The Demise of Cinderella

Upheaval within college sports has created all manner of change for both participants and observers, not the least of which is a quantum leap in billable hours. Attorneys and entire firms have profited from those who contend that capitalist practices should extend to those who do the work regardless of their age, as well as from those who dug in their heels behind the thought: How come we can’t do it the way we’ve always done it? 

Conference realignment and consolidation, player pay and unrestricted movement, and Indiana University football ascension were always going to be jarring and difficult to grasp, not to mention expensive. But once colleges accepted television money to broadcast games and that money grew into multi-billion-dollar contracts and eight-figure payouts, it would inevitably lead to somewhere close to where we are now. 

Though on balance the developments are good, or at least more equitable, for the labor force, i.e., athletes, there would in turn be fallout that altered perspective and fandom and perhaps even the attraction of a team, a sport or an event. Which brings us to the NCAA Tournament and the gradual demise of the lower-tier conference program that makes a surprise run. 

The tournament nearly always ends up as a showcase of the sport’s best and most talented teams, but one of its beauties has been unlikely runs by programs outside the national spotlight: George Mason to the Final Four in 2006, Davidson and Steph Curry to the Elite Eight in 2008, VCU going from the First Four to the Final Four in 2011; Florida Gulf Coast (“Dunk City”) to the Sweet 16 as a 15-seed in 2013, eleven-seed Loyola-Chicago to the Final Four in 2018, St. Peter’s to the Elite Eight as a 15-seed in 2022. 

No such disruption this year. The Sweet 16 is all power conference programs. The closest we got was 12-seed High Point of the Big South Conference taking out Wisconsin in the first round, then playing Arkansas close before falling in the round of 32. VCU and Saint Louis of the Atlantic 10 both won their first-round games before getting bounced decisively by Big Ten teams in the second round. 

 The notion that Texas is a Cinderella because the Longhorns are an 11-seed is laughable. They’re a member of the SEC and have one of the largest athletic budgets in the country. They’re the privileged kid who scuffled along in college all year, but still got a cushy summer internship because of family connections. 

The last time there was a significant party crashing was 2023, when San Diego State and Florida Atlantic made the Final Four and Princeton advanced to the Sweet 16. For the second consecutive year, no team seeded 13-16 won a tournament game in the main draw. 

Get used to it. 

The formula for under-the-radar teams making a tournament run used to be a veteran group that had played together for several years and whose age and experience could offset the talent disparity against marquee programs, or a mid-major program that landed an under-recruited prospect or two to supplement an already solid roster. That’s become more difficult to pull off because of the transfer portal and budgets and NIL money that permit power conference schools to pay players. 

Indeed, the Sweet 16 is littered with players who began their careers elsewhere – not only jumps between power conference schools but smaller programs. Arizona has players from Harvard and Campbell. Michigan State has players from Harvard and Florida Atlantic. Alabama has transfers from Cal State Fullerton and Pepperdine. Nebraska has players who started at Rhode Island and Tulsa. Iowa State stud Joshua Jefferson began his career at St. Mary’s. 

Maybe the most visible example of movement and money is at Iowa, which knocked off defending champ Florida. Hawkeyes coach Ben McCollum won four Division 2 national championships at Northwest Missouri State, and two years ago was hired by Drake of the Missouri Valley Conference. Several of his players followed him to Drake, where they won the league title in his first season and upset Missouri in the NCAAs. Iowa hired him a year ago, and star guard Bennett Stirtz, who began his career with McCollum at Northwest Mizzou and went with him to Drake, followed him to Iowa along with three other Drake players. The kid who hit the winning shot against Florida last weekend was previously at Robert Morris. 

Point being that continuity and team development take hits in the present landscape. High-level recruits move because they see a better opportunity or more money elsewhere. Productive mid-major players are plucked away by power conference programs who seek to fill holes with seasoned players and can pay more. NIL money may keep some players who don’t have pro talent in college longer, but the guess is that players who stay at a school for three or four years and true NCAA Cinderellas will dwindle. The tournament remains the best event in sports, but loses a touch of magic and unpredictability in service to the young folks who provide the thrill. A fair trade.

Signs of Spring

It's not just an ORF theme any more - it's a filler post!

At 8:05 pm EST tonight in San Francisco, Logan Webb will throw out the first pitch of the 2026 Major League Baseball season. As noted by the sage Marls, it's not Opening Day, at least not for teams that matter - that's tomorrow, when the schedule includes 11 games, but it's a harbinger and a dawn at the same time.

NCAA Tournament Open Thread

Back in the day, I used to routinely take off work on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament and head to a bar (Grevey's in Falls Church more than a few times) to watch hoops from noon to midnight. I miss those days. In memoriam, here's some Madness.

Special Gheorghasbord: World Cup Edition

We're 86 days away from the start of the 2026 World Cup, when Mexico hosts South Africa in Mexico City. Until that time, the organizers will no doubt be holding their collective breath, hoping no more ill-fitting Florsheims will drop. 

Meanwhile, the first (and I'm betting only) recipient of the FIFA Peace Prize is stumbling oafishly through one ill-conceived international crisis of choice after another. His pointless war with Iran may cost the tournament a participant, as the Iranians have made noises questioning whether they'll participate in the event. Says here they won't be the last country to consider withdrawal, and that more than one nation will have a difficult time securing visas for their athletes.

At the same time, America's global follies seem to be off-putting to fans of other nations, who aren't yet booking travel to the U.S. in predicted numbers. This is a shocking turn of events. Harry Carr, Pivot Hotels & Resorts’ senior vice president of commercial optimization, told Forbes, “We are much less bullish about World Cup than we were three months ago," adding that "FIFA sent back some of the company’s room-block holds without a single reservation having been made for the tournament."

Let's be clear about something. I loathe FIFA and its still-corrupt fuck you, pay me approach to the global game. I hate that our President and his toadies will likely try to wrap themselves around the flag while the World Cup take place here (and in Mexico and Canada). I won't be paying the extortionate prices for tickets to a live match. 

But I'll be watching all of it, goddammit. I'm a weak and predictable man.

And while I watch, I'll be enjoying the USMNT's kits. One of them, anyway.

The Athletic released an interesting piece yesterday about the design process for this year's kits. Seems the players were less than thrilled by 2022's fairly basic look and wanted a say. The athletes wanted something iconic, and they wanted something they could wear with jeans to the club. Seriously.

