SB Nation - Winthrop Eagles

Around the ACC: 11.24.09

MRickman84 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:49:13 -0000

by Brennan Linsley - AP

How about that Purdue-Tennessee game? Those two teams looked like top ten teams, and it was definitely a physical game to say the least. I'm excited to go more into Purdue's team as we look forward to next week's showdown in West Lafayette. As to the ACC, teams went 4-1 with the only loss being BC at the hands of Northern Iowa.

Boston College 69, Northern Iowa 81
UNI got a spectacular game from Kwadzo Ahelegbe, who was 14-17 from the floor, scoring 32 and adding 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Any time a guy goes 14-17 it's usually a combination of poor defense and the player just straight balling. UNI shot 65% as a team and 5-9 from deep. They also had just 5 turnovers on the day. That's usually a recipe for success. Corey Raji led BC with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Josh Southern and Joe Trapani added a combined 23 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.

Virginia Tech 71, Campbell 60
The Fighting Camels sure lived up to their name yesterday. Virginia Tech usually has a couple games like this (3 point win over Gardner-Webb last year, loss to Seton Hall), so it was good to see them get back under control and finish the game. J.T. Thompson set a career high with 17 points, while Malcolm Delaney added 15 on just 3-13 shooting.

UNC 93, Gardner-Webb 72
This game was a lot closer than the final score indicated. Gardner-Webb really hung in there. And once again, it was a combination of poor defense and turnovers that were stinging the Heels. Gardner-Webb hit 15 of 36 threes on the day, but a lot of those misses came near the end of the game when they were in desperation mode.

Deon Thompson is quickly becoming an All-ACC candidate and had another big night--22 and 10 on 9-10 shooting. Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis combined for 31 points and 18 rebounds, while highly-touted freshman John Henson continued to struggle with his production (Just 2 points on 1-3 shooting in 13 minutes).

Clemson 102, Winthrop 66
Now Clemson is doing it right so far. They are winning by an average of 35 points in their 4 wins. They're playing cupcakes like a lot of other teams, but they are just straight dusting people. Clemson had 6 players in double figures--Jerai Grant, David Potter, Tanner Smith, Andre Young, Noel Johnson and Trevor Booker--and 10 players played double-digit minutes. This is the way to see what you have on your bench and keep your starters fresh.

Maryland 79, Chaminade 51
Maryland looked shaky early on and it could be a combination of the trip to Hawaii or the fact that Chaminade really tries to get up for these games, but the Terrapins were able to take the lead with 7 minutes left in the first half and run with it. Sean Mosley led all scorers with 19 points and had 8 rebounds. Greivis Vasquez continues to struggle with his shot (2-7), as he is just 28.6% in the early goings.

BtB 2009-10 Big South Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 02:39:42 -0000

It was a relatively quiet offseason in the Big South. High Point and Liberty were the only two schools to change coaches. Scott Cherry replaced the fired Bart Lundy as the head coach of the Panthers, while former Colorado State head coach Dale Layer (who was actually working as a Marquette assistant) replaced another former Ram head coach, Ritchie McKay, as the leader of the Flames.

The other big news of the offseason is the decision of several promising youngsters to try their luck out of the league. The most famous case is that of Seth Curry, who left Liberty for the big time, Duke. Brolin Floyd also left, though he has yet to decide on a destination. Steadman Short left High Point for Marshall. Omar Carter, formerly of Charleston Southern, will suit up for Appalachian State next year. Tovi Bailey also left the Bucs and will play at Division II Lander. And that's just a start, as several other key performers went looking for greener pastures this offseason.

The Big South teams has several incoming transfers eligible this season. More on them and their impacts on their new teams after the jump.

Let's first take a look at what last season's Big South standings looked like.

Big South Conference Standings

(updated 3.24.2009 at 12:08 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Radford Highlanders	15	3	21	12
Virginia Military Keydets	13	5	24	8
Liberty Flames	12	6	23	12
UNC-Asheville Bulldogs	10	8	15	16
Gardner-Webb Bulldogs	9	9	13	17
Winthrop Eagles	9	9	11	19
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers	5	13	11	20
Charleston Southern Buccaneers	4	14	9	20
High Point Panthers	4	14	9	21

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

Presbyterian (last NCAA: None) The Blue Hose didn't fare too badly in 2009-08, their first season playing a Big South schedule. However, they'll be hard-pressed to repeat their 9-9 league record this time around. With an eye on gaining the automatic bid in their first season of eligibility in 2011-12, head coach Gregg Nibert is going to redshirt his core players this season. Center Al'Lonzo Coleman and guards Josh Johnson and Pierre Miller will sit and come back next season with two years of eligibility left. In the meantime, the Blue Hose will be the youngest team in the league, so expect them to take their fair share of lumps.

Liberty (last NCAA: 2004) The Flames did a nice job last year, winning 23 games overall and acting as a factor in the conference race. However, the coach of that team and three starters are gone, as Curry and Floyd transferred and F Anthony Smith (17.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg) graduated. Dale Layer's team is now woefully short on experience. 6-4 guard Kyle Ohman is the leading returning scorer (13.9 ppg), but no other returnee averaged more than 6.9 ppg. The Flames' two 6-9 forwards, Tyler Baker and Austin Smith will be expected to boost their output, and Layer will also lean heavily on his crop newcomers, led by 6-2 guard Evan Gordon, brother of LA Clipper Eric.

Charleston Southern (last NCAA: 1997) The Buccaneers looked like they were going to be a serious contender for their second-ever NCAA bid. That was until Bailey and Carter decided to leave. The good news for CSU is that Jamarco Warren (17.8 ppg, 2.8 apg) is back to run the show and that forward Kelvin Martin is due to improve on his averages of 9 points and 7 boards per game as he returns from a knee injury. 6-10 C Billy Blackmon also returns after breaking his forearm early last season. However, the transfers will really affect the depth of Barclay Radebaugh's squad.

VMI (last NCAA: 1977) The big question in Lexington, VA this year is can Duggar Baucom's system be just as effective when three key pieces move on. The Keydets will be without the Holmes twins, Chavis and Travis, who averaged more than 41 points combined, and Willie Bell who accounted for nearly 9 points and 6 boards a game. Guards Austin Kenon (16.3 ppg) and Keith Gabriel (13 ppg) are back, so they'll continue to do their part. How well last year's bench players and newcomers Joe Carr, a 6-2 guard, and Stan Okoye, a 6-5 swingman, fit into their new roles in Baucom's offense will dictate whether the Keydets can rise above this prediction.

