Number 6 best basketball movie, Iowa being Iowa, NSD, Flacco, Counciltucky, Random Thoughts

*Greetings from The North Pole.
*Last week I heard a direct quote come out of my TV, "Tomorrow won't be as bad..we will have a high of zero." How North Dakota isn't a hotspot destination in the winter time is beyond me
*Speaking of North Dakota, the UND hockey team heads down to Omaha to play a series..with Saturdays game being held outdoors. Awesome. Awesome for the players and the coaches.
*If Hakstol wants to get the sweep (which they need), all he has to do is threaten his team with "If you don't win, we're staying the night in Council Bluffs." The team would win..easily.
*Look..."Counciltucky" really does exist:

*I would pay Hakstol 100 dollars to get me La Juas, Bob Roes wings, and a Jerry's Pizza. With being the former Muskies coach, he knows what's up.
*We're at the number 6 best basketball movie of all-time:
Blue Chips
*I had been tossing and turning late at night thinking that I made a mistake putting this before Coach Carter. Then I remembered that Al Bundy is in the movie and fell right asleep.
*Blue Chips is good because it shows takes you inside a real-life college program. I've always liked Nick Nolte (mainly the drunk cop in 48 Hours) and I think he does a solid job in this movie. Of course, with Shaquille O'Neal in the movie, you really can't go wrong. Though it is hard to top the role he played in the Academy Award flick, Kazaam.
*Last night, Iowa fell AGAIN in a close game where they once AGAIN couldn't close out. The team is young and this will benefit them next year but these losses sting, especially the last three.
*Although Hawk fans love McCaffery (which they should), it's easy to see that Fran is getting outcoached in some of these games. Unacceptable when you're coaching against no-namers like Tom Izzo and Bo Ryan. Give it time Iowa fans, give it time.
*National Signing Day has turned into a circus. The anticipation is fun to see where all the high school talent is going(mainly to the SEC) but some of these kids are 18. The big-timers will have a camera on them for the next 10 years of their life so I guess it's a nice warm-up..but when I was 18 my next move was to see how many hot wings I could eat(68...with fries)
*I'm happy for Joe Flacco. It's nice to see a good guy(we think) shake off the haters...plus, always good to see a former Blue Hen go on and win a Super Bowl.
*The movie Shawkshank Redemption needs to quit being on AMC when I get off work..it's physically impossible for me to turn the channel when it's on. I would say Top 5 movie of all-time is a safe bet.
*There are some lonely nights in North Dakota..thank God for 90's Country on Pandora.
*Speaking of country, glad to see my man Randy Houser finally got to number one. First heard that song in September and loved it. Plus, it doesn't hurt that my future wife is in the music video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7v2TmV3Zuc
 *I did an interview with Dean Oliver(former Hawkeye point guard and Mason City legend.) Turns out he's an assistant for North Dakota.
Good ball player, better guy.

Number 7 best hoops movie, Super Bowl pick, Heelan kid makes Top 10, ISU gets much needed win, Iowa fans tired of moral victories, UND booed at home

*Greetings and welcome back to the work week.
*I see that this blog just went over 1,000 all-time views. It's hard to imagine that many people reading these worthless ramblings. Thanks to everyone who reads it!(Including you Grandma!)
* A Facebook post from me this pas week..probably one of the more ridiculous ones I've had:

"The difference in winter between Iowa and North Dakota is like the movie Rocky IV. Iowa being Ivan Drago(It can land the big punches like a big, wet snow that looks pretty) but it is Rocky that symbolizes a North Dakota winter.(Always coming at you with everything he's until you can't take it any more blows) aka, the constant below temps, blizzard warnings, and dry snow. USA #1."

