Earlier today, the University of Pittsburgh will announce Michael Haywood as the football programs 34th head coach. This comes 9 days after the forced resignation of Dave Wannestedt. Many supporters of the program were glad to see Wannestedt go, but then thoroughly disappointed in the hiring process of his replacement. So let’s take a look at what has gone on over the past week plus.
Many Pitt fans were excited about the program not settling for the underachieving that Wannestedt had done over the past three. Most fans also expected the university to make a sexy pick for their next hire to take Pitt to the proverbial “next level.” Michael Haywood is by no means is a sexy pick as the new head coach.
When Wannestedt was forced to resign, the rumors began of who could be the next head coach. We heard Chris Petersen from Boise State was the first person that Steve Pederson contacted. We heard names like Mike Leach tossed around. The way-to-optimistic Pitt fans saw Urban Meyer available as the next coach after he resigned at Florida. Well, none of these guys ended up being serious contenders. The guys that were considered serious candidates included Al Golden from Temple, who took the Miami head coaching position, and Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, who chancellor Mark Nordenberg said no to. That left fans back at square one. However, that was not the case for Pederson and the staff at Pitt. Apparently, they had in fact offered Al Golden the position and he was the schools #1 choice, but he chose Miami instead. However, the school never did offer Holgorsen and reports are showing that the school never actually talked to him directly about the job. Nordenberg did not like his background and thought he was not a “Pitt guy” (whatever that is).
What we have found out is that Michael Haywood was interviewed multiple times during this process, so apparently he was one of the schools top targets from the beginning. And why wouldn’t he be? Haywood has a solid background. Haywood, in his first head-coaching job, went 1-11 in his first season. In season two, he in 9-4 and won the conference title. On that conference title team, 43 of the 65 men on the travel roster were freshmen or sophomores. The guy cleaned house, got the players he wanted and won, what’s not to like?
Haywood has a great coaching background too. Since 1995 he worked at three programs before getting the head-coaching job at Miami. In that time he won a national championship while at LSU working with Nick Saban. He also learned from Mack Brown at Texas and was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame with Charlie Weis. Nobody liked Charlie Weis at Notre Dame and they didn’t win much, but one thing that never lost them games was the offense, and that was run by Haywood.
Do I love the hire, no. Do I hate it though, certainly not. I like the fact that Haywood has head coaching experience. I like the fact that he has great recruiting connections. I like the fact that it is tough to find another coach in the business that has worked with him that doesn’t rave about his abilities. I get that he was not a sexy pick, but I’m willing to at least give the guy a chance. The last time Pitt fans were this upset that the school didn’t make a “sexy” hire was when the university hired a guy named Jamie Dixon, how’s that working out?
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
PITT COACHING SEARCH
PITT COACHING SEARCH
Since the news came down on Tuesday that Dave Wannestedt would not return as the head football coach at Pitt, the question that everyone wanted answered was not, “why?” it was, "who can we get to replace him?" Well, I am hoping to shine some light on the subject today. Below I have listed the names of 20 potential candidates that have either been rumored or that I would like considered for the job. Some are long-shot chances and others are nightmare choices, but I will break them all down here.
(Listed alphabetically)
Teryl Austin - Austin, 45, is currently the defensive coordinator at Florida, which now also has a head-coaching opening. Austin played at Pitt from 84-87 and has some very strong ties to the area. He was a defensive coach at Michigan before working two stints in the NFL as a defensive backs coach before taking his current position at Florida. He has also been known as a very strong recruiter.
There is lots to like about Austin. He is a young coach. He has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area, being from Sharon, PA. He is a strong recruiter, and that always is important. He has coached at major programs and has many connections to the NFL. The negative is he is a defensive coach. College football has become a score first ask questions later league, and we just went through what a defensive minded coach brings. Another draw back, in my opinion, is that he is a Pitt guy. I love Pitt, and I loved coach Wannestedt’s love for Pitt, but the next coach’s main concern should be winning; not returning home to be the school’s football savior.
GRADE (1-10, 1 = I will start rooting for Penn State and WVU if this hire is made, 10 = Do you think this guy will be ready to go by the BBVA Compass Bowl game?): 6.5
Tom Bradley - Bradley has been the defensive coordinator at Penn State since 2000. He had widely been considered the next in line at Penn State after Joe Paterno retires, but that no longer seems to be the case. He is a relentless recruiter and has tons of connections throughout Western PA.
As much as his defenses have dominated at Penn State, it concerns me that he has dropped out of favor with the higher-ups at Penn State. If he isn’t good enough for Penn State, he isn’t good enough for Pitt.
GRADE: 5
Frank Cignetti - Cignetti, 45, is the current offensive coordinator for the Panthers. He helped develop Bill Stull from a very average QB, to the leader in the Big East in passing his senior season. He has lots of ties to the university and the Pittsburgh area, growing up in the area and starting his coaching career as a grad assistant at Pitt.
What worries me is the offense that we saw this year. Was that Wannestedt playing close to the vest, or was that Cignetti making those play calls? I would rather start over and not keep this coaching staff.
GRADE: 2.5
John Fox - Fox, 55, is currently the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, but looks to be done there after this season. Fox coached at Pitt in the late 80’s for 3 seasons under Mike Gottfried. Fox also coached for the Steelers in Chuck Noll’s final 3 seasons. His name was thrown around during the Pitt coaching search 6 years ago before the school hired Wannestedt.
We’ve been down this aisle already with Dave Wannestedt. John Fox was a good coordinator everywhere he coached. He was an above average head coach in the NFL, but nothing special. As I said, I don’t want an NFL guy to do a college job.
GRADE: 3
Greg Gattuso - Gattuso, 48, is the assistant head coach and defensive line coach at Pitt. He has done wonders for the defense at Pitt. He had been considered a great recruiter in the western PA area, but recently has burned some bridges. Gattuso played at Penn State and has head coaching experience at Duquesne.
I would love to see Gattuso stay on the staff at Pitt, but not running the staff. He has developed the defensive linemen at Pitt to dominate games and that position at Pitt has won Big East Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons under Gattuso. I worry that he is a defensive mind and Pitt needs someone that thinks offense. Hopefully, that person sees the value of Gattuso and keeps him at Pitt.
GRADE: 6
Al Golden - Golden, 41, is the head coach at Temple. He has completely turned the Owls around and made them relevant in the college football world. Golden has played and coached at Penn State and he now seems to be the hot coach whose name gets thrown around when talking about replacing Joe Paterno.
I don’t want a guy that is going to leave Pitt for Penn State, and I have no doubt that Golden would do that. I think he has the potential to be a great coach, but that is not enough for me to feel comfortable with him as the long-term fit at Pitt.
GRADE: 2
Russ Grimm - Grimm, 51, is the offensive line coach and assistant head coach for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. Grimm played at Pitt during the glory days of the program, from 1977-1980. He is and has always been a great ambassador to the university. He was a candidate for the Steelers head-coaching job after Bill Cowher retired.
A big concern that I have about Russ Grimm is that he has never coached college football. I feel that he is a lot like Dave Wannestedt without the background. I would worry that this would be a Foge Fazio type hire, one that could really set the program back in the end.
GRADE: 2.5
Dana Holgorsen - Holgorsen, 39, is the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. In his first year with the Cowboys, the offense led the nation in total offense. He is a disciple of Mike Leach and Hal Mumme. He is probably one of the hottest young assistant coaches in the nation right now.
Holgorsen has been rumored to have been contacted by Pitt yesterday regarding the opening, and I think this is a slam-dunk. Holgorsen would put points on the board and seats in the stadium. His offense is exciting, and Pitt certainly has the talent and skill players for him to be able to come in immediately and win. One downfall is that he is not widely known as a big-time recruiter, but when you run an offense like this, the system recruits for you.
GRADE: 9.5
Mike Leach - Leach, 49, is currently looking for work while sipping frosty beverages in his Key West home. Leach took a Texas Tech program from nothing to a national power, and that while competing against the likes of Texas, A&M and Oklahoma for the top talent in the area. In his 10 seasons at Tech, Leach never had a losing season. Leach never played football, but instead, studied the game. He went to BYU and studied the high-powered offensive that Lavell Edwards and Norm Chow ran there. He then went on to Pepperdine Law School where he earned a JD. He has graduated his players, while keeping them out of trouble as a coach.
People seem to be scared off by Mike Leach because he was accused of putting a player suffering from concussion-like syndromes into a storage shed. That may or may not have been the right thing to do, but maybe that is how they do it in Lubbock. Pitt has some of the best doctors in the country so the good news is they would be handling athletes with concussions, not the head coach. I don’t see much wrong with this hire, and I think it is just the type of hire Pitt needs to make.
GRADE: 9.5
Marvin Lewis - Lewis, 52, is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, but is likely to be fired at the end of the season. Lewis was born in western PA and has ties to both the Steelers and Pitt, coaching both teams in the early 90’s. Since leaving the Steelers he went on to be the defensive coordinator in Baltimore and Washington before being named the head coach in Cincinnati in 2003.
Lewis has not been in the college game since 1991 when he was at Pitt. This is a lot like John Fox. Why would Pitt want to hire an NFL guy that has failed at his most recent job and has not been in the college game over the last 20 years? Wouldn’t make much sense to me.
GRADE: 2.5
Tim Lewis - Lewis, 48, is currently coaching the secondary for the Atlanta Falcons. Lewis is a former Pitt player, from 1979-1982. He was the 11th pick in the 1983 draft and played for the Packers for 4 seasons before suffering a career ending neck injury. Lewis coached at Pitt for 2 seasons under the “Back to the Future” debacle under Johnny Majors. Lewis then went on to coach the Steelers.
As the defensive coordinator for the Steelers, he is responsible for cutting James Harrison three times. Do we really want someone that cannot recognize talent like that? He also has never been a head coach and been fired as a defensive coordinator every time he held the position. Not someone that is really blowing the doors off saying, “HIRE ME!”
GRADE: 2
Gus Malzahn - Malzahn, 45, is the offensive coordinator at Auburn. He has also held that position at Tulsa and Arkansas. He is known as an offensive guru and someone that really develops quarterbacks. He loves hurry-up offenses and rarely huddles. He has had success with talented players, but his recruiting ability is unknown.
The one thing that scares me about Malzahn is that he was coaching high school football in Arkansas the last time Pitt went through a coaching search. Malzahn basically got his first college job because his high school team was loaded, so before signing day, Arkansas offered him the OC position to bring his players with him. Now he has Cam Newton. I’m not so sure how difficult it is to look like an offensive genius when you have that guy playing QB.
GRADE: 7
Josh McDaniels - McDaniels, 34, was just fired by the Denver Broncos after losing 17 of the last 22 games. He is a Bill Belichek disciple and was considered a sure-fire, big-time head coach in the NFL and started 6-2 in his first 8 games. McDaniels is from Ohio, but does not have any direct connections to Pitt or the Pittsburgh area.
Pederson has loved hiring NFL guys in the past, and McDaniels looks like someone that he might like. McDaniels has never recruited and has never coached the college level. He is also a cheater. He was behind the “SpyGate” scandal the Patriots had and has just recently gone through it again with the Broncos this season.
GRADE: 1.5
Bronco Mendenhall - Mendenhall, 44, is the head coach at BYU. Mendenhall is one of the young head coaches that seem to pop-up on every coaching list. He is a defensive minded coach and has coached in college the past 20 years. He has had four 10+ win seasons in his six years at BYU. He has never coached east of the Mississippi, so his contacts, which are very important in the college game, would all be very far away.
I like the idea of hiring someone younger and I definitely want someone that is not a “Pitt guy,” so in that regard, Mendenhall seems like a great hire. I do worry about his ability to being able to cope with being the second most popular MENDENHALL in the city.
GRADE: 8
Chris Petersen - Petersen, 46, is the head coach at Boise State. He is by far the most popular candidate for every job opening in America. He has led Boise State to a 60-5 record since taking over. He was the mastermind behind the famous Fiesta Bowl game against Oklahoma, which featured a Hook And Ladder play to tie the game and a Statue of Liberty play to win it in overtime. Petersen is a great recruiter and has now started getting big-time talent to Boise. That is impressive. He also has ties to Pitt. His first coaching job was at Pitt in 1992 when he was the QB coach. Alex Van Pelt was the QB at the time, and he still holds the record for career passing yards at the school.
I can’t find anything wrong with this hire. Rumor has it that Pitt does plans to contact Petersen to gauge his interest in the position. Pitt has already named two different athletic complexes after him in preparations for this day. He is the go-to guy and, now that Florida seems set on either Dan Mullen or Charlie Strong (two former Meyer assistants), it opens Pitt up as the top job available so far this offseason.
GRADE: 10
Paul Rhoads - Rhoads, 43, is the head coach at Iowa State. Rhoads formerly was a defensive coordinator at Pitt before leaving Pitt to take the same position at Auburn. Rhoads was a finalist for the head-coaching job at Pitt when Walt Harris left for Stanford. Rhoades and Cavanaugh, the other finalist, both took positions as coordinators under Dave Wannestedt, who beat them both out for the position.
Rhoads has a record of 12-13 at Iowa State in two seasons. He left Pitt after a disappointing year and was never comfortable calling the defense after Dave Wannestedt came in with his defensive philosophies. He does obviously have ties to the university, but he played at Iowa State, so I am not sure he would want to leave even if he was offered the job at Pitt.
GRADE: 4
Mark Stoops - Stoops, 43, is the defensive coordinator at Florida State. Stoops has a strong family background in coaching. His brothers are both head coaches, Bob at Oklahoma and Mike at Arizona. Having coached at Miami and now Florida State, Stoops has lots of ties to high schools and recruiting in Florida, which is always nice. Like his brothers, Mark is also a defensive coach. Stoops was born and raised in Youngstown, OH so he is familiar with the area.
Stoops in an interesting candidate for the job due to his name. The Stoops family has been very success in the college coaching world. I like the fact that he does not have any direct ties to the university, but I worry about him being a defense first coach. His defenses have been good everywhere he has gone, but both of his brothers struggled finding good offenses to compliment their defenses, and that worries me a bit.
GRADE: 7
Kevin Sumlin - Sumlin, 46, is currently the head coach at Houston. He has worked in the college game his entire career, including some very prominent programs and offenses. Before taking over the reins at Houston, Sumlin had one of the most successful offenses in the country at Oklahoma. Since taking over at Houston, his teams are 23-16, including a 10-win season last year.
Sumlin is rumored to be a finalist for the vacancy at Miami, which looks like it could be filled by the end of this weekend. So he may never actually be in the running for the Pitt job if things go his way in Coral Gables. Sumlin would be the 1st African American head coach at Pitt in any major sport. His offenses have always been high-powered passing games, which have put up lots of points, but also may not fit in the cold northeast.
GRADE: 6.5
Sal Sunseri - Sunseri, 51, is the linebackers coach at Alabama. He is a Panther grad, and his son is the current quarterback at Pitt. He has coached at high-level programs including LSU and Michigan State under Nick Saban before going to the NFL to join John Fox’s staff in Carolina. Sunseri was the interim coach at Pitt for 1 game to end the 1992 season and that team lost to Hawaii. Although he has coached all different levels at all different places, Sunseri has never even been a coordinator, let alone a head coach.
There is nothing good about this hire. Sunseri was not even a finalist 6 years ago when he wanted the position. Another downfall to this hire would be that his son, Tino, would pretty much be handed the starting QB job the next two seasons, when Mark Myers (a redshirt freshman) should be the starter for the next 4 years.
GRADE: 1
Brent Venables - Venables, 39, has been the defensive coordinator for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma since 2004 and worked as the linebackers coach there for the five years prior to the promotion. Venables is a relentless recruiter and a great game planner on the defensive side of the ball.
One of the problems I have with Venables is that he is the defensive coordinator for a defensive minded coach, which always makes you wonder how much pull he really has with that defense. Another worry is that despite having a nice resume, he rarely has been getting looks for other openings. I am not normally one who changes my opinion based on what others think, but it says something when a guy continues to get overlooked for jobs that he is qualified for. One interesting thought is that if Bob Stoops takes the Florida job, I would imagine Venables would be a top candidate to replace Stoops at Oklahoma.
GRADE: 7.5
Well, there you have it. It took a little longer than I expected, but here is the complete list. As you can tell, I am looking for a younger, offensive coach with a college mindset of running up a score when he can. I would like a coach that takes a 21 point halftime lead and comes out of halftime with the mindset that he wants to make it 42, not that he wants to hold on and win by 14 or 21. I also want nothing to do with a Pitt guy. I want the best guy for the job, regardless of if he went to Pitt, drove through Pittsburgh at some point, or has no idea in which state Pittsburgh is located. I want a winner!
