Highway 19 slips into southwest North Carolina at Belleview, creeps its way northwesterly through Burnsville, Mars Hill, Asheville up to Cane River, where it splits into 19E and 19W, both of which meander off into Tennessee.
Unfortunately, some of the poesy is lost because it doesn’t jackknife through the heart of Tobacco Road, the corridor between Chapel Hill and Durham.
Which are the homes of a couple of iconic college hoops franchises.
Both of which in The Year of Our Lord 2026 suffered eerily similar
ignominious defeats in the NCAA tournament.
Blowing 19 point leads.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Haters amongst ya, unite. Can’t get much better than this.
The Tar Heels laid down against Virginia Commonwealth in the opening round, after having such a hefty advantage.
Which result turned member of the family Hubert Davis into a pariah, a currently unemployed one at that.
Then a week later, the Blue Devils, a year after choking up a 15 point lead late in the Dance to Houston last campaign, hurled a 19 point giveaway to Connecticut in the Elite Eight.
Which would be a record, but for the twentyburger reverse Pittsnoggle by the University of Louisville Cardinals in ’05.
Isn’t there some looking-for-succor, disgruntled NC State fan in the Old North State highway department who can change road designations?
Highway 19 gotta be rerouted through the home burgs of Duke and UNC.
Maybe next season, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels should wear gris-gris bags around their necks to avoid voodoo pins of meltdown defeats.
* * * * *
It is my understanding that Sunday was the very first time the Boozer twins had a season which ended with a loss.
As good as they are, and they can ball, both contributed significantly to the way of the L.
Along with their coach Jon Scheyer, who has now proven he can spit out the bit with the best of ’em when it matters in March.
Unlike his baby blue counterpart he still has his job.
So he’s got that goin’ for him, which is nice.
* * * * *
After Purdue won it’s Round of 16 tilt on a Trey Kaufman-Renn tip in, my guy Doc offered it was a testament to the demise of IU hoops.
The kid from Silver Creek chose Purdue over the state school, Indiana.
Which I thought about while Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill were unfortunately talking over the UConn celebration after baby-faced, mop-topped Braylon Mullins played string music from 35 feet for the improbable ticket punch to the Final Four.
The kid’s from Greenfield, Indiana, for Bobby Plump’s sake.
Playing for Connecticut.
Wha??????
The V-As, Tom and Dick from Indy, Bedford’s Damon Bailey, Franklin’s Steve Alford, Kokomo’s Jimmy Rayl, and, heck, Don Schlundt from up near South Bend stayed true and allegiant.
Balled for IU, the way Branch McCracken and Bobby and most everybody who ever took a dip in the Wabash know it ought to be.
Those days are long gone.
Obviously.
* * * * *
It rankles me no end that serial scofflaw Bruce Pearl is in the studio on the national telecasts.
He was a liar and a cheat when as assistant at Iowa he tried to recruit Chicago Simeon’s’ Deon Thomas, paid people to spy on the HS kid.
He was a liar and a cheat at Tennessee when he had a recruit Aaron Craft at his house for a barbecue, but more egregiously denied it. When there were photos. And told other attendees to lie about it too.
After three years in purgatory, he landed at Auburn, another institution in the league where they couldn’t care less. “Rule we don’t need no stinkin’ rules.” Where again he and his staff not only stepped over the line, they leaped over it.
And now we gotta look at his mug at halftime.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuu . . . that!
* * * * *
That 11 minute horn delay during Iowa vs. Illinois was fun.
* * * * *
Keeping with the Lewis Carroll theme of my header, let’s mention the latest trend for successful hoops.
Going BIG.
Schools that aspire, some advice.
Swallow the pill that makes you larger.
“Surprise” FF participant Illinois is tallest team in the land. And, if they didn’t have a willowy rookie playing PG I’d give ’em more of a chance.
Arizona is the seventh tallest team in the country.
Michigan is only #28. Yet is still the most imposing.
Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson are MEN.*
*They remind me of another Maize and Blue trio that made it to the Final Four, beating Vandy 87-85. I was at Memorial Coliseum for the ’65 regional. I remember when Cazzie Russell, Ollie Darden and Bill Buntin jogged out on the court, thinking I’d never seen such imposing players.
UConn has only the 30th tallest team, but to make this far, they throttled the second tallest in the land.
A gang now wandering somewhere along Highway 19, wondering how they lost their way.
— c d kaplan
