Much jostling, as in yesterday's AP poll. Cal and Miami drop out, Syracuse drops in, and Duke falls like a stone in this week's USA Today top 25 coaches poll:
1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas
5. Ohio State
6. Mississippi State
7. Baylor
8. Maryland
9. Kentucky
10. Texas A&M
11. Tennessee
12. Oregon State
13. Stanford
14. Arizona State
15. Florida State
16. Duke
17. Northwestern
18. South Florida
19. Oklahoma
20. Seton Hall
21. UCLA
22. Michigan State
23. Iowa
24. DePaul
25. Syracuse
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Monday, January 4, 2016
Wild West
Nutty night in the Pac-12:
#14 Arizona State upset #9 Stanford, 49-31, and held them to their lowest point total ever.
#15 UCLA knocked off #11 Oregon State, 71-51. Jordin Canada lead the way for the Bruins with 24 points, including perfect 4-4 three-point shooting.
Arizona knocked off #21 Cal, 57-52.
Utah, for whom most had low expectations, edged Washington, 88-83. Husky Kelsey Plum lead all scorers with 35 points.
Results like these always lead fans to speculate: they shouldn't have been ranked that high in the first place, they should have been ranked higher, etc.
Fact is, the Pac-12 is a tough, tough conference right now. There are no nights off when facing any other team, because not only is the parity there, anything can happen.
More on the UCLA-OSU game - which I attended - later.
Other results:
#12 Tennessee handed #20 Missouri their first loss, 71-55.
Iowa bettered Rutgers, 69-65.
USC downed Oregon, 74-67. It was Trojan coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's 200th career win.
All scores.
Look what's on tap tomorrow: #24 DePaul at #25 Seton Hall.
Tennessee discrimination lawsuit:
A settlement has been reached.
WNBA news:
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has agreed to a multi-year contract extension.
#14 Arizona State upset #9 Stanford, 49-31, and held them to their lowest point total ever.
#15 UCLA knocked off #11 Oregon State, 71-51. Jordin Canada lead the way for the Bruins with 24 points, including perfect 4-4 three-point shooting.
Arizona knocked off #21 Cal, 57-52.
Utah, for whom most had low expectations, edged Washington, 88-83. Husky Kelsey Plum lead all scorers with 35 points.
Results like these always lead fans to speculate: they shouldn't have been ranked that high in the first place, they should have been ranked higher, etc.
Fact is, the Pac-12 is a tough, tough conference right now. There are no nights off when facing any other team, because not only is the parity there, anything can happen.
More on the UCLA-OSU game - which I attended - later.
Other results:
#12 Tennessee handed #20 Missouri their first loss, 71-55.
Iowa bettered Rutgers, 69-65.
USC downed Oregon, 74-67. It was Trojan coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke's 200th career win.
All scores.
Look what's on tap tomorrow: #24 DePaul at #25 Seton Hall.
Tennessee discrimination lawsuit:
A settlement has been reached.
WNBA news:
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has agreed to a multi-year contract extension.
So much movement in AP top 25 poll
Wow, look at this list......Seton Hall in, Miami out; Ohio State, Mississippi State, Arizona State, UCLA up; Kentucky, Duke, Florida State and others down:
1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas
5. Ohio State
6. Baylor
7. Mississippi State
8. Maryland
9. Stanford
10. Kentucky
11. Oregon State
12. Tennessee
13. Texas A&M
14. Arizona State
15. UCLA
16. Northwestern
17. Oklahoma
18. Duke
19. Florida State
20. Missouri
21. California
22. South Florida
23. Michigan State
24. DePaul
25. Seton Hall
1. Connecticut
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Texas
5. Ohio State
6. Baylor
7. Mississippi State
8. Maryland
9. Stanford
10. Kentucky
11. Oregon State
12. Tennessee
13. Texas A&M
14. Arizona State
15. UCLA
16. Northwestern
17. Oklahoma
18. Duke
19. Florida State
20. Missouri
21. California
22. South Florida
23. Michigan State
24. DePaul
25. Seton Hall
Coach's chair: Karen Aston, University of Texas
Coach Karen Aston talks about the Texas Longhorn tradition, and much more.
Sunday, January 3, 2016
#10 Oregon State at #21 UCLA tomorrow
I'm pumped about tomorrow's #10 Oregon State at #21 UCLA game, which promises to be a fierce battle between two hungry teams.
