May 18, 2013

While We’re Waiting… Mark Price as coaching candidate?

April 20, 2013 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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Hadn’t heard this one before. Are fans excited enough by this? “Mark Price is the best available head coaching candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is not a question of nostalgia, but rather a matter of practicality and reality. Price, while by far the most popular Cavalier in the history of the franchise, has the playing experience and success to demand respect, the technical expertise to help mold a young team’s skills, and the background of having worked for and with some of the most accomplished head coaches in the history of the NBA.” [Cleveland Jackson/Stepien Rules] [Read more...]

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The Diff: NCAA tournament Sweet 16 odds

March 27, 2013 by 2 Comments

Over the month of March, The Diff has been all about college basketball. First, it was the bubble odds, then an update of said bubble odds, and most recently, initial tournament odds. With the Buckeyes tipping off in the Sweet 16 tomorrow night in Los Angeles, I’m back with another round of updates today.

The Diff

On one side of the argument, it was an exciting weekend for upsets and the average college basketball fan. 15 Florida Gulf Coast shocked the world and their jump into the spotlight almost seems like it has to be a Hollywood script. The success of 9 Wichita State, 12 Oregon and 13 La Salle also has been a fun surprise for many, even if their brackets were busted. Which then brings me to the other side of the argument — the success of stat predictions. I warned last week that I’ve never been very good at brackets. And thus far, the stats have been way off. [Read more...]

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The Diff: Cavs, Indians, NFL Draft and March Madness

March 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Last week, I was all excited about the NCAA tournament and breaking down the bubble picture. I’ll have a little bit more March Madness today, but also wanted to share a few other stats-related sports thoughts about the Cavs, Indians and Browns. Hope you enjoy.

The Diff

– The Cavs’ much improved turnover ratio

While I’ve written about this topic several times already in the last month (here on 2/20, here on 2/26 and here on 3/2), I don’t think it’s still that clear to the average fan: The biggest in-season improvement for the Cavaliers has been in lowering their turnover rate. [Read more...]

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The Diff: NCAA tournament bracket math

March 6, 2013 by 11 Comments

Hope you had fun reading through an abbreviated version of my thesis research on baseball attendance last week. I could talk about projected Cleveland Indians attendance numbers all day, especially with an Akron Aeros tie-in. Now, this week, we’re heading over to college basketball.

The Diff

March means madness. It’s one of the most fun sports times of the year. I’m personally a huge basketball fan, but when it’s do-or-die in the NCAA tournament, it’s perfect for any fan. But yet, I have an issue with the way bracket predictions are portrayed in the media. So I’ll cover today. And closest to home here in Northeast Ohio, we have the Akron Zips. In order to follow up on my Sunday article about their success, I’ll have a more thorough look at their NCAA odds today. Hope you enjoy. [Read more...]

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Despite loss, Akron Zips still an NCAA tournament threat

March 3, 2013 by 3 Comments

keith dambrotAll good things must come to an end eventually. And for the Mid-American Conference’s Akron Zips, that had to mean its 19-game winning streak, the longest of the 2012-13 college basketball season.

The run ended Saturday night at Buffalo, a tough setting in the past for Keith Dambrot’s teams. The Bulls built an early lead and expanded it in the second half, but unlike every game since Dec. 25, there was no miraculous last-minute run for 23-5 UA. The final scoreboard read 81-67 for the Bulls.

For many, the loss was half-disappointing and half-celebration-worthy. Obviously, the streak elevated the national stature of the Zips. They were ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll last week, the first ranked team in school history. Nearly every major sports outlet was writing about them too — from Sporting News to the front page of USA Today even to ESPN’s Dickie V.

But in a way, the loss was cleansing. There is now no more pressure. The unsung team gets a completely clean slate. And all that matters again are those NCAA tournament hopes. [Read more...]

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2013 NBA Draft: Second tier fits for the Cavaliers

March 2, 2013 by 53 Comments

victor oladipoThe Cavaliers have been a much improved team over the past two months. And while that’s fantastic news and great for the long-term development of this franchise, it presents an intriguing new scenario for 2013 NBA Draft analysis.

With the team’s current 15-16 run since Dec. 22, Cleveland now sits at No. 5 in the NBA Draft order (up from No. 7 on Wednesday night). That’s inching closer to what many fans expected in the offseason, but not necessarily what they thought just two months ago.

Last time I looked at the draft class on Jan. 6, I featured the top five guys contending for the top spot. There has been plenty of shake-ups since that point. But ultimately, with the Cavs trending toward the middle of the lottery, I thought it would be most helpful to now feature a group of “second tier” players. [Read more...]

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College Basketball: Akron listed among 10 likely Cinderellas

February 24, 2013 by 11 Comments

Owning the longest winning streak in the nation, it’s about time the University of Akron Zips earned some national recognition.

