IMF demands Switzerland link payouts to longevity, interest rates
The conversion rate should be linked to “the market yield on a long-term sovereign bond and life expectancy at retirement”, the organisation stated.However, Swiss pension professionals criticised the idea of a market-driven approach at this year’s Swiss Pensions Conference, organised by the CFA Society Switzerland.“This would be the best method to do away with the second pillar as it would become completely unattractive for its members”Gerard Fischer, Fischer Horizon“The immediate shift to a market-valued technical interest rate [technischer Zins] would lead to a conversion rate of 3.6%, the application of generation tables and an interest rate slightly below 0%,” said Stephan Wyss, founder and managing director of research consultancy Prevanto.Gerard Fischer, independent consultant and former CEO of Swisscanto, warned: “This would be the best method to do away with the second pillar as it would become completely unattractive for its members.”He added: “For people, it is only important to know what their pension can buy once they retire.”Fischer pointed out that Switzerland still had an “implicit defined benefit system” as pension promises remained unalterable once given.“With variable pension payouts we would be able to stay closer to the constitutional mandate for the second pillar to ensure a certain income upon retirement,” he said.Some pension funds have been forced to use active members’ money to pay out pensions, in part due to the high conversion rate. Stephan Wyss, PrevantoWyss said: “We started the second pillar in the ‘nominal world’ of 2% inflation and 2% real interest rate and now we are in a ‘real world’ with no inflation and thus low-to-negative interest rates.“The pension funds are still digesting this transition and it will get better once the interest rates start to rise again.”Jorge Serra, chief financial officer at Swiss public sector union VPOD, also called for patience, arguing that “our system has to be able to cope with such distortions for some time, and in the past we have had the opposite effect as well”.Wyss called on all stakeholders in the debate to consider the investment impact of the conversion rate debate.“At the moment the focus is only placed on risks and risk benchmarks, but I think this only covers part of the problem,” he said. “We should take a step back and look at the chances as well and without taking a bit more risk in investments there will no longer be any returns.” Switzerland should link pensioner incomes to long-term market interest rates, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).In its latest assessment of the Swiss financial system, the IMF said the ‘guaranteed conversion rate’ – which determines how much of a retiree’s second-pillar pension savings can be paid out each year – should be more flexible to account for rising life expectancy.The current minimum conversion rate is set at 6.8%, and a proposal to reduce this to 6% was rejected by Swiss voters last year as part of a referendum on wider pension reforms.“Adjustment of the pension system parameters would support the sustainability of the social safety net,” the IMF said, adding that “population aging makes pension system reform essential”.
RelatedPosts Lagos Open Tennis Fallout: Oyinlomo Quadre leads two others to WTA rankings Lagos Open: Nigerian players enter second round ITF announces dates for the 2019 Lagos Open World tennis governing body, the International Tennis Federation, has given players across the world September 19, 2019 as registration deadline for the first leg of this year’s Lagos Open Tennis Championship. The Lagos Open, which enters its 19th edition, holds from October 7 to 20. It has been an annual tennis championship being staged to celebrate the sitting Executive Governor of Lagos State and also a destination for emerging young tennis players across the world to fight for ATP points. The tournament is played within the course of two weeks (Futures 4 &5) at the Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, Lagos. The ITF directed that players should register for the first leg of the tournament latest by 2pm this week Thursday, while withdrawal deadline is September 24, 2019 by 14:00GMT. The first leg serves off with a day qualifying matches on October 7, while the Main Draws in both the singles and doubles of men and women events start the following day with the final of the leg holding on October 13, 2019. This leg has as its prize money $50,000 to be shared $25,000 each in both the men and women’s categories. For the second leg, the ITF also directed that players should register latest by September 26, with the withdrawal deadline fixed for October 1, 2019. The qualifying matches for the second leg hold on October 14 with the main draws starting the following day. The finals of the second leg, which traditionally is the grand finale with its usual closing ceremony, holds on October 20, 2019. The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and other important dignitaries are expected to watch the finals of the singles events. This leg also has as its prize money $50,000 to be shared $25,000 each in both the men and women’s categories. It would be recalled that in last year’s tournament, British youngster, Jack Draper, caused a major upset in the finals of the second leg watched by the former Governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, and other important personalities, as well as hundreds of school children who were mobilised to watch live tennis action from the older players. Draper became the youngest winner of an ITF Futures tournament in Nigeria following a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over highly experienced top seed, Tom Jomby of France. The 16-year-old Brit was to after the Lagos Open go on to play in the 2019 Wimbledon Open and made surprising improvement of his tennis career.Tags: 2019 Lagos OpenInternational Tennis FederationLagos OpenLagos Open Tennis Championship
