TCU

College Football: #12 TCU @ #8 Utah Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:28:21 -0500

For those of you with access to CBS College Sports (I'm not one of them), consider yourselves very lucky: you get to check out a game that could very well decide the Mountain West when TCU visits Utah tonight. Of course, the Utes still have BYU on the schedule, but a TCU win could essentially lock up the conference title for the Horned Frogs and set them up for a run at a BCS at-large berth. Also on the schedule before Saturday is another attempt by the ACC to provide some clarity to its race, and a pair of WAC teams treading water in regards to bowl eligibility.

#23 Maryland @ Virginia Tech 7:30 PM EST on ESPN

The lone ACC team with one conference loss is Maryland, and the Terps visit Blacksburg to take on the banged-up Hokies. In their loss at Florida State less than two weeks ago both Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon went down with ankle injuries, only to watch helplessly as the Seminole defense went after Cory Holt and engineered the comeback 30-20 win. Both are gametime decisions for this one, a game that the Hokies desperately need if they're to be a factor in the Coastal Division race the remainder of the year. Maryland, on the other hand, is one of those "Jekyll and Hyde" teams that you really don't know what to expect.

One week they're beating a ranked Cal team at home; and the next time you see them they're getting shut out at Virginia. RB Da'Rel Scott needs to have a big game for the Terps to be successful, but he'll have a tough time doing so against a stout Hokie front four. But Chris Turner will be the best quarterback on the field, which is why the Terrapins will pull out a close win. Also, one interesting fact: the head coaches (Frank Beamer and Ralph Friedgen) go a ways back, coaching together at Maryland (1972) and at The Citadel (1973-78). They (and their wives) were also in the same lamaze class preceeding the births of their first children.

#12 TCU @ #8 Utah 8 PM EST on CBS College Sports

The BCS at-large sweepstakes will lose one more contestant with this game, a showdown that will also go a long way in determining who wins the Mountain West. With only one loss between them (TCU at Oklahoma) these are clearly two of the better teams in America, even if their league doesn't get the attention that's regularly lavished upon the BCS leagues. The historical numbers point in the direction of Kyle Whittingham's Utes, who hold a 4-1 edge in the series (2-0 in Salt Lake City) and are 4-0 all-time in games in which both they and the opponent are ranked. But the TCU defense is one of the nation's best, leading the country in rush defense and ranking second in total defense. Utah is no slouch either, boasting the country's seventh-best defense. But with many expecting the "Blackout" to be a success and the Utes to move that much closer to their second BCS berth (2004 Fiesta Bowl), I like QB Andy Dalton and the Horned Frogs to pull off another Thursday night upset.

Friday: Nevada @ Fresno State 9 PM on ESPN2

Thanks to the disappointing beginning of WAC play for Fresno State and the dominant play of Boise State, the Bulldogs' game with Nevada tomorrow is more about keeping their collective heads above water than winning the conference. The Bulldogs, who have already lost league games to Hawaii and Louisiana Tech, find themselves needing a win to become bowl eligible. So much for a team that some thought could be in the running for a BCS at-large spot back in August. Nevada has struggled as well, sitting at .500 with home games against San Jose State and Boise State on the horizon. These are two of the better offenses in the WAC (Nevada 1st, Fresno State 3rd), but both have been subpar on defense. Add to this Fresno's 1-2 record at home and you have the makings of a wild affair. The Bulldogs win a close one, but don't be surprised if the Wolf Pack grab the win.

MWC Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:52:22 -0500

HTML clipboard

Conference Rank: 8th

10 year average: 7th

MVC Conference Page

All-MWC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Wink Adams	UNLV	Sr
G	Brandon Ewing	Wyoming	Sr
G/F	Lee Cummard	BYU	Sr
F	Lorenzo Wade	San Diego St	Sr
F	Luke Nevill	Utah	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
High-Major All-Americans Wink Adams Lee Cummard Brandon Ewing Luke Nevill Lorenzo Wade		Points: Brandon Ewing 17.2 Rebounds: Luke Nevill 6.7 Assists: Brandon Ewing 4.0

MWC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

28	UNLV**	MWC	1	NCAA
36	BYU	MWC	2	NCAA
51	New Mexico	MWC	3	NIT
55	San Diego State	MWC	4	NIT
88	Utah	MWC	5
145	Air Force	MWC	6
168	Wyoming	MWC	7
188	Colorado State	MWC	8
228	TCU	MWC	9

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the MWC?

