Higher Post: Those Red Storm Blues
...a reminder that 3 IS the magic number!
Congregation, please stand up! Because March is upon us!!
…and the end of the regular season for the women’s game! This will be fun!!
It’s finally upon us. We are making that last turn out of March Eve and into March proper — well, the month of March, that is. We all know that for the faithful of the Church of Bracketology, March is a state of mind. But for the rest of the world, it’s the 3rd entry on the Gregorian calendar.
Regardless of how you look at it, this is the time where the season really pumps up the volume. We watch the contenders separate from the pretenders, all while eating chicken tenders... that’s how we practice.
Stories are being constructed into predictions by pundits all around the media world on who falls into each category. Many of these picks tend to be cold takes — nobody wants to be the wrong one come Selection Sunday.
One of those stories emerged this week after #15 St. John’s traveled to a sold-out PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford to take on long-time conference rival #6 UConn on Wednesday night.
By the score, you would not have known this was a top-15 men’s game. With a gap this large, you might have thought this was the UConn Women’s score. The Huskies weathered the Red Storm with a final of 72-40. That is correct — a 32-point spread.
The day after, pundits hit the roundtables to declare UConn unstoppable. After all, they dismantled the #15 team in the country, their only real competition in an already thin Big East.
But when you look at the numbers, was this a scene of UConn dominance — or St. John’s not catching the correct bus to the game?
Let’s start with UConn. Going into Wednesday night, the Huskies were averaging 79.2 points per game and shooting 48.4% from the field. Against the Johnnies? They scored 72 and shot 47.5%. In both categories, that is below their season average. UConn was ordinary. St. John’s just happened to be worse.
Meanwhile, the Red Storm shot just 19.6% from the field — and after Zuby Ejiofor’s layup 2 minutes and 32 seconds into the second half, St. John’s didn’t make another field goal for the remaining 17 and a half minutes of the game.
So maybe it was UConn’s suffocating defense — let’s look: Turnovers were low on both sides — UConn with 5, St. John’s with 8. Rebounds were nearly even at 41-37. This wasn’t a defensive stranglehold. It was simply the Johnnies being unable to put the ball in the basket. And that is what I witnessed — a team who could make moves, but laid bricks like they were in a brotherhood of masons.
Not to take anything away from the Huskies. They were ready, they did the work, and they showed up when it mattered. But this was not a coronation. This was St. John’s not coming to play. If we know anything about Rick Pitino’s work, they will come out Saturday against Villanova ready to prove this was an anomaly.
The point is, it’s easy to look at a box score and make a lazy assessment. But if you want to be ready for some serious bracket banter this March, it’s just as important for us to watch the games as it is for them to play them.
Go Defense!
3 for 3 for the 3rd Month
Long before we started Saturday Services, we had Saturday morning cartoons. They were fun, crazy, and educational. For those who remember, it was Schoolhouse Rock that taught us that 3 is the magic number. Then it was De La Soul that sampled it and turned it into scripture.
On the eve of the 3rd month of the year, let’s look at 3 stories related to the number 3 currently happening in the world of hoops:
Fun: Illinois’ 3-point perfection:
In Thursday's game against #9 Iowa, the Fighting Illini women's team went a perfect 8-8 from behind the arc in the second half of the contest. It was actually 9-9 going back to the end of the first. Illinois would have been outmatched by the favored Hawkeyes in the sold out nest of Carver-Hawkeye Arena if the Heiden-Stuelke Show didn't bring in 46 of Iowa's 82 total points. Incidentally, it was Hannah Stuelke stepping up to make the free throw that sealed the victory. And did it with … wait for it … 3 seconds left. Abracadabra!
Crazy: Mikayla Blakes - three times a phenom:
By now, you would need to be living in a football only zone to not know about Vanderbilt’s sophomore sensation Mikayla Blakes. She is one of the major reasons that the ‘Ivy of I-40’ had all 3 major sports ranked this season: football, men’s and women’s hoops.
If you have not been watching her, you need to start, post haste. Through her remarkable scoring, she has led the Commodores in points in all but 4 of the 29 games of the season so far. Check out these 3 scoring highlights on this season:
In her last 3 games, she has scored 105 total points (35 vs. #24 Alabama, 35 vs. #16 Kentucky, 27 at Georgia).
Blakes has scored 30+ points in her last 5 games against ranked opponents, which eclipses Caitlin Clark’s 4 game streak.
Lastly, Blakes has scored 30+ points in 11 games this season. Think about that for a moment or 3.
Yes, she is once, twice, three times a phenom.
Educational: Duke needs to lose at NC State to win the National Title!
