The Men's team rolled over the Huskies from NIU today by a score of 83-71. The Chippewas had five guys in double figures. Giordan Watson led the team with 20 points, hitting 5 of 7 shots from behind the arc. Robbie Harmon also shot well making 4 of 6 from long range. Harmon had a total of 16 points. Marko Spica had 13. Chris Kellerman and Jordan Bitzer both added 11. At one point in the second half the Chips led by 22 points. The team shot a superb 52% from the field. They also shot 52% from behind the 3 point line. The team still struggled some from the charity stripe only making 65.4% from the line. The Chips advance to play the Akron Zips. The game is Thursday afternoon at 2:30pm. Its time to take a closer look at Akron
Akron
Previous meeting aginst CMU: Jan. 26 at CMU Central won 65-64
Points per game : 72.9 (1st in the MAC)
Points Allowed per game : 61.0 (2nd)
Field Goal Percentage : 45.0 (4th)
3 Point Percentage : 39.4 (1st)
Free Throw Percentage : 71.1 (5th)
Rebounds per game : 32.4 (9th)
Assists per game : 14.1 (2nd)
Steal per game : 6.9 (6th)
Turnovers per game : 13.6 (3rd lowest in MAC)
Central is going to have their hands full against the Zips. Central was able to beat the Zips on Jan. 26th because Central shot 50% (6 percent above their average) and held Akron to 39%. Central also forced Akron into 20 Turnovers and held them to only 9 assists. I don't think Central's hot shooting from the NIU game will carry over into the contest on Thursday afternoon. Central will also have to hold Akron under their averages in the same way they did in their only meeting this year. As much as I would like to give the Chips a chance, I really don't think they will be able to pull out a win. I see the game probably ending up 82-75 Akron. I really do hope the Chips will pull one out so I have more to write on their season after tomorrow night.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Baseball and Softball Recaps Plus Hockey Thoughts
The CMU baseball team has continued to struggle in Florida. They have been 2-3 since the last update on the team. They were swept by Stetson on Tuesday. They were able to get 2 wins by beating Fairfield and Eastern Kentucky. Then they got smothered by Vermont 14-1 on Sunday. The bats have been lively this season as they have a .293 batting average. The team's pitching hasn't been bad, but a 5.13 ERA is definitely not good. The main thing that has hindered the Chips in Florida is their gloves. As a team, they've committed 24 Errors, 16 more than teams have committed while playing against Central.If the Chippewas can limit their fielding errors during MAC play, I think they will be a serious contender for a MAC title. Central has a weekend series in Evansville,In. They will play 3 games in 3 days against 3 different teams.
Softball
Softball has been 3-4 since the last update on Tuesday. They swept the MAane black Bears and then they struggled at the USF Under Armour Invitational. They lost the first 4 games of the event and then they left the event with one win against Villanova. The team has been solid and is now 7-9. With the competition that they faced so far, they look to be a formidable team in the MAC.
Other Stuff
Now its time for me to take my stand for the week. The NHL points system is flawed. When you Win you get 2 points. When you lose in overtime you get one point. So a game that goes into OT suddenly is worth 3 points (one team gets 2, the other gets 1). I think that the NHL should work on making all games worth 3 points. Teams that are able to put away teams in regulation would get 3 points. If you're able to win in OT or the shootout, you get 2 points. Those teams that lose in OT is 1 point. The team that loses in regulation still gets nothing. The reason I think this would work is because it would the last 5 minutes of regulation in a tie game that much more exciting. It would make teams press harder during those minutes to get that extra point. This would blow point totals out of proportion, so the records of the past that pertain to most points in a season would have some protection. When the overtime loss stat was thrown in the standing in the 99-00 season, people complained that it made the Standings that much more difficult to read. That may be a problem for the average fan still, but it would make sure every game is of the same importance.
