Two weeks ago, Pat Summitt surveyed the national scene and said this:
"A lot of people don't have Mississippi State on their radar screen and they should."
Never argue with Pat.
Mississippi State is climbing the rankings -- moving from No. 25 to No. 19 in this week's poll -- and the ladder of national recognition, particularly after Sunday's 84-55 win over No. 20 Maryland.
Granted, Maryland is remodeling after the graduation of Kristi Tolliver and Marisa Coleman and the transfer of Marah Strickland, and Brenda Frese's program will likely struggle with change most of the year, but the Bulldogs took it to the Terrapins on their home floor.
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The talk of the Atlantic Coast Conference's basketball media day Sunday was the trouble a player could get into if he talked too much.
Or said the wrong thing, or gestured the wrong way, or celebrated excessively, or did anything else that might be considered "unsporting behavior,'' according to a new zero-tolerance policy approved for this season by the NCAA.
Many of the players and coaches gathered at Greensboro's Grandover Resort bluntly said they either did not like the change, didn't understand why it was necessary, or both. The biggest issue: there is too much room left for the wrong interpretation.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- When he addressed the packed house at Comcast Center at Maryland's Midnight Madness festivities Friday night, Gary Williams said he didn't prepare his comments and spoke off the cuff. It wasn't hard to figure out where his inspiration came from.
"I'd like to thank all the fans who are here tonight, all across the country, who stayed with us last year,'' he said. "Last year was one of the great experiences I've ever had as a coach.''
Staying with the Terrapins in 2008-09 was a challenge, especially after a contentious midseason stretch that featured a surprise home loss to Morgan State, a 41-point humiliation at Duke, Williams' public feud with athletic department officials, and an impromptu appearance at a subsequent Williams press conference by athletic director Debbie Yow so she could give him a vote of confidence.
WASHINGTON -- A long-awaited documentary about the life and death of Maryland basketball star Len Bias was shown for the first time Wednesday afternoon, some six weeks before its official release.
Bias's mother, Lonise, attended the screening of Without Bias at a downtown theater, and afterward spoke to the roughly 75 attendees. "We are firm believers, my family firmly believes, that Len did more for this nation in death than he ever did in life,'' said Bias, who has been a public speaker and lecturer on drug use and other dangers to youth since her eldest son's death from a cocaine overdose in 1986, two days after the All-America forward and Maryland's then-all-time leading scorer was drafted second overall by the Boston Celtics.
With John Calipari now coaching at Kentucky, top shooting guard Xavier Henry reopened his recruiting. C.J. was already on the Memphis squad following a failed professional baseball career, but that meant little. Ultimately Xavier Henry has opted to go to Kansas, and his older brother will be joining him.
The addition of Henry to a recruiting class that includes power forward Thomas Robinson and point guard Elijah Johnson -- both top-50 recruits -- means that a likely top-10 recruiting class will join a Kansas team that finished in the top-10 and will be returning everyone. Kansas now joins North Carolina and Michigan State as the presumed favorites for 2010.
March started days ago. The Madness started Wednesday night.
On an evening where bubble teams could've punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament and boosters could've started humming bars of "One Shining Moment," teams turned down invitations like they were to a wedding without an open bar or the People's Choice Awards.
A memo, fellows. This isn't an invitation to a candlelight dinner with Randy Johnson. "Big Dance" doesn't mean you're cutting a rug with Mark Madsen or waltzing cheek-to-cheek with Mike Tyson.
Poor Dave Neal. He never stood a chance. Sure, it was senior night in College Park, Mary. And sure, Neal was white hot and having the best night of his career when he decided to try and defend the moving freight train that is Jeff Teague. Teague goes baseline, hops about 30 feet in the air and plants his unmentionables on Neal's face. At least it wasn't Neal's final home game or anything though, right?
Heading into Wednesday night's Duke-Maryland tilt, the big story was about a resurgent Terps team, fresh off an overtime win over the second-ranked Tar Heels, and its sudden NCAA tournament prospects. Despite an inconsistent start to the season -- which included a home loss to Morgan St. and a 85-44 thrashing against the Blue Devils in Durham -- an emotional home-court victory over the ACC's best squad suddenly gave an aimless season direction. If Maryland could manage to upset seventh-ranked Duke, its tournament ticket would be punched.
Maryland-Duke is not a rivalry to be taken lightly, even if Duke did wallop the Terps by 41 in Cameron earlier this season. Now that Maryland is firmly on the bubble (and climbing), though, the stakes are raised again. Which may explain why Maryland fans are going all out in their pre-game prep for Wednesday night's matchup.
"All out" here doesn't just mean "making funny chant sheets," either; the Terps have not only created Facebook groups dedicated to "Operation: Scheyerface 2.0" (via Joe Ovies) but they also spent the week prank-calling Duke's hotel room.
The Maryland Terrapins broke out the Ronald McDonald, french-fry yellow unis for Saturday afternoon's game against the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, and for 30 minutes they played like a bunch of players destined for careers in the fast-food industry, or at least a profession that doesn't involve dribbling basketballs.
Junior guard -- and on-court cheerleader -- Greivis Vasquez scored the Terps' first 16 points to keep the game close, and then he didn't make another basket until 21 game minutes later. By that time, Maryland trailed by 16 and their already slim chances of backing into the NCAAs seemed pretty much gone.
NCAA Basketball 
Two weeks ago, Pat Summitt surveyed the national scene and said this:.jpg)
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The talk of the Atlantic Coast Conference's basketball media day Sunday was the trouble a player could get into if he talked too much.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- When he addressed the packed house at Comcast Center at Maryland's Midnight Madness festivities Friday night, Gary Williams said he didn't prepare his comments and spoke off the cuff. It wasn't hard to figure out where his inspiration came from.
WASHINGTON -- A long-awaited documentary about the life and death of 
With 
March started days ago. The Madness started Wednesday night. 
Maryland-Duke is not a rivalry to be taken lightly, even if Duke did wallop the Terps by 41 in Cameron earlier this season. Now that Maryland is firmly on the bubble (and climbing), though, the stakes are raised again. Which may explain why Maryland fans are going all out in their pre-game prep for Wednesday night's matchup.
The Maryland Terrapins broke out the Ronald McDonald, french-fry yellow unis for Saturday afternoon's game against the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, and for 30 minutes they played like a bunch of players destined for careers in the fast-food industry, or at least a profession that doesn't involve dribbling basketballs. 
