The Mid-Majority : Season 9: We Are, Together.

Having recently completed its 9th season, The Mid-Majority is a community chronicle of the smaller Division I college basketball conferences. Last year, the theme was Team. Six groups of five (plus a fantasy mid-major player) were engaged in friendly Amazing Race-style competition, criss-crossing Hoops Nation to provide awesome college basketball content. Season X (2013-14) will be our final one.

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

Tag: Rhode Island Rams
Sorted by date

1. The Hurley Bowl by Craig Hanford

S9 February 4, 2013 I was fortunate enough to have tickets to this week's big game, featuring the two brothers who are following the coaching legacy started by their father, one a veritable coaching lifer, the other a former star player who came into coaching after a high-profile playing career. Yes, I was able to w... [more]

2. Straddling the Red Line by Raymond Curren

S9 January 31, 2013 "I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money." - Pablo PicassoKINGSTON, R.I. - Danny Hurley hasn't had a heck of a lot to smile about in his inaugural season at the University of Rhode Island. Taking over in late March, he pretty much had to play the hand he was dealt this season as far as ... [more]

3. Mr. Obnoxious vs. Mr. Annoying by Raymond Curren

S9 December 8, 2012 Game #9-137: Rhode Island Rams at Providence FriarsDecember 6, 2012 7:00 pmDunkin Donuts CenterBBState Stats/Recap PROVIDENCE, R.I.- After paying $10 to give my car a rest at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, I could obviously use a lark, and the sight of the University of Rhode Island cheerleaders followi... [more]

4. Row, Danny, Row by Raymond Curren

S9 November 25, 2012 Game #9-083: Loyola (Md.) Greyhounds at Rhode Island RamsNovember 23, 2012 7:00 pmRyan CenterBBState Stats/Recap KINGSTON, R.I. - After a quick stop at Mystic Aquarium, somewhere I hadn't been in two decades, I arrived at the University of Rhode Island campus to find it absolutely deserted.One of th... [more]

5. (Expletive Deleted) by Raymond Curren

S9 November 20, 2012 Game #9-054: Rhode Island Rams vs. Seton Hall PiratesNovember 18, 2012 7:00 pmUncasville, CTBBState Stats/Recap UNCASVILLE, Conn. - At the end of a long weekend, I either misread or didn't bother to look at the schedule of Sunday's games to see that the championship game of the Naismith Bracket of t... [more]

6. Hall of Famer and Sons by Raymond Curren

S9 November 18, 2012 Game #9-049: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Rhode Island RamsNovember 17, 2012 5:00 pmUncasville, CTBBState Stats/Recap UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Given the choice of going back to the casino before the next contest or talking to Bob Hurley, well, that's not a very hard choice, is it?Hurley was in attendance prim... [more]

7. Diehard Night by Raymond Curren

S8 March 2, 2012 Game #8-664: Fordham Rams at Rhode Island RamsFebruary 29, 2012 7:00 pmRyan CenterBBState Stats/Recap“I hope you would support who were are, not who we are not.” -Coach Norman Dale The confluence of events that led me to the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I., Wednesday night are vast and would take fa... [more]

8. A Lesson in Phonetics by Darcy Ireland

S8 December 6, 2011 Game #8-192: Maine Black Bears at Rhode Island RamsDecember 4, 2011 2:00 pmRyan CenterBBState Stats/RecapThe chore of recollecting the Sunday afternoon clash between the visiting Black Bears of Orono, Maine, and the hosting Rams of Kingston, Rhode Island, could plausibly be condensed into a single q... [more]

9. Pride Fall to the Rams by Gary Moore

S8 November 26, 2011 Game #8-121: Hofstra Pride at Rhode Island RamsNovember 25, 2011 5:00 pmRyan CenterBBState Stats/Recap The last time I was in Rhode Island for a Hofstra basketball game was eight years ago when the Pride traveled to Providence to take on the Friars. How long ago was that? NBA player Ryan Gomes was ... [more]

10. Rhode Island at George Mason 11/11/2011 by Bob Fisch

S8 November 12, 2011 Game #8-006: Rhode Island Rams at George Mason PatriotsNovember 11, 2011 7:30 pmPatriot CenterBBState Stats/Recap My first game of the season took me to the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, home of the George Mason Patriots. I wasn’t planning on going to the game, in fact, I had planned t... [more]

11. Lost in Transition by Dominic Pody

S8 November 12, 2011 Game #8-006: Rhode Island Rams at George Mason PatriotsNovember 11, 2011 7:30 pmPatriot CenterBBState Stats/Recap"Well if we take all these things and we bury them fast,And pray that they turn to seeds, to roots and then grass,It'd be all right, it's all right, it'd be easier that way.Or if the sky ... [more]

12. The Low Point by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 29, 2011 LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- On the evening of February 15, 2011, the Siegel Center at Virginia Commonwealth University was packed to capacity, but the home fans were solemn and silent. The visiting team from George Mason had jumped out to a 34-19 halftime lead. The Patriot guards had rained down three-po... [more]

13. Game 7-102: NCAA Southeast Region Final by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 27, 2011 [8] Butler Bulldogs vs. [2] Florida GatorsMarch 26, 2011 4:20 pmNew Orleans, LABBState Stats/Recap It started with a crazy idea. Since VCU and Butler were in the Elite Eight, with the sites just 550 miles away and nine hours from each other in San Antonio and New Orleans, why not go to both? After... [more]

14. Something Good's Going To Happen by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 25, 2011 SAN ANTONIO -- The power of a first impression comes from how forcefully it floods the vacuum of the unknown, how it fills a blank slate so completely. Before actual experience with a place and the people there, it's just another dot on a map. My first contact with Richmond, Virginia came in March... [more]

15. Game 7-089: Atlantic 14 Championship by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 13, 2011 [9] Dayton Flyers vs. [3] Richmond SpidersMarch 13, 2011 2:00 pmAtlantic City, NJBBState Stats/Recap After ten days, six leagues, 21 games, over 2,000 miles and two all-night drives, Championship Fortnight is at an end for us. It all culminates in the Atlantic 14 title game, and Spider destiny. Bu... [more]

