NCAA Basketball: Preseason Coaches Poll Released

The first coaches poll was released today for the 2010-2011 NCAA Basketball season.

Five Big Ten teams made the poll, including Michigan St. Ohio St., Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Here's how the coaches ranked the teams in the preseason:

1. Duke
2. Michigan St.
3. Kansas St.
4. Pitt
5. Ohio St.
6. Villanova
7. Kansas
8. Purdue
9. North Carolina
10. Kentucky
11. Florida
12. Gonzaga
13. Syracuse
14. Baylor
15. Missouri
16. Illinois
17. Washington
18. Butler
19. Memphis
20. Tennessee
21. Georgetown
22. Temple
23. Virginia Tech
24. Wisconsin
25. Texas

Badgers Take Out #1

For the first time since 1981 the Wisconsin Badgers emerged victorious from a matchup with the nation's top ranked team. The Badgers knocked Ohio State out of the top spot with a decisive 31-18 victory on Saturday night.

The Badgers entered the game as the #18 team in the country, the underdog at home against the Buckeyes. The combination of a consistent running game and tough defense helped the Badgers prove the oddsmakers wrong and come away with a win.

This game was the most exciting sports event I've ever attended. The atmosphere was unbelievable at Camp Randall. The stadium was filled to capacity before kickoff, which hasn't happened for quite some time.

David Gilreath's opening kickoff return for a touchdown set the tone for a night full of headaches for Ohio State. The Badgers quickly added two more touchdowns, both on rushes by John Clay, to take a 21-0 lead.



Ohio State then scored 18 unanswered points, making it a three point game. The Badgers responded with a 10 play, 73 yard drive capped by a James White 12 yard touchdown run.

The Badgers managed to control the Buckeye offense for the rest of the game, and Blake Sorenson intercepted a Terelle Pryor pass late in the 4th quarter to seal the victory.

Following the victory, the crowd stormed the field despite the PA announcer's best attempts to convince us otherwise. Camp Randall became a sea red and white, as fans congratulated and celebrated with the players.

John Clay became the first player in 30 games to rush for 100 yards against the Buckeyes. He totaled 104 yards and 2 touchdowns. James White added another 75 yards and a touchdown.

Scott Tolzein threw for 152 yards and connected on 81% of his pass attempts. Nick Toon led The Badger receivers with 6 receptions for 72 yards.

David Gilreath was named the Big Ten Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after his performance against Ohio State. Gilreath's 97 yard touchdown return made him the Big Ten's all-time leader in kickoff return yards. Gilreath finished the day with 163 total return yards, bringing his career total to 2,677 yards, passing the 2.575 yards set by Michigan State's Derrick Mason after the 1996 season.

The Badger defense held Terrelle Pryor to just 156 passing yards and 56 rushing yards. JJ Watt sacked Pryor twice, and Pat Muldoon added a sack as well. The Badger secondary didn't allow a passing touchdown.

The Badgers moved up to #10 in the new polls. Ohio State dropped to #11. The new rankings have Michigan State at #8 and Iowa at #13, making next week's game at Iowa a pivotal matchup for Wisconsin.

Two Favorite College Football Plays of the Weekend

So this weekend in the NFL was not worth writing about because the Packers are so frustrating right now. However there were two plays in college football that epitomize the reason I love it. The first one shows Andrew Luck a future NFL one round draft pick, light up USC's Shareece Wright after a fumble recovery. The second one, I love because sometimes college coaches try to get to cute and young college players make the most of the stupid decision. Surprise onside kicks are great in EA Sports NCAA 2005 but not also in the actual game, unless its the Super Bowl of course.








Vote for your favorite!

Big Ten Preseason Player Rankings

ESPN recently released rankings of the top 25 Big Ten players, based on past performances by the player and their potential for the upcoming season. Several Badgers made the cut.

#4 - RB John Clay

Clay finished at #9 in ESPN's 2009 postseason player rankings. The Big Ten Offensive Player of the year finished 1st in the Big Ten and 12th nationally with 1,517 rush yards (116.7 yards per game). He scored 18 touchdowns and rushed for at least 100 yards in 9 games.


Clay averaged 5.43 yards per carry last season, good enough for 3rd all-time in Badger history. He also sits 10th all time in school history for rushing yards (2,401) and 6th in career touchdowns (27). Clay was the Champ's Sports Bowl MVP last season.