Fair to say Nike delivered on both counts. 

The home kit is uniquely American, with the stripes of the flag waving and offering a sense of motion. I assume (hope) they'll pair it with blue shorts and white or blue socks. It's distinctive, evocative, and even fun. 

On the other hand, the away kit is much more reserved. It's a deep, near-black Navy blue with metallic stars that'll be visible up close but hard to make out at a distance. The badge and the Nike logo are designed to blend into the shirt, as well. Hoping for white shorts and matching socks for this one, which I find just okay. It'd look good with a pair of light-wash jeans, though, and it seems to be the favorite of many of the players.

86 days. Let's hope we get there.

Make America Fuck Again

In case you had any doubt about Sturgill Simpson's intent, the first track on his new record is the title of this post. The album starts strong, dirty, and slinky, and it stays in that pocket.

Simpson told everyone that he wants them to illegal stream it, and lots of someones posted it. Recorded under the name of his alter-ego, Johnny Blue Skies and the Dark Clouds, "Mutiny After Midnight" is funky and gritty, with more than a nod to the 70s, and just a tinge of country. And lots and lots of innuendo. Track four is entitled, "Stay On That D", and while it's about playing in a live band, we see what you're up to, Sturgill.

After it was leaked, it was taken down and now it's hard to find online. But I got to hear the whole thing, and as the kids say, it fucks. Listen to "Situation", which contains the lyric, "Ever since the day we met, wanna make you wet, wanna make you sweat," to my earlier point. And then go find the record in its physical form.

Gheorghasbord: Bright Spots

The times, my friends, are a bit gray and gloomy. Bleak, even. It's easy to wallow in the mire. Fortunately for you, we've got a wee bit of the tonic to help see forward to a brighter time.

Janjay Lowe was born in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia (and one of two world capitals to be named for a U.S. President, at least until Trump renames Caracas). When he was seven, he was adopted by an American family and grew up in Chattanooga, TN. In 2017, he started recording music under the name Mon Rovîa, and his sound has evolved since then to encompass a wide range of influences, including rap, R&B, trap, and more recently, folk.

I first came across him via some algorithmic magic that pushed him into my Instagram feed, and I quite dug his sound. Like the Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons before him, I was really pleased this week to hear a band I first heard in general obscurity get a little bigger, as The Current out of Minneapolis played his music over their airwaves. Bet we hear more - this dude is dope.

Speaking of obscurity, if I gave you ten guesses, could you tell me what Bødo/Glimt is? If you know me, I suppose you might, but I bet most folks couldn't. But there's a pretty good chance Bødo will earn its way into the UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarterfinals next week.

So its a soccer club. From Norway. That over the past two months has defeated Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan (twice), and Sporting Club of Portugal. The most recent of those victories, 3-0 over Sporting in the first leg of their UCL Round of 16 match on Wednesday, leaves Bødo on the precipice. Win, draw, or lose by two or fewer in the return match in Lisbon next week and the Norwegians become the first team from their country to this far since Rosenborg in 1997.

The how is as interesting as the what. Most small clubs that face larger, more talented foes tend to bunker in, hope to steal one on the break or get a match to penalties. Bødo certainly understand their limitations, and they start with disciplined defense, but when they get the ball, they explode into the attack, blasting forward with as many as eight men. They scored three goals in wins over Sporting, City, and Inter (and then two in their second win). Dudes want to play. 

Here's some fan-centric video from the 8,700 or so that helped Bødo get past Sporting. It's the good shit.

Finally, a bit of personal news. Not entirely ready to call it a bright spot, but I suppose it's a light in a tunnel. My mother, and her mother before her, is very into genealogy. As a result, we can document our family's history in the United States from before the beginning. We're Mayflower folk, y'all.

Some of us were a bit squishy on that whole revolutionary fervor thing back in the day. My kin are New Englanders from way back, and some of them backed the mother country. Before and during the Revolutionary War, a handful of my crown-positive people packed their wagons and decamped to Nova Scotia, where they stayed for three generations or so.

On a parallel timeline, Canada was growing all up. Our paths crossed, legally, in December, when our neighbors to the north had a reckoning. For years, Canadian citizenship was limited to native-born folk and those one generation after. In December, though, all heck broke loose. The Canadian Supreme Court ruled that the previous rules were unconstitutional, and opened the door to new paths to citizenship for anyone that can prove direct Canadian lineage.

Friends, I can prove direct Canadian lineage, thanks to my Mom and hers. I don't necessarily want to avail myself of my newfound affinity for things maple leaf, but it's nice to know I have options. Been a big Gordon Lightfoot and Tragically Hip fan from way back, in case anyone's questioning my bona fides.

Here's a song about all the Gords - if Random Idiots were Canucks, they coulda written this one:

We're No. 69! Hoosiers Edition

“Alright, boys, this is the last shot we got. We're gonna run the picket fence at 'em. Jimmy, you're solo right. Everett, Merle should be open coming around the other side of that fence. Now, boys, don't get caught watchin' the paint dry.” Wilbur “Shooter” Flatch, “Hoosiers” 

Indiana University is on the short list of historic, blue-blood basketball programs. The Hoosiers were NCAA Tournament fixtures for decades under Bob Knight, winning three national championships and becoming a place where residents carry themselves as if the game was invented there. 

Angry Chair GIFfrom Angry GIFs

IU’s aura dimmed in the years since, and it’s now merely a competitive program in a quality conference. The Hoosiers are squarely on the bubble precisely because of the Big Ten’s quality, not because they’ve distinguished themselves. The conference is forecast to get nine or ten teams into the NCAA field of 68, a ticklish spot for the tenth-place team. If Indiana flames out in this week’s league tournament, it will anxiously watch several other tournaments and hope that chalk mostly holds and that no low-seed champions emerge – “bid thieves” in bracketology parlance – to eliminate opportunities for bubble teams. Even then, that might not be enough to get the Hoosiers into the dance (nor should it, I would argue). 

Recent history: Indiana has made the NCAA Tournament only twice in the past decade and finished above .500 in the Big Ten just once in that span. First-year coach Darian DeVries is the latest to attempt to elevate the program to previous heights. He had a successful run at Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference, which helped him land the head gig at West Virginia in 2024. He bolted Morgantown after just one season, replacing Mike Woodson, who was turfed after four seasons and no NCAA appearances his final two years. 

