NittanyWhiteOut.com

Head on over!

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 17:55:00 +0000

I've been duplicating my posts from www.nittanywhiteout.com to here because there was a small technical problem with the Big 10 feed reader. But thanks to Sean it has been fixed and all is right with the world, so without further ado, everyone head over to

www.nittanywhiteout.com

Because this site is officially offline.

Off they go carrying the Big Ten banner!

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:08:00 +0000

Any win by a conference member only makes the collective league look stronger
as a whole. So suck up your petty differences and see the bigger picture.

Pryor chooses SEC beatdowns

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:09:00 +0000

For months we’ve been led to believe that we all had a chance. For months fan bases tried in vain to discover the intricate details for this 18 year old’s mind. Unfortunately, it was never as close as he made it out to be. It had been Ohio State all along.Since the highly anticipated news conference where Pryor famously decided not to decide. He cited his willingness to take trips to State College and Eugene as reasons for his indecision to a national audience. Since that fateful February 6th news conference? A trip on February 24th to Columbus, home of the Buckeyes for yet another trip this time with fellow Jordan Hall who was offered a scholarship on that visit. Props to Jim Tressel and his coaching staff for a great strategic play.

So its now official. Pryor is a Buckeye and Nittany Lion fans have the pure joy of welcoming Pryor into the White House for at least a year if not 2 during his collegiate career. If we don’t challenge him, we can be sure the SEC will lay a beating on him consistently in the bowl games.

Breaking down the Madness Part V

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:36:00 +0000

Part V of a multi-part series breaking down this year’s Madness.
Part I | Part II (East) | Part III (Midwest) | Part IV (West) | Part V (South)

SOUTH REGIONAL

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 Memphis	33-1	Conference USA	#16 UT Arlington	21-11	Southland
#8 Mississippi State	22-10	SEC	#9 Oregon	18-13	Pac 10
#5 Michigan State	25-8	Big Ten	#12 Temple	21-12	Atlantic 10
#4 Pittsburgh	26-9	Big East	#13 Oral Roberts	24-8	Summit League
#6 Marquette	24-9	Big East	#11 Kentucky	18-12	SEC
#3 Stanford	26-7	Pac 10	#14 Cornell	22-5	Ivy League
#7 Miami	22-10	ACC	#10 St. Mary’s	25-6	West Coast
#2 Texas	28-6	Big 12	#15 Austin Peay	24-10	Ohio Valley

In the Southern bracket we have the Spartans of Michigan State carrying the Big Ten banner into the tournament. Their opponent? The Temple Owls from the Atlantic 10. Unfortunately for the Spartans, it will be the Temple basketball team and not their hapless football team they will be facing. These two teams have faced each other three times since 1980 with Temple winning twice in 1998 and 1997. The only time they’ve met in the post season was in 2001 at the Georgia Dome with Michigan State prevailing 69-62. Spartan fans shouldn’t get all too excited with this matchup however. The Spartans are only 4-5 against teams in the top 50 and the Owls are sitting at #47 in the RPI. This in addition to the the upset prone nature of this year’s Spartan squad when they tend to play to their opponents level. How else can you explain losing to Penn State and scoring a dismal 36 in a loss to Iowa. They haven’t exactly stepped up to the plate against tough competition either when they fell to both Purdue, Indiana and Wisconsin to end the season when the Big Ten title was still up for grabs. But regardless, the Spartans will prevail over the Owls of Temple setting up a potential grind it out, physical matchup with the Pittsburgh Panthers.


Record	overall	25-8	21-12
	conference	13-7	14-5
	against tournament teams	4-5	3-4
Resume	RPI	15	47
	SOS	43	51
	Quality Wins	6	8
Team Stats per game	Points	71.3	72.6
	Turnovers	13.7	12.8
	Rebounds	41.1	35.5
	Free throw %	0.731	0.741
	3pt %	0.373	0.372
	Blocks	4.4	4.4

Breaking down the Madness Part IV

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:28:00 +0000

Part IV of a multi-part series breaking down this year’s Madness.
Part I | Part II (East) | Part III (Midwest) | Part IV (West)

WEST REGIONAL

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 UCLA	31-3	Pac 10	#16 Mississippi State	17-15	SWAC
#8 BYU	27-7	Mountain West	#9 Texas A&M	24-10	Big 12
#5 Drake	28-4	Missouri Valley	#12 Western Kentucky	27-6	Sun Belt
#4 Connecticut	24-7	Big East	#13 San Diego	21-13	West Coast
#6 Purdue	24-8	Big Ten	#11 Baylor	21-10	Big 12
#3 Xavier	27-6	Atlantic 10	#14 Georgia	17-16	SEC
#7 West Virginia	24-10	Big East	#10 Arizona	19-14	Pac 10
#2 Duke	27-5	ACC	#15 Belmont	25-8	Atlantic Sun

Representing the league in the West Regional we have one of the biggest surprises and youngest teams in the Big Ten. The Purdue Boilermakers far exceeded expectations being led by freshman forward sensation Robbie Hummel. Of the starting five, four are underclassmen with forward Nemanja Calasan the only junior exception. The Baylor Bears are led by junior guard Curtis Jerrells who pace the high scoring offense. The Bears have an advantage over the Boilermakers in depth with 3 point-threat guard LaceDarius Dunn and 7-foot shot-blocking center Mamadou Diene on reserve. But both these teams are balanced and able to put together a sweet 16 run. Unfortunately for the Bears, this is their first tournament appearance since 1988.


Record	overall	24-8	20-10
	conference	15-4	9-8
	against tournament teams	4-3	5-8
Resume	RPI	46	43
	SOS	114	49
	Quality Wins	5	7
Team Stats per game	Points	68.7	81.4
	Turnovers	12.9	12.6
	Rebounds	35.8	40.9
	Free throw %	0.706	0.742
	3pt %	0.37	0.382
	Blocks	4.3	4.4

Unfortunately for the Bears, they come limping into this contest having lost 6 of their last 10. Their last game prior to Selection Sunday? A loss to last place Colorado in the Big 12 tournament. Not exactly a hot streak to be playing upstart Purdue in their first round matchup. Baylor is one of those teams that literally live and die by the 3. The last team this reliant on the long range shots? Think Illinois the year they lost to North Carolina in the Championship game. So a cold spell could easily doom Baylor and turn their first round game into a nightmare. But this also gives them a good chance at an upset if the 3s begin falling. Look for a close contest between the Boilers and Bears but with Purdue prevailing in the last few minutes.

Breaking down the Madness Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:43:00 +0000

Part II of a multi-part series breaking down this year’s Madness.
Part I | Part II (East) | Part III (Midwest)

MIDWEST REGIONAL

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 Kansas	31-3	Big 12	#16 Portland State	23-9	Big Sky
#8 UNLV	26-7	MWC	#9 Kent State	28-6	MAC
#5 Clemson	24-9	ACC	#12 Villanova	20-12	Big East
#4 Vanderbilt	26-7	SEC	#13 Siena	22-10	Metro Atlantic
#6 USC	21-11	Pac 10	#11 Kansas State	20-11	Big 12
#3 Wisconsin	29-4	Big Ten	#14 Cal State Fullerton	25-8	Big West
#7 Gonzaga	25-7	West Coast	#10 Davidson	26-6	Southern Conference
#2 Georgetown	27-2	Big East	#15 UMBC	24-8	America East

One would assume that Wisconsin has the easiest route in the tournament by virtue of their high #3 seed. But while they might not have any trouble dispelling CS-Fullerton, they face a tough USC squad in the second round. If they make it past that, and thats a big IF, they face the winner of the Georgetown/Gonzaga matchup. That’s no easy feat either. While Wisconsin has probably one of the toughest routes to the Final Four, I’d pick them to make it the furthest as long as they execute their well renowned defense cooling down hot shooting teams like USC. A Wisconsin-Georgetown matchup between the Princeton offense and Wisconsin’s defense would be excruciating to watch, but would be a great matchup nonetheless.


