Post by Nick Spino
1) No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 1 Villanova Wildcats - Round of 32
Final Score: Wisconsin: 65, Villanova: 62
With the came tied at 59 with two minutes remaining in the second half, Wisconsin's Bronson Koenig hit a 3-pointer to put the Badgers in front. Down by one point, Villanova's Donte DiVincenzo stole a pass and was then fouled by Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes. DiVencenzo tied the game after making one of two free throws. With 11.4 seconds remaining, Hayes made a layup to put Wisconsin ahead by two. On the ensuing possession, Villanova's Josh Hart had the ball stolen by Wisconsin's Vitto Brown, who was then fouled and made one of two free throws. Villanova had a chance to hit a game-tieing three-pointer to send the game to overtime, but could not convert. The defending-national champions and number one overall seed could only make it past one round of this year's NCAA Tournament.
2) No. 7 South Carolina Gamecocks vs No. 2 Duke Blue Devils - Round of 32
Final Score: South Carolina: 88, Duke: 81
Duke had a 30-23 advantage at halftime after South Carolina went ice cold from the field, missing 20 of their last 22 field goal attempts prior to the intermission. However, the Gamecocks came out of the halftime break on fire, shooting 70 percent from the field in the second half. Duke trailed by 10 with under four minutes remaining in the game. A late Jayson Tatum three-pointer had a potential spark for Duke, but South Carolina continued to deliver on offense and continued trading baskets with Duke, making it impossible for the Blue Devils to avoid the upset. Duke was predicted by so many to win the national championship, but failed to make it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
3) No. 7 Michigan Wolverines vs No. 2 Louisville Cardinals - Round of 32
Final Score: Michigan: 73, Louisville: 69
Michigan took it's first lead of the game with 8:51 to go in the second half after Louisville outplayed the Wolverines since the game tipped. The Wolverines played well since taking the lead for the first time and found themselves up by four points with one minute left in regulation. The Cardinals cut the lead to two points with under 20 seconds left, but Michigan's free throws prevailed, making it impossible for Louisville to muster a comeback. The Cardinals failed to advance past the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a self-imposed ban forced the team to be held out of last year's tournament despite an impressive 23-8 record on the season.
4) No. 11 USC Trojans vs No 6. SMU Mustangs - Round of 64
Final Score: USC: 66, SMU: 65
The Trojans, who trailed for nearly the entire game, pulled ahead for the first time in the final minutes and for good when USC's Elijah Stewart hit a three-pointer with 37 seconds left in the game. Brackets nationwide predicted USC to come up short in their Round of 64 matchup with SMU after defeating Providence in a play-in game. Instead, it was another double-digit comeback for USC, which trailed by as many as 17 points in their play-in game versus Providence and trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half against SMU. The Trojans are poised to continue their cinderella run after losing in the first round of last year's tournament.
5) No. 11 Xavier Musketeers vs No. 3 Florida State Seminoles - Round of 32
Final Score: Xavier: 91, Florida State: 66
Xavier went on a 12-0 run in the first half that put them ahead by 10 at halftime. The Musketeers then put together a 14-2 run during the second half, pushing their margin over FSU to 20. The Seminoles failed to cut the lead beyond 17 points after that. It's plain and simple: Xavier absolutely dominated this one, which was probably more surprising than Xavier winning the game to begin with. Despite FSU's significant size advantage, Xavier controlled the paint, outscoring their opponent there by 10 points. Throughout the game, the Seminoles were unable to respond to Xavier's runs and tried to shoot their way out of it from beyond the arc, but were notably unsuccessful. Xavier made 11 of 17 from three-point range, while FSU made only 4 of 21. Similar to this game, Xavier was listed as an underdog in the team's previous matchup vs No. 6 Maryland in the Round of 64, but that didn't stop the Musketeers. They ended up pulling off the upset and won by 11, which most definitely was surprising, but not as surprising as the complete beatdown that they put on Florida State en route to a spot in the Sweet 16.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Barry's Back
By Thomas McNeeley
Barry Bonds will be returning to the San Francisco Giants for the upcoming 2017 season. He will be a special adviser to the team, as the Giants announced on Monday. The legendary slugger will assist Larry Baer, the Giants CEO. Bonds will be joining the team this week at spring training.
