March 25, 2023 News and Notes

• Murderer Miller, ELIMINATED -- from the NCAA Tournament.
• Miller was a ballhog for the Crimson Tide, shooting the worst percentage that any player has ever shot (minimum 35 shots) in the NCAA Tournament, records going back to 1985.
• And for the first time in the history of the tournament, no #1 seed makes the Elite Eight.  Validates my decision not to do brackets this year.   
• UConn's having one Hell of a week.  While at practice at UNLV, a manager got his laptop stolen -- one of the team members got an iPad yanked.
• To zero fanfare, the CONCACAF Nations League continued today, the United States facing Grenada and thumping them by Germany to Brazil -- 7-1.
• The only real statistic of note in the game is an interesting one:  For the first time since the 1996 inception of the American major soccer league, MLS had no current players on the roster.
• To be fair, though, nine players in the early training exercise were from team academies.
• The Los Angeles Unified School District and it's teachers have reached a tentative agreement in their labor differences.
• More Final Four history -- this on the women's side.  Connecticut is out, and to give an indication of the dominance of the women's program, this will be the first Final Four without Connecticut since 2007 and the first time since 2005 it won't see the Elite Eight.
• In the men's tournament, Florida Atlantic has made the Final Four, the first #9 seed to make the Final Four since 2013.
• Nova Southeastern University of Florida has won the Division II men's basketball championship -- undefeated at 36-0.  In fact, they're 69-1 the last two seasons -- the lone loss in the 2022 Elite Eight.
• Northwest Missouri State was the three-time defending champion.  Shock-ousted in the second round this year.

March Sumo tournament entering the final day:

• Sekiwake Kiribayama and Komusubi Daieisho will wrestle for the March sumo championship.  Kiribayama must defeat Daieisho twice to win the tournament.  
• Yokozuna Terunofuji and now-kadoban Ozeki Takakeisho are nursing knee injuries, which may, as early as July, create a crisis at the top end.
• Now-former Sekiwake Wakatakakage has completely blown out HIS knee (ACL, MCL, and meniscus), so he's going to fall a number of levels, if not retire.
• The situation could create a bit of an interesting decision for the Sumo Association.  Hoshoryu is 10-4 and faces Takayasu in the final day.  A win gets him 30 for the last three tournaments.  The standard is usually 33, BUT the rule has been told to me repeatedly that there must be two Ozeki or Yokozuna.  The rule is usually stated two Ozeki, but Yokozuna basically become "Yokozuna-Ozeki" if necessary, as is now.
• Kiribayama is a first-season Sekiwake, so he needs at least through July, regardless of result.
• Daieisho will take Wakatakakage's place as a Sekiwake the next tournament.
• Four Komusubi entered this tournament:  Tobizaru will fall out due to a losing record, and both others, Wakamotoharu and Kotonowaka, are in the upper rank of Komusubi and have winning records by a margin.  Could be a logjam at Sekiwake when the next banzuke is announced.
• Especially because Shodai, with nine wins, is headed back to Komusubi.  Abi probably needs a win over Endo to join him.
• Tragic tournament for Ryuden at Maegashira 2.  With a chance to promote to the name ranks, he has fallen 1-13, a record which, though it won't demote him to Juryo, will get him close.
• As for Juryo:  Ichinojo will win the tournament, barring a massive upset, with only one loss.  Asanoyama has two, and will promote to Maegashira as well.  There appear to be only two Maegashira going down.