Opposition Q&A: UTEP Post-Spring

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

Just over a week ago we began to give you a look inside the Badgers 2012 opponents coming off of Spring.  We featured a look at Northern Iowa last time out, and now it's time to visit with our friends from the University of Texas - El Paso (UTEP) to see what the Miners bring to the table since spring practice is behind them.  

UTEP logoThanks to our friends at MINER RUSH for checking in with us and answering the questions we had for them.  Enjoy getting to know a very unfamiliar opponent a bit better with Anthony and be sure to check out their site for all the news on UTEP ahead of the game this season.

Opposition Q&A: UTEP 

MTB: Mike Price was seen as a hire that could bring back UTEP football, but he hasn't exactly set the world on fire, going just 45-52 in his time at the helm of the Miners.  It's also been 9 years with just 2 bowl game appearances, is their a sense of him being on the hot seat this year?

Miner Rush: Coach Mike Price is on the hot seat, and really has been for quite some time now. Last year was nearly the final straw, but with only one year left on his contract he was given the opportunity to finish things out. That said, people should realize that Mike Price has done a lot for UTEP football. While his 45-52 record, and 3 bowl appearances don't exactly scream success, its a vast improvement from the three consecutive 2-10 years before he was here, and the 3 bowl appearances in the previous three decades. So, he is definitely on the hot seat, but at the same time, credit should be given where it is due.

MTB: A lot of the talk around the college football world has centered on conference realignment and the Miners home is Conference USA, is this a place the fans want to be in or would they want to see a move to say the Mountain West?  

MR: Since the MWC was formed, UTEP fans have felt that we belonged in that conference. After all, we competed with the founding members of it for decades. But time and time again, we've felt like an invite should be coming, and time and again we've been snubbed. I think we definitely are a better fit for the MWC than C-USA, but at this point, the fan base as a whole is kind of indifferent towards a move. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn't...oh well. I actually did a write up on that for anyone who cares to read.

MTB: On the field, what are the biggest question marks coming out of spring football on each side of the ball?

MR: I think as a whole, its a matter of being able to stay healthy. Last year we suffered a ton of injuries, and that ultimately, was the main reason for our lack of success on the season. This year, in the spring, our O-Line has been banged up. Mostly knicks and dings more than anything, but still not comforting to see key guys miss time. Offensively, our success will rely on whether on not they can stay healthy. Defensively, I'd say the biggest question mark is how well we can transition, after losing so much production from out LBs and secondary. We replace those losses with some solid players, but it takes time to put it all together. How long it takes is the key.

MTB: Looking at the UTEP schedule makes me cringe just a bit with games against Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ole Miss on top of the annual rivalry game with New Mexico State, how do you manage bowl eligibility with that kind of non-conference slate?

MR: There's no doubt its going to be tough to make a bowl, but I think it's completely possible. Again, and I've been preaching it all spring, it's a matter of whether or not we can stay healthy. I don't think many expect more than 1, possibly 2 wins in non-conference, but coming out of it in relatively good shape will be the real victory. I think that brutal non-conference slate can actually prepare us for a solid conference run. Tulsa did it last year. They played Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., and Boise St. in the non-conference, lost all three, but wound up winning 8 games on the season. So, why can't we?

MTB: Defensively you only return 4 starters from last season, but is that necessarily a bad thing?  

MR: It's always a bad thing to have to replace nearly two-thirds of your team. But, while the Miners lost a ton of starters, they do return a lot of key reserves. The defensive line shouldn't skip a beat, and will probably be better than it was a year ago. The LBs lose all three starters, but return Jamie Irving from injury, who was the leading tackler in 2010. And, we've got plenty of other extremely capable LBs. The secondary definitely loses a couple of guys in Blake and Nixon who should be on NFL rosters next year. But, we return two starters, and also return some key reserves back there as well. Again, its tough to lose 7 of your 11 starters, but I wouldn't exactly say we're in bad shape. I think these guys are going to surprise some people.

