Hoops: One whining moment

In the NCAA basketball title game at the scorers' table, front row to the right of center, were 6 to 10 unsmiling guys in blue suits with white shirts (IIRC all white). Who were they? Fathers of the Enterprise rent-a-car actors? Something to do with Brigham Young? Soviet agricultural planners in nicer suits?

Assuming they were NCAA types at that part of the table (too well dressed to be journalists), why does the NCAA run those incessant ads "Where does all the money go ... why back to the schools"?

The hoops world doesn't love WV coach Bob Huggins, but any guy who comes to games in a black track suit can't be all bad. At least it's not a ripped Patriots hoodie.

Every time I see Butler coach Brad Stevens I think, "If they go out for a drink after the game and Brad forgets his wallet, somebody will pick up the tab. But Brad's hosed without ID."

Does anybody plan to use a Capital One credit card after seeing those ads? They're beyond bad.

Jennifer Hudson was a dud singing One Shining Moment. The song is no great shakes but it's traditon so use the original singer - the guy who wrote it? I counted Cornell in there twice so that helped.

Clark Kellogg is a pretty good analyst until he gets maudlin about what great people the NCAA are.

How I wanted Gordon Hayward's last second shot to drop. Good thing it wasn't Duke-WV as the final game. That would've been a snooze.

Duke, $13 million program, 61 points. Butler, $1.3 million program, 59 points, < $400K for the coach (this year). Priceless. Reports say BC is putting in a call to Stevens. Would that be a home run for him?

Nice job of seeding the teams, NCAA.

[edit changing the subject from "NCAA basketball reflections (non-Cornell)" to something more appropriate]

Kellogg is ok but he lost me when he said the refs were doing a great job, that game had to set a record for jump balls + the questionable charge call on Hayward at the end when the Duke player was moving his feet

Yeah if only that half court shot would have fallen, probably would have been the greatest shot in college basketball history

Well I guess enjoy this tournament for what it is because next year they are going to screw it up by going to 96 teams

I dont see Brad Stevens going to BC, Butler should give him a nice pay raise and I think there are few seniors on that roster, he probably has a better chance to get Butler back to a Final 4 than BC

phillysportsfan
Kellogg is ok but he lost me when he said the refs were doing a great job, that game had to set a record for jump balls + the questionable charge call on Hayward at the end when the Duke player was moving his feet

A questionable call going in Duke's favor? Shocking!

phillysportsfan

Well I guess enjoy this tournament for what it is because next year they are going to screw it up by going to 96 teams

I know that a lot of people are stuck in their ways, and like the tournament just fine the way it is, but I can think of a whole lot of things worse than more March Madness. 9-16 seeds never win anyway, so its not like expansion is ruining the tourney from a competition standpoint. If anything, this will allow for more upsets because good mid-majors (seeds 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) will have a tune-up game before they play a 'real' tourney team. The sweet 16 will still be just as impressive for the mid-majors. The final 4 will still be a great accomplishment. And the nat'l champ will still be the team that manages to string together 6 wins in a row.

fatchance72

phillysportsfan

Well I guess enjoy this tournament for what it is because next year they are going to screw it up by going to 96 teams

I know that a lot of people are stuck in their ways, and like the tournament just fine the way it is, but I can think of a whole lot of things worse than more March Madness. 9-16 seeds never win anyway, so its not like expansion is ruining the tourney from a competition standpoint. If anything, this will allow for more upsets because good mid-majors (seeds 9, 10, 11, 12, 13) will have a tune-up game before they play a 'real' tourney team. The sweet 16 will still be just as impressive for the mid-majors. The final 4 will still be a great accomplishment. And the nat'l champ will still be the team that manages to string together 6 wins in a row.

The problem is that lets say N Iowa doesnt get a bye, would they have had the energy left to beat Kansas after having to play the one extra day. The other problem is a few more mid majors will get invited but you are going to get a bunch of crappy major programs, UNC, Seton Hall, St Johns would have made it. Who wants to see crappy .500 Big 6 conferences teams. Another problem is the regular season becomes meaningless when practically all of the Big East and ACC make it every year

phillysportsfan
Well I guess enjoy this tournament for what it is because next year they are going to screw it up by going to 96 teams

The silver lining is that it eliminates the 64-vs-65 insult game. Until another minor conference gets an auto-bid and the expand the tournament to 97 teams.

billhoward
Jennifer Hudson was a dud singing One Shining Moment. ... I counted Cornell in there twice so that helped.

I had no problem with Hudson singing the song. I had a problem with one of the two Cornell appearances being a stuff by Temple in a game Cornell won by 13. Nice to see Foote with a dunk off of a pick and roll, though.