Live Blog: MBB at Iowa State

We will again have a live blog from courtside at Hilton Coliseum as UWM and Iowa State square off in what amounts to the championship game of the World Vision Classic here in Ames.

You can view the live blog here.

You can also view the live stats for tonight's matchup here and listen to Bill Johnson's game call here. His call is also available on WISN (AM 1130).

A few notes on tonight's opponent. Milwaukee native Diante Garrett runs the offense, collecting 16 assists in the first two games. His main interior weapon is Craig Brackens, who has averaged 16.5 points in his first two outings. The Cyclones have also added a freshman sharpshooter in Wes Eikmeier, who has made 8-of-16 from long range in two games.

The most interesting note, though, is that Iowa State has been outrebounded in the first two games. In fact, Cal Davis and Loyola Marymount have combined for 27 offensive rebounds in two games, with Iowa State at a minus-5 in the rebounding column overall.

On the other hand, the Cyclones have certainly guarded Friday and Saturday, as LMU and Cal Davis combined to shoot just 33.3 percent from the field.

For UWM, Avery Smith will return to the active roster tonight, and will likely come off the bench for his first regular season action in about 20 months. It is safe to say he is VERY excited.

As always, please remember to refresh the screen as you follow along.

Live Blog: Women's Basketball vs. USC

We will be doing a live blog from the consolation championship here at the Wolfpack Invitational. The team has just taken the court and game time is just over 70 minutes away...

Jody Crumble is here, but on crutches and in an immobilizer. Sorry, but I haven't heard the exact diagnosis yet. She was at the hospital until late last night.

The blog is available here.

The Panthers are coming off a loss in the season opener, falling to a hot-shooting NC State team that hit at nearly a 60% clip in yesterday's opener...

Live Blog: MBB vs. Cal Davis

We'll again have a live blog from courtside at Hilton Coliseum as the Panthers try to make it two in a row at the World Vision Classic in Ames.

Today's opponent is Cal Davis, which by all rights should have beaten Iowa State last night. The Aggies had a double-digit lead in the second half but saw the remainder of that lead slip away in the closing seconds.

The live blog is here.

You can also view today's live stats here and listen to Bill Johnson's radio call here. The game is also on WISN (AM 1130).

The Aggies are clearly a solid team, though, and the addition of Notre Dame transfer Joe Harden should make a big difference for them this season. They'll run the Princeton offense, so look for them to be patient and execute well on offense.

As for the Panthers, it will be interesting to see how they are guarded as teams get more chances to see the makeup of this year's squad. LMU definitely lost the three-point shooter numerous times last night, and UWM now has the personnel to make the opponent pay when that happens.

Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., though it will be the second game of the day as Iowa State and Loyola Marymount play at 12:30.

Live Blog: Women's Basektball Season Opener

We will be doing a live blog from the women's basketball season opener here at the Wolfpack Invitational. The team has just taken the court and game time is just over an hour away...

The blog is available here.

The Panthers are coming off a 17-14 season in 2007-08 and enter the regular season with a pair of exhibition wins under their belt. They have never played North Carolina State or a team from the state of North Carolina. Today's winner advances to play the winner of USC/Charlotte Sunday.

Live Blog: NCAA Tournament

The Panthers are taking on Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this evening in South Bend, Ind. I will be doing a live blog throughout the game. A couple notes: There will be more posts than last weekend, as I am in a press box that is warm. For viewing purposes, refresh between posts and you can catch the latest information.

The live blog can be found here

The gametracker is here

Live Blog: MBB vs. Loyola Marymount

We'll have a live blog for today's season opener for the Panther men against Loyola Marymount. Tipoff is set for just after 4:30 p.m.

The live blog is here.

In addition to the blog, you can follow the live stats for today's game here and listen to Bill Johnson's call online here. The game call is also on WISN (AM 1130).

I posted a bunch of links yesterday, but here are a couple more of note.

Today's preview from the Journal Sentinel is here.

A preview of Cal Davis from the Sacramento Bee is here.

Ames, Iowa ... Hello!

The Panthers are on the ground in Ames and are just getting started with practice at State Gym. Actually, we’ve been here since about 12:15 after a flight of a little over an hour.

The first flight of the year is always interesting, as there are typically more than a few who are not thrilled by the thought of flying – especially on our puddle-jumper planes. No stories have yet circulated, but I am sure they will eventually. But, the flight is certainly much better than a seven-hour bus ride, at least from this vantage point. And it was a smooth one today, despite the heavy overcast and rain in Iowa.

Practice is at State Gym because the Iowa State wrestling team has a home meet with Utah Valley this evening. The Panthers will get a shootaround in at Hilton Coliseum Friday morning.

Speaking of State Gym (pictured above ... kind of dark for an amateur photographer), it was built in 1913 and actually became a dining hall for army recruits on campus in 1918 and 1919. A fire in 1962 caused some damage and a loss of equipment, but the gym was then renovated in 1967 and still stands today.

Fifteen players traveled to Ames, with Jerard Ajami (transfer), James Dean (freshman walk-on) and Patrick Souter (freshman walk-on) staying back home in Milwaukee.

In other news, Ja’Rob McCallum did officially return his signed national letter of intent today, so he is in the fold. As many know, we can’t comment on recruits until that letter is signed and returned. Usually we’ll stick to doing just one official release once all letters have been returned, so hopefully we’ll have that for you right after this busy weekend.

Also, Charles Gardner from the Journal Sentinel will be joining us for the weekend in Ames. He’ll have a preview of the weekend’s action in Friday’s paper and then game coverage the next three days.

Finally, in advance of our trip here, everyone who we have had contact with in Ames has talked up Hickory Park as a must-visit restaurant. We’ll find out tonight, as director of operations Chip MacKenzie has reservations for our large group. He is definitely banking on it being good, though, as he has the pregame meals for the weekend scheduled there, as well. You can read more about it online here, and perhaps I can try my hand at restaurant reviews afterward.

And now, a variety of links below to check out in preparation for this weekend’s World Vision Classic.

On the UWM front, our notes are here and the podcast with Rob Jeter is here.

For Iowa State, notes are here. There is also coverage of the Cyclones in the Des Moines Register here and the Ames Tribune here.

On the Loyola Marymount front, notes have been posted here and a local newspaper season preview is here. There is also a preview of the West Coast Conference from The Sports Network here.

And then for Cal Davis, notes are here and a Big West preview from TSN is here.

I do plan a live blog during each game this weekend. Hopefully we will have one for each regular season game, though there are a few spots we go where computer space at the scorers’ table is a little tight. In those cases, I’ll at least post pregame, halftime and postgame updates.