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investmart007 · 7 years ago

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NCAA Latest: Auburn holds off Charleston's upset bid

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NCAA Latest: Auburn holds off Charleston's upset bid

/March 16, 2018 (AP)(STL.News) —

The Latest on the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):

9:50 p.m.

Fourth-seeded Auburn is moving on in the NCAA tournament. Barely.

Mustapha Heron had 16 points and Auburn hit some key late free throws to hold off No. 13 seed Charleston 62-58 in the first-round of the Midwest Region on Friday.

The Tigers were in a fight the entire second half and trailed 55-54 with 3 minutes left after a 3-pointer from Charleston’s Marquise Pointer. But Bryce Brown’s 3 put the Tigers back in front and Jared Harper added a 3-pointer with 1:14 left to give the Tigers a 59-56 lead. Charleston had chances in the final minute to close the gap but missed three key free throws and Grant Riller’s attempt at a tying 3-pointer in the final 10 seconds was well short. It appeared Riller was fouled but no call was made.

Jarrell Brantley had 24 points to lead Charleston.

__ Tim Booth reporting from San Diego.

___

9:35 p.m.

Miles Bridges scored 29 points, and third-seeded Michigan State outlasted 14th-seeded Bucknell 82-78.

The Spartans advance to play the winner of the TCU-Syracuse game.

Michigan State led just 44-40 at halftime but held the Bison to 10-of-28 shooting in the second. Zach Thomas scored 27 points for Bucknell before fouling out on a technical with 6:06 remaining.

Bucknell made five 3-pointers in the last 90 seconds or so to make the final score close ��a flurry that seemed to impress even the Michigan State fans in Detroit — but the outcome wasn’t really in doubt late.

— Noah Trister reporting from Detroit.

___ern):

9:04 p.m.

Barry Brown scored 18 points, and ninth-seeded Kansas State led wire-to-wire to post a 69-59 victory over No. 8 Creighton on Friday night despite playing without leading scorer Dean Wade.

Mike McGuirl added 17 points and Kamau Stokes had 11 as the Wildcats reached the final 32 in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012. Wade had been expected to play after suffering a stress fracture in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, but never saw the floor.

His teammates picked him up, particularly on defense.

Creighton came into the game ranked 10th in scoring in Division I at 84.3 points per game but tied a season-low with 59 points after shooting 33.8 percent from the field, including 26 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.

Leading scoring Marcus Foster, who spent two seasons at Kansas State, was held scoreless for the first 28 1/2 minutes and finished with five points on 2-of-11 shooting.

___

8:45 p.m.

The Xavier Musketeers are looking every bit of a No. 1 seed thanks to senior guards J.P. Macura and Trevon Bluiett.

Macura scored 18 points and Bluiett added 17 as the Musketeers took a 49-37 lead into halftime over No. 16 seed Texas Southern. Macura took care of the scoring early, hitting seven of his first eight shots, including all four beyond the arc. He scored 15 points during a 21-2 run by the Musketeers as Xavier responded to falling behind 20-13. Macura capped the run with a 3 putting Xavier up 34-22 with 7:12 left.

Bluiett scored seven down the stretch, including his third 3-pointer for a 49-29 lead with 1:39 left.

But the Tigers, who won their first NCAA Tournament game in the First Four to advance, finished the half scoring the final eight points. Guard Demontrae Jefferson stole the ball for a layup that not only beat the buzzer but drew a foul. He hit the free throw to pull Texas Southern closer at halftime.

— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee

___

8:40 p.m.

Auburn is trying to avoid becoming the second No. 4 seed to lose at San Diego State’s Viejas Arena in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers are tied at 25 with College of Charleston at halftime of their Midwest Region matchup on Friday night.

The Tigers are shooting horribly. They’ve made only 9 of 32 field goals for 28.1 percent, and have missed all 13 3-pointers.

Charleston is shooting 40.7 percent and has rallied from an early deficit.

The Cougars’ Grant Riller has 12 points and is the only player in double figures.

In an East Region game earlier Friday at Viejas, No. 13 seed Marshall upset No. 4 seed Wichita State 81-75. Another No. 4, Arizona, lost Thursday night to Buffalo, bouncing the Pac-12 from the tournament.

— Bernie Wilson reporting in San Diego.

___

8:09 p.m.

The injury to Purdue center Isaac Haas changes the complexion of Sunday’s matchup between the Boilermakers and in-state rival Butler.

Haas is out for the rest of the NCAA Tournament with an elbow injury.

“Obviously the first thought goes out to Isaac and his family and Purdue and their program,” said Butler coach LaVall Jordan, whose team beat Arkansas immediately after Purdue’s win over Cal State Fullerton. “You hate that for anybody, but especially a senior and his last run, for that to take him out when they had a really good team, a really good chance to make a deep run.”

That’s not to say the Boilermakers can’t go far without Haas. Backup Matt Haarms is actually an inch taller at 7-foot-3.

“I think our mentality doesn’t change. It’s not like they’re going to play four guys,” Jordan said. “They have other players that are really good. We’ve got to be prepared for them.”

— Noah Trister reporting from Detroit.

___

8:05 p.m.

Looks like playing the nation’s toughest schedule has helped Texas Southern prepare for the NCAA Tournament.

When No. 1 seed Xavier took a 13-4 lead, Texas Southern answered with an even bigger run of its own and reeled off the next 16 points hitting all five shots. Robert Lewis’ 3 capped the run and put the Tigers up 20-13 with 12:18 left in the first half.

The Tigers played their first 13 games on the road to earn money for the SWAC program, and that schedule included visits to Gonzaga, Ohio State, Kansas, Clemson, Oregon and Baylor. Texas Southern lost all 13 of those games. But coach Mike Davis says that schedule was planned to prepare his Tigers for March and the games that matter most.

— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee

___

8:05 p.m.

Scrappy Bucknell is hanging right with third-seeded Michigan State through 20 minutes.

In front of a partisan crowd of Spartans fans in Detroit, the Bison rallied from an 11-point deficit and actually took a 28-27 lead at one point, delighting the small but spirited group of Bucknell supporters in attendance.

Michigan State leads 44-40 at halftime, but that’s not a huge margin considering the Spartans shot 59 percent from the field.

Bucknell’s Zach Thomas has 20 points.

— Noah Trister reporting from Detroit.

___

7:46 p.m.

No Wade? No problem for Kansas State.

The ninth-seeded Wildcats lead No. 8 seed Creighton 32-26 at halftime despite playing without leading scorer Dean Wade, who spent all 20 minutes sitting on the bench cheering on his teammates.

Dean suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in the Big 12 Conference tournament, but coach Bruce Weber said earlier this week that he expected Wade to be ready for the first round.

Wade is suited up and does not have a protective boot on his foot.

He is averaging 16.7 points per game.

___

7:45 p.m.

The Texas Southern Tigers started the season losing their first 13 games. They’re in Nashville for their first-round game trying to see if they can extend their eight-game winning streak by doing something that’s never been done.

Knock off a top seed as a No. 16 seed.

The Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference won the first NCAA Tournament game in the program’s history Wednesday night knocking off North Carolina Central in the First Four in Dayton.

They tip off against Xavier, which is playing its first game ever as a No. 1 seed, in the first round of the West Region.

— Teresa M. Walker reporting from Nashville, Tennessee.

___

7:23 p.m.

Creighton’s Marcus Foster was struggling in the first half against his former team, Kansas State. The senior guard was 0 for 3 from the field and had yet to score as the eighth-seeded Bluejays trailed 25-16 to the ninth-seeded Wildcats with 4:36 left in the first half.

Foster spent two seasons at Kansas State before being kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons in 2015.

He transferred to Creighton, where has played the last two seasons after sitting out a year. He’s the team’s leading scorer this season with 20.3 points per game.

___

7:05 p.m.

Nevada coach Eric Musselman was pumped up after his team beat Texas in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and his locker room speech that was broadcast live ended up being rated PG-13.

The CBS/Turner cameras caught Musselman three times, twice loud and clear, dropping an obscenity while excitedly congratulating his team. After the third time, the cameras cutaway.

Musselman then opened his postgame news conference by apologizing for his language.

___

6:50 p.m.

Caleb Martin made three clutch 3-pointers in overtime for Nevada and the seventh-seeded Wolf Pack came from behind to force overtime and then beat 10th-seeded Texas 87-83 in the East Regional.

Nevada erased a double-digit second-half lead by the Longhorns and fouled out Texas star Mo Bamba at the end of regulation.

Martin made the biggest shots, but Nevada could not miss, going 6 for 6 in OT and scoring 19 points. The Wolf Pack advance to the second round against No. 2 seed Cincinnati by earning its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2007.

Meanwhile, Texas coach Shaka Smart fell to 2-6 in the NCAA Tournament, including his time at VCU, since a Final Four run in 2013.

___

6:40 p.m.

West Virginia did its part and has set up one crazy Mountain State showdown way out on the West Coast.

The fifth-seeded Mountaineers ousted No. 12 seed Murray State 85-68 in the first round of the East Region. The victory sets up a round of 32 matchup with in-state rival Marshall on Sunday. The 13th-seeded Thundering Herd upset No. 4 seed Wichita State earlier Friday.

West Virginia’s do-everything star Jevon Carter led the way with 21 points and seven assists. Carter was also part of a tremendous defensive effort on Murray State standout Jonathan Stark. Stark entered the game averaging 21.8 points per game but was held to nine points on 1-of-12 shooting.

Terrell Miller led the Racers with 27 points. The Racers had won 13 straight entering the NCAAs, the second-longest win streak in the country.

— Tim Booth reporting from San Diego.

____

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___

#Auburn holds off #Charleston upset bid #Crazy Mountain State showdown #Huge margin considering #NCAA Tournament

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thenumberedloversofdukeellington · 2 years ago

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The Problem We All Must Live With, Pt. 1:

In unrelated news, I put a simmer pot on the stove and now my whole house smells like an overpriced Christmas ornament shop.

As y'all know, last week were the elections. The overall political climate of South Carolina didn't change. Tim Scott won the Senate. Nancy Mace and Joe Wilson won in Congress. Henry McMaster is still governor, despite running ads that made his opponent look insanely cool.

There was one major upset, though, and that was in education.

Ellen Weaver, a controversial candidate due to her shady credentials, won the bid for Superintendent of Education.

Additionally, Moms for Liberty won several school board seats in Berkley, Charleston, and Horry Counties. If you don't know who Moms for Liberty are, they are a coalition of "concerned moms" who want to put "parents' rights" back in schools. Oh yeah, and they're also loosely affiliated with the ultra-right wing Proud Boys, but they don't really want y'all talking about it.

It's been a week since the election and here's some moves that Moms for Liberty has done in the state of South Carolina:

Pulled almost 100 books out of the Beaufort County school libraries, including Go Ask Alice, Speak, and The Bluest Eye

Fired the Superintendent of Schools (who happens to be their first Black Superintendent) and legal counsel, banned the teaching of critical race theory, and created a committee to review books for removal from library circulation in Berkley County.

Partnered with the school principals to create book-banning committees in Horry County. All books containing LGBT+ content or content relating to sexuality are already banned.

Once again, it's been one fucking week since these school boards took power.

There's going to be more to come. There's going to be bans on teaching sexuality, LGBT+ content, and Critical Race Theory (which, need I remind y'all, is absolute not taught in K-12 schools). Books are going to be removed from libraries, and teachers and librarians are going to eventually quit, because they don't get paid nearly enough for all of it.

Maybe it's because my mom worked in a school library, or maybe it's because books like Lolita, The Bluest Eye, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower changed my perspective on a lot of things when I was younger, but I am absolutely not here for having a small group of mothers preventing access to library books.