MTB: Looking at some of the highlights and video I've seen on the Miners it appears you have a QB that can be very productive, at least mechanically he looks that way.  What needs to happen for him to improve on his 1,700 yard 12TD/10INT season from a year ago?

MR: I've said it a couple of times, and I'll say it again. It's all about being able to stay healthy. Nick's numbers last year weren't great, but honestly, he just didn't have time to throw. Injuries plagued our team, and Nick was even knocked out with a shoulder injury in week 2. The O-Line will have to be healthy, and will have to give him some protection. The guy certainly has the tools to make all the throws, it's just a matter of giving him the opportunity to make those throws. I'd expect that to happen.

Continue to check back throughout the rest of the week as we complete our looks at the opposition on our 2012 schedule.

COLLEGE SPORTS BUCKET LIST: No. 88

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

Bucket_List

After a few days away, it's back to business in the off-season countdown we like to call the MTB College Sports Bucket List.  Today we will dive in to the first known football rivalry and it's coming from one of the most controversial conferences in the country.  

Of course it's been a few days so, here's a reminder of where we stand in our countdown:

No. 100 - Army vs. Canadian Royal Military College (DI Hockey)

No. 99 - Adrian vs. MSOE (DIII Hockey)

No. 98 - VMI vs. The Citadel (FCS Football)

No. 97 - Iowa vs. Iowa State (FBS Football)

No. 96 - Hope vs. Calvin (DIII Basketball)

No. 95 - UCLA vs. Arizona (DI Basketball)

No. 94 - Texas vs. TCU (FBS Football)

No. 93 - Alaska-Anchorage vs. Alaska-Fairbanks (DI Hockey)

No. 92 - Plastburg vs. Oswego (DIII Hockey)

No. 91 - RPI vs. Union (DIII Football)

No. 90 - Clarkson vs. St. Lawrence (DI Hockey)

No. 89 - College Cup (DI Men's Soccer)

With that done, let's get on to the newest addition to our bucket list!

No. 88 - Cincinnati vs. Louisville (FBS Football): 

It's known as the Battle for the Keg of Nails and it's history dates back to 1929 when these two teams first met on the gridiron.  Where the heck did the Keg of Nails come from?  Well, lore states that it was started by fraternities at Louisville and Cincinnati to signify their players "were tough as nails."  

This rivalry is huge in basketball, but the proximity of the two schools along with both programs being at the top of the Big East as of late has really made this game even moreKeg important.

Overall Cincinnati leads the series 30-20-1 including a 25-16 victory by the Bearcats in last year's meeting.  Currently Cincinnati has a four game winnings streak in the series.  The Bearcats have the longest winning streak in the series as well, winning the first 12 meetings between the two schools.  Louisville's longest winning streak is just 5 games in length.

For Louisville the Bearcats are their oldest football rivals, while Cincinnati claims the Cardinals as their second oldest rival behind Miami (OH), whom they play every year in a non-conference tilt.

What makes this a must see for any college football fan is the fact that these two schools have played this game through three conferences (Missouri Valley, Conference-USA, and now the Big East) and because in the past ten years both teams have become more relevant players in the conference as well as nationally.

It's also a game that could be in jeopardy thanks to all the conference realignment, so putting it our list is a bit of a leap of faith that it still will be played should Louisville get it's wish and possibly move to the Big 12.   

Big Ten - ACC Challenge Outlook

Written by Cole Brown on .

With this year's Big Ten - ACC Challenge schedule being released yesterday we thought we'd take a look at these games, rank the match-ups, and make some very earlyaccbigten predictions. As a fan of the Big Ten, I love this event because it allows all of us midwesterners to look beyond our hate for each other and feel a sense of conference pride. For two days we come toegether and root for each other. The Big Ten is currently on a 3 year win streak, while previously losing all previous 10 meetings from 1999-2009. 

