NFC Playoff Preview

(1) Dallas Cowboys
Record: 13-3
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 4-2
Coach: Wade Phillips (61-45, 0 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 365.7 ypg (3rd)
Total Defense: 307.6 (9th)

(2) Green Bay Packers
Record: 13-3
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 3-1
Coach: Mike McCarthy (21-11, 0 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 370.7 ypg (2nd)
Total Defense: 313.3 (11th)

(3) Seattle Seahawks
Record: 10-6
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 1-1
Coach: Mike Holmgren (169-109, 1 Super Bowl)
Total Offense: 348.9 (9th)
Total Defense: 321.8 (15th)

(4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Record: 9-7
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 2-3
Coach: Jon Gruden (91-77, 1 Super Bowl)
Total Offense: 326.8 (18th)
Total Defense: 278.4 (2nd)

(5) New York Giants
Record: 10-6
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 1-5
Coach: Tom Coughlin (107-95, 0 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 331.4 (16th)
Total Defense: 305 ypg (7th)

(6) Washington Redskins
Record: 9-7
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 2-5
Coach: Joe Gibbs (171-100, 4 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 333.4 (15th)
Total Defense: 305.2 (8th)

AFC Playoff Preview

(1) New England Patriots
Record: 16-0
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 6-0
Coach: Bill Belichick (140-84, 3 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 411.2 ypg (1st)
Total Defense: 288.3 ypg (4th)

(2) Indianapolis Colts
Record: 13-3
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 4-3
Coach: Tony Dungy (136-73, 1 Super Bowl)
Total Offense: 358.7 ypg (5th)
Total Defense: 279.7 ypg (3rd)

(3) San Diego Chargers
Record: 11-5
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 2-3
Coach: Norv Turner (70-88, 0 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 315.2 ypg (20th)
Total Defense: 320.2 ypg (14th)

(4) Pittsburgh Steelers
Record: 10-6
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 2-2
Coach: Mike Tomlin (10-6, 0 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 327.4 ypg (17th)
Total Defense: 266.4 ypg (1st)

(5) Jacksonville Jaguars
Record: 11-5
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 4-3
Coach: Jack Del Rio (45-36, 0 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 357.4 ypg (7th)
Total Defense: 313.8 ypg (12th)

(6) Tennessee Titans
Record: 10-6
Record vs. 2007 Playoff teams: 2-4
Coach: Jeff Fisher (120-103, 0 Super Bowls)
Total Offense: 311.7 ypg (21st)
Total Defense: 291.6 ypg (5th)

Week 17 Scores

Saturday:
New England 38, N.Y. GIANTS 35

Sunday:
ATLANTA 44, Seattle 41
CHICAGO 33, New Orleans 25
CLEVELAND 20, San Francisco 7
GREEN BAY 34, Detroit 13
Cincinnati 38, MIAMI 25
PHILADELPHIA 17, Buffalo 9
Carolina 31, TAMPA BAY 23
HOUSTON 42, Jacksonville 28
WASHINGTON 27, Dallas 6
BALTIMORE 27, Pittsburgh 21
San Diego 30, OAKLAND 17
DENVER 22, Minnesota 19 (OT)
ARIZONA 48, St. Louis 19
N.Y. JETS 13, Kansas City 10 (OT)
Tennessee 16, INDIANAPOLIS 10

Updated Playoff Picture:
NFC
Division Winners
1) Dallas Cowboys (13-3)*
2) Green Bay Packers (13-3)*
3) Seattle Seahawks (10-6)*
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)*
Wild Card
5) New York Giants (10-6)*
6) Washington Redskins (9-7)

AFC
Division Winners
1) New England Patriots (16-0)*
2) Indianapolis Colts (13-3)*
3) San Deigo Chargers (11-5)*
4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)*
Wild Card
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (11-5)*
6) Tennessee Titans (10-6)

* = Clinched Playoff Birth

Playoff Schedule
Saturday (January 5)
(6) Washington Redskins at (3) Seattle Seahawks (1:30 p.m., FOX)
(5) Jacksonville Jaguars at (4) Pittsburgh Steelers (5 p.m., NBC)

Sunday (January 6)
(5) New York Giants at (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9 a.m., FOX)
(6) Tennessee Titans at (3) San Diego Chargers (1:30 p.m., NBC)

Sonics follow-up

I thought I'd show more in-depth with numbers what I meant by my last column. So here is the Sonics payroll for the next five years by player on the roster starting with who is signed on for the most money.

Wally Szczerbiak (Forward)
2007/08: $12,000,000
2008/09: $13,000,000

Kurt Thomas (Forward/Center)
2007/08: $8,091,187

Chris Wilcox (Forward)
2007/08: $6,500,000
2008/09: $6,750,000

Luke Ridnour (Guard)
2007/08: $6,500,000
2008/09: $6,500,000
2009/10: $6,500,000

Earl Watson (Guard)
2007/08: $5,800,000
2008/09: $6,200,000
2009/10: $6,600,000

Nick Collison (Forward/Center)
2007/08: $5,750,000
2008/09: $6,250,000
2009/10: $6,250,000
2010/11: $6,750,000

Kevin Durant (Guard/Forward)
2007/08: $4,171,200
2008/09: $4,484,040
2009/10: $4,796,880 (Team Option)
2010/11: $6,053,662 (Team Option)
2011/12: $7,900,029 (Qualifying Offer)

Jeff Green (Forward)
2007/08: $3,058,200
2008/09: $3,287,640
2009/10: $3,516,960 (Team Option)
2010/11: $4,455,988 (Team Option)
2011/12: $5,908,640 (Qualifying Offer)

Damien Wilkins (Guard/Forward)
2007/08: $2,900,000
2008/09: $3,100,000 (Player Option)
2009/10: $3,300,000

Robert Swift (Center)
2007/08: $2,601,112
2008/09: $3,579,131 (Qualifying Offer)

Saer Sene (Center)
2007/08: $2,105,520
2008/09: $2,252,400
2009/10: $2,871,810 (Team Option)
2010/11: $3,911,405 (Qualifying Offer)

Delonte West (Guard)
2007/08: $1,889,759
2008/09: $2,762,828 (Qualifying Offer)

Johan Petro (Center)
2007/08: $1,077,120
2008/09: $1,939,893
2009/10: $2,849,702 (Qualifying Offer)

Mickael Gelabale (Forward)
2007/08: $802,000

Team Total Signed Salaries:
2007/08: $63,246,298
2008/09: $53,763,973
2009/10: $22,650,000
2010/11: $6,750,000
2011/12: $0

The salary cap for the 2007/08 season is $55,630,000 meaning the Sonics are about $6,500,000 over. However, the luxury tax starts at $67,865,000 meaning the Sonics aren't really that close to that either.

Sonics are going to get better, but will Seattle see it?

It certainly wasn't pretty for the Portland TrailBlazers who topped the Seattle SuperSonics 89-79 on Christmas evening to extend their winning streak to 11 games.

The hottest team in the NBA is just a few years removed from being known as the "JailBlazers," and is a model of how the Sonics are trying to improve: young talent.

After getting rid of aging and overpaid guys with questionable character, the TrailBlazers have decided to invest in young guys with draft picks. The Sonics, who are now 8-20, are trying to do the same thing.

The Blazers drafted Martell Webster, then traded for Jarrett Jack in the 2005 draft. In the 2006 draft the Blazers made six draft day trades two eventually acquire LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Alexander Johnson, Raef LaFrentz, Dan Dickau, and three future picks. Last June in the 2007 draft, the Blazers got the No. 1 pick which they used on Greg Oden, who has been hyped since he was in junior high. Portland then used the rest of their picks to get Rudy Fernández, Petteri Koponen, Josh McRoberts, and Taurean Green.

Now that is an overhaul of the roster.

Meanwhile, the Sonics are trying to mirror that strategy. After spending most of their draft picks on project centers (see: Robert Swift in 2004; Johan Petro and Lawrence Roberts in 2005; and Mouhamed Sene in 2006) and unproven guards (see: Andre Emmett and David Young in 2004; and Denham Brown and Yotam Halperin in 2006), the Sonics have finally decided to draft proven players.