*We have arrived at the top 7 all-time best basketball movie:
Coach Carter
*The modern version of Hoosiers. Got to respect a man who's doing something that he knows is right, even though it is not liked by the people surrounding him.
*As much as people dislike or root against the Patriots, wouldn't you of rather seen the Pats-49ers Super Bowl?
*The story of the brothers coaching each other in the big game is a great one, sure, maybe the best storyline of all-time going into the game. But the RAVENS?
*This is almost as bad as the Giants vs. the Ravens in 2000.
*I'll root for the 49ers but mainly I'll root for the hot wings being good and the commercials being funny.
*A Sioux City Heelan grad made SportsCenters top 10:
Dunk City
*Iowa State got a much needed win vs. Kansas State this past weekend. With the Wildcats a top 15 team, the W looks great on the Cyclones resume.
*Looking ahead for the Clones, that game vs. Kansas at Hilton in late Feb. is going to be fun.
*Iowa fans are tired of moral victories. They got the job done at the beginning of the Big Ten season but now they're not cutting it.
*Iowa lacks killer instinct (something you see with young teams) and pure shooters. I think the edition of Jok and Uthoff will be key for Iowa next year but I think the experience that these young players are getting right now will be even more costly.
*UND had a big home series hosting St. Cloud State this past weekend playing maybe its worst game of the season Friday night. The team was booed heading out of the second with the crowd upset at the effort they saw. UND bounced back Saturday night to get A point..but these weekends of UND getting one point, especially at home, cannot continue.
*Coach Hakstol really didn't know what to take out of the weekend. The team played so poor Friday but bounced back with great effort Saturday. One thing Hakstol was pretty certain on: Weekends like these will make his team better in March...and hopefully April.
*The UND Men's basketball team has now won four out of five. The loss to Sac. State was bad but after being down by 20 plus in the first half to Northern Arizona, the team could of folded. They didn't. It's those types of wins over Northern Arizona that will spark a team for a few weeks. Just what the doctor ordered going into February.
*No offense Vikings fans, but when a tight end wins MVP of a Pro Bowl, you know something is lacking.
*I would not be heartbroken if the NFL Pro Bowl was canceled. They might as well just show a Buffalo Bills scrimmage since the Bills have so many All-Star players.
*That'll do it for me.
*O'Doyle rules!

Number 8 best basketball movie of all time, Te'o, The day the music died, hoops, Chris Street legacy, UND faces Evil Empire, and just when you though it was cold in Iowa

*Greetings from The Frozen Tundra.
*Rumor has it that it's supposed to hit record highs in Iowa today and then get cold next week..Just when you think it's gonna get cold there...

*We have arrived at the number eight best basketball movie, Glory Road aka the football version of Remember the Titans. A great, inspirational film about segregation and overcoming the odds through the game of basketball. Don Haskins becomes the coach of Texas Western and facing a ton of adversity, leads the Miners to the national championship with the first all-black starting line-up winning over the mighty Kentucky. Coach Haskins might of changed the game of basketball forever.
*Keeping with the hoops, The Des Moines Register did a fantastic job with the coverage of Chris Street and the 20 year anniversary of his tragic accident. Here is the link: Chris Street legacy
*I read into this and think of how terrible it was for the people that knew and were close to Chris. It just shows what kind of a young man he was if he has NBA coaches writing his father in regards to Chris. I loved Doug Collins as a broadcaster and as a coach (the current coach of the 76ers) but reading his letter to Chris's father only makes me think more highly of Collins.
*The Street story is so eerily similar to the Brook Berringer, the Nebraska quarterback who lost his life in an airplane accident. Guys like Brook are the reason why I'm a Nebraska fan and I think Hawkeye fans can say the same about Street. Here is a piece on Berringer after his death via ESPN: Brook Berringer, one of the greatest guys to put on a Husker uni
* On the complete end of the spectrum is the story of Manti Te'o. I'm not going to dig into this because you've seen all the jokes on Facebook and Twitter and heard the stories on ESPN..but I will say this..I don't care if there is a mix between Reese Witherspoon and Mila Kunis waiting for you on the other end of the computer/phone...Bro, you're a D1 athlete, I'm sure you don't have a problem getting women..
*Started my day off with some 90's music today...bands using their own voices and instruments to make music...huh...who would of guessed.
* Here is a good one from back in the day I always belt out to: To Be With You-Mr. Big
*I have yet to be to a high school basketball game where I can hardly hear myself think..that was something I was used to in Iowa filming games in Northwest Iowa..
*Of course, who could forget about the greatest basketball student section in the Iowa's history:

*This is from my senior year of high school when I think these two teams combined for five wins midway through the year. Nothing like your own basketball tailgating with you an hour before tipoff in negative temperatures.
*UND heads to Minneapolis to take on the top-ranked Gophers, aka "The Evil Empire" according to long-time Sioux fans. This will be the last time these two teams face off in the regular season until the 2016 year. That's too bad..it's one of the best rivalries in all of college athletics.
*NHL is back...somewhere The Bash Brothers are probably downing beers(now that they are of age) and cranking some Metallica.
*Have a good weekend all!

#9 best basketball movie, Iowa/ISU hoops, Musburger, Alabama Dynasty, and much more

*Greetings and Happy Friday!
*Since moving to the "Peace Garden State"..Iowa has received more snow than North Dakota..I was starting to think of all this talk how North Dakota is treacherous in the winter time was just a big myth to the rest of the United States..The forecast tonight calls for 5-10 inches of snow on top of the ice we already have..add 35-40 mph gusts of wind..and we're going to have ourselves a dandy blizzard. Let's see what you got North Dakota.
*Coming in at number nine in the top 10 basketball movie countdown...White Men Can't Jump.

*A classic early 90s flick starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson hustling for money on the court. Just look at this picture..so cool..so confident..
*I think Iowa and Iowa State both saw great things from their teams the other night. The Hawks and the Clones both should of won against top 25 teams..Iowa State found out just how good they can be in the heartbreaker against Kansas..Fred Hoiberg made a tough decision on the no foul/foul situation. We hear it at the end of every game when a team is up 3 playing defense..To foul the other team and send them to the line for a 1/1 or 2 shots(risking that they make the first and intentionally miss the second hoping to get a game-tying putback) or just play solid defense and hope they don't make a three. I'm a foul guy myself..In all the years of watching crazy endings, especially in March, have I seen a team foul and regret it in that situation. Multiple times have I seen the game go into overtime when a team opts to play defense.
*Let it be a lesson learned for the young coach from Ames.
*Iowa has showed so much potential in one of the toughest three-game slates a team could ask for(Indiana, Michigan, and Michigan State.) They're 0-3. Potential or not, the game comes down to wins and loses. The Hawks had Sparty beat at home and many Iowa fans think they got "hosed" at the end. Regardless, that's a game Iowa needs to win if they want to make the tournament.
*Eventually, Nebraska coach Tim Miles might need to pull a Norman Dale and play four players..Not because he wants too, but because he has too. The Huskers are currently looking for potential guys to suit up at the Lincoln YMCA.
*Brent Musberger provided us with some entertainment the other night during the National Championship (I say thank you because the game was brutal was to watch) Of course, 'ol Brent made some headlines when he commented on Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron's girlfriend Katherine Webb.
*ESPN kept going back to her throughout the game as her Twitter following continued to rise...what else was he supposed to say? 

*Here's a young, handsome Mr. Musberger in his early days.
*Alabama has won their third national championship in four years..It might be hard to believe these days, but Nebraska once did this as well. I'm not going to debate what dynasty was better(although most of you know what one I would choose) but I will remind Nebraska fans who want Bo out of a game in East Lansing in the early 1995 season. Nebraska walked into Michigan State and put a whooping to the Spartans, 50-10. The Michigan State coach thought he had a good team that year but they were rocked at home against the Huskers. Tom Osborne reminded the young coach of that as they shook hands after the game. The young Spartan coach? Nick Saban. Point being-SOME Nebraska fans think that Pelini should go...I say, give it some more time.
*At this point I think Kirk Ferentz owns Iowa football..Some Hawkeye fans think he should go..some think he should stay..and most are caught in the middle and don't know what to think. I know this, one more year of what happened this past fall and Captain Kirk might be ran out of town.

