championship tuesday predictions.

Championship Tuesday is all set for the Summit League today.

Women's Championship
Oakland vs. South Dakota State University at 3 p.m.

Men's Championship
Oakland vs. North Dakota State University at 7 p.m.

The women's match-up might be the most intriguing of the two. OU's Beckie Francis is no stranger to championship-round basketball. Same goes for SDSU's Aaron Johnston. While conventional wisdom might suggest SDSU should win, I've got a hunch OU is going to pull this out.

On the men's side, it could be a real dog fight. Both teams surged into the tournament, with NDSU leading the way in its first year of post-season eligibility (in the conference). I think North Dakota gets the edge in this one based upon a few factors:
* Home Court. Perhaps not as stark as the previous four years in Tulsa, but they're playing in the Dakotas. More NDSU fans will make the trip.
* Player of the Year. Ben Woodside led the conference in scoring. But OU counters with Erik Kangas, who was No. 2 in scoring.

The game might tip on defense, where NDSU seems to hold slight advantages. But don't count out OU. Statistically speaking, they're not too far behind in defensive categories.

I think OU cuts down at least one set of nets today, but not two. I think it's going to be Oakland on the women's side and North Dakota State on the men's side.

Just a hunch.

jaguars knocked out.

Well, that was quick. For the first time in its D-I-eligible history, the IUPUI Jaguars were knocked out in the first round of conference tournament play. It's not too terribly surprising, given that this really turned out to be a rebuilding year for Ron Hunter's team.

So, the perennial favorites (and last year's championship game teams, IUPUI and ORU) are out. That leaves a wide open tournament on the men's side of things. My money's on North Dakota State prevailing, but Greg Kampe has a way of getting his Oakland team to play inspired basketball in the conference tournament.

Over on the women's side, it's going to be tough to stop South Dakota State. But the only team to hand them a conference loss (Oakland) is alive and kicking in this tournament.

We'll see who can survive the second round tomorrow night.

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD!!

It's only been a year since my last entry here. What could awake the sleeping giant? The fact that Oral Roberts University got KNOCKED OFF in the opening round of the Summit League Championship Tournament!!

Which team? The men's team? The women's team?

BOTH!!!

That's right. ORU is already on a bus heading back to Tulsa.

Nothing could be finer than a quick exit for the team that was the benefactor of the most negligible home court advantage in the championship tournament over the past four years.

oru gets #13 down "south," iupui gets shafted by the nit.

ORU (24-8) got a #13 seed and a date with the #4 Pittsburgh (26-9) in the South Bracket. That game will be played Thursday at Denver's Pepsi Center. Only in the Big Dance™ can a game played in Denver, Colo. be considered "south" by any standards.

As of 9:38 p.m. EDT, IUPUI and its 26-7 record, ranked 14th in the Mid Major Top 25, 72 RPI and a quarter will only get Ron Hunter a phone call. The Jaguars were snubbed by the NIT.

San Diego State, at 19-12 and an RPI of 77, earned an at-large bid. Rhode Island, at 21-11 and an RPI of 79, also received an at-large bid in the NIT.

And where is IUPUI? Sitting at home, done for the year (unless the CBI invites the Jags to play).

No justice, indeed.

Former Valpo head coach Scott Drew guided his Baylor Bears back to the NCAA Tournament as a #11 seed in the West Bracket. Once again defying laws of geography, they will head to that western city, Washington, DC, to face #6 Purdue on Thursday. Seriously, the NCAA needs to either buy a new atlas or re-name its brackets.

farewell, tulsa: reflections on four days of peace, love mascot brawls & basketball.

Now that we're a full 48 hours removed from Tulsa, the UMAC and the Summit League Basketball Championship tournament, I've had some time to reflect on the four days of peace, love and basketball. Okay, so Jawz and Eli pretty much tossed out the peace and love part of things. But at least we had plenty of basketball.

The UMAC
The venue itself is outstanding, albeit troubling that the UMAC is a high school gym. There are college programs—cough! IUPUI! cough!—that would kill for this sort of joint. The downside: locals who staffed the event patrolled the arena like stormtroopers. I was instructed by an usher I wasn't allowed to shoot video. Never mind I was wearing a media credential. In years past, fans were ordered to take down signs that were neither profane nor obscene. Someone decided they just didn't like it. And now I'm hearing that people were instructed on how to properly sit in a seat.

In the future, I'd like for ushers and volunteers to get a grip and not over-step their boundaries.

