Thinking out loud…while wondering if sarcasm is meant to be the body's natural defense against stupid…
• You beginning to think there might be something special to this college basketball season in Friartown?
• The one-and-only Andy Katz, from NCAA.com and Fox Sports, this week named Providence as one of ten teams in the country that can win this year's natty.
• Think about that. It's not a pipe dream. It's real, and it just might be spectacular.
• Seven straight Big East wins, for starters. They haven't accomplished that before, in 43 years of Big East play.
• Without jumping the gun, or the shark…the Friars' ranking at #11 is their highest since the Kris Dunn-led team hit the Top 10 in 2016. This edition may hit it as well, pending this weekend's play, with Villanova on the horizon for next week.
• With the way experience and maturity has factored into team success (and that of several others around the country), anyone else see prep stars taking a backseat – unless they're potential one-and-doners?
• The transfer portal is now, unsurprisingly, a coach's first stop. It has to be. And with that will come an entirely new brand of shady sleeze and under-the-table deals. Like the postgame handshake line. "Hey bud, nice game today! Wanna transfer?"
• Recruiting high schoolers won't go away entirely, but younger, greener teams could soon be a thing of the past with so much pressure to win. Or at least make the NCAA Tournament.
• Which the Friars will. They're a lock. Could be a high seed, too. And how often do we say that around here? Selection Sunday is just four weeks away.
• Providence Athletic Director-in-waiting Steve Napolillo told the Ed Cooley Radio Show this week the Dunk is sold out for the final four home games of the season – give or take a few stragglers.
• That shouldn't come as a surprise, pandemic or not. Winning cures a lot of ills. But it won't cure Covid. Masks are still optional.
• And if you're wondering from the outside why those Covid-cancellations from last month can't be rescheduled…and thinking the Friars are 'dodging' those teams…just know that PC stands to lose the (substantial) income from what would have been a sell out crowd with Connecticut.
• Tweet of the Week, from @CorenRichard: "For only the second time ever, PC has had three different players named Big East Player of the Week in one season. That's balance. The other time? 1997 and we know what happened with that team."
• Yup, sure do. Just missed the Final Four, losing to eventual national champ Arizona. Jared Bynum (last week), Justin Minaya (two weeks ago) and Al Durham are the three players. Balance.
• And that doesn't count preseason Big East first-teamer Nate Watson, AJ Reeves or leading rebounder/best shooter Noah Horchler. Depth is divine, Providence.
• UConn may be starting to roll again. A physically impressive win against Marquette – giving the Huskies a season sweep of the Golden Eagles – might be the catalyst they need to begin a March push.
• Then again, it might also be the catalyst to make certain MSG is a tough ticket to purchase next month, too…within the fandom. That's a primary reason for their re-inclusion into the league in the first place, let us not forget.
• This Week in the Big East features PC's Nate Watson, Creighton's Greg McDermott and ex-UConn star and current Fox hoop analyst Donny Marshall. Catch it on your favorite podcast provider, on Sirius/XM or online at westwoodonesports.com and bigeast.com.
• Villanova ain't dead yet. Not by a long shot. But a PC win Tuesday night at the Dunk could certainly start the engraving process on the tombstone.
• Seton Hall? Creighton? St. John's? How about Marquette? Still think the Golden Eagles can fly with anyone. But the Huskies got physical and punched them in the mouth this week. How do they respond?
• The first triple double in six years in the Big East came from DePaul's David Jones Wednesday night against Georgetown. 22 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in an 82-74 win for the Blue Demons – and the first-ever triple double in DePaul's storied history.
• Nope, not George Mikan (look him up). Not Mark Aguirre. David Jones. And the Friars get him Saturday night at the Dunk. The last Big East triple double came from Butler's Roosevelt Jones in 2016.
• Not sure what to say about URI at this stage. Six losses and counting. It's confusing, it's disappointing. But it also starts at the free throw line. And these guys haven't figured that out yet, and don't have the discipline required to figure it out.
