If MLB Adds Nashville and Salt Lake City, What Should Realignment Look Like

Soon MLB will add two new teams, marking the first expansion of baseball since the addition of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998. It will be three decades since we've had new teams and there's already talk about what to do with them.

Remember that baseball has had expansion over the years ... including massive expansion from 1961 to 1998. During that time, MLB grew from two eight-team leagues to two 15-team leagues ... nearly doubling in size. In 1969, both the American and National Leagues split into two divisions, creating a playoff. In 1994, both leagues split into a three division format we still use today (though some of the teams have moved around a bit). In 2013, the Houston Astros switched from the NL to the AL to create two 15-team leagues split into three 5-team divisions.

Adding two new teams disrupts that clean breakdown. So what will we do?

Let's start this exercise by stating that Nashville and Salt Lake City will be the cities receiving new franchises. That isn't a lock, as there are places like Charlotte, Portland and Montreal who feel they have a shot at getting a team but those two are the strong favorites. 

JUST ADD ONE TEAM TO EACH LEAGUE

The easiest fix is just to add one of the teams to each league. We've had uneven leagues and divisions before. For a while, the NL Central had six teams while the AL West only had four until the Astros moved made all the divisions even.  So you could put Nashville in the NL Central and Salt Lake City in the AL West to give each of those divisons six teams while the other four divisions stay at five. Nashville fits with the NL Central footprint better while Salt Lake City would fit nicely alongside Seattle and Las Vegas. 

CREATE A FOURTH DIVISION WITH CURRENT AL/NL SETUP

What will likely happen is we get a fourth division in each league. With 32 teams, making a clean realignment plan where each league consists of four 4-team divisions would be the best looking way to do this. I'm not as big into this idea as most, because I think small divisions like this lean towards bad teams getting a shot at the playoffs just because of geography. We've seen it in the NFL where teams with losing records win divisions.

NL EAST: NY Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
NL CENTRAL: Chi Cubs, Colorado, Milwaukee, St. Louis
NL SOUTH: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Miami, Nashville
NL WEST: Arizona, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco

AL EAST: Baltimore, Boston, NY Yankees, Toronto
AL CENTRAL: Chi White Sox, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
AL SOUTH: Houston, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Texas
AL WEST: Las Vegas, LA Angels, Salt Lake City, Seattle

In the American League, Salt Lake City enters the West while the two Texas teams will help form the new South. Tampa Bay leaves the East for the South, while Kansas City joins them from the Central.

The NL is a bit tougher. Atlanta and Miami leave the East to help form the South with expansion Nashville. Pittsburgh got back to the past and rejoins the NL East that they were in a long time ago. The NL West loses Colorado, who now moves to the Central. Cincinnati is sort of the odd man out and moves South from the Central. 

FOURTH DIVISION WHILE SWITCHING LEAGUES FOR TWO TEAMS

Of course, there is an idea floating around that Colorado and Tampa Bay could switch leagues to help with the geography. This would be a much better option for continuity among the divisions and a better geographic fit.

NL EAST: NY Mets, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
NL CENTRAL: Chi Cubs, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, St. Louis
NL SOUTH: Atlanta, Miami, Nashville, Tampa Bay*
NL WEST: Arizona, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco

AL EAST: Baltimore, Boston, NY Yankees, Toronto
AL CENTRAL: Chi White Sox, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
AL SOUTH: Colorado*, Houston, Kansas City, Texas
AL WEST: Las Vegas, LA Angels, Salt Lake City, Seattle

The main differences would be that Tampa Bay now goes to the NL South, Cincinnati gets to stay in the NL Central, and Colorado makes sense with the teams in the AL South rather than in the NL Central (and they fit better with those teams than Tampa Bay). If they go to 4-team divisions, this is my favorite setup.

FOUR TEAM DIVISIONS WITH MASSIVE REALIGNMENT

Let me start by saying that I am so against this idea, but it's out there. Rob Manfred could entertain one of the most controversial plans of his commissioner-ship ... and that's saying something. 

In 2000, MLB took over and eliminated the AL and NL being separate entities and those designations are really just names now (like the AFC and NFC in football). We have seen teams switch leagues a couple times, most notably the Milwaukee Brewers to the NL and Houston Astros to the AL. But a massive realignment where we throw out the traditional league structure is something that's being discussed. Here is what it could look like.

AL NORTHEAST: Boston, NY Mets, NY Yankees, Philadelphia
AL ATLANTIC: Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Washington
AL SOUTHEAST: Atlanta, Miami, Nashville, Tampa Bay
AL NORTH: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota
NL MIDWEST: Chi Cubs, Chi White Sox, Milwaukee, St. Louis
NL CENTRAL: Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Texas
NL MOUNTAIN: Arizona, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Seattle
NL PACIFIC: LA Angels, LA Dodgers, San Diego, San Francisco

The American League is basically an Eastern Conference now, while the National League is the Western. Maybe they just ditch the NL and AL and go to "Eastern" and "Western". Eh. Ironically, the AL Southeast and NL Central would be the same divisions as I had before. But this is too drastic to accomplish ... what? 

What Could The ACC Look Like In The 2030s?

I've been a ACC fan my entire life. Grew up in Charlotte and am a North Carolina fan. But despite all these decades of loving the conference, I've recently accepted the fact that we are nearing the end of it ... at least in the way we knew it.

Actually, that's already happened. What was once a cozy league nestled in the mid-Atlantic grew in the 1990s and exploded in the 21st century. From five (six before I was born) Carolina teams mixed with Virginia and Maryland, to expanding to Georgia Tech and Florida State, getting more serious about football with Miami and Virginia Tech, to now teams in Boston, Pittsburgh, Indiana, Louisville, Dallas and the Bay Area. The ACC we knew is long gone and that may be even more evident over the next decade.

ACC AND ESPN ARE TOGETHER THRU 2036

ESPN picked up their option to keep their current rights deal with the ACC through 2036. So the deal that was already considered bad (by comparison to the Big Ten and SEC) will stay that way for another decade. It also binds the league by the Grant of Rights fees which means the ACC owns its members' TV rights until 2036 ... even if the member leaves.

ACC'S NEW PAYOUT MODEL AND EXIT FEES

When Clemson and Florida State challenged the ACC over the last couple years, the parties ended up settling for a changed model. Essentially there is a merit based system that rewards the best performing schools by using the pieces of the pie that new members SMU, Stanford and California won't be getting to pay out "bonuses". That helps close the gap for schools like Clemson, Florida State, North Carolina and others but doesn't eliminate it. Also, the expensive exit fees that a school must pay to leave will drop a little each year for the life of the deal. 

So, basically, everyone is good for now, but in about six years or so you will start to see wandering eyes as various other rights deals begin to open up. 

WHO IS A THREAT TO LEAVE

Technically ... everyone. But the main culprits are Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina. Those three schools were the only ones who voted against bringing in SMU, Stanford and Cal. Clemson and Florida State were the ones who sued the ACC over the Grant of Rights and the league's power over them, while North Carolina was quieter about its moves towards leaving the ACC. 

