1. (6) Alabama v. (15) Kentucky (SEC quarterfinals) (8:30 PM -- Ha!) (SEC Network)
2. (9) Texas Tech v. Arizona (Big 12 semifinals) (8:30 PM) (ESPN 2)
3. (11) Maryland v. Illinois (Big 10 quarterfinals) (5:30 PM) (Big Ten Network)
4. U.C.L.A. v. (18) Wisconsin (Big 10 quarterfinals) (1:30 PM) (Big Ten Network)
5. (13) Louisville v. (10) Clemson (ACC semifinals) (8:30 PM) (ESPN)
6. Michigan v. (20) Purdue (Big 10 quarterfinals) (8 PM) (Big Ten Network)
7. (4) Florida v. Missouri (SEC quarterfinals) (6 PM) (SEC Network)
8. (6) St. John's v. Marquette (Big East semifinals) (5:30 PM) (FOX)
9. Creighton v. Connecticut (Big East semifinals) (8 PM) (FOX)
10. (7) Michigan St. v. Oregon (Big 10 quarterfinals) (11 AM) (Big Ten Network)
I'm pretty sure that yesterday's UK game didn't tip off until around 9:50 PM Central Time. It was, of course, an unbelievable thriller, although the Cats have apparently lost Lamont Butler. This season, there have been seven "A" level games in which Butler played less than 20 minutes. Here's how they did in those games:
12/03/24: at Clemson (LOST 66-70)
12/07/24: Gonzaga (Seattle) (WON 90-89 in OT)
01/28/25: at Tennessee (WON 78-73)
02/04/25: at Mississippi (LOST 84-98)
02/15/25: at Texas (LOST 78-82)
02/22/25: at Alabama (LOST 83-96)
03/13/25: Oklahoma (SEC Tournament) (Nashville) (WON 85-84)
So the Alabama game tonight will be a struggle. But to be fair, it would be a struggle even if Butler were healthy.
To give you a sense of how big John Feinstein was in DC, consider that this morning the Sports Junkies (a legendary DC sports radio show on 106.7 FM) were going to have Michael Wilbon on air to talk about Feinstein. I've listened to the Junkies since the 1990's, and I'm pretty sure Wilbon has never been on there before. But of course, Feinstein worked with Wilbon at the Post, and he was also a regular on the Junks. He was an enormous presence in the DC sports world, and there isn't anyone who can replace him.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, it's nice to think of Feinstein bringing Wilbon and the Junks together.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite Feinstein workstreams was that he spent years doing color commentary on Navy football games. He was great in that job, and I was trying to remember today why he had stopped doing it. I had the vague notion that he was too busy with other things, but it turned out that he quit back in 2011 because the Naval Academy agreed to work with CBS on a documentary regarding the Army/Navy Game, even though Feinstein had been pitching a similar idea for years. I think this little paragraph captures his whole career about as well as anything else I could come up with. He was a brilliant and thoughtful person who, sooner or later, ended up in conflict with almost everyone. But he never broke with the Junkies, and he never broke with Wilbon.
ReplyDeleteFeinstein made his last appearance on the Junkies on January 10, 2025, after WJFK-FM had decided to cut ties with him. He had been a regular on the Junks for 12 years.
DeleteThe Junkies have walk-up music for their regular guests. John Feinstein's slot was every Friday at 8:15 AM. His walk-up music was "Piano Man," by Billy Joel. When it was a time for a major golf tournament, and Feinstein would go back and forth with the Tiger Woods-loving Junkies, it was must-listen radio.
ReplyDeleteAuburn 62 - 57 Mississippi (Final)
ReplyDeleteTennessee 49 - 44 Texas (15:35 left in 2d half)
Tennessee 61 - 49 Texas (11:39 left in 2d half)
ReplyDeleteTennessee 83 - 72 Texas (Final)
ReplyDeleteI think UK got a very favorable draw in the NCAA's. I give the Cats no chance of reaching the Sweet 16.
ReplyDeleteI cannot square UK's numbers with the product I see on the floor. I watched them play Oklahoma and Alabama in the SEC Tournament, and I came away thinking it was one of the worst UK teams I've ever seen -- not because of poor coaching or a lack of effort, but because they have almost no talent at all. So I don't know how on earth they won 22 games, or how they got up to 16 on Ken Pom.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't think Vandy should be in the tournament at all. To me, Vandy is the definition of an NIT-level squad.
ReplyDeleteKen Pom gives UK an 86 percent chance of victory over Troy. He has a projected score of 82 to 70.
ReplyDeleteKen Pom gives Saint Mary's (another team I don't like) a 66 percent chance of victory over Vandy, with a projected score of 71 to 67.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Ken Pomeroy, UK finishes the season as the Number 16 team in the country:
ReplyDelete8th in offensive efficiency (123.8)
56th in defensive efficiency (99.5)
157th in luck
Since 2019, only one Kentucky team has finished in Ken Pom's top 20 -- that was the 2022 squad that lost to St. Peter's. Since 2019, no UK team has reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.