College Basketball Thread 2015-16

[FVBrewerFan]

Wisconsin is so used to playing in close games at the end, that really seems to be the difference. Xavier had control of that game and took really bad shots at the end. Happ, Brown, and Hayes were all in foul trouble, why didn't they pound it down low every possession?!?!

 

Notre Dame will be tough, but UW can beat them. Another toss-up game. But after last night, this season is already a success, anything more will be gravy.

[pacopete4]

Wisconsin is so used to playing in close games at the end, that really seems to be the difference. Xavier had control of that game and took really bad shots at the end. Happ, Brown, and Hayes were all in foul trouble, why didn't they pound it down low every possession?!?!

 

Notre Dame will be tough, but UW can beat them. Another toss-up game. But after last night, this season is already a success, anything more will be gravy.

 

 

This season was a success in just making the tournament by finishing top 4 of the Big Ten Conference. This winning games in the tourney stuff is hilarious to me. I know it's bothering the Iowa fans that are all around me because this was supposed to be Iowa's big year and the year Wisconsin finally took a step back. A lot of chirping to begin the season about Wisconsin basketball. The job Greg Gard did this season and the leadership of the few veterans that we have in nothing short of amazing. I hope they knock the snot out of ND!

[davego]

5 trips to the Sweet 16 in the past 6 years is amazing. I'm 48 years old; because of being traumatized by Wisconsin basketball in my formative years, I'm still having adjustment issues with having nice things...

[pacopete4]

5 trips to the Sweet 16 in the past 6 years is amazing. I'm 48 years old; because of being traumatized by Wisconsin basketball in my formative years, I'm still having adjustment issues with having nice things...

 

What other team can say this? I'm thinking Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky all might but unsure of how many.

[fondybrewfan]

UW is the only team to make 5 Sweet Sixteen's in the last 6 years.

 

Even with the tourney still going on its really hard not to get excited about how awesome they could be next year. All the freshman have another offseason to get better plus they add Pritzl and Van Vliet who have more offensive ability than any other bench player right now. It will be a senior heavy team next year too which is always a positive.

[superfly]

ND is a better matchup I think for us than Xavier's athletes were. Happ can handle Auguste down low, and the rest of the team stacks up in our favor. We've seen some fairly horrible play out of them lately (including the middle part of the 2nd half yesterday) so I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatch, but there's a nice chance we end up in the elite 8. What a fabulous accomplishment.

 

We've beaten Indiana on the other side, that would be a great game. North Carolina would probably kill us though.

[Patrick425]

5 trips to the Sweet 16 in the past 6 years is amazing. I'm 48 years old; because of being traumatized by Wisconsin basketball in my formative years, I'm still having adjustment issues with having nice things...

 

I keep reminding my 17 year old son that there has never been a time in his life when Badgers basketball/football did not make it to the NCAA tourney or to a bowl game...and things were far different in the Badger's sports world when I was his age.

[davego]

Partick425...we are from a time when the Garden State Bowl and the NIT equated an excellent sports year!

[LouisEly]

Those lower seats in OK City must be pretty expensive. Otherwise, it's hard to believe that Oklahoma playing a tourney game in OK City is not a complete sell out. I can't imagine the Badgers playing a tourney game in Milwaukee that would not be a complete sell out.

Certain sections are allocated to certain teams. If the team has already played (or like others have said, already lost) those fans may have left already. Especially on a Sunday, when people want/need to get home by a decent time so they can get to work on Monday morning with a decent night's sleep. Or if the team is playing later they might not be at the game yet. They do tickets by session - one session includes two games/four teams - not by individual games, so many of the fans may not care about the other game. I got to the Syracuse/MTSU game with about 10 minutes left; my seat was empty for the first 30 minutes.

 

I sat about 8-10 rows off the court yesterday here in STL (unfortunately the other side of the court from "the shot") and the face on the tickets was $105 (paid $100 including fees on Stub Hub, prolly because many MSU and Dayton fans were dumping their tickets for Sunday). For the Badgers game, even though the announced attendance was 15,000 the actual attendance was more like 10,000. I'm sure many MSU fans had already left (as well as Dayton fans).

 

Texas A&M isn't that close to OKC. Texas fans were prolly already gone - they're not going to stick around to root for Oklahoma or A&M.

[MrTPlush]

Correct if I am wrong, but the tickets schools get the rights to are more behind the basket and in the corner spots. They act like student sections on each side. Because if you watch a game that is where everyone is clustered.

[Funketown]

I actually saw the Raleigh first round game tickets on Groupon for something like $50, and I wasn't even tempted to go despite UNC being placed there. Staying home, watching 3 games at a time on three different devices, and having good food and beer is a far more attractive option to me.

[FVBrewerFan]

Correct if I am wrong, but the tickets schools get the rights to are more behind the basket and in the corner spots. They act like student sections on each side. Because if you watch a game that is where everyone is clustered.

 

Every arena may be different, but at the BC these sections are courtside, not tucked into the corners or baseline.

