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...

UConn can...beat Kentucky that is, to go to the NCAA Finals

It wasn't pretty, but as they say "A Win is a Win". Particularly if it is in the national semi-finals and propels you into the NCAA Championship game.

And the Connecticut Huskies can say that's exactly what they did. They won, 56-55 over a Kentucky team that apparently couldn't hit the broad side of a barn...if they were standing next to it on Saturday night. The Wildcats shot a heart warming 9-32 in the 1st half, before getting a little better in half 2. Kemba Walker, as usual, led UConn with 18.

Your highlights from SI.com:




This sets up an interesting finals with UConn, a team that has had some issues this year and some issues with the NCAA. Issues that have yet to be fully addressed.

They'll play everyone's favorite Cinderella, Butler, who you really should probably stop calling "Cinderella", cause folks, they may not be the "Big Name" school, but those guys can play some hoops.

Tip off Monday is just after 9pm, for those looking to stay up late.

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))
 

The state of Virginia (VCU and Richmond) is having a good run in the NCAA's....

And you always assume that it's the big "State" schools that will be successful. No, not this time. This time, it's good to be from eastern Virginia. Both Virginia Commonwealth and Richmond are moving on in the Big Dance. Moving on to the Sweet 16.

Richmond took care of their business on Saturday, beating Morehead State, setting up a game against one of the tourney's favorites....Kansas.

In the case of VCU, they blasted Purdue on Sunday, a game that nobody thought they'd win. It wasn't even close.

Your highlights from TBS Sports:






VCU moves on to a potentially winnable game, against Florida State. And your post-game reaction:

NCAA Tournament: The Right "Juan" For Temple. Owls Defeat Penn State At The Buzzer

March Madness has pegged the needle now. Temple's Juan Fernandez threw up an off balanced 18 footer with .4 seconds left as the Owls survive and advance 66-64.

Here's the game winner (Thanks TNT Sports/SI.com/CBS Sports/NCAA)

Kyrie Irving To Play In NCAA Tournement

If you have Duke going to the Final Four in your office pool you might be looking good. Kyrie Irving is coming back.

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Irving will play limited minutes in Duke's NCAA Tournament opener against Hampton. Duke will now have the best sixth man in the tournament.

"It's a big step for me and my family to make one of the biggest decisions in my life to go out there and be integrated with the guys in practice and now return to the game," Irving said to the Raleigh News Observer.

Here's video of Irving at practice today: (Thanks WRAL-TV)



Here's Mike Krzyzewski's comments. (Thanks WRAL-TV)

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 Cult of Gus: And the Tournament Begins

Gus/Courtesy: cbssports.com

((ht: NYTimes))

We couldn't pass this story up, because to us...Gus Johnson is "The" voice of the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament, which by the way kicks off today (Tuesday).

The calls are borderline legendary and the hope when a game starts and you find out that he is calling it...that its a close, no, a buzzer beater game. Because when it comes down to it...who's better at calling a buzzer beater than the OSG's favorite play-by-play guy.

Read the profile in the New York Times RIGHT HERE

Here's the most recent Gus favorite call from this years PAC 10 Finals:



Really, does it get any better than that?

We understand the whole thing about Gus not being the #1 announce team guy. He's not for everyone. But really, we'd rather listen to a game with him and Bill Raftery calling the action than any game Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg will do for CBS Sports.

But he can't be everywhere. We wish he was. However he's been regulated to doing games in places such as the "Big 10" network.

Here's a great Gus game from the incredible Xavier/Kansas State double OT game in last years (2010) tournament:



As great as Gus is, this might be his craziest call of all. From a Cincinnati Bengals vs. Denver Broncos game in 2009:

The Politics Of Dancing: Your Women's NCAA Bracket

Dayton Regional
Saturday March 19

(16) Stetson (20-12) 11:05 am EDT
(1) Tennessee (31-2)

Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, TN)

(12) Bowling Green (28-4) 11:20 am EDT
(5) Georgia Tech (23-10)

St. John Arena (Columbus, OH)

(9) Texas (19-13) 1:35 pm EDT
(8) Marquette (23-8)

Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, TN)

(13) UCF (22-10) 1:50 pm EDT
(4) Ohio St. (22-9)

St. John Arena (Columbus, OH)

(10) Temple (23-8) 4:05 pm EDT
(7) Arizona St. (20-10)

Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT)

(2) Notre Dame (26-7) 6:35 pm EDT
(15) Utah (18-16)

Jon M. Huntsman Center (Salt Lake City, UT)

Sunday, March 20

(14) Gardner-Webb (23-10) 12:15 pm EDT
(3) Miami (FL) (27-4)

John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville, VA)

(11) James Madison (26-7) 2:45 pm EDT
(6) Oklahoma (21-11)

John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville, VA)

Philadelphia Regional
Saturday March 19
11Dayton (21-11, 9-5 A 10)
6Penn St (24-9, 11-5 Big Ten)
11:10 AM ET

10Marist (30-2, 18-0 MAAC)
7Iowa St (22-10, 9-7 Big 12)
11:15 AM ET

14Navy (20-11, 10-4 Patriot)
3DePaul (27-6, 13-3 Big East)
1:30 PM ET

15Tenn-Martin (21-10, 14-4 OVC)
2Duke (29-3, 12-2 ACC)
1:30 PM ET

Spokane Regional
11Gonzaga (28-4, 14-0 WCC)
6Iowa (22-8, 10-6 Big Ten)
4:10 PM ET

9St. John's (21-10, 9-7 Big East)
8Texas Tech (22-10, 8-8 Big 12)
4:20 PM ET

13Hampton (26-6, 15-1 MEAC)
4Kentucky (24-8, 11-5 SEC)
6:30 PM ET

12Fresno St (25-7, 14-2 WAC)
5North Carolina (26-8, 8-6 ACC)
4:15 PM ET

16UC Davis (24-8, 10-6 Big West)
1Stanford (29-2, 18-0 Pac-10)
6:30 PM ET

14Montana (18-14, 10-6 Big Sky)
3UCLA (27-4, 16-2 Pac-10)
6:30 PM ET

Here's the rundown from our friends at ESPN...


Dallas Regional
Sunday March 20
15McNeese St (26-6, 15-1 Southland)
2Texas A&M (27-5, 13-3 Big 12)
5:05 PM ET

14Samford (25-7, 15-5 Southern)
3Florida St (23-7, 11-3 ACC)
5:15 PM ET

16Prairie View A&M (21-11, 14-4 SWAC)
1Baylor (31-2, 15-1 Big 12)
7:30 PM ET

11Mid Tennessee (23-7, 14-2 Sun Belt)
6Georgia (21-10, 10-6 SEC)
7:30 PM ET

9West Virginia (23-9, 8-8 Big East)
8Houston (26-5, 16-0 C-USA)
5:10 PM ET

12AR-Little Rock (23-7, 14-2 Sun Belt)
5Green Bay (32-1, 18-0 Horizon)
5:20 PM ET

10Louisiana Tech (24-7, 15-1 WAC)
7Rutgers (19-12, 11-5 Big East)
7:30 PM ET

13Northern Iowa (27-5, 17-1 MVC)
4Michigan St (26-5, 13-3 Big Ten)
7:30 PM ET

Philadelphia Regional
9Purdue (20-11, 9-7 Big Ten)
8Kansas St (21-10, 10-6 Big 12)
2:30 PM ET

12Princeton (24-4, 13-1 Ivy)
5Georgetown (22-10, 9-7 Big East)
2:30 PM ET

16Hartford (17-15, 11-5 Am. East)
1Connecticut (32-1, 16-0 Big East)
12:05 PM ET

13St. Francis (PA) (22-11, 14-4 NEC)
4Maryland (23-7, 9-5 ACC)
12:20 PM ET

Spokane Regional
10Vanderbilt (20-11, 10-6 SEC)
7Louisville (20-12, 10-6 Big East)
12:10 PM ET

15S Dakota St (19-13, 12-6 Summit)
2Xavier (27-2, 14-0 A 10)
2:30 PM ET

The Snub List: Who should've made the NCAA Tournament and who didn't...

