Armadillo Sports
Sunday’s 6-pack:
Since 2000, the biggest upsets in NCAA tournament:
2012— Norfolk State (+21) over Missouri
2018— UMBC (+20.5) over Virginia
2001— Hampton (+17.5) over Iowa State
2016— Middle Tennessee State (+16.5) over Michigan State
2021— Oral Roberts (+15) over Ohio State
2005— Bucknell (+14) over Kansas
Quote of the Day
“……..for the next year? I’m gonna play football………I’m going to play football this year — we’ll see where.”
Georgia Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett
Sunday’s quiz
Before Saturday, Cincinnati’s last playoff win was in 1990; who played QB for the Bengals that day?
Saturday’s quiz
Michigan Wolverines were in the Final Four four years ago; John Beilein was their coach.
Friday’s quiz
TJ Yates was the Houston Texans’ QB first time they played a playoff game, a 31-10 win over Cincinnati ten years ago.
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Sunday’s Den: Wrapping up a sports Saturday
13) Bengals 26, Raiders 19:
— Raiders were in Cincinnati territory six times, scored only 19 points.
— Last time Bengals won a playoff game (1990), only four current Bengals were alive.
— Bengals are at Kansas City next week.
12) Bills 47, New England 17:
— Buffalo scored a TD on their first seven drives.
— Bills averaged 8.9 yards per play, converted 6-7 on third down.
— Buffalo and Tennessee meet next week in Nashville.
11) Joe Burrow sat on Ohio State’s bench before he transferred to LSU, where he led the Bayou Bengals to a national title. We should’ve realized back then that Urban Meyer wouldn’t be much of an NFL coach, with Burrow sitting behind JT Barrett and Dwayne Haskins.
10) Friday night, I’m watching the Iona-Manhattan game, with Rick Pitino coaching the Gaels, then little later on, the movie Blue Chips comes on, one of my favorite all-time movies.
Nick Nolte coaches fictional Western U; their first game in the movie, which was made in 1994, is against fictional Texas Western, coached by Rick Pitino.
28 years later and he’s still one of the best coaches in the game.
9) My all-time favorite movie scene in early on, with Nolte talking to his athletic director (Bob Cousy), while the Hall of Famer shoots free throws in shirt-and-tie. Cousy goes 10-for-10, and people who were there say the scene was filmed in one take. Cousy made the last foul shot with his left hand.
8) Someone on Twitter posted an old NFL Today clip, with Brent Musburger talking about a Lions-Patriots game in 1979; sitting in for Jimmy the Greek that day was Pete Rose.
I’m not making this up; Rose was handicapping NFL games on TV, seven years before he retired as one of the best baseball players ever, before his gambling exploits became a huge deal.
7) Eagles visit Tampa Bay Sunday; Philly is 0-6 this season against playoff teams.
6) Another trend that makes me queasy; Arizona is 6-0 SU this season as an underdog.
Another trend that makes me queasy; Arizona is 6-0 SU this season as an underdog.
6) Baylor/USC were the last two unbeaten teams in the country, but they both went 0-2 this week.
Something to set aside for March; Oregon swept the LA schools this weekend, which very seldom happens, and that will give them a big bump in the seeding, but there were no fans at either game. To me, that diminishes the feat somewhat. Ducks could become overrated.
5) College basketball upsets:
— Oklahoma State (+14) 61, Baylor 54
— Boston College (+10.5) 70, Clemson 68
— Northwestern (+9.5) 64, Michigan State 62
— South Florida (+8) 75, UCF 51
— Arkansas (+6.5) 65, LSU 58
— Oregon (+6.5) 79, USC 69
— Murray State (+6) 82, Belmont 60
— Portland (+6) 82, Pepperdine 63
4) Gonzaga 115, Santa Clara 83:
— First three WCC games, Zags scored 117-110-115 points.
— Gonzaga is shooting 63.7% inside arc this season.
3) East Carolina 72, Memphis 71:
— When season began, Memphis was a top 20 team; now they’re #42.
— Tigers are 4-7 in their last 11 games; they’re 1-5 in games decided by 6 or less points.
— Memphis is turning ball over 24.3% of time (#354 of 358 teams)
2) Pittsburgh 65, Louisville 53:
— Cardinals lost third straight game; as I type this, they’re #100 in country.
— Last time Louisville finished outside top 100 was 2001, Denny Crum’s last season.
1) TCU 59, Oklahoma 58 OT
— Sooners tied game on OB under play for layup at the buzzer of regulation.
— Teams combined to go 9-38 on the arc.
— TCU survived 5-11 shooting on foul line.