Tulsa, Oklahoma
The good people of Tulsa were nothing but kind to me. I've been there twice and found the locals to be pleasant, polite and downright hospitable. I would hope any future host cities have residents as gracious.

The Fans
Fans are fans. They cheer, they boo, they sometimes get overzealous. No team is immune to that. ORU's fans outnumbered all other fans combined because they weren't living out of suitcases like everyone else. Nevertheless I'm going to call out the ignorance of ORU fans chanting "steroids" at IUPUI's Jernisha Cann during the championship game. That's beyond bush league. It's shameful, downright shameful.

Star Spangled What???
I'm not trying to be mean, but is it asking so much for a guy singing the National Anthem before a championship game to get the words right? A representative from the Tulsa Beacon turned to me following the anthem and said with a beaming expression on his face, "he did a great job."

"Didn't he get the words wrong?" I said, somewhat incredulously. My man from the Beacon didn't seem to much care. He was a nice guy, to be fair, but the Beacon's Web site hasn't published a single new article since 5 March.

IPFW
Welcome to the conference, kid. All this ribbing was a hazing ritual of sorts. Yours is a young D-I program and is still learning how to fit in. IPFW's Pep Band was fun to watch at times, though, because they were obviously just happy to be there. But next time stick to standard Pep Band fare. The jazz power trio thing has to go.

Southern Hills Marriott
Great hotel. Salon E will never be the same after being invaded by the miscreants of press row.

Tulsa International Airport
Seriously, could you be any farther away from anything?

Southern Utah University
I'm disappointed in the program not for its on-court performance, but rather for sending their kids to the tournament with as little support as possible. No Pep Band. No cheerleaders. No mascot. No wonder the women's team looked relieved more than disappointed when they were bounced out by IUPUI. Perhaps SUU doesn't have the aforementioned amenities to furnish its program. If not: GET THEM. End of story.

Pep Bands, One and All!
By and large, they all were....LOUD! I still can't get OU's fight song out of my head. And I know this makes me a cornball, but I still love it when a band plays "Hey Baby," because they sing it. I don't know why, but I love that. UMKC got mad props on press row for Super Mario and The Family Guy. But the JagBand is still my first and only love.

ORU Cheerleaders
I admit I was a bit hard on them for their antics toward IPFW, but that's because I'm protective of the new, weaker kid in class. Don't pick on the weak kid, eh? But the lesson was obviously learned and ORU's kids were model cheerleaders on Tuesday.

The Mascot Melee

Yeah, it's all over the place. And yeah, I had more than just a little to do with that. And yeah, I will take some small measure of credit for being the first to post it on YouTube (158,000+ hits, as of today). So, thank you very much for giving me my YouTube moment. I'll re-cap the coverage this pulled in a later entry.

"Neutral" Sites
At least three coaches--OU's Beckie Francis, IUPUI's Shann Hart and Ron Hunter--playing their final Tulsa tourney games took parting shots on the "neutral site" term, calling the UMAC "neutral," pejoratively. While I didn't hear other coaches say it directly, you know the thought isn't too far from stumbling out in a post-game presser.

It's worth noting ORU men played in four championship games in Tulsa, winning three. The women? Three, winning three. Coincidence? You decide.

The coaches are not wrong, but so what. Lots of fans will bemoan it. But if you want to neutralize the another team's fans, bring more of your own. Period. Sadly, though, Summit League fans just don't travel that far. Valpo's fans did, that's for sure. But it's been so long (four years in Tulsa) that we have no idea how well ORU's fans will travel. We'll find out next year in Sioux Falls(!), South freakin' Dakota.

Post Season
ORU is looking at a possible 13-seed right now. Depending on their draw, they could have a puncher's chance at an upset. Let's just wait and see.

IUPUI should get an NIT bid, but we'll have to wait and see.

On the women's side, ORU is probably looking at a 15 or 16. Double digits in the loss column will keep your draw on the low side of the bracket.

2009 Summit League Tournament
...Sioux Falls? I'm going to Sioux Falls?????? It's going to SNOW there this week!

men's hoops: oru clinches share of conference title.

Thanks to a win over UMKC and an IUPUI loss at Oakland last night, Oral Roberts all but clinched the top seed in the Summit League last night.

The Golden Eagles put away UMKC 74-62 at Mabee Center last night for their 15th conference win of the season to clinch their fourth consecutive share of the conference title.

