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SEASON 7

Recent Game Recaps

Epilogue, The Ninth: Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Memories

So We Meet Again

Rte. 139 - End of the Line

Hanging On

A Championship in Pictures

This Time of Year

Dotson Leads Ducks to the Sweet Sixteen

Grizzlies Overwhelmed by Orangemen

Empire

Challenge 11: Final Four Memories

By George, UConn is Dead

Butler and Us

Donning the Black and Gold

Challenge 10: Tourney Memories

The Madness of the Horizon League

The Rare Ivy League Conference Tournament

MAC Madness

Anything Can Happen in the MAAC

Challenge 9: Shock The Neighborhood

A Youthful Surprise

From Worst to First

Peers and Seers

Stardate 37-20101214: Songs in Red and Teal
December 14, 2010 11:42 am ET by Kyle Whelliston

@midmajority I don't think this has been asked/answered yet... what's the record for RLUs *surrendered* in a single season in the TMM era?
Brendan L. (via Twitter)
CHICAGO -- One of the best things about Red Line Upsets is that the terms are defined in advance. The Line is the Line. At the beginning of the season, you can look at any game on the schedule and know right then if it's an RLU candidate or not. No matter how bad Wake Forest is, or how bad Auburn is, there's no argument. Context and definition remove debate, so results can be captured, quantified, measured, and compared with those of other seasons. The ability and opportunity to put all of this into a spreadsheet: that's the point.

Auburn, Wake Forest, Wyoming and South Florida have already been hit four times this season, and there's still time for any of those four to eclipse the TMM-era record of six, held in conjunction by the Mountain West Cowboys and four Conference USA teams. Last season, Heath Schroyer's team lost to South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton, Northern Iowa and Akron. With home games remaining against Denver (tonight), Centenary (Dec. 20), Green Bay (Dec. 22), Kennesaw State (Dec. 28) and a roadie at Houston Baptist (New Year's Eve), there are still plenty of chances. There's even a Stendhal Watch in effect for this upcoming Friday, when Wyoming takes on Division II Western State.

Season 6 (2009-10) -- 6: Wyoming; 5: Boston College, Oregon State, Utah, Tulane; 4: Colorado State, Iowa, UCLA, Houston
Season 5 (2008-09) -- 5: Colorado State, Tulane; 4: Auburn, Oregon State, Marshall
Season 4 (2007-08) -- 5: Cincinnati, Wyoming, Southern Methodist; 4: Colorado State, Iowa, Michigan, Tulsa
Season 3 (2006-07) -- 6: Marshall; 4: Arizona State, Minnesota, Oregon State, Rutgers, Utah, Virginia Tech, East Carolina
Season 2 (2005-06) -- 6: East Carolina, Southern Mississippi, Tulsa; 5: Wyoming; 4: DePaul, Oregon State, Stanford, Central Florida, Marshall, Tulane
(RLU's were not recorded during Season 1)

How many times has each RLU victim been victimized since we've been keeping track?

25: Wyoming
22: Oregon State
20: Tulane
19: Marshall
18: East Carolina
17: South Florida
16: DePaul, Tulsa
15: Mississippi State, Iowa
14: Utah, Colorado State, Southern Methodist
13: Rutgers, Iowa State, Southern Mississippi
12: Virginia Tech, Texas Christian, Boston College, Auburn, Houston
11: Saint John's, Oregon, Central Florida
10: Stanford, Georgia, Cincinnati
9: Texas Tech, Providence, Nebraska, Indiana, Colorado, Air Force, UAB, Texas-El Paso
8: Syracuse, Seton Hall, San Diego State, Penn State, Northwestern, New Mexico, Maryland
7: Wake Forest, Virginia, Purdue, Minnesota, Louisiana State, Arkansas
6: Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, UNLV, UCLA, Southern California, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Louisville, Illinois, Georgia Tech, Brigham Young, Arizona State
5: Villanova, Missouri, Michigan, Kansas State, Kansas, Georgetown, Florida, Alabama
4: Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Mississippi, Miami (Fla.), California
3: West Virginia, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, North Carolina, Michigan State, Marquette, Kentucky, Gonzaga, Florida State, Clemson
2: Washington, North Carolina State
1: Connecticut, Washington State, Texas A&M, Duke

Which conferences have been hit the most? The results may shock and astound! Or not.

153: Conference USA
123: Big East
102: Mountain West
83: Southeastern
77: Big Ten
68: Pac-10
68: Atlantic Coast
66: Big 12

Conference USA, which was above the Red Line before this season, was knocked around regularly by the Other 22/23/24 in prior years. This season, C-USA teams (minus excepted Memphis) have pulled a modest seven RLU's, which pales in comparison to, say, the Atlantic 14's twelve. I think they're on the right side now.

Red Line Upsets


Coastal Carolina 78, at Louisiana State 69 (OT) -- LSU stormed out to a 9-0 lead, and it looked like every other guarantee game ever. But they soon learned one of the fundamental rules of the Other 25: don't f___ with the big teal chicken. The Chanticleers pushed the tempo to an uncomfortably fast speed, jumped out in front in the second half, and were caught at the end of regulation. But with less than half of the Maravich Center's seats occupied on a Monday night, the Tigers didn't have much crowd support to buoy them in a blowout overtime session -- LSU scored just five points in five minutes. It was Coastal's first win over an SEC team in 17 years, and the second RLU on LSU this season (Nicholls State, Nov. 16). Mascot happies.

Game! Of! The! Night!



Santa Clara at Pacific
A.C. Spanos Center - Stockton, CA
10:00 EST

Off goes the invisible G!O!T!N! camera crew to Northern California tonight. The University of the Pacific is, quite simply, one of the most consistent mid-major programs in the country. In the last 10 seasons, the Tigers have averaged 21 wins, earning three consecutive Big West championships between 2004 and 2006. There have been off years (2003 and 2007, most notably) after senior classes with high production leave, but 23rd-year head coach Bob Thomason is always able to bounce back with solid defense, ball control, and California jucos. There are quite a few seniors on this season's team (including four-year 6-foot-9 forward Sam Willard and his 17.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg production), so Pacific can be counted on to be a March factor. But as of now, they're 5-4 with three D-I wins (UTEP, Nevada and Arkansas State) and a four-game road trip coming up.

Santa Clara, otherwise known as Steve Nash U., has been off the radar for nearly the entire decade, which is a double-disappearance due to their West Coast location. Aside from two peak years in 2001 and 2007, the Broncos have struggled to maintain a .500 record, and had their worst season in nearly two decades in 2009-10 under Kerry Keating (11-21, 3-11 WCC). Early 2010-11 result have been slightly more promising. With a young inside-outside combo developing (6-foot-2 sophomore Kevin Foster and 6-foot-9 junior Marc Trasolini, 30.4 combined ppg), Santa Clara has a 5-4 record as well, and is coming off a decent 67-63 road win at San Jose State. While equalling the 1993 team's heroics won't happen anytime soon, the Broncos are heading in the correct and upward direction.

Basketball State Preview/Box

PSA


Just a final reminder to vote for one of the five finalists our writing contest, and to enter our art contest. Make a TMM Season 7 Incomplete Circle logo, make a computer file of it, and attach it to The Form™. Win! Ballz.

Also, this is the final day of the TMM Scholarship Program. We will be closing it to new signups tonight, and it's the last opportunity to get a Team Ballz of your choice for sponsoring a student. Ballz will be shipped out before the first of the year.