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MBB Game 8 Preview: St. Mary's vs. Oregon

dvieira — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:30:14 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

14 days ago: Oregon's E.J. Singler, left, LeKendric Longmire (24) and Michael Dunigan (33) battle Missouri's Zaire Taylor, right, and Keith Ramsey, center, for a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Browse more photos »

Game Time: 1pm, Live Stats and Radio

As St. Mary's comes to Mac Court, they are recovering from the news that senior guard Wayne Hunter will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee in the last few minutes of their win over Utah State last Saturday. The Gaels will miss his 12 points per game but more importantly, they will miss his defensive intensity and energy. You don't like to take pleasure in the misfortunes of others, but having Hunter in there would have caused major problems for our guards in ball control and scoring.

A Look at the Gaels

St. Mary's has a great inside/outside game with 6-11 Omar Samhan at center and 6-0 Mickey McConnell at guard. Samhan is a beast near the basket, averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds a game on nearly 60% shooting. A crafty senior, Samhan will look to exploit Oregon underneath early and often. He will pass the ball when needed and that's where McConnell will kill you, shooting 60% from beyond the arc.

Outside of their starters, St. Mary's doesn't have a lot of experience or depth but they do have a good 6th man in Tim Williams. Who steps up for Wayne Hunter will be interesting as the most likely candidates are all freshman in Trey Anderson, Matt Dellavedova, and Jorden Page. Out of those, Anderson and Page are the most likely but have limited experience.

Keys to the Game

1. Michael Dunigan, are you listening to me? Good. Don't get in foul trouble. We need you in there playing your best defense against Omar Samhan. He is prone to turning the ball over but he will get his points. Don't get silly handcheck fouls. Without you in there, he will dominate even more on the glass and kill us. If Dunigan can take him straight up, we can work to take away the Gael's 3 point game.

2. With the Gael defense being so good, Oregon will need to have a good day from the field to stay in it. If the team shoots like they did against Missouri, this one will get ugly fast

3. Rebounding and limiting offensive opportunities will be key for Oregon to get out on the break. With Samhan looking to crash the boards, good box outs and fundamental defense will turn into offensive opportunities if the Ducks can take advantage of them.

Final Thoughts

This would be a great game to have in the win column but my expectations are low coming off the blow out by Missouri and given how good the Gaels have been in recent years. I certainly like our chances more with Wayne Hunter out of the game. We need to come out and be competitive in this game for a lot of reasons, but mainly for the overall mental aspect of the team. Getting blown out for the second game in a row could prove as damaging as last year and we don't want a "here we go again" feeling.

I'm not expecting a win but this game would go far in getting us some momentum in finishing up the non-conference slate. A win here and I feel we have a great shot of ending non-conference at 8-4 or better.

RPI WATCH: 11/28/09

BracketCat — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 01:00:15 -0000

Several future opponents continued onward in weekend tournaments yesterday.

Some won and some lost. Find out which were which after the jump.

If for some reason you absolutely need to know up-to-date numbers, I get them here.

Current Kansas State RPI = 26

Current Kansas State SOS = 44

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Loyola

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (3-1) | RPI = 54
Western Illinois (2-3) | RPI = 125
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76
No. 18 Dayton (2-2) | RPI = 32
IUPUI (5-1) | RPI = 56
Fort Hays State (3-0)
Washington State (5-0) | RPI = 208: Win over Nicholls State (78-69)
Xavier (4-1) | RPI = 106: Win over Creighton (80-67)
UNLV (4-0) | RPI = 3
Alabama (3-2) | RPI = 91: Loss to Florida State (60-51)
UAPB (0-4) | RPI = 249: Loss to Akron (68-65)
Cleveland State (3-3) | RPI = 201
South Dakota (2-3)
Missouri (4-0) | RPI = 87: Win over Old Dominion (66-61)
Texas A&M (4-1) | RPI = 25: Loss to No. 8 West Virginia (73-66)
Colorado (4-2) | RPI = 127
No. 3 Texas (4-0) | RPI = 71
Oklahoma State (5-0) | RPI = 16: Win over Bradley (68-57)
Baylor (5-1) | RPI = 113: Win over Iona (72-62 in overtime)
No. 1 Kansas (5-0) | RPI = 52: Win over Tennessee Tech (112-75)
Nebraska (3-1) | RPI = 126
Iowa State (5-0) | RPI = 187
No. 25 Oklahoma (2-3) | RPI = 192
Texas Tech (6-0) | RPI = 94

Around the ACC: Nov. 27

MRickman84 — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:58:01 -0000

Only two games yesterday, so this'll be a short read today. Clemson got upset yesterday, which I was not expecting to happen. Don't know if this is a.) an indication that A&M is better than they looked (plus they have B.J. Holmes who already has a built-in fall-back career), b.) that Clemson is just doing what Clemson likes to do, or C.) that it is just a loss and we can't take anything away from it at all.