Record	overall	29-4	23-8
	conference	19-2	15-4
	against tournament teams	6-4	1-2
Resume	RPI	11	79
	SOS	61	199
	Quality Wins	8	1
Team Stats per game	Points	67.3	82.6
	Turnovers	12.1	13.5
	Rebounds	38.3	39
	Free throw %	0.709	0.706
	3pt %	0.359	0.386
	Blocks	3.3	1.6

This is an easy game to predict. Wisconsin has a knack for slowing down fast-paced offenses. The only team this season to penetrate their famous defense was Purdue who beat the Badgers twice. But CS-Fullerton with an RPI of 79 and a strength of schedule of 199 is no match for Wisconsin with an RPI of 11 and a SOS of 61. For CS-Fullerton to even sniff victory in this first round, they must score at least 70. In conference play, Wisconsin has only managed to score more than 70 three times, two of them came in blowout wins against Penn State and the third coming against a dominating effort over Illinois. So, 70 would be a good benchmark for CS-Fullerton to aim for. Unfortunately for them, 70 against Wisconsin’s defense would be like running into a brick wall blindfolded. Mark it down. A blowout unwatchable game for the Badgers in Round 1.

Breaking down the Madness Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:26:00 +0000

Duplicate Post of the original version at www.nittanywhiteout.com
Check out our current blog here.

Part II of a multi-part series breaking down this year’s Madness.
Part I | Part II (East) | Part III (Midwest)

EAST REGIONAL

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 North Carolina	32-2	ACC	#16 Coppin State / Mt. St. Mary’s	16-20 / 18-14	MEAC / Northeast
#8 Indiana	25-7	Big Ten	#9 Arkansas	22-11	SEC
#5 Notre Dame	24-7	Big East	#12 George Mason	23-10	Colonial Athletic Association
#4 Washington State	24-8	Pac 10	#13 Winthrop	22-10	Big South
#6 Oklahoma	22-11	Big 12	#11 St. Joseph	21-12	Atlantic 10
#3 Louisville	24-7	Big East	#14 Boise State	25-8	WAC
#7 Butler	29-3	Horizon League	#10 South Alabama		Sun Belt
#2 Tennessee	29-4	SEC	#15 American	21-11	Patriot League

Lets start with the region with the top seed, North Carolina. Fortunately for the Tar Heels, they do not have to travel far from home playing only 20 miles from Chapel Hill. This in addition to the fact that the #1 seed has never lost a first round game, it does not bode well for Coppin State/ Mt. St. Mary’s. But here at NittanyWhiteOut we care little about the other conferences, especially the SEC so we’ll focus mainly on Indiana.

	Seed Favorites	Seed Underdogs
ACC	North Carolina
BIG 12	Oklahoma
BIG EAST	Notre Dame, Louisville
BIG TEN	Indiana
PAC 10	Washington State
SEC	Tennessee	Arkansas
mid majors	Butler	Coppin State/Mt. St. Mary’s, George Mason, Winthrop, St. Joseph, Boise State, South Alabama, American

Indiana will struggle just to get past its opening game with Arkansas who reached the SEC tournament final falling to eventual champion Georgia. Indiana lost to Penn State and Minnesota (middle of the pack Big Ten teams) entering the tournament. Though Indiana’s record and RPI are much stronger than Arkansas, don’t let those stats fool you. Since Kelvin Sanctions departure, Indiana posted a 3-3 record losing to Penn State and Minnesota to close out the regular season. Indiana’s record against teams in the RPI top-50? 3-5 which does not bode well for Hoosier fans considering Arkansas is sitting at #32 in the RPI.


Record	overall	25-7	22-11
	conference	14-5	11-8
	against tournament teams	4-5	6-6
Resume	RPI	23	32
	SOS	59	25
	percent	75.0	73.3
Team Stats per game	Points	75.1	73.6
	Turnovers	13.7	15.5
	Rebounds	40.8	39.5
	Free throw %	0.763	0.672
	3pt %	0.346	0.399
	Blocks	3.8	5.3

As for predictions for this game? Indiana is favored over the Razorbacks by an average of 1.5 and this will be a great 8-9 seed matchup. This Indiana team is good, very good. But they just haven’t been playing the same since the loss of their head coach. If they can simply get past the fact that he won’t be back and theres nothing they can do to bring him back, they will be able to run this Arkansas team out of town. More detailed breakdown of the matchup at The Hoosier Report for those interested. I will be rooting for the Big Ten teams to reach the Final Four. The committee made it just that much easier since they placed 1 Big Ten team in each region. So here’s to taking the first step and predicting a Hoosier victory over the Razorbacks. We’ll talk about the matchup with the Tar Heels when we cross that bridge.

Breaking down the Madness Part I

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:54:00 +0000

Duplicate Post of the original version at www.nittanywhiteout.com.
Check out our current blog here.

Its tough for teams to just get past the first round of the tournament, like them we had to
fight our way through groups of small children just to make it into Disneyland’s California Adventure Park.

The first round games are always the toughest. Mid majors take advantage of this round where a first round victory can propel a team deep into the tournament. Need proof?

It was in the first round last year where #11 Winthrop beat #6 Notre Dame and #11 VCU took down #6 Duke.

In 2006, 6 underdogs took advantage of the first round when #12 Texas A&M beat #5 Syracuse, #14 Northwestern State upset #3 Iowa, #10 NC State beat #7 California, #13 Bradley beat #4 Kansas, #11 George Mason upset #6 Michigan State and #11 Wisconsin-Milwaukee beat #6 Oklahoma.

In 2005, #12 Wisconsin-Milwaukee beat #5 Alabama, #11 UAB upset #6 LSU, #14 Bucknell beat #3 Kansas, #10 NC State upends #7 Charlotte and #13 Vermont beat #4 Syracuse.

So there is no doubt that the big players are most vulnerable in the first two rounds especially if they are playing sloppy and looking past their first round opposition. For the mid majors, getting to the second round is a major achievement in itself and that deadly combination have left stunned powers in their wake.

With that said, of this year’s first round games, the ACC faces the least opposition to the second round. This is credited more so to the high seeds awarded to the 4 ACC participants like #1 North Carolina, #2 Duke, #5 Clemson and #7 Miami. But they face 1 team from the Big 6 (Villanova) and 3 mid major teams (Play-In, Belmont and St. Mary’s). Not exactly a tough slate of opponents. So chalk up 4 ACC teams in the second round.

Of the Big 6 conferences, the Big Ten received the middle finger from the selection committee.

ACC season and tournament winner North Carolina received the top overall #1 seed,
Big 12 season and tournament winner Kansas received a #1 seed,
Big East season winner Georgetown received a #2 seed and surprise tournament winner Pittsburgh a #4 seed,
Pac 10 season and tournament winner received a #1 seed,
SEC season winner Tennessee received a #2 seed and surprise tournament winner Georgia a #14 seed,
the Big Ten regular season and tournament winner, Wisconsin? A #3 seed despite having beaten a #2 seed Texas (at Texas) and Georgia (the SEC tournament winner)

I guess winning the Big Ten just isn’t that tough anymore despite Texas the #2 seed having lost to both Michigan State as well as Texas. Tennessee another #2 seed? They lost to that very Texas team. I whole heartedly believe that the regular season champions from the Big 6 conferences should automatically receive a #1 or #2 seed considering there are 8 of them to hand out. But here is a breakdown of the caliber of opponents teams from the Big 6 have to face to get past the first round.

	ACC	BIG 12	BIG EAST	BIG TEN	PAC 10	SEC	mid major
ACC	–		1				3
BIG 12		–		1	1		4
BIG EAST	1		–		1	1	5
BIG TEN		1		–		1	2
PAC 10		1	1		–	1	3
SEC			1	1	1	–	3
mid major	3	4	5	2	3	3	5

Is it also safe to say the selection committee likes the Big East? The Big East picked up 8 seeds in the tournament (most out of any of the Big 6) and 7 of the 8 teams are seeded favorites with Villanova as the only exception.

