Roadrunners Overcome Slow Start in 2nd Spring Scrimmage

After a great inaugural football season at UTSA, fans expect the team to step up in their move to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) next season.  Spring Football is a great time to improve upon that, which began last Saturday with the first of two scrimmages at Dub Farris Stadium.  The team finished with a mere three points in nine possessions to start Spring Football on a not-so-good note.

Luckily for UTSA, they had one final scrimmage this morning before their second annual spring football game.  The Roadrunners arrived early for a 7:30am start time and the offense began the scrimmage with yet another slow start.  A combination of the fog that had rolled in and an earlier start might have plagued the Runners early, but UTSA would finally find an answer and overcome the slow start.  The offense racked up 499 yards and finished with 4 touchdowns in the 100 plays they ran.  The defense also stepped up, forcing four turnovers and three sacks in the scrimmage.

The standout athletes in today's scrimmage included linebackers Cody Rogers and Blake Terry, wide receiver Earon Holmes, and quarterback Tucker Carter.  Both Rogers and Terry finished with six tackles, Holmes finished with 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Carter finished with 142 yards in the air.  The Roadrunners return to action on April 15th for their annual spring game at the Alamodome.

Spurs Dominate I-35 Rivalry In My Return To the AT&T Center

After winning the opening tip,
the Spurs controlled much of the
game against the Mavs.

It had been 4 1/2 years since I had last stepped onto the premises of the AT&T Center before tonight's  I-35 rivalry game between the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.  I returned with some friends, one a fellow Spurs fan and the other a Mavericks fan, for the in-state rivalry.  The Spurs entered the game as one of the league's best teams, but the Mavericks were certainly no pushover  (Remember the Mavs are the defending champs and always provide a tough match-up for the Spurs?).  There is no question this rivalry is one of the best in the NBA, so we had to be apart of tonight's action.

The atmosphere was great throughout the AT&T Center, as fans of the two rivals filled the arena, but the home crowd ultimately set the tone for the game.  The game began in the Spurs' favor as they took the early lead.  The game remained close throughout the first half, but the home team extended their lead to seven by halftime.  The Mavericks were down throughout the first half and had to change something to put themselves in position to win the ball game.  A 13-4 run to begin the second half gave the Mavericks their first lead since early in the first quarter, and quickly was extended to five with 3:50 to play in the quarter.  Although a twelve point turnaround occurred to start the second half, the Spurs responded with a 10-0 run to end the quarter and once again led by seven heading into the game's final quarter.

The Spurs' late third quarter run had re-energized the home crowd as the fourth quarter began.  The Spurs built on the crowd's energy and extended their lead to fifteen within the quarter's first two minutes.  San Antonio dominated the rest of the game and ultimately won 104-87 to even the season series with their rivals from the north.  The team began their 'three games in three nights' tour with a victory.  The team heads to New Orleans tomorrow night to play a divisional game, and returns to the AT&T Center on Sunday for an Eastern Conference match-up with the 76ers.  The next month will be crucial for the Spurs as they conclude the regular season and position themselves for a fifth championship in franchise history.

Spurs Dominate on #12's Retirement Night; Parker's Leaves W/Injury

Bowen's #12 was retired
by the San Antonio
Spurs tonight

Tonight was expected to be a special night for the Spurs' organization, but the team had to play a game against the Timberwolves before Bruce Bowen's #12 was hung from the rafters at the AT&T Center.  The Spurs came out of the gate and took the lead, even though Tony Parker left the game with a left hamstring strain.  San Antonio led by nine at halftime and Tim Duncan already had a double-double.  The Spurs began the second half on a 20-9 run and led by twenty halfway through the third quarter.  With Parker's injury, Duncan needed the help from his teammates and three players stepped up.  Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Jackson, and Gary Neal each scored 16 points in the game and combined for six 3-pointers in the game.  Jackson, who was traded to San Antonio on Thursday for Richard Jefferson, returned tonight to the Alamo City where he won the 2003 NBA Championship with the team.  Duncan finished as the game's leading scorer and San Antonio escaped with a 116-100 victory to begin the special night at the AT&T Center.