The big game is UConn vs. Duke, a game that has some history behind it (as I'm sure ESPN will let us know all day). The two other games to keep an eye on are FSU vs. Alabama (5 PM) and VT vs. Temple (8:30). And make sure to tough out your turkeyday hangovers.

FSU 54, Iona 49
Raise your hand if you were a bit surprised that Iona gave FSU such a game yesterday. The Gaels won 12 games yesterday and had a ton of injuries, but I guess getting healthy helped them out. The game was tied with under 3 minutes to play, but Florida State gutted out a victory (see what hitting your free throws does, kids?). Florida State had 27 turnovers (with only 8 assists), which is cause for concern, but got 16 points from Derwin Kitchen and 13 from Chris Singleton.

Clemson 60, Texas A&M 69

Clemson got shell-shocked early on, going down 17 at one point, but showed a lot of heart to cut it to two, but A&M added a late-game surge to finish the 9 point victory. A&M's Holmes had 20 points on an unorthodox 3-7 shooting (hitting 11 of his 12 FTs, with 3 three pointers). Trevor Booker led the Tigers with 18 and 6 rebounds, and Tanner Smith had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. If A&M hopes to get with the elite teams in the country, they're going to have to do a lot better than the 20-35 FTs they hit yesterday.

RPI WATCH: 11/23/09

BracketCat — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:13 -0000

Well, it's officially basketball season here at BOTC, so I'm going to try and get some basketball-related stuff on here on a more consistent basis. Big 12 Outlook will return after New Year's, but in the meantime, I need to resume the Big 12 previews and shift them into overdrive a little in order to make up for lost time.

The other thing I want to do is update you on all of our opponents on a daily basis. I'll look at how they performed in yesterday's games and maybe track the RPIs a little, too. The idea is to get a general picture, on a day-to-day basis, of how strong our non-conference schedule is, because I've seen some concern from various corners of late.

For a more detailed discussion, hit the jump. But here's a short preview: We did ourselves a lot of good in Puerto Rico.

Here's how our opponents have performed to date, in order to provide a baseline comparison and bring everyone up to speed. (After all, not everyone has been paying attention to hoops like I have, given our North-contending football team and what have you.)

