Forde Minutes: Conference Tournament Season Hits Full Swing

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college basketball, where Georgia Southern laughs in the face of fatigue.

Black Coaches Under Fire

At present, four coaches at the Power 5 conference level have been fired. All four of them are Black, further reducing an already thin demographic in men’s college basketball.

Just 15 of the 79 power-conference jobs were in the hands of Black men this season, or 19%. Now that number could be reduced to 13.9%, if they’re replaced by white coaches. And several other Black coaches remain on the hot seat.

Jerome Tang was bounced at Kansas State (1) in February, near the end of his fourth season, with the school launching a completely sketchy bid to weasel out of paying him his buyout. Tang took the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament Elite Eight his first season but has missed the Big Dance since. His winning percentage of .555 was better than recent K-State coaches Jim Wooldridge (.480) and Tom Asbury (.491), each of whom got six years on the job.

Georgia Tech (2) fired Damon Stoudamire after a last-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference, his third year on The Flats. Stoudamire was a strange hire that never worked, but nothing has worked at Tech since the Paul Hewitt days. Brian Gregory got five seasons despite a losing overall record from 2012 to ’16, and Josh Pastner got seven despite a losing overall record.

Boston College (3) dismissed Earl Grant after five seasons, four of them losing. He was a poor fit from the start, but it should be noted that his predecessor, Jim Christian, got seven years on the job without making the NCAA tournament. The larger lesson at BC: If someone offers you a job coaching a revenue sport, say no.

And Providence (4) is reportedly parting ways with Kim English after this, his third season. Pending a miracle run in Madison Square Garden this week, the Friars will have missed the NCAA tourney in each of English’s three seasons. Hired at age 33, this might have been too much, too fast for English. He should still have a long head-coaching career ahead of him.

In a vacuum, every move is defensible. In totality, the picture is ominous for a sport that is largely played at the highest level by Black athletes and largely coached by white men. (The head-coach numbers in football power conferences aren’t great, either.)

Meanwhile, there is heat of varying degrees on Adrian Autry at Syracuse; Jeff Capel at Pittsburgh; Lamont Paris at South Carolina; Micah Shrewsberry at Notre Dame; and Ed Cooley at Georgetown.

Is the coaching fraternity no longer producing a high number of qualified Black candidates? Or are they being overlooked? Are they increasingly looking for opportunities in the NBA? Or, a partial explanation via colleague Kevin Sweeney on our Others Receiving Votes podcast—some clearly ready Black assistant coaches have high-paying positions at elite programs and may not want to jump at a bad job. Among them: Kimani Young at Connecticut; Mike Boynton at Michigan (formerly the head coach at Oklahoma State); Carlin Hartman at Florida; Justin Gainey at Tennessee; and Duke’s Chris Carrawell and Emanuel Dildy.

Of all the topics that will be discussed at the National Association of Basketball Coaches convention at the Final Four, this should be a prominent one. This feels like system failure.

While these firings were playing out, it’s worth noting that the first two NCAA automatic bids went to Black coaches: Nolan Smith (5) at Tennessee State, and Rod Strickland (6) at Long Island. Smith, the 37-year-old former Duke player and assistant coach, is 23–9 in his first year as a head coach.

There are other Black coaches who will have their teams in the Big Dance: Missouri’s Dennis Gates, North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, Miami’s Jai Lucas, Central Florida’s Johnny Dawkins. But the percentage of representation in the power conferences is small, and will probably get smaller by next season.

Little Dance, Part II

We covered the first wave of conference tournaments last week, and those have been doozies. Shout-out to the Patriot League (7), whose title game will pit a team that won its semifinal on a 40-foot buzzer beater (Boston U.) against a team that won its quarterfinal on a 50-footer (Lehigh). The March gods have provided, as always.

Now it’s time for the rest of the tournaments. The Minutes has you covered with breakdowns and picks:

American

When: March 11–15.

Where: Birmingham.

KenPom conference rank: 10th out of 31.

Best player: South Florida big man Izaiyah Nelson transferred in from Arkansas State with coach Bryan Hodgson and has made an immediate impact, leading the American in rebounds (9.9 per game) while also averaging 16 points and making 63.1% of his two-point shots.