#11 - LT Gabe Carimi

Carimi was first-team all Big Ten last season.He was part of the 2009 Wisconsin offensive line that led the Big Ten in scoring (31.8 points per game), rushing (203.8 yards per game), and total offense (416.9 yards per game).

Already being called Bryan Bulaga's replacement as the "premier left tackle in the Big Ten", Carimi has been named to the Rotary Lombardi Award preseason watch list, as well as been selected as a preseason All-American by several outlets. ESPN college football specialist Mel Kiper Jr. predicted Carimi to be the 2nd tackle selected in the 2011 draft.

#15 - G/C John Moffitt

The senior offensive lineman will be starting for the 4th consecutive season.

Moffitt also made the Rotary Lombardi Award preseason watch list for the 2nd year in a row. Mel Kiper Jr. has predicted Moffitt to be the 5th guard drafted in 2011.



#16 - LB Chris Borland

Borland did a little bit of everything for the Badgers last season. As a freshman, Borland Tied for 1st in the Big Ten with three fumble recoveries, and tied for 2nd with five forced fumbles. He was 3rd among Badgers in sacks, with 5, and tackles for loss, with 10.5. He blocked a punt, returned 6 kickoffs, had an interception, and kicked 3 extra points.

In 2009 Borland won Big Ten Player of the Week honors for both defensive and special teams play. He was also chosen as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

#19 - QB Scott Tolzein

Tolzein won the starting job for the Badgers last season and proceeded to lead the Big Ten in pass efficiency with a QB rating of 143. He also finished 2nd in the Big Ten by completing 64.3% of his passes. In 6 games he threw for at least 240 yards.

Tolzein was never flashy in 2009, but he played consistently for the majority of the season. He executed when he needed to, and was a nice complement to the strong running game for Wisconsin.

#25 - DE J.J. Watt

Watt had a breakout sophomore season. He finished 2nd for the Badgers in fumble recoveries, with 2, and pass breakups, with 5. He also finished 6th in the Big Ten with 15.5 tackles for loss.

J.J. will need to pick up the pace this season, as O'Brien Schofield's graduation leaves him as the featured pass rusher on the team.

Honorable Mention: WR Nick Toon

Toon caught 54 balls for 805 yards last season and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. Midway through the 2009 season he began to develop a connection with Tolzein, look for that relationship to continue in 2010.

Duke Lacrosse Redemption

It took three years, but the Duke lacrosse team has finally overcome the 2006 scandal that brought a promising season crashing to the ground. On Monday the Duke Blue Devils became the 2010 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Champions, the first championship in school history.


In 2006 the now-discredited rape case eventually caused Duke to end their season after only eight games. After investigations cleared all members of these charges, the NCAA awarded 33 Duke players an extra year of eligibility. Those 33 built the foundation of the "post-incident" Duke lacrosse team.


A few of those players took the field Monday, and were able to end their careers with a National Championship.

"It was hard," said Ned Crotty, who is now a fifth-year senior. "We knew no one liked us and we definitely leaned on each other. We realized the only thing that mattered was us. We knew everyone else hated us, so we knew we only had each other. That's why this team is so tight-knit."


The Blue Devils, whose high-powered offense came into the National Championship averaging 17.5 goals per game, were up against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, whose goalie just happened to be the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, 6-foot-4, 254 pound Scott Rodgers.


The match-up would lead to the lowest scoring game in tournament history, as regulation ended with a 5-5 tie.


It took just 5 seconds in overtime for sophomore long-pole C.J. Costabile to win the opening face-off, sprint down the field, and score the game winning goal.



“It's sick,” Costabile said about scoring the game-winning goal. “The best feeling about it is we set this goal from the beginning of the year. Guys who have been here before me, [those guys] who have been here three times before and finally seeing them walk-off that field with a big smile on their faces are the best moment about that.”




The seniors who remained on the team after the 2006 scandal walked away from the stadium hoping this victory would change the stigma the Duke lacrosse team had been branded with.


"I hope this takes over the story of Duke lacrosse," Crotty said. "Hopefully we can put everything else to rest, so when people think of Duke lacrosse, they think 2010 national champions."

So Long, Cinderella

Thursday and Friday's Sweet Sixteen action saw the demise of the four remaining Cinderella teams.

#9 Northern Iowa, #10 Saint Mary's, #11 Washington, and #12 Cornell all failed to reach the Elite Eight.