Mike Woodson Dissapointed GIFfrom Mike Woodson GIFs

Mascot/nickname profile: “Hoosiers” refers to Indiana residents or natives and was coined in 1827, according to the state historical bureau. The first written reference is believed to have been in a John Finley poem in 1833, “The Hoosier’s Nest,” after which politicians and public officials took up the name. Other theories about the nickname origin include settler-era stories that Indiana rivermen were successful brawlers who trounced or hushed opponents and became known as “hushers” and later “hoosiers.” The term might have derived from a native word for corn – hoosa – and that rivermen who transported corn and maize were known as “hoosa men” and eventually “hoosiers.” 

Home arena: Simon Skjodt [skiddit] Assembly Hall (cap. 17,222) is an on-campus venue that opened in 1971. The pricetag at the time was $26.6 million, which equates to $225 million in 2025 dollars. The arena was known simply as Assembly Hall forever, but after a $40 million donation for upgrades and renovation from Cynthia Simon Skodjt, daughter of Indiana shopping mall magnate and Pacers owner Mel Simon, the school renamed the building in 2016. The Hoosiers are 607-142 (.810 winning percentage) in the hall. 

Notable hoops alumni: Isiah Thomas, Calbert Cheaney, Eric Gordon, Steve Alford, Scott May, Victor Oladipo, Jared Jeffries, Mike Woodson, Tom and Dick Van Arsdale, OG Anunoby, Cody Zeller, Quinn Buckner, Kent Benson. 

Current season: DeVries leaned heavily into the transfer portal in his first season. The Hoosiers (18-13, 9-11 in Big Ten) generally go eight deep and seven are upperclass newcomers, led by 6-6 wing Lamar Wilkerson (21 ppg) from Sam Houston State, 6-7 forward Tucker DeVries (13.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg), the coach’s son who came with him from Drake and West Virginia, and 6-9 forward Sam Alexis (8.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg), who played on Florida’s national title team last season. They shoot (.474 FG pct) and defend (.427 defensive FG pct) reasonably well and share the ball; sixty-three percent of their buckets are assisted. 

Reasons to believe: Decent metrics. The Hoosiers are No. 37 in NCAA Net rankings, 36th in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, No. 41 in Ken Pomeroy’s ranking and 29th in analytics guru Bart Torvik’s rankings. They have high-end wins against Purdue and Wisconsin and no bad losses. 

Reasons to fade them: Too many losses and a poor finish. IU lost five of six down the stretch, including four by double figures, to drop from decent chance for an at-large berth to its current precarious position. Hoosiers are a meh 6-13 against Q1 and Q2 opposition. It’s all well and good that their strength of schedule is 35th, according to Pomeroy, but that’s largely due to their neighborhood; their non-conference SOS is below 300. As I’ve argued previously, a team that cannot finish at least in the top half of its conference doesn’t merit a chance to play for a natty. It's happened before and will again in the future, especially if and when the field expands. Maybe DeVries can mine the transfer portal, dole out some NIL money and get the Hoosiers back into the conference’s upper tier. Not so long ago, it would have sounded ridiculous to wonder if Indiana’s basketball program could match the success of its football program.

Pig on the Wall

Several years ago, Marls told me I was too dumb to make a podcast. He was probably right, but I proceeded anyway. I made 82 episodes of a rambling, disorganized, sometimes compelling, sometimes tangential show called We Defy Augury. 

I'm glad I did it-- but I didn't really know what I was doing, and the audio quality is inconsistent. 

I also felt like I had unconsciously duplicated my one complaint about Gheorghe: The Blog . . . I gave my project a name that is challenging to convey. 

We all know the drill: by the time you explain George the Magazine, Gheorghe Muresan, and how many "h"s are in the title of this blog, most people's eyes have glazed over. I had the same problem with We Defy Augury-- by the time I explained the Shakespearean context, the meaning of the word "augury," and the connection to my theme, people were either snoring or annoyed with my intellectual pretensions.

So my new project is going to be more organized, purposeful, and focused (but not THAT organized, purposeful, and focused-- let's be real here). 

It also has a much simpler name: Pig on the Wall. 

I made an introductory episode explaining the meaning of the title and how it connects to my theme.

Essentially, I want to tell the story of great works of art and most excellent human achievements-- and my thesis is that these accomplishments are most often in some way, shape, or form collaborative: the work of many minds from many times. So it is a podcast that celebrates cooperation, influence, human interaction, intellectual borrowing, and-- sometimes-- outright plagiarism, 

I'm also really trying to do the audio correctly-- you're supposed to use compression and normalization to get to a certain volume level (Marls could have told me this initially).

Pig on the Wall is going to be less like the typical podcast and more like Andrew Hickey's A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs. The typical podcast features two or three people talking, often intelligently or eloquently, about some topic. Hickey's podcast is painstakingly researched and contains a plethora of musical clips, woven into the narrative. He takes. along time to make each episode. This is the route I'm selecting. There are enough "smart people talking" podcasts out there. 

I wanted to start ambitiously, so right now I am in the midst of Shakespeare's Hamlet-- which is an incredibly messy collaboration between Shakespeare and a number of other authors, stretching back to a tenth-century Norse legend. If you're interested in the context and history of the play, listen to the first couple of episodes-- but they do get a bit technical. 

But my most recent episode: "Hamlet: Act Three . . . To Be or Not to Be?" is intended for general audiences. 

I do some analysis of the most famous monologue in literature, and then present a sample of the many interpretations of both the soliloquy and the following (disastrous) scene. 

Hamlet is the most produced dramatic performance in the history of film and theater. It's been enacted countless times, and there are dozens and dozens of films based on the play (including The Lion King). 

I collected a slew of my favorite productions, put them all in Logic, and then pulled out the best and most interesting moments.

I then wove these moments into my analysis. It was a pain-in-the-ass, but it was worth it. I don't think there's anything like it.

I also prompted AI to make me a logo. It was very difficult to get AI to collaborate with me-- I should have just drawn it myself. 

The logo is based on an ancient painting of a pig on a cave wall. 

This is where we started . . .

There were a lot of ugly iterations along the way-- and a bunch of five-legged pigs!-- but we eventually arrived at this:

Perhaps this is the future of collaboration?

I know my premise (and Hamlet) sounds daunting, but give it a shot. I hope you enjoy it, and I promise, there will be lighter, less literary episodes in the future! 

But first, I need to finish Hamlet. Three more episodes to go . . .

