College Confidential

Kentucky, Kansas given best odds to win 2014 NCAA men's BKB title in Cowboys Stadium #kentucky, #kansas

With the recent addition of Andrew Wiggins, one of the nation’s top-ranked high school recruits, Kansas joins Kentucky among the early favorites to win the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball championship, based on odds released today by Bovada Sports Book (www.bovada.lv).

Based on today’s odds posted by the website, the primary teams to track as likely participants in the 2014 Final Four, to be held April 5-7, 2014 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, will be Kentucky (5/1 title odds), Kansas (11/2), Louisville (17/2) and Michigan State (12/1).

Louisville won last month’s 2013 title in Atlanta, defeating Michigan, 82-76, in the championship game.
Among Texas-based colleges, the teams with the best 2014 NCAA title odds are Baylor (50/1), Texas (100-1) and Texas A&M (200-1). Odds for other projected frontrunners in next year’s Big 12 race include Oklahoma State (50-1), Iowa State (100-1), Kansas State (100-1) and Oklahoma (200-1).

Below is a look at all teams that were giving individual odds to win the 2014 NCAA men’s basketball championship, which will be settled in Arlington:

2013-14 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - Odds to Win    
Kentucky                              5/1
Kansas                                 11/2
Louisville                              17/2
Michigan State              12/1
Duke                            14/1
Arizona                                 15/1
North Carolina                    16/1
Florida                                  18/1
Ohio State                    20/1
Syracuse                              25/1
Connecticut                         33/1
Indiana                                  33/1
Memphis                              33/1
Michigan                              33/1
Colorado                              40/1
UCLA                            40/1
Baylor                           50/1
Creighton                      50/1
Georgetown                        50/1
Gonzaga                       50/1
Iowa                                       50/1
Marquette                            50/1
Missouri                               50/1
NC State                       50/1
New Mexico                        50/1
Oklahoma State            50/1
Pittsburgh                            50/1
St. Louis                              50/1
VCU                             50/1
Wisconsin                            50/1
Butler                                     66/1
Illinois                                    66/1
Minnesota                            66/1
St. John's                     66/1
Tennessee                           66/1
UNLV                            66/1
Villanova                       66/1
Virginia                                 66/1
Wichita State                 66/1
Florida State                 75/1
Notre Dame                  75/1
Alabama                               100/1
Arizona State                100/1
BYU                             100/1
California                             100/1
Cincinnati                             100/1
Iowa State                     100/1
Kansas State                100/1
Miami Florida                     100/1
Ole Miss                       100/1
Oregon                                 100/1
Purdue                          100/1
San Diego State            100/1
Stanford                       100/1
Texas                                    100/1
Vanderbilt                     100/1
West Virginia                      100/1
Arkansas                              150/1
Boise State                   150/1
Colorado State              150/1
Dayton                                  150/1
St. Mary's                     150/1
Temple                                  150/1
USC                             150/1
LSU                              150/1
Georgia                                200/1
Georgia Tech                200/1
Harvard                         200/1
Maryland                              200/1
Oklahoma                            200/1
Texas A&M                   200/1
Washington                         200/1
Washington State          200/1
Xavier                           200/1
Clemson                       250/1
Davidson                      250/1
South Carolina                   250/1
St. Joe's                       250/1
Virginia Tech                 250/1
Wake Forest                       250/1
Boston College                 500/1
Northwestern                 500/1
Mississippi State           500/1
 
Andrew Wiggins - Will he be selected #1 overall in the 2014 NBA Draft?   
Yes                   -300     (1/3)    
No                    +200     (2/1)
 
Andrew Wiggins - Average PPG in the 2013-14 NCAA Basketball Season?
Over/Under                   18
 
_ Jimmy Burch

Texas A&M spring FB game to be ESPN national telecast Saturday that also includes softball game #TAMU

Texas A&M’s spring football game will be the centerpiece of Saturday’s afternoon of Aggie telecasts on ESPN.

The Maroon-White game (2 p.m., Kyle Field) will be aired nationally, with 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and the rest of the returnees from last year’s 11-2 team that defeated Oklahoma 41-13 in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic expected to participate. The spring game will last two hours and will be followed by a live telecast of the A&M-LSU women’s softball game in College Station (4 p.m.-6 p.m.).