Northern Iowa put up the biggest fight, taking Michigan State to the wire, and eventually losing by 7.

Washington also fell honorably, giving West Virginia fits early in the game. The Mountaineers were eventually able to overcome and win by 13.

Saint Mary's and Cornell, however, were chewed up and spit out by Baylor and Kentucky, respectively.

Saint Mary's started the second half down 46-17 and only managed to make up 6 points on the way to a 72-49 loss.

Cornell was similarly pounded by Kentucky, losing 62-45.

In 2002 #12 Missouri became the lowest seeded team to ever enter the Elite Eight (in the modern 64 team tournament era).

#11 George Mason destroyed brackets nationwide in 2006 after entering the Elite Eight. #10 Davidson rode Stephen Curry there in 2008.

2010 seemed prime for another Cinderella run, what with the enormous amount of upset games occurring early in the tournament.

It looks like we'll have to wait till next year when underdogs all over the country once again try on the glass slipper.

I Love Basketball

This guy is one of the best interviews I have ever seen. Maybe Bo Ryan should watch this kid for tips on how to improve his interview skills.

Banged Up Spartans To Face Up-and-Coming Panthers

On Friday the Michigan State Spartans and the Northern Iowa Panthers square off in a sweet sixteen match-up that looks to be an exciting game.

Both teams are coming off wins sealed by huge shots with just seconds remaining in the game: Korie Lucious nailed a buzzer-beater three to win over Maryland and Ali Farokhmanesh hit a huge three with less than 30 seconds left to put NIU out of Kansas' reach.

Michigan State, however, faces some problems coming into this game.

Kalin Lucas, point guard and last year's Big Ten Player of the Year, went down in the Maryland game with an ankle injury.

Prior to an Lucas receiving an MRI, Spartan head coach Tom Izzo stated that regardless of the outcome Lucas would almost certainly not be playing in the Northern Iowa game.

The MRI this morning confirmed that Lucas has sustained a ruptured Achilles tendon, an injury that will keep him out of basketball for 4-6 months.

This leaves Korie Lucious, the hero form the Maryland game, to run the point for the Spartans. On the season, Lucious averages 21 minutes and 5 points per game, down considerably from Lucas' averages of 31 minutes and 15 points.

As if losing Lucas isn't enough, Michigan State has injuries in other areas as well.

Chris Allen played just four minutes against Maryland with an injury to the arch of his foot. Raymar Morgan is nursing a broken tooth, and Delvon Roe has been playing on a surgically repaired knee for some time now.

Draymond Green becomes a huge factor for the Spartans. He and big man Durell Summers will need to step up to take some of the weight off Lucious' shoulders.

Northern Iowa, conversely, is healthy...and they will need to be. Michigan State, even while injured, is much more athletic than NIU.

The Panthers need to stay on their hot streak and rely on outside shooting from Ali Farokhmanesh and the inside presence of Jordan Eglseder.

If NIU can slow down the potent offense of Michigan State they have a very realistic chance in this game (ESPN has already picked them over the depleted Spartans).

Northern Iowa is one of the four remaining teams who are at least a 9 seed. (#10 St. Mary's, #11 Washington, and #12 Cornell the others)

Michigan State, in the sweet sixteen for the ninth time in thirteen seasons, is two wins away from a nation-high sixth appearance in the Final Four since 1999.

Coach Izzo gave some insight on his team's injuries and the upcoming game:

"We've got a 'MASH' unit," Izzo said. "The bottom of Chris' foot is purple, Delvon is playing on one leg and Raymar looks like a hockey player with his tooth cut in half. We think we can get Chris back -- after showing toughness we've never seen from him -- and we'll hold Delvon out of practice to let him rest as much as we can."


"We're going to need everybody we have in uniform to step up," Izzo said. "There were times we had two walk-ons, a freshman and a sophomore on the court Sunday and that probably won't be the last time in the tournament. Northern Iowa is good, but thank God they're not a team that presses like Maryland."

Another Game.... Another Last Second Shot

Milwaukee native Korie Lucious comes up big for the Spartans! I guess Izzo is happy he didn't finish his timeout call!

Scrub takes it Hard

This has to be my favorite video of the tournament, not because it is of a huge upset where a small school beat a powerful Kansas. The reason is that the man who can not be dragged of the floor had as much to do with the game as the water boy.

