Skip to content
PMTPMT DB
Push
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The UMBC upset was a calculated move by the school to develop a national profile and drive admissions

I'm staying a little bit woke on that... this was a very good opportunity for UMBC to develop a national profile with a Twitter account. And then they used it to start like promoting their president. And they tweeted out like links to apply to UMBC.

UMBC did indeed see a massive surge in applications and profile following the win, though it wasn't a 'calculated move' to win a basketball game for that purpose.

More from this episode

View episode
Win
Mar 19, 2018
#15382
Big CatBig Cat

The 2018 first weekend was the craziest in NCAA tournament history

I actually I'm gonna say it: it was the craziest first weekend in tournament history. We had the first ever 16 beat a one... you had two seeds that both could have won the tournament, UNC and Cincy, and then you had two three seeds, Michigan State and Tennessee, who lost.

The 2018 tournament is historically cited as one of the most chaotic ever due to the UMBC upset.
Loss
Mar 19, 2018
#15384
Big CatBig Cat

Kentucky has the easiest path to the Final Four in 2018

Kentucky could not have had a better bracket. Now with everyone imploding in their bracket, they have to get to the Final Four. Because they have no choice now. They have the easiest path to the Final Four.

Kentucky lost to 9-seed Kansas State in the Sweet 16, failing to reach the Final Four despite the easy path.
Win
Mar 19, 2018
#15387
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Syracuse zone is the college basketball equivalent of Navy's triple-option offense

I compare the Syracuse zone to Georgia Tech's offense or Navy's offense in football. It's not fun to watch. It's not especially exciting. But it's so much different from everything else that you see all year that a team that plays that zone can beat any team in the country a couple times out of ten.

Syracuse's zone is famously difficult to prepare for in a tournament setting, leading to numerous deep runs as a double-digit seed.

More from PFT Commenter

View profile
Open
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The Ravens' fourth-quarter problems are moving earlier

Historically, the fourth-quarter Ravens have not been a great team. That fourth-quarter Ravens has started to creep its way into the third-quarter Ravens. And I think eventually it's going to keep creeping earlier and earlier in the game. I don't think it's going to get better because the defense does not look good.

This is a season-long assessment that can only be judged against Baltimore's eventual 2026 performance.
Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

Baker Mayfield has a real revenge game against Cleveland

This is like a big Baker revenge spot too. This is not a made-up Baker—I have a perceived slight against me because some team didn't trade for me when I was on the market. This is Baker Mayfield against Stefanski, and they haven't talked since he left Cleveland.

Whether the personal history materially affects the game is subjective, though the stated public grievance is part of the episode's context.
Void
PFT CommenterPFT Commenter

The NFL should reduce the season to 16 games

I'm going to say it. I think that 17 games is too much. I like the scarcity. I like if you brought it back to 16, because the NFL's also been playing this game for a long time where they have to find safer-looking ways to do a dangerous activity.

The preferred NFL schedule is a policy judgment, though the player-safety rationale is grounded in the discussion's cited study.