I admit, this isn’t mine, but I wish that it was. This is making the rounds through the hoopcasts with assists from the socials. Here is the premise. Since 1991, there have been 3 occasions when the Duke Men’s team won the national title in years where the Final Four is played in Indianapolis: 1991, 2010, 2015. Ok, but what is really the common thread here? In all 3 of those years, the Blue Devils lost at NC State during the regular season before marching their way through Bracketville. Fun, right? However, this year the Final Four is back in Indy. And…checks schedule…Duke travels to Raleigh next weekend. So, does that mean I have to root for Duke if I don’t want them to win a title….no, don’t make me a Faustian casualty.
The Infoulable!
Tracking the remaining teams who have yet to commit the ultimate sin...of losing.
MBB: The RedHawks had a close call on Friday against Western Michigan after being down for 74% of the game, but managed to steal it on a made layup with .4 to go. Two more to go!
#21 Miami of Ohio! (29-0 overall, 16-0 MAC!):
✅ Tuesday: Miami 74 - Eastern Michigan of Michigan 64
✅ Friday: Miami 69 - Western Michigan of Michigan 67
Next: Tuesday 3/2 at Toledo of Ohio (7p, ESPN+)
WBB: UConn is The Highlander! There is only one. And now, there is only one game left (in the regular season)
#1 UConn Huskies (30-0 overall, 19-0 Big East):
✅ Sunday: UConn 84 - Georgetown 52
Next: Sunday 3/1 at St. Johns (7:30p, TNT)
NYU Women’s Undefeated Streak: 86 - RECORD GROWING! One more to go!! No conference tournament for the UAA. NCAA Tourney starts next week!
#1 New York University Violets (86-0 overall, 24-0 this season, 13-0 UAA):
Next: Saturday 2/28 vs. Brandeis Univ. (3p, FloSports) Reg. Season Finale!!
NYU’s Path To Infoulability: Let’s follow The Violets’ Stairway to the Rafters
✅ Women’s D3 Record!! (Nov, 2023 - current)
Men’s Record (all division): 88 - UCLA (Jan 30, 1971 - Jan 17, 1974)
Overall Record: 111 games - UConn WBB (Nov 23, 2014 - March 31, 2017)
We Got Next: Games to watch this weekend! (all times EST)
The Weekend Litany for the devoted Bracketologist
Games of The Service:
MBB: #1 Duke vs. #11 Virginia (Saturday 12p, ESPN) Virginia coach Ryan Odom has performed a miraculous turnaround in his first year in Charlottesville. Losing to newly #1 ranked team won’t hurt them come Selection Sunday, but if you remember 2018, Odom loves an upset and doesn’t want to wait until first weekend to upset this projected #1. Duke, meanwhile, won’t want to lose two in a row (see above). Or, 3 if I have my way.
WBB: #12 Duke at #21 North Carolina (Sunday 12p, ESPN) Last week we got to see Clemson’s Hannah Kohn break the hearts of Blue Devils around with her dagger piercing three to seal victory for the Tigers and snap Duke’s unblemished ACC record. Duke did something similar the week before with a late steal to take a win from their Tobacco Road foe North Carolina and breaking their 7-game win streak. Now, the Blue Devils come to Chapel Hill to end the season on a revenge game. This will go to the wire.
MBB: #2 Arizona vs. #14 Kansas (Saturday 4p, ESPN): Now that the Wildcats and Jayhawks got Houston out of the way, they can truly fight for conference dominance. Kansas has more to prove here, but it’s a home game for the Jayhawks so they have wind beneath their wings.
WBB: #13 Ohio State at #15 Michigan State (Sunday 12p, BTN) The final stretch of the B1G road is paved with ‘little numbers’ which have given both the Buckeyes and Spartans some problems as of late. Both squads match up well and will fight for that signature win to end the season. This should be back and forth until the end.
Other Bracketology Offerings:
MBB: An amazing slate of games with conference championships on the line!
Saturday - Noon: #11 Virginia at #1 Duke (ESPN)
Saturday - 2p: #24 Louisville at Clemson (ESPN2)
Saturday - 2p: #25 Vanderbilt at Kentucky (ESPN)
Saturday - 4p: #14 Kansas at #2 Arizona (ESPN)
Saturday - 4p: #16 Texas Tech at #4 Iowa State (CBS)
Saturday - 4p: #12 Nebraska at USC (BTN)
Saturday - 5:30p: #19 BYU at West Virginia (FOX)
Saturday - 6p: #17 Alabama at #22 Tennessee (ESPN)
Saturday - 8p: Villanova at #15 St. John’s (FOX)
Saturday - 8p: Duquesne at #23 Saint Louis (ESPN+)
Saturday - 8p: Oregon State at Santa Clara (CBSSN)
Saturday - 8:30p: #20 Arkansas at #7 Florida (ESPN)
Saturday - 8:30p: Virginia Tech at #18 North Carolina (ESPN2)
Saturday - 10p: Grand Canyon at Utah State (FS1)
Saturday - 10:30p: #9 Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s (ESPN)
Sunday - 1:30p: #8 Purdue at Ohio State (CBS)
Sunday - 3:45p: #13 Michigan State at Indiana (CBS)
WBB: Regular Season ends this weekend!!! Conference Tournament seedings are on the line. Get ready for some good grudge matches as rivals get revenge games!!