Kansas State RPI = 28

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Dayton

Good Wins (RPI 51-100) = Loyola

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (2-1) | RPI = 64: Loss at Kansas State (92-54), Win over Canisius (89-69), Win at Holy Cross (76-73)
Western Illinois (2-2) | RPI = 112: Loss at Arizona State (87-35), Loss at Kansas State (82-50), Win over Truman State (71-59), Win at Central Arkansas (56-46)
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141: Loss at Iona (82-73), Loss to George Washington (69-59), Loss to Kansas State (80-70), Win over Indiana (71-67), Loss to No. 21 Georgia Tech (85-67)
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76: Win over UALR (92-64), Win over Alabama State (90-53), Win over Indiana (89-71), Win over Kansas State (86-74), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (79-67)
No. 18 Dayton (2-2) | RPI = 32: Win over Creighton (90-80), Win over No. 21 Georgia Tech (63-59), Loss to No. 5 Villanova (71-65), Loss to Kansas State (83-75)
IUPUI (4-1) | RPI = 75: Win at Drake (88-82), Win at Eastern Illinois (69-66), Win over Austin Peay (77-63), Loss at Auburn (80-65), Win over Georgia State (67-56)
Fort Hays State (2-0) | RPI = N/A (D-II): Win over Friends (82-46), Win over Central Christian College (85-66)
Washington State (3-0) | RPI = 140: Win over MVSU (94-66), Win over Eastern Washington (67-61), Win over IPFW (89-70)
Xavier (3-0) | RPI = 79: Win over Youngstown State (83-57), Win over Bowling Green (101-57), Win over Sacred Heart (105-65)
UNLV (3-0) | RPI = 1: Win over Pittsburg State (91-52), Win over Nevada (88-75), Win over Southern Illinois (78-69)
Alabama (2-1) | RPI = 186: Loss to Cornell (71-67), Win over Jackson State (86-69), Win over Providence (84-75)
UAPB (0-3) | RPI = 166: Loss at Colorado (88-72), Loss at Denver (75-56), Loss at UTEP (70-52)
Cleveland State (3-1) | RPI = 260: Loss at St. Bonaventure (72-62), Win over Wilmington (99-74), Win over Florida A&M (78-64), Win over Sam Houston State (80-65)
South Dakota (2-2) | RPI = N/A (D-I transition): Loss at Texas Tech (88-49), Loss to Oregon State (62-47), Win over TAMUCC (76-73), Win over Mayville State (99-67)
Missouri (2-0) | RPI = 280: Win over UT Martin (83-68), Win over UTPA (100-64)
Texas A&M (3-0) | RPI = 135: Win over Angelo State (88-69), Win at SMU (80-68), Win over Samford (68-49)
Colorado (3-0) | RPI = 128: Win over UAPB (88-72), Win over Coppin State (82-58), Win over Texas Southern (88-77)
No. 3 Texas (2-0) | RPI = 17: Win over UC Irvine (89-42), Win over Western Carolina (73-41)
Oklahoma State (3-0) | RPI = 21: Win over Seattle (86-64), Win over Southern (93-61), Win over North Texas (82-68)
Baylor (4-0) | RPI = 60: Win over Norfolk State (86-58), Win over Hartford (71-69), Win over Southern (61-45), Win over Hardin-Simmons (106-45)
No. 1 Kansas (3-0) | RPI = 46: Win over Hofstra (101-65), Win over Memphis (57-55), Win over Central Arkansas (94-44)
Nebraska (2-1) | RPI = 134: Win over SCUU (76-49), Loss at Saint Louis (69-55), Win over TCU (90-77)
Iowa State (4-0) | RPI = 188: Win over Idaho State (88-68), Win over Chicago State (72-50), Win at Drake (90-70), Win over MVSU (96-55)
No. 17 Oklahoma (2-1) | RPI = 65: Win over Mount St. Mary's (95-71), Win over UL Monroe (72-61), Loss at VCU (82-69)
Texas Tech (5-0) | RPI = 86: Win over South Dakota (88-49), Win over TAMUCC (66-59), Win over Oregon State (64-60), Win over Northwestern State (94-75), Win over Lamar (77-54)

My plan is to update this daily with the games are played the previous day, and I'll probably start looking at RPIs some time after Thanksgiving (they're pretty meaningless before that point due to the disparity in scheduling).

Update: Got bored and added the RPIs around midnight. I'll save the analysis for tomorrow's edition.

BtB 2009-10 Metro Atlantic Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:00:30 -0000

With four starters back from a team that won an NCAA game for the second straight season, the Siena Saints are again the prohibitive favorites in the Metro Atlantic. But the conference's two other postseason qualifiers, NIT entrant Niagara and CollegeInsider qualifier Rider, are primed to challenge the Saints again in 2009-10.

The race should stay interesting as most of the league's stars are back. Eleven of the 15 players who made the 2008-09 all-MAAC teams are back, with the Purple Eagles and Saints each losing players on the list. While Siena will miss Kenny Hasbrouck and Niagara has a big hole in the middle now that Benson Egemonye is gone, both still have plenty of pieces in place to be competitive nationally. Rider brings back its lone selection, Ryan Thompson, a player who could very well join his brother Jason in the NBA next season.

So while Siena has a great chance to build its national reputation, their conference rivals are ready, and well-positioned, to make some noise of their own. More on the Saints and the nine teams trying to chase them down after the jump.

Here's a recap of last season's MAAC standings.

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Standings

(updated 3.22.2009 at 7:49 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Siena Saints	16	2	27	8
Niagara Purple Eagles	14	4	26	9
Rider Broncs	12	6	19	13
Fairfield Stags	9	9	17	15
Manhattan Jaspers	9	9	16	14
St. Peter's Peacocks	8	10	11	19
Iona Gaels	7	11	12	19
Loyola, Md. Greyhounds	7	11	12	20
Canisius Golden Griffins	4	14	11	20
Marist Red Foxes	4	14	10	23

Now here are my picks for the 2009-10 season, presented in reverse order.

