Jays Blog tag:www.polyfro.com,2008-05-17:/jaysblog//2 2008-05-28T18:26:25Z Movable Type Personal 4.1 This Week in the Valley: May 28 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.639 2008-05-28T16:52:23Z 2008-05-28T18:26:25Z Its the last week of May, which means it should theoretically be warm and sunny. Instead its 49 degrees, overcast, and feels like basketball season. If it wasn't for the crew mowing my yard as I enjoy a tasty beverage... Max Univers Its the last week of May, which means it should theoretically be warm and sunny. Instead its 49 degrees, overcast, and feels like basketball season. If it wasn't for the crew mowing my yard as I enjoy a tasty beverage in my kitchen while praising the saints that my association fee covers yard work, it would be hard to tell that its spring. Or nearly summer. Since it feels like fall anyway, we might as well talk hoops, right? On to this weeks notes:
  • Bradley has signed a contract to play in the Top Of The World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. The tournament takes place just before Thanksgiving, and features the Braves as well as Stanford, Central Florida, and host school Alaska-Fairbanks. Other schools rumored to be rounding out the field include Winthrop, Miami of Ohio and Stephen F. Austin.
  • Within that same article, coach Jim Les comments on their scheduling woes, which seem to stem at least in part from having to share the Civic Center with other events. "It's just been a real challenge for us to get home games. Of the first 21 days we can play a game, 10 of those are locked up (with other events). We weren't going to do a tournament this year, but that's a reason we did...It's nobody's fault, but we need to maybe be a little more selfish at the approach to getting dates...It becomes crippling to us."
  • Still, its hard to feel too sorry for the Braves. Their preliminary schedule already includes Michigan State, Iowa State, Butler and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

  • The saga of Illinois State forward Bobby Hill took another twist this week. Hill, who played in eight games for the Redbirds in 2006-07, transferred to Lincoln College last year to work on his academics. He had planned to transfer back to Illinois State this year, but suffered a knee injury during a pickup game. Coach Tim Jankovich says in the article that Hill will have surgery, but expects him to be ready for practice in November.

  • Deryl Cunningham, who played for Dana Altman at Kansas State, is the newest member of Kevin McKenna's staff at Indiana State. He was named to the position just hours after his fiance gave birth to their daughter. Speaking of their similar coaching backgrounds, McKenna told the paper "I think the biggest thing he learned there was work ethic. Coach Altman used to talk about how he'd win every sprint, he'd just run like a deer. That type of work ethic, and hopefully some of the tricks of the trade he's picked over time, will help us."
  • A former Indiana State player who played for legendary coach John Wooden when he was at the school has died.

]]> This Week in the Valley: May 21 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.640 2008-05-21T17:28:16Z 2008-05-28T18:27:43Z Its MVC Baseball Tournament Weekend, but I still want to talk basketball. Even if it is 80 degrees and sunny, its never too early to talk hoops! Plus, the Jays and Salukis play in the tourney this weekend, so...Anyway, this... Max Univers
Anyway, this weeks links are after the jump.
]]>
  • Bradley guard Tyrell Cole-Scott plans to transfer, despite the fact that he was likely in line for increased playing time after the graduation of Daniel Ruffin.


    • ]]>     Dana Altman on the End of the Season tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.641 2008-03-24T19:02:42Z 2008-05-28T18:22:04Z Dana Altman talked to 590's Matt Perrault this afternoon about the end of the Jays' season, a disappointing effort against the Florida Gators. For the benefit of those of you out of the Omaha area, since the station doesn't do... Max Univers talked to 590's Matt Perrault this afternoon about the end of the Jays' season, a disappointing effort against the Florida Gators. For the benefit of those of you out of the Omaha area, since the station doesn't do live streaming, here's some of the salient points:

    • The Florida fans booed radio guys Jimmy Motz and T.Scott Marr when they entered the building, after camping out overnight for tickets to the game. Whether the atmosphere intimidated the Jays or not is debatable, but that's pretty hilarious.
    • "We got kicked...right from the start. We didn't hit any shots, we've relied on Booker and P to hit shots and they weren't hitting them."
    • "We had turnovers...that just didn't give us an opportunity. Some of it was their pressure, but most of it was us telegraphing passes, standing straight up and down."

    • The team didn't exceed his expectations, "but before I say they fell short, it was a long season and we had a lot of ups and a lot of downs. I wanted to win 30 ball games! But the two things I keep coming back to are, we made progress which is a positive. We came along...guys made individual progress so that's a positive." On the negative, he feels they never really got any one phase of their game established. He says they never really had anything they could hang their hat on and say, "OK, this is our base, we're doing this well, lets build on this."
    • Just because the players are a year older doesn't mean they're a year better. He says its a critical time for the team, without Nick Bahe, Pierce Hibma and Dane Watts. They don't lose a lot statistically, but those guys brought a lot of intangibles and leadership that someone will have to replace.
    • He's not sure who will establish themselves as the leader. Its hard for a coach to say "You're going to be a leader", those things have to be earned.
    The entire interview can be heard by clicking on the link at the top.
    ]]>     NIT Second Round: Jays 54, Florida 82 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.462 2008-03-24T18:13:06Z 2008-05-24T21:06:58Z Florida was so dominant on Friday night, they not only smashed the Jays by 28, they broke my internet. My cable modem, less than a year old, was completely fried, and Cox was unable to get out to fix it... Max Univers Florida was so dominant on Friday night, they not only smashed the Jays by 28, they broke my internet. My cable modem, less than a year old, was completely fried, and Cox was unable to get out to fix it until Monday night. I knew the Gators were good, but this is ridiculous.

    Since this post comes so late after the game, I won't waste a lot of time recapping the game. None of us wants to relive the nightmare of a 28-point beatdown to the two-time defending National Champions.

    Simply put, the Jays saved one of their worst performances for last. They committed 21 turnovers, had just 5 assists, and saw Booker Woodfox go an outrageous 2-14 from the floor.

    Season recap comes tomorrow, followed by lots of goodies later in the week. And just because the season is over, don't stop reading: this thing isn't going into hibernation. There will be fresh content here at LEAST two or three times a week all off-season. Its just seven months until the first game, and even less until summer league starts.

    You bet.
    ]]>     NIT First Round: Jays 74. Rhode Island 73 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.463 2008-03-19T18:18:31Z 2008-05-17T17:20:12Z Well, I'm sitting here at home, its 1:35 AM, and I have a bag of ice on my knee. But I'm happy, nay, thrilled to have a sore knee. Strange, I know, but this is good pain. Tonight, the Jays... Max Univers Well, I'm sitting here at home, its 1:35 AM, and I have a bag of ice on my knee. But I'm happy, nay, thrilled to have a sore knee. Strange, I know, but this is good pain. Tonight, the Jays rallied back from 17 points down in the second half, and 11 with three minutes to play, and won on a last-second three from Cavel Witter. When the shot went in, I jumped in the air and when gravity did what gravity always does, I slammed into the seat in front of me. This gave me the most enormous charley horse the world has ever known, and also banged up my knee pretty good. But I didn't care, and in fact I jumped a second time. And a third time. To hell with it, the Jays fought back and won!

    Also, its a good thing I can type, because I sure can't speak. My vocal chords are shredded to pieces. Basically, my body is a wreak and I didn't even play. This is what happens when I'm allowed room to jump, scream, wave my arms and exert physicality as a fan. Maybe its best for the hoopdy-dooers to be in their seats after all.

    Nah, who am I kidding, that was a blast. 8000 die-hard fans yelling, getting on the other team and especially on the refs. Dare I say it was louder than it is with 17,000 there? Sounded that way live, and it sounded that way on ESPNU when I saw the tape.

    That was a game for the die-hards, and when I looked around at who was there, it was no surprise who came out in my section. It was the people who yell and scream all year long, minus the people who sit and complain about the rest of us standing too much. Sorry, but it was a lot more fun without you. That was the most fun I've had at a Jays game since the Civic, and do you know why? There wasn't anyone around me who mistakenly believed they were at a funeral. Just real honest-to-goodness hoops fans who cared about cheering loudly.