	Bids	Seed Favorites	Seed Underdogs
ACC	4	4: Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, Miami
BIG 12	6	3: Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas	3: Kansas State, Texas A&M, Baylor
BIG EAST	8	7: Georgetown, Notre Dame, Louisville, Connecticut, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Marquette	1: Villanova
BIG TEN	4	4: Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan State
PAC 10	6	4: USC, Washington State, UCLA, Stanford	2: Arizona, Oregon
SEC	6	3: Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Mississippi State	3: Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky
mid majors	30	7: UNLV, Gonzaga, Butler, BYU, Drake, Xavier, Memphis	23: Portland State, Kent State, Siena, Cal State Fullerton, Davidson, UMBC, Coppin State/Mt. St. Mary’s, George Mason, St. Joseph, Boise State, South Alabama, American, Mississippi State, Western Kentucky, San Diego, Winthrop, Belmont, UT Arlington, Temple, Oral Roberts, Ivy League, St. Mary’s, Ohio Valley

‘Hanging Ten’ with March Madness So Cal style

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 06:02:00 +0000

Back from my much needed vacation to So Cal who would have thought so much could happen within a week.

First Penn State upsets then #17 ranked Indiana at home in overtime no less, then loses to the Illini in the Big Ten tournament, then Illinois goes on to make a run to the final of the tournament. If only we could have the first round game back.

And now Pryor has stirred up even more chaos by announcing that he is finally ready to announce.

Whats more, now banished ‘Michigan Man’, the coach of Stanford was apparently right when they discovered Michigan is as academically challenging as your local community college.

And on the day of my return? The NCAA announces their seeds and bracket for this year’s tournament.

So without further ado, heres a comparison of the best So Cal’s has to offer (pictures courtesy of Chris W. who was part our our entourage west) and the regional brackets.

Midwest Regional
Many would assume Wisconsin has the best chance out of the four Big Ten teams to make a deep run into the tournament due to their #3 seed, but like surfing, things are a lot harder than they look from a distance. When you are paddling out into the ocean, minute waves look ten feet tall and catching a good wave takes skill, determination and lots of luck. Wisconsin will need alot of luck just to make it out of this regional. Beating #14 CS-Fullerton will most likely bring a matchup with Pac 10, OJ Mayo led USC. If they even make it past USC, Georgetown will probably loom next and there is always Kansas to look forward to in this regional.

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 Kansas	31-3	Big 12	#16 Portland State	23-9	Big Sky
#8 UNLV	26-7	MWC	#9 Kent State	28-6	MAC
#5 Clemson	24-9	ACC	#12 Villanova	20-12	Big East
#4 Vanderbilt	26-7	SEC	#13 Siena	22-10	Metro Atlantic
#6 USC	21-11	Pac 10	#11 Kansas State	20-11	Big 12
#3 Wisconsin	29-4	Big Ten	#14 Cal State Fullerton	25-8	Big West
#7 Gonzaga	25-7	West Coast	#10 Davidson	26-6	Southern Conference
#2 Georgetown	27-2	Big East	#15 UMBC	24-8	America East

East Regional
In our Eastern corner, standing at 25-7, we have Indiana seeded #8 simply because they’ve been struggling since the departure of Coach Sanctions. In my honest opinion, if the Big Ten had its pick of the four teams they would most like to send to the tournament, I would have replaced Indiana with Ohio State. Hear me out before I am banned from the Hoosier state. Ohio State beat #15 Purdue, and #17 Michigan State to end the season before falling to the revenge minded Spartans in the tournament. Indiana on the other hand lost to Penn State (who did not even make the NIT) and Minnesota in the first round of the tournament, not exactly a ‘hot’ streak to walk into the tournament with. They face an Arkansas team that made the SEC final by beating #4 Tennessee and #18 Vanderbilt before falling to eventual tournament champion Georgia. So one teams regressing, the others rising, odds are Indiana will struggle to even make it out of the first round. Like Shamu at SeaWorld, Indiana is a trapped team. Their reward for beating a hot Arkansas team? A second round date with North Carolina the top seed in the entire tournament. At least Shamu gets a break now and again between shows, Indiana faces a non-stop gauntlet of a tournament.

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 North Carolina	32-2	ACC	#16 Coppin State / Mt. St. Mary’s	16-20 / 18-14	MEAC / Northeast
#8 Indiana	25-7	Big Ten	#9 Arkansas	22-11	SEC
#5 Notre Dame	24-7	Big East	#12 George Mason	23-10	Colonial Athletic Association
#4 Washington State	24-8	Pac 10	#13 Winthrop	22-10	Big South
#6 Oklahoma	22-11	Big 12	#11 St. Joseph	21-12	Atlantic 10
#3 Louisville	24-7	Big East	#14 Boise State	25-8	WAC
#7 Butler	29-3	Horizon League	#10 South Alabama		Sun Belt
#2 Tennessee	29-4	SEC	#15 American	21-11	Patriot League

West Regional
Anyone who has ridden the Tower of Terror in Disneyland knows the horror of being dropped repeatedly from a high altitude. The West Regional in our opinion is the toughest region of the tournament. Yes, many of the big hitters are all seeded in other regions, but the West is competitive across the board. The team with the worst record in this region? Georgia at 16 losses from the SEC. The very same Georgia that just won the SEC tournament. Then theres Purdue, surprise conference contenders from the Big Ten, UCLA beast from the West, UConn and everyone’s arch nemeses, Duke.

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 UCLA	31-3	Pac 10	#16 Mississippi State	17-15	SWAC
#8 BYU	27-7	Mountain West	#9 Texas A&M	24-10	Big 12
#5 Drake	28-4	Missouri Valley	#12 Western Kentucky	27-6	Sun Belt
#4 Connecticut	24-7	Big East	#13 San Diego	21-13	West Coast
#6 Purdue	24-8	Big Ten	#11 Baylor	21-10	Big 12
#3 Xavier	27-6	Atlantic 10	#14 Georgia	17-16	SEC
#7 West Virginia	24-10	Big East	#10 Arizona	19-14	Pac 10
#2 Duke	27-5	ACC	#15 Belmont	25-8	Atlantic Sun

South Regional
When the Hollywood sign began to deteriorate in the 1940s, the city of Los Angeles decided it was a landmark and should be repaired with the help of famous donors. The new and current sign was unveiled in 1978 on its 75th anniversary. But like the top seed of the South Regional, Memphis, this Southern California landmark is overrated. When you go 33-1 in Conference USA play, it means exactly as it sounds. Granted their early season victories over Georgetown, Arizona, and USC were nice, it is just so much easier to cruise through a mid major conference than it is to grind it out game in and game out. And whats even more ridiculous is the lack of big hitters to impede Memphis’ way to the Final Four in this conference. Texas as the #2 seed? The same Texas that lost to both Michigan State and Wisconsin was the best the selection committee could come up with to challenge Memphis. You would think after the Hawaii debacle that Memphis should be facing the toughest road to the Final Four by virtue of their ridiculous conference simply to see if they are worthy. More to come on this ridiculous obsession with Cinderella mid majors, but Memphis is simply not that invincible.

Team	Record	Conference	Team	Record	Conference
#1 Memphis	33-1	Conference USA	#16 UT Arlington	21-11	Southland
#8 Mississippi State	22-10	SEC	#9 Oregon	18-13	Pac 10
#5 Michigan State	25-8	Big Ten	#12 Temple	21-12	Atlantic 10
#4 Pittsburgh	26-9	Big East	#13 Oral Roberts	24-8	Summit League
#6 Marquette	24-9	Big East	#11 Kentucky	18-12	SEC
#3 Stanford	26-7	Pac 10	#14 Cornell	22-5	Ivy League
#7 Miami	22-10	ACC	#10 St. Mary’s	25-6	West Coast
#2 Texas	28-6	Big 12	#15 Austin Peay	24-10	Ohio Valley

Sun, Sand and Surf

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 20:43:00 +0000

We are officially now at www.nittanywhiteout.com so head on over there, but because the Big 10 blog feed reader is still not updated as of yet, we will duplicate posts here until it is fixed.

