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Archive for March, 2009

A Sports Talk Show Worth a Listen

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 30, 2009

I’m happy to announce that an old friend of mine, Rob Adams, will begin broadcasting a new sports talk show today on the Lifestyle Talk Radio Network. The show is called ”The Press Box” and will air weekdays from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Here’s how Rob Adams described the show last Friday in an entry on his website Exit 55:

“The Press Box,” hosted by Rob Adams, lets the sports fan be heard! Focusing on a wide variety of sports issues, “The Press Box” covers the topics of the day, the major sports news, and the minor things as well. High school sports, the minor leagues, and the lighter side of sports are all fair game.

“The Press Box” will feature great guests – the movers and shakers in the world of sports. We’ll visit with legendary names from across the landscape, along with authors, media members, athletes and more.

The goal of “The Press Box” is for the fan to drive the show. Callers get their fair shake, instead of simply being discarded with the wave of a hand. “The Press Box” will be for the fan!

Rob and I worked together at WGCH Radio in Greenwich almost a decade ago. He’s one of the good guys in the world of sports media, and I wish him well with his new show. We’ll be listening.

Charles Costello

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Villanova-Pittsburgh an Instant Classic

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 29, 2009

Super quick picks today following last night’s classic in Boston between Villanova and Pittsburgh. Final score: Villanova 78, Pittsburgh 76. An instant classic. Hard to believe that any of the remaining five games of this tournament could be any better than that one. One of those truly great games that only the NCAA tournament can produce.

What about today’s games?

In the Midwest Regional out in Indianapolis (2:20 p.m.), I’ll take Louisville (No. 1) by five over Michigan State (No. 2). And in the South Regional down in Memphis (5:05 p.m.), I like North Carolina (No. 1) by three over Oklahoma (No. 2).

Charles Costello

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Saturday’s Elite 8 Picks

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 28, 2009

Quick picks for today’s Elite 8 games:

West Regional: Glendale, Arizona

No. 1 Connecticut (30-4) over No. 3 Missouri (31-6), 4:40 p.m.

Missouri has been impressive, most recently in knocking off No. 2 Memphis. The Tigers’ high-octane offense will meet its match today against the Huskies, a team that put aside reports of possible recruiting violations to beat Purdue Thursday night. Missouri’s offensive attack is relentless so UConn will need everyone on board today. But the Huskies are better, and more balanced, than any team Missouri has met in the tournament. Connecticut advances to the Final Four with a four-point win over the Tigers.

East Regional: Boston, Massachusetts

No. 3 Villanova (29-7) over No. 1 Pittsburgh (31-4), 7:05 p.m.

This could be an Elite 8 classic. The Wildcats have played as well as any team in the tournament. They absolutely manhandled Duke, and blew out UCLA one game earlier. Today they go up against DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, Levance Fields, and the Panthers. While Pittsburgh was my pick for the Final Four, I have to go with Villanova today. The Panthers have been shaky throughout the tournament. This after an early exit from the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats come in hot and they stay hot with a two-point win over Pittsburgh.

Charles Costello

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Indy and Memphis Host Tonight’s Sweet 16 Action

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 27, 2009

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

Stories from last night’s Sweet 16 games: 1) Villanova is playing its best basketball of the season, better than anyone else in the tournament, and the Wildcats cruise to a blowout win over Duke. 2) Connecticut puts newly-revealed recruiting mess aside to advance to the Elite 8 with a win over Purdue. 3) Pittsburgh survives despite gutsy effort by Xavier, setting up what should be a classic matchup with Villanova. 4) Missouri moves one game closer to its first Final Four with a win over Memphis.

As for tonight, here are my predictions:

Midwest Regional: Indianapolis, Indiana

No. 1 Louisville (30-5) over No. 12 Arizona (21-13), 7:07

Nobody expected Arizona to get this far. After tonight, nobody will remember they got this far. The Cardinals by nine over the Wildcats.

No. 2 Michigan State (28-6) over No. 3 Kansas (27-7), 9:37

I thought this would be West Virginia-Michigan State with the Spartans exiting the tournament. Now that the Mountaineers disappointed, I’ll take Michigan State by one over Kansas in the night’s closest game, one that should go right down to the final buzzer.

South Regional: Memphis, Tennessee

No. 3 Syracuse (28-9) over No. 2 Oklahoma (29-5), 7:27

Syracuse was one of my Final Four picks. Tonight, the Orange get head coach Jim Boeheim his 800th career victory with a two-point win over Blake Griffin and the Sooners.

