The glass slipper fell off last night.
Murray State was the only undefeated team in Division I until Tennessee State mastered the Racers on their home floor. The feel good story is over.
Murray State is a mid-major that plays in the Ohio Valley Conference. The league, historically, only gets one NCAA Tournament invitation. So if the Racers don’t win the conference tournament will they break tradition and receive a bid?
The Racers want to make it difficult on the committee. They need to remain unbeaten the rest of the way until the league tournament. Murray State figures to have one major roadblock to that goal. It still must face nationally ranked St. Mary’s.
Say the Racers do win out and then lose in the conference tournament. Barring a first or second-round loss, people will mount a major campaign to allow Murray State in the 68-team field.
And I think with only two losses, the Racers deserve a bid. I don’t care who they played or where they played. They are a great college basketball storyline this season and it would be entertaining to see if the glass slipper could fit again along the tournament route.
Showing posts with label Murray State. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murray State. Show all posts
Friday, February 10, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
College Basketball Race is Wide Open
The college basketball rankings and the Republican Party have a lot in common lately: they are both in flux.
The college basketball polls took a major reshuffling Monday because of upsets over the weekend. Syracuse lost its No. 1 slot falling at Notre Dame. Two other top-10 teams, Baylor and Duke, both lost at home. Kentucky and Missouri are now No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in both major polls. The question is for how long?
Murray State is the only undefeated team left in the nation. Pollsters are still not giving the mid-major a lot of respect as the Racers are ranked No. 9 and No. 11. Murray State has a chance to remain undefeated in the regular season, but watch out in the postseason.
There are several teams in the hunt for the national title with no clear favorite. Syracuse seems to get some major love, but will a weakened Big East Conference harm the Orange in a title run? How about Kentucky? Possibly. How about Ohio State? Maybe. Duke? Go ahead and insert your team here.
Missouri is an interesting team. But does it have the staying power. That team is extremely quick, shoots well and plays solid defense. The rub is the Tigers only feature seven scholarship players. Will they run out of gas and/or foul out in tight games.
It’s safe to stay only one thing when we get to March. Murray State will not win the national title. March is shaping up to be quite fun. I think this year it will definitely live up to the March Madness term.
The college basketball polls took a major reshuffling Monday because of upsets over the weekend. Syracuse lost its No. 1 slot falling at Notre Dame. Two other top-10 teams, Baylor and Duke, both lost at home. Kentucky and Missouri are now No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in both major polls. The question is for how long?
Murray State is the only undefeated team left in the nation. Pollsters are still not giving the mid-major a lot of respect as the Racers are ranked No. 9 and No. 11. Murray State has a chance to remain undefeated in the regular season, but watch out in the postseason.
There are several teams in the hunt for the national title with no clear favorite. Syracuse seems to get some major love, but will a weakened Big East Conference harm the Orange in a title run? How about Kentucky? Possibly. How about Ohio State? Maybe. Duke? Go ahead and insert your team here.
Missouri is an interesting team. But does it have the staying power. That team is extremely quick, shoots well and plays solid defense. The rub is the Tigers only feature seven scholarship players. Will they run out of gas and/or foul out in tight games.
It’s safe to stay only one thing when we get to March. Murray State will not win the national title. March is shaping up to be quite fun. I think this year it will definitely live up to the March Madness term.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Baylor Seeks Respect
The Baylor Bears men’s basketball team is having a phenomenal year. The Bears are only one of three undefeated teams left (Syracuse and Murray State are the others) and have raced to a 17-0 record.
Baylor is ranked No. 4 in the land but could gain much more respect nationally tonight. The Bears face Big 12 Conference dominator Kansas in Lawrence.
Some say this is an off year for the Jayhawks but many teams would love to have an off year at 14-3. Kansas is 16-2 overall against Baylor and 9-0 at home.
During Baylor’s drubbing of Oklahoma State Saturday, the ESPN announcers said the Kansas game was the Bears most important regular season game ever. That might be and might not be, but Baylor wants the win badly.
The Bears have been road warriors with wins at BYU, Northwestern and Kansas State. This will definitely help with the game at Allen Fieldhouse. Not many visiting teams are happy with the results when they leave that place. Allen Fieldhouse is an extremely difficult place to play.
Baylor can end the Allen Fieldhouse jinx and position itself for a strong postseason run. A victory would give the Bears much love and extra confidence going forward.
It should be one of the most entertaining games of the season.
Baylor is ranked No. 4 in the land but could gain much more respect nationally tonight. The Bears face Big 12 Conference dominator Kansas in Lawrence.
Some say this is an off year for the Jayhawks but many teams would love to have an off year at 14-3. Kansas is 16-2 overall against Baylor and 9-0 at home.
During Baylor’s drubbing of Oklahoma State Saturday, the ESPN announcers said the Kansas game was the Bears most important regular season game ever. That might be and might not be, but Baylor wants the win badly.