Admission to the A&M spring game is $5 for general admission tickets and free for students college age and under.

The Aggies, who finished No. 5 in the postseason polls after the 2012 season, return a strong nucleus of key contributors on both sides of the ball and are considered a contender for the 2013 national championship. In addition to Manziel at quarterback and All-America offensive tackle Jake Matthews, who will move from right to left tackle next season, the Aggies return five defensive starters. Included are linebacker Steven Jenkins (78 tackles last season) and defensive back Toney Hurd, Jr. (67 tackles).

Manziel, the first freshman Heisman winner in the award’s history, acknowledged that the Aggies are embracing loftier expectations as they heading into a 2013 season marked by eight home games, including a Sept. 14 showdown in College Station against Alabama, the defending national champion.

“I don’t think you avoid it. Those are your goals and what you want to do,” Manziel said when asked about national title hopes for the 2013 Aggies. “The guys in the locker room all want to win a national championship … Our goal is not to lose a game and to win every time we’re on the field.”

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas A&M OT Joeckel, Texas S Vaccaro to attend NFL Draft in NYC #TAMU, #Longhorns

Texas A&M offensive tackle Luke Joeckel, an Arlington High School graduate and the 2012 Outland Trophy winner, is one of 23 prospects that will attend the opening night of the NFL Draft, April 25 in New York City. Joeckel, considered a possible first overall selection by the Kansas City Chiefs, will be joined in New York by Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro and Aggies’ coach Kevin Sumlin.

If taken with the first pick, Joeckel would be the first A&M player selected No. 1 overall in an NFL draft. Four A&M players have been drafted No. 2 overall: linebacker Von Miller (Denver Broncos, 2011), linebacker Quentin Coryatt (Indianapolis Colts, 1992), running back John David Crow (St. Louis Cardinals, 1958) and running back John Kimbrough (Chicago Cardinals, 1941).

Vaccaro projects to be selected in the middle of the first round and could be available at No. 18, a pick owned by the Dallas Cowboys.

Other NFL draft prospects joining Joeckel and Vaccaro in New York will be: Ezekiel Ansah, BYU; Tavon Austin, West Virginia; Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina; Eric Fisher, Central Michigan; Sharrif Floyd, Florida; D.J. Fluker, Alabama; Lane Johnson, Oklahoma; Dion Jordan, Oregon; Eddie Lacy, Alabama; E.J. Manuel, Florida State; Dee Milliner, Alabama; Barkevious Mingo, LSU; Cordarrelle Patterson, Tennessee; Eric Reid, LSU; Xavier Rhodes, Florida State; Sheldon Richardson, Missouri; Geno Smith, West Virginia; Desmond Trufant, Washington; Chance Warmack, Alabama; Menelik Watson, Florida State and Bjoern Werner, Florida State.

_ Jimmy Burch

Fox Sports SW to offer live telecasts of OU, Texas Tech spring FB games #RedRaiders, #OU

Fox Sports Southwest will offer live telecasts of the Oklahoma and Texas Tech spring football games, network officials announced today.

The telecast of the Oklahoma game, set for Saturday in Norman, Okla. (2 p.m., FSSW), will be preceded by a two-hour pregame show. Tech’s spring game will be played April 20 in Lubbock (1 p.m., FSSW).
Both games also will air nationally on Fox College Sports.

Texas A&M’s spring game, set for Saturday (2 p.m., Kyle Field), will be an ESPN national telecast. Network officials announced plans to air the Aggies’ spring game last month.

In May, FSSW officials also will air a series of 30-minue shows recapping spring drills for area colleges. Below is a look at FSSW’s planned schedule of spring football coverage for area colleges:

FOX SPORTS SOUTHWEST SPRING FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
(All times listed are Central; Schedule subject to change)
 
Spring Games:
Sat., April 13      Noon            Sooner Sports Gameday1
                           2:00 p.m.      OU Spring Game1
Sat., April 20      1:00 p.m.      Texas Tech Spring Game2
 
1 – Available on FOX Sports Plus in Houston, Central/South Texas, Arkansas & Louisiana markets
2 – Available on FOX Sports Plus in Houston and Oklahoma markets
                           
Spring Football Series:
Baylor: Saturday, May 4, 1:30 p.m. & 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 5, 10:00 p.m.; Tuesday, May 7, 1:00 p.m.; Wednesday, May 8, 10:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 12, 7:00 a.m.; Friday, May 17, 10:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 3:30 p.m.; Wednesday, May 29, 4:30 p.m.
 
