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Chantilly, a city of culture, history and horse racing, will now act as the backdrop for an England team looking to make history this summer, as it provides the training base for Roy Hodgsons side. Sky Sports News HQ were granted exclusive access to the team hotel and training ground and, after spending a day wandering the quaint little streets of this northern French town, its easy to see why the FA were drawn to this location.Less than 25 miles from the French capital, Chantilly was chosen by the FA because of its proximity to Paris and its transport links, as well as the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the city (it is classed as a city, despite having a population of around 11,000). The players will be allowed to spend their downtime venturing out on to the high street for a look at the shops or to stop at one of the traditional French cafés for a coffee. And judging by Chantillys equestrian background, you wouldnt expect them to encounter too many football supporters wanting autographs. Unless youre a certain Leicester striker that is… The five-star Auberge de Jeu de Paume will be Englands home during Euro 2016 As part of our shoot in Chantilly, our chief football reporter Nick Collins recorded a series of pieces to give SSN HQ viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what life might be like for an England player this summer.One clip shows Nick walking down the high street and stopping for an espresso at a local café. When I thanked one of the customers in the cafe for helping to translate, he jokingly asked for an England shirt on my return to Chantilly in the summer with a leading English strikers name on the back.Jamie Vardy? Hes good isnt he? Asked the diner, to my amazement. It seems the Leicester story has made it all the way to the Picardy region of northern France.While Vardy and co may get recognised in the streets of Chantilly, they wont be stopped by tourists in their hotel, the five-star Auberge de Jeu de Paume. The hotel has granted exclusivity to the FA, which has meant turning down a group of regular sponsors who usually stay for the Prix de Diane Longines at the adjacent racecourse. Jamie Vardy and his England colleagues should have no problem relaxing in the bedrooms at the Auberge de Jeu de Paume Exclusivity, as well as facilities such as a swimming pool, a spa and a room to build a bespoke gym, were the reasons behind the FA selecting the hotel. The proximity to the training ground was also high on the agenda. Englands training base is just a five-minute bike ride or short drive from the hotel.The training base itself still has lots of work to be done, but the evidence is already there of the investment that is being made at the Stade de Bourgognes, home to local amateur side US Chantilly.French pitch specialist Sebastien Ranson and his team were hard at work preparing the pitch when we were there - just ahead of laying seeds that had been flown in especially from the FAs St Georges Park headquarters.We have had lots of meeting and discussions but we are happy that the weather is good now or it could have been tricky, Ranson told us. This is the only training pitch of the 24 [qualified] countries to have a hundred per cent new pitch as the quality was too poor. Im pretty sure that were going to be okay and Im confident about the quality of the pitch. The swimming pool at Englands hotel for Euro 2016, the Auberge de Jeu de Paume Once Ranson and his team have finished their work, the FAs specialists will come in to oversee the completion of the project before the team arrive at the start of June. As well as the pitch, there is work to be done on painting the stand, erecting a fence around the perimeter of the training ground, and implementing all the relevant branding.Englands training base pitch designPitch was assessed in 2015 and it was decided that a new pitch would be installedThe pitch is a synthetically reinforced pipe and slit drained pitch with the added benefit of fibresand reinforcementIt has an automatic irrigation systemIt will be similar to the one used in Poland by the English FAThe pitch will be grown in and managed over a nine-week period ahead of Englands arrivalIt will replicate stadium pitch conditions Also See: England call up Heaton for Hart Neville delays England arrival Hodgson must make Euro semis England fixtures Bobby Orr Jersey . Blatter, a 75-year-old Swiss executive who has been in office since 1998, was handed a final four-year term as head of footballs governing body in a vote at FIFAs congress. He won 186 votes out of 203 ballots. Derek Sanderson Jersey . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/milan-lucic-hockey-jersey/ . They are back to a game above .500 on the year and back to .500 on the road. It was their 10th extra time game of the year, and only the second one that did not got to a shootout. Gerry Cheevers Jersey . -- Coyotes coach Dave Tippett thinks of one thing when he watches Eastern Conference teams struggle against Western opponents before they get to Phoenix: His team must keep pace. Boston Bruins Jerseys . -- Center Max Unger and tight end Zach Miller are both probable for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday against the New York Giants and Percy Harvins recovery continues to be slow.