DEVELOPING: UConn Gets National Title

Steve Kerr punctuated the TNT crew's run on the national broadcast with the following line to Jim Nantz: "You sure this isn't Steelers-Ravens...?"

Kerr wasn't too far off as horrible shooting and good defense made for one of the ugliest national championships in recent memory.

UConn's Jim Calhoun, at age 68, gets a title by beating Butler who appeared in the last college game of the year for the second year in a row.

This out of focus bucket was, probably, the last good thing to happen to Butler from the field on Monday night in Houston...
((HT: youtube/NCAA on CBS))


Here's some Butler fans lamenting outside the arena...
((HT: Fox59 Indianapolis))
 

More when we know more...

Butler beats VCU--They're back in the Finals, again

Well, somebody's dream run had to end. And last night, it was VCU's. Butler took advantage of a cold shooting night by VCU and came away with a 70-62 win.

It's a repeat performance for the Bulldogs, who as you all probably know, lost to Duke in one of the NCAA tournaments best Finals games in years.

So, rather than blather on with endless hyperbole about Butler and this and that, if you haven't seen them, just watch the highlights:

Thanks SI.com:



Here's some postgame from Butler's Ronald Nored, or "Norad" as he's referred to by some national types...
((HT: Fox59 Indianapolis))
 

And, apparently, Richmond cops had to release tear gas on an unruly crowd after the loss last night...
((HT: WTVR-TV Richmond))
 

Butler Does It Again... Another Foursome

((HT: Fox59 Indianapolis))

The Butler Bulldogs returned to Hinkel Fieldhouse in the middle of the night after beating ((notice the HQ didn't say "upsetting")) Florida in the Regional Final Saturday.

You figure a few people would show up...
It was more than a few...
 

The March Through The Madness: It's Butler And UConn

((HT: CBSSports/NCAA))

Although they're not playing each other... yet...

Butler outlasted Florida in one national quarterfinal...
It was another Gus Alert...


And UConn survived Arizona in Anaheim as we sampled another one and done in Arizona's bench...

Butler Does It Again... Another Sweet 16 And Another Controversy

((HT: Fox59/CBSSports/NCAA/TBS))

Okay, just so you have all your information...
Here's the ending with Pitt...


And, yes, the HQ knows about all the hub-bub and hullabaloo, but the bottom line is this: The Big East complains that a game isn't officiated until its end in the post-season conference tournament, and then complains when a game IS officiated until its end in the post-season tournament...???

Can't have it both ways...

Here's Matt Howard after the win...
 

The March To The Madness: Day One Recap

Around the horn we go...

Team coverage from our friends at KHQ-TV in Spokane on the Zags win over St. John's
The HQ is sad that ther will be no more open-collared-dom from Steve Lavin this tournament...


WLEX-TV has True Blue Tampa coverage as Cal's Cats survived Princeton


The HQ is guessing that network coverage wasn't off the air as to why Alan Cutler gave us full screens...

WHAS-TV in Louisville gives us Team Onions coverage when Morehead knocked off the Cards in Denver...


Coach Pitino talked retirement, but the HQ doesn't buy it at present...
Emotional man after an emotional game...

The sign of the day in the stands goes to BYU in their win over Wofford...
Wanna stop the Cougars...? "Fredette About It..."
Nice...

Here's some Cougar postgame, thanks to our friends at KSL-TV in Salt Lake...

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

A not-very-good UCLA team almost blows a 23-point lead, but hangs on over Michigan State and the Fighting Izzos... Bruins head coach Ben Howland attempts to explain...
Thanks to our friends at KTLA-TV
 

Butler finally got their buzzer-beater win as Matt Howard lingered long enough for the put-back in the game against Old Dominion...
Here's Howard, thanks to our friends at FoxIndiana...
((HT: WXIN-TV))
 

That should get you warmed up for Day Two...

NCAA Tournament: The Butler Did It Again

Butler played beat the clock with Old Dominion in the second round. (Thanks NCAA/TRU-Tv/CBS Sports)

The Politics Of Dancing: Oakland, UALR, Butler

First, the UALR Trojans are in the tournament for the first time since 1991- that would be the Sanderson era for you and me, kids...

Here's the exciting ending, thanks to our friends at KTHV-TV in Little Rock
((HT: todaysthv.com))


Next up, the runners-up from last year are back in after winning the Horizon League tournament...the Butler Bulldogs are back...
((HT: WISH-TV Indianapolis))

Butler snags Horizon League title: wishtv.com

And one of the better nicknames of the tournament, the Golden Grizzlies of Oakland ((that's Michigan for you and me)) won the Summit League title in North Dakota...
((HT: WXYZ-TV Detroit))


And that makes 11...

What Butler's Reaction To Monday Night Should Be...