Since the news came down on Tuesday that Dave Wannestedt would not return as the head football coach at Pitt, the question that everyone wanted answered was not, “why?” it was, "who can we get to replace him?" Well, I am hoping to shine some light on the subject today. Below I have listed the names of 20 potential candidates that have either been rumored or that I would like considered for the job. Some are long-shot chances and others are nightmare choices, but I will break them all down here.
(Listed alphabetically)
Teryl Austin - Austin, 45, is currently the defensive coordinator at Florida, which now also has a head-coaching opening. Austin played at Pitt from 84-87 and has some very strong ties to the area. He was a defensive coach at Michigan before working two stints in the NFL as a defensive backs coach before taking his current position at Florida. He has also been known as a very strong recruiter.
There is lots to like about Austin. He is a young coach. He has strong ties to the Pittsburgh area, being from Sharon, PA. He is a strong recruiter, and that always is important. He has coached at major programs and has many connections to the NFL. The negative is he is a defensive coach. College football has become a score first ask questions later league, and we just went through what a defensive minded coach brings. Another draw back, in my opinion, is that he is a Pitt guy. I love Pitt, and I loved coach Wannestedt’s love for Pitt, but the next coach’s main concern should be winning; not returning home to be the school’s football savior.
GRADE (1-10, 1 = I will start rooting for Penn State and WVU if this hire is made, 10 = Do you think this guy will be ready to go by the BBVA Compass Bowl game?): 6.5
Tom Bradley - Bradley has been the defensive coordinator at Penn State since 2000. He had widely been considered the next in line at Penn State after Joe Paterno retires, but that no longer seems to be the case. He is a relentless recruiter and has tons of connections throughout Western PA.
As much as his defenses have dominated at Penn State, it concerns me that he has dropped out of favor with the higher-ups at Penn State. If he isn’t good enough for Penn State, he isn’t good enough for Pitt.
GRADE: 5
Frank Cignetti - Cignetti, 45, is the current offensive coordinator for the Panthers. He helped develop Bill Stull from a very average QB, to the leader in the Big East in passing his senior season. He has lots of ties to the university and the Pittsburgh area, growing up in the area and starting his coaching career as a grad assistant at Pitt.
What worries me is the offense that we saw this year. Was that Wannestedt playing close to the vest, or was that Cignetti making those play calls? I would rather start over and not keep this coaching staff.
GRADE: 2.5
John Fox - Fox, 55, is currently the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, but looks to be done there after this season. Fox coached at Pitt in the late 80’s for 3 seasons under Mike Gottfried. Fox also coached for the Steelers in Chuck Noll’s final 3 seasons. His name was thrown around during the Pitt coaching search 6 years ago before the school hired Wannestedt.
We’ve been down this aisle already with Dave Wannestedt. John Fox was a good coordinator everywhere he coached. He was an above average head coach in the NFL, but nothing special. As I said, I don’t want an NFL guy to do a college job.
GRADE: 3
Greg Gattuso - Gattuso, 48, is the assistant head coach and defensive line coach at Pitt. He has done wonders for the defense at Pitt. He had been considered a great recruiter in the western PA area, but recently has burned some bridges. Gattuso played at Penn State and has head coaching experience at Duquesne.
I would love to see Gattuso stay on the staff at Pitt, but not running the staff. He has developed the defensive linemen at Pitt to dominate games and that position at Pitt has won Big East Defensive Player of the Year the past two seasons under Gattuso. I worry that he is a defensive mind and Pitt needs someone that thinks offense. Hopefully, that person sees the value of Gattuso and keeps him at Pitt.
GRADE: 6
Al Golden - Golden, 41, is the head coach at Temple. He has completely turned the Owls around and made them relevant in the college football world. Golden has played and coached at Penn State and he now seems to be the hot coach whose name gets thrown around when talking about replacing Joe Paterno.
I don’t want a guy that is going to leave Pitt for Penn State, and I have no doubt that Golden would do that. I think he has the potential to be a great coach, but that is not enough for me to feel comfortable with him as the long-term fit at Pitt.
GRADE: 2
Russ Grimm - Grimm, 51, is the offensive line coach and assistant head coach for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. Grimm played at Pitt during the glory days of the program, from 1977-1980. He is and has always been a great ambassador to the university. He was a candidate for the Steelers head-coaching job after Bill Cowher retired.
A big concern that I have about Russ Grimm is that he has never coached college football. I feel that he is a lot like Dave Wannestedt without the background. I would worry that this would be a Foge Fazio type hire, one that could really set the program back in the end.
GRADE: 2.5
Dana Holgorsen - Holgorsen, 39, is the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. In his first year with the Cowboys, the offense led the nation in total offense. He is a disciple of Mike Leach and Hal Mumme. He is probably one of the hottest young assistant coaches in the nation right now.
Holgorsen has been rumored to have been contacted by Pitt yesterday regarding the opening, and I think this is a slam-dunk. Holgorsen would put points on the board and seats in the stadium. His offense is exciting, and Pitt certainly has the talent and skill players for him to be able to come in immediately and win. One downfall is that he is not widely known as a big-time recruiter, but when you run an offense like this, the system recruits for you.
GRADE: 9.5
Mike Leach - Leach, 49, is currently looking for work while sipping frosty beverages in his Key West home. Leach took a Texas Tech program from nothing to a national power, and that while competing against the likes of Texas, A&M and Oklahoma for the top talent in the area. In his 10 seasons at Tech, Leach never had a losing season. Leach never played football, but instead, studied the game. He went to BYU and studied the high-powered offensive that Lavell Edwards and Norm Chow ran there. He then went on to Pepperdine Law School where he earned a JD. He has graduated his players, while keeping them out of trouble as a coach.
People seem to be scared off by Mike Leach because he was accused of putting a player suffering from concussion-like syndromes into a storage shed. That may or may not have been the right thing to do, but maybe that is how they do it in Lubbock. Pitt has some of the best doctors in the country so the good news is they would be handling athletes with concussions, not the head coach. I don’t see much wrong with this hire, and I think it is just the type of hire Pitt needs to make.
GRADE: 9.5
Marvin Lewis - Lewis, 52, is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, but is likely to be fired at the end of the season. Lewis was born in western PA and has ties to both the Steelers and Pitt, coaching both teams in the early 90’s. Since leaving the Steelers he went on to be the defensive coordinator in Baltimore and Washington before being named the head coach in Cincinnati in 2003.
Lewis has not been in the college game since 1991 when he was at Pitt. This is a lot like John Fox. Why would Pitt want to hire an NFL guy that has failed at his most recent job and has not been in the college game over the last 20 years? Wouldn’t make much sense to me.
GRADE: 2.5
Tim Lewis - Lewis, 48, is currently coaching the secondary for the Atlanta Falcons. Lewis is a former Pitt player, from 1979-1982. He was the 11th pick in the 1983 draft and played for the Packers for 4 seasons before suffering a career ending neck injury. Lewis coached at Pitt for 2 seasons under the “Back to the Future” debacle under Johnny Majors. Lewis then went on to coach the Steelers.
As the defensive coordinator for the Steelers, he is responsible for cutting James Harrison three times. Do we really want someone that cannot recognize talent like that? He also has never been a head coach and been fired as a defensive coordinator every time he held the position. Not someone that is really blowing the doors off saying, “HIRE ME!”
GRADE: 2
Gus Malzahn - Malzahn, 45, is the offensive coordinator at Auburn. He has also held that position at Tulsa and Arkansas. He is known as an offensive guru and someone that really develops quarterbacks. He loves hurry-up offenses and rarely huddles. He has had success with talented players, but his recruiting ability is unknown.
The one thing that scares me about Malzahn is that he was coaching high school football in Arkansas the last time Pitt went through a coaching search. Malzahn basically got his first college job because his high school team was loaded, so before signing day, Arkansas offered him the OC position to bring his players with him. Now he has Cam Newton. I’m not so sure how difficult it is to look like an offensive genius when you have that guy playing QB.
GRADE: 7
Josh McDaniels - McDaniels, 34, was just fired by the Denver Broncos after losing 17 of the last 22 games. He is a Bill Belichek disciple and was considered a sure-fire, big-time head coach in the NFL and started 6-2 in his first 8 games. McDaniels is from Ohio, but does not have any direct connections to Pitt or the Pittsburgh area.
Pederson has loved hiring NFL guys in the past, and McDaniels looks like someone that he might like. McDaniels has never recruited and has never coached the college level. He is also a cheater. He was behind the “SpyGate” scandal the Patriots had and has just recently gone through it again with the Broncos this season.
GRADE: 1.5
Bronco Mendenhall - Mendenhall, 44, is the head coach at BYU. Mendenhall is one of the young head coaches that seem to pop-up on every coaching list. He is a defensive minded coach and has coached in college the past 20 years. He has had four 10+ win seasons in his six years at BYU. He has never coached east of the Mississippi, so his contacts, which are very important in the college game, would all be very far away.
I like the idea of hiring someone younger and I definitely want someone that is not a “Pitt guy,” so in that regard, Mendenhall seems like a great hire. I do worry about his ability to being able to cope with being the second most popular MENDENHALL in the city.
GRADE: 8
Chris Petersen - Petersen, 46, is the head coach at Boise State. He is by far the most popular candidate for every job opening in America. He has led Boise State to a 60-5 record since taking over. He was the mastermind behind the famous Fiesta Bowl game against Oklahoma, which featured a Hook And Ladder play to tie the game and a Statue of Liberty play to win it in overtime. Petersen is a great recruiter and has now started getting big-time talent to Boise. That is impressive. He also has ties to Pitt. His first coaching job was at Pitt in 1992 when he was the QB coach. Alex Van Pelt was the QB at the time, and he still holds the record for career passing yards at the school.
I can’t find anything wrong with this hire. Rumor has it that Pitt does plans to contact Petersen to gauge his interest in the position. Pitt has already named two different athletic complexes after him in preparations for this day. He is the go-to guy and, now that Florida seems set on either Dan Mullen or Charlie Strong (two former Meyer assistants), it opens Pitt up as the top job available so far this offseason.
GRADE: 10
Paul Rhoads - Rhoads, 43, is the head coach at Iowa State. Rhoads formerly was a defensive coordinator at Pitt before leaving Pitt to take the same position at Auburn. Rhoads was a finalist for the head-coaching job at Pitt when Walt Harris left for Stanford. Rhoades and Cavanaugh, the other finalist, both took positions as coordinators under Dave Wannestedt, who beat them both out for the position.
Rhoads has a record of 12-13 at Iowa State in two seasons. He left Pitt after a disappointing year and was never comfortable calling the defense after Dave Wannestedt came in with his defensive philosophies. He does obviously have ties to the university, but he played at Iowa State, so I am not sure he would want to leave even if he was offered the job at Pitt.
GRADE: 4
Mark Stoops - Stoops, 43, is the defensive coordinator at Florida State. Stoops has a strong family background in coaching. His brothers are both head coaches, Bob at Oklahoma and Mike at Arizona. Having coached at Miami and now Florida State, Stoops has lots of ties to high schools and recruiting in Florida, which is always nice. Like his brothers, Mark is also a defensive coach. Stoops was born and raised in Youngstown, OH so he is familiar with the area.
Stoops in an interesting candidate for the job due to his name. The Stoops family has been very success in the college coaching world. I like the fact that he does not have any direct ties to the university, but I worry about him being a defense first coach. His defenses have been good everywhere he has gone, but both of his brothers struggled finding good offenses to compliment their defenses, and that worries me a bit.
GRADE: 7
Kevin Sumlin - Sumlin, 46, is currently the head coach at Houston. He has worked in the college game his entire career, including some very prominent programs and offenses. Before taking over the reins at Houston, Sumlin had one of the most successful offenses in the country at Oklahoma. Since taking over at Houston, his teams are 23-16, including a 10-win season last year.
Sumlin is rumored to be a finalist for the vacancy at Miami, which looks like it could be filled by the end of this weekend. So he may never actually be in the running for the Pitt job if things go his way in Coral Gables. Sumlin would be the 1st African American head coach at Pitt in any major sport. His offenses have always been high-powered passing games, which have put up lots of points, but also may not fit in the cold northeast.
GRADE: 6.5
Sal Sunseri - Sunseri, 51, is the linebackers coach at Alabama. He is a Panther grad, and his son is the current quarterback at Pitt. He has coached at high-level programs including LSU and Michigan State under Nick Saban before going to the NFL to join John Fox’s staff in Carolina. Sunseri was the interim coach at Pitt for 1 game to end the 1992 season and that team lost to Hawaii. Although he has coached all different levels at all different places, Sunseri has never even been a coordinator, let alone a head coach.
There is nothing good about this hire. Sunseri was not even a finalist 6 years ago when he wanted the position. Another downfall to this hire would be that his son, Tino, would pretty much be handed the starting QB job the next two seasons, when Mark Myers (a redshirt freshman) should be the starter for the next 4 years.
GRADE: 1
Brent Venables - Venables, 39, has been the defensive coordinator for Bob Stoops at Oklahoma since 2004 and worked as the linebackers coach there for the five years prior to the promotion. Venables is a relentless recruiter and a great game planner on the defensive side of the ball.
One of the problems I have with Venables is that he is the defensive coordinator for a defensive minded coach, which always makes you wonder how much pull he really has with that defense. Another worry is that despite having a nice resume, he rarely has been getting looks for other openings. I am not normally one who changes my opinion based on what others think, but it says something when a guy continues to get overlooked for jobs that he is qualified for. One interesting thought is that if Bob Stoops takes the Florida job, I would imagine Venables would be a top candidate to replace Stoops at Oklahoma.
GRADE: 7.5
Well, there you have it. It took a little longer than I expected, but here is the complete list. As you can tell, I am looking for a younger, offensive coach with a college mindset of running up a score when he can. I would like a coach that takes a 21 point halftime lead and comes out of halftime with the mindset that he wants to make it 42, not that he wants to hold on and win by 14 or 21. I also want nothing to do with a Pitt guy. I want the best guy for the job, regardless of if he went to Pitt, drove through Pittsburgh at some point, or has no idea in which state Pittsburgh is located. I want a winner!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
DAVE WANNESTEDT RESIGNS
I had another Rant in mind for today, but due to the Wannestedt Era ending at Pitt, this takes priority.
First let me say that yes, I am glad that the University of Pittsburgh will no longer be coached by Dave Wannestedt. However, let me quickly follow that up by pointing out that Dave Wannestedt has been a great ambassador for the Pitt program over the last 6 years. Unfortunately, that does not get you very far though if you do not win games too.
I did not think that the university had enough guts to ask Wannestedt for his resignation. I am thrilled at how this worked out, for both parties. Coach Wannestedt has never been anything but a class act while at Pitt and representing the Panthers. That is why I was glad to see that Pitt offered Wanny a cushy job in the athletic department if he resigned as head coach. As much as Wanny wanted to win at Pitt, the last thing he would want to do is hurt the program by staying when a changed needed to be made. The school decided it was time and gave Wannestedt a chance to go out with his pride still intact, and he did.
As of right now, I would give the university an “A” for how they have handled things so far, but that is only half of it. Now the school needs to go out and find a guy that will win at Pitt. No more NFL guys. No more Pitt guys. Just go find a winner. So far they have handled this process flawlessly, but they need to finish. It is easy to get rid of a coach, the tough part is replacing him with someone better. This is the university’s new challenge.
Check back later in the week for a rundown of my wish list of Pitt coaches.
First let me say that yes, I am glad that the University of Pittsburgh will no longer be coached by Dave Wannestedt. However, let me quickly follow that up by pointing out that Dave Wannestedt has been a great ambassador for the Pitt program over the last 6 years. Unfortunately, that does not get you very far though if you do not win games too.
I did not think that the university had enough guts to ask Wannestedt for his resignation. I am thrilled at how this worked out, for both parties. Coach Wannestedt has never been anything but a class act while at Pitt and representing the Panthers. That is why I was glad to see that Pitt offered Wanny a cushy job in the athletic department if he resigned as head coach. As much as Wanny wanted to win at Pitt, the last thing he would want to do is hurt the program by staying when a changed needed to be made. The school decided it was time and gave Wannestedt a chance to go out with his pride still intact, and he did.
As of right now, I would give the university an “A” for how they have handled things so far, but that is only half of it. Now the school needs to go out and find a guy that will win at Pitt. No more NFL guys. No more Pitt guys. Just go find a winner. So far they have handled this process flawlessly, but they need to finish. It is easy to get rid of a coach, the tough part is replacing him with someone better. This is the university’s new challenge.
