The Key for the week of March 16, 2026
Dancing in the Dark
Of the 68 teams chosen for the Big Dance in March, there will be a handful to pull off the ultimate upsets along the way (looking at you, UMBC). But if you are new to the NCAA Tournament bracket, Ben says if you go chalk in your selection (choosing the higher seed throughout the tournament), you’ll likely end up with two, maybe three, or in the case of 2008 and last year, all four top seeds facing each other for the title. It’s the time of year when the least likely person in your office can run through the brackets like a bookie in Vegas, and your biggest college basketball fan can be sabotaged by the 12-5 matchup. Fun fact: At least one No. 12 seed has defeated a No. 5 seed in 34 of the last 40 men’s tournaments. Second fun fact: If Illinois would have beaten North Carolina in the 2005 title game, my cat Cokie would have won the entire pool.
Did Miami deserve a slot in the 68?
The pro argument says, how do you deny a spot to a team that went undefeated in the regular season? The con argument says, they had one of the easiest schedules and lost in the opener of their conference tournament. Of course, Miami can’t help who they play for the most part—they’re in the Mid-American Conference, ranked 17th in NET rankings (NET replaced RPI to measure strength of schedule, margin of victory and the like). In win-loss percentage, the MAC ranked 11th out of 31 conferences. The difference, of course, is if you can schedule Quad 1 teams in the pre-season to help your NET ranking. Miami says they can’t get anyone of note to come to Millett Hall to play, one reason the Board of Trustees voted to build a new arena on campus. Miami played who was in front of them-and no other men’s Division 1 team ran the table. They’ll get a banner in the rafters and talk about this season for years to come.
One week to Opening Day….
And it’s not time to panic-yet. But opening day starter Andrew Abbott gave up eight earned runs and eight hits over two innings against the Diamondbacks. In each of his five outings, our friend Mark Sheldon with MLB.com tells us Abbott has a 13.85 ERA. Right now the rotation stands at Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer, with Sheldon reporting that Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson are bidding for rotation spots.
Ben says goodbye to Lou
This week Ben joined college football and the Notre Dame family in saying goodbye to Lou Holtz. Coach Holtz turned around programs at Arkansas and Minnesota, and returned the Fighting Irish to football glory with the 1988 national championship. He was as well known for his motivational sayings and speeches as much as he was for his coaching. His core principle was “Do what’s right, do your best and treat others well” but was just as famous for sayings like, “I sleep like a baby the night before a game. I wake up every two hours and start crying.” He’s buried on the campus of Notre Dame, so the next time you go to a game there, stop by. There won’t be another one like him-rest easy, Coach.