Vanderbilt Baseball took two out of three from Florida last weekend. We got some stellar pitching from Bryce Cunningham Thursday and Carter Holton on Friday. We smacked four home runs Thursday, and lost a tough one Saturday when Florida Coach Kevin O'Sullivan protested that our pitcher, JD Thompson, was using a foreign substance on his arm. JD was ejected, unbelievably, and we lost in shocking fashion. Hope to see Florida and O'Sullivan again in the SEC Tournament. JD disposed of them in the semifinals last season on our way to the SEC Championship.
We've got UT Martin today at 6 PM at the Hawk and Mississippi State Friday through Sunday at home. Friday Night's game versus State is at 6 CT, Saturday is 2 PM CT., and Sunday is 1 PM CT. All games will be broadcast by SEC Network+.
Need a good week. Playing pretty solid baseball. Just need to keep progressing forward. We're now 29-11 overall and 10-8 in the SEC. We're third in the eastern division behind Kentucky (15-3, 32-7) and Tennessee (12-6, 33-7). Georgia is 9-9 and 29-10 overall. In the west, Arkansas leads at 14-4, 34-6 overall. A&M is 13-5 and 35-5 and State is 10-8 and 26-14. We are ranked No.11 in the D-1 Baseball.com Rankings. A&M is still No.1, Arkansas is No.2, UT is No.3, and Kentucky is No.4. Wow, what a conference. Clemson is No.5, and Duke is No.6. Alabama is No.23 and South Carolina is No.24. Our remaining SEC series after State are @Georgia Friday, 5/3-Sunday, 5/5, vs. Tennessee, Friday, 5/10-Sunday, 5/12, and @Kentucky, Thursday, 5/16-Saturday, 5/18. We'll play Louisville in our rivalry game with them on Tuesday, 5/7, at the Hawk. Will have those times and TV coming up in a later column.
The SEC Tournament commences Tuesday, May 21st with the top 12 teams competing for the SEC Tournament Championship, which will transpire on Sunday, May 26th at 2 PM CT at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama on ESPN2. The top 12 out of 14 teams compete in the SEC Tournament as always.
Vanderbilt Men's Golf plays in the SEC Championships in Sea Island starting Wednesday with the Championship Match set for Sunday, April 28th. Gordon Sargent is coming back for his senior season, which shows an amazing amount of maturity and integrity. Love what GS can do in this postseason along with fellow junior Jackson Van Paris, senior Cole Sherwood, graduate Matthew Riedel and graduate William Moll. Gordon wrote a column in Golf Digest where he explained he wanted to compete with his teammates this season and next season and try to win championships, improve as a player for the next level and get a degree. I hear ya, Gordo. I know he gets some NIL funds, but just a really mature decision.
Wednesday through Friday are three days of stroke play with 18 hole rounds each day. The top eight scoring teams from the 14 team field will qualify for the Match Play beginning Saturday.
The quarterfinals will commence on Saturday morning and the semis will take place Saturday afternoon at 2 with SEC Network+ broadcasting. The SEC Network will televise the Championship match on Sunday starting at 7 AM CT.
So, huge week for the team as "Championship Season" begins. Will keep you informed on our guys' progress. Auburn is ranked No.1 in the Scoreboard Men's National Golf Rankings and we're No.2.
Football concluded spring drills and had a really nice scrimmage on Saturday. The offense did well as quarterback Nate Johnson did a nice job leading the offense. Nate, Diego Pavia, who's coming in June, Drew Dickey and Blaze Berlowitz will be competing for the QB 1 job in August. Johnson transferred from Utah and Pavia and Berlowitz have come from New Mexico State. Dickey has been on the team since his freshman year. The defense has looked stellar. The secondary could be superb, and I like our linebackers and our guys up front.
The O line has played through some injuries this spring, but there will be key guys coming back and we just added a couple of 300+ pounders in the transfer portal last Friday. Will try to get maybe a couple of more linemen, and a few more wide receivers in the portal from the intel I'm gathering.
Quincy Skinner has looked spectacular at wide receiver and Cole Spence, back from injury, and Kam Johnson are looking stellar at tight end. Like what Sed Alexander, AJ Newberry and Diego Benson can do for us running the ball. One player that has stood out, particularly on defense, is inside linebacker Prince Kollie. Listened to interviews with Prince, Nate and fellow inside linebacker Langston Patterson and they all sounded super and pumped. Those will be three key players for us this season. I'm not counting out Pavia, Dickey or Berlowitz at QB though.
Also, love what CJ Taylor can do on the edge rushing the passer and wreaking havoc. CJ forces and recovers fumbles. He's a game changer. Really looking forward to seeing what sophomore corner Martel Hight can do this season. He's aiming for a terrific year. And our high four star freshman, Dontae Carter, is turning heads at safety. Our secondary is stacked with game changers.
Love what Clark can do with the defense and the team, and what offensive coordinator Tim Beck, who came over from New Mexico State where he had major success, can do with that side of the ball.
VA Tech game 1 Saturday, August 31st @ FirstBank Stadium in Vegas. That's Nashvegas, the real Veg
The National Basketball Association and Stanley Cup Playoffs Predictions
The National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League have already commenced their respective playoffs as NBA and NHL teams compete for the Larry O’Brien and Lord Stanley Cup Trophies, respectively.
Can Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets repeat and capture the Larry O’Brien Trophy as the world champion in the NBA once again? Can the Vegas Golden Knights repeat in the NHL as the Stanley Cup Champions? Here’s a look at both postseasons and White’s World’s predictions for which teams I like to hoist their respective trophies in June.
NBA Playoffs
There has already been some terrific action. Last night the New York “Knickerbockers” as an announcer called them, first time I’ve heard of that nickname in a while, came back from 6 points down to the Philly 76ers in the final minute to win by three, 104-101, fueled by a trifectas from Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, who were both key parts of the Villanova National Championship teams in 2016 and 2018. Jay Wright had some superb teams in Philly. It was a spectacle last night as the great Joel Embid (Kansas) scored 34 and pulled down 10 rebounds on a bad wheel, and Tyrese Maxey, from (where else?) Kentucky, poured in 35 and added 9 boards. Quite a contest.
So what about moving forward. Which teams will advance and which team will ultimately capture the O’Brien Trophy.
TV
ESPN, ABC, TNT and NBA TV are covering all the action.
ABC will carry the Finals.
Finals
Game 1, Thursday, June 6th
Game 2, Sunday, 6/9
Game 3, Wednesday, 6/12
Game 4, Friday, 6/14
Game 5, if necessary, Monday, June 17th
Game 6, if necessary, Thursday, June 20th
Game 7, if necessary, Sunday, June 23rd.
Game times are 7:30 PM CT all days except Sundays, which will tip at 7 PM CT.
Predictions
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Boston Celtics over Cleveland Cavaliers in 5
Knicks over Milwaukee Bucks in 6
Eastern Conference Finals
Celtics over Knicks in 7
Western Conference Semis
Oklahoma City Thunder over Dallas Mavericks in 7
Denver Nuggets over Minnesota Timberwolves in 6
Conference Finals
Nuggets over OKC in 7
NIkola Jokic just gets over the top over the great 7’1” Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) and another MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder. (SGA is from Kentucky).The third MVP candidate is Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks). The Most Valuable Player Award winner will be announced later this week. Jokic is a two time Most Valuable Player from the 2021 and 2022 seasons, and could very well win it again this year. Joel Embid won it in 2023.Holmgren is a future MVP as is SGA. SGA might win it this year. Should be a classic.
NBA Championship
Celtics vs. Nuggets
It’s hard to go against the basketball “Joker,” Jamal Murray (Kentucky) and the Nuggets, but I like the Celtics with their greats’ Jayson Tatum (26.9 ppg, 8.1 boards, 4.9 assists reg season, Duke), Jaylen Brown (23 ppg, 5.5 boards, 3.6 assists Cal-Berkeley) and Kristaps Porzingis (20.1, 7.2 boards, no college, Euro from Latvia) to help raise the banner in TD Garden for the first time since 2008 when Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy home to Boston.
I also like their great veteran, Al Horford, at 37 years old to secure his first championship ring in his illustrious career in the NBA. He was a national champion at Florida in 2006 and 2007 under Billy Donovan, and has been a stellar player and person in the National Basketball Association throughout his career. Brad Stevens, of Butler University fame, where he took the Bulldogs to the national championship games in 2010 and 2011 against Duke and UConn respectively, which was quite a feat even though his teams fell just short, is the Celtics president and has done a phenomenal job building and developing the roster. Tatum has been a Celtic for 7 years and Brown for 8 years and they’ve been heartbroken along with all the Celtics fans for the last several years, barely coming up short. Will they get over the top this time. That is the $64,000 question.
The Celtics have captured 17 NBA Championships in their remarkable history and second year coach Joe Mazzulla, Tatum and Brown clear that very high hurdle and capture banner number 18 for the C’s over Joker, Murray and the Nuggets. It won’t be easy, however. The Nuggets will not go down without an intense fight.
Celtics over the Nuggets in 7
Finals MVP: Jayson Tatum
Stanley Cup Predictions
These teams are prolific in the National Hockey League Playoffs and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are as stellar as it gets. Who will capture Lord Stanley’s Cup? Lord Stanley was the Governor of Canada and donated the award to the top ranking amateur ice hockey club in Canada. It became the trophy for the NHL in 1910, the oldest trophy in professional sports.
TV: ESPN, ESPN 2, TNT televises the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
ABC will televise the Stanley Cup Finals. All times 7 PM CT
Game 1, Saturday, June 8th
Game 2, Monday, June 10th
Game 3, Thursday, June 13th
Game 4, Saturday, June 15th
Game 5, if necessary, Tuesday, June 18th
Game 6, if necessary, Friday June 21st
Game 7, if necessary, Monday June 24th.
Eastern Conference Semifinals
Florida Panthers over Toronto Maple Leafs in 7
New York Rangers over Carolina Hurricanes in 7
Both series will be all out wars.
Eastern Conference Finals
New York Rangers versus Florida Panthers
In another classic series, give me the President’s Trophy winner (best record in the regular season). Home ice advantage is the differnece.
Rangers over Panthers in 7
Western Conference Semis
Edmonton Oilers over Vancouver Canucks in 6
Dallas Stars over Winnipeg Jets in 7
Conference Finals
Oilers over Stars in 7
Stanley Cup Finals
Rangers versus Oilers
Twenty seven year old Connor McDavid finished with 132 points individually this season (goals and assists combined points) and led the league with 100 assists from his center position. But I think it’s the New Yawk Rangers' year. Thirty-two year old Artemi Panarin, from Korkine, Russia, not my favorite country, but it produces some tremendous hockey players, and the Rangers capture their first Cup since 1994 when the great Mark Messier played for that stellar team. Interestingly, the President’s Trophy winner, or the team with the best record in the regular season, has not won the Stanley Cup since the Chicago Blackhawks did it in 2012-13. I like Panarin, 31 year old Mika Zibanejad from Sweden, and 32 year old Chris Kreider from Boxford, Mass. to lead their team to the championship. Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers’ 28 year old goalkeeper from Moscow?, gets the job done tending the net.
Rangers over Oilers in 6, Home ice prevails again
Conn Smythe Trophy Winner. Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
Artemi Panarin
Vanderbilt Baseball, Men's Golf, Football, Men's Basketball Cookin'
The Vanderbilt Baseball team won two of three @ LSU last weekend with freshmen Jayden Davis and Braden Holcomb having major weekends at the plate. Jayden was named SEC player of the week for his prolific hitting last weekend. Braden cranked two long ones Saturday and Carter Holton was exceptional on the hill. Will have more stats coming up after this weekend. We run-ruled MTSU on Tuesday, 14-1.
Our No.7 team now heads to College Station to square off with the third ranked Texas A&M Aggies (Both rankings are D1 Baseball.com rankings).
We are now 26-7 and 8-4 in the SEC in second place in the SEC East behind Kentucky, which is 11-1 in the conference and 27-5 overall. Kentucky is ranked 8th by D-1. We face them in May in the last series of the season @ Lexington.
A&M is 29-4 overall and 8-4 in the conference, behind No.1 ranked (nationally) Arkansas in the west. The Razorbacks are 11-1 in conference and 29-3 overall. We do not play Arkansas in the regular season.
Loved what we got from our team after a tough game Friday Night with 8-6 and 13-3 victories on Friday and Saturday, games 2 and 3, respectively.
This Friday's game commences at 6 PM CT on SEC Network+, Saturday's game is at 7:30 PM CT on the SEC Network and Sunday's game begins at 1 PM CT on SEC Network+.
The way the rotation has worked out with these Thursday games, Holton has been moved to Saturdays and Sundays, game 3 games. I loved what I saw out of freshman Ethan McElvain last Friday Night. Ethan is a complete stud hitting mid 90's with great off speed stuff. Would love to see him pitch Saturday if Corbs and Brownie choose to go that route. With Ethan and the great Holton, that's stellar weekend pitching. But we'll need a third guy to step up. We still have Greyson Carter and Bryce Cunningham as potential starters Friday and Saturday, but both struggled last weekend in Baton Rouge, so there could be some shakeup. Like both pitchers a lot, they've both been excellent a lot of the season, so fine with them starting. But would personally love to see Ethan get a shot. Will let you know if there is any announcement on our weekend starters. Coach Corbin likes to keep that confidential, so we'll probably have to wait till Friday and Saturday Nights to find out. Will keep you apprised through the weekend. Huge series for our team.
Loved what we did last weekend at Baton Rouge after a tough Thursday Night. We've got our momentum back. Love the competitive spirit of this team.
Our Vanderbilt Men's Golf team won the Mason Rudolph Championship played at our home course the Vanderbilt Legends Club South Course in Franklin last weekend. That was our fifth straight victory in the tournament.
