Posts Tagged ‘College’
The history of women’s college basketball started in Smith College for girls in 1893. But the first official basketball match played by women was between Stanford and Berkley in April 1896, which was played behind locked doors, for women eyes’ only.
The first rules for women basketball were drawn up in 1901. These included rules that we would find peculiar today like having the basket sewn, where the umpire had to retrieve the ball after each score, and even playing on grass courts!
In 1975, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics was formed and the first national basketball tournament for women was held. In the same year, the first All-American women basketball team was selected.
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Only recently in 1996, the American Basketball League (ABL) was founded and WNBA a year later.
College basketball is supervised by the NCAAA. According to the NCAAA, there shall be 3 divisions for basketball to filter out the players. Division I is the most prominent and popular league that is participated by colleges that sponsor seven sports for women players. This is followed by Division 2, participated by colleges that hold four sports for women players while Division 3 is played by colleges that organize five sports and have two participating teams.
The winners of 31 matches will qualify for the annual basketball championship. Another 34 teams will be chosen by a selection committee. These teams are categorized into four pools and given seedings. The championship will be played on the 3rd Thursday of March every year between teams and the losers eliminated until a grand champion emerges.
It is without question that the governing body of women’s basketball is important to ensure smooth running of championships and to preserve the standards of this game.
ESPN will feature two top 25-games on Monday evening as the #4 Pittsburgh Panthers travel to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers with a scheduled start time of 7:00pm EST. Following the Big East battle in college basketball odds between Pittsburgh vs West Virginia, ESPN will also feature a Big 12 battle when #15 Missouri vs #2 Kansas tips-off at 9:00pm EST. Both prime time games can be seen on ESPN, online at ESPN3.com or on ESPN Mobile TV. Online sportsbooks have opened with the Mountaineers as a 1-point favorite in college basketball lines vs the Panthers for Monday’s game.
Sportsbooks also favor West Virginia at WVU Coliseum -120 in money line college basketball odds vs Pittsburgh EV for tonight’s game on ESPN. The Panthers head will head into the “Backyard Brawl” as underdogs when they face the Mountaineers on Monday after two straight wins vs Rutgers and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh easily took down the Bearcats 71-59 to win by 12-points and cover the spread as 9.5-point favorites in college basketball lines to go 8-8 ATS for the season. Pittsburgh is currently a top five ranked team but has had miserable performances at West Virginia only winning 8-times in their last 32 match-ups at WVU Coliseum but has gone 5-0 recently when playing on the road.
The Mountaineers will be trying to get back into the top 25 after falling to the #12 Villanova Wildcats last Saturday. West Virginia went on the road looking to take down a top ranked team but instead fell apart losing by 16-points and didn’t even come close to covering the spread in college basketball odds as 4.5-point underdogs to go 8-10 ATS for the season. Casey Mitchell had been leading the Panthers with an average of 15.7-points per game but came off the bench vs the Wildcats and was held scoreless in his first nine minutes. The rest of the squad couldn’t support Mitchell’s poor shooting and responded by missing 7-of-12 from the line and were beat up on the boards being outrebounded 35-29.
College Basketball Picks: Pittsburgh Panthers +1
The Tennessee Volunteers and the #18 Vanderbilt Commodores will meet at Memorial Gym at 9:00pm EST for an SEC conference showdown that can be seen live on ESPN or online at ESPN3.com. Online sportsbooks currently have the Commodores listed as 5.5-point home favorites in college basketball odds vs the Volunteers. Bookmakers have also listed the game’s over/under betting total at 143 while the money line has Vanderbilt as the favorite at -240 and Tennessee as a +200 underdog.
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Last Saturday, the Volunteers had home court advantage but fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 63-69 as 4.5-point college basketball betting favorites to go 11-13 ATS on the year. Tennessee lost the game at home outright to drop to 16-11 straight up on the season, 6-6 in SEC conference action and has gone a dismal 1-4 in their last six games overall.
