THE ALL CAPS RECAP!

IT WAS NOT UNTIL I ARRIVED AT USC UPSTATE THAT I REMEMBERED WHAT DAY IT WAS. IT WAS THE ALL IMPORTANT #ALLCAPSDAY! I FIRST REMEMBERED WHAT DAY IT WAS WHEN I SAW RAYMOND CURREN TWEET IN ALL CAPS. AND RAY WAS IN THE BEST SPOT OF THEM ALL FOR ALL CAPS DAY, AT A LOYOLA GAME IN CHICAGO WITH OUR WEBSITE'S FOUNDER KYLE WHELLISTON. FORGETTING THAT TODAY WAS ALL CAPS DAY MADE ME ANGRY AND WANT TO TYPE EVERYTHING IN CAPITAL LETTERS! THIS YEAR WAS NOT QUITE AS ORGANIZED AS LAST YEAR DURING THE 800 GAMES PROJECT FOR LETTING EVERYBODY KNOW WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING! I HAD REMEMBERED THE LAST TWO YEARS TO TWEET IN ALL CAPS. BUT I STARTED TWEETING NORMALLY, AND FELT IT WOULD NOT WORK TO START GOING TO ALL CAPS. SO I WILL TRY TO MAKE UP FOR IT IN THIS ALL CAP RECAP!

LIKE MANY DAYS RECENTLY IN FEBRUARY, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ANOTER WET DREARY DAY. THERE WAS ALSO A CHANCE OF SNOW, BUT NOTHING THAT WAS GOING TO CAUSE ANY TRAFFIC PROBLEMS FOR ME COMING FROM 45 MINUTES EAST OF COLUMBIA IN SUMTER TO SPARTANBURG. MY ONLY CONCERN WITH SNOW WAS IF KENNESAW STATE WOULD BE ABLE TO TRAVEL SAFELY ON INTERSTATE 85 FROM NEAR ATLANTA TO SPARTANBURG. I WOULD NOT WANT THE OWLS TO GET STUCK ON THE HIGHWAY AND HAVE A DELAY IN STARTING THE GAME LIKE WE HAVE HAD AT THE HODGE CENTER BEFORE. BUT WHEN I LOOKED AT THE RADAR BEFORE LEAVING HOME, I NOTICED THAT MOST OF THE SNOW WAS WELL TO THE NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 85 CORRIDOR. THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM FOR EITER ME OR KENNESAW STATE IN GETTING THERE.

BUT ONCE I GOT TO THE EDGE OF SUMTER, THE DRIZZLE BEGAN TO CHANGE OVER TO FLURRIES ONCE I GOT SEVERAL MILES DOWN THE ROAD. FLURRIES THAT AREN'T LEADING TO ACCUMULATION IS REALLY NO DIFFERENT FROM RAIN, BUT DID CAUSE SOME OTHER DRIVERS TO SLOW DOWN EITER BECAUSE THEY DID NOT KNOW THAT OR WERE STARTLED BY SEEING SNOW WHICH IS NOT A COMMON SIGHT IN SOUTH CAROLINA. AFTER THE SNOW STOPPED JUST EAST OF COLUMBIA, I REMEMBER REMARKING THAT "THIS WON'T BE THE LAST WE SEE OF THE SNOW". FORTUNATELY, THE SNOW HAD STOPPED WHICH ALLOWED THE NORMALLY BAD TRAFFIC ON INTERSTATE 26 NORTHWEST OF COLUMBIA TO BE BEARABLE THIS SATURDAY. AND ONCE I GOT TO SPARTANBURG AND THE USC UPSTATE CAMPUS, THE SUN CAME OUT AND WAS SHINING! SO MUCH FOR THAT CHANCE OF SNOW!

SO NOW WE HAD TO GET READY FOR THIS GAME. THE USC UPSTATE SPARTANS SINCE I LAST SAW THEM HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING. USC UPSTATE ENTERED THE GAME 7-7 IN THE ATLANTIC SUN AFTER LOSING FOUR IN A ROW, INCLUDING A LOSS AT HOME TO DIVISION I NEWCOMER NORTHERN KENTUCKY AND A 25 POINT LOSS AT FLORIDA GULF COAST. THE SPARTANS DESPERATELY NEEDED TO GET BACK ON TRACK, AND REGAIN THE MOMENTUM THEY HAD COMING IN FROM LAST SEASON. FORTUNATELY THEY WERE BACK IN THE HODGE CENTER AGAINST THE A-SUN'S LAST PLACE TEAM IN KENNESAW STATE. THE LAST TIME I SAW THE OWLS, THEY WON IN OVERTIME OVER S.C. STATE. BUT THAT WIN OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE MEAC WAS THE 3-22 OWLS' ONLY WIN THIS SEASON SO FAR ON THE ROAD. THIS WAS A TEAM THE SPARTANS NEEDED TO EASILY HANDLE PLAYING ON SENIOR DAY AT THE HODGE CENTER. THE ONLY SENIOR FOR THE SPARTANS BEING HONORED THIS DAY WAS BENCH PLAYER ROB ELAM, BUT THE BULLSEYE FOR THE OWLS WOULD BE ON THE HOPPING CATS' FANTASY PLAYER TORREY CRAIG. CRAIG APPROPRIATELY ENOUGH HAD A BULLSEYE VISIBILE ON HIS BACK DURING WARMUPS.