NC State was the defector in expansion, initially voting against it before swinging towards allowing the three new schools in. So you would think they'd be interesting in bolting if they had to. In fact, the North Carolina legislature has already been trying for force North Carolina to take NC State with them wherever they may go. There is also Virginia, who is more linked with North Carolina than NC State since those two make up a similar academic and athletic profile. The SEC and Big Ten would be more apt to love a UNC-UVa pairing of great institutions with very strong athletic departments who gets those league into two very important mid-Atlantic states.  Then there is Miami, one of the strongest football brands out there. 

If an exodus begins, they it could peel off schools like Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Louisville. Cal and Stanford may elect to jump a sinking ship and head back to the Pac-12 ... even though it is a lesser version. Duke is a major basketball brand that could be snapped up by the Big Ten, paired with UNC in some fashion, or join the Big East and find a new landing spot for football. 

SMU would suddenly be more attractive than they were before they were the joined the ACC ... winning the bet they made on themselves. SMU has shown to be a really solid football program and their hoops prowess is getting better. The support the community has shown for its move to the ACC makes it much more of an option for the Big Ten or Big 12. If the ACC crumbles, I'm sure moving to the new Pac-12 could be a nice landing spot if the power leagues freeze them out.

Then there are the former Big East schools like Syracuse, Pitt and Boston College who may find themselves in a survivor's spot. I could see them join the Big East again for all sports and possibly the MAC or The American for football. Notre Dame would be alright as an independant in football and could easily join the Big East in hoops.  Then there is Wake Forest, who may be the most vunerable of the entire ACC. Every school could leave, though it is more like the ACC goes a different route.

THE ACC GOES THE WAY OF THE PAC-12

This is were I see the ACC going in a decade. I have my own ideas of what college athletics should look like going forward, but the reality is that this is a slow moving segmented task. When it becomes viable, expect the SEC and Big Ten to go after North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State and Miami. Those are the big fish those leagues would love the catch. As discussed, Virginia, Duke, NC State and Virginia Tech could be extracted in some form to appease the expansion process. 

If the ACC crumbles, expect Louisville to leave. Louisville sees itself as a commodity that needs to find an appropriate home. I'm not sure the SEC or Big Ten would go after them, but the Big 12 just might. SMU could have the same option.

But I don't think the ACC dies as much as the ACC as we know it does. Imagine if schools like Georgia Tech, Pitt, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Boston College, Virginia Tech and/or NC State decide to retool the conference by holding on to it and then adding some high profile members from other conferences. Think Memphis, South Florida, North Texas or James Madison. No, it won't ever be like it was in its heyday, but it would continue to exist in some form.

I know nobody wants to hear any of this. I don't want to say any of this. I grew up in Charlotte and the ACC was this beautiful basketball conference. That's already drastically changed and until we can wrap around the reality of more changes coming, we are just kidding ourselves.

NCAA Tournament Expands To 76 Teams Because College Sports Continues To Do Stuff Like This

Last week the NCAA tournament expanded from 68 schools to 76 schools despite the customer not wanting it. It is yet just another example of the slow-moving college athletics just killing itself on its way to inevitability. 

The NCAA tournament is about as perfect a sports event that could possibly exists. Not only do die-hard fans love it, but it is one of the few things on the sports calender that casual and non-existant fans will actually follow to some degree ... like the Super Bowl and Olympics. So expanding this tournament from 68 to 76 teams really rubbed people the wrong way because it doesn't make it better. 

I'm not against change. I love that NIL exists. I love that the transfer portal exists and is easier to navigate. That's not to say that it is perfect, but it is the right thing to do. But, the NCAA just won't do anything to try to put guard rails around it so we are truly living in a wild west of constant free agency and massive movement. That also applies to conference realignment, which rocked the college world a couple years ago and will do even more damage in a few years when the TV contracts come up. Get ready for another storm that might kill more conferences. And I've been a champion for a college football playoff ... which has worked ... but the powers that be in college athletics are about to ruin that, too.

It isn't just me saying "I don't like it" because it is change. It actually ruins the fabric of a tournament that just came off one of their most watched events in years.

THIS DOES NOT HELP THE MID-MAJORS AT ALL

One of the storylines heading into Selection Sunday last year was Miami-OH's case to be in the tournament. They finished the regular season undefeated but lost in the MAC tournament and had some of the worst metrics an at-large team could have. They did earn a bid, but was placed in the First Four in Dayton. Some said that if the tournament expanded, it would help the mid-majors earn more bids.  Yeah right. 

The official "first four out" had Auburn, Indiana, Oklahoma and San Diego State. San Diego State is technically a mid-major, but is really in a good conference that is firmly in the tier right behind the power conferences. California, Stanford, Oklahoma State and New Mexico would also have made it in under the expanded format ... with three in power leagues and one in the same Mountain West SDSU resides. In all likelihood under this format, Miami-OH would have been pushed even further down the list -- not that it would matter too much. It wouldn't have been the 68th team admitted but the 74th or so.

This expansion was more about the power conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC) gaining more power, money and influence. Did the tournament really miss a 17-16 Auburn team that lost 11 of 18 SEC games playing? Or an 18-14 Indiana team that lost its only Big Ten tournament game? How about rivals Stanford and Cal who each went 9-9 in ACC play? I'm sure those fan bases would love it ... but it really doesn't add much to the tournament as a whole.

THIS DOES NOT HELP THE LOW-MAJORS ... MUCH

Now let's look at the low mid-majors. Those are the small conferences that nearly always are one-bid leagues that end up as the 15th or 16th seed.  Let me lay out the domino effect of what's going to happen with them.

Before: We had six total 16-seeds in the NCAA tournament. We had two games where two 16-seeds played each other in the First Four, and then the other two 16-seeds were already in the Round of 64.  We also had four 15-seeds. Four 14-seeds. Four 13-seeds. Get it?

Going forward: We will now have eight 16-seeds. There will be four games featuring two 16-seeds playing each other. We will also have six 15-seeds where four will play two games against each other while two other 15-seeds will already be in the Round of 64. Now understand who that will be.

Two of the 15-seeds from last year will now become 16 seeds. They will have to play an extra game to get into the Round of 64, and once they get there they will play a No. 1 seed instead of a No. 2 seed. That's a huge difference of challenges.  Also, all four 14-seeds from last year will now become 15-seeds, with two of them having to play in this new Opening Round alongside the already existing 15-seeds. Now those new 15-seeds will be playing against a No. 2 seed instead of a No. 3 seed. That's a step up in class. Moving on down and the 13-seeds from last year are now 14-seeds. And the 12-seeds are 13-seeds. All their paths just got tougher. That doesn't really help mid-majors or low-majors at all.

What does help them is an easier way for these leagues to make some money. See, winning an NCAA tournament game earns your league a unit, and that unit is used as earnings for your conference. So when a SWAC school beats a MEAC school in the First Four, that win is a financial boost for the SWAC. Now that we are adding more of those 16 vs 16 and 15 vs 15 games, it does provide an important financial gain for the league.

DO YOU WANT TO HOST A BRACKET POOL

I'm that guy who hosts my work bracket pool and this new development does change things. While it isn't important to the grand scheme of things, it is actually the one thing that most fans relate to the most. When it was a 64-team field (or 65 for a brief time) the bracket was very simple. Six rounds of games where you knew who was playing from the jump. With the First Four, you could blow off the 16 vs 16 winners, but those 11 vs 11 games gave you some pause if you thought one of them could win in the next round. 

This will be a bigger pause.

