Tim Jernigan: Where Will the DT Recruit Sign?

Tim Jernigan remains one of the nation's most sought-after recruits. 

At 6'2'', 275 pounds, Jernigan, the No. 2 defensive tackle in the country, is a force against the run  and ranks No. 17 overall among recruits in the 2011 class according to ESPN.com.

It's safe to say that Jernigan is a lock to make an immediate impact wherever he does end up.

He's currently deciding between three finalists with one school striking the lottery when he does make his announcement.Here is our take on the Tim Jernigan sweepstakes.

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BHGP asks: how was a man with such tiny arms so dominant in college?

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Headlinin': A&M already messing with the all-Texas network

Making the morning rounds.

• Wait, I've got a bylaw for that. If you had "six days" in the pool for "How long will it take rivals to begin sniping at Texas' partnership with ESPN?" step up to claim your prize: Texas A&M athletic director Bill "Irish Temper" Byrne told the Dallas Morning News Tuesday that the fledgling Longhorn network's plan to cover Texas high school sports could conflict with NCAA rules that prohibit universities from publicizing potential recruits.

"I can't speak for the NCAA, but I would imagine the governing body will look into the use of a collegiate television network airing games of prospective student-athletes," Byrne said in a statement. "I understand networks such as FSN and ESPN airing high school sports, but whether or not employees under contract with a university that may have additional contact would seem to be an issue." And if that doesn't stop the unholy alliance, there's always the SEC. [Dallas Morning News]

• Have a nice trip. As predicted last week, the Mountain West has formally extended a middle finger to its outgoing overlord, TCU, by voting to move the Horned Frogs' home game against Boise State this fall to the blue turf in Boise, where the Broncos have won 56 of their last 57 games since 2001. (BSU will play at San Diego State, previously marked as a home game, instead.) TCU, bound for the Big East in 2012, didn't even have a vote.

It's not personal, guys, just business: A Bronco win stands to boost the MWC's standing more than a TCU win would in the all-important BCS formula, which will determine whether the Mountain West gets its coveted automatic berth to one of the big money bowls on the next contract cycle. And, you know, if the Big East's record should happen to absorb a crucial loss in the formula at the same time, well, they can't really do anything about that, can they? [Idaho Statesman]

• Oh, and thanks for your contribution. Meanwhile, the Horned Frogs were responsible for bringing in $24.7 million in BCS revenue for the Mountain West non-automatically qualifying conferences, thanks to their appearance in the Rose Bowl as an automatic qualifier rather than an at-large selection. (No wonder the MWC aggressively shot down rumors Tuesday that it was looking to pluck two more members from the gasping carcass of the WAC: Why share?) That number is a new high for the non-"Big Six" leagues, slightly up from last year's high of $24 million, part of a record $170 million BCS payout to all eleven member conferences, more than 85 percent of which remained reserved for the "Big Six" leagues. [Associated Press]

• The Big East waits for no Wildcats. Even if the Mountain West is finished with expansion for the moment, the Big East is not, according to commissioner John Marinatto, who told ESPN Tuesday the conference won't wait for Villanova to make up its mind whether to take the plunge as the league's tenth football member. "It's their institutional decision to make, and they have a process set up to make it," Marinatto said. "We're not going to make a decision or not make a decision based on Villanova's study." [ESPN]

• OK, we're square. Former Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins – whose final year in Lawrence included multiple on-campus dustups between the football and basketball teams, the departure of a successful coach under a cloud of scandal, public outrage over Perkins' huge salary and a sprawling multi-sport ticket scandal – agreed to pay a $4,000 fine for improperly accepting a gift of exercise equipment while still working for the university. The equipment had been the subject of an apparent blackmail attempt by a former KU employee, which initiated an investigation by the state's Governmental Ethics Commission. [Associated Press]

Quickly… The Fiesta Bowl, still under investigation from the Arizona attorney general, cuts off all contact with lobbyists. … Rich Rodriguez will be on the air next Wednesday for national signing day. … Miami's new staff is scrambling to add a quarterback to its 2011 recruiting class. … Another Michigan exile, Tate Forcier, surveys the field. … Why Lane Kiffin won't talk about USC's recruiting numbers. … Trinton Sturdivant is still here. … And heavens, can you believe Gene Chizik has the gall to use such unspeakable profanity in mixed company?

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Peyton Siva's circus up-and-under layup saves Louisville

When Peyton Siva exited a game against Marquette 11 days ago in the wake of a dismal 0-for-5 shooting night, Louisville fans let the sophomore point guard know they weren't satisfied with his performance.

"I was just like, 'God, did I do that bad that I got booed?'' a chuckling Siva told reporters the following week.

It's safe to say Siva won't be booed again anytime soon after he rescued the Cardinals on Wednesday night with a circus layup in the final seconds. With Louisville trailing visiting West Virginia by one, Siva blew by Mountaineers guard John Flowers with a sweet crossover and then threw a twisting up-and-under layup high off the glass with 4.5 seconds left to give the Cardinals a 55-54 victory.

The shot of the night from Siva helped Louisville (16-4, 5-2 Big East) rebound from a discouraging 72-67 road loss to Providence on Saturday afternoon. The win coupled with Villanova's loss at Providence elevated the Cardinals into a three-way tie for second place with the Wildcats and Connecticut.

