The NCAA tournament shed half its teams in the span of 48 hours.
Stan Smith Pas Cher
Chine . Heres what you missed.The weekend belonged to Juli RossiIt
took Juli Rossi so long to get on a soccer field for Southern
Illinois-Edwardsville, and proved so challenging to stay on the field once
there, that perhaps she just wasnt ready to leave.The fourth-place team from the
unimposing Ohio Valley Conference, SIU-Edwardsville eliminated ACC
regular-season co-champion and No. 2 seed Notre Dame in the first round in no
small part because its goalkeeper didnt play the part the script assigned her.
Road teams rarely win in the first round. Of the 32 that tried it this weekend,
four succeeded. Road teams really dont beat No. 2 seeds in the opening round.
That had happened just once since 2008, which also happened to be the year that
SIU-Edwardsville moved to Division I.But after playing Notre Dame to a 0-0 draw
over 110 minutes Friday night, literally saved by eight stops from Rossi,
SIU-Edwardsville advanced on the strength of two more Rossi saves and five
conversions from her teammates in a penalty shootout that stretched six
rounds.That video you probably saw last week of an iguana running a nightmarish
gauntlet of snakes? There were moments, especially in the two overtime periods
when watching Rossi dive, stretch and scramble across the goal mouth in South
Bend that felt not entirely dissimilar. Perhaps her form wasnt perfect. Perhaps
she let a rebound stray. But she kept the ball out of the net.If only in the
soccer sense, it was her own survival mode.Rossi didnt play a game in her first
two college seasons. At a position with an unforgiving depth chart, she was left
to bide her time on the bench behind an upperclassman who obliterated the
program record for shutouts. Finally given a chance to play this season, she
missed a game and a half early with concussion symptoms. Then she missed nearly
a month with a shoulder injury.None of which most of us would have ever known
had SIU-Edwardsvilles season ended in the opening round of the OVC tournament
against Austin Peay. Instead, after a 0-0 stalemate over 110 minutes, Rossi
saved the opening attempt in the penalty shootout and the Cougars made it count.
She made nine saves in the semifinal and final, one-goal games with no margin
for error.Now she and the Cougars are headed to Durham, North Carolina, to play
Northwestern for a place in the Sweet 16.What else stole the show in the first
round?Danica Evans flip throw: The flip throw-in, wherein a player acrobatically
uses the energy of a handspring to propel the ball, is, frankly, cool. But it is
also frequently more fun to watch than it is useful. The aim and trajectory that
can be accomplished with a regular long throw are sacrificed. But in the hands
of Colorados Evans it is both crowd pleaser and game changer. Evans finished off
Colorados 3-1 win against Oklahoma State with a goal of her own, but the game
turned on her flip throw that set up Colorados opening goal. She was
consistently able to put throws in the 6-yard box with the kind of pace and
trajectory that create stress for a defense -- and mistakes like the own goal
directly off a throw in the 18th minute.Colorado and Utah, which beat Texas Tech
1-0, are in the tournament in the same season for the second time since joining
the Pac-12. They helped the league advance five teams and go 5-0-1 (Pepperdine
eliminated Cal in a shootout). The Buffaloes also did this.Nikki Walts sense of
timing: The Ohio State junior entered Saturdays game against Dayton with two
goals in 19 games. She picked opportune moments to double that total and help
the Buckeyes advance to the second round. First, after Dayton solidified the
momentum of a goal just before halftime by scoring again to take a 2-1 lead
early in the first half, Walts responded with a goal just 30 seconds later to
restore order at 2-2. Then with overtime looming, she drilled a free kick from
20 yards into the top corner in the 86th minute for a 3-2 win. It was the latest
non-overtime winner of the first round.NC States long wait: When NC State
survived a penalty shootout at No. 4 Minnesota -- goalkeeper Sydney Wootten
making two saves in the shootout and German youth international Ricarda Walkling
clinching it after being helped from the field with an apparent injury -- it
marked the first time the Wolfpack advanced in an NCAA tournament since 1995. In
the intervening years, neighbor North Carolina won 82 tournament games. Even
Duke, with its own legacy of living in the shadow cast by the Tar Heels, won 26
tournament games in that span.Illinois States streak: Illinois State lost its
first three games this season and was 2-5-0 after nearly a month of competition.