16. Champions Of Hoops Nation 2011 by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 13, 2011 If college basketball has taught us anything, it's that there's nothing that becomes irrelevant more suddenly than Championship Fortnight. Once the NCAA Tournament bracket is released, the previous two weeks slip into history... very quickly. But one thing that has to be remembered: the teams that w... [more]

17. Tourney Central 3/13/2011 (Day 13) by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 13, 2011 h2 {margin-bottom:10px;font-size:13px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:17px;} #droid {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;margin-bottom:8px;} #droid a:link, #droid a:visited {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;} Bullet PointsOn the penult... [more]

18. Tourney Central 3/12/2011 (Day 12) by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 12, 2011 h2 {margin-bottom:10px;font-size:13px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:17px;} #droid {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;margin-bottom:8px;} #droid a:link, #droid a:visited {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;}Bullet PointsA hearty 'Ray'... [more]

19. Game 7-085/086: Atlantic 14 Quarterfinals by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 12, 2011 [10] La Salle Explorers vs. [2] Temple OwlsMarch 11, 2011 6:30 pmBBState Stats/Recap Rhode Island Rams vs. Richmond SpidersMarch 11, 2011 9:00 pmBBState Stats/Recap After a pair of quarterfinal upsets that set up a 9/12 semifinal, the evening session of the Atlantic 14 tourney goes according to se... [more]

20. Tourney Central 3/11/2011 (Day 11) by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 11, 2011 h2 {margin-bottom:10px;font-size:13px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:17px;} #droid {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;margin-bottom:8px;} #droid a:link, #droid a:visited {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;}Bullet PointsThere were no ... [more]

21. Tourney Central 3/9/2011 (Day 9) by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 9, 2011 h2 {margin-bottom:10px;font-size:13px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:17px;} #droid {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;margin-bottom:8px;} #droid a:link, #droid a:visited {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;}Bullet PointsThree more cha... [more]

22. Game 7-079: Princeton at Penn by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 9, 2011 Princeton Tigers at Pennsylvania QuakersMarch 8, 2011 7:00 pmThe PalestraBBState Stats/Recap The final conference regular season game in the country, one of the most ancient and storied rivalries in Hoops Nation. A lot on the line, too. Princeton wins to force an Ivy playoff against Harvard at Yal... [more]

23. Tourney Central 3/8/2011 (Day 8) by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 8, 2011 h2 {margin-bottom:10px;font-size:13px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:17px;} #droid {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;margin-bottom:8px;} #droid a:link, #droid a:visited {font-size:11px;font-family:Droid Sans, arial;line-height:13px;}Bullet PointsCongratulation... [more]

24. Stardate 120-20110307: Don't Be a Stranger by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 7, 2011 BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Last week, I went to a late regular-season matchup between Rhode Island and George Washington. These days when I go to games, I sit in the front row wearing a suit and sneakers at a desk, with a touchscreen computer for dispatching short bursts of information to the internet. ... [more]

25. Game 7-071/072/073/074: America East Quarterfinals by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 6, 2011 [5] Stony Brook Seawolves vs. [4] Albany Great DanesMarch 5, 2011 12:05 pmBBState Stats/Recap [9] Binghamton Bearcats vs. [1] Vermont CatamountsMarch 5, 2011 2:15 pmBBState Stats/Recap [7] New Hampshire Wildcats vs. [2] Boston University TerriersMarch 5, 2011 6:05 pmBBState Stats/Recap [6] Hartford... [more]

26. Game 7-067: George Washington at Rhode Island by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 3, 2011 George Washington Colonials at Rhode Island RamsMarch 2, 2011 7:00 pmRyan CenterBBState Stats/Recap There's a bye on the line! Atlantic 14 tiebreakers and scoreboard-watching, another Senior Night (with the student section), A-14 Title R compliance, small amounts on giant checks, Jack Kvancz's ret... [more]

27. Stardate 115-20110302: One More Chance To Try To Save My Soul by Kyle Whelliston

S7 March 2, 2011 KINGSTON, R.I. -- The stars are beginning to flicker and burn out in the elimination games. For others, it's far from over. Here, one final look at the remaining league regular season races as we move towards getting all the rest of the Other 25 conferences in the gate and ready for bracket time. ... [more]

28. Stardate 108-20110223: Shootaround Deluxe by Kyle Whelliston

S7 February 23, 2011 CHICAGO -- Every single one of the conference games going on tonight, and tomorrow, and Friday and Saturday too, were scheduled months in advance by a league office (or, in some cases, years ago). Some were circled rivalry games worth driving a day for, others were just-anothers. In early March, t... [more]

29. Stardate 101-20110216: Dream Seasons by Kyle Whelliston

S7 February 16, 2011 HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- March really is here before we know it, because there's half a week missing out of February. This month wasn't designed that way -- and nothing was adjusted for our benefit or anything -- but it's still disorienting and disruptive to look at a calendar and realize that in two ... [more]

30. Game 7-052: South Dakota at New Jersey Tech by Kyle Whelliston

S7 February 14, 2011 South Dakota Coyotes at New Jersey Tech HighlandersFebruary 12, 2011 4:00 pmFleisher Athletic CenterBBState Stats/Recap Life and love on the road in the Great West. @midmajority Game Tweets15:46 Game No. 7-052: South Dakota at NJIT. You're in Highlander Country. #therecanonlybeone http://img.ly/2... [more]

31. Stardate 92-20110207: Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide by Kyle Whelliston

S7 February 7, 2011 ?????, ?.?. -- Hello from back here on Sunday evening. As for the future present, we are playing our annual game of Last Man, and avoiding The Knowledge as best as possible. But we must always attend to our regular duties, which is sharing the good kind of knowledge with Hoops Nation. What a crazy... [more]

32. Game 7-047: Rhode Island at Temple by Kyle Whelliston

S7 February 7, 2011 Rhode Island Rams at Temple OwlsFebruary 5, 2011 2:00 pmThe Liacouras CenterBBState Stats/Recap Hooter's birthday, and fake Zooperstars. @midmajority Game Tweets13:48 Game No. 7-047: Rhode Island at Temple. Temple University welcomes you and your family.13:50 This, friends, is a band. http://img... [more]

