Five Big Ten teams down. Michigan State to go after coming back from a 13 point deficit to send last year's national champions packing for Lawrence, Kansas.
(3) Kansas 62, (2) Michigan State 67
* From Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- Goran Suton scored 20 points and Michigan State was steady from the foul line, defeating defending NCAA champion Kansas 67-62 Friday night in the Midwest Regional semifinals.
Kalin Lucas added 18 points for the Spartans (29-6).
Michigan State advanced to play Louisville on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four. The top-seeded Cardinals defeated Arizona 103-64 earlier in the night.
Sherron Collins scored 20 points and Cole Aldrich had 17 points and 14 rebounds for Kansas (27-7).
Friday, March 27, 2009
Iowa Basketball Coverage
Daily Iowan
Four players leaving Iowa basketball program
Jake Kelly to leave Hawkeyes
Basketball's Jermain Davis to Transfer
Rivals
Gatens and Tucker support Coach Lickliter
Barta pledges support for Lickliter
Lickliter confirms four players leaving
Press-Citizen
Photo Gallery: Lickliter News Conference
Peterson, Palmer also leave Hawkeyes
Lickliter to hold press conference
Father: Kelly leaving Iowa
Future looks rough for Hawkeyes
Four players leaving Iowa basketball program
Jake Kelly to leave Hawkeyes
Basketball's Jermain Davis to Transfer
Rivals
Gatens and Tucker support Coach Lickliter
Barta pledges support for Lickliter
Lickliter confirms four players leaving
Press-Citizen
Photo Gallery: Lickliter News Conference
Peterson, Palmer also leave Hawkeyes
Lickliter to hold press conference
Father: Kelly leaving Iowa
Future looks rough for Hawkeyes
Follow The Leader
All I can say is, thank God you only need five players to field a team in basketball seeing as Iowa will have six scholarship players returning next year after three Hawkeyes followed Junior Jermain Davis' announced exodus on Monday.
Those who followed suit:
(P.S. - Dear Jeff Peterson: This picture was ONLY taken because you asked for it to be. Happy trails. )
Everyone by now has already read/seen coach Todd Lickliter's press conference and knows what this means. However let's take a look at what I will and won't miss about each of these players.
Jermain Davis
Jermain, you jump really high. I wish I had your "hops" because I would be quite dominant at volleyball. I will also miss this priceless picture of your "I'm playing TOUGH defense" face.
However, dearest Jermain, I will NOT miss your for limping across the court for no reason every time you played, which really irritated me and my friends when we watched. El Fin.
David Palmer
David, I will miss the excitement you brought with your mid-season performances which you pulled out of your ass. Forty points in two games? What the...oh well, I'll take it.
Oh Jake...Jake! Jake! Jake!... Jake "the snake" Kelly.... At least you became an incredible player this year. It was pretty fun to have someone on Iowa's basketball team to actually root for. I will miss seeing an Iowa player average about 20 points per game consistently.
However, Jake "I should stop trying to showboat while dribbling" Kelly, I will not miss your showboating while you dribble. I will also not miss the way you wear your Indiana Pacers hat around campus. El Fin.
_______________
Oh, and Hawks, best of luck next year when you go to that tournament in Kansas City that features Pittsburgh, Texas, and Wichita State. Yeeeesh.
El Fin.
Those who followed suit:
- Jake Kelly: 32 games, 11.6 ppg, twice Big Ten Player of the Week, all-Big Ten Honorable Mention. Averaged 30.8 minutes.
- David Palmer: 19 games, 4.1 ppg, averaged 20 points in back-to-back games Jan 18 and 21.
- Jeff Peterson: 25 games, 10.6 ppg, 4.2 assists per game, averaged 33 minutes.
(P.S. - Dear Jeff Peterson: This picture was ONLY taken because you asked for it to be. Happy trails. )Everyone by now has already read/seen coach Todd Lickliter's press conference and knows what this means. However let's take a look at what I will and won't miss about each of these players.
Jermain Davis
Jermain, you jump really high. I wish I had your "hops" because I would be quite dominant at volleyball. I will also miss this priceless picture of your "I'm playing TOUGH defense" face.
However, dearest Jermain, I will NOT miss your for limping across the court for no reason every time you played, which really irritated me and my friends when we watched. El Fin.
David Palmer
David, I will miss the excitement you brought with your mid-season performances which you pulled out of your ass. Forty points in two games? What the...oh well, I'll take it.
