"The Shot Doctor"

Great Players Should Make Great Plays

2012-01-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Tony Romo's Botch Snap

Herman Edwards Recovers Joe
Pisarcik's Fumble

History has given us heroes and goats in the sports world. But when it comes to playoffs and Super Bowls it's the Kickers that have been the great disappointments in the history of the game. There is of course the 2006 Tony Romo's botched handling of a snap and there's the 2003 bad snap on a game winning field goal for the Giants against the 49'ers in a Wild Card game by Trey Junkin. Of course there's Scott Norwood in the Super Bowl that allows us to forget about a great quarterback, Jim Kelly. Joe Pisarcik's fumble off the snap leading to a game winning defensive touchdown by, then Defensive Back, Herman Ewards of the Philadelphia Eagles. But there is a bundle of "way right and way left" calls that define the ending of a season by many teams in history. But where is the criticism of Lee Evans, for not securing a struck in the gut, rather than the casual turn and celebrate move the skill players are so well choreographed to perform at the end of a scoring play. A chance for a potential player to make a great play and be recognized as a great player.

Billy Cundiff Misses 32 Yard FG
Wide Left.

Billy Cundiff will have to suffer the feeling of being responsible for not sending the Ravens into OT for a chance to proceed to the much eluded Super Bowl. But after the Baltimore defense kept an explosive New England Patriots offensive from scoring more than 23 points, Evans was the recipient of a spiral in the front corner of the end zone hitting his gut between two defenders and allows a desperate swipe by the beaten corner to dislodge the ball before he gets his second foot down thus forcing the field goal try versus a 27-23 lead with just over a minute to play. The result a 23-20 loss for the Ravens and a trip to the Super Bowl derailed.

Don't blame the kicker for a rushed field goal from a distance that was not a chip shot. Win and lose as a team. How about a few missed blocks, tackles, assignments and reads throughout the 60 minutes of regulation. Don't get caught in the "they get paid to make field goals," because big time players get paid to make big time plays. If this is not true, then check the average salary of a kicker and the average salary of Wide Receivers, Running Backs, D Backs, Linebackers, Defensive Ends, even Linemen and of course Quarterbacks! Don't let the guy who is the lowest paid, less frequently played be left to burden the responsibility for the Ravens loss to the Patriots.

There is plenty of blame to throw around to Great Players who were expected to make Great Plays.

The SEC is the BCS

2011-11-25T11:03:00.000-08:00

One would think that the SEC may actually be the BCS if you look at the current rankings and the last five years of BCS Championships, as the SEC has won the last 5 BCS Championships, with an apparent monopoly this year, as LSU, Alabama and Arkansas are 1, 2 and 3 respectively. But the ownership goes deeper to the perception of the strength of the SEC and the origin of the BCS.

At a closer look, the BCS System was engineered in 1998 by Roy Kramer, the former Commissioner of the SEC. After the original development of the Bowl Coalition, was converted to the Bowl Alliance which had basically rotated the NCAA Title game between the Fiesta, Sugar and Orange Bowls. This basically eliminated the PAC-10, Big Ten Champions along with other programs not associated with the Bowl Alliance. Likewise, the prestigious Rose Bowl was also left out of the championship rotation. Essentially, the Rose Bowl was forced to release the Big Ten and Pac 10 from their long contracted affiliation. Until the change in 2006 the Rose Bowl was included in the championship rotation, at which time the BCS Championship.

The SEC is considered to have the strongest football programs compared to all other conferences around the country, a fact that current is difficult to dispute based on the results of the last five years and the current rankings that have additionally #12 South Carolina, #13 Georgia and #24 Auburn in addition to the top three. You can't talk BCS without the SEC having a team in the consideration or the conference being the measuring stick for competitive strength.

Now for the other 108 Division 1 FBS member schools vying for a college championship, is this a fair system when the algorithms of the computer formulas have yet to been clarified to the average fan or sports professional. The system must be reviewed as there could be a scenario where a team that does not win its conference championship plays for the National Title while all other conference champions are left out looking in at a National Championship appearance and a chance to prove their ability to compete on the highest stage. This one team would have a single loss, just like many others with higher conference results. This one inequity alone raises the biggest flag, but many other subjective issues also support the criticism of the current selective system. For now, we'll play the games and see what happens, but one day this will have to change. And for now the SEC will enjoy its ownership of the BCS Championship Series.

"The Shot Doctor": NBA May Be Better Off With A Short Season

2011-11-13T12:55:00.000-08:00

"The Shot Doctor": NBA May Be Better Off With A Short Season: Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver and San Antonio Owner Respond at News Conference Thursday The NBA may just be facing a real windfall ...

"The Shot Doctor": Defining Sports Moments Should Give New Perspectiv...

2011-11-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

"The Shot Doctor": Defining Sports Moments Should Give New Perspectiv...: As the Penn State scandal continues to unfold, and the football era of a legend comes to a less than honorable end. The weekend of sports w...

Defining Sports Moments Should Give New Perspective

2011-11-13T12:32:00.000-08:00

As the Penn State scandal continues to unfold, and the football era of a legend comes to a less than honorable end. The weekend of sports would also bring us closer to earth, while destroying dreams, contradicting experts, making the odds makers look human and placing life back where it belongs, rooted in the reality that no one is perfect, no group is perfect, no guarantee exists for success and hard work can overcome potential, predictions, analysis and criticism. Athletes, Coaches, Celebrities, often know as heroes and icons, are just people with high profile gigs, that are high profile because of what we say about them, how we react to them and the money this fame will command. In the end these adults, students, pros and heroes are still human beings.

While Joe Paterno was seen as the one college ball coach that travelled through his career with no character flaws or professional deficiencies, a fact that has been measured by his demeanor and the lack of NCAA reported infractions during the 46-year Head Coaching tenure, in the shadows was a secret so disgusting that it corrupted people, leaders, authorities and yes a community. But what the assumption never envisioned was the most negligent and irresponsible follow up to one of the most egregious sex crimes in the world, the sodomy and rape of a child by an adult. The lack of responsible follow-up, for at least nine years, will forever taint the college football coaching career that spanned over four decades. The lack of follow-up leaves the suspicion of "Cover Up", the absence of outrage, reveals insufficient concern for the victims and their families, and some obvious social flaws. The immediate proactive initiatives to acquire legal counsel to prudently prepare for the inevitable legal challenges that will subsequently be initiated by the victims in this affair, shows the forward thinking is in the capacity of the Paterno camp, so where was it in 2002?

Elsewhere in the world of sports, Washington Nationals' catcher Wilson Ramos was kidnapped at gun point in front of his home, in front of his family and no one really cared. Fortunately, the event which took place in Venezuela, was successfully resolved with the capture of his abductors with Ramos unharmed after being in captivity of nearly a week. The rescue effort by the Venezuelan authorities was extremely thorough and efficient, but it did result in a brief gun battle. I wonder how many people even knew.

With all eyes and experts on Andrew Luck, nobody outside the state of Oregon wanted to believe that #7 Oregon could defeat an Andrew Luck led Stanford team. I guess it would have been a Cardinal Sin to think a LaMichael James Duck could pluck a bright red Cardinal led by Luck. The 53-30 good old fashion "woodshed," "feathers flying" whopping of the previously unbeaten #4 Stanford all but takes Stanford out of the BCS Championship picture and the continued success of James as the nations leading rusher, may have just move near or ahead of Luck in the Heisman Race. James went for 146 yards on 20 carriers and 3 TD's, while Luck, even though sharp at times, threw 2 interceptions and 27/41 but could not keep the Oregon offense off the field enough. Luck did throw three touchdowns in a losing effort.

#13 South Carolina was projected by most to lose against Florida, but the Gamecocks continued to struggle to score points and move the ball with any consistency, but the character of this team has remained intact as the defense dominated program only allowed 12 points, six of which were only aided by a third and long roughing the passer and a pass interference. The 17-12 Gamecocks, only needed a #20 Auburn victory over the #15 Georgia Bulldogs later in the day or a near impossible upset of Georgia, the rebuilding Kentucky Wildcats, to claim the Eastern Division of The SEC for the second consecutive year. The 45-7 stomping of Auburn by the Bulldogs makes that an improbability, but who knows. Who would have believed that the Gamecocks would have been unbeaten in two consecutive seasons against Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.

The NCAA finally decided that Ohio State was in violation as an institution and sanctioned them with a "failure to monitor" ruling that will undoubtedly include additional sanctions for the bewildered program. In light of the events in Pennsylvania, this seems to be of little significance.

While Friday night history was made when the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels played Michigan State on board the USS Carl Vinson, in honor of our U. S. Armed Forces and Veterans' Day. The game was attended by President Barack Obama and First Lady, and introduced a new congressional veterans' assistance program that will assist our veterans more aggressively, promptly and effectively. While the game, inspired by patriot visions of Roy Williams and Tom Izzo, was eventually a 67-55 Tar Heel victory. The contest, attended by James Worthy and Magic Johnson as Honorary Captains of their respective schools, was competitive and entertained the many active and retired military personnel in attendance on board the aircraft carrier that buried the body of Osama Bin Laden at sea in May of this year. The game was attended by approximately 8000 on the flight deck of an impressively constructed court, with the players playing in camouflaged designed uniforms. The inaugural game played on the USS Carl Vinson was called the Carrier Classic and was a very memorable event, that UNC Power Forward John Henson said, "It was so much more than a game this time", recounting the venue and meeting the President. While Michigan State Coach Izzo called it "a hell of a memory-maker for all of us."

While the top five employers WalMart, IBM, UPS, McDonald's and Target, in America provide jobs to over 3.5 Million citizens, 450 highly compensated NBA players have decided that they are the NBA and as such they are controlling the fate of their own livelihood and the employment of several thousand employees who work outside the lines of the court. While the players want to believe that they are partners with the owners and thus they should be paid the lion's share of the income produced by the respective franchises. The players fail to understand business in the sense of reality. A business owner has other bills outside of payroll to its top performers., there are large operating expenses, debts and loans that require repayment, along with the extremely expensive process of marketing and advertising, just to cover a few. In any partnership, the partner shares in those fixed and variable cost. In this case, the NBA Players operating like most young children in a household, they only "want their cake and then to eat it too," familiar? With the current average NBA player's salary at $5.15M per year, we are watching 450 selfishly greedy players, decide the fate of 16,000 to 20,000 administrative, arena, vendor and indirect personnel, as stubborn but profit conscious owners battle to stay lucratively profitable, which is their right as the original risk investors in the purchase and acquisition of the franchises. Likewise, if a franchise fails they suffer the loss, players walk away with no obligations. Currently, the stalemate says there will be no season unless the next week can get these parties closer together. Apparently, reality has not set in yet for this rich and talented group. Maybe unemployment is just what the doctor may need to order for the taste of reality to visit the NBA Players Association.

Dan Goodale Looks On
As 39 FG Sails Way Right

Boise State's run for another demand to be included in the BCS discussions ended with another missed field goal late in a game to ruin an undefeated season for the #5 Broncos. TCU upset the Broncos on the Blue Field to destroy another near perfect season and eliminate the Boise State credibility discussions for BCS Championship contention. Last year, Boise State found their season blemished by Nevada, when their kicker missed a game winning 26-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining in regulation, then went on to miss a 29-yard field goal in OT to tie and continue the extra period game. This year's miss was a 39-yard field goal, missed by a freshman, last year it was a senior kicker, who went on to receive death threats. Wonder when the misdirected fan base will blame this loss, along with other life's problems generated from this loss, on this young student-athlete.

In the meantime Manny Pacquiao, fighting an apparent 7-1 underdog, Juan Marquez, a rival and previous two-time loser to Pacquiao, was taken to a controversial decision amongst boos, cans and bottles as many in attendance believe Marquez had done enough to warrant either a split, draw or outright decision over the reigning champion. The majority decision was two cards to Pacquiao and the third card was a draw (116-112, 115-113 & 114-114). These guys have fought to a draw, split decision and now the majority decision in seven years. Marquez contends this is the second time he was robbed in a decision with Manny. The Associated Press scored the fight 114-114. The ringside punch charts would supper a close but slight edge to Manny over Juan in both punches landed and power punches connecting. Marquez believe his punches were harder. Pacquiao who goes to 54-3-2 will earn approximately $22M for the fight while his challenger, Marquez will earn about $5M as his record now stands at 52-6-1, with the three decisions to Pacquiao.

So as the world of sports turns don't be surprised when the University of South Carolina basketball team makes a run at the SEC East, having been projected to finish dead last in the entire conference. This young but talented team is both deep and larger than previous year's squads under 4th year coach Darin Horn.

By the way, #9 Clemson was a 16.5 point favorite over the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest, Clemson needed 17 unanswered points late in the game, that included a game winning field goal as time would expire, for a 31-38 victory. An earlier 32-yard FG miss by Wake Forest may have been the biggest aid to the victory for the Tigers. The win clinches the Atlantic Division Title for Clemson for the second time in three years.

This week has been an eye opening experience for those with minds open enough to see how distorted the view really is from the outside looking in.

The Upset Bug Finally Reaches The Top Ten

2011-10-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Top 10 teams in college football had been riding a fairy tale through week 8 of college football, winning games against it's opponents over the most recent five weeks by margins exceeding 30 points per contest per team. The BCS picture was looking extremely unclear with a potential log jam of top teams with no losses all claiming a shot at the BCS National Championship Game. But along comes #16 Michigan State just off its win against rival Michigan and unranked Texas Tech, hardly considered the candidate to upset the #3 ranked Sooners of Oklahoma, while the Spartans were at least considered a dangerous opponent for Wisconsin, playing through a dream season with the fortunate acquisition of veteran QB, Russell Wilson, a fifth year graduate transfer from NC State.

WR Keith Nichol
Scores Winning TD

For Michigan State, there was nothing easy about this victory, after trailing by 14 points early after an impressive drive by the Badgers on its first possession and then another quick strike after a Spartan turnover. Wisconsin appeared ready to continue their blowout ways cruising to lopsided a lopsided victory. But after a MSU punt pinned the Badgers inside the Wisconsin 5 yard line, Jerel Worthy the MSU dynamic defensive lineman stuffed the first play at the one yard line, the Wisconsin QB made a mental mistake. After rolling left and coming back to the right, Wilson launched a pass into the right flat while avoiding pressure, but no receiver was in the area and he had not gotten outside the tackle lane, so the result a penalty in the end zone for "international grounding", an automated "safety" and 2 points for the Spartans. From that point, the host team would outscore the visitors 29-3, including a two point conversion. Leading 31-17 late in the game, MSU would have to watch Wilson lead the Badgers to two late touchdown drives to tie the game with a little more than a minute to play in the game. But then came the drama, the thrill, the excitement and the disappointment. After driving down the field and getting just over midfield, MSU QB Kirk Cousins (22/31 290 yds, 3 TDs, 0 Int) launched a "Hail Mary" with 4 seconds remaining, and after richocetting off two MSU receivers and one UW defender, wide receiver Keith Nichol hauled in the gift at the goal line and leaned in for an attempt at the winning touch down. On the field two officials clearly missed the play, as they both marked the ball outside the point of the actual catch of Nichol, and never considered or saw his lean into the end zone before being desperately pulled back by Badger defenders. After a very prompt and accurate official review, the ruling on the field was overturned and MSU won 37-31. On many other days, the 14/21 223 yds, 2 TD/2 Int, performance would have been enough for the Wilson led Badgers to take a close game home, not to mention a 22 yard rushing touchdown by the Wisconsin QB. But the Spartans were poised and apparently unintimidated by the their conference leader Saturday.

In the southwestern region of the country, Oklahoma was trying to stay in the hunt for the coveted National Championship, andy its Landry Jones Heisman campaign, but the Red Raiders of Texas Tech had another surprise in mind for yet another seemingly indispensable Top Ten team, but the Red Raiders would run out to an early 24-7 halftime lead and would then defend off the late run by conference leading Oklahoma, and hold on for a 41-38 shootout that had as much drama as the MSU-UW matchup, without the "Hail Mary." Red Raider QB Seth Doedge threw for 33/52 for 441 yards and 4 TD's and no picks, as the visiting team produced only the third loss for the Sooners on Owen Field in the 78 games coached there by Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops, who had won 39 straight at home until Saturday. Heisman Candidate Landry Jones was 30/55 for 412, 3 TD's and 1 Int. Like the MSU upset, Tommy Turbeville's squad had to watch an All-American quarterback score the last two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter with less than 7 minutes to play, erasing a 41-24 Tech lead at the 7:38 mark. But it was too little too late, as Oklahoma's final score at the 1:10 mark would end the hopes of the Sooners to remain unbeaten this season. The star of the game however was Tech WR Alex Torres, with 4 catches 94 yards and 3 touchdowns. For now, this has to be considered "two out", with six remaining for the BCS Sweepstakes, as there are only six true contenders remaining unbeaten for now, with a lot of football to play. Example, for two quarters Tennessee was tied with Alabama 6-6, before a second half explosion led to a 37-6 blowout. The log jam of unbeatens could easily be no unbeatens by the end of November, with the remaining inter-state rivalries and inter conference ranked match ups.

Top 25 Recaps

NBA May Be Better Off With A Short Season

2011-10-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver
and San Antonio Owner Respond at
News Conference Thursday

The NBA may just be facing a real windfall this season and the Lockout may generate an increased interest in a professional season that by many accounts is considered too long and unimpressive until after the All-Star break. The collective bargaining agreement negotiations are not making immediate advances and the season is potentially in jeopardy, but the players feel the owners are being unreasonably greedy and the owners are demanding that the 57% to 43% basketball related income distribution be amended to 50-50 to allow a chance for all franchises to work towards year-end profits.

Billy Hunter and Player Reps Explain
Their Position to Press Thursday

As a result of the stalemate the season has already lost preseason games, and two weeks of the regular season games equating to over $250 million in lost revenues. The Los Angles Lakers have a total player payroll of $91,311,749 as the highest payroll in the league. The Denver Nuggets have a $28,883,142 payroll. The Defending NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks have a current $63,184,541 payroll and lost over $50 million during their championship season. So what does this all mean? The NBA is bleeding money, paying unreasonable salaries to extremely talented players, who unfortunately have lost perspective of the current economic climate in the United States. The consumers, also known as fans, are struggling to pay for healthcare, utilities, mortgages, rents and healthcare. Therefore product sales, ticket purchases and other basketball related discretionary spending is down. Owners are losing money against the investment into the franchise, players, supports services and amenities for the team and cannot see any change in the economic trend as we face another recession before experience an economic upswing.

Kobe Bryant Touring Italy

If the season is to be salvaged, it will be by the compromise of the players an owners with a mutual commitment to establish a business relationship that will generate profit for owners, continued wealth to the players and at an expense that at a minimum does not increase the cost to the consumer. As the players tweet their apologies to the fans, with a reminder that they are locked out wanting to just play basketball, they are attempting to challenge the common sense of an American people that have had to change their respective lifestyles to just live comfortable, while many have no method of even making a living with unemployment at an all time high. The players by returning 7% to the owners to make a multi billion dollar industry available to its many supporters would only see an average reduction in earnings at about $250,000 per player. The highest potential reduction would be about $1.7M for a player like Kobe Bryant, making $25,244,000 per year to $68,000 for the lowest paid player who would make a league minimum of $972,000. Does this appear unfair to Owners who have invested an average of $300M just to acquire a franchise, along with the average support expenses of over $90M to non-player support cost just to operate and support the daily and seasonal requirements of the athletic entity. A player on the other hand, once his guaranteed contract is completed, can opt out of their commitment to play for a franchise and leave for more attractive fan bases in other ares in the country, at no cost to the player.

In the 1998-1999 season, the protracted negotiations led to a shortened season of 50 games, opposed to the normal; 82-game season. All games were competitive and each game seemed to mean something to the players because they had a reduced period to close win-loss gaps between teams in the race for the playoffs and the often elusive NBA Title. Maybe the NBA can take a real review and assessment of its' position squeezed in between College Football, Basketball and the NFL. The result of their cohabitation in the winter and spring season, is a late arriving national audience after the final results of the BCS Championship, the Super Bowl and March Madness. The NBA is not America's pastime entertainment, the polls say that America does not care if you lose a few games, half a season or the entire season. The NBA is not the demand often referred to in "Supply and Demand," the NBA has become an expensive luxury that is not on the top of the list of the American budget. Unlike football, pro basketball is not a "must see" by families, young and old. Professional basketball has a distinct and specific audience census that is not near as diverse and broad as the Gridiron Heroes at both the college and professional ranks.

Let's face it who really cares if the NBA season is cancelled other than the 30 cities in America where the revenue losses will create additional unemployment and loss community revenues. By the time anyone recognizes the loss of the season, baseball will have capitalized as being America's pastime again as March Madness closes and College Baseball wets the athletic appetite. So maybe a shorter season is in order, that starts in February and takes traction in March and continues through June to find its place in the entertainment needs of the American public, the players conveniently recognize now that they need an ally in a war they cannot win against a powerful employer, turned adversary. Who knows the WNBA may even find its way in the hearts of an American public that can appreciate athletic stars that have not forgotten why they even have a market.

BCS Picture No More Clear with Blowouts and No Upsets In College Football

2011-10-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

The BCS Championship picture did not get any clearer after a weekend of solid domination of most ranked teams against their non-ranked or lower ranked opponents. With blowouts like #1 LSU over # 17 Florida 41-11, #2 Alabama over Vanderbilt 34-0, #3 Oklahoma over #11 Texas 55-17, #5 Boise State over Fresno State 57-7, #6 Oklahoma State over Kansas 70-28, #7 Stanford over Colorado 48-7, #8 Clemson over Boston College 36-14 and #9 Oregon 43-15 over California, you get the picture, no new news and everyone claiming to be a legitimate contender for this year's BCS Championship. LSU and Oklahoma however made the biggest statements dismantling highly ranked and well regarded football programs in Florida and Texas respectively. Even #18 South Carolina, with a quarterback change, recorded the largest margin of victory against an SEC opponent since joining the conference 54-3 over the Kentucky Wildcats.

#4 Wisconsin was resting up with an open week, while all the other contenders were having fun and protecting undefeated records with the exception of Oregon, which lost its' opening game against LSU. #10 Arkansas (5-1 1-1 SEC) is the only other team with a loss in the Top 10, which managed to enjoy a lopsided win, 38-14, against #15 Auburn, which had just returned to the Top 25 this week with a "nail bitter" road victory against previously ranked #10 South Carolina.

The batch of one-sided victories leaves little to be determined about the "Pretender versus Contender" debates being conducted on sports talk radio, sports bars and work places around America. So the anticipation, debates, scenarios, speculation and "what ifs" will continue to flood the discussions about this year's season and the championship race. Likewise, the debates over Heisman hopefuls will continue as all top 12 candidates provided Heisman style performances, with the exception of the Badgers' Russell Wilson, who could only watch during this bye weekend.

Money Can't Buy Love In MLB

2011-10-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

MLB Standings Live MLB Scoreboard

The long 162 game MLB season offered exciting finishes for some and extremely disappointing conclusions for others, but regardless of the result, the collection of 30 baseball franchises paid $2,789,752,055 in salaries to approximately 1000 to 1200 players on the active and inactive rosters. The average salary of a player in the majors is $3,323.296.53. Although misleading due to the gigantic annual salaries of players like; NYY Alex Rodriguez $27.5M, PHIL Ryan Howard $25M, PHIL Cliff Lee $24M, MIL Joe Mauer $23M, along with NYY CC Sabathia $23M, NYM Johan Sanata $22.9M, NYY Mark Teixera $22.5M, BOS Adrian Gonzalez $22M, MIL Ryan Braun $21M, BOS Carl Crawford $20.3M and PHIL Roy Halladay $20M, these average salaries are still the basis for an investment into talent that will ultimately generate performance on the field that will result into playoff teams, division championships, pennant races and World Series Championships. What we are seeing more and more that money does not but you love or a championship.

