2009 March | Midwest Sports Fans

2009 Free Agent Acquisitions and their Fantasy Value

March 12, 2009 By fraschetti 5 Comments

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It’s March, and yes I miss fantasy football. If you’re reading this, I am sure you do too. The 2009 NFL free agency extravaganza has been, as always, more than interesting; and with the T.O. implosion landing in Buffalo, it is time to break down the fantasy value of various players and units that have undergone change this offseason.

2009 Fantasy Football Outlook: Terrell Owens

After being abruptly released by Dallas in normal T.O. fashion, that being a disaster, T.O. quickly landed on his feet again in Buffalo. What does this mean to you as a fantasy football team owner?

If you are in a keeper league and currently have him, keep him!

His first years with new teams, minus his rookie year for the 49ers, are great statistically. In addition, he usually does not start the erosion of his relationships with him quarterback and coach until year two, precisely why Buffalo used their brains and signed him to a one-year deal. Buffalo could not buy touchdowns through the air last year, and Trent Edwards’ maturation process with the addition of Owens will definitely lead to more scoring, thus increasing Edwards fantasy value as well.

In a keeper league I would not take Owens before the 9th round, and not before the 7th round in standard leagues. Still, T.O. is running out of coaches and teams to burn, so he will be a model employee this year for the Bills.

2009 Fantasy Football Outlook: The New England Patriots Defense

Forget about the loss of Mike Vrabel. With their core group of now second year linebackers in Jerod Mayo and Shaun Crable, they will not be phased by Vrabel’s departure.

The Patriots also retained Rodney Harrison and just signed free agents Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. Although Springs has played 13 NFL seasons, he is still considered a shut down type corner back. I also consider Bodden to be an above average cover cornerback. Adding these two to their defense which already has Ellis Hobbs gives them three quality cornerbacks to match up well against any offense with three talented receivers.

This is a very talented defense and I would keep them as well in a keeper league if you currently have them. On draft day, the defenses usually start going in 12-team leagues around the fifth round. When the first defense comes off of the board, whereever that may be, the Patriots D should not be far behind!

2009 Fantasy Football Outlook: The Denver Broncos Defense

Staying with the defensive theme, the Broncos Defense was horrible last year and not worthy of ever starting. This offseason, the Broncos have been very active in their signings on the defensive side of the ball. Denver’s acquisitions include linebacker Andre Davis, safety Brian Dawkins, defensive tackle Ronald Fields, cornerback Andre Goodman, safety Renaldo Hill, defensive end Kenny Peterson and defensive tackle Darrell Reid.

The most notable players out of this group are Brian Dawkins and Andre Davis. Dawkins is a hard-hitting, emotional leader who will clearly set the tone for this defense. Dawkins leaves it all on the field and will expect the same from his teammates. Davis, who has started in Cleveland his entire career, will also improve their porous defense from a year ago.

I view the Broncos Defense as a great sleeper to draft as your second defense this year. There are always offenses that you as a fantasy owner never want your team to have to face, and if your number one D is playing one of these offenses, like the Patriots, if Denver has a weaker match up, they would be a good play to maximize your points for your defense that week.

2009 Fantasy Football Outlook: Fred Taylor

Taylor’s disrespectful release by the Jaguars means a few things. First, Maurice Jones-Drew’s stock just went through the ceiling. Secondly, The Jag’s offense just lost their most prolific running back in franchise history. Fred Taylor has quietly had one of the top 20 statistical careers of all time. Taylor, underappreciated by NFL fans as a whole by only reaching the Pro Bowl one time, will be a force if given the opportunity in New England.

The key word is “IF”.

For those of you who have never had a New England Patriot running back since the retirement of Corey Dillon, you will never know week in and week out which back of the 200 they use will get the carries. When Dillon retired, Laurence Maroney was the runaway favorite to be an every down back. Years later and many injuries later, that has not happened. This roster still has Kevin Faulk, BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Sammy Morris — all three of which had good fantasy weeks last year depending on who was their favorite, or healthy, back on any given week.

Since Fred Taylor was splitting carries the last couple years, I can see him having two to three good seasons left in him. I like Taylor’s upside and if available in any double digit rounds, I would take him if the opportunity was there. Do yourself a favor and collect the rest of this Patriots group as well with the exception of Faulk.

2009 Fantasy Football Outlook: T.J. Houshmandzadeh

The biggest question here is, “Can T.J. continue his success as the #1 receiver versus his being a #2 behind a clear cut #1 stud?”

The answer: “Yes!”

If healthy, T.J. Houshmandzadeh is as talented as most of the top receivers in the NFL. Matt Hasslebeck just gained a new favorite target to team up with tight end John Carlson and wide receivers Deion Branch and Nate Burleson. I would expect T.J. to go in the sixth round in most leagues. I consider him a steal any further then the eight round.

2009 Fantasy Football Outlook: Laveranues Coles

You can copy and paste everything that I spoke on T.J. Houshmandzadeh and place next to Coles. If Chad Johnson, sorry — “Chad Ocho-Cinco”, stays with the Bengals, Carson Palmer will not notice the absence of Houshmandzadeh. Coles will be as effective as the Bengals offensive line allows him to be, meaning: give Palmer time, Coles will produce.

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This group are to this point what I consider to be the most notable offseason signings concerning fantasy value. Look for my fantasy football 2009 NFL draft recap for instant impact rookie players for your 2009 rosters. If I missed someone and you are looking for insight, drop me a note to the article in the comment section.

Kurt Fraschetti

Editor’s note: Kurt will be managing the first ever Midwest Sports Fans Fantasy Football League starting next season. Obviously he had to give JRod a slot in the league so he wouldn’t whine and bitch, but that just means that last place is already filled in. If you are interested in playing, shoot Kurt an email at fraschetti@midwestsportsfans.com and be prepared to state your case and fantasy credentials. We want the best of the best.

Terrell Owens photo credit: AP Photo/The Buffalo News, James P. McCoy

Fred Taylor photo credit: Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Filed Under: Fantasy Football, Featured Column Tagged With: brian dawkins, denver broncos, fantasy football 2009, fred taylor, new england patriots, nfl offseason, Terrell Owens

Cleveland State Vikings Beat Butler and Win Horizon League to Qualify for NCAA Berth

March 11, 2009 By Brendan Bowers Leave a Comment

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Cleveland State’s basketball team went to the NCAA tournament 23 years ago. They beat Bobby Knight’s Indiana team while there, and almost beat David Robinson’s Navy team. They bowed out in the Sweet 16, completing a banner year for the program. Star point guard Mouse McFadden and company had put the Vikings on the map. They were here to stay.

That stay would be short lived however.

In the off season, the coach and architect of the ‘Run and Stun’ Vikings of ’86 was found one night in a crack house, strung out on crack cocaine. The run was over. The coach, Kevin Mackey, would be soon relieved of his duties, and the Cleveland State Vikings would sink to an all-time low that they would not emerge from for 20 years.

Until now.

Cleveland State beat Butler on Tuesday 57-54 and got their Dance Card punched — again — for the first time in 23 years. The job done by this coach, Gary Waters, and his kids is nothing short of incredible. In 3 seasons as coach, Waters has taken possibly the worst Men’s Basketball Program – on a consistent basis – for the last two decades – in America – and turned them into an NCAA tournament team. His Vikings won 21 games last season, and won 25 this year, including wins over #12 Syracuse on the road, and #17 Butler last night for the Horizon League title and automatic bid.

They are not done yet either. Cedric Jackson is a point guard that can play. The St. John’s transfer, and Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, can match up with any PG in the nation. Anybody. And J’Nathan Bullock, the undersized, Tight End-looking, post player that roams the key for the Vikings is a tough cover inside as well.

They’ve come a long way this group…and Cleveland can’t help but be proud of them. If you don’t know about CSU, I’ll tell you this: you better be careful when you fill out your bracket, that’s all I am going to say.

Coach Waters’ group is just getting started.

Cleveland State photo credit: AP Photo/Darron Cummings

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Brendan Bowers is a featured columnist at Midwest Sports Fans who also runs Stepien Rules (and formerly ran Shaver Sports), where they discuss everything you ever wanted to know about the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brendan Bowers’ contributions to Midwest Sports Fans are sponsored by BigTimeGameBoards.com, the company that helps you tailgate like a champion with our high quality cornhole boards, sets and accessories. And if you don’t know what cornhole is, you aren’t a Midwesterner.

Filed Under: CBB Tagged With: Butler Bulldogs, Cleveland State, Horizon League, March Madness, ncaa tournament

One Shining Tribute: Doug Towey of CBS Sports Passes Away at Age 61

March 11, 2009 By Jerod Morris 9 Comments

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Five minutes ago I did not know who Doug Towey was. Yet, I just dropped everything to sit down and write about him.

And the reason is that Doug Towey is the man responsible for one of my most anticipated moments of every year: the inspiring sounds and thrilling video of the One Shining Moment that ends every NCAA Tournament.

Doug Towey passed away today at 61. There are probably many people out there, like me, for whom the name Doug Towey will not immediately ring a bell. But there cannot possibly be any fan of college basketball who has not been touched, inspired, and entertained by One Shining Moment, which will no doubt be one of Towey’s most enduring legacies.

As told earlier today by Tom Hoffrath at Farther off the Wall:

Folk singer David Barrett penned the song in 1986 and gave it to his high school friend CBS News Chief Investigative Correspondent, and then Sports Illustrated staff writer, Armen Keteyian. He passed it along to Towey who planned to use it to accompany the network’s closing highlights of Super Bowl XXI in January 1987. But due to long-running interviews the song never made it to air.

A couple of months later, Towey was looking for a way to bring CBS Sports’ NCAA Tournament coverage to a close and decided to use it. “One Shining Moment” made its Final Four debut on March 30, 1987, following Keith Smart’s baseline jumper in the final seconds that gave Indiana a 74-73 victory over Syracuse.

And here is video of the very first appearance of One Shining Moment at the NCAA Tournament. I get goosebumps every time I watch this, the first and greatest One Shining Moment video of all.