In last 2007 draft, the Sonics picked Kevin Durant (No. 2 overall). Then they traded their second round pick (Glen Davis) and Ray Allen to the Boston Celtics for Jeff Green (No. 5 overall pick), Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and a future second round pick.

Then the Sonics traded their other first round pick (Carl Landry) to the Houston Rockets for a future pick and money.

That left the Sonics with two rookies in Durant and Green who some think are the future of the NBA. Some even think when Durant is done, he might be the best player in NBA history.

Durant takes care of the small forward position. Kurt Thomas, Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox will be rotating in and out with Green for different combinations of power forward and center.

That leaves the guard play where the Sonics have three average-to-below-average point guards in Luke Ridnour, Delonte West and Earl Watson. Ridnour and Watson have been rumored in trades all season, which would be a great thing for the Sonics to unload at least one of those guys, but there aren't a lot of team looking for overpaid average point guards.

The shooting guard position is filled by Szczerbiak and Damien Wilkins. Szczerbiak has been streaky this year, but Wilkins has been consistent.

Overall, the point guard play has killed the Sonics, as has the lack of a true center. But the future looks promising with Durant and Green, plus this scenario:

In the upcoming 2008 NBA draft, the Sonics will have four picks (one first round pick from the Phoenix Suns; one second round pick from the Orlando Magic). If the Sonics can draft a proven point guard (such as Eric Gordon, O.J. Mayo or Derrick Rose) with the lottery pick, then draft a solid late first round pick (such as D.J. White, Brandon Rush or Tyler Hansbrough) the Sonics looked poised to make a run in the near future.

Then that gives Seattle the flexibility to package one or both of those second round picks to other teams for players, or use them on players who fall to the second round. One of those second round picks will be an early one where they could draft someone such as Joey Dorsey, Malik Hairston or Sean Singletary. The other pick will probably be later in the second round where Chris Lofton might be waiting.

The one problem with a trade is they have Ridnour's $6.5 million contract hanging over their heads, along with Watson's $5.8 million contract until 2010. Ouch.

Luckily Thomas' $8 million contract expires at the end of this season, opening some cap room for the Sonics to make a serious push at a top-notch free agent. Also, Szczerbiak's $13 million contract ends at the end of next season which makes it appealing to teams who will be looking for a shooter for one year, then dump his contract at the end for a 2009 free agent push (a team that is aging and average-to-below-average like the Sacramento Kings or Charlotte Bobcats).

The 2008 unrestricted free agent list includes Antawn Jamison, Chris Duhon, DeSagana Diop, Baron Davis, Elton Brand, Sam Cassell, Jermaine O'Neal, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion and Ron Artest. And those are just the unrestricted free agents.

Let's say the Sonics make an announcement saying they're staying in Seattle eliminating any worries for potential free agents that their home is unstable, then Seattle gets a top five draft pick in the 2008 draft (very reasonable) which they use on Rose. They then use their late first round pick on Rush. That gives them a solid, young backcourt. They then pick up Hairston and Lofton with their second round picks. That gives them two solid point guards and two solid shooting guards to run the show.

Then let's say Seattle makes a run at Diop (decent center that will add depth) then saves up the rest of the money (which after Diop will be about $10 million). Let's add that $10 million to the $12 million the Sonics will save after Szczerbiak's contract runs out in 2009 for a run at Ben Gordon. So here's how it could play out:

The 2008-09 Sonics roster
PG- Rose, Lofton, Ridnour, Watson
SG- Wilkins, Szczerbiak, Hairston
SF- Durant, Rush
PF- Collison, Green
C- Diop, Wilcox, Petro

Contracts that expire after the 2009 season: Petro, Szczerbiak, Durant, Green, Sene and Wilcox.

Durant, Green and Sene have a team option to pick up their contracts for two more years (which, barring injury, they will do). So the Sonics will then resign Wilcox to an equal contract to what he makes now ($6.75 million per year). After all those deals, the Sonics payroll will be up to $36,685,352. If they draft Rose it will be about $4 million more, then Rush for $3 million, Hairston for about $2 million and Lofton for $1.5 million, which is about $10.5 million in rookie contracts. This year's payroll is $63,246,298, so to match this payroll the Sonics can spend $16,060,946 on free agents.

At that point, the Sonics could make a push for a very good center or power forward (Elton Brand or Lamar Odom), or go for the best player available (Gordon or Arenas). Let's say the Sonics go after Gordon because the Bulls are dismantling and starting over (as are the Wizards, but Arenas probably wants a big-market team). Before draft picks the Sonics would look like this:

The 2009-10 Sonics roster:
PG- Rose, Lofton, Ridnour, Watson
SG- Gordon, Wilkins, Hairston
SF- Durant, Rush
PF- Green, Collison
C- Diop, Wilcox, Sene

That's a starting five of Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and DeSagana Diop. With Chris Lofton, Damien Wilkins, Malik Hairston, Brandon Rush, Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox coming off the bench, along with Luke Ridnour and Earl Watson. Plus whomever they got in the 2009 draft.

Hopefully at that point the Sonics will be middle of the road for the 2009 draft--meaning they could either get a lottery pick (1-13) or be somewhere around 14-17. Since they're in the Western Conference (a.k.a. the tougher conference), they'll probably be around 10-15. Then they can work on their weaknesses--including taking a risk on a guard for the post-Rindour and Watson era (with Gerald Henderson, Sherron Collins, Jeremy Pargo or Jerryd Bayless) or improve at center (with Andrew Ogilvy or Sam Young).

All of a sudden, the Sonics are competitive again with young talent. Your young guys are signed on through 2011, the franchise is saved and is in Seattle...and best of all? After the 2010 season the Sonics will unload the contracts of Ridnour and Watson (combined $13 million).

That gives the Sonics even more money to work with and, of course, they still have the lingering picks from the Houston and Boston trades which they could move in a trade of their own.

Of course, this is all hypothetical and knowing the Sonics, they'll resign Szczerbiak for even more money that he's worth and all this will be void. Oh well.

Week 16 Scores

Final Scores:
Thursday:
Pittsburgh 41, ST. LOUIS 24

Saturday:
Dallas 20, CAROLINA 13

Sunday:
CHICAGO 35, Green Bay 7
CINCINNATI 19, Cleveland 14
DETROIT 25, Kansas City 10
INDIANAPOLIS 38, Houston 15
JACKSONVILLE 49, Oakland 11
N.Y. Giants 38, BUFFALO 21
Philadelphia 38, NEW ORLEANS 23
ARIZONA 30, Atlanta 27 (OT)
SAN FRANCISCO 21, Tampa Bay 19
NEW ENGLAND 28, Miami 7
TENNESSEE 10, N.Y. Jets 6
SEATTLE 27, Baltimore 6
Washington 32, MINNESOTA 21

Monday:
SAN DIEGO 23, Denver 3

Updated Playoff Picture:
NFC
Division Winners
1) Dallas Cowboys (13-2)*
2) Green Bay Packers (12-3)*
3) Seattle Seahawks (10-5)*
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-6)*
Wild Card
5) New York Giants (10-5)*
6) Washington Redskins (8-7)

Still Alive
7) Minnesota Vikings (8-7)
8) New Orleans Saints (7-8)

AFC
Division Winners
1) New England Patriots (15-0)*
2) Indianapolis Colts (13-2)*
3) San Deigo Chargers (10-5)*
4) Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)*
Wild Card
5) Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4)*
6) Tennessee Titans (9-6)

Still Alive
7) Cleveland Browns (9-6)

* = Clinched Playoff Birth

Pargo needs to step up and become 'go-to' player

Dan Dickau. Blake Stepp. Adam Morrison. Derek Raivio.

After nearly a decade of "go-to" players leading the charge for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the Zags are searching for that next guy.

Welcome, Jeremy Pargo.

The 6'2" guard from Chicago, who has an older brother in the NBA, needs to become that player. In reality, he's the only option.

