Denver pulls a Red Line Upset

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Last night, while most sports fans in Denver were watching some guy named Tebow lead his team to another improbable comeback, I was at Magness Arena, watching the DU Pioneers knock off Conference USA’s Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, 59-52. Here’s my full 800 Games Project write-up of the game, over at the Mid-Majority. Excerpt:

Denver’s offense…showed flashes of brilliance that were rarities last season. … Rob Lewis was brilliant, reminding everyone why Denver missed him so much last year, as was sophomore Chris Udofia. Denver’s aggressiveness and ability to get points inside — against a bigger, more athletic team — was a welcome surprise, and one of the big stories of the game. The Pios were “only” 4-for-10 from #superhoop range, doing more of their scoring than usual from 2-point land and the free-throw line. …

Udofia and Lewis led the way with 23 and 15 points, respectively, including a number of beautiful layups resulting from excellent, well-executed offensive sets. … Udofia also produced the unquestioned play of the game, and probably of Denver’s young season, when he blocked a shot…then fielded a fast-break pass from Brett Olson (who had retrieved the ball after the block) and slammed it home for 2 points on the other end. As I tweeted immediately afterward: “OMG OMG OMG … CHRIS UDOFIA WITH THE #OMGSTUFFZ FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY THE #OMGDUNX that was awesome … Udofia block, fast break, gets ball back, dunks it. I present to the @ / @ community a new term… the #OMGSTUFFDUNX!” …

The victory was effectively sealed on a Pioneers offensive possession that started with 55 seconds to go, Denver up 5. Southern Miss chose not to foul, but tried instead to pressure the Pioneers into a turnover. Denver patiently played keep-away, but the signature moment came with 15 on the shot clock, when freshman O’Neale fielded a pass just outside the three-point line, and found himself staring at a completely empty path to the basket. It was an Ali Farokhmanesh moment, and you could tell he was sorely tempted to try for the “dagger” superhoop. (He was 2-for-4 from three-point land on the night.) But he literally shook his head no, as if settling the debate between the angel and devil on his shoulder, and instead passed the ball to Travis Hallam. Seconds later, Lewis got open under the basket, Hallam passed it to him for an easy layup with 5 on the shot clock, and it was a 57-50 game with 25 seconds left. Game, set, match, Red Line Upset.

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Read the whole thing.

Denver is now 3-0. The Pioneers’ next game is at home Wednesday against mid-major powerhouse St. Mary’s. Then they hit the road to face Cal, ranked in the Top 25 nationally, and Utah State, another mid-major power. It’s very possible DU will be 3-3 after those games, but even if so, this has been a very successful start to the season.

[Cross-posted from Mile High Mids.]

Pac 12 Power Rankings: Week 11

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Two more teams earn bowl spots, bringing the conference up to 6 eligible teams (7 if you include USC who are unable to go do to asinine NCAA sanctions). Who goes where is a much murkier picture. We know the game will be host by either Stanford or Oregon. Ducks only need one wni to earn their spot, Cardinal need them to lose both to take back 1st place in the north. The South is a bit messier. UCLA needs to finish ahead of ASU and Utah to go. A three way tie or a two way tie between the Bruins and Sun Devils means ASU goes. A tie between UCLA and Utah goes to Utah. Hopefully things will be a little clearer after this weekend.
1. Oregon (9-1, 7-0)
LW: 2
Oregon earned its spot atop the conference with a decisive win over Stanford. One more victory and they will host the innaugural Pac-12 championship game and be the favorite for the Rose Bowl berth.

2. Stanford (9-1, 7-1 Pac-12)
LW: 1
Stanford’s dream season upended by Oregon two years running. Defense was unable to stop Oregon’s ground game. Still a shot at the title if Oregon loses two and Cardinal beat Bears on Saturday. Win out and Fiesta Bowl berth also a possibility.

3. USC (8-2, 5-2)
LW: 3
Dominant win over Washington after dropping the last two to the Huskies on last second field goals. No bowl game? No problem for these Trojans. #KiffinHatersForKiffin

4. Utah (6-4, 3-4)
LW 7
Utes Capture third conference win in a row and bowl eligibility. Good turn around for a team that started out 0-4 in conference play. Games against WSU and Colorado remaining make an 8-4 season a very real possibility for the newbies.