Best March coach: Memphis coach Penny Hardaway (8) has won two of the last three American tournaments. He’ll need to win it again to get the wildly disappointing Tigers (13–18, 8–10) into the Big Dance.

Top seed: South Florida (23–8, 15–3) hasn’t lost since January, distancing itself from the pack with tough defense, offensive rebounding and a lot of free throws.

Dark horse: Third-seed Wichita State (21–10, 13–5) upped its game in the latter half of the season, winning 11 of its last 13 and splitting games with the top two seeds, USF and Tulsa.

NCAA tournament teams: Given the disheveled state of the bubble, South Florida may get into the at-large discussion if it makes the final and loses. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: South Florida (9).

Atlantic 10

When: March 11–15.

Where: Pittsburgh.

KenPom conference rank: Seventh out of 31.

Best player: Robbie Avila (10), Saint Louis. After gaining renown at Indiana State in 2024, the goggle-wearing “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” followed coach Josh Schertz to Saint Louis and has continued to be a productive point center. Avila is averaging 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists while shooting 51% inside the arc and 42% beyond it. But here’s the warning sign for the Billikens: Avila is dealing with plantar fasciitis that limited him to just 12 minutes and two points in a blowout loss to George Mason to close the regular season.

Best March coach: In a muddled group, we’re acknowledging recency bias and going with the last guy to win a conference tournament—Phil Martelli Jr., who did it last season at Bryant. The son of the famed former St. Joseph’s coach is currently leading No. 2 seed VCU.

Top seed: Saint Louis dominated most of the season, retaining the top spot despite three losses in their last six games. The Billikens are a ridiculous plus-15.4% in effective field goal percentage vs. what they allow in that category.

Dark horse: In its first year under old Ivy League boss Steve Donahue, third seed St. Joseph’s enters on a six-game winning streak. The Hawks aren’t great offensively, but they guard well and don’t foul.

NCAA tournament teams: Saint Louis is the only lock. VCU may have crawled onto the right side of the bubble with a road win over Dayton on Friday. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Saint Louis (11). The Minutes is counting on a week of rest helping Avila be at or near full speed—but even if he’s partially compromised, the Billikens have six other players averaging at least nine points per game.

Atlantic Coast

When: March 10–14.

Where: Charlotte.

KenPom conference rank: Fourth out of 31.

State of the ACC: Much improved over the recent iterations. Last year the league bottomed out with just four NCAA bids among 18 teams, following three years of five bids. This year the number should be at least seven, with Duke the potential overall No. 1 seed—a distinction the Blue Devils have not had since 2019. Virginia and Miami are thriving after coaching changes, and North Carolina State is improved as well following a change at the top.

Best player: Cameron Boozer (12), Duke. Not just the best player in the ACC; the best player in the country. He is the complete package.

Best March coach: Duke’s Jon Scheyer and Virginia Tech’s Mike Young are the only two coaches in the field who have won this event, and Scheyer has been to the Final Four. But North Carolina’s Davis has done him one round better by reaching the 2022 national title game, at Duke’s expense.

League lightning rod: North Carolina State coach Will Wade has arrived to take that mantle away from anyone and everyone at Duke.

Coach in trouble: After failing to make the 15-team field for this tourney Stoudamire was fired at Georgia Tech and Grant was fired at Boston College on a bloody ACC Sunday. Autry of Syracuse is in peril as well—three seasons in, the Jim Boeheim succession plan is failing.

Top seed: Duke. Weird things happen in conference tournaments, but it’s difficult to envision anyone beating the Blue Devils in Charlotte.

Dark horse: Eighth-seed Florida State has won nine of its last 11, including four straight road games. Big man Chauncey Wiggins has caught fire at the right time.

Early knockout candidate: Seventh-seed North Carolina State. The Wolfpack stagger in with six losses in their last seven games, all of them cringe-worthy in one form or another.

NCAA tournament teams: Duke, Virginia, Miami, North Carolina, Clemson, Louisville are locks. NC State should be in, but by a diminishing margin. SMU, Stanford, Virginia Tech and California are on the bubble to varying degrees. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Duke (13).

