More Madness May Be A Good Thing - NCAA Tourny To Expand

I don’t know where the games are going to be played. I don’t know what teams are going to be involved but what I do know is that the NCAA March Madness Tournament is set to hold the First and Second Rounds on March 17-20, 2011. In addition the field has been extended to 68 from the current 65 where the "opening round" is essentially a play in game between 64 and 65. How this new change will affect the dates and times is yet to be determined. This change comes on the heals of a brand new TV deal that the NCAA is entering into with partners CBS and Turner (TBS and TNT) worth a reported $10.8 billion.

What this means for fans is The NCAA’s agreement with CBS and Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting System Inc, which runs from 2011 through 2024 is that every game next March will be shown live on CBS, TBS, TNT or truTV this will mark the first time this will happen in the tournament’s 73-year history.

It looks like the partnership will morph over time to a similar set up to what NASCAR has with Fox and now ESPN/ABC (formerly dealing with NBC and TNT). Beginning in 2016, coverage of the regional finals will be split by CBS and Turner; the Final Four and the championship game will alternate every year between CBS and TBS. Under the agreement, the NCAA and CBSSports.com will again provide live streaming video of games, though Turner secured rights for any player it develops.

There was very heavy talks to expand to a 96-team field but that would have likely enveloped the 32-team NIT, the NCAA’s other, independently run season-ending tournament. and all but eliminated it. Sure it is less followed and less known, especially here in Canada. Sure it is the equivalent to a B Pool final but it is a little extra revenue for the NCAA, this may be the best of both worlds...at least for the time being.

Time to start planning vacation time around the tournament. Maybe not the play-in game but the first round I try to make my "Masters" a tradition Unlike Any Other!

Arguments That NCAA Basketball is better then NBA Basketball

Basketball is basketball....not always. Both the NCAA brand and the NBA brand have their pros and cons and their own features and benefits. Sure beauty is in the eye of the Beer-holder but it is the subtle differences that give each their own unique feeling. It all comes down to personal preference.

The regular season is very comparable. Both are anti-climatic for most of the good teams where they are just going through the motions because they are assured of being involved in the "post season" of their respective leagues. Tor the lesser known smaller schools every game could become a do or die game if they hope to move to the big dance. Invites are few and far between if you are a mid major or a small school. Same thing in the NBA The Lakers and Cav’s just need to do enough to stay on top of the league or division and try to be healthy enough going into the playoffs, and the weak inconsistent teams like the Raptors need to scratch and claw for everything just to squeak in.

In the NBA they have "Professional Dancers" that do a good job and are very attractive for the most part but that is all they are, dancers. Sure they can shake to Pump It but that is about it.

In the Collage game they have actual cheerleaders. Cheers and pom-poms and all that good stuff. Again personal preference but there is something more wholesome and entertaining about a cheerleader then a dancer.

The NBA plays Pop, R&B and Rock music blasted over the speakers.

The NCAA has school bands that play the fight songs and popular music with the collegiate touch with trombones, trumpets and big drums. When you hear the sounds of the live bands you can feel that collegiate atmosphere which is pretty cool.

NBA Playoffs last some 2+ months and sometimes seem to drag a bit towards the end when you hit late May and games still don’t have an end in sight. The plus at that time is the games are now intense and for the most part the cream has risen to the top and the game is now a showcase for the top tier talent.

The NCAA and the March Madness Tournament is the greatest self contained annual sporting event in the nation. Not only are the games for the most part entertaining but you are assured an 5-12 upset, a Cinderella team or two that comes out of nowhere to win a few games. Shocking last minute shots...some that go in and some that don’t and that is half the fun.

The NBA you see the playoff schedule and it is what it is, you never know when games are going to happen, dates times and locations are all a crap-shoot. It all comes down to the TV networks on how the games are slotted. There could be back to back games or there could be 8 days in-between. It is hard to hold viewers interest in cases like that. Even for the avid fan it can be tough to stay super jazzed.

The NCAA you know the first 2 rounds are the first weekend noon-midnight...wall to wall madness. Sweet 16 and Elite 8 take up Thursday-Sunday. The Final 4 and National Championship games take week 3. You know when and where to find it, you can plan for it, you can just sit back and enjoy it.

The NBA has "playoffs"

The NCAA has cool catch names that draw in fans like The Sweet 16, Elite 8 and Final Four. They just fall a little short with The National Championship Game.

Opening Games

WOW, if this is any indicatoin of the way the tournament is going to go it is going to be exciting.
Last year thre were 2 overtime games. Out of the first 3 games today 2 games went to overtime.

Villenova, a 2 seed almost was upset by a 15 seed Robert Morris. Nova's Scottie Reynolds was 2for 15 for 20 points....good thing he was able to hit his free throws.