5. Washington (6-4, 4-3)
LW: 4
No last minute heroics for the Huskies this time, the score wasn’t even close. Huskies have beaten ok and bad teams, but lost poorly to the top teams they have faced. Washington will need to finish strong to avoid a dissapointing end to what started as a promising season. Defense continues to be a problem, and O-line is not helping either.

6. Cal (6-4, 3-4)
LW: 8
Bears join the Utes in earning a bowl spot this week with win over struggling Oregon State team. Can Cal pull the upset in this years edition of the Big Game or will Stanford take out its frustrations on them following the Oregon loss?

7. UCLA (5-5, 4-3)
LW: 5
Bruins were unable to make it three in a row, losing soundly to Utah in a cold, windy game in Salt Lake City. Not exactly what the sons of Westwood are used to weather wise. One thing not cooling off is the hot seat Rick Neuheisal is sitting on. Bruins have two more shots to make the post season.

8. Washington State (4-6, 2-5)
LW: 11
Stunning upset and spectacular QB outting by freshman Connor Halliday. Win out and Cougs will be playing in the post season for first tiem in years, might even save Paul Wulff’s job if they are competitive in final games.

9. ASU (6-4, 4-3)
LW: 6
Turns out the UCLA loss wasn’t a fluke after all. Arizona State, once the Pac-12 South presumptive champion is in a free fall after a strong start. Giving up 500 yards through the air is a tough way to win football games. Maybe the frigid, snowy Pullman weather got to the Sun Devils.

10. Colorado (2-8, 0-6)
LW: 12
Another upset, Buffs climbing out of the cellar with win over Arizona and earning Colorado’s first Pac-12 victory. Arizona State is going to be pulling for another upset win for the Buffs over UCLA.

11. Oregon State (2-8, 2-5)
LW: 10
This season has been nothing short of a disaster for the Beavers starting with the opening weekend loss to Sacramento State. Only where to go from here is up, but likely not soon as the remaining games are against Washington and Oregon.

12. Arizona (2-8, 1-7)
LW: 9
Arizona didn’t just lose to Colorado, they lost bad. Wheatever spark they had in the UCLA game following former coach Mike Stoops firing has dissipated. Rivalry game tommorow and then non-conf matchup against Louisianna Lafeyette to end the season for the Wildcats who get to “enjoy” the bottom for while.

Pioneer Pulse is now Mile High Mids (and it’s on Tumblr)

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Although inevitably overshadowed by the excitement of college and pro football season, the horror of the child-rape and coverup calamity at Penn State, the seemingly endless drama of conference realignment, and the “nuclear winter” of the NBA, something wonderful has happened in the last week or so: college basketball season started. It actually tipped off on Monday, kicked into high gear Friday and Saturday, and is announcing its presence today with ESPN’s 24-hour marathon. Live chat here.

So, today seems like a good time to mention that I’m not continuing Pioneer Pulse this season. Instead, I’ve started up a new Tumblr blog, Mile High Mids, where I’ll be blogging about both Denver and Northern Colorado hoops (and occasionally about other mid-majors and basketball-related topics). I will probably cross-post or link MHM posts here on the LRT occasionally, but generally I decided to keep the blogs separate, in part because it’s technically easier, and in part because this blog has become so quasi-dormant that it would be completely overrun by basketball from November through March if I blogged about hoops here. Anyway, in addition to the new blog, my @PioneerPulse Twitter account is now @MileHighMids. So follow me there if you like college hoops, and bookmark Mile High Mids.

By the way… Denver is 2-0. Yay!

Homemade Laundry Soap

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Homemade laundry soap is wonderful if you’re frugal and/or if you have eczema. Compared to about $.14/load for something like All Free and Clear, you can make your own soap for less than $.01/load. And unlike many other so-called easy, frugal solutions, this one rates low for the pain-in-the-ass factor.

You need four things to make your own soap: a 5-gallon bucket, washing soda, borax and Fels Naptha soap. You can also use Zote soap or something equivalent.

Grate the Fels Naptha and put it in a saucepan.

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BlogCon attendees for Obama: an army of one

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If anyone else in Denver feels a disturbance in the Force this evening, it’s probably caused by the arrival of a bunch of conservative bloggers and tweeters from around the nation, descending on our fair city for BlogCon 2011, a two-day conference sponsored by the Tea Party-supporting political group FreedomWorks.