I'm sure there's a a lot more that's going to happen in the coming weeks, which is why this is part one, so I will be adding additional parts.

#south carolina #scpol #politics #schools #book banning #freedom to read #education

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bbcbreakingnews · 4 years ago

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Kanye West’s publicist says ‘let YE be YE’ after abortion claims

Kanye West’s publicist says ‘let YE be YE’ because the world doesn’t ‘want to miss this blessing’ following his chaotic presidential rally speech in which he revealed he and wife Kim considered having an abortion when she was pregnant with their first child North West.

The 43-year-old rapper’s rep, Trevian Kutti, tweeted an image on Monday that read: ‘Let YE be YE. That’s when the gospel comes’, adding that ‘surely the world does not want to miss this blessing’.

It came just hours after claims Kim’s family are ‘shocked beyond words’ after Kanye made the shocking abortion revelation during his speech in Charleston, South Carolina on Sunday night.

He had revealed that he and his 39-year-old wife Kim had considered aborting their daughter North, who is now seven, before he got a ‘message from God’.

His unscripted speech, which came two weeks after he announced his unlikely bid for president, has since left his wife and her family upset and alarmed, a source told TMZ.

Sources told the outlet that the family are ‘shocked beyond words’ by the Grammy-award winner’s personal revelation and feel he is in ‘desperate need of professional help’ for what they claim is a bipolar episode.

Family and friends close to Kanye have also been left upset because they feel the music artist is becoming a ‘distraction to what is a very important election’.

During his rally speech on Sunday, the rapper appeared to acknowledge that his comments would be met with a negative reaction by his family. He explained that if his wife were to divorce him after making the comments, he would still be thankful that she had North.

Scroll down for video

Kanye West took to the stage during a campaign rally at North Charleston’s Exquis Event Center in South Carolina on Sunday to reveal that he and his wife Kim Kardashian had considered aborting their daughter

Kanye West pictured with wife Kim Kardashian and their children North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, in a photo posted on Father’s Day on June 21, 2020

KANYE’S CHAOTIC RALLY SPEECH

On how he nearly aborted his daughter:

‘My girlfriend called me screaming, crying. I’m a rapper. And she said I’m pregnant. She was crying.

‘My (laptop) screen went black and white. And God said, if you f*** with my vision I f*** with yours. And I called my girlfriend and said we’re going to have this child.

‘We talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand! I almost killed my daughter!

‘Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to.’

How he was nearly aborted by his parents:

‘My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would’ve been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy.’

Denouncing abortion:

‘Abortion should be legal but the option of maximum increase should be available.

‘Everybody who has a baby gets a million dollars or something.

‘No more Plan B – Plan A.

‘It takes a village to raise a child. No matter how much money you have. Society is set up for single women to not have a village.’

Claims Harriet Tubman didn’t free slaves:

‘Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people.’

Gun ownership:

‘When other countries come in, and you have no weapons, what do you think will happen?’

‘You’re enslaved. Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.’

Racism:

He said he wanted to be on the board of both Adidas and Gap – for whom he designs clothes. He said black culture was exploited by white-owned companies all too often.

‘I am sick of this black iconography being used by white corporations, for us to look up to and say this is us.’

Other key quotes from his speech:

‘I don’t give a f*** if I win the presidency or not.

‘There are homeless people in front of the Gucci store. I care about these things. And I am in service of God.’

‘Politics, America, Trump, Biden, nor Kanye West can free us. ‘The only thing that can free us is obeying the rules that were given to us as a promised land.’

‘Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to,’ he said.

Those close to the rapper say they are also concerned that he is ‘tanking some of his business’ with his recent speeches and could ignite boycotts.

Kanye has been open about his struggle with bipolar disorder and, in 2016, he spent time in hospital after a ‘psychiatric emergency’ that forced him to cancel 21 concert dates.

Kim has previously defended her husband’s rants and said in a 2018 tweet that he was a ‘free-thinker’ and entitled to his own opinion. She also appeared to endorse her husband’s presidential bid when he first announced it two weeks ago by retweeting his message with an emoji of a US flag.

DailyMail.com has contacted Kim’s agent about his latest comments.

During his rally speech, Kanye, who was dressed in a bullet-proof vest with 2020 shaved into his hair, shared that in 2013 Kim ‘had the pills in her hand’ to have an abortion before he was inspired by God to have the child.

‘My girlfriend called me screaming, crying. I’m a rapper. And she said I’m pregnant. She was crying,’ he said.

Kanye said he was weighing up what to do, when he received what he interpreted as a sign from God while he was working on his laptop in Paris.

‘My screen went black and white. And God said, if you f*** with my vision I f*** with yours,’ he yelled. ‘And I called my girlfriend and said we’re going to have this child.

‘Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to.’

The rapper went on to break down in tears as he shouted: ‘She had the pills in her hand! I almost killed my daughter!’

Kanye also revealed that his father wanted to abort him but his mother Donda ‘saved his life’.

‘My mom saved my life. My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would have been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy,’ he said.

Kanye spent much of the rally discussing abortion, and announced that he wanted women to be given money by the government for bearing children, to discourage abortion.

‘Abortion should be legal but the option of maximum increase should be available,’ he said.

‘Everybody who has a baby gets a million dollars or something.

‘No more Plan B – Plan A.’

The Bound 2 singer went explain that he wanted all mothers to be free from the worries of child care before pointing out that Steve Jobs was adopted.

‘Steve Jobs was adopted,’ he said. ‘It takes a village to raise a child. No matter how much money you have. Society is set up for single women to not have a village.

‘So I moved to a small town, in Cody, Wyoming.’

The rapper’s wife Kim gave birth to the couple’s first child together, North, on June 15, 2013.

She also shares sons Saint, 4, Psalm, 1, and two-year-old daughter Chicago with the musician, who she married in 2014.

West’s speech, clips of which went viral on social media, has provoked confusion, anger and concern for the musician’s mental health.

The couple welcomed North on June 15, 2013, they are also parents to Saint, four, Chicago, two, and Psalm, 14 months (pictured together recently)

During his first presidential campaign the star discussed abortion and said his father wanted to abort him

Attendees at the rally wore face masks, but removed them to go on stage and question West

Following Kanye’s rally speech, Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard blasted the Kardashians and claimed they did not care for the rapper’s well being.

Following Kanye’s rally speech, Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard blasted the Kardashians and claimed they did not care for the rapper’s wellbeing

In an Instagram post Dillard said: ‘If my husband was out in the public eye having a manic episode because that is what this is. Having a mental breakdowns because that is what is happening and making a complete mockery of our political system, I would be gearing up to enter him into a conservatorship.

‘Kanye West needs to be committed temporarily. He is not well and that fact that his family the people that he leans on and depends on to take care of him are allowing him to be out in the world, allowing him to make a compete a** of himself. He is making a complete fool of himself.’

She added: ‘Where are you? Where is anyone in that family? Because at the point where he is breaking down crying, screaming like a child at a campaign rally. If I’m your wife I’m going to get you and we’re going to get you some help.

‘You are not here for him. This man is crying out and you are not here for him. I’m done with all of them.’

The frustrated reality star later urged viewers to not let the rapper’s display deter them from voting for ‘viable candidates’ in the election.

‘Please don’t allow this to deter you from voting for viable candidates who actually have the experience and the marbles and the mental stability to be able to do the job that needs to be done to get out country back to a place that makes sense,’ Dillard said.

Kanye shocks crowd by saying Harriet Tubman didn’t free slaves as his lengthy monologue covers abortion, religion, trade and licensing deals

Kanye shocked the crowd and drew condemnation during his speech when he claimed that anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman did not free slaves but ‘just had the slaves go work for other white people’.

‘Harriet Tubman never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people,’ he said.

One person was heard saying: ‘Yo, we’re leaving right now,’ while another crowd member groaned: ‘Come on, man.’

Tubman is one of the most respected figures of 19th century America.

Kanye shocked the crowd and drew condemnation when he claimed that anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman did not free slaves but ‘just had the slaves go work for other white people’

An African American who escaped slavery, she helped enslaved Black men and women travel north to freedom and fought for the Union during the Civil War. She later became a supporter of women’s suffrage.

He was immediately slammed by rapper Trey Songz following the controversial Tubman comments, saying that West and his bid for the presidency was getting ‘in the way of progress.’

‘They been sayin man Trey need to call these n****s before he just put em online blastin,’ Trey said in an Instagram post.

‘Ye you in the way of progress foreal, how you turn this goofy from who you were? I’m so confused, whoever got his number need to call him,’ he concluded.

In remarks that lasted just over an hour, he denounced abortion, swore, called on random members to speak and sometimes seemed to be putting forward policy proposals on the fly.

His rambling monologue also touched on topics from abortion and religion to international trade and licensing deals.

‘I don’t give a f*** if I win the presidency or not,’ he declared.

‘There are homeless people in front of the Gucci store. I care about these things. And I am in service of God.’

‘Politics, America, Trump, Biden, nor Kanye West can free us,’ he told the crowd.

‘The only thing that can free us is obeying the rules that were given to us as a promised land.’

He also said he wished to meet with George Soros to discuss building houses, and with Mark Zuckerberg to talk about improving internet connectivity in Africa.

At times, West demanded ‘absolute silence and absolute order’ – and even asked audience members to point out anyone they heard talking – scolded the crowd for clapping at one point, and had another audience member ejected for an unclear reason.

West needed to collect 10,000 signatures by noon on Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot, according to state law. The entertainer tweeted out a list of locations around the Charleston area where petitions could be signed

Last week West posted a video of himself registering to vote in Wyoming. He has left voters confused over whether his campaign is genuine or a publicity stunt to help sell albums or merchandise

He got into a heated exchange with a young woman named Georgia who he invited onto the stage to speak – although her comments were mostly inaudible.

He said that he was concerned about gun violence, but supported gun ownership.

‘When other countries come in, and you have no weapons, what do you think will happen?’ he asked. ‘You’re enslaved. Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.’

West also discussed racism in the United States, proclaiming that he wanted to be on the board of both Adidas and Gap – for whom he designs clothes.

He referenced his own wealth several times, noting, to laughter: ‘As I said to a fellow billionaire…’, and then trailing off.

West said that, all too often, black culture was exploited by white-owned companies.

‘I am sick of this black iconography being used by white corporations, for us to look up to and say this is us,’ he said.

Kanye’s unlikely campaign for the White House: Rally event does little to clarify if West is actually trying to win the election

The event, which was livestreamed on YouTube and carried on local television stations, did little to clarify whether West is genuinely attempting to win the presidency.

He has offered virtually no details about his campaign, but the star – who famously wore a ‘Make America Great Again’ cap to a 2018 Oval Office meeting with Trump – said he no longer supports the president.

Kanye has left voters confused over whether his campaign is genuine or a publicity stunt to help sell albums or merchandise.

He has reportedly asked Jay-Z if he would be his running mate in the election.

‘I reached out to Jay to possibly be my vice president, my running mate,’ Kanye said during an interview with local South Carolina blogger Kris Kaylin.

‘We have Michelle Tidball, who is a Christian pastor out of Wyoming, who is my running mate. But she would be open to taking another position if we found another running mate.’

West missed the deadline to qualify for the ballot in several states, and it was unclear if he was willing or able to collect enough signatures required to qualify in others.

Last week, he qualified to appear on Oklahoma’s presidential ballot, the first state where he met the requirements before the filing deadline. He was able to get on the ballot in that state by paying a $35,000 fee before the cut-off deadline in lieu of getting petition signatures.

West needed to collect 10,000 signatures by noon on Monday to appear on the South Carolina ballot, according to state law.

The entertainer tweeted out a list of locations around the Charleston area where petitions could be signed.

