Tickel your Fancy
By Hunter Tickel | Sports Editor
The final Saturday in April has passed and, with it, the most over-publicized yearly sporting event.
The 76th NFL Draft was full of pregame hoopla and hype, but only delivered a typical tedious three days of picks.
Waiting 10 minutes between each first round selection is one of the most monotonous things I have ever done — especially in the midst of one of the most entertaining NHL and NBA playoffs in recent memory.
Four NHL first-round series went the distance to a game seven, and, in the NBA arena, No. 8 seed Memphis knocked off No. 1 San Antonio Friday.
How can calling off name after name compare to that?
The draft has become nearly as lacking in newsworthiness as National Signing Day, the first Wednesday of February when high school athletes commit to colleges.
What's next? Middle school signing day for pre-teens?
Unless you were a desperate fan of a hopeless franchise looking for the quarterback of the future — which this year's class didn't have — or you were hoping to see how well your college team was represented, you had no reason to watch.
I figured few University of Cincinnati players would be drafted, so I took the high road. Instead of wasting hours watching this overrated media event, I checked the draft boards Saturday to read up on everything I needed to know in less than 10 minutes.
If you are a Bearcats fan, former center Jason Kelce dropped to the sixth round as an undersized offensive lineman. The Philadelphia Eagles scooped him up with the 191st overall pick.
The Cincinnati Bengals nabbed former Georgia wideout A.J. Green with the No. 4 pick. Green has a lot of talent and potential, and, with Chad Ochocinco's future in limbo, Green is his likely replacement.
In the second round, Cincinnati answered the question on everyone's mind: Who will throw to Green? Former TCU star Andy Dalton was selected and will likely earn a starting role next year by default if Caron Palmer follows through with his retirement.
The top overall pick was Heisman Trophy-winner Cam Newton. He heads to Carolina needing to fine-tune his game, but will likely be thrust into a starting role.
Former Notre Dame star quarterback Jimmy Clausen, Carolina's second-round pick last year, was placed in a similar plight as he posted a 58.4 rating in 10 starts as a first-year starter in the league.
The Panthers have selected three quarterbacks in the past two drafts, including UC alumnus Tony Pike.
This year's draft provided fans with the first relevant football news since Super Bowl XLV, and, with the 2011 season still in jeopardy, it could be the only aspect of professional football happening this year.
When this season's draft began Thursday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the podium and awkwardly smiled at the crowd as boos poured down on him from the discontent crowd.
The fans showered him with chants of, "Let them play," and "We want football."
My message to those in attendance: Shut up or don't participate in the draft. If you really want to see games, why are you partaking in an event run by the owners of the NFL while there is a work stoppage? You're just giving them more power.
The current NFL players casually asked players in this year's draft class to skip out on the festivities, but it would be unreasonable to expect these college stars to shy away from their celebrated passage to the pro ranks.
This year's draft had a little more intrigue with so little happening in the offseason, but now it's time for prodigious postseason hockey and basketball.
Monday, May 2
Thursday, April 28
My first articles for The News Record as a Sports Editor
The Bearcat Bowl provided an early glimpse to the progress the defense has made following a poor season last year.
The final spring football practice and looking ahead to the Sept. 1 season-opener against Austin Peay.
I'm picking the Celtics to claim their 18th title after losing in game seven of the Finals last year.
The final spring football practice and looking ahead to the Sept. 1 season-opener against Austin Peay.
I'm picking the Celtics to claim their 18th title after losing in game seven of the Finals last year.
Monday, April 11
Woods wired for 2011
Offseason training readies senior wideout
By Hunter Tickel | News Record
D.J. Woods jolted onto the Cincinnati football scene in stride Sept. 25, 2010, hauling in a career-best 171 yards in front of 58,253 fans at Paul Brown Stadium.
But the infamous second still fresh in Woods' mind was when he was swiped from behind at Oklahoma's nine-yard line and lost the ball after a career-long 69-yard catch. Woods ended the game with two giveaways.
"Those mistakes are going to live with me forever," The Strongsville, Ohio, native says. "I'm probably my biggest critic. I thought I had a great game, but, at the same time, I fumbled twice, and that's the only thing I remember from the game."
At the beginning of last season, Woods was prone to dropping the ball, losing five fumbles in the opening four games. But despite his early season troubles, Woods closed the season with better hands, and lost just one fumble in the final eight games.
"It all comes back to consistency," says UC head coach Butch Jones. "[Woods] is as talented of a player as we have. He's extremely intelligent [and] he plays fast. Now it's just about consistency on a day-to-day basis."
In response to Jones' request, the senior wideout has put in the time off the field to correct his ball security during the spring offseason.
"The first thing [Woods] needed to do was get bigger and stronger in the weight room," Jones said. "He has embraced that challenge. He's done a great job. I think he has had a very productive offseason."
