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03/19/2018

The Greatest Upset of All Time....

[Posted Sunday PM...prior to the conclusion of Florida State-Xavier and West Virginia-Marshall]

NBA Quiz: The other day, LeBron James had his 69th career triple-double.  Name the top five in NBA history in this category, James now ranked sixth. Answer below.

March Madness

Funny how there is no talk of the scandals swirling around college basketball this week, as it should be, the excitement of the tourney taking center stage.  These annual battles of big vs. small, highly-recruited studs vs. kids who were lightly-regarded, are simply delightful.

And what a first weekend, with upsets by 13 Buffalo over 4 Arizona, a real ass-whupping, 89-68, and 13 Marshall over your Exclusive Bar Chat Pick to Click, 4 Wichita State, 81-75; the first tournament wins ever for each. And No. 11 Loyola’s buzzer-beating win over 6 Miami, 64-62.

You had a lot of near-misses, such as 13 UNCG falling to 4 Gonzaga, barely, 68-64; 4 Auburn prevailing over 13 Charleston 62-58; 5 Kentucky squeezing by 12 Davidson 78-73.

Then Saturday, Loyola did it again, a last-second win over 3 Tennessee, 63-62, and terrific contests such as 3 Michigan beating 6 Houston on a buzzer-beater by Jordan Poole, 64-63.

And my “Pick for the Final Four,” Seton Hall, should have defeated 1 Kansas, but choked at key moments, losing 83-78 Saturday night, despite the heroics of Angel Delgado (24 points, 23 rebounds) and Khadeen Carrington (28 points).  Unfortunately, The Hall had some bad moments, such as two missed free throws at the end of the first half by Carrington that were momentum killers.  The game was there for the taking, as I expected it would be.

I do just have to say that, no, I don’t care my bracket was busted early.  I had to go with Wichita State and Seton Hall.  I was there with them since day one.  But, yeah, there were troubling signs for both all season long. In the case of the Shockers, the six seniors didn’t get it done, ditto for the Pirates and their big three seniors.  If Carrington hadn’t disappeared in some key games, they would have had a 5- or 6-seed and an easier second-round opponent.  That’s how this all works.  [See Chris Paul and his @$#% move that cost Wake a No. 1 seed years ago that doomed us.]

In terms of my two upset picks, 13 Charleston over 4 Auburn, and 14 Stephen F. Austin over 3 Texas Tech, I came close...SFA falling 70-60, though this one was closer than the final indicates.

And I did say that Virginia’s loss of sixth man De’Andre Hunter “will be a fatal blow, Elite Eight out of the question, let alone a Final Four.”

Oh yeah, Virginia....I was doing that other column I post late Friday nights, but had the UVA-UMBC game on in the background.  It was both exhilarating and kind of sad.  I just felt sad for the Cavaliers and their fans after such a superb season and a unanimous No. 1 ranking heading into the tournament (all 65 AP first-place votes).  There are some schools, such as Kentucky, most fans would kind of like to have such a distinction, but there is zero reason to dislike Virginia.  Great school.  Good students. Class program. The embarrassment from the 74-54 annihilation is going to haunt it, the school and its alumni, forever.

So let’s talk about this contest, shall we?

UMBC Pulls off an All-time Stunner....

The greatest upset in the history of the sport* didn’t come on a buzzer-beater, but rather a 20-point blowout against the top overall seed in the tournament.  It’s not just the greatest upset, it’s among the most stunning disappointments for a dominant team in college basketball history.

*Chaminade was number one until now.  For “all sports,” Tyson-Douglas in 1990.  For a full season, Leicester City’s recent Premiere League championship is number one.  I’ll talk about Chaminade next time.

The nation’s best defense (allowing 53.4 points a game) gave up 74.  The absence of ACC Sixth Man of the Year Hunter had nothing to do with this one.

UMBC Coach Ryan Odom’s game plan was perfect: Let the guys penetrate and fire at will and play inspired defense.

And to think the Retrievers were only in the tournament because they sank a last-second basket to get past Vermont in the American East conference final against favored Vermont.

Odom, son of former Wake Forest and South Carolina coach Dave Odom, was a Virginia ballboy for four years in the 1980s when his father was an assistant under head coach Terry Holland.

George Willis / New York Post

Stunning!  Simply stunning. When the final seconds ticked off the overhead scoreboard at Spectrum Center, UMBC sophomore guard Arkel Lamar began to wave his hands in the air, while Virginia sophomore Kyle Guy shook his head in disbelief.

“Heck, the whole world was in disbelief. While upsets are synonymous with March Madness, a 16th seed never had beaten a No. 1 seed. Ever. Until Friday night....

Jairus Lyles scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half and UMBC shot 50 percent from 3-point range (12-of-24) as the retrievers blew open a game that was tied 21-21 at halftime with a torrid second-half performance. The Retrievers, playing with bravado and overflowing confidence, shot 67.9 percent from the field in the second half against one of the best defensive teams in the country. Virginia, which ends the season at 31-3, was rattled throughout the game and made just 41.1 percent from the field and was outrebounded 33-22....

“All season, Virginia had been the team that frustrated opponents with its suffocating defense and ultra-efficient offense. But the Cavs began to look confused and desperate as the minutes started to melt off the clock.”

Princeton, East Tennessee State, Western Carolina...these were among the 16-seeds who came close, but none had closed the door.  No. 16 is now 1-135.

Afterwards, Coach Tony Bennett said, “We got our butts whipped, that wasn’t even close. That’s first a credit to what Ryan did, Coach Odom.  Their offense was very hard to guard. They shot it well. We kept getting broken down and did a poor job.

“I told our guys, we had a historic season...and then we made history by becoming the first 1-seed to lose.”

Kent Babb / Washington Post

“After a mostly sleepless night, Dave Odom’s mind was still racing.  How had this happened? How had his son and his program pulled this off?

“Odom watched from the fourth row in Charlotte on Friday as his son, Ryan, engineered the biggest upset in NCAA men’s tournament history: No. 16 seed Maryland Baltimore County’s 74-54 dismantling of the top seed Virginia, the first time a No. 1 seed had ever lost to a No. 16 seed.

“ ‘They were forced to change,’ Dave Odom said Saturday morning of the Cavaliers, and the interesting thing is that’s precisely what Virginia usually does to opponents.

“UVA Coach Tony Bennett, one of college basketball’s best tacticians and a man who – in the name of consistency – ignores trends and even the pleas sometimes of his assistant coaches, has turned the Cavaliers into one of the nation’s most formidable programs. Bennett does so using a defensive system known as the Pack Line, as stifling as it is slow-paced and unglamorous, along with specific attacks that have elevated UVA into a three-time regular season ACC champion.

“But Bennett’s style is so distinctive that, according to coaches intimately familiar with it and those who have pulled off upsets of the Cavaliers, there is – if an opposing coaching staff’s collective ego will allow it – a decided formula to disrupting and even defeating UVA, and the secret is as simple as this: Play the Cavaliers the way they play you.

“ ‘Kryptonite’ was how one of Bennett’s coaching peers described the strategy – not much of a secret after UVA has fallen victim to its own attacks against lower-seeded opponents in four of the past five tournaments.

“ ‘You kind of do to him what he does to other people,’ said the coach, who along with others interviewed for this story requested anonymity to honestly assess the strengths and weaknesses of Bennett’s system.  ‘We can’t beat them at our own game, but we can beat them at his game.’

“In a sport increasingly trending toward up-tempo play and in a conference with iconic names and personalities, Bennett has set his program apart by being methodical and unwavering.  UVA – no matter the opponent – is going to play the Pack Line, a variation of man-to-man defense that floods the lane with defenders and forces long and increasingly desperate three-pointers in an attempt to restore a normal rhythm and, simply, to keep up.

“It is death by boa constrictor: agonizingly slow, impressively powerful, jarring in how it uses panic as a weapon as the oxygen slips away. It was popularized by Dick Bennett – the UVA coach’s father, who used the same strategy to guide Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000 – and Tony Bennett has spent nine seasons implementing the system, his team’s fortunes living and occasionally dying by it. And the best and worst things about Bennett are his refusal to conform or even adjust.

“ ‘I’ve been begging to put a zone in for nine years now. It’s not going to happen,’ Jason Williford, a longtime UVA assistant coach, said  in February during an interview about Bennett’s consistency.  ‘We’re going to do our man-to-man, and these are our principles, and they will work.’”

In UVA’s two losses this season, to West Virginia and Virginia Tech, they did what the Cavs usually do to opponents: “put unusual pressure on opposing guards; eliminating or severely limit the opponent’s scoring in transition; use an approach similar to a ball-control ground game in football to reduce the opponent’s possessions and keep the score low. In both losses, Virginia attempted – and missed – an uncharacteristic number of three-pointers.

“Michigan State and Syracuse have, in NCAA tournament upsets of the Cavaliers, used similar tactics to surprise UVA and end its postseason early.”

So Friday, Ryan Odom copies directly from the Cavaliers’ playbook.  “(The) Retrievers attacked UVA center Jack Salt, who had zero points and four rebounds; desperate and suffocating, the Cavaliers attempted bad shots and increasingly long three-pointers, finishing 4 for 22 from beyond the arc.  UMBC committed only 12 turnovers and, for most of the first 30 minutes, did not attempt to hurry the game’s methodical pace or dramatically increase the number of possessions, perhaps learning from other successful Cavaliers opponents who avoided a favorite Bennett trap....

“From across the court, Dave Odom watched his son and the game clock, and when the game ended, Ryan couldn’t have been calmer. He didn’t overreact or do something that’ll get him on the ‘One Shining Moment’ montage, though his Retrievers surely will be heavily featured....

“And though it took him a moment to put his finger on it, Dave Odom thought there was something familiar about the way his son had handled everything about Friday.

