From the “Talks too much” studios – and with an eye on the proposed Dukes of Hazzard reunion, let’s put the pedal to the metal.
NCAA hoops
With less than two weeks until selection Sunday, here’s what we know:
• Chas9 and Stuck have been telling us this for a while, but the Big Ten is flat nasty when it comes to hoops. THE Ohio State went to Indiana and won last night and looked great on each end doing it. Not unlike the SEC in football, in this year’s Big Ten, the basketball – actual playing and passing and execution of the game – is several steps ahead of the rest of the country. Depending on the draw, we’re picking three Big Ten teams to get to the Final Four because Indiana, THE Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin and even Minnesota have the weapons to get there. (Side note about THE Ohio State: Aaron Craft is a bulldog defender and rock solid point guard. We can see why Bruce Pearl had the Bar-B-Q for Craft. And how good would this Vols bunch be with Craft running the point? Wow.)
• Tennessee goes to Auburn tonight in a game that is an absolute must-win for UT. If Auburn, which is dreadful and has a BPI of 186 – four spots ahead of Elon and five spots back of UNC-Asheville – wins the only way the Vols get to the NCAAs is by winning the SEC tournament.
• As the craziness mounts, and we’re expecting another Bubble Bible from Stuck tomorrow, one of our favorite things about the race to the bubble is the ripple effects. Know this: Johnny Vols Fans have to have a win tonight. We’ve covered that. They also have vested interest in other games involving teams floating on the bubble’s periphery.