Sun, sand, sea and surf in LA. Can you imagine the Big Ten tournament at Staples?

Moving on up!

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 18:11:00 +0000

Eventually we all hope deep down inside we all improve ourselves, and fortunately for us here at NittanyWhiteOut, we have. We are saying goodbye to nittanywhiteout.blogspot.com and saying hello to nittanywhiteout.com

So for those of you loyal reader, I welcome you to the new site and hope it is the beginning of great things. But for now, we are now moving to our new address. Update your bookmarks, feedreaders, links, etc. For the glory!

Hope Finds a Way

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:52:00 +0000

Lions by the Numbers:

6,615,318.04 : dollars raised through THON this year demolishing last year's $5,240,385.17 record by $1,374,932.87
19,200 : bottles of Aquafina distributed throughout the dance marathon
1973 : year when the first official dance marathon began at Penn State, now the largest student run philathraphy in the world.
708 : dancers that participated in THON
46 : hours Penn State dancers had to stay awake and on their feet during THON this past weekend.
36 : 'th annual Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon held at the Bryce Jordan Center this past weekend
13 : Point lead the men's basketball team let slip away to the Golden Gophers in a 75-68 loss.
9 : game losing streak by the women's basketball team. The longest ever in Nittany Lion history
8 : runs by the softball team in their victory over Appalachian State
2 : The second ranked men's gymnastics team defeated #7 Ohio State by setting a season high score of 360.550

Just finished watching the Penn State-Iowa game at the bar tonight and boy am I depressed at our defense. The only reason why we won was because Iowa has a worse defense (which is saying quite a lot) than ours. There weren't even enough fans in the stands tonight to fill an AA meeting. But a wins a win. More on this to come tomorrow. I've been quite preoccupied lately and will get back to normal blogging in the following days.

A matchup for the ages...

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:32:00 +0000

This is it.
People waited, complained, fumed for weeks over this match up but the time has finally come for the two to face off.

Penn State vs. the crows

And you thought we were going to talk about some basketball game between the Coach Sanction led Hoosiers and Matt Painter's railroad crew.

But unfortunately for everyone else who does not live in Indiana, there is another battle raging of epic proportions.

Clumpy, well-smeared bird droppings are just about everywhere at the northeast corner of East College Avenue and South Allen Street.

They started to fall like a daily shower sometime early last month. For reasons unknown, hundreds of crows began roosting in the trees there at night.

So far, they haven’t stopped. But they have left their mark — slippery and wet under foot, streaked across public benches and street lamps, a foul topping for new-fallen snow.

So what is deal ol State going to do about these foul mannered rivals invading Happy Valley?

OPP crews for the past few weeks have used power washers to scrub the
sidewalks clean. They also deployed biological cleaning agents to “remove debris and reduce odor,” Ruskin said. Penn State’s pest-fighting contractor, Terminix, is expected to deploy a thermal fogger over several days. The device sounds like a leaf blower and pumps out a nontoxic fogging agent, Ruskin said. He said it won’t hurt the crows but that “we hope to annoy them enough that they go away.”

Is there a more toxic version we can place in front of the football offices and 'fog out' Jay Paterno? There you have it, either Penn State will finally beat a pesky rival or we will continue to be held hostage by these beasts in the trees.

Before I go, I'm actually going to throw my premature support in favor of Indiana between the two rivals tonight. First of all, Indiana could use a pick me up. The Spartan win was good, but a win tonight means so much more. If Indiana manages to put away the Boilermakers late in the fourth, the Hoosier faithful will roar their approval to epic proportions if only just to vent off all the frustration they have felt over the past two weeks. I'm talking when Duke last played at Assembly Hall loud. I've visited Assembly Hall last year for the final home game against Penn State last year and the venue and its fans are a sight to behold. Unlike Michigan Stadium's uppity full of themselves fans, or the hell hounds of Ohio State, Indiana fans treated us with respect and even laughed when we tried to be rowdy. There's just no price you can put on classy fans these days. So for that, I have become a Hoosier fan second to Penn State and I shall be rooting for them to beat the Boilers tonight and carry the Big Ten's banner into the tournament.

B10 Bloggers Basketball Power Poll: Week 7

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 22:47:00 +0000

	Team	Record (Conference)	Explanation
1	Purdue	21-5 (12-1)	They just keep on winning, its almost amazing. There is that big showdown at Indiana (#2) coming up this week though. Winner of of the IU-PU rivalry will probably determine Big Ten champion. Purdue gets the nod over the Hoosiers this week because they managed to beat the Badgers who in turn beat the Hoosiers.
2	Indiana	21-4 (10-2)	Indiana is a good team. Their dismantaling of the Spartans (#4) during a chaotic period in Hoosierland clearly proves it. But Michigan State also lost to Iowa (#6) and Penn State (#9) so how good are they exactly?
3	Wisconsin	21-4 (11-2)	Wisconsin managed to beat Indiana, but it was off of a Brian Butch game winning 3 so it exactly isn't a telling sign of their ability to beat the Hoosiers 9 out of 10 times. Indiana did blow out Michigan State at home and that is why they get the nod over the Badgers.
4	Michigan State	20-5 (8-4)	Michigan State is on a slippery slope downhill with 2 loses this week to Purdue (#1) and Indiana (#2). With Penn State up next at home however, they will easily get back on track. Can the Lions pull off a bigger upset of the Spartans in East Lansing?
5	Ohio State	17-9 (8-5)	Ohio State is and continues to be on the tournament bubble but the loss to Michigan was crippling. The Big Ten looks to be a 5 bid tournament conference at best and Ohio State continues to provide reasons to critics as to why only 4 should qualify.
6	Iowa	11-15 (4-9)	Iowa marks the start of the 'bad' tier of teams from the Big Ten. 2 losses this week to Minnesota (#7) and Michigan (#8) does not exactly scream NIT tournament worthy either.
7	Minnesota	15-9 (5-7)	Minnesota beats Penn State (#9), Penn State beats Illinois (#10), Illinois destroys Minnesota by 24. How exactly can we begin to rank teams at this point.
8	Michigan	8-17 (4-9)	Michigan gets the #8 spot for their upset of the Buckeyes and having beat Penn State earlier in the season.
9	Penn State	12-12 (4-8)	Penn State gets a 1 point win against the Illini. The last time the Lions swept the Fighting Illini in one season? Never since their inception into the Big Ten. Their week gets tougher with games @ Michigan State (#4), and @ Minnesota (#7).
10	Illinois	11-15 (3-10)	They beat Minnesota by 24 then they lose to the Lions by 1. Go figure.
11	Northwestern	7-16 (0-12)	Utterly hopeless...

BTB Roundtable... Recruiting Bonanza

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Lions by the Numbers:

14 : consecutive wins by the #2 men's volleyball team after beating Princeton 3-0 on Saturday to remain undefeated
9 : out of 10 bouts won by the #9 wrestling team against Purdue in their last home match of the season
7 : game losing streak by the Lady Lions; the longest in Penn State history. What do we expect when we take coaches from the Irish
6 : goal difference in the 2 wins by the Penn State Icers over Navy and Delaware
1 : First time the mighty Fighting Illini have been swept by the Lions in basketball

1. As a general question, evaluate your recruiting class. Is it more or less what you expected, were you pleasantly surprised or horribly, horribly disappointed? Were your team's needs adequately addressed or will you be starting a two star running back at center next year?

