Daily Bullets (March 9)

Underwood Watch

Fire danger level feels green on Underwood leaving.

“Mike Holder ought to just drive the Brinks truck up to the office,” cracked ESPN Big 12 analyst Fran Fraschilla. “No, seriously, I think he should be paid commensurate with the other coaches at the top part of the league. He fits Oklahoma State. He’s Big 8. He’s old-school Big Eight, Mr. Iba connections. He’s a great fit on that campus.”

No one disagrees. Including Underwood, who said his contract is not on his mind as the Cowboys enter the Big 12 Tournament this week.

“I don’t worry about any of that,” Underwood said. “I’m loyal. My words mean something. I know how great this can be. And that means a lot to me, too.”

Underwood calls OSU the Big 12’s second-best job, behind only Kansas, obviously.

“If that offends anybody, I’m sorry,” Underwood said.

“Nobody else has had Mr. (Henry) Iba. Nobody has had Coach (Eddie) Sutton. Nobody else has this building. My expectations levels are high … I’m a big dreamer.” [NewsOK]

Dorothy’s wrong: there’s some place like home, it’s nearby and this other place has been to a final four since 1964.

Berry goes on to mention the six million dollar buyout necessary and unless K-State can get their hands on the Purple Wizard’s foregone social security payouts, that’s not happening. Underwood is talking like a made man, not somebody pining for the limestone of Manhattan. He’ll soon be rewarded handsomely for an appropriate length of time.

Incentives

There’s more than one way to do things.

Before the Longhorns opened spring practice Tuesday for the first time under new coach Tom Herman, they gathered Monday night for a team dinner at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. This was their first champion’s dinners.

Just as they did at Houston, Herman’s staff began sorting Texas players into three distinct groups during winter conditioning. The gold guys are the ones who handle their business and do everything right. The green guys are progressing towards gold status. The troublemakers go in the crimson group.

On Monday night, players found out where they’ve been grouped to start off. Two of the “gold” players and leaders on defense, senior linebacker Naashon Hughes and junior defensive back P.J. Locke, say their gold status earned them a glorious feast.

“I had the whole nine yards,” Locke said. “So I had the ribeye, I had the shrimp, I had the chicken, I had the dessert, I had everything.”

Herman said 31 Texas players are starting off in the gold group, a number he called “pleasantly surprising.” If you’re a crimson guy, you ate from a different buffet on Monday night.

“It was Bush’s baked beans, hots dogs and burnt burgers for the losers over there,” Hughes said. “The winners got steak, shrimp, pasta, cheesecake and a triple chocolate cake.”

The perks don’t stop there. Hughes said gold guys get to live off campus, set their own study hall hours and get better gear. Creating that hierarchy is critical to Herman’s system of accountability. If you succeed and lead, you get rewarded. If you can’t meet the standards and cause problems, you get penalized. [ESPN]

While this may isolate Gundy’s 20 that don’t care to be there (and it feels a little PJ Fleck “Row the Boat” gimmicky), if Texas goes .500 then Herman’s the next Dale Carnegie.

OSU and NCAA Notes

ESPN’s Jay Bilas thinks the Pokes are a Sweet 16 team ($$$)…. 247 thinks Gundy’s 2017 squad is top 10…. Pokes listed under the “Rising Teams Expected to Make a Run” category…. UT upset Texas Tech last night in Kansas City…. Cowgirl softball run-ruled Wichita State last night….A closer look at bubble teams for the Big Dance

Oklahoma fans outside OU pro day to support RB Joe Mixon, who will work out in front of… https://t.co/mbpn47Rr27 pic.twitter.com/1d4ehNi0Jv

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) March 8, 2017

So many thoughts. School day at 8 a.m. and hero ≠ Joe Mixon. Just celebrating International Women’s Day. Didn’t know Affliction made signs. How much easier would it have been to make a Perine sign?

Excited to have Cowboy great Victor Williams at our 2nd practice of the day. #big12mbb #okstate pic.twitter.com/BDcfa1okOh

— Cowboy Basketball (@OSUMBB) March 8, 2017

No. 5 hanging out with no. 1 is fun. Just a couple of Bedlam heroes hanging out.

What You Missed on PFB

• OKC Dave spotlights Jawun’s season and how where it fits in the pantheon
• Cowboy basketball has the best offense and the worst defense in the league
• Hayden on how Underwood and the culture change is fantastic
• Great context on recent Cowboy history in the B12 Tournament
• Q&A with Cyclone Fanatic’s Chris Williams
• Thomas dives into the Cowboys using a three down defense more
• Spring preview talking about the defensive line
• Very entertaining round table on Big 12 Tournament expectations

Other Stuff I’m Reading

Interesting read on how the New York Times is adapting….Early grades on NBA trade deadline deals (Kings won!)…. A trend in American culture that should encourage Christians

Regardless of your views, watching a Trump-Hillary debate with genders swapped is super fascinating