A bunch of long-time online friends and acquaintances who I’ve never met in person are coming to BlogCon, from my “blog wife” Melissa Clouthier, to voice-of-reason righty Matthias Shapiro, to the conservative twittersphere’s id, Kurt Schlichter, among many others. And so, because I wanted to meet all these people, I’m going too!

I may not share much politically with these folks, but I like a lot of them, and I think it’ll be fun to hang out and chat and network…plus, it was free to sign up…so I’m taking most of the day and attending BlogCon, where I’ll be the lonely liberal/left-centrist in a room full of conservatives. Occupy BlogCon! 🙂

Below, for posterity, a CoverItLive window importing all tweets from everyone on the official BlogCon Twitter list, plus any tweets using the hashtags #BlogCon, #BlogCon11, or #BlogCon2011.

NOTE: I previously referred to FreedomWorks as being “Koch-affiliated.” I now understand that’s not really true. The Koch Brothers founded FreedomWorks’ predecessor group, but then there was a schism over Koch funding, and some hard feelings remain. Anyway, FreedomWorks gets no Koch money, nor has any direct Koch ties. Doesn’t really matter to me, as a “Koch-agnostic.” The point is, it’s a conservative group. 🙂

Oh, and by the way… Happy 11/11/11!

Pac 12 Power Rankings: Week 10

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It was the last weekend for the much anticipated matchup between Stanford and Oregon, which will likely determine who goes to the Pac-12 title game and would be the presumptive favorite there as well. I struggled with some of the rankings this week due in part to UCLA’s upset of Arizona and Washington’s loss to Oregon. The Top 3 teams are clear, as well as the bottom 4, but there is some muddle in the middle. Ultimately I settled on the ranks below but they are far from set in stone. Good news for teh Pac-12 as well, with UCLA’s win over ASU, this weekends UCLA/Utah match is gaurenteed to give the conference another bowl eligible team.

1. Stanford (9-0, 7-0 Pac-12)
LW: 1
Oregon States defense proved to be suprisingly stout in this game, shutting out the Cardinal in the first quarter and limiting them to only 38 points. In fact it was surprisingly close OSU trailed by only 4 points until Stanford pulled away late in the third quarter. The Cardinal will have to perform better on offense if they hope to beat the other Oregon school. On the other hand the defense did more than enough, limiting the Beavers to 13 points and only 33 rushing yards.

2. Oregon (8-1, 6-0)
LW: 2
Stanford’s offense wasn’t the only one that struggled relative to its usual results last weekend. Oregon was held to under 35 points for the first time since the season opening loss to LSU, and half those points were gift wrapped for the Ducks thanks to big Husky mistakes. Still the defense, like Stanford’s, was stout. Against Andrew Luck and the Cardinal on Saturday they will have to be if they hope to come away with a win.

3. USC (7-2, 4-2)
LW: 3
One week after the Trojan’s triple overtime loss to Stanford, the Trojan’s bounced back and then some, dominating beleagured Colorado in a 42-17 romp. Can Matt Barkley and co. break former Trojan coach Steve Sarkisians run of two against his former team? My guess is yes, the Trojans aren’t battling the same second half sloppiness on D that helped the Huskies win games the past two years. Any other season and we’d be looking forward to seeing this USC team in the Pac-12 championship game.

4. Washington (6-3, 4-2)
LW: 5
How do you move a team up after a loss, especially one in which the offense played so poorly? It was a tough call. The gap between 3 and 4 is huge at the moment in my mind, but I still think the Huskies are one of the best mid-tier Pac-12 teams right now. More on that below. The Huskies need to bounce back from that offensive egg they laid in the final home game in Husky Stadium until 2013 if they hope to have a chance of threepeating against USC this weekend.

5. UCLA (5-4, 4-2)
LW: 7
Like a lot of people I’d written off the Bruins as dead, but they have shown an impressive fortitude in bouncing back after the blowout loss to Arizona. I still think they Huskies are better than the Bruins, hence the 4-5 ranking of the two, but i’m giving UCLA the nod over ASU this week even though its probable that the Sun Devils would win that game more often than not.

6. ASU (6-3, 4-2)
LW: 4
ASU went from controlling its own destiny to need the Bruins to drop a couple down the stretch if they hope to make it to the Pac-12 title game this year. A surprising upset for a team many felt would have a breakout year. Still plenty of time to bounce back, and a game against tumbling Washington State provides the perfect opportunity to do so.

