Buehrle>Wood

Iona has fifty points with over six minutes left in the first half.

Well, that was one hell of a game. An impossible comeback, nice way to start the tourney

Obama and UK's PM picked a good game to attend

QUOTE (ChiSox_Sonix @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 03:24 PM) They have by far the hardest potential second round matchup. They can't be happy about having a team as talented as UConn right there. They could definitely bring them down. I would be far more worried with White and Iowa State than UCONN. Creighton and Memphis are the worst 8/9 games for number ones.

QUOTE (Rex Hudler @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 03:27 AM) I'm biased here. I think losing Verdell Jones will hurt a lot. But I think the whole idea of IU is not very good outside of Assembly Hall is hogwash. Most teams aren't very good on the road. But neutral site games are very different. But IU had 8 out of 9 before they ran into the buzzsaw named Rob Wilson and his career game on Friday. What's your reason for being down on them? The perception comes from IU having a rep this year of getting a s*** ton of calls at home.

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Mar 12, 2012 -> 02:39 AM) Missouri is the only 30 win team ever to not get a 1 seed. Well that's not true.

NCAA is promising us an Android app that will be able to stream live games right on your phone. Starting this year streaming live game access will cost a one time fee of $3.99. But for a limited time you can get a free access code brought to you by Coke Zero by texting "0YOURTEAMNAMEHERE" to 2653. You should get an automated reply with the access code and how to set up an account. If the Android app is similar to the iOS one it will still allow you to do quite a bit without a subscription if you don't want to pay $3.99 once the promo above runs out. This is from the iTunes description: NEW for 2012: live game radio of all 67 games NEW for 2012: live social chatter for teams in every game - Fill out your official NCAA Bracket Challenge bracket right from your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad - Track the entire bracket live throughout the tournament - Follow live scores and player stats - including team leaders and a live lead tracker (iPad only) - Get alerts for upsets, overtimes, crunch time (close games), and your favorite teams - Post directly to Facebook and Twitter - Use My Channels to see where each game is on all four networks – TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV With the low In-App price of $3.99 you can also: - Watch the CBS NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show bracket selection show live on Sunday, March 11 - Watch LIVE streaming of all 67 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games - Watch a live stream of team practices from the Final Four® - Watch highlights of all 67 games; highlights available right after each game (iPhone/iPod Touch only) The app itself should be free, or at least the iOS one is. This link should redirect to the app once its live. The subscription is done separately from the app pricing. From the FAQ online this app is going to be limited to certain devices.

I really want to jump on the Detroit Mercy bandwagon. Eli Holman and McCallum could play for just about any team. Too bad they have Kansas.

Cal complaining about having the toughest region despite being in by far the easiest region.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Mar 11, 2012 -> 03:56 AM) Izzo? I agree. Sure, he's your "friend" and he's a great guy and he's a "soldier" but his teams were chronic underperformers. It was time. Basically, Izzo said "Well, I'm the best in the Big Ten. And he's my friend. And they beat us a lot, so he must be a good coach." Shut up, Izzo. Yeah, although I was more pissed at him for taking direct shots at the administration. Just say he's your friend, a good coach, and it was all unfortunate. Don't go on a long rant about it.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Mar 11, 2012 -> 06:15 AM) Huh, Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) is from U of I, nice. Was he the comedian who did the school's s***ty commercials for about a year? Nevermind, it was Michael Kosta.

Wow, Nc state just got jobbed over and over again. Unbelievable. That looked like Tim Donahy out there. Glad all the commentators are calling the reds out though.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 10, 2012 -> 03:00 PM) Why? Because he's being a moron about this.