While the Yankees clinched the division title with a 97-65 record over Tampa Bay (91-71). The Yankees paid $202,689,028 for 6 more wins than the "Wild Card" Devil Rays, who paid $41,053,571 in salaries. The Rays went as far in the playoffs as the highest salaried team in professional baseball while sporting the second lowest salary in MLB. The Philadelphia Phillies appeared to make the best of their $172,976,379 salary overhead with a regular season record of 102-60, 13 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who invested $87,002,692 in players for 2011. The Phillies wasted the second highest payroll bowing out in five games in the first round of the playoffs, losing to St. Louis whose $138,543,166 payroll ranks fourth in the league.

The Boston Red Sox in a three way fight with NY and Tampa Bay, recorded 90 wins and 72 losses, with approximately 25% of those losses coming in the month of September, leaving the Red Sox home during the playoff season, and forcing a quality manager out, that will prove more damaging in the immediate future. The Sox invested $161,762,475 for basically negative results and obvious disappointment. The Los Angeles Angels ($138,543,166 4th 86-76), Chicago White Sox ($127,789,000 5th 79-83), Chicago Cubs ($125,047,329 6th 71-91), New York Mets ($118,847,309 7th 77-85), San Francisco Giants ($118,198,333 8th 86-76) and Minnesota Twins ($112,737,000 9th 63-99) did not make the playoffs, leaving the fans and management scratching their heads and planning additional moves over the season that will undoubtedly involve more money to buy talent or potential for an unknown competitive result. These six top 10 payrolls in MLB recorded 462 wins and 510 losses for the season.

The playoffs commenced with salary ranking match-ups of #29 Tampa Bay vs #13 Texas, #1 New York vs #10 Detroit, #2 Philadelphia vs #11 St Louis and #17 Milwaukee vs #25 Arizona. Now the pennant race will commence without the top nine payrolls in the league, with #10 Detroit against #13 Texas for the American league Championship and #11 St. Louis matched with #17 Milwaukee for the National League title. The regular season record for the six lowest payrolls in the playoffs was 562-410. Only three top ten salaried franchises made the playoffs, 1, 2 and 10. Only #10 Detroit moves on to the pennant race.

The 2011 season becomes just another modern day season proving that MLB and other professional franchises in professional sports are missing the mark in the salary investment of players and team chemistry and investing against salary based collective bargaining revenue share, and marquee named athletes that are not making several teams better from the free agent market. The result is high payrolls, frustrated fans, managers, front offices and several losing seasons, in more ways than one. Like our mothers always said, "money can't buy you love" and obviously it's not buying wins either.

Strange Events Define Week 5 of College Football

2011-10-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

For Complete Top 25 Stats "click"

Blocked kicks, missed extra points, controversial fumbles, questionable fumbles, poor play calling, bad clock management, fumble recoveries, TD returns, game changing interceptions and long runs were all a part of a wild and wacky Week 5 in college football on the first day of October. All a part of the NCAA football experience.

LSU, ranked #1, made little mystery out of its one-sided victory over young and limited Kentucky. Although they did not cover the projected spread, they accomplished redemption of the last upset crafted by Kentucky when LSU was last ranked #1. But the 35-7 victory sent a message that LSU is not planning on coming back to the field. Any efforts to dethrone the Tigers will be based on a school's "A" game.

#3 Alabama touting an undefeated 4-0 record and possibly the best defense in the country to go with a top ten offense, would go to the dangerous "Swamp" for a road test at one of the toughest opponent venues in the country. Alabama would simply manhandle and grind their way to solid control of the game against a promising #12 Florida Gators, led by the offensive specialist, Head Coach Wil Muschamp. But a Nick Saban coached team would be far superior with Trent Richardson, Marquis Maze and Eddie Lacy ripping through the Gator Swamp to record a 38-10 win for the National Championship contending Crimson Tide, who has to play LSU before the season ends.

#2 Oklahoma rolled over Ball State, 62-6 in no surprising fashion and is still a mystery as a contender or pretender. Landry Jones threw for 425 yards and 5 touchdowns, but coach Mike Stoops squad is expected to have a couple of real test in the near future. For now the Sooners have to be considered a contender.

#4 Boise State, much like LSU, saw revenge for their opponent for a previous upset last year, when Nevada was ranked #17 and the Broncos were ranked #2, to have their National Championship hopes dashed sending them to a consolation BCS Bowl, but no championship discussions. Unranked today Nevada, was picked apart surgically, with 169 rushing and 160 passing, by the Kellen Moore led Broncos, 30-10 in this stay alive contest, for the "stepchild" of the NCAA, on their run for the BCS Championship.

Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinals has little trouble with UCLA 45-19, Luck threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns and was extremely efficient going 23-27 through the air. The #6 Stanford (4-0) appears to be on a collision course with Oregon for the PAC 12 championship, but has to have the slight edge with Luck under center, the leading Heisman candidate and the heir apparent to the No. 1 NFL Draft slot.

Russell Wilson has been the find of an era for #7 Wisconsin (4-0). The two-sport athlete has become the piece that may just get a very consistent football program to the championship level in just one season. The NC State transfer and graduate student QB has led a very impressive offense to go along with a very solid and physical Badger defense. It proved to be too much for the "Big Red" machine of Lincoln, Nebraska as the Badgers, under the field leadership of Russell, dominated the Cornhuskers 41-17. The battle of the Big Ten powers proved to be more of a massacre than a fair fight.

#18 Arkansas gave #14 Texas A&M a "welcome to the league" come-from-behind stunner 42-38, after the Aggies led 35-17 at the half, only to be out scored in the second half 25-3 by the aggressive play of the Hogs and Tyler Wilson, who threw for over 500 yards, most in the second half. With A&M set to join the SEC next year, which should move Arkansas from the Western Division of the conference to the East, to accommodate today's victim, the Hogs were not hospitable in the treatment of their future member.

#10 South Carolina (4-1) can't get past Auburn (4-1) again and the hopes of a perfect and special season eludes the Gamecocks again. Now the Spurrier coached team, must find a way to get a QB on the field to get the ball in the playmakers hands. The future success will be based on trying to recover and win the SEC. This offense as of today cannot get it done. Roster says yes, but play calling and execution say no. The Gamecocks lose a close one 16-13 at home and remain winless against Auburn 0-7, three of those losses in Columbia, SC.

The South Carolina arch rival, made their statement to be looked upon as the elite of the ACC, with a commanding win against the hosting Hokies of Va. Tech 23-3. The game was a solid defensive dominance, with avery efficient offensive game plan and productive offensive series. #13 Clemson (5-0) just outplayed the pride of Virginia football and took control of the ACC with their third consecutive win against a ranked opponent, and higher ranked in each case. The road proves to be no problem for the team from Death Valley.

Robert Griffin III has been putting up unbelievable numbers for #15 Baylor 3-0 going for four straight against 3-0 Kansas State. Griffin came into this game with more TD passes, 13, than incompletions, at 12 for the highest efficiency rating of all college programs. Griffin took his 85% accuracy to K-State and completed 23-31 for 346 yards and five TD's, but one mistake a late interception, his first of the season, gave K-State (4-0) the field position to get close enough to kick the game winning FG, for a 36-35 upset of Baylor (3-1) and dampen the great season start for the Bears. Griffin, a Heisman candidate, has 18 TD's and 21 incompletions and 1 interception. But worst of all, the great performance ended in a loss to an unbeaten K-State 4-0 (3-0, 1-0).

Marcus Lattimore's second average statistical performance will have him losing ground on Stanford's Luck and the emerging Russell Wison, while Oregon's LaMichael James continues as the nations leading rusher ahead of Lattimore. Richardson of Alabama, Baylor's Robert Griffin III and Denard Robinson of Michigan continue to put up Heisman numbers. For More on The Heisman Watch

Who will emerge as the two BCS Championship teams, LSU-Oklahoma, Alabama-Wisconsin, Oklahoma-Boise State, Alabama-Oklahoma, Boise State-Alabama, Clemson-Alabama, Clemson-Wisconsin, Stanford-Boise State or a new combination of contenders after the second half of the dust of the season settles.

South Carolina and Clemson Start Down Memory Lane

2011-09-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

With South Carolina and Clemson football programs both 4-0 to start the season, one can only think of the dream season for each of these programs and the situations that parallel those memorable seasons. In 1981 Clemson coming of a 6-5 season in 1980, went undefeated and won the National Championship beating Nebraska in the Orange Bowl to collect the No. 1 spot in the land. In 1984 South Carolina recorded its best record in the history of the program, and arguably one game away from playing for a National Championship, but an upset by Navy late in the season denied the Gamecocks of the No. 1 ranking that awaited that evening if a victory would have been secured. South Carolina went on to squeak by Clemson to end the season and then lose a heart breaker late in the Gator Bowl to finish 10-2.

What makes the two seasons for each significantly notable is that Clemson was coached by Danny Ford a 33 year old third year head coach. The National Championship made him the youngest head coach to win a national title. The Clemson Tigers were not ranked entering the season and were in no way in the championship discussions or consideration. The team started its' season beating Wofford 45-10, Tulane 13-5, #4 Georgia 13-3 and Kentucky 21-3. Three years later the 1984 Gamecocks were being coached by a highly regarded Joe Morrison, but still had not yet achieved any significant accomplishments as a football program other than providing the stage for George Rogers to win the Heisman in 1980. That year South Carolina defeated The Citadel 31-24, Duke 21-0, Georgia 17-0 and Kansas State 49-17. The Gamecocks would go on to string wins against Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, East Carolina, North Carolina State and Florida State before the streak would end at 9-0 at Annapolis, with the Gamecocks ranked #2 behind Nebraska who would lose their first game of the season earlier that day. In 1981, Clemson was less regarded and would follow their 4-0 start with consecutive wins against Virgina, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, #9 UNC, Maryland, South Carolina and #4 Nebraska to claim the National Crown. Clemson would rise to the #14 slot in the polls and move to #9, #6, #4, #3, #2 and eventually #1 going into the Orange Bowl, on January 1, 1982, against the #4 Cornhuskers. This year, as was the case in 1981, Clemson was being coached by an apparent young inexperienced head coach in his third season and regarded as a team being rebuilt coming of an average season. Does this sound like anything familiar with the 2011 Tiger unit exactly 30 years later, under the leadership of Dabo Swinney? In his third full season at 41 is still considered young, he has taken Clemson from disregarded to victories over Troy, Wofford, #21 Auburn and #11 FSU and a #15 Coach's Poll and #13 AP ranking after week four.

The arch rival Gamecocks on the other hand started the season nationally ranked with high expectations, following a strong regular season last year, that included the first ever trip to the SEC conference championship game. The addition of the #1 high school player, Jadeveon Clowney, to head a top 10 recruiting class, to go along with the national freshman of the year, Marcus Lattimore, making South Carolina a team to be watched and projected to compete for the SEC championship again in 2011, ranked #15 to start the season. The 1984 team was coming off a 5-6 season, and considered a team in progress of being built. However, this team would climb into the national rankings at #20 and with the wins over Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, would then slip into the top 10 in week seven. South Carolina had established an identity for its' defense, then known as the "Fire Ants" for their swarming philosophy and creation of turnovers. This year's team is much the same even with the absence of the "Fire Ant" characteristics. This team has been able to win games against moderate to competitive teams with big plays by the defense and special teams, and a strong running performance again by Lattimore, finding ways to win while question marks continue, weekly, about the inconsistency of the offense.

Clemson 2011, in mirroring Clemson 1981, began the season with question marks, but while the names on the back of the jerseys do not display Jordan, Davis, Kinard and Tuttle, they now read Boyd, Watkins, Allen and Ellington. While both teams have unanswered questions, Clemson 2011 is improving each week, and impressing even the earlier doubting analyst, and finding victories against mid major and nationally ranked BCS powers. Exploiting the talent and speed of their youth blended with solid physicality from their veteran players, and now in the national picture. South Carolina 2011 is going into the stronger part of their schedule, which is where the 1984 team established its national credibility with wins over highly regarded Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and eventually powerhouse, FSU in week nine when they finally rose to #2. In South Carolina's case, the stat line does not list Hold, Dendy, Hillary and Hagood, but more nationally recognized Garcia, Lattimore, Clowney and Ingram, but the events have the same buzz affect, the hope of a championship.

So "fast-forward" to now, Steve Spurrier and Dabo Swinney have orchestrated current #9 and #13 rankings respectively and now control their individual team's destiny. By continuing to improve team efficiencies and performances each week until the final regular season game where, if both can maintain their winning ways, the storied rivalry could just decide which team has a chance to play for a BCS National Title. In each of the historical seasons, the top football game in the state of South Carolina was won by the team with the best record. In 1981 Clemson won 29-13 and in 1984 South Carolina won 22-21, with each game decided on the opposing team's field. Either way, the Gamecocks and the Tigers have made the state of South Carolina relevant in the BCS National Picture.

Week Three of College Football Reveals….

2011-09-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Week three placed a scare in #1 Oklahoma, #3 LSU and #10 South Carolina. While at another level of the Top 25 #21 Auburn was having their 17 game winning streak stunted by Clemson, Notre Dame was getting their first win of the season at the expense of #15 Michigan State, Illinois was slipping by #22 Arizona State and Jacory Harris was dismantling #17 Ohio State in a game that would pit two schools with extremely severe NCAA infraction ramifications facing each school, as they try to rebuild both reputations and their national prominence. All other ranked teams were handling business as usual, unless you want to call the Washington-Nebraska shootout a scare for the #11 Corn Huskers 51-38.

Then there is the brilliant stepchild of NCAA football, #4 Boise State, flexing its' muscle on Toledo 40-15, #12 Oregon released its' frustration on Missouri State 56-7, #23 Texas redeemed is previous upset by the Bruins to secure a basically one-sided game 49-20. It was #20 South Florida making the loudest noise, with a 70-17 over the undermanned Rattlers of FAMU, but #2 Alabama was making the largest statement of the day, displaying a potent offense with the most impressive and stingy defensive unit in land. It would appear right now that the road to a National Championship would take an early route through Tuscaloosa.

But there are a few Heisman hopefuls that will have a say-so in the final mapping of the road to a National Title. Kellen Moore, the accurate QB for the Boise State Mustangs, threw for 5 TD's on 32-42 passes and 455 yards. LaMichael James ran for 204 yards on 12 carries, with a long run of 90 yards for one of his three touchdowns on the day. Not to be outdone, Marcus Lattimore would finish his day with 246 yards on 37 carries and also score three touchdowns to become the first RB to reach that total playing for a Steve Spurrier coached ball club. Andrew Luck kept his supporters comfortable with his Heisman status with a 20-31, 325 yard day and two scores, as he barely broke a sweat in the lopsided victory over Arizona. Landry Jones, who is an outsider in this class of stars, has been mentioned slightly in the award discussions, but did himself no favors with an effective but average performance, 18-27 199 yards and two TD's to go with two interceptions. While Denard Robinson and his Wolverines were resting this weekend, Trent Richardson was busy keeping his name in the hat with a three touchdown day, with scoring runs of 58 and 71 while amassing 167 yards on just 11 carries for the day. James has the most 200 yard games (4) over the last five years for any BCS running back.

So after three weeks, it appears that Alabama will be a force in the SEC, and the giant in that conference, slowly growing into its Nick Saban stature again. Boise State should cruise through the Mountain West, but better yet finish undefeated to hang at one of the Top four spots in the polls and later the BCS rankings for an outside shot at the illusive BCS National Championship game. Oklahoma is vulnerable for an upset and will have to rely on more consistent QB play and efficiency to go wire to wire to a Championship season. Oregon may be able to reestablish its' place among the championship discussions by running the table, which will include Luck and company. LSU will face the same challenge it faces every year, beat their Western Division foe, Alabama, just to get to the SEC Championship Game, which normally means the winner is one half of the BCS Championship Game.

Well there are many scenarios to consider early in the season, but with 25% completed, the Cinderella Story, Boise State versus South Carolina, the Moore led Broncos against the Lattimore dependent Gamecocks could give college football a story for the ages and possibly one of the biggest moments in sports for both institutions in the same year. But we're just going into the second quarter of the season with a full three quarters of a season to play, but this is starting to look like something special if the two can find a way to will their respective teams to blemish free seasons.

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The 2011 College Football Season Is Underway

2011-09-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

With week one of the college football season nearing conclusion following tonight's Miami-Maryland matchup, fans and media have final been able to talk about the quality of teams, Heisman Candidates, conference and national championship predictions and new stars to be tracked. This a welcomed focus from the NCAA violations, pay of play debates, fired coaches and death penalty discussions. In the end #5 Boise State has established itself again this year as a National Contender, LSU proved that it can win with the depth and athletes on roster, #1 Oklahoma is for real, #2 Alabama is ready to reign again, #14 TCU, #3 Oregon, #16 Notre Dame and #19 Georgia are probably waiting for next year, and #12 South Carolina has the opportunity to make the preseason computer predictions come true.

College football is probably the most exciting sporting event in America. When you lose you fall to a place that redefines your season. When you win it determines who you are and when you continue to win your hopes are magnified to establish the collegiate atmosphere that makes college athletics the best entertainment in America. Many of us don't like the BCS, but the NCAA has continued to allow us to be excited about game day in our cities, game of the week on Thursdays, and national powers meeting on neutral fields to give us the preview of National Championship matches and the aspirations of finding the National Title in the unexpected cities.

With Boise State's win over Georgia and LSU's win over Oregon, the focus has to be on Boise State as they have again proven that they are the best of the Mountain West and possibly one of the best in America. The Broncos don't appear to have another real test until week 10 when they host TCU, an early upset victim on day one of the opening season "five days of football." While #4 LSU will make claim to their status with the dominance of Oregon, they will have a proving ground in the SEC that will force their championship caliber play ever week in their conference. South Carolina saved the dream season with a series of unbelievable scoring opportunities in the third quarter early to secure an eventual victory that saved the Dream Season, generated by great recruiting in the last three years and the legend of coaching, Steve Spurrier, having one last run at the National Championship. But first things first, the SEC East, then to Atlanta for the SEC Championship, a road paved with rocky obstacles in the SEC, starting in Athens with a desperate Georgia program.

This could be the year that Boise State plays South Carolina in the BCS National Championship game with South Carolina winning. If that is the case will computers then rule the world, because only a computer could have credibly created that scenario, but the schedules actually present the series of games and match ups that allow this to be the most dramatic college football season in the history of the game. Just think did baseball set the stage and is there credence in the concept that, "winning begets winning? South Carolina is a top institution that has established itself as a power in athletics and a power in International and Research Curriculm. Could this be the year that the school gets credit for doing it all right. That's how big this season could be for the University of South Carolina.

Expectations are high in Alabama, LSU, Boise State, Oklahoma, #6 Florida State, #8 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma State, #10 Nebraska, #7 Stanford and #11 Wisconsin, but there is something about this "Cinderella Story" brewing in South Carolina, co-starring Boise State.

College Football Television Schedule

Pay for Play, No Way In The NCAA

2011-08-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Modern college athletics has become a major focus of egos, finance, investigations, corruption, cover-ups, infractions, penalties, suspensions, dismissals and scandals. At the root of all of this, money, luxuries of life, cars, jewelry, and even tattoos and drugs. The problem is said to be the NCAA and its member schools who are making tons of money on the backs and skills of the many student-athletes of its member institutions. Along with the coaches who are making millions of dollars and have no true commitment to the student-athlete. The student-athlete is left to attend class, practice, work-outs and games with no opportunity for them to work and sustain any sense of fiscal or financial comfort while attending school and playing the sport of choice under scholarship. A great surface argument and rationale for the recent consensus attitude, "if you place it in front of me, or make it available I'm going to get mine, nobody else is looking out for me". So the stage is set for over zealous and selfishly driven boosters, agent's or runners, to place these valuable luxuries of life, through cash and goods, into the hands of less than naive student-athletes who then have been tainted and become rule violators, ineligible players, and often an embarrassment to their family, community, institution and self. Instead of the disclosure of such violations and atrocities, along with the sanctions that follow, becoming a deterrent, we find that the cycle of events is increasing and becoming more prevalent. That's right, it is becoming the rule, rather than the exception.

So, how do we fix a system that appears to have penalties in place for such infractions that hinder the violators from easily advancing their careers in many cases, and places sanctions that incur financial consequences, while placing burdens on many from advancing the momentum of program success. We first have to look at the perception of college athletics. No longer is a great value placed in the opportunity for a free education, once we devalued the asset of an education, we established the altered view of the role of the student-athlete, the institution and amateurism. We have forgotten what a college is meant to be in the life of young adults and the improvement of our society. We overlook the thousands of enrolled students who support the institutions with their tuitions for their education. Many who have to work their way through school just to pay for tuition, books, food and lodging, all of which is paid for the student-athlete on scholarship. We tend to overlook the academic responsibility to attend college and the reason we go to college to improve our opportunity in life for the future. Athletics provides the same forum for those athletes who have an opportunity to move on to a profession that will pay them millions to perform in their sport of choice. And to qualify, all they have to do is attend class, practices, workouts and perform to the best of their ability. The reward, they move on to the job of a lifetime, their dream, the unbelievable, professional athletics. The college or university becomes their nurturing showcase, without it they are just another athlete with dreams and desires, but nowhere to exploit the skills or display their talent. With such a gift, an opportunity, why is it necessary to make this group of special humans any more human than the general scholarship student who has to maintain a much higher grade point average than the average student-athlete to retain their scholarship? The ROTC scholarship student has to make class, make military drills and maintain a higher grade point average, along with being obligated to a three-year stint in our Armed Forces upon graduation. Most will say, they chose that route, and the controverting response is that the student-athlete chose that route as well, with many more concessions than any other scholarship or non-scholarship students in all NCAA member institutions.

Now let's find the flaw in the NCAA, where student-athlete scholarships are for only one year, renewed annually based solely on the discretionary ruling of a head coach. A student-athlete is vetted and recruited to an institution based on his or her athletic performances in high school, which the coaching staff is hoping will translate into a quality and even star-like performance at the college level. If that does not happen then a student-athlete could lose that scholarship because the speculated potential of the respective student-athlete was not reached to the expectation or need of the coaching staff. This is unacceptable as it contributes to the devaluation of the student-athlete philosophy. If a student-athlete accepts a scholarship and enrolls in an institution and meets all the requirements in the classroom, works out at their maximum capacity, and contributes to the best of their ability they should be allowed to complete their education under scholarship regardless if they fail to meet the speculated performance level aspired by the coaching staff. This of course being that all moral and ethical standards of both the institution and society are maintained. That institutional obligation should be a part of the complete commitment of the NCAA member schools, as they should be viewed as equitable students and athletes. This consequence to the coaching staff, institution and school, is a mere fiduciary responsibility to the results of vetting, recruiting and signing of a student-athlete to scholarship, that should be viewed as a contract. A contract that is mutually sustained by the services of the student-athlete and the consideration extended of a free undergraduate education, that they have up to five years to complete. If this is not changed, then a student-athlete should be allowed to change institutions without the inconvenience or penalty of having to sit upon changing institutions at the Division I level. While the ambiguity of many of the NCAA rules need to be changed or amended, the next major flaw is the penalties for rules infractions having entirely too much to do with the program and the student-athlete and not enough to do with the coaches and athletic directors. This needs to be overhauled promptly, as we have created a detour from the true destiny of our educational and amateur athletic system.