    You bet.
    ]]>

    ***

    I promised my buddy Gilby that I wouldn't complain about the referees, because that's bush league. Its bush. So I won't complain, I won't tell you how Rhode Island got away with moving their pivot foot all night, I won't gripe about Rhode Island getting away with 9000 traveling calls, and I won't moan about the game devolving into a wrestling match. What I will relay to you is an anecdote.

    Late in the second half, the referee under the basket made one of his 9,000,000 horrible calls in the game and the crowd booed lustily, myself included. During the next timeout, a fan near me yelled an obscenity-free phrase at the ref -- some variation on "Excuse me, kind sir, but I do believe that last call was a wee bit shenanigans!" Now, I've been to hundreds and hundreds of college hoops games, and when I was in college years ago I used to yell some pretty horrible things at the refs. I even got warned by a ref at the Civic for "personal attacks". He deserved it, but that's neither here nor there. No, tonight this particular referee decided to get into a staring contest with the fan. Not a Conan O'Brien hilarious staring contest. A "Quien Es Mas Macho?" staring contest meant to intimidate the fan and let him know that the ref was in control.

    Funny, it didn't look to me like he was in control. Players on both teams that left with bloody faces can attest to that. It was a knockdown, drag-out, East Coast basketball street fight. My buddy Gilby grew up in New York, and throughout the first half he was amazed at what URI was getting away with. Nothing dirty, just extraordinarily physical play, the kind where half the team hits the deck every possession.

    I'm sorry, a ref has no business staring down a fan, and should not be instigating things. That's bush league. We get it, you've got a fancy shirt with black and white stripes on it, and you've got a sweet whistle that only seems to work on one side of the court. Good for you.

    The ref didn't appreciate my commentary, either, which he could hear because of the smallish crowd and my deep basso voice. Was I over the line when I said his mother would be embarrassed by him when he goes home for Easter this weekend? I don't know that. What I do know is that the player traveled three times with no whistle...

    Alright, I lied to you Gilby. I did complain about the refs. My bad.

    ***

    In the first half, Rhode Island came out and played a tough, physical brand of East Coast hoops that the Jays simply weren't ready for. They were getting schooled in the paint, killed on the boards and dunked on left and right. It was ugly, and it was 45-30 at the break. I looked at the halftime stats and told Gilby that, surprisingly, the rebounds were closer than it appeared. If they were shooting even at their season average, this would be a much closer game.

    I also told him that as bad as the refs were, the Jays weren't playing well enough to earn the right to complain. A few viciously bad calls don't make up a 17 point lead. I also had the thought, though I didn't dare give it utterance, that there are always a few teams that phone in their NIT game because they don't want to be there -- and that I never thought in a million years the Jays would be in that company. Yet there they were, getting absolutely killed on their home court.

    In the second half, almost from the word "Go", the Jays decided to fight fire with fire. If Rhode Island was going to hit them in the gut, return the favor. If Rhode Island was going to hit them in the mouth, hit 'em back. Chad Millard set the tone with a near-flagrant foul early in the half, and I stood up to give it a standing ovation. Sometimes you need some well-controlled aggression to set an attitude for the game, to tell the other team you're not backing down. And from that point on, things got wild. You had people getting thrown to the ground with no whistles, players stepping in to take charges and flying around for rebounds, sheer craziness. The Jays actually played tougher than URI in the second twenty minutes.

    From the 10-minute mark to around the 7-minute mark, they cut into the lead and managed to get it down to four at 54-50. During the midst of that run, I told my buddy Gilby that I was standing the rest of the night -- and if the people behind me had a problem with it, they would just have to stand up to see around me. Of course, all of the fuddy-duddies weren't there anyway, so it wasn't an issue. EVERYONE in 113 followed the lead and stood.

    With the game at 54-50, URI hit a layup and drew a foul. They missed the free throw, got the rebound and hit a three, and a five-point possession increased the lead back out to 9 at 59-50. Was that the last gasp?

    Not so fast. Gilby noticed that the URI players were gasping for air around the free throw line, gassed and winded from playing only 7 players in a fast-paced, up-and-down game. They did manage to build the lead back to 11, and held it to the under-four media timeout. And then the Jays started their final comeback.

    Booker Woodfox hit two CLUTCH threes with defenders draped all over him to cut into the lead, and then with 11 seconds left and the Jays down 2, Cavel Witter brought the ball upcourt. The play was clearly drawn up for P'Allen Stinnett to create a shot off the dribble, be it a three to win or a two to tie. But with 22 points, URI had three defenders all over him. Rather than force up a shot in traffic from 20 feet away, P'Allen passed to a wide-open Witter on the left wing, who buried a three to give the Jays their only lead of the second half.

    Watching the ESPNU telecast, you can hear the crowd get louder as the shot was released, and then go absolutely bonkers when it went in. Even better, Dana Altman had a grin from ear to ear, jumped up and down, high-fived anyone he could find, and ran out of the arena slapping hands with fans down the tunnel. That's how powerful Cavel Witter is: he can morph Dana Altman into Jimmy Valvano.

    ***

    The Jays move on now to play the winner of Florida - San Diego State. I say bring on the two-time defending national champs. The Jays have never lost to Florida.

    ***

    I know the NCAA is trying to button-up the NIT's image, but things were a little over-the-top in the arena. All of the ribbon scoreboards were devoid of the usual animated advertisements, which frankly was fine with me. But the First National logos were also removed from the court, the physical ads on the jumbotrons were blacked over, and the giant Budweiser logo on the concourse behind the students was covered. No artificial music was played during timeouts -- just the CU Pep Band. No goofy promotional games during timeouts, just the band and the Jays Dancers. No tunnel walk video on the jumbotron, no Under Armor video, no Jays-specific video of any kind. In fact, during the introductions, where the P.A. Announcer usually calls them "Yyyoooooour...Crrrrreighton Bluejays!" he referred to them as "The Creighton Bluejays". Subtle change in semantics, but important.

    When the Jays players were announced, none of the fancy graphics were shown. And he didn't enunciate their names for dramatic effect as he usually does (i.e. drawing out the "W" in Wwwwwwwattts!). In other words, it was a neutral court game played in front of a partisan crowd.

    ***

    POLYFRO REGAL BEER PLAYER OF THE GAME: I had an economics professor at the community college I attended before transferring to Creighton who used to describe economic units, or "widgets", as real life items. Sure, the text book always referred to "widgets", but he preferred to use things like "Marlboro Lights" or "Regal Beer". He used to tell us, "Regal Beer might tempt you because of its low price, but don't be fooled. If you're going to buy Regal Beer because you can't afford something better, my phone number is on the syllabus, and I want you to call me. I'll come to store and pay the difference so you can drink something better."

    Ahh, Regal Beer. What else? Oh yes, the Player of the Game. You bet. Gee, tonight it COULD go to P'Allen Stinnett, who had 22 points and 8 rebounds. Or it could go to Booker Woodfox, who keyed the comeback with two huge three's in the last 90 seconds and 22 points for the game. But I'm going to give it to Cavel Witter, whose only shot of the game was the game winner.
    ]]>     Gameday: Rhode Island at Creighton tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.464 2008-03-18T18:20:55Z 2008-05-17T17:24:33Z I was going to write a pregame analysis of this game, and then I decided to go drink a bunch of green beer instead for St. Patrick's Day. Something has to give, and when the competition is writing versus green... Max Univers I was going to write a pregame analysis of this game, and then I decided to go drink a bunch of green beer instead for St. Patrick's Day. Something has to give, and when the competition is writing versus green beer, the latter wins every time.

    In lieu of an original post, I want to share an email from a reader who happens to be an Arizona fan. Sure, it has nothing to do with Creighton or Rhode Island, and he does take some veiled shots at some teams near and dear to us, but it made me laugh, and that's good enough for me.
    ]]>     "I'm already sick and tired of Vitale's big, flapping maw repeating again and again how Az. State defeated Arizona twice in the regular season and yet Az. State didn't make it. And you know Vitale. He practically spits on your TV glass expounding on this. By his criteria, Wash. St. shouldn't be in either as Arizona defeated them twice. Nobody mentions this. Those were two big wins.

