Talked About His Coaching Philosophy, How He Got the Message, and Getting A Full Endorsement from St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino via X/Twitter
Grab yourself a cold one, and enjoy this refreshing interview from Wednesday. And to be honest, I hear pieces of Nate Oats, Bruce Pearl, John Calipari, Chris Holtmann, and Tom Izzo in certain portions.
Say what you will how will his two hour Fox Sports Radio show will cut into his coaching duties. He will have great assistants around to help with the X’s and O’s, and proving Coach Gottlieb will work with their administration in helping to keep up in the NIL game, work on fundraising efforts, talking to the folks in the smallest NFL city, etc.
You also have to take into account the travel in the Horizon League, and especially during the non-conference portion in November and December. Schools expect a certain cut of money, usually in the five figure range to schedule games. And with the Power 4 expanding with the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 taking over many of the at-large tournament spots, there will be that feeling of having only the one-bid leagues as their Super Bowl, so-to speak.
Speaking purely as a loyal fan of the sport, he will definitely have his work cut out for him. But with NIL and getting the right mix of players, who knows what might happen? At the end of the day, every coach is judged by wins and losses. If somehow he convinces many people in Packers Nation and be there when the Packers are not playing to see if UWGB reaches the NCAA Tournament, what a story that would be.
Nobody can question his passion. In being a part of the media for ESPN, CBS, and now with Fox Sports Radio, Stadium, Compass Media, and Westwood One–the plate is already full.
I will be curious to see what the Field of 68 and the Blue Ribbon Yearbook will have in their season previews come October. They might have to take up a whole page on your desktops and laptops to fully understand the man.
But numbers don’t lie:
Gottlieb shot 36% from the field for his career at Notre Dame and Oklahoma State. He hit only 24% from 3 point range, and was 45% for his career from the free throw line. Different era, my online friends.
As my late grandmother used to tell me in her final years on this planet Earth, we will see what we shall see.
Welcome again to another interesting edition of News and Notes for Tuesday, May 14.
While taking a break from the heated testimony from Michael at the hush money trial in Manhattan, a popular Fox Sports talk show radio host has landed his dream job.
This according to Jeff Goodman from the Field of 68:
Green Bay is set to hire Doug Gottlieb as its next head coach, source told @thefieldof68.
Gottlieb, 48, was a standout point guard at Notre Dame and Oklahoma state before working in media for the past two decades – at ESPN, CBS and now at FOX, hosting his own daily radio show.…
Besides working at Fox Sports, he has provided excellent analysis on Westwood One Radio and has been a central figure during their Final Four coverage.
He will be introduced to the Green Bay media at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
In a statement by the school, this is how he explained that this was his true calling:
“Every kid has a dream growing up. Some want to be a firefighter. Others want to be president. I have always wanted to be a head basketball coach at the Division I level.”
And now, his wish is granted.
Last year, Gottlieb was never formally offered the post. Instead, that job went to former Wyoming assistant Sundance Wicks, who recently left UWGB to return to Laramie and take the head coaching job at Wyoming. The opening came up when Jeff Linder surprisingly had three years left on his contract to become an assistant coach at Texas Tech.
He also interviewed for the vacancy at his alma mater Oklahoma State in 2017. His only previous coaching experience was leading the United States at the Maccabiah Games in Israel.
He will continue doing his Fox Radio show, which airs weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. Eastern time. Wyoming went 18-14 last season, this after winning only three games during the 2022-2023 season. Green Bay returns four of their eight leading scorers, with their only double-digit scorer Noah Reynolds transferred to TCU.
The players have 30 days to enter the transfer portal.
Conflicts You Say? As long as he doesn’t have laryngitis, he will be fine
Interestingly, Gottlieb said that one of the reasons he was not the Green Bay coach last year was because he would not give up his daily radio gig. He felt that the radio show would be a “great promotion” to what he would do in leading a program.
“But one of the parts to the job that I’m sure at the end of the day it became a little bit of an issue was I wouldn’t give up the radio. The radio piece, to me, is a great promotion to what I’m doing as a coach. It is in the middle of your day. You have to have a great staff. And I was prepared to take less money than other coaches would — probably than Sundance took — only in that I was going to use that money for a higher-level staff. So, that in my three-hour recording window, I was able to do my pod and do my radio show and not have to worry about what was going on.”
He was born in Milwaukee and is the son of the late Bob Gottlieb, who coached Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 1975-1980.
“As a kid who was born at Columbia Hospital and a dad who was, at that a head coach in the UW system, it is even more amazing to get this opportunity to come back to Wisconsin and live out my dreams.”
He started his college career at Notre Dame, but left after the 1995-1996 season following an incident when he stole a teammate’s credit card and used it to make multiple purchases. He eventually transferred to Oklahoma State, where he became a star in Stillwater from 1997-2000. He led all Division I players in assists in 1998-1999 and ranked second in 1999-2000. His 947 assists are 11th most in men’s NCAA Division I history.
This move is not unprecedented. Former Vermont head coach Tom Brennan co-hosted a radio show in the state.
Maui Invitational Returns To Lahaina Civic Center
One year after following a series of wildfires that killed 101 people and decimated the historic town of Lahaina, the famed Thanksgiving holiday tournament will return to historic Lahaina one year after playing in Honolulu.
The 2025 tournament field announced on Tuesday will have Baylor, Texas, North Carolina State, Oregon, Seton Hall, USC, UNLV and host Chaminade. Those games will be played November 24-26.
N.C. State is coming off the program’s fourth trip to the Final Four following an unexpected run through the ACC Tournament. Baylor is one of four teams to win at least one game in the NCAA Tournament the last five years, including winning the 2021 national championship.
Division II Chaminade plays in the bracket every other year, largely to avoid getting embarrassed in the first round as if it was an Indiana high school game between the Indianapolis Ben Davis Giants, one of the state’s traditional powers against the Whiting Oilers, a tiny school in the northwest part of the state located in an area that their city borders on only 1.9 square miles–but plays near a gorgeous part along the southern tip of Lake Michigan.
The 2024 brackets will be announced later this summer.
Kentucky To Welcome Back John Calipari, Arkansas
Mark Pope at his homecoming/press conference last month mentioned that he was hoping the former longtime Kentucky head coach would return to Lexington, and it is going to happen.
The school announced on Monday that it will be the only time they will meet during the regular season.
Kentucky’s other SEC games includes all 15 league foes at least once and will face Alabama, Tennessee and Vanderbilt “home-and-home.” The Wildcats will also play at SEC newcomers Texas and Oklahoma.
The full schedule will be announced at a later date.
I Have A Major Beef
A few hours after reading a fabulous piece from The Athletic on the life and career of one of the first NFL insiders in Chris Mortensen of ESPN who passed away on March 3 at the age of 72 following a multiyear battle with stage IV throat cancer, Monday afternoon had a visual makeover.
Namely, the font style changed from what has been the case since The Athletic started in 2017…
To this…
Unlike what Sports Illustrated did with The Vault, they digitized the text of every article. If you wanted to see the way the text was printed when you received your copy in the mail, it does not translate well on the desktop.
Similar case here.
Since the New York Times purchase of The Athletic for $550 million in 2022, the website of http://theathletic.com has changed to nytimes.com/athletic–layoffs have been common and many local beat writers ended up losing their jobs.
Basic standard operating procedure, right?
Except for one major problem.
I attempted to reach their Customer Care team twice, once via chat and once via phone call on Tuesday afternoon. With their I.T. department basically twiddling their thumbs, I feel overall it is best to throw in the towel.
Besides, there are many outstanding websites dedicated to college basketball:
thescore.com, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, The Sporting News, and ESPN, just to name a few.
But as we all can remember so many times in the past, when layoff happen–penny pinching usually takes place and the company ends up dying a painful death.
Here were my thoughts when the New York Times shut down their sports department last fall:
I will definitely miss their long-form articles, especially on the college hoops and sports media beats from Richard Deitsch and Andrew Marchand. But all won’t be lost, since The Athletic has podcasts and several YouTube accounts to enjoy.
I think it is best to close this blog with what Doug Gottlieb talked about in March 2023 having been through the interview process the first time he spoke to Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Thanks again for reading and listening, and please leave some comments when you get the chance.
See you again either in late May or sometime in June.
On Friday (May 10), the West Coast Conference welcomed back Seattle and welcomed Grand Canyon to the fledgling league.
In a statement, chairperson of the WCC Presidents’ Council Dr. Thayne McCulloh mentioned how both schools fit with their vision for athletic and academic success:
“We are thrilled to welcome two institutions of higher education that each will make significant contributions to the future of the West Coast Conference. While each university has a unique and distinctive character, both are deeply invested in the welfare of their students and surrounding communities, are making significant investments in their athletics programs and facilities, and will enhance the competitive profile of the West Coast Conference.”
GCU and Seattle will both compete in 14 of the WCC’s sponsored sports. WCC Commissioner Stu Jackson said the additions will help the conference get into two major cities in the western part of the United States.
Once GCU and Seattle join, the WCC will have 11 full time members in addition to its affiliate members, a designation that includes Washington State and Oregon State for two seasons starting this fall.
The league will evaluate all options when it comes to scheduling in men’s and women’s basketball, both in terms of the format and the total number of conference games, Jackson said at a news conference, “Everything will be on the table.”
Grand Canyon athletic director Jamie Boggs joked, “it was a long dating process, and now we’re happy to get married.”
Part of the reason it’s taken the WCC so long to add Grand Canyon is because its makeup is very different than the small, private Jesuit schools. Grand Canyon, located in Phoenix, is a for-profit school with an enrollment of more than 100,000 students (with a huge chunk taking classes online).
It took WCC leaders time to embrace Grand Canyon and the private school has invested a lot into becoming a significant player in college athletics.
Jackson also mentioned that there is more security and strength in numbers. If Gonzaga or St. Mary’s decide to move, there are enough other members to stabilize the league. This is a major lesson many college athletic leaders have taken from the death of the Pac-12 last summer.
Seattle returns after it competed in the conference from 1971-1981 before the school dropped down from NCAA Division I. Seattle returned to the Division I level in 2008 and has competed in the WAC since 2012.
“We are excited to return home to the West Coast Conference. Our student athletes will receive an unparalleled experience, reaping the rewards of competing against talented peers at mission-aligned universities within a tight geographic footprint.”
Seattle Athletic Director Shaney Fink in statement released by the school
Also making news was Missouri State will move to Conference USA and become a full conference member on July 1, 2025.
The move will grow C-USA to 12 members, including the additions of Kennesaw State this summer and Delaware next year. It will also grow the Football Bowl Subdivision to 136 members.
The move is largely being done around football, but the men’s basketball team last reached the NCAA Tournament in 1999.
C-USA has been in expansion mode since late 2021, when Texas and Oklahoma announced their move to the SEC saw C-USA raided by the American Athletic Conference and the Sun Belt. C-USA fell from 14 to five members but has since added Liberty, New Mexico State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston, Kennesaw State, Delaware and now Missouri State. This move was first thought of last year, this according to Commissioner Judy MacLeod.
With new FBS requirements that include a $5 million entrance fee, which Delaware and Missouri State will also pay, this could be the league’s last move for the foreseeable future.
Considering this was their lineup entering the 2004-2005 season, this is just a microcosm of how the college landscape has changed the sports forever:
Louisville Cincinnati Houston TCU Memphis Southern Mississippi UAB Tulane South Florida Army East Carolina
Missouri State leaving the Missouri Valley is going to be sad, but with their President Clif Smart retiring and Dr. Biff Williams taking over, it will be interesting to see how this move will work out in the future.
Long Overdue As Another Seismic Change Means the Players Have More Power
Remember the time when the coaches were restricted to 5 official visits when they welcomed recruits and the rare cases of transfers?
Those days are over.
The NCAA has approved a blanket waiver to allow schools in all 3 divisions an unlimited number of official visits in men’s and women’s basketball, effective immediately. This news came according to a memo sent out to NCAA members and obtained by The Athletic on Thursday.
Both The men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees recommended the blanket waiver due to concerns over roster depletion in the current means of the transfer portal.
Previously, schools were capped on the number of official visits they could host. The blanket waiver is expected to change that amid greater movement in the transfer portal, with fewer restrictions on player movement (football drives the bus.)
This move also means that the combined impact of the one-time transfer rule, transfer portal windows and multi-time transfers are officially eligible.
The blanket waiver may turn into legislation if the two pending legislative proposals are adopted by the Division I Council in June.
The idea is that each team can determine how many official visits are necessary to maintain its basketball roster from year to year, especially following a coaching change.
It serves as the latest example of the NCAA loosening its rules to benefit current and future athletes amid an internal push to do so, as pressure continues to mount from the courts and Congress related to athlete empowerment.
For the uninitiated, recruiting and talking to coaches starts well before any visit. Obviously players can’t just decide they want an official visit to a school and it magically happens without the coach recruiting them and offering boatloads of money. The point is unofficial visits are done out of pocket, and a lot of high school families can’t afford numerous unofficial visits. Many people who work in most Division I campuses are relatively similar, outside of some specific details here and there being different on certain points in NIL language and overall concepts of financial literacy. Conversely, Divisions 2 and 3 campuses have vastly different feels from each other and visiting them in person is actually more important in deciding if that school is a great fit for a player. Also of note, a lot of Division 2 schools offer “partial” athletic scholarships. For example, let’s say if they have 3 scholarships to give to incoming players, and they can split the financial amount of those 3 scholarships between 6 players, while the player covers the rest of their tuition and room and board. They can do the same for official visits. Even if they don’t cover the entire cost of an official visit or travel to each school, they can still offer partial reimbursement of travel funds, which makes the visit count as official.
Let’s be clear: the only true “roster depletion” is suffered by the mid-majors that recruit, equip the player with everything they need to succeed both on and off the court and give visibility to their talent, which in turn is then poached by the Power 4 schools that can offer all the perks the mid majors can’t.
Dalton Knecht went from relatively obscurity at Northern Colorado for two years before lighting it up for Tennessee, where he was only a few shots away from leading the Volunteers to the Final Four before Zach Edey stood in the way at the Midwest Regional in Detroit.
The year before, several players from Iona transferred to join Rick Pitino at St. John’s. Expect more of this movement for years to come.
For 90% of official college visits, when schools talk about paid food and accommodations just means they stay at the hotel a few blocks away and can eat at the Pizza Hut, Chick ‘Fil A or some local restaurant on campus for free instead of having to pay out of pocket for it. Then, if the family can afford it, they might go out for a small dinner a block off campus with 3-4 of the current players–a special bonding type experience, if you want to call it that.
Yes for the top of the top players the bluebloods want, it’s happening like the 5 star recruits straight out of high school. The majority of these kids aren’t getting 5 star meals and hotels rolled out for them in these official visits. It’s just allowing for honesty and basic decency in what would be considered hosting someone and their family who made the effort to come see the campus and their coach by helping cover their food purchases on campus and setting them up for 2 nights in the hotel a few blocks away from campus.
And who’s to blame for all of you naysayers out there? Blame it on the schools and the 32 conferences (31 with the dissolving of the Pac-12.) They created chaos; now they create a false pretext for more chaos. And soon, the mediocre programs in the power conferences will be whining about losing THEIR talent to the bluebloods. That’s how it works.
It won’t end until there are 24 or so schools with all the premium talent, at which point someone will move to guarantee all of them the top 6 seeds in every region of the bracket.
This is why the mid-majors are pushing the NCAA to expand the tournament by 4 or 8 teams so they can still have a chance to prove they can play on college basketball’s biggest stage. With the superconferences in the Big Ten and SEC, along with the ACC and Big 12 beefing up their membership, there won’t be as many opportunities for schools to schedule teams playing in parts of early to mid November and also the first two weeks of December before conference play begins in earnest.
But still, we will continue to have the Big Ten-Big East tournament on FOX/FS1 and the ACC-SEC Challenge held on campus sites and televised on the ESPN family of networks.
It’s called Capitalism, like it or not.. The NCAA makes nearly a billion dollars a year on men’s college basketball (80% of its revenue thanks to running the greatest tournament in the world each March into early April), and that’s in top of the billions that the successful schools are making hand over fist (most of which are non-profit entities.) When you rake in billions of dollars, the student-athletes need to have something approximating an fair market. When the administrators at Duke, Arkansas and Kentucky are swimming in millions and the actual workers, staffers, custodial people, resident assistants at the thousands of dorms on campus, many of whom are mid to lower class can produce mere pennies on the balance sheet. I
It’s not a great look. The NCAA is going to need to figure out a legal way to cap the costs, especially with Title X affecting all women’s sports. The only real choice is for the NCAA to demand a national players union who can directly bargain. The fat cats, esp. in the ACC and SEC, aren’t going to like it but they’re going to have accept one because it’s the only to create consensus among so many vested parties – stars, powerhouses, Mid-majors, regular joes, etc.’t’s not a great look. The NCAA is going to need to figure out a legal way to cap cost. The only real choice is for the NCAA to demand a national players union who can directly bargain. The fat cats, esp. in the ACC and SEC, aren’t going to like it but they’re going to have accept one because it’s the only to create consensus among so many vested parties – stars, powerhouses, Mid-majors, regular joes, etc.
Aaron B. on The Athletic comment board came up with some great thoughts that should be a great way to summarize this blog:
“I think what most reasonable fans hate is just how much college sports in general have changed. I’ve never had a problem with athletes making money and felt they should be able to profit off themselves and the revenue brought in.
The problem is that the novelty of college athletics (at least for basketball and football is gone). I’m a huge fan of two college programs, WVU where my family is from and where both parents went to and then a mid major school where I attended.
For WVU, conference realignment has largely stripped away their most natural rivalries. Their biggest games are still the occasional scheduling against Pitt, Virginia Tech, or Penn State.
The other problem is now though rivalries just don’t mean very much because the players move around so much they don’t develop the same passion for playing those same teams year in and year out. So while the longtime fans still feel that hatred it’s often not reciprocated. On the mid major front, the new unlimited transfers makes it impossible to compete with the Power 4 conferences. If we have a talented player, they’re constantly a flight risk.
I think the only thing that can be done to improve the current landscape is to sign athletes to contracts. Unfortunately that’s where that novelty of college athletics wears off. I love pro sports too, but there was something great about a kid choosing your school and sticking around because of a kindred passion for the university and community. You got to follow them from recruiting, revel in their decision, and then see them progress. Now it’s just a mercenary game for the most part.
I don’t blame the kids at all and completely respect them doing what’s best for them. But I also think it’s fair for some people to miss the pageantry of amateurism.”
Bottom line, nobody can put the genie back in the bottle.
It is only a matter of time before all student-athletes from Division all the way down to my alma mater, a small, private liberal arts school that has competed in NAIA Division 2 since 2000 will get that chance so many athletes couldn’t even capitalize on a dime as recently as the pandemic season of 2020-2021.
And NCAA President Charlie Baker has been at the forefront of this effort. I tip my cap to him and the NCAA leadership for FINALLY getting out of the dark ages, where only the Olympics and FIFA (the group that governs soccer’s World Cup) are the only corrupt organizations remaining on this planet Earth.
Familiar Executive Leaves Westwood One Radio After Stellar 35 Year Career
Since 1989, Howard Deneroff was the last person mentioned from the likes of Kevin Harlan and Ian Eagle on the NFL, along with Kevin Kugler on college basketball before the familiar theme music ended each NFL and NCAA basketball broadcast.
On Thursday morning came this news:
This sums it up well, we think.
Congrats to @MDEaby on the well-deserved promotion.
— Westwood One Sports (@westwood1sports) May 8, 2024
Quite a run of success, which also included landing coverage of the NCAA Frozen Four in hockey, along with championships in lacrosse, baseball, and softball each spring leading into early summer, the Masters golf tournament, and the Olympic Games.
Similar to CBS Sports last month when Sean McManus stepped down in retirement and David Berson taking over, this move is logical to take Westwood One into the digital era.
There are still the 200 plus terrestrial radio stations around the United States, along with those brave men and women listening on ships at sea and at military bases around the world in protecting our freedoms we as Americans often take for granted.
Mike Eaby is well equipped to handle future Super Bowls and NCAA Tournaments starting in early 2025. I expect him to do excellent work in taking Westwood One to even further heights, especially with me being a devoted radio listener going back to when I was ten listening to baseball and the following year listening to a few NFL games here and there.
Here is the news regarding Eaby’s promotion to the big chair:
All the best to Howard in hopefully finding some employment that he will finish out his outstanding career, regardless what field of endeavor he decides to pursue.
And look for more exciting live coverage starting on September 4 when the NFL kicks off its’ 38th season of coverage, this after taking over from NBC Radio following Super Bowl XXI in 1987.
A Few More Players Find Landing Spots, the 1988 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Heads West, and Congress Hopes to Provide Federal Protection for Conferences to Protect College Sports
That and the hope that the testimony given by Stormy Daniels will hopefully tip the scales that will make the worst President in United States history (there, I said it) to get what he deserves (it is only a question of not how, but when–perhaps as soon as this afternoon, wishful thinking.)
Alabama and St. John’s Fill Crucial Needs
Wednesday brought some much needed players to fill in some gaps set by the departures of past fan favorites.
First on Monday night, St. John’s grabbed Utah guard Deivon Smith. He is a fifth year senior that ranked sixth in the country with 7.1 assists per game last season. He averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds, compiling five triple-doubles for the Utes. It marked the second most during a single season in NCAA history and the most by any Pac-12 player all-time.
In a St. John’s press release on Monday, Pitino said the 6 footer reminds him of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, a standout player for Pitino at Louisville.
“Super excited to have Deivon Smith joining the Johnnies. Total dog who rebounds, creates and scores.”
Smith, from Decatur, Georgia, played his freshman season at Mississippi State and then spent two years with Georgia Tech. He shot a career-high 46.7% from the field in 28 games during his only season at Utah.
Two of his triple-doubles came during Utah’s run to the NIT semifinals. He scored a career best 28 points against tournament runner-up Indiana State on April 2.
Also making waves in New York will be the arrival of Seton Hall guard Kadary Richmond. The 6’6″ senior averaged 15.7 ppg, 7 rpg and 5.1 apg this past season.
Head coach Rick Pitino raved about his arrival on X/Twitter saying on Tuesday in part:
“He’s a great jump shot away from playing for the Knicks. Awesome talent and we are so excited to have him.”
Talk about being a future draft pick in the place where he coached for a period of time back when Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird were the major stars of the era–he will have huge shoes to fill.
Consider that what the Field of 68 mentioned in Wednesday’s email:
“Both are ball-dominant players with triple-double potential in every game. The two are very dynamic in different ways — Smith is only 6-foot and has game-altering speed, while Richmond is built like an NFL linebacker.”Both are ball-dominant players with triple-double potential in every game. The two are very dynamic in different ways — Smith is only 6-foot and has game-altering speed, while Richmond is built like an NFL linebacker.
The biggest concern is shooting. Smith shot 40% from beyond the arc on 2.5 attempts per game, a career-high and a career outlier as he’s never shot better than 28%. Smith’s often looking to accelerate to the basket, and typically isn’t looking to shoot. The same goes for Richmond, who shot 27% from deep on 63 attempts.
Teams will dare the Johnnies’ new back-court to shoot the ball from 3. Can the two make opposing defenses pay, or will it be a season-long struggle?”
It will be interesting to see with fellow transfers in 7’1″ center Vincent Iwuchukwu from USC and 6’7″ forward Aaron Scott from North Texas, who both committed last month joining returning point guard in sophomore Simeon Wilcher. Wilcher was a touted recruit who began to show marked improvement late last season even though he saw only limited playing time as a freshman.
Alabama Shaping Up To Be a True Final Four Contender
Nate Oats has struck gold again. On Sunday (May 5), while most of America was celebrating Cinco de Mayo and Greek Easter, Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi announced his commitment to the website On3.
Omoruyi is a 6’11”, 240 pound senior and was one of the premier players available in the transfer portal. Coming off an All-Big Ten selection in 2023, he is also a two time All Big Ten defensive selection during the last two seasons. In 2022-23, Omoruyi became the first player at Rutgers to lead the team in scoring (13.2 per game), rebounding (9.6) and blocked shots (2.1) since Keith Hughes during the 1990-1991 season when the Scarlet Knights were in the ACC.
As the Crimson Tide continue to wait for the decision on senior guard Mark Sears if he decides to stay in the NBA Draft, they gain quite a stud player as he started all 32 games last season, compiling averages of 10.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg, and 2.9 blocks per game. His 93 blocks were the most by a Big Ten player in a season since 2017-2018. With one season of eligibility remaining thanks to the COVID year, Omoruyi puts Alabama’s scholarship count at 13 players.
In his 121 games, he has started 104 of them, he started every game in the last three seasons. He could be the missing piece to get them possibly to the program’s first national championship next year. He is an impactful big man who can change the trajectory of its defensive potential, and Omoruyi can hone his offensive game in an NBA-style system to improve his draft stock and at the same time riding that meat grinder of a schedule that is the SEC en route to chasing for a championship.
With Grant Nelson returning, expect him to return to a natural power forward position. He plays great defense (1.6 blocks per game last season) and with Omoruyi in the fold, they create a formidable, versatile tandem in the paint. Behind them, sophomores Mouhamed Dioubate and Jarin Stevenson along with incoming freshman Aiden Sherrell to round out the frontcourt.
To catch you up to speed, this will be the Alabama roster for the 2024-2025 season, with or without returning guard Mark Sears:
Returning guard: Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
Incoming guards: Aden Holloway (Auburn), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine), Chris Youngblood (South Florida), Labaron Philon (4-star recruit),
Returning forwards: Grant Nelson, Jarin Stevenson, Mouhamed Dioubate
Incoming forwards: Derrion Reid and Naas Cunningham (both 4-star recruits)
Incoming centers: Ugonna Onyenso (Kentucky), Aiden Sherrell (4-star recruit)
Danny Manning Finds New Job
On Tuesday, Tad Boyle of Colorado is adding basketball great Danny Manning to his coaching staff in a reunion of former Kansas teammates. They both spent a season together with the Jayhawks in 1984-1985. Manning would later go on to lead Kansas to the 1988 NCAA championship.
In what will become quite a fun storyline, they will play each other next season with the Buffaloes returning to the Big 12 for the first time since leaving for the defunct Pac-12 in 2011.
Manning, age 57, begins his time in Boulder on June 1. He will work with a team that’s coming off a 26 win season and an NCAA tournament appearance. Several players enter the NBA draft, including freshman Cody Williams, who might be a lottery pick.
Manning spent the past two seasons as associate head coach at Louisville. He’s also served as the head coach at Tulsa (was 38-29 in two seasons at Tulsa, where he was named Conference USA’s coach of the year in 2013-2014. He also coached at Wake Forest, compiling a 78-111 record over six seasons and then was interim coach at Maryland going 10-14 after Mark Turgeon stepped down during the 2021-2022 season.
Congress Adopting Protect The Ball Act
Sponsored by House Rep. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) and Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.), the bill is intended to provide legal safe harbor for the entities that run college sporst, which has been under siege from dozens of antitrust lawsuits. Fry and Moore are both members of the House Judiciary Committee.
According to the Associated Press report, it mentions that:
“The NCAA and Power Four conferences are considering a settlement agreement that could cost billions. House vs. the NCAA seeks damages for college athletes who were denied the right to make money from sponsorship and endorsement deals going back to 2016, five years before the NCAA lifted its ban on name, image and likeness compensation.
Almost as problematic for the NCAA are recent lawsuits filed by states that attack some of the associations’ most basic rules related to recruiting inducements and multitime transfers.”
In layman’s terms, they are looking for protection from litigation and allow the NCAA and the 31 member conferences to regulate things like recruiting, eligibility standards and the way college athletes are compensated for NIL.
Representing Fry in a press release gave his reasoning for drafting this bill:
“NIL rules are ever-changing, heavily litigated and essentially unenforceable — causing confusion and chaos for everyone involved. We must establish a liability shield on the national level to protect schools, student-athletes and conferences as they navigate this new set of circumstances. This legislation is an integral component of saving college sports as we know it.”
Liability shield…hmmmm? Does that mean that Superman will fly onto the steps of the Capitol and bypass ABC News White House Correspondent Rachel Scott enroute to the entrance only to be stopped by security?
Only in a dream, right ladies and gentlemen?
Seriously though, even with this being a presidential election, the chances of seeing this bill in Congress are about the same odds as winning either the Powerball or Mega Millions lottery drawings.
As narrow as this bill is online, the same theme stemming back from July 2021 still rings true:
College sports leaders have been asking Congress for help in regulating how student-athletes can be paid for NIL, even though NCAA president Charlie Baker and others in Indinapolis have shifted the emphasis recently to preventing college athletes from being deemed employees.
The lawsuit settlement that’s being considered would create a revenue sharing system for all college athletes, but the NCAA and conferences would still need help from the federal lawmakers to shield them from any future lawsuits and possibly to create a special status, new label for college athletes.
What I Thought of Stormy Daniels In The Hush Money Trial
I don’t know about you, but I have been riveted about what has been mentioned in the trial taking place in New York involving the former president that I refuse to mention his name.
On Tuesday morning, the world got to know Stormy Daniels–the one-time adult porn star who graced the cover of Penthouse magazine twice and gave a memorable interview in March 2018 to CBS’ 60 Minutes. That was when she spoke about receiving the $130,000 payment from Michael Cohen to keep her from going public with her claims that could further hurt his chances to return to the White House.
She gave a ton of detail from the prosecutors (and some stern reminders to slow down her talking), but some instances she brought up are not appropriate to mention in this blog, but if you want to know the full story from the AP, here is the link below:
When it was announced that Washington and Oregon joined USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, several Big Ten men’s basketball coaches were as confused as puzzled as they could be.
In a piece by Brian Hamilton and Brendan Quinn in The Athletic on August 7, 2023, they asked one Big Ten coach how they plan to go about scheduling their opponents:
“I have zero clue. The reality is, we have to get on it…I’ve felt the last couple years, as good as our league has been, that teams have been a little bit worn out at the end, when you add the conference tournament, too. The wear and tear of it all, the grind of it all — at the end of the day, we want to have (NCAA) Tournament success. We want to make sure we’re in a position where we get a lot of bids, but also when we get to the NCAAs that we’re positioned to make deep runs.”
Continuing with the article, with Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell adding these comments:
“Are there travel partners to alleviate the back-and-forth with longer stays? Will the travel be, as (Purdue head coach Matt) Painter says, “definitely more frequent west to east than it will be east to west,” mitigating the problem somewhat? What’s better for recovery purposes: Taking a redeye home after a night game out West or waiting until the morning and losing half of the next day?”
Every school in Big Ten Country has one decided advantage, they will gain two or three hours before playing out West and regain that time when returning home. In other words, the body clock will have plenty of opportunity to adjust–unlike those Western teams heading east where they will lose two or three hours.
I don’t expect many teams in the traditional Big Ten footprint to minimize scheduling a long trip out West and then a home game to follow in a short order — all because every coach will view the home game as more important. In turn, the condensed turnaround might mean the other team doesn’t have its legs for the night it really wants to be at their best.
“This league is going to be so hard and so crazy, coaches just want a fair chance,” the anonymous Big Ten coach said. “Don’t let some sort of scheduling take me out of a chance to win basketball games.”
Please realize this: They need to work with the Big Ten as the league pieces together schedules for every sport (football has already figured out what they will be doing for the next few years). They must build out infrastructure to accommodate their network of contacts and how their schools will shoehorn into the popular Big Ten Network cable channel. They have to invest more in resources for academics, nutrition and mental health. They need to talk to sleep experts about body clocks and overall athletic performance.
UCLA chief strategy officer Matt Elliott told Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic on July 31, 2023 that they began doing these practices with their people:
“adding meals on campus and team meals on the road. By the time UCLA gets to the Big Ten, Elliott said every athlete on campus will have breakfast and lunch served to them, which he noted was a big change for the athletic department. No more cards for meal plans or trying to run back to a dining hall in between classes. It’ll be baked into the schedule. On the road, instead of per diems, there will be more team meals; nutritionists and dieticians can make sure the athletes are fueling properly.
They also plan to increase staffing for both mental health and academic support. Academic advisors will travel with (the) teams. Additional support ideas could include noise-cancelling headphones for all athletes, and maybe Wi-Fi hotspots, too, to make it easier to do schoolwork while traveling. Elliott suggested that athletes might also want to take more summer classes, so their schedules are a bit lighter and more flexible in-season.
(Former Penn State athletic director Sandy) Barbour highlighted USC’s sports science efforts, which she said will help athletes with nutrition and sleep optimization. They’ll also help figure out best practices for air travel — how best to help athletes prepare and recover in a pressurized environment. The Trojans are trying to approach everything around the transition with a student-centered focus.
(UCLA Athletic Director Martin) Jarmond has been in contact with professional sports teams based on the West Coast that travel across the country regularly. He talked to the Los Angeles Rams and the Chargers, and he even reached out to Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics’ president of basketball operations, whom Jarmond got to know when he worked at Boston College. Stevens connected Jarmond with a sleep expert.
Maybe USC and UCLA will eat and sleep on West Coast hours while out east. Perhaps they won’t. Maybe coaches will adjust practice times and dates so that teams aren’t practicing the day after a five-hour flight. Experts will help the programs make educated guesses for athletic performance, but there will also be a great deal of adjustment based on what works and what doesn’t.”
Continuing on in the article:
“The east-to-west flights back to L.A. will also help cap the total number of days of trips. Elliott said that in many cases there are more return trip options later in the day from airports such as Newark, Detroit and O’Hare (northwest side of Chicago) than there have been when UCLA teams have been trying to get home from Pac-12 locales such as Pullman or Tucson. Plus, the time change allows athletes to get back from weekend action on a Sunday instead of a Monday and be able to make Monday classes.”
“The overarching impetus behind all this is that we want to remain at the level we’re at — we want to continue to recruit the best student-athletes possible and compete for championships,” Elliott said. “And if you can’t offer the best nutrition, the best travel opportunities and experiences, the best mental health services, and the most academic support, student-athletes are not going to choose your school. You have to offer the best experience.”
Here is the breakdown on what UCLA’s teams will be travel wise, which is not as much as you think:
Will have to travel to the Midwest and East for conference games (12 teams): Baseball, Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Football, Gymnastics, Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Softball, Women’s Swimming/Diving, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Volleyball
Play an Invitational Schedule so no travel necessary until Big 10 Championships (5 teams): Cross Country, Men’s Golf, Women’s Golf, Rowing, Track & Field
Will stay in current West Coast Based conference (MPSF) so NO travel to Midwest (3 teams): Men’s Volleyball, Men’s Water Polo, Women’s Water Polo
Stanford expects 22 of its 36 sports “will see either no scheduling changes or minimal scheduling impacts” because of their move, the school said on September 1, 2023. Stanford added they will continue to mostly play on weekends — and the school will work with the ACC to “optimize” solutions to “mitigate the impact of travel.”
Two things are official:
One of the first moves actually came from two Pac-12 teams on April 9:
Schedule NEWS:
California and USC are finalizing an agreement to begin a Home-and-Home series in Los Angeles as part of the 24-25 schedule, per multiple sources. Return game in Berkeley in 25-26.
When the conference tournaments begin in March, 15 teams will participate instead of 18. The decision was first reported by Jon Rothstein from CBS Sports on January 26. That means one extra team will be added to the bracket.
Peacock, the streaming service of NBC will add a game on Wednesday, with the 10th place finisher in the regular season standings playing the 15th-place finisher. The winner of that game faces the 7 seed on Thursday. The rest of the tournament will be like it has always been, with the top four seeds earning a double bye until Friday. Big Ten Network will televise every game on Thursday and Friday, with CBS Sports covering the semifinals on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday just a few hours before the brackets are released. The women’s title will also air on CBS the week before Selection Sunday. Both deals last until 2030.
This will mark only the second team that a postseason conference tournament will expand. From 2004 to 2008, the Big East grew to 16 teams, but only included the teams that finished in the top 12. But after coaches argued that being left out of the tournament hurt their job security and took away from the purity of the sport, the conference then decided to let everyone inside the “Mecca”, Madison Square Garden in New York starting in 2009 when their conference tournament began on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. Like the Big Ten, the top four teams received double byes.
Two years later in 2011, UConn memorably became the first team to win five games in five nights to capture the Big East Tournament title. Led by Kemba Walker, they went on to win the national title.
If all 18 teams were invited, a sixth day would have been added–and that B1G officials felt overall that wouldn’t be feasible unlike the ACC having all 18 of its’ members take part.
After being briefed by phone, Coach Pikiell came up with one reason why bi-coastal travel will be the new norm for the 14 Big Ten schools, with Nebraska and Iowa located west of the Mississippi River:
“I know one thing, I’ve been at schools that didn’t have football, and I’ll tell you — football is important. And when it comes to TV people, football is important. That’s how these decisions are being made.”
This reminds one of an old story, involving a salesman who calls in from the road to tell the company he just got a contract to supply pink widgets to a buyer. The company said, we don’t make pink widgets! The response from the salesman, that’s not my problem.
For the uninitiated, including myself where I don’t fly at all–there are certainly added costs, but the toll on student athletes (both mentally and physically) is going to be extremely difficult. A flight from L.A. to Seattle is approximately 2:45 (no time zone change). A flight to Minneapolis is around 3 hours or so (two hour time zone change). A flight to Columbus, Ohio is 4 hours or so (three hour time zone change). A flight to Rutgers, via Newark, New Jersey is over 6 hours (three hour time zone change.) Is that extra time spent in the air going to impact players that much when they step on the court?
Definitely will be.
Let’s face it, ladies and gentlemen:
Those kids are going to screwed and very exhausted. Good luck managing any sort of life/sport/school balance.
Again, I’m not trying to be harsh, but it’s the truth.
Here’s a question worth pondering, especially when it comes to these six fine institutions of higher learning might be suffering a hit of a different kind in the classroom.
Will schools have to see a drop in enrollment from courses like biology, chemistry and engineering? Because those students need to take labs and those cannot be done over Zoom. So no future doctors, chemists or engineers if you want to play a sport in the Big Ten. The tech wizards with Stanford and Cal should hopefully have very few hiccups academically speaking while playing three hours east of Pacific time. SMU in Dallas only has to concern themselves with heading to Palo Alto and Berkeley either once or twice, then rest of the time having to deal with the nasty weather heading to Notre Dame, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Boston College, and the like. But the tradeoff will be warmer weather (hopefully) at Florida State and Miami–all but losing one hour of time, so it won’t be as much of a time adjustment for the Mustangs as opposed to the six schools out West.
In which for a conference that prides itself on academics, especially an engineering school like Purdue or medical schools like Northwestern or UCLA is sad. But hey, it’s all about the bag!
And the ritual every semester (quarter for Stanford) is that students have to order physical textbooks, because some scholarships won’t allow the use of money to pay for online access.
Strange times we are living, don’t you think?
But just you wait.
Retired Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim had this to say to Dana O’Neil on August 16, 2023:
“Oh, my God, these people. A few years ago, someone said, ‘Let’s get the (university) presidents more involved.’ This is where we are. This is about money. We all know that. But they used to make $10 million, then 20, then 30. Every time, they spent it all. Now it’s 50, then 100. It doesn’t matter. We keep moving the line and they spend it anyway. Where does it stop? It makes no sense for intelligent people to be doing this. The logistics for football aren’t so bad, but basketball? The other sports? What are they doing about a conference tournament?
“They haven’t solved any of the problems of college athletics. If anything, they just keep making them worse.”
Football is close to perfect, because they play 12 games and get plenty of time to rest and recover from any injuries. The other sports, especially many of the Olympic sports have to play over 2 dozen times–and in some cases 30 games per season. Even though basketball teams usually fly charter, the Olympic sports rarely travel on private charters. Instead, they rely on what you and everyone else does, relying on the commercial airline industry and all that entails.
St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino envisions lots of difficult travel ahead, especially for the six West Coast teams:
“Why are we making all the other sports suffer? The minor sports will travel commercially and 50-60 percent of flights are delayed, so kids are going to get stuck in airports, hanging around looking for bad food. Not only is it inconvenient, but we talk all the time about the mental health of people. This is not healthy for anybody.”
The biggest barrier: Football money funds athletic departments, and for this to work, it would have to agree to exist separately but somehow underwrite everyone else’s expenses. If there are future arguments about funding the non-revenue sports, those underfunded sports would be cut first–starting with the men. Then, after any Title IX litigation, women’s sports would be cut last.
Alabama coach Nate Oats wonders about the scheduling component:
“Are these cross-country leagues only going to play weekend games? How else does it work? It makes no sense at all. Are all the UCLA and USC student-athletes going to miss every other week of class? Are you still a student at that point? To me, it’s nuts.”
USC and UCLA will get a ton of money for B1G football or down the road in a Super League, which they use to support their other sports.
Oregon and Washington get partial revenue than USC and UCLA, but more than anyone else, so their other sports are supported. In the ACC, SMU is getting nothing from revenue and instead their deep, oil rich pocketed boosters will take care of the hefty costs of playing in both coasts.
But with the dissolving of the Pac-12, that leaves Oregon State and Washington State not getting a dime of revenue. Every sport will compete as part of the Mountain West in the next two seasons (Oregon State will continue to be play an independent schedule in baseball), so ALL of their non-revenue sports will get FAR less support.
This will be an insanely complicated process of football ruling the world. As many people in and out of the college industry have said before, the Olympic sports don’t move the needle. And guess what will mean down the road for Team USA and their solid history in swimming, track, and gymnastics?
It’s true that college athletics are being destroyed right in front of our eyes. This is the result of “getting what we wanted”, right? Immediate eligibility for transfers, paying by boosters for amateur athletes, networks wringing their hands at the sexy, top tier matchups they are going to broadcast – isn’t this what we wanted? College presidents and ADs are getting more and more money just so they can build expensive, but excellent athletic training and practice facilities, but turn their backs on tradition and many regional rivalries.
WE SIGNED UP FOR ALL OF THIS! We can choose our actions, but we can’t choose the consequences.
Among those making that choice was the Number 2 pick in the WNBA Draft, Stanford star center and women’s college basketball Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Brink (who happens to also be the godsister of one Stephen Curry. She was chosen to play in her home state for the Los Angeles Sparks.
She spoke on the Bird & Taurasi alternate broadcast during the women’s Final Four on April 5. Brink explained why the extra travel to each away game across the country instead of playing only one time zone away in Colorado, Utah, and the two Arizona schools was a major factor in her decision to leave:
Cameron Brink explains why she left Stanford. "I don't want to travel across the country" was one of the reasons cited.
Compared to what happened with the Pittsburgh Steelers after their narrow win in Las Vegas last September, their team plane was forced to make a stop in Kansas City due to oil pressure failure in one of the engines.
Steelers defensive end Cameron Hayward sent this out through his X/Twitter handle:
Dang emergency landing in KC.I think it’s due to @minkfitz_21 “roughing the passer call” but seriously landing KC……….
So, here we are. It’s time to pay the piper! The athletes and the fans are getting to reap the benefits of the decisions made by the “Adults in the room”. Thanks NCAA. Thanks ESPN, Fox, CBS, NBC. Thanks Notre Dame. But mostly, thanks to all the greedy university presidents and ADs for making this all possible in changing the college sports landscape forever. As long as everyone enjoys their NIL money, better start praying to the weather gods come November that it will be sunny between 6 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m., then starry skies with light enough breezes not to blow away your beanie/toque when going out for dinner.
Late August can’t come fast enough. For those who are not traveling, you are going to love the Big Ten Network. From what I have heard and seen some clips of the Pac-12 Network on YouTube, it was mostly heavy on women’s basketball and Olympic sports and rightfully so. Their seven station regional format was groundbreaking. I was not too familiar with their ancillary programming, but BTN has always done things right. They set the gold standard starting on September 1, 2007 on how to run a conference run network. From pre and post game shows, complete with press conferences, highlights of games in 60 minutes, and some really fun programs like Campus Eats which ran a few years back and deep dives into the football and basketball media days and interviews with every head coach during the first weeks of practice is something to behold.
Hopefully by the time the football and volleyball seasons kick off, the many cable and streaming providers will hope to have BTN added to people’s homes, hotels, and bars up from Seattle, Portland/Eugene and Seattle. Likewise, the ACC Network will hopefully get some publicity in Palo Alto/Berkeley and the San Francisco market.
That is all I have to say. After six long months and dozens of revisions, I hope you enjoyed reading this pair of thorough blogs. At least, in my case–there are going to be tons of outstanding games.
The only question is, what will the six West Coast schools do once they get off the planes en route to play the games?
“You know, I tell people, we’re going to have the same number of home games. We still live in L.A. We still are playing in Galen Center. We’re, you know, we’re going to figure out the travel. Like, I’m not as concerned about that. I’m really excited about being, you know, on those big games, on big stages, in different parts of the country…We’re going to take four trips to games, which is just like what we did in the Pac-12…the thing I have to talk to our administration the most about is what the plane ride feels like. And this is where my NBA experience (as a former assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers) helps a little bit.
We run planes a lot, you know, they have to be able to either study or sleep on the planes. But I’ll tell you, players’ travel bothers them less than you think. They knock out on that plane or they could get something done. And so I think that we’re going to do everything we can to, you know, nutritionists and hydration and when are we arriving and how, but I just think it’s just a little big longer on the flights and the rest of the cadence will remain the same.”
Lindsey Gottlieb, USC head women’s basketball coach in comments on the Conzano and Wilner The Podcast on April 10, 2024
With the dramatic shifts in conference realignments since 2021, it is enough to make your head spin. I explained every move affecting the Power 5 (soon to be Power 4, plus the Big East) and how these moves were mostly made for money and for more TV exposure.
But the biggest aftershocks came with the Big Ten and the Big 12. In a span of over 14 months, the heart and soul of the Pac-12 was ripping apart at the seams.
And with that, a bolder and different college landscape is upon us.
With all that said, I want to start by sharing this SPECIAL DISCLAIMER:
This particular blog is intended for those affected student-athletes, fans, alumni, other family members, etc. in and around San Francisco and the many suburbs surrounding Los Angeles that have NEVER set foot on snow or ice, (for instance stepping on jumbo sized cotton balls used during the filming of a movie.)
Most of the content here should help guide you on how to protect your life and most importantly, embrace what the winter season means for most of the United States.
One other thing worth noting–wearing just a simple hoodie over a T-shirt DOES NOT count for warmth.
Yes, I realize this blog was composed during the winter months and sent out in the spring. The real purpose is that it would be best to give the people that are reading in a great chunk of California more than enough time to plan, do proper research online, and figure out what’s right for your particular situations in how to tackle winter’s fury.❄️🌡️
So, How Did We Get Here?
One year after the SEC snatched Texas and Oklahoma, the nation’s second leading media market was hoping to get out of a very messy situation in spring 2022.
Even with all of their traditions with UCLA in men’s and women’s basketball, softball, gymnastics, women’s soccer, among many sports–their athletic budget was estimated by some reports at the time to have losses of around $110 million.
So what did their administration, along with Athletic Director Martin Jarmond do? They placed a call to the Big Ten that summer to inquire about joining one of the most prestigious conferences, with high regards to academics as well as athletics. Their inner-city rivals from USC, a private school also decided to join with their people making separate calls to present their case for membership.
Generally speaking, the key requirement for schools is that they are members of the AAU. It is an accredited agency that establishes that these universities are legit and they back up their words with actions that are firm, honest, and true. No cutting corners here. Either you have it or you don’t, and that’s the bottom line. The only Big Ten school that is not an AAU member is Nebraska, because several years ago they dropped their nursing program and thus surrendered that designation.
This was especially true when talking about the finances. It is one of several reasons why there are rich pocketed donors up and down the college landscape. Since NIL took over in July 2021, boosters have changed the trajectory of how things are run where student athletes are profiting off their name, images, and likeness.
You’re a brand, I’m a brand, everyone has a “brand”.
But the main reason for the realignments, it all came down to money. And Fox was more than willing to give it to the schools–so they not only get their influx of cash to keep their Olympic sports feasible, but also to gain a huge profile in football and basketball to a certain extent. USC and UCLA arrive as full fledged members.
Nearly a year later, the two major schools in the Pacific Northwest in Washington and Oregon were mired with their own issues. At first, they contemplated keeping the Pac-12 relevant. But once the news broke that Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah followed Colorado’s lead to the Big 12, that was when the colossal shifts were felt nationwide.
In August 2023, several back-and-forth conversations at first had both Oregon and Washington staying put. But when the Big Ten was pressing for a final deadline, the traditional rivals in football that have never liked each other each presented their case. Once University of Washington President Ana Marie Cauche sent the final details on September 1, the Pac-12 was officially dead and the Big Ten shipped out several virtual life preservers.
There was no going back.
As this Yahoo! Sports article referenced in October 23, 2023, the shaky relationship with former Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff at first gained a bit of traction, but the Apple TV deal left many presidents puzzled and perplexed after the other four linear networks and ESPN all walked away:
Nearly a month later saw Stanford, California, and SMU made the very bold move to the ACC and become what many will call going forward as the All Coasts Conference.
This seismic shift in college sports that happened in realtime has many people out West feeling very excited, but to a point.
Bill Plaschke of ESPN’s Around The Horn fame was asked by Awful Announcing on September 30, 2023 on whether or not people in L.A. were excited about USC and UCLA moving to the Big Ten.
He had mixed feelings, but in his opinion the administrations felt that this move is being done for the right reasons:
“Yes. I know people feel a little nostalgic about the loss of the Pac-12. But to have Michigan play USC in the Coliseum or UCLA play in Columbus at Ohio State, or Penn State, those are much better opponents for the local teams than Oregon State, Washington State, and Arizona State. It’s a much sexier schedule.”
I bet every one of my readers residing on the West Coast are both anxious and eager on what awaits them starting in the 2024-2025 season.
The way I have seen things since 2022 is that everyone is really excited about getting the chance to gain some much needed national exposure. In turn, they will get explore firsthand in what over 76 percent of citizens in the United States proudly call home in the Central and Eastern time zones.
And I am one of those people.
From seeing the financial heartbeat that is Wall Street and laughing it up on 30 Rock with SNL in New York, to the three branches of government (cough, cough) in Washington, D.C. is one thing. Or how about the intimate views of Madison, Wisconsin (name me another capital that you can actually walk on their grass leading into the building.) However, you haven’t lived until you venture east and south on I-94 to the city with those imposing buildings affectionately known as the Chicago Loop, with their hundreds of varied restaurants and shops that are a few dozen miles south where Northwestern is along the CTA’s Purple Line trains in the beautifully laid out city of Evanston. Conversely, the most difficult place to get in and out of is in Happy Valley, aka State College where Penn State is located–but I hear they have great locally made ice cream.🥰
The four West Coast teams joining the Big Ten are over 2,500 miles away from East Coast-based Rutgers and Maryland — a coast-to-coast flight is (in good weather) six hours westbound and at least five hours eastbound. West Virginia is about 1,600 miles from BYU in the Big 12, and even farther from the two Arizona schools. UCLA and USC traveling to play at Rutgers would have them either taking a redeye the night before a game or flying at the crack of dawn early the next morning so that they can get to the arena in time. Similar cases apply to Stanford and Cal where the Cardinal and Golden Bears will have to play ALL of their road games three time zones away. You can only imagine how exhausted those student-athletes will be when they take the court, gymnastics mats, ball fields, etc.
Missing classes is just one part of the academic experience for student-athletes, and the added travel with less sleep will also affect study time and quality time in working with classmates.
Besides, it’s just bad for your body, and certainly not conducive to having peak athletic performance or healthy cognitive function in general.
There’s also the cost factor, and while these schools are all flush with TV cash, that money will flow from football. That leaves many non-revenue Olympic sports to possibly being cut in the future.
So get ready West Coast.
Here is an A to Z guide on what you can expect after flying two to three time zones away, as I was speaking for an infomercial in transcript form:
The winter season can be really nasty, and it is nothing to play with.
Anywhere from minor adjustments to serious health consequences apply to those who aren’t prepared. More on that when you get to the sections on walking on ice and the clothing sections.
Even with climate change, it can get downright nasty just getting the mail or going to your nearby Wal-Mart, as those who commute to and from work or the skilled ones that enjoy skiing in the Higher Elevations should know all too well.
Couple that with major issues when flying frequently from one coast to the other, those affected living on the West Coast should have major cause for concern (unless those who are used to flying from west to east do well physically and mentally speaking):
Since the dawn of time, Old Man Winter is rarely forgiving. Not to be outdone, with that devastating avalanche where several dozen skiers in the elevations were buried in lots of snow in January, only a few people survived. Bottom line, it is downright inhumane to live in such frigid conditions.
That is unless you are a penguin or panda bear.
From the YouTube page of John Downer Productions:
After surviving four blizzards (including two in consecutive years in the late 1970’s), and on two occasions where the wind chill was between 40 to 50 degrees below zero Farenheit–I have been through a lot. Even a few times where my home either was lacking heat or having no heat at all, one time my mother had to take me to a nearby hotel to spend one night while our furnace was being replaced one December. Even after waking up early the next day in my return home, the house still felt cold–but it finally returned to normal by the early afternoon.
I can still vividly recall the second time when temperatures sunk that low in 2014 (an inhumane -57 below wind chill), which was the worst since January 20, 1985. The worst thing of all compared to 1985 was that everything shut down for two days.
As meteorologists on both the national and local levels repeat ad nauseam, the number 1 tip from preparing hurricanes in the South to tornadoes in the spring from the Rust Belt into pockets of the Midwest definitely applies for blizzards (and would you believe, even people freak out if they see even four inches of snow?! Strange, but true.)
The more advanced you prepare with the basic necessities (toilet paper, napkins, milk, non-perishable foods, a first aid kit, board/card games, books, and a steady phone charger that does not run on A/C power), it will help reduce the chances of having to run out an hour or two before the storm arrives as shelves usually end up being empty. This is especially true with hardware stores, where shovels and snow throwers are true life savers.
Another aspect of course of surviving in the winter in Big Ten country which often gets over analyzed, but still poses lots of risk is trudging through piles and piles of snow that sometimes covers up cars and snarls railroads–potholes notwithstanding.
And you don’t have to go that far back when another chapter in NFL playoff history took a different turn once New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced following the first batch of snow on Friday night, January 12:
Travel is going to be extremely dangerous in Western New York this weekend.
We are implementing a full travel ban in Erie County starting at 9pm tonight.
These clips below should give many people in San Francisco and Los Angeles major lessons on what to expect during basketball and gymnastics season in Big Ten Country.
Remember, the student-athletes asked to play in a higher profile conference.
From WGRZ, NBC2 early Saturday evening–January 13:
Of course, we all know what happened after late Saturday morning:
I’ve been in communication with @NFL commissioner Roger Goodell regarding the dangerous conditions in Buffalo this weekend.
In consultation with our emergency response teams, @BuffaloBills leadership, and the NFL, the Bills game will be postponed to 4:30 pm Monday.
The residents smartly took things in stride early Saturday evening.
From WIVB, CBS4 in Buffalo:
Weather warnings forced people to stay home all day Saturday in the hopes that a) the power would stay on, and b) they wouldn’t be snowed in–where it would look like a virtual wall to walk safely to your cars, or trying not to slip when attempting to retrieve any mail when the secondary roads (your typical residential areas) would finally clear for vehicles to travel slowly, but safely.
As we all remember, shoveling in and around Highmark Stadium was delayed on Sunday morning, and the whiteout conditions continued to persist.
This clip shows how horrific these scenes are that I hope NO ONE should ever walk or drive in:
Believe me, those snow plows–especially the ones where you may have to use a waterproof electrical cord are lifesavers.
One reporter caught my attention is from WIVB, CBS4 whose name is very appropriate for this blog. Her name is Hope Winter.
And why would anyone dare in covering a weather report as they risked their own lives is beyond me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Anyways, I was praying hard that she and her cameraman somehow managed to make it back to the station safely:
Please also realize that one major issue at the time was the players, game officials, members of the media, and stadium workers couldn’t even get to the stadium. Dealing with 2 to 3 feet of snow is one thing, but combining it with 65 MPH winds creates those white-out conditions where you can’t see anything and is impossible to do anything outside.
The ban encompassed the first 42 miles of the New York Thruway right up to the Pennsylvania state line, for those who aren’t familiar with their geography.
They couldn’t even send out the snow plows until the skies opened up. If the game had been played at its’ regular time of 1 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, it would have tied up a significant amount of law enforcement (Village of Orchard Park police and other surrounding areas in and around Erie County, etc.), paramedics and other first responders, which cannot respond to general public emergency calls.
As for Pittsburgh, the Steelers arrived in the mid-afternoon hours with a break of some sun trying to peak out.
This is how reporters from the Steelers Now blog reported from the ground. Even walking in the snow is quite a hassle:
With no place for the snow to go, any blizzard gets WORSE at night–no matter how much wind blows the snow around.
From 7 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday:
To put it in proper context–their general area sits around two lakes. Similar to the other Great Lakes, the wind creates conditions that is called snow squalls. The blowing and drifts makes it totally impossible to drive, let alone walk as the heights can increase between 2 to 3 feet or more.
After the game was postponed from Sunday afternoon to Monday, a lake effect snow band sat over Orchard Park, N.Y., where Highmark Stadium is located. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a Sunday news conference that the forecasts “underestimated the ferocity of the storm.” Initial projections called forone to two inches of snow an hour over 36 hours. Hochul said Buffalo saw four to five inches of snow, and sometimes six inches per hour, along with wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. Really scary stuff.
During Christmas 2022, 47 people died during that blizzard. But after listening to their news/talk station 930 WBN that Sunday afternoon (January 15), several residents heeded the travel ban and the most important fact of all–nobody died in the first two days of this massive storm.
Think of it another way, if people got stranded or involved in some type of an accident or if they died due to being stuck for hours on the interstate with snow piling up so high, they would have more than likely SUED the state government for not following through on providing help. This is about both safety and legal culpability.
Power outages are always a concern as well, and there were several reports in the city and surrounding suburbs of people having to suffer with no heat. Hopefully, they remembered to leave their pipes running so they wouldn’t freeze outside. Unlike when Texas suffered a few winter blasts, residents saw their pipes freeze and they were forced to pay hundreds of dollars to get them to thaw out.
I have always made it clear that if the temperatures are halfway between the freezing mark and zero, to turn on as many faucets as you can and make it appear like a pencil. Also, my mother told me years ago that some houses may not have heat vents below some sinks (namely in bathrooms). When that happens, keep any doors below the sink open–especially at night.
It’s also basic human nature, when you stop and think about it.
And please don’t get me started on the thousands of potential people who I am sure were horribly drunk and probably clogged most of the NY State Thruway, this following their shocking loss to what would end up being the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
A football game isn’t worth dying for.
Besides, the NFL and the state came up with a plan and did not fully act until the storm had already arrived. If they would’ve planned correctly like on Wednesday or Thursday, they could’ve moved the game up or to a different location or had everyone stay in nearby hotels a extra few days until game time. Once the snow finally went off to the east, reporters mentioned this:
“On Monday morning, the snow band began moving north, providing much-needed relief to the area surrounding the stadium but also creating some problems for fans commuting from that direction.”
Remember, that sports are not only big business–but it’s entertainment. Something to get our minds off our daily troubles, at least for a few hours.
This is how much snow ended up falling several hours before kickoff, with some sections slowly being shoveled:
From the Buffalo Bills beat writer for The Athletic:
He mentioned this during the 2 p.m. hour in Eastern time:
“Many volunteers began shoveling out seats and walkways Sunday. The Bills offered $20 an hour to locals, some of whom spent more than 24 hours shoveling.
As of 1 p.m. ET on Monday, the field conditions were adequate and should not play a significant factor in how the game unfolds. Construction crews used dump trucks, plows and backhoe loaders to remove enormous piles of snow to clear the turf and sidelines.
However, many of the seats remained completely covered with waist-high snow just a few hours before kickoff.Shovellers said they were told to prioritize walkways and only clear seats if time permitted.”
Unlike the week before in Kansas City, this presented a very difficult challenge. Standing on top of that snow with no seat in front of some fans in the nosebleeds sections looked like a recipe for disaster. All it takes is one person who slips and the entire section is going off on the stairway like dominoes. They tried desperately to clear even one row, but to no avail. But the fans braved the most of it, some being creative enough to carve out their own beer cup holders, that is before the beer inside froze up.
Nor’Easters Are Quite A Bear To Deal With
It’s one thing trying to navigate lots of snow in the higher elevations, but on the ground in New England is another challenge.
For those thinking of attending games at Boston College and Syracuse who are fans of either Stanford and Cal–along with the four West Coast schools gearing up to visit Penn State, Rutgers, and Maryland–this section is also worth reading.
Throughout upper New England–from Connecticut, Rhode Island, even up in Maine plus areas north and west of Boston, New Jersey and New York City, blizzard conditions are usually common.
Even though that region was having a snow deficit, according to Ginger Zee of ABC News–the snow returned in a huge way on Tuesday, February 13.
Here is a WBZ/CBS3 reporter trying to navigate her way through a snow covered interstate in the Boston suburbs:
Notice how the vehicles appeared to have some traction where cars and trucks could simply stay in an area where the snow was constantly piling up. This is where you should thank your lucky stars that there are plows and lots of snow melt that instantly works on contact.
I will educate on you on the two other different types of snow (yes, there is more than just the powder packed snow, when you feel it is light and fluffy so you can make snowmen out of them.) Even just watching stranded people in thousands of news clips trying to get out of their cars also has its’ share of challenges.
Again, allow lots of extra time and have a supply of instant snacks (trail mix is what I highly recommend) and water which always comes in handy whenever you cannot reach a local gas station, restaurant, or coffee shop. But for any college campus, I hope everyone prays that at least one building/hall is open so you can get some much needed warmth.
Speaking of another way in attempting to stay warm, here is another section to study on:
How I Manage To Survive With Major Frostbite
Back in 2014, the area where I live experienced wind chills between -50 to -55 at night (-30 to -35 during the day).
As a result–all grocery stores, post offices, banks, restaurants, hair salons, auto repair places, you name it were closed. You couldn’t go anywhere unless there was some type of emergency (carbon monoxide or heat not working were common issues).
This time around–between January 12 through January 14, we averaged between -16 to -20 during the day, to low as -25 to -30 overnight. Still horrible conditions on ground level, but we managed to survive as best we could. At least, it got slightly better on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day when the wind chill factor neared positive territory clocking in at 7 below by mid-afternoon. Thankfully, many places remained open to give many of us some much needed warmth.
I mention this because I really felt sorry for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs players having to play in -27 wind chills that Saturday night (especially with Peacock carrying the game).
As a result of having people standing at their typical tailgate and sitting in the stands for around 3 1/2 hours, they are continuing to suffer with major health consequences.
Yes, it is way worse that getting hypothermia. Here is an article from March 8 on what people suffered, and continues to suffer going forward (please read very carefully):
The other two types of snow. One of them involves a mix of rain, ice, and snow otherwise known as sleet.
Here is a brief explanation from 2020 by FOX61 in Connecticut on that, plus what to watch for if there is freezing rain (in a word–ugly):
Anytime you hear temperatures hovering between 27 to 34 or 35, pay very close attention to any power lines–because you want to have numbers above 32, rather than below 32–as that video graphic showed.
Clothing–Wearing Lots and Lots of Layers
For those who skipped a major chunk of this blog, welcome back.
Thanks to technology, this does not apply only for the skiers–but people like you and me who can tame the cold way easier than in decades past.
You have to come armed with a plan from head to toe (with a small exception of your eyes, but more on that in a bit.)
During the times I am awake, I stick to a basic plan of two to three layers.
The first one you can find on Amazon and eBay:
This base layer is excellent to wear because it is the warmest and is moisture wicking, so the only time you would be sweating is if you were going out in public–or doing something simple like throwing snowballs. Heck, how about making your own snowman with any light and fluffy snow (like you see on snow globes):
Image courtesy of depositphotos.com
The third type of snow sometimes follows a thin layer of ice or results in very heavy snow to lift. The usual term heard in the Midwest and East is that it is packed. Again, several meteorologists stress that if you plan to shovel, it is best to lift snow with your legs, not your back. If it’s over 4 inches tall, do it in layers like a wedding cake and remember to take frequent breaks. It is called heart attack snow, because the average person suffers rapid heartbeats more often than not. Just keep that in mind, especially after plows sometimes create a small barrier of difficult snow and you have to dig your way out just to get where you’re going.
Next up, you will need some comfortable sweaters. And for the ladies, there are plenty of stylish sweaters in cool colors to fit your winter mood–no matter how little sunshine you can see out your window.
This is a general guide that I have found to be very effective in terms of how warm certain garments and their materials truly are.
Starting with the coolest clothing of course is cotton.
After that, we graduate towards a combination of 60% cotton, 40% polyester or in some shirts, a 50/50 blend.
With the warmer to warmest layers, I have experimented with several combinations of materials–and I feel I have it mastered. Again, it is always best to LAYER depending on how cold, cool, or warm your surroundings are.
The Furnace Is Your Friend
If the place you are in feels like it’s spring or summer, go ahead and put those extra layers on a hanger and save them when you head outside again. Similar to your car’s heater or inside a hotel/motel, if you hear it sound very smooth as your breath–you are in great shape.
However, if it sounds anything like this:
…you would definitely need to check it out. Besides sputtering, there might be some type of whistling noise, or clicking like you would hear if you were typing on a vintage typewriter or tapping a spoon repeatedly on a piece of wood.
(That small clip was from the YouTube page called The House of Dracula. Take that as you will.)
If you hear any of those signs happening frequently, then you know there is trouble and is best to call someone ASAP who can fix it.
Of course, the obvious thing everyone says about smelling gas definitely applies during the winter. Beware if you smell anything bad, they tell you to evacuate the affected location where the gas problem is and call someplace safe. It is common practice in cold weather, because it may save your life–even though your pocketbook might say otherwise with an expensive bill.
With that rather depressing section out of the way, let’s go to the fun part.😊
Below, I list some positive features of wearing many different types of sweaters, and the one VIP negative thing to note, especially the last three items listed in this grouping:
100% polyester.
65% polyester, 25% wool, 10% acrylic.
36% acrylic, 35% nylon, 29% wool.
40% wool, 30% acrylic, 30% nylon.
The pros about wearing sweaters besides being keeping your body warm is that they are versatile–they go along with practically any outfit. If somehow you have a food stain, just put them in the wash. If you plan to buy any pre-owned sweaters on eBay, ask the seller if they are both smoke free and pet free. This will save you a lot of trouble when you first wear them.
But there is one other thing I must stress:
No sweater CANNOT BE USED IN THE DRYER.
Otherwise, if you do–it will shrink. Midas well give it to a kid.
Instead, try to find (or construct) some raised wood or metal clothing rods with wide, raised layers and hang them dry. Have the sweater(s) spread them from arm to arm for at least a day. It works every time.
Finally, the absolute warmest layer in the market is 100% lambswool. I usually pair it with another sweater that I listed above depending on how chilly it gets outside. Most of the time, I usually get by with one regular sweater. But once the temperatures plunge below freezing, it’s just a smart move and you can easily prevent getting chills when going outside–which is no fun.
It’s just common sense to keep those key tips we all learned during COVID: Stay away from people if you feel sick for as long as possible, take proper medication and get plenty of rest. Even if you don’t wear the right combination of layers, here is a very handy tip to keep in mind:
Make sure to always cover up your chestAT ALL TIMES WHEN YOU ARE OUTSIDE OR IN A VEHICLE.
With lambswool sweaters, another key point must be mentioned:
THEY CANNOT BE PUT IN ANY WASHER OR DRYER.
Instead, they must be hand washed and dried flat. There are some great YouTube videos that explain step by step on how to do it properly. As far as drying goes, I use some large beach towels during the spring and summer. If part of your house has a very sunny area inside, the better. So that way when winter arrives, they are ready to be used again.
Figuring that a great chunk of Californians are warm blooded individuals, it might be a good idea to pack well so you won’t end up shivering.
Ice Is Also Very Scary
On January 24, one area near Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana experienced some cars sliding off a country road with some disastrous results. WLFI, CBS18 had this brief report:
I found a general list online of things to do if ice lands on any type of surface, let alone power lines. It mentions several key things you need to know just in case the hotel you are staying in may not have backup power generators. Keep in mind–this might happen from time to time, especially when visiting both Purdue and likewise at Indiana University in Bloomington some two plus hours away.
So, you are probably wondering…how do you walk safely in ice?
It’s rather simple.
From the YouTube page of UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, Iowa:
If forecasters mention a trace of ice or no more than 0.15 inch, you should be fine. Anything over 2/10 inch is real cause for concern. My best advice, ride it out and stay indoors as long as possible. Your back will thank you.
It’s Not A Perfect System
I do it find effective, after years of trying to make sure I don’t get chills.
As a cold-blooded individual, I have to wear several layers of clothing, especially when I sleep at night. Depending on the temperatures, it will affect greatly how you layer. Whatever you think is best, hopefully whatever is best for you will help you tame winter in the best possible way.
The Colder It Gets, The More Layers The Better
Don’t get me wrong, portable electric heaters do help (especially those that have an anti-trip feature and would turn off automatically.) It is crucial that you have plenty of open space on the floor. Unlike a fan you use in the summer, be especially cautious when using an older electric heater, or if the anti-trip heater is placed near any combustible item like a blanket or clothing. It would cause a fire, and obviously we don’t want that to happen.
The key to surviving winter’s chilly temperatures is to: a) study the winds, b) wear warm, tight layers to cover most of your body, and c) the biggest one of all when outdoors–invest in buying a great down jacket.
Again, layering is key. If you have some warm windbreakers, a cozy sweatshirt, combine that with a leather or semi-bulky jacket, then pair that with the down jacket. Just remember to order your jacket one a size more than your normal shirt size. Otherwise, it will be hard to put on.
Let’s dive into some of the outdoor clothing options that men and women often use on a daily basis. I will list some general items and in certain cases that some specialty stores you can purchase such items online that can help you stay ahead of the winter cold.
They are both available in men’s and women’s sizes, mostly regular and some tall sizes:
To start–wear a warm hat, beanie, or toque to cover your head.
Also, have some quality earmuffs (the brand 180’s is awesome in keeping your ears warm).
Instead of wearing a scarf, wear a gaiter that will cover not just your neck, but also the bottom part of your face. Even better, the gaiter is machine washable, unlike a scarf where it provides only a bit of warmth around the neck and chest, but snow usually ends up there and is very wet when you take it off.
For really frigid conditions and fierce winds, I highly recommend wearing a multiclava. It can be worn several different ways as these selfies shows you how I usually wear them:
Sometimes I wear a toque or beanie over the multiclava. So it depends on what you feel like wearing, but that’s what I usually do. The hood should completely cover your head and have a special fur like element surround the hood, similar to what you see in the last two pics. It is very warm and helps protect the back of your head from getting chilly.
Many online and brick-and-mortar stars in the northwest, Midwest, and New England specialize with awesome winter gear.
Besides your typical department stores, there are several great specialty stores worth checking out. I browse from time to time sites like L.L. Bean, Eddie Bauer, The North Face, Columbia Sportswear, and Lands’ End, just to name a few.
Finally, look for boots that not only provide lots of warmth–but do not burn your feet when indoors. Also, look for anti-slip boots. They really come in handy if you walk on icy sidewalks or parking lots. Brand names like Duluth Trading, L.L. Bean, Brahma, Timbaland, and dozens of other names are great to try on if you head out to various stores around the Midwest and East. For the ladies, I have noticed a brand called Toe Warmers from Canada. Yes, there are boots that have heels–but I always try to caution the ladies to not get a heel stuck on some snowy curb while entering into a car, a place that has outdoor steps, or entering a snowy parking lot. Instead, look for boots similar to what the men wear, emphasizing comfort being more important at the end of the day.
Also when indoors, make sure that your feet aren’t feeling cold–this is what I wear during the day and when I turn in for the night.
Yes, double layer socks are a thing:
I don’t remember where I purchased the sock on the left, but the sock pictured on the right is from Fox River. The one on the left is my outer layer. The slipper is by UGG, from Australia–so that one might be harder to find. It’s great for people who have osteoporosis.
Similar sock combination, but the slipper is from Deer Stags which I love.
This is one of several layers I wear at night, with the upper layer being named Wigwam. Give a nice, comfortable fit over the first sock.
This is one of the warmest pair of socks that you can find, in my estimation. A thicker version and a darker Fox River paired with the Wigwam and your feet will thank you.
And after calling it a night, I wear some double-wool base layer outwear from Stanfield’s of Canada, and pile that with as many warm layers as you can. Remember again after putting on your first handful of layers, is to have on a few layers be one size normal than your regular shirt size.
Also, you will still need to think seriously about wearing a beanie/toque and couple that with having a shawl handy–a really neat hooded top. Top that off with lots of blankets so you can sleep really well.
Believe me, trying to take a selfie in the dark is not easy.
What I also enjoy about winter is that you can actually breathe colder air. It helps me the most if I am having a horrible day and want to vent out my feelings. When I enter back into my home, any pent up air usually goes away within several hours.
Finally, with the lower amount of daylight–wearing sunglasses is highly suggested. I also keep hearing meteorologists saying to lather sunscreen on before you head out. I think they mean to say if you were out on the ski slopes, where they mention the sun’s rays are double that to what is on the ground.
Basically, I have never used sunscreen in the winter, only designed for the spring and summer months. Even though we only get about one month of spring weather and two weeks of autumn, we like it that way and hopefully my readers in California will hope to enjoy some really rich and savory foods that I love cooking each winter. If you are curious to know some of my favorite winter dishes, please kindly hit me up on Instagram at this link:
Scheduling is going to be a major issue with 20 conference games being planned, and chances for non-conference games will be dramatically reduced for the mid-majors hoping to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
I will also mention several quotes from head coaches that caught my eye during summer 2023 on what their schools are doing to construct a schedule, all in the hopes of maybe minimizing travel difficulties crossing different time zones on a periodic basis.
Coach Gottlieb mentioned also in that above podcast that there might be one weekend where they would play two games in the same state, then play at home for two games the following weekend. In other words, that would be way better than having to travel to Minnesota and Wisconsin, then go back to L.A. the following week–then having to fly back east a few days later to play at Purdue or Penn State.
In other words, it is going to get really ugly come December 2024.
Two final points to wrap up this very special blog.
I have two short podcasts from NPR that aired late in 2023 which should help those affected student-athletes, or other fans who might be bored if they are stuck in an airport waiting out for a major snowstorm/blizzard to leave town.
Anything to help pass the time while doing class work or whatever fun things you enjoy doing (like reading a book), here is my small contribution.
I am sure you will thank me later:
And for many fans, Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck was curious to know what would happen to a famous commercial:
PJ Fleck wonders what all of us are wondering.. How do USC, Oregon, UCLA and Washington fit into the greatest promo/commercial in the history of television? pic.twitter.com/VMeZ0jitkJ
“My favorite commercial on the Big Ten Network. You know, for us, the spoon and the cherry pop up, there’s an ice skating rink. It’s going to be interesting when that commercial gets dropped and what it looks like from west to east.”
My thoughts since it first aired back in 2015, they just have to zoom out of the Rose Bowl and showcase Los Angeles by showing the famous HOLLYWOOD sign, then head up north to show the wooden timber and the Prefontaine running track that occupies Oregon, then finishing at the famous Space Needle up in Seattle before resuming with Nebraska, and finally wrapping it up across the Hudson River alongside the panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline to New Jersey.
While you are at it, take a look at Cole Adams’ total breakdown of the famous sites that makes each university unique and start dreaming about what you hope to see on the expanded BTN come August 2:
I look forward to any comments, especially once the weather turns ugly during your travels to the East and Midwest.
Above all, thanks for reading. I hope this guide, along with any other official travel brochures supplied by certain states and cities will help you in your future journeys to Big Ten Country.
Some Hollywood producers notice a hot story brewing on college campuses nationwide. No, it isn’t about them creating some fancy AI models. They sometimes (or regularly) follow college sports, especially on social media.
With NIL starting in 2021, companies large and small have been champing at the bit to sink their teeth at some delectable offerings.
The latest comes from the soon to be Big 12 members and former doormats of the Pac-12 at the party school known as Arizona State.
As Awful Announcing mentioned in Monday’s article (April 29),
“You’d imagine that Hollywood producers would be lining up to do a docuseries with Danny Hurley, head coach of the two-time defending national champion UConn Huskies men’s basketball team.
They’ll have to make do with the other Hurley.”
If you are judging strictly by personality, they are two totally different guys. Danny, more bombastic–sometimes sarcastic but is a true basketball lifer that gets the most out of his players.
Bobby was a Duke standout point guard on their back-to-back championship teams in 1991 and 1992 is a smooth talker who always, at least in watching various interviews during his nine year run as head coach of Arizona State.
He is hoping to get the Sun Devils brand to entice recruits, as Jeff Goodman from the Field of 68 podcast broke down the details in two separate X’s/tweets on Saturday afternoon:
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley in talks with major Hollywood producers and streaming platform to create a made-for-TV docuseries leveraging Hurley’s personal NIL, success as a player and coach to forge Fortune 500 brand partnerships with the intent to further increase the…
All this means, at the least of the opinion of this blog reporter is that streaming is still a major player, there is money out there, and of course–anyone in their right mind will hopefully take advantage so that way future high school recruits and fans can hopefully get some further insight on how the sausage is made.
It also helps that Coach Hurley signed a two-year extension on March 19, in which the website statepress.come where Sports Editor Walker Smith mentioned how his contract it was restructured:
“two days short of a year after the initial deal was announced following ASU’s first-round exit from the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The deal keeps Hurley in Tempe until after the 2025-26 season.
The new contract was first announced on March 21, 2023, after the Sun Devils’ appearance in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where the team lost to TCU on a last-second shot in the Round of 64 after defeating Nevada in the First Four.”
The move mostly revolved around the school’s move to the Big 12 conference last summer, coupled with the resignation of former athletic director Ray Anderson.
In his seven seasons in Tempe, Hurley is 155-131 (79-88 in conference play) and has made three NCAA tournament appearances.
Following his final game in the Pac-12 tournament on March 13, he appears very determined, yet defiant on how he is approaching this off-season:
“We got to revamp the roster. I have to get on the phone, and I’ve been on the phone. I have to encourage people (who) have the wherewithal to try and support what we’re doing, especially with this transition (to the Big 12).”
And he staunchly defends those naysayers and those on social media calling on him to being fired midway through the season:
“You could say a lot of things about me as a coach, and you could be critical of a lot of areas and a lot of different things that you may not like about my coaching style and my offense, my philosophies on defense, my game decisions, (and) my rotations There’s a lot of things that go into being a coach, but I don’t think you would say he’s not going to fight or battle or get his team ready to compete and fight and battle.”
In defense of ASU belonging to the Power 4 joining the other so-called Corner Schools in Arizona, Utah, and Colorado also joining the uber-competitive Big 12, it will be a meat grinder each and every night.
But if it’s anything like the NASCAR series on Netflix last year, it will be fascinating if indeed this docuseries gets the greenlight that could potentially show the end of his tenure there. If cameras end up seeing disgruntled fans or cheerleaders crying after a tough loss, pink slips would certainly be flying outside of Desert Financial Arena.
Here is more information when you click on the link below:
Another school also recently making headlines on the NIL front was at the University of Virginia. On April 18, schools in Virginia will be able to directly pay athletes via name, image and likeness deals thanks to a state law which marks another significant step toward the professionalization of college sports.
The law scheduled to take effect July 1, is the first in any state to make it illegal for the NCAA to punish a school for compensating athletes for their NIL rights. Current NCAA rules prohibit all schools from signing NIL deals with their own players. The law could either give Virginia schools a significant recruiting advantage or provide more leverage for other changes they might see fit in the larger picture.
In announcing the decision following their state government let the ink dry, University of Virginia athletic director Carla Williams is shooting for bigger goals:
“If this law gets us closer to a federal or a national solution for college athletics then it will be more than worthwhile. Until then, we have an obligation to ensure we maintain an elite athletics program at UVA.”
She is right on one thing when she mentioned about the “distinction” that all schools in the state can starting this summer, they will be able to use university or athletic department funds to pay athletes for appearing in marketing campaigns. This means contracting with third parties such as marketing agencies or having a booster collective to pay the athletes directly, instead of cutting a check straight from the athletic department.
Virginia Tech athletic director Whit Babcock also agreed on what this new law can bring more good things going forward:
“There is a better model and a better compromise. This is absolutely a step in the right direction for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the country in my opinion.”
Charlie Baker Leading the Way…Finally!
This mirrors what NCAA President Charlie Baker has been doing since taking over for the idiotic ways that prior presidents did in holding amateurism to unreachable highs, in where players and coaches would often end up getting caught funneling money in many underground economies.
The NCAA recently modified its rules in similar circumstances to create a more equal playing field when state laws or court injunctions have given some schools a clear recruiting advantage over their peers.
NIL was born out of several state laws, led by Gavin Newsom signing a bill for California schools on a HBO show hosted by LeBron James inside a barber shop.
A critical note worth mentioning is that an NCAA spokesperson declined during that week as if to say whether the association would allow all schools to sign NIL deals with their athletes in response to Virginia’s law. If the NCAA does not change its rules before July 1 and a school decides to sign NIL deals with its athletes, the state could then sue the NCAA if they attempt to penalize the school.
Williams said part of the motivation for all Virginia schools in passing the law was to create some urgency and incentive for either hoping for an NCAA rule change or a law passed by Congress that would provide more stability to the current marketplace for college athletes.
Title IX however is not clear on whether schools would have to provide equal dollars for endorsement deals, where men have a decisive advantage over the women. But thanks to the popularity of what Caitlin Clark did for State Farm insurance and Nike in helping raise the profile of women’s basketball, the sky’s the limit.
Looking back at what Charlie Baker proposed in December that all schools should be able to pay athletes via NIL deals is part of a three-pronged plan to modernize how the NCAA conducts its’ business. Unlike a governor or mayor, Baker doesn’t have authority to enact NCAA rule changes on his own. The voting members of Division I have not taken significant steps to implement any of Baker’s suggestions.
Each state is hoping to gain some type of competitive advantage. Missouri has a state law that allows schools to pay a third party referred to as an “institutional marketing associate.” Their school then pays athletes for endorsement deals. Virginia’s law goes a step further in simplifying the way money can flow from a school directly to any athlete. This law will make it legal for all schools in Virginia this summer to directly present specific NIL deals to recruits before they enroll.
Talk about enticing people to come to college 😉.
ESPN mentioned also that at least six other states — Illinois, South Carolina, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi all have pending legislation that addresses their schools’ ability to pay NIL deals. However, none of them are as permissive as Virginia’s law. The proposed bills in those states all say that schools could pay their athletes if and only if the NCAA or federal government changes rules to allow it to happen.
Oklahoma state Sen. Kristen Thompson, who authored the pending NIL bill in her state, told ESPN the goal was to make sure no state laws would hamper any of their schools if the NCAA or Congress create any changes in updating their rules. Thompson spoke to ESPN before it was signed into law, but said she was “committed to remaining competitive” with other states and would revisit her proposal if needed.
As more lawsuits continue to come out fast and furious, keep in mind that if any judges like the one in Virginia can grant an injunction which allows booster collectives and other third parties to make NIL offers to athletes before they enroll in their schools, it will be a major game changer.
Popular San Diego State Star Bolsters Mark Pope’s First Roster
According to Kyle Tucker from The Athletic, two days after LaMont Bulter hit the transfer portal, new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope made an unexpected trip to Las Vegas with his freshly assembled staff on Friday morning. The 6’2″ guard was quickly sold on the Wildcats, faster than a snazzy car dealer willing to get his extra commission for someone to take advantage of a hot deal right off the lot.
Clearly, this commitment is HUGE for Big Blue Nation. According to Tucker, “Butler committed to UK on the spot, his grassroots coach, Ryan Silver, told The Athletic.“
After Butler entered the transfer portal on Wednesday, “all the big schools reached out,” Silver said, “but Mark Pope just really prioritized him, got on a plane and flew out there to meet with him and his parents. They were very impressed with that, and what he had to say.”
Butler started 102 games for the Aztecs, was named as an All-Mountain West selection in 2023 and the MWC defensive player of the year in 2024. During San Diego State’s run to the national championship game in 2023 — he hit a game-winning shot in the semifinals to beat Florida Atlantic. Last season, he averaged 9.3 ppg, to go along with 3 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
Kentucky’s entire 2023-2024 roster is gone, having with guys either exhausted its eligibility, entered the NBA Draft or hit the portal. Only one of six 2024 recruits who’d committed to John Calipari has stuck around — in-state star Travis Perry.
Before departing for Las Vegas, Pope’s roster consisted of Perry, former top-40 BYU commit Collin Chandler and 6’10” Drexel transfer Amari Williams. And yes, Silver is truly excited about getting a major player who can make big plays whenever his team needs it the most.
“This is nuts, because UK’s whole staff is on a plane headed back there and Aidan Mahaney is in Lexington waiting for them with Mark Fox.”
Fox is the former head coach at Nevada, Georgia and California, recently hired as a special assistant. Mahaney is another product of Silver’s West Coast Elite grassroots program. Asked if the Wildcats have a serious shot at landing him as well, Silver said, “Yes, absolutely.”
Talk about confidence, OMG!
Mahaney was a star guard for Saint Mary’s and hopes to impress the Kentucky brass this weekend.
Landing a key piece of a program that made four straight NCAA Tournaments and won seven NCAA Tournament games in the last two seasons is a major win for Pope.
Kentucky also welcomed starting Oklahoma guard Otega Oweh on a visit this week and could get a commitment from him soon. The 6’5″, 210 pound wing averaged 11.4 ppg, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals and shot 38 percent from downtown last season. Another name they will be talking to up close and personal is 6’10”, 220 pound forward from Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr (13.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg.)
A few more transfers and Kansas returns huge centerpiece for Bill Self
Entering the transfer portal on Thursday was Miami forward Norchad Omier, Seton Hall forward Kadary Richmond, and A.J. Hoggard to leave after spending four years at Michigan State
Earlier this morning, second team All American center Hunter Dickinson will return to Kansas. This move follows Rylan Griffern from Alabama as Rock. Chalk. Jayhawk. hopes to be bring back more outside shooting that was lacking during key stretches during the 2023-2024 regular season.
Two-Time Big Ten and Naismith Player of the Year Leaves Purdue As One of the All-Time Greats
Purdue center Zach Edey, the 2024 Naismith Player of the Year, has declared for the NBA Draft. In telling ESPN, the 7’4″ center from Toronto, Ontario, Canada is projected by ESPN and The Athletic to be a late first round pick.
Edey posted a career best 25.2 points per game along with 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks on 62.3 percent shooting in 39 games during his senior season. Edey stepped us his game during the NCAA Tournament, where he averaged 29.5 ppg, 14.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in Purdue’s first national title game appearance since 1969 before losing to UConn.
Among his achievement while at Purdue included being named to the 2021 Big Ten All Freshman Team, first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023 and 2024, earning back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year awards in 2023 and 2024 and back-to-back Naismith Player of the Year awards, the first to win consecutive National Player of the Year awards since Ralph Sampson did it at Virginia between 1981-1983.
Edey holds the program records for most points (2,516) and rebounds (1,321) at Purdue, and is fourth all-time in blocks (232).
Hew will be remembered as a transcendent force in the college game, with that soft touch around the basket and a true force when backing down in the paint. Unlike past greats like George Mikan in the 1940’s, Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the late 1960’s, and Patrick Ewing between 1982-1985, the NBA has been going away from the traditional back-to-the basket center. Instead, many expect him to be a marginal facilitator in hoping to kick out the ball for 3-point shots at any point beyond the arc.
The hope is that whomever picks him will have to be patient and see how his game can translate to the next level. But standing at 7’4″ with great hands and outstanding court vision, he could be a nice backup center.
In his place, Matt Painter recruited a few more 7 footers. So hopefully in West Lafayette, the big apple will not fall farther from the tree.
Multiple Time Transfers Becomes Official, Pac-2 Stripped Of Their Powers In FBS Circles, and More Notable Transfers
That and a tribute to a guy that who was in the words of John Walters was “Google before Google.”
As a response to multiple lawsuits filed over the past two years, the NCAA Division I Board on Monday ratified a rules that will allow all student-athletes instant eligibility for any and all multi-time transfers. The board’s approval was the final step in adopting the new rules after they voted in favor of the changes last week.
The new rules go into effect immediately.
Previously, the Council approved a blanket waiver for one-time transfers but held firm in requiring second-time transfers to sit out a year. Under these new guidelines, transfers will have to remain in good standing, meeting academic eligibility and show progress towards his/her degree requirements in order to receive immediate eligibility.
The ruling does not apply to graduate transfers, which were always granted immediate eligibility at their new school.
The decision comes months after a federal injunction led to a temporary halt on the NCAA rules requiring multi-time transfers to sit out a year. This made all transfers immediately eligible, in what many coaches and media still deem as “The Wild Wild West.”
The pair of lawsuits leading to the decision were filed by West Virginia basketball player RaeQuan Battle (who transferred for the third time) and many attorney generals from seven states. Battle played 22 games for the Mountaineers.
All of this is taking place with the NCAA facing many significant lawsuits. Among them are cases to force revenue sharing television contracts with players, declaring players as employees of universities, on whether the NCAA can limit NIL compensation and expansion of Alston compensation stemming from the 9-0 Supreme Court decision in 2021.
In addition, the Board passed new rules allowing universities to help athletes find NIL contracts. In exchange, athletes would be required to disclose any NIL deal of more than $600 to their schools. This rule would be a first step for the NCAA in trying to create transparency for athletic departments regarding players and their individual financial situation–since everyone’s needs are different.
Schools can refer players to NIL collectives without penalty. In the first known infractions ruling involving NIL, Miami faced punishment at the time for connecting women’s basketball twin players Haley and Hanna Cavinder with booster John Ruiz. Under these new guidelines, that connection would be legal.
Bottom line, all athletes would have to report all NIL deals within 30 days of receiving them. The rules still state that pay-for-play compensation and direct payment from schools is not allowed.
Pac-12 To Be Classified as ‘Nonautonomous FBS Conference’
The Division I Board of Directors also on Monday ruled that the Pac-12 Conference, which will drop down to two members this summer, will no longer be an “autonomous conference.”
The change is effective on August 2. Instead, the Pac-2 will be classified as a “nonautonomous FBS conference” like the Group of 5.
Think of this almost similar to when Superman got struck by kryptonite. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The board created new governance thresholds for conferences that fall below membership requirements. As a result, the Pac-12 will lose representation on the Board of Directors. However, it will retain voting rights and representation on the Division I Council, the Football Oversight Committee and the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee when applicable, but the weight of its Council vote will be diminished big time.
Multi-sport conferences are required to have at least eight members. In the event they drop below eight, they are allowed a two year grace period to get back to that number. After 10 schools will leave to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, only Oregon State and Washington State remain. The board’s determinations apply to conferences in that grace period. Although Oregon State and Washington State have pledged to continue to spend and compete at a Power 5 level, Monday’s news of losing their autonomy status was not a surprise.
How Did The Group of 5 Come To Be?
It’s a question that has befuddled media members and bloggers like me. You have to go back to 2014, when the board created a new “autonomy” model, that granted the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC the ability to make some of their own rules together. That all happened the following year with full cost-of-attendance scholarships. The “Power 5″ was born and they regularly held their own meetings, but didn’t do much else legislatively with that autonomy power. The other five FBS conferences became known as the Group of 5, with most of those schools eventually adding cost of attendance as well–the American Athletic Conference, Mountain West are prime examples.
Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes told The Athletic on February 8 two scenarios that could come to fruition in winter/spring 2026:
OSU and WSU could either join a Power 4 conference or rebuild their league, most likely with all Mountain West schools thanks to many legal details ironed out in their new football contract with the league.
“Priority one is to join an existing power conference. Option two is to build back a power conference with the Pac-12 banner. An option might be what we call a reverse merger that might include adding existing Mountain West (schools) and the like. But that all needs to be developed over the next several months while keeping an eye on the (national) landscape.”
OSU and WSU will play in the Mountain West for football, but will not be eligible to play for conference championships or be an official part in conference standings during the next two years. Oregon State will play an independent school in baseball.
However, the basketball teams are eligible in basketball, plus several other Olympic sports–as originally announced on December 22, 2023:
As I said at the time, this move makes full geographic sense. In basketball terms–both the Cougars and Beavers should develop some nice rivalries from the likes of Gonzaga, San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State, and Wyoming among such schools.
After that, it’s anybody’s guess.
All we know is that the Pac-12 and Mountain West signed an agreement in the fall to work in good faith to possibly merge by the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 seasons, with no cost if the Pac-12 could absorb every Mountain West school, or a cost of upwards of $137.5 million if it takes some but not all MWC schools. But Oregon State and Washington State are focused first on joining an autonomous conference, and the uncertainty surrounding the future of college sports could spark more seismic movements.
The College Football Playoff last November also determined that conferences must have at least eight members in order to be eligible for an automatic qualifying spot in the 12 team field.
More Transfers Worth Mentioning
Sunday and Monday featured more Power 5 schools making news.
On Sunday, Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope grabbed his first portal addition to Lexington in Amari Williams. The 6’10”, 265 pound center out of Drexel was three-time CAA Defensive Player of the Year. His agent, George Langberg of GSL Sports Group confirmed the move on Sunday to The Athletic. Williams averaged 12.9 ppg, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2 blocks over the last two seasons. Of the 105 college games he has played, he started 79.
The super senior who hails from Nottingham in the United Kingdomm, was spotted with Coach Pope at Keeneland’s spring horse racing meet. Speaking trackside on Saturday, Pope told FanDuel TV, “We’re here on business.” Soon after, apparently, he closed the deal–all thanks in large part to NIL.
His career totals of 186 blocks, 171 assists and 86 steals should provide some help with an already thin roster. Scouts have mentioned about this big man being a good passer who has elite skills at protecting the rim. In other words, this is a nice building block. Along with two incoming freshmen: in-state star Travis Perry, the only holdover, and former Top 40 prospect Collin Chandler, who committed initially to Pope at BYU and will arrive in Lexington this summer after serving a two year Mormon mission.
And they hope to get even more good news in the coming days–Great Osobor were high school teammates in England. The 6’8″ forward has left Utah State who was named the Mountain West Player of the Year in averaged 17.7 points per game, along with 9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Osobor is a consensus top five portal prospect, is also strongly considering Kentucky.
One day after the Blue Devils landed Syracuse forward Maliq Brown, one of the final two active scholarship players from Mike Krzyzewski’s final team at Duke, two-time captain Jeremy Roach is heading south to the Big 12 to suit up for Scott Drew at Baylor. He is coming off a career-best season, averaging 14 ppg, 3.3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds. Roach shot an incredible 42.9 percent from downtown and 84.4 percent from the free throw line.
This move fills a need for the Bears, since they have already lost three starters from last season — freshmen Ja’Kobe Walter and Yves Missi, who declared for the NBA Draft, along with streaky senior RayJ Dennis, who is out of eligibility. Jalen Bridges is also thinking of leaving.
As for the 6’1″ native of Virginia, he should be a great fit in Scott Drew’s perimeter-oriented offense. Baylor has finished in the top 10 for adjusted offensive efficiency each of the last four seasons, according to KenPom–all dating back when the Bears won the program’s first national title during the COVID bubble in 2021. Also impressive stat wise was finishing sixth in adjusted offensive efficiency this past season, and posting the nation’s fifth-best 3point rate at 39.5 percent.
Roach came alive during the 2022 NCAA Tournament and later became captain. As for next season, guards Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster, who had a combined 40 starts for Duke both already announced they’re returning — and head coach Jon Scheyer again has the Number 1 high school recruiting class during his three offseasons as head coach. This six man class is anchored by forward Cooper Flagg, the nation’s best high school prospect and one of the top American-born pro prospects of the last several years. The guy can shoot, and if he is as advertised, look for Duke to possibly be a top 10 team come November. Tobiass of The Athletic said earlier this month that, “He is a spitting image of former Utah Jazz star Andrei Kirilenko with his ability to defend multiple positions relentlessly and all-around game.”
Also joining the Blue Devils is 6’6″, 230 pound forward Mason Gillis from Purdue. A major glue guy for Matt Painter in the Boilermakers run to the national championship game before falling to UConn, is coming off being named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year. He has one season of eligibility remaining.
It also helps that Gillis, who has played in 132 college games and started 63, will turn 24 in November. He is a true workhorse and will provide valuable experience and veteran savvy to a Duke roster with six incoming freshmen.
Coach Scheyer has three scholarships to fill after seven players from Duke’s Elite Eight squad entered the transfer portal.
On Monday, Karter Knox, a five star recruit in the 2024 class, announced that he has committed to John Calipari at Arkansas after previously committing and then decommitting to Kentucky on March 9. The 6’5″ wing averaged 23.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the Overtime Elite League during the 2023-2024 season, and is considered one of the best shot-makers in the 2024 recruiting class.
Knox narrowed his decisions between Louisville, South Florida and staying another year at OTE before settling on Kentucky. At the time, the then Cardinals’ coach Kenny Payne, who recruited and coached Knox’s brother, Kevin at Kentucky. Payne then left Lexington for the NBA and coached Kevin again as an assistant for the New York Knicks. Payne recently reunited with Coach Calipari as Arkansas associate head coach.
Other notable names that transferred over the weekend include:
Ohio State–Aaron Bradshaw from Kentucky and Micah Parrish from San Diego State
Indiana–Miles Rice from Washington State and Kanaan Carlyle from Stanford
UCLA–Eric Dailey Jr. from Oklahoma State, Skyy Clark from Louisville, Kobe Johnson from USC, and Tyler Bilodeau from Oregon State
One more week until the transfer portal closes. Who will be the next to move? Stay tuned, as I hope to provide a recap hopefully over the weekend.
Remembering The Schwab
On Saturday morning, Dick Vitale from ESPN sent along some sad news that Howie Schwab, the former ESPN personality best known for his incredible knowledge of sports trivia and statistics, died at the age of 63. The cause of death was not mentioned.
He did not desire to be in television, for the native of Baldwin, New York graduated from St. John’s University in 1982. Five years later, he joined ESPN and handled many different roles in his career. He served as the coordinating producer when the website ESPN.com started in the mid 1990’s, with tons of hyperlinks and not much in terms of fancy graphics. He later later served the same role for ESPN studio production on SportsCenter and Outside the Lines, among such shows.
But perhaps he will be remembered the most for being the ultimate sports trivia sitting encyclopedia on ESPN 2 and the old ESPN Classic between July 8, 2004 to September 29, 2006.
The show ran for 80 episodes and gained quite a cult following. Three rounds of various challenges culminating with a one-on-one battle, where it came down to whomever had the most points or guessed incorrectly totaling three strikes and the game was over.
Here is one episode showing how difficult it was, featuring the late, great Stuart Scott being the host:
He also had a very kind heart in helping many charities in the Bristol, Connecticut area. For that and many other reasons, I decided to dedicate this blog in his memory.
Some tributes shared via X/Twitter included some former ESPN colleagues and a few devoted fans.
Andy Katz of NCAA.com:
Howie Schwab was a fountain of information. He was one of one. He loved statistical analysis, trends and anecdotes. And he was incredibly loyal to @DickieV, providing him with stats and background for his broadcasts. He was ESPN family. He continued to reach out to all of us…
Going to miss those “Go SJU” tweets. Rest in Peace, @howieschwab. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. 💔 https://t.co/j6RFI18qlW
— St. John's Men’s Basketball (@StJohnsBBall) April 20, 2024
A true legend. Never met anyone who loved sports as much as Howie. All sports. Helped to raise a ton of money for great causes as well. He'll be missed https://t.co/jJ54Zz13G6
NHL play-by-play announcer and host of The Point John Buccigross:
Damn. Howie was pure ESPN. What a time it was in Bristol when everyone was a fanatic sports follower–the real heart and soul of the place. The newsroom had such a palpable energy and Howie was a light all us bugs were drawn to. Lived and loved the job. A producer once asked… https://t.co/0mkzyfqCeP
When I visited Bristol in ‘92, there were two staffers Mike Soltys and his crew were most insistent I meet as part of ESPN’s DNA: Bob Ley and Howie Schwab. Howie was Google before Google. For sports.
His widow Suzie used his X/Twitter account on Sunday to express gratitude for all the messages of support she’d seen, calling them “an immense solace.”
May Howie RIP, and I hope that he continues to bring tons of sports knowledge to the many billions of people up in that Golden Box in the Sky–namely my three favorite inspirations when they were alive to see me graduate from college, in my father and my two grandfathers who honorably served in the Army during World War II in Europe.
More Transfers, Some Thoughts On The Phoenix Coyotes NHL Franchise Moving to Utah, and Popular ABC News Personality to Say Goodbye in the Summer
I typed this blog while listening to Taylor Swift’s 11th album (!), The Tortured Poets Department. Lots of slow paced songs reminiscent of Folklore and Evermore during the early stages of the pandemic.
With that said, here is another crop of transfers from two tournament teams this past March:
Wisconsin loses point guard Chucky Hepburn, a three year starter, of which The Athletic confirmed on Thursday. Hepburn started in 103 career games and averaged 9.9 points per game. Last season, he earned All-Big Ten honorable mention and was named to the all-defensive team, as well as the all tournament team. His 3.2 assists-to-turnovers ratio ranked second in the Big Ten. He was also the last freshman to start at point guard in Greg Gard’s tenure.
In a statement provided by the school’s Athletic Department, head coach Greg Gard didn’t sound too discouraged–but is eager and determined to find new people to help plug in the holes:
“We have a lot of love for Chucky. He’s been a big part of our program. In today’s college basketball (environment), players are making transactional decisions all over the country at every level.
“There’s no time to complain about the system in place. We’re dedicating all of our energy right now into finding the next fits for our program. In fact, minutes after talking to Chucky about this, I was already pursuing another talented point guard who is in the portal. This is the reality of college basketball today.”
In part of a message he posted on Instagram, he said this:
“As I embark on this new chapter and enter the transfer portal, please know that my decision is not a reflection of anything lacking at Wisconsin. Rather, it is an opportunity for me to explore new possibilities and continue my journey in pursuit of my dreams.”
Another guard A.J. Storr is transferring to Kansas.
Image courtesy of dailycaller.com
He also had on his list as possible landing spots Texas, Illinois, and John Calipari with Arkansas. He joins a Jayhawks squad that went 23-11 last season, one of the worst seasons in Bill Self’s tenure. Still, they managed to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Gonzaga.
He started his collegiate career with St. John’s in 2022-23 before heading to the Badgers after Rick Pitino was hired. Storr averaged 16.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season, his only season with the Badgers.
He’s a big-time athlete out in transition and is excellent, both as a cutter and driver to the rim. That makes him a mismatch nightmare that the Jayhawks feast upon. Once he gets downhill, look out because he will attack the rim with regularity. Storr takes a ton of contested shots and doesn’t see the floor all that well in finding teammates for kickouts to open shooters or executing dump-off passes. He made 53.6 percent of his halfcourt attempts at the rim, per Synergy, a really rough number for someone this big and strong.
Wisconsin Has To Start Over
Besides Hepburn and Storr, Wisconsin also lost shooting guard Connor Essegian, a true freshman two seasons ago but had a lesser role last season. Also heading to the transfer portal is forward Gus Yalden and guards Ross Candelino, Isaac Lindsey, and Luke Haertle. Lindsey was the only player to score any points last season.
Also, Wisconsin has three open scholarships available for next season, even with the additions of freshmen Daniel Freitag and Jack Robison as part of the 2024 recruiting class. Wisconsin has not added a transfer portal player, but according to Jesse Tempe, Wisconsin beat writer for The Athletic, the Badgers have been busy pursuing players nationwide. The most notable recruitment is forward Frankie Fidler, who visited campus and has Wisconsin in his top four choices. Of note, Fidler was Hepburn’s high school teammate.
Their most glaring holes are at both guard slots. Wisconsin needs a point guard to replace Hepburn, a scoring wing to replace Storr and potentially a big man to provide much needed depth. The only two true point guards on the current roster are Kamari McGee and Daniel Freitag. McGee averaged 2.1 ppg last season with 13 steals, 11 assists and eight turnovers. Freitag is the highest-rated recruit in Greg Gard’s tenure.
Four days after new coach Mark Pope used a play on words as the crowd chanted “Reed!” and “One more year”, as the 2024 National Freshman of the Year Reed Shepperd is entering the NBA Draft.
He had this video message for Big Blue Nation on his X/Twitter account:
The son of 1998 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Jeff Sheppard, he was also named SEC Rookie of the Year, USBWA Freshman of the Year and NABC Freshman of the Year. Standing at 6’3″, he led the SEC in steals and true shooting percentage and was deadly from behind the arc, hitting 52.1 percent from downtown. Overall, he averaged 12.5 ppg, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He’s the only Power 5 player since 1994 with at least 75 made 3’s, 140 assists, 75 steals, and 20 blocks.
After the rally/press conference on Sunday, another Kentucky star from years past Rex Chapman felt for the guy, but Reed made the right choice:
“You gotta just keep in mind, every athlete is one wrong step from never playing again. And as much as you want to hang around and you want to be a kid, you gotta weigh that. I can say this: He’s got the two best people, in (his parents) Jeff and Stacey, to advise him. They’re a family that’s very grounded. I have no doubt they’ll make the right decision. Reed will make the right decision.”
For their new Head Coach Mark Pope, he will begin in earnest with how he built his character for his teammates during his two years in Lexington culminating with winning the 1996 national championship.
The UK tag line is simple, yet direct: “Better together.”
Fans will have to be patient, but after watching a few one-on-one interviews with members of the local media, he does possess solid leadership skills and is a very energetic guy who has with grace, endless passion in leading his alma mater, and the fans love him. What that will lead to is anybody’s guess.
Also, more players are leaving the two time defending champions. Alex Karaban from UConn decided on Thursday to declare for the NBA draft, but he will maintain his college eligibility if he does not fare well at the combine.
The Southborough, Mass. native started 77 of his 78 career games since redshirting during his first year. This past season, he averaged 13.3 ppg and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 37.9 percent from 3 point land.
With Dan Hurley have loads of depth at his disposal, he was often used as the third or fourth option on offense. At 6’8″, Karaban provided both size on defense and plenty of floor spacing on offense. That could translate very well with that type of skillset for an NBA roster, since they value wings with size who can shoot and know how to play the right way.
At the Final Four, his 14 points and eight rebounds against Alabama were crucial in what was their toughest game. He struggled against the two-time Naismith Player of the Year in Zach Edey in the championship game scoring only five points on 2 of 7 shooting. He shot 37.9 percent from the floor this past season.
If he leaves, look for maybe Jaylin Stewart as the most likely to benefit and fill that spot for the Huskies.
Branching out of my comfort zone for a bit, there were two women’s transfers of note that raised a lot of eyebrows. This included the Cavinder twins after they were nearly caught in a firestorm a few years ago due to some shady business deals in the early part of the decade.
First, star guard Hailey Van Lith of LSU will be transferring to TCU, this according to a school source. She has one year of eligibility remaining. Van Lith spent her first three seasons with Louisville before transferring to LSU last spring. For the Lady Tigers, she made 33 starts while averaging 11.6 ppg, 2.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. But in their Elite Eight run before losing to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in Albany, New York,, her output fell dramatically to 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. I will remember her alongside Angel Reese as a pistol, possessing a definite swagger that would always try to get an edge, especially mixing things with plenty of physicality.
She will be heading to a Horned Frogs squad that already features star transfers Sedona Prince, Madison Conner, and Agnes Emma-Nnopu. They started last season 14-0, but they crashed and burned in the rugged Big 12 due to numerous injuries that forced the team to hold open tryouts and add four walk-ons in the middle of the season. But still, TCU is coming off a 21-12 season in its first season under Mark Campbell. That was more wins than TCU compiled in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons combined.
Their loaded roster is complemented by several key players by the names of Aaliyah Roberson, Knisha Godfrey, Una Jovanovic, and DaiJa Turner. Bottom line, with Texas and Oklahoma out of the picture since they will be moving to the SEC–they have to contend with the likes of Baylor, Kansas State, and the four corner schools in Arizona, Arizona State, returning member Colorado, and a very tough team in Utah.
Cavinder Twins Reunite in Miami
Coming out of retirement is former Miami and Fresno State star Haley Cavinder, who is entering her final season of eligibility. She was named Mountain West Player of the Year in 2021 and was named to the All-ACC second team in 2023.
In October, Haley announced she was returning and entered the transfer portal, where she eventually committed to play for TCU. Hanna announced via X/Twitter on Wednesday that she was returning to Miami. Yesterday, Haley announced she changed her commitment from TCU to Miami to join her sister.
Both sisters announced in April 2023 that they were stepping away from college basketball and wouldn’t return to Miami. In many interviews, they said at that time they were pursuing outside opportunities, such as with the WWE, whom they both signed NIL deals with.
But a sudden change of heart will hopefully invigorate both ladies in the ACC, with three new schools in the Metroplex and the Bay Area to contend with in SMU, Stanford, and California making their conference debuts next season.
Hanna had this to say about persevering and not giving up on her dream to play alongside her sister:
“My last season of basketball was one of the most successful & challenging yrs of my life but it helped me grow immensely. The past few months I have been itching to get back to the game that I thought I lost the passion for. With that being said, I am returning for one more szn.”
You got to love those shorthanded words for years and season.
I could go on, but I have to mention to those reading in Arizona that the fans in Phoenix losing their NHL hockey franchise after 28 years to Salt Lake City is a major gut punch. Hopefully, they will find the land following a vote on June 27 as Commissioner Gary Bettman gave Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo to secure land and build a new state-of-the-art arena by June 27, 2029.
Based on his track record, fans in the desert are mostly skeptical at best. As for Salt Lake City, they are ready to welcome a new era as they will hope to carve out a new era wearing Utah across their chest. They will play at the Delta Center for at least the first few seasons before a new hockey made arena is built.
Ryan Smith, owner of both the NBA’s Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake of the MLS has the choice of having a new nickname for the team on the backburner. This is similar to what Dan Snyder did with Washington for two seasons before they became the Commanders.
Ryan and his wife Ashley will lead a collaborative effort amongst many interested parties, this according to Sportsnet of Canada in several articles.
“We’ll start with Utah on the jersey and we’ll figure out the logo and everything else, and what it is that we are, but that’s a one-way door. You’ve got to do it once. And with this timeline, I think both the league feels better and we feel better to just run the process and then we’ll drop it when we drop it.”
As for Meruelo, they will retain the Coyotes’ name, logo and trademark.
Finally, in a separate field in a more serious nature came this news:
Image courtesy of Heidi Gutman of ABC
Thursday morning also brought up the news that 13 year chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, aka Dr. Jen is leaving ABC News on July 1 to head up her own wellness company.
Ashton is launching Ajenda, as CEO and founder. The plan will center on addressing weight management and the struggles of women struggling with menopause.
Regular viewers of the midday show GMA3 had its’ initial launch with a newsletter back in March.
In a statement on her Instagram, she mentioned the same message that was relayed to Eva Pilgrim at the start of the show:
“It has been an honor to be at ABC and help cover the biggest health issues in the country and world over the past 13 years. My coworkers have become more than friends; they’ve become family and have seen me through the biggest professional moments of my life. I feel fortunate to have worked with the best in the business.”
As far as her future plans with the new company, she had this to say:
“This has always been my medical calling, but I really feel like I was in a position to leverage my communication ability and the platform that I have in these two areas. So who knows what it’ll evolve into, but I know that I like communicating about these topics. And so any way that I can do that I am interested in and everything’s on the table. It might be a podcast, it might be television, docuseries, anything.”
Prior to arriving at ABC, she spent three years at FOX News as their first on-air female medical contributor. In 2009, she moved to CBS News and that led to joining ABC in 2012. She also co-hosted a health and wellness talk show called The Doctors from 2013 to 2016.
I first saw Dr. Jen with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes in March 2020 with the appropriately titled news program, Pandemic: What You Need To Know at the start of this scary, uncertain time that the world experienced.
She always gave viewers timely tips, accurate statistics on what to look out for and that the COVID-19 virus in her words, “mutate for a living.” Although many people lost their lives, many people like myself continue to stay vaccinated and will heed her advice as we hope to get to the endemic stage with a deeper understanding of how we view ourselves and what we need to do to change our perception of things, as opposed to what life was like in February 2020.
And she even wrote a book on this delicate subject in February 2021:
By the time the pandemic was slowing down in late 2021/early 2022, the show has tackled many subjects regarding heart health, peanut allergies, how to tackle sunburn while spending a day on the beach, tips on how to overcome being drunk, watching sports is actually good for you, remembering to have only a semi-bright light for at least 30 minutes prior to going to bed, and for many people who sit at their jobs–how to avoid getting blood clots.
For those of you scoring at home, all three original hosts will be gone–this following the alleged affair between Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes which went viral in early December 2023.
T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach During Oscars Week 2022 in Los Angeles. Image courtesy of buzzfeed.com
With Eva Pilgrim and DeMarco Morgan taking over a few weeks before 2023 began, things still look bright IMHO. I plan to continue watching the show on a regular basis to get most of my key news on health, plus other timely news and sometimes fun topics every weekday.
As a Communication Arts graduate from a private, liberal arts school–the only thing that GMA3 can try to stay afloat is what happens with the ratings. Otherwise, they would suffer the same fate that caused the end of the popular cooking show The Chew.
The best way to say this, as I briefly tried to fight some tears after hearing the announcement live:
I will definitely miss her timely discussions to keep women (and men) healthy so we can enjoy life to the fullest. I am sure her new venture will be amazing. I wish her lots of luck😊, and hopefully all women who read my blog can sign up on the Ajenda site (which her newsletter is free) can educate themselves and hear her wisdom and honesty come through via your monitors and the mobile device of choice.
These last four years plus has taught me a lot, and it has helped me communicate more freely and talk things out about what’s right and what’s wrong so we can live longer, healthier lives.
After all, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger–as the adage says.
See you again next week with more relevant news in what has become a busy time that is the offseason. Enjoy the Friday show and have yourself a fun (and hopefully relaxing) weekend.
All Four-Year Students Have Unlimited Free Transfers
The era of free agency has reached beyond the stratosphere.
Council changes transfer rules, permits immediate eligibility for transfers who are academically eligible/in good standing at prev. school & meet progress-toward-degree requirements at new school.
Decision not final until meeting ends Thurs, must be ratified by DI Board Monday.
This should all be a formality on Monday, with the vote coming from the NCAA Division I Council in Indianapolis.
More details on this news that will continue to shake college sports to its’ core:
Moving forward, schools can: -Identify NIL opportunities and facilitate deals between student-athletes and third parties -Provide a reasonable grace period to student-athletes who do not report NIL information within 30 days
This means that the new four-year undergraduate transfer rule aligns transfer eligibility with existing academic progress requirements. According to the NCAA, a four-year undergraduate transfer student-athlete must:
Leave their previous institution academically eligible
Be in good standing with the previous institution (e.g., not subject to dismissal or disciplinary suspension)
Meet all progress toward degree requirements at the new institution prior to competing.
The idea is that athletes have flexibility and freedom of movement as long as they are maintain good academic standing of being a “student-athlete”. The NCAA said it will continue to monitor academic trends of transferring athletes to see if it needs to add any other enhanced academic eligibility standards. Basically, these are the same academic standards as existed before, with the year in residence requirement lifted.
As Nicole Auerbach, senior college football writer for The Athletic said on Tuesday:
“The new transfer rule would retain the structure of transfer windows, which differ by sport but require that transferring athletes notify their current school of their intent to transfer during a designated period of time. Graduate transfers can enter the transfer portal at any time but need to be in the portal by the end of their sport-specific transfer window in order to be immediately eligible for the following season.
No athlete can transfer in the middle of his or her sport’s season and be eligible to compete on a second team in the same season. The SEC also continues to enforce a conference-level rule preventing players from transferring to another school within the conference during the spring window without sitting out a season. But otherwise, the next two weeks bring opportunity, uncertainty and a historic variety of options.”
The previous NCAA rule that started in April 2021 allowed every athlete the ability to transfer one time and play right away. However, it required also that athletes sit out for a year before playing for any subsequent transfer. This rule started two months before the NCAA dropped its rules barring athletes from profiting off their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights. Together, those changes helped create an environment that college sports fans, alumni, and media have compared to free agency in professional sports.
Several re-buffs and high profile PR battles ensued, and it all came to a head in December 2023.
Those conflicts led to a coalition of seven state attorneys general suing the NCAA in the U.S. District Court for the northern district of West Virginia, arguing that the NCAA’s rule requiring multi-time transfer athletes to sit out a year in residence violates antitrust law. Federal Judge John Preston Bailey issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) that was later converted to a preliminary injunction allowing all multi-time transfer athletes in winter and spring sports to play immediately without fear of reprisal. The NCAA then agreed to extend immediate eligibility to multi-time transfers in football and other fall sports who moved on before the end of the 2023-2024 academic calendar, in order to keep its rules consistent across the other 88 sports.
My take on this is that students should earn everything they can get. I have been under the belief that whatever the market pays, they should earn based on performance, standing in the school, and any other activities in their local communities whenever applicable.
Again, I am not totally familiar with how the NIL process works in specifics–because I have not set foot in a college classroom for over a quarter century. But as a loyal and passionate fan of college basketball and keen observer to college sports at large, it leads me to believe that it’s getting harder and harder to identify with players on specific teams. Thanks in large part to conference realignment, fans have to root for teams with nothing consistent except the name on the front of the uniforms.
Gone are the days where players used to stay 3, 4, or sometimes 5 years at the same place.
Sadly, we won’t see the likes of Lorenzo Charles, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, Larry Johnson, Stacy Augmon, Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Glenn Robinson, Bryce Drew, Elton Brand, and thousands of other players that fans grew to love and become legends with their schools and in some cases, the entire nation.
Instead, get used to hearing names like Dalton Knecht, who transferred from Northern Colorado and lit the world on fire with Tennessee coming one play away from ending Purdue’s road to earning the Boilers’ first Final Four appearance since 1980. Or how about Jack Goelke, who toiled around in relative obscurity before becoming a hero for Oakland in Michigan.
As many a baseball guy who would greet arriving fans with programs in hand, he always yelled to fans thousands of feet away:
“LINEUP, PROGRAM! GET YOUR LINEUPS!”
That is what it’s going to feel like. And the toothpaste cannot go back into the tube.
Also, consider that every major conference has adopted the agreement to honor a four year scholarship. Even if the player is pushed to leave the team due to poor performance, they can still receive their scholarship. The only rules in place still are for the schools. The athletes basically have little to no rules.
In fact, roughly 60% of transfer portal players find a new place to land.
Like what commenter Garrett C. said:
“Part of that 40% is intentional. There are players who have already graduated, test the portal waters to see who bites and if they don’t like their offers they just forego their final year of eligibility and move on with their life. Also, there will be fewer players (both raw and percentage) who don’t find a new home after the Covid year players finally cycle out of the system. What that did was clog many extra scholarship athletes into the sport without giving teams extra scholarships to accommodate them. IOW more butts for the same number of chairs in this game of musical chairs. 2024 will be the last football season with a significant amount of them still hanging around.
Anyways, I don’t think it’s a problem. If the players want to be paid and treated like professionals getting hard lessons about the difference between your perceived value and your actual market value is part of that. Learning how to ignore bad advice from people who are manipulating you and how to get a new job before leaving your old job are also important professional lessons to learn.”
Things are going to calm down a little after we get past the COVID year of eligibility next season. Many of them have already graduated, thus the percentage of eligible kids still working on degrees is going to go up. This will greatly limit the moves of those who actually want to earn one extra transfer, to some extent.
Will This Move Continue To Make Sense For Everyone Involved?
Somehow, there has to be a compromise to not only protect the school and the athletes, but what about the faculty and support staff? They are a much of a part of their schools as those handling concessions, plus hearing about students appearing in ads for Dr. Pepper and State Farm Insurance, or their local pizza place and car dealership.
Bottom line, athletes who get credit for classes will see more players receiving 4 year degrees in 3 years or less. Caitlin Clark said in her introductory press conference in Indianapolis on Wednesday that she still has courses to finish, so that she can fulfill her requirements to graduate from the University of Iowa.
One thing I did learn during my time in college, nothing is ever handed to you. You still have to put in the blood, sweat, and literal tears (although I did have some figurative tears my senior year when I had to take a very difficult course on Philosophy–but somehow I managed to persevere and did very well when the semester ended.)
Too often in the media, the era of honesty and trust has eroded. Bob Costas brought it up in the last 20 minutes from this morning’s Awful Announcing podcast–of which you can check out my previous blog to read what I have to say regarding how sports journalism is to hopefully have a place in our society, instead of just being forced to newspapers.com and endless Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann comments from “The Big Show” when ESPN’s SportsCenter was THE show to watch during the 1990’s.
It’s all about the likes of Stephen A. Smith, Pat McAfee, Scott Van Pelt, and others who revolve around the show instead of being a topic driven show. It’s all hot takes and bashing people, instead of the one great moment when we saluted Caitlin Clark breaking Pistol Pete Maravich’s all-time college scoring record and the record breaking ratings numbers during Iowa’s run through the NCAA Tournament.
I wonder how history will remember this time–long after you and any readers eventually leave to that Golden Box in the Sky, what they will think of us. What were we trying to teach the 18 to 22 year old crowds of bright, intelligent students?
Do good in and out of school, get a great paying job, stay out of trouble, as they are our future–as so they say.
Instead, we get constant brainwashing and those saying “My way is better than yours and everyone else are a bunch of idiots.”
That’s what I want to know. I don’t about you, but it is a fascinating time to be alive. Thanks again for reading and I will be back again soon.
Caitlin Clark Raking In More Dough, More Transfer Portal News, and the WWE Makes The Right Call (Finally!)
That and thoughts about the insensitive remarks from Gregg Doyel right here on this Wednesday night edition of News and Notes.
Topping the news, after rookie phenom Caitlin Clark was introduced to the Indianapolis media on Wednesday morning, The Athletic reported that she “is nearing a lucrative, eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike”, this according to industry sources.
Clark is expected to receive a signature Nike shoe as well–sweet indeed ☺️. Two other industry sources mentioned that Under Armour and Adidas also made sizable offers to Clark.
Clark’s previous deal with Nike ended after the conclusion of the college basketball season. Iowa’s run through the tournament boosted her to hit the market at the peak of her popularity. As we know all too well, Clark was a supernova at the University of Iowa, breaking 45 records and bringing thousands of new fans to women’s college basketball. The women’s NCAA Tournament set viewership records with every game in which Iowa played, culminating in 18.9 million viewers for the Hawkeyes’ national title game loss to South Carolina.
On Monday night, the Fever drafted the 22 year old superstar first overall. Interest in the WNBA Draft was at an all-time high, and it set viewership records, skyrocketing to more than four times as many viewers for this year (2.4 million) compared to last year. The old record was shattered which was under 650,000 viewers when Diana Taurasi of UConn fame was picked first in 2004.
Clark was expected to land one of the most lucrative sneaker deals in the WNBA as sponsors have flocked to her in recent months and showed their desire to be included in the Caitlin Clark business. She already has endorsement deals with Gatorade, Panini, and State Farm.
What A Week
Last Wednesday, she sat alongside her teammates for the last time inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The University of Iowa announced during their welcome home/sendoff rally that no woman will never wear Number 22 in a Hawkeyes uniform.
It is Caitlin Clark’s number forever and ever.
Then came a trip to Los Angeles to accept her second straight Wooden Award as college basketball’s Player of the Year. She stole the show on “Weekend Update in making her debut as a guest on Saturday Night Live. Then, WNBA draft ratings spiked from Brooklyn, New York. In fact, Fanatics said her jersey was the top seller for any draft pick on draft night in the company’s history. Ticket interest has also continued to surge, as demand has exploded. I have no doubt that all 40 games will be sold out, the way things have been trending over the past six weeks.
And with the tricky topic of salaries, Clark is set to make $76,535 her rookie year and $338,056 over the next four seasons, according to Spotrac.
President Joe Biden even weighed on this topic saying, “Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all. But right now we’re seeing that even if you’re the best, women are not paid their fair share.
“It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.”
Amen to that.
For comparison, Victor Wembanyama, the Number 1 pick of the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft, will make $55.1 million over four years.
Image courtesy of IndyStar.com/via USA TODAY Sports
Also of note during her post-draft news conference, Clark mentioned that turning professional hasn’t had a significant impact on how she is conducting any off-court business.
“If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year. Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them.”
Also during Wednesday’s press conference, an extremely gross question and hand gesture from Gregg Doyle of the Indianapolis Star caused major eyebrows. Here is what he said:
The extra infuriating thing about this is the asker is not some random with a blog. Indy Star does Pulitzer-winning sports journalism, and still.
If outlets aren’t sending diverse reporters with experience/expertise in women’s sports, they’re not equipped to cover the WNBA. https://t.co/illMgXolj1
After viewing this creepy exchange online, certain members of the media rightly called him out in hoping that many guys (myself included) can learn something from this uncalled and truly unfortunate episode–of which he briefly apologized on his X/Twitter account late Wednesday night.
My response to that, as a honest human being who digs for the truth and NEVER shorts cut anything to get a blog up just for simple “clicks” is be authentic. Present yourself the proper way that other colleagues would want to treat you.
It is one thing being defensive, it’s part of human nature. It’s called ‘fight or flight’. Giving off that quick reaction which gets men to not think properly and in turn, gets the woman to act furious, or even worse cry like you see sometimes in those romantic/horror type movies.
It’s not right, it’s not healthy, and trying to repair the damage may take months or even YEARS to properly gain back the trust and hopefully say common sense things to make the woman feel comfortable. Also of note, with proper intent–display the correct tone of voice behind your message would DEFINITELY HELP.
The statement I would have used if I was at that press conference would be something like,
“That’s so cool. Kudos to your family for doing that.”
Second, here’s another quote that got me riled up: “I didn’t do anything wrong! I gave Caitlin her signature heart-shaped hand gesture as a way of introducing myself and welcoming her to town!”
Yeah right? And drones fly on top of Wal-Mart.😝
Finally, he mentioned the word wrong FOUR TIMES!
Once or twice is enough.
Get a grip man!
Own your mistake and LEARN FROM IT!
Speaking as a man myself, I learned at a very young age to respect people–man or woman, young and old, no matter what level of education/occupation they have achieved.
After reading his apology, it falls way short.
He should have said something along the lines of:
My intent was not correct, and I need to explain why I am deeply sorry.
I should have shown Caitlin the respect of her arriving in Indianapolis on such a historic day for our city, for our state, and this franchise.
Basically, I screw up and I need to be held accountable for what I said.
My question was stupid, ignorant, and conceited. I fully understand what fuss I caused in front of the national media, let alone those tuning in around the world on YouTube. Instead of just saying ‘I’ll try to do better”, I definitely need to get help. Whether it is through counseling, therapy, and probably a course on educating men on how to properly treat women on sensitive subjects should hopefully help. I am not just talking about my fellow media members that I respect and being around them every day. The last thing I wouldn’t want to do is become such a viral hot button topic that will spread like wildfire for the rest of my time on this planet Earth. Other athletes and coaches I interact with on a daily basis understand fully where I come from. I hope this heartfelt apology helps and that I hope you have a great season.
All in the basic journalism principles of consider your source, make sure you ask the right questions, and fully respect their answers–even if you may not agree on their opinions on the subject matter at hand.
Instead, it is back to Journalism 101–
Proper Etiquette and Ethics, Where Did It All Go?
This next pair of X’s/tweets had me literally stopped in my tracks, similar to what I discussed last fall regarding Charissa Thompson of FOX Sports and her lying about faking a halftime report:
Do that to me and we’ll get along just fine?
WTF
1. Athletes don’t need to get along with media, they need to coexist professionally
2. The audacity of this man to suggest this is both creepy and unbelievably out of touch with reality.
Just remember: this male reporter was comfortable enough to say this to a 22 year old celebrity, in front of all his peers, during a live press conference, AS PART OF HIS JOB HE GETS PAID FOR.
& we wonder why so few women are in sports journalism or journalism leadership roles? https://t.co/lz85WIfLzB
Bravo, ladies–teach everyone how honest journalism is supposed to be done:
One who has done this for a long time and suffered lots of hate during her time on Monday Night Football in the early 2000’s had this very common theme that is seen and heard before and every many games:
The complete and utter lack of self-awareness is really an incredible thing to behold. How does it take a respected female colleague to tell you what you should have known as a straight up human being? Wow.
That Caitlin Clark video highlights a lot of things in one very small clip, but it's also worth discussing how that's just the tip of the iceberg — how much does that approach reflect the decision makers who still shape coverage at every level?
Outside of that, her 34 minute introductory press conference inside the atrium at Gainsbridge Fieldhouse was amazing to see. Even more impressive was that several Indianapolis TV stations, the team’s YouTube page, business sites from Indianapolis Monthly, and even KCCI TV in her hometown of Des Moines, Iowa streamed the live feed on their respective YouTube pages.
With negotiations going on with Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery and one streamer for the NBA/WNBA rights beginning in 2025, WNBA President Cathy Engelbert mentioned on April 8 to CNBC that:
“Women’s sports rights fees have been undervalued for too long, so we have this enormous opportunity at a time where the media landscape is changing so much.”
36 of the Fever’s 40 regular season games will be nationally televised. Subscribers to Bally Sports Indiana (shares programming with Bally Sports Midwest) will get the local coverage for many counties–except for Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper, Pulaski, Starke, and LaPorte Counties in the northwestern part of the state. People in those areas should search online to find the radio station that covers all Fever games to get your fix starting on May 14.
Besides her outstanding interview with very classy questions on The Pat McAfee Show (seen on both ESPN and his YouTube page), one local station in the state capital had a cool story on how Caitlin is going to need a place to live.
Enter Noblesville, Indiana–which is a short drive away from the state capital.
WRTV-ABC6 reporter Jessica Gruenling got some thoughts from longtime residents, a popular bar owner, and even the Mayor pulling out all the stops on X/Twitter to see if they can lure her to find a place to call her own, of which you can view on the WRTV Indianapolis YouTube page:
One last thing about Caitlin for the purposes of this blog is how scary her rise to being the transcendent player of the 21st century is nothing but mind boggling.
Take a look at how staggering her statistics were when she first stepped foot on the University of Iowa campus. This is from the Players Unlimited – Basketball page on YouTube–posted a few weeks before her last run playing her final college games:
And before all of this happened, she was all smiles during the WNBA Draft press conference on Monday night:
I could go on, but since this is mostly a men’s blog–let’s return to some interesting transfer portal news and something that I thought would never happen has actually come true.
The Indiana Hoosiers added Washington State point guard Myles Rice over the weekend, then went big on Tuesday with Arizona big man Oumar Ballo.
Rice averaged 14.8 points per game and 3.8 assists and earned All Pac-12 honors, even though he shot an atrocious 27 percent from deep. Ballo averaged 12 points and 10 rebounds. Both played in the NCAA Tournament last season.
On the surface, they are great players but…Indiana has been struggling a lot shooting the ball consistently.
In 2024, winning teams emphasize floor-spacing, a switchable defense, and shooting. Indiana doesn’t have those tactics. The Hoosiers have a more expensive version of last season’s team that won 18 games (Ballo reportedly asked for $1.2 million in NIL). As a team, the Hoosiers shot just 32% from downtown, and the defense might get worse with Ballo replacing the shot-blocking machine Kel’el Ware.
Only time will tell with Mike Woodson on Year 5 coaching the teams that he once played for in the late Bob Knight.
The Field of 68 mentioned on Wednesday that
The Field of 68 mentioned on Wednesday that sophomore big man Malik Reneau is in the portal. He announced his return with the expectation of starting at the five slot. If he returns, he would be situated at the four alongside the experienced Ballo, which essentially replicates what Indiana had this season in Ware and Reneau. Also, keep an eye on Kanaan Carlyle, a guard out of Stanford who hit only 32% of his shots from deep last season. Hopefully, he will escape the nasty travel schedule having to play the ACC teams three time zones to the east with only their neighbors in the California Golden Bears the only local team left.
Illinois picked up a huge piece:
COMMIT: #illini land Notre Dame transfer forward Carey Booth
The 6-foot-10 sophomore stretch forward is just scratching the surface of his talent, but he has tantalizing upside.
Along with picking up the services of Kylan Boswell and Tre White, this will hopefully offset the loss of Terrence Shannon, Jr.
UCLA–Eric Dailey, a former McDonald’s All-American who averaged 9.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg for Oklahoma State and has ideal size to hopefully mix it up in the rugged Big Ten.
Maryland–Selton Miguel, transfer by way of South Florida who averaged 14.7 ppg on 39% from deep for the AAC regular-season champions.
But USF head coach Amir Abdur-Ramin sounded the alarm bell, similar to what kids get caught sneaking their hands in a cookie jar🤨:
“SOME” of you P5 coaches, Head & Assistants need to get back on your craft
Don’t pass on a player & then a year later once you see what your eyes couldn’t, try & POACH him from OUR programs.
High Point. Florida Gulf Coast guard Chase Johnston (12.7 ppg on 37.4% from deep during 2022-2023 season)
Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech forward MJ Collins (7.6 ppg)
A journeyman’s move to similar to the baseball trade deadline every late July. This involves Jalen DeLoach (3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg), a former All Atlantic 0 selection at VCU, but transferred to Georgia and came back in the A-10, and will be suiting up for Loyola Chicago. Get ready for some cold and snowy winters
Cincinnati, USC big man Arrinten Page (3.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg).
South Dakota State, Washington State forward Oscar Cluff (7.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
And the biggest get of all was Kentucky freshman Zvonimir Ivisic. On Monday, he decided to join Coach Cal in Razorback Country.
On social media, this is what he said:
“I made the lifetime decision to come to college for [a] few reasons. (The) Main ones (is) to win a national championship and go to the NBA. (A) Monumental part of that decision was Coach Cal, and no one does both of those at the same time than him. That’s why I am excited to announce that I am committing to Coach Cal and (the) Arkansas Razorbacks.”
Sharing the same nickname as me, “Big Z” had a debut to remember.
Hours after the NCAA cleared him to play on the morning of January 20, the Croatia native suited up for the Wildcats against Georgia. In the first five minutes, he scored 11 points in making all three of his shots from downtown, had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks. He finished that day with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in 16 minutes off the bench as UK beat Georgia in a high scoring affair 105-96.
For the season, Ivisic played in 15 games and averaged 5.5 points per game, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, shooting 37.5% from 3-point range.
Big Z is one of five players to transfer out of Kentucky, including four since Calipari left for Arkansas. The Wildcats have also lost four of their six 2024 commitments, a group that was ranked as the number 2 recruiting class in the country.
And as we know all too well, John Calipari is a master at recruiting. The big questions will come when the season starts in November.
To wrap this blog, I found this headline to be both fascinating and curious:
WWE Did Something Right, And It Wasn’t Just Pulling Off A Successful Wrestlemania (even though Jason Kelce’s appearance got quite an ovation from Eagles fans)
Speaking at Tuesday’s Sports Business Journal‘s World Congress of Sport event, President Nick Khan and Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque spoke about many topics regarding how popular wrestling is, especially amongst young men helping their ratings. But what raised the most eyebrows to me was their discussion around the premier Premium Live Event of Wrestlemania that emerged as the hottest topic.
Here is what longtime reporter Arash Markazi said on X/Twitter:
WWE president Nick Khan wasn’t ready to announce the location of WrestleMania in 2025 just yet but he said you can assume it won’t be in an outdoor East coast stadium again and it won’t go head-to-head with the Final Four again. Las Vegas is one of the cities under consideration.
I had to read it twice to make sure it was not a joke.
First, kudos to them on realizing how fickle the weather in early April can be in the Midwest and East Coast. Where I live it was near 80 on Sunday and as I finished the blog, it went down to 48.
Bottom line, save the changing weather conditions for the gridiron. Wrestling in March and April should be in the warmer climates like Arlington, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, you get the picture. U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is also reportedly under heavy consideration, since they have a retractable roof. Same goes for Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
But what Chris Novak of Awful Announcing mentioned is true that their tradition has has been going on almost as long as CBS has covered the Final Four, starting way back in 1982.
After 40 years of Wrestlemania, FINALLY–they should have known better, at least in the opinion of this blog reporter who has never watched a live wrestling match (but barely has time to even watch a few replays on YouTube), since college basketball is my baby.
Said Novak:
“Choosing not to compete against the Final Four is probably a smart move. April is a crowded sports month, but you set yourself up for it by having your first night compete against the Final Four semifinals and having the post-Mania Raw compete with the National Championship Game on Monday. Freeing themselves from that spot may prove an interesting decision, but time will tell to see if it benefits.”
With the men’s Final Four suffering in the ratings compared to the meteoric rise of the women’s Final Four and championship game setting records that dwarfed the men, this move can only help. Only Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League is the chief competition on Monday night, since the NBA takes that day off.
Finally, a MAJOR GET for the weekly Awful Announcing blog.
I first saw Bob Costas doing sports on WGN, Channel 9 in Chicago during the late 1970’s before he moved to NBC. From covering baseball and doing 3 World Series, golf, boxing, to announcing Michael Jordan’s last run as the Chicago Bulls made it 6 for 6 in winning the NBA title in 1998. Costas also hosted several Super Bowls, but what he will be most remembered for is being the prime time host for 12 Olympics. Starting with the Summer Olympics from 1992 in Barcelona, Spain to 2016 in Rio de Janiero, Brazil–he nearly had a streak similar to what Cal Ripken, Jr. did for baseball. He also did the Winter Games from 2002 in Salt Lake City to 2014 in Sochi, Russia–but was forced to take off for several days after suffering an eye infection.
Since leaving NBC, he has covered baseball for The Baseball Network, still does games also with TBS on some Tuesday nights, and is an occasional contributor with CNN to sports on a larger scale.
In this podcast, most of the discussion dealt with many delicate social and political topics casting a dark shadow on the Olympics, and thoughts about the Presidential election.
Therefore, I decided to showcase the link to the conversation at the end of this blog.
Of note for my purposes in highlighting journalistic integrity, this is basically what you need to know on how sports in the 2020’s will never go back to when the stories involving those covering the sports was way more popular in the 20th century. Today’s hot takes where the star give hot takes and goes viral over every word he/she says is the dominant form of entertainment first, information second. And to me, it is very, very sad to see.
“You know, HBO Sports, which was the gold standard, is now shuttered,” Costas told Brandon Contes. “Real Sports is gone, Bomani Jones’ show (Game Theory) is gone. I returned for two very good seasons [of Back on the Record], and the show was what we wanted it to be. But the new realities of television — it’s gone. Inside the NFL, long since left HBO, and that was a football show I was happy to be part of because it took a different approach, and it was often a journalistic approach. Outside The Lines and E:60 still exist at ESPN. But if you hear talk — whether it happens or not — of the NFL possibly buying ESPN, that tells you where this stuff is headed.”
With the higher cost of rights and production in creating lengthy pieces are simply impractical, even for worthy stories normally reserved for 60 Minutes or Nightline. There isn’t room for a 15 to 20 minute journalistic segment at 8 or 9 p.m. in prime time. Charlie Rose on PBS was a great example of this.
“You can’t do it (today). But there are places for it, and I wish we had embraced those places more. And now, saying that, it shouldn’t be taken out of context, like, ‘Oh, I’m generally critical.’ No, I’m generally very appreciative of the quality of the production that NBC put on and the people I worked with who elevated me and the other broadcasters; they’re brilliant. The cinematography — the storytelling, that stuff is great. But I thought there was a missing element of journalism and commentary. An element to the extent it existed, I was always almost the one who brought it there. But I would have liked it to be a bit more.”
Lots of news from the transfer portal the last several days, the rally-turned-press-conference at Rupp Arena on Sunday afternoon, and the whirlwind tour of Caitlin Clark nationwide.
That and a bit more in this edition of News and Notes.
First off, huge news out of Terre Haute–where Robbie Avila announced on April 9 that he would be joining his coach Josh Schertz to St. Louis:
The big man makes it 5 Indiana State starters in the transfer portal. https://t.co/XeGJDxrOVB
That’s all five starters, and eight players altogether from Indiana State who lost to Seton Hall for the NIT title at Butler University.
With that piece of news, sadly the first of his really cute nicknames will have to sadly be retired, as Awful Announcing showcased in this screen grab:
It’s certainly not unusual for players to follow their coach when a change is made a program. After Dusty May moved to Michigan, six Florida Atlantic players hit the portal. Only Giancarlo Rosado found a new program thus far (Charlotte). Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin and Vlad Golden are exploring portal options–but a totally different era will began this fall.
How many Sycamores head with Schertz to Saint Louis? Given Indiana’s needs for perimeter shooting, expect Indiana native Ryan Conwell to get the hard sell from the Hoosiers. If Schertz convinces at least three starters (among Ryan Swope, Robbie Avila, Jayson Kent and Julian Larry) to join him, that’s a win. All four? Sounds like a school that can challenge Dayton and maybe St. Bonaventure for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Other names of note hitting the transfer portal:
April 11, after John Calipari was introduced to the Arkansas faithful, three recruits decomitted and decided to look elsewhere:
Jayden Quaintance, the Number 8 ranked recruit in the 2024 class
Karter Knox, the younger brother of former Kentucky wing Kevin Knox
Big man Somto Cyril
Sunday: Texas, Tyrese Hunter and Dillon Mitchell
Dayton guard Koby Brea, at 6’6″, he averaged 11.1 ppg this season, but was among the sport’s best shooters (49.8% beyond the arc on 201 attempts.)
Phillip Russell, UT Arlington junior guard (14.9 ppg, 4.4 apg)
John Tonje, Missouri senior guard (2.6 ppg in eight games)
Jaden Schutt, Duke sophomore guard (missed season)
Players declaring to the NBA Draft:
Friday, April 12: Duke freshman Jared McCain
Duke sophomore Kyle Filipowski
Tuesday: Duke guard Jeremy Roach, the last remaining link to Mike Krzyzewski’s final Blue Devils team in 2022 will maintain his college eligibility (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and enter the transfer portal, he announced on social media Tuesday night. He averaged 14 ppg and 3.3 assists per game this season, while shooting a career best 42.9 percent from deep.
The Rally Turned Press Conference In Welcoming Home A Kentucky Legend
On Sunday afternoon, over 20,000 fans jammed Rupp Arena for a rousing introduction for 1996 national championship captain Mark Pope:
Possibly the most badass entrance ever into Rupp Arena.
The 1996 Kentucky championship team walks out of the bus, with new coach Mark Pope hoisting the trophy.
A tour bus followed a police escort, with members of the 1996 championship team coming out first before Mark Pope triumphantly displayed the trophy they received in playing the last ever Final Four to be played in an NBA arena (the old Meadowlands Arena in New Jersey.)
68 different cheers and applause reigned down as the 1996 banner was spotlighted in the rafters above.
There were some of the comments that struck me the most, as I watched the whole thing on YouTube as if this was some movie scene:
“Every coach in America stands up at the press conference and they try to moderate expectations. We don’t do that here at Kentucky. I understand the assignment. We are here to win banners.”
“I understand the assignment. We are here to win banners. As we go through this journey, we’re here to win banners (at the SEC tournament) because you guys turn out in Nashville like nobody else and that matters. And our job here and our assignment is here to win banners in the Final Four, national championships. That’s our job.”
His scheduling philosophy, you may be asking. Well, the guy that led them to that national title sent out a special plea:
“Anybody here down for a game versus St. John’s?”
On Saturday, the Hall of Fame coach sounded like a fellow politician stumping for the Presidential candidate that is the favorite at that parties’ national convention:
Wow, just saw clips from our Captain’s press conference. Not shocked, but pleasantly surprised. Would expect nothing less from @CoachMarkPope. Also, @StJohnsBBall accepts, this year at UK, next year at the Mecca! Looking forward to saying goodbye to @KentuckyMBB.
For all of the vitriol that Pitino experienced while at Louisville, it will be interesting to see how BBN reacts late this year–which I hope Dick Vitale will be on the call for ESPN, as they begin their decade long run in covering all things SEC.
For 2025 at Madison Square Garden in New York, my hope is that either CBS or FOX can promote the heck out of that game as if it was the 1990’s all over again.
He also floated the idea Sunday of a return to the Maui Invitational, a beloved early season tournament predecessor John Calipari had refused to play in since 2010.
“If that’s something he wants to do, that’s fine. If it’s something that helps in recruiting, if it’s something he thinks is good for our program, then this is his program. He’s gotta design it. Cal designed it his way, and now Mark is in the chair and he gets to design it his way. And if that’s something he says, ‘I want to do,’ then we’ll support that and figure it out.”
UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart in remarks after the press conference
Another series Big Blue Nation is desperate to revive and that John Calipari has refused to play in–and that’s pleading to play their neighbors to the north in the Indiana Hoosiers.
“Entitlement leads to sorrow and depression. And gratitude leads to joy. And I will tell you this: What all of the future players will learn really quick is that they are not doing those jerseys a favor by letting the jerseys clothe them. Our guys will know quickly that it will be one of the great honors of their life to put that jersey on.”
Let me repeat those two sentences again:
“Entitlement leads to sorrow and depression. And gratitude leads to joy.”
That is a rather interesting way to send a message.
In assembling a roster, this is what he had to say:
“We’re talking to all the guys on the current team, all those recruited and every player in the portal right now. We are going to find the guys that fit here, the way we play, and the guys that will come here and understand what a gift it is to play here. Those guys that fit here sometimes will be one-and-done burger boys for sure, and sometimes they will be guys that come here and play four years and grow in your hearts and minds and become Kentucky legends, and everything in between. That is what Kentucky deserves.”
I heard from one of my great online friends in saying: “Getting what you want is about knowing how to POSITION yourself…Offer value FIRST. Go in with generosity. How can you set yourself apart from everyone who wants to take and instead be the one who gives? Be AUTHENTIC through it all. This is about being the FULLEST expression of yourself, not just a persona you think the world wants to see.”
Pope got a question about how important in-state recruiting is to him (a lot), and played to the masses something they were waiting to hear for a long, LONG time.
“From Richie Farmer … to Reed (Sheppard) last year … to Travis Perry next year,” Pope said, locating Perry in the crowd and asking him to stand up. The place erupted. “There’s a good chance he will not jump into the portal, guys,” Pope joked.
A rather awkward statement followed when he was asked about his approach to coaching:
“We get to be shepherds.” The crowd knew what was going in, in part because of the sly grin that crept across his face as he said it. Jeff Sheppard, his college roommate, was just off stage. Reed Sheppard, the national freshman of the year, is still weighing his decision on whether to turn pro or come back and play for his dad’s lifelong friend. The crowd started chanting, “Reed! Reed! Reed!” until it morphed into, “One more year! One more year!”
“I owe him one,” Jeff said afterward, shaking his head. He added that Reed is still working through that decision. But Pope? “He’s going to connect with the state. He did today. He understands the heartbeat.”
All Coach Pope do was step back for a few moments and let the chants soak in before more Kentucky beat writers, and even a TV sports reporter from Louisville managed to sneak in a question.
It won’t be all recruiters, skill developers, and X’s and O’s. Instead, it will be an old school approach with the world of NIL staring right at their feet when Coach Pope enters the home of a would-be recruit:
“Nobody in the world has ever seen anything like this. There is nowhere like the University of Kentucky. You guys are living proof of that. We had a little call to arms and you cannot fit all of the Kentucky faithful into the building this evening, right? There is nowhere like this, guys. And listen, don’t think you are not making a difference, because this video is going out to every recruit in America.”
Bottom line is this: He’s 187-108 in his nine-year coaching career at Utah Valley and BYU. The big reason why Big Blue Nation was critical at first of the hire is that he has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game. But he’s never been at a place with Kentucky’s resources. His teams’ playing style — an emphasis on offense through ball movement and 3-pointers — won’t change. He even remarked that they were number 2 in the nation on 3 pointers made. The SEC has many great teams who can shoot it from deep: Alabama, Auburn, and what the SEC Player of the Year last season in Dalton Knecht provided a much needed jolt in Tennessee immediately come to mind.
But he did make news on Tuesday.
He flipped the commitment of former blue-chip recruit Collin Chandler.
Collin Chandler wants to raise two things at Kentucky: banners and chickens, and he's all out of chickens (after eating this one, I presume). pic.twitter.com/uBSmivMrWm
Speaking of chicken, there are tons of cookbooks where you can marinate, saute, even stir fry if that’s your thing. Especially for Gen X’ers like me, it is important to eat a steady diet of pork and chicken to keep your heart healthy.
As for Chandler’s game, Kyle Tucker of The Athletic mentioned that he is a 6’4″ shooting guard from Farmington, Utah, who was ranked the No. 30 prospect in the Class of 2022, per the Recruiting Services Consensus Index. He is the former Mr. Basketball in Utah, was a longtime BYU commitment who spent the last two years serving a Mormon mission.
He will be entering Lexington as a 21 year old freshman.
Tucker also summarized what Chandler brings to Big Blue Nation:
“Chandler originally picked BYU, where Pope was the coach until the Cats called him home last week. He picked the Cougars over a list of finalists that included Arizona, Gonzaga, Oregon, Stanford and Utah. He averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals as a senior in high school.
Chandler is a smooth shooting guard who can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s an aggressive driver and good outside shooter, a legitimate three-level scorer.”
This all comes on the heels of Antonio Reeves and Tre Mitchell being out of eligibility; Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards and Ugonna Onyenso declaring for the NBA Draft; DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, Joey Hart, Aaron Bradshaw (transferred to Ohio State) hitting the transfer portal, along with the favorite that got my attention in January.
From the Field of 68:
Big Z has gone portaling, the portal told @TheFieldOf68.
Zvonimir Ivisic has hit the portal.
Averaged 5.5 points in 15 games but will forever be remembered in Lexington for his debut on Jan. 20.
This Big Z is not going portaling anytime soon. I enjoy where I am living in a mostly peaceful area, and there is always a new challenge every day when I wake up. It’s like night and day, compared to where I spent my formative years–where it was sometimes boring, but usually was noisy almost every night, and there was always constant smoke from refineries less than 2 miles away plus the noise from trucks no more than a half-block away from the living room.
Finally, a major salute once again to Caitlin Clark
After setting 45 records in both the NCAA, the Big Ten, and the University of Iowa–she had quite a week after her Hawkeyes lost their second straight chance at winning a title to undefeated South Carolina seen by a record 18.9 million viewers, with a peak at 24.1 million watching the last 15 minutes. It was the most-watched women’s college basketball game, ever. Not to mention the most-watched basketball game in five years for ESPN.
Leading a storied class of talented women like Cameron Brink of Stanford heading to Los Angeles, Angel Reese of LSU and Kamilla Cardoso heading to the Chicago Sky, and one of Clark’s teammates in Kate Martin will suit up for the two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
Inside the Brooklyn Academy of Music, ESPN captured Clark staring at the camera intently and then seconds later hugging her family as throngs of fans were wearing No. 22 Iowa T-shirts as they have done for the better part of over a year and a half.
Here’s how it sounded in the Brooklyn Academy of Music when Caitlin Clark was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever pic.twitter.com/q8HPZEX7FG
Ben Pickman, WNBA writer for The Athletic summarized Caitlin’s hectic cross-country journey:
It’s been a whirlwind week for Clark, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. In the span of eight days, she walked off the court at the national championship game, appeared on “Saturday Night Live” and shuffled in and out of meetings with league and player association officials in New York to prepare for the draft and her future. It’s just the beginning for Clark, who will be one of the WNBA’s most in-demand and scrutinized rookies of all time.
“I’m just very lucky to be in this moment. All these opportunities, these things, they’re once in a lifetime,” Clark said. “When things might get tiring or you have to do stuff, I think the biggest thing is to look at it like an opportunity.”
Clark has been soaking in the experiences. After she walked off the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse floor in Cleveland following Iowa’s loss to South Carolina in the national championship, Clark and her teammates returned to Iowa City. She drove directly to her hometown in West Des Moines for a home-cooked meal by her mother, Anne. By Wednesday, Clark was back with her Hawkeyes teammates on campus, celebrating the team’s success in front of the fan base that sold out arenas and traveled across the country to break attendance records throughout the season. She also learned her jersey (Number 22) would be retired at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The sprint to Monday’s draft continued from there. On Friday, Clark was in Los Angeles for the Wooden Award ceremony, where she was named the national player of the year (for the second straight season). She flew to the East Coast on Saturday morning, landed in New York at 5 p.m. local time and went directly to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where she humored audiences watching “Saturday Night Live” with a guest appearance.
Conversations about her “SNL” appearance began a few weeks ago, but Clark had only a limited time window to make a cameo. On Saturday evening, she went through a dry run and a dress rehearsal before sliding next to Weekend Update co-host Michael Che and delivering nearly four minutes of zingers.
Even for Clark, who is one of the biggest stars across all sports, meeting “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels and host Ryan Gosling was “pretty awesome,” she said. “Two people who are like some of the most influential people in the world.”
Of standing next to Gosling, Clark said: “You kinda start freaking out a little bit. He’s just amazing.”
And correct me if I am wrong, but Caitlin probably set the record for the shortest amount of time for being a member of the losing team in making the debut appearance on SNL:
Clark bantered on and called out Che for having made numerous jokes at the expense of women’s sports in the past. Unlike those jokes, Clark said she wrote some “good” rib-ticklers about women’s sports. Che then read them aloud.
“One: Be. Two: Funnier. Three: Dumba—.”
“I’m sure (my rookie year in the WNBA will) be a big first step for me. But it’s just one step for the WNBA, thanks to all the great players like Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, the great Dawn Staley and my basketball hero, Maya Moore. These are the women that kicked down the door, so I could walk inside.”
A transcendent athlete, similar to what Pistol Pete Maravich did back in the day. Clark then handed Che a signed apron. I sure hope he hangs it somewhere in his home as a kind gesture.
I bring this up because she was the consensus Number 1 overall pick in every single mock draft, and the Indiana Fever had been toying with fans on social media with memes and posts ever since Clark announced she was going pro. All of her home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse sold out within 2 hours. As she said during the ESPN, “earned it” after leading the nation in both points (31.6) and assists (8.9) per game. She plays in a way we’ve never seen before in the women’s game. The shots. The assists. The court vision. The confidence. The swagger.
Denying her talent and marketability would be silly.
For the female readers of my blog, the orange carpet was a true sight to behold. Every single player at the draft has more style and swag than most women could ever hope to have in a lifetime. The looks and outfits were flawless, and showcased each player’s personality. From Angel Reese’s silver-sparkly hooded dress to Dyaisha Fair’s black suit and bright red bowtie.
I could go on, but do a simple Google Images search and you will see what I mean.
That’s the challenge for ESPN and ABC for the next eight years.
Again, Richard Deitsch mentioned in The Athletic on Tuesday:
“What traditionally drives big viewership numbers for the NBA and NFL drafts are well known players from college (think Zion Williamson) and star skill position players (think Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa). This is the case even if the public has an idea of who will be picked first.
This WNBA Draft had an endless supply of players with name recognition and an obvious transcendent viewership draw in Clark. It has also never had this kind of momentum.”
Market the players and teams to help attract an audience, keep viewers engaged and informed, make those at home feel part of the event, and leave them wanting more. The draft showed us the the perfect blend of star power, talent, and personalities.
The 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four was the most-viewed on record, averaging 13.8 million viewers. Those numbers included 14.4 million viewers for Iowa-UConn (the second-most-watched women’s college game on record) and 7.2 million viewers for NC State and South Carolina. The tournament overall (57 games) across ESPN platforms averaged 2.2 million viewers, up 121 percent from 2023.
It was the most-watched women’s NCAA Tournament since ESPN acquired exclusive rights from CBS in 1996.
So, how will The Worldwide Leader approach the 2024-2025 season, even with the Big Ten Network and Peacock leading the charge for the B1G?
“What I am focused on with my team is over the next couple of years, can we get it to a better place where we have more consistency in our offering of regular-season women’s college basketball on premier platforms throughout the season. We’ve made small strides there over the past four or five years, but it’s still a little bit spotty throughout the regular season in terms of when the opportunity exists. How do we build a better momentum-building and recurring and consistent platform for the sport, especially through the months of January, February, early March as it leads into the tournament?”
Nick Dawson, ESPN senior vice president of programming and acquisitions in comments to The Athletic
The more linear (over-the-air broadcasts like the men) is critical for long term success in drawing both old and new fans.
Continued Deitsch:
“For the NCAA Tournament, Dawson said ESPN will continue to build on its national-windows plan and tweak the schedule to take advantage of opportunities from a distribution perspective. The company’s recent eight-year agreement with the NCAA (featuring a cost of $115 million annually) to televise 40 college sports championships each year, including the women’s basketball tournament, already looks like a sweetheart deal given this year’s viewership numbers. (The women’s basketball tournament is guaranteed to air on ABC, per the new contract.)
“I’m not naive to the fact that the explosion in consumption of the tournament isn’t only due to our commitment to the sport,” Dawson said. “It’s largely the players on the court, the star power of the Caitlin Clarks of the world. They have transformed outside what you might consider the core basketball audience to capture the imagination of the casual fan. How do we sustain that? How do we sustain the storytelling? How do we sustain the ability to create stars? To have a deeper bench of schools and teams that a larger percentage of casual sports fans might care about. We talked a lot with the NCAA during negotiations about collaborating as best we can to try to do more of that.”
An obvious showcase would be to move the national semifinals to a network. Could the entire Women’s Final Four move to ABC in the future?
“It’s a fair question,” Dawson said. “The conversations have happened with regard to the time slot of the championship game as well as network considerations for the national semifinals. It’s an eight-year deal, so where we start may not be where we finish.
“As of right now, our intention is to continue with what we did — the championship game on ABC in that kind of late afternoon Sunday slot, which from a potential viewership perspective our research team has proven to us that there’s not much difference in terms of potential upside between that window and in a prime-time window. The semifinals are on a Friday night, and that is a particularly interesting discussion because it is roughly five-plus hours when you combine the doubleheader, the pregame show and everything else. … Nothing is off the table long-term. We’ll continue to have those conversations year after year to assess how the distribution world is changing.”
ESPN executives are already thinking of opportunities to expand content surrounding the sport. For instance, they will expand their women’s “College GameDay” franchise next year. You will see more shows from campus sites. They will focus on building up stars, so look for more storytelling on players such as USC’s JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and others who didn’t get as much focus this year as Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese.
Dave Roberts, ESPN’s head of event & studio production at ESPN and the point person for its NBA and WNBA production, said the company is willing to consider anything.
“We merge from women’s college basketball to the WNBA, and we could not be in a better position to continue the momentum that was exemplified throughout this tournament,” said Roberts. “While we can’t make any announcements at this point, we will look out for every possible opportunity to showcase this sport, and you’ll see that on April 15 with the WNBA Draft. … We will be aggressive, opportunistic and committed to innovative and aggressive programming around women’s basketball.”
It is best to wrap with this final batch of staggering stats regarding when you type Caitlin Clark in popular search engines:
About 193,000,000 results on Google
7,000 plus results (mostly in trading cards) on eBay
Over 1,000 results on Amazon
May 15 can’t get here fast enough.
I will be back again whenever big news happens. Take care and please subscribe, leave comments, and tell your friends. It will mean a lot to me going forward. Thanks so much for reading.
There were three items on Tuesday that addressed why the men’s championship game is losing steam and the women’s game has exploded.
With an all-time women’s championship game record of 18.9 million people who watched South Carolina end the storybook finish for the college game’s all-time leading scorer in Caitlin Clark of Iowa, the records grew during each round of the tournament:
Awful Announcing also had an interesting article about if women’s sports are being intended for bigger audiences–sports such as soccer gaining in popularity with young girls and other factors that drive the women’s sports industry:
And the biggest reason of all came from Chris Branch of The Athletic, in the daily weekday morning feature called The Pulse:
In college, the women’s game is simply a better product than the men’s right now. And I’m not talking about the on-court play — y’all can argue about that — but the level to which we can invest in the personalities and stories.
Think of it like any TV show you love. In the women’s game, we’ve spent years — sometimes even four or five — with these superstar players. Game after game, episode after episode, building parasocial relationships with the best players in the sport. On the men’s side, the superstars largely aren’t even here, and when they are, we spend maybe 10 or 15 meaningful games with them. It’s hard to build momentum that way.
Another huge factor: exposure and investment. Women’s players have always stayed longer, but it wasn’t until recently that ratings changed, as our Richard Deitsch pointed out. Platform is important — the women’s title game was on ABC, while the men’s was on TNT/TBS/truTV. Also, NIL is a factor — Caitlin Clark is on our screens 24/7. That helps.
This is not a bad thing for anyone. It’s the reality of the larger landscape in both men’s and women’s basketball. Everyone is making money, and the game is more equitable than ever.
“Maybe that changes next year when top recruits Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach arrive at Duke, but those guys are almost surely one-and-dones, too, right? Or maybe we actually get a challenger for UConn next season and, of course, maybe that’s Duke. And maybe this all changes with Clark gone, though the women still have Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins and Flau’jae Johnson.”
An argument that has been brewing for several years, including the recently retired Tara Vandeveer of Stanford fame in 2022 and Lindsey Gottlieb from USC in 2023 where they have pleading and praying that their conferences will get “units” similar to that of the men.
For the uninitiated, a unit is for a victory by each school during the NCAA Tournament where the money would be divided amongst the other schools in the conference. That money can be used for a period of six years.
Oakland of Michigan gained a unit for beating Kentucky. Loyola of Chicago gained four wins for the Missouri Valley in 2018. And there are plenty of other examples.
With the new ESPN contract taking effect next fall, the hope is that by January 2025, the NCAA Board of Governors will approve at their annual convention something that the men’s tournament has enjoyed for decades and what the women hope to continue their momentum of being more popular in their brands of team basketball with compelling storylines and people remembering each of the player’s name first in addition to the team they play for:
At the end of the day, it all comes down to one question–quite the issue that people in the Eastern and Central time zone have grappled with for decades that came to a head when the women’s title game moving from 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN to 3 p.m. Eastern on ABC in 2022:
ABC refuses to preempt their primetime programming, while CBS embraces having 60 Minutes as their lead-in so it can get some residual ratings leading to the rest of their prime-time lineup.
But Nicole Auerbach from The Athletic in that same article had this creative idea:
If I could wave a magic wand, I'd play the women's championship game at 6pm ET on Sunday. Allows everyone to get home in time for it and wouldn't end crazy late.
But thanks to shifting out of the postgame show to ESPN, many affiliates saw paid programming instead.
And with the typical 7 p.m. ABC Sunday lineup still featuring AFV, we get this response from Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch:
ABC's broadcast off the air at 5:30ish — at least on my affiliate — leading into paid programming. ABC's unwillingness to schedule these games later means the waste of a massive lead-in.
My response–if the NFL can get away with it from the 4:25 p.m. kickoffs in the regular season and 6:30 p.m. in the divisional playoff and conference championship, there should be some sort of compromise.
Compare that to the men’s tournament, and it is still the same gripes that have been going on since the 1980’s:
I understand the complaints about the 9:20 PM ET start for the men's national championship, but I don't understand the surprise. pic.twitter.com/phvwIbiIaV
That image comes from 1986. I could not watch the end of that exciting game, because I had to be up really early to catch my school bus ride to school (and it was a rather lengthy ride that got more boring as the weeks went on, but I won’t go down that rabbit hole.)
Fast forward to cable being a part of the fun these days covering the Final Four in the even years and we still have this same garbage:
Here's your annual reminder that starting the NCAA Men's National Championship game at 9:20 pm ET on a Monday is certifiably insane.
Bottom line, with the game being on a workday is one thing. But starting so late in the East, the West Coast affiliates “have to juggle the fact that a game starting sometime around 8 p.m. ET will not allow viewers on the West Coast much time to travel back from work. Given how much of the West Coast population lives around areas with known difficult commutes”, it gets rather dicey.
So, what would you rather have–plenty of time to do your laundry and take a shower, or settling into watch reruns of primetime shows before the 11 o’clock news? All I can say about that is, look to what NBC has done with Sunday Night Football and Amazon on Thursday nights. There’s your answer, with everything usually ends around 11:20 to 11:30 p.m. Eastern time/8:20 to 8:30 Pacific.
Bottom line, this argument will go on at least until the next contract comes up in 2032.
There were two interesting podcasts that appeared on Tuesday night and Thursday morning talking about the ratings and its’ impact on both the men’s and women’s tournaments going forward.
First up is TJ Rives, sideline reporter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fresh off returning from the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona. He is joined by Tyler Jones of Chat Sports:
Also, Richard Deitsch from The Athletic welcomed a frequent guest in founder and editor of Sports Media Watch Jon Lewis for a lively and interesting conversation:
You can subscribe to both podcasts via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I look forward to your comments on what could be done that would make the tournament at a more decent hour(s) to watch.
The women’s championship outdrew the men in the ratings, with South Carolina finishing unbeaten at 38-0 crushing the storybook ending of Iowa and the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history in Cleveland–with Caitlin Clark losing in the final for the second straight season.
The numbers from ABC/ESPN ended up being a record 18.9 million viewers, up from the initial post on Monday afternoon:
In a true watershed moment for the women’s game, Sunday afternoon’s game peaked at 24.1 million, which is a 90 percent increase from the 2023 title game (9.9 million saw LSU over Iowa in Dallas) and a 289 percent increase from 2022. ESPN said it is the most-watched basketball game on any of their platforms (men’s or women’s, college or pro) since 2019.
On Tuesday, Turner Sports reported that around 14.8 million watched UConn pound Purdue. It was a slight uptick from the Huskies’ 2023 win over San Diego State on CBS, when it registered 14.69 million viewers and was the least-watched men’s title game on record.
Thanks to compelling storylines, players that stick around for 3 or 4 years, and the men having one-and-done’s (thanks in large part to the transfer portal), viewership for the women’s championship increased 90 percent from 2023 and a whopping 289 percent from 2022.
Here is what sports media reporter Richard Deitsch showed via X in giving a comparison on how the men traditionally dominated the women’s game, but their transcendent moment during Iowa’s six game journey and South Carolina’s pursuit to perfection were huge talking points on social media, YouTube, TikTok, and other outlets:
This is from @nielsen — it highlights how historical this women's Tournament was as far as interest.
I know I've said this on this site a thousand times: There's $$$ sitting there for companies, outlets, individuals if they invest (smartly) in women's college basketball. Let's… pic.twitter.com/t4CFP7QYvF
It also hasn’t helped having the men’s Final Four alternate every other year on TBS/TNT/truTV, which has fewer households than CBS.
First, the game was hurt by having a large margin of victory. UConn led by as many as 18 points before winning by 15. People tune out late in games, and for good reason. Iowa was in the game on Sunday until the final minutes with South Carolina running away similar to UConn last night for the men.
Also, this year’s tournament did not have any Zion Williamson-type players who were locks for a top-five NBA Draft selection.
The start time — 9:20 p.m. Eastern Time — didn’t help. Also, the national semifinals did not really provide major viewership momentum. It all adds up.
Awful Announcing had some great arguments for and against the late tip for the East Coast, along with the earlier afternoon start for the women:
Still, remember that the tournament will always have general interest given how many people fill out brackets and gamble on the games. But until the bluebloods and the likes of Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, and maybe down the road with Butler and Oakland recruit 3 and 4 year players–from this vantage point, you do need stars to pop a big rating. And hope to have a game decided in one or two overtime periods between the top 2 overall seeds, instead of what we saw on Monday night with UConn being the overall Number 1 seed and Purdue was third.
The men’s national championship game hasn’t surpassed 20 million viewers since 2017, when North Carolina-Gonzaga drew 22.998 million on CBS. The men’s national championship game viewership record remains at 35.1 million viewers (a 25.1 rating share) when Michigan State beat unbeaten Indiana State in 1979.
As a loyal and very passionate fans, in terms of talent and quality of play–the women play a better brand of basketball and grabbed the nation’s attention with compelling storylines. Look at what JuJu Watkins did for USC, Cameron Brink and her outstanding defense closing out a steller run for Stanford, and Paige Bueckers of UConn–who missed two years due to suffering injuries and was only one bad moving screen call away on Friday night that the Lady Huskies could be back again in April 2025.
But without Caitlin Clark taking her talents to the WNBA, will the record ratings continue in the college game?
Let’s give full credit on how the women’s game generated this tremendous buildup because 2 time Naismith Player of the Year Caitlin Clark was a huge star in college for four years, and has had time to build up a massive fanbase–especially in the last two years. In the men’s game, any decent college player turns pro as soon as they can because the NBA money is so huge. (Zach Edey from Purdue is a rare exception, since giant low-post players with no outside shooting ability are no longer in great demand by NBA teams.)
Yet the Oakland-Kentucky game drew more than every single women’s game in the first two rounds. The 2nd round North Carolina-Michigan State game drew more viewers than any women’s game until Iowa got revenge over LSU in the Elite 8 in Albany, New York. The NC State-Duke Elite 8 game drew more than every women’s game until Sunday’s title game.
Bottom line, the men had the then-Turner folks now Warner Bros Discovery offered more money and as usual, the greedy NCAA folks took the short term cash over the long term implications. They chose this route for short term $$$ – but it’s bad for the long term.
Anyways, huge kudos to the women for thumping the men with a more compelling tournament, having players we all know after 3 to 4 years, and games on where and when we can watch at convenient times.
I guess I can safely say that the women’s record will never be touched–unless if the Spulu streaming service of ESPN combining with WBD and FOX this coming fall will lead to something bigger in the future (since ESPN has already locked up the women’s tournament until 2032, and the final game will be on ABC every year in this deal.)
Bottom line, the women’s game is a much better product and the men are basically circling the wagons.
15 Year Run With Big Blue Nation Ends With Farewell Message
“This program probably needs to hear another voice”
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart five minutes earlier released a statement thanking Calipari for his service:
We're appreciative of John Calipari leading our program for the last 15 years, adding to the legacy of championship success at Kentucky. We're grateful to John for his many contributions to the University, and our state, both on and off the court.
I was a bit surprised he didn’t mention anything along the lines of, “We wish him and his family the best, and they will always be a huge reason why Big Blue Nation will continue to thrive in the pursuit of more Final Fours and national championships,” or something along those lines.
Speaking of which–Coach Cal has been married to his wife Ellen since 1986. They have two daughters–Erin, a neuropharmacologist who played basketball at UMass and Megan who is a French pastry chef, and a son Brad. He played basketball under his father for two seasons before finishing his college career at Detroit Mercy.
I only bring this up, because this was what happened on Monday in some Lexington suburb:
The audacity to walk your dog in a stroller down a busy road when you know damn well you're the most talked about man in the state at the moment is incredible.
Wasn’t he supposed to help his wife pack up their belongings and furniture in those moving vans or U-Haul trucks for the over 700 mile drive? Mapquest estimates that the journey would take 10 hours from Lexington to Fayetteville, Arkansas (if going straight through without stopping, grabbing a bite to eat, or stop for gas/coffee, or any weather delays (which is very common this time of year.) However, he will get one extra hour thanks to the time zone change from Eastern to Central time.
Nicole Auerbach from The Athletic came down pretty hard on Monday afternoon, in comparison to the former vocal and very popular Texas A&M football coach:
WKYT reporter Lee K. Howard eventually did interview him and this was the report that aired this morning on the CBS affiliate in Lexington:
At least, Brian S. as one of the original BBN’s said that, “We will miss the ethereal smell of her home baked cookies & brownies!”
Oooh, try to get on that baking train ladies. Got to impress the coaches when they aren’t yelling at their players or blowing too many whistles on a drill gone horribly wrong.
According to two sources reported by The Athletic, it appears that he will be named as the new head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Here is their reaction to the exciting news on Monday, from the YouTube page of Pig Trail Nation/KNWA TV in Northwest Arkansas:
Once the university makes it official, I will blog about this and who will be taking over at Kentucky.
Here is a podcast from Locked On Kentucky that delves into this seismic shift in the sport, the likes of which has not happened since the late Bobby Knight choked Neil Reed in 2000 before resurfacing a few years later to finish out his college coaching career at Texas Tech.
More to come on this developing story, and it is a huge a little over 17 hours after UConn repeated as national champions winning 75-60 over Purdue:
Best Margin of All Six Tournament Wins at 140 Points, Most Title Wins Without a Loss, And All 12 Wins By Double Figures Extends NCAA Tournament Record
“The best two year run in the NCAA Tournament.”
ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg after UConn ran away with a 75-60 win over Purdue to repeat as national champions in Glendale, Arizona
It was billed as the first true battle of big men since Patrick Ewing of Georgetown met (H)akeem Olajuwon of Houston in 1984. Four decades later had Zach Edey battling Donovan Clingman at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona as the Huskies aimed for a repeat.
On a picture perfect low 70’s day outside, and some six hours after the first solar eclipse to take over a big swath of the United States since August 21, 2017, UConn started out fast.
Cam Spencer scored 7 early points in 3 attempts during the first 4 1/2 minutes. But then, the 2 time Naismith Award winner Zach Edey made two hook shots and a straight-on dunk to tie the game at 11 at the 14:54 mark. Tristen Newton then nailed a 3 pointer in front of the Purdue bench to give UConn a 14-11 lead.
But Zach Edey single handedly kept the Boilers in the game, scoring 11 straight points before UConn took an 18-16 lead at the 11:28 mark. Purdue’s game plan was working to a point. Clingan picked up a personal foul against the deliberate and aggressive style that Edey possesses. Samson Johnson picked up his second foul at the 10:39 mark. That forced UConn head coach Dan Hurley to go to his bench too early.
There were 8 ties, 4 lead changes at the 6:50 mark. By this point, Zach Edey had 14 points and 3 rebounds 6 of 8 shooting. Braden Smith had only 4, Lance Jones 3 but had 2 fouls.
Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer had 7 each to pace UConn, while Hassan Diarra had 7 off the bench but was saddled with 2 fouls.
Then another 9-2 UConn run occurred from the 8:08 to 4:47 mark, while Purdue shockingly had no triples but only one attempt was made.
After a nearly 5 minute scoring drought, Braden Smith of Purdue made a fadeaway 3 with the shot clock running down following a 15 foot jumper. It turned out to be the first and only trey for the Boilers all night, as UConn’s lead was cut to 32-30 with 2:09 left in the first half.
Then the Huskies put down the clamps defensively by going on a 15-7 run to end the first half with the defending champs leading 36-30.
Dan Hurley told Tracy Wolfson, “We need to play faster.” He also said the “fast pace” definitely favored UConn, holding Zach Edey to two points in the final 8 minutes, this after torching the Huskies to the tune of 14 points in the first 12 minutes. Edey still had five rebounds, while Clingan for the Huskies had seven points, two rebounds, and one block.
Even more telling for Purdue was that Edey took 12 of the Boilermakers’ 28 first half attempts, making more shots than the rest of the team combined. On the flip side, while Cam Spencer scored seven of UConn’s first 11 points, the Huskies leaned on their balance and depth. Four different players — Spencer, Clingan, Hassan Diarra and Tristen Newton — had at least three shots before any non-Edey Boilermaker did so.
Shooting wise, Purdue hung around going 13 of 28 for 46.4 percent. UConn in the first half was 15 of 31 for 48.4 percent.
The second half was a coronation.
From the very first possession of the second half, Edey missed a bunny near the rim, and UConn turned it into a Newton 3 on the other end — a critical five point swing that pushed Purdue on the brink. From there, what had been a back and forth battle between KenPom’s No. 1 and 2 teams (only the fourth time that’s happened since 2005) became a lopsided, 20-minute-long march toward history.
UConn’s lead grew to 11 points in less than five minutes. 10 minutes had elapsed and the gap widened to 16. Even though one final Purdue highlight came by a surprise putback dunk from freshman Camden Heide (ironically off of another Edey miss), but it was not enough to catch up. After that, they went another 4:29 without a field goal.
Newton — who finished with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. In his final game that wowed the crowd of 74,423 fans, another sizzling 20-10 run, all punctuated by with exactly six minutes left when he made a perfect pass to a cutting Stephon Castle, who skipped past Zach Edey in the paint and laid in an simple layup.
Here was another play that typified their season, and why Purdue was simply clueless the further the game went:
It was a rainbow like motion, and everything came up with fist bumps, chest bumps, and for the cheerleaders lots of smiles, LOL’s and several TikTok’s and Instagram posts they will remember for the rest of their lives. It was the third largest crowd to witness a championship game (the top two were from 2014 and 2017), which led to more loud cheers on the left side of the court. The Huskies led by 17 points, their largest lead of the night before settling on a 15 point victory to go back-to-back.
UConn claimed its sixth national title with its win 75-60 over Purdue on Monday night. That breaks a tie with Duke and Indiana at five titles, and moves UConn into a tie for third with North Carolina in winning their sixth title in school history. Only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (eight) have more. Even more impressive, UConn’s run was accomplished in a quarter century. From Jim Calhoun upsetting Duke in 1999 to Kevin Ollie in 2014, and now 51 year old Bobby Hurley putting his stamp on one of the greatest runs in tournament history. And they became the first school to win back-to-back titles since Florida in 2006-2007, led by head coach Billy Donovan (now with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA) and a fun group of players led by Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and Corey Brewer. Unlike UConn, the Gators brought all five starters back from their 2006 run and turned it on when March 2007 rolled around.
In the final analysis, these statistics are simply incredible:
48-0 mark when leading at halftime
Average opponents points per game in tournament play: 2023–49.2, 2024–47.7
Highest point differential for all six games in single tournament at 140 points, breaking record of 129 points by Kentucky in 1996.
Dan Hurley becomes the fourth coach to win multiple titles in the first six years on the job.
He told Tracy Wolfson before joining his players as Ernie Johnson of TNT helped present the trophy alongside Charles McClelland, Chairman of the Men’s Basketball Committee:
Dan Hurley: “For the last 25, 30 years, UConn’s been running college basketball.”
Purdue has the most losses without a tournament title with 49.
On Monday night, the Boilers suffered season lows with:
Least points in a game 60, assists 8, 14.3 percentage from 3 and the one triple late in the first half–lowest total since 2011 Butler.
Zach Edey had 61.7 percent of the team’s points.
His 177 points is the 2nd highest leading to the championship game behind Glen Rice of Michigan in 1989.
Edey finished the night with a game high 37 points to go along with 10 rebounds–joining Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) in 1969 and Bill Walton in 1973 both resulting in titles for UCLA. He is the first player ever to have at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a single tournament.
In Purdue’s wins this season, Edey averaged 24.9 points per game. In Purdue’s losses, Edey averaged 25 points. Go figure, considering this was their best year in school history finishing with a record of 34-5.
The Big Ten has the longest drought in terms of conferences losing in the title game, with the streak moving to eight schools since Michigan State last won in 2000 (Michigan appeared twice in 2013 and 2018.)
But in the end, like South Carolina dominating on the women’s side ending the storybook ending for Caitlin Clark and Iowa, the men from Storrs, Connecticut were too good offensively and defensively.
Purdue Head Coach Matt Painter gave full credit to the Huskies in beating the Boilers in most facets of the game:
“We just were wasting so much energy to fight once they got it to double digits. And then we would get stops and we couldn’t get rebounds. That was just really hard for us to overcome at that time.”
For Dan Hurley, he joins very select company as the sixth coach to win back-to-back titles and had this to say to the media:
“It means a lot, because I’m a student of the game…Basketball’s been my life. I got so much respect for the history of this game.”
Unlike last year, when that group had developed veterans (Andre Jackson Jr., Adama Sanogo), a developmental transfer (Newton), an ascendant sophomore (Jordan Hawkins) and splashes of promising youth (Donovan Clingan, Alex Karaban). This Huskies championship featured a mix of veterans who have spent a couple of years in the program, like Clingan and Karaban, plus many key transfers and the lone five-star, likely one-and-done freshman.
Starters (4): Two seniors, two sophomores, one freshman
Transfers (3): Cam Spencer (Rutgers, by way of Loyola Maryland), Hassan Diarra (Texas A&M) and Tristen Newton (East Carolina)
Recruits (ranks from 247 Sports): Stephon Castle (No. 10), Solomon Ball (No. 45), Donovan Clingan (No. 56), Samson Johnson (No. 57), Jaylin Stewart (No. 66), and Alex Karaban (No. 95)
Stat wise: Braden Smith was the only other Purdue player to finish in double figures–as he made up from a poor outing on Saturday with 12 points and eight assists in 38 minutes. Lance Jones had 5 in his final college game and Trey Kaufman-Renn had 4.
They shot 24 of 54 for 44.4 percent.
UConn was led by Newton with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and seven assists. Stephon Castle had another great game with 15 points, while Donovan Clingan and Cam Spencer had 11 points apiece.
For the game, the Huskies shot 30 of 62 for 48.4 percent and were 6 of 22 from downtown. They actually outrebounded Purdue 35-28, as all 5 starters each had at least five rebounds with Spencer leading the way grabbing eight boards.
Finally, turnovers weren’t really much of a story as Purdue only made nine mistakes and UConn coughed up the ball 8 times.
That puts a bow on a rather interesting 2023-2024 season, but as the overall number 1 and 3 seeds waged a battle early on, it was an easy sixth round TKO if you are scoring in boxing terms.
And so, we arrive with my final small note of thanks to everyone reading (even though nobody left a comment, but you will have the nearly seven month long off-season to make up the difference.)
My Offseason Plans
For this blog, there are head coaching position openings at Indiana State and shockingly Kentucky. It will be interesting to see what each of their athletic departments and presidents will decide on going forward.
On Tuesday, we will know the ratings for the men’s title game. Monday afternoon had the women again setting another all-time record. I will compare both games and see how transcendent the women’s game has become, all largely due to the all-time leading scorer and assist leader in the women’s game in Caitlin Clark and the really fun storylines that the nation got caught up as the women made an inflection point similar to what the men’s tournament did in 1979.
There is also the first of several student-athletes already complaining about the constant coast-to-coast travel starting next fall, all thanks to conference realignment.
Yes, if you are still wondering–the California themed blog that I have been planning since October is nearly complete. My hope is that with a lot of planning and savvy shopping online, those affected people (minus the time zone changes in losing 2 or 3 hours and any unplanned airplane delays due to weather, mechanical issues, etc.) can get the chance to feel and experience what over 76 percent of America does every day and night in the chilly winter months. When you break it down on both coasts, the Eastern time zone has 47% of the country’s population, while the Pacific time zone has just under 17%.
We work hard, we thrive, we survive, and yes, we have lots of fun as well. I am sure games like UCLA vs. Purdue, Washington vs. Michigan, Oregon vs. Penn State, Indiana vs. USC will attract lots of eyeballs–these are just examples off the top of my head.
And of course, the usual recruiting news and any rule changes–plus the continued talk of NCAA Tournament expansion will be touched on when any confirmed news comes across my monitor.
As I have said many times, it is not a question of when anymore, but how many teams will be added? The latest we heard in March was either 72 or 76 teams, up from the current 68.
Of course, CBS and WBD have a major say in if and when those extra games will affect scheduling, let alone extra travel time and hotel space in the one or two other pods along with Dayton, Ohio before the real first round begins.
If for any reason they have to move Selection Sunday, they might have to if they want to squeeze in 8 or 12 early games to fit the rounds of 64 and 32 sandwiched in the first week.
That and some other interesting topics I will hope to sprinkle here and there when I get some time and energy.
Outside of that, I plan to catch up on watching a bunch of primetime game shows that I have missed since last fall and I am eager to listen to a ton of indie pop and rock music. There have been over a dozen albums that have been released since March 29, and there will be more to come as the spring and summer roll on.
Plus, I will continue to listen to some cool podcasts and watch a few weekly sports media related podcasts on YouTube.
So, there’s lots to come–the plate is nearly full. But I am so glad to finally get a chance to rest after most of the typing late at night once the games went final.
Also, you can still find some occasional updates in my Brazilian jazz blog, if you are so inclined to check it out. Soon, we will know who the Philadelphia Eagles will be playing in Sao Paolo, Brazil on September 6 that will be carried on the (stupid) streaming service (with the most awful looking pictures) on Peacock.
Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy my final podcast of the 2023-2024 season. I plan to learn a lot of new tricks from Spotify for Podcasters, and my hope and goal when the new season previews are released in online and print form sometime in October that the tools I am trying to learn will resonate with people not just in the United States, but around the world as evidence by the last several years I have been doing my podcast–of which I take great pride in. All I need is to continue having a great voice in covering the sport that I have enjoyed following since I was six.
Take care everybody, and if I don’t see you again for a while–please have a happy and safe spring and summer. Please remember to put on your sunscreen every 2 hours to avoid getting any major burns. Most of all, have fun because that’s what makes life worth living. And I have a special note in closing for those who are suffering mental health problems:
Remember, you are not alone. Talk it out. Tell people closest to you what you are really feeling. As frustrating as life can be, realize that somewhere, someone will hopefully cross paths and help you in any possible way. For the first time in nearly three decades, I have found some help in the hopes that I can do some good in the world.
And by the time the next solar eclipse arrives in 2044, I hope and pray that I will be still living on this Earth to witness it–even though I spent it indoors typing and clicking my way through various sites to read all things indie rock.
Let us again let’s congratulate the UConn Huskies on winning back-to-back titles. I hope that they will not have any travel difficulties in returning back to Storrs after their major travel issues last week.
And to all fans of Purdue, please don’t let this loss ruin the memory of the greatest season in school history. Even though a once in a generation talent in Zach Edey is gone, he will never be forgotten and Matt Painter is bringing a pair of dudes who are 7’2″ and 7’3″. Something to look forward to by 2026-2027.
I will hope to see you again with some occasional blogs over the next six plus months. Take care, and I will see you again in a few days, unless there is other major news on the coaching front.
Similar to years past, the general format is a brief homage to the early years of CBS’ first live pregame show THE NFL TODAY starting in 1975. The board would enter into the lexicon the following year.
An “X” will be indicated (sorry, I don’t think there any check-mark symbols on WordPress) as I indicate who has the advantage, and give you the 411 and a couple of key statistics worth knowing.
PURDUE UCONN
Offense X
In another small nod to what Brent Musburger and the late Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder did so well from 1976 until 1987 was offer subtle nods to trends, injuries, and anything else newsworthy back in the day where most people had to wait until the next morning to either fetch their newspaper(s) from their front doorstep.
It will be the Big Maple against Kling Kong. Myrof Metcalf of ESPN.com mentioned on this morning’s “ESPN Daily” podcast compared this battle of the centers to the old-time Godzilla vs. King Kong movies of the 1930’s. Movie buffs remember that King Kong was so versatile and pound buildings and injure people in so many different ways. Godzilla, on the other hand, just wanted to bulldog people with nothing getting in his way.
Enter a marquee big man matchup. The 7-foot-4 Edey weighing 300 pounds is averaging 28 points and 15.4 rebounds this NCAA Tournament. The 7-foot-2 Clingan weighing 280 pounds is averaging 16.2 points, nine rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game in five tournament games.
Edey has rarely come out of games, while Clingan is doing his damage averaging only 23 minutes. Neither man has played with comparable size, as they dwarf the rest of the competition height-wise. Edey likes using the left hook and the ability to beat his man to the basket. The problem is, Clingan is a monster who swats ball right and left. If Edey jumps, Clingan will send the ball towards either the protographers or the cheerleaders (be on the lookout ladies.) Clingan doesn’t have to do much, except jam the ball.
In other words, as Metcalf described, “Clingan doesn’t have to do too much” because he has other talent around him.
Unlike what Duke had in 1992, where they brought back four of their starters, and Florida in 2007 where they brought back all five of their starters–UConn suffered a lot of turnover.
The 2023 champions featured Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo, Andre Jackson Jr. and Jordan Hawkins. All three guys left for the NBA. Head coach Dan Hurley replaced those three with Tristen Newton and Alex Karaban, and the budding stud Clingan. Newton earned All-American honors, and along with five-star recruit who had a career high 21 points in a win over Alabama in Stephon Castle, you have a very potent offense where they can beat you in many different ways.
As Brendan Quinn of The Athletic mentioned on Sunday:
“And Connecticut for some reason operates only with audacity. So now once again it’s almost the first Monday in April and the Huskies are not only here again, but are somehow better.”
While UConn deploys several ways to beat you, Purdue has only two. Get the ball to Edey and try to draw fouls. If he ends up getting double or even triple teamed, he has to find a way to kick it out to open shooters from sophomores Brendan Smith (who struggled on Saturday), the reliable Fletcher Loyer, and the big time plays of super senior Lance Jones who can light up the scoreboard in bursts, and Mason Gillis.
In other words, Purdue would have to play a nearly perfect game to beat the reigning champs. At least, they have some history on their side, which I will explain in a bit.
Defense X
UConn can fly and set their defense, almost similar to what UNLV did in 1990 and 1991. They hunt down the ball like hawks in the field. When they find their prey, it turns to instant offense in transition and they make their 6, 8, 12, or what we saw in the Elite Eight where they simply destroyed a top 3 offense of Illinois with a 30-0 run.
X Rebounding X
It is very close, but a few of the key stats favor Purdue–but not by much.
X Coaching X
You have the egotistical, maniac who loves to cuss in Dan Hurley against the calm, methodical, and professor like mind in Matt Painter, where the players get on each other a lot in the huddle if they are struggling. No question about it, Matt Painter is going to have his team hang around in the first half and minimize any potential storm the defending champions have in mind in the first five minutes in the second half.
Like the coach that was the last to repeat, Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan knows exactly what Dan Hurley is thinking. In comments to Kyle Tucker of The Athletic on April 4, he explained his thought process and how it was so beneficial having his entire starting five anchored by the flamboyant center Joakim Noah. He became a top 10 NBA draft pick, along with Al Horford and Corey Brewer.
Dan Hurley said, “The bigness of what you’re trying to do, is intoxicating.I crashed emotionally…It didn’t feel as great as I thought. The pursuit felt better than the accomplishment. The pursuit is what’s addictive. Being part of a group that’s pursuing is addictive. I just didn’t like the s— as much as I thought I would, the victory lap. What you discover is you love the f—ing work more than you love staring at a banner or cutting down a net. When that stuff ends, you’re saying, ‘Where’s the mission?’”
Billy Donovan mentioned: “It’s really, really, really hard to do.”
“I told him I’d gone through the same. I don’t want to say depression — that’s the wrong word — but there is this melancholy of, like, ‘What is my purpose? I wanted to get to this point, I got there, and now what?’
“I always go back to a ’60 Minutes’ interview with Tom Brady, after he won his third Super Bowl, when he was like, ‘Is this all there is?’ It’s really hard to find somebody that you can talk to, that’s been through it, that can understand what it’s like after. Because when the confetti stops falling and the parade is over, you’re left sitting there going, ‘What am I supposed to do next?’”
“You learn a lot about yourself in the chase. You learn why you’re really doing this. What I learned was when you’re part of something greater than yourself — or even if you’re just trying to achieve something great — you can’t do it by yourself. When you understand the level of commitment and sacrifice that goes into that, if you apply that to your marriage, to your kids, to your relationships, you make the people around you better, and you make yourself better.”
For Uconn, they are looking to join this exclusive group as winning back-to-back championships:
Oklahoma A&M (current day Oklahoma State) 1945-1946
Kentucky 1948-1949
San Francisco 1955-1956
Cincinnati 1961-1962
UCLA 1964-1965 and 1967-1973
Duke 1991-1992
Florida 2006-2007
“Everybody says to me all the time, ‘Man, how’d you get those guys to come back? They were all lottery picks.’ You know why they came back? They came back because they didn’t want to leave (fellow starter) Taurean Green behind, because he wasn’t going to get drafted after that first championship. They came back because they wanted to help him in his career. That’s why we won. That’s it right there. Those guys had a level of sacrifice for one another that three of them would bypass millions and millions of dollars for a teammate.”
In the early days of social media and amateurism holding a firm grip, CBS Sports presented a truly likeable group of players winning and having fun while doing it. They became the first school to beat the same school in the same academic year after the Gators beat the Ted Ginn led Buckeyes for the football title at the old Georgia Dome in Atlanta 84-75.. The Gators beat another all-American in Greg Oden who had a double double of 25 points and 12 rebounds Guards Lee Humphrey and Taurean Green anchored the flow of the outside, and the inside was anchored by Al Horford who finished with 18 points and the most Most Outstanding Player Corey Brewer. Billy Donovan became the third youngest coach (at age 41) to win two titles. Only Bob Knight (at Indiana) and Phil Woolpert of San Francisco won two titles at the age of 40.
Intangibles X
Although my heart is pulling for Purdue to break a nearly quarter century streak of not having the Big Ten see the confetti come down after the final buzzer sounds since Tom Izzo and Michigan State beat an upstart Florida squad in 2000, UConn is so good and so sound that they are going to very difficult to stop. UConn has size and depth and multiple paths to win. Purdue has very little depth and Edey is the only guy with a size advantage.
For Purdue to have a shot, they have to hit their 3’s, keep the ball out of the hands of Clingan, Newton, and especially Castle. And they cannot have a lot turnovers like this did against North Carolina State. Otherwise, UNLV’s record margin of victory could be broken (which is 30 when they pounded Duke 103-73 in 1990.)
Look for history tonight with the tip at 9:20 p.m. Eastern time, as Ian Eagle describes the action in his first of what I hope will be 32 Final Fours to come. Catch the action on TBS, TNT, TruTV, the March Madness Live app and on desktop, or the Varsity Network/Sirius XM App on College Sports Radio.
I will have a recap and a podcast after the game and the annual montage of that sappy, corny 1987 classic song, “One Shining Moment.”
And remember to have those special glasses, as the solar eclipse is about to take place. Make sure your vision is still intact as the afternoon rolls on in the direct path of the solar eclipse from Texas up to Maine.
Leaves After 15 Years in Lexington and 5 Years Remaining On His Contract
So much for that ambassadorship for the 65 year old Hall of Fame coach.
Instead, it is to an SEC rival school that is making a huge splash, the likes of which hasn’t happened in Fayetteville since Nolan Richardson led the Hogs to the 1994 national championship.
According to Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN.com late on Sunday night, Razorbacks officials focused their head coaching search on Calipari in recent days and intensified their pursuit over the weekend, according to sources. No deal is complete, but negotiations were moving fast.
Calipari, who led the Wildcats to seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours and the 2012 national title, is contracted with UK through the 2028-29 season — but he does not owe the school a buyout for leaving early.
The school would have owed $33 million to Calipari if he’d been fired after the first round loss to Oakland (Michigan.) That became a hot topic in Big Blue Nation after a second first round NCAA Tournament exit in three years. The Cats haven’t reached the Sweet 16 round since 2019, haven’t won an SEC regular season title since 2020 and haven’t made a Final Four since 2015.
Recall that he and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart came out publicly together just days after the loss and said they were working together to get the program back on track. This sudden mutual interest between Calipari and a new coach in the same Southeastern Conference suggests Calipari, a 65-year-old Hall of Famer, ultimately believes a fresh start might be better for UK.
Calipari has the Number 2 ranked recruiting class, which includes three McDonald’s All-Americans. When he left Memphis to Kentucky in 2009 — he took his loaded recruiting class, which included John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, with him. A record 35 NBA first round draft picks is also proof why he will forever be a Kentucky legend, as far I am concerned.
So Who Will Be Taking Over in Lexington?
The Kentucky brand is strong, has been strong, and will continue to be strong. The expectations and scrutiny, of course, are not for the faint of heart. But the upside might be too much for many to resist.
John Calipari was one of two highest paid coaches in the nation.
But one sign of him going way over the edge was in 2022, during a four game exhibition in the Bahamas. A very public spat between Calipari and athletic director Mitch Barnhart regarding the need for a new practice facility provided great theater during that summer. Does Kentucky actually need one? Might be in the eye of the beholder. The Craft Center opened in 2007, and in many circles it is considered inadequate unlike other SEC schools who have spent millions of dollars to upgrade their facilities.
NIL wise, Kentucky notably lost mastermind TJ Beisner to North Carolina last offseason, and he was a major reason why their financial situation improved in Chapel Hill. On March 14, Kentucky launched an NIL initiative with a goal of $1 million. Less than a month later it has roughly $50,000 in the till. Basically, they have a long way to go in the NIL arms race.
Here is a list of coaches that I am pretty certain that Mitch Barnhart will at least call for possible interviews. But as the unforgiving fishbowl that is Kentucky basketball, their fan base and especially their boosters are restless. In their minds, anything but a championship is mostly considered a failure.
Bottom line, they are going to swing for the fences.
The first choice is a very obvious one, but he is still in the NBA.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls head coach. The dream candidate for Kentucky fans ever since … oh, about 2007. Donovan was a Kentucky assistant under Rick Pitino and doesn’t have the baggage. The big question of course, would he leave the NBA for the pressure cooker that is Lexington? Does he have any interest or desire in returning to college? It seems unlikely, but Barnhart has to at least make the call and make him say no.
Scott Drew, Baylor head coach. Drew and UK AD Barnhart have been friendly since the 2021 NCAA Tournament bubble in Indianapolis. Barnhart that years was the selection committee chairman and Baylor won their first title as COVID-19 held a firm grip on our world. Multiple people familiar with Barnhart’s thinking have said Drew would be his top choice whenever the job opened. The Baylor coach orchestrated arguably the greatest rebuild in college basketball history. Baylor was going on probation when he got the job. Drew had the Bears in the NCAA Tournament in his fifth season. He has won two Big 12 regular season titles and been to five consecutive tournaments. Like Coach Cal, he is one of the sport’s top recruiters. Baylor has had a lottery pick the last two years and has another projected lottery pick this year. Baylor has just gone through this with Drew, who was also the top choice at Louisville. Baylor and Drew agreed recently to terms on a new contract, according to a source. Will they try to lure him away from Waco, Texas? But Baylor just redid Drew’s contract — not to mention the program’s sparkling new arena, Foster Pavilion, which opened in January. I don’t know, but we shall see what we shall see.
Sean Miller, Xavier head coach. A very intriguing choice if you asked me. This past season was a difficult one, having to navigate a lot of injuries in finishing 16-18. Although he’s never made a Final Four, he has won 71.6 percent of his games and can stee every resource inside their program in the right direction. And he’d probably say yes very quickly, with an eye on levels of success that he never quite attained at Arizona.
Nate Oats, Alabama head coach. This might make the most sense, but an $18 million buyout would require lots of give-and-take. In five years at Alabama, the 49 year old is 62-28 winning two SEC league titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. He’s reached two Sweet 16 trips and made the Final Four, a first in program history. Not only does Oats win, but his style of play would have Cats fans drooling. Fast pace, high pressure, 3-point shots aplenty. Oats had already proven he can recruit at a level that is required in Lexington and produces dozens of pro players. In theory, what he’s already done at Alabama is what’s expected at Kentucky.
Rick Pitino, St. John’s head coach. This would be, unequivocally, the most incredible result, even though it’s highly unlikely. Pitino won more than 80 percent of his games in a legendary Kentucky tenure, including winning the 1996 national title, and is still perhaps the most loved and hated man in the state. Pitino is 71 years old, but it’s very difficult to see him return. However, Pitino is still coaching and this job is open and how amazing would this reunion be? Pitino pumped life back into dormant St. John’s this past year and is a major force in fundraising for both the program and in name, image and likeness funding. He hasn’t exactly slowed down, despite his age, and all the times his career made so many pitfalls, but is never out. Will it lead to Retro Flashback city?
Mark Pope, BYU head coach. Pope was part of Rick Pitino’s 1995-1996 national championship team, and has long been rumored as a potential successor strictly because he known Lexington inside and out. Of course, stepping into a job of this magnitude requires more than just a feel-good story — and on that front, Pope impressed those in the Big 12 this season. BYU won 23 wins and secured an NCAA Tournament berth. Pope runs an electric offense — the Cougars finished this season according to KenPom ranked 14th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. He also made one other NCAA Tournament appearances in five seasons, and likely would’ve had a third had the 2020 NCAA Tournament not been canceled due to COVID-19. Keep in mind that his buyout is unknown because of BYU being a private school. Also of note, he has never won a NCAA Tournament game. Will taking a leap to go two time zones east be worth an interview?
Once more news comes out, you will read about it and I plan to break it down in the simplest of terms.
Thank you again for reading this huge breaking news.
Enjoy the solar eclipse on Monday afternoon, and wear those special glasses while you’re at it.
Gritty Effort Earns Purdue First Title Game Appearance Since 1969
The theme of the first national semifinal at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday was the battle of the big men–Zach Edey “The Big Maple” from Purdue against the sweet and smooth ballerina like effort of NC State center DJ Burns.
Trey Kaufmann-Renn got the star and he made immediate dividends, scoring the first 2 points for the Boilermakers. After Purdue missed 5 of their first six shots, it was the 2 time National Player of the Year Zach Edey asserting himself early and often.
Every time he was matched up with Burns, and most of time theh 7’4″ frame was just too much for Burns to handle. Edey gives up 7 inches. Try making up that height. He had 10 points and four rebounds in the first 11 minutes.
Fletcher Loyer and Lance Jones connected from downtown at the 18:02 and 15:48 mark for a 12-4 Purdue lead.
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts called time out, and that would be the last stoppage until about nine minutes had elapsed. Edey grabbed the ball with 1 second left on the shot clock, and Burns was whistled for his second foul with .4 (four tenths of a second0 left. But after Burns’ first foul, which happened less than a minute into the game — came when he was running back in transition and bumped a body. The second foul came when Edey got the better of him on one of his patented hook shots.
NC State hadn’t scored in almost three minutes, and missed their last four shots at that point.
If it wasn’t for DJ Horne’s 7 points and DJ Burns with some fancy footwork like this move at the 14:12 mark:
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2024
…otherwise, this game would have turned into garbage time.
As it was, the Boilers extended their lead to 26-16 and the next two stoppages led to successive media time outs. An extended break to drink some Powerade. Besides, WBD had to get those commercials in, you know?
Purdue kept a double digit lead until the last 39 seconds, but DJ Horne brought the Wolfpack to within three points in the final minute.
Ian Eagle had the call for TBS, describing his first ever play-by-play assignment at the Final Four:
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2024
The Boilers led 35-29 at the break.
Both teams nearly shot the same–13 of 29 for NC State, 13 of 30 for Purdue. 3 point shooting saw Purdue hit 5 of 12, while the Wolfpack was 3 of 10. Purdue made all four of their free throw attempts, while NC State never made it to the charity stripe once.
Zach Edey led the way for the top seed Boilermakers with 14 points and 8 rebounds on 6 of 9 shooting and 2 free throws. Trey Kaufman-Renee, Lance Jones, and Fletcher Loyer had six points apiece. The big concern was that Loyer committed 5 of the team’s 8 turnovers, and Coach Painter mentioned to Tracy Wolfson that they were hoping to clean that up “and help establish Edey off the block.”
For NC State, it was DJ Horne spinning some sweet music from deep with 13 points on 6 of 11 shooting from the floor (was probably thinking Chaka Khan or Anita Baker at that point in my mind, but I digress.)
As for DJ Burns, he had four points on 2 of 5 shooting, but also dished out four assists.
Another unlikely contributor for the Wolfpack was freshman guard Breon Pass, who averages 1.2 points per game in 5.2 minutes per game. He managed to get four points in the first half, including a floater over Zach Edey that snapped a long scoreless stretch for the Wolfpack. Pass is one of the few North Carolina natives on the roster, came into the semifinal having played one minute in the entire NCAA Tournament.
And according to Kyle Tucker, Kentucky staff writer for The Athletic, Cinderella decided to stick around in the dry Arizona sun:
Early reports that NC State's team bus turned back into a pumpkin outside the stadium were premature.
The second half started out with NC State falling further behind: In the first 92 seconds, Ben Middlebrooks and Casey Morsell picked up their second personal fouls. A bit later, DJ Burns picked up his third.
The defense picked up at times, frustrating Edey as he did not take a shot in the first five minutes. The NC State guards did a great job helping, swiping at the ball and making it hard to get the ball to his sweet spot in the paint.
The Wolfpack started the second half going 1 for 10, and Purdue managed to finally make some shots from deep:
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2024
Wolfpack were playing awesome defense, but the problem was, the ball didn’t go down on many occasions. NC State scored only have four points in the first 7:20 of the second half. Even worse–three heroes in this nine game winning streak of Morsell, Middlebrooks, and Diarra did not score a single point.
Once again, Edey showed why he was named the repeat winner as college basketball’s Player of the Year:
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2024
At least, Braden Smith scored his first bucket of the night, but needed 37 minutes to dent the scoreboard. The Wolfpack offense finally became unglued, and the Boilermakers went on a 12-1 run to put the game on cruise control:
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 6, 2024
Even with Purdue committing a tournament high 16 turnovers, NC State turned Purdue’s giveaways into 10 points, shooting a dismal 28.6 percent in the second half. It may have been a ugly win on the surface, but they managed to win by double digits and fulfill a mission that took over a year to become reality:
Another historical feat about Edey’s performance that he is the first player to have 20 or more points, 10 or more rebounds and at least four assists in seven consecutive tournament games since “The Admiral”, David Robinson for Navy in 1986 and 1987.
Fifth year senior Lance Jones had 14, as the Boilermakers made 10 of 25 3-pointers. He made a team best four triples. Fletcher Loyer had 11 as Purdue shot an identical 40 percent from both the floor and behind the 3-point line. But Braden Smith did not have a great game overall. If that is a duplicate effort tomorrow night, UConn will flat out drown the Boilers with this sorry set of statistics:
Five turnovers, 1 of 9 shooting and increasing passivity on the offensive end by Smith is a very good way to ensure Connecticut repeats. This is not the most scorching of hot takes. The pressure has been turned up several notches, similar to when you want to boil a pot of water to make pasta, but you started out with a simmer. Smith is now shooting 39.2 percent since March began, and five of his 12 single digit scoring outings have come in the postseason.
Brian Hamilton of The Athletic spoke with Smith after the game in the locker room and he was quite dejected:
“After giving a foul with 1.9 seconds left in the first half, just to disrupt NC State’s push for a final shot, he headed to the bench. He dropped to his seat like he’d swallowed a cinder block. He put his head in his hands. He rubbed his temples. He did not look well.”
“Smith didn’t commit another turnover after the break. He also recorded one of his six assists and didn’t hit a shot until a 3-pointer fell with three and a half minutes left, bumping the lead to 18…Having already retreated to the defensive end, he turned to face the crowd. He pursed his lips. He stared at no one in particular. And he gave himself a few tired, overly long claps before Gillis arrived to drag him back to the huddle. “I’m a very self-critical person,” Smith said. “I hold myself to the highest expectation possible. It’s just like, yeah, we’re in the national championship — I’m just a little frustrated at myself.”
Bottom line, and I have seen this team a lot this season (minus the games on Peacock), Smith has to step up his game in order for the Boilers to at least keep the game close. As we all saw in the final 10 minutes of the second semifinal, there are going to be more questions than answers–that’s for sure.
Bottom line, Purdue moves on with a record of 33-4, and North Carolina State bows out going 24-15 and going an entire month plus shocking the world where head coach Kevin Keatts was about to be fired had it not been for Michael O’Connell’s 3 pointer in the closing seconds of regulation, instead of Virginia wanting to foul in the second round ACC Tournament game.
But here they were, as their nine game elimination win streak came to an end.
Senior DJ Burns reflected on this improbable run: “Didn’t go the way we wanted to go out, but, man, this has been an experience like no other. It’s something that I wanted my whole life.”
Senior guard DJ Horne led the Wolfpack with 20 points and said to the media after the game. “(We) Didn’t get the big one. But it’s definitely a big accomplishment in my career.”
He had to work really just as hard as Edey to earn his 20 points, but it came on 8 of 21 shooting from the floor and 2 of 8 from downtown in 39 minutes. The only other double figure scorer was Jayden Taylor with 11 points off the bench. DJ Burns, in his final college game ended up with only 8 points and four assists. The Pack shot 21 of 57 for 36.8 percent, 5 of 19 from downtown, and only reached the charity stripe four times and made three free throws.
For the game, NC State drew 13 team fouls and Purdue had only eight.
Two final stats worth noting from this game:
No seed 9 or lower since seeding began in 1979 has reached the title game (0-11, with the 11 seeds losing seven straight times dating back to LSU in 1986.)
Also, Number 1 seeds that lose to Number 16 seeds are 2 for 2 in making making the next year’s national championship game. Purdue joins Virginia from 2018-2019.
It Took A While, But UConn Blew The Doors Off In The Final 10 Minutes To End The Crimson Tide’s Dream Season
While North Carolina State needed lots of miracles, Alabama was riding a tide of momentum…one that was colored with crimson.
In the second semifinal, head coach Nate Oats started Nick Pringle in a questionable move by some–since he suffered a leg injury during the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds last week.
But the Tide’s calling card all season long has been their ability to knock down 3’s at will. Following 16 shots going down in the West Regional final win over Clemson, Alabama kept it rolling against UConn, making 8 of 11 in the first half while senior Mark Sears repeatedly got to the rim, putting the Huskies seemingly right where they wanted them.
But UConn did not make that lightning fast outburst, unlike during their first four tournament games in terrorizing opponents to the tune of a 27.8 point average margin of victory (which ranks among the top 5 in tournament history.)
The strategy worked during a great chunk of the first half when Cling Kong, center Donovan Clingan was forced to pulling away from the basket and Alabama took advantage as they stayed within arm’s reach trailing 44-40 at halftime.
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 7, 2024
Yes, even Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, and Grant Hill could barely contain their excitement over this poster job.
A few minutes later, it was back-and-forth as if this was the 10th round in a heavyweight championship fight.
With 12:44 left in the second half, Grant Nelson hit a soft jump hook to tie the game at 56-56.
Alabama comes back. Connecticut stretches the lead back out to six. Alabama goes on a 9-1 run. UConn answers by scoring 8 straight points. The latest push stretched the Huskies’ lead to 64-56 with 10:27 left, but with the firepower that Alabama had in their aresnal, they could wipe that lead in about 90 seconds.
But there was Stephon Castle, lethal but calm as a cucumber. Every time Alabama needed a stop, Castle was there to build a virtual wall that was more than enough to keep a comfortable distance as the clock wound down.
Back came Mark Sears, with a tough basket and the foul to cut the lead to six. He took a lot of body blows, but somehow staggered back to the bench at the under-8 media time out.
Considering that at the 7:34 mark of the second half looking like he could barely walk, he was gassed. Total exhaustion. The Tide’s top guard played all 32 minutes at this point, and helped keep Alabama standing after an 8 count with all these UConn punches– knowing fully well they really had them knocked out. The last bucket — a falling, crashing, scooping layup against contact, with the free throw — gave him 19 points on 8 for 11 shooting, to go with three assists and only one turnover.
From that point on, it was all Huskies.
Stephon Castle hit two foul shots and scored off penetration. Samson Johnson rolled to the basket and dunked. Alex Karaban put back a missed shot. Eight straight points, as UConn had its largest lead at 64-56. Alabama coach Nate Oats called time out, but it didn’t matter.
UConn played with poise in the final minutes, limiting the 3-point barrage that had hurt the Huskies in the first half. Steady from the opening tip, Castle led UConn with 21 points.
UConn (36-3) shot 53 percent in the second half, as they will try to go back-to-back on Monday night winning 86-72 in their closest margin of victory in this tournament.
Head coach Dan Hurley mentioned again his philosophy on jamming their opposition in the throat and never letting go:
“Our identity is to be pretty relentless. We might not break you for 18 minutes, 25 minutes, but at some point if what we’re doing at both ends and on the backboard is at a high level, it just becomes hard for the other team to sustain it.”
All five Huskies starters finished in double figures– Clingan had 18 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots. Karaban and Cam Spencer had matching 14 points and eight rebounds. Newton had 12 points and nine assists, and Tristen Newton also had 12.
UConn has now won 11 straight NCAA Tournament games by a combined score of 883-641.
Average margin of victory: 22
Average margin in 2024: 24.4
Closest win: by 13 (twice)
Their combined point total is one point behind Duke from 1999, and the Blue Devils led by Elton Brand ended up losing to…you guessed it, UConn.
Alabama, competing in their first Final Four in program history, finished 25-12. Senior Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide with 24 points in his final college game. After making 8 of 11 from 3 point range in the first half, they only made 3 of 12 in the second.
Fifth year senior Grant Nelson had another big game finishing with 19 points and 15 rebounds. Aaron Estrada, also playing in his final college game was the only other double figure scorer with 13 points.
Both teams shot the ball well, with UConn finishing at exactly 50 percent (31 of 62) and were 10 of 25 from downtown. Alabama finished 26 of 58 for 44.8 percent.
Heavyweight Clash on Monday Night
If this game was on CBS, it would be getting higher ratings. But as it is, TBS (along with TNT and truTV) will air the championship game with pregame coverage starting at 8 p.m. Eastern and the opening tip slated for 9:20 p.m., as the NBA takes the day off.
The title contest will feature a battle of big men, 7-foot-4 Zach Edey of Purdue and 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan. It also will showcase two coaches who kept their teams in the top five of the AP poll for the entire season. UConn spent seven weeks at Number 1, Purdue was on top for five weeks.
The Huskies are favored by 6.5 points, according to BetMGM.
At the very least, let’s give a major shout out to Tracy Wolfson and a huge thank you to Werner Ladders for providing her a half ladder necessary for her to conduct the post-game interview with Cling Kong and Coach Hurley doing a comment just like Caitlin Clark has done all tournament long for Iowa, as they hope to win their first women’s national title against undefeated South Carolina later this afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern time on ABC.
You have to give credit also to Ian Eagle giving Amazon a free plug–like they really need one.
See you for my brief breakdown during the solar eclipse.
Yes, I will be fixating my eyes mostly on my monitor and occasionally looking at the bookshelf behind my back instead of risking my vision outside. If it worked for me in 2017–I will do it again, this time while playing some cool indie rock music to help make those two plus hours go by smoothly before resuming the rest of my day under sunny spring skies.
See you on Sunday night with my brief recap of the women’s title game and hopefully, someone on X will have the tribute to the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history as Caitlin Clark plays in her final ever game for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
And it will be monumental to see another TV ratings record fall on Sunday in this transcendent year for women’s college basketball. Hope to see you then. Take care, everybody.
Purdue All-American Center Joins Very Select Company
The 7’4″ center out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada repeated as the Associated Press National Player of the Year on Friday. He became the first back-to-back winner since Ralph Sampson won three in a row at Virginia from 1981 to 1983, back when the center was the most coveted position in the sport and there was no 3-point line or shot clock.
Edey received 57 of 62 votes from journalists who vote in the weekly AP Top 25 polls. Dalton Knecht from Tennessee had three votes and Jamal Shead (pronounced Shed) of Houston had two votes.
In an article by the AP, it showed out how Edey’s “I told you so” nature in being so cool and calm has translated him from being ranked 436th coming out of high school to what many are saying might translate to a decent career in the NBA:
“Edey is the fifth player to win the award in consecutive seasons, though Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul Jabbar) also won the award twice in nonconsecutive seasons.
“I get to pay [coach Matt Painter] back. There were so many coaches that looked over me, like you could — name a program — I could name a coach that looked over me,” Edey said. “Tennessee, Rick Barnes is a great coach, but he was at our practice, looked over me. It’s kind of been the story of my life. People have doubted me. People looked past me. Can’t do that anymore.”
A dedicated work ethic and a fiery, steely-eyed determination has turned the 7-foot-4, 300-pound Edey from intriguing project into college basketball’s biggest star.
The truth is Painter, who routinely builds his team around big men, almost missed, too. His first two choices in that recruiting class were Hunter Dickinson, who chose Michigan, and Ryan Kalkbrenner, who wound up at Creighton. Dickinson became an All-American with the Wolverines and again at Kansas, while Kalkbrenner was a two-time All-Big East selection.
Edey outplayed them all, becoming the first national scoring leader to take his team to the Final Four since Oscar Robertson in 1960.
He heads into Saturday’s matchup against NC State averaging 25.0 points and 12.2 rebounds, his second straight season averaging a double-double. He also had 2.2 blocks while shooting 62.2% from the field this season, virtually willing the Boilermakers past Tennessee 72-66 in the regional final with a career-high 40 points and 16 rebounds after their shocking first-round loss to 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson in March 2023.
Edey grew up in Toronto playing hockey and baseball until the strike zone became too large. Eventually, he landed at IMG Academy in Florida, where he played only one season on the school’s top basketball team. Still, Painter took a chance.
“We were fortunate, right? I didn’t know he was going to turn into a two-time national player of the year,” Painter said. “I did think he would be good, I just didn’t know when he would be (that) good. But he had good hands, he had good feet, he just needed repetition and work so right away, I was like, ‘We’re going to throw him the ball when he’s open.’ He’s always open.”
Edey wasn’t sure whether Purdue was the right fit, either.
But his mother, Julia, remembers how that youngster at the Boilermakers’ scrimmage game made them feel welcomed. Edey explained he wasn’t even on the team, but the kid didn’t care. He just wanted the autograph.
“Zach and I were standing in the tunnel and we said, ‘That kid just got a signature from a nobody,'” Julia Edey recounted, drawing laughter from Edey, his parents and Purdue’s sellout crowd on Senior Day.
Now Edey will leave Purdue as perhaps the greatest player in school history.
He broke Rick Mount’s 54-year-old school scoring record and now has surpassed 2,400 points. He broke Joe Barry Carroll’s 44-year-old career rebounding mark. His jersey number, 15, hangs in the rafters alongside those of other All-Americans such as John Wooden and Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson, and even one of Edey’s former teammates, Jaden Ivey.
Edey and his teammates are two wins away from Purdue’s first national title since Wooden led the Boilermakers to the 1932 championship.
And he did it with an unforgettably powerful, selfless style that endeared him to fans and teammates without shedding the same humility he treated the young autograph seeker all those years ago.”
“You can tell he loves the game, you can tell he respects the game, and not every No. 1 person is like that,” fifth-year forward Mason Gillis said of his teammate. “I think a lot of people don’t respect the game, don’t respect people around him. He does. He looks out for everybody, he’s a good guy, he stays in the gym and I don’t think we could ask for a better national player of the year. He does it the right way.”
A well deserved honor for one of the best centers to ever play college basketball.
The coach of the year went to Kelvin Sampson of Houston.
He takes home his second award, the first coming in 1995 when he was at Oklahoma. Sampson received 23 of 62 votes from the national panel that votes in the weekly AP Top 25 polls. Keep in mind that the balloting closed before the start of the NCAA tournament. Dan Hurley of UConn finished second with 21 votes.
Lamont Paris of South Carolina received eight votes to finish third. T.J. Otzelberger of Iowa State and Danny Sprinkle, who was recently hired away from Utah State by Washington, had four apiece. Will Wade of McNeese State and Kyle Smith, who coached Washington State to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before leaving for Stanford, each had one vote.
Sampson is the 10th coach to win AP coach of the year multiple times, among them the late Guy Lewis, who won it twice with Houston during its previous heyday of Phi Slama Jama. Sampson is the fourth to do it at separate schools and the 29 years between his awards is more than double the next-longest gap.
The AP’s article talked about his very humble beginnings and how the lessons he learned early in his life have been translated to his players and how they have thrived in his aggressive, but disciplined style of play:
“Themes of accountability, consistency and hard work at Houston can be traced to Sampson’s upbringing in North Carolina.
His grandparents were products of the Great Depression. His father, Ned, was a high school teacher and coach who made ends meet by finding part-time jobs in the summer. His mother, Eva, was a nurse who put in 12-hour shifts. With four kids at home — Sampson had a twin sister, along with sisters older and younger — there was no alternative for them but to work.
“I didn’t realize what latchkey kids were until I started reading about it. ‘Hey, I was one of those!'” said Sampson, who often came home from school to find an empty house. “Back then, that’s how it was. You got up and you went to work.
“So when you ask me where I got that from,” Sampson said of his work ethic, “I got that from my mom and dad.”
He has passed it along to his players.
Starting with the first Monday in June, the Cougars are out on baseball fields, running 18 100-yard sprints for time. On Tuesday, they head into a parking garage, running up ramps with weighted vests — also for time. They have shooting practice Wednesday, they hit the gym Thursday, and on Friday, their coach is out with a stopwatch to time them over a mile.
“When you go through stuff like that at 5:45, 6 in the morning,” Sampson said, “you learn to respect the guy beside you.”
Along the way, Houston has earned the respect of everyone in college basketball.
It had made one NCAA tournament in 22 years before his 2014 arrival, and those heady days of Lewis and Phi Slama Jama had become a distant memory. Sampson’s first season was rough, too. The Cougars went 13-19, winning just four American Athletic Conference games, and some wondered whether he could still win in college after six years in the NBA.
Yet the groundwork was laid for all that has followed: four regular-season AAC titles in a five-year span, a trip to the Final Four in the one year they did not win it, and back-to-back 30-plus win seasons that ushered them into the Big 12.
There, they won the regular-season title with two games to spare and finished 32-5 this season.
“I’m so blessed to have coached that first team that went 13-19,” Sampson said. “That was the only team that my wife’s ever asked, ‘Could you get them to sign a basketball for me?’ We have a lake house in North Carolina, and I see it every summer. She has that ball displayed in a prominent position there, and that’s the only one.
“We’ve been to Final Fours, won a ton of conference championships,” Sampson added, “but she’s only got one ball. That’s from that 13-19 team. She appreciated that team because they never quit.”
USC hired Eric Musselman of Arkansas as its next coach, the school announced Thursday.
A press conference is scheduled for Friday in Los Angeles. In five seasons at Arkansas, Musselman was 111-59. Prior to arriving in Fayetteville, he spent four years at Nevada, and helped turn around that program.
In a statement, Musselmen couldn’t contain his excitement:
“My family and I couldn’t be more excited for this incredible opportunity at USC. We will be committed to the development of our student-athletes and upholding the values that make the Trojan Family so special. We will hit the ground running and work tirelessly to make our great alumni, fans and all of Los Angeles proud.”
As for USC Athletic Director Jen Cohen, she threw caution to the Santa Ana winds that they will have rough sledding in the Big Ten:
“Eric displays heart, boldness, resiliency and everything that it means to be a Trojan. He inspires togetherness and will help build and grow the program’s connectivity within the Trojan community. As we move to the Big Ten and enter a new chapter for USC Men’s Basketball, there is no better fit than Eric Musselman to launch our program to new heights.”
The roster will have a different look in 2024-2025, as leading scorer Boogie Ellis is out of eligibility, freshman Isaiah Collier could declare for the NBA Draft, and Kobe Johnson said on Thursday he is transferring across town to UCLA.
Bronny James, the son of LeBron announced on Friday morning his decision via Instagram to enter the NBA Draft. He has also entered the transfer portal to have flexibility as he works out for NBA teams before making a final decision based on teams’ evaluations. He made his collegiate debut in an overtime loss to Long Beach State on December 10, scoring four points in 16 minutes. Bronny appeared in USC’s final 25 games, starting six and averaging 4.8 points per game, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes. James averaged 4.8 points per game in mostly a reserve role as a freshman. He was initially sidelined for nearly five months after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
Questions about Bronny’s future picked up after his coach at USC, Andy Enfield, left for SMU on Monday. On Tuesday, LeBron said that Bronny had “some tough decisions to make.”
“At the end of the day, Bronny’s his own man,” LeBron said after the Lakers’ win over the Raptors in Toronto, when asked about Bronny’s potential status with the transfer portal.
“He has some tough decisions to make, and when he’s ready to make those decisions, he’ll let us all know. But as his family, we’re going to support whatever he does.”
LeBron, age 39, has repeatedly expressed his desire to play in the NBA with his son before his Hall of Fame career ends.
“My last year will be played with my son,” James told The Athletic in February 2022. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
Cornell University promoted from within, similar to what happened with Duqense. Longtime assistant coach and current associate head coach Jon Jaques takes over as the 23rd men’s basketball program’s next head coach, the school announced on Friday.
A former Cornell player, Jaques spent 12 years as an assistant at his alma mater and also was a graduate assistant for Kyle Smith at Columbia. He has been the school’s associate head coach since 2022, bringing a depth of experience in the Ivy League during his tenure.
Jaques takes over for Brian Earl, who left to take the head-coaching job at William & Mary.
He played a key role in recruiting and building the roster this past season. Cornell finished 22-8 and 11-3 in Ivy League play, good enough for second place in the league. They finished in fourth the past two seasons, which qualified the Red for the four-team Ivy League postseason tournament.
“I am incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to serve as the Robert E. Gallagher ’44 head men’s basketball coach at Cornell University. On and off the court, this community and program have given me many of my most cherished memories, experiences, relationships, and life lessons.”
Statement released by the school
Jaques was a captain and starter on the school’s Sweet 16 team in 2010 as a senior. He moonlighted as a blogger for The New York Times during his time as a student-athlete at Cornell.
On the team that reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, Jaques emerged as one of the program’s feel-good stories. He mostly played in garbage time during his first three years, but seized an opportunity when an injury opened up a starting job.
He averaged 6.7 ppg as a senior and hit 45% of his 3-pointers. That came after scoring just 33 points over his first three seasons.
A native of Southern California, Jaques quickly turned to coaching after playing. He has been at Cornell as an assistant since 2013, spanning the tenures of Bill Courtney and Earl.
“Jon’s is an incredible Cornell story — from recruit, to scout team player, team captain and starter on a Sweet 16 team, to alumnus, assistant, and finally associate head coach. But his narrative isn’t why we make this announcement today. In every conversation we’ve had about this program, it became increasingly clear that Jon’s experiences and preparation have led him to this moment.
“In a very impressive field of candidates, he set himself apart as the right person at the right time to lead Cornell men’s basketball.”
Cornell Athletic Director Nicki Moore in statement released by the school
And there was major history taking place with the season awards. More on that in my next blog.
Analysis: Unlike last year where I mentioned about how Head Coach Dan Hurley nearly quit the sport, the big story has been about his wife carrying around a portable washing machine on the road so his red dragon shorts can get washed nice and squeaky clean. By the way they have torched everyone they have played with winning 10 straight tournament games, all by double digits–it definitely brings to mind the 1990 and 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels that rode a 44 game winning streak as defending champions before getting tripped up by Duke at the 1991 national semifinals.
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR: Donovan Clingan, Tristan Newton, Hassan Diarra, and Stephon Castle
THE “X” FACTORS TO WATCH FOR: Cam Spencer and Alex Caraban. Can they continue to be that added spark in case if Netwon, Castle, or Karaban struggle from 3-point land? Otherwise, they are very good in establishing the tempo and force teams to play their style in running up the score. That’s their MO and they like that in Storrs, although the rest of the nation doesn’t like it.
THE HUSKIES WILL REPEAT AS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS IF: They continue this rampage that they have been on. Their winning margins of 39, 17, 30. and 25 has ESPN BET tabbing the Huskies as 11 1/2 point favorites.
They also have history on their side. First time Final Four participants that face the defending champions are 0-11 and outscore those teams by an average of 15.3 points per game.
Which begs the question, and the only valid question–will a traditional football blueblood keep the game close, or at least within arm’s range?
Stetson was a blip who couldn’t lather on a bit of cologne, but was generous to send some cowboy hats to New England. Northwestern failed, San Diego State laid an egg, and Illinois simply could not get any shot to fall. I mean, a THIRTY-ZERO run?! That is unheard of! An intramural college game on a winter Sunday night type of stuff.
Before I end this section of the preview, UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley always comes off a blunt guy with the weirdest of superstitions in wearing the same outfit from head to toe during all 10 of their tournament wins.
And he came out swinging, at their own fan base during the postgame press conference:
"Our fanbase, again is as obnoxious as shit on social. So everyone hates us."
To be frank, I barely recall how the Las Vegas crowds felt in 1990 and 1991–but I distinctly remember most of the country hating the Runnin’ Rebels and how they ran their offense (even though their longtime head coach in the late Jerry Tarkanian was quite a character, biting a towel at almost every possession.)
If only social media was around then…
To put that fiery quote in proper context, Hurley was asked about a moment late in the game when he came onto the court during a time-out and instantly began to fire the UConn fans up–as if they needed any extra help since the game took place 91 miles away from their campus.
For anyone who might have missed it, these are the full context of the comments. pic.twitter.com/QTqmprXvEx
Bottom line, ladies and gentlemen–they have to play an opponent. In this era where most of us sometimes think being ENTITLED is a great thing…in reality, it’s not.
Like everything is life…nothing is handed to you.
You have to EARN IT.
Something on my monitor…
We interrupt this Final Four Preview with a major NEWS FLASH:
UPDATE: On Wednesday night, the team had major problems leaving Storrs, CT due to major mechanical issues from their team charter:
To make matters worse, they had to wait for another plane to arrive and a fresh crew due to FAA rules stating the crew assigned to the original flight would max out its’ allowable work hours.
But while most of the East and Midwest was sleeping, they managed to finally be in the air a few hours later–even with heavy rain and wind dominating from Virginia up to Maine and eastern Canada:
Once the Welcoming Committee finally greeted them (and I can only imagine how exhausted THOSE people were waiting for the team to arrive), this is what Coach Dan Hurley told the media yesterday:
“Who doesn’t deal with problems with the airlines?” Hurley said with a smile. “It’s something you gotta get through. But it sucked.”
Asked how he passed the time, Hurley felt like talking if he was on Weekend Update on SNL. “I ruminated. A lot. I spiraled. I had my head in my hand a lot. … It was a real mindful exercise from 11:30 to like 1:45 on the tarmac. It was therapeutic to watch the de-icing. That was probably the best part of it.”
Therapeutic? Really Coach? For a guy who has his wife carrying around a portable washing machine, this guy is definitely wired way different than anybody I have ever known.
Understandably, the media schedule for the players was shuffled to accommodate recovery time from the delays, with an open locker room session that ended up being canceled on Thursday. Beyond that? Hurley said he made do with two hours of sleep on the plane and two at the hotel. “That’s why God made caffeine,” he said, but only backed off briefly about his team’s preparation.
“We pushed things back a little bit, maybe like an hour and 15 (minutes). The guys were able to sleep in a little bit. We did our same routine. We did our video at the hotel. We knew we only had an hour and a half on the court, so it was important to take advantage of shooting, get a little bit of live play so we could get adjusted to a much, much bigger setting. We obviously took a little bit off the practice plan. Just make sure that we do a little bit less tonight, let these guys get their rest.”
They were at a major disadvantage having barely enough to shower, eat, and eventually take the bus ride to Glendale for the first media session, since their first practice ended up being canceled. Everyone will be exhausted for sure, as I am sure many of you who fly sometimes experience some type of major disturbance to people’s travel plans.
With all that said, their opponent on Saturday night will be a school that is steeped in football tradition as wide as the Gulf of Mexico.
The folks way down south in Tuscaloosa are going to get their major closeup on a round orange ball that some think it might be some oversized pumpkin (at least, that’s what a friend who lived in the South used to tell me years ago.)
The next team to take a crack at this juggernaut, I introduce you to Nate Oats and the many 3-point sharpshooters that are never afraid to take big shots in big games especially this past week in Los Angeles.
It is the crimson and I mean red hot:
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE, SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE AT-LARGE
Analysis: After decades being mired in SEC mediocrity where it was always Kentucky every single winter, the general thinking after the New Year’s bowl games was “When does football practice start?” But once the time Florida became the second team since the UCLA dynasty to repeat in 2006-2007, the conference knew that they had to invest more resources in men’s basketball. Similar to what has made their women’s basketball, gymnastics, softball, and baseball teams so successful year in and year out, it has paid off handsomely. The 4 seeded Crimson Tide did manage an Elite Eight trip in 2004, but fell short of their ultimate goal.
Enter a single-minded former math teacher from Wisconsin by way of Buffalo who is a master at crunching the numbers, dropping the brick on the gas and telling his players to let it rip.
And boy, it has been a fun ride these last few years. From having the Overall Number 1 seed in 2023 to this…their first ever trip to the Final Four can be summarized in one word.
Surreal.
Analysis: Next play.
That is the mantra that Head Coach Nate Oats has preached when retired football Coach Nick Saban mentioned during early workouts last year. Even though the KenPom numbers say otherwise–mostly stuck in the 40’s range for the most (105th in adjusted defense efficiency), they are never out of a game. Having the top ranked offense in the nation averaging 90.6 points per game, they have demonstrated time and time again what Coach Oats has explained to the media–it’s not just about shooting 3’s that light up the scoreboard. Similar to Houston, taking a high percentage of efficient shots and milking the shot clock to take efficient shots is one key. Alabama is not really good at mid-range jumpers and it did work for the most part when they abandoned it. The secret sauce is with 3s, layups, and making free throws. So far, the formula is working to near perfection. But if they go cold like the Arizona desert at night, they will have a contingency plan just in case. He told Tate Frazier of One Shining Podcast on Tuesday, “If you put the number 1 offense or top 3 offense with a top 20 defense, you can make a Final Four run.” Defensively, if they can find a way to neutralize Donovan Clingan and force him away from the basket–he would have to force the likes of Spencer, Caraban, and Newton to shoot consistently from downtown–and UConn isn’t exactly setting the house on fire from behind the arc.
This really fun offense revolves around senior Mark Sears, a 6’1″ stud guard who has averaged 21.5 ppg (good enough for 14th place in the nation) and is a 50.4 percent shooter overall. Coach Oats mentioned during the regular season that Sears could be a possible NBA lottery pick. Another senior forward in Grant Nelson is another guy to focus on. He stands at 6’11” and weighs 230 pounds. He is right behind Sears averaging 49 percent from the field while averaging 11.7 ppg. Nelson has struggled in terms of overall physicality, but it will be interesting to see if he can hold up against Cling Kong. If he can help get Clingan into foul trouble, that could be a decisive edge if the game is tight.
THE “X” FACTORS TO WATCH FOR: Aaron Estrada, a 6’3″ senior guard has been a great plug-and-play dude who is only averaging 13.4 ppg, which was way below his career best 20.2 during the 2022-2023 when the Tide was named the Overall Number 1 seed.
Another guy that might play depending on his health is senior guard LaTrell Wrightsell Jr. He was injured by an elbow to the head during the first half of the second round win against Grand Canyon. While Oats was confident after that game that the transfer from Cal State Fullerton would be ready for the second game, the team doctors have erred on the side of caution.
Wrightsell is averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and has made a scorching 44.3% of his 3-pointers this season while playing for one of the nation’s most prolific offenses. However, this is the second time this season that he has dealt with a head injury after missing four SEC games in February and early March with a concussion. Since returning to play, Wrightsell has started four games and become a crucial part of the Tide’s offense schemes. Whether he will be able to suit up on Saturday, Alabama’s offense will have their work cut out for them against the top-seeded Huskies.
One other thing to keep in mind–every Final Four since 1997 has been held in an NFL stadium. The court is placed around the 50 yard line as the NCAA always builds upwards of 20 or so portable bleachers to give the players decent sightlines. Compare that to previous years, namely watching on CBS in 1984, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2000, and 2006–the court was placed in one of the end zones which leaves thousands of empty seats on the right side of the court having a player shoot a corner 3 directly in front of a team’s bench. The depth perception is way more difficult than shooting in your college or any NBA arena.
And there is a personal connection as Oats goes way back with Coach Hurley, when he was hired after spending 12 years in the high school ranks. Known analytics teams like HTI and recently Sussay have been helping tremendously in putting together a roster and set up the rosters. Adam Boltmann, Director of Analytics leads the way in terms of overall aspect. And Coach Oats wants to set the record straight, this is NOT a new phenomenon. He said to Frazier that the NBA has been using similar formulas for years. Generally speaking, there are those who embrace it and those who don’t (aka the traditionalists.)
Strategy wise, they better hope and pray that their long distance shots fall. They buried 10 in the first round against the upset minded College of Charleston and 16 in their Elite Eight game against fellow CFP contender in Clemson. However, they did get away with only have 2 deep balls find the basket in their second round over an upstart team from Grand Canyon. Jay Bilas said on PTI on Thursday that they would have hit at least 16 triples to give UConn a run for their money, of which they have not been in many close games.
THE CRIMSON TIDE WILL WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IF: The long and up close shots fall, and the Tide realize that they are not in the Rose Bowl (I’m kidding.) They need to force tempo, prevent UConn in establishing fast breaks in transition, and they will have to play lock down defense that might be eerily similar to what Duke did in 1991 against the juggernaut that was UNLV. And try hope to get their big men in foul trouble, which very few teams (namely Creighton) were successful in that regard.
Speaking of being a football school, Dan Patrick had a great conversation about this topic with the Danettes on March 29. Take a listen and see what you think:
As Coach Oats reminded the media last Friday:
“Alabama and Clemson playing in L.A., most people would think we’re out here playing in the Rose Bowl. The basketball Rose Bowl.”
Minus 60,000 or so fans inside State Farm Stadium–there hopefull won’t be any fights. At least, there won’t be any penalty flags for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Anyways, that is the second semifinal that is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. or thereabouts Eastern Time.
The first semifinal on Super Saturday 2024 is at 6:09 p.m. Eastern/3:09 Pacific featuring two schools that have suffered long droughts to reach college basketball’s summit.
No school fits that bill more than the loyal and extremely passionate fan base up and down the Wabash River and the several tricky curved roads that is I-65 in north central Indiana. A few miles east of campus in Lafayette, Indiana is also the home of Subaru of Indiana Automotive, which mentions briefly on Wikipedia as the only non-Japanese producer of Subaru vehicles.
Everyone associated with Boiler Nation, young and old always flock to Harry’s Chocolate Shop to toast their…
PURDUE UNIVERSITY BOILERMAKERS,BIG TEN REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, AT-LARGE BID IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
THIRD FINAL FOUR APPEARANCE
39,170 Undergraduates, 13,041 Postgraduates
Robbie Hummel, Purdue 2012 alum/Westwood One Radio analyst along with Jeff Goodman on Monday night’s Field of 68 Podcast got really emotional (as did I after seeing this clip):
From WTHR/NBC13 on Tuesday night after the team arrived in Phoenix, as longtime Head Coach and one-time player for the Boilermakers Matt Painter met the media in Phoenix:
Purdue sophomore guard Braden Smith:
“Up 10, or down 10, I don’t care. Just keep going. Score the ball. And make sure you have f—ing fun.”
Coach Matt Painter’s pregame message prior to Elite Eight in Detroit
Analysis: Since Purdue last reached the Final Four in 1980, the Boilermakers have won 958 games, 11 Big Ten regular-season titles and two league tournament crowns. They’ve made it back to the Big Dance 32 times, and suffered only five losing seasons. They’ve reached eight Sweet 16s, and three Elite Eights. But had never reached another Final Four until 2024.
To put that into a much broader perspective:
From three TV networks to endless streaming devices and thousands of channels
From “Fame” to “Girls 5Eva”
From Service Merchandise and Sears, Roebuck, & Company to Best Buy and Amazon/eBay
From Zenith System 3 console TV’s to Samsung Neo QLED
From Pac-Man to Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
From the Lovable Losers to An Outdoor Plaza With Something Going On 52 Weeks out of the Calendar Year at Wrigley Field on Chicago’s North Side
From double digit inflation, long gas lines, and a very weak job market to a strong and resilient labor market along with the constant reluctance on lower interesting rates with people struggling to buy a house
From Phil Donahue to Dr. Phil
From Bob Barker to Drew Carey on TPiR
From Family Feud with Richard Dawson to Family Feud with Steve Harvey
From Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards to Howard Stern
From Johnny Carson to Jimmy Fallon
From late night tape delayed NBA playoff games on CBS to multiple weeknights, Saturday primetime, in addition to the Sunday afternoon doubleheaders on ESPN/ABC
From millions of subscribers to Playboy and Sports Illustrated to thousands of newspapers and magazines no longer printing
From TV commercials featuring lots of singing and many funny plotlines to endless boring ads featuring fast talkers about drugs with stupid sounding names
From radio shows generally appealing to housewives and truckers to billions of podcasts appealing to almost every topic appealing to many demographics and countries around the world
Yes, my online friends–I have been through a lot.
One of my earliest memories that I can still recall seeing and hearing was the honking of car horns minutes after Team USA beat Finland in Lake Placid, New York to win the 1980 Winter Olympics gold medal. My family was returning home while we were attending some school play for some weird reason I never understood at the time. This was two days after the most improbable upset of my lifetime in beating the Russians with the last ten minutes of end-to-end action being on the edge of your seat–and I mean literally (with the game airing on tape delay, believe it or not.)
My, how times have changed. And sadly, the simpler way of life does not exist anymore…
(Ooooh, if only we could spend a chunk of our life savings on a time machine…)
Since I was unable to find a clip on YouTube showing a visualizer showing faint, imperfect colors on a 240p standard definition TV with a $1,200 Beta video recorder zooming to a 1080p DVR storage stored with your Netflix device…let’s zoom right to the present.
Purdue has not only thrived and survived, but here they are STILL ALIVE in this 2024 NCAA Tournament.
And it has been a pure joy to watch.
The offense and defense revolves around one man, and that is their supreme center named Zach Edey.
Nicknamed as “The Big Maple”, listed at 7’4″, weighing 300 pounds–the 364th ranked recruit from Toronto, Ontario, Canada has dominated the college game the likes of which was a major focal point from an earlier time. From the late 1960’s with Elvin Hayes of Houston fame and Lew Alcindor from UCLA (later Kareem Abdul Jabbar) was a difficult shot to stop. A decade later had Patrick Ewing and Georgetown reaching three title games in four years, but only winning once in 1984. There was also (H) Akeem Olajuwon of Houston’s Phi Slama Jamma days, and the last player to win consecutive Naismith Player of the Year awards in Ralph Sampson of Virginia that gained major headlines in the newspapers and Sports Illustrated in its’ true heyday.
If you double or triple team him, he can kick it out to sophomores Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith (12.2 ppg and 45.3% FG) for wide open 3’s. If Edey doubles down in the paint, he can get easy layups. Also, look for graduate transfer Lance Jones (11.8 ppg), who has been great backing up Edey at key times during the season.
As for Loyer, he has quite a family history. Even though he might looks like a ’90s sitcom star, he was a standout high school player in Michigan and Indiana, where he won state player of the year in 2022. His brother, Foster, played at Michigan State and Davidson. His father is an NBA scout. He has very strong Purdue ties, with his grandfather played for the Boilermakers and his mother is a former assistant for the Purdue women’s volleyball team. He’s averaging 11.7 ppg and he’s connected on 46% of his shots from beyond the arc in the NCAA tournament.
Otherwise, as we have seen during this four game run, Edey has feasted inside the paint. If the referees call the game tight, will the nimble and wide body of D.J. Burns neutralize Edey and force the Boilers for jump shots against the always bad depth perception that is shooting in NFL stadiums?
Through four games, he’s averaged 30 ppg and 12 rpg, which is the highest mark since “The Big E” Elvin Hayes did it for Houston in 1968. He’s also made 66 percent from the free throw line and has registered 54 free throw attempts. He’s the anchor of a Purdue squad that’s second in the country in 3-point shooting (40.6%). His career high of 40 points while playing 39 minutes in the regional final on Sunday proved that they can still win ugly, in spite of the fact that they only hit 3 of 15 shots from downtown. They cannot afford to have a letdown similar to the last three years when they lost to double digit seeds. In Purdue’s four losses this season, the Boilermakers connected on 34% of their 3-point attempts, which is far below their season average. A slow night would also make teams feel more comfortable about doubling Edey in the post.
He’s the reason the Boilermakers could advance again and potentially challenge UConn in the national championship. Edey is so good at dictating the flow of any game. Besides, there is no easy way to deal with one of the most dominant players in college basketball history.
I think of teams like Georgetown in 1985, UNLV in 1991, Kentucky in 1997 and 2015 where they were riding a ton of momentum and then ended up getting punched in the mouth in ending their seasons without winning the championship.
THE “X” FACTORS TO WATCH FOR: Mason Gillis on the defensive end and Trey Kaufman-Renn on offense. If Loyer and/or Smith struggle, Kaufman-Renn has been up and down for a bulk of the season. But when Coach Painter calls on him, he has come through whenever the Boilers needed a bucket.
THE BOILERMAKERS WILL WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IF: Zach Edey puts up at least 45 points and grabs 25 rebounds, while the guards shoot lights out and NC State (and presumably UConn) will be frustrated/flustered when their shots sail wide or rattle the rim multiple times before falling away from the rim. Also, they must take care of the ball and not turn it over–because look out if they get out in transition when they force their opponents into points off turnovers.
Seriously, they would have to raise their game several levels to meet the caliber and talent that UConn has shown the nation in the last two years.
And speaking of special anniversaries:
The date–Monday, April 4, 1983
The place–The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Cardiac Pack vs. Phi Slama Jama
North Carolina State vs. Houston
The Team of Destiny vs. the Number 1 team overall
Coming off household ratings of 13.5 million for NC State’s close 67-60 win over upstart Georgia and Houston creaming Louisville 94-81 in what is remembered as the “Dunkathon Game”, it was a matchup of contrasting styles. All told, 13 dunks during that second semifinal and an audience of 17.8 million people watched.
Guy Lewis and his run up and down the court, against Jim Valvano’s group of fouling at every available opportunity so the opposition can miss free throws.
NC State shockingly led 33-25 at the half, but Olajuwon asserted himself early and often in the second half. But then, the Cougars simply choked. Time and time again at the free throw line, they couldn’t handle the bright lights. And yes, the altitude had a lot to play with the subplot, since many Houston players were forced to use oxygen masks playing in a place with an elevation 6,000 feet above sea level.
That led to the most unlikeliest of endings:
This was how Gary Bender and the late Billy Packer described those final frantic seconds, and the mayhem that followed:
And this was during a time when the series finale of M*A*S*H actually outdrew Super Bowl XVII nearly two months earlier. You will never see that again, where a primetimne TV program outdrew the biggest sports event of the year.
The NC State Wolfpack came close to being in the Final Four in two straight seasons, but were knocked out in 1985 to St. John’s and 1986 to Kansas.
But with this version of the Cardiac Pack hoping to write their own chapter, even with the spirits of Jim Valvano and Lorenzo Charles no longer with us…nine elimination games and nine wins later:
NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK,ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
FOURTH FINAL FOUR APPEARANCE
37,873 Students
If you take a trip to Raleigh, North Carolina–you will notice the campus Bookstore and the Memorial Belltower where people gather after victories to watch the fireworks go off. And you will also find those too young to remember and those who remember where they were on this night in 1983.
From Brendan Marks, North Carolina/Duke beat writer for The Athletic on April 2:
“That tidal wave of fandom has been building since before many current students were even born. But they, of course, want to get in on the fun. Whole tables of T-shirts — including plenty with the “Why Not Us?” slogan the men coined during their ACC tournament run — were sold out in the student bookstore, and the leftovers were being picked through as if by vultures. One student, desperately searching for an ACC tournament shirt, even tried to buy one off a stranger he saw in the shop on Monday. When she rebuffed his offer, he sulked to the table with a since-outdated (and for-sale) Sweet 16 collection. “That’s not as bada—s the other one, though,” he muttered before finding his size.
Across from the bookstore in the student union, parents and children desperate for tours were told that only self-guided options were available for the next week. Hosted ones? Totally sold out. One tour guide passing by Reynolds Coliseum — where the women play, and where Valvano’s historic teams used to — led her group in an appropriate block-lettered shirt: “THIS IS OUR STATE.”
And considering NC State is the lone Triangle team left standing, she has a point.
The buzz is palpable, because NC State fans have waited so long — too long — for this moment. For the same basketball success the generations before them saw firsthand. And now, in Phoenix and Cleveland, they have it, regardless of what happens next. Both teams are underdogs in their next game — the men vs. Purdue, the women vs. undefeated South Carolina — but the appreciation of what they’ve already accomplished will linger regardless of next weekend.
Just consider what athletic director Boo Corrigan told Moore over the weekend: “He said, if I accepted every free beer that’s been offered me here in Dallas, I’d probably be in a gutter somewhere,” Moore said.
But there’s no greater sign of the love NC State fans have for this moment than what unfolded a 10-minute drive from campus. Go through the stone archway leading into Oakwood Cemetery, hang a right into the main area and slowly drift to the back, and you see it: Valvano’s headstone, still glistening black even under a thin film of pollen. There are usually artifacts here, flowers, longtime fans coming to pay their respects — but never to this degree.
Among the offerings? A half-drank tallboy of Riviera, the collaborative beer the university did with local R&D Brewing; there’s a rubber band around the can, holding some wilted roses off the ground. A small foam ball with the Wolfpack logo. A sticker from the campus bookstore, with that same “Why Not Us?” motto. And so, so many flowers.
“It shows you the impact,” Richard (Gus) Gusler said, “that these teams have had on Wolfpack Nation.”
And what an impact this team and this moment have gripped the entire country and practically the entire world.
Analysis: On Jim Valvano’s tombstone are his timeless words from the 1993 ESPY Awards:
“Take Time Everyday
To Laugh, To Think, To Cry.”
The Athletic took a picture of that tombstone, and will those ghosts come back to the era of social media and smartphones gone berzerk.
I will say this, if social media was around in 1983…I would have gone crazy for an entire week. But as it was, it was just another lonely day in grade school…sorry, my bad.
Let’s get to the breakdown of this Wolfpack team and how they suddenly turned on that “GO” switch and have made their own journey as only the seventh school to reach the Final Four as an 11 seed.
Seventh year Head Coach at NC State Kevin Keatts was asked by a member of the media on Tuesday about being an assistant under Rick Pitino when Louisville (in an alternate world) won the 2013 national title * over Michigan and the lessons he can apply to this miracle run:
“I was here 11 years ago as an assistant coach, not here, but in the Final Four. … Just to see us get off the plane, the look in their eyes, walking into the locker room, having a chance to go out to the floor. That meant everything to me because that showed me how much hard work we put in to get here. “The other message was, ‘Enjoy today.’ This was the first time we’ve ever went to a practice. I said ‘When you walk out on the floor, bring your cell phone with you.’ They brought their cell phones. I wanted to make sure they got pictures and memories. It won’t happen again. I just wanted them to enjoy that moment.”
Analysis: Last Saturday afternoon at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, reporters asked DJ Burns if he felt he would play better either single or double-teamed.
This was his response:
“I prefer winning. So however you come at me, I’m gonna do whatever it takes to win. I don’t care if that’s passing or scoring. I don’t care if I don’t get touches at all. I care that we win, because when we win, everybody gets noticed.”
Their run is more improbable, including the miracle from Jimmy V and the Cardiac Kids of 1983, where at least they were ranked in the preseason and had a winning record in ACC play. This group lost four of their last 6 in the regular season, and had to win five games in five days at the ACC tournament just to get in.
In the first round, the Wolfpack trailed at halftime against the bottom feeders of Louisville — Louisville! — a team whose coach was fired shortly after the buzzer sounded. And none of this would even be possible if Virginia’s Isaac McKneely had not missed the front end of a one-and-one with 5.3 seconds left in the ACC semifinals, which gave Michael O’Connell a chance to force overtime with a 25 foot trey that was banked in at the buzzer.
Such The Thing That The Basketball Gods Does To Great People
With Coach Keatts on the hot seat (and I mean it was almost 5-alarm chili hot), the NC State coaches opted before the ACC tournament opened in Washington to make a small tweak to their defense. They began their pickup point closer to the 3-point line and not as far extended, which made it difficult for opposing guards that didn’t have as long as a runway to attack Burns in the lane. This meant he would always sag back in drop coverage. Think of it like a free safety in football. If the linebacker drops back too far, the receiver could go the distance. Instead, the opposing guard has little to no choice but the pass ball back to another open teammate.
Burns started his career at Tennessee and left after redshirting as a freshman. He then went to Winthrop, where he was Big South Player of the Year in his third season, averaging 15 points and shooting 62.6 percent from the field while playing only 20.9 minutes per game. He was one of the most efficient scorers in the transfer portal, but his size limited him from playing extended minutes. The Wolfpack then felt to take a chance on Burns being a graduate transfer, and boy has it paid off.
The Wolfpack brought in eight new players (seven transfers, one freshman) this past offseason. The idea was to build around Burns, who was an unconventional fit two years ago when the Wolfpack recruited him as a grad transfer from Winthrop.
The original plan a year ago was to bring Burns off the bench as a microwave scorer, which was a major change when stars Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner went to the bench. The coaching staff utilized an NBA-type approach, with Burns headlining the second unit.
The starting center was Dusan Mahorcic, who had transferred from Utah. However, Mahorcic dislocated his right patella tendon 10 games into the season, and Burns took over as the starter. He started the next five games, then came off the bench for the next three, then was back in the starting lineup for the rest of the season. At the end of January at Wake Forest, the Wolfpack decided to play through him. In a 79-77 win, Burns scored 31 points on 26 shots. That was a sign of things to come.
Former Virginia wing Casey Morsell has been a nice compliment to the offense. Add in also DJ Horne, who leads the team averaging 16.8 ppg and three guys with height in Mohamed Diarra and Ben Middlebrooks are both 6’10”, and Burns who is 6’9″.
THE “X” FACTOR TO WATCH FOR: Michael O’Connell, who is a close second on the team with shooting 80.6 percent from the free throw line (DJ Horne is first at 81.1). The senior guard has played all 40 games this season and has improved his 3 point shooting percentage seven points to 36.7 percent, compared to his junior year at 29.7%.
His breakout game came last Sunday, coming up with 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals. He along with both DJ’s would have to spin the right tunes if they want to employ the Hack-A-Zach method and foul by committee. But if Edey shreds their defense, the magic ride won’t see their 10th straight elimination win.
THE WOLFPACK WILL WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IF: They make a ton of shots and hope that the Boilers and Huskies choke at the charity stripe. But with their KenPom rankings of 43 overall, and at 40 and 44 respectively in adjusted offensive/adjusted defensive efficiency, they face the longest odds of these Final Four teams to cut down the nets on Monday night.
Some More Goodies Featuring Ian Eagle
Finally, I did promise a few more cool podcasts and YouTube clips featuring the new play-by-play man at the Final Four. Eagle is the first announcer to take over from Jim Nantz, who began in 1991–the year after Brent Musburger was fired on April Fool’s 1990, the day before UNLV steamrolled Duke 103-73 in Denver.
One of his favorite moments in calling the tournament was back in 2005–a game I instantly recall watching a second round game at Cleveland State University (this is where I hope the NCAA goes back to someday, where you actually got to see the actual courts instead of all the pristine looking courts that give off similar carnival-type vibes, but the baselines are mostly the same color.)
Just wait until you hear what Ian had to say in the final 30 seconds featuring a double overtime classic where future NBA All-Star Chris Paul ended up fouling out and turned out to cost the Demon Deacons on that Sunday afternoon:
Here’s a March 21, 2023 interview with Tate Frazier on The Ringer’s One Shining Podcast, where Ian talked about what it is really like calling the NCAA Tournament and how he prepares for the grueling four games in one day during the first round, followed by two more games two days later. Plus, he mentions how he comes up with some humorous phrases, all amidst the real wackiness of the English language when he does his calls:
Finally, fast forward to March 21 when he was on a podcast with Brad Cesmal of Sports360AZ in Arizona:
Where Jim Nantz was perfectly suited, in voice & temperament, to call golf’s Masters and the NFL; Ian Eagle has an ‘everyman’ vibe about him that pulls you into the broadcast like you’ve just taken the stool next to him at the bar. And in mirroring the on-court flow he is also a great teammate to his broadcast partners (even missed shots is exciting, except if that is your favorite team), setting them up and giving them room to operate. It takes a lot of homework to make that look & sound smooth. Even when he tosses things to Tracy Wolfson hoping to educate the viewer in the hopes of digging up an extra nugget of information–tell us something we fans don’t know.
That’s why they get paid the big bucks!
But it is a lot of hard work and tons of critiquing that goes into such a high pressure, much talked about in social media type of job.
The best way to close out this preview, I found this really cool article by Brian Curtis of The Ringer. He explained his childhood upbringing growing up around the stage with a comedian as a father and a mother as an accomplished singer. Bill Raftery and Mike Breen of ESPN/ABC offered their thoughts on how such a pro Ian is in covering several different sports–basketball, the NFL, and some of the early round coverage of the French Open tennis for the Tennis Channel.
Enjoy and I will see you again with some bonus content on Friday afternoon–just one day before the second best day of the calendar year, next to the start of the NCAA Tournament.
It had the makings of a magical night at “Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral”, Hinkle Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis with a 99 percent Indiana State crowd.
Seton Hall blew leads of 11 points in the first half and 10 points in the second half. Thanks to the Clark Kent type goggles worn by sophomore center Robbie Avila who made several key plays, they nearly tore off the roof when Indiana State led by seven at 77-70 with 3:05 to go on a Isaiah Swope trey.
The Pirates made their final push with a Kadary Richmond layup and 5 straight points from Al-Amir Dawes that tied the game at 77 with 1:05 to play.
With the 9,000 plus fans shouting to the top of their lungs, Dre Davis made the title winning play on a layup with 20 seconds to play. After Indiana State called their last timeout with 8.4 seconds left, the Sycamores had three cracks to tie or win. Two straight blocks and a final miss by Ryan Conwell hit hard off the back of the rim as Seton Hall (25-12) wins the NIT championship 79-77, and becomes the team to be known as Number 69.
The Pirates were led in scoring by Al-Amir Dawes with 24 and Kadary Richmond with 21 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. Indiana State fell one win short of tying the 1979 national runner-up team led by Larry Bird with a final record of 32-7. The Sycamores were led by Isaiah Swope with 19 points, Julian Larry with 18, Robbie Avila and Jayson Kent had 13 points apiece.
The only question going forward–is this the last time we will see the NIT as we know it? If the NCAA expands and FOX already announcing their own Championship Crown event in Las Vegas, I wonder if the NIT’s days are being numbered.
That, my online friends, is another topic for another day.
But there was other rim rocking news besides what was going down at Grand Canyon University, where the long distance shots were flying and the slam dunks brought the house down.
Back with some interesting news from the day and Dan Hurley’s thoughts on being so sleep deprived before the defending champion UConn Huskies finally made it to Phoenix very early this morning.
Over the past three decades, whose real name is Rong “Krystal” Niu has dazzled and mesmerized fans of all ages in college gyms and NBA arenas.
On today’s Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast, he enlisted the help of several Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers to get her into the Hall in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Jay Bilas of ESPN is included in this special video message:
Let's get Red Panda into the Hall of Fame!
We asked Hall of Famers @davidaldridgedc, @JayBilas, @MarcJSpears, Jackie MacMullan & Mike Breen to endorse the world's greatest halftime acrobat — and her reaction is priceless. 🐼🥣
What she has done night in and night out in arenas all over the world definitely deserves a spot in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The skills, the precision, and the immense talent she has done and done so well should have full consideration to be inducted. She gets my vote, even after watching hundreds of clips on YouTube! 😇
Along with Charlotte Wilder and Ryan Cortes, they are hoping to get one major halftime act to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Also of note, Pablo asked–is it time to finally replace what I have referred to the 1987 classic song “One Shining Moment”, which is played as the championship team cuts down the nets.
I have called this song as both sappy and corny, both in the lyrics and the way the notes that lead into the final verses sometimes leads me to cry😥–knowing fully well that the next game won’t be for seven months.
Included is a clip with the guy who came up with the song, and the backstory about meeting a cute waitress in a bar in the Midwest in 1986. Here are Pablo and Ryan’s takes, plus for all of you loyal fans–a very ugly remix reminiscent of when the NBA was on NBC in the 1990’s:
In fact, there is a channel on the March Madness Live app where you can view each version of the song performed going back to 1987, when Indiana won their fifth and last championship on a last second jumper by Keith Smart to edge Syracuse in New Orleans.
Similar to what Peacock does where they have one channel solely devoted to showing the Olympic flame 24/7 during the 16 days of each Olympiad–I say that is OVERKILL. Plain and simple.
Anything to shell out a few more bucks to people that already have more than enough, I say you’re welcome and please go on with your own life. I like many other people have more important things to worry about.
Thank you so much for reading, and please do your part and add your name to this petition.
Around 12 hours after the team was set to leave Storrs, Connecticut, mechanical issues with their original plane caused the team to wait.
According to the Associated Press, UConn took off from Bradley International Airport near Hartford around 1:30 a.m. Eastern time.
The Huskies arrived at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix at 3:15 a.m. Pacific Time (6:15 a.m. Eastern) on an Allegiant flight after the NCAA worked overtime to find an alternative travel option. The team boarded around 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time, from a source briefed on the plans. This was over five hours after the flight was originally scheduled to leave. Coaches and players sat waiting on board during that time, which was also used to de-ice the plane, per the source.
The mechanical issues led to more logistical troubles, including crew staffing issues and difficulty in securing a large enough plane to accommodate the whole team, ESPN reported.
UConn coach Dan Hurley told CBS Sports on Wednesday that the team was scheduled to take off on a chartered flight earlier in the day, but the plane coming in from Kansas City didn’t leave on time due to technical problems. Also, the crew that was assigned to the flight would have been over their allowable work hours under FAA guidelines.
Early Thursday morning, the NCAA said the Huskies’ replacement plane out of Connecticut experienced additional delays due to the rainy and windy weather plus another minor mechanical issue.
Bottom line, the Huskies arrived and very groggy. We will see how much of an affect it will have in their second semifinal game against well rested Alabama.
Alabama and Purdue arrived in Arizona on Tuesday night, and NC State came in Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday, the NCAA said the Huskies’ replacement plane out of Connecticut experienced additional delays due to the weather and a minor mechanical issue.
“The No. 1 overall seed Connecticut Huskies, who are beating teams by nearly 28 points per game the past two weekends, finally found their toughest opponent so far in this tournament: airline travel. After more than eight hours of delays, UConn’s men’s basketball team finally took off from Windsor Locks, Connecticut at 1:33 a.m. Thursday morning, sources on the plane texted to CBS Sports as the aircraft was speeding down the runway at Bradley Airport.
“The No. 1 overall seed Connecticut Huskies, who are beating teams by nearly 28 points per game the past two weekends, finally found their toughest opponent so far in this tournament: airline travel. After more than eight hours of delays, UConn’s men’s basketball team finally took off from Windsor Locks, Connecticut at 1:33 a.m. Thursday morning, sources on the plane texted to CBS Sports as the aircraft was speeding down the runway at Bradley Airport.
The Huskies were initially supposed to be wheels up by 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, but got delayed due to mechanical issues with the plane they were scheduled, UConn coach Dan Hurley told CBS Sports earlier in the day.
The NCAA oversees and handles all travel for all teams in both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments. The plane UConn was supposed to be on was coming in from Kansas City but ran into multiple technical troubles that prevented it from leaving on time, Hurley said.
Hurley told CBS Sports that the crew assigned to the flight would max it outs allowable work hours, per FAA guidelines. There was no backup flight crew to take UConn to Arizona. After scouring all backup plans and planes, UConn’s earliest option to get to the Final Four was via a smaller plane (that would still bring the entire team and staff) and was flown in from Cincinnati.
After CBS Sports broke the story, the NCAA said in a statement it was working to resolve UConn’s travel delay as quickly as possible.
“Due to mechanical issues with the original aircraft, UConn men’s basketball team is experiencing a delay and is now projected to depart at approximately 11:30 p.m. ET,” the statement said. “In conjunction with the school and charter airlines, the NCAA worked to develop several options for travel alternatives to Phoenix. We are very disappointed that UConn will arrive later than anticipated and it’s unfortunate the team’s travel experience has been impacted.”
The flight wound up taking off two hours later than was planned — and even 45 minutes later than the initial scenario of 12:45 a.m. ET.
UConn’s plan is scheduled to land in Phoenix at 5:28 a.m. ET/2:28 a.m. PT.
The school had to trim its travel party, per a UConn source, with the intention of not having to stop for a refuel in order to fly directly to Phoenix as quickly as possible.”
Will this lead to some shaky nerves from the defending champions once they step onto that court inside State Farm Stadium on Thursday afternoon? The other three schools are hopefully going to be well rested and energized ready to go.
All I can say is, so much for Dan Hurley saying to the media in the first round that his team is “bulletproof.”
UConn has had a seemingly smooth run so far in the men’s NCAA Tournament, as the top overall seed have dominated their first four games in this tournament. Their two stops in Brooklyn and Boston required bus trips, even with their huge traffic issues.
However, it appears the team has a challenge days before tipoff, as their chartered plane from Storrs, Connecticut to Arizona has been delayed due to mechanical issues with the plane they were supposed to fly on Wednesday night.
As first reported by Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com, UConn head coach Dan Hurley said that the crew assigned to the flight would max out its’ allowable work hours, per FAA guidelines. As of 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, there was no backup flight crew to take UConn to Arizona. After scouring all backup planes and plans, UConn’s earliest option to get to the Final Four is via a smaller plane (it would still bring the entire team and staff), but it isn’t scheduled to take off from Bradley Airport until sometime around 11:30 p.m. or so on Wednesday night — which was bumped up more than an hour from their earlier contingency plan.
Still, UConn won’t land until close to around 4 a.m. Eastern/1 a.m. Pacific, according to UConn Athletic Director Dave Benedict who spoke live on the Field of 68 podcast from Phoenix. The backup plane needs to be brought in from Cincinnati.
How Did This All Happen?
ESPN reported that the mechanical issues parlayed into logistical troubles, including crew staffing issues and difficulty in securing a large enough plane to accommodate the whole team. Players and coaches along with Tier 1 staff will arrive in the first plane before other team members arrive on later flights. That includes the band members, cheerleaders, and other affiliated team members.
“Due to mechanical issues with the original aircraft, UConn men’s basketball team is experiencing a delay and is now projected to depart at approximately 11:30 p.m. Eastern Time. In conjunction with the school and charter airlines, the NCAA worked to develop several options for travel alternatives to Phoenix. We are very disappointed that UConn will arrive later than anticipated and it’s unfortunate the team’s travel experience has been impacted.”
Statement by the NCAA
“It’s going to come down to weight,” a UConn staff member told CBS Sports.
Because they will be on a smaller plane, it still might require a fuel stop at some point en route to Phoenix. The Huskies are going to get to Arizona on an adjusted sleep schedule, but still should have plenty of time to spare before Thursday’s scheduled afternoon media availability.
If the team were to wait until the morning and fly on the plane from Kansas City, that crew can’t fly until 10 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, according to UConn.
All other teams are on the ground in Arizona. Alabama and Purdue arrived on Tuesday. NC State landed this afternoon.
Thanks to the UConn women’s record 23rd regional final win in Portland 80-73 over USC on Monday night, a first has taken place in American college basketball history.
This is the first time ever that two (2) schools will represent both the men’s and women’s Final Four:
UConn and North Carolina State.
For those who are curious about which accomplished both the men’s and women’s squads competing in college basketball’s brightest stage, here you go:
1983
Georgia
Lost Final Four to NC State
Lost Final Four to USC
1999
Duke
Lost national title to UConn
Lost national title to Purdue
2002
Oklahoma
Lost Final Four to Indiana
Lost national title to UConn
2003
Texas
Lost Final Four to Syracuse
Lost Final Four to UConn
2004
UConn
Won national title vs. Georgia Tech
Won national title vs. Tennessee
2005
Michigan State
Lost Final Four to UNC
Lost national title to Baylor
2006
LSU
Lost Final Four to UCLA
Lost Final Four to Duke
2009
UConn
Lost Final Four to Michigan State
Won national title vs. Louisville
2011
UConn
Won national title vs. Butler
Lost Final Four to Notre Dame
2013
Louisville *
* Won national title vs. Michigan
Lost Final Four to UConn
2014
UConn
Won national title vs. Kentucky
Won national title vs. Notre Dame
2016
Syracuse
Lost Final Four to UNC
Lost national title to UConn
2017
South Carolina
Lost Final Four to Gonzaga
Won national title to Mississippi State
* Louisville men were stripped of title in 2018 due to 2015 sex scandal.
Somewhere in heaven, longtime coach Jim Valvano is smiling. So is Lorenzo Charles with one of the biggest plays in tournament history.
Make that nine elimination games and nine wins for the Cardiac Pack.
The Two DJ’s Made The Right Moves
“I was raised in a happy environment. I try to take that with me everywhere I go.”
College basketball’s version of William “The Refrigerator” Perry of the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl championship team definitely fits the bill with the 6’9″, 275 pound senior from New Orleans.
His slick moves and soft touch around the basket, along with DJ Horne dominated the second half in outscoring Duke 55-37 that led to a shocking 76-64 upset.
Unlike the 1983 Elite Eight in Ogden, Utah where two attempts by then All-American Ralph Sampson from Virginia bounced around the rim but failed to go down, this game was decided in the final 8 minutes after seventh year head coach Kevin Keatts (normally a calm guy) was whistled for a technical foul.
Burns, who had only four points in the regional semifinal against Marquette, hit a pair of short jumpers to give the Wolfpack the early lead. He had eight points in the game’s first nine minutes before his second foul. But those were their only consecutive makes before halftime as Duke led 27-21. NC State shot 26.5% (9 of 34) from the floor.
In the second half, he shot 9 of 11. His smile is so infectious, you really have to love the guy in playing so loose. Even if he makes a mistake, he never feels down or blames his teammates. He concentrates on the next play in trying to improve his shot.
After the game, he told the media that they have held a firm mindset during this improbable 9 game winning streak dating back to that miracle shot at the buzzer against Virginia in the first round of the ACC Tournament. His message spread throughout the team has brought a belief that the fans were yelling in unison, “Why not us? Why not us?”
“I’ll say like I’ve been saying the whole tournament. When I stop having fun with basketball, I’ll stop playing. There’s just been a total switch in our commitment. Nobody’s being late to things. Nobody’s being a problem on the court. Everybody’s come together.”
Burns was voted the South Region’s Most Outstanding Player with a season high scoring 29 points on 13 of 19 shooting. The other DJ named DJ Horne had 20 on 7 of 16 shooting in 38 minutes in knocking out Duke 76-64 in Dallas.
The most amazing stat is that the Wolfpack have the most losses ever for a Final Four team (14) since seeding began in 1979.
The fourth seeded Duke was back in familiar territory after sending Houston home early in the Sweet 16 two nights earlier missed out on Jon Scheyer’s first attempt to reach the Final Four and would have been their second trip in three seasons. After the Blue Devils led by six at halftime, that was the same margin with 16 1/2 minutes left.
But then the Wolfpack clawed their way back (hey, that rhymes.) DJ Burns scored 9 of the team’s next 11 points that turned a 35-31 deficit into a 42-38 with 9:39 to go.
After the technical foul, calmer heads prevailed and Jared McCain made both free throws after the technical that Keatts got after officials ruled a missed shot by Duke’s 7 foot sophomore center Kyle Filipowski that went over the backboard and off the shot clock which went off one of his players. Replays showed that while maybe there should have been a foul since Burns made contact with Filipowski’s arm, Burns was actually wasn’t even close to touching the ball.
A minute later, Ben Middlebrooks had a steal that led to a fast-break triple by Michael O’Connell. There was a foul called while the ball was in the air, so the Wolfpack got the trey, kept possession and Burns made another cool shot to give the Pack a 53-42 lead.
Once big man Kyle Filipowski fouled out with 4:52 on the clock, the lead grew to double digits and it was curtains for Duke.
In the end, it was Burns who iced the game with dominating plays like this.
The way they played rock solid defense and NC State shot a whopping 73 percent in the second half.
Duke was led by freshman Jared McCain with 32 points, on 8 of 20 shooting and was a perfect 11 for 11 from the charity stripe. Jeremy Roach had 13 points in the final game of his college career (the last remaining player from the Coach K era). Kyle Filipowski had 11 points and nine rebounds before fouling out with 4:52 left.
For NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts, he was on the chopping block having lost four straight games prior to this run. He believes that similar to 1983, they fit the label as a team of destiny:
“These guys are so special. Nine elimination games or you go home.”
Will they make it ten? Well, a very tall order awaits them in Glendale, Arizona in the Purdue Boilermakers–who had a slightly longer drought between Final Fours. North Carolina State last made it in 1983, Purdue was before Gene Keady in 1980.
This NC State team really is what March Madness is all about. From bid thief to Final Four darlings. As a Number 11 seed, the Wolfpack tie for the lowest seed to make the Final Four joining LSU in 1986, George Mason in 2006, VCU in 2011, Loyola (Chicago) in 2018, and UCLA in 2021. Of these six, NC State is the only Power 5 school that needed a conference tournament championship to get in. Like NC State, four of the previous winners were at-large teams and Loyola Chicago was 28-5 when they won the Missouri Valley title in 2018.
Making it doubly sweet on Sunday was that the women as a 3 seed also reached the Final Four beating top seeded Texas. They will next take on the undefeated (again) South Carolina Gamecocks on Friday night in Cleveland.
Well, get ready for the Angel Reese/Caitlin Clark Fest on Monday night–7 p.m. Eastern in their Elite Eight from Albany, New York.
If it was anything like last year when a record 9.9 million viewers watched on ABC–this game might shatter that record.
Look for my Final Four preview sometime later this week. All I can say right off the bat that the UConn profile was done in five minutes. The other three schools will take my usual research, as I hope to dig out a few statistical nuggets, plus any noteworthy clips from the national talk shows on YouTube featuring the coaches and maybe some of the players. Otherwise, I will try to dig a bit further and hope to find something cool from some of the local stations in Lafayette/Indianapolis, Indiana, Birmingham, Alabama, and Raleigh, North Carolina.
And that is not an April Fool’s joke 😜.
Take care, everyone as State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona is where the final road ends in the same stadium where Taylor Swift began The Eras Tour in March 2023.
It Was Zach Edey Early And Often In The Motor City
It was a battle of Tennessee hitting threes from the outside and Purdue dominating the inside. Each time they fed the ball to “The Big Maple”, Zach Edey once again stepped up when the Boilers needed it most.
A classic 1-2 seed battle for the Midwest Region, and boy was it a fun game to watch.
The results–Edey with a career high 40 points, 16 rebounds and hi stellar defense down the stretch that put Purdue (33-4) into the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona with a hard fought (and I mean REALLY hard fought) 72-66 victory that made many thousands of fans who made the four plus hour journey up I-65 north to the Borman Expressway (I-80/94) east to Detroit was worth every ounce of sweat, every X/tweet, and vintage YouTube clip you could find. For Head Coach Matt Painter, who took over from the legend Gene Keady in 2005, he (finally) earned his first Final Four as a coach and the program’s first since 1980.
A lot has changed since their last visit to college basketball’s grandest stage. I will describe more later this week in my Final Four Preview, and yes–I was alive when it took place at the old Market Square Arena in Indianapolis (albeit under in very difficult times for our country as a whole.)
Recalling the 71-67 win in November at the Maui Invitational in Honolulu, Tennessee had 30 fouls and Purdue had 48 free throw attempts.
This time around, the referees were content on letting Tennessee did their best Hack-A-Zach throughout the rest of the game. Six fouls in the first seven minutes angered Vols Nation and rightfully so. Eventually, the quick and frenetic pace began to take shape.
Early in the game, the Vols led early on 17-12 on a Dalton Knecht trey. The Boilermakers promptly increased their effort to hound him every time he touched the ball. Purdue managed to find a stretch of lockdown defense first with Mason Gillis and later with Lance Jones.
The Vols failed to score for a stretch of five minutes and 35 seconds. The run ended when Josiah James drilled a 3 pointer from the corner. Purdue could not find any separation, as the lead did not grow than 5 points. didn’t take as much advantage as it could have, though, only scoring seven points during the drought.
A 15-2 run, punctuated by a pair of deep balls from Knecht following some UT offensive rebounds, made it 32-21 Tennessee with 5:11 left in the half, that caused Matt Painter to call a timeout.
The timeout worked. The Boilers went on a 13-0 run to regain the lead. With the crowd in Detroit mostly 80/20 by some estimates, they appeared nervously quiet for a few moments–but the roar helped the players a lot. Purdue held Tennessee without a point for another four minutes and 30 seconds. The two stars exchanged dunks 20 seconds apart as the Boilermakers took a 36-34 lead to the locker room. The eye popping stat was Tennessee not scoring a point for 10:05.
Centers Jonas Aidoo and Tobe Awaka both had two fouls, but they did not get whistled until late in the half.
Jahmai Mashack, who started in place of Santiago Vescovi still had the lingering effects of the flu he suffered two days prior also had two fouls. His stat line was 2 rebounds, two assists, and 0 for 2 from the field in 13 minutes.
The fouls began to pile up at the start of the second half. First, it was Aidoo trying to deny Edey position. Awaka came in and got caught for his third, then Mashack did the same thing shortly after that–all of this happened before the first media timeout of the second half.
Visions of that Hawaii game suddenly came to mind for Volunteers fans. Then Awaka got his fourth foul with 14:03 left, trying to deny Edey an offensive rebound, and freshman JP Estrella was needed earlier than when Rick Barnes wanted. Seven team fouls meant that Purdue was in the bonus with 13:54 left in the game.
Purdue took a 54-46 lead, but then was held scoreless for 2:18. The Vols went on a fast 10-2 run to tie the game with 7:02 to play.
With eight minutes left to play, Tennessee had 18 fouls and finished with 25 overall. Purdue on the other hand was whistled for 12 fouls.
In a game that had six ties and eight lead changes, this stat stands out the most:
In today's game, Zach Edey scored 55.6% (40/72) of Purdue's points while Dalton Knecht scored 56.1% (37/66) of Tennessee's points.
It's the first time that two opposing players have scored at least half of their team's points in the same NCAA Tournament game. pic.twitter.com/462zdccGST
But the high pressure plays by Lance Jones with his triple at the 2:43 mark, his outstanding defense denying good looks that Knecht had in mind, and the final desperate attempt which finally erased the painful memory of 2023:
At long last, all of the demons Purdue has been finally exorcised that haunted the program for an entire year.
From Losing As A Number 1 Seed To The Final Four
If Virginia did it in 2019, Purdue certainly has the firepower and the capability to come up big when the spotlight is the brightest.
Purdue star Zach Edey had 40 points, 16 rebounds in 39 minutes, while Tennessee star Dalton Knecht had a career high 37 points in his final college game, 6 of 12 from the 3-point line, and finished 14 of 31 from the floor. After making his first four shots from beyond the arc, he went 2 for 8. Edey and Knecht are the third pair of opposing players to both have 35 point games in the Elite Eight or later, per ESPN Stats & Information.
Fletcher Loyer had 14 points and Braden Smith had 9, including one of only three triples that Purdue made in 15 attempts. For the game, the Boilers shot 24 of 53 for 45.3 percent. Tennessee made the same number of field goal attempts, but took nine extra shots, 24 of 62 (38.7 percent.)
Tennessee (27-9) continues to seek their first Final Four in program history. For Head Coach Rick Barnes, his first and only trip came with Texas in 2003. They will look back at failing to lock that fourth and final Number 1 seed out West when the Vols dropped consecutive games to Kentucky and Mississippi State before the tournament. Another case of what might have been.
There were no other double figure scorers. Zakai Zeigler had 9 and Josiah Jordan James had 8.
More History for Zach Edey
He became the first player since Pete Maravich of LSU in 1970 to attempt 400 free throws for a college career.
Edey is the first player with 40 plus points and at least 16 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Bo Kimble of Loyola Marymount had 45 points and 18 rebounds in a 1990 first round game beating New Mexico State.
His averages of 30 ppg and 15 rebounds per game in the first four games of the tournament joined this elite group:
1957 Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas
1959 Jerry West, West Virginia
1968 Elvin Hayes, Houston
What They Were Saying
A Purdue staffer said it was, “Cathartic.”
National Player of the Year Candidate and All-American Zach Edey:
“We knew that’s what the game was going to be. When you go up against a team like Tennessee, a win is not always going to be pretty. The only thing that matters is getting the job done in the end.”
Purdue guard Fletcher Loyer:
“He’s the best player in college basketball, one of the greats. He needs more respect because what he has done is unreal. I’m so proud of him and the work he has put in.”
And leave it up to 87 year old Hall of Fame Coach Gene Keady. This would have been his type of game when he manned the sidelines in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
As Zach handed Keady a piece of the net, Edey reflected to the Associated Press on what this meant to the university and how this victory was oh so sweet:
“You’ve always got to pay respect to those that came first. He built this. It doesn’t go over our heads. He helped set this all up. To be able to pay him back and give him a little piece of the net, it’s the least I can do.”
Keady won 512 games with the Boilermakers and coached Painter when he played for them from 1989-1993.
And what did Keady mentioned last year in that phone call to Columbus, Ohio after that stunning loss to Fairleigh Dickinson?
“[I told him] keep your head up, keep working hard and he did that. He’s always been a good listener and I’m very proud of him.”
Keady is still one of Painter’s mentors.
From NBC13, WTHR in Indianapolis:
They will next get the surprise team in the Big Dance, looking to replicate what Jim Valvano did for the Cardiac Kids of 1983.
The 11 seed North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Look for that recap in my next blog above.
For Boiler Nation, it was a long, LONG time coming. I can count so many things on my watch from my time as a kid playing board games like LIFE and Candy Land to entering the second half of my life (I am a few years younger than Coach Matt Painter.)
Well, the rest of the world will find out how great the soon-to-be two time National Player of the Year can show off his versatile skills that the folks in West Lafayette, Indiana have known for four mostly fun seasons.
The nation’s overall Number 1 seed of UConn obliterated and shattered (and I mean shattered) the 3 seed from Illinois to reach their second straight Final Four appearance and seventh in school history by a final score of 77-52. The Huskies jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead, seven of those points coming on a Donovan Clingan on a dunk, a second-chance layup (along with a made free throw), followed by another second-chance layup.
Clingman was named the East Regional Most Outstanding Player as Cling Kong was a man amongst boys, feasting early and often against the much shorter Illinois defense. 25 straight points later after the halftime intermission, the Illini finally ended the 30-0!!! UConn run on a layup by Justin Harmon. The major hurdle was trying to erase a 28 point deficit with 12:41 left in regulation time.
In other words, time to pack up the suitcases and check out of the hotel. Forward Coleman Hawkins mentioned how frustrating it was seeing their season end in such tragic fashion:
“It felt like no shots were going in for us, and it felt like they were going out in transition every time. You look up, and we’re still at 23.”
Even though Tristan Newton was 0 for 7 in the first half, Cam Spencer and Alex Karaban picked up the slack. The lone highlight for the Orange Krush was the Wisconsin transfer Marcus Domask, who hit a couple of big 3-point shots to keep the Illini within striking distance with the Huskies leading 28-23 at the half.
The second half was all Huskies. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Illinois was 0 of 19 on shots contested by Clingan. UConn (34-3) held Illinois to 25.4 percent shooting (17 of 67). With the exception of Domask–this game would have ended at a much bigger margin.
Donovan Clingan was THE man of the night in Boston–22 points on 9 of 13 shooting, 10 rebounds, three steals, and four blocks. Cam Spencer and Hassan Diarra had 11 points apiece. Samson Johnson also finished in double figures with 10. For the game, the defending champs shot a blistering 31 for 60 at 51.7 percent.
It got so bad for the Orange Krush that Illinois had 25 points in 28:48 seconds, this after they reached the 70 mark in 34 of 37 games this season. Illinois (29-8) suffered their only loss by double digits this season. Every stat was in favor of UConn, except the free throws were exactly the same–12 of 17 for 70.6 percent. Marcus Domask was the high man for the Orange Krush, as he finished with 17 points in his final college game. Also playing his final college game was Terrence Shannon, Jr., who came into this game averaging 31.2 ppg in the last six games (Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments together.) He finished with only 8 point on 2 of 12 shooting–all the while hoping that the criminal case that’s pending in Kansas from last September continues to linger.
Amani Hansberry also had 8 points off the bench, while Quincy Guerrier in his final game finished with seven points and four rebounds. Finally, Coleman Hawkins had a rough outing, ending up with only 5 points on 2 of 10 from the floor.
Their national semifinal opponent will be the 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (25-11), who used a second half tidal wave from 3 point land to dispose of the 6 seeded Clemson Tigers 89-82.
Roll Tide Indeed (Sadly, No Leftover Grammys Were Outside Crypto.com Arena)
The Crimson Tide entered the Elite Eight as a top 25 shooting team from behind the arc. Early on, they struggled early as they could not find any rhythm going 1 for 13. Clemson broke the game open with an early 16-4 run, including six straight points by RJ Godfrey as Brad Brownell’s Tigers led 26-13.
Mark Sears, Alabama’s All-American guard was especially struggling, missing his first 7 shots, including 0 for 4 from downtown. He didn’t make his first basket until almost 16 minutes of play had elapsed.
Alabama answered Clemson’s almost football like burst with a 22-6 run, including 11 in a row to take a halftime lead of 35-32. Reclassified freshman forward Jarin Stevenson made four of six threes in one short burst. The Tide hit five triples after missing 12 of 13 to start the game.
In the second half, Alabama let out the dogs so-to speak and the outside shots were falling like rain. The Crimson Tide shot 66.7 percent from 3 in the second half — better than Clemson shot overall (47.8 percent). Basically, the Tide were shooting before the Tigers could get back downcourt and set up their zone defense.
The Tigers tried desperately to keep up and finished 8 of 26 from 3-point range. Joe Girard made up for his lack of scoring against Arizona by nailing back to back triples and PJ Hall added another that brought Clemson to withing six at 68-62. Girard’s third 3 cut Clemson’s deficit to 76-73. But Nick Pringle was in that scoring zone, where no defense was going to stop him. Nick scored eight points in a row, and made 4 of 6 free throws down the stretch. He finished the night with a double double of 16 points and 11 rebounds.
But it was Mark Sears, the only Alabama native that officially sealed the school’s first ever trip to the Final Four.
Brian Anderson had the call for TBS on the Tide’s 10th 3-pointer in the second half:
Yes, that was Alabama alum and seven time NBA champion Robert “Big Shot Bob” Horry in the crowd, who was a major star with the Lakers in that very same facility in the early 2000’s.
While Alabama head coach Nate Oats was wearing the net around his neck, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell tipped his cap on the barrage, or rather seeing a video game played in real life:
“What a basketball game. The shot-making was elite. Their second-half performance was outstanding and for whatever reason we had a hard time guarding them. We’re big, physical, tough and smart, but we’re not very fast. In the second half that was a problem for us.”
And with that, Clemson can get ready for their annual spring football practice on Super Saturday.
A New Star Was Born In The Land of Glitz And Glamor
Freshman Jarin Stevenson airballed a couple shots from deep in the first half, as part of the 12 misses out of 13 to start the game. He ended up making a career high five treys as part of his 19 points off the bench.
Mark Sears, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the West Region said that, “We don’t win this game without him. Jarin hit 3 after 3 after 3 and kept us in this ballgame. He was huge.”
Tide coach Nate Oats added, “Jarin grew up tonight.”
And boy did he ever.
Even though the actual shooting percentages were very close, Clemson finished at 47.8 percent and Alabama was at 46.8 percent–but what Coach Oats kept preaching to his team “Keep shooting” proved to be the difference.
16 of 36 shots from 3-point land found the bottom of the net, and they will need that and a lot more to keep up with the defending national champions next Saturday in Glendale, Arizona.
Perhaps they should go to YouTube and look at the second round game between Loyola Marymount and Michigan in the 1990 NCAA Tournament, where both teams scored at will.
Sears finished with 23 points, one off his career high while Nick Pringle had 16, Rylan Griffen with 13, and Aaron Estrada chipped in with 10.
Clemson (24-12) was led by Joseph Girard III with 19 points, Ian Schieffelin had 18 points and 11 rebounds, while PJ Hall had 14 before fouling out.
At least, the first semifinal is set–and a good chunk of my annual Final Four Preview will not be as descriptive as in years past. And the way the shots were falling, their fans should ride the wave and get in line at the new Glendale studios to take part in a future taping of TPiR.
It has been well document that the women have had lots of success in the SEC since the NCAA sanctioned the sport since 1982. For a traditional football power to succeed in men’s basketball, I say Welcome to The Party.
Or as the locals say, it’s Been a Hot Minute.
The final two slots will be filled on Sunday afternoon. Leading off in Detroit will be the Midwest Final featuring the top 2 seeds in the Midwest hooking up in Detroit, as Zach Edey leads Purdue in the hopes of reaching the school’s first Final Four since Joe Barry Carroll led them in 1980 (yes, that was a long, long time ago.) And for Tennessee, they could join Alabama as not only first time Final Four participants–but they could be the 10th school in SEC history to accomplish this feat. One thing to watch for, if Santiago Vescovi does not fully recover from the flu, that could hurt them as the game moves on.
Even with all of the flak that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said on the eve of Selection Sunday in the hopes that expanding the Big Dance will add more bids to the Power 4 conferences, and the Big East is total hogwash:
Sankey has talked about NCAA Tournament expansion before, including in his role as co-chair of the NCAA Division I Transformation Committee, but his dismissive comments upset a lot of people. Traditionalists and casual fans alike all saying, like the 1930’s Popeye cartoon with the famous title “Leave Well Enough Alone”.
And I have even heard some people on SiriusXM Radio and a few dozens of commenters on The Athletic during the season say, let’s go back to 64 teams.
The way the college basketball landscape has changed since the introduction of NIL, teams like Alabama are joining the likes of Auburn and Florida joining traditional blueblood Kentucky for SEC supremacy, we still have to remind ourselves that what Chris Vannini of The Athletic mentioned on March 23:
“Basketball isn’t football, where history has shown that the greatest collections of talent always win out, and the majority of those collections do come from the SEC. Americans love the NCAA Tournament because every team is treated equally. Whether you win the Horizon League, the Ivy League or the SEC, you get in and you get a chance. Year after year, the upsets are the memories casual fans remember.”
The final game in Dallas at the South Regional will be a rematch from March 14, as the usual ACC kings from Duke meet again with the last double digit seed standing in the always ultimate Cinderella story from North Carolina State.
Enjoy your Easter, for those who celebrate. I will see you hopefully earlier in the evening than I have been these last three plus weeks.
The Big Maple and Friends Had Their Way With Gonzaga
“It’s pick your poison. They shot it great from 3, and then in the second half, we shut down that area pretty good. Then, Edey was just a load.”
Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few after the game on the mysteries of trying to solve how to defend the 7’4″ center Zach Edey
In the Midwest at Detroit, it was another businessman’s like effort from Purdue as Edey finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, was 10 for 15 from the floor and 7 for 10 from the free throw line in a 80-68 waxing of Gonzaga.
He drew nine fouls, seven more than anyone else on the Boilers. He didn’t have a block but made things difficult on Gonzaga from his low spot in Purdue’s zone — altering no fewer than six shots in the second half.
Also having a field day was sophomore guard Braden Smith. The native of Westfield, Indiana finished with a stellar stat line of 14 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds.
In this highlight, Edey and Camden Heide showed why they are on a mission to reach their first Final Four since 1980.
Smith finished two assists shy of joining Joe Barry Carroll — who played on Purdue’s last Final Four squad — as only the second player in program history to record a triple-double. Smith made two of Purdue’s seven 3-pointers in the first half.
Gonzaga had very little choice but to foul, but Edey ate up on the inside and Fletcher Loyer fired away from the outside. The Bulldogs main stars of Graham Ike (pronounced EEE kay) fouled out with 18 points and Anton Watson joined him on the bench after picking up his fifth foul. He finished with 14 points on 5 of 11 shooting.
Purdue (32-4) shot 57.1 percent from the floor (32 of 56), while Gonzaga (27-8) was not too far behind going 29 of 59 (49.2 percent.) Purdue made 24 assists to Gonzaga’s 14.
A special run for Gonzaga, who was practically dead one day before the Super Bowl–but winning those three Quad 1 games on the road starting at Kentucky and later in the month at San Francisco and St. Mary’s kept their streak of Sweet 16 appearances to nine in a row.
Special History Again For Zach Edey
With his 14 rebounds on Friday night, Edey joined Elvin Hayes, Rick Barry and Oscar Robertson as the fourth player in NCAA history with at least two seasons of 750 points and 425 rebounds. Edey is trying to become the first player since The Big O in 1960 to lead the nation in scoring and reach the Final Four.
Purdue will be making their sixth appearance in the Elite Eight. Al that stands in the way is the second seeded Tennessee Boilermakers.
The 3 seed of Creighton hung tough in the first half leading 35-34. But Tennessee ran through the Bluejays unlike anytime during the regular season by going an 18-0 run early in the second half that took 4:58 off the clock in taking a commanding 55-39 lead. That forced Creighton head coach Greg McDermott to call two timeouts because he didn’t want to wait for the 16 minute media time out to stem the tide (actually was at the 14 minute mark when the time out took place.)
Baylor Scheierman made a trey to end the drought and later made an old fashioned three point play as part of a 9-0 run that pulled the Bluejays to within three points with 6:04 left.
Coach McDermott then tried something he didn’t do all season long, and that was utilizing a triangle-and-2 defense to at least keep the game close in which he said after the game, “It’s called desperation.”
For one of the top teams in the Big East for them to fall so quickly, you can thank Dalton Knecht for most of the damage. His pair of 3-pointers restored the lead back to six and Zakai Zeigler set up Tobe Awaka for a three-point play that put the Vols ahead 71-64 with 1:39 left to seal the school’s second trip to the Elite Eight. Tennessee (27-8) will hope to get a bit further than the 2010 squad that lost by one point to eventual national champion Michigan State.
Besides Knecht leading the way with 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals, Zeigler had 18, and Josiah Jordan James had 17.
Creighton (25-10) was led in scoring by Baylor Scheierman with 25 points, Steven Ashworth had 16, and Ryan Kalkbrenner with 14 as all three guys played their final games in a Bluejays uniform. They actually did better in shooting percentage (44.8 to 41.8 percent) as they fall short one year after a heartbreaking, one-point loss to San Diego State prevented the program from its first Final Four. The Bluejays will have another long offseason to wonder what they could have done to get the chance to play on college basketball’s biggest stage having to replace their three great stars.
On Sunday afternoon, it will be the Boilermakers counting once again on a player ranked 436th coming out of high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who is also working on his second national player of the year award.
The Vols count on a guy who couldn’t even earn second-team All-Big Sky a year ago at Northern Colorado and is now an All-American guard . Matt Painter is the coach who can’t get to the Final Four; Rick Barnes is the guy who can’t win a title. Both guys have faced lots of criticism from the press, and rightfully so.
The way I see it, Purdue has to take care of the ball and play their game. For Tennessee, how they are going to stay at arm’s length in the rebounding department? Not many teams have figured out. Since their last meeting 71-67 during Thanksgiving week at the Maui Invitational held in Honolulu, the only difference will be the status of senior guard Santiago Vescovi. If his fever goes down by late Sunday morning, the Vols may have a chance. Otherwise, this may turn into a Purdue coronation in the only region that went chalk to the Elite Eight.
In Dallas at the South Regional, the major development came with 6:38 left in the first half when Jamal Shead (pronounced Shed) turned his right ankle. He barely was able to put a little bit of weight on it. And with the top seed Cougars already missing two rotation players, Duke took full advantage.
This is what CBS cameras caught when Shead injured his right ankle:
This did not look good for Jamal Shead. Ugh. He had to be carried to the locker room heavily favoring the right ankle. pic.twitter.com/GRQiEsXVor
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 30, 2024
Tracy Wolfson later reported that Jamal Shead got X-rays at halftime and they were negative. His ankle was heavily taped and the team left the door open that he could still return to the game. He started the second half on the bench, but never returned.
Doctors mentioned that he had a right ankle sprain.
Even seeing a Ted Lasso “Believe” sign in the crowd was not enough to send the Cougars to the Elite Eight, as Duke (27-8) relied on potential lottery pick Kyle Filipowski who led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds. Senior Jeremy Roach scored all 14 of his points in the second half.
J’Wan Roberts had 13 points and eight rebounds for Houston (32-5), which entered the game allowing an NCAA-best 57.7 points per game and kept Duke below that mark.
Super senior L.J. Cryer scored 15 points in his final college game. Shead finished with two points on 1 of 5 shooting with three assists and two steals. Such a sad way for his college career to end.
When he spoke to reporters after the game, he showed lots of regret in not being able to help his teammates–given the fact that Houston had a very thin bench and that might have also been a factor in the Cougars losing the rebounding battle 34-30.
A lot of tears in the Houston locker room, including from Jamal Shead.
"I hate that it ended like this. I wish I could have gotten back out there and been in the fight." pic.twitter.com/r69vbtZNuP
Both teams shot the same from the field–20 of 49 for 40.8 percent. The difference came from the free throw line, as Duke went 8 for 12 and Houston was 9 of 17. Had they made all 17, we would have been talking about a rematch from that watershed moment in 1983 with the shocking ending that people are still talking about to this day.
“It didn’t feel like a fair fight. Two of theirs equals one of Jamal. That’s how good he was. You don’t have another one of those. You don’t have the best defensive player in the Big 12. You don’t have the guy who made all the big shots at the end.”
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson in comments after the game
Instead, we are going to have an All-ACC regional final as the North Carolina State Wolfpack look to become the seventh 11 seed to reach the Final Four. They met once on March 14 as Duke was sent home early losing to the Wolfpack 74-69 at the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.
For Duke as a 4 seed, they set a new record with the most wins beating a Number 1 seed with 10 since seeing began in 1979. They broke a tie with their nastiest rivals from North Carolina who have done it 9 times. Kansas has done it eight teams in their storied history. It is also the program’s 24th appearance in the Elite Eight, which ranks third all-time behind North Carolina and Kentucky.
One final key nugget heading into the weekend:
Nate Oats and Bama, Rick Barnes and Tennessee break through to the Elite Eight.
Tide’s first in 20 years, Vols’ first in 14 years and second all-time.
Duke makes its first Elite Eight under Jon Scheyer too. Salt in Kentucky’s wounds.
We know this for sure, one school will be making their first ever trip to the Final Four (a traditional football program) in the West Region. Illinois hopes to give UConn a game in Boston, while UConn is the last Big East team still alive. The Huskies and Purdue are the last Number 1 seeds standing. And will North Carolina State make it 9 for 9, in terms of elimination wins?
See you on Saturday night as one semifinal will be determined on the left side of the bracket. Take care everybody.
Eight Straight Wins As Marquette Shoots 33.3 Percent
Playing only seven guys, NC State head coach Kevin Keatts had a plan and the Wolfpack controlled the tempo and completely rattled Marquette to earn the program’s first Elite Eight appearance since 1986 following a 67-58 upset of number 2 seeded Marquette.
Outside of Tyler Kolek who scored 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting in his final college game, everyone else from the Golden Eagles shot 12 of 47 from the field.
6’9″, 275-pound forward DJ Burns Jr. made this sweet move in the first half as NC State led 37-24 at the break.
Ian Eagle, Grant Hill, and Bill Raftery had the call for CBS:
Notice where Stevie Mitchell ran into a Ben Middlebrooks screen and fell to the floor. Horne also made two other late-clock shots that kept the Wolfpack’s lead at arm’s length. Each time Marquette made a basket, the Wolfpack was there for an immediate answer.
On this being the 50th anniversary of NC State’s first national championship in 1974 — when the Wolfpack beat Marquette, it’s beginning to look a lot like the second one by the Cardiac Kids in 1983. That same year, they won the ACC Tournament just to get in and hold off six straight opponents en route to Jim Valvano running around trying to find someone to hug, and the ultimate cinderella was partying high above the rim with two of his players holding banners which simply said “PACK POWER”.
“I’m fully aware. We pay homage to that team and that group all throughout the year. Those guys have been valuable to us by coming back, giving us feedback, giving us different things that we could do to be better. So we definitely appreciate them, and we honor them just by going out and trying to win.”
Guard Casey Morsell after the game on how the living members of that miracle run back in the day after inspired this group.
For figure skating fans in the Winter Olympics, the lead announcer for NBC Sports who gets to sit alongside former Team USA gold medalists Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir was a guard on that 1983 team. At the time, he was a sophomore who stood 6 foot fall and was very lanky, slender, and was very calm on the court. He could control a game like the best of them (even though there was no shot clock in that era.)
His name, Terry Gannon.
Like this team, their path to the Final Four had several bumps along the way especially going up against teams like the 11 seeded Pepperdine Waves in the first round, which took 2 overtimes and did not end until sometime after 3 a.m. Eastern time. In the second round, they edged out UNLV by a single point. At the regionals in the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah, they creamed the home standing Utes 75-56 and had to survive a late rally against that season’s Player of the Year in Ralph Sampson as the Pack edged out Virginia 63-62. At the Final Four in Albuquerque, they played an excellent game holding off another surprise team in the Georgia Bulldogs as the 4 seed out of the East lost to the Wolfpack 67-60. And that all set up for the memorable ending on the night of Monday, April 4, 1983.
And I can still remember those last three games like it was yesterday.
Back to the present:
The closest that Marquette got was six points within the final minute. They somehow hung around and were within range when Kam Jones had a shot to cut the lead to three in the final minutes. The ball came off his left hand with some funky spin and ricocheted off the rim right toward Oso Ighodaro. However, Ighodaro couldn’t get his hands up to catch it securely. The ball instead hit him in the face and causing his nose to bleed.
Once the blood was cleared off and that portion of the court was sanitized, Horne answered two brief Marquette runs with treys, one of them had him blowing a kiss to the Golden Eagles fans behind their team’s bench after the first. The next time had him gesturing toward his supporters near the N.C. State bench after the second shot from deep.
Within a span of seven real-time minutes, both the men and women advanced to the Elite Eight by knocking out Number 2 seeds:
NC State will send both its men's and women's teams to the Elite Eight this year 🐺
Casey Morsell added 15 points and Mohamed Diarra had himself another nice game, compiling a double double (11 points, 15 rebounds). Besides Kolek’s 17, Kam Jones had 20 to lead the Golden Eagles.
For you history buffs out there, the Wolfpack reached the Elite Eight again in 1985 and 1986. They lost to a Number 1 seed each time. St. John’s won 69-60 winner in 1985, followed by Kansas with a 75-67 victory in the first season with a shot clock (45 seconds.)
They will play the winner of Duke and Houston, with the Blue Devils leading 23-22 at the half.
Santiago Vescovi arrived in street clothes and is out for Tennessee’s game against Creighton due to catching the flu. Rick Barnes said Thursday he did not expect Vescovi’s illness to keep him out. He will miss tonight’s game and Jahmai Mashack will start. Expect Jordan Gainey to possibly get more minutes in Vescovi’s absence.
Two More Coaches Announced, Including a Former NCAA Tournament Hero and A Small Update Regarding One Star Player for Tennessee Prior to Their Sweet 16 Encounter Against Creighton
In a busy week regarding the carousel of head coaches, it continued churning out more names–including one of the key cogs that helped Jim Boeheim win his first and only national championship as the Syracuse Orange head coach in 2003.
James Madison has hired Preston Spradlin from Morehead State as its new men’s basketball coach, the school announced Friday.
Spradlin took the Eagles to two NCAA tournament appearances.
Spradlin was the head coach at Morehead State for eight seasons, building the Eagles into one of the most consistent mid-major programs during that span. In his last four seasons at the helm, Morehead State won 94 games along with two Ohio Valley regular-season championships, went to two NCAA tournaments, and went 58-16 in conference play. This season’s 26 wins set a program record for wins in a season.
“Preston stood out at the top of our list as we researched candidates based upon the resume that he’s built at a very young age as a head coach. Once we met with him, it was even more evident that he’s the total package in a head coach. The results speak for themselves, but beyond the results we found a genuine and authentic coach and teacher who cares about his student-athletes, about his institution and the community. Given our recent success at James Madison, our facility, our resources and the enthusiasm of our fanbase, we believe Preston is the right coach to build something truly special in Harrisonburg.”
JMU Athletic Director Jeff Bourne in statement by the school
Prior to taking over at Morehead State, Spradlin was an assistant under Sean Woods for two seasons and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky from 2009 to 2011. He replaces Mark Byington, who left earlier this week for the Vanderbilt job. Byington led James Madison to a historic season going 32-4, and beating Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Veteran Syracuse Assistant Coach and Standout National Championship Guard Lands Job at Siena
On Friday morning, longtime assistant for the Syracuse Orange Gerry McNamara was named the new head coach at Siena–150 miles east of Syracuse in Albany.
He replaces Siena alum Carmen Maciariello, who was fired after going 68-72 in five seasons at the school, which included an atrocious 4-28 mark this season.
McNamara has been on the Syracuse staff since 2009, first as a graduate assistant and then more than a decade as an assistant under legendary Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim. Last season he became associate head coach when Adrian Autry took over as head coach.
The 40 year old McNamara is the fourth leading scorer in Syracuse history behind Laurence Moten, Derrick Coleman and John Wallace. He started on Syracuse’s 2003 national championship team that was led by Carmelo Anthony and Hakim Warrick. McNamara had 18 points, all six baskets from behind the 3-point line as the Orange edged out 81-78 over Kansas in the championship game in New Orleans.
McNamara started all 135 games for the Syracuse Orange and remains the school’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made by a wide margin with 400. Jim’s son Buddy Boeheim is second at 309, and Joseph Girard III ranks third at 297. McNamara also tops Syracuse’s all-time lists for free throw percentage (.888) and minutes played (4,799).
This is just the tip of the iceberg regarding Siena serving as a springboard for coaches many times before. Fran McCaffery made three straight NCAA tournament runs for the tiny school and has been at Iowa for 14 seasons since leaving Siena; Paul Hewitt got his first Division I job at Siena and left after three seasons to take Georgia Tech to the national championship game; Mike Deane also popular before leaving for Marquette; Rob Lanier took his talents south to Rice University in Houston.
The school has even used the Syracuse-to-Siena path before. Former Orange player and assistant Louis Orr spent one season as Siena coach in 2000-2001, winning a share of the MAAC regular-season title before leaving for Seton Hall.
“Gerry’s illustrious career and championship pedigree at Syracuse University, paired with his exceptional skills in mentoring young talent, align perfectly with the high expectations and storied tradition of Siena basketball. His appointment is not just about restoring championship success — a standard our fans rightly anticipate — but it also symbolizes Siena’s ascent in the broader collegiate landscape.”
Siena President Chuck Siefert in statement released by the school
McNamara has been held in high regard on recruiting, and that will be needed to turn things around at Siena. Among the 351 teams with full-fledged Division I membership this past season, only DePaul (3-29), Coppin State (2-27), Mississippi Valley State (1-30) and Detroit Mercy (1-31) had worse records than the Saints.
Santiago Vescovi Under The Weather, Hoping To Play Tonight
According to knoxnews.com on Thursday afternoon, Santiago Vescovi did not practice with the Tennessee Volunteers on Thursday due to an illness.
Vols coach Rick Barnes said the senior guard “was under the weather”, but is expected to play for the 2 seeded Tennessee (26-8) against the 3 seed from Creighton (25-9) in Detroit starting sometime after 10:15 p.m. Eastern time on TBS/truTV.
Very little news from many of the Knoxville TV stations on Friday morning, so we will see if he will be in the starting lineup when game time approaches.
Also regarding Tennessee, I found this fascinating article about the unusual circumstances regarding star guard Zakai Ziegler. He was reminded a lot of what T.J. Ford did for Texas in their run to the 2003 Final Four when Rick Barnes was coaching in Austin.
Tennessee reporter Joe Rexrode of The Athletic noticed this in an article today:
“Few have earned the trust to take over huddles or change a set call in the moment because they see something they like better. In that way, Ford and Zeigler are very alike.”
Ziegler said it himself during Wednesday’s press conference in Detroit regarding how difficult it is to be handed the keys as the primary point guard:
“First off, it’s not easy. Not easy at all. For all the people who think it might be easy, it’s really not. But if you’re confident and you play with your own swag, Coach Barnes is gonna ride with you. Times will get tough but as long as you’ve got that same confidence and you actually listen to him — because he might yell at you, might tell you a thing or two — he’s just trying to help you.”
But the road to getting to the doorsteps of the Final Four meant many struggles and really digging deep to not only be discovered, but find a place where he could thrive and succeed–in addition to helping his mother find stable housing.
This article is definitely worth your time, as Ziegler is truly living the American dream in his own unique flair that is thrilling fans in Knoxville and other fans representing Vols Nation:
Here’s The Basic 411, Since Life Always Gets in The Way
Hope everyone is hydrated, calm, and enjoying life.
I had one of the most difficult weeks that I can remember, but as I was typing this–a huge cloud slowly lifted off of my shoulders and up towards the heavens.
Sure hope both of my grandparents can catch the happy feelings way up in the sky as I bring you my annual Sweet 16 preview, albeit in Cliff’s Notes form. For those old enough to remember those mini books that were commonplace at Waldenbooks and Crown Books, They turned out to be major lifesavers since I hated reading 300 page novels, since I feel studying world literature is both dumb and way too time consuming. But still, I had to take two semesters to graduate from college.
And so, here I am again spilling my knowledge to you, my loyal blog readers.
All times listed are in Eastern time.
WEST Regional, Los Angeles
Arizona vs. Clemson, 7:09 p.m., CBS
Arizona is too talented and too good. Oumar Ballo might be one that Clemson could stretch out beyond the circle, but I feel it is going to be all Caleb Love. He used to play Clemson twice a year for North Carolina and he torched the Tigers. I expect Arizona to win handily, since they thrive in transition. If they get out onto the open floor, look out.
North Carolina vs. Alabama, 9:39 p.m. approximately, CBS
The Crimson Tide is ranked fourth nationally in terms of overall offense. The Crimson Tide led the nation in points per game with 90.7, while UNC averaged 81.5 which was tops in the ACC. The key for the Tide is that they love to play fast, but if they speed it up way too much–it will be like trying to drive the 5 at 100 mph. North Carolina is too deep and too talented, as R.J. Davis, Anthony Bacot, and Cormac Ryan should be more than enough to set up the Caleb Love on a rainy Saturday to come in the Elite Eight.
EAST Regional, Boston
UConn vs. San Diego State, 7:39 p.m., TBS/truTV
This is basically all you need to know about the defending champions:
“Just keep blowing these teams out of this tournament” 👀
Dan Hurley is feeling confident after UConn’s dominant victory over Northwestern 🐺 pic.twitter.com/SUMZMqUfVx
Dan Hurley that his Huskies are “bulletproof”. I wouldn’t go quite as far as if it was UNLV in 1990-1991. But given their sheer talent and ability to fly over the court, the rematch tonight against San Diego State should give them a decisive edge, in addition to these games taking place just 81 miles away from their Storrs campus. Also of note, Coach Hurley was complaining about the earlier tip time than what they are accustomed to.
In telling Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com on Sunday night as he explained why the seeding process set up by the Selection Committee turned out to be Murderer’s Row in spades, here you go:
“We know what they had in mind, and it’s just more fuel in the fire.”
Okay then, whatever the TV people say–that’s when you are on.
Besides, I don’t give a s–t what he says, just go out there and coach your team and we’ll see where the results fall.
With their firepower of Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, and Cam Spencer with this set of ridiculous stats during the regular season, they are still the hands-on favorite to repeat:
After tonight, UConn’s Cam Spencer’s numbers on the season:
– 14.9 PPG – 50% from the field – 46% from 3 – 92% from the line – 3.1 A/TO
He’s on pace to be the first player in Division I history to shoot 50-40-90 and post a 3 to 1 assist to turnover ratio in a single season.
I am most impressed by how their defenders enjoy flying around the court. Clingan is like Edey, but with a slightly different build physically speaking. Also, Alex Karaban and Stephon Castle are just as great in providing an offensive spark when called upon.
For San Diego State, they will once again take pride in their defense. Only Darion Trammell and Jaedon LeDee return from the team that was down by 5 points with five minutes to play in 2023. LeDee himself said after the 85-57 pounding of Yale on Sunday night that there was, “A little bitter taste in our mouths.”
A little you say? This is only the fourth time in NCAA Tournament history where the same two schools met for the second straight year. Only in the 1991 Final Four national semifinals when Duke ended UNLV’s 44 game winning streak after the Runnin’ Rebels steamrolled through everybody the year before, will this be a different ending this time around?
Trammell can turn it on anytime that Brian Dutcher calls his number. Most notably, the guard who shot 32.8 percent from deep hit 6 of 11 from long distance combined in their 2023 second round win over Furman and a Sweet 16 upset of then overall Number 1 seeded Alabama. He hit four triples this past Sunday in a second-round win over Yale. I loved this quote the most when he spoke to the media in Spokane, Washington:
“I love the competition. I love a chance to show who I am, where I come from. I think that’s what makes me play better in this time, with so much confidence.”
As Brian Hamilton of The Athletic simply put it on Monday:
”We know they’ll guard. We know they will make it difficult to score, for anyone — or at least more difficult than usual. But UConn isn’t Yale. UConn isn’t a moon; it’s a battle station.”
Iowa State vs. Illinois, 10:09 p.m. approximately, TBS/truTV
It’s the top ranked offense with Terrence Shannon, Jr. scoring at least 30 points in his last six games and Marcus Domask leading the way. The Orange Krush just needs to find a few other key contributors to help just in case if the shots aren’t falling. Iowa State loves to force turnovers, but Illinois is great taking care of the ball. This may be the toughest game of the four to pick, but I like Illinois to emerge for their mental toughness in guiding through the meat grinder that is the Big Ten.
Friday:
SOUTH Region, Dallas
Marquette vs. NC State, 7:09 p.m., CBS
Cinderella Retro 1983. The Ghosts of Jim Valvano and Derrick Whittenberg are still around.
Seriously, D.J. Burns Jr. is a guy the nation is starting to fall in love with. At 6’9″, 300 pounds he is built like an offensive lineman. He could have been disguised as Jason Kelce’s replacement as center of the Philadelphia Eagles. But I am getting ahead of myself.
From the baseline spin moves to the silky-smooth lefty hooks to the dimes he drops out of double and triple teams to the softest touch reminiscent of Bryant “Big Country” Reeves of Oklahoma State in 1995, NC State strength coach Pat Murray told The Athletic: you could ever want from a big man. “He’s like a polar bear, and a ballerina.” A dancing bear who loves to talk. I am sure the folks on Broadway would be laughing themselves silly if this guy was in another sport, but in college basketball circles–he is an interesting character, to say the least. He pressed a finger to his lips for a shhhh! moment in taunting the Oakland fans. As he ran back on defense with his head cocked to the side, the TBS cameras captured his Cinderella ready smile.😃
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2024
He played 42 minutes, had 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in their overtime win over the Golden Grizzlies.
Instead of getting mad if someone says something derogatory, he uses it as jet fuel.
He will definitely have to be on his game in order to beat a Big East power in Marquette. The Golden Eagles feature an awesome combination with 6’5″ guard Kam Jones and (hopefully a fully healed) Tyler Kolek. When classes finished last spring, both guys embarked for a vacation in Los Angeles. Jones from is, had never been to the West Coast and wanted to soak up the sun and see the beaches. After booking their flight and staying at an Airbnb, Jones one day was sleeping in his car On one occasion, Jones recalled falling asleep after spending a few hours at the beach, thinking they were done for the day. Instead, the car found them outside the gym at Loyola Marymount University. That meant more practice time and less time to woo the ladies.
This is their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013, and Jones is a huge reason why. Jones averages 17.1 points per game and has efficiency numbers have been off the charts in recent weeks. He shoots a hot 50.3 percent from the field and 41.4 percent from downtown. During their 81-77 victory against Colorado, he scored 18 points despite playing just 24 minutes while in foul trouble. His athleticism, his overall quickness, and ability to create his own shot is a defender’s nightmare. And Kolek is his tag team partner, who has assisted on 48 of Jones’ made field goals.
Kolek, the 6’3″ point guard from Cumberland, Rhode Island is deft with his left hand either going in for easy layups or what Caitlin Clark does so well for the Iowa women, find open teammates to thrive and score points on their own. Kolek is second on the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game and leads the country with 7.9 assists per game. All of Milwaukee is hoping and praying that his oblique stays in check. Otherwise, when he gets up past his 30’s and 40’s, where osteoporosis could settle in–the intermittent burning in people’s backs can be nagging at times, but it shouldn’t impact your daily living. I know of a friend who lifted a huge TV set a few years ago and he felt a pain that he never felt before. And I thought lifting a bulky typewriter when I was in sixth grade was enough to cause a hernia, boy was I wrong.
Anyways, expect Marquette to move on to the Elite Eight which would be their first appearance since a guy many of you should know in Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade got them to the Final Four in 2003.
Houston vs. Duke, 9:39 p.m., CBS
Houston definitely looked vulnerable on Sunday night, even with four of their five starters saddled in foul trouble. As thin as there bench is, they would get eaten alive if Duke puts on a similar shooting display as they did in Brooklyn. In purest of terms, Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach would have to shoot a high percentage. If they stay out of foul trouble, they might have a chance. But Houston grabs rebounds with reckless abandon, and that has been Kelvin Sampson’s M.O. Switching conferences from the comfy confines of Conference USA to the uber competitive Big 12, no problem. Even without Jamal Shead in the closing moments on Sunday, Houston cannot let a 10 point lead disappear with 1:24 remaining in regulation. But give full credit to the 9 seeded Texas A&M Aggies used their football mentality that was capped off by a ridiculous 3-pointer by forward Andersson Garcia at the buzzer to force overtime. Hopefully, it won’t come down to senior walk-on Ryan Elvin to again save their season.
MIDWEST Region, Detroit
Purdue vs. Gonzaga, 7:39 p.m., TBS/truTV
Simple question–How do you guard Zach Edey? If you clog him inside the paint, he will move around the defenders for easy dunks. If you spread him out, he will make the easy pass and watch Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Mason Gillis do their thing. That is one of the main reasons why Purdue is still hungry. Step one was winning the Big Ten regular season title. Step two was winning two games in front of their hometown fans in Indianapolis. Now comes the hard part.
Gonzaga is not the same team as they were when Drew Timme was under center. Making their 9th straight tournament is truly a remarkable feat. Mark Few said they “love being under the radar” as a 5 seed. In that second half win over Kansas in the second round, they completely took the Jayhawks out of their game. They would need to have a similar effort from center Graham Ike, a Wyoming transfer and Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard to keep the Zags from floating off the Pacific Ocean. Nembhard broke the school’s season assist record at 235, which was 234 set by Josh Perkins.
Their strategy is basic–if you want in and are wanted in, you adapt, you learn, you find a way to do your part, and if things come together — like they always happen in Spokane — you party and dance and have a jolly good time.
Tennessee vs. Creighton, 10:09 p.m., TBS/truTV
Simplest game to describe. Tennessee has Dalton Knect and Zakai Zeigler. Creighton has the trio of Baylor Scheierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Trey Alexander. The Bluejays have the better defensive schemes, Tennessee can bury you in several different ways. I expect this game to be a track meet, so whichever team has the ball last has the better chance of winning. And for Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes and Creighton head coach Greg McDermott hopes that last year’s sting of that controversial foul call with 1.2 seconds left in the Elite Eight loss to San Diego State will not happen again.
Even though his players were sobbing and sniffling due to the frequency of allergies all around, this is what he said last year in his final speech to the team:
“We were able to climb a mountain nobody that’s ever worn this uniform has climbed. We can hurt. We can be disappointed. But you damn well better be proud. What happened out there is not renting space in our head and our heart, because then we gotta go through it over and over and over again. We went through it once, and it’s over. We’ll be back in this game. I promise you that.”
They are 40 minutes away. And if what Alexander said last week after winning their second round double overtime classic over Oregon is true, maybe this might be their time:
“It’s helped me to find a reason to set a higher goal for myself and this team — and something to look back on and check yourself, make sure you’re not complacent about winning two or three games in the tournament. We can’t relax. We have to do everything we can to get back to that point and have a different outcome.”
I will be back later tonight recapping all four games.
And if Lana Del Rey is hanging around nearby the Crypto.com Arena after losing out on a Grammy award there last month, I have a future song title if she decides to produce another album:
“There Must Be A Tunnel By The Stoplights Of Rodeo Drive”
A Nice Compilation of Clips and Podcasts Worth Checking Out
That dry sense of humor. The way he gets so excited, even after a rebound is something to behold. Whether it is doing football for CBS on Sunday afternoons and Westwood One radio every Thursday night, NBA basketball on TNT and the YES Network covering the Brooklyn Nets, and of course the handful of games working for CBS.
After 25 years, Ian (pronounced EYE un) got the promotion that fans have been waiting for–at least IMHO. Replacing the legendary Jim Nantz was no easy feat, but the Syracuse graduate has definitely earned more stripes than very few announcers today can possibly match.
While working with Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo on famed sports talker 660 WFAN in New York, CBS needed someone to fill in on college basketball while everyone else was half a world away in 1998 covering the network’s third and final Winter Olympics from Nagano, Japan.
Teaming up with former Duke and NBA player Jim Spanarkel, the pair became an instant hit. That partnership lasted more than a quarter century. And Ian still can recite the eight teams that he had to memorize where very few people watched in the Sacramento pod. The only two schools he did not recall in several interviews were Tennessee and South Alabama.
Which leads us to 2024.
Here are some of his interesting (and rather strange) calls, with one of them set up sideline reporter extraordinare Tracy Wolfson during the second round at the East Region in Brooklyn, New York.
First Round on Friday, March 22–Duke was having its’ way with the Dukes, from James Madison University that is:
Just to clarify ladies and gentlemen, it is a term when a ball gets stuck where the rim meets the glass. Hence, it is wedged.
Does that make sense?
I think so, I don’t know about you loyal readers–but please, let’s carry on to another interesting nugget from early in the game.
Check out what UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley does when picking out his clothes during tournament games. Here’s CBS/truTV sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson setting the scene:
Dan Hurley's superstitions have led to wearing the same red dragon underwear and suit as last year. His wife travels with a portable washing machine to make sure his clothes stay clean.
"Who has a portable washing machine?! I didn't even know that existed!" – Ian Eagle 🏀🎙️ pic.twitter.com/hWC6kHpcoD
I didn’t realize they are similar in size to dehumidifiers, and cost about the same amount (minus shipping and taxes)–depending of course how much you have to pay for additional delivery fees if it is from a company that manufactures it (or dare I say from a foreign country where any DHL package seems to take forever…but a small chance that could be another topic for another blog.)
Here is an interview he did with Dan Patrick on Tuesday, where he talked about having that comfort level knowing he is working with a similar crew behind the scenes when he does the NFL games every Sunday in the fall:
On Wednesday, he was a guest on the One Shining Podcast with Tate Frasier from The Ringer.
His interview is from the 2:14 mark to around 32:31:
And here’s a real treat, from Monday, March 11 six days before the draw was released to the world. Normally, Jon Rothstein interviews coaches mostly from Power 5 schools (will become Power 4 when the Pac-12 dissolves on June 30, 2024).
College Hoops Today is here year-round, both in season and especially in my case the nearly seven month off-season.
The interview starts at around the 8:15 mark:
Finally, there will be a special article done by media critic Bryan Curtis which I am sure will be great weekend reading. The articles resemble that of The New Yorker or The Atlantic.
I will attach that link in a separate blog so you won’t get confused.
By the way, for the ladies in Southern California–there might be some tickets available starting as low as $52, if you want to check out the action at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.
I would first check Vivid Seats for all of the details and do your homework just in case if there are some seats available, because all four schools travel well, especially Arizona and North Carolina.
If you cannot get in, get there at least a few hours early so you can catch the bands and maybe get a few shots of the cheerleaders soaking up the 68 degree sun.
My kind of weather, if you asked me.
Here are the game times:
Game One, 4:09 p.m. Pacific–6 seeded Clemson vs. 2 seeded Arizona
Game Two, 6:39 p.m. Approximate–4 seeded Alabama vs. 1 seed North Carolina
The rest of the nation can watch the action on CBS and listen to the game on the free Varsity Network app.
I will be back with my Sweet 16 preview sometime in the afternoon for my online readers in the Eastern and Central time zones, and I might do a short podcast if my throat holds up.
Take care everybody and I will hope to see you then.
Louisville Snatches Powerful Mid-Major Coach, Charlie Baker Wants To Stop Prop Betting, and Ian Eagle Has A New Announcing Gig
That and a bit more in this edition of News and Notes.
Finally, a blog done way before prime time and way before late night! Well, at least the stories continue to come in on the eve of the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season starting on Thursday.
Two pieces of coaching news on Wednesday:
Louisville hires Pat Kelsey to a 5 year contract, this according to a source from The Athletic. He coached Charleston for the last three years, leading the Cougars to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances over the last two seasons. Prior to that, he was a popular coach at Winthrop from 2012 to 2021. He led the Eagles to four Big South regular season titles and three Big South tournament titles. They made the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2021, but lost both times in the first round.
No other way to say it, but the Cardinals are similar to the Chicago White Sox baseball team. Once a proud team, the Cardinals have fallen on very hard times which has been well documented. Having crowds where the visiting team fans outnumber the Cardinals definitely leaves a mark. Oh, and one more thing–there are these endless entertainment options as Louisville markets themselves as a great place to do business and have a bite to eat at one of their many popular restaurants. Like the Cardinals, the White Sox tore down their roster and starting with over mostly with prospects thanks to trading away many popular players over the last two plus years. Attendance is down, TV ratings are down, and fan apathy is the highest it has ever been.
Basically, Louisville has a long, long way to go similar to that of another former great Chicago team in DePaul.
Pacific has hired former Canadian college basketball coach Dave Smart as their new men’s basketball coach.
Athletic director Adam Tschuor chose Smart as the replacement for the recently fired Leonard Perry.
Smart spent this past season as an assistant at Texas Tech but spent 18 year at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada winning 656 games from 1999 to 2019, where he led the Ravens to 13 of the team’s 17 overall U Sportsnational championships in men’s basketball.
Texas Tech went 23-11 and made the NCAA Tournament this season. Pacific went 6-26 this season and lost all 16 conference games.
NCAA President Calls for End To Prop Bets
Maintaining a proactive stance, Charlie Baker mentioned on Wednesday in a statement that prop betting should be banned in all college sports, especially with football:
“The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game – issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done…Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student athletes and professional athletes getting harassed. The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.”
Prop bets allow fans to bet on how many points or rebounds a basketball player might gain, or running yards or receiving touchdowns a football player might have, instead of or in conjunction with a game’s outcome or spread.
Fans can bet on the outcomes of games but in many of the 38 states where sports betting is legal, prop bets are not allowed in college sports.
He plans to talk to the states that already have legal betting to put a stamp on the rules and make it nationwide:
“This week we will be contacting officials across the country in states that still allow these bets and ask them to join Ohio, Vermont, Maryland and many others and remove college prop bets from all betting markets. The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game — issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done.”
The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion will be bet this year on both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments through legal sportsbooks.
Companies that monitor sports betting for irregularities have warned college sports administrators that prop betting on unpaid athletes elevates the potential risk for a scandal. Temple was one such school that was flagged by U.S. Integrity for unusual betting patterns.
The NCAA conducted a survey after last year’s basketball tournaments that found 58% of 18 to 22 year olds are gambling.
Some players have been subject to individualized harassment if their play resulted in a prop bet going against bettors, regardless of the game’s outcome. Baker has previously explored legislation that would create a “prohibited bettors list” of people who were known to harass players and coaches.
Baker has opposed prop bets in college sports since taking over as president last March.
“I think prop betting in some respects is one of the parts I worry about the most,” Baker told CBS News in November.
In a report from the Associated Press, San Diego State athletic director JD Wicker sounded some alarm bells in hoping to stop this from getting out of control and in some cases, possibly interfering with their ability to get high grades in their schoolwork:
“Our student athletes are going to class, they’re more available in the community. So there’s a lot more opportunity for one of them to be pressured, for them to have something negative happen because maybe they miss the free throw or they miss the over the under, all those types of things.”
The NCAA has partnered with a data science company called Signify, which also works with the WNBA and the National Basketball Players Association to identify online any threats made to athletes during all championship events that are often linked to wagering.
President Baker in January mentioned during the annual NCAA Convention his reasoning why the program works:
“Basically tracks ugly, nasty stuff that’s being directed at people who are participating in their tournaments, and we’d use it the same way. And it can shut it down or basically block it. And in some cases even track back to where it came from.”
But once online betting gained in popularity, the toothpaste went out of the tube and there’s no going back. However, will the laws change by the end of the decade? Who knows?
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood wants to maintain competitive integrity. He was asked that question during the coaches media session from Boston at the East Regional:
“I think in the Big Ten we’ve been very, very proactive in terms of putting out an injury report before games to help protect student-athletes and coaches. I’m a big fan of that. I would hate to see the day where nobody jumps for the jump ball because of a prop bet. To me the greatness of college athletics is the competitive integrity that we have, and we should be able to keep that.”
More information in a broader context on betting and how the media portrays each case is at the link below:
When I read this article on Awful Announcing, I thought to myself–if anyone can announce a simple animal race, it would either be Ian Eagle or Joe Buck (remember during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when he called a baseball game from his neighbor’s back yard?)
Well, cat lovers–get your furry ones ready to go because it is time for:
In a mini-bracket that would have made Animal Planet’s annual Super Bowl tradition of the Puppy Bowl jealous, SHEBA is holding a Gravy Race bracket featuring eight top influencer cats. Early videos started Wednesday. Action starts on Friday and Saturday with two heats each, semifinal round on Sunday, and the championship will be on Tuesday, April 2.
In a radio interview with popular host Lawrence Holmes and Leila Rahimi of NBC5 spoke with Eagle last week on WSCR 670 “The Score” in Chicago by discussing his game preparation and how different his preparation is calling the tournament compared to regular season games, along with his NBA and NFL work:
Fascinating isn’t it, ladies and gentlemen? Everything comes down to preparation. Whether it is for a job interview, taking your date to somewhere nice, or hosting a party with friends–it is always best to smile and have fun.
Speaking of fun, I will close this blog with a really eye opening set of stats regarding shooting in domes as opposed to regular basketball arenas:
Ryan Collinsworth in September 2021 compiled statistical data from 2005-2018, both in regular basketball venues and every game played in the Final Four at NFL stadiums. He concluded that shooting has gone up and even with the sightlines and peripheral vision being drastically different, it shows you very little can faze players–even with those stupid raised floors where the coaches have to sit to shout out instructions.
Here is the article, and I will see you again with my Sweet 16 preview and how have the number 1 seeds fared in the West Region.
Coach Calipari Sticking Around, While More Coaching Hires, and A Popular Athletic Director is Staying in The Same State But Going to A Different School
That and some more cool ratings news on the women’s games in this edition of News and Notes–on this being National Epilepsy Day. Small PSA–help those who need the help. Learn everything you can and make this world better and safer for those who might be suffering.
Well, Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart had his meeting with John Calipari.
And to all fans of Big Blue Nation, you can all breathe a collective sigh of relief that we will get to see this act for at least one more year:
As we normally do at the end of every season, Coach Calipari and I have had conversations about the direction of our men’s basketball program and I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach.
During his first 10 years manning the UK sidelines, the Wildcats reached seven Elite Eights, four Final Fours and a national title in 2012.
What this means going forward, you may ask–all it means is that the buyout decreases from $33 million to $27 million. Whether that $6 million saved goes to help get some much needed upgrades to their basketball practice facility would be a nice perk. But again, I don’t know anyone who works there–so this is just an educated guess on my part.
We do know this, is that he still has 5 years left on his deal worth a little under $45 million.
He is a fantastic recruiter, with dozens of players doing great in the NBA. Of course, Kentucky will always get a high seed in the bracket based on the talent plus other key factors in the always rugged SEC. But in terms of how his teams mesh and become a cohesive unit has not been the case. At least, I won’t have to mention too much in my fall season preview except to replace the names of the starters. Since no one sticks around for more than a couple of years, look for them to again get sliced and diced by a disciplined team like Oakland or St. Peter’s in the 1st round.
What He Said
During his weekly radio show appearance, he sounded like a man who understands that the recent results have not been good enough for the Wildcats program.
“I’m gonna work. That is a commitment that I give to the fans. (Expectation) never goes away, but I love it. This is what I want. This is what I wanted. This is why I never left. And now let’s come together and let’s go do something special. We can do it. We’ve done it. Let’s do it again.”
I found this part to be laughable:
“Our team, players, staff, their families, we’re all hurting. His phone was shut off for two days after the loss, and understandably so.
“I’m hurting for our fans and I know many fans out there are hurting, but I want to say no one is hurting more than me right now. We have a standard here. I said early on, they don’t put Final Four banners up (in the practice facility), only national championship banners. My standard is we’re playing to go deep into the NCAA Tournament and compete for national titles and win national titles. I wanted this job knowing that was the case. I loved this job knowing that was the case. I never left this job. That’s what the standard is for me.”
Getting more 5-star recruits is one thing. Working them in the weight room and building up their physicality to take on some bruisers in the paint can only count for so much.
Bottom line, Big Blue Nation is going to be doing the same things that they did this time two years ago after losing to the 15 seed from tiny St. Peter’s.
That’s my story and I hope to cut-and-paste portions of it next fall.
As for the other coaching news since I last published a blog, first ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel had this news on Monday:
Sources: Cuonzo Martin and Missouri State are working toward a deal make him the school's next head coach. He's the former coach there, as well as Missouri, Tennessee, and Cal. pic.twitter.com/9JWcbaQaIj
Martin returns after spending three seasons in 2008-2011. He led the school during his first stint as head coach to its first and only Missouri Valley Conference regular season title in 2010-2011, which led to them reaching the NIT.
He replaces Dana Ford, who was fired after six seasons.
After leaving Missouri State, Martin then coached at Tennessee, California and Missouri. He left Tennessee after a run to the Sweet 16 in 2014 and also led both Cal and Missouri to NCAA tournament appearances.
Martin has been a head coach for 14 seasons, and has a 264-198 record. During his three seasons at Missouri State, he went 61-41.
Martin is a native of East St. Louis who played at Purdue before a short career in the NBA. After retiring, he returned to his alma mater and worked his way up to associate head coach before taking the Missouri State job in 2008.
He was dismissed from Missouri after the 2021-2022 season, a decision that came with Missouri owing Martin $6 million in buyout money. During his year off, he worked on the podcast “It All Counts”, dealing with life’s challenges and difficulties men face in our daily lives.
Martin is a native of East St. Louis who played at Purdue before a short career in the NBA. His college coaching career began at Purdue, where he worked his way up to associate head coach before taking the Missouri State job in 2008.
He was dismissed from Missouri after the 2021-22 season, a decision that came with Missouri owing Martin $6 million in buyout money. During his year off in 2023-24, he worked on the podcast “It All Counts.”
At IUPUI, they are turning to a local guy in helping to revive the Jaguars. On Monday, the school hired Paul Corsaro. A native of Indianapolis, he spent the last four seasons as head coach at nearby University of Indianapolis. During the past three years, UIndy went 68-25 and made back-to-back NCAA Division II Tournament appearances and won consecutive Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) regular season titles.
Corsaro was the 2023 NABC Midwest Coach of the Year and GLVC Coach of the Year as his team set program records for wins in a season (26) and victories in the GLVC with 17. They were ranked as high as fourth in the NABC national polls and was the top seed in the Midwest Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The Greyhounds were 23-9 and earned a number seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
In a press release from the school, IUPUI Athletic Director Luke Bosso had nothing but praise for keeping Coach Corsaro at home:
“At every turn during our search, Paul Corsaro’s name came up. He’s been wildly successful as a head coach at UIndy, he’s a tireless recruiter and proven developer of talent. He graduates his student-athletes, he wins the right way and his student-athletes have been strong ambassadors for their program. He has deep Indianapolis ties in the basketball community, in the corporate community and in the media, which is only going to help him be successful here.”
Coach Corsaro is hoping to make some big splashes for one of the state capital’s key schools in maybe competing with Butler for city supremacy:
“We will win. We will win quickly. We will win the right way – the ethical way. And we will make the city of Indianapolis proud of the Jaguar basketball program.”
Corsaro graduated from UIndy in 2012 with a degree in communications and completed his MBA there in 2014. He was a two-sport star in both basketball and football, playing in both the NCAA Tournament and NCAA DII football playoffs. In high school, he was a star at Roncalli High School where he finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer.
He hopes to revive a program that was 6-26 last season and ranked 350th in KenPom. Only Coppin State and Mississippi Valley State were worse.
Talk About Leaving A Position of Uncertainty To A Place With Stability
Washington State athletic director Pat Chun left on Tuesday to join archrival Washington, this according to program sources that was confirmed to The Athletic. This move comes one day after Wazzu’s men’s basketball coach Kyle Smith announced he was leaving for Stanford, who joins the ACC this year.
With depressed feelings in and around Pullman being left behind with the Pac-2 starting on June 30, 2024–Chun spent six years at WSU after serving as athletic director at Florida Atlantic. Chun led the Cougars through a very turbulent time in recent years, most notably when the Pac-12 collapsed.
A native of Ohio, Chun has Big Ten roots having spent 15 years at Ohio State working in the Ohio State athletics department. He was considered a candidate for the OSU AD vacancy this winter, but the job ended up going to Texas A&M’s Ross Bjork.
The Chun move comes a week after Troy Dannen accepted the AD job at Nebraska just six months after he arrived at Washington. Dannen is replacing Trev Alberts, who left to become the AD at Texas A&M, replacing Bjork. Quite a game of musical chairs, don’t you think?
Sources close to WSU believe that Anne McCoy, WSU’s senior deputy AD, is very well regarded internally and is seen as a strong option to become the interim AD as they try to steer to hopefully calmer waters in the Mountain West for football and the West Coast Conference for all of the other sports.
No question, this is a crushing blow for Washington State and a solid hire for Washington getting ready to play in the Big Ten. Chun is one of the more well-respected administrators in the country. He led the Cougars through various emotional points during his time in Pullman, including being left behind when the Pac-12 dissolved and firing former football coach Nick Rolovich in 2021 for failing to comply with the state vaccine mandate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Caitlin Clark Playing Her Final Two Games in Iowa City Proved To Be Record Setting
According to Sports Media Watch, the top seed Iowa in their tense 64-54 win over eighth seeded West Virginia on Monday night averaged a massive 4.9 million viewers on ESPN. It was the final home game for Clark at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. It shattered the record for the largest television audience for the women’s tournament prior to the Final Four, which was set in their first round win over the 16 seed of Holy Cross on ABC Saturday afternoon. That game drew 3.23 million viewers.
Iowa next plays the number 5 seed Colorado on ABC at 3:30 PM Eastern on Saturday. The 3 seed from LSU meets second seeded UCLA in the first game, also to air on ABC at 1 p.m. Eastern in Albany, New York.
If LSU and Iowa win, it would set up a national championship rematch on Monday, April 1 at 7:15 p.m. Eastern shortly after SportsCenter on ESPN. Should be fun.
Here are my arguments for and against Jay Williams’ proposal:
I am only for it because we are heading towards the early round games available for streaming. Max obviously will get extra subscribers, but let’s not forget about ESPN+. Talk about a revenue boost.
And the players will have more money in NIL than accountants can properly count how much each athlete will earn in endorsements.
Seth is absolutely right, everyone watches with gambling being front and center–except for some states like California which has bans in place for anyone to place any bets, no matter what the sport.
As far as me against it, people wouldn’t get enough time to do the brackets. I have read on The Athletic in the last few months that the NCAA is “floating” around the idea of having 72 or 76 teams. And it is not as simple as adding extra lines to the 10, 11, and 16 seeds.
You have to have hotels and arenas available. And TV will have a huge influence on when the games will be played. That was one of the reasons why Survivor moved from Thursdays to Wednesdays.
Here is what I would do, since we should all be focusing on schools like Indiana State, in addition to those Big East schools that had legitimate gripes. But at the end of the day, the Selection Committee echoes the same things:
Schedule better.
It will be harder with the superconferences. Those sexy non-conference matchups will mostly be in November with those holiday tournaments. The December slate will have extra conference games, especially in the Big Ten, Big 12, and the ACC.
You will still have the two games in Dayton.
Simply add two more games in the afternoon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota–a very nice arena that was one of the first to adapt to COVID regulations.
Also, how about Boise, Idaho–a once great tournament site during the mid to late 1990’s. Or if you want to go further west, how about Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle? Very convenient for fans, players, coaches, and media. I am not too familiar with the layout, starting with everyone arriving at the SEA-TAC Airport. But I am sure the NCAA would have plans all set up by the time is fully focused on the Super Bowl.
Again, this is a very fluid situation. I will try my best to keep you updated as best I can. Just something to think about.
All games can also be viewed on March Madness Live and radio coverage will be on Westwood One, as well as the Varsity Network app.
Announcer pairings are included, with all game times listed in Eastern time:
Thursday:
CBS has the West Region at Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
TBS/truTV with Alternate Broadcast has the East Region at TD Garden, Boston
Arizona vs. Clemson, 7:09 p.m., CBS Brian Anderson/Jim Jackson//Allie LaForce
UConn vs. San Diego State, 7:39 p.m., TBS/truTV Kevin Harlan/Dan Bonner/Stan Van Gundy//Andy Katz
North Carolina vs. Alabama, 9:39 p.m., CBS
Iowa State vs. Illinois, 10:09 p.m., TBS/truTV
Friday:
CBS will have the South Region at American Airlines Center, Dallas
TBS/truTV will have the Midwest Region at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
Marquette vs. NC State, 7:09 p.m., CBS Ian Eagle/Bill Raftery/Grant Hill//Tracy Wolfson
Purdue vs. Gonzaga, 7:39 p.m., TBS/truTV Andrew Catalon/Steve Lappas//Evan Washburn * Promotion from first/second round due to Jim Nantz stepping down after 2023 Final Four
Plus Houston Needed Overtime and Duke Slaughters The Dukes
After Sunday’s action closing out Round 2, a once a decade statistic came true:
Number 1 seeds are now 73-6 versus 9 seeds in the second round. Houston's win also assures us that all Number 1 and 2 seeds are in the Sweet 16, marking the fifth time ever (1989, 1995, 2009, 2019, 2024) that's happened.
In Brooklyn, it was the 4 seed of Duke (26-8) easily destroying James Madison 93-55. Freshman guard Jared McCain led all scorers with 30 points (including a career high tying eight 3 pointers), which set a new NCAA Tournament record for any Duke player. Three other starters finished in double figures. Kyle Filipowski bounced back after only attempting one shot on Friday in their win over Vermont. On Sunday night, he finished with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block.
The Blue Devils shot 52.4 percent for the game and 14 of 28 from deep. James Madison was an atrocious 19 of 50 (38 percent) from the floor and 4 of 18 from downtown (22.2 percent.) Nothing to take away from the 12 seeded Dukes, but finishing the season 32-4 is to be commended. They were led in scoring by junior guard Terrell Edwards with 13 and T.J. Bickerstaff had 11.
Next up for Duke in the Sweet 16 will be Houston, as the Cougars won in an overtime thriller over a gutsy and determined squad from Texas A&M.
I could write for hours about that game, but we know one thing was for sure.
For those who missed hearing the steady voice of one Jim Nantz, here’s your answer. Thanks to Justin Williams, staff writer for Cincinnati from The Athletic:
A familiar face here at the NCAA Tournament: Jim Nantz is in Memphis to cheer on Houston, his alma mater, seated behind the Cougars’ bench. pic.twitter.com/kxor61Lplc
The iconic announcer, who called 354 NCAA tournament games, 96 Final Four matchups, and 32 title games (from 1991 to 2023) And what a game he was able to see, all 45 minutes of thrills at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.
To summarize as best I could, Houston forward J’Wan Roberts who has been battling a shin injury since the Big 12 tournament, was fighting through some awful pain. He was receiving tournament in the latter part of the first half as the top seeded Cougars led the 9 seeded Cougars 43-38 at halftime.
The Aggies forced overtime with a furious rally, outscoring Houston 17-5 in the final two minutes of regulation. It was all capped off by Andersson Garcia who was 8 for 19 hitting shots from deep.
But none was bigger that this one. The call from Spero Dedes on TNT:
It instantly brought back some memories from 2016. That was when the Aggies pulled off one of the greatest comebacks of all time against Northern Iowa in the second round. Texas A&M roared back from a 12 point deficit in the last 44 seconds to win.
In spite of four starters fouling out, Emanuel Sharp started the overtime period with a shot from deep, but fouled out. After that, Houston had just enough left in the tank outscoring Texas A&M Houston somehow pulled it out 100-95–from a guy that started picking up a basketball at age 16. Walk-on Ryan Elvin calmly nailed one of two free throws to give the Cougars a four point lead in the closing seconds.
The Cougars (32-4) became the first team to win a tournament game with four players fouling out since 1987. Head Coach Kelvin Sampson gave credit to the fact that playing lots of close games in the Big 12 really helped a lot when players were fouling out right and left:
“We’re very fortunate tonight to win. Texas A&M could’ve won that game. But only one team can advance. I’ve learned not to autopsy wins at this time of the year. So we move on.”
Jamal Shead had 21 points and 10 assists, as he was one of four Houston starters who fouled out. L.J. Cryer added 20 points, and J’Wan Roberts fought through problems with his knees and still managed to chip in with 13 points.
And Buzz Williams was that close to ending one of the most successful switches from a mid-major conference to the top conference percentage wise amongst the Power 5:
“Obviously, it’s a shot that will go down in Texas A&M lore. It was to tie. It wasn’t to win, you know?”
They definitely left everything on that floor. I wonder how much voice Jim Nantz and family had left in their vocal chords.
And the Aggies proved, even as a 9 seed that nothing is a given–especially with the quality of play, the sheer talent that steps up in key situations, and of course–having that inner drive, the eye of the tiger as depicted so well in the famous 1982 movie Rocky III. Texas A&M (21-15) was trying to make the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2018.
Tyrece Radford, who missed the December loss to Houston, had a double double of 27 points and 15 rebounds. Manny Obaseki added 15 before fouling out, and Garcia finished with 12. Wade Taylor IV missed his first seven shots and finished with 21 points. The guard was not his usual self, as he was an abysmal 5 of 26 from the floor, including 3 of 13 from beyond the arc.
What they can be most proud of that they set several program records in the first round, in making 13 3’s. In this game, the Aggies wound up 8 of 23 outside the arc and shot 29 of 45 at the free throw line. Leaving those 16 points on the floor meant this game would not have seen overtime. Instead, we saw an instant classic.
As spent as Houston is, they did this in tribute in part for Reggie Chaney. He was a forward on their Final Four team in 2021, who died in August at the age of 23. Chaney’s Number 32 is on a patch on Houston jerseys, and Sampson said at halftime he asked his Cougars what would Chaney do in this game.
“That was for big Reg,” Sampson said after the game.
Shead, the Big 12 Player of the Year was thinking about him the entire game and mentioned about Coach Sampson talking about how hard Chaney would have played, pointing to the 32 on his jersey.
“We’re built for this. I just miss my dog. On to the Sweet 16.”
And they will be playing in their home state, 245 miles away in Dallas against Duke on Friday night. Should be a fun game.
Besides Duke winning easily in Brooklyn, so did the reigning champions from UConn. The Huskies (33-3) scored the first seven points and ran out to a 18-4 lead in eight minutes. It was 40-18 at the half, and they coasted to an easy 75-58 win over the undermanned Northwestern Wildcats.
The Wildcats were held to a season low in first half points for the second consecutive game. Connecticut set a season best for points allowed in a first half for the second straight game.
With UConn winning their eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament game by double digits, they did despite going 3 for 22 from downtown. The record is nine, set by Tom Izzo with Michigan State from 2000-2001.
It was basically a full-on display of dunks, blocks, alley-oops and layups. And a great chunk of the crowd loved it, even though the game was only seen on a channel very few people watch in truTV.
Tristan Newton led the Huskies with 20 points and 10 assists, and Donovan Clingan was a monster inside finishing with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocks. He had a double double less than 16 minutes into the game and blocked consecutive shots in a span of four seconds during one sequence in the first half. Connecticut led wire-to-wire and became the first defending national champion to reach the Sweet 16 since Duke in 2016.
Even without injured junior guard Ty Berry and 7 foot senior center Matthew Nicholson, it was a tremendous hill to try and climb. Senior Boo Buie, the all-time leading scorer in Northwestern history was swallowed up thanks to the outstanding defense from Big East Freshman of the Year Stephon Castle and Sixth Man Award winner Hassan Diarra. Their speed and quickness clamped down any chance of separation and the Wildcats offense didn’t get real traction until the game was well in hand.
The star senior guard entered the game averaging 19.3 points per game. He didn’t score his first points when he made two free throws with 1:22 left in the first half that briefly cut the deficit to 20. He and junior guard Brooks Barnhizer, the team’s second-leading scorer, were a combined 0 of 14 from the field in the first 20 minutes.
At least, Northwestern (22-12) outscored UConn 40-35 in the second half. Brooks Barnhizer scored all 18 of his points in the second half. Super senior from Princeton Ryan Langborg finished his college career with 13 points on 5 of 7 shooting. It even caused Dan Hurley to use a timeout with 5:26 remaining, but the Cats got as close as 16 points.
Before Boo Buie came out and had a long hug from 11 year head coach Chris Collins, he finished with only had 9 points on 2 of 15 shooting and missing all 3 attempts from deep. He finished his college career with 2,050 points–nearly 1,500 more than the second place guy, Bryant McIntosh who compiled 541 points between the years 2014-2018.
The Cats still managed to win a first round game in each of its three NCAA Tournament appearances, all since 2017. But they have come empty in trying to reach the Sweet 16.
Coach Collins had nothing but praise for the defending champions and offered a brief strategy for future opponents to stop this juggernaut searching to become the first school to win back-to-back championships since Florida in 2006-2007.
“I was very impressed in person with their defense. They have all the ingredients to win another championship, there’s no question about it…A team is going to have to play really, really, really well to beat them.”
One school that is extremely familiar with UConn is San Diego State. Even though they do not have Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson Jr. to the NBA from that talented team, they still have Jaedon LeDee and Darrion Trammell that are still playing excellent ball. The Aztecs (26-10) routed Yale, the lowest seed remaining at 13 by a final of 85-57 thanks to hitting 13 3-pointers and shooting 52.7 percent from the floor. LeDee had 28 points on 9 of 12 shooting, and Trammell adding 18, including a team high four shots from long distance.
The Aztecs will have to have a similar type of performance to at least hang around in this epic rematch.
Yale (23-10) did not get the same magic as they did in upsetting Auburn on Friday night. First round hero John Poulakidas followed up a career high 28 points with an awful 2 for 9 from the field. Overall, the Bulldogs shot 37 percent. Leading scorer Danny Wolf had only 9 points of 2 of 8 shooting.
Finally in Memphis, the 6 seed in the West Region of Clemson did to the 3 seed of Baylor to what the Bears normally do in punishing their opposition. In the Tigers convincing 72-64 win, it was Chase Hunter who scored 20 points, followed by 13 from Joseph Girard, 11 points by Ian Schieffelin and eight points and five rebounds by backup big man RJ Godfrey in 19 minutes. Clemson led for 37:57 of game time and largely controlled the game against a Baylor team that scored 92 points in their easy first round win over Colgate.
Clemson (23-11) led almost wire-to-wire, but a late 9-0 Baylor run cut the lead to 64-62 with 2:10 to go. Senior forward and South Carolina native PJ Hall fouled out inside of one minute to play and it subsequently sent Baylor to the free throw line with a chance to tie the game at 66. However, two missed Baylor free throws turned out be costly, as the Tigers iced the game converting on all six of their free throw attempts in the final 40 seconds.
The Tigers held Baylor (24-11) to 6 of 24 shooting from deep and 21 of 54 overall at 38.9 percent. Baylor was the only team nationally with six players averaging double digit points per game. They were led by RayJ Dennis with 27, Jakobe Walter with 20, and Jalen Bridges chipped in with 10.
The victory was especially sweet for Clemson head coach Brad Brownell. He became the first coach in program history to lead the program to two trips to the Sweet 16. Predominantly a football school, Clemson is the fourth ACC team this year to reach the Sweet 16, which is the most of any conference. Only two of the Sweet 16 teams were outside KenPom’s top 21 before the tournament rankings–Clemson was ranked 35, while the only double digit still alive in North Carolina State finished at 58. The Tigers were arguably the most unlikely of the teams to make it this far, considering that the team had lost three of four games entering the Big Dance and were a trendy pick by many to be upset by another 11 seed New Mexico in round one.
The Tigers will head west to Los Angeles for a Sweet 16 battle against the 2 seed in Arizona on Thursday.
Finally, the early game in Spokane had the 12 seed in Grand Canyon and the 4 seed of Alabama. It was tight until the last four minutes, when the Crimson Tide outscored the Antelopes 10-0. They were 2 of 4 from the field and was a perfect 6 for 6 from the charity stripe in winning 72-61.
The win came with a huge sigh of relief heading into their Sweet 16 matchup encounter against Arizona on Thursday. Coach Nate Oats said prior to the game that senior guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. will be available for Thursday’s game, even though he was held out of Sunday’s game as a precaution. Alabama is hoping to reach its second Elite Eight appearance in program history, the first coming back in 2004.
Summary Of The First 52 Games
Chalk ruled again.
As mentioned at the top of this blog, all four of the Number 1 and Number 2 seeds advanced as expected.
Of the remaining 16 teams, 12 of them were seeded on the top four lines. Another two — Gonzaga and San Diego State are Number 5 seeds. The only two real “underdogs” left are from the ACC, Number 6 Clemson and Number 11 NC State. Yes, Gonzaga and San Diego State play outside the power conferences, but they act like any Power 5 school because they both spend more on men’s basketball than many Power 6 teams. It also helps having both schools that played in a national title game in the past five years. No true mid-majors survived the first two rounds. They’re not exactly Valparaiso, Butler, Saint Peter’s, Oral Roberts, or Princeton.
As Brian Bennett, Senior Editor of college basketball for The Athletic summarized so well:
“There was a lot of talk about parity this season, and indeed there were an inordinate amount of upsets when ranked teams went on the road. But the best teams are clearly the best teams, and though Cinderellas are fun, this should make for some high-level games in the Sweet 16 and beyond. We already have heavyweight matchups like Illinois-Iowa State, Tennessee-Creighton and Purdue-Gonzaga in the Sweet 16, not to mention the rematch of last year’s national title game between UConn and San Diego State.
The dominant conversation coming into this event was the prospect of NCAA Tournament expansion. Figures like SEC commissioner Greg Sankey are pushing for “more opportunities” for power-conference teams, and many people fear that will result in mid-major teams being pushed aside. Ironically, they already have been in this year’s tournament.”
Next weekend promises to be as wide open, the likes of which has not happened in my opinion since 2005.
The full schedule is in my next blog. A full preview and maybe a short podcast if my voice holds up will arrive in your inbox either on Tuesday or Wednesday.
And look for a special blog this week on the 1 seeds through the West Region, and how they fared. Will North Carolina emerge in better shape than Lana Del Rey at the Grammy Awards last month in that very safe facility. Cannot wait on that being the same day when Major League Baseball starts the regular season in earnest, even with one of its’ major star players in Shohei Ohtani possibly getting caught in a gambling investigation involving his recently fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. Ohtani is planning to speak to the media on Monday.
What will that lead to is anyone’s guess, but clearly MLB has a marketing and perception problem. College basketball, especially on the women’s side is thriving. And with Caitlin Clark playing her final game in her home state of Iowa later tonight (8 p.m. Eastern time), will it lead to a new ratings record set just last year when the Hawkeyes lost to undefeated South Carolina for the 2023 title.
Stick around and find out. A huge thank you for putting up with me all of these late nights. Please take care of yourself and I will try to do the same.
Sent the game to overtime so that meant more great times @bwwings AND six free boneless wings. This March Madness, order using Blazin' Rewards before the last game of the day goes into overtime to receive the offer #OvertimeDeal#NIL#sponsoredpic.twitter.com/MsPajxs1aE
Talk about taking advantage of instant social media fame. Even what he said on Thursday night with him not going to the NBA, it will be interesting to see what career path will take him for this newest of NCAA Tournament legends.
Really cool to see this in my feed on Sunday night.
In mid-April transfer legislation changed, which included the elimination of the graduate transfer exception.
In an NCAA press release, they clarified what players must do within certain parameters cited in the academic calendar in which season they play their respective sport.
“Student-athletes who plan to enroll as graduate students at their next school can enter the portal at any time during the academic year but must enter the portal prior to the conclusion of their respective sports’ final transfer windows.”
The exception for coaching changes remains in place, which gives players 30 days to enter the portal from the date their coaches left.
With the deadline for players to enter the portal that expired at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on May 1, there were plenty of schools that can call themselves the winners. And if you have been following my blog, there have been a few big losers.
Kentucky
In a span of less than three weeks, Head Coach Mark Pope delivered what Big Blue Nation has been looking for, quality shooters. Seven transfers — guards Koby Brea (Dayton, who led the nation last season in 3 point percentage), Kerr Kriisa (West Virginia, started 93 games in four seasons of college basketball, three at Arizona and then one at WVU), Lamont Butler (San Diego State) and Otega Oweh (Oklahoma). Forwards included Andrew Carr (Wake Forest), Brandon Garrison (Oklahoma State) and Amari Williams (Drexel) — plus incoming freshman guards Collin Chandler and Travis Perry.
All they are looking for are perimeter shooters, including one of Coach Pope’s great players at BYU, Jaxson Robison, who recently entered the portal.
From being one of the youngest teams in the nation to one of the oldest, all thanks to the extra COVID year of eligibility, look at these stats:
Butler has played 131 games with 102 starts; Carr 117 games, 112 starts; Brea 113 games, 21 starts; Williams 105 games, 79 starts; Oweh 60 games, 37 starts; Garrison 32 games, 29 starts; Kriisa, 99 games, 93 starts. Kentucky will only add to those totals with more portal additions in the coming days. All signs are looking up in Big Blue Nation.
Arkansas
You have to hand it to John Calipari. He has been a master recruiter for nearly three decades and with his crop of transfers, his old school and Alabama should be considered the three front runners for the SEC (even with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma coming over from the Big 12.)
He gained the services of center Jonas Aidoo (Tennessee), who was one of the best big men in the SEC this past season, earning second-team all conference honors after starting 36 games and averaging 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Also joining the Razorbacks will be four-star wing Karter Knox, four-star wing Billy Richmond, our-star guard Boogie Fland (No. 26), “Big Z” Zvonimir Ivisic, and the biggest prize of all in Johnell Davis from Florida Atlantic. He was FAU’s leading scorer in the last two seasons and also led the Owls to the program’s first Final Four in 2022-2023. Davis averaged 18.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game last season, while shooting 41.4 percent from deep and 85.7 percent from the free- hrow line. As a 6’4″ combo guard, it will be interesting to see how he will fare against more tough, physical guards similar to what Dalton Knecht last season provided for Tennessee resulting in an Elite Eight berth.
Alabama
Head Coach Nate Oats prides himself on bringing great transfers in his NBA style offense and freewheeling defense. Hoping to do a similar plug-and-play following the school’s first ever trip to the Final Four will be players Aden Holloway (Auburn), Houston Mallette (Pepperdine), Chris Youngblood (South Florida), returners guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr., forwards Mohamed Dioubate, Jarin Stevenson, and Grant Nelson. Incoming players include four-star recruits in guard Labaron Philon, forwards Derrion Reid and Naas Cunningham, and center Aiden Sherrell.
Guard Mark Sears is going through the NBA Draft process with the option to return to Alabama, but he has until May 29 to make a decision on whether or not to return to Tuscaloosa (and a potential 6 to 7 figure payday.)
UConn
Having lost at least four of their 5 starters from last year’s championship team, Dan Hurley picked up a fine piece in Aidan Maheney. The St. Mary’s combo guard was a two-time first-team All-West Coast Conference player who averaged 13.9 ppg in each of his two seasons with the Gaels. He was known as a tough shot-maker, connecting on 37.5 percent of his long distance attempts in his career. Mahaney helped the Gaels to a 53-16 record over the past two seasons. Ironically, Saint Mary’s played Connecticut in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Huskies held Mahaney to nine points and won 70-55 en route to their first of the back-to-back titles.
Gone will be the 2024 Final Four Most Outstanding Player guard Tristen Newton and a huge impact player in guard Cam Spencer are out of eligibility. Wing Stephon Castle and center Donovan Clingan (aka “Cling Kong”) declared for the NBA Draft. Alex Karaban is also testing the NBA Draft waters. The Huskies received a commitment last week from five-star recruit Liam McNeeley and have also added former Michigan big man Tarris Reed Jr. in the transfer market to go along with a pair of top-100 recruits Ahmad Nowell and Isaiah Abraham.
Besides new Big Ten entrant UCLA, Indiana is looking to rebound after a disappointing 19-14 season. Mike Woodson hopes to strike gold in Bloomington with the additions of Pac-12 All-Freshman team selection Myles Rice (Washington State); one of the best big men in the country in Oumar Ballo (Arizona) and a dynamic scoring guard in Kanaan Carlyle.
Kansas
After his depleted Jayhawks team lost 89-68 to Gonzaga in the second round at Salt Lake City, head coach Bill Self said, “For the last month I’ve been thinking about next season, to be honest.” His wish was granted, as the Jayhawks have added Lawrence, Kansas, native Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State); former Florida guard Riley Kugel; and Wisconsin wing AJ Storr. Rock. Chalk. Jayhawk. could have a 2024-2025 potential starting lineup of returnee DaJuan Harris Jr., Mayo, Storr, fellow returnees in KJ Adams and Hunter Dickinson is arguably the best starting five in the country. Couple that with R.J. Davis announcing his return to North Carolina for his final season, I expect both the Jayhawks to be at least in the top 10 before practice begins in the early fall.
Louisville
New head coach Pat Kelsey brought two of his players from Charleston in Reyne Smith and James Scott. The Cardinals also added Sun Belt Player of the Year Terrence Edwards Jr., who averaged 17.2 ppg at James Madison; two scoring guards in the last Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year Koren Johnson (Washington) and J’Vonne Hadley (Colorado). Also joining the Cards is BYU center Aly Khalifa.
Memphis
Similar to Nate Oats, Penny Hardaway is also a believer in luring transfers. As of April 24, the Tigers picked up four transfers, starting with one of the nation’s best scorers in former Tulsa guard PJ Haggerty (21.2 ppg). Forward Dain Dainja (Illinois), guard Colby Rogers (Wichita State, averaged 16.4 ppg), and two-time transfer guard Tyrese Hunter (Iowa State, Texas).
Michigan
Rising star coach Dusty May has put together an elite coaching staff that is quickly making the Wolverines a team to watch going into the 2024-2025 season. After they fired Juwan Howard, five transfers have signed on in Ann Arbor, starting with big man Danny Wolf (Yale), followed by breakout candidate Roddy Gayle Jr. (Ohio State). A pair of point guards in Rubin Jones (North Texas) and Tre Donaldson (Auburn), and a very intriguing prospect on a national scale in Sam Walters from Alabama.
Baylor
One of the winningest point guards in the portal and one of the last scholarship players in the Coach K era, Jeremy Roach started 108 games over four seasons at Duke, earning third-team All-ACC honors as a senior. He hit career highs last season, averaging 14 points per game, 3.3 assists while shooting 42.9% from downtown.
Among the big losers include Wisconsin, losing A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn. Miami with Norchad Omier (17 ppg), Wooga Poplar (13.1 ppg), Bensley Joseph (9.6 ppg), Kyshawn George (7.6 ppg), Christian Watson (2.8 ppg).
USC with Isaiah Collier (16.3 ppg), Boogie Ellis (16.5 ppg), Kobe Johnson (10.9 ppg), DJ Rodman (8.4 ppg), Joshua Morgan (5.7 ppg), Vincent Iwuchukwu (5.5 ppg), Bronny James (4.8 ppg), and Oziyah Sellers (5.2 ppg).
Arizona State with Frankie Collins (13.8 ppg), Jose Perez (13.5 ppg), Jamiya Neal (11 ppg), Alonzo Gaffney (6.3 ppg), Bryant Selebangue (4.8 ppg), Kamari Lands (4.5 ppg), Brycen Long (4 ppg), and Zane Meeks (3.6 ppg).
All told, a record 2,900 players entered the portal. Many of them may not find new schools to land. What used to take a few months for coaches to recruit kids on the road and some who made official visits to schools, there are so many scholarships and open spots that end filling up quickly. It is almost like the equivalent of speed dating. And with the G League shutting down, the opportunities in this country may be few and far between.
Bottom line, to the players that found landing spots–congratulations and may they all do well in the upcoming season.
All Things About Men's College Basketball 
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