Topics

151

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / Sadler 'Safe' at Nebraska

« on: February 23, 2010, 02:51:22 PM »

Looks like there will be a doctor in the house in Nebraska for another season.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- Nebraska is committed to Doc Sadler even though the Cornhuskers are mired in last place in the Big 12 in his fourth season as coach.
Marc Boehm, the associate athletic director in charge of men's and women's basketball, said Sadler's job is safe even if the Huskers don't win another game this season.
"Doc is the right guy to get this thing done," Boehm said.
Sadler's contract pays him a base salary of $800,000 a year and runs through the 2013-14 season.
The Huskers (13-14, 1-11 Big 12) are having their worst conference season since 1962-63. Last season, Nebraska won 18 games and finished eighth in the Big 12 with an 8-8 record.
Nebraska's only Big 12 win this season was against Oklahoma on Jan. 30. The Huskers have lost at home to 11th-place Iowa State and dropped a 40-point game at Texas.
But they played right with top-ranked Kansas on the road until the final minutes of what was an 11-point loss, and they took then-No. 7 Kansas State to the last seconds before losing 91-87 on the road last week. Then they turned around and lost by 19 points at home to Missouri on Saturday.
Athletic director Tom Osborne said on his radio show last week that Sadler's job status is a non-issue and that he sees potential.
"Coach Osborne and the administration has been tremendous and they've given total support," Sadler said Monday. "Nebraska has paid me to win basketball games here and run a basketball program, and I think our program is going in the right direction. We just have to win some games and all that will take care of itself."
Boehm said the goals are for Nebraska to regularly appear in the Top 25 and play in the NCAA tournament -- and to achieve them with high-character players.
"There is a little bit of leeway to do it the right way," Boehm said. "We can have a quick fix if we want to go that way, but there are no quick fixes in this program. In the fifth year you can gauge where you're at. Right now he has young kids, some injuries. It happens to be a down year right now."
Sadler has been hit by season-ending injuries to projected starters Christopher Niemann and Toney McCray. The Huskers often have four freshmen in the court.
Nebraska has scant basketball tradition. The men haven't won a conference championship since sharing the Big Seven title in 1949-50 and are winless in six NCAA tournament appearances. The Huskers haven't been to the national tournament since 1998 or in the Top 25 since 1995.
Sadler in 2006 took over what Boehm called an "unhealthy" program, and his first roster was out of balance, with nine freshmen or sophomores, one junior and two seniors. A former student manager even got minutes.
Recruiting has been hit and miss. He signed eight players in his first class, and only one is still on the team. Sadler's records of 17-14, 20-13 and 18-13 were bolstered by wins over undistinguished non-conference opponents, but he did get the Huskers to the NIT the past two seasons.
Nebraska's basketball budget of $3.6 million ranks among the top six in the Big 12, Boehm said, and ground will be broken in May on a practice facility.
Sadler's worst season comes alongside the best season ever for the women's team, which is 25-0 and ranked No. 3 nationally.
Boehm uses the women's team as an example of how quickly a program can turn around. Coach Connie Yori's women were 1-8 in conference play in February last year, but with a healthy lineup they are moving toward their first league title since 1988 and a possible No. 1 NCAA seed.
"I wouldn't be surprised with the men next year if we're seeing maybe not something like this," Boehm said, referring to the women, "but drastic improvement with Doc only being in his fifth year."
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/ncaa/02/22/nebraska-sadler.ap/#ixzz0gOVkQzC1
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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/ncaa/02/22/nebraska-sadler.ap/

152

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / CF Blog: Big 12 Needs to Fight

« on: February 19, 2010, 04:40:38 PM »

Interesting Blog from Chris Williams at CycloneFanatic.com in regards to conference expansions, and eventually about a Big 12 Expansion. It's a very good blog and not too slanted towards the Cardinal and Gold.

Williams Blog: The Big 12 needs to fight

     
By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher

BREAKING NEWS….BREAKING NEWS….BREAKING NEWS….
The Big Ten is about to expand. So is the PAC 10. So is Conference USA. Rumor has it that the Sun Belt is interested in Texas Tech and that Nebraska is contemplating becoming an Independent.
In other words, the Big 12 is doomed. So is every other conference in college football…other than the Big Ten of course. The college sports world, as we know it is over! Over I say…over!!!
For the past two weeks, all of this realignment talk has been suffocating to say the least.
Is it interesting? Yes.
Is all of this talk starting to get a bit ridiculous? Yes again.
Look, I love the Big 12. There are certain things about the conference that I’m not crazy about. Obviously, the crappy television package fits into that mold. But that’s another conversation for another day. But at the very surface level, it is wonderful. I love the rivalries. I love the divisions. I love the teams. I just am a Big 12 guy. Plain and simple.
That’s why I’m starting to get just a little bit worried and annoyed at the same time about what is going on. In case you haven’t been paying attention to all of the “rumors” that are circulating around the college football world, here is a brief recap.
-   Texas has reportedly had “preliminary discussions” with the Big Ten about a potential partnership.
-   Rumors about Colorado leaving to join the PAC-10 seem to really be picking up steam.

