Marshall pays tribute to 1970 crash victims, Cato lights up Tulsa early

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Marshall honored a tragic moment in school history today by honoring the victims of Southern Airways Flight 932, which crashed en route from North carolina to West Virginia on November 14, 1970. On that flight were 37 members of the Marshall football team including players and coaches as well as a number of prominent boosters for the program. The crash decimated the football program at the time and put the entire program in danger of folding. But the football program, university and community rallied and today was a time to pay tribute to the victims of the crash. Marshall’s football team, on the road for a Thursday night game at Tulsa, took time out of their day to watch the campus ceremonies as a team.

Head coach Doc Hollliday joined his team in watching the Marshall memorial service from Tulsa.

Tonight the football team is wearing a special memorial helmet with the number “75″ on one side of the helmet. That number represents the 75 passengers and crew of the flight killed in the crash.

Just spoke w/ Marshall’s AD Mike Hamrick told me it’s been emotional day for guys but thankful for Tulsa’s support pic.twitter.com/hqwkJZ9dro

— Martina Del Bonta (@MartinaFOX23) November 14, 2013

Marshall is off to a fast start in the game tonight. The Thundering Herd are up 14-0 midway through the first quarter. Rakeem Cato has already gone over 140 passing yards and has three touchdown passes. Former Penn State wide receiver Devon Smith, who once ran in to Joe Paterno during practice to fracture the coach’s hip, has one touchdown and 65 receiving yards thus far. A win for Marshall tonight would put the Thundering Herd in a first-place tie in the division with East Carolina.

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Two seasons have been put in the books since Texas A&M made the decision to leave the Big 12 for the SEC. The move was ridiculed by many and few suspected the Aggies would thrive on the field to the level Texas A&M has since making the move. I’ll throw myself under the bus. I was one of the doubters. Off the field was always a different story. The move to the SEC had many benefits that were easy to see, and with the Aggies more than holding their own on the field, the move seems to be scored as a success in the early years.

Texas A&M is the top college football program in the state of Texas right now. So what does the pecking order after that look like? Not quite as orange as you might suspect.

Longhorn Digest asked four anonymous high school football caches recently to get their take on how the college football powers stack up right now, in addition to some more specific questions regarding Texas and new head coach Charlie Strong. Texas A&M was the unanimous number one choice of the four coaches. Defending Big 12 champion Baylor was a consensus number two. Just behind the Bears came the Texas Longhorns. Yes, Texas has slipped to number three not just in the eyes of the college football world, but also the high school coaches in a state that is incredibly rich with respect for the high school game.

“Because they are Texas it is an easy gap to close if there is any,” said one of the high school coaches polled. “I think there is a bigger gap between Texas and Texas A&M. But that can close in a number of ways.”

“A&M has the momentum right now,” said another coach. “As you know, one winning season at Texas will change everything.”

“They could come back right now and take over A&M if they want to,” another coach said. “That’s how powerful they are. They can do anything they want. They are the Texas freaking Longhorns.”

So, how bad to the Texas freaking Longhorns want to be back on top?

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It did not take long for Michigan to change the general admission ticket plan. After just one season, Michigan will remove the general admission ticket policy and implement a new method that reportedly is aimed to favor loyalty of the fans who showed up to games in 2013.

According to MLive.com, Michigan’s new ticket policy for students will give preference to those students who showed up for games on time last season, giving those students better seats in the Michigan Stadium student section. So those students who showed up early for the Akron game last season may get the edge over the students who showed up late for a home game against Minnesota.

“Our goal has always been for students to attend games and arrive early, and this new plan reinforces that goal,” Hunter Lochmann, Chief Marketing Officer for Michigan Athletics, said in a release issued by the university. ”From the student perspective, feedback through [Michigan 's Central Student Government] as well as multiple surveys showed that sitting in reserved groups was the students #1 concern and this plan addresses that feedback. Michael and Bobby were great partners in helping create this solution.“

This is a great idea for Michigan at a time when schools around the country have battled attendance issues in general and with students. Alabama head coach Nick Saban criticized the attendance of the student section at some Alabama games last season, but the problems faced at Alabama were no different from those faced at any number of schools across the country, big and small. The issues at times are more noticeable at larger programs with larger stadiums. A noticeably late arriving student section can sometimes have any number of issues preventing them from having a packed section. Sometimes, such as at Penn State in recent years, it can be a tedious and slower process of having tickets scanned to ensure those sitting in the student section are indeed students.