You are going to have two 11-seed vs 11-seed games and four 12-seed vs 12-seed games. When those teams are Auburn, Indiana, Oklahoma, etc then it will make you hold onto your bracket until the deadline. For bracket pool runners, that can suck. It can also cause some confusion for the more casual fans who don't understand who is playing who and when. Again, I know this isn't the biggest of issues in the world, but it does suck.

IT DOESN'T REALLY HELP THE PRODUCT

So what do we gain? The fans. What do we gain? Sure, there are now eight more games to chew through on a Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. Or we will see them staggered at night, which likely means those 16 vs 16 games will be cannibalized by seeing those mediocre power schools facing off. Either way, nothing is better.

Did you watch the NIT this past March? Me neither. And these are the teams that were playing in it. Average power teams playing other average power teams. That's what the First Four already was, but instead of two of those games we will be getting six. Getting to see 17-16 Auburn play against a middle-of-the-road ACC team on a Wednesday night isn't really special. It's like watching the second round of the ACC tournament -- ya know, the round that happens two nights before Duke plays. 

You could argue that the first round (is that what they are still going to call it?) will be a better product because we will have shaved off some of those pesky low-majors that typically get rolled by 25 points and replace them with a meh power school who has a puncher's chance at pulling and upset. But shouting that 12-seeded Stanford upsetting 5th seed Michigan State just doesn't seem that historic. 

This comes off the heels of a highly watched tournament where mid-majors were flushed out by the time we got to the second weekend of the the dance. So maybe this is what the public actually wants. And, honestly, it is. While people love seeing the Cinderella upset the big name schools during the first weeked of the tournament, we don't really like seeing them beyond that. We rather the big name schools play on the weekends that really matter. History has shown us that. 

SO WHAT IS THIS REALLY ABOUT?

Power. If you have been paying attention, the SEC and Big Ten have been flexing their muscle about how they want college sports to look like moving forward because it benefits them. They don't always agree on what that should look like, but they both are showing their power to get things the way they want. The ACC and Big 12 are along for the ride so they can keep their lesser power for the time being. The Big 12 dug themselves out of almost certain extinction while the ACC is trying to stave off their own.  Meanwhile, the mid-majors are just wanting to be some part of this thing.

In college football, the conferences hold all the cards. That's where the big, big money lies and the mid-majors (well, the Group of Six) have just enough voting power that the Big Ten and SEC needs to throw them a bone. A small bone. In college basketball, the NCAA owns the NCAA tournament and it is the one sizable moneymaker that no one wants to risk throwing away. 

That doesn't mean they (the power conferences) don't want to tweak it ... which they just did. Adding more teams means adding more of their teams. With the SEC at 16 schools and the Big Ten at 18 schools it is difficult to have 11 of their members earning bids when they spend January and February beating each other up. Just like with their wishes to expand the college football playoff, they want more seats at the table. 

Of course, there is a world where all this could just go away. The power schools could break off and form their own football world and they could decided to do the same with a basketball tournament. History, humility and tradition is what keeps the NCAA tournament around -- and for all the flaws of the NCAA they are great at throwing a tournament -- but those things aren't important anymore. History be damned. There is no humility. And tradition was thrown out the window when rivalries were broken and the Pac-12 imploded because of money. 

But if these schools could figure out a way, they would have their own 48 or 64 team tournament with nothing but power schools in it to sell to the public ... and we'd buy it. 

Sportz' Take On New North Carolina Hoops Coach, Michael Malone

 I get asked a lot, so here's my answers:

*HE CAN BE FAMILY: Michael Malone is the first head coach without ties to North Carolina since Frank McGuire was lured away from St. John's in 1952. Since then they've hired assistants Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge, Roy Williams and Hubert Davis and former player Matt Doherty (Davis was also a former player). With no obvious Carolina Family candidate available, UNC went outside to land a new coach. If it wasn't Malone, it would've been another outside coach. And that's cool with me.

When Roy Williams retired in 2021, I really wanted Mark Few to be the next head coach of the Tar Heels. Obviously that didn't happen and the program stayed in the family to hire Williams' assistant, Davis. So I have been willing to break away from family, but that's not been true with everyone. There are fans who still wish Davis was the head coach or wanted guys like Sean May, Jerry Stackhouse or Rasheed Wallace to take the job. But the wise move is to get a highly successful coach who will get Carolina back to competing for national championships. And that's what they hopefully have done with Malone.

Malone isn't totally foreign to Carolina basketball. His daughter is a sophomore on the Heels' volleyball team, and he has visited her in Chapel Hill quite a bit over the past year. He mentioned that he's attended some practices and has hung around the basketball program a little over the past year. Not everyone is born into a family -- some arrive later and join in.

*HE CAN COACH: I know that college basketball and the NBA are different, but Malone's ability to coach on the college level isn't very worrisome for me. No, Nikola Jokic will not be a Tar Heel, but Malone is a coach's son and has been coaching most of his adult life. He works hard and quite possibly his stern coaching style will actually work better on the college level. He likes defense, rebounding and having bigs. That's been the Carolina way under both Smith and Williams so fans should enjoy the style of play that Malone brings.

*BUT CAN HE RECRUIT?: Recruiting is a whole different animal. In the NBA, much of your roster is set since you have guys under contract. Malone didn't have to worry about Jokic putting his name in the portal after every season. There are free agents and trades and all of that, but that's typically the front office's job with the coach obviously consulted about any changes. In college, it's much different. For a long, long, long time college coaches have had to go on recruiting visits, watch high school ball games and schmooze with coaches and parents ... only to watch them pick another school. With the portal and NIL, basically there is a free for all with free agency. Like NBA free agency, it tends to go quickly at the start but there are thousands of players to deal with and, unlike the NBA, new guys become available in the portal. But it is a big change than what he's been used to, so hopefully Malone is able to hire assistant coaches who do have the relationships and know-how to help him get through this. He also has a GM in Jim Tanner who will be in his second year at this job. Tanner had a mixed bag in Year 1, landing Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson but really missed on overpaying some other guys. 

*EXPECTATIONS: I don't really know what to expect. I don't expect Malone to waltz into this job and build a team into a national championship contender. I don't even think the 2026-2027 team will be as talented or as good as the 2025-2026 team was until Caleb Wilson went down with his injuries. I do think this is a building year, where we see some successes and see some frustrating times as well. A tournament spot should be in the cards and hopefully one in a better place than the No. 6 seed we were in this tournament. I'm looking a little more long term. The build of getting his feet wet and understanding the college ropes while also installing his culture and how he wants to shape his program. That isn't easy, especially at a place like North Carolina where a culture has been in place for such a long time. 

What I don't expect is how off the rails things went for Bill Belichick. I know there will be a lot of comparisons between Malone and Belichick since both left the pro game where they won championships for North Carolina programs that are reeling a bit after firing their head coaches. 

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - Elite 8

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: UConn vs Duke. For much of this game, this had the look of the candidate for "Dud of the Day". UConn trailed by as many as 19 points but kept fighting back. Then, down two, they stole the ball and hit a deeeeep three to win the game in one of the greatest shots in NCAA tournament history. Duke wastes away a huge lead for the second straight season while UConn reaches the Final Four for the third time in four years. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: UConn vs Duke.  This is the only seed upset in the Elite 8 as well as the No. 1 overall seed going down. 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: BIG TEN. The Big Ten got two teams into the Final Four, giving them a great chance to end their 26 year drought of winning a national championship.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: SEC and ACC. The two southern leagues (okay, the ACC covers a ton of ground nowadays) will miss the Final Four. This is the first time since the bubble year of 2021 that neither league will be represented in the Final Four. The ACC had placed five teams in the last four Final Fours while the SEC has put three teams in the last two.