Top 10 Hoops Flicks, Rockin Rocco, Iowa Hoops, National Title Preview, RG3

*Greetings from North Dakota!
*I know I have very few, if any, readers from the Frozen Tundra so I will keep those notes short and sweet.
*This past fall, I counted down the top 10 football movies of all-time. Now, it's time for the top 10 basketball movies of all time. (Wrestlers..don't get upset, here's your countdown10-1)

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

*If you five readers remember, I will count it down one movie at a time. Let's hope it doesn't take till March to get to number one. (Although those that know me, already know what number one is)
*Note: In coming up with a top 10, I noticed there really aren't alot of great basketball movies. The list is VERY top-heavy. 
*Number 10: Celtic Pride
 *This movie is ridiculous, let's not beat around the bush. Two crazy Celtic fans trying to kidnap the best player for the Utah Jazz. But there are some pretty funny parts in the movie and you really can't go wrong with Marv from Home Alone as a crazy gym teacher/basketball nut.
*Let's get to it.
*This past weekend, UND freshman Rocco Grimaldi was Player of the Game in the gold medal victory as the US Junior team beat Sweden, 3-1.

*Somewhere, this group is smiling. 
*NDSU won its second-straight FCS National Championship this past weekend. Head coach of the Bison, Craig Bohl used to be Defensive Coordinator for Nebraska. It seems that Husker fans root for guys like Bohl and Frank Solich when they leave Nebraska...just not Bill Callahan.
*I think the RG3 story is interesting..to say the least.
*I thought the Redskins were going to win at home, but right before the 'Skins went up 14-0, RG3 was once again injured changing the entire complexion of the game. Some people are getting on Shanahan for keeping Griffen in the game. So what if he puts in Kirk's Cousin and "Superman" says after the game he could of played? People want their cake and they want to eat it too. RG3 defended Shanahan after the game and even before it ended, Griffen came over and put his arm around his coach...saying to me, that it Griffen was ok with Shanahan's decision.
*A week ago, Iowa stayed with one of the best teams in the country (Indiana) despite its best player having a terrible shooting day. This past weekend, we saw them hang with Michigan(who alot think is a National Championship team) in Ann Arbor before the Wolverines put on the jets. The Hawks will get there, it might just take them awhile. Right now they remind me of the early episodes of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air"..you know the show is going to be good and you can see signs of it, just takes a little tweaking.Let's hope Iowa will be dancing like this in March Carlton Dance
*If you don't know, there is a national championship tonight. It seems like you can't turn on the "four-lettered network" without hearing about it.
*Two traditional powers..half of America loves/hates Notre Dame...half loves/hates the SEC. One thing is guaranteed: If the Irish win, Lou Holtz will be one happy lil old dude.

