SB Nation - Pittsburgh Panthers

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Friday (12/18/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:08:13 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and a bit of entertainment. Today we're being brought to you by Layla Dirty Blonde Lager in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

The men and women both get back into action tomorrow as basketball gets back into the swing of things all around the country. There's a full slate of BE ranked teams in action. Football starts practice again for the bowl tomorrow as well, which means news there should pick up a bit next week. If you're anywhere where snow is being called for, stay warm and be careful if you have to go out. There's plenty to keep you warm in this edition. Suggestions and requests are always encouraged. Have a safe and great weekend!!! Let's GOOOOOOOO...........

What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Report for Friday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Bill Stewart Statement - MSNsportsNET.Com

Men's Basketball: No Tickets Remain for Seton Hall - MSNsportsNET.Com
Looks like I missed this one. Sorry.

Syracuse Orange enters top 3 of College Basketball Power Rankings - SI.com
We've slid back to #6 from #4 last week.

West Virginia 25th in Director's Cup Standings - MSNsportsNET.Com

Forde Yard Dash - ESPN
"From the starting block in Albuquerque to the finish line in Pasadena, The Dash sprints through all 34 bowls -- and picks the winners."

BCS National Championship, Rose Bowl headline bowl Pickoff - Stewart Mandel - SI.com

News of Note:

West Virginia - Team Notes - USATODAY.com

Let rivalry begin again - Times West Virginian
Hertzel Column

Will Doc's loss impact WVU all that much? - 'Eers to the Ground/PPG

Unfinished Business - MSNsportsNET.Com

WVU's Brown takes aim at home-state team - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Sporting News All-Big East first team - Sporting News

Florida State's head-coach-to-be Jimbo Fisher still fond of West Virginia - St. Petersburg Times

Not just another week for FSU football - Tallahassee Democrat

Chris Henry:

Chris Henry's WVU teammates remember the life of Slim - WVIllustrated.com

Chris Henry's death interrupted his redemption with Bengals - Paul Daugherty - SI.com

NFL Videos: Brown, Lewis on Henry - NFL.com

Chris Henry rocked the Carrier Dome in 2003 as a West Virginia freshman receiver - syracuse.com
Orange beat writer remembers Henry's performances against Syracuse.

What's On Tap:

The WVU women take on Fresno State tomorrow at 7 pm from the Coliseum (couldn't find a link).

West Virginia vs. Cleveland State - SI.com
Saturday from Cleveland at 2 pm on ESPN 360 and MASN.

Lipscomb vs. Cincinnati - SI.com
Saturday at 2 pm from Cinci on ESPN 360.

Villanova vs. Fordham - SI.com
Saturday at 2 pm from East Rutherford, NJ.

Old Dominion vs. Georgetown - SI.com
Saturday at 7 pm from the Phone Booth in DC on ESPN 360 and MASN.

St. Bonaventure vs. Syracuse - SI.com
Saturday at 7 pm from the Dome.

UCF vs. Connecticut - SI.com
Sunday at 1 pm from Hartford on ESPN 360 and MASN.

St. Petersburg Bowl - UCF Knights vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights - ESPN
Sunday night at 8 on ESPN. Rutgers is favored by 3.

Around the League (and Beyond):

See No Big Ten, Hear No Big Ten, Speak No Big Ten - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

Cincinnati's Lance Stephenson talks about transition to college game - Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati holds first Sugar Bowl practice without Brian Kelly - ESPN

Samuels is battling huge expectations - Courier-Journal

Pitt coach Dixon demands big improvement - PPG

What now? - TheUConnBlog.com
Ater Majok makes his debut this weekend

Bulls ease back into practice - Tampa Tribune

If The Big East Expanded... - Pitt Blather

Rutgers tailback Joe Martinek ready to go in St. Petersburg Bowl whether Tim Brown plays or not - Star Ledger

Schiano More than Wins and Losses - Protect R Turf

Doc not a perfect hire, just a terrific one - Charleston Gazette

How about Big 14? -- chicagotribune.com

Videos of (Dis)Interest:

We've seen the music synced light displays before, but music and video game synced? Impressive.

She may be past her prime and carry hepatitis...but this video still does it (and her friend is nice too).

Holiday Picture of the Week:

I think the guy on the right wins, for creativity alone. Thanks to Jimmy T. of Hot Clicks for the find.

via thesurlybirds.com

Brazilian Gallery of the Week:

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is easily one of Israel's finest. Please wish Happy Hanukkah to Miss Bar Rephaeli.

via i.cdn.turner.com

Layla image via www.abarbanel.com

In a Perfect World (Conference Realignment)

Evan Pfaff — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:30:13 -0000

by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Could a University of Houston QB be soon hoisting the Big 12 Championship trophy? (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

View full size photo »

Today the Big Ten conference issued a statement that they are exploring the possibility of expanding.

Every few years we hear the same rumblings and every few years there are articles published about what realignment would look like. But not since Penn State was admitted into the Big Ten has anything official been released. With that, below is the definitive article on the topic.

And even though this is a basketball blog, I will focus on the BCS aspect of realignment to argue my points. I will discuss basketball, though, and all points held for football can loosely translate over to hoops as well.

Currently there are six BCS conferences and those 6 all get automatic BCS-bowl bids. Those conferences are Big East, SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, ACC. Of those six, three of the conferences have enough football teams to have a conference championship game (the Big East would have enough if more of their charter schools had D1 football programs).

Part of the BCS issue is that you have some conferences without 12 schools, who don't currently have conference championship games. Adding conference championship games will ultimately help the BCS by crowing, on a field, a true conference champ. This will help with BCS bowl bids, and especially the BCS championship game. (Think of a rule where you have to at least win your division to get a BCS bid.

The other BCS issue is of the non-BCS schools and where they should lie. My realignment program take that into account.

Without further ado, after The Jump is the Big12Hoops.com Realignment plan.

MIZZOU MOVES TO THE BIG 10.

Why is this good for the Big 10? By admitting Mizzou into the Big 10, the Big 10 would secure a coveted TV market, namely St Louis. They would also get a share of the Kansas City TV market. By expanding westward, revenues from the Big 10 Network and apparel sales would grow. The Big 10 would also secure a 12^th team and legitimize a conference championship game. The divisions would be as follow:

Big 10 East: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Penn State

Big 10 West: Mizzou, Illinois, Northwestern, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

Under this scenario all regional rivalries remain in tact

Why is this good for Mizzou? The Big 12 seems to forget about schools not named Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas (basketball). There is no television network, so Mizzou's games are generally only regionally shown. There is Big Monday for basketball, but that is mainly reserved for Texas and KU. Under this, Mizzou's football games could be carried on the Big 10 Network and basketball games will be tied into the Big 10 ESPN deal. All this leads to a major recruiting advantage in both revenue generating sports.

Mizzou also has a rival in Illinois that would heat up instantly and the heated rivalry with Kansas will replace the Illinois basketball and football games on the schedules. Instead of St Louis, though, the KU games will be played at the Sprint Center and Arrowhead in KC.

But what about... Iowa State? The Cyclones seem to also be a natural fit and could easily add fuel to the rivalry with in-state foe Iowa Hawkeyes. The problem is that the Big 10 gains little from that arrangement. They are already pretty entrenched in the Hawkeye State and the addition of ISU wouldn't help their regional or national reputation.

THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON JOINS THE BIG XII

Why is this good for the Big 12? The University of Houston is a large campus, in a region of Texas that is currently underdeveloped with college sports. Houston is the 4^th largest city in the country, and by planting a team there, the Big 12 will get even more Texas viewership.

The big question would be on alignment, since there will now be 5 Texas schools. My proposal is for

Big 12 "North": Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State

Big 12 "South": Texas, Houston, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, Colorado

The division names will have to be rebranded, but adding Colorado to the South is acceptable because Coloradoans joke that there are more Texans in the state than natives.

Why is this good for Houston? Historically, the Cougars have had a good football team, and have won a basketball national championship. Having a Big XII logo on their court will increase their recruiting presence in the city and state and potentially turn them into powerhouse.

But what about... TCU? TCU would be a good choice, if they were bigger. Their 8000 student just wouldn't cut it if the conference wishes to remain the BIG 12. Houston's enrollment is approximately 30,000 students. Commuter school or not, Houston would help retain the "Big" in Big 12.

BYU AND UTAH GO TO THE PAC-10

Why is this good for the Pac-10? By including Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, the conference will have the 12 schools needed for an automatic conference championship games. Both programs have historically legitimate football and basketball programs, and they will bring their rivalry with them. Geographically, they are far enough West to warrant admission into the conference.

The division would be as follows

Pac-10 North: Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Utah

Pac-10 South: Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC

Why is this good for BYU and Utah? Both recruit well from the West, and inclusion into the conference will aid that. And by coming over as a pair (and as rivals) they bring legitimacy to the expansion eastward.

But what about... geography? The state of Utah doesn't border any states of current Pac-10 members, and that may cause some issues, but distance isn't really something the conference has ever regarded. Consider that Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA is 1100 miles, or 400 miles farther than Tucson to Provo, UT.

ADD MORE TEAMS TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST

Why is this good for the Mountain West? As it stands under this scenario, the Mountain West is down to 7 members (the current 9, minus BYU and Utah). To get up with the big boys, the MWC needs to add 5 schools. The 5 that should move to the MWC should be: Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico State, Rice, SMU.

There is already talk of Boise coming over to the MWC, so that is a no brainer. The others are coming over as "rivals" to existing MWC schools. Nevada will face UNLV, New Mexico State will pair with New Mexico, Rice and SMU will pit against TCU is a three-way battle for Texas.

Having 12 schools will allow the conference to host a championship game, matching the winners of each division, which would be as follows:

MWC North: UNLV, Nevada, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

MWC South: San Diego State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, TCU, Rice, SMU

Why is this good for the 5 programs? The shift from either the C-USA or WAC will legitimize the programs (see the next point). All will also enter the new MWC with a foe. Everyone wins.

But what about... the MWC still remaining relatively minute as compared to their BCS brethren? Why would these schools shift from one conference to another, just for shits and giggles? See next point.

ADMIT THE MOUNTAIN WEST INTO THE BCS

Why is this good for the BCS? Controversy will mainly be avoided. By admitting the redesigned MWC into the BCS you are accepting the current BCS gate crashers. You are bringing in the current at-large schools causing heartache and giving yourself another conference champion that the country can latch onto.

Why is this good for the MWC? Why isn't it good for the MWC?

But what about... the C-USA and WAC? These two conferences are now in shambles. What to do? See next item.

MERGE THE C-USA AND WAC

Why is this good for the two conferences? Because of the success of some of their schools, and regional ability to move, the Conference USA and WAC are currently left in shambles (under this proposal). Essentially afterthoughts as they are, now they are left with 15 schools between them. They could either split them up 8 and 7 or combine forces and form a 15 league mega conference. In terms of basketball, as we have seen with the Big East, and their 16 school hoops conference, too many schools doesn't water down the pool.

But what about... regionality? The C-USA is currently a conglomerate of throw-ins from around the country. Under this plan, that would just increase to a truly national conference. The members of it would be: Fresno St, Hawaii, Idaho, La Tech, San Jose St, Utah St, UTEP, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, Cent Florida, ECU, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss

Using the scenario outlined above, 18 schools will change conferences. This sounds like a lot, but as you can see many will be moving as groups and either with or to a rival.

But what about the Big East? Well, the Big East is the one conference I am leaving alone. In their football world, they are lacking the 12 members to create a championship game. But when you include their basketball members, they are a 16-team powerhouse.

One final thought. I reserve the right to claim this entire scenario null and void if Notre Dame ever decides to join the Big 10. If that were to happen, I would still endorse some shifting, but nothing to the extent of this proposal. More on that if a Notre Dame to the Big 10 rumor starts getting some legitimate traction.

Boilermakings for 12/15

BoilerTMill — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:32:36 -0000

It is a slow basketball week as the guys take Finals, but I did find some nice links to chew on as we wait for Saturday's Wooden Tradition.

The Big 10 tour announces its "Bests" list - Some of you may remember me mentioning this group earlier in the year. Drew and his posse visited all 11 Big Ten Stadiums in 11 weeks. They picked the Ohio State game for their visit to Purdue, which only ended up being the biggest upset of the Big Ten season. The crew selected several "bests" involving Purdue, including this very blog as an honorable mention in that category. I got to meet Drew when he came through Indianapolis on his way to their IU visit. Great guy!

Can we get a recount? - CFN has an excellent discussion on why Drew Brees should have won the Heisman in 2000. I remember saying before the season he would win if he took us to Pasadena. He did that bu still didn't win. How much did the late losses to Penn State and Notre Dame hurt him? I do like how they call Brees' NFL career as Hall of Fame caliber. As a second question, does he make it to Canton before Alstott?

Despite loss, Orton enjoying career season - I went to Sunday's game and Kyle had a pretty good day. Put him in the NFL record book too as the quarterback who threw to Brandon Marshall for his record 21 catches. I bet the Bears have some buyer's remorse right now. Too bad Kyle is not a real NFL quarterback like Cutler and only, you know, WINS THE FREAKING GAME (Sunday excluded)!!!!

Journal & Courier calls it a Kramer moment - I want royalties! I called it that first!

Women's basketball breaks 3 game skid - Still looks like a long season when we struggle with teams like Oakland.

Jay Buente makes Marlins 40-man roster - I forgot to post this a few weeks ago, but this is a big step for the young righty. Being on the 40-man puts him likely at triple-A for the season and he'll be on the short list to make his Major league debut in 2010. The last Boiler to make the Majors was Dave Gassner, who had a cup of coffee with the Twins in 2005 (he even won a game). Reliever Josh Lindblom also has an excellent chance of making the Show in 2010 after a good year for the Dodgers at Triple-A Albuquerque.

Neal to play in east-West Shrine Game - Quite an honor for the departing senior, as the Shrine game is one of the top college All-Star games.

Big Ten expansion talk gets bigger - I haven't talked much about this because there has been nothing concrete short of "we're thinking about it", but is seems to be gaining more steam. As the article states, a more formal statement is expected later today. I think it is going to happen, the question is, who joins? Notre Dame is the obvious choice, but as others have stated, they would be stupid to do so as long as they have the TV contract and special BCS privileges. Iowa State and Missouri have been thrown around, but I don't see that happening unless the Big 12 grabs a team from somewhere else (Utah? Colorado State? New Mexico?) The two that make sense to me are Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, with the Panthers being my top choice. Pitt gives Penn State a true rival, their academics are on par with the Big ten campuses, and it gives us geographic balance with an East-West split. I can see the divisions lining up this way then:

East	West
Penn State	Iowa
Pittsburgh	Minnesota
Ohio State	Wisconsin
Michigan	Illinois
Indiana	Northwestern
Michigan State	Purdue

If that is too top heavy in the East (and it probably is) they might go North-South

North	South
Minnesota	Indiana
Michigan	Illinois
Michigan State	Purdue
Wisconsin	Ohio State
Iowa	Penn State
Northwestern	Pittsburgh

Thoughts?