High Point (last NCAA: None) The Panthers actually return four starters, but losing Steadman leaves a substantial hole in the frontcourt. 6-7 junior forward Jourdan Morris could be an adequate replacement as he averaged nearly 7 points and 3 rebounds per contest. 6-11 C Cruz Daniels will have to improve his offense this season. Last year, he averaged nearly 8 points a game, to go along with 8 boards. The backcourt is in good shape, however, as double digit scorers Nick Barbour and Eugene Harris return and sophomore PG David Singleton (4.8 apg) is back to run the offense.

Winthrop (last NCAA: 2008) The Eagles, dynasty of the Big South, thanks to 7 NCAA appearances in this decade, fell hard last season. The 9-9 Big South record wasn't too bad, but recording only 2 wins in 12 non-conference games hurt. It's miraculous that the Eagles managed to win as many games as they did, as no one averaged in double figures in scoring. 6-7 F/C Charles Corbin was the team's leading scorer, averaging 9.5 points a game to go along with almost 6 rebounds. Randy Peele's team will have to find some scoring punch, otherwise they will sink further down the standings. 6-9 F Matt Morgan, a transfer from St. Bonaventure, should be a helpful addition.

Gardner-Webb (last NCAA: None) Rick Scruggs' backcourt could be among the best in this league, if they improve their scoring output. If they do, the Bulldogs should improve on the 9-9 mark earned in their inaugural Big South campaign. Point guard Grayson Flittner (14.5 ppg, 3.8 apg) is a contender for Big South Player of the Year, and his numbers should improve as he suffered from knee issues throughout last season. However, with the graduation of 14 point per game performer Aaron Linn, no returnee other than Flittner cracked double digits last season, though C Auryn MacMillan should increase his production this year. Last year, he averaged only 9.4 ppg while shooting over 61 percent from the floor last year, Flittner's backcourt-mate, Jonathan Moore should also improve on his average of 9.1 ppg in Linn's absence.

UNC Asheville (last NCAA: 2003) The Bulldogs were young last year, but very competitive, winning 10 games in the league. With that year of experience, Eddie Biedenbach's squad should be ready to challenge for a conference title. Senior G Sean Smith (10.8 ppg) will provide leadership, and he'll team with sophomore G Matt Dickey (10.9 ppg) to provide a consistent perimeter threat. Junior F John Williams will provide inside scoring and rebounding (12.9 ppg, 6.6 ppg). while sophomore PG J.P. Primm (9 ppg, 4.5 apg) will run the offense.

Coastal Carolina (last NCAA: 1993) Cliff Ellis has all five starters back, as 6-5 F Joe Harris (15.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg) decided to stick around for his senior year. That means the Chanticleers are the team best equipped to challenge Radford for the league crown. Ellis also gains the services of South Carolina transfer Chad Gray, a 6-7 forward, who will join Harris and 10 point/6 rebound man Anthony Breeze in what could be one of the more formidable frontcourts in the league. The Chants' growth as a team may depend on how well the backcourt of Dexter Moore (7.2 ppg), Mario Edwards (9 ppg), and swingman Logan Johnson (6.9 ppg) builds on some solid performances at the end of last season.

Radford (last NCAA: 2009) The Highlanders already had a frontcourt that is the envy of most teams at this level of Division I, and they likely will be even better down low this year. You already know about 6-11 Art Parakhouski, who averaged better than 16 points and 11 boards last season. You may also have heard of PF Joey Lynch-Flohr, who scored 14 while grabbing almost 6 a contest. Now, you can add Binghamton transfer Lazar Trifunovic (and don't you think he's glad to have left that mess), a 6-8 forward who will likely step right in and contribute for Radford. The Highlanders will likely miss G Kenny Thomas (14.7 ppg, 5.8 ppg) and 6-5 Chris McEachin, who averaged almost 9 points a game in a reserve role left school over the summer (HT to e-mailer Tom Raschke for alerting me to this). He would have slid in beside Amir Johnson (9.6 ppg, 5.2 apg) to form a pretty good backcourt tandem. Now RU has a bit of a hole. In this league, when you can put together as impressive a frontcourt as Brad Greenberg has, you might only need a passable backcourt to cut down the nets in March. (And in selecting Johnson for my preseason All-Big South team, I think they could be really good back there.)

So, thanks to their prospects inside, the Highlanders are my preseason pick to repeat in the Big South. You'll see them in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big South team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big South Team

Player of the Year: Artsiom Parakhouski, 6-11 C, Sr. (Radford)

Remainder of the Team
Grayson Flittner, 6-0 G, Sr. (Gardner-Webb)
Joseph Harris, 6-5 F, Sr. (Coastal Carolina)
Amir Johnson, 5-9 G, Sr. (Radford)
Joey Lynch-Flohr, 6-8 F, Sr. (Radford)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big South this season? (Note that Presbyterian is not an option as they are ineligible for the postseason.)

Charleston Southern

1 votes

Coastal Carolina

0 votes

Gardner-Webb

1 votes

High Point

0 votes

Liberty

1 votes

Radford

6 votes

UNC Asheville

1 votes

VMI

3 votes

Winthrop

0 votes

13 votes | Poll has closed

2009-2010 NC State Basketball Schedule Released

Akula Wolf — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:05:25 -0000

NC State opens at home with Georgia State in mid-November before heading down to Daytona for the Glenn Wilkes Litmus Test Classic.

Filling in the last few OOC blanks are:

Georgia Southern (at Reynolds Coliseum) -- With no rotation mainstay taller than 6-7, they were killed in the paint in terms of both FG% and rebounding. Theirs was one of the nation's ten worst defenses, and the offense wasn't a whole lot better. This is one team that won't be exploiting us in the blocks.

Elon -- They'll be without their two primary contributors from 2009--Brett James and Ola Atoyebi. In Atoyebi's case, that's a real shame, because he was an outstanding player in the SoCon last season and I really would have liked to hear Gary Hahn try to pronounce his name for two hours.