        Did you hear Vitale when he stuck his nose up Bob Knight's ass and browned him? I was actually embarrassed. Really. So was Knight. He said, I think if you took his mike away, he'd have a spare. Good Shot. I doubt that you could brown nose Knight and make a buddy. My feeling is that he thinks that Vitale is a fucking moron with a mouth the size of a leaky old cow's ass and with about as much value pouring out of it.

        Still, despite it All, is this week fun or what?"


    My comments: Indeed it is fun, buddy. And it would be even more fun if you'd take your own advice and stop brown nosing the big conference teams. I respectfully disagree that your Arizona 'Cats belong -- Illinois State or Dayton should be there instead -- but that was funny stuff. Especially the leaky cow's ass line -- I'm totally going to borrow that and I'm just letting you know in advance. You bet.

    ***

    PREDICTION: 11,000 fans, which will be the most for any NIT First Round game. 9,000 of them will be upset when they realize they can't buy beer. All of them will be happy when the Jays win.

    JAYS 85, Rhode Island 73
    ]]>     Jays to Host Rhode Island in NIT tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.465 2008-03-16T18:25:12Z 2008-05-17T17:26:11Z There's two schools of thought to the NIT. One is championed by my friend Art, who says an NIT berth is an embarrassment, is not something to be proud of, and a real fan would ignore it because its ultimately... Max Univers There's two schools of thought to the NIT. One is championed by my friend Art, who says an NIT berth is an embarrassment, is not something to be proud of, and a real fan would ignore it because its ultimately meaningless. Even if you win the tournament, you're "only" the 66th best team -- the best of the non-NCAA participants.

    The other school of thought is championed by me. I say the NIT is still postseason basketball, and while its not something to brag about if you make it a yearly habit, its better than staying home. Since national media types are so dead-set in using football names to classify basketball teams, I'm going to use a football metaphor and you can't stop me! Ya ha! You bet.
    ]]> In college football, you have three tiers of bowl games. You've got your BCS games, in which (essentially) the top ten teams compete, with ostensibly the top two playing for the title. This is like the top four seeds in each region -- the so-called "Protected Seeds" and the teams the ESPN Talking Heads promote as the legitimate Final Four contenders.

    Then you've got a tier of decent payday, less-prestigious games like the Alamo Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Outback Bowl and Capitol One Bowl. Teams are pretty excited to go to those games, even though there's no real prestige to winning it. This is like the rest of the Field Of 65 -- teams that get to be in the Big Dance, but don't really have a chance at the real glory.

    And then you've got the "other" bowl games -- the Motor City Bowl, Music City Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl, et al. No one goes around wearing a "Random University: 2008 Independence Bowl!" t-shirt. But you're still in a bowl game and its still post-season play. This is like the NIT, with the difference being that most schools don't apologize for accepting bids to these bowl games.

    For some reason, the NIT isn't looked at that way. I actually had an older gentleman at Hy-Vee tell me on Sunday morning that he was embarrassed to be a Jays fan because so many of their fans had the gall to be excited for the NIT. "What happened to our program where we're happy to settle for a consolation tournament?"

    Well, if the NIT is the ceiling for your program, and you make a habit of going every year, that's a problem. If you go every once in a while, and in a rebuilding year, you get an NIT berth, that's OK. You know who else is in the NIT this year? Both of the teams that played for the national title a year ago, Florida and Ohio State.

    Another person told me today that "The Jays have been to three NITs and just two NCAA tourneys since they moved into the Qwest Center. Its obvious they've taken a step back as a program."

    Obvious, huh? (Disclaimer: this is where I get overly defensive in defending the impossible to defend. Maybe I should have considered a career in law.)

    The first of those NIT teams started the year 10-0, suffered an injury to their starting point guard, and went 10-10 the rest of the year with a junior college transfer two-guard pressed into action as the starting point guard.

    The second of those NIT teams started the year as the prohibitive favorites, and wound up so decimated by injuries that they dressed just six players for a couple of December games, and were giving meaningful minutes to a walk-on by February. That they managed a 20-10 record and an NIT berth (and were on the bubble for the NCAA's) was nothing short of remarkable.

    The third of those NIT teams had nine new players, eight of which had no D-I experience. By January, two of their starters were Freshmen, and five of their top eight were newcomers. That they were able to win 20 games was, again, remarkable.

    The NIT is not the NCAA Tournament. No one is claiming that it is. What it is, however, is a chance to play some more games. Its a chance to play some teams in your home gym that wouldn't ordinarily come to Omaha. And its a chance to continue practicing with coaches, something that may prove invaluable with so many young players.

    ***

    And so it is that the Jays host A-10 school Rhode Island. Its not a particularly sexy matchup, as it pits the Jays against a mid-major program from the east coast, and an area where they don't really recruit and don't have a huge alumni base. When I saw their name pop up opposite Creighton on Sunday night, I had three immediate thoughts about Rhode Island hoops:

    -Jim Harrick, one of the most heinous cheaters in the history of collegiate athletics, once coached them to an Elite Eight berth.

    -They beat #1 Kansas in the Round of 32 that year, and then lucked into played #13 Valpo in the Sweet 16 -- the year of Bryce Drew's miracle shot to propel Valpo into the second week of the tourney.

    -They played in the A-10 championship game a year ago.

    And that's all I know about URI hoops. For someone who watches as many games as I do, I was embarrassed to say that's the sum total of what I know. Some preliminary research reveals that they sunk to horrible and then vicious levels of sucking after Harrick left them as he leaves every program he coached -- on probation. Three years ago, this team had an RPI of 301. Three-hundred-and-one. And people say Evansville is bad!

    They were picked 11th in the A-10 last year, won 10 of their last 13, and advanced to the final before losing to George Washington.

    This year, they returned four starters from that team, including leading-everything wingman Will Daniels. They went 21-11, but went just 7-9 inside the A-10. Sounds OK, right? Well...

    They started the year 20-4, were rated in the Top 25...and then only won ONE GAME the rest of the season!?!

    You read right: the Rams finished the year 1-7, winning just one game after February 10. They went from 20-4 to a tie for ninth place in the A-10, at 21-11. They lost to Xavier, UMass and St. Joe's in the span of seven days, all at home. Then they lost twice to Charlotte in four days to end the season. And now they have to come to Omaha...too bad for them. Looks like they'll be going 1-8 to end the season.

    6'8" forward Will Daniels was highly touted as a junior, when there were whispers about him entering the NBA early. While I admittedly have not seen them play, it looks like he had another solid year, averaging 18.7 ppg, 6.7 boards and 2 assists a game. They have six players averaging 20 minutes a game, and 8 who average double-digit minutes, so they're pretty deep. And they score a lot, averaging 80 points a game while giving up 74. Not sure how much their ridiculous game against UMass skews that, however (they gave up 98 points, including 59 in the second half).

    Potentially ominous for the Jays: they out-rebounded their opponents by an average of three boards a game this year, and shot 100 more free throws than their opponents.

    Positives for the Jays: URI has only won one game since early February. That's unbelievable.

    Full preview coming on Tuesday. Until then, make sure to pick up your NIT tickets on Monday, and go root for the Jays Tuesday night! You bet.
    ]]>     False Hope? tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.466 2008-03-12T18:26:38Z 2008-05-17T17:28:18Z After the loss on Saturday to Drake, I took no fewer than four phone calls from people wondering if I knew whether the Qwest Center would be available for a NIT game. (It is). These same people prefaced their calls... Max Univers After the loss on Saturday to Drake, I took no fewer than four phone calls from people wondering if I knew whether the Qwest Center would be available for a NIT game. (It is). These same people prefaced their calls by asking whether I think the Jays have any shot at an at-large bid (I didn't, and I still don't).

    In an ideal world, the fourth place team in the seventh or eighth best conference would be squarely on the bubble, and with a couple of breaks, could find themselves in. Of course, we don't live in such a world. The world we live in is one where a game between two pedestrian Big East teams is billed as an "elimination game". That's how the Worldwide Leader in Horse Poop billed the Villanova-Syracuse game on Wednesday. 19-11 Villanova and 19-12 Syracuse. After Nova won, they're 20-11, and according to the WWL, they're in, and Syracuse is out.

