Ramblin’ Wrecked!

Despite the Fighting DeChellises’ best effort to choke away yet another game due to craptastic free-throw shooting in the clutch, Georgia Tech was unable to capitalize and fell victim to a solid 38 minutes of basketball courtesy of Penn State…Don’t get me wrong here, I’m psyched that we once again held up our end of the Big Ten-ACC bargain (even though for the 10th straight year the Big Ten as a whole failed to do so) but can we for once close out an opponent in seamless fashion?

Some positives:

• Talor Battle didn’t shoot particularly well most of the game, but still found other ways to contribute by distributing 7 assists to go along with his eventual 18 points.  That’s great thing about Talor, he always finds ways to make himself relevant to the cause no matter how much of an off-night he may be having
• The real star of the game though has to be Stanley Pringle, with his 22 points along with his 4 steals, but most importantly he seemed to come up with a clutch basket whenever we needed it most.  It seemed like Tech underestimated his quickness, as several times he drove past everybody for an easy bucket.  Heck, it seemed like one of the plays Ed DeChellis drew up out of the timeout involved everyone else getting the hell out of Stanley’s way and letting him create something.  Additionally, Pringle hit our only made free throws in the final minute, which made all the difference in the end.
• Danny Morrissey seemed to be a big momentum-killer for Tech as every time Tech would cut the defecit down to a couple points, Danny would knock down a trey to silence the crowd.  His 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting from downtown tell the story.

On the negative side:

• The interior defense was absolutely nowhere to be found.  Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal pretty much did whatever he wanted to down low, garnering 34 points and 11 rebounds.  I lost count of how many easy dunks/layups Tech was able to get on us, particularly in the transition game.
• Free throw shooting was actually pretty decent before the disastrous final couple of minutes.  I don’t know what it is that creeps into the players’ heads when they’re shooting critical free throws but they need to reach a mental state where free throws are just a routine thing.
• What the HELL was DJ thinking not going for the easy layup late in the game and pulling the ball out instead?  Even if he hadn’t missed the front end of the one-in-one free throw that followed, I still would be harping on him for it.  If a basket is there for the taking, by all means TAKE IT!
• The seven-man rotation worked this time, but I sure hope Ed is still not relying on it come Big Ten season.

Again, while the ending was way more nerve-racking than it should’ve been, this is nonetheless a huge win for the team.  A victory on Saturday against Temple at the BJC followed by beating the remaining cupcakes on the non-conference schedule will have us going into the Big Ten slate with a 12-1 record.  Seriously, when’s the last time that happened?  If we can go at least 9-9 in the Big Ten from there, it will lead to serious talk about a possible NCAA Tournament bid for the first time since the Crispin brothers were ripping the nets.

In the meantime however, plenty of work needs to be done defensively and at the charity stripe in order to make such a dream a reality…

PSU v. Ga Tech = Big 10-ACC Challenge/Rudolph Extravaganza

This is the time of year where I wish my TV had Picture-In-Picture capability.  You see, PSU’s hoops squad will tip off against Georgia Tech tonight @ 7:30 PM ET on ESPN2, which will be shortly followed by CBS’s annual airing of Rudolph at 8 PM ET…At least there’s a guarantee that one of those viewings will be a pleasant one.  And in case any of you were about to ask: No, there will not be another running diary on Rudolph.  Trust me, doing it once was good enough.

As you all know, the Fighting DeChellises are taking part in the 10th annual “ACC/Big Ten Challenge” which has been anything but a challenge for the ACC, being that they’ve won this fake Land Grant Trophy-quality contest every year since its inception.  Even though this year’s series is tied at 3 games apiece, Indiana and Michigan State have to go up against Wake Forest and UNC respectively so yeah, go ahead and mark those in the “loss” column for the Big Ten.  This means that barring any shockers by IU or MSU, it’s up to PSU, Northwestern (home against Florida State), and Michigan (@ Maryland) to pick up the slack and carry the Big Ten out on top for the first time ever…Seriously, this thing should be banished to the “Island of Misfit Tournaments.”

Action shot from a previous Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Taking a quick look at Georgia Tech, it appears as if they do the bulk of their scoring in the frontcourt as three of their four double-digit scorers are forwards.  Gani Lawal leads the way for the aforementioned frontcourt, averaging a double-double thus far (19.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg).  The backcourt, while depleted by the losses of D’Andre Bell (spinal stenosis) and Lewis Clinch (academic struggles) still features quality players such as Iman Shumpert (the other double-digit scorer) and Maurice Miller (team leader in assists, 6.7 apg).     For once in my life though, I have the dubious distinction of favoring PSU’s backcourt over an ACC team’s backcourt…strange indeed.

