Our Fan of the Week...

Johannes Schneider, the founder of the Winthrop student's fan club, is such a great fan of the university that he asked Big Stuff (the Eagle's mascot) to walk him down the aisle of his wedding.  Only Schneider, his bride, and the parents of the two knew about the special guest for the wedding.  Even Big Stuff, who has only revealed his last name (Waters) was surprised by the request, but eventually agreed to the super-fan's idea.

Schneider is such a big fan of the university that he attended every game last season with his torso fully painted, while only wearing the team's flag for pants.  The Snider Sports Network salutes Schneider for his dedication to Winthrop University, as our Fan of the Week!

Arizona State Unveils New Uniforms

Normally a new uniform unveiling would only be big news for the school that is involved.  This time though, these uniforms are so awesome that the world needs to check them out.  Arizona State University, along with Nike, showed off the new uni's yesterday to very high praises.  The Sun Devils have ditched Sparky from the uniforms, and have replaced him with the new pitch fork logo seen here:

More pictures of the uniforms can be seen here...

NCAA Spring Football Links...

Here is an early look at some rankings for the 2011-12 College Football season, courtesy of CBS Sports...

Terrelle Pryor may be considering the NFL Supplemental Draft instead of taking part in what looks to be a dysfunctional season for the Buckeyes...

Purdue kicker, Carson Wiggs connected on a 67-yard field goal in the Boilermaker's spring game...

Florida State fans have taken their rivalry to all new heights with the Florida Gators...Literally...

And finally, Andrew Luck appears to have left off right where he ended last season...

New Florida Coach Will Muschamp Has Interesting Practice Strategy

Traditionally, most college football teams keep their practices in the spring limited to fundamentals, the weight room, and basic formations and plays.  New Florida coach Will Muschamp apparently thinks the game of football is an overrated way of preparing his team to...well, play football.  Instead of the usual football pads, the Gators took to face masks and paintball guns, as Florida took a "team-building trip" to a local paintball site.  I don't know if the paintball method will work for the first year head coach and his Gators, but if Florida can rebound after last years mediocre season (in the eyes of Gator-nation), then maybe this new Spring festivity will travel to other schools around the country.

Nashville Predators Shoot a Higher Percentage than Butler...

By now, the entire world knows of the hideous shooting performance of the Butler Bulldogs in Monday's championship loss to the UConn Huskies.  Layups, mid-range jumpers, and three pointers bounced off the rim all night in Houston, which in part may have been due to UConn's stifling defense, as well as the cavernous building, or pressure of the big game.  Butler finished the night with a season-low 41 points, while shooting only 18% from the field.

As jockpost.com pointed out in a recent column, the Nashville Predators...YES, a hockey team!...outshot Butler on Tuesday night, by going 6-24 from "the ice," or in other words, a 25% shooting percentage.  I hate to bash Butler after what they've accomplished over the last 2 years, but really?...How can you let a hockey team shoot a better percentage than you?

The Way Too Early NCAA Basketball 2011-12 Top 10

Rankings are always an objective, far from perfect science...but they are oh so fun to look at and debate.  After yesterday's National Title game, here are very early rankings for the 2011-2012 basketball season.  It should be noted however that these rankings are subject to change, and depend heavily on player's decisions either to stay in school, or to go to the NBA.

Jared Sullinger and the Buckeyes are the early favorite
for the 2011-12 season. -Yahoo Images

1. Ohio State - Jared Sullinger has already announced that he will remain a Buckeye, so this early pick should be a safe one.  Any team anchored by Sullinger is one that should contend for a title.  Despite the loss of David Lighty and Jon Diebler, Ohio State has a promising young class of recruits that should push the Buckeyes to elite status once again in 2011-12.

2. North Carolina - If the Tar Heels can keep the likes of Harrison Barnes and John Henson for another year, this young team will be one to watch.  The Tar Heels have both the inside game, and strong perimeter threats that will make them a dangerous team.

