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Post by doubledown1110 on Oct 3, 2008 12:53:22 GMT -5
Is anyone else planning on going to the Wake Forest game? I have a group that is planning on going, but we can't find tickets for sale. Have single game tickets gone up for sale yet?
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Post by Willie on Oct 3, 2008 23:23:08 GMT -5
Is anyone else planning on going to the Wake Forest game? I have a group that is planning on going, but we can't find tickets for sale. Have single game tickets gone up for sale yet? Single game ticket are not for sale this early in the year. Athletic departments are still waiting on season ticket renewals and new season tickets to be processed before they put tickets up for sale to the general public.
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Post by Fastbreak on Oct 8, 2008 18:32:51 GMT -5
10/8/2008 UALR Men's Basketball Finalizes 2008-09 ScheduleLITTLE ROCK - The UALR men's basketball team unveiled its 2008-09 schedule on Wednesday, a challenging slate loaded with five postseason teams and seven 20-game winners from a year ago, including NCAA Tournament runner-up Memphis. The Trojans will face Memphis at FedEx Forum on Wednesday, Dec. 17 as part of a two-year deal which will see the Tigers visit Little Rock during the 2009-10 season to take on UALR at Alltel Arena on Saturday, Dec. 12. In addition to the Tigers, who ended the year ranked No. 2 in the country with a 38-2 record, the non-conference portion of UALR's schedule features three-time Summit League champion Oral Roberts, perennial Missouri Valley Conference frontrunner Creighton, and a Wright State squad coming off a 21-10 campaign. Creighton will visit the Jack Stephens Center on Tuesday, Nov. 25 in what should be one of the biggest games in the arena's four-year existence. "This is definitely one of the most challenging schedules we've had in my nine years here. It's the first time we haven't played any non-Division I opponents, and it is a schedule that we are going to have to be prepared to play, both mentally and physically, every night out," said UALR head coach Steve Shields. "There isn't a single game on our schedule that you can look at and say ‘we are definitely going to win that one.' I'm excited about the challenge, because I think it will really prepare us for the Sun Belt Conference." Coming off its third Sun Belt Conference division title in five years and the program's first 20-win season since 1995-96, UALR will play 15 of its 29 regular-season games at the Jack Stephens Center this year. The Trojans open the year with a two-game road swing in California, but will play eight of their first 13 games at home - where they amassed an 13-3 record last season. After opening the year at Cal Poly (Nov. 14) and Pepperdine (Nov. 16), the Trojans return to Little Rock for their home opener against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 22. UALR will begin a series with both Missouri State (Dec. 3) and Oral Roberts (Dec. 8) on the road this season, with the two teams coming to Little Rock during the 2009-10 season. Following the Dec. 17 game at Memphis, the Trojans open the conference season at home against Arkansas State on Saturday, Dec. 20. "There are a lot of really good RPI teams on our schedule this year, and a few teams that will be energized by coaching changes," said Shields. "This is a schedule that I would not have made a year ago, but with the number of guys we have back, I felt like it was a schedule that they could accept as a great challenge. The Trojans will be put to the test during the month of January, as six of the team's nine games will be played on the road, but close out the regular season by playing four of their seven February games at home. Beginning this season, Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark. will serve as the new home to the Sun Belt Conference Championships. Opening round games will once again take place at campus sites (March 4), with the remaining eight teams advancing to Summit Arena, March 8-10. The Trojans return all five starters and nine total lettermen from a year ago, including the team's top two scorers in juniors Steven Moore and Mike Smith. UALR opens the year with an exhibition game against Harding on Sunday, Nov. 9 in Hot Springs. www.arkansasbusiness.com/sports_article.asp?aID=108929.78322.121048
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Post by Glory Days on Oct 8, 2008 19:41:42 GMT -5
I give Memphis a 10% chance of fulfilling that home and home series with UALR. I think they are going to buy out the contract and screw UALR like UK did to UMASS a few years back. You have to have an unbelievable buyout nowadays to keep some of these programs from screwing you over.
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Post by bballraider on Oct 8, 2008 20:09:46 GMT -5
I give Memphis a 10% chance of fulfilling that home and home series with UALR. I think they are going to buy out the contract and screw UALR like UK did to UMASS a few years back. You have to have an unbelievable buyout nowadays to keep some of these programs from screwing you over. I think Memphis will honor the return game here because of the following: According to the UALR board, they say the game has a very large buyout, and Memphis is close enough to bring a lot of fans that will travel to this game. Plus, the game is being played at the Alltel Arena which is not UALR's normal home floor. (Alltel Arena will be hosting the NCAA that year, so Memphis would get a practice game at a host site). Finally, Memphis also gets a split of the gate for that game. It sounds like Memphis is getting a pretty sweet deal to play the return game in Little Rock.
