NE Conference Basketball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5992ZNSzq_g

Has your mom ever gotten involved in your sports activities?

There’s always that one mom on the team who just got a little too involved.

Wagner College forward Jason Thompson’s mom took things to a whole new level at Midnight Madness this past weekend.

The 6'5", 200-pound sixth man decided that dunking over just anybody wasn’t good enough. He decided to get mom involved.

With Mrs. Thompson right in front of the basket, Jason took a couple dribbles and headed straight towards the lady that used to make his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and soared over her.

Luckily he was able to avoid drilling mom with his leg as he threw down a thunderous dunk and the crowd goes wild.

It’s a cool idea and the video has gone viral, getting over 300,000 hits and appearing on ESPN shows “Highly Questionable” with Dan LeBatard and “SportsNation.”

My only question would be…what if he hadn’t pulled off the dunk?

What if he didn’t jump high enough and ended up kneeing her in the face?

That would be the ultimate embarrassment, watching her hit the ground hard as the crowd goes silent. Now that’s a video that would get an incredible number of hits. Sounds like the perfect candidate for a Tosh.0 video.

Luckily (or unluckily depending on who you are), he made the dunk and is now a Youtube star.

Thompson averaged 7.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals last season, and will likely have an increase in minutes for the 2011-2012 season.

Yet he won’t be achieving anything more impressive than what he did this past weekend.  

It was hard to tell if the water coming from the face of LIU coach Jim Ferry was that of sweat or of tears. In all likelihood it was a mixture of both. It was just that type of night for the Blackbirds who blew a late game lead on their home court to Robert Morris before grinding out the win in overtime, 85-82 over the two-time defending champions.

Russell Johnson, who had hit a three at the end of regulation to tie it, had 0.8 seconds left in overtime to do the same, but it was well short and as the buzzer sounded, many of the 1,300 fans who had filled the Wellness and Recreation and Athletic Center to the brim rushed the court in absolute jubilation as LIU had captured their first NEC Championship in 14 long years.

Located just off of Flatbush Ave. in Brooklyn, LIU isn't a beautiful school, and the WRAC isn't a stunning facility. Yet these Blackbirds found a way to be tough and just force their way to victory. They were led by sophomore sensation Jamal Olasaware who had 31-points on the night to lead all scoring.

Long Island is the best offensive team in the league (sixth in the division one) and Robert Morris is the best defensive team in the conference. This led to what many were hoping would be a thrilling matchup. They were not disappointed.

Leading 72-64 with 1:51 to go, it looked like things were about to get wrapped up. The student sections were moving down the aisle, getting ready to storm the court. Then the unthinkable happened. In the span of 10 seconds the Colonials cut the lead to three off a tip shot by Johnson, then a steal by Velton Jones and a three by Gary Wallace. LIU made the lead five once again, but a layup by Jones sliced the lead to three. With 55 seconds to go Olasaware missed Jason Brickman on the pass and turned it over, leading to a three by Johnson with 16 seconds to go.

In overtime, Robert Morris led most of the first half of it, but LIU took an 82-80 lead with 1:16 to go, and never looked back.

LIU is one of those teams that gets everyone involved. They play so unselfishly and no player averages more than 13.1 ppg on their team. They are so team-oriented and you can bet that no four or five seed is hoping that they draw these Blackbirds in the first round. They are a projected 13-15 seed for the first round as they finish up what has been an incredible season.

They are currently 27-5, and have won 13 in a row, the longest current streak in the country. They have also won 21 out of 22. Their last loss at home was to Robert Morris on December 3rd. They also lead the nation in road wins with 13 and lead the nation in drawing fouls.

So dust off those dancin' shoes LIU, cause it's time to party! 

The LIU Blackbirds aren't your typical team. They are the sixth-highest scoring team in the country, yet the highest scoring player on their team only averages 13.1 ppg. They are the third-highest rebounding squad in the NCAA, but not a single player averages more than nine boards a contest. To put it simply, they are one of the most well rounded team out there.

They enter tonight's game at home, the Wellness and Recreational Athletic Complex, a.k.a. the WRAC, having won 12 games in a row, the longest streak in the nation. They are 13-2 at home, the last time they lost in their tiny gym in the northern part of Brooklyn was to these same Colonials, on December 3, a 70-69 defeat in their first conference game. They also have 13 road wins on the season, which is the most in the country.

