SWO Sports Gets "Old Look" Back

By:  Cooper Ledford

SouthWest Ohio Sports has changed the look of the blog.  In basketball season, the background color was blue and the text color was black.  It was blue because two SWO Sports team's colors are blue (Xavier and Kentucky)  Now, the background color is grey with red text.   This is because of the Cincinnati Reds, the blog will continue to look like this until we, SWO Sports, feel the need to change it.

Kentucky's Wonderful Season Comes To An End

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - Country road, take me home.

Or better yet, Indianapolis.

It's almost heaven, West Virginia. The Mountaineers are off to the Final Four for the first time since 1959.

Joe Mazzulla scored a career-high 17 points in his first start of the season and West Virginia handled a cold-shooting Kentucky team stocked with future NBA players almost from the opening tip for a 73-66 victory in the East Regional final Saturday.



Mountaineers coach Bob Huggins, back with his alma mater, is in the Final Four for the first time since taking Cincinnati in 1992. It's an even longer stretch for West Virginia - Jerry West was the star of the team 51 years ago, and not yet a Hall of Famer or NBA logo.



The young Wildcats could have used West's famous shooting touch in this one. They were awful from 3-point range, missing their first 20 attempts and finishing a stunning 4 of 32 (12.5 percent). DeAndre Liggins finally hit a 3 with 3:29 left to end the drought, but by then it was too late.



West Virginia went the other way, making eight 3s in the first half without a 2-point basket.



It's been a turbulent time for Huggins since his previous Final Four appearance. He was forced out at Cincinnati, had a heart attack in 2002 and spent a year coaching Kansas State before he found the country roads back to Huntington in 2007.



He couldn't have imagined at the start of the tournament relying on Mazzulla to take his team to Indianapolis. Mazzulla came off the bench in 35 games this season and averaged 2.2 points - barely worth a mention in most scouting reports.



He dashed uncontested to the rim for several easy baskets. When he was out of the game, he was on all fours in front of the bench slamming the court in encouragement.



West Virginia fans chanted "Final Four! Final Four!" as the players took their spots at halfcourt after the final buzzer. Da'Sean Butler, who scored 18 points, led the Mountaineers in a little Final Four dance and they cupped their ears to the crowd.



"I talked about it being special," Huggins told the crowd. "Two more and it will be really special."



They had the stage after Kentucky had the spotlight all season. The Wildcats (35-3), who also went 16 for 29 at the free throw line, were a strong favorite to win their first national championship since 1998 once overall No. 1 seed Kansas went down in the second round.



Instead, a team loaded with NBA-caliber players - John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins among them - is left to wonder how its season ended in a whimper.

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN WALL, DEMARCUS COUSINS, ERIC BLEDSOE AND JOHN CALIPARI ON GREAT FIRST SEASONS AT KENTUCKY!

Commandos Beat Mayhem

By:  Cooper Ledford
The Cincinnati Commandos were looking for their second win in team history.  This was also there second game in team history.  For those of you reading this and have no idea who the Commandos are, they are a CIFL (Continential Indoor Football Leauge) team.  Cincinnati ends up beating the Marion Mayhem 48-19.

Commandos QB, Ben Mauk, the former Bearcat, threw for five touchdowns, and rushing for another.  Mauk went 14-21 and had 192 yards passing. 

Even with Mauk doing so well, he was not satisfied with his preformance.

Muak said this after the game: “You can throw a lot of touchdown passes in arena ball, five touchdowns seem like a lot, but we can definitely go for more and we’ll try to do that each game.”

The Commandos played a great game, no matter what Ben Mauk thinks, they even scored 22  points before Marion even scored. 

Dominick Goodman lead Cincinnati in receivers as he had two touchdowns and made several great catches.  Brandon Boehm and Robert Redd also had touchdowns in the game.

The Commandos had the lead the whole game, and played well.  The Commandos are now 2-0 and are leading the CIFL.  Next. the Commandos will play their first road game in team history.  They will travel to Fort Wayne, Indiana to take on the Firehawks.  The game is April 2nd, the time is TBA.  You can listen to the game on 1160 AM.

Xavier's Great Season Comes to an End.

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Sixth Seeded Xavier Musketeers were playing the Second Seeded Kansas State Wildcats in the West Region, and the winner would advance to the Elite Eight.  Kansas State ended up beating Xavier and ending their season in a heartbreaking way.  KSU won in 2 Overtimes, 101-96.  Congratulations to KSU, as they move on to the Elite Eight, and Congratulations to the Xavier Musketeers on a great season.  Also congratulations to XU senior, Jason Love as he played his final game as a Muskie, and had an amazing career.

KSU played tough in the 1st period, but so did Xavier.  At the half, Xavier had the lead 32-31, a typical score at the half in a Sweet 16 game.  In the second half, both teams played great, and with one second left, Jacob Pullen had a chance to win it for the Wildcats, but he missed the three point jumper to send the game into overtime, 72-72 was the score.

In the first overtime, both teams played well, but KSU once again had to win the game with one second left, but Denis Clemente missed the two point jumper to send the game into the second overtime.

In the second overtime, with 27 seconds left, Xavier was down by one,  96-97.  Xavier then called a timeout and KSU never looked back.  If Jordan Crawford, Dante Jackson, and Brad Redford did not miss their threes in the final 17 seconds, the Muskies would be heading to the Elite Eight to play Butler.  However, it will be KSU and Butler in the West Region Elite Eight game.  It is not possable to call the Muskies losers after playing a great game against a number two seeded team.

Jordan Crawford had 32 points, and Terrell Holloway had 26.  In Jason Love's final game as a Muskie, he scores 11 points, had one assist, four rebounds, and played 42 minutes.

