SportsStreet Ohio

When Bob Huggins took the head coaching gig at Kansas State, it might have made bigger news in Cincinnati than Manhattan, Kansas. It certainly didn’t send significant shock waves throughout the college basketball landscape.

Well, that all changed yesterday when Huggins hired Dalonte Hill away from Charlotte and most likely stole Michael Beasley away from the 49ers. Beasley, a 6-foot-9 monster, will be a nice addition to Huggins’ cadre of talent and will make K-State a Big 12 contender in the coming season. Though the deal isn’t final, the writing is on the wall.

Huggins is about to turn to the Wildcats into an NCAA hoops power, and the Kansas State administration seems to have no qualms with the way Huggins conducts his business. When it’s all said and done, don’t be surprised to see Huggins back on top as one of the most hated men in college basketball.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Before Gonzaga and UW-Milwaukee become modern Cinderella stories, the 1990 Xavier Musketeers, as a No. 6 seed, topped the No. 3 Georgetown Hoyas 74-71 to advance to the Regional Semis before falling to No. 10 Texas. In 2004, Xavier reached the Regional Final as a No. 7 seed, falling to No. 1 Duke 66-63 after upsetting No. 2 Mississippi State and No. 3 Texas. So it really should be no surprise that Xavier, even as a No. 14 gave the No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs more than they could handle in Thursday’s first round matchup in the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

Despite the 79-75 loss and Adam Morrison’s 35 points, the Muskies showed the Zags are probably headed for another one of their dissapointing tournament performances.

Cincinnati.com’s Dustin Dowd blogged the game over at Blogs @ Cincinnati.com. Check it out to see what he had to say about Xavier’s tough loss.

Popularity: 10% [?]

When free agency began, the Browns wasted little time bringing highly-regarded players to the Dawg Pound. The signings of LeCharles Bentley, Kevin Shaffer, Joe Jurevicius, and Dave Zastudil showed Cleveland wanted to significantly improve the football team’s professionalism and talent. Even better, GM Phil Savage signed hometown guys Browns fans could rally behind and support.

But as the buzz died down, head coach Romeo Crennel quietly convinced two of his ex-players to join him with the Browns and help build a winner - OLB Willie McGinest and NT Ted Washington. Suddenly, the Browns have credibility.

It’s far too early to suggest these signings will turn into Ws in the standings, but landing top-notch players such as Bentley and McGinest as well as signing seasoned professionals like Jurevicius and Washington suggest Cleveland appeals to NFL free agents in a way it hasn’t in the past.

Savage and Crennel have remaining work before the draft to make this a complete offseason, but early reports say things are looking up on the lakefront.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Cleveland’s 91-87 loss to Dallas Tuesday night tells a story all too common - the second-half collapse by the Cavaliers.
One has to wonder what takes place in the locker room at halftime. Too often Cleveland squanders a halftime lead with a pathetic third and/or fourth quarter. A small sampling of poor second-half efforts the past two weeks:

• 8 points in the third quarter at Dallas on March 14
• 29 points in the second half at Orlando on March 10
• 9 points in the fourth quarter against Detroit on February 27

A few theories abound: coach Mike Brown doesn’t make solid second-half adjustments, Cleveland can’t handle complex offensive schemes, the team stands around and waits for LeBron James to make a play, etc. Too some degree, there is truth in all the reasons but unless Cleveland can find a way to score that doesn’t include tossing up long-distance jumpers for 48 minutes - awful 12 minute strectches will cost the Cavaliers key victories down the stretch.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Make no mistake - Gerry McNamara and the Orangemen took UC’s NCAA Tournament berth when McNamara hopped, skipped, and stroked the game-winning three-pointer Wednesday afternoon in the Bearcats’ first-round matchup against Syracuse. Had Syracuse’s improbable run ended the next day against UConn, coach Andy Kennedy and the overacheiving Bearcats wouldn’t be waiting on the winner of the Charlotte-Georgia Southern matchup. They’d be packing their bags for the Big Dance.

Popularity: 9% [?]

The talk about a Cavaliers second-half collapse overlooks one important difference between this year’s team and last year’s team: the are completely different ballclubs. Sure, LeBron James is still the centerpiece and yes, the Cavaliers still spend most of their time on the offensive end of the floor standing around and waiting for James to make a play.

But look closely at last night’s 91-72 win over the Chicago Bulls. Cleveland kept the game close while James waited to turn it on in the fourth quarter. Flip Murray, the recent acquisition aimed to make up for the loss of Larry Hughes’s playmaking ability, delivered a few key passes to Zydrunas Ilgauskas that kept the Cavs in the game. Donyell Marshall, struggling with his shot in recent weeks, cued up three huge 3-pointers to push Cleveland out to a decent lead in the final frame.

Nothing against Jeff McInnis, Kevin Ollie, Lucious Harris, or Robert Traylor - but the Cavs have more talent this year than in year’s past, and that talent will keep the ship from sinking. Just look at the scoring comparison from this season to last:

2005-2006 Scoring Averages:

2004-2005 Scoring Averages:

Reviewing the scoring options from 05-06 to 04-05 shows the Cavaliers have six players capable of averaging 10+ points per game as opposed to four the previous season. However, the injury to Hughes has created a similar scenario to last season in that the Cavaliers lack a reliable third option. If the Cavaliers can play through this current stretch and get into the final weeks of the season, the monumental collapses of the past two seasons should be memories.

Popularity: 9% [?]

USA Today uses its Spring Training preview to introduce Indians fans to Jason Michaels. The outfielder Cleveland acquired in the offseason to replace Coco Crisp in the No. 2 spot in the batting order and left field talks about his game, his style, and approach to getting on base. Michaels relishes the chance to play everyday - an opportunity he feels Philadelphia didn’t provide during his tenure with the Phillies.

Popularity: 43% [?]