NEWS
By DAVID STEELE | March 22, 2009
Who will be the Adam Morrison of this version of March Madness? The Joakim Noah? The Sean May, the Emeka Okafor, the J.J. Redick, the Shane Battier ... You get the point. Some player in the NCAA tournament will either elevate himself into the heavens or ride a wave of adulation that was built pre-tournament - and by the time he lands, he will be not only a college legend, but also the talk of the run-up to the NBA draft. Except the landing will come far short of the same level of pro stardom that he enjoyed in college.
NEWS
By Don Markus | November 9, 2008
When college basketball adopted the three-point shot for the 1986-87 season, the impact was immediate - and not necessarily for the better. The number of shots teams took went up, and the percentage of shots made went down. "I think idiots put in the rule," former La Salle coach Speedy Morris said at the time. Dr. Edward Steitz, the athletic director at Springfield College who was chairman of the NCAA rules committee, thought otherwise, saying that it was the game's most important change in 50 years.
NEWS
By DON MARKUS | November 9, 2008
Hey, is it warm in here? (Five coaches on the hot seat) Billy Gillispie, Kentucky: : Anyone who signs a contract in Lexington knows what's in store. Win a national championship early on, as Rick Pitino and Tubby Smith did, and you're playing with house money. If not, you're on borrowed time. Sidney Lowe, North Carolina State: : The Wolfpack finished 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year after being picked third, and J.J. Hickson left after only one season. Lowe's 1983 championship ring will get him only so far. Pat Knight, Texas Tech: : Folks in Lubbock might not be paying attention to basketball for a while, but The General's son should heed what happened to Sean Sutton at Oklahoma State after replacing his Hall of Fame father.
NEWS
By Don Markus | November 8, 2008
COLLEGE PARK - The forecasts for the season have been discouraging. His critics have gained strength, in their numbers and their intensity. Is this really a good way to celebrate a 20th anniversary? At age 63, Gary Williams doesn't think it is fair for a coach who has won a national championship and 604 games to be put into this uncomfortable position of having to defend his record. Yet there he is, doing just that. "We've won on a consistent basis. I'm proud of that. I'm proud of building this place - men's basketball built this place," Williams said, sitting in his office at the 6-year-old Comcast Center.
NEWS
By DAVID STEELE | May 22, 2008
Don't come looking here for any angry condemnations of Congress for sticking its nose into steroids and Spygate. Our elected national representatives are not only entitled, but also obligated, to do what they can to clean up whichever multibillion-dollar, taxpayer-supported sports business proves incapable of cleaning itself up. Congress just needs to take it further. Think you need to be a watchdog for the public against drug cheats and coaching cheats? You really need to be a watchdog for all of the lives wrecked by the crooked system that dominates basketball in this country.
NEWS
April 30, 2008
The Buffalo Bills will receive $78 million -- more than double their calculated 2006 operating income -- to play eight games in Toronto over the next five years. The payment to the Bills was disclosed for the first time in Rogers Communications' 2008 first-quarter report released yesterday. The Toronto-based company is part of a consortium that negotiated a deal with the Bills to have them play five regular-season and three preseason games, starting this year, at the downtown Rogers Centre.
NEWS
April 19, 2008
All-America junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts of Memphis will enter the NBA draft, joining teammate Derrick Rose in leaving early for the pros. The school announced the decision yesterday. Douglas-Roberts led Memphis with 18.1 points a game last season. Also entering the draft is UCLA junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. More college basketball -- Pat Flannery retired after 14 years as Bucknell's coach. He led the small Patriot League school to two NCAA tournaments, highlighted by a victory over Kansas in 2005.
NEWS
By BILL ORDINE | April 1, 2008
So which college basketball team would you rather be a fan of today, Davidson or Memphis? OK, it's something of a trick question. Or, at least, deciding on the answer can be tricky. Davidson, a 10th seed from the Southern Conference, was eliminated Sunday night from the NCAA men's tournament by Kansas in a two-point game, 59-57, in which the underdog Wildcats had the ball for the last shot. Just didn't work out. Meanwhile, Memphis, a No. 1 seed, rolled over Texas, 85-67, on Sunday and stormed into the Final Four with a chalk field that includes fellow No. 1 seeds, Kansas, UCLA and North Carolina.
NEWS
By BILL ORDINE | March 22, 2008
College basketball Men's NCAA tournament 2 P.M. [CHS. 13, 9] You ready for the second round? Nine hours of March Madness. The first game will be No. 7 seed West Virginia against No. 2 seed Duke. It'll be interesting to see how the Blue Devils respond after seeing their tournament lives flash in front of their eyes in a one-point win over Belmont on Thursday. And a quick reminder for tomorrow: The Maryland women start their NCAA tournament at home against Coppin State (2:30 p.m., ESPN)
NEWS
By BILL ORDINE | March 21, 2008
College basketball Men's NCAA tournament NOON, 7 P.M. [CHS. 13, 9] More madness. Today's 16-game first-round slate features our two local teams, with No. 15 seed UMBC facing No. 2 seed Georgetown at 2:55 p.m. (approximately), and No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's tipping off against No. 1 seed North Carolina at 7:10.