Nicolas Cage has a pet crow and I want a bridge.
San Francisco: Still Our Favorite
San Francisco needed to make a statement, and blowing a 41-24 halftime lead at home against possibly your biggest rival (Does the WCC have rivalries? I’m being serious. Answer me, and be honest.) certainly qualifies. Now losers of three of their last four, the Dons sit just four or five spots out of our latest NIT Bracketology, which Joe was kind enough to update heading into a weekend full to bursting with NIT-relevant action. Speaking of which…
Game of the NITe of the Weekend
You don’t have to wait long. It’s at 10:00 PM tonight (Texas Time), it’s on FS1, the Vegas over/under is 119 and KenPom says that’s a little high. It’s Boise State at Fresno State, and it’s being played at the Save Mart Center, which yes is in Fresno. The Mountain West has outdone itself here.
I Know Who Won IndyCar Again
After a year of blogging about IndyCar, I thoroughly forgot who won the title this year until I looked up whether the Rolex 24 (Hours of Daytona) was happening this weekend (it is) and saw a headline about defending IndyCar champion Álex Palou driving in it. Evidently a lot of IndyCar drivers are driving in it. The broadcast starts at 12:30 PM (Texas Time) tomorrow on NBC, continues through the night on USA Network, and finishes Sunday around 12:30 PM (one would assume) back on NBC.
The Senators Lost the Battle, But…
They got a point. It was a rough loss—led by a goal with three minutes left, lost in a shootout—and Josh Norris got hurt (here’s the play, your call on whether it was dirty, I haven’t seen word on Norris’s long-term status but he’s out tomorrow), but Matt Murray played well and Alex Formenton scored again, so not a bad night overall. Homestand continues tomorrow against the Ducks. 11:30 AM Texas Time, which means it’s 9:30 AM Ducks time. I don’t know what that means in hockey culture but I like to imagine they’d be very offended if I implied they might be sluggish.
Rick Barnes Return to Texas
Tennessee plays here in Austin tomorrow night, and we covered Rick Barnes’s return in Bevo’s Fake Nuts, but I would like to add that I hope Tennessee wins a game in the 40’s because it would be the funniest outcome. Meanwhile, in completely unrelated news, Marquette takes its seven-game win streak to Providence, where even if they lose, the vibes will remain. It’s like that Simon & Garfunkel song. Kind of. Not really like it, but we don’t talk about that song enough. It’s their best song, right? By a lot? And they were good.
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Games of note over the weekend (all times CST):
Tonight
- Wyoming @ Air Force, already tipped, MW Network (good reset opportunity for the ‘Boys)
- Akron @ Toledo, 6:00 PM, CBSSN (MACtion also NITion I know that doesn’t mean anything work with me here)
- UNLV @ Colorado State, 8:00 PM, FS1 (good appetizer for the Game of the NITe of the Weekend)
- Game of the NITe of the Weekend, 10:00 PM, FS1 (Game of the NITe of the Weekend)
Tomorrow, Basketball
- Duke @ Louisville, 11:00 AM, ESPN (it’d be funny)
- Michigan @ Michigan State, 11:30 AM, CBS (baby come back CC: Michigan)
- NC State @ UNC, 1:00 PM, ACC Network (good opportunity for the Heels)
- Virginia Tech @ Florida State, 2:00 PM, ABC (do you like hopelessness?)
- Oklahoma State @ Florida, 3:00 PM, ESPN2 (do you like hopelessness but more self-aware?)
- North Texas @ Louisiana Tech, 3:00 PM, Stadium (Conference USA title implications therefore national title implications)
- VCU @ Richmond, 3:00 PM, CBSSN (City of Richmond title implications therefore City of Richmond title implications)
- Kansas State @ Mississippi, 3:00 PM, ESPNU (.500 watch for K-State, Lane Kiffin watch for me)
- Virginia @ Notre Dame, 5:00 PM, ACC Network (getting to now-or-never time for UVA)
- Santa Clara @ San Francisco, 6:00 PM, Stadium (NIT favorite vs. NIT sleeper)
- Tennessee @ Texas, 7:00 PM, ESPN (potential hilarity)
- Wake Forest @ Syracuse, 7:00 PM, ACCN (14-bid ACC isn’t gonna just happen on its own)
- Utah State @ Nevada, 9:00 PM, CBSSN (we do love Reno)
Tomorrow, Other
- Ducks @ Senators, 11:30 AM, ESPN+ (Sens ‘em, fellas)
- Rolex 24, 12:30 PM, NBC (beginning)
- Australian Open Men’s Singles Championship and/or Rolex 24, overnight, ESPN?/USA (enjoy the moonlight milk, newborns)
Sunday
- Marquette @ Providence, 11:30 AM, FS1 (house money for our guy)
- Rolex 24, 12:00ish PM, NBC (ending)
- Loyola @ Drake, 1:00 PM, ESPN2 (Loyola’s always just two losses away)
- New Orleans @ McNeese, 4:00 PM, ESPNU (gotta get eyes on UNO they’re popping up as an auto-bid possibility)
- Colorado @ Washington State, 9:00 PM, FS1 (both are close…ish)