    Nothing puts a smile on my face faster than hearing Jim Boeheim's team won't make the tournament. There's not a coach in America with a bigger sense of entitlement, in my opinion, and seeing his team shipped off to the NIT makes me very happy.
    ]]> On Monday, I got an email from a reader who firmly believed the Jays were in line for a bid. To the NCAA Tournament. Right, I said. You bet, I said.

    On Tuesday, I talked to my dad back in Iowa on the phone, and he too believed the Jays were going to get a bid. I dismissed this as the ramblings of a Drake alum who was trying to make his son, a Creighton alum, feel better about Saturday's loss.

    On Wednesday, one of my co-workers asked me if I thought San Diego's unexpected win in the WCC tourney -- and the auto bid that went with it -- would knock Illinois State out of the NCAAs. I thought it was a distinct possibility, but I went to RealTime RPI to see if I could defend such opinions with numbers. And dammit anyway, it only took me a matter of 10 seconds before a silent rage overtook me.

    The Jays RPI? 47 and moving up, likely the result of Oral Roberts winning the Summit Conference Tournament and St. Joseph's winning their first game in the A-10 tourney. The Jays own wins over both teams, of course.

    Clearly I'm taking crazy pills, or maybe just eating too much crazy bread from Little Caesars lately...but is it just me, or is there still hope? Bear with me, because I know this sounds crazy. I'm like Vasco De Gama claiming I can circumvent the cape of Africa here or something.

    Both Villanova and Syracuse have worse RPI's than Creighton.

    Suppose St. Joseph's wins another game and gets to the A-10 final, where they lose to Xavier.

    Suppose Nebraska upsets Kansas and makes the Big XII final, where they lose.

    Where would the Jays RPI wind up by 5pm on Sunday? It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for them to move up four or five spots, to 42 or 43. That, folks, puts them smack dab on the bubble. They're still out more than likely, but I'm saying I think there's a chance. Minute, but its there.

    Now, someone crack me open a PBR, make me put my Disco Shoes back in the closet, and tell me to put down the crazy bread. It may be false hope, but you have to admit it will make the Selection Show that much more fun to watch. You bet.
    ]]>     Is the CBI Tournament an Option? tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.467 2008-03-11T18:28:38Z 2008-05-17T17:30:13Z While its not a sure-thing that the Jays are out of consideration for the NCAA tourney (although if I were a betting man its damn close), its important to note that the NIT is not the only alternative. The College... Max Univers While its not a sure-thing that the Jays are out of consideration for the NCAA tourney (although if I were a betting man its damn close), its important to note that the NIT is not the only alternative. The College Basketball Invitational is in its inaugural season, and will compete with the NIT for the leftovers after the NCAA has its pick of the Top 65.

    Of course, the NCAA being the NCAA, they are attempting to strong-arm schools into accepting NIT bids instead of CBI bids. The NCAA owns the NIT now, in case you'd forgotten, and in a genius but ethically-questionable move, they asked schools to sign a contract promising to accept an NIT bid should they receive one. This, of course, ensures that the NIT will get the 32 best teams that aren't in the NCAA tourney, thus leaving the CBI with a bunch of crappy teams with losing records.

    Its disappointing to me, because I was kinda looking forward to seeing someone duke it out with the NCAA, and maybe get into a bidding war for schools. It would be like a college version of Donald Trump outbidding NFL teams for players for the New York Generals of the USFL, and who wouldn't love to see that?

    Alas, the NCAA doesn't like competition, and they've done what they could to squash the CBI before it even begins. Too bad. One of my readers sent me the following editorial about the CBI, and I think its a worthy read, so I'm publishing it below.
    ]]> Time for a new Tourney...SUPPORT Your CBI Post-season Tournament.
    by GtmoBlue

    14:25 Hrs
    10MAR08
    Falls Church, VA

    The NCAA farmers down in Shawnee-Mission, Kansas have bought, spayed, and/or neutered the NIT. It is a shame, and a disgrace to college basketball that a venerated, traditional tournament venue such as the NIT has been rendered obsolete - inconsequential by its' competitor tournament. The NCAA thinks they are the only show in town...those corn n wheat "husk-shockers" wanna be Ma Bell (a monopoly). The NCAA thinks that by their gutting the NIT that they will increase and strengthen their stranglehold on college basketball.

    Furthermore, for those that care about college basketball...I would endorse your skipping the NIT and opting in for the new CBI Post-season Tourney.

    It has the benefit of being independent of the NCAA cronies and will also offer the benefit of future bigger paydays than the NCAAnit. Campus sites and Regional sites will be floating/mobile with hopefully a stationary Championship venue such as Atlanta or Chicago over time.:

        The College Basketball Invitational will be staged this March by The Gazelle Group, which is based in Princeton, N.J., and runs the 2K Sports College Hoop Classic that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer and the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

        The NCAA invites 65 teams to its tournament and the National Invitation Tournament -- which started in 1938, a year before the NCAA -- selects another 32. The NIT reduced its field last season from 40.

        The NCAA has owned the NIT since 2005 as part of a settlement that ended a four-year legal fight between the parties.

        The CBI intends to compete with the NIT for teams that did not make the NCAA's field of 65.

        "It would be unfair for us to wait, so we're going to let the NCAA pick their field and then we'll invite the 66th team, it wouldn't be fair not to," Gazelle Group president Rick Giles said Wednesday night. "One of the big things is giving teams a choice. Competition is good and makes everything better. To date there hasn't been a choice and we'll make this a viable choice."

        Giles said there will not be a committee of outsiders picking the field.

        It will be us inviting the teams, and we'll do the bracketing and seeding," he said. "We will be 100 percent accountable. You might not agree with us, but we will be accountable."

        The teams will be invited along the same criteria used by the NCAA and NIT -- overall and conference records and late-season play.

        Four geographic brackets will be balanced competitively. Television arrangements will be announced as they are confirmed.

        It will be a single-elimination tournament through the first two rounds and the semifinals, all played at campus sites. The Championship Series will be a best-of-three with the higher-seeded team playing at home in the first game and, if necessary, the third.

        The first round is scheduled for March 18-19. The Championship Series will be March 31, April 2 and April 4.

        Originally published on ESPN.com, November 14, 2007, 6:56 PM ET


    The NCAA is systematically killing collegiate sports in the name of increased profit margins. The organization has sold out to corporate imagemakers, marketers, and sponsors - all in the neverending quest for more revenues. It is time for a change.

    Support the postseason CBI Tourney in 2008.

    (It is time to reformat, reconstitute, rebuild, and rejoin the NAIA in 2008-09. "Dump the NCAA" in 2009.)

    Respectfully,
    gtmoBlue
    ]]>     MVC Semifinals: Jays 67, Drake 75 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.468 2008-03-09T18:30:39Z 2008-05-17T17:31:56Z Stuck in Omaha for Arch Madness this year due to some other commitments, I decided to see if there was any mojo left at Buffalo Wild Wings. During the NFL playoffs, a huge group of my friends went to one... Max Univers Stuck in Omaha for Arch Madness this year due to some other commitments, I decided to see if there was any mojo left at Buffalo Wild Wings. During the NFL playoffs, a huge group of my friends went to one of their locations in Omaha for the first Sunday of games. My buddy Gilby is from Upstate New York originally, and when his Giants won, we of course had to go back for the second round. And then for the NFC Championship. And then for the Super Bowl.

    So there is definitely something going on with that. Hoping to ride on the momentum, the mojo, or maybe just the overpriced beers and expensive wings, we went there to watch the inevitable smackdown to be delivered by the Jays to the Drake Bulldogs, owners of A Proud Basketball Tradition Since November.

    Well, a guy has to be optimistic even in the face of a million reasons not to believe, right? Drake is having their once-every-37-years great season, they're led by seniors who look to make shots for each other, and they're easily the best TEAM in the league. Creighton is having a rare rebuilding season, they're led by freshmen and sophomores who look to make shots for themselves, and they're the best collection of young talent in the league, but not the best TEAM. Not yet.
    ]]> Before the game, someone told me a pretty good analysis of how the Jays could win: play 40 minutes and avoid playing Dust Bowl Basketball for 10 minutes of a half. Dust Bowl Basketball is something the Jays have practically patented this year, going on epic droughts that last for minutes on end. Stagnant offense, confusion on defense, all while allowing the opposition to either erase a huge deficit or increase their lead.

