Intentional Foul

Evan Turner Is Simply Fantastic

Chris — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:32:19 +0000

Words fail when it come to describing what Evan Turner did to end the Michigan/Ohio State game. “Bad defense on Michigan’s part” might come to mind, but you still have to make the shot.

And Turner did. In fine style.

Obviously, I’m a John Wall lover, but Evan Turner = Player of the Year. And that shot was his exclamation point.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

Evan Turner Is Simply Fantastic

Butler’s Bank Is Open for March

Chris — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:10:17 +0000

Buzzer beaters. Game winners. Prayers. Call them what you will, but there’s something indescribably enjoyable about seeing these acts; unless, of course, your team is on the receiving end of such a thing. When they happen in March, it’s even bigger and in some cases, much more painful. Just ask Mike Cronin, Dion Dixon, Lance Stephenson and anyone else affiliated with the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Da’Sean Butler delivered such a (gifted?) gem in the Garden last night, and while he needed some good fortune to even get a chance at the shot, when the opportunity came, Butler simply gave the fans the best “Onions!!!!!!” play he could.

One thing’s for sure: The crowd loved it.

To quote an old school NBA tag line, “March Madness action. It’s FAN-tastic.”

Butler’s “the bank is open” heroics paves the way for an intriguing Notre Dame/West Virginia match up. The Irish have been playing good ball in the tournament, and with Harangody back in the fold and performing well, the game promises to be something to see. Granted, neither the Mountaineers or the Irish are scoring at an incredibly high rate — Notre Dame is averaging just under 60 points in two tournament games, and WVU only scored 54 against the Bearcats — it promises to be hard-fought, at the very least.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a rejuvenated Irish pull the upset.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

Butler’s Bank Is Open for March

Anthony Johnson Defines March Madness

Chris — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:16:41 +0000

There are performances that transcend the very game they take place in. Just ask Anthony Johnson and the rest of his Montana Grizzlies team. Facing Weber State in the final game of the Big Sky Conference Tournament, Montana found themselves facing a 20-point deficit at halftime. Little did Wildcats of Weber State know, that, apparently, was right where Johnson wanted them. What else explains Johnson’s absolutely ridiculous second half?

After scoring a good-but-not-great eight points in the first, Johnson went absolutely ape-shit in the second, dropping 34 points — including the game-winner, on top of the final 21 points for his team — to lead Montana all the way back. What impressed me the most, well, besides the obvious, was the fact Johnson’s scoring assault came without an over-reliance on the three-point shot. Sure, he made a couple, but it wasn’t some ridiculous Stephen Curry-style barrage that gave Johnson his impressive second half.

Instead, he used a mix of mid-range jump shots and layups, as Weber State absolutely failed to keep Johnson out of the lane. Actually, I should probably amend that to read, “Weber State absolutely failed in doing remotely anything to slow, let alone stop, Anthony Johnson’s second half tirade.” You know, for accuracy’s sake.

Over at The Dagger, they have a post detailing some of Johnson’s personal history, and it’s a good read. Lucky for us March Madness fans, he didn’t give up on what is obviously a promising career in basketball.

I also borrowed the statistical readout below from the guys at StatSheet.com, showing Johnson’s points for the year. While he’s been a solid scorer for Montana all season long (19.6), seeing the spike at the end, caused by him essentially doubling his average, is kind of humorous.

NCAA Basketball Stats

Because of Johnson’s heroics, Montana is going back to the Big Dance for the eighth time in the school’s history. I have no doubt the idea of facing a scorer with Johnson’s ability will cause opposing tournament coaches all the heartburn they can handle.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

Anthony Johnson Defines March Madness

Evan Turner Dunks His Head Off

Chris — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:45:42 +0000

Apparently, Evan Turner can dunk so hard, he takes his own head off.

