Quirks and upsets

Love this piece about University of Washington assistant coach Mike Neighbors – a self-described quirk:

“He puts a lot of time into everything he does,” says McGuff, who has worked with Neighbors for five seasons, the first four at Xavier. “When he scouts an opponent, he doesn’t just do a general scout. He tells you what they’re doing and also what they’re trying to accomplish. Then, he takes it to the next level and says, ‘Here’s what I think we can do against them.’ His ability to think about the game on multiple levels is very important.”

Neighbors’ routine is always the same. He is too superstitious to deviate. He also stays consistent because it makes him more efficient. He studies the opponent’s statistics first. Then he watches the opponent four times before writing any notes. When it’s time to take notes, he uses the same instruments — purple pen, black pen and two sharpened pencils — and writes on the same kind of legal pad, a Docket Gold Pad.

“If you have a routine, you don’t waste time,” Neighbors says. “Every 10 or 15 minutes saved is 10 or 15 minutes of film that you can watch.”

Upsets:

#10 Kentucky beat #5 Duke 72-65, in front of the largest home crowd for a women’s game in Kentucky history.

Moments ago, Fresno State upset #23 Oklahoma 69-66.

Extras:

With their victory tonight, Baylor has won 28 consecutive home games.

The Maggie Dixon Classic and Green Bay are among Dishin & Swishin’s topics this week.

Author and educator Pat Griffin reflects on Tayshana Murphy’s death.