The resolve or compromise can be found in more commitment to the student-athlete scholarship, stiffer penalties for coaches of programs that break the rules, giving our student-athletes the tainted personal growth and development, bankrupted of integrity and nurturing a cheating mentality, and a delusional view of life as a responsible adult. While the outside influences of boosters, fans, groupies and yes agents, will loom as the most uncontrollable feature in the college athletic environment, it can be countered with a regulated method of allowing student-athletes, after their freshman year, to sell personally provided sports gear and achievement memorabilia for an amount to be regulated and capped by the NCAA. The proposed sale of sports gear would be limited to the amount of gear in any one season, not to exceed an amount determined by the NCAA and reported to the member school compliance department for proper documentation of the transaction. All students would be given the simple method of reporting such sale, requiring the purchaser to sign a simple form of acknowledgement. If a student-ahtlete would sell an item outside of the parameters set forth, then such athlete would be deemed permanently ineligible to continue playing at a NCAA member school. If a coach knowingly allows a student-athlete to breach such a privilege provided by abusing the cap, or failing to report, then they would be likewise prohibited from coaching for a period equal to the term of a full scholarship, which currently would be five years, with the "5 to play 4" allowance to student-athletes. This would allow athletes to offset the much argued inability to work and generate spending money for general social luxuries supposedly available to other students, while not increasing the budget of schools with lesser internal means to expand spending on student-athletes. The obvious funding of this potential stipend would then be based on funding from third party sources and documented for regulatory control. Likewise, the question of value of the respective athletes in regards to payment systems being arbitrarily proposed, would be mitigated as student-athletes would be able to either promote their value on the playing fields and courts or market their qualities within the community through speaking engagements, youth programs, autograph signing and outreach programs that would foster other respect by the public that would allow their respective logo items and memorabilia to be sold up to the maximum allowed by solid community service and character-based issues. Example of an interior lineman spending time at reading programs and visiting hospitals, versus the well publicized quarterback or running back that is known solely by his often announced achievements on the field.

Rules are not made to be broken, they are made to stop people from taking advantage of others. Rules are made to set a level playing field, and equitable opportunity for fairness in competition. Rules will be broken, but when you want to stop an increase of rule breaking, establish an environment wherein it is less necessary to break that rule and more detrimental to consider the infraction. Pay for play, no way NCAA.

The Decision, The Promise, The Collapse

2011-06-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Last year LeBron James made a decision to leave Cleveland after establishing himself as the new "Superstar" on the block. But after 7 seasons with the Cavaliers, he failed to win a championship after a few somewhat gallant efforts. It was the obvious belief of Lebron that owner Dan Gilbert was not committed to the acquisition of players to help him accomplish his goal to win an NBA title. Therefore, in a much publicized vetting process, Lebron chose to accept an offer to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in "South Beach" in a highly drama filled production on television, making the Miami Heat fan base believe they had an instant dynasty with this combination of heralded free agents. This decision also left the state of Cleveland in a state of shock, disappointment, hurt, anger and dismay.

Then there was the promise to the southern Florida fans that there would be one, two, three, four , five, six and yes, even seven championships on the horizon for the Pat Riley managed franchise. A franchise that has been to the promise land and experienced the reward of faithful support to a previous superstar roster headed by Wade and Shaquille O'Neal in 2006. This promise would be questioned early in the season by a series of losing streaks and a failure to see the synergy of what was deemed to be the best collection of three skilled basketball athletes since Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett came together to form the original "Big Three" and accomplish the goal that had eluded these fine athletes throughout their careers. But all of a sudden, in the second half of the season this team began to find their roles. The Heat defense became a work of art. Their late game playmaking was a consistent success, and they were in the title hunt again and all seemed worth the early frustration, an investment into building a team and a championship franchise with the formula controversially discussed throughout the season by media, knowledgeable fans, novice and comedians, debated as justifiable or overrated as an equation for success. The promise seemed viable, when the Heat toyed with the 76er's, out battled the league MVP Derrick Rose and his record leading Chicago Bulls, only to easily dispose of the favored but gimpy Boston Celtics. The new "Big Three" had overcome the franchise that was a frustration for them all in so many different ways, to evolve as the Eastern Division Champions.

Forget stats today and lets' fast forward to the championship series with the Dallas Mavericks, a team that scores a lot of points, and supposedly plays little defense with the characteristic of outscoring opponents, not stopping anyone. A franchise that has never won a title, and was the victim of the 2006 Miami NBA Championship, when they, the Mav's opened with a 2-0 lead, only to lose four straight in experience and display the worse modern day collapse in a championship series in modern day. This included a double digit lead in game three, before the wheels came off the championship vehicle, designed and created between 2000-2006, by the flamboyant billionaire, Mark Cuban. When Miami opened with a strong second half victory in game one this year, the rout was projected, and the Dallas dream was advertised as another potential nightmare. Then came game two, and the apparent second demise became the Dallas dream, as Dirk Nowitzki led a struggling Mavericks squad to a miraculous come from behind victory in literally stealing game two. With the series tied 1-1, the stage was set for Dallas to control their destiny at home with three consecutive games at home, in the 2-3-2 finals format, but Bosh, Wade and James would crash the party and flirt with stealing the series while in Dallas, with an aggressive defensive scheme that made the Mav's work hard to find open shooters, that once found, appeared too anxious and tired to throw a basketball in the ocean, not to mention a seemingly small basketball hoop. Now the stage was set to anticipate that the series could possibly not even return to "South Beach," with the Heat being crowned in Dallas. Jason Terry, a former sixth man award recipient, who is possibly the most productive sixth man offensively, was not convinced, as he stated that Lebron could not keep up the intense defense for seven games that has appeared a challenge for Terry in producing the necessary perimeter support to offset the intense Heat defense pressure after three games. Lebron disregarded the audacity of Terry to challenge his stamina and capacity to continue the defensive shutdown and fourth quarter productivity. This not only was a challenge, this was a statement that Dallas was in this series for the long haul and that anyone writing this team off was sadly mistaken. In game 4, Terry looked like a prophet, as the fourth quarter displayed an anemic Miami offense, that after holding the Mavericks to under 40% shooting, could not stop the final quarter shooting of Dirk and Terry, as the Heat only developed 14 points, with Lebron nowhere to be found in the final quarter scoring. The 21-14 fourth quarter tied the series at 2-2 and the series was now a competitive matchup of scoring shooters against tremendous superstar athletes. Who would win, who has the best coaching, who has the best finishers, who has the most heart, who can handle the pressure and who will win?

The final game in Dallas produced the largest margin of victory for either team, as the Mavericks won by 9 points and crossed into their comfort zone of 100 points, winning 112-103. Returning home Coach Eric Spoelstra stated that they were just where they wanted to be, with home court advantage, something they strived for in closing out the regular season and the chance to close the championship series out at home. While it was another good sound bite, the Heat were in trouble and they knew it. All the buzz words, cliches, and words of confidence were no match for a Dallas team that was not intimidated by the contemporary "Big Three" and had found the range from long distance, mental toughness, aggressive defensive pressure of their own and a goal to vindicate their 2006 collapse and leave the Heat feeling the taste of favored disappointment as they shot their way to the 2011 NBA Championship with class, teamwork, perseverance, mid game adjustments and great rotation production from their bench that took the Heat from "The Decision" by Lebron, inclusive of Bosh and Wade, to "The Promise" by Wade, James and Bosh, led by James and "The Collapse" also led by James, as the "King" only scored 18 points in the fourth quarter in 6 games. By the way, Nowitzki scored 62 over the same period. Dallas Coach Rick Carlisle out coached Spoelstra, Dirk outplayed Lebron, Terry outplayed Mario Chalmers, Tyson Chandler outplayed Udonis Haslem and Jason Kidd and J.J. Barea combined to outplay Wade. Let's face it, the Dallas fans outcheered the Miami fans, even in South Beach.

Thunder Way Out Of Character In Loss

2011-05-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

Rick Carlisle pointed to the great defense played by his Dallas Mavericks squad as the key to Saturday's 93-87 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He immediately mentioned the 87 points put up by the Thunder as the indicator, nearly 15 points below their season average. The 36% shooting and 1-17 from three point range would seem to support his contention. But a closer look at the game as a whole would basically place this loss on the lack of efficiency of the Oklahoma offense, from shot selection and to the absence of necessary spacing which allowed easy double teaming and eliminating open shot opportunities.

A more noticeable point would be that the Thunder started the game sloppy, turning the ball over 6 times in the first quarter, limiting their shot opportunities early and allowing the Mavericks to gain a 25-12 advantage, which it nursed throughout the ballgame. For the remainder of the game, the Thunder only had an additional 8 turnovers, playing aggressive defense in their own right and losing the second quarter by one point 25-24. In the second half, the Thunder won the third quarter 20-18 and the final quarter 31-23, obviously holding Dallas to only 41 second half points. The Thunder's defense was actually stronger than Dallas in the second half. The 20-37 shooting by Dallas in the first half was stymied to 16-45 in the second half. In holding on to a six point victory, Dallas was held to 12 points below their season average.

Let's face it, this was an ugly game that experience won, but defense was not the key. The young guns found the basket to be very small early, dug a first quarter hole that they could not dig their way out. Spacing and rushed shots delivered a horrible shooting night and down the stretch time ran out on the host club. In the end, Westbrook had one of his best shooting nights of the playoffs with 30 points on 8-20 shooting and 13-14 from the line, but his floor management was weak dishing only 4 of the team's 6 total assists for the night. Dirk and Kevin cancelled each other with poor shooting evenings both only making 7 field goals each on 21 and 22 shot attempts respectively.

The Thunder were far from the team that has risen rapidly to a Western Conference Championship contender. They were sloppy with the basketball, did not make the extra pass and they failed to follow the Scott Brooks pattern of inside out offensive rhythm. Carlisle says it was defense, observation says it was youth and too much comfort with being home, and "shell shock" when shots didn't fall early. And by the way, with several statistical factors being close, the Thunder had 9 blocks to the Mavs' 4. Game 4 should go to the Thunder and the Oklahoma marketing staff might want to try a "White Out" rather than a "Blue Out" to allow the home team to feel at home psychologically.

First Game Not The Indicator in the Playoffs

2011-05-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

With Chicago disposing of Miami with ease in the second half of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals 103-82 and Dirk Nowitski single handily destroying the Thunder 121-112 in the West, Game 1 in these series would imply a possible run to the finals in favor of the host teams. But let's fast forward to last night where the Bulls went cold, and the Heat decided to extend their defensive efforts on Derrick Rose and challenge all other shots on run-outs towards open shooters and weak side challenge rotation on all penetration. The result was a 34% shooting night for Chicago, with Rose shooting only 7-23 against a smothering Heat defense, and a 85-75 victory for the Miami. Now the series moves to South Beach, where the Heat have not surrendered a playoff loss.

In Texas, Dirk's 48 point shooting performance was so fascinating that he has generated national media and analyst discussions over his recognition in the class of "greatest all-time." After only missing 3 shots from the field and setting a new playoff record at the charity stripe (24-24), Dirk and team are now being all but crowned the Western Conference champions. This night for the ages will forever be remembered and that leads to the next thought. Dallas allowed 112 points in a game that was supposed to define the course of this series, but without real defensive success, future games allowing over 100 points could prove to be the downfall for the favored Mavericks, as very few games in the playoffs, and definitely not in one series will go into the 100"s for both teams. The Thunder got there with horrid play from their star point guard, Russell Westbrook, coupled with the fact that the league's leading scorer, Kevin Durant, was overshadowed while scoring a mere 40 points, as well. This series can easily be tied going over to Oklahoma if the Maverick do not improve on the defensive end while enjoying offensive success, primarily on the perimeter. As we often say, "live by the shot, die by the shot."

These series actually have the makings of very entertaining and see-saw scenarios right down to game 7, where anything can happen. The shroud of greatness will only be achieved by Dirk, Derrick, Lebron, Dwyane, Kevin or even Russell and Chris, with victories in the final match of these 2011 Titans that have arrived at the mecca of basketball, the NBA Championships. Don't crown a champion too soon!

Westbrook Leads Memphis In Comeback Victory

2011-05-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

Russell Westbrook wears a Thunder uniform, but in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game, Westbrook single handily shot his opponents, the Memphis Grizzles, back into a game that late in the third period was a Thunder game to lose with a 15 point lead. With an 11 point lead at about the 7:43 mark of the 4th, Westbrook went 8 of 10 possessions failing to set the Thunder in an offensive set and established isolation for himself missing shot after shot, along with turnovers, even waving off the best fourth quarter scorer this season, Kevin Durant, twice. Not to mention the league's best scorer who shoots 60% in the final period. The result was a total melt down, and a 23-10 final period that sent the game to overtime, where the home team took the momentum into the extra period, scoring 15 points and holding OKC to 7 points for the 101-93 win and a 2-1 lead in the series. Westbrook gets the slight nod over a strong finish by Zach Randolph (21 pts.) and Mike Conley (18 pts.), Jr., as the key player in this Memphis comeback victory.

In other games this weekend we have watched a very disoriented defending champion, Lakers squad, fall to 0-3 against a surprisingly more physical Dallas Maverick team that has been criticized for its' lack of physicality versus their strong and streaky shooting skills. In game three the Lakers appeared on their way to recovery from a home court collapse leading by 7 points with 5 minutes remaining when the team just stopped playing defense again late in the game and allowed the Mavericks to find open players possession after possession, while missing their shots. The result, a 20-7 run to close the game for a 98-92 loss to Dallas, who now lead the series 3-0. Perimeter defense, along with poor rotation and decisions defending the "pick and roll" are a part of the problem. But when Pau Gasol defends Dirk Nowitzki, Dirk is 16-19 in the series, all others defending Nowitzki have held him to 16-38 accuracy. Kobe Bryant has taken the blame for the late game collapse, but LA has to see championship support performances from others such as Steve Blake, Shannon Brown, Matt Barnes, and obviously the melting Gasol. Without it, a Phil Jackson coached team will be swept for the first time in his NBA coaching career.

In Boston, D. Wade found the going just as tough as in many previous trips for the all-star guard, who hasn't won in Boston since the development of flat screen television technology. Boston appeared to gain needed rest with the extra day scheduling and shot 50% from the floor, and road the 28 point, 18 rebound performance of Kevin Garnett, who shot13-20 (65%), while dominating the glass and leading the Celtics to a 97-81. During the middle of the third quarter, Rajon Rondo went down with a severely dislocated left elbow and was taken to the locker room for diagnostics, and eventual treatment, only to return to the bench at the end of the quarter and back into the game to start the fourth. While dragging the arm around like a heavy piece of luggage, Rondo would score 4 points while grabbing a rebound, posting a couple of assists and even had a steal using the wounded arm. By the way there was also a deflection that generated another Miami turnover. On this night it was the original "Big Three" scoring 70, with the new south beach "Big Three" accounting for 45 points. Literally ruining a very good performance from Mario Chalmers (17 pts.) off the Miami bench. The Heat-Celtics matchup is now a series again. Look for the series to be tied after Monday going back to Miami to begin the best of three to see who advances (Miami leads 2-1). Experience and chemistry versus speed and athleticism, which will prevail?

Down in Atlanta the Bulls-Hawks series came into the weekend tied 1-1, with the home court advantage shifted to the host club for game three. But the game became a highlight reel for the league's MVP, Derrick Rose, as he poured in a career high, 44 points on 16-27 shooting (4-7 long range), while dishing out 7 assists, as the Bulls won relatively easy 99-82 (Chicago leads 2-1). Atlanta has failed to get significant scoring in the paint in previous losses, but in this game they generated 44 points in the paint, but had no answer for Rose defensively. But this series may come down to sheer scoring, and if it does, the Hawks average 86 points for the season and the Bulls 94. You do the math.

Is it Mechanics, Wonderlic Ethnicity or What?

2011-04-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Cam Newton has come under criticism since his surge to prominence as a championship quarterback. Most criticism has been centered around his low Wonderlic score, his QB session with Jon Gruden and his supposed mechanics and style as a run first QB. The latter is a misrepresentation, the Wonderlic is a joke and the Jon Gruden is an entertainment session in sports that has yet to verify the success trend of level of a young NFL quarterback in his transition from college to the NFL.

So the next question is the most politically incorrect question available. Is this because he is an unproven African American quarterback going into the league as the most recent Heisman Trophy winner, National Championship MVP who happens to be Black in a society that wants to think they are contemporary, fair and non-bias, while actually spelling out the true sentiment of how far we have not come? At any other time other than Charlie Ward, who made it clear he was going to the NBA, have we ever assumed that the reigning Heisman winner should not be the top candidate for the #1 pick in the NFL draft.

Out of no where came Blaine Gabbert who was only a Big 12 honorable mention in his conference as a viable NFL quarterback candidate and now as the top QB candidate for this year's draft. Immediately, various analyst began defining the deficiencies in Cam's game, rather the potential for his success in the NFL.

The draft has always and will always be about the potential of any athlete and the negatives are a given considering the that all former superstar QB's and the current stars of the game have all had learning curves that have developed into marquee labels. The culture of winning is one of the most needed attributes in the transition and Newton brings that culture with having been a part of three National Championship seasons at three different programs in as many years.

Jake Locker, Andy Dalton, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder are all be given "upside" projections for their quick development with emphasis on their winning mentality, with two of them being given average arm strength and all having a need to develop and mature into their roles. Each a first round pick, has no level of achievement greater that Cam Newton, but each appears to be projected to become successful quarterbacks without little doubt of failure. Newton is being given a "feast or famine", "Stardom to Bust" and "All or Nothing" evaluation.

And please spare me the Wonderlic as ESPN Analyst Tim Hasselback recorded a 23, Brett Farve 22, Vince Young, Dan Marino, Randall Cunningham Jim Kelly and Terry Bradshaw each clocked 15, Donovan McNabb 14. While Alex Smith with a 40 and Matt Leinart at 35 have struggled in the transition to the NFL. The NFL it supposed to be a problem for a QB scoring below 24. Sounds like a minor flaw in the system or the rationalization of the value of the test. This year's stars resulted with Gabbert at 42, Ponder 35, Ryan Mallett 26, Newton 21 and Locker 20.

Top NFL executives of player personnel and NFL draft analyst say that what makes Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Drew Brees great is their work ethic and that they work harder at their position than anyone else. Is it becoming clear yet......we have to wait and let the guy study, train, workout, play and then decide if he has the work ethic and transferable skills, including mentality to star at the next level. It would be irresponsible to mention the "race card", but being the only African American QB prospect at this level, we have to be careful not to imply it either.

Favorites Make Statement, But Not All Are Out Of The Woods

2011-04-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

While the Lakers blew out the Hornets 106-90, the Bulls 116-89 over the Pacers and the Magic 101-76 over the Hawks in game 5 for each, only the Bulls win was a guarantee to the next round, as they eliminated the Pacers 4-1. The Lakers and Magic must now go on the road to play game 6 on their opponents' respective floors. While the Lakers lead 3-2, they have struggled with New Orleans in this series and the Magic are still facing elimination trailing 2-3 heading into Atlanta. Likewise, the Maverick have been able to outscore the Blazers in a relatively non-physical game 93-82 earlier in the week to take a 3-2 lead, but must go to Portland for game six, in what should be another physical battle, which is advantage Blazers.

The Miami Heat has its' date with Boston set for Sunday after a yet challenging victory over Philadelphia 97-91 in game five. The Nuggets needed a late surge and run to overtake the Nuggets in in game five and move on to the second round. With their backs against the wall the Spurs needed two big and improbable shots in the last 10 seconds to force overtime at home and eventually win in the extra period 110-103, to stay alive in game 5, but they must now travel back to Memphis still facing elimination against the Grizzles, who have played extremely well at home.

Finally the teams viewed as the favorites have surfaced but it may be too late for San Antonio, Orlando, while Los Angeles will have to be careful not to be forced into a game seven, "winner take all" with a very athletic and hungry New Orleans team, that has shown they can win in LA and control tempo.

The question is now, if the Magic are eliminated, the upset of the Spurs completed and if the Lakers were to slip and fall to the Hornets over the next two games, does the emphasis on the post play become a moot point, and does this playoff become the game of transition, match ups and hot shooting or do mid-range post players become dominant forces. Either way, one would have to say this scenario opens the door for a potential Oklahoma City versus Boston, Chicago or Miami, probably in that order of analytical preference. But I'm sure Dallas, Atlanta and Memphis have their own opinions about that projection.

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Dooms Day Getting Closer For Favorites In The NBA

2011-04-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

With 33 NBA Playoff games completed, the stage is set for exciting finishes, surprise endings and possibly some disappointed favorites and projected championship contenders. Boston has moved on with its' sweep, but others are getting close while a couple are holding on and most are fighting to the end. Denver is now playing on pride, against a team that has more talent and has owned them all season, as the Thunder sustained it's first loss against the Nuggets last night 104-101. Dallas made a statement with a controlling victory over Portland, who forgot to get physical in the second half and allowed the skill of the Mavericks to shine again, leaving the series in favor of the Mav's 3-2, a position that only 17% of the trailing teams in the past have comeback to win after training 2-3. Then there is the Western Conference #1 seed trailing the #8 seed 3-1, after Memphis handed San Antonio a 104-86 loss to grab a commanding lead and making the dream of a rare upset reality, and a nightmare for the heavily favored Spurs. Orlando is looking at the same fate, trailing 3-1 and Los Angeles has its' back against the wall going home tonight to try and regain control of their series tied 2-2. Indiana has played extremely well for three and a half quarters against the #1 Eastern seed Chicago Bulls but has come up lame in three of four games due to the late game heroics by Derrick Rose, until a break through in game four has them feeling a glimmer of life and some potential hope, as a hobbling Rose may not be up to standard with a severely sprained ankle. Philadelphia's actual win, may be no more than a token or moral victory, having to travel back to Miami for game five on Wednesday, where the newest "Big Three" will undoubtedly finish off the 76er's, who have hung around each game, but never really threaten to take a game until game four when the Miami concentration went stale and a sense of desperation set in and a large double digit lead was blown by the Heat late in the ballgame this weekend.

With two gimpy superstars playing on each end of side of the country, New Orleans could steal a game in LA. While Indiana has its' last chance to turn playing extremely well and close into finishing with another victory as Rose continued to wear a cam boot following treatments. And as a Kobe Bryant follows getting off crutches with daily treatments, New Orleans may have a window of opportunity to outplay the will of the Leagues top superstar and sustain the momentum gained in winning game four. If these scenarios play out and Atlanta continues its abuse of Orlando, this could prove to be the most unpredictable playoff run in modern day history.

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The NBA Playoffs Become Unpredictable

2011-04-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

The NBA Playoffs were to be about the Lakers and Spurs in the West and Chicago and Miami in the East. The Pacers were supposed to be lacking talent, while the Thunder has talent but are said to be just a little shy on the experience. Atlanta presents questions about their post capabilities and offensive schemes, as New Orleans could not match up with the defending champions. The 76'ers have nobody and Memphis is young and coming but no match for the Spurs. Portland, while dangerous, lacked the skills and synergy of the Mavericks and of course the Boston is just too old.

