2010 NCAA Tournament (and NIT) Thread

[Eaglesfan27]

Nice play by Kansas State to end the half, but they look bad so far.

[jbergey22]

Well Kansas State slept through that first half. Perhaps they will get a wake up call at the half.

And these refs are brutal. Please call a foul on Butler. Thanks.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Well Kansas State slept through that first half. Perhaps they will get a wake up call at the half.

And these refs are brutal. Please call a foul on Butler. Thanks.

7 fouls on each team in the 1st half.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by rowech

7 fouls on each team in the 1st half.

Kansas State is 3rd in the nation at drawing fouls and were hacked the whole first half.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Kansas State is 3rd in the nation at drawing fouls and were hacked the whole first half.

Farther you go in the tourney, the less the refs are going to call. I sure didn't see what you saw. I saw a team sleep walking through the first half and another team taking control.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by rowech

Farther you go in the tourney, the less the refs are going to call. I sure didn't see what you saw. I saw a team sleep walking through the first half and another team taking control.

Same here.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by rowech

Farther you go in the tourney, the less the refs are going to call. I sure didn't see what you saw. I saw a team sleep walking through the first half and another team taking control.

You didnt see Clements get sent into the crowd at the end of the half? You didnt Kelly get hacked on a 15 foot jump shot followed by a touch foul called against Kansas State 10 seconds later?

[jbergey22]

I dont care how they call the game. Just call it fair on both ends. You cant allow Butler to push Kansas State around the whole game and not allow Kansas State to do the same on the other end of the court.

[B & B]

Seeing the game like row and EF.

Obviously youre seeing it thru purple colored glasses and most likely have a bet on KSt.

GL with that.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by B & B

Seeing the game like row and EF.

Obviously youre seeing it thru purple colored glasses and most likely have a bet on KSt.

GL with that.

You'd be 100 percent incorrect. 2nd half the refs have done fine.

EDIT
Dont you like exciting games? When they let Butler shove KSU around the whole first half they couldnt run an offense. Now they have tightened up the calls and we are seeing some exciting basketball again.

[Radii]

And Gus is awake!!

[Radii]

dola, and K-State is too finally

[sterlingice]

Yeah- this game is getting fun, finally

SI

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Who in the hell's doing color commentary on this KSU-Butler game? Dusty Rhodes????????????

Yeah - I showed my distaste for Elmore pretty heavily the other night.

Didn't know he was before that game, but god he's awful imo.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Yeah - I showed my distaste for Elmore pretty heavily the other night.

Didn't know he was before that game, but god he's awful imo.

On the other hand, CBS can go ahead and send Jim Nantz to Augusta early and let Gus Johnson call the Final Four.

[Eaglesfan27]

That play right there shows why Butler is going to win. More hustle plays all day long.

[kingfc22]

Good hustle plays here late by Butler.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

That play right there shows why Butler is going to win. More hustle plays all day long.

Exactly. They've beat KSU to the ball all day long. Should have been a technical against KSU as well.

[Radii]

Well damn, grats to Butler.

[Schmidty]

Awesome!!!

[rowech]

KSU implodes

[henry296]

I was only able to catch the end of the day, but was Butler able to drive to the basket like that the entire game?

[jbergey22]

Nice win by Butler.

Im not real excited about a Butler/Tenn or MSU final four game but that is this years tourny.

Hard to believe one of them 3 teams will be in the championship game.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

On the other hand, CBS can go ahead and send Jim Nantz to Augusta early and let Gus Johnson call the Final Four.

Or send Gus Johnson early to call the Masters?

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by henry296

I was only able to catch the end of the day, but was Butler able to drive to the basket like that the entire game?

yes

They ran a backdoor play to success numerous times. KSU couldnt figure it out 7x later.

[RainMaker]

Well this officially ends any hopes of winning by bracket pool. Needed K-State to make the Championship.

I don't know if I'd say outhustled, I just think K-State was worn out. The way they play defense and the fact they just had a double OT game might have been a reason for it.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Well this officially ends any hopes of winning by bracket pool. Needed K-State to make the Championship.

I don't know if I'd say outhustled, I just think K-State was worn out. The way they play defense and the fact they just had a double OT game might have been a reason for it.

They without question looked tired...especially in the first half. In the second half, it seemed they used every ounce of energy they had to catch up and once they took the lead, they were out of gas for the rest of the game.

[sterlingice]

Tough game for K-State. Definitely rooting for Butler in the Final Four

SI

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Nice win by Butler.

Im not real excited about a Butler/Tenn or MSU final four game but that is this years tourny.

Hard to believe one of them 3 teams will be in the championship game.

I don't see any of them beating Duke or Kentucky. I think that game is the title game. Assuming they both win today, I don't want to count out WVU, who may be the second best team left.

