The Sports Truth

Watching every and any college basketball game is pure joy, here are some of the best games of the 07-08 season you won’t want to miss.

Maui Invitational (Nov. 19–21): If rooting for tiny Chaminade to repeat their magical upset of #1 Virginia in the 1987 Maui Tourney isn’t enough for you, then performances like the Adam Morrison/Maurice Ager slugfest in 2005 should be. Morrison set a tourney record with 43 points and Ager wasn’t far behind with 36 of his own as Gonzaga took home a thriller 109-106. This tourney is filled with moments just like that and the 2007 version should be no different. A potential final of Marquette vs. Duke is one filled with lightning quick athletes. Dominic James is back at Marquette and, coupled with Jerel McNeal, they could pose a serious challenge for the young Blue Devils. Greg Paulus seems to be controlling the rock much better in his junior season and the talent around him just keeps getting better.

You may not have heard of him, but Jerel McNeal can light it up for the Golden Eagles.

NIT Preseason Tip – Off (Nov. 21-23): Johnny Flynn. If you haven’t seen this kid play, you’re missing out. Couple him with Donte Green and Arinze Onuaku (who I’m pretty sure is playing D-Line for the Jets on Sundays), and the Syracuse “worst mascot ever” Orange should be fun to watch.

Davidson @ Duke (Dec 1): Stephen Curry & Co. almost knocked off Hansbrough and the Tar Heels and are fully capable of playing with any team in the country. This game is slated to be televised on ESPN so you should probably clear your Saturday schedule (let’s be honest, you had nothing going on anyway), and tune in to the 2007-2008 Cinderella story.

UNC @ Duke: You could point to the February 6th match up between these 2 powerhouses, but playing at UNC just doesn’t have the same atmosphere as Cameron. They stuff 5,000+ rowdy, hammered, and obnoxious students/townies into one tiny building and scream their heads off for 40 minutes. Not to mention there’s a phenomenal chance that these 2 teams could both be ranked in the top 5 for this match up.

Memphis v. Gonzaga (Jan 26): Cincinnati, Marquette, and Louisville did us, the fans, a big favor when they 1) made the Big East incredibly competitive and fun to watch, and 2) forced national powerhouse Memphis to play in a weak conference, and subsequently be forced to schedule the most ridiculous non–conference schedule year in and year out. I don’t care what the rankings say, Memphis is the best team in the country. When they’re on, they could beat the Sonics, and probably the Knicks. Gonzaga will have their hands full, but figures to have freshman phenom Austin Daye, and drug rehabber Josh Heytvelt to provide America’s “Cinderella” with a dress to take down Memphis. If you don’t watch this game, you’re not American. I said it.

Josh may have some difficulty staying away from illicit substances, but the boy can play some basketball.

In honor of everyone’s favorite college basketball analyst, Dick Vitale, our senior college basketball writer, Colin Dwyer, will be chronicling the “are you serious?!?” moments of the 2007-2008 basketball season.

Dick Vitale and his unforgettable enthusiasm.

Gardner – Webb went into Rupp Arena, shot 53% from the floor, embarrassed the ‘Cats into a 35% field goal percentage, and pushed around the most successful college basketball program in NCAA history for 40 minutes, coming away with a 84 – 68 dubya.

Mercer went ahead and spoiled O.J. Mayo’s debut by thumping the Trojans in USC by 15. The Bears forced Mayo into 8 turnovers, 4 fouls, and very mediocre 42% from the floor.

How ‘bout the tourney regulars from Belmont? Knock off Cincy (on the road, obviously)? No problem. Then you’ve got the Bear”k”ats (yeah, that’s a “k”) from Sam Houston State pullin’ off the upset at Texas Tech and making Bobby Knight’s face turn yet another shade of red. Of course, there was the North Texas Mean Green makin’ Oklahoma State look like their…well, you know.

