The Madness Makes You Say,Why Not?

How long can Xavier keep playing?

This NCAA tournament is the wild, wild west of sporting events, literally and otherwise. A tip of the compassion cap to Mick Cronin, whose busted-up UCLA team played with big heart Thursday night, in losing to fellow Left Coaster Gonzaga. Unfortunately, the Bruins went 11 minutes in the 2nd half without a basket. Which simply isn’t going to work against an offensive machine like the Zags and Mr. Zag himself, the altogether delightful Drew Timme.

Timme finished with 36 points and 13 rebounds, making it easy to overlook his free throw failures at winnin’ time.

(For what it's worth, here’s a long story, but well worth the time, if you have it. Timme is sort of the Big Lebowski of college basketball.)

Gonzaga was up 10 with a little more than 2 minutes to play. UCLA took the lead with 13 seconds left, then lost it on a 3-pointer that would have won one of those halftime fan contests.

Meantime, Florida Atlantic overwhelmed Tennessee, and Princeton plays tonight. Proving that if you’re in the mood for Anything Can Happen, the tournament is your favorite TV show.

Which prompts a question:

Can Xavier win it all?

The Musketeers might try reaching a Final Four to give that question a bit more heft. And yet. . .

They’ve made three Elite 8s, so the F4 is doable. A One Shining Moment moment?

Conventional Wisdoms suggests that the closer we get to the trophy, the more exclusive the party becomes. Upsets are wonderful, but after tonight, they’re rare. Even for big-time programs such as X.

That might be changing. FAU shredded Tennessee’s nation’s-best defense for 40 points in the 2nd half, making the win look easy. "We're going to keep moving, keep working. Can't count us out no more,’’ said guard Nicholas Boyd.

You could say we’ve seen similar earthquakes. Remember Loyola? George Mason? Butler, making back-to-back Final 4s?

Now is different. NIL and the portal have made our best sports shootout even better. A basketball team doesn’t need nine or 10 studs to be dynamic. Just one or two studs. Can Xavier do that? Xavier already has.

David West, James Posey, Trevon Blueitt, Jordan Crawford. Sean Miller behind the wheel. A big-time league, the backing of the university administration, fans and alumni. What’s missing?

One more star? Like, say, Zach Freemantle?

The Musketeers are playing Texas in the Sweet 16 tonight without their 2nd-leading scorer and rebounder. Jerome Hunter has been tremendous, but he doesn’t alter games the way Freemantle might have.

So, while we all ponder this brave new world of college basketball capitalism — and grouse about it more than a little — one of its most worthy effects could be the crack in the championship door it offers.

Suddenly, could Xavier win it all is not a silly question. Can’t count ‘em out no more.

Now, then. . .

UC’S SEASON IS DONE, and a fair case could be made that it was UC’s fault. I’m not talking about the team. Smarter minds surely can tell me why they scheduled a floor resurfacing in March, resulting in a flight to Orem, Utah, the other day, and a game in front of close to 6,000 rabid Utah Valley U. fans.

UVU actually looked better than most of the teams in the AAC and certainly better than the Bearcats, who rarely win when they miss 3s.

And once more, with feeling: We’re still hearing the myth that Wes Miller inherited a dumpster fire of a roster upon his arrival. And once more. . . no. He didn’t.

Brannen’s guys — DeJulius, Davenport, Adams-Woods and Lakhin — accounted for 58 percent of the team’s points this season and 67 percent of its assists.

David Dejulius. Not a dumpster fire.

DeJulius was not a dumpster fire. He was a senior leader, a three-year starter and arguably the team MVP. Lakhin gave the Bearcats an inside presence, such as it was. Adams-Woods and Davenport were useful players. They had their moments.

If Miller thought these guys were dumpster-combustible, why didn’t he bring in their replacements? Other than Nolley, obviously. Injuries? I’ll give you John Newman, the Clemson transfer whose time here was limited by hurts. You could not say for certain that any other player signed by Miller would have made a big difference in the “dumpster fire.’’