Well, somebody forgot to tell Boston, who swept the Knicks, Atlanta who leads Dwight Howard's Magic 3-1, Portland has the Mavericks tied at 2-2, Memphis leads the Spurs 2-1, Indiana has played Derrick Rose and the Bulls to four single digit games leading late in three of the four to hang around 3-1 and Oklahoma leads a "red hot" Denver Nugget team 3-0. New Orleans has displayed tremendous poise in scrapping with the Defending Champions, knotting the series at 2-2, when Chris Paul outplayed a late game injured Kobe Bryant. A Philadelphia last minute comeback allowed the 76'ers to avoid being swept by the South Beach "Big Three" forcing a game five in an improbable come-from-behind attempt.

The first round was to move quickly for most series with many blowouts expected, but with 30 games played through Sunday, the winning teams have won by double figures only 7 times, with 15 of the remaining 23 games ending in a spread of five points or less. Only the aged Boston Celtics have won two games by double digits, 17 and 12 in games three and four, both played in New York. The other teams winning by double digits were Atalanta, Miami, Dallas Oklahoma and Los Angeles. The Celtics failed to sweep a series in over three years until now.

The Spurs will be trying to even the series on the road in Memphis on Monday, while Denver will try to avoid being the only other potential sweep victim later in the evening. A trend already set by this years NCAA basketball tournament is begging to surface and the favorites might want to take a look at history and trends, as the league known for its' Super Stars and Marquee Players is finding role players, little known reserves, supposedly washed up veterans and new coaches creating the unexpected schemes leading to victories and nail bitting finishes.

The finals may not be what was expected but, this year's NBA playoffs and road to the finals appears to be heading towards one of the most exciting and possibly unpredictable championship finals in years. At this stage one, of an obvious long road, almost every team can make a statement as a legitimate contender for this year's NBA title.

College Basketball Farms Underclassmen To Pros

2010-05-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Chad Ford's Top 100

College Basketball is taking one additional step towards becoming the farm system for professional basketball worldwide. The NCAA has a "One and Done" rule. The NBA has millions of dollars to pay and the International Leagues have no restrictions. The International League is waiting for the kids who don't want to make a mockery of the term Student-Athlete and waste a scholarship for another deserving player who has enough skill to play at the college level and enough self discipline and time management skills to balance court and classroom, to continue their plight towards a college education and being a productive component in building a basketball program. A concept played out successfully by Brandon Jennings, now playing with the Milwaukee Bucks. OK, well maybe just the talented kids who don't want to go to class for one semester to play one year. I know, there are the TV contracts, the apparel deals, commercials, marketing, boosters, donors, and even the win at all cost. But the NCAA has left itself right on the edge of being controlled by the NBA, influenced by the off-season basketball programs and camps, conspiring to lead young men in a direction of risk versus reward in the gamble with true preparedness for life and anything that may happen or to become one of 70 new entries into the NBA from the thousands of players that play and become eligible for the draft, free agency and long-shot tryouts for a chance at the luxury of millionaire basketball or a career in the alternate international market.

David Stern did not intend to become a servant to a juvenile movement, but he has sold out to exploiting kids and allowing the key to our GNP, "supply and demand", to rule the policy provisions against collateral damage of thousands of failed dreams for the success of a few and the success of selling a athletic product to the struggling consumer market. Don't get me wrong, but the college game is more attractive than the pro game. The players play more frequently at the championship level on both ends of the floor making the game more intriguing and suspenseful, along with energetic and entertaining. But the pro game pays and the college game plays, so follow the money, but can we really afford it America. There needs to be a better distribution of wealth and resources that trickle through the professional ranks from our consumer dollar and end in smaller hands. Like anything else technology has reduced the need for employment enhancements, so the money is not distributed as broad has it once displayed, but the incomes of the internal participants continues to grow. "Follow the Money."

As we enter the much awaited NBA Draft, the Marquee names such as John Wall, Xavier Henry and Demarcus Cousins, Avery Bradley, Greg Monroe, Patrick Patterson, Evan Turner, Derrick Favors, Al-Faroug Aminu, Ed Davis, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton and Gordon Hayward to name a few of the 70 plus underclassmen who have entered the "one & done" and early entry arena. Now we will watch the progression from their partial college successes and await their NBA courtship. The results of their teams' successes, career decisions and next year's recruiting will reveal the potential shift of high school superstars to signing one year college deals for class to International Basketball for cash. The "One & Done" NBA mandate is not a success, it never had any chance other than assuring that no high school player could be left out of a college opportunity after the NBA draft because of a premature or even immature decision to turn professional before nurturing their respective skills at desiring college programs. In all cases these talented young men would be playing at the highest level for quality programs, learning from the best coaches and mentors, seeking their skills. While only a few college coaches, like Kentucky's John Calipari, actually embrace this recruiting and early draft culture, many are forced to tolerate and accept the program consequences to avoid being left out of the sweepstakes for the highly talented high school players that can help turn a program for a season or a couple of years into both conference and national championship contenders. Each year there are approximately 70 jobs available in the NBA for all aspiring college basketball players leaving school early or after graduation. This year alone there are over 70 underclassmen, alone, making themselves available for the NBA draft and giving up their college eligibility. But as most things in America, it's not perfect but it's the best we have under the circumstances, anywhere in the world.

Is Match-Up Butler vs Duke, "David & Goliath"?

2010-04-05T16:35:00.000-07:00

Many analysts who don't like fairy tales will say that Butler (33-4) is no Cinderella, and that the #5 Seed is nationally ranked and been there before. But lets make it clear when a small school, yes small, approximately 4512 student enrollment, beats the #1 and #2 teams in their bracket and holds off other aspiring programs along the way. And then entering the Final Four against a Tom Izzo coached and experienced team, to come out the victor is a Cinderella story rather you want to hear it or not. Tell me when the last team of this size won a national basketball title at the division 1 level.

Now you have them playing the #1 Duke (34-5) Blue Devils going for national title number four, by the way, Duke's enrollment is 13,457. Data provided through the "Equity in Athletics" reveals that Duke spent over $394,000 per player last year, Butler spent just over $347,000 on the entire team. The ACC versus the Horizon League opens the question of the quality of one of the leagues if this is not an unprecedented match up of statistical opposites. Butler is on a 25 game winning streak and has shot an average of 39% from the field during the tournament with its' opponents shooting at an average of 41%. Duke shoots 50.3% from the field and scores an average of 69 points per game, a mere 15 points above the Butler defensive limits per game. But if some of these insignificant stats don't blow you away, let's look at Duke's lineup, 7'1" Brian Zoubek, 6'8" Lance Thomas, 6'10" Miles and Mason Plumlee and 6'8" Kyle Singler for the primary swing to post rotation, against Butler 6'9" Matt Howard, 6'9" Gordon Hayward, 6'3" William Veasle, 6'8" Andrew Jukes, the 6'11" Freshman Andrew Smith rarely plays in close games. Duke has blown through the tournament, Butler has been in a war just about each time out, but capable of controlling the game down the stretch.

But remember, David did defeat Goliath in the classic biblical altercation. Regardless of the analysis, with a 33 year old head coach, Brad Stevens, who was 3 years old when legendary Coach "K" took over as head coach of the Duke Blue Devils at the age of 33, matching strategies there is a gross disparity in the championship coaching experience adding another lopsided variable in favor of Duke.

Basketball analyst have Duke favored in tangible areas such as Starting Backcourt, Starting Frontcourt, Bench Strength, and Coaching. But USA Today gives Butler the edge in the intangibles (hustle, defense, free throw shooting and find ways to win). Both teams have held their opponents to an average of less than 60 points, with Butler not allowing a single team to exceed 60 points. So how does David (Butler) beat Goliath (Duke)? Play a near perfect game the Butler was with Hustle, Defense, Rebound and Control the clock and limit Duke's possession. Butler will have to challenge every shot and make the Duke post players beat you and don't allow the offense to come from the Big Three, Smith, Singler and Scheyer.

Butler is the Cinderella and this game should end before midnight, so don't count this group out, remember they have found a way to win 25 consecutive games dating back to late December. A Butler win will be one for the ages.

Butler and Duke in the Finals

2010-04-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Butler-MSU Stats Duke-WV Stats

When the season started in the fall, Coach Brad Stevens told his team, "why not us in the championship game", as he later said he didn't know if he believed it when he said it, but obviously his players did as Butler (33-4) riding a 25 game winning streak that precedes the last time Santa left the north pole, enters the NCAA Championship Game after slaying the likes of #1 Syracuse, #2 Kansas State and now #5 Michigan State, the 2009 NCAA Runner-Up. Butler with Gordon Hayward, who looks like he's still in high school, playing for Coach Stevens, who looks like he just graduated high school have manhandled and controlled their prophetic destiny to the finals by playing gritty, smothering defense and out rebounding opponents, while limiting possessions and controlling the clock. The 52-50 victory over MSU was indicative of the entire run in the tournament, contenting to hold all opponents under 60 points. The Bulldogs held the Spartans to zero fast break points, and out rebounded the Spartans on the offensive glass. Even when Butler could not find a field goal in approximately ten minutes, their defense stifled MSU for eight minutes to maintain the slim but controlling lead right through to the end. Late in the game, with Butler holding a slim lead 52-49, after Ronald Nored's two free throws with 6 seconds to go. Following an ensuing timeout, Coach Stevens set up a smothering defense that would intentionally foul with 2.5 seconds to go sending Korie Lucious to the line where he would make one and intentionally missed the other, but Hayward would grab his 9th rebound to go with 19 points to preserve the victory and keep the Butler Cinderella script alive.

Duke on the other hand was always one run away from a blowout of West Virginia, who was also riddled with a few injuries that hampered their ability to win without a near mistake free game against a team that was fundamentally sound, played athletically superior and was well coached and prepared by the legendary Mike Krzyzewski. While Duke received little productivity from its bench in comparison to WV Head Coach Bob Huggins, whose bench provided 14 points and 4 rebounds in 27 combined minutes from three players, while Coach K 4 points and 3 rebounds from the primary three reserves Miles and Mason Plumlee and Andre Dawkins in 27 minutes between the three. But it was the now recognized "Big Three", Kyle Singler (21 pts, 9 rebs & 5 asts), Jon Scheyer (23 pts, 6 asts & 2 stls) and Nolan Smith (19 pts & 6 asts) that provided 81% of the team's offense in putting the Mountaineers away relatively easy after De Shaun Butler went down with a knee injury for the remainder of the game with just under 9 minutes to go and the Blue Devils guarding a 9 point lead. Duke's aggressive defense generated only 10 turnovers, but challenged shot after shot, allowing only 41% shooting and limited WV to 9 offensive rebounds, but only 8 second chance points. Duke on the other hand had 11 offensive rebounds and 16 second chance points to go with its' 53% shooting and only 5 turnovers. Coach K moves on to now his 8th championship game, looking for his 4th title Monday night against Butler.

Who Wins Semi Finals of the Final Four?

2010-04-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Duke West Virginia Michigan State Butler NCAA Bracket Final 4 History

With #1 playing #2, Duke versus West Virginia, and #5 against #5, Michigan State versus Butler you could ask for a more evenly matched semi-final round in the Final Four of the NCAA National Basketball Championship being played this weekend in Indianapolis. But that being said, who wins tonight and goes on to play in the championship game on Monday night? Let's look at each matchup.

Butler (32-4) is on a 24 game winning streak that dates back to 2009 before Christmas, their record is the third best in the country and Brad Stevens is 88-14 nearing the end of his third season as a Head Coach. Butler plays possession basketball and has lost 3 of its 4 ball games when teams, Georgetown, Minnesota and UAB did not allow Butler to play control basketball and pushed the game, allowing the winning teams to gain more possessions than Butler. In its fourth loss to Clemson, Butler was able to establish a half court game, but failed to shoot the ball well and could not stop Clemson from penetrating the paint and were out rebounded on the offensive glass late in the game. The defensive minded Butler Bulldogs live up to their mascot title, as they guard the ball extremely well and do not allow its opponents to get into fast transition games. They are very efficient with its possessions and rarely take bad shots. In four tournament games this year, the Bulldogs have not allowed a team to score 60 points. They are very comfortable playing games in the 50's, but while holding their opponents to under 60 points, Butler has scored 77, 63 twice and slipped by Murray State 54-52. As a disciplined half court team, Butler rebounds the ball extremely well and appears as fundamentally prepared as any team in America. To beat Butler, a team will need to increase tempo and try to beat the set defense down the floor and create offensive advantages. Force the actions and don't fall into the slow half court tempo. And by all means, rebound the ball and reduce the second chance opportunities for a team that scores at a high rate during normal single possessions.

Michigan State (28-8), the only returning team from last year's Final Four, is coached by Tom Izzo, that alone is a notable team advantage, now considered one of the best college coaches in the country. During the regular season the team was somewhat inconsistent, but only one loss in the eight came from a team not playing in the field of 64, Illinois. The Spartans have played a number of close games this year and appear to be playing their best basketball of the season after an overtime loss (72-67) to Minnesota to end their conference season. Coach Izzo's group attacks the offensive glass, and plays the game extremely aggressive. Izzo will play possession games at times using timeout possessions to execute set plays for baskets more often than most teams in the country. The Spartans have had some turnover problems this year and will need to protect the ball, rebound and attempt to play the game at their pace which somewhat up tempo, creating baskets in transition. Statistics reveal that the Spartans rebound approximately 40% of their misses, so poor shooting does not always play against MSU, but they will have to defend the ball consistently for 25-30 seconds per Butler possession to have a chance to move on to the Finals.

Duke (33-5) was considered the weakest of the #1 seeds in the tournament, but has been playing great basketball with a real emphasis on rebounding. Once Coach Mike Krzyzewski was able to motivate Brian Zoubek to become a presence on the boards, Duke has been able to allow its perimeter dominating game to open the floor and its length is a advantage factor with Miles and Mason Plumlee at 6'10", Zoubek at 7'1" and high flying Lance Thomas now is allowed to gain fromthe offensive board volley ball match generated by the Duke size. Duke then has the scoring trio of Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, who is struggling in post season, along with Jon Scheyer. Defensively Duke is aggressive on the perimeter, relying on size to cover the penetration and post entry. Duke has really cruised through the tournament and even dominated the final five minutes of a close Baylor game by just pounding the glass and then shooting with confidence from the perimeter down the stretch. Smith is playing with an emotional and spiritual-like motivation and his deceased father, Derek Smith led a Louisville team to the Final Four 30 years ago and Smith has dedicated this tournament to his late father. Coach K is the most experienced Final Four coach in the mix of all four high profile coaches, which includes the new "young gun" Brad Stevens of Butler. Duke will have to guard against an early slump and allowing an early early leads by their opponent. If Dukes kick out threes are falling they will be hard to beat, along with second chance possessions and scoring opportunities.

West Virginia (31-6) Coached by Bob Huggins, the controversial coach who has been criticized for low graduation rates, a demanding practice philosophy and a sarcastic demeanor seems to irk the general sports fan. The result a physical and athletic basketball team that plays an aggressive 1-3-1 matching defense and alternating in your face man to man schemes. The Mountaineers are returning to the Final Four for the first time since 1959, when a Jerry West led West Virginia team lost in the finals to California 71-70 . This team has the son of Jerry West, Jonnie on the roster and believes they are playing this weekend for the National Championship in representation of the entire state of West Virginia. It will take more than inspiration and nostalgia to get to the championship game on Monday. Coach Huggins' team will have to play their physical style on defense and on the glass. They will have to defend the perimeter and contest all kick outs and limit the second chance opportunities of their opponent. WV needs to push the ball and not allow their contenders to establish defensive rhythm often, as WV scores more proficiently when attacking early and not getting late into their shot clock. The Mountaineers have suffered from high turnover games and have survived some through sheer athleticism, but in the Final Four they will need to protect the ball and try to emerge with more possessions than their opponent.

Both games will be close, and as stated the semis offer the best personnel and team playing styles, in regards to match ups, and should prove to be close games. Dukes length appears to bed the advantage, along with its perimeter shooting threats, but WV has a very skilled team, even with injuries they have depth, but no match for the length, late game second chances should give Duke the 2 point winning advantage, plus there is always Coach K in his 11th Final Hour. In the early game you will see two teams that really match up well from position to position, but Coach Izzo has been able to survive without his starting point guard and key big play shooter, as others have stepped up cover the loss, but the young coach of Butler may look like a kid, but his 88-14 record is nothing to kid about, he is a true student of the game and has his team playing the most efficient and consistent basketball in the tournament, next to Duke. Butler should shock the country and please the home crowd with a close 4 point victory over the future "Hall of Famer" and give Coach Stevens the spotlight going into Monday's Championship game. Both games are really to close to call, but enjoy the ride, but expect a Duke versus Butler National Championship game on Monday night.

More Parity, Lack Of Dominance Lower Seeds Going Home

2010-03-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

NCAA Brackets

Regardless of the argument parity, dominance, luck, pairings, seedings or officiating, this year's NCAA Basketball Tournament has witnessed the elimination of several Lower Seeds early and recently, with only one #1 seed, Duke, remaining potentially for the Final Four. Michigan State is the only team still in the dance from last year's final four, while storied programs like defending national champion North Carolina are in the NIT this year, with UConn, UCLA, Memphis, Illinois, Cincinnati and NC State.

This year in round one, #14 Ohio U wins over #3 Georgetown, #13 Murray State beats #4 Vanderbilt, #11 Washington beats #6 Marquette, then three # 10's Missouri, St. Mary's and Georgia Tech notch wins against #7's Clemson, Richmond and Oklahoma State, respectively. So if those upsets weren't enough to convince you of a national change, then Round Two offered #9 Northern Iowa over Championship favorite, #1 Kansas, #12 St. Mary's upsets #2 Villanova and #12 Cornell over #4 Wisconsin.

Opponents to the belief in parity in college basketball strongly recommended that the Cinderella show is over and the "Sweet Sixteen" would separate the strong teams from those good to average teams surviving on the heels of bad one-game play by the beaten lower seeds. #12 Cornell was no match for #1 Kentucky, with it's young NBA talented roster and #12 St. Mary's caught #3 Baylor bringing their "A" and lost while #11 Washington was not physical enough for #2 West Virginia, but #5 Butler was up to the task in upsetting #1 Syracuse, #6 Tennessee took out #2 Ohio State. As the "Elite Eight" was paired, #2 Kansas State could not hold off #5 Butler, as Butler wins and returns home as the first designated Final Four participant. #2 West Virginia confirmed the lack of dominance by any team with a solid win against #1 Kentucky for the second spot in the Final Four.

If seedings are a description of the best teams for the current season, the first 4 seedings should represent the top 16 teams in the field of 64 (65 with the play-in game). Therefore it would stand to reason that any wins by teams seeded below # 4 could be considered an upset or at least a win by a less favored opponent. Currently with one game remaining in the "Elite Eight," #1 Duke against #3 Baylor, the "Sweet Sixteen" began with 8 teams seeded in the top four spots, with tow #5's and #2 already in the Final Four, with a #1 or #3 pending the results of the Duke/Baylor matchup. The combination of this year's victories, with the number of Marquee programs in the NIT, college basketball has developed a product that offers competitive games by a volume of teams from around the country, making college basketball possibly one of the most exciting games in competitive athletics currently. As far as parity or lack of dominance, no more than two top ten teams from the final regular season rankings will play in the final four, should Duke win later this afternoon.

LRMC Computer Rankings

Another Shinning Moment For Mid Majors and Higher Seeds

2010-03-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tournament Bracket Sweet 16 Analysis Game Highlight Videos

The Sweet Sixteen is primarily the home of the Power Conferences in previous years. In most seasons the Sweet Sixteen offers an average of one and a half Mid Major schools in the field of 16. But this year the parity that many analyst have been touting and debating is beginning to surface as five Mid Majors, #5 Butler, #12 Cornell, #9 Northern Iowa, #10 St Mary's and #6 Xavier enter week two participating in the Sweet Sixteen. In all the group of 16 represents a total of 11 conferences, seedings of one each 9-12, two 5 and 6 seeds, one 3 and 4 to go with the three 1's and 2's.

The tournament is set up for a potential Cinderella finish for someone. While #1 Duke has the appearance of a favorable portion of the bracket, #4 Purdue, #3 Baylor and #10 St. Mary's each bring elements to eventual and potential meetings that could challenge Duke Final Four march. The real intrigue matchup is in the East Region where #1 Kentucky will compete against the best three-point shooting team in the country, #12 Cornell, who has literally destroyed each of it's higher ranked opponents, #5 Temple and #4 Wisconsin. If Kentucky somehow is relegated to a half court game, this could be the next huge upset of the NCAA Tournament. #2 West Virginia should stop the surprising run of #11 Washington, but the PAC 10 was down and nobody expected any noise from the teams in this conference, but that's why you play the games. The favorable predictions would land #1 vs #2, UK against WVA, but an unprecedented #11 versus #12 is not out of the realm of possibilities, if Washington and Cornell believe in miracles or dreams.

Most would believe that #1 Syracuse has too many weapons for #5 Butler, however Butler is battle tested and has become comfortable in postseason so the Orangemen will need to bring their "A" game to assure a show down with #2 Kansas State, which has to get by Mid-Major powerhouse, Xavier, another battle tested program that seems to punch their ticket every year as a team ready to audition for the "One Shinning Moment". #5 Michigan State is the only team returning from last year's final four, but as if the injury to Kalin Lucas was not enough, the Spartans will have to enter this game without its' floor leader and against the team, #9 Northern Iowa, that derailed the championship plans of the top number one program, Kansas, on Sunday afternoon. If N. Iowa can refocus its energy and emotions they may be in the best position to advance to the Elite Eight with a chance to meet the winner of the #2 Ohio State versus #6 Tennessee. This game could be the most physical of the eight games played in the "Sweet Sixteen".

The debate has begun, is parity good for the sport or is it a problem to have early post season upsets remove higher seeds from the tournament. The question is how good is it for the sport to have "David and Goliath" reenacted on the basketball court, Cinderella stepping deeper into the dance, the Nerd standing up against the Bully and improbable Dreams coming True. This year's NCAA Basketball Tournament is a tribute to all hard working Americans, having the chance to make the impossible, possible and the unthinkable a reality. Better known as "The American Dream", it is what movies such as "Hoosiers" is all about, making heros of the unknowns and champions of the underdog. For "One Shinning Moment" you just have to be the best team for a game not the entire season.

Mid Majors Make Major Statement In Tournament

2010-03-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Tourney Brackets Round 2 Preview President Obama's Bracket

The Mid Major Conferences made major statements in the first round, certifying that they belong. With the field of 65 represented mostly by the 6 power conferences in America, the Big East, ACC, SEC, Pac 10, Big 10 and Big 12. It was the Ivy League, OVC, A10, Horizon, MVC, MAC, MWC, WCC and Colonial that was stealing headlines and making the key plays down the stretch to gain the attention of college basketball fans around the bars, pubs, offices, living rooms and internet. The Mid Major conferences won 11 of the 32 (8 Thursday and 3 Friday) opening round games in this year's NCAA Basketball Tournament. At a glance some would say that's a reasonable percentage until you recognize that there are 31 conference, 25 mid-majors and 6 power conferences. Of the field of 65, there are 6 automatic bids to power conferences and 25 automatic bids to the mid-major schools, after that the at-large bids were given to 8 other mid-major conferences. The 6 power conferences received the remaining or additional 26 bids (Big East 7, Big 12 6, ACC 5, Big 10 4, SEC 3 & PAC 10 1).

