THE EMORY WHEEL
E
SPORTS
Friday, November 30, 2012
agle xchange
WOMEN’S SOCCER
WOMEN’S MEN’S TRACK AND SWIM MING & BASKETBALL BASKETBALL FIELD DIVING
FRI 30
SAT 1
SUN 2
at BirminghamSouthern College 7 p.m Birmingham, Ala.
MON 3
On Fire
This one is for the genius who combined bikinis and basketball.
TUES 4
1. Fighting
vs. Agnes Scott College 6 p.m. Atlanta, Ga. at Rhodes College 5 p.m Memphis, Tenn.
Miami Invitational All Day Oxford, Ohio
Miami Invitational All Day Oxford, Ohio
Georgia Tech Fall Invitational All Day Atlanta, Ga.
Panther Indoor Ice Breaker All Day Birmingham, Ala.
Andy Ie/Staff
Sophomore guard Michael Florin handles the ball. Florin contributed seven points and three steals in the Eagles’ loss to Birmingham-Southern.
Davis Returns from Injury to Drop 19 in Loss
vs. Wheaton College (Ill.) 6 p.m. San Antonio, Texas
Continued from The Back Page
Women Hold Off Late Run By Keeping Up Defensive Pressure Sewannee made a run to cut the lead to 11, but the Emory women came back quickly and finished off the half with an 18-3 run, helped by Dickerson and Morgan’s four straight three-point shots. In the last quarter of the game, Emory kept defensive pressure up high in a 14-2 barrage, followed by a three-point shot scored by freshman guard Khadijah Sayyid. “Since day one, all of the upperclassman have not only been encouraging, but they have also challenged us [freshmen] to take this game to the next level,” said Tsao.
All twelve players who played on Tuesday tacked on points and made solid rebounds. Jackson set a high bar with three steals and five boards. “The big part of this stretch is that starting past Sunday we were going to have six games in 14 days. This will test our perseverance and our ability to keep up and stay on our game,” Thomaskutty said. The Eagles will be back on the court on Friday, Nov. 30 at an away game against Birmingham Southern College (Ala.). — Contact Nicola Braginsky at nbragins@emory.edu
selves in that position,” he said. “In a close game, it’s important to just keep fighting, regardless the circumstance.” Emory finished with a 45 percent mark from the field compared to BSC’s 53.8 percent, but the real damage was done from beyond the three-point line. The Panthers outshot the Eagles 57.7 percent to 28.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Eagles finished with a 12 to 21 edge in turnovers but were outrebounded 33-27. Davis, who returned from an injury that sidelined him for two games, led the team with 19 points on 8 for 17 shooting, while Greven and Friedberg both contributed 17 points a piece. “It was nice to have Jake back,” Zimmerman said. “It’s always good
when we have all our weapons.” The trio leading the team in scoring is nothing new for the Eagles— Davis is leading with team with 20 points per game, while Greven’s 16.8 is good for second and Friedberg ranks third with 13.8.
“In a close game, it’s important to just keep fighting, regardless of the circumstance.” — Alex Greven, senior guard
Friedberg led the team with seven rebounds and three blocks. He has posted multiple blocks in every game this season.