Every year there is the argument, team A should never had made the tournament and team B should have. But the NCAA Basketball tournament selections are done by people, not machines. That's what makes it the great event that it is.

And like every year, there are several teams sitting at home right now, palms upraised and shoulders shrugged saying: WTF!

And they wouldn't be wrong.

Teams such as: UAB (Alabama-Birmingham), 22-8 overall, 12-4 in their conference. They lost their only game against a Top 25 team, Duke blew them out 85-64. Really, there isn't a signature win here, they won their conference games(Conf. USA) and that's about it.

Clemson. 21-11 overall, 9-7 in the ACC. Face it. The ACC outside North Carolina and Duke, sucked this year. This is an average Clemson team. In fact, if you look at their history. This about where they normally finish every year. Again, no stand out wins...against anyone.

USC. 19-14 and 10-8. They won some games against Top 25 teams unlike the teams above, but lost some stinkers too. They are slightly above average in an average PAC 10. But they are in.

VCU. 23-11 and 12-6. One win vs. the Top 25. One of the worst rebounding teams in Division 1 (301st). Yeah, they beat a mediocre UCLA and George Mason in the conference tourney. Nothing else jumps off the page. But they are in.

And the outs. Or as you can call them "NIT Top Seeds":

Colorado. 20-13, 8-8. Yeah, they didn't play a great non-conference schedule. But they have a slew of Top 25 wins. Including 3 wins versus Kansas State. Did they lose a couple of games they shouldn't have. Maybe, but its hard to explain how they didn't get in. They did everything needed it seems.

Alabama. 21-11, 12-4. A little weaker of an argument, but they have one. Another crappy non-conference schedule did them in. Along with a really bad SEC West. Only 1 Top 25 win (Kentucky), probably didn't help.

Va.Tech. 21-11, 9-7. They are pretty much a carbon copy of Clemson. And yes, they should've been better, but this is always what they are. Every year. The perennial bubble team.  A good win vs. Duke in Feb. but nothing else jumps off the page. Yes, they underachieved, and ultimately that probably did them in.

Boston College. 20-12, 9-7. Yeah. Um. Well. They, Va.Tech and Clemson are pretty much the same teams...with similar results. Nothing this team did jumps off the page at you. But since they are in the ACC, the talking heads assume they should be there. We don't really by that and wouldn't consider this team on the Snub List.

Again, this is the reason we love the NCAA Basketball Tournament. It's subjective. They don't always get it right. But that is ok. We don't have a problem with that. Is the NCAA field the best its ever been this year? No it isn't. But this may be a good year for that very reason.

Here's a discussion on the Snub List from the boys at ESPN. Jay Bilas gained some respect with his argument. He's not wrong. You can argue either way...for any of these teams.



And Tournament Chairman Gene Smith explains the process to our friends at CBS Sports right here:

The Politics Of Dancing: Morehead State University

Let's face it...

We all just like saying "More Head..."

We get to say it for a little while longer as the Eagles beat Tennessee Tech in the Ohio Valley Conference final...

Here's your highlights, and if you haven't heard of Kenneth Faried- you will and you should have already. He's the nation's rebounding leader...
((HT: MSUEagleAthletics))

Dude Perfect guys sell out to NCAA, Still hit crazy shots

We've...on occasion chronicled the exploits of the "Dude Perfect" guys. They've achieved some level of fame for their crazy basketball shots that they shoot video of and post to YouTube.

They've been on everything from the SportsBlogs to CBS News showing off what they can do. And really, they are a group of college kids from Texas who just came up with a kind of good gimmick.

Nowadays, they shill for the NCAA. Not because we consider them sell-outs, we don't. They are doing what's best for business. What we find funny is the NCAA's attempt at trying to become cool and hip.

Here are the "Perfect" guys hitting crazy shots, all over Houston, Texas which by...."Coincidence"...is the home of this years NCAA Final Four.

Coastal Carolina In Trouble...???

Coastal Carolina reported violations regarding its men's basketball team to the NCAA.

