Inland Waterways » didnt envy Roger

DAYTON, Ohio -- Given a second chance, T.J. Warren put on a show in the NCAA tournament. The hard-to-guard sophomore forward scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half on Tuesday night, showing why he was the ACCs player of the year, and North Carolina State led most of the way in a 74-59 victory over Xavier in the NCAA tournaments First Four. N.C. State (22-12) didnt have much time to celebrate. The 12th-seeded Wolfpack headed to Orlando, Fla., for a game on Thursday against St. Louis in the Midwest Regional. Warren had the most to do with it. He made up for a freshman tournament flop on the same floor a year earlier and prevented Xavier (21-14) from getting any traction in the second half. "Hes just a great player," coach Mark Gottfried said. "Its hard to keep him down for a whole 40 minutes." Centre Matt Stainbrook led Xavier with 19 points and nine rebounds despite an injured left knee. Leading scorer Semaj Christon was limited to 14 points, and Xavier made only 2 of 14 shots from beyond the arc. Xavier was playing in a familiar arena less than an hour from campus. Familiar, but not entirely friendly. Fans of the Dayton Flyers -- a long-time rival -- booed loudly as they took the court, making for a mixed welcome with a lot of Musketeer fans in the stands as well. Warren made it all a moot point, helping N.C. State take all the drama out of the game over the final 11 minutes. Ralston Turner added 17 points. The Wolfpack went six years between NCAA appearances before Gottfried got them there three years in a row. This was his youngest and least-experienced team: Only two players with tournament experience. They got one of the final at-large bids with a strong closing run, winning five of their last six games, including an upset of Syracuse in the ACC tournament. Warren was the key. And he really wanted a second chance at the NCAA tournament. As a freshman last year, he managed only four points as N.C. State lost to Temple 76-72 at the University of Dayton Arena in its opening game. Hes grown a lot in one year, leading the ACC with 24.8 points per game this season and hitting the 40-point mark twice. He got off to a bad start on Tuesday, missing his first two shots and picking up two fouls in the first 4 minutes, 14 seconds. Warren checked back into the game and hit a jumper for his first points at the 11:29 mark. Christon, who was Warrens roommate at Brewster Academy for one year, kept the Musketeers in it during the first half. He scored off two drives to the basket, starting an 8-1 run. Stainbrooks reverse layup trimmed it to 27-26 with 2:22 left. Jordan Vandenbergs three-point play gave N.C. State a 34-28 advantage at halftime. Dee Davis hit Xaviers first 3-pointer, and Christon scored on a fast-break lay-in that cut it to 39-37. Thats when Warren took over. He had a pair of pull-up jumpers, followed by a steal and a lay-up as N.C. State rebuilt the lead to 51-42. He had another pull-up jumper and a fast-break dunk that made it 57-47 with 7:56 to go. Xavier never got closer than seven points the rest of the way, fading down the stretch. The biggest question for Xavier was how Stainbrooks left knee would hold up. The Big Easts second-leading rebounder sprained a ligament, sat out the final regular season game and was extremely limited in two Big East conference games. He was back in form, but Xavier didnt have enough other scoring options to keep up. Cheap Thunder Jerseys Free Shipping . Mark Teahen scored the go-ahead run in the home seventh on an error by Scott Sizemore, who had knotted the game with a solo homer in the previous half- inning. Paul Konerko then hit an RBI single which proved to be the winning run. Wholesale Thunder Jerseys . -- A.J. 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Deflated footballs.The disturbing headlines that began last February never slowed down for the NFL this season. The problems — most of them made worse by the ineffectual handling — mushroomed into an imperfect storm that hurt the leagues credibility and turned the lead-up to Sundays Super Bowl into a time for damage control, not celebration.It never ceases, said Orin Starn, a Duke professor who studies sports in society. It was one crisis and PR challenge after another and I didnt envy Roger Goodell at all.At the commissioners contentious news conference Friday — Goodell fielded one question about whether he thought he should be fired and another about taking a pay cut — he was hit with a barrage of questions that spoke to the wide range of problems that punctured the leagues integrity, though not its popularity.On the one hand, youve got a league thats never been more profitable, never been more popular, agent Leigh Steinberg said. On the other hand, there was less-than-deft handling and anticipation of some major issues that have hit the third rail. Theyve transcended the hardcore football fans to become household issues.Its a tribute to Americas obsession with football that what feels like a trivial tale about flatter-than-normal footballs hasnt abated as the weeks top story, even with a looming matchup between New England and Seattle. The Patriots were accused of providing under-inflated footballs for their AFC championship win, and an investigation will be concluded after the title game. That was the lead story on all three