The deadlines to register as a write-in candidate have passed in several states, but many extend into August and September, leaving a small chance that West could muster enough petition signatures to get him on the ballots in those states.

Several thousands of signatures are required for a write-in candidate in most states.

West revealed on Independence Day that he was running for president

Wife Kim Kardashian had little to say immediately after the announcement on July 4, but showed her support by tweeting an American Flag emoji in response

Billionaire Elon Musk said West has his ‘full support’ when the rapper announced his run

He announced his unlikely bid for president on July 4, tweeting: ‘We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.’

He has said that his wife Kim and Tesla founder Elon Musk were his advisors at the moment and that he had suggested Musk could be ‘the head of our space program’.

Earlier this month, the rapper filled out the first form required by the Federal Election Commission to run for president – Form 1: Statement of Organization – declaring that the Kanye 2020 committee will serve as the ‘Principal Campaign Committee’ with West as its candidate.

He declared he will be running as a third party candidate for the BDY Party, which he says stands for the Birthday Party.

Although West finished the first form to run for president, he has yet to fill out Form 2: Statement of Candidacy.

The second and more important form would show that he has raised or spent more than $5,000 in campaign activity and would trigger immediate candidacy status under federal campaign finance law.

The performer has sparked speculation over the years that he would potentially enter the presidential race one day, most recently in November, when he said he planned to run in 2024.

In his Twitter announcement, West revealed little of his plans, but later spoke about his platform in an interview with Forbes.

In his Forbes interview, West first seemed to say that he hadn’t yet decided whether he would run as an independent candidate, but was giving himself the next 30 days to decide what to do, even though he’d have missed filing deadlines for several state ballots by that time.

West said that he believed he could use coronavirus as a reason for being placed on those ballots.

West said that he had decided to run and that his party would be called the ‘Birthday Party’ because ‘when we win, it’s everybody’s birthday’.

West has previously publicly supported Trump, wearing MAGA hats and even going to the White House to meet with him, despite admitting that he’s never voted in a presidential election in his life.

West told Forbes that he has since lost confidence in Trump and that ‘it looks like one big mess to me.’

The rapper, pictured in the Oval Office, had previously voiced his support for Trump but pulled it back as he announced his intentions to run, saying he lost confidence in the president

West-Tidball 2020! In an interview with Forbes about his presidential run, Kanye West named Michelle Tidball (pictired right) as his running mate ahead of the 2020 election

He named Michelle Tidball, 57, as his running mate ahead of the 2020 election.

Tidball hails from Cody, Wyoming – the same town where West owns a $14 million ranch – but she has scrubbed clean her web presence in recent days.

While there is no official deadline to enter the US presidential race, candidates must meet certain filing requirements under Ballot Access Laws that vary by state.

The deadline to add independent candidates to the ballot had not yet passed in many states, including California, when West announced but were fast approaching.

He had already missed deadlines to add his name to the presidential ballot in six states by July 4.

Of the 538 Electoral College votes total, West has already missed out on 102 of those votes if he were to successfully make his way onto the ballot in other states – as the registration date has passed for North Carolina, Texas, New York, Maine, New Mexico and Indiana.

Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia all have July deadlines also.

He could, however, have run in these states as a write-in candidate. Although, rules for this type of candidacy vary from state to state and in many states do not count or are tallied as part of the ‘other’ category.

The late registration – also the name of West’s 2005 album – would prevent him from standing any real chance against Trump and presumed Democratic candidate Biden.

West’s announcement was met with with mixed reactions of skepticism and excitement, as online bookmakers cut his odds of winning the election from 500/1 to 50/1.

The post Kanye West’s publicist says ‘let YE be YE’ after abortion claims appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

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junker-town · 5 years ago

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25 college basketball players who will define Championship Week, ranked

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

These are the college basketball players you need to know as Championship Week grabs the spotlight.

For complete coverage of Championship Week from Mike Rutherford, follow this StoryStream.

25. Lamine Diane (Cal State Northridge/Big West)

After being ruled academically ineligible to compete during the first semester of the 2019-20 season, Diane has been back to putting up his ridiculous stat lines over the last two months. As a freshman last season, the native of Senegal was the only player in the country to average above 24 points (24.8), 10 rebounds (11.2) and two blocks (2.2) per game. Diane is averaging more points (25.5 ppg) this season, has upped his steal (1.8 spg) and assist (2.9 apg) averages, and is only slightly behind last year’s pace when it comes to rebounds (10.1 rpg) and blocked shots (1.8 bpg). His Matadors squad currently sits in a three-way tie for second place in the Big West standings.

24. Jibri Blount (North Carolina Central/MEAC)

Blount does a little bit of everything for North Carolina Central, which is currently tied for first in the MEAC standings and looking to claim the league’s auto-bid to the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight season. If that happens, it’s almost a certainty that Blount will have had a significant amount to do with it. The 6’7 junior is averaging 19.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

23. Sayeed Pridgett (Montana/Big Sky)

Pridgett has quietly been having one of the best seasons of any non-power conference player in America. The 6’5 senior from Oakland leads Montana in scoring (19.3 ppg), rebounding (7.2 rpg), assists (3.8 apg), and steals (1.6 spg). With two games to play in the regular season, Pridgett and the Grizzlies currently sit tied atop the Big Sky standings with Eastern Washington at 14-4.

"OH MY GOODNESS!" Sayeed Pridgett goes coast-to-coast for a massive dunk! #GoGriz #GrizHoops pic.twitter.com/PVT2pkk8S1

— Montana Griz BB (@MontanaGrizBB) January 22, 2017

22. Isaiah Blackmon (Saint Francis Pa./Northeast)

A year ago, Saint Francis’ Keith Braxton took home Northeast Conference Player of the Year honors. Twelve months later, that same honor seems destined to go to Braxton’s teammate, Isaiah Blackmon. The 6’1 guard has been a revelation for the Red Flash in his senior season, and will enter the NEC tournament averaging career-bests in points (19.2 ppg), rebounds (5.4 rpg), assists (1.6 apg), and free-throw percentage (83.3 percent).

21. Paul Atkinson (Yale/Ivy League)

Yale has been the best team in the Ivy League so far this season thanks in no small part to Atkinson’s 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The play of the 6’10 junior will make the Bulldogs a trendy NCAA tournament upset pick ... if they can get there. In order to make that happen they will likely have to knock off their biggest threat, Harvard, on the Crimson’s home floor.

20 Tevin Brown (Murray State/Ohio Valley)

Ja Morant’s right hand man a year ago, Brown has stepped into the Racers’ starring role as a sophomore. One of the best two-way players in America at any level, Brown is a lockdown defender who shoots 41.5 percent from three and leads the Racers in scoring at 17.7 points per game.

19. Jalen Pickett (Siena/Metro Atlantic Athletic)

A year ago, Pickett set Siena freshmen records for both scoring (521) and steals (66), while also achieving the fourth-highest single-season assist total overall (221) in school history. He’s been even better as a sophomore, and has the Saints alone atop the MAAC standings heading into the final week of the regular season.

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18. Jordan Ford (Saint Mary’s/West Coast)

It’s a only a mild overstatement to say that as Jordan Ford goes, so goes Saint Mary’s. Heading into his final collegiate postseason, the lightning quick guard is averaging 21.2 points per game and shooting 48.9 percent from the field despite almost never leaving the floor for the Gaels. He’s been on the court for an average of 37.7 minutes per game this season, the ninth-highest rate in the country.

17. Osasumwen Osaghae (Florida International/Conference USA)

One of the most improved players in the country, Osaghae averages 12.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. The senior forward makes his biggest impact on the defensive end where he leads the nation in blocks by averaging just a hair under 4.0 swats per game. No one else in Division-I averages better than 3.5. Osaghae and the Panthers are currently tied for fourth in the C-USA standings with two regular season games still to play.

16. Caleb Homesley (Liberty/Atlantic Sun)

The likely A-Sun Player of the Year, Homesley has saved the best basketball of his college career for the end. The 6’6 senior guard averaged 22.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 46.5 percent from three over the final seven games of the regular season.

15. Trevelin Queen (New Mexico State/WAC)

Queen was the Aggies’ leading scorer before having to miss five games after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on Jan. 22 to fix a lateral meniscus tear. Though the initial prognosis was that Queen would be out 4-6 weeks, he returned to the court just 22 days after the surgery. The super athletic senior has looked more like his old self in recent games. If he can get back to near 100 percent, NMSU could once again be a dangerous first round opponent for some top five seed.

14. Jordan Lyons (Furman/Southern)

The winningest player in the history of the program, Lyons will also leave Furman as the school’s all-time leader in three-pointers made, and in the top 15 on the career scoring list. The only major thing Lyons has failed to do in his college career — which has included Furman being ranked for the first time in 107-year history of the program — is take the Paladins to the NCAA tournament. Lyons and company will be the 2 seed in the SoCon tournament. If they win it, Furman will make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1980.

13. Grant Riller (Charleston/Colonial Athletic Association)

There’s a reason why Riller has started to pop up as a late first round pick on a number of recent NBA mock drafts. He’s got tremendous handles, a reliable outside shot, and (currently) 2,448 career points, the second most in Charleston history and the third most in Colonial Athletic Association history. Riller will look to add to that total at the CAA tournament, where his Cougars will be the No. 4 seed.

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12. Carlik Jones (Radford/Big South)

The Big South’s Player of the Year, Jones has scored 20 or more points 16 times this season. Despite only being a junior, Jones ranks eighth on Radford’s all-time scoring list with 1,498 career points. He and the Highlanders will be the No. 1 seed at the Big South tournament.

11. Terry Taylor (Austin Peay/Ohio Valley)

One of the most electric players at the mid/low major level of Division-I, Taylor leads Austin Peay in scoring (21.4 ppg), rebounding (10.8 rpg), steals (1.3 spg), and blocks (1.4 bpg). The likely OVC Player of the Year, Taylor has 16 double-doubles so far in his junior season, a feat he accomplished in seven of Austin Peay’s final eight regular season games. Taylor and the Governors will be a dangerous 3 seed in the OVC tournament.

10. AJ Green (Northern Iowa/Missouri Valley)

A year after being the Missouri Valley’s top scoring freshman, Green has emerged as the best player on the league’s best team. The 6’4 sophomore from Cedar Falls is averaging 19.7 points per game and shooting 91.7 percent from the free-throw line, the fourth-best mark in the country. Regardless of how UNI performs at Arch Madness, it’s a safe bet that the basketball world will see Green do his thing in the Big Dance.

9. Jermaine Marrow (Hampton/Big South)

The nation’s fourth-leading scorer at 24.3 points per game, Marrow makes Hampton a real threat as the 5 seed in the Big South tournament. The Pirates won one game in the Big South tournament last season, their first in the conference after making the jump over from the MEAC. With Marrow, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer last month, graduating after this year’s run, the pressure is on to do even more.

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8. Justin Turner (Bowling Green/Mid-American)

Currently averaging 18.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, Turner is the primary reason Bowling Green is in prime position to make it to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1968. The Falcons have been a force in the MAC with Turner at full-strength, but were remarkably average in December when the 6’4 junior was sidelined with a hamstring injury he suffered during the team’s overtime upset of Cincinnati.

7. Jhivvan Jackson (UTSA/Conference USA)

UTSA’s season hasn’t gone as well as Roadrunner fans were hoping it would four months ago, but that isn’t the fault of Jackson. The nation’s second-leading scorer is averaging 27.3 points per game and has scored 20 or more points in every game but three this season. Even though they’re currently below .500 with a 7-9 league mark, Jackson should make UTSA a live longshot at next week’s C-USA tournament.