3. Kentucky - In the usual coach Calipari fashion, the 2010 edition of the Wildcats was laden with talented freshman.  If he can keep a good portion of this team intact, and away from the riches of the NBA, Kentucky should be a contender in 2011-12.  Add the star freshman that will be heading to Lexington in the fall, with the current talent and experience of an Final Four run, and Kentucky will be a favorite in the coming year.

4. Duke - Not to be a broken record, but if Duke can keep Kyrie Irving away from the NBA, Duke will once again be great next year.  Add to an already stacked roster, Celtics coach Doc River's son Austin River's, and Duke will be a formidable foe in 2011-12.

5. Syracuse - This year ended much earlier than the Orange had planned, but don't forget about Syracuse next year.  An experienced group in Sccop Jardine, Brandon Triche, and Kris Joseph should lead Syracuse to a high finish in the Big East, and potentially a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

6. Kansas

7. UConn

8. Florida

9. Arizona (If they keep Derrick Williams)

10. Louisville

UConn Dominates Second Half En Route to Championship Win

The UConn Huskies dominated the second half of Monday night's Championship game, after trailing for much of the first half, and won Jim Calhoun's third National Title 53-41.  The Husky defense turned in one of the best defensive performances of recent basketball history as they held Butler to only 18 percent shooting for the entire game.  You can read all about Monday's game on mainstream news sources, but in honor of the end of the 2010-11 season, here is the Snider Sports Network's All-Tournament Team:

Tournament MVP: Kemba Walker, UConn
This award goes without saying as Kemba led the Big East's 9th place team to a truly historic late-season run.  After capping off a 5 win in 5 day feat at the Big East Tournament, many believed the Huskies would be too worn out for a deep tournament.  UConn not only had a deep run in them, but they had what it took to win the National Championship, the 3rd for coach Jim Calhoun.  Another tremendous accomplishment that UConn receives little credit for is the fact that they played in 3 tournaments this year and came home with the title all 3 times; first in Maui, then at Madison Square Garden, and finally in Houston at the National Championship.

First Team
G: Joey Rodirguez, VCU
G: Shelvin Mack, Butler
F: Marcus Morris, Kansas
F: Derrick Williams, Arizona
C: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State


Second Team
G: Brandon Knight, Kentucky
G: Jimmer Fredette, BYU
F: Jeremy Lamb, UConn
F: Terrence Jones, Kentucky
C: Alex Oriakhi, UConn

Butler Mascot Flies First Class to the Final Four

Blue 2, the mascot for Butler University, was finally allowed to travel with his team when the Bulldogs flew to Houston for the Final Four.  He not only had his own seat on the team's chartered flight, but he also got to meet the pilots, and pose with the ground crew in Indianapolis.  Check out these great pictures courtesy of TMZ Sports.

First Boise State, then Eastern Washington...Now Central Arkansas?

First it was Boise State who installed their infamous blue field in 1986.  Then, Eastern Washington followed last year when they installed their eye-sore of a red field.  Yesterday, which just so happens to be April Fools Day, Central Arkansas announced plans to install a grey and purple field for the upcoming season.  This may start a whole new trend of college football playing surfaces, or it may be the best April Fools gag of all time...well at least since last April, when LSU announced the addition of a purple field to Tiger Stadium, which turned out just to be a great hoax.

In honor of another colored field, I think this would be a great time for me to introduce my marketing plan for the WAC.  You already have an absurd name, so why not embrace your "wacky" roots, and market your conference with colored football fields? Boise State started the trend, so carry it on and allow teams like San Jose State to have a yellow field.  Or have Fresno State install a red turf, or even be bold and allow Idaho to purchase black turf for the Kibbie Dome.  With plenty of colors to go around, every team can have a unique field, and get their names out there to the rest of the country.

The Improbable Final Four...2 People Predicted it

You don't need me to tell you how crazy and unexpected this tournament has been.  The last two weeks have been filled with buzzer beaters, upsets, and busted brackets left and right.  My bracket was torn to shreds by the likes of VCU, Butler, Kentucky, Florida State, and many many others.

