I will forever debate that the most wonderful time of the sports year is bowl season in college football. It’s a solid marathon of sport that builds to a fantastic crescendo, especially in this new age of the college football playoff.
However, for an absolute, dead sprint of insanity, nothing tops March. There is no build. Blink and the Maddness will pass you by. The opening days of the tournament are spent furiously flipping between game finishes. It’s equal parts exhaustion and euphoria.
As I type this Roundup, there have been five games decided by a single point, an NCAA record, and I’m watching Arkansas and Wofford battling in a game that looks to repeat that act (and as I was finishing rounding up links, Arkansas barely survives after Wofford missed a pair of game tying threes).
Somehow, Notre Dame survived this day. Just as we all tried to catch our collective breathe from a close call with Northeastern, we all witnessed two #3 seeds got knocked off by #14 seeds for just the third time in tournament history. We all bled Crimson for a few minutes as Harvard gave North Carolina a scare. We laughed as Purdue and LSU found ways to somehow squander their leads.
The journey to “how did we let Northeastern stay so close” to “holy crap, this day insane” happened in almost a blink of an eye.
It’s great to be on the side of victory in this craziness for a change. Usually, the surrounding insanity of the opening rounds of the Big Dance serve as a consolation prize to an early exit disappointment.
And we’re #NotDoneYet. The next step in an Irish march to glory comes Saturday against Butler. So hop on and enjoy the ride.
The Roundup
Tonight on the radio show. We’ll talk some hoops and insanity of the first two days, including the incredibly controversial goaltend at the end of SMU/UCLA, the Big XII falling on their face, and, of course, we’ll take a look at the Irish. Should time permit, I’ll also dive into thoughts on John Oliver’s shot at the NCAA and Jack Swarbrick’s radical idea to split the NCAA into two leagues. Show’s at 6pm CT tonight, and you can stream it here, and catch recordings of the show on our podcast page.
I wonder if any sick grandmas were involved. UCLA suspended O-line coach Adrian Klemm for unspecified NCAA rule violations.
The NCAA took a huge bite out of the Orange. And now the fallout begins. Jim Boeheim claims the punished placed on his basketball team was too harsh and that he really had nothing to do with all the violations. On top of all that, a couple of players are jumping ship and Boeheim is apparently retiring in three years.
Hardship waivers are no more. Instead, the NCAA will add another year onto an athlete’s eligibility clock.
Alabama has hired Charlie Weis. Jr., that is.
And now your moment of Nix… Purdue basketball, ladies and gentlemen:
https://twitter.com/mikedyce/status/578722499707453442
The Booze
Oh, you mean to tell me there’s a big game for Notre Dame this Saturday? ALL THE WHISKEY. All of it.
- Epilogue - January 3, 2022
- HLS Podcast Finale - January 2, 2022
- The Final Fiesta: Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State NCAA ’14 Sim - December 31, 2021