“ ‘Ryan, I think he is terrific at sharing his confidence with his team,’ Dave Odom said. ‘He’s just really good at that. He stays calm. He’s a lot like Tony Bennett.’”

--Today, more stunners.  11 Syracuse, the team that didn’t belong, won its third straight and a berth in the Sweet Sixteen with an upset of 3 Michigan State 55-53. The Spartans shot 17 for 66 from the field, 8 of 37 from three.  Jim Boeheim can simply flat-out coach.  This Orange team has little actual talent, at least pro potential....which makes this story all the better.

And another team shot 17 for 66 from the field, 4-seed Auburn, which was blasted by 5 Clemson 84-53.  What the Tigers have done is shocking, after the mid-season loss of No. 2 scorer and rebounder Donte Grantham.

Equally shocking was the dismantlement of defending national champion and No. 2 seed North Carolina at the hands of 7 Texas A&M, 86-65.

2 Purdue held on to beat 10 Butler 76-73, despite the loss of center Isaac Haas to injury the game before...perhaps for the rest of the tourney.

But in the day’s biggest stunner, 7 Nevada overcame a 22-point deficit in the final 11 minutes to defeat 2 Cincinnati 75-73; the second-largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history. I have to admit, I was glancing at this one online, while watching “60 Minutes” and finishing up this column, saw the lead was about 20 points, and paid it no heed until one of my 15 news feeds popped up in the corner of the screen and gave me the word on the comeback.  Wow!  Nevada has now trailed at the half in five straight games, all wins.

So we have a Nevada-Loyola matchup next; meaning one of these two advances to the Elite Eight.  How freakin’ great is that?!

And in a valiant effort that came up short, 16 UMBC was in it until the end, but fell short, 9 Kansas State prevailing 50-43.  These kids nonetheless have a memory for the ages the rest of their lives.  May they make the most of the experience.

The South Region thus has no No. 4 or better seeds advancing to the Sweet 16, the first time this has happened in NCAA Tournament history.  [9 K-State plays 5 Kentucky, while the other is the 7 Nevada vs. 11 Loyola matchup.]

What a freakin’ tournament!!!

--Gonzaga is in their fourth straight Sweet 16 and ninth in school history, eight of them under Coach Mark Few, since 1998-99.  They have been in every NCAA Tournament since ’99, 20 straight, and 20-straight seasons with at least 23 wins.  Just remarkable.  And it’s been a clean program.

You also have to admire the hell out of Few for staying all this time, when he could have had just about any top job vacancy he wanted.

--After UCLA and Arizona State lost in their play-in games, Arizona’s loss to Buffalo meant the Pac-12 had flamed out, making history in the process. Since the Big 12 was created in 1996-97, no league among the six major conferences (Power 5 and the Big East) had failed to send a team to the second round until Thursday when the Pac-12 became the first.  Arizona coach Sean Miller’s compensation is $4 million per year. Buffalo’s Nate Oats makes $600,000 annually.

--Just as my bracket blew up, it’s fun to look back on the futility of trying to analyze the tournament beforehand.  I get USA TODAY Sports Weekly in the mail normally on Saturdays, and I’m guessing it goes to press around Tuesday, so I read with amusement some of the following from Dan Wolken:

“The sleeper: With the best player in the country, a regular-season and conference tournament title and a coach who’s made Four Elite Eights, Arizona has all the ingredients for a deep run.”

And, “While fans of opposing teams like to take shots at Virginia for its plodding, visually unappealing style and some notable failures in the NCAA tournament, this just seems like the Cavaliers’ year to finally break through.”

--The UMBC mascot is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Maryland’s state dog, and it has been the school’s mascot since it was founded in 1966.

--Mark R., Notre Dame grad, pleaded for special dispensation from the Commissioner to be able to claim Buffalo as his school since he took summer school classes at the university there in 1967 to be able to graduate from ND on time.   Yes, Mark.  You were awarded special distinction as an Unofficial Alum of the Bulls.  Hope you enjoyed your brief ride.

--What a s---show at Pitt.  In addition to talented freshman Parker Stewart, seven other Pittsburgh players have asked for – and are expected to receive – their release on Friday to explore transfer options, according to ESPN, in the aftermath of the firing of coach Kevin Stallings, who apparently had quite a bit of support among the players despite going 0-18 in the ACC.  Stewart told ESPN:

“We had a tough year, but most of the team was freshmen and we felt like we’d have a chance to improve next year. We liked Coach Stallings. He was a great guy as a person and he treated us well.”

Well make that nine players. Today, ESPN is reporting that leading scorer Jared Wilson-Frame is going to leave. This is absolutely stunning...I’ve never heard of something like this.  And two signees announced they have asked for their release.  We aren’t talking a school that has just been put on probation.  It was a simple firing.

So Pitt is going to have a lot of graduate students with a year of eligibility left flocking to the school, potentially, as well as JUCO players, you would think.  No word on who the next coach will be but they need to act fast so they can get some of those post-grad kids.

--I’m sorry if I can’t get excited about the NCAA Women’s tournament.  Saturday gave us an example of why no one else, outside Connecticut, gives a damn as well.  In Storrs, Conn., the UConn juggernaut beat Saint Francis of Pennsylvania 140-52 in the first round.  As a story in USA TODAY put it, “coach Geno Auriemma was in celebratory spirits.”

“Embarrassment would have been more appropriate.

“Auriemma, in unleashing his superior players, exposed what dilutes his accomplishments – the disparity between the best and the rest in women’s basketball is so significant, they could use a mercy rule.  Or a coach who knows how to show mercy.”

UConn outscored the No. 16 seed Saint Francis 96-10 in the paint while improving its record to 33-0.

Last year, Baylor, another power, beat Texas Southern by 89 in the tournament.

The Jets’ Big Move

Latest order for the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft:

1. Cleveland
2. Giants
3. Jets
4. Cleveland
5. Denver
6. Indianapolis
7. Tampa Bay
8. Chicago
9. San Francisco
10. Oakland
11. Miami
12. Buffalo

My J-E-T-S Jets made a bold move on Saturday, trading three second-round draft picks, one of them for 2019, to move up three spots in the first round from No. 6 to No. 3.  It’s the first time since 1996 (when they picked Keyshawn Johnson, No. 1 overall) that they’ll be picking in the top three.

I was bemused that all five of the people that wrote me in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, knowing I was a Jets fan, thought it was a horrible move.  I, on the other hand, like it.  I reminded my friends that we just signed a bunch of players who are immediate starters, while who the hell knows with second-rounders.  But, yes, of course the Jets have to now get it right, and history is not on our side. 

I was also one hoping the Jets didn’t sign Kirk Cousins, and it turns out he blew us off more than anything else.  I want Baker Mayfield, just sensing he is perfect for Gotham, but it seems the Jets will go with Josh Allen, as of today, and assuming the Giants take Saquon Barkley.

Bottom line, I like this aggressive action.

Steve Serby / New York Post

When you are desperate for a young franchise quarterback and your franchise and your reputation hang on getting one, finally, after all the personnel Buttfumbles at the most important position on the field, you do this.

“You transform into Trader Mike Maccagnan so you can go get one.

“You surrender three second-round picks and your sixth-overall pick to the Colts for the third pick of the NFL draft.

“It means you are so desperate for one of the quarterbacks, so terrified that you might have been left standing in the game of quarterback musical chairs that you are willing to settle for the third-rated quarterback on your board.

“There remains a danger, of course, that another quarterback-desperate team – the Bills at 12 for example, perhaps the Broncos at 5, perhaps the Cardinals at 15 – could leapfrog the Jets for the apple of their eye.

“Alas, beggars can’t be choosers.

“It makes more sense if Maccagnan has the top quarterbacks rated virtually the same.

“But imagine how JETS it would be should Dave Gettleman and the Giants trade down from 2 so another team can steal Maccagnan’s desired quarterback?

“Or select Maccagnan’s desired quarterback himself?

“Just get this one right, Mike.

“Only your Jets legacy is riding on it.

“Maccagnan made a smart play signing Teddy Bridgewater to a one-year deal and bringing back Josh McCown, the 39-year-old godsend.

“What those moves do, if the Browns choose Sam Darnold with the first-overall pick, is allow Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to let Josh Allen or Josh Rosen or Baker Mayfield redshirt for most or all of his rookie season, a la Pat Mahomes II in Kansas City.

“And there will be no mentor better for him than McCown.

“Allen, he with the JaMarcus Russell arm, suddenly becomes more desirable because he is considered the biggest project of the bunch.

Rosen is considered the most pro ready, but his anti-Trump hat from two years ago – a photo of Trump preceded by the F-word – just might rub Trump’s U.K. ambassador – Jets owner Woody Johnson – the wrong way....

“Perhaps Johnson, who lusted for Brett Favre’s star power in 2008, might prefer Broadway Baker Mayfield, the shortest and feistiest of the Class of 2018.

“Now coughing up a trio of second-round picks is never appealing, but remember that Maccagnan, with his $90 million free-agent bag, was able to fill holes with cornerback Trumaine Johnson, inside linebacker Avery Williamson, running back Isiah Crowell and center Spencer Long. And except for Marcus Maye last year, the Jets haven’t exactly nailed their second-round picks.

“He has more holes to fill – a long-lost pass rusher for one – but franchise quarterback has been the franchise’s Achilles heel since Joe Namath.

Maccagnan swung and missed on Christian Hackenberg two years ago. He decided not to swing for Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky and Mahomes....

“Maccagnan paid a steep price, but remember that Giants GM Ernie Accorsi surrendered a first-rounder, a third and a fifth to swap Philip Rivers for Eli Manning at the 2004 draft. If you have a conviction on a quarterback, you pay the price....

