Yow was one of winningest coaches in women’s basketball history, ranking sixth in all-time wins with a record of 737-344. She coached for 38 years, 34 at North Carolina State. She won four Atlantic Coast Conference tournament titles, 20 bids to the Big Dance, including a Final Four in 1998.

She even coached the 1988 women’s Olympic team to the gold medal. The only thing that eluded her was a national championship. Yow was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2002.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Yow while covering the ESPY’s a few years ago. She was very nice and gracious even though I could see she was still suffering from the cancer. I put her on the short list of some of the greatest people in sports I’ve met in my lifetime.

ESPN is currently running a tribute to Yow that is worth watching. If you miss it I’m sure they’ll be running it again. Check your local listings. Or check out some of the many tributes online today and in the next few days.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Yow and North Carolina State families.

Post from: EveryJoe

Kay Yow – March 14, 1942 – January 24, 2009

Post from: EveryJoe

You Know It’s Really College Basketball Season and Not College Football Season When…

Would it be number three and one loss Duke, which had an impressive non-conference win against Georgetown? Or would it be number two Wake Forest, which had a big win against a team who some believe (Ryan) is one of the more overrated rated teams in Clemson?

I guess the voters in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls agree that undefeated defeating undefeated gets you the number one spot no matter how overrated the team you beat is.

Wake Forest (16-0), who I don’t think has been number one since Tim Duncan played there, is the third team this season to take the top spot.

Like Pittsburgh, which dropped to fourth, the Demon Deacons may not last long. Assuming they get past Virginia Tech on Wednesday, a date with Duke awaits on Jan. 28.

If Duke wins more than likely it will take over the spot making them the fourth team to do so this season and the third from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

No one has really stood out as a dominate team this season. I thought it would be UCLA, North Carolina and maybe Louisville. I still think that Michigan State will sneak up and surprise everyone in the weak Big 10 (plus one) conference.

But what do I know, right?

If the polls prove anything it’s that they really don’t mean a thing. They just give us something to write about and something for everyone else to talk about each week. We do this until the madness begins in March when the real number one team will be crowned.

Here are both the top 25 polls.

AP Top 25
1. Wake Forest (68) 16-0
2. Duke (4) 16-1
3. Connecticut 16-1
4. Pittsburgh 16-1
5. North Carolina 16-2
6. Oklahoma 17-1
7. Michigan State 15-2
8. Syracuse 17-2
9. Louisville 13-3
10. Clemson 16-1
11. Marquette 16-2
12. Georgetown 12-4
13. UCLA 14-3
14. Texas 13-4
15. Xavier 15-2
16. Butler 16-1
17. Arizona State 15-3
18. Purdue 14-4
19. Notre Dame 12-5
20. Villanova 14-3
21. Minnesota 16-2
22. Memphis 14-3
23. Gonzaga 12-4
24. Florida 16-2
25. Illinois 15-3

Others Receiving Votes
Baylor 148, Saint Mary’s 137, Kentucky 105, California 82, Florida State 34, Kansas 23, Ohio State 20, Missouri 14, Davidson 14, Tennessee 14, Utah State 12, Washington 12, West Virginia 8, Miami (FL) 8, Arkansas 6, Michigan 5, Dayton 4, George Mason 1, LSU 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Baylor 21, California 22, Tennessee 24, Michigan 25.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Wake Forest (25) 16-0
2. Duke (6) 16-1
3. Connecticut 16-1
4. Pittsburgh 16-1
5. Oklahoma 17-1
6. North Carolina 16-2
7. Michigan State 15-2
8. Syracuse 17-2
9. Clemson 16-1
10. Marquette 16-2
11. UCLA 14-3
12. Louisville 13-3
13. Xavier 15-2
14. Georgetown 12-4
15. Texas 13-4
16. Arizona State 15-3
17. Butler 16-1
18. Purdue 14-4
19. Notre Dame 12-5
20. Minnesota 16-2
21. Villanova 14-3
22. Saint Mary’s 17-1
23. Baylor 14-3
24. Illinois 15-3
25. Memphis 14-3

Others Receiving Votes
California 65, Florida 52, Gonzaga 35, Utah State 31, Ohio State 22, Brigham Young 22, Dayton 16, Missouri 13, Kentucky 12, Davidson 9, Kansas 3, West Virginia 3, Washington 2, Miami (FL) 2, Florida State 2, Arkansas 2, Michigan 1.

Dropped From Rankings
California 23, Michigan 24.

Post from: EveryJoe

Latest Division I Polls For January 19

Wake Forest (15-0) handed the Tar Heels (14-2) their second lost of the season 92-89 at Wake Forest.

The loss dropped North Carolina to fifth in the AP poll and sixth in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

The win was good enough for Wake Forest to move up to second in the AP poll and third in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

Can these two polls agree on anything?!

Which brings me to ask, which poll do you think is more legit?

Pittsburgh (15-0) hangs on to the number one ranking for the second week after playing one game. The Panthers rolled over St. John’s 90-67 on Sunday.

I said it before and I’ll say it again – here comes Duke!