With that being said, I believe it is really exciting for hockey to see that with 11-13 games left for all teams, only 2 teams are mathematically eliminated. But, I don't see the playoff picture changing much in the western conference as Vancouver and Calgary (#8 and #6 respectively) have 2 games in hand over the 9th team, Nashville. I don't see Colorado losing enough to get the Predators into the playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference, its actually much more interesting as the 6th place team and the 12th place team are separated by 10 points. The 6,7, and 8 teams all have a game in hand over the 9-12 teams, so as of this second the teams that are in won't change at all in my mind. The seeding of those teams, on the other hand, will almost definitely be shaken up at some point during the next couple of weeks.
Softball
Softball has been 3-4 since the last update on Tuesday. They swept the MAane black Bears and then they struggled at the USF Under Armour Invitational. They lost the first 4 games of the event and then they left the event with one win against Villanova. The team has been solid and is now 7-9. With the competition that they faced so far, they look to be a formidable team in the MAC.
Other Stuff
Now its time for me to take my stand for the week. The NHL points system is flawed. When you Win you get 2 points. When you lose in overtime you get one point. So a game that goes into OT suddenly is worth 3 points (one team gets 2, the other gets 1). I think that the NHL should work on making all games worth 3 points. Teams that are able to put away teams in regulation would get 3 points. If you're able to win in OT or the shootout, you get 2 points. Those teams that lose in OT is 1 point. The team that loses in regulation still gets nothing. The reason I think this would work is because it would the last 5 minutes of regulation in a tie game that much more exciting. It would make teams press harder during those minutes to get that extra point. This would blow point totals out of proportion, so the records of the past that pertain to most points in a season would have some protection. When the overtime loss stat was thrown in the standing in the 99-00 season, people complained that it made the Standings that much more difficult to read. That may be a problem for the average fan still, but it would make sure every game is of the same importance.
With that being said, I believe it is really exciting for hockey to see that with 11-13 games left for all teams, only 2 teams are mathematically eliminated. But, I don't see the playoff picture changing much in the western conference as Vancouver and Calgary (#8 and #6 respectively) have 2 games in hand over the 9th team, Nashville. I don't see Colorado losing enough to get the Predators into the playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference, its actually much more interesting as the 6th place team and the 12th place team are separated by 10 points. The 6,7, and 8 teams all have a game in hand over the 9-12 teams, so as of this second the teams that are in won't change at all in my mind. The seeding of those teams, on the other hand, will almost definitely be shaken up at some point during the next couple of weeks.
No.2 CMU Wrestling Wins 7th straight MAC title
CMU's Wrestling team has been solid all season. They beat their MAC competition by a combined score of 165-27 in 5 duels. They then went into Kent State over the weekend and cleaned up at the MAC Championships. They won 7 individual titles and the other 3 wrestlers finished in the top 4. Only 1 wrestler missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Wynn Michalak made history, becoming one of four wrestlers in MAC history to claim four individual titles. The national championships start Thursday, March 20th in St. Louis.
Men's Basketball
On Sunday Afternoon, the basketball team faced off against the Toledo Rockets and they lost in OT 90-83. CMU's well-documented free-throw shooting woes continued as they shot a paltry 48% (13-27). Central was able to come back from 15 down to take the lead in the last few minutes of regulation. Marco Spica missed a free throw that could push the lead to three in the last 13 seconds. Then Giordan Watson stepped to the line with three seconds left with the score tied to shoot two free throws. Even though he's one of the better FT shooters on the team at 75%, he missed them both. Central, after the loss, will head into the MAC tourney as the 6 seed. They will play NIU Wednesday at 3pm. If they win they will go onto face the Akron Zips, who the Chips were able to beat at Rose Arena on Jan. 26th by the score of 66-64. Overall, the road to the MAC final isn't that bad as CMU wouldn't face heavy favorite Kent State until the finals.
Women's Basketball
The women's team can start looking towards next year as they lost to the Ohio Bobcats 68-65 on Sunday. The team ended the season on a four-game slide that brought their record to 6-23. Soph. Britni Houghton, who led the team in scoring on Sunday with 22 points, was the only player on the team get any accolades so far. Houghton was named to 3rd team All-MAC. She averaged 13.1 points and 5.8 rebounds for the year. The team looks fairly promising for next year as they will return their top 2 scorers and 6 of their top 8 scorers.