Barry Bonds will be returning to the San Francisco Giants for the upcoming 2017 season. He will be a special adviser to the team, as the Giants announced on Monday. The legendary slugger will assist Larry Baer, the Giants CEO. Bonds will be joining the team this week at spring training.
Baer talked
about his excitement for Bond’s arrival at spring training with the team. “We
are delighted to welcome Barry back home to the Giants. As one of the greatest
players of all time, Barry’s contributions to our organization are legendary. He
joins Willie Mays, Willie McCover, Orlando Cepeda and other distinguished
alumni who help advise the club and we look forward to working with him again.”
Prior to
the 2017 season, Bonds spent his time with the Miami Marlins as the hitting
coach for the team. However, Bonds was eventually fired despite the Marlins
having the fourth-best batting average (.263) in the majors.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
The Top 5 Biggest NCAA Tournament Upsets of the Past 20 Years
By Sarah Brams
1. March 16, 2012---round of 64
No. 15 Norfolk State Spartans vs. No. 2 Missouri Tigers
Missouri locked in a 21.5 spread and were shocked by the Norfolk State Spartans, led by Kyle O'Quinn, who scored a game-high 26 points and led with 14 rebounds. Up by two with 3.8 seconds left in regulation, O'Quinn actually missed two free throws. This opened the door for the Tigers, but they couldn't pull through as Phil Pressey, missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. Norfolk State had officially shocked college basketball.
Final Score: Norfolk State: 86, Missouri: 84
2. March 14, 1997---round of 64
No. 15 Coppin State Eagles vs. No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks
The Eagles became the third-ever 15-seed to win a tournament game (at the time), as they stunned the Gamecocks 78-65. The SEC-regular champion opened up a seven-point lead in the second half after a tied-up game at halftime, but Coppin State outscored USC 38-18 in the final 13 minutes to win by 13 points. That margin of victory remains the largest by a 15-seed in an NCAA tournament game. This also marked the first tournament win for the MEAC conference as a whole.
Final Score: Coppin State 78, South Carolina 65
3. March 15, 2001---round of 64
No. 15 Hampton Pirates vs. No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State was expected to roll over Hampton in the first round. The Pirates were making their first appearance in the "Dance" in just their sixth season as a Division I program. Hampton's Tarvis Williams put his team up one point with 6.9 seconds left, and the Cyclones' Jamaal Tinsley missed a layup at the buzzer. The Pirates pulled a huge upset over the Cyclones despite shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 15 percent from the 3-point line.
Final Score: Hampton 58, Iowa State 57
4. March 18, 2016---round of 64
No. 15 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. No. 2 Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans were hot coming off a Big Ten Tournament win, but Denzel Valentine and his team could not come out on top as Middle Tennessee led throughout the game and knocked off the heavily-favored Spartans. They lost despite shooting 55.6 percept from the field, its sixth-best field goal percentage in an NCAA tournament game under Tom Izzo. The Spartans were a -9000 favorite.
Final Score: Middle Tennessee 90, Michigan State 81
5. March 19, 2015---round of 64
No. 14 UAB Blazers vs. No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones
Just 14 seasons after being stunned by Hampton, Iowa State once again fell as a double-digit favorite in the round of 64. The Cyclones had an early 10-point lead, but in the second half neither team could get a lead of more than four points. The Blazers closed the game on a 9-4 run in the final 1 minute, 40 seconds to win by one. UAB beat top-seed Kentucky as a 10-point underdog in 2004; this game was the second time in 12 seasons that they won a tournament game as a double-digit underdog.
Final Score: UAB 60, Iowa State 59
1. March 16, 2012---round of 64
No. 15 Norfolk State Spartans vs. No. 2 Missouri Tigers
Missouri locked in a 21.5 spread and were shocked by the Norfolk State Spartans, led by Kyle O'Quinn, who scored a game-high 26 points and led with 14 rebounds. Up by two with 3.8 seconds left in regulation, O'Quinn actually missed two free throws. This opened the door for the Tigers, but they couldn't pull through as Phil Pressey, missed a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. Norfolk State had officially shocked college basketball.