(Image via)

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

Evan Turner Dunks His Head Off

Buzzer Beaters Get Us Ready For March Madness

Chris — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:41:57 +0000

That there is Byron Reaves, a sophomore for Albertus Magnus, a Division III school, hitting a half-court buzzer-beater to give his team the win over William Patterson in the first round of the DIII basketball tournament. While the particulars will be forgotten rather quickly, if not already, these are the types of plays that get me completely in the mood for March Madness and all it has to offer.

Will there be something that dramatic in next week’s tournament? Who knows? It’s the possibility of one that so motivates me, however.

Unfortunately, Albertus Magnus’ good fortune didn’t carry over to the second round. The Falcons were ousted by DeSales University, 82-49. Judging by the score, that buzzer beater was the last of the Falcons’ good fortune for the current basketball season.

One last note, is it just me, or do DIII schools have the best names in the world? Who wouldn’t want to see a hard fought contest between two combatants named “Albertus Magnus” and “William Patterson?” It sounds more like a duel to the death instead of a basketball game.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

Buzzer Beaters Get Us Ready For March Madness

When Technology Attacks Sports

Chris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:57:56 +0000

The gem of a find is courtesy of ‘64 And Counting, and it shows just how tenuous the relationship between technology and the desire for user-generated content really is. Sure, a quick-on-their-feet quality control person woulda/shoudla caught this slip up, which, at first glance, looks like someone’s a fan of larger socks. Shortly thereafter, the realization of what your supposed to be seeing hits, and about that same time, so does the hilarity.

Unless, of course, you are the TV show responsible for allowing such a gaffe.

The mistake in question appeared on a Cleveland Cavaliers post-game show for Fox Sports Ohio. Perhaps the FSN guys should reevaluate their screening process, or perhaps nix user-content altogether.

Speaking of technology and sports, today the SEC released their post-season awards. No surprise there. However, their method of delivering the message was new: They used the Live Chat client and revealed the results live to readers and press members alike. That, friends, is an example of when sports and technology go well together. The “large socks” incident? Not so much.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

When Technology Attacks Sports

Edwin Ubiles Get Us Ready For March Madness

Chris — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:25:46 +0000

You might want to get used to the name of “Edwin Ubiles” because in about a week, you’ll be seeing a lot of him — for at least one game — when Ubiles and the rest of the Siena Saints get their March Madness journey started. Siena recorded their third straight NCAA Tournament birth by beating the Fairfield Stags in overtime, 72-65. The reason I’m focusing on Ubiles is because of his awesome 27-point (2-2 from behind the arc), seven-rebound performance, which powered the Saints to another Big Dance.

Not only did Ubiles stuff the stat sheet, he also provided a nifty 360 breakaway dunk that even caught SportCenter’s attention. There’s also a fan video of Ubiles’ nasty flush, courtesy of the Siena Saints blog.

Dunking in a game is one thing, but doing a 360 dunk during a run-out is something else. Most players simply jam the ball home to ensure the two points. Not Ubiles. Instead, he decided to add some additional flair to his breakaway, and he did so most triumphantly.

Not only was Ubiles’ finish one of the highlights of the night, Siena’s fans got in on the fun as well, much to the chagrin of the MAAC.

Watching the on-court security fail so miserably when trying to prevent students from joining the post-game fun is worth the price of admission. Perhaps next time, they should try some harsh language. Surely that would work better than saying “hey, stop.”

As for Siena’s tournament hopes, Joe Lunardi currently has them as a 12-seed, meaning they are just the type of team to pull off one of those 12-seed-beats-a-5-seed upsets we hear so much about. With a player like Ubiles leading the way, if Siena’s first-round opponent doesn’t come to play, the Saints could find themselves trying on Cinderella’s slipper. For their efforts, the Saint finished their regular season with a 17-1 MAAC record, while going 27-6 overall.

In other words, whoever plays Siena next week had better be on their game, lest they want a 360 Ubiles dunk thrown down on their heads.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

Edwin Ubiles Get Us Ready For March Madness

Wall Or Turner? Turner Or Wall?

