Sports – Page 354 – North Platte Post Archive

Big Ten Football Sets Single-Season Attendance Record

Posted on December 1, 2014

Rosemont, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference set a new single-season record for total attendance during the 2014 football season with 6,359,218 fans attending home games. In addition, nine Big Ten schools produced increases in average attendance, including a boost of more than eight percent for Maryland and Rutgers in their first seasons as members of the conference.

The Big Ten surpassed the six-million mark in total attendance for just the third time in conference history and the third time in the last four seasons, breaking the single-season record of 6,061,514 set last season. While average attendance decreased following the addition of two 50,000-seat stadiums, Maryland and Rutgers combined to fill their stadiums to 95 percent capacity in conference matchups. The two teams combined for five sellouts in conference games this season, compared to only two sellouts in conference competition the previous four seasons.

The Terrapins saw the biggest increase in average attendance among Big Ten schools, with a 13.8 percent jump from the 2013 season for all games, including two sellouts. In Big Ten home games, Maryland filled Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium to 91 percent capacity this season. Two of the Terrapins’ four Big Ten home games drew crowds of 50,000 or more patrons, after eclipsing 50,000 people in a conference home game just once over the previous four years. In addition, Maryland’s average attendance in Big Ten road games was more than 82,000, after facing an average attendance of just over 50,000 in conference action the season before.

The Scarlet Knights ranked second in the Big Ten with an 8.8 percent increase in average attendance for all games with three sellouts. Rutgers’ conference home games were filled to 99 percent capacity at High Point Solutions Stadium. The Scarlet Knights drew crowds of more than 50,000 people three times during conference play this season, after seeing that mark achieved on only three occasions in conference home games the previous four seasons. Rutgers also played in front of an average crowd of more than 76,000 in Big Ten away games, compared to road conference attendance of less than 40,000 the previous year.

Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin each saw average attendance increase by as much as 5.2 percent from the 2013 Big Ten football season.

The Big Ten is one of two conferences with more than two teams ranked among the top 22 in the nation in average attendance, with seven schools comprising that group. Ohio State leads the nation in average attendance at 106,296, followed by No. 3 Michigan (104,909), No. 5 Penn State (101,623), No. 10 Nebraska (91,249), No. 18 Wisconsin (79,520), No. 20 Michigan State (74,681) and No. 22 Iowa (67,512).

Earlier this season, Big Ten school attendance records fell in four consecutive weekends as Nebraska, Ohio State (twice) and Rutgers saw record crowds. In all, four Big Ten schools broke or matched single-game attendance records this season: Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State and Rutgers.

The 2014 Big Ten Football Championship Game will feature Ohio State facing Wisconsin on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium and will be broadcast nationally on FOX with kickoff set for 8:17 p.m. ET. The winner will earn the Amos Alonzo Stagg Championship Trophy and a chance to play in one of the six bowls that comprise the College Football Playoff, including the Rose Bowl Game.

Kentucky Still Firm No. 1; Defending Champs Out Along with Creighton

Posted on December 1, 2014

Those young Kentucky Wildcats still have a firm grasp on the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll.

Kentucky (7-0), outscoring opponents by an NCAA-best 36.8 points a game, again got 62 of 65 first-place votes Monday in the new rankings. No. 2 Wisconsin (7-0) was on top of the remaining ballots.

Arizona and Duke remained third and fourth. Louisville, Texas, Virginia, Wichita State, Gonzaga and Villanova rounded out the top 10.

North Carolina (5-1) dropped seven spots to 12th after losing to Butler, one of five poll newcomers at No. 23.

Defending national champion Connecticut (3-2) dropped out of the poll from 24th after their second straight loss, 55-54 at home to Texas.