It probably shouldn't have been so difficult for Louisville to emerge with a victory on Wednesday considering West Virginia was down to eight healthy scholarship players. The Mountaineers, playing without suspended leading scorer Casey Mitchell, made just two field goals over the final 15 minutes and needed a career-high 18 points from Joe Mazzulla just to remain close.

In addition to Louisville's defense and West Virginia's lack of scoring punch, the key to the Cardinals' rally from an 11-point halftime deficit was the play of Siva. He made all five of his field-goal attempts and finished with 14 points as the Cardinals avoided their first two-game losing streak of the season.

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Duke Demolished by St. John's 93-78

Filed under: Duke, Big East, St. John's

NEW YORK (AP) -- Teams that beat Duke have reason to celebrate. Teams that blow Duke out of the building should be able to party all night.

So, how long will the St. John's players be allowed to celebrate Sunday's 93-78 victory over No. 3 Duke - a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated?

"Coach Lav said we had two hours to celebrate and then we have to get ready for Rutgers," senior forward Justin Burrell said, referring to first-year coach Steve Lavin and the Red Storm's next opponent on Wednesday.

Two hours? It will take longer than that just to go over the highlight plays of a game that St. John's had won by halftime. Those last 20 minutes were just a formality.

"I felt like we were ready. The guys wanted to play this game," Duke guard Nolan Smith said. "We wanted to be here but they came out from the jump ball and kicked our butts."

It wasn't that St. John's (12-8) beat the Blue Devils (19-2), it was the way it happened.

St. John's was finishing a stretch of eight straight games against ranked teams. This win gave them three wins in that span. It was enough to have Lavin waving his arms to the crowd at a media timeout in the second half.

"You're caught up in the moment of the game and I wanted St. John's fans to come to the party in terms of supporting the players on the court," Lavin said. "We had this arduous stretch of games and having lost five of six, at that moment it was just wanting to jumper cable the crowd and bring energy for our players because they deserved a pat on the back and some appreciation for the yeoman's effort and the cohesive brand of basketball they had been playing against the defending national champion."

 

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Top UConn donor wants his money (and his name) back over Huskies' new coach

At the end of 2010, Connecticut football was riding the wave: The Huskies were Big East champions for the first time after a five-game win streak to close the regular season, and on their way to the Fiesta Bowl for the biggest game in program history. I hope they got their money's worth, because 2011 has been one slap after another. Two days into the new year, UConn had already been blown out by Oklahoma in Glendale, bid its best player a fond farewell for the draft, and watched its longtime head coach – the same coach who'd overseen the program's transition from I-AA obscurity to BCS upstart over more than a decade – bolt for his "dream job" at another basketball school, Maryland, apparently without even meeting with the team.

But that pales in comparison to the six-page letter athletic director Jeff Hathaway received last week from booster Robert G. Burton, CEO of Greenwich, Conn.-based Burton Capital Management, over the hiring of former Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni to replace Randy Edsall. Burton's son, Michael, was a captain on Edsall's first UConn team in 1999, and his subsequent contributions to the football program come to $7 million, including $2.5 million in 2002 toward construction of the football complex that currently bears his name. And according to The Day of New London, Burton wants at least $3 million of it back – name included:

Burton informed UConn Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway of his intentions via a six-page letter dated Jan. 19, a copy of which was obtained by The Day. […]

"After we get our money back, you can take our name off the complex," wrote Burton, who also has a luxury box at Rentschler Field and who donated more than $1 million to endow two scholarships at the school.

Burton cited philosophical disagreements with Hathaway and his management style as reasons for his decision to end his involvement with UConn.

"The primary reason (former coach) Randy (Edsall) took another job is because he couldn't work with you," Burton wrote in the letter to Hathaway. "You are not qualified to be a Division I AD and I would have fired you a long time ago. You do not have the skills to manage and cultivate new donors."

According to the letter, Burton called Hathaway on Jan. 3 and asked to be "kept in the loop" with the hiring process for the next football coach. It was "the same process that (former Athletic Director) Lew Perkins had with me when Randy was hired."

Burton also wanted to "provide insight" about coaching candidates who he felt "would be a good fit."

Burton wrote that he didn't hear from Hathaway again until Jan. 13, when the process ended.

"I was not looking for veto power," Burton wrote. "Your lack of response on either of these requests tells me that you do not respect my point of view or value my opinion."

Burton reportedly didn't support the Pasqualoni hire, despite – or perhaps as a result of – having another son who played for Pasqualoni during the height of his success at Syracuse from 1997-2001 (aka "the Donovan McNabb Years"). Subsequently, he's threatened not only to revoke his donation, but also to give up his $50,000-per-year luxury suite ("You already have many other empty boxes at Rentschler. My box will just join the list."), cut off an annual $20,000 donation for summer coaching clinics, transfer all remaining scholarship dollars from football to the business school, and begin training "front line managers" for his company at Syracuse's business school instead.

All of that at a moment when donations to the UConn athletic department are reportedly down $9 million from five years ago. At least Burton didn't threaten to drop a bomb on Hathaway's office, although the end result if he follows through may not be all that different.