The Blue Devils (14-1) are ranked second by ESPN/USA Today and third by the AP. You have to believe that they will be ranked number one sometime with the next few weeks.

I know it’s early, but the way the Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference teams are playing right now, it’s safe to say that one or two will be in the Final Four in March (or is it in April now?).

Here’s are both polls.

AP Top 25
1. Pittsburgh (70) 15-0, 1,798
2. Wake Forest (2) 14-0, 1,686
3. Duke 14-1, 1,678
4. Connecticut 14-1, 1,549
5. North Carolina 14-2, 1,461
6. Oklahoma 15-1, 1,440
7. Michigan State 13-2, 1,356
8. Syracuse 16-1, 1,232
9. UCLA 13-2, 1,222
10. Clemson 16-0, 1,153
11. Texas 12-3, 1,009
12. Notre Dame 12-3, 1,008
13. Georgetown 11-3, 908
14. Marquette 15-2, 752
15. Xavier 13-2, 710
16. Arizona State 14-2, 573
17. Butler 14-1, 521
18. Minnesota 15-1 508
19. Purdue 12-4, 490
20. Louisville 11-3, 433
21. Baylor 13-2, 364
22. California 15-2, 299
23. Villanova 13-3, 229
24. Tennessee 10-4, 198
25. Michigan 13-3, 153

Others Receiving Votes
Gonzaga 137, Arkansas 132, Illinois 115, Memphis 86, Saint Mary’s 50, Miami (FL) 25, Florida 25, Wisconsin 24, Brigham Young 18, Davidson 12, West Virginia 12, Boston College 11, Kansas 6, Florida State 5, South Carolina 3, George Mason 2, Oklahoma State 2, Harvard 1, TCU 1, Texas A&M 1, Virginia Military 1, Missouri 1.

Dropped From Rankings
Boston College 17, West Virginia 25.

ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Pittsburgh (29) 15-0, 773
2. Duke 14-1, 729
3. Wake Forest (2) 14-0, 725
4. Connecticut 14-1, 660
5. Oklahoma 15-1, 617
6. North Carolina 14-2, 611
7. UCLA 13-2, 576
8. Syracuse 16-1, 560
9. Clemson 16-0, 528
10. Michigan State 13-2, 503
11. Texas 12-3, 421
12. Georgetown 11-3, 365
13. Notre Dame 12-3, 363
14. Marquette 15-2, 353
15. Arizona State 14-2, 328
16. Xavier 13-2, 279
17. Minnesota 15-1, 262
18. Butler 14-1, 256
19. Purdue 12-4, 182
20. Louisville 11-3, 173
21. Baylor 13-2, 159
22. Villanova 13-3, 110
23. California 15-2, 109
24. Michigan 13-3, 78
25. Saint Mary’s 15-1, 62

Others Receiving Votes
Arkansas 51, Illinois 47, Memphis 42, Brigham Young 37, Gonzaga 17, Dayton 14, Tennessee 11, Utah State 11, Wisconsin 10, Florida 9, Illinois State 9, West Virginia 7, Davidson 6, Boston College 6, Ohio State 5, Miami (FL) 4, Washington 3, Missouri 2, Texas A&M 1, UNLV 1.

Dropped From Rankings
West Virginia 22, Boston College 24, Tennessee 25.

Post from: EveryJoe

Latest Division I Polls For January 12

For the schools that is.

In a story earlier this year on Forbes.com, the site listed the 20 richest college basketball teams.

The list was based on four factors that include, their university (money generated by basketball that goes to the institution for academic purposes, including scholarship payments for basketball players); athletic department (the net profit generated by the basketball program retained by the department); conference (the distribution of tournament revenue); and local communities (incremental spending by visitors to the county during the regular season that’s attributable to the program).

There are really no surprises here as it reads like an average weekly top 20 poll with the usual suspects listed. The teams listed account for 47 national championship and only four (Illinois, Texas, Missouri and Xavier) have never won a national title.

The Big Ten Conference has the most teams with five, Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 have four each, and the Southeastern, Big East and Pacific 10 have two each.

1. University of North Carolina, Tar Heels
Value: $26.0 million
Profit: $16.9 million
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Roy Williams
Tar Heels season ticket holders donated a total of $5.3 million to the athletic department’s booster club last year to secure the right to buy tickets.

2. University of Kentucky, Wildcats
Value: $24.9 million
Profit: $15.4 million
Conference: SEC
Head Coach: Billy Gillispie
Kentucky’s basketball program accounts for 70% of the athletic department’s 10-year, $80 million multi-media deal with IMG College Sports.

3. University of Louisville, Cardinals
Value: $24.4 million
Profit: $17.1 million
Conference: Big East
Head Coach: Rick Pitino
The Cardinals had the highest revenue ($23.2 million) and greatest profit of any college basketball program last year.

4. University of Arizona, Wildcats
Value: $22.7 million
Profit: $13.2 million
Conference: Pac 10
Head Coach: Lute Olson*
Securing a pair of courtside seats at Arizona’s McKale Center for the entire season requires a donation to the athletics department of up to $40,000.