6. Yoeli Childs (BYU/West Coast)

Suspended for the first nine games of this season because he filed his NBA Draft eligibility paperwork in the wrong order (swear to God that’s a real story, look it up), Childs has been an absolute monster for the Cougars since returning. BYU is riding a nine-game winning streak that includes a double-digit victory over Gonzaga, and Childs is the biggest reason why. The senior forward heads into the postseason averaging 22.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

5. Nathan Knight (William & Mary/Colonial Athletic Association)

The Tribe’s leader in both scoring (20.6 ppg) and rebounding (10.5 rpg), Knight is about to wrap up arguably the best career in the history of William & Mary basketball. What makes the season even more special is that he could have easily transferred to a high major program for his final college season, especially after head coach Tony Shaver was given a surprising axe last spring. Instead, Knight stuck around to make sure the Dane Fischer era got off to the best start possible. The only thing left for him to accomplish now is taking the Tribe to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the 83-year history of the program.

.@wmtribembb senior center Nathan Knight has been named Men's #CAAHoops Player of the Week, while @Elonmbasketball guard Hunter McIntosh earned CAA Rookie of the Week accolades pic.twitter.com/8X1Ra2vVM0

— CAA Basketball (@CAABasketball) February 17, 2020

4. Loudon Love (Wright State/Horizon League)

The play of Love is the biggest reason Wright State heads into the postseason with a 25-6 overall record and won the conference’s regular season title by a full two games over Northern Kentucky. The 6’9 Love was named Horizon League Player of the Year after averaging 16.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

3. Sa’eed Nelson (American/Patriot League)

American’s all-time leading scorer, Nelson is the only active Division-1 player with 2,000 career points, 500 assists, 500 rebounds and 250 steals. Earlier this week he became the third American player to be named Patriot League Player of the Year, joining Patrick Docter (2002) and Derrick Mercer (2009). Nelson’s Eagles will be the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League tournament.

2. Filip Petrusev (Gonzaga/West Coast)

One of the least-heralded Gonzaga stars in recent years, Petrusev’s meteoric rise in his sophomore season is the main reason the Zags are right back in the mix as a top tier national title contender. The 6’11 native of Serbia enters the postseason averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

1. Anthony Lamb (Vermont/America East)

His numbers are down a bit from last season, but Lamb still seems like a virtual lock to win his second straight America East Player of the Year award. Lamb now also has the opportunity to become just the second player in the history of the America East to be named the Most Valuable Player of the league’s tournament three times. The only time in his college career that Lamb didn’t earn the honor was two years ago when the Catamounts were upset in the championship game by UMBC.

Absolutely nothing noteworthy happened after that.

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

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Biden bets it all on the black vote

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/biden-bets-it-all-on-the-black-vote/

Biden bets it all on the black vote

Former Vice President Joe Biden worships at Morris Brown AME Church in Charleston, S.C., in July. | Meg Kinnard/AP Photo

2020 Elections

The former vice president is betting it all on the black vote.

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Joe Biden’s front-running presidential bid will live or die by the black vote. His campaign tacitly acknowledged it this week.

Advisers to the former vice president began lowering expectations about winning both Iowa and New Hampshire — where more than 90 percent of the primary vote will be cast by white voters — and directing attention toward South Carolina and the South, where black voters will cast a majority of the primary vote in a handful of states on Super Tuesday.

Story Continued Below

It doesn’t mean Biden is conceding the first two nominating contests, just that his campaign views South Carolina — where more than 60 percent of the primary voters are African American — as the one early primary it absolutely cannot afford to lose.

It’s the clearest evidence yet of his campaign’s theory of the case, which is rooted in Biden’s strength among black voters — a vestige of the former vice president’s service in the Obama administration. African Americans back Biden by outsized margins in both the Palmetto State and nationally, which makes South Carolina the linchpin of Biden’s early-state strategy.

South Carolina, the campaign expects, will function as a firewall within the early state gauntlet and as a springboard to Super Tuesday, where anywhere from two-thirds to 28 percent of the electorate is black, depending on the state.

“South Carolina is key because it’s the first state with a substantial African American population. And black voters have traditionally been the key to securing the Democratic nomination and, right now, they’re with Joe Biden,” said Symone Sanders, a top Biden adviser. “If one wants to say it’s a must-win, we think we’re going to do extremely well there.”

According to two advisers who requested anonymity and a source who spoke with Biden, Biden’s campaign believes he needs to win two of the first four early states. One ofthose statesprobably needs to be Iowa or New Hampshire, the sources said. But he can’t get blown out in either — or in the third early state, Nevada, which Biden has visited less often than the others.

“I don’t see any path for Biden to win the nomination without South Carolina,” said Mark Longabaugh, a longtime Democratic strategist who’s neutral in the race and worked for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. “African American support for Biden is crucial for his candidacy.”

Winning black voters in South Carolina, the campaign hopes, would have a force-multiplier effect since any candidate who carries the black vote by big margins — in the southern states generally and in their heavily African American congressional districts specifically — gets a windfall due to delegate allocation rules.

“It’s a delegate game,” Sanders said, repeatedly mentioning that any Democratic nominee must build a “broad, diverse coalition” that primarily includes blacks, whites and Hispanics.

That point — a dig at the other candidates who have comparatively little nonwhite support — was emphasized repeatedly earlier this week during a “fall preview” conference call that the Biden campaign hosted with reporters.

During that call — for the first time — campaign officials began setting expectations for Biden’s early state performance.

“Do I think we have to win Iowa? No,” one senior adviser said, adding that the first caucus state is nevertheless “critical.” Later, turning to the first primary state of New Hampshire, the adviser noted that “as you all know, historically, there’s an incredible home field advantage for a Massachusetts candidate or a New Englander” — a not-so-subtle reference to Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Cliff Albright, co-founder of the group Black Voters Matter, and others who specialize in turning out the African American vote say black voters have stuck by Biden for two major reasons. First, he was the loyal running mate and No. 2 to the first African American president, Barack Obama. Secondly, he’s perceived as the most likely candidate to beat Trump.

Still, Biden’s strategy for the South could come apart depending on what happens up North. If he loses Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden could see his South Carolina advantage evaporate because he could no longer make a compelling electabilityargument after getting beaten in two major contests. That happened to Hillary Clinton in 2008 when Obama scored an upset win in Iowa and shattered her aura of invincibility.

“It spells trouble if he has slippage in Iowa and New Hampshire,” said Adrianne Shropshire, founder of the African American political group BlackPAC. She noted that South Carolina could be a must-win for all the candidates, not just Biden. “It’s important to him and it’s equally important to the other front-runners as well,” she said.

Biden’s advisers say they’re well aware of recent primary history — especially in light of the candidacies of California Sen. Kamala Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, both of whom are black. But neither has, at this point in the 2020 race, come anywhere close to drawingthe same level of support as Obama did in 2008.

As a result, a Biden win in South Carolina wouldn’t just give him momentum heading into the rest of the South, but it would also seriously damage the candidacies of Harris and Booker, said the Rev. Joe Darby, first vice president of the NAACP’s Charleston Branch and an influential pastor from Nichols Chapel AME church.

“If their numbers do not rise in South Carolina,“ he said, “it’s time for some serious prayer and thoughtfulness about what they do next it.”

“You can’t make the mistake Hillary made and take the black vote for granted. You’ve still got to work at it. And I think his [Biden’s] folks are working at,” Darby said. “He’s making the rounds.”

Biden, whose campaign co-chair is a former head of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, began ramping up his black voter outreach in July, after Harris and Booker attacked his record on race.

Late last month, the campaign began stumping in select hair salons and barbershops to spread the word. Last week, he traveled to South Carolina for four rallies, including an event at historically black Clinton College in Rock Hill.

Before Biden traveled to South Carolina last week, he made a point to sit down with black reporters and gave an unprecedented ask-me-anything interview for 90 minutes, followed by another meeting with localAfrican-American reporters.

Biden’s campaign has also hired a South Carolina faith director, Michael McLain, to network with churches, which provide a better way to reach African American voters in the state than going through the traditional party structure. More than 39 pastors in the state have endorsed Biden.

Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, privately attended a cookout with a black business fraternity this summer at the home of an influential African American senator, Marlon Kimpson, who represents a heavily black North Charleston district where the campaign set up a field office. And later this month, the campaign is dispatching Keisha Lance Bottoms — mayor of majority black Atlanta — to South Carolina.

On Sunday, Biden travels to Montgomery, Alabama, for his first visit as a 2020 candidate.

The key to maximizing delegates in Super Tuesday states like Alabama is to win big both statewide and in Democratic congressionaldistricts.

“I would argue that it isn’t necessarily district-specific as it is performance both statewide and across the districts,” political scientist Josh Putnam, who maintains the Frontloading HQ blog that tracks primary states and delegate counts, said via email. “Both Obama (2008) and Clinton (2016) cleaned up in that manner, sweeping through the African American-heavy South and building a delegate lead that ended up being small (Obama) to large enough (Clinton) but insurmountable. Biden is certainly seeking to replicate that, but it goes through South Carolina first (and that likely hinges on how the first three contests go).”

Biden’s adviser, Symone Sanders, said the campaign is ready to withstand multiple candidates fighting hard in the first three states. But the field will winnow by the time South Carolina rolls around on Feb. 29, followed by Super Tuesday three days later.

“We believe there are a number of people who are going to be competitive in Iowa and New Hampshire,” she said. “But not as many folks will be able to compete at the level we’re competing at when it comes to South Carolina and definitely when you go into Super Tuesday.”

#Biden #black #Foreign #Politics

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todaynewsstories · 6 years ago

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Trump’s U.N. envoy Nikki Haley quits, denies 2020 ambitions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday she is resigning as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, but the rising Republican star immediately denied she was preparing to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

Sitting beside Trump in the Oval Office, Haley said her 18-month stint at the United Nations had been “an honor of a lifetime” and said she would stay on until the end of the year.

A former governor of South Carolina who is the daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley is the highest profile woman in Trump’s Cabinet and is often seen as a possible presidential candidate.

But she said in her resignation letter to Trump she would “surely not be a candidate for any office in 2020” and would support his re-election bid.

She told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday: “No, I am not running for 2020.”

Haley said she did not have any future plans set and did not give a reason for her unexpected departure, but Trump said she had told him some six months ago that she was thinking of leaving by the end the year “to take a little time off.”

Haley’s fast rise from a Southern state’s legislature to the world stage suggests the 46-year-old may have greater political ambition.

Describing her U.N. tenure as “fantastic” and “incredible,” Trump was effusive in his praise for Haley. He accepted her resignation and said he would name her successor within two or three weeks.

Haley has been the face of Trump’s “America First” policy at the United Nations, steering the U.S. withdrawal from several U.N. programs and ardently defending his hard-line policies against Iran and North Korea over their nuclear programs.

But Haley has also sometimes distanced herself from Trump.

HIGH PRAISE FROM TRUMP

“She has done an incredible job. She is a fantastic person, very importantly, but she also is somebody that gets it,” Trump said on Tuesday. “She’s done a fantastic job and we’ve done a fantastic job together.”

Haley’s name has come up as possible Republican running mate in the last two presidential elections and she could also become a U.S. senator if fellow South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham takes up a job in the Trump administration, as is often speculated.

Trump suggested the two of them jointly announce Haley’s departure in the Oval Office, an administration official said, noting that Haley was the only outgoing senior member of Trump’s administration to be feted in this way.

Returning the favor, Haley praised Trump and his family for their support.

She described Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and aide, as “such a hidden genius that no one understands” for his work on renegotiating the NAFTA trade deal and preparing a long-awaited Middle East peace plan that has not yet been released.

The feel-good nature of her resignation was markedly different from other departures from the Trump Cabinet. Trump unceremoniously announced his firing of former secretary of state Rex Tillerson in March in a tweet.

