NCAA Basketball – The Sports Fan Project

Inside Baseball – May Edition

May 13, 2026May 9, 2026DouglasTHillLeave a comment

Sunset at Boston's Fenway Park — **^{The view from my seat at Fenway Park for the first meeting between the Boston Red Sox and their rivals the New York Yankees. Yep, that’s Aaron Judge in right field.}**

(Reminder: This content is usually only for subscribers to The Sports Fan Project. It’s being made available to all readers this month in conjunction with our monthlong Around the World in 80 Sporting Events $80 for 80 Circle of Champions supporter drive. If you’d like to receive subscriber-only content such as this as well as first dibs on giveaways, a complimentary T-shirt, and post cards from the road, and a future signed copy of the companion book, follow the link above to discover how.)

Welcome to the May installment of “Inside Baseball” where I try to take you behind the scenes with all that’s happening at The Sports Fan Project. Apologies in advance because in this edition I begin with a bit of a rant.

While we’re just over a month removed from the UCLA women and Michigan men winning their respective NCAA National Championships, it’s already time to plan for the 2027 Final Fours.

It should come as no surprise then that someone who’s attempting to travel Around the World in 80 Sporting Events would have attending the men’s and women’s Final Fours on his list.

Shortly after the respective tournaments ended last month, the portals opened for fans wishing to attend the 2027 NCAA Final Fours (Women on April 2 & 4 in Columbus, OH; Men on April 3 & 5 in Detroit, MI). The deadline for applying for the ticket lottery is May 31st and I am simultaneously aghast and resigned to the fact that this is something I’m going to have to do.

Why am I aghast?

Well, here’s what the NCAA requests of fans who want to purchase tickets from its box office:

Select how many seats you wish to apply for (up to a maximum of four);
Pay $400 per seat requested;
Also pay a $25 processing fee per request;
Wait patiently until no later than October 31st when the NCAA will notify you if your entry was successful;
If so, you’ll receive tickets to the all three Final Four games sometime before April 2027;
If not, you’ll have your seat dollars refunded to your credit card but not the $25 processing fee.

So, to review, presuming someone requests the maximum number of seats (4 x $400) that amounts to a 5-month interest free loan of $1,600 to the NCAA, an entity that reported $1.3 Billion in revenues during the 2023 Fiscal Year (the most-recent available). Oh yeah, if you’re not lucky enough to win the ticket drawing, you’ll receive your money back but not the $25 fee because that’s what it’ll cost to input your information into NCAA’s database and process your refund, apparently.

Sigh:-(

As I bowed out of attending the 2026 Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis due to a conflict with The Masters, I’ll be entering for both the Women’s (two seats) and Men’s (four seats) for 2027 and doing a fair amount of driving back and forth if selected.

In the meantime, I hope the NCAA makes good choices with how it utilizes my $2,400. You know, like not expanding the tournaments from 68 to 76 teams … oh, wait;-)

To enter the Men’s ticket lottery follow this link. Toe enter the Women’s ticket lottery follow this link.

What Else is Happening with the AtWi80SE Project

^{PGA Championship’s logo.}

As you read this, I should be wandering around Pennsylvania’s Aronimink Golf Club with my father during today’s practice session of the PGA Championship. We’ll return Thursday to watch the opening round as well.

Attending the PGA Championship is notable as it will complete my AtWi80SE Grand Slam, having already attended the U.S. Open, The Open, and The Masters. I’m beyond delighted that dad was able to attend 75% of those.

And speaking of grand slams, later this month I’ll be purchasing tickets to the 2026 U.S. Open Tennis Championships and plan to hang in the famous Wimbledon Queue next month in London to kick off my tennis Grand Slam pursuit.

Beyond that, there’s a modicum of downtime before the South Africa vs. Czechia FIFA World Cup 2026 match in Atlanta. That said, I’m hopeful of getting caught up on writing about past travels.