This Post Has All the Coolest Stuff!

A lawyer, who runs a bar, in OKC, that features tasteful living room areas, where people spin vinyl on vintage hifi equipment and perseverate on liner notes.  This video has all the coolest stuff!

We're No. 69! Golden Bears Edition

The Atlantic Coast Conference is in the midst of a bounce-back season in the national hoops landscape. After landing only four teams in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the lowest percentage of league representation since the tournament expanded in 1985, the conference is forecast to get eight or nine teams into this year’s 68-team field. 

Top-ranked Duke leads the way, followed by tournament “locks” Virginia, North Carolina and Louisville, as well as Clemson, N.C. State and Miami. SMU is close to solidifying an invite, which leaves Virginia Tech and Cal-Berkeley battling for a possible eighth at-large berth – or both left out, depending on results in other tournaments. 

The Golden Bears have by far the sketchier resume’, so unless they win their final two regular season games and make a deep run in the ACC Tournament, they’re likely to be among the “First Four Out” on Selection Sunday – a worthy/unworthy No. 69. Cal and Stanford and SMU came aboard the ACC two years ago in a marriage of inconvenience following the implosion of the Pac-12 and raids by the Big Ten Conference and later the Big 12. Cal and Stanford were basically set adrift, coincidentally, at the same time the ACC’s viability was in question amid realignment. Rather than see what might arise from the ashes of the Pac-12, Stanford and Cal chose a more stable, major conference path with the ACC, albeit 2,500 miles away. The new arrangement has made for some hellacious travel and challenging schedules, but everyone is copacetic – for now. 

Recent history: Cal made the NCAAs nine times in the early part of this century but hasn’t been to the tournament since 2016 and hasn’t played in postseason since 2017. The Golden Bears endured eight consecutive years of losing records until this season. Third-year coach Mark Madsen, a former Stanford star and NBA champ with the Lakers, rebuilt the program through the transfer portal and guided the Bears to their first 20-win season since 2017. Former coaches Ben Braun and Mike Montgomery regularly had the Bears in the NCAAs from the 1990s through the early 2010s. Legendary coach Pete Newell took Cal to the 1959 NCAA championship. 

Mascot/nickname profile: Golden Bears originated in 1895, when the school’s successful track team toured Midwestern and Eastern colleges. The team hung a blue banner with a golden grizzly bear, the state symbol, at meets, and the school’s teams came to be known as Golden Bears. The practice of using live bear cubs as mascots was discontinued in the 1940s, and a stuffed bear mascot named Oski was introduced. Oski the mascot was suspended for two weeks in 1990 after he threw cake at Oregon State fans, inadvertently hitting the father of Oregon State guard Gary Payton. 

Home arena: Haas Pavilion (cap. 11,858) is an on-campus arena originally opened in 1939 that underwent several renovations, most recently in the late ‘90s. It’s named for Walter Haas Jr., former president and CEO of Levi Strauss who donated $11 million toward the upgrade. 

Notable hoops alumni: Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson, Jaylen Brown, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Leon Powe, Lamond Murray, Tony Gonzalez (the Hall of Fame tight end played hoops at Cal in the early ‘90s). 

Current season: The Golden Bears (20-9, 8-8 ACC) are tied for eighth in the league with SMU and Florida State. Their four top scorers are all new to the program through the transfer portal, led by 6-2 junior Dai Dai Ames (16.4 ppg) from Virginia, 6-3 sophomore Justin Pippen (14.7 ppg) from Michigan, 6-8 junior John Camden (14.2 ppg) from Delaware and 6-7 senior Chris Bell (13.6 ppg) from Syracuse. They’re middle of the pack in the ACC on offense and defense and near the bottom in rebound margin. 

Reasons to believe: Limited. Twenty wins in a marquee league are notable. Respectable 6-8 record against Quad 1 and 2 opponents. Madsen has done a nice job assimilating a transfer-heavy roster. Cal is third in the conference in 3-point shooting and fourth in defending the 3. 

Reasons to fade them: Numerous. As of early March, the Bears were No. 64 in NET rankings, generally well outside the consideration zone. SMU, with whom they’re tied and recently beat head-to-head, is No. 35. Even Virginia Tech, a game back in the conference race, is No. 55. Part of the ratings discrepancy is the Bears’ dreadful non-conference strength of schedule, rated No. 328 by analytics guru Ken Pomeroy. Cal also did itself no favors last weekend with a gruesome, barely competitive loss at home to low-rated Pittsburgh. At the very least, Cal must beat Georgia Tech and Wake Forest this week to close out the regular season and find some mojo in the ACC Tournament.

Beware the Second of March, Redux

“You have to be odd to be number one.” -- Theodore Seuss Geisel

I don't know if Dave's number one, but he's got one of the prerequisites. Somehow, we managed to skip our annual celebration of the good Doctor and the good Dave the past few years. Won't happen again, not on my watch. Happy Birthday to the Davest of the Daves.

A Line in the Sand

Less than four months until the world soccer audience descends on the U.S. to celebrate the sport and crown a champion while dodging immigration police, and not everyone is thrilled. 

The five-member select board for the town of Foxboro, Mass., which must sign off on the use of Gillette Stadium for the World Cup’s Boston venue, would like answers from event organizers or world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, or anyone, really, about who’s going to foot the bill and when they might see the money. 

Gillette Stadium, home to the New England Patriots, is scheduled to host seven games during the World Cup – group stage games that will include England, France, Norway and Scotland, a round-of-32 game and a quarterfinal. Foxboro officials calculated that it will cost at least $7.8 million to cover police security and public safety costs during the tournament, a significant expense for a town of 18,000 people located 30 miles from Boston that just happens to have a professional stadium. 

A recent meeting between Foxboro officials and the CEO of the Boston host committee and FIFA’s venue operator for Boston got a little testy when board members sought answers about financial commitments and received none, according to a piece in The Athletic. As the board must grant a license for stadium events that aren’t Patriots games, vice-chair Stephanie McGowan said, “It’s going to be a flat ‘no,’ unless we know the money is there.” 

Frustration is rooted in the fact that FIFA is a multi-billion-dollar organization, as is the Kraft Group, headed by Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, which essentially sublet the stadium to FIFA for the Cup. The Trump administration allocated $625 million to host cities for the Cup, including $46 million for Boston. Yet Foxboro board members can’t even get a straight answer about who’s covering costs, never mind a promise about when the money will hit the coffers. 