With all the discussions about the teams that were snuffed from primarily power conferences, the elite of these conferences had all they could handle with the elites of the mid-major leagues. Not to mention a few near misses in the upset category by Robert Morris a 15 seed, taking 2 seed Villanova to OT and 4 seed Wisconsin needing heroics late in the ball game to salvage a 53-49 nail bitter against Wofford, a 13 seed, with less than 2000 students.

The first round would end with victories by a 14 Seed Ohio University, the lone participant from the MAC over #3 Georgetown (Big East), #13 Murray State of the OVC over #4 Vanderbilt (SEC), #12 Cornell from the Ivy League defeating Temple of the A10, the Colonial's only entry, #11 Old Dominion was victorious over #5 Notre Dame (Big East), #10 St. Mary's of the WCC shocked #7 Richmond of the A10 to round out the mid-major upsets in round one. In all 9 mid-major or lesser conferences, as some would say, would be responsible for over a third of the first round wins, 11.

Next, round two, which now has 16 games deciding the field of 16 for next week's count down, "The Sweet 16", which offers teams advancement towards the ultimate goal, The Final Four, the final stage for College Basketball's National Championship. 10 of 16 games involve at least one mid-major school, which leaves increased potential in at least one, if not several mid-major teams in the "Sweet Sixteen".

Teams to watch, #12 Cornell is long, can shoot, defend and control the pace of a game. #4 Wisconsin just got by Wofford of the Southern Conference, don't know if they can struggle against the elite squad from the Ivy League, a league that hasn't won a NCAA tournament game until Thursday, in twelve years. Tennessee may match up better with the Ohio transition game, but can they survive the kind of shooting this team dished out against #3 Georgetown on Thursday in the biggest shocker so far in the tournament. Then there is #10 St. Mary's who has been catching analysts eyes gradually as the season came to an end, playing against #2 Villanova, a "Jekyl & Hyde" elite team that is ripe for the Cinderella upset, with their late season slump. #5 Butler is a really good team, but no one realizes yet how good the #13 Murray State club plays, even after their thriller against #4 Vanderbilt. Look for Murray State to be in the filed of 16 next week. In another battle of two mid-majors, #11 ODU will have their hands full with #3 Baylor, but proved what they can do with a very poised victory against #6 Notre Dame in round one, should be a very competitive contest. #9 Northern Iowa is in the must see position, playing the top #1 Kansas, after a convincing victory over a talented #8UNLV. #8 California can pound and shoot with physical teams, and defends the perimeter well, but this is #1 Duke, a disciplined ball club playing its' best basketball late in the season, appears to be the least of the likely upsets, but this is the search for "One Shining Moment. #8 Gonzaga will try to take advantage of the #1 Syracuse, that recently lost in the opening round of the Big East Tournament and placed the "curse" of first round tourney losses. No team has ever lost the opening game of their conference tournament and gone on to win the National Championship, that being said, Syracuse sits in the right line of sight for being shot out of the picture by a mid-major. #9 Wake Forest will not blow anyone but they are capable of staying around to steal a game against any team in the field, as they try to end the dream season for the #1 Kentucky. The parity in college basketball is evident and the mid-majors are maximizing their opportunities to display their talent and skills and this dance is still up for grabs, even if the President of the United States has named the winner, the NCAA says we have to play the games to see who really will live that "One Shinning Moment".

Late Collapse or Late Surge Bama Wins 68-63

2010-03-12T04:53:00.000-08:00

Game Stats

Who gets the credit for Alabama's (17-14) second "come from behind" victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks after trailing by 18 points with just over 11 minutes remaining in the ballgame? Initially you have to credit Alabama Head Coach Anthony Grant for keeping his team motivated to play with confidence and efficiency down the stretch outscoring the Gamecocks 32-9 from the 11:39 mark to stun South Carolina (15-16) for the second time in 8 days. Then there was Senior Guard Mikhail Torrance who scored 17 points on 5-11 shooting and Junior Forward Justin Knox who added 16 points on 5-9 accuracy. After shooting 41% (15-36) in the first half, South Carolina was held to 8-27 shooting for 29.6%. This was a tail of two halves as Alabama shot 50% (13-26) in the second half following a dismal 30% in the opening half. In the most significant stretch from 11:18 remaining to 9:21 Alabama scored 10 unanswered points before a 30-second timeout was called and by then the momentum had completely shifted and the game was on a complete reverse spiral for Head Coach Darrin Horn, who had no answer for Grant's confident team, as the Tide continued to roll, allowing only one South Carolina field goal in the final 11 minutes and 39 seconds, a three-pointer by Ramon Galloway with 1:17 to play, shortly after the Crimson Tide had established a 62-59 lead, to tie at 62-62, but the Cocks would only get a single free throw from Devan Downey who likely ends his college career with 21 points in a losing effort and no post season play. Downey would experience his first and only missed free throw (6-7) with 18 seconds leaving the score 64-63 in favor of Bama.

In the end, South Carolina just fell completely apart as a team and appeared like a herd of deer in spot lights, while the Tide never looked like a team trailing by as much as 18 points deep in the final half. South Carolina also led at the half 38-27. The loss would eventually taint a marvelous game on the boards by Lakeem Jackson who finished with 14 rebounds (10 offensive) to go with his 9 points, and efficient shooting by Ramon Galloway 3-4 from the field (2-2 from 3) and 6-8 from the line. And would watch Senior Guard Brandis Raley-Ross go scoreless (0-7) in 32 minutes on the floor. Junior Forward Sam Muldrow would finish with 13 points, all scored in the first half. Muldrow's 3 second half shot attempts would all come from the perimeter.

South Carolina will have all summer to wonder what could have been had they closed the game with less long jump shots and more interior play, even with the guards as they shot 70% (14-20) from the free throw line, but vacated the effort to penetrate and keep the pressure on the Crimson Tide. They will also want to question not packing the zone and forcing the Tide to complete the run with some perimeter play. Grant's two and three man half court schemes created passing lanes for cutters and isolation for players to penetrate the slow rotating defense of South Carolina during the comeback run. The Cocks had little gas down the stretch with the limited use of the bench in the ball game. Austin Steed played only one minute in the ball game.

So as the buzzer sounds, is it poor shooting, poor defense or great scoring and great defense. Is it poor coaching or great coaching? What we do know is that there is someone to congratulate and someone to criticize for this great Alabama victory and this disappointing loss by South Carolina.

Downey Ignites Upset In Nashville

2010-03-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

Final Stats SEC Tourney Bracket

South Carolina (15-15, 6-10) needed Devan Downey to have a big day to have any chance to win at Vanderbilt (23-7, 12-4). And big game he had, scoring 26 points, 22 in the second half to ignite a come from behind victory over the #13 Vanderbilt Commodores. Vandy's loss to Kentucky was their lone blemish at home until the Gamecocks rallied behind Downey to record a 77-73 victory in Nashville.

This victory comes at the right time, as the Cocks will return to Nashville to open SEC tournament play Thursday. Downey was not alone in the scoring as Sam Muldrow scored 20 points to go with 9 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Downey leading the league in scoring and steals, added a couple of steals in this contest, along with one big steal and score during his second half highlight run. Downey struggled in the first half shooting 2-9 for 4 points. With USC trailing 35-27 at the half, and trailing by 9 points with just over 9 minutes to play in the ball game, Downey went on a scoring flurry hitting back to back threes and the run, comeback and 50-point second half was ignited. South Carolina built a 7 point lead in about 4 minutes with a little over 5 minutes to go before Vandy tied the game at 69-69 with just under two minutes to play. But the Gamecocks were more like "Fighting Gamecocks", as they could see the kill in sight and denied the host team and crowd the chance to regain control of the game. Downey would come down and immediately hit a three and give the visitors the lead for good.

The game would wind down with Head Coach John Stallings' team cutting the lead to 2 points, but South Carolina would make free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory. South Carolina locks up the #5 seed and will likely play Auburn or Alabama in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

Other contributing factors in the game would be Muldrow, scoring 13 points in the first half, and Lakeem Jackson's first half penetration and scoring in the paint. Darrin Horn's ball club would play physical throughout the game, which led to USC out rebounding the taller Commodores 29-24 (9-4 offensive). In the earlier meeting won by Vandy, USC was out rebounded 39-24. Horn never stopped coaching, and obviously the team kept believing and executing, and when Downey began scoring the Commodores went cold and appeared "shell-shocked" by the Downey scoring outburst. Vanderbilt Senior Jermaine Beal would see his senior day and 21 point, 8 rebound, 2 assist performance tainted by Downey and company. A.J. Ogilvy added 15 points and Jeffrey Taylor 13 for Vandy.

South Carolina's Season Near The End

2010-03-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

Game Notes

South Carolina (14-15, 5-10) travels into Nashville on a six game (1-7 over the last eight games) losing streak that will place the Gamecocks in a disappointing regular season finish unless they can find a way to upset the Commodores in the regular season finale. #19 Vanderbilt (23-6, 12-3) is 14-1 at home losing only to the Kentucky Wildcats this season. South Carolina will need a victory in Nashville and a couple of wins in the SEC tournament to extend the season. Vanderbilt has a size advantage and recorded a severe rebounding advantage in the earlier meeting when Head Coach John Stallings' team out rebounded the Gamecocks 39-24 and shot better than 60%, with many of those shots around the basket.

South Carolina Head Coach Darrin Horn must find a way to get more post presence and board work to have a chance playing in Memorial Arena on Saturday. South Carolina has been able to win only one game on the road this year in the SEC, which is their lone road victory of the season on a team's home floor.

This game may very well be about pride and resilience as the Gamecocks are on the verge of recording a losing season similar to the final two seasons of Dave Odom, former head coach at 14-16 and 14-18 respectively.

The season, with the loss of Dominique Archie and Mike Holmes, has become a devastating end to the career of Devan Downey, who was hoping to lead his team into the NCAA tournament in his final year. Downey, a candidate for many individual accolades, wanted to end his college career playing in the NCAA tournament a feat he has never experienced during his journey from Cincinnati to South Carolina after a one year all freshman season with the Bearcats. Downey has given his entire arsenal of offense in an attempt to carry a team that lacked offensive weapons, but his efforts fell short as the conference season prevailed and teams found ways to neutralize the performance and disruption of Downey's multi-faceted scoring. It appears Devan will have to settle for personal accolades and recognitions for his body of work at South Carolina.

South Carolina will have to rely on a miracle season end to see post season play. A really disappointing situation after a season that started with so much promise.

Cocks Fight Hard But Come Up Short

2010-02-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

Game Stats

When South Carolina (14-13, 5-8) traveled to Lexington, Ky to take on the Wildcats, everyone had predicted a blowout, a revenge beat down for the lone loss on the Kentucky (27-1, 12-1) record. While the 82-61 victory by John Calipari's team would appear to be a blowout, it was anything but that. Fans don't like to talk about morale victories and this was not one, but the USC Basketball Team played extremely hard and competed with the team most believe will win the national championship. A team with an estimated 4-5 future NBA players.

After jumping out to a 11-2 lead in the first two and a half minutes, Kentucky and its' fans could smell an embarrassing route of the visiting team. But a nice 7-2 run over the next two minutes narrowed the lead to 13-9 and the scrappy competitive game was on. For the rest of the game, Kentucky, led by John Wall, Demarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson could not gain more than an 8 point lead for the next ten minutes. In the final five minutes of the half, the Wildcat size and strength began to take over. With Kentucky shooting poorly from the outside (3-11 from 3-Pt range) they began to pound the glass and penetrate to grind points in closing out the first half. After establishing a 14 point lead at the 1:31 mark, no one could score until SEC scoring leader Devan Downey scored his 9th point on a long 30-foot shot to end the first half with Kentucky leading 37-26. In the second half Devan would add 17 more points shooting 9-25 and 3-9 from the arc.

The tenacity and competitive spirit of USC Head Coach Darrin Horn and Downey would display itself again in the second half, when Kentucky jumped out to a 16 point lead just under two minutes into the half. But over the next nine minutes the Gamecocks would get as close as 6 points before the size, speed and talent of Kentucky would take advantage in the post and in transition, and with 9:18 to go USC would watch its efforts become overshadowed by the gradual growth of a small double digit lead between 10-15 points over that period. With just under three minutes and the score 69-59 Kentucky, Patterson, who finished with a team high 23 points, to go with his 8 rebounds, grabbed an offensive rebound and dunked to start the run for the final margin of victory.

USC has a few positives to take from this loss, forcing John Wall into 6 turnovers, Wall was held to 12 points on 4-15 shooting, scoring on 10 assisted plays, after averaging less than 10 assists during SEC play and holding Kentucky to only 10 fast break points. Overall, the Gamecocks did not back down, nor did they allow various runs during most of the game to discourage their level of effort against a superior ball club. Concerns will obviously be noted in the post scoring where Kentucky scored 56 of its' total 82 points in the paint. South Carolina was able to generate 30 of its' 61 points in the paint on penetration and passing, along with stick backs from offensive rebounds. The Wildcats had a decisive advantage at the free throw line due to post play, going 15-20 from the line and the Gamecocks were 5-7, with Downey going 5-5 from the charity stripe. No bench scoring for the Gamecocks was obviously disappointing to Coach Horn.

Lakeem Jackson took two ill-advised shots from the perimeter, but otherwise was near perfect scoring aggressively on 8-11 shooting for 16 points (4 rebs, 3 stls, 2 asts & 1 blk), while Sam Muldrow was effective earlier in the game and finished with 10 points (5-11), 8 rebounds and 3 blocks.

It is now South Carolina's turn to attempt a home court beat down, returning home to play Mississippi State at the Colonial Life Arena, where the Gamecocks have played their best basketball all year, winning 11 of its total 14 victories in this arena.

USC Signee Falls Short In Playoffs To Lexington

2010-02-22T05:38:00.000-08:00

Full Game Story Playoff Bracket

In Devan Downey-like fashion, South Carolina 5'10" signee Bruce Ellington of Berkeley (14-11) single handily shot his team into contention against highly ranked Lexington (23-5) as he scored 25 second half points to finish with 33, as Lexington needed clutch free throw shooting from Sophomore sensation Shaq Roland, who sank two free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, 72-72 .

The overtime became the "Shaq Roland Show" as Lexington turned the game into a rout with a 15-0 run to open the overtime. Roland finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. But Roland was not alone as Lexington received a double-double from Adrian Wigfall (18pts/10rebs) and David Burns scored 23 points for the Wildcats coached by Bailey Harris, who has 14 twenty-win seasons in 23 years, two 4A state championship in four trips to the season finale.

South Carolina Coach Darrin Horn and staff were on hand at the Wildcat gymnasium to watch his future point guard Ellington, along with a few USC players. Ellington was impressive down the stretch, but the opposing team effort, a pesky zone and depth was so familiar to his future coach who has had to endure similar concerns. Hopefully Ellington will have more help by the time he transforms his skill sets to the SEC level at South Carolina.

Ellington did get double digit scoring assistance from R.J. Robinson 12 pts., Marcus Wiggs 11pts., and D.J. Harrison 11pts.

Free Throws Solve Home Court Disadvantage For Vols

2010-02-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Highlights Post-Game Interview

The game was played in Colonial Life Arena, a definite advantage for the Gamecocks on most game days, but for Tennessee (20-6, 8-4) a 63-55 winner over South Carolina (14-12, 5-7) Saturday, it was just a matter of taking advantage of what was given to them. After trailing or playing close for 33 minutes of the ball game, the Vols continued to grind out plays, loose balls and opportunities in the middle of the lane to score or get to the free throw line, where they outscored the home team by 9 points in an 8-point game. In a game of 13 lead changes, 6 ties and a 10-19 turnover advantage for the host squad, one would think this was a formula for a home court victory. But in the end it would be the repeat of the decisive free throw advantage that teams have shown in each of the three consecutive losses by the Gamecocks that would make the actual difference, in lieu of poor shooting.

The game overall was not pretty for either team or its stars. Devan Downey was well under his 23 point average with 15 points on 4-18 shooting and Wayne Chism fell below his 17 point conference average with 11 points on 4-6 shooting. #20 Tennessee started the game with 8 turnovers in the first 8 minutes of play. South Carolina on the other hand rarely converted those turnovers in to points and could only establish a 2 point lead 11-9 by the second media timeout. By halftime the Gamecocks held a 28-24 lead with 8 points off turnovers and 7 points on second chance opportunities, shooting only 33% (11-33 and 4-14 from 3-pt). The Vols shot 45% (9-20, 2-7) for the same ugly period but managed to shoot 4-8 from the charity stripe versus South Carolina 2-4, to stay close with all the turnovers.

In the second half it was more of the same, with South Carolina continuing to concentrate on the perimeter and Tennessee grinding to push the ball in the paint and take only open perimeter shots, however the results began to shift late in the half as the Gamecocks were able to hold the lead or stay within 3 points for nearly 13 minutes, before the Vols began to take over. Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl was able to counter the game plan of USC Head Coach Darrin Horn's aggressive match-up zone, with running offensive sets that constantly flashed players to the middle of the lane with quick feeds to attack the zone from the middle to score or interior pass to the blocks. This periodically left Bobby Maze open to hit a few key jump shots to establish some balance in a game where both teams shot poorly from the perimeter. The difference? The Vols used the paint in the second half to shoot 52.4% (11-21, 2-4), while the Cocks continued to struggle at 30% (9-30, 1-12). The Vols were 15-24 from the free throw line during the final period, getting there by concentrating on the inside, shooting only 4 long range shots. The Gamecocks were fouled less often obviously taking 12 long range perimeter shots and was 8-11 (72%) from the charity stripe in the second half.

Tennessee really only led in three key statistical areas, "shooting percentage" 48.8% versus 31.7%, "points in the paint" 32-22 and "assists" 13-3. South Carolina led in "free throw shooting percentage" 66.7% against 59.4%, "offensive rebounds" 13-10, "second chance points" 12-9. With a cold perimeter afternoon, the home team had become the disadvantaged squad as the odds of percentages in basketball took over, the high percentage shot either went in or generated foul shot opportunities for Tennessee and the low percentage shot failed to fall for South Carolina and rarely did they get to the foul line.

The Garnet Army was again alive and well represented, but in the end they could not will their basketball heroes to victory, as Tennessee countered a sloppy game with grinding and getting to the free stripe twice as many times as the host team. South Carolina will only wonder what could have been if the free throw percentage advantage could have been matched with equal trips to the line. Only three South Carolina players even shot free throws, Downey, Raley-Ross and Austin Steed (1-2).

The free throw difference, along with a 20-3 Tennessee bench scoring difference assisted the Vols in grinding out a late 17-3 run that virtually rendered the game a Tennessee victory.

Brandis Raley-Ross continued his scoring support and balanced play, as the senior guard scored a team high 16 points on 5-10 shooting (2-6 from 3 and 4-7 from the line).

USC Returns To The Comforts of Home Against Tennessee

2010-02-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

SEC Standings South Carolina Stats Tennessee Stats

After a tough two games on the road, the Gamecocks (14-11, 5-6) return home where opponents of the South Carolina Basketball Program find it hard to get a win. The Tennessee Vols (19-6, 7-4) will come into the Colonial Life Arena, better known as "The House That Horn Rebuilt" on Saturday afternoon trying to keep their winning momentum alive. After finding the road again tough with losses at Georgia and Arkansas, Darrin Horn and team are understandably excited about returning home to the arena that has allowed few to leave with a victory since Horn has arrived in Columbia. Sporting a record of 11-2 at home this season, including a win over then #1 Kentucky and only 2 regular season losses at home last year, Horn's first season.

Tennessee is fresh off a 69-60 victory at home against Georgia, but Tennessee while posting a 13-1 record at home this season is only 3-4 away from Knoxville. South Carolina plays extremely well in the Colonial Life Arena for a few obvious reasons, but it appears that the Horn developed and inspired Garnet Army has raised the level of home court advantage and the energy deployed on game day in Columbia. Returning the fan attention to the student body, along with reaching out to the female fan base, has allow the hosting basketball team to create a very hostile venue to visit and a tough place for opponents to execute their offense. The atmosphere seems to fuel defensive energy in the Gamecocks and the fans appear ready to fuel the team's adrenaline following every positive play and any noticed extra individual effort displayed by the USC players.

While the NCAA may be a long shot, if a possibility at all, the post season still offers the NIT, which could be a better location for a team being built into a program. To get in even that post season event requires wins. Chances are great that South Carolina would host a couple of NIT games before having go on the road if they can continue to taking care of business at home and steal a victory or two in the SEC tournament. A lot will ride on the game Saturday afternoon for both squads, but USC and Coach Horn have the advantage of being able to protect their house with a sixth man that is ready to execute with energizing support for 40+ minutes.

While the road has been tough, the welcome that awaits the Cocks as they return home Saturday to take on the Vols, who gave the Gamecocks one of the two regular season home losses last season, and get back to their winning ways should be extremely comforting to the competitive young men who believe in and support one another, the characteristic of a real team. Hopefully the fan base will allow them to restore some of their confidence and aggressiveness to compete as always in Columbia.

The keys to victory tomorrow; re-identify with intense defense, challenge shots in the post and gain the same scoring output as displayed on the road over the last week, but support it with more interior offensive play to get to the free throw line more and make the opposing defense cover the entire floor with all five players. If they continue to protect the ball as a team, gain a better balance of shot selection from post to perimeter and close the gap between their opponents and them at the free throw line, Coach Horn will continue to appreciate the term..."Home Sweet Home".

Hogs Handle Cocks To Remain Atop The SEC West

2010-02-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Post Game/Highlight Access

On paper the teams appeared very similar, but on the floor in the Bud Walton Arena Arkansas (14-12, 7-4) was the clear dominant team winning 92-79 after leading by as much as 21 points in the second half. The game was relatively close in the first half with each team trading buckets during various series, but just before the half Arkansas guard, Marcus Britt, stripped Devan Downey near half court, while Downey was attempting to gain instructions from South Carolina Head Coach, Darrin Horn. Britt cruised in for the easy layup and extended the lead to 40-33 for the half. Coach Horn accepted the blame for a play change at the last minute that briefly allowed Britt to slide in for the steal.

With over 13,000 Razorbacks fans in attendance, the Hogs came out of the locker room and started a second half dunk-fest as aggressive defense and transition led to multiple dunks from run-outs, penetration & dishes and a few drop step. The host team made an early second half 17-1 run that basically decided the fate of the Gamecocks at about the 14 minute mark. The South Carolina (14-11, 5-6) second half defense was literally nonexistent as point guard Courtney Fortson, ran the transition game to near perfection, muscling his way to 19 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. His steals often led to powerful finishes by Freshman Forward Marshawn Powell, 26 points, 8 rebounds and Senior Center Mike Washington 8 points, who also went over the 1,000 point total for his college career. The Razorbacks of late had been receiving balanced scoring and it continued with guards Rotnei Clark 13 points (3-7 3-point) and Britt 12 points to round out the starter scoring. The Hogs' balanced offensive floor attack resulted in 30-55 shooting (54.5%) and attacking the paint led to 27-39 (75%) from the free throw line. Powell stated during post game interviews that his offensive output was predicted by Fortson in the locker room prior to the game after reviewing and preparing for the match-ups.

The Gamecocks on the other hand were 31-69 (44.9%) and 6-12 (50%) from the line. Sam Muldrow had a career high 23 points, on 9-13 shooting, to go along with 8 rebounds. However, the team's power forward was 4-6 from long range and his perimeter approach resulted in only one trip to the free throw line (1-2). The SEC leading scorer, Downey (28 points) was 11-28 from the field, 2-7 from long range with 7 assists and 4 steals. The only other significant scorer for the visitors was Brandis Raley-Ross with 16 points on 6-12 shooting (3-7 3-point). All three scored the majority of their points in the second half after the insurmountable lead was established by Arkansas.

