Big 12 Sports Blog by Big 12 Fans

SPORTS ADDICT: With a bye-week on the horizon, Bears can take a momentary sigh of relief…

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – A bye-week couldn’t come at a better time for the Baylor Bears football team.

Following a Friday night heartbreaker in Connecticut, all the Bears needed after a safe ride home was some time off to reflect – as well as prepare – on a season on the brink of Big 12 action.

Just ask head coach Art Briles, who’s welcoming the off-week with open arms.

“It is a real good time [for a bye week],” Baylor football head coach Art Briles said. “I think it is good because the inconsistency of the schedule to start our season. With the Thursday, Saturday, Friday and Friday [games], the bye allows us to get on a consistent basis and look at what we have – and what we have is eight Saturdays ahead of us.”

Not only eight Saturdays, but eight Big 12 Saturdays… Either way, coach Briles is happy his Bears will be hitting the field on a routine basis.

“I think consistency is the key to success,” Briles said. “That is in everyday life and not just football. Whatever you do, you have to form good habits. That is what we are in the process of still doing here. We are excited about playing on Saturday [for the rest of the season].”

Briles is right on the money, because consistency is definitely a key ingredient to winning games.

Another key ingredient would have to be fan support. As an example, let’s look back to the Baylor road game at Connecticut last Friday night.

“I give them [Connecticut] credit for knowing how to get ready for a football game,” Briles said. “For their fans, they know how to get ready for a football game. What we can’t let happen here is to show up on October 4^th against Oklahoma and have more people out in that parking lot that have OU on their car than we do Baylor people.

“We have to show up and we have to be ready before the game starts. [When the Connecticut fans showed up at 3 p.m.,] that is how you do it; that is college football. They make it a big time event.”

Team effort has also been vital to the Bears success thus far – and win or lose, Baylor aims to keep that tradition alive.

“Nothing has changed since Friday night [against Connecticut],” Briles said. “What I am proud of is the effort and attitude that our players played with. We are not going to be a team that is intimidated by anything, anywhere or anyplace. Our guys rose up and put themselves in a position to win the football game. That is what we have to do; now we just have to cross the bridge and win it.”

Protecting freshman quarterback Robert Griffin will also be a necessity as the Bears prep for a Big 12 showdown with Oklahoma to kickoff conference play.

“I have got to do a better job of taking some of the load off of him [Griffin]; that will help us as a team,” Briles said. “[Pressure on the quarterback] will be one of the things that we will assess in our open date. The open date comes at a great time for us, both mentally and physically.”

The bye week also comes at a time when the Bears seek to grow from a challenging road game at Connecticut – a match-up where a momentary lapse of reason could shape the final score – and bounce back mentally prepared for the season ahead.

“I think it [a tough road game] certainly allows us to understand how important each play is – whether it is special teams, offense or defense,” Briles said. “How critical that change of field position might be, converting or not converting, stopping a drive or maintaining a drive… I think those things are glorified more in a close game because you certainly understand what could or could have been.

“I think we saw that when we play hard and fight hard for each other, we are going to have a good opportunity to win each game that we are in. We are going to continue to do that. If it is an intangible, we are going to control it.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

SPORTS ADDICT: Baylor Football beginning to look golden under Briles…

By Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – It’s a toss-up at this point and time for newcomer of the year at Baylor University: Art Briles, or Robert Griffin.

Both have played significant roles in the Bears’ 2-1 start to the football season.

However, one is here because of the other – and because of that, I am going to go ahead and award the reward to Briles.

Briles came here with one main mission: to make Baylor football competitive.

So far, so good.

Despite a rough start, the Bears have bounced back with consecutive blowout victories.

But the real tests lie ahead – in both a road match-up at Connecticut, followed shortly thereafter by Big 12 action.

One thing remains certain: the Baylor football team is a much-improved group with Briles at the helm.

Defining A Good Road Team

At a recent press conference, Baylor head coach Briles was asked about what it took to make a good road team.

“That is something I started to evaluate about eight years ago because if you’re going to be a good football team, you have to be a tough road team,” Briles said. “That is what we are going to stress and that is what we are going to be at Baylor, a tough road team. I think you band together as a team and you rely on each other, you support each other and you fight hard for each other.

“When you get out there on the road, there will be a little section of Baylor people and the rest is going to be everyone else. From that standpoint you have to pull everyone together. Honestly, I love being at home but there is something about going on the road and having everyone wanting you not to do well and then having the opportunity to do well in those environments.