The ball is tipped…and there you are…

One Shining Moment Video: 1987 (Indiana 5th National Championship)

Holy crap, it’s amazing how that video and that song can still give me chills after all these years. I realize I am biased, and that I like this particular One Shining Moment video over all of the others because it is from the last year when my Hoosiers won the title — but the truth is that they are all awesome, and all special, in their own way. Each One Shining Moment Video perfectly captures the magic, majesty, and magnificence of the greatest three weeks in sports.

And the song, of course, plays its role perfectly.

I was only five years old when Keith Smart made the most famous shot in the history of Indiana basketball, and perhaps Big Ten basketball; and certainly one of the five or ten most famous shots in the history of college basketball. I have no specific recollection of watching Keith Smart make that shot live as it happened, but over the next six or seven years I popped my tape of the 1987 National Championship game into the VCR at least 15 or 20 times. I didn’t usually watch the whole game, but I would always watch Keith make that shot, watch he, Coach Knight and Steve Alford get interviewed after the game, and then cap it by singing along with One Shining Moment.

(Side note: And I will never, ever forget Don Fischer’s call of the Keith Smart shot, thanks to one of the greatest gifts ever: a framed picture of the shot with a display base that had a little button you could press to play Fischer’s call: “Out to Smart…baseline jumpshot in the air GOOOD! Four seconds, three seconds, two seconds, one…the Hoosiers have won the National Championship! And there is pandemonium…here at the Superdome as Indiana’s won it.“)

As I got older and become more and more obsessed with college basketball, and basketball in general, One Shining Moment became one of my favorite songs. The first reason, of course, is because of the incredible imagery, memories, and visceral feelings the song evokes, especially for a born and raised basketball junkie from the Hoosier State like me. The second reason is that it’s just a good damn song.

There have been plenty of remixed and revamped versions (Luther Vandross did one, video below), but nothing beats the original song used in 1987 for me. There is more than one burned CD from my high school college days that has One Shining Moment randomly thrown onto it — usually as the final song, where it should be.

So on the day of his passing, I just want to say thank you to Doug Towey for recognizing the greatness of David Barrett’s song and for creating one of the most sublime moments of the sports year.

Towey was a 34-year veteran of network television and “played a role in the broadcast of virtually every major sporting event in the world” according to the article by Tom Hoffrath linked above, so being responsible for One Shining Moment capping every NCAA Tournament is certainly not Towey’s only shining moment. But it is the one that I will always remember him for and be grateful to him and songwriter David Barrett for creating.

And speaking of Barrett, he certainly appears to have been quite certain of how good the song was from the second he wrote it. From the official website of One Shining Moment:

David comments about the writing of One Shining Moment:

“Writing this song changed my life. Strange how that is so. I mean; the writing came so effortlessly. I knew immediately after that I had something special on my hands. In fact I got up from the piano and went immediately to the phone and called a friend and said… “Glen I just wrote a great song.” It was almost like… “where did this come from?” In any case, the song opened all sorts of doors for me in a professional sense. But on a personal note, it also showed me to write about what mattered to me. I mean, I just wrote it because I thought it was worth writing. I learned to trust that. For years I had been listening to what others thought was valid. It was this song that made it clear to me that my job was to write about what I know, and tell the truth about that… Simple.”

And just in case you do not know them all by now, you can also see the lyrics for One Shining Moment at the website as well.

To close this post, here are two more One Shining Moment videos for you. The first is the most recent, from Kansas’ National Championship run in last year’s Tournament. The second is from 2003, when Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to its One Shining Moment. If you are looking for one in particular, just search YouTube and there is a good chance you will find it.

One Shining Moment Video: 2009 (North Carolina National Championship)

One Shining Moment Video: 2008 (Kansas National Championship)

One Shining Moment Video: 2003 (Syracuse National Championship)

I’m fairly certain that if I didn’t have other pressing things to attend to tonight that I would probably search for each video since 1987 and embed them all here. Do me a favor if you wish: put links to the videos for other years in the comment section, or just embed the video. Let’s get as many One Shining Moments in this post as possible — a last tribute to Doug Towey for making the final few minutes of the NCAA Tournament the most shining of all.

Update: The great folks over Cuzoogle have a post that shows the One Shining Moment videos from 1987, 1988, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and some other One Shining Moment parodies.

Filed Under: CBB, Featured Column Tagged With: CBB, indiana hoosiers, Keith Smart, March Madness, ncaa tournament, One Shining Moment

AL Central Preview | Ranking the Starting Pitchers

March 11, 2009 By Tyler George 4 Comments

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In preview of the upcoming season, here are my rankings for this years AL Central starting pitchers. The Twins and White Sox are the class of the league with guys like Baker, Liriano, Buehrle, and Danks leading the way. The Indians and Royals have some solid pieces in place, while the Tigers have a lot of work to do.

Minnesota Twins – Average: 3.04 (B)

The Twins have quite a young and productive rotation headed up by Scott Baker and Francisco Liriano. The rotation is very well rounded, having decent contribution from the backend. The only question remaining for this staff is: Can they pull a repeat performance in 2009?

Baker (A-) â€“ 3.45 ERA last season was enough to become the opening day starter. Young and healthy, there is no reason to expect a decline in production this season.

Liriano (B+) â€“ Has the potential to be an â€˜Aâ€™ type performer and returned very hot to the mound last year, but the Tommy John factor is always concern for worry.

Slowey (B) â€“ 3.99 ERA last season and a very consistent contributor to the rotation.

Blackburn (B-) â€“ Showed great poise in pressure situations late last season, could breakout this year.

Perkins (C+) â€“ A solid left handed contributor to the rotation. Expect some level of inconsistency here, but certainly a fine fifth starter plug.

Chicago White Sox – Average 2.7 (B-)

A great rotation from 1-3, which is exactly what you want in place when your playoff bound. You just need to get their first. Buehrle, Danks, and Floyd are excellent pieces to build this squad around, you just need to fill it out better than Richard and Colon.

Buehrle (A-) – You simply cannot beat 8 straight seasons of 200+ innings pitched â€“ especially when youâ€™ve broken a Sub-4 ERA in 6 of those seasons. Heâ€™s getting up there in age, but Iâ€™m not ready to give up on Buehrle.

Danks (A-) â€“ A 3.32 ERA last season is top notch: seems to be really trying to improve on his abilities, declining playing in the WBC. Add that heâ€™s 23 years old and a lefty and the White Sox have something special on their hands

Floyd (B) â€“ Started off strong but slightly fizzled at the end of the season. Gave up a number of home runs last season which potentially could turn into a higher ERA in â€™09, though, has looked sharp in spring training thus far.

Richard (C-) â€“ I really just donâ€™t see him panning out. A 6.04 ERA last season over 8 starts was rocky.

Colon (D+) â€“ A 3.92 ERA last season is deceiving. Colon underwent surgery over the winter to remove bone chips from his right elbow. Itâ€™s a gamble that few teams wanted a part of.

Kansas City Royals – Average 2.58 (C+/B-)

Meche has quietly become a very good starting pitcher, while Greinke is just waiting to breakout (could be a candidate for the Yankees in 6 years – just needs have some shoulder problems and they’ll be ready to sign). However, Davies and Hochevar have some work to do. But all in all, a decent staff.

Meche (B+) â€“ A second straight sub-4 ERA season coupled with a lights out finish to last year makes him a great opening day candidate for the Royals.

Greinke (B+) â€“ Very similar to Meche except a better ERA last season and more youth. Canâ€™t really see the downside here.

Bannister (C-) â€“ Has had a rough spring training thus far and a 5.77 ERA last season doesnâ€™t help.

Davies (C+) â€“ Had a decent 2008 campaign. If he gains control of his pitches, heâ€™ll have another fine year.

Hochevar (C) â€“ A former number 1 pick, but a 5.51 ERA hurts. Iâ€™ll give him some benefit of the doubt because of his upside but thereâ€™s a lot of questions here.

Cleveland Indians – Average 2.56 (C+/B-)

They do boast the 2008 AL Cy Young winner, but unfortunately thats about it. They have a lot of guys needing to refind themselves before we call this squad ‘good’. The potential’s there, just big odds against them coming around all at once.

Lee (A) â€“ 2008 AL Cy Young Winner, no reason to expect a sharp decline in production.

Carmona (B-) â€“ Had a rough 2008 season, but has played well in winter ball and is healthy, so thereâ€™s hope.

Sowers (C-) â€“ The one time popular fantasy pick has sputtered. A 5.58 ERA with a low K/9 ratio hurts. Donâ€™t expect much here.

Pavano (C-) â€“ Hasnâ€™t really played since 2004. I guess we canâ€™t really gauge his performance on much, but thatâ€™s more than enough reason for worry.

Reyes (B-) â€“ Reyesâ€™s elbow problems seem to have been mitigated this spring. He could actually have a decent year.

Detroit Tigers – Average 2.36 (C+)

Probably the most underperforming staff in baseball last season as Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, and Nate Robertson completely fell off the map. Expect Verlander to regain some form as his talent is undeniable. Beyond that, the rotation doesn’t have much promise. Galarraga could suprise some people, but don’t expect much out of Jackson and Miner.

Verlander (B+) â€“ Had a surprisingly poor 2008 campaign after being one of the top starters in baseball in â€™07.

Bonderman (C) â€“ Never had a season of sub 4.00 ERA over his six year career. Puts up big inning numbers, but thatâ€™s about it. Also has had some shoulder issues this offseason.

Jackson (R) (C) â€“ Still young at 25, but not quite sure where the upside is, especially with a rough finish to 2008. ERA numbers pretty high over the last two seasons.

Galarraga (B) – 3.73 ERA last season is solid for a fourth starter in the Major Leagues. He wonâ€™t strikeout many and occasionally is prone to giving up the long ball, but the goal is to minimize runs and Galarraga seemed to be able to do that last season.

Miner (D+) – Gives up more than a hit an inning, though sports a mediocre ERA. Has had some decent seasons, but donâ€™t expect much this year.

