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Post by agibson on Mar 18, 2010 15:54:07 GMT -5
What is going on?!
Murray State wins as a 13 seed! (I happened to turn on the computer just in time to see them win it, from down by one
out of bounds on the baseline, two seconds to play.)
Old Dominion wins as an 11!
Robbert Morris, a 15, takes Villanova to OT.
Three overtime periods in the first four games; two upsets in the first four games, to boot!
And a Baylor, a 3, is struggling neck and neck (but, but, it's a Drew!).
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Post by stlvufan on Mar 18, 2010 16:38:52 GMT -5
The Westwood One radio guys keep referring to Butler's off-the-bench sharpshooter as "Zahn" :lol :banghead  |
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Post by rlh on Mar 18, 2010 17:26:37 GMT -5
My bracket blew up in the first game of the day....oh well
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Post by valporun on Mar 18, 2010 18:03:10 GMT -5
I'm impressed. Matt Howard has ONE personal foul this game!! I had it figured that a big, physical game like this he might have 4 fouls by now, if not fouled out already, but UTEP hasn't been as physical in the second half, and Shelvin Mack just took control with shooting. I'm glad to see Butler will have their 21st consecutive win, considering it had been going on a week-and-a-half since their last game.
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Post by vuweathernerd on Mar 18, 2010 18:54:09 GMT -5
i expect butler to play next weekend too, now that they have murray state instead of vandy on saturday. i blew both ends of that saturday game...darn it.
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Post by rick on Mar 18, 2010 18:58:24 GMT -5
March madness!
It's just what the doctor ordered and what we all hoped would happen - upset city baby!
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Post by agibson on Mar 18, 2010 19:53:48 GMT -5
Ohio, what were they, the 9th seed in the MAC? They're _smoking_ Georgetown.
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Post by vuweathernerd on Mar 18, 2010 20:59:19 GMT -5
damnit georgetown  :censored   |
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Post by valporun on Mar 18, 2010 22:03:43 GMT -5
I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting this ugly taste in my mouth, with a putrid smell of parity. Something college basketball fans have wanted, and now we're really seeing what parity can do to the everyday college basketball fan.
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Post by vusupporter on Mar 18, 2010 22:25:49 GMT -5
I don't know about you, but every single college basketball fan I've had interaction with today has absolutely loved the unpredictability, which might or might not be caused by parity. Not sure where you're getting an ugly taste in your mouth from...
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Post by ValpoHoops on Mar 18, 2010 22:48:20 GMT -5
I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting this ugly taste in my mouth, with a putrid smell of parity. Something college basketball fans have wanted, and now we're really seeing what parity can do to the everyday college basketball fan. So, you're saying you don't like it when the underdog wins? You don't think the "little guy" having a chance is a good thing? Perhaps you should just skip the men's tournament then and watch the University of Connecticut Invitational playing on ESPN2 this weekend...since that's what you'll get over there. I'd be shocked of 3 of the 4 #1's don't make the final four for the women (Nebraska being the other). This comment, ESPECIALLY coming from someone who is a VALPO fan - and hence, a fan of the mid-major - seems totally illogical. Valpo has been to (how many?) NCAA Tournaments, and has never been better than a 12-seed in any of them. Basically, your logic means they should have just passed on the bid because there weren't any "everyday basketball fans" that wanted to see them win. I've been having conversations all day long with people who are MORE EXCITED this year than ever, given the inordinate amount of underdogs that have won their contests....we haven't quite finished the first day and already there is are 9, 10, 11, 13 and 14 seeds that have moved to the second round...seems like parity to me, and I've been off my couch on more than one occasion (see: Murray State's buzzer-beater over Vanderbilt and Northern Iowa's 28-foot game-winner), each time it seems because an underdog has won their game. It might be parity, or it might just be coincidence, but either way, I think it's pretty damn exciting, and I - at the risk of sounding self-righteous - feel that I qualify as something more than just an "everyday basketball fan". Someone who doesn't think this is exciting - especially if you're a fan of a small school - seems as if they perhaps aren't a true fan of the game. |
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Post by stlvufan on Mar 19, 2010 0:09:22 GMT -5
Robert Morris let me down  That said, I took the Kyle Whelliston-approved compromise approach -- I filled out a few brackets, and then I rooted for who I wanted to win instead of who I picked. Sometimes those were the same thing, but sometimes not. Normally a game like Wake Forest-Texas leaves me feeling empty because both are from power conferences, but since I don't much like Rick Barnes I was very glad to see his team absolutely blow the game in OT. That was priceless. I'm sure glad Butler figured things out today. Yes, Howard had only 1 foul, but he had at least 2 unsuccessful flops I'm also glad Baylor figured things out. Once again, Kansas has more trouble than it should have with a 16 seed. I thought they were going to put Lehigh away in the first half. Instead it took well into the 2nd half before they finally put them away. I still remember how they had incredible trouble with Holy Cross 8 years ago right here in St. Louis. |
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Post by valpo04 on Mar 19, 2010 6:59:03 GMT -5
I enjoy the games, but at what point do they stop becoming upsets? If every first round game is this close, upsets are no longer upsets and they lose some of their excitement and luster. To me, it's not as exciting to watch Murray State win if people start to expect them to win. It's more exciting when they come out of no where and do it.
I watch Horizon League games all season and ACC games all season and most of the time, the games are exciting and close and either team could win.
The tourney is exciting for me because the top seeds are SUPPOSED to win, and when they occasionally don't, it is exciting and makes things interesting. It's not like we ever have a year when there isn't at least one upset.
To me, when most of the first round games are this close, its no longer about the "surprise upset" and more about parity and a watered down field, IMO.
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Post by rick on Mar 19, 2010 7:32:09 GMT -5
Why would there be more parity this year than in any prior year?
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Post by rick on Mar 19, 2010 8:00:10 GMT -5
Anyone who watched the pre-tournament bracketologists, the experts, would have heard ad nauseum, that this year is the year where there won't be very many upsets.
My guess is that there might have been a record set this year for upsets, and deep-seeded upsets, for the first night of the first round. Historians out there?
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:censored 
