Happy Selection Sunday!!! Here is an updated college basketball Bracketology previewing what the 2013 NCAA Tournament might look like when the brackets are revealed today.
UPDATED: 3/17/13
2013 Big Ten Tournament Predictions/Preview
March 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
This could be the best Big Ten Tournament of all time. As it returns to its RIGHTFUL home, the United Center in Chicago, the league is as strong as it has ever been. So on paper it should be great. Indiana earned the season outright title for the first time since 1993 and the No. 1 seed for the first time in school history.
Ohio State, Michigan State and the Badgers also earned top-four seeds to secure first-round byes, as all four teams open play Friday. The tournament features 11 games over four days, beginning with four on Thursday. Six different programs have won the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan State and Ohio State have won the title three times. The Illini, Hawkeyes and Badgers have each won the championship twice, and Purdue has won the tournament once.
Chicago hosted the inaugural event in 1998. The Big Ten tournament averaged 18,882 fans per session when the event was last held at the UC in 2007. It set attendance records while in Chicago in 2001 with an average of 21,954 patrons per session. And just standing-room only tickets remain for this Big Ten Tournament.
So let’s get to my snarky preview/predictions
Illini basketball barely escapes winless in conference Penn St
February 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
For Illini basketball fans, this was Norfolk St., Gardner-Webb, Western Carolina, Auburn and Hawaii all over again- a narrow win, 64-59 over a supremely inferior opponent. It was a foul fest that just would not end. Penn State (now 8-18; 0-14 Big Ten) was in foul trouble quite early. Illinois was hacking too.
But the 52 fouls in this game was well short of the Illini single-game record for most personal fouls: 73 when Illinois played Purdue on March 1, 1952. Eight of the last 10 games in the series have been decided by five points or less and six by two or less and here the margin was six. The Illini basketball team improved to 20-8, 7-7 in conference. This is their 30th 20 win season in school history and 12th in the last 14.
Jerry Sandusky scandal will cost Penn State more than $27 million
February 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The Jerry Sandusky scandal is going to cost Penn State more than $27.6 million. The child sex abuse atrocities of the Jerry Sandusky scandal are hitting PSU in the pocketbook through lawyer and consultant fees and other costs.
An updated figure from November 2012 was provided this week on a university website. $13 million for board of trustees communications and the internal investigation into the scandal by former FBI Director Louis Freeh.
According to Fox Sports:
Among other Penn State costs, nearly $7.5 million went to university legal services or defense, including the law firm representing the university to facilitate settlements with people who have told the school they suffered damages related to the Sandusky scandal.
About $4 million covered other legal defense fees including those for three school ex-administrators facing criminal charges related to the scandal.
Paterno legacy tarnished by Louis Freeh report; despite Paterno report
February 10, 2013 by 4 Comments
The Louis Freeh report, a Penn State internal investigation lacking subpoena power, was released in summer and the results were scathing for Joe Paterno, the Paterno family and the Paterno legacy. It’ll never be the same again.
After that day, even those painted a halo over Paterno’s head on a mural in Happy Valley will realize the falseness of their idol. It’ll be very inappropriate for Penn State football and general human morals and values to have that Paterno statue remain outside the football stadium, or retain the Paterno name on the library after today.
The disgraced trio of Graham Spanier, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz were ready to go to the authorities in 2001, and deal with Jerry Sandusky and his serial child rape. Paterno shot it down.
Big 10 power rankings: brutally honest edition
December 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Doing a power rankings is fun and interesting in the beginning and/or middle of the season. Towards the end, it’s kind of useless. You just look at the standings. Also, preconference basketball doesn’t really mean as much as conference action. That’s when we’ll learn a lot more. Now that Butler has knocked off the #1 Hoosiers, you know they’ll lose their spot at #1 here as well.
Guess who the new #1 is?
2012 Big Ten/ACC Challenge Preview and Predictions
November 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The twelve-game Big Ten/ACC Challenge tips off tonight with the top four ranked teams in the nation; Duke, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio State all in action. After losing the first ten challenges, the Big Ten looks for their fourth straight win in this battle of power conferences. To be completely blunt; they should have zero problem doing so as the Big Ten has far more depth than the ACC.
Overtime is unkind to the Wisconsin Badgers, lose 24-21 at Penn State
November 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Overtime has been unkind to the Wisconsin Badgers who have lost three overtime games in the past four weeks. Moreover, the Badgers (7-5, 4-4) last nine losses are by a touchdown or less.
Penn State fought back from a first-half deficit to beat Wisconsin, 24-21, in what was their last game of the season.
The Badgers only real highlight of the day was Montee Ball breaking the NCAA all-time touchdown record.
Wisconsin needs a win at Penn State to avoid the BIG stumble
November 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Anytime the Wisconsin Badgers lose a couple of games at Camp Randall, it’s probably not a very good year. This year is one of those years and yet they still have a chance to turn it around with a win in next week’s Big Ten Championship.
Before they embark to Indianapolis, they travel to Happy Valley to take on a surprising Penn State team on an emotional day for their senior class. Even though it could be the toughest environment the Badgers play in all year, they need this game to avoid stumbling into the BIG Game.
No more Penn State Tim Fraziers: done for season, Achilles tear
November 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Penn State senior guard Tim Frazier, a preseason candidate for both the Wooden and Naismith national player of the year awards, will miss the remainder of the 2012-13 season due to an injury suffered in the Nittany Lions’ third game of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
Hurricane Sandy cancels Penn State media day
October 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The effects of Hurricane Sandy, and the Frankenstorm are already being felt long before it made landfall on the Jersey Shore. The effects are being felt well inland- including central rural, landlocked Pennsylvania.
Should Penn State’s Bill O’Brien Win the Bear Bryant Award?
October 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
As has been both thoroughly documented and highly disputed, depending on which side of the myopic Nittany Valley one resides, Penn State University has been hit with significant sanctions and penalties over the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal and attempted cover-up. While Penn State University (PSU) did not receive the NCAA’s so-called “Death Penalty” as was administered to Southern Methodist University in 1987, the penalties handed down were considered devastating to a program which has been quite used to being one of the elite programs in NCAA Division I football.