Haley was seen by her counterparts at the United Nations as a voice of clarity in a U.S. administration that often gave off mixed signals on foreign policy, diplomats say.

But she has been overshadowed in recent months by the appointments of Trump loyalist Mike Pompeo as secretary of state and hawk John Bolton as White House national security adviser.

Pompeo has led policy on talks with North Korea, while Bolton has taken the lead on trying to implement Trump’s hard line against Iran.

Senator Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Haley’s resignation “yet another sign of the Trump Administration’s chaotic foreign policy.”

“I am deeply concerned about the leadership vacuum she leaves and the national security impact of her departure at this time of continued disarray,” Menendez said in a statement.

Haley is the latest in a long line of high-profile departures from the administration, such as that of Tillerson and Steve Bannon, Trump’s chief strategist, who left in August 2017.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks with U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in the Oval Office of the White House after it was reported the president had accepted the Haley’s resignation. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

DOMESTIC CREDENTIALS

A convert to Christianity in her 20s after being raised a Sikh, Haley is popular with religious conservatives in the South.

Her status as a potential candidate for national high office was boosted in 2015 when she ordered the Confederate battle flag to be pulled down at South Carolina’s state capitol grounds after a white supremacist gunman shot dead nine black worshipers at a church in Charleston.

Haley has also applauded women who come forward to denounce sexual abuse or misconduct by men and said they should be heard, even if they are accusing Trump.

“Women who accuse anyone should be heard,” Haley said last December after accusations against three members of Congress. “They should be heard, and they should be dealt with.”

Referring to women whose accusations brought down powerful men, like movie producer Harvey Weinstein, Haley said: “I’m proud of their strength. I’m proud of their courage.”

Haley has long taken a tougher public stance on Russia than Trump, who has sought better relations with President Vladimir Putin.

Haley raised eyebrows within the administration when she announced in April that Washington was going to impose sanctions on Moscow over its support of Syria’s government. Trump then decided not to go ahead with the move.

Haley fought against what she called anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, and sometimes seemed to be channeling Trump’s abrasive style of diplomacy.

Last year, she upset U.S. allies and foes alike by warning that the United States would be “taking names” of countries that backed a U.N. resolution criticizing Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Echoing previous statements from Trump, Haley said on Tuesday that the United States under his presidency is now respected around the world.

“Now the United States is respected. Countries may not like what we do, but they respect what we do. They know that if we say we’re going to do something, we follow it through,” she said.

Slideshow (5 Images)

Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Steve Holland; additional reportng by Doina Chiacu, Makini Brice, Susan Heavey, Patricia Zengerle and Lisa Lambert in Washington and Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Writing by Alistair Bell; editing by Mary Milliken, Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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democratsunited-blog · 6 years ago

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For Father's Day: Republican questions Democrat running for Congress with a newborn | Palmetto Politics

https://uniteddemocrats.net/?p=3857

For Father's Day: Republican questions Democrat running for Congress with a newborn | Palmetto Politics

Charleston County GOP Chairman Larry Kobrovsky thinks it’s bad form for new father and Democratic congressional candidate Joe Cunningham to not stay home with his baby.

In an interview with local video reporter Quintin Washington, Kobrovsky uttered the word “abandon” as he described Cunningham, the Democratic nominee who’ll take on Republican Katie Arrington in the coastal 1st District this fall.

“Speaking as a man, I can’t imagine anybody who has a newborn baby, it seems the height of self-absorption to not be there,” he said.

.@ChsDems chair .@bradyqg and .@chasngop chair Larry Kobrovsky talk to me about .@karringtonsc‘s primary win, the gubernatorial runoff and local results. WATCH: https://t.co/YkLN9VWRt5 #CHS #chsnews #chspol #scpol #sctweets #Quintinscloseups

— Quintin Washington (@QuintinOnCamera) June 14, 2018

In his view, it takes a Superman figure to run for office, especially for Congress, he added.

The comment drew an immediate and hostile response from Charleston Democratic Chairman Brady Quirk-Garvan, who in Washington’s video slammed Kobrovsky for putting his spin on Cunningham’s desire to run, his family decisions and level of energy.

“You can’t say abandon,” he said. “That’s a ridiculous statement to make, and you know that.”

Quirk-Garvan later demanded that Kobrovsky apologize.

Kobrovsky on Friday said he was speaking about how he would act in the same situation.

“It’s ridiculous to ask for an apology. I was expressing how I felt,” he said.

In the aftermath, Kobrovsky’s comments drew a rash of digs on social media, including by other Republicans.

“My first born arrived during my first term of office in the SC House & I’ve had two others follow since,” state Rep. Peter McCoy, R-James Island, said on Twitter. “I pride myself on being an excellent father AND serving my community at the same time. The R party needs to welcome & include people of ALL races, sex, age, & stages in life.”

My first born arrived during my first term of office in the SC House & I’ve had two others follow since. I pride myself on being an excellent father AND serving my community at the same time. The R party needs to welcome & include people of ALL races, sex, age, & stages in life. https://t.co/DKKRYvBmXT

— Peter M. McCoy, Jr. (@petermccoyforsc) June 14, 2018

Cunningham’s response was to post a photo on his Twitter account of him holding his 4-month-old son, Boone, in a swimming pool.

This is why I’m running. pic.twitter.com/xerWB3yyR9

— Joe Cunningham (@JoeCunninghamSC) June 14, 2018

“This is why I’m running,” he said.

McMaster to attend Charleston GOP meeting Monday

Gov. Henry McMaster (left) and GOP primary runoff rival John Warren. File/Grace Alford/Staff

Gov. Henry McMaster called and requested to be the guest speaker Monday at the regularly scheduled meeting of the Charleston County Republican Party.

The move will probably spark the biggest attendance in quite a while, as party matters tend to wind down during the summer.

Plus, there’s that heated primary runoff June 26 with Greenville businessman John Warren for the party’s gubernatorial nomination.

Warren will be concentrating his activities in Rock Hill, Lexington and Aiken, his campaign said.

The Charleston party invited all its primary winners to attend the meeting, as well, and even one significant loser: Mark Sanford.

The 1st District congressman lost his bid for another term in an upset to state Rep. Katie Arrington of Summerville. No word on whether Sanford plans to attend.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at North Charleston City Hall.

A bag of state-authorized medical marijuana in California. File

Republicans need not apply for medical marijuana

Several angry Republican primary voters telephoned Palmetto Politics upset and asking why they couldn’t voice their opinion on legalizing medical marijuana in the state, like the Democrats did Tuesday.

The ballot question, added long ago by the S.C. Democratic Party leadership, was highly popular, passing with 82 percent support.

That translates to 200,000 voters.

Some of the Republican callers said they supported the idea as a means of easing pain or as an aide in addressing other diseases, with one man listing Parkinson’s as a reason.

But it’s bad news, Republicans: There are no plans to gauge GOP voter support for medical weed.

“I haven’t heard any interest in doing that from anybody, certainly not from Republicans in any way,” state party Chairman Drew McKissick said.

McKissick said he saw no need to take up ballot space for a question no one on their side is interested in.

The questions Republicans saw Tuesday covered two other issues: support for registration by party and changes to the state tax code. Both were backed overwhelmingly.

Even with the medical pot interest, there’s no chance it will become law anytime soon since it hinges on action from the Legislature.

Voting machines from South Carolina. File

Our antique voting machines

The touchscreen voting machines used in South Carolina elections are approaching the end of their life expectancy.

The state Election Commission is counting on $6 million from the federal government to help replace 13,000 machines statewide.

That’s South Carolina’s share of the $380 million Congress put in the budget for upgrading voting systems nationwide amid fears of hacking and Russian interference.

But replacing South Carolina’s 14-year-old paperless system could cost more than $50 million.

State election officials have been asking the Legislature for six years to set aside money for new machines, knowing the system’s expected life span is 15 years.

The agency’s been able to squirrel away $1 million, so far.

Legislators’ proposed budget for the fiscal year starting July 1, which they’ve yet to finalize, includes $4 million toward a new system and $4 million for maintenance, which may be needed to keep the old machines running if legislators don’t come up with a lot more cash next year.

Schuyler Kropf and Seanna Adcox contributed.

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#Democrats

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bbcbreakingnews · 4 years ago

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Kardashian’s ‘shocked’ after Kanye West claimed he and Kim were considering aborting baby North

The Kardashians have been left ‘shocked beyond words’ after Kanye West revealed that he and his wife considered having an abortion when she was pregnant with their first child North West.

The 43-year-old rapper took to the stage at North Charleston’s Exquis Event Center in South Carolina on Sunday to reveal that he and Kim Kardashian, 39, considered aborting their daughter, who is now seven, before he got a ‘message from God’.

However his unscripted speech, which came two weeks after he announced his unlikely bid for president, has since left his wife and her family upset and alarmed, according to TMZ.

Sources told the news site that members of the family have been left ‘shocked beyond words’ by the Grammy-award winner’s comments and feel he is in ‘desperate need of professional help’.

The rapper Kanye West revealed that he and his wife considered having an abortion when she was pregnant with their first child during a presidential rally on Sunday

Kim Kardashian and her family have been left ‘shocked’ and ‘upset’ by the rapper’s comments at the rally

Following Kanye’s rally speech, Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard blasted the Kardashians and claimed they did not care for the rapper’s wellbeing.

‘You are not here for him. This man is crying out and you are not here for him. I’m done with all of them.’

The frustrated reality star later urged viewers to not let the rapper’s display deter them from voting for ‘viable candidates’ in the election.

Dillard added: ‘Please don’t allow this to deter you from voting for viable candidates who actually have the experience and the marbles and the mental stability to be able to do the job that needs to be done to get out country back to a place that makes sense.’

During his rally on Sunday, the rapper, who was dressed in a bullet-proof vest, shared that in 2013 Kim ‘had the pills in her hand’ to have an abortion before he was inspired by God to have the child.

He said: ‘My girlfriend called me screaming, crying. I’m a rapper. And she said I’m pregnant. She was crying.’

Following Kanye’s rally speech Real Housewives of Potomac star Candiace Dillard blasted the Kardashians

Kanye West pictured with wife Kim Kardashian and their children North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, in a photo posted on Father’s Day on June 21, 2020

During his first presidential campaign the star discussed abortion and said his father wanted to abort him

Kanye said he was weighing up what to do, when he received what he interpreted as a sign from God while he was working on his laptop in Paris.

He yelled: ‘My screen went black and white. And God said, if you f*** with my vision I f*** with yours.

‘And I called my girlfriend and said we’re going to have this child.

‘Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into this world, when I did not want to.’

The rapper went on to break down in tears as he shouted: ‘She had the pills in her hand! I almost killed my daughter!’

During his speech, Kanye also revealed that his father wanted to abort him but his mother Donda ‘saved his life’.

He said: ‘My mum saved my life. My dad wanted to abort me. My mum saved my life. There would have been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy.’

Kanye spent much of the rally discussing abortion, and announced that he wanted women to be given money by the government for bearing children, to discourage abortion.

‘Abortion should be legal but the option of maximum increase should be available,’ he said.

‘Everybody who has a baby gets a million dollars or something.’

The rapper spent much of the rally discussing abortion, and announced that he wanted women to be given money by the government for bearing children

The Bound 2 singer went explain that he wanted all mothers to be free from the worries of child care before pointing out that Steve Jobs was adopted.

‘Steve Jobs was adopted,’ he said.

‘It takes a village to raise a child. No matter how much money you have. Society is set up for single women to not have a village.

‘So I moved to a small town, in Cody, Wyoming.’

The rapper’s wife Kim Kardashian, 39, gave birth to the couple’s first child together, North, on June 15, 2013.

She also shares sons Saint, 4, Psalm, 1, and two-year-old daughter Chicago with the musician, who she married in 2014.

