Thinking out loud…while wondering if 60 really is the new 40, does that also mean 9:00 p.m. is the new midnight?
This is a marathon, not a sprint. But let’s also understand it’s best not to be speared by a javelin before you get to the finish line.
The 22nd ranked Providence Friars lost a game at Marquette Wednesday night. NBD. No Big Deal.
Well, let’s run that back for a sec – it IS a big deal, especially if they had won. Road wins have a psychological effect in collegiate sports, more so than in the pros.
Why? Experience levels of the players on the floor. The pressure, the high stakes, the attention…and the money involved today. The pros are used to all of it, having gone through it.
College kids? Not so much…but they’re learning. Teams that have experience over others usually fare better than those others.
Marquette may be the odd exception to the above. The Golden Eagles are the youngest team in the Big East and the FOURTH youngest roster, top to bottom, among the Power Six basketball conferences in the country. And why have they failed to crack (yet) under pressure?
Their coach, Shaka Smart, is also wicked smaht. He’s getting back to what he was when he coached at VCU. Texas simply wasn’t the right fit, and Marquette is. His team listens to him. Defense is first. But the offense is fast. Raising (and creating) havoc, which was his trademarked term at VCU, has returned.
They aren’t dominant. But they have depth. The Golden Eagles come in waves. And they likely won’t beat themselves, with Cumberland’s Tyler Kolek leading the way as one of the best point guards in the country.
Marquette has the nation’s second-most efficient offense, sez KenPom. But 60% shooting from two? C’mon. Ridiculous. When they’re not driving it, they’re shooting it deep.
PC played okay Wednesday night…but made too many mistakes and simply couldn’t hit the shots MU did. The Golden Eagles might be the real Beast in the Big East. And they were picked NINTH, by the league’s coaches, in the preseason.
We’re only halfway through the Big East season. The roller coaster ride is just beginning. Buckle up and enjoy it, rather than agonize over it.
No excuses. But the Friars have had to deal with illnesses and injury, leaving them more shorthanded than they’d like to be. The backcourt has been very thin, and senior Jared Bynum likely won’t be back until this next week.
Bynum’s rib cage injury originally suffered against UConn simply needs a bit more time to heal, otherwise he’s risking being out for up to six weeks…which could cost him most of the season. And once healthy, it’ll take time for him to reacclimate.
UConn found out this week that Covid isn’t quite through with us…with both Dan Hurley and assistant Kimani Young testing positive and missing the Huskies’ game Wednesday with Seton Hall. One-time Rhody assistant Luke Murray ran the show.
If you’re wondering why UConn suddenly looks vulnerable, having lost five of six after starting the year 14-0 and ranked #2 nationally… look no further than their turnover troubles. And the fact they don’t have a true point guard. The Huskies are very talented, yes. And a difficult matchup for any team they face.
But they have issues with setting up their scorers and big people, and they don’t force their opponents into many mistakes.
Which is also why Xavier, at some point, may come back (a bit) toward the pack…especially if and when the red-hot Souley Boum hits a cold front. Like he did Wednesday night (one-for-12?) when DePaul shocked the 8th ranked Musketeers in Chicago.
Yep, the same DePaul that plays in the AMP Saturday afternoon against the Friars.
Elsewhere in the Big East, St. John’s center Joel Soriano was named as the Naismith National Player of the Week…and the Red Storm have figured out how to pound the ball into him with regularity.
Soriano, along with PC’s Bryce Hopkins, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner, Xavier’s Boum and UConn’s Adama Sanogo have all been named finalists for the USBWA’s Oscar Robertson Trophy – given to the national Player of the Year.
Home sweet home? Going into Wednesday night games this week, the top five teams in the current Big East standings (Xavier, Providence, Marquette, Creighton, and UConn) were a combined 49-4 at home.
What does this tell you about separating from the rest of the pack? Guard the yard. Just sayin’.
This Week in the Big East Episode 9.3 features Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune, St. John’s vastly improved senior center Soriano and …Fox Sports play-by-play voice and all-around good guy Jason Benetti.
Benetti is a Syracuse guy, but we’ll excuse him for that transgression. He’s also an alumnus of the International League with the Syracuse Chiefs (as am I with Pawtucket), and the TV voice of the Chicago White Sox.
Catch TWITBE on your favorite podcast site, dropping this weekend…and on Sirius 134, XM 201 and Online 964 Saturday morning at 11 am. Or, hit the website – www.twitbe.buzzsprout.com.
Georgetown’s streak is at 27 straight losses and counting. What in the name of Hoya Paranoia is going on in DC?
Their last league win came when they won the Big East Tournament during the Covid crunch in 2021. Some might feel sorry for the Hoyas’ present predicament.
But if you’ve followed the league for any real length of time, nah. Georgetown has long been a Big East bully. Better get ‘em while you can. Payback is always a five-letter word for d-o-g.