The top 25 teams in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Nov. 30, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote and last week’s ranking:

	Record	Pts	Prv
1. Kentucky (62)	7-0	1,622	1
2. Wisconsin (3)	7-0	1,511	2
3. Arizona	6-0	1,488	3
4. Duke	7-0	1,475	4
5. Louisville	5-0	1,260	6
6. Texas	6-0	1,254	7
7. Virginia	7-0	1,196	8
8. Wichita St.	4-0	1,165	9
9. Gonzaga	6-0	1,133	10
10. Villanova	6-0	1,075	12
11. Kansas	5-1	1,063	11
12. North Carolina	5-1	864	5
13. San Diego St.	5-1	784	15
14. Ohio St.	5-0	759	16
15. Miami	7-0	697	17
16. West Virginia	7-0	601	21
17. Michigan	5-1	454	19
18. Arkansas	6-0	438	25
19. Michigan St.	5-2	423	20
20. Iowa St.	3-1	330	13
21. Maryland	7-0	306	—
22. Oklahoma	4-2	254	—
23. Butler	5-1	222	—
24. Illinois	6-0	104	—
25. Utah	5-1	88	—

Others receiving votes: N. Iowa 83, UConn 76, Oklahoma St. 69, Providence 56, VCU 52, Syracuse 49, Florida 40, Georgetown 30, Creighton 29, Washington 17, NC State 12, Wyoming 10, California 8, Seton Hall 5, St. John’s 5, Nebraska 4, Baylor 3, UCLA 3, Mississippi 2, Old Dominion 2, TCU 2, Notre Dame 1, Saint Mary’s (Cal) 1.

Pelini Firing Puts Parody Twitter Account in Limbo

Posted on December 1, 2014

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The firing of Nebraska coach Bo Pelini has created an uncertain future for @FauxPelini.

Asked whether the popular parody Twitter account would live on, the man behind it tweeted to The Associated Press on Monday that “the short/honest answer right now is ‘not sure.'”

@FauxPelini has amassed 161,000 followers since being created in December 2010. The account spoofs and exaggerates the real Pelini’s no-nonsense personality and is famous for its profile picture of a sweater-wearing Pelini holding a cat.

In a nod to @FauxPelini, the coach walked out of the tunnel for the 2014 spring game hoisting a cat over his head.

The identity of the actual tweeter has not been revealed. He is known only as a Cornhuskers fan who lives in the Chicago area.

Gerry, Pierson-El Earn Big Ten Honors

Posted on December 1, 2014

A pair of Nebraska standouts were honored by the Big Ten Conference on Monday for their performance in the Huskers’ win over Iowa.

Sophomore safety Nate Gerry was honored as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman punt returner De’Mornay Pierson-El was the co-Special Teams Player of the Week.

Gerry led Nebraska with a career-high 15 tackles, including 10 solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss. Gerry also had a first-quarter interception for his fifth pick in Big Ten Conference games. Gerry’s play led a Nebraska defense that held Iowa to punts on five consecutive second-half possessions to fuel NU’s comeback.

Pierson-El was a game-changer in the punt return department. Pierson-El had three punt returns for 134 yards, all in the second half. His 42-yard punt return set up a Nebraska touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-21. Pierson-El followed with an 80-yard punt return for a score to give Nebraska a 28-24 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Pierson-El has a nation-leading 589 punt return yards this season, the most by any player in the FBS ranks since 2008.

Pierson-El’s honor was his second of the season. He was also named Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance at Fresno State, which included an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown.

The Big Ten Conference will announce its all-conference teams and individual award winners this evening, with BTN providing coverage of the announcement beginning at5 p.m. CT.

NPCC Lady Knights Travel to Colby

Posted on December 1, 2014

The North Platte Community College Lady Knights will travel to Colby, Kansas Tuesday, December 2 to play the Colby Community College Lady Trojans.

The Lady Knights were defeated by the Lady Trojans 58-54 on November 15 at North Platte. In that game, the Lady Knights were led in scoring by sophomore Aliyah Brown, who scored 11 points.

North Platte is currently 4-4 on the year, while the Lady Trojans are 7-3. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM CST. The game may be heard on ESPN Radio 1410 or online at www.northplattepost.com.

