Charlie Baker’s got an impressive CV. Governor of Massachusetts. Worked under our boy Bill Weld. Middle name is Duane. But there’s one big thing the Harvard basketball alum and new NCAA president never did:
Charlie Baker never played in the NIT.
Never even made it.
During Baker’s four years at Harvard, the Crimson never finished above .500 in conference play. Nonconference, as you might guess, was worse. How do we expect a man who never experienced the most prominent NCAA-operated tournament to successfully operate the NCAA?
Baker might be a good guy. Baker might be a good politician. But whichever the guy is, Charlie Baker never played in the NIT, and it’s going to take a long time for this blogger to get past that. Good luck, NCAA. You’ve picked a tough road for yourself.
Louisville Won
Louisville and Cal are now a combined 1-20, and frankly, Louisville’s doing the heavy lifting here.
But really!
The thing about Louisville is that they are presumably pretty talented. They can’t be that bad. That’s what we’ve been saying all season and then immediately questioning because holy shit, these guys have kept surprising us with how bad they are. You know how they say spontaneity keeps marriages fresh? Louisville kept doing the same thing over and over again, but it was more and more dramatic, and it kept this season fresh, too. Doesn’t always have to be the same trick, wives and husbands. Just go off the deep end, but do it gradually.
Were Louisville 3-6 entering last night’s game, we wouldn’t have cared. But we were at the point where we wanted to see what they could do next, and then they reminded us that all of their players successfully played basketball sometime in their youth? Color me impressed.
Anyway, the point about that thing about Louisville is that it’s not impossible for them to make the NIT. They’d need a lot of good wins, but the ACC gives that opportunity. Get away from Florida A&M and Lipscomb and they’ll just have the three Q4 losses, which is a lot but isn’t traditionally a dealbreaker. Yes, they’re probably only going to win eight or nine games max, but what if they don’t? I say we keep watching. They found a new way to keep it interesting.
Drew Brees to the Sideline
Purdue’s having Drew Brees help out as an assistant in its bowl game, and what a great idea. Smartest thing Purdue’s done since they allegedly put a man on the moon. Every college football bowl game should feature one assistant coach who sends the fanbase into a state of rapture. Drew Brees for Purdue. Marshawn Lynch for Cal. Josef Stalin’s last living descendant for Michigan.
Stay Hot, Sens
The Sens won another game last night, Cam Talbot holding the line at the end to keep the Canadiens at bay (notably easier than keeping the Canadians at bay, because while there are 38 million Canadians out there, there are only roughly 25 Canadiens [not 25 million, just 25], and they only let a fraction of those guys on the ice at once). Alex DeBrincat, our friend’s old neighbor, had three assists. New call-up Jake Lucchini got the goggles, and it sounds like they were playing Narcos in the locker room? The Edwin Díaz song? I don’t like it for the Sens. Great song, but these guys need something with ABBA vibes. Once they find that (or just bring it back), you have to imagine they win the Stanley Cup.
Are Dragons Sometimes Cowardly?
Whilst checking on our friend Tacko Fall, I noticed three things: First, he had a double-double on Tuesday. Second, Chris Clemons is on his team, and I’m assuming that’s the Chris Clemons from Campbell who scored all those points and played in the 2019 NIT. Third, they played a team Google is calling the Shanxi Brave Dragons and Wikipedia is calling the Shanxi Loongs, and Kay Felder—the Chris Clemons-type who played for Oakland—was the Brave Dragons’ leading scorer.
The question, then: Dragons. Often cowardly? I feel like these dragons either have to be extra-brave or there’s an assumption out there that most dragons are scared little punks. You don’t specify someone is brave unless either of those conditions are met. It’s like any other adjective: Stinky, Flying, Smart, Boisterous, Enormous, Doglike, Silly, Yellow, Fun, Fast, Beautiful, Sleeveless, Edible, Old, Green, Cheerful, Bitter, Bland, Delicious, Red, Quick, Happy, Obnoxious, and probably even more but I’ve hit my word count so I’m going to post this now.
**
Viewing itinerary this evening:
10:00 PM EST: UC-Irvine @ Santa Clara (WCC Network)
I need to make it clear here that neither of these teams is a great NIT contender. The Anteaters have an auto-bid shot, but Santa Clara’s having a down year. Still, it’s the best game of the night, which makes it the best option for Game of the NITe.
8:15 PM EST: 49ers @ Seahawks (Prime Video)
Is 49ers/Seahawks the NFL’s biggest rivalry you don’t think of when you think of NFL rivalries?
