Jon Joseph

Get in on The Action! Action Network Likes the Ducks to be the top bird vs the Bluejays. https://www.actionnetwork.com/ncaab/college-basketball-odds-pick-prediction-oregon-ducks-vs-creighton-bluejays-ncaa-tournament-sa

Now that 'everyone' can pay players, how's Cal doing at Kentucky? He signed another all-world recruiting class and yet again did not win the SEC tourney and did not get his Wildcats out of the first - round. Kentucky hasn't won a first-round playoff game since 2019! But, Cal's buyout is $33 Million. It's not the B1G but the SEC sure loves BIG buyouts. Right, Jimbo?

Friday's NCAA men's tournament takeaways: SEC's struggles have commissioner eating his words WWW.YARDBARKER.COM The conclusion of the second day of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, much like day one, had its fair share of thrills and upset wins to set up an exciting Round of 32. OK, CU is The Buffs and not the Gators but I like seeing Greg Sankey being told to stop his tourney hanky-panky and kudos for the Pac-12 which is now with CU's play in victory over Boise State 5-0 in the Tournament.

Creighton -5.5. Over/Under 146.5. That's a healthy O/U. Points are expected to be scored. Go Ducks! Pluck the Jays! Go 2-0 vs, Birds of a Different Feather and on to the Sweet 16.

Good wins by A+M over Nebraska and Bama over Charleston slowed the SEC bleeding. Nebraska loses its AD to A+M and loses the game to A+M. A+M women have a game coming up against the Cornhuskers women's team. Basketball CT HQ has an interesting sense of humor including the games tomorrow between OREGON and Creighton and Texas and Tennessee. Still, 3-5 at this point for the SEC looks more like the B1G in recent years. I was happy to see Purdue get out of the first round.

Boo-La Boo-La Boo-La Boo-La! And 14-seed Yale takes down 3-seed Auburn for the SEC's 2nd 14 over 3 loss. Nuck, Nuck, Nuck.

Good points, on the other hand, Ole Miss plays 3 stiffs and Wake OOC. Mizzou with the easiest SOS in the SEC plays 3 stiffs and Boston College OOC. Georgia goes 10-2 and gets in ahead of 10-2 Oregon, hypothetically, I'm OK with that. But 10-2 Mizzou getting in ahead of Oregon, I'm ticked off. Is the Committee going to pay attention to SOS or continue to view a win in the SEC as a far better win than anywhere else? I'm a bit surprised that a Georgia fan is OK with Mizzou playing 4 ranked teams in the next two seasons. Ditto Bama. And for OK and UF to play the same brutal schedules back-to-back is not equitable.

OBD Friends, are you as I am, rooting for B1G teams in the Tourney? Northwestern's win over 2023/24 Final 4 FAU has the B1G undefeated in the first round with Wisconsin vs. JMU, Nebraska vs. A+M, and Purdue vs. Grambling State to be played today. Based on results in recent tournaments this is a good showing by the B1G so far. I am rooting for the Cyclones to blow Wazzu back to Pullman.

The Pac-2's biggest enabler. I'd like to say I can't believe the 8 departees in addition to UCLA and USC, especially after seeing the LA schools lose their seat at the conference table, would allow THIS to happen. But TIP. This is the Pac.

'Something is rotten in the State of Dixie!'

O’Gara: 10 key takeaways from Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament SATURDAYTRADITION.COM The NCAA Tournament never disappoints, and Thursday provided a reminder as to why. Upsets to unlikely stars, Day 1 had it all.

Dana should have been in the MASH cast with Hot Lips, Radar, Hawkeye, and Trapper John. There's the injury bug and then there is the injury swarm. The D yesterday baffled USC(e) and the Gamecocks coach. Being hot for the conference tournament and The Tournament is peaking at exactly the right time. Hats off to Wazzu for earning some money all on its own.

9:40 PM is the peak playing time for student-athletes, right? The NCAA advertisements are interminable. Sports viewing on the Right Coast? No country for old men.

CBS also calls out the SEC. Some Excellent Coverage! March Madness 2024 scores, winners and losers: Pac-12 looks good in NCAA Tournament, SEC stumbles early - CBSSports.com WWW.CBSSPORTS.COM Illinois' Marcus Domask and Oakland's Jack Gohlke were impressive Thursday during the first full day of the Big Dance

Not a good day for the 8-teams in the field SEC. 8 Mississippi State loses to 9 Michigan State 6 South Carolina loses to 11 OREGON! 3 Kentucky loses to 14 Oakland. Kentucky was expert Dickie V's pick to win it all. In the New SEC, Tennessee plays Texas on Saturday. Like Dana and Creighton, TN's Rick Barnes will be going against his former employer. 😁😁😁

I promise I am not hunting for clicks. But I am surprised that no one else is taking umbrage at this scheduling ploy by the SEC. In 2024, I will not be surprised to, of course, see the SEC champ with a top 4 seed and a first-round bye. OK, this is expected. But in addition to the bye, three out of the four first-round games, at least, are likely to be played on SEC home fields. Looking at myriad preseason top 25 polls, Oregon is the only SEC team routinely ranked to where the Ducks would be the 5 to 8 seed and have an opening game in Eugene. Come 2025 in the SEC, rinse and repeat. I hope B1G Commish Tony Petitti is not being suckered by the olive branch extended by Sankey. Petitti on behalf of his conference has to call this garbage out.