MailOnline has contacted Kim Kardashian’s agent for comment.

The post Kardashian’s ‘shocked’ after Kanye West claimed he and Kim were considering aborting baby North appeared first on BBC BREAKING NEWS.

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#TOP STORIES

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junker-town · 7 years ago

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Highly-rated NCAA official John Higgins won’t ref Final Four after blowing a 1st round call

Higgins helped send the wrong man to the free throw line late in a first round game. Now he won’t ref the national semifinal.

In a first round game between Auburn and the College of Charleston, referee John Higgins was part of a crew that allowed the wrong man to shoot the game-icing free throws that ended the Cougars’ upset bid. As a result, the highly-regarded official won’t be making his previously-assigned trip to the Final Four.

The NCAA announced it had taken Higgins off its weekend schedule after the veteran was an alternate on a crew that allowed Auburn’s Jared Harper, an 82 percent free throw shooter, to shoot a pair of free throws with four seconds left and the Tigers leading 61-58. However, the man who drew the foul was actually forward Chuma Okeke — who shot 69 percent from the line this winter. Harper hit one of his two shots, effectively clinching the game for the No. 4 seed and ending Charleston’s Cinderella bid.

“The official called the foul, briefly turned his head towards the scorer’s table and then turned his head back towards the basket where the foul occurred,” NCAA officiating coordinator J.D. Collins told CBS shortly after that game. “When he did so, Auburn’s Jared Harper (#1) was holding the ball because [Chuma] passed it to him just as he grabbed the rebound. The official pointed to Harper, identifying him as the shooter. Had any of the officials been aware of this, or had anyone alerted the officiating crew to the fact that the wrong player was at the foul line, the officials would have been able to review the play and determine [Chuma] should have been the shooter.”

It wasn’t the only criticized decision from the final seconds. Charleston guard Grant Riller appeared to draw contact while shooting a game-tying three, but officials kept their whistles silent as the Tigers hauled in the rebound that led to Harper’s misappropriated free throws.

Should this have been a foul? pic.twitter.com/bx95M4M1O8

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 17, 2018

Putting Harper on the line was a mistake Higgins didn’t directly make, but his inability to correct it will cost him. He was pulled from last week’s Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight action, and will miss the Final Four as well. Collins explained the NCAA’s decision to keep the accomplished veteran off the court for the season’s biggest weekend:

“If an official errs on a rule, misses a game-deciding play or his miss-call ratio is too high, they are subject to not advancing in the NCAA tournament,” Collins told ESPN on Sunday night.

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kingmindint · 7 years ago

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Crypto Bear Market Continues With a 20 Percent Drop in Bitcoin: Week in Review Apr. 3

It was another difficult week for cryptocurrency investors as 2018’s downward trend continued with bitcoin dropping by over 20 percent from March 26.

The main driver cited behind the decline in cryptocurrency valuations was further bans for cryptocurrency-related advertising as Twitter has also announced that it would ban crypto ads to fight fraudulent activity in this industry. With a lack of exposure for bitcoin wallet and exchanges on social media, it will become harder to grow the cryptocurrency investor community, which investors have priced into bitcoin & co this week.

Email marketing provider MailChimp also announced that it would stop servicing cryptocurrency startups in an attempt to curb “scams, fraud, phishing, and potentially misleading business practices.” Having said that, the cryptocurrency community is fighting back against the oligopoly of the social media giants Twitter, Facebook and Google. Blockchain associations across the globe are preparing to file a lawsuit against the tech companies that are prohibiting marketing for crypto-related products and services.

On the positive news front, the beta version of the lightning network has gone live and there are already over 1,000 nodes supporting the network. This could be the beginning of a lasting solution for Bitcoin’s scalability challenge, which should bode well for the price of bitcoin in the coming months.

Furthermore, Coinbase announced that it will support ERC20 tokens on its platform, which should give Ethereum-based tokens a boost in the future.

This week’s contributions have been provided by Cindy Huynh, Nuno Menezes, Ogwu Osaemezu Emmanuel, Priyeshu Garg, and Shaurya Malwa.

Wall Street Analyst Provides Some Evidence ‘HODLing’ Bitcoin is Best

According to Wall Street analyst Thomas Lee, if an investor were unable to hold stocks through the golden ten days for the S&P 500 each year, the yearly return would see a drop from 9.2 to 5.4 percent.

“Long-time holders are worried because they have big gains and they’re worried about falling prices. But, Bitcoin is a great store value. It works really well. It’s kind of boring because it’s not the latest and most exciting project. But it also is one of the most liquid ways to get exposure to crypto,” Thomas Lee, head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisor told CNBC. He also added, “the mood in crypto is terrible right now.”

Likewise, Lee also added that the reason ‘buy and hold’ (or HODL) makes sense for BTC is that a handful of days each year account for the bulk of gains for BTC. For instance, in 2017, a total of 12 days represented the full-year return of BTC.

China Identifies Digital Currency as a Top-Priority, Focuses on Developing Its Own

On March 28, 2018, the PBoC outlined its agenda for 2018 at a conference on the subject, stating that innovation and promoting research and development of the central bank’s digital currency are going to be top priorities for the financial authority.

The announcement underlines a strong emphasis on the need to strengthen the Renminbi (China’s official currency) and jack up capital controls.

The PBoC conducted the 2018 National Currency Gold and Silver Work Video and Telephone Conference. The conference saw the participants discuss various issues pertaining to financial development, as well as the challenges awaiting China’s economy in the coming fiscal.

The PBoC was represented by Deputy Governor Fan Yifei who delivered a speech outlining the central bank’s vision for 2018.

International Crime Outfit uses Bitcoin to ‘Clean’ Stolen Money

A gang of Ukrainians and Russian cybercriminals was seized March 22 by the Spanish Police. Apparently, the group has allegedly stolen along five years from financial institutions worldwide more than one billion euros (about $1.24 billion) and converting to bitcoin.

According to the Spanish police and European Union law enforcement agency, Europol, the criminal mastermind behind the gang known as “Denis K” was arrested in Alicante, a coastal city of Spain, 350 kilometers southeast from the country’s capital, Madrid. The cybercriminals were long being tracked by the several security institutions across several countries in an ongoing investigation.

The hackers were able to inject malware to target more than 100 financial institutions worldwide. With these malware attacks, the criminals were able to steal about 10 million euros ($12.3 million) in each heist. According to the investigators, the criminals were able to target almost all of Russia’s banks, and about 50 of them lost money in the cyber-attacks.

German Authorities Make Bitcoin Official Legal Tender in the Tourism Sector

In a point for cryptocurrencies, however, the German National Tourist Board (GNTB) has now made bitcoin legal tender in the tourism industry.

Present in 32 countries, the GNTB is poised to be a force to reckon with in the blockchain and crypto space. The organization is focused on championing the revolution in the tourism ecosystem.

“We want to be a global innovation driver in the tourism industry,” CEO of GNTB, Petra Hedorfer declared, adding that “In the course of our digitization strategy, we are constantly reviewing the latest technology and trends their applicability in our company.”

As such, it’s clear that the organization firmly believes in the capabilities of the distributed ledger technology. Therefore it is wasting no time in integrating the disruptive innovation into its processes in a bid revolutionize the tourism sector.

Withdrawal Issues at Bitcoin Exchange Cryptopia Is Panicking Customers

According to Stuff, in early February, a lot of the exchange users started to report withdrawal delays among other issues with the platform. Since then, the number of complaints has raised exponentially. Customers are very upset with the withdrawal delays issues, and the problem is escalating fast. Customers are now afraid the exchange goes rogue and steals their coins.

Aside from the platform issues, the exchange stands now accused of scamming its customers as well, but, no real evidence has been presented so far.

Despite Cryptopia being a small exchange, it is reasonably known among altcoin users as it is the only exchange where you can find some low-cap cryptocurrencies. We all know that managing a cryptocurrency exchange is no easy task, especially a small one like Cryptopia. However, the issues with the platform have been going on for a long time now as users are demanding for things to be solved.

Cryptopia users have a lot of concerns right now as to whether the platform will be able to solve the ongoing issues or if it will become something like Cryptsy, which strangely enough started with the same problems right before its shutdown.

Australian Tax Office Seeks Public Input of Cryptocurrency Taxes

On March 26, the ATO mentioned the update of their cryptocurrency taxation guidelines on March 13. However, the increased interest in cryptocurrency taxes resulted in a large number of queries from the community concerning specific tax events. To clarify the situation, the ATO is launching a “community consultation” to understand and address the common questions about cryptocurrency transactions:

“The purpose of this consultation is to seek feedback on practical compliance issues arising from complying with taxation obligations about cryptocurrency transactions. In particular, we are interested in any practical issues that may impact on taxpayers’ abilities to calculate and substantial any capital gains and losses for capital gains tax (CGT) purposes.”

According to Business Insider Australia, on February 28, 2018, the ATO announced that they would pursue cryptocurrency investors to ensure they fulfill their cryptocurrency tax liabilities.

WannaCry Ransomware Strikes Boeing, Aviation Giant Says Situation Is Under Control

According to reports, a Boeing production plant in Charleston, South Carolina, found itself at the receiving end of the infamous crypto worm (a type of malware developed using cryptography).

It looks like the attack was detected pretty early and Mike VanderWel, Chief Engineer at Boeing Commercial Airplane production unit, dispatched a company-wide memo asking for “all hands on deck.”

“It is metastasizing rapidly out of North Charleston, and I just heard 777 (automated spar assembly tools) may have gone down,” reads the memo.

As the news broke, it created a panic in some quarters as it was theoretically possible for the virus to affect equipment used in functional airplane tests, which could worsen the already bad situation by infecting in-flight software.

However, Boeing played down the severity of the attack and released a statement on March 28, 2018, saying that only a limited number of machines were affected. It further clarified that the production lines were working as usual without any interruption of any kind.

ERC20 Tokens to Be Supported on Coinbase

In a press release dated March 26, 2018, Coinbase published a report on its intention to add Ethereum ERC-20 support for its range of products. By supporting the Ethereum ERC20 technical standard, the US-based firm can add a lot of “altcoins” on its wallets and exchanges, thus opening the gates for a flood of new investors.

Whenever Coinbase makes an announcement, it generally causes an influx of new investors, as the company has a large and trusted user base around the world, but primarily in America.

While the announcement has had no significant impact on the market yet, attributing to the general bearish sentiment, the news is important in paving the way forward for an increased number of people purchasing, using, and trading cryptocurrencies apart from bitcoin and ether.

The post Crypto Bear Market Continues With a 20 Percent Drop in Bitcoin: Week in Review Apr. 3 appeared first on BTCMANAGER.

source: https://btcmanager.com/crypto-bear-market-continues-with-a-20-percent-drop-in-bitcoin-wir-apr-3/

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via Kingmind Crypto Bear Market Continues With a 20 Percent Drop in Bitcoin: Week in Review Apr. 3

#Kingmind #Kingmind International

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buddyrabrahams · 7 years ago

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10 small school players who could become March Madness heroes

Many players have made their name in March Madness. Stephen Curry, after all, first burst onto the national scene with Davidson’s Cinderella run in 2008. He is just one of many who have briefly entranced the nation as a little-known player on a little-known team to slay a few giants on the way to a surprisingly deep tournament run.

There will probably be someone like that in this year’s tournament Here are ten small school players who could end up shocking the college basketball world.

1) Mike Daum, South Dakota State

One of the nation’s elite scorers, Daum has a chance to really trouble a major team. The redshirt junior averaged 23.8 points per game, good for sixth in the nation, and has done enough to even put himself on the NBA’s radar.

