What-If Wednesday: Transfer Portal Chaos, Big 12 Teams in the Elite 8, Plus Bob Huggins and Louisville
Welcome to our newest feature, which we’re calling “What-If Wednesday.” In this column, I’ll propose a handful of questions that, at this point, have not come to fruition. But IF they do, what will come out of it? What’s the end game?
Join us for this one, and let’s have some fun.
What if the transfer portal in April is as bad as Josh Pate predicts?
Then we might finally get the regulation we need for the wild west that has become college sports. I don’t want to see the transfer portal be as awful as Josh Pate is predicting, but I fear, and trust, he might be right.
Pate recently said, “Let me just give you an idea of what’s happening on the college football streets right now. Everybody behind the scenes knows it’s gonna get really crazy in April. So, what’s happening right now—I kid you not—I had someone walk me through the other day a specific position group at a major university out there. Not only were there kids on that team, in that position group that their coach knew, ‘he’s not going to be on my team after April 20th or 25th,’ but this group of coaches knew who they were going to backfill with. And the names that they’re going to backfill with are on other rosters, currently. That’s not an isolated example.”
That would be horrific for college football. However, if there is a silver lining, maybe that will finally the powerful to get around a table to stop pointing fingers and put some guardrails on a sport that has spiraled out of control with too much player control. It’s untenable.
What If the Big 12 Doesn’t Get a Team to the Elite 8?
Then it will officially be a bust of a season for the Big 12. Now that being said, I don’t expect that to happen, but I also didn’t think the Big 12 would only end up with two teams in the Sweet 16. I thought this league would get at least three teams here, and maybe four.
That being said, I believe Iowa State beats Illinois and Houston handles Duke, but at this point of the season, there isn’t an easy game.
I’ve heard the argument that you can’t judge a team or conference based on a one-and-done tournament like March Madness. I completely disagree. That is exactly when you are judged in college basketball. Would you prefer to be a team that wins consistent league titles but never advances in March, or the team that consistently overachieves in March after mediocre regular seasons. Every program and fan would sign up for the latter.
It does matter, and the Big 12 needs to back up it’s moniker as the best college basketball league in America this week.
What If Bob Huggins really is the “perfect fit” for Louisville?
Then the 2024-25 college basketball season is going to be an absolute doozy. And I already can’t wait.
Huggins said this week, “I would be really excited to be there. I would want to be and do what Coach (Denny) Crum did. I’ve always had a love for Louisville, believe it or not. I love going to Louisville and playing. I love the fan base, the way they embrace the team, the way they embrace Louisville basketball.”
Louisville missed out on its first target, FAU’s Dusty May. And now they’re not exactly swimming in the deep end with the options out there. Louisville is not the job it thinks it is, and if you can land a Hall of Famer like Bob Huggins, you’d be foolish to not consider it, if you’re Louisville.
The guy made mistakes, but he’s cleaned up, apologized and there’s no doubt he can still coach. This could get fun.