Upcoming Conversations

We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball Cover — **^{The author, Michael Clair, is a future Conversations’ guest.}**

I’m delighted to have four recordings completed and nearly edited for your listening enjoyment. A quick rundown of who to expect to hear from in the near future:

Michael Clair – Clair’s official title with MLB.com is “senior manager of storytelling and special projects” which sounds like one of the coolest job titles in the world. And the world – the baseball world – is in fact his oyster. He specializes in the international game and the World Baseball Classic. His debut book-length work, We Sacrifice Everything to Baseball: How the Czech Republic’s Amateur Underdogs Became World Baseball Classic Heroes, was released April 1 (no fooling) and has been well-received in baseball circles. I have an author-signed copy of Michael’s book to giveaway so please keep your eyes peeled for how to enter.
Eddie Hillery – Hillery works in the public service sector in suburban Detroit and also as a coach at his high school. He’s a former 3-sport star at Rochester High School (football, basketball, and track and field), a 4-year regular on defense for the Central Michigan University Chippewas, and a 3-year professional football player for European club teams in Germany, Finland, and Italy. He shares plenty of stories from all the stops on his life’s journey and even adds some nuggets on what it’s like being a father of two girls one who’s playing volleyball and the other who is not interested in sports … yet;-)
Mark Armour – A baseball fan for nearly as long as he can remember, Armour discovered the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) back in 1982 and was simply a consumer of its works for many years before eventually presenting and publishing one of his research papers. Since then, he’s served in myriad SABR leadership positions including President of its Board of Directors. He also was the founder of the SABR Biography Project which has a goal of writing a biographical article of every integral part of Major League Baseball (player, manager, GM, owner, stadium, etc.). To the moment there are over 6,000 such biographies authored (including over a dozen by Armour).
Scott Crawford – Crawford has been working at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since January 3, 2000. Today, he is the Director of Operations for the Museum whose home is in St. Marys, Ontario, about a 2-hour drive west of Toronto. Unlike most Canadians who favor ice hockey, he always gravitated toward baseball, especially since the nearby Toronto Blue Jays won the American League East in 1985. Bitten by the baseball bug, Crawford has been a baseball guy ever since. Trying to figure out how to stay in the game, he spent a summer during college volunteering at the Museum which led to an unpaid internship and, ultimately, a paid position. Now he sort of runs the place:-)

Guests Request for a Special Anniversary Conversation

^{Almost four years complete, what can I do for Year 5?}

Believe it or not, we’re within a month of celebrating the fourth anniversary of Conversations with Sports Fans filling your earbuds.

No, it wasn’t exactly a “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you” moment, but “The Overview Episode” published June 9, 2022, and here we are, 262 episodes later, still talking sports and whatever else happens to come up.

I’d love to host a panel discussion to publish in early June in commemoration of the anniversary.

My proposed topic: How do I fan today? That is, how do you consume your favorite sports (TV, radio, in print, computer, etc.) It’s an intentionally broad topic because I’m curious how you take in your favorite teams/sports.

Want to join the fun? I’d love it if you would! My hope is to record in the June 2-4 window, likely in the early-to-mid evening EDT. If you’d like to be part of the Conversation please email me at hilldouglast@gmail.com.

Add Your Name to the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions

Many thanks for the fabulous 14 – Geoff, Carol, Tim, Joe, Wayne, Tom, Maury, Stephen, Laura, Martin, Keith, Michael, Luisa, and an anonymous donor – whose generous support of $1 for each of the 80 Events has earned them a spot on the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions wall, a free T-shirt, a copy of the yet-to-be-authored compendium book about this crazy journey I’m embarking upon, plenty of gratitude, and check-ins from the road.

Want to join the Circle, you’re able to do so at the secure <Support> link found along the right column of this page or via Venmo @DouglasTHill. If you’d rather write a check let me know (hilldouglast@gmail.com) and I’ll get that address to you.

Masters Merch Winners

It turns out no drawings were needed to for the Masters Merchandise giveaway. There were six entrants folks eligible based on support of The Sports Fan Project, but only five responded by the deadline to enter. As I had five remaining Masters Ball Marker and two Golf Balls, they all went to good and welcoming homes:

Golf Balls – Paula from Lansing,MI, and Mark from Toronto
Ball Markers – Mike from Sterling, VA, Joe from Bradenton, FL, and Tim from Fairbanks, AK

Congratulations all!

Recently Published Events Pages

You may have missed them with all that’s going on, but pages chronicling Events No. 35 (NCAA Volleyball at Wisconsin) and No. 36 (Packers-Bears at Lambeau Field) have been published. You’re able to find them at the previous links.