Following the game, Bruce Bowen's #12 was hung from the AT&T Center rafters and he certainly deserved the honor.  He was an important part of three Spurs' championship teams (2003, 2005, and 2007) and made the NBA All-Defense Team eight times.  He played 8 seasons for the Spurs' organization, starting 500 consecutive games and playing a total of 630 games.  Bowen's #12 becomes the franchise's seventh retired jersey, joining Johnny Moore (0), Avery Johnson (6), James Silas (13), Sean Elliott (32), George Gervin (44), and David Robinson (50) atop the AT&T Center.  Bowen was known for his deadly defense and corner 3's, but his service to the San Antonio community has made him apart of the city forever.

Manning Replaces Tebow As Denver's Starting Quarterback

Peyton Manning, the Future
Hall-of-Famer, was introduced
in Denver this afternoon

A mere two months ago, a youthful quarterback named Tim Tebow led his Denver Broncos to an amazing upset of the Steelers in the playoffs, but the man is now out of his job.  How is this possible after the incredible journey he took us on last season?  The Peyton Manning sweepstakes ended in Denver, Colorado earlier today as Manning signed a 5 year, $96 million contract with the team and was introduced at the team's facilities.  Although Tim Tebow led Denver on an incredible journey last season, he is currently out as the team's starting quarterback because Peyton Manning replaces him at the position.

So what's the future of TebowMania now that he is no longer the Broncos' starting quarterback? A report out of Denver stated a trade to the Dolphins, Jaguars, Packers, Jets, or Patriots is expected in the near future.  It may seem unfair to Tebow after the great 2011 season he had, but hopefully he'll find a franchise that supports him.  Most likely he'll head home to Florida, so he can join either the Dolphins or Jaguars.  Although Miami makes the most sense because it has more talent to offer him, Jacksonville is Tebow's hometown and would support him til he dies.

Spurs Outsmart Magic Behind Dominant Big 3 Performance

The Big 3 Took Care
of Business Tonight Against
Howard & Co.

As tonight's game between the San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic began, it looked as if the Magic would even up the season series with a victory at the AT&T Center.  Orlando used four early three-pointers to build up an 18-8 first quarter lead, but the Spurs ended the quarter on a 28-17 run to take an unbelieveable 36-35 lead heading into the second.  The game remained close until the third quarter, when the Magic took an early six point lead.  The Spurs had come back earlier in the game and were ready to do it again.  Strong bench play and some crucial three-pointers allowed the Spurs to take control and never look back.  The Spurs ultimately won 122-111 to sweep the season series.

As impressive as the team's highest scoring game of the season was tonight, it would not have occurred without the help of both the Big Three and the bench in the game.  For the Big Three, Tony Parker finished with his sixth 30-point performance of the season and a double-double (31 points, 12 assists), Tim Duncan had another solid night, finishing with his 13th double-double of the season (21 points and 13 rebounds), and Manu Ginobili came off the bench for 14 points.  With the help of Ginobili's 14 points and Richard Jefferson's 11 second half points, the Spurs' bench outscored the Magic bench 48-22.  It was a great game overall for the Spurs to end out the seven-game homestand.  The Spurs now face a tough two-game road trip in Oklahoma City and Dallas before returning home to face the Timberwolves at the AT&T Center next Wednesday.

2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Preview/Big 12 Expectations

Can Coach Calipari Finally Win the
Big One With His Kentucky Wildcats?

