Here’s my Friday analysis!
Interesting, unexpected matchups early. Tennessee is just the latest in a series of First Four entrants who dispel the myth that the extra game dooms you to an early exit. Michigan is probably a bridge too far for the Vols, though. UConn is much less hatable sans asshat extraordinaire Jim Calhoun, and they are playing very well. Can Iowa State continue to survive and advance without one of their three big guns? Usually, “rallying around the flag” can get you through one game…and that’s it. So as much as I would like to see TN and ISU dance on, I suspect not.
Caffeinate now, because like a gruesome traffic accident, you won’t be able to resist watching Sparty and Wahoowa bludgeon one another. Plus…you get too see true blood hatred and really good basketball when Calipari and Pitino (in my view, 2 of the 5 best college coaches ever) battle in Indy. Can the Shadow Pack keep running?
As a word of explanation, there’s an insane little alternate universe in my head, where the Sidney Lowe era never happened. Instead, Coach Cal is leading NC State on a quest for its 4th national title (while the blues wail and gnash their teeth). I like this little world quite a bit. I also like Calipari victories as a thumb in the eye of the media and the NCAA powers-that-be, who try to make Calipari the cartoon, pro wrestling villain (a role he laughingly endorses) while ignoring the systemic corruption that has propped up “model” programs and brought us complete monkeyshit like the “Carolina Way.” He’s my basketball anti-hero, and I enjoy watching his victories much like Walter White’s.
I think the Cavs and Cats win tonight, and I will be happy for both.
Here’s your music, reminding you of what you (or at least I, with my cold front induced headache) need to stay up for a full night of hoops action (it’s also a wonderfully depressing song):