Notre Dame ios upset and out. St. Pats is officially over, no luck for the Fighing Irish on this day.

Madness Baby!!

On The Verge of Madness

Ok tip off is only moments away with 3 12:30 games

FLORIDA 10 vs BYU 7
OLD DOMINION 11 vs Notre Dame 6
ROBERT MORRIS 15 vs VILLINOVA 2

Gotts my fries cooked, Pepsi chilled, couple pints cold(if need be). Good for a start anyway.
TV is ready, March Madness on Demand is hooked up on the computer for the games that are not on the local CBS channels or on The Score for the live streaming.

This will be no sprint it is a marathon. Pace is the way to go. When Greg Gumble rests so will I. There are always a little time between games, going to have to make an effort to use that brief time wisely.

Ok! lets do this thing!

March Madness Bracket

I am setting up a bracket for the NCAA Tournament with yahoo.
If you wish to join the fun feel free to join. The more the merrier

The name of the group is
abitofeverythingsports

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1
group ID# is 62538.

Hope to see you there!

The Road To The Final Four

We are almost to that magical time in NCAA Basketball. It is April and the Madness is over and now we are on the Road to the Final Four.

Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans will take on Jim Calhoon and UCONN Huskies in one match up and Roy Williams and his North Carolina Tar Heals will take on Jay Wright and the Villlenova Wildcats. That makes 3 #1 seeds and a #2 seed that have made it through. Last year all 4 #1’s marched the road to the Final Four.

In my bracket I had 3 of the 4 correct with the exception of Michigan State.
The beauty of this tournament is that you don’t need to follow it all season to enjoy it at this time of year.

Both UCONN and North Carolina have a ton of talent and potential NBA players they are the 2 1 seeds and both favorites. Michigan State has the potential for an upset but the chances that they can knock of both look to be slim. If there is going to be an upset that likely pick will be Villlenova. Coach Wright is not only one of the best coaches in the nation but an upstanding person and an asset in the autograph department.

I am going to stay true to my pick and hope that Ty Lawson can take the Tar Heals to the top, but if they go down I'll be rooting for Villlenova.

So if you are looking for some good games and some good drama Saturday’s games followed by the National Championship game on April 6th.

Second Half of Day 2 of the Madness

WOW, apparently the Friday’s special was upsets with a side of overtimes.

Cleveland State-Wake Forest was one of the biggest upsets, not only because it was a 13 defeating a 4 but it was the way that it happened and just how bad of a blowout the 84-69 Final really was. Wisconsin-Florida State 61-59 OT Final was crazy right down to the last play in overtime with yet another 5-12 upset. Siena-Ohio State 74-72 2OT Final came down to a “three-for-all”, as Siena nailed a 3 with 4 seconds left in the 2nd overtime to seal the 8-9 upset.

Once again both games were back and forth and it was all that The Score to do to keep up with each game flipping back and forth between the two during whistles and time outs. EVEN MORE MADNESS!

This is why the NCAA tournament is what it is, memorable games, exciting finishes overtimes and buzzer beaters! Bring on the next round of games, but it will be tough to top what has already happened!

Day 2- March Madness

After an excellent opening day to the NCAA Tournament one would figure that day 2 wouldn’t be able to equal or match the quality or excitement...thankfully that was not the case. Day 2 started the day with 2 edge-of-your-seat games. Tennessee-Oklahoma State and Utah State -Marquette. Both games were back and forth and it was all that The Score to do to keep up with each game flipping back and forth between the two during whistles and time outs. MADNESS!

The next round of games in the 2pm schedule also had its share of excitement. 16 seed East Tennessee State gave one heck of a performance vs 1 seed Pitt. No #16 has ever beaten a #1, that trend continued this time but very late in the game it look like it may be possible. Pitt survived a nice scare for sure. As for the upset game it was Dayton vs West Virginia. I know that there weren't too many people who saw Dayton taking this game, in any event it was a very exciting game.

It will be interesting to see if the 7pm games will offer up the same sort of excitement as the afternoon games, only time will tell.

As for the best event from day 1 was North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough's taking the ACC all time scoring lead. It is a great fit for the fact that not only did Tyler go to school, stay in school the full time, put up this amount of points and become one of, if not the greatest college player ever (whether that equates to NBA success remains a huge debate). Most importantly he took the record from not only a player from the Tar Heals biggest rivals from Duke but that player was none other then JJ Reddick. Reddick as I have suspected for many years was at Duke for like 8 years, It seemed like he would just never leave and that is why he was able to put up so many points. Reddick is like the Carlo Colaiacovo of college basketball, you know, the guy who was a top prospect for like 6 years.