Despite all of the unprecedented results from this years tournament, 2 miraculous brackets have emerged on ESPN's Tournament Challenge (out of 5.9 million) that picked the correct Final Four of Kentucky, UConn,  Butler and VCU....Put into a percentage, that is only .00034% of the 5.9 million, that managed to get the correct combination of Final Four teams.  I don't know if it was pure luck, world-class basketball knowledge, or even psychic abilities, but what those two people accomplished was pretty amazing.  Especially due to all of the anti-VCU sentiment that came out of ESPN in light of the at-large birth that the Rams received on "Selection Sunday."

If the Final Four is anything like the rest of the tournament, Saturday should be a tremendous day for college sports, and especially for mid-majors.

What if Alex Trebek Was a College Football Announcer?

Thanks to great work from "The Solid Verbal," now we are all able to enjoy the famed Jeopardy host calling one of the great games from the 2010-2011 season.  

A Look Back at the First Weekend of the NCAA Tournament

Here's a recap of the major stories and news from the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

The Big East....or, the Big Least?

I'm wouldn't say the Big East is not a good conference after the first weekend of the tournament, but I do think they have vastly underperformed so far.  Yes, two games this weekend were between Big East teams (Marquette vs. Syracuse, and UCONN vs. Cincinnati), but the rest of the Big East was shown up by mediocre competition.  Exhibit A was the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, as they were dominated by Florida State.  Notre Dame only managed to shoot 35% from the field, and only 23% from behind the three-point line, while giving up 71 points to a Seminole team that isn't exactly known for their scoring.  Exhibit B was Georgetown due to the romping they received, courtesy of Virginia Commonwealth.  The Hoyas looked as though they had no business being on the same court as the Rams, who many thought didn't even deserve a spot in the field.  Georgetown only shot 38% from the field, and only allowed VCU to shoot 40%; however, the Rams still won the game by an 18 point margin.  Exhibit C was the Wildcats of Villanova after their choke-fest to end the game against George Mason.  Villanova led throughout the game and looked for most of the night like the better team...that is, until George Mason woke up and stunned Villanova in the final minutes.  Exhibit D goes to the Pittsburgh Panthers and their loss against the Butler Bulldogs.  I won't criticize Pitt too much other than the fact that they are perennial under achievers.  Butler played a great game, as despite the mayhem at the end, did deserve the victory. And finally, Exhibit E was, you guessed it, the Louisville Cardinals as they lost at the buzzer to Morehead State.  I think this one is self-explanatory as Morehead State proceeded to get killed by Richmond in the second round.  The Spiders were able to dominate in all aspects of the game against Morehead, whereas Louisville only could manage to keep the game close.


Surprises over the weekend...


1. Morehead State defeating Louisville at the buzzer
2. VCU's domination of Georgetown
3. Butler defeating Pittsburgh
4. Gonzaga's domination of St John's
5. Richmond in the Sweet 16



First weekend all tournament team...


G: David Lighty (Ohio State)
G: Jimmer Fredette (BYU)
Honorable mention Guards: Shelvin Mack (Butler), Kemba Walker (UConn), Joey Rodriguez (VCU)
F: Markieff Morris (Kansas)
F: Derrick Williams (Arizona)
C: Tyler Zeller (UNC)

Robles Wins National Championship

Anthony Robles, the senior wrestler from Arizona State who was born with only a left leg, was crowned National Champion Saturday night against Iowa's Matt McDonough.  The 125-pound match was essentially over in the first period, as Robles got out to fast start, while eventually winning 7-1.  The win capped off Robles' perfect season of 36-0, and showed the nation that anything is possible.  Robles stated in his post-match interview that the toughest thing about the win was just overcoming the pre-match jitters.

"I had a lot of butterflies going out there.,” said Robles, who admitted he’s most likely done as a competitive wrestler but wants to remain involved in one facet or another. “This year I think that was the biggest difference in my wrestling, was my mental game. Going into every match I was real relaxed, real calm. But before that, before this match, it was nothing but butterflies. I felt like I was going throw up, I was so scared I almost started crying.