Big Four Classic, Morningside o so close, Hazzle Dazzle, Too many bowl games

*Greetings from North Dakota.
*Hockey is God up here..
*It took me some time to gather the fact that there is high school hockey teams up here...boys and girls. Not only that, they draw bigger crowds than their basketball teams.
*I have yet to drop a Mighty Ducks quote on the air..give it time.
*I know I have a lot of Iowans reading this blog..so let's get to it.
*The "Big Four Classic" is a great idea. Wells Fargo is a beautiful facility and the idea of getting Iowas "four teams" together in Des Moines for an annual event is gold. However, there is a problem. The "Classic" needs to be round robin. Have two games on Friday night..two games on Saturday afternoon. Winner plays winner with a consolation game as a warmup Saturday evening. These players don't care about the quick turnaround and even if they did, it's a nice preview for the grind of the conference tournaments. Have it rotate every year. Friday night games..Year One: Drake vs. Iowa/UNI vs. ISU. Year Two UNI vs. Iowa/Drake vs. ISU. Year Three Iowa vs. ISU/Drake vs. UNI. These teams deserve to play each other..and the fans deserve to see it.
*I saw they were selling beer at "The Well" on Saturday during the games. Good thing there were bars nearby.
*I'm sure Iowans enjoyed enjoying a cold one while being in attendance for a college sporting event. Some might be jealous that they serve beer at UND hockey and basketball games..which make hockey games that much more awesome.
*Speaking of UND, the mascot of "Fighting Sioux" has been taken away from them by the NCAA. I'm not going to get into the politics of it but when I moved up here, I thought it would be 5 to 1 "Sioux apparel" to the "New UND apparel." I was wrong. It is more like 99-1. Needless to say, "Sioux" fans aren't trading in their apparel anytime soon.
*Speaking of name changes, the Morningside Mustangs were once the Chiefs..a move not very supported by Siouxlanders.
*Morningside played in the NAIA National Championship last Thursday. They fell in heartbreaking fashion 30-27, in overtime to Marian. Joel Nixon still had one of the more impressive football plays I have ever seen, hands down the best I've seen at the NAIA level. The Mustangs have nothing to be ashamed of..they had a great season and Morningsiders everywhere couldn't be prouder.
*WHO-TV's Chris Hassel is headed to the "Four-lettered network." Chris made a name for himself doing "Hazzle Dazzle's" on the weekly Sunday night show "Soundoff" Some people hated him, most people(awesome people) loved him. Here is my favorite Hassel piece:Little Lick, Lotta Bite
*There are way to many bowl games...There was once a time when I thought bowl season was the second greatest time of the year..(second to "March Madness") I want that to remain true..with the playoff system coming, I think it will.
*Toodles!

Greetings from North Dakota, #1 Football movie, Huskers to Indy, Pelini trying to get over hump, Ferentz being Ferentz, and ISU going bowling

*Greetings from Grand Forks, North Dakota. This is me getting into Grand Forks late Saturday afternoon. My arrival in North Dakota

*You can complain about your football team Hawkeye fans, just not the weather. My view in North Dakota.
*Let's get to it shall we?
*It has been awhile since I have posted, which leads us to the number one football movie of all-time..Rudy.
*I'm not the biggest fan of Notre Dame but there is no doubt this is the best football movie ever made.
*Favorite part Don't I know you?
*Hard to imagine but basketball season is in full force. Iowa played last night and I think that Hawkeye fans are back to reality. Yes, with Gesell and Woodbury coming into the program there is a lot to be excited about. Sprinkle that in with the returning talent, it would be easy to get carried away. But Iowa is still a very young team. They will surprise some teams this year, but I think the NCAA tournament is a reach, a far one at that. If Iowa is "on the bubble" at the end of the year, I would consider that a good season for Fran and the boys.
*It looks like Ferentz is sticking by the side of his offensive coordinator. Did you expect anything different? They are not going to bring Davis in for one year and then fire him. Iowa doesn't do that(look at Ferentz) Nor should you do that. It would really show that the program is in desperation mode(which maybe they are)
*People ask me about Ferentz and how long he might last at Iowa. I say if we have a repeat of this season next year, you can say goodbye to Kirk's blow ups on the sideline and "risky" play-calling.
*Nebraska is headed to its third conference championship under the helm of Bo Pelini. In my mind, this is the hump for Bo. It is year five of the program and year two of the B1G. The conference is bad, Nebraska had high expectations this year, this game against Wisconsin Saturday night might be Bo's biggest games so far as head coach. Win and go to the Rose Bowl, gain momentum for next year(next year sets up big for the Big Red.) Lose, go to a decent bowl and probably lose to an SEC team (Another long off-season)
*I think Nebraska wins. Tim Beck must call a great game. 1.)Control the clock..meaning Sexy Rexy and Ameer combine for 55 carries..yes, 55. 2.) Don't put Martinez in bad situations. i.e. Run the ball first..Pass only if it is completely safe. 3.) You can't have stupid, idiotic penalties.
*Win turnover battle and don't commit stupid penalties and you win. Huh..hasn't that been the theme all year?
*Congrats to CPR and the Iowa State football team. They continue to impress and I know all of CyclONEnation is excited..they should be.
*Right now, and I think everyone can agree on this..the Iowa State football program is in better shape then Iowa...how many saw that coming 20 years ago?
*Next time, hockey, Fighting Sioux controversy, and much more.