Big 12

When: March 10–14.

Where: Kansas City, Mo.

KenPom conference rank: Second out of 31.

State of the conference: Not quite at the super-power stage it was a couple of years ago, but this is still a formidable league with a legit national title contender (Arizona) and two others that could be Final Four teams if things break right (Houston, Kansas). There is even a third tier of teams that could make noise in Kansas City and in the next tournament, too. Quality depth.

Best player: Even limiting an all-conference team to five players is tough in this league. Choosing one? Brutal. But The Minutes will go with the guy who will be drafted highest—AJ Dybantsa of BYU. He leads the Big 12 in scoring at 24.7 points per game, while adding 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Defense is a work in progress.

Best March coach: Kansas’s Bill Self (14) has won two national titles, been to four Final Fours and won eight Big 12 tournament titles. But he’s never won this tournament without also winning at least a share of the conference regular-season title. This year the Jayhawks are the No. 3 seed.

League lightning rod: Everyone loves Kansas mega-talent Darryn Peterson when he plays—and lately, that’s been a lot. Seven straight games, in fact. But now that the potential No. 1 NBA draft pick is persevering through injury (or whatever), are the Jayhawks better with him or without him? They’re 9–2 without Peterson in the lineup and 13–7 with him.

Coach in trouble: Tang has already been fired at Kansas State. Bobby Hurley might not be too far behind him at Arizona State.

Top seed: Outside of a two-game losing streak in five days in February, Arizona has been undefeated and will be a heavy favorite here.

Dark horse: Colorado has won at least one conference tournament game in 14 out of 15 seasons under Tad Boyle, and comes in with three wins in its last five games.

Early knockout candidate: Texas Tech … season-ending injury to star JT Toppin catching up to the Red Raiders now, with losses to TCU and BYU to close the regular season.

NCAA tournament teams: Arizona, Houston, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas and BYU are locks. UCF and TCU should be in. Cincinnati and West Virginia are on the bubble. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Arizona (15).

Big East

When: March 11–14.

Where: New York.

KenPom conference rank: Fifth out of 31.

State of the conference: Bleak. Unless a surprise team wins the tournament, the Big East will tie its all-time low for NCAA bids with three. Connecticut has played itself off the No. 1 seed line at this point. St. John’s has won 25 games, but only three of them against surefire NCAA tourney teams. Villanova has had a satisfying first season under Kevin Willard but is a distant third in the league, yet well ahead of everyone else.

Best player: Despite not quite averaging 30 minutes per game, Zuby Ejiofor leads St. John’s in scoring (16.0 points per game), rebounding (7.1), assists (3.5) and blocks (2.0). The senior turned in a triple-double against Villanova on Feb. 28.

Best March coach: This is the only conference in the country with two coaches who have won multiple national titles. The Minutes gives the edge to Rick Pitino (16) over Dan Hurley based on everything beyond that—seven Final Fours and 15 conference tournament titles across six different leagues.

League lightning rod: That would be Hurley, last seen within cheek-kissing distance of an official he was screaming at on the way to being ejected at Marquette.

Coach in trouble: English is reportedly out after the season at Providence. Retirement watch continues for Greg McDermott at Creighton and Thad Matta at Butler.

Top seed: St. John’s. Give Pitino two regular-season Big East titles in three years with the Red Storm.

Dark horse: You’ve got to squint to see it, but No. 7 seed Marquette lit a spark of hope at the end of a massively disappointing season. The Golden Eagles won three of their last four, shocking UConn in the finale, and may be able to havoc their way into a couple of wins in Madison Square Garden.

Early knockout candidate: DePaul has its most Big East wins in 19 years with eight, but lost its final two games (both at home) to play itself into a Wednesday first-round game for the 13th consecutive season.

NCAA tournament teams: UConn, St. John’s and Villanova are locks. Seton Hall is on the outer reaches of the bubble. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: UConn (17).

Big Ten

When: March 10–15.

Where: Chicago.

KenPom conference rank: Third out of 31.

State of the conference: Best it’s been in years. If ever there were a time for the Big Ten to claim its first national title since 2000, this is it. Michigan is the premier power, but the Wolverines have plenty of backup. As many as eight teams look like they have the potential to play into the second weekend of the tournament, and half of those have Final Four potential.

Best player: The Minutes is a Keaton Wagler admirer, but the choice here is Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (18). The long, bouncy, relentless senior racks up 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. He’s everywhere, all the time.

Best March coach: Tom Izzo has led Michigan State to a national title and eight Final Fours, though it has now been seven years since the last of those. He’s also won the Big Ten tournament six times.

League lightning rod: Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. cheapens his considerable talent by persisting with groin-directed leg kicks and other shenanigans. The reputation is earned at this point.

Coach in trouble: Pending a Chicago miracle, Steve Pikiell is authoring his third straight losing season at Rutgers. He built it but hasn’t been able to sustain it. Perpetual Dana Altman retirement watch continues at Oregon.

Top seed: Michigan (29–2, 19–1) completed its most dominant regular season ever, winning the league by four games. The Wolverines have everything—size, athletes, shooters. The only concern is point guard depth after the late-season injury to backup L.J. Cason.

Dark horse: Ohio State (20–11, 12–8) surged from the wrong side of the bubble to likely in the field, starting March 3–0 with authoritative wins over Purdue and Indiana. Senior guard Bruce Thornton has put the Buckeyes on his back.

Early knockout candidate: Purdue has lost four of its last six, playing progressively worse defense in that stretch and sliding to a No. 7 seed for this tourney.

NCAA tournament teams: Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin are locks. Iowa, UCLA and Ohio State should be in. Indiana is on the bubble. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Michigan (19)

Big West

When: March 11–14.

Where: Henderson, Nev.

KenPom conference rank: 12th out of 31.

Best player: Kyle Evans (20), the latest in UC Irvine’s line of productive big men, leads the nation in blocked shots (3.4 per game) while also averaging 12 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Best March coach: Joe Pasternack of UC Santa Barbara has won two of the past five Big West tourneys, and has won at least one game in six out of seven seasons.

Top seed: UC Irvine (22–10, 15–5). The Anteaters have been the No. 1 or 2 seed in the Big West tourney in seven of the last eight years.

Dark horse: Reigning champion UC San Diego (22–10, 12–8) lost all tiebreakers and wound up with the No. 5 seed, but the Tritons have won six of their last seven heading into the tourney.

NCAA tournament teams: Everyone needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: UC San Diego (21).

Conference USA

When: March 10–14.

Where: Huntsville, Ala.

KenPom conference rank: 13th out of 31.

Best player: Point forward Zach Cleveland (22) of Liberty fills the stat sheet with 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

Best March coach: Ritchie McKay has taken Liberty to the Big Dance in three of the last six opportunities—and it would have been four in seven if the 2020 NCAA tourney had been played. (Liberty had already won the Atlantic Sun automatic bid before it was called off.)

Top seed: Liberty won the league by four games over runner-up Sam Houston, though the Flames did lose three of their last five.

Dark horse: Fourth-seed Louisiana Tech (18–13, 11–9) ended an uneven regular season with a spectacular final week, upsetting Liberty and beating Delaware by 43, both on the road.

NCAA tournament teams: Everyone needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Liberty (23).

Ivy League

When: March 14–15.

Where: Ithaca, N.Y.

KenPom conference rank: 15th out of 31.

Best player: Senior forward Nick Townsend leads Yale in scoring (16.5 points per game), rebounding (7.5), assists (4.1) and steals (1.0). He’s shooting 48% from three-point range.

Best March coach: Yale’s James Jones (24) has taken the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament five times, including the previous two years. He’s won two games in the Big Dance as well.

Top seed: Yale. For the seventh straight year, the Bulldogs have gone 10–4 or better in the Ivy.

Dark horse: Fourth seed Cornell (15–12, 8–6) beat Yale on Feb. 27 and brings a three-game winning streak into this event on the Big Red’s home court.

NCAA tournament teams: Everyone needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Yale (25).

Mid-American

When: March 14–15.

Where: Cleveland.

KenPom conference rank: 17th out of 31.

Best player: Akron guard Tavari Johnson leads the league in scoring (20.2 points per game) and free throw shooting (89.9%) while ranking fourth in assists (5.2).

Best March coach: Akron and John Groce have won the last two MAC tourneys, and three of the last four. He also won it twice in a previous life as the coach at Ohio.

Top seed: Miami (Ohio) (26). You may have heard a bit about the RedHawks this season.

Dark horse: Toledo … it would be poetic if the Rockets reversed their normal protocol of winning the regular-season and faltering in the league tourney.

NCAA tournament teams: Miami (31–0, 18–0) is a lock. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise, that argument ended when the RedHawks finished the regular season unscathed. Everyone else needs to win the tournament, although Akron merits an at-large look if the Zips make the final and lose a close one to the RedHawks.

Minutes pick: Akron (27).

MEAC

When: March 11–14.

Where: Norfolk.

KenPom conference rank: 31st out of 31.

Best player: Fifth-year Howard guard Bryce Harris (28) has played 121 games for the Bison, ranking seventh in school history in points scored with 1,546. He should end up in the top five if Howard wins this tournament and advances to the Big Dance.

Best March coach: The last five MEAC tourneys have been won by Howard and Norfolk State, with Norfolk’s Robert Jones holding a 3–2 edge over Howard’s Kenny Blakeney.

Top seed: Howard. The Bison have won nine straight league games and have the best Pomeroy Rating in the MEAC by 118 spots.

Dark horse: With a No. 3 seed, watch out for Norfolk State, which has won 13 of its last 16 MEAC tourney games.

NCAA tournament teams: Everyone needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Howard (29).

Mountain West

When: March 11–14.

Where: Las Vegas.

KenPom conference rank: Sixth out of 31.

Best player: Mason Falslev (30), Utah State. The junior guard rode out a coaching change after his freshman season and became the centerpiece of the program, currently averaging 15.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the regular-season champions.

Best March coach: San Diego State’s Brian Dutcher has won this tournament three times and taken the Aztecs to five straight NCAA tournaments—including a run to the national championship game in 2023.

Top seed: Utah State (25–6, 15–5). The Aggies rolled to a 15–1 record, had a two-game hiccup in the middle of the season, resumed winning again, then dropped three of their last five. They last won this tournament in 2020, then the NCAA tourney was shut down.

Dark horse: Boise State (20–11, 12–8) winds up as the No. 6 seed, but comes in on a five-game winning streak that revived the season. The Broncos are big and avid rebounders, which can be a key stat as tournament games turn into defensive slogs.

NCAA tournament teams: Utah State is a lock. San Diego State and New Mexico are on the bubble. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Boise State (31). The regular-season champion has not won the past two MWC tournaments, and this will make it three in a row.

SEC

When: March 11–15.

Where: Nashville.

KenPom conference rank: First out of 31.

State of the conference: The SEC is the No. 1 league in the KenPom ratings for the second year in a row, but this season is not last season. Then, the SEC put a record 14 teams in the bracket, with two of them reaching the Final Four and one of them winning it all. This time around, there is more drop-off after reigning champion Florida, which might be the only SEC team to earn a top-16 seed. But the league should still roll 10-deep into the tourney and make substantial noise upon arrival.

Best player: Give Arkansas freshman guard Darius Acuff (32) the slight nod over Vanderbilt sophomore Tyler Tanner. Acuff leads the SEC in scoring (22.2) and assists (6.4), and makes 44% of his three-point shots.

Best March coach: Florida’s Todd Golden has the most recent receipts—he’s won nine straight postseason games, three in this tourney and six in the bigger one. He’s 6–2 in three seasons in the SEC tournament, advancing to the last two title games.

League lightning rod: Alabama coach Nate Oats’s Charles Bediako flimflam didn’t work out for the long term, but that won’t stop the rest of the SEC from holding it against him.

Coach in trouble: Football spending and a greater interest in powerhouse women’s basketball programs has likely contributed to additional patience with two underperforming coaches: South Carolina’s Lamont Paris, who has three losing seasons out of four; and LSU’s Matt McMahon, who is 38 games below .500 in league play across for years.

Top seed: Florida (25–6, 16–2) took some time to get its new backcourt meshed with its monster frontcourt. That has now happened. The Gators have won 11 straight games, all by comfortable margins.

Dark horse: As a No. 11 seed, Oklahoma (17–14, 7–11) has a mountain to climb to make a run at winning this thing. But the Sooners could knock a few people off. They’ve won their last four games, pushing Texas, Missouri and Auburn further onto the bubble in the process.

Early knockout candidate: Star Tennessee freshman Nate Ament’s status looms large for fifth seed Tennessee. The Volunteers have lost three of their last four heading to Nashville, with Ament having missed most of the last three (two losses).

NCAA tournament teams: Florida, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Georgia are locks. Texas and Missouri should be in. Texas A&M and Auburn are on the bubble. Everyone else needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Florida (33).

SWAC

When: March 9–14.

Where: Atlanta.

KenPom conference rank: 28th out of 31.

Best player: Dontae Horn, Prairie View A&M. The guard is third in the SWAC in scoring at 19.7 points per game, while also producing 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.0 steals.

Best March coach: Texas Southern coach Johnny Jones won the SWAC tourney three years in a row from 2021 to ‘23. This year’s team, seeded eighth, is not one of his best.

Top seed: Bethune Cookman (17–14, 14–4) won its first outright league championship in 15 years. In year five under Reggie Theus, the Wildcats are taking aim at its first NCAA Division I tournament berth.

Dark horse: Florida A&M (14–15, 11–7) might have the only Heisman Trophy-winning basketball coach in history in Charlie Ward (34). The former NBA point guard’s first FAMU team closed with four straight wins and is a fierce rebounding team at both ends of the court.

NCAA tournament teams: Everyone needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Bethune Cookman (35).

Western Athletic

When: March 11–14.

Where: Las Vegas.

KenPom conference rank: 11th out of 31.

Best player: Dominique Daniels (36), Cal Baptist. The sub-6-foot guard leads the league in scoring at 22.6 and is averaging 26.3 over his last four games. Daniels made 18 free throws in a game in January.

Best March coach: One current WAC coach has won a Division I league tournament. That’s Southern Utah’s Rob Jeter, who won the Horizon League in 2006 and ’14 while the coach at Milwaukee. His current team is 10–21, so don’t expect a lot of carryover from those days.

Top seed: Utah Valley (24–7, 14–4) tops this seven-team league. The Wolverines get to the rim and make their shots, with a league-leading 54.6% effective field goal mark.

Dark horse: Cal Baptist, in spite of being the No. 2 seed, will have to do here. The Lancers have won 13 of their last 15 games, with only a pair of road losses in the state of Utah in that span.

NCAA tournament teams: Everyone needs to win the tournament.

Minutes pick: Utah Valley (37).

Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week

Ben Jacobson (38), Northern Iowa

He’s been there so long that his most famous former player, 2010 NCAA tournament hero Ali Farokhmanesh, is now a head coach himself at Colorado State. Now after winning the Missouri Valley tournament as a No. 6 seed, Jacobson is taking the Panthers back to the Big Dance for the fifth time, and first in a decade.

Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work

Dan Hurley (39), Connecticut

We had yet another Hurley meltdown Saturday, in the final second of an upset loss to Marquette. Hurley either made contact with an official or came as close as humanly possible to doing so, earning himself an ejection and a fine but avoiding suspension for the Big East tournament. Whether Hurley actually made contact is irrelevant—he aggressively invaded official John Gaffney’s personal space.

This will probably lead to another series of 2,000-word think pieces on Hurley’s existential angst. What it should lead to is a one-game suspension. There is nothing in a ref’s job description that says they should be subject to that level of confrontation. He’s a great coach who refuses to rein in his worst impulses.

Buzzer Beater

When hungry in the completely awesome college town of Oxford, Ohio, home of Miami University, The Minutes recommends breakfast or lunch at Bagel & Deli (40). It’s an Oxford institution, with a lavish menu of dozens of creatively named sandwiches. The Minutes had a Randy Ayers, named for the former star guard at the school in the 1970s, but the Tonya Harding Club also looked promising. And if you try one of everything on the menu (over the course of years), they’ll put your picture on the wall. Give it a try and thank The Minutes later.

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