The great Gordon Sargent came back with a vengeance and was special winning top individual honors. Gordon was named SEC Golfer of the week for his effort. Everybody played well. Jackson Van Paris, Cole Sherwood, Matthew Riedel and William Moll all contributed heavily in our victory. So, great stuff from Coach Limbaugh and the guys.
Next up for our No.3 Dores are the SEC Championships Wednesday, April 24th through Sunday April 28th at the Sea Island Golf Club Seaside Course in St. Simon's Island, GA.
The first three rounds will be stroke play with the top eight scoring stroke play teams competing in Match Play Saturday and Sunday. Saturday will feature the quarter and semifinals and the Championship match will take place on Sunday. The SEC Network will televise the championship match Sunday. Will keep you posted for sure on our guys.
Clark got another key commitment this week when when 5.7, 3-star (Rivals, highest three-star ranking) Austin Howard committed. Austin is a 6'3", 225 pound linebacker. Clark will use him both inside and outside. Austin is from Bartlett, TN. in the western part of the state, 10 miles from Memphis. He joined 5.7, 3 star safety Carson Lawrence, who is from McCallie School in Chattanooga. Carson is 6'2", 185. Both players are all over the field, they're hitters and Carson posted 4 ints last season. Austin was active piling up the sacks and TFLs. Like what we have in those two guys. Good start to the 2025 class.
Our team is in the middle of spring drills and I really like quarterbacks Nate Johnson and Diego Pavia. Nate is practicing and showed a lot of talent at Utah the past two seasons. He'll be good for us. Diego, from New Mexico State, will join us this summer, and he was awesome in dominating Auburn last season @Auburn. New Mexico State transfer quarterback Blaze Berlowitz, along with Pavia, is making some nice throws in the spring and possesses a cannon for an arm. Drew Dickey, a rising junior, who has shown a lot of loyalty to the program when others have transferred, definitely deserves a shot. So, I like our QB situation.
O line is still working towards getting their chemistry down, but there's great size and strength, just need some more development, which is what spring and summer are for. And I like our skill players and our defense. I think we're going to have a strong D with CJ Taylor and company doin' some serious work on Saturdays.
Game 1 at First Bank Stadium in Nashvegas, the renovated First Bank Stadium, is Virginia Tech on Saturday, August 31st. No time has been announced yet. Will keep you posted on that. Can't wait to see what team 4 under Clark looks like.
Coach Mark Byington has added two transfers with former James Madison 6'8" power forward Jaylen Carey and Virginia Tech 6'7" wing Tyler Nickel joining the fold. Like what I'm seeing and reading about both guys.
We have some guys in the portal, including T Lawrence, Colin Smith, Paul Lewis, Jason Rivera-Torres and Carter Lang, but they are all considering their options and could return. All of them except for Lee Dort, who has transferred to Cal-Berkley.
So Coach Byington wants to keep those guys along with Isaiah West, who has massive potential, "JQ" Roberts, Malik Presley, two players who I'm real high on who really came on at the end of the season, Jordan Williams and the great Ven-Allen Lubin. We also signed three freshmen: 6'2", 180 point guard Karris Bilal from Atlanta, 6'0, 160 point guard Tyler Tanner from Brentwood, TN. and 6'11", 210 center Jamie Vinson from Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, a very fine program traditionally in the country.
I think one of Coach Byington's major strengths is development of his roster. I'm excited to see what he does with this coming year's group. Think we've got a shot to be playing significant games next March. Love our new coach.
Will check back soon. Have an awesome weekend and Anchor Down.
Final comments on the NCAA Tournament; Prediction for the 88th Masters
Danny Hurley and UConn were an unstoppable force this season and in the NCAA Tournament. Just wasn’t even a contest. They were a Phenom. The big news on Monday that preempted the Championship game John Calipari heading to Arkansas. He signed the contract today and will make plenty of money for the rest of his life. Now we’ll see if he can coach at another place that has great basketball resources, and is close to, but is not Kentucky.
Meanwhile, Kentucky looks for its next coach. Brownie and Derrick were going with Scott Drew of Baylor and he is the odds on favorite. I agree with them. But don’t count out Billy Donovan just yet. He’s the best available now that Hurley is committed to UConn. The question is now: can anybody keep up with the Huskies? Duke is ranked No.1 in the ESPN very early poll for 2024-25 season. Gonzaga is second, Kansas is third and UConn is fourth. If Hurley reloads again, which he will do, he and his team will be cutting down the nets at the Alamodome in San Antone in April, 2025.
What a spectacle the tournament was. The Crimson Tide had an awesome run and I know the Auburn Tiger faithful were disappointed with their result. Bucky McMillan and Andy Kennedy set their programs up for future unlimited potential with their performances this season at Samford and UAB respectively. Next season with the Big Four each reloading, basketball will be a spectacular in this state.
My final ESPN bracket finished at 86.7%. I was ranked 3,562,874 out of approximately 20 Mil entrants. So pretty decent. Had UConn defeating N.C, State in the championship game, so came up a little short there.
In my Sweet 16 to Championship game predictions, I went 11-4 straight up and 11-4 against the spread,
With that said, it’s onto the 88th Masters.
The Masters
Augusta National Golf Club, 7,555 yards, Par 72.
Defending champion: Jon Rahm. Back from the LIV Tour to defend his title.
Rahm shot 12 under par last year and won by 4 shots over FIGJAM, Koepka, and five over Spieth, Patrick Reed (what a guy), and Russell Henley. Cam Young and Hovland finished tied for 7th at six under.
It’ll be interesting again to see how the LIV players fare. Rahm is trying to make that Tour more competitive asking the Saudis to make it a 72 hole format. I think the guy wants back on the PGA Tour. He’s been talking about a merger lately. I’ve come around. I want the LIV guys back. It’s just better for the game. They should face some penalties for defecting because the guys who stuck around should be rewarded. Maybe they need to earn their way into the Signature Events by FedEx Cup Points if there is a unification of the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour. They shouldn’t be allowed to come back without any consequences for leaving.
Anyway, as for this electric Major, where the Back Nine on Sunday is beyond prolific, contenders abound. Here are odds for the 88th edition.
Scottie Scheffler: 4/1. No reason why the 2022 champion can’t repeat. He won the Arnie and the Players back to back. Wow. His putter is the key.
Rory, 10/1. Will he ever complete the career Grand Slam? That’s a question that will loom over him until he wins at Augusta National. He’s got more time, but it’s getting kind of questionable.
Rahm, 11/1. Of course he’ll be a factor this week. He always is.
Xander Schauffele: 14/1. I’m not positive he can get it done at Augusta National. Maybe he’ll surprise.
Koepka: 20/1. Always possible with him. The talent is enoromous.
HIdeki Matsuyama: 20/1. Donned a Green Jacket in 2021. Highly capable.
Jordan Spieth: 22/1. Capable, but I’m not seeing it. He’s got a wrist issue, and he’s loses his composure so easily. Got to be composed out there.
Joaquin Niemann: 28/1. The Chilean is a real factor this week in my opinion. Been doing well on LIV.
Ludvig Aberg: 33/1. Good player, having a good year, but don’t see it yet.
DeChambeau: 35/1. Not seeing this at all. Too much of a head case.
Matt Fitzpatrick: 35/1. Possible. If you’ve won a U.S. Open, you’ve got a shot anywhere. DeChambeau did too in 2020, but I’m liking Fitzpatrick more. Fitz won the Open in 2022 at The Country Club of Brookline just outside of Boston.
Viktor Hovland: 35/1. Ready to win a major. Could happen at Augusta National this week.
Tony Finau: 40/1. If he’s putting well, he definitely has a shot. Awesome ball striker.
Wyndham Clark: 40/1. Another U.S, Open champion from last year at Los Angeles CC, who is certainly in the mix.
Others:
Tommy Fleetwood, 45/1. Theo’s favorite.
Cam Young, Sahith Theegala, Cam Smith, JT, 50/1.
Shane Lowry, 55/1.
Russell Henley, 60/1.
Si Woo Kim, 65/1.
Max Homa, Brian Harmon (Open Champion in 2023), 75/1.
Reed, Jason Day, Sam Burns, 80/1.
Weather:
Thursday: 79, 99% chance of T-storms in the AM, turning to partly cloudy in aft. Wind S 17.
Friday: 73, Sunny, wind W 17.
Saturday: Sunny, Wind WNW 9.
Sunday: Sunny. 85, Woind WSW 8.
There will most likely be a delay Thursday, but after the AM, the weather should be excellent. The wind will wreak havoc Thursday, and Friday is no walk in the park, but Saturday and Sunday are more typical though No.12 is always gut wrenching on Sunday afternoon. Par 3 over water with the wind in your face. Play hard.
No.2, the par 5, has been lengthened 20 yards to 585 yards,. What can be an eagle opportunity, may just be a birdie hole.
Of course, as we all know, the backside on Sunday is an epic. Actually, all 18 are spectacular on Sunday. Can’t wait for that. Thursday-Saturday is pretty strong as well.
TV
Thursday-Friday: 2-6:30 PM CT, ESPN
Saturday: 2-6 PM CT, CBS
Sunday: 1-6 PM CT, CBS.
You can also get more coverage on the ESPN App at much earlier times.
Predictions
Winner
It’s hard to go against Scheffler, really hard, and Rahm, but I’m going to give it a shot. Give me the 32 year old from Matsuyama Ehime, Japan. Pretty cool to seemingly have a town named after your family. But it’s actually named after the Iyo-Matsuyama Domain. Some sort of warrior clan back in the day in Japan. Like the 1600’s days.
He’s won 9 times on tour and is the 2021 Masters champion. He recently won the Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, CA. back in mid-February. I love his ball striking and he’s a fierce competitor. I like him to step up his putting this week and for him to throw on another Green Jacket on Sunday.
Hideki Matsyama
Sleeper:
Give me the 34 year old from Macon, Georgia, by way of the University of Georgia, to have a good shot this week and be right there on Sunday in hopes of throwing on his own Green Jacket.
Russell Henley
Calipari to Arkansas? Really? Pearl to Kentucky? National Championship Prediction
John Calipari is finalizing the deal to become the head coach at Arkansas. He is set to be Arkansas head coach. That’s a sure thing.
I have some questions about that. The guy has recruited stellar five-star talent to Lexington every year he’s been there, no doubt. But it’s what he does with the talent once it gets there that I question. The results have not been there. Five star after five star, you look at the NBA and it might as well be called the Kentucky Invitational with Anthony Davis at the LA Lakers, Karl-Anthony Towns at the Minnesota T-Wolves, Jamal Murray at Denver, Devin Booker at Phoenix, Tyler Herro and Bam Adabayo at the Heat. The list goes on and on. Yet, there is only one national championship banner at Rupp in the 15 seasons Calipari has been there. And talk about underachieving with this talent lately. In 2020-21, the Wildcats went 9-16 and 8-9 in the SEC. In ‘21-’22, they were 26-8, but lost in the first round to Saint Peter’s? Saint Peter’s? You gotta be kidding me. In ‘22-’23, they went 22-12 and lost in the round of 32 to Kansas State. Then this past season, they finished 23-10, 13-5 in the SEC, but lost in the first round to Oakland? Oakland? Again, are you kiddin’ me? So the guy is overrated for sure. Arkansas is a better fit for him because the pressure isn’t as intense as the rabid intensity at Kentucky. But he’ll be expected to win and Arkansas does take basketball seriously and has had a lot of success through the years. Eric Mussleman, their most recent coach, took the USC job after having a pretty weak season this year (16-17, 6-12 SEC), but had taken the Razorbacks to two Elite Eights prior to this season. The guy is out of control though in my opinion, so I bet Arkansas said good riddance to Musselman. We’ll see how Calipari fares at a place you can win big at. Nolan Richardson won a national championship in 1994 there, and they’ve had a lot of good teams through the years. There is good tradition, so there will be high expectations for Calipari. We’ll see if he can deliver. He can recruit, but his development of his talent and his on floor coaching is highly suspect.
And there are “rumors” that Bruce Pearl is a candidate for the Kentucky job. Another coach that can recruit, but is too out of control on the court and gets his players flustered. Pearl is coming off a first round loss to Yale? in the NCAA Tournament. Yale? I know that a lot of Auburn fans are not happy with that, and not happy with him. He’s a recruiter, so maybe it would work at Kentucky. He’s obnoxious, and they like that too in Lexington. The guy whom I think should get the job is Danny Hurley, if he wants it. He’s in line to repeat as a national championship coach at Connecticut. He’s what Kentucky likes. He’s brash, cocky and arrogant, all the qualities Kentucky fans like. And he’s a heckuva coach to boot.
He “checks the boxes.” The question is, does Hurley want the job? He’s got a great situation at UConn, but he may want to try it somewhere else. He’s quite a coach and would work well for the rabid, obnoxious Kentucky fan base. I’ve been to several Kentucky-Vanderbilt basketball games and it’s not a safe place to be even in Nashville. I’ve come close to blows with a couple of their fans. Not my favorite group of people.
So it’ll be interesting to see what transpires at Kentucky. The pressure will be ratcheted up for whomever the coach is. I like them to go after Dan Hurley, if he wants it.
National Championship Game Prediction
No.1 Purdue (Midwest, 34-4) vs. No.1 UConn (East, 36-3)
State Farm Stadium, Phoenix, 70,000
8:20 PM CT
TBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Tracy (will need a step ladder to talk to Edey or Clingan), Gene (Rules)
Huskies by 6 1/2
How do you deny 7’2”, 280 pound Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and the Huskies? Zach Edey is a load for Purdue at 7’4”, 300 pounds and the Boilers can stroke if from trifecta, But UConn has the 9th ranked scoring defense in the country allowing 63.3 points per game. Purdue is 81st at 68.8.
