The whole international pandemic thing that’s going down forced the 2020 March Madness to be cancelled. Or so you thought.
The NCAA is skipping this year’s tournament at all levels, but /r/CollegeBasketball has sponsored its own alternative Men’s Division I tournament: Reddit March Madness. Streamed exclusively on YouTube and executed with a college basketball video game from almost 15 years ago, this year’s March Madness is sure to be unpredictable and full of really dumb turnovers.
Nothing But Nylon is providing the exclusive* coverage of the event from the bedroom of our headquarters. Don’t miss any of the real* quotes and bone-breaking analysis that you’ll only find here because of how exclusive* this content is.
* = this means you can’t sue me
LSU Reddit March Madness Results
First Round – Defeated No. 9 seed Arizona State, 88-70
Second Round – Defeated No. 1 seed Dayton, 78-73
Sweet 16 – Defeated No. 5 seed Butler, 78-68
Head Coach and General Manager Will Wade Takes Tigers to the Next Level
It has taken four years, but it seems LSU head coach Will Wade has the Tigers playing at a similar level to the last time the team was this far in the tournament in 2006, an encouraging sign for the LSU basketball fan.
“RAH RAH RAH,” the only LSU basketball fan in existence, Buford Fontenot, unintelligibly shouted at me from his shrimp boat, wearing only overalls and a hat he clearly just found somewhere, while I stood on the dock at a safe distance in case things got too Cajun. “BASSETBALL!”
How has Will Wade done it, especially in this economy? Not only has successful coaching his team, he’s made quite a reputation for himself as a general manager.
“He’s one of the best GMs in the game right now,” said FBI agent Stan Beeman. “He’s certainly been making a name for himself on the circuit.”
Wade hasn’t been without detractors, though. Many have criticized the LSU men’s basketball coach for his methods of acquiring athletes, but he said those people don’t understand.
“Everyone wants to stand on their high horse and criticize others when they become successful,” Wade said, slipping his tongue through his almost lips at specific intervals at all times. “No one thinks about how I’m spreading the wealth and stimulating our local economy through the sport of basketball. I don’t know about you, but does that sound like a crime? Helping inject resources into Baton Rouge is a crime now? I’m putting Baton Rougeans back to work. Why am I the bad guy?”
Two of Wade’s best players – guards senior Skylar Mays and sophomore Javonte Smart – are both from Baton Rouge, and they have been crucial to this current Elite Eight burst. It has been important for them to kick into another gear for Baton Rouge, and Mays made it clear that this isn’t about the money for him.
“The money is great, but it’s not about that,” he explained. “There is a real, tangible connection that I have to this place, the city and university. It gives me a ton of pride to put this jersey on, and I’m going to miss it when it’s gone. The money, that’s just business, but this is personal for me.”
LSU will battle No. 6 seed West Virginia in the Midwest Regional Final in Detroit tonight at 8:15 p.m. EST. Be sure to follow along with Nothing But Nylon’s comprehensively exclusive* coverage of the 2020 Reddit March Madness.
Part of the proceeds from the sale of each #RedditMarchMadness t-shirt will go toward helping those in the basketball community affected by COVID-19. We will be partnering with non-profits like the Give and Go Foundation on the effort. If you know of a worthy group that could use some extra funds, please reach out.
