With all due respect to the First Four, the 2024 NCAA Tournament officially began on Thursday. And to the disappointment of many, it did so without Indiana State and star center Robbie Avila as a part of the field.
Nevertheless, those who were hoping to get a glimpse of the player known as “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” in action were able to do so by tuning into ESPN. Going head to head against the first games of the tournament, The Pat McAfee Show invited Avila to join the program to play “the NCAA” in a game of one on one in order to extract revenge on behalf of the Sycamores for being left out of the big dance.
The 6-foot-10 Avila obliged, showing up to the Indianapolis-based show in his full Indiana State uniform.
https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1770861790613713358
That’s just good fun.
Following the one-on-one matchup, a goggles-wearing McAfee interviewed Avila about the showdown.
“When I found out we were playing the NCAA today, I had to put my game face on. I was ready,” the ISU sophomore said. “They left us out. That one hurt. But we’re in the NIT, we’re going to go ahead and do our thing over there.”
As Avila alluded to, the Sycamores were selected as a No. 1 seed in the NIT and defeated SMU by a score of 101-92 on Wednesday. For his part, Avila scored 13 points and added eight rebounds and seven assists, displaying the impressive all-around game that has made him one of college basketball’s unlikeliest stars.
It was earlier this month that Avila first went viral after Kentucky Sports Radio’s Matt Jones posted a highlight reel of his to social media. In the time since, the Oak Forest, Illinois, native has become a fan favorite thanks to his unique look and playing style, as well as his willingness to embrace nicknames such as “Cream Abdul-Jabbar” and “Larry Nerd.”
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.