Filed Under: CBB, Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, cleveland indians, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, minnesota twins, MLB

March Madness History: All-time List of NCAA Champions – Mens Basketball

March 11, 2009 By Jerod Morris 8 Comments

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Now that we have exhausted all of the major conference tournaments (sorry Conference USA but you have one team, so you didn’t qualify) as a source of March Madness history, it is time to turn our attention to the NCAA Tournament in the first installment of what I have decided to call, in an impromptu burst of creativity, March Madness History.

This will be a fun series for me to research and write, however, because I can relive the glory days of Indiana basketball — that wonderful time when a 1-17 conference record would have been deemed a complete impossibility. As this year proved, however, even the most incomprehensible collapse of a once proud program is possible with the perfect storm of catastrophic player departures and recruiting scandals. All of us IU fans are clinging to the optimism that it was just a one year blip and that Tom Crean will have us back competitive again next year.

Because, you see, while the IU program took a big hit this season, the IU tradition is still alive and strong; and the reason for that is IU’s splendid history of NCAA Tournament excellence. No, Indiana has not been a great tournament team over the past 15 years (except for that awesome 2002 run), but between 1973 and 1993 there were few teams who could match IU in postseason success. The table below, which lists the schools with the most NCAA Mens Basketball Championships, is proof positive of this.

Let’s get to the table and then analyze a bit. First, a few relevant NCAA Tournament links (some of which have not been posted yet, but will be), especially if you are planning on attending any of the tournament games this year:

2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown

2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Dates and Site Breakdown

NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament History: Past Champions, Final Four participants, Final Four locations by year, and interesting tournament tidbits

NCAA Tournament All-Time MOPs: Mens and Womens Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Winners

NCAA Womens Basketball Tournament Champions

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Mens Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Womens Tournament Tickets

The following table provides an ordered list of NCAA Champions in mens college basketball from most to least. It includes the number of titles for each school that has won at least one, and the years in which those titles were captured. I actually included this table at the bottom of a previous post, but figured it deserved its own. Here you go:

School	Number of NCAA Titles	Years
UCLA	11	1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995
Kentucky	7	1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998
Indiana	5	1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987
North Carolina	5	1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009
Duke	3	1991, 1992, 2001
Kansas	3	1952, 1988, 2008
Cincinnati	2	1961, 1962
UCONN	2	1999, 2004
Florida	2	2006, 2007
Louisville	2	1980, 1986
Michigan State	2	1979, 2000
N.C. State	2	1974, 1983
Oklahoma State	2	1945, 1946
San Francisco	2	1955, 1956
Arizona	1	1997
Arkansas	1	1994
California	1	1959
CCNY	1	1950
Georgetown	1	1984
Holy Cross	1	1947
LaSalle	1	1954
Loyala (IL)	1	1963
Marquette	1	1977
Maryland	1	2002
Michigan	1	1989
Ohio State	1	1960
Oregon	1	1939
Stanford	1	1942
Syracuse	1	2003
UNLV	1	1990
Texas Western (UTEP)	1	1966
Utah	1	1944
Villanova	1	1985
Wisconsin	1	1941
Wyoming	1	1943

NCAA Champions - Mens Basketball

School Number of NCAA Titles Years

UCLA 11 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995

Kentucky 7 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998

Indiana 5 1940, 1953, 1976, 1981, 1987

North Carolina 5 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009

Duke 3 1991, 1992, 2001

Kansas 3 1952, 1988, 2008

Cincinnati 2 1961, 1962

UCONN 2 1999, 2004

Florida 2 2006, 2007

Louisville 2 1980, 1986

Michigan State 2 1979, 2000

N.C. State 2 1974, 1983

Oklahoma State 2 1945, 1946

San Francisco 2 1955, 1956

Arizona 1 1997

Arkansas 1 1994

California 1 1959

CCNY 1 1950

Georgetown 1 1984

Holy Cross 1 1947

LaSalle 1 1954

Loyala (IL) 1 1963

Marquette 1 1977

Maryland 1 2002

Michigan 1 1989

Ohio State 1 1960

Oregon 1 1939

Stanford 1 1942

Syracuse 1 2003

UNLV 1 1990

Texas Western (UTEP) 1 1966

Utah 1 1944

Villanova 1 1985

Wisconsin 1 1941

Wyoming 1 1943

Obviously, for me, the best part about this NCAA Champions table is the school in third place: Indiana. The Hoosiers have won as many titles as the rest of the Big 10 combined. The Big 10 needs to get a move on or it could get shut out this decade. Michigan State closed the 90s by winning the 1999-2000 championship, but it has been bupkus ever since for the conference.

North Carolina actually has a pretty good shot to tie the Hoosiers with their fifth championship if the Tar Heels can D up in the tournament. They certainly have the talent to win it all and will likely enter the 2009 NCAA Tournament as the #1 overall seed.

We know one thing: Kentucky won’t be adding to their total any time soon.

UCLA obviously has the most impressive historical resume of any school in the country — by a long shot. And the Bruins have reached three straight Final Fours, but have been unable to close the deal. It appears that UCLA is not good enough to make the Final Four this year, but stranger things have certainly happened. It still boggles my mind to look at their dominance in the 60s and early 70s. Just an amazing run, led by native Hoosier (but collegiate Boilermaker) John Wooden.

Kansas joined the rarified air of 3-time NCAA Champions with their title last year. UConn, Louisville, and Michigan State all have two, but could stretch that number to three in this year’s tournament. I think there is a good chance that San Francisco will be sitting on their two titles for a long, long time in the future…

Out of the NCAA Champions in the Top 6, Indiana is obviously the furthest away from claiming another title based on our performance this season. However, Hoosier fans can take solace in that fact that each of the five other schools has dealt with periods of turmoil and struggle to rebound and become national powers once again. If Indiana is to hang a sixth banner in Assembly Hall, it will have to follow a similar path.

Hopefully Tom Crean is leading us on a path to do just that.

Update: Get ready for this year’s NCAA Tournament with our March Madness 2010 preview post.

Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com

Filed Under: CBB, Featured Column, Sports History Tagged With: CBB, indiana hoosiers, Kansas Jayhawks, kentucky wildcats, match madness, tom crean

Big 12 Tournament Prediction: Will Kansas Ar-buckle Under Four-Peat Pressure?

March 11, 2009 By Jerod Morris 9 Comments

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If you came to this page looking for picks and predictions for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we’ve got you covered.

Follow the link to our 2009 NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Picks all the way through the Final Four.

Or, you can view them by region:

Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions

East Region Breakdown and Predictions

South Region Breakdown and Predictions

West Region Breakdown and Predictions

And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 Big 12 Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

So, if you didn’t realize from my Big 12 Tournament Preview post earlier this week, I have always thought one thing when I look at Kansas head coach Bill Self: Jon Arbuckle. I was a huge Garfield fan when I was a kid, and Self is the spitting image of Garfield’s toolish owner.

Luckily for Kansas fans though, Self has been much more successful as a college basketball coach than Jon Arbuckle ever was…at anything.

The Jayhawks enter the 2009 Big 12 Tournament as the champions of the last three, and winners of six of the twelve Big 12 tournaments that have taken place. I don’t think many people expected Kansas to have the #1 seed this year, considering what they lost off of last year’s NCAA Championship team, but here they are.

Will Kansas achieve a very impressive Four-Peat? Or will they ar-buckle under the pressure and allow a new Big 12 Tournament champion to emerge?

Before I give you my predictions, let’s break down a few important things first: a) a few links on the Big 12 Tourney and to help you buy tickets to the Big 12 or NCAA Tournament; b) the bracket, which I will update as the games become final; and c) the current odds for each team. Here we go:

Links:

Big 12 Tournament History: Past Champions and MVPs

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

2009 Big 12 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket

Game Date Matchup Time TV

1 Wed, March 11 #9 Baylor def. #8 Nebraska 65-49 11:30 AM Big 12 Network

2 Wed, March 11 #5 Texas def. #12 Colorado 67-56 2:00 PM Big 12 Network

3 Wed, March 11 #7 Oklahoma State def. #10 Iowa State 81-67 6:00 PM Big 12 Network

4 Wed, March 11 #11 Texas Tech def. #6 Texas A&M 88-83 8:30 PM Big 12 Network

5 Thu, March 12 #9 Baylor def. #1 Kansas 71-64 11:30 AM ESPN2

6 Thu, March 12 #5 Texas def. #4 Kansas State 61-58 2:00 PM Big 12 Network

7 Thu, March 12 #7 Oklahoma State def. #2 Oklahoma 71-70 6:00 PM Big 12 Network

8 Thu, March 12 #3 Missouri def. #11 Texas Tech 81-60 8:30 PM ESPN2

9 Fri, March 13 #9 Baylor def. #5 Texas 76-70 6:00 PM Big 12 Network

10 Fri, March 13 #3 Missouri def. #7 Oklahoma State 67-59 8:30 PM Big 12 Network

11 Sat, March 14 #3 Missouri def. #9 Baylor 73-60 5:00 PM ESPN

And here are the odds of winning the 2009 Big Ten Championship game for each team (according to OffShoreInsiders.com):

Oklahoma odds: +140
Kansas odds: +150
Missouri odds: +350
Texas odds: +800
Texas A&M odds: +800
Kansas State odds: +1000
Baylor odds: +2500
Nebraska odds: +2500
Field (any other team): +2500

And now, let’s break down the 2009 Big 12 Tournament game-by-game until we come up with a hypothetically predicted Big 12 champion:

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Wednesday Games

What a disappointment Baylor has been this season. Coming off last year’s success, Scott Drew was the favorite of some IU fans to become the new head coach in Bloomington. And with guys like Curtis Jerrells and LaceDarius Dunn back, Baylor was a trendy pick to be a Top 25 team in 2008-09. However, the Bears are 17-13 (5-11 in conference) after starting the season 12-2. Still, I think the Bears’ ability to score (despite recent struggles), and their postseason experience from last year, makes them a darkhorse in the Big 12 Tournament. Nebraska just beat Baylor 66-62 in each team’s final regular season game, but I think Baylor pulls off the mini-upset here and advances. Baylor wins.

Colorado went 1-15 in conference play and sucks. Texas only went 9-7, but this is a solid 20-10 team that will play in the NCAA Tournament. I’d be shocked if this is even a game. Texas wins.