-   Missouri and Nebraska have both been rumored to be interested in the Big Ten.

-   A bunch of other scenarios are currently being tossed around as well.
A few journalists who have covered the conference for a decade claim that a lot of this is all “talk.”
That mindset could ultimately end up being correct. I respectfully think that they’re dead wrong. When I read these daily reports on the latest discussions or rumors or what not, I keep wondering, why the talk? Why so much babble if nothing is going to happen? Something has to be going on somewhere…right?
Especially as far as the Big Ten and the PAC 10 go. They’ve both already spoken publicly about their expansion thoughts.
Sure, us Big 12 diehards call the Big 11 uninteresting. But they do happen make a whole lot of money with that network of theirs. And in the end, that’s what it is all about…Cold hard cash.
We all like to think that college athletics are about the pure joy of sport, but do you really believe that?
That’s what I thought.
The fact of the matter is this. Texas is the big dog in the Big 12. They don’t entirely run the show, but we all know that things are skewed to favor the Longhorns financially. They are one of the big reasons that revenue isn’t spread out equally throughout the conference. They are the preverbal straw that stirs the drink for the folks down in Dallas. Texas has things pretty good right now and it is hard for Iowa State fans of all people to feel bad for the Horns, in any scenario.
Back to that green stuff I mentioned earlier. According to ESPN, in 2008, the Big 12 reportedly made $78 million in television revenue. The Big Ten made $242 million. While still spreading the wealth, every single school in the Big Ten made approximately $22 million, compared to the Big 12’s average of $6.5 million. To really put things into perspective, the Big East made $13 million for football as an entire league. So essentially, a single Big Ten school (even the unsuccessful ones) made more money through television than an entire BCS conference. If that doesn’t open your eyes as to how powerful the Big Ten Network actually is, I don’t know what will.
Dollars talk. The Big Ten is a very tempting mistress for the Horns who are currently in a fairly happy marriage. Financially, the Big 12 is a six. The Big Ten is that scorching hot 10 that all of your friends gawk at. I don’t blame Texas or any other Big 12 school for that matter, for listening to the Big Ten.
And trust me, there is no loyalty when it comes to Texas and the Big 12. I didn’t know this until reading an online article yesterday, but Texas initially wanted to join the PAC 10, not the Big 12. Here’s that link.
If Texas would move on…then what?

If Texas moves on and that is one giant if, there could likely be a major domino effect that critically changes college athletics. Here is a hypothetical look at what we could see. Again, I cannot stress enough that this is strictly a theoretical look at one possible situation.
There is a theory floating around that the Big Ten wants to develop a so-called “super conference,” by the year 2015. If that happened, in my opinion, Texas would more than likely be involved. You don’t create a “super conference” by adding Rutgers and Missouri. You need a big papa. That is Texas, Notre Dame, etc.
Many believe that if Texas would jump ship that Texas A&M would follow.
Colorado’s also been rumored to be considering a move to the PAC 10, which makes sense for them both academically and geographically. So let’s throw the Buffs, Utah and BYU move onto the PAC 10. That’d be a league with 13 teams. That wouldn’t work. Would Nebraska then be in the PAC 10 conversation? I’ve heard crazier things. Maybe Boise? It’d then be the powerful PAC 14 that would rival the Big 14, if the current Big Ten went that route.
Confused yet?
Of course, this is all imaginary, but what would then happen to the remaining Big 12 teams, especially Iowa State if some of these pieces started to fall into place?
What happens to Oklahoma? Would they jump to the SEC like many have pointed out?
Here are the only teams that I haven’t really seen mentioned as far as conference realignment goes: Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Let’s have some fun