Check back later in the week for a rundown of my wish list of Pitt coaches.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
RANDOM RANT
PITT FOOTBALL
I have supported Pitt football head coach Dave Wannestedt since they hired him. I supported him after being shellacked in his debut to Notre Dame at home. I supported him after the 3-0 debacle in the Sun Bowl. I supported him last year in all 3 of Pitt’s losses when they blew late 4th quarter leads. I supported him this year after I drove 3 hours to watch his team get embarrassed on national television to a very average Miami team.
I no longer support him. He has to go.
There is no reason that Pitt should have ZERO BCS bowl appearances since Dave Wannestedt has taken over. If you recall he took over for a guy that had just taken the Panthers to their lone BCS bowl game in Walt Harris, who took Pitt to the Fiesta Bowl in 2004. Pitt has lead recruiting rankings in 3 of the 6 recruiting classes that Wannestedt has put together. They finished in the top half of the conference in the other 3 seasons. Yet, with all that talent, he has gone to just 2 bowl appearances in 5 seasons. He has lost to teams like, Navy, Ohio University and Bowling Green. He has gone 2-4 against Rutgers. He has simply not lived up to expectations.
Nobody likes a coaching change. Dave Wannestedt is a great front man for the university and the Pitt football team. However, he is not getting it done on the field on a weekly basis. It is time for the university to create a new position in the athletic department, something like Assistant Athletic Director to the Football Program, and go out and hire a big name coach that can take the Panthers to the Promised Land.
The guy to do this? Chris Petersen, the front man for the Boise State Broncos. I know it sounds unrealistic, but hear me out.
Chris Petersen is just the type of guy that Pitt fans want. A younger coach, check. Petersen is just 46 years old and has been a head coach for the last five years. An offensive minded coach, check. Petersen is the guy that calls the play for that high-speed, high-paced Boise offense that ranks 4th in the nation in yards per game and 2nd in points per game. A big name guy, check, is there a bigger name out there when it comes to young and up-and-coming college coaches?
Is he a long shot? Yes, but he is exactly the guy that Pitt needs to go after if they want to be a legit football program. If you do not want to be a legit football program, which is fine, we will take out Top 5 basketball program, just tell the fan base so we can cancel our season tickets and find something else to do on Saturdays next fall.
THE REALLY BIG EAST
Texas Christian University announced today that they would be joining the Big East conference in all sports in 2012.
Let me repeat that, Texas Christian University announced today that they will be joining the Big East conference in all sports in 2012.
They were not referring to the Texas Big East, the actual Big East conference. The same conference that began in 1979, when Syracuse was the school furthest to the west and Georgetown was the southern most school.
Someone please explain to me how this works? Yes, I understand that TCU certainly strengthens the Big East football conference, but how does it help the rest of the conference? How long before the schools complain about the cost of sending the women’s tennis team to Dallas for their annual match? And tell me what this does for the basketball conference. The conference that is widely regarded as the best conference in the country year in and year out, how does adding TCU help there? How is adding a team that has already lost to Rider and UMASS this season going to help the strength of the basketball conference? The Horned Frogs went 5-11 last year in the Mountain West Conference last year, how do you think they will do when they are playing Villanova and Syracuse week in and week out? TCU has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 1997. Yeah that is great for the basketball conference. South Florida and DePaul are jumping for joy that they will have a team to beat.
I understand that the Big East wants to add teams for football, by why TCU? Don’t give me the old, “they need them to save face for their automatic BCS bid.” That is complete BS. Look at this write up by Chadd Cripe, from the Idaho Statesman about how the BCS will determine the future automatic bid teams. As you can see, the Big East is safe. Actually, the ACC is behind the Big East in both of the top key rankings and the Big Ten trails the Big East in one of them too. So, as I mentioned, the Big East is safe with their BCS bid, so why add TCU?
If I were the commissioner of the Big East, which I am available for the job if they are looking to improve the conference, I would add Villanova and Navy. It is not difficult to see how these two fit in and help the conference. Villanova is already in the Big East for every other sport and they are continuously a top 1-AA team and could make the leap rather easily. As for Navy they fit because they are an independent in football right now. That means that they have another conference already for all other sports. They compete in the Patriot League for all other sports, which fits them perfectly. By joining the Big East in football, it would still give them enough open weeks to play their rivalries games each year like Army, Air Force and Notre Dame as well as tie them into some bigger and better bowls. They also have a nation wide fan base obviously, which would only help the other Big East teams.
TCU has no place in the Big East. This move will be the beginning of the end of the Big East conference. A 17-team conference does not work. Does the conference go to 18? It is already too big, why are they adding schools. Does this mean they are going to drop some of the basketball only schools that make no sense (hello Marquette and DePaul, I mean you!)
As I said, TCU has no place in the Big East, but don’t worry the Big East won’t be around very long anymore after this.
This may just be the best thing about TCU. And honestly, ever since Miami left for the ACC, hot cheerleaders is something that has been missing in the Big East.
I have supported Pitt football head coach Dave Wannestedt since they hired him. I supported him after being shellacked in his debut to Notre Dame at home. I supported him after the 3-0 debacle in the Sun Bowl. I supported him last year in all 3 of Pitt’s losses when they blew late 4th quarter leads. I supported him this year after I drove 3 hours to watch his team get embarrassed on national television to a very average Miami team.
I no longer support him. He has to go.
There is no reason that Pitt should have ZERO BCS bowl appearances since Dave Wannestedt has taken over. If you recall he took over for a guy that had just taken the Panthers to their lone BCS bowl game in Walt Harris, who took Pitt to the Fiesta Bowl in 2004. Pitt has lead recruiting rankings in 3 of the 6 recruiting classes that Wannestedt has put together. They finished in the top half of the conference in the other 3 seasons. Yet, with all that talent, he has gone to just 2 bowl appearances in 5 seasons. He has lost to teams like, Navy, Ohio University and Bowling Green. He has gone 2-4 against Rutgers. He has simply not lived up to expectations.
Nobody likes a coaching change. Dave Wannestedt is a great front man for the university and the Pitt football team. However, he is not getting it done on the field on a weekly basis. It is time for the university to create a new position in the athletic department, something like Assistant Athletic Director to the Football Program, and go out and hire a big name coach that can take the Panthers to the Promised Land.
The guy to do this? Chris Petersen, the front man for the Boise State Broncos. I know it sounds unrealistic, but hear me out.
Chris Petersen is just the type of guy that Pitt fans want. A younger coach, check. Petersen is just 46 years old and has been a head coach for the last five years. An offensive minded coach, check. Petersen is the guy that calls the play for that high-speed, high-paced Boise offense that ranks 4th in the nation in yards per game and 2nd in points per game. A big name guy, check, is there a bigger name out there when it comes to young and up-and-coming college coaches?
Is he a long shot? Yes, but he is exactly the guy that Pitt needs to go after if they want to be a legit football program. If you do not want to be a legit football program, which is fine, we will take out Top 5 basketball program, just tell the fan base so we can cancel our season tickets and find something else to do on Saturdays next fall.
THE REALLY BIG EAST
Texas Christian University announced today that they would be joining the Big East conference in all sports in 2012.
Let me repeat that, Texas Christian University announced today that they will be joining the Big East conference in all sports in 2012.
They were not referring to the Texas Big East, the actual Big East conference. The same conference that began in 1979, when Syracuse was the school furthest to the west and Georgetown was the southern most school.
Someone please explain to me how this works? Yes, I understand that TCU certainly strengthens the Big East football conference, but how does it help the rest of the conference? How long before the schools complain about the cost of sending the women’s tennis team to Dallas for their annual match? And tell me what this does for the basketball conference. The conference that is widely regarded as the best conference in the country year in and year out, how does adding TCU help there? How is adding a team that has already lost to Rider and UMASS this season going to help the strength of the basketball conference? The Horned Frogs went 5-11 last year in the Mountain West Conference last year, how do you think they will do when they are playing Villanova and Syracuse week in and week out? TCU has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 1997. Yeah that is great for the basketball conference. South Florida and DePaul are jumping for joy that they will have a team to beat.
I understand that the Big East wants to add teams for football, by why TCU? Don’t give me the old, “they need them to save face for their automatic BCS bid.” That is complete BS. Look at this write up by Chadd Cripe, from the Idaho Statesman about how the BCS will determine the future automatic bid teams. As you can see, the Big East is safe. Actually, the ACC is behind the Big East in both of the top key rankings and the Big Ten trails the Big East in one of them too. So, as I mentioned, the Big East is safe with their BCS bid, so why add TCU?
If I were the commissioner of the Big East, which I am available for the job if they are looking to improve the conference, I would add Villanova and Navy. It is not difficult to see how these two fit in and help the conference. Villanova is already in the Big East for every other sport and they are continuously a top 1-AA team and could make the leap rather easily. As for Navy they fit because they are an independent in football right now. That means that they have another conference already for all other sports. They compete in the Patriot League for all other sports, which fits them perfectly. By joining the Big East in football, it would still give them enough open weeks to play their rivalries games each year like Army, Air Force and Notre Dame as well as tie them into some bigger and better bowls. They also have a nation wide fan base obviously, which would only help the other Big East teams.
TCU has no place in the Big East. This move will be the beginning of the end of the Big East conference. A 17-team conference does not work. Does the conference go to 18? It is already too big, why are they adding schools. Does this mean they are going to drop some of the basketball only schools that make no sense (hello Marquette and DePaul, I mean you!)
As I said, TCU has no place in the Big East, but don’t worry the Big East won’t be around very long anymore after this.
This may just be the best thing about TCU. And honestly, ever since Miami left for the ACC, hot cheerleaders is something that has been missing in the Big East.
Monday, November 15, 2010
RANDOM RANT
RANDOM RANTING
It’s been a while since my last Rant, so here are some thoughts regarding the sporting world, quarterbacks in it, and certain 4-letter stations that report it.
BRETT FAVRE
This one has been boiling for a while, since he came back for this “final” season. Brett Favre has played in something like 700 straight games, which is an NFL record. All the hype a few weeks back was that if he missed a game with his broken ankle, the streak would be snapped. Okay, let’s dissect that last thought.
First, this action by Favre trying/wanting to play illustrates his career in a nutshell. He wanted to keep his personal record in tact and was willing to do so, despite what was best for his team’s chance to win. He already held the record. He was not chasing it. I could possibly understand his desire to play if he was closing in on the record, but he is not. He is more than 100 games ahead of the next closest player on the active games streak. Eventually, this record will be snapped. Eventually, Favre will ACTUALLY retire and no longer play. I cannot wait for that date! Oh yeah, he played with a BROKEN ANKLE!
And we wonder why the Vikings are currently sitting at 3-6 in a year they were expected to compete for the NFC title. They are playing a 40+ year old QB with 2 broken bones in his ankle, and he is all but running the team because the pathetic coach doesn’t have the guts to stand-up to him. I am starting to think that Favre decided to play for Minnesota as one last move as a true Packer. He knew he could no longer play at the NFL level, so rather than retiring, he went to the Vikings to destroy the only real threat the Packers had in the NFC North. That is the only reasonable explanation.
Brett, please do us all a favor, and leave. Go back to Mississippi. Play football in your Wranglers. Go do whatever you want. Just quit trying to play in the NFL. I know that the people in Bristol will be upset when you finally do that because the will have to find REAL programming, but everyone else who enjoys sports will be grateful. You are ruining what was, at one point, a great career.
CAM NEWTON
Okay. Let’s move on to the next overblown QB story. Reports over the past few weeks are basically saying that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s dad, Cecil, told Mississippi State that it would cost anywhere between $100K to $180K for his son to play in Starkville. Frankly, I think that is being generous, I would want more if I were going to put my son on that shitty team. But seriously, what is wrong with his dad saying this? Why is this an issue? Why is this news?
Cam Newton plays at Auburn. He does not play at Mississippi State. There are not currently, nor have there been, any reports/rumors that he accepted any money to go to Auburn. Until that happens, this is not a story!
This would be like anyone else getting a job offer to do the job you currently do in Baghdad. Not sure about you, but I’m pretty sure my response would be something like, “You’d have to pay me between $100K and $180K for me to go there.”
THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES
First, I must say that not only did I not get the managerial job with the Pirates, but they did not even contact me for an interview. I am very upset and disappointed by this.
The Pirates hired Clint Hurdle as their new manager. He is the 6th manager for the organization since they decided to stop trying to win. It is an absolutely terrible hire, which makes it perfect for Neil Huntington, Frank Coonley and Bob Nutting. In an odd managing circle, Clint Hurdle takes over a position once held by Jim Tracy. In 2 seasons with the Bucs, Tracy went 135-189. He is now the current manager of the Colorado Rockies, a spot he took over from Clint Hurdle. He has since gone 157-121 in nearly 2 full seasons in Denver. In 2009, Tracy went 74-42 after replacing Hurdle, who had that same team at 18-28. Just basic math tells me Hurdle was 10 games under .500 and Tracey was 32 games above .500 with the same exact players. That is a 42 game difference. At that rate, we should expect the Pirates to win a total of 51 games over the next 2 seasons. So, the Pirates are basically hiring a guy who is a much worse manager than Jim Tracy; the same Jim Tracy who was fired after 2 seasons in Pittsburgh. Hmm, interesting!
The hire that I wanted (other than me) was Bobby Valentine. This guy must be black-balled by Major League teams. He is the only guy since Davey Johnson to win with the Mets. After getting canned there, he went overseas and won in Japan. He led the Chiba Lotte Mariners to their first pennant in 31 years and first Japan Series Title since 1974. That is about the same drought the Pirates have been in. Seems like a perfect fit for me. Yet he doesn’t even get an interview?
As a Pittsburgh sports fan, this weekend has been difficult for me. Pitt looked embarrassing on Thursday night, opening the door for what will be the typical Panther collapse that their fans are oh-so-familiar with. The Pirates have just committed to losing for another 5 years, minimum. And the Steelers were completely exposed by the Patriots. At least we have Pitt hoops!
It’s been a while since my last Rant, so here are some thoughts regarding the sporting world, quarterbacks in it, and certain 4-letter stations that report it.
BRETT FAVRE
This one has been boiling for a while, since he came back for this “final” season. Brett Favre has played in something like 700 straight games, which is an NFL record. All the hype a few weeks back was that if he missed a game with his broken ankle, the streak would be snapped. Okay, let’s dissect that last thought.
First, this action by Favre trying/wanting to play illustrates his career in a nutshell. He wanted to keep his personal record in tact and was willing to do so, despite what was best for his team’s chance to win. He already held the record. He was not chasing it. I could possibly understand his desire to play if he was closing in on the record, but he is not. He is more than 100 games ahead of the next closest player on the active games streak. Eventually, this record will be snapped. Eventually, Favre will ACTUALLY retire and no longer play. I cannot wait for that date! Oh yeah, he played with a BROKEN ANKLE!
And we wonder why the Vikings are currently sitting at 3-6 in a year they were expected to compete for the NFC title. They are playing a 40+ year old QB with 2 broken bones in his ankle, and he is all but running the team because the pathetic coach doesn’t have the guts to stand-up to him. I am starting to think that Favre decided to play for Minnesota as one last move as a true Packer. He knew he could no longer play at the NFL level, so rather than retiring, he went to the Vikings to destroy the only real threat the Packers had in the NFC North. That is the only reasonable explanation.
Brett, please do us all a favor, and leave. Go back to Mississippi. Play football in your Wranglers. Go do whatever you want. Just quit trying to play in the NFL. I know that the people in Bristol will be upset when you finally do that because the will have to find REAL programming, but everyone else who enjoys sports will be grateful. You are ruining what was, at one point, a great career.
CAM NEWTON
Okay. Let’s move on to the next overblown QB story. Reports over the past few weeks are basically saying that Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s dad, Cecil, told Mississippi State that it would cost anywhere between $100K to $180K for his son to play in Starkville. Frankly, I think that is being generous, I would want more if I were going to put my son on that shitty team. But seriously, what is wrong with his dad saying this? Why is this an issue? Why is this news?
Cam Newton plays at Auburn. He does not play at Mississippi State. There are not currently, nor have there been, any reports/rumors that he accepted any money to go to Auburn. Until that happens, this is not a story!
This would be like anyone else getting a job offer to do the job you currently do in Baghdad. Not sure about you, but I’m pretty sure my response would be something like, “You’d have to pay me between $100K and $180K for me to go there.”
THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES
First, I must say that not only did I not get the managerial job with the Pirates, but they did not even contact me for an interview. I am very upset and disappointed by this.
The Pirates hired Clint Hurdle as their new manager. He is the 6th manager for the organization since they decided to stop trying to win. It is an absolutely terrible hire, which makes it perfect for Neil Huntington, Frank Coonley and Bob Nutting. In an odd managing circle, Clint Hurdle takes over a position once held by Jim Tracy. In 2 seasons with the Bucs, Tracy went 135-189. He is now the current manager of the Colorado Rockies, a spot he took over from Clint Hurdle. He has since gone 157-121 in nearly 2 full seasons in Denver. In 2009, Tracy went 74-42 after replacing Hurdle, who had that same team at 18-28. Just basic math tells me Hurdle was 10 games under .500 and Tracey was 32 games above .500 with the same exact players. That is a 42 game difference. At that rate, we should expect the Pirates to win a total of 51 games over the next 2 seasons. So, the Pirates are basically hiring a guy who is a much worse manager than Jim Tracy; the same Jim Tracy who was fired after 2 seasons in Pittsburgh. Hmm, interesting!
The hire that I wanted (other than me) was Bobby Valentine. This guy must be black-balled by Major League teams. He is the only guy since Davey Johnson to win with the Mets. After getting canned there, he went overseas and won in Japan. He led the Chiba Lotte Mariners to their first pennant in 31 years and first Japan Series Title since 1974. That is about the same drought the Pirates have been in. Seems like a perfect fit for me. Yet he doesn’t even get an interview?
As a Pittsburgh sports fan, this weekend has been difficult for me. Pitt looked embarrassing on Thursday night, opening the door for what will be the typical Panther collapse that their fans are oh-so-familiar with. The Pirates have just committed to losing for another 5 years, minimum. And the Steelers were completely exposed by the Patriots. At least we have Pitt hoops!
Monday, October 4, 2010
The Pirates Need A New Manager, Why Not Me?
October 4, 2010
Frank Coonelly
Pirates Team President
115 Federal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
I am interested in the open managerial position with the Pittsburgh Pirates. As you can see from my enclosed resume, the invaluable experience I have had both coaching Brookline Little League and working a job that had me at nearly every home game has prepared me well for this position of managing the Pirates.
I am energetic, hard-working, and extremely knowledgeable of sports, something that most Pirate employees don‘t seem to be. My work background has supplied me with an understanding of the game of baseball. I also read Managing Baseball for Dummies, so I am well ahead of the game compared to your recent hires for this job. While coaching Brookline Little League, I have been a part of 7 championship teams, and I fully expect them to put a bust of me at the field entrance due to my success. Seeing how the Pirates love building statues to honor people, I thought this would be a plus for me. While watching over the past 3 seasons, I learned so much from watching every home game the team has played since I started. You know the old saying, “mistakes aren’t bad if you can learn from them.” Well, I’ve seen plenty of mistakes in the games I’ve seen and learned from all of them.
I have the skills, determination, knowledge, and natural instinct to be successful as the next manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I love baseball and there is nothing more that I would like to be a part of than turning this joke of a franchise around and making it a winner. I look forward to speaking with you about the opportunities involved in this job.
Sincerely,
Kevin Reitmeyer
Enclosures
RESUME
OBJECTIVE
To bring winning baseball back to the team and city that I love.
EXPERIENCE
AS A PLAYER:
1992 Knight of Columbus - Brookline Little League
Starting 2nd baseman and reserve centerfielder.
AS A COACH:
1998 - 2007 5 Championships - Brookline Little League
1st base coach and hitting instructor for Steve Poremski Plumbing (1998 - 2001)
Won 3 championships in 4 seasons and runner-up the 4th season.
2 straight undefeated seasons, the only time that has ever happened in 60 years of BLLA. (98-99)
Coached the BLLA All-Stars to the District Finals for the first time in 20 years.
3rd base coach and pitching coach from 2002 - 2007
Won back-to-back titles in 2006-2007 with 2 different teams.
AS A MANAGER:
2003 - 2005 Minor League Manager, 1 championship
Manager and 3rd base coach
Took over as interim Manager mid-way through the 2003 season. Led a winless team in 2003 to the championship series in 2004 before losing in the 3rd game of a best of 3 series.
2005 Champions, sweeping the Championship series.
OFF THE FIELD:
2008 - 2010 Worked in the stadium allowing me to watch every home game
My Responsiblities including paying close attention to the fine details of each and every game. I believe this experience has given me a better understanding of what not to do on the field and how to handle the players and deal with the umpires.
EDUCATION:
SELF TAUGHT
* I have learned the ins and outs of the game of baseball from my father, who at young age took me to games at 3 Rivers Stadium and taught me tendencies and strategy involved with the game.
* I have also watched baseball and studied the great managers of the game, like Jim Leyland who the Pirates let go.
* I watch the game on TV as well, listening to some of the best minds in the game dissect each and every play, including Bob Costas, Bob Uecker and other baseball announcing greats.
* I also watch Pirate baseball, almost religiously, despite how incredibly painful it is to sit through. By doing that, I feel that I have learned what NOT to do.
COACHING STYLE:
MIXED BRED STYLE
* I feel that my style is considered to be more of a small ball coach, which would work well in Pittsburgh since there is nobody on the roster that will hit more than 30 HR’s, minus Pedro.
* I like to use plate patience, good speed on the bases and the ability to advance runners to manufacture runs. This may be tough considering it does not seem that the current players on the 40 man roster have any of these capabilities.
* I like to trust my pitchers and let them fight through their struggles instead of keeping them on a strict pitch count and pulling them on the first sign of difficulties, and thereby wearing down the bullpen.
Frank Coonelly
Pirates Team President
115 Federal Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
I am interested in the open managerial position with the Pittsburgh Pirates. As you can see from my enclosed resume, the invaluable experience I have had both coaching Brookline Little League and working a job that had me at nearly every home game has prepared me well for this position of managing the Pirates.
I am energetic, hard-working, and extremely knowledgeable of sports, something that most Pirate employees don‘t seem to be. My work background has supplied me with an understanding of the game of baseball. I also read Managing Baseball for Dummies, so I am well ahead of the game compared to your recent hires for this job. While coaching Brookline Little League, I have been a part of 7 championship teams, and I fully expect them to put a bust of me at the field entrance due to my success. Seeing how the Pirates love building statues to honor people, I thought this would be a plus for me. While watching over the past 3 seasons, I learned so much from watching every home game the team has played since I started. You know the old saying, “mistakes aren’t bad if you can learn from them.” Well, I’ve seen plenty of mistakes in the games I’ve seen and learned from all of them.
I have the skills, determination, knowledge, and natural instinct to be successful as the next manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I love baseball and there is nothing more that I would like to be a part of than turning this joke of a franchise around and making it a winner. I look forward to speaking with you about the opportunities involved in this job.
Sincerely,
Kevin Reitmeyer
Enclosures
RESUME
OBJECTIVE
To bring winning baseball back to the team and city that I love.
EXPERIENCE
AS A PLAYER:
1992 Knight of Columbus - Brookline Little League
Starting 2nd baseman and reserve centerfielder.
AS A COACH:
1998 - 2007 5 Championships - Brookline Little League
1st base coach and hitting instructor for Steve Poremski Plumbing (1998 - 2001)
Won 3 championships in 4 seasons and runner-up the 4th season.
2 straight undefeated seasons, the only time that has ever happened in 60 years of BLLA. (98-99)
Coached the BLLA All-Stars to the District Finals for the first time in 20 years.
3rd base coach and pitching coach from 2002 - 2007
Won back-to-back titles in 2006-2007 with 2 different teams.
AS A MANAGER:
2003 - 2005 Minor League Manager, 1 championship
Manager and 3rd base coach
Took over as interim Manager mid-way through the 2003 season. Led a winless team in 2003 to the championship series in 2004 before losing in the 3rd game of a best of 3 series.
2005 Champions, sweeping the Championship series.
OFF THE FIELD:
2008 - 2010 Worked in the stadium allowing me to watch every home game
My Responsiblities including paying close attention to the fine details of each and every game. I believe this experience has given me a better understanding of what not to do on the field and how to handle the players and deal with the umpires.
EDUCATION:
SELF TAUGHT
* I have learned the ins and outs of the game of baseball from my father, who at young age took me to games at 3 Rivers Stadium and taught me tendencies and strategy involved with the game.
* I have also watched baseball and studied the great managers of the game, like Jim Leyland who the Pirates let go.
* I watch the game on TV as well, listening to some of the best minds in the game dissect each and every play, including Bob Costas, Bob Uecker and other baseball announcing greats.
* I also watch Pirate baseball, almost religiously, despite how incredibly painful it is to sit through. By doing that, I feel that I have learned what NOT to do.
COACHING STYLE:
MIXED BRED STYLE
* I feel that my style is considered to be more of a small ball coach, which would work well in Pittsburgh since there is nobody on the roster that will hit more than 30 HR’s, minus Pedro.
* I like to use plate patience, good speed on the bases and the ability to advance runners to manufacture runs. This may be tough considering it does not seem that the current players on the 40 man roster have any of these capabilities.
* I like to trust my pitchers and let them fight through their struggles instead of keeping them on a strict pitch count and pulling them on the first sign of difficulties, and thereby wearing down the bullpen.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
October is Upon Us
What a great sports weekend! What a great sports month! I love October, not quite as much as March, but close. October brings us Major League Baseball playoffs, conference play gets into full swing in college football and the NFL has made it to the second quarter of the season. This weekend is a great example and just a small sample of what this month has to offer. Oh, by the way, this year we get the Ryder Cup too!
Yesterday started the month; it also started the last weekend of the MLB regular season. Today kicks off the first of five football weekends in the month of October. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly this weekend has to offer to sports fans everywhere.
The Ryder Cup
24 of the best golfers in the world playing against each other for 3 straight days. Golf, a game normally played by individuals, being played in a team format. It brings out some of the best shot-makers in the world doing just that. What is more exciting when watching golf than to see guys take dead aim at the stick and playing ultra aggressive? That is what you get at the Ryder Cup. You get the best players in the world making some huge risk/reward shots because if they miss, they have a teammate for once who can make the shot if they miss. Unfortunately, since the Cup this year is being played in Wales, you need to be awake at 3am (as I am right now as I type this) to watch when it starts.
College Football
5 games featuring top 25 teams playing each other.
The headliner? Alabama v Florida. The winner of this game the past 2 years went on to win the national championship. Also today, another top 10 showdown, Stanford @ Oregon. This is a game that could let a PAC-10 jump right into the thick of the national championship debate. How about the Red River Rivalry? When was the last time this game was the 3rd biggest game of the weekend? Texas-Oklahoma, the stadium split down the middle at the 50, one half red, the other burnt orange.
The last two match-ups are Big Ten match-ups. Michigan State hosting Wisconsin and Penn State @ Iowa. Now we all know that there is almost no such thing as a big time Big Ten match-up, but they are all in the top 25 and both games are somewhat intriguing. In the Michigan State-Wisconsin game, we get to find out which Big Ten team will be undefeated and overrated all the way into November. The loser will still be ranked because, well, they play in the Big Ten, and there is a clause in the rankings that says at least 5 Big Ten teams must be ranked at all times. In the Penn State-Iowa game, you get to watch the Fighting JoePa’s lose to Iowa again. What’s not to love about that? Penn State is 1-7 vs Iowa in their last 8 games, and who could forget that barnburner in 2004 which the Hawkeyes won 6-4?
NFL
Week 4 of the season and the schedule is loaded with great match-ups. Despite it being the first week of bye weeks with 4 teams not playing, there is no shortage of marquee games on the slate. Maybe the best game of the week will also be the first one completed. At 1:00, the 3-0 Steelers take on the 2-1 Ravens for control of the AFC North. Anyone who has seen these teams play in the past knows that there is no love lost between these teams. From Joey Porter going onto the Ravens bus calling out Ray Lewis after a game, to the Ravens bitching and whining about the referees in the Santonio goal line touchdown catch. This game has become the biggest and best rivalry in the league. This will be a slugfest, with two hard-nosed and rugged defenses. First team to blink loses. And that is only the first game!
At 4:00, you have the battle for the brotherly love. Vick vs McNabb. Will they boo McNabb or not? Will Vick beating McNabb in Philly Sunday crush the legacy Donovan had in the city? If McNabb and the Skins pull the upset, will Andy Reid suddenly be on the hot seat? This game, although probably not a great game, does have many great storylines attached to it. I personally want McNabb to stick it to the Eagles with a 400+ yard, 4 TD game. Do I think that will happen? Hell no! McNabb has as many offensive weapons in Washington as Obama has fulfilled promises; ZERO!
To cap off the weekend, we head to South Beach Monday night for the Pats and the Fins. This doesn’t seem like much of a showdown, but in recent years, the Dolphins have been a huge pain in the side of Tom Brady and Co. With the Jets already beating both teams, this game could be huge in a fight to catch New York. Despite the Patriots being the most successful team this past decade and the Dolphins being the epitome of average, the Patriots have won exactly ONE more game than the Dolphins in this series since 2000.
MLB
By the time the Monday Night game concludes, we will know exactly who is playing in this season's Major League Baseball playoffs. Coming into the last weekend of play, there are still 2 open spots to be claimed: The NL West and NL Wild Card. The west will be won in San Francisco this weekend or in San Diego on Monday. Those two teams play today and tomorrow in San Fran, with the Giants needing just one win to clinch the west. If the Padres were to sweep the series, the two teams would head about 400 miles south to play on Monday in a winner-take-all one-game playoff. The loser does have a chance of making the playoffs the wild card team if the Braves can’t beat the Phillies ONE TIME this weekend. In the AL, the Yankees and Rays are battling for the AL East crown. However whichever team loses will be the wild card team from the AL. Also this last weekend, the Twins are in discussion for home field advantage. Currently the Yankees have a slight lead over both the Rays and Twins in that regard.
There you have it - a great weekend schedule, leading to a great month of sports! Enjoy! I know I will!
Yesterday started the month; it also started the last weekend of the MLB regular season. Today kicks off the first of five football weekends in the month of October. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly this weekend has to offer to sports fans everywhere.
The Ryder Cup
24 of the best golfers in the world playing against each other for 3 straight days. Golf, a game normally played by individuals, being played in a team format. It brings out some of the best shot-makers in the world doing just that. What is more exciting when watching golf than to see guys take dead aim at the stick and playing ultra aggressive? That is what you get at the Ryder Cup. You get the best players in the world making some huge risk/reward shots because if they miss, they have a teammate for once who can make the shot if they miss. Unfortunately, since the Cup this year is being played in Wales, you need to be awake at 3am (as I am right now as I type this) to watch when it starts.
College Football
5 games featuring top 25 teams playing each other.
The headliner? Alabama v Florida. The winner of this game the past 2 years went on to win the national championship. Also today, another top 10 showdown, Stanford @ Oregon. This is a game that could let a PAC-10 jump right into the thick of the national championship debate. How about the Red River Rivalry? When was the last time this game was the 3rd biggest game of the weekend? Texas-Oklahoma, the stadium split down the middle at the 50, one half red, the other burnt orange.
The last two match-ups are Big Ten match-ups. Michigan State hosting Wisconsin and Penn State @ Iowa. Now we all know that there is almost no such thing as a big time Big Ten match-up, but they are all in the top 25 and both games are somewhat intriguing. In the Michigan State-Wisconsin game, we get to find out which Big Ten team will be undefeated and overrated all the way into November. The loser will still be ranked because, well, they play in the Big Ten, and there is a clause in the rankings that says at least 5 Big Ten teams must be ranked at all times. In the Penn State-Iowa game, you get to watch the Fighting JoePa’s lose to Iowa again. What’s not to love about that? Penn State is 1-7 vs Iowa in their last 8 games, and who could forget that barnburner in 2004 which the Hawkeyes won 6-4?
NFL
Week 4 of the season and the schedule is loaded with great match-ups. Despite it being the first week of bye weeks with 4 teams not playing, there is no shortage of marquee games on the slate. Maybe the best game of the week will also be the first one completed. At 1:00, the 3-0 Steelers take on the 2-1 Ravens for control of the AFC North. Anyone who has seen these teams play in the past knows that there is no love lost between these teams. From Joey Porter going onto the Ravens bus calling out Ray Lewis after a game, to the Ravens bitching and whining about the referees in the Santonio goal line touchdown catch. This game has become the biggest and best rivalry in the league. This will be a slugfest, with two hard-nosed and rugged defenses. First team to blink loses. And that is only the first game!
