13) Kansas 76, Miami 50:
— Most one-sided Elite 8 game since 1992, when Cincinnati beat Memphis 88-57.
— Miami actually led 35-29 at halftime.
— Kansas is only #1-seed to make the Final Four (or Elite 8)
12) North Carolina 69, Saint Peter’s 49:
— Clock struck midnight for Peacocks, but what a great run for them.
— Tar Heels led 9-0 early, were up 38-19 at halftime.
— North Carolina-Duke renew their rivalry in national semifinal.
11) There are already 800+ names in the college basketball transfer portal; there are 358 Division I teams, so that is 2.2 players per team that are bolting to greener pastures, and there will probably be a lot more to come.
10) Gonzaga/Oklahoma share an unenviable record; they’ve both been a #1-seed five times, but haven’t won a national title yet. DePaul/Illinois have been #1-seeds four times each, without winning it all.
9) Took a walk on the Strip today, which is unlike me; stopped in sportsbooks at Bellagio and Caeser’s Palace. It was freakin’ hot out, but walking on the Strip is always uniquely fun.
Lady in Bellagio wanted my autograph; she thought I was Larry David. It is possible that she had been drinking. Politely explained to her that I was neither funny, rich or famous, although I am old and bald; took her five minutes to believe me.
At Caeser’s, they were charging people to sit in the sportsbook, so I wasn’t there long.
8) Coaching carousel:
— SMU hired Georgia State coach Rob Lanier.
— New Mexico State hired Greg Heiar, who won a national title in JC ball this year; he had previously been an assistant for Gregg Marshall/Will Wade.
7) Pelicans 116, Lakers 108— Lakers blew a 23-point lead in this game.
6) Arizona Diamondbacks gave 2B Ketel Marte a contract extension for five years, $76M.
5) St Louis Cardinals have an infield prospect Kramer Robertson; his mom is LSU hoop coach Kim Mulkey, his dad used to play QB at Louisiana Tech.
4) Almost 40% of the Atlanta Falcons’ salary cap this year is for Matt Ryan, who will be playing……..for the Colts this fall.
3) Random trivia: Three players with best career OPS against the Mets: Kyle Schwarber, Stan Musial, Paul DeJong.
2) CBS must be happy; Final Four of Villanova-Kansas, North Carolina-Duke. Should get excellent TV ratings.
1) Opening lines for Final Four:
— Kansas -4 vs Villanova (Justin Moore is out)
— Duke -4.5 vs North Carolina (teams split two previous meetings)