There’s no reason to think an agreement won’t be reached, but Foxboro officials’ skepticism is justified. FIFA is a Michelin star-rated extortionist that operates under the premise that cities and countries should be grateful for the association and be willing to pony up for the privilege. Under hosting contracts, FIFA typically takes all income from tickets, broadcast deals, in-stadium sponsorships and even parking fees, The Athletic reports. Host cities are responsible for public safety and security, as well as medical services and fire protection and transportation and police escorts for teams and referees and FIFA prez Gianni Infantino and his entourage. In return, FIFA touts the alleged economic benefits that accrue from fans and visitors flooding an area as more than offsetting costs – a dubious proposition for a small town with limited amenities in which many people will drive in for the game and leave immediately thereafter. 

As for Federal money covering costs, the Foxboro board is rightly suspicious, as well. That money is being administered through a depleted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security, with everything running through Toxic Barbie Kristi Noem. Ask residents of western North Carolina how efficiently FEMA distributes funds, as many of them are still waiting for relief after Hurricane Helene hit there in the fall of 2024. 

Granted, money might be more readily available for a world stage event in major cities than for suffering small town folks, but if you’re Foxboro, should you assume such things? “We’re not prepared to issue this license unless everything is in place,” McGowan said in the Athletic piece. “I’ve seen people say, ‘Oh, there’s no way they won’t.’ But I am going to tell you: this board will not issue this license. I don’t feel like we’re getting the answers.” 

The board set a March 17 deadline for issuing the license, saying they need the lead-in time to set schedules and secure personnel. FIFA requires that venues be secured for all 39 days of the tournament, not just the seven game days, so costs add up and small town resources are stretched thin unless they receive outside assistance. “How does anybody expect that we would (front the money) for someone (FIFA) who’s coming into our town for 39 days, making all these demands, and then you guys go away?” McGowan said. “We cannot do that to our taxpayers. We would not be responsible.” Responsibility. Holding people accountable. Not automatically caving to moneyed interests. Novel concepts in this day and age.

We're No. 69! San Diego State Edition

A college basketball program with a rich, recent postseason history that currently sits among the top three in a respected league normally wouldn’t have to worry about its NCAA Tournament status. That is, if the team was a member of a Power Four conference or the Big East. Leagues outside the Favored Five, however, often find themselves scrambling to get extra teams into the 68-team field. 

Which brings us to San Diego State. The Aztecs have been regular NCAA participants over the past two decades, even making the 2023 national championship game, where they lost to UConn. Depending on whose prospective bracket you look at, SDS is either just in or just out of the field, and the consensus is that they “have work to do.” 

2026 Pac 12 Tournament bracket

The Aztecs are a member of the Mountain West Conference, which has been well represented in the tournament in recent years – at least three at-large bids in each of the last four tournaments. Though bracketology gerbils seem to think league presence will be light when the field is announced next month in its last lap before a realignment exodus (more on that in a moment). San Diego State doesn’t have a gaudy record, owing to a challenging schedule and an underclass-heavy roster, though veteran coach Brian Dutcher has a deep and athletic group that defends typically well and can score at a high level. NCAA Net rankings and advanced analytics have SDS in the mid-40s, squarely on the bubble. 

The Aztecs head into the home stretch seeking their 17th Mountain West title before they and four other MW schools bolt for the Pac-12 this summer. The Pac-12 imploded a couple years ago after raids and exits for the Big Ten and Big 12 and was left with only Washington State and Oregon State. The reconstituted Pac-12 will include five former Mountain West schools and national hoops power Gonzaga from the West Coast Conference. 

Recent history: Fourteen NCAA Tournament appearances since 2002, with four trips to the Sweet 16 and the ’23 national title game. Their best team might have been 2019-20, when they went 30-2 but the pandemic scuttled the NCAA Tournament. 

Mascot/nickname profile: Students chose the Aztec nickname in 1925, and its mascot is an Aztec warrior formerly known as “Monty Montezuma,” whose name was retired because it was deemed racist and culturally insensitive. Puzzlement is understandable in wondering how and why a school in southern California chose a nickname from an indigenous society located 1,440 miles away in central Mexico conquered by the Spanish some 400 years earlier, when plenty of other, closer options were available. The Aztec nickname and representation have been debated on campus throughout the 21st century, but faculty and student groups ultimately chose to retain it with various tweaks and education programs. 

Home arena: Viejas Arena (cap. 12,414) is located on campus and opened in 1997. A couple years after its opening, the Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians entered into a naming rights agreement with the school, and it’s been known as Viejas Arena ever since. The Aztecs are particularly stout at home, going 103-12 in their last 115 home games and are 147-24 at home (.860) since the start of the 2015-16 season. 

Notable hoops alumni: Kawhi Leonard, Tony Gwynn (yep, *that* Tony Gwynn; baseball HoF’er was an all-conference hoops player at SDS and still holds single-season and career records for assists), Michael Cage, Keshad Johnson (Miami), Malachi Flynn (3 NBA teams, Turkey), Jalen McDaniel (4 NBA teams), Jamaal Franklin (2 NBA teams, China). 

Aztec on the left, Buff on the
right. They grew up doing
gymnastics together. And now
a blog post brings them
together. Small world.

Current season: Aztecs (18-8, 12-4 Mountain West) are tied for second in the league with New Mexico, a game behind Utah State. Ten players average between five and 12.6 points per game, led by 6-5 senior Reese Dixon-Waters (12.6 ppg) and 6-6 junior Miles Byrd (10.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg), and eleven players average double-figure minutes. Through mid-February, the Aztecs were third in the nation in bench scoring at 36.6 ppg. Stats guru Ken Pomeroy has SDS leading the Mountain West in defensive efficiency, two-point FG defense, turnover percentage, steal and block percentage, and No. 2 in effective field goal percentage defense, and among the top 35 in the country in all those categories. 

Reasons to believe: Among the best strength-of-schedule ratings in the nation outside the Bigfoot conferences. A respectable 6-7 record against Quad 1 and 2 opponents. No bad losses, though a November loss to Troy (No. 142) is a blemish. Chances to bolster their argument against Utah State Wednesday at home and fellow bubble resident New Mexico on Saturday. Dutcher (216-76 in nine years) is excellent. 