Who's buying the drinks? A busted Bulldog from Starkevagas or a plucked Gamecock?

He put a Gamecock in a Cuisinart. DUCK!

And 9-seed Sparty easily handled 8-seed MS State.

Shut Everything Closed USC (E). South Carolina follows Mississippi State in losing 1st round games to B1G (or soon-to-be B1G) teams. Dana going against his former employer will be fun. Creighton played a sloppy game and still picked up an easy win. The Illinois win keeps the (New) B1G undefeated to date in the NIT and The Tourney. Another bird awaits plucking. Beat the Bluejays!

Rece thinks the ACC 'as is' is done. https://athlonsports.com/college-football/rece-davis-saddened-college-football-basketball-conference-couple-years-left

"Bizarre" is likely an understatement. No restrictions whatsoever on players transferring twice. Proctor is probably only the first of the guys who 'committed' in winter and will be gone in the spring. I'm hoping we will not see this about-face with Dante Moore and other transfers who via their agent and other third parties, if not directly contacted, are no doubt being pursued by poachers. Kadyn Proctor, Iowa and three lessons for a new level of transfer frenzy THEATHLETIC.COM When you lift all restrictions on transfers in college sports, this is what happens.

Spartan. Good take but everyone agreed to the media rights deal at a time far different than that of the CFB/CBB world we live in today? In return for ESPN capitalizing and managing the ACC Network, the ACC agreed to a deal through 2036. This still works for Boston College, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech, but not for brand names Clemson and FSU. And it's the brand name more than the market size that draws eyeballs. Clemson, SC is a small town. Miami is a big city. Clemson draws far more viewers than does the U. I get why Clemson and FSU do not simply want to suck it up as they are left behind by the B1G and the SEC. The B1G media deal ends in 2031 and with the new deal and revenue from the football and basketball post-season each B1G team, including Oregon as a full partner, will likely be bringing down $100M per annum. Clemson and FSU do not want to hang in and support Pitt, Syracuse, and Duke, like Oregon and Washington, with the grant of media rights ending, were no longer willing to support OSU and WSU. Clemson and FSU both have far more capital invested in athletics than the schools they are carrying. FSU, with BCS titles, and Clemson with playoff titles, are the only two ACC teams to move the needle in football. I doubt the two plaintiffs will escape the ACC without paying an exit fee of some kind but like Maryland when it left the ACC for the B1G and sued over the amount of the exit fee, both will get a discount. Are the suits against the ACC 'honorable?' Perhaps not but millions of dollars are at stake and Clemson and FSU are not going to sit around and be eclipsed by Northwestern and Vandy.

ESPN has an opt-out coming up soon. The World Wide Leader can opt to drop the ACC and in accordance, shut down the ACC Network which lags behind the SEC Network and Fox's Big Ten Network. Then? CW for the ACC?

The SEC is not only staying with eight conference games and four out-of-conference (OOC) games in 2025, it is duplicating the same schedule as 2024 with road games switched to home games and vice versa. Eight conference games will give the SEC a playoff leg up; especially, if every SEC schedule is determined by the PO Committee to be 'brutal.' On the field of play, this is not the case. For example, in 2024 in a conference likely to have eight teams ranked in the preseason AP Poll, Missouri OOC and in-conference will play two games versus the preseason top 25. Oklahoma has six top-25 teams on its schedule and is likely to have the same number in 2025. Missouri, Ole Miss, and Tennessee have the easiest SEC schedules in 2024. Alabama, Oklahoma, and Florida have the most difficult strength-of-schedule; why are the Tide, Sooners, and Gators putting up with this? Oregon plays Michigan and Ohio State in 2024 and misses both in 2025. The 2024 schedule being repeated in 2025 in the B1G would have given Ohio State a back-to-back scheduling advantage. Would Michigan have agreed to a repeat? In a 16-team conference playing the same eight teams in back-to-back years means that a number of a team's players will miss a conference opponent before running out of eligibility. The B1G in this regard has done a far better job of scheduling through 2028. But if the SEC in 2024 and 2025 dominate the playoff field, should the B1G stay with nine conference games? The 2024 scheduling format is, at least in part, a ploy by the SEC to be paid more by ESPN for the extra conference game. Even if the B1G decided to go with eight conference games would the existing media deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC allow for this change to occur without a revenue cut for B1G teams? With a playoff, every conference should be on the same page in scheduling and Notre Dame should be playing 13 regular season games, with ten of the games versus P4 opponents. There's too much money involved to allow the ACC and the SEC to game the system by playing only eight conference games.