Big Ten (11) Recap
The stage is set for the conference regular season championship as both the Boilers and the Nittany Lions won Thursday night. The big game between these two is Sunday, 1:30 PM at Penn State. The game is televised on ESPN2.
#4 Purdue won their 15th game in a row topping Iowa 84-55. Shereka Wright tallied 21 points and Erika Valek dished out 12 assists. PU/Iowa Recap
Meanwhile, #6 Penn State beat #22 Michigan State 63-51. Kelly Mazzante had 23 and Jess Strom 18 for PSU. Mazzante was coming off the worst game of her career. "Michigan State has been one of my biggest challenges as far as figuring out ways to score," Mazzante said. "I watched a lot of film, figured out ways to get open shots and tried to get to the foul line." PSU/MSU Recap Here's another story warning Purdue coach Kristy Curry to not tick off the Lady Lions. Ticked off PSU
Also in conference play, #25 Ohio State upset #12 Minnesota in Minneapolis 76-62. OSU shot 69% for the game. Nobody wants to draw the Bucks in the Big Ten (11) Tourney next week. They are HOT! OSU/MINN Recap
Michigan got by Northwestern last night 73-55. Jennifer Smith of the Wolverines broke the schools single season scoring record in the game scoring 27 points. UM/NU Recap
Wisconsin got by fading Illinois 59-53 for their first conference road win of the season. UW/UI Recap “Our kids battled tonight,” praised Wisconsin Head Coach Lisa Stone. “It was a very physical game, and we weren’t getting too many calls, but we overcame the hostile environment and put this one away. I’m really proud of my team. We’ve been battling all kinds of things, and to have our first road win right now – it builds some momentum for us.”
I got my Big Ten (11) Tourney tickets in the mail yesterday! Section 15. Should be a great time! Action starts at 3PM Thursday. If anyone wants to meet up before the game for a beer, email me!
Top 25 Notes
#2 Tennessee had no problem with Arkansas winning 93-71. Coach Summit was upset that her kids didn't play hard for the entire game. "It really bothered me that we didn't handle the pressure better fullcourt," Summitt said. "It wasn't about this game, it was about this team and the next game and the next game and the postseason. We have to be sharp for 40 minutes and we were sharp for about 32 minutes, maybe 35." UT/Ark Recap
#6 LA Tech now stands at 21-2 after defeating UTEP 83-60. RECAP
#10 Stanford was upset by Oregon 67-66. That puts the Cardinal in a tie for the Pac-10 conference with Arizona with one game to go. Tara was not happy after the game. "We're going to have to play a lot better than this," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "We are going to have to look at who is contributing for us, especially who is producing on the defensive end. We have to execute down the stretch. It's very disappointing to have a game in hand and let it slip away."
#11 North Carolina raised their record to 21-5 with an easy victory over Florida State 71-58. UNC/FSU Recap
#18 Auburn thumped rival Alabama 72-40. AU/UA Recap
Florida got by #19 Georgia 69-59. As everyone knows, Georgia kicked their leading scorer, 6'6" Kara Braxton off the team on Feb 20. Vanessa Hayden took advantage and scored 18 points on 9 of 14 shooting. UF/GA Recap
Have a great weekend! GO BOILERS!!
Peace!
Recruiting News
The McDonalds All-American team was announced yesterday. Only one member of the team is attending a Big Ten (11) university. 5 McD's All-Americans are committed to Tennessee, LSU has 3 representatives, while UCONN, Duke, Rutgers and Stanford all have 2 commits on the team. See Rosters
Top 25 Notes
The AP Top 25 is out and UCONN is number 1. Purdue moves up to #4, Penn State to #6, Minnesota stays at #12, Michigan State drops to #22 and Ohio State breaks back into the poll at #25. Five Big Ten (11) teams in there! AP POLL
Big Ten (11) Notes
Here's an article on the tough week ahead for Penn State as they end regular season play with games against MSU and Purdue which will determine the conference championship. STORY
Purdue's Kristy Curry is asking fans to "Pack the Mack" on Thursday in their final home game against Iowa. If the Boilers get 11,500 at the game they will lead the Big Ten in attendance for the season over Penn State. Pack the Mack
Peace!