As far as the other major concern with any PSU opponent, perimeter shooting: Georgia Tech surprisingly struggles in this category, shooting a combined 14/43 from behind the arc for a whopping 32.9 percent.  Lance Storrs is the team’s most dangerous shooter, going 5/10 from downtown.  Being that Tech’s already played four games, this seems to indicate that Storrs is simply one of those bench players that you bring in for a few minutes if you need to launch a few 3-point torpedos in order to get an offensive spark going.  Then again, how many times have we seen a supposedly lousy 3-point shooting team suddenly catch fire against us?  Let’s just move on…

Georgia Tech also loves to play up-tempo, as evidenced by their being ranked 4th in tempo/pace according to Ken Pomeroy. Being that Ed DeChellis allegedly favors an up-tempo style as well, this should make for an entertaining game that could end up resembling a track meet of sorts.  PSU should be able to hold pace throughout the game and make sure it doesn’t get out of hand.

The line is currently -8.5 in favor of Georgia Tech, which sounds about right.  Tech’s playing at home and most importantly, have a far superior frontcourt which could offset their weaker backcourt, not to mention the fact that PSU also has issues playing in big road games.  If the Fighting DeChellises are going to have any hope of pulling the upset, then Talor Battle needs to put up another near-triple double performance, Pringle and Morrissey need to shoot lights-out and play solid defense, and somebody other than Cornley and DJ has to step up in the frontcourt. Andrew Jones putting on a repeat performance of his 13-rebound game against Towson would certainly be a place to start, Jeff Brooks making a cameo apperance would also be nice.

Crispin and Cream doesn’t see tonight being such a “Holly Jolly” evening, as he’s picking Georgia Tech to cover the spread with a 9-point win.  My advice to him is to just switch over to Rudolph after 8 PM, because while PSU will likely hang around in this one and tickle our fancies by being a couple shots away from taking the lead, I just don’t see them getting over the hump (i.e. making that key defensive stop).  I will however, take PSU to beat the spread and say Tech wins by 7.  John will reluctantly do the same.

Thanksgiving Weekend Bullet-Points

So yeah, the blogging has been rather sporadic as of late.  You can blame it on the turkey, blame it on the fact that I was down in Maryland for the past few days with relatives and thus had no time for relevant blogging, blame it on terrorism being back in the front page of the news, whatever.  Bottom line: I need to make some of it up and what better way to do so than to revive an HHV favorite, the “bullet points?”  Here goes nothing…

• I realize I have yet to put up my own post-game analysis on the football team’s beatdown of Michigan State, I’ll try my damndest to get it up either tomorrow or Monday.  Better late than never…
• Being that I was in Maryland and couldn’t find a link to a PSU radio broadcast, I was forced to read in-game threads on message boards in order to follow the Rhode Island game.  I never realized one could feel as much anticipation clicking on the “refresh” button on the web browser, waiting to read whether Pringle or Battle hit a potential game-tying shot as one could by just listening to it on the radio.
• I can’t say that I was shocked that we lost to URI, they’re a pretty solid team and we usually don’t fare favorably against such teams…particularly in neutral/road environments.  Don’t expect much against Georgia Tech this Wednesday.
• What the hell was ED thinking playing only 7 guys against URI?  Woodyard and Babb need to be thrown into the fire in order t get some quality PT before the Big Ten season.  Unless of course, ED plans on playing a 7-man rotation for the Big Ten slate, in which case we’re royally EFF-YOU-SEE-KAYED.
• On a positive note: I’m glad to see the Fighting DeChellises were able to get off the mat and bounce back with a 78-54 shellacking of Towson in the 3rd place game of the Philly Classic.  Just looking at the box score, it’s very encouraging to see AJ III with 13 rebounds (even if its against Towson) and Battle nearly racking up a triple-double (15 pts, 9 assists, 8 rebs).  If we can get that kind of performance on a few nights in the Big Ten, there could be a few upsets in store for us.
• Speaking of the Towson game: John and I conversed by cell phone before tipoff today, and we both picked PSU to cover the 7-point spread in their favor, along with Crispin and Cream.  So, the standings in our contest after two straight days of hoops action currently stand as such:

HHV 3-1

C&C 3-1

John 2-2

• My fingers are crossed that Oregon hangs on to its 20-point lead over Oregon State (currently in the 3rd quarter as I’m typing this entry) and helps secure an almost certain matchup in the Rose Bowl with USC.
• Speaking of USC, they currently lead 24-0 at the half as I’m typing this entry.  If ND can spring a little bit of offense, Charlie Weis has a very legit shot at beating the spread, and thus saving his job for the time being.

