Who would have ever thought the Winter Olympics or sports in general could be so dramatic? So many things have happened since Tuesday; let’s start with the Olympics. Do the names Jamie Sale and David Pelletier ring a bell? Sale and Pelletier are the Canadian figure skaters who were, and I use this term loosely, robbed of a gold medal. I admit I could care less about the figure skating portion of the Olympics, and even more so that these skaters are Canadian and not American, but I did happen to catch their performance, and I do agree with the media and fans. The Canadians should have won. What makes this incident worse is the fact that it is believed that there was some under-the-table scheming going on by the French and Russian judges. By the way, the Russians won the gold medal.
After days of debate, the International Skating Union and the International Olympic Committee decided to award dual gold medals–problem solved. Personally, I think the Canadians alone should have gold, but that’s just me.
In other news from Salt Lake City, the U.S. men’s hockey team finished round-robin play with an impressive record of two wins, no losses and one tie. The tie came against Russia Saturday night, in probably the most exciting U.S. hockey game in 22 years. The United States beat Russia that year, 1980, and this marked the last time the Americans medaled in men’s hockey. The United States is also the only country to win gold on their own ice. The United States has won gold twice on thier own ice–1960 in Squaw Valley and 1980 in Lake Placid. Now, with the United States win over Germany on Wednesday, the Americans are going to play for, at the least, a bronze medal. A win in the semifinals against Russia will guarantee the United States a silver medal.
The game Friday night will mark the 22nd anniversary of the “Miracle On Ice.” Twenty-two years ago tonight, the Americans beat the Russians in the semifinals in 1980, and went on to win gold.
History was also made Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. Not only did the United States win their first bobsled medal in 46 years, but they did the unthinkable and won gold. The Americans beat two German teams, and it was the USA-2 sled that won the competition. This team was the backup and not expected to do anything signifigant. Another event that made this even more impressive and historic was Vonetta Flowers becoming the first African-American athlete to win a gold medal in winter olympics history. OK, let’s talk basketball. With their win Wednesday night at Vanderbilt, the Mississippi State men’s basketball team now has 20 wins for the first time since the 1998-1999 season. This is a key win for the Bulldogs because the ‘Dawgs desperately needed a road win, and Vanderbilt was not a bad place to pick one up. There is but one road block left for the Bulldogs before they go to Atlanta for the SEC Tournament and that is South Carolina.
Now, I am assuming that MSU will win Saturday, and next Wednesday against Ole Miss and Arkansas, so winning at South Carolina would put the ‘Dawgs at 23-7 and 10-6 in the SEC. Considering the type of schedule we’ve played and the teams we’ve beaten, 23-7 is good. Winning a game (or two) in Atlanta could go a long way in convincing the NCAA Tournament selection committee to give MSU a respectable seed, which would be No. 6 or No. 7. Coming out of Atlanta with several wins will be a difficult task, especially with the way the bracket is set up. If things play out as they should, State would finish third in the Western Division, and that means a first-round date with Vanderbilt. If State beats Vandy, it’s on to face the Georgia Bulldogs. Both winnable games, I might add. If MSU beats UGA, then it’s either Tennessee, LSU or Alabama in the semifinals.
Now I know some people are thinking, “what if we finish second in the West?”
As morbid as it sounds, I don’t think finishing second would be very good for us. If we finish second, which can only be accomplished by LSU beating Ole Miss. We would have a bye in the first round, and play the winner of Auburn and Kentucky in the quarterfinals. In my opinion, finishing third would be the best option. No, that does not mean we have to lose a game. That simply means, that if we win out, and Ole Miss wins every game except the one Saturday, then we finish third.
Here’s this week’s sign that the Apocolypse is upon us. I know not very many people care about the Atlantic Coast Conference, but I came to an odd conclusion the other night. Maryland beat Duke Sunday to take over the ACC lead, that guaranteed the Terrapins an ACC title. But, it’s not that simple. If Maryland wins out they win the conference, plain and simple. That should happen, because they only have Florida State on the road and Virginia and Wake Forest at home remaining on the schedule. Wait, at Florida State? Didn’t Duke lose there this year? As hard as it is to believe, Duke did lose at Florida State–which brings me to my point. IF Maryland wins the rest of their games, but loses at Florida State, the tiebreaker would come down to a coin flip. No, I’m not joking.
The ACC tiebreaker format is as follows. The first tiebreaker would be head-to-head records for the two teams involved. Since Duke and UM split, the next tiebreaker that comes into play is the two teams’ records against the teams below them in the standings. Since Duke and Maryland swept everyone in the conference, that tiebreaker is not effective, since Duke lost to Florida State. So if Maryland loses to Florida State, that tiebreaker does not work. The final tiebreaker procedure is to decide the conference champion by virtue of a coin flip.
I think the ACC needs to review their tiebreak policy, because championships should be decided on a basketball court, not by a coin.