Midwest Sports Fan Blog» NCAA

Anderson to enter NBA draft

GameSetMatch — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:01:52 +0000

After the most prolific three-year career in Oklahoma State history, Big 12 player of the year James Anderson plans to skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft.

Anderson announced his decision Monday at a news conference at Gallagher-Iba Arena, saying “I believe now is the time for me to pursue my dreams by playing in the NBA.”

Anderson averaged a Big 12-best 22.3 points per game while leading the Cowboys into the NCAA tournament for a second straight year. The versatile 6-foot-6 guard was an overwhelming choice as the league’s player of the year, earning the selection ahead of such stars as Kansas’ Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, and Kansas State’s Jacob Pullen.

“I believe now it’s time to test my basketball skills against the best players in the world,” Anderson said. “I have worked hard to improve my abilities over the last three years. … I believe that I am fully prepared both athletically and emotionally for the challenge of playing in the NBA.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

NCAA: Memphis must vacate wins

GameSetMatch — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 17:51:27 +0000

Memphis must vacate its record 38-win men’s basketball season from 2007-08 after the NCAA rejected its appeal.

The NCAA announced Monday that its Infractions Appeal Committee ruled against Memphis, which was found to use an ineligible player, believed to be Derrick Rose. The Tigers lost in overtime to Kansas in the national title game that season.

The NCAA originally ordered Memphis to vacate the season and forfeit money on Aug. 20. Memphis had appealed, arguing the penalties were unprecedented and that the school was held to a strict liability when Rose was ruled retroactively ineligible for an SAT score that was invalidated by the Educational Testing Service in May 2008.

“The Infractions Appeals Committee found no basis to conclude that the penalty was excessive such that the Committee on Infractions had abused its discretion in imposing the penalty,” the NCAA said in a release posted on its Web site.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Kansas State holds on as No. 1 Texas falls to 17-1

GameSetMatch — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:36:43 +0000

More than 15 minutes after the final horn, thousands of Kansas State fans lingered in the stands to savor a hard-earned victory.

No floor-rushing celebrations, no hopping on the scorer’s table, just a loud, sustained ovation.

Even against the nation’s No. 1 team, Kansas State and its fans, many wearing fake beards in homage to high-scoring Jacob Pullen, expected to win.

Jamar Samuels scored 15 of his 20 points in a dominating first half and the Wildcats (No. 9 ESPN/USA Today, No. 10 AP) withstood a gut check rally to knock off top-ranked Texas 71-62 on Monday night.

“Teams rush floors when they do something phenomenal,” said Kansas State forward Curtis Kelly, who had 17 points and eight rebounds against one college basketball’s best front lines. “It’s flattering. They knew we were going to win. They didn’t have to rush the floor because they believed in us.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Aldrich double-double helps rusty Kansas beat Belmont

GameSetMatch — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:06:44 +0000

Coming out of a timeout late in the first half, Kansas coach Bill Self called for a substitution. The player who was supposed to enter the game didn’t hear him, leaving the Jayhawks with four players on the court for about 15 seconds.

“It was great because it was probably our best offensive possession of the game,” Self said with a smile. “I was really proud of our team how they totally baffled their defense and were able to make a great play.”

Self can joke now, but he knows his team needs to pull it together with the Big 12 season just around the corner.

Cole Aldrich dominated inside with a double-double and six blocked shots, and No. 1 Kansas overcame a lack of focus in the first half to wear down Belmont 81-51 on Tuesday night.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Clay rushes for 121 yards as Wisconsin beats Miami

GameSetMatch — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:12:27 +0000

All that Miami speed was no match for the big, bad Badgers.

John Clay had 121 yards rushing and two touchdowns, powering Wisconsin (No. 25 BCS, No. 24 AP) past Miami (No. 15 BCS, No. 14 AP) 20-14 in the Champs Sports Bowl on Tuesday night.

Clay ran through, over and around the Hurricanes to help the Badgers (10-3) earn their first victory over a ranked opponent this season and claim a big win for the Big Ten.

“That’s Wisconsin football, just wearing a defense down,” said Clay, who was selected bowl MVP. “The third quarter, fourth quarter, I could just see them sucking wind and holding their waists.”

