, such as full-shell vinyl wraps, will eventually be develo

ESTERO, Fla. -- A sizable contingent of Ohio State fans came to the Gulf Coast Showcase in southwest Florida, where the weather happens to be just a bit nicer than back home.Those fans will be free to watch a certain football game Saturday afternoon.Kelsey Mitchell scored 10 of her game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter, and No. 8 Ohio State used a late 11-0 run to pull away and beat Florida Gulf Coast 79-66 on Friday in the tournament quarterfinals. The win means the Buckeyes (4-1) play on Saturday night -- instead of playing a consolation matchup in the afternoon, which would have been during the Michigan-Ohio State showdown back in Columbus.Ive been at Ohio State three years and I never got a chance to experience `The Game, Mitchell said. Hopefully we can give back, watch them, cheer them on.Mitchell got better as the game went on, still having a big night despite not getting her first basket until the second quarter. She had 19 of her 25 points after halftime.Shes going to be the first pick, FGCU coach Karl Smesko said. Whenever she comes out shell be the first pick in the WNBA draft. Shes that good.Shayla Cooper finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Buckeyes. Stephanie Mavunga added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Ohio State.I thought it was a great challenge for our team, Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said.Taylor Gradinjan and Nasrin Ulel each scored 13 for Florida Gulf Coast (2-3), which trailed by one at halftime and was still within five points early in the fourth.The Eagles -- who are playing this weekend about two miles from their campus -- were 12 for 37 from 3-point range and 8 for 30 from inside the arc.Im a little bit mixed emotions right now, Smesko said. Im disappointed because we didnt work as well together as I thought we should of. But then at the same time I saw us do some things well and move in a positive direction.Mitchell had five of the 11 points in the decisive run for Ohio State, starting it with a layup and adding a 3-pointer. The Buckeyes held a 52-31 rebounding edge, 25-11 in that department after halftime.Ohio State led by as many as 12 in the third, but Ulel -- who logged six scoreless minutes in her lone collegiate appearance entering Friday -- made three 3s in the final 2:30 of the quarter, and FGCU was within 54-48 headed to the fourth.Knowing we were in Florida, playing a team like Florida Gulf Coast, we could never get comfortable, Mitchell said.BIG PICTUREFGCU: Gradinjan left the court briefly in the first half while getting her left leg bandaged. She also had to be taken out early in the fourth quarter, favoring the leg slightly. ... The Eagles need only look at last season when figuring out how to overcome a slow start. They were 1-2 last year and finished 33-6.Ohio State: Mitchell is now the Buckeyes career leader in 3-pointers made, getting No. 271 to fall late in the third quarter. She passed Caity Matter, who made 270 from 2001-05. Mitchell didnt know she was even nearing the record. Aw, thanks, she said. ... Even though they trailed for only 1:18, the Buckeyes were tested -- there were six ties and six lead changes.HOMECOMINGS, SORT OFThis weekend is taking Smesko back to his roots. Hes a native of Ohio, and theres a chance he could face his alma mater -- Kent State -- when the three-team, eight-team tournament wraps up on Sunday.UP NEXTFGCU: Either No. 11 Syracuse or George Washington on Saturday.Ohio State: Either No. 11 Syracuse or George Washington on Saturday. Mike Scott Astros Jersey . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Carlos Correa Astros Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/customized/ .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. Lance McCullers Jersey . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Jake Marisnick Astros Jersey . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. The New Orleans Saints wore 1960s throwback uniforms last Sunday -- part of their year-long celebration of the teams 50th season. They were the eighth NFL team to wear throwbacks this season, following the Bears, Dolphins, Bills, Rams, Steelers, Packers and Washington (plus the Falcons wore a hybrid design that included throwback elements).This years throwbacks -- like all NFL throwbacks that have been worn since 2013 -- have had one thing in common: The teams used their existing helmet shells and either swapped out or removed their usual helmet logos, striping tape and face masks. Thats due to the NFLs one-shell rule, which aims to decrease the risk of concussions by preventing teams from switching to new sets of helmets in the middle of the season. So teams can still wear throwbacks if they use their existing shells, but throwbacks that would require a different-colored helmet -- like New Englands Pat Patriot design or Tampa Bays