Is anyone here worried that a team who was a runaway champ in a mid major with high win total on the year, stubs toe in conf tourney which may impact available at large bids.

Lets go folks, here is my confirmation below. Lets kick March off. Who's in????

Just sickening

https://www.axios.com/2024/02/29/worldwide-obesity-doubles

US moving in the wrong direction. 10th highest in the world (men) and children/adolescent 4x increase. Healthcare as a percentage of GDP approaching 20%. Several variables driving that but this is a big one.

March is here…

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Waaay too many posessions where he gives it up and drops to the corner, leavimg Al or wusu in charge of making a play as.the shot clock winds down. My question is why???Al and wusu are not decision makers. We already struggle when kadary goes to the bench w foul trouble. Kadary needs to be the point guard amd stay agressive for 40 minutes.

Miami, Fla. – The Seton Hall softball team concludes its slate of early season multi-team tournaments this weekend as they take part in the FIU Classic hosted by Florida International. The bracket style event begins on Friday for the Pirates with games against North Dakota at 3 p.m. and the host Panthers at 5:30 p.m. Saturday morning sees the Pirates square off with UIC at 10 a.m. The remaining two opponents on the weekend for Seton Hall will be determined based on the outcome of games throughout the weekend.

LAST TIME OUT
Seton Hall came home with a 2-3 record at the Sun Devil/GCU Classic last weekend in Phoenix, Ariz. The Pirates captured a pair of 4-2 victories over New Mexico State and Utah Valley, while battling Texas State, Arizona State and Grand Canyon to a trio of narrow losses.

Friday, March 1
3 p.m. – Seton Hall vs. North Dakota
5:30 p.m. – Seton Hall at FIU

Saturday, March 2
10 a.m. – Seton Hall vs. UIC
3/5:30 p.m. – Seton Hall vs. TBD

Sunday, March 3
9/11:30 a.m. – Seton Hall vs. TBD

NEWS & NOTES

• Kyra Kreuscher was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after her strong outing on Saturday against New Mexico State. The sophomore pitched all seven innings, allowing just five hits and two runs to pick up her second win of the season.
• Taylor Hill was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll last week after going .500 (6-for-12) at the plate with three doubles, four runs scored and two RBI in the season's opening weekend at FAU.
• The Pirates were picked to finish third in the BIG EAST preseason poll, behind second-place UConn and first-place Villanova. Seton Hall finished in third place in last year's standings.
• Seton Hall will be tasked with replacing some key producers from last year's squad. Centerfielder and last year's team leader in batting average Abby Wingo, second baseman Ashly Colonnetta, and left fielder Marisa Pla have all graduated along with reserves Grace Dawson, Ally Taylor and Jordan Tressler. Pitcher Shelby Smith, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the BIG EAST Tournament, transferred to Houston. Catcher Regan Rand has also transferred to Division-II Indiana (Pa.).
• The Hall welcome in a pair of freshmen to the 2024 squad. Outfielder Katey Brennan and pitcher Karissa Dupuis will both look to be key contributors in South Orange this upcoming season.
• Seton Hall will face a tough non-conference slate in 2024, including matchups against three teams that won NCAA regional games last season an six opponents who won at least 34 games. Included in that bunch are dates with Grand Canyon, who pulled off a shocker last season against No. 2 UCLA, as well as a rematch of the Austin Regional elimination game against Texas State.
• The Pirates will face off against opponents from three of the power conferences this season: ACC (Louisville, Syracuse), Big 10 (Michigan) and PAC-12 (Arizona State).
• Head Coach Angie Churchill coached against her alma mater in Michigan last weekend for the first time in her career. Churchill was a four-year member of the Wolverines softball team from 2001-04, winning three Big Ten titles and reaching the College World Series three times.
• The Pirates earned several All-BIG EAST awards. Kelsey Carr was named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year, Abby Wingo was named Defensive Player of the Year, and the coaching staff led by Angie Churchill was named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. Carr, Wingo and Shelby Smith were all named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, with Carr being a unanimous selection.
• Carr is the first Pirate pitcher to be named BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year. The junior led the league in ERA (1.82), reaching that number after 61.2 innings of work. Carr only allowed more than two earned runs in a start just twice during BIG EAST play.
• Carr was one of just two players in the country last season to finish with a sub-2.00 ERA, hit 10+ home runs and drive in 50+ runs (Valerie Cagle, Clemson).
• Wingo was the first Pirate recipient of the Defensive Player of the Year award. The senior had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 31 chances in center field. Wingo had the third-highest number of chances among BIG EAST outfielders and had the most chances among center fielders in the league.
• Abby Wingo set new single-season records in base hits (71) and longest hitting streak (19 games) last season. Her .397 average led the club, and she only failed to collect a base-hit in consecutive games twice all year.
• Seton Hall's 18 BIG EAST victories last season were a new program record, and the team's 42 wins rank as the second-most in program history (46, 2004).
• Seton Hall's win over Villanova on Day Two of the BIG EAST Tournament was its 40th win of the season, reaching that plateau for just the second time in program history. Enterting the year, Seton Hall had not won 30 games in a season since 2005.
• The Pirates finished with an overall record above .500 for the first time since 2006, when they finished 29-27.

