Well – game 1 of rugby didn’t go well but the kids played hard and that is all you can ask. Annoyed at the parents from the other team that decided since we gave a couple extra feet between the sideline and our chairs that this meant it was OK for them to stand in front of us and block our view the whole game. At one point, one of the parents who was wearing a cape actually turned to head back to her kids sitting elsewhere and hit Elizabeth in the face with her cape. When someone told her what she did, she snidely said sorry – almost more like “I guess it was my fault but how dare you be sitting there”. Between the game being a blowout and the parents being jerks, was not a good start to the rugby tournament. Still super proud of Katie (a 7th grader), taking the ball and charging into freshmen HS boys and slightly moving the pile before getting tackled.
As for basketball, the best noon game might be Texas A&M vs Alabama – where the Aggies have jumped out to a 26-13 lead on the 2nd ranked team in the country. There are also some bubble teams fighting. The more interesting one is Iowa State playing 7th ranked Baylor on the road (and currently up 22-14). Then, in the Big 10, Michigan State is up 30-23 in a trap game against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are certainly good enough to pull the upset, but Michigan State probably won’t get a lot of credit for winning. But it certainly could hurt their resume if they lose.
At 2 pm, the SEC is the conference to watch – as 12th ranked Tennessee goes on the road to Auburn, who really could use a win. Then, 23rd ranked Kentucky goes on the road to Arkansas – who also could use a win. Not saying that the ranked teams don’t need more wins, but the difference is between seeding vs. dancing. Pressure is always on the team trying to show they deserve an invite.
The Big 12 has an interesting game as well where West Virginia hosts 11th ranked Kansas State. The Mountaineers are a fascinating bubble case. Their NET ranking of 24th suggests that they are a lock to be in the tournament. But being 6-11 and in 8th place of the 10 team Big 12 suggests they might not make it if they lose again (since that number of losses along with a loss in the conference tournament would tie the most number of losses by an at-large team).
Hopefully, the afternoon rugby game will go better for Katie’s team. For everyone else, enjoy the basketball games!!!