OSU preview
UCLA preview
I'll be a guest on the Beaver's radio show at halftime, which you can stream here.
Game tips at 7:05 p.m. Pacific.
OSU preview
UCLA preview
I'll be a guest on the Beaver's radio show at halftime, which you can stream here.
Game tips at 7:05 p.m. Pacific.
What the heck
Lots of toppling today:
Auburn 66, #7 Kentucky 61. The Wildcats had been undefeated.
Syracuse 86, #12 Duke 50 (Whoa!)
Virginia 76, #22 Miami 56
On the close side:
#3 Notre Dame 65, Pitt 55. It was Irish coach Muffet McGraw's 800th career win.
#4 Baylor 78, #18 Oklahoma 68.
#8 Mississippi State 76, Florida 70.
#16 Texas A&M 73, Georgia 62.
#24 Michigan State 77, Wisconsin 67.
#25 DePaul 71, St. John's 61.
More results:
North Carolina defeated Clemson, 72-56, to give coach Sylvia Hatchell her 700th career win at UNC.
#14 Northwestern routed Nebraska, 85-62.
Indiana put away Michigan, 77-69.
Georgetown bested Creighton, 69-57.
Duquesne pounded Dayton, 89-58.
Purdue slipped by Illinois, 69-65.
Seton Hall rolled by Marquette, 99-68.
Louisville stopped Georgia Tech, 78-65.
William and Mary beat James Madison in overtime, 65-59.
Alabama whooped LSU, 62-45.
West Virginia handled Kansas, 65-45.
Minnesota took out Penn State, 98-85.
Mississippi edged Vanderbilt, 54-52.
All scores.
Player news:
Freshman guard Shay Colley has left the South Carolina program to be closer to home.
Catch a glimpse of UAlbany's Shereesha Richards before it's too late.
Sophomore guard Natalie Romeo and junior center Allie Havers have improved for Nebraska.
Coach news:
Oregon State's win over USC last night was coach Scott Rueck's 100th for the Beavers.
Auburn 66, #7 Kentucky 61. The Wildcats had been undefeated.
Syracuse 86, #12 Duke 50 (Whoa!)
Virginia 76, #22 Miami 56
On the close side:
#3 Notre Dame 65, Pitt 55. It was Irish coach Muffet McGraw's 800th career win.
#4 Baylor 78, #18 Oklahoma 68.
#8 Mississippi State 76, Florida 70.
#16 Texas A&M 73, Georgia 62.
#24 Michigan State 77, Wisconsin 67.
#25 DePaul 71, St. John's 61.
More results:
North Carolina defeated Clemson, 72-56, to give coach Sylvia Hatchell her 700th career win at UNC.
#14 Northwestern routed Nebraska, 85-62.
Indiana put away Michigan, 77-69.
Georgetown bested Creighton, 69-57.
Duquesne pounded Dayton, 89-58.
Purdue slipped by Illinois, 69-65.
Seton Hall rolled by Marquette, 99-68.
Louisville stopped Georgia Tech, 78-65.
William and Mary beat James Madison in overtime, 65-59.
Alabama whooped LSU, 62-45.
West Virginia handled Kansas, 65-45.
Minnesota took out Penn State, 98-85.
Mississippi edged Vanderbilt, 54-52.
All scores.
Player news:
Freshman guard Shay Colley has left the South Carolina program to be closer to home.
Catch a glimpse of UAlbany's Shereesha Richards before it's too late.
Sophomore guard Natalie Romeo and junior center Allie Havers have improved for Nebraska.
Coach news:
Oregon State's win over USC last night was coach Scott Rueck's 100th for the Beavers.
UCLA uses defense to hand Oregon their first loss, 80-69
My game story from yesterday's UCLA-Oregon match up.
What a fun game. The Bruins got off to a slow start, as they struggled a bit on offense. But like all great teams, they got it together.
Oregon, with eight newcomers and four returners, is looking extremely cohesive. Superstar post Jillian Alleyne said the Ducks spend a lot of time together off the court, which helps them on court.
Speaking of Alleyne, AKA queen double-double, she is amazing to watch. Her array of skills, her instinct for the game, her tenacity - just a true pleasure to witness. She will easily be a top five WNBA draft pick.
I sat next to Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve yesterday, who was thrilled to be able to see both Oregon teams and both Southern Californian teams this weekend.
The Pac-12 is one of the most exciting conferences in the nation, and it will be a fight to the finish this season. I couldn't be more excited.