DUD OF THE DAY: Arizona vs Arkansas. It was worth watching, mainly to see the Wildcats brilliance and some chippy plays and technical fouls later in the game, but this was a snoozer that didn't live up to the hype. Arizona is among the favorites to cut down the nets, but Arkansas entered the tournament on a nice run, winning the SEC tournament and beginning to find their stride. But Arizona was so dominant and owned this game.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Michigan vs Tennessee. Man, no one looked better in the regional finals than the Wolverines. Michigan obliterated the Vols and are coasting into the national semifinals next week against Arizona. .

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Big Ten's performance. The Big Ten has finally flexed their muscle in this tournament. Of the 12 teams remaining, 5 are from the Big Ten and two will play for the South Region final. The one scratch on the performance was Nebraska having just four players on the court for a key play late in the game that ended up costing the Huskers a chance to advance. 

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - Sweet 16, Day 2

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: Duke vs St. John's. St. John's came out smoking right out of the gate and seemed to be the perfect foil for Duke ... the top overall seed. But after building a 10-point second half lead, Caleb Foster (who missed the ACC tournament and the first weekend of the tournament with an injured foot) came up huge and steadied the Blue Devils. Duke escaped D.C. with a win over the Red Storm. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: Tennessee vs Iowa State.  Iowa State just went cold in the second half, while Tennessee used its size to beat the Cyclones, 76-62. This is the third straight appearance in the Elite 8 for the Vols, but the program has never reached a Final Four. Iowa State clearly missed Joshua Jefferson, who was injured in Iowa State's first round win over Tennessee State -- the Cyclones shot just 39% from the field and just 5-of-23 from three. But the game was won on the glass and the Vols dominated (43-22). 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: ACC. A little by default. Duke's win was the ACC's lone game this round, but the SEC, Big East, Big Ten and Big 12 all lost games today (the Big 12 didn't win a game today).

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: Big 12. Of the five power leagues, they were the only one who didn't notch a victory today. So the Elite 8 is made up of four Big Ten schools and one from each of the ACC, Big East, SEC, and Big 12.

DUD OF THE DAY: Tennessee vs Iowa State. Once Tennessee took control in the second half, it gave us our lone blowout of the day.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Tennessee vs Iowa State. The dominance of Tennessee on the glass.

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Setting up for a great weekend. We are treated to a swell Elite 8. While Illinois-Iowa may not be what anyone predicted, it matches up two Big Ten foes who are clicking at the right time.. Arizona-Purdue should be a great matchup of two of the best teams in this tournament. Duke-UConn is also chalk as Duke is the top overall seed and UConn has won two of the last three tournaments. Michigan-Tennessee will be a brawl at the rim with enough size a talent.

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - Sweet 16, Day 1

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: Purdue vs Texas. Texas was on a roll and trying to be the latest First Four team to find a path to the Final Four. The game was back and forth all night with Texas tying the game late with a layup and an and-one. But the stick back by the Boilermakers with less than a second remaining gave Purdue the big win. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: Iowa vs Nebraska.  Iowa vs Nebraska seems like a nice October college football game and not a matchup in the Sweet 16. But here we are, watching two neighboring states fight it out for a spot in the regional finals. Like Purdue-Texas, this game was back and forth with the Cornhuskers seemingly taking control of the game late. But the Hawkeyes have been so clutch this tournament, eeking by for their first Elite 8 appearance since 1987. 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: BIG TEN. No doubt. The Big Ten went 3-1 on the day, with the lone loss coming to another Big Ten school. With Illinois and Iowa (yeah, I just wrote that) dueling in the South Regional final, the Big Ten is guaranteed at least one team in the Final Four. Purdue has already advanced to the next round, while Michigan is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest and Michigan State faces UConn on Friday. There is a chance that the Big Ten could get all four Final Four spots, guaranteeing the league their first national champion in 26 years.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: SEC. The SEC had multiple teams got down, with Arkansas and Texas bowing out of the dance. Both were underdogs, with Texas the lone real Cinderella remaining. The SEC now has just Alabama and Tennessee remaining, and both are underdogs on Friday night.

DUD OF THE DAY: Arizona vs Arkansas. It was worth watching, mainly to see the Wildcats brilliance and some chippy plays and technical fouls later in the game, but this was a snoozer that didn't live up to the hype. Arizona is among the favorites to cut down the nets, but Arkansas entered the tournament on a nice run, winning the SEC tournament and beginning to find their stride. But Arizona was so dominant and owned this game.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Arizona vs Arkansas. There was nothing Arkansas could do to stop Arizona.

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Big Ten's performance. The Big Ten has finally flexed their muscle in this tournament. Of the 12 teams remaining, 5 are from the Big Ten and two will play for the South Region final. The one scratch on the performance was Nebraska having just four players on the court for a key play late in the game that ended up costing the Huskers a chance to advance. 

If The Thunder Are Giving Seattle Back Its Sonics History ... Let's Do A Couple More

With the NBA looking to place an expansion team back in Seattle, the Oklahoma City Thunder are going through with the agreement of giving Seattle back the SuperSonics history. When the Sonics moved to OKC and rebranded, the agreement was that all the branding, colors, banners and name stays in Seattle but the two organizations will share the Sonics history going forward. The Thunder will effectively chop that history off, give it back to Seattle, and become a team who was birthed in 2008.

That makes sense. The Thunder have created a nice history that includes their own NBA championship, two Finals appearances, and three separate MVP winners. The Sonics will then own their history of 1967-2008 and then when the team comes back. Seems fair.

This isn't the only time we've seen this. In the NBA, the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans and remained the Hornets in 2002. In 2004, Charlotte was awarded a new franchise called the Bobcats ... but the New Orleans Hornets kept that Hornets past ... because they didn't rebrand. When they rebranded as the Pelicans in 2013, there was some pushing and pulling that allowed Charlotte to get back the Hornets name and, in turn, the Hornets history when they were in Charlotte. So the New Orleans Pelicans history begins in 2002 when they got the team and the Charlotte Hornets history goes from 1988-2002 and then 2004-present. It was a successful ... albeit a bit messy ... resolution.

And easier example was when the Cleveland Browns relocated to Baltimore in 1996, the Ravens became a brand new franchise while Cleveland kept everything for their new team in 1999. 

Seeing this Sonics/Thunder swapping makes me think we should have some more of these happening across the four major leagues. Now, that doesn't mean every city that used to have a team can get its history back ... but there are a few examples that I'd like to see change out. 

So ... NO ... the Minnesota Timberwolves will not get back the Minneapolis Lakers history. The franchise kept the branding and name when they moved to Los Angeles. 

WINNIPEG JETS

A simple one is the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets were an WHL team that entered the NHL during the 1979 merger. They stayed in Winnipeg until 1996 when they moved to Arizona and became the Coyotes. Since then, two things have happened. One was Winnipeg got a relocated Atlanta Thrashers franchise in 2011 and renamed them the Jets. The other is that the Arizona Coyotes franchise "moved" to Utah and became the Mammoth in 2024. The Coyotes are no longer a franchise and are considered defunct, and the Utah franchise is considered a new entity. 

