From ‘Purdue Pete’
THANK GOD! Now all you pretending basketball fans can get back to important things like the Braves and spring football.
Jay, I listen to your ‘radio show’ and check your blog and you guys know football. But c’mon, all this SEC love in basketball? Thankfully UT lost. Auburn is going to lose. LSU is going to lose.
The SEC is UK and everyone else. That’s the way it has been and the way it will be.
So what do you have to say now that your precious Vols and the way overrated Rick Barnes are headed home?
Purdue Pete –
Not overly sure why the spicy bitterness, PP, after all, your team won. And dude, the white dude for Purdue was doing a legit Jimmy Chitwood impression last night.
Enjoy that rather than embracing the finger-pointing and taunting. (And if you are going to finger point and taunt, which is completely your right, I’d have more respect for your approach if I had heard from you before the final horn ended the Vols season.)
And I don’t think the SEC is UK and everyone else anymore. There are too many good coaches across the league now. (Granted a lot of the accomplishments may be taken by the NCAA down the road, but there you go.)
A tough call – it was a foul, but we’ve seen a lot of times in which contact that minor was not called, especially that late – at the end. A tougher call that got Kyle Alexander dismissed. Some sloppy possessions in OT.
And like that it’s over, and all that’s left are the memories, the ‘What ifs’ of dejection and the perspective question. (Here’s more from last night’s overtime loss from Mark Wiedmer, TFP ace sports columnist and college hoops pooh bah.)
How will history view this Vols’ run? Right now it feels hollow, but multiple weeks at 1 for a program that had only one previous trip to the top of the polls certainly is noteworthy.
Yes, the season is devoid of a title, but is it the spring board to bigger things as Weeds hints? Maybe. That’s hard to know, especially with the way the SEC is improving and embracing men’s hoops.
FILE- In this March 17, 2017, file photo, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, left, and players Kennedy Meeks, Theo Pinson and Justin Jackson react during the second half against Texas Southern in a first-round game of the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament in Greenville, S.C. Williams has long emphasized the importance of rebounding and his Tar Heels lead the country in rebounding margin entering the Friday, March 24, game against Butler in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region semifinals. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt, File) From Ted
Is there a tie-breaker for the contest?
and From Ronnie (AU grad)
So do you think Bruce and the boys will get boatraced tonight?
Ted –
Yes, when a 1 seed actually loses we will announce it.
Which leads us to Ronnie, because if Auburn is making the deep ball, they can play with anyone in the country, even UNC, which is playing like the best team in the country.
I think UNC wins a tight one, and we’re following Pearl’s advice and taking the over 163.
I like Duke tonight to win but man, that number at 7 is pretty large.
We’ll go under 134 in UK-Houston, and if PJ plays, I’ll ride with the ‘Cats. (But only if he plays.)
And I’ll go with LSU plus the 6.5 tonight. Line feels too big.
But what do us SEC fans know about basketball anyway, right?
From Spy
So, 5, what do you with no show today and how do you spend the time you normally would with show prep? Besides asking what is show prep? Opening Day baseball, Sweet 16, WGC Match Play …. could this be one of the best sports days of the year? All we need is a college football game to break out, a few co-colers and some wings, and we’re set. But no cole slaw. Not now. Not ever.
Spy –
No slaw. Not now. Not ever.
I did not a lot of golf in, but watched a fair amount of baseball (before youth baseball practice) and watched a fair amount of the Sweet 16 games.
And gang, a Sweet 16 tip off after 10:25 is rotten. Not sure if there is anything to do about that, but that UVa-Oregon game ended about 15 minutes ago.
But, we’re still a pretty big fan of baseball, and as you know, until you get to the ‘er’ months, it’s really talking points and highlights. And that’s fine and fun.
So let’s review some of the cool storylines from an opening day that was filled with a lot of day games, which is a good thing.
Best definition of what we all expected in Game 1: The Braves lack of an ace was on display as Julio Teheran was roughed up in Philly. Five innings and three earned. That feels like it will be the baseline for Teheran all season, and that’s OK for a 4 or 5 starter. For your 1? Not so much.
Best league-wide definition of the state of baseball on Day 1: There were 46 homers Thursday, an average of a smidge more than 3 per game. It ties the mark for the most on opening day ever. Also, from the Twitter of Tristan Cockcroft of ESPN: “Only three pitchers threw 100-plus pitches on Opening Day this year: Carlos Rodon, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. That comes on the heels of 2018’s two pitchers to do so. As recently as 2014, 15 of the 30 teams got at least 100 pitches out of their Opening Day starters.”
Best opening day stat: Normally, I love finding the guy who hit two homers and point out that he’s on pace for 312 home runs this season. But this opening day had a true head-scratching stat: With Thursday’s win the new-look Padres are over .500 for the first time since June 8, 2015. Really.
Best change: Elvis Andrus changed his walk-up song before a 3-for-3 showing with a homer in the opener. His choice: The ear worm known as Baby Shark. If you have not heard it, well, here you go, and once you hear it you will not be able to unheard it. (And if you are wondering that clip of Baby Shark has been viewed more than 2.5 billion times. Yes, billion with a ‘B.’)
Best reaction: It two failed at-bats for the Phillies fans to start booing Bryce Harper. Good times.
Kevin Easley, who was recently named SoCon men’s basketball freshman of the year for the 2018-19 season, told UTC coach Lamont Paris on Wednesday that he will be transferring out.From Vivatones
Re UTC men’s basketball. I’ve seen no discussion (one news report) about the departure of SoCon Freshman of the Year Kevin Easley, or of the recent arrest of another of the Mocs freshman class. Thoughts?
Vivatones
Fair point, and in truth, you are the first person who has even asked about it.
And that is the most telling part of this belief it or not.
Sure for hardcore UTC hoops fans this is bad news because Easley is a good player who could have been a great SoCon player.
Next year is a monster season for Lamont, there is no doubt.
Because when there is this little reaction to negative stories, the real fear of apathy setting in for a program can be way worse than anger or struggles.
As for the details of the transfer or the arrest, well, I am unaware of them.
Again, that’s not a great sign for the impact and the imprint of the program currently.
From Todd Colling
Jay, what are the odds that the AAF and the XFL eventually come to terms and combine these leagues? We all know that young NFL players on teams and their practice squads will not be released to play on these minor league squads. So with that said, how do these starter leagues become viable and legit?
TC –
This week’s announcement from the primary investor screams of desperation.
It feels like this thing is teetering on the edge of fiscal viability.
I also read that some previous vendors – vendors on contracts that the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes is not responsible for – are having a tough time getting paid.
We have said from the beginning that some form of NFL partnership – be it player sharing, rule experimenting, official testing, etc. – would be an absolute need for these leagues to survive long term.
Now, we agree with what some others such as Fat Vader said, I’m not sure there will be a year 2 of this league.
Question for the group: If you had to bet a paycheck on it, does the AAF finish this season?