Empty your bank accounts and grab any weapon within an arm's reach, folks; Nebrasketball has earned a bye in the B1G tournament and Armageddon is upon us.
AN OSU FAN TROLLED IZZO. Things didn't unfold yesterday as it was originally drawn up for Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. (Kyle's full report on the Buckeye victory can be found here.) Izzo, however, got into a verbal sparring match with an OSU fan after the game. From FoxSports:
It's unclear what was said, but Michigan State staffers stepped in front of Izzo and detoured him away from the confrontation with a female fan.
"She was kind of a jerk," Izzo said during his postgame press conference.
When a couple of reporters started to chuckle, Izzo said, "You want the truth or you want me to lie? Well."
I was going to crack wise on Izzo here, but then I remembered I'd probably smash somebody in the skull with a brick if they popped off to me minutes after losing a FIFA match, let alone a Big Ten conference game. Still, never a good idea to feed the trolls, especially when you're a multimillionaire professional (and a grown-ass man).
CHRISTIAN BRYANT STILL CHASING NFL DREAM. Christian Bryant was headed towards a great senior season before OSU's inability to finish a game led to him shattering his ankle against Wisconsin.
The NCAA, being the worthless, arbitrary curmudgeon it is, of course denied an inner-city kid a chance at a true senior season by refusing to grant him a medical redshirt.
But Christian Bryant isn't a quitter, and he's convinced he has a spot in the NFL. From Cleveland.com:
“If you look at the safeties in the NFL, the best safeties aren’t even above six feet,” Bryant said. “It’s not really about the physical attributes. I feel it’s about how you prepare for a game and how you attack the whole situation. You’ve got to be fearless out there.”
[...]
Bryant has been out since breaking his left ankle in the fifth game of the 2013 season against Wisconsin six months ago. He said Friday he has been cleared by doctors, but he didn’t want to take part in workouts in front of NFL personnel until he was 100 percent. Running, jumping and going through position drills at 90 percent wasn’t going to impress anyone.
[...]
“It’s not that I’m taking any steps backward right now,” Bryant said. “It’s all progress. I just want to show them I’m back at 100 percent and can cut and break and didn’t lose a step. Maybe I even gained a step or two with this comeback.”
Defenses are getting smaller in the NFL, so maybe Christian Bryant does have a chance to catch-on with an NFL team. (The article points out Kirk Kurt Coleman's NFL stint as a blueprint.)
I think the loss of Bryant was an under-considered storyline with regards to the Silver Bullets' struggles last year (which is a testament to how far he had come in his career). Urban Meyer has always raved about him, and ol' Urbz knows a footballer when he sees one.
S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C! Here's a story about online troll who moonlit as an Arkansas judge and posted a bunch of racist, sexist and homophobic posts and also leaked confidential judicial info on an LSU fan board:
Yes, it's a good as it sounds. Courtesy of AboveTheLaw.com:
The alleged culprit in this case goes by “Geauxjudge” and he’s an LSU fan. Obviously. Because literally every LSU fan thinks using “Geaux” is the height of clever. Anyway, Geauxjudge posts on the LSU fan board Tiger Droppings, which is actually a pretty great board if you’re trying to stay atop the cesspool of recruiting violations that is the SEC.
[...]
[Geauxjudge] also posted a good deal of thinly-veiled personal information, including his education history, leading Matt Campbell of Blue Hog Report to conclude that Geauxjudge was actually Arkansas Circuit Court judge and Court of Appeals candidate Judge Mike Maggio. If you think that posting off-color sexism is “no big deal,” then you’re (a) a troglodyte or (b) a 12-year-old. However, putting aside whether or not this is a big deal generally (it is), this is someone holding themselves out — if quasi-anonymously — as a judge who presides over divorce proceedings to revel in a deep disdain for women whose husbands cheat on them.
[...]
UPDATE (3/6/2014, 12:00 p.m.): Judge Maggio has owned up to, and apologized for, the message-board postings. He has also dropped out of the Court of Appeals race. You can read his full statement here.
The full awfulness of Geuxjudge can be found at the Blue Hog Report, but this goes as another reminder that anonymity online DOES NOT EXIST.
HYDE, SHAZIER, ROBY IMPRESSED. Ohio State's pro day was on Friday. (Here are Kyle's report and Walt's photos.) Mike Mayock was on the scene, and Ohio State's elite prospects impressed him:
"What's really important for a high-level tailback, if you want to be a three-down back in the NFL, you've got to catch the football," Mayock said. "What [Carlos Hyde] showed today is that he's a natural catcher."
[...]
"[A 4.38 40-yard dash] is crazy for a 237-pound outside linebacker, to have those kind of movement skills and explosion," Mayock said. "The thing [Ryan Shazier] does well -- he's a run-and-chase linebacker. He fits today's NFL. He's great in the pass game, but he's got to do a better job disengaging from blocks."
[...]
Mayock said Roby showed teams Friday that he could be "smooth and athletic and show a great change of direction. He put on a show."
Mayock thinks all three will be taken in the first round. He also said Mewhort's performance created a "buzz" and thinks the former Ohio State standby will be plucked in the second round of the draft.
CHECK-IN WITH AN OLD FRIEND. William Buford is back playing basketball in Ohio. From Cleveland.com:
The Canton Charge, the Cavaliers' owned-and-operated NBA D-League team, acquired former Ohio State guard William Buford in a trade and granted former Cavalier Kevin Jones his release on Saturday so he could go to play with the San Miguel Beermen of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) in the Philippines.
Glad to see Willie Buckets is still on the grind. The D-League is growing (Mavs' owner Mark Cuban thinks elite prospects should skip college and go straight to the D-League) so hopefully Willie gains the attention of an NBA squad. He could probably be the best player on this year's Lakers if given the opportunity.
THOSE WMDs. I can't stop laughing... These teen Vine kingpins are raking in the cash... Illinois OC thinks Illini could have best offense in the B1G... Fact: there are only four defenses in football... HAIL AND WELL MET, TRAVELER... This was basically every bibliography I had in college... People went nuts when HBOGO crashed during the True Detective finale... Swivel seats, big screen, espresso machine – inside the driverless car of the future.... Photographer's stunning pictures capture collision of skydiver, plane...