Daum is a problem not just because of his scoring, but also his size. He stands 6-foot-9, yet still shoots 42 percent from three-point range and 46 percent from the field. He has NCAA Tournament experience, having scored 17 points as a 16-seed against Gonzaga a year ago. He could have an explosive performance, and a big team — perhaps first-round opponent Ohio State — could take the fall.

2) Jaylen Adams, St. Bonaventure

Adams has driven the Bonnies on their late-season hot streak, including back-to-back 40 point games at the start of February. He slowed down slightly in the conference tournament, but that’s been the exception to the rule for him recently. Adams averages 19.8 points per game and can shoulder the load for St. Bonaventure.

Adams can also spread the ball around. He averages 5.4 assists, and though he hasn’t managed a double-double this season, he’s more than capable of putting up lines like 20 points and eight or nine assists. He pulls the strings for a St. Bonaventure team that could be very dangerous.

3) Jonathan Stark, Murray State

Murray State has produced plenty of great guards in their day — remember Isaiah Canaan? Adding to that tradition is Tulane transfer Jonathan Stark, who will have a big hand in any upset the Ohio Valley Conference champions manage to pull.

Stark averages 21.8 points per game, and he shoots 41 percent from beyond the arc. He’s an elite free throw shooter too; at 88 percent, he can reliably be trusted at the line if the Racers are in a tight one down the stretch and trying to put things away. If he gets hot from the field, the Racers can definitely give West Virginia trouble.

4) Zach Thomas, Bucknell

The Bucknell swing man simply fills the stat sheet. Don’t be fooled by his 6-foor-7 stature — Thomas can rebound with the best of them, and he can complement it with good scoring as well.

Thomas came very close to averaging a double-double this season, with 20.3 points per game to go with 9.2 rebounds. While not an elite three-point shooter, he’s a threat from downtown, shooting 37 percent. He does his real damage from inside the arc, and he gets to the line a lot as well, getting about nine three throw attempts a game and shooting 77 percent when he gets them. He can do damage, and the Bison will try to ride him.

5) C.J. Burks, Marshall

Burks wasn’t a big producer for Marshall in his first two seasons at the school, but things have changed quickly in his junior season. After averaging fewer than 10 points per game in his first two seasons, he’s really come on strong, averaging 20.5 points per game.

Burks isn’t particularly great from three — he simply shoots a lot and scores a lot. He’s scored 30 points in three separate games this season, so he can really pile up the points quickly if his shot is falling for him. That’s a big danger for his first-round opponent, Wichita State.

6) Jon Elmore, Marshall

If Burks doesn’t get it done, there’s a good chance that Elmore will. He actually outpaced his teammate Burks in terms of scoring, averaging 22.8 points per game to lead the entire team.

There’s even more to Elmore’s game than scoring. He racks up 6.9 assists per game and six rebounds. He’s a legitimate triple-double threat — he has two of them on the season, and he’s come close a couple more times. Elmore is the team leader and most talented player, and he could certainly make some noise in the tournament.

7) Peyton Aldridge, Davidson

Davidson surprised many by snatching the automatic bid out of the Atlantic 10, and Aldridge was a big reason why. He had 13 points and seven rebounds in the final win over Rhode Island. As his season-long statistics bear out, he’s capable of much more than that.

Aldridge averaged 21.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game overall, and the 6-foot-7 big man has a 45-point game — against St. Bonaventure, no less — to his name. He shoots nearly 40 percent from three, too, which stretches defenses and makes him a real threat from inside and outside. Look out for him when Davidson matches up against Kentucky.

8) Clayton Custer, Loyola-Chicago

The Missouri Valley Player of the Year, Custer makes the Ramblers tick. He missed part of the season with an ankle injury, but their record with him in the lineup is an eye-popping 26-2. That’s no coincidence — Custer is a fine floor general who is credited with being the sparkplug offensively, even if his statlines aren’t necessarily on the gaudy side.

Custer averages 13.4 points and 4.3 assists per game, and much of the offense goes through him. The former Iowa State player’s impact on this team is bigger than the stat sheet reflects. Loyola will look to him to guide them to a first round upset over Miami.

9) Jemerrio Jones, New Mexico State

Jones isn’t the guy who will shoot New Mexico State to victory if they win — that would be guard Zach Lofton, who leads the team in points per game. Where Jones excels is on the glass. It’s what made him WAC Player of the Year, and it’s what separates the Aggies from many of their mid-major peers.

Jones averages 13.2 rebounds per game despite standing a modest 6-foot-5, and his 9.4 defensive boards per contest lead Division I. Showing his versatility, his 3.1 assists per game lead the team too. He’s a great player, and he could be a big problem for Clemson once things tip off.

10) Grant Riller, Charleston

The Cougars have three players who average at least 17 points per game, but Riller is the best of the bunch. That’s down to how good of a shooter he is. He shoots 55 percent from the field and 40 percent from three, meaning he’s outstanding from inside the arc and very capable from deep as well. He’s come on particularly strong lately, with a trio of 30-point games in February that helped propel Charleston forward.

Riller is an excellent player who, aided by his free-scoring teammates, can take over a game. That could be bad news for Auburn, but Riller has a real chance to make a name for himself with a strong performance or two.

from Larry Brown Sports http://ift.tt/2p6AcVs

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auburnfamilynews · 7 years ago

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Despite what your heart may tell you, Auburn is not the only team playing this weekend. I know what it’s like going to the games sometimes... you feel like you’re in an orange and blue bubble, and if you’ve got AT&T, finding other scores can be difficult to come by. THAT DOESN’T MEAN THE OTHER GAMES DON’T MATTER. College football is back, and we’ve got only a dozen-odd weekends to soak it all in before our long national nightmare of NFL-only returns!

So, what else is going on this weekend? There are some big SEC games, some big national games, and I will tell you my personal feelings on each of these games and how you should also choose to support one side or the other.

SEC APPETIZERS

There are a ton of games that don’t matter in the conference this weekend. Missouri/Missouri State, Mississippi State/Charleston Southern, Ole Miss/South Alabama, and Vandy/MTSU are all clunkers that won’t matter unless the crazy upset happens. With parity and the quality of the SEC teams in these games, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we could see an upset, but you probably shouldn’t pull for it. If this is the year that we see a two-loss team get into the playoffs (not Bama, please), then the conference that produces one such team will need to be a murderer’s row. Conferences with losses to FCS/Sun Belt teams don’t get that designation.

SALAD AND BREADSTICKS

South Carolina vs NC State - 2:00 pm CST - Charlotte, NC

I think in general (aside from Georgia) we would all like the East to get a little better as a division. It has to start here for the Gamecocks if they’d like to return to the SEC Championsip Game for the first time in seven years. In Spurrier’s best seasons, they only reached Atlanta once, but with Jake Bentley at quarterback and a Will Muschamp defense on deck, they may be able to spring what would be considered a mild upset in the opener. NC State’s been a sleeper pick for the playoff (by Cole Cubelic), and they should be better, but it’s hard to see them taking such a big leap. Pull for the SEC team that we don’t really have a problem with.

Florida vs Michigan - 2:30 pm CST - Arlington, TX

In the second of our two early neutral-site games, Florida will attempt to beat Michigan short-handed, much like you’ll attempt to eat your entire Olive Garden dinner after seven breadsticks. It won’t happen. We have to look ahead. Should Auburn fall this year and Alabama make the SEC Championship for the fourth straight year, please give them a more difficult opponent than Florida. It almost seems like Jim McElwain has a soft spot for his old coaching stop, since he doesn’t really like to coach all that hard against them.

That said, let Florida lose early and often. Pull for the wildness that is Jimmy Harbaugh and let the Victors ring through Jerry World all afternoon long.

SOUP

Georgia vs Appalachian State - 5:15 pm CST - Athens, GA

Auburn has inexplicably fallen to Georgia the past three seasons. The Tigers have been the better team each of those years, and somehow we’re 0-3 against Georgia. I know there are the honor-filled that want every team to be undefeated when Auburn plays them, but we need a little help. Let Georgia be a completely lost team when they come into Auburn in November for what will be a pride game only on their side. Let that start this weekend with either a squeaker or a loss to the Mountaineers.

App can absolutely pull this off. If they do, they’ll run the table and likely earn a New Year’s Six bid as the Group of Five representative.

What will really happen is that Georgia looks good in a big win, loses the weird game at Tennessee and somewhere else, and comes into Auburn where the Tigers will have to win on a late dipsy-doodle.

Still, pull for the former. Let’s go App.

MAIN COURSE

Alabama vs Florida State - 7:00 pm CST - Atlanta, GA

In the inaugural college football matchup at the new Mercedes-Benz in Atlanta, we’re getting what’s been touted as the biggest opening weekend game ever. And for those of us going to the Auburn game, you likely won’t see a single second of this game live.

There’s a common thread in this game with all of the other big neutral site games that Alabama’s played over the years. The appearance of hope for the other side. We all know who to pull for, there’s really no doubt that Florida State must win this game, but it’s a long shot.

Under Nick Saban, Alabama’s beaten former Saban assistants by roughly 30 points per game. Just look at the scores in the big openers... 52-6 over Southern Cal last year, 35-17 over Wisconsin, 35-10 over Virginia Tech, 41-14 over Michigan. They’re always ready for these games.

But this one’s different. Yeah, Jalen Hurts was great in his freshman year, but nobody had any film to scheme against him. Now, his running will likely be limited with a new offensive coordinator, and he’ll have to try and make waves throwing the ball against the best secondary in college football with two preseason All-Americans in Derwin James and Tavares McFadden. Florida State’s good. Deondre Francois is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the country. The Seminole defense is chock-full of playmakers.

Alabama’s just the horror movie villain that isn’t dead until the credits roll and the studios have crushed any thought of a sequel. My heart says Go Noles, my head says no way. You know how to pull in this one, but don’t get your hopes up.

DESSERT AND COFFEE

LSU vs BYU - 8:30 pm CST - New Orleans, LA

Originally scheduled for Houston, we’re all aware of how impossible that would be with the horrible flooding thanks to Hurricane Harvey. Another wrinkle in this game is the fact that there may be suspensions coming for the LSU team, but Ed Orgeron’s remaining tight-lipped on that subject. Rumors are rampant, but we won’t know anything for sure until kickoff.

With Tanner Mangum at quarterback for BYU and a game under their belts already, this is a team that could be dangerous especially with everyone focusing on the weather as opposed to the game. If LSU really is short-handed, that’s an obvious problem. BYU didn’t look great last weekend against Portland State, but that could’ve just been because they spent much more time preparing for LSU. If the Cougs are able to spring the upset, Coach O’s permanent tenure in Baton Rouge takes an early hit.

I feel the same way about this one as I do about the Georgia game. We play LSU in Death Valley this year, and we need some help to break an eight-game losing streak in Baton Rouge. If LSU loses early and they start to wobble, we might be able to give them the death blow...

LATE NIGHT ALKA-SELTZER

Tennessee vs Georgia Tech - Labor Day - 7:00 pm CST - Atlanta, GA

In the second game this weekend at the new monstrosity in Atlanta, the Vols will meet the Jackets. Like we said, let’s pump up the East a bit, so we pull for Tennessee. It’ll be the only show that night, so you can get back into your weekly routine with Monday Night Football CFB-Style. We’re still mad about Reggie Ball, so go Vols.

(Also, my wife is a Tennessee fan, so I have to write this)

from College and Magnolia http://bit.ly/2eMlrCR

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growingdenver · 8 years ago

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Colorado State basketball gets NIT bid, prepares for Tuesday home game

The Magnificent Seven have at least one more act left. Colorado State basketball received a 4 seed in the NIT and will host No. 5 the College of Charleston in the first round on Tuesday at Moby Arena (7 p.m., ESPN3). CSU will be making its 20th postseason appearance, its third in five seasons under coach Larry Eustachy, and its ninth in the NIT. As a 1 seed two years ago, the Rams were upset by…

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yahoo-the-dagger-blog · 8 years ago

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Winthrop avenges previous Big South title game losses, secures NCAA bid

Winthrop captured the Big South tournament title on Sunday. (AP)

Three straight years, Keon Johnson had been part of Winthrop teams that reached the Big South title game only to fall one win shy of an NCAA tournament bid.

