Trinity's Streak Squashed by Yale

The longest winning streak in intercollegiate varsity sports history has ended. The record-setting streak belongs to Trinity College's squash team. The little Connecticut school won 252 straight matches over a fourteen year period. Do you know what that means? This is their first loss this century. Furthermore, Trinity is the thirteen-time national defending champions.

Their first loss since 1998 came when Yale beat them 5-4. After the match, Trinity coach Paul Assaiante said, "I always said that I would be relieved when this streak was over, but I guess I was lying because I don't like this feeling at all. Still, in the end, this was a dual match on the road against the #2 ranked team in the country, and we will hopefully get to play them again in the national championships."

I don't know how many fans were at this exciting match, but they witnessed history in the making. What a model of consistency this program established. I don't know what it is that they did, but they made it happen. It is going to be tough to surpass this streak. Trinity College might be in the record books for a long time to come.

Making the "Naughty List": CCHA and ECAC Give Suspensions

It looks like Santa will be making some notations in his little booklet.
And they aren't on the good side of his list.

I can see him writing now.

 "Alaska...tsk tsk...Notre Dame...my, oh my...Lake State...shameful...Yale...sigh."


All four of these teams received player game-suspensions within the past week, with the exception of Yale, who received a reprimand from the ECAC to their head coach.

The University of Alaska saw junior forward Adam Henderson penalized for "contact to the head roughing" against the Ferris State Bulldogs on Saturday night.  He received a five minute major and a game misconduct, and will not be allowed to participate in the Nanooks Friday night game against Bowling Green State.
Alaska lost the game 4-3.

The Fighting Irish have lost center Riley Sheahan for their upcoming game vs. Michigan. Sheahan, a Detroit Red Wings draft pick, delivered what uscho.com called an "illegal hit" in Notre Dame's 3-2 loss to the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday night. That loss gave Western Michigan a weekend sweep of the Irish.

Lake Superior State felt the absence of forward Andrew Perrault last Friday night, in their 2-1 loss to the Miami Redhawks. Perrault, the 6' 2" sophomore from Saskatchewan, was suspended by the CCHA for the delivery of a hit against the University of Michigan on January 7th (LSSU and Michigan tied 2-2, with the Lakers winning the shootout 2-1). Perrault returned to the lineup last Saturday in the Lakers' 4-3 win over Miami.

The Yale Bulldogs received a reprimand this past week directed at their head coach Keith Allain. The East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) handed down the reprimand after Allain's heated post-game comments after a 5-4 overtime loss against the Clarkson Golden Knights. Allain threw harsh comments towards the officiating crew, landing himself on the conference's radar.

Suspensions are not anomalies, yet neither are they an everyday occurrence. But when suspensions or reprimands are given with bulk shipping, it makes both players and coaches stop and think a bit more before saying what's on their mind or delivering a questionable hit. Neither of which should be part of this game.

Big East Power Rankings: How Good is Cincinnati?

This is my January 19th breakdown of the Big East Conference Power Rankings from top to bottom. Some questions that are begging to be answered: Can Syracuse go undefeated?; How good is Cincinnati?; Does Seton Hall have a chance of making the tournament?; How can Pittsburgh be 0-6 in Big East play?

1. Syracuse Orange, 20-0 (7-0)

Best Wins: Stanford*, Florida, Marquette

Worst Losses: N/A

Analysis: There is no denying that Syracuse is the best team in the country right now. They are undefeated, but the question I have is how good are they. The wins against Florida and Marquette are quality ones, but the rest of their competition hasn't been that tough. They have played mostly lower-tier Big East teams in conference play so far. I don't think they will go undefeated. They have too many tough games left. However, that does not mean they aren't the best team in the country.

Next Game: Saturday @ Notre Dame

2. Cincinnati Bearcats, 15-4 (5-1)

Best Wins: Notre Dame, @Georgetown, @Connecticut

Worst Losses: Presbyterian, Marshall (OT), St. John's

Analysis: December 10, 2011 was one of the ugliest days in University of Cincinnati basketball history. The team lost to Queen City rival Xavier and fell to 5-3 on the season, but that wasn't the worst of it. At the end of the game, the Bearcat players got into a fight with the Musketeer players that led Cincinnati senior Yancy Gates stomp on the head of a Xavier player. Gates and three other Bearcats were suspended as a result. However, the fight seems to be the wakeup call the team needed. Since the fight, Cincinnati has gone 10-1, including three Top 25 upsets. Bearcat sophomore guard Sean Kilpatrick has led the way on the court.

Next Game: Saturday @ West Virginia

3. Georgetown Hoyas, 15-3 (5-2)

Best Wins: @Alabama, @Louisville, Marquette

Worst Losses: Kansas*, @West Virginia, Cincinnati

Analysis: Georgetown has put together an unexpectedly good season so far. The Hoyas are off to a great start at 15-3, including an eleven game winning streak. Senior guard Jason Clark has been leading the way. Clark scored a career-high 31 points in his last game against Depaul. For the Hoyas' success to continue, they are going to need Clark to keep playing well.