Big Ten exapansion talk...again?

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 18:54:24 -0000

As I mentioned in yesterday's headlines post, Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez reopened expansion discussion with these comments:

Speaking to Wisconsin's athletic board on Friday, Alvarez, the former longtime Badgers football coach, said the conference already has investigated possibilities for expansion "from all over the country." And though he places no timetable on the search, Alvarez thinks conference commissioner Jim Delany will respond to a group of athletic directors and coaches who want expansion. "I have a sense he is going to take this year to really be more aggressive about it," Alvarez told the board. "I just think everybody feels [expansion] is the direction to go, coaches and administrators."

Expansion is not something that the Big Ten undertakes lightly. Penn State joined in 1990. Michigan State joined in 1950. Before that, the last new members to join were Indiana and Iowa in 1899. The University of Chicago is the only school to leave the Big Ten permanently (per Wikipedia, Michigan left the conference from 1907-1916, but was a charter member when the conference was formed in 1896). All current and former members of the Big Ten are major research institutions ranked in the top 100 by US News & World Report and are members of the Association of American Universities. The Big Ten cares about its brand, academically and athletically.

Certainly, expansion isn't a new topic around here. In this post, nearly two and a half years ago, after comments by Jim Delany about expanding the geographic borders of the conference, I discussed the various possible members in states that border the current Big Ten footprint (but not schools within the footprint. Last May, I mentioned Joe Paterno's East Coast expansion dreams. So, here's a rundown of the candidates.

One issue that I don't think matters to the discussion is the Notre Dame issue. While it's an interesting issue, it doesn't add much to the expansion discussion because 1) Notre Dame is extremely unlikely to join the Big Ten; and 2) if #1 ceases to be true, then Notre Dame is an obvious fit as the 12th school and no further discussion is required. This post will focus on the other schools both inside and outside the footprint that might be plausible candidates. My inclusion of any school in this list should not be considered any sort of an endorsement. I will list every school in or adjacent to Big Ten territory that has anything approaching a big time athletic program.

INSIDE THE FOOTPRINT (from east to west)

University of Pittsburgh

Football: The Panthers have a strong history and have won multiple national championships, but most recently in 1976. The Panthers' fan support pales in comparison to that of Penn State, but in recent years have been reasonably respectable. It has been a generation since Pitt could legitimately be considered a football power, but the Panthers certainly wouldn't be a stretch for Big Ten membership in this regard.
Basketball: Historically, Pitt has been an afterthought, but thanks to the accomplishments of former coach Ben Howland and current coach Jamie Dixon, the Panthers have transformed into one of the best programs in the country. In the late 1990s, Pitt tore down its football stadium, became a tenant of the Steelers at then-new Heinz Field, and built a state-of-the-art basketball arena where the football stadium once stood. Pitt seems to have staying power as a basketball power.
US News Ranking: 56 (five current Big Ten members are ranked lower).
AAU member?: Yes.
Fit/Big Ten interest: Pitt, as a large research university within the Big Ten footprint, has much in common with Big Ten schools, and would have been a good fit at any point over the last few decades. Still, the Panthers plow no new ground. The Big Ten, thanks to Penn State, already has a strong presence in Pittsburgh. The Panthers, even during an excellent 2009 season, averaged only 53,000 in attendance at a stadium with a capacity of over 65,000. Would Pitt, plus the addition of a championship game, result in a net revenue gain for the conference? I have my doubts.
Likelihood of interest:I suspect that from a financial perspective, membership would be tough to decline for Pitt. The Big East, however competitive, provides a fraction of the football revenue. In 2007-08, Pitt ranked #61 in Division I-A with $39 million in revenue. Northwestern was last in the Big Ten with $41 million in revenue that year, and Indiana was next-to-last with $56 million, nearly 20 million more than one of the most prominent programs in the Big East. Also, it would be an academic boon for Pitt. The interesting question would be to what degree Jamie Dixon and his East Coast recruiting would play a role. My guess is that Dixon would be opposed, but my further guess is that his opposition wouldn't be enough.

University of Cincinnati

Football: Barely more than a decade ago, Cincinnati was on IU's schedule as a MAC-style warmup game. In 2009, the Bearcats were a missed Texas field goal away from playing for the national championship. Still, Cincy plays in a 35,000 seat stadium, and Brian Kelly's decision to head to Notre Dame seems to confirm that the Bearcats have nowhere to go but down.
Basketball: Cincinnati is a legitimate historical power. The Bearcats won two NCAA titles in the 1960s and were excellent under Bob Huggins in the 1990s and 2000s.
US News Ranking: Tier 3 (all Big Ten schools are Tier 1)
AAU member?: No.
Fit: It's really pointless to debate Cincinnati's athletic merits, whether Ohio State would oppose it, or anything else. A tier 3 commuter school like Cincinnati never will garner the support the Big Ten's presidents.
Likelihood of interest: Cincinnati is a Big East school with no long history in the conference and located in the heart of Big Ten territory. I presume Cincinnati would jump at the chance in the unlikely event it were offered.

Iowa State University

Football: Other than some recent wins over dramatically more talented Iowa teams, not much to write home about. Iowa State ranks #103 in all-time winning percentage among current Division I-A members. Only Northwestern and IU rank lower. Unlike even Northwestern and IU, Iowa State has never played in one of the current BCS bowls.
Basketball: A bit better than football, but not much. Iowa State hasn't been to the Final Four since 1944 and has only 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.
US News Ranking: 88, below all Big Ten schools, but Tier 1.
AAU member?: Yes.
Fit/Big Ten interest: This is a school that is often mentioned in discussions on Big Ten expansion, and the appeal is completely lost on me. The Cyclones have a lackluster history in both sports, the Big Ten already has representation in Iowa, which is a fairly small state with no major media markets. Unless the creation of a championship game is some sort of cure-all, I can't imagine how anyone could argue that adding Iowa State would make the Big Ten a better conference.
Likelihood of interest: I sincerely have no idea. I have no read on Iowa State fans. I don't know if they prefer to be in a different conference from their rival Hawkeyes or if they would rather go toe-to-toe with Iowa in the Big Ten. I presume, perhaps unfairly, that most Big East teams would make the leap. It's a tougher read when the prospective team has a generations-long connection to a prominent conference. Iowa State ranked #63 in football revenue in 2007-08, and the Big 12 has inbalanced revenue distribution.

OUTSIDE THE FOOTPRINT

Rutgers University

Football: The Scarlet Knights played in the first-ever college football game but haven't done much to distinguish themselves since then. Rutgers has parlayed some success under Greg Schiano into strong attendance, stadium expansion, and the like, but would it be appealing for Rutgers to leave an eastern conference that it theoretically can dominate to join a conference where it must compete with Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State? Rutgers has won 50 percent of its games (#78 in I-A) and has never played in a New Year's Day bowl or in one of the current BCS bowls.
Basketball: The Scarlet Knights have been to the NCAA Tournament six times in school history, most recently in 1991. Rutgers plays its home games in the RAC, and 8,000 bandbox.
US News Ranking: 66, within the range of Big Ten schools.
AAU member?: Yes.