Other MWC Content

Head Coach Q&A's

Steve Alford: New Mexico

Other Polls

AP Top 25: UNLV 27th

Other

Top Small Forwards: Lee Cummard

Rise & Fall: MWC

MVC/MWC Challenge Announced

College Football: #8 BYU @ #24 TCU Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:10:38 -0400

Thursday night is here, and for those of you with little or no interest in the ALCS there are a couple of intriguing college football games on tap. Florida State has a chance to make a statement in the ACC Atlantic race when they visit NC State. Yes, the Wolfpack have struggled this season, but keep in mind that they did beat East Carolina (a win that looks less impressive by the week it seems) in Raleigh and QB Chrisitan Ponder hasn't exactly lit it up against FBS competition for the 'Noles.

But that one's a mere appetizer when compared to the Mountain West showdown in Fort Worth. BYU's season won't be a simple cakewalk to their finale at Utah, and this game at TCU is one big reason why. QB Andy Dalton leads a solid Horned Frog attack, and head coach Gary Patterson runs one of the nation's best defensive schemes. Could another undefeated team go down? It's quite possible. Rounding out the pre-Saturday slate is Hawaii visiting #15 Boise State on Friday night.

What looked like an easy win for the Broncos when the season began will be a challenge, with Warriors QB Inoke Funaki playing good football recently after struggling in Hawaii's first few games. But Boise State has an explosive offensive unit with redshirt freshman QB Kellen Moore spreading the ball around to an array of weapons, including RB Ian Johnson (it seems like he's been around for ten years or so). Here's a preview of three games that will set the tone for each conference race.

Florida State @ NC State 7:30 PM EST on ESPN

It seems like the Seminoles are beginning to figure things out on offense under Jimbo Fisher. It's hard to put too much stock in their statistical rankings due to the fact that they began the season with two consecutive FCS opponents, but the running game has been productive the past couple of weeks. RB Antone Smith leads the ACC in touchdowns (10) and ranks third in the conference in rushing yards per game. Smith eclipsed the 100-yard mark in their win over Colorado and contributed to their season-high 310 yards on the ground against Miami.

The question in this one will be how productive can QB Russell Wilson, RB Andre Brown and the rest of the State be against one of the better defensive units in the ACC. While a nighttime crowd can keep the Wolfpack fired up for a bit, it won't mask the fact that Tom O'Brien's team ranks last in the ACC in both total offense and total defense. Expect a Seminole victory.

#8 BYU @ #24 TCU 8 PM EST on Versus

This is one of the significant roadblocks for the Cougars on their way to an undefeated season, but it seems like many around the country have ignored every other game besides the regular season finale at Utah. If Bronco Mendenhall's team goes into tonight's game with that attitude, they'll get beat. As a matter of fact, even if all their attention is on the Horned Frogs they could still get beat. While BYU leads the Mountain West in total offense thanks primarily to QB Max Hall and the passing game, they haven't been as successful on the ground. And it won't help that they're facing the nation's best rush defense tonight (TCU allows twenty yards per game on the ground).

The Cougars, who rank seventh in rush offense, ran for 124 yards as a team in their 21-3 win over New Mexico last weekend. The 382 yards of total offense was a season low for BYU, and the Lobos may have provided TCU with a way in which to knock off the Cougars: keep the BYU offense on the sideline. In the second and third quarters BYU had the edge in time of possession, which coincided with their outscoring the Lobos 14-3. But the first quarter, which ended in a scoreless tie, saw UNM hold onto the football for an astonishing eleven minutes. And with TCU boasting the conference's second-best rush offense, they could do the same in Fort Worth.

