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Final Four foretelling
We are all about the “way too early” anything, right?
Too early top 25s. Too early make-or-break football games. To0 early pennant predictions.
So a “too-early Final Four” (TEFF) makes all the sense in the world on March 4, some 12 days before the all-important brackets are dropped.
The match-ups are sadly the biggest variable for the best teams in college basketball every year.
That’s one of the reasons why I am confident about Auburn’s chances. They match up with almost any style.
Play big? The Tigers can do that.
Shoot bunches of 3s? The Tigers are elastic and long on the perimeter.
Wanna run and gun? The Tigers show up every day with track shoes and semi-autos.
Slow it down? The Tigers make every possession magnified with a historic offensive efficiency.
So, Auburn is in everyone’s “TEFF,” right?
One of the sneaky big bracket connections on a national champ for me is who gets the top overall seed, because I believe there are three TEFF front-runners — Auburn, Duke and NPotY runner-up Cooper Flag and Houston, which has a better offense than past versions and its traditionally nasty defense — this year.
Granted, front-running can be “zebras in a lion’s crosshairs” dangerous, but you have to start somewhere.
I think Florida needs to get healthy. I think UK would be a contender fully healthy, but that’s not happening. I think Tennessee’s consistent offensive constipation is lethal.
As for the final contenders for this TEFF, I think Alabama’s defense is flawed, but the offense is that good. So they are there.
So too is Michigan State, which is among the most balanced (fifth nationally in bench scoring) and deepest teams in the country.
But here’s my final TEFF — Rick Pitino and St. John’s.
Thoughts?
An underrated football icon
Jimmy Johnson is retiring from his studio announcer role on Fox.
I had no idea he had been doing that for more than three decades.
On a true or false Tuesday, true or false: Jimmy Johnson is on the shortlist of all-time football lifers.
I am thinking true for the following reasons.
He was an All-American and national champ at Arkansas. Granted, he did not take that level of success immediately to the NFL, opting to get right into coaching.
He was one of the great college football coaches of his generation and the precursor in a lot of ways of Nick Saban’s view of talent acquisition and roster development.
He went to the NFL and turned a morbid Dallas franchise around quickly and built a foundation of what should have been a dynastic run akin to the 49ers in the 80s or the Pats in the 2000s.
How good were those Dallas teams? Heck, the Cowboys won a title with Barry Switzer pretending to be a coach.
Was he John Madden behind the mic? No, but he was every bit the coach — and maybe even better considering the college dominance — and a much better player.
In fact, is there a person who has had that kind of success at the those three levels — player, coach, broadcaster — ever in football?
TSSAA’s next move
OK, we’ll start with a reminder of one of our rules. If it’s a meaningful matter in and around high school sports, turn to TFP sports editor Stephen Hargis for the details.
Here is today’s report about the latest misstep from the mid-state, as the TSSAA continues to take its cues from the awful precedents set by the NCAA.
Here’s the nut graph from Hargis’ above report of the TSSAA approving a rules change to allow high school students to transfer without losing eligibility:
“By an 8-4 vote, the council passed a proposal to allow student-athletes to transfer schools and remain eligible to participate in varsity sports so long as it falls under the parameters of academic, social-emotional, environmental or mental health needs. The student-athlete can not transfer solely for athletic reasons.”
Man, is this talking out of both sides and crafting a loophole the size of the Grand Canyon, no?
How hard is it to try to lead sports organizations — be it across the highest levels of college sports in the U.S. or the entirety of prep sports in the great state of Tennessee — people?
› Common sense point 1: The starting point should be “every player gets a one-time, get-out-of-school free card,” right?
› Common sense point 2: Coaches leave, and players connect with coaches as much as they do schools. That should matter when coaches leave.
› Common sense point 3: The wording above is laughably avoidable, no? And does it not allow the power private schools to go get anyone at any time, because who is going to debate Baylor School’s bona fides academically against almost any public school anywhere?
› Common sense point 4: Mixing political pressures into sports is a) grandstanding at its grandest, b) a waste of state legislators and Congress’ time and c) sadly too-often needed to force sports governing bodies to actually make a decision. All three of those should change.
Why is this so hard, and why do so many leaders try to please all the people all the time?
This and that
› Dolly Parton’s husband of 60 years died. He was 82.
› Bill Murray roasted Bob Woodward — yes, that Bob Woodward who was half of the Post tandem team that broke Watergate — on a podcast for Woodward’s biography of Murray’s friend and SNL alum John Belushi. Murray said this of Woodward’s reporting on Belushi in “Wired” that caught my eye: “If he did this to Belushi, what he did to (Richard) Nixon is probably soiled for me too.”
› Man, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the former Hamilton Heights player here in Chatt and the UK one-and-doner, looks locked in for MVP. He dropped 51 last night for the Thunder, who won their West-leading 50th game of the season. That’s SGA’s fourth 50-piece this season.
› Today is NFL “tag deadline” day when teams can place a franchise or transition tag on free agents. Could get interesting.
› About Cooper Flagg, the Duke students chanting, “one more year” last night in what is almost assuredly the one-and-doner’s home finale was cool. Flagg dropped 28 against a hapless Wake.
› Man, things are turning sour for the Dallas Mavs. They dealt a top-five player on the planet in his prime. And on the day they announced ticket prices will be increased in the future, Kyrie Irving leaves the game with a scary injury.
› Home opener for the Lil’ Miss 5-at-10. Her line: Two innings, six Ks, 24 pitches, one foul tip in a 20-1 win.
Today’s questions
True or false, it’s Tuesday. Morning, Ernie.
We started above with true or false Jimmy Johnson: Is he on the shortlist of all-time football lifers?
True or false, Cooper Flagg should come back to Duke with an-almost-assured seven-figure NIL deal?
True or false, at least two SEC teams will make the Final Four.
True or false, you want regular updates on the Screaming’ Eagles middle school softball.
True or false, you have ever scored 30 (or more) points in a basketball game at any level.
True or false, Shedeur Sanders will be a good QB1 in the NFL.
As for today, March 4, let’s review:
It’s Election Day in Chattanooga. If you live in the city, please vote. People get fired up about national politics, but local decisions are way more impactful than the national ones. If you live in Chatt proper, please go vote.
Catherine O’Hara is 71 today. She has a tremendous Rushmore, in my opinion.
Draymond Green is 35 today.
Does Draymond make the Rushmore of current sports stars who will be the best broadcasters after they retire?
Go.