Oklahoma: Monday, May 6, 10:00 p.m.; Tuesday, May 7, 1:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 11, 11:30 a.m.; Tuesday, May 14, 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, May 22, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 6:30 p.m.
 
Oklahoma State: Thursday, May 9, 10:00 p.m.; Friday, May 10, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 11, 11:00 a.m.; Wednesday, May 15, 11:00 p.m.; Tuesday, May 21, 12:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 6:00 p.m.; Wednesday, May 29, 5:30 p.m.
 
TCU: Thursday, May 9, 9:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 11, 9:30 p.m.; Monday, May 13, 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 18, 3:00 p.m.; Monday, May 20, 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 4:00 p.m.; Wednesday, May 29, 8:30 a.m.; Friday, May 31, 9:00 p.m.
 
Texas A&M: Tuesday, May 7, 10:30 p.m.; Wednesday, May 8, 3:30 p.m.; Friday, May 10, 5:00 p.m.; Wednesday, May 15, 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 18, 11:30 a.m.; Friday, May 24, 10:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 4:30 p.m.
 
Texas: Wednesday, May 1, 6:00 p.m.; Friday, May 3, 9:00 a.m.; Saturday, May 4, 1:00 p.m.; Tuesday, May 7, noon; Thursday, May 9, 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, May 12, 7:30 a.m.; Friday, May 17, 9:30 p.m.; Friday, May 24, 2:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 5:00 p.m.; Friday, May 31, 9:30 p.m.
 
Texas Tech: Sunday, May 12, 10:00 p.m.; Monday, May 13, 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, May 15, 10:00 p.m.; Friday, May 17, 11:30 a.m.; Tuesday, May 21, 10:30 p.m.; Friday, May 24, 2:00 p.m.; Saturday, May 25, 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, May 28, 10:00 p.m.
 

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas A&M's Vaughan, a Mansfield Legacy grad, sets top U.S. mark to win national honor #TAMU

Texas A&M discus thrower Shelbi Vaughan, a freshman from Mansfield Legacy, was selected Monday as the national athlete of the week by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association for her efforts in last week’s Castillo Invitational in Tempe, Ariz.

Vaughan broke a 10-year-old school record on her first throw, then bettered the mark to finish as the top college competitor at the event with a toss of 185-feet (56.40 meters) in her first outdoor meet of the season. Vaughan, who also plays on A&M’s volleyball team, finished second in the meet and holds the mark for the longest longest discus throw by a U.S. competitor this season.

In addition, A&M javelin thrower Sam Humphreys also earned national athlete of the week recognition by setting a men’s meet record of 268 feet, 7 inches (81.86 meters) at the Castillo Invitational.

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas golfer Pressel qualifies for LPGA event; FW golfer Mocio grabs alternate spot #Longhorns, #TAMU

Texas golfer Madison Pressel qualified today to join her older sister, LPGA Tour standout Morgan Pressel, in the field for the North Texas LPGA Shootout, April 25-28 at Las Colinas Country Club.

Pressel fired an even-par 71 at the Las Colinas layout to join North Carolina’s Casey Grice, a College Station native, as co-medalists at the North Texas Collegiate Shootout. They claimed the two spots reserved for college participants in the $1.3 million LPGA event in Irving.

Texas A&M golfer Chelsea Mocio, a Fort Worth Arlington Heights graduate, posted a 73 and is one of two alternates for the college exemptions. As alternates, Mocio and A&M teammate Katerina Ruzickova (74) earned spots in an April 22 qualifier at Las Colinas with touring pros to try and earn a last-minute spot in the field.

Pressel, a senior, said it will be “incredible” to make her LPGA debut in the same event as her sister, a two-time tour winner and past major champion (2007 Kraft Nabisco Championship) who already has committed to compete in Irving.

“It’s very exciting,” Pressel said. “I’ve never been able to play with her in a tournament setting. It’ll be weird preparing for a tournament on the same golf course with her.”