Their leading scorer and rebounder, Julian Boyd, is coming back this season after being forced to sit all of last season with a heart condition. Part of his heart was enlarged, and he was unable to play. However, he has played with quite a bit of heart this season after receiving the news last summer that he was okay to go, and has been the spark for this LIU team.

Head coach Jim Ferry, who has taken this team with the good and the bad was named the NEC coach of the year, and no doubt deserves it after the dominance this team has had over nearly all their opponents. The coach is also recognized with his unique recruiting tactics. Only two of his players are from the tri-state area. He has one player from Long Island, and another from New Jersey. The rest are mostly from Texas and Canada, and a few others are scattered about the country. Ferry believed that since some of the other schools had monopolies over the good players in the NYC area, that it would be best to find players that hoped to play in New York City.

They are one of the most unselfish teams that you will find. They all split playing time and ball time, and no one complains. They are one of the best all around teams out there. One of the core players is Jamal Olasaware, who has been a consistent spark. Whenever his team can't find a shot, he can take the ball to the hole and either get two or get fouled, and sometimes both. He can also hit the three and find his teammates when they are open. 

So make sure you look out tonight when they host Robert Morris at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2. LIU fans planning on doing a "white-out" in which all the fans and students where white to the game in support of the Blackbirds whose main colors are Black and White.

When people think of a resurgence in New York City basketball, they probably think of the New York Knicks or the St. John's University Red Storm, both of whom were a joke the past decade, but have now become no laughing matter. However, there is one team that seems to be overlooked, LIU.

Yes, their school name is Long Island University; however, the Blackbirds are 100 percent Brooklyn. They have two separate campuses, one in Brookville, which is located in Nassau Country, Long Island. Then they have the Brooklyn campus, which is where most of the magic from this 14-4 season has occurred. 

The average college basketball fan has probably never heard of the LIU Blackbirds. They play in a notoriously small conference, the Northeast Conference, and have not really been successful in many years. However, they do have a very rich history. Way back in 1939, the Blackbirds were the best team in College Basketball. They finished the season with a record of 24-0 and won the NIT, which at the time was the bigger postseason tournament. They went on to win the NIT again in 1941. 

However, in 1951, the Blackbirds were part of the infamous CCNY Point Shaving Scandal, which caused them to cancel their athletic program for six seasons. All the schools involved suffered greatly, including CCNY and NYU, who both became division III athletic schools. However, those days are in the past for Long Island, and now finally, they are becoming the dominant force that they know they are capable of.

The team plays in their newly renovated WRAC (Wellness Recreation and Athletics Center), after recently moving from the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre. The WRAC is a nice, yet small gym, which can fit several thousand fans. 

The Blackbirds came into the 2010-2011 season really not knowing what to expect. Their best player from last season, Jaytornah Wisseh, had just graduated and they were welcoming back their big man Julian Boyd, who had to sit out last season due to heart problems. It was thought he may never play basketball again. However, after their first few games it was apparent that this team was special. They started off the season at 4-0, while scoring an average of nearly 88 points per game over that winning streak. 

The Blackbirds would go onto lose the next four out of six games, including a one-point loss to conference rival, Robert Morris, who is the two-time defending Northeast Conference Champion. The losing skid would eventually end on December 13th, when the Blackbirds took their talents to Evanston, IL, and lost by 16 to a then-undefeated Northwestern Wildcats team. Since that game, which was 39 days ago, the Blackbirds have not lost. 

They have won eight games in a row, five of which were by more than 10, and have averaged more than 85 ppg during the streak. They are currently ranked 12th in the NCAA in scoring averaging at exactly 82 ppg. They also rank ninth in the NCAA in rebounding at 41.1 boards per game.

The Blackbirds, led by coach Jim Ferry, are a balanced team, and although they have a prolific scoring offense, they don't have a single player averaging more than 12.4 ppg. They have four players who average in double figures including Julian Boyd, who also averages nearly eight rpg, along with his 11 ppg. In fact the scoring is so balanced, they have 12 players who average at least two ppg. It's pretty rare that you see a team that uses even 10 players, let alone 12.  

