Higher Post: We Love February! (We really do!)
...and yes, for me Super Bowls are what Red Panda stacks on her head!
Congregation, please stand up….
…because its time to be excited for ‘March Eve’!!
Welcome to February! Or, as we call it around here - “March Eve”!
While our holy month is March, a faithful Bracketologist needs embrace February because it’s important to remember where you come from. And, no matter how you read a calendar, March comes from February.
February, does not have 'madness' or 'mayhem' but don't look past it. It's is the undersized point guard. The one who never gets the proper respect.
First, February is the shortest month and you should never underestimate the little guys. The Dance is about guard play and a scrappy sharp shooter is a Naismith-send. They are the reason we love college ball! They almost never get drafted and they know it, so it’s all about proving it now. And, if you don’t show proper respect, good luck with your office pool. #karma
Second, February contains one of the greatest holidays ever. Yes, Valentines Day.
Now, I know what you are thinking, but for the modern Bracketologist Valentine's Day is essential. Think about it - there is one day planted in the middle of the pre-March month that allows…no, forces you to spend time with your significant other. If you are a Bracketologist you need that day to embrace your loved one and tell them how much you adore them because you will soon be...to put it mildly...a 'little' distracted. This is vital(e) because it is not like you are going to lose your faith anytime soon.
You are a soldier going to war. They might not understand why you were chosen, but they'll be waiting by the door for your return once your team gets a Furman surprise in the final seconds of the first round. Am I being over-dramatic? Not at all. March is all about drama. Only one ends the season with a win, so we need all the support we can get! Lay that groundwork now! Do something special for them on February 14.
Lastly, February is the hairpin turn on the Road to the Final Four. Some of the best basketball of the season is scheduled in February as teams start fighting for those bye days of their conference tourneys. Bids are locking, bubbles are popping, and it sets up whose name will be called on Selection Sunday as At-Large bids. Still need to pad that resumé with some Quad-1 wins? Yes, you do. Let’s face it, most programs are this year’s North Carolina and not this year’s Auburn.
Yes, February is great! Embrace it with a huge Vermont Catamount Teddy Bear Hug and enjoy it to the fullest. Treat it with respect. You want it to be your friend.
#GoDefense!
Week Reset
Rivalry Week was a good as promised, despite the matchups not being as premier as years past.
Duke/UNC, part 1 was over after 5mins: According to ESPN, Duke’s Win Probability hit its lowest (89.2%) at the 16:06 mark in the first half when the score was UNC 6 - Duke 7. The Blue Devils never looked back. The final score was not indicative of the game as the Tar Heels went on a ‘too-little-too-late’ run late in the second. The Revenge Rematch is Saturday March 8, at the Dean Dome. #Remember2022.
Cal Made His Return: Coming out to a mix of cheers and boos from the crowd, Coach Cal seemed right at home at Rupp, despite having to ask security how to get to the visitors locker room. His Razorbacks bested the Wildcats 89-79.
…So Did Caitlin and A’ja: On the perfect day of 2/2, Iowa and South Carolina retired their respective #22s in emotional ceremonies. With greatness in the room, both teams scored victories as well, with Iowa besting #4 USC (more below).
Upset? Some of us were!: Last week’s Saturday Services had upsets galore, outside of Kentucky/Arkansas. Kansas State beat #3 Iowa State, USC beat #7 Michigan State, Baylor beat #11. Kansas, and Georgia Tech over #21 Louisville, to name a few.
Gee, NOOOO!: 18 days after giving birth to her son, Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell added her name to the history books of the top women’s hoops rivalry, leading her Lady Vols to victory over arch nemesis UConn 80-76. However, UConn Coach Geno Auriemma responded by first praising Caldwell for what she is building in Rocky Top, but then following that with a quip “She should have stayed home and taken care of the baby.” Yes, it was a joke, but it’s also a trope we should not endorse. No one noticed though since he later threw Paige Bueckers under the bus for the loss which took all the press.
We Got Next: Games to watch this week! (all times EST)
…and here we go again for Rivalry Week!
CoB Men’s Games of note:
#4 Tennessee at Oklahoma (Saturday, 12p, ESPN) OK needs a quality win…sooner rather than.. you get the point.
#11 Marquette at Creighton (Saturday, 2p, FOX) The fight for who gets closer to St. John’s
Yale at Cornell (Saturday, 2p, ESPN+) The homestretch for the Ivy has these two at the top. Break out your best cardigan.
#6 Florida at #1 Auburn (Saturday, 4p, ESPN2) Tigers, Gators, Oh my!
#2 Duke at Clemson (Saturday, 6:30p, ESPN) THE RETURN OF DICKIE V!!!