No. 1 North Carolina (30-4) over No. 4 Gonzaga (28-5), 9:57

Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough will be too much for Gonzaga as the Tar Heels will advance with an eight-point win over the Bulldogs.

Enjoy the games.

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Tournament Resumes Tonight with Sweet 16 Matchups

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 26, 2009

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

Here are my predictions for tonight’s East Regional and West Regional Semifinal games:

East Regional: Boston, Massachusetts

No. 1 Pittsburgh (30-4) over No. 4 Xavier (27-7), 7:27 p.m.

Xavier’s an easy team to root for tonight with their ties to the Atlantic 10 and underdog status. But Pittsburgh’s too big and too good to lose here. Though their wins in the first two rounds have been less than convincing, the Panthers were the best regular season team in the Big East, which also happens to be the best conference in college basketball. This is about as far as I thought the Musketeers would go. Pittsburgh moves on with a seven-point win.

No. 3 Villanova (28-7) over No. 2 Duke (30-6), 9:57 p.m.

As soon as I published my predictions for the tournament, I regretted not going with Villanova over Pittsburgh in the Elite 8. After an opening round scare, the Wildcats looked great in their dismantling of UCLA on Sunday. Away from Philadelphia and with stiffer competition tonight, expect the Wildcats, a veteran club that’s well-coached and disciplined, to rise to the challenge. This is not one of the better Duke teams that Mike Krzyzewski has brought to the Big Dance. Though I expect this one to be ultra-competitive, the battle tested ‘Cats will prevail. Villanova by two over the Blue Devils.

West Regional: Glendale, Arizona

No. 1 UConn (29-4) over No. 5 Purdue (27-9), 7:07 p.m.

This season hasn’t been an easy one for Jim Calhoun and the Huskies. First, Jerome Dyson went down with a season-ending injury. Then came the postgame fireworks between Calhoun and a political activist who was more concerned with political activism than basketball. The six-overtime loss to Syracuse in the Huskies’ Big East tournament opener. Next, instead of patrolling the sidelines for UConn’s first-round game last Thursday, Calhoun was in the hospital. And now this: Allegations of recruiting violations involving a recruit, who ended up never playing for UConn, and an agent, a former student manager at the school. None of that will matter tonight. Everyone seems to be looking ahead to the highly anticipated UConn-Memphis showdown, and with good reason. This is the biggest mismatch of the night. UConn by double digits over the Boilermakers.

No. 2 Memphis (33-3) over No. 3 Missouri (30-6), 10:07 p.m.

Memphis is back. One year after their run to the championship game, the Tigers return to big-time tournament action. And their season won’t end tonight. Not with more talent, not with the potential showdown with UConn on the horizon. Questions always follow Memphis: conference schedule, free-throw shooting, to name a couple. But they’re skilled and they’ve been there before. On top of that, I just don’t know what to think of Missouri. After all, I did have Marquette beating them in the second round. Memphis by five is the pick.

Back tomorrow with predictions for Friday night’s games.

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Sienna, Dayton, Arizona Highlight Madness of Tournament’s First Two Rounds

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 23, 2009

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

As always, the NCAA Tournament produced some memorable moments over the past four days, as 48 teams were bounced from the Dance, with 16 schools still dreaming of a national title.

The Sweet 16 gets started Thursday, and by Sunday night we’ll know the Final Four. But first, let’s take a look back at the first two rounds of the tournament:

Biggest Winners: Though they didn’t make it past the second round, the Sienna Saints played 80 minutes of quality basketball this weekend. After beating Ohio State in a double-overtime thriller Friday night, the Saints lost to No. 1 seed Louisville by just seven on Sunday. Sienna even had a four-point lead with 7:45 to play in the game. The little-school-that-could out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference had their shining moment. Along the same lines, how about those bracket-buster Flyers? An upset over No. 6 West Virginia propelled 11th ranked Dayton to the second round where they lost to Kansas. Nonetheless, Dayton proved worthy of the at-large bid they received. Of course, credit also has to be given to the Arizona Cardinals, a No. 12 seed who knocked off Utah and Cleveland State. Sure, it was doubtful they would have beaten Wake Forest if the Deamon Deacons advanced past Cleveland State like they should have, but nonetheless, seeing a 12-seed advance to the Sweet 16 when many, including myself, thought they’d be one and done is a nice story. The rest of the field was quite predictable, but I should note that I’m happy to see Xavier advance, though their wins came against Portland State (No. 13) and Wisconsin (No. 12).