Let this be a lesson for aspiring athletic directors, and managers in all fields, really: When considering major decisions, always, always value the opinion of the guy whose name is on one of the buildings you go to work in. Otherwise, there won't be any more buildings anytime soon, and even if there are, you're not going to be working in them.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Mets Searching for 'Strategic Partners' With Madoff Lawsuit Ongoing

Filed under: Mets, MLB Biz, Sports Business and Media

The New York Mets announced that they are looking for "strategic partners" as they continue to feel the financial pressure of a lawsuit brought against Sterling Equities -- Fred Wilpon's real estate investment firm, which also owns and operates the Mets -- by the trustee of victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

In a conference call with the media, Fred and son Jeff said they are looking to sell up to 25 percent of the team, perhaps to multiple stakeholders. Citi Field and SNY, which are also owned by Sterling, will not be part of any deal, however.

"At the outset I want to emphasize what we are discussing today has not or will not affect the Mets day-to-day operations and control," Fred Wilpon told reporters. "Let me stress, at the end of the day we may or may not do anything."

We have known for quite some time that the Wilpon family was connected to Madoff, who defrauded investors of billions of dollars before he was arrested in 2008. We have also known since late 2010 that the Wilpons were being sued by that trustee, Irving Picard, a sign that the family actually profited as a byproduct of Madoff's scheme.

 

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Joining the Mountain West would save Utah State basketball

UPDATE: The Mountain West announced Tuesday that it will not expand at this time, a damaging blow to the future of the Utah State basketball program.

In short, I think Utah State will remain a strong program if it stays in the WAC longterm, but more in the mold of a Weber State than a BYU. The Aggies typically will not have the strength of schedule necessary to earn a favorable NCAA tournament seed or make it as an-large team and they'll have to win their conference tournament just to make the field.   

Once most of the reshuffling during last summer's chaotic conference realignment had quieted down, I had a chance to speak to an athletic director from a West Coast school about some of the ramifications.

He told me the basketball program he thought would suffer most was Utah State.

Left behind among the dying embers of the WAC after peers Nevada, Fresno State and Boise State all made the jump to the Mountain West, Utah State was destined to be a big fish in more of a puddle than a small pond. The athletic director thought Utah State's RPI numbers might plummet so far that he instructed his basketball coaches not to schedule the Aggies until they found a stronger conference to call home.  

Anecdotes like this one are why it would be so monumental for the future of Utah State basketball if Monday's reports that the Mountain West has now decided to scoop up the Aggies turn out to be true.

Both the current and former Deseret News Utah State beat writers report that the Mountain West will add Utah State as its 11th member. There are conflicting reports regarding whether the Mountain West will also pluck San Jose State, but it's likely a 12th team would come aboard to enable the league to hold a football conference title game. 

While the addition of San Jose State  would make zero sense for the Mountain West because of the Spartans' lack of facilities, pedigree or fan support, plucking Utah State from the WAC would have more benefits. Sure, the Aggies' football program won't strengthen the conference, but Utah State provides a foothold in the Salt Lake City market and a consistently solid basketball program to help replace BYU and Utah.

Add Utah State to the current trio of San Diego State, New Mexico and UNLV, and the Mountain West would have four schools currently competing for at-large NCAA tournament bids on a regular basis. Colorado State has shown signs of life under coach Tim Miles and newcomer Nevada isn't far removed from playing at a high level under former coaches Trent Johnson and Mark Fox.

If last summer's expansion crisis taught us anything, it's not to believe news is definite until there's a press release to make it official. Still, these reports have to give Utah State fans hope.

Staying in the new WAC would mean Utah State hoops would become Weber State, a perennially strong program that has to win its conference tournament to have any chance to reach the NCAA tournament. Bolting for the Mountain West, on the other hand, gives the Aggies a chance to finally take the next step toward relevance on a national level. 

Instead of being a victim of realignment, they would become one of the schools that benefits from it. 

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Super Bowl XLV: Labor Negotiations Overshadow Festivities For Big Game

Super Bowl XLV: Labor Negotiations Overshadow Festivities For Big Game

The owners and players seem headed for a lockout on March 4, and no one on the players side seems the least big interested in stopping the lockout from happening.

Instead of looking at the lockout as a failure, union chief DeMaurice Smith seems to be looking at the lockout as a bargaining chip, recently characterizing the negotiations as a "war."

While some NFL players may disagree with me, Smith is an idiot who is in over his head, and the players only are going to lose because of it. This isn't to say I'm putting on my "GO OWNERS" hat and rallying against the players, because I'm not.

I'm pointing out that Smith's approach to the labor talks is shortsighted and self defeating. There is absolutely nothing to gain by not sitting down at a table and trying to work this out now. The union can say whatever it wants about the owners and whatever the deal in front of them is and it doesn't matter now because Smith would rather pose and preen than try and get a better deal.

A lockout is a failure, and right now Smith is making the players look like the bad guys. Even worse, Smith's pointless bravado will end up costing a lot of people their jobs. A lockout will mean massive layoffs around the league for every team.

These people don't have millions of dollars to fall back on until a new deal is reached. They'll have to go to the unemployment office while the players hold off on buying that new Ferrari, or the second home in Boca.

The little people around the league will end up being the true victims of this lockout, and no one on the players side seems to care.

For a look at players who will get fat contracts moments after a new deal is signed, check out 25 Players Who Will Be Signed As Soon As A Deal Is Reached.

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Rotnei Clarke's 36 Points Help Arkansas Upset No. 19 Vanderbilt

Filed under: Arkansas, Vanderbilt, SEC

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Rotnei Clarke scored a season-high 36 points and Michael Sanchez had a career-high 20 points off the bench as the Arkansas Razorbacks upset No. 19 Vanderbilt 89-78 Saturday night, handing the Commodores' their first home loss this season.