#13 Texas Tech at #20 Arizona (Saturday, 10:30p, ESPN) A Top-20 matchup with NO SEC teams! I didn’t know you could do that
#1 Auburn at Vanderbilt (Tuesday, 7p, SEC) If there was ever and upset…
George Mason at Saint Louis (Tuesday, 8p, ESPN+) By George, the Patriots are top a competitive A10!
#18 UConn at Creighton (Tuesday, 9p, CBSN) The Burley Hurley needs a win or his ranting is all talk.
WCoB’s Women’s Games of note: The women’s ACC is the Men’s SEC.
#2 South Carolina at #4 Texas (Sunday, 2p, ESPN)
#21 California at #3 Notre Dame (Sunday, 2p. ACC) Hannah, Olivia, Maddy, Liatu, Sonia… pick your Bear poison.
#14 NC State at #22 Florida State (Sunday 2p, ACCnet) Move over Hannah, Taniya Latson is making a push for National Player of the Year.
Richmond at Duquesne (Sunday, 2p, CBSN) The only player leading Hannah Hidalgo in steals is Duquesne’s Megan McConnell. Watch her while you can.
#19 Tennessee at #6 LSU (Sunday, 4p, ESPN) Can Kim Caldwell do it again. Bring extra clipboards, Coach Mulkey.
St. John’s at #5 UConn (Wednesday, 7:30p, SNY/Streaming) I just want to watch Ber’Nyah Mayo against Paige Bueckers.
#4 Texas at #11 Kentucky (Thursday, 7p, ESPN2) The Wildcats are fun to watch. There is an upset in the making.
#1 UCLA at #7 USC (Thursday, 10p. Peacock) Juju really has something to prove here. Will this be the opening for Notre Dame to become #1… of course I was going there. Come on!
Mississippi State at #23 Vanderbilt (Thursday, 9p, SEC) The Commodores dropped their last 2 (as soon as I wrote about them, sorry) so expect Mikayla Blakes to carry her team to victory.
Keeping up with the Hannahs
Two of my favorite players are not only incredibly fun to watch…but are both named Hannah! I dedicate this section to them. We try and keep up with them during a pivotal season!
Hannah Stuelke (Junior / Forward / Iowa):
It was a good week for players named Hannah.
#4 USC 69 - Iowa 76:
It was in the air. Parking fees going in the hundreds. Sell out crowd rushed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Caitlin Clark was there. Lisa Bluder was there. Hell, even David Letterman was there. Seriously, he’s a friend of Coach Bluder’s.
Nearly 15K piled into a sold out Carver-Hawkeye Arena to see their 15-7 Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Juju Watkins and the #4 USC Trojans. I admit, this game didn’t go the way I expected. It was much more fun.
The Hawkeyes started the game on an 18-1 run, with USC not scoring their first actual basket (a Juju 3) until there was only 25secs in the first. Iowa did this with 3’s. They did it with defense. They did it with Lucy Olsen and Hannah Stuelke, who charged in and reminded Trojan center Rayah Marshall whose office it was.
USC climbed back in the 2nd to take a 1pt lead at the half on a buzzer beater from Juju Watkins.
After that, it was anyone’s game. The two teams fought and clawed for every possession, rebound and basket. At one point deep in the 3rd, it looked like USC was taking control as they jumped to a 6pt lead as Hannah got her 4th foul.
With Hannah taking the bench, Addy O’Grady subbed in and closed out the win, grabbing rebounds, making second-chance shots, perfectly complementing Lucy Olsen’s dazzling 28pt performance at the point. Hannah did not sit quietly. She understood the assignment and took her new roll as head cheerleader to heart!
I love a good upset. And this was certainly a great one. A game like this for the Hawkeyes made that 5-game losing streak a distance memory.
And for those scoring at home: Hannahs 2 : Juju 0
Iowa 80 - Minnesota 85:
Coming off a huge win, there is always a fear of letdown. And, it’s relative. The bigger the win, the bigger the chance of letdown. Well, things were not looking to help the Hawkeyes as they travel to Minnesota to take on a pesky 18-5 (6-5) Golden Gopher team in desperate need of a win. Minnesota just dropped two games to The LAs: #4 USC and #1 UCLA. There is no shame in that game, but you need a win when the underdog Iowa team comes to your house.
Iowa, meanwhile, had travel issues. After weather issues held the team on the tarmac for 7hrs, they arrived 6hrs before the tip of the game. No time for a warm up. No time for a shoot around. This is a bad recipe.
However, despite all that, Iowa picked up right where they left off at home and started the game on a 13-2 run, leading 18-7 at the end of the 1st. However, Minnesota are the come from behind type and as Iowa consistently scored with very little drought. The Golden Gophers came back 1 point at a time to tie the score at 51 with 4:33 to go in the game.
Once again, Hannah was doing Hannah things in the paint, scoring a team high 17pts. She managed to do this in only 23 mins on the court as she once again fell victim to foul trouble, keeping her on the bench for extended periods of time, eventually fouling out with 46secs left in the game, but was able to hit the milestone of 1000 career points on the way!