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Michigan State, Michigan, Syracuse and Florida were supposed to have down years. But this down? Meanwhile, defending champion Connecticut, SMU, Nebraska and UCLA have also started slowly after being ranked in the preseason polls. Only two of the eight teams listed above made my initial NCAA Tournament projection bracket (listed below), but the start of conference play will allow these squads to play themselves back into the tournament discussion. And why cant they? Seven of these teams sport upper-tier head coaches, with several of them Hall- of-Famers or future Hall-of-Famers. Nebraskas Tim Miles is the lone omission. Theres still plenty of time to fix the kinks. And if any of these teams play their way into the tournament dont be surprised if any of them makes a run. Since the tournament expanded to 68 teams in 2011, five double-digit power conference teams have reached the Sweet 16 -- Stanford (10 - 2014), Tennessee (11 - 2014), Oregon (12 - 2013), North Carolina State (11 - 2012) and Marquette (11 - 2011). Double-digit power conference teams are also 13-13 in the second round. Although the Big Ten is down, if Michigan State, Nebraska and Michigan can finish around the 9-9, 10-8 range in conference, that should get them in, although the Spartans are in a better position than the Wolverines and Huskers. The same could be said for ACCs Syracuse, SECs Florida and Pac-12s UCLA. Connecticut and SMU may have a tougher task. Theyll most likely have to sport better in-conference records because the league theyre in arent as deep as the Big Ten, ACC, SEC or Pac-12. Connecticut and SMU might have to get to 12-6 or 13-5 to receive an at-large bid. The Mustangs went 12-6 in the AAC last season and werent selected into the tourney field. Michigan might be the most erratic team of the bunch. John Beilein had to replace four major components and the top two scorers from last years Elite Eight team, but the Wolverines still have versatile scorer Caris LeVert and the 3-point shooting ability of Zak Irvin. They were a top-20 team in the preseason polls, but a mid-December swoon has Michigan scrambling for answers. The Wolverines had a fine showing at the Legends Classic in late November at Barclays Center, narrowly falling to Villanova in the title game. But they dropped four straight coming off a home win against Syracuse on Dec. 2. Michigan suffered a head-scratching home loss to NJIT (RPI 190) before following with another clunker in Ann Arbor to Eastern Michigan. Michigan was routed at Arizona and fell to SMU on Dec. 20 at Crisler Center. The Wolverines opened Big Ten play with a home overtime win against Illinois, but followed that up with a road loss at Purdue. The Spartans are without three starters and the top two scorers from their Elite Eight squad a year ago. Coach Tom Izzo said before the season that his team has upside, but theyve yet to play up to it. That was evident in a 71-64 overtime loss to Texas Southern (RPI 124) on Dec. 20. The Spartans began their league slate with a double-overtime loss to Maryland in what couldve been a solid win to put on their resume. Jacob Kurtzs accidental last-second tip-in of Devon Bookerts miss in a loss to in-state rival Florida State on Wednesday has exemplified Floridas season. Also Wednesday, Daniel Hamiltons trio of free throw misfires in the waning seconds of UConns loss to Temple in overtime was a perfect description of the Huskies year. They just havent been able to close. UConn had Texas beat until Jonathan Holmes knocked down a left corner 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to lift the Longhorns on Nov. 30. The same result happened in its next game when Jack Montagues late triple lifted Yale past the Huskies. The Gators and Huskies clashed Saturday in Gainesville, with the Huskies picking up a much-needed victory. The quartet of Scottie Wilbekin, Casey Prather, Will Yeguette and Patric Young set a school record with 120 career wins, 13 NCAA Tournament victories and four straight Elite Eight appearances -- 2013 Final Four visit. But those are four stalwarts Florida no longer has. The Gators have looked a lot better since a 3-4 start, rattling off four double-digit victories in a row prior to the FSU and UConn defeats. They dropped a 69-67 decision to in-state rival Miami-Florida in their second game of the season and lost a pair in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament -- Georgetown and North Carolina. UF also held a 39-24 halftime advantage against Kansas, but was outscored 47-26 over the final 20 minutes en route to a 71-65 defeat. Florida has a trio of talented guards in Kasey Hill, Eli Carter and Michael Frazier to go along with Dorian-Finney Smith. Its the development of former McDonalds All-American Chris Walker, though, that might propel UF into the Big Dance. Hes yet to show the potential, but its time for him to make his mark. He was suspended for three games earlier this year for a violation of team rules after having to wait until the conclusion of the first semester to see court time last season. A year removed from a postseason ban due to poor APR scores, Connecticut quickly made