“Whomever his choice turns out to be, Trader Mike cannot afford to get this one wrong.”

Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

“The Jets make a big move now, moving up to where they want to be for the upcoming draft. It feels as big as any move like this they’ve ever made. And what they say to their fans in the process is this: We are as tired of waiting for a quarterback as you are. This is no longer just a Giants draft now. It belongs to the Jets, too. The move, then, is really a giant one, in all ways.  And so much better in the long run than spending the ridiculous fortune it would have taken them to get Kirk Cousins.

“The Giants pick ahead of the Jets, because they were as bad last season as the Jets were supposed to be.  But it doesn’t matter this time that the Giants are ahead of the Jets. Or who the Giants pick ahead of them. The Jets, if they want one, will get one of the star quarterbacks coming out...

“The Jets announce, and in lights, that they are tired of waiting for things to break their way, even after re-signing Josh McCown and trading for Teddy Bridgewater. They look to make their own break.  Now Mike Maccagnan needs to be right. Those are the rules of engagement for deals like this, when it is star college quarterbacks who are in play. None of this is breaking news, by the way, to Maccagnan.

“ ‘You have to be right,’ Ernie Accorsi, who made the draft day trade to get Eli Manning, says all the time, talking about being in the right place at what you and your bosses and your fans hope is the right time.

“ ‘You can’t be wrong,’ the new Giants GM, Dave Gettleman, is saying now about his own chance to take a quarterback with the second pick of this draft.

“But know this: Maccagnan and the Jets are right to do this. If you see a chance like this and have a job like his and don’t have the nerve to make this kind of move, then maybe you shouldn’t have this kind of job in the first place....

“Sometimes it feels to older Jets fans as if they have been waiting for the heir to Joe Namath for as long as the Cubs waited to win another World Series until they finally won one two years ago.  It was over a century for the Cubs. We are now at half-a-century since the Jets played, and won, their one and only Super Bowl.

“Nobody is saying that Darnold can be the guy. Or the brash kid from UCLA, Rosen, who may just have an attitude made for New York and Jersey.  Or Allen out of Wyoming, who comes from a part of the college football world that produced Carson Wentz.  Or even Mayfield. But the Jets must like all of them well enough to make this move.

“It is only three spots. It feels like more than that today. Feels as big as any move any Jets GM has ever made. Good for Mike Maccagnan.”

--After my last chat, A.J. McCarron did end up signing a two-year, $10 million deal with Buffalo, but it’s not known if the Bills will still try to move up in the draft to get one of the consensus top four QBs.

--We note the passing of Tom Benson, the self-made billionaire who owned the New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans. He was 90.

Benson, who owned a string of auto dealerships in New Orleans and San Antonio and a number of Southern banks before buying the Saints in 1985, was alternately revered and reviled by local sports fans.  All the while, he remained a colorful figure, who delighted in dancing on the Superdome field with a gold and black parasol – the Saints’ colors – to celebrate victories.

But after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it was tough times, the Saints forced to move their home games out of New Orleans, with Benson considering moving the team to San Antonio, which didn’t go over well.  He became the villain.

Then he gained a favorable deal with the state of Louisiana to continue playing at the Superdome, which later underwent a substantial renovation at taxpayer expense. And the Saints then rewarded their fans’ patience, and the city’s perseverance, with a Super Bowl following the 2009 season.

Golf Balls

--Man, golf is in great shape heading into Augusta.  28-year-old Rory McIlroy announced he was back in top form with a final-round 64 and a three-shot win over Bryson DeChambeau at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.  It was Rory’s 14th win in his already sterling PGA Tour career, but first in about 18 months.  With No. 14 before the age of 30, he joins a rather august group who have done the same....Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson.

Speaking of Tiger, he continued his excellent play, finishing T-5, a second straight top five finish, and in two weeks, which is significant, as Tiger used to never play back-to-back.  Clearly, he is physically as good as he’s been in years.

But while Tiger wasn’t beating a surging Rory, who birdied five of his final six holes, Woods might have scared McIlroy and the others a little bit if he hadn’t bogeyed 16 and 17.

--Tyrrell Hatton won’t be having dinner with Phil Mickelson anytime soon.  Hatton discussed how his group at the WGC-Mexico Championship earlier this month was put on the clock by a PGA Tour rules official in the final round, Hatton paired with Shubhankar Sharma and Mickelson, and the official told Hatton that both he and Sharma would be timed, but Mickelson would not.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Hatton said, “Sharma wasn’t that slow, to be honest. He was fine. But I feel like Phil was taking quite a lot of time on certain things.  We’d had a warning earlier on in the round to speed up and we kind of did but not massively.

“I’d just birdied 14 to tie with Phil and, you know, you’ve got four holes to go and it’s kind of crunch time. We had all hit good tee shots up 15 when one of the officials charged over and said, ‘Phil, you’re exempt but Tyrrell and Sharma, I’m going to start timing you.’

“Phil goes, ‘Oh, he obviously likes me.’ I was raging.”

Mickelson, of course, went on to win.  The clock didn’t hurt Hatton as he eagled 15 to grab a share of the lead.

--We note the passing of the legendary Wake Forest golf coach, Jesse Haddock.  He was 91.

Ryan Herrington / Golfworld

“It’s interesting to note that Jesse Haddock didn’t take up the game of golf until 1959 – seven years after the North Carolina native graduated from Wake Forest with a degree in business, four years after pitching in as an assistant coach for the school’s men’s golf team and one year before being asked to serve as its head coach. His predecessor, Bones McKinney, also coached the basketball team in Winston-Salem, N.C., and he was struggling to find time to do both, so school officials promoted the golf neophyte.

“ ‘He didn’t know much about the swing,’ acknowledged Jay Haas, one of 63 players who earned All-Americans during the 32 seasons Haddock oversaw the Demon Deacons’ program. ‘But he knew what made people tick.’

“It was that skill that enabled him to get the likes of Haas, Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, Jay Sigel, Scott Hoch, Gary Hallberg, Billy Andrde and Len Mattiace to perform at their best when the stakes were highest. In turn, it allowed the spritely man to cast a long shadow over college golf.

Wake’s achievements under Haddock were impressive and historic: three NCAA titles (1974, 1975 and 1986), 15 ACC championships and dozens of team wins overall. The 33-stroke victory by the 1975 team during the national championship at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, shattered the previous record of 19 and caused tournament officials to restructure the way they ran the championship....

“In 2001, I wrote a story for Golf World about the 1974-75 Demon Deacons’ squad, making the case that it was the best single team in the history of college golf. Nearly two decades later, that designation still applies (despite a spirited challenge from a Cal-Berkeley squad in 2012-13 that won 12 times that season but failed to claim the NCAA title).

“Wake’s 1975 squad was led by Haas and Strange, both first-team All-Americans who would go on to highly successful PGA Tour careers. Second-team All-American Bob Byman (the 1972 U.S. Junior champion) and third-team All-American David Thore, played Nos. 3 and 4. Challenging for the fifth spot were Tim Saylor, Bill Argabrite and the then-freshman Hoch, golfers other schools dreamed of having in their No. 1 spots. The Demon Deacons won seven of nine tournaments that season with an average margin of victory of 27 strokes.

“ ‘We had a sense of unity,’ Thore told me while I reported that story. ‘Each of us filled a niche on the team, and Jesse made sure we felt valued, even the guys that didn’t play.  He was a master psychologist.’....

“ ‘He had great players, don’t get me wrong,’ former N.C. State coach Richard Sykes once said about Haddock. ‘But he got them to be great when it counted. He shined a light, and the rest of us tried to follow it.’”

NBA Bit

Thursday night at the Garden, the Knicks lost 118-110 to Philadelphia, New York’s 17th loss in 18 games, as they fell to 24-45 and suddenly into eighth place in the lottery odds.

But then Saturday, the Knicks stupidly beat Charlotte (30-40) at MSG, 124-101. What are you doing, Knicks?!

MLB

--Some seem to be panicking over the spring Shohei Ohtani is having.  But, “In our universe, we are evaluating this in a vacuum,” said Angels general manager Billy Eppler on Friday.  “Is this 23-year-old prospect ready to make an impact on both sides of the ball?”

In a game on Friday, an 18-6 to the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani looked dominant during a scoreless first inning, striking out DJ LeMahieu looking with a nasty breaking ball and Trevor Story with a 98-mph fastball. But then he couldn’t get out of the second, allowing seven runs on six hunts, including home runs to Ian Desmond and Nolan Arenado.

At the plate he is batting just .100 (2 for 20). On the mound, including in ‘B’ games, he has a 16.20 ERA in 8 1/3 innings, surrendering four home runs, but he has struck out 19. [Stats thru Saturday’s play.]

I’ve been shocked at the consistent talk out of the Angels since day one that Ohtani was going to be on the Opening Day roster and that they would be going to a six-man rotation because of his past experience in Japan.  I always assumed after they signed him he would start out in the minors, which I’m sure at this point is where he’ll be.  Let the kid just settle in.  He won’t be a bust, but we may not see the real Ohtani until he’s, say, 25 or 26.  Remember, he really hardly played in Japan.  It’s not like he has five full seasons of minor league baseball under his belt at his age.

--A new Quinnipiac University New Jersey Baseball Poll was released the other day.  The New York Yankees remain the favorite team of New Jersey fans, at 47 percent, more than the Phillies (20 percent) and Mets (18 percent).

Of course it’s a north/south Jersey deal with the Mets and Phillies.  It’s kind of a strange state, as in there is a mini-Mason-Dixon line across the bottom third.

Interestingly, the split a year ago was Yankees 39, Phillies 21, and Mets 20.  Fans dig the long ball, you might say, re: The Little Bandbox that Ruth Didn’t Build.