So no one is really using that Jets history from 1972-1996. It's dead. Sure, if Arizona ever gets a team again, they would kinda sorta get it back ... but why? 

Let the Jets get that history back. Let their history begin in 1972-1996, then inherit the Thrashers and new Jets history from 1999-present. Seems rather simple. They can get their old logo back (even if for just throwbacks) and have their complete history. As for Arizona, if they ever do get another NHL team, they get to keep those Arizona years (which is the plan) from 1996-2024. 

Simple.

HOUSTON OILERS

This one won't happen because it has already been an awkward mess that has only gotten worse recently.  A quick history: The Houston Oilers (born in 1960) moved to Tennessee and were the Tennessee Oilers in 1997 for two years before rebranding as the Titans in 1999. Houston was awarded a franchise in 2002 that is named the Texans.

Since then, things have been contentious between the two organizations. The Titans hold the Oilers history and have no plans to ever let Houston have any of it back. So much so that the Titans have even wore Oilers "throwback" gear in games versus the Texans. The fact the two teams are division rivals makes things even more tense.

Now, in 2026, the Titans have overhauled their brand and are using the Oilers colors and uniform style. Of course, it's completely their right since they do own the Oilers history ... but it would be nice if it could switch over to Houston. 

You Can't Just Blame NIL For The Lack Of Cinderella In The Big Dance

The power conference rule the Sweet 16 and we've watched at Cinderella never made it to the ball. Of all the memorable upsets in the 2026 tournament -- and there weren't that many -- really only High Point popping Wisconsin is in the tradition of a typical Cinderella upset.

So the narrative has been that NIL and the transfer portal have moved the little guy out of the equation. Sure, there may be some truth to that thinking. The transfer portal moreso, as it has allowed the best players from the mid-majors the ability to develop and become prospects for bigger programs. Now the power schools have the mid-majors' top players and the mid-majors lack the experience and talent that typically were paramount for those NCAA tournament upsets.

But that's not the only reason for the lack of upsets in this tournament, and to pin everything on NIL and the transfer portal is a bit short sighted.

CONFERENCE EXPANSION

The power confererences are much bigger now and much more condensed. The ACC has 18 schools. So does the Big Ten. The SEC and Big 12 have 16 schools each. The Big East is up to 11 schools. 

Sure, some of that expansion has been due to the implosion of the Pac-12, but not all of it. SMU, BYU, Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, Butler, Xavier and Creighton used to be mid-major schools that have become power schools over the past decade or so. SMU, BYU, UCF and Houston are all in this tournament. There used to be 72 power schools across the then-power six leagues. Now there are 79 ... including Houston, who has become a hoops power of late.

Having 18-team leagues means we will have teams with poor conference records finding their way into the dance. That's why a team like Auburn was seriously considered for an at-large bid despite their pedestrian record. SMU got an at-large berth despite going 8-10 in the ACC. Four teams with a better ACC record didn't get in. Iowa, who is in the Sweet 16, was 10-10 in Big Ten play. 

And while the Pac-12 may see its schools in the ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten, the consolidation of that talent helps raising the schedules and metrics of all those schools. Former Pac-12 schools Arizona and UCLA were the only ones to make this tournament, but both help lift up the schedules and metrics of others in their leagues. And that's important to note because of ...

NET RANKINGS

The NET rankings have a lot to do with this as well. The NET has become the latest metric that everyone leans on to determine not only who makes the tournament but where they are seeded. That tends to hurt mid-majors not only when it comes to the bubble but how the bracket is seeded. While the NET is absolutely far from perfect, it is the best we've had at attempting to slot how good teams really are. When teams are seeded properly, you lack quirkiness of seeding issues that could make for a mid-major school to upset a power school.

The NET has also introduced the "Quad" system. By now you all know the deal: Quad wins are not only who you beat but where you beat them. And those power conferences get many more opportunities to pile up Quad 1 and 2 wins than their mid-major counterparts. North Carolina went, like, 1-12 in Quad 1 games last season which was enough to slide them into the tournament. Meanwhile, Miami-OH's lack of Quad 1 games ... let alone wins ... put them into the First Four and an 11th seed.

In the past, Miami-OH likely would have been seeded higher than an 11 just off their 31-1 record. Metrics said otherwise. So Miami ended up playing a 6-seed in the first round instead of, say, a 9 of 10 seed. Honestly, the metrics should have kept Miami-OH out of the tournament altogether, but the public cry to include a team that went undefeated during the regular season made it all but a rubber stamp.

The NET and Quads is what kept Auburn in the bubble discussions. In the past, it would deemed ridiculous for that to be the case. 

MID-MAJOR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

Understand this: each conference determines who gets their automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. It just so happens that all of them decide to have their conference tournament champion earn the automatic bid. Conferences could have their regular season champ get the AQ (automatic qualifier) ... which should be their best team over a four month period ... but those leagues really want that TV money from having ESPN or CBS televising their conference tournaments. 

Having said that, the mid-majors don't always put their best representative out there into the tournament. While that makes the conference tournaments fun, it can hurt the NCAA tournament. 

Belmont, Navy, Austin Peay, UNC-Wilmington, Liberty, Merrimack, and Stephen F. Austin had dominant seasons for their conferences but lost in their postseason tournaments. Another dominant mid-major won their league and made an impression in the NCAA field -- High Point. 

Maybe mid-majors need to adopt the formula that the WCC, OVC and American conferences have done and have a step ladder tournament that rewards the best teams with byes.  Lots of byes.

In the WCC, the top two teams in the standings are automatically in the semifinals. Meaning they are two wins away from winning their conference championship and the AQ that comes with it. That has done pretty well for them, as it all but assured Gonzaga or Saint Mary's is in the tournament and reduces the risk of some wild game knocks them out.

Obviously that isn't fool-proof since those top seeds can still be beaten, but it makes it much less likely to give your best team some rest while they take on a team that's been playing in those step ladder games to get to you. That gives a greater probability for those league's best teams of getting in and having a better shot to win games in the tournament.

By the way: the top seed in the American, OVC and WCC all won their tournaments. 

Some Points To Remember During This Hubert Davis-UNC Saga

While discussions are ongoing at North Carolina about the future of the program and the status of head coach Hubert Davis, here are a few points people may want to consider during this time and going forward.

I'm not going to litigate whether he should be hired or fired here. Everyone has their opinion on that and I've given mine already. Just some of the things surrounding this move that isn't just a typical hiring and firing of a head coach.

*THE FAMILY ASPECT: Obviously one of the charms of the Tar Heels basketball program is the fact that the family atmosphere is a real thing. Dean Smith was an assistant for Frank McGuire when he took the job in 1961. He handed it over to his assistant, Bill Guthridge, in 1997. Guthridge retired, and former player Matt Doherty got the job in 2000. Doherty "resigned" in 2003, and former assistant and UNC alum Roy Williams left Kansas for the job. Williams retired in 2021 and the job was given to his assistant and former player Hubert Davis. 

So since 1961, the job has been awarded to someone with ties to the program. If Davis is "removed" from his job as is the expectation, it is extremely doubtful someone with ties to the program will be the next head coach. 

