Hold the phone, I was too hard on Illinois college basketball.
Thanks to a 63-48 win over Seattle on Wednesday, your 1963 NCAA champion Loyola Ramblers have moved to the championship round of the College Basketball Invitational. Hey, it’s best two out of three vs. Louisiana-Monroe!
Look, I don’t want to split hairs here. I’m just glad some kind of Illinois school is involved somewhere. For the record, though, this tournament may be two to three notches BELOW the NIT. I don’t care. We’ll take it! So let’s give it up for these Ramblers. There hasn’t been this much excitement around here since that 1963 team.
In other local college news, it looks like Johns Hopkins has joined the Big Ten—as a lacrosse school.
OK, hold on. The Bag is a Big Ten purist. I’m also an alumnus of a Big Ten school—you know, the best one. This isn’t what we do around here. We do football, basketball and hockey. We do the sports of the Midwest. This is an Eastern sport. You want to row crew? Go to Harvard. You want to be a doctor? Want to be productive with your life? Yeah, there’s a school for you. It’s called Sloan Kettering.
Please, DO NOT contaminate our conference with elitist sports. Let’s keep these silly activities confined to the Eastern seaboard. Shame on you, Big Ten. Do what you do. Not what other people do.
More local shame, I’m afraid. Shame on the White Sox. They have actually done away with printed tickets for season ticket holders. Yay for the environment! You say.
Boo-hoo! I say. No more nostalgic ticket stubs. Yeah, those. The kind you pin up for years after you’ve gone to the event. Just a way of saying “Yeah, I was there. Jordan scored 50 that night.”
Take a cue from the Cubs. They’re issuing beautiful tickets for the first night opener at Wrigley. That’s something people will want. Not some e-receipt!
CBI CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Game 1: Louisiana-Monroe at Loyola, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Loyola at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Loyola at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m. (if necessary)
*All games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network
Bag Boy is a RedEye special contributor.
For more RedEye sports, click here.
More Top Picks Best Noise Canceling Headphones For Autistic Adults