But among all New Jersey adults, 49 percent describe themselves as “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in Major League Baseball, with 51 percent not interested. That’s not good.

--We note the passing of former Mets third baseman, Ed Charles, at the age of 84. What a lovely man, Charles, a key cog for the 1969 Miracle Mets and a beloved teammate.

Charles, nicknamed “the Glider” for his smooth play at third, only played three seasons with the Mets, 1967-69, yet he achieved iconic status with the fans because of his spirited play and leadership qualities.  After his career ended following the World Series, he was a constant presence in New York, representing the Mets and working with troubled youth in the Bronx.

Tom Seaver told the Daily News’ Bill Madden on learning of Charles’ death:  “How sad. Ed was just a terrific person.  He was a pro’s pro and just what we needed to complete that (’69) team.”

Madden:

Inspired by Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier in 1947, Charles signed with the old Boston Braves in 1952, where he spent eight seasons in the minors waiting behind Braves Hall of Fame third baseman Eddie Mathews.  Charles, though, finally made it to the big leagues with the Kansas City Athletics, where he spent the prime of his career before being traded to the Mets on May 10, 1967 for a reserve outfielder, Larry Elliot.  He was 29 by the time he made his major league debut in 1962 and had a standout rookie season with the A’s, hitting .288 with 17 homers and 74 RBI in 147 games.”

Charles liked to write poetry, earning him the moniker of Mets poet laureate.  One such poem about Jackie Robinson, titled Jackie Robinson – Super Star, opened as follows:

He accepted the challenge and played the game
With a passion that few men possessed.

He stood tall in the face of society’s shame
With a talent that God had blessed.

Seaver told Madden that manager Gil Hodges was the one who was instrumental in getting Charles to New York. “Gil knew what he was. Everybody loved him.”

Charles had a very solid 1968, with 15 homers, 53 RBI, and a .276 average, but while he hit only .207 in 1969, as strictly a part-time, platoon player, he still had a number of clutch hits.

Altogether now, old-time Mets fans: “Never throw a slider to the Glider.”

Ron Swoboda: “Ed was such a sweet person and decent man who moved around this world with the same grace he showed at third base.”

Premier League / Champions League / FA Cup

There was limited Premier League action the past few days, though on Saturday, Liverpool blasted Watford 5-0, with Mohamed Salah scoring four times to give him a league-leading 28 in 31 fixtures, four ahead of Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who we learned is out until about mid-April with his latest injury.

Crystal Palace had a critical 2-0 win over Huddersfield, to move back above the relegation line, if only temporarily.

The next two weeks are dominated by international play, read “Friendlies.”

The FA Cup is down to its final four, all Premier League entrants; Tottenham, Manchester United, Southampton and Chelsea; Chelsea winning today 2-1 in extra time over Leicester, securing its semi with Southampton.

Southampton beat League One’s Wigan on Saturday 2-0  in its quarterfinal, though Wigan is almost certain to be promoted back to the Champions League for next season, down three points for an automatic spot, but with two games in hand over second-place Shrewsbury, first-place Blackburn five points ahead, though having played three more matches than Wigan. The top two in League One automatically qualify for promotion.

Wigan had eliminated three Premier League clubs on the way to the quarterfinals.  Southampton qualified for the final four of the FA Cup for the first time since 2003.

The quarterfinal matchups for the Champions League are now set, to be played April 3/4 and April 10/11.

Sevilla v. Bayern Munich
Juventus v. Real Madrid
Barcelona v. Roma
Liverpool v. Manchester City

So the Premier League, after getting a record five teams into the Sweet Sixteen, ends up with just two, but two very strong clubs.

In Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Chelsea on Wednesday to punch its ticket into the “last eight,” Lionel Messi had two scores, giving him 100 Champions League goals.  Only Cristiano Ronaldo, his Real Madrid rival, previously reached that mark.

--Joshua Robinson of the Wall Street Journal noted that when it comes to Premier League managers, this year’s turnover has been as rapid as any in history.

“(Even) by the wild standards of the Premier League, where the average managerial tenure is around 14 months, this season is historically bloody.

Nine of the 20 who started the season in August have now been fired, just one short of the Premier League’s record of 10, set in 2013-14.  Never before have so many met their demise by mid-March.  Which means, with the two most stressful months of the season ahead of us, there’s still time for more carnage.  In fact, it has become a topic of weekly discussion in post-match news conferences.

“ ‘Before you even ask me the question, will I speak to those upstairs?  Yes I will, of course I will because it’s getting difficult,’ said Alan Pardew, a manager of last-place West Brom, after his most recent defeat.”

A big thing this season, as I’ve been pointing out, is the intensity of the relegation line battle, with at least 10 of the 20 teams flirting with it this year.

Yet Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, the 67-year-old who is likely guiding Arsenal to its worst Premier League finish since 1995, hangs on, well past his prime.  Because of his FA Cup success last season, he was given a new contract running through 2018-19 and plans on honoring it.  The club’s American owner, Stan Kroenke, who also owns the NFL’s Rams, doesn’t seem to want to make a move either.

Stuff

--Defending Monster Energy Cup Champion Martin Truex Jr. won his first NASCAR race of the year today at Fontana, California, over Kyle Larson....Kevin Harvick’s win streak ending at three.  Yours truly won in DraftKings, making up for another hideous week for the kid in golf.  But at least for now, no hari-kari.  Plus Johnny Mac has my sword.

--I am leaving out the name, but the other day, a 20-year-old New Jersey woman died while snowboarding at Blue Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania.  She hit her head, yet was wearing a helmet.  Skiers died in January and February after incidents on Pocono Mountain slopes.  To be honest, I didn’t know about the other two.  You can imagine the resorts, and surrounding communities, don’t want a lot of news out on such tragedies.  But they happen far more often than you would think.

One of the two skiers died of injuries to his head and neck after colliding with another skier at Blue Mountain, while the other had gone missing in woods at Camelback Resort and had died from injuries he suffered.

--Eegads: “Idaho officials euthanized a snapping turtle Friday, days after a biology teacher allegedly fed a sick puppy to the animal in front of the students in his class.

“The snapping turtle, which is deemed an invasive species by the Idaho Department of Agriculture, was seized amid an investigation into possible animal cruelty charges against a Preston Junior High School teacher, whom authorities have not yet identified.”

Unfortunately, the case has created a huge uproar in the Franklin County district, egged on by social media, with two sides forming; one in support of the long-time teacher and how he is being portrayed, the other, animal rights activists.  It’s so serious there are extra police around all the schools in Preston.  No ‘waiting 24 hours’ here.  It’s complicated.

--In Advance, N.C., “A coyote followed a (9-year-old girl) to the door of her home and attacked her as she was trying to enter her home.

“The coyote had been attempting to attack the family dog before this. The victim’s mother was able to get the coyote to stop the attack.”

The coyote got away.

--From the BBC: “A Malaysian man who became famous for his snake-handling skills has died after being bitten by a cobra.

“Abu Zarin Hussin (don’t know him), a firefighter, first shot to fame after British tabloids published a story incorrectly identifying him as a Thai man who’d allegedly married his pet snake.

“Mr. Hussin had trained other firefighters on how to handle snakes.

“But he was admitted to hospital on Monday after being bitten by a cobra during a snake-catching operation.”

No word on what happened to the cobra, including whether or not it is awaiting trial.

--There are reports that the eighth and final season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which doesn’t air until 2019, will be a bloodbath.  That’s according to Iain Glen, who plays the recently Greyscale-free Jorah Mormont.  Glen told Indian Express that he found the ending brilliant, “but we will just have to see: if others agree.  ‘With something this big like ‘Game of Thrones,’ you cannot please everyone. All I can say is that we will be doing what we have done before.”

The final table read for the cast was apparently a tearjerker.  Francesca Orsi, HBO’s senior VP of drama, recently told EW, “By the very end, everyone looked down and looked up and tears were in their eyes. ...None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started falling down to their deaths.”

George R.R. Martin has previously said the ending was “bittersweet,” but promised it wouldn’t be a bloodbath.  HBO, though, has been deviating from his books.

--We note the passing of guitarist Nokie Edwards, whose play helped define the surf-rock style of the Ventures, the immensely popular instrumental band that rose to prominence in the 1960s. He was 82.

“Mr. Edwards’ seemingly effortless picking produced a palpitating sound that captured the vibe of the ocean a few years before the Beach Boys began singing about California girls.” [New York Times] 

Edward was playing lead guitar in country singer Buck Owens’ band when he was spotted by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle in a Spokane, Wash., club in the late 1950s. Wilson and Bogle had limited musical talent and knew Edwards had a broader pedigree that would make their new band, what became the Ventures, better.

With Edwards playing bass and Mr. Bogle on lead guitar, the Ventures’ record “Walk – Don’t Run” rose to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Later, the Ventures performed the No. 4 theme for “Hawaii Five-O.”

They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

Top 3 songs for the week 3/15/75: #1 “Black Water” (Doobie Brothers)  #2 “My Eyes Adored You” (Frankie Valli)  #3 “Lady Marmalade” (LaBelle)...and...#4 “Have You Never Been Mellow” (Olivia Newton-John)  #5 “Lovin’ You” (Minnie Riperton...chirp chirp...tweet tweet...)  #6 “Lady” (Styx)  #7 “Lonely People” (America)  #8 “Express” (B.T. Express)  #9 “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (Electric Light Orchestra)  #10 “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” (Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta)

NBA Quiz Answer: Top five career triple-doubles: Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107), Russell Westbrook (100) and Wilt Chamberlain (78).

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.



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Bar Chat

03/19/2018

The Greatest Upset of All Time....

[Posted Sunday PM...prior to the conclusion of Florida State-Xavier and West Virginia-Marshall]

NBA Quiz: The other day, LeBron James had his 69th career triple-double.  Name the top five in NBA history in this category, James now ranked sixth. Answer below.