The Zags have two seniors: David Pendergraft, who is a tremendous vocal leader, isn't the guy you want shooting in the clutch; and Abdullahi Kuso, who can't make a shot that is longer than five feet out.

That leaves juniors Pargo and "leader" Josh Heytvelt who was arrested and suspended last season for drug possession. Heytvelt, still recovering from an off-season injury, has not looked the same this season.

Meanwhile, Pargo kept the Bulldogs in the game Thursday in Ford Arena, hitting shot after shot against the Oklahoma Sooners in Oklahoma City. In fact, at one point Pargo had 12 points in a row for the Zags during a 12-5 run that gave Gonzaga the lead with a little over two minutes left.

From a nasty crossover drive, to pulling up for three after grabbing a rebound, Pargo showed signs that he is going to be the next great Zag. However, he went cold once the game hit the two minute mark.

Pargo aired a deep three pointer, then was blocked as he tried to tie the game with a three pointer with five seconds left.

The 72-68 loss at the hands of the unranked Sooniers is one the Zags can learn from. When the tournament time comes around, the Zags will need for a player to step it up in the clutch and lead them to the second weekend--something Gonzaga has had little success of lately. Pargo will be that guy.

When he hits that shot, we can look back at Thursday's career high 28-point performance that was all-for-naught because of his inability to score under two minutes.

Then we can see how much he's grown into his new role.

Williams, Young the right choices

He’s a can’t miss. He’s the best player in college football ever. The Houston Texans were idiotic for not choosing him. This is Sam Bowie/Michael Jordan all over again.

Two years later the “he,” Reggie Bush, is now sidelined with a slightly torn posterior cruciate ligament. Bush is the 36th leading rusher in NFL this season, accumulating just over 48 yards per game and scoring only four touchdowns.

Through two years, Bush’s career has been nothing short of disappointing. He has as many fumbles as he does rushing touchdowns (10), he has averaged only 3.7 yard per carry, and his longest run in two years? 22 yards.

Meanwhile Mario Williams, Houston’s No. 1 pick, has nine-and-a-half sacks this season, including three-and-a-half in the last two weeks.

Williams has been an anchor on the up-and-coming Texans’ defense that went from the 30th ranked defense the year before Williams, to the 28th ranked defense last year, and now is the 21st this year. His 14 sacks and 93 tackles in his two-year career have statistically dominated Bush’s on offense.

I will be the first to admit, I did not see this coming. On our radio show, my co-host Sean Blackburn and I spent more time arguing for Bush than we have for any other athlete. When we heard the Texans had reached a draft-day deal with Williams, we were shocked.

But since Williams was drafted, the Texans have steadily improved. In 2005, the year before Williams became a Texan, Houston went 2-14. Williams’ rookie year the Texans went 6-10. This season they have already matched last year’s six wins, but they still have three games left to improve on it.

The Saints made a playoff run last season that ended short of the Super Bowl, but this season have been inconsistent at best. They too are 6-7, but are considerably worse than last season.

Even the third pick, Tennessee Titans’ Vince Young, has been significantly better than Bush. Tennessee went 4-12 the year before Young, went 8-8 Young’s rookie season, and are 7-6 in Young’s sophomore campaign.

Young has passed for over 4,200 yards and rushed for nearly 900 yards in the 28 games he’s played in, and has 19 passing touchdowns to go along 10 rushing touchdowns. He can beat you with his arm or legs. Sure he turns the ball over too much, but he can beat you in so many ways.

I think it’s clear, two years later, that Bush was the bust while Williams and Young were to become stars.

Links for this week

This is the second batch of links, and I think I've found a rhythm where I'll post links every other Monday or so. Quick comment on the weekend, Tim Tebow won the Heisman, the Seahawks won the NFC West for the fourth-straight year, and the Patriots remained unbeaten. I'll probably post two or three times this week, then we're starting to gear up for college hoops conference play and college football bowl season. On to the links:

We will start off with the insane: New York Knicks owner James Dolan is reportedly saying that head coach Isaiah Thomas' job is safe. This after the Knicks lose two-straight games to the Philadelphia 76ers which gave the Sixers their first winning streak of the season. I, for one, am proud to say I started a "Fire Thomas" chant in Madison Square Garden when I attended a Knicks/Bobcats game last January. Apparently it's gotten so bad, MSG has started to play music to try and drown out those very same chants. The New York Observer wrote a good article about the state of the New York Knicks and how covering the Knicks isn't much better.

Let's move over to the weird. What do you get when you have a half-eaten corn cob, near empty bottle of Coca-Cola, and one single French fry? Enough for an auction apparently.

The Patriots are now 13-0, thanks to a 34-13 thrashing of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But you'd never guess what I found on the internet. Patriots coach Bill Belichick in his old Cleveland Brown days with an instructional video that will leave you speechless. Don't worry, it shows up about 30 seconds in.

Billionaire Donald Trump has an idea for his new business venture: build the "world's greatest golf course."

Time to catch up real quickly with one former athlete and one current athlete. This is a sad article about Texas great Earl Campbell, who is a shining example of why the NFL needs to support its retired players. The second is a great feature on Kobe.

It's Bowl Season, which means it's time to hand out the Heisman Award. Tim Tebow was the winner, but it looks like this was a long-time coming.

That leads me to our final links, which are from YouTube. The first is one of the coolest hockey goals I've ever seen. Nine-year-old Max Gerlach scored with a nifty move that left many in awe at a recent Senators/Stars NHL hockey game. The second is a video of how they celebrate touchdowns in the CFL. Not only did it bounce to an unfortunate place, but he got a penalty for it too.

Cougs/Zags: A rivalry for the future

Oh what a difference a year can make.

Take last year: Gonzaga and the University of Washington were throwing jabs about the end of the annual GU/UW game that had become so big over the 10 years it showcased the teams. But GU won eight of them.

“You know, if we were ever in a situation where we lost seven of the last eight games, I’d probably look to get rid of that team,” Gonzaga’s head coach Mark Few said. “I don’t blame then at all.”

Ouch.

The rift was started between the two coaching staffs after Gonzaga leaked a report that UW assistant Cameron Dollar had made illegal contact with future-Zag Josh Heytvelt five years ago. UW was furious that the Zags wouldn’t confront them directly. Then, with both teams battling for state supremacy, had a number of other recruiting wars including Phil Nelson (who went to the Huskies) and Robert Sacre (now a Zag).

But that was then. And this is now.

The Washington State Cougars know how much a year can change things. After being the punching bag of the Pac-10 for so many years, the Cougs were turned around last season when they finished second in the Pac-10 regular season and ended the regular season ranked No. 11 in the nation (AP).

Meanwhile, the Huskies were relegated to “rebuilding” status as they finished No. 7 in the Pac-10.

Which brings us to the now. And you know what? I think the WSU/GU rivalry is better for college hoops now. Not only are the schools closer in location, but they’re also closer in talent level.

Case and point, last night’s 51-47 Cougar win over the Zags, pairing two Top-25 teams for the first time in their rivalry. And with the talent level the Zags continue to bring in, and with Tony Bennett at the helm for the Cougars, it doesn’t look like either school is going to be struggling soon.

That’s why, while it’d be cool for the Zags and UW to renew their rivalry, the essential rivalry for the now is WSU and Gonzaga. Maybe next time college hoops will learn and will broadcast it on regular TV.

Final results from the Davis Cup

For the first time since 1995, the United States was given something to celebrate in the Davis Cup--tennis' version of the World Cup.

Andy Roddick led things off Friday night was a straight-set 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 win over Dmitry Tursunov that featured 25 aces off Roddick's racquet. Tursunov, a surprising choice considering he was the lowest-ranked player on the Russian team, never seemed comfortable in the match.

James Blake followed suit in the nightcap, shagging his reputation as an underachiever in big matches, with a four-set win over Mikhail Youzhny. The match could have gone either way, with Youzhny just three points away from taking a 2-1 lead instead of being down 2-1. But Blake came through in the clutch, admitting afterwards he wanted to prove something to the people who said he couldn't win the big matches. With the win, the Americans took a 2-0 lead into the second day.