Final Score: Norfolk State: 86, Missouri: 84
2. March 14, 1997---round of 64
No. 15 Coppin State Eagles vs. No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks
The Eagles became the third-ever 15-seed to win a tournament game (at the time), as they stunned the Gamecocks 78-65. The SEC-regular champion opened up a seven-point lead in the second half after a tied-up game at halftime, but Coppin State outscored USC 38-18 in the final 13 minutes to win by 13 points. That margin of victory remains the largest by a 15-seed in an NCAA tournament game. This also marked the first tournament win for the MEAC conference as a whole.
Final Score: Coppin State 78, South Carolina 65
3. March 15, 2001---round of 64
No. 15 Hampton Pirates vs. No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State was expected to roll over Hampton in the first round. The Pirates were making their first appearance in the "Dance" in just their sixth season as a Division I program. Hampton's Tarvis Williams put his team up one point with 6.9 seconds left, and the Cyclones' Jamaal Tinsley missed a layup at the buzzer. The Pirates pulled a huge upset over the Cyclones despite shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 15 percent from the 3-point line.
Final Score: Hampton 58, Iowa State 57
4. March 18, 2016---round of 64
No. 15 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. No. 2 Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans were hot coming off a Big Ten Tournament win, but Denzel Valentine and his team could not come out on top as Middle Tennessee led throughout the game and knocked off the heavily-favored Spartans. They lost despite shooting 55.6 percept from the field, its sixth-best field goal percentage in an NCAA tournament game under Tom Izzo. The Spartans were a -9000 favorite.
Final Score: Middle Tennessee 90, Michigan State 81
5. March 19, 2015---round of 64
No. 14 UAB Blazers vs. No. 3 Iowa State Cyclones
Just 14 seasons after being stunned by Hampton, Iowa State once again fell as a double-digit favorite in the round of 64. The Cyclones had an early 10-point lead, but in the second half neither team could get a lead of more than four points. The Blazers closed the game on a 9-4 run in the final 1 minute, 40 seconds to win by one. UAB beat top-seed Kentucky as a 10-point underdog in 2004; this game was the second time in 12 seasons that they won a tournament game as a double-digit underdog.
Final Score: UAB 60, Iowa State 59
Czech Republic Soccer Player Saves the Life of an Opponent
On February 25, 2017, Francis Kone, the striker for the Slovacko soccer club in the Czech Republic, recorded a stat that someone in soccer may have never done, saving the life of the opposing team’s goalie. During the match, Kone and the goalie, Martin Berkovec, were both going after the ball when the goalie collided with his own teammate, Daniel Krch, leaving him unconscious and motionless. Kone quickly jumped into action and was able to stop Berkavec from swallowing his tongue, which allowed him to breathe. The incident happened in the 29th minute of the match, and brought everyone to a standstill. After the match, Kone had announced that this was not the first time that he had saved someone’s life on the field, but the fourth! Kone then posted to Facebook after the match, thanking God and everyone who had written or called him about the incident, “I would like to give thanks to God for saving a colleague from the worst, because without him we would know how terrible today could have been. Thanks also to all those from near and far away who have written to me or called about this gesture of sportsmanship and humanity. I hope Martin and Daniel will recover quickly so they can return to the football field”. Daniel Berkavec then thanked Kone, "for his quick action in saving me". The league also announced after the match, that Kone was the “hero” of the match.
By: Kyle Langdon
Time for a Change
It's a cool, Saturday afternoon in February. A few fans and some proud parents are in the stands cheering on a basketball game in High Point, North Carolina. After the first five minutes of the game, it's time to sub out all the starters and put in five new players on the floor, making sure everyone is getting equal playing time. Now, to answer your question, no this is not a game being played at Montlieu Elementary school. This is, in fact, a game being played just down the road at the Millis Center at High Point University. So why would would a college basketball game be so eerily similar to a 4th grade basketball game do you ask? The answer is simple, actually. Scott Cherry. Amazingly enough, Scott Cherry does the same job during games that a volunteer does for his 10 year-old son's team. The only difference is that Scott Cherry actually gets paid to do this.