Grice, a junior who played at A&M Consolidated High School, said she is “definitely very excited” for the opportunity to make her LPGA debut in her home state.

Mocio, a junior, said she made “a couple of mental mistakes” during back-nine holes in Tuesday’s round that prevented her from joining the co-medalists at the top of the leaderboard but said she is excited she will have a second chance to try and play her way into the field at the April 22 qualifier in Irving. 

Below is a look at the results of all 18 competitor's in today's event: 

Shootout results

A look at Tuesday’s scores from the 18 participants in the North Texas Collegiate LPGA Shootout in Irving:

Casey Grice, North Carolina, 71; Madison Pressel, Texas, 71; Chelsea Mocio, Texas A&M, 73; Katerina Ruzickova, Texas A&M, 74; Mary Michael Maggio, Texas A&M, 76; Kelsey Vines, Oklahoma State, 76; Alexandria Bonetti, TCU, 77; April McCoy, TCU, 78; Flower Castillo, Incarnate Word, 78; Hally Leadbetter, Arkansas, 79; Natalie Reeves, Texas A&M, 79; Jennifer Park, SMU, 80; Jenny Haglund, SMU, 81; Sanna Nuutinen, TCU, 82; Melanie White, SMU, 82; Sarah Beth Davis, Texas A&M, 83; Alexandra Ann Rossi, Texas A&M, 83; Taylor Slagle, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 84.

 _ Jimmy Burch

Tee times set for Tuesday's North Texas College Shootout, with top two finishers to join LPGA field

Participants in the North Texas Collegiate Shootout, which will send two college golfers into the field for North Texas’ upcoming LPGA Tour event in Irving, will take the course at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at Las Colinas Country Club.

The top two finishers among the 18 college golfers in the 18-hole competition will earn berths in the North Texas LPGA Shootout, a full-field event scheduled April 25-28 at Las Colinas CC.

Tee times for Tuesday’s competitors:

9:30 a.m.:  Natalie Reeves, Texas A&M; Hally Leadbetter, Arkansas; Alexanra Ann Rossi, SMU.

9:40 a.m.: Chelsea Mocio, Texas A&M; April McCoy, TCU; Taylor Slagle, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

9:50 a.m.: Sarah Beth Davis, Texas A&M; Melanie White, SMU; Flower Castillo, Incarnate Word.

10 a.m.: Jenny Haglund, SMU; Madison Pressel, Texas; Alexandra Bonetti, TCU.

10:10 a.m.: Casey Grice, North Carolina; Sanna Nuutinen, TCU; Katerina Ruzickova, Texas A&M.

10:20 a.m.: Kelsey Vines, Oklahoma State; Mary Michael Maggio, Texas A&M; Jennifer Park, SMU.

 

_ Jimmy Burch

 

Texas A&M OT Joeckel sets March 22 workout with Chiefs, hopes it leads to being top pick in NFL Draft

Texas A&M left tackle Luke Joeckel, an Arlington High School graduate projected as the possible first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, has arranged a private workout with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 22 in College Station. Joeckel said during today’s Pro Day in College Station that he also has met with the Oakland Raiders but the Chiefs are the only team that has scheduled a private workout “as of now.”

The Chiefs own the first pick in the draft and recently released Eric Winston, last year’s starting right tackle, in a move that suggests Kansas City may be preparing to take a tackle with the top pick. Joeckel, the 2012 Outland Trophy winner, said he interviewed with the Chiefs at last month’s NFL Combine and welcomes the chance to try and build on his initial impression with the club during the private workout.

“I think it went well, but who knows?,” Joeckel said of his initial talks with Kansas City officials. “It’s them evaluating me, not me evaluating them. I think I did well. I think my tape shows I’m a good player. But it’s them making all the decisions.”

Mike Mayock, draft analyst for NFL Network, projects three tackles to be taken among the top 10 picks _ Joeckel, Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher and Oklahoma’s Lane Johnson _ and indicated that he expected Kansas City to thoroughly sound out all three players before making a final decision.