UConn also has other issues to deal with besides health and (relative) happiness. CT Insider Paul Doyle reported this week the University operated at a whopping $53 million debt for fiscal 2022 – largely due to the settlement to pay off former head basketball coach Kevin Ollie.
The school did say, however, that funds had been set aside for this potential liability…and that no programs or budgets were reduced.
Except for the caviar at the training tables. That’s out.
Covid caught URI this year as the first Division I program to postpone (and lose) a game last month. This week, it caught the Big Ten’s Iowa and Northwestern, with health issues on the Wildcats’ team. The league will look, however, to reschedule that one.
We haven’t seen the last of this. Dayton’s coach Anthony Grant lashed out this past week against sports gambling in Ohio, where online betting went live on Jan. 1st. Seems some in particular were peeved at players on his team for losing a big lead against VCU…and directed hate email and social media posts toward those players.
Rhode Island’s solution – and perhaps Massachusetts’, too, if they ever get started – is to not allow in-state wagering on the local teams. But the problem here…is out-of-state bettors have access to social media, too.
Big shout out to the PC cheerleading team, which reached the finals of the national UCA and UDA College Cheerleading and Dance Team Competition for the first time. The Friars’ squad finished by placing sixth in the nation.
Bryant’s Antwan Walker was named as the America East Player of the Week for this past week. Walker averaged 26 points and eight rebounds per game for the Bulldogs and shot 71 percent from the floor as Bryant beat Albany and UNH.
Brown’s Kino Lilly was similarly recognized by the Ivy League as their Player of the Week, averaging 25.5 points in two games during a 1-1 week for the Bears…including a big win over previous league unbeaten Princeton.
URI fell to 2-4 in the A-10 with a 64-57 loss at Richmond Tuesday. The Spiders’ Tyler Burton, son of former PC standout Quinton Burton, hit the Rams for 23 points. Rhody gets George Mason at home Saturday afternoon.
Better news for the ladies in Kingston, after beating Richmond 75-49 Wednesday. URI is on top of the A-10 at 6-0, 10-0 at the Ryan Center this season…and plays at St. Bonaventure Sunday.
PC hockey senior co-captains Parker Ford (from Wakefield, RI) and Max Crozier were both named as finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s top honor. Fans can vote for finalists by hitting the website at hobeybaker.com.
The Friars, ironically, lost their final non-league game this season Tuesday at Hobey Baker Rink in Princeton, NJ to Princeton, 3-2 in overtime.
Former Friar track star Emily Sisson broke her own American record in the half-marathon by 19 seconds, placing second at the Houston Half Marathon.
Big Friar backer Jim Hagan, a grad of LaSalle Academy as well as Providence College and a former five-time state senator in RI, passed away late last week at age 85. Hagan served as President of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce for nearly 20 years, was inducted into the LaSalle Hall of Fame in 2008, and held basketball season tickets for the Friars for more than sixty years.
Bishop Hendricken ex and Georgia Bulldog offensive lineman Xavier Truss won a natty with Georgia two weeks ago, but tragically lost a teammate this past week when fellow lineman Devin Willock and coach Chandler LeCroy were killed in an auto accident near the campus.
My buddy “Big E” sez he told Mrs. E to embrace her mistakes. So she gave him a hug.
Anxious to see what the Patriots decide to do with a little extra Mayo on the side next season. What WILL Jerod Mayo’s role be? And can he help attract others to New England?
That has to be a primary reason he’s cancelled his other team interviews. The Patriots know he’s respected, and the players know he’s relatable…unlike (maybe) some others.
What should come next? Certainly not a news release like the one we saw last week, all transparent and stuff. Wait, wut? News creeping out of Fort Foxboro on offensive coordinator interviews?
Just goes to show you…BB isn’t driving that PR bus at the moment. Someone else is.
Fix the Pats? 1) Find a qualified OC. 2) Find a couple of tackles that don’t operate part-time as swinging gates. 3) Find a receiver who can run and then catch a ball like a kid chasing and catching the ice cream truck down the street on a hot, summer day. With some passion.
Amiright?
You’re beyond loony tunes if you think TB12 returns to Fort Foxboro, to p-p-p-play football again, Junior. But you might have something if you don’t think he’s ready to leave the game just yet.
Rookestradamus sez he’s not going out like he went out in Tampa. Much too vain. Best landing spot for him could be Vegas, with Josh, some receivers, an open job – unless you think Stiddy has a lock on that? But Tampa just fired Byron Leftwich and the division is very winnable, so…
Not for nuthin’, but I wonder how Peyton and Eli really felt Monday night during their Manningcast on the Dallas-Tampa playoff game, watching 45-year-old Tom Brady still playing in the playoffs with them (both younger) sitting on couches?
