Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer, January 23, 2015
Great win for Indiana over Maryland last night. The magic ride continues for a Hoosiers team that has been one of the Big Ten?s biggest surprises. Could IU-now tied for first with Wisconsin—really win the Big Ten? I think the Hoosiers may take a seven-game winning streak into a big showdown at Wisconsin on Feb. 3.
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Always good to read Bob Hunter of the Columbus Dispatch, who has some interesting thoughts on Braxton Miller.
Hunter says that just because Miller is enrolled for the spring semester at Ohio State, that merely reflects the present and is not necessarily a prediction about the future. Miller still could wind up playing elsewhere this fall. With his degree in hand, Miller can transfer and play immediately, and his current enrollment at Ohio State has nothing to do with that. Russell Wilson didn?t leave N.C. State for Wisconsin until June 2011.
The bottom line: Stay tuned.
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Hey, Michigan State?s win vs. Penn State on Wednesday night wasn?t a thing of beauty. But it showed the Spartans are developing an ability to learn how to win close games. And that?s good for a team that lacks some star power.
"We're figuring out how to win," Matt Costello said. "It was ugly, still, but I think we're getting better. We've just got to keep pushing."
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With the nation buzzing about under-inflated footballs in the NFL, Keith Sargeant of NJ.com got to wondering what the NCAA inflation rules are.
The specifications are the same, with both the NFL and NCAA game ball required to be inflated to the pressure of 12-1/2 to 13-1/2 pounds per square inch and weigh 14 to 15 ounces. Both the NFL and the NCAA rule books state "the ball may not be altered" at any point after the officials stamp their approval an hour or so before the game.
So there is that. Thank you.
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Looks like Nebraska will use satellite camps to help in recruiting. This is something Penn State?s James Franklin has done. I say: More power to them.
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Whoa, Nellie! Iowa coach Fran McCaffery is still boiling over the comment made by ESPN analyst Dan Dakich during a recent telecast of an Iowa-Wisconsin game. Dakich said Hawkeye big man Adam Woodbury was ?gutless,? as Dakich felt Woodbury had intentionally poked two Badger players in the eyes. This is just fun, juicy stuff from McCaffery, who doesn?t hold back in eviscerating Dakich.
A sample of McCaffery?s vitriol: "I don't appreciate him saying anything about what I should do. He's a TV guy. If he was a coach, he'd be coaching. I should tell him to go buy some lottery tickets. He'd have a better chance to win the lottery than to ever in any way recommend what I should do with my player and my team."
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From the ?We Are Positive? department ? Doug Lesmerises of Cleveland.com has five reasons why Ohio State hoops still could be on the upswing.
I like Reason No. 5 the best: Ohio State still has D'Angelo Russell.
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The great Bob Flounders of Pennlive.com is counting down the 12 most significant losses from Penn State?s 2014 team. Seeing big OT Donovan Smith bolt early really hurts.
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Wisconsin sent a recruit a letter with a mistake on Paul Chryst's resume. The letter says Chryst coached at Penn State from 2012-14, when he actually served that time as Pittsburgh?s head coach. Whoops.
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Minnesota coach Jerry Kill has been pining for a football facility for some time. He?s getting closer to his wish, but ground may not be broken until the fall. Kill was hoping for an April start.
Marcus Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press says the cost for the entire master facilities plan remains $190 million, although $150 million is the estimate for the initial phase that includes the football practice facility, football performance center, men's and women's basketball practice facility and Athletic Center for Excellence. The Gophers officially have raised $65 million for the project, including a $25 million gift from Land O'Lakes and $15 million from UMN regent David Larson.
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| About Tom Dienhart | BTN.com senior writer Tom Dienhart is a veteran sports journalist who covers Big Ten football and men's basketball for BTN.com and BTN TV. Find him on Twitter and Facebook, read all of his work at btn.com/tomdienhart, and subscribe to his posts via RSS. Also, send questions to his weekly mailbag using the form below and read all of his previous answers in his reader mailbag section. |
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