There will be an update at some point later today, detailing Baseball and Softball's Spring Training Travels. I might even talk a little bit about my feelings about the playoff chase in the NHL and the NBA.
Men's Basketball
On Sunday Afternoon, the basketball team faced off against the Toledo Rockets and they lost in OT 90-83. CMU's well-documented free-throw shooting woes continued as they shot a paltry 48% (13-27). Central was able to come back from 15 down to take the lead in the last few minutes of regulation. Marco Spica missed a free throw that could push the lead to three in the last 13 seconds. Then Giordan Watson stepped to the line with three seconds left with the score tied to shoot two free throws. Even though he's one of the better FT shooters on the team at 75%, he missed them both. Central, after the loss, will head into the MAC tourney as the 6 seed. They will play NIU Wednesday at 3pm. If they win they will go onto face the Akron Zips, who the Chips were able to beat at Rose Arena on Jan. 26th by the score of 66-64. Overall, the road to the MAC final isn't that bad as CMU wouldn't face heavy favorite Kent State until the finals.
Women's Basketball
The women's team can start looking towards next year as they lost to the Ohio Bobcats 68-65 on Sunday. The team ended the season on a four-game slide that brought their record to 6-23. Soph. Britni Houghton, who led the team in scoring on Sunday with 22 points, was the only player on the team get any accolades so far. Houghton was named to 3rd team All-MAC. She averaged 13.1 points and 5.8 rebounds for the year. The team looks fairly promising for next year as they will return their top 2 scorers and 6 of their top 8 scorers.
There will be an update at some point later today, detailing Baseball and Softball's Spring Training Travels. I might even talk a little bit about my feelings about the playoff chase in the NHL and the NBA.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Big Wins For Everybody
Central was able to come away with a huge victory against Western Tuesday nightby a score of 72-68. Robbie Harmon went 5 of 7 from 3 point land. CMU kept the same starting lineup that they used against NIU on Saturday and enjoyed the same success. CMU's problems at the charity stripe were still apparent in today's game. Central only shot 64 % from the free throw line. You would like to see that number rise up to about the 75 to 80 percent mark. When you miss too many free throws, you will fall behind in games early and often. Especially, when you have a player like Marcus Van who is going to go up on the Offensive glass get you a couple of rebounds and go back for the putback and get fouled. He He was only 2 of 6 from the line. Overall though, Central played to their averages in just about every offensive category. Central was able to force the Broncos into making 17 Turnovers(3 above their season average) while holding them to only 5 assists(6 below their season average).
One last note: I hope central has scheduled more than 11 home games(the number they have this year) next year. Right now, with one more home game to go, Central's home record stands at 8-2. They're only 5-13 away from Rose Arena.
The main thing I wanted to write about was the Pistons game I went to. The first quarter was a little disheartening as a Pistons fan. It was almost sickening to see how much faster and with so much more heart that the Sonics were playing with in that first 12 minutes. The Sonics put up 41 points in the 1st quarter. 41!! I would have trouble doing that in a video game. If I am a basketball fan in the Oklahoma City area, I am extremely happy to be getting this team next year. Imagine a team of Earl Watson (who showed me a lot tonight), Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox (who also showed me a lot tonight), and a long, quick 7-footer from Texas A&M, DeAndre Jordan (if Espn's NBA Lottery mock Draft is right). That would be one of the most athletic and long lineups I've seen in awhile. They could run with the best teams in the West. They may not be able to beat them, but it would definitely be exciting seeing the team go back and forth at breakneck speed. In the second quarter, Pj Carlismo went with a much more pedestrian lineup resting Watson, Wilcox, and Durant for most of the quarter. That let the Pistons erase the deficit that was created by the Sonics NBA Jam-like first quarter. At the end of the night, the pistons showed why they are near the top in the east and made big stops in the last 3 minutes to put the sonics away.