On Sunday, the dynamic 5-foot-7 guard made sure it wouldn’t happen to him a fourth time.

Johnson scored a team-high 26 points to lead top-seeded Winthrop to a 76-59 victory over seventh-seeded Campbell in Sunday’s Big South title game. Twelve of Johnson’s points came in the opening four minutes of the second half, fueling a surge that extended a seven-point halftime lead to 16 only moments later.

The brilliant performance from Johnson was a stark contrast to a year ago when he fizzled on the Big South’s biggest stage. Johnson scored only two points on nightmarish 1-for-16 shooting in a 77-68 title game loss to UNC Asheville.

Motivated by the chance to erase the memory of those struggles, Johnson excelled in all three of Winthrop’s Big South tournament games this year. He torched Charleston Southern and Gardner-Webb for 31 points apiece in the quarterfinals and semifinals, proving tough to keep out of the lane and lethal from behind the arc.

It’s fitting that this is the year Winthrop finally broke through because this is probably the best of the four teams coach Pat Kelsey has taken to the Big South title game. The Eagles (26-6, 15-3) upset Illinois in Champaign back in November and then nearly ran the table in the Big South regular season, dropping three games by a total of eight points.

Getting Winthrop back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010 will surely make Kelsey a candidate for some higher-profile jobs this spring, but now is not the time for him to worry about that.

For now, he and his star senior guard can celebrate a break-through victory after three years of title game heartache.

SPOTLIGHTING: WINTHROP

Record: 26-6, 15-3 Top player: Keon Johnson, G, Senior (22.4 ppg) Coach: Pat Kelsey, fifth year Last NCAA bid: 2010 Record in last 10: 9-1 RPI/KenPom: 70/114 Projected NCAA seed: 14

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!

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dirtylittle87 · 8 years ago

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March Madness

March Madness has officially begun. This post will primarily focus on the lower-tier conference tournaments (those which have already begun, or will begin this weekend).

The American East tournament tipped off last night. Top 3 seeds Vermont, Stony Brook & Albany all won by double-digits, as expected. I liked UMBC to pull off the 5v4 upset over New Hampshire, but they didn’t come through for me. I played all 4 games ATS, Stony Brook, Albany & UMBC on the moneyline (wasn’t laying -16500 on Vermont), a 4-team parlay on the moneyline for my 4 picks, and a 4-team teaser. Thankfully, UMBC got a push on the +9 in my teaser, and I finished +2.90 units for the American East opening round. I’m expecting Vermont to beat NH by about 15 in the 2nd round. I expect Stony Brook to be favored over Albany by about 3 points (based on 2 & 7 point victories over the Great Danes earlier in the year), but I like Albany to pull the upset and advance to the championship (where they will lose by double-digits to Vermont).

The Atlantic Sun tournament actually tipped off in February. I liked both UNF & FGCU to win & cover (both did). I liked Lipscomb to win (they did), but I thought NJIT would cover the +9 (they didn’t). And, I liked Kennesaw State to pull the upset (they did). I went 3-1 ATS, 4-0 on the moneyline, hit my 4-team moneyline parlay, and hit my 4-team teaser (I took Lipscomb -3.5) to finish +13.43 units for the opening round. In the 2nd round tonight, I like FGCU to cover -12.5, and I like North Florida in an upset (9 point dogs). UNF won @ Lipscomb 2 weeks ago by 11, and 3 weeks before that at home by 6. I don’t buy into the myth that you can’t beat a team 3 times in a season. Lipscomb has only lost once in the past month (at home to UNF), but I feel like UNF is the better team. Also, UNF is 20th in the nation in scoring while Lipscomb is 3rd... I like the over 165. I like FGCU to go dancing from the A-Sun.

The Big South tournament also tipped off in February. I liked both favorites in the opening round to cover & win. The Fighting Camels (I love that mascot) of Campbell covered, but the Charleston Southern Bucs only won by 5 (the line was 11, so kudos to the Longwood Lancers). No parlay or teaser for the Big South opening round for me, so I sit +1.90 units heading into the 2nd round tonight. Top seed Winthrop is favored by 15.5 over the Bucs, while 2nd seed UNC Asheville is favored by 12 over the Fighting Camels. Winthrop has victories of 14 & 16 points over the Bucs this season, and that 15.5 feels just about right. If I play it, I’ll lay the points and take Winthrop. Meanwhile, UNC Asheville has 13 & 16 point victories over the Fighting Camels this season. As much as I’d like to see the Fighting Camels move on, I’ll take Asheville -12. 3rd seeded Liberty is a 4 point favorite over the Radford Highlanders. Neither team has a prolific offense, but Radford corrals 10 more rebounds per game than Liberty. In a close game, I’ll take my chances with that rebounding ability to create enough 2nd chance opportunities for Radford to pull off the upset. Gardner Webb lost to High Point by 7 at home in December, and won by 2 at High Point just 5 days ago. High Point went 3-5 in February, with all 5 losses by 3 points or less. The Panthers have the 34th best 3-point % in the nation, and I like them to cover the +3. But I’ll take the Runnin’ Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb to keep their 4 game winning streak alive. In the semifinals, I think Winthrop will knock off GW by about 5 points, while Asheville gets past either Radford or Liberty by double-digits. If we get the 1v2 matchup for the championship, I would expect Winthrop to be favored by 3 (both teams beat the other at home by 3 points). At this point, I would lean towards Asheville getting the NCAA bid.

The MAAC tournament tips off tonight. I’m taking Monmouth to win this NCAA bid, despite kenpom only giving them a 40% chance of doing so, and the fact that they will likely be playing a true road game in the semi finals (Siena hosts the tournament, and they should be able to get past Fairfield in the 4v5 quarterfinals matchup). Tonight, I’ll take #8 Quinnipiac to beat #9 Niagara (Niagara favored by 1). #7 Canisius beat #10 Marist by 33 at home in January, and lost by 2 on the road 2 weeks ago. I’ll take the Canisius Golden Griffins’ 29th ranked offense and the revenge factor to cover the -8.5 over the Red Foxes. #6 Rider tallies 5 more points and 5 more rebounds per game than #11 Manhatten. The Jaspers have lost 5 of their last 6 games by an average of 16 points per game (including an 11 point loss at Rider), while the Broncs are on a 3 game winning streak of 15 points per game. I’ll take Rider -6.5 to advance. I’ve already mentioned I like Monmouth over Siena, on the road, in the semifinals (by double-digits, just to prove a point), so I expect both of them to get past their quarterfinals opponent. If Canisius is hot from beyond the arc tonight against Marist, I’ll take them to upset #2 St. Peter’s tomorrow. #3 Iona has outscored #6 Rider by a total of 1 point in their first two meetings, and neither game was close. I’ll say Iona probably wins, and I like the over on any total under 181. The field in this conference is all capable of beating each other up. IF Canisius & Iona both advance to the semifinals, I’ll take Iona by 5, with a total of at least 170.

The Northeast Conference tournament tipped off last night, and I was doing alright until LIU Brooklyn got upset. I liked Mount St. Mary’s, Wagner & St. Francis PA all to win and cover. They all won, but only St. Francis covered for me, and put me +1.80 with my parlay and teaser both still alive as well. LIU Brooklyn was -3.5, and they lost by 1. Thankfully, they were +1.5 in my teaser, so I salvaged a +0.30 unit night for the opening round. Semifinal action is Saturday, and I like Mount St. Mary’s over Robert Morris and Saint Francis over Wagner, both in single possession games. For the championship, I’ll take Saint Francis to pull the upset. To be completely honest, LIU Brooklyn was my pick to win this conference, but I had about a 1% level of confidence in that pick.

The Ohio Valley Conference tournament started with a bang last night, with #5 SEMO “upsetting” #8 Tennessee State by 3 in OT (SEMO was a 5.5 point dog), and #7 Murray State edging #6 Tennessee Tech by 1 in 2OT! I had both teams as winners and ATS, plus I parlayed them (no teaser with just 2 games). Murray State didn’t cover the -3.5, but I still finished +6.59 units for the opening round. Tonight, SEMO takes on #4 Jacksonville State and Murray State takes on #3 Morehead State. The Redhawks are +3.5 and the Racers are +3. I’m picking both to win outright again tonight, despite SEMO’s 12 point loss at Jacksonville and Murray State’s 1 point loss at Morehead earlier in the year. Hopefully their legs aren’t too tired from playing the extra basketball last night. I’ll be rooting for both SEMO and Murray State to both advance to the conference championship, although I don’t think either will get there, as they are local teams to my hometown region. I’d love to see SEMO get to go dancing this year.

The Patriot league also tipped off in February. I liked American as an underdog vs Army and Lafayette as an underdog vs Loyola. Both lost, but Lafayette at least covered to prevent the total loss. I finished the opening round -2.90 units. Tonight, I like #1 Bucknell -14 over Army, #2 Boston -7.5 over Loyola, #3 Lehigh -14.5 over Colgate and #4 Navy -2 over Holy Cross. I know the chalk is no fun, but I just don’t see much parity in this league. After completing the season sweep of Army, Bucknell moves on to complete the season sweep of Navy in the semifinals. Boston beat Lehigh by 14 and 17 in their previous meetings, but the metrics have Lehigh as the better team. I expect to see Lehigh’s 19th best FG % and 20th best 3-point % favored at Boston in the semifinals, and I will be rooting for Boston to complete the season sweep. With 11 & 20 point losses to Bucknell already on the books, Bucknell should be favored over Boston. I’ll root for Boston, but predict a 10 point Bucknell victory.

Finally, the Missouri Valley Conference starts tonight! Arch Madness, BABY! For the first time in several years (at least it seems), my alma mater is NOT playing in the opening round tonight! Tonight, #8 Evansville takes on #9 Indiana State and #7 Bradley takes on #10 Drake. I’ll take the Sycamores +1.5 ATS and +106 on the moneyline because I’m a Celtics fan and that’s Larry Bird’s alma mater. I’ll take the Bradley Braves -3.5 because they’ve beat Drake by 7 & 8 points earlier in the year. Tomorrow, the 8v9 winner will advance to play top seed Illinois State (Yes, Illinois State beat out Wichita State for the #1 seed!). The Redbirds will win by 6 or 7. Then, MY Southern Illinois Salukis will take on the Loyola Chicago Rambles. With a 6 point victory early in February and a 2 point victory last Saturday in the season finale, my Salukis will complete the season sweep with a 5 point victory over Loyola. Wichita State will then knock off Bradley or Drake by at least 2 points. In the Friday night finale, #3 Northern Iowa takes on #6 Missouri State. Both teams won on the road in their earlier meetings, and this should be another close contest. I’ll take the Bears to upset the Panthers by a bucket. In the semifinals, SIU will take on Illinois State. In January, the Salukis hung with the Redbirds in Carbondale, until a late Redbird run gave them a 7 point victory. One week ago, on the road, the Salukis stayed with them again, losing by 4. This weekend, the 3rd time is the charm, and the Salukis will knock off the top-seeded Redbirds. In the other semifinal, the Shockers will beat Missouri State by 15 or more. Anything can happen on Arch Madness Sundays. The Shockers will be heavily favored against the Salukis, and smart-money would be to lay the points, as Wichita State beat Southern Illinois by 42 points and 19 points in the previous meetings. But I will be hoping against all hope for my Salukis to pull the upset, and they will be my play all weekend.

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