#it started off as basketball but then evolved to blitz all | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

junker-town · 4 years

Text

College basketball fixed opening night

Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

Some tweaks in recent years have given college basketball one of the best opening nights in all of sports.

For years now, fans and critics of the sport alike have talked about “fixing” college basketball in terms that would lead one to believe there might be an undiscovered formula that will one day make the sport more popular than the NFL during the winter months.

One of the primary talking points in these persuasive spiels used to center around college basketball’s opening night. It took place on a Friday in the heart of football season, there were never any notable games between ranked teams; basically it always came and went without the casual American sports fan even realizing it. It was an event worthy of criticism, even if the larger argument about the sport being irrevocably damaged was itself deeply flawed.

The reality is, college basketball isn’t broken. It doesn’t need fixing. It does, however, need some tweaking. So does every other major American sport. Now some of the tweaks that need to be made — I don’t know if you’ve been following the news at all over the past 25 months or so — are larger and more problematic than others. Some have already been remedied.

The reality is, college basketball isn’t broken. It doesn’t need fixing. It does, however, need some tweaking.

College basketball has issues that demand attention. Opening night is no longer one of those. In fact, college hoops’ curtain-raising event has evolved to the point where you can effectively argue that it’s one of the best of all the major sports in this country.

For starters, the season no longer tips off on a Friday, an evening where it was already competing with football and where whatever storylines it produced were destined to be decimated the moment the full college football slate kicked off at noon the next day. Competing with election results still isn’t ideal (baby steps), but it does provide college basketball with an unshared sports spotlight. It also gives the sport an opportunity to maintain its grip on that spotlight deeper into the week if something significant — like, say, a Duke freshman showing the world that he’s a cinder block bitten by a radioactive spider who now pays basketball — transpires on opening night.

Second, moving the Champions Classic to the season’s first night was a no-brainer. The annual double-header featuring Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State was already an annual lock to bring in some of the highest pre-tournament TV ratings of the year, and it was already viewed by most as the season’s unofficial starting point. Removing the “unofficial” from the equation made too much sense not to do it.

In the first year of the Champions Classic being played on night one, Zion Williamson and No. 3 Duke captured the full focus of the sports world by blitzing No. 2 Kentucky, 118-84, a throttling which marked the worst loss of the John Calipari era in Lexington. The dominant performance by the Blue Devils didn’t just remain the primary sports discussion topic for the remainder of the work week, it laid the foundation for what would become the primary pre-tournament storyline of the entire 2018-19 college basketball season.

That’s how you do an opening night.

For an encore, year two of the Champions Classic will merely feature No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Duke tipping things off inside Madison Square Garden at 7, and No. 1 Michigan State and No. 2 Kentucky doing the same about two and a half hours later. Final Four Saturday is the only other day on the college basketball calendar where a matchup between the third and fourth best teams in the sport could be the undercard. It’s the first time the top two teams in college basketball have faced one another on the season’s opening night, and the first time the Champions Classic has boasted the top four teams in the country.

If you don’t care about that, it isn’t because college basketball isn’t giving you the best it has to offer, it’s simply because you’re unwilling to devote any attention to a secondary interest while your primary one is still standing smack in the middle of center stage. There isn’t anything college hoops can do about that. We’ll see you after the Super Bowl. Don’t ask us to convince you Gonzaga is good.

To make the pot even sweeter in 2019, the ACC is giving us actual, real life conference games that matter on night one. No. 5 Louisville heads to Miami to play the first basketball game on the new ACC Network, while Virginia Tech is at Clemson and Georgia Tech is at NC State. If that still isn’t enough, we’ve also got a bonafide, traditional non-conference showdown on night one with No. 20 Saint Mary’s traveling to play Wisconsin inside the always hostile Kohl Center.

One of the most-cited criticisms of college basketball is that games during the sport’s regular season doesn’t matter because of the size and importance of the NCAA tournament. It’s a ridiculous argument. Everything matters in college basketball. Kansas defeating or losing to Duke tonight could absolutely wind up being the difference between the Jayhawks getting a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 seed on Selection Sunday. That affects not only KU’s tournament prospects, but the teams that wind up in the same region as they do, and the teams that would have wound up in their same region had a different result occurred all the way back on Nov. 5.