 Match-up Rankings and Analysis

12. Boston College at Penn State, Wednesday Nov 28th

These two teams finished at the bottom of their respective conferences last year, so it's pretty safe to say this won't be a battle between two juggernauts. Considering Boston College hasn't had a solid season in quite some time, look for Penn State to give the B1G a easy home win.

Prediction: Penn State

11. Nebraska at Wake Forest, Tuesday November 27th

This also won't too great of a game. Nebraska is losing Bo Spencer while Wake Forest is a young inexperienced squad. This should be a close one but in the end Wake Forest will take it on it's home floor.

Prediction: Wake Forest

10. Georgia Tech at Illinois, Wednesday Nov 28th

At the lower end of the rankings, this is still an interesting matchup. Illinois, who is losing their best player in center Meyers Leonard, will be a guard heavy team next year. Georgia Tech is a team who's bringing in 3 four star reqruits next year after an awful previous season. Illinois is a team who choked many times at home last year, so I think it's a very realistic possibility that GT could come in and steal a road game here.

Prediction: Georgia Tech

9. Maryland at Northwestern, Tuesday November 27th

Northwestern is losing their top player John Shurna next season after a dissapointing campaign this year, in which they failed to make the NCAA tournament again. Maryland on the other hand is a rising team in the ACC and could easily come in and beat Northwestern. But I think the Wildcats will come out with some conference pride out win.

Prediction: Northwestern

8. Iowa at Virginia Tech, Tuesday November 27th

Iowa is losing their best player in Matt Gatens, but they're still a young talented team on the rise. Virginia Tech on the other hand had an awful season last year and probably won't be too great next year either. Look for Iowa to go in and steal a road win for the Big Ten.

Prediction: Iowa

7. Purdue at Clemson, Wednesday Nov 28th

Purdue is yet another team losing a key senior, Robbie Hummel. However they are still a solid team with a lot of great perimeter shooters. Clemson is also losing a few key seniors, but they have 5 high rated reqruits coming in. The Tigers will be a rising team in the ACC the next few years and Purdue will not beat that on this night.

Prediction: Clemson

6. No. 9 Michigan State at Miami, Wednesday Nov 28th

Michigan State is losing their star in Draymond Green, but the Spartans are still one of the country's most talented teams. Miami is a program that hasn't seen a whole lot of sunlight these past few years. However, Miami just missed the NCAA tourney last year and won a game in the NIT. I call this game an upset alert for MSU. Miami is going to give them all they can handle on their home floor. However Michigan State's talent will prevail in the end. 

Prediction: Michigan State

5. Virginia at No. 22 Wisconsin, Wednesday Nov 28th

These are two defensive minded teams that run slow offensive styles. Virginia had a bounce-back year last season finishing 4th in the ACC and making the NCAA tournament. We all know Wisconsin will be losing their floor general Jordan Taylor and that could have a big effect early in the season. Last time the Badger's hosted a B1G-ACC challenge game the Kohl Center crowd was rushing the floor after an upset over Duke. You would think this would be a easy win for the Badger's, but with last years performances at home, you can never be too sure.

Prediction: Wisconsin

4. No. 25 Minnesota at Florida State, Tuesday November 27th

This game is my sleeper matchup. Florida State, coming off their ACC Championship last season, is a team that loves to run and gun and shoot the three. Minnesota returns Center Trevor Mbakwe, who had a dominant start to last year before having a season ending injury. This will be an exciting, fast paced game between two well coached teams. In the end, I think Minnesota's big men will be too much for the guard heavy Seminoles.

Prediction: Minnesota

3. No. 8 Ohio State at No. 15 Duke, Wednesday Nov 28th

Both teams are losing star underclassmen to the draft this year (Ohio State's Jared Sullinger and Duke's Austin Rivers), but both are still very good teams. Last year's matchup between these two teams was OSU blowing out the Blue Devils in Columbus. But this year will surely be a different story. Duke always has a good chance to win when they're playing in front of the Cameron Indoor Stadium crowd. OSU will have all it can handle, and I can't see them pulling this one out.

