We were excited about Kentucky. We’re still excited about Kentucky. But we’re getting scared. Because we’ve been through this before.
Last winter, UNC lost a lot of basketball games. At first, we were thrilled. UNC in the NIT?! Count us in! But then, the losses mounted too high. UNC’s chances began to fade. And while in the end, we don’t know what would have happened, it sure looked like the Tar Heels would be spending the latter half of March at home.
After Kentucky allowed Notre Dame to score 48 in the first half yesterday, we’re fearful of more of the same. My guess is that come Tuesday, they’ll be on the three-line or so of our NIT Bracketology. That’s treacherous turf for a team with that bad of a win-loss record.
Other NIT notes for your sabbath:
- Dammit, Mizzou. You weren’t supposed to do that. We thought you were ours.
- Alabama, renowned high-scoring team, posted 56 in Atlanta against Clemson as part of NITe Oats’s grand cosmic joke.
- Syracuse is suddenly about tempo? I’m confused. What did Covid do to Jim Boeheim?
- Memphis dropped one to Auburn, then looked at us, and we smiled.
- BYU beat Utah to enliven the dream.
- Dayton and Mississippi State played a thriller that did nothing to help Mississippi State’s chances.
- TCU is your sixth-best team in Texas. Congratulations, Jamie. We know you’re excited about this. Come on, Jamie. Smile. Smile, Jamie. Jamie, stop crying. Shoot, I’m sorry, Jamie. Come on, man. Come back. We didn’t mean it!
- Cincinnati checked another loss off its Christmas list.
- Newly-NIT-eligible Oklahoma State started off their official campaign with a bang, escaping a too-close game in Wichita in the final minutes.
- VCU beat Old Dominion, which is good, because having them both around would’ve been endlessly confusing.
- On the other end of Kentucky’s loss, Notre Dame gave us reason to believe. Exactly one half of reason. One half of reason not to believe at all.
- Rhode Island and Western Kentucky are into the second half. Haven’t checked in, but that’s a big one for both.
- Penn State and Michigan should have tipped by now, and Penn State should be careful. Don’t fly too high there, buddies.
- Richmond continues to play a busy nonconference slate, and they haven’t lost yet? Why’d I think they’d lost? Well, they play in Morgantown today, so that should take care of that.
- St. John’s plays Georgetown, and while neither has much hope, we can still enjoy it. For what it stands for.
- Stanford tries to push USC back down where they belong. Come to us, Andy Enfield. Come with your hands ready to fight.
- Finally, San Francisco, our beloved San Francisco, our beautiful San Francisco, goes across the bay to try the beat-Cal strategy. They’ll do anything we ask, those Dons. God bless ‘em. And He does.
