Wisconsin is loudly in the NIT picture, and this is new, and this is exciting. The Badgers haven’t made an NIT since 1996, when they lost to Illinois State in the second round. They’ve never made it past that second round, and their all-time NIT record is a paltry 3–4. NIT contention is new in Madison.
For us, it’s perfect. We’re always looking for big brands in the NIT, but if the brand is too big, it can be intimidated by our brand. We tend to win when it comes to a brand-off, and big brands know. Take Duke in 2021, for example. Mike Krzyzewski wasn’t build for the bright lights of Frisco, Texas. He was afraid they’d outshine him.
Wisconsin, unlike former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, sits right at the intersection of 1) boasting a fanbase with strong attendance and a willingness to travel, 2) boasting a program medium enough to not be thoroughly disgusted by the idea of me as a person, and 3) being historically good enough and cool enough to have a little mainstream cachet. It’s hard to think of a better NIT team for our personal business interests than the Badgers. Add in that they have some absolute firepower in their alumni base—take Badger legend and one-time (so far) MilkTime guest Dan Fahey, for example—and you can see why they’re so high on our radar. We want Wisconsin. The question is…does the universe?
There’s a lot of season left. Things could go very badly for Bucky from here, and in either direction. After beating Penn State last night in the hills (I’m going to start referring to State College as “the hills” and see how long I can remember to do it and also if any Penn State folks pull me aside and ask me to stop), they’re projecting somewhere around the immediate bubble, but their projected final record of 17–14 is what makes an NIT committee salivate. 16–15 or 17–15 would be better, safer, but we can’t hate a 17–14. That’s 1-seed material. Getting within two games of .500 often relegates you to a 2-seed at best (because you can’t be one of the first four teams out of the NCA* *********t because they probably won’t consider you).
In the immediate future, what the Badgers want to do is go exactly 2-3 over these next five, then see where they stand. Try to avoid blowouts, too, in either direction. Don’t mess with NET or KenPom. Just play good, solid, close basketball, and lose one more time than you win. The best part? It’ll drive the fans who watch every game absolutely mad. That’s the thing about close wins and losses. They build the frustration and chip away at any barriers to pure emotion coming out once the NIT is actually underway. The best NIT fanbase is one that’s been through a ringer and is at their wit’s end.
Sean Payton and Russell Wilson Aren’t Going to Work Out, Right?
We’ll get to Durant in a second (that’s also a thing I tell people when we’re driving north on 75 and they forgot to use the bathroom at the Buc-ee’s in Melissa because they were too hyped about Beaver Nuggets), but while we have the Wisconsin folks in the room:
Russell Wilson and Sean Payton are going to blow up, right? Or go out with a whimper? It might be loud and it might be quiet but they’re going to end badly?
A thing about Sean Payton is that he was good in New Orleans but not great. He won a bunch of games from 2017 through 2020, going 19–5 against an NFC South that only sent three other teams to the playoffs during that stretch, and he did win a Super Bowl, but the Super Bowl came in 2009. During his fifteen seasons at the helm, the Saints only made the NFC Championship that year and two other times. A 20% success rate in reaching the conference championship is good, but over that sixteen-year span (sixteen vs. fifteen because of his suspension from the bounty scandal), Mike McCarthy got there more, and Jim Harbaugh got there just as much as Payton with a quarter of the opportunity. Those comparisons aren’t destructive, but they lessen the shine.
A thing about Russell Wilson is that he was good in Seattle but not great. He won a Super Bowl and he got to another, but that was early in his career, when his defense was spectacular. Tasked with carrying a team in Denver this year, it went terribly, horribly wrong.
This is kind of like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan teaming up. They’re both good, and one of them is likable, but if this is supposed to be a super team, God help all involved.
Anyway, I bring all this up because earlier this week Payton banned Wilson’s personal quarterback coach from the Broncos’ facilities, which—if you watched Russell Wilson play last year, you likely agree—was the obvious move. It was also the kind of move that would set most quarterbacks of Wilson’s stature over the edge. Can you imagine the Packers trying to do this to Aaron Rodgers? Do you remember what happened when the Patriots did this to Alex Guerrero? This is the kind of thing you do to Kirk Cousins.
Russell Wilson isn’t as egotistical as Rodgers or Tom Brady, but taking a guy who was brought in to be your franchise’s savior and, one year later, treating him like he’s a rookie again is bold. It feels like the right move, but the fact it’s the right move is a problem.
So, I’m excited. Especially if Rodgers does end up with the Raiders. The Broncos are finishing in last again this fall, and they will somehow be completely blindsided by it.
Kevin Durant Just Had to Wait It Out
When Kevin Durant asked for a trade this past summer, he looked like the biggest asshole in the world. When Kevin Durant asked for a trade this week, he looked perfectly reasonable. This is the value of living your life alongside Kyrie Irving. It’s like a bear race, but with morality (bear race = race where you just don’t want to come in last, a la one where you’re part of a group being chased by a bear).
