At the end of Monday night’s NCAA final, with Villanova’s thumping of Michigan beyond a reasonable doubt, Jim Nantz informed the viewing audience that the city of Philadelphia had pulled off an unprecedented parlay—to win the Super Bowl and Final Four in the same calendar year, within a couple months of each other. That’s true, […]
In a blog post earlier this week, I noted that I should be more excited about the Boston Red Sox this season. This is my 22nd year as a Sawx fan and for the first time, I’m living in New England on Opening Day. But the locals are known for being pretty demanding of their […]
I’m enjoying the Sister Jean storyline with the Loyola Ramblers as much as anyone, on their improbable (dare we say divinely inspired?) run to the Final Four. But I’m confident even the good nun would affirm the Catholic Church’s belief that God’s miracles are usually worked through ordinary human means. And in that spirit, we’re […]
The 2018 MLB season begins insanely early this year, with Opening Day coming up on Thursday, March 29. It’s the first time I can ever recall the full-scale opener (not counting isolated games played in Japan) coming before the Final Four. The result is that I feel a little behind the curve (no pun intended). […]
Notebook Newsletter: Sweet 16 Edition A review of the Sweet 16 games, broken down by TV time slot The Madness of last week is over. The run of 48 games in four days, with final scores and eliminations hitting you from every angle are gone. Now is the time when we get serious about settling […]
The percentages suggest West Virginia’s season will end on Friday night in Boston Garden against Villanova—the Mountaineers are a 5 ½ point underdog to a Wildcat team that’s the favorite to win the NCAA title. But in a March where percentages get torn up left and right, West Virginia basketball’s national championship odds deserve a […]
“Is (Tony) Bennett the college basketball version of Marty Schottenheimer?” That was the question texted me to within moments of the final buzzer ending Virginia’s historic 74-54 loss to Maryland-Baltimore Country. Not only were the Cavs the first #1 seed to ever lose a Round of 64 game (a history that dates back to 1985), […]
It’s been twenty years since a college basketball program reached the NCAA final in three consecutive seasons. At the end of January, North Carolina didn’t look like a threat to set a new precedent—the Tar Heels lost five of their first nine ACC games and this appeared to be a team that could—at most—get up […]
Those of us who consider ourselves Big Ten purists have generally disliked the conference’s decision to play its basketball tournament in the major markets of the East the last two seasons, going to Washington D.C. last year and Madison Square Garden this season. It’s safe to say that any purists among the Michigan fan base […]
This has been a banner year for Rhode Island basketball—quite literally, as the school has clinched the first outright conference championship in school history, running away with the Atlantic 10. It must be something about the eighth year of a decade—in 1988, the Rams upset Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament and made the Sweet 16. […]
It was in January that Michigan State hit a lull in their season. They lost at Ohio State and at home to Michigan. The Spartans needed overtime to survive Rutgers. Michigan State looked uninspired in the process. I took to this space at the time and wrote the following: “Their conference hopes are hanging by […]
College basketball is where those of us with a Midwestern/Eastern bent go to get a break from the SEC. After Alabama & Georgia played for the football title in January, the need was even greater. But there’s no respite from Southeastern Conference athletics this year. According to ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, SEC basketball would place eight […]