MPA approves golf, XC, field hockey, soccer; football, volleyball moved to spring – September 10, 2020 Latest Posts Latest posts by Mike Mandell (see all) Ellsworth runners compete in virtual Boston Marathon – September 16, 2020 Bio
Mike MandellMike Mandell is the sports editor at The Ellsworth American and Mount Desert Islander. He began working for The American in August 2016. You can reach him via email at mmandell@ellsworthamerican.com. Hospice volunteers help families navigate grief and find hope – September 12, 2020 BAR HARBOR — Bunky Dow never got rid of the wrestling gear in the Mount Desert Island High School sports closet. With the winter season less than a month away, he’s about to bring it back out again.No current athletes at MDI have ever worn the team’s dark-green singlets and headgear, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been a renewed interest in the sport. After a process that began a few months back finally reached its conclusion earlier this week, the athletics scene at Hancock County’s largest high school has become even bigger.MDI on Tuesday made official the the return of the school’s wrestling program. The team is set to compete in Class B for the 2018-19 season, which will be its first on the mats since it dropped the sport from its offerings four years ago.“We’re always trying to create as many opportunities as we can for our students to get involved with sports, even if there are sports we don’t have,” said Dow, the school’s athletic director. “We had a lot of interest in wrestling, and we were able to put it together in time.”This is placeholder textThis is placeholder textMDI, Dow said, held two meetings in October to gauge interest in bringing back the sport for the upcoming season. Those meetings drew a total of 15 students, most of whom were members of the football team during the fall.After getting positive feedback from students, it was clear to Dow that the school had the infrastructure in place to field the team. In Tony Dalisio, who coached the varsity team at Winslow before moving to MDI with his family this year, the Trojans also had a prospective head coach.Dalisio first approached Dow about the feasibility of bringing back the wrestling team late in the summer. Knowing the Trojans had sponsored a program in the past, doing so again seemed well within the realm of possibility.“I love the sport, and I believe in the life lessons it teaches,” Dalisio said. “With them having a team before and wrestling being big nearby with Ellsworth and Bucksport, and I thought to myself, ‘Hey, I think I’ll ask.’”With equipment available, athletes ready to compete and a private donation in place to fund a coaching salary, all that was left was to go over scheduling. The Maine Principals’ Association added the Trojans to several existing meets and tournaments, and wrestling’s return to MDI was official.“I think we were always confident about our ability to put together a team, but I didn’t want to interfere with the fall season as it was still going on,” Dow said. “When we got that interest in those two meetings, we knew we were in a spot to make it happen.”In its previous form, MDI’s wrestling program was relatively successful at the local and regional levels under former coach Chip Dugans. The Trojans had three wrestlers finish in the top four of their respective weight classes at the 2015 Eastern Maine championships and fielded teams with as many as 15-20 wrestlers.“It isn’t like we’re adding a sport we’ve never done before,” Dow said. “We know from the past that we can build the success to sustain a team and be competitive.”Despite that success, the school chose to discontinue the program following the 2014-15 season. Difficulties with practice times played the biggest factor in that decision, Dow said, as the Trojans were forced to hold most of their practices in the wee hours of the morning. This year’s team, he added, has arranged to practice in the afternoon.MDI had yet to post this year’s schedule as of Tuesday evening, though Dow said that information would be released before the team’s first practice. Teams in Maine are eligible to begin practices Monday, Nov. 19, and can hold their first regular season matches Dec. 7.“It’s really exciting because the season is right around the corner,” Dalisio said. “I’m really happy to see how many kids came out, and I’m ready for a fun year.