Biggest Losers: West Virginia tops my list, though Wake Forest, Illinois, and Florida State have nothing to smile about. I thought West Virginia was an Elite 8 team. With 23 wins, 10 coming in the ultra-tough Big East, the Mountaineers should have taken care of Dayton. Instead, Dayton came with more heart, effort, and desire. I’ll take that combination any day. Wake Forest was a four-seed but the Wildcats proved that they belong in this tournament. Illinois and Florida State were very beatable five-seeds. And they got beat.

Atlantic 10 Watch: I covered Dayton and Xavier already, but let me add that both schools, receiving at-large bids, represented the A-10 very well. These were the two best teams in the conference from start to finish this year, and their performances as at-large teams should help the reputation of the league. Meanwhile Temple’s first round loss to Arizona State was expected. Temple, seeded eleventh and winners of the Atlantic 10 tournament, deserves credit for their postseason run in Atlantic City. All bets were off once they hit Miami.

Looking Ahead: We’re still headed for a UConn-Memphis showdown in the West and Pittsburgh-Villanova battling it out in the East Region. Save for the championship game, these could be the two best matchups of the tournament. Meanwhile, North Carolina should beat Gonzaga in the South, but Syracuse or Oklahoma could end the Tar Heels run two days later. And finally, Louisville should get by Arizona and they’re more talented than either Michigan State or Kansas. But hey, that’s why they call it March Madness.

For the record, seven of my Elite 8 teams are still alive and my Final Four is in tact. My one bracket regret, and I knew this as soon as I posted my column last Thursday, I should have taken Villanova over Pittsburgh. No offense to the Panthers, they dominated UConn twice this year. But how great would a Villanova-UConn final be?

I’ll be back Thursday with my Sweet 16 predictions.

Posted in Football Commentary, Men's Basketball | Leave a Comment »

Great Expectations for Big East Teams

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 19, 2009

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

This is March Madness.

Thirty two games over the next two days.  Sixteen games on tap for Saturday and Sunday. Eight sites, four regions, and 64 teams dreaming that this year could be their “One Shining Moment.”

It all concludes 18 days from now on April 6 in Detroit when a new champion will cut down the nets. Sixty three games will be played with only one team winning its last game of the year. And, oh yeah, a whole lot of bracketology.

It’s the most exciting three weeks in sports, and it all starts today, in a matter of hours.

So here are my picks for this year’s Final Four and NCAA Champion:

East Region: PITTSBURGH. This was a tough one because I’ve always been a fan of Villanova and the Panthers loss in their first game of the Big East tournament concerns me, but they’re big and they’ve been consistently good all year. Beating UConn twice and surviving the Big East schedule en route to a 28-win season is impressive. The pick is Pittsburgh over Villanova in an Elite 8 classic.

South Region: SYRACUSE. As far as I’m concerned, Syracuse was the most impressive team to emerge from any of the conference tournaments. The Orange had an epic six-overtime win over Connecticut, an overtime win the following night over West Virginia, and then a gutsy performance in the championship game against Louisville. Syracuse always scares me come tournament time. They’re well coached and they’re peaking at just the right time. Syracuse over North Carolina in the Elite 8.

Midwest Region: LOUISVILLE. Big East Champions. Nothing more needs to be said. Sixteen conference wins and they’ve won 10 in a row. This is the best conference in college basketball and Louisville knocked off Providence, Villanova, and Syracuse to win it. I see a matchup with conference rival West Virginia in the Elite 8 game, with the Cardinals advancing to the Final Four.

West Region: CONNECTICUT. This isn’t because I’m from Connecticut, it’s because UConn has an easy draw until the Elite 8 when they will get quite a challenge from Memphis. If Jerome Dyson didn’t get hurt UConn would be considered the best team in the nation. Still, Memphis may not be as good as last year and the Huskies played a much more grueling schedule in the Big East, winning 15 conference games. UConn and Memphis should be a classic matchup, but UConn prevails.

Final Four: CONNECTICUT over Louisville and PITTSBURGH over Syracuse.

NCAA Champion: CONNECTICUT. Pittsburgh beat UConn twice this year. The Panthers were impressive in both wins. And I have a lot of respect for Pitt’s size, grit, and ability. UConn is not the best team in the country, but then again, who is? The tournament seems to be wide open this year. And this is an experienced team that has big-game players. Hasheem Thabeet is the key in that championship game. He’s struggled against Pitt this year. April 6 is his chance, and UConn’s chance, for redemption. Jim Calhoun and the Huskies win it all.