Prediction: Duke

2. No. 6 NC State at No. 5 Michigan, Tuesday November 27th

NC State, who this past season landed 3 four star reqruits, will be a very young explosive squad next year. The three freshman they have coming in- SG Rodney Purvis, SF TJ Warren, and PG Tyler Lewis- gave the experts enough reason to give NC State a #6 pre-season ranking. Michigan, who is coming off a share of the regular season B1G title, is led by Sophomore Trey Burke who had a sensational Freshman season, winning co-freshman of the year. This will be a huge test for the young Wolfpack squad, as they'll have to face a talented Michigan team and a hostile crowd. I think the Wolfpack will surprise a lot of people by coming in and getting a huge victory in Ann Arbor.

Prediction: NC State 

1. No. 13 North Carolina at No. 1 Indiana, Tuesday November 27th

This game is definately the most intruiging to me. This is a UNC squad lost four starters- Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, John Henson and Kendall Marshall- this past year to the draft. Indiana is the complete opposite having all but one of their starters returning. Indiana, a team on the uprise, is expected to be national championship contenders next season-hence their #1 preseason ranking. In front of a hostile Assembly Hall crowd, the young North Carolina squad will have to show a lot of heart to win this game. It's also going to be a big test for the Hoosiers. This game will likely show if they're ready to be an elite squad once again. I'm not going to bet against them at Assembly Hall.

Prediction: Indiana

So there you have it, in my WAY too early predictions, the Big Ten will win the Challenge 7-5. A much closer race then previous years, but I do have a feeling this will come down to just a few games. Now all we can do is wait for basketball season and see how ridiculous some of these predictions actually turn out to be. Either way the 2012 Big Ten-ACC challenge is guarenteed to be exciting, especially with some of the super-power teams facing off this year. November 27th couldn't come sooner, could it?

The Sconnie Scoop: 5/14/12

Written by Nate Woelfel on .

SconnieScoop

A record breaking season was not enough to vault the Badgers' softball team to an NCAA Tournament berth. Conference champion Michigan and Northwestern were the only two Big Ten teams selected to participate in the 64-team tournament that is set to begin Friday.

The Badgers finished the season 34-19 overall and 13-10 in the Big Ten. The 34 wins tied the school record for wins in a season and the 13 conference victories were the most in school history.

Big Ten hockey made a significant stride Tuesday as they tabbed Steve Piotrowski as supervisor for officials. Piotrowski currently holds the same position with the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. He will assume his position with the Big Ten in time for its inagural season in 2013.

Former men's hockey forward Craig Smith recorded an assist for Team USA in their 5-0 win over Finland on Sunday in the IIHF World Championships. The Americans are currently 3-1 and in thrid place in Group H. The top four teams in each group advance to the quarterfinals. Team USA takes on Switzerland tomorrow in their final game of the preliminary round.

Border Battle Finally Comes Back Home!

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

Border Battle

Wisconsin and Minnesota have long been football and hockey rivals, but in the past 8 years the two have competed in the Border Battle with an updated points system that includes all sports both teams compete in, even if they aren't in direct competion (ie swimming, track, cross-country).  Unfortunately the University of East Dakota has taken the title in the majority of the 8 years, going into this year leading 4-3 and having won the Border Battle each of the last 3 years.  

Thanks to the results at the Big Ten Track & Field Championships where the Badger men won the conference crown the Badgers have taken back the Border Battle, winning this season 455 to 425. (sports are given 40 points total and are divided by 10 per time they meet during the season).  

With the conference crown last weekend along with a higher finish in rowing and Women's Track & Field the Badgers claimed the Border Battle Title.