In stark contrast, Vanderbilt has been on a tear winning their past five games including a 77-60 victory on the road vs the Auburn Tigers last Saturday. The Commodores won by 17-points and easily covered the 11-point spread as favorites in college basketball odds to go 20-6 straight up and a comfortable 13-6-1 ATS this season.
College Basketball Picks: Vanderbilt Commodores -5.5
Volunteers Basketball Odds & Stats:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of last 7 games when playing on the road against Vanderbilt
is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Vanderbilt
Commodores Basketball Picks & Stats:
is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
is 15-1 SU in its last 16 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of last 8 games when playing Tennessee
Do you believe that you were born to fulfill your destiny as a basketball star? And that most of your time in high school or collage was spent in trainings and basketball games? Then you are on step one.
Many films on high school basketball have been produced, in which lead characters gain college scholarship. This isn’t just a Hollywood make-believe event. It happens to an unknown athlete in your school and it could happen to you.
Make your self known
As a high school or college basketball player, you should be focused on being noticed not only by the swooning girls but also, your basketball coach. He may be able to make the recommendations that you need to land a college basketball scholarship. Although this isn’t a guarantee, it pays to do well in every training or game and to stand out.
Making your self known by coaches of different schools other than yours high school is highly advised. Unless you play like Michael Jordan, then you have to be able to sell your skills to these coaches. Make them notice you. Don’t wait for any college basketball coach to recruit you. You must confidently submit a resume or profile of your personal basketball history and let your track record be tangible proof for them.
Good grades from classwork are one of the most important things that any high school basketball player need. Although basketball may not be linked to language proficiency or mathematics, the fact remains that most colleges that offer basketball scholarships will want their applicants to have outstanding grades.
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These grades tend to prove that despite the rigors of trainings and games, you as a player remain disciplined to finish other tasks. The grades will also reflect how well you balance your time on different activities. So the next time you start thinking that your English grade means nothing to your college basketball scholarship, think again.
Commonly, in the United States, right after high school graduation is when athletic scholarship applications are best done. The standing rule for age is 18-24 years old. The great news in the U.S. is that, there are a booming number of colleges and universities that offer scholarships. You have a lot of choices so take your pick and start sending your resume to some of the colleges that you like.
Participating in ranking tournaments
Give each one of these games your best shot when participating in ranking tournaments. When you are ranked high, of course, the chances of getting a good scholarship will be greater compared with mediocrity in regional or national ranking.
You should be aware that processes of recruitment are very sophisticated. You just don’t go about telling every college basketball coach you meet that you can play the game. Know which colleges you want and be able to impress that you can play basketball on a non-neophyte level. Promote your skills and sell your talents.
Behave yourself
Basketball coaches want to work with an individual who has a clean track record and whom they can mold into the athlete that they envision. If you have an unclean record, chances are, coaches might shun away from meeting you.
Your credentials
When you have finally decided which college will be able to offer you the best scholarship, begin processing not just your resume but also other important credentials such as transcript, your ACT and SAT scores, samples of completed work (in short, your portfolio). These are just some of the necessities so it’s important for you to ask your chosen college’s specific requirements. There are, of course, different requirements for different colleges.
There are many hurdles to overcome to achieve an athletic scholarship. The requirements include a lot of physical and mental preparation. If you believe you have what it takes to succeed, then you have already succeeded.
For your basketball success, you can download a very informative complete basketball handbook here for freehref
Wofford College, founded in 1854, is a liberal arts college located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Located a few blocks north of Spartanburg’s central business district, the campus was designated a National Historic District in 1974. Wofford’s Roger Milliken Arboretum covers over 150 acres of trees, a green oasis in an urban setting.
The college has an excellent academic program. Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees are conferred in 26 major fields of study. In addition Wofford offers pre-professional programs in education, engineering, law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary science, and ministry.
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Wofford has a strong athletics program. Seventeen men’s and women’s teams compete in NCAA Division I sports including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, and golf. Wofford is a member of the Southern Conference.
There are approximately 1,400 undergraduates enrolled at Wofford College. Ninety-four percent of the students live in on-campus housing. Options include newer apartment style housing as well as several traditional dorms.