The lack of defensive pressure and disruption to the Razorback guards, along with no answer for their penetration and power finishes led to the lopsided second half and disappointing loss for the Gamecocks. Arkansas' Fortson was not totally sharp in the half court and on transition early as some sloppy play recorded 8 turnovers for the Razorback point guard, but USC countered that total with Downey's highest turnover total for the season with 8 mistakes on the night for the Cocks. Both teams had spots of sloppy play with a total of 38 turnovers, 20 belonging to Arkansas. For the second game in a row, the Gamecocks continued approach to perimeter scoring versus an opponent willing to play inside/out resulted in 30 fouls committed for the Cocks against only 16 for their opponents. Head Coach John Pelphrey's team shot 36 free throws connecting on 27, while the 6-12 Gamecock total was a scoring difference of 21 points just at the free throw line. The win gives Arkansas a complete game led over Mississippi State (18-8, 6-5) in the West.

Next up for the Gamecocks, Tennessee (19-6, 7-4) in Columbia, SC Saturday before traveling to Lexington, Ky to take on the Kentucky (25-1, 10-1).

USC and Arkansas Look To Rebound

2010-02-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Coach Horn Pre-Game

South Carolina (14-10, 5-5) travels to Fayetteville to meet the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-12, 6-4) with both teams coming off close losses on Saturday. The Gamecocks lost to Georgia in Athens 66-61 and the Razorbacks lost in Tuscaloosa 73-68. The teams are very familiar in size and playing style. The Razorbacks after a slow start find themselves atop the SEC West following a recent 5 game winning streak that ended with the loss to Alabama this past weekend. Arkansas is not as protective of its home arena as South Carolina carrying a 11-7 home record, but they are 4-1 at home since entering conference play.

Both squads, coached by young coaches, Darrin Horn for South Carolina and John Pelphrey at Arkansas, rely on scoring from their sub six-foot point guards, both teams like to run and turn up the tempo with defensive pressure. Both teams receive very little scoring from their reserves and will go 9 players deep in rotation. But that may be where the comparisons stop, Arkansas has been able to get balanced double digit scoring from four members of the starting line up, 5'11" Courtney Fortson averages 19.7 ppg, 6'0" Rotnei Clarke 16.1 ppg, 6'7" Marshawn Powell 14.8 ppg and 6'9" Mike Washington 12.7 ppg. With South Carolina getting the bulk of its scoring from 5'9" Devan Downey at 22.8 ppg and 6'2" Brandis Raley-Ross 11.0. Arkansas has been able to reel off 5 straight SEC victories this season, South Carolina only been able to post back to back victory in the conference this season.

Downey's ability to create problems for any team is well documented, but his recent 18-60 (26.7%) shooting would be considered a concern by most, but Coach Horn does not appear to be concerned over the percentages, just the effort and game ending results. Horn will be satisfied to challenge the home court advantage by Pelphrey's team by staying close and having a chance to take control late and win. Pelphrey on the other hand will try to keep Downey out of the paint, challenge the post players and make South Carolina win or die by the long ball. With Downey, expect Pelphrey to use the same philosophy of recent coaches, to make Downey work to get near the basket and force him well off the arc to score from beyond the imaginary NBA 3-point line.

Likewise, recent trends have watched South Carolina opponents' turnovers come way down, allowing less transition buckets and limiting extra possessions, which generally lead to more shots, something the Gamecocks will need if they are going to rely on the normal scoring trend to win in Arkansas. Sam Muldrow will need to get into the half court offense in this game to increase the Gamecock chances of winning, unless Lakeem Jackson can generate substantial offense in transition. If the Razorbacks get hot from the outside with its' three guard offense, this could be a long night for the Gamecocks, because the Arkansas post is an adequate transition and rebounding group that can score in the post in isolation.

Cold Shooting Finally Fails The Cocks In Athens

2010-02-15T09:50:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Game Highlights

South Carolina (14-10, 5-5) could not score in the final minutes of the game in Athens to lose a much needed game 66-61 after leading Georgia (11-12, 3-7) by 10, 52-42, with a little over 9 minutes remaining in the contest. With a late winter storm leaving snow and ice all over the midlands of South Carolina, the Gamecocks traveled to Athens hoping for a win and another step toward the NCAA post season festival.

The Cocks shot themselves out of the game and possibly out of the NCAA dance, by avoiding the post in half court offenses and settling for the tough 3-point score rather than forcing the Dawgs to play defense in the paint. Georgia only committed 7 fouls with only Ricky McPhee recording 2 fouls for the game. Devan Downey (6-22) and Brandis Raley Ross (7-18) were 13-40 of the 65 shots taken for the game by the Gamecocks. 26 of the shots by the starting back court were from long distance, connecting on only 7. With 2 3's in a row by Downey finishing the first half for South Carolina to leave the game at a tie, 31-31, the visitors entered the second half with a less than urgent character as the perimeter shooting and some cold Bulldogs shooting in the first 10 minutes of the second half allowed USC to sneak to a lead that placed urgency to Head Coach Mark Fox's Bulldogs. By placing the offense in an inside-out rhythm, the Dawgs chipped away at the USC lead from the paint, the free throw line and long range to outscore the Cocks 24-9 to finish the game. At one period Georgia went 13-0 in the overall run. The 36 points, 18 each by Ross and Downey was little less than impressive the post un-attacked and Georgia left to relax in the post. Georgia played all five starters in 33 minutes or more and was able to get balanced shot selection and scoring from post to perimeter with Trey Thompkins scoring 21, Jeremy Price 16 and Travis Leslie 15. Thompkins added 10 rebounds for his 6th double-double of the season.

Sam Muldrow played 27 minutes shooting 8 shots making only 2, and no trips to the free throw line. Georgia was 20-23 from the charity stripe versus USC 4-6. The lack of fouls committed with the ball staying on the USC perimeter allowed the Bulldogs to keep the Gamecocks off the line. Georgia only took 49 official shots from the field for the game, 16 less than South Carolina. 16 is the exact number of 3-point shots taken by Fox's home team, which is 16 less than the 32 taken by the visiting team. Coach Horn will have to find a better blend of shots, ball movement and post use in the offense to be successful for the remainder of the season. All teams will be able to defend and create difficult shots for a perimeter oriented squad with its leading scorer the 5'9" point guard and all other scoring threats a mystery. In the current trend, USC will have to rely on spectacular perimeter scoring or tremendous offensive rebounding to win a significant number of the remaining games.

Next up Arkansas in Fayetteville, Wednesday for the true "do or die" game for NCAA post season invitation to the dance. Without this win, the Cocks will be forced to make the finals of the SEC, and without at least a 9-7 conference record, the trip to the big dance will require a tournament championship. Horn's a fighter, will his team adopt his tenacity? Click Here To View NCAA Selection Process....Mock Selection

Georgia A Must Win For USC Post Season Hopes

2010-02-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Gamecocks (14-9, 5-4) have been able to master the home court advantage with an 11-2 home stand, but they are 3-7 away from the favorable Colonial Life Arena. When Darrin Horn takes his team into Stegemen Coliseum this afternoon, he will be trying to win his second straight game in Athens, following a 65-51 win last season. Overall the Gamecocks are 15-27 in Athens, 1-0 under Horn. The Georgia Bulldogs (10-12, 2-7) lost a one point thriller to South Carolina two weeks ago and should be poised for revenge. However, USC may have more motivation as this game starts a two week stretch where South Carolina will play the Dawgs, Arkansas and Kentucky on the road with only one contest at home following the trip to Fayetteville, against Tennessee. Only 7 regular season games remaining, South Carolina will need at least 5 additional wins to get the magic number 10, SEC wins to have a shot at the NCAA postseason. The reduced field of the NIT would seemingly require an 8-8 conference record to get a possible bid in the concession post-season field. While Athens and Fayetteville are tough places to play, Rupp Arena and Vanderbilt are going to be even harder venues to get a win.

The best scenario for the young men from South Carolina is to stay focused, beat Georgia and Arkansas, hold serve and edge Tennessee at home, play hard as possible in Lexington, surprise Mississippi State at home with solid post play, outplay and manhandle Alabama on their trip to Horn's House and play smart and physical against the Commodores in Nashville. This could be the formula for a 10-6 SEC record, placing the team on the NCAA bubble, a 9-7 giving them an assured trip to the NIT, 8-8 would be a nervous "Selection Sunday" and anything else would be the ultimate disappointing season. A season that was filled with major upsets, exciting plays, buzzer beater finishes and coaching chess matches can only be properly chronicled with a post season appearance.

A loss to Georgia in Athens could start the spoiling touch on and an easily perishable season. Like South Carolina, Georgia is most comfortable at home sporting a 9-3 home record and 1-9 away from Athens. Both teams were upset by Wofford early this season, but both have recorded major upsets, South Carolina over Kentucky and Georgia over Vanderbilt. Throw the records out and remember January 30, when USC came from behind in the second half to steal a victory from the Dawgs in Columbia and protect home court. Stars Devan Downey, Sam Muldrow and Company will have to play well against Trey Thompkins, Travis Leslie and Associates to continue this quest for a NCAA berth.

Home Court Advantage To USC 77-71 Over Gators

2010-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Post Game Video

South Carolina Darrin Horn applauded the fans at the end of the game, as his now recognized 6th man helped the head coach inspire a second half manhandling of the Florida Gators (17-7, 6-4). After trailing by 4 points, 35-31, the Gamecocks came out with energy and defensive intensity. The result was a 46-36 second half advantage to South Carolina (14-9, 5-4) and a 77-71 SEC victory. At the half the team was challenged to compete harder and just after the half Brandis Raley-Ross was threatened to shoot or suffer the consequences. Raley-Ross with 3 points at the half, finished with 20 points to go along with his 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. Devan Downey was just Devan, shooting and scooping to 24 points (4 steals, 2 assists and 4 rebounds).

Being at home allowed the energy of the crowd to support a poor shooting night by the Gamecocks, 38.2%, as they out hustled the Gators who shot 56% for the game, 68% in the first half. The 3-point shot caused increased Garnet Army cheers that seemed to rattle the Gators at times during the middle of the second half as the host team took control of the game. South Carolina collected 20 points off 20 Florida turnovers, while allowing only 8 points on just 6 turnovers. The Gamecocks were outscored 22-8 in the paint, were outscored 10-2 on fast breaks, but the turnovers created by an aggressive defense gave the Gamecocks 18 more shots than the Gators (68-50) and the aggressive penetration offense also allowed the Cocks to get to the free throw line 24 times, converting on 19 (79.2%), while Billy Donovan's club was only 10-23 (43.5%). South Carolina's version of post utilization found Sam Muldrow working the baseline short corners and high post to find 7-13 shooting for 16 points and 8 rebounds. Erving Walker had a solid night for Florida with 20 points. Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons had a double-double, 11pts/15rebs and 13pts/11/rebs, respectively. But the scoring combination of Downey, Raley-Ross and Muldrow (60 points), primarily in the second half, was too much for the Gators when you add the hostile crowd, missed free throws and turnovers. The unsung hero for the Gamecocks would be Lakeem Jackson, who in contruction worker style piled up 6 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, giving him a direct hand in 15 Carolina points. His third assist to Ramon Galloway for the 3, placed USC in front for good 56-53 with just over 6 minutes to play. After missing its first 10 3-point shots the Gamecocks went 6-12 down the stretch to hold of the Gators.

The victory continues to protect the house that Horn has renovated with excitement, energy and a young winning tradition. In the Colonial Life Arena South Carolina is 10-2 this season and 27-5 overall under Coach Horn.

What Went Wrong In Tennessee For USC Men's Basketball?

2010-02-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

Video Highlights

The South Carolina Men's Basketball program went into Knoxville Saturday afternoon feeling really good about their chances to step over the hump of a Bruce Pearl Tennessee Volunteers team that has won 8 straight contest against the Cocks. Fresh off the an impressive win against then #1 Kentucky and a solid "Come-from-behind" victory over Georgia at home, no to mention the nail-bitting buzzer beater loss to Florida in Gainesville.

The flamboyant Coach Pearl was operating with his best player dismissed, three other suspended players just reinstated. USC Head Coach Darrin Horn has a diminishing bench with two missing starters, Dominique Archie (Knee Surgery) and Mike Holmes (Dismissed) off the team prior to SEC conference schedule. While the Vols are nationally ranked they are not big with the reduced lineup, but they are extremely athletic. South Carolina is also athletic, but does not necessarily shoot the ball well.

Following a slow start, which found South Carolina extremely cold, Tennessee was moving the ball extremely well while South Carolina was struggling to find anyone who could score, including Devan Downey, the SEC conference leading scorer. A cold night for Downey 5-20 (20%) from the field and the rout was set. The rout was guaranteed when the remaining 9 players were 11-38 (28.9%) or an average of 4 shots per player for the game. The result a 26 point Vol win 79-53. As a team, South Carolina shot 28 3-point shots or 48.2% of the overall team shots, making only 7 for the game. Tennessee committed its defense to Downey and allowed the remaining USC team to shoot which generated 34 Tennessee defensive rebounds. Poor defensive energy by the Cocks allowed 27-59 (45.8%) shooting by the Vols, 40 points in the paint compared to 14 close points for the Gamecocks. The lack of defensive effort allowed 22 fast break points for the host team and 16 points off turnovers.

Now lets give credit where credit is due, 6'9" Wayne Chism was unstoppable with 30 points on 11-17 shooting and Vols point guard Bobby Maze had only one turnover and was never stopped in the back court allowing Tennessee get to into soft positions on the floor and move the ball without little challenge from the South Carolina squad.

To sum it up overall, South Carolina perhaps played its worse game under Coach Horn, but this was a game waiting to happen as the team has become more enthused with the transition and scoring accomplishments that a game that has been designed for 5 players at any one time, has been reduced to a divisive 1 and 4 product. No post game, no mid-range game, inconsistent long range shooting and fast break points only following successful defensive series, which have began to fade following the Florida game. Many would say Devan still generated 26 points, thanks to 13-14 from the charity stripe, but the effort to get to that aspect of the scoring, led to little team involvement. Now without the "high risk for high reward" defense, no other offense can be found. Defense is important, but scoring is the name of the game. Defense can be taught through effort and fundamentals, offensive becomes the biggest challenge because you must first arrive with a skill or ability to score more often than not.

So what went wrong? EVERYTHING!!

#14 Versus Unranked, USC at Tennessee An Even Match

2010-02-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Devan Downey Highlights Darrin Horn Pregame

Ranked 14th in college basketball and hosting unranked South Carolina (13-8, 4-3) may provide no advantage for the Tennessee Vols (17-4, 5-2). Other than the rankings and records, today these teams are extremely close and competitive. The odds makers call it even, and under the surface it is even closer. Lets look at the picture, undermanned due to key player losses, Tennessee hosted #1 Kansas and pulled the shocker of the season, a 76-68 upset. But that was then, fast forward 16 days and South Carolina undermanned with key losses of starters, and totally unconsidered, hosted then #1 Kentucky and completed the bigger shocker with a 68-62 victory over the Wildcats.

The two teams have a few similar features. First there is the point guard position; 6'3" Bobby Maze has become a very effective floor leader showing the saavy of a inner city ball player and the poise of a coach on the floor, versus Devan Downey at 5'9", who has become this season's most exciting player leading the SEC in scoring (22.9 ppg & 31.6 in SEC games) and the country in steals (3 spg). Both point guards average over 3 rebounds a game to go with their other contributions. Then there is the supporting cast, the Vols now count on primary scoring from Maze, Wayne Chism and J.R. Prince, who have averaged 36.1 points per game over the last three games or 55% of the offensive production. The Gamecocks on the other had look for scoring from Downey, Sam Muldrow and Brandis Raley-Ross contribute 42.6 points per contest or 57% of the team scoring. The Vols can get double figures from 6'7" guard Scotty Hopson (13.3 ppg) any night, although his scoring has been down as of late. South Carolina counts on explosive transition baskets from 6'5" guard/forward Lakeem Jackson who can offer double digits attacking the paint. 6'9" Chism averages a double-double (14 pts/10 rebs) in SEC play, while 6'9" Muldrow is coming off a double-double (19 pts/11 rebs) in their come-from-behind victory against Georgia. Defensively both teams like to put pressure on the back-court, trapping, jumping passing lanes and generating turnovers. Both teams are riding two game win streaks after 2 and 3 game losing streaks.

Then there are the coaches; Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl is intense, aggressive and animated, while South Carolina Head Coach Darrin Horn is intense, aggressive but non-animated in his corporate demeanor. The difference in this game will likely come down to bench play and scoring, along with the disruptive mis-match that Downey has presented for most teams this season, but definitely all teams in the SEC. Count on both teams being prepared and focused.

Keys to a Tennessee victory will be to find a way to keep Downey out of the paint, limit offensive rebounds by Muldrow, Jackson and Austin Steed. Offensively protect the basketball and score in the mid range, finding spots that will be left open with the USC trapping defensive schemes. Create turnovers and convert to fast break and transition points, while protecting the basketball in the half court sets. Big day by Chism, Prince and Hopson is a must.

Keys to a South Carolina victory are to get the obvious points from Downey while others attack the offensive glass for second chance points. Place pressure on the Tennessee bench which is prone to turnovers, make the extra passes and make open shots that will be available in the aggressive Volunteer half court defense. Keep Tennessee off the offensive glass. Bench scoring will also be critical for the Gamecocks. Points from Raley-Ross, Jackson, Steed or Muldrow and defensive board control by the post players. Muldrow's shot blocking could also be key.

In a half court possession oriented game the advantage will appear to go to South Carolina with no half court defensive answer for Downey. While a fast paced transition game will favor the home team with its' athletic players that handle the basketball from perimeter to post in its' three guard lineup as good as any team in the country. At best the most decisive advantage may be home court.

Three's Rule For Gamecocks Against Georgia

2010-01-31T12:29:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Highlight Video

On a night when South Carolina (13-8, 4-3) was outscored in the paint, slightly out rebounded on each end of the floor. South Carolina found the range from long distance shooting 52.9% from long range. Devan Downey was just Devan, scoring 33 points from inside, outside and midrange, but that's what he does for Head Coach Darrin Horn. But each game requires that the someone else bring a lunch pale to work as well. This time it was Sam Muldrow, who recorded his first career double-double with 19 points/11 rebounds to go with his 4 blocks. But on this night the Georgia Bulldogs (9-10, 1-5) were up to the task of a one or two man show as super sophomores 6'10" Trey Thompkins (18 pts, 6 rebs, 4 asts) and 6'4" sensation Travis Leslie (21 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts) were virtually unstoppable for the majority of the game. Leslie's performance included 5 thundering dunks that actually quieted the hostile crowd led by the now famous Garnet Army. The sophomores' efforts allowed Georgia to lead for most of the game to include a 9 point advantage with just under 9:30 to play in the game.

Georgia Head Coach Mark Fox mixed up defenses from an effective 3-2 zone, to a scrappy man-to-man, to a unprecedented triangle and 2, for the Bulldogs this season, forcing South Carolina to find some other answers for the young team from Athens. Coach Horn went to Steven Spinella in the first half and found quality minutes for the oncoming Freshman who hit two key 3-pointers to help keep the Gamecocks close in the opening half, along with a more impressive two-handed block of a Ricky McPhee, who had slipped loose on the baseline for an apparent easy reverse layup.

In a game where both teams were very efficient with the basketball allowing only 9 turnovers per team, good shooting and rebounding would become extremely important and would eventually decide the outcome of the game. After struggling to gain rhythm in the first half, Ramon Galloway returned to the game with the Georgia Coach changing up his defenses with the triangle and 2 being his surprise wrinkle. The defensive change was designed to take Brandis Raley-Ross and Downey out of the offensive picture, but Coach Fox did not count on Galloway knocking down 2 key 3-pointers on 2-3 shooting in about a 3 minute span, to cut into Georgia leads and helping stop "mini" runs by the Bulldogs. Not to forget the chess move by Coach Horn to attack the creative defense with a four guard lineup, once it was recognized. In 6'5" Lakeem Jackson (6 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts) you have a guard that is easily transferable to the post with his physicality and leaping ability. Georgia shot well for the game 50% from the field and 46.2% (6-13) from the 3 point arc, and outscoring the Gamecocks in the paint 36-28. But the Gamecocks were even more impressive shooting 51.8% overall, with 52.9% (9-17) from 3-point land. Following the key transitions, possessions, lead changes, mini runs, questionable calls and coaching strategies, this game ultimately came down to shooting, and long range was crucial.

With game just about dead even or close in every contributing category, the game would ultimately be decided by a good shot by Devan (12-20, 4-7 from 3-pt) at the 50 second mark, who was efficient with the basketball and his shooting all night, and a strong rebound by Galloway following a missed foul shot by Georgia's Dustin Ware. Both teams left points at the charity stripe, USC 11-18 (61.1%) and Georgia 11-17 (64.7%).

Key Game Stats;
Points in the paint-UGA 36,SC 28.
Points off turnovers-UGA 14,SC 18.
2nd chance points-UGA 16,SC 14.
Fast break points-UGA 6,SC 7.
Bench points-UGA 13,SC 12.
Score tied-7 times.
Lead changed-6 times.
Largest lead-UGA by 9 2nd-09:25, SC by 6 1st-17:15.

Superlatives;
MVP - Sam Muldrow (19pts/11rebs/4blks) 35 minutes
Mr. Clutch - Devan Downey (33pts/3asts/2stls/1to) 36 minutes
Good Hands - Lakeem Jackson (6pts/5rebs/5asts) 30 minutes
1st Half Hero - Stephen Spinella (2-2 3-pointers/1blk/1ast) 13 minutes
2nd Half Hero - Ramon Galloway (2-3 3-pointers/2rebs/1ast/1stl) 16 minutes

USC Prime To Salvage NCAA Tournament Goal

2010-01-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

South Carolina has thrived, struggled, run, scrapped, pressured and fought their way to a seemingly disappointing 12-8 record following the upset of the #1 Kentucky Wildcats. The regular season is now two-thirds complete with 10 games remaining before the SEC Tournament. Five of the remaining games are at the Colonial Life Arena, which has quickly become an exciting place to see basketball if you're a Gamecock fan and a hostile place for visiting teams with its' sixth man affect, The Garnet Army. Under second year Head Coach Darrin Horn, South Carolina has an 85% winning percentage at home.

The season obviously started with the hopes of a NCAA bid, with the addition of newcomers with various support skills to improve on a team that just missed a chance to play in the NCAA the previous season. But a season ending injury to the 6'7" star forward Dominique Archie and the dismissal of starting 6'7" forward Mike Holmes, placed a cloud of doubt over the season. Adding insult to injury, the adjusting Gamecocks squad lost a shocker to the little regarded Wofford Terriers and the season and its' goals seemed destined for failure and disappointment. Local and national analysts began writing South Carolina out of the SEC eastern division race, where they were co-champions the previous season. After opening with wins over Auburn and LSU, considered to be non-contenders, the Cocks dropped contests against Vanderbilt, Ole Miss. (16-4), and a heart-breaker to Florida. The Florida loss may prove to be a positive and valuable loss. Devan Downey leading the team and the SEC in scoring (in SEC Play) has emerged as the nucleus of danger to opponents and the spark that starts a fire in the Horn defensive and offensive schemes. The recent upset of the Wildcats followed the Gator loss and was accomplished with increased effort. Horn and his coaching staff, along with Downey, have sold effort and poise to a basically young unit that have been forced to grow into vital roles early and effectively. So the result is a 12-8 3-3 season with 10 conference games remaining, 5 at home against Georgia (9-9), Florida (15-5), Tennessee (15-4), Mississippi State (15-5) and Alabama (13-7), 3 tough games at Tennessee, Kentucky (19-1) and Vanderbilt (16-3), 2 other road match-ups that are favorable to the Gamecocks when their playing their best at Georgia and Arkansas (9-11). The game formula is; 3-3 plus 5 at home minus 3 on the road plus 2 on the road equals 10-6 in the SEC for the regular season (19-11 overall). Add one - two wins minimum in the SEC tournament for the 20-win season with a win over #1 on the resume and an NCAA bid is highly probable. Add any additional road games to the formula and it becomes a lock. Following the loss to Florida, South Carolina fell to 88 in the RPI, but the Kentucky win followed by a Georgia victory should move the Cocks to the high 70's and closer to the field of 64.