What Michigan is doing is encouraging students to arrive on time, if not early, for all of the games. If it works, Michigan’s student section should be a tough ticket for years to come.

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Maryland head coach Randy Edsall is the latest to speak out in favor of the concept of an early signing period in college football, but he did so with some trepidation.

“If we continue to go the way we’re going right now with the recruiting process, there definitely has to be an early signing period,” Edsall said this week, according to The Washington Post. “Definitely. If they continue to go the way they’re going right now with recruiting, there needs to be an early signing period.”

According to the report from The Washington Post, Edsall supported the idea but is cautious about why the idea may be gaining some momentum and why it would be added. Sitting on the fence, Edsall seems to be torn between the sentiments shared previously by Georgia head coach Mark Richt and Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson. Richt says there is a concern about throwing a key recruiting period in the middle of the season because it could become an extra distraction for coaches and recruiters. Johnson says it would be beneficial to add an early signing period because it could save time and money during the recruiting process while giving high school players a chance to relax and put the recruiting process behind them early on.

The Conference Commissioners Association will meet in June to discuss the possibility of adding an early signing period to the recruiting calendar. Right now it is in the early stages of development with discussing the pros and cons and the feasibility of making it work.

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Miami offensive lineman Hunter Knighton has been released from a hospital after being rushed for treatment following a scare last month. The cause for the medical scare is unknown at this time, because his family has requested privacy.

Knighton was taken to the hospital after collapsing following a workout with teammates in late February. Miami coaches and representatives were encouraged by the prognosis soon after Knighton received medical treatment, but he remained for further observations.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Hunter Knighton and his family at this time, though we are encouraged by the prognosis,” the UM athletic department said in a statement at the time. “We look forward to his return to normal activities as soon as his health permits.”

Knighton is a redshirt freshman heading in to the 2014 season. There is no word on just when he may return to Miami’s practices, but the Hurricanes are currently on spring break. This should give Knighton a little extra time before having to worry about that.

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A former Iowa football player previously hospitalized following a workout is taking the Hawkeyes to court. William Lowe has filed a lawsuit against the university stating the university was negligent in “developing and implementing a dangerous improper training program,” according to the Associated Press. It was this negligence that Lowe says led to physical and mental harm.

Lowe was one of 13 players hospitalized in January 2011 for rhabdomyolysis injuries. Rhabdo injuries are typically caused from overexertion while working out. According to Lowe, Iowa workouts lacked proper supervision of coaches and trainers. A lack of proper medical care for Lowe and others is also to blame, according to the lawsuit. Several players were hospitalized for days with what seemed to be an unknown illness at first, but was later determined to be a case of rhabdomyolysis. The incident caught trainers around the country off guard and forced Iowa and other programs to re-evaluate how workouts are conducted and supervised.

“We have learned a little bit more about rhabdo,” Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said in March 2011. “Quite frankly, I don’t think anybody in this building knew much about it prior to this occurrence. We’ve learned a little bit more about that, but I still think there’s a lot to be learned from what I know.”

At this time Lowe is the only former Iowa football player tied to these injuries filing suit against the university. If he is successful though, it would not be a shock to see other players pursue similar legal action.

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While Georgia head coach Mark Richt appears to be cautious about the possibility of an early signing period in college football, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson wonders why we do not already have one in place.

“I don’t know why they (the NCAA) don’t do it (an early signing period), honestly,” Johnson said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “You’ll have guys from smaller schools, and then some guys from bigger schools both say in favor of an (early signing period) to speed up the process or kids don’t have enough and the whole nine yards. My answer is that, if you don’t have enough time (as a recruit), don’t sign early. Take your time. Make sure you’ve got what you want. If you’re good enough, the colleges will wait on you.”

