NAU plays in Bracket Buster Matchup

[Dback Jon]

A showdown between Bucknell and Northern Iowa (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP) headlines the 13 BracketBusters matchups announced Monday.

The games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360 over two days, Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18. Game times and network assignments will be announced on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The 26-team field includes 14 schools that played in the postseason last year, including nine NCAA Tournament teams.


The matchups
• Bucknell at Northern Iowa
• George Mason at Wichita State
• Missouri State at Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• Louisiana Tech at Southern Illinois
• Buffalo at Iona
• Fresno State at Creighton
• Akron at Nevada
• Butler at Kent State
• Marist at Old Dominion
• Northwestern State at Utah State
• Samford at Ohio
• Albany at Virginia Commonwealth
• Northern Arizona at Western Kentucky

 

[Dback Jon]

Men’s Basketball Runs Streak to Nation's Best Nine Games

(01/28/2006) FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – With five players in double figures, the Northern Arizona University men’s basketball team improved the nation’s longest winning streak to nine games with an 89-83 victory over Sacramento State in front of 4,198 fans at the Walkup Skydome. The Lumberjacks (15-6) completed the first half of Big Sky play with a perfect 7-0 record, marking the first 7-0 start since 1998-99.
Mesa native Ryan McCurdy recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 15 points and career-best tying 10 rebounds. He highlighted the performance with a dunk with 1:57 left that gave NAU an 80-69 lead, finishing with nine points and 10 boards in the second half.

“Ryan stepped up and responded tonight,” said Head Coach Mike Adras. “He made a mid-game adjustment to raise his level of play in the second half. I am proud of him.”

Ruben Boykin, Jr., had his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Tyrone Bazy had a team-best 19 points, while Steve Sir added 11 points off the bench. Freshman Josh Wilson had 10 points.

NAU out-rebounded the Hornets 42-17 in the contest, shooting 55.6 percent for the game from the field.

The Lumberjacks led by as many as 10 points in the first half before Sacramento State rallied to cut the lead to four at the half. But NAU never trailed in the final 20 minutes, hitting 34-for-43 from the free throw line in a game that featured 55 fouls between the two teams.

Alex Bausley scored a game-high 28 points for the Hornets (13-8, 4-3).

NAU entered the day with the second-best winning streak in the nation, trailing only the nine-game winning streak by Texas. The Longhorns lost at Oklahoma on Saturday.

NAU plays five of its final seven games on the road, starting with a two-game road trip to Portland State and Eastern Washington this week.

 

[Dback Jon]

Men's Basketball Ranked in CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll

(01/30/2006) FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Northern Arizona University is ranked by the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 for the second time in school history at No. 25 this week after finishing the first half of Big Sky play with a perfect 7-0 mark and 15-6 overall record. The Lumberjacks have the nation’s longest winning streak in Division I at nine games entering play this week and are one of 12 teams in the nation with an undefeated record in league play, including six teams with a undefeated mark with seven or more wins.


The Lumberjacks were last ranked in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 poll at No. 25 in the 2002-03 season after an upset at UCLA and a 7-2 start.

“It is a great honor to be listed among the top teams in the country,” said Head Coach Mike Adras. “Our players have worked very hard and deserve the recognition for this achievement.”

The Lumberjacks are one of two Big Sky Conference teams in the poll, including No. 9 Montana.

CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25
1. Gonzaga (30), 17-3, 774; 2. Bucknell (1), 16-3, 722; 3. Northern Iowa, 18-3, 701; 4. Southern Illinois, 16-5, 649; 5. Wichita State, 17-5, 603; 6. Creighton, 14-5, 581; 7. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 15-4, 545; 8. George Mason, 15-5, 539; 9. Montana, 16-3, 538; 10. Western Kentucky, 15-5, 467; 11. UNC-Wilmington, 16-6, 419; 12. Old Dominion, 15-6, 391; 13. Winthrop, 13-5, 359; 14. Ohio, 11-5, 338; 15. Iona, 15-3,304; 16. Akron, 14-4, 302; 17. Kent State, 14-6, 235; 18. Hofstra, 14-4, 232; 19. Northwestern State, 13-6, 107; 20. UC-Irvine, 12-8, 103; 21. Pacific, 14-6, 101; 22. Buffalo, 14-5, 95; 23. VCU, 14-5, 91; 24. South Alabama, 14-5, 89; 25. Northern Arizona, 15-6, 84.

OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Missouri State 73, San Diego 71, Sam Houston State 64, Northern Illinois 52, Miami-Ohio 42, Samford 38, Manhattan 31, Murray State 31, Loyola-Chicago 24, Tennessee Tech 23, Loyola (MD) 22, Drexel 21, Penn 21, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 20, Northeastern 19, Davidson 18, Georgia Southern 16, Furman 15, Lamar 15, Birmingham Southern 14, Oral Roberts 12, Harvard 11, Denver 10, Lipscomb 8, North Dakota State 5, North Texas 5, East Tennessee State 3, IUPUI 2, Kennesaw State 2, Arkansas Little Rock 1, Delaware State 1.

 

[Dback Jon]

Game tomorrow!

Memo to NAU hoopsters - stay far, far away from fraternity row in BG!

WKU fraternity suspended after party
Alpha Gamma Rho has been suspended by Western Kentucky University for a party that led police to the chapter house where a goat was found in a closet
The goat had been intended for use in a hazing ritual, according to the Bowling Green Police Department
A letter has been sent to the national chapter of the fraternity and all activities will be suspended during Western's investigation, said Bob Skipper, university spokesman. The suspension means the fraternity cannot have any official events such as meetings or parties.

When contacted at their house Thursday, members of Alpha Gamma Rho said they had no comment.

When police officers arrived at the fraternity house at 1436 Chestnut St. at 2:25 a.m. Thursday for the party complaint, the goat was found in a small basement storage room where it had no food or water, according to the BGPD report.



Police were told the goat was in the house because pledges were going to have sex with it, according to a city police report.

The male goat was taken to the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society for an examination Thursday afternoon by veterinarian Consuela Reinhart.

“At the bottom of the rectum there was a small abrasion,” she said.

There was not an extensive amount of bruising, Reinhart said. Other than the abrasion, the goat is in good shape.



Tests showed there was nothing unusual in the animal's stool that would have caused the injury, she said.

Reinhart also said it was unlikely the goat had vomited. Police said the goat was in a confined area where there was vomit.

“Goats can't really vomit. Usually when you find a goat that vomited you find a dead goat,” she said.

“The goat had been penetrated by something; by what we don't know,” said Roxie Ross, animal control officer for BGPD.



The goat was slightly thin and malnourished, Reinhart said.

“I hope we're able to find a good home for him where they'll spoil him severely. He deserves it,” said Lorri Hare, human society director.

The goat is very apprehensive around people, she said.

The only charge thus far is a citation for second-degree cruelty to animals against Trenton Dakota Jackson, 19, of Henderson, a freshman at Western.



“The university takes hazing very seriously,” Skipper said.

The last three hazing incidents all resulted in suspensions for the fraternity involved. In 2002, Sigma Alpha Epsilon received a six-month suspension for physical hazing, Kappa Alpha Psi received a two-year suspension in 2001 for physical hazing and Kappa Sigma was given a four-year suspension for mental and physical hazing.

Western will not release the results of any disciplinary actions against individual students for privacy reasons, Skipper said. Actions taken against the fraternity will be made public.

“We want to be as out front with this as we can be,” he said.



The student code of conduct at Western forbids any sort of hazing activities.

The Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity nationally does not condone hazing or a pledging process, according to its Web site. The majority of the fraternity members are involved in agriculture.

There were underage people drinking alcohol in the fraternity house when law enforcement arrived, said Barry Pruitt, crime analyst for the BGPD. The incident remains under investigation. It's unknown at this time why no underage drinking citations were issued at the party, he said.

There are three chapters of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity in Kentucky, with chapters at Murray State and the University of Kentucky.



Rape allegation
The university continues to investigate an alleged rape at another Western fraternity, Sigma Nu fraternity house, on Feb. 5, Skipper said. No action has been taken against the fraternity.

 

[phillycard]

Memo to NAU hoopsters - stay far, far away from fraternity row in BG!