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Volunteers report multiple positive results for COVID-19 after the university ran a batch of tests last week.The tests were conducted after the Fourth of July holiday weekend. A spokesman confirmed Wednesday that the positive tests spanned “multiple sports.”Tennessee previously had two basketball players test positive, with both clearing quarantine. COLLEGE SPORTS-WISCONSINWisconsin to don black “W” NBA-PACERS-OLADIPOOladipo rethinking decision to sit out rest of seasonORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo (oh-lah-DEE’-poh) is having second thoughts about calling it a season, saying the workouts in Orlando, Florida, have forced him to rethink his decision. Oladipo said less than two weeks ago that he would sit out because of concerns over his surgically repaired right knee. His presence could give the Pacers a big boost when the season resumes, especially with starting guard Malcolm Brogdon also expected to be healthy.NASCAR-ALL-STAR RACEWallace bumped from contention Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditNFL-NEWSTitans, Henry work out new contract…Prescott remains taggedUNDATED (AP) — The NFL’s reigning rushing leader has a new contract. The Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback does not. WNBA-DELLA DONNE-VIRUS OUTBREAKDelle Donne hurt that request denied by panel of doctorsNEW YORK (AP) — WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne is hurt that her request was denied to be medically excused for the season. The panel of independent doctors the league and union agreed upon to decide whether players should be medically excused deemed her not to be “high risk, and should be permitted to play in the bubble.” The league’s reigning MVP has battled Lyme disease since 2008 and thought she would be medically excused from playing this season by the panel. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer Bob Baffert has been suspended for 15 days by the Arkansas Racing Commission after two of his horses tested positive for a banned substance. Baffert-trained horses Charlatan and Gamine each tested positive for lidocaine in two rounds of testing after winning races at the Hot Springs, Arkansas, track on May 2. The commission said the suspension will run from Aug. 1 -15. NFL-OBIT-DAVID LEWISFormer NFL and USC player David Lewis dies at 65TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A key member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 1979 team that reached the NFC title game has died at 65. David Lewis died in Tampa. The cause was not immediately known but USC said he had struggled with health issues in recent years. Lewis played college ball at USC. He was also among the defensive stars on the 1979 Buccaneers team that reached the NFC title game, capping the franchise’s “worst to first” transformation. The Bucs won 10 games that year after having won just seven in the franchise’s previous three seasons. — The Denver Broncos are telling season ticket holders that Empower Field at Mile High won’t be at full capacity this season because of the coronavirus outbreak. Face masks will be required if local officials allow a limited number of fans to attend games to maintain social distancing.— The Green Bay Packers say they won’t admit fans to any training camp practices or preseason home games due to the pandemic. This also applies to the annual Packers Family Night, an annual event that features a practice and other activities.— A domestic violence complaint against former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Blair Brown has been dismissed. According to the complaint filed in May 2019, Brown pointed a gun at his wife and threatened to kill her. He also was accused of pushing her to the ground, kicking her in the abdomen and punching her in the face after a verbal altercation in April 2019.MLB-NEWSDeGrom, Rizzo dealing with back issues. ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan says fewer fans, if any, will attend games at “The Big House” if the Wolverines play college football games this year.The athletic department says a final decision will be made after conferring with medical experts, the school’s leadership and the Big Ten Conference, along with government officials and agencies.Michigan’s policies include the elimination of season tickets for the 2020 season. VIRUS OUTBREAK-TENNESSEETennessee reports multiple positives among athletes The Tennessee Titans have agreed to a new contract with Derrick Henry just before today’s deadline. The team announced only that it was a multi-year extension, but ESPN.com says it’s a four-year package worth up to $50 million with $25.5 million guaranteed. The Titans had to sign him Wednesday or let him play this season under the $10.2 million franchise tag he signed April 2.Henry ran for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns during the 2019 regular season before pouring it on in the playoffs, averaging 149 yards in three games.Dak Prescott is set to play the upcoming season under the franchise tag after failing to work out a deal with the Cowboys before the Wednesday afternoon deadline.The two sides have been working for more than a year on a long-term contract for a two-time Pro Bowler who has started every game of his career. SOCCER-WORLD CUPWorld Cup schedule announcedLONDON (AP) — FIFA (FEE’-fuh) has announced a 2022 World Cup schedule that will have four games every day in a 12-day group stage. Matches later in the tournament that go into extra time will extend past midnight in Qatar. Eight venues in close proximity to Doha will be used at the tournament, which will be played in 28 days rather than the 32 days used in Russia to minimize the disruption to the European season. HORSE RACING-BAFFERT SUSPENDEDTriple-Crown-winning trainer gets 15-day ban