Marist (last NCAA: 1987) Former John Calipari assistant Chuck Martin will have an even more difficult time leading the Red Foxes this season, as three starters are gone off a 10-win team, including the team's top two scorers, F Ryan Schneider (15.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and G David Devezin (10.3 ppg). If the returnees, led by 6-2 G Dejuan Goodwin (6.7 ppg), 5-10 R.J. Hall (6.9 ppg, 1.7 apg), and 6-9 Korey Bauer (4.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg) are more comfortable with the dribble-drive offense, the Foxes should improve, but that may not show up in the standings. The Red Foxes play their first six away from Poughkeepsie, starting with a game at Rutgers on November 14.

Iona (last NCAA: 2006) The Gaels will fill the MAAC's host slot at the Old Spice Classic at Disney World, where they open with 2009 NCAA participant Florida State, facing either Alabama or Baylor on day 2. It could be a rough four days for them, as they may not have the firepower to compete. Leading scorer Gary Springer graduated, and he was the only Gael to average in double figures last year (11.8 ppg, 7 rpg). Kevin Willard will need his returnees, led by Scott Machado (9.3 ppg), last year's conference Newcomer of the Year, and his backcourt-mate Milan Prodanovic (6.9 ppg), to get their offense to the level of Iona's often impressive defense.

Manhattan (last NCAA: 2004) Barry Rohrssen has three starters back from a team that did well to finish at .500 in the league last season. The two losses are significant; however, as Chris Smith (13.4 ppg) transferred and forward Devon Austin (10.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) graduated. That means the Jaspers will be even more guard-oriented this season. 6-4 Darryl Crawford, the team's leading scorer (14.4 ppg), leads the returnees, while 6-4 JC transfer Rico Pickett will see immediate minutes in an effort to recover the production of Smith and Austin. The highlight of the Jaspers' non-conference schedule this season is a trip to Nashville to face Vanderbilt.

Canisius (last NCAA: 1996) The Golden Griffins could be ready to fly up the standings, as all five starters are back from last year's 11 win outfit. Senior PG Frank Turner (15.6 ppg, 4 apg) has several options when running the offense, including 6-4 junior SG Julius Coles (12.1 ppg), 6-7 junior Greg Logins (11.3, 7 ppg, 7 rpg) and 6-9, 320 lb. C Chris Gadley (7.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg off the bench). The highlight of a relatively local schedule is a trip to a holiday tournament at Southern Miss, which also features New Orleans and North Florida.

Loyola (MD) (last NCAA: 1994) Jimmy Patsos has all five starters back, so the Greyhounds should improve on the 12 wins they claimed a season ago. Loyola's strength will be a backcourt featuring the conference's leading scorer and nation's top free throw shooter, Jamal Barney (18.1 ppg), Brett Harvey (12.4 ppg), and Brian Rudolph (8 ppg), but the frontcourt should be much better this time around thanks to the addition of 6-10 Maryland transfer Shane Walker. Patsos' schedule is heavily local, with a game at West Virginia a main highlight.

St. Peter's (last NCAA: 1995) The Peacocks should improve on their 8 league wins this season, but this year could just be a stepping stone to next year, when John Dunne's three returning junior starters are ready for their swan song. St. Peter's backcourt is formidable, as PG Nick Leon (2.3 apg) and off guard Wesley Jenkins (4.3 rpg) both averaged more than 15 points per contest last year. 6-7 F Ryan Bacon is a force inside, as he averaged almost 12 points and nearly 8 boards a game in '08-09. For the Peacocks to make real strides in this league, Dunne will need more out of his bench, particularly 6-6 swingman Jordan Costner (3.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and 6-8 F Jack Hill (1.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg). St. Peter's opens at Seton Hall and will face Monmouth in a 6 a.m. game during ESPN's November 17 hoops marathon.

Fairfield (last NCAA: 1997) Ed Cooley welcomes four starters back, led by 6-7 senior F Greg Nero (12.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg), but point guard is a major issue for the Stags. Herbie Allen (9.6 ppg, 2.8 apg) graduated and last season's original starter, Jonathan Han (12.5 ppg, 5.3 apg), left the program after Cooley suspended him. Expect the Stags to be more frontcourt-oriented thanks to the presence of Nero, 6-5 junior Warren Edney (9.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg), 6-6 junior Yorel Hawkins (8.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg), and 6-9 senior Mike Evanovich (7.5 ppg, 3 rpg). The Stags will spend most of the Thanskgiving season in the DC area, where they'll face Maryland, American, and Howard.