The Carolina Panthers football team will hold their 2010 training camp at Wofford College from July 28 to August 18. All of the training sessions are free and open to the public. They last from 90 minutes to two hours. The Panthers are returning to Wofford for the sixteenth year, and they consider the training facilities there to be among the best in the NFL.
Spartanburg is a major city in the Upcountry of South Carolina. Its location in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains ensures that outdoor enthusiasts have plenty of activities from which to choose. The area also has several historical museums and battlefields to visit, as well as Spartanburg’s historic downtown area. Visitors may also visit the Spartanburg Art Museum or one of the many art galleries around town. In addition to Wofford College, Spartanburg is the home of five other universities and colleges.
The only match-up top 25 teams on Tuesday will feature the #13 Minnesota Golden Gophers vs #24 Wisconsin Badgers on ESPN2 live from Madison, Wisconsin with tip-off time scheduled for 7:00pm EST. Online sportsbooks have opened with Wisconsin as a 8-point favorite in college basketball picks vs Minnesota. Sportsbooks also favor the Badgers -400 in money line college basketball odds vs the Gophers +325 for Tuesday’s game on ESPN2. The Vikings vs Eagles match-up will kick-off on NBC at 8:30pm EST while the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl (6:30pm EST) and Insight Bowl (10:00pm EST) will kick-off on ESPN for a full day of sports betting action.
Minnesota has gone 11-1 straight up, 4-5 against the spread in college basketball picks and have won five straight games heading into Tuesday’s game Big Ten conference match-up vs Wisconsin. The problem for the Gophers is that they have gone 9-9 in Big Ten action for the past two seasons and 1-12 when playing on the road at the Kohl Center vs the Badgers. Minnesota had a wakeup call vs the San Diego State Jackrabbits last Thursday as they were tied at halftime 63-apiece. The Gophers were able to go on a 12-3 run to win the game 85-73 but failed to cover the spread as 13.5-point favorites in college basketball odds.
Wisconsin enters Tuesday’s game after winning their past six non-conference match-ups including a demanding 80-56 win over the Coppin State Eagles last Thursday to go 10-2 straight up and 5-3 against the spread in college basketball picks this season. The Badgers lit up the nets vs Coppin State nailing a school record of 17-three pointers with Jon Leuer going 5-10 from long range for a total of 19-points. Leuer has been averaging 19.8-ppg for Wisconsin and is only 7-points shy of recording 1,000-points for his career but has only averaged 6.6-ppg vs Minnesota. The Badgers have gone 9-0 in conference home openers and 5-0 straight up in college basketball odds for their past five games at home but have lost three straight match-ups vs the Gophers.
College Basketball Picks – December 28th, 2010: Minnesota Golden Gophers +8
Lexington, KY – If No. 2 Kentucky was playing for style points, South Carolina already erased the ultimate one last month: a potential zero in the loss column.
While some of the Wildcats (26-1, 11-1 Southeastern Conference) acknowledge they wouldn’t mind exacting a little payback on Devan Downey and Co. in Thursday’s rematch at Rupp Arena, coach John Calipari says it’s too late in the season and his team is too good to be worrying about style points – and certainly revenge.
NCAA Basketball Betting
He wants a top seed in the NCAA tournament but figures if the wins keep coming – even occasionally ugly ones – that will take care of itself.
“If we win it at a halfcourt bank shot, I’ll be happy,” Calipari said Wednesday.
South Carolina (14-12, 5-7), behind Downey’s 30 points, handed Kentucky its only loss last month with a 68-62 upset in Columbia – the Gamecocks’ first win over a team then nationally ranked No. 1.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook SPORTSBETTING.com have made Kentucky –16.5 point spread favorites for Thursday’s game against S Carolina. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 61% of more than 339 bets for this game have been placed on Kentucky –16.5.