This Week in Nebraska Athletics

Posted on December 1, 2014December 1, 2014

Monday, Dec. 1 Men’s Basketball at Florida State (ACC/B1G Challenge/ESPN2) Tallahassee, Fla. 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 Women’s Basketball Duke (ACC/B1G Challenge/BTN) Pinnacle Bank Arena 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 5 Volleyball Kansas State vs. Utah (NCAA First Round) Devaney Center 4:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 5 Volleyball vs. Hofstra (NCAA First Round Devaney Center 7 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 5 Swimming & Diving at Hawkeye Invitational Iowa City, Iowa 10 a.m./6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 5 Wrestling at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Las Vegas, Nev. 11 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6 Swimming & Diving at Hawkeye Invitational Iowa City, Iowa 10 a.m./6 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6 Wrestling at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational Las Vegas, Nev. 11 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6 Volleyball NCAA Second Round Devaney Center 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7 Swimming & Diving at Hawkeye Invitational Iowa City, Iowa 10 a.m./4 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7 Women’s Basketball at Alabama (SEC Network +) Tuscaloosa, Ala. 2 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 7 Men’s Basketball Creighton (BTN) Pinnacle Bank Arena 6 p.m.

Broncos Beat Chiefs 29-16 to Stay Atop AFC West

Posted on December 1, 2014

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes, Connor Barth was perfect on five field-goal attempts and the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs 29-16 on Sunday night to remain alone in first place in the AFC West.

C.J. Anderson added 168 yards rushing and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, and Demaryius Thomas also had a TD grab to help the Broncos (9-3) beat Kansas City for the sixth straight time.

Alex Smith threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the Chiefs (7-5), the second of them to Jamaal Charles to make it 26-16 early in the fourth quarter. But Smith’s pass on the 2-point try fell incomplete, and the Broncos added another field goal to put the game away.

The victory kept Denver a game up on San Diego in the division race.

Six Big Ten Volleyball Teams Selected to NCAA Tournament

Posted on November 30, 2014

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Six Big Ten volleyball teams have been selected to the 2014 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, with first- and second-round matches held Dec. 4-6. Big Ten Champion Wisconsin enters the tournament as the No. 4 overall seed, while No. 5 Penn State, No. 9 Illinois and No. 14 Nebraska have each earned top-16 seeds. Michigan State and Ohio State also received bids to round out the Big Ten contingent in the tournament.

After winning its fifth Big Ten title and receiving the conference’s automatic berth, Wisconsin will host first- and second-round matches and will take on Western Michigan in Thursday’s first round of the Louisville Regional. With a first-round win, the Badgers will face the winner of the Illinois State-Marquette match. The selection marks Wisconsin’s 18th tournament appearance.

Also in the Louisville Regional is defending NCAA Champion Penn State. The Nittany Lions are making their 34^th trip to the NCAA Tournament and will host Siena at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday. If Penn State advances, it would meet American or Dayton in the second round.

Illinois earns a No. 9 seed, and will entertain Murray State at 8 p.m. ET on Friday. With a first-round win, the Fighting Illini would face Iowa State or Western Kentucky in the second round of the Ames Regional. Illinois is making its 22^nd appearance in the national tournament.

Nebraska enters its 33^rd consecutive NCAA Tournament and will host Hofstra in the Seattle Regional. The winner of the match will advance to the second round to take on Kansas State or Utah.

Michigan State earns its fourth consecutive postseason berth, and 17^th in program history, and will face Loyola Marymount in Friday’s first round of the Ames Regional. With a win, the Spartans would meet either No. 1 Stanford or Bakersfield.

Ohio State travels to Lexington, Ky., for its first-round match in the Louisville Regional against Lipscomb on Friday. The NCAA bid marks the Buckeyes’ 22^nd overall appearance and first since 2012. Ohio State will advance to play Kentucky or Oakland with a first-round win.

First- and second-round matches will take place on campus sites on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while regionals will be played at one of four sites on Dec. 12 and 13. Regional winners will advance to Oklahoma City, Okla., to compete in the national semifinals on Dec. 18, with the National Championship set for Dec. 20.

NPCC Knights Defeat Doane College JV

Posted on November 30, 2014

The North Platte Community College Knights men’s basketball team defeated the Doane College Junior Varsity Tigers 70-68 on Sunday afternoon at McDonald-Belton Gymnasium, to improve to 7-2 on the year and 4-1 at home.