Just before the Zips won their 18th straight game (tied for longest in men’s basketball this season) in Friday night’s unfortunate home BracketBuster matchup with North Dakota State, ESPN’s Jordan Brenner listed the team as the 10th most likely Cinderella candidate for March Madness. Brenner’s ranking utilized ESPN’s noted Giant Killer formula which hopes to emphasize key characteristics of mid-major schools that make them likely to upset some major-conference opponent in March.

Akron is now 22-4 overall and a perfect 12-0 in MAC play. Led by senior center Zeke Marshall (12.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.5 blocks, 65.5% shooting), the team is hoping to make its third NCAA Tournament appearance in five years. They previously lost their first tournament games 77-64 to 4-seed Gonzaga in 2009 and 69-56 to 2-seed Notre Dame in 2011.

Keith Dambrot’s team also could find its way into the tournament as an at-large team. The only way it would be possible is if Akron wins its remaining four regular-season games, advances to the MAC finals (they’ve already clinched a bye until the semifinals), lose in a championship heart-breaker (again, a la 2007, 2010 and 2012), then receive some extraordinary outside help. As of Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology update, the Zips are listed as 13 seed yet only one team outside of the at-large demarcation line.

Next up on UA’s schedule: A rematch in Athens against defending MAC champion Ohio (20-7, 11-1). Akron won 86-72 in the first season matchup at the JAR on Feb. 2. The Bobcats were the clear-cut conference favorite, and only have that one conference loss, yet just got beat badly 81-62 at Belmont in a BracketBuster matchup on Saturday.

[Related: While We're Waiting... Keith Dambrot's sensational story]

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While We’re Waiting… Tanking’s future in baseball?

February 23, 2013 by 1 Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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Discussing how #tanking might be making its way into the MLB lexicon: “OK, that’s a loaded term, a dirty word in the world of sports. As we saw this offseason, however, there is a big difference between being the 10th-worst team in baseball and the 11th-worst. The New York Mets needed an outfielder. Actually, they needed three outfielders. As Michael Bourn’s free agency dragged into late January and then into February, it became clear the Mets were very interested in the speedy center fielder.” [David Schoenfield/ESPN's SweetSpot Blog] [Read more...]

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Big Ten Basketball – The Bizarro World

February 8, 2013 by 1 Comment

Tyler GriffeyIn case you have been all football all the time and have not paid the least bit of attention to what is going on in College Basketball so far, your old friend and College Hoops Honk is here to get you up to speed with the best conference in America.

My man @ClevTA (a must-follow on Twitter) said it best last night – Big Ten Basketball is the bizarro Big Ten Football right now. We watched all fall as mediocre team after mediocre team played boring, uninspiring football. Yes, your Ohio State Buckeyes came out undefeated under Urban Meyer, but even the most ardent OSU supporter would tell you this was far from a National Title type team. The next best thing in the league was probably either a Michigan team that was throttled by Alabama, scored nine points against a Nebraska team that allowed 70 to Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, and needed a miracle bomb with less than a minute to go to force OT with Northwestern at home. An argument could be made for four loss Penn State as well, but two of those losses were at home to Ohio (not Ohio State, Ohio) and a bad Virginia team.

The bottom line – in the glorious history of the Big Ten conference, 2012 was as bad of a season as the league has ever had. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Buckeyes Take Down #2 Michigan

January 14, 2013 by 10 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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What a huge, shocking win for the Bucks: “The jury has been out on the Ohio State Buckeyes. But after weeks of deliberations in Central Ohio a verdict has been reached. The Buckeyes are for real. Jumping out to a 29-8 first-half lead, Ohio State withstood a furious second-half rally by No. 2 Michigan to hand the Wolverines their first loss of the season, 56-53. Michigan, the lone remaining unbeaten, was attempting to become the No. 1-ranked team in the country for the first time in 20 years.” [Kyle Rowland/Eleven Warriors] [Read more...]

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Box Score: Ohio State 82, Albany 60

November 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment

After the cancellation of Friday’s Carrier Classic, the Ohio State Buckeye’s men’s basketball team officially began their season with an 82-60 win over Albany on Sunday. The Buckeyes 17-2 run to close the first half helped the home team pull away from an Albany squad that kept the game close for most of the first half.

The lead stayed around 20 for most of the second half, with the result never in doubt. Ohio State was led by their stars Aaron Craft, who scored 20 points to go along with his 7 assists, and Deshaun Thomas who chipped in with 19 points to start his season.

The win for comes in the first round of the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. The Buckeye will now play Rhode Island in the next round on November 17th and then will play a championship or consolation game the following day.

