Houston

Houston (66) vs. Xavier (60) 12/01/2023

collegebbfanLeave a comment

Game #122 of 362 33% complete

The arena is better known as the Centras Arena but that sign was displayed on another entrance.

My first game of a three game set in Ohio begins with fourth ranked Houston playing at Xavier in the Big 12/ Big East Challenge. I was actually staying in Florence, Kentucky which is right over the Ohio border and close to the airport. I heard “Welcome to Ohio” or “Welcome to Kentucky” numerous times over WAZE as I crossed back and forth between states.

The students were in full force tonight as the Musketeers wanted desperately to knock off a ranked team. UConn, Marquette and Creighton are mentioned this year as the cream of the crop in the Big East. I am sure this has rankled Xavier’s fans thinking if only they had a healthy Zach Freemantle and Jerome Hunter. Both are out with possibly season ending injuries.

I usually root for the home team in my travels but I had mixed emotions tonight. Xavier is a rival to UConn however looking at it logically, a Big East win here would help all teams in the league come March Madness time.

I was most impressed with Houston guard LJ Cryer who transferred over from Baylor. He led all scorers with 23 points. Cryer is a very shifty guard who finds his way in the lane dropping tear drop buckets. He is very quick off the ball and difficult to stop on the penetration. To be honest, I was not excited about the other Houston players. Perhaps Houston had an off night but they did not play as a team ranked fourth nationally.

I am always on the lookout for players from Connecticut in my travels. Xavier guard Des Claude is from New Haven who played for Putnam Academy. Des was a consensus four star recruit and ranked 83rd in the country. This school is a machine for turning out college basketball D1 players, He was selected to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team by the league coaches last year. Xavier fans are looking for a breakout season from Claude. He was easily the best player on the floor tonight for the Musketeers. Although Quincy Olivari, the transfer from Rice, led Xavier with 17 points, Claude was the engine for Xavier’s offense.

I have a pet peeve for the scoreboard operators. I make it a habit to post a picture of the final score in my blog. Xavier keeps the final score on the board for a few seconds after the game ends and then flashes a “THANK YOU FANS’ in its place. They are not the only school to do this. I had not time to get a picture so what you get is the final score from the side scoreboard – small and distant. I can hear my mother saying “May all you problems be small ones”.

Any trip to Cincy must include a visit to William Henry Taft’s house in Cincinnati. I am sure most of us don’t know about the life of Taft but he held many positions in government including being the 27th president of the United States. Many of the lesser known presidents made for interesting lives. Taft was also the solicitor general of the United States, Secretary of War and a Supreme Court judge. I was given a tour of his home by a very knowledgeable tour guide who gave me a deeper appreciation of Taft.

On to Dayton!

Houston (80) vs. Temple (59) 02/18/18

collegebbfanLeave a comment

#63 of 351  17% complete

Today was Hooter’s birthday. The Temple mascot brought in his mascot friends for a birthday party.  As I entered the Liacouras Center, I was startled by the number of strange creatures milling in the hallway.

2018-02-18 15.01.15

However I did have the pleasure of meeting the real live mascot of the Temple Owls – Stella. I have always been partial to owls especially the one in “My Cousin Vinny” that woke up Joe Pesci.

2018-02-18 14.52.10.jpg

Here is the gathering of mascots on the court for the birthday party.

2018-02-18 16.27.352018-02-18 16.27.452018-02-18 16.45.44

The game was over as soon as it started. Houston was tremendously hot and Temple was not. It is a rare time when I hear booing from the crowd at a college basketball game.

2018-02-18 16.08.13.jpg

I can not believe that Rob Gray is still playing for Houston. It seems like he has been there forever. They are big and quick with no apparent weaknesses. I like them to go far in March.

2018-02-18 16.24.32.jpg

I vote the Liacouras Center as my favorite so far in terms of food concessions. There were dozen of places to eat offering different styles. It was quite a contrast to the Lasalle and St. Joe’s offerings.

I was trying to get a cheese steak at the famous Geno’s before the game. I was practicing my order “steak with prov and onions” as coached by my cousin Brian. Any deviation from these words would result in immediate ejection by the cranky order takers. After driving around for 15 minutes trying to find a parking spot, I gave up and took in some sightseeing near Independence Hall. It is amazing how all the cars were packed on these one way streets near Geno’s. I plan to UBER their next year to get my cheese steak.