Woods approaches his senior campaign as the top-returning receiver, having hauled in a team-best 898 yards and eight touchdowns during his junior season — accolades earning him second team all-Big East honors.
"Every year is a learning experience," Woods says. "I'm trying to get my technique down, know what I'm doing on the ball and off the ball. I feel like right now everything is coming together."
As a three-time letter winner, Woods has honed his execution in running routes is considerably from last season.
"I know how to read defenses. I know how to read defensive backs. I know what to do in certain situations," Woods says.
With the graduation of top receiver Armon Binns last season, Woods figures he'll see more of the ball but trusts in the assembly of Cincinnati's wideout core.
"Every receiver wants to get touches, but we have great receivers," Woods said. "We have a whole bunch of people who need the ball in their hands."
The Bearcats will return to Paul Brown Stadium — the site of where Woods' talents were made apparent — Saturday, Oct. 15, against Louisville and Saturday, Nov. 12, against West Virginia, and Woods is keen on playing in the spotlight of a pro setting and capacity crowd once again.
"It's a lot different because you're really playing at the next stage," Woods says. "You kind of feel like how the Cincinnati Bengals do. It's a great place to play."
By Hunter Tickel | News Record
D.J. Woods jolted onto the Cincinnati football scene in stride Sept. 25, 2010, hauling in a career-best 171 yards in front of 58,253 fans at Paul Brown Stadium.
But the infamous second still fresh in Woods' mind was when he was swiped from behind at Oklahoma's nine-yard line and lost the ball after a career-long 69-yard catch. Woods ended the game with two giveaways.
"Those mistakes are going to live with me forever," The Strongsville, Ohio, native says. "I'm probably my biggest critic. I thought I had a great game, but, at the same time, I fumbled twice, and that's the only thing I remember from the game."
At the beginning of last season, Woods was prone to dropping the ball, losing five fumbles in the opening four games. But despite his early season troubles, Woods closed the season with better hands, and lost just one fumble in the final eight games.
"It all comes back to consistency," says UC head coach Butch Jones. "[Woods] is as talented of a player as we have. He's extremely intelligent [and] he plays fast. Now it's just about consistency on a day-to-day basis."
In response to Jones' request, the senior wideout has put in the time off the field to correct his ball security during the spring offseason.
"The first thing [Woods] needed to do was get bigger and stronger in the weight room," Jones said. "He has embraced that challenge. He's done a great job. I think he has had a very productive offseason."
Woods approaches his senior campaign as the top-returning receiver, having hauled in a team-best 898 yards and eight touchdowns during his junior season — accolades earning him second team all-Big East honors.
"Every year is a learning experience," Woods says. "I'm trying to get my technique down, know what I'm doing on the ball and off the ball. I feel like right now everything is coming together."
As a three-time letter winner, Woods has honed his execution in running routes is considerably from last season.
"I know how to read defenses. I know how to read defensive backs. I know what to do in certain situations," Woods says.
With the graduation of top receiver Armon Binns last season, Woods figures he'll see more of the ball but trusts in the assembly of Cincinnati's wideout core.
"Every receiver wants to get touches, but we have great receivers," Woods said. "We have a whole bunch of people who need the ball in their hands."
The Bearcats will return to Paul Brown Stadium — the site of where Woods' talents were made apparent — Saturday, Oct. 15, against Louisville and Saturday, Nov. 12, against West Virginia, and Woods is keen on playing in the spotlight of a pro setting and capacity crowd once again.
"It's a lot different because you're really playing at the next stage," Woods says. "You kind of feel like how the Cincinnati Bengals do. It's a great place to play."
Thursday, April 7
Madness ends on ugly note
Tickel your Fancy
By Hunter Tickel | Senior Reporter
When Shelvin Mack missed his first two layups and had his 3-pointer swatted, I knew Butler was in for an ominous night.
The lack of execution and shot-making from Connecticut and Butler made for one of the most unbearable championship games in the history of college basketball.
The Bulldogs shot worse than 19 percent in a game that was an indecent climax to the five-month season and elimination of 343 other teams.
Only Harvard in 1946 had a worse performance from the floor in a tournament contest. Butler became the first team to hit just three 2-point baskets in a postseason game.
Even CBS analyst Charles Barkley, who had been ill-informed for the entirety of the Big Dance, was spot on when he compared Butler's six first-half buckets to being as ugly as the girls he dated in high school.
Butler's malaise spread quickly to UConn, which managed 19 opening-half points and actually trailed at the break. The 41 combined first-half points had the look of a scene cut from "Hoosiers" and Milan High School's championship in the '50s.
Kemba Walker, the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, missed his first five shots before finishing 5 for 19 overall. The South Bronx native showed on the biggest stage that he is a dubious shooter.
Are the Huskies really the best team the nation has to offer? A squad that went .500 in the Big East only has one future NBA player and four underclassmen starters?