Doane jumped out to an 11-6 lead during the first five minutes of the game. The Knights went on an 8-2 run and took the lead 14-13 on a field goal by Cameron Williams with 10:25 to play. During the rest of the first half there were 8 lead changes. Doane led at halftime 35-31.

In the second half the Knights came out shooting. Williams hit a pair of 3-point shots and one each by CJ Polk, Matt Thomas, Marco Pascolo, and Riley Rice to take the lead 60- 53 with 10 minutes to go in the game.

The Tigers slowly clawed back and tied the game 68-68 with 17 seconds left in the game.

With 4.4 seconds left Polk drove the lane and was fouled by Doane’s Rylee Zimmerman and was sent to the free throw line. Polk made both free throws to give the Knights the final margin of victory 70-68.

Doane attempted a last second shot that fell short.

The Knights were led in scoring by Williams with 17 points, followed by Pascolo with 14. He also grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Knights.

The Tigers were led in scoring by Andre Collins with 27 points, Zimmerman with 13, and David McDonald with 10 points.

The Knights travel to Lamar, Colorado on Saturday, December 6 to face the Lamar Community College Lopers in a Region IX contest.

Huskers Will Host NCAA Tournament Opening Rounds

Posted on November 30, 2014

LINCOLN – For the 11th straight year, the Nebraska volleyball team will open the NCAA Tournament at home, as the Bob Devaney Sports Center was chosen as one of the 16 host sites for the NCAA first and second rounds next weekend.

The Huskers, making their 33rd straight NCAA Tournament appearance, were selected as the No. 14 overall seed in the 64-team field. Nebraska will open the tournament on Friday, Dec. 5 against Hofstra (28-5). The Pride were crowned tournament champions of the Colonial Athletic Association last weekend. That match will start at either 7 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the 4:30 p.m. match, which features the Kansas State Wildcats (22-8) of the Big 12 conference and the Utah Utes (19-12) of the Pac-12 conference.

Friday’s winners will meet in the second round at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 to battle for a spot in the Seattle Regional on Dec. 12-13. The winner of the Lincoln bracket will take on the winner of the Washington first and second round bracket, featuring the third-seeded Huskies against New Hampshire, and Hawaii against Duke.

Tickets for the first and second rounds in Lincoln will go on sale online at Huskers.com on Sunday at 9 p.m. They will also be available on Monday, pending availability, by calling the NU Ticket Office at 800-8-BIGRED or visiting the NU Athletic Ticket Office in person after 8 a.m. All-session ticket prices are set at $34 (reserved A and B sections) and $30 (C section) and
include the two first-round games on Friday, as well as the second-round match on Saturday.

Nebraska will be meeting Hofstra for the second time. NU beat Hofstra 3-1 on Sept. 16, 1989. The Huskers are 82-4 all-time against Kansas State and 2-0-1 all-time against Utah.

The Huskers finished the regular season 20-9 and 14-5 in the Big Ten Conference. Nebraska is 89-29 (.754) in 32 previous NCAA Tournament appearances, ranking second among NCAA schools in both wins and winning percentage.

Six Big Teams were selected to the 2014 field. Joining the Huskers are No. 4 national seed Wisconsin, No. 5 national seed Penn State, No. 9 national seed Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan State.

The 2014 season marks the 30th time that Lincoln has hosted first and second round competition. Last season, the Huskers hosted at the Devaney Center for the first time since moving from the NU Coliseum and swept Fairfield and Oregon to advance to a regional for the 19th time in the last 20 years.

Nebraska has not been outside the state for an NCAA Tournament match since 2010, when they also went to the Seattle Regional. The Huskers also went to Seattle in 2008.

NCAA First and Second Round Schedule
First Round – Friday, Dec. 5
4:30 p.m. – Utah vs. Kansas State
7 p.m.* – Hofstra vs. Nebraska
*or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the 4:30 p.m. match

Second Round – Saturday, Dec. 6
7 p.m. – First Round Winners