Getting the Little Things Right

As the NCAA men’s basketball tournament kicks off, another viral TikTok post is causing more headaches.

Tipoff

A year ago, Oregon’s Sedona Prince became famous off the court for exposing the shocking disparities between the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament accommodations. Her viral post showed how the women in San Antonio had the bare minimum of workout equipment when compared to the men in the NCAA’s backyard in Indianapolis (Charlotte Carroll wrote a great profile of Prince for The Athletic that includes the viral post). The scrutiny of the NCAA continues to this day. Members of the U.S. House of Representative released a letter criticizing the organization and its president, Mark Emmert, for failing to implement recommendations from an equity review conducted in the wake of the post from Prince. The last thing the organization needed was another headache during this year’s NCAA tournaments. Then, Indiana University men’s basketball team was left stranded at an airport in Dayton, Ohio early on Wednesday morning.

Following IU’s win over Wyoming in the First Four game in Dayton, the Hoosiers headed to the airport. While Indianapolis, less than 2 hours to the west of Dayton, is hosting games on Thursday, the Hoosiers had a flight to catch to play in Portland, Oregon against Saint Mary’s. Their first plane was too small for the Hoosiers and their staff. After several hours and viral TikTok posts, a larger plane arrived and flew the team off to their next destination, elated from the win but exhausted from the travel headaches. Inside the Hall has a full write-up of the fiasco.

If the NCAA is going to insist on hosting the First Four in Dayton, Ohio every year, then it is past time they think more strategically about which teams are placed in the various subregional locations hosting first-round games. It makes no sense that the Hoosiers, located a short drive from Dayton, should have to arrive in Portland, Oregon jetlagged, less than 36 hours before their next game when they could have easily been sent to Indianapolis or Pittsburgh instead. The NCAA cannot afford any more black eyes from viral TikTok posts.

Field of 68 Live from the Sportsbook at Rivers Casino Philadelphia

The Field of 68 will be streaming LIVE from the Sportsbook at Rivers Casino Philadelphia during the First Round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Tune in live to hear from Rob Dauster, Terrence Oglesby, and Randolph Childress. The crew will stream on YouTube each day:

  • 11:00 am-12:15 pm (all times Eastern)

  • 5:45-6:45 pm

  • 12:00-1:00 am

During each broadcast, you can sign up to win prizes, including one of five $50 Top Golf gift cards and a grand prize of two tickets to the Sweet 16 in Philadelphia. To win, just register for the Field of 68 bracket pool at www.bracketfanatics.com/b/field. Winners will be selected at random and announced on the live shows broadcasting at www.youtube.com/c/thefieldof68.

The Mixtape 

The Field of 68 team puts out lots of great content each week. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

  • The first day of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is many things: a holiday, an excuse to call in sick, a chance to gain a sudden interest in a college you’ve never heard of before, and more. It’s also one of the biggest sports betting days of the year. The Three Man Weave crew - Ky McKeon, Jim Root, and Matt Cox - have you covered for all the action today. It’s the Best Bets show for Thursday’s games.

  • While many fans are excited about the games taking place this weekend, some are hoping to get back to the tournament with a new head coach. The coaching carousel is spinning with openings at Florida, LSU, Maryland, Xavier, and more. Nobody is more tapped into the coaching job market than Jeff Goodman. He, Rob Dauster, and Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton talked about the latest head coaching news.

  • Are you scrambling to fill out your bracket before Noon Eastern? The After Dark crew has you covered! John Fanta, Steve Prohm, and Kevin Sweeney went rapid-fire picking the first-round games on Thursday. Prohm is a fan of Michigan while Fanta and Sweeney love David Roddy and the Colorado State Rams (this was recorded before news broke that Michigan point guard DeVante Jones will be sidelined for the game while in concussion protocols).

Tournament Tracker

It’s The Big Dance! Let’s take a look at NCAA men’s basketball tournament action and the schedule for the day.

  • #6 Colorado State vs. #11 Michigan (12:15 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #4 Providence vs. #13 South Dakota State (12:45 p.m. EDT on TruTV)

  • #8 Boise State vs. #9 Memphis (1:45 p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #1 Baylor vs. #16 Norfolk State (2:00 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #3 Tennessee vs. #14 Longwood (2:45 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #5 Iowa vs. #12 Richmond (3:10 p.m. EDT on TruTV)

  • #1 Gonzaga vs. #16 Georgia State (4:15 p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #8 North Carolina vs. #9 Marquette (4:30 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #5 UConn vs. #12 New Mexico State (6:50 p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #2 Kentucky vs. #15 Saint Peter’s (7:10 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #5 Saint Mary’s vs. #12 Indiana (7:20 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #8 San Diego State vs. #9 Creighton (7:27 p.m. EDT on TruTV)

  • #4 Arkansas vs. #13 Vermont (9:20 p.m. EDT on TNT)

  • #7 Murray State vs. #10 San Francisco (9:40 p.m. EDT on CBS)

  • #4 UCLA vs. #13 Akron (9:50 p.m. EDT on TBS)

  • #1 Kansas vs. #16 Texas Southern (9:57 p.m. EDT on TruTV)