Happy Monday, everyone.
Hope your week has gotten off to a great start. And what a sports weekend we’re coming off of. Without further ado, let’s get to it.
1) As I wrote about yesterday, the bracket is set, and Tennessee’s path to San Antonio…….isn’t bad.
There could have been far worse matchups, particularly in the second round (or basically Auburn’s entire region, which is brutal). UCLA/Utah State doesn’t strike a whole lot of fear in me, as opposed to other possible matchups. That’s not to say Tennessee couldn’t lose to either of them – they absolutely could with a Kentucky-game-in-Knoxville off night type of shooting display – but I was and remain pleased with them as the second-round foe.
But beyond that, things are really interesting with Kentucky and likely either Houston or the Tennessee-Vol-slaying-in-just-about-every-sport Purdue Boilermakers waiting on the other side of the bracket in the region.
The Vols took Kentucky’s best shots twice this year and got decked. But they could get a third matchup if things go chalk over the first weekend – which could be a challenge for Kentucky, given they are staring a matchup with a scrappy 6 seed Illinois in the round of 32.
But can you imagine going through Kentucky and Purdue to reach a first-ever Final Four? Talk about slaying some demons on the way to the promised land.
2) I puke as a write this, but I’m going with Florida to win the whole thing. But then I smile as I write this, as I am picking Tennessee to make their first-ever Final Four.
My Final Four is Michigan State, Duke, Tennessee, and Florida. I have Florida and Duke playing for the title, with the Gators taking home the crown. Cooper Flagg carries the Blue Devils all the way to the doorstep, but Florida and their 9-foot-7 (or so it feels like) gargantuans in the lane with Walter Clayton, Jr.’s Steph Curry touch beyond the arc are too much for everyone.
A gross ending, but a men’s Final Four banner finally hangs inside Tommy Bowl. And that would be a special thing for this program.
Oh, and that’s because for the first time, I’ll be out on vacation with no access to March Madness for the first two weekends. My watching jinx is gone, so now Tennessee can deliver what fans have been dreaming about for decades. You’re all welcome.
3) It was terrific to club the Gators over the weekend on the diamond, but a sneaky tough team is up next for the Base Vols: Alabama.
I didn’t have the Crimson Tide on my bingo card as a strong SEC foe when the season began, but they proved last weekend in College Station, Texas that there’s a true Omaha contender playing, and it wasn’t the home team. Bama swept the supposedly good (but actually terrible) 2024 national runner up Aggies, shutting out A&M 2-0 on Sunday to break out the brooms.
It’ll be another tough test for Tennessee after last weekend, and it’ll be the Vols’ first true road test of the year. However, at this point, there’s no doubting this Tennessee team. They’ll lose at some point, of course, but for now, I like them no matter who’s in the other dugout. We’ll see if they can keep their historic 20-0 start (best ever by a defending national champion) going against ETSU Tuesday and then against the Tide in Tuscaloosa starting on Friday.
Go Vols!