To many, this is a shock to the system ... especially since Davis has constructed his program where darn near everyone is a UNC alum. All of his assistant coaches played at North Carolina. All of their wives attended North Carolina. The GM and many people attached to the basketball team went to the school.

But let's not pretend that is completely normal. Smith was willing to hire outside guys for his assistants, including bringing in Guthridge from Kansas State in 1967. When Doherty took over in 2001, he brought his own assistants who weren't UNC guys. Roy Williams brought over his Kansas staff who had no ties to North Carolina.

Sure, all of the head coaches were Carolina guys in some form, but it is acceptable to look elsewhere for someone to build this program back to a perennial championship contender. That person will, by nature, be able to merge his culture with the Carolina culture and create something great. Ex-players want the program to be successful and will be willing to embrace someone who embraces them. 

The 66 years of the "Dean Smith" era may end with who is the guy running the show on the bench, but his influence will still be a massive and valuable asset to whomever gets the job. 

*CELEBRATING HUBERT DAVIS: Pretty much everyone loves Hubert Davis the man and absolutely hates that we have come to this point. As disappointed as I am about where the program is right now, I still feel bad that Davis is having to go though all of this. Yet, that's the nature of the job you sign up for and Davis (who played in the NBA for several teams) is fully aware of. 

No one who cares about the program likes this. So how this is done is very tricky and needs to be done in as compassionate a way as possible. That's why Davis has not been fired and likely won't be fired ... even though we all know he's getting fired. Remember, Doherty wasn't fired either. Who knows exactly how it will end up looking like, but it won't be a clean break.

We also need to understand that while Davis may not be the right coach at North Carolina to uphold the standard this program demands, he isn't a bad coach who did nothing during his five years as head coach. We will aways remember that run in 2022 where Davis' Heels went into Cameron Indoor Stadium and beat Duke on Mike Krzyzewski Night in front of 100 of his former players. We will also remember the Final Four win over Duke that ended Coach K's career and gave Carolina a massive card to play in rivalry smack. 

Davis' teams never cratered like Doherty's teams did in 2001-2002 or even that horrendous Roy Williams season of 2019-2020. He had good seasons ... even if it most weren't great. And while the reasons for moving on from him are valid and up for discussion, there were some really good times over the last five years as well. Hopefully that will be celebrated forever. 

*THE BELICHICK SITUATION: This may not be the best point to make right now, but the university went all in on Bill Belichick a year ago. Whether or not it is working or not isn't the point of this ... but what is will be the financial aspects of this hiring. The boosters and the school has promised to upgrade the resources not only to hire Belichick but to put the program how he wants it to be. That means financial promises have been made, and as we saw in Year 1, this may not be a long term agreement that works out well for the school. 

The point is that if Belichick is the coach, he and his staff are being paid a lot to be there and the money needed to fund the program will be there. If he isn't the coach, there is a hefty buyout that will go with that, along with being able to pay for a new coach that can make the program better while not breaking the bank. 

So as these discussions about Hubert Davis are ongoing, money is a factor. Both in buying out Davis' contract, but also hiring the big name coach you want to come and likely paying for that coach's buyout at his former school. That's a big ask for boosters and the financial powers around the school to do simultaneously. It may not stop Davis from being removed or a big name coach to be hired, but it is stretching the wallet, so to speak. 

*A NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Remember that North Carolina will be transitioning athletic directors very soon, as Bubba Cunningham is taking on a new role while Steve Newmark will be the new AD this summer. So it makes sense that the new guy will have major input on the men's basketball job and its future.

*RIPPING THE BAND AID OFF: This may be the first of a few hard choices that the powers that be at North Carolina will have to make that will bring a shock to the fanbase's system. Yet it may be the perfect way to begin the future of the Tar Heels' athletics programs in the way that benefits everyone ... with the damage coming to nostalgia and history.

What I am about to say I don't take lightly. I was someone who wanted the nostalgia to continue and want the ways I remember Carolina basketball and the ACC were in the 1980s, 1990s and into the current century to continue forever. But over the last few years I have accepted that change is probably the right thing, and hiring a coach from outside the Carolina family will be the start that may allow these other changes to land a tad bit easier. 

Two major things hovering over the program are coming to a head. The most obvious one is the future of the arena. The Dean Smith Center is a cathedral, but it is outdated and is leaving UNC behind when it comes to revenue. Like it or not, it is a reality in college basketball today and having a 40-year old building that lacks the amenities that modern arenas have really hiders the potential of this program. 

I haven't picked a side on this debate yet, because I do understand every side of it. But I feel that the administration wanted to build a state-of-the-art arena off campus and was set to do so until the blowback from the community and former players was so great. Now there is a delicate situation occurring about trying to figure out what the program wants and needs that satisfies the most people possible. Still, making a move like this with a new basketball coach could be the "tearing off the band-aid" that shows the community that change can be good. 

The other decision coming down the road will be North Carolina's membership in the ACC. I don't think the timing of anything the athletic department has done or is doing is by accident. A new arena, trying to build a football program, and setting up the flagship sport at the school with the best coach possible is the shiny suit UNC wants to be wearing when the broadcast rights for many conferences are up for grabs in the next decade. North Carolina has been very political with its stance on its status as a member of the ACC while schools like Florida State and Clemson have been much, much louder. Make no mistake -- North Carolina is eying the landscape and is preparing itself for a move to the SEC or Big Ten when the next wave a realignment comes up in the 2030s. Remember that UNC was one of the schools who voted against having Stanford, Cal and SMU join the league a couple of years ago. They will be willing to jump to a new league and for all its riches when the Grant of Rights price falls sharply and the Tar Heels will be attractive free agents of sorts. 

This isn't a wild take. This will be a thing.

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - Second Round, Day 2

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: Iowa vs Florida What a game and what an ending led to what a shocker. Florida was the buzz team entering the tournament, attempting to win consecutive national championships, but was felled by a Hawkeyes team who is hitting on all cylinders offensively and defensively. The game had some controversy, as a disputed "punch" that didn't happen allowed Alvaro Folgueiras to hit the game winning three with second remaining. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: Iowa vs Florida.  With not many upsets happening in this round, the Hawkeyes ousting the Gators was a shocker to the system and the first real major upset in this tournament. 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: BIG TEN. A day after going 4-0 in the tournament, the Big Ten won both their games on Sunday to put six teams in the Sweet 16. Not only did Purdue hold off Miami to advance, but Iowa pulled off a major upset, toppling the first No. 1 seed.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: ACC. The ACC lost both their games on Sunday, making Duke their lone representative in the Sweet 16. One of the losses was a seed upset, as No. 3 Virginia lost to Tennessee in a game the Cavaliers spent most of the game playing from behind.

DUD OF THE DAY: Tennessee vs Miami-OH. After Miami-OH's outstanding performance over SMU in the First Four, everyone was waiting to see what this team could do against a really good Tennessee team. Well, it didn't go very well. The Redhawks were overmatched early and this was never a game. The Volunteers understood to not take Miami-OH lightly, and they overwhelmed the Redhawks.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Alabama vs Texas Tech. When filling out my bracket, this was a tough one to pick. Both teams would be missing one of their best players and each has shown the ability to have high ceiling and low floors. Well, we saw the Crimson Tide's ceiling at the same time we saw the Red Raiders' floor. The Tide hit 19 of 42 (!!!) threes while the Raiders missed 21 of their 25 shots from behind the arc.

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Flavorful Sweet 16. Much has been made about the lack of Cinderellas, blowouts and power conferences dominating this tournament ... but what that does is give us a really compelling week of basketball. The Sweet 16 gives us Duke-St. John's, UConn-Michigan State, Houston-Illinois, Arizona-Arkansas, Michigan-Alabama, Purdue-Texas, Iowa State-Tennessee and Nebraska-Iowa. That includes the conference tournament champions of the ACC, Big East, SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 ... all of the power five conferences. You have these coaches: Rick Pitino, Danny Hurley, Tom Izzo, John Calipari, Kelvin Sampson, Jon Scheyer, Brad Underwood, Dusty May, Nate Oates, Matt Painter, Rick Barnes, Sean Miller, T.J. Otzelberger, Tommy Lloyd, Ben McCollum and Fred Hoiberg. Wow! Of those coaches, 10 of them have reached a Final Four and four of them have won national championships. 

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - Second Round, Day 1

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: Nebraska vs Vanderbilt. To have these two programs play with a Sweet 16 berth on the line was great for the NCAA tournament. While much has been made about the lack of Cinderellas (read: mid-major representation) it is nice to see programs who aren't seen as powers who reside in power conferences play for something important. This game lived up to what a 4-5 matchup should be. Back and forth with big shots and the biggest rolling around the rim and falling out. Nebraska had never won a tournament game when the week started and now they're in the Sweet 16. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: Texas vs Gonzaga.  Texas is the latest First Four team to win three games and reach the Sweet 16. Gonzaga had a great season, entering the game 31-3, but was overwhelmed by a Longhorns team that is streaking at the right time. Graham Ike dropped 25 points for the Zags but the rest of the team had an off day and wilted late in the game. Texas moves on. 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: BIG TEN. The Big Ten won half of the games played on Saturday, going 4-0 and instantly becoming a quarter of the Sweet 16. Michigan and Illinois dominated, while Michigan State controlled their game against Louisville. With Nebraska's win, the Big Ten had one of the best second round days in quite some time. With Purdue and Iowa playing on Sunday, the league has a chance to put six teams in the next round.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: Atlantic 10. VCU and Saint Louis pulled off epic upsets on Thursday night, with the Rams making a massive comeback to beat North Carolina while the Billikens absolutely spanked Georgia. Neither team was in their second round games, as VCU didn't have any juice left for Illinois and Michigan flexing all over Saint Louis. The A-10 is a really good lead and among the top mid-major conferences, but sees their season end today.

DUD OF THE DAY: Michigan vs Saint Louis. I don't think anyone believed Michigan would go down in this game, but after Thursday's showing we all wanted to see that high scoring Billikens team show up once again. It didn't. Robbie Avila ... the man with 1,000 nicknames ... had a bad afternoon, scoring just 9 points on 3-of-13 shooting.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Houston vs Texas A&M. Texas A&M isn't in Houston's class, but no one expected the Aggies to get absolutely pummeled in this game. The Cougars jumped on A&M early and never let up, making this a snoozer fairly quickly.

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Big Ten's performance. The Big Ten has earned a reputation for not truly showing up in the NCAA tournament. They haven't won this even since Michigan State cut down the nets in 2000 ... though they've been runner up several times since. Now, reaching the Sweet 16 isn't winning a title just yet, but the way the league's teams have performed so far in this tournament, they do look like they have a few candidates to do some damage over the next two weekends. 

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - First Round, Day 2

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: Kentucky vs Santa Clara. The ending of this game was insane. Big shots from both sides, including a 50-footer by Kentucky to tie the game and send it into overtime. These are the kinds of games you love to watch if you have no rooting interest in either team. Otega Oweh's shot will likely be the best play of this entire tournament. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: Utah State vs Villanova.  There were no upsets really today. All the betting favorites won, even though two of them were No. 9 seeds. But to see Utah State come back and beat Villanova -- a Big East team -- seems like the most obvious "upset". 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: BIG 12. The Big 12 went 4-0 on the day, with Arizona, Kansas, Texas Tech and Iowa State all winning their games ... with only Kansas having any trouble disposing their opponent. The Big Ten went 3-0 while the SEC went 4-1.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: MAC. Both Miami-OH and Akron lost their games on Friday, ending the magical season for both the league's regular season and tournament champions. The difficult part is both were blown out (though Akron put up more of a fight). Mid-majors in general had an awful day, but the MAC went out with a whimper.

DUD OF THE DAY: Tennessee vs Miami-OH. After Miami-OH's outstanding performance over SMU in the First Four, everyone was waiting to see what this team could do against a really good Tennessee team. Well, it didn't go very well. The Redhawks were overmatched early and this was never a game. The Volunteers understood to not take Miami-OH lightly, and they overwhelmed the Redhawks.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Florida vs Prairie View. There were a few blowouts on Friday, but none like what Florida did to Prairie View A&M. The Gators chomped their way to a 114-55 victory ... one of the largest margins of victory in the history of the NCAA tournament. Florida looks ready to defend its title and has a chip on their shoulder after losing to Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament.

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Favorites dominate the day. Yesterday I remarked that it is interesting to follow the narrative that NIL and the transfer portal has been bad for the Cinderella role in the NCAA tournament. Well, Friday certainly held that line of thinking. The betting favorite went 16-0 on Day 2 of the tournament, with no double-digit seeds winning. Sure, all four of the No. 9 seeds won their games, but those are hardly any upsets. Of the four double-digit seeds to win over the last two days, two of them (Texas, Texas A&M) are SEC schools, VCU and High Point.  All four play on Saturday. 

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - First Round, Day 1

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: VCU vs North Carolina. The Tar Heels went up 19 points and seemed to be cruising into the second round of the tournament. Then the final 8 minutes of regulation happened that was as head-scratching as you could get from a program like this. Turnovers, bad defense, and curious decisions allowed VCU to mount a massive comeback that sets the record for the Round of 64. VCU's rabid comeback and the weird plays that followed into overtime set the stage for a chaotic tournament. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: High Point vs Wisconsin.  Wisconsin was pretty hot coming into the tournament, so getting bounced by High Point was pretty shocking. The Badgers were the highest seed to lose today, busting several brackets. The sight of High Point's Chase Johnston breaking out for his first two point basket ... of the season ... to win the game for the Panthers was one of the best of this tournament thus far. 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: SEC. The Big Ten had a lot of winners, but it was the SEC's day. Arkansas blew out Hawaii, Texas upset BYU and Texas A&M upset Saint Mary's. Georgia did look absolutely awful against Saint Louis, but the two bid upsets showed the depth of this league.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: ACC. The losses were spread around quite a bit -- with the Big Ten losing twice -- but the ACC had a rough one. Only North Carolina lost, but they blew a 19 point lead in doing so. Duke was on the ropes against Siena while Louisville nearly blew a huge lead against South Florida. Add in NC State and SMU losing in the First Four and the ACC hasn't had the great start to this tournament.

