May 21, 2012

WFNY Bracket Challenge – Winning

April 5, 2011 By 2 Comments

Charlie Sheen is in town tonight and some people are pretending like this whole deal wasn’t played out two days after it started. Similarly, that championship game was played out about two minutes in. When a buzzer-beating three pointer to end the first half represents 15% of your previous point total, you know the game is an absolute abhorrent snoozer.  But, as bad as the game was, it served its true purposes. It has allowed WFNY to give out a couple of prizes to the best pickers/guessers in our Yahoo! bracket competition.  Here is your final top ten.

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WFNY Bracket Challenge – Ohio State Out

March 28, 2011 By 7 Comments

Well, I am sure a lot of WFNYers are significantly less interested in the tourney now that the Buckeyes have been Calipari’d out of the game.  Still, the contest goes on for the Tribe tickets and Carlos Santana jersey.  As we await opening day on Friday, that should be enough to keep your eyes glued to the competition.

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WFNY Bracket Challenge – Sweet 16 Abounds

March 21, 2011 By 7 Comments

“Nobody cares about your bracket!” That has commonly been bandied about on Twitter, but it just isn’t true right here right now on this post.  This is where we absolutely care about your bracket.  We care so much that we have assigned not one, but two prizes for winners.  We still haven’t figured out something to give to the last place finisher (who also completely filled out the brackets) but we probably will.

I am happy to say that the bonus point structure is also causing a bit of chaos. The leader right now has gotten 34 of 48 picks correct, while second place has gotten 36 correct.  One of the two tied for third has 38 correct.  Picking those underdogs correctly pays!  Even I finally pulled myself out of the basement with a VCU win last night.  Make no mistake, I still have no chance at winning, but it still feels good to be in the 200s rather than the 300s.

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So Long, Norris

March 21, 2011 By 5 Comments

While we were all basking in the glory of an Ohio State NCAA Tournament blowout weekend at the Q, the Cleveland State Vikings were taking the floor a short distance away at the Wolstein Center for the second round of the NIT. The opponent was the College of Charleston, coached by former Georgia Tech legend Bobby Cremins. Two more wins would put CSU into the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York and a huge opportunity for the Viking program.

All year long, CSU has done it with their pressure defense. They play this way because their best quality is their quickness. What they didn’t have was size and depth. If I’d have told Head Coach Gary Waters that his team would have won the battle of the boards 37-25 and his bench would outscore its opponents 8-3, he’d have said “where do I sign up.” Even Center Aaron Pogue, the king of all foul trouble, only committed two and scored 13 points while snagging 14 boards. [Read more...]

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WFNY Bracket Challenge Off Day Update

March 19, 2011 By 4 Comments

The first round is now officially in the books and the top ten is changing bit by bit.  Long gone is the thought of anyone getting everything right.  That being said, here is your top ten.  Rather than typing it all, I got lazy this time and took an image.

That’s right folks. Your “Commissioner” in this Yahoo! group is currently in 355th place. I stink.

We also have a new “Mr. Irrelevant” bringing up the rear. In 370th place is Va Beach 2. If you stink it up long enough, you just might get a prize for your (lack of) effort.

As always, you can check out the group here.

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WFNY Bracket Contest Update / NCAA Open Thread

March 18, 2011 By 4 Comments

After a predictably wild first day in the NCAA tourney there are no perfect brackets left on the board.  And in case you were worried about me winning the whole thing and taking home the prize, you can stop.  I am currently sitting in 352nd place out of 397 total.  Oh, and I was never eligible to win anything anyway.  Same goes for Scott who finds himself in the top ten.  Don’t worry folks.  Unless he ponies up some cash of his own, he won’t be sporting a Carlos Santana jersey anytime soon.  After day one, here’s your top ten.

  1. Casey – The Penske File
  2. Mitchellj – Jimmer Me Timbers
  3. Rachel – Hot in Cleveland
  4. Cory S – The Real McCory
  5. JustinD – FeArThEeLf
  6. Mike – Thad <blank> Bracket
  7. Nicholas C – Tecmohofer
  8. the big check – monchak
  9. Andy – AndyB
  10. Scott S – WFNY Scott [Read more...]