major-network news broadcasts one evening.Another story that wont end: Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynchs refusal to play nice with the media and the NFLs uncertainty about how, or whether, to enforce rules that compel players to do interviews.I did 35 radio interviews this week, Steinberg said. Thats all anyone wanted to talk about.But its issues such as Deflategate, the confusing rules and the competence of the NFLs officials that could damage the league most.Theres a general assumption, Steinberg said, that the contests are performed with equal rules, equal officiating and the games turn on coaching and players who play on the field.Any suggestion that something else is happening, that there may be cheating or unfair enforcement, is an existential threat to the NFL, he said.The domestic violence crisis that exploded when Ray Rice — the former Baltimore Ravens running back — punched his fiancee and Adrian Peterson — the Minnesota Vikings star — whipped his son with a tree branch has been treated mostly in general terms this week.Goodell used the words domestic violence only once during his nearly 50-minute news conference, instead referring to it more than once as part of a set of complex issues.Domestic violence accusations against players garnered as much attention for the NFLs handling of them — most notablyy, Rices two-game suspension that was made indefinite when video of the punch surfaced, then overturned by an arbitrator — as the charges themselves.dddddddddddd.That doesnt thrill people on the front lines in fighting domestic abuse, though they do give the NFL credit for pumping money into increasing awareness. The NFL is footing the bill for a 30-second public-service announcement during the Super Bowl (half-minute spots are selling for around $4.5 million) about domestic violence that will reach tens of millions.Id call it the first step of the NFL taking this conversation to the next level, said Ruth Glenn, the executive director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.Neither the domestic violence crisis, nor the ongoing murder trial of former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, nor any other off-field issue deterred fans or sponsors — who foot much of the bill for a $9 billion business that Goodell hopes to grow by more than double over the next decade. NFL games accounted for 45 of the 50 most-watched shows from Labour Day to the end of 2014. The Super Bowl, as always, is a near lock to be among the most-watched programs of all time.Its not guaranteed to last forever, said George Daly, a Georgetown professor of management who consulted the NFL decades ago.All these things are risky, Daly said. If you look back to, say, 1950, the NFL title game brought in less money than the Rose Bowl. Things can change.The health and safety of the leagues players poses another long-term threat. While the NFL used the week to tout a 25-per cent decrease in concussions recorded this season, another study spelling out the dangers football presents to children made headlines, as well. So did an Associated Press report detailing flaws in about three-fifths of state youth concussion laws passed in all 50 states since 2009 at the urging of the league.News about overuse of painkillers, the leagues implementation of a human growth hormone testing program that isnt as effective as it could be and the efficacy of the leagues penalties for marijuana also made headlines.All this comes against the backdrop of lawsuits. Most notably, the NFL is waiting for final resolution of a lawsuit by former players who accused the league of hiding what it knew about brain injuries so they would stay on the field. The proposed settlement is worth an estimated $1 billion.Its money the league can afford.But this season exposed some unseemly chinks in the NFLs armour —forcing leaders to rethink the way they do business. Already, theyve revamped their investigative process, are considering changes among their officiating crews and announced theyll hire a new chief medical officer.They have to look and say, What are the threats and what are the opportunities? Daly said. From what I see, there are real threats out there.___Follow Eddie Pells on Twitter at http://twitter.com/epels___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Authentic Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Tennessee Titans Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Washington Redskins Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Arizona Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike New England Patriots Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Oakland Raiders Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Seattle Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Carolina Panthers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Cleveland Browns Jerseys Cheap Cheap Throwback Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Atlanta Braves Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Baltimore Orioles Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Boston Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago Cubs Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago White Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cincinnati Reds Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cleveland Indians Jerseys ' ' '