Winthrop -- Everybody's back, which is good and bad: they were decent enough defensively, but whew, these guys could not score to save their lives. Behold all those ugly 3FG%s.

Holy Cross -- Along with American, Bill Simmons U. was the class of the Patriot league in 2009; unfortunately they ran into that American team in the conference tournament and there their season ended. They could prove frustrating for the Wolfpack, as they forced a lot of turnovers and locked down the defensive glass last season. Note to students: this team includes the dynamic Andrew Keister and Eric Meister duo. Sign ideas and...go! Keister & Meister, Shoe Repairmen And Attorneys At Law. Ass & Guy Incorporated.

I wonder if every time Eric Meister introduces himself as Mr. Meister he immediately breaks into song. "Take these broken wings, and learn to fly again..."

NC Central -- Playing Central is pointless because their program is so bad they don't offer even the slightest hope of doing our strength of schedule a favor (though that doesn't matter this year). Nonetheless, I hope we play them every year for eternity just for the amusement.

Florida Gators Take Two From Georgia Diamond Dogs in Consecutive One-Run Games

T Kyle King — Sun, 03 May 2009 02:23:59 -0000

Doubleheaders have not been kind to the Diamond Dogs in 2009. Georgia suffered consecutive losses to Alabama on March 14, dropped the opening outing of a two-game set with Winthrop on April 8, and came up short in back-to-back one-run games against the Gators on Saturday to fall behind Florida in the S.E.C. standings.

After a scoreless first frame in which the Saurians’ Jonathan Pigott was the lone baserunner, Teddy Foster broke the deadlock with a two-out solo shot to right field in the top of the second stanza. In the home half of the canto, the Red and Black went three up and three down for the second time in as many innings.

An uneventful third frame was followed by a two-out two-run shot off the bat of Buddy Munroe in the upper half of the fourth inning to give the Gators a 3-0 lead. The Classic City Canines at long last offered a retort in the bottom of the stanza, thanks to a one-out Colby May single, a two-out Bryce Massanari home run, a Joey Lewis walk, and a run-scoring Lyle Allen double.

Florida did not take this response lightly, as Avery Barnes led off the visitors’ half of the fifth frame with a bunt single, swiped second, and took third on a wild pitch. After Josh Adams drew a base on balls, a Massanari error scored the Gator left fielder and a passed ball allowed the Orange and Blue second baseman to advance, as well. Matt den Dekker’s bunt single plated Adams and drove Alex McRee from the mound. Michael Palazzone managed to secure the final out, but not before another error. The visitors led 5-3.

I hate losing to these Gator people.

No Athenian reached base in the bottom of the inning, but a Mike Mooney walk, a Barnes triple, and a Preston Tucker single tacked on two more Gator runs in the top of the sixth canto. The Bulldogs bounced back on a Rich Poythress single and a Lewis home run to make it 7-5. Once Florida had been held scoreless in the seventh stanza, Georgia had a chance to take the lead in the home half of the frame.

Peter Verdin led off with a base hit and Levi Hyams was plunked to put two men aboard. A Michael Demperio bunt single loaded the bases with no one out and forced Greg Larson from the game. Nick Maronde came on and extracted a strikeout from Matt Cerione, a sacrifice fly from May that traded a run for an out, and a Poythress pop-up to end the threat.

Although the gap had been narrowed to 7-6, the Diamond Dogs’ inability to bring more than one run home with three men on and no one out essentially signaled the end of the contest. A two-out walk by Pigott and a leadoff walk by Massanari marked the only two plate appearances of the eighth frame not to end in outs and a leadoff single by Adams in the top of the ninth stanza came to naught.

When the Red and Black were retired on a foulout, a flyout, and a strikeout in the home half of the final canto, the Gators notched a 7-6 victory in a game in which they out-hit their hosts (10-7) and committed no errors to the Athenians’ two. Although McRee walked two and struck out eight in a little under five frames’ worth of work, he allowed seven hits and gave up four earned runs.

I hate losing to these Gator people.

The Florida bullpen allowed only two hits, one walk, and one run, earned or otherwise. Cerione struck out twice and notched neither a hit nor a walk in five at-bats in the leadoff spot. No Bulldog batter tallied more than one hit and the hard-hitting Poythress did not bat in a run.

As if dropping that one-run decision to the Gators had not been deflating enough for one afternoon, Georgia proceeded to resume Friday’s postponed game, in which the Diamond Dogs had squandered an 8-0 lead to find themselves in a tie game with one man out and one man on in the bottom of the ninth canto.

That ratio of outs to baserunners changed when Allen was caught stealing, so the contest went to extra innings once Robbie O’Bryan flied out to left field. In the top of the tenth frame, den Dekker sent a one-out single down the left field line and stole second following a Jerico Weitzel flyout. Pigott grounded out to strand the Gator center fielder.

Amid a flurry of Florida pitching switches in the bottom of the inning, a one-out double by Demperio went to waste when Cerione flied out and Poythress went down swinging. The Orange and Blue began the eleventh stanza with consecutive flyouts before a Barnes double followed by a Tyler Thompson single broke the deadlock.

I hate . . . all right, some of these Gator people have their moments, but, still, I hate losing to them.

Now down by a run in a game in which they had led by eight, the Diamond Dogs went quietly in the home half of the canto. Massanari struck out swinging, Lewis struck out looking, and Allen flied out to give the Gators the series victory, the division lead all to themselves, and their second one-run win of the afternoon.

As bad as Saturday’s initial defeat was, the weekend’s second setback in the postponed first game was worse. In the afternoon’s scheduled outing, the Diamond Dogs played even with their guests for the final seven stanzas, matching the Gators’ six runs on seven hits with six runs on seven hits of the Red and Black’s own after the second inning.

The contest continued from Friday, though, was an unmitigated disaster and a meltdown on a par with Wednesday’s embarrassment against Jacksonville State. Georgia built up an eight-run lead at home, played errorless baseball, notched nine runs on 15 hits, and forced Florida to strand a whopping 14 baserunners, but it still wasn’t enough to secure the victory in a game in which Bulldog batters struck out 14 times and Saurian sluggers drew four times as many walks as the home team.