However, David, I will not miss the fact you didn't even see the court in your final four contests. Not only that, after you scored 40 points in two games, you scored 21 points the rest of the season in eight games played. I will also not miss the completely enthused face you wear around 24/7. El Fin.
Jeff Peterson
Jeff, Jeff, Jeff...I will miss the hope of you being a pretty descent point guard by the time you would have been a senior. I will also miss your...courage?...to get under the basket for a rebound when there are four other guys on the court way bigger than you trying to rebound at half-court. A great effort you gave. Also, we had quite a funny conversation before you, perhaps accidentally and not in the best state of mind, told me a couple of weeks ago that Kelly would be transferring to Indiana State, and that you and Davis would also be packing your bags.
However, I won't miss your awful assists/turnover ration, especially in losses to teams like West Virginia when you had seven. I mean come on, not everyone washes their hands in butter before they play. Why did you have to?
Jake KellyOh Jake...Jake! Jake! Jake!... Jake "the snake" Kelly.... At least you became an incredible player this year. It was pretty fun to have someone on Iowa's basketball team to actually root for. I will miss seeing an Iowa player average about 20 points per game consistently.
However, Jake "I should stop trying to showboat while dribbling" Kelly, I will not miss your showboating while you dribble. I will also not miss the way you wear your Indiana Pacers hat around campus. El Fin.
_______________
Oh, and Hawks, best of luck next year when you go to that tournament in Kansas City that features Pittsburgh, Texas, and Wichita State. Yeeeesh.
El Fin.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Hey Lickliter, Where's the Sushi?!
Let’s get this out of the way – Iowa basketball fans are few and far between this season, and the few that stay glued can only cross their fingers.
That being said, a whole new season starts today when the Big Ten Tournament tips off at 12:00 ET.
Tenth-seeded Iowa (15-16, 5-13) will take to the court against seventh-seeded Michigan (19-12, 9-9) at 1:30 p.m., a rematch of last year’s first round. Ninth-seeded Michigan won over eighth-seeded Iowa, 55-47.
In his second season coaching the Hawkeyes, Todd Lickliter led Iowa to a one and one record against the Wolverines, the latest being a 70-60 overtime thriller on Feb. 22 in Iowa City.
“Hopefully Iowa will come out with a spark since they already have a win under their belts against Michigan,” Coralville resident Mike Ephraim, said. “It’s a small crowd out there hoping for the best.”
Hawkeye fans will surely not be helping ESPN 2's ratings, and the venue will probably be close to empty.
“I haven’t watched a game all year and I don’t even know who is on the team,” University of Iowa sophomore Jessica Anderson, said. “Does that make me a bad supporter? I know there’s that Jake guy!”
Yes, there is that Jake guy, Jessica. He is Jake Kelly, the new 6-foot-6-inch star point guard, and he holds the key to success at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this weekend.
Kelly is averaging 20.4 points over Iowa's last seven outings since taking over for injured sophomore point guard Jeff Peterson, and he has played 326 of a possible 335 minutes in Iowa's last eight games.
He has also nabbed his second Big Ten Player of the Week honor in the past three weeks, as well as honorable mention for all-Big Ten honors.
So where are these fans? Where are Kelly’s fans?
“I’m a huge Hawkeye fan but feel that their game play is sub par so I’ve only gone to one game and they lost,” UI junior Brett Kuzniar said. “Too bad Jake decided to show up with only a few games left because their play caused the fans to not appreciate them.”
Like Kuzniar, most of these fans are doing what they call “something better than watching Iowa basketball.”
One thing that could be under this category is eating at Sushi Kitchen in Iowa City’s Old Capitol Mall.
Maybe the basketball team just needs a new diet to go along with their new point guard. That’s it! I’ve got the answer – a simple math equation.
Iowa men’s basketball + Sushi Kitchen = Success.
They should have stopped to eat at Sushi Kitchen on the way out of town. The Iowa wrestling team practically eats there every night and look how they perform.
Either way, new diet or not, the Hawkeyes need a little bit of that thing called luck.
“I think the momentum they have from the double overtime win against Penn State can carry them to an unexpected win against Michigan,” Ephraim said. “Cross your fingers.”
Mike Ephraim, Brett Kuzniar, Jessica Anderson, Mike Pugh, Spencer Clark
That being said, a whole new season starts today when the Big Ten Tournament tips off at 12:00 ET.