Once again, Congratulations to a great first season for Chris Mack, and a great last season for Jason Love!

Kentucky Defeats Cornell 62-45, Advance To Elite Eight

UK defeated Cornell 62-45 is a hard fought battle in the Carrier Dome at Syracuse, New York. Cornell took off to an early 10-2 run but UK ended the 1st Half on a 30-6 run. UK let Cornell get within 6 in the 2nd Half but were able to pull it out for a 17-point win. UK struggled with the pace of the game and careless turnovers. Lack of intensity got them and a hostile environment full of Big Red fans. Former Wildcat Mark Coury played 13 minutes and picked up two rebounds. The media made the Cornell the favorite and picked the Big Red to upset the Big Blue but Wall and the Cats would have no part of that. Kentucky will move on to the Elite 8 and will face the West Virginia Mountaineers for the 2nd Consecutive season. UK beat WVU in the The Las Vegas Invitational last season in the championship game. Game time is set for 7 PM on CBS. The last time the Cats were in the Elite Eight was back in 2005 with Coach Tubby Smith, Senior Chuck Hayes, and Junior Kelenna Azubuike. UK lost to Michigan State in double over time in a game most famous for the 3-point shot to send the game to overtime made by Patrick Sparks. No real outbreak performance by anyone tonight but DeMarcus Cousins had 16 points and 7 rebounds.

Enes Kanter Commits To Kentucky

5-star Center Enes Kanter commits to the Wildcats today becoming just the second player in Kentucky's 2010 recruiting class. He is seven feet tall weighing 265 lbs and is a native of Turkey. Originally committed to the University of Washington Huskies, Kanter decided to re-open his recruitment on February 9th, 2010. He was at Rupp Arena for Senior Day when the Florida Gators came to town and that was the only visit necessary to land this big man for UK. Kanter also has experience in the pros for the Turkish National Team in the NBA's Euroleague. His game and appearance resembles former NBA Center George Muresan. His collegiate eligibility is a concern as he might have to sit out some games for playing professional basketball similar to how WVU freshman Deniz Kili had to do this season

SWEET MUSKETEERS!

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Sixth Seeded Xavier Musketeers were playing the Third Seeded Pittsburgh Panthers in the Second Round of the West Region.  Xavier and Pitt played last year in a Sweet 16 game, as Pitt won in the final minute, 60-55.  The Musketeers were looking for revenge, and a ticket to go to Salt Lake City to play in the Sweet 16.  Xavier ended up winning in a close game, 71-68 and the Muskies are on their way to the Sweet 16, while Pitt goes back to the Steel City.

This is Xavier's third strait apperence in the Sweet 16, and now they will be looking to go into the Elite 8, the farthest they have ever gone, also the farthest an A-10 team has ever gone.

It was a close game the whole time, but midway through the second period, Xavier started making plays and got some breathing room, and they were able to hold on to their leads and end up winning.  Pitt had the chance to tie it with little time left, but the try for the overtime-forcing three was no good and Xavier won.

Jordan Crawford lead XU with 27 points and was 9-of-15 from the field. 

Next, Xavier will have a rematch with the Second Seeded Kansas State Wildcats.  Earlier this season, KSU beat XU 71-56.   The game will be Thursday at 9:37 PM ET and will be televised on CBS.

GO MUSKIES!

Kentucky Blows Out Wake Forest In Round 2

UK beat Wake Forest 90-60 on Saturday night in round two action. Darius Miller was the star of the night as he came out scoring 18 first half points and ended the night with 20 pts. DeMarcus Cousins had a breakthrough game with highlight reel dunks and scored 19 pts. Eric Bledsoe and John Wall combined for 27 pts to handle a tough and one of the bigger teams in the nation in Wake Forest. Kentucky will be #1 in the nation following the upset loss of Kansas who lost to the University of Northern Iowa. Kentucky will play Cornell in the Sweet 16. Cornell is a very dangerous team who took Kansas down to the wire in Lawrence, Kansas. Former UK walk-on Mark Coury plays for the Cornell Big Red.

1st Half UK 44 Wake 28
2nd Half UK 46 Wake 32
Final UK 90 Wake 60

Kentucky Wildcats

Starters

Patrick Patterson 19 mins, 4 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast, 2 blks
DeMarcus Cousins 26 mins, 19 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk
Darius Miller 27 mins, 20 pts, 9 rebs, 2 asts
Eric Bledsoe 26 mins, 13 pts, 2 rebs. 5 asts, 2 stls
John Wall 29 mins, 14 pts, 7 asts

Bench

Perry Stevenson 15 mins, 4 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 blk
Ramon Harris 6 mins, 2 rebs, 1 ast, 1 blk
Darnell Dodson 15 mins, 3 pts, 1 ast
Mark Krebs 2 mins, 3 pts
Josh Harrellson 3 mins, 2 pts, 3 rebs
DeAndre Liggins 18 mins, 4 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl
Jon Hood 2 mins, 2 pts, 3 rebs
Daniel Orton 12 mins, 6 pts, 1 stl, 1 blk

Totals 90 pts, 38 rebs, 21 asts, 6 stls, 6 blks

Wake Forest Deamon Deacons

Starters

David Weaver 18 mins, 2 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast, 2 stls
Al-Farouq Aminu 21 mins, 16 pts, 8 rebs, 1 ast
Chas McFarland 18 mins, 8 pts, 3 reebs, 1 ast
L.D. Williams 26 mins, 6 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl
Ishmael Smith 33 mins, 2 pts, 3 rebs, 4 asts

Bench

Gary Clark 8 mins, 2 pts
Ty Walker 8 mins, 3 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl, 3 blks
Tony Woods 20 mins, 5 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl
Brooks Godwin 2 mins
C.J. Harris 28 mins, 11 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl
Ari Stewart 18 mins, 5 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast

Totals 60 pts, 29 rebs, 12 asts, 6 stls, 3 blks

SWO Sports to cover Commandos

SouthWest Ohio Sports is proud to announce that we will be making recaps of another team.  The team is the Cincinnati Commandos from the Continental Indoor Football League.  We will start covering them on after the March 26th game.  To see more about the Commandos go to http://cincinnaticommandos.com/

Bucks beat UCSB in First Round

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Evan Turner took a back seat to slick shooter Jon Diebler and big forward Dallas Lauderdale, and Ohio State outlasted persistent UC Santa Barbara 68-51 in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday night.


