SB Nation Minnesota: All Posts by Steve Uhlmann

Cornell vs. American University: Game time, TV schedule and more

2013-01-06T13:01:38Z

The American Eagles will clash with the Cornell Big Red Sunday, as they look to put a slow start to the 2012-13 season behind them.

After a tough non-conference slate that included games against Georgetown and Kansas, they look to begin the long road that is Patriot League play with some wins.

Sunday's tune-up will be against a non-conference foe, as they welcome the Big Red to the nation's capital. Cornell is coming off a 72-56 loss to Bucknell and their record currently sits at 6-9.

The main matchup to watch will be the one between Cornell's Shonn Miller and American's Stephen Lumpkins. Miller is the only Big Red player to be averaging more than 10 points per game, while Lumpkins leads American with 15.2 points per game.

Here is all the information you need to enjoy the game:

Location: Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.
Game Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: None
Webcast: Eagle Vision TV

George Mason vs. William and Mary: Game time, TV schedule and more

2013-01-05T13:02:59Z

The George Mason Patriots will take to the floor for the second time in three days when they travel to William & Mary to face the Tribe in a CAA tilt Saturday afternoon.

The last time these two teams met was on Jan. 2, 2011 with the Patriots taking home a 70-56 win on their home floor. The Patriots have played a tough non-conference schedule, including games against Virginia, Maryland, Richmond and New Mexico in hopes of being more prepared for CAA play.

The Patriots will hope to receive a big effort from Sherrod Wright, who enters the game averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game. He is the only player on the team averaging over 8.0 points per game.

Fans can expect a low-scoring tilt, as the Patriots average just 62 points per game on offense and 61 points allowed per game on defense.

Location: Kaplan Arena at William & Mary Hall, Williamsburg, Va.

Game Time: 2 p.m. ET

TV: Comcast SportsNet

Radio: GoMason Digital Network

Chiefs fire GM Scott Pioli

2013-01-04T15:07:56Z

The Kansas City Chiefs announced Friday morning that they have fired general manager Scott Pioli.

The move comes a day after the Chiefs and Andy Reid were reportedly negotiating a deal that would make Reid the new head coach there, replacing Romeo Crennel. Reid's hiring was expected to be announced Thursday, as soon as a deal was complete. There were conflicting reports as to whether Reid's hire would mean the end for Pioli in Kansas City.

In four seasons as general manager, the Chiefs compiled a record of 23-41, including an abysmal mark of 2-14 in 2012.

Pioli came to the Chiefs after serving as the Vice President of Player Personnel for the New England Patriots from 2002 to 2008.

Just 10 days after being hired in January of 2009, he fired head coach Herm Edwards and replaced him with Todd Haley.

After a 4-12 season in his first year in 2009, the Chiefs appeared to turn the corner when they won the AFC West with a 10-6 record in 2010. The next two years would see a return to losing football, leading to Pioli's firing.

He is responsible for many big but disastrous moves during his time as general manager including the signing of former Patriots backup quarterback Matt Cassel to a six-year, $62.7 million contract prior to the 2009 season. He also traded perennial all-pro tight end Tony Gonzalez to the Atlanta Falcons.

Pioli is a three-time Sports Illustrated NFL Executive of the Year, including the 2010 award he earned while with Kansas City.

Nets vs. Wizards: Game time, TV schedule and more

2013-01-04T14:00:05Z

The Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets are looking to put a rough end to 2012 behind them when they meet Friday night. The Nets enter the game 17-15 and chasing the New York Knicks for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. The Wizards are still struggling to find their footing, made evident by their 4-26 mark that is the worst in the NBA.

This is the first regular-season meeting between the two teams, despite a preseason on Oct. 15 when the Nets defeated the Wizards 98-88 at the Barclays Center. It was the first-ever home game in Brooklyn Nets' history. The Nets and Wizards will meet three more times during the 2012-13 season.

Here is all the information you need to enjoy the night's contest:

Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Wizards TV: Comcast SportsNet
TV Announcers: Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier
Wizards Radio: 106.7 FM The Fan/ 1500 AM
Radio Announcers: Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor

Bill O'Brien rumors: Browns have already interviewed Penn State head coach

2013-01-04T01:06:17Z

Rumors that Penn State head coach Bill O'Brien may be on his way to the NFL have grown louder following Mary Kay Cabot's report for the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he interviewed for the open head coaching spot with the Cleveland Browns this week.

O'Brien has been rumored to be a candidate for the numerous NFL teams looking for a head coach, however, the Browns are the only team so far to interview him.

Cleveland has also been in contact with Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone and will be interviewing Oregon head coach Chip Kelly following their appearance in the Fiesta Bowl Thursday night.

O'Brien won the 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year award after leading the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 season following a tumultuous offseason following the arrest and trial of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

Penn State is currently under sanctions that severly reduce the amount of scholarships it can award and ban the Nittany Lions from participating in bowls for the next three seasons.

Syracuse OT Justin Pugh to enter 2013 NFL Draft

2013-01-03T23:19:52Z

Joe Shad of ESPN is reporting that Syracuse Orange junior offensive tackle Justin Pugh will enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

Pugh, who has only been a starter at Syracuse for two seasons, was a All-Big East first team selection following an impressive 2012 season in which he started all 13 games at tackle. He also started all 13 games his sophomore season in 2011.

In both years of having Pugh as a starter, Syracuse had a 1,000-yard rusher, with Antwon Bailey accomplishing the feat in 2012 and Delone Carter doing so in 2011.

As for where fans can expect to see Pugh go in the 2013 draft, SB Nation's Mocking the Draft has him as the No. 8-ranked offensive tackle, and he is No. 78 on the site's Top 100 Big Board.

Of course, Pugh's stock could improve or drop based on how he performs at the NFL Combine, so fans will want to keep an eye on that.

Tom Gamble, Jets meeting this weekend

2013-01-03T21:32:23Z

The search for the next New York Jets general manager continues, and Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area is reporting that Tom Gamble, the current director of player personel for the San Francisco 49ers, will interview for the position this weekend.

The Jets fired former general manager Mike Tannebaum on Monday after the team failed to make the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Gamble has spent the past seven years with his current team and has helped build the 49ers into a power in the NFC. He has 24 years of NFL experience including two with the Jets, where he served as a quality-control defensive assistant in 1995 and 1996. He also has a variety of experience in the professional and college scouting departments and in contract negotiations.

The Jets aren't the only team interested in Gamble, as he already interviewed Tuesday for the open general manager position with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Rose Parade 2013: Floats get fans in festive spirit

2013-01-01T17:16:28Z

Before the Rose Bowl game, there is the Rose Parade, a wonderful display of beautiful floats and marching bands the morning of the big game.

Of course, this is a great chance for the teams involved in the game to show their school spirit, including this float for the Wisconsin Badgers, which was confidently titled "Touchdown"

As for Stanford, their float took a more conservative name of "Go Team."

This is the third consecutive year in which Wisconsin is playing in the Rose Bowl, however they are looking for their first victory in Pasadena since 2000 which was, ironically enough, against the Stanford Cardinal. This is also the third straight year for Stanford in a BCS game. Stanford is currently a 6.5 point favorite over Wisconsin, who finished third place in the Big 10 Leaders division but got the chance to play for the conference championship due to sanctions against Ohio State and Penn State.

Kickoff is scheduled for 5:10 p.m. ET. It will be televised on ESPN.