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Post by Willie on Oct 8, 2008 20:25:20 GMT -5
I give Memphis a 10% chance of fulfilling that home and home series with UALR. I think they are going to buy out the contract and screw UALR like UK did to UMASS a few years back. You have to have an unbelievable buyout nowadays to keep some of these programs from screwing you over. I think Memphis will honor the return game here because of the following: According to the UALR board, they say the game has a very large buyout, and Memphis is close enough to bring a lot of fans that will travel to this game. Plus, the game is being played at the Alltel Arena which is not UALR's normal home floor. (Alltel Arena will be hosting the NCAA that year, so Memphis would get a practice game at a host site). Finally, Memphis also gets a split of the gate for that game. It sounds like Memphis is getting a pretty sweet deal to play the return game in Little Rock. I'm not positive, but I think one of UALR assistant coaches has to give Callipari a "happy ending" after the game too. ;D
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Post by Willie on Oct 16, 2008 21:59:42 GMT -5
Thursday, October 16, 2008 Hoops get down to business Saturday Jim Benson The competition figures to be spirited when Illinois State’s basketball team goes through its first practice on Saturday morning. While Osiris Eldridge, Champ Oguchi and Dinma Odiakosa are locks to be in the starting lineup Nov. 15 at Wright State, the other two spots and amount of playing time for reserves will be determined in the next 30 days. ISU held its Media Day at Redbird Arena on Thursday. Second-year coach Tim Jankovich said all positions are open “to give everyone a shot and make it as fair as possible.” Jankovich is a big believer that how you practice translates into how you play. The big question marks coming into the season will be at point guard and in the frontcourt next to Odiakosa. Replacing 5-foot-8 Boo Richardson will be a tall order. Richardson was the unquestioned team leader who turned from a defensive liability as a junior into a ball-hawk as a senior. Junior college transfer Lloyd Phillips seems to have the inside track to take over as point guard and will bring more of a scoring mentality. Whether Phillips or sophomore Alex Rubin can come close to matching Richardson’s defensive intensity remains to be seen. Jankovich said forwards Bobby Hill (knee) and Brandon Sampay (hip) are mending well from off-season surgeries. However, the ISU coach isn’t sure when they will be ready for action. Hill, who started some live contact drills with teammates this week, predicted he’ll be ready to go for Wright State. Sampay said he would like to be back for the Nov. 28-30 World Vision Invitational at Redbird Arena. That might be wishful thinking as Jankovich would be happy to see Sampay return sometime in early December in order to get ready for Missouri Valley Conference action which starts Dec. 28 at Missouri State. Freshmen forwards Kellen Thornton, Jeremy Robinson and Ty Modupe have a golden opportunity in the early going. They can impress the coaches and get playing time they might not have if Hill and Sampay were healthy. ISU strength coach Rohrk Cutchlow said each of the trio already has put on between 17 to 23 pounds since arriving on campus this summer. How some of the returning players fit into the puzzle could be interesting. Sead Odzic struggled most of last season after becoming eligible in late December, but Jankovich said the junior guard has worked hard and had “the right attitude and determination” in offseason workouts. Emmanuel Holloway is a steady presence in the backcourt who will see plenty of action somewhere. Rubin came on late in his freshman season and will push Phillips at the point. Brandon Holtz and Landon Shipley are tremendous shooters who must improve defensively to crack the mix. This could be a fun ISU team to watch. When all the parts come together, ISU should be a more athletic and longer team than last season. There are plenty of 3-point shooters to spread the court, even with the arc pushed out a foot. Jankovich will be able to play “small ball” at times with Oguchi going from the wing to power forward. That could cause plenty of match-up problems for opponents. ISU’s success last season came with a defensive mindset that Jankovich demands. Whether that carries over with all the newcomers remains to be seen. www.pantagraph.com/blogs/main/?p=3157
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Post by Willie on Oct 28, 2008 21:45:59 GMT -5
Redbird basketball teams garner high preseason picksTony Andracki, Daily Vidette Sports Editor 10/29/08 Preseason rankings have come and gone, and ISU men's basketball hasn't been looked over this time around. After being picked to finish fifth in last year's Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, the men's team was voted to finish third. The poll is conducted by league sports information directors, head coaches and media members. Junior guard Osiris Eldridge, the leading scorer from last year's team, was picked to win the league's preseason player of the year. Last year, the junior guard finished second in the 2008 Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year voting. Drake's Adam Ammenecker took home the award. Last season, the Redbirds finished 25-10 in Tim Jankovich's first season as head coach, setting the school record for most wins in a season and making their first postseason tournament since 2001. Creighton was picked to win the conference and Southern Illinois was voted second. Creighton received 386 points and 36 first-place votes and SIU received 322 points and two first-place votes. Drake, last year's surprise conference winner, was voted to finish fourth followed by Bradley, Northern Iowa, Indiana State, Evansville, Wichita State and Missouri State. Eldridge was also named to the preseason all-conference team, joining Drake's Jonathan Cox and Josh Young, Southern Illinois' Bryan Mullins and Creighton's P'Allen Stinnett. Last season, Eldridge was also selected to the first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference team while averaging 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. On the women's side, Kristi Cirone and Maggie Krick were selected to the Preseason All-Valley team while the team was the unanimous choice to win the conference in the 2008-09. "It is exciting to see how much our program has grown over the past five years," head coach Robin Pingeton said. "We appreciate the respect from the other coaches and media in our league. The players have worked very hard and have been so selfless in their commitment to this program." The Redbirds received 40 first-place votes, totaling 400 points. Creighton finished in second place with 310 points and Drake took third with 297 total points. Evansville was voted to finish fourth followed by Northern Iowa, Missouri State, Indiana State, Bradley and Southern Illinois. Wichita State was picked to finish last. "There is no doubt that the Valley will once again be up for grabs and we fully realize this is a preseason poll and not a post season standing," Pingeton said. "There are so many quality coaches and players in this league that on any given night, absolutely anything can happen." The 2008-09 Redbirds are the fourth team to be unanimously selected to take first in the conference. The 2001-02 Drake team and 1986-87 and 1987-88 Southern Illinois teams were the other unanimous selections. It is also just the second time that the Redbirds were voted to finish first. The other occurrence was the 1984-85 team that ended up winning conference and earning a bid in the NCAA tournament. The ISU women's team returns close to 90 percent of the scoring from last season, where the team went 26-7 and made it to the NCAA Tournament. Cirone returns as the two-time Jackie Stiles Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference and was honorable mention All-American last season. She is the only returning all-conference player from last season, where she is the MVC active leader in five categories. Krick returns after earning MVC honorable mention honors last season. The women's team squares off in the Preseason NIT tournament, starting Nov. 14, while The men's team tips off their season Nov. 15 at Wright State. media.www.dailyvidette.com/media/storage/paper420/news/2008/10/29/Sports/Redbird.Basketball.Teams.Garner.High.Preseason.Picks-3511371.shtml
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Post by Glory Days on Nov 1, 2008 22:17:41 GMT -5
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Rubin injury not good signOn the surface, it would appear Illinois State's basketball team has enough backcourt depth to deal with the loss of Alex Rubin for up to eight weeks with a broken right foot. Yet a look at the schedule for the first month of the season suggests this could be trouble for the Redbirds. ISU has a pair of three-game tournaments in November, one in Dallas on Nov. 21-23 and at Redbird Arena on Nov. 28-30. Rubin's absence could be costly. It will now be up to Lloyd Phillips and Emmanuel Holloway to hold down the reins at the point. But part of Holloway's value is that he can slide between the point and No. 2 guard spot. Going to the point more will take away Holloway at the 2. What that means is that Sead Odzic must come through, especially in the three-game tournaments where there is no days to rest. Landon Shipley, who can play the point, and Brandon Holtz, who can't, also will get an opportunity with Rubin out. Phillips, a junior college transfer, is in his first year of Division I basketball. He is not going to be a polished point guard in November. Maybe not December or January, either. Rubin had been playing well all preseason. His confidence was high. He knew what Coach Tim Jankovich wanted. Whether he can step right in where he left off remains to be seen. Practices also will be different with Rubin out. If Phillips is on one side and Holloway on the other, how does Holloway get practice time at the 2 spot? ISU was in good shape to survive when freshman Kenyon Smith was declared academically ineligible before practice started. But losing two point guards really hurts. The Missouri Valley Conference Media Day in St. Louis on Tuesday was an interesting affair. The announcement of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge, which the leagues hope to start next November, will really help the Valley. Trying to schedule good nonconference teams in your building has become difficult. This will give schools a good home game every other year plus a winnable road game every other year against a quality opponent. I mentioned to Jankovich that an ISU-UNLV matchup the first year is a natural. Vegas coach Lon Kruger was a Kansas State assistant when Jankovich was a player there in the late 1970s-early 1980s. Jankovich just laughed and said he would prefer another team. Kruger has UNLV rolling. I covered Kruger when he was at Illinois, and that guy is one of the best game coaches I've ever seen. Illinois didn't lose a lot of games when it had three or more days to prepare. A Valley official said the Challenge will try to line up teams where they are projected to finish in their leagues, so the top team in the Mountain West will play one of the top Valley teams. Going to places like Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City and San Diego is a plus for Valley teams. But can you imagine New Mexico rolling into Terre Haute and looking around? Ugh. It was nice to see Illinois State junior guard Osiris Eldridge honored as preseason Player of the Year, but it really doesn't mean much. Eldridge isn't the kind of player who is going to be affected by such an accolade. In fact, it should drive him even more. One thing I did notice is that none of the other coaches mentioned how Oregon transfer Champ Oguchi is going to impact ISU. Jankovich sure wasn't going to throw it out there. The all-Valley team was pretty predictable. Drake's Josh Young and Jonathan Cox, Southern Illinois' Bryan Mullins and Creighton's P'Allen Stinnett joined Eldridge. The top three teams of Creighton, Southern Illinois and ISU also was no surprise. Reporters kept asking which of the teams projected in the bottom five has a chance to be this season's Drake. The consensus was Evansville, which returns all of its key players. But pulling a Drake, which was projected ninth last year and won the regular season and conference tournament titles, might not happen for another 20 years. www.pantagraph.com/blogs/main/?p=3194
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Post by bballraider on Nov 6, 2008 19:05:08 GMT -5
Well, our december schedule just got a little tougher. South Florida's Gilchrist was granted a waiver to play this year, and will be eligible after December 14th. FROM CHN: Gilchrist was ranked as a top 60 recruit in the class of 2007 by several recruiting services. He originally signed with Virginia Tech in November 2006 but was reportedly uncomfortable attending the college in the aftermath of the shootings. Gilchrist then attended Maryland but learned that ACC conference rules would require him to sit out a year and lose one year of eligibility. South Florida's most highly touted recruit will be eligible to play on December 14 against Niagara. The 6'10" big man will be available for the entire Big East conference schedule. "He has the potential to have a tremendous impact on our program," Coach Stan Heath said in a release. "His versatility to play inside and out makes him a dual threat and a very difficult matchup." www.collegehoopsnet.com/south-florida039s-gilchrist-granted-waiver-141537
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Post by Big D on Nov 6, 2008 22:30:55 GMT -5
November 5, 2008 ISU men's basketball trying to avoid more injuries before openerBy Jim Benson NORMAL -- There shouldn’t be any new injuries Wednesday for Illinois State’s basketball team. The Redbirds are taking the day off from practice. Not so fast. ISU coach Tim Jankovich will wait until Thursday to see if everyone made it through Wednesday unscathed. Less than two weeks remain before the Nov. 15 season opener at Wright State. The most encouraging news for ISU is that forward Brandon Sampay, although not cleared to play in games yet, is practicing after undergoing hip surgery in early August. However, forward Bobby Hill experienced a setback in his recovery from right knee surgery and has been shut down the past week. Guard Alex Rubin had surgery last week to repair a broken left foot and could be out until late December. Jankovich is holding his breath on freshman forward Jeremy Robinson, who suffered a groin injury during Tuesday’s practice. Guard Landon Shipley suffered a concussion over the weekend, but is expected back Thursday. “I’m proud of our guys because they’re playing through the injuries as far as no one’s hanging their heads or feeling sorry for themselves,” said Jankovich after Tuesday’s practice. “We’re just trying to push forward and hope the guys get back when they get back.” While Jankovich said Sampay is “ahead of what we probably thought,” the ISU coach cautions not to assume the 6-foot-8, 255-pound senior will play against Wright State. Getting Sampay on the court would definitely help a depleted frontcourt. Hill seemed ready to play in the opener until the last week. Jankovich said Hill could return to limited practice Thursday. “When you push that injury it can get aggravated and inflamed. The structure of it is sound, but it will heal at its own pace,” said Jankovich. “Everybody’s different on that. We’re still hoping it’s sooner rather than later. He has taken several days off, and it’s calmed down.” The Redbirds travel to Chicago on Saturday to take part in a three-hour scrimmage against Loyola that is closed to the public and media. ISU’s only exhibition game is against Illinois-Springfield, an NAIA school, at Redbird Arena at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday. Teams can play two exhibitions or one exhibition and one scrimmage. With several newcomers, Jankovich said the chance to play in front of a crowd twice would have been beneficial. However, ISU didn’t want to back out on Loyola after the Ramblers came to Normal last year. “Both (exhibitions and scrimmages) serve their purpose. But I know this -- we need to play someone else,” said Jankovich. “We need to play someone who doesn’t know exactly what we’re doing every second and we don’t know exactly what they’re doing every second.” Robinson and the other two freshmen forwards, Kellen Thornton and Ty Modupe, are getting a crash course in college basketball since practice began Oct. 17. “I’m trying to push them as fast as we can. I know their heads are spinning. All freshmen’s heads are spinning,” said Jankovich. “Theirs are spinning more because we’re trying to get them ready to play in a very short period of time.” www.pantagraph.com/articles/2008/11/05/usports/doc49110e1775739255781210.txt
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