College Sports Blog
 March madness will be here sooner than we know it. It's a very exciting
time of year as every fan out there is hoping for their team to make the
final four. It's always a wise decision to get your NCAA
tournament tickets before hand, before they are sold out and you get
stuck watching the game at some local bar with a 20 inch TV stuck in the
corner. It's called March Madness for a reason; it's an intense and
demanding time of year in College Basketball.
The road to the final four will be a long stretch with some upsets along
the way. From the looks of it UCLA, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas seem
to be the frontrunners for the final four, so get your tickets now. While
teams such as Georgetown, Washington State and Memphis may compete, they
lack the tradition and program prestige of the perennial powerhouses that
Duke, North Carolina and UCLA have.
The odds of a major upset happening late in the round such as George
Mason did a few years back are slim. Overall it comes down to stamina,
depth, home-court advantage and who becomes clutch late in the game. This
year's 2008 Final Four will take place at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio,
Texas. Who do you hope to see there? |
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Here's a look at some of the winningest teams in College Basketball over the last decade. It's amazing how Gonzaga, once considered a small school (mid-major) has really established themselves as a national player and has really put the city of Spokane on the map, in the basketball world.
Of course the basketball powerhouses of Duke, Kansas, Arizona and Florida made the list, but check out some of these other suprises.
The Top 10 College Basketball Teams based on winning percentage:
- Duke
Winning Percentage: .851  Duke is the Top Program in the Nation
- Kansas
Winning Percentage: .793 
- Gonzaga
Winning Percentage: .792 
- Connecticut
Winning Percentage: .772 
- Kentucky
Winning Percentage: .760 
- Arizona
Winning Percentage: .752
- Stanford
Winning Percentage: .750
- Florida
Winning Percentage: .743
- Utah State
Winning Percentage: .741
- Illinois
Winning Percentage: .735
Others that all most made the Top 10:
College of Charleston
Syracuse
Cincinnati
Michigan State
Oklahoma |
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 Eric Gordon: Indiana's New Star
Born on December 25, 1988, it was always Gordon’s dream to play for the Indiana Hoosiers. The young athlete grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he played for North Central High School. Choosing a college was difficult for Gordon, as he knew that even though he longed to become a Hoosier, he had to be wise in his decision. In November of 2005 Gordon verbally committed to the University of Illinois, and the Fighting Illini could not wait to hand a jersey to their future superstar. Surprisingly, Gordon decided to attend Indiana University instead, as he wished to fulfill his lifelong dream.
Gordon’s presence on the court is considered sensational. He is currently among the league leaders in scoring, and it has been known ever since his high school playing days that he would become an impact player. He was even named the nation’s top prospect as a senior, which makes it even more disheartening for Illinois fans that he decided to commit to rivaling Indiana instead. In his young career as a college athlete, Gordon has put up outstanding numbers, averaging roughly 25 points per game, putting him among the elite of this year’s freshmen class.
Gordon missed the Hoosiers’ latest game against the Kentucky Wildcats due to a bruised lower back which he suffered against Tennessee State earlier last week. While there is no telling when Gordon will return, it is doubtful that he misses Indiana’s next game against Western Carolina next Saturday. No doubt an emerging athlete, Gordon has already scored at least 30 points in three of his performances. Many expect that he will enter the NBA draft after his first season with Indiana, but there is no telling what is in store for this young superstar’s career.
Michael Beasley of the Kansas State Wildcats is also another threat to watch out for. Standing 6’9” and weighing 235 lbs., Beasley has the tools to be a dominant post player. Many were unsure of his capabilities early in his career since he transferred to six different high schools. Kansas State did not hesitate to recruit the towering forward, and his production so far has been outstanding. Beasley currently ranks in the top five in points per game, and has put up more than 30 in several performances this season. Beasley does not know if he wants to play until he graduates, but either way he is going to play a vital role in the success of the Wildcats this season.
Derrik Rose is yet another emerging superstar from this year’s freshmen class. Rose attended Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois, and he currently starts for the Memphis Tigers. He is known to be a solid playmaker, as he averages almost 16 points per game along with roughly 5 assists/game and 5 rebounds/game. Similar to Gordon, Rose was expected to play for the University of Illinois, but complications made him decide otherwise.
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The Board is Set
In the beginning, Appalachian State caused one of the biggest upsets in college football history, beating Michigan in the last few minutes by a score of 34-32. In the end, West Virginia lost a heartbreaking game against Pittsburgh, and the Mountaineers’ hopes of a title shot were washed away.