Saturday - 2:30p: #14 Maryland at #8 Michigan (FOX)
Sunday - Noon: #4 Texas at #24 Alabama (SEC)
Sunday - Noon: #12 Duke at #21 North Carolina (ESPN)
Sunday - Noon: #13 Ohio State at #15 Michigan State (BTN)
Sunday - Noon: Virginia Tech at Virginia (ACCN)
Sunday - 2p: #3 South Carolina at #16 Kentucky (SEC)
Sunday - 2p: #5 Vanderbilt at Tennessee (ESPN)
Sunday - 2p: Cincinnati at #17 West Virginia (ESPN+)
Sunday - 2p: #22 Minnesota at Illinois (BTN)
Sunday - 3p: #9 Iowa at Wisconsin (B1G+)
Sunday - 3p: Texas A&M at #19 Ole Miss (SEC)
Sunday - 3p: Arizona State at #20 Texas Tech (ESPN+)
Sunday - 3p: Florida at #23 Georgia (SEC)
Sunday - 4p: #6 LSU at Mississippi State (SEC)
Sunday - 4p: #7 Oklahoma at Missouri (SEC+)
Sunday - 4p: Notre Dame at #10 Louisville (ESPN2)
Sunday - 4p: #18 Baylor at #11 TCU (ESPN)
Sunday - 6p: #2 UCLA at USC (FS1)
Sunday - 7:30p: #1 UConn at St. John’s (TNT)
The Magnolia Bakery Invitational: We all love our desserts.
WBB: George Mason at Duquesne: The Duchesses have fallen on hard times since the 1-2 Pittsburgh punch of Megan McConnell and Tess Myers. They can look at VCU below them in the standings and say, “what happened to us?” Mason, on the other hand, was an up-and-comer who has arrived. On their third consecutive 20-win season, they are currently tied with Rhode Island atop the Atlantic 10. They can’t afford to lose this one if they want a shot at separation. Expect them to roll.
Battle of Who Could Care Less: This one may require some No Doz.
MBB: Rutgers at Maryland: Maryland surprised us with a horrendous first season under Buzz Williams. Rutgers constantly surprises us by staying in the Big Ten. The two teams that make the B1G bi-coastal experiment cover little ground and carry little interest in their region and none everywhere else.
WBB: Penn State at Indiana: It’s been a long time since the Lady Lions have climbed out of The Valley. Dancing regularly in the 1990s, Penn State has racked up twice as many losing seasons as 20-win seasons since then. Indiana, usually a single digit seed in the NCAA tournament, is having one to forget this season. In like a Lady Lion, out with a whimper.
The Indeed.com Classic: Lose this one and you might need to revise your resume.
MBB: Utah at Arizona State: Like someone adjusting the office thermostat, the temperature of Sun Devils’ coach Bobby Hurley’s seat has been a constant up and down. It seems to be back up again so losing the team in the basement of the conference at home should make it scorching. At least it’s a dry heat.
Bracketology Apologies go out to the Saint Francis University Red Flash, both Men’s and Women’s hoops squad who will both be playing Central Connecticut for the last time as these are their last games as a Division 1 program. All SFU athletics will be moving all programs down to Division 3 starting next year. And just like how FBS football control everything because of money, keeping a sustaining D1 athletic department also costs money. In today’s game - lots of it - and without it, you are gone in a … flash.
Final Seconds!
Just look at the women’s slate and see all the rivals getting revenge games! What an amazing way to wrap up a regular season! Will UConn and NYU finish the season undefeated?? Get thee to a TV, laptop, bar, or a live game and find out!!
16 days until Selection Sunday (March 15)
20 days until First Round (March 19-20)
36 days until Final Four (April 4)
Coming soon to Church of Bracketology:
Deep looks at the new ‘Redickous’ eligibility changes
Look at bracket expansion…again.
Travelogue of “CoB Pilgrimage 2026”
New online CoB Swag Store - powered by RAYGUN - with NIL shirts and fun to support this publication and some of the players we love.
Until then, stay safe, play hard, go defense!
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Always live One Shining Moment at a time. Never be boring.