Monday Mailbag: March 25, 2019

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

This week’s Monday Mailbag includes questions about Crestview and the State Tournament, and the NCAA tournament.

Q: How do you think Crestview would have done against St. Henry? Name withheld upon request

A: I saw St. Henry once this year and thought they looked very worthy of a No. 3 ranking. They were such a physical team and I wondered if they’d give the Knights trouble if they met.

Q: How could a team ranked No. 1 have lost by 20 in the finals? Name withheld upon request

A: It just wasn’t a good matchup for Berlin Hiland. I think the Hawks were an outstanding basketball team and they certainly deserved to be in Columbus. But in the end, they were just outmanned by Crestview.

Q: Do you think Crestview’s one loss in the regular season was a benefiit in the run to the state title? Name withheld upon request

A: If anything, it probably took off some of the pressure of being an undefeated team in Columbus, but I’m not convinced that type of pressure would have bothered this team.

Q: A lot of people have been talking about the Richmond Heights kid who wouldn’t shake Kalen Etzler’s hand before the tipoff on Friday. What are your thoughts? Name withheld upon request

A: Personally, I wish the kid would have shook hands with Kalen.

Q: Wouldn’t it make more sense for first round NCAA tournament games to be played at the higher seed’s arena? Name withheld upon request

A: It’d make sense to me, but I don’t see things changing anytime soon. The big question would be how would you handle the second round? It’d be a very short turnaround in terms of travel plans for the teams, and would probably next to impossible for many fans of the lower seeded teams to travel to a second round game.

Q: Doesn’t it seem ridiculous that Ohio State’s two tournament games tipped off at 10 p.m. and after 8:30? Who determines these times? Common sense dictates that Ohio State should play earlier. Name withheld upon request

A: If you’re a night owl I suppose it’s okay, but I’m not a fan of a 9:50 p.m. tipoff.

You can thank the good folks at CBS for setting the times.

If you have a question for the next Monday Mailbag, simply email it to sports@thevwindependent.com.