The number in the loss column hasnt budged, and the Redbirds will join
SIU-Edwardsville and Northwestern in Durham, North Carolina, this weekend as No.
3 Duke hosts what are officially second and third round games and unofficially
the Land of Lincoln invitational. By eliminating host Michigan in a penalty
shootout Saturday, Illinois State became one of those four road teams to advance
and extended its unbeaten streak to 15 games.Looking out for No. 1sTop seeds
Florida, South Carolina, Stanford and West Virginia advanced by a combined 17-0
margin in the first round. Only Florida, which not coincidentally had far and
away the toughest assignment at home against Florida Gulf Coast, had to sweat a
tie into the second half.History favors the top seeds to make it through the
second weekend, too. Since the carnage of 2010, when only one No. 1 seed reached
the quarterfinals, 19 of 20 top seeds made it at least that far over the past
five tournaments. That doesnt mean it will be easy for this years aspirants.It
wont be easy for West Virginia, a potential Sweet 16 pairing against No. 4 UCLA,
most of all. Stanford hosts old rival Santa Clara in the second round. And
Floridas entire bracket looks like one big trap. But all can look at South
Carolinas path and be grateful it isnt theirs.The Gamecocks face the potential
of a Sweet 16 game against fourth-seeded BYU, the same team ranked one spot
behind them in the NSCAA Top 25 (and with two more first-place votes). That
semifinal-quality matchup will only happen if South Carolina first handles
ranked Colorado, which tied for second place in arguably the nations toughest
conference, and if BYU gets by ranked Oklahoma, which, by the way, already tied
South Carolina this year.In six games this season against teams that entered the
NCAA tournament ranked, South Carolina scored more than one goal just twice. It
also didnt allow many goals in those games, of course, and its defense at home
is a formidable thing. But while the Gamecocks remain the favorites, theyre
going to have to play like it to survive the week ahead.Second-round
must-seesNo. 4 Auburn vs. Connecticut: It wont get as much attention as the
matchup that follows on the list, but this could be the College Cup spoiler
special. Auburn throttled South Alabama 4-0 in the first round and is 10-2-0
with 30 goals since a narrow loss to South Carolina in September (half of those
games against NCAA tournament teams). But Connecticuts Rachel Hill and Stephanie
Ribeiro have 37 goals between them this season, including two in a 4-2
first-round win over Albany.Penn State vs. No. 3 Virginia: Its the defending
national champion Nittany Lions against a program that reached at least the
Sweet 16 in each of the past 11 tournaments. Up and down all season, Penn State
was very much up in a 6-0 win against Bucknell in the first round. The sum of
individual parts like Frannie Crouse, Nickolette Driesse, Megan Schafer,
Charlotte Williams and Salina Williford still has the potential to add up to
much more than the typical unseeded offense.Rutgers at No. 2 Georgetown: The
first sign that Georgetown was a team of consequence this season, before it beat
Virginia and West Virginia, was a 2-1 win over Rutgers. Rachel Corbozs second
goal of the game ended matters just 35 seconds into overtime. The Scarlet
Knights enter the rematch in a good run of form, comfortable 3-0 winners against
Harvard in the first round after wins over Penn State and Northwestern in the
Big Ten tournament.Texas A&M at No. 2 USC: One of the most appealing games
of the entire week ahead is a potential Sweet 16 encounter between USC and
Florida State, the storied Seminoles on the road against a senior-laden success
story. But those USC seniors first have to deal with an opponent that has a lot
of institutional memory when it comes to the postseason. By winning 1-0 at TCU
in front of the second-largest crowd of the first round, the Aggies continued a
streak of reaching the second round every year since 1998.Wisconsin at No. 1
Florida: While the FIFA Under-20 Womens World Cup is underway in Papua New
Guinea, this game marks the end of the collegiate road for two alums of the 2014
U-20 World Cup. Either Floridas Savannah Jordan or Wisconsins Rose Lavelle will
have to turn their attention to the NWSL. Lavelle steered the Badgers here with
a long-distance strike for the only goal in a 1-0 win at Marquette, but Jordan
has a lot of help in Gainesville.Where are all the people?South Carolina lived
up to its seed in a 7-0 first-round rout of Alabama State. But it came close to
losing another No. 1 ranking in the process. The Gamecocks entered the first
round as the nations attendance leader, averaging more than 3,000 fans per game.