It is very common to see a player that happens to lose the game for his team by missing free throws to stay on the ground and cry. I can't say I don't understand but sometimes players that don't play great cry. In rare occasions a role player- Tim Jarusmzesque player will cry and people will question it.

But this is epically the funniest person to not be able to drag off the floor. Mario Little, a redshirt senior.... Does that even exist? Yes it does for players this bad. Little has been redshirted as a senior and has not gotten a single minute during the season. However when they are upset by Northern Iowa he is the one the team has to console. This is epic and probably my favorite video of March Madness.

It's like if when the Milwaukee Bucks lost in the 2000 playoffs, George Karl had to drag Joel Przybilla off the court. ENJOY!

Top Seed Kansas Hits The Showers Early

The number 1 overall seed Kansas Jayhawks were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament yesterday by an unlikely opponent, the 9th seeded Northern Iowa Panthers.

The Jayhawks' opening basket and the 2-0 lead that followed lasted just 56 seconds. It proved to be the only time Kansas lead Northern Iowa.

Early in the first half the Panthers took an eight point lead, and maintained at least a 4 point lead for the rest of the half. Northern Iowa went into the half up 36-28.

In the second half the Panthers quickly built upon their lead, going on top by 12 at one point, the largest lead Kansas had surrendered to this point in the tournament. 

Kansas, however, was the overall number 1 seed for a reason.

With around five minutes to play Kansas went on a run, pulling the scoring-gap to within three points by the three minute mark.

With a minute to play, Kansas made a basket to make the score 63-62.

UNI responded in monumental fashion.

Ali Farokhmanesh brought the ball down the court for Northern Iowa, found himself left alone, and drained a three-pointer to put the Panthers up four points.

Kansas guard Sherron Collins was called for an offensive foul on the next possession and UNI was able to connect on one of the free throws. 

After another missed basket and foul for Kansas, Farokhmanesh sealed the game by hitting two free throws, making Marcus Morris' buzzer-beating three-pointer irrelevant, the final score 69-67 in favor of the Panthers.

This game was a huge upset, as Kansas was heavily favored to go deep into the tournament. The top ESPN analysts all had Kansas in the final four, and many of them picked Kansas to win it all. Sports Illustrated had Kansas as their champion.


Kansas becomes the first number one seed to lose before the sweet 16 since 2004, when both Kentucky and Stanford fell in the round of 32. This also marks the 13th time a number one seed has fallen in the second round, the third time it has happened to Kansas.


Northern Iowa becomes the first Missouri Valley tournament champion to reach the sweet 16 since 1979 when the  Indiana State Sycamores, led by the now NBA Hall-of-Famer Larry Byrd, went there and beyond, eventually losing in the National Championship to Michigan State.


Farokhmanesh's huge three at the end of the game was not the first big shot he has hit in this tournament. In the first round, UNI was tied with UNLV with just seconds to play. Farokhmanesh nailed a deep three to win it for the Panthers.


In the first two games of the tournament Farokhmanesh has amassed 33 points, and has hit 9 threes out of 19 attempts, none bigger than the game-changing threes to end both tournament games.

Personally, I would love to see this underdog UNI team keep rolling - forget my bracket (which is still in decent shape despite the Kansas loss).


UNI's next challenge will be decided today when #4 Maryland and #5 Michigan State square off.

Old Dominion Beat Notre Dame, Harangody Pats Stats

First upset of tournament...

Notre Dame may consider Big Ten after all

It appears that there is still hope for the Big Ten to get Notre Dame to join the league. Though Notre Dame still wants to stay independent, they claim they would have to at least consider a change if big changes are made in the Big Ten, Pac-10, and in effect, the Big East. Check out the article here!

Bowl Game at Yankee Stadium?

The Yankees announced Tuesday that Yankee Stadium will be host to the "Pinstripe Bowl" starting this year on Dec. 30. The 3rd place team from the Big East will play the 6th place Big 12 team.

As a baseball fan, this disgusts me. Yankee Stadium, whether you like the Yanks or not, is all about BASEBALL, and nothing else. It's the hallowed ground of the sport. Football doesn't belong there. The Yankees are just using this as yet another way to bring in revenue. What makes it even more pathetic is that it's going to be a sub-par match up. If we based it off of this past year's standings, it would be West Virginia vs. Kansas St. or Missouri. Not exactly the type of classic game I'd head to Yankee Stadium to watch.