Junior guard McPherson Moore rounded out the double-digit scorers with ten points. The loss came in the Eagles’ first home game in over a week. They split two games over Thanksgiving break, the first a close 84-81 loss to LaGrange College and the second a 85-55 blowout of Maryville College (Tenn.). Both games took place at Oglethorpe University. Birmingham Southern was ranked as high as 12th in the nation last week, but the Eagles were not satisfied with playing the Panthers close. “There’s no such thing as a moral victory,” Greven said. The Eagles will take to the road in their next game when they visit Rhodes College on Saturday, December 1 at 5 p.m. — Contact Ryan Smith at ryan. smith@emory.edu
Chavkin: Winner of Georgia-Alabama Game Will Play for National Championship Continued from The Back Page the amount of turnovers his team has. Eddie Lacy is a hard runner that will not go down easily and can kick it to another gear at any time. Their defense has always been one of the top aspects of Alabama’s team and this year is no exception, with them holding opponents to under 20 points in every win. Alabama began the year with a convincing against Michigan. They then went into Death Valley and beat
a very good LSU team. The only blemish on their schedule was when Jonny Manziel and his Texas A&M Aggies came into Tuscaloosa and were able to hang on. Georgia, ranked third in the BCS, also finished the regular season with an 11-1 record and reached this game by winning the SEC East. Led by quarterback Aaron Murray, Georgia has the highest quarterback rating in the country, Georgia’s offense has carried the team most of the season. The team has been able to
score over 30 points in nine of their 12 games. Murray leads the passing game, frequently looking to wide receiver Tavarres King. Their ground attack is also very solid behind, with Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall splitting carries. The defense has not necessarily been a strength, but it is effective enough to allow their offense to lead the way. The Bulldogs began the season strong but ran into trouble in the
middle of the season, winning games against mediocre SEC teams like Vanderbilt and Kentucky by single digits, then losing to South Carolina by four touchdowns. They do, however, have an impressive win over Florida, which occurred when the Gators were the secondranked team in the country. I expect the game to be very entertaining and very close, but even though I will be rooting for Georgia to pull out the win, in the end, I give the edge to Alabama’s squad.
They just have too much talent on both sides of the ball. Head Coach Nick Saban has been in these games before and will have his team ready to play. Alabama’s defense will force a major turnover in the fourth quarter and win this game 24-14. Alabama will then meet Notre Dame in Miami, attempting to repeat as national champions and continue the SEC’s streak of seven straight championships. — Contact Brian Chavkin at brian.chavkin@emory.edu
Bennett Knows Best Though followers of Pick ‘Ems are clamoring for the return of BENNNETT “THE BRAINS” OSTDIEK, RYAN “THE RYAN KING” SMITH and JEREMY BENEDIK tied in their showdown last week, necessitating a head-to-head rematch, fought to the death, with the winner receiving a hug from ELIZABETH.
Patel: Look for the Colts, Ravens to Win Sunday Celebrity PICK ‘EMS Ryan vs. Jeremy
Continued from The Back Page
N.O. (+3.5) at Atlanta Seattle (+3.5) at Chicago
Indianapolis 41 DETROIT 38
at
It’s truly amazing how scheduling comes out sometimes. The Steelers and the Ravens were almost tied near the top of the AFC North standings about three weeks ago. Then Big Ben Roethlisberger went down, and the Steelers had to depend on Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch over the last few weeks. In the time that Roethlisberger has been out, the Ravens have had the opportunity to play the Steelers twice. This means that they have just received a huge advantage in their attempt to separate the difference between both teams in the standings. Now there is a chance that Roethlisberger will play for the Steelers on Sunday. And if he does, that could change the whole outlook of the game. But as of now, it is not looking good for him and the Steelers, so I am going to have to pick the Ravens, led by Joe Flacco (who I loathe, if you were unaware). On the fantasy side, look for Jonathan Dwyer, who is the reported running back starter for the Steelers to have a big day. No matter who starts at quarterback for the Steelers, their quarterback play will be shoddy at best. BALTIMORE 20 Pittsburgh 10 New Orleans Saints ATLANTA FALCONS
at
I would love to make a pick for the
Minnesota (+8) at G.B. S.F. at St. Louis (+7) Ariz. (+4.5) at N.Y. Jets Carolina at K.C. (+3) Ind. (+5) at Detroit Flickr Creative Commons
Colts rookie quarterback has his squad on the road to the playoffs. Expect to see them beat Detroit Sunday. game on Thursday, but by the time this paper comes out it will be over. But right now, for the record, I am confident that the Saints are going to
Atlanta airport workers were caught throwing eggs at the Saints’ airplane. Bad karma. win. They are riding a hot streak, and playing with a chip on their shoulder. The Falcons are good, but have not been able to beat the Saints in recent memory. The Falcons have played against
the easiest schedule in the league, and have won by seven points or less seven times. And apparently, the Atlanta airport workers were caught throwing eggs at the Saints’ airplane. Bad karma. Also, the Georgia Dome will be hosting the SEC Championship. I foresee only two possible outcomes: The Georgia Bulldogs keep it close all game and pull it out in the end, or the Alabama Crimson Tide dominate from the first minute and look forward to back-to-back National Championships. We have got a lot of football with a lot of big implications this weekend. I’m pumped. To all my readers, be safe and have a great weekend. — Contact Jayson Patel at jayson.patel@emory.edu
Jacks. (+6) at Buffalo N.E. at Miami (+7.5) Houston at Tenn. (+6) T.B. (+7) at Denver Pitt. (+8) at Baltimore Cleveland at Oak. (+1) Cincinnati at S.D. (+1.5) Philly (+10) at Dallas NYG at Wash. (+2.5)
It took us a while, but the NBA officially had something interesting happen. That is, the first fight of the season finally occurred. Unlike some other sports, basketball does not have a strong tradition of fighting. In football, every play is a battle in and of itself, and let’s not even get started on what occurs in the deep, dark depths of the pile during the struggle for a loose ball. Fighting is such a common occurrence in hockey that the penalties for it are standardized — it is five minutes for an actual fight, but only two minutes for ‘roughing.’ Baseball may be a gentleman’s game, but those guys are willing to throw down when necessary. Benches clear, old third base coaches roll up their sleeves and it goes down. But basketball? If one was to rank all the sports in order of how much fighting would be associated with them, it would fall second to last, right above golf. And it would be all the way at the bottom if it were not for The Player Formerly Known As Ron Artest, that is Metta World Peace. From all of us here at On Fire, a formal thanks to Metta. He has generated so much content for us over the years that we would dedicate one of our awards to him, if we had won any. Metta is that player who walks the fine line between thug and visionary, a tough balancing act (and one your On Fire correspondent could tell you, dear readers, all about). When asked what he would name his hypothetical race horse, Metta responded without hesitation “Ghetto Fabulous.” He once requested a year off from the Detroit Pistons, his former team, in order to write, perform in, and produce a rap album. Last year, he was dunked on. In revenge, he elbowed the offending player in the head, sending him to the ground. And, most famously, he was the star of what your On Fire correspondent likes to refer to as the “Throwdown in MoTown.” In the middle of a huge fight, Artest climbed into the stands to take out his anger on a fan. He was suspended for 70 games. And this brings us to Wednesday, when Kris Humphries of the Brooklyn Nets delivered an exceptionally hard foul to Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics. Rajon Rondo felt obligated to defend his teammate Garnett and delivered a firm shove to Humphries. The players fell into the stands, bringing a number of fellow players with them. Both of the instigating parties were ejected. Humphries is married to Kim Kardashian, but she is in the process of attempting to divorce him. So far, he has not been cooperative. No word on whether or not this fight is impacting the proceedings. We will keep our readers informed. 2. Bikinis
Ryan
start this week. Andrew Luck and Co. are making moves towards the playoffs, and this week is crucial. Look for Vick Ballard to tear up a porous Detroit Lions rush defense.
Pittsburgh Steelers BALTIMORE RAVENS
11
Jeremy
Along with all other male (or female) sports fans, your On Fire correspondent has been eagerly following the development of the Bikini Basketball Association. However, the process, which has so far been smooth sailing, just got a little rocky. For those who have been living under a rock and thus have not heard, the BBA (and no, B-School people, this refers to Bikini Basketball Association, not Bachelors of Business Administration) will get underway in, at the exact moment of this typing, in 38 days, six hours, 58 minutes and 19 seconds. Those who are interested in following along in real time can join your On Fire correspondent in keeping up with the countdown at bikinibasketball.com. The league, as of now, includes seven teams made up of “sexy, athletic ladies from around the world” and with names ranging from the borderline risqué Hollywood Hotties to the cibarious (despite not being recognized by Word, Dictionary. com defines this word as “relating to food”) Atlanta Peaches. Having an odd number of teams does not seem ideal, but the league recently lost their eighth team. The Chicago Fire franchise was disbanded amid “sexual misconduct allegations.” Your On Fire correspondent can honestly say that he did not see this one coming. Sexual misconduct in the Bikini Basketball Association — who could have imagined it? Nonetheless, we at On Fire are excited to see what the future holds for the BBA. There is no doubt that it is full of great promise. Only one question remains — why did no one think of this sooner?