One last note: I hope central has scheduled more than 11 home games(the number they have this year) next year. Right now, with one more home game to go, Central's home record stands at 8-2. They're only 5-13 away from Rose Arena.
The main thing I wanted to write about was the Pistons game I went to. The first quarter was a little disheartening as a Pistons fan. It was almost sickening to see how much faster and with so much more heart that the Sonics were playing with in that first 12 minutes. The Sonics put up 41 points in the 1st quarter. 41!! I would have trouble doing that in a video game. If I am a basketball fan in the Oklahoma City area, I am extremely happy to be getting this team next year. Imagine a team of Earl Watson (who showed me a lot tonight), Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox (who also showed me a lot tonight), and a long, quick 7-footer from Texas A&M, DeAndre Jordan (if Espn's NBA Lottery mock Draft is right). That would be one of the most athletic and long lineups I've seen in awhile. They could run with the best teams in the West. They may not be able to beat them, but it would definitely be exciting seeing the team go back and forth at breakneck speed. In the second quarter, Pj Carlismo went with a much more pedestrian lineup resting Watson, Wilcox, and Durant for most of the quarter. That let the Pistons erase the deficit that was created by the Sonics NBA Jam-like first quarter. At the end of the night, the pistons showed why they are near the top in the east and made big stops in the last 3 minutes to put the sonics away.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
In here for the real thing
Tonight is a big night for the Chips. The Men's basketball team squares off against Western at Rose Arena Tonight. The Chips (12-15, 7-7 MAC) look to get even with the Broncos (18-10, 11-3 MAC) after a 20 point loss in Kalamazoo on Jan. 22. As the records indicate, this matchup tonight does not look good for the Chips, even though the home team has won 14 of the last 18 games in the series. We'll see whether or not the CMU will use its 18th different starting lineup this year, which in my mind is one of the bigger probems with this year's team. Sure, you may need to send a message to a player or the team once or twice and injuries happen, but something has to be said for continuity. When on a game to game basis you don't know what your role is, its gonna be more difficult to perform.
It will be interesting to see whether or not CMU can finish the season strong with a couple of home victories and put a stranglehold on 2nd place in the MAC west. If they can finish with 2 wins they would have a good shot a locking up a first round bye in the MAC tournament.
Women's Basketball
The women continue their long, tough season with a game at the always packed Convocation Center at Eastern Michigan University. The Eagles(16-11, 10-5 MAC) are sharing their perch atop the MAC West with the BSU Cardinals. CMU(6-21, 2-12 MAC) looks to wrap up the regular season on a positive note as they are locked in the basement of the MAC West and are headed for a showdown with Ohio in MAC tournament this Sunday.
Baseball
CMU continues on their spring training tour in Florida today as they take on the Hatters from Stetson tonight at 7pm. The chips are 1-5 so far on their extended trip down south to start the season. Central has had a problem scoring runs and keeping the other team from scoring, but they haven't had those problems at the same time yet. They've scored 8 runs in the opening game against Southern Utah but couldn't help but give up 12 runs. Their lone win came as Steve Teno threw a complete game against UNLV and won 3-2. Teno scattered nine hits and only walked one UNLV hitter all game. The chips don't return up north until March 14-17 when they will be in the state on Indiana, playing 4 games in 4 days. The chips will then be in Mount Pleasant on Wed. Mar.19th to take on Wayne State and will open MAC play that Saturday against Ohio.
Softball
The softball team has had a little more luck putting together wins during a couple of trips down south. Their record stands at 4-5 while they look to get a couple more victories today against the Maine Black Bears. Arter the two today the team will be taking on a rough schedule of 6 games in 4 days at the USF Under Amour Invitational They won't return home until Mar. 26 to take on Valparaiso.