Here are the results this season and the all time Border Battle Standings for you:

2011-12 Sport by Sport Results: 

(courtesy our friend at Gopherhole.com)

 All-Time Results (since 2004 when Cup was introduced): 

Year Minnesota Wisconsin
2004-05 205 215
2005-06 530 350
2006-07 435 445
2007-08 415 465
2008-09 535 345
2009-10 550 330
2010-11 455 425
2011-12 425 455

As you can see it's been a very close competition every year the Badgers have won it and that's got a lot to do with Women's sports and the non-revenue generating sports in general.  Wisconsin will go in to next season hoping to retain the Border Battle title for the 2nd year in a row, tying the most times it's consecutively held the crown, if they do it.

Virginia Comes to Wisconsin in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

In an announcement earlier this afternoon ESPN gave their full lineup for the 2012 Big Ten/ACC Challenge and Wisconsin drew hosting duties against the University of Virginia.  The game will take place on November 28th at a time and on a channel to be determined at the moment.Bennett

Wisconsin returns home after a few years of road games in the challenge, most recent of which was the narrow loss to North Carolina last season.  Overall the Badgers have a 6-7 record in the challenge, which is 3rd best amongst the Big Ten participants, trailing only Ohio State (6-5) and Michigan State (6-6).  

Virginia has a 7-5 record in the Challenge which puts them just 5th on the ACC side of the ledger. Boston College leads the way with a 5-1 record while Duke sports an 11-2 record for 2nd best and is followed by Wake Forest at 10-2 and finally Maryland at 6-4, ahead of Virginia.

The most interesting part of this matchup is that Wisconsin will be facing off against a team that's molded pretty much in the same manner as itself, with a bit of an offensive twist or two though.  You want good fundamental basketball that won't be played at a fast break pace, this is the one to watch for sure.

It's also Bo Ryan vs. Tony Bennett in what could be one of the best coach vs. coach matchups in the challenge.  Tony is of course the son of former Badger head coach Dick Bennett and was an assistant on his staff at Wisconsin as well as under Brad Soderberg and Bo before leaving to assist his dad when he took over at Washington State.  

Overall the Badgers and Cavaliers have only met twice before, both on neutral floors with UVa winning in 1974 and Wisconsin taking the latest matchup in 1998.  For the third time in last four seasons the Badgers opponent will be coming off of an NCAA tournament appearance of their own.

Last season the Cavaliers finished 22-10 (and made the NCAA tournament where they lost 71-45 to Flordia in their opening matchup.  We'll be breaking this game down a ton and look for us to be featuring the work of our fellow Bloguin brothers over at Lambeth Field for the UVa perspective on this game.

We'll also be breaking down the full field with early-reactions from our resident basketball reporter, Cole Brown, later today, so check back often for updates!

Wisconsin Claims Big Ten Outdoor Track Title in Dramatic Fashion

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

Badger_Track_2012

(photo courtesy @Badger_Track) 

Sunday was all about the drama at the McClimon Complex as the Wisconsin Men's Track & Field team took home their first outdoor conference championship since 2007 on their home track.  It wasn't easy as the Badgers needed to outpace Nebraska in the day's final event - the 4x400 relay - to win in front of the home crowd.

Coming into that event the Badgers trailed by 1.5 points and the guys came through with a 2nd place finish in the event to secure the title in front of a packed house in Madison.  Wisconsin won the event with 121 points with Nebraska 2nd with 115.5 points and Indiana finishing 3rd with 115 points.  

In the pivital event of the day Wisconsin finished 2nd to score 8 points, while Nebraska faltered and their 4x400 relay finished last, only scoring them one point and thus securing the team victory for the Badgers.

The Badgers came in to the day leading the competition and got huge performances from a ton of individuals to keep pace with the Huskers and Indiana throughout the day.  

No performance was better than that of Mohammed Ahmed and the Badgers distance runners.  Ahmed won the 5,000 meter event with a meet record breaking time of 13 minutes, 41.06 seconds.  He was joined in scoring points for Wisconsin by Elliot Krause (5th) and Maverick Darling (6th) for a team total of 17 points in the event.