33. Game 7-041: Wagner at Bryant by Kyle Whelliston

S7 January 29, 2011 Wagner Seahawks at Bryant BulldogsJanuary 27, 2011 7:00 pmChace Athletic CenterBBState Stats/Recap Those of us old-time sports fans left who remember television's rabbit-ears era (and know the difference between UHF and VHF), probably appreciate the 21st Century Full Court/#pixelvision reality mor... [more]

34. Stardate 54-20101231: Between '10 and '11 by Kyle Whelliston

S7 December 31, 2010 CHICAGO -- Here at The Mid-Majority, the calendar is off-kilter. New Year's Day is November 1, and Auld Lang Syne is a refrain for March or April, not now. Most other people, however, strictly follow the more traditional Julian calendar, a grid of 12 months and not five. Still, December 31st is a ... [more]

35. Stardate 53-20101230: How Strange It Is To Be Anything At All by Kyle Whelliston

S7 December 30, 2010 CHICAGO -- I was very young during the Blizzard of 1978. It was not my first memory of snow, but it was the first time in my life that snow had transformed the world around me into a network of tunnels, mazes and forts. I took the opportunity to ask my father what it all meant. "Why is snow white, ... [more]

36. Stardate 45-20101222: The Last One Hundred by Kyle Whelliston

S7 December 22, 2010 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- I remember when I was a baseball-obsessed preteen. I followed the standings and leaders in the newspaper every day, collected Topps and Donruss and Fleer baseball cards, and tuned in Armed Forces Radio games on a shortwave I bought for ten dollars at a yard sale. The world of ba... [more]

37. Game 7-029: Middle Tennessee at Evansville by Kyle Whelliston

S7 December 21, 2010 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Evansville AcesDecember 18, 2010 3:05 pmRoberts Municipal StadiumBBState Stats/Recap Roberts Municipal Stadium was built in 1956, back when indoor arenas were called "stadiums" and it didn't sound kind of awkward. It has seen a lot of Evansville Purple Aces basket... [more]

38. Lost Star by Kyle Whelliston

S7 December 11, 2010 It was Wednesday, March 30, 2010. The Crowne Plaza Indianapolis Airport was bustling with activity. For the first time in years, every single room was filled for a week straight, and at any given time there was a line four deep at the front desk. Rolling suitcases slid and zipped across the slick ... [more]

39. Stardate 30-20101207: It's All About The State by Kyle Whelliston

S7 December 7, 2010 @midmajority there have been 59 red line upsets, @TempleUniv has three of them. What is the single-school single-season record?- @clivedaddy (via Twitter)CHICAGO -- That's a fantastic question, Mr. Daddy! We've gone into our six-year archive of RLU history and discovered that the two seasons with th... [more]

40. Games 7-009/010/011: CBE Classic Subregional at Miami (Oh.) by Kyle Whelliston

S7 November 26, 2010 Green Bay Phoenix vs. San Diego State AztecsNovember 20, 2010 5:30 pmOxford, OHBBState Stats/RecapIUPUI Jaguars at Miami (Oh.) RedhawksNovember 20, 2010 8:00 pmMillett HallBBState Stats/RecapSan Diego State Aztecs at Miami (Oh.) RedhawksNovember 22, 2010 7:00 pmMillett HallBBState Stats/Recap Mil... [more]

41. Stardate 17-20101124: The Incomplete Circle by Kyle Whelliston

S7 November 24, 2010 Hi Kyle, I'm a graphic communications major at a school above the Red Line (Clemson) but I love the Mid-Majority and I read it every day during the season. One of my favorite aspects of the site is all the symbolism and how it changes from year to year. You answered a question about the Robots, so I... [more]

42. Heartbreak City by Kyle Whelliston

S7 November 22, 2010 INDIANAPOLIS -- Nearly every location on earth is just a geocode. Memories serve to transform places into something more, and the accumulation of experiences constantly shift and change them into important places. Cutting through the middle of the city on a Sunday morning on Interstate 70, I notic... [more]

43. Games 7-007/008: Coaches vs. Cancer Subregional by Kyle Whelliston

S7 November 20, 2010 Rhode Island Rams vs. Charleston CougarsNovember 19, 2010 4:30 pmToledo, OHBBState Stats/Recap Illinois-Chicago Flames at Toledo RocketsNovember 19, 2010 7:00 pmJohn F. Savage HallBBState Stats/Recap On Thursday night, the Universities of Pittsburgh and Maryland were at Madison Square Garden in Ne... [more]

44. Mid-Majority Chat Block, Episode 702 by Kyle Whelliston

S7 November 19, 2010 Mid-Majority Chat Block, Episode 702 We'll be chatting live from Toledo! Come join us beginning at 4pm Eastern, and catch a little of the Charleston-Rhode Island Coaches vs. Cancer game as well. ... [more]

45. Epilogue, The Sixth: We Never Change by Kyle Whelliston

S6 April 6, 2010 INDIANAPOLIS, April 5 -- One hour after the end of the Closing Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, I re-entered the United States via the Peace Bridge border crossing. I was shaking and crying. As I made my way down Interstate 5 in Washington State, I made an emotional pact with myself that I... [more]

46. Champions of Hoops Nation 2010 by Kyle Whelliston

S6 March 15, 2010 INDIANAPOLIS -- We pause to repect the accomplishments of Utah State, Richmond and Xavier. Heck, even Gonzaga. And even though we don't draw the line between power conferences and "none of the above" the same way as the people on TV, there were some other schools that don't play in the Premier Leagu... [more]

47. The Hoops National: March 7, 2010 by The Robot

S6 March 7, 2010 This is the final Hoops National of the 2009-10 season. Big Games Atlantic 14: at Massachusetts 69, Rhode Island 67 MASS - 11-19 (5-11) [RPI: 200, State: 205] URI - 21-8 (9-7) [RPI: 30, State: 48] Star of the Game: Ricky Harris 28 Pts (10-21 FG, 6-11 FT), 7 Reb UMass Into A-14s With 69-67 Win O... [more]