“In a draft like this, where there’s no clear-cut No. 1, what happens is teams with the top four or five picks are going to spend a lot of time grinding the top potential picks in this draft … and get a feel for the kid as much as the player,” Mayock said. “If I’m Kansas City and I’m looking at tackles, I’m going to spend an awful lot of time with those three tackles. Not just on the field. But finding out what kind of kids they are. If I’m going to invest a No. 1 pick in a tackle, I want to make sure that I’m putting all those millions of dollars into someone that’s not only a talented kid, but he’s a reliable kid.”

Kansas City sent area scout Willie Davis to watch Joeckel at today’s Pro Day. Oakland coach Dennis Allen, a former A&M and Hurst L.D. Bell player, also attended and spoke glowingly about Joeckel after watching his workout. Joeckel said he would relish the opportunity to become the first A&M player and first high school player from Arlington taken No. 1 overall in any NFL Draft. But he added that he does not consider the Chiefs’ release of Winston as a significant benefit in those efforts.

“Who knows?,” Joeckel said. “I don’t try to look into all of that different stuff. I’m just trying to work out and … do well at the pro day and not to try to worry about all the outside stuff.”

_ Jimmy Burch

Texas A&M golfer Mocio, a FW Arlington Heights grad, to join TCU golfers in LPGA qualifier #TAMU, #TCU

Officials at the North Texas LPGA Shootout announced the 18 college golfers who will be competing for two spots in the field at Dallas-Fort Worth’s new LPGA Tour stop, April 25-28 in Irving.

The college participants will play an 18-hole qualifier, dubbed the North Texas College Shootout, on March 12 with the top two finishers earning berths in the LPGA event in April. The qualifier will be played at Las Colinas Country Club, the same venue as the LPGA tournament.

Among the college participants are three golfers from TCU, four from SMU, one from Texas and five from Texas A&M.

The A&M contingent includes Chelsea Mocio, a junior from Fort Worth Arlington Heights. TCU’s threesome is comprised of Alexandria Bonetti, April McCoy and Sanna Nuutinen. Texas’ participant in the qualifier, Madison Pressel, is the younger sister of LPGA participant Morgan Pressel.

Tournament officals also announced Tuesday that two high school golfers will play their way into the field from an 18-player group in conjunction with an April 22 professional qualifier at Las Colinas Country Club. The names of the high school participants have yet to be released.

Below is a look at the 18 college golfers taking part in the March 12 qualifier in Irving (in alphabetical order):

Alexandra Bonetti, TCU; Flower Castillo, Incarnate Word; Sarah Beth Davis, Texas A&M; Marisson Dodd, Wake Forest; Casey Grice, North Carolina; Jenny Haglund, SMU; Mary Michael Maggio, Texas A&M; April McCoy, TCU; Chelsea Mocio, Texas A&M; Sanna Nuutinen, TCU; Jennifer Park, SMU; Madison Pressel, Texas; Natalie Reeves, Texas A&M; Alexandra Ann Rossi, SMU; Katerina Ruzickova, Texas A&M; Taylor Slagle, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi; Kelsey Vines, Oklahoma State; Melanie White, SMU. Alternate: Hally Leadbetter, Arkansas.

_ Jimmy Burch

Manziel: more on his online classes and how the system works

Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel said his spring semester class schedule -- four online classes, all in sports management -- help make life in a fish bowl more navigable now that he has become a celebrity as the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.

How does it work?

"I'll get emails. I have a daily schedule," Manziel said during tonight's Davey O'Brien Awards ceremony at the Fort Worth Club. "If I need to, I do a chapter 1 lecture that takes 30 minutes ... on this day for this class. You can have an hour two hours (worth of) stuff per day. They have a syllabus and they break it down so you do everything you need to do to take the test."

Manziel said that, in the past week, he has taken three online tests and turned in a paper. But he is not required to be on campus on a daily basis, where his celebrity status creates a stir among fellow students.

"It’s not that I haven’t been doing anything for three weeks and it’s test, test, test," Manziel said. "They do a good job of helping us orangize everything. That has been the big thing for me is organizing the stuff I have going on for school, and the stuff I have going on for media, and events and stuff
like that. Just to make it easier for me because there is so much stuff I need to do."

Manziel will be returning to campus on a regular basis soon. The Aggies' spring football drills begin March 2.

_ Jimmy Burch