Regional Finals

Here are today's regional finals (all times Central, AP rankings in parentheses):

MIDWEST REGION FINAL (Chicago, Ill.):

1:15 P.M. (CBS):  (3) Michigan (34-3) v. Tennessee (25-11)

Now that Kentucky has decided to deemphasize basketball, Tennessee has begun to dominate basketball in our part of the country much as it has long done with football.  The Vols are in the Elite Eight for the third year in a row.  UK hasn't been there since 2019, and may never get there again.  U of L hasn't been there since 2015.  Memphis hasn't been there since 2008.  Western hasn't been there since 1971.  Vandy hasn't been there since 1965.

UK fans still make fun of UT because the Vols have never been to the Final Four.  And, to be honest, I do not think they will be able to get past Michigan today.  But you can't go to the Final Four unless you get to the Elite Eight.  Rick Barnes has done an extraordinary job for the Big Orange.  This year, UK beat Tennessee twice.  Vandy took two of three from Tennessee, and eliminated the Vols from the SEC tournament.  But UK and Vandy both went out in the Second Round of the NCAA's, and UT has a shot at the Final Four.  That's really impressive.

Of course, it's also impressive that Dusty May, the Michigan coach, could win the National Title in only his second year at the school.  After all, the Wolverines went 8-24 in 2024, Juwan Howard's last year as coach.  Since then, May has gone 27-10 in 2025 and 34-3 so far this year.  Of course, May has a history here -- he took Florida Atlantic (!) to the Final Four in 2023, so he knows what he is doing.  Michigan was smart to hire a coach who had enjoyed so much success in the NCAA Tournament, and we can only wish that UK had done the same.  But of course, Michigan was trying to win, and UK apparently was not.

EAST REGION FINAL (Washington, DC):

4:05 P.M. (CBS):  (1) Duke (35-2) v. (7) Connecticut (32-5)

On March 24, 1990, Duke beat UConn 79-78 on a buzzer beater by Christian Laettner in overtime to win the East Region.  At that point, neither Duke nor UConn had ever won the NCAA Championship.  Since then, however, they have played a dominant role.  The Blue Devils have five titles:  1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, and 2015.  The Huskies have six:  1999, 2004, 2011, 2014, 2023, and 2024.  And people can say whatever they want about Arizona and Michigan, but I can assure you that those of us who live on the East Coast expect the winner of this game to go all the way -- if only because they so often do.

To me, the tournament began with five teams who could win it all:  Duke, UConn, Arizona, Michigan, and Florida.  The Gators went out last week, but the other four are still dancing.  This game is the first time in the tournament that any of the true favorites are going against each other.  I'm very excited to see what will happen.

The Regional Semi-Finals

Here are tonight's games -- AP rankings in parentheses, all times Central:

NCAA SOUTH REGION SEMI-FINALS (Houston, Tex.):

6:30 PM (TBS):  (15) Nebraska (28-6) v. Iowa (23-12)

9:05 PM (TBS):  (5) Houston (30-6) v. (13) Illinois (26-8)

NCAA WEST REGION SEMI-FINALS (San Jose, Calif.):

6:10 PM (CBS):  (8) Purdue (29-8) v. Texas (21-14)

8:45 PM (CBS):  (2) Arizona (34-2) v. (14) Arkansas (28-8)

MLB Preview

MLB 2026 starts tonight.  I intend to watch the most baseball I've seen since at least 2019.  Here are the top favorites to win each league:

NATIONAL LEAGUE:

Los Angeles:  +120

N.Y. Mets:  +700

Philadelphia:  +800

Chi. Cubs:  +900

Atlanta:  +900

The Nats are +30,000.  I believe that the Nats' actual chances are much worse than that.

AMERICAN LEAGUE:

N.Y. Yankees:  +450

Seattle:  +500

Toronto:  +650

Boston:  +700

Detroit:  +900

Baltimore:  +950

The A's are +3,000.

Byington Update

After going 26-8 and losing in the Final of the SEC Tournament to Arkansas, Vanderbilt was given a Five Seed and sent to Oklahoma City.  In the first round, the Commodores rolled past McNeese State by 78 to 68.  In the second round, they played a Nebraska team that had a record of 27-6, and whose fans had almost every seat in the gym.

Playing what was, for all intents and purposes, a road game, the Commodores made a splendid effort.  Down 39-32 at the half, they roared back and took a late lead.  But the Cornhuskers rallied to go up 74-72 with 3 seconds left in the game.  Tyler Tanner, Vandy's all-SEC point guard, tried a half court shot at the buzzer for the win.  His shot was on line the whole way, but it hit the back rim, then the front rim, and then it spun out.  Vandy was eliminated.

Vandy finished 27-9 overall, 11-7 in the SEC.  They take the runners-up trophy in the SEC Tournament, and a Second Round appearance in the NCAA's.  They are currently ranked 11 on Ken Pom, and 177 for luck.  If that Ken Pom ranking holds, it will be their highest final ranking on Ken Pom ever -- and his database goes back to 1997.

On the whole, a very successful season for Vandy.  If Coach Byington stays in Nashville, I think his future -- and that of the Commodores -- is very bright.

Pope Update

Here's what will happen.  Over the next few months, we will start to see stories about how Kentucky has done "surprisingly well" in the transfer portal, and how the team looks "much better," and that the Cats can definitely "make a run" if everyone "stays healthy."  Next November, UK will start off somewhere around Number 15 in the AP poll, and all the usual suspects will write articles trying to bait UK fans into complaining about Pope, or the Administration, or the team.

None of it will work.  No matter what everyone tries, there will be no buzz around next year's UK team.  No buzz (outside of the type of folks who go to Keeneland) around the UK / U of L game in Lexington.  No buzz about whoever we play in that Champions' Classic where we get embarrassed every year.  No buzz about the Gonzaga game.  No buzz about that December Classic where we played St. John's this season.  No buzz about the SEC regular season, or the games with Tennessee.  Certainly no buzz in the run-up to the annual blowouts by Alabama and Florida.  No buzz at the SEC Tournament.  And no buzz when they miss the NCAA's / lose in the first round / lose in the second round.

After the blowout against Michigan State, I had no interest in any game UK played the rest of the year.  I knew those injured players wouldn't make a difference, and I never even bothered to learn their names.  I knew they weren't reaching the SEC semi-finals.  I knew they weren't reaching the NCAA Regionals.  My only interest was in whether they would lose to Santa Clara, because I thought that would put more pressure on the Administration.  But of course, they pulled that one out -- only to be drilled by 19 against Iowa State (and T.J. Otzelberger!) on Sunday.  After the game, one of the Iowa State players basically said that they expected UK to give up in the second half -- and that's exactly what happened.

The proles are done.  They aren't reading any more articles.  They aren't following any more tweets.  They aren't scanning any more transfer lists.  Most Kentuckians learn early in life that it's a mistake to waste your life on foolish hopes.  They know it's not getting any better under this coach, and as far as they can tell, most people in Lexington couldn't care less.  After all, if they cared, they would have at least interviewed T.J. Otzelberger.

So next year, Lexington will get to have the Cats all to itself.  The Jeeves and Wooster types in the Bluegrass were always embarrassed by the UK fan base, and now they get to see what it's like when we stay home.  My guess is that they will find it less entertaining -- and certainly less profitable -- than it used to be.  And maybe that will change their mind.