The team also has a great mix of young and old. The experience is really there for some players like seniors Kyle Johnson and David Hicks. However, they are really led by a core group of younger players like sophomores Jamal Olasaware and Kenny Onyechi. 

With Long Island currently sitting in first place at 6-1 in conference play, including a 16-point win last night over the tough Robert Morris squad, the Blackbirds are red hot and don't seem to be slowing up anytime soon.

It is a shame that nothing that they do in the regular season can really be a boost to getting them into the NCAA tournament, however. In order to get into the NCAA tournament from the NEC, the team needs to win the conference tournament. It is a three-round, eight team tournament that has all its games held at the highest seed. If LIU can win the regular season title, the road to the NCAA tournament will have to go through Brooklyn.  

And after all this team has been through, you better be sure that they'll take that.

It still may be cold in Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania, but the temperature will begin to heat up with the Northeast Conference Tournament commencing tonight.

The NEC, the conference that many ignore but shouldn't, utilizes the model that many other one-bid leagues should follow. Instead of rendering the conference season meaningless by playing the tournament at a neutral site, the NEC Tournament includes just eight of its 12 teams, and the games are played at the home sites of the highest seeds.

Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, and Mount St. Mary's are the only teams in the NEC currently having winning seasons. Another nugget to consider when deciding who will win the tournament is that the top four seeds are 32-4 combined in conference home games this season.

Participating Teams and Projected Starting Lineups

No. 1 Quinnipiac: 21-8 overall, 15-3 in NEC; Coached by Tom Moore

PG James Johnson (12.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.6 APG), G James Feldeine (17.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.5 APG), G Jeremy Baker (9.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.3 APG), F Jonathan Cruz (5.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.7 APG), Justin Rutty (15.0 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 0.8 APG)

No. 2 Robert Morris : 20-11 overall, 15-3 in NEC; Coached by Mike Rice

PG Velton Jones (8.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.9 APG), G Karon Abraham (12.9 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.6 APG), G Mezie Nwigwe (8.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.6 APG), F Dallas Green (6.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 0.8 APG), F Ron Robinson (10.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.5 APG)

No. 3 Mount St. Mary's: 15-14 overall, 12-6 in NEC; Coached by Milan Brown

PG Jeremy Goode (14.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.4 APG), G Jean Cajou (9.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.7 APG), F Kelly Beidler (10.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.5 APG), F Shawn Atupem (10.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.4 APG), F Raven Barber (5.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.1 APG)

No. 4 Long Island: 13-16 overall, 11-7 in NEC; Coached by Jim Ferry

PG Jaytornah Wisseh (17.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 5.7 APG), G David Hicks (9.9 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.1 APG), G Kyle Johnson (12.1 PPG, 6.6 APG, 1.1 APG), F Kenny Onyechi (8.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.2 APG), F Jamal Olaseware (8.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.7 APG)

No. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson: 11-20 overall, 10-8 in NEC; Coached by Greg Vetrone

PG Mike Scott (12.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.4 APG), G Sean Baptiste (16.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.1 APG), G Terrence Grier (10.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.6 APG), F Alvin Mufunanya (11.3 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.2 APG), F John Galvin (5.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.3 APG)

No. 6 Saint Francis (PA): 11-18 overall, 9-9 in NEC; Coached by Don Friday

PG Chris Johnson (3.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 3.0 APG), G Sorena Orandi (8.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.0 APG), F Devin Sweetney (16.7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.2 APG), F Will Felder (9.3, 5.2 RPG, 2.2 APG), F Kurt Hoffman (4.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.9 APG)

No. 7 Central Connecticut State: 12-17 overall, 9-9 in NEC; Coached by Howie Dickenman

PG Devan Bailey (2.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.5 APG), G Shemik Thompson (13.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.3 APG), G Robby Ptacek (11.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG), F Joe Efese (5.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG. 0.4 APG), F Markeys Deans (8.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.0 APG)

No. 8 Monmouth: 12-18 overall, 8-10 in NEC; Coached by Dave Calloway

PG James Hett (4.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.6 APG), G Whitney Coleman (10.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.1 APG), G Justin Sofman (7.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.8 APG), F Travis Taylor (18.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.5 APG), F Ed Waite (8.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.3 APG)

Predictions

Quinnipiac Versus Monmouth

Quinnipiac leads the conference in scoring and is paced by Feldeine, who possesses the greatest looking jump shot in the NEC. While Feldeine is the outside scoring threat, the Bobcats also posess an inside presence in Rutty, the NEC Player of the Year. Rutty leads the NEC in rebounding and is ranked 13th in Division I.

