Let the hunt begin….
The Walton Belt is now in Tennessee, after the Vols downed Kansas.
Tennessee next hosts McNeese, Alcorn and Eastern KY. The next real chances for the belt to move are MD @ Tenn on 12/11 and Tenn @ AZ on 12/17.
Let the hunt begin….
Maybe a silver lining to not beating Kansas is that the Walton Belt did not make its way to the ACC, because that would have opened up the chance that the Tarheels got there hands on it at which point they would have promptly raised a banner.
The Walton Belt backstory for newcomers: the late, great Al Featherston started the original Walton Belt thread.
-jkI was watching the Cal-Stanford game last night (great win for Johnny D's kids) and Bill Walton was doing the game.
He said that Cal was No. 1 because they just beat No. 1 (Arizona) and that's the way "algebra" works -- to be No. 1 you have to beat No. 1 (don't get me started on his use of the word algebra).
Even if you concede his system, there was a flaw in his reasoning -- Arizona never beat No. 1 ... they were voted No. 1 by the pollsters.
So who should be No. 1 in the Walton Universe?
That depends on who starts as No. 1.
If you start with preseason No. 1 Kentucky, it goes from Kentucky to Michigan State to UNC to Texas to Michigan State again to Michigan and most recently to Indiana, which hasn't lost since beating Michigan.
But you could start with the defending national champ -- Louisville. In that case, it goes from Louisville to UNC to UAB to LSU to Rhode Island to St. Louis, which is still No. 1.
Which do you think has the better case? Indiana? Or St. Louis?
Arizona beat Tennessee, thus bringing the Belt to "The Conference of Champions."
After Arizona faces Montana St (12/20) and Morgan St (12/22), Bobby Hurley and ASU hope to celebrate the crown dropping on New Years Eve
Walton's Conference of Champions has become the Conference of Soybeans...fun trips to Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois...
As Duke continues its progress, I can't help eyeing the jewel of the sportsball world.
After trips to Arizona, WSU, Utah, Oregon, Arizona, and Stanford, The Belt is currently held by UCLA.
Bobby Hurley's Arizona State plays UCLA (@UCLA) on Thursday, 3/2, at 9PM on ESPN. Let's go, Devils!
Hilarious Weekend Update segment with James Austin Johnson doing Walton. Can't even describe it, it's out there and hilarious
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRgdj6SfZZY
Alas, Bobby couldn't take The Belt as the Bruins carried it back home to Los Angeles. UCLA honored The Belt, in all it's Glory, for a few more weeks until surrendering it to Arizona in the Pac-xx tourney.
In stunning fashion, Princeton wrested The Belt from Arizona and danced a bit before passing it to Creighton, if briefly.
The Aztecs then carried The Belt to Houston, where UConn reunified it with the NCAA, um, Tablet(?).
Until next season!
-jk
Has it ever not? A team that wins their last game but also doesn’t make the ncaa tourney? On probation or in the new-to-D1 purgatory period. Maybe some conference that doesn’t invite everyone.
I suppose it could wind up in D2 during exhibition season. That would be interesting.
-jk
I looked at this a few years ago (will see if I can dig up the posts). I think every year since at least the expansion to 64 teams it’s ended with the tourney winner. But there were definitely some years in the 50s and 60s where the Walton Belt didn’t end up with the season champion.
Just be you. You is enough. - K, 4/5/10, 0:13.8 to play, 60-59 Duke.
You're all jealous hypocrites. - Titus on Laettner
You see those guys? Animals. They're animals. - SIU Coach Chris Lowery, on Duke
Found it! It starts with this post in the 2019 thread. The answer is that we’ve had a single unified belt since 1981 - every season since then has had the belt end with the national champion.
Just be you. You is enough. - K, 4/5/10, 0:13.8 to play, 60-59 Duke.
You're all jealous hypocrites. - Titus on Laettner
You see those guys? Animals. They're animals. - SIU Coach Chris Lowery, on Duke