We now know the 8 teams coming to FedExForum to play in the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s tournament. Friday’s games will be
- 3 Baylor vs. 14 Colgate 11:10 (West bracket)
- 6 Clemson vs. 11 New Mexico 2:10 (West bracket)
- 8 Nebraska vs. 9 Texas A&M 5:50 (South bracket)
- 1 Houston vs. 16 Longwood 8:20 (South bracket)
The winning teams will have the day off Saturday and will play in the second round here Sunday. So, let’s take a minute to think about whose fans are likely to be packing Downtown’s restaurants, bars, gift shops, and attractions on Saturday when they don’t have a game to watch.
Most likely it’ll be the three Texas teams and Clemson. Houston and Baylor are gonna be heavy favorites in their games. As for Texas A&M, 9 seeds have a winning record against 8 seeds in March Madness, and Aggies fans travel so well that it’ll be effectively a home game for the school.
With the A&M fans here in town, it’ll be a fun weekend and plenty of money will be spent. They’re a great fan base that travels well. I’ll be rooting for them because my second cousins once removed, Grayson and T.J., went to A&M, going through their famous ROTC program.
The DM reports that Memphis football is close to signing an extension with head coach Ryan Silverfield. Nice to have a piece of good news coming out of the university’s athletic department this month.
The Grizzlies are out West this week. Tonight they’re at Sacramento at 9. TV: Bally Sports
Today is National Sloppy Joe Day. Ah, brings back memories of Little Rock Public Schools cafeterias.
A fight in and around Little Italy South Main resulted in a man’s death Saturday. A Memphis firefighter was charged with criminally negligent homicide and was relieved of duty pending an investigation.
The Rock blasted Ja Morant during The Rock Concert that kicked off WWE Smackdown Friday night.
MemphisWeather.net predicts a low of 30 tonight, about 15 degrees below normal.
The Cossitt Library wants you to Come Tell a Story this Tuesday from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. This is the first of the year and the theme will be “Boundaries.”
The Memphis Symphony Orchestra will present Pink Floyd & The Planets, the latest in its Masterworks series, at the Cannon Center Saturday at 7:30 PM.
Happy Tails Canine Rescue presents Pints, Poses, & Pups at Grind City Brewing Co. at 2 PM this Sunday. They’ll have 7-week-old adoptable puppies and a yoga class as well. $25 at the door, with all proceeds helping to rescue more dogs.
That’s it for this post. I’m typing this at the Cossitt Library. My next order of business is to finish my return-to-Medium article, “What it’s Like Living in a Homeless Shelter,” and publish it today. That’ll probably take me past the 2 PM deadline to get in for free at the Union Mission. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna stay out all night tonight – TOO COLD!!! I’ll scrape together the 6 bucks required to get in the Mission after 2 and before the front window closes at 7 PM. It’ll be a good investment if I get that article published this afternoon.
Back tomorrow.
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