The Detroit Lions traded away a key part of their offense this week.
March Madness is just around the corner.
And the college football world is remembering one of the sport's great coaches.
For a look at those stories, Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined host Doug Tribou on Morning Edition.
Doug Tribou: Legendary football coach Lou Holtz died this week at the age of 89. Holtz was best known for his years at Notre Dame, where he coached from 1986 through 1996. He led the Fighting Irish to their last national championship in the 1988 season.
He also took a total of six teams — those are different colleges — to bowl games in his career, the only coach to do that. What will you remember about Lou Holtz?
John U. Bacon: Well, he's obviously a great coach. There's no question about that. I recall his Notre Dame teams, often with less talent, beat very good Michigan teams in the late '80s. That could get frustrating for Michigan fans, obviously. The man was built like a coat hanger, and I remember his sense of humor more than anything else. A great line, he once said: "I never realized how fast [former Notre Dame star] Rocket Ismail was until I saw him play tennis by himself." So, yes, that's Lou Holtz.
DT: The Lions have had one of the best 1-2 running back combinations in the NFL for the past three seasons in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. But the Lions traded Montgomery to the Houston Texans this week for two draft picks and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. Why did Detroit make that trade and was it a good move?
JUB: Well, two things. They feel that Gibbs is doing a great job at tailback. And he is. So you're betting almost completely on him now. And two, you're also betting that your offensive line suffered a real setback last season. So Juice Scruggs is essential. But they are losing a very good tailback. And David Montgomery, the man has scored 33 touchdowns in the last three years. That's 11 a year, Doug. Touchdowns are good in football. So they're going to miss that.
Lou Holtz is the only college football coach to guide teams from six schools to bowl game appearances.
DT: [Laughs] The Big Ten women's basketball tournament is underway in Indianapolis. The Michigan State women came into the tournament as the seventh seed, earned a bye to jump right to the second round and faced Illinois Thursday night. The Spartans lost 71-69.
Meanwhile, as the third seed overall, the Michigan women advanced straight to the third round. Friday night, they'll face the Oregon Ducks. We've already been through the long regular season, John. How do these conference tournament games end up shaping the field when it comes to settling the NCAA tournament brackets?
JUB: How about a lot or little or none? It kind of depends who you are. The Michigan Wolverines on the men's side, they've got a 1-seed locked. It barely matters what they do in the [Big Ten] tournament, but [for] the Michigan women, it matters a great deal. If they knock off some good wins here, they can advance in the NCAA to get a higher seed, which means an easier path to the finals.
DT: And over on the men's side in the Big Ten, the teams are still wrapping up their regular seasons. Michigan and Michigan State will play on Sunday afternoon. And rather than asking you for analysis or prediction here, I'm just going to ask you this, John: Who needs conference tournaments when the regular season finale is a rivalry game between the Wolverines and the Spartans, who just happen to be ranked third and eighth in the nation, respectively?
JUB: Exactly right, Doug. Look, unless Michigan and Michigan State play again in the Big Ten tournament, which might happen, this will be better than any game you get in that tournament, I swear. A top-10 matchup. And look, on paper, you can say it doesn't matter too much because Michigan already is the Big Ten champion and Michigan State's going to be in the NCAA tournament. However, tell that to the guys who are playing.
Michigan's trying to wrap up the best Big Ten season since 1976. They've gone 10-0 on the road, first time ever in Big Ten history. So, they've got some pride on the line here. And [for] Michigan State, it's a rivalry game and they're trying to move up the ranks. This game is going to be a great game; I don't care what the stakes are.
Editor's note: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full conversation near the top of this page.