Vanderbilt (15-5, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) had won its first 11 at Memorial Gym, and the Commodores had a sold out crowd cheering them on.

Arkansas (14-6, 4-3) hadn't had much success here, winning only three of previous 10 trips. The Razorbacks also had lost to the first two ranked teams they played this season. That didn't matter Saturday as they shot a season-high 57.4 percent from the floor.

They also outrebounded (30-22) and outdefended Vanderbilt all over the court. The Commodores only bettered Arkansas at the free throw line (25 of 26), which wasn't nearly enough.

John Jenkins led Vanderbilt with 24 points. Festus Ezeli had 18 points, Jeff Taylor 13 and freshman Rod Odum had a season-high 12.

Sanchez missed all but four games last season with plantar fasciitis and sat out the first 11 games due to a stress fracture in his foot. That may be why the Commodores simply weren't ready for him. Sanchez wound up scoring more points than he had managed in the previous eight games combined (17), using his speed to just run around the Commodores in the paint.

The Razorbacks blew open a tight game in the opening minutes with five ties and seven lead changes on Mardracus Wade's free throw that put them up for good at 15-14 with 13:28 left. They built that margin up to as many as 11 in leading 43-36 at halftime, and Arkansas pushed it to as much as 16.

The Commodores attended the funeral Friday for the mother of walk-on guard Chris Meriwether, hours after returning from a road win at Mississippi State on Thursday night. A moment of silence was held before tipoff, and the Commodores looked lethargic. Every time they tried to make a run, Clarke or Sanchez just answered.

Jenkins scored the first nine points of the second half for Vandy, the last pulling the Commodores to 49-45.

That was as close as they would get. Julysses Nobles scored, and Sanchez drove for a layup. Clarke then hit consecutive 3s to push the lead to 59-47 as the Razorbacks hit seven of their first nine shots in the second half.

Vandy couldn't get closer than eight the rest of the way, the last when Odum hit two free throws to pull to 79-71. Clarke responded with another 3 and finished 6 of 8 from beyond the arc against a Vandy defense that came in as the SEC's best, holding opponents to 28.3 percent shooting.

 

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Starry Night at MSG Fields Unlikely Hero

Filed under: Heat

NEW YORK -- For the past decade, Madison Square Garden and more specifically the NBA team that called it home -- the New York Knicks -- was the rotten core of Big Apple sports.

This season, things are different. Thanks to Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks' first All-Star starter since 1997, the apple is polished and shiny and red and juicy. On Thursday, everyone wanted to take a bite.

TNT, back for the first time at the Garden in five years, went all out. They brought "Inside the NBA" up from Atlanta and managed to sneak Marv Albert past the Dolans and into the building. They announced the All-Star starters and three of the five Eastern Conference starters happened to be in the building.

The glitterati such as "The Donald," "The King of All Media," Kanye West, Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Alicia Keys and Tracy Morgan and his very dirty mind more than likely would have shown up to see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat even if the Knicks were playing willing patsies to marauding opponents as they had in the past.

The stars had come to see stars, and for a while, they got what they came for.

 

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Penn State may struggle to recover from this week's near-misses

Already well-versed in overcoming devastating losses during Ed DeChellis' star-crossed eight-year tenure as coach, Penn State added two more doozies to its dismal resume the past four days.   

First Ohio State's Jared Sullinger denied the Nittany Lions' upset bid on Saturday by scoring the final six points including a go-ahead hook shot in a 69-66 Buckeyes win. Then fellow All-American candidate JaJuan Johnson took his turn dashing Penn State's hopes, scoring 25 points and sinking the game-winning jumper with three seconds remaining in Wednesday's 63-62 Purdue victory.

The late heroics from Sullinger and Johnson are reminders of the narrow margin between success and failure in today's parity-ridden college basketball.

Had Penn State managed to pull off both those upsets, the Nittany Lions would be a game out of first place in the Big Ten and one of the most compelling turnaround stories in the sport. Instead they're 3-4 in conference play and lacking signature non-conference wins, meaning that only a miraculous final six weeks of the regular season will put them in position to contend for an NCAA tournament berth.

In the decade since the backcourt duo of Joe Crispin and Titus Ivory led Penn State to a surprise Sweet 16 appearance in 2001, "close but not quite" could be the slogan for Nittany Lions basketball.

There was the 2007-08 season when Penn State appeared primed for a potential NCAA tournament run until all-conference forward Geary Claxton tore his ACL 16 games and second leading scorer and rebounder Jamelle Cornley also suffered a knee injury. And there was the 2008-09 season when a 22-win Penn State team missed the NCAA tournament as a result of a double-overtime loss to Iowa in its regular season finale and then went on to win the NIT.

The Nittany Lions were supposed to be too reliant on star guard Talor Battle to avoid a bottom-four finish in the Big Ten this season, but they've exceeded expectations because the supporting cast has performed well. Forwards Jeff Brooks and David Jackson each average double figures in scoring, while Andrew Jones and Tim Frazier have contributed more consistently of late too.

In perhaps the cruelest twist of the knife for Penn State, Battle, Brooks and Jackson are all seniors, meaning the Nittany Lions will instantly go into rebuilding mode next year just as the quality of the rest of the league drops off as well.

They almost returned to relevance this week. Instead it's another close-but-not-quite moment for a program that has endured too many already.