The No. 1 ranked doubles team in the world, Bob and Mike Bryan, took on Nikolay Davydenko and Igor Andreev. Though Andreev and Davydenko kept the first set close, they were visibly frustrated in the second and third sets. The Bryan's easily won in straight sets to clinch America's 32nd Davis Cup.

The matches on Sunday were all icing on the cake. Since the match was already decided, the matches were shortened to best-of-three. Russia's Andreev pulled out a straight-set win over Bob Bryan, who replaced Roddick in the line-up. Blake ended the finals with a three-set thriller over Tursunov to give the United States a 4-1 victory over the defending champions.

Final Results:
Match 1: Andy Roddick (USA) def. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Match 2: James Blake (USA) def. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (3) 7-6 (3)
Match 3: Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) def. Nikolay Davydenko/Igor Andreev (RUS) 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-2
Match 4: Igor Andreev (RUS) def. Bob Bryan (USA) 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Match 5: James Blake (USA) def. Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5

United States def. Russia 4-1

2007 Davis Cup Preview: The Preview

PORTLAND, ORE. — The 2007 Davis Cup features a one-time dominant country looking to regain their form, against an up-and-coming team who looks to repeat as champions.

The United States will look to win their 32nd Davis Cup Championship, but their first in 12 years, in front of a home crowd in Portland, Ore., this weekend behind stars Andy Roddick (right), James Blake and the No. 1 doubles team in the world in twin brothers Mike and Bob Bryan.

“We have an opportunity to do something great, bring the Cup back here for the first time since '95,” Blake said. “But it’s a difficult situation when we're dealing with following the greatest generation probably in the history of American tennis. I think it's going to be difficult for any one country to dominate the way the U.S. has in the past.”

Meanwhile, Russia will look to win their third Davis Cup Championship without one of the big names as Captain Shamil Tarpischev decided to leave Marat Safin at home for the finals. Instead Tarpischev will look to the No. 4 player in the world, Nikolay Davydenko (left), and three other players who could either fill the other singles position just as easily as they could play doubles, to win their second-straight Davis Cup.

“This is our strongest team. I think that these guys play better than Marat, and he is not going to be here,” Tarpischev said.

Tarpischev will not decide his lineup until Thursday.

While the Americans feel confident about their chances in front of a home crowd, they know their work will be cut out for them—especially after Russia beat the Americans 3-2 last year in the semifinals.

“We're going to have to play well. If our guys play well, with the conditions that we have here with the court and the fans, we like our chances. But we certainly understand that this is going to be a very tough match to win.”


PREDICTION:
Roddick def. Andreev; Davydenko def. Blake; Bryan/Bryan def. Tursunov/Youzhny; Davydenko def. Roddick; Blake def. Andreev
USA def. Russia 3-2

2007 Davis Cup Preview: The Matchups

USA vs. Russia History:
USA leads series 2-1

2006 Semifinals: Russia 3, USA 2 (Moscow, Russia; Clay)
1998 First Round: USA 3, Russia 2 (Atlanta, Georgia; Hard)
1995 Finals: USA 3, Russia 2 (Moscow, Russia; Clay)

Probable Lineup:
USA Singles: Andy Roddick, James Blake
USA Doubles: Bob Bryan, Mike Bryan
Russia Singles: Nikolay Davydenko, Igor Andreev
Russia Doubles: Dmitry Tursunov, Mikhail Youzhny

Matchups:
Andy Roddick vs. Igor Andreev
Andreev leads 2-1
Andreev leads 1-0 on hard courts
Last meeting: 2007 Roland Garros, Andreev won 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

James Blake vs. Nikolay Davydenko
Blake leads 6-0
Blake leads 6-0 on hard courts
Last meeting: 2007 Masters Series (Cincinnati), Blake won 6-4, 6-2

Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan vs. Dmitry Tursunov/Mikhail Youzhny
Bryan/Bryan lead 1-0
Bryan/Bryan lead 1-0 indoors
Last meeting: 2006 Davis Cup, Bryan/Bryan won 6-3. 6-4, 6-2

James Blake vs. Igor Andreev
Blake leads 5-0
Blake leads 4-0 on hard courts
Last meeting: 2007 Wimbledon, Blake won 6-3, 6-4, 6-4

Andy Roddick vs. Nikolay Davydenko
Roddick leads 5-0
Roddick leads 4-0 on hard courts
Last meeting: 2007 Masters Cup (China), Roddick won 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

2007 Davis Cup Preview: The Players

USA








Andy Roddick
Current ATP Ranking: 6
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 195
Hand: Right
Racquet: Babolat Pure Drive Roddick Plus
Sponsor: Lacoste
Years Pro: 8
2007 Singles Record: 53-16
Career Singles Record: 409-130
2007 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 23
Davis Cup: 25-9
Davis Cup vs. Russia: 0-2
Davis Cup on hard courts: 14-2
Davis Cup indoors: 14-4


James Blake
Current ATP Ranking: 13
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 183
Hand: Right
Racquet: Dunlop Aerogel 2Hundred
Sponsor: Nike
Years Pro: 9
2007 Singles Record: 52-24
Career Singles Record: 243-151
2007 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 10
Davis Cup: 15-9
Davis Cup vs. Russia: 1-1
Davis Cup on hard courts: 8-0
Davis Cup indoors: 10-6


Bob Bryan
Current ATP Doubles Ranking: 1
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 202
Hand: Left
Racquet: Prince O3 Speedport Black
Sponsor: Adidas
Years Pro: 10
2007 Doubles Record: 76-9
Career Doubles Record: 457-172
2007 Doubles Titles: 11
Career Doubles Titles: 44
Davis Cup: 14-2
Davis Cup Singles: 2-1
Davis Cup Doubles: 12-1
Davis Cup on hard courts: 6-2
Davis Cup doubles on hard courts: 5-1
Davis Cup indoors: 8-1
Davis Cup doubles indoors: 7-0
Davis Cup vs. Russia: 1-0


Mike Bryan
Current ATP Doubles Ranking: 1
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 192
Hand: Right
Racquet: Prince O3 Speedport Black
Sponsor: Adidas
Years Pro: 10
2007 Doubles Record: 76-9
Career Doubles Record: 470-174
2007 Doubles Titles: 11
Career Doubles Titles: 46
Davis Cup: 12-1
Davis Cup Singles: 0-0
Davis Cup Doubles: 12-1
Davis Cup on hard courts: 5-1
Davis Cup indoors: 7-0
Davis Cup vs. Russia: 1-0



Russia



Nikolay Davydenko
Current ATP Singles Ranking: 4
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 154
Hand: Right
Racquet: Prince O3 Tour
Sponsor: Airness
Years Pro: 9
2007 Singles Record: 53-31
Career Singles Record: 262-192
2007 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 11
Davis Cup: 10-7
Davis Cup Singles: 9-7
Davis Cup Doubles: 1-0
Davis Cup on hard courts: 0-0
Davis Cup indoors: 10-5
Davis Cup singles indoors: 9-5
Davis Cup vs. USA: 0-0


Igor Andreev
Current ATP Singles Ranking: 33
Current ATP Doubles Ranking: 346
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 176
Hand: Right
Racquet: Babolat Pure Drive
Sponsor: Reebok
Years Pro: 6
2007 Singles Record: 35-27
Career Singles Record: 119-102
2007 Singles Titles: 0
Career Singles Titles: 3
Davis Cup: 10-6
Davis Cup Singles: 8-3
Davis Cup Doubles: 2-3
Davis Cup on hard courts: 0-0
Davis Cup indoors: 8-5
Davis Cup singles indoors: 6-3
Davis Cup vs. USA: 0-0