48. The Hoops National: March 6, 2010 by The Robot

S6 March 6, 2010 NOTE: The Hoops National will only cover regular-season games for the remainder of the week. Big Games Ivy League: Cornell 95, at Brown 76 CORN - 26-4 (12-1) [RPI: 46, State: 50] BRWN - 11-19 (5-8) [RPI: 250, State: 281] Star of the Game: Jon Jaques 20 Pts (7-9 FG), 7 Reb Men's Hoops Claims Thir... [more]

49. The Hoops National: March 4, 2010 by The Robot

S6 March 4, 2010 NOTE: The Hoops National will only cover regular-season games for the remainder of the week. Big Games Atlantic 14: Temple 57, at Saint Louis 51 TU - 25-5 (13-2) [RPI: 19, State: 19] SLU - 19-10 (10-5) [RPI: 87, State: 80] Star of the Game: Lavoy Allen 18 Pts (9-12 FG, 0-1 FT), 14 Reb #16/20 Tem... [more]

50. The Hoops National: February 18, 2010 by The Robot

S6 February 18, 2010 Big Games Western Athletic: at Utah State 67, Louisiana Tech 61 USU - 21-6 (11-2) [RPI: 45, State: 32] LTU - 20-6 (8-4) [RPI: 77, State: 70] Star of the Game: Nate Bendall 11 Pts (5-8 FG, 1-1 FT), 9 Reb Aggies Collar Bulldogs, 67-61, Wednesday For 11th-Straight Win - Junior guard Pooh Williams ... [more]

51. The Hoops National: February 14, 2010 by The Robot

S6 February 14, 2010 Big Games Missouri Valley: at Bradley 68, Northern Iowa 59 BRAD - 13-12 (8-7) [RPI: 125, State: 147] UNI - 22-3 (13-2) [RPI: 15, State: 16] Star of the Game: Chris Roberts 13 Pts (6-8 FG, 1-1 FT), 2 Stl Bradley Knocks Off #18/19 UNI - Bradley junior guard Andrew Warren (Indianapolis, Ind./Brebe... [more]

52. The State of the Other 24, Week 9 by The Robot

S6 February 11, 2010 The State of College Basketball is a ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the Final Four ... [more]

53. Last Man by Kyle Whelliston

S6 February 11, 2010 Last summer, a friend in the basketball world sent me a brochure about an organization that puts together popular pursuit challenges in major American cities. The way the game works is that you're locked in the trunk of a car, your hands bound with tape, then you're taken to a undetermined locatio... [more]

54. The Hoops National: February 10, 2010 by The Robot

S6 February 10, 2010 Colonial: at George Mason 82, Virginia Commonwealth 77 (OT) GMU - 16-9 (11-3) [RPI: 132, State: 104] VCU - 17-6 (9-5) [RPI: 49, State: 41] Star of the Game: Michael Morrison 18 Pts (8-10 FG, 2-3 FT), 10 Reb Men's Basketball Rallies Late, Downs VCU in Overtime - Cam Long hit a pair of free throws ... [more]

55. The Hoops National: February 9, 2010 by The Robot

S6 February 9, 2010 Big Games Western Athletic: at New Mexico State 70, Louisiana Tech 68 NMSU - 15-8 (8-2) [RPI: 78, State: 94] LTU - 19-5 (7-3) [RPI: 71, State: 67] Star of the Game: Troy Gillenwater 19 Pts (7-12 FG, 4-4 FT), 8 Reb, 2 Stl Laroche Hits Game Winner over LA Tech, 70-68 - New Mexico State sophomore ... [more]

56. The Hoops National: February 8, 2010 by The Robot

S6 February 8, 2010 Big Games Atlantic 14: at Richmond 71, Temple 54 RICH - 18-6 (7-2) [RPI: 31, State: 41] TU - 19-5 (7-2) [RPI: 17, State: 35] Star of the Game: Kevin Anderson 29 Pts (11-17 FG, 5-5 FT) Richmond Topples Temple, 71-54 (via Richmond) Atlantic 14: at Dayton 90, Xavier 65 UD - 16-6 (5-3) [RPI: 33, S... [more]

57. The State of the Other 24: Week 8 by Kyle Whelliston

S6 February 4, 2010 The State of College Basketball is a ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the Final Four ... [more]

58. The Hoops National: February 3, 2010 by Kyle Whelliston

S6 February 3, 2010 I'll never forget Christmas 1987. The anticipation made my little underdeveloped heart jackrabbit in its bony cage. I recall bounding down the old toasty staircase, pushing my little sister aside, my eyes wide as canned hams. And there, 'neath the tinsel-topped tree, was the box I'd longed for so ... [more]

59. Tourney Central 3/16/2009 (Final Brackets) by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 16, 2009 Bullet Points Stephen F. Austin punched Hoops Nation's final NCAA Tournament ticket Sunday afternoon, its first appearance ever. Championship Fortnight is over, and the national postseason is just ahead. Completed brackets and scores for all 23 TMM leagues are included below. Southland Texas... [more]

60. The State of the Other 22, Final Edition 2009 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 15, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a decrepit old ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of th... [more]

61. Tourney Central 3/13/2009 (Day 11) by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 13, 2009 Bullet Points One championship to be decided this afternoon: that of the Patriot League, which has been winnowing down its field verrrry slowly since Tuesday, March 3rd. The Atlantic 14, MEAC, MAC, Big West, Southland, SWAC and WAC are down to final fours as the last weekend of Championship Fo... [more]

62. Tourney Central 3/12/2009 (Day 10) by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 12, 2009 Bullet Points Two more titlists after last night's action. Portland State defended its Big Sky title, and Robert Morris will return to the NCAA Tournament out of the Northeast Conference. The Southland Conference begins today with quarterfinals in Katy, Tex.. It's the last of our 23 conference... [more]

63. Good Morning Hoops Nation: March 9 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 9, 2009 HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Our year is a blur of quick-cut transitions: from total silence to Midnight Madness, pre-season to regular season, games outside conferences to games inside parentheses. Standings grids give way to brackets, and before you know it, campaigns are cut short in early elimination ro... [more]

64. The State of the Other 22, Week 14 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 6, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a rapidly-aging ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of t... [more]

65. Game! Of! The! Night! 3/5/2009: Dayton at Xavier by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 5, 2009 Dayton at Xavier (Atlantic 14) Cintas Center - Cincinnati, OH 9:00 PM EST In a conference with a geographical footprint so big you can see it from space, tonight you can boil everything down to four letters: XU and UD. Or just X and D, if you think the University identifier isn't necessary. There... [more]