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Early Exits: Cam Newton, Auburn's shooting star

See a complete list of underclassmen who have declared for the draft.

Cam Newton came, he saw, he conquered. Now, he's going pro. Auburn's 6-foot-6, 250-pound supernova has officially declared for the NFL draft, leaving college football with an all-too-brief but spectacular show that will burn on for decades, in more ways than one.

Every season has its stars, but the list of players in college football history as physically, competitively and charismatically dominant as Cam Newton in 2010 is a short one, and no one else on it – with the possible exception of Herschel Walker – hit that crescendo their first time on the stage. In a season that opened without a true superstar, Newton was the perfect storm.

He had the backstory, as a junior college transfer seeking redemption after blowing his chance as Tim Tebow's heir apparent at Florida. He had the stats, racking up 4,300 total yards and 51 (!) touchdowns to go with one of the highest pass efficiency ratings on record, for the highest-scoring offense in the SEC. He had the flair, not only for jaw-dropping runs that seemed to defy the laws of physics for his size, or on jaw-dropping comebacks, but also in his weekly communion with jubilant fans as the wins mounted toward the inevitable hardware at the end.

He has all of that hardware, from the Heisman Trophy to the O'Brien Award to the SEC Championship to the BCS Championship and everything in between. No player wins a championship singlehandedly, and when it came to the final act, Newton was somewhat overshadowed Monday night, first by fellow All-American Nick Fairley and the maligned Tiger defense, then by a freshman running back on the game-winning, championship-clinching drive. But Auburn won the national championship a season after going 8-5 with a losing record in SEC games, with by far the worst defense ever to take home the crystal ball. The chasm that Newton bridged – from an overtime escape against Northwestern in the Outback Bowl to a national championship – is as wide as any individual athlete has managed before him.

And of course, he had the scandal that led half the country to stamp a giant asterisk next to all of the above in its collective scoresheet. The NCAA's ongoing investigation into Newton's recruitment in 2009-10 may never find any evidence against Newton or Auburn that leads it to overturn its controversial decision to declare Newton eligible despite concluding his father violated NCAA rules by asking for a six-figure payment from Mississippi State in exchange for his son's signature on a letter of intent, but his place in NCAA infamy is secure.

Until that unlikely day of reckoning, though, those black marks are easily washed out by the mega wattage of Newton's phenomenal talent and obvious joy in playing the game. Two years ago, he was on his way to an outpost in Texas, the living picture of wasted potential. In three months, he'll become a multimillionaire in the first round. Auburn, and college football in general, is lucky for a brief glimpse of his star on its way up.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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Saturday Six-Pack: Marquette-Cuse, Mizzou-Texas lead the way

If you're trying to weed through the mass amount of games on Saturday's college hoops slate, here are six worthy of your consideration ...

No. 9 Syracuse at Marquette — 3 p.m. EST

Both teams need this one, but the host Golden Eagles need it badly. Their 4-4 Big East record could easily look much better, but in the last two weeks, they've let late leads over UConn, Notre Dame and Louisville all turn into losses. After this game, Marquette heads on the road for its next three. As for the Orange, since winning 18 straight to open up the season, they've dropped three in a row, with the latest setback being a humiliating 90-68 home loss to Seton Hall on Tuesday night. This is the start of a 3-game road swing for Syracuse, who is at UConn on Wednesday. If a return trip to the NCAA tourney is what Marquette wants, winning this game might be a necessity.

No. 9 BYU at New Mexico — 4 p.m. EST

Do the Cougars have an emotional hangover looming after Wednesday's monster home triumph over No. 4 San Diego State? After their last big win — Jan. 5 at UNLV, when they snapped an 8-game drought in Las Vegas against the Rebels — they then squeaked by Air Force, 76-66, at home three days later. This one promises to be much tougher, as New Mexico is flat-out desperate for a marquee win. The Lobos are just 2-4 in the Mountain West after winning at least a share of the league's regular season crown each of the last two years. If they want any chance at getting back into the at-large picture, winning this game is a must. Despite the team's struggles, The Pit will be electric.

Georgia at No. 14 Kentucky — 4 p.m. EST

Georgia is basically the SEC's version of Marquette, having dropped wrenching home games against Tennessee last week and on Tuesday to Florida, thanks to late-game heroics on the other sides. The Bulldogs are 4-1 on the road this year, and have already beaten Kentucky, doing so at home on Jan. 8, 77-70.

No. 17 Wisconsin at Penn State — 4 p.m. EST

This game likely doesn't have any NCAA tournament implications, but Penn State is a live underdog anytime it's hosting a ranked Big Ten foe in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions have already knocked off Michigan State and Illinois on their home floor, and are 3-1 in league play so far at the Bryce Jordan Center. Plus, you can't go wrong tuning in to watch Talor Battle. A win here for Wisconsin would be very impressive.

Kansas State at No. 6 Kansas — 4 p.m. EST

K-State finally found a pulse on Monday night, out-slugging Baylor at home, 69-61. But the Wildcats are still just 2-4 in the Big 12, and will be catching an emotionally charged opponent in the first regular season meeting with rival Kansas. The Jayhawks not only had their 69-game home win streak snapped last Saturday by Texas, but they also made a trip late in the week to Washington, D.C., to support sophomore forward Thomas Robinson at his mother's funeral. These two typically play close games, though Frank Martin is 0-3 in his career at Allen Fieldhouse.