Creamsicle set -- are now off-limits. (For more information on the thinking behind the one-shell rule, and answers to many questions about it, look here.)The one-shell rule now has been with us for four seasons, and its become a truism among many fans that the rule has ruined the NFLs throwback scene. But is that really accurate? Its true that a few beloved fan favorites like Pat Patriot and the Creamsicles have essentially been kicked to the curb. But some of the other throwbacks that are now verboten were never that great to begin with. In many cases, mothballing them has been a case of addition by subtraction.To further that point, lets look at all the past NFL throwbacks that have been affected by the one-shell rule -- by your friendly uniform columnists count, there are 16 such designs -- and see if were really worse off without them. We wont be looking at every conceivable throwback that could be worn -- only the ones that already have been worn as throwbacks but are now off-limits due to the rule. For example, lets consider the Jets: The rule prevents them from wearing their old 1980s and 90s uniforms because theyd need a new set of green helmets, but we wont include that on our list because theyve never worn that design as a throwback. But we will include their Titans of New York throwback on our list, because theyve worn it as a throwback in the past but cant do so now.Got all that? Here we go, one off-limits throwback at a time, listed alphabetically by team name:1. Broncos: Early 60s designOriginally worn: 1960-61Worn as a throwback: 2009Great loss for humankind? Uh, no. Although theres something amusing about grown football players wearing vertically striped socks, its safe to say that nobodys mourning the loss of this throwback, least of all Broncos fans. Good riddance.2. Broncos: Mid-60s designOriginally worn: 1965-66Worn as a throwback: 1994Great loss for humankind? Yup. Although the bucking bronco helmet logo is a bit cheesy, this is an underrated uniform that deserves to be revived. Too bad the one-shell rule prevents that.3. Broncos: Orange Crush designOriginally worn: 1968-1996Worn as a throwback: 2001Great loss for humankind? Definitely. For many fans, this is still the uniform they think of when they think of the Broncos, and it would be great to see it on the field again. Although the helmet is a lighter shade of blue than Denvers current navy shell, the team wore a reasonable facsimile of the old look for this seasons Color Rush game by using the throwback logo and striping on the current shell. Would that be close enough for a throwback uniform, or would fans complain that the helmet color wasnt right? Only one way to find out: Try it.4. Buccaneers: Creamsicle designOriginally worn: 1976-96Worn as a throwback: 2009-12Great loss for humankind? Yes. Ridiculed for years before emerging as a nostalgia-driven favorite, the Bucs original uniform set, complete with Bucco Bruce on the helmet, has become the poster child for the one-shell rules collateral damage on the throwback scene. Its a big part of the teams heritage -- and, arguably, the NFLs heritage -- and its a shame it cant be worn anymore. Free Bucco Bruce!5. Colts: Mid-50s designOriginally worn: 1954-55Worn as a throwback: 2010Great loss for humankind? Nah. Putting the horseshoes on the back of the helmet, instead of the sides, is interesting (the idea being thats what you see when a colt -- or a Colt -- is galloping away from you), but its more of a novelty than a good design. And if the Colts really want to wear something like this, they could do a throwback to 1956, when they wore the same helmet concept on a white shell.6. Cowboys: Early 60s designOriginally worn: 1960-63Worn as a throwback: 2004-12Great loss for humankind? Maybe not a great loss, but still a loss. The Cowboys white-helmeted throwbacks had become a Thanksgiving tradition thats now been shelved. Too bad.7. Eagles: Kelly Green designOriginally worn: 1954-64, 1985-95Worn as a throwback: 2010Great loss for humankind? For sure. The only thing that would be better than reviving this design as a throwback would be reviving it as the teams primary look.8. Eagles: City flag designOriginally worn: 1934Worn as a throwback: 2007Great loss for humankind? Nope. This uniform was good as a history lesson (its colors are based on the design of the Philadelphia city flag, which in turn was based on the Swedish national flag, because of the original Swedish colonization of the Philly region) but not as an Eagles uniform. Fans hated it, and theres no chance itll be worn again, rulle or no rule.dddddddddddd9. Falcons: Original designOriginally worn: 1966-1969Worn as a throwback: 2009-11Great loss for humankind? A little bit, yeah. Atlantas original helmet design had a red shell, to honor the University of Georgia, and gold striping, to honor Georgia Tech -- a nice dual shout-out to Atlantas two college football teams. Symbolism aside, its