    Think back to how many times this has burned the Jays. Even in games they've won, Dust Bowl Basketball has reared its ugly head. Seems like its happened at least once a week since the first of the year, doesn't it?

    Play 40 minutes, avoid long scoring droughts, and it was possible for the Jays to upset Drake. After all, the two previous games were close battles won late by the Bulldogs. Stands to reason it wouldn't take much to put the Jays over the top.

    ***

    And from the get-go, things looked great. In fact, it was 18-13 Creighton with 10:30 to play in the first half. And then Dust Bowl Basketball made a most unwelcome reappearance. Over the remaining 10:30 of the half, Creighton would score just three more points: a free throw by Dane Watts at the 8:13 mark, and a dunk by Watts with 1:56 to go in the half. Three points! In almost 11 minutes!

    Stop me if you've heard this before, but with that stretch, it went from 18-13 Creighton to 30-21 Drake. A 17-3 run to close the half.

    ***

    The Jays opened the second half with a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to just 2 at 33-31, but Drake immediately answered with a 10-2 run of their own to make it 43-33. That turned out to be the deciding stretch, as Creighton would make several attempts to close that 10-point gap but never got closer than four the rest of the way.

    In the end, it was eerily similar to the two previous matchups, in that it was a very close game that either team could have won. If Creighton makes a break for themselves, or gets a lucky bounce once or twice, the game swings the other way. But that's why Drake is 28-4 and the Missouri Valley Regular Season and Tournament Champions: they make plays when they have to. Give Drake all the credit in the world, because that's what great teams do. In close games, they make the plays they need to make. Drake is a well-coached team that plays with great discipline.

    Creighton isn't at that level with this group of players yet. They'll be there, perhaps as early as next year, but right now this particular group of Bulldogs is simply better. When you lose three times to a team, you can't chalk it up to luck or bad bounces. Drake is better than Creighton this year, period. End of story.

    Good luck to the Bulldogs the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Jays have about a 10% chance of making the NCAA Tournament, and that percentage will decrease as the week goes on. The NIT is the likely destination, and before you gripe about that, think back to the Open House in October.

    Almost universally, Jays fans were in agreement that this year would be enormously fun, filled with ups and downs, wins over teams they shouldn't beat and losses to teams they shouldn't lose to. In the end, most folks thought they'd be an upper-division team, probably 3rd or 4th in the league, and would go to the NIT. A good number of people actually were worried about the team not being able to continue the streaks of 20 wins and 10 in the league. Well, as postseason nears, the Jays are almost exactly what we thought they were.

    4th place, 21 wins, an NIT berth. Wins over St. Joseph's and Southern Illinois, losses to Evansville and blowout losses to Illinois State and Bradley. Sure, our expectations rose as the season went on, but isn't this about where we thought we'd be? I, for one, am pretty thrilled with 21 wins and an NIT berth. If that's a "rebuilding" year, what are they building for? Think about that.

    You bet.
    ]]>     MVC Quarterfinals: Jays 74, Bradley 70 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.469 2008-03-07T18:32:43Z 2008-05-17T17:33:54Z WHEW. Another wild Creighton-Bradley game, featuring yet another huge blown lead and yet another clutch finish. More importantly, it did not feature overtime. Most importantly, it ended in a Creighton win.After blowing an 18-point lead, the Jays simply made the... Max Univers WHEW. Another wild Creighton-Bradley game, featuring yet another huge blown lead and yet another clutch finish. More importantly, it did not feature overtime. Most importantly, it ended in a Creighton win.

    After blowing an 18-point lead, the Jays simply made the plays down the stretch, and Bradley didn't -- a shock considering that Bradley's key players are veterans and Creighton's key players are underclassmen. In a tight game in March, you'd figure the veteran team would make the plays and the young team would wilt...but the exact opposite happened. Senior Daniel Rough-in, er, Ruffin was the one missing a key free throw. Sophomore Cavel Witter was the one making two key throws.
    ]]> All of the Jays underclassmen played unbelievably well. Make no mistake: this is now Cavel Witter's team. P'Allen Stinnett is the most dynamic offensive player and Booker Woodfox is the most consistent shooter, but Cavel Witter is the Reggie Jackson of this team: the straw that stirs the drink. After a 42-point performance where he put the team on his back and carried them to a win, he followed it up with a game where he officially supplanted Josh Dotzler as THE point guard for this team.

    15 points on 5-11 shooting, 4-4 free throws, and most importantly, 8 assists against only 3 turnovers. Witter played 28 minutes, while starting PG Dotzler played only 13. Witter scored the final six points for the Jays, including a huge driving layup that erased Bradley's brief 69-68 lead -- their only lead of the second half, which lasted all of nine seconds thanks to Witter.

    Also growing up before our eyes: Kenny Lawson. The big man played 21 minutes and pulled down 8 tough rebounds, and was 4-7 from the floor including a pair of sweet fadeaway jumpers. And in a sign he's earning Dana Altman's trust on defense, he saw the floor in the last 10 minutes of a close game.

    ***

    Dana Altman's team brought their fastball today, although when you consider his success in St. Louis over the years, is it all that surprising that perhaps their best half of basketball came in Arch Madness? Here was the key to that first 20 minutes: Creighton employing a so-called "junk" defense. That term has always killed me. In football, an unconventional defense is lauded and praised as long as it works. In hoops, an unconventional defense is called "junk."

    The Triangle-And-One certainly qualifies as unconventional, and Bradley never figured it out. It took away their slashing, dribble-penetrate-and-pass offense, and time after time they took bad shots. Three defenders played zone, and the other two went man-to-man on Ruffin and Crouch, effectively forcing other players to beat them.

    Creighton rightly assumed the Braves would eventually crack it, so they went away from it in the second half. I wish they'd stuck with it, though, because man alive did it frustrate the Braves.

    What's that old saying? One man's junk is another man's treasure? You bet.

    ***

    Sometimes stats lie. Sometimes they don't.

    1st Half:
    Creighton 53% FG%
    Bradley 40%

    Creighton 7-15 (46%) 3 Point %
    Bradley 2-12 (16%)

    2nd Half:
    Creighton 32%
    Bradley 49%

    Creighton 1-11 (9%)
    Bradley 3-12 (25%)

    Hmm. Jays lead by 13 at the half while shooting really well, blow the lead while shooting really poorly. Obviously there's more to it than that, but is there? Rebounds were even in both halves -- 16-16 in the first, 23-22 Creighton in the second. Turnovers were low for both teams -- 8 for Creighton, 6 for Bradley.

    The defense was good at times, and when it wasn't, for the most part Bradley missed their shots. Daniel Rough-In and Jeremy Crouch are the guys who can hurt you with threeballs, and the Jays almost entirely took them out of the game. Where they got hurt was in the paint, as Theron Wilson killed them for 21 points and 8 rebounds, and Matt Salley got 10 points and 13 rebounds.

    As for Rough-In and Crouch? Pierce Hibma, for all of the unwarranted abuse he takes, absolutely LOCKED DOWN Daniel Rough-In. LOCKED DOWN. The preseason Valley POY, the guy who torched Creighton for 30 points six days ago, turned in this line:

    2-11 shooting, 1-7 from three, 3 boards, 3 assists, 6 points in 37 minutes. That was a horrible game for Rough-In, because not only did he not score, he didn't get his teammates good looks so they could hit shots. A lot of that was the 9 minutes of lock-down defense Pierce Hibma turned in on him in the first half.

    ***

    And that brings us to our Polyfro Player of the Game, brought to you today by another great imaginary sponsor that paid zero dollars for the advertisement. One-Eyed Willie's Big Bonanza of Seafood was started in 1986 by the famed pirate after his ship was discovered by a group of teenagers from Oregon, and he found he needed a new hobby to occupy his time since he no longer had to construct booby traps to protect his gold. And with that, One-Eyed Willie's Big Bonanza of Seafood was born.

    Today, Cavel Witter takes the honor for the second consecutive game. His 8 assists were huge in getting other Jays involved, and his 15 points included the clinching free throws in the final seconds.