No. 11 Missouri at No. 7 Texas — 9 p.m. EST

This should be the day's best game. It's a brief stop back home for Texas, who in the last week knocked off both Kansas and Oklahoma State on the road, then will have a Big Monday showdown with Texas A&M in College Station 48 hours after this one. Since losing by two at A&M on Jan. 15, the Tigers have slugged Kansas State and Iowa State by a combined margin of 49 points. Both teams are gunning for high tourney seeds, and if Missouri pulls off the upset, the Tigers are right back in the thick of the Big 12 title picture.

A few others worth keeping tabs on: No. 13 Texas A&M at Nebraska (2 p.m. EST); No. 21 Georgetown at No. 8 Villanova (12 p.m. EST); Xavier at Richmond (12 p.m. EST); No. 23 Louisville at No. 5 UConn (12 p.m. EST); No. 16 Minnesota at No. 12 Purdue (1 p.m. EST); Colorado at Baylor (1:45 p.m. EST); Butler at Valparaiso (2 p.m. EST); West Virginia at Cincinnati (8 p.m. EST).

Ryan Greene covers UNLV and the Mountain West Conference for the Las Vegas Sun. Read his Rebels coverage and follow him on Twitter.

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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Green Bay: Tale of the Tape

By this time next week a new champion would have already been crowned. One proud, traditional franchise will add to their history by claiming the title in Super Bowl XLV.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, it would be their seventh championship, including their third in sixth years, securing a second dynasty. The Green Bay Packers could win their fourth, joining only the Steelers, Dallas Cowboys, and San Francisco 49ers with at least four Lombardi trophies.

Each team is led by an elite quarterback who likes to not only make plays with their arms, but also with their feet.

Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers feeds off of making something out of nothing and will raise his level of play after contact while the Packers Aaron Rodgers pocket mobility by be only second to Michael Vick.

Though each offense can display glitz and glamour, it is the defenses that could throw the ultimate knockout punch to decide the champion.

For Mike Tomlin, the mastermind Dick LeBeau will need his league leading scoring defense, allowing only 14.5 points per game in gear for the offensive juggernaut that is the Packers. He is no short of big game players to work with, including James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and LaMarr Woodley.

On the opposite sideline, Mike McCarthy has a number of former Steelers running his defense, including defensive coordinator Dom Capers, one of the best defensive minds in the game. He helped turn Green Bay’s defense around behind Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson into the league’s second rated scoring defense.

The contenders are set and the final training sessions are in place. On Sunday we will find out who the champion of the world is. Here is the tale of the tape for Super Bowl XLV.

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Starry Night at MSG Fields Unlikely Hero

Filed under: Heat

NEW YORK -- For the past decade, Madison Square Garden and more specifically the NBA team that called it home -- the New York Knicks -- was the rotten core of Big Apple sports.

This season, things are different. Thanks to Amar'e Stoudemire, the Knicks' first All-Star starter since 1997, the apple is polished and shiny and red and juicy. On Thursday, everyone wanted to take a bite.

TNT, back for the first time at the Garden in five years, went all out. They brought "Inside the NBA" up from Atlanta and managed to sneak Marv Albert past the Dolans and into the building. They announced the All-Star starters and three of the five Eastern Conference starters happened to be in the building.

The glitterati such as "The Donald," "The King of All Media," Kanye West, Spike Lee, Woody Allen, Alicia Keys and Tracy Morgan and his very dirty mind more than likely would have shown up to see LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat even if the Knicks were playing willing patsies to marauding opponents as they had in the past.

The stars had come to see stars, and for a while, they got what they came for.

 

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Trade to Eastern Conference Could Cost Carmelo Anthony All-Star Start

Filed under: Nuggets, NBA All-Star Game, NBA Rumors

Carmelo Anthony was named Thursday to start the NBA All-Star Game.

Maybe he will.

If the forward were to be traded before the Feb. 20 All-Star Game in Los Angeles from the Denver Nuggets of the Western Conference to a team in the Eastern Conference, he instead would be placed on the East roster for the game. If all five East starters are healthy and ready to go, it would mean Anthony coming off the bench.

It also could mean the East having 13 players on its roster if Anthony were to be traded to the East after the reserves are announced next Thursday and all players are healthy and ready to play. The West roster could be down to 11 players but could be restored to 12 with a replacement named for Anthony.

An NBA official confirmed the scenarios with FanHouse when information was requested on how any player in the exact situation as Anthony would be handled by the league.

 

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UNI's newest tradition involves spastic dancing and techno music

Three Northern Iowa students with a unhealthy appreciation for techno music and way too much time on their hands have spawned one of the more bizarre new traditions of the basketball season.

It's called the Interlude dance, a spastic semi-choreographed dance routine that the Northern Iowa student section has begun performing at games this season.

According to The Northern Iowa student newspaper, upperclassmen Ian Goldsmith, Scott Connerly and Tyler Wright created the dance, taught their friends and persuaded the university's athletic department to allow fans to perform it during games. Oddly enough the dance has inexplicably taken off, as can be seen from the above video shot during the Panthers' 71-66 victory over Creighton on Wednesday night.

In an effort to teach as many students the dance as possible, the how-to video is available on YouTube and the Northern Iowa Athletics Facebook page. There are six simple steps, everything from the handclap to the fist pump to the ninja robot.

In theory, students from other schools could incorporate the Interlude dance into their basketball gameday experience. More likely than not, however, this is a tradition that will remain uniquely Northern Iowa's. 