This team is in a tailspin. The Diamond Dogs have lost five straight contests, the Gators have won seven in a row, and the best that the Red and Black can hope for from Sunday’s skirmish is the win that will put the Athenians in a tie with Florida in the conference standings. While David Perno’s clubs have pulled out of late-season slumps before---2008 springs to mind in that regard---the present reality is that the Bulldogs are fading while the Saurians are peaking, so a second consecutive S.E.C. series sweep by the Orange and Blue appears all but certain.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Are the Diamond Dogs Running On Empty?

T Kyle King — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:00:14 -0000

It’s not that I’m looking past this afternoon’s game against Jacksonville State, particularly after what happened last week, but I’m thinking about this weekend’s series with Florida, in light of this assessment by Quinton McDawg:

Given the performances turned in when the Dawgs have played top teams, one would have to agree that Georgia is a good team. But, you can also conclude that we make too many mistakes to win a championship, conference or otherwise. The lower part of our order is unreliable. We walk too many batters. We strike out too much. Our defense is average to below average. Despite these flaws, we've been leading the SEC most of the year. You just wonder how much longer that can last.

Quinton’s view, however, appears positively sanguine when compared to the position taken by College Buddy:

Is the glass half empty?

Okay, maybe I’m being too negative, but I am very frustrated with UGA’s apparent inability to win the "big" series. I need not mention last years College World Series finals, right? And this year, Georgia has gone 1-2 each against ‘Bama, LSU, and Ole Miss, the recognized higher echelon conference teams on their schedule thus far. While these teams have all beat up on each other pretty good, none of the others has a losing record against all three, and LSU actually has a winning record against UGA, ’Bama, and Ole Miss (2-1 each). And after going 24-3, the ’Dawgs have gone 9-8 in their last seventeen games (7-5 in the conference) and managed to post losses to Winthrop, Georgia Tech, and Jacksonville State. Anybody else feel like that’s just a little sub-par?

Is it fair to say the Diamond Dogs are faltering, or are the Classic City Canines just running up against tougher competition? Are they starting to show signs of fatigue due to the uniform start date? If so, will they get their second wind before arriving in the house of horrors that Hoover has been for the Red and Black?

I don’t have much room to quarrel with Quinton and College Buddy; the data they quote are undeniable, and it is disconcerting to note that the Classic City Canines are 5-5 in their last ten outings, which gives them the same record over that span as Tennessee. The Volunteers are in sole possession of last place in the East, are tied for last place in the league, and are eight games behind Georgia.

Here, for whatever they might be worth, are a few encouraging facts to be borne in mind:

At 14-7 in S.E.C. play, the Diamond Dogs are in first place in the division and are tied for the league lead.

At 33-11 overall, the Red and Black have the best record in the conference.

Georgia has played 15 games against top 25 opponents. Florida has played the same number of games against ranked teams and South Carolina has played one more. The Gamecocks are 6-10 against the top 25, the Gators are 6-9, and the Bulldogs are 9-6.

Finally, the Classic City Canines’ 13-5 road record is the best mark posted by an S.E.C. team in away games, a la Mark Richt.

Undoubtedly, recent weeks have been disappointing in many respects and the No. 1 ranking Georgia has carried for part of the baseball season presently appears as undeserved as that same poll position was for the Bulldog football team last fall. The Diamond Dogs’ 6-0 record against division foes will receive by far its toughest test starting Friday night.

Baseball is a humbling game, much more so than the other major sports. It is the sport in which a major league player who fails to get a hit in 60 per cent of his at-bats over the course of a 162-game season is guaranteed of a place in Cooperstown by virtue of his being a great hitter. On the diamond, as on the gridiron, there ain’t nothing wrong with being a Georgia Bulldog that beating the Florida Gators can’t fix.

Let’s see where we are on Sunday evening. If we lose two out of three to the Orange and Blue, then, yeah, I’m going to be ticked. I’m willing to be patient through this weekend, though, as fan interest is peaking and, if recent history is any indication, the Red and Black will get it turned around when the chips are down.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Georgia Diamond Dogs 13, Winthrop Eagles 2

T Kyle King — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 01:40:29 -0000

Admittedly, I wasn’t in a very forgiving mood yesterday after the Diamond Dogs lost to Winthrop, but the Classic City Canines had a ready-made opportunity to get back in my good graces with a win over the Eagles in the second game of their Wednesday twin bill. I am pleased to report that Georgia made the most of its second chance.

It didn’t look that way initially, however. Chase Hawkins took the mound in the top of the first canto and surrendered a leadoff single to Cam Walters. Kevin Nolan’s sacrifice bunt advanced the Winthrop center fielder to second and Walters took third when Eddie Rohan was thrown out at first. Fortunately, Eddie Tisdale grounded out to strand the would-be go-ahead run 90 feet from home plate.

The Red and Black were not similarly accommodating in the bottom of the stanza. Colby May drove a two-out double down the left field line and came home on a Rich Poythress single to left field before Joey Lewis flied out to end the inning. In the second frame, back-to-back two-out base hits by Sean Sullivan and Chas Crane were cancelled out when the Eagle right fielder was put out at second base by Miles Starr, and Chase Davidson’s leadoff single up the middle was followed by three consecutive outs.

Matt Thielepape’s game-tying home run in the initial at-bat of the third stanza likewise preceded a lineout, a groundout, and a flyout before the Diamond Dogs came up to the plate in the bottom of the inning and retook the lead for good.

Eagle shortstop Kevin Nolan did not get a hit in the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, but he did draw a walk, which isn’t all that bad for a pothead city councilman.

Johnathan Taylor started things off with a single and, after Zach Cone fouled out, May belted a base hit up the middle. A Poythress walk loaded the bases for Lewis, who smacked a grand slam to center field. A Davidson double and a Robbie O’Bryan walk made it appear as though more runs would be pushed across home plate, but Michael Demperio popped up and Starr reached on a fielder’s choice to limit the home team’s tally to four hits and as many runs in the canto.

After no Eagle reached base in the visitors’ half of the fourth inning, Georgia went back to work, once more beginning with a base hit from the bat of Taylor. Once the Bulldog left fielder had stolen second, Cone flied out and May was plunked to bring in a new hurler for Winthrop. Poythress sent a three-run shot to center field before the next two Classic City Canines carded strikeouts.