The Crimson Tide gave the Huskies their toughest game of the tournament and were in it for a long time until the Huskies did what they always do: they completely went off for a minute and a half. They’re explosive as Derrick Henry through the middle of a defensive line. . I like Clingan as much as Edey. In fact, I think he’s better. Give me the Huskies to go back to back for the first time since Billy Donovan’s Florida Gators did it in 2006 and 2007.
Connecticut 70, Purdue 60
Final Four Predictions
The great Mark Sears and the Crimson Tide have put on shooting spectacle in this NCAA Tournament. So have the N.C. State Wolfpack and DJ Burns Jr. Can those two decided underdogs slay their respective Goliath opponents in Connecticut and Purdue? It’ll take great effort on defense and rebounding from both teams and a lot of shot-making, particularly from behind the arc for the Crimson Tide. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is expected to play for the Tide, so that should help their cause. But can anybody defeat this dominant Huskies team led by their 7’2”, 280 sophomore pound center Donovan Clingan? It’s tough.
Here are a couple of brief previews of the games along with predictions for Saturday’s Final Four contests at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix.
Sweet 16/Elite 8 record
SU: 9-3
ATS: 10-2
Game 1
No.11 N.C. State (26-14, South Region) vs. No.1 Purdue (33-4, Midwest Region)
State Farm Stadium, 63,400
5:09 PM CT
TBS
Ian Eagle (Bird), Raft, Grant, Tracy, Gene Steratore (Rules analyst)
Boilers by 8 1/2
Burns Jr. has been phenomenal for the Wolfpack at 6’9”, 285. But he’ll face his stiffest test yet in 7’4”, 300 pound Purdue center Zach Edey. Edey has a very good shot at winning his second Wooden Award in a row as the best player in college basketball, and appears unstoppable. But the Pack has more than Burns underneath. Six foot 10, 215 pound power forward Mohamed Diarra and 6’10”, 240 power forward Ben Middlebrooks also supply a lot of muscle underneath. I like the Wolfpack’s guards a little better than Purdue’s. Give me the upset here.
N.C. State 78, Purdue 76
Game 2
No.4 Alabama (25-11, West) vs. No.1 UConn (35-3, East)
State Farm Stadium
7:49 PM CT
TBS
Same crew as above
Huskies by 11 1/2
Can the Crimson Tide keep it close and maybe have a shot to shock the Huskies and the college basketball world at the end? It’ll be hard. It’s like Ole Miss playing Alabama in football. They’ll have to play the perfect game. The Tide certainly has the shooters to stay in it with Sears, Rylan Griffen, the emerging freshman Jarin Stevenson, Aaron Estrada, particularly from mid range with him and his occasional threes, Grant Nelson and Wrightsell Jr., if he’s healthy. But can the Tide shoot well enough from 3 and get Clingan in foul trouble. Nick Pringle and Nelson will really have to be as physical as possible with Clingan on defense and hit the boards. Pringle will be crucial on defense and rebounding.I like the Crimson Tide to keep it close, but for the Huskies to prevail in the end. The Tide has a shot at pulling it off, and, regardless, what a season it’s been for Nate Oats and his team.
Huskies 86, Tide 82
Elite 8 Predictions
The NCAA Tournament “matriculates” into the Elite 8 today and Sunday. The No.4 seeded Crimson Tide put on a phenomenal showing Thursday Night at Crypto.com Arena in L.A. defeating the No.1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels in the West Regional, 89-87. Grant Nelson finished with a double-double with 24 points and 12 boards in a terrific performance on both ends of the floor. Nelson shut down North Carolina center Armando Bacot on defense in the second half. Rylan Griffen, who was draining trifectas, going 5 for 8 on the night, finished with 19 points along with his teammate, Aaron Estrada. Mark Sears, who’s been stellar throughout the tournament, added 18. The next step in reaching the Final Four is squaring off with the Clemson Tigers. Prediction below.
The No.2 seeded Tennessee Vols also made the SEC look good with an 82-75 victory over No.4 seeded Creighton in the Midwest Regional in Detroit.
Here’s a look at today and Sunday’s action along with predictions for which teams White’s World
Sports Confidential likes to advance to State Farm Arena in Phoenix next Saturday for the Final Four.
Sweet 16 results
SU: 5-3
ATS: 6-2
Today
East Region
No. 3 Illinois (29-8) vs. No.1 UConn (34-3)
TD Garden, Boston
5:09 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Andy Katz
Huskies by 8 1/2
UConn looks unstoppable right now, but you never know. The Illini is a very good team with dynamic offense and pretty good D. But gotta go with UConn. They’re a machine right now. Not saying they’ve got the national championship in the bag because they don’t. I just like’em today.
Huskies 80, Illinois 70
West Region
No.6 Clemson (24-11) vs. No.4 Alabama (24-11)
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
7:49 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
Bama by 3 1/2
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Nick Pringle are game time decisions for the Tide today, but I would think Pringle would play, and I know the Tide’s hoping they’re excellent shooting guard will join him. The Crimson Tide has found lightning in a bottle in the NCAA Tournament and their victory over the Tar Heels Thursday Night was a stellar performance by the entire team. Grant Nelson took over in the second half and Rylan Griffen was on the money from three. The Tide lost to Clemson in Tuscaloosa back in late November at the ACC/SEC Challenge, 85-77, but they’re a different team this NCAA postseason. They’re hot, and that can take you a very long way in March.
Alabama 75, Clemson 71
Sunday
Midwest Region
No. 2 Tennessee (27-8) vs. No.1 Purdue (32-4)
Little Caesar’s Arena, the Motor City
1:20 PM CT
CBS
Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn
Purdue by 3 1/2
Tennessee is a highly talented and athletic team led by their great forward Dalton Knecht, who poured in 26 versus Creighton last night in an 82-75 Vols’victory. Point guard Zakai Zeigler is just as valuable to his team. He finished with 18 and 6 assists last night. But I’m going to take Purdue to take the next step and advance to Phoenix led by their seven foot, 260 pound big man Zach Edey, who averaged 24.6 points and 12 rebounds this year and will very likely be the Wooden Award winner for the best player in college basketball this season. That would be back to back for Edey. He finished with 27 and 14 last night in their 80-68 victory over Gonzaga.
Boilermakers 73, Vols 69
South Region
No.11 NC State (25-14) vs. No.4 Duke (27-8)
American Airlines Center, Big D
4:06 PM CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace
Duke by 6 1/2
I picked the Wolfpack to go to the championship game versus Connecticut in my bracket, and while that’s not set in stone as far as Connecticut and NC State go, I like the Pack here led by their all everything big man, DJ Burns Jr., who only finished with 4 points and 4 rebounds last night, but added 7 assists. The 6’9”, 275 pound senior has been a dominant player in March and is one of the best passing big men I’ve seen in a while in the college game He’s a strong scorer and rebounder as well They have other key assets as well. This would be their ninth victory in a row if they can outlast the Blue Devils. They split the season with Duke losing to the Blue Devils on Monday, March 4th @ Raleigh, 79-64, but then defeating Duke i in the second round of the ACC Tournament in D.C. 74-69, as part of their winning 5 in a row to capture the ACC Tournament Championship. Give me Burns Jr. and the Wolfpack. They just seem special to me like the Crimson Tide.
NC State 76, Duke 74
Sweet 16 Predictions; 2024 MLB Projections
The Sweet 16 tips off Thursday with the Crimson Tide and Tennessee Vols representing the SEC as teams compete to earn the right to play in the Final Four at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix on Saturday, April 6th. Game times on Saturday, 4/6 are at 5 and 7:30 PM CT. The Championship Game is Monday night, April 8th, at 8:20 PM CT. All 3 games will be broadcast by TBS.
State Farm Stadium holds 63,400 fans, and will be rocking. The pressure and electricity of the Sweet 16 will be ratcheted up for the players Thursday and Friday as they compete for the ultimate goal of making it to Phoenix and cutting down the nets on Monday Night, April 8th at approximately 10:30 CT.
Auburn and Kentucky took tough losses in the round of 64. John Calipari’s coaching acumen is being questioned after No.3 seed Kentucky lost to 14th seed Oakland in the South Regional. Calipari looks to still recruit the five star freshmen heavily, but add older transfers as well. I like 60-40 freshmen to transfers mix. You gotta like the 5 stars, but you also need veterans to go along with them. Calipari’s on floor coaching has always been a question mark for me.
Pearly had a tough ending as No. 14 Yale, like Oakland, couldn’t miss from trifecta in defeating the No.4 seeded Tigers. That seems to happen in the NCAA Tournament. Sometimes the Cinderella team doesn’t miss from 3 and they’re unbeatable. That’s what happened to the Tigers and Wildcats. Pearly is a yeller and screamer and sometimes you wonder if he overdoes it and makes his team tight in key moments. That’s something to examine more closely in 2025.
The Crimson Tide won a slugfest over Grand Canyon last Sunday Night, 72-61. The defense was outstanding, and Mark Sears was sensational. Sears poured in 26 as he was 8 of 18 from the field, 5-of-11 from trifecta, and 5 of 6 from the stripe. He also pulled down 12 boards and added six assists. What an effort. Latrell Wrightsell Jr. suffered a head injury in the game in the first half, but will be playing Thursday Night versus North Carolina. Sears will need to get more help from Aaron Estrada and Rylan Griffen as well. Both are capable. Nick Pringle will have to lock down on D like he did against Grand Canyon and Grant Nelson will need to be a factor. One guy who really gave the Crimson Tide a lift Sunday was freshman Mouhamed Dioubate. The 6’7”, 215 pound power forward scored 9 key points and pulled down 5 boards in a superb performance in 13 minutes of action versus the Lopes. He was the difference maker along with Sears, of course.
So there is some electric action forthcoming in the Sweet 16. Here are my predictions for the matchups.
Numbers in front of teams are seedings for the Region.
All times Central
Thursday, 3/28
West Region
No.6 Clemson (23-11) vs. No. 2 Arizona (27-8)
Cryto.com Arena, Los Angeles (formerly the Staples Center, 19,079)
6:09 PM
CBS
Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
Zona by 7 1/2
Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after the matchups had been announced on Selection Sunday that the ACC played a much tougher non-conference schedule than the Big 12 did even though the Big 12 got 8 teams in the tournament and the ACC got only 5 in. He pretty much said the Big 12 was overrated. Four teams from the ACC have advanced to the Sweet 16 while only two from the Big 12 have. Clemson defeated Baylor 72-64 last Sunday in the round of 32. So Coach Brownell has a strong argument. Arizona usually struggles by the Sweet 16, so I like Clemson to pull off the upset.
Clemson 70, ‘Zona 68
East Region
No. 5 San Diego State (26-10) vs. No. 1 UConn (33-3)
TD Garden, Boston, 19,580
6:39 PM
TBS/truTV. Channel 780 on Spectrum, 247 on DirecTV
Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Andy Katz
UConn by 11 1/2
The Huskies look as dominant as last year. I don’t know if they’re any better, but they’re just as good.
UConn 74, SDSU 61
West
No. 4 Alabama (23-11) vs. No.1 North Carolina (29-7)
Crypto, L.A.
8:39 PM
CBS
Anderson, Jackson, Allie
UNC by 4 1/2
North Carolina has the studs in guard RJ Davis (21.3 ppg), 6 ‘11”, 240 center Armando Bacot (14.4 10.2 rebounds), Harrison Ingram (12.2 ppg 39% trifecta), Cormac Ryan (11.3) among other stellar players. However, I do like the athletes for Alabama even more. This will be hard fought. I’ll take Chapel Hill, but I like the Crimson Tide to give the Tar Heels everything they want.
North Carolina 87, Alabama 84
East
No. 3 Illinois (28-8) vs. No.2 Iowa State (29-7)
TD Garden, Boston
9:09 PM
TBS/truTV
Harlan, Bonner, Van Gundy, Katz
Iowa State by 1 1/2
Vegas expects this to be a close one. I like the Illini to pull off the slight upset.
Illinois 64, Iowa State 60
Friday, 3/29
South Region
No.11 NC State (24-14) vs. No.2 Marquette (27-9)
American Airlines Center, Dallas, 20,000
6:09 PM
CBS
Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill, Trace Wolfson
Marquette by 6 1/2
I don’t like picking against one of my Final Four selections, so I’ll stick to my guns and take the Wolfpack.
NC State 75, Marquette 74
Midwest
No.5 Gonzaga (27-7) vs. No.1 Purdue (31-4)
Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, 20,491
6:39 PM
TBS/ truTV
Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn
Boilers by 5 1/2
The Zags are clutch, and Mark Few is one of the best coaches in college basketball, if not the best. Give me the Zags to upset the Boilermakers.
Gonzaga 80, Purdue 76
South
No. 4 Duke (26-8) vs. No.1 Houston (32-4)
Big D
8:39 PM
CBS
Eagle, Raft, Grant, Trace
Houston by 4 1/2
I don’t think any other team is playing as well as Duke is right now. Maybe Gonzaga. Give me the Blue Devils in the upset. Another ACC over Big 12 victory.
Duke 69, Houston 66
Midwest
No. 3 Creighton (25-9) vs. No.2 Tennessee (26-8)
Motor City
9:09 PM
TBS/truTV
Catalon, Lappas, Washburn
UT by 2 1/2
Give me the Bluejays from Warren Buffet country in Omaha in the slight upset over “Regular season” Rick and the Vols.
Creighton 67, Tennessee 64
2024 MLB Predictions
The changes that were implemented into Major League Baseball last season turned out to be a resounding success. The 20 second pitch clock, the removal of the defensive shift, the larger bases (though not sure about that) and the regulation of pickoff moves to two helped speed up the games to 2 to 2 1/2 hours, and led to better hitting and more stolen bases. It was a much more exciting season with the Texas Rangers capturing the World Series in 5 games over the Arizona DBacks.