Alright, that’s it…Enjoy whatever’s left of your holiday.

Oh Yeah, There’s A Basketball Game Tonight…

The Rhode Island Rams are next up for the Fighting DeChellises in the semi-finals of the Philly Hoops Classic. Once again, PSU should have the mini-home court advantage with all the Philadelphia-area PSU fans showing up in droves.

Tipoff’s at 6:30 PM and allegedly is being covered on CN8 though that seems to be another bald-faced lie according to everyone who gets CN8. Looks like you’ll have to find a radio feed that does PSU basketball broadcasts and listen to Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi whisper sweet nothings into your ears again.

Sadly enough, I had to wake myself out of my turkey-induced stupor in order to remember all this. Taking a quick skim through Crispin and Cream’s preview though, it sounds like Rhode Island plays a very similar up-tempo style like us and enjoys scoring points in droves. They also don’t play much defense either. Jimmy Baron will likely put on a shooting clinic as well, being that he is 3rd in the NCAA in 3-pointers made thus far and PSU has never been known for playing good perimeter defense.

Remember folks, this is a Rhode Island team that led Duke for practically the entire game until the final minute before Duke (with some referee’s help most likely) put together a furious rally to win the game. They are a 1-point favorite according to the oddsmakers for quite possibly that aforementioned reason.

Crispin and Cream has seen too much heartbreak in the past to pick PSU for the “upset” but my buddy John and I drank too much Kool-Aid to know any better and thus, we’re both picking PSU to win.

Here’s the current standings in our “Contest” once again:

HHV 2-0

C&C 1-1

John 1-1

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you all feast upon your turkey like Jack Ham feasted upon opposing quarterbacks.

Also, thanks to Crispin and Cream for providing a quality recap of the PSU-Penn basketball game, so I don’t have to do it.

Dick Rod To Pull Another Disappearing Act?

Take this with several grains of salt because it involves something coming out Mark May’s mouth, but Mr. May himself was on some sports talk radio show yesterday suggesting that word on the street is that not only could Rich Rodriguez (aka “Dick Rod”) leave Michigan to take either the Tennessee or Clemson vacancies but that Michigan would actually help him to broker a deal with one of the aforementioned schools.

May’s reason for suggesting such a scenario basically sum down to the “wine and cheese crowd” at Michigan with their “Mercedes in the parking lots” who expect to win every year aren’t warming up to some guy with a southern drawl who changes the playcalling system and oversees the worst season in the program’s proud history.

May then goes on to suggest that Clemson fans would embrace Dick Rod because that’s where he was a well-liked offensive coordinator during the first couple years of the Tommy Bowden era before bolting to West Virginia to become their head coach.

Certainly, nothing that’s being said about Dick Rod should be considered “far-fetched” and I wouldn’t be as shocked as you think if such a rumor were to end up true.  Dick Rod isn’t exactly a well-liked figure amongst the Michigan fan base and his style and demeanor are a deep contrast from what the fans are used to.  That is usually not a good sign with a program for which winning is a birthright.  We could potentially have another Bill Callahan at Nebraska-type scenario playing out in Ann Arbor, unless Michigan’s athletic department decides to pave Dick Rod a path to Clemson or Tennessee.

Anyway, here’s the link to the aforementioned talk show appearance.  You’ll have to fast-forward to a little bit beyond the halfway mark before the Dick Rod talk begins.

Welcome To The Palestra…

That lovely picture above is where the Fighting DeChellises will be spending their Thanksgiving holiday weekend as they take on Rhode Island on Friday and depending on the result of that game, face either Towson or Villanova on Saturday.

But first things, first:  There’s another team PSU is playing at the Palestra tonight and it’s against the ancient gym’s original occupants, the Penn Quakers.  Tipoff is at 7:30 PM ET and unfortunately, there’s no TV for this game which means you’re going to have to pretend it’s the 1940’s and all you have for electronic entertainment is the radio.  No worries though, Steve Jones and Dick Jerardi are a very solid play-by-play tandem.

Come, cozy yourself by the fire and enjoy another pleasant evening with Jones & Jerardi narrating another thrilling episode of "Captain ED and the Pirates of the Aimlessly Wandering Ship"

Don’t let their 1-2 record fool you: The Quakers should pose PSU’s toughest challenge to date, as they’ve held their own against stiff competition, coming up 2 points short against Drexel and losing to this year’s favorite to cut down the nets in April, UNC by merely 15.