Update on the latest sports Prescott signed his $31.4 million contract in June. The 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year earned slightly more than $4 million total in the four years of his rookie contract after being drafted in the fourth round.Kansas City defensive end Chris Jones worked out a pact before the deadline. He and Henry are the only players to sign a new deal among the 14 players who received a franchise tag.Elsewhere in the NFL:— Browns defensive end Myles Garrett’s has signed a five-year, $125 million contract extension on Wednesday, making the talented edge rusher the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. The deal includes $100 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network. Garrett received a six-game suspension last season after ripping a helmet off of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and striking him in the head with it.— Philadelphia officials have clarified their ban on public events, opening up the possibility the Eagles would be allowed to have fans in the stadium if the city changes its rules before or during the season, assuming the NFL plays games this season. The city on Tuesday banned all large public events that require public permits through February 2021. Teams will be permitted to play without fans in Philadelphia. BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — Bubba Wallace was wrecked out of the qualifying race for NASCAR’s annual All-Star event, ruining his shot of racing for the $1 million prize.One driver advanced into the All-Star race through a fan vote and Wallace had been leading when results were last updated by NASCAR a week ago. But he was no longer eligible to win the fan vote after he crashed 17 laps into Wednesday night’s qualifying race Aric Almirola advanced by winning the first stage, William Byron for winning the second stage and Matt DiBenedetto for winning the third stage. Clint Bowyer was named winner of the fan vote.VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE FOOTBALL-MICHIGANMichigan to allow fewer fans, or none at all MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The University of Wisconsin plans to have its sports teams wear a university crest logo with a black “W” to show solidarity with Black and other underrepresented communities on campus.School officials said the change would take effect whenever Wisconsin sports teams return to action. They said the black “W” is meant to show support, inclusion and unity from Wisconsin athletes, the athletic department and the university as a whole.NHL-AWARDSAdams, Calder finalists announcedNEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Award and the Calder Trophy. Columbus’ John Tortorella, Philadelphia’s Alain Vigneault (VEEN’-yoh) and Boston’s Bruce Cassidy are up for the Adams Award, which goes to the Coach of the Year. Colorado’s Cale Makar (mah-KAHR’), Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes and Chicago’s Dominik Kubalik (koo-BAH’-lihk) are the finalists for the Calder Trophy as the top rookie. In other MLB camp news:— Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge homered in an intrasquad game Wednesday after missing five days due to a stiff neck. The team also says right-hander Masahiro (mah-sah-HEE’-roh) Tanaka is scheduled for a bullpen session Thursday, his first action since he was struck on the head by a liner off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton on July 4.— Astros manager Dusty Baker doesn’t expect reliever Joe Smith to play for them this season. Smith has not reported to camp because of what general manager James Click called concerns for the safety of his family. Smith was placed on the restricted list Tuesday night, but he has not said publicly if he is opting out of the season— The Red Sox have placed left-handers Eduardo Rodríguez, Josh Taylor, and Darwinzon Hernandez on the injured list while they recover from COVID-19. Rodríguez won 19 games last year and had been the team’s likely opening day starter. The pitchers are eligible to be activated as soon as they have cleared the protocol, but they have not been able to participate in team workouts and would need time to prepare for the season.— Rangers outfielder Willie Calhoun is expected to miss the start of the season because of a hip strain. Calhoun has been ready to play again after recovering from a broken jaw sustained in a spring training game more than four months ago. July 15, 2020 Associated Press UNDATED (AP) — The New York Mets are breathing a sigh of relief after learning their top pitcher should be fine.A person familiar with the situation tells The Associated Press that an MRI on two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom showed nothing to be concerned about. DeGrom was examined after leaving Tuesday’s intrasquad start after just one inning because of a sore back.Any significant injury to deGrom would be an enormous blow to New York during a season shortened to 60 games by the coronavirus. The right-hander had been scheduled to start on opening day July 24 against Atlanta. The Mets are spending the season without No. 2 starter Noah Syndergaard (SIHN’-dur-gahrd) due to Tommy John surgery.Meanwhile, Chicago Cubs manager David Ross says it’s too early to talk about first baseman Anthony Rizzo starting the season on the injured list. An MRI on Tuesday showed rib-head inflammation on Rizzo’s left side that is causing spasms, a condition he has dealt with before in his career.