Oklahoma State finished in the four-team quagmire at 9-7, and this is a team that can really score and that is playing well. In their last 7 games, OSU is 6-1 with a four-point loss to Oklahoma being the only blemish. They spanked Iowa State earlier this year and the Cyclones, losers of 5 out of their last 7, have done nothing to show they have improved since the first meeting. Oklahoma State wins.

As a die-hard Hoosiers, Texas Tech has been my 2nd-favorite team since Bob Knight took over there. Now that Pat Knight is the head coach, the Red Raiders remain a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, Tech has sucked this season, going 3-13 in conference play and not stopping anyone on D. A&M beat them twice, scoring 79 each time. Of course, Texas Tech did recently beat Kansas by 19, so anything is possible. I hope Texas Tech proves me wrong, but I think Texas A&M wins.

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Thursday Games

Assuming that my Wednesday picks prove true, my darkhorse Baylor will be playing Kansas in Round 2. Can the Bears win? Probably not. Kansas has really played well in conference play, minus the hiccup against Tech. They beat Baylor earlier this year, and while I think the Bears will make this a good game, I don’t think they play enough D to win it. Kansas advances.

Texas would play Kansas State in my hypothetical 2nd round. Both teams went 9-7 in conference play and both teams went 20-10 overall. However, Kansas State beat Texas in their one meeting in Austin. This game is a really toss up, so I’m going with Kansas State — because I live in Dallas and Longhorn fans can be really annoying. Not a very scientific way to pick a victor, I know, but there just is not much separating these two teams.

An Oklahoma-Oklahoma State matchup in the 2nd round would be fun. Most people think, and I agree, that Oklahoma is the best team in the conference. Had Blake Griffin not gotten hurt, they might not have dropped that back-to-back set against Texas and Kansas. Still, the Sooners have lost three of their last five. But they beat Oklahoma State twice during the regular season, and are now back at full health. I think Griffin and the Sooners will be on a mission to prove that they are the best team in the Big 12. Oklahoma wins.

Texas A&M-Missouri in the second round would be a rematch of both teams’ final regular season game, in which A&M won by 10 at home. In the two previous games, Missouri lost to Kansas by 25 and then beat Oklahoma by 9. Will the real Tigers please stand up? The Aggies are playing very good defense of late and have won six in a row entering the tourney. I think the Aggies score another win over Missouri and advance to the semi-finals.

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Friday Games

The battle of Kansas would ensure if my above predictions prove true. They played twice this season, with Kansas winning by double figures each time. And while I think Kansas State will pull of the win over Texas, the Wildcats have not scored an impressive victory since February 7th at Texas A&M. The Jayhawks will march on to the Big 12 Championship game.

Oklahoma-Texas A&M could be a very good game, and one the Aggies could win. However, Oklahoma won both regular season meetings and this would be A&M’s third game in three days. I think their Big 12 Tournament run ends here, as the Sooners and Blake Griffin will just be too much to overcome with less-than-100% legs.

Big 12 Tournament Championship Game on Saturday

It is the matchup that everyone wants to see: Kansas versus Oklahoma. You know Blake Griffin wants a chance to avenge the February 23rd loss, and a pissed off/motivated Blake Griffin is not a good thing for any opponent. Oklahoma is the best team in the Big 12 when healthy, and is still gunning for a #1 seed. I think the beat Kansas, and beat them convincingly to win the Big 12 title.

So there you go — one man’s first impression, quick hit predictions for the 2009 Big 12 Tournament. As always, I suggest that you run to your nearest bookie and bet completely the opposite way, but that’s your call. Game 1 between Nebraska and Baylor tips off in a little over an hour, so I’ll be updating the bracket above as the day and week goes on.

Filed Under: CBB, Featured Column Tagged With: Big 12, Bill Self, Blake Griffin, CBB, Kansas Jayhawks, March Madness, oklahoma sooners, Pat Knight, texas tech red raiders

LOTD: Deep Thoughts (and Brain Farts) by Gordon Beckham

March 11, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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Today’s Link of the Day comes from Chicago White Sox Spring Training camp, where rookie shortstop Gordon Beckham has his own blog on MLBlogs.com. The blog is called “Deep Thoughts by Gordon Beckham”, with title being an homage to one of his favorite SNL skits.

We will be doing a more in-depth analysis of Gordon Beckham later this Spring, but clearly he is a middle infielder of the future for the Chicago White Sox. Assuming Alexei Ramirez has 5-10 more years in him like season, Beckham will most likely find a permanent home at 2nd base. The White Sox will probably have to resist the temptation start Beckham right off the bat this season — but I don’t expect him to be in the minors long.

Anyway, there was a funny story from earlier this Spring in which Beckham had a bit of a brain fart and asked “Who’s Harold?” in response to a question by AJ Pierzynski about legendary White Sox OF Harold Baines. The story, which Beckham has apparently had to recant on numerous occasions, has provided a good bit of comic relief during camp.

Here is an excerpt from one of Beckham’s blog posts in which he discusses the now infamous Harold Baines story, then a link to the Beckham blog:

AJ: So Beckham, why in the world would they give you number 80?

#80: Not sure man, it’s my first spring, what number do you think I should have been given?

AJ: Well I figured they were just going to un-retire and give you Harold’s number.

#80: Who’s Harold?

Now I would like to stop right there and clarify. I was fully aware who Harold Baines was. I had met him earlier that week. I will admit that I did not realize the magnitude of the player he was in MLB history. What I meant to ask AJ was “What’s his number?”

LOTD: Deep Thoughts with Gordon Beckham — (Gordon Beckham Blog at MLBlogs.com)

It has been a while since a White Sox draft pick has made this big of an impression this early in his career. Remember, Beckham was the White Sox #1 pick just last year. Ozzie Guillen has already compared him to Ryne Sandberg, and while that might make White Sox fans shudder, despite Sandberg’s associated with the Cubs I think we would all have loved to have him on the South Side. If Beckham truly warrants that kind of comparison, and Alexei Ramirez proves to be more than a one-year wonder (which he will) the White Sox will have one of the top 5 middle infields in baseball well into the next decade.

Some more White Sox links for you:

Eight Men In: White Sox pitching staff looking good — (Joe Cowley, Sun-Times)

Sox, Cubs not cutting ticket prices — (Kevin Allen, Sun-Times)

Hold off on that Gordon Beckham White Sox T-shirt jersey until 2010 — (Tremendous Upside Potential)

Wait a second on Beckham hype — (Sox Machine)

Viva La Revolucion! White Sox Cubano news with a Bullet — (South Side Sox)

———-

And now we move onto other links:

Blog of Dreams — (Josh Q. Public)

It was a pretty good season for Michigan State — (Sparty and Friends)

10-year great ensembles of the Big East – Last 15 years — (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Nothing takes away the pain of being slaughtered like a nice dance in the outfield — (Sharapova’s Thigh)

Lesser known nicknames of the NBA — (Hoop Heads North)

Bert Blyleven offers more proof that he belongs in the Hall of Fame and that he loves to fart — (Babes Love Baseball)

Gordon Beckham photo credit: AP Photo/Paul Connors

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: Chicago White Sox, gordon beckham, lotd, MLB

NBA Picks for March 11: Celtics-Heat, Lakers-Rockets, Mavericks-Blazers

March 10, 2009 By BetOnline Leave a Comment

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Heat will capitalize on hobbled Celtics

Celtics vs Heat odds: 7:30 p.m. ET

Boy, is the NBA betting landscape ever changing quickly for both the Celtics and Heat. Anyone who likes to bet on basketball knows the Celtics will be a force again come the playoffs, but injuries have made them a very beatable team of late. With Kevin Garnett on the shelf, itâ€™s no wonder theyâ€™re a pedestrian 3-3 in their last six games.

Things could go from bad to worse in the Celtics vs Heat line on Wednesday. Boston will be without five players â€“ Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis, Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen. That means theyâ€™ll have to lean on Ray Allen and Paul Pierce again, but Doc Rivers said he wants to limit their minutes.

The Heat are playing pretty solid basketball of late and Dwayne Wade is making a strong MVP push, so the Heat are a good pick to down the Celtics on Wednesday.

Online betting pick: Heat

Lakers vs Rockets odds: 8:30 p.m. ET

With the exception of the Celticsâ€™ KG-less struggles, the prevalent theme among playoff contenders this year is teams playing better without their injured superstars. The Rockets absolutely fit that role and have excelled without Tracy McGrady. Theyâ€™re one of the hottest teams in NBA betting right now, having won 11 of 13. Yao Ming remains as consistent as ever and diminutive point guards Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry may be playing the best basketball of their young careers.

Winning the Lakers vs Rockets odds obviously will be no easy task; the last time we checked, Kobe was still Kobe. But if thereâ€™s one thing that never seems to change in NBA betting, itâ€™s that home teams dominate â€“ especially the contenders. The Rockets are 27-6 at home and the Lakers have lost four straight road games against teams with .500 records or better. The numbers suggest betting on the Rockets, and the numbers should be right on Wednesday.

Online betting pick: Rockets

Mavericks vs Trail Blazers odds: 10:00 p.m. ET

This may be the easiest pick among Wednesdayâ€™s marquee NBA lines. On paper, itâ€™s a good Western matchup between a 38-25 team and a 40-23 team. NBA betting fans should look closer, though. Itâ€™s no secret that Portlandâ€™s future is bright and the future may already be now. The Blazers are 27-5 at home and have won five of six, with wins over the Spurs and Lakers during that stretch.

Thereâ€™s no reason for online betting fans to worry about the Mavs in this matchup. Not only have the Blazers beaten better competition at home lately, the Mavs usually struggle against major contenders and will be playing their second game of a back-to-back road swing. They have shown flashes of life since Mark Cubanâ€™s tirade, but it that wonâ€™t be enough to topple the streaking Blazers.

Online betting pick: Trail Blazers

Filed Under: Featured Column, NBA Tagged With: Dwyane Wade, kobe bryant, NBA, nba betting, Sports Betting

ACC Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Can Wake Forest Halt the Duke-UNC Domination?

March 10, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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If you came to this page looking for picks and predictions for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we’ve got you covered.