Monday night was evidence of one of the most talent-starved college seasons in recent memory. Only two players from the tournament finale — Walker, a lottery to mid-round pick, and Matt Howard, a late second rounder — will be drafted.
Mack would be wise to stay in school for another year after leaving much to be desired with his shot selection and ability to run an offense.
In a watered-down year for college hoops, the two teams left standing set a record for highest combined seed total (11) in a title game. The pair had 18 losses between them, another record high.
The tournament experienced its first Final Four without a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, which portrayed the mediocrity and lack of quality players in power conference programs.
There was not one single dominant team. Ohio State was the closest to it and they folded in the Sweet 16.
The Big East may have been deep, placing a record 11 teams in March Madness, but, besides Walker, it has zero players capable of playing at the next level.
The league rose to the occasion when many power conferences were in shambles. Take Southern California, which lost in the First Four, out of the equation and the PAC 10 matched the Colonial Athletic Association with three berths.
The Bulldogs garner elite status for posting back-to-back national title game appearances. The past two years, they have more NCAA tournament wins than any other program with 10, but have failed to deliver the fatal blow.
Monday, the Bulldogs appeared unaccustomed to the national spotlight as UConn flexed its muscles with 10 blocked shots and made it look like boys against men.
Coaches can't win championships, and the Bulldogs appeared to have had no business competing for the hardware.
In a fitting display of the thin line between the haves and have-nots, Pittsburgh guard Gilbert Brown missed his second free throw with 1.4 seconds remaining that would have squashed Butler's run in the second round.
The college game needs a restructuring if it's to keep up with the ranks of the pros.
One-and-done players are depleting top-level programs and veteran minnows raiding the Final Four are becoming less infrequent with the decline in quality college basketball.
Sunday, April 3
Thursday, February 10
Thursday, January 13
UC Basketball: Back in buisness?
Tickel yer Fancy
By Hunter Tickel | Senior Reporter
Following Cincinnati's dominating, 20-point blowout of rival Xavier, the question I found myself begging the answer for was: is Bearcats basketball back?
Throughout the course of the past three seasons, UC has been in a college basketball abyss, failing to even reach the conversation for garnering an NCAA tournament berth since the departure of former head coach Bob Huggins.
Meanwhile, less than five miles from the UC campus, a blue empire was born — Xavier, Cincinnati's most-despised rival. The Musketeers have reached three consecutive Sweet 16's at the tournament and qualified for the big dance five consecutive years.
Times have been hard for the UC fan base to say the least; Thursday's win eased some of the pain.
The victory shed light on one distinctive advantage Cincinnati had throughout the Shootout: depth. This was typically an Achilles' heel for the Bearcats in recent seasons while head coach Mick Cronin was rebuilding the program.
"Like coach [Cronin] says, ‘We've got a lot of players on the bench that could be somewhere else and start,' " said senior forward Darnell Wilks. "With the talent we have coming off the bench, it's hard for other teams to compete with."
Xavier's Tu Holloway entered the rivalry game pacing Xavier with 21.3 points per game and drawing comparisons to one of college basketball's leading scorers.
"Holloway is playing as good as anybody in America not named Kemba Walker," Cronin said.
But after 2-of-13 shooting and a five-point effort against UC, he might be regarded as one of the biggest choke artists in college basketball.
Cincinnati wore him down with size, physicality and depth on defense. Guards Dion Dixon, Larry Davis and Sean Kilpatrick all have at least three inches on Holloway and took turns putting a hand in his face.
Sunday's 72-61 loss at No. 7 Villanova might elicit a blunt "no" to my opening question, but that's illogical to me.
The Bearcats fell behind by 21 points in the second half against the Wildcats while facing the fiercest full-court pressure they have seen to this point in the season. They also had to deal with poor officiating.
Despite all the adversity for the then-undefeated Bearcats, they managed to fight and claw their way back into the game, trimming the deficit to seven points before falling short.
"Nobody was giving up on each other," Wilks said. "We still have fight. There was a time in my freshman year when that lead could have kept building and building."
The current squad has an X factor that Cronin's teams have lacked up to this point in his five-year tenure: heart.
No Cincinnati team since the Huggins era has played with as much grit and dedication as this season's group.
The main factor for this is the veteran leadership the Bearcats have this season. With rebuilding the program like he has had to, Cronin has yet to have that before this year.
Six seniors and two juniors provide the glue for Cincinnati. Two of those seniors, Wilks and Davis, have humbly and willingly welcomed coming off the bench to provide a spark.
"Me and Larry, being seniors, we know our roles," Wilks said. "We accepted that. Personally, it really doesn't matter to me as long as I can come in and contribute mostly defensively and rebounding."
These Bearcats are the most unselfish team I've seen in years. They all know their duties and are content regardless of how much playing time they receive. They fully grasp just how scarce minutes are on this talented team.
Only the rigors of the upcoming daunting Big East schedule will determine if Cincinnati garners elite status in the nation's best and deepest conference.
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