Z.I.P.

Here's how the new interpretation impacts the most: Total free throws attempted is probably up by at least 50% over last season (consider this a challenge DiG). Besides making the game less appetizing to spectators, this puts a priority on shooting from the line, and Akron has not been a very good FT shooting team in recent seasons. I bet every team is practicing FTs more. I sure hope ours is!

Fortunate? "lucky" does not necessarily mean undeserving. That's our point, OK?

Vote in the poll. We're only getting three percent in the favorite's race! Barely ahead of the home team.

Here's what I got: The page you requested cannot be displayed right now. It may be temporarily unavailable, the link you clicked on may have expired, or you may not have permission to view this page. edit: Whoops, it helps to log in! lol IAC -- you can let me know if you plan to attend, as it doesn't look like much of a throng. I'm still hoping to have some giant heads available to wave. Does anyone have experience with those devices?

Do the couple of VB fans on the list think coach Arenz can survive another season -- what's his contract status? I thought for a while he had the background to succeed here, but things haven't seemed to work out.

So the team that wins the tournament isn't the best team, just the last team? Brilliant! I've been saying that for years.

Ummmm...score two goals? I believe that we shall win.

Here's the most amazing part to me: 31 assists on 41 field goals! I've never heard of a college team getting over 30 assists in a game -- male or female. Ten different players had an assist. That's team basketball! The MAC looks to have two teams with possible national-ranking potential, Akron and CMU. The Chipps started their seeason with a 105-61 win over UMass of the Atlantic 10. CMU plays #7 Kentucky next, while Akron plays @ #23 Dayton Friday. #BigGame. It appears our women's basketball program may have surpassed the men's.

I cannot BEGIN to express the depression I felt at the late hour of midnight when this game ended -- OK, that might seem early to some. I know that we managed to sneak up on Florida State, Temple and someone else once (Creighton before McDermott? Come on!), but we have been incapable of winning the pressure game like last night or an NCAA game, and I am frustrated beyond belief! Arrrrrrrgh, matey! Folks, there is no way you can blame the Akron shooters for the team's inability to make 3-pointers vs SMC. Indeed, as Zipgrad says, there is NO ball rotation, no motion, and NO Rhythm! Shooters must have open looks in the rhythm of the offensive set, and that is impossible when the offense is as one-dimensional as it was in Moraga las'night. No matter HOW good Tree and BD look (and as the announcer(s) said, Treadwell had to have multiple O boards of his own misses to score as much as he did), if your only intent is to throw it down low and dominate the post, then you have less than a complete offense. What happened to the type of quick pass plays we had most of the games I saw on TV last year, and remember how Steve McNees used to look in the day when he was such a 3-point threat? Akron has no outside threat, as long as they're only interested in dumping it down low. The coaches have to accept responsibility, and nobody should put it on a couple of sophomore wings. Now let's get ready to rumble in Tennessee, as our next opponent is another NCAA tournament team! A quick mention: Quincy looked better than I've ever seen him in my limited viewership -- he's clearly the on-court leader of this team -- he is focused like no one else in blue and beige.

It is NOW!

His "little" brother Sanveer played like two minutes, I think. Sim, the Big Brother bricked his first four free throws, then made three of his last four for 3/8 -- that's probably his ceiling.

La Tech followed by Akron? Is DiG spending the entire weekend in Moraga, CA? Yes -- the quest begins on Monday night: Where's Waldo? Brad scored 28 last night versus the Techsters. I would expect the spread to be about 8 or 9 points in favor of the Gaels. This should be the toughest game we play till the team arrives in Hawaii -- could we get a rematch? Could they? Meanwhile, talking about Hawaii (what else?) I was wondering if Western Michigan hired Akron's former compliance manager. The Broncos played virtually flawless ball in the Rainbow Classic, defeating the Aggies of New Mexico State in a game that ended after 4 am EST. I think the final was about 70-63 (I can't find it on scoreboards), though it was a one-possession game with under 10 seconds to play before the Aggies coach turned genius (or pulled a Chris Webber) and called a timeout he didn't have. I mention the compliance manager because WMU was missing their best player, center Shayne Whittington, who was sitting out an NCAA-directed one game suspension for playing in an unsanctioned game two years ago. At least that was the word from the father of coach Steve Hawkins -- who I suspect gets questions about whether he's the coach's (younger) brother. lol WMU is clearly NOT an athleticly gifted team -- BUT they pass the ball until they find an open shooter and they really shot the rock last night -- better than 50% on three-pointers I'm pretty sure. They're great at setting high screens -- which they needed as they were smaller at every position -- nearly a foot so in the post, where NMSU played their 7-5 giant Sim Bullar aka Manos de Piedra II. Will be interesting to see how Hawkins' kids do against the home team tonight. Hawaii is improved from their CBI team of last year. I think Whittington will likely be the difference. I apologize to MAC fans for rooting for the Big West Conference team.