66. Game! Of! The! Night! 3/4/2009: Saint Louis at Duquesne by Kyle Whelliston

S5 March 4, 2009 Saint Louis at Duquesne (Atlantic 14) A.J. Palumbo Center - Pittsburgh, PA 7:00 PM EST Last year's A-14 geosuperleague standings presented a big problem, you might remember: you had teams with high noncon content like Dayton and Rhode Island finding their .500 league records were good for one-way ... [more]

67. The State of the Other 22, Week 13 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 27, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a relatively new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of ... [more]

68. Good Morning Hoops Nation: February 26 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 26, 2009 ATHENS, Ohio -- As was noted in this kind piece by the newspaper I spent my college career wishing I could work for, next week marks the beginning of what we're really here for, what this is really all about. The conference tourneys mark the third of the four seasons within a season in college baske... [more]

69. Game! Of! The! Night! 2/25/2009: Dayton at Rhode Island by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 25, 2009 Dayton at Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) Ryan Center - Kingston, RI 7:00 PM EST While the titans of college basketball sportswriting are off drooling over Kansas, or boo-hooing over Pittsburgh, or whatever they do up there, they're missing out on the big fun of the high-stakes race at the top of the A... [more]

70. Good Morning Hoops Nation: February 25 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 25, 2009 HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Still trying to figure out what all this means. So you're saying that if I had just auctioned off a crate full of Ballys last month, we wouldn't have had to do that whole bailout thing? But seriously, it's amazing to see that we've touched off the hottest plushie trend since Pea... [more]

71. The State of the Other 22, Week 12 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 20, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a somewhat new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of th... [more]

72. The State of the Other 22, Week 11 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 12, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a kinda-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

73. Game! Of! The! Night! 2/12/2009: Temple vs. Saint Joseph's by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 12, 2009 Temple vs. Saint Joseph's (Atlantic 10) The Palestra - Philadelphia, PA 7:00 PM EST It's super-exciting in the grand old Atlantic 14 this week, no? Those who tuned into ESPN Classic last night looking for a rerun of the Cheap Seats Superdogs/Superjocks episode were treated to a thrilling ballgame ... [more]

74. Good Morning Hoops Nation: February 12 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 12, 2009 INDIANAPOLIS -- Well, here we are. Today is Mock Selection III, and I still have no idea what I did to deserve an invitation -- or why I've been listed as representing Basketball State all along. It's a real thrill, even though we've had to detour from our regularly scheduled travel and will be goin... [more]

75. The State of the Other 22, Week 10 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 6, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a gracefully-aging ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three o... [more]

76. Good Morning Hoops Nation: February 5 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 February 5, 2009 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Let's get this out of the way first: when the first place team loses to the last place team, it's definitely not good for the league profile. And when the overwhelming preseason favorite takes one in the collective stomach from a team that long ago unanimously passed a team rule b... [more]

77. The State of the Other 22, Week 9 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 30, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a sorta-newish ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of th... [more]

78. Good Morning Hoops Nation: January 30 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 30, 2009 INDIANAPOLIS -- Every once in a while, I receive a hit through the feedback form, written in a language I don't understand. Sometimes these are in French, or German, cast in a Cyrillic alphabet or rendered in simplified Chinese. I'd like to think these are messages of support, and they indicate to ... [more]

79. The State of the Other 22, Week 8 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 22, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a sorta newish ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of th... [more]

80. Good Morning Hoops Nation: January 20 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 20, 2009 WASHINGTON -- In the next several days, you're likely to read many accounts of these days by special columnists (even some sportswriters) who have spent the last few days being whisked from inaugural ball to celebrity gala, who've worn tuxedos to fine restaurants and will sit in special boxes watchi... [more]

81. The State of the Other 22, Week 7 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 15, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a new-esque ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

82. Game! Of! The! Night! 1/15/2009: Xavier at Rhode Island by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 15, 2009 Xavier at Rhode Island (Atlantic 10) Ryan Center - Kingston, RI 7:05 PM EST On seventh thought, maybe the conference that contains four more teams than advertised and extends to the Gateway Arch should just rename itself the American 14. Think of the marketing excitement that would generate: "The ... [more]

83. Good Morning Hoops Nation: January 15 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 15, 2009 INDIANAPOLIS -- It is so cold, so unstoppably frigid, that the view outside the window is completely frozen in place like a badly composed painting: the skyline, the cars on the roads, the birds in the sky, the smokestack steam. All perfectly still. Also suspended in invisible amber is our weekly Ba... [more]

84. Good Morning Hoops Nation: January 12 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 12, 2009 BOONE, N.C. -- I'm going to get into my grandpa rocking chair and tell you what's wrong with pop music. I'm sorry that you had to get this from a basketball writer, but that's just the way it worked out. Most music specifically released for public consumption is far too dependent on context and repu... [more]

85. The State of the Other 22, Week 6 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 January 7, 2009 The State of College Basketball is a new-ish ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the Fin... [more]

86. The State of the Other 22: Week 5 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 31, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the Final F... [more]

87. The State of the Other 22: Week 3 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 17, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

88. Game! Of! The! Night! 11/17/2008: Akron at Virginia Commonwealth by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 17, 2008 Akron at Virginia Commonwealth Siegel Center - Richmond, VA 7:30 PM EST The best thing about BracketBusters, in my opinion, is the BracketBusters return game. Sure, the chance for TV exposure in February is nice, but that only affects the handful of teams angling for NCAA consideration. All 100 or... [more]

89. Good Morning Hoops Nation: December 16 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 16, 2008 CLEMSON, S.C. -- It's Tuesday, which means that we give away a Bally. Last week's question was an intermediate-level brain buster that a lot of people got right: name a team that lost twice to a conference regular-seaosn champion in January and/or February, then took its revenge at the conference to... [more]

90. Good Morning Hoops Nation: December 9 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 9, 2008 LEXINGTON, Va. -- I think we can chalk up the weekend voting on the Ultimate Project contest an unqualified, unmitigated disaster. There were more complaints about the voting mechanism (clicking through either brought up a "please log in" screen or a full-screen ad to start your own poll) than actua... [more]