Why is it that mid–majors have the coolest nicknames while the major conferences are so boring? Kentucky Wildcats. UConn Huskies. UCLA Bruins. Yawn. I’d rather root for the Stetson Hatters or the “Tribe” of William & Mary any day of the week.

All of these upsets were topped off by the stunner Siena College pulled off in front of 6,200+ screaming Saints fans Saturday night. After attending the game, my buddies Tex, Gaff and I shuffled down to the hole–in–the wall bar across the street, drank our faces off, and were convinced Siena was goin’ to the sweet 16.

If Dicky V had been calling the Davidson/North Carolina game, there’s a 67% chance two things would have happened: 1) Dicky V would need an oxygen tank halfway through the 2nd half and 2) he may create the single greatest word of all time, “superschintillatingsensationalamazing,” after watching Stephen Curry and Tyler Hansbrough butt heads. Speaking of awesome broadcasters, why are Dicky V and Gus Johnson not broadcasting games together? This is such a slam-dunk. They could have been calling the New England Revolution/Houston Dynamo MLS final on Sunday and I would have watched every second.

What does all of this mean? Simple. It means College Basketball is back, and Cinderella is ready to get her party on. Seriously, you can almost feel March Madness…and it’s only November. We’re in for a season long symphony of Dickie V’s raspy, hoarse voice calling out, “ARE YOU SERIOUS AMERICA???” We’re in for Gus Johnson having multiple heart attacks during the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Tournament. We’re in for college kids storming courts, and for the most insane season in all of sports to get rollin’.

As a Patriot fan, I have been accused of many things and called many names since 2001. The most common theme is that us Patriot fans do not have any perspective when it comes to evaluating the ability of our favorite team. Critics say that we blindly drink the Bill Belichick kool-aid without being objective. Excuse us, but the man does have three Super Bowl titles and the most wins of any franchise since 2001 (with 85. Indy is second with 83).

Nevertheless, the irony of such accusations is that these same people can’t see the forest for the trees when it comes to the Indianapolis Colts. Stories of the Colts demise is 1) funny and 2) obviously unobservant of the conditions with which they lost their last two games.

The first loss is to one of the best teams in history (there’s my unobjectiveness coming out). Whether you think the Patriots could go 19-0 or are just a bunch of bullies waiting to get punched in the mouth, there’s little you can extrapolate about a team losing to them by just four points. The Colts played the Patriots tougher than anyone else all season, by a wide margin. That’s saying something.

Certainly very few people were condemning the Colts after losing to the Patriots. All the talk was about how the AFC Championship will simply be in Foxboro as a result of the game. The Colts then had the nerve to lose to San Diego, in San Diego. The same team who went 14-2 last year and brought every major piece of their team back (except for their head coach. That’s a whole other article). Oh yea, this game was in the pouring rain. And they were missing Harrison, Clark, and a number of other starters. Six interceptions later, the Steelers are hosting the divisional playoff game and beating the mighty Colts.

Darren Sproles jukes Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinateri en route to a 1st quarter touchdown return. A fitting beginning to a tough day for Vinateri.

Easy now. Remember that part about perspective? Patriots fans know about playing short handed. Missing more than a handful of starters. Playing with a D-1AA receiving core. It sucks, but it’s not representative of your team. Patriots fans know that the team we played in Week 9 and the team that lost to the Chargers is not the same team that’s going to show up in January.

Maybe I see too many roses when I watch the Patriots. But, I also know that the rain clouds around the Colts were only in San Diego.

For longtime Siena fans, Saturday November 17th, 2007 felt like 1989 in the Times Union Center in Albany, NY. Siena College evened the all-time series vs. #20 Stanford with a 79-67 win and avenged last season’s 20-point blowout in California.

Siena’s Kenny Hasbrouck puts up a lay-up over the Cardinal’s Landry Fields in Siena’s shocking 79-67 win over #20 Stanford.

Siena and Stanford have each won two of their four all-time meetings with the most dramatic being Siena’s shocking upset of #3 seeded Stanford in the 1989 NCAA tournament as a 14 seed.