The real emphasis is for the Gamecocks to protect home court for the remainder of the season, take at least 2, maybe even three on the road, win a tournament game and let the NCAA bid talk begin. Continue the discussions with Player of the Year and Coach of the Year honors. This is the road map to March Madness, now lets play it out one game at a time. The first goal beat Georgia and the journey begins.

Georgia Guards Will Struggle Against Downey & Company

2010-01-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

We've all seen what Devan Downey can do to a team with great guards, now Georgia Head Coach, Mark Fox, will have to contend with a game preparation with a struggling Bulldog back-court. 6'10 Sophomore sensation, Trey Thompkins scored 24 points against Florida and Senior Guard Ricky McPhee also scored 21 in the game, but the team, committed 19 turnovers leading to 33 Florida points in a 87-71 Gator victory. Georgia, often playing in a three guard lineup with the lone senior McPhee at 6'1", Dustin Ware 5'11" and Travis Leslie 6'4" will have to rely on extremely improved play to counter Coach Darrin Horn's back-court combinations starting with the virtually impossible to stop Downey at 5'9", the physical Lakeem Jackson 6'5" and streak shooter Brandis Raley-Ross 6'5".

Coach Horn will have the luxury of going back to his full court and half court trapping combinations, which he vacated in the Kentucky game to use other schemes to counter the much larger and athletic Wildcat squad. With the Bulldogs struggling to protect the ball the Saturday evening contest will open the door to harassing defensive pressure in the hostile confines of the Colonial Center, where Horn has developed a prompt advantage for his Gamecock program. The Garnet Army will verbally harass the opposing teams while inspiring the USC players and motivating louder cheers from the remaining general fan base.

While Georgia is a fairly good shooting team, and was able to generate 59.6% shooting (57.1% from 3 point range) against Florida, the 19 turnovers limited their shots to 47 for the game. In recording a 16 point win, Florida shot 53.3% overall and 43.8% from long range. But the 33 points off steals and forced turnovers provided 13 more shots, most of which were fast-break layups. A 13-7 advantage in offensive rebounds also provided the assistance to the margin of victory.

Expect more of the same, as the front-court of the Gamecocks, led by Sam Muldrow, Austin Steed and Jonathan Jefferson, will be able to hold their own in the paint with the defensive harassment taking place in back-court and around the perimeter. The 40 minutes of expected high risk defense should not offer too many easy baskets to the Bulldogs and USC will only need continued success of Downey offensively, who appears to be in a zone right now. All other game average contributions by the Cocks should lead to an eventual easy victory for the host club.

Thompkins may be one of the best big men in the SEC, McPhee, Ware and Leslie are good perimeter shooters, but the USC man-to-man and trapping defenses should make spot up shooting extremely difficult. Likewise, the Georgia back-court are good athletes but may not be very good "on ball" defenders. Expect to see a few zone schemes by the Bulldogs in an attempt to keep Downey out of the lane as much as possible. If the Gamecocks have come down from the Kentucky victory and have retained the motivation for the defensive floor effort, all have become accustomed to, an upset by the Athens bunch should not be a reality.

UGA v UF Highlights UGA-UF Stats

Downey Out Plays Wall and Horn Out Coaches Calipari

2010-01-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Post Game Video Video Highlights

With John Wall anointed the best player in college basketball and John Calipari already in discussions as the best coach modern day College Hoops, few considered the basketball mastery of Devan Downey nor the basketball IQ of the second year South Carolina Head Coach, Darrin Horn. Kentucky was just recognized as the Number 1 team in the land, following a 101-70 trouncing of Arkansas and South Carolina recently lost a heart breaking buzzer-beater in Florida to set the stage for an anticipated Kentucky dominated game for the kings of basketball from the bluegrass state. Somebody forgot to tell Horn, Downey and Associates that they were supposed to lose. Coach Horn, who is 3-0 against Kentucky since coming to USC, prepared the Gamecocks for another SEC game with emphasis in half court pressure, inbounds challenges to Wall and Company taking away their rhythm, ball control, possession management and the easy decision to leave the green light on for Downey to attack late in possessions, while his bigs attacked the offensive glass. ESPN tabbed this Big Tuesday Game never realizing the monumental ending USC 68 - Kentucky 62 for the 48 hour #1 ranking, an upset by standards, but just another big win in the early resume of Horn, Downey and Associates in less than two seasons.

Horn, who has been a genius in a season and a half in creating one of the most hostile environments for visiting teams, has trained his Garnet Army personally in the art of team support, energy creation and competitor distraction. The Garnet Army sets the tone for excitement, Horn's defensive pressure schemes generate opponent disruptions, while entertaining a supporting crowd that feeds off the Garnet Army enthusiasm. The result is a basketball arena the we can honestly say is the "House That Horn Rebuilt". If there was ever a time to believe in the Under Armour tag "Protect This House", Horn has established an 88% home winning percentage for his young career and it appears that he values his property. Horn has taken a team reduced by talent and experience with the loss of two key starters prior to conference play and has sold role playing, increased effort, team defense and confidence to a young squad under great floor leadership. Horn recently said that he was not building a team but that he was building a program, it appears he is well on his way. Even President Barack Obama tried to encourage the Calipari group that South Carolina wasn't a challenging venue to play, during his thank you call to the Wildcat team for their efforts in raising over $1.3Million for the Haiti Relief initiative.

Some of the key points to see in this game that makes his coaching and success a potential mystery to the novice fan or to a statistician;

In victory South Carolina shot 34.4% to 38.6% for Kentucky. Downey was only 9-29 in scoring his game high 30 points, with 3 assists of the team's meager 6 assists. DeMarcus Cousins was 9-17 scoring 27 points to go with his 12 rebounds. South Carolina shot 26.7% from the field in the first half. So how did South Carolina win?

Aggressive defense often kept the ball early out of the hands of Wall. South Carolina attacked the guards Wall and Eric Bledsoe at the point of entry or outlet, they hindered their run-outs, they controlled the pace of the game and with Downey's weaving penetration he curled a left hand layup as the first half expired and the Wildcats were nursing a hard fought 29-26 lead. Offensively, the Gamecocks kept the floor spread and ran a patient and deliberate offense and often with time running down, Downey broke down the Kentucky defense and either made a shot or missed a shot that allowed the USC big men to collect 17 of 20 offensive rebounds, the remaining 3 went to Downey himself at 5'9". The defense caused 9 turnovers from the heralded freshman back-court of Wall and Bledsoe. Sam Muldrow who collected 9 blocks against Kentucky last year in Columbia, was a human eraser again with 5 blocked shots. While the game had it's big moments with big shots it was the little things. The USC pressure and defensive success did not allow Calipari to use much of his bench and when he did it was not for long, his starters were forced to play extremely longer than normal with four players playing more than 31 minutes for the Wildcats. South Carolina supposedly thinner on the bench was able to get more productive minutes from its' bench. Kentucky received no points from its' bench. South Carolina was more efficient with the basketball, with only 11 turnovers, leading to 1 point for Kentucky. USC on the other hand scored 7 points on 15 Wildcat turnovers. Kentucky known for its high potent offense, large roster, actually considered to be the tallest team in America and its' transition game could only score 3 second chance points and scored a mere 5 points on fast-breaks. South Carolina on the other hand had 16 second chance points. Muldrow's 9 pts/11rebs/5blks along with Bandis Raley-Ross' 17 pts/5 rebs was all the scoring support necessary, to go with the 13 pts scored by the remaining USC, to make up the staff performance of Horn, Downey & Associates.

If you don't believe Horn is building a program just ask the senior partners of national powerhouse known as Calipari, Wall, Cousins, Bledsoe & Patterson. Oh, did I forget to mention, NBA bound Patrick Patterson took only four shots for a total of 5 points in 35 minutes.

Payback For Gators & Parsons In Win Against Gamecocks

2010-01-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Highlight Video

Almost one year to the day, Florida found themselves in Columbia, SC with a one point lead and Chandler Parsons at the free throw line with a one and one opportunity be missed the free throw and with 3.3 seconds to go Mike Holmes throws a touch down pass to Zam Fredrick, who scores as time runs out USC wins 70-69. Now fast forward to one year later, the scene, Gainesville, FL, 5.1 seconds Devan Downey had just scored on a leaner to give the Gamecocks the lead 56-55. Erving Walker receives the inbounds pass and races up the floor with no timeouts, with Parsons asking for the ball on the left wing, Walker delivers and Parsons hits the three pointer to give the Gators a Buzzer-Beater Payback win 58-56 against the Gamecocks. Parsons finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. He missed his first three 3's, but hit the only one they needed. "Honestly, I was just in the right place at the right time," Parsons said. "I struggled shooting all game long, but it felt good and it definitely felt good to do it at home and get a win like this."

The game was highlighted by the Devan Downey Show. Downey's accomplishments were overshadowed by the Parsons' game winner, but it was not a distraction for fans, scouts, analysts and commentators. The 5'9" Downey played 38 minutes, scored 36 points on 12 of 25 shooting, scoring from NBA range on 3's, dropping buckets on Florida post players in the paint with relative ease and never allowing his harassing defense to be affected by his offensive showing. Billy Donovan, Florida's Head Coach said that Downey's performance reminded him of LSU's All American Chris Jackson who scored 44 against a Rick Pitino coached Kentucky team at Rupp Arena.  Basically both players in different eras scored big in small bodies against double teams and special defensive schemes.

The teams were very evenly matched and it was apparent early that this game could come down to the team with the best late run or the team with the ball last as the game offered 17 lead changes and 11 ties with Florida holding the largest lead at one point of only 6 points in the second half. Florida was able to place 4 players in double figures on 22-53 shooting. South Carolina on the other hand saw no player with more than 6 points on 21-55 shooting, other than Downey's 36 points by shooting 25 of the team 55 attempts. It was nearly a one man victory for Downey and the Gamecocks.  It appears that even the best of efforts of what is currently the leading scoring in the SEC and possibly the Conference MVP, can generate a win without assistance of the remaining 8 players in game rotation. Downey is forced to work hard for his points, making the game often a play ground highlight showing and the result no assists for the USC and SEC star, who has the ball in his possession more than any other combination of guards on the team. The team produced only 4 assists on the evening and is last in the league in team assists.

To show how evenly the game was played; shooting USC 21-55, UF 22-53; free throws USC 8-13, UF 10-13; rebounds USC 34, UF 36(offensive USC 11, UF 10); team fouls USC 15, UF 11; three point shooting USC 6-22, UF 4-15; steals; USC 6, UF 4; turnovers USC 7, UF 10.   Florida was able to win the assist battle outright 14-4 with Walker distributing 7 assists to add to his 13 points and 5 rebounds at 5'10", another finalist for the Bob Cousey Award.

USC (11-8, 2-3) will have to quickly regroup and find a way to get ready to play the No. 1 team in the country, Kentucky (19-0), led by the best freshman in college basketball, point guard John Wall, who like Downey can take over a game, but does not have to because he has five other very solid offensive teammates. Wall can score 30 points while dishing out 8-10 assists, and he plays defense and rebounds as well. Head Coach Darrin Horn will have 48 hours to get his team ready to score from other jersey numbers. The good news is the first showing between the two squads is in South Carolina where Horn teams have been difficult to beat.

Key Game Notes:

Devan Downey has now scored more than 2000 points in his 4 year college career.

Points in the paint-SC 18,UF 30.

Fast break points-SC 0,UF 4.

Bench points-SC 9,UF 2.

2nd chance points-SC 10,UF 8.

Downey Not Enough Against Vandy, USC Suffers 1st SEC Loss

2010-01-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

Game Stats Highlight Video

Devan Downey was unstoppable for the third straight ballgame, but that was not the case for the remainder of the Gamecocks squad. Downey was responsible for 55% of the USC (11-6, 2-1) offense, his season high 35 points, 4 assists and 6 steals would beat many teams, but Vanderbilt (14-3, 3-0) was very efficient offensively shooting 61% for the game and out rebounded the Cocks 40-23 and limiting the Gamecocks to only 19 second chance points to 26 for the Commodores. Vandy won 89-79. At the end of the day, Vandy was just to long, deep and efficient for the smaller shorthanded Gamecocks team. A.J. Ogilvy quietly scored 22 points on 7-8 shooting from the field and 8-13 shooting from the charity stripe, 18 of those points in the second half. Ogilvy also pulled down 9 rebounds. Andre Walker also added 10 rebounds in helping the visitors maintain control of a game that found the Cocks down by as many as 17 with 10 minutes remaining in the game. The 5'9" Downey also led the Gamecocks in rebounding with 5 of the team's 23.

The Gamecocks' defense continued to generate turnovers, causing 20 Vandy mistakes converted to 25 USC points, but that was the only other bright spot for the Cocks as they never really threatened to overcome the advantages of their SEC foe from Nashville. Downey shot the ball extremely well; 12-21 from the field, 3-6 from 3-point range and 8-9 from the free throw line. Head Coach Darrin Horn will have to find a way to get better shooting than the remaining 16-43 (38%) shooting from the rest of the team, which included transition scoring by Lakeem Jackson who scored 11 points 10 in the paint on 5-7 shooting and 1-4 from the line. Ultimately it came down to size and depth, as the 6'9" Jeffery Taylor scored 16 points on 6-9 shooting for the Commodores, along with balanced performances from all players who logged minutes.

Coach Horn stated, "We've been talking for weeks now about how important it is for everyone to play well and bring what they can bring for us to have a chance to win ball games. Tonight that wasn't the case. It starts on the defensive end. You won't beat anyone when they shoot 61 percent against you. There were things we did well and spots we played with the energy and aggressiveness we need to have, but it wasn't enough. That's the bottom line. We need to have a complete performance. Collectively we weren't good defensively tonight to give ourselves a chance to win."

The defense can continue to keep games in reach and respectable, but it requires offense in the half court to get the Gamecocks over the hurdle to win enough games in the conference to make this a successful season and possibly enter post season play. The conference guard play in the upper half of the league is too good to turn the ball over enough to allow a one-man scoring performance to win games.

Game Notes:

Sam Muldrow was only 3-13 from the field.

Vanderbilt was 6-13 from three point range.

All nine players entering the game scored multiple baskets for Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt received 30 points from its' bench, while USC scored 7 points with its' bench.

USC only committed 12 turnovers.

Averaging over 8 blocks a game going into the game, USC only blocked 3 shots, while Vandy blocked 7.

Gamecocks Storm To First Road Win Against Auburn

2010-01-10T12:16:00.000-08:00

SEC Game Highlights Game Stats

South Carolina takes Auburn's best punch early to settle done and use defense and key perimeter shooting to down Auburn. Darrin Horn turned on his patented Kamikaze defensive pressure to disrupt the Auburn tempo and all USC players provided offensive and defensive input to generate Carolina's first road win of the season in Auburn, Al 80-72.

After starting 7-0, the Tigers watched the Gamecocks reciprocate with a 7 point run to tie the game and USC's defense never allowed another serious run by Auburn. The constant disruptive defensive pressure by USC caused several Tiger turnovers. Steven Spinella found confidence in his perimeter shot and even attacked the interior, Sam Muldrow blocked or altered several shots, Austin Steed provided strong interior support with Johndre Jefferson. Brandis Raley-Ross hit key perimeter shots in the second half to take pressure off Devan Downey who led all scorers with 33, 17 in the final 10 minutes after Auburn tied the score and threatened to make a game of it.

Auburn received great performances from DeWayne Reed (19 pts. and 8 assts.) and Brendon Knox ( 22 pts. and 7 rebs. on 9-11 shooting).

The key to the game eventually was Downey's late scoring surge, and good free throw shooting down the stretch. Statistically this game was extremely close, with Auburn out rebounding the Cocks, but key plays such as 10 points and 5 offensive rebounds from Steed. Horn needed a team effort and he got what what he ordered including a career high 7 points from Spinella.

Auburn (9-7) will likely finish near last in the SEC but the road win will at least give life to the challenge to winning games on the road against non-contending opponents, while trying to continue the home court dominance under Horn in collecting wins against as many visiting teams regardless of their record and national stature. As always, a win is a win, especially in conference play.

Game Keys:

USC with 11 3-pointers versus 2 for Auburn, USC was 13-17 from the charity stripe with Auburn missing 10 free throws going 11-21 and USC scored 20 points off turnovers to 14 for the Tigers (with an 11-5 advantage in the second half).

Horn placing a long and mobile Muldrow on the top of the zone, at times, to extend the defense and push the Auburn perimeter game away from desired spots, allowing the defensive rotation time recover on swing and skip passing.

Why are these game keys? Because South Carolina was out rebounded 41-37, Auburn scored 52 points in the paint to 26 for USC, Auburn also led in second chance points 15-10 and fast break points 8-4. USC caused 18 turnovers, but allowed 16 turnovers of their own.

Do the math, the 11-2 3-point margin between the teams becomes the actual margin of victory. Don't want to forget the 2 long range shots made by Muldrow out of set plays on 2-3 shooting from the arch.

South Carolina Season's Success Questionable

2010-01-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Following a 20-10 inaugural season at USC, second year Head Coach, Darrin Horn is facing a challenging task to compete and win in the SEC this year. The SEC East has Kentucky 15-0, Tennessee 11-2, Florida 11-3, Vanderbilt 11-3, Georgia 8-5 and South Carolina 9-5. USC will have to play each of these teams twice this season. The good news, Coach Horn has only lost four games in Columbia. The SEC West has Ole Miss 12-2, Mississippi 12-3, Alabama 10-4, LSU 9-5, Auburn 9-6 and Arkansas 7-8. The Cocks play western division team once during the regular season. USC will play MSU, Bama and LSU at home. They will then travel to Auburn, Ole Miss and Arkansas, venues that have been tough for the Gamecocks in past years.

Throughout the summer, there has been great anticipation over the prospect of seeing a basketball team with highly promoted newcomers, four returning starters and a host of regulars returning. Devan Downey and Dominique Archie said no to professional careers and the promise of an improved season was on the horizon. After three impressive wins against Alabama A&M, Georgia Southern and LaSalle, along with a close encounter with South Florida to start 4-0, South Carolina faced an athletic Miami squad that was also coming off 4 impressive victories. In the early minutes it looked like these teams both coached by good young coaches would be in a race to the baskets, until Dominique Archie sustained a knee injury, following a steal and dunk play, that eventually ended his season. Without Archie and the first noticeable signs of former shooting guard, Zam Fredrick, the Gamecocks begain to struggle with offense resulting in the 85-70 loss to the Hurricances. The team returned home, only to require a superior game by Downey, with 34 points, to squeak past a pesky Jacksonville team 97-93. Then, to add insult to injury, Mike Holmes sustains an eye injury during the Thanksgiving holidays and is slated as indefinite as an active player. After this setback, an athletic but undersized Western Kentucky squad fell to the Cocks 74-56, but the game was much closer during the majority of the game. A trip to Clemson seemed to ignite Brandis Raley-Ross, but the more physical Tigers maintained home court with a 72-61 victory. Following a 10-day layoff the Gamecocks entertained a good Richmond Spider team that scrapped with the host team, but an impressive team effort wore the Spiders down in the second half and they cruised to a 76-58 win and a 7-2 record going into the holiday break. An in-state token visit to the small division II Wofford was met with a well coached, hungry but athletic team that was not intimidated, as the Terriers handed South Carolina a 68-61 upset that shocked everyone but Wofford. The Gamecocks punished Furman 81-57 two days later in a game that saw an undermanned Paladin squad make South Carolina look like a powerful SEC team with a deep bench. That myth was dispelled after Christmas when the Gamecocks travelled to Boston College only to be manhandled by the Eagles 85-76. Proir to that ballgame, Holmes is dismissed from the team for team rules violations and another key player is loss for the season. The Baylor Bears arrived in Columbia three days later and continued to bring the Gamecock hopefuls down to earth with another USC beat down 85-74. Kamakaze defense in the second half, along with strong offensive scoring by Downey allowed the latter two games to finish with respectable scores. Coach Horn finished the non-conference schedule with a bench clearing victory over Longwood 88-58, as his team prepares for the opening of SEC play Saturday at Auburn University. The Auburn game may just define if the 9-5 Gamecocks can win enough games in the conference to have a chance at post season play, in the NCAA's or even the NIT. The chance to win a minimum of the 11 games now needed to reach the magic number of 20 seems extremely dismal at this point. With 10-6 being very respectable last season, but short of the necessary totals to carry the team to the dance, the prospects of a losing season in the SEC could leave this team completely out of the post season picture after the SEC tournament. A 6-10 SEC record may be a morale victory for the season, but a disappointment to all who support the program.

HS Holiday Hoops Back In Midlands

2009-12-11T09:52:00.000-08:00

The 8th Annual Chick-fil-A Classic is back again and it's bringing new national names. Tournament Director, Gary Fulmer, is also the visionary behind this nationally recognized basketball spectacle is the Athletic Director of Richland Northeast High School, the host of the annual event.

This year promises to be a very star studded gala of basketball starting December 18-22, 2009. The event takes a day off on Sunday December 20th and resumes on Monday December 21st. Admission for the tournament is $7 for General Admission and $4 for children ages 11 and under. The majority of the proceeds go towards the financial support of the Greater Columbia Educational Advancement Foundation (GCEAF pronounced gee-cef). Since its formation in 2003, GCEAF has awarded $60,000 in educational scholarships to deserving students who live within the Greater Columbia area.

The Tournament will offer a field of 16 teams (7 teams from SC and 9 teams from other states). The teams from South Carolina are Richland Northeast, Lower Richland, Keenan, Dreher, Ridge View, Irmo, and Fairfield-Central. Out of state teams are: Rice High School (New York City NY), Christ School (Asheville NC), Westlake High School (Atlanta GA), Trinity Christian School (Fayetteville NC), Lexington Catholic High School (Lexington KY), Vance High School (Charlotte NC), Robert Taft High School (Cincinnati OH), Charlotte Christian School (Charlotte NC) and Norfolk Christian School (Norfolk VA). Look for some marquee names in college coaching to be in the gym as well.