A two-out Thielepape single went for naught in the top of the fifth stanza when Walters hit into a fielder’s choice and Georgia failed to score in the home half of the frame when a one-out Demperio double and a Starr walk were followed by a pair of strikeouts. Although Justin Earls surrendered a leadoff walk to Nolan in the top of the sixth inning, Rohan reached on a fielder’s choice and Tisdale grounded into a double play to erase the baserunner and end the visitors’ turn at bat.

Lewis’s two-out home run in the bottom of the stanza marked the only Red and Black plate appearance of the canto not to end in a flyout, but the home team still had built up a 9-1 advantage. Jeff Walters retired the side in the top of the seventh inning. While the first two Diamond Dogs to step into the batter’s box in the bottom of the frame notched outs, Georgia generated four runs on a Starr single followed by a Peter Verdin home run and a Cone single followed by a Levi Hyams home run. Poythress went down swinging to conclude the Bulldogs’ second four-hit, four-run stanza of the game.

After winning an Academy Award at age 16 for her portrayal of Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker," Patty Duke went on to play Winthrop right fielder Sean Sullivan in the 1979 television remake, earning an Emmy for her performance.

Will Harvil gave up a leadoff single to Crane in the top of the eighth canto before extracting a flyout from Tony Brunetti and a baserunner-advancing groundout from Tyler McBride. Aaron Bonomi’s base hit up the middle scored a run before Rohan flied out to squelch any semblance of a rally.

Georgia had just a pair of singles to show for the bottom of the inning, but the Eagles lacked even that much production in the top of the ninth frame. Dean Weaver conceded a leadoff single to Tisdale but persuaded Bryan Bogue to fly out, convinced Bryn Henderson to ground out, and elicited the flyout from Sullivan that rendered the home half of the stanza superfluous.

That’s more like it. In an errorless game, the Diamond Dogs out-hit the opposition by a 17-8 margin and scored 13 runs in eight innings on the strength of a trio of doubles and a quintet of home runs, including a pair off of the bat of Joey Lewis. Lewis’s three-hit, five-R.B.I. day was complemented by five frames from starter Chase Hawkins during which he allowed only one earned run.

This is how top-tier teams take care of business against inferior opposition. With road trips upcoming to Kentucky and Ole Miss, and home games hosting Arkansas and Georgia Tech, all before the end of April, the Diamond Dogs will need to be playing their best baseball if they are to survive a murderous run through the S.E.C. Wednesday’s second outing gave cause for hope that the Red and Black are up to the challenge.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Winthrop Eagles 7, Georgia Diamond Dogs 4

T Kyle King — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:59:34 -0000

All right, we’re going to get through the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader with Winthrop quickly, because it stunk and I want to put it behind us so we can get on with the second game, which was much better and which I’ll get to tomorrow, so here goes:

Jason Leaver was on the mound in the top of the first inning and he gave up a leadoff single to Cam Walters which was a harbinger of bad things to come. Eddie Rohan’s subsequent one-out single put two men aboard, but the lead runner was put out at third when Eddie Tisdale hit into a fielder’s choice and John Murrian popped up to end the visitors’ turn at the plate, although the Eagles already had a pair of hits to their credit.

No Diamond Dogs reached base in the bottom of the frame. Get used to that, because you’re going to hear it a lot. Sean Sullivan sandwiched a single amid a trio of flyouts in the top of the second stanza and Lyle Allen drew a one-out walk in the home half of the frame before Adam Fuller struck out and the Georgia left fielder was caught stealing.

A David Thoms error allowed Walters to reach first in the top of the third canto and a bunt single by Kevin Nolan put runners at second and third due to an error by Leaver. Rohan’s sacrifice fly scored one unearned run and Tisdale’s sacrifice fly scored one more. Steve Esmonde took over on the mound after Murrian sent a single into left field and Bryn Henderson’s and Sullivan’s subsequent singles plated an additional unearned run before Chas Crane grounded out to conclude the four-hit, three-run frame.

The Athenians went three up and three down in the bottom of the stanza. Matt Thielepape led off the top of the fourth inning with a home run to left field, after which his teammates registered only outs. In the lower half of the canto, Peter Verdin carded the Classic City Canines’ first hit of the afternoon with a leadoff single, but a groundout, a flyout, and a strikeout followed to strand him.

Although Winthrop failed to score in the visitors’ half of the fifth frame, Murrian was plunked with one out away, Henderson dropped a single into right field, and Michael Palazzone came in to end the inning by coaxing Crane to go down swinging. The Red and Black were set down in succession in the bottom of the canto.

Thielepape began the upper half of the sixth stanza by drawing a walk and he advanced to third when Walters reached on a Bryce Massanari error. Nolan’s sacrifice fly scored an unearned run before the next two Eagle hitters notched outs. The Diamond Dogs did not produce a baserunner in their turn at the plate.

Tyler Maloof surrendered a two-out walk to Sullivan before extracting a groundout from Crane in the top of the seventh canto and Georgia finally decided to start playing some baseball in the bottom of the inning. Rich Poythress drew a one-out walk to produce the Bulldogs’ third baserunner and Massanari followed that up with a double to card the home team’s second hit. Greg Hough came on in relief of Ken Monteith and persuaded Zach Cone to ground out before issuing a base on balls to Joey Lewis.

This loaded the bases for Colby May, who found himself facing Tyler Mizenko and punched a base hit into right field to bring home one run. Levi Hyams struck out to strand three. The Eagles took back the run they had surrendered in the top of the eighth inning when Cecil Tanner conceded a two-out single and a stolen base to Nolan, an R.B.I. single to Rohan, a double to Tisdale, and a walk to Murrian before eliciting a flyout from Henderson.

The Red and Black appeared finally to have awakened, as Michael Demperio led off the bottom of the frame with a base hit and swiped second before the Diamond Dogs began a maddening pattern of alternating the production of outs with the production of baserunners. Johnathan Taylor grounded out, then Matt Cerione walked. Poythress grounded out, then Massanari walked. Chase Davidson was thrown out at first to strand three.