According to the stats: It seems Penn’s got a formidable backcourt, led by Tyler Bernardini’s 20 ppg and 3.7 apg and Kevin Egee’s 14.3 ppg.  The aforementioned guards are also shooting above 40% from 3-point land, which certainly bodes well for PSU’s historically shaky perimeter defense. Forward Brennan Votel not only averages double-digits in scoring (12.7 ppg) but is also the second-leading rebounder at 5.7 rpg.

The line on this game is (-2) for PSU.  This might be a tad low, even though the Fighting DeChellises have wolfed down on four straight cupcakes to open the season and will face their first road test tonight.  The fact that there’s a line on this game also means that “The Contest” is back in session.  Here’s a recap of the standings thus far:

HHV 1-0

John  0-1 (aka the blog formerly known as “Rants From the District”)

Crispin and Cream 0-1

John and C&C both like PSU to cover that spread.  I agree with their picks, though I do think it’ll be a tight game tonight.  Give me the good guys over the elitist Ivy League douches by 5 points.

Penn State Basketball: A Happy Action Fun Time!

Alright, I admittedly did not watch the game against Hartford on Thursday because of work.  From what I have read though of other people’s post-game recaps it sounds as if our inside game was notoriously absent for a good portion of the game, while our three-point shooting (15 for 25) was a type of performance best saved for a team like say, Georgia Tech.

New Hampshire is the opponent today for the Fighting DeChellises.  Once again, there’s no line on this game which tells you just how crappy the opposition is.  New Hampshire’s lone game against a Division 1 opponent thus far ended up being a double-digit loss to Harvard so, yeah, I can’t blame Vegas for giving this one the cold shoulder.

Just taking a quick, half-assed look at their roster, their top four scorers are all guards which indicates that perimeter defense will be key to blowing these guys out of the water as expected.  Our athleticism in the backcourt should be the key here.

Tip off is at 2 PM ET and will be played in the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center where an expected crowd of about 2,000 hung over football fans will be in attendance.  For the rest of you who plan to watch on TV, the Big Ten Network will be covering it.

And here’s a quick prediction for you: PSU by 25.

Kissed By A Rose…

Because it would be a crime against humanity if nobody in the PSU blogging fraternity made a Seal reference…

Big Ten Champs, Rose Bowl bound, what more is there to say?  Time for a Janet Reno dance party!

Better Know An Opponent: Michigan State (aka “The Final Countdown”)

LAST TIME OUT: November 17, 2007 – Michigan State struck first to go up 7-0 but PSU responded swiftly by putting up 24 unanswered points, including a TD run by Kevin Kelly off of a fake field goal at the start of the third quarter.  At the time, such a play seemed to be a back-breaker to Sparty’s confidence and would lead to the Nittany Lions cruising to an easy victory in East Lansing.

But, as a certain former Big Ten football coach once exclaimed: “NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND!” Sparty came to life as QB Brian Hoyer continually decimated PSU’s “bend but don’t break” defense which resembled something more along the lines of “it’s broke and we can’t do a damn thing to fix it.”  Before anyone realized what had happened, Sparty had regained the lead with just a few minutes to play.

PSU tried desperately to respond, relying on the legs of third-string tailback Brent Carter to carry them down the field all the way to the MSU 24-yard line before JayPa, in all his infinte wisdom, decided to give Anthony Morelli one final shot at getting rid of his “can’t get it done in the clutch” image by allowing Morelli to throw four straight incompletions and seal the worst choke job in the Joe Paterno era (17 point-lead blown). This was shortly followed by Yours Truly screaming obscenities to himself in a local Damon’s parking lot.

OFFENSE: No surprise here folks, Javon Ringer is the heart and soul of Sparty’s offense.  Mark Dantonio’s gameplan will likely involve getting the ball to Ringer at least 30 times in order to try to wear down our D-line while also shortening the game and thus, giving our offense fewer opportunities on the field. However, Ringer has looked rather pedestrian against teams that have a defensive pulse.  Thus far, Cal, Ohio State, and Wisconsin have kept Ringer from reaching the century mark for rushing and two of those three teams ended up delivering Sparty its only defeats this season.  Certainly, a very encouraging sign for our defense which ranks 2nd against the run.

Unfortunately, there’s another person on MSU’s offense to worry about:  Brian Hoyer.  Yes, that same Brian Hoyer who college football analysts have labeled “inconsistent” all season long due to his sub-50% pass completion rate and his paltry 9 TDs/6 INTs.  The same Brian Hoyer who looked like John-fucking-Elway against our secondary during last year’s collapse, going 16-for-21 passing with 257 yards and 4 TDs.