Reasons to fade them: Not enough wins and dwindling opportunities – only four more regular season games and at most three conference tournament games. An untimely dip that’s seen them lose their last two, though Dutcher’s teams have lost three straight only once, in his first season. The Mountain West is only eighth in conference RPI, and bracket types believe they’ll get two teams at most. Utah State is likely safely in because of its profile, and New Mexico has a slightly better statistical case than the Aztecs. It would behoove the Aztecs to close at least 3-1 and make the conference semis.

Learning Res., Inc. v. Trump is Like a BET Cypher, Alternatively Titled "If you rely on IEEPA I feel bad for you son, it provides 99 delegations but tariffs ain't one"

On Friday, in Learning Res., Inc. v. Trump, the Supreme Court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.  The gist of it all is the IEEPA lets the President "regulate imports" which isn't the same thing as taxing or tariffing.  Six justices agreed on this outcome, but there were two different rationales and lots of shade thrown across three concurrences and two dissents.  It was all very hiphop, as if they were in a Federalist cypher.

The cypher started with Chief Justice Roberts writing for himself and Justices Kagan, Sotomator, Jackson, Barrett and Gorsuch, applying the "major questions doctrine" (some newfangled coproma passed off as conservative jurisprudence) which says that "Congress would not have delegated 'highly consequential power' through ambiguous language. These considerations apply with particular force where, as here, the purported delegation involves the core congressional power of the purse."  This means that the party asserting that they were delegated the Congressional power at issue must "point to clear congressional authorization” in the relevant statute.  You may recall that six Justices relied on this doctrine to overrule Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan in Biden v. Nebraska.

Justice Kagan then got on the mic to represent herself, Sotomayor and Jackson.  They concurred, but they felt there was no need to invoke the major questions doctrine because "the ordinary tools of statutory interpretation amply support [this] result."  I am an ordinary tool and I agree with them.

Justice Gorsuch, ever the philodox, took it upon himself to get on the mic and write 46 pages (the main opinion was only 21!) bemuting upon everyone else's analysis except the Chief Justice's.  First he essentially accused Justices Kagan and Sotomayor of outcome-based reasoning, picking the winner based on their personal preference rather than a rigorous application of the law.  I'll channel the underpants gnomes and go to third, where he also essentially accused Justices Kavanaugh, Alito and Thomas of outcome-based reasoning but in a slightly nicer way (although he does linger a bit to highlight, albeit politely, the preposterousness of Thomas's dissent).

But second, and remarkably, this quibberdick spilled ink across nine pages to desticate over Justice Barrett's application of the major question doctrine in Biden v. Nebraska!  He's so irked about an opinion from three years ago that he had to drag it into this one.  We all have a guy like this at work.

Justice Barrett did not appreciate having her name on the streets.  Naturally, she channeled her inner Mad Cobra and wrote a concurrence directly addressing Gorsuch, saying "I would not treat this evidence as precedent for a judicial flex."

If you were young and alive in northern New Jersey in the summer of 1992 you undoubtedly are familiar with Mad Cobra's song "Flex."  It's more likely than not that you spent time in a car with a number of other young, alive people with the windows down and this song playing loudly.

Parenthetically, Wikipedia says "Mad Cobra stated that he was on a flight returning from New York, and was watching an exercise video on the in-flight entertainment system, and the lyrics 'How this lady flex like she want to have sex?' came to him. He wrote the lyrics for the song on an air sickness bag in his plane seat and took them to the studio when he arrived in Jamaica."

Perhaps Justice Barrett wrote the opening draft of her concurrence on an air sickness bag too.  Or maybe she's a Rich Homie Quan fan.

The mic then passed to Justice Kagan who explained her reasoning admirably but fumbled a major opportunity to flex (see what I did there?) her New York City credentials.  In explaining the various actions delegated by Congress to the President under the IEEPA, she noted there are "9 verbs listed in IEEPA's delegation provision" and "[t]hose verbs are followed by 11 objects, each describing a distinct sort of transaction involving foreign property."  She then did some fancy math and concluded "Combine the verbs and objects in all possible ways, and the statute authorizes 99 actions a President can take to address a foreign threat.  And exactly none of the other 98 involves raising revenues."  This passage clearly screams for the conclusion "If you rely on IEEPA I feel bad for you son, it provides 99 delegations but tariffs ain't one."  

Justice Jackson took to the mic to spit eight bars (just four full pages) saying that all this sniping is unnecessary because Congress's intent is clear from the legislative record.  Conservatives refuse to look at the legislative record when interpreting statutes, instead favoring dictionaries and other historical references.  That's how we wind up with "history and tradition" tests like this bunkum.  I would've said something like "Our forefathers wrote IEEPA for foreign property, the Prez can take it in wartime but not impose duties. Come here, young blood, and take a look.  Acknowledge your legislative history!"

When SCOTUS finally invites me to one of their cyphers I'll get them straightened out. 

This Poor Fucking Mope

I haven't worked out of an office since the pandemic. That's led to some unexpected consequences. For example, I only put about 5,000 miles a year on my car, which means I'll be able to keep it a lot longer than I originally expected. This does not make Z happy, since he's an enabler/pusher who wants everyone to buy a new exotic vehicle at least yearly.

Grooming has taken on a different priority during my home-bound period, as well. I mean, I still take a shower every morning, brush my teeth twice a day and all that. But I go a lot longer between haircuts than I used to since I often only see one human in person during the workday. At the moment, my hair is quite possibly as long as it's been at any point in my adult life. It's out of control, all bushy and spiky, and wayward.

It could be worse. I could be Frank Illett.

Illett is a 30 year-old Englishman and Manchester United fan. In October 2024, during a fit of pique at the Red Devils' ongoing run of poor play, he vowed to not cut his hair until his heroes won five straight matches.

They really hadn't been close until two weeks ago. And Frank was going through it. His hair has grown an estimated 25cm in the more than 500 days since his last trim, from this:

To this:

Illett's long tonsorial nightmare seemed close to ending on February 10. United fired beleaguered manager Rubin Amorim in January. Interim skipper and club playing legend Michael Carrick took over and immediately led the squad to four wins on the bounce. All that was left for Illett to book an appointment with his barber was a win at relegation-threatened West Ham.

Clippers at the ready, Illett and his pals streamed their viewing of the match. And when it ended in a 1-1 draw, this is how Frank appeared:

That poor lad. At least he's doing some good, using his locks to raise money for charity. And he's got a pretty good chance of working as a Brian May lookalike. Almost makes a fella want to root for Man U. 