The 20th ranked Cardinal were known for their impressive size, with starting heights of 7′0″, 6′10″, 6′9″, 6′5″, and 6′3″, were run out of the building by the smaller and faster Siena Saints. Using a pressing and trapping defense, Siena forced 14 turnovers and used their superior athleticism to attack Stanford in the open floor.

The win was Siena’s first win over a ranked opponent in 18 years, but it will not be their only opportunity this season. The prohibitive favorite to win the Metro Athletic Atlantic Conference and get their first invitation to the NCAA tournament since 2002, the Saints will travel to Memphis to take on the #3 Tigers on January 3rd, 2008.

Forget Ruth or Bartman, the new curse du jour in professional sports is The Curse of the 2nd ranked team in college football.

Soon to be dropped #2 Oregon continued a stunning trend in college football this past Thursday, becoming the 5th #2 ranked team to lose to an unranked team. USC, California, South Florida, Boston College, and now Oregon.

The Curse doesn’t end with just the lone loss and it seems to be getting worse. USC won its subsequent game, then lost to Oregon later in the year. California, South Florida suffered worse fates, losing three consecutive games each. Boston College is in the midst of a two-game losing streak and must win in Clemson to avoid losing three in a row.

However, with the demise of the Ducks, apparently The Curse saved its best for last (so we think - watch out, Oklahoma and Kansas).

Oregon learned today that star quarterback and Heisman hopeful, Dennis Dixon, is done for the year after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament in Thursday’s loss. The Ducks will go to UCLA next week and then finish the season with Oregon State at home. It was a hard enough schedule to begin with, but The Curse wanted to make it even more difficult by taking Dixon away as well.

The Curse of #2 does not discriminate and will take down anyone in its path. The best strategy to make the BCS title game is to be #3 going into the last week of the season.

Midwest
(1) Indiana
(16) Hampton

(8) Pitt
(9) Clemson

(5) Kansas St.
(12) Penn St.

(4) Michigan St.
(13) Utah St.

(6) Virginia
(11) Florida

(3) Marquette
(14) Belmont

(7) Wisconsin
(10) West Virginia

(2) Tennessee
(15) Montana

West
(1) Memphis
(16) Vermont

(8) Davidson
(9) UConn

(5) Oregon
(12) Providence

(4) Gonzaga
(13) Winthrop

(6) Arkansas
(11) Ga. Tech

(3) Kansas
(14) Austin Peay

(7) Texas
(10) Butler

(2) Washington St.
(15) Princeton

East
(1) Georgetown
(16) McNeese St./Alcorn St.

(8) Texas A& M
(9) George Mason

(5) NC St.
(12) Akron

(4) Maryland
(13) Bradley

(6) Xavier
(11) Notre Dame

(3) Duke
(14) UC Santa Barbara

(7) Ohio St.
(10) Stanford

(2) Louisville
(15) W. Kentucky

South
(1) UNC
(16) C.Conn. St.

(8) Syracuse
(9) New Mexico St.

(5) So. Illinois
(12) VCU

(4) Kentucky
(13) Siena

(6) USC
(11) Utah

(3) Arizona
(14) Oral Roberts

(7) Washington
(10) New Mexico St.

(2) UCLA
(15) Bucknell

The Indianapolis Colts have been dealt a major blow with the injury to Pro Bowl defensive lineman Dwight Freeney, whose bum foot has him on the shelf for the year.

But if Tony Dungy and the coaching staff desire to look beyond the Colts’ bench and the waiver wire for for a mid-season pickup, we may have found a diamond in the rough.

Just look at the form - the tenacity! - displayed by Friday Night Lights blonde bombshell Tyra Collette (played by Adrianne Palicki) in the photo below. You wanna go up against this?

In fictional Dillon High School’s annual powerpuff game, Adrianna Palicki looks poised to burst through the line and rip the head off QB Lyla Garrity. Just try standing in her way!

