By Tim Clark / April 7, 2024 / College, Column, Tim's Two Cents, Golf
Twopic

March Madness always provides those crazy moments we all love. Highly seeded teams often get derailed by a low seed, an upstart, a Cinderella. That’s what makes this event so entertaining. It is unpredictable to a fault.

Some years the best teams do dodge all of the land mines placed in front of them. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to. The overall top seed hasn’t won the championship since Louisville in 2013. This year the best two teams over the entirety of the season were UConn and Purdue.

The March Madness Gods decided to treat us to the best two teams in the Championship Game. 7’4” Zach Edey of Purdue going head to head against 7’2” Donovan Clingan. It was also two of the best coaches in the sport, with UConn’s Danny Hurley matching wits against Matt Painter of Purdue. The supporting casts of both teams weren’t bad either, though UConn probably had a slight edge coming into the game.

UConn steamrolled everyone in their path. Alabama tried to hang with the Huskies in the semifinal but finally succumbed to the beast. Purdue looked like a team on a mission from the time the tournament began. They slopped their way to a victory against NC State in their semifinal game.

The stage was set for a proverbial clash of titans.

Well, it turns out there was only one titan.

UConn.

This was easily the most dominant performance in the tournament I can remember. Truly, the only minor challenge the Huskies got was from Alabama in the semifinal game. And they won that game by 14 points. UConn set a tournament record with a +140 point differential. Insane.

Let’s not forget this is two in a row. UConn was really good last year as they won the school’s fifth title. They lost a lot of good players, but Danny Hurley simply regrouped and created an even better team this year. The Huskies dominated the Big East regular season, they dominated the Big East tournament, and they dominated the NCAA tournament.

UConn now has six titles.

They are in a crowd with UCLA, Kentucky, and North Carolina. That is elite company.

Purdue wasn’t chopped liver, mind you. Zach Edey dominated the tournament, scoring 37 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the championship game. Yet, he wasn’t able to be a difference maker. In fairness, his teammates finally met their match. UConn’s defense was stifling, making it hard for Purdue’s shooters to get any semblance of comfort. That was the game plan, and as usual UConn followed it to a tee.

As has been the case, UConn’s offense was balanced with cutters getting open, shooters making shots, and big man Donovan Clingan matching Eden’s physicality. A true team effort.

UConn out rebounded Purdue by 7, had 10 more assists, and 1 fewer turnover. Sorry for the redundancy, but it was dominant. Remember, Purdue was the second best team in the country. Last year UConn had to beat upstart San Diego State to win the championship. This year they destroyed the next best team in the country.

I think Matt Painter is a really fine coach. Danny Hurley is on another level.

Hurley is brash, temperamental, and let’s be honest, a little kooky.

Hurley is also smart, diligent, and driven.

He said it best on the podium after the game. UConn has been dominating college basketball for the last 30 years. Hurley may not be for everyone, but he is as straight of a shooter as they come. He has stated they were the best team in college basketball all season. Two years ago after a loss, Hurley warned the college basketball world to get them now because they were coming. Well, they are now going, to new heights that is.

UConn is now one of the bluest of blue bloods. The Huskies have never lost a championship game.  Danny Hurley doesn’t sound like a guy who is finished winning. I hope he stays at UConn for the long haul. He has the chance to create one of the best dynasties in college, basketball history. 

It was another great March Madness. My bracket wasn’t great, but I did have UConn going back to back. We only had one buzzer beater this year, but still had a lot of Cinderellas to cheer for. We had a fun bunch from NC State, who miraculously won 9 straight games to go from out of the tournament to the Final Four. We got to see a 7’4” behemoth play old school, scintillating basketball.

Turns out this was 67 teams and 1 dominating force.

Hail to UConn, a dominant champion. They certainly had more than one shining moment.

It is the best three weeks in sport. It is the most exciting event in sport.

I can’t imagine a world without Madness.


Two Cent Takes

NHL

~Three weeks ago I laughed at the notion the Penguins were still in the playoff hunt. Here we sit with four games remaining and the Pens still have a puncher’s chance. They will need to beat the Red Wings next to be sure, and may have to run the table. Make it or not, this is a stunning development. This may be Sidney Crosby’s greatest moment. To take this moribund group this far is amazing. Here was an example of his magic from Saturday.

