Catching Up

So I know I'm behind here a little with some of things here so I'm going to try to catch up quickly.  

Big 12 Counter - 6-7.  I still haven't seen a replay of the Steve Harley ball saving act against A+M that shows him inbounds but it doesn't matter and didn't matter - Nebraska was out of the NCAA the second they lost to Kansas on the road.  But if they lose 2 of the next 3, I will be 2 games off of my over/under prediction on the year.  Still 7-9 in the Big 12 isn't a horrible year for a program like NU's.  Nebraska has played hard this year but I will be curious to see how they play in the NIT.  Not enough offense this late in the year to beat many quality teams.

Looking for new music?  Try the new album by Brit Lily Allen It's not Me, It's You.  VERY fun and amusing album.  I'm not a typical guy so I find over-the-top brit pop very enjoyable - heck I've seen Oasis around 14 times.  Kate Nash, Jem, Amy Winehouse, Duffy are some of the similar sounds that you will hear with Lily Allen but I like her better.  I've become a big fan of her 2nd album - more so than the first.

Anyone else watching American Idol this season?  Guilty as charged - yes I do watch - but that's because it's the perfect DVR show.  You don't have to sit through all the stupid comments or commercials.  You just listen to see if the song is good, if not - blow past it, hear the critiques and move on.  My family has become addicted to the show - having viewing parties that rotate to different houses.  So I watch so I can talk to them too.  I'm loving the new judge though - Kara Dioguardi...she is gorgeous! and can sing too. I'm a huge fan of a girl who can sing...strangely enough - I've never dated a girl who could...probably why I'm single still at 31 :)...ok - there are better reasons but that has to be one of them.

New show to watch if you are in need - Trust me on TNT.  Really well done.

I'm happy to announce that Friday Night Lights has now passed Entourage as my favorite show on TV.  

Just Looks Crazy....

Say Hello to a GIRL! who is going to Baylor next year....You will see a lot more of her soon

Will The Committee Pay Attention?

Creighton Bluejays have won 8 straight.  They have taken down SIU and George Mason on national TV in the last 2 weeks and have an RPI in the Top 50.  The Jays have 23 wins and have a chance to win the MVC regular season title outright.  However, the Valley did not do CU any favors with the national exposure....losing 3 of 10 games  on Bracket Buster Saturday.

The Creighton Bluejays are an NCAA tournament team right now (although that could change with a loss on Tuesday night against MSU).  The Jays are playing their best basketball of the year when you have to - at the end of the year.  Pundits are paying attention.  Writers are taking notice and we can only hope the committee won't punish the Jays for what is going in Normal, Ill. and Cedar Falls, IA.  UNI and Illinois St's losses in the Bracket Buster were embarrassing for sure but the league did go 7-3.  The Redbirds and the Panthers lost on the road and hopefully, that will be mentioned on Selection Sunday.  

This next week will be the biggest 2 game stretch that I have ever covered for Creighton in my 4 seasons.  Tuesday night - we'll be at the Cove at 144th and Maple for Mo. St.  Creighton has a chance to end a 19 game Sr. night winning streak for the Bears.  If they win - Saturday will be for at least a share for the title against Ill. St.  A Blue Out has been called for Sr day....oh - what a game that could be....and then we get to go to St. Louis!  

I'm getting paid for this? :).   

VFC 26 - Much Better Than I Expected

When I was invited to sit ringside at VFC 26- Onslaught last night at The MAC, I was pretty skeptical at what my reaction would be.  Turns out - it was really fun.  

The pic to the left is off the Light heavyweight challenger who took a knee to his head and was KO'd.  I thought I would be pretty disgusted by watching MMA live but in all honesty - being that close to the action showed a lot of what was going on inside the ring.  The violence wasn't too much and the skill level, even on this level, was fun to watch. 

The highlight of the night was Drew Dober's 2nd round tap out win over Jimmy Seipel.  The crowd was pumped and the 2 fighters gave it their all.  Jimmy nearly submitted Drew in the 1st round but Drew showed why he is the No. 1 ranked amateur in the country and got away only to come back to win it.  

