Knucklehead of the Week
There were plenty of contenders for the coveted KOW award, but we’re giving it to Colorado basketball player Tory Miller, who wins for originality. This guy was fighting for a loose ball with Air Force’s Hayden Graham when he chose a strategy not used since Mike Tyson famously took a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear. Miller bit Graham in the shoulder. Afterward, Graham said Miller almost broke the skin and said the wayward Buffalo was “an interesting cat.” Colorado’s coach said Miller is a great kid.
I awoke from my turkey/football/basketball coma in time to write this column and watch the Buckeyes awake from a coma of their own. Great job by Ohio State in The Game. And I’m thankful that OSU was able to distract Jill from shopping for a few hours.
UD vs. Xavier. This will be fun. The Flyers and Musketeers haven't played in nearly three years, but fate brings them together for the AdvoCare Invitational final at 4:30 p.m. today (ESPN2). The Flyers seemed to get the best of Xavier at UD Arena, so Dayton's huge following in Orlando could be key.
Another thing to keep an eye on: rebounding. Xavier has outboarded its first six opponents by nearly 15 per game, and the Muskies’ schedule has included big boys Michigan, Missouri, Alabama and USC. UD bigs Steve McElvene and Kendall Pollard needs to stay in the game, which will be difficult because the refs are blowing their whistles more than a New York traffic cop.
ESPN's Dan Dakich, the best college basketball analyst on TV, gave a nod to UD legend Don Donoher. During one of the 273 televised games last week, Dakich was saying how much he enjoyed working with Donoher at Indiana. He also marveled at Donoher's shooting skills: "Maybe the best HORSE player of any coach ever."
The FanDuel Legends Classic was played last week in Brooklyn. It was a college basketball tournament with as many empty seats as an early-round Atlantic 10 tournament game. One question: How does a fantasy sports gambling outlet get to sponsor an event featuring NCAA schools?
When the Browns demoted Johnny Manziel because he was partying during his bye week, I thought it was an overreaction. But when we learned that Manziel tried to spin things, I understood where Mike Pettine was coming from. "With the second pick in the 2016 NFL draft, the Cleveland Browns select Connor Cook."
Trending up: Warriors, Iowa, Cheick Diallo. Golden State was 17-0 heading into Saturday night's game against Sacramento. Not only are the Warriors winning, they're doing it in style. Steph Curry and his pals have scored at least 100 points in every one of their victories. In case you were wondering, Golden State does not play winless Philadelphia until Jan. 30.
Trending down: Buckeye basketball, Jahlil Okafor, Joseph Randle. Ohio State's men's basketball team has lost three straight games. The Buckeyes' lastest loss was an 81-76 overtime setback against Memphis. OSU scored one point in OT. The Bucks also lost to something called Texas-Arlington. Thad Matta might be thankful this season that OSU is a football school.
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