Some quick Final Four thoughts.<\/p>\n
I was downtown Monday evening and the place was deserted. However, preparations were well underway for this weekend\u2019s events.[1]<\/a> One popular restaurant had shut down early and was getting a thorough floor cleaning. A nearby hotel was having its exterior power washed. I imagine similar work was being done all over downtown Indy. Sadly the weather is going to turn just when the games get going, falling from near 80\u00b0 today into the 30s at night and barely 50\u00b0 during the day.<\/p>\nI was pleased that one of my last minute Final Four pick changes was to sub UConn in for Michigan State. While UConn is nearly as loathsome as Duke, the Huskies coming from 19 down and beating Duke at the buzzer was a magnificent moment. Especially when it was an Indiana kid who hit the game winner.<\/p>\nHowever, while sliding UConn in, I also moved Illinois and Michigan out. Like I said, every time I watched Illinois this year they were awesome. I\u2019m an idiot for not trusting my eyes. And while I think a full strength Iowa State could have given Michigan a run, the Wolverines were absolutely locked in last weekend. <\/p>\nIf I had three Final Four teams instead of two, I would likely be in a position to win both of the pools I\u2019m in. As it stands, the best I can do is fourth place in each if Arizona beats UConn in the championship game.<\/p>\nIn the player draft I do with friends back in KC, I picked a mediocre team to start. Then all hope was lost when Iowa State\u2019s Joshua Jefferson blew up his ankle two minutes into their first game. I earned two points from my #2 pick. <\/p>\nSports are dumb. <\/p>\nAnyway, despite UConn seeming to round into UConn in March\/April<\/em> form, Arizona and Michigan clearly look like the better teams. It is appropriate since the Final Four is Indiana, home of postseason high school tournaments that defy logic, that the two best teams will be playing in the semifinals. I know, I know, it\u2019s always been that way, with the regional matchups predetermined. And you can never account for upsets.<\/p>\nStill, while UA-UM is the better matchup, the winner may emerge from that game bloodied and bruised, opening the door to yet another UConn title – \ud83e\udd2e – or for Illinois to grab their first. <\/p>\nI\u2019m sticking with the Wildcats, though. They\u2019ve been the best team most of the season. They are big, deep, and tough. They will outlast Michigan then hold off a game UConn team that wins an aesthetically pleasing, up-and-down game against the Illini.<\/p>\nOh, Bill Self is coming back. Flory Bidunga has declared for the draft\/thrown his name in the portal. One of KU\u2019s tech billionaires might be getting into the NIL game. I\u2019ll save my thoughts on those topics for next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nThe NIT semifinals and finals are also in Indy. I\u2019m sure those teams will all be bringing in tons of fans to fill Hinkle Fieldhouse and the bars of Broad Ripple. ↩<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some quick Final Four thoughts. I was downtown Monday evening and the place was deserted. However, preparations were well underway for this weekend\u2019s events.[1] One popular restaurant had shut down early and was getting a thorough floor cleaning. A nearby hotel was having its exterior power washed. I imagine similar work was being done all over downtown Indy. Sadly the weather is going to turn just when the games get going, falling from near 80\u00b0 today into the 30s at night and barely 50\u00b0 during the day. I was pleased that one of my last minute Final Four pick changes was to sub UConn in for Michigan State. While UConn is nearly as loathsome as Duke, the Huskies coming from 19 down and beating Duke at the buzzer was a magnificent moment. Especially when it was an Indiana kid who hit the game winner. However, while sliding UConn in, I also moved Illinois and Michigan out. Like I said, every time I watched Illinois this year they were awesome. I\u2019m an idiot for not trusting my eyes. And while I think a full strength Iowa State could have given Michigan a run, the Wolverines were absolutely locked in last weekend. If I had three Final Four teams instead of two, I would likely be in a position to win both of the pools I\u2019m in. As it stands, the best I can do is fourth place in each if Arizona beats UConn in the championship game. In the player draft I do with friends back in KC, I picked a mediocre team to start. Then all hope was lost when Iowa State\u2019s Joshua Jefferson blew up his ankle two minutes into their first game. I earned two points from my #2 pick. Sports are dumb. Anyway, despite UConn seeming to round into UConn in March\/April form, Arizona and Michigan clearly look like the better teams. It is appropriate since the Final Four is Indiana, home of