    You bet. And bring on the Bullpuppies.
    ]]>     2007-08 Game #29: Jays 111, Bradley 110 (2 OT) tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.470 2008-03-02T18:34:26Z 2008-05-17T17:36:21Z I'm prone to occasional fits of hyperbole and plead guilty to throwing around the phrase "best ever" a little too often. But unequivocally, without a doubt, Saturday night's game was the greatest Creighton game I've ever witnessed in the 12... Max Univers I'm prone to occasional fits of hyperbole and plead guilty to throwing around the phrase "best ever" a little too often. But unequivocally, without a doubt, Saturday night's game was the greatest Creighton game I've ever witnessed in the 12 years I have closely followed the team. And from talking to people who have watched the team for decades, I get the impression this game easily ranks in the top five EVER and is in the discussion for the top spot. Someone really ought to compile a list of those games. Maybe that someone should be me...sounds like a project for this summer.

    Beyond the obvious things making this a game for the ages -- things like a one-point win in double-overtime, Cavel Witter scoring 42 points off the bench, coming back from a 12 point deficit and blowing a 17-point lead -- when you add in the fact that it was Senior Night and two important streaks were on the line, it takes on added significance. A loss in this game and the Jays' 12-year streak of winning 10+ MVC games would end. A loss would put the Jays' 10-year streak of winning 20+ overall games in serious jeopardy.

    To win a game with all that on the line, in thrilling fashion, makes it one of those games we'll all be telling our kids about years from now. Here's just some of the fun facts from the game:
    ]]> -Cavel Witter scored 42 points to set the Qwest Center record, bettering Nate Funk's 38 in a similarly thrilling double-overtime win over Dayton in 2005. Ironically enough, that game also ended with a one-point Jays win, 91-90.

    -Witter's 42 points are the 8th most scored by a Jay in a single game. Sir Rodney Buford was the last Jay to get 40 in one game, ironically scoring 40 against -- you guessed it -- the Bradley Braves on December 30, 1998. The inimitable Benoit Benjamin was the last Jay to score as many as 42 in a game, going for 43 against Southern Illinois on January 17, 1985. The complete list of 40+ point scorers:

    Bob Portman (51 vs UW-Milwaukee, 12/16/1967)
    Eddie Cole (47 at Morningside, 11/29/1954)
    Bob Portman (46 vs Weber State, 12/23/1968)
    Tim Powers (45 at Idaho State, 01/29/1966)
    Benoit Benjamin (45 vs Indiana State, 01/19/85)
    Bob Portman (43 at Kansas State, 02/12/68)
    Benoit Benjamin (43 vs Southern Illinois, 01/17/1985)
    Bob Portman (42 vs LaSalle, 01/30/1968)
    Cavel Witter (42 vs Bradley, 03/01/2008)
    Chad Gallagher (40 vs Wichita State, 02/17/1990)
    Rodney Buford (40 vs Bradley, 12/30/1998)

    -Witter was 13-20 from the floor, 4-6 from behind the arc, and 12-13 at the line. 18 of his 42 points came in the two overtime periods, and he rounded out his line with 7 assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds in 34 minutes off the bench.

    -The Jays also extended two other streaks on Saturday, albeit much less important streaks than 20 overall wins and 10 in the conference. The win was the 58th straight when they score at least 80 points, and the 44th straight when they score at least 90.

    -The game was the first time in Creighton Basketball history that both teams scored at least 110 points. It was the first time in nearly 20 years that both teams cracked 100 points, and just the fourth time ever. The last time: a 102-100 overtime win over Southern Illinois on February 16, 1989.

    -The 110 points allowed are the most in 22 years, since the Jays lost 115-73 to Iowa State on December 12, 1987 in Ames. It was the first time a Dana Altman-coached Jays team gave up 100 points or more to an opponent.

    -The 111 points scored are the fourth most in school history. The last time they scored as many was against Indiana State on January 15, 1985, a game they won 115-80. The top five:

    Jays 124, Miami 94 (02/10/1964)
    Jays 120, Nevada 76 (12/21/1962)
    Jays 115, Indiana State 80 (01/15/1985)
    Jays 115, Memphis 82 (02/02/1966)
    Jays 111, Bradley 110 (03/01/2008)

    -The game drew 16,257 fans, bringing the season total to a staggering 268,052. That's an MVC record, and averages out to 15,768 per game, which is second all time...trailing only the Jays own record set last year of 15,909.

    Add it all up, and you've got one of the greatest games in Creighton history.

    ***

    Daniel Ruffin, the Bradley point guard who was arrested for allegedly committing domestic assault last weekend and who had been suspended for the previous two games, was back in action Saturday night. Now, I don't pretend to know whether the man is innocent or guilty, and its not for me to convict him. That doesn't mean the crowd should have treated him with the same respect normally showered on just the second player in MVC history with 1000 points and 600 assists. He had to expect a certain level of hostility. And to that end, I enjoyed it when the crowd responded by lustily booing him every time he touched the ball -- something that happened throughout the entire game, even in the overtimes.

    Now, a Bradley fan might say it was poor sportsmanship to lustily boo a player who has only been charged but not convicted of a crime. Fair enough. I say as long as its just booing, its part of the game. There were no chants alluding to the alleged crime, no signs making fun of his plight, no students dressed in wife beaters with painted-on black eyes (something Memphis dealt with earlier this year).

    I think the booing was an acceptable middle ground where the home crowd voiced its displeasure over the presence of a player in the lineup, without resorting to vicious personal attacks or name-calling.

    We all know that if Ruffin's first game back had been in Carbondale or Wichita, he would have faced Armageddon-style hostility. Can you imagine what the Dog Pound would have done to him in Salukiville? The signs they would have had? Yeesh. Actually, the Braves might have continued his suspension for his own safety and/or sanity. Ditto if the game was in Wichita.

    The fans behind the Bradley bench were not too pleased with the booing, and I've heard reports of Ruffin's mother engaging in gratuitous index-finger-flashing incidents with members of the Birdcage. The fact that the Bradley fans had obnoxiously large printouts of Ruffin's head that they held up every time he scored only fanned the flames. Sure, they probably felt he'd missed out on experiencing that during his own Senior Night, seeing as he spent it suspended for the events of the previous weekend. But doing that on the road and not expecting some kind of verbal push-back? Come on.

    Ruffin, to his credit, responded to the criticism the best way a man can, by letting his play do the talking. 30 points on 10-23 shooting, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in 48 minutes. That's right, he only sat out 2 minutes the entire game.

    ***

    Yes, the Qwest Center has its moments where it earns its derisive nickname of the Quiet Center. But nights like Saturday show that on occasion, it can be one of the loudest places in the league, if not in the country. For parts of the first half, almost all of the second half and the entirety of the overtimes, the arena was constantly abuzz and pumping out decibel levels in the triple digits. 107 decibels at its peak, which is closing in on that of a 727 from close range. Forget the decibel meter, get the Richter Scale! You had to be physical to watch that game...if you were there, you now know what sound FEELS like.

    You bet.
    ]]>     2007-08 Game #27: Jays 65, Oral Roberts 64 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.471 2008-02-24T20:24:47Z 2008-05-27T17:02:30Z I've not been quiet in my hatred for the Jays participation in Bracket Buster Saturday. I think their matchups over the years have on the whole been a joke, and the day just gives ESPN another chance to rip on... Max Univers I've not been quiet in my hatred for the Jays participation in Bracket Buster Saturday. I think their matchups over the years have on the whole been a joke, and the day just gives ESPN another chance to rip on the Valley. Anyone see Hubert Davis tell a nationwide audience that 24-3 Drake, the regular season MVC champs, are quote "not a lock for the NCAA Tournament"? Even Digger Phelps isn't THAT dumb, but only slightly...

    In defense of ESPN, Jay Bilas called him out on it immediately, and Rece Davis made fun of the comment throughout the evening -- even at halftime of Memphis-Tennessee. After reading the highlights of the Drake game, he turned to Hubert and said, "And Hubert still thinks they're not a lock for the tournament!"
    ]]> ***

    Former Duke coach Bucky Waters thinks he's the basketball equivalent of Harry Caray. Seriously, during the course of today's game, he told us so many ridiculous things, I could write an entire entry with little else. In my own Hubert Davis "Idiot" moment, I didn't write them all down, so all I can recount now are the two I remember. I'm seriously considering setting my DVR to record the replay at 3:30 AM Monday morning just to properly document all of them. Anyway...