How Ugly Could Shams vs. Woj Get?
In the race for NBA Scoops, how aggressively do you think Shams and Woj are treating their sources? Who has the power in this relationship? Is Shams intimidating his informants? Has Woj ever told a low-level executive he’s going to kidnap her family? If they’re not there yet, they’re doing it wrong. If they are there, I’m going to stop talking now because they’re probably part of an organized crime ring, which would naturally be very good at getting scoops. That’s like half the function of an organized crime ring. Getting information.
Hugh Freeze Loves WAP
What? Why are you mad? We already knew he does.
Someone edited a picture of Hugh Freeze so his sweatshirt said WAP instead of WAR (as in “War Eagle”) and Lane Kiffin was a fan:
I hope this becomes a trend. I hope Lane Kiffin starts bullying Hugh Freeze. Especially for sex stuff. I’m fine with Auburn hiring a man who allegedly cheated on his wife with prostitutes he called using a state phone during recruiting trips (that’s actually perfect for Auburn, so long as he also goes 10-2 a lot), but I want Lane Kiffin—the guy in Freeze’s old job—to bully him the whole way through. Doesn’t have to even beat him on the field. Just go online after head-to-head losses and tweet things like, “Well, I didn’t call at least twelve escort services on my State of Mississippi phone plan, so I’ve still got that.” (Beating him would be cool too, though.)
Vanderbilt’s Back in the Picture
Vandy has a ton of work to do to make the NIT, and they still can’t win the NIT, because I said that once this fall and I’m not walking back anything I’ve said unless I’m absolutely forced to do it. But last night was a start. They grabbed a lot of eyeballs last night, and they poured a little gas on the fire that’s been heating up under Tennessee, who has major implosion potential. Credit to Vanderbilt. They’re back in the room.
Shaka Smart Has Transformed Marquette, Most Broadly Defined
You probably didn’t know this, because you aren’t a hero like me who follows women’s basketball in order to create a better future for our country (shoutout to the people tweeting about how Kevin Durant ditched New York after “begging” Breanna Stewart to come to the Liberty, you’re incredible people and I’m sure your Nobel Prize will come very soon), but Marquette beat UConn last night, handing Geno Auriemma his first losing streak in nearly thirty years.
First: Thirty years without a losing streak? Chill out, Geno. That’s too much.
Second: Does this have anything to do with Shaka Smart?
Not to completely take credit away from a deserving group of women and give it to a man, but the answer to the second part is “yes.” This is one of many things for which Texas didn’t account when they pushed our guy out the door. The man instills a winning culture. You know what Texas started doing right after they hired Shaka Smart? Winning Directors’ Cups. The man transforms athletic departments.
While we’re here: Marquette’s women’s team has great jerseys. I love the thick stripe. Definitionally, it’s not often you see something you don’t see often, and it’s a nice change of pace from all the practice-jersey looking garbage dominating the men’s side right now. Also? This is a great women’s basketball season. A spectacular one. The Big Ten is good, there’s some power down south and out west, and we could conceivably get a Final Four scene where Caitlin Clark shit-talks Kim Mulkey. We’re trying to get our men’s basketball shit together enough here at The Barking Crow to get on board, but if your school’s in the mix, hop on the train. Really. It’s fun to make fun of people who performatively follow women’s sports, but the takeaway from those losers isn’t to not do it. It’s to do it genuinely, and not performatively, because it’s fun.
Chris Beard Legal Update
Chris Beard has another hearing scheduled March 1st, but it’s unclear if his January 18th hearing ever happened or if it got pushed back (I feel like hearings getting rescheduled is a thing that can happen, but whoa boy am I over my head on this one). Also, it says “No” Under “Appear at Courthouse” on the chart I pulled up last night at the county website. I can’t tell what’s going on and I’m not seeing any other media folks following this, which might require me to get on the horn with my deacon’s husband and get him to find me someone to teach me how to request records. Also, I might get to go to the jail again. That was pretty fun last time. Except you have to pay for parking around there.
Why Won’t the NHL Let the Sens Play?
This has gone on long enough. It’s time to allege a conspiracy.
The Ottawa Senators haven’t played a hockey game since January, and they aren’t playing one tonight or tomorrow. It’s bizarre scheduling, bizarre enough that I might take it up with the guy on the message boards who pretends he schedules the game and is routinely asking for ten thousand dollars for his troubles (this guy does exist; Ottawa is great, you guys).
It makes you wonder if there’s some time travel going on in the NHL offices. Did the league see the Sens getting hot before the break, go back in time, and wiggle the schedule to screw them? I’m not saying that’s what happened, and I understand there are flaws in the story (why wouldn’t they just teach Tim Stützle to play badminton at an elite level if they were already going back in time), but something’s fishy here, and it’s not the canal. I’d assume, having never been to my favorite Canadian city, that the canal is frozen over this time of year.