After a recent contract extension, it seems like Coach Cherry had a bit of a safety-net, but now could his job be on the line? Can Scott Cherry break .500? Can he start winning big games? Will he keep his job?
Whether or not it's Coach Cherry on the High Point bench or someone else, High Point fans just want wins.
Date back to 1993. Scott Cherry rides the bench on his way to a NCAA National Championship under the tutelage of Dean Smith. Fast forward to 2006, and we find Scott Cherry riding the wave as an assistant coach with George Mason to the Final Four. Lucky him! It truly is impressive that Scott Cherry can make it so far in the NCAA tournament just by sitting on a bench. For whatever reason, though, this qualifies him to make way more money than he deserves for a job that he is not very good at.
Now this begs the obvious question, "But Scott Cherry brought High Point to three conference regular season championships in a row! How is he not a good coach?" Another simple answer. John Brown. After a redshirt season in 2011, John Brown went all four seasons with High Point finishing with a winning record. Prior to this, Scott Cherry had three seasons under his belt as head coach of the program, and guess what, that's right, NEVER HAD A SEASON ABOVE .500. Immediately following the JB era, Coach Cherry takes the team to another season not being able to go above .500.
After a recent contract extension, it seems like Coach Cherry had a bit of a safety-net, but now could his job be on the line? Can Scott Cherry break .500? Can he start winning big games? Will he keep his job?
Whether or not it's Coach Cherry on the High Point bench or someone else, High Point fans just want wins.
Bracketology Podcast
March Madness is here and I have college hoops hot takes and breakdown the bracket for about an hour tournament preview. I even pick my bracket! Enjoy!
https://soundcloud.com/kevin-mcmahon-jr/mind-your-mcmahoners-mcmahon-sers-bracketology-special
https://soundcloud.com/kevin-mcmahon-jr/mind-your-mcmahoners-mcmahon-sers-bracketology-special
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
The Battle of the Blues
by Zach Tucker
North Carolina. What a wonderful state. North Carolina offers various sights and sounds to visitors of all ages. North Carolina is home to the Biltmore House, the Outer Banks, Mt. Mitchell (the highest point east of the Mississippi River), Cheerwine and the first successful flight; among other things. North Carolina is also home to one of the greatest college basketball rivalries in the United States that features Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Both institutions have a lot in common. For starters the two schools are separated by only 10 miles. They both have a shade of blue for one of their primary colors, royal blue for Duke and light blue for UNC. Both programs have five national championships. Duke has 19 regular season championships and 19 ACC tournament championships. UNC has 31 ACC regular season championships and 18 ACC Tournament championships. They both have had prominent players and coaches that have participated in the rivalry over the years. Christian Laettner, J.J. Redick, Grant Hill, Shane Battier and Jon Scheyer are some of the names that headline former Duke players. Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Phil Ford, Sam Perkins and Tyler Hansbrough are some of the former notable UNC players. Not to mention that both teams are currently led by Hall of Fame coaches in Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams and who could forget about Dean Smith?
On March 4, 2017 the two schools will meet again for the 244 time. A win for Duke would mean that they could potentially move up to the #2 seed or #3 seed in the ACC tournament and possibly even earn a higher seed in the NCAA tournament. That would also mean that Duke would be 8-2 in its last 10 games against Carolina. A win for UNC would almost guarantee a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Carolina has already clinched the #1 seed in the ACC tournament. It would also be Carolina’s first win at home against Duke in three years.
Both Luke Kennard (Duke) and Justin Jackson (UNC) were named as finalists for the Naismith trophy earlier this week, which is given annually to the best player in college basketball. Both players will look to lead their respective teams to a win on Saturday. Nothing is guaranteed in a rivalry game, but both teams and fanbases will be licking their chops for the chance of a sweet victory.
It’s Duke.
It’s UNC.
It’s the greatest rivalry in college basketball.
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