IUPUI fell two losses behind ORU as Oakland smoked the Jags 84-69 at the O'Rena.

IUPUI can fall no further than the #2 seed, but Oakland put itself in the driver's seat for the #3 seed. IPFW maintained a tie with Oakland, beating Western Illinois 85-62.

Oh yeah, Southern Utah beat Centenary, 98-94.

With three more conference games remaining, IPFW and OU are jockeying for position. It's really the only race left worth watching, as ORU and IUPUI have already determined their seedings.

The current seedings:
1. Oral Roberts — 15-1 / 20-6
2. IUPUI — 13-3 / 21-6
3. Oakland — 9-6 / 14-12
4. IPFW — 9-6 — 12-14
5. Western Illinois — 7-9 / 12-15
6. Southern Utah — 7-9 / 9-18
7. UMKC — 4-11 / 9-19
8. Centenary — 3-12 / 9-18

Friday Night Basketball
NDSU @ SDSU, 7 p.m.

Saturday men's hoops action:
IUPUI @ IPFW, 4 p.m.
UMKC @ Centenary, 5:30 p.m.
Western Illinois @ Oakland, 6 p.m.
Creighton @ Oral Roberts, TBA
Western Illinois @ Oakland, 7 p.m.

golden grizzlies host iupui on fox sports tonight.

Grizzlies Host IUPUI in Regionally Televised Game

ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland University men's basketball team (13-12, 8-6 Summit) will host IUPUI (21-5, 13-2 Summit) this Thursday night at 7:38 p.m. in the Athletics Center O'Rena. The game will be regionally televised on Fox Sports Net, with Mario Impemba and Rick Mahorn on the call.

The game will also air on OU's flagship station WDTW (1310 AM), and the student radio station WXOU (88.3 FM).

The Golden Grizzlies lead the overall series with the Jaguars, 16-11, and hold a 10-3 advantage at home. OU is 7-3 inside the O’Rena against IUPUI.

Other conference action tonight:
Southern Utah @ Centenary, 7 p.m.
UMKC @ Oral Roberts, 7:05 p.m.
Western Illinois @ IPFW, 7 p.m.

iupui's jernisha cann: 1,000-point club last night; player of the week today.

IUPUI's Jernisha Cann got what she deserved today: Summit League Player of the Week Honors:

Cann earns her third Player of the Week award this season after averaging a double-double in two Jaguar victories last week over Oral Roberts (69-66) and Centenary (97-45). She averaged 18.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game, while shooting 58 percent (15-of-26). Against Centenary, Cann recorded her 1,000 career point to become the 18th player in IUPUI history to reach that benchmark. Her 17 rebounds against the Golden Eagles were the second-highest single-game performance in the league this season, and she now has 11 double-doubles, including three straight.

Who's got the inside track on Player of the Year? Good question. Lisa Bue might have a shot, despite NDSU being a lame duck all season. Cann certainly has a shot. We'll know more in a couple weeks.

Previous POTW winners
Feb. 12 - Lisa Bue, NDSU
Feb. 5 - Jerri Penley, NDSU
Jan. 29 - Johnna Lewis-Carlisle, IPFW
Jan. 22 - Jernisha Cann, IUPUI
Jan. 15 - Katy Davenport, WIU
Jan. 8 - Lisa Bue, NDSU & Gina Hugelier, WIU
Jan. 1 - Lisa Bue, NDSU
Dec. 25 - Jessica Pike, OU
Dec. 18 - Anne Westwood, SUU
Dec. 11 - Jenny Hardin, ORU
Dec. 4 - Chazny Morris, UMKC
Nov. 27 - Jernisha Cann, IUPUI
Nov. 20 - Kristin Rotert, SDSU
Nov. 13 - Jessica Pike, OU

women's hoops update: playoff picture still a little fuzzy.

Very quickly, here's the women's hoops re-cap from last night:
NDSU-94, UMKC-81
IUPUI-97, CENT-45
SDSU-82, SUU-36
WIU-54, ORU-51

With those results, here are the latest seedings for the conference tournament:
1. WIU (11-4)
2. IUPUI (9-6)
3. OAK (8-6)
3. ORU (8-6)
5. IPFW (7-7)
6. SUU (4-10)
7. UMKC (2-12)
8. CENT (0-13)

Too bad for South Dakota State (13-2) and North Dakota State (10-5). They'd be #1 and #3.