First off, Penn State hasn't had a recruiting class with less than 15 commits since 2001 when they had 11. This year we hauled in 14 with a potential jewel of a 15th in Pryor so I am satisfied but not excited with this year's recruiting class.
I would have definitely preferred a few more wide receivers seeing as we lose Williams and Butler to graduation and/or NFL next year, but with the limited amount of scholarships we could have offered this year, we got what essentially were the basics. Great linebackers and a decent running back in Brandon Beachum will carry Penn State a long way in the following years.

2. Who were the big catches in your recruiting class? Name two players matriculating to your school whose existence everyone else in the Big Ten will curse for the next four years.

Michael Mauti will make his mark in the linebacking lore of Penn State. And it would be a lie to say Big Ten coaches haven't had nightmares of Penn State linebackers since their inception into the conference. Mauti will simply be another name they will curse the night before playing Penn State. It was simply shocking to see that Penn State actually recruited Mauti from Louisiana considering our track record with Southern recruits NOT from Florida. But Mauti actually turned some heads when he played in the US Army All-American game.

A second would be Jack Crawford. Penn State has always been adequate in developing defensive ends and with 4.5 speed, Jack Crawford should be a beast coming around the corner flushing quarterbacks out of the pocket. With offers from Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan, Rutgers and Boston College, Crawford was a good steal out of New Jersey.

3. You can't win them all. Maybe some slick talking carpetbagger schmoozed his way into your living room, sold you a set of ginzu knives made out of tin foil, and walked off with your wife and your star recruit. Perhaps an in-state lock who grew up with [Insert University Here] posters on his wall and your coach's face tattooed on his arm decided to go elsewhere for reasons no one seems to understand? Did your recruiting class lose someone big on signing day, who was it, and was your school able to yoink someone else to cover his loss?

This one's easy. The loss of Michael Shaw to Michigan hurt. More so than most Lion fans will admit. But with junior Evan Royster, sophomore Stephfon Green (an all star recruit last year), and junior Brent Carter waiting for their turn, Penn State should be set at the position for next year, but the loss of a big name, highly ranked recruit always hurts.

But surprisingly the biggest recruit we lost out on simply because we didn't go all out on this kid was Darrel Scott. This might seem contradictory seeing as I just mentioned that we are not desperate for a running back recruit, but a 4.4, 200 pound running back who scored 45 touchdowns his junior year is always good for any program. He was actually considering Penn State in addition to his final two choices of Colorado and Texas, but as usual Penn State rarely puts forth any effort in recruiting out of the Northeastern zone and we fell out of his radar rather quickly.

4. There's been a spirited debate about this whole "Coaches' Code" among the members of the Big Ten coaching fraternity. Do you believe this exists or is it a line being floated by the guys who couldn't keep their recruiting classes together? Bonus points for declaring your coach a poacher or a poachee in creative fashion!

I made it clear how I felt about Rich Rod in a recent post for stealing 2 recruits from fellow conference members and was simply dismissed as sour grapes by fellow bloggers. But lets face it, stealing recruits from conference members is in fact much worse than taking them away from other schools out-of-conference. Why? Because these are the same people you have to meet, greet and hang out with annually and more often than once. Its like the idea of not taking a shit where you sleep. But Brian at Mgoblog pointed out instances where coaches have 'stolen' recruits and I'd like to note that all of Penn States' steals have been from out-of-conference rivals so at least Joe Paterno can look at his fellow conference coaches in the face at the Big Ten banquet without his peers feeling the need to punch his face in. What Michigan fans point out is true, anything goes when it comes to recruiting, but there is indeed an honor code which has in turn been translated into 'coaches code' between Big Ten coaches. This is the same honor code that coaches honor when they punt the ball being up by at least 2 possessions and begin running the ball when they're up by a bit in the fourth. Its not a written contract, its just a show of respect. Rich Rod obviously did not get the memo when he fled West Virginia in the dead of the night, a classic move by a classy guy.

5. Finally, who's the slickest, smoovest, most Billy Dee Williamsesque recruiter in the Big Ten? Who's the worst, most incompetent, "trip over the flat tire on his Yugo" recruiter in the Big Ten?

The slickest has to be Jim Tressel. Do not tell me winning the Big Ten recruiting wars 3 years running is not a testament to his ability to recruit. Yes the 2 national title trips have helped, but he needed recruits to get him there, and he obviously got them prior to the last 2 title debacles. With two title trips in 2 years now on his resume, the only way he could possibly elevate his ability to recruit is if he rolled up in an Aston martin.

On the opposite end of the spectrum has to be (drumroll...) Kirk Frentz. Yes, he gets the most out of his recruits, but after a successful few years in the early years of this century, he was still unable to keep the momentum going. And you can't tell me Iowa is a much harder place to ask football players to attend than Illinois, frigid Minnesota and Northwestern. Yet those coaches seem to haul in a few big name recruits while Iowa just seemed to have plateaued. Hell even Iowa State is doing better than Iowa.

When you sell your soul to the devil...

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:56:00 +0000

You've got to feel bad for the Indiana basketball program. Penn State fans have never been accused of, or even mentioned in the same breath as any violations minor or major, but Indiana basketball deserves so much better. When they forced Mike Davis out the door in 2006, Indiana basically sold their soul to the devil. Mike Davis was a man of integrity and character but in the end, those did not translate into wins and Hoosier nation had enough of mediocrity.

Instead of promoting from within the program, the Hoosiers were desperate for a man to bring quick success to a once proud program. They took a risk in hiring Kelvin Sampson from Oklahoma where he guided the Sooner program to eight 20-win seasons and 10 NCAA appearances. Kelvin Sampson had no ties to the tradition rich Hoosier basketball program, and his hire screamed desperation by Indiana University. Unfortunately Kelvin Sampson was already in trouble with the NCAA for breaking the rules during his time at Oklahoma. By hiring Sampson, Indiana was clearly more desperate than they should have been.

Now they are suffering the consequences. Kelvin Sampson is a serial rule breaker and can't weasel his way out of this one. I take no pleasure in the beaten state of the Hoosier program, but I do feel a 'I told you so' is on order. I was not happy with the way they forced out Mike Davis simply because he wasn't winning as much. Coincidently his forced resignation came the day after losing at Penn State in 2006, giving the impression that it was such a low point in Indiana basketball that he could no longer continue coaching.

Penn State's Ed DeChellis has never been associated with winning, but he will never be accused of any NCAA violations during his tenure here simply because he represents the Penn State way. Joe Paterno might not be winning like he used to, but he too will never be accused of any violations as long as he is the head of the football program.

So the question now, is it worth the risk to go after a shady character of a coach simply for the wins and risk embarrassing your athletic program or continue to accept mediocrity as long as integrity is involved? Indiana clearly made its choice of the former by hiring Kelvin Sanctions from Oklahoma when they could have gone with a safer choice. But Kelvin Sampson was a winner, his record guaranteed it and Indiana was so starved for wins that nothing else could stand in its way. With Kelvin Sampson's firing imminent, where does Indiana go from here?

More importantly, with all the talk about Joe Paterno's retirement, how does Penn State learn from this Indiana fiasco. There is no doubt Penn State is starved for another title shot, any title shot, but are we as a fan willing to go to the depths of hell and give away our soul simply for a coach who will do everything at any cost to get us back there? Or do we stick to tradition and promote from within, most likely Galen Hall or Tom Bradley. Both are exceptional assistant coaches, but if we can't get to a title game with them already on the staff, what are the odds we will once they take over? Its time for Penn State to make their decision, and lets hope we don't pull an Indiana on this one.

Let it snow, let it snow

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 03:21:00 +0000

We've been getting snow and lots of it here at State College the last couple of days. And when you mix snow, lots of snow and Penn State you get:

Penn State students know how to deal with snow

in-bred trash from the backwards state of West Virginia

In a recent post, I managed to make mention of the state of West Virginia in referring to the backhanded ways of Rich Rod, the state's native son. The way I made mention of the state however, was intended to be more descriptive of the dirty man himself, but in a vent of fury, tossed the entire state into the blender. That was clearly not a fair assessment on my part and the state deserves better than such whimsical criticism or to be associated any longer with a man like Rich Rod.