Albany

Team Statistics: Albany Great Danes
Name Min FG 3Pt FT Off Reb Ast TO Stl Blk PF Pts
J. Iati 34 3-8 1-5 6-6 1 5 3 2 2 0 3 13
J. Guerrier 19 1-6 1-5 2-2 1 2 1 1 0 0 1 5
J. Puk 29 1-3 0-0 2-2 1 7 1 4 0 0 3 4
B. Metcalf 22 0-0 0-0 2-4 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 2
M. Black 33 7-13 2-6 4-6 2 2 1 1 1 0 2 20
G. Johnson 8 0-2 0-0 0-2 1 3 0 3 0 0 2 0
D. Evans 9 0-2 0-0 2-2 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2
S. Rowley 19 2-3 0-0 3-4 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 7
C. Page 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
P. Hooley 8 1-5 1-3 0-0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 3
D. Wiegmann 5 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
L. Devlin 12 1-2 1-2 1-2 2 4 0 1 0 0 1 4
Totals   16-45 6-22 22-30 9 29 6 17 4 0 18 60
Percentages   .356 .273 .733   Team Rebounds: 3

Ohio St.

Team Statistics: Ohio State Buckeyes
Name Min FG 3Pt FT Off Reb Ast TO Stl Blk PF Pts
S. Thompson 27 2-4 0-1 0-0 2 5 3 2 1 4 3 4
L. Smith, Jr. 30 8-11 2-2 0-0 1 5 0 1 0 0 2 18
A. Craft 31 6-9 5-7 3-4 1 2 7 1 0 0 3 20
D. Thomas 30 7-17 4-9 1-1 0 3 2 2 2 0 1 19
E. Ravenel 15 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 4 1 1 0 0 2 0
S. Scott 19 4-5 0-0 1-3 0 1 3 2 2 0 3 9
L. Ross 23 4-8 1-1 1-2 3 5 0 1 0 0 3 10
A. Williams 16 0-0 0-0 0-2 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 0
T. McDonald 9 1-1 0-0 0-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 2
Totals   32-56 12-20 6-13 8 28 18 11 5 4 20 82
Percentages   .571 .600 .462   Team Rebounds: 4

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While We’re Waiting… More Kyrie Love, Jordan Cameron’s Future, Indians’ Trade Assets, Aaron Craft

July 15, 2012 by 2 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

This was a great story about Kyrie’s amazing impressions this summer: “Kyrie Irving, 20, has a politician’s poise and polish, and he left USA Basketball’s pre-Olympics summer training camp with every endorsement that mattered. ‘Kyrie always impresses me,’ USA Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said. ‘This week, he’s been who I think he is, which is one of the top guards anywhere.’ Make no mistake: this wasn’t just Duke’s legendary coach glowing about one of his former Blue Devils. When it comes to judging the next generation of USA Basketball talent, the program’s top management and current stars agreed, Irving is the clear star in waiting. ‘For me, Kyrie Irving has definitely stood out more than anyone,’ LeBron James told CBSSports.com.” [Ben Golliver/CBS Sports] [Read more...]

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Cavs Win Coin Toss Tiebreakers for NBA Draft

April 27, 2012 by 30 Comments

Some good non-football news hit Cleveland today: The Cavaliers won a pair of tiebreakers to decide positioning in the NBA Draft. First, the team won a coin toss to break a tie with the Sacramento Kings New Orleans Hornets for the third spot, then via the Los Angeles Lakers pick, the team won another coin toss tiebreaker for the No. 24 spot. (Sorry folks, got confused with Kings recent win and Hornets in the tie. You all are the best.)

What this means for the early pick is that if neither team moves up to the top three in the lottery format, the Cavs are guaranteed to pick above the Kings Hornets. This assures Cleveland of picking no lower than sixth in the draft. Cleveland also won a bit of positioning with the Lakers selection, boosting the team’s offseason assets just a little bit more.

By the looks of it so far, last year’s luck might be riding the Cavs way again. Even Nick Gilbert was on hand for today, as Dan Gilbert pointed out on Twitter:

Fans will have to wait a while for the next possible bit of draft luck, however, as the lottery is not for another five weeks until May 30. Cavs will have 138 combinations out of 1,000 (13.8 percent) while the New Orleans Hornets will have 137.

[Related: WFNY 2012 NBA Draft Not-So-Big Board 2.1]

(Source: @WFNYScott on Twitter)

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2012 WFNY Bracket Contest – First Winner Chosen!

March 20, 2012 by 6 Comments

I told you guys that I would be giving out prizes for joining our March Madness bracket contest. Well, today’s winner has been chosen pretty randomly.

Before I name the winner, let me thank all 337 of you who decided to join up. I’ll even thank the few of you who joined and then forgot to fill out a bracket. I am humbled that so many people decided to join up to try and win free stuff from WFNY.

So, how did the first winner get chosen? The number 13 is my favorite number. There were 9 people who are currently in 13th place.

