Category: College Basketball (Page 80 of 153)

      Top 10 College Sports Towns

      February 13, 2009 /

      Forbes.com ranked the top 10 best college football towns in America.

      Michigan Stadium1. Ann Arbor, Mich.
      University of Michigan
      At a time when most quality of life news out of Michigan is focused on Detroit’s woes, there are a lot of things to like about Ann Arbor–even if the hometown Wolverines missed a bowl this season. A four-bedroom home runs just $303,750, while median salaries are $51,232, making this the 14th most affordable market on our list. Schools ranked eighth overall, and Ann Arbor has the fourth lowest crime rate of any college on our list.

      2. Palo Alto, Calif.
      Stanford University
      Those who follow the Director’s Cup know Stanford always seems to finish at the top of the table, and last year was no exception. A family-size home costs big bucks, however–a cool $1.67 million, to be exact. Though with venture capital and technology firms around Stanford bringing in big money, the median earner in Palo Alto makes $119,046, the most of any college town on our list. Schools ranked first, and the crime rate was the second lowest. If it weren’t for the 42nd ranking in housing affordability, living on the Farm would have ranked first overall.

      3. Madison, Wis.
      University of Wisconsin
      Both the state capital and a legendary party city, Madison is one of the Midwest’s best college towns. While on the courts and playing fields, the Badgers mustered an 18th ranking in the Director’s Cup, Madison performed stronger in our quality of life rankings: seventh in affordability ($264,950 for a four-bedroom home; $50,852 median income) and 13th in our score of crime rate and education quality.

      4. State College, Pa.
      Penn State University
      While most people aren’t sure what exactly Penn State’s mascot, a Nittany Lion, is, the teams bearing that logo finished ninth in last year’s Director’s Cup. Home prices for a four-bedroom house are $307,500. Public schools rank second of the college towns measured (even though this is technically a borough), and State College had the lowest violent crime rate of college towns measured, according to FBI data.

      5. Lexington, Ky.
      University of Kentucky
      If you like basketball and horse racing, there’s no better place in the world to live than Lexington, Ky. Besides the university’s hoops team and the tracks around the city, there is quality affordable housing to be found. A four-bedroom, 2,200-square-foot home costs just $234,500, while median earners make $45,622 a year.

      I know Ohio State fans won’t like seeing Ann Arbor listed at number one, but let me say from personal experience that the atmosphere surrounding Michigan Stadium is unique. (Not to say the other college towns mentioned on this list aren’t, but there’s just a nostalgic feeling about Ann Arbor.)

      I’m sure every town listed has something special about it. I always think about that one MasterCard commercial where the two friends travel to all of the MLB parks over the summer and how cool it would be to hit up a ton of sports towns throughout the course of a year.

      College Basketball, College Football

      Couch Potato Alert: 2/13

      February 13, 2009 /

      This weekend, you will have a wide variety of sports entertainment to choose from for your viewing pleasure. If you’re in the mood for speed, then the Daytona 500 on Sunday should rev your interest. Or if you’re looking for a good rivalry matchup, then the Georgetown and Syracuse contest on Saturday should be at the top of your list. If you’re longing for a star-studded extravaganza, take a moment to tune into the All-Star Weekend from Phoenix. The NBA gets it right by showcasing the incredible talents of their stars in multiple categories, even though they lose points by changing the game of H-O-R-S-E to sponsor approved G-E-I-C-O.

      All times ET…

      NBA
      Saturday, 8 PM: Slam Dunk Competition, Three-Point Shootout, Skills Challenge (TNT)
      Sunday, 9 PM: The NBA All-Star Game from Phoenix, AZ. (TNT)

      NHL
      Friday, 7 PM: Boston Bruins @ New Jersey Devils
      Saturday, 8:30 PM: Dallas Stars @ Chicago Blackhawks
      Sunday, 12:30 PM: Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Rangers (NBC)

      College Basketball
      Friday, 9 PM: #13 Villanova @ West Virginia (ESPN)
      Saturday, 12 PM: Georgetown @ #22 Syracuse (ESPN)
      Saturday, 1 PM: #6 UCLA @ Arizona (CBS)
      Saturday, 4 PM: #25 Florida State @ #8 Wake Forest (ESPN Full Court)
      Sunday, 1 PM: #20 Illinois @ Indiana (CBS)
      Sunday, 5:30 PM: #5 Duke @ Boston College (Fox Sports)

      PGA
      Friday-Sunday, see local listings for broadcast times: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Tournament (CBS/TGC)

      NASCAR
      Sunday, 2 PM: The Daytona 500 (Fox)

      College Basketball, Couch Potato Alert, Golf, NBA, NHL, Television

      Bad call shifts momentum in Duke/UNC battle

      February 12, 2009 /

      Let me be clear — the call I’m about to discuss was NOT the reason that Duke lost the game last night. The Tar Heels played terrific in the second half and the Blue Devils simply did not. But the call in question indirectly set up North Carolina’s run.

      Check out the video of Kyle Singler elbowing Tyler Hansbrough.

