Over the past decade or so, as we've developed relationships with fellow CAA fans, I've come to root for some of those teams when they're playing intersectionally, and always in the NCAA Tournament. And because of FOGTB Mike Litos, I've remained fond of VCU even after they left the CAA for the Atlantic 10.
My Rams were picked 9th in the preseason A-10 poll, mostly because they're very young. They feature a
true freshman starting point guard in Ace Baldwin, and the aforementioned Hyland is a sophomore, and the A-10 Player of the Year. Their nine-deep rotation includes two seniors, two juniors, and five underclassmen.
true freshman starting point guard in Ace Baldwin, and the aforementioned Hyland is a sophomore, and the A-10 Player of the Year. Their nine-deep rotation includes two seniors, two juniors, and five underclassmen.
Led by a deep, versatile offense (only Hyland and junior forward Vince Williams average more than 10 points per game, while the next seven on the roster average between 4.5 and 7.2 per) and a typically stout defense (the Rams were 11th in the nation in Adjusted Defense according to KenPom) Mike Rhoades' squad went 19-7 and finished second in the A-10, losing in the conference tournament final to St. Bonaventure.
VCU is the tenth seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. They take on PAC-12 regular season champion Oregon tomorrow evening at 9:57 EDT. The Ducks are basically a funhouse mirror image of VCU. Their offense is ranked 15th in KenPom's adjusted standings, while their defense is middle of the pack.
Oregon's favored by 5. I feel like it's a closer game than that and VCU's hurt by their league's image as compared to a Power 5 foe. But what the heck do I know? Other than the fact that the Peppas are the best pep band in the nation.
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almost dropped some coin on arkansas +8. got busy at work and missed the tip. sometimes the best bets are the ones you don’t make, it seems.
blocked dunk at the rim looming large for mark’s boys
I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T GET A BET DOWN ON ARKANSAS +8! WORK IS COSTING ME MONEY.
Well...that was a stressful way to spend 3 hours on a Friday afternoon.
Now I’m going to lay by my pool and watch games that I only have a mild rooting interest in.
i'm getting so old i don't even remember who won this thing last year . . .
That’s a good one, Dave.
Greetings to you from Delray Beach, Florida. After a travel snafu yesterday, I flew through Philly today and got here in time for a late lunch. 82° and sunny. I left 38° and a chance of snow in Va. Seems like Mark and Dan have it figured out.
On an island down here... I’m seeing my dad for the first time in months, so catching up with him rather than tuning into the tourney. Plus, no legalized sports betting in FL, which stuns me. I trust you folks will keep me posted.
Atlantic Ave in Delray is a fun time. Delray is somehow South Florida’s best kept secret.
As for the sports gambling angle, casino cruises are big down here and they’re fighting the encroachment on their business tooth and nail. Shortsighted by those folks imo. I’d hang out on a cruise ship with a sports book.
this oral roberts upset would not be a good one for my brackets. i watched too much big ten and picked them all . . .
The Big Ten was very good this year. The only team I went heavy on was Illinois though.
i did get a bet down on tennessee -3.5 as part of a parlay. really wish i hadn't had time to do that.
i have illinois winning. i have ohio state in the final four. yuck.
Mark, my folks say the older peeps are all told to stay clear of Atlantic Ave. these days. Maskless mobs and all that. Too bad, I really liked an oyster bar there last time.
I had Tennessee winning at least a couple of games. Getting their doors blown off. Such is Day 1.
Reread comments from the last post. Danimal, yep, Goldbelly is the shit. I’ve gotten lobster from ME, banana pudding from NYC, wings from the original bar in Buffalo, and key lime pie from... well, you know. All great.
I could see that, Whit. Florida is, unfortunately, full of assholes who think they’re making a point by not wearing masks. Our state government certainly doesn’t help matters.
Even locally for me it’s common. Melbourne had their St Patrick’s Day downtown block party last weekend. Was told it was absolutely packed and not a mask in sight.
It will be interesting to see what happens when much/most of the country is vaccinated. Masking, gathering, laws, defiance, and such. I’m dying for a big fat rock show but not at a human health cost. But somewhere along the way the needle will tip and we’ll do something akin to the old days.
Loyola beating Georgia Tech was so predictable. Both because Loyola was badly under seeded and Georgia Tech was primed for a let down after winning the ACC Tournament.