Fit: Academically, fine. Athletically, the Scarlet Knights are well below average in the two sports that matter. Rutgers is a popular hobby horse for Joe Paterno and others, usually based on Rutgers's presence in the greater New York metro area/media market. This strikes me as overblown. If being in such an area matters, then why does Rutgers play in a 8,000 seat basketball arena? Why was the football stadium only recently expanded from 41,000? This would be a nice addition for Big Ten alumni who live in New York, but letting Rutgers in wouldn't turn NYC into a Big Ten town.
Likelihood of interest: Rutgers is one of the more profitable Big East football programs with 2007-08 revenue of $50 million. I presume the academic pull would be strong, but I can imagine some reticence about the idea of New Jersey's state university joining such a distinctly midwestern institution.

Syracuse University

Football: The Orange have been down for several years, but they are a traditional football power. Historically, if not recently, the football program would be a reasonable addition to the Big Ten.
Basketball: Under the leadership of Jim Boeheim, Syracuse has been one of the most successful programs of the last 25 years, winning the 2003 NCAA title and finishing second twice (wouldn't the "Keith Smart, Keith Smart!" chant be fun?). Of course, Syracuse was a charter member of the Big East and is highly identified with that conference.
US News Ranking: 58, pretty average for the Big Ten.
AAU member?: Yes.
Fit: Syracuse would constitute an expansion far northeast of ithe current footprint. While one can argue whether western New york and western Pennsylvania have more in common with the midwest or the east coast, my less-than-knowledgeable impression is that as a university, Syracuse is very tied in to New York City and draws much of its student body from metro New York despite the geographic distance. Syracuse is as far east as Baltimore. Still, Penn State was an eastern power before joining the Big Ten, so Syracuse doesn't seem like much of a departure. Academically, although a private school and a bit smaller than most Big Ten schools, SU would fit just fine.
Likelihood of interest: I really don't know. In terms of revenue, it would seem to be a solid move for Syracuse. On the other hand, Syracuse is one of the more tradition-rich football programs in the Big East. It's possible to picture Syracuse dominating the Big East in football. The Big Ten? Not so much. Basketball, it seems to me, would be the major stumbling block. My guess is that Jim Boeheim wields a lot of influence at Syracuse, and my further guess is that he wouldn't be interested in such a major idenity shift for his program.

University of Maryland

Football: A solid but not overwhelming history in the ACC. Maryland has had a BCS appearance in the last ten years.
Basketball: Maryland is a basketball school in a basketball conference, and has won the NCAA Tournament in the last ten years.
US News Ranking: 53, solidly in the middle of the Big Ten.
AAU member?: Yes.
Fit: Certainly, Maryland's academics and athletics are up to snuff. Of course, like Syracuse, adding Maryland would be a major move eastward. On the other hand, Maryland is located in the suburbs of the major media market of Washington DC, and as far as I can tell as an outsider, seems to be more a part of the region's consciousness than Rutgers is in New York City. If Maryland were interested, I would think they would be a reasonably strong candidate.
Likelihood of interest: It strikes me as unlikely that Maryland would be interested. Despite recent strides in football, Maryland is a basketball school, and currently is one of the better programs in college basketball's most prestigious conference. My guess is that fan and alumni resistance would be strong.

West Virginia University

Football: The Mountaineers are an above average football program with a nearly .600 winning percentage and five top ten finishes in the last 22 seasons. WVU would be a worthy addition in football.
Basketball: The alma mater of Jerry West has a long and decent NCAA Tournament history and has qualified for the Sweet 16 three times in the last five years. WVU is no powerhouse, but has a solid basketball program.
US News Ranking: Tier 3. That's pretty bad for a state's flagship public university (all Big Ten schools are in Tier 1, roughly the top 100).
AAU member?: No.
Fit: I suspect that for Big Ten presidents, academics might be the dealbreaker. In academic prestige, WVU has more in common with Cincinnati and Louisville than with Big Ten schools. Also, WVU adds no major media markets. It's a shame, because I don't think WVU would be a bad fit athletically.
Likelihood of interest: I presume, with no real knowledge of the institution, that there would be interest. Obviously, part of that interest would be based on revenue and prestige, but as a state, West Virginia strikes me as something of a region of its own. It's not really southern, eastern, or midwestern, and certainly isn't tied to the east coast the way Rutgers and Syracuse are. I presume WVU would be game if the Big Ten were.

University of Kentucky

Football: UK has a solid program, but the Wildcats are an afterthought in the extremely competitive SEC East. As IU fans will recall from the longtime football series between IU and UK, the Wildcats have impressive fan support for a team with a below average record.
Basketball: Obviously, the Wildcats are one of the most accomplished programs in the history of college basketball. This addition would dramatically increase the prestige of the Big Ten. Imagine: IU-UK, MSU-UK, Purdue-UK, Ohio State-UK, Illinois-UK, every year, usually twice a year.
US News Ranking: 128. Lower than all current Big Ten schools, but not dramatically so.
AAU member?: No.
Fit: Obviously, basketball would be awesome. Football? Well, Kentucky has good fan support, but generally is considered a have-not. I'm not sure how the revenue picture would look. Kentucky would add the Lexington market and would enhance the Big Ten's presence in the Louisville and Cincinnati markets.
Likelihood of interest: I really don't know. Kentucky strikes me as a state that despite its central geography really treasures its southern identity. Leaving a southern conference to join a midwestern conference might clash with that. Academically, it seems to me it would be a great move for a school that is not currently Big Ten caliber but is within striking distance. In football, UK would be leaving a long history in the SEC, but might be convinced that it has a better chance of competing in the Big Ten. In basketball, UK has owned the SEC, but of its three biggest rivals (Louisville, Indiana, and Tennessee) two are non-conference. It's an intriguing question.

University of Louisville

Football: The Cardinals had a brief moment in the spotlight earlier this decade, but aren't a traditional football power by any stretch.
Basketball: The Cardinals have won two NCAA titles and are a top 10 basketball program historically, or top 15 at least.
US News Ranking: Tier 3 (all current Big Ten schools are Tier 1).
AAU member?: No.
Fit: Louisville would be a decent fit athletically and geographically, but my guess is that academics would be a dealbreaker.
Likelihood of interest: I presume that the opportunity to move into a more lucrative conference, particularly for football, would be attractive. Louisville's history in the Big East is relatively short, and the Metro/Great Midwest/Conference USA were constantly adding and losing members. This wouldn't be like Kentucky leaving the SEC after generations of membership, for instance. My guess is that UL would move, but it's academic.

University of Missouri

Football: An average program historically but currently on the upswing.
Basketball: Thanks to Maryland's recent tournament success, Missouri probably now owns the dubious distinction of "best basketball program without a Final Four appearance." Still, Mizzou has a solid basketball program.
US News Ranking: 102. Below all Big Ten schools but not dramatically so.
AAU member?: Yes.
Fit: Missouri would be an expansion of the conference's borders but into a midwestern portion of the country. bordered by Illinois and Iowa Missouri has good programs in both major sports, is the flagship university in its state, and would add the Kansas City media market and would solidify the Big Ten's presence in the St. Louis market. Again, I don't have a good enough handle on the numbers to know how they would work.
Likelihood of interest: Well, check out this thread on Rock M Nation. Some Mizzou fans are in favor, others are adamantly against the move. Mizzou has a long history in the Big 12 and its predecessors, but also some discontent with the current (in their view) Texas-dominated Big 12. The Big 12 has a less even revenue distribution formula than the Big Ten. I suspect that academics might carry the day if Mizzou were invited.

