College Basketball 2009-2010 (part 2)

[Oldcity]

Maybe CBS should be worrying about a Duke-MSU final, because I won't watch that.

[craigharmann]

Are you already a college bball fan though?

Absolutely! I'll admit, I haven't followed college hoops as passionately as I have as in years past, as I have an almost 1 year old little girl, who has taken up lots of my sports watching time, but I would place watching college hoops 4th on my list after watching NFL football, MLB baseball, college football.

[TooLiveBrew]

The offensive foul that got called on (iirc) Udoh around the 4 minute mark was just a flat-out joke. It was obvious that it should have been Zoubek's 5th foul, but the Dukies got a gift-wrapped call once again. I would definitely not be surprised to find out this game was rigged. The call was *that* critical (would've been two shots for Baylor), and it was *that* bad.

[Crew2323]

I'm an official, and I have to agree with you on that offensive foul call (I was even surprised by Clark Kellogg's initial reaction to that call). Zoubek was clearly turning away from the contact. It should have been a block. As I watch a game I tend to blurt out calls as I see them. On that one I immediately said "block" only to be quite surprised by the charge call. And the replay made me even more sure it was a block. But what made that a huge call isn't that the Baylor player would have shot two. Recall that he made the layup, so it would have been an "and-one", giving Baylor a chance to go up five. Instead the next time down I believe Duke hit a three to go up one. A huge swing there, no doubt.

[TooLiveBrew]

That's right... I'd forgotten it was an and-1. Travesty.

[Menotti80]

I just want to express how excited I am that my dUkies are back in the final four!!!

[homer]

I actually have to root for Duke this year because if they win it all I win one of the pools I'm in.

[jjkoestler]

I just want to express how excited I am that my dUkies are back in the final four!!!

Are you a Duke Alum? I'm thinking about going there for law school.

[Schlitz001]

According to a national poll on the ESPN.com homepage, most people want to see a West Virginia versus Butler Championship game out of the 4 possibilities.

[TheCrew07]

I would hate to see TPU make the championship game, I don't like my options on that side of the bracket at all.

[Menotti80]

I just want to express how excited I am that my dUkies are back in the final four!!!

Are you a Duke Alum? I'm thinking about going there for law school.

nah.

just been a huge fan since i started watching college basketball in '95

 

 

[paul253]

http://sportsillustrated.....ap/index.html?eref=sihp

 

This is not an April fools joke, but apparently they are very close to expanding the tournament to 96 teams. What an absolute joke this is. You are taking the best part of all college sports and screwing with it. We all knew this anyway, but this is one more argument that the NCAA does not care one iota about its "student" athletes and is all about the money. The tournament as is stands now is perfect. Think about. Teams like Jacksonville, Stoney-Brooke and Quinipiac would have been in the tournament this year. Does anyone really think these teams have a chance to win more than one game? This is all about money, and quite frankly the NCAA and the college presidents are embarrassing themselves by expanding the basketball tournament to 96 teams while still pretending they can't make a 16 team football tournament work.

 

It also more or less is going to kill the NIT.

[PeaveyFury]

I continue to be completely mystified at how often in sports stuff that works real well as they are are subject to meddling in the name of "making things better" somehow, while a completely disfunctional disaster like the BCS is untouchable.

[LouisEly]

Like everything, sports bows to the almighty dollar. It's about the Benjamins, as they say...

[PeaveyFury]

I certainly agree, but it's not as if tournaments in NCAA sports historically don't bring in big dollars

[trwi7]

Just basing it on RPI this year (because I have no idea how they would determine which other schools would get in), some of these matchups are awesome.

Virginia Commonwealth vs Ohio
Marshall vs UC-Santa Barbara
Tulsa vs South Carolina

I'd definitely watch those games.

[MJLiverock]

I don't watch or care about the play in game now, I can't imagine another 15 or so of those games drawing my interest. How much money would this really add? I don't think the TV audience would be as big as they think and attendence certainly won't be that great. First round games as it is are not sellouts.

 

This whole idea is pretty bad, why water down an already great product. They would almost have to play some of these first games at the home court of one of the teams or these teams would be forced to spend the entire week at the round one site. Kinda throws into question the lame excuse of they can't have a football playoff because the student athletes can't be expected to travel or miss school for the playoff structure.

 

I think it would also eliminate a lot of the Cinderella type stories because the mid major teams would have to play one more game before getting a shot at anyone meaningful.

[hawing]

They would almost have to play some of these first games at the home court of one of the teams or these teams would be forced to spend the entire week at the round one site.

I'm not a fan of expanding to 96 teams either (honestly, unless Wisconsin goes deep, I lose interest in the college game after Championship Week), but early games played on a participant's home court would probably draw better than early games played on a neutral court.

[Oldcity]

Let's make the regular season even more meaningless? This will ruin my favorite sporting event of the year.

[paul253]

Certainly makes this tournament less special. Now how bad do you have to be not to make it? Adding not one, not two, but 31 more mediocre teams.

[ccbrew]

The worst thing they possibly do to the best competition in American sports.

[lukevan]

Basically, if you're in a major conference and don't come in last place, you're in the tourney. This just sucks. For God sake, keep it at 65!

[pitchleague]

who'da thunk it? Butler Bulldogs . . . Horizon League . . . in the National Championship Game!

 

Wow! Michigan St. and Butler both shot themselves in the foot the last 10 minutes of the game. Michigan State bled out, I guess.

 

AWESOME!!!! I thought it was something I'd never see when Wisconsin made the Final Four 10 years ago. Then George Mason made the Final Four a few years ago. Now, a mid-major is in the title game! This is something the NCAA will never allow to happen in college football.

 

Too bad, the ratings will be absolutely horrible if it ends up Butler vs. West Virginia on Monday night. Probably would be one heck of a game.

[Buckylovesbeer]

As "ugly" as that game was.....I really enjoyed it. Those teams were pretty evenly matched.....hopefully the Duke - WVU matchup is as good

[craigharmann]

Fantastic game!! Glad Butler won! Now looking forward to a Brewer victory Monday afternoon and a Butler victory Monday night.