Associated Press “It was a little too much middle but it was down,” Castellani said of the change-up Solak got hold of for a homer. “It was a good pitch down. He did exactly what he needed to do to start off that inning.”TRAINER’S ROOMRangers: C Robinson Chirinos was placed on the 10-day injured list with a lingering sprained right ankle. The move was retroactive to Tuesday. Chirinos also had tweaked his left ankle and had missed the Rangers two previous games. “I think it’s the best. Robbie agrees,” manager Chris Woodward said. “He needs to get fully healthy. He wasn’t contributing like he wanted to, but that had a lot to do with his health.” … In other moves, the Rangers recalled C Jose Trevino and selected RHP Juan Nicasio from the alternate training site. 1B Greg Bird opted for free agency after being outrighted Tuesday.Rockies: INF-OF Chris Owings was held out of the lineup after leaving Wednesday’s game against Arizona early due to left hamstring tightness. Manager Bud Black said Owings likely would miss several games.UP NEXT August 14, 2020 Rangers: RHP Kyle Gibson (0-2, 4.11 ERA) will look to break into the win column for the first time this season.Rockies: RHP German Marquez (2-2, 2.08 ERA) faces the Rangers for the second time this season. He was the tough-luck loser on opening day at Globe Life Field, dropping a 1-0 decision on July 24.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports Share This StoryFacebookTwitteremailPrintLinkedinRedditDENVER (AP) — Lance Lynn allowed hits to the first two batters in the first inning on the way to his first complete game in six years, Nick Solak homered, and the Texas Rangers beat the Colorado Rockies 3-2 Friday night.Lynn (3-0) gave up singles to the first batters he faced and Garrett Hampson scored from third on Nolan Arenado’s groundout. Two Texas errors in the sixth led to an unearned run for Colorado. “It was kind of stunning,” Rangers manager Chris Woodward said. “He didn’t feel that great, which is amazing. He didn’t throw his best. After the fourth or fifth inning, he obviously knew he had to pick us up. We weren’t hitting much. He picked our defense up by getting out of that (sixth) inning, only gave up one that inning.
Solak evened the score at 1-1 when he led off the fifth with his first homer of the season, driving the first pitch from Ryan Castellani into the right field seats. The homer snapped the Rangers’ four-game homerless streak, their longest since going homerless for four games Sept. 4-7, 2015.Solak helped to tie the game again in the seventh, doubling off Jeff Hoffman and scoring on Rougned Odor’s single.Daniel Bard (1-1) took the loss. He hit pinch hitter Derek Dietrich with a pitch leading off the eighth. He scored from third on Isiah Kiner-Falefa’s double-play grounder.The Rockies scored in their half of the first on an RBI groundout by Arenado.Colorado starter Ryan Castellani, who pitched four hitless innings in his major league debut at Seattle last week, went 4 2/3 innings in his second career start. He allowed two hits, both to Solak, and fanned seven, striking out the side in the first and third innings. “After the eighth inning, he came by me and I knew I wasn’t going to take him out,” Woodward added. “I said, ’How are you feeling? He said, ‘I’m going to finish this thing.’ I said, ‘Well, then go do it.’ That was it.”Lynn fanned six, struck out the side in the eighth before closing out his first complete game since Sept. 11, 2014, at Cincinnati. “I actually enjoy pitching here,” said Lynn, who threw 110 pitches in going the distance at hitter-friendly Coors Field. “It’s weird. It’s cool, it’s dry, you don’t sweat. You’ve just got to outlast the other pitcher. That’s the way I think about it when I come here. If I outlast the other starter, you get a win. I was told that a long time ago in my earlier years.”He lowered his ERA to 1.11. It was the third career complete game for Lynn, who also beat the Rockies in Texas on opening day with six scoreless innings.“He was on again tonight,” Rockies manager Bud Black said. “We just couldn’t solve him. He kept us off-balance. He had enough velocity and he kept his velocity the whole game.” Lynn tosses 2-hit complete game, Rangers beat Rockies 3-2
It was an eventful for week for Syracuse sports, despite the Orange’s football bye week. (You can catch up on all the Week 5 Atlantic Coast football action here.)Daily Orange File PhotoFBI Agent says former Syracuse basketball assistant coach Bernie Fine tried to molest himAn FBI agent said former Syracuse University associate men’s basketball coach Bernie Fine tried to molest him 34 years ago, in a deposition filed in federal Court on Sept. 30. The agent, Douglas Astralaga, lived near Fine when he was 15, he said in the deposition. Allegations similar to Astralaga’s go back to 2011, when Fine was accused of molestation by former ball boys.More: FBI agent says Bernie Fine tried to molest himCourtesy of Billy CveckoFormer Syracuse runner battles leukemiaOne day while running, Ryan Urie’s vision went white. The official diagnosis is acute myeloid leukemia. In San Diego, Urie’s hometown, he’s supported by cards from a family 3000 miles away and his friend Billy Cvecko as he fights the disease.More: Former Syracuse runner Ryan Urie battles acute myeloid leukemiaAdvertisementThis is placeholder textMoriah Ratner | Asst. Photo