91. Good Morning Hoops Nation: December 8 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 8, 2008 LOUISVILLE -- This week marks the one-month milepost of the 2008-09 season. Most of the action we've seen has consisted multi-team tournaments of questionable merit or importance, early league games, and power-conference teams beating the snot out of mid-majors. While we've made a lot of the signifi... [more]

92. Good Morning Hoops Nation: December 5 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 5, 2008 SOMEWHERE IN MISSOURI -- Our Ultimate Project contest ends today -- or rather, the first phase of it. There were so many great entries (over 40) that I personally can't decide on who The Mid-Majority's No. 1 work-in-progress big man should be. So we are going to put it to you, gentle readers. The fi... [more]

93. The State of the Other 22, Week 1 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 December 4, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 344 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the Final Four ... [more]

94. Good Morning Hoops Nation: November 24 by Kyle Whelliston

S5 November 24, 2008 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- For my money, the greatest movie about rock and roll music ever made is Stop Making Sense, the 1984 Talking Heads concert film directed by Jonathan Demme. The movie strikes a very personal note for me, because I take a 40 long jacket. Manufacturers don't tend to make that size, so... [more]

95. Next by Kyle Whelliston

S5 November 9, 2008 Ninth in a series of nine daily essays leading up to the 2008-09 college basketball season. I have no Wikipedia entry of my own, not even a stub. If I understand the process correctly, you have to be either rich or a character on The Simpsons to get one of those. Being neither, and therefore not su... [more]

96. Fearlessness and Failure (Epilogue, The Fourth) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 April 1, 2008 Seriously, what's the big deal about fearlessness? It's made out to be this incredible and rare trait that only a select few possess. People forget that it's our natural, default state of being. We enter the world too naive to fear anything; over time, we develop a profile of all that scares us. Som... [more]

97. More Than "Just Balls": The Legend of the Ralph Marlin Tie by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 29, 2008 When ESPN.com brought me on in the summer of 2005, my good friend Sarah bought me a Ralph Marlin "Just Balls" tie. It was one of those nice timely things that good friends do -- they buy you things having to do with what you're celebrating just as you're celebrating them. Little did I know that it w... [more]

98. The Travelogue, Chapter 17 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 25, 2008 Birmingham This month has its place in the weather calendar, a rock-solid role. March thaw helps keep April showers warm, and as long as everything happens in the right order, May flowers won't be DOA. March basketball, however, is as unpredictable as global warming. You don't know who's going to... [more]

99. Tourney Central (Completed Brackets) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 17, 2008 Bullet Points In the final final in mid-majordom, Texas-Arlington emerged as surprise Southland champs. All hail! We had 78 entries into our "guess-the-play-in-matchup" contest on Saturday, and not a single correct answer. The correct pairing, as we all know now, is Coppin State (MEAC) against Moun... [more]

100. Tourney Central 3/13/2008 (Day 10) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 13, 2008 Bullet Points Make way on the big bracket for two more mid-major champions: Mount Saint Mary's, surprise winners of the NEC out of a No. 4 seed, and Portland State, double-champions of the Big Sky. There were three exciting finishes in the Atlantic 14, with La Salle, Dayton and Charlotte pulling ou... [more]

101. Tourney Central 3/12/2008 (Day 9) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 12, 2008 Bullet Points Three more automatic bids were awarded last night. Full 100 percent congratulations to Butler, double-champions of the Horizon League, as well as Oral Roberts, three-time titlists of the Mid-Con cum Summit cum Badlands Conference. Western Kentucky is back in the Dance from the Sun B... [more]

102. The Boubacar 3/10/2008 (Fifth-To-Last Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 10, 2008 ALBANY, N.Y. -- Yes indeed, the regular season is over. Everybody's into their conference tournaments now, and four are over already. And since The Boubacar is a regular-season thing, we'll be winding down this particular portion of the entertainment this week. But first and foremost, I wanted to l... [more]

103. The State Of The Other 22, Week 16 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 5, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

104. The Boubacar 3/5/2008 (March Magic Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 March 5, 2008 NASHVILLE -- Our day-long drive down from our Rhode Island home down to Music City was like the 2007-08 season in intricately-styled microcosm. There were a lot of miles driven (about a thousand), hours upon hours of XM radio (we like the new "Thriller" channel) and spotty cell reception just about ... [more]

105. The Boubacar 2/28/2008 (Senior Night Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 28, 2008 WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. -- One of the great traditions in college basketball is Senior Night, the last home game of the regular season. All outgoing seniors, no matter if they were four-year starters with awards and all-league selections, or guys who played the parts of opposing players on the practi... [more]

106. The State Of The Other 22, Week 15 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 26, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

107. The Boubacar 2/25/2008 (U Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 25, 2008 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Sometimes I just have to pinch myself (even though dreams can be complicated enough that I wouldn't wake up if I did). Three years ago, I was just another computer programmer with a college basketball blog, and the next thing I know I'm talking over BracketBusters highlights wit... [more]

108. The State Of The Other 22, Week 14 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 19, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

109. The Boubacar 2/14/2008 (Streak Stopper Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 14, 2008 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- If you're an eagle-eyed reader, or just someone who can see things that are orange against a tan background, you have likely noticed the new Welmer-Whelliston Widget™ on the right side of the page. I can't believe the response to this since I announced it a couple weeks ago... [more]

110. Game! Of! The! Night! 2/13/2008: William & Mary at North Carolina-Wilmington by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 13, 2008 William & Mary at North Carolina-Wilmington (Colonial) Trask Coliseum - Wilmington, NC 7:00 PM EST We'll be closely tracking the Rhode Island-Temple battle on the A-14's second tier, as well as the tough test for Drake at Southern Illinois, but tonight's G!O!T!N! spotlight falls on two... [more]

111. The State Of The Other 22, Week 13 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 12, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

112. The Boubacar 2/11/2008 (No Fun Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 11, 2008 HAMDEN, Conn. -- We have been, and we stand, accused. Accused! Of having too much fun around here, of shifting the focus off basketball and running too many contests, pictures of pretty girls, cartoons and snapshots of pet basketballs. So we're going to put on our super-serious faces, talk in our su... [more]

