I Talked to NIT Stu about Tacko Fall

NIT Stu loves Tacko Fall.

We both do. I wrote an ode to him when he got hurt last year.

He was a big player (in the literal sense, but also in the figure-of-speech sense) in NIT Stu becoming an NIT fan, and in the creation of multiple blogs that have spawned from that fanhood. Before Tacko Fall, NIT Stu was just Stu. In a way, Tacko Fall is NIT Stu’s dad. He named him, and heavily shaped who he is.

This year, though, Tacko Fall is most likely headed to the NCAA Tournament. Our bracketologist, Joe Stunardi, has Fall’s UCF team 79% likely to make the field. Most projections that “lock” teams in have UCF locked in.

So last night, while we watched Buffalo try to do the impossible and put themselves in the NIT conversation after a year of playing much too well, I talked to NIT Stu about Tacko Fall, and about what he’d do if one of his favorite players was playing in the tournament he considers a mortal enemy.

Not surprisingly, NIT Stu had been thinking big thinks about the matter. I believe he may have even lost some sleep mulling it over. In the end, though, he told me he’d watch Tacko Fall’s NCAA Tournament game or games if it comes down to that. He’s still holding onto hope that UCF will make the NIT, but if they don’t, he’ll do the unthinkable: Turn on CBS, or TBS, or TruTV if we have it, or TNT (I’m assuming those are the channels again this year), and watch an NCAA Tournament game or games.

I understand some of you will ask him where his loyalties lie, but I think he’s made that clear. He’s willing to put other people ahead of himself. Or, at least, he’s willing to put Tacko Fall ahead of himself.

I know this will be hard for him, but we’ll get through it together, as a blog community.

Just don’t ask him to fill out a bracket for anything but the NIT.