At 4:00, you have the battle for the brotherly love. Vick vs McNabb. Will they boo McNabb or not? Will Vick beating McNabb in Philly Sunday crush the legacy Donovan had in the city? If McNabb and the Skins pull the upset, will Andy Reid suddenly be on the hot seat? This game, although probably not a great game, does have many great storylines attached to it. I personally want McNabb to stick it to the Eagles with a 400+ yard, 4 TD game. Do I think that will happen? Hell no! McNabb has as many offensive weapons in Washington as Obama has fulfilled promises; ZERO!
To cap off the weekend, we head to South Beach Monday night for the Pats and the Fins. This doesn’t seem like much of a showdown, but in recent years, the Dolphins have been a huge pain in the side of Tom Brady and Co. With the Jets already beating both teams, this game could be huge in a fight to catch New York. Despite the Patriots being the most successful team this past decade and the Dolphins being the epitome of average, the Patriots have won exactly ONE more game than the Dolphins in this series since 2000.
MLB
By the time the Monday Night game concludes, we will know exactly who is playing in this season's Major League Baseball playoffs. Coming into the last weekend of play, there are still 2 open spots to be claimed: The NL West and NL Wild Card. The west will be won in San Francisco this weekend or in San Diego on Monday. Those two teams play today and tomorrow in San Fran, with the Giants needing just one win to clinch the west. If the Padres were to sweep the series, the two teams would head about 400 miles south to play on Monday in a winner-take-all one-game playoff. The loser does have a chance of making the playoffs the wild card team if the Braves can’t beat the Phillies ONE TIME this weekend. In the AL, the Yankees and Rays are battling for the AL East crown. However whichever team loses will be the wild card team from the AL. Also this last weekend, the Twins are in discussion for home field advantage. Currently the Yankees have a slight lead over both the Rays and Twins in that regard.
There you have it - a great weekend schedule, leading to a great month of sports! Enjoy! I know I will!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
PARITY IS ALIVE AND KICKING IN FOOTBALL
If you are anything like me, you are super-excited that football is back in full force, but this year, it seems like we have walked in to Uncle Wally’s Wacky Fun House and everything is up-side-down.
In the NFL, last year’s 8 division winners are a combined 5-10 (UPDATE AFTER THE SAINTS GAME TODAY) and there are currently more teams that made the playoffs last year that are 0-2 (Cowboys, Vikings) than 2-0 (Green Bay).
Kansas City is 2-0; they have not started the season with 2 wins since 2005. In fact, they have not won any of their first two games since that 2005 season. Houston is 2-0; the first time they started 2-0 since ‘07, when they then proceeded to lose 5 of the next 6 games they played on route to an 8-8 record. Tampa is 2-0, albeit against the Browns and the Panthers; something they have done only twice this decade and not at all since 2005. The Bears hit 2-0 this weekend, the first time they started that hot since their Super Bowl season in 2006. The Steelers are 2-0 for the 4th time in 6 years, 2 of which they went on to win the Super Bowl (‘05 & ‘08), so that is not much of a surprise except that they are winning with a 3rd string QB, and yesterday, with a QB who would not have made the team if Ben Roethlisberger were not suspended. Finally, Miami is 2-0 for the first time since Ace Ventura was looking for Snowflake. Well, it hasn’t been that long, but it was 2002, when Jay Fiedler and Ricky Williams were leading the way. By the way, NONE of these teams made the playoffs last year!
The college football season started not much differently from the NFL. Perennial powerhouses like Georgia and Virginia Tech already have 2 loses. Everybody’s PAC-10 darlings, the Washington Huskies, also already have 2 L’s, as do the 2-time defending Big East champs, Cincinnati Bearcats. Other top-tier programs are off to good starts record-wise, but not the typical dominant starts that their fan bases have grown accustomed to. Florida is 3-0, but has struggled mightily in all 3 wins against teams that the experts in Vegas picked the Gators to beat by a total of 66. Add that to the fact that their offense currently ranks 92nd out of 120 teams in total offense, and maybe we now know why Urban Meyer considered retiring after last season.
The Trojans of USC are 3-0, but have struggled against some teams they would have put away early in the “Pay Our Recruits With Cars and Houses” era of Pete Carroll. USC beat Virginia at home in week 2 in a game in which they had to recover an on-sides kick attempt to hold onto the victory. They beat UVA in Virginia 2 years ago 50-7. Then this week, the Men of Troy trailed Minnesota two different times in their game before getting the victory. That is the same Minnesota team that held only a 3-0 lead to 1-AA South Dakota State the week before in a 41-38 loss to the Coyotes.
Ohio State has had 3 big wins to start off, but only one of which was against a competent team in Miami. And if you are a Buckeye fan, you probably should be a little concerned that you didn’t beat the Canes by more. Miami scored 2 special teams touchdowns and held tOSU to 4 field goals when they had 1st and goal to go. If THE Ohio State is planning to get to the National Championship game, that won’t cut it in Arizona. Then again, are we really to expect tOSU to get inside the 10 yard line four times in a BCS Championship game?
Some other schools that can be added to the “Not-So-Hot Start” List…
(preseason AP Rankings)
#9 Iowa - Gave up 34 points to a good Arizona team, 27 in the first half. The Hawkeyes had not let up that many points in one game since September of 2007.
#10 Va Tech - The Jokies went from being a minute away from beating #3 Boise State in the opener to losing to #3 (in 1-AA) James Madison. Frank Beamer is now 1-18 vs Top 5 teams at Virginia Tech.
#15 Pitt - Lost on the road against a good Utah team; that is not why they make this list. They make it for being completely bland in play-calling on offense considering the weapons they have at hand. In two games, Dion Lewis has 102 yards on the ground in 35 carries. Lewis only had 3 games all last season in which he ran for under 102, and he has that total in 2 full games this season. They also completely ignored Jon Baldwin in their loss to Utah. In 20 snaps offensively in the red-zone in that game, they threw Baldwin’s direction ZERO times. Baldwin had an 8 inch height advantage over the Utah CB who was covering him that night.
#16 Georgia Tech - Lost to Kansas the week between Kansas losing to North Dakota State and Southern Mississippi; enough said.
#18 North Carolina - Starting 0-2 was not expected, but you have to credit UNC for scheduling 2 non-conference games against BCS conference teams and one conference game in their first 3, but also blame UNC for having 13 players suspended for various reasons.
#19 Penn State - The Fighting Joe Paterno’s have looked less than stellar on offense their first three games. Honestly, nobody expected them to beat Alabama, and with the way Penn State schedules, 2-1 is the way most figured they would start. Although true freshman QB Robert Bolden has shown glimpses of stardom, he has also struggled mightily against Youngstown State and Kent State (struggling @Alabama in your first college road game is expected and forgiven). The offense ranks 73rd in rushing, 74th in passing and 79th in total offense. Considering the competition, this has to be a concern in Happy Valley.
#20 Florida State - Although they looked good this week beating BYU soundly, that whooping they took in Norman, Oklahoma last week is tough to forget. FSU trailed 44-7 after 3 quarters and allowed nearly 500 yards of offense by the Sooners.
Not to worry, not all is wrong with the football world; the Detroit Lions are 0-2 for the third straight season.
In the NFL, last year’s 8 division winners are a combined 5-10 (UPDATE AFTER THE SAINTS GAME TODAY) and there are currently more teams that made the playoffs last year that are 0-2 (Cowboys, Vikings) than 2-0 (Green Bay).
Kansas City is 2-0; they have not started the season with 2 wins since 2005. In fact, they have not won any of their first two games since that 2005 season. Houston is 2-0; the first time they started 2-0 since ‘07, when they then proceeded to lose 5 of the next 6 games they played on route to an 8-8 record. Tampa is 2-0, albeit against the Browns and the Panthers; something they have done only twice this decade and not at all since 2005. The Bears hit 2-0 this weekend, the first time they started that hot since their Super Bowl season in 2006. The Steelers are 2-0 for the 4th time in 6 years, 2 of which they went on to win the Super Bowl (‘05 & ‘08), so that is not much of a surprise except that they are winning with a 3rd string QB, and yesterday, with a QB who would not have made the team if Ben Roethlisberger were not suspended. Finally, Miami is 2-0 for the first time since Ace Ventura was looking for Snowflake. Well, it hasn’t been that long, but it was 2002, when Jay Fiedler and Ricky Williams were leading the way. By the way, NONE of these teams made the playoffs last year!
The college football season started not much differently from the NFL. Perennial powerhouses like Georgia and Virginia Tech already have 2 loses. Everybody’s PAC-10 darlings, the Washington Huskies, also already have 2 L’s, as do the 2-time defending Big East champs, Cincinnati Bearcats. Other top-tier programs are off to good starts record-wise, but not the typical dominant starts that their fan bases have grown accustomed to. Florida is 3-0, but has struggled mightily in all 3 wins against teams that the experts in Vegas picked the Gators to beat by a total of 66. Add that to the fact that their offense currently ranks 92nd out of 120 teams in total offense, and maybe we now know why Urban Meyer considered retiring after last season.
The Trojans of USC are 3-0, but have struggled against some teams they would have put away early in the “Pay Our Recruits With Cars and Houses” era of Pete Carroll. USC beat Virginia at home in week 2 in a game in which they had to recover an on-sides kick attempt to hold onto the victory. They beat UVA in Virginia 2 years ago 50-7. Then this week, the Men of Troy trailed Minnesota two different times in their game before getting the victory. That is the same Minnesota team that held only a 3-0 lead to 1-AA South Dakota State the week before in a 41-38 loss to the Coyotes.
Ohio State has had 3 big wins to start off, but only one of which was against a competent team in Miami. And if you are a Buckeye fan, you probably should be a little concerned that you didn’t beat the Canes by more. Miami scored 2 special teams touchdowns and held tOSU to 4 field goals when they had 1st and goal to go. If THE Ohio State is planning to get to the National Championship game, that won’t cut it in Arizona. Then again, are we really to expect tOSU to get inside the 10 yard line four times in a BCS Championship game?
Some other schools that can be added to the “Not-So-Hot Start” List…
(preseason AP Rankings)
#9 Iowa - Gave up 34 points to a good Arizona team, 27 in the first half. The Hawkeyes had not let up that many points in one game since September of 2007.
#10 Va Tech - The Jokies went from being a minute away from beating #3 Boise State in the opener to losing to #3 (in 1-AA) James Madison. Frank Beamer is now 1-18 vs Top 5 teams at Virginia Tech.
#15 Pitt - Lost on the road against a good Utah team; that is not why they make this list. They make it for being completely bland in play-calling on offense considering the weapons they have at hand. In two games, Dion Lewis has 102 yards on the ground in 35 carries. Lewis only had 3 games all last season in which he ran for under 102, and he has that total in 2 full games this season. They also completely ignored Jon Baldwin in their loss to Utah. In 20 snaps offensively in the red-zone in that game, they threw Baldwin’s direction ZERO times. Baldwin had an 8 inch height advantage over the Utah CB who was covering him that night.
#16 Georgia Tech - Lost to Kansas the week between Kansas losing to North Dakota State and Southern Mississippi; enough said.
#18 North Carolina - Starting 0-2 was not expected, but you have to credit UNC for scheduling 2 non-conference games against BCS conference teams and one conference game in their first 3, but also blame UNC for having 13 players suspended for various reasons.
#19 Penn State - The Fighting Joe Paterno’s have looked less than stellar on offense their first three games. Honestly, nobody expected them to beat Alabama, and with the way Penn State schedules, 2-1 is the way most figured they would start. Although true freshman QB Robert Bolden has shown glimpses of stardom, he has also struggled mightily against Youngstown State and Kent State (struggling @Alabama in your first college road game is expected and forgiven). The offense ranks 73rd in rushing, 74th in passing and 79th in total offense. Considering the competition, this has to be a concern in Happy Valley.
#20 Florida State - Although they looked good this week beating BYU soundly, that whooping they took in Norman, Oklahoma last week is tough to forget. FSU trailed 44-7 after 3 quarters and allowed nearly 500 yards of offense by the Sooners.
Not to worry, not all is wrong with the football world; the Detroit Lions are 0-2 for the third straight season.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Running Blog Throughout the Days Games
I will be doing a running blog of my thoughts throughout the Big East games today. They will include little bits of information on the games that I am watching as well as the implications that each result brings throughout the day.
If you want to share your thoughts, you can email me at thereitmeyerrant@hotmail.com
Watching the Nova/WVU game on CBS, will be checking in with Georgetown/Cincy game on ESPN360.com as we go.
12:10
Not sure if I am more surprised to hear Greg Anthony doing the color to this game or the fact that he has his "bubble teams". He covers the NBA, why is he covering a big game in March?
12:18
If my math is correct through 6 minutes WVU is on pace to score ZERO points!
12:20
Villanova 10, Turkey 2
12:21
The Turkish kid has never seen a shot he didn't like, unfortunately the same can not be said about a razor!
12:24
Scottie Reynolds has now been more productive at the broadcast table than Greg Anthony!
(From by buddy Jason)
The Turkish kid shots his FT's like he is gonna try to tackle a bull
12:28
Thought about looking up the Turkish guys name, but it is more fun to just call him "the Turkish kid," it's not like everyone doesn't know who we mean!
12:36
I hate those stupid UPS commercials with the guy with the chick hair. How does UPS not realize how annoying those commercial are?
HALFTIME SCORE:
Georgetown 29, Cincinnati 26
12:55
How does a Top 10 team shoot 2-10 from the foul line? No excuse for that. That is the difference on the scoreboard right now for WVU.
HALFTIME SCORE:
Villanova 29, WVU 16
Jason- Time to ship WVU of to the Big Ten, 16 points in the 1st half!
Georgetown 41, Cincinnati 35
15:53 remaining
Diabetic Austin Freeman is a 60% 3-point shooter, has 15 points already!
Let the Austin Freeman diabetic jokes start...
Jason- Austin Freemans line, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 insulin shots
Keith (from Philly)- Imagine how good Georgetown would have been all season if Freeman had Diabetes all season!
1:18
Since I get updates on my phone for the Penguins, you get them here too...Jordan Staal goal. Pens 1, other team 0
I seriously don't know who they are playing....I'll look it up.
1:21
Kevin Jones scores 2, his first two. Obviously a new strategy for this half, they are going to try to score in the first 6 minutes of the half.
1:24
The Penguins are playing the Dallas Stars
SCORE UPDATE:
Georgetown 52, Cincinnati 37
10 to play
A win secures a bye for Georgetown in the BET.
1:34
WVU already in the bonus with 14:34 left in the game, Redding has 4 fouls for Nova. The way that WVU has shot FT's today, I'm not sure this is a good thing....6-16 today.
1:35
2 point game, Villanova has scored only 5 points in 6 minutes of the second half. 34-32 Nova.
SCORE UPDATE:
Georgetown up 29 with 3:42 left, 70-41
Win clinches a bye for Georgetown. Hoyas could get to #7 with a ND loss.
Cincinnati will finish either 11th or 12th depending on the UCONN/USF game.
1:47
Butler knocks down 2 FT's and WVU has their first lead of the game...41-39
1:48
Apparently neither team wants to join the Big Ten, we've had an offensive explosion in the last two minutes.....WVU is killing Nova down low and on the boards. That is something that I think will really hurt Villanova in the Tournament (the big one, as well as the BET).
FINAL SCORE:
Georgetown 74, Cincinnati 47
Way to show up Cincy!
GEORGETOWN CLINCHES OPENING ROUND BYE
Georgetown will finish either 7 (ND loss) or 8 (ND win).
CINCINNATI will finish either 11 (UCONN loss) or 12 (UCONN win)
1:54
Freeman finished with 24 points going 4-7 from 3 for the Hoyas.
1:59
Good news is Pitino is not wearing his all-white suit, bad news is it is RED!
2:00
Huggy Bear just got T'd up....he better be careful, it looks like heart attack #2 could be right around the corner....he is fired up!
2:02
After the Technical, WVU comes out in the 1-3-1 and Nova picks it apart with some great interior passing for an easy lay-up....followed up by 2 straight 3's by WVU...game is going back and forth now, we are in for a great finish. WVU 51-50 4:18 left.
2:05
UNLV professors not happy with that one....32+5 is NOT 36 Greg!
2:10
Not sure why Nova keeps settling for 3's against this zone considering they got easy lay-ups the 1st 2 trips down against it using quick passes and their bigs.
2:11
My buddy Jason just texted me that he is thinking of betting Penn State today...I can take him cheering for WVU today since it helps PITT, but there is no reason to EVER root for Penn State, even if it does help your wallet.
2:13
Nice to see this top-notch broadcast team is paying attention, "West Virginia is now is some type of sort of zone this trip." REALLY?! They have been playing zone the last 5 minutes!
2:15
Typical Big East game, the refs are calling WAY to much. Both coaches already got T'd up for arguing and now they send Scottie Reynolds to the line after never getting touched. LET THEM PLAY!
2:16
HUGE 3 by Butler...WVU up 56-55 with 52.0 seconds left
2:17
OFFENSIVE FOUL!!!! Very VERY questionable call...WVU up 1 and with the ball, 37 seconds left.
2:20
WVU is 12-14 from the line in the 2nd half...Reynolds answers quick, WVU up 58-57...WVU ball
2:21
14-16 now
2:22
Corey Fisher hits a DEEP 3 with 7.5 left....Devin Ebanks mismanaging clock, has to settle for a half-courter for the win. OVERTIME!
2:27
FYI: Greg Anthony, there is no "NEW RULE" about the charge circle, that is just in the NBA....this guy is terrible!!! I hope he isn't doing any games in the NCAA Tournament!
2:30
46 fouls and 61 FT attempts so far....Truck Byant has now fouled out, 4 other players with 4.
2:31
Greg Anthony with bad information yet again....Pitt has the tiebreaker over WVU not the other way around.
2:35
West Virginia up 1, 64-63 with 51.3 left in OT. The WVU zone is really giving Nova problems due to their size in that zone.
2:38
WVU has now made 16-18 FT's since the halftime and 12 straight. Corey Stokes makes a BIG 3 to tie it.
2:41
Butler just did his best Ray Allen impression and hit a crazy runner it take the lead with 5.7 seconds left!
2:43
Scottie Reynolds misses a 3 from the corner (not sure it would have counted anyway, don't think he got it off in time) and WVU wins 68-66.
FINAL SCORE:
West Virginia 68, Villanova 66
Seeding for those 2 teams will be determined by the outcome of the Pitt/Rutgers game.
If Pitt wins, seeding goes, #2 Pitt, #3 WVU, #4 Villanova
If Rutgers wins seeding goes, #2 WVU, # Villanova, #4 Pitt
HALFTIME SCORE UPDATES:
South Florida 33, UCONN 31
Syracuse 35, Louisville 30
Notre Dame 26, Marquette 26
2:52
Jay Williams in studio talking about Louisville being a bubble team, "they won the games they are suppose to won." REALLY!?!?! He is a Duke guy too. "they won the games they are suppose to WON!" UNREAL!
3:19
This Syracuse-Louisville is high paced, but not really a great level of play at this point.
SCORE UPDATES:
Marquette 42, Notre Dame 33 12:12 left
South Florida 52, UCONN 42 12:15 left
Louisville 45, Syracuse 42 13:32 left
3:29
Louisville absolutely lighting it up right now....3 straight trips with 3's then a fast break basket. Louisville up 55-48.
3:33
Interesting stat...Syracuse 34 of 48 points scored in the paint, can't knock down any jumpers, while Louisville is living by the 3. Now 9-30 for the Cardinals behind the arc.
3:40
Kyle Kuric averages 3 ppg for Louisville, just hit 2 straight 3's....he has 13 today in 13 minutes.
Louisville 63-54.
PENS UPDATE:
Pens 6-3 winners, trailed 3-1. Crosby had 2 goals and 1 assist.
3:44
Syracuse with the press causes some confusion, Louisville has to waste a TO.
3:45
Wes Johnson just picked up with 4th foul, still 7:03 remaining, he is staying in the game. Louisville 64-56.
3:47
Kuric ANOTHER 3 pointer! 67-59 Louisville
SCORE UPDATE:
Marquette 46-43, Harangody has played today, but not much and is not is the game down the stretch.
Marquette 50-43 with 1:02 remaining
3:52
Louisville is up by double digits now. Kyle Kuric is now 8-9 from the field and leads all scorers with 20. Rautins on the other hand is 1-9....Louisville up 75-61
3:56
Marquette blows 50-43 lead, Scott hits a 3 at the buzzer for the Irish and we have our 2nd OT game of the day in Big East play. 51-51
SCORE UPDATE:
South Florida 68, UCONN 62 1:25 left
4:00
Louisville just eating clock now, 1 minute to go in the game Louisville 75-64.
FINAL SCORE:
Louisville 78, Syracuse 68
SYRACUSE IS #1 SEED
LOUISVILLE IS #6 SEED
4:04
UCONN down 2, 70-68 with 36.0 left
4:05
USF up 72-68 with 25.1 left and the Bulls are heading to the foul line.... This loss would REALLY hurt UCONN's chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament, they will need a long run in NYC.
FINAL SCORE:
South Florida 75, UCONN 68
UCONN IS #12 SEED
CINCINNATI now secures the #11 SEED with UCONN loss
4:10
Notre Dame up 56-53 with 48.0 seconds left
4:15
Marquette's Jimmy Butler hits a BIG 3 to cut it to 2, 22 seconds left, Marquette lets 9 seconds go off the clock before fouling ND's best foul shooter.
4:17
Acneitis hits both foul shots for ND, 13.8 left ND leads 60-56.
4:18
Whoever the moron color guy is in this game just said that he hopes that DePaul gets a win the BET because the new coach has done "such a great job" REALLY?! That 1-17 record makes me think otherwise.
4:19
Acneitis makes 1-2, Irish up 3, FOULS! GREAT CALL, why don't more coaches do that?
4:20
Marquette makes both FT's down 1 with 2.7 to go.
4:22
IRISH WIN!
FINAL SCORE:
Notre Dame 63
Marquette 60
4:25
With a little break before the Pitt-Rutgers game let's take a look at what we know now.
X**Syracuse Orange 15-3
**West Virginia Mountaineers 13-5
**Villanova Wildcats 13-5
**Pittsburgh Panthers 12-5
X*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-7
X*Louisville Cardinals 11-7
X*Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-8
X*Georgetown Hoyas 10-8
X-South Florida Bulls 9-9
X-Seton Hall Pirates 8-9
X-Cincinnati Bearcats 7-11
X-Connecticut Huskies 7-11
St. John’s Red Storm 6-12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-12
Providence Friars 4-13
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-17
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
5:18
This game is incredibly boring...How the hell did Rutgers win 5 games?
5:20
They could play this game for the next 5 hours and I think Pitt already has scored more than Rutgers could get in that span.
SCORE UPDATE:
Pitt 40, Rutgers 16
To be fair I think we need to use the same comment as before...
Apparently Rutgers is making a run at the Big Ten with just 16 points in the 1st half. They would be winning most games in the Big Ten with that type of offensive showing!
5:24
With some time at halftime let's take a look at the brackets as of now for the BET.
TEAMS IN BOLD ARE LOCKED INTO SEEDS
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – St. John's
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence (with loss vs Seton Hall, Rutger's with Providence win)
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Rutgers (with Seton Hall win, Providence with Seton Hall loss)
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – WVU
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
5:54
I realize they are playing Rutgers, but I have seen every game that Pitt has played this year and I really think this might be the most complete performance all season. It is a nice time to be playing your best basketball game. Wonder if the coaching staff laid into them after just going through the motions and stealing one from Providence Thursday.
6:00
No wonder Dante Taylor was a McDonald's All-American, look at how well he plays against high school level talent!
6:12
Gotta love the one man press by Nasir to force the turnover, while up 28!
6:13
Gilbert Brown tried to get the media guide cover with that dunk attempt!
FINAL SCORE:
Pitt 83, Rutgers 54
PITT IS #2 SEED
Rutgers is now either #14 or #15 depending on Seton Hall/Providence outcome
ST. JOHN'S IS #13 SEED
6:35
Ok, everyone thanks for taking part in the running blog today, I am done. We know everything right now except for the #14-15 seeds. Simply put, if Providence beats Seton Hall they are the #14, if Seton Hall wins Rutgers is the #14.
Here is what the brackets look like as of now:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – St. John's
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence (with loss vs Seton Hall, Rutger's with Providence win)
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Rutgers (with Seton Hall win, Providence with Seton Hall loss)
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – WVU
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
I will be doing the same type of running blog next Tuesday and Wednesday for the Big East Tournament before I head up to NYC for Thursday and the weekend. Depending on access, I will try to be on from NYC too.
You can follow me on Twitter, click here
If you want to share your thoughts, you can email me at thereitmeyerrant@hotmail.com
Watching the Nova/WVU game on CBS, will be checking in with Georgetown/Cincy game on ESPN360.com as we go.
12:10
Not sure if I am more surprised to hear Greg Anthony doing the color to this game or the fact that he has his "bubble teams". He covers the NBA, why is he covering a big game in March?
12:18
If my math is correct through 6 minutes WVU is on pace to score ZERO points!
12:20
Villanova 10, Turkey 2
12:21
The Turkish kid has never seen a shot he didn't like, unfortunately the same can not be said about a razor!
12:24
Scottie Reynolds has now been more productive at the broadcast table than Greg Anthony!
(From by buddy Jason)
The Turkish kid shots his FT's like he is gonna try to tackle a bull
12:28
Thought about looking up the Turkish guys name, but it is more fun to just call him "the Turkish kid," it's not like everyone doesn't know who we mean!
12:36
I hate those stupid UPS commercials with the guy with the chick hair. How does UPS not realize how annoying those commercial are?
HALFTIME SCORE:
Georgetown 29, Cincinnati 26
12:55
How does a Top 10 team shoot 2-10 from the foul line? No excuse for that. That is the difference on the scoreboard right now for WVU.
HALFTIME SCORE:
Villanova 29, WVU 16
Jason- Time to ship WVU of to the Big Ten, 16 points in the 1st half!
Georgetown 41, Cincinnati 35
15:53 remaining
Diabetic Austin Freeman is a 60% 3-point shooter, has 15 points already!
Let the Austin Freeman diabetic jokes start...
Jason- Austin Freemans line, 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 insulin shots
Keith (from Philly)- Imagine how good Georgetown would have been all season if Freeman had Diabetes all season!
1:18
Since I get updates on my phone for the Penguins, you get them here too...Jordan Staal goal. Pens 1, other team 0
I seriously don't know who they are playing....I'll look it up.
1:21
Kevin Jones scores 2, his first two. Obviously a new strategy for this half, they are going to try to score in the first 6 minutes of the half.
1:24
The Penguins are playing the Dallas Stars
SCORE UPDATE:
Georgetown 52, Cincinnati 37
10 to play
A win secures a bye for Georgetown in the BET.
1:34
WVU already in the bonus with 14:34 left in the game, Redding has 4 fouls for Nova. The way that WVU has shot FT's today, I'm not sure this is a good thing....6-16 today.
1:35
2 point game, Villanova has scored only 5 points in 6 minutes of the second half. 34-32 Nova.
SCORE UPDATE:
Georgetown up 29 with 3:42 left, 70-41
Win clinches a bye for Georgetown. Hoyas could get to #7 with a ND loss.
Cincinnati will finish either 11th or 12th depending on the UCONN/USF game.
1:47
Butler knocks down 2 FT's and WVU has their first lead of the game...41-39
1:48
Apparently neither team wants to join the Big Ten, we've had an offensive explosion in the last two minutes.....WVU is killing Nova down low and on the boards. That is something that I think will really hurt Villanova in the Tournament (the big one, as well as the BET).
FINAL SCORE:
Georgetown 74, Cincinnati 47
Way to show up Cincy!
GEORGETOWN CLINCHES OPENING ROUND BYE
Georgetown will finish either 7 (ND loss) or 8 (ND win).
CINCINNATI will finish either 11 (UCONN loss) or 12 (UCONN win)
1:54
Freeman finished with 24 points going 4-7 from 3 for the Hoyas.
1:59
Good news is Pitino is not wearing his all-white suit, bad news is it is RED!
2:00
Huggy Bear just got T'd up....he better be careful, it looks like heart attack #2 could be right around the corner....he is fired up!
2:02
After the Technical, WVU comes out in the 1-3-1 and Nova picks it apart with some great interior passing for an easy lay-up....followed up by 2 straight 3's by WVU...game is going back and forth now, we are in for a great finish. WVU 51-50 4:18 left.
2:05
UNLV professors not happy with that one....32+5 is NOT 36 Greg!
2:10
Not sure why Nova keeps settling for 3's against this zone considering they got easy lay-ups the 1st 2 trips down against it using quick passes and their bigs.
2:11
My buddy Jason just texted me that he is thinking of betting Penn State today...I can take him cheering for WVU today since it helps PITT, but there is no reason to EVER root for Penn State, even if it does help your wallet.
2:13
Nice to see this top-notch broadcast team is paying attention, "West Virginia is now is some type of sort of zone this trip." REALLY?! They have been playing zone the last 5 minutes!
2:15
Typical Big East game, the refs are calling WAY to much. Both coaches already got T'd up for arguing and now they send Scottie Reynolds to the line after never getting touched. LET THEM PLAY!
2:16
HUGE 3 by Butler...WVU up 56-55 with 52.0 seconds left
2:17
OFFENSIVE FOUL!!!! Very VERY questionable call...WVU up 1 and with the ball, 37 seconds left.
2:20
WVU is 12-14 from the line in the 2nd half...Reynolds answers quick, WVU up 58-57...WVU ball
2:21
14-16 now
2:22
Corey Fisher hits a DEEP 3 with 7.5 left....Devin Ebanks mismanaging clock, has to settle for a half-courter for the win. OVERTIME!
2:27
FYI: Greg Anthony, there is no "NEW RULE" about the charge circle, that is just in the NBA....this guy is terrible!!! I hope he isn't doing any games in the NCAA Tournament!
2:30
46 fouls and 61 FT attempts so far....Truck Byant has now fouled out, 4 other players with 4.
2:31
Greg Anthony with bad information yet again....Pitt has the tiebreaker over WVU not the other way around.
2:35
West Virginia up 1, 64-63 with 51.3 left in OT. The WVU zone is really giving Nova problems due to their size in that zone.
2:38
WVU has now made 16-18 FT's since the halftime and 12 straight. Corey Stokes makes a BIG 3 to tie it.
2:41
Butler just did his best Ray Allen impression and hit a crazy runner it take the lead with 5.7 seconds left!
2:43
Scottie Reynolds misses a 3 from the corner (not sure it would have counted anyway, don't think he got it off in time) and WVU wins 68-66.
FINAL SCORE:
West Virginia 68, Villanova 66
Seeding for those 2 teams will be determined by the outcome of the Pitt/Rutgers game.
If Pitt wins, seeding goes, #2 Pitt, #3 WVU, #4 Villanova
If Rutgers wins seeding goes, #2 WVU, # Villanova, #4 Pitt
HALFTIME SCORE UPDATES:
South Florida 33, UCONN 31
Syracuse 35, Louisville 30
Notre Dame 26, Marquette 26
2:52
Jay Williams in studio talking about Louisville being a bubble team, "they won the games they are suppose to won." REALLY!?!?! He is a Duke guy too. "they won the games they are suppose to WON!" UNREAL!
3:19
This Syracuse-Louisville is high paced, but not really a great level of play at this point.
SCORE UPDATES:
Marquette 42, Notre Dame 33 12:12 left
South Florida 52, UCONN 42 12:15 left
Louisville 45, Syracuse 42 13:32 left
3:29
Louisville absolutely lighting it up right now....3 straight trips with 3's then a fast break basket. Louisville up 55-48.
3:33
Interesting stat...Syracuse 34 of 48 points scored in the paint, can't knock down any jumpers, while Louisville is living by the 3. Now 9-30 for the Cardinals behind the arc.
3:40
Kyle Kuric averages 3 ppg for Louisville, just hit 2 straight 3's....he has 13 today in 13 minutes.
Louisville 63-54.
PENS UPDATE:
Pens 6-3 winners, trailed 3-1. Crosby had 2 goals and 1 assist.
3:44
Syracuse with the press causes some confusion, Louisville has to waste a TO.
3:45
Wes Johnson just picked up with 4th foul, still 7:03 remaining, he is staying in the game. Louisville 64-56.
3:47
Kuric ANOTHER 3 pointer! 67-59 Louisville
SCORE UPDATE:
Marquette 46-43, Harangody has played today, but not much and is not is the game down the stretch.
Marquette 50-43 with 1:02 remaining
3:52
Louisville is up by double digits now. Kyle Kuric is now 8-9 from the field and leads all scorers with 20. Rautins on the other hand is 1-9....Louisville up 75-61
3:56
Marquette blows 50-43 lead, Scott hits a 3 at the buzzer for the Irish and we have our 2nd OT game of the day in Big East play. 51-51
SCORE UPDATE:
South Florida 68, UCONN 62 1:25 left
4:00
Louisville just eating clock now, 1 minute to go in the game Louisville 75-64.