A new financial study by sidelines.io sez the Dallas Cowboys are presently the richest sports team in America, and the first to be worth in excess of $8 billion.
Out of 152 NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS teams, any guesses as to who (or whom) is Number Two?
Your New England Patriots, worth more than $6.4 billion…with more revenue (and less payroll) than the NY Yankees, who place third at $6 billion.
And the Pats will be number two in the eyes of many if they don’t spend some of that quid on coaches and free agents before next season, no doubt.
They’ll get the chance to showcase whatever they have to an international audience next fall, with word that one of the home games at Gillette will be held in Germany. Sprechen sie Deutsch?
And the TV ratings? Not that they matter, with an 11-year, $113 billion deal among the broadcast entities. But ICYWW, 88 of the Top 100 most-watched TV programs of 2022 were NFL games.
All of the networks experience a bump in their viewership over last season…except for ESPN. That’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on “MNF.” ESPN was actually down by 2%, but that figure doesn’t count the Week 17 Bills-Bengals game (Damar Hamlin’s near-tragic accident) because it was never completed.
Is anyone betting on the NFL? LOL. Quarterly records for sportsbook revenues were repeatedly broken (Q3, $1.68 billion), and it only took the first three quarters of 2022 to break the annual record ($4.78 billion).
Yo, Massachusetts? You’re missing out. And not just because of the Patriots.
Did you know…in this years’ NFL playoffs, half of the teams in the original field were not in the postseason last year? Count ‘em: Jaguars, Ravens, Chargers, Dolphins, Vikings, Giants, Seahawks.
And did you know…there are (or were) five first-year head coaches, the most in league history, who made the playoffs? The lineup: Doug Pederson (Jax), Kevin O’Connell (Minn), Brian Daboll (NYG), Todd Bowles (Bucs), Mike McDaniel (Fins).
Pro football is getting to be like the weather in New England. Wait a minute, it’ll change.
I might pull for the Cowboys largely out of habit, being a native Texan. But the real story to root for, if you need one – is 49ers QB Brock Purdy, who was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2020 NFL Draft. Think about that for a sec.
Linus Ullmark is 24-2-1 between the pipes. He’s been out-of-this-world good for the Bruins, who are an NHL-best 35-5-4 at midweek.
Just how did the Buffalo Sabres keep him in the shadows long enough before Boston found him?
Yes, we’re only just past the halfway point in the interminably long NBA regular season. But in arguably their biggest regular season game, against Golden State Thursday at TD Garden, the NBA-best record Celtics were ready to fold like a cheap suit.
Oh, they won in OT after laying enough bricks to build a house. But the Warriors are presently 7th in the Western Conference. And Steph Curry is still their Daddy.
Or, maybe they’re just like me. Bring on the playoffs already. YAWN.
Another tough one this week for those long-time Celtics and NBA fans with the news of Chris Ford’s passing. Yes, Ford is credited with scoring the first three-pointer in NBA history, in 1979. He was accomplished as a player (college ball at Villanova, lost in a national title game to UCLA), as a coach (joined the Celtics bench in 1990) and played a major role on three NBA title teams.
Most notably, Ford is a part of an elite group of ex-Celtics who earned championship rings as both player and coach – along with Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, and K.C. Jones. That’s some kind of company.
Caught a glance at a few projected Red Sox lineups for this next season. Felt nauseous.
Watch out for the Bots. An automated strike zone will be used in all 30 Class AAA parks this next season. Half of the games will use the automated system; the other half will utilize a challenge system similar to what’s in use for pro tennis.
If it’s on the line – it’s a strike. But will it work and NOT take forever to figure out? Above all, let’s keep it moving, shall we?
MLB is also trying to figure out the streaming era of sports broadcasts, especially since the bulk of their games are carried by regional sports channels on cable. Cable subs are down approximately 32 million homes in the past 12 years.
Front Office Sports this week reported MLB is looking at a plan that would offer fans the ability to stream local AND out-of-market games. Who wouldn’t be up for that? MLB.tv at present blacks out games available on the local distributor.
Speaking of tennis, is the sport at a bit of a crossroads, Edward in East Providence? At the Australian Open…no Serena and no Roger (for the first time since 1999), no Nadal (who lost in Round Two in straight sets), no Naomi Osaka (she’s pregnant).
Will anyone recognize who is playing? Outside of The Joker, maybe…who appears to be preoccupied with hecklers of men at work in the Land Down Under. Where beer does flow and men chunder.
Interested in having your questions on local Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? It’s your chance to “think out loud,” so send your questions, comments, and local stories to jrbroadcaster@gmail.com. We’ll share mailbag comments/Facebook posts/Tweets right here! Would appreciate the follow on Twitter, @JRbroadcaster…and join in on Facebook, www.facebook.com/john.rooke ...
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