postseason high school tournaments that defy logic, that the two best teams will be playing in the semifinals. I know, I know, it\u2019s always been that way, with the regional matchups predetermined. And you can never account for upsets. Still, while UA-UM is the better matchup, the winner may emerge from that game bloodied and bruised, opening the door to yet another UConn title – \ud83e\udd2e – or for Illinois to grab their first. I\u2019m sticking with the Wildcats, though. They\u2019ve been the best team most of the season. They are big, deep, and tough. They will outlast Michigan then hold off a game UConn team that wins an aesthetically pleasing, up-and-down game against the Illini. Oh, Bill Self is coming back. Flory Bidunga has declared for the draft\/thrown his name in the portal. One of KU\u2019s tech billionaires might be getting into the NIL game. I\u2019ll save my thoughts on those topics for next week. The NIT semifinals and finals are also in Indy. I\u2019m sure those teams will all be bringing in tons of fans to fill Hinkle Fieldhouse and the bars of Broad Ripple. ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31,52],"class_list":["post-17190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-basketball","tag-college-sports"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17191,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions\/17191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
I was pleased that one of my last minute Final Four pick changes was to sub UConn in for Michigan State. While UConn is nearly as loathsome as Duke, the Huskies coming from 19 down and beating Duke at the buzzer was a magnificent moment. Especially when it was an Indiana kid who hit the game winner.<\/p>\n
However, while sliding UConn in, I also moved Illinois and Michigan out. Like I said, every time I watched Illinois this year they were awesome. I\u2019m an idiot for not trusting my eyes. And while I think a full strength Iowa State could have given Michigan a run, the Wolverines were absolutely locked in last weekend. <\/p>\n
If I had three Final Four teams instead of two, I would likely be in a position to win both of the pools I\u2019m in. As it stands, the best I can do is fourth place in each if Arizona beats UConn in the championship game.<\/p>\n
In the player draft I do with friends back in KC, I picked a mediocre team to start. Then all hope was lost when Iowa State\u2019s Joshua Jefferson blew up his ankle two minutes into their first game. I earned two points from my #2 pick. <\/p>\n
Sports are dumb. <\/p>\n
Anyway, despite UConn seeming to round into UConn in March\/April<\/em> form, Arizona and Michigan clearly look like the better teams. It is appropriate since the Final Four is Indiana, home of postseason high school tournaments that defy logic, that the two best teams will be playing in the semifinals. I know, I know, it\u2019s always been that way, with the regional matchups predetermined. And you can never account for upsets.<\/p>\nStill, while UA-UM is the better matchup, the winner may emerge from that game bloodied and bruised, opening the door to yet another UConn title – \ud83e\udd2e – or for Illinois to grab their first. <\/p>\nI\u2019m sticking with the Wildcats, though. They\u2019ve been the best team most of the season. They are big, deep, and tough. They will outlast Michigan then hold off a game UConn team that wins an aesthetically pleasing, up-and-down game against the Illini.<\/p>\nOh, Bill Self is coming back. Flory Bidunga has declared for the draft\/thrown his name in the portal. One of KU\u2019s tech billionaires might be getting into the NIL game. I\u2019ll save my thoughts on those topics for next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nThe NIT semifinals and finals are also in Indy. I\u2019m sure those teams will all be bringing in tons of fans to fill Hinkle Fieldhouse and the bars of Broad Ripple. ↩<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some quick Final Four thoughts. I was downtown Monday evening and the place was deserted. However, preparations were well underway for this weekend\u2019s events.[1] One popular restaurant had shut down early and was getting a thorough floor cleaning. A nearby hotel was having its exterior power washed. I imagine similar work was being done all over downtown Indy. Sadly the weather is going to turn just when the games get going, falling from near 80\u00b0 today into the 30s at night and barely 50\u00b0 during the day. I was pleased that one of my last minute Final Four pick changes was to sub UConn in for Michigan State. While UConn is nearly as loathsome as Duke, the Huskies coming from 19 down and beating Duke at the buzzer was a magnificent moment. Especially when it was an Indiana kid who hit the game winner. However, while sliding UConn in, I also moved Illinois and Michigan out. Like I said, every