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CSU, Norris Cole Squeak By Vermont

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As the final shot by Vermont hung all over the rim before finally falling away, I’m not sure whether joy or relief was more prevalent for the CSU Vikings.  Their opening round NIT game featured what seemed like a million lead changes.  With just over two minutes remaining in the game, the Vikings trailed by two.

In the end, they win by three, but not before Vermont’s Brendan Bald made a circus three between two CSU defenders to bring the Catamounts within one 60-61.  Norris Cole received the inbound pass, got fouled, and nailed his 26th and 27th points to put the Vikes up by three again.  It wasn’t over though.  Matt Glass had a chance to tie and his three point shot hung on that rim for what seemed like an hour.

I am not sure overtime would have really bothered CSU superstar Norris Cole anyway.  The dude with the 1980′s Bobby Brown haircut doesn’t seem to get phased by anything at all.  He looked completely relaxed as he hit the final two free throws with a tenuous one point lead.  He seemed fearless as he drove down the lane and scored a tricky layup to finally give CSU the lead 57-55.  If you ever thought a player had “it,” you would have to think it is Norris Cole. [Read more...]

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The third and final chance for Norris Cole and his Vikings tonight

March 5, 2011 By 2 Comments

The home date with the Butler Bulldogs in front of the most energized Cleveland State crowd in recent history a few weeks ago would have been a great opportunity for Gary Waters and his Vikings to capitalize on the momentum his program has begun to generate under his watch.  

They didn’t win though.  They lost for the second time this season to their big brothers from Butler 73-61.

The officiating was epically horrible that game to be sure, but the few thousand extra people who strolled into the Wolstein Center that day walked out thinking this Norris Cole guy and these Cleveland State Vikings really aren’t as good as we’ve been hearing they were.  People would be wrong to think that, but the reality is it is extremely difficult to convince for a pro sports minded town who also pays homage to the Ohio State Big Ten Buckeyes that a mid major team in the Horizon League is worth their attention.

So while that one would’ve been big in that respect, the game today up in Milwaukee is even more so.  Beat Butler tonight and Norris Cole and his Vikings are well on their way back to the NCAA tournament.  Norris Cole deserves that stage and so do Tre Harmon, Jeremy Montgomery, and the rest of the Vikings. 

D’Aundray Brown deserves it too, and the difficult thing for people who’ve paid attention to CSU Hoops over the last few years is that if D’Aundray was healthy it’s hard to say they would’ve lost to Butler twice this season.  It’s also hard to say they wouldn’t have an even better chance for that tourney win tonight, but you gotta roll with what you got. [Read more...]

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Horizon League Tournament: CSU Advances

March 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I will spare you the “Vikings douse the Flames” headline….

The Cleveland State Men’s basketball team took their first step towards the NCAA Tournament last night with their 73-61 win over Illinois-Chicago in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.

It was Norris Cole’s final appearance at the Wolstein Center and he didn’t disappoint. The Point Guard led all scorers with 26 points while grabbing five rebounds, dishing out four assists, blocking two shots, and notching two steals. Just another day at the office for the Horizon League Player and Defensive Player of the Year. [Read more...]

Filed Under: CSU Vikings

CSU and the Horizon League Tournament: An Uphill Climb

February 28, 2011 By 2 Comments

Heading into last Thursday, the Cleveland State Men’s Basketball team had their destiny in their own hands. What should have been a magical weekend for Gary Waters turned sour Thursday night in a home loss to Milwaukee. Strangely, the usually upbeat Waters was despondent afterwards.

“All I can say is this team is not ready to win a championship.”

“We have no bench … and you don’t rebound the basketball. Those things will beat you every time you play. If you want me to say it’s smoke and mirrors we got through this [season], I’ll say that. It’s reality.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: CSU Vikings

The Curious Case of the Missing March Madness Tickets

February 28, 2011 By 4 Comments

If you are a March Madness fan looking to attend the upcoming Cleveland-based games via the secondary ticket market, you may want to think twice.

According to a source close to the situation, approximately 1,000 tickets for the events slated to be held on March 18 and March 20 have gone missing.  Cleveland State University, the NCAA Division I school that has been awarded as the host institution for the first two rounds of the tournament, had partnered up with Quicken Loans Arena due to the increased seating capabilities.  However, somewhere along the distribution chain, several hundred “groups” of tickets have fallen off of the grid.