What a fun game. The Bruins got off to a slow start, as they struggled a bit on offense. But like all great teams, they got it together.
Oregon, with eight newcomers and four returners, is looking extremely cohesive. Superstar post Jillian Alleyne said the Ducks spend a lot of time together off the court, which helps them on court.
Speaking of Alleyne, AKA queen double-double, she is amazing to watch. Her array of skills, her instinct for the game, her tenacity - just a true pleasure to witness. She will easily be a top five WNBA draft pick.
I sat next to Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve yesterday, who was thrilled to be able to see both Oregon teams and both Southern Californian teams this weekend.
The Pac-12 is one of the most exciting conferences in the nation, and it will be a fight to the finish this season. I couldn't be more excited.
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Things are already interesting
Upset:
#9 Ohio State upended #6 Maryland, 80-71. That ended the Terps' 31-game winning streak against Big Ten teams that dated back to 2007.
Almost-upset:
#20 South Florida slipped past East Carolina, 61-59.
The Pac-12 will be a dog fight:
#17 Arizona State overcame #19 Cal, 57-49.
#10 Oregon State downed USC, 57-49.
(Kind of odd that the scores were identical)
Washington edged Colorado, 76-74.
Utah escaped Washington State, 73-71.
My Oregon-#21 UCLA story will be up shortly.
More results:
Iowa State beat Oklahoma State, 49-42.
Western Kentucky routed Marshall, 81-52.
#5 Texas took care of Texas Tech, 86-62.
#11 Stanford whooped Ariona, 59-34.
St. Mary's closed out San Diego, 73-68.
Sacramento State trumped Portland State, 132-91, and broke the school and Big Sky single-game scoring record in the process.
All scores.
Look at what's on tap tomorrow:
#18 Oklahoma at #4 Baylor
#8 Mississippi State at Florida
#12 Duke at Syracuse
Georgia at #16 Texas A&M
Nebraska at #14 Northwestern
#25 DePaul at St. John's
Team news:
Will it be another banner year for South Carolina? They open SEC play tomorrow.
Player news:
Kentucky's Makayla Epps is finding her voice this season.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats can't say enough about transfer Makenzie Cann.
Coach news:
Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw is closing in on 800 wins.
#9 Ohio State upended #6 Maryland, 80-71. That ended the Terps' 31-game winning streak against Big Ten teams that dated back to 2007.
Almost-upset:
#20 South Florida slipped past East Carolina, 61-59.
The Pac-12 will be a dog fight:
#17 Arizona State overcame #19 Cal, 57-49.
#10 Oregon State downed USC, 57-49.
(Kind of odd that the scores were identical)
Washington edged Colorado, 76-74.
Utah escaped Washington State, 73-71.
My Oregon-#21 UCLA story will be up shortly.
More results:
Iowa State beat Oklahoma State, 49-42.
Western Kentucky routed Marshall, 81-52.
#5 Texas took care of Texas Tech, 86-62.
#11 Stanford whooped Ariona, 59-34.
St. Mary's closed out San Diego, 73-68.
Sacramento State trumped Portland State, 132-91, and broke the school and Big Sky single-game scoring record in the process.
All scores.
Look at what's on tap tomorrow:
#18 Oklahoma at #4 Baylor
#8 Mississippi State at Florida
#12 Duke at Syracuse
Georgia at #16 Texas A&M
Nebraska at #14 Northwestern
#25 DePaul at St. John's
Team news:
Will it be another banner year for South Carolina? They open SEC play tomorrow.
Player news:
Kentucky's Makayla Epps is finding her voice this season.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats can't say enough about transfer Makenzie Cann.
Coach news:
Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw is closing in on 800 wins.
Friday, January 1, 2016
Still no WNBA marketing almost halfway through offseason
Last September, NBA commissioner Adam Silver commented that the WNBA "receives no press coverage." This lead to ESPN writer Mechelle Voepel's response that yes indeed, they do.
I laid out an eight-point marketing plan for the WNBA, which has made half-hearted attempts throughout the years that have never been aggressive enough, and have always fallen short. I said the league needs to: own its players and their identities, educate the public about the women's game, publicize any piece that is written about a team or its players, create active public presences for coaches, host offseason fan events, have offseason and preseason exhibition games, and enlist the help of the fan base in each city for marketing ideas.