WKU fraternity suspended after party
Alpha Gamma Rho has been suspended by Western Kentucky University for a party that led police to the chapter house where a goat was found in a closet
The goat had been intended for use in a hazing ritual, according to the Bowling Green Police Department
A letter has been sent to the national chapter of the fraternity and all activities will be suspended during Western's investigation, said Bob Skipper, university spokesman. The suspension means the fraternity cannot have any official events such as meetings or parties.

When contacted at their house Thursday, members of Alpha Gamma Rho said they had no comment.

When police officers arrived at the fraternity house at 1436 Chestnut St. at 2:25 a.m. Thursday for the party complaint, the goat was found in a small basement storage room where it had no food or water, according to the BGPD report.



Police were told the goat was in the house because pledges were going to have sex with it, according to a city police report.

The male goat was taken to the Bowling Green-Warren County Humane Society for an examination Thursday afternoon by veterinarian Consuela Reinhart.

“At the bottom of the rectum there was a small abrasion,” she said.

There was not an extensive amount of bruising, Reinhart said. Other than the abrasion, the goat is in good shape.



Tests showed there was nothing unusual in the animal's stool that would have caused the injury, she said.

Reinhart also said it was unlikely the goat had vomited. Police said the goat was in a confined area where there was vomit.

“Goats can't really vomit. Usually when you find a goat that vomited you find a dead goat,” she said.

“The goat had been penetrated by something; by what we don't know,” said Roxie Ross, animal control officer for BGPD.



The goat was slightly thin and malnourished, Reinhart said.

“I hope we're able to find a good home for him where they'll spoil him severely. He deserves it,” said Lorri Hare, human society director.

The goat is very apprehensive around people, she said.

The only charge thus far is a citation for second-degree cruelty to animals against Trenton Dakota Jackson, 19, of Henderson, a freshman at Western.



“The university takes hazing very seriously,” Skipper said.

The last three hazing incidents all resulted in suspensions for the fraternity involved. In 2002, Sigma Alpha Epsilon received a six-month suspension for physical hazing, Kappa Alpha Psi received a two-year suspension in 2001 for physical hazing and Kappa Sigma was given a four-year suspension for mental and physical hazing.

Western will not release the results of any disciplinary actions against individual students for privacy reasons, Skipper said. Actions taken against the fraternity will be made public.

“We want to be as out front with this as we can be,” he said.



The student code of conduct at Western forbids any sort of hazing activities.

The Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity nationally does not condone hazing or a pledging process, according to its Web site. The majority of the fraternity members are involved in agriculture.

There were underage people drinking alcohol in the fraternity house when law enforcement arrived, said Barry Pruitt, crime analyst for the BGPD. The incident remains under investigation. It's unknown at this time why no underage drinking citations were issued at the party, he said.

There are three chapters of the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity in Kentucky, with chapters at Murray State and the University of Kentucky.



Rape allegation
The university continues to investigate an alleged rape at another Western fraternity, Sigma Nu fraternity house, on Feb. 5, Skipper said. No action has been taken against the fraternity.

Idiots! Any body that forces pledges to have sex with an animal is below scum. I would immediately drop, then probably kick a few a****!

 

[Dback Jon]

Idiots! Any body that forces pledges to have sex with an animal is below scum. I would immediately drop, then probably kick a few a****!

yup - that is sick.


And to make things worse, NAU got beat 79-58 in Bowling Green. :frown:

 

[phillycard]

yup - that is sick.


And to make things worse, NAU got beat 79-58 in Bowling Green. :frown:

Dback, I thought Bowling Green was in the MAC. No?

 

[Dback Jon]

Dback, I thought Bowling Green was in the MAC. No?

They are - but we played Western Kentucky, which is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky

 

[phillycard]

They are - but we played Western Kentucky, which is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky

gotcha. Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers. I can always remember their nickname and logo because that one year thay made a pretty nice tourney run (92-93?) that's all the announcers kept talking about. And that damn logo with the dude waving a towel. WTF??!!

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Am I the only one who thinks Gonzaga will not last as long in the Tourney this year as other mid-majors? Most overrated program in the country right now.

 

[arthurracoon]

Am I the only one who thinks Gonzaga will not last as long in the Tourney this year as other mid-majors? Most overrated program in the country right now.

possibly, they almost got beat by layola marymount (probably should have lost).