(Thanks, Hot Clicks)

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Celtics vs. Lakers: Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and the Latest Pregame News

The last time we saw these two titans battle, it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

The Lakers were able to knock off the Celtics to win their second straight NBA title after a furious fourth-quarter comeback.

Today, the two meet up again for the first time during the 2010-11 season.

The Celtics have the second-best record in the NBA and have one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. The Lakers have been one of the better offensive teams in the NBA; however, they have been showing their age at times during this season.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Los Angeles really step up at home against their bitter rivals, but really, in the big scheme of things, this game doesn’t mean much. After all, you can’t win a championship in January.

Stay tuned here for all the latest pregame news and note as well as my take on Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and the rest of these two juggernauts.

Also, be sure to let us know what you think.

Is Kobe showing his age?

Is KG the key to the Celtics, or has that moved to Rondo?

Are these two on a collision course to meet in the finals again this year?

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Joe Morgan Looking Forward to Life After 'Sunday Night Baseball'

Filed under: Reds, Sports Business and Media

For the better part of his life, Joe Morgan has spent his summer Sundays at the ballpark.

For two decades, starting when he was out of high school, it was as a player. Since 1990, it's been as a broadcaster.

Now that's over. With ESPN declining to offer Morgan and his longtime compatriot in the "Sunday Night Baseball" broadcast booth, Jon Miller, contracts for 2011, Morgan is entering a new phase of his life.

He's accepted the offer of Walt Jocketty to join the Cincinnati Reds as a front office adviser. Morgan, whose Hall of Fame career was launched when he helped form Cincinnati's Big Red Machine in the 1970s, has long had a locker in Cincinnati even after his retirement.

 

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Mike Holmgren Knows What It Means to Win in Green Bay

Filed under: Packers, Steelers

CLEVELAND -- There is no other city in the country with a team like the Green Bay Packers, and there is no other city with a relationship with its team like Green Bay.

Mike Holmgren understood, but he really understood deeply when he worked as Packers coach from 1992-98.

"It hits you from the first step when you get off the airplane," Holmgren said this week from Cleveland, where he is now president of the Cleveland Browns. "You drive down Lombardi Avenue to the facility. You see the pictures of Bart Starr and Jerry Kramer and Paul Hornung.

"If you know football at all, and I like football ... I was kind of a historian ... you can't help it but feel it. You just can't help it."

 

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Despite Trade Rumors, Chone Figgins Wants to Stay in Seattle

Filed under: Athletics, Mariners, MLB Rumors

SEATTLE - For much of Friday and Saturday, Chone Figgins' cell phone was abuzz with texts and calls wanting to know if he was about to be traded by the Seattle Mariners.

Figgins' answer: not if he has anything to say about it.

Word came out of Oakland Friday that the A's were in pursuit of Figgins, and there was talk of Toronto being interested as well. Earlier in the offseason, the Angels had been linked to a pursuit of Figgins, who played in Anaheim his entire career before signing a four-year, $36 million deal with the Mariners prior to last season.

The thing is, Figgins has a limited no-trade clause, and one of the teams on the no-trade list is Oakland.

 

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Thomas Robinson Overcomes Trying Week to Spark Kansas Over Kansas State

Filed under: Kansas, Kansas State, Big 12

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- As his world seemed to be spinning out of control in front of him, Kansas sophomore forward Thomas Robinson longed for normalcy.

He found it Saturday night in the sport he loves. He found it with his Jayhawks teammates. He found it in the comfort of Allen Fieldhouse.

A week after learning his mother, Lisa Robinson, had died and two days after burying her, Robinson returned to his comfort zone Saturday night. It was anything but normal from the outset when 16,300 delivered a standing ovation as Robinson entered the game against Kansas State at the 16:45 mark in the first half.

The Jayhawks fans stood and applauded each time he exited to the bench and they tried as best they could to will every shot Robinson took into the basket.

Such emotion directed at one person might have been draining for most, but for Robinson it was a sign of things finally being right.

"It is beyond amazing and it was a good crowd," Robinson said. "We have great people all across Kansas. This past month has really opened my eyes to how amazing this place is.

"It's beyond words to describe how I feel and the love that I have for the University of Kansas and the fans."

 

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Adam Kennedy, Mariners Infielder, Arrested on Suspicion of DUI

Filed under: Mariners, MLB Police Blotter

Mariners infielder Adam Kennedy was arrested Wednesday night in Newport, Calif., on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Kennedy was arrested shortly after 9 p.m. and released from the Orange County Jail around 6:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the Orange County Register.

"I want to let you know this is not the typical character of me,'' Kennedy told the Seattle Times Thursday afternoon. "It's something I'm really ashamed of, and not proud to bring to the Seattle Mariners, especially not having put on the uniform. It's my first legal trouble -- something I'm definitely not looking to ever do again.''

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik told FanHouse's John Hickey he had no comment on Kennedy's arrest. The incident came eight days after Seattle outfielder Milton Bradley was arrested in California and charged with making criminal threats.

A Southern California native and former Angels standout, Kennedy signed a minor league deal with Seattle about three weeks ago. He hit .249 in 135 games for the Nationals last year.

The best seasons of his 12-year career came with the Angels, who he helped to the 2002 World Series title. He is best known for hitting three home runs against the Twins in Game 5 of the ALCS that year but has a .308 average and .843 OPS in 25 career playoff games.