Diebler scored 23 points and Lauderdale blocked a career-high eight shots and grabbed 12 rebounds for the second-seeded Buckeyes (28-7), who won without much offense from their top player. Turner was held to nine points while going 2 of 13 from the field - one of the worst shooting performances of his career.

Turner did have 10 rebounds, and William Buford added 16 points for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State advanced to play Sunday against No. 10 seed Georgia Tech, which beat seventh-seeded Oklahoma State 64-59 in Midwest Regional play earlier Friday evening.

Orlando Johnson scored 20 points for No. 15 seed UC Santa Barbara (20-10).

The game was expected to be a showcase for Turner, the Big Ten player of the year and widely regarded as perhaps the best player in the country.

Instead, the most impressive parts of Ohio State's game were a sampling of swatted shots and a couple of big dunks by Lauderdale, and the stellar outside shooting of Diebler, who was 7 of 12 from 3-point range.

Turner, meanwhile, seemed to have a rough night against the Gauchos' matchup zone defense. But he did leave the floor with something he didn't have before: a win in the NCAA tournament.

The Buckeyes didn't make it to the tournament in his freshman year, then lost in the first round last season. Returning to the tournament this year, Ohio State vowed it wouldn't come out flat.

Still, the Buckeyes did allow the Gauchos a few glimmers of hope before Lauderdale and Diebler eventually took over.

A transition dunk by Greg Somogyi cut the Buckeyes' lead to eight early in the second half.

But Diebler hit a 3-pointer and Lauderdale briefly asserted himself on the offensive end, scoring on powerful dunks on back-to-back possessions.

David Lighty then hit a 3-pointer, giving Ohio State a 42-27 lead with 15:04 left.

Still, the Gauchos didn't go away, cutting the lead to 10 on a 3-pointer by James Powell with 11:41 to go.

But the Buckeyes gradually pulled away from there, taking a 57-42 lead on Diebler's 3 with 7:26 left.

Turner even got back into the scoring act late, hitting a driving layup with 3:42 left - then running back down the court shaking his head.

The Gauchos began the game a miserable 1 of 9 from the field and 1 of 6 from 3-point range, falling behind 13-3. Then came a rally, albeit a short-lived one.

A 10-1 spurt cut the lead to one. The effort got a rise out of the Gauchos' small but vocal cheering section, along with leftover Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State fans looking for an upset.

But Ohio State answered with a 13-0 run of its own ignited by four blocked shots by Lauderdale - including a demoralizing two swats against James Nunnally on one possession.

The Gauchos had one more first-half highlight left in them - a transition alley-oop slam by Nunnally off a pass by Johnson - but the Buckeyes took a 30-17 lead into halftime.

Kentucky Beats ETSU, Advance To 2nd Round

Kentucky won in a blow out victory 100-72 over East Tennessee State this evening. Led by huge performances from Patrick Patterson and Eric Bledsoe who had eight threes and a career-high 29 points. Kentucky received it's 30th win as a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The cats shot a high-percentage from he field tonight and had solid bench play out of Daniel Orton, Darnell Dodson, and DeAndre Liggins. Kentucky will be playing at 8:20 PM as they await the winner of the Texas/Wake Forest game between 8th and 9th seeds. In a day that has not been well represented by the SEC in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky shines through in a blow out win over East Tennessee State.

1st Half UK 54 ETSU 26
2nd Half UK 46 ETSU 45
Final UK 100 ETSU 71

Kentucky Wildcats

Starters

Patrick Patterson 31 mins, 22 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast, 1 blk
DeMarcus Cousins 24 mins, 5 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts, 4 blks
Darius Miller 11 mins, 5 pts, 1 reb
Eric Bledsoe 31 mins, 29 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast, 4 stls, 1 blk
John Wall 29 mins, 17 pts, 4 rebs, 11 asts

Bench

Perry Stevenson 5 mins, 2 rebs, 1 asts, 2 blks
Ramon Harris 7 mins, 5 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl
Darnell Dodson 14 mins, 3 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts
Mark Krebs 2 mins
Josh Harrellson 2 mins, 1 reb, 1 stl
DeAndre Liggins 26 mins, 4 pts, 3 rebs, 5 asts, 2 stls
Jon Hood 4 mins, 2 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast
Daniel Orton 14 mins, 8 pts, 7 rebs, 1 ast, 3 blks

Totals 100 pts, 41 rebs, 27 asts, 8 stls, 11 blks

East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Starters

Isiah Brown 26 mins, 11 pts, 6 rebs, 2 stls
Tommy Hubbard 30 mins, 7 pts, 5 rebs 1 ast, 4 stls
Micah Williams 29 mins, 19 pts, 5 rebs
Justin Tubbs 29 mins, 15 pts, 5 rebs, 1 stl
Jocolby Davis 15 mins, 5 asts

Bench

De'Shaun Johnson 2 mins, 2 pts
Jarvis Jones 7 mins
Adam Sollazzo 19 mins, 14 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, 3 stls
JC Ward 13 mins, 3 pts, 4 rebs, 1 ast
Sheldon Cooley 18 mins, 4 rebs, 2 asts
Bruce Grimm 2 mins
Lukas Poderis 9 mins, 2 rebs, 1 stl, 1 blk
Jordan Edwards 1 min

Totals 71 pts, 36 rebs, 11 asts, 11 stls, 1 blk

Xavier Beats Minnesota, Pitt up Next

By:  Cooper Ledford

The sixth seeded Xavier Musketeers were playing the eleventh seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers, Friday.  This was the first round of the NCAA Tournament, whoever loses, would have to get back on the bus to go home.  It ended up being the Gophers that would have to get a ticket back to the Twin Cities, as Xavier won 65-54.