 


 

And that wasn’t even a goal, but the fact it almost was is unreal. With 40 goals at age 36, this has been some kind of season. If only his head coach knew how to approach overtime. Another OT loss last night in Toronto reminded Pens fans they would be comfortably in the playoffs with just a couple more OT wins. The season could potentially come down to the last game against the Islanders.

~The Flyers may not win again. Losers of 7 straight, the Flyers only good news is John Torterella should have a few more fun press conferences.

NBA

~It is hard to envision Indiana losing two of their three remaining games. They will be favored in all three games. That means the Sixers will be forced to play in this silly play-in tournament. With Joel Embiid back the Sixers look good again. However, the team is managing his game load. That could be a problem later in the playoffs. The Sixers have a good chance to host the Miami Heat in the 7 vs 8 game. Win that and they move on to face the Bucks. Otherwise they will have to beat the 9 vs 10 winner for the pleasant chance to play Boston in round one.

~In the Western Conference, the play-in tournament has a real chance to include Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry. With that list, at least ratings should be good for those, games. Plus, the West is packed tightly, so even the play-in winners could be dangerous in the next round.

College Hoops

~USC hired Eric Musselman from Arkansas. Despite a disappointing year in 2024, Musselman took the Hogs to two Elite Eights and one Sweet Sixteen. He is a West Coast guy, so he will be happier in LA. It appears to be another smart move by AD Jen Cohen. First move for Musselman is seeing how many current Trojans players he can retain. Currently, he only has three players left.

~Look for Arkansas to turn their attention to Will Wade after Chris Beard said no. For Beard, moving from Ole Miss to Arkansas probably seemed like a lateral move. Wade, however, would jump at this opportunity. *EDIT*…Out of the Kentucky woods riding on his white horse comes John Calipari. Calipari signed a five year deal to become the next Arkansas head coach. Maybe Beard and Wade will be on Kentucky’s list. Or the Wildcats could bring back Kenny Payne.  All jokes aside, it appears they are going to try and make an offer UConn head coach Danny Hurley can’t turn down.

~Seton Hall made a late run to win the NIT over Indiana State. Both teams proved the committee made a mistake not including them in favor of teams like Virginia.

~Now that the women’s season is over, maybe we can put to rest the drama that followed these young ladies around. It got quite tiresome.

College Football

~Spring games are on the horizon later this month, which will give fans a chance to get a sampling of how far along players appear to be. Recruiting and spring portal season is in full effect. While teams like USC and LSU are rising, the four playoff teams are currently ranked 8(Alabama), 19(Texas), 43(Michigan), and 47(Washington).

MLB

~The Pirates are 9-2, and quite frankly haven’t played good baseball. They have made several outs on the bases and their defense has been choppy at best. The pitching, on the other hand, has been excellent. Even Bailey Falter, the de facto fifth starter, threw a gem the other day. Optimism is the word in Pittsburgh.

~Two great things from the home opener in Pittsburgh. First, the opening pitch was delivered by soon to be Hall of Famer Jim Leyland. He meant business out there, as everyone should have expected.

 

 

‘The second thing was an old fashioned five minute April blizzard.

 

 

~The Phillies are off to a mediocre start mainly because the pitching has been Zach Wheeler and everyone else. Everyone else has not been very good except for fifth starter Spencer Turnbull. That will need to change moving forward, because the Braves will be tough to catch.

~That task may become easier, as Braves Cy Young contender Spencer Strider may need Tommy John surgery. That would be a big blow to the Braves rotation.

~Watching the Orioles for three straight games in Pittsburgh allowed me to see the talent in that lineup. The pitching does concern me a bit. They will add two more starters as soon as they are healthy.

~Baseball, as usual, has some issues. Here is an early list.

1. There is an owner who is cheaper and more deplorable than Bob Nutting, which is saying something. A’s owner John Fisher has created a legacy of failure in Oakland. Now, he is screwing over the fans in Oakland by pulling the stunt of heading to Vegas, via Sacramento. Fisher has cried poor, lied about the numbers involved, and now made a side deal with Sacramento to house his team until Vegas is ready. To say it is a bad look would be a giant understatement.

2. Speaking of bad looks, how is this guy still employed by Major League Baseball?

 

 

 

The umpires union makes the teamsters look like child’s play. Hernandez is an absolute disgrace to the game.