YET THE CROWD FOR THIS GAME WAS NOT VERY GOOD DESPITE BEING THE LAST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON FOR USC UPSTATE. BEING A LARGELY COMMUTER CAMPUS, USC UPSTATE DID NOT HAVE A LOT OF STUDENTS AROUND FOR THIS WEEKEND GAME. THAT, AND SOME FANS MAY HAVE BEEN MORE INTERESTED IN THEIR BASEBALL TEAM TAKING ON NATIONALLY RANKED KENTUCKY. THE UPSTATE STUDENT SECTION LARGELY DEPENDS ON THE BASEBALL PLAYERS MAKING NOISE, SO THAT GROUP WAS OBVIOUSLY GONE. LIKE AT THE WOMEN'S GAME I WAS AT A COUPLE WEEKS BEFORE, USC UPSTATE NEEDED THE LOCAL BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB TO FILL IN SOME OF THE EMPTY SEATS. HERE IS THE CROWD A FEW MINUTES BEFORE TIP-OFF, ALTHOUGH IT DID FILL IN A LITTLE MORE AS THE GAME PROGRESSED. BUT IT WAS STILL NOT AS GOOD AS THE OFFICIAL CROWD OF 733 INDICATED (THE HODGE CENTER ONLY SEATS 818).



BUT NOW IT WAS TIME FOR BASKETBALL ACTION! BUT FIRST, WE MUST PAUSE FOR SPORTZ ON ESPN3! I HAVE SEEN GAMES DELAYED FOR BROADCASTS ON ACTUAL TELEVISION NETWORKS BEFORE, BUT IT SEEMED ODD TO DELAY A GAME FOR AN ONLINE NETWORK'S BROADCAST JUST TO GET THE ANNOUNCERS TALKING ABOUT THE GAME BEFOREHAND. AS RAY CURREN HAS TWEETED BEFORE, "AH, SPORTZ!" IT IS THE KIND OF STUFF THAT MOTIVATES ME TO KEEP TYPING IN ALL CAPS AGGHH!



ONCE THE GAME STARTED, THINGS WERE ONCE AGAIN NOT GOING WELL FOR UPSTATE. THAT HAS BEEN A BIT OF A TREND FOR USC UPSTATE THIS SEASON WHEN I HAVE SEEN THEM PLAY. BUT HERE AGAINST THE LAST PLACE TEAM IN THE CONFERENCE THOSE PROBLEMS WERE PERSISTING THIS TIME IN THE FIRST HALF FOR THE SPARTANS. THE OWLS' LEADING SCORER IN MARKEITH CUMMINGS GOT HOT AND MADE SHOTS FROM ALL OVER THE FLOOR FOR KENNESAW. WHILE TORREY CRAIG HAD A DECENT OUTING, HE WAS NOT GETTING MUCH HELP EARLY ON. TY GREENE, NORMALLY A GOOD SHOOTER, WAS COMING UP FLAT IN THE FIRST HALF. AND WITH A FEW DEFENSIVE LAPSES, KENNESAW STATE'S LEAD KEPT CLIMBING UPWARD TO 12 POINTS AT THE UNDER 8 MEDIA TIMEOUT. UPSTATE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE BLEEDING LATE IN THE FIRST HALF, BUT COULD NOT CUT INTO THE OWL LEAD WHICH WAS 39-27 AT HALFTIME. THINGS HAD NOT BEEN GOING WELL FOR THE SPARTANS, BUT DOWN DOUBLE DIGITS AT HALFTIME AT HOME TO KENNESAW STATE UPSTATE COULD NOT LET THIS GET OUT OF REACH.



BUT IT SEEMED THE LIGHT CROWD WAS NOT REALLY ALL THAT MUCH INTO THE GAME ANYWAY. BECAUSE FOR ONE THING, WHEN THE BACK DOOR OF THE GYM OPENED TO LET PEOPLE IN AND OUT WE COULD SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON OUTSIDE. THE SNOW HAD COME! SNOW!!! THAT WOULD GO IN CAPITAL LETTERS EVEN IF THIS WAS NOT AN ALL CAP RECAP! ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HAD BEEN EXPECTING TO SEE BASEBALL WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED, BECAUSE SNOW HAD COME AND IT WAS STICKING TO THE GROUND IN SPARTANBURG! MOST FANS FOUND THIS MORE INTERESTING THAN ANYTHING GOING INSIDE THE HODGE CENTER ITSELF. KIDS IN THE STANDS WERE ASKING THEIR PARENTS IF THEY COULD LEAVE SO THEY COULD GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY. EVEN I WANTED THE SECOND HALF TO GO FAST SO I WOULD HAVE TIME TO ENJOY THE SNOW BEFORE THE GAME AT WOFFORD AT NIGHT.



