March Madness is in full swing, and these three Sporting KC players are just as pumped as the rest of the country. I caught up with defender Seth Sinovic, forward Soony Saad, and forward Jacob Peterson to hear about their favorite teams in the Sweet Sixteen.
Seth Sinovic—Lifelong Kansas Fan
KU is playing Michigan tomorrow. Is there a big rivalry between you and teammate Soony Saad?
We definitely have little bets on the side.
Do you ever go 1-on-1 with Soony in practice? Who usually wins?
Yeah, sometimes. And obviously me (laughs).
How many times have you been to Allen Fieldhouse?
I couldn’t count. My grandpa has had season tickets since I was born, so I’ve been going to games since I was 5. My parents have had tickets the last three or four years, so we go all the time.
Do you have KU winning it all?
Of course. Every year.
Your school, Creighton, is playing KU. Who do you cheer for?
KU, hands down. I still root for Creighton. But if they play each other, I have to go for KU.
I’d say you are the biggest KU fan.
Soony Saad—Michigan Man
With KU and Michigan playing tomorrow, are there any tensions between you and Seth?
Yeah, Seth is talking all about how Big Ten is not good, but I think the Big Ten is doing the best right now out of everyone. I think Michigan is underrated. They’ve been playing way better than KU. It will be a really good match-up. I’m not going to say anything because I’ll probably bite my tongue later, but I’m just going to say that Michigan is playing better than KU right now. They deserve to win. They should win.
How are you watching the game tomorrow night?
Probably just low key at my apartment. I don’t want to be bothered by any KU fans. My phone will be off. I don’t want Twitter saying, “Hey we’re beating you,” a minute into the game. I’m just going to be in my own little bubble. I may watch it with Jake Peterson because he has his head on straight. He’s a Michigan man.
Are you friends with any of the current Michigan players now?
I went to school with Hardaway Jr. Trey Burke came in a year afterwards. Other than that, no. I saw Hardaway in study hall. That’s about it.
Study hall? So did you get good grades?
Yes, very good grades.
Jacob Peterson—Indiana (Michigan second) Fan
Have you been following your team during March Madness?
Yes! I’m a big IU basketball fan. I’m also a big Michigan fan. I’ve got two schools left, but they play each other in the final four. So of course I have IU winning that game.
So you’ll always root for Indiana first?
I’ll always root for IU basketball and Michigan football.
Do you think IU will make it to the final four?
Of course I do. Syracuse tonight will be tough. Then after that, probably Miami. I think the Big Ten is so much better than every other conference. I think the season prepared us for tonight. Syracuse plays a zone, so it will be interesting to see how we do. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble with Zeller and Oladipo.
Did you go to any games while at IU?
Yeah, I had season tickets my freshman year. We weren’t very good when I was there. I was just there half my junior year, so I didn’t get season tickets then. But I went to a couple games. Kansas has a good place, but for me Assembly Hall is the best place in the country to watch college basketball. I love going there. My dad grew up in Indiana, so I’ve always been an Indiana basketball fan. I remember the Bob Knight years when I was young and watching them. I definitely grew up on IU basketball.
How will you be watching the game tonight?
My fiancé also went to IU. So we’ll watch it together at home. I’m not big on going to a restaurant or bar to watch the game. I like to sit at home and yell at the TV.