I’d like a pair of those Tech shorts though.
Agreed, Whit. I badly want to go to a live show in a small, intimate venue. I’m also in no way comfortable with the idea of that.
I always go to a couple Gator football home games (and often a road trip) each season. One with my friends and one with my family. Also try to hit a basketball game with the family. Making tentative plans for those for the upcoming seasons but they’re all able to canceled with short notice.
The weird times won’t go away they’ll just change in their situations.
My godparents live in Delray Beach! Last time I was there was October 1996. I turned down a “let’s hang out on the beach tonight, I’ll bring a blanket” offer from my godparents’ daughter’s very cute best friend b/c the Yankees had a World Series game. I had never seen a favorite team win a title, so I said no. It was Game 4, the Leyritz home run game. Was worth it. I saw the Yankees win a few days later in the Pi Lam basement during Homecoming.
I’ll add to Whit’s response on Goldbelly. It’s a great treat, Dan. And they have an absurd amount of options. Go on their site and browse. Pretty sure you’ll end up pulling out your credit card.
Chicks are great, but have you ever seen Jimmy Leyritz go yard?
i was in that basement with you, tr.
and tech was also missing acc poy moses wright, so all the more reason that was an easy call.
I remember the pile-on in the basement. The VCU band makes the baritone look cool, with all the simulated lovemaking and whatnot.
I, too, was part of that Yankees celebration in that well furnished, fresh smelling basement
boy, did i oversubscribe to the big ten in my tournament prognosticating. familiarity bias is real.
North Texas was fun to watch
As it always turns out, my pop is the early to bed, early to rise type, so we watched some hoops before he hit the hay and now it’s open bar in Lesterville with me riding solo watching the late tournament games. Giddyup.
We also dined at his club across the way, eating sushi and stir fry among the hoities AND the toities on a grassy patch a few feet from the beach overlooking the Atlantic at dusk. I’ll say it again, Mark and Dan know what they’re doing.
Who’s pulling for Morehead?
You’re not wrong, Whit. And I had to leave to realize you were right.
Florida gets a lot of stick (justifiably so) but if you live in close proximity to the coast (I’m talking minutes, not even miles) it’s pretty sweet. I walked to the beach with the kid earlier this week and she’s been in the pool each of the past 4 days.
I’m not sure there’s a NCAA tournament game I’ve ever cared less about than Clemson-Rutgers. That said, it’s a pretty good game.
Mark, if you need a rooting interest, Dave lives in the New Brunswick area, did some time at Rutgers, and is all over them. Or, if you have come to hate Dave, go Tigers.
sounds like deshaun watson was trying to get out of houston ahead of the lawman. nasty piece of work, if the growing mountain of allegations are true.
I hear you, Rob, but I wonder if DeShaun knew that you can't just move away and say "doesn't count, I live in Florida now."
happy national corn dog day
I observed corn dog day by suiting up in ppe, scraping up a bunch of old floor tile, double bagged it up tight, and hauled it to the dump.
rutgers! i can feel my property values rising!
i wish mark told me about his Georgia tech prediction a few days ago . . .
Tanner Groves from EWU is my new favorite player in the tourney. The old school Bill Walton look is tremendous.
EWU’s Jacob Groves is a close second. He looks like a smush of Malcom Gladwell and Art Garfunkel.
Tribe vs Elon today.
In football.
You know who seems like a good basketball player who really isn’t? John Petty. So much unfulfilled potential.
Also...Pitino put together a hell of a game plan for Alabama.
Took a walk on the beach today. May jump in the ocean tomorrow morning. Stone crabs and key lime pie tonight. Rather excited.
It’s really good to see my dad after months of lockdown, but I’m glad he’s here and not somewhere like upstate NY.
Sounds like a great wkd Whit. Crabs, warm weather and beaches...probably not much different than a spring break of yesteryear.
Am confident you are savoring this time w your pop.
Was thinking Bill Wennington but Walton works for sure.
I see what Danimal did there with the crabs.
Stone crab is fucking delicious. Really expensive though. I allow myself that indulgence at most twice a season.
The wife and I have made a point to take more advantage of the beach this past year. We’ve always gone to the beach a lot but we’re doing more walks or quick late afternoon trips. I’m also buying the kid her first surfboard this summer and going to make a point to do that with her on the weekends. Really easy to take that beach access for granted.