 

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NFL Should Look To Hockey, Soccer on Flagrant Fouls

Filed under: Chicago Bears, Packers, NFC North, NFL Injuries

If the National Football League is serious about reducing vicious blows to the head, it can add a new rule that borrows a little from hockey and a little from soccer.

In addition to walking off yardage against the transgressing team, football could establish a virtual penalty box that forces a team to use 10 men instead of the usual 11 for one or more plays after a dangerous foul.

An example of the need for such a rule came Sunday in the NFC Championship Game when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears, 21-14, for the right to play Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl.

In the fourth quarter, defensive end Julius Peppers of the Bears was penalized 15 yards for delivering a blind-side hit to the head of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has already suffered two concussions this season.

"He lowers his head, leads with the crown and it's helmet-to-helmet,'' FOX announcer Troy Aikman said while watching the replay. "It's a wonder there that Rodgers (was) even able to get up.''

The screen showed Rodgers rising slowly and with difficulty to his feet with blood on his tongue while Peppers argued with the officials. In addition to the Bears losing 15 yards, Peppers was fined $10,000, it was reported a few days later.

Despite the league's crackdown on such hits, the risk/reward ratio of these fouls still makes it tempting for tacklers to hit quarterbacks this way.

Even a loss of 15 yards is worth the risk if such a collision puts a star quarterback out of a game or leaves him at less than his best. So why not do it? Even a fine of $10,000 is a small deterrent, especially if a player earning millions of dollars has bonus money in a contract related to overall team success.

 

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RAY DREW COMMITS TO GEORGIA, SAVES MIKE BOBO SCREEN EXIT

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Headlinin': Rodriguez leaves Michigan with one windfall in his wake

Making the morning rounds.

• At least someone got some good out of it. The final tally from the dozen bags of discarded Michigan gear donated to a local Salvation Army by fired head coach Rich Rodriguez last weekend: $16,200 for 432 items, compared to an average haul of "about $1,200" for the Wayne, Mich., store on a given Saturday. "I'm shocked at how many people are here and, to be honest, what things are going for," 43-year-old fan Darren Schumacher told the Associated Press on Saturday. "It was kind of an unfortunate era for Michigan football, and people are buying it like it was Bo Schembechler." Thus marks the first and only time Rodriguez has been or will be favorably compared to Schembechler. [AnnArbor.com, Associated Press]

• Promise keepers. True to their word, Ohio State juniors Terrelle Pryor, Dan Herron, DeVier Posey and Mike Adams are all returning to Columbus in the fall to serve five-game suspensions for selling jerseys, championship rings and other mementos of their Buckeye careers. All five promised coach Jim Tressel before the Sugar Bowl date with Arkansas that they'd pass on the draft – even Herron, considered a likely early entrant – and Tressel commemorated the passing of the deadline for underclassmen to declare on Wednesday. "Our kids want to finish their degree and their commitment at Ohio State," Tressel told the Columbus Dispatch. "That is very important to each and every one of them, and to our staff and entire athletics family." [Columbus Dispatch]

• Uncle Ron fights back. Veteran play-by-play man Ron Franklin is suing ESPN/ABC for compensatory damages in the wake of his termination earlier this month for allegedly calling colleague Jeannine "sweet baby" and at least one other non-Yahoo! approved word. According to the suit, "the brief and innocuous personal conversation in no way constituted a 'failure to fully perform,'" and "ESPN and ABC disseminated false and inflated versions of the events.'' [Austin American-Statesman]

• Guns up! And put the money in the bag. Pleased with a nondescript 8-5 record and a notable offensive decline in his first season, Texas Tech has rewarded coach Tommy Tuberville with a one-year contract extension that increases his salary by an average of $500,000 per year through 2015, beginning with a raise to $2 million for 2011. Just, you know, because he's such a nice guy. [Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]

• Hawkeye on trial. An Iowa judge has dismissed the most serious of several sexual assault charges against former Hawkeye Cedric Everson, who was accused along with teammate Abe Satterfield of assaulting a blacked-out female athlete in 2007. Everson no longer faces a charge of second-degree sexual abuse – covering group or gang rape, and bringing up to 25 years in prison – but still faces a possible 10-year sentence if convicted on charges of third-degree sexual abuse, assault and assault with intent to commit sex abuse. His attorney argued for acquittal Tuesday on the grounds that the woman was in a state of "functional blackout" and could have given her consent even if she doesn't remember it. The prosecution urged the jury not to consider the incident "a youthful mistake" or think the end of Everson's football career was "punishment enough." [Associated Press]

Quickly… Miami's new offensive coordinator is a candidate to be lured back to the NFL, unless he isn't. … The LSU-Arkansas game is moving back to the Friday after Thanksgiving this fall, pushing the Iron Bowl back to Saturday after a two-year swap. … The rare top 100 prospect opts for Texas Tech, at least for now. … Georgia Tech gets a five-star guy, too, at Notre Dame's expense. … Wyoming safety Shamiel Gray is transferring to Oklahoma State. … Former North Texas head coach Todd Dodge, a lifelong Texan and Dallas-area mainstay for more than two decades, will move into Yankee territory to coach the quarterbacks at Pitt under new Panther head coach Todd Graham. … Researchers are shocked, shocked, to discover that drinking has been going on here. … And Gene Chizik has earned Auburn's love, but if he wants to endear himself on the Plains for eternity, he'll turn down his latest award.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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