Follow the link to our 2009 NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Picks all the way through the Final Four.

Or, you can view them by region:

Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions

East Region Breakdown and Predictions

South Region Breakdown and Predictions

West Region Breakdown and Predictions

And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 ACC Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

Last week, well before the final seedings were final, I previewed the 2009 ACC Tournament and broke down the storied history of perhaps the greatest conference tournament in all of college basketball. It is certainly the longest and most consistent, having been played every year since 1954.

Either Duke or North Carolina has won every ACC Tournament except for one (2004, Maryland) since 1997. North Carolina has won four times during that span, the first two and the last two, while Duke has won the six other ACC titles during that time frame.

Will the Dookies or Tar Heels come away with the title this year? Let’s…break it down. (After we give you a helpful link to buy tickets, should you be planning on attending any of the games in the 2009 ACC Tournament bracket.)

StubHub Tickets: 2009 ACC Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

First, let’s take a look at the bracket, which you can see below:

Game	Date	Matchup	Time	TV
1	Thu, March 12	#8 Virginia Tech def. #9 Miami 47	12:00 ET	RAYCOM
2	Thu, March 12	#12 Georgia Tech v #5 Clemson 86-81	2:00 ET	RAYCOM
3	Thu, March 12	#7 Maryland def. #10 NC State 74-69	7:00 ET	ESPN2
4	Thu, March 12	#6 Boston College def. #11 Virginia 76-63	9:00 ET	RAYCOM

5	Fri, March 13	#1 North Carolina def. #8 Virginia Tech 79-76	12:00 ET	RAYCOM/ESPN2
6	Fri, March 13	#4 Florida State def. #12 Georgia Tech 64-62	2:00 ET	RAYCOM/ESPN2
7	Fri, March 13	#7 Maryland def. #2 Wake Forest 75-64	7:00 ET	RAYCOM/ESPN2
8	Fri, March 13	#3 Duke def. #6 Boston College 66-65	9:00 ET	RAYCOM/ESPN2

9	Sat, March 14	#4 Florida State def. #1 North Carolina 73-70	1:30 ET	RAYCOM/ESPN
10	Sat, March 14	#3 Duke def. #7 Maryland 67-61	3:30 ET	RAYCOM/ESPN

11	Sun, March 15	#3 Duke def. #4 Florida State 79-69	1:00 ET	RAYCOM/ESPN

ACC Mens Basketball Tournament Schedule: Bracket, Times, TV

Game Date Matchup Time TV

1 Thu, March 12 #8 Virginia Tech def. #9 Miami 47 12:00 ET RAYCOM

2 Thu, March 12 #12 Georgia Tech v #5 Clemson 86-81 2:00 ET RAYCOM

3 Thu, March 12 #7 Maryland def. #10 NC State 74-69 7:00 ET ESPN2

4 Thu, March 12 #6 Boston College def. #11 Virginia 76-63 9:00 ET RAYCOM

5 Fri, March 13 #1 North Carolina def. #8 Virginia Tech 79-76 12:00 ET RAYCOM/ESPN2

6 Fri, March 13 #4 Florida State def. #12 Georgia Tech 64-62 2:00 ET RAYCOM/ESPN2

7 Fri, March 13 #7 Maryland def. #2 Wake Forest 75-64 7:00 ET RAYCOM/ESPN2

8 Fri, March 13 #3 Duke def. #6 Boston College 66-65 9:00 ET RAYCOM/ESPN2

9 Sat, March 14 #4 Florida State def. #1 North Carolina 73-70 1:30 ET RAYCOM/ESPN

10 Sat, March 14 #3 Duke def. #7 Maryland 67-61 3:30 ET RAYCOM/ESPN

11 Sun, March 15 #3 Duke def. #4 Florida State 79-69 1:00 ET RAYCOM/ESPN

And quickly, here are the ACC Tournament Odds (from OffShoreInsiders.com):

North Carolina odds: -275
Duke odds: +325
Wake Forest odds: +500
Clemson odds: +1000
Florida State odds: +1500
Boston College odds: +2000
Virginia Tech odds: +3000
Miami odds: +3000
Maryland odds: +3000
Field odds (any other team): +5000

The fun begins on Thursday when Virginia Tech and Miami kick off the bracket for the 2009 ACC Tournament. I’ll start there and then give you my best educated guesses all the way through the championship game.

ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Thursday Games

Virginia Tech beat Miami 88-83 in their only meeting this year, but I still like the ‘Canes and Jack McClinton to win this one. Miami has won 3 out of 4 after losing three tough games to the upper division teams in the ACC. Two of those were close losses at Duke (78-75) and at home to North Carolina (69-65). The recent road loss to Georgia Tech doesn’t look great, but Virginia Tech is reeling from 6 losses in their last 7 games. Miami wins.

Like almost everyone else in the ACC, Clemson beat Georgia Tech twice this season. There is really nothing that leads me to believe they won’t beat them a third time. Clemson has lost three out of four heading into this game, but is just a better team overall. Clemson wins.

Maryland is perhaps the hardest team to figure out in the ACC. Earlier this year they got waxed by Clemson 93-64 and then beat North Carolina their next time out. Since that victory over the Tar Heels, Maryland has lost three out of four, with the only win coming on the road at NC State in the teams’ only meeting of the year. The Wolfpack have also lost three out of four coming in, and based on that one earlier meeting I have to give the edge to Maryland. Maryland wins.

Boston College won on the road at Virginia in the teams’ only meeting this season, and two out of their last three victories are over top 25 teams Duke and Florida State. Virginia has lost four out of five coming in and dropped 8 out of their first 9 conference games. Boston College wins.

ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Friday Games

Based on my first round predictions, North Carolina and Miami will be matching up in round two. I like the fact that Miami has a superb individual player like McClinton, but the Tar Heels are the #1 team in the country for a reason. Tyler Hansbrough isn’t going out in the first game of his last ACC Tournament. Sorry Miami, but North Carolina wins.

In my hypothetical bracket, Florida State will take on Clemson, which should be a great matchup. Florida State beat Clemson both times they played this season, but the games were close. And the Tigers proved they can play with the top teams in the ACC by beating Duke earlier this year. I like Clemson coming off the momentum of their first round victory to pull the mini-upset, at least according to the seeds (but not according to the top 25 rankings, where Clemson is ranked higher). Clemson wins.

Maryland versus Wake Forest could be an outstanding game…depending on which Maryland team shows up. They played once this year, at Maryland, and Wake Forest won 65-63. The Demon Deacons are on a roll, having won four in a row and six out of seven. Maryland is capable of winning this game, but they have just been too inconsistent this year. Wake Forest wins.

And the final Friday game would be Boston College and Duke. BC beat Duke in their only meeting of the season, but the Dookies have won five out of six coming into the tournament. I really want to pick BC, and I would not be surprised if they won; but I think Duke eeks out the victory. Duke wins.

ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Semi-Final Saturday Games

North Carolina would play Clemson while Wake Forest would play Duke in my hypothetical bracket. We’ll get the UNC-Clemson game out of the way real quick: I think North Carolina wins. UNC already spanked Clemson once this season and they’re on a big time roll, winning 12 out of 13. Clemson might make a game of it, but North Carolina is too good and is playing for a #1 seed.

In the other game, the road team won both Duke-Wake Forest meetings this season. In a game between two teams that are this close, the team with the best player usually wins. I think Jeff Teague will be the best player on floor, so the edge goes to Wake Forest.

ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Championship Sunday

North Carolina versus Wake Forest for the ACC Championship. I realize I didn’t really step out onto a limb picking the #1 and #2 seeds to make it all the way to the finals. However, I am stepping out on a limb right here: Wake Forest wins to put a partial stop to the Duke-UNC domination of the ACC Tournament. Wake beat UNC earlier this year in Winston-Salem, and I think they can do it again.

If North Carolina plays D, they are the best team in the country; however, they have been inconsistent. Sorry Tyler Hansbrough, but your ACC career will end with a loss.

(Now, take note of these predictions and go out and bet the complete opposite. It is a proven money maker!)

Filed Under: CBB, Featured Column Tagged With: acc, CBB, Jeff Teague, March Madness, Tyler Hansbrough

Video: Dwyane Wade’s Marvelous Hardcourt Omnipotence Brings Out MVP Talk, Brad Miller’s Pouty Face

March 10, 2009 By Jerod Morris 2 Comments

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As if we needed more reason to believe that Dwyane Wade is one of the biggest badasses in sports — and a legit NBA MVP candidate this year — he gave us one last night.

D-Wade and the Heat were in Chicago (wrong, the game was in Miami — thank you to the commenter who pointed out my brain fart) to battle the Bulls and the game ultimately went to double overtime. As you will see in the video below, Dwyane Wade saved his best moment of the game for last to give the Heat a thrilling victory and improve their record to 34-29. Wade finished with 48 points (5-6 from 3-point range, 15-21 overall), 6 rebounds, and 12 assists — yet another superhuman performance from one of the NBA’s three best players (with LeBron and Kobe).

He is simply incredible.

As you will see in the video below, sent to us by Robert at Black Sports Online, the Heat and Bulls were tied near the end of the second overtime when Wade came up with a steal and then flashed his hardcourt omnipotence for all to see.

(And hilariously, the immortal pouty face of Purdue grad Brad Miller also makes a cameo appearance in the video.)

Video: Dwyane Wade Double-OT Buzzer Beater Lifts Heat Over Bulls

For the season, Dwyane Wade is averaging 29.8 points, 7.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 steals. He has the Heat at 5th in Eastern Conference standings with a lineup around him that includes old reliable Udonis Haslem, the bodies who used to be Jermaine O’Neal and Shawn Marion, and rookies Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers.

It has seemed like a two-horse race for MVP all season between LeBron and Kobe, but Wade’s ridiculous play since the All-Star break (three 40-point games in his last five, for instance) has firmly planted his name right beside theirs.

Who will be the 2008-09 NBA MVP?

LeBron

Kobe

D-Wade

View Results

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When Dwyane Wade is healthy, there is no one more fun to watch in the league. I really hope we get to see he and LeBron go at it come playoff time. And you can bet that the video above will not the last amazing Dwyane Wade highlight of this season — maybe not even this week. He is rolling, and if his teammates come to play in the postseason, the Heat are going to cause teams some major headaches in the playoffs.

