We hope you all had a good Thanksgiving, ideally full of a truckload of dairy. (Turkey is not dairy, Gregory. My apologies.) Now. Let’s get back to business:
Memphis Is Trying to Win Two NIT’s in One Year
You might say: Whaaaa?????
I know. I said it too. I woke up this morning and I screamed, Whaaaa????? at the top of my lungs and it set off the security system at the gas station behind my dumpster and I had to flee. But the Tigers are playing for the Upsie NIT Season Tip-Off championship tonight in Brooklyn against Iowa State, and they’re heavy favorites. What a 2021 this would be.
In other NIT news, the Vegas edition of the Maui Invitational really felt like an NIT preview. I don’t actually think all eight teams can make it (especially Chaminade), but seven? Well, it’s really hard to make it out of the Big Ten so probably not Wisconsin. But six? Maybe so, America. Maybe six. What a field they had this year.
In even more NIT news, should Loyola be the favorite? The Ramblers missed both their opportunities for good wins the last two days under the sea (Atlantis sank, right?), meaning their résumé is going to lack punch, unlike that of St. Bonaventure, who has a win over Shaka Smart to its credit. The Ramblers are good enough to win it if they make it. We won’t make the switch yet, but it’s on our radar.
One Egg Bowl, Zero Milk Bowls
To be fair, there are some Milk Bowls around the country in high school football, but we haven’t gotten one in Division-I yet and people laugh at you for suggesting it despite everyone treating it as perfectly normal that we have a game called the Egg Bowl. The worst is when they think you’re talking about cereal. Cereal’s a compliment to milk. Not the other way around.
The Senators Are Lightning
The Senators are back, allowing thirteen goals over the first two games of this road trip (to be fair, I think three of them were empty-netters, if I’m remembering right—but ten goals is a lot over two games, so…). Zach Sanford scored a wacky hat trick on Monday night in what was almost an incredible win over the Avalanche, but besides that, the only highlight has been being reminded how fun it is to be one of the highest-scoring teams in hockey on both ends of the ice. Like Burnley, the Senators are bad. Unlike Burnley, the Senators are always involved in scoring. I think I like that.
Games today and tomorrow in Anaheim and Los Angeles, which I do not believe have ever been called the Ottawas of California.
Burnley Plays Tottenham
I’m getting the impression Tottenham’s in a constant state of being disappointing these days, especially because I got a push notification yesterday saying something about Tottenham’s loss in the European CBI which described the loss as “horrible” or “dreadful” or “embarrassing.” I wish I remembered the adjective. It was a good one. By which I mean it meant, “bad.”
Burnley’s going to be without James Tarkowski and Ashley Westwood because they’ve accumulated too many yellow cards. Tarkowski’s latest was a weird one (he was trying to stop a confrontation), but Westwood earned his. Anyway, those guys will be out and I think Ashley Barnes is still out, but I could be wrong on the last one. Game’s Sunday morning. On Peacock. Maybe even Peacock Premium. Is all Peacock Premium? How does Peacock work? Options are to go to a bar or to figure out Peacock or to not watch. We always give you options.
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Viewing Schedule
Today, of course, is all about the Upsie NIT Season Tip-Off (there’s a third place game, too), but keep an eye on Loyola against Arizona State beneath the waves, and UAB playing against San Francisco over in Paradise (the name of a city in Nevada), and honestly the Auburn/Syracuse game beneath the waves too because the ACC might put sixteen teams in this NIT and that’s supposed to be impossible. Our old enemy Andy Enfield plays San Diego State in Anaheim, but that’s not on major television (suck it, Andy – UPDATE: I have been told the game is on ESPN2, but the disrespectful phrase used towards Andy still stands). So for today: Start by visualizing the NIT, then watch Auburn/Syracuse at 4:30 EST, Xavier/Virginia Tech and also Loyola/Arizona State at 7:00 EST (two-TV time, sorry guys, but this is why there are deals), Memphis/Iowa State at 9:30 EST, and UAB/USF at 11:30 EST. Keep an eye on the Sens during Auburn/Syracuse.
Tomorrow, you’re going to be sleepy, but wake up to Maryland/Louisville at 10:00 AM EST (good God, what an early basketball game), then go ahead and watch football because basketball isn’t on that much during the day (May I recommend watching Tennessee shitpump Vanderbilt? Because for some reason that sounds hilarious.) but you have to come back for Sens/Kings in the evening and BYU/Utah at night because Utah’s in the hunt to be in the NIT hunt and BYU has a lot of semi-recent history with us.
Sunday, the Pac-12 starts conference play, so I’m assuming you’ll have an all-day party for that beginning with the Burnley match and culminating with Stanford/Colorado, which again might not be televised. I’m hoping they just haven’t announced it yet. What on Dave Odom’s earth is so important that we aren’t televising a league-opening game between NIT bubble candidates? Hopefully the TV schedule just isn’t out yet. ESPN doesn’t even have Sunday Night Football! I’m acknowledging Sunday Night Football! (Update: I looked at the Pac-12 website and it sounds like it’s on three of their networks—good work, Pac-12.)