But because BYU drew the largest crowd of the first round against UNLV and South
Carolina drew just 939 fans to its game, the gap between first and second shrank
to almost nil (2,970-2,957).Unfortunately for the tournament, BYU was the
exception to the rule with its crowd of 3,276.In all, 19 of 32 first-round hosts
drew smaller crowds in the first round than each of those schools averaged in
the regular season. The difference was marginal in some cases, but it was also
striking in others -- beyond just South Carolina. Penn State drew 573 people,
nearly 800 fewer than it averaged in the regular season. Notre Dame drew just
261, down from more than 1,000 per game in the regular season. Virginia drew
nearly 1,100 fewer than its average.There were unique circumstances -- it was a
decidedly cold night in State College, Pennsylvania; there was a basketball game
going on next door at Notre Dame, etc. And there is always the issue of NCAA
tournament ticket prices, which are higher than regular-season prices almost
across the board (in a handful of cases replacing free admission). But if part
of the objective in reshaping the tournament format from 16 sites the opening
week to 32 sites was to boost attendance (while simultaneously lowering travel
costs), the evidence of success is scarce.
Stan Smith
Destockage . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm
pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on
consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the
visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1
decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City.
Stan Smith Solde Pas
Cher . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed
that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing
is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a
joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to
ask that the lawsuit be dismissed.
http://www.stansmithfrance.fr/ . The
International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on
Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all
previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing;
Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. What do you need to
know about the weekends big stories? Joe McDonald gives us his take on the
biggest and best.Gallant firing a shocker: Theres no way anyone had Gerard
Gallant in the pool as being the first coach fired this season. After a 3-2 loss
to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Florida Panthers fired Gallant late Sunday. You
cant put all the blame on the coach for the teams 11-10-1 record. Injuries to
key players and roster changes affected the teams start. Also, if hockey
personnel in Florida are relying on analytics to decide a coachs fate, they have
it wrong. The players respect Gallant, something analytics wont tell you.
General manager Tom Rowe is taking over behind the bench, but a coaching change
will have a negative effect in the room. It was no fluke Gallant led the
Panthers to franchise-record 103 points and a Atlantic Division title last
season. Describing the situation as a gong show would be a major understatement.
Heres my question: Who is calling the shots in Florida? Management or ownership?
I cant see how this change helps the team. Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee
should hire Gallant today for next season.Pastrnak stands out, too: I cant
remember a season when the NHL was loaded with such a huge pool of talented
young players. Youve got, of course, the Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid, the
Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews and the Winnipeg Jets Patrik Laine. Across
the board, players under-24 players are dominating. But lets not forget about
the Boston Bruins David Pastrnak.
Stan Smith Soldes. The 20-year-old forward, a
25th-overall pick in 2014, has been Bostons best player this season. He scored
his 13th goal of the season to help the Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay
Lightning on Sunday. Sure, it helps that hes playing on a line with Patrice
Bergeron and Brad Marchand, but he always has been a dynamic player and hes
finally coming into his own. Pastrnak is second in goals behind the Pittsburgh
Penguins Sidney Crosby (15) and has 17 points in 17 games, including a plus-13.
Add Pastrnak to the list of young players to keep an eye on this season.Give the
stopper credit: Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will be one of the key reasons for
the Jets return to the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. He made 42 saves in the
Jets 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Sunday, his second shutout of the
season. The victory also ended Winnipegs five-game losing skid. Hellebuyck has
made timely saves in critical situations as the Jets go-to guy while starting 11
of the past 13 games. The 26 games (13-11-1 record) he played as a rookie last
season were invaluable as the organization is leaning on him now. Hes only 8-8-0
with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in 17 games, but
the 23-year-old is playing with confidence, which can only equal more wins for
the Jets.
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