I have the window open right now, which is really nice except I just accidentally listened in on a dude having a phone argument with who I thought was his boss but may have actually just been his girlfriend. The worst part is I’m not sure how it ended. My neighbor seemed to be in the wrong, though. Just based on tone.
A New Way of Thinking About a College Football NIT
We’ve gotten used to (we being the broader NIT community) arguing over whether the Gator Bowl, Sun Bowl, or Citrus Bowl is college football’s NIT. But what if we approached it all differently? What if instead of looking at college football and trying to find an NIT inside it, we went and put an NIT into the sport? I’m talking a 16-team bracket featuring the 20th-35th-best teams in the country. Would there be a 19-team playoff above it? No. The NIT can stand alone. We need to normalize that.
ToNITe
If you’re looking for a recap of yesterday, here’s what went down (and to tie up a loose end, we did put that pin into UNLV’s butt). But we aren’t here to live in the past. Let’s talk about the present.
Ok, the future. Very near-term, though.
The Game of the NITe is, obviously, Oregon’s visit to Washington. Washington does not, as far as we can tell, have any real path to making the NIT, whereas Oregon, contrarily, doesn’t have much of a path to missing the NIT. What makes this the Game of the NITe is not impact. It’s aesthetic. The only thing Washington knows how to do is cause trouble. Oregon is prone to being a terrifically bad basketball team. You might see where this is going.
We love our runners and gunners. But there’s a special place in NIT Heaven for teams who can play a game in the 50’s, and that’s what we’re hoping for tonight. Picture it with me now: Two players have just collided, the ball is bouncing away from both, someone just tripped over one of them trying to get it, someone else slipped, and the refs are too confused to call a foul. Visualize it into existence. Then turn your television to one or more of the Pac-12 Networks at 10:00 PM EST to enjoy it for yourself.
Other ones to watch:
SMU’s got Cincinnati coming to town (7:00 PM EST, ESPNU), and a loss for the Mustangs could very well leave them without a means to miss the NIT within the at-large situation. You’ve worked all year for this, guys.
UCF’s at Tulane (8:00 PM EST, ESPN+), and a good night for the Knights would put a lot of pressure on the NIT’s soft underbelly. On that note: Isn’t it nuts that there was a land war in Italy just eighty years ago? Also, did you know Patton was an Olympian?
Staying in the AAC (final one, mostly because we’re running out of games), defending champion Memphis is in Tampa to play the South Florida Bulls (9:00 PM EST, ESPNU). Road losses don’t move teams too far, but this one could be enough to get the Tigers where they want to go.
Remember Stanford? They really vanished from the NIT picture. They’re at Arizona tonight (9:00 PM EST, ESPN2) and while they’ll have more chances to get back onto our lawn, this would obviously be a game-changer.
Washington State hosts Oregon State (11:00 PM EST, FS1) and they have no margin for error. Need to win, and ideally win big. Kyle Smith knows this, I’m sure, but is he thinking about it actively? Did it get lost in a spreadsheet?
Finally, Fresno State’s down at San Diego State (11:00 PM EST, CBSSN). Here’s hoping they left their woes back at the Save Mart Center. Could be good for both parties. Them and San Diego State, I mean. Would be bad for the Save Mart Center. Nobody wants to be full of woes.
In automatic bid watch:
Jacksonville State hosts Kennesaw State (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+), Cleveland State hosts Robert Morris (8:00 PM EST, ESPN+), and Colgate hosts Bucknell (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+). Listed those in order of probability they give us what we want, which is our first guaranteed NIT team of the year, and with that, let’s point something out: There have been guaranteed teams for that other tournament for months. The NIT’s a different beast. Can’t wrap up an NIT bid in January.
Mazepin Out at Haas, No Word from Mason Ramsey
Haas is getting rid of Nikita Mazepin, bowing to pressure from The Barking Crow and others to get the oligarch’s heir out of our second-favorite racing series. It sounds like Pietro Fittipaldi is going to take over the ride, and if the idea of F1 is to have dashing young rich men drive fast cars, Fittipaldi’s a better fit than Mazepin, holding a heavy lead on the dashing front.
Meanwhile, Mason Ramsey does not appear to have posted anything on Instagram about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and we think that’s healthy. Teenagers should not have to post on Instagram about foreign conflicts. We should not care if they do or don’t.
The Senators Go to an Undisclosed Location in Florida
In things I don’t know about the Florida Panthers, I’m still not positive where they play. In things I do know, I’ve now learned of the existence of Jonathan Huberdeau. More like Jonathan Pooberdeau if you ask me.
Josh Norris returns to the lineup tonight, Anton Forsberg starts in goal, games at 7:00 PM EST on ESPN+. Senators appear to be one of the largest underdogs in recent NHL history. God bless these Sens.
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No more sign of the argument, but my AC just kicked on. Should I close the window? Leave it open a bit more? Am I warming the earth with this behavior or cooling it? Could we cool the earth with a large enough air conditioner? I’m sure someone has thought of this. Sorry. Probably a really dumb suggestion. I’ll leave now.