Big Ten (11) Recap
#5 Purdue gutted out a win over a very tough #20 Michigan State team 59-56. Shereka Wright had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Purdue. "This is the toughest team I've been on," Wright said. "We understood what it takes to be successful." MSU's leading scorer and all Big Ten (11) candidate Lindsay Bowen to 3 points on 1-10 shooting. PU/MSU Recap
#7 Penn State got a huge road win at Iowa 70-58 setting up the big game next Sunday with Purdue for the league championship. PSU All American Kelly Mazzante was held to a career low 4 points but Tanisha Wright netted 24 for the Nittany Lions. Penn State has another tough road test Thursday at #20 MSU. PSU/Iowa Recap
#12 Minnesota got back on the winning track by beating Northwestern 73-46 in front of 13,422 fans. The Gophers had four players in double figure scoring as they notched their 20th win of the year. Minnesota has a tough Senior day game on Thursday hosting Ohio State. Minn/NU Recap
Speaking of the Buckeyes, they continue their hot play by downing Illinois 76-57. Caity Matter led all scorers with 25 points. OSU/Ill Recap
Wisconsin got by Indiana 66-62. IU's shooting woes continue as they shoot 34% for the game. IU/WIS Recap
Top 25 Notes
#1 Texas was knocked off by #9 Texas Tech in front of a boisterous sell-out crowd in Lubbock 62-49. Tech came out at halftime down by 5 and ripped off a 12-2 run. Texas coach Jody Conradt was asked about the second half run. "They came out with a fire, and we stood around and watched for a few possessions," she said. "We felt good at the half. We had a little lead."
TT/Tex Recap
#3 Tennessee beat Mississippi 85-69 behind the Indiana connection of Shanna Zolman and Shyra Ely. Tenn/Miss Recap
#4 Duke clinched the ACC title by running by Maryland 72-59. Duke/MD Recap Beard had 24 points and 10 bounds for the Blue Devils.
In double OT, #8 Kansas State overcomes Missouri 93-90. KSU/UM Recap Missou senior Evan Unrau had 40 points in the contest.
Hoosier Hoops of Note
Notre Dame won their 8th game in the last nine dumping Pittsburgh 72-68. Former Indiana All Star Jacqueline Batteast had 17 for the Irish. ND/Pitt Recap
Indiana State loses in OT to Illinois State 80-76. Sycamores/Redbirds Recap
Ball State lost 84-74 to Eastern Michigan despite Kate Endress' 26 points. BSU/EMU Recap
Butler got a double/double out of Angel Mason and cruised by UIC 67-50. Butler/UIC Recap
IUPUI posted a 73-51 vistory over Centenary. IUPUI/Cent Recap
Peace!
Big Ten (11) Recap
Indiana's Jenny DeMuth reached the 1000 point milestone in her career in last night's 65-52 victory over Michigan. DeMuth also notched her 7th double double of the year. Cyndi Valentin added 21 points for the Hoosiers. Michigan's Jennifer Smith had 29 points and 8 boards. IU/MU RECAP
#5 Purdue used a Katie Geralds 11-0 second half spurt to get by Illinois 65-49. PU/UI Story
With All American Lindsay Whalen out with an injury, teams are pressuring the young Minnesota guards. Case in point, last nights upset of the #12 Gophers by Iowa 81-61. The loss drops Minnesota into a 5th place tie with Ohio State in the Big Ten (11) standings. Minn/Iowa Recap Iowa was led by Kristi Faulkners 22 points and kept their NCAA tourney hopes alive with an overall 15-9 record and a 9-4 conference tally.
Ohio State also looks good for the Big Dance as they got by Northwestern 57-46. The win raises their overall record to 16-8 with several wins against top 25 teams. OSU freshman Jessica Davenport had 6 blocks in the game and set a record for most blocks in school history by a freshman with 56. Michele Zylstra had 19 for NU. OSU/NU Recap
#7 Penn State had no problem getting by Wisconsin 66-50. Gay basher/Penn State coach Rene Portland coached her first game on 2 feet since she slipped on ice and broke her leg earlier in the season. PSU/WI RECAP
Top 25 Notes
#3 Tennessee got by Florida 88-79. Former Indiana Miss Basketball Shanna Zolman had 23. UT/UF Recap Vanessa Hayden had 19 for Florida.
