And, now there is one…….left from the ACC, that is.
UVa is the sole survivor from the conference that the guy in the deep voice on another conference member’s TV ad loudly proclaims is the most dominating conference in the land. Fifteen other Sweet-16 participants might call that false advertising.
With five ACC members falling out of the mix last weekend, the Cavaliers now look for bigger fish to fry after dispatching Coastal Carolina and Memphis to reach the East Region semifinals this Friday at Madison Square Garden. UVa may be the last man standing for the ACC, but there couldn’t be a better representative to make a run. The Cavs gritty offense and unmatched defense may be the recipe for their first Final-4 appearance since the Ralph Sampson era.
First up is Michigan State, arguably the toughest draw, against a Spartan team that always seems to hit full stride in March Madness. Michigan State is a one-point favorite despite going up against the #1 seed Cavs.
This prompted a call to Harry “The Weasel” at our Vegas connection to explain the spread, as well as the unusually low 126 over/under total point prediction. Harry’s response? “We know what we’re doing.”
UVa isn’t the only Virginia team to advance in postseason play. VMI traveled to Ohio Wednesday night for the quarterfinals of the CIT, and Old Dominion throttled Radford Monday night by 23 points to reach the semifinals of the CBI.
Excitement abounds in the Hokie Nation with arrival of new head basketball coach Buzz Williams. Thumbs up go to AD Whit Babcock for not wasting any time in securing Williams to turn around the Tech hoops program. If Buzz’s enthusiasm translates into playing style and wins, this could quickly move VT up the ladder and restore respectability to Hokie basketball.
High school spring sports hit another snag with Tuesday morning’s snowfall that covered fields and courts. Thus, we can expect further delays in getting the boys and girls of the diamond to full stride. Likewise, the first editions of the Wild Bill ” Big-11 ” Top-5 in baseball and softball are put on hold for a couple more weeks.
Now, to the area of this column that keeps everyone on the edge of their seat.
Like Olympic skiing, our late-night product reviews have steadily gone downhill from Perfect Polly to CityKitty. Even the doggy No-Sit Haunch-Holder couldn’t prop us up.
Birds, cats, dogs…..these late-night pitches never miss a beat. Might as well get bears in the mix. Here we go with the “Tiddy Bear.”
First, I want to explicitly point out to our editors: this thing is spelled with 2 ” Ds ” and 1 ” T “. I rue the thought of The Chief calling me on the carpet for getting this one backwards.
I likewise will quickly point out this is the most ridiculous item ever reviewed in these pages. As in stupid, with 1 ” T ” and 1 ” D “. Read on with both hands on the steering wheel.
The ” Tiddy Bear ” is a miniature stuffed bear that snaps on to your car’s seat belt shoulder strap. Pitched to eliminate driving problems, shoulder strap pain and cleavage chafing (you’ve got to be kidding me), we get an assortment of attractive women behind the wheel adjusting their “Tiddy Bear.” As usual, it’s a buy one, get one free offer. At that point things really go south.
A woman informs us the “Tiddy Bear” works so great, her husband got one for himself. Driving in a convertible, they are the most hilarious duo in advertising history with stuffed bears plastered to their chests. Of course the question remains: If the second one is free, why did he buy one?
Allowing for the desire of carefree motoring, we rate this silly gadget a five-star waste of money.
That being said, I’m heading back on the road hoping The Chief doesn’t catch me adjusting my “Tiddy Bear.” And, hoping he likes the blue one I got for him. (Editor’s note: decidedly not.)
Until next time, send your comments to [email protected]. And, tell that bear to quit frowning at my chest.
– Bill Turner