University of Nebraska

Football: While the last few years haven't been kind to the Huskers, they are an elite program.
Basketball: Nothing special, but neither was Penn State basketball.
US News Ranking: 96, slightly below the tail end of the Big Ten.
AAU member?: Yes.
Fit: Nebraska borders the Big Ten by virtue of a short border with Iowa, and would be quite a western expansion. Nebraska adds no major media markets, but particularly in football, the Huskers are the only show in town. Academically, NU is good enough.
Likelihood of interest: I really have no idea. Given the significance of Nebraska football, the long history in the Big 8/Big 12, and the fact that a Nebraska program playing to its potentional should own the Big Ten North, my guess is that there would be little interest.

Well, those are the candidates, both within and adjacent to the footprint. What do you think? Who do you prefer? Did I miss anyone? I welcome all comments.

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Monday (12/14/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:28:15 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and a few fun distractions. Today we're being brought to you by Staropramen beer, in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

Both the men and women took care of business over the weekend. The same can't be said for some of our high profile Big East brethren. It's finals week, so I expect the news to be a bit slow, but we'll see. Any tips, suggestions and requests are greatly appreciated. It starts after the jump...

What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Report for Monday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Men's Soccer: BIG EAST Announces Partnership - MSNsportsNET.Com
"The BIG EAST and Red Bull New York will join forces with a three-year partnership for the Conference’s men’s soccer championship to be held at the new state-of-the-art Red Bull Arena through the 2012 tournament."

Disloyalty and sports go hand in hand - Times West Virginian
Bob asked Huggs what he thinks about the Kelly situation.

College bowl payouts don't always add up - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Mark Ingram's Heisman fills void at Alabama - Stewart Mandel - SI.com
I still think the kid from Stanford deserved it.

News of Note (FB):

Bill Stewart: Ready To Go - WVMETRONEWS.COM
Video link

West Virginia's Stewart satisfied with 9-3 record - PPG

WVU fine as second fiddle in Gator Bowl - Times West Virginian
Hertzel Column

Flippin' on the 'Noles - Charleston Gazette

Steady Improvement - MSNsportsNET.Com

Gator Bowl Bigger Than It Appears - Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

Some Florida State athletes helped by 'learning disability' diagnosis - ESPN

News of Note (BB):

Mountaineers Now 7-0 - MSNsportsNET.Com
The men secured a 69-43 win Saturday night.

WVU men upend Coppin State - Times West Virginian

Jones picking up the slack - Charleston Gazette

Copin' with Coppin - Charleston Gazette

Butler getting it done - Register-Herald
Mickey's Column

WVU's Mazzulla hopes grad school leads to coaching career - Charleston Daily Mail

Joe Mazzulla - WVIllustrated.com
Weekend Coliseum schedule: Saturday - run down the carpet, Sunday - pick up the diploma. Well done!!!! Congratulations!!!

Early Lead Lifts West Virginia - MSNsportsNET.Com
The women cruised to a 74-43 win over Longwood.

Recruiting:

'Eers in on Another Dywer (Fla.) Prospect - EerSports

Around the League (and Beyond):

Temple upsets No. 3 Villanova, 75-65 - SI.com

Xavier rallies in first-ever double overtime Crosstown Shootout to beat Cincinnati - Cincinnati Enquirer

Kelly's home vandalized - FanNation
...imagine that.

Houston's Kevin Sumlin declines interview for University of Cincinnati job - Cincinnati Enquirer

Jackson, Hazell lead Seton Hall past VMI 134-107 - SI.com

I don't wanna talk about it tonight - Card Chronicle
At least they have BB, right? Right?...oh, sorry.

Catamounts are caterwauling - Courier-Journal
Another head-scratching loss at Freedom Hall on Saturday, 91-83...to Western Carolina?!?!?!

Turnovers a problem for Pitt - PPG
...but they still won...damn

Bulls upset by Central Michigan, 59-56 - Tampa Tribune

Terrier-orized: No. 7 Syracuse 75, St. Francis 51 - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

Lets The Transferring Continue - Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician

Video of Interest:

Several Mountaineer Basketball and Football players (among many others) graduated yesterday. Congratulations!!! Thanks to WVIllustrated.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

The Germans have developed great taste in song selection.

College Tradition Gallery of the Week:

Somebody tried to stop this from happening? Can we bring back the firing squad?

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a former Victoria's Secret Angel and can be seen in the recent G.I. Joe movie as Cover Girl. Another beauty from the Czech Republic, here's Karolína Kurková.

via i296.photobucket.com

Staropramen image via pic.51windows.net

Searching For: Julius Page

SFBE.MP — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 23:30:25 -0000

During a recent informal reunion with high school friends, a reminiscence of one of those youthful innocence road trips became a topic of conversation. The event: first NCAA Tournament without the supervision of parents. The weekend was a mix of fast food, P-Funk All-Stars and BL smoothies, with a side dish of six first and second round games in the Boston Garden (we refuse to acknowledge all that Fleet, TD Bank non-sense). Placed adjacent to a crow's nest, our assigned seats left us feeling insulted and we were brave enough to haggle Tom Coverdale's parents for their loge seats as the rest of his extended family mourned the conclusion of Tom's career.

Somewhere though, in the mix of this debacle, our quasi member of the Oakland Zoo took it upon himself to trigger a "Juuuuuuuulius Page!" [clap, clap, clap] chant while exiting North Station. Was it earth-shattering? Absolutely not. But it was garnering attention, and when you're 17 and galvanizing 20- and 21-year-old undergrads to follow along, you feel pretty damn good about yourself. Since then, Page has remained a common thread amongst our friendship.

Page was a member of the Pittsburgh Panthers basketball team from 2000-2004. During this tenure, the Panthers notched 107 victories, the most in school history, and earned three Sweet Sixteen appearances. Page played an integral piece of the puzzle for the Panthers alongside fellow forgotten players like Ontario Lett, Chevon Troutman, and Carl Krauser. His reliability on defense and consistency on offense allowed him to be a four year starter, and he currently ranks currently 12^th on the all-time school scoring list with 1,512 points. During Julius' senior season he was hampered by an ankle injury that nagged him all year long, which is probably why NBA scouts never gave him a chance. Like all of our "Searching For" players, Page bounced around various European leagues, and also in the Dominican Republic before an injury ultimately sidelined him or sparked a fire in this history major turned entrepreneur.

Derek Zoolander focused on academia when he opened "The Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Go Other Stuff Good Too," and Page has mimicked that concept in the world of fitness with his "Just Play 24/7 Fitness Centers." Page brings the vague and half interested attitude towards working out. His vision includes opening a chain of fitness clubs that feature basketball courts, rock walls, batting cages and even a log flume! Well, I made that last part up, but you get the idea. Page was a skinny guy at Pittsburgh and it now finally clicks; it was because of his disdain taste for the conventional fitness methods of lifting weights and running that turned him on to this more unique approach. Currently, he's seeking investors for his concept club, which will still house the normal amenities of your local workout facility, but financial support seems to be limited at this time. We think those Yinzer's put down the Permanti's sandwich and start supporting his cause.

Good luck Julius.

Also, teen drinking is very bad. We don't condone it.

Kentucky Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers: Pre-Game Analysis

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:29:49 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Eric Bledsoe is due for a performance versus the Hoosiers.

