bierce

Davis has a second place finish and a sweet sixteen appearance in three full seasons and could climb back into the tournament this year with a good showing in the ACC tournament (or a win at home over Duke, but that seems unlikely). There is only one senior to go with two freshmen, two sophomores, and three juniors in the top 7 guys in minutes played for UNC this year, and if Wilson stays with his commitment, then UNC would have a very strong incoming class. That could be a very good team next year.

Arkansas and OU are included on more brackets that updated after the weekend games, so it is more like we are the third to last right now. We seem to be a little ahead of the triumvirate of tOSU, WF, and Indiana, but don't sleep on Xavier. Xteam didn't do itself any favors by slumbering through the second half and barely beating an awful Seton Hall team, but it could win out and finish with 21 wins, including 11 wins over top 100 teams. It is just 1-9 in q1 games, but 3 of those were road games decided in OT or one possession against top 40 teams, and Freemantle missed 2 of those games. I remember Gerry saying weeks ago that 7-11 would probably get us there. I remember saying at the time we needed 8-10 without a bad loss in the conference tournament, so I think I'm in agreement with you, Bob. Our OOC SOS militates very much against us. The only thing that really militates for us at this point is the quality of our three good wins (Kentucky, Missouri, and A&M).

I don't know if the articles' writers really know anything about the Utah opening, but I find it interesting that many of them seem to think one of several NBA assistant coaches would be the way to go.

Golden will get another raise from Florida after this season, and he won't leave a school that completely had his back when a Title IX investigation hit.

He already makes $8M a year in the NBA. I mean, wtf?

I'd like to raise a practical question here. If you don't beat a dead horse, then how do you tenderize the meat?

Did Tech really only play 6 players?

We've been run out of the gym most times we played against a top 35 team outside of Austin, and twice here. Mississippi is about the only exception.

Tuesday's bubble action Georgia hosts Florida. Still not too late for a team that beat St. John's to get in with a 7-11 conference record, but Georgia has to start winning now. Four game losing streak has dropped it out of even most First Four in mentions. Cincy hosts Baylor. I think Cincy is done, but a win here followed by a win @ Houston (chuckle, snort) could resurrect it. Pitt hosts Ga Tech. Win won't help it. Only a win @ Louisville this weekend and a good conference tournament showing can. WVU hosts TCU. WVU still hanging on for dear life, but trending wrong and on a 3-7 run. Can still get in if it avoids bad losses. This would be only a q2, since TCU has climbed into the top 75. UNM @ SDSU. My must watch game of the night. While I doubt we will hire Richard Pitino, I'm convinced he would be better than a lot of more expensive options, and one P5 school or another will hire him this spring. I don't see him staying at UNM another year since the MWC is splitting apart, and the bigger draw schools are leaving to join Oregon State and Washington State in a reconfigured Pac 12. I don't think Pitino will stick around to coach in a severely diminished conference.

Down 45-44 under 30 to go, NU had to start fouling. Michigan made the first two. NU was fouled in return and made two. Then Michigan missed a front end, NU got it up court in a hurry but took and missed a rushed three when it had time to work for a better shot. Michigan cleared the long rebound, was fouled with 2.6 seconds left and made both ft. Nebraska inbounded with a 65 foot pass to Buyunktcel, who took a dribble, let fly from the arc, and missed. Nebraska loses 49-46. Still in the field, but still on the bubble. A win would have been its 6th q1 win, which would have virtually guaranteed a spot.

UNC 96-85. UNC still has only one q1 win, but every q2 helps it. I thought Nebraska was done after getting called for an intentional foul while down 4 with 3:30, but it turned out to be a brilliant foul. Michigan missed both ft and stepped out of bounds after catching the inbound pass. But Nebraska has bricked a pair of threes in its subsequent possessions. Still 45-41 with 1:55 left, Michigan ball.

And still able to give a DC an earful.

Welcome, Mr. Shoe. Still eating paste, I see. We've discussed Ivey a bit. Just have no idea if he's being considered by the administration. One thing I would note as a word of caution--he did play while Terry was an assistant here for two years. He might not like the idea of replacing him after a relatively quick hook. But I don't know anything about their relationship then and now.

With Texas Longhorns athletics and message boards? Say it isn't so.

How lucky for Josh Eilert to get his second interim head coaching tag in 20 months.

Kind of saw this one coming. I felt that the Utah-UCF game was going to be an elimination game for head coaches. UCF might wait another year until it gets full Big 12 money to move on from Dawkins. Smith was the first of three successive Utah State coaches who moved on to new jobs in a three year period. He was followed by Odom, who went to VCU, and Sprinkle, who went to Washington. Kind of amazing that Utah State is on the bubble this year when it it on its fourth coach in 5 years. I'm going to hate it if Utah grabs an up and coming coach and takes over the world.

Top mid-major teams are VCU, UNM, UC San Diego, Drake, McNeese. But UNM is in a much stronger conference than the others. I've mentioned Richard Pitino at UNM several times. Ben McCollum at Drake has been discussed at length. Eric Olen at UC San Diego seems brilliant and on the rise. Ryan Odom at VCU was coaching UMBC when it beat #1 seed UVa in the first round in 2018. Wade is a known commodity willing to make strong-ass offers, but his willingness to give authority the finger is the thing that I think rankles our administration the most. Tyler introduced the idea of long-time UConn assistant and offensive guru Luke Murray, but he's not a hc of a mid-major. But I think it is a mistake to only look at a guy because he took mid-major on a tournament run. Dan Hurley and Nate Oats never got out of the second round before being hired at UConn and Alabama. By comparison, Shaka Smart and Porter Moser made Final Fours and Archie Miller and Shaheen Holloway made Elite Eights before landing P5 jobs.

That's why the quad system was invented--to create a measuring stick by which the committee could excuse itself for keeping the Drakes, McNeeses, and UC San Diegos out if they lose in their conference tournaments. Right 2024 Indiana State? Right, 2023 North Texas? But don't forget the 32 autobids will almost assuredly contain 6 or 7 of the top 36 teams, so you are looking at something more like the top 40-42 teams scrambling for at large bids. Even with that, Texas is now in a play-in game on a lot of brackets right now, and in a few cases Texas is skipped altogether.

Interesting thing happening in the matrix right now. Texas seems to be clinging to an 11 seed and relegated to a play-in game, but a lot of brackets are starting to put VCU, Drake, and UC San Diego on the 11 line and dropping the last at-large teams to the 12 line.

Apparently IU's ideal coaching hire is a calmer fanbase.

Monday's games of interest are UNC @ Florida State and Nebraska hosting Michigan. Cronin had to wait 5 days, but he just got his 500th win.

Indiana got a big win over Purdue. Probably not enough to get it back in the tournament, but it should get it on Next Four out lists. Xavier held on against a strong Seton Hall second half rally. Will start supplanting Wake on many brackets. tOSU about to lose @ UCLA unless fans make it too hard for UCLA to make ft.

If Terry gets fired mid-season, then one of his assistants takes over or the whole staff is replaced and Tre Johnson quits to spend the rest of the spring in private workouts with NBA guys, and everyone else quits, and we wind up playing cheerleaders and guys who show up to walk-on tryouts. Frank Haith is #2. You want Frank Haith coaching? Just put to rest the idea that we're changing coaches before the season is over. But I have little doubt about the word probably already being out to coaches in search of a promotion that Austin will be hiring. Just think of all the stuff we're hearing about Wade right now.

Well, not here, because here didn't exist then, but you know what I mean.

Becky Hammon's name was kicked around here when we were talking about a replacement for Smart before it was obvious Beard would come here.