Going in, conditions seemed ripe for yet another Kentucky cakewalk. The undefeated record. The return to the top of the polls. Even President Barack Obama’s call that afternoon to congratulate the Wildcats on a fundraising effort for the earthquake victims in Haiti.
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But then, the buzzer sounded. Fans rushed the Colonial Life Arena floor (sparking a ,000 fine), and Kentucky’s record was perfect no more.
“You want to get them back more than anything,” freshman forward Daniel Orton said. “It gets the Adrenalin running.”
Calipari wants his team to feel the Adrenalin but insists the motive shouldn’t be revenge. South Carolina was on a three-game losing streak entering the last meeting with the Wildcats and is on another such streak now.
Kentucky will be heavy favorites yet again, and while Calipari acknowledges another upset is always possible, he’s more concerned about showing progress. That starts with stopping Downey, who leads the SEC in scoring and who managed his typical 30 points against the Wildcats even when missing 21 of his 29 shots.
“Downey’s going to take 30 shots,” Calipari said. “That’s what he’s going to do. Guard him.”
Easier said than done, even for Kentucky’s much-bigger defenders. Orton says he has been practicing defensive against the Wildcats’ own shifty guards, John Wall and Eric Bledsoe. Sometimes, the circus shots just fall in – and that’s what happened with Downey late in the last game.
Orton also says there may have been some hometown officiating down in Columbia.
“Down there we couldn’t even touch him really,” Orton said. “Everything we did to him was a foul. Maybe we’ll have a little more leeway this time.”
Guard DeAndre Liggins says he sees no reason why Kentucky should allow Downey to light up the scoreboard again.
“We’d done a good job, but he’s the leader of that team,” Liggins said. “He takes the most shots. The other guys know that. We’ll have to do a good job of stopping him and making other people beat us.”
Downey’s heroics against Kentucky include one of his career highlights last year at Rupp, when his late bucket helped the Gamecocks pull out a 78-77 victory.
Although Calipari says he got “scared” after watching game tape from last month’s loss, he realizes the Wildcats are rolling right now. After knocking off Vanderbilt in Nashville Saturday, Kentucky’s lead in the SEC East is two games, and it would take a monumental collapse for college basketball’s all-time winningest team to avoid winning the regular season conference championship.
Some pundits have even argued the Wildcats’ No. 1 seed is inevitable, although Calipari insists he doesn’t agree. Still, he says, the focus now is on surviving and improving. His team is young, with three freshman starters – including Wall, who could be a top overall pick in the NBA draft, NBA Picks and figures to push Downey for player of the year honors.
Kentucky’s other two freshmen, Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins, have had occasional on-court flare-ups with their tempers. Those are the things that need to get corrected before tournament time, Calipari says.
“We have to be mature,” he said. “We don’t want to put ourselves in a position to lose a national championship opportunity because in a 30-second decision you can’t keep your wits about you.”
Basketball scholarships help defray the college costs of basketball players. If you are a basketball player and you get appreciation for your game, you can opt for this scholarship program. In fact, sports scholarships are quite common along with academic scholarships and have been in use by athletes since many years. It is obviously gone through many changes and today competing with the requirements and expectations of the sponsor has become a bit difficult. If you are a basketball player and you have the passion for games, you should start preparing for scholarship program at least one year before you actually have to attend college.
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Preparing earlier will help you get the right recognition and your chances of winning the scholarship will increase. Along with the requirements for this type of scholarship programs, it is vital that you put your best foot forward. Keeping your coach impressed with you is significant here and so you should work for getting recognition as much as you can. Your coaches should be completely aware of you and your game as their recommendations can make or break your chances of winning the scholarship award money.
Basketball scholarships were designed and created to help out basketball players pay for their college and cover related expenses as well. There are basically two types of scholarship funds – one that is awarded through the college or university and another one can be acquired with the help of outside funding. To be eligible for the scholarships funded by college, you need to play for the college and stay in the team for long. Acknowledgment and appreciation is also very essential.