IUPUI's Jernisha Cann gets my vote as POTW, based on reaching the 1,000-point mark for her career last night. IUPUI's Julia Whitted also earns a look...especially since she got hosed a week or so ago.

ehambe named player of the week.

The League just made it official:

ORU's Ehambe Named Player of the Week
Ehambe earns Player of the Week honors after averaging 29.5 points on 70 percent shooting last week. He scored a career-high 40 points at Western Illinois, setting additional career highs in field goals (12), three-point field goals (9) and free throws (7). He followed that up with 19 points at IUPUI. Ehambe became the first ORU player since Reggie Borges in 2002 to score 40 points in a game, and just the sixth player in ORU history to do so. Read more.

Not terribly surprising, despite going 1-1 for the week. Carson's game for IPFW was good, but it was just one game. And oh yeah...Ehambe dropped 40 points in one game. That just doesn't happen too often.

full-tilt saturday: nothing set in stone for march madness...yet.

Men’s Hoops Wrap-up: Jags Turn Back ORU, Still Hunting for Top Seed
Full-Tilt Saturday settled plenty of drama and answers for post-season seeding in men’s basketball. The top two seeds are locked down between ORU and IUPUI while the bottom two seeds are all but determined. The middle four brackets are shaping up to be a horse race all the way to the end of the season; perhaps relying on a series of tie-breakers to determine seeding.

In the biggest showdown of the night, ORU and IUPUI went at each other like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. It would be unfair to call the second-place Jaguars an underdog, as both teams are poised to Dance in March Madness™. While the Golden Eagles notched a tough, one-point victory in the first salvo at Mabee Center last month, George Hill and Co. staved off a fierce ORU comeback to win 69-66, giving ORU its first conference loss of the season and narrowing the gap between first and second place to a half-game. Austin Montgomery led the Jags with 18 points. Moses Ehambe scored 19 for the Golden Eagles to lead all scorers.

The game was more of a must-win situation for IUPUI to maintain at least a #2 seed, with Oakland still within shouting distance. As Tulsa broadcast announcers said, ORU wanted to win, but IUPUI needed to win.

The Jags win coupled with IPFW’s upset victory over Oakland at Rochester clinched the top two seeds for ORU and IUPUI. David Carson’s 18 points led the Mastadons to a 71-66 victory over the Golden Grizzlies, keeping Dane Fife’s squad in contention for the #3 seed. Were it not for Ehambe’s 40-point explosion vs. Western Illinois Thursday night (and the fact that IPFW only played one conference game this week), Carson might get consideration for POTW honors. As it stands, Ehambe will probably win out over SUU’s Geoff Payne or George Hill (by default) for the simple fact he blew up for 40 points.

Saturday Scoreboard — Men’s Hoops:
IPFW @ Oakland — IPFW 71-66
North Dakota State @ Southern Utah — SUU 72-67
Oral Roberts @ IUPUI — IUPUI 69-66
Centenary @ Western Illinois — WIU 68-67
South Dakota State @ UMKC — UMKC 68-63

Men’s Standings (thru Saturday, 16 Feb 08)
1. Oral Roberts — 13-1 / 18-6
2. IUPUI — 13-2 / 21-5
3. Oakland — 8-6 / 13-12
3. IPFW — 8-6 — 11-14
5. North Dakota State — 7-8 / 13-13
5. Western Illinois — 7-8 / 12-14
7. Southern Utah — 6-8 / 8-17
8. UMKC — 4-10 / 9-18
8. Centenary — 3-11 / 9-17
10. South Dakota State — 3-12 / 8-18

Thursday Night Summit League Action:
IUPUI @ Oakland, 7:30 p.m.
Southern Utah @ Centenary, 7 p.m.
UMKC @ Oral Roberts, 7:05 p.m.
Western Illinois @ IPFW, 7 p.m.

Friday Night Summit League Action:
North Dakota State @ South Dakota State, 7 p.m.

