The nerds at Yale run the Moneyball version of the basketball program, but they somehow found a way to defeat SEC Tournament champion Auburn in the Round of 64 on Friday.
John Poulakidas led the Bulldogs with 28 points in the win, so let’s give them credit for getting the job done and advancing as the No. 13 seed. What a terrible end they had to endure just to emerge victorious.
But damn. Let’s talk about a chilling quote from Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl. That team certainly looked ready for March Madness after making it through the conference tournament.
Before the NCAA Tournament tipoff, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey had publicly advocated for a reduction in the Big Dance field. It’s about allowing more power conference programs into the slot and shutting out mid-major Cinderellas who have quickly become legends and captured America’s hearts.
It sucks, it sucks. What Auburn did on Friday; FBI on alert after Kentucky loses to Oakland Statethe SEC won’t cut it when it matters most this postseason.
For more context, here’s what Sankey told ESPN before the SEC disbanded:
“Bandwidth within the top 50 is very competitive, offering a highly competitive opportunity for automatic qualification. [from smaller leagues]And I think the pressure will only increase as expansion creates more competitive basketball leagues at the top end. ”
As Mr. Sankey alludes, it “transfers” automatic bids to small-school programs that don’t deserve or can actually earn the qualifications.Meanwhile, Auburn lost its first game. as an autoqualifier Thanks to a win in the SEC Tournament, Yale is here…
Look at what Polakidas did at Yale; Shocking performance by Auckland’s Jack Gaulke That was when he made 10 3-pointers for John Calipari’s hapless Kentucky team. Imagine having that taken away in favor of a brand name SEC team. That would be such a shame.
Amazingly, just as Yale’s upset was coming to an end, No. 10 seed Colorado also defeated SEC foe Florida on a brutal shooting touch from KJ Simpson.
College basketball is currently in a strange phase where there aren’t many visible male stars. The women’s Final Four outsell the men’s. That’s outrageous (Caitlin Clark). Sports fans with zero standards would be looking for names like Goelke and Polakidas if it weren’t for their success on the biggest stage of NCAA hoops. First of all, their names are very difficult to spell and require constant copy-and-pasting operations when referencing them repeatedly. Second, the Oakland University and Yale basketball programs weren’t even in the top 100,000 in my mind until the past 24 hours. Now it’s like the beginning case where you feel like you’ve been caring all along, but you just needed a mental pre-programming trigger in your sleeper cell to remind you.
I’m glad to know that many on the Internet feel the same way I do about how great the NCAA Tournament is and why Sankey’s elitist claims to exclusivity ring hollow.
No way, Greg Sankey. Don’t squeeze the NCAA Tournament. Your own conference has not earned such harmful privileges. The Big Dance is perfect as it is with 64 teams. A nice even number. Plenty of powerhouse/blue blood programs. Cinderella enough to make things nice and interesting. Even if you limit yourself to his 96 hours in a calendar year, the peak is his four days, which rivals any in American sports. Don’t touch me. No touch. let it be. please.
Yell, baby!!