EditorImperfect Tennity Ice Pavilion houses rising women’s ice hockey programPaul Flanagan has expressed his displeasure with Tennity Ice Pavilion. Unlike many of SU’s athletic facilities, Tennity is not owned or operated by SU Athletics — it’s owned by the Department of Recreation Services. It’s a recreational facility. Though Rec Services tries to accommodate the team, Flanagan said there’s more he’d like to see done in Tennity to raise the profile of his program. SU reached the College Hockey America championship game last season and was voted No. 1 in the CHA preseason coaches poll.More: Tennity Ice Pavilion leaves imperfect environment under property of Rec ServicesFormer five-star Class of 2015 tight end visits SyracuseChris Clark left the UCLA football program after just one game this season with homesickness. He’s reportedly narrowed his choices down to Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The Don Bosco (New Jersey) Prep told The Daily Orange he had a “great” visit to Syracuse on Sunday and Monday. SU has two Don Bosco graduates on its current roster.Syracuse football recruiting: 5-star TE Chris Clark will take official visit at SUFloyd Little’s role in Syracuse athletics, and his grandson potentially wearing No. 44Floyd Little’s job requires him to do “a little bit of everything.” He’s a mentor, a mediator and a soundboard. He’s a “swear jar” collector. He’s an aid to new athletic director Mark Coyle. Little is also a recruiter. He has student-athletes in his office, listening to his sales pitch about why Syracuse, where Little was a three-time All-American, is the right place for them, too. He’s also a recruiter to family. Little insists his “10 or 11-year-old” grandson will wear legendary No. 44 for the Orange, just as he did.More: Floyd Little thrives in all-encompasing role for Syracuse administrationExtra Extra: Floyd Little on No. 44: ‘My grandson is going to be wearing that number’ Comments Published on October 5, 2015 at 7:10 pm Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR Facebook Twitter Google+
The Badgers have done it, they have pulled off one of the greatest turnarounds in college basketball history. The Big Ten Coach of the Year, Greg Gard, led his Badgers through the gauntlet of the Big Ten Conference and on one of the most improbable runs through the NCAA Tournament, all to be crowned National Champions. The Basketball Power Index’s simulated National Champions, that is. A comeback story that started with grit and hustle on the hardwood and ended with calculations on a computer.Men’s Basketball: Senior send-off for Brevin PritzlWith the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team’s season coming to an abrupt end due to the coronavirus, Badger fans Read…The 2019-2020 season of college basketball will forever go down as the year the NCAA Tournament didn’t happen.The simulation started by taking Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology and the BPI rankings to create a virtual tournament field. The top teams in the field of 68 featured Kansas with an 18% chance to win it all, Duke with a 17% chance and Gonzaga with a 15% chance. The Ohio State University, San Diego State and Louisville all held a 3% chance of winning the tournament.The process was simple. The BPI first assessed the win probabilities based on the relative strength between the two teams, while also factoring in the location of the game. ESPN used the Baylor-Winthrop matchup as an example for how it works. The assessment gave Baylor a 93% chance to win and Winthrop a 7% chance to win, meaning Baylor wins in 93% of the simulated matchups.The process is the same for every game. In the spirit of the already wild 2020 thus far, the ESPN analytics crew decided to select the teams for the 2020 simulation and simulate the entire tournament. So how did it turn out for the Badgers? Phenomenal.Men’s Basketball: Hot takes, bold predictions about near future of Big TenCOACH OF THE YEAR: Head Coach Greg Gard is the clear pick. Perhaps I’m biased, but Gard has done a Read…The No. 4 seeded Badgers scored a date with No. 13 North Texas in the first round. The Badgers dominated through the entirety of the game as scoring contributions off the bench from Micah Potter and Tyler Wahl allowed the Badgers to build a big lead right from the start. The Badgers advanced to the second round where they matched up with No. 12 Liberty. The Liberty Flames scored one of the first major upsets in the tournament when they took out No. 5 Auburn.Despite a magical first game for the Flames, they ran out of luck when they ran into the Badgers. The second round featured a classic low-scoring Wisconsin style game where the defense shined by holding the Flames to just 43 points. Wisconsin advanced to the Sweet 16 for a matchup with their in-state rival, No. 9 Marquette.Marquette rolled through the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Eagles took down No. 8 Houston in a high-scoring matchup that left Markus Howard with 38 points in the game. The magic continued when Marquette upset No. 1 Kansas in just the second round of the tournament.In the Sweet 16, Howard did not find the same success against the Badgers. Wisconsin’s pesky defense shined again as the length of Wahl and the strong help-defense of Nate Reuvers and Potter in the lane threw Howard off his game. Howard finished