``I'm sick about it. I'm sick about it. And I'm sick about it -- and make sure you understand the reason why. They beat us early in January and I beat Ohio State, and so I have three problems. Bruce is a friend of mine. He's been here since the Gene Keady days. He's done it the right way. He doesn't cheat. He man's up to his own responsibilities. Incredible, incredible person. I've recruited against him and lost and I've recruited against him and won, and hasn't changed things. Number two, we have to understand that we blame kids for a lot of things. Kids have changed. Now we have administrators that are pulling the rug under ourselves in the middle of January when you're 16 and 6 or 7 or whatever it was, and we publicly talk about -- we'll make decisions at the end of the year. I don't know what you guys think of kids because they haven't changed much, but if there's one place they've changed, they're a little more fragile. Not as many two-parent homes. Not as good a school systems that are holding kids accountable and demanding. And so now we put that on those poor kids? And then we're surprised that they lose 9 out of 10? I don't know who's beaten me the worst, probably Bo, but second on that list -- and I'm canonized as something some of the time. I think it was ridiculous the way that thing was handled. And if I take abuse for that, I really don't care because I'm also the president of our association. This isn't about a friendship. This is about a profession. And whenever you're in an organization, whether it be yours, whether it be mine, or whether it be a business one, the only way you can be successful is if, top to bottom, from the president to the trainer, we're all on the same page, and that in five, six months you can determine something. I feel bad for the Illini nation because somebody's -- somebody pulled the rug out from under them. I feel bad for those players that have been there that, in my estimation, weren't given a fair chance back about the middle of January, whenever that famous statement was made. But if you look at that team from that statement, it went directly down. And I feel worse for Bruce because we lost a good soldier. And yeah, friendship is some of it, but it's not all of it. We lost a good coach. We got a coach that beat me and my team more often than not, and I just – I can't figure that out. I can't figure out how you guys allow it. You guys are always figuring out the negatives of things. I can't figure out how you guys allow it. And my wife and I shed a tear this morning over it, and it was half for Bruce and half for my profession. But unless there's things -- and I will publicly state this -- that I don't know, but when I heard those comments back in January, it made me sick and I said there's a problem. And so I hope the administrators that made those statements have a good game plan, but you guys lost a good guy, we lost a good guy, and I think -- I just hope he gets another job. And I'm going to do everything in my power to help him. And I guess that's all I'll say because I'll probably put my foot in my mouth because if it was HBO, we could get at it right now and I'd really be fired up about it, because I just think -- I can't believe -- I can't believe nobody's looked at when those comments were made and where that team went. I mean, this guy has won more games than anybody -- percentage than anybody that's been at the school. And he's done it the right way, and that's not easy to do. And it's not an easy job there. And when a big time recruit' s father, I think -- watch what I say here -- comes out and makes statements, I mean, you better have a good idea the guy you're dealing with. And I know this. I've known Bruce Weber since the day I was a grad assistant. There's not a classier, better guy -- and I don't want to just hear he's a nice guy -- better coach. He's had some things thrown at him, too, with injuries and guys leaving early and stuff like that. So I'm sad, more sad for my profession than I am for Bruce because he's a man. I've seen him in his press conference. He'll man-up and he'll get it done. So sorry I had to gun on a soapbox, but I'll leave it at that.''

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ Mar 10, 2012 -> 12:01 AM) He shot himself in the foot here, but to say he couldn't coach in the Big Ten I think is a bit of an exaggeration. I don't care if they weren't his recruits, he did a hell of a job coaching during that championship game run. Yeah, that. People make that team to be way more talented than it was.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Mar 9, 2012 -> 10:40 PM) The stadium is the exact same as it was 8 years ago when it was the best home court in the sport. The problem was the teams and players sucked/suck. I agree that some updating would be nice, but THE Assembly Hall is an iconic sports arena. What they really need to do is give the big middle finger to the big donors and move them up about 10 rows, drop the floor about 10 feet, and create a true bowl of orange krush fans all the way around the court. Yeah, the site lines might suck, but they're drunk kids jumping up and down, they won't care. It's so annoying watching a nationally televised game and you see 25 feet of empty space behind the announces and half of section A is empty. Count me OUT of they build something like Value City Arena, where it's all glitz and glamor but the atmosphere itself kinda stinks and there are empty seats everywhere. This is the only major problem with Assembly Hall. The seating arrangement is terrible.

Illinois' practice facility is top notch.

The Top 3: 1. Shaka Smart- The man, the myth, the legend. 2. Reggie Theus- See my previous post. The real home run here, and still leaves you with a great chance at Jabari. 3. Brad Stevens- This might be his only chance to coach at a capable Big Ten program for a long time. The others: - Buzz Williams, Marquette: Has done a nice job at Marquette, but I feel like he's far from a home run. - Frank Martin, Kansas State: He sure is intense. - Greg Marshall, WSU: Don't know if Illinois would go the MVC route again. - Chris Collins, Duke: Duke assistants haven't really done well for themselves. - Anthony Grant, Alabama: He hasn't done well enough at Alabama to deserve consideration. The long-shots to crazy - Mick Cronin, Cincinnati: Doesn't get along with Mike Thomas, apparently. Not sure he would excite many anyways. - Randy Bennett, St. Mary's: Career left coast guy doesn't really fit here. - Sean Miller, Arizona: Is your wife still allergic to desert air? - Scott Drew- Baylor: I think he may be a little ethically-challenged. - Lon Kruger, Oklahoma: Would be a nice choice for a return trip to Champaign. - Billy Donovan, Florida: Speaking of coaches Illinois has stolen from Florida. - Jerrance Howard, Illinois: I'm sure people will call for him if Illinois were to miraculously win the NIT. Just no though. - Bill Self, Kansas: Will inevitably be a free man after Kansas loses to a 15 seed.

I'm on the Reggie Theus bandwagon. Played for the Bulls, long NBA career, did a tremendous job of turning around New Mexico, has the backing of Lou Henson, coached in the NBA. If Illinois wants to land a top class every year, there is your guy.

QUOTE (fathom @ Mar 9, 2012 -> 07:06 PM) I can't see Parker going to play for Shaka and his gimmick defense. I'm a huge Shaka fan, but you absolutely do not hire someone just to get Parker for one season. This. It's Chicago anyways. Parker may be special, but there's going to be top ten talent every year almost.

No team wanted that one

What an incredibly boring tournament thus far filled with terrible games.

It's always funny to hear ESPN pimp out the Big East. Multiple commentators saying both those teams are in because of the eyetest of that game. What? That game was just terrible.

All four championship games were amazing last night.