When it is all said and done, I really don’t think that Nebraska is going anywhere. The same can be said about Oklahoma and Missouri. These are all charter members of the Big 8. So for this next hypothetical piece of this blog, the current members of the Big 12 look like this.
Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Baylor.
In this single scenario, I’m going to say that the following teams are gone.
Colorado – to the PAC 10 (along with Utah, BYU and Boise State)
Texas – to the Big Ten
Texas A&M – to the Big Ten (they’d follow the Horns and the Big Ten would bring in a team from out East, like Pitt).
So that would leave three spots for the Big 12 to fill. My off-the-cuff picks of current mid-majors would then be Memphis, TCU and Houston. Utah would be great but I believe there is more of a chance for them to end up out west.
While the Cyclones could potentially lose a little bit of revenue in this scenario, I can’t imagine too many Iowa State fans complaining about not having to play Texas and Texas A&M consistently. I think that if we get to the point where realignment talk is actually legit, in a strictly competitive nature, this could entire situation could benefit Iowa State. So let’s say that things play out like I’ve written above. Here’s how I think that the divisions would play out.
Big 12 North

Iowa State
Nebraska
Missouri
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
Big 12 South

Oklahoma
Memphis
Texas Tech
Baylor
TCU
Houston
Look at those divisions again and tell me which one would be stronger consistently in football? It’d be a much more even conference.
Rivalries…

I’ve written about the money. Now it is time to get back to sports. If any of these moves were to happen, what happens to the rivalries that college football was built on? If Colorado joined the PAC 10, would they still play Nebraska on the Friday after Thanksgiving?
Would the Red River Shootout still exist if Texas joined the Big Ten? What about the Horns vs. A&M if the Aggies don’t join the new league?
That’d be a pretty challenging schedule for the Horns if their non-conference consisted of games with Oklahoma and A&M. There’s yet another interesting challenge when it comes to realigning the sport as we know it.
What the Big 12 SHOULD do…

Growing up, my father always told me “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.”
Right now, the Big 12 needs to follow that advice. Instead of waiting for things to happen, the Big 12 needs to jump into the mix. The Big 12 needs to start grabbing headlines back from these other conferences. The Big 12 needs to talk about expansion. Why not go east and try to pick up a Memphis? How would that look for a basketball league?
Arkansas is a school that has been tossed around quite a bit? Why not make strong run to poach them from the SEC?
Instead of being the prey, the Big 12 needs to be the predator.
When somebody hit on your high school sweetheart, did you sit around and watch her leave or did you fight for her?
Even if the Big 12 can’t stand up to the Big Ten financially, they need to at the very least show some pride.
In any life scenario, the weak get left behind. It’s time to hit the gym Big 12.
Tags: Big 12 Conference, Big 12 Football, Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com, Iowa State Cyclones

153

Kansas State Football / Farmageddon 2010

« on: February 18, 2010, 10:45:23 PM »

Last year I predicted an ISU blowout... well, that prediction turned out wrong. I'm curious to see what KSU fans' prediction is of the 2010 Farmageddon Game in Kansas City.

ISU 24 KSU 23

154

Kansas State Football / Kansas Memorial Stadium: Photo taken from Saturday

« on: February 14, 2010, 10:07:51 PM »

Didn't the new gridiron plan fail?

155

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / PacTen Expansion Talk... Colorado and Utah

« on: February 09, 2010, 05:18:55 PM »

What does the possibility of CU leaving do to the Big 12?

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/02/09/pac-10-to-undergo-a-ute-movement/

156

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / Big 12 Coach of the Year

« on: February 09, 2010, 05:11:00 PM »

Saw this on another thread, thought I'd make a poll of it. Who is the Big 12 Coach of the Year?

157

Kansas State Football / Jack Trice Stadium Expansion

« on: February 09, 2010, 09:35:00 AM »

I'm not sure if these photos have ever gone across the boards of Wildcat Nation, but word around Cyclone Nation is that Iowa State will begin work on the endzone project at the end of this football season. Capacity of Jack Trice Stadium will be between 62,500 and 65,000, making Jack Trice the 3rd largest stadium in the Big 12 North.

158

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / Frank Martin Remarks (Post-ISU game)

« on: February 06, 2010, 06:40:49 PM »

Frank Martin may have given me a little more hope following ISU's loss on Saturday. However, not enough, fire Mac.

http://theclonezone.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/k-state-coach-praises-cyclones-mcdermott/

159

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / Thanks K-State Fans

« on: February 06, 2010, 05:24:23 PM »

I had a fun time with those of you I had the chance to meet, and am glad you guys show more class than Kansas fans. Hope you only lose one more game in the regular season, and get a big one at Allen Fieldhouse. A shoutout goes to prome5 for buying me my first walking taco.

Go State!

160

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / How will K-State respond if....

« on: February 05, 2010, 08:58:11 AM »

...Craig goes off for 42 pts against K-State??