This week in the Respect the Hustle Podcast with Will Whelan, he discusses the far-reaching impact that Louisville’s self-imposed postseason ban has around the country before diving into a handful of mid-major conference teams that are vying for their spot in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
First up, though, is Louisville. Head coach Rick Pitino announced on Friday afternoon that the athletic department had instituted a self-imposed ban for this year’s postseason. The news comes amid the Cardinals’ pursuit of an ACC title, as they sit at 8-2 in conference play and just .5-games behind North Carolina as of publishing. What does this ban say about Pitino’s legacy? What is the effect that this ban has on Louisville’s current players–and what does it say about college sports in general? Whelan has strong opinions on the subject.
With UL dropping out of the picture for the Big Dance, one more spot has become available for bubble teams to get excited about. In particular, Whelan tabs Colorado, Washington, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, and Butler as five teams likely celebrating the news.
Lastly, he looks at a group of mid-major teams that will be hoping Championship Week around the country remains as calm and chalk as possible. Earning an at-large berth from outside of the Power 5 conferences is always difficult, but teams like Monmouth, Valparaiso, St. Joseph’s, St. Mary’s, BYU, SDSU, and Gonzaga are hoping the bubble works out in their favor.
Tune in next week for another edition of the Respect the Hustle Podcast, because the closer we get to the madness, the more informed you should be about your knowledge of NCAA Hoops.
Do you have a prediction for who comes out as a bubble team? Someone’s decision day is about to come, and we are just week’s away from Conference tournaments that will likely decide the future of many teams around the landscape of college basketball.