Dwyane Wade photo credit: ESPN.com

Filed Under: Featured Column, NBA Tagged With: Chicago Bulls, Dwyane Wade, kobe bryant, lebron james, Miami Heat, NBA

The Anchor’s Desk with Scott Reister: How to Get Your Local Sports Anchor to Cover Your Team

March 10, 2009 By Scott-Reister 2 Comments

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The local news is the best place to get coverage of your local high school, college, and pro teams. For a fan at home, itâ€™s a wonderful thing — unless your team is continuously getting ignored every time the weatherman tosses to the sports desk.

Of course your big-name professional and D-1 teams will get their standard 0:30-1:00 of airtime each night. Iâ€™m talking about the local high school or medium-sized college team that has an equally passionate following.

How do they decide what to show in that three minutes of sports each night? What can you do to influence those decisions? What should you never do? Here are the answers, coming straight from a sports anchor himself.

You have to understand that your local sports department is a not your own personal ESPN-sized operation dedicated to your specific zip code. Nowadays, local TV sports departments consist of 1-3 people in the office on any given night. With layoffs sweeping the industry, that number is lower and lower everywhere you look. And these people have a LOT of ground to cover, usually a multi-state region consisting of hundreds of high schools and handfuls of colleges.

Time to put yourself in my shoes and discover the decision-making process. Hereâ€™s how I choose whether or not to go to your school’s game:

First and foremost: Can I physically get there and get back to the station in time to get it on the news?

Between my 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. show, I maybe have one hour total to get to an event, shoot video, and drive back.

If your team is playing more than 30 minutes away from the station, your chances of getting airtime just took a big hit. In the time it takes to go out to your school and shoot one game, I could shoot video at three different games and have more content on the news that night?

Next thing I consider? Newsworthiness.

Is your team any good? Is it a big game? That helps your cause. But I still have to weigh it against the time constraints, what else is going on that night, and whether I believe that enough people care. If I show up at a 1A high school basketball game and there are 30 people in the stands, did that event really deserve TV coverage?

Be your school’s PR person and give me a reason to go.

E-mail/call ahead of time to tell the TV station about the big event. Even better, give me an interesting angle or news hook that I can follow up on.

Perfect example: A coach called me to tell me about her gymnast that was heading to some national meet, it was a big deal, etc. I was just about to tell her how I didnâ€™t have time to make it, but then she mentioned how this kid just had his appendix removed a few days ago, and was still performing.

BINGO!

I got a great story. So I went and did a story on that amazing turn of events. I Never would have gone without that compelling story to cover. Find an angle and a reason to get me there. Itâ€™ll increase your chances every time.

Also, act as a PR person and provide all the vital information. Donâ€™t assume the news knows about your big game. Call in and report your score. Even if the cameras werenâ€™t there, stations may still want to run the score, especially on a Friday night. If you call me Iâ€™ll probably run it, if you donâ€™t call and I donâ€™t have the information, thereâ€™s no way you get mentioned. Call in scores.

When requesting coverage, donâ€™t be a jerk

When you call or email a local TV sports department, realize they are not obligated to cover your school, and donâ€™t talk to them like they have done some great injustice by not preaching to the world how great your schoolâ€™s JV underwater basket weaving team is. Starting to vent your frustrations at the sports guy will have the opposite affect.

Be polite, say what is happening, provide contact info, plus offer an interesting angle about the event. Donâ€™t assume we know about your game.

Whenever I handle these situations, I quote the great Rod Tidwell from Jerry Maguire: â€œHelp me, help you.â€

Hope that helps. Enjoy the games.

Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.

To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com

Filed Under: Anchor's Desk, Featured Column Tagged With: scott reister, sports reporting

Twins Updates 5.9.09 | Scott Baker Signs Four Year Extension

March 9, 2009 By Tyler George 1 Comment

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Things have been a little slow around Twins camp this week, but here’s a quick update on a few happenings around Twins Nation:

1) Scott Baker signed a four year extension to remain a Twin last week. The deal is worth $15.25M over the course of the contract with a $9.25M dollar option the following year. This is a great move for Minnesota as they locked in their opening day starter for years to come at an excellent price. Baker, 27, posted a 3.45 ERA last season over 172 innings pitched.

Blogs on the signing:
Joe C
Twinkie Town
SethSpeaks

2) Some rumors are indicating that Minnesota is opening up talks about signing Joe Mauer long term.Â Most fans actually expect Mauer to remain a Twin despite big dollar clubs seeking to ‘buy’ him as he is a native of Minnesota and loves playing for the team.Â Â

3) The Twins are still eyeing Â RP Chad Cordero and are wanting to see more progress before making an offer.Â Several teams seem to have some level of interest.

4) Thank god we didn’t sign Eric Gagne -Â It’s reported that the Brewers will not take him back and that his shoulderÂ problems areÂ worse than originally thought. Apparently we had a $3M guarenteed offer posted for him a few weeks ago.

5) Minnesota officially signed 27 players this past week including Liriano, Perkins, Blackburn, and Slowey.Â

6) Joe Nathan is apparently fine. He said his shoulder felt ‘great’ after reporting soreness in it earlier in the week.

7) Minnesota’s presence in the World Baseball Classic is really being felt as Nick Punto and Justin Moreneau have combined to go 1 for 9 in losing efforts.Â

The Twins are still cruising through Spring Training and are eyeing a Grapefruit League title! Until then, expect things to be slow until the latter part of March. Here’s to staying healthy in March.

Filed Under: Featured Column, MLB Tagged With: joe mauer, minnesota twins, MLB, Scott Baker

Pac-10 Tournament Preview: Who cares? Oh yeah, President Obama does.

March 9, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

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We did not do a Pac 10 Tournament Preview this year at MSF…but Matt did at DSF. Follow the link to DSF’s Pac 10 Tournament Preview.

Okay, I lied.

I said I was done with the college basketball conference tournament previews, but after doing five out of the six BCS conferences I had to add the last one.

So here we are, discussing the Pac-10 Tournament.

Before we get too far into this, a quick preview of the 2009 Pac-10 Mens Basketball Tournament:

What: 12th Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament

Dates: March 11 – March 14

Tournament Site: Staples Center — Los Angeles, California

Official Website: 2009 Pac-10 Tournament

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

Is it just me or does the Pac-10 seem especially irrelevant this year? I am a die-hard Big Ten fan, and obviously the Big Ten has taken its fair share of flack in recent years — and deservedly so. But I can tell you right now that unless the matchups are just ridiculous, I doubt I will have an Pac-10 teams advancing past Round 2 in the NCAA Tournament.

And while that may have more to do with my lack of knowledge and exposure to the Pac-10 than it does with any in-depth analysis, it goes to prove my point that the Pac-10 has seemed especially under-exposed and irrelevant this season.

Take a look at the most recent college basketball rankings. Washington is the highest rated Pac-10 team at #16. Then UCLA and Arizona State check in at #’s 19 and 20. By way of contrast, the Big Ten has Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois in the Top 25, at #8, #19, and #23 respectively. And while the differences are not huge, the Big Ten does at least have one team in the top 10.

But, the Big Ten does not have a team like UCLA that has been to three straight Final Fours. The Big Ten also does not have President Obama’s brother-in-law coaching one of its teams.

So maybe I am just biased and Midwest-centric and the Pac-10 isn’t that down this year. But what did you expect? This site isn’t called Pacific Coast Sports Fans. At least I’m trying to expand my horizons and learn more about the other conference tournaments going on this week.

For those interested, the schedule and bracket for the 2009 Pac 10 Tournament is below. If you are thinking about attending any of the games, here is a useful link to the StubHub page for Pac 10 Tournament tickets. You should be able to find as good a price there as anywhere:

2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets

Game	Date	Matchup	Time	TV
1	Wed, March 11	#9 Stanford def. #8 Oregon State 62-54	6:00 PM	FSN
2	Wed, March 11	#7 Washington State def. #10 Oregon 62-40	8:30 PM	FSN

3	Thu, March 12	#4 Arizona State def. #5 Arizona 68-56	12:00 PM	FSN
4	Thu, March 12	#1 Washington def. #9 Stanford 85-73	2:30 PM	FSN
5	Thu, March 12	#6 USC def. #3 California 79-75	6:00 PM	FSN
6	Thu, March 12	#2 UCLA def. Game #7 Washington State 64-53	8:30 PM	FSN

7	Fri, March 13	#4 Arizona State def. #1 Washington 75-65	6:00 PM	FSN
8	Fri, March 13	#6 USC def. #2 UCLA 65-55	8:30 PM	FSN

11	Sat, March 14	#6 USC def. #4 Arizona State 66-63	5:00 PM	ESPN

2009 Pac 10 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket

Game Date Matchup Time TV

1 Wed, March 11 #9 Stanford def. #8 Oregon State 62-54 6:00 PM FSN

2 Wed, March 11 #7 Washington State def. #10 Oregon 62-40 8:30 PM FSN

3 Thu, March 12 #4 Arizona State def. #5 Arizona 68-56 12:00 PM FSN

4 Thu, March 12 #1 Washington def. #9 Stanford 85-73 2:30 PM FSN

5 Thu, March 12 #6 USC def. #3 California 79-75 6:00 PM FSN

6 Thu, March 12 #2 UCLA def. Game #7 Washington State 64-53 8:30 PM FSN

7 Fri, March 13 #4 Arizona State def. #1 Washington 75-65 6:00 PM FSN

8 Fri, March 13 #6 USC def. #2 UCLA 65-55 8:30 PM FSN

11 Sat, March 14 #6 USC def. #4 Arizona State 66-63 5:00 PM ESPN

(Note: Follow the link for a printable 2009 Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament Bracket.)