Dmitry Tursunov
Current ATP Singles Ranking: 34
Current ATP Doubles Ranking: 61
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 180
Hand: Right
Racquet: Wilson KSix-One 95
Sponsor: FILA
Years Pro: 8
2007 Singles Record: 28-21
Career Singles Record: 107-88
2007 Singles Titles: 2
Career Singles Titles: 3
2007 Doubles Record: 13-10
Career Doubles Record: 40-47
2007 Doubles Titles: 1
Career Doubles Titles: 1
Davis Cup: 6-4
Davis Cup Singles: 5-0
Davis Cup Doubles: 1-4
Davis Cup on hard courts: 0-0
Davis Cup indoors: 6-4
Davis Cup singles indoors: 5-0
Davis Cup vs. USA: 1-1


Mikhail Youzhny
Current ATP Singles Ranking: 19
Current ATP Doubles Ranking: 95
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 160
Hand: Right
Racquet: Head MicroGel Extreme Pro
Sponsor: Adidas
Years Pro: 9
2007 Singles Record: 50-23
Career Singles Record: 226-174
2007 Singles Titles: 1
Career Singles Titles: 3
2007 Doubles Record: 11-6
Career Doubles Record: 59-85
2007 Doubles Titles: 2
Career Doubles Titles: 3
Davis Cup: 13-13
Davis Cup Singles: 8-8
Davis Cup Doubles: 5-5
Davis Cup on hard courts: 0-2
Davis Cup indoors: 13-11
Davis Cup singles indoors: 8-7
Davis Cup vs. USA: 1-1

Links for this week

I know this isn't a "Michigan football only" blog, but I thought I'd just share a few quick links. If you hadn't heard, Lloyd Carr resigned from the head coaching position at Michigan last week. It was a long time coming; a move Michigan fans had wanted for a while. But while he may have lost his coaching touch the last few years, it was evident that Carr meant more to the Michigan program than just the 1997 national championship and five Big Ten championships during his time.

Carr was a true leader on and off the field. Even reporters will miss him as the Detroit News' Angelique Chengelis wrote in her wonderful column.

Now it's reported that Iowa's Kirk Ferentz has been offered the Michigan position. I just want to comment on this real quickly: I hope this isn't true. Ferentz be a huge step down from Lloyd Carr, as he led Iowa to a 19-18 during the past three seasons. Poor recruiter, average coach. Michigan can do better (see: Les Miles) and should do better.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest, let's move on to some other links.

Jay Bilas had an interesting "what if" piece that seems to be an annual thing, but I find to always be entertaining.

This was a fascinating story about a girl high school cross country runner who has more guts than most people I know. What a truly remarkable story.

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving, I know I did. Which reminded me of one of my favorite T-Giving traditions, what made an appearance on ESPN.

I think it's time to catch up with some of our favorite retired athletes: Jake "The Snake" Plummer, Michael Jordan, Otis Nixon, and Pete Sampras.

There is a list I want to pass on real quick that says Brett Favre is overrated. Also, Bill Simmons did a wonderful article about fatherhood and sports.

Two more links real quick that are of the YouTube variety: One is a Simmons-inspired commercial that makes fun of all the NBA commercials about "where amazing happens." The second is maybe the coolest referee call ever. Trust me, this is not one you want to miss.

I'll be writing a Davis Cup Preview on Wednesday before taking off for Portland to attend the Davis Cup.

Ducks having trouble recruiting on the block

While Ernie Kent has built a perennial Pac-10 power during his 10 years at the helm of Oregon's basketball program, he has failed to recruit some of the best players in the nation that are in his own backyard.

Under Kent, the Ducks have won a Pac-10 regular season title, two Pac-10 tournament championships and made two Elite Eight appearances. He is also the second-winningest coach in the program's history, only 20 wins away from the lead coming into the season.

But while he has accumulated success on the court, he has mysteriously looked elsewhere for talent, allowing other top-notch programs to steal blue chip recruits right from under Kent's nose.

Case and point, the 2007 recruiting class.

Five big name recruits came out of the state of Oregon last year. How many did the Ducks sign?

None.

Two of them are potential first team All-Freshmen this year in Kevin Love (right) and Kyle Singler (left). The two matched-up in the Oregon 6A state finals last season and both were top 10 recruits according to scout.com. However, Kent was unable to sign either despite Oregon's national reputation and cash flow. After all, Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, is an Oregon alumn and donates money like it's his job to the athletic department.

But Love, a Lake Oswego native, signed with Ben Howland's UCLA Bruins team, who behind Love are currently 6-0 and No. 1 in the nation. The 6'10" freshman leads the talented Bruins team in points and rebounds averaging 19.3 and 10.5 respectively.

Meanwhile on the other side of the country in Durham, N.C., Singler has led the Duke Blue Devils to a 6-0 record and No. 10 ranking to start the season, in addition to a EA Sports Maui Invitational title. The freshman from Medford currently leads the Blue Devils in points (15.8) and is second in rebounds (6.6) per game.

Even Kent's 2008 recruiting class includes only one Oregon native, a four-star recruit in Drew Wiley (Vida, Ore.). Meanwhile Pepperdine snatched two four-star Oregon recruits and Washington State, one of Oregon's chief basketball rivals, signed another four-star recruit from Oregon.

Imagine if you were Oregon's opponents and you had to stare down this lineup:

G- Tajuan Porter (16.0 ppg, 3.2 apg)
G- Malik Hairston (19.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
F- Maarty Leunen (16 ppg, 10.5 rgp)
F- Kyle Singler (15.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
C- Kevin Love (19.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg)

That doesn't include Bryce Taylor (14.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) and Joevan Catron (10.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg) coming off the bench.

That sound like a national championship to me. Unfortunately, two of those players--Singler and Love--are now playing elsewhere.

While it's good for Oregon that Kent has an obvious recruiting pipeline through Illinois (three recruits in the 2008 class), Kent needs to remember that some of the best players are in his very own backyard and not overlook homegrown talent.

Carr's work off the field will never be replaced

Though many—including myself—were calling for the head of Michigan’s Lloyd Carr, the literal face of Wolverine athletics, Carr did something miraculous to the University of Michigan during his 13 years at the helm of Michigan football.

Carr rescued a program that had become sour after 40-plus years devoid of a national championship, and he rescued an athletic department that had become used to scandal. Michigan had a bad rap, thanks in part to the early 90s Fab Five basketball team getting paid better in college than in the NBA, and to hockey coach Red Berenson being cited for public urination while under the influence of alcohol in 1994, as well as to football coach Gary Moeller who was forced to resign in 1995 after a drunken confrontation with police.

But when Carr was hired in 1995 as interim coach, and later named head coach, he restored class to the Wolverine program.

Michigan has not had one recruiting violation under Carr, something that is unusual among top-tier college athletic teams. Carr has also become a viable part of the Michigan community—and I’m not just talking about the university. I mean the whole state.

Carr has raised more than $1.5 million for the Carr Cancer Fund and more than half-million dollars for the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. In addition, Carr personally endowed a full women's athletic scholarship.

He sponsored “Carr’s Wash for Kids,” an event that raised money for local hospitals, and has backed countless other charities which, thanks to his name recognition, raised tens of millions more dollars.

Carr made sure his student-athletes really were students first and athletes second.

“Unlike a lot of coaches, he actually reads books with letters other than 'X' and 'O,'” Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press said.

Carr is well-respected among his athletes, peers and journalists for these very reasons.

"Lloyd Carr is one of the true gentlemen of college football," rival Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel said Sunday according to espn.com. "His legacy is extraordinary and his leadership in the coaching profession is greatly appreciated. He made a difference in collegiate athletics."

ESPN’s college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said he will remember Carr because he “didn’t forget why he got into (coaching),” which was to influence college athletes in a positive manner.

Carr’s players agree.

"(Carr’s retirement announcement) was a sad thing to hear, but I enjoyed every moment of being here with him," senior linebacker Chris Graham said.

"It was emotional," senior safety Jamar Adams said after Carr told the team of his future plans in a closed meeting Sunday. "My eyes welled up, and a couple other guys' eyes welled up. It's a family, and … the leader of your family is about to leave. That's hard to deal with."

It’s something to be said that your three star players would turn down sure millions in the NFL for one last crack with you at the helm, as Chad Henne, Mike Hart and Jake Long did this past season.

