Happy Monday!
• The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament is my favorite sports weekend of the year. And this year was no different.
And without question, I have become a fan of Florida Gulf Coast. No, I’m not really a bandwagon kind of guy normally, but this story is too good.
Sherwood Brown is talented and fun to watch. (Please compare the ‘fun to watch’ feeling with the nauseated feeling that manifests when Marshall Henderson shows up on my television.) Head coach Andy Enfield is smart and gifted in so many ways and engenders respect.
And there is no doubt that the moment of the tournament to date – not that I think anything following will top it – is the Comer to Fieler dunk.
Yes, I’m an Eagles’ fan. And no matter how long this run lasts, I will likely stay with this team for a long time to come.
And have you seen all the pictures of the campus? Looks like a great place to go to get a Masters degree…
• I’m still debating over my feelings about the First Four. I’m not ready to call the round that follows the “Second Round”, but it feels like more than just play-in games to me, too.
Anyway, the best part for me last week was listening to Jim Nantz read the show lineups on TruTV. (Who knew there was such a thing as TruTV before the expanded tournament coverage?)
Listening to Nantz invite people to watch Lizard Lick Towing was the gem of the first two days.
• Disappointing, but not really unexpected. That’s how I’d summarize the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State early departures from the Tournament.
Contrary to what some have said, it doesn’t look to me as though OU ever recovered from the second half meltdown in the Texas game. The Sooners lost four of the last six games, including that one. And someone other than Osby had to step up. It didn’t happen against San Diego State on Friday.
OSU got jumped on in the opening minute and couldn’t snap out of the funk. The early turnovers were corrected, but the Oregon offensive rebounds and second chance opportunities weren’t.
We know that Osby will be gone next season. The question is how many of the Cowboys have also played their last collegiate games.