• But I do know what to say about VCU's display of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) understanding this week when Rhody visited. URI Associate Athletic Director Shane Donaldson (also a former writer for Patriots Football Weekly) could not reach the facility set up for radio, and as a result was unable to perform his duties for Rhode Island that night.
• Having known and worked with Shane for more than 20 years, nothing has ever kept him from his first-rate performance with his duties. Until now. That's shameful and embarrassing. And illegal, VCU. How does negligence like this happen at a state school?
• URI's womens' team won its' program record 12th straight game this week at St. Joe's…it's now the 3rd longest current winning streak in the country. The Rams host Fordham Sunday, looking for lucky 13.
• In know Paige Bueckers isn't back yet, but still…UConn's women's team lost in the Big East for the first time in 169 games…nine years…when they lost to Villanova 72-69 this week. Edward in East Providence, your thoughts?
• What does Bryant do when they don't have their leading scorer (Peter Kiss), suspended by the league for two games? Next man up? Charles Pride stepped up, maybe historically so.
• Pride was named the NEC and Lou Henson Mid-Major National Player of the Week, scoring 76 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in two Bulldog wins – it's the most points over a two-game span for any player in the Northeast Conference over the past 25 years.
• And Bryant is now 12-1,15-8 overall. They're in first place, having won a program record nine straight. Kiss returned to the lineup Thursday at Sacred Heart…and combined with Pride for 71 points in a win over Sacred Heart. Whoa.
• Looks like there might be two dance tickets punched from Rhode Island in the next month.
• Brown found a way to get by Dartmouth last weekend, but almost assuredly the Bears need to win out in the Ivies to reach the postseason tournament in Philly.
• Last week we mentioned America East as collegiate 'bad guys' for banning Stony Brook from postseason championships…when all Stony Brook did was leave for a better opportunity (in their view) next year in the Colonial. Student athletes are punished through no fault of their own.
• This week, it's the Horizon League. They've banned UIC from winter and spring sports championships because they're moving to the Missouri Valley. Really? It's all about the athletes? F-R-A-U-D-S.
• Could college athletes eventually obtain employee status from their schools? Don't laugh. The National College Players Association filed unfair labor practice charges against the NCAA, the Pac-12 and USC and UCLA this week.
• Sports Illustrated reported the goal is to affirm employee status for all Division I basketball players and FBS football players. Six years ago, a group of football players at Northwestern, represented by the NCPA, were denied the opportunity to unionize.
• Sentiment is changing. I mean, did you think Name, Image and Likeness rules and regs (basically paying college athletes) would ever come into play? They're not going away.
• My buddy "Big E" sez his philosophy on life is pretty simple. "I don't worry about what people think," he told me. "They don't do it very often."
• Such a sad note to report this week, on the passing of former Providence Journal Sports Editor, and NBC Sports Boston digital managing editor Art Martone.
• Art always had a good word; he steered young (and older) reporters down proper paths, offered advice and encouragement, and in the meantime produced some pretty good content himself. He'll be missed in a cold, and often cruel business that could use a lot more people like him.
• Jeremy Giambi was 47 years old. Yes, he was the brother of the 'other' Giambi, five-time all star Jason. He died this week reportedly by suicide at his parents' home in Southern California.
• ICYMI – former Friar basketball player Ryan Fazekas' father, Sgt. William Fazekas, was shot while responding to reports of shots fired while on duty in his job as a police officer in Gary, IN. Fazekas played two years (2015-17) at PC before transferring to Valparaiso. His dad is expected to recover.
• 'Bout time. Richard Seymore's inclusion and induction-to-come into the Pro Football Hall of Fame isn't just a victory for him – although he's certainly worthy. It's victory – and vindication – for a dynastic era that's been slow to receive the recognition it has earned and deserves.
• He isn't a Patriot at present, but wouldn't the Titans' Mike Vrabel – the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year – be considered a branch on the BB coaching tree?
• Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio sez Deflategate was really "Framegate?" The NFL expunged the air pressure data they had collected? And Grand Poobah Roger Goodell said this week he doesn't recall what happened to that data?
• If I'm the Patriots, I'm asking the league for my draft picks back. And if I'm TB12, I'm asking for a public apology over my suspension. Respectfully, of course. But vehemently, if needed.
• I don't know about you, but I think the NFL is due for a changeup in its' Rooney Rule.
• If anyone truly believes the NFL will change its' ways over hiring practices, or over a sexist culture created in Washington or admit to any sort of wrongdoing over Deflategate, YOU don't get it.
• The NFL is all powerful, too popular, and too ingrained into our conscious culture for any meaningful change to take place. It's like taking castor oil for constipation…it's awful, you want to hate it, but you know you need it.
• Joe Judge is back. Matt Patricia is back. Not sure having these guys in charge is what the Patriots really need, but having ex-head coaches (albeit losing head coaches) on the staff can't be all bad, can it?
• I mean, Josh McDaniels did ok for himself and the Patriots after his Denver debacle, no?
• Thought Mac Jones accounted for himself pretty well during the Pro Bowl in Vegas last weekend. Yes, that's a tacit admission I actually watched (a little bit of) the Pro Bowl.
• Don't be surprised to see the Patriots play a "road" game in Munich, Germany next season. The NFL will stage the first-ever regular season game next season, and the Patriots are one of four NFL teams with local marketing rights…along with Carolina, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
• All told, it will be four games in Germany over the next four years…two in Munich and two in Frankfurt. The Patriots will most assuredly be in one of those, if not this next year.
• Gonna bet on the Super Bowl? Gamblers are expected to wager a record $7.6 billion on the game this weekend. That's an astounding 78% increase over a year ago, sez the American Gaming Association.
• This prediction comes following the news New York smashed online betting records over a month, with a handle of more than $1.62 billion – BILLION – in January. That tops the single month record for any state…and NY did it in four weeks.
• A sure sign times are changin'…you'll see TV ads, at about $7 million per 30 seconds…for sportsbooks during the Super Bowl.
• Why is it important for Boston/Foxboro to get a World Cup site bid for 2026? Nashville is one of the US competitors and estimates a $695 million economic impact for the city with a successful bid. 11 US cities out of 17 candidates are in the running.
• The Boston Consulting Group sez projected revenue from five matches, potentially at Gillette, would come to $360 million.
• Golf, anyone? Industry sales increased seven percent year-over-year in October 2021. Roughly 529 million rounds were played last year, according to the National Golf Foundation…the highest play total on record.
• Providence boxing champ Boo Boo Andrade is turning to movies, as a producer for a new boxing/MMA project in development called "Fists of Justice."
• The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and…meh, they saved some $$$. Step up to the bar and buy another $15 beer at the Garden, brotha.
• Not sure whether to laugh or cry over this – but after MLB's drug agreement with players expired during the league lockout, baseball has reportedly stopped testing players for steroids for the first time in 20 years.
• Good grief, who will the BBWAA vote into the Hall of Fame now?
• Tuukka, thanks. You took a lot of crap from Bruins' fans, even if it wasn't all your fault. Sure, it helps to win…but while championships help define careers, they don't make or break them.
• Marchy, you're another matter altogether. Four words: Time to grow up.
• Seriously, is anyone surprised over the Russian Olympic doping story? A 15-year-old female figure skater? It's pretty clear – the Russians don't care. They'll cheat you right in front of your face.
• They make a mockery of the Olympic spirit and competitive balance. Their entire team isn't even officially "Russia," participating as the "Russian Olympic Committee," because of doping. Allowing them to compete in anything, for the foreseeable future, is just plain stupid…and we deserve to be flogged for allowing it to happen.
• Bend over, Team USA. Whack! Thank you, Russia. Whack! And thank you, China. Whack! May we have another? Stupid is as stupid does.
• What isn't stupid, however…is the Canadian women's hockey team is masked up, while playing. And they're likely the best team on the planet this go-round, and still kicking the **** out of the competition.
• Just as some mandates are being lifted. Sheesh, stop your whining. If those ladies can manage, so can you.
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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