Give it up to Victory Fighting and owner Chris Circo.  The production value was much better than I expected for a fight night in Council Bluffs.  While it wasn't like being in Las Vegas I'm sure - the fights moved quickly, the skill level was showcased and the event was fun to watch.  Next one is May 1st....and I might just being going back amazingly enough.

Big 12 Counter:  6-6.  Kiss an at large bid goodbye for Nebraska.  They had a shot at Nationally-ranked Kansas this afternoon and got blasted 70-53.  The Huskers now must look to Oklahoma City for a Big 12 tournament title to make it the Big Dance.  Very, very difficult hill to climb.  Nebraska is now tied with Oklahoma St at 6-6 but they lose the tie breaker with the Cowboys.  

MVC Madness

A week before Arch Madness - the Missouri Valley Conference is going to see one of the craziest weeks in recent memory.  Tonight, Drake beat UNI as the Panthers saw Jordan Eglseder missed 2 Free Throws with 5.2 seconds to go.  DU 49 UNI 48.  Jays are now tied for the lead with UNI at 12-4 for the MVC title with 2 games to play.

3 teams are in play for the final 2 games of the regular season.  UNI and CU at 12-4.  Illinois St 11-5.  So who do you like after the Bracketbuster games?:

UNI:  They must go on the road to Redbird Arena on Tuesday to take on the Redbirds on Sr. night.  Good luck with that!  Then, they have their own Sr. day vs. Evansville - a team that is playing extremely well right now.  Couldn't be a worse time for the Panthers to have lost 2 straight games.  Prediction:  1-1 finish but 0-2 is VERY possible.

Creighton:  Jays have a huge test on the road Missouri St.  I say huge because Mo. St has won 19 straight Sr. nights according to a listeners email who is a big Bear fan.  Jays have played well on the road as of late with wins at UNI, at Drake, and at SIU.  However, Mo. St will play their guts out.  After that - CU comes home for Sr. Day vs. Illinois St which, in my opinion, will be for the Valley Crown.  GOING TO BE NUTS!  Prediction:  I have no idea what is going to happen

Illinois St:  Well, the Redbirds control their own destiny.  If they win out....they win the MVC title.  It's that simple.  Redbirds should win at Sr. night and you have to like the way they match up with CU.  Their wing players are better than CU's.  ISU's bigs are tougher than CU's.....will the Qwest Center be the equalizer?  Saturday afternoon games are huge for Jays fans.  How big will they be next weekend?  Prediction: I can easily see 2-0. I can see 0-2.  No CLUE!  Can't wait to see what happens.

However, here is a ridiculous situation as the Jays sit tied for the 1 seed for the MVC tournament right now.  If CU beats MSU, Ill St. beats UNI and then CU loses to Ill. St - all 3 teams are 13-5 and the Jays would be the 3 seed for St. Louis!!  Win out and you're no worse than the 2 seed.  Lose one or two and the Jays are at a real disadvantage for St. Louis.  Jays have to take care of business next week.  

3 teams.  2 games. 1 title on the line!  Buckle UP!  

Big 12 Counter:  Nebraska is now 6-5 on the year.  Officially - for all who want me to say it - I was wrong about the number of wins for the Huskers.  Bad game to watch - refs needed to clean it up but never did.  Sloppy and chippy.  Colorado hasn't won on the road since 2006 so nothing to brag about.  NU goes on the road now to KU.  Must win if they want to be even be talked about come Selection Sunday.  

Priceless!

Ok - so this Evan dude emails me literally 4 to 5 times a week. So much that I have told him to stop emailing me. So much that we have alerted corporate to the level interest he has in the program and to monitor and watch for anything out of the ordinary around the station. He is a big reason why we don't allow anyone to post comments on this blog anymore.

So what does Evan do now that I won't get into a email war and can't post on this blog? He does this :)

I mean, seriously? Letters to the Editor of the school newspaper? While I appreciate the extra press (god knows the OWH won't ever print my name), aren't we going a little overboard?

Most of things written on there are taken directly out of emails he has sent to me over the weeks - so it's not news to me but something tells me that Evan needs to get out a little bit more.

It's just basketball dude....