113. The Boubacar 2/8/2008 (LOLBally Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 8, 2008 CHICAGO -- We're holding off on announcing the winner of our Hunan: Return of the Phoenix movie contest, because there are two sterling entries that we're having trouble choosing between. Right now, we're in the process of sending them to friends and asking them to tell us which one makes them laugh... [more]

114. The Boubacar 2/7/2008 (Grey Wednesday Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 7, 2008 CLEVELAND -- There are a lot of subtle differences between higher-strata conferences and the leagues at our level. For instance, when a team in the ACC or Pac 10 is having a bad year, the media is still going to write about it, no matter what. The stories usually come with the angle of, "what's goin... [more]

115. The Travelogue: Chapter 13 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 7, 2008 Chains of Love The Donner Party, those westbound settlers who were looking for gold to pan and ended up as each other's dinner, was a contingent cut in half by the towering gateway that separates two areas that came to be Nevada and California. Donner Pass is named for the group that was 87 stron... [more]

116. The State Of The Other 22, Week 12 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 5, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

117. The Boubacar 2/4/2008 (Paranoia Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 February 4, 2008 MEADVILLE, Pa. -- It's a lot of effort trying to live a life free of American-style football, the lengths you have to go to in order to pretend it doesn't exist. It's come to this, it really has, and I can't believe it myself. But I made it through the night, Hoops Nation. I'm shacked out in a litt... [more]

118. The Mid-Majority Interview: Elton Alexander by Kyle Whelliston

S4 January 30, 2008 The grand old Mid-American Conference has been tragically misunderstood this decade. A league that's produced some of the most competitive, exciting and thrilling hoops at the mid-major level has had a lot of trouble with respect on the national scene, not having received a second bid to the NCAA To... [more]

119. The State Of The Other 22, Week 11 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 January 29, 2008 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

120. The Travelogue: Chapter 11 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 January 20, 2008 Fool People always seem so disappointed when the story isn't as simple as they apparently thought it was. In the eyes of some folks, I don't stand up to certain ideas of pure and perfect vagrancy. "You never stay in hotels? You just sleep in the car?" Actually, I stay in hotels on days off betw... [more]

121. The Travelogue: Chapter 10 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 January 13, 2008 This One's For The Valley This one's for the Valley, the Missouri Valley. This is a tribute to that switch of strong and landlocked America that only sees the sun an hour after the right coast does, whether Indiana saves daylight or not. Let the light shine from Lincoln's boyhood home to his lic... [more]

122. The Boubacar 1/10/2008 (Big Time Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 January 10, 2008 SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- I was going to start out today with a hilarious joke about squirrels and their nuts, but this came across the wires this morning. The Cincinnati Enquirer, a fine newspaper, ran this today: Xavier shuns mid-major award. Here's a taste for those who don't like clicking things: Ri... [more]

123. Game! Of! The! Night! 1/9/2008: Rhode Island at Dayton by Kyle Whelliston

S4 January 9, 2008 Rhode Island at Dayton (Atlantic 10) U. of Dayton Arena - Dayton, OH 7:00 PM EST If we've learned anything from college basketball, it's that November and December results can be intoxicating, bewildering, and occasionally ultimately maddening. There's no rollercoaster that quite matches t... [more]

124. The Boubacar 1/4/2008 (Atlantic 14 Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 January 4, 2008 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- I attended my first-ever Summit League game last night. Oh sure, I've been to plenty of Mid-Continent Conference games before, but things are different now. They've got a new name, new colors, and a new clip-art logo. Are their feelings of inadequacy solved? Hope so! Folks fro... [more]

125. The Travelogue, Chapter 7 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 December 31, 2007 Food Ask any assistant coach in college basketball, they'll tell you that one of the toughest challenges with away games is food. Carefully prepared team meals are usually the rule at home, but the road is an endless and glowing ribbon of McDonald's, Burger King, convenience stores and casual dinin... [more]

126. The Boubacar 12/28/2007 (Post-Holiday Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 December 28, 2007 CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The end of the holiday season means the end of holiday music, and thank gosh for that. The world doesn't need another imaginative reinterpretation of Irving Berlin (much less a hip-hop one), and I've long held that the sound of recorded sleigh bells sounds just like fingernails a... [more]

127. The State Of The Other 22, Week 5 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 December 18, 2007 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

128. The Boubacar 12/12/2007 (Art Appreciation Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 December 12, 2007 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- Here's the mail, it never fails... it makes me want to wag my tail. Remember me? Im the guy from the espn.com chat that was talking about why and how Rhode Island would go into the Dome and take care of Syracuse on Saturday night. After laughing in my face and down talking a ver... [more]

129. The State Of The Other 22, Week 4 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 December 11, 2007 The State of College Basketball is a brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341 (here's the long-winded version). In its overall form, it retroactively picked three of the F... [more]

130. The Boubacar 12/10/2007 (Official Ironmen Rally Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S4 December 10, 2007 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- I was looking over the schedule, trying to find some games to go to this week. Maybe you were too. There's hardly anything going on out there in Hoops Nation this week. Virtual bupkis. Not enough nothing to cancel the G!O!T!N! for the week, but all across the land, the "athlete" p... [more]

131. The Travelogue: Chapter 5 by Kyle Whelliston

S4 December 3, 2007 Philadelphia Lift up your downcast eyes, woman; there is a special place in heaven for you. O truck stop waitress, you sustainer of the long-distance voyageur, Cinderella of the service industry, underfoot guardian and caretaker of the linoleum empire... one day, when you finally fall from your wea... [more]

132. Living Without Football by Kyle Whelliston

S4 November 8, 2007 It was an easygoing, unassuming late-summer Saturday in Rhode Island. I had completed my weekend house-husband chores (saving the stinky litter boxes for last, as usual), then prepared for a long, languid afternoon of relaxation on the patio. I contemplated the birdfeeder, turning out a few chamber-... [more]

133. The Daily Paragraph 2/14/2007 (You're As Cold As Ice, You're Willing To Sacrifice Our Team FG% Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S3 February 14, 2007 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- I've been talking to folks around the country these past few days, and have had a really hard time convincing them that the Northeast is where it's at. It's not all Friends and the Hamptons and day trips to Times Square... you pay for all that glamour with high gas prices, frost h... [more]