My daughter, a native of Fort Worth, was ecstatic with the ultimate outcome. I was, too. The two of us and her boyfriend went to a Rangers-Mariners game at plush Globe Life Field last June and had a complete blast. The Rangers looked great that night in a 2-1 victory over the Mariners in a 2 hour 10 minute game that saw the stars, Marcus Semien, Corey Seagar and Jon Gray flash their brilliance. Really got into the guys from DFW after that. Going back to see Fairbanks and Hayden again in June and we have tickets to the Rangers/Giants.
After the Wild Card round, I picked the Rangers to defeat the Braves in the Fall Classic in 7 and for Seagar to be the MVP of the Series. They defeated the DBacks in 5 in the Series, but Seagar was the MVP. In my preseason picks, I projected the Braves over the Rays in 6.
Now it’s a new season and the Dodgers have loaded up spending $1.2 billion in free agent acquisitions. The great Shohei Ohtani has signed up with the Dodgers for the largest contract in sports history; 10 years, $700 million. The former LA Angel came up I-5 from Anaheim to Chavez Ravine where he will showcase his immense talent as a Dodger this season. Ohanti’s interpreter is accused of stealing millions from him to pay off gambling debts and to buy expnsive items, so there is pressure and controversy surrounding Ohtani, though I think he’s innocent of any wrongdoing. Seems like a good guy to me and an all world hitter and pitcher. He will not pitch this season as he’s recovering from an arm injury. But he will DH for the Dodgers. Then you have Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman hitting in front of him. That’s dynamic.
The Braves have another prolific lineup. One to nine, they look just as strong as the Dodgers, if not stronger. If their pitching can come through, they can win another World Championship; their third in franchise history along with the 1995 and 2021 titles. Ronald Acuna, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley among others are hitting machines/sluggers at the plate They remind me of the 1970’s with the Pirates featuring Stargell and the great Clemente and the Big Red Machine with Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench and George Foster. The Braves with Hammerin’ Hank and Rico Carty, “the Beeg Boy” were big time sluggers, too, in the ‘70’s.
So, here are my postseason predictions for MLB 2024 along with my World Series champion, and MVP’s and Cy Young’s.
American League
Divison winners
AL East- Baltimore Orioles, tragic what happened in Baltimore two nights ago on the Frances Scott Key Bridge.
AL Central- Minnesota Twins
AL West- Houston Astros
Wild Cards, 1. Rangers, 2. Rays, 3. Mariners.
AL Wild Card games, Best 2 out of 3
Mariners over Twins in 3
Rangers over Rays in 2
ALDS, best 3 out of 5
O’s over Mariners in 3
Rangers over Astros in 5
ALCS, Best 4 out of 7
Rangers over O’s in 7
Like the defending champs to make it back to the Fall Classic. Bruce Bochy is the best manager in baseball.
National League
Division Winners
NL East- Braves
NL Central- Cubs
NL West- Dodgers
Wild Cards, 1. Phillies, DBacks, 3. Giants
NL Wild Card Winners
Cubs over Giants in 3
Phillies over Dbacks in 3
NLDS
Braves over Cubs in 3
Dodgers over Phillies in 5
NLCS
Braves over Dodgers in 7, slight upset, but not really.
World Series
Braves over Rangers in 7. The defending champs don’t go down without a fight.
World Series Most Valuable Player- Matt Olson
NL MVP
Shohei Ohtani-gets through the controversy and excels.
NL Cy Young
Spencer Strider, Braves
AL MVP
Corey Seagar, Texas
AL Cy Young
Gerrit Cole, Yanks
Vanderbilt Men's Basketball hires Mark Byington of James Madison. Baseball needs a reset!
Vanderbilt University has hired former James Madison head coach Mark Byington as its new men’s head basketball coach. I like this hire a lot.
I've read where some are disappointed about this, but I'm elated.
Byington just went 32-4 at JMU this season and defeated Michigan State on the road the first game of the season and also defeated Wisconsin in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last Friday. His team got hammered by Duke yesterday in the second round, but they looked a little nervous having not been on this stage before. Duke played out of their minds as well and they're a terrific team already.
Byington is a 47 year old native of Salem, Virginia near Roanoke in southwestern Virginia. He coached Georgia Southern from 2014-2020 and his last 3 teams won 20 or more games. He didn't take those teams to the NCAA Tournament, but Georgia Southern wasn't exactly a basketball powerhouse to begin with. He took over at James Madison for the 2020-21 season and in four seasons compiled an 82-36 record, 70%. His team went 13-7 in a shortened 2020-21 season, 15-14 in ‘21-22, 22-11 and 12-6 in the Sun Belt which they transitioned to in ‘22-23, and this year achieved massive success.
This is a very positive hire by Candice. I appreciate her getting the right person for the program. That’s well done by our Athletics Director.
Bucky McMillan would have been a good hire, but he is only 40 and has only four years of experience as a college head coach. He would have been worth a shot, but I like Byington just as well, if not more.
Coach Byington will have to assemble a team after some defections from the program. Vandy Sports was reporting that he might be able to keep Tyrin Lawrence. Ezra Manjon is unfortunately out of eligibility. Colin Smith, Lee Dort and Paul Lewis are transferring. Smith is the biggest loss as Dort has legal issues and Lewis struggled this season as Ezra Manjon was tremendous and hard to get off the court.
He'll have to prove he can recruit in the SEC, so that'll be a challenge. But I believe in Coach Byington. He does well with the portal, and hoping he can bring in some stellar freshmen also. You still have to recruit talented young players who are solid people for the foundation of your program.He’ll need to hit the ground running to assemble a 2024-25 team. I’m looking forward to seeing his product next season. Like what he’s accomplished and what he can do in Memorial. The Collective is much better for recruiting and retaining players, and the new facilities are exceptional.
Byingron likes the athletic, uptempo style that gets after it on defense, which is what you want in this day and age of college basketball. I’m excited about Coach Byington and I like what we're getting.
Vandy Boys
Baseball needs to regroup for Valparaiso tomorrow, Tuesday, at 6 PM @ the Hawk and Thursday through Saturday at the Hawk vs Missouri. Game time Thursday is 6 PM on SEC Network+. Friday’s game is also at 6 PM and will be broadcast by SECN+. And Saturday’s game will commence at 1 PM on the SEC Network. Will try to get something out later this week. Took some major body blows at South Carolina, as we got swept, so we just need to put that behind us, as painful as it was, and improve this week and go undefeated starting tomorrow versus Valpo.
Vanderbilt Baseball sweeps Auburn, pitches and defends itself past Belmont, what's up next. Men's Golf with huge victory. Women's bball at NCAA's. Coaching search quick update. Football
Our No.3 Vanderbilt Baseball team (D1 Baseball.com rankings) completed a tremendous sweep of Auburn over the weekend at the Hawk, and last night got stellar pitching and defense in a 3-1 victory over Belmont at First Horizon Park in Nashville.
First to the Auburn series’ victories. Friday Night, our great junior Carter Holton went 7, gave up one earned run, 4 hits with a walk and 9 K’s in a spectacular performance as our Dores blasted the Tigers, 11-1. Freshman Brennan Seiber of Newport Beach, Cali, finished off the final 8th inning with 1 hit, 0 runs, and 1 walk. We run-ruled them in the 8th as we went up by 10 runs , 11-1 after 7, and if a team is up by 10 at that point, the game is over. Jayden Davis had a tremendous night going 4 for 5 with a triple and 2 Ribbies. Catcher Alan Epinal, maybe the leader of this team, but there are several, had two hits, and shortstop Jonathan Vastine hit a there run shot, his third of the season. We don’t hit a ton of home runs, but when you pound out 13 hits and score 11 runs, just enough home run hitting is enough. And we CAN hit it out of the yard. We seem to do so in the clutch, which is what you need. After the Belmont game last night, we are hitting .326 as a team and have posted a 3.85 ERA as a pitching staff. Our defense is fielding at a .982 clip, which is excellent. Coach Corbin calls it, “solid.” We are a complete team right now, but Corbs says we will not get complacent. He is not going to let that happen. I certainly believe our great coach and our stellar players also won’t allow that to happen. Want to be playing deep into June, so we’re going to have to battle every day in practice and in games. There are no let-ups in the SEC.
Saturday, our awesome first baseman RJ Austin, more on RJ in a second, was 3 for 4 with 3 Ribeyes including his second homer of the season; a leadoff shot to start the game. And the great Espinal was 4 for 4 with 4 RBIs. Davis was 2 for 5 with an RBI, and Calvin Hewitt and Vastine both had two hits and each drove in a run. We pounded out 17 hits on the day. Junior Bryce Cunningham went 5, gave up 4 hits, with 3 runs, only one of which was earned, 3 walks and 5 K’s. Miller Green, Alex Kranzler and Ryan Ginther finished it off.
Sunday, we won 9-6 pounding out 17 hits again. Vastine was 4 for 5 with 3 Ribeyes. Austin, Espinal, Troy LaNeve, who’s another leader on the team as a fifth year senior, and Davis, each had two hits. Devin Futrell got roghed around a little bit giving up 5 earned on 9 hits with a walk and 2 K’s, but I like having Devin on our team because he’s such an awesome competitor and a tremendous strike thrower. Love Futrell. Greyson Carter came in and hit 99 and 101 on the radar gun. Wow. Greyson went 3, gave up 3 hits, 1 earned with 0 walks and 4 K’s. Greyson was totally stellar. And Ginther came in for the 9th, gave up a walk but 0 runs and earned his third save. Feel good with Ginther as our closer. He’s got great stuff, and, like a lot of our guys, throws a lot of strikes.
Last night, freshman stud left hander Ethan McElvain started in place of JD Thompson, whom I guess was getting a break. Ethan pitched well, going 4, giving up 3 hits, 0 runs with a walk and 3 K’s. Sam Hliboki, Kranzler, sophomore lefty Levi Huesman, David Horn Jr., and Seiber finished it off as we emerged victorious, 3-1. Sophomore catcher Logan Poteet, giving Espinal a break behind the dish, hit a homer, his second of the season. Poteet has been impressive in midweek games as Espinal’s replacement. Alan still DH’s. Have to have his bat in the lineup as much as possible, along with his competitive spirit, leadership and superior defense.
RJ did not play last night as he took a ground ball to his face, sorry to be graphic, in warmups and was unable to go. Coach Corbin just said he was sore afterwards. Don’t need to lose RJ for any length of time. We’ve shown to have great depth as we’ve had injuries with Chris Maldonado out for the season and Jack Bulger missing a lot of time though Jack is back. Some other nicks and bruises. Hoping we can get RJ back for South Carolina this weekend.
As I wrote earlier, we are hitting .326 as a team. Our hitters are superb. Espinal is our leading hitter at .392. RJ is hitting .376 and has stolen 15 of 18 bases. Jayden is hitting .341. Vastine, who is a weapon in the nine hole in the batting order, is on fire hitting .329. Calvin Hewitt is hitting .322 and is 14 of 15 in stolen bases. LaNeve is hitting .313 and leads us with 23 RBIs. He also has 7 doubles on the season. Vastine leads us in that category with 9. We have 54 doubles on the season in 22 games. That’s awesome. Third baseman Davis Diaz has his bat going again and is hitting .286. He was at .260 going into last weekend, so it’s good to see our junior back to hitting like he can. He also plays excellent third base. I love our entire defense. Calvin is doing a tremendous job in centerfield. RJ’s been good at first and Jayden Davis has really improved as a second basemen, and looks highly capable there. Love Vastine at short. He’s a stud there. Jacob Humphrey provides great depth in the outfield. If we have any injuries there, Jacob can start. He has great speed, defensive skills and an excellent bat. He’d start for a lot of teams. He’ll get his opportunities this season. Freshman Braden Holcomb started in RJ’s spot at first base last night. The frosh is trying to get his sea legs under him on defense, but his bat will be electric for us. A lot of power there, and he might need to help us soon. Camden Kozeal is just getting back from injury. Cam has an awesome bat, so he’s a factor at DH.
Holton is 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA, and it keeps getting better and better. Love our Friday Night lefty from Guyton. GA, near Savannah. Our Saturday guy, Cunningham, is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA. Holton has walked 8 and K’d 39, Cunningham has walked 12 and K’d 36. Futrell is 2-0 with a 4.67 ERA. He’s walked three and struck out 20. I’m sure Devin wants to get his ERA down, but give me Devin Futrell all day on Sundays. Love his competitive spirit. He’s a warrior.
Ginther has an 0.90 ERA, has walked 4 and K’d 9. Our middle relief has been solid.
So I love where our team is at right now. We are now 19-3 and ranked No.3 in the country by both D-1 Baseball.com and Perfect Game. In the D1 poll, Arkansas is No.1, Oregon State is No.2- it’s been a minute since they’ve been back in the top 5 though they won it all in 2006, 2007, 2017 and 2018-we’re No.3, Clemson is 4, LSU is 5, Florida is 6, A&M is 7, Tennessee is 8, Duke is 9, and East Carolina is 10. Alabama is 11, Mississippi State is 21 and Auburn is 22.
South Carolina fell out of the poll this week after going 1-2 @ Ole Miss last weekend. They are 16-5 overall and 1-2 in the SEC.
Friday’s game is at 6 PM CT, Saturday’s is at 3 PM CT, and Sunday’s first pitch is at 12:30 PM CT. All three games will be broadcast by SEC Network+.
One last note: Espinal was selected SEC player of the week for his performances against Indiana last Tuesday and over the weekend against Auburn. Espinal posted eight hits for the weekend, which tied him with Jayden Davis for the most in the conference. For the week, he had 10 hits and had multi-hit performances in all 4 games, including a four hit game on Saturday. So great stuff from our senior from Viera, Florida.
