Setting: Atlantic 10 heavyweights collide when Chris Mooney brings his No.23 Richmond Spiders (22-6 / 11-2) to the Cintas Center to face Chris Mack’s Xavier Musketeers (20-7/ 11-2). Plot: A piece of first place is at stake. The Spiders and Musketeers sit atop the A-10 with the Temple Owls. Sub-plot: Richmond is undefeated in the month of February and brings an eight-game winning streak into the contest. The Spiders have been ranked back-to-back weeks for the first ...

  Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, FL) To some, you simply can't take fandom too far, so this article is not for you. But to one still deciding what's proper and what's not, please read on. Here are the top five things not to do, followed by the top five things to do according to this author, a certified knuckle dragger and experienced fan. 5. Taking bed sheets to the game with messages to hold up is not ...

This is an opinion article. Everything in this article is based solely on the observations and feelings of the author. As such, it can be taken for what it is worth.  There is a missing element in the media bombardment of the University of Michigan football program. While there is no doubt that this is one of the most respected and accomplished college football programs of all time, another element lurks below the surface. When Rich Rodriguez moved ...

In today’s big time college athletics, there seems to be a thin, blurry line between what’s right and wrong, between what’s accepted and what’s frowned upon. With all the money flowing into big time sports programs these days it has created a dangerous culture. There is a win-first attitude where athletics takes precedence over academics for these “student” athletes. So I simply want to ask why have all the clout and the double standards? Why not simply ...

Nearing the end of the regular season for college basketball, schools use the last home game of the year to reflect upon the accomplishments of their senior players. While most senior night festivities are filled with joy and celebration, the ceremony at Samford University on Feb. 22 took on more of a somber tone. Instead of reflecting on the present and what will be, The Pete Hanna Center was filled with images of what could have ...

As the Big Ten looks to add another team to its ranks and become the....Big Ten, with twelve teams...the impact of such an expansion must be investigated by each team. Michigan State has been in the Big Ten since the 1950 season, and they have fit comfortably into that role with their style of play, which is an offense that can air it out but also enjoys running the football with physical backs.  The rest of the ...

The possibility of sanctions to our respected rivals USC and Michigan makes me flashback to Notre Dame’s only major NCAA sanction in its history a decade ago. Call it PTSD, but the similarities and obvious dissimilarities combined with the agony of the process haunt me. Notre Dame’s NCAA Infractions, 1999 The majority of Notre Dame’s NCAA violations involved a South Bend bookkeeper, Kimberly Dunbar, who used an estimated $1.4 million she embezzled from her employer from 1991 ...

In college basketball, Friday nights are usually more devoted to smaller conference match-ups. While Butler and Siena picked up victories, the Ivy League had some excitement with a last-second, game-winning shot and a key win for Cornell in conference play.     The Winners   Siena (23-6, 16-1): Siena got a total of 71 points from their starting five as part of an 80-54 rout of Rider in MAAC play. Edwin Ubiles led the way with 21 points. Columbia (10-15, 4-7): ...

With the 30 mid-season finalists for the 2010 Naismith Award being announced Thursday, I felt that it was time to rank the top ten prospects to win this year's award for the top college men's basketball player. Eventhough the list is 30 names long, some names are longshots for the award, while a good 15-20 are still in the hunt. Honestly though, many feel that this year's player of the year will come down to ...

Anyone who watches college football and the NFL have a good idea of "The Heisman Curse." I don't mean the one that states the Heisman winner loses the Title game following the ceremony. I'm talking about ...