11/22/2008 - Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a thrilling victory over an outstanding opponent, the 12th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners get back to action today against the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb is undoubtedly frustrated after losing a pair of close games to open the season, both on the road. After falling to Virginia Tech by just three points in the opener, the Bulldogs dropped an 85-84 decision at Longwood on Tuesday. They will take on South Carolina next and will also battle Kansas State in non-league play, and all the tough games against major conference teams figure to prepare the Bulldogs for Big South action.
Oklahoma played host to Davidson on Tuesday, and the season's first battle of ranked teams certainly lived up to the hype. The Wildcats put up a major fight, but the Sooners managed to escape with an 82-78 victory. They are now 3-0 on the young season and figure to face a few more stiff tests before the start of Big 12 play.
Oklahoma and Gardner-Webb met for the first time last season, and the Sooners won that meeting by a 69-55 final.
Gardner-Webb has no trouble finding capable options at the offensive end of the court. Through two games, Grayson Flittner is netting a team-high 19.5 ppg, and he also owns averages of 5.5 rpg and 3.5 apg. Aaron Linn, who is scoring 16.5 ppg, is also contributing 6.0 rpg and 3.0 apg. Anton Silver is also netting 16.5 ppg, and that trio gives the Bulldogs a chance against any opponent. In the heart-breaking loss to Longwood, Silver tallied 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor, and he pulled down nine rebounds as well. Linn scored 20 points, and Flittner posted 19 points. As for Joshua Henley, he hit all six of his attempts from the field and finished with 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they allowed Longwood to shoot 57.4 percent from the floor and only forced nine turnovers in the clash.
Oklahoma has only played three games, but there is already talk that Blake Griffin is the best player in all of college basketball. The power forward has been dominant thus far, as he is averaging 23.0 ppg and 19.3 rpg, while shooting 77.4 percent from the floor. If not for his shaky 58.8 percent free throw shooting, Griffin's scoring output would be even more impressive. While the athletic big man has stolen the headlines, he does not have to carry the load alone. Freshman Willie Warren is off to a great start, as he is scoring 14.7 ppg. As for Taylor Griffin, Blake's older brother, he is contributing 10.0 ppg. The Sooners are scoring 86.3 ppg on 52.7 percent shooting from the field, and they are limiting foes to 61.7 ppg on 34.2 percent efficiency. Blake Griffin played possibly the best game of his career against Davidson, as the sophomore finished with 25 points and 21 rebounds. Warren tallied 20 points, and Taylor Griffin pitched in 16 points. Oklahoma shot 52.1 percent from the floor and held Davidson to 35.3 percent shooting.
<< Coppin State faces daunting task in clash with No. 11 Purdue
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers have
a ton of returning talent on the roster, and they are clearly favored in
tonight's non-conference clash with the Coppin State Eagles.
Coppin State has only played
<< Streaking Bruins try to halt eight-game slide in Montreal
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Bruins ended their epic losing streak against the
Canadiens in the last matchup between the two Northeast Division rivals.
Boston will now try to end its skid in Montreal, where the two teams meet
tonight at the Bell Cent
<< Wild continue homestand with visit from Blues
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will continue a five-game homestand this
evening, as they welcome the St. Louis Blues to Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild bring a solid 5-2-1 home mark into tonight's test despite losing the
opener of this r
<< Bucks battle Bobcats in Charlotte
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks embark on a four-game road trip
Saturday when they meet the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Charlie Villanueva, who had missed the previous four games with a strained
left hamstring, score
Morehead State seeks upset of No. 3 Louisville >>
Louisville, KY. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Louisville Cardinals are
hosting the Billy Minardi Classic to open their season, and they will take on
the Morehead State Eagles tonight. The winner and loser from this clash will
take on the
Local bragging rights on line as Golden Eagles hosts Panthers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles are
set to host the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in non-league action from the
Bradley Center. These teams have met 35 times, and Marquette has never lost to
the Panthers.
Red Wings try for fifth straight win in road test with Flames >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to match their season-high
win streak tonight, when they visit the Calgary Flames and Pengrowth
Saddledome.
The Red Wings have won four straight and have posted at least a point in each
of t
Avalanche visit Kings in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to get back on track
tonight, when they take on the Los Angeles Kings in a road test at the Staples
Center.
The Avalanche are probably just glad to be playing a team other than the
Calgary
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their “supplements” to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this won’t be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a “truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit.” And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. “The plug-necked yahoos on your team,” you can say, “will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.”
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesn’t focus only on your opponent’s team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Where’s your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, “I’ll try to type slower for you next time.” Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, don’t just conclude by saying your opponent is a “twerp who drafts like my grandmother.” Say that your opponent is a “sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars.” By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You won’t be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, I’m sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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