Tom Shatel Mans Up

I want to give Tom Shatel of the Omaha World Herald a lot of props today for admitting he was wrong with his last column on Bluejay Basketball.  It takes a big person to admit that he didn't do his job and made a mistake.  In case you missed the post on the Bluejaycafe.com - here it is:

Okay, I'm probably going to regret this, but I will keep it short. 

1. Ever had a bad day at the office? I did. Just the other day, in fact. The only problem is, everybody sees my bad days. 

2. Timing is everything. I had been planning, and researching, that column all season. Literally. I have no idea why I didn't write it after the Drake (home) game. I had another column already written that day and should have subbed it out. Oh, well. I'm 50 and still learning. I thought I could hold it another week or two. I know Dana's teams always improve. I thought this one would be the exception, though. I was bound and determined to write that column. The other night, I forced it in, much like some guys force a shot. Anyway, clang. Off the rim. 

3. I don't apologize for liking Doc. Much as I have admired Dana all these years (the Husker board calls me "Dana Shatel"). As a hoops guy, I'm perfectly content with the two coaches I cover. Doesn't mean I won't jab them once in a while. I know there aren't many of you on this board who were born before 1996. Back then, I gave Dana the "Doc'' treatment. Love how he coaches. Let's see how he can recruit. Dana did fine. Let's see how the guy in Lincoln does.' 

4. I accept any and all grief that comes my way. Always have, always will. Call or email anytime. And, by all means, boo me at halftime. Heck, after last week, I'll probably boo, too. 

Again, I don't regret what I wrote, just the timing. Creighton is playing well now. I'm sure I'll write about it in three weeks. 

5. I need a new topic for Creighton hoops. I've run that one into the ground. After Saturday's game, anyone have any ideas?

And here is what I said on my show about his column:  Big Show on Tom Shatel

Loving Bob Knight

Well, since I doubt the OWH will write a story on this since they played that card already with Nebraska....I thought I'd share:  1 min. mark - Coach Knight giving CU some love:

Cruising in Carbondale

The Creighton Bluejays scored early and often against rival Southern Illinois today in Carbondale. 6 straight wins for the Jays....undefeated in February and peaking at the right time.  The Jays have 4 games left in the regular season before they hit St. Louis.  Creighton has a chance to finish the year on a 10 game winning streak if they play they way they are right now.  That would put them on the bubble for an NCAA bid.  However, the Jays should only being thinking about 1 thing right now - Winning the MVC tournament. 

Right now though - We should ask Tom Shatel - Are the Jays tough enough now?  

Mizzou Massacre

Big 12 Counter: 5-5 Well that was ugly. Nebraska got destroyed on the road against nationally ranked Missouri in Columbia. Funny thing happens when you get a little national press - teams aren't taking you lightly when you come into their place. And big shock - Doc got a T'd up in the 2nd half when things got away from them.  The Tigers blew the doors off the Huskers on a bad offensive afternoon by NU and now Nebraska will have to beat Kansas on the road to even get into the NCAA conversation.  Get your NIT tickets ready....

Bill is my Boy....

If you have the time - good listen:

Got A Little Behind...

Ok - so life has been nuts for me of late. You would think that I would actually have a family or something but trips to Vegas and Bluejay basketball events has really caused me time to shrink over the past 2 weeks for the Blog.

Will this make up for it? They seem to have a lot of time on their hands but I agree with that take 100%! :) Some Football thoughts to keep you occupied during this storm.

Anyways:

Big 12 Counter: Nebraska beat nationally ranked Texas and now the beat writer for Omaha World Herald is making it sound like everyone nationally is talking about them. I guess when you have been irrelevant for...well, forever - 3 comments on ESPN is a big deal. But I was wrong - NU is 5-4 in the Big 12. Now let's see if they can finish at .500. At Missouri and At KU look like L's...after that - how many can they win. I said 5....that's where they are at...I'm not totally wrong yet.

Korver AKA Jordan? WOW

What an amazing move tonight for Kaleb Korver tonight who scored his first 2 point hoop since January 2008!  

If you think Michael Phelps Is Wrong....

Then read this great article!

My New Favorite Husker of All Time

:) 

Big 12 Counter - 3-4.  I wish I could say something about the win at Texas Tech but thanks to KXVO...I have no clue what happened.  Seemed like a dominating win for Nebraska...and P-Knight got tossed too....