DUD OF THE DAY: Nebraska vs Troy. I need to mention Nebraska winning its first NCAA tournament game. I felt that Troy was going to give the Huskers a game today, with the pressure of finally winning a tournament game (the lone power school not to) possible making Nebraska tight for this one. That wasn't the case, as the Cornhuskers let it rip all game and punished the Trojans, 76-47.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Saint Louis vs Georgia. I came into the week feeling this would be a fun matchup in the 8-9 game, but it never was that. The Billikens jumped all over the Dawgs and made this a laugher right off the jump. Saint Louis is a dangerous team for Michigan on Saturday.

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Blowouts. There is a narrative that the NCAA tournament has changed due to the transfer portal taking the best players from the mid-majors and hoarding them for themselves, so I've been interested to see if that manifests this tournament. We saw a lot of blowouts on Thursday. Seven of the 16 games played were decided by 19 or more points. Five games were decided by at least 25 points. Two were 30 point blowouts. That mirrors last year's output on Day 1. 

It's Time For The Hubert Davis Era to End In Chapel Hill

 

Hubert Davis is the kind of person you want to lead your basketball program. He's the nicest guy who loves the North Carolina program the same way that Roy Williams did. He cares so much about the Carolina Family that all his coaches are alums. As a player, he wasn't a big time recruit yet built himself into a great scorer and eventually a first round NBA draft pick. He's a great representative of North Carolina basketball.

Too bad he doesn't coach like that.

The Tar Heels lost to VCU in the first round of the NCAA tournament tonight, 82-78, in overtime. Typically one game shouldn't determine your job, but there may be no game that encapsulates the Hubert Davis era than this one. A blown lead marred by late game mistakes, missed free throws and a determination to run his players into the ground. 

Again, this isn't just about one game. Since Davis took over in the 2021-2022 season, North Carolina has entered the NCAA tournament like this:

2022: 8 seed
2023: missed the tournament
2024: 1 seed
2025: 11 seed
2026: 6 seed

Add in the final two seasons of the Roy Williams era (would've missed the NCAA tournament in 2020 if COVID didn't cancel it; 8 seed that was blown out in 2021) and this has been a horrible stretch of Carolina basketball. Amazing, since the 2016-2019 stretch featured two national championship game appearances -- including the 2017 national title -- a 2 seed and a 1 seed. It hasn't looked like that since. 

Carolina has lost 3 of their last 4 NCAA tournament games, with the lone win coming over San Diego State in the First Four last season. Before COVID, the Tar Heels were 31-1 in first round games (the Round of 64). Since, they are 2-3 ... with two of those losses coming in the last two years. This is the first time EVER that Carolina lost its final regular season game, only ACC tournament game, and only NCAA tournament game. A horrible 0-3 stretch that featured losses to Duke, Clemson and VCU that all featured massive runs from their opponents that ultimately sunk the Heels.   come

North Carolina now owns one of the largest comeback losses in NCAA tournament history and the largest in program history. They also own the largest comeback loss in NCAA championship history when they gave up a 16-point lead to Kansas to choke away the 2022 title. 

This isn't the standard at North Carolina. If Hubert Davis was virtually anyone else, he'd be fired right now. It was unacceptable with Matt Doherty was in Chapel Hill and its unacceptable now. 

Sure, all-everything Caleb Wilson's injury crushed UNC's hopes on the season. He was an electric player that, honestly, may be Carolina's best NBA player since Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison entered the league in 1998. But the Heels were up on VCU by 19 points in this game and reverted to the same flaws that have plagued the Davis era. There were boneheaded turnovers ... including a unfathomable five-second call at the end of the game. Missed free throws. An opponent getting loose for a career day (something so frustrating about Davis). And an unwillingness to substitute and get his guys some rest. All of that spilled all over the floor in Greenville for the world to see what Carolina fans have watched for five years. 

The Tar Heels have struggled all season with these issues ... issues that have plagued the Heels for years. UNC has choked away big leads, even if they ultimately won the game. It's been a running joke that someone on every opponent turns in a career day against the Heels. But it was the meltdown at the end of the VCU game that really hit home. Not being able to hang onto the ball, missing easy shots, a five second inbounds penalty, not knowing how to miss a free throw properly, and abandoning the principles that got you the 19-point lead to begin with. When you get to March, those kinds of mistakes should not happen yet they were amplified tonight. When it comes to March, a coach should not have to resort to not substituting because he doesn't trust the team he built. 

I'm not one of those guys that have barked for Davis' job. I've tried to lean in on the "he's learning on the job and will get this" thinking for a few years now. Maybe the legendary run of the 2022 season had me blind. Beating Duke on Coach K night in Cameron and then ending Mike Krzyzewski's career at the Final Four in New Orleans will be one of the greatest feats any Carolina coach achieved. But nothing has looked anything close to that since. I've had moments where I have began to move off that stance (most notably the west coast swing earlier this season), but I've now arrived at this feeling. No matter what kind of roster Davis assembles this offseason, I just don't trust that he will be able to maximize it anymore. I saw him sink a preseason No. 1 team in 2022-2023 and waste away the the 2024-2025 season. I saw him bring in high profile transfers that didn't pan out (Cade Tyson, anyone?). 

How can you trust Hubert Davis? I lived my life believing Dean Smith was the smartest coach on the floor and that Roy Williams knew his team better than any coach out there. I don't feel that way about Davis. And there are some rumbling from former players that they may not trust him either. Not enough to put Carolina back where it is supposed to be. 

This all comes at a pivotal time for Carolina basketball. A new athletic director takes over very soon. There are heated discussions about what to do with the Dean E. Smith Center -- should it be replaced, renovated or even a new arena off campus. We are just a few years from conference explosions once again as the television contracts will ramp up at the start of the next decade. Will the ACC be able to survive or will North Carolina need to jump to the Big Ten or SEC? Meanwhile, the school down the street has been able to keep their standard of excellence with their former (and young) player who keeps churning out No. 1 seeds and top players. 

Carolina isn't holding up to the standard.

Like the arena and the ACC, there may have to be some hard decisions about separating from the past if there is going to be a fruitful future. There is no Roy Williams sitting out there. Unlike when Dean Smith retired in 1997 (or Bill Guthridge retired in 2000 or Doherty's firing in 2002), there isn't a Carolina Family candidate ready to roll to keep this going. All of Dean's guys at that time (George Karl, Larry Brown, Doug Moe) aren't viable for various reasons and Roy Williams didn't exactly leave behind a coaching tree to pluck from. Hubert Davis was it, and that is seemingly failing. The only other option, Wes Miller, showed he wasn't ready for a big job after being fired from Cincinnati. 

North Carolina may need to go outside the family to find the coach who can lead it into the future and hold the standard of the past. 

When Roy retired in 2021, I was really hoping Gonzaga's Mark Few would take the job. Few is good friends with Roy, a wildly successful coach in a college basketball outpost that could have continued Carolina's winning ways. That is unlikely now, given Few's age and unlikeliness to leave the Zags as they enter the Pac-12. Could UNC lure Al Golden away from Florida? Would Alabama's Nate Oates be an option? How about Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger? Or one of the up-and-coming coaches who UNC could build a long future with. 

Despite saying all of this, I'm doubtful any change will come. Davis is a Carolina guy who is likeable and there are just enough good moments to point to (and a Caleb Wilson injury to use as an excuse) to validate another year of this. But as Carolina fans all over the country have shouted out tonight, most aren't excited about another year of substandard basketball. No one will go into the 2026-2027 season expecting anything different.

And that's a shame.