“But it’s just the atmosphere. It’s the true athletes that are able to just overcome that."

NCAA Tourney Costs Employers...

If you notice a slight decline in attendance at the office over the next few weeks, the NCAA Tournament is probably to blame.  According to Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc. the tourney costs American companies countless hours and dollars in worker productivity.

Thanks to online viewing of the dance, workers can now stream games live at their desk, hidden behind the array a spreadsheets and emails.  Challenger estimates that viewers will likely spend 8.4 million hours watching games online, and end up costing their companies around $192 of lost productivity.

Now I don't think workers slacking off is the best idea, but come on, the NCAA Tournament should be a national holiday.  Even this guy took some time off the job last year to fill out his bracket with ESPN's Andy Katz.

Final Four Predictions

EAST: Ohio State


It's hard not to pick the #1 team in the country, and a team that cruised to a Big-Ten Tournament title over the weekend.  The Buckeyes are one of the deepest teams in the field and have the ability to dominate the paint with Sullinger and Lauderdale. What makes them the team to beat is that they can also step out and shoot the three at will.  Diebler leads the team in  3-point shooting, and David Lighty's senior experience should carry the Buckeyes to the Final Four.  The only issue I see for Ohio State is the difficulty of their bracket.  Teams like Syracuse, North Carolina, and Kentucky all have the talent and the potential to send Ohio State packing early.



WEST: Duke...maybe?


The West was arguably the hardest region to pick in this years tourney. Duke is definitely the favorite in this region, but Texas, San Diego State, UCONN, and even Arizona all have strong chances to come out of the West.  The key for Duke will be their 3-point shooting, and staying out of foul trouble.  When Duke knocks down their three's, they are almost unbeatable, but when they struggle from behind the arc they tend to lose games. (eg. Against North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and St John's)


SOUTHWEST: Kansas


Kansas, like Ohio State, looks to be one of the teams to beat.  After a disappointing early departure from last years tournament at the hands of Northern Iowa, Kansas looks to rebound. Their solid inside play with the Morris twins, and the great guard play of Brady Morningstar, Josh Selby and Tyshawn Taylor should be too much for anyone in their region.  They may face roadblocks however, in a dangerous Louisville team, and potentially against Notre Dame in the Elite-8.  I think the Irish have the best chance to beat the Jayhawks, but I am still confident that Kansas will make a run to the Final Four.


SOUTHEAST: Umm...Pitt....no, Florida...no, St. Johns...?


When I said the West was arguably the hardest region to pick, I meant it was pretty hard.  This bracket on the other hand was just brutal.  There are potentially 7 teams that can come out of this region and move on to the Final Four.  I'm going to go with the Red Storm of St John's, based on their great play against ranked teams this year.  Their inexperience scares me a little bit, but I don't like Pittsburgh after their early Big East Tourney departure, and Florida is a very overrated 2-seed.  St John's was 6-5 against Top-25 teams this year, and are 11-1 in their last 12 games.  Steve Lavin has done a tremendous job in his first year at St John's, so look for the Red Storm to move on to Houston....That is, unless Gonzaga beats them in the first round...

Pre-Tournament Primer

First off, the NCAA selection committee created some great match-ups as usual, but at the same time teams like Virginia Tech, Colorado, Alabama, and St Mary's got robbed.  Virginia Tech was fresh off a semi-finals appearance in the ACC tournament, and defeated Duke only two weeks ago.  Colorado defeated Texas, and Kansas State 3 different times, both of whom are in the field of 68.  VCU and UAB, the letter teams, do not deserve bids in the tourney, especially due to their weak out of conference schedule, and record against top-50 teams.

First round games to watch:

(8)Michigan v. (9)Tennessee- This match-up features 2 middle of the road NCAA teams, but should provide a great and entertaining first round game. The Wolverines have no seniors on the roster, and their youth may be a hindrance, although they have found a go-to-guy late in the season in Tim Hardaway Jr.   Tennessee has responded nicely to a rough early start, and the 8 game suspension of Coach Bruce Pearl.  Both these teams average in the high 60's or higher in scoring, and like to attack the basket.  This is a very hard game to pick, but Tennessee probably has the experience to prevail.