#4 Duke rolled past Virginia 87-54. STORY
#10 Stanford got 18 points, 6 assists and 10 boards from Nicole Powell and ran away from USC 75-57. STORY
#15 LSU was upset by Vanderbilt 61-55 in Baton Rouge. Carla Thomas had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Commodores. STORY
WNBA Notes
Becky Hammon re-signed with the Liberty, Merlakia Jones signs with WNBA champion Detroit, and Agnieszka Bibrzycka (aka "Biba" - the 2003 Euro Womens POY) signs with San Antonio. Boy, it's nice to see the Fever jumping in there to improve thier team. Oh wait! Their only free agent signing thus far is Stephanie White. I fear the Fever will eventually go the way of the Cleveland Rockers - they have no commitment to winning.
Hoosier Hoops of Note
Butler overcame an eleven point deficit with 3 minutes to go in regulation but lost in overtime to Loyola 88-85. BU/LU Recap
The Pitt versus Notre Dame game on Saturday in Pittsburgh is a sell out. STORY
Have a great Hoops Weekend everyone! Peace!
Big Ten (11) Recap
#5 Purdue notched their 12th straight victory beating Northwestern easily 80-45. The Boilers remain tied with Penn State for the Big Ten (11) lead with an 11-1 record. PU/NU RECAP
#8 Penn State whipped Michigan in front of a record crowd of 15,389 at State College. The attendance mark is a PSU record. PSU/MU RECAP
#10 Minnesota got a big game from soph Shannon Bolden and got a huge road win at Illinois in their first game since losing Lindsay Whalen with an injury. MINN 63/ILL 54
Caity Matter was playing in an emotional game. Her brother had just been killed in an automobile crash 24 hours earlier but she led her Ohio State team with 23 points in an upset of #17 Michigan State. Caity also had 28 points earlier in the weeks earlier upset of Minnesota. In my opinion, she is a lock for Big Ten (11) POW honors. STORY
Iowa beat Indiana in Bloomington 78-69. Iowa/IU RECAP
Top 25 Notes
There were no upsets outside the Big Ten (11) as far as Top 25 teams are concerned. There was a big rival game though. Tennessee got by Vanderbilt 94-88. Tasha Butts had 37 points in the game. "Butts took over," Pat Summitt said. UT/VANDY RECAP
Hoosier Hoops of Note
Indiana State had a record 41 FT's in their 89-81 victory over Evansville. ISU/UE RECAP+
Kent State romped over Ball State 99-64. BSU/Kent RECAP
Butler had no problem with Youngstown State 79-45. BU/YSU RECAP
IUPUI suffers 80-64 loss to Chicago State STORY
Hope everyone has a great week! Peace!
Big Ten (11) Recap
#10 Minnesota loses All American Lindsay Whalen to a hand injury and loses the game to OSU 75-57. Whalen's injury will be evaluated today. Here's hoping it's not too serious. It'd be a shame to not be able to have her for the tournament drive. MU/OSU RECAP
#17 MSU posts a gutty road win at Michigan 59-54. The Spartans Kelli Roehrig tallied a double double with 14 points and 10 boards. MSU/MU Recap
The Hoosiers offensive struggles mount. They score only 1 field goal in 15:39 and fall in an ugly affair to Northwestern 48-36. The 36 points are the lowest scored by IU since 1978. IU/NU RECAP Hey! I was there in 1978!
In overtime Iowa squeaked by Wiscy 87-82. Jennie Lillis had 31 points for Iowa. Iowa/Wisc RECAP
Sunday's schedule:
#10 Minnesota at Illinois
Iowa at Indiana
Michigan at #8 Penn State
Ohio State at #17 Michigan State
#5 Purdue at Northwestern
Top 25 Notes
#3 Tennessee got a big SEC win over #17 Georgia 70-67. Pat Summit said: "I look at what this team has done in the league, and it's about having players, it's about having warriors. They will just gut it out." UT/GA RECAP
#4 Duke cruised past Wake Forest last night 80-55. Beard had 23 and Tillis 22. Duke/WF RECAP
#6 LA Tech played tough D to down Hawaii 83-45. LT/UH RECAP
LSU Coach Sue Gunter celebrated her 700th win last night at least according to the NCAA. She has some victories at Stephen F Austin that have yet to be added to her record. The #16 Tigers got by Arkansas 92-65. LSU/Ark RECAP Here's a link to the disputed victory total story. GUNTER 700
#24 Arizona was upset by UCLA 87-68. STORY
WNBA Notes
(YAWN) Stephanie White has re-signed with the Fever. Story
Hoosier Hoops of Note
Indiana State got by Southern Illinois in a high scoring affair 98-84. ISU/SIU RECAP Celeste Hlebovy was 7-9 from the field, 6-6 from the line and finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds for the Sycamores.