More Shots from Boston

^{A few more shots from Events No. 53 (Patriots Day) and No. 54 (Yankees-Red Sox) in Boston. Clockwise from upper left, a picturesque night at Fenway Park for the first game against the rival Yankees this season; runners helping runners realize their Boston Marathon goal; the final of just five turns on the Boston Marathon’s course as runners head down Boylston toward the finish line; a sweet shot of me at Fenway with the stadium name in the background; part of the Boston Marathon Memorial for victims of the 2013 bombing; we were gifted tickets on “The Green Monstah” for Sunday’s soggy affair between Boston and Detroit; the famous Citgo sign from atop The Monster.}

Fan Teaser: Week 180 Solution

April 5, 2026April 6, 2026DouglasTHill2 Comments

^{Nothing to see here, just a couple of GOATs.}

The NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours are this weekend.

The Women will tip it off Friday in Phoenix with a familiar feel to it. The same four schools from last year are back for an encore performance with UCLA playing Texas in one semifinal and Connecticut playing South Carolina in the other. The championship is scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

The Final Four is nothing new to UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. It will be his 25th appearance on the sidelines for the Huskies in this environment. It’s worth noting there have only been 44 Women’s Final Fours … ever! It’s also worth noting this is the 17th time in the past 18 seasons that an Auriemma-coached UConn team has made this trip. And, should the Huskies wind up cutting the nets down on Sunday it will be his 13th National Championship and the team’s 56th consecutive victory without a loss.

The only other active coach with more than six Final Fours is Auriemma’s opponent Friday, South Carolina’s Dawn Staley has eight (including the last six).

The men tip off Saturday in Indianapolis with UConn facing Illinois in one semifinal and Arizona playing Michigan in the other. The title tilt, as it always is, will be Monday night.

^{Retired Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski holds the net from the Blue Devils’ West Regional Championship in San Francisco during his final season coaching in 2022. (Photo by Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)}

Of the four coaches in the Final Four, Danny Hurley is making his third appearance in the past four seasons. That’s still a long way from all-time men’s Final Four appearance leader, retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who made this journey 13 times. His 13th came in his final season on the sidelines (2022) which broke his tie with UCLA legend John Wooden who had a Auriemma-esque nine straight appearances from 1967-1975.

Here’s hoping you enjoy the final weekend of college basketball!

Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.

Braylon Mullins’ Game-Winner for UConn Sure Looked Familiar

March 30, 2026March 30, 2026DouglasTHillLeave a comment

**^{The opening tip of the 2025 Indiana 4A Boys Sectional Championship at Muncie Central Fieldhouse featured Braylon Mullins (24) on the far side of the court.}**

I missed watching the heroics of UConn freshman Braylon Mullins live Sunday because I was traveling home from Event No. 50 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project. (USBC Masters PBA Finals).

My phone began blowing up nearly as soon as I left the parking lot at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, MI, and, for good reason after watching the frantic finish of Connecticut’s 73-72 East Regional Final victory over Duke.

As I watched Mullins’ shot a few times, I couldn’t help but feel as though I’d seen it before.

I had.

It was March 8, 2025, and my cousin, Brandon, and his daughter, Calah, were attending an Indiana Boys’ 4A Sectional Final at Muncie Fieldhouse. The game that night featured Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon. Mullins was a senior at Greenfield-Central while Mt. Vernon featured a junior who’d already committed to Purdue, Luke Ertel. It was the final night of Event No. 14 that took me to Indiana to watch as much basketball as I could fit into a week.

The two were throwing haymakers at one another most of the game (Mullins finished with 38 points, Ertel with 36), but it was this sequence at the end of regulation that I recalled 55 weeks later watching Mullins drain that 35-footer to set up a homecoming for him next week in Indianapolis at the Final Four.

^{Quite a sequence to close regulation at that 2025 Sectional Final. Note Braylon Mullins’ last-second triple that would have won it for Greenfield-Central.} ^{Look familiar?}

The Sports Fan Project Bracket Challenge – Final Four Update

March 30, 2026March 30, 2026DouglasTHill

The Sports Fan Project Bracket Challenge – Sweet 16 Update

March 24, 2026March 30, 2026DouglasTHill

The Day 4 Ledger from Event No. 49

March 23, 2026DouglasTHill1 Comment

My final betting slip from the madness of March in Las Vegas.