So it’s too bad that such a good guy will most likely be remembered for his inability to beat the Tressel-led Buckeyes and the embarrassing loss to Appalachian State on opening day of the 2007 season.

Instead, Carr should be remembered for restoring Michigan’s prominence with the 1997 national championship, leading Michigan to five Big Ten titles in his thirteen years, and leaving as the third winningest coach in Michigan’s storied history (121-40).

Only legends Bo Schembechler (194-48-5, no national championships) and Fielding Yost (165-29-10, six national championships) have more career victories.

But Carr’s recent record against the Buckeyes (1-6 versus Tressel, 6-7 all-time) and in bowl games (5-7) was ultimately his undoing. In the “what have you done for me lately” world of college sports, mediocrity was just not going to cut it for the most successful program in college football history. Especially when Wolverine fans circle two dates every year: Ohio State and the subsequent bowl game.

So Michigan will usher in a new era when the new Wolverine coach is hired, which will most likely be Les Miles, the current LSU coach. The Tigers are currently No. 1 in the BCS standings, and Miles, a Schembechler prodigy, has made it clear that he wants to coach his alma mater.

He has made that so clear, in fact, that LSU wrote into his contract that he would owe the Tigers $1.25 million if he leaved to coach at Michigan, according to the “termination by coach” section of his contract. Michigan is the only school mentioned in that deal that Miles could leave to coach.

Whether or not Miles, or some other candidate, joins the Michigan coaching staff, that person will have their work cut out for them.

Not on the field, where Carr has left the program in better shape than what he inherited, including a stellar recruiting class coming in next year.

But rather, it will be almost impossible to replace what Carr has done off the field.

“He's the best person I've ever worked with, and I've been with him for 16 years,” running backs coach Fred Jackson said. “So that's how I look at it. He's a great person, and Michigan will never replace him in my mind."

Storm vs. Smelser: Why Michigan will win Saturday

When Peter Smelser presented the idea of writing columns about the Ohio State-Michigan game this Saturday, I was stoked. I asked what we’d write about and how long. Smooth responded by saying we’d each write around 200 words, and I would (obviously) be defending Michigan.

So I thought for a minute and realized that the reason Michigan will win The Game, and thus their 43rd Big Ten Championship, boils down to one word: Hart.

As in, Mike Hart.

There are so many reasons the probable Heisman favorite (if he didn’t miss three games due to injury) would want to win: Win one for Lloyd Carr, who is probably coaching his final game as a Wolverine; win one for the seniors, who have not beaten Ohio State in their career; and win one for the naysayers who wrote off the Wolverines after their embarrassing opening losses to Appalachian State (two-time defending sub-division champions) and Oregon (arguably the best team in the nation).

No matter what happens, Hart will retire as Michigan’s all-time leading rusher and will finish the season as at least the No. 5 all-time Big Ten rusher, probably No. 3 or 4.

But all that will be for naught if they don’t beat the Buckeyes this weekend. And Hart knows that.

“How can I go down as one of the best running backs in Michigan history if I haven't beaten Ohio State? You just can't do that,” Hart said in August. “You have to beat Ohio State, you have to win a bowl game. The whole offseason, that's what we pushed for.”

Ohio State should be ready for a Hart attack.

Check out Peter's perspective on the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry at his blog, For Pete's Sake.

Great Ariticle in the Spokesman-Review

From time-to-time, I'm going to start posting some great articles that are worthwhile reads. I'm going to try and do this once a week, where I'll usually post more than one article, but today I'm just going to post one: John Blanchette's article in Tuesday's Spokesman-Review.

Whitworth numb after D-III snub

Below is the article because the link costs money. Thanks to Mr. Blanchette for this article.



Whitworth numb after D-III snub
John Blanchette

True believers are anticipating with glee the college football head-on a few weeks hence when a half-dozen one-loss teams arrive at the intersection of B, C and S.

To say nothing of two potential unbeatens with pablum schedules.

The outrage from those left out of the national championship game will be measured in megatons, pointing out again the injustice of one-game matchmaking by man and computer and the purity of the tournament approach employed in college football's smaller subcultures.

Uh-huh. Good luck selling that to the Whitworth Pirates this morning.

The Pirates' exclusion from the 32-team NCAA Division III playoff bracket this week never reached the outrage stage because A) that's not exactly their style, and B) they're numb with disbelief.

But now they are certainly aware that the imperfections of casting tournament football are no less painful than a BCS snub. If anything, they're more so – there's still a bowl game somewhere to console the teams who don't make it into the title game in New Orleans.

Whitworth's season is over when it should be starting again.

"It's a kick in the stomach," admitted Whitworth athletic director Scott McQuilkin. "You start scrolling through on the computer looking at the selections and you think your eyes aren't working, that you still must be sleeping."

It would be easy to suggest that it's the Division III selectors who slept through this one, but in fact this was a careful, conscious decision – that the committee whiffed on, whatever dubious math might be invented to rationalize it.

McQuilkin attempted on Monday to retrieve just such an explanation from the committee, knowing that it will change nothing and that whatever criteria was used to pick Wisconsin-Eau Claire out of the West Region instead of Whitworth, it could just as easily not apply next year with a different group of selectors.

The Pirates and Eau Claire both finished 8-2. Whitworth was the undefeated champion of the Northwest Conference – which will not have an automatic bid to the playoffs until next year – while the Blugolds were two games behind WIAC winner Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The selections are based on the usual laundry list, of which two in particular apply: record against regional D-III opponents (Whitworth 8-1, Eau Claire 5-2) and strength of schedule, which favored the Blugolds by a few percentage points. Interestingly, while WIAC teams were 10-4 against outside D-III teams to the Northwest's 9-9, they were just 1-2 against the NWC.

Overlooked was the damaging loss: Eau Claire stumbled against 3-7 Wisconsin-River Falls, which alone should have bumped the Blugolds from the field.

In any event, Whitworth was ranked ahead of Eau Claire in the regional rankings released Nov. 4. But somehow, though both teams won last Saturday, that changed.

"That's what we're not clear about – by what criterion did they move ahead of us?" McQuilkin said.

Well, the only one that counts: the politics of the non-smoking room.

This is not meant to disparage the well-meaning committeemen – McQuilkin has done time on the baseball committee – but they're all human and susceptible to preconceptions, bloc voting or even just name familiarity. There is a regional balance to the committee but as McQuilkin himself said, "You can have a regional voice, but that doesn't mean they can hold the day."

Or perhaps even care to.

Strength of schedule is a popular flag to wave in the selection endeavor, but in fact in Division III it has limited relevance – especially regarding the remote Northwest schools where budget and travel are concerns. Non-conference games are mostly against California schools, and this year those three Wisconsin games. So the crossover is so small to be statistically insignificant.

That's why historical results almost have to be considered, contrary to policy – and two NWC teams have won national championships since 1999, while the league's playoff record since then is second among all D-III leagues except the one Mount Union bullies.

The underappreciated statistic, simply, is winning. The Pirates were undefeated in a league that is good, every year.

This is bad enough for 17 seniors who won't get another chance, but it's also enough to make a school paranoid. You may recall a 30-6 softball team shafted out of a tournament spot last spring, or the 22-3 women's basketball team of 2005 staying home.

"It's sobering for everyone," McQuilkin said. "We'd like to get some answers, but we also know there will be no satisfaction."

Only a reminder that mythical national championships aren't limited to the BCS.

Northwest Conference left out...again

Get snubbed once, and you eventually get over it. But get snubbed more than once? Well, then it becomes a tradition. A tradition the Northwest Conference is starting to get used to.

Sunday the Whitworth University football team was left out of the 32-team Div. III playoff despite an 8-2 overall record and a 8-1 Div. III record. The Pirates won the NWC without a blemish, and the NWC is no easy conference. Since joining the NCAA Div. II in 1998, the NWC has produced two national champions (PLU in '99 and Linfield in '04) and totes a 18-10 playoff record in that span.

Yet that was not enough for the selection committee who chose Univ. of Wisconsin-Eau Claire over the Pirates. The Blugolds finished second in the WIAC with an 8-2 Div. III record, slightly behind Whitworth's.