Browse more photos »

It's time again for the border war -- the Kentucky Wildcats head north to challenge the Indiana Hoosiers in one of the longest-running and best rivalries between two schools in the nation.

This game is simply chock full of tradition and great games, from the 1975 classic in the NCAA Mideast Regional Finals to the 1998 overtime game in Freedom Hall, this series has been full of twists, turns, blowouts and close games. I believe this will likely be the last time UK faces Indiana with a prohibitive advantage in talent, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Kentucky has a small advantage in all-time wins versus the Hoosiers, 29-23, with our last loss to the Crimson and Cream back in 2007 at the hands of Cell Phone Kelvin Sampson's second and final Indiana team that included Eric Gordon and D.J. White. IU creamed the 'Cats that day, 70-51.

The Hoosiers are in the process of rebuilding a team decimated after Sampson's firing and subsequent defection of players to the NBA, loss to disciplinary actions and just plain thrown out. What was left wasn't pretty, and the proud Hoosiers suffered through a 6-25 season in 2008-09, the worst I can ever remember at IU.

But with a strong recruiting class and some solid returning players, the Crimson and Cream are playing much better basketball now than last year, just coming off a huge win over the Pittsburgh Panthers in Madison Square Garden. That victory brought the Hoosier's record this year to 4-4, and although they don't figure to challenge for the Big Ten crown or even an NCAA berth this year, they have a good team that will only get better as the younger players get experience. And we know that Tom Crean is a fine coach, having owned UK the last two times he played us while coach at Marquette.

Today, I had a nice long Q&A with Scott at Crimsoncast, which you can find linked here for your listening pleasure. It was a wide-ranging discussion about the rivalry that you may find interesting.

More after the jump.

Four Factors Analysis

As usual, we will begin our pre-game with the analysis of the Four Factors to Winning, compiled in this nice, interactive dashboard by A Sea of Blue member sylvar.

Looking at the offensive efficiency, we see that in all but the very first game, Kentucky has been far more efficient offensively than the Hoosiers. In fact, the Hoosiers have struggled at times this year, and even in their last game, a victory over a good team, they managed to achieve only 97.7 points/100 possessions. UK, on the other hand, had an OE of 110.6 in a tough, low-scoring battle with UConn. You can see the dial pointer well in the red for Indiana (the ranges use last year's top ten for scale), and Kentucky's is just below the green.

Defensively, Indiana is much better than they are offensively. As you can see, IU is allowing only 3.4 points/100 possessions more than Kentucky is, and both teams have been on a very even trend lately. So much like UConn, the Hoosiers are a solid defensive squad. Unlike UConn, the Hoosiers have trouble putting the ball in the basket.

Moving on to the Four Factors themselves, we see that UK is creeping up toward the kind of effective FG% they will need to reach the Great Eight at least in March, well over 50%. The Hoosiers are laboring around 47%, and that is an area they will need to improve to be competitive with the 'Cats.

Turnover-wise, the Hoosiers take better care of the ball, but not by much. Offensive rebounding is a mismatch, and will likely represent the statistic that will get the Crimson and Cream blown out if they allow the kind of disparity represented by the trend so far. Surprisingly, the Hoosiers are good at getting to the free throw line, and that is not a statistic that UK usually loses.

Defensively, the teams are very close to equal (remember lower is better for defensive eFG%). Indiana has been forcing more turnovers lately, but they give up way too many offensive rebounds. The Hoosiers also do not mind sending teams to the line, which could be a blessing or a curse for the Wildcats, depending on who they foul.

In the miscellaneous category, the Hoosiers are shooting 35.5% from three versus UK's 36.8%, and the Wildcats actually take more threes than the Hoosiers do per field goal try, which I find a bit surprising. Also somewhat surprising is that the Hoosiers actually play at a higher tempo, on average, than the Wildcats.

Next, we'll look at the players for the Hoosiers, and their stats:

Indiana Hoosiers Basketball Roster

	#	Pos.	Comments	W	H	College
Kory Barnett	-	F	-	186	6-6	sophomore
Bobby Capobianco	23	F	Spot minutes	230	6-9	freshman
Maurice Creek	3	G	Starter	200	6-5	freshman
Devan Dumes	33	G	Major reserve	188	6-2	senior
Derek Elston	32	F	Major reserve	220	6-9	freshman
Brett Finkelmeier	4	G	-	188	6-1	junior
Steven Gambles	24	F	-	220	6-4	senior
Jordan Hulls	1	G	Major reserve	170	6-0	freshman
Tijan Jobe	40	C	Spot minutes	255	7-0	senior
Verdell Jones III	12	G	Starter	176	6-5	sophomore
Daniel Moore	11	G	Spot minutes	167	5-11	sophomore
Bawa Muniru	15	C	-	260	6-10	freshman
Tom Pritchard	25	F	Starter	242	6-9	sophomore
Jeremiah Rivers	5	G	Starter	210	6-5	junior
Matt Roth	30	G	-	186	6-3	sophomore
Christian Watford	2	F	Starter	215	6-8	freshman

Indiana Statistics

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Maurice Creek	8	25.5	5.5	11.4	48.4	2.1	5.4	39.5	2.5	3.6	69.0	1.9	2.3	4.1	2.0	1.3	1.5	0.5	1.8	15.6
Christian Watford	8	26.8	3.9	9.5	40.8	0.4	1.1	33.3	5.1	6.4	80.4	1.6	4.9	6.5	0.6	2.5	1.3	1.1	2.4	13.3
Verdell Jones III	8	28.5	4.8	12.1	39.2	0.4	1.6	23.1	2.6	4.3	61.8	1.0	2.8	3.8	3.1	2.3	1.4	0.6	1.6	12.5
Derek Elston	8	17.6	3.1	6.3	50.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.9	1.8	50.0	2.1	2.6	4.8	0.5	1.1	1.3	0.1	2.1	7.6
Jeremiah Rivers	8	29.3	2.3	5.8	39.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	2.8	4.8	57.9	1.1	4.6	5.8	4.4	4.0	1.0	0.6	2.5	7.3
Devan Dumes	8	15.9	1.5	5.0	30.0	1.0	2.8	36.4	1.0	1.6	61.5	0.5	1.8	2.3	1.4	1.9	1.1	0.1	1.6	5.0
Tom Pritchard	8	17.9	1.9	3.1	60.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.8	64.3	1.6	1.6	3.3	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.6	3.8	4.9
Jordan Hulls	8	15.0	0.8	2.5	30.0	0.5	1.5	33.3	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	1.4	0.6	0.5	0.0	1.5	2.8
Matt Roth	2	5.5	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	1.0	1.0	100.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.0
Bobby Capobianco	8	9.3	0.8	2.1	35.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.8	50.0	1.0	1.1	2.1	0.3	0.6	0.4	0.0	1.9	1.9
Daniel Moore	6	5.7	0.3	0.5	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.2	71.4	0.2	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.0	1.0	1.5
Tijan Jobe	8	6.8	0.4	0.4	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.4	1.5	0.8
Bawa Muniru	4	3.5	0.3	0.8	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	25.0	0.8	0.3	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8	0.8
Kory Barnett	2	2.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Brett Finkelmeier	2	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Steven Gambles	2	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Position Analysis: Point guard

The starting point guard for the Hoosiers is Jeremiah Rivers. Rivers is a transfer from Georgetown, and the son of NBA player and coach Doc Rivers. Rivers is a tall point, even taller than John Wall at 6'5". Rivers is a good ballhandler and passer, and a very good defender, although he is not ultra-athletic. Rivers does not shoot much from outside, and has only attempted a single three-point shot all year. He prefers to use his size and slash to the basket. Rivers leads the team in assists, and doesn't score a lot.