Both teams played equaly as good in the first half, as it was tied at 26 at the half.  The Muskies would outplay Minnesota in the second half.  A big key to the X-Men's success was the sophmore, Jordan Crawford, who scored 28 points.  Crawford dominated the points for XU, infact the second highest scorer was Dante Jackson, who posted only nine points. 

Jamel McLean lead in rebounds with 14.  Xavier out rebounded Minnesota 39-37.  After Richmond losing to St. Mary's and Temple losing to Cornell in the first rounds, Xavier is the only Atlantic 10 team left in the tournament.

The Xavier Musketeers will next take on the Pittsburgh Panthers and have a rematch with them, as Pitt beat Xavier last year in a heart-breaking loss, 60-55.

The Xavier vs. Pitt game is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday.  The time is not yet announced and the game will be televised on CBS.



NOTABLE STARTERS

Jordan Crawford: 35 min., 28 pts., 6 reb.
Terrell Holloway: 31 min., 6 pts., 4 ast.
Dante Jackson: 30 min., 9 pts., 3 ast.
Jamel McLean: 30 min., 7 pts., 14 reb.
Jason Love: 26 min., 7 pts., 8 reb.

NO NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS.

Bearcats Beat Weber State in NIT First Round

CINCINNATI - Deonta Vaughn scored 16 points, handed out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds, leading the University of Cincinnati (19-5, 7-11 BIG EAST) to a 76-62 victory over visiting Weber State (20-11, 13-3 Big Sky) in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament at Fifth Third Arena on Wednesday evening. Vaughn became the school's all-time assist leader with his first dish of the game, passing Eddie Lee (1976-80), and became the career leader in 3-pointers made when he landed a long-range jumper with 18:14 on the clock in the second half, passing Darnell Burton (1993-97). Vaughn now has 309 career three-pointers and 507 career assists.
Cincinnati won the tip and went to work, hitting back-to-back three pointers. Weber State used a 10-3 run to take a 10-9 lead with 12:41 to go in the half. UC regained the lead after Yancy Gates found Ibrahima Thomas in the paint and he finished with a one-step dunk. The dunk, at 10:29 of the half, was UC's first basket from the floor that was not a 3-pointer.
The Bearcats took a six-point lead after Jaquon Parker got a steal and converted a 3-point play, but the Wildcats stuck around, using a 9-4 run to pull within one, 20-19, with 6:47 on the clock. Cincinnati continued to apply full court pressure and used a 20-6 run to close out the half and go to the locker room with a 40-25 advantage. The Bearcats finished the half with 22 points off of turnovers and was 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
Weber State scored first in the second half but Vaughn landed a three for the Bearcats, becoming the school's all-time leader in 3-pointers made. Wilks had a huge block in transition, and then took a cross-court alley-oop pass from Lance Stephenson, throwing it down and getting fouled. Cincinnati led, 54-34, before Weber State went on a 16-4 run to pull within eight, 59-51. Parker hit a triple but the Wildcats answered and pulled within eight again, trailing 63-55 with 5:21 left in the game. The Bearcats ended the game on a 13-7 run, winning 76-62.
Cincinnati forced 23 turnovers by Weber State and scored 28 points off of turnovers. The Bearcats were 15-of-16 from the free throw line and had 21 assists for the game. Stephenson finished with 14 points for UC while Damian Lillard had a game-high 26 points for Weber State.
Cincinnati, a No. 2 seed in the "Illinois" bracket of the tournament, will play No. 3-seed Dayton in the second round of the NIT. Dayton defeated Illinois State in the first round, 63-42.

Grading the SWO Teams Regular Seasons

Kentucky: A+, UK looked good all season.  They finished with only two losses, they also finished at the AP ranking of #2, behind Kansas.  Some Wildcats fans would complain that they did not look as good as they would have liked, but they should not complain with the results the they get.  UK is a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and has a great chance of winning it all.

Ohio State: A, The Buckeyes looked good for the later parts of the season.  They were #25 for some time, but then they fell out of the rankings.  OSU then climbed back with great wins and entered the top 25.  They later on won the Big Ten regular season and won the Big Ten Tournament, they are a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament,

Xavier: B+, XU looked pretty good for most of the season, after the Old Spice Clasisc, they started to have troubles.  However, Coach Mack and his squad improved and after beating Richmond late in the season, jumed to #25, and finsh the season at #25.  Xavier is a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament and are looking to go agianst the 100-1 odds of winning the Championship.

Cincinnati:  D, UC looked, just OK.  They are in the toughest confrence in all of basketball, the Big East, there was no way that they would finish in the top half of the Big East.  They played some good, close, games, and ended up lossing them, like the 2OT loss to Xavier early in the season.  UC made the NIT Tournament, they are a #2 seed in the NIT.

Wildcats Are the 2010 SEC Champions!