Day 1 - Let The Madness Begin

Day 1 of March Madness is now in full force and many of the games have been played with just the late games left to be played. There was little in the way of major upsets so far. There were a couple of 7-10 games that went the way of the 10 seeds but none more impressive then those feisty boys from Ann Arbor. Yes that is right, my Michigan Wolverines managed to pull off the upset over Clemson in a tight hard fought game that Michigan managed just to hang on to win. 1 win in the first round shouldn’t make me that happy but for this Michigan team it is huge. I don’t expect them to win another in the tournament, and in fact I am just happy that they finally made it back. It has been 11 years since the Wolverines have even qualified for the big dance. Sure there may have been some NCAA discipline that may have prevented them for a few of those but now they are in. This is no Fab Five for sure but it is a start.I would have liked to see them in the classic yellow or white jerseys not the navy but maybe next game.

As for the rest of the day thus far, games were what we should expect, some blowouts from the #1-16 games and some very close games that went down to the wire.

I had the set up going- 1 game on the TV and used the March Madness on Demand to get 2 others streaming on the computer. It was a great set up and allowed me to stay on top of 3 games at the same time. Madness times call for Madness measures I guess. I did have to break that a bit and throw up the Senators-Canadiens game but had the Michigan game on the computer, so all was good.

I know all about the close games as I decided to play a few tickets on Proline even broke down some games and hedged my bets to cover myself and ensure even just a small payout and.....well lets just say... that needless 3 pointers late in a game that you are clearly going to loose helps NO ONE! Win by 6, tell that to the players, it is like that useless field goal in a football game. It just leaves a bad taste in your mouth, like kissing your sister (I know your sister, and that would not be a cause for celebration for sure). My great plan was crushed and that was some well wasted money. So outside of the 4 brackets that I filled out that is where my outside interest stops. I will watch the games for entertainment and the fun of the brackets but no more Proline. Apparently I have done something to anger the OLG (Ontario Lottery and Gaming).

Time now for the late games! OOHHH, look who we have up....Duke and as we all know “Certainly Duke is Duke. They're on TV more than Leave it to Beaver reruns” - Former Providence coach Pete Gillen

Pre-Tournament Classic - Game Goes To 6 Overtimes

Someone tell Donovan McNabb that there may be ties in football but there are defiantly no ties in basketball. Much like the song from Sherry Lewis and Lamb Chop, it was the game that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friends. Some people started playing it, not knowing what it was, and they’ll continue playing it forever just because....

The Syracuse Orange and the UCONN Huskies battled last night at Madison Square Garden that went from being a regular conference tournament game into the longest game in Big East tournament history and the second-longest game in the history of NCAA Division I basketball. Syracuse ended up the victors with an upset of the number 3 ranked team from UCONN 127-117 victory that went 6 overtimes and spanned three hours and 46 minutes - the game started at 9:36 p.m. Thursday and ending at 1:22 a.m. Friday. The game almost ended in regulation on a buzzer beater but after review the last frame showed the last dimple on the ball was still in the shooters hand as time expired.

You know that these two teams will always remember the history they made the night they went 70 minutes at the Garden.

If this is any indication on how much Madness there will be this March, we should look to be treated to some epic games.

As the PA man said, "Have a safe trip home, and good morning."

March Madness- Time To Bust the Bracket

It is almost that time of the year again when the world of pro sports takes a backseat to the college ranks. Much like New Years day is known for all the college bowl games March is here and it is time to unleash the MADNESS...March Madness that is.

The fun will all start with Selection Sunday only a few days away when we find out who is in, who is out, who got the number 1 seeds and find out where Weber State is. I looked on a map of the US and A and did not see the state of Weber, maybe it is hidden under part of Texas, Texas is pretty big you know.

This is a time for the under dog and the Cinderella team to shine and put their tiny school on the map even if it is only for a few weeks in March. A time where a number 5 seed will fall to that number 12 seed. A time where some unknown kid becomes a household name, where his 15 minutes of fame may be a basket with 0.4 seconds on the clock. A time when we hear things like Sweet 16 Elite 8 and Final Four

It is a time when knowing absolutely nothing about sports or basketball is the best. I know it sounds weird to say but you know it is a fact that the secretary in your office will fill out her (or his) bracket with no idea anything about anything and wind up winning the thing because she likes the colour Baby Blue (this is not an endorsement for the North Carolina Tar Heals, even if there is a good chance they may take it).

It is also that time when those who are die-hard Young and the Restless fans have to suffer through the show to end all shows getting pre-empted for basketball coverage. Sorry to be the barer of bad news but please don’t shoot the messenger. I do feel your pain, but it is only a couple of days and I am sure you can make it few days without finding what is really going to happen between Jack and Victor and the triumphant return of Danny Romalotti and Snapper Foster!

So come Sunday get that bracket printed and engage in the fun of “Busting the Bracket!” it is one of the best events in all of sports.

