The Brewers are hosting a college basketball game tonight at the artist formerly known as Miller Park. The game, even were it played on someone’s campus, would be the Game of the NITe. Miller Park makes it a lot better, though. And so do the Brewers.
American Family Field is the perfect stadium to host a Game of the NITe. It’s not a classic ballpark, and it’s not as good as it used to be, but it’s a cool place to watch baseball and it’s loads of fun. The slide, and whatnot. The Brewers, in a parallel phenomenon, are the perfect baseball team to host a Game of the NITe. They’re historically pretty bad—they’ve only won one pennant, and that was back when they were in the AL the first time, as opposed to the second time when MLB sends them back after they move the Rays to Montreal and flip the Rayons to the National League. They play in a small market. They have tons of optimism most years, and rightfully so!
What does this tell us? Well, assuming Wisconsin’s the team who set up this game, it means Wisconsin’s serious about being an NIT candidate. They might even soon be listed as one of our ten teams who could win the NIT. We’ve been asked a lot about the Badgers, knowing the program well, but by scheduling this game (and by scheduling Stanford, of all teams, to be their opponent in this game), they’ve given a stronger answer than anything we could ever muster. Wisconsin means NIT business. And we can’t wait.
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Viewing schedule:
5:00 PM EST: UAB vs. Toledo (Barstool TV)
One of the ten teams we do think could win the NIT? UAB. They play Toledo in Philly in a game I think is happening because the peripheral Barstool college basketball guys got obsessed with Jelly Walker last year. This is a great sign for The Barking Crow’s ability to one day put on a game featuring whoever Tim Miles is coaching at that point and Penn State.
7:00 PM EST: Clemson @ South Carolina (ESPN+)
7:00 PM EST: West Virginia @ Pitt (ESPN+)
7:00 PM EST: Florida State @ UCF (ESPN+)
Another team who could win the NIT? Clemson. They, like the other five teams in this mess, face an in-state rival toNITe, because West Virginia and Pitt, despite not being in the same state, are very much in the same state. Bonus points to FSU and UCF for each having lost a buy game earlier this week. Very “spiderman meme” of them.
7:30 PM EST: Wisconsin vs. Stanford (FS1)
Game of the NITe. Friday NITe Miller Lites. This is perfect. Do you think anyone at Stanford has ever consumed a domestic light beer?
8:30 PM EST: Georgia @ Wake Forest (ACCN)
10:30 PM EST: BYU @ San Diego State (MWN)
Two in-culture matchups, with the whitest game you know preceding Mormons vs. Skateboarders, which is probably an all-time cultural rivalry we’ve never noticed because we’ve never lived in Mountain or Pacific Time. NIT implications all over the place. The NCA* *********t has what, one tournament-relevant game? The NIT’s got seven, and that’s without us stretching. The NIT has won the first week of the season. Has also supported veterans better. Don’t you forget it.