Monmouth's Taylor is the leading scorer among the players involved in the tournament. Point guard Hett ranks first in the NEC in assist/turnover ratio and third in assists.

Monmouth has lost three games in a row and looks to have peaked back in January. In the two previous matchups this season, Quinnipiac won both games by a total of 31 points. In the Atlantic Sun Tournament, the eight seed defeated the one seed. However, that event is not occurring in the NEC—Quinnipiac wins.

Robert Morris Versus Central Connecticut State 

Robert Morris is the defending NEC Tournament champion. This year's version of the Colonials is paced by Abraham, the NEC Freshman of the Year. The combination of Abraham and point guard Jones have more than made up for the season-ending injury to spunky guard Jimmy Langhurst.

With star scorer Ken Horton missing the entire season with a hip injury, Central Connecticut State has only averaged 61.1 points per game this year, the lowest of any tournament team. Although most of the offensive numbers look dismal, the Blue Devils are a strong free throw shooting team.

Central Connecticut State has won three games in a row, but Robert Morris will play composed with three senior starters. At times, Robert Morris struggles to score points, but not nearly as badly as the Blue Devils—Robert Morris wins.

Mount St. Mary's Versus St. Francis (PA)

Having won 10 games in a row, Mount St. Mary's is the hottest team in the tournament. Point guard Goode is the fastest player in the NEC and a master of the pick-and-roll. His teammate at guard, Cajou, was surprisingly passed over as the NEC Defensive Player of the Year despite guarding the opponent's best player every game. Beidler and Will Holland are scoring threats from the outside, and the mid-season arrival of Barber gave the assistance inside that Atupem needed.

Sweetney has recently become the seventh Saint Francis player to reach the 1,500- point plateau. This fifth-year senior is the only double-digit scorer on the Red Flash, but he is surrounded by up-and-coming freshmen Felder, Johnson, and Anthony Ervin.

Having not reached the NEC Tournament since the 2004-05 season, the Red Flash is the feel-good story of the conference. However, the players may not be feeling well going up against an experienced team that has only lost one conference game at home all season long. It is hard to find a reason to pick an underdog that lost to Wagner in its last game—the Mount wins.

Long Island Versus Fairleigh Dickinson

Do-everything senior guard Wisseh has kept Long Island afloat while promising sophomore Julian Boyd was out for the season with a heart ailment. Freshmen Onyechi and Olaseware give the Blackbirds an strong inside game to build around in the tournament and in the future.

It is amazing that Fairleigh Dickinson has made it this far after starting the season 1-12. This is the Knights first appearance in the tournament in three years. Baptiste leads a guard-oriented offense that often struggles with defensive rebounding.

Baptiste missed the last two games for Fairleigh Dickinson but is expected to start today for the Knights. That fact alone will probably not be enough for the Knights to defeat the Blackbirds at home—Long Island prevails.

Semifinal And Championship Predictions

The semifinals will take place Mar. 7, and the championship game is set for Mar. 10 at 7:00 pm on ESPN2.

In the NEC, the lowest remaining seed plays at the highest remaining seed. Under my scenario, Long Island faces Quinnipiac, and Mount St. Mary's plays at Robert Morris.

An advantage of being the No. 1 seed in this tournament is that there is a drop-off in quality behind the top three teams. Quinnipiac will probably not be tested until the finals.

Robert Morris has lost two of its last three games, including defeats to both Quinnipiac and Mount St. Mary's. This fact either shows that the Colonials cannot defeat the best teams in the NEC right now or that Robert Morris will use those games as motivation to win the championship.

I am going with the former. The Mountaineers have the momentum, and the Colonials are too dependent on a freshman for key baskets.

If Mount St. Mary's faces Quinnipiac in the championship game, I will choose the Mountaineers. The Bobcats may have the two best players in the league in Rutty and Feldeine, but I have more confidence in Goode performing the best in clutch situations. 

The Mount may have only defeated mediocre teams on the road during its current winning streak, but right now, it doesn't seem to matter where the Mountaineers play. Mount St. Mary's will be dancing because Goode is just too good when it matters most.

Photo Credit: Rushthecourt.net

The Northeast Conference (NEC) is one of the smaller conferences in the country. The fight for an NCAA Tournament berth and the chance of a lifetime for many of these teams brings out the excitement even in the smaller conferences like the NEC.

An overall young league a season ago, many teams in the Northeast Conference are looking to improve and battle for that birth in the NCAA Tournament.

Robert Morris: It will be tough for the defending champs in the NEC to repeat, but Robert Morris has a good chunk of talent returning. Minus their leading scorer from a year ago, the Colonials bring enough firepower back to threaten amongst the top teams in the conference. Rob Robinson will lead the way in the title defense for Robert Morris.

Mount St. Mary’s: He stands at only 5’9”, but Jeremy Goode is a potential Player of the Year candidate in the conference and the Mountaineers are glad to have him back. Led by Goode, Mount St. Mary’s enters the season as the favorite in the NEC and after a 19-win season last year, they should be looking to improve. 

Sacred Heart: The Pioneers have been in a situation to threaten for a NCAA Tournament berth the last few seasons. From entering the championship game as the favorite two years ago to a third place regular season finish last season, Sacred Heart loses two of its two four scorers heading into 2009-2010. It will be interesting to see if the Pioneers still have enough to remain in the hunt.

Long Island: There is plenty of talent back for Long Island this season and after 12 wins in conference last year, the expectations are growing. The Blackbirds return their six top scorers from last season and potential Player of the Year candidate Jaytornah Wisseh who looks to build on his 15.2 points per game from last season. Long Island should finish in a position to threaten for the NEC championship.

Quinnipiac: James Feldeine and Justin Rutty are the two best players for this Bobcats squad and Quinnipiac somewhere near the top in 2009-2010. After 10 wins in the conference last year, the Bobcats might be the team who improves the most from last season. Feldeine and Rutty can both threaten for all-conference honors.

Wagner: The Seahawks finished sixth in the conference last year, but they should expect a significant drop off in 2009-2010. Most of their talent from last season is gone, so it will be difficult for Wagner to not find themselves towards the bottom of the league.

Central Connecticut State : Like many of the other teams in the league, the Blue Devils also return some of their top talent from a year ago. After an 8-10 mark in the league last year, Central Connecticut should find themselves able to move up in the standings. They might not be able to compete with some of the top teams in the NEC, but a finish somewhere around the middle of the standings is where CCSU can be found.

St. Francis (NY): The Terriers only won ten games overall last season, but do return one of the stronger players in the conference in Ricky Cadell. It probably won’t be enough to keep St. Francis (NY) out of the bottom half of the NEC though.

St. Francis (PA): They finished in last place in the conference last season, and although they probably won’t move up much, it should be somewhat of an improving year for the Red Flash. Devin Sweetney averaged over 16 points per game last year and he will be the go-to-guy again for St. Francis (PA).

Monmouth: After a ninth place conference finish a year ago, the Hawks will also be looking to slide up in the standings. Leading scorer Travis Taylor is back and Monmouth will look to improve after only eight wins all of last season.

Fairleigh Dickinson: The Knights were among the bottom of the NEC last year and they will probably be somewhere around there again in 2009-2010. Sean Baptiste is back and will lead the way for Fairleigh Dickinson, but fans shouldn’t expect too much out of them again this year.

Projected Standings:

1. Mount St. Mary’s

2. Quinnipiac

3. Long Island

4. Robert Morris

5. Central Connecticut State

6. Scared Heart

7. Monmouth.

8. St. Francis (NY)

9. St. Fanicis (PA)

10. Fairleigh Dickinson

11. Wagner

First Team All-NEC:

G- Jeremy Goode, Sr., Mount St. Mary’s

G- James Feldeine, Sr., Quinnipiac

G- Jaytornah Wisseh, Sr., Long Island

F- Rob Robinson, Sr., Robert Morris

F- Devin Sweetney, Sr., St. Francis (PA)

Second Team All-NEC:

G- Sean Baptiste, Sr., Fairleigh Dickinson

F- Justin Rutty, Jr., Quinnipiac

G- Ricky Cadell, Jr., St. Francis (NY)

G- Whitney Coleman, Sr., Monmouth

G- Corey Hassan, Sr., Sacred Heart

NEC Player of the Year:

Guard- Mount St. Mary’s- Jeremy Goode

With talk about the NCAA March Madness Tournament slowly but steadily heating up, I decided to take a look at those who will not get a sniff of tournament glory this season. This is a list no team wants to be on. These team's tournament bubbles popped long ago. Without further ado, here are the five worst teams in college basketball this season.

5. Houston Baptist—Houston Baptist is 1-16 overall and their lone win came against No. 3 ranked Howard by 10 points. The Huskies allow 84.2 points per game, including letting Illinois State score 107 on them. They do have a tough strength of schedule though, which accounts for their boost in the rankings. The Huskies have played Marquette, Villanova, Illinois State, and Ohio State.

4. Sacramento State—The Hornets do have one win on the season, a 12-point victory over UC Davis. But Sacramento State has a 1-15 record overall and has lost their last 10. Their defining moment of the season was scoring just 32 points in a loss to Santa Clara.

3. Howard—You know it is bad when you lose by 10 to Houston Baptist. The Bison's lone win came in their opener when they won a thrilling 47-45 upset over Oregon State. Since then have lost 12 in a row and now sit at 1-12. They traveled to Oregon State a month later for a rematch and the Beavers handed them a 90-54 loss.  

2. North Carolina Central—The Eagles have started the season 0-17 and only score an average of 54.5 points per game. However, NCC are the victims of strange scheduling as they have played just three games so far at home and 11 on the road.

1. N.J.I.T.—New Jersey Tech is currently riding the longest losing streak in Division-I basketball history. They are 0-16 this season and have lost over 40 games in a row dating back to last season. The Highlanders average a total of 45.6 points per game. They have scored less than 40 points five times this season.

On the bubble: Bryant University, Mississippi Valley State, Texas Southern, Southern University, Furman, UNC-Greensboro, Fairleigh Dickinson, Florida A&M, USC Upstate.

The Washington State Cougars used their tenacious defense to improve on this young season to 2-0 Tuesday night in Pullman. Their opponent in the Legends Classic Tournament match up was the Knights of Fairleigh Dickinson.

Coach Tony Bennett's Cougs dominated from the opening tipoff, won by Aron Baynes. Final score was once again definitive Bennett Ball, 55-33.

Former WSU Coach Dick Bennett was on hand to see the Coug Babes up close and personal.  He certainly was proud of the play by the Cougars.

There was a nice crowd of 6,159 in attendance.  They were strong in their spirited support of the Cougs. Yes, even the fans need some non-conference games to fine tune their game!

The first half wasn't pretty for the WSU offense.  Klay Thompson couldn't find the range, missing his first three attempts.  Remember, three shots in a half is a lot for any player on a Bennett Ball team.

Since the Cougs were having trouble with their offense, Coach Tom Green had his team running a zone defense almost the entire first half.  It was a smart call by Coach Green and helped his Knights keep the game within reach.

Despite playing stifling defense in the opening 20 minutes, halftime score was 26-15 in favor of Washington State.

Whatever Coach Bennett said during the intermission, it seemed to fire up WSU scoring.

Thompson had seven points in the first three minutes of the second half, finishing the game with nine.

Baynes and Nic Koprivica led the Cougs in scoring with 10 each.

Taylor Rochestie had another solid performance running the team on the floor.  He dished out six assists, matching his output in the game Saturday night.

Washington State was so dominant on defense that the Knights didn't manage a run of 5 points until there was just eight minutes left in the game.  At that point in the game, Coach Bennett called timeout to slow things down. It worked.  The Cougs put together a 7-0 run of their own, running the margin out to 54-26.  Game over.

With WSU up by 28 points, Coach Bennett sat Baynes, Rochestie and Daven Harmeling down to watch the kids play.

The final three minutes was a learning experience for DeAngelo Casto, Abe Lodwick, Marcus Capers and Charlie Enquist. They were outscored 7-1 by Coach Green's Knights.

If there is anything the Cougs need to work on coming out of this game, it's rebounding. They didn't follow up their domination of the boards Saturday night with another solid effort.  

Fairleigh Dickinson used their size to full advantage.  Also, the Knights were forced into so many bad shots, there were plenty of opportunities for rebounds.  But where FD shined was grabbing the rock after all missed 3-point shots by the Cougs.

Enough with the criticism.

Washington State is 2-0 and has an 18 game non-conference game winning streak.  The school record is 21 consecutive non-conference wins over two seasons.

It looks like that record is in danger.

Next up for the Cougs is an early evening game Friday night against Sacramento State.

Coach Bennett's Cougars are off to a terrific start.  If they keep this up, the talk of a rebuilding year will be silenced.

Seriously.

Photo by jamesbusso

Over the weekend, the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby ended in tragedy as Eight Belles, the first filly to run since 1999, broke both front ankles and was subsequently euthanized. Moments after Big Brown won the race by a little over four lengths, Eight Belles collapsed while over 15,000 attendees were still celebrating the still undefeated champion.

It was a relapse into the despair felt when Barbaro succumbed to a fracture in his rear leg during the Preakness just two years ago. At the time, the sentiment was that Barbaro’s fate was a once-in-a-lifetime situation that wouldn’t happen again in a quarter of a century. The statistics that have been cited support this theory. Two tenths of one percent of all race horses end their lives in this manner. Before Barbaro and Eight Belles, people who tuned in to watch the most famous races that make up the Triple Crown were almost assured of seeing a clean race, sans tragedy.

Now, in just the past three years, there have been four euthanized thoroughbreds in major races. In ‘05 at Belmont, Funfair broke a hind leg in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and was euthanized that day. In ‘06 Barbaro broke his hind leg at the Preakness. In ‘07, two-time European champion George Washington broke down in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth Park and was euthanized on the scene. And now, we have Eight Belles.

Hardly seems like two tenths of one percent. And this is why there has been a public outcry on a number of fronts in regards to horse racing. The majority of the general public see this as an incomprehensible tragedy, unexpected and without reason. Many may not sit down to watch the final two legs of the Triple Crown for fear of additional grief, but they aren’t blaming racing as a sport for the fate of Eight Belles.

The media, on the other hand, have decided to use Eight Belles as a soapbox. While there are a number of outlets who have expressed opinions both for and against issues of banning horse racing, punishing the trainers, changing the rules, etc., there have been an exorbitant amount of op-ed pieces lamenting horse racing and exclaiming the atrocities of the sport. The New York Times was one of the first to hop on the blame wagon and PETA followed by saying that the jockey should be suspended.

There is clearly an issue that needs to be resolved in terms of horses dying in races. However, the masses are quick to jump to the conclusion that these bone breakages are solely the result of the races. The horses broke their ankles after running a race, therefore it must be because of the race. The logic is sustainable if only used in the localized setting of a single race. However, what has been neglected is the reality that horses break bones in their legs in the wild. In fact, more injuries occur outside of horse racing than occur in the sport. Simply, more people see the instances that occur in a high-profile race setting than out in the wild.

While racing itself cannot be blamed for the injuries these horses suffer, racing can improve the environment in which these horses compete. Synthetic surfaces have a significant opportunity to lessen the frequency of injuries as well as the magnitude of those injuries that do occur. However, such improvements must be met with a greater understanding of the sport; more than the general fan and media opportunist can glean from watching three horse races a year.

Eight Belles proved to be more than up to the challenge of ‘hanging with the boys’ and her unfortunate death has created a forum for discussion about ideas, treatment of animals, and how people in general react to tragedy.

“It wasn’t that, it wasn’t the distance, it wasn’t a big bumping match for her, she never got touched,” trainer Larry Jones said. “She passed all those questions … with flying colors. The race was over, all we had to do was pull up, come back and be happy. It just didn’t happen.”