Congratulations to Purdue for beating the Spartans. I was at the Penn State upset of the Spartans a few weeks ago, and they seemed to have the same bewildered look at the end of the game when they slowly lost control. This Michigan State team won't be making it deep into the tournament this year but I fear that Purdue won't either. I'm glad they are doing really well this year in the Big Ten, but their youth will show come tournament time when they face good quality teams day in and day out in grind it out matches. But I'll still be rooting for the Big Ten as always come March. (Explains why I never win the betting pool).

Did everyone already forget?

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:51:00 +0000

In 1987, Southern Methodist University, a WAC conference team was handed the NCAA 'death penalty' because 21 players received approximately $61,000 in cash payments from a booster while they were on probation for another violation. The penalty was downright shocking. A loss of 55 new scholarships over 4 years, loss of 3 coaching positions for 2 years, cancellation of the 1987 season and a limit of only 7 games (all on the road) for the 88' season, and a 2 year bowl, TV ban. The consequences of the penalty was so severe that the school voluntarily canceled the 88' season as a lost cause.

Now fast forward to 2008. 21 years after the dreaded SMU 'death penalty', the NCAA is faced with yet another possible headache. After an eight month investigation by Yahoo! Sports, it has been revealed that USC Heisman winning running back Reggie Bush has been receiving improper benefits during the 2 years he attended the university, 1 of which when they won the national championship. This was not one isolated incident where Reggie Bush was given money, but a 2 year long history of improper benefits for Reggie as well as his immediate family members. Documented records show:

$595.20 in round-trip airfare from San Diego to Oakland in November 2005 for Bush's stepfather, LaMar Griffin, his mother, Denise Griffin and younger brother to attend the USC-California game at Berkeley. The fees were charged to the credit card of Jamie Fritz, an employee of Ornstein. The document detailing the charges was provided by Lee Pfeifer, an estranged business associate of Ornstein's.
$250.65 for limousine transportation from the Oakland airport to the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco that November weekend for the Bush family, charged to Fritz, according to a document. Ornstein acknowledged both he and Bush's family stayed at the luxury hotel.
Suits for Bush's stepfather and brother to wear during the Dec. 10, 2005 Heisman ceremony in New York, a makeover for his mother for the event and limousine transportation;
Weekly payments of at least $1,500 to the Bush family.
$623.63 for a hotel stay by Bush at the Venetian Resort & Casino in Las Vegas from March 11-13, 2005, charged to Michaels, according to a document signed by Bush.
$1,574.86 for a stay by Bush at the Manchester Hyatt in San Diego from March 4-6, 2005, paid for by Michaels, according to a hotel document, a hotel employee and a source.
Approximately $13,000 to Bush from New Era to purchase and modify a car, three sources said.
As reported by Yahoo! Sports in April, $54,000 in rent-free living for a year at Michaels' $757,500 home in Spring Valley, Calif., according to Michaels and San Diego attorney Brian Watkins.
Also from previous Yahoo! reports, $28,000 from Michaels to help Bush's family settle pre-existing debt, according to Michaels and Watkins.
Thousands of dollars in spending money to both Bush and his family from the prospective agents, according to multiple sources.

So why the hold up? This has been in the news and even redocumented in the book 'Tarnished Heisman' in even greater detail and Reggie Bush still cannot be forced to talk. The NCAA isn't exactly a beacon of consistency when it comes to handing out sanctions for similar crimes which is also why the outcry of anger from fans across the country alleging bias by the NCAA towards USC and protecting their modern dynasty. Such allegations may actually be based on some truth.

In 1989, Oklahoma State was levied with a 2 year TV ban, 3 year bowl ban, and loss of 5 new scholarships for 3 years for 1 athlete receiving cash payments and a sports car at no cost during his first 2 years with the team.

Then in 1996, Florida State was given no sanctions when players were taken by prospective agents on a documented $6000 shopping spree at Foot Locker including dinner outings and small cash payments. The difference? The NCAA found little evidence of the school's knowledge or participation during the violations.

Well that makes sense, Florida State knew nothing of the violations when they happened if they found no evidence of it many of you will say. Well, in USC's case, it is well known that sports agents wander Heritage Hall where USC's athletics offices are located:

according to a Los Angeles Times story that documented the rampant presence of agents at USC during the 2005 season.

In January, according to the Times, USC offensive line coach Pat Ruel surveyed the lobby outside the football offices and saw more than a dozen unfamiliar faces.

Furthermore, sources told Yahoo! Sports that representatives of a fledging marketing firm from which Bush and his family allegedly received improper benefits were allowed in the USC locker room during the 2005 season.

Sources also said USC running backs coach Todd McNair knew of Bush's involvement with the marketing firm before last season's national championship game against Texas.

So once again I ask. WHAT's THE HOLDUP?

NCAA by-law 12.3.1.2 states that an athlete shall be deemed ineligible if he or she accepts benefits from agents or marketing representatives. The rule further states that student-athletes, their family or friends cannot receive benefits or loans from agents. Additionally, NCAA by-law 12.1.2.1.6 states that athletes cannot receive preferential treatment, benefits or services because of the individual's athletics reputation or skill or pay-back potential as a professional athlete, unless such treatment, benefits or services are specifically permitted under NCAA legislation.

The rules are clear, there is obviously financial records available if Yahoo! Sports can find them, how is the NCAA unable to find sufficient evidence of wrongdoing? I am not rooting for the death penalty (though because they are not already under probation, it does not apply), but I am asking for a fair sanction, any sanction to be handed down. Why should anyone be bent up over something that happened a few years ago? Because while everyone had to win by the rules, USC reaped the benefits of an athlete being pampered and basically paid during his years at USC. He may single handedly be the reason why they won some of the games they did, Fresno State 05', Notre Dame 05', etc. So while everyone was running the marathon in their standard sneakers, USC took a taxi to the finish line. So you better bet that I'm pissed and want blood.

Rich Rod is a traitor and a snake

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:05:00 +0000

Whatever happened to respect and just common courtesy?

SEC

Recruit	Original Verbal	Signed LOI with	Head Coach
Enrique Davis	Auburn	Ole Miss	Houston Nutt
Joe Adams	USC (Pac 10)	Arkansas	Bobby Petrino
Brian Christopher	Texas Tech (Big 12)	Arkansas	Bobby Petrino

Big Ten

Recruit	Original Verbal	Signed LOI with	Head Coach
Keith Wells	Florida State (ACC)	Ohio State	Jim Tressel
Michael Shaw	Penn State	Michigan	Rich Rodriguez
Roy Roundtree	Purdue	Michigan	Rich Rodriguez
Ricky Barnum	Florida (SEC)	Michigan	Rich Rodriguez
Patrick Omameh		Michigan	Rich Rodriguez

Big East

Recruit	Original Verbal	Signed LOI with	Head Coach
Antonio Wilson	Vanderbilt (SEC)	Georgia Tech	Paul Johnson

ACC

Recruit	Original Verbal	Signed LOI with	Head Coach
Ramon Buchanan	Florida (SEC)	Miami	Randy Shannon
Dwyane Allen	Georgia (SEC)	Clemson	Tommy Bowden
Lee Butler	Georgia Tech	Duke	David Cutcliffe
Christian Wilson	Michigan (Big Ten)	North Carolina	Butch Davis

Big 12

Recruit	Original Verbal	Signed LOI with	Head Coach
Brandon Garrett	Oklahoma State	Baylor	Art Briles
Sedric Johnson	Texas A&M	Iowa State	Gene Chizik

Pac 10

Recruit	Original Verbal	Signed LOI with	Head Coach
Jamaar Jarett	Oregon	Arizona State	Dennis Erickson
Uona Kaveinga	BYU	USC	Pete Carroll

From the stats compiled from Letter of Intent day, we can officially state that Rich Rod is a snake and has as much genuine respect for his state, his fellow coaches, and his former employers as a rusty doorknob. First of all, lets define 'stealing'. When a recruit verbals with a school and its made public through all the recruiting websites as well as common general knowledge, a coach can call them up, ask them if they're sure and leave it be.

