NCAA Basketball

Hoop There It Is! Visiting the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

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The exterior of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as seen from our room in the Hampton Inn.

Since it seemed a waste to fly to the northeast for one night and not try to sneak in two events, my traveling partner, Fran, and I made the hour trek north from Storrs, CT, to Springfield, MA, for the night with plans to tour the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame early the next day before flying back to Detroit in the evening.

But first … football!

Before the 2025 NCAA Football Season, the last time the Indiana Hoosiers played a meaningful college football game after New Year’s Eve was against the USC Trojans at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 1968 (when I was six months old!).

So, yeah, I was gonna figure out a way to watch Indiana University – yes, that Indiana University – play for the stinkin’ National Championship.

After securing our room in the Hampton Inn directly across I-91 from the Hall, we made a beeline for the Rumbleseat Bar & Grill in Chicopee, which promised us sustenance, cooling beverages, and televisions to watch the game.

Check, check, and check!

The pizza was delicious, as was the local cider I selected, and there were plenty of televisions to choose from, though we had to deal with Detroit Pistons-Boston Celtics for screen time.

We lasted at the Rumbleseat until close to halftime when we made our way back to the hotel for the second half.

Even now, eight months later, it’s still hard to believe that the Indiana Hoosiers won the FBS National Championship. What did Verne Lundquist say when Tiger Woods chipped in on the 16th during the final round of the 2005 Masters?

“In your life have you seen anything like that!?!”

No, Verne, no, I have not.

Now, back to Event No. 40 of the Around the World in 80 Sporting Events project: a visit to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

A Mountain of Memorabilia

Clockwise from upper top, this mural of basketball legends (and period baskets) greets visitors to the Court of Dreams; Hollywood’s Penny Marshall was one of the first fans honored in the SuperFan Gallery; a look to the top of the sphere; Marshall’s ring; my friend Fran showing off his form from the elbow; the namesake for the James F. Goldstein SuperFan Gallery.

This may be unfair, but as this is the final of the four major North American sports halls of fame that I’ve visited, I couldn’t help but compare basketball to baseball, football, and hockey.

To be sure, all the halls have a tremendous number of artifacts and memorabilia on display, but it really seemed like basketball had more than the others. You couldn’t swing an elbow (appropriately, of course;-) without spotting something behind glass that was intriguing and warranted your attention. It may be recency bias, but the number of images on my phone tell adifferent story.

That said, this post will lean heavily into images, but before I get to them, two more things I really appreciated about Naismith:

  • First, there are occasional SuperFan inductees who are honored in the James F. Goldstein SuperFan Gallery. This year’s honoree was Matt Asen who supports the Indiana Pacers as “The Pacer Guy.” They get their own ring and everything which, as someone who curates a website called The Sports Fan Project, is pretty cool.
  • Second, the Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams is wonderful. It’s a full basketball court under the giant sphere seen in the exterior photo at the top and allows visitors to shoot, play some 1-on-1, or, if the mood struck and space was available, get a run in with nine of your friends. None of the other halls of fame have anything quite like it.

Some of my Favorite Finds

Clockwise from upper left, Julius Erving and Brittney Griner jerseys and shoes; a cap tip to my Indiana roots, this jacket commeorates the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons won three straight World Professional Basketball Tournaments (1944-46); Pete Maravich’s LSU jersey; a piece of wood flooring from the original Springfield YMCA basketball floor (circa 1890s); Diana Taurasi’s UConn jersey; the list of Hall of Fame inductees by year; I get the concept, but this Jerry Lucas jersey seems, um, uncomfortable; jerseys from Bill Walton and Wilt Chamberlain, balls from Walt Bellamy, John Stockton, and Robert Parrish, and Shaquille O’Neal sneakers; a lifesize cutout of Mugsy Bogues; Fran and I joined the “Inside the NBA” team on a fishing charter; Nolan Richardson gear from his days coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks; Kobe Bryant celebrates a championship; and, as far as I know, the only player from my alma mater (Eastern Michigan University) enshrined in the Naismith Hall.

Bright Lights, Big City

I tried to earn my keep on the set of “Inside the NBA” with Kenny, Shaq, Charles, and Ernie.