    "The MVC is the sort of league where you get skin under your fingernails." What does that even mean? Doesn't everyone have skin under there?

    "Its a shame Elvis died...that's a guy who should have been around a lot longer." Was there an Elvis impersonator at the game? How did I miss this?

    You know Steve, Elvis spelled backwards is Sivle.

    ***

    Speaking of announcers, we had the radio broadcast on because the George Mason-Ohio game was running long and we didn't want to miss anything. When the lights went out at the Mabee Center for the starting lineups, there apparently weren't any lights on press row. T. Scott was about to read the Oral Roberts lineups, but he suddenly couldn't read his notes.

    It was really hilarious hearing him try to listen to the PA, then relay the name to the audience. Because T. Scott is dominant, he admitted to the audience what was up. "They turned the lights out on us, and I can't read anything. The beauty of live radio, folks." The audible giggling of Kevin Sarver in the background made the moment that much funnier. Working strictly off memory, the two of them tried as best they could to relay relevant information about the players.

    ***

    As for the game, what an exciting battle. The game was hard-fought, back-and-forth all day, with an exhilarating finish.

    After two devastating losses to Evansville and Bradley, I openly wondered what direction the seniors would take this team. I privately wondered if they'd allow them to phone in the rest of the rest of the season like the 2003-04 group did. Those thoughts can cease immediately.

    Dane Watts was a beast for the second consecutive game, scoring 18 points and more importantly grabbing 8 boards. Nick Bahe fought back spasms to gut out 16 minutes, and pulled down 5 tough boards. And Pierce Hibma played some stellar defense down the stretch, as Dana Altman subbed offense-for-defense every dead ball down the stretch. His thought was probably to keep P'Allen Stinnett from picking up his fifth foul on defense, but it actually worked extraordinarily well when Hibma turned in one of his best defensive efforts.

    The young players, particularly P'Allen and Booker Woodfox, continued to drive the bus offensively. Time after time, the pair made tough shots. Stinnett dribble penetrated all day long for easy layups, a move Oral Roberts had no answer for. And Woodfox did what he always does: drain threes all day long.

    The last minute of the game showcased both players. With 40 seconds left in a tie game, Stinnett drove inside and drew a foul. The normally excellent free throw shooter missed the front end of the 1-and-1, and Oral Roberts' supersub Robert Jarvis grabbed the rebound.

    During the scramble for the rebound, Jarvis twisted his ankle. He hobbled down the court and in his Kirk Gibson moment, sank both free throws while not being able to put weight on one leg. Jarvis, by the way, was a really impressive player. The Jays actually defended him OK, but he's such a dynamic scorer that he still scored 17 points (although he took 16 shots, making just 6, en route to those 17 points).

    As the Jays waited for Jarvis to hobble down court to shoot, Woodfox made a prediction according to a quote related by Stinnett in this morning's World-Herald.

    "While we were standing there waiting for him to shoot, Booker told me, 'I'm going to hit the shot, I'm going to hit the shot.' Then he did exactly what he said he was going to do."

    You bet he did. With Oral Roberts up 64-62, Altman rounded up the troops to draw up a play for a game-winning shot. His assistants were lobbying for a play to allow Stinnett dribble-penetration for an easy layup to tie the game, the sort of shot he'd made all day long. But Altman had other ideas. Namely, getting Woodfox open and letting him hit a long-range shot to not just tie the game, but win it. Oral Roberts would never suspect it. How devious!

    And so Dotzler took the inbounds pass, dribbled up the court, and came across halfcourt just as Dane Watts' pick had freed Woodfox from his defender on the wing. Dotzler delivered a perfect pass, and before anyone even knew what was happening, Woodfox drained a three. 65-64 Jays!

    I'm not going to lie to you, I screamed. What a shot! We all know Woodfox is a helluva shooter, but that's ice-water-in-the-veins stuff. Hostile crowd, team down 2, 30 seconds to play...and you drain a 25-footer like its nothing. Awesome.

    Of course, the game wasn't over; Oral Roberts had 26 seconds left to get a game-winning shot of their own. Their last possession saw them get a couple of decent looks, with Adam Liberty missing a 10-footer from the baseline and Moses Ehambe missing a rebound-and-putback from 2-feet under the hoop.

    A fitting ending. The Golden Eagles missed so many easy shots in the game that a missed shot from two feet out at the buzzer is the only way this game could have ended. While their overall field goal percentage wasn't awful at 37.5% (25-66), their three-point percentage was HEINOUS. 4-23, which equates to 17%. Ouch.

    ***

    POLYFRO CHORK PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brought to you by CHORK, the meat substitute that's not quite chicken, not quite pork and not quite approved by the Catholic Church for consumption on Lenten Fridays.

    Its going to my man Booker Woodfox in this game, despite his overall line not being as impressive as some others'. Dane Watts probably had the better overall game, but it was Booker who hit the game-winning shot. So that's my reasoning. You bet.
    ]]>     2007-08 Game #26: Jays 88, Missouri State 67 tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.472 2008-02-20T20:27:22Z 2008-05-17T19:30:22Z What's 4'1" and wears glasses?a) a really smart fourth graderb) Barry HinsonSign Guy was in rare form at Tuesday night's game. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sign Guy, he sits about 20 rows behind the visiting bench,... Max Univers What's 4'1" and wears glasses?
    a) a really smart fourth grader
    b) Barry Hinson

    Sign Guy was in rare form at Tuesday night's game. For those of you who aren't familiar with Sign Guy, he sits about 20 rows behind the visiting bench, and frequently brings blank 20"x30" poster board to the games and then scribbles out signs during the game to hold up during timeouts. From time to time, the fuddy duddies who sit around him complain to the Qwest Center Police -- a band of rogue, glorified mall cops derisively nicknamed the Qwestapo -- and his signs are confiscated.

    I had only seen the Barry Hinson sign, so I was appalled when, midway through the second half, the Qwestapo made a big production of confiscating his signs. Seriously, they sent their two biggest guys to carry out this task, probably 600 pounds of muscle to take five or six sheets of poster board. You can't tell me this wasn't for show.

    The entire arena erupted in boos of such loudness that several of the Jays players looked back to see what the heck was going on. Hinson looked back too, and the game was going on!
    ]]> Turns out there was more to it than just some old fogies forcing others to abide by their personal code of conduct. Sign Guy had just held up perhaps his most genius and hilarious sign ever.

    You can't spell MECA without ME

    To clarify, MECA is the board who manages the Qwest Center and the Convention Center, and to many folks (myself included) are viewed as the people responsible for Omaha's impending loss of the College World Series. Its a pretty involved deal, but essentially as I understand it, the city created MECA to manage the Qwest. The parking lots surrounding the Qwest are owned by the city, and can be taken by the city for future development opportunities. Should they do so, they have to replace the parking spaces, but the lots are theirs to take.

    MECA doesn't see it that way. They see themselves as the protector of future Qwest expansion, and ceding those lots to the city narrows their options in the future. The Mayor has said that the city is going to build a ballpark on Lot C; MECA says they will take the city to court if they attempt to do so. Seriously.

    Meanwhile, the NCAA says any lawsuit will almost certainly cause them to put the World Series up for bid to other cities. A political power struggle is going to cost the city the College World Series, and a lot of people are pointing the finger at MECA.

    Guess who employs the Qwestapo? MECA. Looks like freedom of speech only applies as long as you don't offend the management.

    (And yes, I know you cede certain rights by purchasing a ticket and entering the building. But regardless of the legality, doesn't it appear unseemly?)

    ***

    I called my brother after the game and because it was 10:15 pm, I got his voicemail. He's not nearly the night owl that I am, but I digress. "The dream is over, Brother. Some chick lost the Shell Game tonight. Later."

    The classic 12-second voicemail. Anyway, I got a call back on Wednesday from him, upset. Why, you ask?