"There has been an unspoken rule that if a guy commits and you've been recruiting him hard, you always call them up and say, 'Are you sure about this?' If he says, 'Yes,' you back off," Tiller told the Indianapolis Star - Joe Tiller

But what you get when you implant in-bred trash from the backwards state of West Virginia into what used to be a honor thy opponent but beat their asses when you play them conference, you get an astounding 4 de-commits running to Michigan. Stealing recruits from your own conference members was something of the Big 12 or SEC, apparently Rich Rod sees no problem in going after recruits that had an understanding with their originally schools. Wolverine fans might laugh and say "Whats the big deal, coaches chase recruits all the time before LOI day." Yeah, but when a kid verbals to a school, the school may keep in contact, but begins to move on with a gentleman's assurance that the recruit will not be pressured as heavily after the verbal. To go heavily after a recruit who has verbaled especially to a fellow conference member is like sleeping with your neighbor's wife.

Rich Rod's staff stole more de-commits by themselves than the entire conferences of the SEC, Big East, Big 12 and Pac 10. He can rest assured that the entire conference of the ACC with its 2 divisions have the same de-commits stolen as the great institution of Michigan. The Big 10 used to be 'the' conference that didn't dwell in petty jabs in press conferences, or back room dealings or even stealing recruits from one another. It seems like the ship has now been infested with rats and its only time before everyone else in the conference might have to purge themselves of the problem once and for all. I wouldn't be surprised if Rich Rod DID shred documents on his way out of directional Virginia just out of spite. He is a sleazy, tell-you-whatever-you-want-to-hear type of guy and I'm glad Pryor was never considering them. By pushing back the announcement, Wolverine fans can rest assured that Pryor has officially pushed them back into third.

I look forward to Ohio State, Purdue, Penn State, Wisconsin and Minnesota giving them lots of hell in their transition years to that gimmicky works-in-the-no-defense Big East offense. I hope he loses that lawsuit of his against West Virginia and decades of futility against their bigger brother down south, Ohio State. I am more angry that this is the start of things to come in the following years than actually losing a recruit to the Wolverines. This behavior is unacceptable in the Big Ten and Rich Rod's word is as good as the paper I wipe my ass with.

Sufficient, but Not spectacular haul

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:22:00 +0000

Recruit	Position	Position Rank	Hometown
Brandon Beachum	LB/RB	4	Youngstown, OH
Michael Mauti	LB	16	Mandeville, LA
Mike Yanich	LB	17	Washington, PA
Mike Zordich	LB	7	Youngstown, OH
Jack Crawford	DE	26	Richland, NJ
D'Anton Lynn	DB	29	Celina, TX
Pete Massaro	DE	45	Newtown Square, PA
Deon'tae Pannell	OL	57	Birmingham, MI
Matt Stankiewitch	OL	6	Schuylkill Haven, PA
Mark Wedderburn	TE	17	Springfield, PA
A.J Price	WR	NR	Reston, VA
James Terry	DT	NR	Brandywine, DE
Mike Farrell	OL	NR	Pittsburgh, PA
Brandon Ware	DT	NR	Harrisburgh, PA

Only 14 recruits for the Nittany Lions today, with the prospect of Terrelle Pryor possibly joining this class. This class isn't reason for panic yet because the Lions are actually filled at the skill positions (WR/ QB/ RB/ LB). I was expecting the staff to pursue more wide receiver recruits this year seeing as most of our receiving corps will be lost to graduation and/or the draft next year. But unfortunately we only signed a 2-star recruit in A.J. Price.

The biggest shocker came from a verbal from Ohio, Michael Shaw who was supposed to be another gem in this year's limited class, but like the traitor Chad Henne, decided to commit to the Wolverines instead. Heres to hoping he gets planted into the ground often by Lion linebackers.

We tested with 'Live Blog' today at NittanyWhiteOut and it was a smashing success with participation beyond what I imagined. I'm glad to have them here and hope they visit often. But throughout the live blogging, the main area of concern was Terrelle Pryor's press conference held to announce that he will not announce. (Weird isn't it?) But basically he has thrown Penn State to the fore front of the competing schools and that he was basically going to be a Buckeye today if it had not been for his father who is pushing for Penn State. Theres nothing wrong with listening to your dad, Pryor!

But the second point of concern with this recruiting class is the lack of height in our receiving corps which is a legitimate concern seeing as we don't have Williams to depend on after next year. Overall it was great fun all around and may the Michael Shaw effigy burning begin!

I am sick so I'll comment more on the live blogging and our recruiting class in the near future.

LOI Live Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:03:00 +0000

Why the world doesn't need Pryor

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 05:18:00 +0000

Before I get into Pryor, I would like to thank Gopher Nation for picking our Power Poll this week as the most interesting read. I am insulted that we were deemed 'not exactly funny', but neither is supporting cancer , so I am fine with it.

With just under 24 hours to go, it almost feels as if the cities of Columbus, Ann Arbor, and State College are bidding for the summer Olympics and the announcement will be made tomorrow at noon. The fan bases will be thrilled, sending the winning town into a frenzy, and optimism for the next four years will never be higher.

EXCEPT, this is not a competition on any global scale, nor does it affect anyone outside of the Big Ten (except for possibly Oregon).

So what could possibly send hundreds of thousands of fans into a frenzy and leave thousands more in agony? The words of an 18 year old football player from Jeannette, Pennsylvania. Sounds kind of ridiculous doesn't it? Its true many have already dubbed him the next Vince Young with even faster speed and greater athleticism, but didn't Texas only win 1 national championship during the 3 years Vince Young graced their campus? Even the year they beat USC in the Rose Bowl for the championship, they barely escaped Texas A&M who was playing with a backup quarterback. So lets calm a bit down and put things into perspective. Yes, Pryor will be a great addition to any program, but not really worth all this hoopla. Granted I'll still jump up and down if he does pick up the Penn State cap tomorrow at noon, but I am honest enough to admit that it takes more than 1 player to bring back a national championship. I am not criticizing Pryor's abilities at all, there is a reason why he was chosen to be Parade magazine's top player this year, but lets not act like fools and treat this 18 year old like the next coming of Jesus either.

Michigan attempted to throw him a 'block party' when he went on his official visit to Ann Arbor in sub-freezing temperatures. People are wearing Lion, Buckeye and Wolverine jerseys to his basketball games and then theres the question of the corvette. Does this kid remind us of someone else entering college? A kid by the name of Marcus Vick whose fame exceeded his accomplishments at Virginia Tech. Yes, Pryor does not have an older brother who is running his own doggie Auschwitz, but he is in the same situation where college will be his first chance to be away from home. So lets see some production on the field before we allow Pryor's head to swell any bigger.

Theres no question that Pryor is a good kid, hell he can't even say no when people mail him stuff to sign. MAIL! As in chuck in the wastebasket and never hear back from them again. But in my honest opinion, Pyror is a smart kid. He has known where he wanted to go for a while now, and always had despite all the vacillation Rivals and Scout would like us to believe. A decision this big is not reserved for a one night sleep-on-it evaluation. He has talked to his parents, his friends, even his guidance counselor and because he is the nice kid he always is. He doesn't want to say no to Joe Paterno, Jim Tressel or Rich Rod until he absolutely has to. I don't want to assume that he will pick the Buckeyes (2 national championship trips in 2 years) for a quick easy ride to the National Championship where as he would work twice as hard if he picks the Wolverines or even the Nittany Lions, but if I had to put money, thats the spot I would place my chips.