A day before she is set to begin a two-year commitment as the new commissioner of the Pac-12 conference, Teresa Gould said the most important part of her job will be to help the remaining two schools -- Oregon State and Washington State -- position themselves for the future.

"That strategic piece is really being bold and being aggressive, being intentional and really attacking these challenges head on, but also being open-minded and making sure that we're considering all options," Gould said on a videoconference.

"That is probably the most important and urgent piece of my role, is to partner with the leadership on both campuses to forge that future path for their two campuses and their athletic programs."

Gould, who was joined by Washington State president Kirk Schulz, did not provide any specifics about what that future could look like beyond the next two seasons, during which Oregon State and Washington State will compete in the West Coast Conference in most sports, along with a scheduling partnership in football with the Mountain West.

For a conference to exist, the NCAA requires "at least seven active Division I members," all of which must sponsor men's and women's basketball, and for the conference to sponsor at least 12 Division I sports, among other requirements.

In the case of departures, NCAA bylaws allow a conference a two-year grace period in which it can exist without the minimum number of schools. The Pac-12's grace period starts in the 2024-25 academic year.

"I think we all felt that that was an important commitment that I commit to stay through the NCAA grace period and through those two agreements [with the WCC and MWC] to make sure that we're collaborating and seeing this work through," Gould said.

Gould confirmed there have not been any formal discussions with the Mountain West about a full-on merger or so-called reverse merger that would formally tie Oregon State and Washington State with the MWC member schools.


"Both those conferences know that we've got a multiyear window here where there's got to be some final landing spot for those two schools," Schulz said. "And so I just think we got to keep communications open back and forth. We got to make sure that we don't sort of come strutting in there thinking we're just better than everybody else of where we were before. We'll wind up getting our ass kicked if that happens.

"But I do think it's really important for us to keep that partnership there, keep the communications open, and we're counting on Teresa to work with her commissioner colleagues in those two conferences as well on what future partnerships could look like."

The conference will continue to operate under the Pac-12 brand and will keep its television studio in San Ramon, California, for at least another academic year. Gould did not provide an update on what should be expected regarding television broadcasts for OSU and WSU home football games, only saying that she has been "encouraged about the interest for those media rights" and was hopeful there would be an announcement in the near future.

Ole Anderson, original Four Horsemen member, dead at 81​

By Christian Arnold

Pro wrestling legend Ole Anderson passed away on Monday, friends and family members revealed.

He was 81 years old.

Anderson, whose real name was Alan Rogowski, is best known for his role as one of the members of the original Four Horsemen faction.

The group consisted of Anderson, Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard.



Wrestling legend Ole Anderson passed away on Monday. He was known as one of the original Four Horsemen.
WWE.com

He was considered one of the biggest heels and Anderson was widely respected for his work in the business.

“Ole Anderson’s passing is a somber moment or the wrestling world,” former wrestler Ricky Morton wrote on Instagram. “Ole was not just a colleague; he was a formidable opponent, a respected veteran, and a part of wrestling history. Our battles in the ring were intense, and the memories we created together will always be cherished.

Morton added: “While his passing leaves a void in the wrestling community, Ole Anderson’s legacy will live on through the impact he made on the sport and the memories he shared with fans and fellow wrestlers alike.”

The Horsemen were one of the most legendary groups in professional wrestling history while performing in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and then World Championship Wrestling.

“I Am Forever Thankful To Ole And Gene For Bringing Me In To Crockett Promotions As A Cousin,” Flair wrote on X. “It Launched My Career. I Will Be Grateful Forever For You Giving Me The Opportunity To Become Who I Am Today. We Didn’t Always Agree With Each Other, But The Honest To God Truth Is You & Gene Started Me. Rest In Peace My Friend!”

Anderson retired from the ring in 1987 but did return to reform the Horsemen in 1989 before retiring shortly thereafter.

He became the head of the WCW booking committee in 1990 following his retirement.

“WWE is saddened to learn that Ole Anderson has passed away. WWE extends its condolences to Anderson’s family, friends, and fans,” WWE said in a statement on X.

“AEW and the wrestling world mourn the passing of the legendary Ole Anderson. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans,” AEW said in a statement of their own Monday night.

WWE also acknowledged the passing of Anderson on its “Monday Night Raw” telecast.

Any Bitcoin-ers here? Man a few BTC from 2018 would make for a nice NIL donation

March is upon us, and it’s been a pleasantly surprising season on a few fronts. I hope we can at least do the following for the remainder of the season…

* Get 2 more wins out of the remaining 4 games. Won’t be easy, but have to think we’re a lock to get at least 1. If my math is right we’d be 13 conference wins, 20 regular headed in to BET. That's a really good year for us given the pre season expectations.

* Win a game in the BET and have a real strong showing in the BET semi’s (make it to Friday night)

* Let’s be a surprise team in the NCAAs and not take on the Willard happy to be here role.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-ne...rage/biden-trump-dueling-visits-texas-border/

Trump goes to Eagle Pass - 600 encounters per day. Biden goes to Brownsville… No encounters.

I’m going to Essex Falls today to speak about crime in Essex County.

Terrible game and effort at Creighton. So, third place is probably out. Creighton is 12-6 with two games left (Marquette and @Villanova) They win one and they have third place unless SHU win the 3 remaining games(@UConn, Villanova and DePaul). I guess Creighton could lose both.

Seton Hall will be no worse than 5th place by beating Depaul. That would make 12 conference wins. We know that either Providence or Villanova will have at least 9 losses because they play each other on Saturday. Should both teams lose one game each and Seton Hall beats DePaul, then SHU get 4th. Seton Hall is also guaranteed 4th place by beating Villanova and DePaul.

The Villanova game is now humungous for SHU. There is now a more realistic chance for SJU to be the opponent in the 4/5 game. SJU has two easy games (at DePaul and GTown). Beating Butler tonight convincingly has them playing their best basketball of the season. Beating them for the third time in a refed up MSG is not the best scenario. SJU has the tiebreaker over Villanova. Providence may have the tiebreaker over SJU at the moment? Providence seems like a more favorable matchup at this point. That Nova game could be The Hall's chance to get this bid. It's that simple.

Let’s go!!!🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

By Zach Braziller

INDIANAPOLIS — Rick Pitino is sounding the alarm — the transfer portal alarm.

Get ready for free agency the day after Selection Sunday, when the portal opens and players switch schools like everyone else changes clothes.

It’s coming.

“You’re going to see what I’m talking about the day after Selection Sunday, you’re going to see it,” the Hall of Fame coach predicted prior to St. John’s 82-59 win over Butler on Wednesday. “It’s going to get to the point, somebody’s going to take them [the NCAA] to court that they want to transfer mid-semester to play.

“I didn’t play Peyton Siva or Russ Smith as freshmen [at Louisville]. I think Peyton played a few minutes. We developed them into a national championship team, so the thing that’s disturbed me so much is what’s going on and I don’t like this talk, even amongst my [coaching staff], about, ‘OK, let’s look at this player from this school or this school right now because I hear they’re going in the portal.’ I just hate that.”

The landscape of college basketball changed in the spring of 2021, when the NCAA began allowing undergraduate players to transfer once without having to sit out a season.

Initially, players who wanted to transfer a second time had to sit out a year unless they were graduates.

Then, in December, a federal judge overrode the NCAA rule for the current year amid several states suing the NCAA, alleging the rule was in violation of federal antitrust law.

It remains uncertain what will happen next season in regards to multiple transfers who aren’t graduates, but the general thinking is that players will not have to sit out at all.

St. John’s figures to be active in the transfer portal, as starters Daniss Jenkins, Joel Soriano, Jordan Dingle and Chris Ledlum are out of eligibility.

The hope is Pitino can keep his young core of sophomores RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor and freshmen Brady Dunlap and Simeon Wilcher together, and build around them.

But there are no guarantees.

If a certain school values a player more than his current school, that could lead to an unexpected departure in the Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) era.

The new normal is that continuity is rare.

College rosters will have vastly different looks season to season.

“You know why when I say, this is the unhappiest I’ve been in a season, you know why?” Pitino said. “It wasn’t because of that [Seton Hall] game, I was very calm at that press conference. It’s because of the state of college basketball.

“It’s not the game I’ve loved for 50 years, 48 years, whatever it may be.”

He later added: “I hated the fact that every single good player in the MAAC got poached to go to a different place. It’s just very disappointing for me, and a lot of the coaches [Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Jay Wright] have gotten out because of that, not necessarily NIL. I’ve been throwing things out, like make them employees, make them sign contracts, just trying to come up with something, but I listened to the president of the NCAA the other day.

“And he said can you put something in to stop people from transferring twice? His response was, no, coaches leave whenever they want. But coaches have contracts, and coaches have to pay $3 million, $4 million, $20 million if they want to leave. I just think it’s very, very difficult to do what I’ve done for 35, 40 years, make players better, build them up, have them back.”