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News Nuggets, 12.30.03
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Compiled from staff reports and electronic dispatches

John L. says stature of Spartans football still suffering

SAN ANTONIO — Before his team took it on the chin from Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl, Michigan State coach John L. Smith let it be known he thinks the number of tickets MSU sold for the game is indicative of the decline of the school's football program.

The school sold only 5,000 of its 10,880 allotted tickets for Monday night's game against Nebraska. Apparently, the Spartans' 8-4 regular season didn't make believers of Spartans fans.

"I would have hoped we would have had 10-grand here," Smith said. "We have to become a football school, to a degree. And if we expect to be in a bowl game every year, then we've got to bring 10-grand. I'm sorry I couldn't sugarcoat it."

It would have been challenging for Smith to sugarcoat the outcome of the game, too, which the Cornhuskers won in smothering fashion, 17-3.

Smith made headway in his first year after coming from Louisville, where he led the Cardinals to bowls each of his five seasons there.

MSU doubled its win total of four games a year ago and finished fourth in the Big Ten. But this remains a program that has won only three conference titles since the national championship years of 1965 and '66.

Since then, Michigan State has lurked in the considerable shadow of Michigan and Ohio State and has placed in the Associated Press' final Top 10 only two times.

When he took over, Smith said, he asked everyone in the program to do a self-evaluation.

"What is our image? Do we like that reflection? No, we didn't," Smith said. "Our kids wanted to change that image. We gave them a means to get that done. I never questioned the want."

Smith said the Spartans still have issues to address, such as aging football facilities and a drop-off in recruiting.

TCU's SuperFrog teams up with Snoop Dogg

The Texas Christian Horned Frogs won't be playing in this year's Nokia Sugar Bowl, but the university's beloved mascot will get plenty of airtime during the nationally-televised broadcast Jan. 4. SuperFrog will co-star with hip-hop star Snoop Dogg and ESPN football analyst Terry Bowden in a series of interactive "mystery" commercials that try to identify who has been casing college football's ultimate prize, the ADT National Championship Trophy.

Snoop Dogg is a private investigator tracking down SuperFrog and other culprits throughout the commercials, which began airing during NFL, NBA and NCAA games on Christmas Day. Other suspects include former college coach and ESPN analyst Terry Bowden and a sports fan who coaches his son's football team.

Television viewers will have the opportunity to help Snoop Dogg solve the puzzle by voting through the Internet or by calling a toll-free number. The mystery will be explained during half-time of the national championship game between the University of Oklahoma and Louisiana State University.

The commercials are directed by independent filmmaker Guy Ritchie and will allow at-home participants the opportunity to win various Nokia products and a $100,000 grand prize.

Game time for Rebels vs. Pirates changed

The Ole Miss-East Carolina basketball game at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Jan. 3, has been moved to a newly-schedule time of 8 p.m. ET.

The tip-off time for the game had previously been announced as 3 p.m.

The matchup will be the final tune-up for both teams before diving into their respective conference schedules.

ECU will open Conference USA play against UAB on Jan. 7 in Greenville, while the Rebels will host Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi State the same night.

Both squads are also in action tonight, with the Pirates (7-1) hosting Radford and Ole Miss (6-3) entertaining Alabama State.

Bowl results/TV schedule for C-USA teams

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16
New Orleans Bowl
Memphis 27, North Texas (Sun Belt) 17
(ESPN 2) 7:00 pm

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18
GMAC Bowl
(14) Miami (OH) (MAC) 49, Louisville 28

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23
PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl
(16) Boise State (WAC) 34, (19) Texas Christian 31
(ESPN) 7:30 pm

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Hawaii (WAC) 54, Houston 48 (3 OT)
(ESPN) 8:00 pm

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31
AXA Liberty Bowl
Southern Miss vs. (25) Utah (MWC)
(ESPN) 3:30 pm

All times Eastern.

Associated Press basketball poll

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Dec. 28, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and previous ranking:

[Conference USA and Carolinas teams in bold.]

Rank/Team/Record/Points/Previous
 1. Connecticut (37) 9-1 1,711 1
 2. Duke (5) 8-1 1,623 3
 3. Georgia Tech (21) 11-0 1,606 4
 4. Arizona (4) 7-1 1,442 5
 5. Stanford (3) 9-0 1,427 6
 6. Wake Forest (1) 7-0 1,389 8
 7. Oklahoma 8-0 1,359 7
 8. Kentucky 7-1 1,300 2
 9. North Carolina 7-1 1,192 9
10. Saint Joseph's 9-0 1,183 10
11. Louisville 7-1 985 20
12. Cincinnati 8-0 940 14
13. Kansas 6-2 868 12
14. Florida 8-2 815 13
15. Pittsburgh 12-0 763 16
16. Gonzaga 8-2 758 15
17. Syracuse 7-1 665 17
18. Wisconsin 8-1 625 19
19. Texas 5-2 511 18
20. Illinois 7-2 460 21
21. Purdue 9-2 320 22
22. Vanderbilt 9-0 238 25
23. Missouri 4-3 178 11
24. Mississippi St. 10-0 139 —
25. Marquette 8-2 135 —

Others receiving votes: Florida St. 106, Providence 60, Dayton 54, Creighton 35, Maryland 31, LSU 27, Texas Tech 26, Memphis 21, Michigan 16, Oklahoma St. 10, BYU 9, Boston College 9, South Carolina 9, Colorado 8, Utah 6, Michigan St. 3, Iowa 2, Iowa St. 2, Rhode Island 2, SMU 2, UTEP 2, Virginia 2, Utah St. 1.

News Nuggets are compiled periodically from staff, ECU, Conference USA and its member schools, and from Associated Press and other reports. Copyright 2003 Bonesville.net and other publishers. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Page Updated: 02/23/2007