with just nine points despite his team only losing by single digits to the Badgers. Reuvers had back-to-back blocks on Howard to put a dagger in the game and send the Badgers to the Elite Eight.Football: Look at Zack Baun’s draft stock with April’s NFL Draft only weeks awayThe University of Wisconsin football team cranks out NFL-caliber players at an above-average level compared to other teams in college Read…In the Elite Eight, Wisconsin faced the Duke Blue Devils, a familiar foe in the month of March. The Badgers last saw the Blue Devils in the 2015 National Championship Game, when the Blue Devils came out victorious by just five points. It was a different story this time around, as D’Mitrik Trice dribbled down the court, pulled up for three from the right-wing and knocked down the shot at the buzzer to send the Blue Devils packing and the Wisconsin Badgers off to the Final Four!The Final Four featured a clash between Co-Big Ten Champions, No. 4 Wisconsin and No. 4 Maryland. The Badgers played well all game but struggled to score in the final six minutes of the game. The Terrapins went on a 17–2 run to erase a 13-point deficit and take a two-point lead against the Badgers with just 5.2 seconds left to play.But, just like at the Kohl Center in January, Brad Davison came around a screen and knocked down a corner three as time expired to keep the Badgers’ magical run alive. Off to the National Championship!The Badgers took full advantage of the opportunity ahead of them and played their most well-rounded game of the season in the 2020 NCAA National Championship Game. The Badgers defeated No. 6 BYU to be crowned the simulated champions of college basketball. Glory to the great city of Madison, it’s time to rush State Street and begin the celebration. Actually, let’s just stick to practicing social distancing for now and enjoy this one from our own home.
The USC women’s basketball team is losing a team leader in junior point guard Minyon Moore, who announced her intention to transfer this week. Moore led USC in the 2018-19 season in rebounds, assists and steals and finished second on the team in points with an average of 14.8 per game. Moore was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in her first season as a Trojan, and earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors in her sophomore year. Junior guard Minyon Moore’s intention to transfer is a big blow for women’s basketball. (Josh Dunst/Daily Trojan) Moore gave no public indication of her preferred transfer destination, but she thanked USC for her time as a Trojan in a statement on Instagram.
Moore’s departure may be due in part to that of her sister, Mariya, who transferred to USC from Louisville for her senior season last year. “All I can say is what a ride,” Moore wrote. “After thorough consideration about my future, my family and I have decided that it’s best for me to continue my basketball and academic career as a graduate transfer at a different University. I want to thank the USC Trojan family for making these past three years, ones I will hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life #Trojan4life Thank you.”
Submit BGC: Charities win big as bookies take beating in Britannia Stakes June 19, 2020 BetVictor boosts casino portfolio with EveryMatrix’s CasinoEngine June 25, 2020 Related Articles Share Share EveryMatrix ups CasinoEngine gamification tools with CompetitionLabs June 29, 2020 StumbleUpon One BetVictor punter is on course to become a millionaire after an extraordinary World Cup bet which netted them €3,360 from a €1 stake.The anonymous punter placed the bet through the UK operator’s new #PriceItUp Builder ahead of Brazil vs Switzerland. In doing so they were automatically entered into The Million Pound Bet – BetVictor’s World Cup competition for all customers, which guarantees to give away £1,000,000 to the customer who places a winning bet with the biggest odds on any World Cup market.The five-fold single bet, which BetVictor priced at 3360/1, read as follows:“Match to be drawn 1-1,Philippe Coutinho to score first in the 1st half,Stephan Lichtsteiner to be carded first in the 1st half,Switzerland Over 1.5 cards,Brazil Over 6.5 corners”A corner kick for Brazil, which was awarded in the 5th minute of injury time, turned the bet from being a loser to a winner and catapulted the customer to the summit of The Million Pound Bet leaderboard.The BetVictor customer now sits at the top of The Million Pound Bet leaderboard, an achievement that has also won them The Million Pound Bet’s £5,000 daily cash prize.BetVictor’s #PriceItUp Builder gives customers the opportunity to browse and combine thousands of possible outcomes to build their own #PriceItUp bet.Friday’s leading bet won a BetVictor customer £1470 from a £1 stake on Portugal vs Spain, only to be comfortably beaten less than 48 hours later.Shane Stafford, Head of Brand at BetVictor, said: “This is what The Million Pound Bet is all about! What a fantastic bet and a great way to kick off the competition. We expect to see a lot of people challenging for the top prize over the next 4 weeks and look forward to seeing what our customers can come up with. “Congratulations to the winner and remember, there is plenty of time to get involved and claim the daily £5,000 jackpot as well as the £1,000,000 top prize before the end of the tournament!”