But here we are, 2.5 months after the season's end, and the only significant noise about the WNBA was last month when former NBA player Gilbert Arenas insulted the WNBA and its athletes. The league came to its own defense, as did some of the players. Completely reactive and not proactive.
Contrast that with the NBA, which begins promoting itself the day after the National Champion is crowned, and the problem is apparent. For those who have followed the WNBA since it began in 1997, frustration with its lack of self-promotion is at an all-time high. They could/should be doing so many things right now, and they're not doing a damned one of them.
After I tweeted some of these same thoughts this morning - and got an avalanche of supportive response - I thought of one more way the league could increase its visibility: send reps of teams to local high school basketball games. Get the name in front of fans, coaches and players. Offer team ticket packages; invite teams to basketball clinics. But that's not happening, either.
I have a Los Angeles Sparks jacket I rescued from the lost and found at school a couple years ago. Before I left the house today, I put it on as a kind of test. The first business I walked into, a 30-ish man with two young kids was leaving as I was coming in. As we passed he said, "go Sparks." I turned around and he smiled.
It wouldn't be that hard to create more fans. There are plenty out there already. You just don't hear much from them, nor do they have team gear (another marketing goal: distributing clothing and gear with the local team's logo).
Why won't the WNBA promote and market itself? They can't wait around to be discovered; they have to aggressively tackle the task.
So why aren't they?
I laid out an eight-point marketing plan for the WNBA, which has made half-hearted attempts throughout the years that have never been aggressive enough, and have always fallen short. I said the league needs to: own its players and their identities, educate the public about the women's game, publicize any piece that is written about a team or its players, create active public presences for coaches, host offseason fan events, have offseason and preseason exhibition games, and enlist the help of the fan base in each city for marketing ideas.
But here we are, 2.5 months after the season's end, and the only significant noise about the WNBA was last month when former NBA player Gilbert Arenas insulted the WNBA and its athletes. The league came to its own defense, as did some of the players. Completely reactive and not proactive.
Contrast that with the NBA, which begins promoting itself the day after the National Champion is crowned, and the problem is apparent. For those who have followed the WNBA since it began in 1997, frustration with its lack of self-promotion is at an all-time high. They could/should be doing so many things right now, and they're not doing a damned one of them.
After I tweeted some of these same thoughts this morning - and got an avalanche of supportive response - I thought of one more way the league could increase its visibility: send reps of teams to local high school basketball games. Get the name in front of fans, coaches and players. Offer team ticket packages; invite teams to basketball clinics. But that's not happening, either.
I have a Los Angeles Sparks jacket I rescued from the lost and found at school a couple years ago. Before I left the house today, I put it on as a kind of test. The first business I walked into, a 30-ish man with two young kids was leaving as I was coming in. As we passed he said, "go Sparks." I turned around and he smiled.
It wouldn't be that hard to create more fans. There are plenty out there already. You just don't hear much from them, nor do they have team gear (another marketing goal: distributing clothing and gear with the local team's logo).
Why won't the WNBA promote and market itself? They can't wait around to be discovered; they have to aggressively tackle the task.
So why aren't they?
Prepping for big game Saturday
The only ranked team of 16 that played today was upset:
Louisville 79, #15 Florida State 69.
Look at the hot match ups on tap tomorrow, a 98-game day:
#9 Ohio State at #6 Maryland
#19 California at #17 Arizona State
Texas Tech at #5 Texas
Oregon at #21 UCLA
#10 Oregon State at USC
Oklahoma State at Iowa State
St. Mary's at San Diego
Washington State at Utah
Team news:
Utah's early success will be tested in Pac-12 play.
Reflecting on Maryland's 2006 National Championship.
Player news:
Building 'The Canadian Hammer': How Oregon State center Ruth Hamblin became a premier shot-blocker.
Baylor will retire Odyssey Sims' jersey.
Louisville 79, #15 Florida State 69.
Look at the hot match ups on tap tomorrow, a 98-game day:
#9 Ohio State at #6 Maryland
#19 California at #17 Arizona State
Texas Tech at #5 Texas
Oregon at #21 UCLA
#10 Oregon State at USC
Oklahoma State at Iowa State
St. Mary's at San Diego
Washington State at Utah
Team news:
Utah's early success will be tested in Pac-12 play.
Reflecting on Maryland's 2006 National Championship.
Player news:
Building 'The Canadian Hammer': How Oregon State center Ruth Hamblin became a premier shot-blocker.
Baylor will retire Odyssey Sims' jersey.
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