Justin Gundy

Michigan’s best players are a guy Mick Cronin buried, a guy who was a bust at North Carolina, a guy who came off the bench at Illinois and a guy who played at freaking UAB. Get outta here.

Most Sweet 16 Appearances since 2012-13: 9: Michigan, Gonzaga, Duke 8: Arizona 7: MSU, Houston, Purdue 6: Kentucky, UNC, UCLA, Tennessee

@ReedCarringer Feels like Tennessee’s length is bothering Virginia

Vols have been getting significantly better looks than UVA tonight..at least according to my old eyes.

@HoagML Their performance seems perfectly reasonable based on their seeding.

It’s cool that they’ve made the tournament so many times. It also goes to show how hard it is to win in this tournament.

@DanWolken A simpler time.

Imagine telling someone amidst the FBI madness in 2019 that Texas coach Sean Miller would be facing NC State coach Will Wade in an NCAA tournament game seven years later.

@grok @DouthatNYT I think it’s the Spacecraft Magnetic Test Facility.

@JustinGundy @DouthatNYT This looks like the TsF-18 centrifuge at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia—used for simulating G-forces in astronaut training.

An unusual setting for this coming Thursday's episode of Interesting Times:

@karenehowell Cool Runnings 2

Didn't even need Tobias Harris or Allan Houston.

COMMANDER: We’re fighting for freedom. And part of that freedom… is the freedom to retire with dignity. So we’re going to start accounts called 401(k)s. SOLDIER 1: What’s a 401(k)? COMMANDER: It’s a retirement account. You put money in, it grows tax-free, you take it out when you’re old. SOLDIER 2: So I don’t pay taxes on it? COMMANDER: Well, you pay taxes later. When you withdraw. SOLDIER 2: So it’s not tax-free. COMMANDER: It’s…tax-deferred. SOLDIER 2: What’s the difference? COMMANDER: You pay taxes later instead of now. SOLDIER 1: What if I want to pay taxes now? COMMANDER: Then you do a Roth 401(k). SOLDIER 3: What’s a Roth? COMMANDER: You pay taxes now, and it grows tax-free. SOLDIER 2: That’s what I thought the first one was. COMMANDER: No, the first one you pay taxes later. SOLDIER 1: Which one’s better? COMMANDER: Depends on your tax bracket in retirement. SOLDIER 1: …How would I…know that? COMMANDER: You don’t. You just guess. ⸻ SOLDIER 4: What if I don’t have a 401(k) through my employer? COMMANDER: Then you open an IRA. SOLDIER 4: What’s the difference? COMMANDER: One’s through your job, one’s on your own. SOLDIER 4: Can I have both? COMMANDER: Yes. SOLDIER 4: Should I? COMMANDER: Maybe. SOLDIER 3: Can I do a Roth IRA? COMMANDER: Only if you make under a certain amount. SOLDIER 3: What’s the limit? COMMANDER: Changes every year. SOLDIER 2: What if I make too much? COMMANDER: Then you do a backdoor Roth by putting it in a Traditonal first. SOLDIER 2: …Is that legal? COMMANDER: Surprisingly, yes. SOLDIER 1: What’s a backdoor Roth? COMMANDER: You contribute to a traditional IRA, then convert it to a Roth…but watch out for “pro rata”. SOLDIER 1: Why wouldn’t I just contribute to the Roth directly? COMMANDER: Because you make too much money. SOLDIER 1: But this way I can? COMMANDER: Yes. SOLDIER 1: That feels like a loophole. COMMANDER: It is. But the IRS is cool with it. ⸻ SOLDIER 5: I just changed battalions. What do I do with my old 401(k)? COMMANDER: You roll it over. SOLDIER 5: Into what? COMMANDER: An IRA. Or your new 401(k). Depends. SOLDIER 5: On what? COMMANDER: The funds. The fees. Whether your new plan accepts rollovers. SOLDIER 5: What if I just take the money out? COMMANDER: You’ll pay taxes plus a 10% penalty. SOLDIER 5: What if I’m 59? COMMANDER: Penalty. SOLDIER 5: 59 and a half? COMMANDER: No penalty. SOLDIER 5: …The half matters? COMMANDER: The half matters. ⸻ SOLDIER 3: What’s a mega backdoor Roth? COMMANDER: Okay. So. Your 401(k) has a limit of how much you can contribute. SOLDIER 3: Right. COMMANDER: But the total limit including employer contributions is higher. SOLDIER 3: Okay… COMMANDER: So if your plan allows ~after-tax~ contributions, you can put in more, then convert that to Roth. SOLDIER 3: Does my plan allow that? COMMANDER: I don’t know. You have to ask Betsy. SOLDIER 3: Will Betsy know? COMMANDER: Probably not. ⸻ SOLDIER 2: Can I deduct my IRA contribution on my taxes? COMMANDER: Are you covered by a retirement plan at work? SOLDIER 2: Yes. COMMANDER: Then only if you make under a certain amount per year. SOLDIER 2: What’s the amount? COMMANDER: Depends if you’re married. SOLDIER 2: What if my wife has a plan but I don’t? COMMANDER: Different limit. SOLDIER 2: What if neither of us has a plan? COMMANDER: Full deduction. SOLDIER 2: So it’s better to not have a 401(k)? COMMANDER: No… ⸻ SOLDIER 1: Can I just keep my money in a sock? COMMANDER: You could. But inflation will slowly destroy it. SOLDIER 1: What’s inflation? COMMANDER: (sighs)…

NIL era is good, actually.

What in the world??

My contrarian take is that championship game losses should absolutely count. It’s effectively a playoff game. Win and you’re in. If conferences are going to make a money grab for them, make them mean something.

@darrenrovell How do you feel about your time working in the gambling industry? Do you have any guilt about it?

As @howardlindzon first coined, we are living in a “Degenerate Economy.” If we aren’t gambling on sports, we’re gambling on cards, gambling on Bitcoin, gambling on the stock market and now gambling on the prediction market. We are prisoners of Dopamine Nation.

Zach Edey vs Kings: 32 PTS 17 REB 5 BLK 16-20 FG The first player since Shaq to reach those numbers on 80+ FG% in a game.

@swankywolverine Sainristil’s PBU should be WAAYYY higher. I’d put it 3 behind the 2023 plays. I also think Loveland’s 2022 TD should be on the list somewhere.

Here are the Top 12 Michigan plays vs. Ohio State from the last 4 years

@itsAntWright That number seems low. Makes me wonder if Smith/Tate might not play.

@PeterBurnsESPN @Vol_Football Had to explain field goals to my six year old right before the kick.

@landonhowell My understanding is he’s not even the interim “offensive coordinator”. He’s the TE coach and “playcaller”. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I just learned this guy is NOT the head coach (?)

This game is insane. Yall ok, @landonhowell @HoagML ?