A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
Maybe it’s simply a factor of having 345 Division One teams, but there is never a shortage of exciting finishes, confounding losses, and clutch performances, all of which add up to make college basketball so compelling on a nightly basis. It also lends itself to a roller coaster of emotions with teams looking brilliant in one game and pedestrian the next.
So after another unpredictable week of college hoops, here are five teams on the rise and five teams on the decline.
Update: Thanks to Twitter, this post caught the attention of Gatorade president Sarah Robb O’Hagan (@SarahRobbOh). She enjoyed our rundown of the funniest Gatorade baths ever, and she also sent me the wall mural from Gatorade’s headquarters with some of their favorite Gatorade baths of all-time. It’s very cool. You’ll see it at the end of the post.
The Gatorade bath is a tradition like few others in sports.
After most monumental wins in football – specifically Super Bowls, national championship games, especially important and/or meaningful bowl games, or season-ending victories over hated rivals – such a celebration can be expected. The tradition began with the New York Giants in the mid-1980s and continues into today with no signs of slowing down.
While the sentimental among us enjoy the Gatorade bath because it symbolizes the triumph of a team of men on the field of athletic battle and the ultimate moment of shared jubilation and respect between coach and player, I enjoy Gatorade baths for a far different reason.
Things can change quickly at this stage of the season. At least that’s the explanation I’m using for the performances of a few of my “stock up” teams from last week.
The ACC now has 13 losses, Cal got dumptrucked by Missouri, Long Beach State lost immediately following their signature win, and Memphis went 1-2 in Maui just to name a few.
The possibility also exists that I am the kiss of death, so to fans of this week’s “stock up” teams, consider yourselves warned.
–Congratulations are in
order for Blues forward Keith Tkachuk, who scored career NHL point 1,000 with a goal in the Blues’ 4-2 win at Atlanta on Sunday.
We keep waiting for the 36-year-old Tkachuk to fade into the background and for his days as a top-six forward to come to an end, but “Walt†keeps coming back for more and despite a recent scoring slump, has 16 points in 22 games. He will be a free agent after this season.
Speaking of the Blues, goaltender Chris Mason may be aligning himself for more playing time in the future. Mason got the win on Sunday and has won his last three starts. He has stopped 106 of the last 109 shots he has faced. His goals against average this season is 2.29, compared to Manny Legace’s 3.19.
–Things were looking rosy for the Saint Louis University Billikens when they upset then-ranked Boston College by a 53-50 score at home on Nov. 22. But since then, SLU has dropped a pair of road games at Nebraska (71-57) and Detroit Mercy (62-57). Next up is a date at Southern Illinois University Carbondale on Tuesday. While SIUC’s 2-3 record doesn’t look too glitzy, keep in mind that two of the Salukis’ losses came against Duke and UCLA. Simply put, if SLU wants to put key wins on its resume in order to entertain NCAA Tournament hopes, a triumph in Carbondale is paramount.
–The St. Louis Rams have been just plain offensive on offense this season. The Rams rank dead last in the NFL in touchdowns scored (12) on offense and overall (13). It was more of the same on Sunday in a 16-12 defeat at the hands of Miami. All of the Rams points came off the foot of Josh Brown via field goals. The Male Sheep have gone eight straight quarters without a touchdown.
–Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who suffered a concussion the week before against Chicago, had a passer rating of 22.2 and threw three interceptions. The Rams picked a bad year to have a bad year — Detroit and Cincinnati seem to have dibs on the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Bulger is clearly on the downside of his career. He was exposed way too much in Mike Martz’s system and the hits are starting to take their toll. Despite already giving big money to Bulger in 2007, the Rams have to draft a quarterback next spring.
–Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel will apparently have a void to fill on his coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen has reportedly accepted the head coaching job at Wyoming. He’s expected to stay on board as the Tigers prepare for Saturday’s Big 12 title game date with Oklahoma in Kansas City.
The splash that Saint Louis University made last year with the hiring of Rick Majerus and his wool sweaters as its men’s basketball coach has, to this point, only resulted in displaced water.
The Billikens never could get on a roll last season and finished their maiden voyage under Majerus with a pedestrian 16-15 record, good for a ninth-place finish in the Atlantic 10 Conference (Note: There are 14 teams in the league).
Granted, Majerus should be given a pass for last season. For the most part, the former Utah, Marquette and Ball State coach, and ESPN analyst, inherited the roster from outgoing coach Brad Soderberg; and that roster wasn’t exactly chock full with highly-touted recruits. Never was that more evident than when the Billkens shot blanks in a miserable 49-20 loss at George Washington on Jan. 10. The Billikens made the highlight shows that night — for all the wrong reasons.
The 2008-09 season brings hope for SLU fans. The biggest reason for hope is in the form of Chaifetz Arena, the school’s new $80.5 million, 10,600-seat on-campus facility just off Highway 40 and less than two miles west of their old home, the Scottrade Center.
