Arizona and Houston have closed the gap, but has UConn widened it back? We regroup. Then: Kirk Schulz likes to talk, the Canes are always beefing, and we enjoyed our annual Mac McClung weekend.
Joe’s Notes: Why Caitlin Clark Became a Phenomenon When Kelsey Plum Didn’t
What’s different about Clark, and what’s changed in women’s basketball. Also: That signing deadline might be a good idea, UConn vs. Marquette, and NASCAR brings chaos as it returns.
Joe’s Notes: The Case Against Conference Tournaments
Conference tournaments are a moneygrab which makes competition worse. Also: The Big 12 is in bad shape, Jimmie Johnson’s Daytona 500 hopes are on the line, and there’s a reasonable rhyme to the Cubs’ deliberate rebuilding pace.
Joe’s Notes: What’s Going on With the Pac-2?
Summing up a noisy week in WSU/OSU news. Then: Pitchers and catchers, home-court advantage, and why now for Ohio State and Chris Holtmann.
Joe’s Notes: What Don’t Power Conferences Like About Charlie Baker’s Proposal?
The Baker Proposal evidently needs refining. Also: That NCAA Tournament expansion talk, the CFP’s game of chicken, and Bill Self’s five years without a bench.
Joe’s Notes: The Chiefs Are Good at Winning
Exploring the obvious. Also: Kyle Shanahan is still a strength, Arizona’s back in the national title picture, and Ryan Grubb adds a degree of difficulty for rebuilding Alabama.
Joe’s Notes: Why You Should Expect the 49ers to Win This Super Bowl
Dueling simplicity. Also: Nebraska and the bubble, Gonzaga and the bubble, and eleven other places our model and the consensus disagree.
Joe’s Notes: Trade Deadlines and Inefficient Markets
The odd economics of trades in professional sports. Also: Ranking the Boras Four, the Bulls’ empty deadline, and looking towards Opening Day.
Joe’s Notes: The Big Ten’s New Big Game (For a Year, Anyway)
Out: Ohio State vs. Michigan. In: Ohio State vs. (blank) Also: The NCAA didn’t win the VA/TN lawsuit, Iowa State didn’t lose in Austin, and the Bulls need to sell but that’s a problem with the NBA.
Joe’s Notes: Dartmouth Basketball, a Union, and Employment in College Sports
What to make of yesterday’s ruling. Also: Is Tony Bennett a good coach? Are the Packers winning the offseason? And why the Cubs’ projections are, unfortunately, not wrong.
Joe’s Notes: It’s Purdue vs. UConn Right Now
Despite the narrative, college basketball has a clear top two. Also: Kansas wrecks Houston, the Big Ten and SEC are talking, and Scott Drew was made an example.
Joe’s Notes: It’s a Good Time to Be an Orioles Fan, But…
There’s an inconvenient timing to The Prevailing Angelos Narrative. Also: The latest NCAA lawsuit is not going to calm things down, the PGA investment news seems small, and we compare coaching salaries between the NFL and college.
Joe’s Notes: Why Is the NCAA Trying to Enforce NIL Rules?
Tennessee’s under investigation. Also: Ben Johnson chooses happiness, Kelvin Sampson might be the offense problem, and the Big 12 football schedule has arrived.
Joe’s Notes: Understanding Brock Purdy
The quarterback is the same as he was as a freshman in college. He’s also, paradoxically, still getting better. Also: The fourth down calls, LMU cuts six sports, and Washington State should focus on basketball.
Joe’s Notes: What Luka’s 73-Point Night Says About Our Children
The three-point shot is generational. Also: The NFL’s next great QB debate, Iowa State hosts Kansas, and the Big Ten’s new tournament format.
Joe’s Notes: How Badly Did Michigan Want Harbaugh to Stay?
The weird ending to the glorious era. Also: What comes now in Ann Arbor? Is Bill Belichick unwanted? A 36-team NHL might work. And Northwestern fans have a presence now.
Joe’s Notes: The Bucks Let Giannis Learn
There’s a mistake chain in Milwaukee. Also: Joe Barry’s out, the Brewers got Rhys Hopkins, another NDSU move, and the Houston Cougars keep winning ugly.
Joe’s Notes: Calling Jim Harbaugh a Liar
Jim Harbaugh might imminently be the coach of the Chargers. Also: The transfer cycle, the Iowa gambling twist, and putting numbers on an NFL ref conspiracy.