In my defense, when I suggested last week that you follow my lead as I guide you through empty brackets, possible upsets, and office pool conquests, I may have stumbled a bit. Accurately predicting that the Colorado Buffaloes would win their first NCAA Tournament game since 2012, the Kansas Jayhawks would lose early, and that Gonzaga would end up playing Baylor in the Championship may have been overshadowed by my other prediction. The Pac-12 is in for a rough tournament.  Look for Oregon State, USC, and Oregon to all go out in the first round. Full disclosure.  I failed to even bring up the UCLA... Read More

The University of Iowa announced that it will be cutting four athletic programs starting in the 2021-22 school year as revenue decline due to COVID-19, and the apparent absence of college football, continue to dismantle athletic departments across the country. The Hawkeyes will drop Men’s Gymnastics, Men’s Tennis, and Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving from their program, joining Stanford, Boise State, Dartmouth, and a long list of Division I schools that have cut nonrevenue sports in an effort to trim expenses. Despite the vast economics departments, numerous professors, and most prized... Read More

As I headed downstairs to make coffee the other morning, I stared at the empty calendar hanging in the kitchen. The quarantine had turned the days and months irrelevant.  My sports-themed, Drew Litton calendar, usually marked up with family activities, summer road trips, and neighborhood barbeques, hung empty. Past July’s had meant trips to the Coast for days on the beach, small town festivals filled with music and food, and visiting family across the states. The highlight of this summer was watching Hamilton on Disney Plus. It was then that I noticed that, according to my calendar, Tuesday,... Read More

With the country trying to open back up after quarantine restrictions from COVID-19, one of the biggest questions in sports remains whether college football can open along with it.  With current restrictions that include group gatherings of ten or less people, social distancing of six feet, and mask requirements in most public areas, does the college football season have a chance of moving forward? The answer is yes.  But in the state of Colorado, it will not be easy.  Some obstacles, and some solutions. Groups of Ten or Less– The first major obstacle starts with the number of players gathering... Read More

With the ongoing concerns of coronavirus, sporting events from around the globe have had to adjust their routines and make difficult decisions in order to protect players, fans, and all that are involved.  The NBA has postponed the season, the Ivy League cancelled their conference tournament, professional soccer leagues have played in empty stadiums, and the state of Washington has employed a rule that states no more than 250 people may gather in one place. The reality is such that March Madness may be played in empty or near empty arenas, the NBA playoffs may need to be postponed, and with so... Read More

March is around the corner, and with that comes the NCAA Basketball Tournament and the chance of finally winning your office pool.  You’ve watched numerous games, analyzed teams, and narrowed it down to a dozen possibilities and a couple of favorites.  All you need now is your bracket and the matchups. And yet, year after year, your bracket sheet is filled with more bad picks crossed off by black sharpies than good one’s highlighted by, well, a highlighter. Here are ten mistakes to avoid when it’s time to make your picks again this March. Don’t pay attention to the Conference Tournaments.... Read More

What type of bracketologist are you? The Fridge Magnet – You have one, and only one, bracket filled out that hangs crooked on the side of your refrigerator filled with circles, crossed-out teams, and highlighter pen markings.  You aren’t in a pool, you don’t have any money on the line, you simply want to see how well you can prognosticate college basketball and the big dance. Your purpose is to feel good about yourself when you are right, not care too much if you are wrong, and allow yourself to be in the conversation when someone asks, “Who do you have in the game tonight?” The Bountiful... Read More

Selection Sunday has come and gone, and the Colorado Buffaloes failed to earn an invite to the 2019 NCAA Basketball Championships.  Proponents argue that the Pac-12 was immensely weak this year, the Buffs strength of schedule was poor, and the team lacked quality wins.  Compound that with a bad loss to Washington State and a limited number of spots, and the snub was more than expected. But I have seven, completely unbiased reasons why the NCAA Selection Committee should have had the Buffs dancing in March. 21 Wins – Colorado finished 21-12. While you can downplay the achievement with a schedule... Read More

It was a monumental week for the cannabis industry as Congress approved the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, also referred to as the farm bill. The passing of this bill, once officially signed by the President, will legalize the production, processing, and sale of hemp. This will remove hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and make hemp just another commodity to be overseen by the US Department of Agriculture. This is a huge deal for hemp farmers interested in growing hemp at scale to be used for consumer goods like food, textiles, paper, plastics, and building materials, but what does the... Read More

The Pac 12 finished up basketball’s regular season and the Colorado Buffaloes showed that hard work, cohesiveness, and integrity can get you a long way.  Wait, did I say integrity?  Skip that. With an 8th place finish in the conference (8-10) and an overall record of 16-14, Colorado will not be one of the 64 teams invited to the NCAA tournament, will probably not be sent an invite to the NIT, but will finish the season knowing that they did things the right way, remembering the adage that cheaters never win. Well, almost never. It’s true that the Arizona Wildcats won the conference even though... Read More