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NEW STORY ****TEN THOUGHTS FOR MONDAY MORNING****

GabeD

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1) There's not a lot of Mizzou stuff this week, but let's start with the most pressing question: What's up with Jontay? The information I have from places who have always had a good feel for things Porter related the last two years is that Jontay Porter is going pro. When that will be official, I have no idea. But the expectation is still that he's leaving. I'd think everyone involved would like to get that done as soon as possible, but resolving questions quickly hasn't exactly been the MO in this whole thing the last couple of years.

2) The next question is going to be, so what about dad? Again, things are cloudy here. Nobody's going to be shocked if Mizzou moves on. But from what I'm gathering, Michael Porter Sr. isn't going to voluntarily leave the staff. He has another year on his contract and from what I hear, he'll coach that year unless he is told not to.

3) Spring football starts back up Tuesday afternoon. Mitchell reset what we've learned and what we still don't know on Sunday. There are only four open practices prior to the Black and Gold game. The best news? So far as we know, Mizzou made it through spring break without anybody getting arrested. That's generally the best you can hope for.

4) So let's talk some NCAA Tournament because that's the vast majority of what's dominated the headlines lately. The Elite Eight was probably the best it's ever been (and the Sweet 16 games didn't suck either). The four regional finals were decided by a total of 18 points, none by more than six, two went to overtime and all were within a possession in the final minute of regulation. It doesn't get a whole lot better than that. They always say the first weekend is about Cinderella and the second weekend is about the favorites. The first weekend was really about the favorites this year...but what it gave us is a ridiculously good second weekend. In order, here's how I'd rank the 12 games we watched in terms of entertainment value:

1. Purdue/UVA
2. Purdue/Tennessee
3. Duke/Michigan State
4. Duke/Virginia Tech
5. Gonzaga/Texas Tech
6. Auburn/Kentucky
7. Auburn/North Carolina
8. Kentucky/Houston
9. Texas Tech/Michigan
10. Virginia/Oregon
11. Gonzaga/Florida State
12. LSU/Michigan State

5) I've seen a lot of talk about how this Final Four won't feature a top 100 player. And that's definitely interesting. What it isn't is an indication that's how to get it done. It's the exception that proves the rule. Can you get there without the elite talent? Absolutely. But Kentucky's still been to more Final Fours than anyone this decade. The least prestigious program to win a national title in the last 12 years is still probably either Louisville or Villanova. My point is, sure you can get there this way. But it's still easier to get there and to win it by having the best players. This might seem pretty basic (it does to me), but just based on what I've seen in the last 24 hours, I'm betting we're going to get a lot of hot takes about how the game is changing and the era of the one and done is over and the way to win is with program builders like Chris Beard and with seniors like Tony Bennett or Tom Izzo have. You can win that way. But let's not pretend the way John Calipari or Mike Krzyzewski do it is outdated now.

6) That said, I'm looking forward to this Final Four more than any I can remember. The worst case scenario is that Michigan State and Tom Izzo win it...and that's not that bad. Sparty is a traditional power, Izzo is a Hall of Famer...but he's still only got one national title and I don't have the "man I hate seeing them here" fatigue that I have with Duke, Kentucky, Carolina, etc. I'd love to see Texas Tech win it for the first time ever. Virginia would be a hell of a story because all we've ever been told up to this year is how Tony Bennett can't win in March and this style won't work, etc. Hell of a story if he can get it done. Auburn? It's a fun team to watch. In spite of myself, I find that I really like Bruce Pearl. But also in the back of my mind is the fact that nobody could really have argued if he'd gotten fired at some point in the last 18 months and nobody in the national media really wants to talk about that part of it. But there's not an outcome that I'm completely rooting against, which means I can just sit back and enjoy the games, which is the best.
 
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