Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Rutgers to the Motor City Bowl?; Young Out for Rutgers
Rutgers could be headed to a rematch with unbeaten Ball State in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit if it beats Louisville tonight on ESPN.
Rutgers downed Ball State, 52-30, last January in the International Bowl in Toronto.
The Scarlet Knights (6-5, 4-2 Big East) could face Ball State (12-0) again if the Cardinals beat Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship Friday night.
“We are really looking at essentially anybody in the Big East depending on how the results are tonight and Saturday night,” Ken Hoffman, Executive Director of the Motor City and International Bowls, said Thursday by phone. “We have an arrangement with the Big East so we’re just waiting on those results to see what the best matchup is.
“Each one has an interesting angle. The one for Rutgers is that they might be the last team to beat Ball State if Ball State goes 13-0 and Rutgers wins six in row.”
The story was originally reported by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger.
If Pittsburgh and West Virginia fill the spots for the Sun Bowl and Meineke Car Care Bowls, the International Bowl in Toronto has the next pick of a Big East team. Pitt is home Saturday to UConn and West Virginia visits South Florida.
Hoffman, as Executive Director of both the Motor City and the International, could then swap bowls and bring Rutgers to Detroit.
“The way it would have to be done is the International Bowl would make its selection as usual and we would make our at-large pick as usual and then we would petition the Big East to make that change,” Hoffman said. “As long as everybody concerned with it is good with it, it should be OK.”
If Ball State, No. 12 in the BCS standings, loses, the swap won’t be made.
If Rutgers wins and Ball State loses, Rutgers would likely head to either the Meineke or the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham Dec. 29. The Knights would like play NC. State or Troy, if Troy loses to Arkansas State.
“You have to wait until the all the results are in and find out who’s available for the at-large position,” Hoffman said. “It should all shake out Sunday night.”
YOUNG OUT FOR RUTGERS
Rutgers announced that RB Kordell Young will not play in tonight’s tilt against Louisville. Young reportedly suffered a head injury this past week and was not cleared by the team’s medical personnel to play.
Joe Martinek, a redshirt freshman, will make the first start of his career Young’s place.
Young, a redshirt sophomore from West Deptford, N.J., missed four weeks earlier this year when he re-injured his surgically repaired left knee. He has 550 rushing yards and five TDs.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Rutgers could be headed to a rematch with unbeaten Ball State in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit if it beats Louisville tonight on ESPN.
Rutgers downed Ball State, 52-30, last January in the International Bowl in Toronto.
The Scarlet Knights (6-5, 4-2 Big East) could face Ball State (12-0) again if the Cardinals beat Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference championship Friday night.
“We are really looking at essentially anybody in the Big East depending on how the results are tonight and Saturday night,” Ken Hoffman, Executive Director of the Motor City and International Bowls, said Thursday by phone. “We have an arrangement with the Big East so we’re just waiting on those results to see what the best matchup is.
“Each one has an interesting angle. The one for Rutgers is that they might be the last team to beat Ball State if Ball State goes 13-0 and Rutgers wins six in row.”
The story was originally reported by Tom Luicci of The Star-Ledger.
If Pittsburgh and West Virginia fill the spots for the Sun Bowl and Meineke Car Care Bowls, the International Bowl in Toronto has the next pick of a Big East team. Pitt is home Saturday to UConn and West Virginia visits South Florida.
Hoffman, as Executive Director of both the Motor City and the International, could then swap bowls and bring Rutgers to Detroit.
“The way it would have to be done is the International Bowl would make its selection as usual and we would make our at-large pick as usual and then we would petition the Big East to make that change,” Hoffman said. “As long as everybody concerned with it is good with it, it should be OK.”
If Ball State, No. 12 in the BCS standings, loses, the swap won’t be made.
If Rutgers wins and Ball State loses, Rutgers would likely head to either the Meineke or the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham Dec. 29. The Knights would like play NC. State or Troy, if Troy loses to Arkansas State.
“You have to wait until the all the results are in and find out who’s available for the at-large position,” Hoffman said. “It should all shake out Sunday night.”
YOUNG OUT FOR RUTGERS
Rutgers announced that RB Kordell Young will not play in tonight’s tilt against Louisville. Young reportedly suffered a head injury this past week and was not cleared by the team’s medical personnel to play.
Joe Martinek, a redshirt freshman, will make the first start of his career Young’s place.
Young, a redshirt sophomore from West Deptford, N.J., missed four weeks earlier this year when he re-injured his surgically repaired left knee. He has 550 rushing yards and five TDs.