up for lost time by hoisting its fourth NCAA Title since 1999 last season. But gone is Shabazz Napier. The Huskies still have Napiers runnning mate from a year ago, Ryan Boatright, and the shot-swatting presence of Amidah Brimah.dddddddddddd NC State transfer Rodney Purvis is also a key cog. Due to being in a poor league, UConn scheduled a tough non-conference slate that included Duke, Texas, Florida and Stanford. The Huskies have to beat Stanford later this month to get some resume credibility with a lack of opportunities in the AAC. Two years ago Michael-Carter Williams led Syracuse to the Final Four and Tyler Ennis helped the Orange to a 28-6 mark a year ago. Thats a pair of NBA first- round talents. This season at point guard? Well, another freshman, but Kaleb Joseph still has a lot to learn. Joseph had his best game of the season Dec. 20 in an overtime loss to Villanova. He recorded 10 points and 10 assists, but that was after an eight-turnover performance against Louisiana Tech. The Orange dont own any bad losses like Michigan or Michigan State and a victory over Iowa may turn into something by seasons end. In potential games to boost their resume, Syracuse fell to California in the semifinals of the 2K Classic, at Michigan, at home to St. Johns and at Villanova. The expectations for the Mustangs in June were a lot higher than they were in early November. That was before Emmanuel Mudiay, arguably the No. 1 point guard in the country and a top-five pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, decided to take his talents to China. In September, it was found that Texas Tech transfer Jordan Tolbert would lack the necessary hours to graduate from SMU in one year. He will not play for the school this season. SMUs starting big man Markus Kennedy was then ruled ineligible for the first semester in mid-November, but was cleared to return on Dec. 19. The talent is still there to make the tournament. Nic Moore, Sterling Brown and Keith Frazier make up a formidable backcourt. Like Syracuse, SMU doesnt have any bad losses. The Mustangs began 2-3 with losses at Gonzaga, at Indiana and home against Arkansas, but it ripped off eight consecutive victories prior to losing at Cincinnati -- a critical chance in conference to put a top-50 win on the resume. For the last two seasons Kyle Anderson was a 6-foot-9, do-everything guard/forward for UCLA, leading the team in rebounds (8.8 rpg) and assists (6.5 apg) to go along with 14.6 points per game. Zach LaVine and Jordan Adams were also NBA first-round picks that the Bruins had to replace. UCLA, which advanced to the Sweet 16 in coach Steve Alfords first season, is led by his son Bryce. The Bruins are also guided by senior Norman Powell and talented freshman Kevon Looney. UCLA has yet to post a signature win and lost the first two games of its Battle 4 Atlantis tournament to Oklahoma and North Carolina. The Bruins have also recently lost to Gonzaga at home, Kentucky in Chicago, at Alabama and suffered a 71-39 blowout loss to Utah in the early stages of Pac-12 play. Nebraska was predicted to finish last in the Big Ten last season but instead ended fourth in the standings. With loftier expectations this season, its been a different story. The Huskers dropped a home game to Incarnate Word on Dec. 10 and fell to Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic. Nebraska also has losses at Rhode Island and home to Creighton. Its lone key win was a double- overtime thriller against Cincinnati on Dec. 13. Nebraska has the talent to make a move in the Big Ten, Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields make up a solid duo, but this is uncharted territory for the program. Ultimately, five of the eight teams listed could make the tournament. Just too much talent and coaching experience for these squads to not make the Big Dance. I also think the bubble could be rather weak this season. Nebraska, UCLA, Connecticut and SMU could be in trouble. Nebraska isnt used to being in this position, while the Bruins, Huskies and Mustangs may have problems because the conference theyre in. But UConn is likely the best team in the AAC and should get in by winning its conference tournament. Notes: RPI rankings are as of Jan. 4. Projected bracket features predicted conference champions. MIDWEST 1. Kentucky 16. New Mexico State/Coastal Carolina winner 8. UNLV 9. Ohio State 4. Seton Hall 13. Georgia Tech/SMU winner 5. Oklahoma 12. Wofford 6. George Washington 11. BYU 3. Utah 14. Northeastern 7. North Carolina 10. Old Dominion 2. Kansas 15. Murray State SOUTH 1. Virginia 16. Florida Gulf Coast 8. Dayton 9. Georgetown 4. Iowa State 13. Stony Brook 5. Stanford 12. Harvard 6. Arkansas 11. Oklahoma State 3. Maryland 14. Syracuse/California winner 7. Colorado State 10. Temple 2. Villanova 15. St. Francis (PA) EAST 1. Duke 16. UCSB/Alabama State winner 8. LSU 9. Northern Iowa 4. Texas 13. Buffalo 5. VCU 12. Stephen F. Austin 6. Butler 11. Green Bay 3. Wichita State 14. NC Central 7. Baylor 10. Iowa 2. Arizona 15. Iona WEST 1. Wisconsin 16. Florida Gulf Coast 8. San Diego State 9. Cincinnati 4. West Virginia 13. Georgia State 5. Notre Dame 12. Providence 6. Washington 11. Penn State 3. Louisville 14. Northeastern 7. 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