7. Utah (5-4, 2-4)
LW 6
The Utes picked up their second conference victory and are one win away from being bowl eligible. Utah was able to capitalize on three Arizona turnovers to pull ahead early and stay ahead in this Pac-12 south matchup. An 8-4 finish is very doable for the youngest members of the Pac-12, but first up a surprising UCLA team.

8. Cal (5-4, 2-4)
LW: 9
In a must win game if the bears were to have a good chance at making the post-season the Bears were dominant. Now they need to continue to play as well against Oregon State this weekend. Win and they reach 6 and bowl eligibilty, which given the record of the rest of the Pac-12 plus USC’s bowl ban, all but gaurentees a spot in a Pac-12 affiliated bowl game.

9. Arizona (2-7, 1-6)
LW: 8
Arizona meanwhile is out of the race for post season play after a loss to Utah. Three turnovers, two of them INT’s by the otherwise impressive Nick Foles set the Wildcats up for failure. All thats left is to play for pride. Losing to Colorado on Saturday would be a kick in the gut to this allready reeling program.

10. Oregon State (2-7, 2-4)
LW: 11
Oegon Sate too will be staying home for the holidays, the loss to Stanford, although surprisingly competitive until late is still a loss and the Beavers are staring straight into the face of a 2-10 season with final games against Cal, Washington and Oregon.

11. Washington State (3-5, 1-4)
LW: 10
Paul Wulff says that he inherited the worst BCS team in the country when he bacame coach, and he may be right, but that was four season ago and with the Cougars on course to a 3-9 finish on the year all he can console himself with is the knowledge that the program is better than where he found it. But better and good enough aren’t the same thing. Short of a miracle 3-0 final run, its fairly safe to say we are seeing the last days of Wulff as the Cougars head man.

12. Colorado (1-8, 0-5)
LW: 12
Another week, another blow out loss by the Buffs. Colorado’s best chance to climb out of the bottom of this list and notch another conference victory is this weekend with a game against Arizona, but its not a great chance. Colorado is just no that good.

What a Mess. Thoughts on Penn State

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In the last few years as a Penn State fan, I had one main fear: that somehow, Joe Paterno’s tenure at Penn State University would end in ignomy. Penn State fans like myself had prided themselves on the lack of scandal at the program: seemingly the last football program without one. It seemed too good to last. And as Paterno’s role at Penn State changed from intimate involvement to overseer, I feared that something would escape him, a scandal that he would fail to notice would envelop the program, forever tarnishing the legacy a man who had done many great things for Penn State and college football.

I am saddened to discover that my fears have come true. And this isn’t a “scandal” in the lame NCAA sense, where some kids drove cars around when they shouldn’t have because the NCAA has stupid rules. No, this scandal is the worst thing ever to happen to a college football program. We’ve all been shocked and saddened by the allegations that young boys were molested by a former Penn State coordinator. The crimes are heinous. And the repercussions are only beginning.

Many columnists have written what they think should happen to those who let this abhorrent crime continue on their watch. And I had opinions on it as well. But those are moot now, for Paterno has been fired. The post-Paterno world that all Penn State fans knew was coming is here. In a way that even the most pessimistic believed was impossible.

I’m saddened. Saddened because of what happened to so many young boys. Saddened that more wasn’t done to prevent this. And also saddened that Paterno’s legacy will be remembered this way. Saddened that people will forget what he contributed to education, to civil rights, to the community of State College, PA.

A tweet from the Macworld writer Jason Snell says it well: “It’s a crying shame that this is how Joe Paterno’s career ends. But it had to be done, and he brought it on himself.”

Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week 9

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The best Pac-12 game of the season to date, two more teams earn bowl eligibility, a couple of upsets and the first week all 12 teams played since week 2. On to this weeks quick rankings before tonight’s Pac-12 showdown between USC and Colorado.

1. Stanford (8-0, 6-0 Pac-12)
LW: 1
It was an epic matchup between the Cardinal and the Trojans, a thrilling triple overtime battle that ended in Stanfords favor to preserve their perfect season and potentially a shot at the National Championship Game. Oregon still to come however. This week a gimme against Oregon State.

2. Oregon (7-1, 5-0)
LW: 2
After a nearly flawless performance against Colorado the Ducks looked far from perfect in this matchup against a mediocre Washington State even with the return of LaMichael James and Darron Thomas. Perhaps looking ahead to this weekends game agaisnt bitter rival Washington?