Scott Tolzien threw for 260 yards, and Montee Ball added 61 yards rushing for a Wisconsin team touted as too big and too slow for the dynamic Hurricanes. None of that seemed to matter when the Badgers were powering the ball down the field.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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College spotlight: Jeremiha Hunter a force for Iowa

GameSetMatch — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:53:54 +0000

The Iowa football team is having a fantastic season, and junior Jeremiha Hunter of York is a key performer with the team’s defensive unit.

The Hawkeyes are 9-0 and are ranked fourth in the BCS standings and eighth in the Associated Press poll. The team has trailed heading into the fourth quarter four times, including last weekend’s 42-24 triumph against Indiana.

Hunter, who played at Harrisburg Science and Technology High School, is second on the team in tackles with 80, including 24 first hits. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker has an interception, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups.

“I think Jeremiha has done a great job on the field,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’s a veteran player who played very well for us last year on a very good defensive football team.”

Ferentz likes what he sees off the field from Hunter as well.

Click here to read the full article – By BILL ARSENAULT of Daily Record/Sunday News

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Hawkeyes on task

GameSetMatch — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:40:59 +0000

The Iowa Hawkeyes arrived safely at the midway checkpoint of the college football season with all of their goals still intact.

The No. 11 Hawkeyes are undefeated, off to their best start in 24 years and riding a 10-game winning streak, Iowa’s longest since the pre-Kinnick era.
The Hawkeyes (6-0, 2-0 Big Ten) already have clinched postseason eligibility. They’ve positioned themselves for a run at the Big Ten title and a BCS bowl if they can continue dodging landmines along the way.

Click here to read the full article – By Andy Hamilton of Iowa City Press-Citizen

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Bet on OU to embrace spoiler role vs. ‘Horns

GameSetMatch — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:51:23 +0000

Injuries — specifically the one to quarterback Sam Bradford — may have taken the luster off Oklahoma’s season and made their national championship hopes a moot point, but the spoiler role is still available.

While there’s no BCS national championship game in their future, there’s still the possibility of a BCS bowl game were they to end the season as Big 12 champion.

And what better way to take a major step toward that goal than by dragging hated rival and third-ranked Texas into the also-ran pool with them?

If I was a betting man — and, of course, what sportswriter ever, ever supports gambling, right? — I’d take the Sooners in this one for that simple fact alone. As Seinfeld’s Kosmo Kramer used to say, “Man, that’s some sweet action.”

Click here to read the full article – By Stephen Smith of timesrecordnews.com

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Hawks stick with the base on ‘D’

GameSetMatch — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:47:56 +0000

The sight of a middle linebacker covering a wide receiver can make fans queasy, but it’s neither unusual nor ghastly for Iowa’s defense.

Iowa prefers to keep its base defensive alignment on the field nearly every play. It has failed Iowa in the past, like when run stuffer Mike Klinkenborg was caught covering speedy Philip Bates in the 2007 Iowa-Iowa State game. But more often than not, it succeeds.

Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said Iowa’s priority is stopping the run, and Iowa’s defense generally lines up with four down linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs. Occasionally, the Hawkeyes substitute a linebacker for a lineman but rarely does the defense bring in an extra defensive back or two. That doesn’t change whether Iowa faces a pro-set offense like Penn State’s or a spread-option used by Northern Iowa, Arkansas State or Michigan.

Click here to read the full article – By Scott Dochterman of gazetteonline.com

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Sheppard lauds Stadther and Jones

GameSetMatch — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 17:40:16 +0000

Arkansas’ other defensive tackles are coming along, says the Arkansas defensive tackle and two coaches.

Malcolm Sheppard, by far the most heralded on the Razorbacks’ defense coming into this 2009 season as Preseason First-Team All-SEC and adorning the Watch Lists of four national awards, was asked about young tackles Zach Stadther and DeQuinta “D.D.” Jones Wednesday.
The Razorbacks (2-2, 0-2 in the SEC) host the 17th-ranked Auburn Tigers (5-0, 2-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday in an SEC West game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Sophomore Stadther of North Little Rock starts at nose, as he did as a true freshman last year with Sheppard to his side, with Sheppard moving to nose when touted true freshman Jones of Bastrop, La., is outside him.

Click here to read the full article – By NATE ALLEN of Nate Allen Sports Service

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