3. Baseball finally institutes a great rule, the pitch clock. Now the player’s union is being allowed to run with the idea that the clock is why there are so many arm injuries with pitchers. How silly. Maybe they should check with the doctor that treats many of the injuries.

 

 

Or maybe listen to one of their own pitchers.

 

 

One more from maybe the best pitcher of this era, Justin Verlander. This is a tremendous explanation.

 

 

Baseball specializes in black eyes. One step forward, five steps back.

The Weekly Shiny Penny

Pittsburgh was the place to be this week to earn my Shiny Penny.

First, NFL Man of the Year Cam Heyward doing Cam Heyward type stuff.

 

 

Next up we have Evgeni Malkin’s parents still getting choked up watching their son score goals. Maybe the tears are because they know their son has been a target of criticism this year. Either way, it is good stuff.

 

 

A Penny For My Final Thought…

Golf is in a weird place.

LIV.

PGA.

Saudi money.

Greg Norman.

Jay Monahan.

Dwindling ratings.

Separate, not better.

Yep golf is in a weird place.

Not this week. This week all will be right with the world of golf.

Augusta.

Magnolias.

Pimento and cheese.

Verne’s last ride on the sixteenth hole.

Snead, Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus, Tiger.

The Masters.

It is true that golf is fractured right now. Many LIV players didn’t get the invite to Augusta, though they did buckle on their stance for players like Joaquin Nieman. Proof that occasionally if you whine enough you get your way. The LIV players made their bed, but now don’t want to sleep in it. Life is full of choices and consequences. The LIV players made a choice, but can’t seem to accept the consequences. They say they want to compete against the best. Well, they were doing that on the PGA Tour but chose to take dirty money instead. Already this week a clearly regretful Jon Rahm spit out this beauty.

 

 

Um, Jon, you were playing on a tour that plays 72 holes. He hates the music. He hates the format. I hope he likes the money.

Not to worry, the PGA powers that be —and who the hell knows who is really in charge there— are also trying to climb in to the same bed and take the same dirty money. It would be nice to bring everyone together, but I hate the means being used to do so.

Enough about the nonsense.

 

 

Augusta can make you forget about almost any bad thing happening for four glorious days. I have never been there, but even on my television it looks like one of the most beautiful places on earth. The magnolias will be in full bloom, the fairways will be immaculate, and the greens will be slick.

This is the one major where being a big hitter doesn’t give you a huge advantage. Having said that tee to green is very important. Here is a stat for those of you inclined to make a small wager.

 

 

Nobody is playing better tee to green than Scottie Scheffler. It is insane to think how much better than the field Scheffler is tee to green. Plus, Scheffler has been putting much better since switching to a mallet putter.

Certainly there will be challengers.

Never doubt Brooks Koepka in a major. His LIV pal Jon Rahm should be right there, too. Hey, it’s a four round tournament so he should be happy. Hideki Matsuyama is a former Masters winner who is also playing well. Wil Zalatoris is going to win a major sooner rather than later, and now that he is getting healthier and stronger I wouldn’t doubt him at Augusta. Could this be the year Rory McIlroy finally conquers Augusta?

You know there will be a name or two on the leaderboard, especially early, that will be a bit shocking. In that vain, keep an eye on Sahith Theegala, Si Woo Kim, and Sam Burns. You can get them all for +5000 or worse.

It seems nuts not to pick Scheffler this week. Just one thing is giving me pause. The last 18 Masters champs were not the betting favorite. Scheffler is a huge betting favorite in Vegas. Hmm…

I will be pulling for Wil Zalatoris. There is something very likable about that kid. I will make a very small money play at 35-1 on Tony Finau to finally win a major. At 50-1, I am also going to go small money wager on Theegala. If I weren’t betting on Scheffler to break the 18 year trend, I would probably pick Matsuyama. Alas, my money is going on the 13-4 odds on favorite, Scottie Scheffler. He has just been flat out dominant for a month.

I am ready for Chris Vernon’s Masters updates. Nothing in golf more funny.

 

 

I am ready for the soothing voice of Jim Nantz, and I am ready for this iconic music.

 


It appears to be Scottie Scheffler vs the field this week at Augusta.

Sit back and enjoy the greatest week in golf.

Just my two cents…