Foreshadowing at its Finest in Towson's Record Snapping Win

Towson head coach Pat Skerry got a phone call from his wife, Kristen, about an hour before his team's game was going to tip off. She was upset because a large bird had crashed into a window of their house. He told her to call 911 and she did. She called him back to tell him that the bird was a hawk. Coach Skerry had to smirk a little. His team was playing against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks. Skerry told ESPN, "I said great, we're playing the Seahawks today, maybe its a premonition. I told my assistants that the hawk died at my house and now we have to slay the Seahawks." The phone call turned out to be foreshadowing as Towson held onto win 66-61.

The significance here is that Towson came into the game with a record of 0-22 this season. They were currently riding a Division I men's record losing streak of 41 games. During the 41 games, the Tigers lost by a combined 675 points (16.5 ppg) and in ten different states. They went 395 days between wins.

Skerry was an assistant at Pittsburgh prior to taking over basically a blank slate at Towson. The Tigers only had one returning letter-winner and have six freshman on their team. Skerry knew he had a tough assignment. He said, "We've been in some games, but we've had trouble sustaining things. We lost to a D-II team in the exhibition season in Virginia State that's 2-14. I knew then that we were in for a grind."

Skerry remains optimistic about the future. The school is building a new stadium. Towson is located in a good recruiting area. Skerry believes that he and his staff can turn around the Tigers program. They've got a long ways to go, but a win is a start.

ESPN video of highlights of the win and interview of Coach Skerry: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7514470

Weekend Special: Who Should be on Upset Alert?

Saturday's Games to Watch

West Virginia @ #4 Syracuse - 1:00PM, ESPNU

The key matchup here will be how Syracuse handles West Virginia star Kevin Jones inside. The Orange are without Fab Melo once again, so they will need their other big men to step up defensively and on the glass. Jones as been an absolute force in Big East play this season. If the Mountaineers have a shot at the upset, they will need Jones to be that stellar again.

Texas @ #7 Baylor - 1:00PM, CBS

Texas is an improving young team that is fully capable of pulling an upset. However, they will play an angry Baylor team that is coming off its first two losses of the season. If they Bears exploit their advantage inside, they should get the win.

#16 Mississippi State @ #13 Florida - 1:30PM, ESPN3

Mississippi State has the size and strength inside to possibly give Florida some trouble. The Gators guards have been playing great and their team defense has stepped up in a big way as of late. This game should give us a better picture of both teams chances in March.

#5 Kansas @ Iowa State - 2:00PM, ESPN

This is a popular upset pick among the experts. Iowa State has an edge on the perimeter with their great guard play. They also have a big man in Royce White, who is capable of holding Kansas stud Thomas Robinson in check. The Hilton Coliseum should be on a full tilt, so Kansas is going to have to play very well in order to exit as the victors.

Middle Tennessee @ Vanderbilt - 2:00PM

This is a statement game for Middle Tennessee. They have a 20-2 record overall and are 9-0 in Sun Belt Conference play. However, this is there last chance to get a signature non-conference win. Vanderbilt has had their ups and downs all season. It will be interesting to see how they play against an amped up Blue Raiders team.

Cincinnati @ Rutgers - 6:00PM, ESPN3

Cincinnati was cruising having won 10 out of 11 games. But then they dropped their last two prior to this one. Rutgers has had their moments this season and have shown signs of hope for the future. The Scarlet Knights would love to get another quality win under their belts. It will be interesting to see how the Bearcats bounce back. If they are going to be a serious contender, this is a must win game.

#20 St. Mary's @ BYU - 9:00PM, ESPNU

St. Mary's convincingly won the first matchup of these two teams. The Gaels are currently looking like the favorites to win the West Coast Conference. BYU is currently sitting square on the bubble. They have a solid record, but a lack of quality wins. If they were able to pull the upset here, this would be a big step in the right direction.

Marshall @ Memphis - 9:00PM, CSS

Both of these teams are near the top of what is a crowded Conference USA standings. Marshall had some solid wins early in the season and even competed well at the Carrier Dome with Syracuse. As of late, the Thundering Herd have stumbled a bit, losing three in a row. On the other hand, Memphis is playing some of its best basketball right now. The Tigers are winners of eight of their last nine. This is an intriguing matchup with clear conference implications.

Sunday's Games to Watch

Notre Dame @ #19 Connecticut - 12:00PM, ESPN3

Connecticut won the previous matchup in South Bend in convincing fashion, but much has changed since then. Notre Dame upset Syracuse handing them their first and only loss of the season so far. The Fighting Irish are playing with a lot of confidence right now. Conversely, Connecticut has lost four out of their last six. The Huskies are looking to return to form. This is another statement game for both of these teams.

#22 Michigan @ #3 Ohio State - 1:00PM, CBS

Everyone normally talks about this rivalry in reference to a football game, but this is matchup of two Top 25 teams among the top of the Big Ten. Michigan has had their ups and downs, but are 3-2 against Top 25 teams, including a big win over in-state rival Michigan State. Ohio State has looked dominant at times, but there has also been a couple of pitfalls in their schedule so far this season. The Buckeyes will look to Jared Sullinger to lead the way once again. He is coming off a big game in a win over Penn State.