The question for TCU will be whether or not they can slow down the BYU passing attack, given their ranking of fifth in the conference in pass defense. But don't be fooled by that ranking, for the Horned Frogs are the Mountain West's best in regards to pass efficiency defense. Steven Coleman (3 INT) and Jerry Hughes (2 INT) are two guys that Hall will have to be on the lookout for in this one. Hughes, who is a defensive end, also ranks second in the Mountain West in sacks (7.0) while bookend Matt Panfil ranks fourth (4.5).

If this reads like a setup to pick TCU in an upset, that's because it is. TCU wins this thriller and forces major outlets to look at the Mountain West as more than just BYU and Utah. They play some pretty good football out there.

Friday: Hawaii @ #15 Boise State 8 PM EST on ESPN

When the season began, the WAC race looked to be a two-team battle between Boise State and Fresno State. Well two weeks ago Hawaii went to Fresno and knocked off the Bulldogs in overtime, so maybe the defending WAC champs have a better shot than many anticipated to win the league. The defense has played better than expected (3rd in the WAC), led by linebackers Adam Leonard and Solomon Elimimian. But they'll have their hands full with the conference's second-best passing offense, which is a large part of the reason why the Broncos are second in the WAC in scoring offense.

Ian Johnson (4th in the WAC in all-purpose yards) is a household name by now, but get to know WR Jeremy Childs, who ranks second in the conference in receptions per game and fourth in receiving yards per game. Tying it all together for head coach Chris Petersen is Kellen Moore, who leads the WAC in pass efficiency and ranks behind only New Mexico State's Chase Holbrook in passing yards per game. Look for Boise State to win another home game, moving to 16-1 all-time in home games on national television.

State of '08: Texas

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:15:15 -0400

Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

TEXAS

TEXAS - Easy one here. Texas has made ten straight NCAA Tournaments under Rick Barnes, and have reached the Sweet Sixteen or better fives times.

TEXAS A&M - From 1988 to 2004, A&M was a horrendous BCS program that managed justt one NIT appearance. But thanks to Billy Gillispie, A&M has won at least 20 games and made the postseason in four straight seasons. The future of the program is a bit less certain under Mark Turgeon.

TEXAS TECH - In Bob Knight's six full seasons, the Red Raiders made 4 NCAA Tournaments and reached the NIT semifinals. Last year's team was destined to miss the postseason regardless of who the coach was, and its hard to project what type of coach Pat Knight will be.

BAYLOR - Scott Drew took over a broken program at the start of the 03-04 season, but has managed to turn things around. Last year the team won 21 games and reached the Big Dance. Many pundits expect a Top 25 squad this year. Not bad considering the 21-53 record from '04 to '07.

UTEP - Since 2004, a year after Billy Gillispied took over, UTEP has made two NCAA Tournaments and the CBI. The Niners should once again make a postseason push (probably NIT or CBI) in 2009.

6. HOUSTON - Its been over 15 years since Houston last made the NCAA Tournament, but Tom Penders teams have been consistently competitive. His four teams have all won at least 9 games in Conference USA, and 3 made the postseason (2 NITS and the CBI last year).

7. NORTH TEXAS - Johnny Jones has quietly transformed UNT from a consistent loser into a consistent winner. The Mean Green made the Big Dance in 2007 after rolling through the Sun Belt Tournament, and were solid last year, going 17-11 against D1 teams. Once again in 2008, North Texas should be dangerous in league play.

8. SAM HOUSTON STATE - Last year's Bearkats fizzled out after a great start, and late-season SLC tournament success has been hard to come by recently. But overall, this has been the most consistently solid SLC team over the last decade, and one of the only league teams capable of knocking off big-name non-conference opponents.

9. RICE - The program finally parted ways with 16-year coach Willis Wilson, whose teams varied from good to horrible and anywhere in between. From '03 to '05, the Owls finished in the RPI Top 100, but have gone steadily downhill since. Last year's 3-27 finish was an unfortunate end to Wilson's tenure.

