IIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT’SSSSSSSSSS MONDAY!!!!!!!! And it’s a post-Selection-Sunday Monday. So settle in around the fire, grab some hot chocolate, and let’s go over the Tennessee (and general basketball) related thoughts flickering through my mind.
1) The Vols ended up with the 2 seed in the Midwest region. They’re locked into the same bracket as Purdue. It’s interesting that was the draw given the Vols were revealed to be the #5 overall seed and thus the top 2 seed, while Purdue was the overall #3 seed. Thought the Vols might get paired with #4 overall seed UNC in the West, but it is what it is at this point. Have to beat a good team in Detroit instead of a good team in Los Angeles (knocks on wood as I write this that they make it to the second weekend).
2) If Tennessee does indeed make it that far, they could have to deal with 9 foot 9 Lord Zach Edey (yes, I know he’s 7’4”) and his traveling band of minstrels/officials. Again. And I say his traveling band of minstrels/officials because I HAVE NEVER SEEN A PLAYER IN MY LIFE GET MORE PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT ON A BASKETBALL COURT. And I’ve been watching basketball since the mid 1980s with my old man. I was watching the Wisconsin-Purdue game on Saturday, and I could not believe the disparity of contact that was whistled between the two teams, including two of the worst foul calls you’ll see.
So this was called a foul on Wisconsin, in a two point game in overtime, in a game where Purdue already had a +16 free throw advantage.
But yeah I’M the bad guy because I’ve been saying since December that Purdue gets an insanely favorable whistle ♂️ ♂️ pic.twitter.com/Ap98tjL89u
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) March 16, 2024
The announcers aren’t sure what to say. Wisconsin has fouled out of the game.
Zach Edey is a joke. pic.twitter.com/uZMWOEnjAd
— The Red Shed (@TheRealRedShed) March 16, 2024
So if the Midwest region goes chalk, this is what Tennessee would be facing. And yes, the Vols know, having already lost to Purdue in the Maui Invitational back in November, but this is the kind of thing that can have you pulling your hair out when you lose because someone breathed the wrong way on the big guy in a pivotal moment.
3) Tennessee’s quest to reach its first ever Final Four begins in Charlotte against Saint Peter’s. That’s something that Zakai Zeigler isn’t all that thrilled about. Or perhaps he is, I don’t know. In any event, he’s going to be facing off against his half brother Armoni Zeigler, who’s a freshman guard for the Peacocks. Given he averages 6.4 ppg and 19 minutes per game, the Zeigler brothers should be on the court at the same time, and their paths will surely cross. Talk about a sibling rivalry. Hopefully the elder Zeigler will come away with bragging rights.
4) Saint Peter’s was a 15 seed against a 2 seed two years ago, and many people remember it. That’s because the Peacocks knocked off 2 seed Kentucky before going on a run all the way to the Elite Eight. Let’s go ahead and nip that little Cinderella story in the bud on Thursday night.
5) I already knew that the SEC tournament meant absolutely nothing when Tennessee wasn’t given a 2 seed after winning the event in March 2022. Auburn’s treatment just further confirmed that. Auburn won the SEC tournament with an impressive 86-67 win over Florida in the final. Their reward? A 4 seed, a plane ticket across the country (Spokane, Washington), and an attaboy from the committee. That’s an atrocious “reward” for winning their conference tournament. There’s absolutely no reason to try to win that thing anymore, it appears. And it saddens me because I truly used to get excited about watching Tennessee try to win it. If this is how it’s going to be treated, teams might as well sit it out at this point and get the extra rest.
6) How in the world is Michigan State in this field? They’re 3-9 in Quad 1 games and have two ranked wins all season. They also didn’t even reach 20 wins at 19-14. And a NINE seed? They should be in the play in game at best. A truly astounding decision that does nothing to assuage concerns that college basketball is the biggest reputation sport in all of American sports.
7) My Final Four and championship picks: UConn, Houston, Purdue, St. Mary’s. Winner: UConn over Houston. I think the Vols have the potential to get to the Elite Eight, but the giant Boilermaker proves to be too much again for Tennessee to overcome in Detroit to reach Phoenix for the Final Four. May they prove me wrong over the next two weeks (and not in a lose-in-the-first-game type of way).
Go Vols!