We’ve got an outstanding team of terrific competitors. Just need to stay as healthy as we can. Will keep you posted on Gamecocks series. Another big weekend for us in the SEC.
Men’s Golf dominates at Pauma Valley Invitational
Our Vanderbilt Men’s Golf team bounced back from a fourth place finish at the Cabo Collegiate with a resounding victory at the Pauma Valley Invitational played Monday and Tuesday in California. We finished 20 under and defeated second place San Diego by 7 shots. They finished -13. Cole Sherwood finished tied for 4th individually with a score of six under par. Wells Williams, competing as an individual, shot 5 under. Gordon Sargent shot -3, with a 4 under 67 in the first round. Matthew Riedel and Jackson Van Paris, coming off his stellar 10th place showing at the Puerto Rico Open on the PGA Tour where he got an exemption to play, shot 2 under for the tournament. And, collectively, our team was a machine. I know Coach Limbaugh was happy with the guys bouncing back from Cabo. What a performance. Fourth place at Cabo is good for a lot of teams, but our expectations are so high, we feel like we can win every time out, and a lot of times we do. Just gotta keep building off this victory.
Our No.3 ranked team heads to Palm City, Florida next Monday to play in the Valspar Collegiate Invitational. The tournament is a two day event Monday and Tuesday. I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m thinking there will be two rounds Monday, like there were at the Pauma, and then a third round on Tuesday. Will keep you posted on our tremendous team. Good to have them back in the winners’ circle. Fourth place in a loaded field at Cabo is a good showing for a lot of teams, and it’s fine for us. We’re just so good, we expect to win every time out. That’s what Scott Limbaugh has built at Vanderbilt. We’ve got a shot to go a long way this season and win it all like we always do. Auburn is presently ranked No.1 in the country and UNC is 2. We’re next. Just gotta keep building during the regular season. The Valspar is next.
Women’s Basketball at the NCAA Tournament
Our terrific women’s basketball team will play Columbia at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, VA. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with tip off at 8 PM CT today. The game will be broadcast by ESPNU. We are 22-9 and they are 22-6. Both teams are 12 seeds. Hoping Coach Shea Ralph and the team can emerge with a victory and advance in the tourney. It’s great to be good again in women’s basketball. Love what Coach Ralph is doing with our team and the program. If you can’t watch it, I’ll let you know what happens tomorrow in a blast and a tweet.
Another name in our Men’s Basketball Coaching Search
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang is another name that has come up for our job. He’d be a good hire. His K-State team went to the Elite Eight last season in his first year and made the NIT this season. His teams are fast, athletic, play great D and can score a lot. I like the look of his teams. He was Scott Drew’s assistant at Baylor for several years before getting the K State job. Still like the Bucky McMillan (Samford), Mark Byington (James Madison) or Darian DeVries (Drake) options also, but Tang would be an excellent hire, too. Byington is linked to the West Virginia job as well. There are others. Pat Kelsey of Charleston is a hot commodity. Dusty May of Florida Atlantic took his team to the Final Four last season and they’re back in the NCAA Tournament this season as is Kelseys’ Charleston team. Both of those guys would also be excellent hires. Some really good names out there along with these guys, so there are stellar possibilities. Will keep you apprised.
Spring Football has commenced
Football has started spring practice. We don’t have a spring game this year because of all the construction in and around FirstBank Stadium, so will miss seeing the guys compete. Might have to head up for a practice and give you guys a report. I’m excited about what Clark’s “Team 3” can do. We’ve got a lot of talent at quarterback through the transfer portal, Drew Dickey, who’s been on our team, and the two freshmen. There are good players around the QB’s and I really like our talent on defense with Clark coordinating. Love Tim Beck as our offensive coordinator and associate head coach. It’s going to be like having a second head coach on the field and in practice. Beck came over from New Mexico State and brought two of his quarterbacks by the transfer portal. Like Nate Johnson, the transfer from Utah, as well at QB for this upcoming season. Clark also hired Jerry Kill, who was the head coach at New Mexico State last season and who’s had a lot of success as a head coach. He’s going to be a special adviser to Clark. That’ll really help, too. Recruiting for 2025 is active. We have one commit, 89, 3 star Carson Lawrence, a safety from McCallie School in Chattanooga.
So, great stuff going on at West End. Love what our baseball, men’s golf and women’s basketball teams are doing. Looking forward to keeping you posted on our next men’s basketball coach as well and our football team’s progress this spring.
Bracketology 2024
After more meditation, hypnosis and acupuncture, here is White’s World’s bracket attached for this 2024 season. Please click on the “here” button below. Enjoy the games.
Click here for Bracketology 2024
The 50th Players Championship
It doesn’t get any better than the fifth major in March. If the Saudis and the extremely controversial LIV players hadn’t messed with the tour, this would be even better. But those guys have made their beds. They’re playing on that joke tour that has no substance or legacy. But guys like Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Patrick Cantlay, Collin Morikawa, Will Zalatoris, Viktor Hovland and Wyndham Clark decided they want to play for a legacy, and that’s admirable. They can also make some really good money themselves to go along with it and also really know what it’s like to be a competitor.
Do I want the LIV players to return to the PGA Tour if there is a merger with the Saudis and the PGA? Not clear on that yet. Still working on it.Part of me wants to say see you later, but there are a few guys that would be nice to have back.I wish Jon Rahm hadn’t left; that was a blow. But what do you do. I know the guy got $300 million from the Saudis and that’s extremely hard to pass up. But he did say a year and a half ago what’s the differnce between $65M and $300M. There is a big difference, but $65 million or most likely more ain’t too bad either. And you play on a serious tour.
I do like the Signature Events this year. They make the season more fun. And this one is the best outside the 4 majors. The Players purse is $25 million with $4.5M going to the winner. So winning is a highly desirable goal . And it’s also a history making victory. People remember who wins the Players. From Hal Sutton’s “Be the right club to-day,” to Tiger’s “better than most,” there are some very historic and memorable moments in this tournament. Nothing like stepping up the to the tee on the Island Hole, No. 17, with the wind blowing 10 MPH or so on Sunday and having to execute an 8 iron or such and keep it from going into the water with everything on the line and the intense pressure that goes with it. Now that’s dramatic. Then you go to one of the most underrated and best holes on tour, the 18th, with everything still on the line, and left is the water and right are mounds and trees. The pressure is ratcheted up to the max. These are the electric, historic moments these guys play for. So that’s what’s in store this weekend.
The defending champion is Scottie Scheffler, who also won last week at the Arnie and with a new Taylor Made Spider putter that has weighing on the back to help straighten out the misses. He’s starting to putt lights out again. He was fifth for the week in Strokes Gained: Putting at the Arnie and No.1 on Sunday. He’s such a tremendous ball striker that if his putter is working, he’s the best in the world. And he is ranked No.1 at present. Guys like Jon Rahm and Cam Smith aren’t playing. No Koepka. No Dustin. No DeChambeau. That’s a shame, but it doesn’t take away from the extraordinariness of this event.
Here are this week’s odds for the Players:
Scottie Scheffler, 5 1/2:1
Rory: 12/1. I failed to mention Rory among the admirable PGA players, and he certainly is one and the leader for the Tour or he has been. He’s had me a little worried lately that he might defect as he’s been more empathetic towards the LIV players.
JT: 22/1. A previous winner here in 2021. Would like to see him really return to form.
Xander: 22/1. Another one I didn’t mention. Certainly in that group of stars who are dedicated to the Tour.
Hovland: 22/1. Definitely a contender this weekend.
Cantlay: 25/1
Zalatoris: 25/1
Hideki: 28/1
Max Homa: 33/1. Another guy who’s a stellar player and leader on the tour.
Ludvig Aberg: 33/1. Has come on lately. Not real knowledgeable about him.
Wyndham Clark: 33/1. The reigning U.S. Open champion.
Sam Burns: 33/1. Definitely a threat here. And another guy on the list above.
Morikawa: 35/1. Former Open and PGA champion. Trying to get his game back in form. If he does he’ll be a factor this weekend. The talent is there.
Spieth: 35/1. It would be awesome if he could get his game back in gear.
Shane Lowry: 40/1
Tommy Fleetwood: 45/1. What a likable, pleasant guy.
Jason Day: 45/1. Would like to see him get it going again like Jordan. He’s shown flashes in the last 2 years.
Sahith Theegala: 50/1. A young up and comer, who’s already making his mark. Watched an interview with him at the Arnie. Awesome guy.
Cam Young: 50/1
Min Woo Lee: 55/1
Sungjae Im: 60/1
Si Woo Kim: 60/1. Has won here in 2017.
Russell Henley: 60/1. In contention a lot.
Tony Finau: 60/1. Another leader on the tour who can break out at any moment.
Brian Harmon: 65/1. The defending Open Champion is very much a factor many times.
Harris English: 65/1. Like Henley and Harmon from that talented University of Georgia lineage. Always competitive.
Matt Fitzpatrick: 70/1. Another leader and a heckuva player when he’s on.
Adam Scott: 80/1. The veteran is still competitive and won the Players in 2004.
So, superb field for this 5th Major. Really loaded. Meanwhile, the member guest LIV Tour meanders on its boring path. Those guys don’t play again until April, the week before the Masters, the Miami tournament at Trump National. I know great players on this blog who are talented and have 10 times the heart that those guys have.
Weather
Thursday: 78, Sunny. Wind NE 9
Friday: 84, Partly Sunny. Wind S 11.
Saturday: 83. Chance of T storms in the PM. Wind WSW 10.
Sunday: 82. Chance of T storms, but only 38%. Wind SW !2.
No. 17 will be riveting on Sunday. So will 18.
TV
Thursday-Friday, 12-6 PM CT. Golf Channel.
Saturday, 1-6 PM CT. NBC
Sunday, 12-5 PM CT. NBC.
The great Gary Koch and the great Roger Maltbie will be on the call for NBC as well this weekend along with Dan Hicks and others. I wish they’d bring back those two legends permanently. They’re just what you think of when you think about key events on the PGA Tour.
Winner
It is so hard to pick against the 27 year old from Ridgewood, New Jersey by way of the University of Texas. There is fierce competition at the Players and nobody has won it back to back. There have been multiple winners like Tiger and Hal Sutton, but no-one has repeated as champion, which is interesting in and of itself. But I can’t go against a guy who is arguably the best ball striker on tour and has now gotten back his putting stroke. I just can’t go against him. He’ll win his 8th tournament on Tour in his young, illustrious and always ascending career.
Scottie Scheffler
Sleeper
I’ll take the 150/1 30 year old from Vienna, Austria by way of the University of Georgia.
Sepp Straka
S-E-C Tournament commences Wednesday in Nashvegas; Predictions
The always entertaining SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament gets underway Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville at 6 PM CT as the Vanderbilt Commodores take on the Arkansas Razorbacks. That game will be followed by Missouri and Georgia. Will be a stellar five days of basketball action. Here are predictions for the tournament, and which team I like to cut down the nets at 2:30 PM CT on Sunday.
All times are Central
Last year, 10-3 record. Alabama pick correct on SEC Champion
Wednesday
No.13 Vanderbilt (4-14, SEC, 9-22) vs. No. 12 Arkansas (6-12, 15-16)
6 PM
SEC Network
I would love to pick my Commodores. Vanderbilt defeated Arkansas at Bud Walton on Tuesday, February 27th, 85-82. But I like the Hogs to get the job done and advance. Doesn’t mean I won’t be pulling for the Commodores to pull off the upset.
Arkansas 78, Vanderbilt 74
Game 2
No.14 Missouri (0-18, 8-23) vs. No.11 Georgia (6-12, 16-15)
8:30 PM
SEC Network
It’s been a rough one for Mizzou. Georgia has done OK under Mike White in his second year. I like the Dawgs to adcance.
Georgia 65, Missouri 54
Thursday
Game 1
No.9 Mississippi State (8-10, 19-12) vs. No. 8 LSU (9-9, 17-14)
12 PM
SEC Network
Both teams are fighting for their NCAA Tournament hopes. Both need to win a couple and maybe win the whole thing to pass the Lunardi test and make it in. Give me the Bullies in a rock fight.
State 68, LSU 67
Game 2
Arkansas vs. No.5 South Carolina (13-5, 25-6)
2:30 PM approximately, depending on if there is OT in the first game
SEC Network
South Carolina is solid all around. Give me the Gamecocks.
South Carolina 62, Arkansas 58
Game 3
No.10 OIe Miss (7-11, 20-11) vs. No.7 Texas A&M (9-9, 18-13)
6 PM
SEC Network
Ole Miss needs to win the tournament to make the NCAA’s, while A&M needs to win at least two games if not make it to the championship game. I’ll go with the Aggies.
Texas A&M 58, Ole Miss 54
Game 4
Georgia vs. No. 6 Florida (11-7,21-10)
8:30 PM CT
SEC Network
Florida needs to win a game to ensure its inclusion into the NCAAs. I like them to get it. But it won’t be easy. This is a rivalry in everything.
Florida 78. Georgia 72
Friday
Quarterfinals
MS. State vs. No.1 Tennessee (14-4, 24-7)
12 PM
ESPN
The Vols are playing for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. I like them to take that first step over the Bullies. But I like State to give them everything they want. State will be hovering on the brink on Sunday. Lunardi has them as a last four bye. I keep going to Lunardi because he got 63 of the 64 top 64 teams last year and 62 the year before.
Tennessee 72, State 70
Game 2
South Carolina vs. No.4 Auburn (13-5, 24-7)
2:30 PM
ESPN
Like Johni Broome (16.4 points per game, 9th SEC; 8.5 boards per game; 2nd behind Anderson Garcia of A&M, who has 9.1) and the Tigers to survive and advance in a tussle. South Carolina is still safely in the NCAAs.
