We begin with…the NIT. Or rather, an attempt.
Iowa State, TCU, and the Worst Basketball Play of All Time
I can’t find a video of this. Nobody seems to have posted a video of this. I’ve watched the Big 12 recap. I’ve watched the Iowa State highlights. I tried to find TCU highlights but they didn’t post any, possibly because having seen this play, they didn’t think it conscionable to pretend there were any “highs” in the game. I even dug into Big 12 Now on ESPN+ in case they let you go back to games, like MLB TV does. No dice. Not a single di.
So, we’ll try to recreate it here.
The situation was thus: Iowa State led TCU 51-50. There were eleven seconds left. Iowa State had two fouls to give. TCU was inbounding from the sideline on the offensive side.
I don’t know what exactly went wrong, and without video I can’t say who committed the wrong, but someone cut in an unexpected direction and what was supposed to be a ten-foot toss in to the near wing ended up falling limply on the three point line and dribbling into the lane. Somehow, a TCU player came up with it, shoveling it off the floor out to one Chuck O’Bannon, a few feet behind the arc on the opposite wing. Two Cyclones—one was Gabe Kalscheur, I forget the other—moved to foul him and reset, but the foul did not come. Because O’Bannon shot the ball.
I’m not sure exactly why O’Bannon shot it. I actually think it might have been a smart play. With two dudes lunging at you trying to foul you, there’s a good chance they’ll foul you, and if you can get three free throws instead of a sideline inbounds play, you take those. Maybe I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt, though. Maybe I’m being too charitable to TCU’s academic prowess.
Whatever the motivation, O’Bannon shot, Kalscheur and the other guy didn’t foul, and the shot came up…I want to say it was feet short, even. Kalscheur might have gotten a finger on it. It looked like when a quarterback gets hit while he throws, or when a teenager tries to throw an eephus by just lobbing the ball into the air and it never reaches the plate. Maybe O’Bannon realized mid-jump that he wasn’t getting fouled, then panicked? Unclear. But the shot was a hideous airball and came down simultaneously into the hands of one Aljaž Kunc and one (I believe it was) Eddie Lampkin. Lampkin and Kunc tumbled to the floor, the ball going out of bounds off of Lampkin, Kunc lying there with a whole lot of shock on his face (this might have happened earlier, actually, and Kunc might also just often look shocked). Four seconds or so remained on the clock. Iowa State ball, Kunc made free throws after the Horned Frogs fouled, TCU lost.
Why do we talk about this play? Well, because it was beautiful. It was the funniest basketball play I’ve ever seen. Thorough incompetence, multiple players on the floor, and a basketball not touching net or rim or even backboard. Also, it hurt Iowa State’s NIT chances immensely while keeping TCU’s a little bit alive.
Swamp Chomp, Florida State Where Have Ye Gone, Memphis Hangs Around, Penn State’s Path, Etc.
In other NIT news, Florida (#SwampChomp) was our team of the night, dropping only 55 in College Station in a one-point loss. Beautiful stuff from the Gators, who, like West Virginia yesterday, sure seem to be on the NIT straight-and-narrow, which is hard to do.
Remember when Florida State was leading the ACC, or close to it? Yes, I’m talking about this year. Remember Florida State, overall? That school used to have a basketball team! Well, last night they beat one-time NIT favorite candidate Clemson by a point in Tallahassee, and no one was there to see it. Not literally no one. But there was no NIT impact. No impact of any kind, really. Both teams are somehow completely out of the NIT picture, and while there’s still time, there’s not that much of it.
Memphis didn’t blow out Cincinnati, but they continued their Emoni Bates-less run of success, winning in the Queen City by a few possessions. The hope with Memphis is that they can drop maybe one more bad one and get back into our world. They may need Bates back to do that. Someone call in a reverse Tonya Harding.
Penn State beat Michigan State last night, which made us at least ask the question. With a few solid wins and not too many horrible losses, the Nittany Lions are probably in a boat of needing to get to .500 or one or two games better, and right now they project to finish three games below that mark, meaning they need to flip two results, or three if they’re all somehow in the Big Ten Tournament (I don’t see this happening, sorry friends). So that’s their situation, for those curious.
Wyoming isn’t entirely out of it, losing in The Pit yesterday, but they’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m not sure I even want that. At some point it becomes sad for even me.
Toledo got popped at home by Kent State, knocking them out of MAC favoritehood and also probably out of the NIT at-large world. Rockets derailed by Flashes? All highlights better come with a trigger warning for anyone who worked for NASA between 1986 and 2003.
Finally, VCU is bad. Only-beat-Fordham-by-five bad. Also have a great NIT shot. Respect, Rams. Respect to the Fordham Rams too. Their coach is still named Neptune (he should flip his first and last names so it’s “Neptune Kyle” that would be so sick). Would be pretty funny if Fordham became the best college basketball team in New York City. Could happen as soon as next year, conceivably.
Game of the NITe
No great ones tonight featuring two likely NIT teams, but Northwestern hosts Purdue and the Wildcats are one of those teams that could 1) go on a little run (they’ve won three of four, their three after Purdue are against Minnesota, Nebraska, and Penn State) and 2) enter the NIT as one of the favorites if they do make it (they’re 59th in KenPom, if you’re in the top 50 you’re often a contender). That’s at 9:00 PM EST on Big Ten Network. Others from our family:
- Illinois @ Rutgers (7:00 PM EST, BTN)
- Mississippi State @ Alabama (7:00 PM EST, ESPN2)
- Miami @ Louisville (7:00 PM EST, ACC Network X, not XXX, those were the Pitino years)
- Boston College @ Notre Dame (7:00 PM EST, ESPNU)
- UMass @ St. Bonaventure (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
- La Salle @ Saint Louis (7:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
- Dixie State @ New Mexico State (9:00 PM EST, ESPN+)
- SMU @ Temple (9:00 PM EST, ESPNU)
- Vanderbilt @ Auburn (9:00 PM EST, SEC Network)
- UNLV @ Fresno State (10:30 PM EST, CBSSN)
Daytona Bits
The weather’s looking clear for the Daytona 500, which is always an immense relief. In other news down there, there aren’t many backup cars available because of the switch to a new generation of car and I believe those supply chain backups, so practice this week and the Duels tomorrow night are dangerous. Qualifying’s tonight at 8:00 PM EST on FS1 (that’ll determine the front row for Sunday plus the lineup for the Duels), and if you want to get in the spirit, here’s a Darrell Waltrip anecdote:
Sens Sung the Blues
5-2, St. Louis. Senators were never too in this, despite being more in it than they should have been. Matt Murray got hurt late, and it doesn’t sound long-term but with Anton Forsberg not feeling well there may be a Filip Gustavsson sighting tomorrow in Buffalo.
Rock Choc
In personal news, I bought chocolate milk this weekend for the first time in a long time. Went on a run last fall where I didn’t really want it, so I let half a carton spoil, and that made me too ashamed to get back on the horse. Back on said horse now, though, and the soup streak continues as well. Down seven or eight pounds from the peak in mid-November. Roughly 25 to go to get back to high school baseball weight (we’re not trying for high school cross country weight), so I’m on pace to get there around Christmas. Could 2022 be the year of the soup?
