It’s TBT bracket time

Part of the great fun in being a basketball fan is seeing where your guys go after they leave the school for which you cheer. Whether it’s Justin Cage (Belgium) or David West (NBA champ), there is some vicarious thrill in having known that guy before he was a star. Those aren’t just players out there on the court, they are guys we knew back when. Unfortunately, it’s not quite the same when they aren’t back in our colors.

And that is the fun of The Basketball Tournament. Xavier players are back, in Xavier colors, on Xavier’s court, doing Xavier things. JP Macura will be antagonizing the crowds, Mark Lyons will be ferocious, Trevon Bluiett will be impossibly cool in every situation. Getting to see them all again is fun, but it’s more fun if we see them win again. The teams that they get a chance to do that against are being revealed today.

Yes, it’s a Selection Show for a tournament where the teams are already known. Listen, I don’t name these things, I just watch them. What this will show is who Zip Em Up is playing and when. You can also follow on the TBT twitter, which includes the Xavier Regional right alongside Rucker Park. That’s just incredible.