Ahmed's time broke a meet record that stood since 1987 and was held by another Badger runner, Scott Fry (13:47.39).

The Badgers picked up 7 points in the 1500 meters by Rob Finnerty and Connor Reed who finished 5th and 6th respectively while no Nebraska athlete made the finals in the event, allowing the Badgers to keep things close at that point.

Derek Steinbach also chipped in important points by placing 2nd in the Javelin with a throw of 66.14 meters, giving the Badgers 8 points and a 3 point advantage over Nebraska in the event.  At that point the Badgers trailed by the margin it would come down to at the end, 1.5 points (97.5 to 96).

On the Women's side of the event Wisconsin couldn't hold on to the lead it took going in to today and finished the event 5th with 78 points.  The Big Ten Women's Champions were Ohio State with 117 points, followed by Illinois (110), and Nebraska (110). 

Up next for the Men & Women is NCAA Regional action at the University of Texas on May 24-26th. 

Badgers Track Enter Final Day of B1G Championships in 1st

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

McClimonSometimes there's nothing like a little home cooking, well that and a ton of really good performances.  After two days of competition at the Dan McClimon complex the Badgers Men's and Women's track teams stand atop the team standings in the Big Ten Outdoor Track Championships.

The Women's team currently is on top with 52 team points and are being chased by Purdue in 2nd with 32 points after the completion of day two.  Wisconsin used a 1-2-3 finish from their ladies in the Heptathlon to score 24 team points.  

Jessica Flax led the way, earning the Badgers sixth straight conference crown in the event.  She also rewrote the school record books with 5,772 points which is fourth best in the nation this year to date.  Following her were Dorcas Akinniyi and Deanna Latham in 2nd and 3rd respectively.  The podium sweep was the Badgers third straight season sweeping the titles in the pentathlon (indoor) and heptathlon (outdoor).

Adding to the record performance was the fact that this was the first 1-2-3 finish for any set of teammates in the indoor and outdoor events in the same season in conference history.  

The heptathletes weren't the only ones scoring points for the Badgers Women's track and field team as a trio of field athletes added to the point totals.  Kelsey Card and Taylor Smith added points by finishing 4th and 5th in the shot put and senior Meghann Rennhack took 4th in the javelin.  

Also adding points was Ashley Beutler, who scored a 4th place finish in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.  Her time of 10:27.92 set a personal best for her and ranked her 2nd all-time at Wisconsin.

Over on the men's side of the ledger it was record breaking performances that put the Badgers in the drivers seat heading in to the final day of action.  Wisconsin currently stands a top the team point totals with 62 points and a full 20 points ahead of 2nd place Indiana, who's just ahead of Nebraska in their first ever Big Ten Championships.  

A pair of Dan's led the Badger effort on day two as Dan Grzesiak took third in the decathlon with 7,897 points.  That performance put him 3rd all-time at Wisconsin in the event on the strength of four-personal bests.

The other performance by a Dan was from Dan Block who set a school record in the discus with a throw of 195 feet, 8 inches, which was also good for the Big Ten title in the event.  

Wisconsin wasn't done scoring from the field events for the night either as Japheth Cato set a personal best in the long jump, going 25 feed, 1 3/4 inches and finishing fourth for the event.

The Badgers continued to rack up points in the high jump as Paul Annear and Collin Taylor finished 7th and 8th with equal jumps of 6-11.

Just because Wisconsin performed so well in the events over the first two days doesn't mean it's a forgone conclusion that they'll win either the Men's or Women's title at the end of Sunday.  But the Men's team has 8 guys qualified for event finals while the women have 13 competing in events on the final day so if they can get some points on the boards and stay steady in their performances a sweep of the titles aren't out of the question.  

