Flagrant Fouls

Cuse Puts Pedal to the Medal, delivers 40
minute Ass Kicking

The Orange didn’t want to hear any talk about being on the bubble. They knew today’s game was an important one, as a win would likely solidify their tournament resume. Sitting in 7th place in the Big East and tied in the standings with the Bearcats, Syracuse made a statement today that the kids from Central New York are not going to fade down the stretch like they have the previous two seasons. Blow outs over both St.John’s and now Cincinnati have given cuse fans an energy boost. The rumblings about tournament seeding and possible destinations have already begun.

The Jonny Flynn vs Deonte Vaughn matchup

This one was pretty one sided. Jonny had 17 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal. He did a great job in transition and needed only 8 shots to make his pay dirt. He was in control and only commited 2 turnovers. He even had a rare opportunity to rest his body playing only 32 minutes in todays affair. Heck of a job by a heck of a competitor.

Deonte Vaughn was a different story. He did manage to score 11 points, but was scoreless over the first 30+ minutes. He added 3 assists, but basically did all his damage in garbage time. The game was well out of hand before Deonte got it going. I was quite disappointed with Deonte’s effort today, as I’ve never seen him less affective over such a long stretch.

Cuse had all 5 starters in double figures today in an 87-63 win. Rautins was the only no show as he only managed to contribute 3 points on 1-7 shooting.

Next up for cuse is Rutgers Tuesday night.

I’ll be posting the key matchup at some point Tuesday morning.

Nolan Shulman
nolan@flagrantfouls.com

Is Jeff Green about to Explode with
Durant Sidelined?

Its been reported on multiple news sites that Kevin Durant is expected to miss up to one month with his grade 2 ankle sprain. In his absence the Thunder will be leaning on Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. Let’s look at the impact this will have for fantasy owners who have Green. In the game Durant went down Green had 28 points and 12 rebounds. He took 20 shots and connected on 9 of them. The next time out, against Memphis, Green had 27 points and 10 rebounds, but more importantly he once again hoisted up 20 Shots. This looks like it could become a trend for the next month while Durant is nursing himself back to health. If you can trade for him quickly, you might still be able to swindle someone to make a deal that’s lower than his newly established market value. If you already own him, than get ready to enjoy the ride.

Nolan Shulman

GAMEDAY: 11:34am
Which Andy Will Show Up?

Andy Rautins could play a key role in assuring Syracuse a victory this afternoon. Averaging 10.2 points and shooting just shy of 37% from three-point land off the Syracuse bench, Andy seems to be pretty hot/cold this season. He erupted for 26 points in the Big East opener against Seton Hall, and has put 17 on both Depaul, and Pittsburgh. In those three games Andy was a steamy 17 of 32 from beyond the arc. Andy has also had some games where he has run colder than Arinze at the free throw line (that may be pushing it). His 7-point stinker against Uconn, his 3 point effort against Louisville, and the donut he gave us in 21 minutes against West Virginia just highlight some pretty severe off nights. In those games Andy was a combined 2-17 from long range (still slightly better than Arinze at the free-throw line). Which Andy shows up at the Dome today could be the difference between finding ourselves back on the bubble, or being in the driver seat to Dance.

Nolan Shulman

Baltimore Plugs Gap at Coner with
Local boy Dominique Foxworth

Local boy Dominique Foxworth inked a 4 year, $28 million contract, including $16.5 million guaranteed to become newest corner for the Baltimore Ravens. The University of Maryland standout was introduced Friday and figures to play a prominent role in the Ravens secondary throughout the 2009-2010 season. Ozzie has gone out and gotten the Ravens a speedy cover corner to help shore up Baltimore’s weakest defensive unit last season. Foxworth, a third round pick in 2003 was clocked at 4.22 seconds in the forty-yard dash. With Fabian Washington already on the roster Baltimore figures to have on of the fastest corner tandems in the league. Recently, Baltimore released Pro-Bowl cornerback and former first round pick Chris McCalister. Does the addition of Foxworth mean the writing is on the wall for Samari Rolle to suffer the same fate? A secondary of Dominique Foxworth, Dawan Landry, Ed Reed, and Fabian Washington would instantly become a much younger, much faster, much improved secondary next season. Providing depth will be Frank Walker, Tom Zbikowski, Derrick Martin, Evan Ogelsby, and Haruki Nakamura. Can’t wait to see what new Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison does with this group. Should be one of Baltimore best units next season.

Nolan Shulman

Match Play Championship
Ogilvy vs. Casey

Don’t think anyone woke up tuesday morning thinking this would be the duo duking it out for the Accenture Match Play Championship tommorow. The final four didn’t include Tiger Woods, nor did it feature Phil Mickelson. There was no Vijay Singh, no Sergio Garcia, not even Anthony Kim. The final four consisted of an American Ryder Cup staple Stuart Cink (always flying under the radar), Geoff Ogilvy (two time major champion), Paul Casey, and Englishman Ross Fisher. Not quite the way we all dreamed of it going down. Anyone who was holding their breath for a Tiger vs. Phil showdown on Sunday didn’t need to wait long to exhale as Tiger went down in round 2 to Tim Clark. Nevertheless the buzz was on and the world’s #1 player and most marketable athlete is back. That’s a good thing for golf no matter how you shake it. Casey upended Fisher 2&1 and Ogilvy dismantled Cink 4&2. The Final match between Ogilvy and Cink isn’t sexy but it does provide for two callected, course managers to execute and entertain in the dessert.

I like Casey to win 3&2.

Nolan Shulman