134. The Daily Paragraph 12/28/2006 (Yule Log Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S3 December 28, 2006 PAWTUCKET, R.I. -- If you're a native New Yorker, or just someone who lives in a town with a Tribune-owned television station, you probably know about the Yule Log. It's that close-up shot of a fireplace that goes on for a commercial-free two hours and plays Christmas music. I've loved The Log for y... [more]

135. Definitions: What's a Mid-Major? by Kyle Whelliston

S3 December 19, 2006 There's a debate raging in Hoops Nation, one that has very little relevance whatsoever to anything relevant. It's supposed to be about respect, honor and parity. It should be about ball control, free throws and the flex offense. And sure, it's about basketball -- a little bit -- but it's also about ... [more]

136. Epilogue, The Second by Kyle Whelliston

S2 April 9, 2006 INDIANAPOLIS, Apr. 2 -- There are huge signs all over town -- on airport walls, strung over streetlights, over the main gate to the RCA Dome. They all read, "The Road Ends Here." There's also a giant logo on the side of the 45,000-seat venue, a green and gold star with zag-zigging trailers that has... [more]

137. Purgatorio by Kyle Whelliston

S2 December 21, 2005 Game 110: Ohio 71, at Rhode Island 63 Saturday, December 10, 2005 Ryan Center - Kingston, RI If you skiied through high school English with yellow Cliff's Notes strapped to your feet, or if you received the bulk of your literary education on the can from "Don't Know Much About Books" books, you p... [more]

138. Love It Or Give It Back by Kyle Whelliston

S1 March 10, 2005 Game 083: (W4) Richmond 68, (E5) Rhode Island 60 Atlantic 10 First Round Wednesday, March 9, 2005 U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH After driving through a snowstorm in the West Virginia mountains to make it to Cincinnati in time for the A-10 first round, I arrived at the riverfront U.S. Bank Aren... [more]

139. Tourney Central 3/8/2005 by Kyle Whelliston

S1 March 8, 2005 Bullet Points Four champions are crowned: Creighton (MVC), Niagara (MAAC), Old Dominion (CAA) and UMPFN (WCC). Three more tonight: the Sun Belt, Mid-Continent, and the Horizon league matchup of Detroit and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The run of the Oakland Golden Grizzlies of the Mid-Con continued, they'... [more]

140. Dribblings 2/24/2005 (What Went Wrong? Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S1 February 24, 2005 Mid-American: Akron 55, Miami (Oh.) 49 (OT) (story) - Six-four RedHawk guard Chet Mason had the game of his life, with 23 points and 15 rebounds... but as the sportswriters like to say, it was not enough. Despite sending the game to overtime on a last-second three by William Hatcher, Miami (17-1, 11... [more]

141. MMBOW #9: T.J. Sorrentine, Vermont by Kyle Whelliston

S1 January 9, 2005 Since this has turned out to be America East week here at The Mid-Majority (four of the last five 100 Games Project tilts have been from that particular league), it's only fitting that an AE guy is the recipient of our regular weekly honor. Big, burly Taylor Copppenrath of the <A Vermont Catamoun... [more]

142. Dribblings 1/4/2005 (Topsy-Turvy Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S1 January 4, 2005 Mid-Continent: Missouri-Kansas City 77, IUPUI 61 (story) - If anyone's going to catch Oral Roberts in the Mid-Con this year it's IUPUI, who made a name for themselves (errr, make that an acronym for themselves) by going to the Tournament in 2003, then coming five points short last year. UMKC, whose ... [more]

143. Coffee Break by Kyle Whelliston

S1 January 4, 2005 Game 025: at Providence 79, Brown 63 Monday, January 3, 2005 Dunkin' Donuts Center - Providence, Rhode Island A few weeks back, I was catching up with an old aquaintance from my days out at Oregon. He was telling me about this wedding he went to last summer in western Massachusetts. I was made to u... [more]

144. Dribblings 12/28/2004 (Holiday Hoops Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S1 December 28, 2004 Iona 77, Rhode Island 62 (story) - URI has made two straight trips to the NIT, but their 1-7 start must be reminding fans of the bleak three seasons that constituted the post-Lamar Odom era. "Murphy's Rams" just can't seem to score points or catch a break this year. In addition to losing 23 points p... [more]

145. Dribblings 12/12/2004 (Half-Rack Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S1 December 12, 2004 UPSETS Southern 67, Southeastern Louisiana 65 (story) - They say "SWAC" stands for "Southern Wins Another Championship," but their hoopsters haven't Danced in 11 years. A squeaker over a SELU team that won 20 games last year will likely stoke the high hopes in Baton Rouge, and help Jaguars fans for... [more]

146. Dribblings 12/1/2004 (Radio Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S1 December 1, 2004 Winthrop 60, Providence 54 (story) - The once-mighty Eagles of the Big South are rebuilding (only one upperclassman on the roster) but put in a respectable performance at the Paradise Jam, beating Troy State and Austin Peay after being thrashed by Arkansas. The Friars gift-wrapped this one, going co... [more]

147. Dribblings 11/27/2004 (Who's The Benefactor's Daddy Edition) by Kyle Whelliston

S1 November 27, 2004 Please make sure you check out Yoni's new design over at College Basketball Blog if you haven't already. Clean, fit, functional. I'm now listed in the "pundits" section, although I'm not quite convinced I have pundit-like qualifications. But being listed directly ahead of Mark Cuban is cool. Boo-yah... [more]

148. Go, Fight, Win by Kyle Whelliston

S1 November 26, 2004 Today, we celebrate the one-weekiversary of the brawl that will likely end up plunging the NBA to levels of fan indifference not seen since the 1970's. Pundits are still lining up to decry a disturbing new "culture of violence" in the modern sports world. Who's to blame? The fans, the players, the m... [more]

149. 100: The Impossible Dream by Kyle Whelliston

S1 November 9, 2004 One Sunday afternoon in early February, I found myself sitting in a cold, half-empty gymnasium in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. I was watching Rider and Loyola - two of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's perennial doormats - fall all over each other. It was halftime, and the two squads had barely... [more]

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