The teams will also meet Greek champions Olympiakos and Red Star Belgrade of Serbia, the 1991 European Cup winners, in Group B.After winning the Europa League, Chelsea are back in the Champions League and can look forward to taking on last season’s semi-finalists Ajax as well as former runners-up Valencia and Lille in Group H. Frank Lampard’s team kick off at home to Valencia.– Ronaldo ‘always confident’ –Premier League champions Manchester City were handed the kindest draw of all four English representatives, with Pep Guardiola’s men coming up against Italian debutants Atalanta along with Shakhtar Donetsk and Dinamo Zagreb in Group C.City beat Shakhtar 3-0 in Ukraine in last season’s group stage before a 6-0 victory in the return. The teams meet in Kharkiv in their first game on September 18.“We have to keep being strong in our country and if we do that, we know we will have a chance in this competition,” said Txiki Begiristain, the director of football at City, who have lost in the quarter-finals in the last two seasons.There will be glamour ties between familiar opponents elsewhere, with Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid renewing acquaintances with Paris Saint-Germain in Group A, the sides meeting in their opening game at the Parc des Princes.Real eliminated the French champions in the last 16 on the way to winning the trophy two seasons ago.Turkish champions Galatasaray and Club Brugge of Belgium complete Group A.Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus will come up against Atletico Madrid again after beating the Spanish side in the last 16 last season. They will begin their campaign by clashing in Madrid and will also face Bayer Leverkusen and Lokomotiv Moscow in Group D.“I don’t know what’s going to happen this year but when the year starts I’m always confident. This year I’m not changing my mind,” Ronaldo, whose side lost to Ajax in the quarter-finals last season, told BT Sport.Perhaps the most balanced section sees Zenit Saint Petersburg, Benfica, Lyon and RB Leipzig clash in Group G.Share on: WhatsApp Messi in actionGroup AParis Saint-Germain (FRA), Real Madrid (ESP), Club Brugge (BEL), Galatasaray (TUR)Group BBayern Munich (GER), Tottenham (ENG), Olympiakos (GRE), Red Star Belgrade (SRB)Group CManchester City (ENG), Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), Dinamo Zagreb (CRO), Atalanta (ITA)Group DJuventus (ITA), Atletico Madrid (ESP), Bayer Leverkusen (GER), Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)Group ELiverpool (ENG), Napoli (ITA), Red Bull Salzburg (AUT), Genk (BEL)Group FBarcelona (ESP), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Inter Milan (ITA), Slavia Prague (CZE)Group GZenit Saint-Petersburg (RUS), Benfica (POR), Lyon (FRA), RB Leipzig (GER)Group HChelsea (ENG), Ajax (NED), Valencia (ESP), Lille (FRA)Monaco, Principality of Monaco | AFP | Barcelona will have to come through a section containing both Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan after the three former winners all came out together in Thursday’s UEFA Champions League group stage draw in Monaco, while holders Liverpool will face Napoli again.Barcelona, Dortmund and Inter, with nine European Cups between them, were drawn together in Group F along with the Czech champions Slavia Prague.Beaten by Liverpool in the semi-finals last season, Lionel Messi and Barcelona remain favourites to advance as they seek a first Champions League crown since 2015.Dortmund won the trophy in 1997 and lost in the final in 2013. Now coached by Antonio Conte, Inter beat Barcelona in the semi-finals en route to winning the most recent of their three titles in 2010.“That really is a very tough group, which makes it an even bigger challenge for us,” said the Dortmund coach, Lucien Favre. His team host Barca in the opening round of matches on Tuesday, September 17.Liverpool advanced from their group at the expense of Napoli last season on the way to lifting their sixth European Cup in Madrid, and Carlo Ancelotti’s side now have a chance to gain revenge.Beaten in Naples a year ago, Liverpool will head back to the San Paolo in their first match on September 17.Both clubs will be fancied to progress from Group E, which is completed by Austrian champions Salzburg and Genk, the Belgian title-holders.“Napoli again! I don’t know how often I’ve now played against Napoli, but they’re obviously a very experienced side,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who faced the Italians with Dortmund in the 2013-14 group stage.Liverpool are hoping to return to this year’s final which will be played in Istanbul, where they won their fifth title back in 2005.After losing in last season’s final, Tottenham Hotspur can look forward to a meeting with German champions Bayern Munich in Group B.Tottenham entertain Bayern in London in their second group game on October 1, which will be the first meeting of the clubs since the 1983-84 UEFA Cup. They will then go to Munich in December.