Speaking of Lights

Our capper to the overnight trip to the northeast featured a breathtaking glimpes at the aurora borealis (aka Northern Lights) outside right side of the Jet Blue flight. Many thanks to the crew for pointing it out and for fellow passengers for letting some of us get to a window to snap a photo.

UConn’t Stop Them, UConn Only Hope to Contain Them

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Doug and Fran at Gampel Pavilion
My traveling partner, Fran, and I in UConn’s Gampel Pavilion.

First, a mea culpa.

As I set out on this journey Around the World in 80 Sporting Events, I had, I believe, the best intentions to try and get to more women’s athletic events. As I compose this post, I’ve been to exactly two women’s events:-(

The 2024 Solheim Cup in Gainesville, VA, and the Wisconsin Badgers’ Round of 32 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament match against North Carolina in Madison. (A third if you count the Milano Cortina Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Semifinal between the USA and Sweden.)

That’s it.

And that’s, well, disappointing.

Women’s sports, you might have noticed, are having a moment. Business in the WNBA is booming (and expanding), there are women’s sports bars popping up across the U.S. (I even had the owner of Austin’s 1972 Women’s Sports Pub on Conversations with Sports Fans), there’s now a Women’s Pro Baseball League, the Professional Women’s Hockey League is expanding, and the women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament continues to attract a wider audience.

A few paragraphs below, I’m going to write about my third dedicated women’s event, seeing a University of Connecticut women’s basketball game at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT, and it was glorious for all the reasons you’d expect. I have two more women’s events scheduled: the 2027 Women’s NCAA Final Four in Columbus, OH, and the 2027 Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, OK, and maybe a third as another mulligan in the event I get priced out of the Super Bowl, as one of those PWHL teams is coming to Detroit.

Maybe, just maybe, if I decide another 80 are in order or some fraction thereof, I’ll craft a list of events that include a majority of women’s events to absolve myself of this guilt I’m feeling.

Storrs is UConn and UConn is Storrs

At left, the exterior of Huskies, remnants of an ice storm that hit the area a couple of days earlier, the menu at Huskies, and part of the 1999 NCAA Championship floor from Tropicana Stadium in which the UConn men won their first championship.

Admittedly, I knew nothing about Storrs before I began planning this trip. Well, aside from the fact that an absurd number of college basketball championship trophies were housed there (12 by the women and six by the men)!

What I discovered is the reason I didn’t know a lot about Storrs is that there’s not a lot to know.

It’s classified as a village, comprises just 5.7 square miles, and received its name back in 1881 when brothers Charles and Augustus Storrs (founders of UConn, then known as Storrs Agricultural College) donated 170 acres and $6,000 to develop the community.

I also learned that as of the 2020 Census, there are just under 16,000 residents, and the median age was a mere 20.6-years-old. With 21,000 undergraduate students, it certainly seems plausible that many of them are full-time residents who help drive that median age down.

That all said, my traveling partner on this trip, Fran, and I did manage to find ourselves a spot for a pregame bite to eat: Huskies Restaurant & Bar. And after flying into Boston from Detroit and then driving the hour-and-a-half to Storrs, this spot featured all the pub fare we could ever hope for and UConn memorabilia aplenty for us to admire.

That Championship Feeling

Clockwise from upper left, the 12 UConn Women’s National Championship banners hang in Gampel Pavilion’s rafters; longtime men’s coach Jim Calhoun has his Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction honored; Fran and I with a championship trophy; the six men’s banners hang on the opposite side of center court; the amount of success the women’s program has enjoyed is astounding; fortunately there’s a bit more room to add to this display; women’s coach Geno Auriemma’s Hall of Fame banner flies next to the names of the UConn alumni who are in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

I’d really hoped there might be some UConn Hall of Fame or Legends Concourse or even a Trophy Case around that highlighted the many notable accomplishments by the men’s and women’s teams.

Alas, Gampel Pavilion is not such a place for that. The concourses are tight, and there’s not a lot of surplus space to be lauding the school’s oodles of hardwood championships (one need only look to the rafters for that, I suppose).