Rider (last NCAA: 1994) Besides Thompson (18 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.2 apg), Tommy Dempsey has three other players back who averaged in double figures last year: 6-7 F Mike Ringgold (11.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg), 6-7 swingman Novar Gadson (10.8 ppg, 6 rpg), and 6-2 G Justin Robinson (10.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg). Rider's major loss is 6-3 G Harris Mansell, who averaged almost 12 points a contest last year, but his brother Patrick (2.7 ppg) could potentially replace him. The Broncs should continue to score in bunches, but they'll need to tighten things up on the defensive end to reach the next level. Rider will participate in the low/mid-major bracket of the Cancun Challenge, where they'll face Florida A&M, followed by either Oral Roberts or Sam Houston State. They'll visit Kentucky and Virginia earlier in the event. They'll also visit Mississippi State, hoping to pull an upset in Starkville, like San Diego did last season.

Niagara (last NCAA: 2007) Joe Michalich has a hole to fill down low with Egemonye's graduation (12.7 ppg, 7.1 ppg), but the return of four high-performing starters--including three seniors--means the Purple Eagles will be right in the thick of things again this season. The backcourt, featuring 5-11 Tyrone Lewis (16.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), 6-2 Rob Garrison (10.9 ppg), and 6-1 junior Anthony Nelson (8.1 ppg), will continue to be a strength, while 6-5 swingman Bilal Benn (13.8 ppg, 9.3 rpg) does considerable amounts of everything. Look for 6-6 senior Demetrius Williamson, who averaged 7.7 points and 3 boards a game, and 6-8 freshman Scooter Gillette to attempt to fill Egemonye's shoes and production. The Purple Eagles face a challenging schedule including a trip to Auburn as part of the Glenn Wilkes Classic. They'll face Akron, UCF, and Howard in that same event in Daytona Beach. They also travel to Illinois State for a BracketBuster rematch and host Drexel in a game that starts at 8 a.m. on November 17.

Siena (last NCAA: 2009) Hasbrouck (14.6 ppg, 3.6 ppg) is the only significant loss for Fran McCaffrey, so the Saints will again be a threat to make it to the Tournament and win a game (or even two). The frontcourt is still athletic and full of talented offensive players with 6-6 Edwin Ubiles (15 ppg, 7.9 rpg), 6-9 Ryan Rossiter (10 ppg, 7.9 rpg), and 6-5 Alex Franklin (13.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg) leading the way. Ronald Moore, a pass-first PG (8.7 ppg, 6.4 apg), runs an efficient offensive unit, while 6-3 senior Clarence Jackson (8.3 ppg) and 6-2 sophomore Kyle Downey (3.5 ppg) will get the opportunity to produce in Hasbrouck's place. The Saints also welcome veteran and JC transfer Just-in' Love Smith to their roster this season. The schedule won't quite be the gauntlet of last season's, but there are plenty of intriguing contests. Siena will feature in the November 17 marathon, facing Northeastern. They also travel to Northern Iowa for a BracketBuster rematch and to Atlanta to face former coach Paul Hewitt's Georgia Tech squad. The Saints will also participate in the Philly Hoop Group Classic, where they'll visit Temple, host Delaware, and face St. John's and Brown at the Palestra.

The Saints are my pick to be kings of the MAAC again, so they'll appear in my Final Preseason Bracket on November 9. If the Saints can put together a great regular season, but slip up in the MAAC Tournament, there may be a chance for the Metro Atlantic to be a multi-bid league.

Now, to close this preview, here is my preseason All-MAAC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-MAAC Team

Player of the Year: Ryan Thompson, 6-6 G, Sr. (Rider)

Remainder of the Team
Jamal Barney, 6-3 G, Jr. (Loyola)
Bilal Benn, 6-5 G/F, Sr. (Niagara)
Alex Franklin, 6-5 F, Sr. (Siena)
Edwin Ubiles, 6-6 G/F, Sr. (Siena)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the MAAC this season?

Canisius

1 votes

Fairfield

2 votes

Iona

0 votes

Loyola (MD)

1 votes

Manhattan

0 votes

Marist

1 votes

Niagara

0 votes

Rider

1 votes

St. Peter's

0 votes

Siena

3 votes

9 votes | Poll has closed

Monday Happy Hour Gets Its Recruiting Fix

Maize n Brew Dave — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:21:43 -0000

You know, if you were following Maize n Brew on Twitter you'd already know about this stuff. Come on folks, join us on twitter. It's not like you've got work to do!