Auburn 74, SC 72
Game 3
A&M vs. No. 2 Kentucky (13-5, 23-8)
6 PM
SEC Network
Like the ‘Cats to keep their great momentum going. They are the hottest team in the SEC and they couldn’t have picked a better time than now to be sizzling. The first game for a team is always tricky however. A&M going to be sweating it out come Sunday. Lunardi has them as the first team out right now.
Kentucky 81, A&M 77
Game 4
Florida vs. No.3 Alabama (13-5, 21-10)
8:30 PM approximately
SEC Network
Should be another 15 rounder here. Give me the SEC’s leading scorer, Mark Sears (21.1 per game), and the Crimson Tide to just outlast the Gators and advance to the semis.
Crimson Tide 84, Florida 83
Saturday, Semifinals
Auburn vs Tennessee
12 PM
ESPN
Give me Pearly and the Tigers in a slight upset. It’ll be a battle of attrition and a superb basketball game.
Auburn 85, Tennessee 84 (OT)
Alabama vs. Kentucky
2:30 PM, approximately, probably, later
ESPN
I like the red hot Wildcats to advance in an extremely hard fought contest. Both teams are tourney bound as are the semifinal teams above. Four very solid teams. Both these teams rely on the three quite a bit. If they’re falling, this game will be a spectacle.
Kentucky 90, Alabama 88
Championship Sunday
Auburn vs. Kentucky
12 PM
ESPN
Both teams are playing for a higher NCAA tourney seed and a championship, so the stakes are high. Both will get a higher NCAA seed by making it to the SEC final. Kentucky is shooting for a 3 seed, and Auburn a 4 or 5; a 3 with a championship ring. Kentucky could possibly earn a two seed with a victory. Seedings are important in the NCAAs for matchup purposes. The higher the seed you earn, the more favorable matchups you get in the NCAA tourney. So a lot to play for.
Auburn will give the Cats everything they want, but John Calipari has a 410-121 career record (77%) for a reason. He has also hoisted 6 SEC trophies in 2010, 2011, and 2015-18. It’s been a minute since 2018, so I like Cal and his Wildcats, which are playing superb basketball ball right now, to prevail over a tough, hard-nosed Bruce Pearl coached Tigers team.
Kentucky 75, Auburn 73
‘
What a victory for the seniors, the team and Stack; Baseball keeps on cookin', Vanderbilt junior stars on PGA Tour
Our basketball team pulled off the seemingly improbable Saturday at Memorial Coliseum defeating the Florida Gators, 79-78, on Graduates Day. One of our stellar seniors, Tyrin Lawrence, was spectacular once again. After freshman JaQualon “JQ” Roberts clutchly converted two free throws to cut the lead to 78-77, the great Tyrin stole the inbounds pass with 23 seconds left and passed it to graduate point guard Erza Manjon, who immediately passed it back to Lawrence, who then drove to the left side of the bucket and put up a highly contested lay-up that caromed off the backboard and fell through the net with 15 seconds left. Our guys still had to play defense and stop Florida in the last 15 seconds of the game but did so as sophomore Ven-Allen Lubin stole the ball with a second left and the Dores captured a “Magical” 79-78 victory in front of 6,442 in attendance. We moved to 9-22 overall and 4-14 in the SEC. Florida dropped to 21-10 and 11-7.
It was a monumental effort by the team and Stack. Just hustle play after hustle play. We won it with grittiness and heart.
Ven-Allen finished the regular season tremendously pouring in 25 points and pulling down 11 boards. Tyrin, who’s been such a terrific player for us the last two years and has a very bright future in the game, added 14 and 7. Ezra and graduate Tasos Kamatoris added 8. Tasos was 2 for 2 from trifecta. If we can get some production out of Tasos and some others going forward, we’ve got a shot to win games in the tournament because Tyrin, Ezra and Ven-Allen will definitely show up. “JQ” was also phenomenal with 7 points and hugely important 7 rebounds. “JQ” was five for six from the line added a massive dunk to go along with his 7 points that kept our momentum alive in the second half. We were 19 of 20 from the charity stripe. Ven-Allen was 7 for 7, Tyrin was 3 for 3 and Isaiah West, who also connected on a crucial three in the second half, was 2 for 2. We also out-rebounded them, 41-35. That’ll win you a lot of basketball games if you’re good enough from trifecta and you defend. They shot 52% from the field, which we’ll need to improve on, but they were only 5-for-17 from triple, 29%. We had struggled guarding the three before Florida, but Stack and the coaches obviously made that a priority going into the game. We were only 36% from the field and 6-for-16 from three, but we sank some key threes. And, another key stat, we forced 16 turnovers and gave it up only 8 times ourselves.
Just superb victory for Stack and the team. Loved what I saw out of the guys on Saturday.
We now continue on our March quest as the 13th seed in the SEC Tournament. We play no.12 Arkansas Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with a 6 PM tip on the SEC Network. We have already gone over to Fayetteville this season and defeated the Hogs. That was on Tuesday, Feb. 27th, when we emerged victorious, 85-82. But we’ll need to put our hard hats on as Arkansas has been playing a lot better lately. They are 15-16, and 6-12 in the conference. They are coming off a tough overtime loss @ Alabama, 92-88, in a game which they looked like they had won in regulation, but the Crimson Tide battled back to send it into OT where they outlasted the Razorbacks. The Razorbacks defeated LSU at home, 94-83, last Wednesday and gave Kentucky a pretty good game prior to that before losing that 111-102 on the road. Kentucky is the hottest team in the SEC right now. Six foot six guard Tramon Mark is leading them as he is averaging 16.7 points per game and has 52 assists and 35 steals on the season. Six-five guard Khalif Battle is averaging 14.3 per game and is 46-of-127 from trifecta, 36%. Mark is 34-of-92, 37%. They made a run at us in Bud Walton Arena back on 2/27 as they started draining trifecta after trifecta to cut the lead to 83-82, but we sank a couple of free throws at the end and they barely missed a trifecta as the buzzer sounded. We’ll have to guard behind the arc for sure. Six foot 10 power forward Trevon Brazile is averaging 8.4 points, and leads the team in rebounds averaging 5.8. They shoot 45% from inside the arc, 32% from deep and 75% from the line. They average 35 rebounds per game and 77 points per game and are giving up 79 per game. We need to lockdown on D for sure.
Ezra leads us in scoring at 14.2 and has 109 assists on the season, 3.7 per game. Ezra is shooting 44% from the field and is 83% from the stripe. Tyrin is averaging 14.1 and has pulled down 5 boards per game. Ven-Allen adds 12 points and 6.2 boards. He has brought it lately. Tyrin has 37 steals this season, Ezra has 34, and freshman Jason Rivera-Torres has 27 this year. We’ve got a good nucleus of younger players to go along with our veterans. I like what Evan Taylor, Paul Lewis, Isaiah , and Malik Presley are doing to contribute lately.
We’re shooting 39% from the field, 28% from three and 71% from the line. We average 34 rebounds per game, and our opponents are at 37. We average 67 points per game and give up 75.
But all that, except for what our leaders have done, should be thrown out the window as it’s a new season for the team, and we’ve got a new opportunity. I’m not going to project how far we can go because, like Stack and the Boys, I want us to win it. But we’ve got to take care of business with Arkansas Wednesday. It’ll take as good if not a better effort as we put forth against Florida on Saturday. I think the guys can do it. I’ll keep you posted. What a win Saturday. It was something that we can build off of going forward.
Baseball playing Terrifically
Our No.9 Commodores (are you kiddin’ me? Not ranked higher? more fuel for this motivated group) swept Illinois State over the weekend at the Hawk, winning 14-9 Friday, 7-2 Saturday and 4-0 Sunday behind stellar starting pitching, excellent defense and timely and, at times, explosive offense. We are now 14-3.
On Friday, our stud junior Carter Holton proved that he is back from his injury struggles from a year ago. Carter went five, gave up only four hits, 0 runs, with 3 walks and 11 K’s. Our relief pitching wasn’t at its best, though I sill trust those guys. But our bats were. Alan Espinal, Troy LaNeve and Matthew Polk all went deep. It was Alan’s third of the season, Troy’s second and Matthew’s second. These guys have been stellar hitters for us all season. Espinal was 3 for 5 with 2 Ribeyes, Matthew was 2 for 5 with two Ribbies and Troy was 3 for 4 with 6 Ribeyes. Wow. Troy also had a double, his seventh of the season, and his second triple of the season. He was a single away from hitting for the cycle. So awesome night from the great Holton and those three big guns for us at the plate.
On Saturday, another super junior for us, right hander Bryce Cunningham, from Headland, Alabama, pitched a gem. Bryce went 8, gave up 4 hits, 2 runs with one of them unearned, 0 walks and 11 K’s. in a 7-2 Commodores victory. it was a phenomenal performance from Bryce, who looks like he’s hitting his stride in his junior season. Just a remarkable performance. Junior Ryan Ginther, who could be our closer going forward, came in for the 9th and closed it out with us converting a 6-4-3 double play to secure the victory. Our great now-first baseman RJ Austin had a hit and two Ribeyes. RJ has really found a home at first. Awesome move by Corbs to put him there. RJ is outstanding on the first base bag.
On Sunday, another junior, Devin Futrell, who does nothing but throw strikes, pitched a beauty. Devin pitched a complete game shutout, allowing 5 hits, 0 runs, with 0 walks and 7 K’s in our 4-0 victory. Matthew and RJ each had two hits each and RJ drove in a pair of runs, and Troy, a junior as well, hit a solo shot, probably over 400 feet, to right central in the bottom of the 8th for an insurance run.
Three things stood out to me: 1. our starting pitching was extraordinary and can lead us to several victories in the SEC if we can help in the field and at the plate. Coach Scott Brown has groomed a stellar staff. 2. Our defense was spectacular. Only one error all weekend and several web gems. Maybe the best was centerfielder Calvin Hewitt’s grab of a sinking line drive into shallow center. Calvin is superb on defense. Calvin was hit by a pitch on the helmet and close to his face on Saturday and didn’t play yesterday. He should be back soon though. 3. The bats came through again. Friday, we exploded and Saturday and Sunday got the hits when we needed them.
Right now freshman Camden Kozeal still leads us in hitting at .344. RJ is hitting .343 and is 13 of 16 on stolen bases and playing elite defense at first. Our sophomore is a sparkplug for this team along with Polk, Espinal, Holton, Cunningham, Futrell and LaNeve. They are all tremendous competitors. Espinal is hitting .339 with 3 homers and 14 RBIs and LaNeve is hitting .317 with 3 homers and 19 Ribbies. I like our power and run driving in ability a lot. We’ve got some power guys in our lineup. Freshman second baseman Jayden Davis is hitting .302 with a homer and 14 Ribbies. We are hitting .314 as a team, and our opponents are hitting .224.
Holton is 2-0 with a 5 ERA, but that’ll keep coming down. He’s too good and I love him on Friday Nights in the SEC coming up. Cunningham is 2-0 with a 2.62 ERA. Futrell, who was just named SEC pitcher of the week, is 2-0 with a 3.68 ERA. JD Thompson has solidified his role as our fourth starter during the midweek and is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA. JD could be crucial for us when and if the postseason comes around.
What I love the most about our pitchers, besides their great competitiveness, is their strike throwing ability. Carter has walked 7 and K’d 30, Bryce is 9 and 31, Devin is 2 and 18, and JD is 2 and 22. That’s strong to say the least.
Would like to see our ‘pen do a little better, but we have the arms to do that. Our defense has gotten better and better and was superb over the weekend. We are now fielding at a .987 percentage. Our opponents are at .968. We have stolen 43 of 48 bases and that’s a weapon. Besides RJ, Calvin is 11-of-12 swiping bags and extremely fast junior Jacob Humphrey is 7-of-7. We are 7th in stolen bases nationally.
Ginther is looking like a Tyler Brown-type closer for us. Tyler was our closer on our 2019 National Championship team who continually closed out games for us and was instrumental in us winning it all. Ginther can be that guy. Need some of our younger bullpen arms to keep developing and for guys like senior Sam Hloboki to pitch well and be a leader out there. There is a lot of talent out there for sure.
Arkansas is No.1 in the D-1 Baseball.com rankings. LSU is No.2, Oregon State is 3, A&M is 4, Tennessee is 5 (Don’t care much for Vitello and that team), Duke is 6, Wake Forest is 7, Florida is 8, we’re 9 and Clemson is 10. Auburn is 18 and South Carolina is 20.
Big week ahead for us. Indiana, which is 9-6, comes to the Hawk tomorrow, Tuesday, for a 6 PM CT first pitch. Friday-Sunday, the No.18 Auburn Tigers come to Nashville for a weekend set. Friday’s game is at 6 PM CT, Saturday’s contest is at 2 PM CT, and Sunday first pitch is at 1 PM CT. All four games will be broadcast by SEC Network+. Auburn is 12-3
Huge week for the team. Love where we’re at. Gotta “Keep on truckin” as Eddie Kendricks said.
Van Paris Excels on the PGA Tour
Our junior from Pinehurst, N.C., Jackson Van Paris, shot an 8 under 64 on Sunday to finish in a tie for 10th place at the 2024 Puerto Rico Open. Jackson’s 64 was the lowest score posted yesterday. What a job by Van Paris. I know Coach Limbaugh and his teammates are proud of him. Now it’s time to get him back as our team heads to the Pauma Valley Inivitational in Pauma Valley, CA., close to San Diego, to compete in an event next Monday, 3/18, and next Tuesday, 3/19. I may have been a little hard on the guys last week after the Cabo Collegiate because the bar is so high for our team this year. They are so talented that you unfairly expect them to win every tournament. That’s not realistic. We finished fourth out of 15 teams at the Cabo Collegiate, as Arizona State won it. But this team will be back. If you shoot for perfection, as a friend of mine quoted Vince Lombardi, you can achieve excellence. They’re an awesome group of guys and Coach Limbaugh is as good as it gets. Our expectations are high because we are an elite team nationally. We are currently No.3 behind No.1 Auburn and No.2 UNC. We’ve just got to take the next step and that’s at Pauma Valley next Monday and Tuesday.
