There are rumblings that something big could be happening in the NIT world tomorrow. Not, you know, too big, but big. There are not, notably, rumblings in Fargo’s belly, at least at the moment, which is great because those have been bad news in recent days. She seems fine right now. A little off, but way better than yesterday, and better than last week, too. Having a good snooze at the moment on her bed, half in the sun half out of the sun. I don’t know if she knows what sunlight is. She’s not a huge ‘lounge in the sun’ gal but maybe that’s because our floorboards tend to be cold in the winter. She got up on the couch last night. Wasn’t sure what to do once she was up there. Also not a huge ‘sit on the couch’ gal.
North Dakota State Is Our National Champion
We’ll get to the basketball at the end, but with a “national championship” happening tonight, we wanted to be clear that we recognize NDSU as the national champion in the college football world after their beatdown of Montana State this weekend. Do we always recognize the FCS champion as the nation’s champion? No. Just when it’s North Dakota State, or another school we like (the subtext here is that we didn’t name Sam Houston State a national champion and you can make of that what you will). Do we still recognize UTSA as the national champion because they won the conference named after the nation? Yes. Two national champions this year. Eight letters combined. Seven if you portmant-U it (NDSUTSA).
NASCAR!
Again, with a “national championship” happening tonight which most caters to white conservatives in the Southeast, we decided not to talk about that and instead talk about NASCAR. You know, to avoid talking about something those folks and those folks only care about.
There were a lot of questions headed towards NASCAR fans from their more NASCAR-peripheral friends yesterday, after FOX showed a promo for the Busch Clash at the LA Coliseum during NFL. (I’m going to start referring to “NFL” as “NFL” and not “the NFL” or “NFL football” or anything like that, just like how Buster Bluth always called it “Army.” Please remind me I’ve committed to this bit.) What is the Busch Clash? Why is it in LA? Are Busch beers allowed in LA? I can’t answer the third (right now—remind me to ask Joe Kelly if I ever meet him in person), but for the first two: Usually, the Busch Clash is an all-star exhibition race which helps kick off the Daytona 500 festivities. It’s held at Daytona. There’s no points racing so it’s supposed to be a fun race for the win.
This year, NASCAR’s moving the race up a week—to grab the weekend between the NFL’s conference championships and the Super Bowl—and they’re holding it on a quarter-mile track they built in the Coliseum. How long is a quarter mile in NASCAR? Not long. The shortest track these guys usually drive is half a mile, the longest oval isn’t quite three miles (some road courses are longer, I think). So it’s the grassroots-style short track racing, complete with a heat-based format (the main race won’t have a full field, but unlike most Busch Clashes anyone can drive in this one), but it’s being held in a glamorous and storied stadium. The hope is that it draws in some casual viewers and revs up the base, which is always the hope for just about everything and everyone, right?
Also, Aric Almirola’s retiring at the end of this season. One fewer guy hanging around the playoff bubble. In future years. Still hanging around it this year.
Covid Hates the Sens
The Senators had another game canceled over the weekend, and maybe one this week, too? Issue is attendance restrictions, brought on, by…Covid. This is a funny way for the NHL to handle this, by the way. Owners worried about losing money due to low attendance can just cancel the games and the NHL promises to make them up. Somehow, maybe because hockey’s schedule is naturally kind of irregular, it works? I don’t know. The Senators have only played one game in the last three weeks. This is kind of nuts.
Oh Come On, Burnley
Burnley lost its FA Cup match to Huddersfield Town, and Chris Wood might’ve gotten hurt but he might not’ve gotten hurt but he might’ve gotten hurt and Burnley might just be keeping it quiet because Newcastle was offering some money for him but it sounds like Burnley refused that offer. Lot of talk about Burnley potentially selling in the January Transfer Window. Not a lot of talk about Burnley potentially buying. I think they’re gonna buy, though. Their outlook isn’t that bad (if they were in tenth I’d say they should sell and rebuild small-market-MLB-style but I don’t know if that’s a thing in footie). Burnley isn’t due to play again until Saturday, with the big match against Watford currently scheduled for a week from tomorrow.
Marquette Is Crushing It Under Shaka Smart
Ok, basketball. Shaka Smart’s Marquette Golden Eagles won by thirty (we round to the nearest ten) again Friday night, and they did it on the road, and they did it against one of the best programs in college basketball history. Meanwhile, Texas, well…yuck.
Saint Mary’s Looked the Part
It wasn’t the Game of the NITe of the Weekend, but Saint Mary’s went to Provo, scored 43 points, somehow also kept it relatively close, and yes, if you’re terrified of your favorite team facing the Gaels in March, you’re feeling the right way. These guys are ruthless.