The Pac-10 Tournament is a lot like the Big 10 and Big 12 Tournaments in that there is not a lot of history. The Pac-10 actually started their conference tournament before the Big 10 and Big 12, back in 1987, but the first iteration only lasted four years because of poor attendance and coach opposition. It came back in 2002 and will be in place until at least 2012, with all future Pac-10 Tournaments scheduled at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Here is your breakdown of the past champions, tournament MVPs, and tourney sites:

Year	Pac 10 Tournament Champion	Score	Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up	MVP	Site
1987	UCLA	76-64	Washington	Reggie Miller, UCLA	Pauley Pavilion (LA)
1988	Arizona	93-67	Oregon State	Sean Elliott, Arizona	McKale Center (Tucson)
1989	Arizona	73-51	Stanford	Sean Elliott, Arizona	Great Western Forum (Inglewood)
1990	Arizona	94-78	UCLA	Jud Buechler, Arizona	University Activity Center (Tempe)

2002	Arizona	81-71	USC	Luke Walton, Arizona	Staples Center (LA)
2003	Oregon	74-66	USC	Luke Ridnour, Oregon	Staples Center (LA)
2004	Stanford	77-66	Washington	Josh Childress, Stanford	Staples Center (LA)
2005	Washington	81-72	Arizona	Salim Stoudamire, Arizona	Staples Center (LA)
2006	UCLA	71-52	California	Leon Powe, California	Staples Center (LA)
2007	Oregon	81-57	USC	Tajuan Porter, Oregon	Staples Center (LA)
2008	UCLA	67-64	Stanford	Darren Collison, UCLA	Staples Center (LA)
2009	USC	66-63	Arizona St.	DeMar DeRozen, USC	Staples Center (LA)
2010	Washington	79-75	California	Isaiah Thomas, Washington	Staples Center (LA)
2011	Washington	77-75	Arizona	Isaiah Thomas, Washington	Staples Center (LA)

Pac 10 Tournament History: Champions, Locations, MVPs

Year Pac 10 Tournament Champion Score Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up MVP Site

1987 UCLA 76-64 Washington Reggie Miller, UCLA Pauley Pavilion (LA)

1988 Arizona 93-67 Oregon State Sean Elliott, Arizona McKale Center (Tucson)

1989 Arizona 73-51 Stanford Sean Elliott, Arizona Great Western Forum (Inglewood)

1990 Arizona 94-78 UCLA Jud Buechler, Arizona University Activity Center (Tempe)

2002 Arizona 81-71 USC Luke Walton, Arizona Staples Center (LA)

2003 Oregon 74-66 USC Luke Ridnour, Oregon Staples Center (LA)

2004 Stanford 77-66 Washington Josh Childress, Stanford Staples Center (LA)

2005 Washington 81-72 Arizona Salim Stoudamire, Arizona Staples Center (LA)

2006 UCLA 71-52 California Leon Powe, California Staples Center (LA)

2007 Oregon 81-57 USC Tajuan Porter, Oregon Staples Center (LA)

2008 UCLA 67-64 Stanford Darren Collison, UCLA Staples Center (LA)

2009 USC 66-63 Arizona St. DeMar DeRozen, USC Staples Center (LA)

2010 Washington 79-75 California Isaiah Thomas, Washington Staples Center (LA)

2011 Washington 77-75 Arizona Isaiah Thomas, Washington Staples Center (LA)

(Note: Follow the link for more background on the Pac-10 Tournament)

And with that, our week-long look at the major conference postseason mens basketball tournaments is complete. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this impromptu series of posts and have learned a little something about these March Madness appetizers that we will treated to this week.

The conference tournaments always play a huge hand in shaking up the final Field of 64 brackets, and always seems to provide ample drama and excitement. I how I can’t wait for them to kick off and build the momentum for Selection Sunday.

Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com

Filed Under: CBB, Sports History Tagged With: barack obama, CBB, March Madness, Pac 10

Big Ten Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Can Bo Ryan, Badgers Go All the Way?

March 9, 2009 By Jerod Morris 9 Comments

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The 2010 Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament preview post is live.

——————–

Well, to nobody’s surprise the Hoosiers fell short in Madison today. Verdell Jones and Nick Williams gave a tremendous effort, but it wasn’t good enough against a Badger team that has had the Hoosiers number over the latter half of the this decade.
(Whispered side note: How much has Verdell Jones improved since the beginning of the year? He went from a meek freshman who looked terrified when the ball was in his hands to a confident guard with a solid combination of inside/outside scoring ability. Don’t look now, but Tom Crean may be the developing his first All Big Ten player for the future…)

Anyway, now that the Big Ten regular season is over, it is time for the 2009 Big Ten Tournament. Before we break down the bracket and schedule, here are a couple of links that might interest you as a Big Ten fan — especially if you are thinking about going to the games:

Big Ten Tournament History – Past Champions and Locations

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big Ten Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

Real quick, here are the final Big 10 standings for 2009:

Michigan State 15-3 (25-5)
Illinois 11-7 (23-8)
Purdue 11-7 (22-9)
Ohio State 10-8 (20-9)
Wisconsin 10-8 (19-11)
Penn State 10-8 (21-10)
Michigan 9-9 (19-12)
Minnesota 9-9 (21-9)
Northwestern 8-10 (17-12)
Iowa 5-13 (15-16)
Indiana 1-17 (6-24)

Now let’s take a look at the 2009 Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament bracket. The final seedings came down to the last game of the regular season after a crazy Big Ten season in which so many teams were jumbled up in the middle of the pack. But here is how things will shake out when the Big Ten tournament begins on Thursday:

Game	Date	Matchup	Time	TV
1	Thu, March 12	#8 Minnesota def. #9 Northwestern 66-53	12:00 ET	Big Ten Network
2	Thu, March 12	#7 Michigan def. #10 Iowa 72-45	2:30 ET	ESPN2
3	Thu, March 12	#6 Penn State def. #11 Indiana 66-51	5:00 ET	ESPN2

4	Fri, March 13	#1 Michigan State def. #8 Minnesota 64-56	12:00 ET	ESPN
5	Fri, March 13	#5 Ohio State def. #4 Wisconsin 61-57	2:30 ET	ESPN
6	Fri, March 13	#2 Illinois def. #7 Michigan 60-50	6:30 ET	Big Ten Network
7	Fri, March 13	#3 Purdue def. #6 Penn State 79-65	9:00 ET	Big Ten Network

8	Sat, March 14	#5 Ohio State def. #1 Michigan State 82-70	1:40 ET	CBS
9	Sat, March 14	#3 Purdue def. #2 Illinois 66-56	4:00 ET	CBS

10	Sun, March 15	#3 Purdue def. #5 Ohio State 65-61	3:30 ET	CBS

2009 Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament Schedule and Bracket

Game Date Matchup Time TV

1 Thu, March 12 #8 Minnesota def. #9 Northwestern 66-53 12:00 ET Big Ten Network

2 Thu, March 12 #7 Michigan def. #10 Iowa 72-45 2:30 ET ESPN2

3 Thu, March 12 #6 Penn State def. #11 Indiana 66-51 5:00 ET ESPN2

4 Fri, March 13 #1 Michigan State def. #8 Minnesota 64-56 12:00 ET ESPN

5 Fri, March 13 #5 Ohio State def. #4 Wisconsin 61-57 2:30 ET ESPN

6 Fri, March 13 #2 Illinois def. #7 Michigan 60-50 6:30 ET Big Ten Network

7 Fri, March 13 #3 Purdue def. #6 Penn State 79-65 9:00 ET Big Ten Network

8 Sat, March 14 #5 Ohio State def. #1 Michigan State 82-70 1:40 ET CBS

9 Sat, March 14 #3 Purdue def. #2 Illinois 66-56 4:00 ET CBS

10 Sun, March 15 #3 Purdue def. #5 Ohio State 65-61 3:30 ET CBS

And here are some quick predictions, which almost surely will prove to be false:

Thursday Big Ten Tournament Predictions:

Northwestern is having one of the best seasons in school history and holding onto the slimmest of hopes for an NCAA Tournament berth. I think they find a way against Minnesota. Michigan is also playing for an NCAA Tournament berth and needs a win over Iowa to help their chances. I think they get it. And I think Indiana exacts revenge on Penn State for the one that slipped away a couple weeks ago in Happy Valley. Is this prediction more with my heart than my head? Absolutely. I don’t care. Indiana plays on to Friday!

Friday Big Ten Tournament Predictions:

If my predictions come true, then Michigan State plays Northwestern in the first game Friday. The Wildcats pulled off one of the upset of the year when they beat the Spartans in East Lansing this year. The element of surprise will not be there for Northwestern this time and Michigan State moves on — while Northwestern goes to the NIT. A great season for the Wildcats, and congratulations to Bill Carmody.

Wisconsin plays Ohio State, and I really like how the Badgers are playing right now. They will be too tough for the Buckeyes and their superb forward Evan Turner. Illinois will take on Michigan, and I think they will beat them. The Illini are just a more consistent team.

Then look who will play in the final game on Friday…Indiana and Purdue! Yet another reasonw why I think the Hoosiers will win Thursday night. How can we have a season in which the Hoosiers and Boilermakers only play one? Seriously? And as much as it pains me to do this, I can’t be completely foolish. I think Purdue would win the rematch. They are simply a much better team this year, but things will begin evening out starting next year.

Saturday Big Ten Tournament Predictions:

My picks thus far have set up semifinal games between Michigan State-Wisconsin and Purdue-Illinois. There is just something that I really like about the way Wisconsin is playing right now. I think Michigan State is the better pick to do some damage in the Big Dance, but I like the Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament. They advance. And Illinois just seems to playing better than Purdue right now. I’m picking the Illini, with Purdue a little weary after a knock down-drag out battle with the Hoosiers on Friday.

Big Ten Tournament Championship Sunday Prediction:

I’ve got Wisconsin and Illinois in the Big Ten Championship Game, and I like the Badgers to win it. They struggled early in the year, but Bo Ryan has them playing solid, smash-mouth basketball again. They found their stroke again earlier today and I think the Badgers at their best are better than Illinois at their best. And in a battle between Bo Ryan and Bruce Weber, I give the edge to Ryan.

Besides, look at that picture. Would you want to pick against that man?