Will keep you apprised on our basketball, baseball and golf teams. Great stuff going on with our athletes and our teams.
Camden Kozeal/ Dores were Electric at Minute Maid Park in the Rocket City
Our great freshman designated hitter, Camden Kozeal, put up some tremendous numbers at the plate over the weekend as the Commodores swept all three games at the Astros Foundation College Classic at Minute Maid Park in Houston, including an improbable and sensational 14-11 victory over then No.15 Texas on Sunday.
Our great freshman, who was honored as SEC freshman player of the week for last week, led the SEC with 14 hits, led the conference in RBI’s with 11, and also tied for the lead in doubles with 3.
The Dores won Friday over Louisiana, 7-4. Senior catcher Alan Espinal hit a clutch 3 run shot to secure the victory. Carter Holton pitched pretty solidly, going 5, giving up 4 hits, three earned, with a walk and 6 K’s. Carter is a strike thrower with terrific stuff and there were some soft hits that fell in against him. Feel great about our Friday Night guy going forward. Greyson Carter pitched three solid innings in relief of Holton. Greyson is hitting high 90’s on his fastball. As I said last Wednesday, if Carter can locate well, he’ll be a force. Freshman Miller Green came in for the ninth and finished the job with a hit, a run and a K. It got a little sketchy there at the end, but Miller closed the door for us. Like his stuff also.
On Saturday, we got a terrific start from our great junior Bryce Cunningham. Bryce, from Headland, Alabama, went 5.2, and gave up 4 hits, 1 earned, with 2 walks and 8 K’s in our 3-1 victory over Houston. Freshman Ethan McElvain gave us 1.1 and allowed a hit with 0 walks and 2 K’s. Like what we have in another one of our great freshmen. And there are several of them. Freshman Brennan Seiber finished it off with 2 innings of scoreless work with 0 walks and a K. Think Seiber is special.
Sunday was beyond spectacular. After looking really slim early, we made a charge in the last 4 innings with our bats. The Longhorns took an 11-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth as our superb junior pitcher, Devin Futrell, was knocked around hard. Not like Devin, but Texas was locked in at the plate. Devin was throwing strikes; he just had a tough day. Still like Futrell a lot going forward. That’ll happen. Andrew Dutkanych IV came in and was hit hard, too. So we found ourselves in a serious hole. But then the bats came alive as we scored 2 in the bottom of the 5th, 2 in the sixth, 5 in the seventh and 2 in the eighth. Kozeal, Espinal and our outstanding shortstop, Jonathan Vastine, all homered. Kozeal also doubled and posted 3 Ribeyes. Another great veteran player for us, fifth year senior left fielder Troy LaNeve, had a huge day at the plate going 2 for 3 with 4 Ribeyes including a huge three run triple in the bottom of the seventh, which was the hit of the game along with Kozeal’s at bats. Junior Sawyer Hawks and junior lefty Ryan Ginther closed the door for us. Hawks pitched two scoreless innings with 2 hits, one walk and three K’s. And Ginther, who could be our closer going forward, went 2, gave up a hit, 0 runs with 0 walks and 2 K’s. So those guys finished strong for us, which we had to have. By the way, Camden Kozeal is from Omaha, Nebraska. Love having those tough Midwestern guys on our team. We’ve got a hard-nosed team of great competitors who are team first guys and first class people. Really like the makeup of this group. We’ve got a long way to go, but I like our chances in April, May and June. This team looks special. The SEC is tough, but we’re tough and ready for the challenge.
Kozeal is hitting .367 with 2 homers and 14 Ribeyes. Our awesome, versatile, now first basemen, for the time being, RJ Austin, is hitting .365 with a homer and 14 RBIs. Centerfielder Calvin Hewitt, who is stellar defensively, has gotten his opportunity and is hitting .355. Espinal, a superb defensive catcher, is also knocking the cover off the ball hitting .340 with 2 long ones and 12 Ribbies. I love our situation in the outfield with Hewitt in center, and a platoon of stud juniors Jacob Humphrey and Matthew Polk, who had a big day Saturday at the plate hitting a homer and a double with 2 huge RBIs. Matthew also made a terrific catch at the wall on a drive to right. Then we have LaNeve in left. Right now Jack Bulger, who was knocking the cover off the ball before he was injured, and fist baseman Chris Maldonado, are on the shelf. Hopefully they will be returning soon. Our team batting average is .327, our team ERA is 4.74, and our team fielding is .984. Good numbers for sure, particularly at the plate and on defense. Still need to tighten it up a little more defensively and get more consistent performances on the hill from our older guys. Our freshmen are doing well, but the older guys need to take the lead for us to have real success this season.
We have Eastern Michigan today at 4:30 PM @ the Hawk with SEC Network+ broadcasting. This weekend, Illinois State comes to Nashvegas for games Friday-Sunday with a 4:30 PM, a 4:30 PM and a 1 PM start respectively for those games. Next Tuesday, 3/12, we’ll play Indiana at home at 4:30 PM. Then we’ll open SEC play versus Auburn at the Hawk Friday-Sunday, March 15th-17th, with a 6 PM first pitch on Friday, a 2 PM first pitch Saturday and a 1 PM first pitch on Sunday. All those games coming up will be broadcast on SECN+, the app for the SEC Network. So huge week and a half ahead. Ready for the SEC. Ready for today. Weather is a little questionable today, but we still might get it in. It’ll be interesting to see who Corbs and pitching coach Scott Brown decide on as our starter today. Like what I’m seeing from our baseball team. We are now No.9 in the country as ranked by D1 Baseball.com. Wake is No.1, Arkansas is No.2, LSU is 3, Florida is 4, and TCU is 5. Tennessee is 8, we’re 9, Alabama is 15 and Auburn is 19.
Men’s Golf is almost done at the Cabo Collegiate on holes 16-18 in today’s final round and not our best this time around. We were the defending champion, but we are presently in fourth place at +1 and a shot back of Arkansas, which is even. We can catch Arkansas and finish third, but I’m surprised with this result. Just too much inconsistency from our key guys. One of our best players, Jackson Van Paris, did not play as he’s competing in an individual tournament, amateur or pro, not sure, but not on the PGA Tour. But we just didn’t have it this tournament. We need to get better if we want to achieve our goals, which are lofty; Final Four, win it all. That’s our standard every year, and we’re going to need to figure it out soon. Looks like we’ll finish in fourth at +1 for the tournament. We are three shots back of Arkansas and almost finished.
Our next tournament will be the Pauma Valley Invitational in Pauma Valley, California, in San Diego County close to San Diego. That’ll be Monday, 3/16 and Tuesday, 3/17. Need to get to work getting prepared for that and put this performance behind us. Need to do better.
Our great women’s basketball team won Sunday over Georgia, 72-55, to finish its season 22-8 overall and 9-7 in the SEC. Our awesome graduate guard, Jordyn Cambridge, scored her 1,000th career point on Sunday. Jordyn now has 1,006 for her illustrious career at Vanderbilt. Jordyn finished with 13 points. She is the only Commodore in program history to account for 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists and 300 steals. Wow, what a resume.
Junior guard Iyana Moore finished the afternoon with 28. So awesome effort from Coach Shea Ralph’s team. Coach Ralph has this team playing lights out as we matriculate into the SEC Tourney, which commences Wednesday. The tournament will be held at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. We are the sixth seed and play the winner of Wednesday’s No.14 seed Missouri versus No.11 seed Florida on Thursday. Our game Thursday is scheduled for approximately 7:30 PM CT, or 25 minutes after the 5 PM CT game. It will be televised by the SEC Network.
South Carolina is the No.1 seed, LSU is No.2, Ole Miss is No.3 and Alabama is No,4. Tennessee is fifth. We are one of the last four in the NCAA Tournament according to Charlie Creme of ESPN. These committees sure follow Joe Lunardi’s bracket for the men, so I bet Creme’s bracket is highly credible for the women as well. We need to take care of business Thursday Night and take it from there. A win might secure us a spot in the NCAA’s, but we want to win this thing too.
Will keep you apprised in the next couple of days with a lot of good stuff coming up.
Will have more on football in the near future. Just need a good spring and then we welcome in some awesome true freshmen and excellent transfers in June. Our key players from last year’s team who are back want to keep on getting better and we’ve added have some strong early enrollees. Like the potential of this team. Game one is Saturday, August 31 versus Virginia Tech at FirstBank Stadium, Wow, what an opener. We’ll need to be locked in. Like Clark to have the guys ready.
Men’s basketball is just not working out.
Vanderbilt Sports has been vastly improved and super lately
Our baseball team took 2 of 3 from Gonzaga last weekend and hammered previously undefeated Indiana State, 20-4, then took care of business against the Evansville Aces yesterday at the Hawk, 7-3. We have a huge weekend at the 2024 Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston at Minute Maid Park as we face Louisiana on Friday at 3:05 PM, Houston on Saturday at 11:05 AM, and finish off the Classic versus Texas at 11:05 AM on Sunday. All times are central. We’ve really been hitting the ball well lately. Love our freshmen and sophomores on the mound and at the plate. Camden Kozeal, our freshman DH, is a hitting machine. Jacob Humphrey has stepped in in right field and given us an electric dimension in the lineup at the top of the order. Jason is a frosh, too. Tremendous right fielder and speed guy. Made a beautiful diving catch going to his left and then launched a deep on to right central all in the first inning. What a talent. Freshman second baseman Jayden Davis has a very nice stick as well. Sunday, our defense let us down. After going up 7-1, we committed two errors in a row and it was really three as shortstop Jonathan Vastine made a nice stop at short and made a flip to Davis for the force and the start of a 6-4-3 twin killing that would have gotten us out of the inning, but Davis couldn’t handle it unfortunately. I really felt bad for our freshman pitcher, Alex Kranzler. Alex was throwing strikes and should have gotten out of the inning. But after the errors, Alex gave up a grand slam. But I really like him a lot. He was very unlucky on Sunday due to some questionable defense. Still our team can hit a lot of singles and extra bases, we’re a prolific base stealing team, and we’ve got underrated power. We’ve got four guys, senior Troy LaNeve, Kozeal, Davis, and, if he can crack the lineup, Braden Holcomb, who can all hit double digit homers. Our pitching could very well be exceptional. With juniors Carter Holton, who looks fully healthy now and was outstanding last Friday versus Gonzaga, and Devin Futrell, who is a terrific Sunday starter who could be a Friday Night starter for a lot of teams, we look super with those two studs. We need a Saturday guy. I wouldn’t be opposed to using Futrell on Saturday and maybe Andrew Dutkanych on Sunday, or Andrew on Saturday and Devin on Sunday. Bryce Cunningham needs to keep developing, and the junior needs to do it sooner rather than later. Bryce has good stuff and can hit mid to high 90’s, but needs to work on his control. Ethan McElvain, Chris’s younger brother, looks like he could be a heckuva closer for us as a freshman. His stuff is electric. We’ve got a terrific freshmen class, key sophomores in RJ Austin, Chris Maldonado, who’s a little banged up, and Dutkanych. Davis Diaz needs to get his bat going, but he’s a solid junior third baseman. I see him being a .300 hitter if he can get it together, and he needs to sharpen up his defensive skills. Love Jonathan Vastine at short. RJ is playing first for now. We can put him a lot of places. He looks pretty comfortable at first though. Senior catcher Alan Espinol is a very nice defensive catcher who has a solid bat and can help us in both areas. He’s a good leader for us as is Jack Bulger, who was knocking the cover off the ball until he got banged up last Sunday. Need Jack back.
Sowhat kind of team do we have? Can we go to Omaha and win it? I know we can. This weekend is critical for our team going forward. LSU, Florida, the team from the East, and others will be threats for sure, but I like the makeup of this team. If we can shore up our defense, and pitch well, which I know we will, this team can take it a very long way this season. More on Monday.
Men’s Basketball
Tremendous victory for the team Tuesday Night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. We won 85-82 with Ezra Manjon, who has been awesome this season despite the struggles of the team, going for 22. Ezra is spectacular and could quarterback us to some more victories as we tune up for the SEC Tournament the second week of March. Tyrin Lawrence, who has also been stellar recently, added 21 and 7 boards and Ven-Allen Lubin, our 6’8”, 210 power forward, finished with 19 and 12, a spectacular night. Ven-Allen is a sophomore.I like what our big three are doing. Would like to see freshman Isaiah West play more and see less of Jason Rivera-Torres. Isaiah just gives us that great athletic ability and defensive skill and he’s a good scorer. Jason, a freshman, could be good, but right now, his defense is just not cutting it. Would like to see Isaiah playing a key role in the game and late in the game. Confident in him. Evan Taylor always gives us good minutes.
It’s been a rough go this season as we all know, but maybe we can string together some victories to close out the season and get some momentum for the SEC Tourney at Bridgestone Arena March 13-17th, a Wednesday-Sunday sequence. We’ll have to play on Wednesday most likely, but it would be good for momentum for the program to come away with some victories here at the end. Our team needs it as does our coach. Want the players to be rewarded for their hard work. They haven’t thrown in the towel, that’s for sure. With Ezra, Tyrin and Ven-Allen, we’ve got three standout guys. Throw in Isaiah and Evan and that’s a nice starting five. We’ll have to have some guys step up from the bench.
LSU @ home Saturday at 2:30 PM CT on the SEC Network.
By the way our baseball team will be broadcast on Astros.com this weekend, the Houston Astros website. If you can’t get to it, I’ll have a report on the team and the basketball team on Monday.