Butler hit 14 three pointers and Jessica Monaco had 18 points in her first ever start as the Bulldogs outscored UIC 89-81. BU/UIC RECAP
Have a great weekend everyone! Peace!
Top 25 Notes
#1 Texas got by Texas A&M last night 66-55. Stacy Stephens had 7 assists in the game to go along with 9 rebounds and 12 points. Tiffany Jackson had a double double for the Longhorns. A&M's Toccara Williams had 22 points, 6 steals and 5 assists. TEXAS/TEX A&M Story
# 2 UCONN made a statement in their crushing defeat of Syracuse. The Huskies are getting ready for their tournament run. Conn/SYR Recap
WNBA first round target Nicole Ohlde had 23 points as #9 Kansas State easily got by Kansas 81-51. K State/KS Recap
#20 Baylor had no problems with Missouri winning 83-59. BU/MU Recap
Hoosier Hoops of Note
Ball State led in the first half 33-17 but Western Michigan came back on the Cardinals to post a 87-71 victory. BSU/WMU Recap
IUPUI shoots poorly and loses to Southern Utah 79-55. STORY
Games of note tonight include:
Butler hosting UIC
Indiana State traveling to Southern Illinois
Big Ten (11) Recap
Tiffany Guthrie of Illinois and Janel McCarville of Minnesota were named Big Ten Co Players of the Week. STORY
Tonight's Big Ten (11) Schedule:
Indiana at Illinois
Iowa at Wisconsin
#18 MSU at Michigan
#10 Minnesota at Ohio State
WNBA Notes
Did you see that former Fever forward Alicia Thompson, who was out of the league last year, has signed on with Anne Donovan in Seattle? LINK
Here's an article on newly acquired guard Kelly Miller from the Fever web site. Kelly Miller Article
Have a great day! Peace!
Big Ten (11) Recap
Shereka Wright had 34 and Katie Geralds 32 as Purdue took advantage of the league's lowest ranked defensive team beating Iowa 90-79. PU/IOWA RECAP That is the Boilers 11th win in a row. It begs the question, who will win the Big Ten (11)? Purdue? Penn State? Minnesota? What a fantastic Big Ten (11) tournament we are going to see in Indy beginning March 4th! I can't wait!
Top 25 Notes
#7 Texas Tech lost a critical conference home game to #24 Oklahoma 68-62. What a big win for Sherri Coale's Sooners. Texas Tech had not lost on their home floor since last March. TT/OU STORY
West Virginia knocked off #19 VA TECH behind Kate Bulger's 23 points. The Mountaineers overcame an eleven point deficit with 5 minutes to play. STORY
Hoosier Hoops of Note
Who leads the nation in blocked shots? Iciss Tillis? No. Vanessa Hayden? No. It's IUPUI's Brooke McAfee who had an amazing 35 blocks in her last 4 games! STORY
Ball State takes on MAC Division leader Western Michigan tonight. BSU/WMU PREGAME
Breaking Fever News
The Indiana Fever have hired Lin Dunn as an assistant coach to Brian Winters. Dunn, who many were hoping would be named as the Fever head coach, is excited about the opportunity and talent in Indianapolis. Lin Dunn Hired
Top 25 Notes
Texas is the number 1 team in the nation for the first time since 1987-1988. Rankings Story
Purdue checks in as the highest ranked Big Ten team at # 5 while Penn State dropped to 8th, Minnesota squeaks back in the top 10 at number ten, and MSU lands at #17. Notre Dame dropped out of the top 25 this week.