The Intensity Meter is on the Rise in the Battle of the Staples Center

Since 1999, both of the NBA's Los Angeles teams have played in the Staples Center. For most of that time the Lakers have bullied their little brother, the Clippers. After all the Lakers won three NBA championships in a row back in the Shaq and Kobe era. Then, they won back to back titles in 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the Clippers have struggled, making the playoffs only once (2006) since the move to their new home.

The Lakers carry that era of superiority when the play. They are of course still led by the aging, but resilient Kobe Bryant. They also still have Derek Fisher running the point and Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynam as their starting big men. The one guy they let go for basically nothing was Lamar Odom. The team needed to make a change following their ugly collapse in the playoffs last year, and Odom was the causality. The Lakers did try to make improvements by trading for superstars Dwight Howard (unsuccessful) and Chris Paul. The Lakers had a deal for Paul, but the league vetoed it.

This opened up the door for the Clippers. They already had a young superstar in Blake Griffin, but they were looking for another star to pair with him. When the Lakers' deal fell through, the Clippers reacted quickly. They finally acquired Paul and two second round draft picks for guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2012 first round pick. During the offseason, the team also signed forward Caron Butler and veteran point guard Chauncey Billups.

The trade made the Clippers playoff contenders right away. Soon afterwards, people started asking the question of who was the best team in Los Angeles for the first time in a very long time. On Saturday, January 14, the Clippers took first blood. However, last night, the Lakers took revenge with a fourth quarter rally to win. The game featured hard fouls, plenty of trash talk, and wrestling between players. With one second left in the game, Pau Gasol patted the back of Chris Paul's head. The two exchanged pleasantries afterwards.

Anyone who watched the game can tell you that this is growing quickly into an intense rivalry. The Clippers are only going to get better as time progresses. But the Lakers are not going to just sit back and let them take over. The Clippers are planning a coup to supplant the Lakers' throne of superiority, while the Lakers look to hold firm. This will be an interesting storyline to follow this season and for years to come. Basketball in Los Angeles just got a little bit hotter.

The Fresh Prince of Detroit

Last season, the AL Central Division Champion Detroit Tigers made it all the way to the American League Championship. This was mainly behind consistent hitting and phenomenal pitching by AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander. The Tigers seemed poise to make another run again this season, until a week ago when they got some tough news. Victor Martinez, the team's second best hitter, had torn his left ACL during offseason training and would likely miss the entire season. Many thought the Tigers would try to find a solution internally, but clearly team ownership decided this team had a chance to win now. So they spent money, a lot of it, on the best free agent hitter available, Prince Fielder. Fielder signed a nine-year, $214 million deal to join the Tigers.

The signing was a very unexpected one because Fielder plays first base and the Tigers all ready have one of the best hitters in the game at first base in Miguel Cabrera. However, Cabrera has already announced that he will be the team's third baseman, which was his original position when he came to the majors. The combination of Fielder and Cabrera give the Tigers what is considered to be, in most eyes, the best 3-4 hitting duo in baseball. While playing for the Milwaukee Brewers, Fielder hit for a .299 average with 38 home runs and 120 RBIs last season. Cabrera had a .344 average with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs.

Did the Tigers overpay for Fielder? Yes, they did, but they got the best hitter available, and he is a very good one at that. The Tigers obviously think they have a shot at the World Series this season. Do they? I would say yes, but this doesn't necessarily make them the favorites. Remember what happened to the Boston Red Sox last year. Enough said. This is a nice move for the Tigers, but we are going have to see how this plays out because nine years is a long time.

Hip Hip Jorge: Posada a Hall of Famer in My Book

With tear-filled eyes, Jorge Posada announced his retirement from baseball. Posada finished a 17-year-career playing only for the New York Yankees. He said that everyday, "I quoted Joe DiMaggio's (famous quote), 'I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee.'" An emotional Posada thanked his teammates, especially his best friend Derek Jeter, who he said encouraged him when he needed it. He also thanked his wife, Laura, who he called his "rock."

The debate is now whether or not Posada is a Hall of Famer. Posada is one of only five catchers all-time with at least 1,500 hits, 350 doubles, 275 home runs, and 1,000 RBIs. When compared to all the current Hall of Fame catchers, only Yogi Berra had better numbers than Posada in all three major offensive categories (average, home runs, and RBIs).

Jorge Posada won five World Championship while with the Yankees. He will be remembered by his play on the field, but also by his great character and charisma off of it. Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, said of Posada, "Jorge Posada is a great Yankee and a great New Yorker. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I congradulate him on his outstanding career and thank him for the invaluable contributions he's made to our city." In my opinion, Posada deserves a place in Cooperstown. No matter what, his tribute was a fitting farewell to what is yet another storied career in New York Yankee history.