The College Commissioners Association will meet in June with the concept of an early signing period in football to be discussed on the agenda. There are a number of details to be ironed out before presenting the idea to the rest of the college football world, but there are clearly some mixed opinions on the topic. An early signing period has its pros and cons, and whether or not college football needs it could be the biggest question to answer. Johnson feels confident it could just be a matter of time before it becomes a reality, and he is ready to stump for it.

“You’re going to see an early signing period here at some time,” Johnson said. “There needs to be an early signing period, just from a financial standpoint and from everything else. So that the kids who know where they want to go can get it done, and get it over with and save a bunch of money and a bunch of time.”

The number of student athletes who would take advantage of an early signing period may be minimal, but Johnson suggests there would be enough interest from recruits to take advantage of an early signing period that it could prove to be beneficial for football programs and coaches as well. Johnson says it actually is more beneficial to the recruit and there would be ways a recruit could have an early commitment voided if a coach were to leave a program. It sounds so simple when you hear Johnson lay it out, but it is not without critics. As we saw yesterday, Richt suggested an early signing period could be a pain for coaches who could have to divide their attention from game planning to make important recruiting pitches.

The political battle over the 10-second rule is going to continue to wage on. This early signing period could be another debate ready to divide the college football world.

You can read more from what Johnson had to say about the early signing period via The Atlanta Journal Constitution.

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With Baylor getting a new football stadium and Texas A&M underway with a massive stadium renovation, the Texas Longhorns are looking to join the fun. The home of Texas football is still the largest stadium in the state, and the university appears to be interested in keeping it that way.

According to a report by Sports Illustrated, Texas has asked PricewaterhouseCoopers to conduct a study to review the possibility of adding a section of seats to the south end of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The discussions are purely in the initial stages according to Texas athletic director Steve Patterson, but there should be little standing in the way of the project becoming a reality in a short period of time.

Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium was opened in 1924 with a capacity of 27,000 fans. Over the years the stadium has undergone 11 different upgrades, with the most recent coming prior to the 2009 season. Today the stadium has a listed seating capacity of 100,119 according to Wikipedia. That number will be eclipsed by the time Texas A&M is finished with stadium renovations to Kyle Field. Texas A&M’s stadium renovations will be completed before the 2015 football season.

Texas A&M’s Kyle Field had a seating capacity of 82,589. By the time the stadium renovations are completed the Aggies will be able to play in front of 102,500 fans. Baylor closed Floyd Casey Stadium at the conclusion of the 2013 season. The old football home could host  50,000 fans when the tarp was taken off. This season the Bears, defending Big 12 champions, will move in to the brand new McLane Stadium, which will seat 45,000 but will be expandable to 55,000. TCU recently reconstructed and renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium, expanding the seating capacity from 32,000 to 45,000. The Houston Cougars are moving in to a new stadium this season as well, leaving the 32,000-seat Robertson Stadium for the brand new 40,000-seat Houston Football Stadium. Texas Tech completed a minor upgrade to Jones AT&T Stadium before the 2013 season to expand the seating capacity to 60,862.

The funding for such a project at Texas should be easy to come by for texas, if the university decides to move forward with such a project. Knowing how valuable the football program is to the university, the financial incentive should be enough to convince anyone with a vote to vote in favor. With the incoming cash flow from donors and an exclusive television contract with the Longhorn Network, funding the project should be of little concern.

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Two players who would have been potential starters for Oklahoma State are no longer with the team. Head coach Mike Gundy confirmed Monday that Lyndell Johnson and Jake Jenkins have decided not to return to the Cowboys in 2014.

“We have a number of players who won’t be with us in the spring from an injury standpoint, some of them because medically we don’t feel like they are ready and the others because I don’t want to push it in the spring,” Gundy said, according to Tulsa World.