Saturday Night Summit League Action:
IUPUI @ IPFW, 4 p.m.
UMKC @ Centenary, 5:30 p.m.
Western Illinois @ Oakland, 6 p.m.
Creighton @ Oral Roberts, TBA

On the Women’s Side…
South Dakota State is serving notice in the Summit League: there’s a new sheriff in town. At 12-2, the Jackrabbits have quickly established themselves as the team to beat. With hopes of an at-large berth to the NCAA or NIT, SDSU took UMKC behind the woodshed yesterday, 74-48. Stacie Oistad led a balanced attack with 18 points. Western Illinois maintains a scant 1-1/2 games lead over ORU for the top seed in the conference tournament by virtue of beating Centenary 67-43. The Ladies are in an absolute tailspin right now at 0-13 for the season. Stephanie Lovingood went bonkers for the Westerwinds, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

But Lovingood’s efforts on the day were outdone by IUPUI’s Julia Whitted. She scored 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Jags to a comeback victory over ORU, 69-66. Jernisha Cann added 21 points and 17 boards in the win. Depending on Monday night’s outcome, I think we can safely say this week’s POTW will be Lovingood, Whitted or Cann.

As it stands, five teams are still jockeying for the top seed in the conference tournament: WIU, ORU, Oakland, IUPUI and IPFW. Monday night’s ORU-WIU game should provide some answers.

Saturday Scoreboard — Women’s Hoops:
IPFW @ Oakland — Oak 79-64
Oral Roberts @ IUPUI — IUPUI 69-66
Centenary @ Western Illinois — WIU 67-43
South Dakota State @ UMKC — SDSU 74-48
North Dakota State @ Southern Utah — NDSU 87-62

Women’s Standings (thru Saturday, 16 Feb 08)
1. South Dakota State — 12-2 / 19-6
2. Western Illinois — 10-4 / 12-13
3. North Dakota State — 9-5 / 14-10
4. Oral Roberts — 8-5 / 14-10
5. Oakland — 8-6 / 15-9
5. IUPUI — 8-6 / 12-14
7. IPFW — 7-7 / 10-15
8. Southern Utah — 4-9 / 6-18
9. UMKC — 2-11 / 9-15
10. Centenary — 0-13 / 3-20

Monday Night Summit League Action:
North Dakota State @ UMKC, 7 p.m.
Centenary @ IUPUI, 7 p.m.
South Dakota State @ Southern Utah, 7 p.m.
Oral Roberts @ Western Illinois, 7 p.m.

Saturday Night Summit League Action:
Western Illinois @ IPFW, 1 p.m.
UMKC @ Oral Roberts, 2:05 p.m.
IUPUI @ Oakland, 3:30 p.m.
Southern Utah @ Centenary, 3 p.m.
North Dakota State @ South Dakota State, 7 p.m.

oral roberts, iupui....collision course.

It's a full slate of action tonight in the Summit League. Ten schools, five double-headers:
* IPFW @ Oakland
* Oral Roberts @ IUPUI
* Centenary @ Western Illinois
* South Dakota State @ UMKC
* North Dakota State @ Southern Utah

I know the League office is calling the SDSU-UMKC its Game of the Week, but we all know where the real Game of the Week is: THE JUNGLE!

ORU and IUPUI are the top two teams in men's hoops. Truth be told, the game means a whole lot more to the Jaguars than to ORU. At this point, the Golden Eagles are already assured of nothing less than a #2 seed in the conference tournament. IUPUI, at this point, still needs two wins to get at least a #2...and they've got to go to third-place Oakland after today. The Golden Grizzlies' toughest part of their schedule is in the rearview mirror (IUPUI game notwithstanding). If they run the table, they could force a tie for the second seed.

That, of course, begs teh question: who will be looser tonight? ORU has nothing to lose, really. IUPUI could slip from a #2 to a #3. Of course, if they win tonight, they'll be breathing down ORU's neck for the top seed. However, I don't really see the Golden Eagles relinquishing the #1, no matter what happens tonight.

We'll know soon enough.

Men's standings.
1. Oral Roberts: 13-0 / 18-5
2. IUPUI: 12-2 / 20-5
3. Oakland: 8-5 / 13-11
4. IPFW: 7-6 / 10-14
5. North Dakota State: 7-7 / 13-12
6. Western Illinois: 6-8 / 11-14
7. Southern Utah: 5-8 / 7-17
8. Centenary: 3-10 / 9-16
8. UMKC: 3-10 8-18
10. South Dakota State: 3-11 / 8-17

Women's standings.
1. South Dakota State: 11-2 / 18-6
2. Western Illinois: 9-4 / 11-13
3. Oral Roberts: 8-4 / 14-9
4. North Dakota State: 8-5 / 13-10
5. Oakland: 7-6 / 14-9
5. IUPUI: 7-6 / 11-14
5. IPFW: 7-6 / 10-14
8. Southern Utah: 4-8 / 6-17
9. UMKC: 2-10 / 9-14
10. Centenary: 0-12 / 3-19

t-birds' dax crum to appear on espn today.