Football
I’m going to get more in-depth on this next week, but I love what Clark did in recruiting this cycle, 2024. He got four, 4 stars led by all world safety Dontae Carter, and a tremendous transfer class with three quarterbacks led by four star Nate Johnson from Utah and high three star Diego Pavia from New Mexico State, who single-handedly annihilated Hugh and the Auburn Tigers last November on the Plains. We’ve got two incoming frosh quarterbacks who look promising, a good receiving class, frosh and transfers, and some more nice young and older players at needed positions. We’ve got some studs coming back led by all world safety CJ Taylor, and I really like the potential of corner Trudell Berry. He showed signs of being a spectacular player last season. He had a pick six for three yards in one game. Martel Hight will be a stellar corner as well. I like the talent we have on defense. We have some new coaches. Clark will coordinate the defense, and while I don’t love that, it can work. It’s worked for Andy Reid as an offensive guy with the great Steve Spagnola coaching the defense. You know how that’s turned out the last couple of years. I can’t believe Spags hasn’t been hired as a head coach. The NFL can do some really poor hiring, and he’s a guy who should get another shot if he wants one, which I imagine he does. Tim Beck comes over from New Mexico State as our offensive coordinator. He was awesome as NMSU, and he’s brought some players with him. Blake Berlowitz is another NMSU transfer at quarterback. Like our talent. The schedule’s tough, but isn’t it always? We’ll be good next season. I can see us going to a bowl game and building from there. Getting guys the extra practice is so critical to the next season and you get that by making a bowl. And going to a bowl is always a boon for recruiting. So that’s the goal. We’ll have our spring game in early April. I’ll have a date for you next week. We open with VA Tech at First Bank Stadium Saturday, August 31st. Can’t wait. Will give you some more intel next week.
Men’s Golf…
is stellar. Coach Scott Limbaugh has another team, led by our superb junior Gordon Sargent, that can certainly go the distance. Coach Limbaugh, like Coach Corbin, has the expectations through the roof every year because, like Corbs, he’s the best coach in the country. We recently won the Watersound Invitational at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club in Panama City and we’re playing in the Cabo Collegiate starting this Sunday and continuing through next Tuesday. We defeated several ranked teams at the Watersound and we’ll square off with several more at the Twin Dolphin Club in Cabo San Lucas, Mejico. Always love what Coach Limbaugh does and we can Never take what Scott and Corbs do every year for our school for granted. They’re the best.
Jackson Van Paris, Cole Sherwood, Matthew Riedel and William Moll round out a stellar starting five. We’ve got some young guns behind them who have super potential. So our golf program is and remains phenomenal. We’ve definitely got a shot to win it all at the Omni La Costa Resort and Championship Course in Carlsbad, Cali in late May at the NCAA Championships. Excited to see this team progress. As Coach Limbaugh and Coach Corbin always say, we’ve got a long way to go and a lot of improving to do. It’s a day to day thing with our great coaches. We’ve certainly got the talent on both teams to win it all in both sports.
The Women’s basketball team is trying to earn their way into a double bye for the SEC Women’s Tournament March 6th through the 10th at Bon Secours? Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Sounds like a place you could get a really good massage at, but I digress. The women are 7-7 in the conference and 20-8 overall. We play @ Mizzou tonight at 7 CT on SEC Network+ and Sunday, we finish off the season versus Georgia at 1 PM at Memorial in SECN+. That’s senior day. The women have been tremendous this season and Coach Shea Ralph is really making an impact on our program. Love what Coach Ralph is doing. She’s outstanding and the future this season and beyond looks terrific.
More coming up next week. Have an awesome weekend. Anchor Down. Let’s get a lot of victories this weekend.
Super Bowl LVIII Prediction
Record through the NFC/AFC Championships
SU: 7-5; ATS: 6-6
Super Bowl 58
San Francisco 49ers (14-5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (14-6)
Allegiant Stadium, Vegas, 65,000
CBS
Jim, Tony, Trace, Gene Steratore (rules analyst)
Refs: Bill Vinovich (makes mistakes, hope it’s not a problema).
Halftime: Usher, could be fun.
Sideshow: Traylor Swift (my daughter’s going to be mad at me).
Niners by 1 1/2
I have no clue why the 49ers are the favorite. Why would you make Patrick Mahomes an underdog after he repeatedly beats the odds every year? He’s this generation’s Tom Brady. He may be better than Brady when his career is over and that’s a long way away. There are distractions for the Chiefs with Mahomes’ dad getting his third DWI in Texas and the ongoing Swift spectacle. But with Mahomes, M’Auto, Isaiah Pacheco and that underrated but spectacular defense, how do you go against this juggernaut? I’ve got one word to describe this game: “Bundle Home and Auto.” When asked by a fictional football locker room why that’s one word and not four, Jake from State Farm cooly responds, “It’s not if you’re bundling.”
Give me the Most Valuable Bundler and the Chiefs.
Chiefs 24, 49ers 20
Tracy Chapman/ Luke Combs Fast Car
An epic rendition of this song by two of the best in the business. The great veteran and the younger, country star who’s not afraid of the dinner table. This is not the best quality, so sorry. The best I can do. The performance and the song are worth it, however. Enjoy Super Bowl LVIII.
Winner at Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Odds
Rory, 7/1
Scottie Scheffler, 8/1
Viktor Hovland, 12/1
Jordan Spieth, 18/1
Patrick Cantlay, 20/1
Max Homa, 20/1
Collin Morikawa, 22/1
Ludvig Aberg, 25/1
Justin Thomas, 25/1
Tony Finau, 30/1
Sam Burns, 40/1
Matt Fitzpatrick, 40/1
Tommy Fleetwood, 40/1
Cameron Young, 40/1
Jason Day, 40/1
Sungjae Im, 40/1
Tom Kim, 45/1
Nicolai Hojgaard, 45/1
Keegan Bradley, 80/1
Sahith Theegala, 80/1
Brian Harmon, 80/1
Justin Rose, 80/1
Adam Scott, 80/1
Winner
All this money being thrown at golf now is a little disheartening to watch. It’s taking the fun and the spirit of competition out of the game. Now that a new group, led by Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, has thrown in $3+ billion into the PGA coffers, well, just more of an embarrassment of riches. They’re trying to hold off the Saudis from poaching more PGA players, but there’s also a business/money angle to it as well. It’s too much.
For the fun of the game and for you, my readers, here’s my pick.
Viktor Hovland
AFC, NFC Championship Game Predictions
The Chiefs and the Ravens and the Lions and the Niners square off for the privilege of playing in Super Bowl LVIII in Vegas on February 11th at 5:30 PM CT on CBS. The four teams are the best in the league, and the quarterbacks and defenses should determine each outcome. Will Patrick Mahomes continue his magical career or will Lamar Jackson and that No.1 ranked Ravens defense matriculate to Vegas. On the NFC side, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers will try to earn their way in, but face a talented and hungry Detroit Lions team. A key factor for the 49ers is Deebo Samuels’ health. He’s got a hurt shoulder and is questionable. I expect him to play since it’s for the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2 weeks, but his effectiveness could be hampered by his injury.
Here are predictions for today’s contests…..
Record so far
SU: 7-3, ATS, 5-5
AFC Championship Game
Kansas City Chiefs (13-6, 7-2 Away) @ Baltimore Ravens (14-4, 7-3 Home)
M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD.
2 PM CT
CBS
Jim, Tony, Trace, Evan, Jay
Yella, Shawn Smith
Ravens by 4 1/2
Like I’ve been saying the past couple of years, it’s so hard to go against Mahomes. He’s burned so many experts. He just keeps get’er done. But I like Lamar this year. He has been an extraordinary quarterback and the Ravens defense is superb. Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, who’s back from an injury he suffered three weeks ago, and the Ravens defense is hard to penetrate. The Chiefs defense is underrated and very good as well. But I’ll take Lamar and the Ravens to advance to Allegiant Stadium for Super Bowl 58 on February 11th.
Ravens 24, Chiefs 17
NFC Championship Game
Detroit Lions (14-5, 6-3 Away) @SF 49ers (13-5, 6-3 Home)
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA.
5:30 PM CT
FOX
Kev, Gregory, EA, Tom
Laundry, Clete Blakeman
Niners by 7
Some people would call this a reach, but I’m going to make it. I like Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, tight end Sam Laporta and stellar defensive end Aiden Hutchinson and the Lions to pull off the upset in the Golden Gate state, and put the Lions in Super Bowl 58 playing for their first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. This team has magic. They went to Arrowhead the first game of the season and despite Everybody predicting them to lose, they defeated Mahomes and the Chiefs. I like them to do that at Levi’s late this afternoon as well. Give me Coach Dan Campbell, who’s done a remarkable job pulling a franchise from its bootstraps and brutal struggles all the way to the pinnacle of the sport.
Lions 28, 49ers 24
PGA Season kicks off on the Blog, The Farmers Insurance Open prediction, Australian Open predictions
Historic Torrey Pines will host the Farmers Insurance Open once again as golf season is in full swing now with the tour “matriculating” on the California Swing. The Farmers begins today and will conclude on Saturday so the tournament wants to not coincide with the NFC and AFC Championship Games on Sunday.
Last week at the American Express, 20 year old University of Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap captured the title with a 5 foot nine inch par putt on 18 to hold off 29 year old South African Christian Bezuldenhout by a shot to become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson did it in 1991, 33 years ago. at the Northern Telecom Open in Phoenix. Now Dunlap is pondering whether to join the PGA Tour or remain an amateur. When he becomes a professional, he is exempt in all events up to 2026. If he joins this year, he can play in 3 of the 4 majors, the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the U.S, Open. He would not qualify for the Open Championship. If he played as an amateur, he would be eligible for all majors except the PGA Championship. He is the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. He finished -29 for the Amex, one shot clear of the South African. Quite a feat. There is no guarantee any young player is going to be super elite as a professional, but that’s quite a start for a 20 year old amateur. If he stays at Alabama this season he will get NIL deals with adidas and other sponsors, so that should be a nice deal as well. The Huntsville native is weighing his options. He shot a 12 under par 60 on Saturday and two under par 70 on Sunday.
Onto this week.
The pros will play two courses, Torrey Pines North (7,258 yards, par 72) and the epic Torrey Pines South Course (7,765 yards, par 72). The first two rounds will be played on both courses as the players split between the two and the final two days will be played exclusively on the South Course. the Poa Anuua greens will be stimping up to 14, very quick. The rough will on the South Course will be up to 4 inches.
The defending champion is Max Homa, who is in the field.
It’s been an interesting year and a half in golf with the LIV Tour raiding the PGA Tour for another player when it secured Jon Rahm in December. That’s a blow, but you look at the PGA Tour and there still are many elite players. The LIV and PGA are trying to come to an agreement and become one entity, but it’s a time consuming process. The PGA is moving on with the guys on its roster. You still have Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, and many more competing in all of the new signature events and the majors and other regular events. The Signature events this season are eight tournaments consisting of 70 to 80 players with the 50 top players from the Fed Ex Cup in 2023 competing with 20 to 30 other qualifiers in other ways. The events have purses of $20-25 million with first place paying $3.6 M. Chris Kirk has already won the first Signature event at the Sentry in Maui earlier this month. The seven other events are the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Jan. 29th-Feb 4th, The Genesis Invitational Feb. 15th-18th, the Arnie March, 7th-10th, the RBC Heritage April 18-21st, the Wells Fargo May 9th-12th, the Memorial June 6th-9th, and the Travelers Championship June 20th-23rd. The 50th Players Championship’s purse is $25 M with the winner earns $4.5 M. That stellar event will be played March 14th-17th. The 88th edition of the Masters is April 11th-14th. The 106th PGA Championship will be played at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville May 16th-19th. The 124th U.S, Open is June 13th-16th at Pinehurst No.2, and the 152nd Open Championship is July 18th-21st at Royal Troon. The Fed Ex Cup with a $25 million payout for first place consists of three events: the Fed Ex St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Aug 15th-18th, the BMW Championship Aug 22nd-25th, at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorago, and the Tour Championship at East Lake Aug 29th-Sept 1st. The Fed Ex St. Jude and BMW both have $20 M purses with first place paying $3.6 M.
So, the tour is always stepping it up for the players. Not a bad deal if you work hard and can be successful.
Weather in El Diego
Today, 62, partly cloudy, wind SSW 7 MPH.
Thursday, 63, Partly sunny, wind SW 7
Friday, 67, partly sunny, wind NNW 8.
Saturday, 71, Partly sunny, N 7.
Television
Today-Thursday, 2-6 PM CT, Golf Channel
Friday, 2-4 PM CT Golf, 4-7 PM CBS
Saturday, 1-3 PM CT, Golf, 3-7 PM CBS.
Here are the odds for the Farmers:
Xander 9/1
Cantlay 10/1
Homa 10/1
Morikawa 11/1
Ludvig Aberg 20/1, 24 year old Swede who won the RSM Classic in Sea Island last November.
Sungjae Im 22/1
Min Woo Lee 22/1
Tony Finau 25/1
Jason Day 25/1
Keegan Bradley 33/1
Eric Cole 35/1
Sahith Theegala 40/1
Sepp Straka 45/1
Will Zalatoris 45/1
Hideki Matsuyama 45/1
Harris English 50/1
Justin Rose 50/1
Shane Lowry 60/1
Daniel Berger 65/1
Luke List 80/1
Winner
I’ll take the 30 year old native on San Diego on his home course. He finished T-3 last weekend at the Amex shooting 63-65 on Saturday and Sunday to finish -27 tied with JT and Kevin Yu. Interestingly, Dunlap, being an amateur, could not claim the first place prize money, so Bezuldenhouf took home the $1.5+ million check.
This still young, but now veteran stallion finished T2 in the 2021 Farmers and tied for 7th in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey, which Rahm won. He has a T-10th and T-3rd to open the 2024 season. Give me: