College Basketball here we come.
–It’s a first for Single High Sports to show interest in basketball, but that is far from the truth for its author. Basketball was lifeblood for me at many moments in my life. I love the sport.
I’ve also enjoyed the hiatus from it and am equally enjoying catching back up with it. I wish the Hometown team was doing better than (2-4) but there is still plenty of time to right the ship there in Memphis. Big game against Baylor this week actually. No time like the present to turn things around. I’ll be right here until the end of March Madness rooting for them and keeping up with their story. A story that I am learning on the fly.
For example, I found out that the Tigers were 2-4 about 45 seconds before I typed it. That’s how disconnected I’ve been from things. I only mention this on the front end, so you might know that my knowledge in the present of NCAA Basketball is next to nil. However, my past knowledge of the “College Game” could be as good as say Seth Davis or Jay Bilas if we exclude the past seven or eight years.
It’s not a brag; it’s most likely just a fact and a logical one considering that I would’ve memorized everything the two of them said during some very formidable years. I was as plugged into the sport of college basketball as any other person in Memphis. It was culture.
Geoff Caulkins and his many words told me and all of West Tennessee many stories through his work in the “Commercial Appeal.” Twenty-five or fifty cents a pop out of the newspaper stand that sat outside the grocery store. I would’ve bought one every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for many years and his pieces were the best.
I still miss the satisfaction of dropping the quarter or two and opening the latch to pull out the freshly printed newspaper. An ancient memory in 2025, but a memory that is like a porch swing on a warm sunny day–inviting me to stay a while.
I will resist the temptation to explore further into the past at the moment, but the point is this–
–I was buying that newspaper to read the Sports section and in nearly every Commercial Appeal Sports Section was something about basketball. Basketball is culture in my Hometown. Culture never leaves you. It can be stuffed away in a box and forgotten about for years, but it never leaves you. Like a back pain that nags every morning, it never leaves you; and since it hasn’t left me, and the desire is back within me to embrace the culture of my beloved Hometown, I am right here right now catching up on the College Basketball Season.
—
First off, as mentioned, the Hometown Tigers are 2-4 to begin the year.
Let’s look at the wins and losses.
Wins:
- San Francisco
- Southern Illinois
Losses:
- Mississippi
- UNLV
- #1 Purdue
- Wake Forest
The Tigers play New Orelans tomorrow night and Baylor Saturday. Back to back wins would be a good push in the right direction. 4-4 with Louisville, Vandy, and Mississippi St on deck would be a great place to be.
By Christmas, the Tigers could be 7-4, by New Years they could be 9-4 with wins over all the beforementioned teams. 2-4 doesn’t mean a thing. Just keep winning. Well, start winning and then keep winning. It’s as easy as it sounds.
5’11” Point Guard Dug McDaniel has been leading the team so far this season. He made five threes against Wake Forest in the one point loss and is 37 percent on the year.
I’m learning as I go. Go Tigers, GO!
—
You know, I may catch a game tonight actually. It looks like we have a battle of the unbeatens tonight in Primetime. The Jack Breslin Event Center in East Lansing is the place. Iowa and Michigan State are the teams. 7-0 vs 7-0. Sounds like fun.
Iowa is unranked and has wins over:
- Robert Morris
- West Illinois
- Xavier
- SEMO
- Chicago St
- Mississippi
- And Grand Canyon
Not the most impressive list of seven wins but winning is winning.
Michigan State is ranked 11th and their wins include:
- Colgate
- Arkansas
- San Jose
- Kentucky
- Detroit Mercy
- East Carolina
- North Carolina
I’d say that’s worthy of at least 11th. I mean by name alone, UNC, UK, and Arkansas are wins that draw attention.
I guess we will learn about both teams tonight.
- Iowa @ Michigan St 5:00 Peacock
—
The next games that I’ll be watching are all on Saturday.
Watchlist 12/6
– CBS Triple Header
- Iowa St @ Purdue 10:00
- Louisville vs Indiana Noon
- Memphis vs Baylor 2:30
-Peacock Triple Header
- Oregon vs UCLA 4:00
- Mississippi vs St. Johns 6:00
- Florida State vs Houston 6:00
These six seem like a great place to start. CBS at 10AM Saturday. I’ll be there.
The best way to get back into things is to watch and report. I’m sure there is someone, somewhere that is very much in the know with all of the current things in College Basketball, and such a person would have a much better take on the current affairs. All a reader will get from this site on College Basketball is what I see with my own two 20/20 hazel/ greens.
Maybe tonight is a good night for a “Live Thoughts” during the Iowa game.
We can all learn together.
Until then,
Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’
Basketball is Culture on this site.
Whit W.