Tomorrow will be a momentous day. But not for Buckeye, Wolverine, or Lion fans who despite what they believe have relatively little influence on the on-field accomplishments of their favorite teams, but for a young 18 year old who will decide where he will matriculate for the next 3, possibly 4 years of his collegiate career. Here's to hoping he picks close to home for his family and friends to be able to actually watch him play most of his games. If not, I'll just be glad that I will enjoy watching Penn State linebackers introducing Pryor to the turf many-a-times.

Even in the NFL, 'Michigan Man' Tom Brady has to face Penn State pressure
(Way to go Jay).Update: As of 10:00 pm on Tuesday night, Rivals.com reports that Pryor will not be signing on LOI day and will take an official to Penn State before announcing.

B10 Bloggers Basketball Power Poll: Week 5

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:55:00 +0000

	Team	Record (Conference)	Alpha (last week)	Explanation
1	Wisconsin	18-3 (8-1)	+2 (3)	Wisconsin leapfrogs to the top spot with a win over the Hoosiers (#2) and @ Minnesota (#7)
2	Indiana	18-3 (8-1)	NC (2)	A win over Northwestern is a step back in the right direction, but their losses to Wisconsin (#1) and UConn (which doesn't look all too bad considering they beat Pitt) still lingers.
3	Purdue	17-5 (8-1)	+1 (4)	Purdue is on a roll. How good are they exactly? No one really knows with wins over Illinois (#9) and Iowa (#5). But they do face a Penn State team that just upset the Spartans this coming week.
4	Michigan State	19-3 (7-2)	-3 (1)	First it was Iowa, but with Iowa upsetting teams left and right (including the Buckeyes (#6)) and Penn State that many considered to be a competitive team, the losses aren't exactly devastating. This should still be a quality tournament team, but for now they have to make sure they avoid more upsets along the way.
5	Iowa	11-12 (4-6)	+1 (6)	A 1 point loss to Purdue (#3) (at Purdue) and an upset of the Buckeyes, Iowa isn't playing as bad as their record indicates at this point.
6	Ohio State	15-7 (6-3)	-1 (5)	The Buckeyes should be glad they do not have to play Penn State again after the Spartan upset. Their loss to Iowa isn't too devastating enough to drop them in the poll.
7	Minnesota	13-7 (3-5)	NC (7)	Minnesota beat Michigan, but who hasn't. And a loss to Wisconsin (#1) was expected. So therefore they sit pretty at #7 just like last week.
8	Penn State	11-10 (3-6)	NC (8)	I attended a Penn State basketball game for the first time in a long while and I was treated to an upset. And standing there watching the crowd mob the court, you just had the feeling that this team finally realized that their season is not over with the loss of Claxton. They can actually beat quality opponents. With games against Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern in the next few weeks, there are plenty of wins the Lions can pick up for a NIT spot.
9	Illinois	10-13 (2-8)	NC (9)	Another week, another loss for the Illini. A sad season for a proud program.
10	Michigan	5-16 (1-8)	NC (10)	Their only win in the last 11 games? A Northwestern team thats playing worse than they are.
11	Northwestern	7-12 (0-8)	NC (11)	Sometimes I wonder why the Big Ten isn't considering dropping the deadweight Wildcats from the conference. They holding the conference back in basketball as well as football.

Sparta Burns to the Ground!

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:39:00 +0000

College Basketball Stats by StatSheet.com

TAKE THAT Spartans, now we've officially avenged our losses to the Illini and Spartans in football this year.

11,159 fans witnessed a landmark in Nittany Lion basketball yesterday night as the underdog Penn State carrying a 6 game losing streak beat the leading torch bearer of the Big Ten, Michigan State. The significance? The last home win against any team ranked in the top-25 was in 2001. Thats 7 years since the Lions last beat #6 Illinois on their home court. Thats 7 years of ranked AND unranked teams marching into Bryce Jordan Center and stomping all over the Nitts. 7 years since the student section even had the opportunity to rush the court so there was no doubting the emotion that erupted on the court after last nights win.
And I was fortunate enough to actually see this one in person.

I'd have to admit, the real reason why I was actually in attendance was because all the student ticket sales were being donated to THON and who doesn't support curing cancer. You might as well admit you hate America right now if you don't want to cure cancer. But I was treated to something much better.

Our group never even made it to the game by tipoff, having pre-gamed in the parking lot until we were 10 minutes late and then made our way into Bryce Jordan Center. By then the Lions were leading 17-15 marking the start of a surprising night for the Lion faithful. More stunning was when we walked over to Portal 30 (where the student section has to walk into), the usher told us the section is actually full and we need to head over to Portal 8 and fill up the student section in the upper deck. Wow, honestly? The student section is 'full'? I've been randomly attending basketball games for the last 4 years and I have never heard the word 'full' and 'basketball' used in the same sentence.

Although, in that 4 year span, the only basketball victory I was in attendance for was against an equally lowly Northwestern squad. Unfortunately there are some of us who aren't too thrilled with heights. There really isn't a bad seat in Bryce Jordan Center but you really are looking straight down causing a little height anxiety. But right before halftime, Penn State hit back to back 3s and made defensive stops on the other end sending the majority of the 11,000 in attendance into a frenzy. I have not heard a roar like that since the THON finale last year.

Who could have expected the Lions to be leading the #7 Spartans at halftime. Not everyone was overly excited though, it was 3 days ago when Penn State was tied with the Buckeyes at halftime before being blown out down the stretch.

In a very un-Nittany Lion like fashion, the basketball team came roaring out of the gates and extended the lead to 10, winning 53-43 with 16 minutes to go. As if following the same Hollywood script, the Spartans chipped away at the 10 point lead and retook the lead by 2, deflating the palpable emotion that swirled inside the BJC.

But who knew, the Lions just kept fighting back point after point, and with clutch free throw shooting to end the game, the Lions did the unthinkable. They upset the conference leaders in a Spartan upset.

What a game. Boy I haven't been this excited at a basketball game since watching the George Mason upset 2 years ago in the NCAA tournament. Hopefully they can take this momentum on the road against an equally impressive Purdue squad. This young Nittany Lion team needed a game like this to prove to themselves they can win without Claxton and against the odds. Way to go Nittwitts! A well fought win.

Theres the Ohio State upset in 2005 when it comes to football, and now theres the Michigan State upset in 2007 for basketball. If only this Lion squad didn't give up after the Claxton injury, we could be sitting in the upper echelon of the Big Ten today with this upset.

The crowd was amazing, not only do you have the most faithful and loyal crowd on hand for a game no one expects a win out of, they actually introduced the Spartans to a small degree of home court advantage possibly for the first time at the BJC. Who knew the place could rock when the basketball team moved to the BJC from Rec Hall and endured a decade of futility. With 30 seconds to go, many of the students that were forced into the upper deck student section began to make their way down to the lower concourse lining the walkways anticipating a court rushing. It was a sight watching all the walkways of the lower concourse begin to fill up rather than empty out with fans ready to explode with a fury of emotion.

Notable Quotes:

"It's just one of those feelings that you can talk about forever. When you are done playing the game and everyone storms the court and are holding people up." - Talor Battle

"We have had some crazy things happen and our kids hung in there and fought and made some plays tonight and made some free throws when we had to. Hopefully we got a little confidence back and you know, it was great for our fans and for our students. The students were tremendous. People came out even though we lost a bunch in a row. Our kids laid it on the line and we were able to win a game. So, I am very happy for our players and the fans." - Ed DeChellis

"Really, when I get home there will be a lot of blame for Michigan State, but the credit should go to Penn State, what they did, how they played, and the energy they played with." - Tom Izzo

Talk about a classy guy. Tom Izzo is the standard bearer of class all the way.

Say hello to my winning combination.
This will be my A squad for now until we break this winning streak.

When you can't beat em. Buy em.

noreply@blogger.com (Nittany White Out) — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:18:00 +0000

Promotional poster handed out to Pryor by the Buckeye coaching staff.