Get dumped then, Minnesota.
Word of the Day: Propagate.
DOUBLE-DIGIT FAVORITES. There was no doubt that Ohio State was going to be a fairly comfortable favorite for today's game, but hand up, I did not expect the Buckeyes to be laying double-digits after four-straight losses heading into the tournament.
But here we are, Ohio State opens as an 11-point favorite over Minnesota for this afternoon's game.
[UPDATE] Minnesota +11.0 (+10.5) at Ohio State | Thu 14:00ET #NCAAB ~ RT your pick
— HEATR (@HEATRsports) March 11, 2021
I expected something more like 6.5 or 7, but don't think that means I would even consider picking Minnesota to cover, because that would mean wagering my hard-earned money on a team that just shot under 45 percent from the field, three-point range and the free-throw line.
INSTANT CLASSIC.
— Andy Greder (@andygreder) March 11, 2021
Stat: The #Gophers-Northwestern mens basketball game Wednesday in the Big Ten Tournament was the first Division I game in eight years where both teams shot under 45 percent on field goals, 3-pointers AND free throws, per @StatsBySTATS.
*That* will be going against the No. 4 offense in the country, and without the dude that went off for 27 points and 14 boards the last time they played.
Best of luck, Gophers!
MOST ACCURATE IN SIX YEARS. Justin Fields isn't going to be the top quarterback taken in the draft this year. He probably isn't even going to be the second, and might not even be the third.
That's all fine. I'm sure the teams that pass on him will have their reasons and we can all debate about that until the end of time if we'd like.
But here's the thing – regardless of where he's selected in the NFL Draft or how he projects to the next level, we can always simply appreciate how absurdly good Fields was in his two years at Ohio State. Because he was somehow both one of the most gifted athletes I've ever seen at quarterback and one of the most accurate passers in recent history.
Fields does everything you want to see from a quarterback in terms of getting to the throw. He can read the field, is willing to be aggressive, understands how to manage the pocket, and has all the physical tools to keep plays alive. In many ways, that does not sound all too different from the last quarterback featured in the Futures series, Trey Lance. What separates Fields from a player such as Lance, however, is that Fields is one of the most accurate quarterback prospects in recent history. If Fields gets to the throw he wants, it is almost a certainty that he will complete it.
I have personally charted quarterback prospects dating back to the 2016 class. I chart the entirety of a player's final season, as well as a portion of the previous season, which serves as a sort of anchor for any improvement or decline during their final year. Fields' adjusted accuracy (weighted by depth of target) of 83.2% is the best rate I have recorded in those six years. To every level, Fields' accuracy is simply phenomenal.
If Fields needs to lead a receiver across the field to enable yards after catch, he can do it. If he needs to fight a tight red zone window, he can do it. If his receiver needs the ball low and away in order to be protected from taking a hit, Fields can put it there. And so on and so forth.
If you'd like to simplify his collegiate legacy to wherever he's picked in the NFL Draft, that's on you. But personally, I'm cool just enjoying the fact that he was extremely good at football and ridiculously fun to watch for the two years he played for my alma mater.
WE'LL JUST KEEP WAITING. It's been an excruciatingly long time since we've been blessed with a new college football video game. And the sad news is, we're going to have to wait a little bit longer, cause we're looking at a release date in July of 2023.
NEWS:
— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) March 11, 2021
According to internal documentation from CLC that I obtained via Open Records request, the CLC told FBS institutions that EA Sports intends to release the new video game in "July of 2023".
This isn't exactly shocking based on everything EASports said after initially announcing plans for the game, but that doesn't mean my heart was ready to hear this sad reality.
On the other hand, maybe there will finally be enough next-gen consoles to go around by 2023. But hell, at this rate, maybe not.
ALL YOU NEED IS FIVE. We had all sorts of questions and concerns during football season about how many players were actually needed to play a game, but for the NCAA basketball tournament, the NCAA's making things dead simple.
If you've got five players, you can play.
Two weeks ago, the NCAA released its policy about how and when teams that make the tournament might be replaced if they're struck by the virus. The bracket comes out during the usual reveal, on Sunday evening. After 6 p.m. Tuesday, teams that make the field cannot be replaced if they get sick, and their scheduled opponents would simply move on in the bracket.
But Gavitt acknowledged that as long as a team has five players, it can stick around for as long as it keeps winning.
"We decided if they had five players eligible and healthy," they could play, he said. "We wrestled with contingencies, and thought it was fairest for a team that earned its way, that even if it was compromised, they should have the opportunity to play rather than be replaced."
I'm now praying some team makes a run through the tournament with just five healthy players. It would be the most perfect way to send this pandemic out.
SONG OF THE DAY. "Fall Back Down" by Rancid.
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