"It was a very difficult decision, but Whitworth did not have as high a ranking as the other teams when a full analysis of the selection criteria was performed," Wayne Burrow, NCAA Director of Div. III Football Championships, said in an e-mail Sunday. "I would also point out that Whitworth's loss to Redlands played a major factor in how the teams were ultimately ranked in the region."

Okay, so let's get this straight: Whitworth's one D-3 loss was on opening day to Redlands, the only playoff-bound team from the west. UW-EC's losses? To UW-Whitewater, a playoff-bound team and WIAC champion, and to UW-River Falls who finished their season with a stellar 3-7 record.

Sounds like somebody needs to take notes from John McCain's "Straight Talk Express."

Let's look at some more facts.

Although the NWC doesn't have an automatic qualifier (yet; the NWC will start to receive an AQ starting next season), it seems like a champion from a notoriously tough conference would get one of the seven Pool C spots (teams who are in conferences without AQ's and "bubble" teams). After all, a nearly .650 winning percentage in the conference's history means they match up well against the competition across the country, right?

Apparently not. And this isn't the first time something like this has happened.

Last year Whitworth's softball team was left on the outside looking in, despite posting a 30-6 record and being nationally ranked. And over the years of Whitworth's dominance in men's soccer, you could have easily made an argument for Univ. of Puget Sound to have posted a record good enough for an at-large birth more than once.

But perhaps the most stunning exclusion came in 2005, when the Whitworth women's basketball team posted a 22-3 record, good enough for second place in the tough NWC. So imagine the shock when the women did not see Whitworth in the pairings, and instead learned that Wesleyan was in.

Only Wesleyan didn't know it.

That's because the Connecticut school was so sure their fourth place finish in the NESCAC and quarterfinal loss in their conference tournament would end their season, that they had already turned in their uniforms for the season.

So is this all about the travel budget of the NCAA instead of deserving teams and defining a real champion?

"I can assure you that there is no geographic bias...My job as staff liaison is to sit in with the committee and work with them to assure that all the criteria is followed," Burrow said. "There was never a point in the committee's evaluation of Whitworth when the topic of geographics was discussed."

So if this isn't about "geographics," what is this about? How did UW-Eau Claire, ranked below Whitworth in the second-to-last regional rankings, suddenly jump the Pirates in the final rankings even though both teams won their final game? How can you deny a team, whose senior-led defense had the best turnover margin in the nation, a spot in the playoffs because they happen to be located in the wrong region (known by some as "west of the Mississippi").

So please excuse me, Mr. Burrow, if I question that this isn't about where the schools are located. These ridiculous and absurd selections that have denied deserving NWC teams have happened one too many times.

Actually, make that four too many times.

Pirates pull one out

It was a day of revenge for the Whitworth Pirates men's soccer team, as they defeated the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties 2-1 to knock the Gusties out of the playoffs at J.J. Keller Field in Oshkosh, Wisc. Friday.

For those familiar with Whitworth athletics, this was the same score by which the Gusties knocked the Pirates out of the NCAA Div. III Semifinals two years ago.

After a defensive battle in the first half where neither team got a good opportunity to score, the Gusties drew first blood in the second half.

Shortly after Pirate senior Matt Friesen missed a header that almost gave the Pirates the lead, the Gusties leading scorer Mike Butterworth slipped a ball past Whitworth's sophomore keeper Scott Barnum for his 15th goal of the season.

Gustavus Adolphus would hold that lead until Whitworth evened the match with just under 15 minutes remaining as sophomore Elly Bulega knotted the game up at 1-1 with a header off a scramble in the box following a corner kick.

The game would go into overtime where Whitworth controlled the first few minutes. After the Gusties crossed a ball on the attack, Whitworth's Ben Rotert intercepted the pass and sent a long ball to Keith Kersh who was one-on-one with a defender. Kirsh made a touch, turned around and fell while shooting the ball past Gustie keeper Trevor Brown to lift the Pirates to a 2-1 overtime win.

With the win, the Pirates will move on and play the winner of the match-up between Wartburg College (Iowa) and Univ. of Wisconsin-Oshkosh tomorrow at 6:00 p.m. (CST), 4:00 p.m. (PST).

2007-08 College Hoops Preview

As many of you know, college hoops is what I live for. I once wrote a 4,000 word Final Four Preview…in October. My editor just laughed. I think even the New York Times, whose motto is “All the news that’s fit to print” would laugh too.

So as you can imagine, I’m pumped that now it’s basketball season. So I decided to pump out my Top 20 teams with a little blurb about each, declare a national champion, a few conference champions, players to watch (freshmen included) and so much more. So here it is:

Top 20:
1) UCLA. With the return of a talented, blue collar squad (Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute) plus perhaps the most talented freshmen big guy (Kevin Love), the Bruins will be cutting down the nets at the end of the season. Their one problem? Playing in the toughest conference in the land. Though they may experience a few bumps in the road, they should be battle-tested in the end and poised to make a run for the championship. UCLA would be a near lock if All-Everything Aaron Afflalo had not bolted for the NBA a year early, but even without Afflalo, the Bruins should be the toast of L.A.

2) North Carolina. The Tar Heels return a ton of talent in All-American candidates Tyler Hansbrough (18.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Wayne Ellington (11.7 ppg) and Ty Lawson (10.2 ppg). The only question for the Tar Heels is if any one of their starters goes down with injury, who will step in for them? With all the talent in the world in the starting five, UNC’s biggest weakness is depth.


3) Memphis. Derrick Rose (left) could be one of the best players in the nation as a freshman. He will make an immediate impact, and will immediately make them a top five team. Chris Douglas-Roberts (15.4 ppg) returns, as does Robert Dozier (9.6 ppg) and big-man Joey Dorsey (8.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg). With an easy conference schedule, look for the Tigers to be a top-tier team. But will Conference USA test them enough for the tournament? They only play four legitimate top 25 teams all year (USC, Georgetown, Arizona and Gonzaga), so the biggest challenge for the Tigers will getting used to better competition once March arrives.

4) Kansas. The talented duo of Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush return for their junior seasons, and the addition of freshman All-American center Cole Aldrich will make the Jayhawks the team to beat in the weak Big 12. In addition, Sherron Collins and Darrell Arthur should become two of the nations best sophomores after solid freshman campaigns. Both averaged just over nine points per game for Kansas last season.

5) Georgetown. Seniors Roy Hibbert and Jonathan Wallace return for the Hoyas, who are the favorites for the Big East title. Both will get looks as Wooden Award candidates, and with good reason. But keep an eye on freshman Austin Freeman who is a big-time scorer and the future of this Georgetown team.


6) Tennessee. This loaded team will rely on their star, Chris Lofton (right), and three Smiths (Tyler, JaJuan, Ramar) to win the SEC. They should win the SEC easily with only Arkansas and Kentucky as the real threats. Watch out for this team once the tourney arrives—they could make a deep run. Tyler Smith, who transferred from Iowa to be closer to his family after the recent death of his father, has great court vision and will be a huge contributor on the floor.

7) Louisville. Rick Pitino has built a squad that will challenge Georgetown for the Big East title. Terrence Williams and Edgar Sosa return, as do four other players who averaged over eight points per game for the Cardinals last season. Louisville, Georgetown and Marquette will be the favorites in the Big East.

8) Indiana. Despite recruiting violations, Kelvin Sampson has a talented team this year for Hoosier fans to enjoy. The pre-season favorites for the Big Ten, freshman Eric Gordon and senior D.J. White will lead this talented bunch where anything less than a four seed in the NCAA tournament will be a disappointment.


9) Washington State. This veteran squad will try to prove last season’s success was not a fluke and that the Cougs are not a one year wonder. Derrick Lowe (left) who averaged 13.7 ppg last season must step it up at point to lead this balanced Cougar squad in the Pac-10. Having Kyle Weaver and Robbie Cowgill back will help as well—in fact, the Cougs only lost one player (Ivory Clark) who played significant minutes. Washington State proved they were behind coach Tony Bennett when they signed him to a contract extension. And Bennett responded by bringing in perhaps the most talented freshman class to enter Pullman in years. Bennett thinks Thomas Abercrombie from New Zealand could be one of the best Cougars in history when his career is done.

