Tag Archives: NCAA Tournament

Hoopaholic’s FF Final: Big i$ Big

Basketball, College Sports,

The Days of Future are Passed.

What only the most McLuhans amongst us might have discerned on that first day of September back in ’07 is the Now.

The medium is the message.

And more.

On that day on the nascent and curious wager that was the Big Ten Network debuted. App State upset the Mighty Wolverines in the Big House.

Only the prescient knew then what would be wrought.

Certainly not, one must suppose, Jolin Zhu, age 12, then residing in her homeland of China.

But she is also part of the coalesce that has changed college sports forever. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s FF Final: Big i$ Big →

Through the Looking Glass and What Seedy K Found There

Basketball,

Highway 19 slips into southwest North Carolina at Belleview, creeps its way northwesterly through Burnsville, Mars Hill, Asheville up to Cane River, where it splits into 19E and 19W, both of which meander off into Tennessee.

Unfortunately, some of the poesy is lost because it doesn’t jackknife through the heart of Tobacco Road, the corridor between Chapel Hill and Durham.

Which are the homes of a couple of iconic college hoops franchises.

Both of which in The Year of Our Lord 2026 suffered eerily similar ignominious defeats in the NCAA tournament.

Blowing 19 point leads.

You can’t make this stuff up.

Haters amongst ya, unite. Can’t get much better than this. Continue reading Through the Looking Glass and What Seedy K Found There →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Second Thursday

Basketball

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. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Second Thursday →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: 68 >> 16

Basketball,

Now for some musings on a weekend vacationing in the Land of Overinflated Balls.

Otherwise known as the Greatest Weekend in Sports, the opening two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

Have no comments on the testicularity of it all. But can say from a personal standpoint, my eyes are crying for a rest, and my stomach is yelping, “Enough with the popcorn.”

 * * * * *

As for the hoops, a significant dialog has been the lament over the demise of Cinderfellas.

Which is, frankly, the foreseeable and inevitable Now of college hoops, given NIL and Transfer Portal machinations.

You think 20-12 Alabama Birmingham might have had a few more dubs and been dancing had one of the Blazers’ starting forwards gone by the name Yaxel Lendeborg?

So, yeah, it’s the way of world these days.

We still had High Point. And VCU coming back from 19 down to beat North Carolina, biggest deficit overcome in 1st round history. And St. Louis turning Georgia over under sideways down. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: 68 >> 16 →

U of L CardFile: Michigan State

Basketball, ,

As disconsolate as I may feel in the immediate aftermath of Louisville’s season ending 69-77  loss to Michigan State, I am consoled by contextualizing a sad moment with this heartening reality.

It came on March 21.

It came in the second round of the NCAA tournament, a place the Cardinals had not resided in for nine years.

It came against a Michigan State Spartan program which always always peaks come Dance time. And were objectively, simply better than Louisville in 2026.

Against a mentor, Tom Izzo, who was coaching in his 35th Round of 32 game. In which he now stands 26-9. With 7 of those Ls coming as an #8 or #9 seed to a #1 seed.

Pat Kelsey, whose learning curve continues, won his first ever game in the tournament.

It was his 24th W of his second season on Floyd Street.

The 51st of his growing time as U of L coach.

You know what former coaches didn’t win that many in their first two seasons? Continue reading U of L CardFile: Michigan State →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Second Thoughts

Basketball, ,

Just a few things.

Shame shame shame on me for not singing the praises of Kobe Rodgers in my GameCap.

My sincerest apologies.

Both Coach and players mentioned him the victory’s post game presser.

Pointing to the importance of his hugely significant rebound of a Bull miss with 1:25 left and the Cards clinging to a rapidly diminishing six point lead at 78-72.

It provided 30 seconds of oxygen for U of L when they were gasping for breath.

Plus plus plus . . . Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Second Thoughts →

U of L CardFile: South Florida

Basketball, ,

You wander in the desert for 3290 days, and it makes sense that you might get nervous when you finally spy the promised land.

Louisville 83, South Florida 79.

For the first time since March 17, 2017, the Louisville Cardinals face a 48 hour turnaround to play in the NCAA Round of 32.

So, all you nagging nabobs of negativitude, those of you all over the telly and the interweb and at coffee pots across the land who were oh so bullish on South Florida as the most trendy and surefire of opening round upsetters, gotta question for you.

Who’s your matador now?

The resilient U of L Cards, that’s whom.

Olè Olè.

Continue reading U of L CardFile: South Florida →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Let’s Dance!

Basketball, ,

The Cokes are in the icebox/ The popcorn’s on the table

Sam Cooke got it right. Figuratively speaking.

Actually tis Vernor’s and Dr. Brown’s in the fridge. With a tournament level supply of Black Jewell Slightly Buttered ordered and on the way.

It’s time.

We’re havin’ a party.

Everybody’s swingin’/ We’re dancin’ to the music, yeah

Oh yeah.

Don’t be expecting a significant amount of substance in today’s exercise.

Really just killing time until First Four tips tonight in Dayton.

Where I’m glad fellow ACC member SMU made it to Dayton. But really hoping insufferable, terminal ingrate Andy Enfield and his Mustangs fall to Miam (Oh). Which RedHawks should have some fans in the gym since it’s 42 miles from campus.

 * * * * *

Some more this and that about this and that. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Let’s Dance! →

March is On!!!: Hoopaholic’s Gazette

Basketball, ,

Leave it to college b-ball’s best play by play guy Ian Eagle to put it in perspective.

During Sunday’s Great Lakes State Wolverines vs. Sparty take-no-quarter Gettysburg-ish bloodbath, Eagle proclaimed, “We’ve got here a serious case of March.”

There’s no vaccine.

Thank heavens.

 * * * * *

Since my readership consists mostly of the diehards of one team, let’s get the U of L Cardinal chitchat out of the way. Even though there’s really nothing of substance to report today Tuesday.

Other than that some of us obsessives will be tuned into the Syracuse vs. Southern Methodist encounter to see whom the Cards will be battling Wednesday at 2:30 in their ACC tourney opener.

But we’re conjecturing of course where the committee will place the Cards this coming Selection Sunday.

So, a placement update. Continue reading March is On!!!: Hoopaholic’s Gazette →

U of L CardFile: Coastal Carolina

Baseball,

The Louisville Cardinal Nine’s magic carpet ride to and in the CWS was, for all intents and purposes, crash landed at 2:34 EDT Wednesday afternoon.

Less than a half an hour after opening pitch.

At which juncture, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers had plated 5.

The Cardinals, who didn’t tally in the top of the 1st, had yet to get a guy out yet in the bottom.

How such happens at this time of the season is somewhat explicable.

To win a title in college baseball, a school needs depth, experience and strategic acuity. Luck helps too.

CC started Riley Eikhoff.

Sixth year senior.

6-2 on the campaign. 2.90 ERA. 63 Ks. 10 BBs. In 80 2/3 innings on the mound.

Dan McDonnell chose not to start ace Patrick Forbes, despite the fact he had four full days rest. (Forbes, who had an injury plagued season, did throw 100+ pitches in that last outing.)

Instead a fellow named Colton Hartman took to the bump. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Coastal Carolina →