Running 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament thread

If anyone was just watching the presser, Coach K just cut off two reporters who made mentions of "up-and-down" careers (one to Zoubeck, another similarly worded to another player -- Singler, maybe?). The rest of the questions I heard came from reporters who seemed to not want to get "corrected" by Lord K.

I'm sorry, but I loved this tourney. I kind of wish I hadn't seen that. Just made it seem even more like Duke was the entitled team. Zoubeck has repeatedly talked about his "up-and-down" career because of injury. So a reporter uses his own words and Coach K has to step in? Really.

God, I hope he goes to the Nets.

 

He pulled that act the entire ACC tournament as well. Really just pathetic. I think a lot of fans would be turned off by him if they heard a lot of the crap he shot at people in postgame press conferences.

 

Anybody wants to watch a replay, CBS College Sports channel is showing the game about six times tomorrow starting at noon EST.
Same channel usually does a weekend, might be this one or next, where they show every game from the tournament.

 

... and to do this after the title game, for chrissakes ...

Brian Zoubek strikes me as the sort who KNOWS his career hasn't been the stuff of NBA scouts' dreams. That's part of what makes the story good.

I understand Mike Krzyzewski wants to be the papa bear protecting the cubs, but at some point, let the media do its job. If someone writes something grossly out of line, address it at that point. The media looks ignorant, petty and lazy at that point. No one else.

 

Except most all the significant players for Butler are sophomores. They will be back next season.

 

These guys are 20, 21 years old, and attending a university that hypes itself as one of the best in the country. I think these fine student/athletes can answer their own questions, thank you very much, even if they all are sociology majors.

 

For all those who keep taking shots at the Atlantic Coast Conference:

Five NCAA men's titles in 10 seasons.

 

I used up most of the words I had on this game in a column, but I will say that was the greatest sporting event I've ever covered. Just incredible.

The atmosphere in a football stadium for a basketball game was just awesome. Chills up and down my spine.

 

They might be back next season - but

(a) they might not be able to recapture this chemistry and have some of the good fortune they did go their way again (spare me the "stop dissing them", they are a very good basketball team, they earned their way here but they did catch a few breaks along the way as MANY teams who make the Final Four do).

(B) Gordon Hayward could very well leave and if he does, good night.

(C) They won't sneak up on anyone next year and teams will spend the entire offseason breaking down their film and looking at their defense and how to break it down.

So yes, they COULD be back next year but they will have to overcome a lot.

As for tonight's game it was a very well played game - low turnovers and great defense and very good offense by both teams.

It was an example of how a low scoring game can be both exciting and fun to watch. The problem is far too many low scoring games in this era are a result of horse shit offense that is championed as great defense.

This was not one of them, both teams played at a high level.

 

I've said it for years to the Big East apologists around us - the ACC is better because that conference knows how to win when it counts.

 

A) I know Syracuse had the injury and blew some late chances, and K-State came off a double-OT thriller, but Butler still needed to execute and play its game to win. To see Butler beat two championship coaches along the way was impressive. To see Butler impose its game on everyone along the way, even Duke, was even more impressive.

B) Hayward (18.2 percent shooting tonight) might be go, but somehow, I doubt it. He's not being talked about for the lottery.

C) They shouldn't have snuck up on anyone this season. Butler began the season in the top 10, and it will end the season in the top five after Duke snapped a 25-game winning streak. Butler didn't beat Syracuse, K-State or Michigan State and nearly beat Duke because it was overlooked; it was because Butler was a damn good team.

Awesome game, great back-and-forth action. Just too bad that final shot didn't drop.