What I love about watching Hannah is her ease (well, she makes it look easy) at beating defenses down low of easy baskets. She is strong to force her way in, but fast and nimble to get around defenders. She knows exactly how to post up for the ball with a strong ability to convert for baskets, fouls or both.
Right now, it’s all clicking for Iowa making them one of the most fun teams to watch right now.
Up Next (all times EST):
Monday 2/10 - Iowa at Nebraska (8p, BTN) - The Hawkeye revenge game
Thursday 2/13 - Iowa at Rutgers (7:30p, B1G+)
Hannah Hidalgo (Sophomore / Guard / Notre Dame):
Pick a Card… any Card. Notre Dame stay undefeated and atop a touch ACC.
#3 Notre Dame 89 - Louisville 71:
At 15-6 going into this game, this Louisville Cardinal team might not seem as much of a threat to the casual viewer, but not to the Notre Dame fan. These teams are staunch conference rivals so you know the Cards will be up for this game.
That said, Coach Niele Ivey said it best, ‘Pick Your Poison’, because this Irish team has so many weapons, how can you prepare. They were ready for the ‘MiDalgo’ show, shutting slowing them down in the 1st, creating turnovers, forcing bad shots, etc. So, time to Go-Westbeld, as Maddy was able to rack up 11pts for her team in the 1st. And lets not forget Liatu King, who pulled off this buzzer beater with a one-handed lob:
The ‘Ville wasn’t going down like that and pulled the game within one at the half. From there, it was a track meet until Hannah and Her Sisters took over.
Hidalgo finished the game leading the team with 34pts, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals.
The Miles-Hidalgo duo has really clicked and is the engine of this team. With Hannah as a primary scorer, its allowed Miles to really become the General on the floor, while they are both potent enough at the point to run the offense when needed. I found the same situation when watching the NY Liberty the past couple of seasons with Sabrina Ionescu, who is a better point guard when she is not relied upon to run the point and just be the offense.
Circle Sunday March 2, as The ‘Ville heads to South Bend for the Revenge Game to close the regular ACC season.
Stanford 47 - #3 Notre Dame 96:
Yes, you read that right. The Irish beat Stanford, THE Stanford, by 49pts handing them the worst loss in Cardinal history. This is not your momma’s Stanford Cardinal team. To be fair, this is a full rebuild for Coach Kate Paye after taking over for the legendary Tara VanDerveer. Going into this game, they were 11-10 on the season and 3-7 in the ACC, their new conference home.
Honestly, this game was over halfway in the 1st, when Stanford lost sophomore forward Nunu Agara, their leading scorer, to injury. At that point, The Irish took over and needed no luck on their 26-2 run to jack the score to an unreasonable 50-15 by the half.
It was only a matter of time before the fans were treated to #CernugelTime!
Hannah was the last starter to leave the floor as (I assume) Coach Ivey was letting her get time to hit 30pts for the 3rd consecutive game. She did not hit that milestone, but still had 24pts, hitting 9 for 16 with a perfect 5-5 from the line. But, it was Liza Karlen who was the Purcell’s Hero of the Night as it was her 3 that pushed Notre Dame’s point total over 88 to award the faithful fans free nachos!!
Up Next (all times EST):
Sunday 2/9 - #21 California at #3 Notre Dame (2p, ACCN)
Thursday 2/13 - #3 Notre Dame at Pitt (8p, ACCN)
Five Touches: Passing around the hoops world
Dickie V’s Return Tonight! Yes, it’s official with a capital ‘O’. Dickie V. returns to the sidelines to call tonight’s Duke/Clemson game (ESPN, 6:30p) after a two year hiatus while recovering from throat cancer treatment. Ok, the season can start now. Love you, DV!
And a legend signs-off: At the age of 91, Hubie Brown will call his last NBA broadcast this Sunday between the Bucks and the 76’ers.
Insurance Play: In case you didn’t hate insurance companies enough, at this Thursday UMass’s women’s game, a student hit a half-court shot and awarded $10K, but upon further review, the insurance company won’t pay due to the student’s foot being on the line. After going viral on the socials, UMass Athletics and men’s coach Frank Martin has offered to made good on the $10K, despite this not being their promo. This could have been so easy…
It is truly all about the money: The SEC announced this week that all 14 members will receive $52.6M as their annual distribution. Is there a surprise that 13 schools are projected to be in the bracket?
Miles Ahead: ESPN’s updated projected WNBA Mock Draft now has Olivia Miles rising to a projected #2 pick for Seattle (previously LA’s until the Kelsey Plum trade). Her teammate Sonia Citron is projected right behind her as the 3rd pick to the Sky. Wow.
Final Seconds
Ok, folks! Enjoy the weekend hoops before all screens are legally bound to switch to football!
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Always live One Shining Moment at a time. Never be boring.