However, if any individual or sponsor from outside admires your game and wishes to sponsor, do not lose the chance. Just be careful and understand the terms before you agree and accept the scholarship award money. Find out details about the sponsor and see that it is a reputed source of funding and are included in the list of best basketball scholarships of that area. Do not underestimate this award because after all you have to compete with other applicants and give outstanding performance.
College sports are some of the most watched and enjoyed events in the entire sporting industry. People are passionate about their colleges, and there are few sports that have as much pride and traditions as these ones do. One school that is rich with history and tradition is that of the Pittsburgh Panthers and their men’s basketball team.
The men’s basketball team at the University of Pittsburgh is part of the NCAA Division 1 intercollegiate sports program and they compete in the Big East conference against many other top teams. The team is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is often referred to as “Pitt”. The team plays all of their home games in the Peterson Events Center where they enjoy a huge fan base from the University.
Throughout their time in the division they have been able to get 15 selections from the first team All-American, as well as win two of the Helms Athletic Foundation National Championships. They have been in the Final Four once, and have appeared in the NCAA tournament 22 different times. They still have yet to clinch a national championship, but they usually recruit enough talent that they are a threat each and every year.
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The men’s basketball team was first formed in 1905 and was coached by Benjamin Printz. There were two years around 1910 were the University did not actually have a team, but they have had one ever since. In the 1920′s, the team was coached by Henry “Doc” Carlson and he helped lead the team to their two national championships (before the NCAA). The team was then led by their all-star player Charlie Hyatt who has since been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. These were some of the glory years for Pitt and continue to be looked upon fondly.
Over the next century, the team passed through a variety of different coaches and players including all-American Billy Knight who helped get the team to the Elite Eight in 1974 and an chance to compete in the NIT a year later.
In 1982, the team entered into the Big East conference. During this time, the team was led by Paul Evans as head coach and with the help of all-Americans Jerome Lane and Charles Smith they were able to capture the Big East Championship twice. Even with these great players, the team failed to meet expectations in the post season.
Most recently, the team is led by Jamie Dixon who has been the head coach since 2003. In 2009 the team was ranked as the number one time for a total of three weeks. During that season, the Pittsburgh Panthers also beat two other formerly number one ranked teams that season and became only the seventh team in NCAA history to do so. In 2010, the team continued their success and ended up losing in the second round to Xavier but still finished with a record of 25-9. Pitt fans are looking forward to this next season to see what Jamie Dixon can do with the newly recruited talent that they got over the summer.
If you are looking for more information about how to become a college basketball player then take advantage of this useful information – it will have the effect of revolutionizing everything you know about playing basketball. What would you do if you discovered that you can enhance your skills in the game by unbelievable 30%? And better yet, it can be done without even leaving your chair. If this sounds unlikely, or might think it’s just not possible, scan the information that follows – you will find it most amazing.
Before we get into details, you need to be aware of a simple but crucial observation – in the game of basketball it is not about who runs faster or jumps higher, but also about making the right choices and the right moves. The power to know your rival’s game strategy, or to know when to pass, when to dribble, and when to shoot, relates to your cognitive or thought process, to put it simply – brain skills. A lot of people have the incorrect notion of this aptitude for sports as completely natural, while in reality, they are not “born instincts,” but rather absolutely trainable brain skills.
It doesn’t really matter if you only want to learn about how to become a college basketball player, or whether you play on your junior high, high school, or college team – it is now possible to drastically increase your capacity to compete at a high level by learning some valuable pointers. A group of specialists has developed an exceptional software application that assists on achieving that; founded on the idea of a “video game”, all one has to do is “play” it for 30 minutes or less, 1 or 2 times per week, for a period of a few weeks – the results are amazing. Head coaches from all across the country, including memphis, uconn, and others, have reported amazing results through the use of, with individual athletes and even entire teams, this unbelievable system.
Before going on to get more information about how to become a college basketball player, it is recommended to “test drive” this groundbreaking new software. It appears that the once unlikely dream of playing basketball at a professional level for a wide range of school and college players is becoming so close and attainable; athletes who have tried it out reported an overall dramatic improvement after “practicing” with this system for less than a month.