March Madness

Funny how there is no talk of the scandals swirling around college basketball this week, as it should be, the excitement of the tourney taking center stage.  These annual battles of big vs. small, highly-recruited studs vs. kids who were lightly-regarded, are simply delightful.

And what a first weekend, with upsets by 13 Buffalo over 4 Arizona, a real ass-whupping, 89-68, and 13 Marshall over your Exclusive Bar Chat Pick to Click, 4 Wichita State, 81-75; the first tournament wins ever for each. And No. 11 Loyola’s buzzer-beating win over 6 Miami, 64-62.

You had a lot of near-misses, such as 13 UNCG falling to 4 Gonzaga, barely, 68-64; 4 Auburn prevailing over 13 Charleston 62-58; 5 Kentucky squeezing by 12 Davidson 78-73.

Then Saturday, Loyola did it again, a last-second win over 3 Tennessee, 63-62, and terrific contests such as 3 Michigan beating 6 Houston on a buzzer-beater by Jordan Poole, 64-63.

And my “Pick for the Final Four,” Seton Hall, should have defeated 1 Kansas, but choked at key moments, losing 83-78 Saturday night, despite the heroics of Angel Delgado (24 points, 23 rebounds) and Khadeen Carrington (28 points).  Unfortunately, The Hall had some bad moments, such as two missed free throws at the end of the first half by Carrington that were momentum killers.  The game was there for the taking, as I expected it would be.

I do just have to say that, no, I don’t care my bracket was busted early.  I had to go with Wichita State and Seton Hall.  I was there with them since day one.  But, yeah, there were troubling signs for both all season long. In the case of the Shockers, the six seniors didn’t get it done, ditto for the Pirates and their big three seniors.  If Carrington hadn’t disappeared in some key games, they would have had a 5- or 6-seed and an easier second-round opponent.  That’s how this all works.  [See Chris Paul and his @$#% move that cost Wake a No. 1 seed years ago that doomed us.]

In terms of my two upset picks, 13 Charleston over 4 Auburn, and 14 Stephen F. Austin over 3 Texas Tech, I came close...SFA falling 70-60, though this one was closer than the final indicates.

And I did say that Virginia’s loss of sixth man De’Andre Hunter “will be a fatal blow, Elite Eight out of the question, let alone a Final Four.”

Oh yeah, Virginia....I was doing that other column I post late Friday nights, but had the UVA-UMBC game on in the background.  It was both exhilarating and kind of sad.  I just felt sad for the Cavaliers and their fans after such a superb season and a unanimous No. 1 ranking heading into the tournament (all 65 AP first-place votes).  There are some schools, such as Kentucky, most fans would kind of like to have such a distinction, but there is zero reason to dislike Virginia.  Great school.  Good students. Class program. The embarrassment from the 74-54 annihilation is going to haunt it, the school and its alumni, forever.

So let’s talk about this contest, shall we?

UMBC Pulls off an All-time Stunner....

The greatest upset in the history of the sport* didn’t come on a buzzer-beater, but rather a 20-point blowout against the top overall seed in the tournament.  It’s not just the greatest upset, it’s among the most stunning disappointments for a dominant team in college basketball history.

*Chaminade was number one until now.  For “all sports,” Tyson-Douglas in 1990.  For a full season, Leicester City’s recent Premiere League championship is number one.  I’ll talk about Chaminade next time.

The nation’s best defense (allowing 53.4 points a game) gave up 74.  The absence of ACC Sixth Man of the Year Hunter had nothing to do with this one.

UMBC Coach Ryan Odom’s game plan was perfect: Let the guys penetrate and fire at will and play inspired defense.

And to think the Retrievers were only in the tournament because they sank a last-second basket to get past Vermont in the American East conference final against favored Vermont.

Odom, son of former Wake Forest and South Carolina coach Dave Odom, was a Virginia ballboy for four years in the 1980s when his father was an assistant under head coach Terry Holland.

George Willis / New York Post

Stunning!  Simply stunning. When the final seconds ticked off the overhead scoreboard at Spectrum Center, UMBC sophomore guard Arkel Lamar began to wave his hands in the air, while Virginia sophomore Kyle Guy shook his head in disbelief.

“Heck, the whole world was in disbelief. While upsets are synonymous with March Madness, a 16th seed never had beaten a No. 1 seed. Ever. Until Friday night....

Jairus Lyles scored 23 of his 28 points in the second half and UMBC shot 50 percent from 3-point range (12-of-24) as the retrievers blew open a game that was tied 21-21 at halftime with a torrid second-half performance. The Retrievers, playing with bravado and overflowing confidence, shot 67.9 percent from the field in the second half against one of the best defensive teams in the country. Virginia, which ends the season at 31-3, was rattled throughout the game and made just 41.1 percent from the field and was outrebounded 33-22....

“All season, Virginia had been the team that frustrated opponents with its suffocating defense and ultra-efficient offense. But the Cavs began to look confused and desperate as the minutes started to melt off the clock.”

Princeton, East Tennessee State, Western Carolina...these were among the 16-seeds who came close, but none had closed the door.  No. 16 is now 1-135.

Afterwards, Coach Tony Bennett said, “We got our butts whipped, that wasn’t even close. That’s first a credit to what Ryan did, Coach Odom.  Their offense was very hard to guard. They shot it well. We kept getting broken down and did a poor job.

“I told our guys, we had a historic season...and then we made history by becoming the first 1-seed to lose.”

Kent Babb / Washington Post

“After a mostly sleepless night, Dave Odom’s mind was still racing.  How had this happened? How had his son and his program pulled this off?

“Odom watched from the fourth row in Charlotte on Friday as his son, Ryan, engineered the biggest upset in NCAA men’s tournament history: No. 16 seed Maryland Baltimore County’s 74-54 dismantling of the top seed Virginia, the first time a No. 1 seed had ever lost to a No. 16 seed.

“ ‘They were forced to change,’ Dave Odom said Saturday morning of the Cavaliers, and the interesting thing is that’s precisely what Virginia usually does to opponents.

“UVA Coach Tony Bennett, one of college basketball’s best tacticians and a man who – in the name of consistency – ignores trends and even the pleas sometimes of his assistant coaches, has turned the Cavaliers into one of the nation’s most formidable programs. Bennett does so using a defensive system known as the Pack Line, as stifling as it is slow-paced and unglamorous, along with specific attacks that have elevated UVA into a three-time regular season ACC champion.

“But Bennett’s style is so distinctive that, according to coaches intimately familiar with it and those who have pulled off upsets of the Cavaliers, there is – if an opposing coaching staff’s collective ego will allow it – a decided formula to disrupting and even defeating UVA, and the secret is as simple as this: Play the Cavaliers the way they play you.

“ ‘Kryptonite’ was how one of Bennett’s coaching peers described the strategy – not much of a secret after UVA has fallen victim to its own attacks against lower-seeded opponents in four of the past five tournaments.

“ ‘You kind of do to him what he does to other people,’ said the coach, who along with others interviewed for this story requested anonymity to honestly assess the strengths and weaknesses of Bennett’s system.  ‘We can’t beat them at our own game, but we can beat them at his game.’

“In a sport increasingly trending toward up-tempo play and in a conference with iconic names and personalities, Bennett has set his program apart by being methodical and unwavering.  UVA – no matter the opponent – is going to play the Pack Line, a variation of man-to-man defense that floods the lane with defenders and forces long and increasingly desperate three-pointers in an attempt to restore a normal rhythm and, simply, to keep up.

“It is death by boa constrictor: agonizingly slow, impressively powerful, jarring in how it uses panic as a weapon as the oxygen slips away. It was popularized by Dick Bennett – the UVA coach’s father, who used the same strategy to guide Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000 – and Tony Bennett has spent nine seasons implementing the system, his team’s fortunes living and occasionally dying by it. And the best and worst things about Bennett are his refusal to conform or even adjust.

“ ‘I’ve been begging to put a zone in for nine years now. It’s not going to happen,’ Jason Williford, a longtime UVA assistant coach, said  in February during an interview about Bennett’s consistency.  ‘We’re going to do our man-to-man, and these are our principles, and they will work.’”

In UVA’s two losses this season, to West Virginia and Virginia Tech, they did what the Cavs usually do to opponents: “put unusual pressure on opposing guards; eliminating or severely limit the opponent’s scoring in transition; use an approach similar to a ball-control ground game in football to reduce the opponent’s possessions and keep the score low. In both losses, Virginia attempted – and missed – an uncharacteristic number of three-pointers.

“Michigan State and Syracuse have, in NCAA tournament upsets of the Cavaliers, used similar tactics to surprise UVA and end its postseason early.”

So Friday, Ryan Odom copies directly from the Cavaliers’ playbook.  “(The) Retrievers attacked UVA center Jack Salt, who had zero points and four rebounds; desperate and suffocating, the Cavaliers attempted bad shots and increasingly long three-pointers, finishing 4 for 22 from beyond the arc.  UMBC committed only 12 turnovers and, for most of the first 30 minutes, did not attempt to hurry the game’s methodical pace or dramatically increase the number of possessions, perhaps learning from other successful Cavaliers opponents who avoided a favorite Bennett trap....

“From across the court, Dave Odom watched his son and the game clock, and when the game ended, Ryan couldn’t have been calmer. He didn’t overreact or do something that’ll get him on the ‘One Shining Moment’ montage, though his Retrievers surely will be heavily featured....

“And though it took him a moment to put his finger on it, Dave Odom thought there was something familiar about the way his son had handled everything about Friday.

“ ‘Ryan, I think he is terrific at sharing his confidence with his team,’ Dave Odom said. ‘He’s just really good at that. He stays calm. He’s a lot like Tony Bennett.’”