A statement from the university said the allegations were brought to the school's attention before the season began and President David DeCenzo ordered them turned over to the NCAA.

The New York Times reported the focus of the NCAA's investigation is possible illegal benefits that former player Marcus Macellari said were given to other players. Macellari spoke to NCAA officials and let them know he thinks he was booted off the team because head coach Cliff Ellis over-recruited...

Coastal Carolina's leading scorer, Desmond Holloway, was indefinitely suspended this month while the NCAA looked into his eligibility. The Chanticleers (25-4) close their Big South Conference regular season at Charleston Southern on Saturday.

The Pete Thamel piece in the Times outlines how the 'Cleers now only have seven scholarship players on their active roster and eight players dressed out for recent games. Two other players are ineligible, their star player was kicked off the team after a fight, and their starting guard is injured.

From Thamel:
“I told her (the NCAA interviewer)) that my scholarship wouldn’t have been revoked if these players hadn’t been bribed to come here and offered unfair things,” he said. “These players were bribed to come here to take my spot.”

Macellari said he told the N.C.A.A. that Holloway got a “care package full of stuff” that included clothing. If true, that would be a serious N.C.A.A. violation.

Here's WBTW-TV's coverage of the Holloway suspension...


The university response today was:
“Coastal Carolina University is and has been fully cooperating with the NCAA in its current inquiry. Allegations were brought to the University’s attention in late summer of 2010. At that time, President David DeCenzo immediately directed Chief Operating Officer Edgar Dyer and University Counsel Tim Meacham to self report the allegations to the NCAA on behalf of the University.

NCAA’s rules of ethical conduct prohibit anyone at Coastal Carolina University from providing further comment until the inquiry is completed."

More when we know more...
Cliff Ellis strikes again... alledgedly...

CBS + Turner Broadcasting + NCAA = $$$$$$$

It's official, CBS and Turner Broadcasting are in bed for the NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Here's the skinny from a statement released by the NCAA:

Beginning with the 2011 championship, opening- , first- and second-round games will be shown nationally on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. CBS and Turner will split coverage of the regional semi-final games. CBS will provide coverage of the regional finals, as well as the Final Four including the National Championship Game through 2015. Beginning in 2016, coverage of the regional finals will be split by CBS and Turner with the Final Four and the National Championship game alternating every year between the CBS Television Network and Turner’s TBS.

Now here are the numbers. CBS and Turner Broadcasting have the rights to the NCAA men's basketball tournament for the next 14 years beginning in 2011 running through 2024 for more than 10.4 billion dollars.

“We’re excited this agreement continues our long-standing relationship with CBS, a partner company that has captured the unique spirit of the collegiate model of athletics, and brings a new partner in Turner Broadcasting to the Championship and NCAA basketball,” NCAA Interim President Jim Isch said in a statement.

CBS News & Sports President Sean McManus and David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. commented to in their brand of corporate speak as to how great and profitable this new agreement is for their companies.

You can read the press release from the NCAA right here.

Those of us at the OSG HQ and satellite offices are still taking all this in. Stay tuned.

BREAKING NEWS: NCAA gets a new deal, Tourney will expand...

((ht:usa today))


BREAKING: According to a published report, it appears the days of the 65-team NCAA Basketball Tournament are coming to an end...next season.

USA Today is reporting that the NCAA has reached an agreement with CBS and Turner Sports for the TV rights to the "New" NCAA Tournament, one that would be anywhere from 68-96 teams, though we suspect it will be the latter.

The Story from USA Today RIGHT HERE

The agreement is expected to be announced at a 12:30pm press conference. The official press release from the NCAA is RIGHT HERE

Among the highlights: CBS and Turner will alternate coverage of the actual final four on an odd/even rotation beginning in 2016. They will both cover the opening rounds through the "Sweet 16 starting next year, CBS pick things up from the "Elite 8" on. Also, the tournament will "Officially" expand to 68 teams beginning with next years tournament.

An interesting turn and the expected expansion to 96 teams was not mentioned. That doesn't mean it is off the table, it just isn't an option with the current announcement.