“It’s very inspiring and challenging. I like it and our team will like it. We are anxious and ready to get on the road and face the world.”

Bring on Goliath…

Kicking Game and Field Position

Another important factor stressed by coach Briles and the staff include field position and a special focus on special teams play and the kicking game.

“It’s the difference in the ballgame when you turn the ball over or when they turn the ball over and you get a short field and go score,” Briles said. “Like we’ve always said, field position, turnovers and momentum, if you win those things you are able to win a football game.

“We were able to do that the other night and especially against Northwestern State. We had some other good opportunities we just didn’t take care of them from an offense standpoint. As long as we keep doing that, we will have some happy locker rooms. Right now our guys are confident, focused and energized.”

Exactly what they need heading out to face undefeated Connecticut…

Winning: On Both Offense and Defense

According to Briles, winning takes both offense and defense – and creating offense doesn’t necessarily mean taking pressure off the defense.

“Every time you step on the field you have pressure to perform,” Briles said. “They have done a good job of performing when the time is right by providing turnovers and making stops and plays for the offense.

“I’m not saying that the offense has taken any pressure off the defense at all. I think it is the other way around. I think the defense has given a lot of opportunities for the offense to make plays. Collectively as a group, we saw and talked about it the other day I could see that our defense is really starting to gel as a unit. They are starting to rely on each other, help each other and they are really playing with a lot of confidence.

“We were really confident going into the Washington State game by the way they had practiced. We could tell that they are growing and getting better and that they are ready. Same thing this week, we are going into this game where the offense is good, they are very structured offensively and their quarterback had his best half of football he has had since he has been at U-Conn. That to me is a great chance for us to challenge ourselves and see what we can do.”

Come Friday night, we’ll see just how much the Bears have to offer against a competitive and undefeated U-Conn football team.

A win for the Bears would definitely keep the momentum going – something Baylor needs as Big 12 action awaits – and could very well signal a new era for BU Football.

The answer is right around the corner, and the lingering green and gold question will be answered beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

SPORTS ADDICT: Sloan’s sad showboat slam epitome of Texas A&M Basketball

Commentary by Denton Ramsey, NCAA Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

There’s a reason why Texas A&M tends to be hated by their rivals.

A majority of that reason circles around the fact that the Aggies appear to support and applaud unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Aggies proved that on Wednesday night, March 5 at the Ferrell Center, with Donald Sloan showboating in the game’s final seconds by slamming home an uncontested dunk as the Bears’ home crowd erupted in anger and frustration.

It’s a sad commentary for college basketball when events such as this occur.

There’s no reason whatsoever for an off-the-backboard, pass-to-yourself slam dunk unless we’re talking about the NBA’s annual dunk contest.

There’s no place for that in college hoops.

And there’s no reasonable explanation as to why it happened other than the fact that the Aggies are a bunch of stuck-up jerks.

I guess I have now seen it twice this season, as well as twice in my life, when it comes to a pass off the backboard in college basketball.

First, there was the uncalled-for Oklahoma fast break pass of the backboard against Baylor; and now this…

This one, unfortunately, is hands-down worse than the assist in Norman.

This one was beyond unnecessary, and it’s something that straight up doesn’t belong in the game of college hoops.

If you want to showboat, go join the Harlem Globetrotters.

Don’t bring that junk into BU’s house and then complain about the crowd’s reaction… Texas A&M is hated by many for one and one reason only: they care only about themselves, focusing more on unsportsmanlike play than winning ball games.

Grow up, Aggies… even your coach made public comment disapproving of such actions, which at least makes things a bit better.

The question is, can the Texas A&M players actually heed the words of their coach and begin playing the game of basketball with character and sportsmanlike play?

My guess is they cannot because these guys are so full of themselves that they would rather do things their way than their coach’s way.

It’s no wonder the Aggies have had a see-saw season; I don’t know how anyone in their right mind can work with Texas A&M’s men’s hoops squad – a team loaded with me-first attitudes and jovial jerks.

Wake up, Texas A&M, before you lose another good coach due to a bunch of wannabes trying to make it in the Big 12 Conference…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com

SPORTS ADDICT: The real reason OU beat BU in Norman is due to awful officiating and straight-up cheating…Commentary by Denton Ramsey, NCAA Basketball Sportswriter/Big 12 Fans Baylor Correspondent

WACO, Texas – I have never in my life seen as much unsportsmanlike conduct by a team as was exhibited by the Oklahoma Sooners against the Baylor Bears on Tuesday evening, Feb. 19 in Norman, Okla.

