The Mid-Morning Dump: The Day Before

GO TELL THE CONGREGATION Robbie Hummel breaks down the Iowa State - Ohio State matchup in the NCAA Tournament.

(ONLY) HALFWAY TO EVERYWHERE After missing the NCAA Tournament last year, the Cyclones are soaking up every moment of the experience this year.

YOUNG MAN, OLD MAN It’s Big Ten power vs. Big 12 finesse on Friday.

NONFICTION Hakeem Butler is rising quickly on many draft boards, with many analysts beginning to give him consideration as WR1. Here’s a profile from Fansided on the possibility of him as a gem on day two.

THICK N’ THIN Iowa-native Nick Collison is having his jersey retired by the Oklahoma City Thunder after spending his entire career with the Sonics/Thunder.

TIME WILL TELL Ichiro Suzuki is finally retiring after an astounding 28 seasons in professional baseball (19 in MLB, 9 in Japan)

THORN IN MY PRIDE To nobody’s surprise, Marcus Smart continues to be Marcus Smart.

SEEING THINGS The NCAA made a video the other day about what a “day in the life” of a student-athlete looks like. Professional athletes didn’t quite agree.

DOWNTOWN MONEY WASTER Check out Seth Davis’ ATS picks for Friday’s first round games.