SportsCenter video with clip from Posada's emotional announcement: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:7498012

Posada's famous This is SportsCenter advertisement: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeNM8RNbYTU

Aztecs Putting on a Show Out West

Prior to 1999, San Diego State's basketball program had done nothing of note. In their thirty year history in NCAA Division I, they had only made the NCAA tournament three times and had no wins to show for it. This led former athletic director Rick Bay to make a risky move. He decided to hire Steve Fisher as his new basketball coach.

At Michigan, Fisher become the first interim coach ever to lead a team to a national championship. However, soon after, a federal investigation dug up that a bookmaker had paid four of his players over $600,000. While Fisher was never directly linked, the scandal cost him his job and in many eyes, his reputation. Bay, a Michigan alum, decided to give Fisher another chance.

Fisher came in and slowly but surely turned things around. In 2002, 2006 and 2010, the Aztecs made the NCAA tournament, but lost in the opening round each year. Last year, they finally made their breakthrough. The Aztecs were ranked as high as #4 in the regular season polls, finished the season with a record of 34-3, and most importantly, won their first tournament game, making it all the way to the Sweet Sixteen.

Many experts thought the run was a nice one, but expected San Diego State to return to its old history. After all, the team lost an excellent senior class and sophomore stud Kawhi Leonard to the NBA. But all the Aztecs have done so far this season is put up a record of 17-2, including a last second win over conference-favorite UNLV. It is important to note that it isn't just Fisher and his team that deserve the credit.

San Diego State has always had a wild and crazy student section. One annoyed alum complained and told the students that, "You guys think you're the show." The students took his piece of advice a different way and decided to call themselves The Show. They are now considered to be one of the craziest and loudest student sections west of the Mississippi.

Fifth-year senior forward Tim Shelton decided he wanted to show the world Aztec Nation through his two favorite mediums, basketball and hip-hop. His YouTube video called SDSU Aztec Motto showcases TES (Shelton's artist name) rapping about being an Aztec, giving shoutouts to teammates past and present, and giving props to The Show. San Diego State basketball doesn't appear to be going anywhere. The Aztecs are looking to spread the influence all over the world.

Check out TES' Aztec Motto here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXZ0iyQjTAc

Seven Things: A Recap of Week 7 and a Preview of the Week to Come

1. Team of the Week: Florida State

In the span of a week, Florida State turned around their season. Okay, the week is from Saturday to Saturday, but these wins are too impressive not to put the Seminoles here. They crushed North Carolina at home and took care of business against Maryland. Then, they finished off the week by going into Cameron Indoor and ending Duke's unbeaten streak at home.

Six Runners Up: Missouri, Dayton, Murray State, Long Island, Long Beach State, & Kansas

2. Player of the Week: Kevin Jones, West Virginia

Can anybody stop this guy? All he did this week was score 25 points and have 7 rebounds against in-state rival Marshall. Then, against a red hot Cincinnati team, he helped lead the Mountaineers to the big win with 26 points and 13 boards. Look at his stats from the season so far. He is a virtual double-double machine. In my opinion, he has not only put himself in position as the favorite for Big East Player of the Year, but he should be considered in any All-American conversation.

Six Runners Up: Faisal Aden (Washington State), Jason Clark (Georgetown), Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Anthony Marshall (UNLV), Aaron Broussard (Seattle), Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk State)

3. What do we make of the Big East Conference?

Syracuse is still the best team, but certainly looked vulnerable against Notre Dame. Connecticut is struggling badly, having lost four of their last six. Georgetown certainly didn't look dominant in a win against Rutgers. Who knows how good Marquette, West Virginia, and Cincinnati really are? Then, everyone keeps beating each other. The bottomline is this is a untypically weak year for the conference.

4. Who is the best team in the Big 12?

Kansas is undefeated in conference play after knocking off Baylor at home and surviving a road trip to Texas. The Jayhawks certainly have to be considered as winners of 13 of their past 14. Missouri stated their case as well after putting a beatdown on Texas A&M and getting by Baylor as well. The Bears will have to look to respond after dropping two. Iowa State and Kansas State look to make some ripples in conference play as well.

5. Can Florida State win the ACC?

I already mentioned the Seminoles upset wins over UNC and Duke, so they are definitely capable. Those three teams are the favorites, but they can't afford to sleep on North Carolina State and Maryland. Both teams have shown signs of potential this season. Virginia looks less impressive after getting upset by Virginia Tech today at home.

6. How great is the Mountain West Conference?

This conference has been impressive so far and has already shown their supremacy as the best conference west of the Mississippi after knocking off a handful of Pac-12 teams. San Diego State is 17-2 and 3-0 in conference play, including a last second win over conference favorite UNLV. The Rebels have looked impressive in non-conference play. Who would have believed that Wyoming would be a Top 25 team right now? The Cowboys finished 10-21 last season, but are 16-3 so far this year. Colorado State, New Mexico, Air Force, and TCU are all not easy outs either in an impressive conference this year.

7. Seven Games to Watch This Coming Week

Monday: Syracuse @ Cincinnati

Tuesday: Michigan @ Purdue; San Diego State @ Wyoming

Wednesday: St. Louis @ Xavier

Thursday: Indiana @ Wisconsin

Saturday: West Virginia @ Syracuse; Mississippi State @ Florida