Without the Poster Boy, Trojans Fall to Huskies

Just a few days after posting about USC freshman phenom Matt Barkely’s importance, the USC Trojans were forced to start sophomore Aaron Corp against the Washington Huskies due to an injury to Barkley’s shoulder. The result? The #3 ranked Trojans fell to the Huskies (who were 0-12 a year ago) 16-13.

Aaron Corp, who held the starting position during spring camps, looked horrid against Washington. He threw for just over 100 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Barkley-esque numbers? Hardly. And it wasn’t just the stats, it was the leadership. What ever it is that Barkley has, Aaron Corp does not, and that’s why head coach Pete Carroll made the risky move.

The test now will be how Barkley handles the loss and his team’s drop in the poll rankings. No, the loss didn’t happen while he was in command, but that’s the exact reason why you monitor his composure, maturity, and leadership at this point. See how the young man leads his team now, with their heads in their hands.

Not an easy task for the 19-year-old, but more than attainable.

Maryland Upsets North Carolina In College Park

The Maryland Terrapins defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday, improving their record to 17-9 (6-6).

Greivis Vasquez outperformed every other player on the court, finishing the game with only the third triple-double in Maryland school history. Vasquez scored 35 points on 13-24 from the field, he had 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. Vasquez had recently hit a slump but definitely had a comeback party against the Tar Heels at Comcast Center today.

Maryland continues to make some noise in bracket discussions but they have a good chance of falling short of the bubble. They have quality wins against Michigan State, Miami, and now UNC, but they also have losses to teams like Morgan State and Florida State. The Terps also have a tough four games remaining in order to make their way to the bracket: Duke, @ NCST, Wake, @ UVA.

I’d love to see my Terps in the tournament, it’s been too long. Gary Williams needs this, the players need this, and the fans need this. But in order for the Terps to win their last games and get past the first round in the tourney, everyone has to have Greivis-like effort in every game.

Duke Drops Another To Unranked ACC Foe, Boston College

Not too much to talk about here. Duke lost, AGAIN.

As a Duke-Hater, I take pride and pleasure in every Duke loss.

I love Coach K but the players there are crap. Quick, name me the top Duke players to ever make it in the NBA.

1. Grant Hill (underachiever due to injury but still have a lot of respect for the guy)
2. Shane Battier (probably the actual number one, and that’s not a whole lot to brag about)
3. Carlos Boozer (still has some time)
4. Elton Brand (can this guy stay healthy?)
5. Christian La….YEA RIGHT!? (enough said…)

Oops! UNC loses shot at undefeated season

At one point there was talk that UNC men’s basketball team could go unbeaten this year while on their way to a National Championship. When a team returns 5 starters from a team that won 36 games last season went to the Final Four, those kind of talks can begin to swirl. But the Tar Heels were upset and left shocked after they dropped Sunday’s game against not-so-hyped Boston College.

The Tar Heels shot just 38% from the field, including a miserable 29% in the second half during their run at a potential comeback. BC’s Tyrese Rice scored 25 points to help his team to the 85-78 victory over the #1 Heels. Rice’s scoring burst came after he dropped 46 on the Tar Heels last year, let’s just say he has the Heels’ number.

All good teams have their hickups and UNC will be just fine. But it’s always nice to see the underdog come out on top. Sorry UNC fans.

College Football Picks: October 4th

There are many opportunities to win some big cash this week, but there are also many ways to lose a lot of money this week. I would suggest being very careful with games like Penn State, Vanderbilt, Ohio State, and Maryland. Speaking of Maryland, I would love to see them crush Virginia today for a quality ACC win. However, Maryland always always always plays up to their competition. For example, they play Middle Tennessee State and lose by ten. Then they play #24 California and win. Then they play #20 Clemson and they win. It’s scary to think that when Maryland plays up to competition Virginia, they have a chance to lose. The spread is fourteen, which is good looking, but they may only beat UVA by a touchdown or so.

I did have an idea of an upset this week, with Rice beating Tulsa, but it’s hard to go against a Tulsa offense that puts up 600 yards a game. The spread is Rice (+16.5) but Rice has already played Memphis, Vanderbilt, and Texas while Tulsa has played UAB, North Texas, New Mexico, and Central Arkansas. Again, it’s difficult to call an upet over a team that puts up 600 yards, but look at who their opponents have been. Rice plays some tough teams, on the road and at home, and they know what it’s like to play tough teams.

Rice (+16.5) +450

Navy (+5.5)

Maryland (-14)