UK pulled out a huge 75-74 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in OT to win the 26th SEC Tournament title in school history. Down by 3 late in the 2nd Half, Eric Bledsoe knocked down a crucial free throw and perfectly executed a missed free throw attempt to get a Kentucky rebound by John Wall. Wall missed the 3-point attempt but DeMarcus Cousins came in scooped up the rebound, and layed the ball up at the last second to send the game into Overtime. In Overtime, to seal the deal, John Wall hit an off-balanced go ahead 3-point basket. DeMarcus Cousins sealed the deal with a crucial free throw right after a missed attempt at the line and the Bulldogs rushed to the other end of the court and Riley Benock launched a three point basket that was good but not enough as they came up short by one point. Kentucky will head into the NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed.

1st Half UK 31 MSU 35

2nd Half UK 33 MSU 29

Final UK 75 MSU 74

Kentucky Wildcats

Starters

Patrick Patterson 38 mins, 15 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl, 2 blks

DeMarcus Cousins 26 mins, 10 pts, 10 rebs, 1 ast, 2 blks

Darius Miller 43 mins, 18 pts, 3 rebs, 1ast, 2 stls, 1 blk

John Wall 40 mins, 17 pts, 6 rebs, 9 asts, 5 stls

Bench

Perry Stevenson 7 mins, 2 pts, 1 reb, 1 blk

Ramon Harris 6 mins, 1 ast, 1 stl

Darnell Dodson 28 mins, 3 pts, 5 rebs

DeAndre Liggins 4 pts, 1 ast

Daniel Orton 17 mins, 6 pts, 2 rebs, 1 stl

Totals UK 75 pts, 34 rebs, 16 asts, 11 stls, 6 blks

Mississippi State Buldogs

Starters

Jarvis Varnado 40 mins, 18 pts, 9 rebs, 2 stls, 5 blks

Kodi Augustus 18 mins, 2 pts, 4 rebs, 2 stls, 2 blks

Barry Stewart 32 mins, 11 pts, 10 rebs, 2 asts

Ravern Johnson 38 mins, 20 pts, 3 rebs, 3 asts, 1 stl

Dee Bost 40 mins, 16 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts 1 stl

Bench

Phil Turner 30 mins, 2 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl

Riley Benock 18 mins, 5 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast

Romero Osby 7 mins,

Wendell Lewis 2 mins

Totals 75 pts, 38 rebs, 13 asts, 7 stls, 7 blks

Buckeyes are 2010 Big Ten Champions!

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Ohio State Buckeyes (27-7, 14-4) were playing the Minnesota Golden Gophers (21-13, 9-9) in the Big Ten Championship game.  OSU was coming off of a win over Illinois in two overtimes, while Minnesota was coming off of a nice win over Purdue.  Ohio State ended up winning it in a big blow out, 90-61. 

It was only a three point lead for the Bucks at the half, but in the second half, OSU started playing too good for the Gophers. 

Evan Turner had 31 points, for the second game in-a-row, he also had 11 rebounds, and six assist.  David Lighty put on a show with 20 points, seven rebounds, and five assist. 

Jon Diebler posted 19 points, and was 5-for-11 on three point attempts.  William Buford added 13 points and was 5-for-8 from the field. 

Ohio State will either be a #2 seed, but could be a #1 seed, we will have to wait and see.

Congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes, good luck in the NCAA Tournament.

XU Falls to Richmond in A-10 Simifinals

"ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- After playing two overtimes less than two weeks ago, it was only appropriate that Richmond and No. 24 Xavier go another extra period in the Atlantic 10 Conference semifinals.






Kevin Anderson scored 27 points, David Gonzalvez added 26 and third-seeded Richmond got some payback for its recent loss to Xavier, defeating the second-seeded Musketeers 89-85 on Saturday to advance to their first conference title game since 2002.



The Spiders (26-7) will face No. 17 Temple (28-5) on Sunday afternoon at Boardwalk Hall, looking to dethrone the two-time defending champions. The Owls beat Rhode Island 57-44 in the other semifinal for their ninth straight win.



"They look great," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said of Temple. "They are one of the best teams in the country. I think coach (Fran) Dunphy is one of the best coaches in the country. Their defense is suffocating. Their offense is very, very good and efficient. It's going to be an enormous challenge."



Temple's last loss was a 71-54 defeat at Richmond, a game in which the Owls were without starting guard Juan Fernandez (concussion).



"We know they're solid and want to get revenge," Gonzalvez said. "We don't expect it to be easy."



Beating Xavier wasn't, either.



Anderson had to hit a tying layup with 3.1 seconds left in regulation to force the overtime and Gonzalvez made a 3-pointer to open the extra five minutes and give Richmond the lead for good.



"It was just an incredible game," Mooney said. "We played a terrific game at their place, which was one of the best games I've been a part of, and this was just an extension of that. There were so many good plays made, so many outstanding efforts."



This one was just as exciting as the 78-76 decision Feb. 28.



The Spiders rallied from a 73-69 deficit in the final 56 seconds to tie the game. Anderson, the conference player of the year, got the last four points.



Anderson's second basket came 12 seconds after Dante' Jackson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 that could have put Xavier up by four.



Anderson rushed the ball upcourt after the miss and dribbled around the top of the key before making a lightning quick move down the left side of the lane for an uncontested layup.



"That play was broken down," Anderson said. "I hesitated, crossed over and was wide open at the basket for a layup."



Jordan Crawford had 20 points to lead Xavier (24-7), which had an eight-game winning streak snapped. Terrell Holloway added 16 for the Musketeers, who are likely to get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.



"We both gave it our all," forward Jamal McLean said. "We just fell short. I think it's just important to refresh our minds, refresh our bodies and get focused for the NCAA tournament. It's sad we lost this game, but we have to move forward."



