) and women’s (Texas A&M) defending national champions. Beginning at 9 p.m. ET, a four-hour special on ESPNU will preview top college programs in whip-around coverage of 11 basketball events across the nation. In addition, seven sites will be featured live on ESPN3, starting at 7 ET. The events being broadcast on ESPN3 are linked below for easy viewing. Here’s the full lineup: — Connecticut with Mark Brown and Doris Burke ( ESPN3 at 7 ET ) — Louisville with Bob Valvano ( ESPN3 at 7 ET ) — North Carolina with Stuart Scott ( ESPN3 at 7:30 ET ) — Kentucky with Jimmy Dykes ( ESPN3 at 7:30 ET ) — St. John’s with Tony Luftman ( ESPN3 at 7:30 ET ) — Syracuse with Rich Hollenberg and Tim Welsh ( ESPN3 at 8 ET ) — Duke with Lou Canellis and Bill Raftery ( ESPN3 at 8 ET ) — Texas A&M with Dave Armstrong and Carolyn Peck ( ESPN3 at 1 a.m. ET ) — Baylor with Fran Fraschilla (only on ESPNU) — Kansas with Sean Farnham (only on ESPNU) — Creighton with Stephen Bardo (only on ESPNU) — Michigan State with Dan Dakich (only on ESPNU) — ESPNU Midnight Madness whip-around show ( 9 p.m. ET to 1 a.m. ET )
View original post here:
Where can you watch Midnight Madness?
Filed under Basketball by on Oct 14th, 2011. Comment.
Duke fans would probably disagree, and I’m sure NC State fans can’t stand the colors, but any objective observer has to admit the Tar Heels’ uniforms have always been top of the class. Why? More than anything — the colors or the argyle design or the popularity inherent in the association with Michael Jordan — it’s because the UNC’s uniforms are classic. They don’t change, at least not in major ways. When they do, the die-hards tend to get upset. In other words, it’s no surprise the new version of UNC’s jerseys have not gone over well. On Wednesday, UNC unveiled its 2011-12 uniforms , which are basically the same old unis with a custom hologram on the back, similar to the designs Nike has used at Duke, Texas, Michigan State and other members of its Nike Elite line
See original here:
UNC jerseys get the hologram treatment
Filed under Basketball, News by on Oct 12th, 2011. Comment.