Regional #1 seeds

#1 overall seed: Kentucky Wildcats (South Region)
#2 overall seed: Syracuse Orange (East Region)
#3 overall seed: North Carolina Tar Heels (Midwest Region)
#4 overall seed: Michigan State Spartans (West Region)

31 Conference Champions with automatic tournament bids

Murray State (Ohio Valley), Belmont (Atlantic Sun), UNC Asheville (Big South), Creighton (Missouri Valley), Loyola MD (MAAC), Virginia Commonwealth (Colonial), Davidson (Southern), Saint Mary's (West Coast), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), South Dakota State (Summit League), Harvard (Ivy League), Detroit (Horizon), Lehigh (Patriot), Long Island (Northeast), Montana (Big Sky), New Mexico State (WAC), Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), Lamar (Southland), Colorado (Pac-12), Vermont (America East), New Mexico (Mountain West), Norfolk State (MEAC), Ohio (Mid-American), Memphis (Conference USA), Long Beach State (Big West), Louisville (Big East), Missouri (Big 12), St. Bonaventure (Atlantic 10), Michigan State (Big Ten), Florida State (ACC), Vanderbilt (SEC)

37 at-large bids

Kentucky (SEC), Duke (ACC), Baylor (Big 12), Indiana (Big Ten), Wichita State (Missouri Valley), UNLV (Mountain West), Notre Dame (Big East), Iowa State (Big 12), Connecticut (Big East), Xavier (Atlantic 10), Syracuse (Big East), Ohio State (Big Ten), Wisconsin (Big Ten), Cincinnati (Big East), Gonzaga (West Coast), Kansas State (Big 12), Southern Miss (Conference USA), West Virginia (Big East), Texas (Big 12), Marquette (Big East), Florida (SEC), Saint Louis (Atlantic 10), Virginia (ACC), Colorado State (Mountain West), BYU (West Coast), Iona (MEAC), North Carolina (ACC), Kansas (Big 12), Georgetown (Big East), Michigan (Big Ten), Temple (Atlantic 10), San Diego State (Mountain West), Alabama (SEC), Purdue (Big Ten), North Carolina State (ACC), California (Pac-12), South Florida (Big East)

11 at-large bids from Mid-Major conferences

Atlantic 10 (Saint Louis, Temple, Xavier), Conference USA (Southern Miss), MEAC (Iona), Missouri Valley (Wichita State), Mountain West (Colorado State, San Diego State, UNLV), WAC (New Mexico State), West Coast Conference (Gonzaga)

Tournament Favorites: Kentucky, North Carolina

Tournament Dark Horses: Missouri, Florida State

Final Four Predictions: Kentucky over Missouri, North Carolina over Florida State

National Champion: Kentucky

Big 12 Teams in the Tournament: 6

Kansas Jayhawks:
Tournament Seed: 5th
Regional Seed: Midwest #2
Second Round Match-up: Friday in Omaha, NE vs. #15 Detroit Titans (Time: 8:57pm CT)
Prediction: Regular Season champs are one of the best team in the country and will cruise by the Titans

Missouri Tigers:

Tournament Seed: 8th
Regional Seed: West #2
Second Round Match-up: Friday in Omaha, NE vs. #15 Norfolk State Spartans (Time: 3:40pm CT)
Prediction: Big 12 Tournament Champs will have no problem with Spartans

Baylor Bears:

Tournament Seed: 9th
Regional Seed: South #3
Second Round Match-up: Thursday in Albuquerque, NM vs. #14 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (Time: 1:45pm CT)
Prediction: Baylor Bear Trio Too Much for the Jackrabbits

Iowa State Cyclones:

Tournament Seed: 30th
Regional Seed: South #8
Second Round Match-up: Thursday in Louisville, KY vs. #9 Connecticut Huskies (Time: 8:20pm CT)
Prediction: Cyclones can't handle Defending Champs

Kansas State Wildcats

Tournament Seed: 32nd
Regional Seed: East #8
Second Round Match-up: Thursday in Pittsburgh, PA vs. #9 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (Time: 11:40am CT)
Prediction: Frank Martin's squad will win this close battle

Texas Longhorns

Tournament Seed: 43rd
Regional Seed: East #11
Second Round Match-up: Friday in Nashville, TN vs. #6 Cincinnati Bearcats (Time: 11:15am CT)
Prediction: Longhorns have been close so many times this season & Will Win this close game

Future Big 12 members in Tournament:

West Virginia Mountaineers
Tournament Seed: 38th
Regional Seed: East #10
Second Round Match-up: Thursday in Pittsburgh, PA vs. #7 Gonzaga Bulldogs (Time: 6:20pm CT)
Prediction: Bulldogs too much for Big 12-bound Mountaineers

Spurs Fall To Nuggets in Feisty Battle at AT&T

One of Duncan's
Awesome Dunks on Sunday

What a battle at the AT&T Center tonight! Both teams fought til the bitter end, but Denver came out on top in this one. The Nuggets took control of the game from the opening minutes, blew a 16 point lead, but hung on in the final moments.  Ty Lawson's double-double (22 points, 11 assists) bested Tony Parker's 25 points as the Nuggets finished off their 99-94 victory in San Antonio tonight.  Although the Spurs were 100% healthy for the first time all season, they lost their third home game of the season, and third game in the past five. Along with Parker's solid night, Tim Duncan also made a statement with his four dominant dunks in the game.  The Spurs play host to Linsanity and Company (Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks) at the AT&T Center on Wednesday.

Longhorns Unable to Handle Kansas With K.O. of Wangmene

A. Wangmene

Heading into the game, the Texas Longhorns were considered a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament and an upset victory over the Kansas Jayhawks would certainly improve their resume. The game remained close throughout the first half, but Kansas led 26-21 at halftime. Heading into the second half, Texas carried the momentum after Clint Chapman's quick basket to end the first half, and began the half on a 7-4 run as expected. The game looked as if it was headed to be an upset special until 5th-year senior Alexis Wangmene left the game with a broken wrist. Besides J'Covan Brown's 33 points in 40 minutes, Texas lost its momentum and fell apart in its 73-63 loss tonight. The Longhorns conclude the Big 12 regular season with a 9-9 record and enter the conference tournament as the 6th seed. The Longhorns could have improved their resume with an upset of Kansas tonight, but the Big 12 Tournament will be another opportunity to pave their way into the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns begin their next step Thursday with a match-up against Iowa State in the Big 12 Quarterfinals.

Plano Prestonwood Gets Revenge Against Houston St. Thomas; Spurs Back on Track

PCA's 4th Consecutive Trip
to State Championship
Will be Against Plano JPII
Tonight

As a diehard sports fan, I cherished last night! Two of my teams were playing at the same time, so I had to multitask to catch both games.  Both games began at 7:30pm Central Standard Time, so I watched the Spurs-Bobcats game while listening to the radio broadcast of the TAPPS 5A State Basketball Semifinals.

In the first game, Houston St. Thomas, my alma mater, faced off against Plano Prestonwood Christian Academy in a rematch of last year's TAPPS 5A State Basketball Championship Game.  The teams were very similar with college bound prospects Christian Sanders, Chase Brogna, Jeremy King, Zach Peters, and Julius Randle involved in the game once again.  This time Prestonwood was too much for St. Thomas as their All-Star duo made a statement in the game, they took advantage of St. Thomas' 3rd Quarter misques, and had numerous second chance opportunities.  Unlike last year when they got in early foul trouble, PCA's All-Star duo of Zach Peters and Julius Randle showed up, made a statement, and finished the game, combining for 35 points.  St. Thomas faced a 6 point deficit for most of the third quarter, but they mishandled opportunities with turnovers and poor shooting.  The Eagles did not take advantage of opportunities, so the Lions took control and never looked back.  Prestonwood knew St. Thomas had lost their confidence and found numerous second chance opportunities with offensive rebounds.  Plano Prestonwood escaped with a 51-39 victory in Mansfield last night and will play cross-town rival Plano John Paul II in their fourth consecutive TAPPS 5A State Championship Game tonight.

In the other game, the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Charlotte Bobcats in the second game of a 7-game homestand.  The Spurs were coming off a tough home loss to Chicago on Wednesday and were determined to get back on track Friday.  Besides a Charlotte rally in the second quarter, it was all about San Antonio on Friday.  Led by Tony Parker's 15 points, the Spurs left the AT&T Center with an unsurprising 102-72 victory over the Bobcats.