5. Duke University, Blue Devils
Value: $22.6 million
Profit: $11.1 million
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
Basketball Hall of Famer Coach K is serving double duty: drawing up X’s and O’s for both Duke and the U.S. National Team heading to the Beijing Olympics next summer.

6. Indiana University, Hoosiers
Value: $19.4 million
Profit: $13.5 million
Conference: BigTen
Head Coach: Kelvin Sampson
Hoosier Hysteria is as strong as ever with Indiana earning a $13.5 million profit last year, including donations for season ticket reservations.

6. University of Illinois, Fighting Illini
Value: $19.4 million
Profit: $12.2 million
Conference: BigTen
Head Coach: Bruce Weber
Last year, the Illinois Athletic Department generated $1.3 million in advertising and sponsorship revenue from basketball games broadcast on the athletic department-owned Illini Sports Radio Network.

8. University of Kansas, Jayhawks
Value: $16.0 million
Profit: $8.3 million
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Bill Self
A $65 million, 10-year multi-media deal with Host Communications (now IMG College Sports) signed in April will be a boon to the team’s value.

9. University of Wisconsin, Badgers
Value: $15.7 million
Profit: $9.6 million
Conference: BigTen
Head Coach: Bo Ryan
The Badgers generated almost $15 million in revenue last year en route to their 9th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance.

10. Ohio State University, Buckeyes
Value: $15.3 million
Profit: $8.9 million
Conference: BigTen
Head Coach: Thad Matta
Ohio State is the only athletic department in the nation that can lay claim to having a team in the top 10 in Forbes’ college basketball and college football rankings.

11. University of Texas, Longhorns
Value: $15.0 million
Profit: $8.2 million
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Rick Barnes
At $1 million last year, Longhorns men’s basketball is responsible for more donations to academics than any other hoops team in the Big 12.

12. University of Missouri, Tigers
Value: $14.5 million
Profit: $9.8 million
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Mike Anderson
Priority ticket donations for Mizzou basketball totaled $4.3 million last season, nine times more than football.

13. North Carolina State University, Wolfpack
Value: $13.6 million
Profit: $7.9 million
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Sidney Lowe
Lowe, a former NBA head coach, took the reigns of his alma mater last year and promptly beat state-rivals Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest for the first time in 4 years.

13. University of California Los Angeles, Bruins
Value: $13.6 million
Profit: $7.0 million
Conference: Pac 10
Head Coach: Ben Howland
The most storied team in college hoops saw operating income increase 14% last season with a berth in their second consecutive Final Four.

15. Oklahoma State University, Cowboys
Value: $13.5 million
Profit: $8.7 million
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Sean Sutton
Sutton’s appointment as head coach last year had to first be approved by billionaire donor T. Boone Pickens, whose gifts to OSU athletics total an estimated $242 million since 2003.

16. Michigan State University, Spartans
Value: $13.4 million
Profit: $6.8 million
Conference: BigTen
Head Coach: Tom Izzo
Spartans basketball made $6.8 million last season after being over $1 million in the red the year before because of a hefty bonus paid to Izzo.

17. University of Maryland, Terrapins
Value: $13.1 million
Profit: $7.3 million
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Gary Williams
A Terrapins ticket is perhaps toughest to come by in all of college hoops, as only students and season ticket holders fill the 17,950-seat Comcast Center on game day.

18. Syracuse University, Orange
Value: $12.7 million
Profit: $7.0 million
Conference: Big East
Head Coach: Jim Boeheim
With 473,353 total spectators, more fans packed the Carrier Dome than any venue in college basketball last season.

19. University of Arkansas, Razorbacks
Value: $12.6 million
Profit: $9.2 million
Conference: SEC
Head Coach: John Pelphrey
At 16,822 per game, Arkansas had the highest average attendance in the SEC West Division last year.

20. Xavier University, Musketeers
Value: $10.7 million
Profit: $6.3 million
Conference: Atlantic 10
Head Coach: Sean Miller
The Musketeers are the most valuable mid-major basketball program in the country, due in large part to its lucrative seat licensing program.

Post from: EveryJoe

College Basketball’s Richest Teams

The Associated Press is reporting that Georgia Tech’s Ra’Sean Dickey will leave the Yellow Jackets to play professional basketball with Budivelnik Kiev, a Super League team in the Ukraine.

Dickey, a 6-foot-10 inch junior center who averaged 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds during his three years at Georgia Tech reshirted last season due to a right knee injury.

He will join former Georgia Tech teammate Anthony Morrow, who played for the Yellow Jackets from 2004-08. Anthony signed with the Ukrainian team earlier this year after his senior season.

So instead of coming back for a healthy senior season and help lead his team to a good run in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA tournament (and maybe getting a degree when he has time), and maybe cash it all in the NBA Draft, Dickey and his family decided it was time to make some quick money and head to Europe.

What’s the point of saying “I told you so.” This was a slam dunk. Brandon Jennings is now a trend setter. Watch out for even more high school and college players to follow the road to Europe.

Post from: EveryJoe

Brandon Jennings – Trendsetter