Johnson was listed second on Oklahoma State’s depth chart for the Cotton Bowl against Missouri at the end of last season. With Shamiel Gray graduating, the Cowboys had a starting job that likely would have been Johnson’s to lose if he chose to stay with the team for his final year of eligibility. Jenkins was the starting center for Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl and also would have ben the projected starter for this fall. Gundy says both players are off to pursue non-football goals.

It gets a little bit more concerning for Oklahoma State on the offensive line this spring. Gundy also confirmed Travis Cross, a back-up center, has graduated and will skip on his remaining eligibility. That means Paul Lewis, a redshirt freshman last fall, will be the likely starter in the middle fo the offensive line this fall. Lewis and Cross were both back-ups to Jenkins last season.

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The Nkemdiche brothers are striking back in court. The two Ole Miss players, Denzel Nkemdiche and Robert Nkemdiche, have filed a counter-suit seeking $2 million according to a report by The Clarion Ledger.

The lawsuit is a counter to a lawsuit originally filed by Matthew Baird. Baird accuses the Nkemdiche brothers of being a part of a group of individuals who attacked him outside of a fraternity house in mid-February 2013. The Nkemdiches say Baird’s statements are “untrue and false statements.”

“Nkemdiche would state and show that he suffered and sustained harm, injuries, damages, and/or losses as a result of the false and defamatory statements made by plaintiff/counter-defendant Matthew Baird and that, therefore, Nkemdiche is entitled to a judgement against (Baird) for compensatory damages in an amount to be determined by the jury,” the lawsuit filed by each brother reads in separate statements.

Ole Miss has suspended Denzel Nkemdiche for the season opener against Boise State. Robert Nkemdiche remains in good standing on the football program at this time.

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A West Chester University football player risked his playing career to save another person’s life.

Fullback Jared Bonacquisti donated marrow in the summer of 2011 after learning he was the perfect match for Sigitas Sleckus of Chicago. Bonacquisti learned he was a perfect match for Sleckus after participating in an event sponsored by the Andy Talley Foundation, the foundation run and organized by Villanova head coach Andy Talley. Bonacquisti signed up on the marrow donor registry at the event as a freshman and made the decision to try to help save someone’s life despite having no idea who the recipient would be even though it would affect his physical condition for football. Sleckus calls the division two football player his hero, but Bonacquisti tries to keep things in perspective.

“To me, heroes are people in the military, policemen and firemen, people who put their lives on the line every day,” Bonacquisti said last week to the Daily Local News. “I’m just a person who did a good thing.”

Bonaquisti and West Chester came within one game of playing for the Division 2 football national championship last year, but Bonaquisti says this was much more meaningful to him.

“My teammates may not agree with that, but this experience tops that by far,” Bonaquisri said to the Daily Local News.

The two got a chance to meet for the first time over the weekend. This video feature on the story comes from CSN Philly.

Photo credit: West Chester Athletics

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It seems like a relatively slow news day on the college football front, so why not take a quick look at the progress being mad eon the renovations of Texas A&M’s football stadium, Kyle Field.

As you may know by now, Texas A&M had to shut down the annual spring game this season due to the renovations taking place on the football stadium. A new, extra large scoreboard is just a part of the $450 million plans that will expand the seating capacity to over 100,000 fans and add some nice luxuries for fans and donors. The renovations began promptly at the conclusion of Texas A&M’s football season. There have been various videos and photos from the renovations that should be completed prior to the 2015 season (the stadium will be usable during the 2014 season), and now one YouTube member has shared their perspective form the outside of the stadium. In the video you can see the progress being made on the brick facade of the east side of the stadium, the first major phase of the renovation project.

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This is a great time of year around the sports world. Not only are spring football camps opening up and ongoing around the country, giving a fans a breath of fresh air and a preview of what is to come in the fall, but basketball is marching toward a national championship. You know, if you’re in to that sport with the round ball on the hard court. There is room for both sports of course, but please refrain from attempting to draw comparisons between the two.