Next Game: Saturday vs. Rutgers

4. Marquette Golden Eagles, 15-4 (4-2)

Best Wins: @Wisconsin, Pittsburgh, Louisville

Worst Losses: LSU, Vanderbilt, Georgetown

Analysis: Marquette's season started out amazingly as the Golden Eagles were 10-0, including a upset win at in-state rival Wisconsin. But then, things fell apart as the team lost three out of five. The team has righted the ship since winning three in a row, but it is difficult to know how good this team is. They were in position to upset Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, before they let it slip away late. If this team is going to make a deep run in the tournament that is the type of wins they are going to need to get. The heart of this Marquette team is their top two seniors, Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder.

Next Game: Saturday @ Providence

5. West Virginia Mountaineers, 14-5 (4-2)

Best Wins: Kansas State (2OT), Georgetown, @Marshall

Worst Losses: Kent State, @Mississippi State, @Seton Hall

Analysis: West Virginia has had their ups and down this season. While it has been mostly ups, it is difficult to know how good the Mountaineers really are. One thing that isn't difficult to figure out is how good Kevin Jones has been this season. He is averaging 20.4 ppg and 11.4 rpg on the season. In my opinion, he is making a great case to be Big East Player of the Year and even an All-American.

Next Game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati

6. Seton Hall Pirates, 15-4 (4-3)

Best Wins: @Dayton, West Virginia, Connecticut

Worst Losses: Northwestern, South Florida, Villanova

Analysis: Seton Hall might make the NCAA tournament. Who thought that before the season?Not many people I am sure. A pair of seniors, Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore, have stepped up big for second-year head coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates got off to a fantastic 15-2 start, but have now lost two in a row to South Florida and Villanova. Since neither of those teams are very talented, Seton Hall will look to bounce back in their next game after getting a week off.

Next Game: Wednesday vs. Notre Dame

7. Connecticut Huskies, 14-4 (4-3)

Best Wins: Florida State*, Harvard, West Virginia

Worst Losses: UCF, Seton Hall, Rutgers

Analysis: Connecticut is another tough team to get a read on. A big question for the Huskies is who they are going to have on the court. Freshman guard Ryan Boatright sat out games while being investigated by the NCAA, then he was cleared to play some games, and now he is sitting out again. Without Boatright, the team loses one of their scorers and, more importantly, depth at the guard positions. One player that might be the key to success for the Huskies is freshman Andre Drummond. If Drummond can develop into a dominant post player, this team will get much better. If he does not, I am not sold on this team making a deep tournament run right now.

Next Game: Saturday @ Tennessee

8. Louisville Cardinals, 14-5 (2-4)

Best Wins: Ohio, Vanderbilt (OT), Memphis

Worst Losses: Notre Dame (2OT), @Providence, @Marquette

Analysis: Everyone thought Louisville was really good when they were 12-0, but upon examining their schedule, one realizes that it was a mere illusion. Since their 12-0 start, the Cardinals have gone 2-5. Granted some of those games were against difficult opposition, but the problem is that those are the types of teams you are going to play come tournament time. Louisville might have a balanced attack that is distributed by Peyton Siva, but this team doesn't look ready to compete with the big boys.

Next Game: Saturday @ Pittsburgh

9. South Florida Bulls, 11-8 (4-2)

Best Wins: Rutgers, @Villanova, Seton Hall

Worst Losses: Old Dominion*, Penn State*, @Auburn

Analysis: South Florida has benefited from an easy Big East schedule so far to get to this point. The Bulls only have a 7-6 record against a mediocre non-conference schedule. The fact that they have done so well in Big East play so far, doesn't bode well for the conference. Interestingly enough, South Florida's remaining schedule isn't that difficult either. If the Bulls play well, they could be looking at a possible NIT bid.

Next Game: Sunday @ Depaul

10. Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 11-8 (3-3)

Best Wins: Florida (2OT), Connecticut, Notre Dame

Worst Losses: Illinois State*, Richmond*, Princeton

Analysis: Head coach Mike Rice is starting to turn around the Rutgers basketball program. It's a difficult job, but he is doing a great job of it. The upset wins over Florida and UConn are the types of wins he needs to get his players to believe in him and to help him recruit the best players he can. A pair of freshman guards, Eli Carter and Myles Mack, are the main ones helping lead the Scarlet Knight turnaround. If the team keeps playing well, they will definitely be deserving of NIT consideration.

Next Game: Saturday @ Georgetown

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 11-8 (3-3)

12. Providence Friars, 12-7 (1-5)

13. Depaul Blue Demons, 10-8 (1-5)

14. Pittsburgh Panthers, 11-8 (0-6)

15. Villanova Wildcats, 9-10 (2-5)

16. St. John's Red Storm, 8-10 (2-5)

* Game played at neutral site