Gäste Forum » EXTCSUN returns home to play Saturday against Norther

The Southeastern Conference is down to one playoff contender.Defending national champion and top-ranked Alabama is a lock for its third straight berth if the Crimson Tide can beat No. 15 Florida in the SEC championship game Saturday in Atlanta, and may not even need to win.`Bama much prefers the first scenario.Winning the SEC championship is something thats really important to us and we think a very, very significant accomplishment, Alabama coach Nick Saban said Sunday. Thats kind of one of the goals that we have. Whatever comes beyond that, comes beyond that but our focus needs to be on this game.The Gators (8-3) were playoff longshots even before Saturday nights 31-13 loss to rival Florida State but could have made a case with two huge closing wins. They emerged from a topsy-turvy SEC East to earn a title game rematch.I gave them until 3:45 in the morning, which is when we unloaded the bus, to think about it and then erase it and learn from it, said Floridas Jim McElwain, the first coach to lead a team to SEC championship games in each of his first two seasons.He wanted them to start preparation realizing that theres a whole bunch of people that wish they were playing on this championship weekend.Nobodys surprised that the Tide (12-0), the last unbeaten team from a Power 5 conference, is back in the Georgia Dome. `Bama players werent particularly interested in talking about their playoff prospects after Saturdays 30-12 win over rival Auburn.We just worry about the next game, linebacker Ryan Anderson said. Teams that start worrying about the Final Four and all that, they get beat.The SEC championship winner has played for a national title or made the playoffs in eight straight seasons.Here are some story lines to watch in the SEC championship game:FAMILIAR FOES: The winner will take the lead in this frequent SEC championship matchup. Florida and Alabama have split the previous eight meetings dating back to the games debut in 1992. Five times the winner has gone on to win a national title, three for the Tide and two for the Gators.Alabama won 29-15 last season en route to a national title.Its two storied programs and two programs that year in and year out expect to be in Atlanta, McElwain, a former Tide offensive coordinator, said.TOUGH DEFENSES: The two best defenses in the league will take on offenses that have been less consistent. The Tide leads the nation in run defense, scoring defense and total defense The Gators rank third in pass efficiency defense and fifth in both points and yards allowed.The Tide hasnt allowed a touchdown in the last 267 minutes, 54 seconds of game time, dating back to the third quarter of the Texas A&M game on Oct. 22.OFFENSIVE ISSUES: Alabamas offense has been prone to stopping itself at times, including two Jalen Hurts interceptions in the first half against Auburn. The Tide also fumbled four times in the half but recovered all of them. Those kinds of things could come back to haunt them in their bid for titles. Florida has perhaps more serious offensive concerns after gaining just 207 yards against FSU, including 58 on the ground.SHERIT OUT: McElwain said starting defensive end Jordan Sherit wont play in the game. 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The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. STANFORD, Calif. -- Reid Travis scored 15 of his 19 points in the first half and Stanford made coach Jerod Haase a winner in his home debut with a 96-69 victory over Cal State Northridge on Tuesday night.Haase, who began his college playing career at Bay Area rival Cal, came to Stanford after four seasons as coach at Alabama-Birmingham. He replaced Johnny Dawkins, who got Stanford to the NCAA Tournament just once in eight seasons.It means everything to give him a win, Travis said, especially all the work weve put in, just building that relationship with him and the coaching staff.Haase called the experience awesome.Had a blast. The thing that continues to stand out in my mind is how much I enjoy coaching these guys, he said. Theyre so willing to learn and do what we ask of them.Travis missed the final 22 games of last season with a stress fracture in his leg but has come out of the blocks fast. He had career highs of 24 points and 17 rebounds in the Cardinals opening win over Harvard on Friday in Shanghai, China.Against CSUN, the 6-foot-8 junior made 6 of 9 shots from the field and converted 7 of 10 free throws, a big improvement from his 10-for-19 effort at the foul line vs. Harvard.Travis also showed the kind of hustle Haase was known for during his playing days at Cal and Kansas when he knocked over a half-dozen seats on the baseline while scrambling for a loose ball.Its definitely what he tries to instill to us, Travis said of the hustle. Toughness is one of our standards. When we get on the court, its full speed ahead.Marcus Sheffield added 17 points, Josh Sharma scored a career-high 15 and Dorian Pickens had 14 for Stanford (2-0).CSUN coach Reggie Theus said 20 turnovers were more than his team could overcome.We did a poor job of handling the double teams early in the game. That really got us ooff in the wrong direction, said Theus, adding that the Matadors defense was sporadic.dddddddddddd A lot of times when things are not going well offensively, your defense suffers. Thats the mark of a team still trying to become a good team.Kendall Smith, who grew up an hour away from the Stanford campus, scored 17 points to lead CSUN (1-2).BIG PICTURECSUN: On the heels of an encouraging performance in a 102-87 loss at No. 16 UCLA -- a game that featured 14 lead changes -- the Matadors gave the ball away 20 times and were outscored 28-5 off turnovers.Stanford: The Cardinal made the long trek back from Shanghai, where it opened its season with an 80-70 win over Harvard, and showed little travel hangover. The Cardinal led by as many as 18 points in the first half and was up 31 points with less than 8 minutes left in the game.STAT OF THE NIGHT: Stanford was last in the Pac-12 last season in both 3-point percentage (.320) and 3-pointers made (.172) and was a quiet 1-for-6 from the arc against Harvard in its opener. But the Cardinal made eight of its first 12 shots from 3-point range and finished 9-for-16 against CSUN. Six different players made at least one, led by Sheffield, who was 3 for 4.UP NEXTCSUN returns home to play Saturday against Northern Illinois, which puts its 2-0 record on the line Wednesday against Idaho before heading to California.Stanford continues its three-game, weeklong home stand Thursday against Weber State, which dropped to 1-1 after a 69-68 loss at Pepperdine on Tuesday. Stanford better enjoy the home cooking while it can because it hits the road again for a Thanksgiving week tournament in Orlando, Florida beginning with a matchup vs. Miami on Nov. 24. ' ' '