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s four Big East teams in the Final Four. Hey, it’s the best conference in college basketball. And I know I picked three number one seeds, but the only other team I considered was three-seed Villanova. I also have six of the Elite 8 teams coming from the Big East.

Atlantic 10 predictions: Temple falls to Arizona State and Dayton loses to West Virginia in opening round games tomorrow, while Xavier beats Portland State tomorrow and advances to the Sweet 16 with a win over Florida State on Sunday. The Muskateers will fall to Pittsburgh next Thursday.

Enjoy the games and good luck with your pools.

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Six Atlantic 10 Teams to Represent Conference in National Tournaments

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 17, 2009

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The official Atlantic 10 Conference logo from atlantic10.com.

Proving once again to be one of the most competitive conferences in the nation, the Atlantic 10 will send three teams to the NCAA Tournament when play gets underway Thursday afternoon all across the country. Temple, who won the Atlantic 10 tournament Saturday night with a win over Duquesne, will be joined by Xavier and Dayton, after it was announced Sunday that the Muskateers and Flyers had received at-large bids to the tournament.

Temple is a No. 11 seed in the South bracket, with an opening round game in Miami on Friday (2:45) against six-seed Arizona State. Xavier, who won the Atlantic 10 regular season title, is seeded fourth in the East. The Muskateers open against 13-seed Portland State on Thursday (7:25) in Boise. And Dayton, seeded 11th in the Midwest, will open against West Virginia, seeded sixth, on Friday (3:00) in Minneapolis.

More good news came the Atlantic 10′s way Sunday night when it was announced that Duquesne and Rhode Island were named to the 32-team National Invitation Tournament. In addition, Richmond was named to the 16-team College Basketball Invitational. Rhode Island will play at Niagara tonight (7:00), while Duquesne visits Virginia Tech tomorrow (7:00). Richmond hosts St. John’s tomorrow night (7:00).

For those keeping score at home, that’s six Atlantic 10 basketball teams playing in national tournaments.

I’ll be back tomorrow with tournament predictions.

Charles Costello

Posted in Atlantic 10 Conference | 1 Comment »

Focused and Determined, Whittenburg Looking Forward to the Future

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 13, 2009

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

Some Fordham basketball observers have been obsessed lately with questions about the status of Dereck Whittenburg. I just don’t get it. Whittenburg’s the head coach here at Fordham, and he’ll be the head coach for the foreseeable future. And folks, that’s the way it should be.

There’s been chatter in the Fordham community about the need for a public statement by Frank McLaughlin, Fordham’s Executive Director of Athletics, regarding Whittenburg’s future. Why? Why would McLaughlin, a man who oversees 22 varsity sports at Fordham, take the time to state the obvious, that Whittenburg is coming back? It’s unreasonable to demand this. Does Saint Louis come out at the end of every basketball season and say that Rick Majerus is coming back? Do you hear Saint Joseph’s telling fans that Phil Martelli will be back? The answer is no. That’s not how schools operate. That’s not how professional teams operate. McLaughlin, as well as Father McShane, Fordham’s President, and Jeffrey Gray, the Vice President of Student Affairs, are busy men with far more urgent matters on their daily plates. Stating the obvious about a basketball coach who’s doing his job just isn’t part of their to-do list.

Whittenburg has a lucrative contract that takes him through the 2012-13 season. The school, still stung from the huge contract and buyout given to Bob Hill, isn’t going to let a guy go with four years remaining. Of course the main reason Whittenburg will be back is because he deserves to be back. He’s been here six years and he’s the most successful coach Fordham has had since the school joined the Atlantic 10. Eighteen wins in 2006-07 lifted expectations. Now the team is rebuilding around a star point guard and highly touted recruits coming in next year. He needs to be given the full length of his contract to work with this new group.

A three-win season would deflate the morale of many coaches. Not Whittenburg, whose dedication and commitment are to be commended. In fact, Whittenburg has never been so determined. When I talked to him last Saturday, right after Fordham’s 25-loss season concluded, he said that he’s looking forward to hitting the road immediately to recruit players to join the program. No time for reflection or looking back. Everything Whittenburg says carries an air of determination that’s both admirable and convincing.

“The only way I’m going to reflect [on this year] is that I’ll be on the next plane to go recruiting,” Whittenburg said. “We have to get a couple more quality guys to make sure our team is competitive next year and I think we can do that. I told the guys ‘this [season] is over.’ We’re going to continue to work, go on and look forward.”