WHILE IN THAT PICTURE YOU SEE THE CHEERLEADERS RETURNING FROM THE SNOW, WHAT THEY WERE DOING OUTSIDE WAS BRINGING IN THE MATS FOR THE HALFTIME PERFORMANCE. THE HALFTME SHOW WAS A KIDS' MARTIAL ARTS GROUP PERFORMING KARATE. I HAD SEEN A SIMILAR PERFORMANCE EARLIER THIS SEASON IN CHATTANOOGA. THESE KIDS WERE PRETTY GOOD FOR THEIR AGE, WHICH RANGED FROM ONE SMALL GIRL TO YOUNG MEN. SO OF COURSE WE HAD TO HAVE A DEMONSTRATION IN WHICH THE SMALL GIRL SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED HERSELF FROM THE BIG SCARY MAN. THIS WOULD BE PRETTY AWESOME TO SEE AND IMPOSSIBLE TO PULL OFF ASIDE FROM THAT THIS WAS ALL QUITE STAGED OF COURSE. US MEN PROVIDE A GOOD FOIL FOR LITTLE GIRLS TO BEAT IN PERFORMANCES LIKE THIS ONE. LIKE THE SNOW, THIS WAS PROBABLY MORE ENTERTATINING FOR THE HOME FANS THAN THE FIRST HALF WAS.



BUT THE SPARTAN FANS WHO STAYED FOR THE SECOND HALF WERE REWARDED. AFTER A NIGEL PRUITT SUPERHOOP GAVE THE OWLS A 13 POINT LEAD, UPSTATE CAME BACK WITH AN 11-0 RUN TO MAKE IT A CLOSE GAME AGAIN. UPSTATE MIDWAY THROUGH THE SECOND HALF WOULD FINALLY TAKE THE LEAD AND WOULD NOT LOOK BACK FROM THERE. WHILE UPSTATE WAS NOT AS SUCCESSFUL FROM OUTSIDE AS THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST, THEY DOMINATED NEAR THE BASKET. TORREY CRAIG DID HIS USUAL WORK WHILE RICARDO GLENN DOMINATED UNDERNEATH THE BASKET. ADRIAN RODGERS WAS ALSO ABLE TO SCORE OFF FASTBREAK OPPORTUNITIES AS THE OWLS RAN OUT OF GAS. UPSTATE LED BY EIGHT POINTS AT THE UNDER EIGHT MEDIA TIMEOUT AND CONTINUED TO OUTPLAY KENNESAW THE REST OF THE GAME. IF IT HAD NOT BEEN DECIDED ALREADY, THIS BABATUNDE OLUMUYIWA OMGDUNX PUT IT AWAY. IT MAY HAVE TAKEN A WHILE, BUT USC UPSTATE FINALLY GOT THE WIN THEY EXPECTED HERE BY PULLING AWAY FOR A 79-67 WIN. UPSTATE MANAGED TO GO FROM DOWN 12 POINTS AT THE HALF TO WINNING BY 12.



THIS GAME CONCLUDED THE SPARTANS' HOMESTAND, AND MY SEEING UPSTATE PLAY THIS YEAR. I HAD PICKED TORREY CRAIG AS MY FANTASY PLAYER AS I FELT THAT HE AND THE SPARTANS WERE WORTH WATCHING THIS YEAR. AT TIMES I FELT THAT IT TURNED OUT A BIT LIKE THE TIME KYLE FOLLOWED SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNDER CHRIS LOWERY AS A PART OF A BOOK PROJECT, HOPING TO WITNESS SIU TURN THINGS AROUND BUT ONLY FOR THINGS TO GET WORSE. BUT UPSTATE STILL HAD A MUCH BETTER SEASON THAN THEIR FIRST FOUR SEASONS AT THE DIVISION I LEVEL. WITH ONLY ELAM GRADUATING, THE SPARTANS WILL HAVE ONE LAST BIG RUN WITH TORREY CRAIG RUNNING THE SHOW AGAIN NEXT YEAR. THE SPARTANS ARE STILL YOUNG, AND WORTH WATCHING IN THE FUTURE (EVEN THOUGH I PROBABLY WOULD NOT SELECT TORREY CRAIG AGAIN IF WE WERE STILL DOING FANTASY PLAYERS NET YEAR). HOPEFULLY UPSTATE CAN BE EXCITING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS VERY SOON.