Words cannot emphasize enough how important it is for PSU’s defense to get consistent pressure on Hoyer whenever he tries to make our defense pay for zeroing in on Ringer.  Case in point: Wisconsin held Ringer to a season-low 58 yards rushing but allowed Hoyer to throw for 251 yards through the air which made all the difference as it helped set up MSU’s game-winning field goal.  Aaron Maybin will need to lead the 4-man rushing attack once again, and it wouldn’t hurt to try blitzing linebackers not named Josh Hull.

HHV hopes to see plenty of a different shade of green on Brian Hoyer's jersey

Receiving-wise, Mark Dell and Blair White are consistent big play threats as both have racked up nearly 600 yards receiving each.  Fortunately for our secondary, Dell is questionable due to injuries and may not play.  Tight end Charlie Gantt has also made some noise for Sparty as a great secondary option and in fact, leads the Spartans in receiving TDs with 4 of them.  So, while there may not be a Devin Thomas in this group, MSU still has guys who are more than capable of burning us for a score (or at least setting up one) if we’re caught napping.

DEFENSE: The pass defense is pretty decent, ranking 39th in the nation (191 yards per game).  Otis Wiley is the clear leader of the secondary with 4 INTs, one of them going back for a pick-six.  Wiley will have to come up with a big turnover or two if MSU wants to have a serious shot at winning consecutive games over PSU for the first time since this “rivalry” began in 1993.

Sparty’s greatest concerns though, lie in its rush defense which currently gives up on average about 148.5 yards a game and ranks 73rd in the nation.  PSU’s offensive gameplan had better involve a shitload of handoffs to Evan Royster and Stephfon Green and several instances of Daryll Clark calling his own number.  The key matchup here will be our O-line against their D-line.  If the O-line can regain its swagger from earlier in the year, it could be a very long afternoon for Sparty’s defense.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Brett Swenson is perfect on extra points and is 19 of 24 on field goals with a very impressive 6 for 7 between 40-49 yards.  His long is from 50 yards out.

Bottom line: Don’t let this game come down to a field goal.

PREDICTION: I realize Michigan State is technically still alive for a Rose Bowl bid should they do the unthinkable and win tomorrow.  Unless I’ve interpreted the tiebreaker rules incorrectly though, if PSU loses tomorrow and OSU takes care of Michigan as expected, then the Buckeyes earn the Rose Bowl bid.  Why do I bring this up?  Because OSU-Michigan is a noon game whose outcome will be known before Sparty and PSU kickoff at 3:30.  If the Buckeyes indeed have the win wrapped up, then there will be a little less motivation for Sparty as they wouldn’t have a BCS bowl to play for and are already headed to a January bowl game regardless of the outcome.

This is not to say that PSU has no reason to be motivated:  It’s senior day for the high school class of 2005 that is credited with turning around the fortunes of a fallen program in its darkest hour under the bright lights of Beaver Stadium with a Rose Bowl berth and second Big Ten championship in four years on the line.  If there is ever a time for PSU to regain its early to mid-season swagger, THIS is the game to do it in.

While on paper, PSU has the clear edge talent-wise, one cannot underestimate the coaching brilliancy of Mark Dantonio.  He is the MacGyver of college football coaches, being able to do a lot with very little.  It was less than two years ago that Dantonio accepted the MSU coaching job, taking over a program racking dis-a-prin and toughness and brought an old-school smashmouth style of play to East Lansing.

While Dantonio’s methods may be as outdated as Betamax, the fans sure as hell aren’t complaining.  Anyone who can take a 4-8 team to 9-2 and January bowl bound in just two seasons deserves the highest of accolades.  The comeback win over PSU last year surely had to have been a major confidence-booster to the program, and undoubtedly Sparty knows they stand a chance tomorrow as well.  Suffice it to say, this is not your older brother’s Michigan State football team.

With that being said however, PSU has rose to the occasion in all of their much-hyped games this season (see: Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio State) and I see absolutely no reason why they can’t do the same tomorrow.  MSU will put up a fight no doubt, especially since they’ve had a bye week to rest up and are a little more fresh than PSU.  However, a bye week is a double-edged sword whose downfall is that it can also take a team that’s on a roll out of its rhythm as they try to shake off the rust(see: PSU at Iowa).

Ergo, PSU will get off to a stronger start, come up with a few more big plays, and will feed off the frenzied Beaver Stadium crowd/student White-Out.  The victory bell win ring one final time for the seniors as Derrick Williams stands in the end zone, clutching a giant red rose with his teeth.

Penn State 27 – Michigan State 17

Oh, and of course.  How could I end a PSU-MSU post without displaying the ginormous abomination that is the “Land Grant Trophy?”

COME TO PAPA BAKER!!!