Wednesday, November 5, 2014

There is always more

People news:

After 18 years as Florida State's coach, Sue Semrau has made a lasting impression.

Michigan transfer Val Driscoll is making a difference at Quinnipiac.

Team news:

The keys of the past may be the keys of Tennessee's future.

Maryland's season hinges on a lot of "ifs."

Pro news:

Sky All-Star Elena Delle Donne is now an ambassador for Lyme Disease.

More preseason top 25 polls:

NCAA Division II

NCAA Division III

Lady Vol players disciplined for academic reasons

Four Tennessee players will miss games for academic violations:

Tennessee women's basketball coach Holly Warlick announced Wednesday that Cierra Burdick and Jannah Tucker will miss two games while Andraya Carter and Ariel Massengale will miss one for violation of the team's academic rules.

The discipline pertains to the regular season. The players also will miss Sunday's exhibition against Carson-Newman.

Tucker's discipline takes effect when she recovers from offseason knee surgery.


Coach Holly Warlick said the players "didn't live up to our academic standards."

More news, including some other suspensions:

Southeast Missouri State coach Ty Margenthaler has been suspended for two games for violating athletic department policies at the school.

LSU's Danielle Ballard has been suspended indefinitely.

After years of running, Oregon is focusing on defense under new coach Kelly Graves. Freshman Lexi Bando is hoping to bring a new day to the Ducks.

Maryland's freshmen are hoping to carve out their roles.

Oklahoma is looking for young leadership.

Illinois has upgrades at different positions.

Q&A with Cal State Fullerton assistant coach Abi Olajuwon.

Almost before she knows it, the season is on Colorado coach Linda Lappe.

Guard play will be crucial for Texas-Arlington.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Monday, November 3, 2014

Season previews; scary Griner incident

Team news:

George Washington coach Jonathan Tsipis is looking to lead his team into the NCAA Tournament.

USC season outlook.

Cal State Fullerton season preview.

Player news:

The NCAA has granted Seton Hall forward Lubirdia Gordon a transfer waiver, and she is immediately eligible to play.

UCF is counting on Brittni Montgomery to steer them to success.

Scary pro news:

Brittney Griner was attacked in China by a drunken man with a knife. She's OK.

Rankings, rankings

USA Today top 25:


1 Connecticut (32) 800
2 South Carolina 739
3 Notre Dame 736
4 Tennessee 683
5 Texas A&M 630
6 Stanford 608
7 Duke 566
8 Maryland 543
9 Baylor 531
10 Kentucky 484
11 Louisville 474
12 Texas 458
13 North Carolina 407
14 California 366
15 Michigan State 343
16 Nebraska 305
17 West Virginia 274
18 DePaul 246
19 Iowa 217
20 Oklahoma State 164
21 Oregon State 123
22 Dayton 117
23 UCLA 116
24 LSU 65
25 Syracuse 55

ESPNW's top 25:


1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas A&M
5. Tennessee
6. North Carolina (tie)
6. Maryland
8. Duke
9. Baylor
10. Kentucky
11. Texas
12. Stanford
13. Cal
14. Michigan State
15. Louisville
16. DePaul
17. Nebraska
18. Iowa
19. Oregon State
20. West Virginia
21. Dayton
22. LSU
23. Syracuse
24. Oklahoma State
25. Georgia

It's like meteorologists: a best guess only.

Sunday, November 2, 2014

More teams stepping on to the court

Today's results:

Exhibition game winners included South Carolina, UCLA, Kansas, Gonzaga, Michigan, Duke, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and UConn.

More college news:

Leadership and depth has Michigan filled with optimism.

Tennessee's Diamond DeShields discusses her transfer from North Carolina.

Cincinnati senior guard Alyesha Lovett will miss the season with an Achilles injury.

Pro ball news:

A Nigerian news site is talking about the Ogwumikes.

Plenette Pierson used a career crisis as a springboard to success.

Lauren Hill scores 4 points in first game with Mount St. Joseph's

Mount St. Joseph College freshman Lauren Hill, who is dying of brain cancer, scored 4 points in her one and only game today, including a memorable layup:

Hill, the Mount St. Joseph College forward with an inoperable brain tumor, first had to live long enough to play in Sunday's game against Hiram College, no small feat since doctors have told her they expect her not to make it through December. The 19-year-old freshman also had to summon the strength to make it up and down the floor despite the constant headaches and bouts of dizziness and nausea that have plagued her more frequently in recent weeks.

And as if that weren't enough, there was the little matter of Hill having to attempt the layup with her off hand because the right side of her body is too weak for her hoist it to the rim with her dominant arm. Hill has practiced shooting with her left hand for weeks, but she still missed just as many layups as she made in practice the past two weeks — and that was without a sellout crowd of 10,000 fans standing in her honor and tens of thousands more watching at home from their sofas on national TV.


It was an unforgettable Sunday afternoon for Hill.

She fulfilled a dream.

Her teammates played for her.

Videos and pictures and NCAA's twitter feed.

Pat Summitt presented Hill with the US Basketball Writers Association most courageous award.

Donate to help find a cure.

I'm so very glad the game turned out pretty much perfectly. That's some grace right there.