(7)UCLA v. (10)Michigan State- Michigan State and UCLA had only mediocre seasons by their standards, but both teams should fare well in the tourney, as long as they can win this first-round game.  UCLA has won 9 of their last 12, and has great wins during the season in BYU, and their trouncing of Arizona at home.  The Spartans have struggled at times, but when March comes around they seem to always shine.  Bad years, by Michigan St. standards, tend to turn around as soon as the tournament begins. The team that wins this game should match up well with an overrated Florida team, so don't be surprised if the Bruins or Spartans find themselves in the "Sweet-16."

Other games of note:
(5)Kansas State v. (12)Utah State
(7)Texas A&M v. (10)Florida State
(6)Georgetown v. (11)USC or VCU (Should be USC)
(5)Vanderbilt v. (12)Richmond (*Upset potential!)

Look for the Snider Sports Network's Final Four predictions that will come out later in the week.

More NCAA Football Arrests

With the Sports Illustrated report regarding arrests in college football only around a week old, there are now more to add to the list.  Auburn kicked four players off their team today after recently being charged with robbery, burglary, and theft.  Here is a link to the story.

In similar fashion, 2 Michigan State players were arrested after a recent altercation at an Aspen, Colorado bar.  Neither Auburn nor Michigan State were on the Top-25 list published by the Sports Illustrated report, but theses recent events may send them into the rankings.

What is disappointing about this story is how Sports Illustrated reported it.  Any previous run-in with authorities was reported in their findings, with no mention of the severity of the offense.  Boise State, for instance, was number 4 on the list, but after Boise news sources dug into the players' records, it was determined that almost every player only had a traffic violation on their record, or a "minor in possession of alcohol."

Whereas at other schools, including Oregon and Auburn, a good deal of the arrests were for major offenses such as burglaries.

Virginia Blows 10-Point Lead...With 30 Seconds Left

In order to blow a ten point lead, you really don't have to work too hard.  All the other team really has to do is go on a quick run and hit a few baskets.  In order to blow a ten point lead with 38 seconds left, it takes some serious skill.  Virginia had three chances, yes 3 chances, to inbound the ball, get fouled, and make a few foul shots.  Well, they blew them all and Miami capitalized, and eventually won the game in OT.  Here is a clip of the mayhem:

Rutgers SCREWED By Big East Officials

Justin Brownlee runs towards the sidelines as time expires
(NY Times)

I have seen some terrible calls over the years watching sports, but nothing compares to what happened Wednesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in the Big East Tournament.  With 4.9 seconds on the clock Rutgers was inbounding the ball with a chance to either tie, or win the game with a 3.  The Rutgers player heaved the ball across half court and after what looked like a St. Johns foul, a St. Johns player ended up with the ball.  Thats when the situation got out of control.

Justin Brownlee ended up with the tipped ball and ran towards the sidelines as the clock slowly ticked away.  With about a second and a half on the clock, Brownlee stepped out of bounds near the scorer's table, along with taking four steps without dribbling the ball.  He then finished it all off by chucking the ball out of bounds with time still remaining on the clock.

What you would assume is that the referees would confer and put time back on the clock because of the travel, or the fact that Brownlee stepped on the sideline.  However, the refs raced up the tunnel and towards the locker room before any review was initiated, or even talked about.  St. Johns won the game by a margin of 65-63, when clearly, and I mean CLEARLY, the game should have continued.

Luckily, the head of NCAA officiating, John Adams made a statement following the game stating that the call was "unacceptable," and there was "definitely a mistake made."  The loss will be hard to swallow for Rutgers though, since they at least should have had another shot to send the game to OT, or to win outright.  Its a shame that a team, especially one without tournament hopes, should have to end their season in that manner.

Here is a clip of the atrocity:

If National Geographic Televised College Football

Some people have way too much time on their hands...Here is what last years Wisconsin at Iowa game may have been like if National Geographic televised it: