Weekend Preview

Cue the Kenny Loggins....

For the teams on this list, they are definitely headed to the Danger Zone in terms of securing an at-large bid.  A loss this weekend just might send Maverick and Ice Man right into a mountain...

1. Louisville (at W Virginia) - Pitino has beaten Huggins 3 straight times and 8 of the last 12. 
2. Marquette (at U Conn) - Size vs speed: Marquette's perimeter game leads the Big East in 3 point percentage while U Conn leads the nation yet again in blocks per game. 
3. Richmond (Home vs St. Louis) - A must win revenge game against the Billikens who won the first match earlier this month. 
4. Illinois (Home vs Indiana) - Barely in the conversation now, a loss to the Hoosiers would be very costly.  Following the Iowa game, the schedule is about to get flatout sick:  MSU, at Wisc, Ohio St, at Purdue.
5. Alabama (at Auburn)
6. Notre Dame (at Rutgers)
7. San Diego St (at Colorado St)
8. Dayton (at St. Bonaventure)
9. Cincinnati (Home vs Providence)
10. St. Mary's (at Loyola Marymount) 

Game of the Week: Harvard (13-3) at Cornell (16-3)

Even though it's only the fourth game of the Ivy League schedule, for both teams the stakes could not be any higher.  The Ivy League is the only league that does not have a conference tournament and therefore a head to head victory will go a long ways toward securing a league title.  The two heavy favorites have combined to go 6-0 with an average margin of victory of 23 points.  Lest we forget that Cornell nearly toppled Kansas at Phogg Allen Fieldhouse while Harvard had a late rally cutting the lead to just 4 against U Conn on the road.  

Harvard is off to its best start in 99 years.  Senior guard and POY candidate Jeremy Lin was the topic of a recent SI article and with good reason.  According to the article, Lin was the only player in Division I last season to rank in the top ten of his conference in every statistical category available.  This year he's the leader of a Crimson team with aspirations for the NCAA tournament.  If all goes as planned and Cornell and Harvard continue to dominate the conference, it is possible that both could make the Big Dance.  The scenario for an unprecedented two bids from the Ivy would be for both teams to run the table and perhaps split the head to head series.  Both teams are entirely capable of doing just that.  

Important Games tonight

Rhode Island at Dayton - While both teams are obviously in the conversation for at-large bids, the chances of them both making it are very much up in the air.  For Dayton, the loss at St. Joe's on Saturday dropped the Flyers to 3-2 in conference, tied with Rhode Island for 6th place in the Atlantic 10.  Dayton needs to win this gaeme to assert its place in the Atlantic 10 hiearchy.  For Rhode Island, it's a chance for the all important road victory against a quality opponent.  The Rams missed a chance losing to Xavier on the road and outside of a trip to Temple, are running out of chances for resume builders. 
Miami at Maryland - Again a chance to put in the feather in the cap for these ACC combatants.  Maryland has been winning its fair share including a 77-68 win over Florida State.  Miami on the other hand, could really use a road win to even get in the conversation for an at-large bid. 
Tulsa at UAB - A monumental game for Tulsa who travel to conference leader UAB's home floor for the biggest game of the season.  Both teams are 5-0 and fighting for first place.  Tulsa needs this win much more than the Blazers and it will be anything but easy.  Tulsa has never won at Bartow Arena. 
Northwestern at Minnesota - Time is running out for the Gophers and Northwestern looks to build on their big win over Illinois on Saturday.  If Minnesota loses, they have NIT written all over their Gopher grills for now...

The Status Report

It's time to debut the weekly status report. Here we take a quick snapshot of all the teams that were drafted and where they stand in relation to their tournament hopes. REN's picks are in yellow while STIMPY's are green.  There are 4 categories:
1) IN the tournament - these are the top teams in the country and have earned a bid to the NCAA tournament regardless what happens in the conference tournament.
2) Must win their conference (Contenders) - These are teams that must win their conference tournament to get in the Dance. The term "contenders" refers to any team that is in first or second place in the conference standings at the time of the update.
3) Must win their conference (Longshots) - Same as #2 except these teams are not in 1st nor 2nd in their respective conferences.
4) Bubble Teams - While we don't claim to be a Bracketologist, these teams are viewed as being on the "bubble" - neither in nor out of the tournament.  They still have to prove they are worthy of being selected by the committee.  Note: if a bubble team fails to live up to its status as a team that should be considered for an at-large bid, that team is moved to category #2 or #3. 

As the season progresses and the status of teams change, the list will be updated.  All teams are subject to reclassification at any time.  .

Weekend Preview

There are 6 games with money implications for Ren and Stimpy this weekend:
Duke at Clemson - Duke is 0-3 on the road this season and Clemson looks to avenge the 21 point drubbing  they took at Cameron Indoor earlier this season.
Michigan St at Minnesota - The Gophers are 10-0 at home and played the Spartans tough in East Lansing.  However, they'll have to do it without point guard Al Nolen who has been suspended for poor academics.
Oklahoma St at Kansas St - An opportunity for a marquee win for the Pokes in Manhattan, KS as the Wildcats are coming off their mammoth victory over then #1 Texas Monday night.  Okla St. forward Marshall Moses is coming off a 20 point 18 rebound explosion in a win against Colorado.
Akron at Kent St.- After upending Buffalo, can the Golden Flashes pull off the double against MAC leader Akron at home?
Washington St at UCLA- For Wazzu the opportunity to sweep USC and UCLA is right in front of them.  The Bruins ride the momentum of their thrilling last second victory over Washington Thursday night 62-61.
Mississippi St at Alabama - Despite being on the road, the Bulldogs can ill afford a slip up against their upstart rival.  Mississippi St's beast in the middle Jarvis Varnado is 2nd in the nation in blocks at 5.3 blocks per game.
S Alabama at Denver - A few weeks ago, this looked like it would be a Sun Belt showdown between top contenders however both teams have fallen on rough times lately.  The Jaguars have lost four out of 5 while Denver is coming off two straight losses as well. 

10 more to keep an eye on... 

1) Cincinnati at Louisville - This is a pivotal game for two Big East squads who sit squarely on the bubble if not outside of it.  For Louisville, the season seems to be slipping away after a 3rd consecutive conference loss on Wednesday to Seton Hall.  The Cardinals with few marquee victories desperately need a win Saturday to avoid the NIT.  The schedule gets no easier either with a trip to Morgantown followed by U Conn at home.  The Bearcats will hope to have Lance Stephenson back for the contest who sat out the last game against S Florida with an injury.

2) South Carolina at Florida - The Gators picked up a tough victory on the road against Arkansas behind Ervin Walker's career night.  They look to build on that win against the Gamecocks and their all everything guard Devan Downey.  It's a key game for Florida who need to hold serve at home to keep their tournament hopes alive.

3) BYU at San Diego St - The Aztecs are 9-0 at home and the place will be rocking for this important showdown in the Mountain West.  SDSU has absolutely no chance at an at-large bid unless they win this game.  It won't be easy as the Cougars have won 14 straight and have lost just once all year.

4) Illinois at Northwestern - Both teams need this game desperately and Northwestern attempts to avenge an earlier season loss to the Illini that went to overtime.  In that game, Illinois 7 foot center Mike Tisdale scored 31 points with 11 boards.

5) Old Dominion at William and Mary - The Tribe were massacred by VCU earlier this week after shooting a paltry 39% from the field and 7 for 27 from beyond the arc

6) Rhode Island at Xavier - Both teams look to improve their stock.  Xavier lost a hard fought game against Temple this week but will look to rebound at home where they are undefeated.  The Rams begin a difficult 2 game roadie against Xavier followed by Dayton.  Rhode Island is the Atlantic 10s highest scoring team at almost 80pts per game.

7) Morehead St at E Kentucky - It will be interesting to see if double double machine Kenneth Faried and  the rest of the Eagles can go into Colonel country and come away with a victory.   Morehead State has quietly taken the OVC by storm with 9 straight victories.   Both teams are chasing Murray State for the conference lead who have (no pun intended) raced out to a 9-0 mark in conference play.

8) VCU at Northeastern - Another major confrontation between Colonial contenders.  VCU just walloped William and Mary and could be the team to beat with their formidable inside out duo of Larry Sanders and Joey Rodriguez taking shape.  Northeastern is red hot winning ten straight and is the second best shooting team in the conference.

9) NC State at Maryland - The Terps still have a lot to prove and will need to hold serve with winnable games at home vs NC State and Miami up this week.  The Wolfpack are coming off a huge upset of Duke in which they shot the ball extremely well.  

10) UAB at Marshall - Just because I can't recall for the life of me one year that the Thundering Herd were good at basketball.  But this is a team that fought tooth and nail for 40 minutes with mighty West Virginia of the Big East this week.

A Quick Overview

After a brief hiatus, we have a lot to catch up with in the world of college hoops so let's get right to it.

Interesting Developments

Wichita St over N Iowa - Stimpy took a significant blow to the solar plexus in the battle for the underrated Missouri Valley Conference last night as Wichita State ambushed 20th ranked N Iowa 60-51 at home.  The Shockers playing before a raucous crowd draped in Wichita yellow, led from the start and raced to a double digit lead at halftime.  N Iowa struggled all night with Wichita's perimeter defense as they shot a woeful 2 for 13 from three point range.  The Panthers still are atop the conference but Wichita's upset kept the race close.  More importantly for Wichita, the win provides more ammo to the selection committee in terms of gaining an at-large bid.  Outside of a win on the road against Texas Tech, the Shockers resume is still quite thin but this was a step in the right direction.  A rematch on Feb 3 at N Iowa looms very large for the Shockers tournament hopes.

Falls from Grace: UNC, U Conn, Purdue -  The defending champion Tar Heels look anything but a contender to repeat these days.  After back to back thrashings at the hands of Clemson and Georgia Tech., the Tarheels slipped to 1-2 in the ACC and are now behind also-rans Boston College and Virginia Tech in the ACC standings.  Roy Williams' crew just isn't getting it done especially in the backcourt where turnovers are killing this team.  The loss of forward Tyler Zeller to a foot injury further hinders a team that relies on its frontcourt strength.  As for U Conn, coach Jim Calhoun announced this week that he will be taking a medical leave of absence for the foreseeable future.  The Huskies already have lost three straight and fallen out of the top 25 for the first time this season.  They will have to find a way to balance the emotional roller coaster of losing their coach and trying to stay afloat with the Beasts of the East. Things don't get an easier for U Conn as they'll host former #1 Texas on Saturday.  As for Purdue, they righted the ship a bit last night with a win over Illinois in Champaign.  Prior to last night's victory, the Boilermakers had lost three straight and ceded control of the Big 10 to Michigan St.  Purdue's once stingy perimeter defense has taken a beating in the last three games against Wisconsin, Ohio St, and Northwestern - all resulting in losses.

Perennial powers on the bubble - A quick list of teams who are anything but guaranteed an at large bid this season.  Granted, there's a ton of hoopage to be played but these teams better pick it up if they hope to reach the Big Dance in March.

1. Louisville(draft pick #20)
   
2. Washington (draft pick #15)
   
3. Texas Tech (draft pick #21)
   
4. Cincinnati (draft pick #22)
   
5. Northwestern (draft pick #29)
   
6. Cal (draft pick #30)
   
7. Florida (draft pick #32)
   
8. Oklahoma St (draft pick #34)
   
9. Miami FL (draft pick #41)
10. Texas A and M (draft pick #36)
    Today's games 
    
    Xavier at Temple - Two of the Atlantic 10's perennial powers will square off in Philadelphia tonight in a huge game for conference supremacy.  Temple, winners of the past two conference titles boasts one of the best defenses in all of college basketball.  The Owls hold opponents to a conference best 37.5% field goal percentage.  On the other hand, Xavier is averaging over 78 points per game so something will have to give in this game.  Xavier's proficiency from long distance will be tested against the Owls who limit opponents to 26% from beyond the arc, 2nd best in the conference. 
    
    Willaim and Mary at VCU - A key matchup for William and Mary in the ultra-competitive Colonial Athletic Conference.  Along with George Mason, Old Dominion, and Northeastern, the Tribe have just one conference setback making this tough road test all the more important.  For VCU, it's a chance to gain some ground on the fabulous four mentioned above.  William and Mary won the previous meeting in December 75-74. 
    

Wake Forest at UNC - Will the Tar Heels continue to slide or can they bounce back against a formidable Demon Deacon club??


Teams that can't afford to lose games they should win at home:

1. Iowa St at Texas Tech
2. George Washington at Dayton
3. Duquesne at Rhode Island
4. South Florida at Cincinnati
5. St. John's at U Conn
6. Colorado at Oklahoma St

An Early Look at the Candidates for the Team with the Worst Record in the Draft:

Penn St 8-9 (draft pick #121)

UC Riverside 7-10 (draft pick #87)

UC Irvine 8-10 (draft pick #85)

Long Beach St 8-10 (draft pick #102)

Hofstra 9-11 (draft pick #101)

UCLA 7-10  (draft pick #119)

Davidson 8-10 (draft pick #125)

Texas Southern 8-9 (draft pick #123)

A quick reminder that the owner of the worst team of the draft takes a $5.00 penalty (in the ass)...

Wednesday Wrap

Can the Big 12 Keep it Going?

Coming into Wednesday's games, the Big 12 sported an astounding record of 115-1 in home games this season.  The gaudy record is even more impressive when you recall how many titanic battles there have been this year involving Big 12 programs.  Nearly every team in the conference had a marquee win against a quality opponent. 

• Texas - Marquee wins over Michigan St and USC
  
• Kansas - wins over Michigan, Cal, Cornell
• Texas Tech - wins over Washington, Stanford and UTEP
• Oklahoma - wins over Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma St  
• Colorado - an upset victory over 22nd ranked Baylor at home
• Baylor - wins against Xavier, Oklahoma 
• Kansas St - wins over Washington St, Xavier, Texas A & M
• Missouri  - wins over Kansas St, Oregon, Georgia 

While obviously the Big 12 boasts two of the goliaths in Texas and Kansas this year, it's clear that winning on the road for anyone in the Big 12 will be a challenge.  So on Wednesday night, with Texas on the road against upstart Iowa St, Kansas facing off with Nebraska in Lincoln, and Missou in Lubbock, something would have to give.

Texas 90 Iowa St 83

Bad news for the Big 12: freshman Avery Bradley is quickly becoming a force for the insanely deep Longhorns.  Bradley who was content to play suffocating perimeter defense, has lately gained a scorer's mentality and is becoming an expert marksman from beyond the arc.  In the last two games, he's shot 22 for 28 including a perfect 7 for 7 from three point range.  Bradley's 24 points and the consistent dominant play of double double machine Damion James (23 points 14 rebounds) were too much for the upstart Cyclones.  Iowa St led at the half 44-42 with a barrage of three pointers.  But Texas behind Bradley kept the Cyclones at bay to win a tough one in Ames, Iowa.

Missouri 94 Texas Tech 89 OT

The Tigers appeared to be cruising to a relatively easy win in Lubbock but Texas Tech rallied to force overtime by scoring 13 straight points in the final minute.  Missouri was able to regroup in time as the duo of Kim English and Marcus Denmon tallied 40 points, 16 boards, and 5 three pointers. 

Kansas was workmanlike in its victory over Nebraska as well.  Thus ended the miraculous streak for Big 12 teams at home although all 3 games were anything but a cakewalk in the rough and tumble Big 12.

Quick hitters

Clemson 83 UNC 69 - Another step backward for the Tar Heels who appear lost right now

Michigan St 60 Minnesota 53  - Spartans continue early season Big 10 dominance

Pitt 67 U Conn 57 - Pitt continues to be the surprise of the season in the Big East in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year

Virginia Tech 81 Miami 66 - Malcolm Delaney with 28 points and 9 assists

St. John's 52 Cincinnati 50 - The Bearcats are suddenly struggling and have dropped 3 straight Big East battles

Akron 67 Ohio 62 - A nice win for the Zips on the road to maintain the lead in the MAC East

Virginia 82 Georgia Tech 75 - The Cavaliers move to 2-0 in ACC play with the upset

Wisconsin 60 Northwestern 50 - Trevon Hughes 4 three pointers down the stretch were the difference in the game.

Vanderbilt 65 Alabama 64

Utah St 79 Nevada 72 OT - Despite Luke Babbitt's 26, the Aggies prevail in OT behind Jared Quayle's 21 point effort. 

What's on tap for Thursday-

Radford vs Coastal Carolina - the Chanticleers are 9-0 at home and 16-2 on the season with an unblemished 6-0 record in conference.   Still, Radford are the defending conference champs and big Artsiom Parakhouski with his 24.1 ppg and 12.9 reb per game averages will try to prove that the Highlanders are still the team to beat in the Big South.

Wright St at Wisconsin Green Bay - Both teams have identical 11-6 (4-2 in conference) records and along with Detroit are tied for 2nd in the Horizon conference behind Butler.  A win would help establish the pecking order.

Arizona St at Oregon - Which Duck team will show up -  the one that posted consecutive victories over Washington St and Washington or the one that slipped up against rival Oregon St who had lost to Seattle by 51 points?  The Sun Devils are winless on the road and will have to step up their game in Eugene.

Gonzaga at St. Mary's - the classic 1/2 rivalry in the WCC, the Gaels will look to end the Zags 10 year stranglehold on the WCC regular season title.  St. Mary's has won five straight and 13 of their last 14.  Gonzaga won all three meetings last season though.

Conference Clashes on Saturday

With 136 games on the schedule today, you probably didn't watch all of them.  Here's a quick recap.  

Georgetown 72 U Conn 69  

The Huskies led by as many as 19 points but Georgetown mounted a furious comeback behind Austin Freeman's career high 33 point scoring binge.  He had 28 points in the second half alone.  Greg Monroe added a double double with 15 and 10 boards as the Hoyas shutdown U Conn over the final minutes to prevail.  Georgetown has now won four straight in the series.  

Georgia Tech 71 Duke 68

Gani Lawal was a flying, twisting wrecking ball on Saturday and his heroics down the stretch helped the Yellowjackets upset the Dukies in a key ACC battle.  In a game that was close throughout, Lawal made several key plays en route to 21 points, including a thunderous highlight reel dunk after point guard Iman Shumpert had penetrated the lane.  He followed it up with a smooth post turnaround jumper from the right block over Mason Plumlee giving Tech a four point lead with under a minute left.  They were able to hold on despite Jon Scheyer's 25 points and 6 assists.  Duke was playing its third game of the week and appeared to be physically drained at times.  Still, it was a strong comeback for the Yellowjackets who earlier in the week lost to in state rival Georgia.

Wisconsin 73 Purdue 66

The Boilers were handed their first loss of the season in Madison as Wisconsin led for most of the game by double digits in a surprisingly easy win.  Purdue did not help their own cause with poor shooting all day including a woeful 13 for 24 from the charity stripe.  The Kohl Center continues to be one of the toughest places to play in the Big 10.  During the nine year Bo Ryan era, Wisconsin sports an ungodly record of 130-10 at home.  But Purdue was one of the few to have success winning the previous two meetings in Madison.  

Oklahoma St 81 Texas Tech 52

Gonzaga 81 Portland 78
Sam Houston St 66 Stephen F Austin 57

Totals for the day:  Stimpy 4-2 $2.00

Not So Fast! - Upset City 

• Notre Dame holds on and take a big step toward the tournament against W Virginia.  After leading by 20 at the half, the golden domers looked on their way to a stunning blowout of the Mountaineers.  But W Virginia always seems to comeback against just about everyone they play.  This time, their attempts fell just short as Da'Sean Butler's three with a few seconds left clanked off the rim.  Irish win it 70-68 and take a giant step toward tourney consideration. 
  
• Missouri 74 Kansas St 68 - A seesaw battle goes to the Tigers who forced 20 turnovers with their frenetic 40 minutes of hell defense.  Zaire Taylor hit a key three with just over 30 seconds left in the contest to seal it.  
• Colgate 68 Army 58 - The Raiders took down Army in OT and after an early nine game losing streak, have won four straight.  

Georgia Southern (4-13) beats W Carolina (12-3) 81-76.  Prior to the upset, the Catamounts only losses were to Texas and Clemson.  Perhaps beating the tar out of Berea College (a liberal arts school with an enrollment around 1,500 students) by seventy one points (!) did not adequately prepare them for their Southern Conference counterparts.     

TEABAG of the DAY goes to...

Georgia's Travis Leslie for his high flying Jackie Chan impression over Kentucky's DeMarcus Cousins. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBKyoSBEAnQ

Texas - Alabama BCS Championship Nightmare

Thanks for everything Colt u still da MAN!

As a diehard Texas fan, it's near impossible to allow the tragedy of last night's BCS Championship game to go without mention.  So for those fine readers looking for da hoop scoop, you can skip to the next post or ponder who will be the next miscreant to punch Snooki in the face on Jersey Shore like the rest of America.

Many pundits claim that Alabama was too strong and physical for Texas so it wouldn't have mattered if Colt McCoy had played or not.  Those assertions carried more weight before the game actually started during the interminable pregame hype.  Texas was coming off back to back uneven performances against Texas A & M and Nebraska while Alabama was busy sending Urban Meyer to an early retirement in dominating fashion.  Everyone was quick to point out Colt McCoy's struggles  against  the stout defenses of Oklahoma and Nebraska.  The offensive line could not possibly withstand Alabama's front seven since they gave up nine sacks to Ndamakung Suh and co. in the Big 12 championship.  Yet no one seemed to mention the Tide's own houdini acts escaping with their lives against both Tennessee and Auburn.  If not for two blocked field goals against the Vols, Bama would have been preparing for Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl rather than a BCS title game date.

None of that mattered once the game started.  From the first snap, it was clear that Texas would not be a pushover. The Longhorns dominated the first 5 minutes of the game on both sides of the ball.  Alabama's first series resulted in a Mark Ingram stuff at the line for no gain followed by a false start penalty.  On 2nd down, quarterback Greg McElroy dropped back to pass and was instantly met in the backfield by senior defensive end Lamar Houston for a sack.  The pressure was just as fierce the next play forcing an incomplete pass.  After Saban's boneheaded call for a fake punt on 4th and 23, the Horns took over at the Alabama 37 and quickly showed the vaunted Bama defense who was boss.  McCoy completed two short passes and an outside run by Tre Newton quickly put the Horns on the Bama 11 yard line.

Then McCoy got hurt which changed the game entirely.  

After DJ Monroe's reverse got Texas to the one yard line, Alabama held on 3 straight downs for a field goal.  Would they have succeeded against one of the most decorated players in Texas history instead of a fresh faced rookie who hadn't thrown a pass since November in garbage time?  They sure hadn't shown any ability to stop Texas up to that point.  It seems clear that the Longhorns offense was not intimidated by Alabama's defense and was equally as powerful if not more so.   

The pro-Alabama crowd would argue the running game of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson would have still overwhelmed Texas.  While the Tide demonstrated the power of their running game to the tune of over 200 yards rushing, this was not an unstoppable offense.  McElroy was sacked four times in the first half alone and was under constant pressure.  Alabama did gain big chunks of Pasadena green on the day but they also punted and were stifled often.  Their passing game was virtually nonexistent as All American Earl Thomas and the rest of Texas's secondary blanketed the Bama receivers like an  orange  Snuggie.

McElroy completed six passes for 58 yards the entire game.  SIX!  That's only 6 more than Paris Hilton completed.  Julio Jones one of the best WRs in the SEC was held to just one catch on the night.  Obviously, the Tide make their mark with their running game but such ineffectiveness in the passing game would have hurt them considerably in a shootout with the full force of Texas's offense. 

On the other hand, Texas was able to score two touchdowns behind a backup quarterback with zero experience.  The primary reason was Alabama could not cover Biletnikoff finalist Jordan Shipley to save their life.  Despite being the obvious target and first read on every pass, Shipley continued to get open time and again.  He burned the Bama secondary on two deep patterns for touchdowns and was a thorn in their side all game.  He finished with 10 catches for 122 yards and 2 TDs - with a freshman quarterback at the helm.  Imagine what Texas could have done with all their weapons in place and a healthy gunslinger like Colt McCoy.  

The sad truth is we'll never know what would have happened and anyone who says otherwise is on the sauce.  Colt McCoy is the heart and soul of the Texas Longhorns period.  He has the most wins of any QB in college football history and his accuracy is unparalleled.  Take a player of that magnitude away from any team and everything changes.  All the game plans and preparation are thrown out the window when you lose your quarterback.  The Longhorns offense became predictable and anemic instantly and the Alabama defense took advantage of the raw Garrett Gilbert.  They were forced to scale everything back in the playbook to the simplest of plays.  Alabama realized how difficult it was for the Longhorns to move the ball and thus  slammed on the brakes too.  They knew the only way Texas  could comeback was if Alabama turned the ball over.  So they were content to run the ball and play field position and defense.  This decision while also very questionable seemed to be foolproof with Texas having zero offense.  It almost backfired as Texas mounted a furious comeback and the kid Gilbert was surprisingly effective in the 2nd half.

In the end, Alabama made the plays it had to and is deserving of the national championship (Boise anyone?).  But let's just remember with 6 minutes left in the game, Texas had climbed to within 3 points at 24-21.  Alabama needed a drive or at least a few first downs to put the game away.  They were unable to move the ball though and forced to punt.  When it really counted, Alabama failed against the Texas defense.  Thus, with 3 minutes left in the game, Texas had the ball and a chance to win the game.  All with a backup quarterback!  Put Colt McCoy in that situation and just possibly it's raining orange and white confetti today.   

The saddest part of it all is not that Texas lost.  The Longhorns are a juggernaut program and will be in the national spotlight again next year and for years to come.  But for Daniel Colt McCoy, this was his last chance at winning a national championship.  In his tremendous four year career he grew from a raw freshman who had never even left the state of Texas to one of the most prolific signal callers in history.  He had overcome a subpar sophomore season in which he threw 18 interceptions to bounce back and set the single season record for completion percentage in his junior year at 77.6%.  McCoy had patiently waited an entire year after the BCS snub in 2008 to Oklahoma.  He'd done everything in his power to win a national title and light the orange tower in Austin reserved for when Texas finishes #1.  It would all culminate in this game.  Then five plays into it and it's all over for him.  He was forced to watch helplessly, unable to do anything to lead his team to victory and cap off his amazing career.  After the game in his interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters, he was so visibly shaken he could barely speak.  Yet he still showed the class and poise of a champion congratulating Alabama on a win he could not prevent.

 

Jan 6

Not even Joseph McCarthy could have stopped Cornell

Kansas Passes Ivy League Exam - Barely

Not since Joseph McCarthy has there been as big a red scare as Cornell put into Kansas on Wednesday.  Facing the #1 team in Fogg Allen Fieldhouse with the daunting prospects of ending the Jayhawks 50 game home winning streak, Cornell was hardly fazed.  Sharp shooter Ryan Wittman's five 3-pointers had all the answers against  Kansas like any Ivy Leaguer would to a scantron exam.  Unfortunately for the Big Red, Kansas's savvy leader Sherron Collins would not allow the Jayhawks to lose.  Collins had a career high 33 points and single handedly willed Kansas to victory.  In crunch time, Collins scored nine straight points thwarting Cornell's attempt at a historic upset.  A big thumbs down to ESPN for not carrying the game (although the GMAC Bowl and Dan LeFevour's last game as a Chippewa was equally compelling... 

Other games of note:
Michigan St 54 Wisconsin 47 - $1.00 to REN
UCLA 76 Cal 75 OT - $1.00 to REN 

WHOA NELLIE!

Seattle 99 Oregon St 48 - A game that doesn't matter much to Ren or Stimpy but wow what happened to the Beavers!???  It was the worst loss in school history for Obama's brother in law Craig Robinson's squad.  Seattle by the way is in its first year as a Division I program since 1980.  There will be a lot of drinking in Corvallis tonight after this debacle.

Tomorrow's games

We'll take a break tomorrow because it's all about Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley, Earl Thomas and the boyz from Longhorn U.  Kick Alabama's ass Texas!

Wrapup for games on Jan 4 and 5

The Games that counted:
WAC - Louisiana Tech 82 Utah St 60 - $1.00 to Ren
Big 10 - Purdue 79 Minnesota 60 - $1.00 to Ren

The news that mattered

• College of Charleston's riveting win in OT over the defending champion Tarheels had the feel of a first round upset.  Anthony Goudelock's high arching 30ft bomb with 2 seconds left propelled Charleston into OT after overcoming an 11pt deficit.  A great win for Charleston but the Cougars outside of this win have a weak nonconference profile losing big to Clemson and Tennessee and Hawaii.  They'll still have to win the SoCon to get in the tournament. 
  

• #2 ranked Texas got a scare but was able to hold on and avenge last year's loss to Arkansas 96-85.  Courtney Fortson's first game back for the Razorbacks and the sharp shooting of 3 point bomber Rotnei Clarke was almost enough to end the Horns winning streak.  But Dexter Pittman and POY candidate Damion James would not allow that to happen. While Arkansas did fall to 7-8, they demonstrated they will not be pushovers in the hotly contested SEC when conference play begins this weekend.

Ren can't be happy about...

>> Seeing both UC Riverside and UC Irvine losing on Monday night and both at home.
>> Georgia Tech slips vs Georgia 73-66
>> San Diego St takes out New Mexico, Ren's top pick in the MWC

Stimpy won't sleep because...

>> Utah St the first pick from the WAC conference in the draft got throttled by Louisiana Tech.
>> A Colonial meltdown with both William & Mary and VCU suffering close losses in conference.  William & Mary faint hopes of achieving an at-large bid took a serious hit on Monday. 

Tomorrow's games:

Wisconsin at Michigan St  - $1.00

UCLA at Cal - $1.00

The Completed Draft

Here is the entire draft along with some quick commentary on a few picks...

1. Texas Default pick for Stimpy

2. Michigan St Default pick for Ren

Sparty stampeded by the Longhorns!!

3. Kansas the actual first pick of the draft

4. Villanova the guy who picks second (REN) is at a disadvantage so he gets 2 picks in a row to begin

5. Purdue

6. UNC

7. Kentucky

8. Duke

9. Syracuse

10. W Virginia

11. U Conn (this pick by REN was made FOUR weeks after pick #10 Inexcusable!)
12. Tennessee- could be a real bad pick if Tyler Smith and co. are suspended for long for drug/weapon charges

13. Kansas St

14. Georgetown - A risky pick for a team that didn't make the tourney last year?

15. Washington

16. Mississippi St

17. New Mexico 

18. Wisconsin

19. Clemson

20. Louisville

21. Texas Tech

22. Cincinnati

23. Temple

24. Ole Miss

25. Florida St

26. Ohio St - could be a boom/bust pick depending on how the Buckeyes fare in Evan Turner's absence

27. UAB

28. BYU

29. Northwestern

30. Cal

31. Georgia Tech

32. Florida

33. Gonzaga

34. Oklahoma St.
35. St. Mary's

36. Texas A and M

37. Baylor

38. Wake Forest

39. Memphis

40. Butler

41. Miami (FL)

42. Pittsburgh

43. Dayton

44. N Iowa

45. Rhode Island

46. Cornell - The Ivy League has no conference tournament, which always makes this pick a good bet. The Big Red also happen to be one of the most experienced midmajor clubs around.  

47.  Virginia Tech

48.  Xavier

49.  Boston College

50.  Minnesota

51.  Morgan St (???!!!) - Really???  A team from the MEAC conference that is destined for a 15th seed IF they win their conference???  Easily the most questionable pick of the draft so far.

52.  UNLV

53.  Vermont - Okay I take that back about Morgan St.  At least they are the clear cut favorites in their conference.  Vermont is A favorite in the American East but certainly not alone in the discussion.  Anyway you slice it the Catamounts are no lock for the tourney.

54.  Tulsa

55.  Coastal Carolina
56.  Utah St - a bad pick by Stimpy as this team is clearly not as strong as the Gary Wilkinson led squad of 2009.

57.  Lehigh

58.  W Carolina

59.  Loyola Marymount - A 3rd team in the WCC for Ren is puzzling.  Ren already picked both Gonzaga and St. Mary's and while the Lions are having a tremendous bounce back season from 3-26 last year, it will be a miraculous achievement to knock out the powerhouse Bulldogs from their WCC perch.  But the Lions have posted huge wins over USC and Notre Dame...

60.  Army

61.  E Tenn St

62.  Siena

63.  Belmont - Good job Ren way to secure two teams in the Atlantic Sun.  Oh by the way, Jacksonville is the preseason favorite despite their 3-8 record and Campbell has had the best start.
64.  Radford

65. Wisconsin Green Bay

66  William and Mary - Stimpy jumped the gun on a nice early season success story that may have already peaked.  Despite impressive wins over Wake Forest, Maryland and VCU, the recent loss to UNC Wilmington could spell doom for WM's hopes of an at-large bid.   

67.  Oakland

68.  Illinois

Which brings us to pick #69.  10 pesos to anyone who can guess who Ren picked at 69.  I'll put it in another post so no peeking!!

70.  College of Charleston- Stimpy secures a powerful 1-2 punch in the SoCon w/ W Carolina and C of Charleston

71.  Robert Morris
72.  Akron
73.  IUPUI - Gotta say this was a good pick by Ren as you'll see later
74.  Harvard - Stick it to Ren-  The Ivy has no soup for you!  (Cornell and Harvard are clear favorites in a league that has no postseason tournament)
75.  Sacred Heart - Why why why would Ren want a second NEC team so early??? 

76.  Missouri St

77.  Stephen F Austin

78.  VCU

79.  UT San Antonio

80.  W Kentucky - the Hilltoppers are only the most successful midmajor pick in the history of this draft.  Every year Ren scoffs at Big Red and pays the price when they go two rounds in the tournament.  Lest we forget 2 years ago these guys gave UCLA all it could handle in the sweet 16.
81.  Wichita St - Ren thinks he's the shiznit with this pick and while the Shockers are a dangerous team, like almost all of the picks lately aren't guaranteed squat unless they win their conference tourney.

82.  S Alabama

83.  Pacific

84.  Notre Dame - they lost to LMU!  (Stimpy does a little dance)...but they do still have POY candidate Luke Harangody who can win a game by himself.  If only this team played something resembling defense. 

85.  UC Irvine

86.  Missouri
87.  UC Riverside - 3 Big West teams in a row?  Oh and you can throw a dart and pick the winner of this hotly contested conference this year too.

88.   Weber St

89.   Texas A & M Corpus Christi - they did give Texas a scare at Frank Erwin.
90.   Portland - Stimpy's answer to the 3 headed WCC hydra of Gonzaga/St. Mary's/LMU.  All the Pilots did during a 4 day stetch in November was beat UCLA, Oregon, and Minnesota in succession. 
91.   E Kentucky 
92.   Murray St. -

93.   Kent St

94.   Michigan

95.   Arizona St - Ren's first BCS pick since pick #49!

96.   Oregon - the return of Tajuan Porter to the lineup makes the Ducks a lot more dangerous as evident by their unlikely sweep of Wash/Wash St to open 2010. 

97.   Prairie View 

98.   Washington St

99.   Montana 

100.  Old Dominion 

101.  Hofstra

102.  Long Beach St

103.  N Texas

104.  Fairfield

105.  Louisiana Tech

106.  Vanderbilt

107.  Alabama

108.  Marquette

109.  San Diego St

110.  Seton Hall

111.  Nebraska

112.  Campbell

113.  Rider

114.  Sam Houston St

115.  George Washington

116.  Quinnipiac

117.  Denver 

118.  Richmond

119.  UCLA - Weren't these guys in the final four just 2 years ago?

120.  Buffalo

121.  Penn St

122.  Maryland

123.  Texas Southern

124.  Nevada

125.  Davidson - No more Stephen Curry makes Davidson's chance all the more blurry! 

126.  Stonybrook

127.  S Illinois

128.  Illiniois St

129   Oklahoma

130.  Iowa St

131.  N Colorado - Extra pick since Texas mangled Michigan St this year.

Later on we'll analyze some of the biggest snubs in this year's draft.