It’s OK if you want to give Miller credit for winning 23 games. But remember who he did it with.

ZEKE? Apparently Elliott, the former Cowboy, is pondering playing here. That’d be OK. I guess.

I mean, he has been in the league seven years and been a horse for much of that time. Lotta tread off those tires. Elliott’s a big guy who doesn’t mind contact. Those guys don’t normally last very long.

Elliott is nowhere near the freight train he once was. He lost his starting job last year, in a platoon situation with Tony Pollard, and had the lowest production numbers of his career. That said, he did score 12 TDs, three more than Mixon and Perine combined.

What say you, Mobsters?

AND NOW. . .Hey Michelle! brightens even the rainiest weekends.

Spring Portraits with live bunnies .. Liberty Center Now through April 8th so hop on over and get that photo shoot going! You can make a reservation 

Art After Dark: In Hi-Def ~ Fun at the Cincinnati Art Museum Friday 5-9pm. Performances from Elements, music, food, drinks and fun in the most beautiful setting. 

Butterflies of the Meadow ~ The Krohn Conservatory is once again hosting this beautiful show of blue morphos, monarchs and more March 25th- June 18th. 

HorrorHound Weekend ~ Sounds like Halloween just dove into March.. a weekend of horror and haunt at the Sharonville Convention Center.. costume contests, concerts, films and more. Fri 5-10, Sat 11-7 and Sun 11-5 

Get a belly laugh at Go Bananas ~ Blake Hammond is there all weekend in Montgomery after the show go to Belle & Bear and catch some live music and dance the night away. 

McGuffey Lane in concert ~ Friday 7pm at MegaCorp catch this American country rock band from Athens 

Queen City Artisan Festival ~ Washington Park Sat 12:30-4:30 local vendors and artists 

9 -5 the Musical ~ Taft Theater Sunday 1-4 … I mean, is there anyone who didn’t love this movie? 

New Edition With Keith Sweat, Guy, & Tank ~ at  Heritage Bank Center ~ Sunday March 26 , 7-11pm Lets Gooooo ! 

Drooling for a burger and an amazing martini? ~ Hit up Krueger’s Tavern in OTR.. recently reopened with great ambiance, amazing burgers, oysters, truffle chips and a martini served on a silver tray.. yep a perfect night or go for brunch. 1313 Vine St. 

Hey Michelle,

Do you want to know where to eat, drink and have fun in Cincinnati? Follow me @HeyMichelle1 on IG 
https://heymichelle-help.com

Imbiber Dave toddles to Chicago. . .

Was lucky enough to visit sweet home Chicago this week, and introduced some colleagues to a true institution.

A few of you long time readers may remember that my wife and I lived in Chicago back during our pre-kids era, so it still has a special place in our hearts.

It may sound silly, but we still appreciate the upgrade from ultra harsh winters to a two car garage here in Cincy. Many of the things that we miss most wouldn’t be practical to do with kids, so now it’s fun visit, and occasionally sneak in a work visit for good measure.

Onto the imbibing matter at hand, allow me to introduce Gibson’s steakhouse for your consideration. This place has a very Precinct meets The Boathouse vibe, and it’s packed seven days a week.

I love that they bring a cutting board loaded with turf and a little surf to your table and pick up their signature bone in rib-eye, using it like a meat pointer to all the other cuts. Chicago is famous for the garbage salad, essentially combining a chop and antipasto salad into one. The recipes online are pretty solid, you should check it out the next time you are grilling steaks.

While awaiting our steak, I enjoyed a nice Balvenie Doublewood scotch, and when that meat and way too many sides hit the table, the Stags Leap Petit Syrah proved to be the perfect partner for the meal.

Cheers!
cincybeerguydave@gmail.com

TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . Quite possibly the Worst TML Ever. I’ll try to redeem myself with a tune from Rod Stewart. He’s a Greatest Hits Guy for me, and even that’s a short list. This one’s at the top.

Better tomorrow, boys and girls. Oh, wait. Tomorrow’s Saturday. Never mind.