Buzz Williams Can Dance

Well it seems as though Buzz can do more than just coach. He has become a Youtube sensation, who else seen Buzz Williams say YEAAA!!! Boom goes the Golden Eagle!

Leuer Wins Big Ten Player of the Week

Jon Leuer was last week's Big Ten Player of the Week after his impressive performances against Iowa and Illinois. Over the two games Leuer amassed 38 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks.

This is Leuer's first Big Ten POTW of his career, and the second POTW the Badgers have earned this year (Trevon Hughes in December being the other).

The Badgers take the court on Friday in the Big Ten Tournament, playing the Illini for the second straight game.

Tebow a Packer?

ESPN reported today that the Green Bay Packers could take a chance on Tebow. McCarthy said that he would love to coach Tebow. I think its a possibility if he is still available in later rounds to take a chance of Tebow. I think he is a winner and will find a way to help his team in the NFL.

It's weird seeing Tebow in Green and Gold though.

Hummel Out For the Year

In shocking news for Big Ten basketball, Purdue's Robbie Hummel is out for the season with a torn ACL. This changes the complexion of the rest of the Big Ten season. With a big game against Michigan State, with a Purdue loss the Big Ten looks like it may be a 3 way tie. This probably ends Purdue's chances at a #1 seed for the Big Ten. Because Purdue will probably lose some games down the stretches and the committee always takes into account injuries. If you remember a few years ago, Cincinnati lost a #1 seed because they lost their star Kenyon Martin in the Conference USA championship game. With another season for Hummel ending in injury, scouts will start to call him a liability with his numerous injuries. This injury gives Wisconsin a much better chance at winning the Big Ten Tournament.

LIVE BLOG: Wisconsin Badgers Basketball at Indiana

Join Two Cents in our live blog of the Badgers - Hoosiers matchup.

Here is what ESPN has to say about tonight's game:

Wisconsin had one of its most dominating defensive games of the season in a win against Indiana earlier this month. It was the kind of effort Hoosiers coach Tom Crean is looking for from his team.

The 17th-ranked Badgers go for their sixth straight win over struggling Indiana on Thursday as they try to improve to .500 on the road in Big Ten play.

Wisconsin (20-7, 10-5) has the top scoring defense in the conference, allowing 57.1 points per game. It was especially impressive in an 83-55 win at home against Indiana on Feb. 13.

The Badgers forced a season-high 21 turnovers, which turned into 29 points, and had 15 offensive rebounds which led to 18 second-chance points.

Wisconsin's effectiveness on the glass came despite missing leading rebounder Jon Leuer, who has played the last two games after missing the previous nine with a broken wrist.

Leuer has come off the bench since returning, and in a 70-63 win over Northwestern on Sunday, he finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots in 22 minutes.

"That was experience that we got back on the floor in those situations, and that's why he was out there," coach Bo Ryan said. "Plus, even with that tape on his hand, his hands in the post are the best of our bigs."

With Leuer struggling to make shots due to his injury, Jason Bohannon continues to play well. Bohannon finished with 17 points Sunday and scored a career-high 30 against Indiana earlier this month. He's averaging 19.5 points and shooting 52.2 percent from 3-point range in February.

The Badgers have struggled on the road, going 3-5 overall, but they have won their last two visits to Bloomington and will be facing a Hoosiers team that has dropped eight in a row.

Indiana (9-17, 3-11) never led in an 81-58 loss to Minnesota on Saturday, shooting a season-worst 32.2 percent and trailing 44-25 at the half.

Devan Dumes had a season-high 20 points off the bench, while leading scorer Verdell Jones III shot 2 of 8 to finish with 10 points. Christian Watford, averaging 12.3 points, scored three while connecting on 1 of 12 field goals.

In the last eight losses, the Hoosiers have been outscored by close to 15 points per game. They are allowing an average of 76.8 points in the last six.

"I told them after the game ... I don't hope the program is coming back, I believe that it will and I believe in those guys," Crean said. "I also told them that if we don't get better defensively and they can't do a better job of guarding their man ... they are not going to be a part of this moving forward. I don't have any patience for lack of getting up into people defensively."

Indiana has lost 14 in a row to Top 25 teams since beating then-No. 14 Purdue 77-68 on Feb. 19, 2008.

Let us know what you think of the live blog. We would love to have your feedback!