MARCH MADNESS! NIT Bids! What Next for the Cincinnati Bengals!?! | OTB presented by UDF

Off The Bench by Chatterbox Sports

They call it March Madness for a reason and if the conference tournaments are a preview of the upcoming NCAA tournament, this is going to be complete and utter madness… Think of all the number one seeds that lost over the weekend…north carolina, houston, tennessee,and arizona, just to name a few. Even powers like Kentucky and Duke lost before ever getting to the tournament finals. That means that bids were gobbled up in many cases by teams that went into the weekend with very little chance to make the big dance….and we know those other teams are still going, right? So of your St johns, or providence, or oklahoma, or seton hall…youre out. Six teams forms the Mountain West Conference are in this tournament and some of those teams arent? Dayton is in as a 7 seed in the werst regions amd will play thursday against nevada at 4:30. A win and they probably meet the two seed arizona. Kentucky is in as a three seed in the south and takes on horizon league champion oakland thursday night at 7:10. There is enormous pressure on UK in this tournament. They’ve not been to the elite 8 since 2018, and havent been to a final four since 2014. We know that UC, Xavier and Ohio State will play in the nit. Xavier is on thew road at georgia tomorrow night. UC will host san francisco wednesday night and the buckeyes will host cornell tomorrow night. Lots more on the ncaa tournament coming up. Speaking of ohio state….all the talk about season miller or dusty may as their next head coach can be put to bed as the interim tag on jake diebler can be lifted. He got a five-year deal yesterday after leading ohio state to 7 wins in 9 games to close the season. Good for him. Soccer, FC Cincinnati won 2-1 yesterday at new england. FCC is 2-0-2 in the year. As for the reds…i gotta tell ya..im a little concerned about some very specific things with this team as we are less than two weeks from opening day. Lets focus primarily on the pitching. Its seems like every time we turn around, someone is coming up injured and for thse that arent, they’re just not pitching well. Montas, hunter greene and graham ashcraft have been average at best. ANdrew abbott was scratched from his start yesterday, son that meant a golden chance for brandon williamson. He wllaks three straight batters, hits another, while allowing four runs in two innings. As for nick martinez? He’s looked fabulous….when he’s pitched. Theyare telling nus he has a dispacled rib……..for a guy who’s a pitcher, do you believe for a second that sounds like it’s a day to day sort of thing. Bullpen lefties sam mole and alex young are hurt. Nick lodolo wont start the season on the opening day roster. Then the position players……devastating news on saturday when centerfie;der tj friedl broke his wrist diving for a ball in the outfield. Will Benson and stuart fairchild are expected to replace him in center. Then there’s matt mcclain……..I don’t get to unwrapped up in stats during spring training, but he doesn’t have a hit since returning from an oblique injury over a week ago.