Tag: 2009-10 College Basketball (Page 18 of 19)

Top 10 reasons why it’s okay that fantasy football season is over

Originally published 12/28/07. Updated 1/6/10.

It’s that time of year again. Much like the post-draft letdown all fantasy owners go through in August or September, the end of the fantasy football season can be a depressing time indeed. I know a lot of baseball fans are already looking forward to spring training and their fantasy baseball drafts, but I’m not a baseball guy, so I need to look elsewhere for comfort. Here are 10 reasons why it’s good that the fantasy football season is finally over. (Seriously, guys, it’s not that bad.)

1. Your busted picks won’t haunt you anymore.
Just think about it: you don’t have to set your lineup for another nine months. No more looking at the injured Michael Turner or the disappointing Brian Westbrook wasting away on your bench. You can add Larry Johnson, Terrell Owens, Marshawn Lynch, Ronnie Brown, Steve Slaton and Matt Forte to that list. All of these guys were early picks that managed to sabotage fantasy seasons to one degree or another. If you only had one of these guys on your team, count yourself lucky. Two or more and your season was probably over before it started.

2. You can start (truly) rooting for your favorite team.
No more fragmented alliances. If you have a favorite team (and who doesn’t?), chances are that at one point or another, you were rooting against them this year. Either your favorite team was playing against a particular player on your fantasy team, or you needed a field goal instead of an extra point from your favorite team’s kicker. At some point, you wanted your team – whose colors you claim to bleed – to fail, somehow or someway. The best thing to do is fess up, ask forgiveness, and cheer as loudly as you can if your team was fortunate enough to make the playoffs.

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Controversial finish to Butler/Xavier game [video]

The clock stopped for a split second (as the ball goes into the backcourt), which put Butler’s game-winning bucket into question.

He scored with 1.2 seconds to play and I don’t think the clock stopped for that long. Obviously, it would be better had the clock not stopped, but I think the right team won. However, the Xavier coach has a right to be upset. If Butler had an extra 1.2 seconds to score, shouldn’t Xavier also get the remaining time to try to win the game? And how did the refs determine that only 1.2 seconds went by when the clock was stopped?

Texas holds off UNC, Duke rolls

#2Texas/#10 UNC was an up-and-down affair, but the difference in the game was the Longhorns’ dominance on the glass. Texas outrebounded North Carolina, 60-41, and grabbed an eye-popping 29 offensive rebounds en route to a 103-90 win. So despite being outshot 48% to 41% by the Tar Heels, Texas got an additional 12 attempts. Dexter Pittman (23-15) was amazing down low, but Damion James (25-15) actually led Texas in scoring. They have a terrific front line, but from a national championship perspective, they are a little shaky in the backcourt. Texas needs freshmen Avery Bradley and J’Covan Brown to mature quickly. (Note: This was the first game played at Cowboys Stadium. Attendance: 38,052.)

#7 Duke rolled over #15 Gonzaga, 76-41. This was a pretty brutal offensive game in the first half. The Bulldogs only mustered 17 points in the first twenty minutes. For the game, they shot a miserable 28%, which is a credit to Duke’s defense. The Blue Devils don’t have a pure point guard, but they have a couple of seasoned guys — Jon Scheyer (20-5-8, two steals) and Nolan Smith (24-3-3) — who can both handle the ball, initiate the offense, and shoot it. I don’t see Duke contending for a national championship unless one or more of their younger players step up. The top five players in terms of minutes were guys from last year’s team, which was Top 10, but lost their best athlete, Gerald Henderson.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

Don’t miss UNC/Texas, Duke/Gonzaga doubleheader on Saturday

At 2 PM ET on ESPN, #10 North Carolina will face #2 Texas in the first basketball game played at Cowboys Stadium. The Sporting News’s Daniel Blank examines the game

Texas will be the fifth ranked team the Tar Heels have played and the fourth that has been ranked in the top 10. They beat Ohio State when it still had Evan Turner and manhandled Michigan State at home. Their two losses were to Syracuse in Madison Square Garden, and Kentucky, by two points, in Rupp. The Longhorns will have to step up from playing the likes of Texas State and Texas-Pan American; Carolina will not have to make such an adjustment.

Also, at 4 PM ET on CBS, #15 Gonzaga and #7 Duke square off at Madison Square Garden as part of the Aeropostale Classic.

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