On top of that, I honestly don’t think I have a seen a more one-sided officiated game as called by the Big 12 trio of Steve Welmer, Mark Whitehead and Curtis Shaw.

In my opinion, those three should be fined, fired and never allowed to officiate another game as long as they live.

Yes, the Bears may have now lost four straight.

But at least they can say they didn’t cheat to get to where they are today.

And, they literally did everything in their power to make it a game on Tuesday night on the road – forcing overtime before a ridiculous call came against Baylor’s Aaron Bruce with 7.3 seconds left in OT after a made three-pointer by OU gave the Sooners a chance to take the lead at the free throw line.

First of all, Bruce never touched the Oklahoma player shooting the three; in fact, not a single part of his body touched the Sooner taking the shot.

Secondly, the “fight” that occurred earlier in the game was started – no doubt about it – by Oklahoma.

Yet two Baylor players – Mark Shepherd, who left with a laceration above his eye and trouble breathing after being put in a full-nelson by Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin prior to throwing an elbow in Griffin’s direction to get the OU forward to let him go, and Richard Hurd, who apparently was tossed for standing up for his teammate, were ejected after the skirmish with just one, an ASSISTANT COACH, being ejected for OU.

Unbelievable.

In addition, the Bears were whistled for 33 fouls compared to 23 fouls called on the Sooners – with OU outscoring BU at the charity stripe 28-17 (37 attempts for Oklahoma, 23 attempts for Baylor).

For those looking at the final box score for Oklahoma’s win over Baylor, they will find the sheet full of lies – two BU players were tossed from the game for so-called flagrant fouls while no OU players were ejected (the “official” box score has no Baylor players ejected, but those watching the game on television know that is not the case).

The NCAA needs to be held accountable for these actions.

First, their officials call an awful game – through the first half, second half and especially in overtime.

Secondly, it appears to me as though the NCAA now wants to cover this whole thing up by not mentioning anything about this incident in the official box score.

Also, the officials REVIEWED the skirmish before ejecting the two BU players – did they just decided to ignore what they saw and only punish Baylor?

Either way, it’s unreal and unfair.

The Big 12 and the NCAA need to look into this matter – and fast.

Baylor shouldn’t have lost in OU – and Sooner fans can say all they want about Curtis Jerrells being whistled for a foul in the lane with one second left and a chance to win the game for BU.

It never should have come down to that.

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Bruce never fouled the OU shooter on the other end and the game should have been tied at 91; we should have played another five minutes of overtime.

Instead, the officials handed the Sooners a 92-91 Big 12 win – propelling the Oklahoma basketball team, albeit by cheating, into a two-way tie for fourth place with Texas A&M.

Let’s even go back towards the beginning of the game, when Oklahoma had a steal that led to a fast break the other way.

Have you ever, in your entire life of watching college hoops, seen a teammate showboat by tossing the ball off the glass as an “alley-oop” of sorts to setup a thunderous slam?

In my opinion, definitely should have been whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The sad thing is that not only was it not called unsportsmanlike, but OU head coach Jeff Capel appears to applaud the unsportsmanlike play of his players.

I guess that shouldn’t surprise me coming from Capel, a guy who loves to think of himself as a mini-god in college hoops…

Grow up, Capel – learn to win the right way, not by showboating and cheating.

The Oklahoma basketball team, coaching staff and the trio of officials who called Tuesday night’s game should all be investigated.

And if any wrongdoings are uncovered, they should all be severely punished.

The Bears are back in NCAA basketball, I guarantee you.

It’s just impossible to win games if the officials are going to cheat the entire time – from the opening tip to the 7.3-second mark in overtime.

Coach Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears basketball team deserve an apology and a win.

Unfortunately, I doubt they will receive either as the NCAA would rather pretend this never occurred than to actually do something about their terrible officiating crew.

If this is how Baylor games are going to be called the rest of the season, we’ll never win again.

But I’m not about to watch my Bears go down in flames due to cheating.

Wake up, NCAA – Baylor deserves, at the very least, sportsmanlike respect.

And, OU better get their heads out of their exits-only before they become so wrapped up in themselves that they think the world has come to an end and that they are all little deities led by mini-god Capel…

No matter how you slice it, the Sooners are a stuck-up bunch of jerks – and you can tell they learned it from the man at the helm, none other than Mr. Capel himself.

I just can’t wait until my Bears get revenge come Big 12 tourney time.

My only hope, and prayer, is that the same officiating crew won’t be hitting the hardwood come March…

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at denton.ramsey@gmail.com