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Filed Under: Buckeyes, CSU Vikings

WFNY March Madness Bracket Contest

February 25, 2011 By 5 Comments

While the Cleveland news is slow (understatement) we thought we would get a leg up on our bracket competition.  We will be using Yahoo.  We will be giving out a prize to the winner. There is no cost to enter, so really you have no excuses!

Here’s how we are doing the scoring. I decided not to weight the later rounds so heavily that it won’t be interesting. Also there are bonus points based on upsets or underdogs.

Round of 64 = 1 pts + Bonus = 1 x seed diff
Round of 32 = 2 pts + Bonus = 1 x seed diff
Reg. Semis = 3 pts + Bonus = 1 x seed diff
Reg. Finals = 4 pts + Bonus = 1 x seed diff
Semifinals = 5 pts + Bonus = 1 x seed diff
Championship = 6 pts + Bonus = 1 x seed diff

Instructions to enter are after the jump. [Read more...]

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Killer Loss Puts CSU Vikings Behind Eight-Ball

February 25, 2011 By 3 Comments

If Gary Waters was told that Norris Cole and Tre Harmon would combine for 49 points, he’d ask, “where do I sign up?” If Gary Waters was told that he would get 13 unexpected points off the bench from SG Josh McCoy, he’d be beyond thrilled.

Waters would assume that with those contributions, his team would end up on the winning side of the coin. Instead, his front court was completely worked over and the team once again was killed on the glass, causing a devastating 87-83 home loss to Milwaukee. Its just the second time the Vikings have lost at the Wolstein Center this season.

And they couldn’t have had worse timing.

The loss sends CSU into a tailspin, which could ultimately result in the Vikings going from hosting and grabbing the top seed in the Horizon League tournament to third place. I [Read more...]

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Its Go Time For The Vikings

February 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

It’s make or break time for the Cleveland State Men’s Basketball team.

With just two games left in the regular season, the Vikings have put themselves in a position to win the Horizon League outright, something that didn’t seem possible two weeks ago. If you haven’t been following, lets recap.

Cleveland State has been on top of the league most of the year, yet their two, two-game losing streaks came at the most in-opportune times. They started 4-0 in the league and threatened to run away with things early, but then came the losses at Butler and at Valparaiso, which brought them back to the pack. Meanwhile, the more CSU would win, deeper that pack would become. Between Valpo, Butler, Wright State, Milwaukee, and at times Detroit, its been a gauntlet. There have been no easy-outs in this league. Just ask Butler, who currently sits 1/2 game behind CSU. Their loss at Youngstown State may be the killer to their season and what costs them hosting the conference tournament. [Read more...]

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The Norris Cole Show – Saving the Vikings

February 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A pivotal Saturday aftern0on game down at the Wolstein Center looked like trouble for the first 30 minutes, but the good news for our Cleveland State Vikings was that Norris Cole is good at Basketball.

At first blush, the schedule-makers seem to bring the yearly doormat Youngstown State Penguins to town at the right time. The thing is, this is not your fathers YSU team. A week ago, the Penguins beat Butler and took first place Valparaiso to overtime before losing. From the opening tip, YSU took it right to CSU and led by as many as 11 in the first half. They took a 36-34 lead to the break and had Cleveland State coach Gary Waters concerned.

But he had an ace in the hole – Cole. The Senior Point Guard was not about to let his team lose.

They would need everything Cole and the rest of the starters could give them, because the CSU bench gave them absolutely nothing. Key reserve Charlie Woods was missing with a thumb injury and the Vikings are not exactly a deep team with him. So Cole decided he had to take over. Whether it was going to the hole, shooting threes, hitting mid-range jumpers, or making free throws, the 6’2 Senior from Dayton did it all. Playing all 40 minutes, Cole scored 41 points on 11-22 shooting. He hit 5-10 from deep and got to the line 17 times, making 14.

“The basket feels big, the game slows down,” Cole said. “That’s what you want in a groove like that.”

While the 41 points is astounding to begin with, the real eye-popping number is the 20 rebounds. I’ll say it again, the 6’2 Cole grabbed 20 boards. Throw in nine assists and three steals and you have an all-time performance, not just at CSU, but at any school. [Read more...]

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