Richmond never trailed in the overtime after Gonzalvez hit only his second 3-pointer in a game in which he was 3-of-11 from long range.



Crawford closed the gap to 76-75 with two free throws, but Xavier couldn't take advantage of opportunities to come all the way back.



Down 83-80 with 36 seconds to play, Holloway missed the second of two free throws and Jason Love got the rebound and missed a layup.



Trailing 85-83 after Holloway hit a 3-pointer with 25.2 seconds left, Xavier had its hands on the inbounds pass but could not hold on. Dan Geriot and Anderson then each hit two free throws to ice the game.



"We had a couple chances where we probably could've won the game, but I'm sure Richmond felt the same way a couple of weeks ago at the Cintas Center," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "It was their night; it's disappointing but we'll move forward."



Xavier led by as many as nine points in the second half and was still ahead 60-56 after McLean hit two free throws with 7:59 to play.



The Spiders then went on a 9-2 spurt and took a 64-62 lead on a driving layup by Anderson.



Mark Lyons (13 points) answered for Xavier on the next possession, hitting a 3-pointer, and Crawford followed with a steal and dunk to push the lead to 67-64 with 5:02 to go."

Turner and Bucks to Big Ten Finals

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Ohio State Buckeyes (26-7, 14-4) were playing the Illinois Fighting Illini (19-14, 10-8), Saturday in the Big Ten simifinals.  The winner would advance into the Big Ten Championship Game.  Ohio State ended up winning in a great double-overtime game, 88-81.

Evan Turner was the Bucks best player of the game, getting 31 points, 10 rebounds, but he did have 10 turnovers.  Turner also scored 12 of his points in overtime periods, a big reason why the Buckeyes beat Illinois. 

The Illini were lead by was led by Demetri McCamey with 22 points and Mike Davis with 13 points and 18 rebounds. The Illini had two chances to win at the buzzer but failed to get off shots both times.

That gave Turner a chance to dominate the second overtime. After Jon Diebler hit a 3, Turner's back-to-back layups put the Buckeyes up 82-77 with 3:03 to play. Illinois never got another chance to tie the score.

Next, Ohio State will play the winner of the Purdue vs. Minnesota game.  The game will be on either CBS or an ESPN station.

Picture: Evan Turner had another big game, getting 31 points in Ohio State's win over Illinois in 2OT.

Kentucky Advances To SEC Tournament Finals, Blowout Vols

The Kentucky Wildcats were firing on all cylinders today and paid back the Volunteers who beat them a couple weeks ago with a 29-point beating. UK hammered Tennessee 74-45 in a true rivalry games where tempers flared and elbows were flown. DeMarcus Cousins broke out of his scoring slump with 19 points today, followed by another outstanding performance from Eric Bledsoe with 17 points and was 5 for 8 from beyond the arc. Wall had a near double-double with 14 points and 9 assists. The Kentucky Wildcats will advance to the SEC Tournament finals as they await the winner of the Mississippi State/Vanderbilt Semi-Finals game.

1st Half UK 32 UT 19
2nd Half 42 UT 26
Final UK 74 UT 45

Kentucky Wildcats

Starters

Patrick Patterson 35 mins, 4 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast, 1 blk
DeMarcus Cousins 26 mins, 19 pts, 15 rebs, 1 ast, 3 stls, 2 blks
Darius Miller 21 mins, 5 pts, 1 ast
Eric Bledsoe 33 mins, 17 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls
John Wall 36 mins, 14 pts, 6 rebs, 9 asts, 1 stl, 1 blk

Bench

Perry Stevenson 2 mins, 2 pts
Ramon Harris 1 min
Darnell Dodson 14 mins, 8 pts, 4 rebs
Mark Krebs 2 mins
Josh Harrellson 2 min, 2 pts, 1 reb
DeAndre Liggins 12 mins, 1 pts, 1 rebs, 2 stls
Jon Hood 2 mins, 2 pts, 1 reb
Daniel Orton 14 mins, 3 rebs, 1 blk

Totals 74 pts, 40 rebs, 14 asts, 8 stls, 5 blk

Tennessee Volunteers

Starters

Wayne Chism 22 mins, 8 pts, 3 rebs, 1 blk
Brian Williams 20 mins, 8 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast
J.P. Prince 30 mins, 6 pts, 2 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls
Scotty Hopson 29 mins, 11 pts, 3 rebs, 1 stl
Bobby Maze 26 mins, 3 pts, 1 reb, 2 asts, 1 stl

Bench

Steven Pearl 20 mins, 2 pts, 2 rebs
Josh Bone 2 mins, 1 reb
Quinn Cannington 2 mins
Melvin Goins 13 mins, 1 asts, 2 stls
Cameron Tatum 17 mins, 1 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast
Renaldo Woolridge 1 min, 1 reb
Kenny Hall 16 mins, 4 pts, 5 rebs, 2 stls
Skylar McBee 2 mins, 2 pts

Totals 45 pts, 26 rebs, 9 astsm 8 stls, 1 blk

Xavier Rallies and Beats Dayton

By: Cooper Ledford

The Xavier Musketeers (24-7, 14-2) were playing the Dayton Flyers (20-12, 8-8), Friday night in the Atlantic Ten Quarterfinals.  Xavier was just trying to advance in the tournament, while Dayton was playing to try to get into the NCAA tournament.  Xavier was down for most of the game, but late in the game, Xavier rallied and at the final buzzer won 78-73.