2018-02-18 16.08.45.jpg

Houston dominated the boards led by Breaon Brady a 6’8″ 245 pound forward who was very imposing from my front row seat. Devin Davis was hot all night for Houston. The game was over by the half. The Temple fans were geared for an upset but left upset by the results.

2018-02-18 17.24.20.jpg

I felt sorry for the Temple fans who stand until the first Temple basket. Houston ran off to 15-0 lead. I saw some of the old timers wave their arms in disgust and sat down.

That’s it for my triple header in Philly.

2018-02-18 17.57.48.jpg

Next game: Dartmouth at Princeton 2/24/18

 

 

 

 

Houston (72) vs.Memphis (71) 02/26/17

collegebbfanLeave a comment

#48 of 351  14% complete

2017-02-26 07.51.32.jpg

Is it possible for a city to overshadow a college basketball game? Can the sights of Graceland, Sun Records and Beale St. make a Memphis basketball game inconsequential?

Well almost! On this second game of this two game whirlwind trip to Mississippi and Tennessee, the game was exciting from start to finish. But I digress.

Memphis was a three hour ride from my friend’s house in Madison, Mississippi. We started out after the Ole Miss game on Friday afternoon to shack up at a Days Inn across from Graceland. The place was adorned with Elvis memorabilia. We unfortunately came at a bad time because the whole Graceland complex was in transition. A new visitor’s center was opening up on March 1st in a huge building behind the hotel so many of the museums were closed due to the move. Even parts of Graceland were closed however thee was much to see. As the tram took us over the road, it was chilling to walk through the front door that Elvis went through many times. Here are some pictures inside Graceland:

2017-02-26-09-46-472017-02-26-09-46-442017-02-26-09-45-052017-02-26-09-44-042017-02-26-09-43-362017-02-26-09-41-292017-02-26-09-40-422017-02-26-09-39-03

The next stop was a tour of Sun Records. We stood in the room where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis recorded. Elvis recorded his first record here as birthday present for his mother. It was well  preserved and you feel the spirits of the rock and roll legends singing into the ancient microphones.

2017-02-26 13.14.25.jpg

So on to the game. The FedEx Forum is one block away from Beale St. the birthplace of blues. With some time to kill before the game, we spent the afternoon listening to a blues duo at Silky O’Sullivan’s

2017-02-26 13.41.42.jpg

The FedEx Forum is the home of the NBA Memphis Grizzlies and Memphis Tigers. This arrangement allows beer to be served which is a good thing. Not many teams call an NBA arena as their only home venue. Georgetown at the Verizon Center comes to mind. Although one can enjoy the amenities afforded from an NBA arena (so much food), there is the fear that the size of the arena vs. the size of the crowd takes away from the ambiance of college basketball. Curtains at the higher levels does nothing for the atmosphere. However, today was an exception. The upper levels were mostly filled and the crowd was loud.

2017-02-26 13.36.35.jpg

There were many choices to eat at the Forum as you can see below. Craft beer booths were plentiful throughout the arena.  I chose the brisket at the Rendezvous and was not disappointed.

 

I secretly rooted for Houston throughout the game because a loss for Memphis would help Uconn’s place in the AAC standings. Houston started out strong but Memphis made a terrific comeback. A last second shot by Memphis bounded off the rim preserving the victory for Houston

I can not say enough about Houston guard Damyean Dotson. This guy has destroyed UConn this year and did the same to Memphis tonight with 31 points. He is a pure shooter who does not miss from anywhere on the floor. He is a sure first rounder come draft time. I am looking forward to seeing all the AAC teams next week in Hartford at the AAC league torunament.

2017-02-26 17.17.01.jpg2017-02-26 17.15.15.jpg

2017-02-26 18.14.50.jpg

So as you guessed, we ended back on Beale St. after the game at B.B. King’s place eating more brisket. Goodnight Memphis and  I will be back!

This is the last college basketball game of my third year in Operation 351. I hope that everyone has a great March Madness and terrific summer.God willing,  I will see you again in November.

2017-02-26 18.18.42.jpg