An error by Demperio allowed Tyler McBride to reach base after Earl Daniels had gotten a pop-up from Sullivan to begin the ninth stanza. (Georgia now had four hits, four walks, and four errors on its resume for the afternoon.) After Aaron Bonomi popped up, as well, a passed ball followed by a Walters single scored the Winthrop center fielder to generate yet another unearned run for the visitors. Walters was caught stealing, but the damage had long since been done.

As had been the case against Louisiana State in last Friday night’s loss, the Classic City Canines made it look better than it really was with a cosmetic comeback in the bottom of the canto. Lewis drew a leadoff walk, May was hit by a pitch, and Hyams sent a single into right field to load the bases before a wild pitch scored a run. It appeared that this was all the damage the Diamond Dogs would do once Demperio flied out and Taylor watched strike three sail by, but Cerione tacked on two more runs with a base hit to left field before Poythress grounded out to wrap up a dismal six-hit, four-error effort by the lackluster Bulldogs.

No pictures. No funny captions. (O.K., they’re probably not funny, anyway, but you know what I mean.) No snide comments about how half of Winthrop’s team is named "Eddie" or "Tyler." No "Hogan’s Heroes" jokes about Chas Crane or "Boston Public" jokes about Tyler McBride and no heavy-set L.S.U. quarterback jokes about Eddie Rohan. No wondering whether Kevin Nolan and/or Greg Hough is or are related to other famous baseball players with the same surnames. No butchering the French language with regard to the name Aaron Bonomi and no asking myself what the heck I’m going to do with the name Matt Theielepape. Earlier in this posting, I actually used the phrase "the Eagles already had a pair of hits to their credit" without an accompanying reference either to Don Henley or to Glenn Frey.

This just stunk. After getting an extra day’s rest and after having lost their last sure midweek win against an inferior team, the Diamond Dogs had no business wandering around in a daze for six innings before finally coming to life after it already was too late, particularly not against a Winthrop team that’s pulled this nonsense before. I don’t care that the victory gave the Eagles their 20th win of the season; if you’re visiting Foley Field on a school night and you aren’t a member of the A.C.C., you ought to lose. Georgia certainly should have had three baserunners before the Bulldogs had three errors, but they didn’t.

It was a lousy effort and an inexcusable result and now it’s time to throw a toaster oven off the balcony and move on to the second outing of the doubleheader, to which I shall get anon.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Monday Night Georgia Bulldogs Baseball Update

T Kyle King — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:41:01 -0000

Although not every devoted Georgia fan also is a baseball fan, I am hopeful that interest in the national pastime is peaking in Bulldog Nation now that the Braves’ season is underway. Accordingly, I offer the following brief baseball recap. For the conference-wide perspective, be sure to check out "Around the Bases" every Tuesday morning.

In the wake of last weekend’s series loss to L.S.U., the Diamond Dogs dropped to eighth in Baseball America’s weekly poll, in which the Bayou Bengals check in at No. 2. That seems fair to me. For what it’s worth, Arizona State checks in at No. 1 and upcoming Georgia opponent Arkansas is ranked twelfth thanks to a 10-2 record in league play, despite the fact that the Razorbacks have yet to face a team ranked in Baseball America’s top 25. Georgia Tech is No. 13, Ole Miss is No. 14, and Florida fell out of the rankings altogether.

The Classic City Canines are one of three conference clubs sporting 8-4 records on the diamond, the other two being the Louisiana State squad that just got the better of the Red and Black at Foley Field and the Mississippi team that hosts Georgia in Oxford on the last weekend in April. The Bulldogs lead the Eastern Division by a game over the second-place Gators with more than half of their 30-game S.E.C. schedule yet to be played.

Finally, due to anticipated low temperatures in Athens, tomorrow night’s baseball game against Winthrop has been postponed and the two teams will play a Wednesday doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m. Please note that the rescheduling of Tuesday’s game occurred because we’re expecting snow flurries in Georgia in April. Whatever happened to that global warming I’ve been hearing so much about lately?

Go ‘Dawgs!

Boilermakings for 2/23

BoilerTMill — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:36:05 -0000

This was just too good to pass up from GBI's Tom Campbell

Let’s get right to it since this was a busy weekend.

Baseball can’t handle extra innings

It was a rough weekend for the Boilers in the inaugural Big East/Big Ten challenge down in Clearwater, FL. Purdue started off the season well by beating Cincinnati 11-10 Friday afternoon. Dan Black singled home Ben Wolgamot with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give Purdue the victory. Wolgamot had earlier delivered a two out single to tie the game as Purdue trailed 10-9 going into the final inning.

The rest of the weekend wasn’t as good. Since Purdue and Michigan do not face each other in a Big Ten series this year they played a non-conference game Saturday morning. Purdue built a 3-0 lead through five and a half, but fell 4-3 in 10 innings when Jake McLouth delivered a 2 out RBI single in the bottom of the 10th.

The Boilers then dropped a 7-5 contest to South Florida Saturday night before falling 9-4 in 10 innings Sunday to Notre Dame. The Notre Dame and Michigan games are tough losses since they were two great chances to gain quality out of conference wins. There isn’t a lot of non-conference power this year, so Purdue needs to get good wins when it has a chance. Next up is a four game series this weekend at Southeast Missouri State. The Redhawks are 2-1 after winning a season opening series at traditional SEC power Alabama. The Crimson Tide was also ranked 16th in the preseason polls.

Black, who is Purdue’s starting catcher, managed to draw the eye of Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt over the weekend. Purdue doesn’t normally get a large number of draft picks because, well, we’re just not that good in baseball. It’s nice to see some national attention directed at Black. In another cool bit of history, the Purdue-Cincinnati game on Friday was the first ever Division I baseball game to feature two female umpires.

Women’s softball gets back on track

After losing its first ever national ranking with a poor 2-3 showing at the Florida State Sunshine Classic the women’s softball team had a much better outing this past weekend. The Boilers headed to Alabama for the War Eagle Classic to face Middle Tennessee State, Austin Peay, Winthrop, and host Auburn. Purdue lost the opener 11-4 to Middle Tennessee State, but beat Austin Peay 6-4, Winthrop 2-0, and Auburn 3-1 to move to 7-4 on the season. The Auburn game saw all three Purdue runs scored in the top of the seventh and final inning to give pitcher Suzie Rzegocki her fifth win of the season.