10. STEPHEN F AUSTIN - SFA's great 26 win season, which included wins over Oklahoma and Top 100 San Diego, came out of nowhere considering the Lumberjacks were a sub-200 RPI team the previous three seasons. SFA is the 2009 favorite to accomplish what they couldn't last year, winning the Southland tournament.

11. TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI - Ronnie Arrow did a masterful job in his tenure at TAMU-CC, turning a green D1 program into a 20-win program. But after making the Dance in 2007, Arrow left, and its hard to tell whether the program can regain a decent level of success under Perry Clark.

12. TCU - In six seasons under Neil Dougherty, TCU never finished over .500 in either the CUSA or MWC, although the 2005 team did sneak into the NIT. Former Kent State coach Jim Christian was hired in the off-season to turn things around.

13. LAMAR - In the last 7 seasons, Lamar has finished .500 or better in the SLC six times, but have never really been able to put together a dangerous postseason run.

14. UT-ARLINGTON - After making the NCAAs last year, UTA is once again one of the league favorites. In the previous 9 seasons though, the Mavs won just a single SLC Tourney game.

15. SMU - The last time SMU was any good was 2003, and the last time SMU was Tournament good was 1993. Matt Doherty was brought in to turn things around, but his teams have gone 7-25 in CUSA play.

16. UTSA - Once one of the more consistently solid Southland teams, UTSA simply hasn't been good the past few seasons. A 2009 .500 finish in the league would be a step in the right direction.

17. UTPA - Considering they've been stuck as an independent for a decade now, UTPA's minimal success isn't that bad. They've been able to beat a good amount of the in-state Southland members over the years, but haven't beaten a Top 200 team since December of 2004.

18. TEXAS STATE - In '06 & '07, this was one of the worst programs in the country, with just 8 D1 wins. That makes last year's 10-16 D1 record shockingly good.

19. TEXAS SOUTHERN - After winning the SWAC in 2003, there hasn't been much to cheer about at Texas Southern. The team has hovered around 300 in the RPI.

20. PRAIRIE VIEW - Like Texas Southern above, Prairie View hasn't been good since 2003.. but unlike Texas Southern who has at least been decent in SWAC play, the Panthers have been atrocious.

*Houston Baptist will also join D1 this season

Last: Tennessee - Next: Utah

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Charleston Classic Matchups Announced

Press Release — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:44:15 -0400

ESPN Regional Television announced today the schedule of matchups for the inaugural Charleston Classic, set for Nov. 14-16 at the new Carolina First Center in Charleston, S.C.

The event will include 12 games in three days, with six games being broadcast on CSS. The Southern Conference, based in Spartanburg, S.C., will serve as the event's sponsoring conference.

The 2008 Charleston Classic field includes eight teams: College of Charleston, Clemson, East Tennessee State, Hofstra, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Temple, TCU and Western Michigan. Two of the teams, Clemson and Temple, played in the 2007-08 NCAA Tournament.

In the first round of action, beginning Thursday, Nov. 14, TCU will take on Western Michigan in the first game to be played at Carolina First Center. Also in the first round, ETSU will face Temple, SIU-Edwardsville will meet College of Charleston, and Hofstra and Clemson will square off.

"We're pleased to have a competitive field and exciting matchups in the inaugural Charleston Classic," said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Regional Television. "We expect this new event to provide a terrific off-the-court experience for the student-athletes, coaches and staffs while giving fans a great opportunity to watch college basketball in the great destination of Charleston."

Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout the tournament will face off in a championship match Sunday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. ET on CSS. Complete matchups are listed below.

"I am very excited about the Charleston Classic opening our new Carolina First Center," said Bobby Cremins, head coach of College of Charleston. "This will bring college basketball to our beautiful Low Country and downtown Charleston area. Clemson will be the headliner, but there are other exciting teams that should challenge them for the first Charleston Classic championship."

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale Sept. 15 at www.CharlestonClassic.com, or by telephone at the Carolina First Center box office at (843) 953-2632. Fans can purchase travel packages to the tournament by going to www.AnthonyTravel.com or by calling 1-800-736-6377.