Yeah...well...not bad for a 20 year old...!!! How much better do you think Akron would be if we hadn't lost him?

Spot on!: "Students are left to pile up more debt while colleges indulge in their Edifice Complex -- building luxury dorms and gyms and stadiums (all “sustainable,” of course) at the expense of poorer students."

What a night for Portland soccer last night as Caleb's Timbers made it to the MLS Conference Finals with the 5-3 cumulative victory over the Sounders downtown at Jeldwen Field on NBC, while the Portland Pilots women defeated Santa Clara uptown at Merlo Field to win the WCC (co-champs) on ESPNU. Wish I were back in PDX!

One interesting comment by EA is this: "Buffalo -- Probably preseason No. 1, if not for the surprise ouster of former coach Reggie Witherspoon." I doubt they would be the #1 (because McRae doesn't have the support Tree does), but I do think they set themselves back by cutting Reggie, one of the top 3 coaches in the MAC. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how Bobby Hurley does in his effort to make himself an ACC HC. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to this evening, when coach Steve Hawkins (one of those other top three, IMO -- don't bother asking who's #1 ) brings his WMU Bronco team to the Stan Sheriff Center to play New Mexico State, a returning NCAA tournament team which features 7-5 and 7-3 brothers Sim and Tanveer Bullar. Should toughen up Shayne Whittington to take on Big Dog.

I picked up a new shirt at the mall yesterday. It reads, "kd Komplete Domination". How much does Keith Dambrot get for each T-shirt sold? Whatever it is, he deserves it!

WOW!!! Those are awesome. Anyone know if they're still available? Guess I missed the boat!

Thanks Yaz. I learned how CP got his desire for new challenges after hearing his mom Mindy tell about taking over as principal of a Navajo middle school in Sanders, Arizona. I don't think there's a ceiling on Caleb's career. He'll succeed at whatever he wants to. Go Timbers!

According to the map only sections 3B and 1A have tics available. That looks like a near sellout to me.

Thanks for the SpellCheck LZip. You saved my reputation! I wonder if this MAC East preview from Kalamazoo has been posted by anyone? I have to agree with much of it. Especially the part about Nick: "We saw Harney make some pretty big strides last year filling in for the suspended Quincy Diggs. Diggs will be back this year, however the load will still largely be on Harney's shoulders to replace lost production from Zeke Marshall, Brian Walsh, and Alex Abreu." Harney is one of those guys who needs to develop a consistent 3-point ball. He looks good at times, but frankly, we need more of that, not the same. Otherwise he gets replaced by a sophomore, whether Jake or Reggie for long stretches, and that doesn't spell "All-MAC".

Okay, I googled the guy's name. My biggest question is, when did Vermont join the MAC? I'm sure the team would love the road trip to Burlington. Maybe catch a Phish concert

Well, I thought sure it must be a typo. But on second look, I think the NSCAA has some explainin' to do!

Damn! A guy like that needs a really good nickname to go with his super powers. I suggest, "Iron" Big Dog Johnson. Or just "Big Johnson" Big Dog Johnson. Anyone else?

Hey -- I was 12, and it was 41+ yrs ago! Not to mention my oldtimers disease catching up. Well, for those who guessed Leonard "Truck" Robinson, you win the second-place trophy (provided you pay for it yourself). Truck, the NBA bad boy for many years was a sophomore on that team, according to various reports. The player I best remember spent seven seasons with the Trailblazers, and was the first player from the franchise to have his number retired. Lloyd Neal was a senior on the 1972 TSU team, and at just 6'7" was an undersized NBA big man. He played on the Blazers 1977 NBA championship team with Bill Walton, Mo Lucas and Larry Steele. I was thinking maybe Steele was the guy I was thinking of before putting my finger on Neal. Hopefully I can find a TSU fan or two on Friday who remembers those guys. I remember once I ended up sitting with a guy at a Tennessee Tech game, who I found out had hired Coleman Crawford to his first coaching job as a high school coach in Georgia. No comments now (ahem CK) saying he should have stayed there! lol P.S.: Bonus points to anyone who remembers Tennessee State's all-time greatest player, who spent nine seasons with the NY Knicks.