One of the popular things football writers like to do this time of year is defend the sport of college football as the supreme sport over its basketball counterpart. This is unnecessary of course, as most of the targeted audiences for the sports tend to overlap enough to satisfy both cravings. Another gimmick is to come up with a field of 64 football teams and determine who would win a gridiron edition of the tournament. Heck, maybe that is someone out there chooses their winners in the office pool every year.

Wichita State completed a rare undefeated season on Sunday, assuring an unblemished record when they play their NCAA Tournament opener next week and essentially locking up a number one seed. Inspired by the remarkable feat, Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated wonders if a mid-major in college football could possibly qualify for the new College Football Playoff about to kick off in the upcoming season. The answer is rather simple: yes.

It certainly will not be easy, but the formula may not stray too far from what the traditional path to busting the BCS has been made up of in recent years. Go undefeated, win the conference championship and maybe score a notable victory or two along the way to open some eyes. With four spots open at the mercy of the selection committee, there will come a year when one of the schools not from a major conference could have that type of resume that is just too hard to ignore. It will not likely happen often, but it is certainly possible.

But why do we bother drawing comparisons between college basketball and college football when discussing the postseason? What is the point? Both college basketball and college football operate differently from top to bottom. This year football will finally operate a postseason under a somewhat similar philosophy with the four-team college football playoff, but basketball has 64 (68) spots open and every conference champion gets in no matter what. Every conference champion will get a spot in the basketball tournament. There is a hypothetic possibility only one conference champion could get a spot in the college football playoff. Until football has an expanded playoff structure with similar access to the basketball variety, there is no comparison between the two sports.

Comparing college football and college basketball is essentially along the lines of comparing apples to oranges.

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Michigan’s defense in 2013 was in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten, which clearly is not good enough in Ann Arbor. Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is looking to get the 2014 Wolverines to play at a higher level in the fall.

“I always have a sense of urgency,” Mattison said according to MLive.com before the Wolverines open up spring practices. “The bar was set here a long time ago with how you are supposed to play on defense. And if you don’t play that way? You could call it urgency.”

Mattison played a key role in setting the bar so high for Michigan’s defense. He was the architect of the dominant defenses Michigan used to play their way to a share of the 1997 national championship, which Lloyd Carr still laments sharing with Nebraska. He has also been a part of the coaching staff that helped developed a dominant force with the Baltimore Ravens in between his stints with Michigan.

Michigan ranked eighth in the Big Ten in scoring defense last season, allowing 26.8 points per game. The Wolverines were fifth against the run, seventh against the pass and fifth in total defense. Those rankings show that Michigan does not have that much higher to climb among Big Ten teams, but the school that finished first in each of those defensive categories won the Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl last season, Michigan State.

When the bar is set high in East Lansing, those in Ann arbor need to take notice. Mattison is well aware of the situation.

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The conference commissioners will discuss and debate whether or not to add an early signing period to college football’s recruiting calendar later this year. Georgia head coach Mark Richt seems to feel concerned about the idea.

“I always say ‘Be careful what we ask for’ because I don’t know what that will do to our recruiting calendar,” Richt said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “I think there’s some sanity to it right now. I think if everybody plays by the same rules, then it’s good as it is.”

There are many details to sort out with regards to a potential early signing period. Right now it is purely in the discussion phase, with no concrete plans to implement. Whether or not it would even be possible to add it to the recruiting calendar for the Class of 2015 is unknown, although it may be more likely to become a reality for the next recruiting cycle if there is support from the Conference Commissioners Association in June, when they are scheduled to meet and review the concept in more detail.

“I’d be afraid to change it,” Richt said. “I don’t want to turn the regular season into such a recruiting frenzy that you can’t even coach your team on a weekly basis. I enjoy coaching football, too.”

Richt’s concerns about pushing key recruiting to the middle of the football season is a shared opinion of those opposing the idea. While we do not yet know when the early signing period would take place, placing it somewhere that overlaps with the football season is the most likely scenario. If that is the case, Richt’s concerns are legitimate because it would take away from preparing for games on a week-to-week basis by head coaches and assistant coaches who now must prepare for a game that week and focus on recruiting pushes a little more than they may typically do under the current model.