--Today, more stunners.  11 Syracuse, the team that didn’t belong, won its third straight and a berth in the Sweet Sixteen with an upset of 3 Michigan State 55-53. The Spartans shot 17 for 66 from the field, 8 of 37 from three.  Jim Boeheim can simply flat-out coach.  This Orange team has little actual talent, at least pro potential....which makes this story all the better.

And another team shot 17 for 66 from the field, 4-seed Auburn, which was blasted by 5 Clemson 84-53.  What the Tigers have done is shocking, after the mid-season loss of No. 2 scorer and rebounder Donte Grantham.

Equally shocking was the dismantlement of defending national champion and No. 2 seed North Carolina at the hands of 7 Texas A&M, 86-65.

2 Purdue held on to beat 10 Butler 76-73, despite the loss of center Isaac Haas to injury the game before...perhaps for the rest of the tourney.

But in the day’s biggest stunner, 7 Nevada overcame a 22-point deficit in the final 11 minutes to defeat 2 Cincinnati 75-73; the second-largest comeback in NCAA Tournament history. I have to admit, I was glancing at this one online, while watching “60 Minutes” and finishing up this column, saw the lead was about 20 points, and paid it no heed until one of my 15 news feeds popped up in the corner of the screen and gave me the word on the comeback.  Wow!  Nevada has now trailed at the half in five straight games, all wins.

So we have a Nevada-Loyola matchup next; meaning one of these two advances to the Elite Eight.  How freakin’ great is that?!

And in a valiant effort that came up short, 16 UMBC was in it until the end, but fell short, 9 Kansas State prevailing 50-43.  These kids nonetheless have a memory for the ages the rest of their lives.  May they make the most of the experience.

The South Region thus has no No. 4 or better seeds advancing to the Sweet 16, the first time this has happened in NCAA Tournament history.  [9 K-State plays 5 Kentucky, while the other is the 7 Nevada vs. 11 Loyola matchup.]

What a freakin’ tournament!!!

--Gonzaga is in their fourth straight Sweet 16 and ninth in school history, eight of them under Coach Mark Few, since 1998-99.  They have been in every NCAA Tournament since ’99, 20 straight, and 20-straight seasons with at least 23 wins.  Just remarkable.  And it’s been a clean program.

You also have to admire the hell out of Few for staying all this time, when he could have had just about any top job vacancy he wanted.

--After UCLA and Arizona State lost in their play-in games, Arizona’s loss to Buffalo meant the Pac-12 had flamed out, making history in the process. Since the Big 12 was created in 1996-97, no league among the six major conferences (Power 5 and the Big East) had failed to send a team to the second round until Thursday when the Pac-12 became the first.  Arizona coach Sean Miller’s compensation is $4 million per year. Buffalo’s Nate Oats makes $600,000 annually.

--Just as my bracket blew up, it’s fun to look back on the futility of trying to analyze the tournament beforehand.  I get USA TODAY Sports Weekly in the mail normally on Saturdays, and I’m guessing it goes to press around Tuesday, so I read with amusement some of the following from Dan Wolken:

“The sleeper: With the best player in the country, a regular-season and conference tournament title and a coach who’s made Four Elite Eights, Arizona has all the ingredients for a deep run.”

And, “While fans of opposing teams like to take shots at Virginia for its plodding, visually unappealing style and some notable failures in the NCAA tournament, this just seems like the Cavaliers’ year to finally break through.”

--The UMBC mascot is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Maryland’s state dog, and it has been the school’s mascot since it was founded in 1966.

--Mark R., Notre Dame grad, pleaded for special dispensation from the Commissioner to be able to claim Buffalo as his school since he took summer school classes at the university there in 1967 to be able to graduate from ND on time.   Yes, Mark.  You were awarded special distinction as an Unofficial Alum of the Bulls.  Hope you enjoyed your brief ride.

--What a s---show at Pitt.  In addition to talented freshman Parker Stewart, seven other Pittsburgh players have asked for – and are expected to receive – their release on Friday to explore transfer options, according to ESPN, in the aftermath of the firing of coach Kevin Stallings, who apparently had quite a bit of support among the players despite going 0-18 in the ACC.  Stewart told ESPN:

“We had a tough year, but most of the team was freshmen and we felt like we’d have a chance to improve next year. We liked Coach Stallings. He was a great guy as a person and he treated us well.”

Well make that nine players. Today, ESPN is reporting that leading scorer Jared Wilson-Frame is going to leave. This is absolutely stunning...I’ve never heard of something like this.  And two signees announced they have asked for their release.  We aren’t talking a school that has just been put on probation.  It was a simple firing.

So Pitt is going to have a lot of graduate students with a year of eligibility left flocking to the school, potentially, as well as JUCO players, you would think.  No word on who the next coach will be but they need to act fast so they can get some of those post-grad kids.

--I’m sorry if I can’t get excited about the NCAA Women’s tournament.  Saturday gave us an example of why no one else, outside Connecticut, gives a damn as well.  In Storrs, Conn., the UConn juggernaut beat Saint Francis of Pennsylvania 140-52 in the first round.  As a story in USA TODAY put it, “coach Geno Auriemma was in celebratory spirits.”

“Embarrassment would have been more appropriate.

“Auriemma, in unleashing his superior players, exposed what dilutes his accomplishments – the disparity between the best and the rest in women’s basketball is so significant, they could use a mercy rule.  Or a coach who knows how to show mercy.”

UConn outscored the No. 16 seed Saint Francis 96-10 in the paint while improving its record to 33-0.

Last year, Baylor, another power, beat Texas Southern by 89 in the tournament.

The Jets’ Big Move

Latest order for the first round of the upcoming NFL Draft:

1. Cleveland
2. Giants
3. Jets
4. Cleveland
5. Denver
6. Indianapolis
7. Tampa Bay
8. Chicago
9. San Francisco
10. Oakland
11. Miami
12. Buffalo

My J-E-T-S Jets made a bold move on Saturday, trading three second-round draft picks, one of them for 2019, to move up three spots in the first round from No. 6 to No. 3.  It’s the first time since 1996 (when they picked Keyshawn Johnson, No. 1 overall) that they’ll be picking in the top three.

I was bemused that all five of the people that wrote me in the immediate aftermath of the announcement, knowing I was a Jets fan, thought it was a horrible move.  I, on the other hand, like it.  I reminded my friends that we just signed a bunch of players who are immediate starters, while who the hell knows with second-rounders.  But, yes, of course the Jets have to now get it right, and history is not on our side. 

I was also one hoping the Jets didn’t sign Kirk Cousins, and it turns out he blew us off more than anything else.  I want Baker Mayfield, just sensing he is perfect for Gotham, but it seems the Jets will go with Josh Allen, as of today, and assuming the Giants take Saquon Barkley.

Bottom line, I like this aggressive action.

Steve Serby / New York Post

When you are desperate for a young franchise quarterback and your franchise and your reputation hang on getting one, finally, after all the personnel Buttfumbles at the most important position on the field, you do this.

“You transform into Trader Mike Maccagnan so you can go get one.

“You surrender three second-round picks and your sixth-overall pick to the Colts for the third pick of the NFL draft.

“It means you are so desperate for one of the quarterbacks, so terrified that you might have been left standing in the game of quarterback musical chairs that you are willing to settle for the third-rated quarterback on your board.

“There remains a danger, of course, that another quarterback-desperate team – the Bills at 12 for example, perhaps the Broncos at 5, perhaps the Cardinals at 15 – could leapfrog the Jets for the apple of their eye.

“Alas, beggars can’t be choosers.

“It makes more sense if Maccagnan has the top quarterbacks rated virtually the same.

“But imagine how JETS it would be should Dave Gettleman and the Giants trade down from 2 so another team can steal Maccagnan’s desired quarterback?

“Or select Maccagnan’s desired quarterback himself?

“Just get this one right, Mike.

“Only your Jets legacy is riding on it.

“Maccagnan made a smart play signing Teddy Bridgewater to a one-year deal and bringing back Josh McCown, the 39-year-old godsend.

“What those moves do, if the Browns choose Sam Darnold with the first-overall pick, is allow Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to let Josh Allen or Josh Rosen or Baker Mayfield redshirt for most or all of his rookie season, a la Pat Mahomes II in Kansas City.

“And there will be no mentor better for him than McCown.

“Allen, he with the JaMarcus Russell arm, suddenly becomes more desirable because he is considered the biggest project of the bunch.

Rosen is considered the most pro ready, but his anti-Trump hat from two years ago – a photo of Trump preceded by the F-word – just might rub Trump’s U.K. ambassador – Jets owner Woody Johnson – the wrong way....

“Perhaps Johnson, who lusted for Brett Favre’s star power in 2008, might prefer Broadway Baker Mayfield, the shortest and feistiest of the Class of 2018.

“Now coughing up a trio of second-round picks is never appealing, but remember that Maccagnan, with his $90 million free-agent bag, was able to fill holes with cornerback Trumaine Johnson, inside linebacker Avery Williamson, running back Isiah Crowell and center Spencer Long. And except for Marcus Maye last year, the Jets haven’t exactly nailed their second-round picks.

“He has more holes to fill – a long-lost pass rusher for one – but franchise quarterback has been the franchise’s Achilles heel since Joe Namath.

Maccagnan swung and missed on Christian Hackenberg two years ago. He decided not to swing for Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky and Mahomes....

“Maccagnan paid a steep price, but remember that Giants GM Ernie Accorsi surrendered a first-rounder, a third and a fifth to swap Philip Rivers for Eli Manning at the 2004 draft. If you have a conviction on a quarterback, you pay the price....

“Whomever his choice turns out to be, Trader Mike cannot afford to get this one wrong.”

Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

“The Jets make a big move now, moving up to where they want to be for the upcoming draft. It feels as big as any move like this they’ve ever made. And what they say to their fans in the process is this: We are as tired of waiting for a quarterback as you are. This is no longer just a Giants draft now. It belongs to the Jets, too. The move, then, is really a giant one, in all ways.  And so much better in the long run than spending the ridiculous fortune it would have taken them to get Kirk Cousins.

“The Giants pick ahead of the Jets, because they were as bad last season as the Jets were supposed to be.  But it doesn’t matter this time that the Giants are ahead of the Jets. Or who the Giants pick ahead of them. The Jets, if they want one, will get one of the star quarterbacks coming out...

“The Jets announce, and in lights, that they are tired of waiting for things to break their way, even after re-signing Josh McCown and trading for Teddy Bridgewater. They look to make their own break.  Now Mike Maccagnan needs to be right. Those are the rules of engagement for deals like this, when it is star college quarterbacks who are in play. None of this is breaking news, by the way, to Maccagnan.

“ ‘You have to be right,’ Ernie Accorsi, who made the draft day trade to get Eli Manning, says all the time, talking about being in the right place at what you and your bosses and your fans hope is the right time.

“ ‘You can’t be wrong,’ the new Giants GM, Dave Gettleman, is saying now about his own chance to take a quarterback with the second pick of this draft.

“But know this: Maccagnan and the Jets are right to do this. If you see a chance like this and have a job like his and don’t have the nerve to make this kind of move, then maybe you shouldn’t have this kind of job in the first place....

“Sometimes it feels to older Jets fans as if they have been waiting for the heir to Joe Namath for as long as the Cubs waited to win another World Series until they finally won one two years ago.  It was over a century for the Cubs. We are now at half-a-century since the Jets played, and won, their one and only Super Bowl.

“Nobody is saying that Darnold can be the guy. Or the brash kid from UCLA, Rosen, who may just have an attitude made for New York and Jersey.  Or Allen out of Wyoming, who comes from a part of the college football world that produced Carson Wentz.  Or even Mayfield. But the Jets must like all of them well enough to make this move.

“It is only three spots. It feels like more than that today. Feels as big as any move any Jets GM has ever made. Good for Mike Maccagnan.”

--After my last chat, A.J. McCarron did end up signing a two-year, $10 million deal with Buffalo, but it’s not known if the Bills will still try to move up in the draft to get one of the consensus top four QBs.

--We note the passing of Tom Benson, the self-made billionaire who owned the New Orleans Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans. He was 90.

Benson, who owned a string of auto dealerships in New Orleans and San Antonio and a number of Southern banks before buying the Saints in 1985, was alternately revered and reviled by local sports fans.  All the while, he remained a colorful figure, who delighted in dancing on the Superdome field with a gold and black parasol – the Saints’ colors – to celebrate victories.

But after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it was tough times, the Saints forced to move their home games out of New Orleans, with Benson considering moving the team to San Antonio, which didn’t go over well.  He became the villain.

Then he gained a favorable deal with the state of Louisiana to continue playing at the Superdome, which later underwent a substantial renovation at taxpayer expense. And the Saints then rewarded their fans’ patience, and the city’s perseverance, with a Super Bowl following the 2009 season.

Golf Balls

--Man, golf is in great shape heading into Augusta.  28-year-old Rory McIlroy announced he was back in top form with a final-round 64 and a three-shot win over Bryson DeChambeau at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.  It was Rory’s 14th win in his already sterling PGA Tour career, but first in about 18 months.  With No. 14 before the age of 30, he joins a rather august group who have done the same....Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson.

Speaking of Tiger, he continued his excellent play, finishing T-5, a second straight top five finish, and in two weeks, which is significant, as Tiger used to never play back-to-back.  Clearly, he is physically as good as he’s been in years.

But while Tiger wasn’t beating a surging Rory, who birdied five of his final six holes, Woods might have scared McIlroy and the others a little bit if he hadn’t bogeyed 16 and 17.

--Tyrrell Hatton won’t be having dinner with Phil Mickelson anytime soon.  Hatton discussed how his group at the WGC-Mexico Championship earlier this month was put on the clock by a PGA Tour rules official in the final round, Hatton paired with Shubhankar Sharma and Mickelson, and the official told Hatton that both he and Sharma would be timed, but Mickelson would not.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Hatton said, “Sharma wasn’t that slow, to be honest. He was fine. But I feel like Phil was taking quite a lot of time on certain things.  We’d had a warning earlier on in the round to speed up and we kind of did but not massively.

“I’d just birdied 14 to tie with Phil and, you know, you’ve got four holes to go and it’s kind of crunch time. We had all hit good tee shots up 15 when one of the officials charged over and said, ‘Phil, you’re exempt but Tyrrell and Sharma, I’m going to start timing you.’

“Phil goes, ‘Oh, he obviously likes me.’ I was raging.”

Mickelson, of course, went on to win.  The clock didn’t hurt Hatton as he eagled 15 to grab a share of the lead.

--We note the passing of the legendary Wake Forest golf coach, Jesse Haddock.  He was 91.

Ryan Herrington / Golfworld

“It’s interesting to note that Jesse Haddock didn’t take up the game of golf until 1959 – seven years after the North Carolina native graduated from Wake Forest with a degree in business, four years after pitching in as an assistant coach for the school’s men’s golf team and one year before being asked to serve as its head coach. His predecessor, Bones McKinney, also coached the basketball team in Winston-Salem, N.C., and he was struggling to find time to do both, so school officials promoted the golf neophyte.

“ ‘He didn’t know much about the swing,’ acknowledged Jay Haas, one of 63 players who earned All-Americans during the 32 seasons Haddock oversaw the Demon Deacons’ program. ‘But he knew what made people tick.’

“It was that skill that enabled him to get the likes of Haas, Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, Jay Sigel, Scott Hoch, Gary Hallberg, Billy Andrde and Len Mattiace to perform at their best when the stakes were highest. In turn, it allowed the spritely man to cast a long shadow over college golf.

Wake’s achievements under Haddock were impressive and historic: three NCAA titles (1974, 1975 and 1986), 15 ACC championships and dozens of team wins overall. The 33-stroke victory by the 1975 team during the national championship at Ohio State’s Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, shattered the previous record of 19 and caused tournament officials to restructure the way they ran the championship....

“In 2001, I wrote a story for Golf World about the 1974-75 Demon Deacons’ squad, making the case that it was the best single team in the history of college golf. Nearly two decades later, that designation still applies (despite a spirited challenge from a Cal-Berkeley squad in 2012-13 that won 12 times that season but failed to claim the NCAA title).

“Wake’s 1975 squad was led by Haas and Strange, both first-team All-Americans who would go on to highly successful PGA Tour careers. Second-team All-American Bob Byman (the 1972 U.S. Junior champion) and third-team All-American David Thore, played Nos. 3 and 4. Challenging for the fifth spot were Tim Saylor, Bill Argabrite and the then-freshman Hoch, golfers other schools dreamed of having in their No. 1 spots. The Demon Deacons won seven of nine tournaments that season with an average margin of victory of 27 strokes.

“ ‘We had a sense of unity,’ Thore told me while I reported that story. ‘Each of us filled a niche on the team, and Jesse made sure we felt valued, even the guys that didn’t play.  He was a master psychologist.’....

“ ‘He had great players, don’t get me wrong,’ former N.C. State coach Richard Sykes once said about Haddock. ‘But he got them to be great when it counted. He shined a light, and the rest of us tried to follow it.’”

NBA Bit

Thursday night at the Garden, the Knicks lost 118-110 to Philadelphia, New York’s 17th loss in 18 games, as they fell to 24-45 and suddenly into eighth place in the lottery odds.

But then Saturday, the Knicks stupidly beat Charlotte (30-40) at MSG, 124-101. What are you doing, Knicks?!

MLB

--Some seem to be panicking over the spring Shohei Ohtani is having.  But, “In our universe, we are evaluating this in a vacuum,” said Angels general manager Billy Eppler on Friday.  “Is this 23-year-old prospect ready to make an impact on both sides of the ball?”

In a game on Friday, an 18-6 to the Colorado Rockies, Ohtani looked dominant during a scoreless first inning, striking out DJ LeMahieu looking with a nasty breaking ball and Trevor Story with a 98-mph fastball. But then he couldn’t get out of the second, allowing seven runs on six hunts, including home runs to Ian Desmond and Nolan Arenado.

At the plate he is batting just .100 (2 for 20). On the mound, including in ‘B’ games, he has a 16.20 ERA in 8 1/3 innings, surrendering four home runs, but he has struck out 19. [Stats thru Saturday’s play.]

I’ve been shocked at the consistent talk out of the Angels since day one that Ohtani was going to be on the Opening Day roster and that they would be going to a six-man rotation because of his past experience in Japan.  I always assumed after they signed him he would start out in the minors, which I’m sure at this point is where he’ll be.  Let the kid just settle in.  He won’t be a bust, but we may not see the real Ohtani until he’s, say, 25 or 26.  Remember, he really hardly played in Japan.  It’s not like he has five full seasons of minor league baseball under his belt at his age.

--A new Quinnipiac University New Jersey Baseball Poll was released the other day.  The New York Yankees remain the favorite team of New Jersey fans, at 47 percent, more than the Phillies (20 percent) and Mets (18 percent).

Of course it’s a north/south Jersey deal with the Mets and Phillies.  It’s kind of a strange state, as in there is a mini-Mason-Dixon line across the bottom third.

Interestingly, the split a year ago was Yankees 39, Phillies 21, and Mets 20.  Fans dig the long ball, you might say, re: The Little Bandbox that Ruth Didn’t Build.