Having said that, the stakes here are certainly different than they are in college football, where being ill-equipped to perform on night one can immediately eliminate you from even having an opportunity to play for the sport’s top prize three months later. Resiliency is more significantly rewarded in college basketball, and it’s smart for the sport to use that checkmark in its favor when it comes to early season scheduling.

There are holes on the college basketball calendar, to be sure. The sport hits a bit of a lull in December when programs are forced to schedule around finals and the students head home for winter break. With that established road block in place, college hoops has to have enough built up momentum from November to break through the barrier and transition seamlessly into the new year. With the sport’s new loaded opening night, its host of high-profile non-conference games in weeks two and three, and then the non-stop tournament games at all hours of the day during Thanksgiving Week, it’s safe to say that it’s doing all it can.

Enjoy night one of this wonderful five month journey. For now and for years to come, it promises to be significant.

0 notes

mercerislandbooks · 5 years

Text

Mad March Mysteries

It’s that time in March when you don’t know if you need a t-shirt or rain boots (or both maybe) and college basketball begins to take over the TV programming. For those of us less enamored with the Final Four, might I offer up a few suggestions for engaging mysteries that will hopefully keep you just as enthralled as those filling out their office-pool brackets.

First up is the newest from Kate Quinn and a March Indie Next Pick, The Huntress. Quinn is the author of the bestseller and Reese Witherspoon book club pick The Alice Network. Although The Huntress is not a sequel, keep your eye out for a cameo of a main character from The Alice Network. Quinn weaves together the stories of a former British war correspondent turned Nazi hunter, a female Russian bomber pilot, and an aspiring American photo-journalist, whose lives have all been impacted by a Nazi murderer they know only as the Huntress. Quinn delves into the obscure history of Russian squadrons of female bombers, known as the Night Witches, while also taking us on a journey through post-war Europe. This is a fast-paced thriller that kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next, waiting to see when the Huntress would be unveiled.

Next we have the latest installment in the Veronica Speedwell mysteries by Deanna Raybourn, A Dangerous Collaboration. The first three books in the series, A Curious Beginning, A Perilous Undertaking, and A Treacherous Curse, have all been delightful historical mysteries. reads. Set in Victorian England, our main character, Veronica Speedwell, is an independent female lepidopterist. She bucks gender roles and eagerly investigates various mysterious doings that happen to occur around her. In the fourth book of the series, Veronica is invited to visit an island castle off the coast of Cornwall, ostensibly to retrieve rare glass wing butterflies for her London collection, yet once there she finds herself attempting to unravel the 3-year old mystery of a missing bride. Raybourn writes in a style that evokes the Victorian era, with deliberately lush turns of phrase and description. If you like your mysteries with a hefty dose of romance, this is the series for you.

Last, though certainly not least, is the most recent book in Jaqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series, The American Agent, which comes out on March 26th. This is the 15th book in Winspear’s series featuring the female detective and psychologist and now spanning the time from World War I into World War II. If this series is new to you, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning with Maisie Dobbs. One of the things I have most appreciated about Maisie is that she isn’t a static character. The events of each novel impact her, and the reader gets to see her character grow and change, make mistakes, grieve, and evolve. The psychological element to her character means each mystery is approached with more than the usual inquiry into meaning and motive, and Maisie attends to the psyche of her clients as much as the events that bring them to her door. This most recent installment is no exception, as we see Maisie dealing with the effects of the Blitz in London, a young woman’s murder, and her opening heart.

I hope one of these fun and fascinating mysteries finds its way into your hands!

-Lori

#island books #lori robinson #kate quinn #the alice network #the huntress #deanna raybourn #a dangerous collaboration #a curious beginning #a perilous undertaking #a treacherous curse #jacqueline winspear #the american agent #maisie dobbs

0 notes

universeinform-blog · 7 years

Text

Brand Camp University, WordPress and

New Post has been published on https://universeinform.com/2017/03/29/brand-camp-university-wordpress-and-techtown/

Brand Camp University, WordPress and

The first nine businesses in the 100 Project to launch new websites on March 9, 2017.

Nine Detroit small businesses will launch new websites created pro bono by developers from San Francisco-based Automattic (the for-profit arm of WordPress) on March 9, 2017, part of a citywide initiative to get 100 businesses online by 2nd quarter of this year. The new websites were created during a 48-hour Super Bowl Weekend blitz as part of the 100 Project, program of Detroit-based Brand Camp University in partnership with WordPress and TechTown Detroit.

Brand Camp University’s mission is to help businesses tell their story via brand strategy

Workshops and mentoring. Brand Camp’s 100 Project seeks to eliminate the digital gap that exists in so many communities that the Super Bowl weekend pilot project aimed to establish a digital presence for neighborhood businesses increasing their accessibility and their bottom line.

A talented WordPress team of developers flew in from around the country help put a diverse group of Detroit neighborhood businesses on the grid. The selections not only represented a variety of industries (arts, eateries, apparel, etc.) but also represented diverse ethnicities and economic levels. The Rebrand Detroit team facilitated a tour using a colorful art bus from The Detroit Bus Company, giving a glimpse of some Detroit landmarks. The developers then had the opportunity to tour the businesses and meet the business owners behind the websites they would craft to introduce or reintroduce them to the digital world.

The next forty-eight hours were used to create websites, connect,

Exchange ideas and create a dialogue focused on ideas on how to continue to improve the presentation and reach of their brand.

“More than 2.4 billion people use the internet every day, and some 90% of those have purchased something, or contacted a company, online in the last 12 months,” says Hajj Flemings, founder of Brand Camp.” There is a digital divide that inhibits businesses without websites to benefit from this e-commerce reality. Forty-six (46%) of small businesses in underserved neighborhoods are disconnected digitally. We aim to change that.”

University of Virginia (UVA) Cavaliers – Nickname Explained

The College of Virginia Cavaliers shares a nickname with the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA franchise, however, that is where the similarities end. The explanation for the University of Virginia Cavalier’s nickname honestly entails a story of historical significance to the location.

Placed in Charlottesville, Virginia the school with a total scholar populace of near to 20,000 is regularly mentioned genuinely as UVA for short (primarily based on the post office country abbreviation VA for Virginia). The orange and military blue now worn with the aid of the Cavaliers first went into impact in 1888 whilst athletic groups representing the college used to rectangular off with local YMCA groups for loss of more formal opposition.

Many people are fascinated by research that in the earliest days of collegiate athletics gambling games towards nearby YMCA agencies changed into the norm all over the country. In reality, the College of Kentucky basketball program that currently has the maximum wins of any college crew in history started out their success with a single victory in the 1903 season towards a YMCA squad (the United Kingdom team completed a disappointing 1-2 in that first season).

The foundation of the Cavaliers nickname comes from what changed into going on in this region of the sector in the course of the 17th century whilst England becomes concerned in a civil warfare that pitted supporters of the Parliamentary device of government in opposition to King Charles I who asserted absolute power in phrases of the rule. Using the word Cavalier predates the formation of America of us with a very similarly spelled version of the word being utilized by William Shakespeare in his famed Henry IV play. Shakespeare selected the word to explain a swashbuckler who changed into no longer, not like the cutting-edge University of Virginia mascot that could be a sword wielding fellow on horseback. Before being penned through Shakespeare in the very last years of the sixteenth century the historical nature of the word Cavaliers dates returned to the Spanish word Caballeros (translation: horseman) which are clearly a derivation of the Latin term capillaries -which has a similar that means because of the Spanish time period.

With a strong foundation of the etymology behind the term Cavaliers, it’s far essential to apprehend the way it pertains to the Virginia application in Charlottesville. Earlier than the days of the American Modern struggle the present day country of Virginia become called the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia had a popularity of being domestic to exceptional many loyalists that were very supportive of the British Crown. whilst the College of Virginia formally took on the name the Virginia Cavaliers in 1923 it became to pay homage to a bygone generation when at some stage in the tumultuous 17th century British Civil war the coolest humans of the Commonwealth of Virginia aligned themselves with the Royalist supporters who had been frequently called Cavaliers.

Why It Makes Sense To Use WordPress CMS For Your Website?

Most folks can be aware of the popularity WordPress CMS enjoys worldwide. This offers us a concept about its usages throughout industry verticals for websites of various range. We understand it’s loose and open supply in nature, and we also understand that its codes are effortless to be had for usages, modifying and redistribution. You could tweak its codes, beautify the capability of the website and enhance the prospects of the business. This platform additionally offers the freedom of developing websites of any nature and scale it to satisfy varied necessities of the business readily. It comes packed with subject matters and plugins to make your web page effective.

Extra, whether or not an eCommerce website or a membership website or a video platform or a social page, WordPress can be used for the improvement of any internet site. It does no longer fee plenty and this makes it a top desire for small and massive companies alike. Similarly, this platform is Search engine optimization pleasant which means that it enables websites to gain higher scores in search engines like google and yahoo. It comes with several Search engine optimization plugins that deliver ranking blessings for your website no matter its length and scale. Greater so, web sites evolved the usage of WordPress load quicker as they use accurate coding popular. More so, soups locate it clean to understand such websites easily.

More so, WordPress comes preloaded with an entire array of widgets, menus, tags and categories and all this makes navigation extremely easy and robust. Similarly, photo optimization is extraordinarily clean and this results in better ranking. Apart from superior social media integration, websites made the usage of WordPress paintings well across the tool and deliver responsiveness on the device of your choice. It’s no longer most effective easy to apply however additionally smooth to customize which makes it a top desire for commercial enterprise websites. Extra so, it can be customized through the panel as without difficulty as it can through codes. That is the cause why It’s very clean to use.Town

Tastes From Around the World – Cape Town

Cape Town is a sophisticated town and is domestic to a huge range of tastes from every nook of the globe. The huge type of particular and true cuisine available in Cape Metropolis has gained it many awards and has made it no longer simplest a travel destination however also a taste destination for food lovers.

Indian delicacies

Jewel of India – Green Point

For a true Indian enjoy, Jewel of India in Sea Factor serves genuine Indian food prepared with sensitive brilliance. The friendly personnel, easy decor, complete menu and the proper balance of spices makes this fascinating restaurant is a sheer deal with for all highly spiced food lovers. The Kheer, a traditional Indian dessert of upward thrust and cream, is a should for all diners to a pattern.

Eastern delicacies

Nobu eating place – V&A Waterfront

The world’s maximum acknowledged Japanese eating place, with its innovative cuisine and superstar following, has a high area at V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The view and vicinity are enough to make this restaurant a company preferred and its global-magnificence cuisine has made this eating place famous. Master chef Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa has constructed this empire with the aid of offering mesmerizing dishes and fresh indulgences which include Sake Roast Whitefish, Chocolate Bento Field and Sake and Shochu based totally cocktails.

Chinese language cuisine

Make restaurant – Sea Factor

This eating place is fairly advocated with its delightful sushi and Chinese language meals. The authentic food, impossible to resist flavors, friendly Chinese chef and excellent fee for cash has made this charming establishment a favorite amongst each local and travelers.

Mexico cuisine

San Julian – Green Point

For the first-rate Mexican food in Cape Metropolis, San Julian Taco & Tequila restaurant in Green Factor is well known for its true Mexican food, atmosphere, friendly body of workers and its extensive type of tequilas on offer. This status quo is administered via the San Julian circle of relatives who immigrated from Mexico in 2009. Their recognition and unsurpassed flavors make the meals as proper and as proper as you can get in South Africa.

Italian delicacies

A Tavola – Claremont

For a homely and healthful conventional Italian meal, A Tavola in Claremont specializes in sparkling, home-fashion Italian fare and employ seasonal ingredients. What makes A Tavola unique is that they simplest use organic products sourced from neighborhood growers, free range livestock nurtured by way of farmers who care and fish sourced in a sustainable way. The home made pasta and food sourced and organized with love and care is one of the motives why this captivating restaurant has been voted as Cape Metropolis’s quality Italian restaurant.

0 notes