Running 2023-24 NCAA Basketball Thread

And the WTA, too! (It was 22 years ago, but . . . )

ESPN.com: TENNIS - Unfine line: Kremer beats Hopkins on tainted court

 

Just wait for the howling that the women's final is on ABC and the men's on a Turner network.

 

So, a team drafts Bronny gets the dad too.

 

I think LeBron has backed away from that as gracefully as possible. That's almost assuredly not happening.

 

And the Moda Center has hosted men's regionals recently.

It was a mistake. A big one. But I think the fact it was a women's event had nothing to do with it.

 

In 1994, I covered 1st/2nd round games in Wichita, Kan. My game was Michigan (Juwon Howard's team) vs. Pepperdine. The previous week, the rodeo circuit was in town. The media room was the same one where the livestock was housed. Smelled like bullshit.

Incidentally, the Wolverines needed OT to beat the Waves, 78-74. Pepperdine had the final shot in regulation but missed. Michigan left the court to boos because of an "incident." Howard got tied up with a Pepperdine player fighting for a loose ball. He ripped the ball away, flexed his muscles and had angry eyes as he looked to stare down his opponent. But when he looked forward, he saw nothing .... until he glanced down and saw he was tangled up with 5-foot-9 Waves guard Damin Lopez. It was one of those games where the neutral fans always cheer for the underdog.

 

I covered a Northern Arizona-UNLV game at Thomas & Mack once, same scenario, rodeo had just been there. It was, um, ripe.

 

It was a vendor error sure, but that site officials, nor game officials noticed it - I mean seriously - until after games were played speaks volumes about their competence.

 

I think people need to chill on the women-get-the-shaft thing, at least on the court issue in Portland and this thing in Cleveland.

As has been mentioned, the same contractor did the floor for both genders. It's not like the NCAA went to some local dope in Portland to do it. The bigger largesse is the NCAA's need to brand these floors in the first place. Why? Was the tournament less enjoyable when the courts had local branding on them? It's an own goal purely because the NCAA is obsessed with branding to an idiotic extreme. See their much-derided obsession with cups on the playing floor.

As for the breakout session, I covered a first round weekend in Cleveland several years back. They had the media room, lunch rooms, all of the bullshit the networks need (their own lunch room, etc.) all kind of jury-rigged underneath the bleachers. Which is weird because I also covered a NBA playoff game there and their setup was completely different (and better).

I can see where space for a breakout room was not abundant if the NCAA is limited or limits itself on what it can access in the building. Rather than sexism, my ear is bent more towards just general disdain for the media. In a tournament featuring a national phenomenon, perhaps the breakout room should have been given more priority as far as what got what valuable space? However, this would be true if it were a men's site too.

Though there is decent access to players, the NCAA is making it harder to cover these events, regardless of gender. They've cut way back on floor seats, they give very little parking to credentialed media, even when there's plenty of parking space available (Indy was especially infuriating in this regard, the usual media lot sat empty for the majority of the round there), and they've put in ridiculous requirements such as a minimum four-night hotel stay at the Final Four media hotel, which will set you back $1,200 guaranteed regardless of whether your team makes it past Saturday or not.

 

I suspect they noticed it immediately but decided to ignore it as long as possible.

 

Well, an entire day of games went by without anyone, including those of us in the media, taking notice (at least publicly), so perhaps the blame game gets spread around a bit, no? Or perhaps the blame game is tiresome anyway?

But if the blame game is to be played, it's the contractors' fault, 100%. It's their job to make sure it's right.

The NCAA? I know they're an easy punching bag, but let's save the punches for things that are worth it.

After all, how many games have you been to where you've seen the court measured? I can count on no hands how many times I've seen it and I've been to hundreds of games. This ain't fucking "Hoosiers".

 

I would maybe buy that if it didn't happen time and time again. Remember the weight room?

https://www.kgw.com/article/sports/...ment/283-63445586-0813-4965-aa62-3b2c2853d0fa

I do not believe the 3 point line mistake would have happened on the men's side. I may be wrong about that, but I'm 100% positive on this: if it happened on the men's side, they are sure as shit fixing it before they play another game on that floor. There is not a chance in hell they play a men's game knowing the markings on half the floor are wrong.