Last night, when it was clear that Louisville and Cincinnati were going to meet in the final of the Big East Tournament, Rece Davis of ESPN said something like "We tuned in to watch the Big East, and we suddenly find ourselves back in the old Metro conference."
Actually, of course, the old Metro is stronger than the Big East. Memphis State won Conference USA's tournament today, and Florida State beat Duke this afternoon to reach the ACC final.
Halftime: Louisville 24, Cincinnati 14
ReplyDeleteThat's not a football score.
I keep looking for Dana Kirk in the stands.
Seriously, this game should not be in Madison Square Garden, in HD, on ESPN. This game should be played at some place like the St. Louis Checkerdome or the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. It should be broadcast on WSIL -- with the usual blurry WSIL picture -- as part of a Mizlou television package on Sunday afternoon. After the game, they should go to a tape-delayed episode of "The Superstars."
Louisville won this game, 50-44, and their fans were excited. But to me, it felt more like a semi-final. Doesn't it seem like Louisville and Memphis State should meet tomorrow for the Metro title?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, fans of the old Sunbelt will be excited about Louisiana Tech's miracle run through the WAC Tournament. LaTech entered the tournament as the 5 seed, but is now playing for the title against New Mexico State. If Western Kentucky has to enter a play-in game -- and I hope that doesn't happen -- it would be neat to see them play LaTech.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, here's a trivia question for fans of the Old Sunbelt. Western Kentucky University is one of only two current Sunbelt members who also belonged to the Sunbelt in 1985. What is the only other school to have continuously belonged to the Sunbelt during that period?
ReplyDelete(I would have had no idea; I had to look up the answer.)
It's South Alabama, right?
DeleteIt is South Alabama. Full marks!
DeleteBy the way, here are the teams that belonged to the Sunbelt in 1985 that are no longer in the Sunbelt:
ReplyDeleteUNC-Charlotte (now in the A-10)
South Florida (Big East)
Jacksonville (Atlantic Sun)
Ala-Birmingham (Conference USA)
Virginia Commonwealth (Colonial Athletic Ass'n)
Old Dominion (Colonial Athletic Ass'n)
UAB-WKU became a pretty fierce rivalry.
DeleteOther Metro news:
ReplyDelete1. Metro teams won the Big East Tournament (Louisville), the ACC Tournament (Florida State), and the Conference USA Tournament (Memphis).
2. Five of 7 Metro teams (Memphis, Louisville, Saint Louis, Cincinnati, and Florida State) made the tournament.
3. Two Metro teams (Memphis and Saint Louis) will go head-to-head in the first round.