[Radii]

I sense a repeat of last year. Somewhat surprising run to the finals from a team that will clearly be the "home team" in Indianapolis, leading to Butler getting smashed by... well Kentucky/WVU/Duke/Baylor, any of them will do I imagine in the finals.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

On the other hand, CBS can go ahead and send Jim Nantz to Augusta early and let Gus Johnson call the Final Four.

Totally agreed.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I don't see any of them beating Duke or Kentucky. I think that game is the title game. Assuming they both win today, I don't want to count out WVU, who may be the second best team left.

Heh just as I was posting something similar. I do think that those 4 are far and away the best 4 teams left, sorry to MSU/Tenessee/Butler.

[RainMaker]

This is probably the most exciting tournament I've ever seen. I loved 2006 for its starpower but this one just has so many more close games.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Radii

Heh just as I was posting something similar. I do think that those 4 are far and away the best 4 teams left, sorry to MSU/Tenessee/Butler.

yeah, I probably should have included Baylor into the equation.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

This is probably the most exciting tournament I've ever seen. I loved 2006 for its starpower but this one just has so many more close games.

I dunno. It's nice to see a team like Butler make a run and all but I think I would rather have a final game like we had with Memphis- Kansas then watch KY destroy Butler/ MSU/ Tenn. Obviously KY still has to get there, but I think you get my point.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I dunno. It's nice to see a team like Butler make a run and all but I think I would rather have a final game like we had with Memphis- Kansas then watch KY destroy Butler/ MSU/ Tenn. Obviously KY still has to get there, but I think you get my point.

I'm talking the tournament as a whole as being fun to watch. Feels like every day is filled with close, fun games.

I would have loved a Kansas-Kentucky final, but I honestly don't know who else on that side of the bracket outside of Syracuse would be able to hang with Kentucky.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I don't see any of them beating Duke or Kentucky. I think that game is the title game. Assuming they both win today, I don't want to count out WVU, who may be the second best team left.

Or the Butler vs Tenn/MSU game could be considered the finals for when Kentucky has to vacate their wins in a few years.

[wade moore]

I know they're 1-2 against UK this year, but you guys do realize that UT is one of the two teams to beat UK this year, right? And you guys are completely writing them off?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Although I believe the winner of tonight's UK-WVU game is the likely national champion, it does seem only fair to point out that UT split with Kentucky at home (won by 8, lost by 11 when UK had a 30-13 free throw advantage) and then ended up blown out in the SEC tournament.

And in the two losses, the Vols led in Lexington with 10 mins to play and were down only six with 9 1/2 mins to play in the eventual drubbing in the SEC tournament. A blow out probably isn't the most likely outcome in the event those two were to meet again.

[Young Drachma]

Didn't even realize the game was on today. Congrats to Butler, I had a feeling this was a mid-major's year and after their Syracuse thumping the other night, I felt like they were the one team that was driven to get to Indy and make it personal.

As for the naysayers who believe there's no way they can win...I dunno, anything can happen on the big stage. Should they win? No, but realistically, the fact they managed to beat the #1 and #2 team in their bracket to get here proves they're not joking around.

These dudes aren't Cornell, either. I feel like they have a legit shot at this thing. I mean, this is no repeat of George Mason. If it was UNC as a 5-seed or some other name school rather than Butler, the conversation wouldn't be so steered towards them wilting under the "bright lights" when it should've happened already.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I have to think CBS execs have to be praying pretty hard for Duke tonight & Kentucky tomorrow. At this point it seems possible that we're looking at the least watched final in history (well, since 1975). The current low water mark is the 17.09 million viewers rtg for UConn-GT, last year was 17.6m for UNC-Mich State, and this could become the 3rd time in 6 years that the number has been < 18m

Yeah yeah, I know, on the court blah blah blah. That's fine as far as it goes but it also doesn't change the very practical reality that those are the only two marquee names left & we already know they can't meet in the final. And ratings like that can influence the shape of the tournament in the future, both in terms of expansion (which is believed to be a requirement for an ESPN bid) and where & how we get to watch the games.

[RainMaker]

Yeah, if only the NCAA Tournament was American Idol.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Yeah, if only the NCAA Tournament was American Idol.

Like I said, blah blah blah & all that.

But no matter what you think of it, it's a valid observation & even moreso considering the potential impact of it (although I don't believe even anything short of a record high final would change CBS' bidding position).

See, I can separate my own rooting interests, my predictions/expectations, and the practical reality of the tournament as a business.

Obviously I've got a deep rooting interest in the tournament for as long as UT is still alive ... but I picked WVU to make the finals from day one. I had UT out after one round. I'd probably be compelled to watch if Duke and/or UK were in the final. But any of the other combinations? That's less interesting TV for me than a mid-week mid-season game between Florida & Ole Miss or a Stanford-UCLA women's game.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Like I said, blah blah blah & all that.