Chris — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:14:13 +0000

Now that the college basketball regular season has ended — YAY, MARCH MADNESS — it’s time to hand out end-of-the-year awards. In the Player of the Year category, it’s down to two players. Sorry about that Scottie Reynolds, Wes Johnson and whoever else you think deserves time here. It’s all John Wall and Evan Turner, all of the time. So with that in mind, who ya got?

Continue this discussion over at Sports Untapped.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

Wall Or Turner? Turner Or Wall?

NASCAR Lives Up To Its “Rubbin’s Racin’” Moniker

Chris — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:07:56 +0000

Now, before I get blasted, I’m not a NASCAR fan. I’m aware of the competition and of course, some of the personalities. In fact, it’s safe to say my NASCAR knowledge doesn’t extend much past the “I know Jimmy Johnson is pretty damn awesome at what he does. His wife’s hot, too.” Outside of that, besides names like Stewart, Earnhart, and Gordon, I’m a NASCAR know-nothing.

I do, however, know bad form when I see it, and thanks to some petty back-and-forth-ing from Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski, we have some bad form from two stock car drivers who can’t or won’t let their differences go. From what I’ve read, there’s a history between these two and that’s all fine and good. What’s not fine and good however, is using such a powerful vehicle to get some sort of payback against the offending driver.

Perhaps I’m wrong.

Perhaps it is good form using a vehicle weighing over 3000 pounds and is capable of speeds in excess of 200 MPH, to do make a point or get some payback when you’re feeling wronged. What the hell happened to smacking each other around in pit row? Seems a lot safer and the repercussions are nowhere near as expensive. Of course, what does a city-slicker like me know? Apparently, when it comes to some NASCAR-flavored payback, not much. That being said, using your car as a weapon — or a tool to carry out your mission of revenge — is incredibly suspect.

Try doing that on the way to work tomorrow when somebody cuts you off. I doubt a dented car would be the least of your worries.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

NASCAR Lives Up To Its “Rubbin’s Racin’” Moniker

High School Basketball Needs Instant Replay

Chris — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:41:23 +0000

Now that the NBA and the college ranks have adopted an instant replay variation, allowing them to check for game/shot clock violations and other anomalies, it appears as if high school basketball is in desperate need of such an alteration as well. Just ask the Flyers of Franklin County, Kentucky. The state of Kentucky is currently in the process of seeding their high Sweet Sixteen tournament; something that’s done with regional tournaments where the respective winners advance to the state championship.

In one of the quarterfinal games, Franklin County played Lexington powerhouse Henry Clay, and it looked like the Flyers would advance, thanks to a last-second shot that clearly went in before the game clock expired.

Unfortunately, the referees waved the shot off, saying it happened after time ran out — something the video shows as false. Unfortunately, there’s no instant replay in Kentucky high school basketball, and, because of that, a team is being punished due to in-game officials making a horrible game-deciding call. In fact, the call was so poor, the crew should be punished for their mistake. Editorials aside, it’s obvious high school basketball needs to catch up with their big-league counterparts, because there’s no reason those kids should suffer because three referees don’t believe what their eyes told them.

As I indicated, the video shows just how wrong the referees were:

Imagine if LeBron James were robbed in such fashion. David Stern would turn into Regan MacNeil, complete with green pea soup spitting and proclamations of mothers performing fellatio in hell.

Not surprisingly, Franklin County’s coach felt something similar:

Did [Franklin County coach Scott] Chalk think [Lyndon] McKee’s shot was good? “No,” he said. “I know it was good. It hit the backboard before the (red) light went on. It was obviously good. It’s unconscionable for that to happen. There’s absolutely no reason for that to happen.”

So yeah, KHSAA, you might want to take steps to prevent such an injustice from happening again. Sure, it’s not as logistically feasible as it is for college and pro teams, but then again, the idea of robbing a deserving winner is enough to take appropriate actions to prevent it from happening again.

Use some of that money Jim Bunning saved us.

A post from the Intentional Foul Sports Blog, a Ticket Solutions property.

High School Basketball Needs Instant Replay