Rivers' defensive prowess will be severely tested against John Wall. Rivers does have good size to work with, but he is not even in the same universe with Wall when it comes to speed with the ball and the ability to finish at the rim. But Rivers is a very smart player, a coach's son, and he knows how to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. This will be a very interesting matchup.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Shooting guard

You may remember the name Verdell Jones from back during the Billy Gillispie days. Kentucky recruited Jones, although somewhat indifferently, and he was on the UK recruiting board right up to the very end, when he chose Indiana.

Jones is another tall guard at 6'5", but at only 176#, he is very slight of build. Jones is a very hard-working and intelligent player. He is reasonably athletic and shoots a solid percentage from three, even though he doesn't put the three-point shot up all that much. Jones is also a very good passer at over 3 assists/game, against just over two turnovers.

The matchup between Jones and Eric Bledsoe is one of length versus athleticism. Defensively, I think Jones has a slight advantage on Bledsoe due to his very long arms and size. Defensively, I think Bledsoe comes out on top. Overall, Bledsoe is the more talented player.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Small Forward

Freshman Maurice Creek starts at the wing for the Crimson and Cream. Creek is actually an off-guard rather than a true wing, so Indiana, in effect, is starting three guards.

Creek is a skilled player, a Rivals 4*, and quite dangerous offensively. Creek is leading the Hoosiers in scoring at over 15 points/contest and is a 40% shooter from deep. Creek is also a good passer, leads the team in steals, and is a very good athlete.

Darius Miller is significantly taller than Creek, but Creek is quicker off the bounce and will challenge Miller's defensive skills. Defensively, Creek will have to contend with a much taller and longer player, and if Miller can regain his shooting form after a poor offensive outing against UConn, Creek will be hard pressed to contain him. Overall, this is a fairly close matchup, but Miller's extra year of experience and solid fundamentals give him the edge.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position analysis: Power Forward

Christian Watford is the power forward for the Hoosiers and the star of Tom Crean's excellent 2009 recruiting class. I saw Watford play in the Derby Festival Classic game, and even though he is highly unconventional, he is extremely fast and athletic, can really get up in the air, and seems to invent new ways to get the ball in the basket every single time out.

Watford is second on the team in scoring at 13+ points per game, and leads Indiana in rebounding at 6.5/game. Watford is also a respectable 3-point shooter, and is capable of taking bigger players off the dribble.

Against Patrick Patterson, Watford will struggle in the role of post player. Patterson is bigger, stronger, and just as athletic, but unlike UConn's more ponderous power forwards, Patterson will have to make his living closer to the basket. He is not quick enough to take Watford off the bounce, and Watford is a long, tough matchup on the perimeter.

But Watford cannot match Patterson's experience, skill, and versatility. Patterson is also the superior defensive player and rebounder.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Center

Tom Pritchard starts at center for the Hoosiers, and he is a big body at 6'9"/240#. Pritchard is not a particularly good rebounder for a man his size, nor is he a scorer at just under 5 points per game. Pritchard is slow-footed and not very athletic, but he does take up space down low.

Pritchard, unfortunately, is over-matched by the bigger, stronger, longer and quicker DeMarcus Cousins. Pritchard plays good, tough defense as evidenced by his tendency to get into foul trouble, but Cousins is a very tough matchup for him. If Indiana tries to stay man-to-man (which I doubt they will), the 'Cats should try to get Cousins the ball every time in the post. He will force IU to double-team, and an open shot should be the result.

Advantage: Kentucky

Bench Analysis

Indiana has a couple of solid bench players in freshmen Derek Elston and Jordan Hulls, as well as senior Devan Dumes. These men are all nice players that can shoot, but IU has little bench size and their depth is as painfully young as Kentucky's

Advantage: Kentucky

Overall analysis

The Indiana Hoosiers are a young group, but their young talent is just not as good as UK's this year. Tom Crean has the nucleus of a very nice team, but he is one or two recruiting classes away from getting the Hoosiers back into contention in the Big Ten, let alone nationally.

Indiana plays very good, fundamental basketball and Kentucky will need to be aware of their length and athleticism, which is better than many think. They are a good defensive team who will force UK to beat them with better offense. Even though the Hoosiers are young, they are not the type of team who beats themselves.

UK's size, talent and athleticism will prove too much for Indiana. Crean will not be able to send his big guards to the glass for fear of a John Wall-lead runout, and that's likely to happen anyway. Defensively, the Hoosiers are going to be forced into a zone, and since they are already a poor rebounding team, second-chance points and putbacks are likely to be a frequent occurrence on missed UK shots.

The Hooisers are getting their groove back, but this year, they are no match for the young 'Cats.

Projected score: Kentucky 78, Indiana 63

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Friday (12/11/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:37:43 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and a few daily distractions. Today we're being brought to you by Rolling Rock Green Light.

I apologize for the delay, but sometimes there is work to do. Everybody knows the big story today is Kelly leaving Cinci. Some are glad, some aren't. That's their mess, I'm not gonna worry about it. Anyway, stay warm, try to catch the Mountaineer men on Saturday (they're off until next Saturday) and support the women on Sunday if you're in Morgantown. Have a great weekend. I'm always open for suggestions and requests. Let's GOOOOOOOOO...

What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Report for Friday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

Football: West Virginia Recognized by AFCA - MSNsportsNET.Com

Academic Success - MSNsportsNET.Com

Irish eyes are smiling at Kelly hire - SI.com

News of Note:

Gator Bowl 'fortunate' to host Bowden farewell - Charleston Daily Mail

The Will to Succeed - MSNsportsNET.Com

Jonnie West on his own path - Times West Virginian
Hertzel Column

WVU's Kevin Jones - WVIllustrated.com

What's On Tap:

Georgetown vs. Washington - SI.com
2pm on Saturday. I believe on Fox Sports Net.

Coppin State vs. West Virginia - SI.com
7 pm on Saturday from the Coliseum. Coverage on ESPN 360 and MASN. I'm not sure but other regional sports channels, such as Fox Sports Pitt may carry it.

St Francis (NY) vs. Syracuse - SI.com
Sunday at 1pm.

Villanova vs. Temple - SI.com
Sunday at 3pm.

Cincinnati vs. Xavier - SI.com
Sunday at 7pm on ESPNU.

Around the League (and Beyond):

Cincinnati Bearcat players among last to know Brian Kelly's decision - Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati sells out Sugar Bowl allotment - ESPN

Good Riddance - Protect R Turf
Somebody's happy he left.

Cincinnati takes Miami's best shot - Cincinnati Enquirer
"The No. 19-ranked Bearcats led most of the way Thursday night, but still had to hold on to beat Miami 63-59."

Pitt forwards playing outside comfort zone - PPG

Syracuse basketball dumps Florida, stays unbeaten - syracuse.com

Rutgers wide receiver Tim Brown does not practice, status for St. Petersburg Bowl uncertain - Star Ledger

Strong to handle U of L's defense himself - Courier-Journal

Losing Gilchrist creates vacuum for Bulls - Tampa Tribune

Jones, Trickett to interview today for Herd post - Charleston Daily Mail

Video of Interest:

Thanks, as always, to WVIllustrated.com.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

This is awesome!!!!!!!