((HT: Paramount Pictures))



Gordon Heyward as Tanner Boyle...???
The HQ likes that idea...

J-Dub's Tobacco Road Point-Of-View

((HT: Examiner.com))

It's hard to call a team with a 20+ win streak a "Cinderella" team. However, most sports pundits are doing just that to Butler University. Just because they've never been to the NCAA national championship game 2010 before doesn't make them a "Cinderella" team. Just because they're playing perennial powerhouse Duke University doesn't make them a "Cinderella" team. Just the fact they've made it as far as they have - with many people doubting them - makes them winners overall.

The stories about the national championship game have been brandished all over the Internet ever since the teams were set. Several local Duke fans from the Raleigh-Durham area are very excited that Butler won instead of Michigan State. One excited Butler fan created a Facebook page entitled "ANYONE but Duke."

In the Triangle area, college basketball is king during the months of February and March - now part of April, too. With Carolina and Duke getting to finals of the N.I.T. and the NCAA Tournament respectively, Tobacco Road has been electrified over recent days. When the Tarheels lost last Thursday night, I think a strong gale-force wind blew through Raleigh - half fueled by the collective groans of UNC fans, and the other half coming from the pleasure-filled cries of ABC fans (ABC = Anyone But Carolina). In this area, you either love or hate UNC, Duke, or NC State - usually loving one and hating the other two.

The Indianapolis Star, for example, tried to play on the "I hate Duke" mystique by taking a picture of Coach Mike Krzyzewski and putting it on the cover of their sports section. This was no ordinary picture, though. The sports editors decided to have a little fun - albeit misguided - by "drawing" a moustache, devil horns, a bullseye target, and some other doodles onto Coach K's face. Other fans in the history of anti-Duke-ism have done the same thing, but the newspaper felt it was in poor taste.

Editor and vice president of the Indianapolis Star, Dennis R. Ryerson, apologized to the Duke populous on Saturday, and ran the following retraction:

"The image was out of line.

It ridiculed one of the best and most respected coaches in college basketball. Had we used the Blue Devil mascot, it may have been a different story, but using the coach's image was indefensible.

It represented only one aspect of the story while ignoring the other -- the incredible success of Duke basketball.

Our news desk notified me of the image shortly after midnight Friday morning. I asked that we pull the image out of remaining newspapers, but nearly 30,000 copies already were out the door.

Even one newspaper would have been one too many.

We have traced breakdowns in our editing process that allowed the illustration to get into print. Adjustments are being made to ensure that these kinds of lapses do not happen again.

I met with a very gracious Coach Krzyzewski and others from the university Friday afternoon, and, on behalf of The Star, apologized for the error. I also apologize to Duke, the team, Duke fans, and to our readers."

It is what it is. The game will be what the game will be. Duke will still be Duke, and Butler will still be considered the underdog - regardless of their record or talent level. Butler's head coach, Brad Stevens, said one of the most telling quotes of the entire championship weekend: "[Butler doesn't] have to be better than Duke 364 days a year. We don't have to be better than Duke for 24 hours, or even one hour," Stevens said to ESPN. "We just have to be better than Duke for 40 minutes."

By the way, Stevens has local ties to the Raleigh area. He was born in Greenville, NC, and many Greenville-area residents have sent emails and letters of support to the Butler head coach. His father has made sure to pass them on.

“He really appreciates the Greenville connection and all the prayers from that part of the world,” his father, Dr. Mark Stevens, told the Greenville News.

Regardless of the outcome of the NCAA national championship game, people just need to recognize the accomplishments of these two teams. Whether you love or hate Duke, whether or not you know anything about the "Cinderella" squad of the Butler Bulldogs, you have to respect the tenacity each team has shown that got them both to Indianapolis.

Many, many Triangle residents will be pulling for the Blue Devils, and probably just as many will be pulling against them. All that means is that life is completely normal along Tobacco Road.

((ed. note- And this is how close it got to being abnormal across the country...))
((HT: CBS Sports/NCAA))

Xavier Does Not Like Your Replay Delays

Especially when they take an additional five minutes to figure something out and, then, lose...

The clock starts, stops, and then freezes...

Gordon Hayward found the ball on the floor off a scramble, picked the ball up, and scored the game-winning bucket 69-68 as Butler beat Xavier at Hinkel Fieldhouse.

When was the last time officials pulled out a stop watch to figure out how much time had frozen, and then unfrozen... actually Saturday...

1.3 seconds of freezing and, then, with 1.2 left after the Hayward bucket- there was no more time left to play... actually, negative-one-tenth of a second...

Here's how our friends at WCPO-TV described the "interesting" timing and conclusion...


And here's our extended post-game from our friends at WISH-TV in Indianapolis...