      The first shot of it is at the 0:05 mark in real time. It’s tough to see, but you get the sense for how difficult it would be for Singler to stop his elbow after it slips off the ball. You can also hear that the whistle blew after the elbow, so he still had the right to fight for the ball.

      The first slow mo shot is at the 0:25 mark. Singler is clearly trying to rip the ball out from in between Hansbrough’s legs and his hand slips off the ball on the third attempt. He’s not thinking about what might be behind him and Hansbrough isn’t really doing anything that would warrant an elbow to the face. Plus, this scrum occurred just 16 seconds into the second half. There really wasn’t enough game time for Singler’s temper to get to the point that he’d intentionally elbow something in the face. Remember, most of these shots are in slow motion, so while it might seem like a player could stop his arm when it slips off the ball like that, in reality it’s moving much faster. It was an accident.

      Dick Vitale and the officials overreacted. Singler was called for a technical, so North Carolina got two free throws. At that point in the game, Duke led 52-44, but more importantly, it was Singler’s third foul. After North Carolina had almost tied it up, Singler picked up his fourth with 12:55 to play and had to come out of the game. That’s when the Tar Heels started to pull away. When he returned a few minutes later, he couldn’t challenge shots on the defensive end like he normally would have, and that led to a couple of North Carolina buckets.

      In the end, the Tar Heels won, 101-87, so it’s clear that this call wasn’t the deciding factor in the game. The Blue Devils had plenty of time to overcome that technical, but they shouldn’t have been put in that position in the first place.

      This is a great win for North Carolina. They now have the inside track for an ACC regular season championship, which usually results in a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. In order for Duke to get back to that level, they’ll have to shrug off this 2-3 stretch and string together some wins, including a victory on March 8 in Chapel Hill.

      Hats off to Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green who managed a 4-0 record at Duke during their careers at North Carolina. That’s a truly impressive accomplishment.

      College Basketball, Television, Video

      Pay attention! #3 North Carolina visits #5 Duke tonight on ESPN

      February 11, 2009 /

      This is how a Duke/North Carolina matchup is supposed to be. Both teams are ranked in the top five, they’re tied for first place (at 7-2) in the ACC, and the winner will have the inside track to the conference championship. The game takes place at Cameron Indoor Stadium, a venue that even Duke haters will admit has set the standard for home court advantage. Duke was one of the first schools (if not the first) to put the student body front and center and that atmosphere has played a huge part in the Blue Devils’ success over the past two decades. (Though it should be noted that, with a win, Tyler Hansbrough could go 4-0 at Cameron in his career, so North Carolina has owned Coach K Court of late.)

      Duke is just 2-2 over its last four games with a tough two-point loss at Wake Forest and a disastrous blowout loss at Clemson. They almost lost three of their last four as they trailed Miami by 16 (at home!) in the second half, but they made a big comeback and won that game in overtime. Gerald Henderson continues to play great basketball. He is averaging 18.6 points over the last 13 games. Duke needs solid contributions from Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and the rest of the supporting cast if they hope to beat the Tar Heels.

      Meanwhile, North Carolina is currently riding a seven-game winning streak, which featured wins against a scrappy Florida State team in Tallahassee and a blowout win against Clemson at home. Wayne Ellington has really come on over the last 11 games, averaging 18.1 points in that span. Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough continue to play solid ball while Danny Green is the wild card.

      ESPN starts its coverage at 9 PM ET. They’re also broadcasting the Syracuse/UConn game at 7 PM. Hopefully, that one won’t run long — I’d hate to miss the tip-off in Durham.

      College Basketball, Television

      Rich Zvosec named to selection committee for CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament

      February 10, 2009 /

      Rich Zvosec, friend of TSR, author and commentator, was recently named to the selection committee for the newly-founded CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and I asked him a few questions about it through email.

      TSR: So you’re on the selection committee for a new postseason tournament. What prompted the creation of this tournament and how will it compete with the NIT for the best teams that missed the NCAA tourney?

      It is an honor to be to be on the selection committee for the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The purpose of this tournament is to reward deserving teams for an outstanding season. Over the past few years there have been numerous teams left out after 20+ win seasons. We feel that giving student-athletes a chance to lace up their sneakers one more time will only add to their experience as a collegiate athlete.

      Many times, teams from non-BCS conferences are left out even after winning their conference title during the regular season. So much emphasis is placed on those three games in the conference tourney that exemplary seasons are sometimes overlooked because they fail to win their conference tournament. We hope to bring some of these teams into our tournament and reward them for a job well done.

      TSR: How will the CollegeInsider.com tourney compete with the NIT, or will the two post-season tournaments be focused on a different type of team?

      We will not compete at all. While the NIT sometimes takes a lower level team from a BCS conference our goal is to take mid-major and low major teams who have been overlooked. For example, in the past couple of years Akron and IUPUI have been left out of both the NIT and NCAA tournaments even though they each had over 23 wins.

      The tournament will feature 16 teams in single elimination format.

      College Basketball

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