PUPPET OBSERVATONS/RANTS:
-There are certain things that all NCAA athletes in all sports in all three divisions must abide by in order to play. One is that they have to take a physical before they can be declared initially eligible. Another is that they are subject to random drug testing, which sounds just like what it is, but is actually even worse. The NCAA can basically just show up and require any athlete on any team to suddenly give a urine sample so they can test for any drugs they want that are on the banned substance list. Several of the drugs on that list include recreational drugs as well as performance enhancing drugs. Someone from the NCAA actually observes these tests. In other words, they make the guy or girl being tested strip down in front of them and pee right in front of them. Talk about invasive!! But, no one complains because I guess they feel that drug use is a rampant problem that could shut down all of college sports as we know it.
Now, why do I say this?? Well, it seems odd to me that no one complains about how it’s unnecessary or an over reach to players to take physicals or random drug tests, but yet they seem to think requiring them to get a COVID vaccine would just be a step too far. Even though other vaccines such as the MMR are required (at least I think they are. I believe players must apply for a special status waiver if they do not have a vaccine record), certain people have decided the COVID vaccine is a much bigger deal. We’ve got 30 games today that are cancelled, but are simply choosing not to take a measure that would greatly reduce (or even eliminate) this problem.
So, while the damn games are being cancelled, the good news is that recreational drug use is under control!!! I guess we feel that’s a much bigger threat to the health of the sport since we allow far more invasive measures to combat that issue than we would ever allow for an actual pandemic. Good job NCAA and members!! The decision to not address an actual problem like the COVID pandemic as aggressively as they are addressing a much lesser problem like recreational drug use, and not taking measures toward COVID that are nowhere near as invasive or extensive as the ones they take toward drug testing is beyond stupid!! ANY PUPPET KNOWS THAT!!!
NEWS AND NOTES:
-I’ll begin with something that most people probably missed. William & Mary’s win over Hofstra will probably be the biggest upset of the year in regards to how far apart the two teams are in the NET. At the time I’m writing this, Hofstra’s NET is 95, and they had won seven out of eight, which included wins over Arkansas and Monmouth. William & Mary is 345th in the NET and yesterday was their first win of the season against a D1 opponent. Those rankings reflect where the two teams are AFTER the game. Prior to that, they were even further apart. This also absolutely KILLS Hofstra’s resume, which up until yesterday was starting to look pretty good!
-Michigan State had to sweat a little bit with High Point and actually trailed at the half, but got control in the second half for an 81-68 win. Perhaps a little rust after some Christmas cheer for the Spartans.
-Auburn had no trouble with LSU at home for a 70-55 win. A win would have been big for LSU, but a loss hardly hurts them. Auburn is ranked 11th. Losing a road game like that is hardly a demerit.
-Tennessee was short handed, but still hung in at Alabama and had a chance to win in the final minute, but couldn’t pull it off. It was a big win for the Tide, perhaps more so off paper than on. They had been looking a little sluggish lately and a big win at home in a conference game against a ranked team could get their motor started again.
-Seton Hall gave Providence battle on the road, but the Friars held on for a 70-65 win, which puts them at a very impressive 12-1 on the year, and should enable them to continue to climb the rankings.
-Wisconsin really had to sweat out an Illinois State team that hadn’t had that good of a year, and who I believe was dealing with a depleted roster. The Badgers did escape with the 89-85 win, though.
-Utah State could have really used a road win at Air Force yesterday, but they couldn’t get it done and fell 49-47 in a game that was an absolute rock fight.
-DePaul lost their conference opener to Butler 63-59. It was a road game, and those are never easy to win, but it was a bit of a surprise considering DePaul had gone 9-1 in OOC play coming in to yesterday.
-Arkansas seems to be going in the wrong direction. They fell at Mississippi State yesterday 81-68 and just didn’t look like a top 25 team. Then again, like a lot of teams they were shorthanded. That is really unfortunate but at least we don’t have to worry about recreational drug use!!
-Louisville needed a big win yesterday, and got it. They came from behind and played a fantastic second half to knock off a Wake Forest team that came in at 11-1 and had been one of the bigger surprises of the season.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-If I counted correctly, 30 games have been cancelled or postponed today. That includes what would have been a top ten match-up between Arizona and UCLA, and several others that would have made this list. More will probably be cancelled as the day goes on. But, at least we’ve got the impending threat of recreational drug use under control!!
-MICHIGAN AT UCF. This is a tough road game for a Michigan team that was expected to be a lot better than what they have been. UCF, on the other hand, is a very respectable 8-2 2 and if they can get a notable win like this they will be worth paying attention to.
-ROBERT MORRIS AT OAKLAND (Horizon League). If Oakland wants to land inside the bubble then they need to blow through the Horizon League.
-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). After a bit of a sluggish start, Richmond has won six in a row and they shouldn’t have too much trouble making it seven tonight. If they can get through conference play without stubbing their toes too many times (and basically any loss would constitute stubbing their toes) then they should be inside the bubble come March.
-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT CHATTANOOGA (SoCon). Chattanooga has a very narrow path to landing inside the bubble. They basically need to blow through the SoCon, which won’t be easy.
-UTEP AT UAB (Conference USA). UAB is 10-3 and although they missed a couple of opportunities to really elevate their resume, they should be okay if they can dominate CUSA.
-SEMO AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley). If Murray State wants to land inside the bubble they cannot lose to anyone other than Belmont, and they better beat Belmont at least once.
-UTAH AT OREGON STATE (Pac 12). Utah has some ground to make up. Winning at Oregon State is hardly impressive, but it is at least a conference road win.
BUY GAMES:
-Maine @ Rutgers
-Brown @ Maryland