COLLEGE SPORTS BUCKET LIST: No. 89

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

Bucket_List

Out of the 90's and into the 80's we go today in the MTB College Sports Bucket List.  It's been fun so far and we've given you some of the lesser known, but equally strong games so far.  Today, it's time we switch things up and give you look at a college sports event that isn't just a game.  

As always, don't forget to see where we went with our No. 90 pick - Clarkson vs. St. Lawrence in Division I Hockey!!

Without further wait, here's our newest addition to the list!!  

No. 89: NCAA College Soccer Cup Finals (Division I Soccer): 

College soccer is a very different animal.  Just because you're a "big conference" school doesn't mean you are going to be successful at the collegiate soccer level.  In fact many times it's smaller schools that dominate the sport.  But that's part of the charm of the College Soccer Cup Finals, seeing teams from schools you may not know yet seeing some amazing soccer being played.  

The current incarnation of the Division I tournament has it's final four and is more commonlyCollege Cup known as the College Cup in the sport and rightfully so.  As it stands there are just 48 teams that participate in the tournament which culminates in a Final Four weekend at a destination stadium.  

What makes this event a must see is watching some players that will go on to become massive stars in MLS and abroad while also experiencing a fan level of passion that you don't see from any other sport at the collegiate level.  It's also unique because the college soccer community is similar to the hockey community in it's tight knit nature, but a bit more on the wild side of things.  

The student sections are way more creative than what you'd see at your Saturday afternoon football games and are a ton more dedicated to the team.  Take Indiana's Hoosier Army for example.  They are known to follow the team no matter where they are playing and have really created an atmosphere that can rival some of the professional team fan bases.  

Heck even West Virginia gets really in on the act:

But the Final Four of this event really has the best of the best and seeing the future stars of this country is always an opportunity you can't pass up.  Overall St. Louis leads with 10 National Titles and is followed by Indiana with 7 and Virginia with 4.  

Why else would I want to see this event?  Well, even our beloved Badgers have a national title in soccer, coming in 1995 with a 2-0 win over the Duke Blue Devils!  

Bo Ryan, Buzz Williams and Selective Media Outrage

Written by Andrew Coppens on .

EditorsDesk

Every once in a while there's just something that really, really steams me up and something of that nature has been building for a few weeks now. Today I'm taking you on a journey to expose something that needs to stop and that's the "Selective Outrage" that the national media outlets and their talking heads have been able to get away with for far, far too long.  

This "Selective Outrage" has it's roots in how the media has handled issues involving Badger basketball head coach Bo Ryan and Marquette basketball head coach Buzz Williams and how they treated two players.

Chances are April 21, 2012 came and went without much changing in your life just like most days.  However, if your name is Aaron Durley it's a date that you won't soon forget.

It is a date that's important to Aaron Durley because it was the date that he was released from hisDurley National Letter of Intent to play basketball at Marquette University.  I know, I know, we cover Wisconsin basketball and not that school to the east and you're right.  Just stay with me though because this one's just getting started.  

Now, just roll back your memories a few weeks and the news of the day was that Jarrod Uthoff was to transfer out of the University of Wisconsin.  Remember the firestorm and controversy that blew up out of nowhere in the aftermath of Bo Ryan's decision to restrict where Uthoff would be able to transfer to?

Yeah, I'm sure you do and the talking heads on E!SPN (TV, Internet, and Radio) and others in the national forefront of college basketball coverage wouldn't let you forget how much of a "bitter old man" and horrible human being Bo was for placing those restrictions on Uthoff.  Most of the lines of argument went like this: "The player is making a choice that's best for him, who are you to tell him where he can and can't go after he leaves?" 

Heck, Bo even went on to Mike & Mike in the Morning to try and defend himself the day that the decision on lifting some of the restrictions on Uthoff would come down.  You couldn't turn on SportsCenter, PTI, or listen to Jim Rome or other national radio shows without hearing about this "controversy."

O.k., so back to Aaron Durley.  Why do I bring his name up and what the heck does it have to do with the Uthoff transfer or "Selective Outrage?"