Colorado Statement
Speaking of ruthless and thirty-point beatdowns (yo editor let’s just combine those last two sections somehow so this makes sense Editor’s Note: No.), Colorado State lost 79-49 on Saturday in a game they trailed just 36-30 at the break. They scored nineteen points in the second half.
The best part of this is that it was Colorado State’s first loss. Colorado State did this the way your friends who wanted to wait until they were 21 to drink handled their 21st birthday, and I mean the not-cool friends (the cool friends either do this and drink in moderation or drink earlier but drink a lot of wine coolers at the end of high school shoutout Glazer you’re the man). Hell yeah, Colorado State.
Cyclone Warning?
Iowa State’s done a lot so far, and not always in the best way, but the bottom line here is that they have fertile ground ahead. Don’t be surprised if another of the early undefeateds, like Colorado State, ends up with New York on the mind. Now, let’s get that walking bag of trash Andy Enfield. Speaking of which, is the Pac-12 playing? I’ve heard so little of the Pac-12 lately. Good thing they’re our Game of the NITe which we’re totally going to watch and not going to just check the score of in the middle of the night when we remember we bet on it.
The Muss Bus Is Still a NITe Train
Arkansas lost the Game of the NITe of the Weekend, and how good does Eric Musselman’s self-promotion have to be to get a seed-line boost come Selection Sunday? Either way, feeling like a comfortable home game for the Hogs.
Fine, Iona Mention
Fargo’s friendship with one of their staffers’ fathers aside, We still don’t believe in the Gaels (these Gaels—again, we adore Saint Mary’s), but Iona did play that game against Saint Louis on Saturday, and yes, you know what, they lost. Can we stop talking about Iona? Let’s talk about Saint Louis. This win could help their case. They’re called the Billikens. I don’t have a slight fear that their coach is going to come across something I wrote four years ago and sue me for libel.
What the Hell’s Going On with Mississippi?
Mississippi beat Mississippi State by ten on Saturday after taking Tennessee to overtime on Wednesday, all after the last time we saw them, they were dropping a home game to Samford. Does Kermit Davis have some magic left in that little vial of magic he carries in his breast pocket? (Everyone named Kermit carries one of those, in case you didn’t know that. I’m allowed to tell you because I saved a toad with a bucket once.)
NITe Train: Louisville
Choo choo!
NIT or NOT: Virginia
NOT, at least based on Saturday. Gotta compete better than that, Tony. And we say that out of love.
NITe Train: A Bunch of Other ACC Schools
Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and you know let’s throw Florida State in here underwhelmingly won games NIT teams should win. Pack the bracket, ACC. Pack it.
Missouri State: Chokers?
Missouri State lost to Northern Iowa after leading for much of the game. Northern Iowa’s 7-7 and hasn’t played a single team likely to miss the NIT in what the haters call the good way. Yikes!
Vanderbilt: The Missouri State of Nashville?
Vanderbilt did something eerily similar against South Carolina, which is why so many are calling Vanderbilt the Missouri State of Nashville on all the NIT radio shows you’ve been listening to at work. Now you’re in the loop (in case you weren’t getting that reference).
Miami’s Case for Favoritehood
Miami is now 5-0 in the ACC, and they just beat Duke in Durham. Consider my eyebrows raised. Better yet? Besides the Duke game (and the NC State game), all their league wins have been of NIT quality. They’re showing up and showing out.
NIT or NOT: Wichita State
At the risk of infuriating Wichita State fans (who can evidently get quite infuriated—you should’ve seen them go after Joe Stunardi in message boards in 2019), NOT. Losing to Houston’s a big nothing for us. You learn more from driving your car through puddles that alllllllmost stretch across the whole roadway. Shockers have work to do.
NIT or NOT: Northwestern
NOT. I don’t know, actually. They might stay above/at .500. I’m just tired of getting burned.
Memphis Treads Water
The defending champions are in no man’s land, and we’ll take them if the universe will give them to us. They beat Cincinnati yesterday in a thrilling finish (or so I’m told, I was…what was I doing?) to make it three straight in the victory department after losing those five of six to end 2021. Memphis: Undefeated in 2022? That would result in them not winning the NIT, UNLESS! No I can’t think of an Unless here. Remember when we briefly advocated for them to still play the NIT in 2020 on the grounds that no one would be in attendance so it’d be socially distanced?
Game of the NITe: Civil War (Do They Call It That When It’s Basketball? Football? Football, Right?)
Finally, our Game of the NITe. Oregon State hosts Oregon. It’s on the Pac-12 Networks. Oregon State’s way out of the NIT picture but they could make a run! Oregon’s right in the NIT picture but feels strangely absent. Ethereal. Is Oregon a ghost?
