Cobbling together a few things in the news today...
The Associated Press, quoting the Harrisburg Patriot-News, reports today that Penn State football coach Joe Paterno "is being paid more than a half-million dollars this year."
On the count of three, let's all be shocked together: One, two, three...
Yeah, that's what I thought. I know that Paterno and Penn State fought hard to keep the information private, but given how much college football coaches get paid today is this really such a big deal?
Two basketball games last night caught my eye as I was drifting off to sleep. The first took place at the Carrier Dome, where Massachusetts knocked off Syracuse, 107-100. I'm not sure what's more surprising: that the Minutemen upset the Orange, or that both teams topped the century mark.
This happened despite a six-possession differential -- 86 for UMass to 80 for Syracuse -- and the fact that the Orange outrebounded and shot better from the field than the Minutemen.
But consider what UMass guard Ricky Harris did last night. Yes, he scored a game-high 25 points for the winning team, but look at the rest of his line:
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. Harris |
34 |
8-20 |
6-9 |
3-11 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
5 |
14 |
25 |
The other strange game was contested between VMI and Columbia Union. Thanks to a mind-blowing 119 possessions, the Keydets tied a school record by scoring 156 points against the Division II Pioneers.
Okay, so it isn't quite fair to go too deep into this game given the level of the opposition, and the other team VMI dropped 156 on (Virginia Intermont) was also D-II.
But still... one hundred and nineteen possessions. Put another way: 107 field goal attempts, 41 free throw attempts, 23 turnovers and 30 offensive rebounds (59 total).
Columbia Union scored 91 points and recorded 114 possessions: 87 field goal attempts, 44 turnovers (!) and 23 offensive rebounds (50 total).
Combined, that's 233 possessions in the game, or 5.83 possessions per minute. Which translates to a possession every 10.28 seconds.
I have no idea how that's possible in a 40-minute game.
One thing I do know, though, is that the whole mess led to five (yes, five) unbelievable lines. For VMI, we have Chavis Holmes, Travis Holmes and Reggie Williams; for Columbia Union, we have Mark Moore and Tim Turner. Look at the minutes played as much as anything else:
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C. Holmes |
20 |
9-12 |
3-5 |
6-6 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
31 |
27 |
-----
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
T. Holmes |
20 |
8-17 |
5-6 |
4-10 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
27 |
25 |
-----
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R. Williams |
19 |
9-16 |
6-9 |
1-4 |
7 |
5 |
12 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
32 |
25 |
-----
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M. Moore |
29 |
12-23 |
2-4 |
7-11 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
23 |
33 |
-----
Name |
Min |
FG |
FT |
3pt |
OR |
DR |
TR |
A |
S |
TO |
Blk |
PF |
Eff |
Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
T. Turner |
37 |
8-16 |
2-2 |
3-6 |
3 |
6 |
9 |
7 |
6 |
13 |
0 |
2 |
22 |
21 |
I realize that had nothing to do with anything around here, but it really was just too weird to pass up.
To make up for that, perhaps the two biggest games in the country tonight will both involve local teams. Drexel goes to George Mason for a conference game in November that will be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet, while St. Joe's welcomes Gonzaga in a game that has become a tougher ticket than Jameer Nelson's senior day. It will be broadcast on ESPNU.