But not quite.

The Origins of 10 Band Names: Song Titles

Where do band names come from? All over the place. Here, there, and everywhere. There are articles and books and blogposts all about them. 

I know without conferring with any robots that:

• They Might Be Giants was the name of a movie in the 1970's
• 10,000 Maniacs also came from an old movie, except that it was called 2,000 Maniacs
• Steely Dan was the name of a dildo
• Duran Duran was the bad guy in Barbarella
• Grateful Dead was just something they saw in a dictionary, so said Jerry
• ABBA is the first letter of the band members' names
• Husker Du was a Scandinavian board game
• I told you 'bout Skynyrd
• 10cc and The Lovin' Spoonful are supposedly the measurement of and slang for average ejaculate
• R.E.M. -- another dictionary find!

And that's just what I can think of, there are thousands more tidbits... of what my dad calls "useless information that Whitney knows."

But... today we are here to listen to songs that inspired band names!

One of my faves...

DC locals!

Sometimes you add an "s"...

Sometimes you subtract an "s"...

Pretty cool.

And this post's origin story is that I just found this one out yesterday! In the film version of the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, a trippy, silly thing, there's a Python-affiliated goof group called the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, and they sing their song that has had its name grow more popular since the early aughts...

Now ya know. Enjoy!

We're No. 69! TCU Edition

The Big 12 Conference is one of the four remaining power leagues in college athletics and thus assured of receiving multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament. It’s home to a handful of Bigfoot programs that are annual participants – Kansas, Arizona, Houston, Iowa State (how and why the Cyclones are a national hoops power is one of the sport’s great curiosities) and several others that cycle in and out of the discussion. Conference realignment and consolidation have seen the league add programs such as ‘Zona and Houston and BYU in recent years, which strengthened the overall product but also made it a stone-cold gauntlet for any program that doesn’t have an elite talent pipeline. 

Which brings us to today’s entry in the almost-but-not-quite discussion of the 68-team field: the TCU Horned Frogs. Texas Christian sits squarely in the middle of the 16-team league with a decidedly bubbly resume’. Hoops guru Ken Pomeroy has the Frogs rated 50th following the weekend. NCAA Net Rankings have TCU at No. 45, and ESPN’s Basketball Power Index has them at No. 53. ESPN bracketology hound Joe Lunardi has the Horned Frogs as his first team out of the field. 

Historically, the private university in Fort Worth, Texas was a fixture in the old Southwest Conference. After the SWC demise in the mid-1990s, TCU wasn’t included with its traditional rivals in the aftermath and spent the next 16 years bouncing between the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the Mountain West before latching onto the Big 12 in 2012. The Horned Frogs have a pretty modest hoops history, but head coach and TCU alum Jamie Dixon has elevated the program in his 10 years. 

Recent history: Four NCAA appearances since 2018, including three in a row from 2022-24. As many tournament appearances since 2018 as in the previous 49 years. Also, an NIT title in 2017, all of which traces to Dixon. He was an all-conference player at TCU in the late ‘80s and inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. He’s won more than 500 games as head coach in 23 years, first at Pittsburgh and then TCU, and is one of 11 active coaches with 15 NCAA trips. 

Mascot/nickname profile: Horned Frogs are a nod to one of the region’s common animals, which is actually a horned lizard and not an amphibian and the Texas state reptile. Its use as sports team mascot dates to the late 1800s. 

Home arena: Schollmaier Arena (cap. 6,700), which opened in 1961 and has been renovated and updated several times, most recently an $80-million upgrade completed in 2015. It also has one of the singularly distinct home courts in college hoops, a kind of multi-shaded gray mosaic that’s supposed to emulate lizard skin. 

Notable hoops alumni: Kurt Thomas (New York Knicks), Lee Nailon (15-year pro career in the NBA and overseas), Kenrich Williams (OKC Thunder), Emanuel Miller (Cleveland Cavs), Desmond Bane (Orlando Magic). 

Current season: Horned Frogs (16-9, 6-6) have won three in a row, heading into Tuesday’s XL matchup against fellow bubble resident Central Florida. No stars, but decent balance. Four players in double figures, led by 6-7 sophomore David Punch (14.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg), 6-8 junior Xavier Edmonds (12.4 ppg, 6 rpg) and 6-0 senior Jayden Pierre (10.7 ppg). Eight players average between five and 14 points per game. 

Reasons to believe: To start with, Dixon, an excellent coach and tactician who has excelled at both the college and international level. Quality wins against Florida, Iowa State and Wisconsin. A respectable 5-6 record against Quad 1 teams and 4-2 versus Quad 2 and 3 teams. Big 12 schedule elevates their profile. 

Reasons to fade them: A lot of undistinguished numbers. Middle of the pack in effective field goal percentage offense and defense. Below middle of the pack in 2-point and 3-point shooting. A non-conference strength of schedule that’s No. 336. A dreadful loss to New Orleans to open the season, a beatdown by Colorado and a loss to Utah for the Utes’ only conference win so far. Lunardi projects the Big 12 to get seven teams in the field. TCU currently is tied for eighth, so unless the Frogs step up in their final six games and conference tournament, their horns are likely to get squeezed.

What the Kids are Doing

I was 55 years old the first time I went to a record release party, and I was quite likely the oldest person in the joint. Hanging with the youths keeps me young. 

My eldest kid lives in an apartment Richmond with the lead singer of Receiver, who bill themselves thusly: "Receiver formed from the ashes of Charlottesville band Natalie Blue, as two members - vocalist and guitarist Jamie Vandenheede and bassist Liam Keough - moved to Richmond. Shortly after rounding out their lineup with guitarist Leo Pecci and drummer Sasha Kennedy, Receiver began a grueling 2025 that featured 25+ shows, an EP and an infomercial! Their sound is informed by the hypnotic rhythms and angular guitar lines of late 70s and early 80s post-punk and the guitar-pop sensibilities of the 80s college rock circuit."

Here's their first single, "Souvenir":

And this link has a couple of snippets from the release party at The Camel, a cool little dive bar/music venue on Broad Street. 

The kids are alright.

Fashion is... Teejus F'ing Christ, What are these Abominations?

 And why must I own them...

Before clicking this link, come up with what you think these cost? Then be prepared to have your mind blown by what they actually cost. What are we doing here people?

SAGTTP (Should a Gheorghie Take The Piss)?