From Southern Utah's Athletics Web site:


Dax Crum to Appear On ESPN2’s First Take

CEDAR CITY, Utah, Feb. 11 – Southern Utah University basketball player Dax Crum, who is a scholarship Division I athlete despite being born without a right hand, will appear live on ESPN First Take Tuesday morning.

The program runs daily on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD from 8-10 a.m. (Mountain). Crum's segment is scheduled to air at approximately 9:40 a.m.

First Ron Hunter, now Dax Crum. The Summit League is getting some good PR of late. I have to admit...I didn't even pay any attention to Crum when I saw him play a couple weeks ago. He came in toward the end of the IUPUI game at Indy on 31 Jan (The Jags won 88-66). He took a three-point shot later in the second half. I turned to the SID and said, "boy, he's got a weird release!"

"That's because he's missing a hand," retorted the SID, in an are you an idiot?? tone. Obviously, I am. I didn't even pay any attention to that. To Crum's credit, he scored five points in that game.

women's hoops monday night roundup.

It's really too bad South Dakota State won't be eligible for this year's championship tournament...well, unless you're everybody else. The Jackrabbits won their seventh in a row tonight, pounding IUPUI 68-44. SDSU's Ketty Cornemann and Kristy Rotert combined for 36 points—eight less than the entire Jaguars team.

Western Illinois lost its second in a row, getting blown out by North Dakota State, 62-43.

Monday night wrap-up:
Western Illinois-42, North Dakota State-63
IPFW-74, Centenary-47
Oakland-66, Oral Roberts-73
IUPUI-44, South Dakota State-68

With that, things are tightening up for March Madness. But it didn't change the seedings one bit.

Excluding the Dakota teams, five teams are within two games of one another for the top seeds in the conference tournament, and it's a full slate of action this Saturday. The Dakotas are taking on the bottom teams in the conference (UMKC, SUU) and Western hosting Centenary, that leaves two games with post-season implications: IPFW at Oakland and ORU at IUPUI. Those are the games of the week.

Saturday games scheduled:
IPFW @ Oakland, 3:30 p.m.
Oral Roberts @ IUPUI, 4:30 p.m.
Centenary @ Western Illinois, 4:30 p.m.
South Dakota State @ UMKC, 4 p.m.
North Dakota State @ Southern Utah, 5 p.m.

The latest standings:
1. South Dakota State 11-2/18-6
2. Western Illinois 9-4/11-13
3. Oral Roberts 8-4/14-9
4. North Dakota State 8-5/13-10
5. Oakland 7-6/14-9
5. IUPUI 7-6/11-14
5. IPFW 7-6/10-14
8. Southern Utah 4-8/6-17
9. UMKC 2-10/9-14
10. Centenary 0-12/3-19

george hill earns fourth potw honor.

Well, here's the least-shocking news of the day:

IUPUI’s Hill Named Player of the Week

Hill earns Player of the Week honors for the fourth time this season after averaging 28.5 points on 65 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in a pair of wins last week.

The junior opened the week with 23 points, including 19 in the second half, to go with five rebounds and four assists vs. South Dakota State. He followed that up with 33 points, one shy of his career high, seven assists and six rebounds in a come-from-behind win at North Dakota State.

Hill, who made a career-high 14 free throws in the victory, assisted John Ashworth on the game-winning three-pointer as the Jaguars closed the game on a 14-0 run. IUPUI has now won six in a row and sits in second place in The Summit League standings.

Also nominated: Tim Blackwell, UMKC; Brett Winkelman, North Dakota State; Johnathon Jones, Oakland; Geoff Payne, Southern Utah.

I can't see anyone coming close to Hill in Player-of-the-Year honors.


Previous winners:
Feb. 4 - Gary Patterson, IUPUI
Jan. 28 - George Hill, IUPUI, and Robert Jarvis, Oral Roberts
Jan. 21 - Jaraun Burrows, IPFW
Jan. 14 - Shawn King, Oral Roberts
Jan. 7 - George Hill, IUPUI
Jan. 2 - Tate Sorensen, Southern Utah
Dec. 26 - Derick Nelson, Oakland
Dec. 17 - Brett Winkelman, North Dakota State
Dec. 10 - Demetrius Johnson, IPFW
Dec. 3 - George Hill, IUPUI
Nov. 26 - Ben Woodside, North Dakota State
Nov. 19 - Nick Stallings, Centenary
Nov. 12 - Jeremiah Hartsock, UMKC

women's hoops: no clarity for the top five seeds...yet.

