Madness, Moves, and a New Beginning
The Key for the week of March 24, 2025
Cinderella Didn’t Make It to the Dance
But oh, Colorado State could have put the slippers on as a 12th seed, if it hadn’t been for a Derik Queen buzzer-beater to put the Maryland Terrapins into the Round of 16. If you would have gone chalk on your bracket, you’d still be in pretty good shape. All four #1 seeds are still alive, and the lowest seed, Arkansas’ #10, can hardly be seed as a double-digit team after a thrilling win over St. John’s. The game to watch this coming week may be the SEC matchup between #2 Tennessee and #3 Kentucky. They’ve met two previous times this season, with the Wildcats taking both contests. They’ve never met in the NCAA Tournament, and Tennessee is a slight favorite in this Indianapolis showdown.
Speaking of Dancing…
Sean Miller sure had some fast moves from defeating Texas in the First Four game, to being a Longhorn (reportedly) by the time the weekend was over. Right after Texas’ loss to the Musketeers, the word was out that the Longhorns would dismiss head coach Rodney Terry—that move was made official Sunday. Almost as soon as the Texas-X game was over, Sean Miller’s name was floated as a replacement. This, of course, was Miller’s second Tour of Duty at Xavier—he left Evanston for Arizona where he won four regular season Pack 12 titles and made the Elite Eight three times. But Arizona fired him under a cloud of a federal investigation. Xavier brought him back, restored his reputation and put the Musketeers back in the Big East chase. Now, X may be chasing another former coach, Chris Mack, who himself was dismissed from Louisville under yet another investigation. The more things change…
Opening Day!
That’s really all you have to say in Cincinnati to conjure up visions of baseball, spring and warmer weather. Try explaining its importance to anyone outside of Cincinnati, and you get funny looks. In Cincinnati, though, no explanation is necessary. It’s a school-skipping, day-drinking party that starts when you get up and lasts after the final out of the Reds-Giants game Thursday. Hope springs eternal on opening day, but hope has some basis this year with Terry Francona at the helm of this talented-but-young roster. Play Ball!
Ben’s Best Bet
If the Reds can take advantage of their talented players, and if their pitching staff can stay healthy, Terry Francona will have a good chance for, at the least, a winning season, and more. Right now BetMGM has the Reds finishing third in the NL Central, behind the Cubs and Brewers. That still can get you into the post season—and Ben is pretty confident that, although the Reds haven’t been in the playoffs since the cobbled-together season of 2020, this could be the year. In Francona We Trust.