Tenth-seeded Iowa (15-16, 5-13) will take to the court against seventh-seeded Michigan (19-12, 9-9) at 1:30 p.m., a rematch of last year’s first round. Ninth-seeded Michigan won over eighth-seeded Iowa, 55-47.
In his second season coaching the Hawkeyes, Todd Lickliter led Iowa to a one and one record against the Wolverines, the latest being a 70-60 overtime thriller on Feb. 22 in Iowa City.
“Hopefully Iowa will come out with a spark since they already have a win under their belts against Michigan,” Coralville resident Mike Ephraim, said. “It’s a small crowd out there hoping for the best.”
Hawkeye fans will surely not be helping ESPN 2's ratings, and the venue will probably be close to empty.
“I haven’t watched a game all year and I don’t even know who is on the team,” University of Iowa sophomore Jessica Anderson, said. “Does that make me a bad supporter? I know there’s that Jake guy!”
Yes, there is that Jake guy, Jessica. He is Jake Kelly, the new 6-foot-6-inch star point guard, and he holds the key to success at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this weekend.
Kelly is averaging 20.4 points over Iowa's last seven outings since taking over for injured sophomore point guard Jeff Peterson, and he has played 326 of a possible 335 minutes in Iowa's last eight games.
He has also nabbed his second Big Ten Player of the Week honor in the past three weeks, as well as honorable mention for all-Big Ten honors.
So where are these fans? Where are Kelly’s fans?
“I’m a huge Hawkeye fan but feel that their game play is sub par so I’ve only gone to one game and they lost,” UI junior Brett Kuzniar said. “Too bad Jake decided to show up with only a few games left because their play caused the fans to not appreciate them.”
Like Kuzniar, most of these fans are doing what they call “something better than watching Iowa basketball.”
One thing that could be under this category is eating at Sushi Kitchen in Iowa City’s Old Capitol Mall.
Maybe the basketball team just needs a new diet to go along with their new point guard. That’s it! I’ve got the answer – a simple math equation.
Iowa men’s basketball + Sushi Kitchen = Success.
They should have stopped to eat at Sushi Kitchen on the way out of town. The Iowa wrestling team practically eats there every night and look how they perform.
Either way, new diet or not, the Hawkeyes need a little bit of that thing called luck.
“I think the momentum they have from the double overtime win against Penn State can carry them to an unexpected win against Michigan,” Ephraim said. “Cross your fingers.”
Mike Ephraim, Brett Kuzniar, Jessica Anderson, Mike Pugh, Spencer Clark
Challenge Blog: FIGHT!
So...everybody (ok, maybe not everyone) enjoys fighting in sports. Here are some of my favorites. Feel free to post links to videos you like, and I'll continue to add more.
Hockey Fight - Flyers v. Ottawa. My favorite fight ever.
Oregon's mascot is the man. or woman. either way.
Zidane Headbutt
NBA Saudi
Baseball fight - How it begins...amazing.
Hockey Fight - Flyers v. Ottawa. My favorite fight ever.
Oregon's mascot is the man. or woman. either way.
Zidane Headbutt
NBA Saudi
Baseball fight - How it begins...amazing.
Monday, March 9, 2009
2009 Big Ten Tournament Prediction
Click on the bracket to enlarge the photo. Also, I hope Iowa proves me a foolish predictor.
Kelly Nabs Honors Again
For the second time in three weeks, Iowa sophomore Jake Kelly earned Big Ten player of the week honors.
The honor comes after the Hawkeyes' thrilling 75-67 double-overtime win over Penn State on Saturday. Kelly had a double-double scoring 22 points and dishing out 11 assists.
Kelly is averaging 20.4 points over Iowa's last seven outings, and he has played 326 of a possible 335 minutes in Iowa's last eight games.
The Big Ten Player of the Week honor is the second for Kelly and the second for an Iowa player this season.
The honor comes after the Hawkeyes' thrilling 75-67 double-overtime win over Penn State on Saturday. Kelly had a double-double scoring 22 points and dishing out 11 assists.
Kelly is averaging 20.4 points over Iowa's last seven outings, and he has played 326 of a possible 335 minutes in Iowa's last eight games.
The Big Ten Player of the Week honor is the second for Kelly and the second for an Iowa player this season.
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