1. Our dryer works fine, but the venting needs adjustment and I'm not the guy to do that. Until Brock has time to rearrange it for us, it's just easier for me to take the washed laundry to the laundromat and dry it. It's so easy. I had two loads to dry and was in and out, with my laundry folded, within an hour. The laundromat is sparkling clean, has a welcoming environment, and is very convenient.
2. After last night's Gonzaga/Texas game, the national sports magazine (online), The Athletic, ranks Texas has the best team in the nation.
I don't care much about rankings, especially in the middle of November, but I watched the Zags and Longhorns last night and, to my eyes, Texas was the much better team.
The Longhorn's head coach, Chris Beard, demands that his teams play physical, swarming, suffocating defense.
They did just that against the Zags.
It looks to me like Gonzaga has a lot of work to do shoring up their back court. Their guards seemed tentative, sometimes seemed overwhelmed, and my hope is they learned a lot from this loss to Texas about what they need to do to improve. I suppose the question will be whether they have the personnel on their roster who can make these improvements.
I, for one, cannot say, especially this early in the season.
Texas, in its second year under Chris Beard, has recruited strongly from the transfer portal.
Tyrese Hunter, whom I saw have some stellar games last season for Iowa State, played superbly against Gonzaga. Over the last two years Coach Beard also landed these transfers: Marcus Carr, Dylan Disu, Sir'Jabari Rice, Timmy Allen, and Christian Bishop, all experienced and older players.
I, for one, am happy to see so many older players playing college basketball. While I don't oppose the one and done approach, I enjoy seeing players who might have come into their own more slowly and others who will never be NBA players elevate the level of play in the college game with their age and experience.
I thought Texas' more experienced players, their depth, their enthusiasm playing in a new and noisy arena, and their togetherness made them a superior team to Gonzaga.
I have no idea what to expect this Sunday when the Zags host Kentucky in Spokane. I find these early season, pre-conference games to be unpredictable and I tend to wait until January or February before I assess any team's enduring strengths and weaknesses. That said, I think Texas exposed Gonzaga's vulnerabilities in the backcourt and demonstrated that they are much farther along in developing team cohesion than the Zags are.
I am in a wait and see mode regarding Gonzaga. I hope for the best. I hope they'll grow as a team as the season progresses and work out the deficiencies I saw tonight.
If tonight's game dampened some observers' expectations regarding the Zags' 2022-23 season, I see that as a good thing. It might help quiet down some of the hyperbole and noise that always seems to surround this squad.
3. For dinner tonight, I consulted a simple NYTimes recipe and made shrimp pasta. I liked how the recipe called for a pretty good amount of garlic, a good measure of fennel seeds, and a moderate amount of red pepper flakes. As a result, the pasta sauce was pungent, a bit heated, and kind of licorice-y. The recipe did not call for tomato sauce and were I to make this again, I think I'd add some.
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