What fell in between has been considered chaos. After a roller coaster ride, the final rankings are in, and the bowl games have been determined. It is difficult to say if things ended the right way, and there is no question that NCAA administrators are getting bashed for instituting a bowl-style format to conclude the end of the college season. When virtually every other sport utilizes some sort of tournament/playoff format, it seems ridiculous that NCAA 1-A football takes a different approach.
For the general sports fan who analyzes the game, it would seem absurd that the only undefeated team in the country, Hawaii, is not playing in the national title game. Missouri, who was ranked #1 prior to the second loss it suffered to Oklahoma, is not even being awarded a bowl game. Finally, many speculated that Georgia, who went 10-2, was going to earn a BCS title shot despite not even winning their own conference championship. It was only a matter of time before a shake up like this occurred, and though it should provide for an exciting BCS title game, there are a handful of arguments against an Ohio State vs LSU match up.
The fact of the matter is that nothing can be done about the controversy. Ohio State and LSU will battle it out for a national title. Virginia Tech will match up against No. 8 Kansas in the FedEx Orange Bowl. Oklahoma will square off against No. 9 West Virginia in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Georgia will play undefeated Hawaii in the AllState Sugar Bowl, and No. 7 USC will host No. 13 Illinois in the Rose Bowl. Given the unpredictable season that fans have witnessed, these games will provide for thrilling excitement, to say the least.
There is even more at stake in the national title game, considering that no team has ever been a two-time BCS champion. The Buckeyes took the crown in 2002, while the Tigers followed in 2003. It is hard to determine who has the edge, but most experts predict LSU, considering they had the more strenuous schedule. You also can’t forget the fact that it took 6 overtimes for LSU to lose twice. On the other end of the spectrum, the Buckeyes failed to defeat the rivaling Fighting Illini after a stunning performance by quarterback Juice Williams. The victory proved substantial for Illinois, as they earned a spot in the Rose Bowl against USC.
All in all, the last few games of the college season will experience dramatic endings. With many teams finishing the regular season with their heads down, those who have been given the opportunity to compete in a bowl game will be taking complete advantage. The countdown begins, and as January 1 nears, teams will be longing for glory.
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Gonzaga is a basketball program that looks good year after year and has really established themselves over the last decade. They continue to play well despite losing key players to graduation. Gonzaga, who had one of the top recruiting classes this last year, doesn’t really have a star player/1-man-team player like they were when they had Adam Morrison. Instead they have about 6-7 solid players who will all contribute.
They recently moved up two spots to 17th in the polls this week. Three teams on the Gonzaga University schedule remain ranked in the Top 15 of both polls this week. The Bulldogs will travel to No. 2 University of Memphis Jan. 25, host 6th-ranked Washington State University Wednesday in the McCarthey Athletic Center and play No. 10 University of Tennessee in The Battle in Seattle Dec. 29.
The McCarthey Athletic Center has become quite the winning court for the Bulldogs since it opened for the 2004-05 season. Gonzaga is 42-1 in the new facility, winning its first 38 games in the McCarthey Athletic Center. Santa Clara University halted the streak with an 84-73 victory Feb. 12, 2007. That loss also snapped a 50-game home winning streak for the Bulldogs, at the time the longest streak in the nation, as Gonzaga left the old Kennel with 12 straight home victories.
Gonzaga University earned an impressive East Coast sweep last week, downing Saint Joseph’s University 70-65 in overtime and then downing the University of Connecticut 85-82 at the Hartford Hall of Fame
Showcase in Boston on Saturday. Gonzaga raced to a 29-12 lead over SJU by hitting 11-of-18 shots to open the game, but lead just 35-30 at the half. Gonzaga came from a 55-49 deficit with 3:37 to play and SJU tied the game with two free throws with :10 left to force overtime. Saturday, UConn made 7 of its first 11 3-point attempts to build an early 10-point lead. Gonzaga led 45-42 at halftime on David Pendergraft’s trey at the buzzer. Matt Bouldin scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Jeremy Pargo scored 23 points to carry the Bulldogs to the victory. Gonzaga never led by more than four points in the second half until Pargo’s two free throws made it 81-76. Pargo’s 23 points equaled his career high set last year at Stanford.
Of course, Gonzaga’s big game against WSU is coming up on Wednesday and will be a great match up of ranked teams. Last year, WSU had a 77-67 win over 18th-ranked Gonzaga University.
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