The Dayton Flyers certainly looked good for most of the game, in the first half the game was close for the most part and UD lead by 5, 40-35.  To start the second half, Dayton went on a 16-7 run with 13:11 to go, the score was 56-42.  Dayton had as much as a 15 point lead, it was 61-46 with 10:37 to go.  Perhaps some UD fans were starting to celebrate, but Xavier fans knew that the Muskies were good in come-from-behind situations, just like in the George Washington, UMASS, and first game against Dayton.  Xavier started their rally by just playing good defense and making their possesions worthwhile, and getting points on most of them. 

Xavier tied the game up when Jordan Crawford made a two-point jumper with 2:39 to go, after that, the Musketeers never looked back and went on a 12-7 run to close out the game.  An important part of this game that perhaps gave Xavier the win was a technical foul on Dayton's Rob Lowery 33 seconds to go.  At that time, XU had a two point lead and that sent Terrell Holloway to the free-throw line for two, and more importantly gave the Muskies the ball as well.  Holloway made both free-throws, and Dayton then had to start fouling trying to somehow do the unthinkable, which they were unable to do, Xavier wins in a great Atlantic Ten rivalry game, 78-73.  Xavier finishes by going 2-1 against the Flyers and the Muskies will play either UMASS or Richmond in the A-10 semifinals.  The game will be tomorrow, March 12th at 3:30 PM and will be televised on either an ESPN station OR FS Ohio/Cincinnati. 


NOTEABLE STARTERS (XAVIER)

Jamel McLean: 4 pts., 6 reb., 1 assist.
Jordan Crawford: 20 pts., 3 reb., 1 assist.
Terrell Holloway: 22 pts., 2 reb., 2 assist.

NOTEABLE BENCH (XAVIER)

Jason Love: 17pts., 10 reb., 1 assist.
Mark Lyons: 8 pts., 4 reb.

UK rallies and beats Bama

By:  Cooper Ledford

The No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats (30-2) were playing Alabama (17-15),
Friday in the SEC quarterfinals, 73-67.  UK will now go to the SEC simifinals.

Patrick Patterson scored 20 and Eric Bledsoe 10 for Kentucky. DeMarcus Cousins, who had 18 double-doubles this season averaging 15.6 points and 10 rebounds per game, finished with seven points and eight boards.


For the Tide, Mikhail Torrance led with 20 points. JaMychal Green had 14 and Tony Mitchell 10.

The win gave the 'Cats their 12th 30 win season, the most by any school in NCAA history, and thier first since 2003.  UK is looking for their 26th SEC tournament championship after, after already getting their 44th SEC regular season championship title.

The oppsing team that Kentucky will play tomorrow will be announced, but it will either be #15 Tennessee or Mississippi.

Bucks hold off Michigan

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Ohio State Buckeyes (25-7, 14-4) were playing their hated rivals, Michigan (15-17, 7-11). 

Both teams were playing well in the first half, and at the half, OSU had a 10 point lead, 35-25.  In the second half, Michigan really started to play good, they outscored the Buckeyes in the second half by nine points.  Late in the second half, with only 2.2 seconds to go, Ohio State was down 66-68, Michigan close to winning.  There was no need to fear, Evan Turner was there.  "Turner took an inbounds pass, dribbled upcourt and drained a 37-footer at the buzzer to give Ohio State a 69-68 win over Michigan"--ESPN.COM

Evan Turner lead the Buckeyes with 18 points, he also had eight assist and three rebounds.

Michigan's Manny Harris lead in points with 26, he also had four assist and six rebounds.

Projected Reds Starting Rotation

Aaron Harang
Bronson Arroyo
Johnny Cueto
Homer Bailey
Chapman/Maloney/Volquez(mid-season)/Lehr/Lincoln.

My NL Central Predictions.

Reds (93-69)
Cardinals (90-72)
Cubs (82-80)
Brewers (75-87)
Astros (69-93)
Pirates (63-99)

Xavier Gives Love His Last Home Win

By: Cooper Ledford

The Xavier Musketeers (23-7, 14-2) were hosting St. Bonaventure in both teams final regular season games.  This also was Jason Love's last game of the season, and his last game at the Cintas Center.  With XU's 93-72 win, they clinch a share of their fourth strait Atlantic Ten championship.  


Xavier looked good all game, infact started on an 11-0 run, in the first four minutes of the game.  Xavier soon went on another run, after a few points here and there by the Bonnies, and at the half, the Musketeers were 42-33.


In the second half, Xavier looked just as good as they did in the first half, every player got some playing time and Kevin Feeney, the only Musketeer without points this season, got a three, now every Muskie has points this season.  

 Jordan Crawford lead all scorers with 22 points off of 8-of-12 shooting.  Jamel McLean had 15 points off of 6-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds.  Dante' Jackson had 11 points, while Mark Lyons added ten, and Terrell Holloway added nine.

SUB was lead by Andrew Nicholson with 21 points.

"Xavier athletics would like to congratulate senior Jason Love on four great seasons. XU is headed to the Atlantic 10 Tournament. XU will play Friday, time and opponent to be announced. Stay tuned to GOXAVIER.com for more information from Xavier men’s basketball." --goxavier.com