Michigan Football

Some disappointing news hit the interwebs on Friday. According to MGoBlog Dan O'Neill Has Left The Team.
As a result, our OLine depth takes a hit, sort of. As MGoBlog points out, O'Neill hasn't really lived up to his potential and wasn't threatening for playing time. One of the Mgoblog board posts also had the somewhat saddening hearsay that O'Neill lost his love of the game. No matter what the reason for the decision, I wish the kid luck. He's not the first of us to change our minds as to what we wanted to do with our lives once he hit college.

Kevin Grady's family says he did not violate terms of probation - A little damage control from the Grady family. This is actually welcome news. Kevin's dad is not happy with the accusations that his son did nothing about his probation. "Those are not correct, those accusations are not, that he did not fulfill any of his obligations," Grady Sr. told the radio station. "He had to have it done before his probation was done in July, and Kevin did complete three-fourths of it. Those accusations are not right." I'm kinda relieved the Kevin didn't sit on his thumbs when the court ordered him to do things. While I'm disappointed he didn't finish is requirements, it's a lot better than if he'd just blown them off. That said, dude, when a judge tells you that you have X number of days to do something, you get it done.

Michigan Football Recruiting

Michigan apparently came up short in the Brennan Clay sweepstakes, as Tate Forcier's old backfield mate appears to have committed to Oklahoma. According to the Tulsa World, the four-star running back committed to OU over the weekend. I'd be concerned about this, but it's still too early in the recruiting process, doesn't seem to jibe with what we've been hearing, and hasn't been confirmed independently. All that said, any news of a commitment isn't good, especially when Clay was a high priority target. SBN's Oklahoma site, Crimson And Cream Machine, is fairly excited about the news.

The Big House Blog gives you a quick roundup of the weekend's 2010 recruiting news up including Brennan Clay, UM Commit Devin Gardner, Will Gholston, and Kyle Prater. Apparently Gardner and Prater are making a connection, so Michigan may have some hope for the #1 WR recruit in the 2010 class.

Michigan Basketball

Michigan adds dates to nonconference basketball schedule (via Detroit Free Press) - Dear lord is this season's basketball schedule going to be tough. To tip off the season the Wolverines are part of the 2009 Old Spice Classic in Orlando, November 26-29. The teams committed to the tournament are Alabama, Baylor, Creighton, Florida State, Iona, Marquette and Xavier. Yeah. That'll be easy. Then Michigan hosts Boston College on December 2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. A week later, Michigan travels to Salt Lake City to face Utah on Dec. 9. Ten days later, Michigan travels to Kansas for the first of a home-and-home on Dec. 19, with the return visit ~~January 8, 2010~~ Jan. 8, 2011. Then, Connecticut comes calling on Jan. 17, 2010 to complete the home-and-home that took Michgian to Connecticut last season. Methinks no one will question Michigan's non-conference schedule anymore.

Beileins part of 1st father and son camp (via Detroit Free Press) - Hey dad (sniff).... wanna have a catch?

Good to hear CJ's alive and well. A Q&A with CJ Lee catches us up with the former captain of the Michigan basketball team.

College Football

In The Bleachers Podcast - 2009 Phil Steele Interview - Our friends at In The Bleachers interview Phil Steele and attempt to get the break down of all that Steele-ian information your tiny human brain is unfit to process. Be wary, 24 minutes of Notre Dame talk and only 3 minutes of Big Ten related content. But it's Steele, and while I may think he's gone off his rocker with some of his top 20 picks (cough Notre Dame cough) you can't argue with the man's successful predictions the last few years.

Ohio State's Jim Tressel among coaches to sleep in Saddam's palace (via Detroit Free Press) - So basically he was returning home?

How Good-Looking is Your Head Coach's Sister?: The Moral Case for Abolishing Overtime in College Football - Dawg Sports makes the "moral" case for permitting two teams to duel to a draw. Ah, the off season. Nothing like fee time for Kyle to make obscure references and ague against the conventional wisdom. If he's this verbose in person I have no idea how anyone gets a word in edgewise, ever.

College Basketball

UK Basketball: Every Rose has its Thorn - A Sea Of Blue - Our homies over at A Sea of Blue are dealing with the Calipari/Gillispie/News Circus as best they can. To their credit, they haven't strangled a single MSM reported. Yet. Kudos guys, I would've blown my stack by now with the ridiculous crap that's hit the newspapers and espn over the past two weeks.