time I watched Illinois this year they were awesome. I\u2019m an idiot for not trusting my eyes. And while I think a full strength Iowa State could have given Michigan a run, the Wolverines were absolutely locked in last weekend. If I had three Final Four teams instead of two, I would likely be in a position to win both of the pools I\u2019m in. As it stands, the best I can do is fourth place in each if Arizona beats UConn in the championship game. In the player draft I do with friends back in KC, I picked a mediocre team to start. Then all hope was lost when Iowa State\u2019s Joshua Jefferson blew up his ankle two minutes into their first game. I earned two points from my #2 pick. Sports are dumb. Anyway, despite UConn seeming to round into UConn in March\/April form, Arizona and Michigan clearly look like the better teams. It is appropriate since the Final Four is Indiana, home of postseason high school tournaments that defy logic, that the two best teams will be playing in the semifinals. I know, I know, it\u2019s always been that way, with the regional matchups predetermined. And you can never account for upsets. Still, while UA-UM is the better matchup, the winner may emerge from that game bloodied and bruised, opening the door to yet another UConn title – \ud83e\udd2e – or for Illinois to grab their first. I\u2019m sticking with the Wildcats, though. They\u2019ve been the best team most of the season. They are big, deep, and tough. They will outlast Michigan then hold off a game UConn team that wins an aesthetically pleasing, up-and-down game against the Illini. Oh, Bill Self is coming back. Flory Bidunga has declared for the draft\/thrown his name in the portal. One of KU\u2019s tech billionaires might be getting into the NIL game. I\u2019ll save my thoughts on those topics for next week. The NIT semifinals and finals are also in Indy. I\u2019m sure those teams will all be bringing in tons of fans to fill Hinkle Fieldhouse and the bars of Broad Ripple. ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31,52],"class_list":["post-17190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-basketball","tag-college-sports"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17191,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions\/17191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Still, while UA-UM is the better matchup, the winner may emerge from that game bloodied and bruised, opening the door to yet another UConn title – \ud83e\udd2e – or for Illinois to grab their first. <\/p>\n
I\u2019m sticking with the Wildcats, though. They\u2019ve been the best team most of the season. They are big, deep, and tough. They will outlast Michigan then hold off a game UConn team that wins an aesthetically pleasing, up-and-down game against the Illini.<\/p>\n
Oh, Bill Self is coming back. Flory Bidunga has declared for the draft\/thrown his name in the portal. One of KU\u2019s tech billionaires might be getting into the NIL game. I\u2019ll save my thoughts on those topics for next week.<\/p>\n
The NIT semifinals and finals are also in Indy. I\u2019m sure those teams will all be bringing in tons of fans to fill Hinkle Fieldhouse and the bars of Broad Ripple. ↩<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some quick Final Four thoughts. I was downtown Monday evening and the place was deserted. However, preparations were well underway for this weekend\u2019s events.[1] One popular restaurant had shut down early and was getting a thorough floor cleaning. A nearby hotel was having its exterior power washed. I imagine similar work was being done all over downtown Indy. Sadly the weather is going to turn just when the games get going, falling from near 80\u00b0 today into the 30s at night and barely 50\u00b0 during the day. I was pleased that one of my last minute Final Four pick changes was to sub UConn in for Michigan State. While UConn is nearly as loathsome as Duke, the Huskies coming from 19 down and beating Duke at the buzzer was a magnificent moment. Especially when it was an Indiana kid who hit the game winner. However, while sliding UConn in, I also moved Illinois and Michigan out. Like I said, every time I watched Illinois this year they were awesome. I\u2019m an idiot for not trusting my eyes. And while I think a full strength Iowa State could have given Michigan a run, the Wolverines were absolutely locked in last weekend. If I had three Final Four teams instead of two, I would likely be in a position to win both of the pools I\u2019m in. As it stands, the best I can do is fourth place in each if Arizona beats UConn in the championship game. In the player draft I do with friends back in KC, I picked a mediocre team to start. Then all hope was lost when Iowa State\u2019s Joshua Jefferson blew up his ankle two minutes into their first game. I earned two points from my #2 pick. Sports are