UC Ends Season in a Loss

WASHINGTON (AP) - Austin Freeman scored 24 points Saturday as the Hoyas clinched a first-round bye in the Big East tournament with a 74-47 win over Cincinnati in both teams' regular season finale.
"I'm proud of him," teammate Greg Monroe said. "It's so serious. It's a life-changing thing that you find out, but once he was back on the court, he was the same. Off the court, he was the same. He just took it all in stride."
Greg Monroe had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and Chris Wright had 16 points as Georgetown (20-9, 10-8) finished in the top half of the 16-team Big East, avoiding the dreaded Tuesday game in a conference tournament that has been expanded to five days. "I'm fine, I'm fine," the soft-spoken Freeman said. "It was just good to be out there again to be playing with my teammates and just doing what I do. It was just a lot of fun to be out there. ... It was just the same."
Oh, but it wasn't. Georgetown didn't have any seniors to honor on senior day, so Saturday became a de facto Austin Freeman Day. It started when he was given a standing ovation when presented with a game ball by coach John Thompson III in recognition of the junior guard's 1,000th career point, scored a few games ago.
Then came another standing ovation when Freeman was announced with the starting lineup. He scored Georgetown's first basket with a layup, then hit a pair of 3-pointers. Then he drove the paint, drew heavy contact but no foul as he forced his way to a layup that prompted Cincinnati to call timeout, the crowd to rise to its feet and several sections of fans to start chanting "Aus-tin Free-man."
Thompson called the week "emotional" and "trying" but expressed guarded confidence that his leading scorer was back to his old basketball self.
"As long as we can limit the sways in his levels, we're going to see a lot more games this year like that," the coach said.
The bench-thin Hoyas need Freeman to have any chance at making a run in the postseason. There is no reliable scorer outside the starting five, a lack of depth that was starting to show as Georgetown entered Saturday's game on a 1-4 skid.
"The last two games, one of the key parts of what we do was not feeling good," Thompson said. "So to go in there today, knowing he's going to be there, makes a big difference."
Freshman Lance Stephenson scored a career-high 23 points to lead Cincinnati (16-14, 7-11), one of the eight teams that will have to play five games in five days to win the Big East tournament. Deonta Vaughn, averaging nearly 12 points, went 0-for-3 from the field and finished with two points.
The Bearcats have lost five of six, including three in a row to top 20 teams. They trailed 29-26 at the half before Freeman and the Hoyas turned the game into a rout.
"The second half we got totally outplayed," Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. "We struggled to make layups, we struggled to make free throws, struggled to make open shots. Playing hard, focused and all that stuff, that's just talk. You've got to get the ball in the basket. We play in the Big East. We're not going to be able to just outhustle people. That only goes so far."
Freeman made the score 40-32 early in the second half with a 3-pointer, and pushed the lead to 50-35 with two free throws when he was fouled after making a steal - leading to another standing ovation.
"I'm not happy he came out and killed me today," Cronin said. "But I'm very happy for him that he's able to play and he's going to be healthy and have a great career, because he's a great player."

Reds Spring Training Begins

After losing to the Cleveland Indians, Friday 9-2, the Reds are back in action for over a month.  The Reds will play today vs. the Indians at 3:05 PM ET.  The Reds and the Tribe will meet again on March 18th and April 2nd and third.  To see the Reds full Spring Training schedule, go to:

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/schedule/index.jsp?c_id=cin&m=4&y=2010

Kentucky Beats Georigia For 44th SEC Title

The Kentucky Wildcats traveled to Athens, Georgia to take on on the Georgia Bulldogs. The Cats came away with an 80-6 victory to be the first SEC East opponent to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs on their home court this season. UK came out much improved on their three-point shooting. Dodson and Wall both had 3 three-pointers. Darnell Dodson was huge off the bench tonight with 11 points and John Wall had 24 points with many highlight reel plays. Patterson recorded another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. UK spoils Senior Night for the Bulldogs as the Bulldogs did for UK's Senior Night at Rupp Arena last season. Kentucky will play next on Sunday hosting the Florida Gators on Senior Night as UK will say good bye as Mark Krebs, Perry Stevenson, Ramon Harris, and Patrick Patterson will all be graduating.

1st Half UK 40 UGA 36
2nd Half UK 40 UGA 32
Final UK 80 UGA 68

Kentucky Wildcats

Starters

Patrick Patterson 35 mins, 17 pts, 10 rebs, 1 ast, 2 stls, 4 blks
DeMarcus Cousins 21 mins, 6 pts, 4 rebs, 1 asts, 1 stl, 6 blks
Darius Miller 15 mins,  4 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast, 2 blks
Eric Bledsoe 20 mins, 5 pts, 2 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl
John Wall 37 mins, 24 pts, 1 reb, 6 asts, 3 stls, 1 blk

Bench

Perry Stevenson 5 mins, 2 pts
Ramon Harris 11 mins, 2 pts, 2 rebs, 3 asts
Darnell Dodson 21 mins, 11 pts, 1 reb
Josh Harrellson 2 mins
DeAndre Liggins 16 mins, 5 pts, 1 stl
Jon Hood 1 min,
Daniel Orton 16 mins, 4 pts, 4 rebs, 1 blk

Totals 80 pts, 26 rebs, 13 asts, 8 stls, 14 blks

Georgia Bulldogs

Starters

Albert Jackson 21 mins, 2 rebs
Rick McPhee 37 mins, 12 pts, 3 rebs, 1 ast
Dustin Ware 36 mins,10 pts, 3 rebs, 5 asts, 1 stl
Travis Leslie 33 mins, 8 points, 10 rebs, 1 ast, 2 stls
Chris Barnes 9 mins, 5 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts

Bench

Jeremy Price 19 pts, 6 rebs
Ebuka Anyorah 8 mins, 2 pts
DeMario Mayfield 1 min, 1 ast
Trey Thompkins 30 mins, 12 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast, 1 stl
Vincent Williams 5 mins, 1 reb, 1 ast

Totals 68 pts, 35 rebs, 12 asts, 4 stls

Xavier Ranked #25

By:  Cooper Ledford

After the Xavier Musketeers (21-7, 12-2) knock off the #24 Richmond Spiders, XU climbed into the top 25 in AP poll.

This is the first time the the Muskies have been ranked this season.

Xavier is tied for first place with #17 Temple.