As the regular season winds down, five teams are still within shouting distance of one another, competing for the top seeds in the conference tournament. South Dakota State claimed sole possession of first place, pounding Western Illinois 85-60 back into second place. The Jackrabbits hit 14 three pointers en route to victory.

Led by Mariana Camargo's 21 points, Oral Roberts defeated IPFW 88-71 to reclaim third place in the conference. By virtue of losing to North Dakota State 65-60, IUPUI dropped into a three-way tie for fourth place with the Bison and Golden Grizzlies, who defeated Centenary 72-55. The Ladies have yet to win a conference game this season.

Rounding out the games, Southern Utah edged UMKC 51-49.

Monday night basketball:
Western Illinois @ North Dakota State, 7 p.m.
IPFW @ Centenary, 7 p.m.
Oakland @ Oral Roberts, 7:05 p.m.
IUPUI @ South Dakota State, 7 p.m.

Monday night action between OU and ORU might clear up the picture for #2 seed in the tourney, but there's simply too much basketball left to be played before Tulsapalooza. If IUPUI can upset the top team and best conference road team—South Dakota State—the Jags are probably staring at a #3 at best.

The latest standings:
1. South Dakota State—10-2/17-6
2. Western Illinois—9-3/11-12
3. Oral Roberts—7-4/13-9
4. Oakland—7-5/14-8
4. North Dakota State—7-5/12-10
4. IUPUI—7-5/11-13
7. IPFW—6-6/9-14
8. Southern Utah—4-8/6-17
9. UMKC—2-10/9-14
10. Centenary—0-11/3-18

men's hoops saturday round-up: jaguars 2, dakotas 0....and oru 12, the rest 0.

Despite North Dakota State's best efforts tonight, the Summit League men's conference remains The Big Two and little eight. Oral Roberts University and IUPUI continue on a collision course that may not be settled until the conference championship. The Golden Eagles made easy work of IPFW tonight, winning 88-56. Moses Ehambe led all scorers with 21 points to end IPFW's one and only road winning streak at one for the season.

While road losses mount for the Mastadons, they've got one last legitimate shot at the #3 seed when they host Oakland next Saturday.

North Dakota State had IUPUI right where they wanted them, leading by 12 with about 5-1/2 remaining in the game. And then the Jags closed out the game with a 14-0 run, winning 69-67, thanks to a John Ashworth three pointer. While Ashworth provided the heroics, George Hill made his case for POTW by scoring 33 points.

Oakland took sole possession of third place, defeating Centenary 97-61 in Shreveport. It was the worst Gold Dome loss in school history for the Gents. Ouch. Derick Nelson scored 22 points to lead the Golden Grizzlies.

Rounding out Saturday action, Southern Utah defeated UMKC 78-73 and South Dakota State topped Western Illinois, 81-75 in the Pork (???) Classic. Seriously...pork???

The latest standings:
1. Oral Roberts—12-0/17-5
2. IUPUI—11-2/19-5
3. Oakland—8-5/13-11
4. IPFW—7-6/10-14
5. North Dakota State—6-7/12-12
5. Western Illinois—6-7/11-13
7. Southern Utah—4-8/6-17
8. Centenary—3-9/9-15
8. UMKC—3-9/8-17
10. South Dakota State—3-10/8-16

Thursday's game:
Oral Roberts @ Western Illinois, 7 p.m.
South Dakota State @ Southern Utah, 7 p.m.
Centenary @ IUPUI, 7 p.m.
North Dakota State @ UMKC, 7:05 p.m.

grizz, 'dons & 'necks still gunning for #3 seed.

Wow! Did Western Illinois lay an egg in my master plan of a three-way tie for third place! They went to North Dakota State and got a beatdown, 86-62. Brett Winkelman led all scorers with 21 and Ben Woodside added 20. What was the big difference? Western Illinois couldn't throw it in the ocean. They hit just 29.8% from the field. That ain't gonna get it done.

So here are the scores from Thursday night:
IUPUI - 70, South Dakota State - 56
IPFW - 65, Centenary - 44
Western Illinois - 62, North Dakota State - 86
Oakland - 53, Oral Roberts - 60

Oral Roberts handled Oakland 60-53 to stay undefeated in the conference while the Golden Grizzlies are now in a bit of a fight for the #3 seed. But the big story tonight is IPFW who won their first road game OF THE SEASON! George Hill dropped 23 for the Jags, leading a group of four double-digit scorers.