But no matter what you think of it, it's a valid observation & even moreso considering the potential impact of it (although I don't believe even anything short of a record high final would change CBS' bidding position).

See, I can separate my own rooting interests, my predictions/expectations, and the practical reality of the tournament as a business.

Obviously I've got a deep rooting interest in the tournament for as long as UT is still alive ... but I picked WVU to make the finals from day one. I had UT out after one round. I'd probably be compelled to watch if Duke and/or UK were in the final. But any of the other combinations? That's less interesting TV for me than a mid-week mid-season game between Florida & Ole Miss or a Stanford-UCLA women's game.

Game versus sleep argument...do the two teams playing in the game have the potential to produce a classic game that I would regret missing by not staying up until 11:30/12:00? (or later for BCS games) If not, I'd rather have my sleep.

[whomario]

how the fuck is that a foul ? He´s just freaking standing there ...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by rowech

Game versus sleep argument...do the two teams playing in the game have the potential to produce a classic game that I would regret missing by not staying up until 11:30/12:00? (or later for BCS games) If not, I'd rather have my sleep.

A very fair point, I hate the weeknight late starts/late finishes as an east coaster. I'm just lucky that I both have sleeping problems & work for myself.

But I wonder if we've reached (actually already passed) the point of critical mass for classics in terms of being worth staying up for? Obviously I'm talking about random matchup stuff, people will still watch teams they're emotionally invested in. But let's face it, there's also an overload of coverage & clips online, no shortage of highlight shows on TV.

Make no mistake here, the end of the XU/K-State game was fun to watch, just the sheer back & forth, can-you-top-that nature of it. But in the end it was also two teams I had zero interest in, couldn't even find a rooting interest while watching it, and was neither the first nor the last damned good finish I've seen before or during the tournament. If I had needed the sleep, I'm not sure how big a sense of loss I would have had under those circumstances.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Like I said, blah blah blah & all that.

But no matter what you think of it, it's a valid observation & even moreso considering the potential impact of it (although I don't believe even anything short of a record high final would change CBS' bidding position).

See, I can separate my own rooting interests, my predictions/expectations, and the practical reality of the tournament as a business.

Obviously I've got a deep rooting interest in the tournament for as long as UT is still alive ... but I picked WVU to make the finals from day one. I had UT out after one round. I'd probably be compelled to watch if Duke and/or UK were in the final. But any of the other combinations? That's less interesting TV for me than a mid-week mid-season game between Florida & Ole Miss or a Stanford-UCLA women's game.

I don't see how anything changes. These networks understand that some years you get the good matchups, some years you don't.

The tournament is popular for what it is. A massive single elimination tournament on neutral court. Any major changes to that format eliminates what makes it so much fun. The talk of expansion would be a major change, but that's not going to change who you see in the Final Four. In fact, it just leaves the opportunity for big name schools to get knocked out more often.

What changes do you feel we'll all be punished with if CBS doesn't draw great ratings? Because when I watch these games, the last thing I care about is what CBS thinks of it.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

A very fair point, I hate the weeknight late starts/late finishes as an east coaster. I'm just lucky that I both have sleeping problems & work for myself.

But I wonder if we've reached (actually already passed) the point of critical mass for classics in terms of being worth staying up for? Obviously I'm talking about random matchup stuff, people will still watch teams they're emotionally invested in. But let's face it, there's also an overload of coverage & clips online, no shortage of highlight shows on TV.

Make no mistake here, the end of the XU/K-State game was fun to watch, just the sheer back & forth, can-you-top-that nature of it. But in the end it was also two teams I had zero interest in, couldn't even find a rooting interest while watching it, and was neither the first nor the last damned good finish I've seen before or during the tournament. If I had needed the sleep, I'm not sure how big a sense of loss I would have had under those circumstances.

Well, I didn't stay up for that game and missed it a bit only because Xavier is a local team. I've stayed up for many title games over the years and really only one game stands out as one that I would have hated to have not stayed awake for....Texas versus USC.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I don't see how anything changes. These networks understand that some years you get the good matchups, some years you don't.

The tournament is popular for what it is. A massive single elimination tournament on neutral court. Any major changes to that format eliminates what makes it so much fun. The talk of expansion would be a major change, but that's not going to change who you see in the Final Four. In fact, it just leaves the opportunity for big name schools to get knocked out more often.

What changes do you feel we'll all be punished with if CBS doesn't draw great ratings? Because when I watch these games, the last thing I care about is what CBS thinks of it.

Then enjoy the tournament on ESPN.

[jbergey22]

Watch out Ktuck. When Butler is on WV is unbeatable.