‘Scooch’ carries Flyers to top of Atlantic 10

A lot of people think Clemson can beat Alabama. A lot of people are just hoping for a competitive game Monday night. They say, “Oh, Clemson’s offense looked great last year against the Tide and will be better this time.” I think Alabama’s monster defense wants another shot at the Tigers.

Scoochie Smith is something special. UD's senior point guard has a wonderful feel for the game of basketball, and his performance in Friday's clutch victory over Rhode Island was a case of a big-time player embracing the spotlight. Scooch finished with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds in a 67-64 win, helping offset the Flyers' atrocious second-half free throw shooting.

This guy is more than just a cool name. He’s a steadying influence on a team filled with wildcards. And he’s the reason UD will stay at the top of the Atlantic 10 and play in the NCAA tournament.

There are no Final Four teams in the Big Ten this season, but the conference is as balanced as it's ever been. The BIG easily could put nine teams in the NCAA tourney. Most of them won't make it through the first weekend, but the league has depth. The conference tournament will be a free-for-all.

Heading into Saturday, the BIG had staged 18 conference games. Half were decided by five points or fewer. BTW, Nebraska is 3-0 in league play, meaning UD’s loss to the Huskers isn’t so damaging.

Brandon Phillips must really love Skyline chili. What other excuse would he have for continually blocking trades? The Reds reportedly had a deal to ship the hot-dog second baseman to Atlanta, but he nixed it. Probably doesn't want to deal with the traffic.

Dat Dude is 35 and in the final year of his contract with Cincinnati. Guess we’ll see how serious the Reds are about rebuilding. Every game Phillips plays takes time away from the club’s 2018 second baseman.

Our family celebrated New Year's Day on Jan. 2. The first day of 2017 seemed like just another dreary Sunday with a bunch of bad NFL games. The next day, though, featured plenty of college football, the centerpiece of any good New Year's Day party. Jill's sausage bread provided a boost, too.

Speaking of bowl games, Penn State is getting rave reviews for losing 52-49 to USC in the Rose Bowl. Did you watch the fourth quarter? The Nittany Lions scored 28 points in the third before trying to run out the clock. They looked scared. One more late first down would've won it (when they had the lead). But James Franklin went all Big Ten and ran it up the middle. Punt. Open flood gates.

Trending up: J.J. Watt, Christy Macioce, Edwin Encarnacion. Watt didn't suit up for the Texans on Saturday, but the injured star made an impact off the field last week. He delivered some football jerseys to a young fan in the hospital who was hit by a truck on New Year's Eve. The 8-year-old boy had to be cut out of his No. 99 Watt jersey to be treated. The tall Texan is a great role model.

Trending down: Lane Kiffin, Tracy Claeys, Mariah Carey. Drama seems to follow Kiffin. Alabama football czar Nick Saban canned Kiffin (no way that decision was mutual) after the Crimson Tide's lackluster showing against Washington. Kiffin is the new coach at Florida Atlantic, and apparently couldn't juggle his new job and running an offense loaded with future NFL stars.


Knucklehead of the Week

Pacman Jones is in the news again. Shocking. The Bengals cornerback, whose mug shot probably is on the dashboard of every police cruiser in Cincinnati, was arrested last week after he was allegedly pounding on doors in a hotel. Police reported that Pacman scuffled with hotel security before kicking and head-butting police officers. At the jail, he allegedly spit in the eye of a nurse, adding to a long list of incidents involving Jones and projectile saliva. Jones said “none of this makes sense.” He’s got that right. I’m guessing this might be the end of the line for Pacman in Cincinnati.

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