Arrived and getting ready to head over to the Scotttrade Center for the show today live from the MVC Tournament. 2 to 6 pm.
I can tell you it's much colder here than in Omaha and they just had a big snow storm a few days ago. I've already seen lots of Jays fans down here. Keep checking the blog for constant updates throughout the entire tournament including during every game that is played.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Sad Day....
It's sad when a negative attack ads work to change the minds of voters at the last minute in Texas and Ohio. Hillary Clinton's campaign should be ashamed of it's behavior. The red phone was ringing for her campaign and they behaved like all the drowning candidates in history. It won't matter in the end as the math won't work for her but this is why young people have been dropping out of the political process for years. Disenfranchised voters line up by the thousands in support of Obama because he is something different and new....too bad Clinton was able to use old school politics to scare her way back into the race. And we wonder why people don't believe in the system...our own faults get in the way of it changing.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Nice Effort In Austin
Nebraska deserves credit for their effort tonight against No. 9 Texas. They were down 43-26 at one point in the game and it looked like the Longhorns were poised to run NU out of the gym like I thought they would. Going in I thought UT would cover the 14 point spread after losing their last game but Nebraska had other plans.
There are some questions coming out of this game to discuss. What would have happened if Aleks Maric had hung onto the ball down 2 with 14 seconds to play on that stupid end zone pass by Texas? In fact, I don't know how he DIDN'T make that play. Would it have mattered if Doc Sadler hadn't burned the team's final timeout with 2:51 to go in the game? I know that it was a close game but they could have used a timeout down by 2 with the ball. What if Texas hadn't hit their free throws? They were perfect down the stretch.
I thought Texas bought into their own hype a bit and stopped playing as hard as they were in the first half and NU picked it up big time. 70-66 final. Nice effort but a loss is a loss in March. There are no moral victories. A win would have put NU in the NIT for sure. Now, they will have a losing record in the Big 12 and their RPI will continue to go down. Margin of loss doesn't factor into the NIT decisions. Nebraska now has to hold serve against Colorado this weekend and get ready for the Big 12 tournament.
I'll say this about their defense....the Big 12 hasn't seen anything like it this season and it's causing some major problems for teams. It's not leading to wins all the time as the offense isn't that good but I don't think anyone wants to play them in KC. Going forward, if Nebraska gets a few better scorers on their roster, they might be a tough team to deal with playing D like that.
There are some questions coming out of this game to discuss. What would have happened if Aleks Maric had hung onto the ball down 2 with 14 seconds to play on that stupid end zone pass by Texas? In fact, I don't know how he DIDN'T make that play. Would it have mattered if Doc Sadler hadn't burned the team's final timeout with 2:51 to go in the game? I know that it was a close game but they could have used a timeout down by 2 with the ball. What if Texas hadn't hit their free throws? They were perfect down the stretch.
I thought Texas bought into their own hype a bit and stopped playing as hard as they were in the first half and NU picked it up big time. 70-66 final. Nice effort but a loss is a loss in March. There are no moral victories. A win would have put NU in the NIT for sure. Now, they will have a losing record in the Big 12 and their RPI will continue to go down. Margin of loss doesn't factor into the NIT decisions. Nebraska now has to hold serve against Colorado this weekend and get ready for the Big 12 tournament.
I'll say this about their defense....the Big 12 hasn't seen anything like it this season and it's causing some major problems for teams. It's not leading to wins all the time as the offense isn't that good but I don't think anyone wants to play them in KC. Going forward, if Nebraska gets a few better scorers on their roster, they might be a tough team to deal with playing D like that.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Greatest Game Ever At The Qwest
For those lucky enough to be at the Qwest Center last night, the 2nd of 3 Bradley-Creighton games on the year will never be forgotten. 111-110 in double overtime but that doesn't tell the entire story of this game. There were moments - amazing moments that reminded me of why I love college hoops. Down 14 in the first half, up 17 in the 2nd, down 5 in one OT, down 6 in the 2nd, 1 point win. Wow.
The win extended streaks, gave the team momentum and put them into the post season. But it did more than that...it gave Jays' fans a thought that they might be able to win 3 games in 3 days in St. Louis after all. A Dana Altman team had never given up 100 points in game at CU before...his team gave up 110 and won! I know that sounds a little nuts because they couldn't play defense but they found a way to get it done and made plays when they had to.
Let's start with the first half. At Bradley, the Braves went up 11-0 on their way to hammering the Jays. In Omaha, behind the fans rightful booing of Daniel Ruffin every time he touched the ball, BU went up 9-0. Then came moment No. 1 - down 16-10 - Kenny Lawson came up with a huge block to start a fast break. Josh Dotzler took the outlet and threw a perfect lob to P'Allen who went up as high as I can remember him ever getting to throw it down. The best crowd of the year, decked in blue, erupted for the first time of many.