But among all New Jersey adults, 49 percent describe themselves as “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in Major League Baseball, with 51 percent not interested. That’s not good.

--We note the passing of former Mets third baseman, Ed Charles, at the age of 84. What a lovely man, Charles, a key cog for the 1969 Miracle Mets and a beloved teammate.

Charles, nicknamed “the Glider” for his smooth play at third, only played three seasons with the Mets, 1967-69, yet he achieved iconic status with the fans because of his spirited play and leadership qualities.  After his career ended following the World Series, he was a constant presence in New York, representing the Mets and working with troubled youth in the Bronx.

Tom Seaver told the Daily News’ Bill Madden on learning of Charles’ death:  “How sad. Ed was just a terrific person.  He was a pro’s pro and just what we needed to complete that (’69) team.”

Madden:

Inspired by Jackie Robinson’s breaking of the color barrier in 1947, Charles signed with the old Boston Braves in 1952, where he spent eight seasons in the minors waiting behind Braves Hall of Fame third baseman Eddie Mathews.  Charles, though, finally made it to the big leagues with the Kansas City Athletics, where he spent the prime of his career before being traded to the Mets on May 10, 1967 for a reserve outfielder, Larry Elliot.  He was 29 by the time he made his major league debut in 1962 and had a standout rookie season with the A’s, hitting .288 with 17 homers and 74 RBI in 147 games.”

Charles liked to write poetry, earning him the moniker of Mets poet laureate.  One such poem about Jackie Robinson, titled Jackie Robinson – Super Star, opened as follows:

He accepted the challenge and played the game
With a passion that few men possessed.

He stood tall in the face of society’s shame
With a talent that God had blessed.

Seaver told Madden that manager Gil Hodges was the one who was instrumental in getting Charles to New York. “Gil knew what he was. Everybody loved him.”

Charles had a very solid 1968, with 15 homers, 53 RBI, and a .276 average, but while he hit only .207 in 1969, as strictly a part-time, platoon player, he still had a number of clutch hits.

Altogether now, old-time Mets fans: “Never throw a slider to the Glider.”

Ron Swoboda: “Ed was such a sweet person and decent man who moved around this world with the same grace he showed at third base.”

Premier League / Champions League / FA Cup

There was limited Premier League action the past few days, though on Saturday, Liverpool blasted Watford 5-0, with Mohamed Salah scoring four times to give him a league-leading 28 in 31 fixtures, four ahead of Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who we learned is out until about mid-April with his latest injury.

Crystal Palace had a critical 2-0 win over Huddersfield, to move back above the relegation line, if only temporarily.

The next two weeks are dominated by international play, read “Friendlies.”

The FA Cup is down to its final four, all Premier League entrants; Tottenham, Manchester United, Southampton and Chelsea; Chelsea winning today 2-1 in extra time over Leicester, securing its semi with Southampton.

Southampton beat League One’s Wigan on Saturday 2-0  in its quarterfinal, though Wigan is almost certain to be promoted back to the Champions League for next season, down three points for an automatic spot, but with two games in hand over second-place Shrewsbury, first-place Blackburn five points ahead, though having played three more matches than Wigan. The top two in League One automatically qualify for promotion.

Wigan had eliminated three Premier League clubs on the way to the quarterfinals.  Southampton qualified for the final four of the FA Cup for the first time since 2003.

The quarterfinal matchups for the Champions League are now set, to be played April 3/4 and April 10/11.

Sevilla v. Bayern Munich
Juventus v. Real Madrid
Barcelona v. Roma
Liverpool v. Manchester City

So the Premier League, after getting a record five teams into the Sweet Sixteen, ends up with just two, but two very strong clubs.

In Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Chelsea on Wednesday to punch its ticket into the “last eight,” Lionel Messi had two scores, giving him 100 Champions League goals.  Only Cristiano Ronaldo, his Real Madrid rival, previously reached that mark.

--Joshua Robinson of the Wall Street Journal noted that when it comes to Premier League managers, this year’s turnover has been as rapid as any in history.

“(Even) by the wild standards of the Premier League, where the average managerial tenure is around 14 months, this season is historically bloody.

Nine of the 20 who started the season in August have now been fired, just one short of the Premier League’s record of 10, set in 2013-14.  Never before have so many met their demise by mid-March.  Which means, with the two most stressful months of the season ahead of us, there’s still time for more carnage.  In fact, it has become a topic of weekly discussion in post-match news conferences.

“ ‘Before you even ask me the question, will I speak to those upstairs?  Yes I will, of course I will because it’s getting difficult,’ said Alan Pardew, a manager of last-place West Brom, after his most recent defeat.”

A big thing this season, as I’ve been pointing out, is the intensity of the relegation line battle, with at least 10 of the 20 teams flirting with it this year.

Yet Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger, the 67-year-old who is likely guiding Arsenal to its worst Premier League finish since 1995, hangs on, well past his prime.  Because of his FA Cup success last season, he was given a new contract running through 2018-19 and plans on honoring it.  The club’s American owner, Stan Kroenke, who also owns the NFL’s Rams, doesn’t seem to want to make a move either.

Stuff

--Defending Monster Energy Cup Champion Martin Truex Jr. won his first NASCAR race of the year today at Fontana, California, over Kyle Larson....Kevin Harvick’s win streak ending at three.  Yours truly won in DraftKings, making up for another hideous week for the kid in golf.  But at least for now, no hari-kari.  Plus Johnny Mac has my sword.

--I am leaving out the name, but the other day, a 20-year-old New Jersey woman died while snowboarding at Blue Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania.  She hit her head, yet was wearing a helmet.  Skiers died in January and February after incidents on Pocono Mountain slopes.  To be honest, I didn’t know about the other two.  You can imagine the resorts, and surrounding communities, don’t want a lot of news out on such tragedies.  But they happen far more often than you would think.

One of the two skiers died of injuries to his head and neck after colliding with another skier at Blue Mountain, while the other had gone missing in woods at Camelback Resort and had died from injuries he suffered.

--Eegads: “Idaho officials euthanized a snapping turtle Friday, days after a biology teacher allegedly fed a sick puppy to the animal in front of the students in his class.

“The snapping turtle, which is deemed an invasive species by the Idaho Department of Agriculture, was seized amid an investigation into possible animal cruelty charges against a Preston Junior High School teacher, whom authorities have not yet identified.”

Unfortunately, the case has created a huge uproar in the Franklin County district, egged on by social media, with two sides forming; one in support of the long-time teacher and how he is being portrayed, the other, animal rights activists.  It’s so serious there are extra police around all the schools in Preston.  No ‘waiting 24 hours’ here.  It’s complicated.

--In Advance, N.C., “A coyote followed a (9-year-old girl) to the door of her home and attacked her as she was trying to enter her home.

“The coyote had been attempting to attack the family dog before this. The victim’s mother was able to get the coyote to stop the attack.”

The coyote got away.

--From the BBC: “A Malaysian man who became famous for his snake-handling skills has died after being bitten by a cobra.

“Abu Zarin Hussin (don’t know him), a firefighter, first shot to fame after British tabloids published a story incorrectly identifying him as a Thai man who’d allegedly married his pet snake.

“Mr. Hussin had trained other firefighters on how to handle snakes.

“But he was admitted to hospital on Monday after being bitten by a cobra during a snake-catching operation.”

No word on what happened to the cobra, including whether or not it is awaiting trial.

--There are reports that the eighth and final season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” which doesn’t air until 2019, will be a bloodbath.  That’s according to Iain Glen, who plays the recently Greyscale-free Jorah Mormont.  Glen told Indian Express that he found the ending brilliant, “but we will just have to see: if others agree.  ‘With something this big like ‘Game of Thrones,’ you cannot please everyone. All I can say is that we will be doing what we have done before.”

The final table read for the cast was apparently a tearjerker.  Francesca Orsi, HBO’s senior VP of drama, recently told EW, “By the very end, everyone looked down and looked up and tears were in their eyes. ...None of the cast had received the scripts prior, and one by one they started falling down to their deaths.”

George R.R. Martin has previously said the ending was “bittersweet,” but promised it wouldn’t be a bloodbath.  HBO, though, has been deviating from his books.

--We note the passing of guitarist Nokie Edwards, whose play helped define the surf-rock style of the Ventures, the immensely popular instrumental band that rose to prominence in the 1960s. He was 82.

“Mr. Edwards’ seemingly effortless picking produced a palpitating sound that captured the vibe of the ocean a few years before the Beach Boys began singing about California girls.” [New York Times] 

Edward was playing lead guitar in country singer Buck Owens’ band when he was spotted by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle in a Spokane, Wash., club in the late 1950s. Wilson and Bogle had limited musical talent and knew Edwards had a broader pedigree that would make their new band, what became the Ventures, better.

With Edwards playing bass and Mr. Bogle on lead guitar, the Ventures’ record “Walk – Don’t Run” rose to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Later, the Ventures performed the No. 4 theme for “Hawaii Five-O.”

They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.

Top 3 songs for the week 3/15/75: #1 “Black Water” (Doobie Brothers)  #2 “My Eyes Adored You” (Frankie Valli)  #3 “Lady Marmalade” (LaBelle)...and...#4 “Have You Never Been Mellow” (Olivia Newton-John)  #5 “Lovin’ You” (Minnie Riperton...chirp chirp...tweet tweet...)  #6 “Lady” (Styx)  #7 “Lonely People” (America)  #8 “Express” (B.T. Express)  #9 “Can’t Get It Out Of My Head” (Electric Light Orchestra)  #10 “Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You” (Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta)

NBA Quiz Answer: Top five career triple-doubles: Oscar Robertson (181), Magic Johnson (138), Jason Kidd (107), Russell Westbrook (100) and Wilt Chamberlain (78).

Next Bar Chat, Thursday.