We revere the opening weekend of the NCAA tournament.

We play hooky.

We eat snack foods we know aren’t conducive to good health, such that we put our bathroom scale in the closet so it doesn’t stare us in the face in the morning.

We sit on our butts in front of the TV for hours at a time, until it’s fallen asleep.

We cherish the High Points and UMBCs and 15 seed Lehigh over Duke.

48 games in four glorious days.

But we are ready for it and don’t OD.

Then, a few days rest, maybe a peak at an NIT game, taking in some opening day — how ’bout my new main man, Kevin McGonigle going 4/5 including a first pitch 2 run double in his major league debut for the Tigers? — and we’re ready for the Sweet Sixteen.

Big Boy Big Time Boffo Basketball.

I got some observations about Thursday’s intriguing battles.

But first — the Devil may wear Prada again but she/it/them/ they/ he makes me do it — gotta gotta gotta start with the Will Wade to LSU saga.

Which is Southern Gothic, Confederacy of the Dunces to the core. Dude got a strong ass offer he couldn’t ignore, one must assume.

On Tuesday, Wade met with NC State AD Boo Corrigan to discuss next season, scheduling, roster, etc.

On Thursday, before mentioning anything to his bosses on Tobacco Road, and before Louisiana State University notified hoops coach Matt McMahon that his services were no longer desired, Wade announced via social media his heart belonged in Baton Rouge and he was taking his talents to the Bayou.

At some point, his agent subsequently advised Corrigan by email that Wade was resigning.

It is now reported that this plan has been discussed and more or less in place since last summer. Before Wade had ever coached a game for the Wolfpack.

Of course, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry, a mettlesome Huey P Long kind of guy, is fully involved.

So now, Wade joins these other coaches at LSU. Lane Kiffin. Kim Mulkey.

Think about that. The three most disagreeable in their respective sports at the same institution.

I’m not alone in my fascination with this sordid tale. In an article about it at theathletic.com, the writers asked the commentariat for nicknames for the trio.

My faves of the early entry. The Axis of Ego. The Unlikeables.

You think the good ol’ boys in their roux-stained Geaux Tigers t-shirts sopping up gumbo at Prejean’s in Lafayette give a shit?

No answer necessary.

So fascinating is this news as the coaching tilt-a-whirl spins out of control that insufferable Chris Mack to South Florida is buried on page 12. A correction to the writers of that reportage. Mack wasn’t fired at U of L; he quit in the middle of a season.

OK, let’s talk some on the court hoops.

 * * * * *

The Thursday game that intrigued me the most was Iowa’s takedown of neighboring Nebraska. A game the Hawkeyes only led in the final 2:10.

A game which turned on the biggest blunder in the Dance since Chris Webber walked.

Iowa was up three with :58.8 on the clock and the ball to inbound under its own basket out of a timeout. They threw a length of the court pass for a layup +1.

Which was facilitated by a coaching snafu of the highest order.

The Huskers only had four players on the court.

Before that, it was a battle of fundamentals.

Only 21 fouls were whistled in the briskly played contest. (The game started 20 minutes after Purdue/ Texas but finished at the same time.) Both teams made 10 FTs, of the 23 attempted. 26 treys netted, evenly distributed.

Four time DII champion Ben McCollum can coach.

So back to basics is Iowa, they did something during the tilt I haven’t since since who knows when.

An old school three on two fast break. Bennett Stirtz with the ball down the middle, a perfectly timed pass from the foul line to the teammate on his right, who takes a dribble drawing the D, then flips a dime to the slightly trailing Hawkeye on the left for a slam.

Their W along with Illinois’s and Purdue’s gives the Big Ten three of the four slots already decided for the Elite Eight.

It appears that league is using its financial largesse wisely.

Transfer Portal hits galore.

McCollum and Dusty May join the league’s coaching elite, which includes Tom Izzo and Matt Painter and Brad Underwood. (Who advised pregame he wasn’t scared of Houston in Houston, how he cherished the moment, because of his history, coaching juco, riding ten hours to a game then back.)

 * * * * *

Fred Hoiberg’s gaffe wasn’t the only of the night.

Iowa’s fast break not the only time honored game turner of the night.

Sean Miller didn’t have his star 7-0 big Matas Vokletatis on the hardwood for that final defensive possession when the game was lost by the Longhorns.

Shorter Dailyn Swain was checking Boilermaker PF Trey Kaufman-Renn.

T K-R used his experience and cleverness to nudge Swain too far under the hoop when Braden Smith’s shot when up, leaving the savvy kid from Silver Creek open to tip in the winner.

 * * * * *

Rick Pitino is the lowest paid coach in the Sweet Sixteen.

 * * * * *

Can’t really weigh in on the coaching changes at U of L, because I’m not sure exactly what the dynamic is.

I do know many of us were looking for a shake up.

And that’s what’s going down.

 * * * * *

Tonight starts with St. John’s vs. Duke.

I mean really, can it get any better than that?

— c d kaplan