Good morning to all of you who came to the blog by way of the box that ran alongside Kevin Tatum's Penn-Princeton preview in this morning's paper. If you're looking for the College HoopsCast, click here, but since it's snowing out, why not stick around for a while and read about the rest of what's going on in college sports?
Let's start with the advance for that showdown between the Quakers and the Tigers, the latter of which comes to the Palestra tonight with a stellar 1-5 record in Ivy League play. It's Glen Miller's first Penn-Princeton game. Miller is quoted as saying he liked the Big 5 atmosphere a lot and looks for "more of the same" tonight. The weather being what it is (and Penn students being as late-arriving as they are), I have my doubts.
The Penn student paper, in an attempt to accuse Princeton of having a culture of losing (take my word for it, as this happens with other teams frequently), interviews Tigers freshman guard Marcus Schroeder. He says that prior to this season, "I really hadn't lost that much my whole life." But have some sympathy for him, because other than Princeton, "no Division-I program even seemed to want him."
In the Princeton student paper, forward Luke Owings (who went to the rival high school of Penn's Steve Danley) says that "we're not really changing anything between this game and the last ones." Those last games went like this and this; I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
At the other end of the floor, there's praise for the Penn bench and a column on the importance of free throws by a guy who does not "profess to be an expert." I thought that disqualified you from research in the Ivy League.
Temple won the women's Big 5 last night by beating La Salle, 68-55. It was the Owls' 14th straight City Series win, and gave Dawn Staley her fourth Big 5 title in seven years at the helm on North Broad Street. The Temple student paper gives props to Kamesha Hairston, who led the way with 17 points and 16 rebounds.
And a football story: ESPN.com reports that an epidemic of football is breaking out at Rutgers, with symptons including a big increase in the sale of hooded sweatshirts at the bookstore.
National news after the jump.
A Connecticut Post UConn beat writer took a hit from a Georigia Tech player who was trying to corral a loose ball on Saturday, and tells the story of the moment in first person.
Louisville not only won at Pitt, but did so convincingly, 66-53. Just as important, though, a horse part-owned by Rick Pitino won a $100,000 prep race and might be headed for the Kentucky Derby.
In the second Big Monday game, triple-overtime was not necessary as Texas blew out Oklahoma State, 83-54. Durant only scored 21 points and only pulled down 12 rebounds, which might have disappointed some. The fans in Austin chanted "One more year!" at Kevin Durant, which I don't think I've ever seen said of a freshman. How about three, heaven forbid?
In Lexington, a columnist concedes that Florida is better than Kentucky. The Wildcats visit Tennessee tonight, where Volunteers guard Chris Lofton will play.
The guy who paid to have his name on the door of USC's Galen Center says the arena is "120% of what we thought it would be." For you grammarians, that is verbatim.
Duke is out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in 200 weeks and out of the even-more-branded ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time ever. A columnist in Raleigh wonders if it's time to panic.
Gonzaga's 50-game home winning streak came to an end last night against Santa Clara. UMPFN might really be in trouble now.
Two Illinois basketball players were involved in a car crash last night.
And finally, if you'll indulge me, two non-college sports stories. First, for anyone who's ever complained about the pace of construction around here, a piece on Jamaica's struggles as it gets ready to host the Cricket World Cup. Yes, I might be the only person in the entire city who cares about cricket. Second, a circus of a different type: famous journalists being forced to tell the truth about themselves in the Scooter Libby trial in Washington. It's funny, I promise.
