Another incredible NITe, and we’re through the first round. Goes fast, doesn’t it? That’s what happens when your tournament is selective and good.
If you haven’t checked, here’s the update on the Bracket Challenge. James Boswell, whom we know only from Twitter, still has a perfect bracket. The other 403 are imperfect. James has acknowledged his perfection in his Twitter bio, and I think that’s the right thing to do.
Now, the games themselves:
Virginia On, Iona Out, Northern Iowa Rules the Heartland
In games where the outcome was in doubt coming in (five of them—BYU and SMU, we won’t disrespect you by discussing your games, except to raise our eyebrows a bit at SMU and give Nicholls State a pat on the back for that effort in Highland Park), the home team went just 3-2, and not the 3-2 you might expect.
- Iona had the lead well into the second half against Florida, but Phlandrous Fleming’s been reading his Dylan Thomas, and the Gators chomp on, sending Rick Pitino out into the thick of the coaching rumor mill.
- Dayton and Toledo, playing in front of what may have been a sold out crowd (been looking for an attendance figure—I swear they said “sellout” on the broadcast, guys, I swear!), made clear they respect the traditional power structure in Ohio, as the Mali Smith-less Flyers soared as the visitors.
- Mississippi State nearly pulled off the comeback against Virginia, but the Cavaliers pulled away at the end, aided by a technical foul on Garrison Brooks, the old UNC guy.
- Wake Forest was surprisingly dominant against Towson in a game that was not as close as its ten-point margin (Wake led by 21 at the half).
- Northern Iowa rained three-pointers on Saint Louis, leading all night but really pulling away over the second half. The Panthers roll on.
Looking forward:
Warning: Gamesmanship Ahead
Texas A&M knows what it’s doing, and what it’s doing is making Oregon play a game at 11:00 AM Texas Time on Saturday, which is 9:00 AM Oregon time. Brilliant move by the Aggies, especially against a team many are saying could revert to a “we don’t want to be here” vibe.
In other second round action, Dayton has to stay on the round because their arena’s hosting a few high school state championships, so we get another game on the raised court down in Nashville. Also, St. Bonaventure—the preseason and early-season NIT favorite—goes to play the current NIT favorite in Norman. Good weekend lined up.
Howland Out in Starkville
In sadder news, Ben Howland is done as Mississippi State’s head men’s basketball coach. Evidently two final fours in the last four NIT’s isn’t enough for that program, and I think that’s asking a lot but the athletic department gets a chance here to figure out if it’s right. If the Bulldogs haven’t made it to Madison Square Garden three times by the end of 2028 or so, we’ll have our answer, and that answer will probably be that Mississippi State saw all the other coaching changes happening in the SEC and thought getting rid of Howland would be the cool thing to do.
Shaka Smart: Still Ahead of Schedule at Marquette
Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles are losing badly right now to UNC, which is a bummer because I had them winning it all in the bracket I beleagueredly filled out for *that other* tournament:
Thankfully, Marquette was young this year, meaning our favorite coach is still on track up there in Milwaukee. I mean, the Golden Eagles weren’t that far from making the NIT this season. Not bad in year one.
Georgia Tech Picked a Great Day for Their Spring Football Game
We think this is perfect timing, frankly. Nothing big going on today, and a whole day tomorrow to recover from the hangover.
Bad Day for Burnley
Burnley didn’t play today, but Everton made up their game against Newcastle, and they won with a goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time. Now, I don’t know how many minutes of stoppage time there were. There might have been a lot. I did see a headline that somebody tied themselves to the goalposts at one point (spectator, not player or coach or spider), which presumably took some time, so it may not have been a last-second goal. But regardless, Everton got a red card in the 83rd minute and went on to win? You serious, Newcastle?
Bottom of the table now looks like this, relegation probabilities come from FiveThirtyEight:
16. Leeds United: 26 points, 29 games played, -34 goal difference, 39% relegation probability
17. Everton: 25 points, 27 games played, -18 goal difference, 28% relegation probability
18. Watford: 22 points, 29 games played, -26 goal difference, 79% relegation probability
19. Burnley: 21 points, 27 games played, -16 goal difference, 47% relegation probability
20. Norwich City: 17 points, 29 games played, -45 goal difference, 99% relegation probability
Not entirely dire yet, but getting there. Leeds goes to Wolverhampton tomorrow, nothing else from these five until April.
Sens Shorthanded
Thomas Chabot is possibly out for the year, breaking his hand last night in a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jackets, so that’s bad. Not a great year for the Ottawa Senators. Gonna put that out there. Not a great year. Next year might still be fine, but not a great year.
The Cubs Are Playing Baseball
Spring training games began today. Spring training games, the NIT…good vibes, everybody. Good, good vibes.
NASCAR Goes Global
Kind of. Hendrick Motorsports and NASCAR are collaborating to enter an altered Cup Series car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. I don’t know how big a deal this is or isn’t, but some folks seem excited about it, and it seems like it can’t really be a bad thing, right? Would be funny if they let Keselowski drive it and he wrecked a bunch of sports cars.
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Nothing to view tonight. Spend quality time with your family.