 

I'm sure those fans left after their game, but that's no excuse. If you're a fan of the tourney, why leave? As I said earlier, BC is packed and enthusiastic when there's no rooting interest in ANY team. Just enjoying March Madness.

 

It tells me there's not enough interest if those fans left early and weren't able to sell their tickets for the remaining games.

[LouisEly]

Correct if I am wrong, but the tickets schools get the rights to are more behind the basket and in the corner spots. They act like student sections on each side. Because if you watch a game that is where everyone is clustered.

They are always courtside. One team's section is behind each bench, the other two are on the other side in the same spot opposite the bench. Been like that for every tourney game I've been to. For the first game the Badgers section was behind one of the benches (I assume the higher seeds get behind the benches because that's where the higher seeds sat for both sessions), but for the second game when they were the lower seed they were opposite of their bench.

 

The OU game was the first game so many of the fans for A&M and UNI may not have been there yet. There is no love lost for OU from Texas A&M fans even though they are now in a different conference.

[MrTPlush]

I just think it is hard to really sell out these games when it is such short notice. Hard to plan a long trip across the US when you have 5 days to get there. Is Louisville really going to sell out a Kansas/Maryland game? It isn't anywhere near either of those states.

 

Really you ask for these kind of crowds when you put them on a neutral court like this. Fans aren't going to travel across the country for a Sweet 16 game and the host city isn't going to sell it out to indifferent fans.

 

On another note I really hope Kansas can end up in Milwaukee one of these years. I was considering tickets if they ended up in Chicago, but those tickets to the United Center are ridiculously expensive compared to other places. Louisville had tickets going for $14 and at the United Center they were pushing $90. I imagine the Bradley Center was closer to Louisville prices.

[MrTPlush]

I may have only watched Maryland this one time, but wow I feel like that team is poorly coached. A team that shot a horrid 1-18 from beyond the arc in their last game started off bad again and decided to shoot another 25 3's?! I know towards the end they got in some foul trouble where driving to the basket was risky, but they were firing off threes the entire game. Not to mention all they do is run the same boring play to get someone into the paint. Seemed like a really weak game plan with no in game adjustments.

[FVBrewerFan]

I just think it is hard to really sell out these games when it is such short notice. Hard to plan a long trip across the US when you have 5 days to get there. Is Louisville really going to sell out a Kansas/Maryland game? It isn't anywhere near either of those states.

 

Really you ask for these kind of crowds when you put them on a neutral court like this. Fans aren't going to travel across the country for a Sweet 16 game and the host city isn't going to sell it out to indifferent fans.

 

Think of it as the Super Bowl. Even if zero fans from the two NFL teams attended, it would sell out instantly right?

 

NCAA Tourney is basically the same thing. Obviously not at that magnitude for a single tourney site, but same concept in that most fans that attend don't have a rooting interest in any of the teams.

 

For example, Milwaukee always sells out instantly. I have been to the first two rounds in Anaheim and Arizona as well, same thing. It's not like the arena is filled with fans from the teams participating, those sections are rather small. And they still sell-out immediately.

[rwa12]

I think the team factor slightly plays into the early rounds, by the time the Sweet 16 comes around, you're buying tickets for the event, not the teams involved. Are there people who follow regardless...sure, but I think overall, the tournament is sold as an event rather than specific games.

[FVBrewerFan]

Exactly, I go every time it's in Milwaukee no matter who's playing. I would argue early rounds are no different than Sweet 16 weekend, because you get more games to watch in the early rounds.

 

Vast majority of people who go to tourney games are like me, it's a fun experience to watch. The bands, talking to fans that traveled to Milwaukee, but mostly just watching the games live in person. Great games, upsets, buzzer beaters, etc.

[young guns]

What a terrible 20 seconds of basketball.

[pitchleague]

I found it very telling that the Badgers made it to the free throw line only 3 times the entire game (4-of-6) and were never in the bonus in either half. Hard to do in the contemporary game.

 

Oh, and the Badgers were somehow replaced with the "slippery fingered" Badgers who turned the ball over 16 times. 16!!!!!

[pacopete4]

Refs were horrid. Let the game be played different than any game I've watched this season. Disappointed now but hats off to this team for making it as far as they can. Hopefully Nigel is back for another run.

[AKCheesehead]

Hard to follow board forum etiquette while expressing my feelings on that one. I guess the one positive of it is, very teachable moment for the young guys: better play perfect in the big games, because at crunch time, if you're Wisconsin, it's going to be 8 on 5.

[MrTPlush]

One can blame the refs all they want, but in the end the Badgers literally handed the game away.

[superfly]

I'm speechless at what transpired the last half hour of the game. I guess when you've got Notre Dame in there they must move on for ratings.

[rickh150]

Badgers played three very close games in tourney..., won 2 lost 1. You play enough close games, bound to lose one. Glad it didn't happen 1st round, which it EASILY could have.

 

Blaming refs gets old fast......saw no huge advantages either way. Losing hurts. Get over it. Better yet, learn from it.

 

So much fun to watch! Great year and fight Badgers!