Big Ten (11) Notes
Purdue's future team just got a lot taller! Sunday, Kristy Curry received verbal commitments from 6'5" North Central High School sophomore Amber Harris and 6'6" Brebeuf High School freshman Ta'Shia Phillips. Twin Towers in West Lafayette! STORY
A nice article on one of the Big Ten (11)'s up and coming freshmen. Kelly Helvey of Michigan. Helvey Story
Another feature on Wisconsin senior captain Emily Ashbaugh. Emily Story
WNBA Notes
Free agents are starting to sign on the dotted line. Crystal Robinson re-signed with the Liberty, Adrienne Goodson has re-signed with the Silver Stars, and Nicky McCrimmon left the Sparks to sign with the Houston Comets. Wouldn't it be great to see former Boilermaker and Kentucky Miss Basketball Ukari Figgs sign with the Fever? Here's the WNBA Player Movement Central Page. WNBA LINK
Big Ten (11) Recap
#13 Minnesota tags a loss on #5 PSU 74-56. MINN/PSU Recap
#6 Purdue beat OSU 57-54. Shereka Wright of the Boilers topped the 2000 point mark for her career in the game. Is it me or does she remind you a lot of the Fever's Coretta Brown? PU/OSU Recap
Indiana is the second youngest team in the country. It's really starting to show as the Hoosiers take on the second half of the conference schedule. Illinois avenged an earlier loss by whipping Indiana 64-52 in front of 4400 fans in Bloomington. IU/ILL Recap
#20 MSU had no problem with Northwestern cruising to a 70-46 victory. MSU/NU Recap
Michigan posts an easy win over Wisconsin 75-55. Jennifer Smith had another double double for the Wolverines. Mich/Wisc recap
Top 25 Recap
The battle in Texas Sunday between #9 Texas Tech and #17 Baylor was one of the better played games I've seen in a long time. Both of these teams were executing well, both have strong guard play, a prototype power forward, defensive minded centers and outside shooters. TT/Baylor Story
In a game that many women's hoops fans predicted, #11 Kansas State had no challenge from #10 Colorado. I guess the Buffs aren't as strong as some had thought. KSU/CU Story
How about #14 Georgia getting upset by Arkansas! GA/Ark Recap
#19 Auburn is really starting to gel. Marita Payne had 15 rebounds and 10 blocked shots (yes, 10) as the Tigers smacked # 14 LSU 68-50.
Did you catch that triple overtime game? #23 Houston finally outscored Tulane behind Chandi Jones 39 points 83-78. Jones is a sure first round WNBA selection. Houston/Tulane Recap
#24 Notre Dame was upset by Seton Hall 51-45. ND/SH Story
Over Coffee
Well, I certainly got my college basketball fix over the weekend. I counted and, if you count the ESPN cut ins, I saw some or all of 16 basketball games. It's certainly easy to tell that it is February and the teams are really starting to put it together. This time of year, teams can no longer win with just their talent and rolling the ball out and letting them play. It comes down to execution. I swear, while watching the Baylor vs Texas Tech game, it was more enjoyable than a lot of WNBA games I've seen. Great teams, great coaching, great desire! This game had it all!
I saw Nell Fortner on ESPN2 yesterday! I wondered when she would show up! Looks like Stacy Dales-Schuman is taking some of Fortner's air time! Actually, I think Fortner is good on ESPN - that way her coaching flaws can't hurt anyone. She has a great future as the women's games version of Dickie V.
OK, so I've had the weekend to think about the latest Fever trade. I've tried to be open minded, I really have! I've tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, to look beyond what may appear to be obvious. I've analyzed it, looked at available players and taken emotion out of the equation in evaluating this latest personnel move. So, here's my thoughts!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? WHAT THE #&*@%$ WERE THEY THINKING??
Miller is a good little player and Winters mentioned he wanted her to play some point. OK, but as I said in one of my earlier posts if they needed a point why didn't they draft Helen Darling in the Rocker expansion draft? At any rate, giving up the # 3 overall and the # 18 overall pick for Miller and Charlottes #9 is ridiculous. With the number 3 pick you will get a sure fire starter - possibly a difference maker in this league. Miller couldn't even break Charlottes starting lineup for 2 years and she is now worthy of being dealt for the #3 selection? Uh, that seems a little far fetched! I could understand getting Miller and #9 for the #3 but the Fever threw in their second rounder as well - the number 18 overall. You're joking, right? Charlotte must be dancing in the streets. I always thought that Fortner was behind most of the Fever's bonehead moves while she was carrying that GM title but it now appears that Kelli Krauskopf might be just as inept in handling player personnel. Geez!
