Leifer's Blog

Wake Almost Drops the Ball

2004-12-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

This game was a thriller from the start. Temple, an unranked team, had something to prove when they stepped on the court: They deserve some serious respect in this league! The lead was exchanged 6 times in the first ten minutes of the game, and that trend was consistent throughout the entire game. There was never a momment of relaxation, especially for Wake, who is ranked #5 in the NCAA. It wasn't until Trent Strickland stepped it up a notch for Wake, that things seemed to be looking good. Strickland had all 9 of his points in the second half of the game. Temple did a great job making Wake adjust their game and play a low scoring more defensive game that is more Temple's style. Wake averaged 83.1 points per game, but Temple held them to a mere 67. Mardy Collins had a season high 25 points for Temple, but couldn't sink the 3 to tie the game with one second left on the clock. This is Wake's fourth straight win over Temple, and we will have to look out for both of these two teams later on in the season.

Trent Stunning the Crowd and Temple's Dion Dacons (4)

Test

2004-12-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Rachel Leifer

I am a student at the University of Michigan.

The OC

Rachel Leifer, rachleif@umich.edu

UMASS hangs on to upset a top dog

2004-12-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

9,037 fans got their money's worth on Wednesday night in the Mullins Center as they watched their Minutemen stun Connecticut (ranked #6) 61-59. Umass Amherst said that they were going to prove there worth this season, and this game definitely supported that claim. It was an impressive all-around effort from UMass, with exceptional play from Rashaun Freeman who led the team with 18 points and hit the winning layup with 4.3 seconds left in regulation play. What is even more impressive was the Minutemen's ability to beat the Huskies to the boards. UConn is known for there outstanding rebound count each game, but UMass out scored them 42-24 points in the paint. This victory puts even more pressure on the Minutemen to come up big against other ranked opponents. It is nice to be the underdog and win, but that comes with some responsibilities aswell. I hope that UMass continues to do well this season and would be very excited to see them in the NCAA tourni come March.

Freeman defending a shooting Huskie

Yoni's NCAA Blog

2004-12-10T13:52:00.000-08:00

Here are some great opinions about other NCAA matches that I haven't covered. A very humorous and informative blog.

UVA bites the big one

2004-12-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

Iowa State (unseeded) upset 19th seeded UVA. This game was a nail bitter throughout all 40 minutes of play. Curtis Stinson came up HUGE for Iowa State hitting a three with 18 seconds left on the clock. This basket led to a 81-79 victory for the Cyclones. Virginia actually had one possession left with 8 seconds on the clock to hit a 2 and tie or go for the victories 3 pointer. Sean Singletary was handed the ball and missed a key layup and two attempts to put the ball in the basket.

Stinson battles for a Rebound

Unfortunately, this loss put a damper on Virginia's Devin Smith's career high 40 point game. 40 points, now that is impressive. Here is just one of his many baskets that game.

Sweet fade away.

GW HAS HAD A HECK OF A WEEK

2004-12-06T23:30:00.000-08:00

In the past week, GW has defeated the 12th seeded Maryland and the 9th seeded Michigan State to put themselves on the map as the 25th seed according to www.espn.com. While both victories were extremely important wins for GW, their victory over Maryland showed heart and great promise in their tournament birth.

This 101-92 thriller was led by the leader on GW's squad, TJ Thompson who had 27 points...the biggest presence on the court for the Colonials.

TJ's Stats

Although I am not particularly a fan of the Colonials, or their name and mascot for that matter, I was extremely impressed by this victory. They came from behind to beat a strong Maryland squad, who always has a good run during March Madness. GW showed that they could ball in this tourni and show everyone that they deserved their spot. Hopefully, they will continue to play well and be able to get to the final four.

Check out this recent article from the GW Hatchet, the GW college paper comparable to our Michigan Daily. It tells the interesting story behind GW basketball's best kept secret, Pops Mensah-Bonsu who also put up some great numbers over the past week. (Especially his 23 point contribution in the Michigan State blowout...always nice to see a big loss of State being a Wolverine :) )

Pops is my hero!

Big Ten Takes #1 Team

2004-12-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

A 28 point blow out by the fighting Illini on Wednesday night against formerly #1 ranked team, Wake Forrest, proves that they mean business this season. Illinois is now 5-0 this season and has a 35 game winning streak at home versus non-big ten opponents. Senior Roger Powell, Jr., came up big in this game, scoring a team and game high of 19 points. "A mismatch for most teams, Powell uses his strength and post-up ability against smaller defenders, and his quickness and ability to shoot outside against bigger opponents."

Roger Dunking Like a Pro

Roger's Stats

The Illini played a solid defensive game holding Wake Forrest's best players Chris Paul and Justin Gray to a mere 21 points combined. Illinois had a preposterous 60% shooting percentage and left Illinois in the dust with a mere 35%. The Illini went nuts in the second half and never looked back.

Way to go Illinois, I always enjoy an underdog victory...Just watch out February 8th when you enter Wolverine territory and take on Chrysler Arena.

The Score Doesn't Display the Struggle

2004-11-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

Mike Krzyzewski, Duke's head basketball coach, was sweating profusely on Monday night when Duke met up with the lesser opponent, Davidson. Another North Carolina school, this Davidson team played unexpectedly well against the 9th ranked Blue Devils. Even though Duke won this match 74-61, the win did not come without a fight. Coach Krzyzewski comments, "We beat an excellent basketball team...Alot of teams would have lost here tonight, believe me. They are going to be a tough out."

After beating Missouri the previous week, Davidson came into their match-up with Duke on Monday with a bit of confidence. "We came into this game not just expecting to play close, but expecting to win," claimed Logan Kosmalski, one of Davidson's strongest assets. Kosmalski had a game high of 25 points in this game and displayed a solid performance overall with 13 rebounds and shooting 8 for 15 on the night.

The first minutes of the second half predicted a Duke blowout with the Blue Devils up by 20 points, but Davidson cut that lead down to 4 at a score of 55-51 in favor of the Blue Devils. At that point Daniel Ewing, a star off guard for Duke took over the ball game and shot all hopes for a Davidson victory. Ewing finished the game with 19 points.

THE most underrated game in history

2004-11-16T07:56:00.000-08:00

For all of you who play the game known as "beer pong" or you crazies that call it "beirut" and haven't heard of the wonders of Beer Die, get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions that will bring your binge drinking to a whole new level. This game incorporates so many skills that it will be further known as an actual sport. Don't be intimitaded by the name; the game is used with 2 dice and one long "ping pong sized" table. For all of you non-drinkers, this game can be played with water or a refreshing six pack of coca-cola. The fun in Beer Die is not only the warm fuzzy feeling from the beer, but the intensity and skill needed to win. If you lose in Beer Pong, you are upset, and for all of the extremely competitive people out there, you are enraged. If you lose in Beer Die, you are upset with losing, but not nearly as upset as you are with the fact that you will not be playing this wonderous game for the next half hour of your life.

PLAY IT NOW!!!! the rules are in a link on this page. I will be available to shake your hand after you experience it.