Let’s look at the numbers. We’re now to the Sweet 16. Kansas, Texas Tech, and Iowa State have all advanced.
Including OU’s 1-1 record in the NIT… the Big 12 is 10–4 in post season. Three teams…Baylor, Texas, and TCU are gone. Of those three losses the total sum margin of losses was 21 points. Nary a blowout in the group. Only Texas against Purdue didn’t have a chance at the end to win their second-round game.
Iowa State beating both LSU and Wisconsin is a bit of a stunner as the Cyclones were playing the shakiest ball in the league minus West Virginia the last two weeks of the season.
Kansas has a real chance to advance to the Final Four given the demise of both Auburn and Wisconsin in their regional bracket.
Texas Tech would have to beat Gonzaga to advance to the Final Four.
Watch out for Villanova is all I can say at this point. Jay Wright in my mind is the best college coach in the business. His team doesn’t beat itself. If only Sam Presti would at some point hire a strong coach like Jay Wright, there could actually be some light at the end of the tunnel for the tanking Thunder.
I’d put the PAC 12 second on my list right now with both Arizona and UCLA still left in play. At third…I’d go with Juwan Howard’s Wolverines and the Purdue Boilermakers still in play.
Then I’d go the ACC with both Duke and North Carolina still very much in the hunt.
Then surprisingly the SEC comes in dead last of the Power 5 conferences with only Arkansas still breathing but scheduled next to play Gonzaga in the third round.
Look at the coaches we still have in play. A virtual list of Hall of Famers:
Coach K at Duke, Jay Wright at Villanova, Bill Self at Kansas, Mark Few at Gonzaga, and Mick Cronin at UCLA. All five could be in a coma and give the Thunder more presence on the bench than they currently have steering the Thunder tanking ship. Throw in Billy Donovan as well. These people in Oklahoma City are adorable. Bless their racist little domestic terrorist hearts.
It’s turning into the wonderful tournament I’d hoped it would be.
The OU women host Notre Dame this evening. If I weren’t exhausted from last night…I’d probably go. We cheered hard last night. Very hard. Who knows…maybe at the last instant I’ll get a burst of energy and head down to Norman.
Coach Jennie was at both of the OU men’s NIT games. Seems like a nice woman.
Coach K… if you weren’t playing Texas Tech… I’d be cheering for you in the next round.