FINAL SCORE:
Louisville 78, Syracuse 68
SYRACUSE IS #1 SEED
LOUISVILLE IS #6 SEED
4:04
UCONN down 2, 70-68 with 36.0 left
4:05
USF up 72-68 with 25.1 left and the Bulls are heading to the foul line.... This loss would REALLY hurt UCONN's chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament, they will need a long run in NYC.
FINAL SCORE:
South Florida 75, UCONN 68
UCONN IS #12 SEED
CINCINNATI now secures the #11 SEED with UCONN loss
4:10
Notre Dame up 56-53 with 48.0 seconds left
4:15
Marquette's Jimmy Butler hits a BIG 3 to cut it to 2, 22 seconds left, Marquette lets 9 seconds go off the clock before fouling ND's best foul shooter.
4:17
Acneitis hits both foul shots for ND, 13.8 left ND leads 60-56.
4:18
Whoever the moron color guy is in this game just said that he hopes that DePaul gets a win the BET because the new coach has done "such a great job" REALLY?! That 1-17 record makes me think otherwise.
4:19
Acneitis makes 1-2, Irish up 3, FOULS! GREAT CALL, why don't more coaches do that?
4:20
Marquette makes both FT's down 1 with 2.7 to go.
4:22
IRISH WIN!
FINAL SCORE:
Notre Dame 63
Marquette 60
4:25
With a little break before the Pitt-Rutgers game let's take a look at what we know now.
X**Syracuse Orange 15-3
**West Virginia Mountaineers 13-5
**Villanova Wildcats 13-5
**Pittsburgh Panthers 12-5
X*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-7
X*Louisville Cardinals 11-7
X*Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-8
X*Georgetown Hoyas 10-8
X-South Florida Bulls 9-9
X-Seton Hall Pirates 8-9
X-Cincinnati Bearcats 7-11
X-Connecticut Huskies 7-11
St. John’s Red Storm 6-12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-12
Providence Friars 4-13
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-17
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
5:18
This game is incredibly boring...How the hell did Rutgers win 5 games?
5:20
They could play this game for the next 5 hours and I think Pitt already has scored more than Rutgers could get in that span.
SCORE UPDATE:
Pitt 40, Rutgers 16
To be fair I think we need to use the same comment as before...
Apparently Rutgers is making a run at the Big Ten with just 16 points in the 1st half. They would be winning most games in the Big Ten with that type of offensive showing!
5:24
With some time at halftime let's take a look at the brackets as of now for the BET.
TEAMS IN BOLD ARE LOCKED INTO SEEDS
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – St. John's
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence (with loss vs Seton Hall, Rutger's with Providence win)
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Rutgers (with Seton Hall win, Providence with Seton Hall loss)
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – WVU
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
5:54
I realize they are playing Rutgers, but I have seen every game that Pitt has played this year and I really think this might be the most complete performance all season. It is a nice time to be playing your best basketball game. Wonder if the coaching staff laid into them after just going through the motions and stealing one from Providence Thursday.
6:00
No wonder Dante Taylor was a McDonald's All-American, look at how well he plays against high school level talent!
6:12
Gotta love the one man press by Nasir to force the turnover, while up 28!
6:13
Gilbert Brown tried to get the media guide cover with that dunk attempt!
FINAL SCORE:
Pitt 83, Rutgers 54
PITT IS #2 SEED
Rutgers is now either #14 or #15 depending on Seton Hall/Providence outcome
ST. JOHN'S IS #13 SEED
6:35
Ok, everyone thanks for taking part in the running blog today, I am done. We know everything right now except for the #14-15 seeds. Simply put, if Providence beats Seton Hall they are the #14, if Seton Hall wins Rutgers is the #14.
Here is what the brackets look like as of now:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – St. John's
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence (with loss vs Seton Hall, Rutger's with Providence win)
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Rutgers (with Seton Hall win, Providence with Seton Hall loss)
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – WVU
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
I will be doing the same type of running blog next Tuesday and Wednesday for the Big East Tournament before I head up to NYC for Thursday and the weekend. Depending on access, I will try to be on from NYC too.
You can follow me on Twitter, click here
BETology 3-6
BETology 3-6
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**Pittsburgh Panthers 12-5
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
X*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-8
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Seton Hall Pirates 8-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Connecticut Huskies 7-10
St. John’s Red Storm 6-12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-12
Providence Friars 4-13
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-17
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
ST. JOHN'S RED STORM 90
DePaul Blue Demons 82
(3 OT)
Pittsburgh native D.J. Kennedy dropped in 32 points going 7-9 from 3-point range to help the Red Storm get to 6-12 in conference play. Amazingly both teams have completed their conference schedule and we still don't know where St. John's finishes in teh standings. They will either be 13 or 14 depending on what Rutgers does today in Pittsburgh. If Rutgers wins, StJ drops to 14, if Pitt wins StJ is 13.
TODAY:
Cincinnati @ Georgetown, NOON, ESPN360.com
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Georgetwon needs a win to secure the opening round bye. They can still get it with a loss, but they will then have to depend on getting a bunch of help from elsewhere in the conference.
* Cincinnati cannot claim that bye, but can claim a virtual bye if they win and get help and finish in 9th place. That would place them against DePaul on Tuesday, and that is about as close to a bye as you can get.
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Lots! Both teams have clinched the double bye and won't be playing in MSG until Thursday but seeding is very important. Both teams can finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th depending on this game and the Pitt result. Oddly enough, this game will help determine seeding elsewhere down the line as "best win" is a tiebreaker used by the BIg East. So teams further down the standings will be pulling for teams that they have already beaten atop the standings. Being that Syracuse has only 2 losses, WVU, Villanova and Pitt are going to determine seeding for a lot of other teams as well today.
UCONN @ South Florida, 2:00 pm, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* With Help South Florida can still get a opening day bye, something they have never gotten before at the BET. They need a win and have Georgetown lose.
* UCONN really can't do much to improve itself right now as the are assured of playing on Tuesday after losing to Notre Dame Wednesday. UCONN can get to the 9th spot, which as we said is like getting a bye since you get to play DePaul in the 1st round.
Notre Dame @ Marquette, 2:00 pm, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* For Marquette, NOTHING. The Golden Eagles locked up the #5 spto by beating Louisville Tuesday and Pitt and WVU both also winning earlier in the week. They will open at 2:00 pm Wednesday against the 12/13 winner from Tuesday.
* Notre Dame can clinch 7th with a win. If they lose they could finish anywhere between 7th and 9th, finishing 9th would drop them out of a bye.
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Syracuse is playing for NCAA Tournament seeding at this point. If they can continue to win they may be able to get the #1 overall seed in the tournament. As for the BET, they have already locked up the #1 seed and will be playing at NOON on Thursday.
* Louisville is assured of a bye and is playing for positioning right now. They will finish in 6th with a win today, and could even with a loss if ND also win. If they lose and Georgetown wins AND Notre Dame loses teh Cardinals drop to #7.
Rutgers @ Pitt, 4:30 pm, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* As mentioned before, Pitt has a double bye, but like Villanova and WVU can finish anywhere from 2-4. That final seeding will also determine positions for other teams based on the BIg East tiebreaker system.
* A win for Rutgers and they can bump St. John's down to the 14 spot. A loss, combined with a Providence win and Rutgers could drop to 15.
Seton Hall @ Providence, 7:00 pm, ESPN360.com
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
*Seton Hall can still claim that last opening round bye with a win and a little help. Seton Hall needs wins from Georgetown and Marquette to still have a chance for that bye.
* Providence will either be 14 or 15. A loss and they are 15, a win and a Rutgers loss they are 14.
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – St. John's
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Rutgers
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**Pittsburgh Panthers 12-5
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
X*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-8
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Seton Hall Pirates 8-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Connecticut Huskies 7-10
St. John’s Red Storm 6-12
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-12
Providence Friars 4-13
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-17
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
ST. JOHN'S RED STORM 90
DePaul Blue Demons 82
(3 OT)
Pittsburgh native D.J. Kennedy dropped in 32 points going 7-9 from 3-point range to help the Red Storm get to 6-12 in conference play. Amazingly both teams have completed their conference schedule and we still don't know where St. John's finishes in teh standings. They will either be 13 or 14 depending on what Rutgers does today in Pittsburgh. If Rutgers wins, StJ drops to 14, if Pitt wins StJ is 13.
TODAY:
Cincinnati @ Georgetown, NOON, ESPN360.com
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Georgetwon needs a win to secure the opening round bye. They can still get it with a loss, but they will then have to depend on getting a bunch of help from elsewhere in the conference.
* Cincinnati cannot claim that bye, but can claim a virtual bye if they win and get help and finish in 9th place. That would place them against DePaul on Tuesday, and that is about as close to a bye as you can get.
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Lots! Both teams have clinched the double bye and won't be playing in MSG until Thursday but seeding is very important. Both teams can finish anywhere from 2nd to 4th depending on this game and the Pitt result. Oddly enough, this game will help determine seeding elsewhere down the line as "best win" is a tiebreaker used by the BIg East. So teams further down the standings will be pulling for teams that they have already beaten atop the standings. Being that Syracuse has only 2 losses, WVU, Villanova and Pitt are going to determine seeding for a lot of other teams as well today.
UCONN @ South Florida, 2:00 pm, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* With Help South Florida can still get a opening day bye, something they have never gotten before at the BET. They need a win and have Georgetown lose.
* UCONN really can't do much to improve itself right now as the are assured of playing on Tuesday after losing to Notre Dame Wednesday. UCONN can get to the 9th spot, which as we said is like getting a bye since you get to play DePaul in the 1st round.
Notre Dame @ Marquette, 2:00 pm, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* For Marquette, NOTHING. The Golden Eagles locked up the #5 spto by beating Louisville Tuesday and Pitt and WVU both also winning earlier in the week. They will open at 2:00 pm Wednesday against the 12/13 winner from Tuesday.
* Notre Dame can clinch 7th with a win. If they lose they could finish anywhere between 7th and 9th, finishing 9th would drop them out of a bye.
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Syracuse is playing for NCAA Tournament seeding at this point. If they can continue to win they may be able to get the #1 overall seed in the tournament. As for the BET, they have already locked up the #1 seed and will be playing at NOON on Thursday.
* Louisville is assured of a bye and is playing for positioning right now. They will finish in 6th with a win today, and could even with a loss if ND also win. If they lose and Georgetown wins AND Notre Dame loses teh Cardinals drop to #7.
Rutgers @ Pitt, 4:30 pm, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* As mentioned before, Pitt has a double bye, but like Villanova and WVU can finish anywhere from 2-4. That final seeding will also determine positions for other teams based on the BIg East tiebreaker system.
* A win for Rutgers and they can bump St. John's down to the 14 spot. A loss, combined with a Providence win and Rutgers could drop to 15.
Seton Hall @ Providence, 7:00 pm, ESPN360.com
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
*Seton Hall can still claim that last opening round bye with a win and a little help. Seton Hall needs wins from Georgetown and Marquette to still have a chance for that bye.
* Providence will either be 14 or 15. A loss and they are 15, a win and a Rutgers loss they are 14.
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – St. John's
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – Rutgers
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Friday, March 5, 2010
BETology 3-5
BETology 3-5
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**Pittsburgh Panthers 12-5
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
X*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
*Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-8
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Seton Hall Pirates 8-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Connecticut Huskies 7-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-12
St. John’s Red Storm 5-12
Providence Friars 4-13
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-16
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
SETON HALL PIRATES 85
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 74
This win for Seton Hall keeps them in play for the opening round bye that about 5 teams are fighting for. Seton Hall is one game behind Georgetown and Notre Dame who currently hold the 7th and 8th spots. The Pirates lost to Georgetown, so they do not fair well against them in a tiebreaker, but they beat ND and own that tiebreaker. A win against Providence on Saturday could be enough to get Seton hall to that #8 spot in the standings. Rutgers has now secured a spot in the bottom 4. Rutgers plays at Pitt on Saturday.
PITT PANTHERS 73
Providence Friars 71
After 39 minutes adn 56 seconds of terrible basketball played by the Panthers, Ashton Gibbs bailed them out with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Providence and secure a double bye in the BET. Pitt is assured of a top 4 finish right now, but they could end up as high as #2 with a win Saturday and a Villanova loss to WVU. Providence remains in 15th place and takes on Seton Hall Saturday.
TONIGHT:
St. John's @ DePaul, 8:30, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
*NOTHING, both teams stink and will be playing on the opening day at MSG.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**Pittsburgh Panthers 12-5
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
X*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
*Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-8
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Seton Hall Pirates 8-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Connecticut Huskies 7-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-12
St. John’s Red Storm 5-12
Providence Friars 4-13
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-16
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
SETON HALL PIRATES 85
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 74
This win for Seton Hall keeps them in play for the opening round bye that about 5 teams are fighting for. Seton Hall is one game behind Georgetown and Notre Dame who currently hold the 7th and 8th spots. The Pirates lost to Georgetown, so they do not fair well against them in a tiebreaker, but they beat ND and own that tiebreaker. A win against Providence on Saturday could be enough to get Seton hall to that #8 spot in the standings. Rutgers has now secured a spot in the bottom 4. Rutgers plays at Pitt on Saturday.
PITT PANTHERS 73
Providence Friars 71
After 39 minutes adn 56 seconds of terrible basketball played by the Panthers, Ashton Gibbs bailed them out with a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Providence and secure a double bye in the BET. Pitt is assured of a top 4 finish right now, but they could end up as high as #2 with a win Saturday and a Villanova loss to WVU. Providence remains in 15th place and takes on Seton Hall Saturday.
TONIGHT:
St. John's @ DePaul, 8:30, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
*NOTHING, both teams stink and will be playing on the opening day at MSG.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
BETology 3-4
BETology 3-4
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-8
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Connecticut Huskies 7-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-12
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-16
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH 58
Connecticut Huskies 50
In a dreadful game to watch that included 22 turnovers and only 37 TOTAL 1st half points the Irish all but clinched an opening day bye. These two teams entered the game on the NCAA "bubble" and hopefully nobody from the selection committee was watching because neither team would get in after that performance. The two teams combined to miss 64 shots and were a combined 6-29 from 3-point range. However the way basketball works is that someone has to win and that someone was Notre Dame today. The Irish jump to 7th in the current standings and will get a Tuesday bye unless they lose Saturday AND Seton Hall wins their remaining two games AND Georgetown defeats Cincinnati on Saturday. UCONN drops to 12th after this loss and no longer has a shot at getting that opening day bye. The Huskies could get as high as 9th with a win in Tampa on Saturday and some help, but they will still be playing on Tuesday in MSG.
TONIGHT:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Seton Hall can still claim one of the two remaining opening day byes if they win out and the Pirates get a little help.
* Rutgers is playing for Tuesday matchups at this point. If they lose they will be in the mix to finish anywhere from 13-15, but a win would almost certainly secure the 13th seed.
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Pitt needs to win 1 game to secure a double bye. If they win their remaining 2 games they can do no worse than 3rd in the final standings, 2nd if WVU beats Villanova.
* Providence is playing for a Tuesday time slot. Their fans can get on the train and get to the Garden for a Tuesday night game, so finishing 14th or 15th might be best for them.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 9-8
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Connecticut Huskies 7-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-12
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-16
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH 58
Connecticut Huskies 50
In a dreadful game to watch that included 22 turnovers and only 37 TOTAL 1st half points the Irish all but clinched an opening day bye. These two teams entered the game on the NCAA "bubble" and hopefully nobody from the selection committee was watching because neither team would get in after that performance. The two teams combined to miss 64 shots and were a combined 6-29 from 3-point range. However the way basketball works is that someone has to win and that someone was Notre Dame today. The Irish jump to 7th in the current standings and will get a Tuesday bye unless they lose Saturday AND Seton Hall wins their remaining two games AND Georgetown defeats Cincinnati on Saturday. UCONN drops to 12th after this loss and no longer has a shot at getting that opening day bye. The Huskies could get as high as 9th with a win in Tampa on Saturday and some help, but they will still be playing on Tuesday in MSG.
TONIGHT:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Seton Hall can still claim one of the two remaining opening day byes if they win out and the Pirates get a little help.
* Rutgers is playing for Tuesday matchups at this point. If they lose they will be in the mix to finish anywhere from 13-15, but a win would almost certainly secure the 13th seed.