That said, an NCAA Women’s Championship Trophy was on display and welcoming photo opportunities, and Fran and I were sure to grab a moment with the hardware.

Beyond that, Gampel was a bit of a throwback. That is, a place that hosts sporting events and not much more.

While the other major college basketball gyms I’d visited before, Butler’s Hinkle Field House and Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, and shortly thereafter, UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, all leaned into the building’s history with expansive displays of artifacts and highlights of past accomplishments.

Shortly after the 2025-26 season, it was announced that a nearly $100 million improvement to Gampel would begin. I hoped maybe something similar to what I experienced in the other college basketball shrines might be part of those plans … nope:-(

UConn was Good … Scary Good!

Notre Dame vs. UConn Women's Basketball
The Irish offense goes to work during its first possession of the game.

When I first identified this game as an event, Notre Dame was coming off a 28-6 overall record and won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title with a 16-2 record. Of course, that team featured the double-barrelled attack of Olivia Miles (currently tearing up the WNBA) and Hannah Hidalgo. That team handed UConn just one of its three defeats during the 2025 NCAA Championship season when the Irish won, 79-68, at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.

What a difference a year makes.

Miles spent her final year of college at Texas Christian, and Hidalgo was pretty much left to her own devices against a Husky team that was determined to not let her beat them. Notre Dame had lost three of its previous five games and had fallen completely out of the national rankings when it arrived for the MLK Day showdown in Storrs.

In addition to tormenting Hidalgo all game (she finished with just 16 points, nearly 10 off her season average), UConn featured a balanced attack led by All-Americans Azzi Fudd (15 points) and Sarah Strong (18 points [including the 1,000th of her career], 11 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals) and raced to a 16-7 lead following the first quarter and then used a 27-12 third quarter to leave no doubt en route to an 85-47 shellacking. If UConn had shot even moderately well from 3-point range (just 6-for-24), it could have been far worse.

Fran, who is an inductee in the Michigan Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame for his decades leading the Rochester Adams Highlanders girls’ team (including former Irish player Jeannine Augustin, who played with current Notre Dame coach Nielle Ivey for one season), walked out of Gampel impressed by the relentless defensive pressure and physicality of the Huskies.

I think he and I were in lockstep that it would be a tough team to beat in the NCAA Tournament.

We wound up being wrong.

The Gampel Vibe

From left, UConn’s Ashlynn Shade rises for a jumper; the Huskies lean into their wealth of basketball titles; the exterior of Gampel Pavilion; and Sarah Strong is recognized for her 1,000th career point.

This was my first major women’s college basketball game … ever.

I had zero preconceptions walking in. Having said that, the environment exceeded anything I could have imagined.

First, there was a full house of 10,244 crammed into the place! And the fans get extra credit for arriving early.

Second, this was every bit the equal of my time at Kansas or UCLA or Butler for men’s games. There was a full pep band, cheer squad, dance team, and sizable student section. And the crowd was – at least before it got out of reach – into the game and responding to the cues from the band and the cheer team.

Finally, this was truly a women’s basketball experience. And by that I don’t simply mean the product on the floor and fans in the stands, but even the television screens near the concession stands aired other women’s games in the lead up to tip-off. Fran and I were part of a small group who cared not at all about the popcorn and hot dogs but rather the final moments of the 7th-ranked University of Michigan versus 10th-ranked Vanderbilt University game from Newark, NJ. The Wolverines trailed by 17 at the half, but had opportunities to tie or take the lead down the stretch before falling, 72-69.

The No. 2 Episode of Conversations – Basketball Mavens

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The Basketball Mavens book cover
Some might say The Basketball Mavens wrote the book on March madness.

(Editor’s Note: As we close in on the fourth anniversary of the launch of Conversations with Sports Fans [June 9th] we’re counting down the top four most-listened-to episodes in the show’s history. This is the second most-listened-to episode.)

During the early days of hosting Conversations with Sports Fans I did most of the inviting for guests to join me. It was a rare occasion when a potential guest would reach out to me inquiring about appearing.

Such was the case in the late winter of 2024 when I received an email from an address that began “thebasketballmavens.” I’m not saying my Spam Filter flagged it, but I was certainly a little suspicious when I clicked the <Read> button.