    Well, longtime readers no doubt are well aware that his one enduring dream was to be the first person to lose the Shell Game. His reasoning? "No one has ever lost in five years, so people don't even cheer when you win. Its not even noticeable. But if you lost? You'd be legendary. 'Remember the time that poo doofus lost the Shell Game? What an idiot!' It would be LEGENDARY."

    Alas.

    Lately, I'd taken to holding up four fingers and yelling out "FOUR" during the part of the game where the contestant looks to the crowd for help. This is always hilarious because there are only three shells.

    You bet.

    ***

    The "Free Pizza For A Year" promotion is given to a random fan at every game, and gets them 12 coupons for free pies, ostensibly one per month. The only qualification to win is to be alive and present at the game. This promotion should go to a student every game, because A) who eats more pizza than students and B) who can least afford said pizza? Right. But it usually goes to somebody from the hoopdie-doo seats. Of course it does.

    Well, on Tuesday, it was given to Miss Nebraska (or Miss Teen Nebraska, or Mrs. Nebraska, or one of those beauty pageant winners that I don't bother familiarizing myself with). A guy behind me yells out during a quiet moment after the announcement, "SHE"S JUST GONNA THROW IT UP ANYWAY!"

    Three things.

    A) That's wrong on so many levels.
    2) Yet its the funniest thing I've heard yelled out at a game in ages.
    III) I wish I'd thought of it first, though not necessarily to yell it out myself.

    ***

    Oh by the way, there was a game too. Did I mention that? A pretty damn entertaining game, at that.

    Jays won by 21, a sorely needed win. Quick-hit thoughts on the game:

    1. P'Allen Stinnett was damn lucky to not have been ejected. In the first half, Stinnett was steamrolled by Deven Mitchell on a fast break, preventing a thundering dunk. Stinnett took offense to what was a hard foul, and told Mitchell he didn't appreciate it. Hard to know what was said between the two players, but things got heated enough that they were both assessed technical fouls. FreddyMac, Administrator for the Bluejay Cafe, summed up the conversation thusly:

        I'm actually quite a good lip reader and in my opinion P was totally justified. If I'm not mistaken this is what I saw:

        P: "Excuse me old chap but that was a bit of a hard foul."
        Mitchell: "Are you a pansy tied to a tree?"
        P: "Pardon?"
        Mitchell: "Are you a pansy tied to a tree?"
        P: "Now that's a bit of an odd question, innit?"
        Mitchell: "ARE YOU A PANSY TIED TO A TREE?"
        P: "Of course not Mate."
        Mitchell: (while running around pointing at P) Pansy on the loose!! Pansy on the loose!!

        At that point is when P went a little crazy. Like I said that might not be word for word but that's pretty close to how it went down. For some reason P was speaking with a British accent too.



    2. I say that he was lucky not to have been tossed because in the second half, P was at the free throw line and after missing the front end of a two-shot foul, the ball bounced back to him and he threw up a practice shot. Officially, the rule book says this should be assessed as a technical foul...making it his second technical and an automatic ejection. Luckily (and perhaps knowing this), the ref simply warned him not to do it again.

    3. The coaches, for the first time all year, scrapped the full court press and went to a 3/4 court or even a straight-up half court defense. The result was a marked improvement in rebounding, due mainly to being in better position.

    4. That's not to say they played great defense, because they didn't. For most of the first half, the game was back and forth, and had the Jays not been on fire from the arc, it might have been a very different story.

    5. My dad in was town on business, and went to the game with me. Having only seen the Jays once or twice this year, his outsiders opinions were intriguing to me. As the team struggled in the first half, he said they looked "lethargic" and "had no energy, like they collectively hit a wall." He wondered if the Canada trip left them out of gas by this time of the year.

    Its a point worth considering. The last Canada trip the Jays took in 2003-04 was the Brody Deren Quitters Anonymous team that literally phoned in the last four weeks of the season. Actually, they phoned in the entire slate after Tyler McKinney got hurt. But regardless of that, their play was noticeably sloppier and less energetic late in the season. Further adding to the analogy, remember Wichita State's disappointing campaign last year? Canada trip before the season. Not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

    6. I suspect Jays fans would love it if Cavel Witter gave them anything close to 19 points, 5 boards and 5 assists a game. But he has got to stop it with the stupid, silly turnovers. Dribbling into a double-team and losing the ball only gets more minutes for his counterpart, Josh Dotzler.

    7. P'Allen Stinnett had 19 points too, on 6-16 shooting. When was the last time you remember a Jay chucking up 16 shots in a game? Has to be Rodney Buford, doesn't it?

    ***

    POLYFRO LOBSTER COLA PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tonight's player of the game is brought to you by the refreshing taste of Lobster Cola: combining the delicacy of lobster with the refreshing taste of cola, its Lobster Cola!

    While Stinnett and Witter were the leading scorers, Dane Watts had the more complete and therefore impressive game. Check out this line: 14 points on 6-8 from the floor, 7 rebounds and four of them offensive, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 4 steals in 30 minutes. Holy frijoles, that's domination.

    You bet.
    ]]>     Gettin' Back their Mojo tag:www.polyfro.com,2008:/jaysblog//2.473 2008-02-18T20:30:55Z 2008-05-17T19:34:15Z After the Jays were on the receiving end of a butt-kicking buffet on Saturday -- or a "Poo Sandwich" as I called it at the time -- do you think they had to get on a plane to fly home,... Max Univers After the Jays were on the receiving end of a butt-kicking buffet on Saturday -- or a "Poo Sandwich" as I called it at the time -- do you think they had to get on a plane to fly home, or did Bradley simply boot them back to Omaha like a kickball, one after another? Ha.

    Anyway, I had to do something. This team clearly had hit rock bottom, and I had to do what I could to help. I grabbed my MacBook and navigated to the Omaha World Herald website, and somewhere amidst the 600 pop-under ad windows (seriously, this has to stop -- those pop-under windows are like digital mosquitos!) I saw that UNO's hockey team was playing their weekend series at the venerable Civic Auditorium because of the state wrestling tournament at the Qwest Center.
    ]]> Hmm. I immediately began a round of text messaging to see who was game for a little collegiate hockey, and much to my delight, one of my buddies actually had been given free tickets for the game. Row D, right behind the bench no less!

    This was not about hockey, though. This was about mojo. Specifically, about a silly fan thinking that by stepping inside the old barn while wearing a Rodney Buford-era Jays MVC Champs t-shirt, he could somehow reverse the team's current slide into a kind of embarrassment not seen since Rick Johnson patrolled the sideline.

    You don't have to tell me how ridiculous this notion is, or was. My buddies took care of that already, thank you very much. And as we walked up those seemingly endless ramps that take you from the back door up to the concourse level, the memories flashed back. Rodney's 360-degree dunk during his junior year. Ryan Sears draining threes from the top of the key when the defense dared to leave him open. Ben Walker tossing aside taller defenders like mannequins to rip down a rebound. Doug Swenson literally crapping his pants. Nerijus Karlikanovas, or as we called him back then, Not Vlade Divac. The ridiculous 20-point comeback overtime win against Western Kentucky in 2002. The equally ridiculous 20-point comeback win against first-place Indiana State and the annoying Michael Menser in 2000. The spot on the ramp where my stomach almost spilled onto the floor after the SIU game where Ratface whistled DeAnthony Bowden for a foul with 2-hundreths of a second left in a tie game.

    I could feel it. I let my 1999 MVC Champs shirt soak in the mojo for a scientifically-measured length of time -- specifically, the amount of time it took me to drink a glass of beer. And then I removed the shirt to reveal a 2003 MVC Champs shirt underneath, which I also allowed to soak in some old school mojo for the same scientifically-measured length of time. Also, it soaked in some barley, hops and delicious alcohol when the Maverick mascot bumped into my buddy, who in turn bumped into me, spilling my beer on my shirt.

    Then I removed that shirt, and put them both in a bag. They will remain in that bag, hermetically sealed in a jar on Funk & Wagnall's front porch, until just before gametime tomorrow. At that time, I will unleash a fury of positive mojo the likes of which you will not be able to properly comprehend until much later. Trust me on this.

    You bet.
    ]]>