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Pitt needs to win 1 game to secure a double bye. If they win their remaining 2 games they can do no worse than 3rd in the final standings, 2nd if WVU beats Villanova.
* Providence is playing for a Tuesday time slot. Their fans can get on the train and get to the Garden for a Tuesday night game, so finishing 14th or 15th might be best for them.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – UCONN
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Seton Hall
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Cincinnati
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
BETology 3-3
BETology 3-3
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Connecticut Huskies 7-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-12
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-16
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
SYRACUSE ORANGE 85
St. John's Red Storm 66
Syracuse won their first game as the nations #1 team since 1990. As we already knew, Syracsue has clinched the #1 overall seed in the BET and with the win tonight they clinched the out-right league title as well. St. John's remains in 14th place after the loss. The Red Storm are now one half game ahead of Providence and one half game behind Rutgers. St. John's finishes their regular season on Friday night at DePaul.
VILLANOVA WILDCATS 77
Cincinnati Bearcats 73
Cincinnati hurt themselves badly with this loss. They drop all the way to 12th in the current standings and assured themselves of playing on Tuesday in the New York. Cincinnati has not won a Big East Tournament game since joining the conference. A win Saturday against Georgetown will help draw and easier team for the Bearcats, but they will now certainly play on the opening day. Villanova remains in second place, but their final position won't be determined until the hours after the final whistle blows in their game on Saturday against WVU. With a win, Villanova clinches 2nd place. If they lose they finish in 3rd (if Pitt loses once this week) or 4th if Pitt wins both games this week. WVU and Villanova play at NOON, Pitt plays at 4:30 Saturday.
SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS 63
DePaul Blue Demons 59
South Florida stays alive for that opening round bye. They own a tiebreaker over Georgetown, so Hoyas loss on Saturday and a USF win and the Bulls could get a day off in NYC this year. They can also get in without a Georgetown loss, but that way gets more complicated. First things first though, the Bulls need to be UCONN on Saturday to have any chance. As for DePaul, well...yeah there isn't much more to say about them.
MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES 69
Louisville Cardinals 48
In the double bye elimination game Marquette is the victor. The win allows Marquette to stay alive for the double bye, however they will need help from the bottom-feeders of the Big East. The Golden Eagles need Providence AND Rutgers to beat Pitt this week, and both games are in Pittsburgh. Even if that happens Marquette would still have to beat Notre Dame on Saturday as well. This win does secure a finish no worse than 5th place in the final Big East standings. As for Louisville, this win locks them in at either the 6th or 7th spot in the BET. A win Saturday to close out Freedom Hall against the #1 team in the nation and the finish 6th, a loss and a Georgetown win (vs Cincinnati) and Louisville drops to 7th.
TONIGHT:
UCONN @ Notre Dame, 7:00 pm, ESPN
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* A win for the Irish puts them in great shape to get and opening round bye, a loss drops them right back into the mix with about 4 other teams.
* UCONN needs a win to have any chance at the opening round bye, a loss and they cannot get it, no matter what they do on Saturday.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
THURSDAY:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Cincinnati
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – UCONN
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Seton Hall
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 15-2
**Villanova Wildcats 13-4
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*Marquette Golden Eagles 11-6
*Louisville Cardinals 10-7
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-8
South Florida Bulls 8-9
Connecticut Huskies 7-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-10
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-12
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-16
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
SYRACUSE ORANGE 85
St. John's Red Storm 66
Syracuse won their first game as the nations #1 team since 1990. As we already knew, Syracsue has clinched the #1 overall seed in the BET and with the win tonight they clinched the out-right league title as well. St. John's remains in 14th place after the loss. The Red Storm are now one half game ahead of Providence and one half game behind Rutgers. St. John's finishes their regular season on Friday night at DePaul.
VILLANOVA WILDCATS 77
Cincinnati Bearcats 73
Cincinnati hurt themselves badly with this loss. They drop all the way to 12th in the current standings and assured themselves of playing on Tuesday in the New York. Cincinnati has not won a Big East Tournament game since joining the conference. A win Saturday against Georgetown will help draw and easier team for the Bearcats, but they will now certainly play on the opening day. Villanova remains in second place, but their final position won't be determined until the hours after the final whistle blows in their game on Saturday against WVU. With a win, Villanova clinches 2nd place. If they lose they finish in 3rd (if Pitt loses once this week) or 4th if Pitt wins both games this week. WVU and Villanova play at NOON, Pitt plays at 4:30 Saturday.
SOUTH FLORIDA BULLS 63
DePaul Blue Demons 59
South Florida stays alive for that opening round bye. They own a tiebreaker over Georgetown, so Hoyas loss on Saturday and a USF win and the Bulls could get a day off in NYC this year. They can also get in without a Georgetown loss, but that way gets more complicated. First things first though, the Bulls need to be UCONN on Saturday to have any chance. As for DePaul, well...yeah there isn't much more to say about them.
MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES 69
Louisville Cardinals 48
In the double bye elimination game Marquette is the victor. The win allows Marquette to stay alive for the double bye, however they will need help from the bottom-feeders of the Big East. The Golden Eagles need Providence AND Rutgers to beat Pitt this week, and both games are in Pittsburgh. Even if that happens Marquette would still have to beat Notre Dame on Saturday as well. This win does secure a finish no worse than 5th place in the final Big East standings. As for Louisville, this win locks them in at either the 6th or 7th spot in the BET. A win Saturday to close out Freedom Hall against the #1 team in the nation and the finish 6th, a loss and a Georgetown win (vs Cincinnati) and Louisville drops to 7th.
TONIGHT:
UCONN @ Notre Dame, 7:00 pm, ESPN
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* A win for the Irish puts them in great shape to get and opening round bye, a loss drops them right back into the mix with about 4 other teams.
* UCONN needs a win to have any chance at the opening round bye, a loss and they cannot get it, no matter what they do on Saturday.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
THURSDAY:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Cincinnati
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – UCONN
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – Seton Hall
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
BETology 3-2
BETology 3-2
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 14-2
**Villanova Wildcats 12-4
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*Louisville Cardinals 10-6
*Marquette Golden Eagles 10-6
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-8
South Florida Bulls 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-9
Connecticut Huskies 7-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-11
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-15
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS 81
Georgetown Hoyas 68
West Virginia clinched a double by in next weeks BET. They finish the regular season on Saturday in Philadelphia taking on Villanova. A win Saturday would put the Mountaineers ahead of Villanova in the final standings. This loss for Georgetown is a tough one. The best Georgetown could finish is their current position of 7th, but to do that they need to beat Cincinnati on Saturday and hope Notre Dame loses on of their final two games. With a loss Saturday the Hoyas could fall as low as 10th in the final Big East standings.
TONIGHT:
St. John's @ Syracuse, 7:00, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Syracuse is already locked into the #1 seed in the BET, but if they win out they could line themself up for the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
* St. John's could pull a half game ahead of Rutgers for 13th in the standings with a win.
Villanova @ Cincinnati, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Villanova oddly enough does not have much at stake tonight. Win or lose the game that will determine their final seeding is Saturday vs WVU.
* Cincinnati can make a play for that top 8 spot that everyone wants if they finish strong. If they go 2-0 this week they should have it wrapped up.
South Florida @ DePaul, 7:30 pm, ESPNU
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* DePaul has nothing at stake, they are dead last just as they have been all season.
* South Florida could really benefit from a strong finish, 2 wins could get them an opening round bye if some teams around them lose this week.
Louisville @ Marquette, 9:30 pm, ESPNU
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Both teams would like to get a double bye, but it seems unlikely now. Both teams have clinched an opening round bye, so this game will basically be about seeding. The winner will finish in 5th, the loser in 6th.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
WEDNESDAY:
UCONN @ Notre Dame, 7:00 pm, ESPN
THURSDAY:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Cincinnati
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – UCONN
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 14-2
**Villanova Wildcats 12-4
**West Virginia Mountaineers 12-5
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*Louisville Cardinals 10-6
*Marquette Golden Eagles 10-6
Georgetown Hoyas 9-8
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-8
South Florida Bulls 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-9
Connecticut Huskies 7-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-11
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-15
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
LAST NIGHT:
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS 81
Georgetown Hoyas 68
West Virginia clinched a double by in next weeks BET. They finish the regular season on Saturday in Philadelphia taking on Villanova. A win Saturday would put the Mountaineers ahead of Villanova in the final standings. This loss for Georgetown is a tough one. The best Georgetown could finish is their current position of 7th, but to do that they need to beat Cincinnati on Saturday and hope Notre Dame loses on of their final two games. With a loss Saturday the Hoyas could fall as low as 10th in the final Big East standings.
TONIGHT:
St. John's @ Syracuse, 7:00, Big East Regional
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Syracuse is already locked into the #1 seed in the BET, but if they win out they could line themself up for the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
* St. John's could pull a half game ahead of Rutgers for 13th in the standings with a win.
Villanova @ Cincinnati, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Villanova oddly enough does not have much at stake tonight. Win or lose the game that will determine their final seeding is Saturday vs WVU.
* Cincinnati can make a play for that top 8 spot that everyone wants if they finish strong. If they go 2-0 this week they should have it wrapped up.
South Florida @ DePaul, 7:30 pm, ESPNU
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* DePaul has nothing at stake, they are dead last just as they have been all season.
* South Florida could really benefit from a strong finish, 2 wins could get them an opening round bye if some teams around them lose this week.
Louisville @ Marquette, 9:30 pm, ESPNU
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
* Both teams would like to get a double bye, but it seems unlikely now. Both teams have clinched an opening round bye, so this game will basically be about seeding. The winner will finish in 5th, the loser in 6th.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
WEDNESDAY:
UCONN @ Notre Dame, 7:00 pm, ESPN
THURSDAY:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Cincinnati
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – UCONN
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
BETology 3-1
BETology 3-1
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 14-2
**Villanova Wildcats 12-4
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*West Virginia Mountaineers 11-5
*Louisville Cardinals 10-6
*Marquette Golden Eagles 10-6
Georgetown Hoyas 9-7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-8
South Florida Bulls 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-9
Connecticut Huskies 7-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-11
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-15
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
YESTERDAY:
MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES 84
Seton Hall Pirats 83
OT
Marquette clinched an opening round bye with the win in NJ. The Golden Eagles can still get a double bye, but they would have to win out against Louisville and Notre Dame (both at home) and have either West Virginia or Pitt lose both of their remaining games. The win also allowed the Eagles to keep pace with Louisville, who also won. The loss dropped the Pirates to 12th in the current standings with just two games to go in the final week of the season. Seton Hall has two very winable games coming up, against Rutgers and Providence. If they can win those, they still have an outside chance of claiming an opening round bye, but they would still need help from others ahead of them losing.
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS 78
Connecticut Huskies 76
Like Marquette, Louisville also clinches an opening round bye with this win. They push their record to 10-6 in conference play and are currently in 5th place. However the Cardinals are in the same boat Marquette is, since they don't hold the tiebreakers with either WVU or Pitt, they need one of those two teams to lose their final 2 games, while the Cardinals need to win both of their remaining games to move up to 4th and get a double bye. UCONN was hurt bigtime by this loss. The loss prevented UCONN from pulling away from that pack at 7-9, now they join them. And unfortunately for the Huskies, they have not fared very well against that group and finish 3rd out of 4 in the tiebreaker with that group. That drops UCONN to 11th place. Like Seton Hall, UCONN can still get up to 8th place, but they will likely need help. Unlike the Pirates, the Huskies may not need to depend on others for the help. In the Huskies final 2 games they play two teams directly in front of them. UCONN goes to Notre Dame on Wednesday, then travels to South Florida on Saturday. 2 wins in their final 2 games and UCONN may earn a day off in NYC.
TONIGHT:
Georgetown @ West Virginia, 7:00 pm, ESPN
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
*West Virginia can clinch a double bye with win.
*Georgetown can clinch an opening round day bye with a win, however a loss puts the Hoyas in play to drop out of the top 8 and be forced to play on Tuesday.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
TUESDAY:
Villanova @ Cincinnati, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
South Florida @ DePaul, 7:30 pm, ESPNU
Louisville @ Marquette, 9:30 pm, ESPNU
WEDNESDAY:
UCONN @ Notre Dame, 7:00 pm, ESPN
THURSDAY:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Cincinnati
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – UCONN
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
This is The Rant’s daily look in at the Big East conference as we creep closer to the BET in New York City, which begins March 9th.
STANDINGS:
Big East Official Tie-Breaking formula
X**Syracuse Orange 14-2
**Villanova Wildcats 12-4
*Pittsburgh Panthers 11-5
*West Virginia Mountaineers 11-5
*Louisville Cardinals 10-6
*Marquette Golden Eagles 10-6
Georgetown Hoyas 9-7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-8
South Florida Bulls 7-9
Cincinnati Bearcats 7-9
Connecticut Huskies 7-9
Seton Hall Pirates 7-9
Rutgers Scarlet Knights 5-11
St. John’s Red Storm 5-11
Providence Friars 4-12
X-DePaul Blue Demons 1-15
**Clinched Double-bye
*Clinched opening round bye
X-Clinched Current Seeding
YESTERDAY:
MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES 84
Seton Hall Pirats 83
OT
Marquette clinched an opening round bye with the win in NJ. The Golden Eagles can still get a double bye, but they would have to win out against Louisville and Notre Dame (both at home) and have either West Virginia or Pitt lose both of their remaining games. The win also allowed the Eagles to keep pace with Louisville, who also won. The loss dropped the Pirates to 12th in the current standings with just two games to go in the final week of the season. Seton Hall has two very winable games coming up, against Rutgers and Providence. If they can win those, they still have an outside chance of claiming an opening round bye, but they would still need help from others ahead of them losing.
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS 78
Connecticut Huskies 76
Like Marquette, Louisville also clinches an opening round bye with this win. They push their record to 10-6 in conference play and are currently in 5th place. However the Cardinals are in the same boat Marquette is, since they don't hold the tiebreakers with either WVU or Pitt, they need one of those two teams to lose their final 2 games, while the Cardinals need to win both of their remaining games to move up to 4th and get a double bye. UCONN was hurt bigtime by this loss. The loss prevented UCONN from pulling away from that pack at 7-9, now they join them. And unfortunately for the Huskies, they have not fared very well against that group and finish 3rd out of 4 in the tiebreaker with that group. That drops UCONN to 11th place. Like Seton Hall, UCONN can still get up to 8th place, but they will likely need help. Unlike the Pirates, the Huskies may not need to depend on others for the help. In the Huskies final 2 games they play two teams directly in front of them. UCONN goes to Notre Dame on Wednesday, then travels to South Florida on Saturday. 2 wins in their final 2 games and UCONN may earn a day off in NYC.
TONIGHT:
Georgetown @ West Virginia, 7:00 pm, ESPN
WHAT IS AT STAKE:
*West Virginia can clinch a double bye with win.
*Georgetown can clinch an opening round day bye with a win, however a loss puts the Hoyas in play to drop out of the top 8 and be forced to play on Tuesday.
UP COMING GAMES ON NATIONAL TV:
TUESDAY:
Villanova @ Cincinnati, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
South Florida @ DePaul, 7:30 pm, ESPNU
Louisville @ Marquette, 9:30 pm, ESPNU
WEDNESDAY:
UCONN @ Notre Dame, 7:00 pm, ESPN
THURSDAY:
Seton Hall @ Rutgers, 7:00 pm, ESPN2
Providence @ Pitt, 9:00 pm, ESPN2
SATURDAY:
West Virginia @ Villanova, NOON, CBS
Syracuse @ Louisville, 2:00 pm, ESPN
BETology:
TUESDAY
March 9th:
NOON
9 – South Florida
Vs
16 – DePaul
2:00
12 – Seton Hall
Vs
13 – Rutgers
7:00
10 – Cincinnati
Vs
15 – Providence
9:00
11 – UCONN
Vs
14 – St. John's
WEDNESDAY
March 10th:
NOON
8 – Notre Dame
Vs
Tuesday NOON winner
2:00
5 – Louisville
Vs
Tuesday 2:00 winner
7:00
7 – Georgetown
Vs
Tuesday 7:00 winner
9:00
6 – Marquette
Vs
Tuesday 9:00 winner
THURSDAY
March 11th:
NOON
1 – Syracuse
Vs
Wednesday NOON winner
2:00
4 – West Virginia
Vs
Wednesday 2:00 winner
7:00
2 – Villanova
Vs
Wednesday 7:00 winner
9:00
3 – Pitt
Vs
Wednesday 9:00 winner
Check back tomorrow for another update!
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