The NCAA still has some hoops to jump through, but the set up is a lot better than I expected. Now we wait for the lawsuits.
The good news is they are only applying the rules to the student athletes enrolling in this upcoming school year. 2026-27 and you’ve got five years to play five seasons. Thanks to Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger we get the details:
I’m sure we’ll see some lawsuits come of this, but I do think this is the best approach. Don’t let the past mistakes define the future, I think you should still allow for some waivers as I do think extenuating circumstances could be used to grant an additional year… but truthfully
I’m ready for these 6th, 7th, and 8th year players to just go away.
In other NCAA news, the Selection Committee for the Men’s Basketball approved an expansion going from 68 teams to 76 teams. SEVENTY SIX that means the at large pool will expand from 37 to 45 teams. Here are the 8 additional teams who would have made the NCAA tournament this year (using BartTorvik.com):
- Oklahoma
- Auburn
- San Diego State
- Baylor
- New Mexico
- Florida State
- Washington
- Boise State
This is very likely how the Selection Committee will approach it, when instead they could do something more creative and find a way to include more smaller schools. For example the Belmont Bruins, who won the regular season MVC title and finished 69th in KenPom and 26-6 overall. Maybe find a way to offer a reprieve to any team who finished inside of the top 125 of the NET and won their league outright but lost in the Conference Tournament. Or maybe you just include the top 12 or 15 leagues and give them a potential at-large over a crappy high major team with solid metrics. Winning should still matter, and rewarding quality leagues would also incentivize leagues to do what they can go maintain a quality throughout the entire conference.
I don’t know, I think most people are like me and enjoy having the smaller schools get represented. And sticking a bunch of them into Tuesday and Wednesday play-ins just feels short sighted.
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
- Mizzou Softball is fighting for their playoff lives and it’s not easy when you’re getting a visit from top 10 Tennessee. And things didn’t get off to a great start as they took an L in the opener:
The Lady Vols have proven all year that they are no easy task. For starters, No. 9 Tennessee’s three starting pitchers — Sage Mardjetko, Erin Nuwer and Pickens — rank in the top 11 in the country for earned run average. On the other side of the ball, the Lady Volunteers have six batters batting a .290 or better, a threshold that only three Mizzou batters hit. With wins needed for a chance at a playoff bid, Mizzou coach Larissa Anderson knew what she was coming into but she is more focused on taking things one pitch at a time.
There are two games left in the season, and you have to feel like if they can pull off a series win it would go a long way towards their playoff hopes. The ladies are .500 on the season, and 8-14 in league play. Just go win!
- Sophie is handling the Track & Field Preview as the Tigers head… ugh… west:
Missouri track & field is set for a heated showdown as it heads to Lawrence to face rival Kansas at the Rock Chalk Classic on Saturday and Sunday, May 1–2. The Tigers haven’t competed at this meet since 2023, and they return with plenty of unfinished business.
It’s a Friday / Saturday event, so once it wraps we’ll have full coverage.
Mizzou is still alive in the transfer portal, despite the lack of breaking news. You can get the latest details on where things stand here on the Forums.
Rock M Radio: New BTBS comin’
Dive Cuts was off this week and BTBS is in the can and should be publishing soon.
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