Heading into Saturday's games, the top six seeds are getting awfully bunched up.
Current standings:
1. Oral Roberts 11-0/16-5—W11
2. IUPUI 10-2/18-5—W5
3. Oakland 7-5/12-11—L1
3. IPFW 7-5/10-13—W3
5. Western Illinois 6-6/11-12—L1
5. North Dakota State 6-6/12-11—W1
7. Centenary 3-8/9-14—L4
7. UMKC 3-8/8-16—L2
7. Southern Utah 3-8/5-17—L3
10. South Dakota State 2-10/7-16—L4

Saturday's games:
IPFW @ Oral Roberts - 7:05 p.m
Western Illinois @ South Dakota State - 7:30 p.m.
IUPUI @ North Dakota State - 7 p.m.
UMKC @ Southern Utah - 7:30 p.m.

Since Oakland is idle, I'm going to call the IPFW-ORU game the Game of the Week. Why? Because if the Mastadons do the impossible and win, they stand alone in third place.

men's hoops: no room for error this thursday.

Until next weekend's showdown between league-leading Oral Roberts and pre-season favorite IUPUI, it's shaping up to be a relatively quiet Thursday is on tap in Summit League men's hoops; mostly teams jockeying for position in the middle of the pack.

Coming up Thursday:
* IUPUI @ South Dakota State - 7 p.m.
* IPFW @ Centenary - 7 p.m.
* Western Illinois @ North Dakota State - 7 p.m.
* Oakland @ Oral Roberts - 7:05 p.m.

We don't want to play favorites here, but IUPUI should win on the road while the Golden Eagles are heavily favored to beat the Golden Grizzlies (does the winner take the gold in this one?). Having said that, I'm going to call the ORU-Oakland game the Summit League Game of the Week.

It could get really interesting down the stretch for OU if they stumble. If Oakland loses and Western and IPFW win, we'll have a three-way tie for third place. Two losses and they're staring up from a #6 seed.

I guess we have to wait and see.

Of course, IUPUI has no room for error on their road trip to the Dakotas. After losing to ORU and Centenary on the road last month, they need at least a split this weekend.

Current standings:
1. Oral Roberts 10-0/15-5—W8
2. IUPUI 9-2/17-5—W4
3. Oakland 7-4/12-10—W3
4. Western Illinois 6-5/11-11—W2
5. IPFW 6-5/9-13—W2
6. North Dakota State 5-6/11-11—L2
7. Centenary 3-7/9-13—L3
8. UMKC 3-8/8-16—L2
9. Southern Utah 3-8/5-17—L3
10. South Dakota State 2-9/7-15—L3

rabbit punched. south dakota st. beats ipfw in ot; maintains first place.

The four-way tie for third place on the women's side was broken last night by a pair of road wins for the Dakota schools. By virtue of IUPUI's home victory over Southern Utah, the Jags currently sit all alone in third place. Oral Roberts was idle last night, trailing IUPUI by a half game.

Monday Results
Southern Utah – 46 @ IUPUI – 71
North Dakota State – 58 @ Oakland – 54
South Dakota State – 74 @ IPFW – 72 (OT)
UMKC – 46 @ Western Illinois – 56


That latest standings:
1. South Dakota State 9-2/16-6
1. Western Illinois 9-2/11-11
3. IUPUI 7-4/11-12
4. Oral Roberts 6-4/12-9
5. Oakland 6-5/13-8
5. North Dakota State 6-5/11-10
5. IPFW 6-5/9-13
8. Southern Utah 3-8 5-17
9. UMKC 2-9/9-13
10. Centenary 0-10/3-17

Saturday's games:
IPFW @ Oral Roberts — 2:05 p.m.
IUPUI @ North Dakota State — 2 p.m.
Oakland @ Centenary — 3 p.m.
Western Illinois @ South Dakota State — 5 p.m.
Oakland @ Centenary — 5:30 p.m.
UMKC @ Southern Utah — 5 p.m.

It's almost too difficult to pick just one featured game this weekend, since all but one has post-season implications. But the Game of the Week is going to be Western at South Dakota State. Despite SDSU being ineligible for the tournament, this is the battle for first place. Everything else falls behind that game.