also a very solid look -- one that would be nice to see again.10. Jets: Titans of New York designOriginally worn: 1960-62Worn as a throwback: 2007-09, 2011Great loss for humankind? Nope. True, the Jets franchise was known as the Titans for the first three years of its existence, but thats more of a historical footnote, or maybe the answer to a trivia question, than a key chapter in the teams history. Fans never warmed up to this throwback design, and the team is better off without it.11. Packers: Acme Packers design with brown helmetOriginally worn: 1929-30Worn as a throwback: 2010-11Great loss for humankind? Nope. The Packers original Acme Packers uniform, worn back during the Great Depression, featured brown leather helmets, so the team opted for brown shells when reviving that design as a throwback in 2010. But the brown lids never looked right, so it was actually an improvement when the one-shell rule forced the team to switch to its regular yellow shells with the decals removed in 2013. Theres a lesson there: Sometimes being less historically accurate can be more aesthetically pleasing.12. Patriots: Pat Patriot designOriginally worn: 1961-92Worn as a throwback: 1994, 2002, 2009-12Great loss for humankind? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Fans can debate whether the Pats original Minuteman mascot character, Pat Patriot, is better than the teams current Flying Elvis logo (some prefer Pat and wish hed never gone away, while others prefer Elvis because he symbolizes the success of the Brady/Bellichick era), but just about everyone agrees that Pat should get to come out and play at least once a year. This is probably the single biggest casualty of the one-shell rule.13. Steelers: 1962 designOriginally worn: 1962Worn as a throwback: 2009-10Great loss for humankind? Maybe not a great loss, but a loss all the same. Its a nice change of pace to see that familiar Steelers logo against the yellow helmet, and the rest of the uniform is very solid.14. Titans: Oilers designOriginally worn: 1960-65Worn as a throwback: 1994, 2009Great loss for humankind? Yes, but with an asterisk. Its been great when the Titans have honored their franchises Oilers root, but they can still do that by throwing back to the Oilers white-helmeted era -- which was actually the teams strongest look. Luv ya, blue!15. Washington: Lombardi-era designOriginally worn: 1970-71Worn as a throwback: 2007Great loss for humankind? Its complicated. Anything involving Washingtons branding is a loaded proposition due to the teams use of Native American iconography. But with that caveat in mind, this design, which they wore when coach Vince Lombardi moved from Green Bay to Washington and gave the team a somwehat Packers-esque makeover, is one of the better looks from the teams visual history.16. Washington: Leatherhead helmetOriginally worn: 1937Worn as a throwback: 2012A great loss for humankind? From a helmet perspective, yes. Washingtons modern interpretation of the old leatherhead helmet had the illusion of a textured surface -- a really neat effect, and much better than the plain brown shell that the Packers used for their own leatherhead simulation (see above). Once the one-shell rule went into effect, Washington kept wearing this throwback uniform with their current helmet shells -- not bad, but its a shame that they cant go with the leatherhead treatment (and that nobody else can go that route either).If you tally up the assessments, you get 11 cases of Too bad we cant see that again! versus five of Eh, no biggie. So yes, the one-shell rule does appear to have been a net negative from an aesthetic standpoint. Moreover, there are potentially great throwbacks that have never been worn and currently cant be worn due to the rule, such as the Seahawks original design, the Chargers Air Coryell design and the Jets New York Sack Exchange design. The rule also prevents the Thursday-night Color Rush uniforms from reaching their full potential, because the helmets often dont match the rest of the uniforms. (You can decide for yourself if inhibiting the scope of the Color Rush program is a good or bad thing.)Will the one-shell rule stay in place forever? Probably not. It seems likely that some sort of workaround, such as full-shell vinyl wraps, will eventually be developed. And with college teams continuing to routinely wear multiple shells each season with no apparent ill effects, maybe the NFL will simply drop or modify the rule. Until then, though, well have to live without Pat Patriot and Bucco Bruce -- which will just make their eventual return, if and when it happens, that much sweeter.Paul Lukas wishes the NFL had gone with Throwback Thursdays, instead of the Color Rush program, for Thursday-night games. If you like this column, youll probably like his Uni Watch Blog, plus you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook. 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