3. USC (6-2, 3-2)
LW: 3
Trojans were THIS close to pulling the upset, but a costly fumble in the third overtime ended their efforts. Probably the best USC has played all season. Look for them to win easily at Colorado tonight.

4. ASU (6-2, 4-1)
LW: 4
Nothing but smooth sailing for the Sun Devils who rolled Colorado. A win over UCLA secures them a spot in the Pac-12 championship game, likely against Stanford or a rematch with Oregon. Regardless, the Sun Devils are going bowling after notching their 6th win.

5. Washington (6-2, 4-1)
LW: 5
An exciting game against a surprisingly competitive Arizona team, but improved defense and a standout performance by Husky RB Chris Polk, who became the first Husky to gain over 100 yards in both rushing AND reciving in a single game, proppeled the Dawgs to victory and bowl eligibility. A far cry from the 0-12 team of 2008. Did I mention Chris Polk’s 5 TD’s?

6. Utah (4-4, 1-4)
LW9
Congrats to the Utes on their first Pac-12 conference win and taking another step towards post-season play. With four games remaining against the Pac-12’s mediocre to bad bottom half the Utes might end up 8-4 by seasons end, but 6-6 should be a gimmee. Don’t go Cougin it now newbs.

7. UCLA (4-4, 2-3)
LW: 10
They get knocked down, they get up again, the Bruins are yo-yoing through this season. Will they make a bowl, perhaps saving Rich Neuheisals job or are the Westwood faithful fed up with watching their teams mediocrity year after year despite numerous talented players. I’d say short of a season ending victory over USC, this is a team looking for a new coach for next year. For now though, enjoy the 7 spot Bruins.

8. Arizona (2-6, 1-5)
LW: 8
For about 3 quarters the Wildcats played up to the Huskies level, especially on offense, but injuries and physical play from the Dawgs wore them out and the final quarter of the game turned out to be too much for Arizona. Wildcats may pull of a win at home vs Utah and will certainly win against Colorado, but I think there is little chance they win against ASU. Expect Arizona to pull up short at 5-7, cursing the week 5 loss to Oregon State that kept them out of a bowl game.

9. Cal (4-4, 1-4)
LW: 6
Bears dropped a much needed game against UCLA to fall back to .500 on the season. A loss to WSU this weekend would be devestating as it would mean the Bears need an upset win over Stanford, ASU or BOTH to reach a bowl game. Is it time for Tedford to be done?

11. Washington State (3-5, 1-4)
LW: 8
Cougars were surprisingly competitive against Oregon, in the game until late in the 3rd quarter. Even more surprising is how much closer the game could have been but for some key red zone misses by Wazzu. However even head man Paul Wulff has said the time for moral victories is long gone. WSU will probably be another team spending the holidays at home this year.

11. Oregon State (2-6, 2-3
LW: 7
You just notched your second win in a dominant offensive performance against WSU, and how do you follow it up? With a pathetic 8 points against Utah? Sorry Beavers but you’ve earned this spot. Lucky for you Colorado has all but locked up the bottom spot for the rest of the season. Beavers fans should just stat planning for next year.

12. Colorado (1-8, 0-5
LW: 12
Could the Buffs season get any worse? Probably not, but its also not going to get aany better. I see no reason to believe Colorado won’t lose out and spend the rest of the year at the bottom of this (and mnay other) lists. Tough road ahead for Coach Embree and company.

Pac 12 Power Rankings: Week 8

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A shake-up at the top of the BCS rankings could benefit the Pac-12, but there was plenty of shake-up to go around here at home too. Meanwhile, Larry Scott and the Pac-12 watch with amusement as the rest of the country is in the grips of the latest rounds of Conferencemageddon.

1. Stanford (7-0, 5-0 Pac-12)
LW: 1
The Cardinal made a strong statement on Saturday with their pummeling of the Huskies, the only team on their schedule so far who has a winning record. Stanford dominated on both sides of the ball, especially up front. As they continue moving through the meatier part of their schedule, the Cardinal can help themselves in the BCS standings with wins while hoping more teams at the top stumble. With games left against USC and Oregon, plus the Pac-12 championship game (likely against Arizona State), Stanford stands a reasonable shot at playing for the national title.

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