We’re back, here to give you an unbroken string of NIT, Joe Kelly, milk, and other massively important content through…I don’t know, probably early April? We might take a vacation in the middle of that month. Might move, too. Staying in Austin, but trying to get away from these landlords. The AC’s on the fritz again. I’m having to be strategic with the thermostat and that’s not an area where you want to be strategic.
NIT Contenders, Favorite
I went through this in depth this morning, but with conference play ramping up tonight (definitely-big Fresno State/Boise State clash, possibly-big Notre Dame/Pitt sadfest), it’s a good time to break down the NIT picture, where…I think San Francisco’s the favorite. Click the link for rationale and the other contenders, but make sure to tell your friends: We’ve got eyes on the Dons.
The Diamond Head Classic Happened
The question of which Thanksgiving college basketball tournament is funniest is the wrong question, because the real answer is the Diamond Head Classic, a Christmas basketball tournament. This year’s ended with only a third-place game and a fifth-place game after Hawaii and Stanford tested out of Saturday’s seventh-place game and championship, respectively. Even without that indignity, though, this tournament’s a mess. Nobody ever talks about it, the teams are never that good, it’s happening in the middle of a college basketball dead zone…hilarious stuff. We love it. Keep doing you, Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. I don’t even know which island you’re on (and I know Hawaiian geography better than most).
The Proper Way to Consume Bowls
Bowl games, to be clear. Not…ok let’s talk bowl games. Ground rules: It’s uncouth to get excited about bowl results unless 1) you bet on them or 2) you’re a fan of a team in question AND the result matters to that team. Reasons for the result to matter? It’s a big bowl. It’s against a rival. It’s the first game under a new coach. It’s the last game under an old coach. Other reasons are irrelevant, and if your situation doesn’t fit under 1 or 2 you should instead just keep the games on in the background for ambient entertainment, like how some ancient cultures used to keep wrestling toddlers in the corners of their living spaces at family events in case things got boring.
Anyway, the big bowl distinction? Definitely applies to these three.
Burnley Still Hasn’t Played Again
To recap the Burnley situation: They haven’t had their own outbreak, but they haven’t played since December 12th, and their matches have been called off unusually late relative to the league. The matches will all be made up, I assume (soccer’s pretty good about this, in my experience—they make makeups happen, credit to the English for that), and it’s been a fine stretch for the Clarets, who are still 18th in the table and still within two points of getting out of the relegation zone, with the added benefit of now holding games in hand relative to everyone around them (somewhere between two and four games, to be precise). As of now, they’re scheduled to play Manchester United on Thursday at Old Trafford, but we’ll of course keep you posted. Just wanted to check in because it’s been so long.
The Senators Have Been Busy (But Also Not Playing)
With Anton Forsberg entering Covid protocols yesterday, Matt Murray is being recalled to Ottawa. I have no idea how this will go, I don’t think anyone has any idea how this will go, we’re all along for the ride at this point. The Senators’ season has become one where winning and losing holds no value but entertainment is still the focus, which is a wonderful way for life to happen if you’re reeling, which I’d describe the world as doing right now.
In other news, the Sens announced today that Tyler Boucher, first-round pick from this spring, has signed an entry-level deal and will leave Boston University to play with the Ottawa 67’s, an OHL team. I don’t know much about the significance of this, but the gist of it seems to be that Boucher is still a prospect and this is a gamble on his development that may or may not work out, so we’ll see! Prospects: The Sens Have ‘Em.
As of now, the Senators are next scheduled to play on Friday against the Penguins, but we’ll see. We’ll see about everything. We didn’t shake the quiet rage over Christmas. It’s still here.
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Viewing schedule tonight…the ND/Pitt game’s at 7:00 PM Texas Time on ACC Network, I’m not sure the Boise State/Fresno State game’s on television (which only makes me want it more), I’m interested in Yale/Saint Mary’s (SMC’s an NIT contender) but I’m not sure that’s on TV either. NIT favorite San Francisco is playing that Academy of Art team that beat UC-Davis, and that’s also not on television but it might be the game of the night. We’ll see. I have a date with a bottle of eggnog and some splashes of bourbon or whiskey or bourbon whiskey which I’m assuming is bourbon-flavored whiskey and not a hybrid but I really don’t know much about liquor, guys. (I hardly know ‘er!)