Contestant Chosen Winner
13 1 Round and Done Kentucky
13 Scrapin’ Bottom Kentucky
13 The Ostrich Farm North Carolina
13 Hangin’ with DJ Cooper North Carolina
13 mouse Michigan St.
13 Urine Trouble Michigan St.
13 Bulldogs 3 Duke
13 Shock and Audit Kentucky
13 5KMD Kentucky

 

So, how did I choose the winner after that? [Read more...]

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Buckeyes Survive in Big Ten Tourney Opener, Sullinger Big in OT

March 11, 2011 by 4 Comments

Today we welcome the newest member of the WFNY team, Kirk Lammers who will be joining us as a weekend editor and contributing other pieces as well. A graduating senior at The Ohio State University, Kirk knows a few things about the Buckeye basketball team and was willing to jump in and recap today’s action. You can reach him at kirk@waitingfornextyear.com and on twitter at @WFNYKirk

It cannot be overemphasized how much of a psychological advantage the underdog has in a conference tournament atmosphere. The Northwestern Wildcats, with everything to play for, had a flawless game plan, and played about as well as they could, but it still wasn’t enough against an experienced  and tested team that seems to be on a mission for the number one overall seed heading into the tournament.

The top-seeded Buckeyes survived frigid shooting, questionable officiating late in regulation, and an A performance from John Shurna to advance to the semifinal tomorrow afternoon with a 67-61 overtime victory. Ohio State will face the winner of the 4-5 game between Illinois and Michigan.

Lately, Buckeye fans have heard a lot of talk about how Jared Sullinger’s draft stock is falling. Sure, his scoring is down, and he’s had some downright pitiful performances from the field, today included, but what people fail to understand is that Sullinger is on a complete team. Because of that, he takes a back seat to whomever has the hot hand most games from three point range, and lately only when the team truly needs a basket is #0 called upon. Today was a perfect case of that.

[Read more...]

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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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Preview: #3 Ohio State vs. #11 Purdue

February 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The Big Ten Conference schedule continues to heat up, and the Ohio State Buckeyes face an old rival in a rematch this afternoon. The No. 3 Buckeyes travel to Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. to face the No. 11 Purdue Boilermakers today at 1 p.m.

Nearly a month ago, an impressive 23-point home victory by OSU propelled the team to the nation’s top ranking and to becoming the only undefeated team. Now, after a loss last week to Wisconsin, the Buckeyes are looking for a crucial road victory to gain an upper leg in the race for the regular season conference title.

Stay tuned this afternoon and follow along in the comments as Thad Matta’s crew attempts to improve to 26-1 on the season, and potentially move back to the top spot in the rankings. Assorted previews from around the web are after the jump. [Read more...]

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Buckeyes fall again to Badgers…this time it doesn’t matter at all though really

February 12, 2011 by 9 Comments

When Terrelle Pryor’s #1 Ohio State Buckeyes fell to Wisconsin back in October that meant dreams of a national championship run were over. 

Jared Sullinger’s #1 Buckeyes losing today to that same school who prides themselves on their overwhelming appetite for various flavors of cheese just means Keith Smart and Bobby Knight will live atop the record books for another season.

So their 24-1 now, as opposed to 25-0.  How many people really thought they’d go undefeated?  Now I’m not saying I’m glad they lost, because I don’t really believe in the philosophy that it’s better to lose at least one, I’m just saying it really might end up helping in the long-run.

I guess I just totally contradicted myself there, but you know what I mean.  [Read more...]

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No. 1 Bucks Survive Northwestern Scare

January 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It was frustrating and unexpected, but in the end, the Ohio State Buckeyes managed to remain undefeated with a narrow 58-57 victory over Northwestern Saturday. Two years removed from a shocking last-second loss to the Wildcats at this very same Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill., the Bucks faced a slow-paced style designed to limit possibilities of the country’s top team.

The box score from this game reads almost like just one half from an NBA game. Ohio State attempted only 37 field goals overall, tied for the fewest in Thad Matta’s head coaching tenure, as Northwestern focused upon utilizing nearly the entire shot clock in each of their offensive possessions. Without senior John Shurna, who averages over 19 points per game and was the hero of that 2009 upset, this was the only option for the Wildcats to remain competitive Saturday evening and it worked to near-perfection.
[Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Browns Goals, CLE Fan’s Budget, Braxton Miller Hype

January 29, 2011 by 3 Comments

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Five things to expect from the Browns this offseason: “The goals and aspirations of new Browns head coach Pat Shurmur have become more evident than the sky being blue. In preparation for next year, Shurmur, along with General Manager Tom Heckert and executive Mike Holmgren have plenty of chores to do in the coming months.” [Eddy Jansen/SB Nation Cleveland] [Read more...]

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