The Bears have been road warriors with wins at BYU, Northwestern and Kansas State. This will definitely help with the game at Allen Fieldhouse. Not many visiting teams are happy with the results when they leave that place. Allen Fieldhouse is an extremely difficult place to play.
Baylor can end the Allen Fieldhouse jinx and position itself for a strong postseason run. A victory would give the Bears much love and extra confidence going forward.
It should be one of the most entertaining games of the season.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Texas A&M Flirts with Ben Jacobson
University of Northern Iowa fans can now finally exhale.
Their coach, Ben Jacobson, was dating Texas A&M over the weekend, but the Aggies finally chose Murray State’s Bill Kennedy as the new coach.
It’s difficult to know what happened with the possible Jacobson marriage. Did Jacobson’s lack of Texas ties hurt him? Were the Aggies sweet on Kennedy all the way along? Did Jacobson withdraw because he knew that? Was Jacobson listening to the Aggies’ sale pitch out of common courtesy?
Jacobson has told people in Iowa that he wants to stay put. But ever since his team beat Kansas in the NCAA tournament two seasons ago, Jacobson is a hot choice for various jobs around the country.
So Jacobson will remain in the low profile job and away from the bright lights of Texas and the Big 12 Conference. But it will only become a matter of time before another big school will want to flirt with the successful coach. That’s just the way the system works.
University of Northern Iowa fans understand the process even as they incur an upset stomach each time their coach is mentioned for a new opportunity.
Their coach, Ben Jacobson, was dating Texas A&M over the weekend, but the Aggies finally chose Murray State’s Bill Kennedy as the new coach.
It’s difficult to know what happened with the possible Jacobson marriage. Did Jacobson’s lack of Texas ties hurt him? Were the Aggies sweet on Kennedy all the way along? Did Jacobson withdraw because he knew that? Was Jacobson listening to the Aggies’ sale pitch out of common courtesy?
Jacobson has told people in Iowa that he wants to stay put. But ever since his team beat Kansas in the NCAA tournament two seasons ago, Jacobson is a hot choice for various jobs around the country.
So Jacobson will remain in the low profile job and away from the bright lights of Texas and the Big 12 Conference. But it will only become a matter of time before another big school will want to flirt with the successful coach. That’s just the way the system works.
University of Northern Iowa fans understand the process even as they incur an upset stomach each time their coach is mentioned for a new opportunity.
Friday, March 19, 2010
NCAA Mania in Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa lived to play another day in the NCAA Tournament. The game was wild and filled with excitement. The Panthers prevailed over UNLV 69-66 Thursday night.
In a previous post, I confessed that this tournament would cause me little uneasiness because none of my teams were in the field. Okay, I confess. I was wrong.
The Northern Iowa game was a little nerve racking because I wanted to see my home state team perform well and win. So I must admit, I moved around a bit in my chair during the tightly contested contest.
I was pretty calm when the Panther's Ali Farokhmanesh hit the game-winning three point shot in the waning seconds. I am just happy I don't need to type Ali's last name on a frequent basis. Now, that would create some anxiety, ha.
Northern Iowa (better known as UNI here in Iowa) captured its first NCAA tourney win in 20 years. No wonder the state is celebrating.
It's not difficult enjoying this team. Ben Jacobson's squad is a bunch of hard working, no ego types. They practice the meaning of the word team. There are no stars, but parts that work into a whole component. And it's a joy to watch a team that actually makes free throws. I haven't seen much good free throw shooting this season in the college game.
So UNI opposes mighty Kansas Saturday in the next round. Here's hoping the Panthers forget about their opening victory and give a huge effort against the No. 1 ranked Jayhawks.
And before anyone discounts UNI, remember hope is a beautiful word in the NCAA Tournament. Just ask Murray State and Ohio about hope.
In a previous post, I confessed that this tournament would cause me little uneasiness because none of my teams were in the field. Okay, I confess. I was wrong.
The Northern Iowa game was a little nerve racking because I wanted to see my home state team perform well and win. So I must admit, I moved around a bit in my chair during the tightly contested contest.
I was pretty calm when the Panther's Ali Farokhmanesh hit the game-winning three point shot in the waning seconds. I am just happy I don't need to type Ali's last name on a frequent basis. Now, that would create some anxiety, ha.
Northern Iowa (better known as UNI here in Iowa) captured its first NCAA tourney win in 20 years. No wonder the state is celebrating.
It's not difficult enjoying this team. Ben Jacobson's squad is a bunch of hard working, no ego types. They practice the meaning of the word team. There are no stars, but parts that work into a whole component. And it's a joy to watch a team that actually makes free throws. I haven't seen much good free throw shooting this season in the college game.
So UNI opposes mighty Kansas Saturday in the next round. Here's hoping the Panthers forget about their opening victory and give a huge effort against the No. 1 ranked Jayhawks.
And before anyone discounts UNI, remember hope is a beautiful word in the NCAA Tournament. Just ask Murray State and Ohio about hope.
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