It's Go Time- Let the Games Begin!

It is finally starting to get to that time of year where everything is starting to amp up in the sports world again, and it couldn’t have happened soon enough. With cold weather and the sun and warmth apparently on vacation until April at least, staying inside and enjoying some quality televised events seems like a logical thing to do. Sure the NFL is done, both the Super Bowl and Pro Bowls are over but winter sports are in mid flight and just past the half way mark and the spring and summer sports are thinking about getting going.

The first sign that spring will soon be in the air - pitchers and catchers are to begin reporting to Spring Training today. Baseball will hope to put some of the off field issues to the back burner and we can start talking about player movement, off season signings and then eventually the games themselves. A welcome change from the annoying chatter that is steroids and investigations.

The Australian Open just concluded. With one of the greatest one-on-one rivalries of all time between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal the Men’s side looks to have an interesting year upcoming with the clay in Paris the next stop.

The PGA has started to get going and tournaments have began. You may have missed it with Tiger Woods still rehabbing his knee but soon he will be back and the world can begin to start spinning again.

Over the last 2 weeks NASCAR has been in Speed Weeks in Daytona Florida. Last weekend they held the Bud Shootout and pole qualifying. Yesterday they ran the Dual’s at Daytona, the 2 race-in qualifying for the Grand Daddy of them all the Daytona 500 that is to be run this Sunday. But more importantly it marks my boy Jimmie Johnson going for an unheard of 4th consecutive Cup Championship. Even if I am perhaps a bit bias when it relates to the 48 Lowes Chevy Impala SS. I am not so blind to throw too many eggs into that basket as the competition is very tough and there are a number of great young drivers that are ready to break through and some veterans who want to re-invent themselves as potential contenders.

Then the further you go down the list one must start to begin to look at NCAA basketball. March Madness isn’t as far away as you may think. This is the top sports tournament around ( I feel that it can be called the top tournament even if some may think the World Cup of Soccer is, but it is disqualified from the running as it is not a real sport and it is clear that it is one thing to play but is virtually un-watchable). It is never too early to do some pre-scouting and thinking about getting that bracket ready!

Of course there are the staples of this time of year as well, the NHL and the NBA. The NBA All Star weekend begins today with all the events and "Hoop-La" that conclude with the game on Sunday. As for the NHL, they are in full force on the road towards the playoffs and possibly more importantly the trade deadline. That is really the only off ice business that is fun during the season.

This is a great time to be a fan...as long as we focus on the on field product and not all the other crap that we are bombarded with.

Around The Horn

Greg Norman (53, and one of the coolest autographs one will find) is an early leader at the Open Championship.
I didn’t know that there were Sharks in England, good to know

March Madness will have a new voice next year as CBS has parted ways with Billy Packard and replaced him with Clark Kellogg. Packard had that "voice you grew up with" after calling 34 straight Final Fours. Though he was also known to be a little gruff and was forced to make 2 apologies in recent years 1 after being asked to identify himself by two female students checking credentials before a game at Duke."You need to get a life. Since when do we let women control who gets into a men’s basketball game? Why don’t you go find a women’s game to let people into?" and referring to Allen Iverson as a "tough little monkey."
Maybe not as good as Don Imus but not bad. Packard will be missed Calling the Final 4 games and it is unlikely that Corn Flake (Kellogg) will bring the same edge.

Beijing has come out with its list of banned items and restricted items as well as its code of conduct. No spitting, stand in line, and be polite to other nationalities. Banned items include guns, ammunition, crossbows, daggers, fireworks, flammable materials, corrosive chemicals and radioactive materials.
I was going to go and take in the Olympic experience and maybe catch Field hockey or Fencing.
You may not bring in your dagger or crossbow but apparently a walloping mallet/stick or Swords and Foils are ok.

Reggie Jackson was walking down the street in New York with his 17 year old daughter and commented to a photographer to identify the young lady as his daughter. Jackson commented "That’s my daughter, that’s not my girlfriend! I’m not A-Rod here!"
Good line but would have been more fitting if he would have said the he was not Roger Clemens at least A-Rod’s are legal, while we aren’t so sure about Ms. McCready... Allegedly.

The Leafs are going to give away tickets to an added Pre-season game.
Good for them to make an effort to do something for their fans, and ticket giveaway is a fitting thing as they are used to giving things like wins away easier then $5 hooker.

Kirk Radomski found a receipt for HGH he claims is linked to Roger Clemens under his TV.
What happened to the days that we could hide our incriminating evidence under our mattresses? Just another example of how electronics have taken over our lives.

More drug infractions in the Tour de Farce
I guess that it counts for something that they are at least catching people. After like 9 years of multiple expulsions wouldn’t you think to either go in clean or just shut the whole thing down? Steve Howe didn’t even get this many chances