It’s refreshing to listen to Whittenburg considering this may have been the toughest year of his basketball career, a storied career with success at every stop. A winner as a player at DeMatha High School and North Carolina State, and as a head coach at Wagner College, Whittenburg’s not used to losing, and he’s determined not to let a season like this happen again. The goal, he says, is to stay upbeat and to work hard. That goes for players and coaches.

“I have to [stay positive],” Whittenburg said. “I am the leader of the program so I have to show these guys the unshakable confidence that I still have. They’re going to carry the attitude that I carry. They’re going to look to me for leadership. It’s important how I react. Adversity is part of life.”

Throughout our talk, Whittenburg reiterated time and time again that his sole focus was on Fordham basketball.

“I’m so focused on my program,” Whittenburg said. “I’m only thinking about one thing right now. I’m thinking about Fordham University. Everything right now is going to be focused on the returning guys and it’s going to be [focused] around recruiting.”

Readers know how much I respect and admire Whittenburg. First, he’s a coach who talks to the media after every game. Go ask reporters covering Xavier what they thought of Sean Miller when he wouldn’t talk to them following losses this year. At the conclusion of every game this year, win or lose, blowout or buzzer beater, Whittenburg made himself available. That says a lot. Next, Whittenburg’s a winner and his players respect him for that. They also respect the fact that he demands that they be accountable, that they take advantage of every ounce of basketball talent they have. Just as important is the fact that he’s behind them in the classroom, that he understands the value of a Fordham education. Finally, he’s proven he can win as a coach, as his stint at Wagner and the job he did at Fordham a couple years ago proved.

When Whittenburg won 18 games two years ago so many were singing his praises that you would have thought Digger Phelps had returned to Rose Hill. After the past two seasons you get the feeling that Bob Hill would get a better seat at the dinner table. That says something about Fordham fans. And it ain’t pretty. 

Whittenburg knows basketball. In time, he’ll build this program. He certainly understands what it’s going to take to put Fordham basketball on the map.

“I love the challenge and I accept the challenge,” Whittenburg said. “We’re going to get there. I’m going to roll my sleeves up and get after it. That’s been me all my life. That’s just the way I am.”

Whittenburg’s here to stay. That’s good for him and even better for Fordham basketball.

(Charles Costello can be reached via email at charlescostello@optonline.net)

Posted in Basketball Commentary | 2 Comments »

No Truth to Fontan “Rumor”

Posted by Fordham SportsNet on March 12, 2009

BY CHARLES COSTELLO

I was disturbed by Sean Brennan’s comments yesterday in an entry he wrote for his Basket Case blog at nydailynews.com stating that Jio Fontan, Fordham’s star point guard, is rumored to be packing his bags for Georgia Tech.

To the best of my knowledge, nothing could be further from the truth. The fact that this supposed rumor even needs to be addressed is dissapointing.

Here’s what I know: Fontan’s a great kid and a spectacular basketball player. He chose Fordham because of the academics, because it’s close to home (Fontan is a native of Paterson, NJ), and because of the commitment the coaching staff made to him. And he’s risen to the challenge of rebuilding a basketball program that hasn’t experienced much success since joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995. He’s the best player on a young team, the face of Fordham basketball.

There’s a lot to admire about Fontan. This I learned in a one-on-one interview with him back on Feb. 20 after practice at Rose Hill. As you can read in my feature story on College Chalktalk (A born leader in the Bronx), Fontan understands the challenges of playing basketball at Fordham, but he’s optimistic about the future of the program and believes the team will win. After all, Fontan’s a winner himself.

Back on Dec. 5, Brennan reported that Fontan had no regrets about coming to Fordham. I can tell you that when I last spoke to Fontan nothing had changed. I’ve been around the team all year and I’m confident in declaring that Fontan’s here to stay. End of story. I don’t know why it even became a story.

As for Brennan’s mention of Trey Blue’s departure from Rose Hill, this isn’t breaking news. Back on Feb. 21, I reported that Blue had returned to Fordham after leaving the team twice for personal reasons, but that it was unlikely we’d see Blue in uniform again.

It became obvious that Trey Blue and Fordham were not a great match, and anyone who followed the team this season could have told you that Blue’s return next year was unlikely. Blue’s a streaky shooter who was cold for much of the season. The coaching staff challenged him to buy into the system, meaning play defense and run the offense. Blue never saw a shot he didn’t like, and for too much of the season his body language was poor. It was a difficult season for Blue on and off the court and I sympathize with his struggles. However, it was apparent that it wasn’t going to work out here for Blue. It was in the best interest of Fordham, and Trey Blue, for the parties to go their separate ways.

Posted in Men's Basketball | 1 Comment »