Some of the featured players are;
James McAdoo - Junior (6’8 forward from Norfolk Christian School, Norfolk, VA- committed to North Carolina) *Consensus Top 5 Junior
Marquis Rankin - Junior (6’1 guard from Vance High, Charlotte, NC)
Marshall Plumlee – Junior (7’0 center from Christ School, Asheville, NC)
Anthony Gill - Junior (6’7 forward from Charlotte Christian School, Charlotte, NC- committed to South Carolina)
Damontre Harris - Senior (6’9 forward from Trinity Christian School, Fayetteville, NC- signed with South Carolina)
Eric Smith - Senior (6’0 point guard from Christ School, Asheville, NC-signed with South Carolina)
Marcus Thornton - Senior (6’8 forward from Westlake High School, Atlanta, GA- signed with Clemson)
Shane Southwell - Senior (6’7 forward from Rice High School, New York City, NY- signed with Kansas State)
Akil Mitchell - Senior (6’8 forward from Charlotte Christian School, Charlotte, NC- signed with Virgina)
Anthony Jacobs – Senior (6’8, 310 lb forward from Westlake High School, Atlanta, GA-committed to Central Florida)
Michael Green – Senior (6’8 forward from Ridge View High School, Columbia, SC- signed with Tennessee State)
Malcolm Rhett – Senior (6’6 forward from Lower Richland High School, Hopkins, SC- signed with Tennessee State)

For more on the Holiday Classic visit http://www.chick-fil-aclassic.com/

107th Meeting Of Clemson - USC A 34-17 Charm

2009-11-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

The 38th victory for USC against Clemson on Saturday was a charm for more reasons than one. With the victory margin 65-37-4 in favor of Clemson, any victory would seem sweet, but this game had a lot of emotions and season long trash talking among friends, neighbors and radio listening junkies. But this year has been the challenge of rather this is even a rivalry any more. If South Carolina is in the wrong conference or even capable of playing competitively in the ACC. Clemson was on a six game winning streak, South Carolina was on a four game losing streak. Dabo Swinney represented the new wave of young coaches having successful seasons and careers, while Steve Spurrier, once considered the Guru of offensive play calling and synonymous with winning and championships, was being questioned for his capability to produce a championship caliber team or at least get South Carolina past their arch rivals. Not to mention the Tigers went into this game ranked 18th, with the Cocks having fallen from the graces of national rankings. [watch game or highlights]

Well it turned out that the Ole Ball Coach, used his experience, enhanced with a two preparation period, and established a game plan and a relaxed but prepared team focus that allowed the Gamecocks to basically dominate the Tigers in all aspects of the game, following the second chance opening kick, that saw C.J. Spiller set a NCAA record for career kick-off touchdowns, with his 88 yard return for touchdown. After that play South Carolina went on to deliver its' own blows, more frequently and more powerful.

South Carolina overcame early penalties and miscues, to dominate the game. Some will say this was no domination, but Clemson is on its' way to the ACC Championship game, sporting an offense scoring over 30 points a ballgame in the last six weeks. But South Carolina held Spiller to 18 yards on 9 carries, Jacoby Ford to 49 yards on 5 catches. The Tigers could only generate 260 yards on the day, with 48 yards total on the ground. USC held the ball for over 36 minutes while Clemson was able to play with the ball for less than 24 minutes. While Tiger QB Kyle Parker managed 22-42 passing for 212 yards most of the yards were gained on a pass frequent, late offensive, drive for Swinney's ball club and often other drives were held to movement only in the middle of the field. Even though prepared for the Wildcat formation, or "Wild Roost" if you're looking for the South Carolina branding, Clemson could not stop the second possession offensive wrinkle when Stephon Gilmore led the Cocks on a run oriented "Wild Roost" scheme. The package, that all have been looking for all season, included a nice 39-yard down field post strike to freshman sensation, Alshon Jeffrey, which set up a Brian Maddox touchdown a couple plays later and the Gamecocks seemed extremely poised to control the remainder of the game which they did. Missing out on an opportunity late in the first half to place more points on the board, after a Clemson's forced bad punt of 14 yards was touched but not recovered by USC's Antonio Allen on the Clemson 29 yard line. Clemson retained possession but could not move the chains but dodged another score by the host team. USC won the first half 17-7 and the second half 17-10, to claim complete dominance of the rival game, and reestablish the in-state rivalry by giving Gamecock fans "Bragging Rites" (bragging rights) for one year.

Spurrier's play calling was great, Steven Garcia played well, but Kenny Miles was a star carrying the ball 17 times for 114 yards. Eric Norwood, who had a fumble recovery, provided tons of pressure, along with defensive stars Clifton Geathers and DeVonte Holloman. Many players stepped up to become a part of this most memorable game, now in its' 100th consecutive meeting. Guys like Tori Gurley and Weslye Saunders made significant contributions, along with the intangibles not seen in the stats from the offensive line. This team victory amassed 388 total yards (223 rushing/165 passing), 6-16 in third down conversions (1-1 on 4th) and only 4 penalties. [videos]

Horn's Plan, Replace By Committee, A Team Concept

2009-11-29T08:11:00.000-08:00

All week, Head Coach Darrin Horn told anyone asking that you don't just replace a player as valuable and versatile as Dominique Archie, who injured his right knee in the only USC (4-1) loss, in this early season last Sunday to Miami in the finals of the Charleston Classic. He required the team to respond by stepping up and each player contributing to the level of his best at this point in the season. The first sense of confidence in knowing your team and specifically knowing your players, became evident in the game against the Jacksonville Dolphins which found the 6'7" Archie, replaced by 6'2" Brandis Raley-Ross, who finished with 18, on 60% shooting. The starting lineup was a very good adjustment, the rotation and minutes distribution was just as tailored as the custom threads worn by the young basketball engineer. If you haven't noticed under the shadow of Steve Spurrier and the Gridiron Division, is the developing of a very competitive basketball program by Athletic Director Eric Hyman's visionary hire that is defying all who chose to question, criticize or complain. This writer falls in that category initially, but gained early appreciation for the autocratic Head Coach.

Horn made firm size, speed and teaching match ups that allowed him to place continuous and extended pressure on the feisty Dolphins of northern Florida. The Gamecocks received a very balanced performance throughout the ballgame allowing the young shooting freshman, Stephen Spinella, to acquire more competitive minutes to assist in his early development. This new minutes distribution allowed Sam Muldrow to assert himself with outside to inside movement; Raley-Ross exploited his inside and outside value in the same game, while Mike Holmes, Lakeem Jackson and Austin Steed pounded the glass, challenged shots, came up with loose balls and finished inside. Ramon Galloway filled his roll, solidly relieving Devan Downey, taking and making good shots, while protecting the ball. Galloway's utilization allowed Downey the late game energy to take over just inside the 6 minute mark and score 17 or his game high 34 points and establish the scoring space to hold off a well prepared and competitive unit coached by Cliff Warren. At times Downey appeared unstoppable and the basket must have appeared larger and larger with each possession to the 5'9" superstar.

Horn formed his replacement committee with eight players playing 11 minutes or more, and two others playing 7 minutes. The second half use of Galloway allowed Downey rest minutes on and off the court. This was a win through strategic coaching and player aggressiveness. These are the team victories coaches talk about.

Game Positives; four players in double figures scoring, 57.4% shooting percentage, 50% from 3-point range, 6 blocks, 9 steals and 21 defensive turnovers, to go with the 97-93 win.

Game Negatives; allowed 4 players to score in double figures, allowed 50% shooting, 53.8% from 3, allowed 11 offensive rebounds, including being out rebounded 30-35, committed 17 turnovers and only 5 total assists.

This is a hard working, scrappy, energetic and talented team, but there are some areas that cannot be replaced by committee. What was accomplished took 4 player contributions and a superstar finish. If this attitude and philosophy holds up, the return of Archie could reward volumes with players having realized their contribution capabilities against quality opponents. Next up Western Kentucky, the former employer of Horn's leadership services.

Loss Of Dominique Archie Is Costly

2009-11-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

The loss of Dominique Archie for the next few weeks, just as the last segments of the game against Miami on Sunday, has a real negative affect to the offensive chemistry for the Gamecocks. The multi-position swing Senior can play the 2, 3 or 4 position in any period of a game or during various transition possessions. His mere presence creates defensive match up challenges and his perimeter shooting will spread the floor and make it difficult for teams to pack the lane to prevent general and forced penetration. Something the Gamecocks need in their offensive scheme under the floor leadership of Devan Downey, who creates problems for all teams if he can get into the middle of the lane. Secondly, other than Downey, Archie is the only player on the roster that has consistently proven his capacity to create his shot off the dribble against set defenses. The loss of Archie was a clear cause for the success of the Miami game plan that was not affective until Archie went down after the first seven minutes of the Miami (5-0) loss 70-85, when the Gamecocks (4-1) were leading 9-2, building to 19-4 before the defensive scheme and superior post presence took over, following the Archie steal, dunk and injury removed Dominique for the remainder of the night.

With the Gamecocks already struggling to find a consistent perimeter shooter outside of Archie. The transition game is now missing a fast swing player who can finish strong and get into the fast break lanes as quickly as the average back-court player in the college basketball. This temporary loss will encourage all teams to utilize active and match up zones often to prevent the penetration and force USC to make long range shots they have not made so far this season. Archie is leading the team in 3-point shooting(46.2%), first in rebounding on both ends of the floor, second in field goal percentage (53.3%) second in free throw shooting (81.8%), second in scoring (14.4 ppg) and second in steals. I'm sure you get my drift; this young man is possibly the most valuable player on this team. Without Archie the team shoots 27% from the arch and 41.4% from the field, while drooping from another 3.5% points from the charity stripe. Not to mention the contribution on the glass.

Brandis Raley-Ross has shown signs of a capability to return to his shooting form of two seasons back before a knee injury derailed his strong shooting at the start of the season. He has been gradually working his way back to shooting form and confidence. Recruited as a scorer, Ramon Galloway converted on 4 3-pointers in the loss to Miami, but his consistency has not yet surfaced. Senior Evaldas Baniulis offers hope from his previous seasons when he was able to drop 3 pointers in key situations, but these opportunities were created by strong post play and Downey penetration leaving Baniulis to spot and drop long range shots. However, off the dribble, Baniulis cannot create shots, so Sam Muldrow will have to make some perimeter shots along with taking his post game to an enhanced level. Muldrow has been playing very well, but his play along with Austin Steed and Johndre Jefferson will have to improve immediately to continue to control the outcome of the non-conference schedule.

Great coaches of great teams have said that during the loss of key or great players a good team becomes great when players step up and contribute in the absence of the key player. South Carolina will have an opportunity to apply the theory as the undisclosed knee injury appears to have the South Carolina star sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, currently rated as indefinitely, which gives the Gamecocks, a projected 3-4 games (Jacksonville, Western Kentucky, Clemson and Richmond) to find the key contributors without an Archie in the ballgame.

Gamecock head basketball coach Darrin Horn was quoted as saying that.....
"Dominique Archie is one of the hardest working players I've coached and I'm confident he will work just as hard in his rehabilitation with this injury as he does on the court," Horn said. "As a family, this is a time when we will pull together and continue to work toward our goals in his absence." Somehow you have to believe Horn can motivate a couple of his athletes to step forward and fill a portion of the void, while Downey raises his level of play as expected.

Some Clemson-USC Games Will Never Be Forgotten

2009-11-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

A rivalry built on politics, geographics, curriculum, pre-game traditions, family feuds, brawls, mascots and school colors has been tabbed in a recent book as the most underrated rivalry in the nation. While Clemson commands a 65-37-4 record against the University of South Carolina, the rivalry continues to generate trash talking, season and life-long hatreds and simply office and bar room debates that consume the respective fan bases. Clemson's victory edge often gives their fans the most opportunity for strong trash talking, there have been moments when the Gamecocks of South Carolina have had the upper hand just enough to keep the fire in this rivalry alive. Some of the more memorable moments are captured from the Clemson-USC archives. Do you see any that you will never forget?

1961: The Prank

In 1961, the USC fraternity Sigma Nu pulled what some have called the greatest prank in the rivalry's history. A few minutes before Clemson football players entered the field for pre-game warm ups, a group of Sigma Nu fraternity members ran onto the field, jumping up and down and cheering in football uniforms that resembled the ones worn by the Tigers. This caused the Clemson band to start playing "Tiger Rag," which was followed by the pranksters falling down as they attempted to do calisthenics. They would also do football drills where guys would drop passes and miss the ball when trying to kick it... Clemson fans quickly realized that they had been tricked, and some of them angrily ran onto the field. However, security restored order before any blows could be exchanged. Carolina won the game 21-14, although Clemson was on the Gamecock one-yard-line when time expired.

1975: Most Points Scored by Carolina

On November 22, 1975, Carolina defeated Clemson 56-20 to set a Gamecock record for most points scored in a football game against the Tigers.

1977: "The Catch"

On November 19, 1977, Clemson WR Jerry Butler made a diving, backwards, 20-yard touchdown reception on a pass from QB Steve Fuller with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give Clemson the 31-27 victory in Columbia. This play is known as "The Catch" and is one of the most memorable plays in the rivalry[56].

1980: Orange Pants

In the last regular season game for the 1980 season, a heavily favored Carolina team traveled to Death Valley to take on the Tigers. In a surprise to both the players and the fans, Coach Danny Ford unveiled new orange uniform pants for the Tigers to wear. This was the first time in Clemson's history that they wore orange pants in any combination for a football game. Inspired by the pants, the underdog Tigers defeated the Gamecocks, 27-6.

1981: Clemson wins a National Championship

In 1981, Clemson defeated Carolina 29-13 en route to the National Championship.

1987: Highest Ranked Match-Up

On November 21, 1987, with the highest combined rankings of the two football programs entering the game (the Gamecocks were No. 12 and the Tigers were No. 8), Carolina beat Clemson 20-7 on national television (ESPN).

2000: "The Catch II"/"The Push-Off"

In 2000, Trailing late in the game 14-13, Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler connected with wide-receiver Rod Gardner for a 50-yard reception to South Carolina's 8-yard line with 10 seconds remaining. Carolina fans point to a replay that seems to show Gardner pushing off the Gamecock defender, but Clemson fans contend that the contact was mutual and incidental. No penalty flag was thrown on the play, leaving Clemson kicker Aaron Hunt to kick a 25-yard field goal that gave Clemson a 16-14 win. Clemson fans remember this game as "The Catch II" while Carolina fans call it "The Push-Off Game".

2003: Most Points Scored by Clemson

In 2003, Clemson defeated Carolina 63-17, and Clemson's 63 points are the most scored by either team in the series. Interestingly, South Carolina was a slight favorite according to odds-makers.

2004: The Brawl

The South Carolina-Clemson brawl during the 2004 football game is the most recent eruption of hostilities in this rivalry. It is also the last time Lou Holtz coached, having retired shortly thereafter. Clemson won the game 29-7. Each team had won a total of six games that year and were technically bowl eligible. However, both schools elected to forfeit their postseason because of the shameful nature of the fight.

2005: A Quarterback Wins 4

In 2005 the two teams showed an unusual gesture of sportsmanship by meeting at midfield before the game to shake hands, putting the mêlée of 2004 behind them. Clemson won this game 13-9, marking quarterback Charlie Whitehurst's 4th win versus the Gamecocks, which is the first time a starting quarterback from either team notched four wins against the other team.

2006: Wide Left Stops Streak

Clemson ranked 24th going into the game watched a 14-point lead dwindle away as the Gamecocks rallied for a come-from-behind victory over their arch rival on two touchdowns by Mike Davis and a Ryan Succop 35-yard field goal. The game was finally decided on a missed 39-yard field goal try by Jad Dean that sailed wide left to end the game 31-28 USC. Snapping the four-game win streak against the Tigers. The Gamecocks had been 0-5 against ranked opponents that year.

2007: Last-Second Victory

On November 24, 2007, Clemson kicker Mark Buchholz hit a 35-yard field goal as time expired to give No. 21 Clemson a memorable 23-21 victory over South Carolina and leave Gamecock's coach Steve Spurrier with the longest losing streak of his college career. The defeat completed a late season collapse for the University of South Carolina, who lost their last five games and fell from No. 6 in the national polls to finish at 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference. The win lifted Clemson coach Tommy Bowden to 7-2 all-time against the Gamecocks and 2-1 all-time against Spurrier, and prevented the Gamecocks from receiving a post-season bowl invitation. The 2007 game is notable as the first in the series with the winning points scored on the game's final play.

This year's season, full of ups and downs for both squads, finds Clemson on the brink of its' highest "up", while South Carolina finds itself at one of it's all too common last season low. One established "Ole Ball" Coach and another Young Head Coach trying to establish himself. Both teams have had great wins and unacceptable losses in this season, but unfortunately for this game, regardless of highs and lows, a loss will be a low for either squad, offering state bragging rights for the winner. For Clemson it would end the dominance for now if USC wins. For South Carolina it could end the season if Clemson wins, after being bowl eligible five weeks ago. Either way, this year's game offers another opportunity to establish a game or moments that will not easily be forgotten, this rivalry seems to create that special moment more often than not.

USC-Clemson Ticket Give-A-Way At Ale House In The Vista

2009-11-22T09:23:00.000-08:00

Come Join ESPN Radio "The Zone" at Columbia Ale House in the Vista on Monday November 23, 2009 from 3:00PM-6:00PM and register to win various prizes to include a pair of USC-Clemson Football tickets. The prizes and tickets will be given away on Monday, so don't miss out on the fun, the bragging, the on air challenges, great food and drinks at the Ale House. Come join Jimmy Dorsey, Matt Younginer, Wes Mitchell and Duane Everett this Monday. There will be a special presentation at halftime of the Monday Night Football Game. Don't miss the fun!!

Visiting USC and Clemson fans will have the opportunity to broadcast live with the Show Hosts and to talk about their favorite team and some of their favorite memories about this annual football event. Former players and alumni will be on hand to give their game predictions as well. This will be a Monday in the Vista you won't want to miss.

Remember Clemson is heading to the ACC Championship game and a BCS bowl, while South Carolina is trying to end the season on a strong note and get to a major bowl and stop a recent three week slide.

Tigers say they will continue the domination, the Gamecocks say this is the year that the streak stops. What do you say? Come by and let all the listeners and on-location viewers know what you think.

The Ale House is located at 708 Lady Street, Downtown Columbia, in the Vista.

USC Overcomes The Bully In South Florida To Win 69-66

2009-11-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

The Bulls of South Florida appeared to bully and outplay the USC Gamecocks in every category, but found themselves at the short end of a very physical and competitive game, that was everything but pretty. The visual is a follows, the Gamecocks shot the ball poorly in the first half going 11-32 (34.4%) from the field with 0-8 3-point shooting. The Cocks only faired a tad better in the second half shooting 12-30 (40.0%) and 2-9 from long range. South Florida (3-1) on the other hand appeared ready to bully the home squad taking a halftime lead of 29-35 on 13-25 shooting (52%) and 2-9 from long range. The poor shooting hindered recording significant assists, as the Cocks only tallied 3 for the entire game. USF Forward, Augustus Gilchrist provided much of the challenge in the paint for Gamecocks in the first half scoring inside and from the charity stripe to eventually lead all scorers with 19 points for the game.

But the second half was more of the same, but the bully became the victim as USC (4-0) matched physicality on the strength of intense defense that totaled 17 turnovers denying USF scoring opportunities, along with 4 critical blocks by Sam Muldrow who totaled 6 for the game, 19 offensive rebounds to offset poor shooting with second chance baskets which created 22 second chance points, hot shooting from the free throw line down the stretch hitting 11 of their last 14, (21-30 or 70% overall). Devan Downey scored 10 in the first half to help keep the margin close and finished with 17, Dominique Archie added 15 for the game, with perfect shooting (4-4) from the FT line.

The tale of two halves with USC finding themselves down by as many as 10 points early in the first half due to great shooting by USF, converted a great defensive effort in the second half to allow only 34.8% accuracy on 8-23 shooting. Points off turnovers in the first half went to the Bulls 9-4, but in the second half the Cocks took command of the turnover game scoring 9 points and allowing no points on turnovers and finishing the game with only 10 turnovers while causing 17 for their bullish opponents. With bench scoring, 4-6 in favor of USF, second chance points 10-10 and points in the paint, 20-16 favoring USC, all fairly close in the first half, USC turned it around in the decisive half with advantages in all categories; 18-4 points in the paint, 12-3 second chance points and 12-3 bench scoring. The second half was again a product of good coaching adjustments by Head Coach Darrin Horn and staff, using its depth to maintain constant defensive pressure and denying easy shots by the Bulls. With balanced minutes distributions for nine USC players, with only Archie and Downey exceeding 30 minutes, the Gamecocks were allowed to control the final half against a hard and physical game that saw the Bulls limited to a 7 player rotation primarily to post the 69-66 victory. [final stats]

Although an ugly shooting night and not a pretty general stat line. The Cocks and Coach Horn can be extremely pleased with a poised finish of a game full of adversities, challenges and struggles, resulting in a win categorized as a grinding solid team effort. Every USC player made a significant contribution in the victory.

Next Charleston Classic challenge Miami (4-0), a 67-60 winner over UNC-Wilmington. This will be a battle of two very well coached teams with up tempo styles and young aggressive philosophies. The Hurricanes are coached by Frank Haith.

La Salle Too Tall, But USC Was Too Deep In 78-68 Win

2009-11-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

With a starting lineup with no player smaller than 6'5" and all others 6'6", 6'7" 6'8" and 6'10", La Salle University seemed geared to create problems for the slightly smaller USC Gamecocks. Along the way, someone forgot to tell Head Coach Darrin Horn that size matters. Early in the contest, it appeared that the size was a problem for the Gamecocks, playing in the late game of the Charleston Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston. Scoring only 11 points in the first 10 minutes and trailing by eight points at 11-19, the Cocks were challenged in the paint by 6'10" Aaric Murray who recorded 4 first half blocked shots. Offensive rebounding and good shot selection allowed the Explorers, Coached by Dr. John Gianini, to maintain a 22-30 advantage at the 5:00 mark of the first half. It was at this point that Coach Horn's bench rotations, pressure defense and inspired glass aggression by the USC post ignited a 16-6 run and a 2 point half time lead, at 38-36. The Gamecocks would never trail again. Coach Horn's halftime speech charged a 20-5 run to start the second half and a 17 point lead that would not get any closer than 12 until the final token jump shot by T.T. Carey with 26 seconds to go, once Horn had cleared the bench at the 1:57 mark.

What changed for the smaller USC squad or the taller La Salle unit? Depth, good substitution match-ups, energy and aggressive defense by South Carolina. Not to mention that the early blocked shots by Murray did little to intimidate the USC post and swing players who constantly attacked the glass. With USC shooting only 4-14 (28.6%) from long range, it was clear that this game would be won in the paint and Horn made sure that a good practice week for Austin Steed and an ever improving outing by Johndre Jefferson helped Mike Holmes, who scored most of his 15 points in powerful moves around the basket, and Dominique Archie who led USC with 17 points, dominate 60% of the basketball game. Steed's first half effort helped stabilized the post advantage for the Gamecocks, while Brandis Raley-Ross, 16 points on the night, was the only Gamecock who could consistently find the range from downtown going 4-6 from 3-point range, hitting the only 3-pointers for the Cocks all night. Even with nearly 52% shooting in the first half the La Salle team playing as the visitors could not hold off the powerful run and eventual control of the game by the Gamecocks. The effective play of the nine primary rotation players produced difficulty for the Explorers to find good shot opportunities consistently and the result 44.4% shooting in the second half, with USC shooting 56.7% over the same period with many baskets coming on transition points created by turnovers and aggressive transition.

Rodney Green led La Salle with 23 points, while fan favorite Devan Downey rounded out the USC double digit scoring with 10 points. The 78-68 victory was the third straight double digit win for the Gamecocks (3-0) in a many outings.

Tonight the Gamecocks will now play the Bulls of South Florida, who edges out Davidson earlier in the evening 68-65.