Pizza Hut Looks Too Good
The Pizza Hut commercials are too appealing. This is the danger of putting a very happy-seeming person like Craig Robinson in an advertisement. It makes me want to order Pizza Hut every time I see it. I know that that’s the objective, but at some point it’s just wrong. This is like making Andre Agassi watch meth commercials. The cheese and the pepperoni and the cinnamon rolls just look so good. Thank goodness the Christmas one’s over. That one was even more enticing. Not least because it had a train.
Mason Ramsey Tour Dates: Coming Soon?
Mason Ramsey replied to an Instagram commenter today who asked “when r u gonna drop tour dates and locations????” with the two-eyes emoji commonly used to signify something big is dropping soon (like when we put that two-eyes emoji under a video of milk being poured and consumed in the dead of night a few weeks back). Get ready, people. Make sure you have a little PTO in the bank.
Jumpin’ Joe Kelly
Montana is great.
From MontanaSports.com:
“With a 19-point outing during the Maroons 77-44 thumping of Livingston this past weekend, (Butte Central star Dougie) Peoples surpassed an 80-year-old mark of 1,404 points set by Central legend Joe Kelley, (sic?) affectionately known as ‘Jumpin’ Joe.’ The 1945 Central graduate passed away in 2009 at the age of 82 and was elected to the Montana High School Athletes’ Hall of Fame in 2013.”
Was it Joe Kelly? Joe Kelley? We think the latter, but we’re seeing it reported both ways. In either case, star relief pitcher Joe Kelly is likely a reincarnation of one of the greatest basketball players Butte has ever seen. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Butte’s seen some great ball. Not far from Deer Lodge, after all. That’s where Phil Jackson was born.
**
The menu tonight:
11:00 PM EST: USC @ Oregon (ESPN2)
USC’s been slipping away from us lately, and we can’t afford to see them drop one here. Dana Altman, we’ve occasionally been nice to you. Come through for us here, please.
8:00 PM EST: Northwestern @ Ohio State (FS1)
In Columbus, we’ve got one the Buckeyes sorely need to keep their NIT hopes alive. Win convincingly enough, and they can make it into tomorrow’s NIT Bracketology update. Lose? Their hole is as deep as Adam Weitsman’s pockets.
For Northwestern? Yeah, you probably don’t want to win this one. Just…be cool, Northwestern. Be cool. Patience is a virtue.
9:00 PM EST: San Francisco @ Gonzaga (ESPN2)
10:00 PM EST: Arizona State @ Stanford (FS1)
10:00 PM EST: Saint Mary’s @ Loyola Marymount (WCCN)
10:00 PM EST: BYU @ Pepperdine (CBSSN)
10:00 PM EST: San Diego @ Santa Clara (WCCN)
10:00 PM EST: Cal Poly @ UC-Irvine (ESPN+)
11:00 PM EST: UC-Santa Barbara @ Long Beach State (ESPNU)
In the broader Pac-12, we’ve got a big collection of action, including some Big West action with automatic bid implications. For those asking about Gonzaga? Yes. This would make people ask the question. The answer would still be no, but it would make them ask, and if they keep getting to ask, the answer will eventually be yes.
I want to see Drew Timme twiddle with his mustache in a first-round game against Eastern Washington in front of a very confused crowd at the Kennel.
7:00 PM EST: Rice @ FAU (ESPN+)
8:00 PM EST: UAB @ North Texas (ESPN+)
It’s another top of the nation showdown in Conference USA. UAB looks to get hot. FAU looks to not get cold. Rice is kind of a weird dance partner but that’s what we’ve got right now. We needed a fourth. You’ve been there. You get it.
8:30 PM EST: Louisiana @ Southern Miss (ESPN+)
A gigantic game between the league leaders headlines the Sun Belt tonight. There are undercards, but they don’t hold a candle to this one. Two 20-win teams squaring off in Hattiesburg. The conference title quite possibly on the line. We’ll make the call: Game of the NITe.
7:00 PM EST: Bellarmine @ Liberty (ESPN+)
8:30 PM EST: Kennesaw State @ Jacksonville State (ESPN+)
Kennesaw State is making moves at Liberty in the ASUN, and it probably isn’t going to happen, but we’re not missing it if it does. That league produces some winners come NIT time. Remember the Lesson of Lipscomb™?
7:00 PM EST: Marshall @ Coastal Carolina (ESPN+)
8:00 PM EST: Oral Roberts @ St. Thomas (TommieSports.com)
Two more. For the diehards.
7:30 PM EST: Bulls @ Nets (TNT)
And finally, the Bulls play what’s left of the Brooklyn Nets. What a sad game. You never want to be envying a team that just had to trade away Kevin Durant.