Katie Mitchell added a home run to tie the contest in the seventh. Liane Horiuchi and Candace Curtis each had RBI doubles in the inning for Purdue. The win gave Purdue the tournament title with the best record in the round-robin format. Unlike baseball, the Big Ten is much more of a softball power, therefore Purdue has plenty of chances to improve its NCAA resume once conference play starts. So far the non-conference season is working out just fine, however.

Kory Sheets sets fire to Lucas Oil Stadium turf

I have Colts season tickets as part of my sports addiction. We have had them for years and basically we keep the games we want and sell the rest for a very nice profit. Though the initial expense is high, we have so far attended 13 games in the four years we have had the tickets and have made more money than we have spent. Thanks to this weekend’s NFL combine though, Kory Sheets could cut into my profit margins. He is one of my favorite Purdue players ever, so it would be very nice to see him in Colts blue.

Mr. Sheets has had a very good weekend, impressing many scouts with his speed and pass catching ability. I’d love to see the hometown Colts draft him as a backup to Joseph Addai and kick returner. They could definitely use him in the kick returning department and he would thrive as a running back since the Colts throw to their backs a lot. Unfortunately it’s a crowded backfield at the moment with Addai, Dominic Rhodes, and Mike Hart.

I wouldn’t make too much of his contentious relationship with coach Tiller either. Kory flat out got it done on the field this year. He would have done even more if we had given him the chance. He torched Oregon and easily could have had 200 yards if we had given him more carries. He was torching Notre Dame until we stupidly went away from the run too. I am confident he will find a place in the NFL and make some team very happy.

I haven't seen many reports on how the rest of our guys did. CurtisPainter seemed to have fairly average numbers as a quarterback. Greg Orton is probalby lost in the crowd as a wide receiver. I know Alex Magee had an impressive Senior Bowl, but there is no word on how he has looked at the combine. It's somewhat disappointing given what Cliff Avril, Dustin Keller, and Stanford Keglar did last season. I am still shocked that Anthoney Heygood did not get invited.

Scrath that, the Boiled Sports guys have come through again with some solid info on the Combine. Thanks again, guys!

Non-Conference opponents updates:

Since the last time I ran this feature we have gotten quite a bit of help thanks to some upsets. We’re about a week from when some of the lesser conference tournaments get started. Some of our former opponents are positioning themselves nicely for a surprise run or two. We’re obviously an NCAA lock at this point, but the better these teams do means a higher seed for us if we can keep taking care of business in the Big Ten. Each RPI is out of 343 Division I teams

Detroit (7-20, 2-14 Horizon League) CBS Sports RPI: 272 – The Titans are not one of those teams helping us. They have lost four in a row and will have the worst seed in the Horizon League tournament with a last place finish.

Eastern Michigan (4-23, 2-10 MAC) CBS Sports RPI: 331 – How did this team even get invited to the Preseason NIT? They finally got another win by beating Bowling Green on February 15th, but that is just their second win vs. D-I competition. They are also in last place in their conference. RPI-wise, they are the worst team we have faced.

Loyola-IL (14-16, 6-11 Horizon) CBS Sports RPI: 198 – This is one of the teams that helped us with a shocking win over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. While unlikely, they could get hot and steal the Horizon League automatic bid. It would be nice if they can at least get to .500, but they have just one regular season game left.

Coppin State (11-16, 8-5MEAC) CBS Sports RPI: 216 – The Eagles have been on fire of late, winning eight of their last nine. They currently sit in third place in the MEAC, so a higher seed will help them if they want to steal the automatic bid. Their final regular season game is against current leader Morgan State, which is clearly the best team in this bad conference at 18-10.

Boston College (19-9, 7-6 ACC) CBS Sports RPI: 54 – Boston College lost at Miami on Saturday and was swept by the Hurricanes for the season, but I still think they are safely in the field right now. They won at North Carolina and also just beat Duke at home, giving them two major wins. They finish with Florida State, NC State, and Georgia Tech. As long as they get at least one of those they are probably safe as it would assure a .500 record in ACC play.

Oklahoma (25-2, 11-1 Big 12) CBS Sports RPI: 2 – The Sooners lost a chance at #1 by losing to Texas Saturday, but they are still one of the best teams in the nation. Blake Griffin could be sidelined for a critical conference game against Kansas tonight with a head injury, but he should be fine for the tournament.

Duke (22-5, 8-4 ACC) CBS Sports RPI: 4 – No one seems to want to win the ACC. The top of that conference is about as brutal as the Big 10. Duke righted itself by beating Wake Forest last night 101-91, but has three of its next four on the road.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (10-15, 9-5 SWAC) CBS Sports RPI: 243 – The Golden Lions are completely overmatched by anyone outside of the SWAC, but they have been doing well within that conference. Like Coppin State, they sit in third place and could make a decent tournament run to get the auto-bid. So far they are 0-3 against the top two teams in Jackson State and Alabama State.

Ball State (12-13, 6-6 MAC) CBS Sports RPI: 230 – The MAC should be a better basketball conference than it is. Ball State won a BracketBusters game over Tennessee Tech this weekend, but they remain under .500 overall. They did notch a win over conference leader Buffalo on February 15th.

Indiana State (9-19, 6-10 MVC) CBS Sports RPI: 205 – The overall record is still awful, but the Trees have been playing well of late. They are actually on a five game winning streak and could easily stretch it to seven by facing two of the worst teams in the Missouri Valley Conference to finish the year. How will that help? Beating both would assure they don’t have to play on the first day of Arch Madness, giving them a chance to stay hot, win just three games, and steal the automatic bid.

Davidson (22-6, 15-2 SoCon) CBS Sports RPI: 60 – If the mark of an NCAA at large team is that it can compete with anyone in the country I think Davidson is in. I would much rather see them get in (assuming they lose in the SoCon tourney) than some .500 team from a major conference because they value it more. Yes they wouldn’t have their gaudy record in the ACC, but they have gotten the opposition’s best shot for 28 games and Stephen Curry has been the focus each time. There is something to be said for consistently beating the opposition when you are THE team they want to beat. That is not the case for those .500 major conference teams. Despite all that, they are 22-6.