Gheorgies,

I have a bit of a conundrum. There's a retired guy that is often at my local YMCA. I don't want to dox him, so let's call this fellow Karen.

Karen talks to everybody. I occasionally see him jawing in the weight room, but the locker room is where he prefers to work. In fact I've probably mentioned him before in the comments as the guy who played The Rush Limbaugh Show at high volume on his phone speaker in the locker room (rest in piss, el rushbo). He wears a red hat to the gym sometimes. Yes, the standard issue version.

There are lots of Karens. This is the one I'm referring to.

I make it a practice to simply ignore Karen when I see him. If I had to break down the percentages for my reasons to ignore him, I'd put it at 69% due to loudcasting his support for toxic politics and 31% not wanting to risk catching a glimpse of Karen's tiny flaccid pecker.

Today, while I was chatting with someone else Karen piped up with a comment about 'topics that set him off'. "Give us a warning of what they are so we can avoid them" I said as I finished getting on my workout clothes. I'm not sure what came next was exactly the warning I'd requested. 

Gheorghies, he Karened. "I wanna know how that Ilhan Omar went from having no money to having $30 million! I think we need to throw her in jail for 20 years and then deport her..." I imagine he kept going, but I started walking as soon as he started his diatribe. It did call to mind a revenge fantasy I may or may not have imagined in the past.

Apparently only some politicians are allowed to have money.

And Gheorghies, that's where you come in. What's a fair comeuppance for this locker room Karen? I'll share my diabolical idea first, and accept suggestions in the comments for other more sensible measures. This is all strictly hypotheical, of course.

Proposal A - Fill small squeeze bottle with urine and keep it stashed in the back of my locker, until I find myself there alone, at which point I discharge the squeeze bottle of piss into one of the vent holes in Karen's locker. A budget version golden shower, if you will. 

Surely there are some drawbacks to this plan. I know it's gross. But I'm also ridiculously hydrated most of the time, so I also worry it may not be gross enough.

Sound off and tell me - SAGTTP? TIA!

We're No. 69: Santa Clara

Five weeks away from Selection Sunday and the best event in sports, the NCAA Tournament. According to several bracketologists, almost 30 teams are locks for the 68-team field, another dozen are almost assured spots barring late-season face-plants, and roughly two dozen teams have work to do to and are on the bubble. Which brings us to the first entry in this season’s series: the Santa Clara Broncos. 

The Broncos are a case study in both seasonal evaluations that go into selection and the larger college hoops landscape that determines who gets a seat at the table. The school is a private Jesuit university located down the road from the San Francisco Bay area and California’s oldest institution of higher learning. It’s a charter member of the West Coast Conference, founded in 1952, and its notable conference hoops rivals are Gonzaga and St. Mary’s. The Broncos are No. 41 in current NCAA Net rankings, which the committee uses to separate teams, No. 38 in Ken Pomeroy’s ratings, and No. 51 in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI). Herb Sendek – yes, *that* Herb Sendek, formerly of Arizona State and N.C. State – is in his 10th season as head coach. 

Let’s give them a look: 

Recent history: At least 20 wins the past five seasons, including this year. NIT appearances three of the past four seasons. A pretty fair historical footprint, with seven NCAA appearances, including the 1952 Final Four, and four other NIT trips. The Broncos have had only seven coaches since 1935, and all but one of them had career winning records. 

Mascot/nickname profile: Broncos and a mascot named Bucky, of which there appears to blessedly little history. The student section is referred to as “Ruff Riders.”

Home arena: Leavey Center (cap. 4,500) in Santa Clara, named for alum Thomas E. Leavey (Class of 1922), the founder of Farmers Insurance (cue J.K. Simmons and the TV commercial theme). 

Notable hoops alumni: Steve Nash, who led the Broncos to the NCAAs in 1993, ’95 and ’96 and was a two-time NBA MVP; Kurt Rambis; Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder), Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors); John Bryant (WCC Player of Year, fixture in German professional league to present day); Dennis Awtrey; Ken Sears (1950s All-American and first college hoops player to appear on cover of Sports Illustrated). 

Current season: Santa Clara (21-5, 12-1) is currently in first place in the WCC, a half-game ahead of Gonzaga and a game-and-a-half up on St. Mary’s in a top-heavy league in which the top three have separated from the pack. Redshirt sophomore guard Christian Hammond (16.4 ppg) is one of three double-figure scorers, along with 6-7 senior Elijah Mahi (14 ppg) and 6-9 redshirt freshman Allen Graves (11.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg). The Broncos have won eight in a row and 12 of 13, their only loss a respectable effort against the Zags. 

Reasons to believe: Depth, quality, shooting ability, unselfishness. Nine players average between five and 16 points per game and between 12 and 30 minutes per game. They have seven capable 3-point shooters and five players with at least 60 assists. They shoot 47.6 percent as a team and are outscoring opponents by 12 points per game. They beat St. Mary’s in their first meeting, and they get another crack at both the Gaels and Zags in coming weeks. A solid 7-4 record against Quad 1 and 2 competition. 

Reasons to fade them: Here’s where we get into the effects of one’s neighborhood. The West Coast Conference is a middlin’ 11th in league RPI ratings. Gonzaga is near the top of the heap in many metrics, and St. Mary’s is actually several spots ahead of Santa Clara despite the head-to-head loss. This has led to hoopologists wondering if the WCC is worthy of a third team getting into the field, i.e., a second at-large bid. The Big Ten is projected to get nine and perhaps ten at-large bids, the SEC eight and the ACC and Big 12 seven. The eighth- or ninth-place team in a conference no more deserves a spot in the NCAAs, unless it wins the automatic bid, than you or me (Dead Horse and Club alert). 

Shouldn’t matter if the league is deep and difficult, but in an era of consolidation and mega-conferences, it does because the power conferences dictate terms. Selectors use metrics and available statistical tools to justify inclusion among the Power 4 conferences and the swells, and to exclude mid-majors who did everything asked of them, but whose numbers "just didn’t add up." That’s why we’re in a season where Miami of Ohio is still undefeated and could win 30 games, but if the RedHawks lose in the MAC Tournament, there’s a very real chance they’ll be denied because of their strength of schedule or predictive metrics or league ranking or whatever. In a just and fair world, teams such as Miami-O and Santa Clara should be locks for the field if they get to 26 or 28 wins. Alas, boys and girls, we do not live in such a world.