If you guys didn’t pay attention to Mark’s comment about John Petty and today’s performance, he was spot on. Petty was terrible. They didn’t need him but they will. Mark, keep dropping some shit like that on us. I’m such a dunce I didn’t realize Pitino was at Iona until I saw him on the sideline.
Have y’all seen the VCU news...dagger!!
i put the mush on the rams. i feel terrible.
This headline pretty much made my day: “ Wax museum removes Trump statue after visitors kept punching it”
in totally unrelated news, i went mountain biking with a couple of friends this afternoon. we're training for an adventure race in may. i haven't ridden a mountain bike on technical trails in a while, and the rust was evident. but i was feeling good as we neared the end of our ride. started down a pretty steep and rocky section of the trail, picked up speed as i cleared the first of two sections. too much speed, as it turns out.
hit the second section, got a little wonky, then the bike went right and i went left. landed head and left-side first. definitely took a big hit on my helmet, and honestly probably would've been very badly injured if i wasn't wearing it. as it stands, i rode away with a pretty gnarly bruise on my upper left ribcage, some solid road rash in several places - left arm, both calves, a weird bruise under my right nipple. but i rode away.
the lesson, as the great american poet clint eastwood once said: a man's got to know his limitations.
Glad it’s not worse, Rob. Time to buy a new helmet.
I’m mountain biking curious, but stick to roads and greenway type paths mostly.
Can’t wait for “weird nipple bruise” to appear in the next ghooghles.
Rob, glad you’re okay. Keep wearing a helmet.
Sucks about the Rams. Lot of people must be crushed. Hope nobody did something stupid.
speak it into existence, z
vcu reps are pretty adamant that the team didn't break any protocols. one of the refs from last weekend's a-10 championship game has tested positive and is pretty sick. some speculation about whether that's a possible cause. really hard to say. looks like just really shitty luck.
side note on the bike wreck. otterbox phone cases are for real. had my phone in my camelbak, landed directly on it. the camelback was punctured in two places. phone didn’t have a scratch on it.
So no VCU players are sick?
several tested positive. don’t know if they’re symptomatic.
sorry rob-- sounds like a rough day . . .
Leaves a void in our game watching. Sucks.
Awesome neon for Abilene Christian but I have to disagree with the loose ball foul call on Texas. Has to be something real obvious to decode the game in that fashion imo.
Awesome win*
Here is to a speedy recovery Rob, and a new helmet.
Chilly, wet, and windy here this morning...came across "Neat: the Story of Bourbon" on Hulu. (We cut the cable cord a few weeks ago) Good Sunday morning watching...includes much of the info read in Bourbon Empire.
my daughter has been threatening to shave her head since she was 14. last night, she made good. so my 19 year-old looks like demi moore from g.i. jane. my wife is beside herself. i reminded her that 19 year-olds don't always make the best decisions, and that this one isn't permanent. hell, i had my ear pierced by a hallmate with an ice cube and a stick pin when i was at that stage in my life.
Bald is in. I know Marls and Danimal agree.
Fun mini-summit in NJ last night, w/ Dr J joining Zman, Juan Carlos and me. There were many drinks and many laughs around Juan’s pit of fire. Great night, but I am paying the price today.
Awesome that TJ excluded me!
And rob... pictures? That is awesome of Katy
Guess I should’ve heeded my own advice on Loyola when I picked Illinois to win it in one of my brackets.
I picked them more than once. Oof.
The coaches going casual - is that a byproduct of COVID? If so, I hope it sticks for them.
dagger ending for texas tech
Good for Katy. I like to think that I was the inspiration. She was probably saying to herself, “if that old man can do it, so can I.”
Whit, you are not bald...you are balding. More Doc Brown than Kojak.
what a gack job by rutgiz.
Dagger ending for Rutgers
Well...that sucked.
it sucked a lot. why even have a coach if that's how you're going to play the last four minutes?
oral roberts is gonna be a feel-good story. meanwhile, those fuckers aren't any better than liberty. bible-banging anti-lgbtq, anti-woman jerkknobs.
I had a friend that went to ORU for a year because his parents were extremely religious. He didn’t last. Because, like I said, he was my friend.
As for Florida’s coaching situation...you ask an appropriate question, Rob. Mike White is most definitely not the answer. Hasn’t been for a bit now.
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