OK, so now, where does this leave the Fever? Add Miller and Deanna Jackson to last years team. Well, Olympia Scott-Richardson should be back so add her into the front court rotation. Still have problems in the backcourt. Niele Ivey, Kelly Miller, Coretta Brown , Stephanie White are under contract. Bridgett Pettis and Nikki McCray are free agents. I could see a scenario where maybe the Fever draft Kelly Mazzante with the number 9 pick. Whalen will be long gone - no way the Lynx let her get away. They could draft Shereka Wright at number 9 but you have the same player already under contract in Coretta Brown. If they go with a post player (Iciss Tillis, Stacey Stephens) it leaves the backcourt still lacking a scorer. The prospect of Mazzante and Miller outside and Tamika on the inside is somewhat intriguing. So, that's the best case scenario I can come up with. Still, the Fever blew it - they didn't get enough value for the # 3 and they now have no second round selection. How do these people keep their jobs?
FEVER NEWS - Team trades the #3 pick and the #18 pick to the Charlotte Sting for the #9 pick and G Kelly Miller. Fever Trade Is this a good move?
Big Ten (11) Recap
#5 Penn State rode Kelly Mazzante's 24 points and cruised by Indiana 66-49. IU Story
#6 Purdue notched their 9th win in a row beating Michigan 76-64. Shereka Wright had 22 points for the Boilers. PU Story
OSU won at Iowa for the first time since 1985. In the high scoring affair, Center Latoya Turner notched her 1000th career point in the game. OSU/Iowa Recap
#20 MSU raised their record to 17-4 with a 72-47 victory over Wisconsin. MSU/WI Recap
Illinois got by Northwestern 76-52. The Illini's Cindy Dallas became the all time leading rebounder for U of I in the contest - 934 for her career! ILL/NU Recap
Top 25 Recap
The big story last night - UCONN put it on Tennessee. Tennessee never really got control of the game from the opening tip and UCONN played with much more intensity than the Lady Vols. UCONN now has won 5 straight over Tennessee. Story
#7 Stanford lost again! This time to Arizona as Shawntinice Polk had 21 points and 19 rebounds for the Wildcats. STAN/AZ Recap Stanford's Nicole Powell scored a double double with 22 pts and 10 boards.
Miscellaneous
Butler loses at Detroit 55-49. Story
Ball State is attempting to set a new attendance record this weekend against Northern Illinois. Admission is free! STORY
IUPUI's Kia Hayes was named Mid Continent Conference Co-POW. Story
Over Coffee
Ah...the Fever trade analysis. Well, truthfully, I am still surprised they pulled it off. I guess I need to research a little more before I make a true analysis. I like Miller - a lot! They needed some help in the backcourt so we don't have to struggle with Niki McCray's great defense/crummy offense which allows defenses to sag back on Tamika and Natalie. The big question for me is, what will be available at #9 for the Fever? They still have not found an inside presence to guard the top centers in the WNBA like Lisa Leslie, Ruth Riley, etc. Vanessa Hayden could have been that player. The thing is, there's a lot of talent out there this year in the senior class. Mazzante might be available at number 9 but now that Miller is on board, that seems unlikely. Purdue's Shereka Wright is a possibility but there still is not that low post presence the Fever so desparately need. I'm not convinced that Kelly Krauskopf made the best move available here but I'll hold my opinion for now - pending further analysis of senior post players or a potential free agent acquisition.
Notre Dame slips into the Top 25 poll despite 7 losses. Poll Also to note, SMS moved into the top 25 after beating ISU last week and the Florida Gators have cracked the poll for the first time thanks to Fever draft target Vanessa Hayden.
Last night, #18 TCU fell in double OT to unranked South Florida 89-84. Story
Iowa's Jamie Cavey captured the Big Ten POW award. CAVEY POW Story
Purdue's Kristy Curry's press conference quotes are linked here. Curry
In a top match up this week #1 Tennessee plays #4 UCONN. Here's a pre-game story form the New Haven Register. LINK
Cheers!