I’d considered not putting any wagers on Sunday’s action. There really weren’t any men’s or women’s games that we’re talking to me as I reviewed the matchups.

Oddly, though, as a lifelong Indiana Hoosiers’ fan, I found myself returning time and again to the Purdue-Miami (FL) game. I wasn’t convinced the Boilermakers would cover the seven points they were giving the Hurricanes, but I really liked the look of the 148 Total Points. Surely Purdue’s senior trio of Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and Trey Kaufman-Renn would go to work against one of Division I’s worst 3-point defenses.

As a happy bonus this was the day’s first game, meaning I’d be able to cash in the winning ticket before heading to the Las Vegas Strip for the lions share of my day.

The wager was placed; I took the Over.

Get busy everybody!

My friend Rob, a high school math teacher, outlined what would be needed by quarters of the 40-minute game to get to 149 points. Somewhere north of 37 points would get the job done.

Things were just ducky through the first three-fourths of the game and I figured a walk in the park was occurring.

Then the defense in both ends ratcheted up, the pressure mounted, and invisible lids were placed on both baskets.

When Loyer hit two free throws to give the Boilermakers a 79-69lead with 12 seconds left, I figured an uncontested Miami layup (and a wager win) was in my future.

Inexplicably, Miami began to dribble out the clock then had a change of heart when Tre Donaldson drive to the basket for a layup only to be met with some half-hearted defense from Purdue causing him to miss.

Ballgame!

And a push. All I was getting was my wagered amount returned.

Here’s what transpired Sunday:

$10 wagered on the Over of 148 Total Points by Purdue-Miami (FL) – 79-69 final for 148 points (A tie! $10 returned.)

For the four days, nine total wagers were made totaling $90 of the $100 I’d allocated myself. The outcome was $17.50 to the good.

I’ll take it!

Fan Teaser: Week 178 Solution

March 22, 2026March 17, 2026DouglasTHill1 Comment

**^{If your memory’s good, this should be more than enough to go on.}**

As CBS play-by-play man came on the air March 20, 2010, he welcomed viewers to snowy Oklahoma City, OK.

It was, perhaps, apt that there was a quasi-blizzard raging outside when 9th-seeded Northern Iowa played top-seeded Kansas in the Round of 32 for a spot in the Sweet 16.

The upstart Panthers fairly well snowed in the Jayhawks, jumping to an 8-point halftime lead, forcing 15 Kansas turnovers for the game, and clinging to a 1-point lead with 35 seconds left.

That’s when the subject of this week’s Fan Teaser, Ali Farokhmanesh, drained a deep three to give the Panthers a two possession lead which they turned into a 69-67 upset victory. Farokhmanesh just completed his first year as head coach of the Colorado State Rams who qualified for the NIT this season with a 21-12 record.

Will (or has it already!?!) similar March Madness occur during this year’s tournament? I guess we’ll just need to wait and see.

^{Northern Iowa’s Ali Farokhmanesh celebrates after his 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining gave the 9th seeded Northern Iowa Panthers a 4-point leader over top-seeded Kansas in the NCAA Men’s Tournament’s Round of 32 back in 2010. UNI went on to win, 69-67. (Photo by Ronald Martinez)}

^{Farokhmanesh hits the open three.}

The Day 3 Ledger from Event No. 49

March 22, 2026DouglasTHillLeave a comment

Buzzer Beater — **^{Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner’s last-second shot was this close to clinching a Commodore victory and a clean sweep for our wagers on that game.}** **^{(Photo from a CBS Sports Screen Grab)}**

And on the third day, the “2017 South Point Sports Book Customer Service Agent of the Year,” Therese, pulled out a roll of Scotch Tape from behind the counter and re-assembled my torn winning betting slip from Friday’s Alabama-Hofstra game and I was $19.10 better off.

Of course, Therese’s turn as miracle worker came after Geno Auriema and his UConn women’s basketball team couldn’t ever find their rhythm during its first-round match up with Texas-San Antonio and merely won by 38 points and not the 55 the oddsmakers thought it would.

Hubris, thy name is Doug for laying 55 points.

Our day ended in fantastic fashion sitting at the Steak ‘n Shake in South Point gnoshing on burgers and shakes and fries while watching the end of the Vanderbilt-Nebraska game on a phone screen. A game in which three of us had some interest😉

One of our group had the first-half Over which was set at 68.5 points. His palms were sweaty and his knees weak – though there was no sign of mom’s spaghetti;-) – as the teams slogged their way to 71 first-half points.

I had the Nebraska getting two points in the game while another had Vanderbilt giving those same two points.

A scenario did exist where all three of us could be winners: The combined 71 first-half points followed by a Vanderbilt 1-point win.

Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner nearly delivered just that at the buzzer with his shot that was that close (see image above) from going in and giving the Commodores a 75-74 victory. (Check out the shot below.)

Instead we had to settle for 2-for-3.

Here’s what transpired Saturday:

South Point’s Saint Therese rescued my accidentally torn betting slip from the trash heap and turned my stupidity into a victory (Win! Payout $19.10)
$10 wagered on UConn women -55 points against Texas-San Antonio – Final Score: UConn 90, UTSA 52. (Loss!)
$10 wagered on Nebraska +2 points against Vanderbilt – Final Score: Nebraska 74, Vanderbilt 72. Win! Payout $19.10)

So, as I type this early Sunday morning (praying to Saint Therese, of course) I am currently up $17.50 for the three days.

^{The fantastic finish to the Nebraska-Vanderbilt game.}

The Day 2 Ledger from Event No. 49

March 21, 2026March 22, 2026DouglasTHill1 Comment

Torn Betting Slip — Reading, it’s fundamental:-(

Day 2 embracing the madness that is March in Las Vegas was a tale of wins, wonton disregard for reading comprehension, and a bad beat as part of Event No. 49 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project.

My dad watches a lot of mid-major men’s basketball thanks to ESPN+ and he provided me with two schools to keep an eye on before I headed here: High Point University (Big South) and Wright State University (Horizon League).

If you recall from my Day 1 Ledger, High Point won its game outright and me a whopping $9.10. I figured, who am I to disregard my father’s advice at this point.

Of course, dear old dad would have encouraged me to read the final scores of games for content carefully before decided to rip up a betting slip (see above). I still swear I saw the Alabama-Hofstra final score on the ticker as 90-80. Imagine my shock when I noticed that 80 was really a 70. I wonder if my six pieces will get me paid? I think I already know the answer to that question but it must be asked.

And then there was the St. John’s-Northern Iowa game. Convinced Coach Rick Pitino would not endure another early exit like he did a year ago when his group didn’t escape opening weekend, I took the Over of 132.5. The final total … 132!!! All I needed was one of those 13 combined missed free throws to get made!

Here’s what transpired Friday:

$10 wagered on Wright State +17 points against Virginia – Final Score: Virginia 82, Wright State 73 (Win! Payout of $19.10)
$10 wagered on Alabama -12 points against Hofstra – Final Score: Alabama 90, Hofstra 70 (Win! But I tore my ticket up:-( Payout TBD)
$10 wagered on the Over of 132.5 in the St. John’s-Northern Iowa game – Final Score: St. John’s 79, Northern Iowa 53 (Loss!)

So, as I type this early Saturday morning I am down $2.70 pending the outcome turning in my torn betting slip.

The Day 1 Ledger from Event No. 49

March 20, 2026March 22, 2026DouglasTHill2 Comments

**^{After 24 hours old Ben is holding up pretty well.}**

They say the house always wins.

With this knowledge, I fully understand the other shoe is about to drop, but for at least one day my bottom line during Event No. 49 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events is a positive.

Subscribers of the Project will recall from Inside Baseball – March Edition that I’d allocated myself one $100 bill to wager on NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament action here in Las Vegas.

Here’s what went transpired:

$10 wagered on High Point +10.5 points against Wisconsin – Final score: High Point 83, Wisconsin 82 (Win! Payout of $19.10)
$10 wagered on McNeese State +12 points against Vanderbilt – Final score: Vanderbilt 78, McNeese State 68 (Win! Payout of $19.10)
$10 wagered on Gonzaga -20.5 points against Kennesaw State – Final score: Gonzaga 73, Kennesaw State 69 (Loss!)

So, as I type this early Friday morning I am up $8.20.

Let’s see what today brings:-)