Next, we got a chance to watch Cavel Witter begin his hot streak that would end with him scoring a Qwest Center record 42. He busted down 3 different Braves with an ankle breaking cross over and dribble-drive move to the hoop. Coach Jim Les was forced to take a time out as the Jays cut their lead to 29-24. They were up 14 at one point in the first half.
On Senior night, one of them made his mark at the end of the first half with a 3 pointer at the buzzer. Nick Bahe's last second 3 was right in the middle of a 22-2 run for Jays that eventually would put them up 17. It included a T being called on Jim Les for running his mouth at the refs at which point the game looked over. 61-44 Jays. Ballgame right? Revenge for Perioa right?....but we were just beginning.
P'Allen Stinnet's Technical Foul was the turning point in this game for Bradley. After on Offensive Foul on BU, P walked past the offending Brave and said something quietly to him. The ref quickly blew the T in response. When asked why the T was called, the explanation given the bench according to a source close to the program was that P'Allen got into the face of Brave player. The problem - P didn't do that! I'm not saying he shouldn't have been T'd up....he should have but for saying something....that's not why they called it. A 17 point lead for the Jays eventually turned into a 84-84 game with 4.5 to go.
The Braves had their first of MANY chances to win the game at the end of regulation as Theron Wilson went straight at the rack. Dane Watts had his senior night moment as he stepped in to take a charge to send the game into overtime. HOWEVER! Here is an interesting thing a birdie by the scorers table told me....the first call was an offensive foul on Wilson for an elbow! That would have been 2 Ft's for the Jays! When the call was changed by one ref to a charge, the refs huddled. The end result was Dana Altman being told that there wasn't a TV monitor to look at since the game wasn't on TV so we were going to overtime. Dana didn't complain and simple said that it was the right thing to do. I would have flipped out.
The 2 OT's were just crazy. Jays down by 5 in the first, down by 6 in the 2nd....yet they won. Nick Bahe blew 2 free throws with the chance to push the lead to 3 and then had a UNREAL rebound off a Booker missed 3 to give him another shot....he didn't miss that time. How about P'Allen's deflecting of the ball off a Bradley player to get the Jays a possession to send it to double OT? Amazing moment. Amazing game....on 3 different occasions I said to myself "game over" as in - Jays lose. They just wouldn't let it happen.
Even the refs getting in the way didn't mess the game up for me. Traveling call on Bradley in a key moment (right call), traveling call on Hibma while he laid on the floor (make-up call), it felt as if the Jays were gonna get screwed in the end. Didn't happen though. Bradley had the ball with a chance to win at the end of regulation, overtime and double-overtime, but each time the Jays countered with a defensive stop. They wanted it more including Pierce Hibma's defense on Daniel Ruffin when they needed it most.
Sophomore Cavel Witter's performance was unreal and was the difference on Senior Night. He just refused to be denied, hitting big shot after big shot. 42 points overall. 32 after halftime. 18 in the overtimes plus 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Best performance of a college athlete I've ever seen in person.
In closing - remember this game meant NOTHING! Once Missouri St beat Indiana St. - the teams were playing for the color jersey the will wear on Friday in St. Louis. Yet, they fought it out like an NCAA tournament game. But the win, in my opinion, puts them into the NIT. 20 Wins again. 10 conference wins again. 4th place in the Valley. All huge. What a win....what a game...and we get to do it all again on Friday.
Postseason opportunities: It appears that the NCAA is considering letting the Jays play a game on Tuesday in the Qwest after St. Louis if the schedule calls for it. If the Jays get a Wednesday game however, there is talk of game in the Civic!! 9,000 fans buying first come, first serve tickets. Be on the lookout for that!
The win extended streaks, gave the team momentum and put them into the post season. But it did more than that...it gave Jays' fans a thought that they might be able to win 3 games in 3 days in St. Louis after all. A Dana Altman team had never given up 100 points in game at CU before...his team gave up 110 and won! I know that sounds a little nuts because they couldn't play defense but they found a way to get it done and made plays when they had to.
Let's start with the first half. At Bradley, the Braves went up 11-0 on their way to hammering the Jays. In Omaha, behind the fans rightful booing of Daniel Ruffin every time he touched the ball, BU went up 9-0. Then came moment No. 1 - down 16-10 - Kenny Lawson came up with a huge block to start a fast break. Josh Dotzler took the outlet and threw a perfect lob to P'Allen who went up as high as I can remember him ever getting to throw it down. The best crowd of the year, decked in blue, erupted for the first time of many.
Next, we got a chance to watch Cavel Witter begin his hot streak that would end with him scoring a Qwest Center record 42. He busted down 3 different Braves with an ankle breaking cross over and dribble-drive move to the hoop. Coach Jim Les was forced to take a time out as the Jays cut their lead to 29-24. They were up 14 at one point in the first half.
On Senior night, one of them made his mark at the end of the first half with a 3 pointer at the buzzer. Nick Bahe's last second 3 was right in the middle of a 22-2 run for Jays that eventually would put them up 17. It included a T being called on Jim Les for running his mouth at the refs at which point the game looked over. 61-44 Jays. Ballgame right? Revenge for Perioa right?....but we were just beginning.
P'Allen Stinnet's Technical Foul was the turning point in this game for Bradley. After on Offensive Foul on BU, P walked past the offending Brave and said something quietly to him. The ref quickly blew the T in response. When asked why the T was called, the explanation given the bench according to a source close to the program was that P'Allen got into the face of Brave player. The problem - P didn't do that! I'm not saying he shouldn't have been T'd up....he should have but for saying something....that's not why they called it. A 17 point lead for the Jays eventually turned into a 84-84 game with 4.5 to go.
The Braves had their first of MANY chances to win the game at the end of regulation as Theron Wilson went straight at the rack. Dane Watts had his senior night moment as he stepped in to take a charge to send the game into overtime. HOWEVER! Here is an interesting thing a birdie by the scorers table told me....the first call was an offensive foul on Wilson for an elbow! That would have been 2 Ft's for the Jays! When the call was changed by one ref to a charge, the refs huddled. The end result was Dana Altman being told that there wasn't a TV monitor to look at since the game wasn't on TV so we were going to overtime. Dana didn't complain and simple said that it was the right thing to do. I would have flipped out.
The 2 OT's were just crazy. Jays down by 5 in the first, down by 6 in the 2nd....yet they won. Nick Bahe blew 2 free throws with the chance to push the lead to 3 and then had a UNREAL rebound off a Booker missed 3 to give him another shot....he didn't miss that time. How about P'Allen's deflecting of the ball off a Bradley player to get the Jays a possession to send it to double OT? Amazing moment. Amazing game....on 3 different occasions I said to myself "game over" as in - Jays lose. They just wouldn't let it happen.
Even the refs getting in the way didn't mess the game up for me. Traveling call on Bradley in a key moment (right call), traveling call on Hibma while he laid on the floor (make-up call), it felt as if the Jays were gonna get screwed in the end. Didn't happen though. Bradley had the ball with a chance to win at the end of regulation, overtime and double-overtime, but each time the Jays countered with a defensive stop. They wanted it more including Pierce Hibma's defense on Daniel Ruffin when they needed it most.
Sophomore Cavel Witter's performance was unreal and was the difference on Senior Night. He just refused to be denied, hitting big shot after big shot. 42 points overall. 32 after halftime. 18 in the overtimes plus 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Best performance of a college athlete I've ever seen in person.
In closing - remember this game meant NOTHING! Once Missouri St beat Indiana St. - the teams were playing for the color jersey the will wear on Friday in St. Louis. Yet, they fought it out like an NCAA tournament game. But the win, in my opinion, puts them into the NIT. 20 Wins again. 10 conference wins again. 4th place in the Valley. All huge. What a win....what a game...and we get to do it all again on Friday.
Postseason opportunities: It appears that the NCAA is considering letting the Jays play a game on Tuesday in the Qwest after St. Louis if the schedule calls for it. If the Jays get a Wednesday game however, there is talk of game in the Civic!! 9,000 fans buying first come, first serve tickets. Be on the lookout for that!
What A Season....
I will write a lot more later tonight about the Bluejays win over Bradley last night. But last night's game marked the end of the regular season for the Creighton Bluejays. It's now win or go home time. Where-ever the Jays end up - NIT, CBI, NCAAs...this year was a lot of fun....more fun than last year.
Last year's team was led by 3 players - 3 seniors who you knew what you were going to get. This team was a box of chocolates....you never did know what you were going to get. A crazy dunk, a unreal pass, a stupid foul, a lame effort, an incredible come back, a choking of a lead or a dominating performance - every night it was different.
20-9. 10-8 in the Valley and the post season still to come...the Jays kept their streaks in tact and now it's time to defend the MVC tournament title. Can they? I don't think so...but it's going to fun to watch this team open up a new box of chocolates.
Thanks indeed for the memories....
Last year's team was led by 3 players - 3 seniors who you knew what you were going to get. This team was a box of chocolates....you never did know what you were going to get. A crazy dunk, a unreal pass, a stupid foul, a lame effort, an incredible come back, a choking of a lead or a dominating performance - every night it was different.
20-9. 10-8 in the Valley and the post season still to come...the Jays kept their streaks in tact and now it's time to defend the MVC tournament title. Can they? I don't think so...but it's going to fun to watch this team open up a new box of chocolates.
Thanks indeed for the memories....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)