Santa's Helpers Gallery of the Week:

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a gorgeous native of Philly. Please make welcome, Vanessa Veasley.

via i42.tinypic.com

Rolling Rock Green Light image via geekrentalsandbox.com

The Big Blue Daily Mail -- IU Eve Edition

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:33:59 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Is that a chicken wing there, Christan?

Browse more photos »

Later today, we will have our preview of the Kentucky Wildcats at the Indiana Hoosiers game. In honor of the great legacy and tradition of this ancient border rivalry, we will be providing the same full statistical analysis as for the Connecticut Huskies and North Carolina Tar Heels.

I think the Hoosiers, in particular, are really looking forward to a shot at the highly-ranked Wildcats. Indiana had a great game in Madison Square Garden against the Pittsburgh Panthers the other night, a game which they won decisively on a neutral floor. Despite getting killed on the offensive glass, the Hoosiers made their free throws and held the Panthers to less than 40% eFG, (31% FG), which is really getting it done defensively.

Christian Watford had a big game, as did former Kentucky recruit Verdell Jones. Tom Crean is firmly in rebuilding mode with the Hoosier team, and one more good recruiting class will put them back on track as the legendary opponent UK is used to facing in Bloomington.

The news follows the jump.

Dream Preview: Kentucky Opens SEC Play Against Georgia
BSB has a dream.
" SEC links: Florida takes first loss; Kiffin takes a stand John Clay’s Sidelines
John Clay's Big Blue Links.
" Updated UK basketball stats (through UConn) in Excel John Clay’s Sidelines
John Clay has some stats compiled in Google Docs for your perusal.
Official Release Announcing Brian Kelly - Notre Dame Football | UHND.com
Congrats to Kelly. Not sure about his manner of leaving, though.
Wildcat Blue In a Sea of Orange: Are the Kentucky kids losing ground in Wildcat's football recruiting class?
So it appears that UK is getting a slightly better level of recruit. Also consider that these rankings are old and do not accurately reflect the players senior season. When all is said and done, Raymond Sanders and Dale Trimble may end up being 4* recruits and several other players may benefit from an upgrade as well.

I think this is a very nice class we have coming in this year. It isn't really an upgrade from last year, but pretty much on par.
Indiana faces strong test against No. 4 Kentucky - NewsFlash - al.com
"I told my team they're No. 2, but they're No. 4?" Crean asked after the game. "By Friday night, they might be No. 1 with the way they're playing. You want to talk about Kentucky? They're the real deal."

I don't think we are playing that great, myself. We are getting the job done, though, and the matchups look very much in UK's favor.
Know Thy Opponent: Kentucky Wildcats | Inside the Hall | An Indiana Hoosiers basketball blog
What remains to be seen is how this talented group will respond in a true road environment, which they’ll experience for the first time on Saturday in Bloomington.

Indeed. Saturday will be different, but I think the Wildcats can handle it after the crucible of Madison Square Garden.
idsnews.com | Indiana Daily Student |
Although John Calipari’s Wildcats probably should have lost to both Miami (Ohio) and Stanford last month, the Big Blue are 9-0 and coming off impressive wins versus North Carolina and Connecticut.

Well, I don't agree with this assessment at all. We were very close in both games, and had ourselves in a position to win, and we did. Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but there is no way we "...probably should have lost ..." either game.
3-pointers: Kentucky players execute in crunch time - Mike DeCourcy - College Basketball - Sporting News
Kentucky was up 64-61 Wednesday night when UConn grabbed the ball after a missed Ramon Harris free throw with 14 seconds left. Here's where Kentucky's players demonstrated they understood their circumstance. Knowing UConn would be in search of a 3-pointer, most UK defenders stationed themselves outside the arc. The one UK player who stepped inside that area did so on his way to challenging a UConn player on the opposite side of the court.

DeCourcy gets this right again.

You're Twenty Deep: Analyzing Sam Young

djturtleface — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:49:32 -0000

More photos » by Mark Weber - AP

Sam Young has been drawing lots of fouls as a sixth man for the Memphis Grizzlies. (AP Photo/Mark Weber)

Browse more photos »

Sam Young, not unlike our last featured player DeMarre Carroll, was a feature scorer on his college team. Unlike DeMarre, however, Sam Young's Pittsburgh Panthers were a #1 seed and predicted by many, including myself, to win the NCAA Championships with Young typically bringing the bulk of their offense.

But Sam Young, somewhat ironically, fell into the second round due to the fact that he was a 4th year senior and a staggering 24 years old. 'A man among boys' is probably not a fair description of Young's college career, but it certainly comes to mind. Chris Weinke also comes to mind, and I don't think his record f most consecutive losses by a starting quarterback is a precedent to follow.

In fact by drafting Sam Young the Memphis Grizzlies actually slightly increased their team's average age, which sat somewhere around 23.5 years old. Yes, I'm serious, rookie is older than like half of the team.

So get over the jump to check how good ol' Sam Young working out for the Grizzlies.

While you, arguably, get less 'upside' out of drafting a 24 year old player (Note: Personally I believe this is absurd; many players break out or add significant facets to their games well after the age of 24. If there is any reason that Sam Young has limited upside, it's because he isn't particularly athletic.), that should be somewhat offset by the older player being more 'NBA-ready.'

And the Grizzlies need Sam Young to be plenty ready to ball, because in the post-Iverson era, and with Darrel Arthur's injury, Young is pretty much the Grizzlies only option at 6th man.

In another similarity to Carroll, Young was originally pitched as a tweener, though he was clearly either a shooting guard or small forward. But unlike Carroll, data on his play so far shows that Young hasn't really figured out either position just yet.

Sam Young has a much higher PER at small forward due to significantly higher efficiency, his eFG% is 8% better from the forward slot, and rebounding statistics. But his defensive efficiency while playing forward is an abysmal 106 points per 100 possessions. At shooting guard his defensive efficiency jumps to a much more reasonable 102 points per 100, but his shooting is terrible.

That defensive improvement at the shooting guard is pretty much the only reason that, statistically speaking, Sam Young is warranting much playing time at all. In all the minutes he's played compared to all the minutes he hasn't, the Grizzlies are about 2 points per 100 possessions better defensively. Compare that to a 3 points per 100 possessions decrease in offense, and Sam Youngs On/Off efficiency splits are only a -1.

A negative certainly doesn't sound like a good thing, but it's actually solid for a rookie drafted so late.

And Sam Young does seem to have some clear benefits for the Grizzlies. For instance the Grizzlies get significantly more free throw attempts while Young is on the floor because he attacks the rim with a lot of confidence. This has something to do with his replacing the jump-shooting O.J. Mayo, but it is a clear benefit. Also Sam Young is one of the only players on the Grizzlies who has a positive number for net turnovers per 48 minutes. This is mostly due to Sam turning the ball over far less than either the high-usage O.J. Mayo or Rudy Gay.

While Sam Young is definitely not a top-10 sixth man in the NBA at this point in his career, he is giving the Grizzlies some positives. The main problem for Sam is finding a way to play his game on offense while playing shooting guard, which I believe will be much easier for him than becoming a better defender at small forward.

Like other sixth men around the league, when Sam Young is hot, he has helped the Grizzlies. But he just doesn't heat up often enough to warrant that role at this point. I think it's fair to say that an upgrade at this position would certainly benefit Memphis this season, though despite his age, Sam Young is showing signs that he'll develop into a well-rounded contributor off the first seat on the bench.