The big college basketball news in Memphis last night was not the result of the Middle Tennessee-St. Mary’s game (St. Mary’s won), but the result of a game in a tournament no one usually cares about, the NIT. 8-seed Robert Morris defeated the 1-seed Kentucky Wildcats, coached by former Tigers coach John Calipari. It is now IMPERATIVE that we beat St. Mary’s tomorrow. Think of the message that would send recruits: Come to Memphis, win in the NCAA tournament. Come to Kentucky, lose in the NIT.
At least two bars in the Downtown core will open early tomorrow for your Tigers viewing pleasure. Blind Bear will open at 1 PM, and Silly Goose will open at 1:20. On the south end, Max’s Sports Bar will open at 10:30 tomorrow and Friday, and early all weekend for tournament games. Game time tomorrow is 1:45.
The Memphis Business Journal linked to the 15 most profitable programs in college basketball. The Tigers didn’t make the list, but maybe they will after moving to a better conference. My Arkansas Razorbacks checked in at number 14, despite not having had a season to brag about in several years.
You don’t have to wait until tomorrow to see good basketball. The Grizzlies host the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight in the FedExForum. It’s your chance to see two of the NBA’s best teams in a game that is of huge importance in playoff standings.
Someone get the folks at WMC-TV a map! They reported on a car fire at a “Downtown” auto dealership. The dealership in question is It’s All Good Auto (we don’t care about your credit, we care about you) at Third and Peebles. That is nowhere near Downtown. It’s about two miles south of Crump, which is usually considered Downtown’s southern boundary.
Probably a second post after work, check back.