Within, I found a lovely email from a fella named James Wikman aka “Wik” who was the spokesperson for a trio of friends who collectively were known as “The Basketball Mavens.” The Mavens, it turns out, have been attending NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games together for close to 40 years. And by attending I mean attending!

The norm for Wikman, John Ries (aka “J.R.”) and Tom Bowen (aka “Opie”) was to attend all first weekend games in two host sites. That meant they’d scope out the Round of 64 sites that were close enough to easily travel between on Thursday and Friday and they’d do just that, ping-ponging back and fourth to watch a total of 12 games from Thursday-Sunday. They’d then head to a Regional site to see all three games there for the Rounds of 16 and 8 before attending the Final Four annually for three more games.

That’s 18 games each spring if you lost count.

Wash, rinse, and repeat every year! Around the time we initially spoke they’d recently topped 500 total tournament games witnessed. They’re now into the 600s and even wrote a book about their experiences.

Haven’t listened to The Basketball Mavens’ episode yet? Check it out below.

Similar episodes to The Basketball Mavens:

  • Season 2, Episode 14 Craig Caswell – Like The Mavens, Caswell is a college basketball junkie. His fix, it turns out, was to try and see every NCAA Division I Men’s program play in person. It took him 12 years, but he accomplished just that in February 2023 when he saw Lehigh play at American, to conclude his quest to see all 373 (at the time) Division I programs in person.
  • Season 5, Episode 26 Brian Fowler – A longtime fan of the Raiders (Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas), Fowler set out to eclipse two Guiness World Records prior to the 2025 NFL Season. Most regular-season games attended and fastest to see a game in all 32 NFL stadiums. He accomplished both and then made the rounds during the Playoffs and the Super Bowl. A year filled with gridiron travel excitement.
The Basketball Mavens’ Conversation from middle of the madness back in 2024.

The No. 4 Episode of Conversations – Dennis Harp

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Dennis Harp in his Dawson College Letter Jacket.
Dennis Harp donning his old letterman’s jacket from Montana’s Dawson college.

(Editor’s Note: As we close in on the fourth anniversary of the launch of Conversations with Sports Fans [June 9th] we’re counting down the top four most-listened-to episodes in the show’s history. This is the fourth most-listened-to episode.)

Dennis Harp happened upon my show thanks to a referral from Fred Inniger, himself a one-time guest (S:1, E:20) and a member of the $80 for 80 Circle of Champions.

Fred suggested Dennis because he knew him to be a terrific storyteller from Dennis’ times appearing on the sports radio show Fred then-hosted on WAWK 99.5 FM in northeastern Indiana.

Fred did not exaggerate!

Dennis, who grew up in tiny Wolcottville, IN, wound up becoming the youngest NCAA Division I men’s basketball coach in the country when he ascended to the lead chair at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX. It was short-lived, however, as two years later the university reclassified as a NAIA school.

Dennis discussed all of it. From the joys of achieving his lifelong dream to the disappointment of leaving Division I to his decision to continue coaching at HSU following the move to NAIA. And, as Fred noted when he referred Dennis to me, his circle of acquaintances is sizable. During our time together he shared stories of being the father of a pair of college athletes as well as his relationships with a pair of coaching royals in Dale Brown and Bob Knight.

The ease with which Dennis spoke and the number of stories he shared in our hour together, it’s no wonder why this episode is among the top four most-listened-to at the moment.

Haven’t listened to the Dennis Harp episode yet? Check it out below.

Similar episodes to Dennis Harp:

My Conversation with Dennis Harp early in Season 3 is presently the fourth most-listened-to in Conversations’ history.

Inside Baseball – May Edition

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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 Logo
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

Conversations with Sports Fans Logo
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

$80 for 80 Circle of Champions
The $80 for 80 Circle of Champions is infinitely expandable and I’d love to include your name.

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

Masters Merchandise
Masters Merchandise out the door!

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

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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.

Geno Auriemma
UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma holds the net high after winning his 12th NCAA Championship in Tampa last year. (Photo by John Raoux/Associated Press)

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.

Mike Krzyzewski
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

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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 Day 4 Ledger from Event No. 49

DouglasTHill1 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!