Battier could be selected among top 3 in draft, experts say
(06/21/01 4:00am)
The Chronicle
Use the fields below to perform an advanced search of The Chronicle's archives. This will return articles, images, and multimedia relevant to your query. You can also try a Basic search
177 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
The Chronicle
In 1993, Dave Hagymas got some good news. One of his best friends was leaving Duke.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. -- After two straight days with a grasp on the top slot, the No. 1 women's golf team fell apart.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. -- Down by one stroke in the individual competition when she came to the 17th hole, and needing desperately to at least birdie the hole to give her team any shot at the national championship, Candy Hannemann made a dangerous decision.
HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. -- An old golf course tucked into the Florida countryside that IS rumored to have at one time been a hideout of gangster Al Capone carries a signature 17th hole known as the Devil's Delight.
All year long the men's golf team showed flashes of brilliance amongst their periods of inconsistency. And last weekend at the NCAA East Regional at the Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va., their performance was no different; nor was the end result.
The men's tennis team continued its torrid play over the weekend, blitzing its competition on its way to the round of 16.
Now that the waiting game is over for the men's golf team, things can only go up.
After cruising to a 21-3 record on the year, the men's tennis team still has a lot left to accomplish.
No one expected the men's tennis team's senior class to be able to run through the Atlantic Coast Conference for four straight years without losing a match, but barring a miracle by the Tar Heels today, that is exactly what is going to happen.
\
In order to be the best, you have to beat the best, or so the cliché goes.
PHILADELPHIA - About 10 minutes into the Duke-USC game, one thing was clear: The Trojans clearly did not respect Chris Duhon's shot.
PHILADELPHIA - During an official's timeout with 2:23 left in the first half and the Blue Devils watching their lead over the UCLA Bruins slowly vanish to seven points, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had his team form a tight circle around him. And then, as he turned bright red, he blasted his players for their lack of effort.
PHILADELPHIA - It was not what anyone expected.
While it may be as hard to understand as the Bowl Championship Series formula in college football, the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) of college basketball is not only a much more accurate measure, it is also very useful. So useful, in fact, that RPI it is the stat generally pointed out when experts discuss an individual team's fate come Selection Sunday. Used by the NCAA selection committee since 1981, the RPI is a mathematical composite of three key stats in college basketball. The RPI has never been officially published by the NCAA selection committee, but the media has been speculating the RPI calculations for the past few years. This is, of course, due to the fact that the NCAA selection committee says it is one of the main factors in choosing the final "bubble teams." The formula, according to the committee, is 25 percent winning percentage plus 50 percent strength of schedule, plus 25 percent the opponents' strength of schedule. Both strength of schedule factors are figured out by a mathematical formula that even Stephen Hawking couldn't understand. It is completely mathematical, relatively simple if you have a calculator and the only factor the committee has that is not at all opinion-based. It's all numbers and numbers don't lie. However, for some reason the RPI comes under fire almost every year by critics who complain that it's too favorable for the so-called "mid-major" teams like Creighton, Richmond or Gonzaga. It is also viewed as too rough on the teams from major conferences like Duke, Stanford or Michigan State, teams which the RPI punishes for scheduling a few cupcakes along the road. Sorry, guys, but that's life. If the major powers decide to schedule a Wright State, and then fail to make the tournament because they win those games and lose other ones, that's their problem. No special consideration should be given to them because they have to be in a tough conference when they cannot win against top teams. The selection committee continually emphasizes that teams need to win big games, not just play them. As far as the mid-majors go, if they can post good records against teams in the 40-60 strength of schedule range and knock off a few higher quality teams like Creighton did with Providence, why not let them in? Florida's strength of schedule is ranked 100th and people were talking about them being a No. 1 seed. Furthermore, the beauty of the NCAA tournament is not a bunch of powerhouses battling it out. The tournament's flair lies in the possibility of Cinderella stories and fabled runs to the Sweet 16. The RPI may not be perfect, but it's the best non-biased measure the selection committee has.
After two 4-3 losses to Florida last season, one of which knocked Duke out of last year's NCAA tournament, the third-ranked men's tennis team did not want to show an ounce of mercy.
This was supposed to be the big one. High stakes poker, all the chips in the center. ACC regular season title. Top-seed in the ACC tournament. NCAA No. 1 seed on the line. Everything to play for in the last regular season game of the 2000-2001 season. The first time these two would meet to fight for those titles in three years.
It looked like everything was going right for sophomore center Carlos Boozer.
From the time warm-ups ended until the post game celebration, last night's game was all about No. 31.