Detroit Sports
This may bot be completely detroit sports news but Brett Favre retired today after 17 seasons of NFL excellency. As a Lions fan seeing him throw 54 of his NFL record 442 touchdown passes against the guys in Honolulu Blue and Silver, I'm glad to see him go. He's had a great career its kind of sad to see his last pass be an interception that kept him from going to the Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see Aaron Rodgers step in and try to step in his shoes. The Packers have a pretty solid O-Line, a solid WR corps, and a good RB corps. Its not like he's stepping into a team thats devoid of playmakers. I fully expect any shortcomings the Packers might have this year to come from problems on the defensive side of the ball.
The 43-16 Pistons square off tonight against the 16-43 ?Seattle? Sonics tonight. I will be in attendance. So I may report tomorrow with some observations. This is most likely the only Pistons game I am going to all year.
The Wings look to continue a one-game winning streak tomorrow against the St. Louis Blues.
That's the end of the first update on CMU and Detroit sports. Many more are on the way.
It will be interesting to see whether or not CMU can finish the season strong with a couple of home victories and put a stranglehold on 2nd place in the MAC west. If they can finish with 2 wins they would have a good shot a locking up a first round bye in the MAC tournament.
Women's Basketball
The women continue their long, tough season with a game at the always packed Convocation Center at Eastern Michigan University. The Eagles(16-11, 10-5 MAC) are sharing their perch atop the MAC West with the BSU Cardinals. CMU(6-21, 2-12 MAC) looks to wrap up the regular season on a positive note as they are locked in the basement of the MAC West and are headed for a showdown with Ohio in MAC tournament this Sunday.
Baseball
CMU continues on their spring training tour in Florida today as they take on the Hatters from Stetson tonight at 7pm. The chips are 1-5 so far on their extended trip down south to start the season. Central has had a problem scoring runs and keeping the other team from scoring, but they haven't had those problems at the same time yet. They've scored 8 runs in the opening game against Southern Utah but couldn't help but give up 12 runs. Their lone win came as Steve Teno threw a complete game against UNLV and won 3-2. Teno scattered nine hits and only walked one UNLV hitter all game. The chips don't return up north until March 14-17 when they will be in the state on Indiana, playing 4 games in 4 days. The chips will then be in Mount Pleasant on Wed. Mar.19th to take on Wayne State and will open MAC play that Saturday against Ohio.
Softball
The softball team has had a little more luck putting together wins during a couple of trips down south. Their record stands at 4-5 while they look to get a couple more victories today against the Maine Black Bears. Arter the two today the team will be taking on a rough schedule of 6 games in 4 days at the USF Under Amour Invitational They won't return home until Mar. 26 to take on Valparaiso.
Detroit Sports
This may bot be completely detroit sports news but Brett Favre retired today after 17 seasons of NFL excellency. As a Lions fan seeing him throw 54 of his NFL record 442 touchdown passes against the guys in Honolulu Blue and Silver, I'm glad to see him go. He's had a great career its kind of sad to see his last pass be an interception that kept him from going to the Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see Aaron Rodgers step in and try to step in his shoes. The Packers have a pretty solid O-Line, a solid WR corps, and a good RB corps. Its not like he's stepping into a team thats devoid of playmakers. I fully expect any shortcomings the Packers might have this year to come from problems on the defensive side of the ball.
The 43-16 Pistons square off tonight against the 16-43 ?Seattle? Sonics tonight. I will be in attendance. So I may report tomorrow with some observations. This is most likely the only Pistons game I am going to all year.
The Wings look to continue a one-game winning streak tomorrow against the St. Louis Blues.
That's the end of the first update on CMU and Detroit sports. Many more are on the way.
A Fresh Start for Everyone
I'm a little apprehensive starting this blog, but we'll give it a shot. Since I am a student at Central Michigan University, I will cover what I know best CMU sports. This blog won't be limited to CMU sports, it will probably delve into some issues that develop on campus as well as Sports throughout the state. I hope someone will eventually read this but mostly I am doing this to build a portfolio when I go out into the real world and get a job in the broadcast journalism industry. I will try and update this weekly if not bi-weekly because I have a lot of free time to rant about CMU and its sports.
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