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In
Tournament lingo, chalk means the higher (better) seed. When you pick a bracket where every seed-favorite
wins, that is a "chalk" bracket.
This
tournament so far has not had that many upsets like some tournaments in the past,
leading some to call this tournament "chalky".
But where
did the "chalk" term originate?
 The history
of the term "chalk" dates back to the old
days of horse-racing, when bookmakers (or "bookies") would set the
odds for each horse by writing them on a chalkboard at on-track gambling
stations. The odds would change during the pre-race betting period depending
on the amount wagered on each horse, so the bookmakers would often need to
erase the posted odds and "chalk up" new ones before the beginning
of the race. The favored horse had the
most action, which meant the bookie was using a lot of chalk on that horse.
Not
sure how or when the term chalk migrated from horse racing to college basketball
and the tournament probably in a back room of some smoke-filled bar in northern
New Jersey in the '30s. But you often
hear the know-it-alls on TV throw around the term chalk when a lot of the
better seeds win which is what seems to be happening this year.
Except
for Kansas (KU).
At
Kansas home games, you can often hear KU fans chant "Rock Chalk .Jayhawk K Uuuuuuuuu."
That
chalk has nothing to do with being good or the better seed or team. It comes from the chalky rock found all over
the Lawrence, Kansas, area. That chalky rock being limestone.
Kansas
(coached by Bill Self) was a 7-seed going into its First
Round matchup against 10-seed Arkansas (coached by John Calipari). Kansas was favored by 4.5 points by the
oddsmakers. And being the better seed,
Kansas was the chalk pick. But they
lost, 72-79.
Although
Kansas was favored, many were hoping for this outcome so that St. John's
(coached by Rick Pitino) would face Arkansas in the Second Round.
The
potential for a Calipari vs. Pitino matchup has been an exciting storyline
for this Tournament ever since the seeds were announced, and I'm sure the
Selection Committee made this happen. There's
a long history between the two, with Pitino believing he deserves credit and
thanks for getting Calipari started at UMass while Calipari does not agree
(long story behind that). They both at
one point coached at Kentucky, both winning championships there. Although they have not faced each other
since 2016, they have competed against each other 28 times with Calipari
having the edge, 16-12, and winning 8 of the past 10. Both don't like the other. And both have had NCAA sanctions placed on
them in the past.
Definitely feels like two
old Dons facing off one last time. Except
in this modern-era of NIL and college players making more money than some professionals
all legal it would be hard for either to get slapped
with any NCAA sanctions in the future, no matter what they do.
I
guess that's why Will Wade (McNeese St) who was recorded on tape offering
money to LSU recruits and their families before it was legal keeps getting
offers to coach and at better programs.
Wade will be announced as the next coach at NC State just as soon as
McNeese loses. McNeese will lose, but
Wade will not.
Enjoy
Calipari vs Pitino in Game 2 of the day (2:40pm). And in Game 1 (12:10pm), you can watch how Wade
reacts after they play No. 4 Purdue that is if he is not already on a plane
to Raleigh before the final buzzer.
Go
grab a drink of water to wash down that chalk.
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