IPFW (11-16, 6-10 Summit League) CBS Sports RPI: 223 – The Mastodons are a middling team in a pretty bad conference overall. They lost on a last second basket to IUPUI in Indianapolis last week and are aiming to be a one and done in the Summit League Tournament since North Dakota State and Oral Roberts are dominating.

Valparaiso (8-20, 4-12 Horizon) CBS Sports RPI: 243 – I wonder how much we are personally raising the Horizon League’s RPI by having played three teams. Valpo won a BracketBusters game over Akron this weekend, but they are not likely a serious threat to win the Horizon League Tournament. The three Horizon teams we have played are the three worst teams in the league with a combined league mark of 12-37.

Taking a Look at Our Chances During the Hoops OOC Schedule

Gamecock Man — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:43 -0000

Below is the OOC basketball schedule, per the USC athletics website.

F-Nov. 7 Kentucky Wesleyan (EX) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 7 p.m.
F-Nov. 14 Jacksonville State (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 7 p.m.
Su-Nov 16 Winthrop (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 4 p.m.
Sa-Nov. 22 USC Upstate (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 1 p.m.
Tu-Nov. 25 Gardner Webb (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 7 p.m.
F-Nov. 28 College of Charleston Charleston, S.C. (Carolina First Arena) 7 p.m.
Tu-Dec. 2 Princeton Princeton, N.J. (Jadwin Gym) 7 p.m.
F-Dec. 5 Furman Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 6 p.m.
Tu-Dec. 16 NC Central (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 8 p.m.
Sa-Dec. 20 The Citadel (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 5 p.m.
Tu-Dec. 23 Presbyterian College (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 7 p.m.
Tu-Dec. 30 Clemson (FSN) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 7 p.m.
F-Jan. 2 Baylor (FSNSW) Waco, Texas (Ferell Center) 5:30 p.m.
M-Jan. 5 Wofford College (SS) Columbia, S.C. (Colonial Life Arena) 7 p.m.

Four games stand out here as important tests for our team: Winthrop, College of Charleston, Clemson, and Baylor. The other games should be easy wins. Of course, Gardner-Webb did beat Kentucky last year, but hopefully we'll escape that fate. Princeton's career as a giant killer is well known, but the Tigers have fallen on hard times. As far as Jacksonville State is concerned, we'll just have to hope that record keepers don't get confused when we play them and credit the wrong team with the win.

We're flattered, really.

Let's take a closer look at the better OOC opponents we face.

Winthrop

Winthrop has had a lot of success in the Big South conference in recent years. Last year, they went 22-12 and, as usual, represented their conference in the NCAA tournament. Despite their Big South success, though, wins over major conference foes have not come often for the Eagles, so they'll be looking for blood when they come to Columbia.

Luckily for us, however, the Eagles should be in a rebuilding phase this year. They lose four of their top five scorers from a year ago, and while Randy Peele has proven that he's a good enough coach to get his young team ready for the Big South, he'll likely have trouble with a more experienced, athletic Gamecocks team.

Verdict for Winthrop: Likely Win

College of Charleston

The COC had a tough year last year, going 16-17 and 9-11 in the Southern Conference, otherwise lately known as Davidson's Whipping Boys. However, Bobby Cremins's team returns every significant player this year. Cremins is a good, proven coach, and if things come together for his group of players, his team should challenge Davidson in the SoCon.

COC may be a tough out for the Gamecocks. The Cougars present minor matchup problems for Carolina. Carolina's Achilles Heel last year was talented big men, and COC sports two in Jermaine Johnson and Dustin Scott. Johnson and Scott don't sport quite the size of the SEC big men that plagued the Gamecocks last year, but they should be able to score some points in the paint against us. Also playing in COC's favor is that this game will take place in Charleston and lots of COC fans will undoubtedly be on hand to see the Cougars try to take out one of the big boys.

Verdict for COC: Somewhat Probable Win

See previews for Clemson and Baylor after the jump.

Clemson

Our friends from Pickens County have developed a nice little basketball program over the last few years under Coach Oliver Purnell, who is undoubtedly one of college hoops bright young coaching stars. The Tigers made the NCAA tournament last year and anything less than that this time around will be a disappointment, as they return senior guard and team leader K. C. Rivers along with other talented players. Many media outlets rate Clemson in their pre-season top 25s.

This will definitely be a difficult game for the Gamecocks. The Tigers have a number of talented shooters and are capable of scoring lots of points, and Darrin Horn's up-tempo offense plays into Clemson's hand to a certain degree because the Tigers have strong full-court and perimeter defenders. Clemson also brings in 7-2 center Catalin Baciu from Romania. Baciu is raw player and will need development before he really blossoms into a top player, but he's capable of scoring under the basket and Clemson will undoubtedly try to get him the ball so he can take advantage of the fact that he's a good several inches taller than our big men.

To make a long story short, we'll need to play a great game to beat the Tigers. We can do it, but it's not very likely. The game takes place in Columbia, so hopefully we'll get a little help from a pumped up crowd.

Verdict for Clemson: Likely Loss

Baylor

After enduring well-publicized scandal and tragedy in 2003, the Bears surged to a 21-11 record last year and ended up being one of the season's feel-good stories. A repeat performance may be likely this year, as Baylor returns its best players. The Bears sport one of the nation's best backcourts in Curtis Jerrells and Henry Dugat, and their frontline is also good. They won't sneak up on anybody again this year, but they're good enough to play with most teams.

Baylor doesn't have a player like Clemson's Baciu that will give Carolina fits. They also aren't as good defensively as the Tigers, so we should be able to score points against them. However, they'll get their points as well, and since they have a little more momentum coming into the season than we do, they'll likely be favored in this game.

Verdict for Baylor: Somewhat Probable Loss

Final Thoughts

Our OOC schedule this year is a good bit easier than what we faced last year. Gone are the Southern Cals, NC States, and George Masons, most of them replaced by teams that we should handle easily. That being the case, we should have no more than three losses headed into conference play. That's a good thing for this team, as the wins will build confidence and gives us a better chance of finishing with a respectable record even if we don't play great in SEC play. Playing tough OOC opponents is great for good teams that need the quality wins to help their NCAA seeding, but we're probably not at that point this year. And if we are, we need to beat Clemson and Baylor.