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This is a pretty important week for college basketball. The big conferences are wrapping up the regular seasons and getting set for their various conference championship tournaments. Some conferences have already crowned their conference champions for the year so the countdown to Selection Sunday is already one.

It is not all that often we see schools win their conference championship in football and men’s basketball, but it does happen from time to time. Will any of the conference champions from last fall have a shot at winning their men’s basketball championship by Selection Sunday? Here is a run down the various FBS conferences and quick look at whether it is possible or likely.

ACC

Football champion: Florida State

It certainly would not be impossible for Florida State to run a hot streak in the ACC tournament this week, but the Seminoles have quite the uphill battle in front of them if they are to pull off the conference championship double-dip. Florida State was 0-5 against the top four teams in the ACC this basketball season. We will call this one possible but unlikely.

American

Football champion: UCF

The UCF Knights finished the regular season with a losing record at 12-17. Let’s just go ahead and say this is not going to happen. Not with the defending national champions at Louisville in the conference and a strong Cincinnati team to get through, not to mention the competition from UConn, Memphis and SMU.

Big 12

Football champion: Baylor

Can Baylor come out on top in the Big 12? It probably would not be a complete shock, although the BEars were 9-9 in conference play this season. But the Bears are a 20-win program and that did not happen by accident. The basketball Bears average 75 points per game, which is just a few more points than the football team could score. Possible but probably not likely.

Big Ten

Football champion: Michigan State

This could be the best bet around the country for an FBS school to pull the double-dip. The Spartans upset Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game last December, and the Spartans are a known basketball power. Michigan State will enter the Big Ten tournament with a high seed and are always going to be a tough out. Michigan and Wisconsin have good opportunities as well in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. Michigan State has limped to the finish line, but you can never count out the Spartans when it is tournament time.

Based on history, we will call this one a realistic possibility. If the Spartans were at full strength, it might be considered likely.

Conference USA

Football champion: Rice

Not happening. Moving on.

MAC

Football champion: Bowling Green

This is another one that will not be happening. Bowling Green finished the regular season in last place in their division.

Mountain West Conference

Football champion: Fresno State

This one would be considered a pretty big shock. It is not because Fresno State is a .500 team, but because San Diego State and New Mexico are far and away the top two programs in the conference. UNLV is not all bad either. Do not count on Fresno State getting this done.

Pac 12

Football champion: Stanford

Stanford will enter the Pac 12 tournament somewhere in the middle of the Pac 12, so they would have their work cut out for them in the conference tournament. Sometimes this tournament can be unpredictable though. Colorado came out of nowhere to win it two seasons ago, so who is to say Stanford won’t get it done this year? Me, that’s who. Certainly far from impossible, but not at all to be expected.

SEC

Football champion: Auburn

There is a reason Alabama is obsessed with football. Neither Alabama or Auburn will make a run for the SEC title this season, and that means Auburn will not pull off the double-dip. Instead, it could be two SEC East schools that failed to play in a bowl game last season that play for the championship (Florida and Kentucky).

Sun Belt

Football champion: Louisiana-Lafayette

If there is a conference that appears to be the second best bet after the Big Ten to have the same school claim the football and men’s basketball title, it may be the Sun Belt. Louisiana-Lafayette won the football title by way of a tiebreaker, and considering how even the top of the conference may be this basketball season, this could very well be possible. Georgia State is the team to beat, but the Ragin’ Cajuns could make a run. Georgia State won both match-ups this season, but both were within seven points. Let’s throw this under the Likely category for now, but note that Georgia State is standing in the way.

What about the FCS schools?

If you dig deeper then you will find some other schools who have claimed their own double dips. Ivy League champion Harvard did just that with a football and men’s basketball championship this season. Coastal Carolina also managed to win both Big South championships this season.

For more college basketball coverage, be sure to check out College Basketball Talk.

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