SLEEPER CELLS OF SWEET 16

The famous number 12 seed finds it’s way to the sweet 16.

Oregon State beat Tennessee in a beat down, 70-56. Then the Beavers handled Oklahoma State 80-70 to find themselves in the sweet 16. The Beavers’ first time in the sweet 16 since 1982, when that team made the elite 8.

Where the double hockey sticks is Oral Roberts located?

Do you remember the skit on Saturday Night Live called Wedgie Fever? Jon Lovitz is the contestant and his answer to every question is Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is where Oral Roberts is from. Even though it sounds like a school out East. Oral Roberts had the biggest upset of the the first round of 64 teams by knocking out a very talented Ohio State. Then they proceed and knock out a pretty good Florida team in the next round. Now, can they defeat number three Arkansas and find their way to the elite 8?

TEAMS I DON’T MISS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

The Wild Cats could not recruit the all-star McDonald’s high school best. Kentucky is like a Terminator factory creating basketball talent from the factory.

What’s better? Duke not in the Tournament or the Blue devils having an early exit? Remember Lehigh University?

• 

• 

• 

PRICELESS!!!!

Anybody for some fine sloppy Tarheel Joe’s? University of Wisconsin added some cheese to this North Carolina destruction in round one of the tournament.

SCHOOLS EVERYONE MISSES

• 

• 

Love me when Murray State and Kent State make some noise early on in the tournament.

IS IT SISTER JEAN OR PORTER MOSER??

• 

• 

Who gets the credit for Loyola’s big win versus Illinois? Head coach Porter Moser or Sister Jean? Sister Jean has the big guy’s attention.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DYNAMIC DUO IN ILLINOIS?

Batman of the University of Illinois, Ayo Dosunmu, picked a bad day to stop sniffing glue as he played one of his worst games of the season versus Loyola. Loyola stuns the top seeded Illini who were probably many’s favorite to win the entire thing. A total bracket buster. The cape crusader Ayo maybe should have passed the ball and found a Robin or two from a poor day of shooting. Every 16 years, the Fighting Illini create something special. From the 1989 team, the Flying Illini, with Kenny Battle, Nick Anderson and Kendall Gill that made it to the final 4 . In 2005, the unbelievable come back versus the University of Arizona in the elite 8 led by Deron Williams. The 2005 team with Luther Head, Dee Brown, and James Augustine went all the way to the championship only to lose to North Carolina. This 2021, Illini were the team that had everything on a roster from a big man to multiple play makers on the court that could have should have went all the way.

First time I ever heard the name Rutgers was reading the scoreboard or watching whatever sports halftime show to see this school was being destroyed by their opponent. It seemed like the University of Rutgers sucked at basketball and football and lost like 77-0 on the football field on a Saturday afternoon. Where the hell was Rutgers University? New Jersey. Rutgers are in the Big Ten conference who have more than ten schools in the conference. The last time Rutgers won a March Madness tournament game, they were not a part of the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers finally broke that drought by beating Clemson in the first round. It was 38 years since they won a game in the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers would go on to the next round and lose a close one to Houston by the score of 63-60.

Ron Harper Jr. is one of the reasons why Rutgers has turned around their basketball program. The name sounds familiar. Maybe because his father Ron Harper helped Michael Jordan win multiple NBA Championships with the Bulls during the 1990’s.

All season long you can see Ron Harper Jr has his father basketball ability and perhaps gets the hair on his mother’s side of the genes.

FIRST TIMER

If you’re number 16 seed like the University of Hartford, is it better to be cemented in the tournament and not play in the very first round of the play in games. The Hawks had a mighty task in trying to upend a number one seed, a power house like Baylor University. Only one 16th seed in the history of March Madness took a walk on the wild side and took down a number one seed. I like the story of a coach grinding out at the same program for ten years and finally made history at the school as the University of Hartford made it to the tournament for the first time in their school history. Hopefully one and done for John Gallagher will help get him and the Hawks some nice recruits, as they move this program further up the ladders.

Why does the University of North Texas call themselves Mean Green when their logo is a Eagle? Is it because the uniforms are green? Did the inventor of the Green Machine Big Wheel go to North Texas?

• 

• 

I remember one year getting the green machine for X-mas. One of the coolest presents the big guy in the red suit brought me that year. Found that picture with the old car. I remember in the 1980’s just flying down the sidewalks in this sports big wheel. Then braking with a 360 turn and hitting my head against a car like that. We were not sissies wearing helmets. I was able to shake it off, rub some dirt on it, and ride again.

• 

• 

In 1966, the North Texas defensive unit was nicknamed Mean Greene because they finished 2nd that year against the run in football. On that squad in 1966, Mean Joe Greene made his presence known. Steelers Legend Mean Joe Greene is one of the ferocious defensive linemen in history of the game and many rings formed the Steel Curtain in the 1970’s.

North Texas was a number 13 seed coming in as they won their first NCAA tournament win versus a talented number 4 seed in Purdue University in the first round of 64 teams. It took Overtime to accomplish this first win for North Texas in the record books. It was the 4th appearance in the school’s history. Last time North Texas made the tournament, was in 2010. North Texas would lose in the next round to University of Villanova.

BOUNTY ON THE HEAD OF BILL SELFISH

Not sure what I hate more: USC Football with Pete Carol running a shady program or Bill Selfish and his Kansas Jayhawks. USC collects the bounty as they demolished the Kansas Jayhawks in round two of the tournament.