So, if you are thinking of placing any bets on the 2009 Big Ten Tournament, you would be wise to pick the exact opposite of what you just read. History has proven that your odds will be greatly enhanced! Either way, the Big Ten Tournament always seems to provide typical March Madness drama: great games, darkhorses making deep runs, and hard-fought battles between teams that know eachother well.

I’m just glad the Hoosiers have one final chance to try and notch a second victory. They sure have earned it, and I’ll be cheering my ass off Thursday night hoping they get it.

Bo Ryan photo credit: AP Photo/Brian Kersey

Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com

Filed Under: Big Ten Basketball, CBB, Featured Column Tagged With: 2009 Big Ten Tournament, Bo Ryan, CBB, verdell jones, Wisconsin Badgers basketball

Big 12 Basketball Tournament Preview: Can Kansas, Bill Self Four-Peat?

March 8, 2009 By Jerod Morris 9 Comments

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My Hoosiers play Wisconsin tonight in the final regular season game for both, and then we get one step closer to the height of March Madness with conference tournament week. So far, we provided our Big 10 Tournament Preview, ACC Tournament Preview, SEC Tournament Preview, and Big East Tournament Preview.

This afternoon we add one more to the list: the 2009 Big 12 Tournament Preview.

Before we get into the specifics, here is your quick preview of the 2009 Big 12 Conference Mens Basketball Tournament:

What: 13th Big 12 Men Basketball Tournament

Location: Ford Center — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Dates: March 11 – March 14

Official Website: 2009 Big 12 Tournament

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

This year’s Big 12 Tournament features a #1 seed that on the one hand you expect to be at the top — considering they have won the Big 12 Tournament three years in a row and six times overall. However, this year’s Big 12 Tournament #1 seed is also unlikely considering their standing in the preseason polls. I am talking, of course, about defending Big 12 and National Champion Kansas, which features my choice for National Coach of the Year: Bill Self.

Here are a few reasons why I think Bill Self should be National Coach of the Year:

Preseason polls may be relatively meaningless, but they are good gauge of how much proven talent a team has returning from one year to the next. The Jayhawks were ranked #24 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, and #23 in the preseason Coaches Top 25 Poll. Currently, Kansas is ranked #9 in both the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls.
Kansas lost three of its most important players off of last year’s National Championship team: Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, and 2008 Big 12 Tournament MOP Brandon Rush. Yet, Self has rebuilt Kansas around the junior-sophomore-freshman trio of Sherron Collins-Cole Aldrich-Tyshawn Taylor.
It is always harder to repeat, as the cliche goes. Yet the Jawhawks battled through a tough Big 12 conference to capture the regular season crown and are poised to get as high as a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing.

The best coaches in college basketball are the ones who can continuously reload and always have their team competing at the highest level. Florida and Billy Donovan repeated with the same team two years in a row — but look at Florida now. They have not been a Top 25 team two years running. Bill Self has a completely different team than last season and Kansas heads into its conference tournament with the #1 seed.

Don’t get me wrong: Jeff Capel of Oklahoma and Mike Anderson at Missouri have also done tremendous jobs this season, as the three top teams in the Big 12 all outperformed preseason expectations. As always, there are plenty of worthy candidates for National Coach of the Year, but considering what he lost and the disparity between the preseason expectations and in-season success, I have to give my vote to Bill Self.

He looks like Jon Arbuckle from the Garfield comics, but he coaches as well as anyone in the business right now.

So, how does the 2009 Big 12 Tournament shape up? Here is the TV schedule and bracket, based on the final 2009 Big 12 Standings:

2009 Big 12 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket

Game	Date	Matchup	Time	TV
1	Wed, March 11	#9 Baylor def. #8 Nebraska 65-49	11:30 AM	Big 12 Network
2	Wed, March 11	#5 Texas def. #12 Colorado 67-56	2:00 PM	Big 12 Network
3	Wed, March 11	#7 Oklahoma State def. #10 Iowa State 81-67	6:00 PM	Big 12 Network
4	Wed, March 11	#11 Texas Tech def. #6 Texas A&M 88-83	8:30 PM	Big 12 Network

5	Thu, March 12	#9 Baylor def. #1 Kansas 71-64	11:30 AM	ESPN2
6	Thu, March 12	#5 Texas def. #4 Kansas State 61-58	2:00 PM	Big 12 Network
7	Thu, March 12	#7 Oklahoma State def. #2 Oklahoma 71-70	6:00 PM	Big 12 Network
8	Thu, March 12	#3 Missouri def. #11 Texas Tech 81-60	8:30 PM	ESPN2

9	Fri, March 13	#9 Baylor def. #5 Texas 76-70	6:00 PM	Big 12 Network
10	Fri, March 13	#3 Missouri def. #7 Oklahoma State 67-59	8:30 PM	Big 12 Network

11	Sat, March 14	#3 Missouri def. #9 Baylor 73-60	5:00 PM	ESPN

[Note: Follow the link to view the Big 12 Tournament bracket at the official Big 12 Tournament website.]

The Big 12 Tournament is a lot like the Big 10 tournament: usually very exciting, but without the storied history of longer-standing conference tournaments like the ACC and SEC. Still, as the Big 12 Tournament approaches, historical perspective is always helpful. Below, you will find a breakdown of each of the 12 previous Big 12 Conference Tournaments. As you can see, the 12 years are bookended by Kansas three-peats. Can they make it a four-peat this year? We shall see.

Big 12 Tournament History: Champions and MOPs

Year	Big 12 Tournament Champion	Score	Big 12 Tournament Runner-Up	MOP	Site
1997	#1 Kansas	87-60	#10 Missouri	Paul Pierce, Kansas	Kansas City
1998	#1 Kansas	72-58	#3 Oklahoma	Paul Pierce, Kansas	Kansas City
1999	#3 Kansas	53-37	#5 Oklahoma State	Jeff Boschee, Kansas	Kansas City
2000	#1 Iowa State	70-58	#3 Oklahoma	Marcus Fizer, Iowa State	Kansas City
2001	#3 Oklahoma	54-45	#4 Texas	Nolan Johnson, Oklahoma	Kansas City
2002	#2 Oklahoma	64-55	#1 Kansas	Hollis Price, Oklahoma	Kansas City
2003	#3 Oklahoma	49-47	#5 Missouri	Hollis Price, Oklahoma	Dallas
2004	#1 Oklahoma State	65-49	#2 Texas	Tony Allen, Oklahoma State	Dallas
2005	#3 Oklahoma State	72-68	#4 Texas Tech	Joey Graham, Oklahoma State	Kansas City
2006	#2 Kansas	80-68	#1 Texas	Mario Chalmers, Kansas	Dallas
2007	#1 Kansas	88-84	#3 Texas	Kevin Durant, Texas	Oklahoma City
2008	#3 Kansas	84-74	#1 Texas	Brandon Rush, Kansas	Kansas City
2009	#3 Missouri	73-60	#9 Baylor	DeMarre Carroll, Missouri	Oklahoma City
2010	#1 Kansas	72-64	#2 Kansas State	Sherron Collins, Kansas	Kansas City
2011	#1 Kansas	85-73	#2 Texas	Marcus Morris, Kansas	Kansas City

You can also find a breakdown of the Won/Loss record for each team at the Big 12 Tournament wikipedia page.

Enjoy the tournament. An Oklahoma title probably gives the Sooners a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas probably locks up a #2 seed with a Big 12 Tournament title. But perhaps Missouri, Texas, or a first day darkhorse can spoil the top dogs’ fun and provide a drama next Saturday.

Filed Under: CBB, Featured Column, Uncategorized Tagged With: 2009 Big 12 Tournament, Big 12 basketball, Bill Self, CBB, Kansas Jayhawks, March Madness

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If you came to this page looking for picks and predictions for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we’ve got you covered.

Follow the link to our 2009 NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Picks all the way through the Final Four.

Or, you can view them by region:

Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions East Region Breakdown and Predictions South Region Breakdown and Predictions West Region Breakdown and Predictions And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 Big 12 Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

Links: Big 12 Tournament History: Past Champions and MVPs StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

2009 Big 12 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Wednesday Games

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Thursday Games

Big 12 Tournament Bracket and Predictions: Friday Games

Big 12 Tournament Championship Game on Saturday

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If you came to this page looking for picks and predictions for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we’ve got you covered.

Follow the link to our 2009 NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Picks all the way through the Final Four.

Or, you can view them by region:

Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions East Region Breakdown and Predictions South Region Breakdown and Predictions West Region Breakdown and Predictions And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 ACC Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

StubHub Tickets: 2009 ACC Basketball Tournament Tickets StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

ACC Mens Basketball Tournament Schedule: Bracket, Times, TV

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What: 12th Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament Dates: March 11 – March 14 Tournament Site: Staples Center — Los Angeles, California Official Website: 2009 Pac-10 Tournament StubHub Tickets: 2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

2009 Pac 10 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket

Pac 10 Tournament History: Champions, Locations, MVPs

The 2010 Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament preview post is live.

Big Ten Tournament History – Past Champions and Locations StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big Ten Basketball Tournament Tickets StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

2009 Big Ten Mens Basketball Tournament Schedule and Bracket

What: 13th Big 12 Men Basketball Tournament Location: Ford Center — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Dates: March 11 – March 14 Official Website: 2009 Big 12 Tournament StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

2009 Big 12 Tournament TV Schedule and Bracket

Big 12 Tournament History: Champions and MOPs

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Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions

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And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 Big 12 Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

Links:

Big 12 Tournament History: Past Champions and MVPs

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

Midwest Region Breakdown and Predictions

East Region Breakdown and Predictions

South Region Breakdown and Predictions

West Region Breakdown and Predictions

And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 ACC Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.

StubHub Tickets: 2009 ACC Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

What: 12th Pac 10 Mens Basketball Tournament

Dates: March 11 – March 14

Tournament Site: Staples Center — Los Angeles, California

Official Website: 2009 Pac-10 Tournament

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Pac 10 Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

Big Ten Tournament History – Past Champions and Locations

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big Ten Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets

What: 13th Big 12 Men Basketball Tournament

Location: Ford Center — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Dates: March 11 – March 14

Official Website: 2009 Big 12 Tournament

StubHub Tickets: 2009 Big 12 Basketball Tournament Tickets

StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets