It's not often that Auburn football is well into spring practice and hasn't really been in the headlines, but that's the case this year as the basketball Tigers have grabbed the spotlight with its run to the Final Four. I've been gone for all but two days since Hugh Freeze and his players took the field, so I haven't had a chance to see much.

But that happens when Bruce Pearl and his boys do what they are doing. I've stayed in contact with friends through texts and phone calls, but they are all happy that I am still on the road because that means Auburn is still playing for a national title. Well, that's what they tell me anyway. Wait, are they lying? Is this entire tournament staged so they don't have to see me? Am I in a Truman Show-like scenario? Is nothing real?

Phew. I need to stop watching Severance. It is making me paranoid. Anyway, since I'm waiting on my flight to San Antonio, let's get into some ramblings.

- During the second-round game vs. Creighton, I was seated beside the Creighton bench. I mention this only because the Bluejays' coach, Greg McDermott, is 6-foot-8 and, therefore, hard to see over when he's standing right in front of you. He's also relatively calm for a head coach, but that's comparing him to sitting behind Pearl two days before. Unrelated: McDermott seems like he would be a fun guy to hang out with on the golf course.

- Speaking of Pearl, referee Joe Lindsay was the target of the Auburn coach after many of what he deemed horrible calls. You could hear Pearl keep saying, "Great call, Joe. Great call," with a lot of sarcasm mixed in.

- Creighton guard Steven Ashworth was a delight to interview the day before the matchup against Auburn.

- We need to discuss this Mattress Firm commercial. This is supposed to make me want to buy a mattress from them? A person who sits in the middle of the emergency lane and holds up an ambulance is a client, but they sleep well despite being a horrible human? Okay then.

- It was good to be home and in my own bed after 20 days away, albeit just for two nights. My bed, however, isn't quite as comfortable as the ones in hotel rooms. I may need to get a new mattress or better sheets. Maybe I do need to visit Mattress Firm.

- So, a player who leaves one college for another through the transfer portal because he can get more NIL money is a bad thing, but a coach taking a job right in the middle of his current team's NCAA Tournament run is acceptable? Let's not forget that Tony Bennett quit on his Virginia team right before the season. That's the way to be a leader.

- Tiger Walk at the Westin in Atlanta was insane. Not only were fans filling the lobby, but people were waiting outside behind barriers like the Backstreet Boys in 1998.

- A massive volleyball tournament was happening at the same time as the Sweet 16/Elite 8 in Atlanta, and the media hotel was full of high school-aged girls running around. I never felt as old as when I noticed that the parents of said girls were basically my age. When did that happen?

- Also, what happened to the month of March? It flew by in no time.

- I can't describe why, but it's jarring seeing an interstate that doesn't end with the number 0 or 5. It's probably just a me thing.

- The roar that went up in State Farm Arena when Johni Broome checked back into the game and then hit that three was the loudest I've heard a basketball arena maybe ever.

- If I don't reenact a scene from the Sandra Bullock-hit Miss Congeniality while in San Antonio, then the trip will be a waste.

- I still don't understand why we celebrate the Alamo so much. The Americans fighting there were absolutely massacred. You would think it would be a historical footnote, not a place where tourists go.

- If ever in downtown Atlanta and looking for a good Italian meal, I recommend Atalian. The bolognese with pappardelle was scrumptious, as was the Caesar salad with anchovies. Yes, I like anchovies. Get over it.

- TikTok of the Week: I somehow missed this during the Auburn-Kentucky baseball series, but this is when an umpire feels the need to overstep his duties and becomes sick with power.

- My birthday is coming up next week, and I will officially be in my mid-40s, so if I haven't had my mid-life crisis yet (I've probably had two or three, to be honest), it's coming soon. I'm sure I will handle it perfectly.

- I have Fred Couples pulling off a miracle and winning The Masters next week. Sure, I say this every year, but I'm feeling great about my man.

- How did I go the entire Auburn/Michigan State game and not notice Bijan Robinson sitting right behind me?

- Finally, there was a foot-wide gap between the podium where our media seats were on Sunday and the stands that I did not see until it was too late. I put my right foot down only for it to find that gap. Luckily, I was able to catch myself on the railing before I got seriously injured. That could have been ugly.