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The Thursday Morning Rush for 3-4-10


Last Update: 4:59 am



9News Sports Director John Popovich


Good Morning, it's Thursday March 4, 2010....

Basketball is nearing the tournaments, baseball is starting at Spring training and it's supposed to get into the 40's today. This is a good time of year.

Rippin' The Rams
Xavier beat Fordham Wednesday night 82-56, their 22nd victory of the season. Jamel McLean had 16 points including 13 in the first half. Terrell Holloway had 14 while Jordan Crawford and Mark Lyons each added 11.

Giving The A-10 A Bad Name
Fordham, the proud alma mater of Vince Lombardi("The Seven Blocks of Granite") and Baseball Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch("The Fordham Flash"), has become an embarrassment in the A-10. They've lost 20 straight games and their league record is 0-15.

Tied At The Top
Xavier and Temple remain tied for the league lead with one game to play. Temple beat St. Louis Wednesday night 57-51. Both teams are 13-2. Xavier finishes at home against St. Bonaventure. Temple is also at home this weekend against George Washington.

Cats Beat Dawgs
Kentucky beat Georgia 80-68 to clinch at least a share of its 44th SEC Title. Kentucky is 28-2 and 13-2 in the SEC.

A Worried Man
John Wall had 24 points, while Patrick Patterson scored 17 for the Wildcats. DeMarcus Cousins had six blocked shots. John Calipari continues to sound like a parent fretting about his kid staying out too late - "We have so much growing up to do and it's worrying me a little bit."

A Wealth of Wednesday Basketball
...No. 1 Kansas slugged No. 5 Kansas State 82-65. It's the sixth straight Big 12 title for the Jayhawks.
...No. 13 Tennessee took Arkansas 80-73.
...No. 6 Purdue was the latest team to whallop Indiana 74-55. If Purdue wins against Penn State on Saturday, it shares the Big Ten title with Ohio State.
...No. 17 Wisconsin clubbed Iowa 67-40.
...No. 23 Maryland upset No. 4 Duke 79-72. The Maryland fans stormed the court after the victory. That's small-time behavior for a big-time program.

High School Hoops-Ohio
Walnut Hills 43 Elder 40
Moeller 69 Loveland 23
Aiken 81 Hamilton 59
Woodward 57 Middletown 50
Indian Hill 76 Wyoming 56
Wilmington 81 Oakwood 46
McNicholas 45 Bethel-Tate 44
Lockland 79 Cincinnati Christian 62
Middletown Christian 59 Cincinnati Country Day 58

High School Hoops-Kentucky
...8th Region..Gallatin Co 77 Walton-Verona 69
...9th Region..CovCath 40 St. Henry 38 in two overtimes
...9th Region..Newport 62 Ryle 46

ON THE ICE
The Cyclones beat Charlotte 5-3 as Barret Ehgoetz scord a pair of goals and Jeremy Smith turned away 31 shots.

THE ACE?
C'mon Dusty, instill a little confidence in your fan base. He's decided to start Aaron Harang on Opening Day, his fifth straight start in the season lid-lifter. Harang was a sparkling 6-14 last season. Bronson Arroyo was the more obvious choice. He won 15 games last season. Arroyo says he's fine with the decision. I'm not.

TODAY IN GOODYEAR
The Reds play an instrasquad game, their first game action at Goodyear Park. It's closed to the public. They must be working on some secret plays. Maybe they'll try a bunt, or heaven forbid, a hit-and-run.

IN THE NFL
...Peyton Manning has undergone neck surgery to relieve pain caused by a pinched nerve. It's bothered him for the past four years.
...The Browns have released veteran offensive lineman Hank Fraley and he says he was "shocked" by the news. Let's see. He lost his job to a rookie last year and he was due a roster bonus later this month. He had to be the only person who was "shocked."

This and That
...Jack Nicklaus will be at next month's Masters and he thinks Tiger Woods will be there as well. He think Tiger will also pick at least one event to play before Augusta.
...The head of the Russian Olympic Committee reportedly resigned Wednesday after the Russians had a poor showing at the Winter Games. They won 15 medals, only 3 golds. He's lucky he's able to resign. 30 years ago, they would have sent him to Siberia.

The Thursday Schedule
...College Basketball...Buffalo plays at Miami...FSN Ohio at 7pm
...Dayton is at Richmond
...High School tournament action in Region 9 at the Bank of Kentucky Center. Defending state champion Holmes plays Dixie at 6pm while NewCath plays Boone County at 7:30