The Colts’ Dwight Freeney (left) is out for the year, but one resident bad-ass TV babe - Adrianne Palicki of Friday Night Lights fame - looks like she’s more than up to the task.

Also in Adrianne Palicki’s favor? The Writers Guild of America strike that threatens to wipe out the second half of Friday Night Lights and just about all other shows this season. There’s no work stoppage in the NFL, baby! Get her in a Colts uni by the end of the week!

Sean Avery of the New York Rangers denied making cancer-related insults to ill Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake before a pregame altercation between the clubs last weekend.

Avery exchanged words and shoves with Blake and his Toronto teammate Darcy Tucker during warmups before New York’s 3-2 shootout victory over Toronto.

The FAN 590, an all-sports radio station in Toronto, reported Monday that an unnamed Rangers player said Sean Avery started the pregame scuffle with his comments directed against Jason Blake, who has been diagnosed with a form of leukemia.

“I am extremely upset and hurt that these false and damaging comments were attributed to me regarding Jason Blake,” Sean Avery said Tuesday in a statement.

“I made no such comments. I have lost two grandfathers to cancer and have been a consistent contributor to cancer-related charities, first and foremost, Hockey Fights Cancer.”

Sean Avery celebrates after another great (verbal) shot.

Sean Avery met with NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell Tuesday to discuss the fight with Darcy Tucker. Both players and teams were fined by Campbell later in the day.

The pregame confrontation seemed to be sparked by Sean Avery, who was yelling at Tucker before shoving Blake, who is playing despite the illness. Darcy Tucker then slashed Avery before they got face-to-face in a heated exchange.

“The clearly unprofessional conduct of Sean Avery in initiating this altercation, less than a week after being involved in an incident in the pre-game warmup against New Jersey, is the basis for this discipline,” Colin Campbell said.

The longtime adversaries, known as much for their agitation of one another as their on-ice prowess, were sent off together in the first period for unsportsmanlike conduct and fought eight seconds after they left the penalty box.

“[Sean Avery] has absolutely no sense of class and you know, what goes around comes around in this game, eventually,” Darcy Tucker said Monday.

A number of Hollywood celebrities might agree with that assessment.

After a well-publicized split with Elisha Cuthbert, Sean Avery was recently said to be dating Mary-Kate Olsen - only to cheat on her with another of his exes, actress Lake Bell.

The Oakland Athletics’ rumored move to Fremont is apparently supported by a majority of that city’s residents - but not by these two crazy A’s fans.

Calling attention to Oakland’s storied history as the birthplace of social movements - the Black Panthers, the word “hella” - and deriding neighboring Fremont as just a “parking lot with a mayor,” these Oakland fans want their hometown team to stay, and will stop at nothing to make sure it happens. Even if they have to ghost ride the whip.

Earlier this fall, Washington’s Chris Cooley got engaged to Christy Oglevee, a former Redskins cheerleader who got her cute butt kicked off the team for dating him.

It gets better. Turns out Chris Cooley used to date a different Redskins cheerleader, and she’s the one who introduced him to Christy Oglevee. Both the future Christy Cooley and the other cheerleader got fired when the Redskins found out they dated Cooley. It’s a violation of team rules for employees to “fraternize with players,” of course.

Christy Oglevee: The fired, still hot future wife of Chris Cooley.

The Washington Post also reports that Christy Oglevee turned 21 last year and to celebrate the momentous occasion, her father and Chris Cooley did 21 shots apiece.

Let’s see Brodie and Kelli Croyle attempt that.

A Virginia native, Christy Oglevee tells Maxim that it’s only appropriate that she marry a Washington football player, since she’s a die-hard ‘Skins fan.

“The only reason I became a Redskins cheerleader was to go to every home game… I grew up with posters of Darrell Green on my wall. Now I have personalized license plates on my car that say SMOOT. For Fred Smoot. He must think I’m psycho.”

Okay then. Here are some pics of Christy Oglevee nude or damn close to it in Maxim. Damn. You are one lucky, crazy tight end/fullback, Chris Cooley.