dumb. Anyway, despite UConn seeming to round into UConn in March\/April form, Arizona and Michigan clearly look like the better teams. It is appropriate since the Final Four is Indiana, home of postseason high school tournaments that defy logic, that the two best teams will be playing in the semifinals. I know, I know, it\u2019s always been that way, with the regional matchups predetermined. And you can never account for upsets. Still, while UA-UM is the better matchup, the winner may emerge from that game bloodied and bruised, opening the door to yet another UConn title – \ud83e\udd2e – or for Illinois to grab their first. I\u2019m sticking with the Wildcats, though. They\u2019ve been the best team most of the season. They are big, deep, and tough. They will outlast Michigan then hold off a game UConn team that wins an aesthetically pleasing, up-and-down game against the Illini. Oh, Bill Self is coming back. Flory Bidunga has declared for the draft\/thrown his name in the portal. One of KU\u2019s tech billionaires might be getting into the NIL game. I\u2019ll save my thoughts on those topics for next week. The NIT semifinals and finals are also in Indy. I\u2019m sure those teams will all be bringing in tons of fans to fill Hinkle Fieldhouse and the bars of Broad Ripple. ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31,52],"class_list":["post-17190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-basketball","tag-college-sports"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17191,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions\/17191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Some quick Final Four thoughts. I was downtown Monday evening and the place was deserted. However, preparations were well underway for this weekend\u2019s events.[1] One popular restaurant had shut down early and was getting a thorough floor cleaning. A nearby hotel was having its exterior power washed. I imagine similar work was being done all over downtown Indy. Sadly the weather is going to turn just when the games get going, falling from near 80\u00b0 today into the 30s at night and barely 50\u00b0 during the day. I was pleased that one of my last minute Final Four pick changes was to sub UConn in for Michigan State. While UConn is nearly as loathsome as Duke, the Huskies coming from 19 down and beating Duke at the buzzer was a magnificent moment. Especially when it was an Indiana kid who hit the game winner. However, while sliding UConn in, I also moved Illinois and Michigan out. Like I said, every time I watched Illinois this year they were awesome. I\u2019m an idiot for not trusting my eyes. And while I think a full strength Iowa State could have given Michigan a run, the Wolverines were absolutely locked in last weekend. If I had three Final Four teams instead of two, I would likely be in a position to win both of the pools I\u2019m in. As it stands, the best I can do is fourth place in each if Arizona beats UConn in the championship game. In the player draft I do with friends back in KC, I picked a mediocre team to start. Then all hope was lost when Iowa State\u2019s Joshua Jefferson blew up his ankle two minutes into their first game. I earned two points from my #2 pick. Sports are dumb. Anyway, despite UConn seeming to round into UConn in March\/April form, Arizona and Michigan clearly look like the better teams. It is appropriate since the Final Four is Indiana, home of postseason high school tournaments that defy logic, that the two best teams will be playing in the semifinals. I know, I know, it\u2019s always been that way, with the regional matchups predetermined. And you can never account for upsets. Still, while UA-UM is the better matchup, the winner may emerge from that game bloodied and bruised, opening the door to yet another UConn title – \ud83e\udd2e – or for Illinois to grab their first. I\u2019m sticking with the Wildcats, though. They\u2019ve been the best team most of the season. They are big, deep, and tough. They will outlast Michigan then hold off a game UConn team that wins an aesthetically pleasing, up-and-down game against the Illini. Oh, Bill Self is coming back. Flory Bidunga has declared for the draft\/thrown his name in the portal. One of KU\u2019s tech billionaires might be getting into the NIL game. I\u2019ll save my thoughts on those topics for next week. The NIT semifinals and finals are also in Indy. I\u2019m sure those teams will all be bringing in tons of fans to fill Hinkle Fieldhouse and the bars of Broad Ripple. ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[31,52],"class_list":["post-17190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-basketball","tag-college-sports"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17191,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17190\/revisions\/17191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}