10) Marquette. The Golden Eagles return quite a bit of scoring with four players returning who averaged more than eight points per game, but also got help with some talented incoming players. Trevor Mbakwe (freshman) and Maurice Acker (transfer) will join Dominic James (14.9 ppg) and Jerel McNeal (14.7 ppg) to lead Marquette as a significant challenger in the Big East.

11) Michigan State. Drew Neitzel, who seems like he’s been a Spartan for 20 years, returns for his final season for Tom Izzo. Along with sophomore Raymar Morgan and freshman Kalin Lucas, Michigan State is poised to finish near the top of the Big Ten.

12) Gonzaga. While the Zags must replace WCC co-POY Derek Raivio, the Bulldogs got help with the reinstatement of Josh Heytvelt and the return of guards Jeremy Pargo and Micah Downs. Mark Few has one of the deepest squads in the country, so he must find a way to build chemistry will getting everyone appropriate playing time. Ira Brown and Austin Daye are the stars in Few’s best recruiting class during his tenure at Gonzaga, and with Larry Gurganious back from injury and Matt Bouldin back from his stint with the U19 Team USA program, the Zags will look to make a deep run in the tournament—something they have not done in years.


13) Oregon. Sophomore Tajuan Porter (right), all 5'6" of him and three seniors (Hairston, Taylor and Leunen) will lead a veteran Oregon squad who must replace their star (Aaron Brooks) who is now in the NBA. All three star seniors are on pace to have their degrees by the time Pac-10 play starts, so that will take away the off-court distractions of classes. If the run-and-gun Ducks, led by Porter (14.6 ppg), can defend well—especially in the paint, their one weakness—they can go a long ways. But their going to depend on their trademark quickness and shooting to win, while teams try to slow them down and work the ball inside where the Ducks are questionable.

14) Duke. The Blue Devils are small this year, with three returning star guards (Paulus, Nelson, Scheyer) and three incoming stars (freshmen Taylor King, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler). But Duke will need to improve in the paint to make a big run with only three players on the roster over 6’6” with a total average of 7.1 combined points per game in college. With the ACC down a bit this year, the Blue Devils should find themselves alone in second place, steps behind rival North Carolina, but steps ahead of the rest of the pack.

15) Texas A&M. The Aggies lost their coach and star point guard, but return Josh Carter and Joseph Jones. The Aggies will also rely on two star freshmen in DeAndre Jordan and Nathan Walkup, which could lead to a second place finish in the Big 12. However the loss of Acie Law IV did hurt, as he at times single-handedly won games for A&M. But look for Joseph Jones to step up in Law’s shoes as the go-to guy in the clutch. Though he is a completely different player than Law, he does possess the ability to score when needed. That’s something A&M will rely on in close games in the Big 12.

16) Arizona. Sophomore Chase Budinger (15.6 ppg) and freshman Jerryd Bayless will try to lead the Wildcats in the loaded Pac-10. The aging Lute Olson (72-years-old) will miss the first few games citing personal reasons, which the young squad will have to fight through. Olson shook up his program after some off-court incidents. Part of that shake up was forcing out a long-time assistant (Jim Rosborough) and letting Marcus Williams leave for the NBA.


17) Texas. Even without Kevin Durant this Longhorn team will still be a team to beat with the return of most of the amazing freshman class last season. D.J. Augustin (left) who played the floor manager last season (14.4 ppg, 6.7 apg) will still be at point but have an expanded role, and Damion James and Justin Mason (each at 7.6 ppg) return as well. A.J. Abrams (15.5 ppg) returns as the Longhorns’ best returning scorer.

18) USC. Taj Gibson (12.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg) is their best returnee, but all-everything freshman O.J. Mayo is who Tim Floyd will help the Trojans become more than just UCLA’s little brother. Despite losing their top three scorers, the Trojans look like they could make some serious noise in the Pac-10 thanks in part to Floyd’s recruiting class. In addition to Mayo, Marcus Simmons and Davon Jefferson should make an immediate impact for USC.

19) Pittsburg. While this squad returns a fair amount of talent led by senior Mike Cook (10.5 ppg), their freshmen are what could make-or-break the season for the Panthers. This class, led by DeJuan Blair and Bradley Wanamaker, are being heralded as the best class in the Jamie Dixon era at Pittsburgh.

20) Arkansas. What the Razorbacks lack in guards they more than make up for with height. A young backcourt will have to learn with trial-by-fire, but the SEC is down a little this year, so they can rely on their forwards for a while.

Top Five Conferences (in order): Pac-10, Big East, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten

National Championship: UCLA over North Carolina

Five Freshmen to Watch: Eric Gordon (Indiana), Derrick Rose (Memphis), O.J. Mayo (USC), Kevin Love (UCLA), Michael Beasley (Kansas State)


First Team All-America:
G – Chris Lofton (Tennessee)
G – Darren Collison (UCLA)
F – Brandon Rush (Kansas)
F – Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina) Player of the Year (left)
C – Roy Hibbert (Georgetown)

Second Team All-America:
G – Drew Neitzel (Michigan State)
G – Sean Singletary (Virginia)
F – Chase Budinger (Arizona)
F – Joseph Jones (Texas A&M)
C – Josh Heytvelt (Gonzaga)



Third Team All-America:
G – Derrick Rose (Memphis)
G – Derrick Lowe (Washington State)
F – Jon Brockman (Washington)
F – D.J. White (Indiana)
C – Brook Lopez (Stanford)


Fourth Team All-America:
G – Eric Gordon (Indiana)
G – Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis)
F – O.J. Mayo (USC) (left)
F – Kevin Love (UCLA)
C – David Padgett (Louisville)

Honorable Mention: Josh Shipp (UCLA), Taj Gibson (USC), Marcellus Kemp (Nevada), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Brandon Costner (NC State), Dominic James (Marquette)


Five teams that are sleepers:
1) Kansas State. The Wildcats are very, very young and even more talented. They play in a weaker Big 12 where in-state rival Kansas is the favorite. But with a few games under their belt, the Wildcats could challenge Kansas, Texas A&M and Texas for the title.

2) Washington. Despite playing in the toughest conference in the nation, the Huskies could surprise people after a disappointing 2006-07 season. They lost Spencer Hawes, but return Jon Brockman and a slew of shooters. If Ryan Appleby’s thumb heals quickly, watch out for the Huskies. Don’t look at their record in the Pac-10 (as everyone will have plenty of losses because of the depth in the conference), but their non-conference results could have a huge impact of whether or not they make the tournament.


3) Stanford. The Lopez twins, Robin and Brook (left), are towers in the paint for the Cardinal. Brook is the first real legitimate All-American candidate in Palo Alto since Brevin Knight in 1997.

4) Providence. Though the Big East is loaded this year, the Friars have an experienced backcourt with junior guards Sharaud Curry (15.3 ppg) and Weyinmi Efejuku (14.1 ppg). If they can limit their turnovers (averaged 17 per game last season), the Friars could be right in the thick of the Big East title contenders.

5) Xavier. The Musketeers return three of their top five scorers from last years team that almost knocked off Ohio State in the second round. They also signed their coach, Sean Miller, to a long-term contract. With all those elements back, look for Xavier to repeat as Atlantic-10 champions.

Predicted finishes by conference:
ACC: North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Virginia, NC State, Boston College, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Miami

Big 12: Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Nebraska, Iowa State, Colorado

Big East: Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, Providence, Villanova, Notre Dame, DePaul, Cincinnati, Seaton Hall, St. John’s, Rutgers, South Florida

Big Ten: Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Northwestern

Pac-10: UCLA, Washington State, Oregon, Arizona, Stanford, USC, Washington, California, Arizona State, Oregon State

SEC: (EAST) Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Vanderbilt, Georgia, South Carolina; (WEST) Arkansas, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Mississippi