That Pitt/UCLA game was exactly what I'd thought it'd be -- like watching paint dry. I don't think there is a team that plays as ugly as UCLA in the nation. How they win most of their games... I'll never know.

This Tenn/OSU game, on the other hand... fantastic!

Tennesse is trying to blow this game. They had a 17 point lead at half time and they took some horrible shots to start the second half which helped OSU get back in the game. If it wasn't for Lofton and Childress they would be losing this game right now.

These guys all have outrageous ranges.

Come on Ohio St don't fuck up and lose.

OSU isn't that good, they remind me of UConn last season. They think they can turn it on when they feel like it. That will get them beat eventually.

WOW!! Way to go Oden.
thx for not fuckng up my bracket.

Now they just have to beat Memphis.

I think Memphis will beat them. OSU reminds me too much of Uconn last season.

Same here. He single-handedly saved my bracket. It just makes me wish all the more that the ping pong balls go the Celtics way.

Oden hasn't impressed me. He is too small to be a center in the NBA (he will get pushed around by the big centers there) so he is a power foward. I just think he is way too hyped up. I think that kid from Florida is better than him.

I'm not even too sure Oden is coming out after this season.

Didn't he say just a week or two ago that he wasn't ready for the NBA?

Tennessee has to be distraught after losing that one.

Damn, how many games can Ohio State pull out of their ass? It'll catch up to them eventually.

UNC is looking real dangerous now, I haven't seen Georgetown play but I have to assume with UNC's history they're the big time favorites to go the finals from that bottom half.

kid looks like he's 40 i hope he stays one more year.
he needs it....more then that kid from Texas.

tomorrow night i'm rooting for UNLV,Florida,NC and GT.

I hope he stays one more year, too... if for no other reason so Gus Johnson has the opportunity to screech "Great Odin's Raven!" at least once.

Seriously, the man should be contractually obligated to call every game ever. Ever.

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sgeqrYxu_YM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YQxsoZfnk

I love Gus Johnson. He will take the most unimportant NFL game and make it seem like the Super Bowl. He's just charged for every game.

Georgetown is amazing. I'm proud to be a Washingtonite

Memphis could beat OSU. It should happen (kinda like UConn last year - teams don't deserve that many chances).

Watch out: Either Florida or UNC is losing tonight, all #1 seeds can't make the elite eight.

And let's hope it's Florida because I have UNC winning the whole thing.

Ohio State is my only hope... they need to make the Final. V.Tech KILLED me... as did the rest of my picks..

Bill Self (Kansas coach) was awful. Kansas should have pounded the ball inside all night. It took them until the last ten minutes to figure it out.

That stated, I am getting annoyed with articles and comments (not on WOKJ) about the refs handing the game to Kansas. I have DVR so if an announcer states something I think is incorrect, I can go back and see what actually happened. The basket that Kansas was awarded after the shot clock expired was a mistake by the official.

Section 11. Shot Clock
Art. 1. The team in control shall attempt a try for field goal within 35
seconds for men and within 30 seconds for women after any player on
the playing court legally touches or is touched by the ball on a throw-in
or when a team initially gains possession of the ball from a jump ball, an
unsuccessful try for field goal or a loose ball.
A.R. 187. B1 blocks A1’s try for goal and the shot clock expires. The shot-clock horn
sounds (a) while the ball is loose on the playing court, or (b) while A2 gains possession
of the ball, or (c) while the blocked try is in the air and the ball subsequently strikes the
ring or flange or goes in the basket. RULING: In (a) and (b), Team A has committed a
shot-clock violation because the try did not strike the ring or flange. In (c), the shot-clock
horn shall be ignored and play shall continue with the shot clock reset upon possession
by either team because A1 complied with the shot-clock rule when the try struck the ring
or flange or entered the basket.

Art. 2. The try for field goal shall leave the shooter’s hand before the
expiration of the allotted shot-clock time, and the try subsequently shall
strike the ring or flange or enter the basket.
A.R. 188. A1 releases the ball on a try for goal. After the ball leaves A1’s hand(s), the
shot-clock horn sounds. The ball (a) hits the backboard and goes through the basket; (b)
hits the backboard and rebounds directly to A2 or B1 without hitting the ring or flange; or
(c) hits the backboard, strikes the ring or flange and rebounds directly to A2. RULING:
In (a), score the field goal. In (b), a shot-clock violation by Team A has occurred because
the try did not hit the ring or flange. The referee shall sound the whistle, and the ball shall
be awarded to Team B at a designated spot nearest to where the violation occurred. In (c),
there is no shot-clock violation because the try hit the ring or flange. The shot clock shall
be reset when Team A establishes possession of the ball on the rebound.
A.R. 189. B1 blocks A1’s try for goal and the shot clock expires. The shot-clock horn
sounds while B2 has gained possession of the ball. RULING: The shot-clock horn shall
be ignored, the shot clock shall be reset and play shall continue.

Bilas harped on the play and CBS replayed the violation 2 times (with and without the buzzer, which I appreciated). What no one mentions is that Julian Wright who made the basket was fouled twice 20 seconds earlier attempting a shot that was called a blocked shot and KU was awarded the ball out of bounds. Now, if the refs didn't miss that call Kansas would have had two free throws if they called the foul that was during the shooting. If they called the one right before he shot they would have gotten the ball and the clock would have reset. SIU had a shot clock violation in the first half that wasn't called either, when Randall Falker got the rebound off his own miss and made a basket. However, it should have been KU's ball, because he didn't get the shot off before the buzzer on the first attempt.

Speaking of Randall Falker, SIU's first two points were off a Randall Falker's two free throws. However, before he was fouled he was camped in the lane for over 8 seconds, which is a violation of the three second rule.

Section 9. Three-Second Rule
Art. 1. A player shall not be permitted to have any part of his or her body
remain in the three-second lane for more than three consecutive seconds
while the ball is in control of that player’s team in his or her front court.
a. A team in control of the ball for a throw-in adjacent to a front-court
boundary line may not be called for a three-second violation.
A.R. 184. The ball is loose or there is an interrupted dribble. RULING: The threesecond
count shall be in effect. The team that had control before the loose ball or during
an interrupted dribble shall maintain team control until the opponent secures control.
Art. 2. Allowance shall be made for a player who, having been in the threesecond
lane for less than three seconds, dribbles or moves in immediately
to try for field goal.
a. The player shall not pass the ball instead of trying for goal.

Brandon Rush was called for a foul for using his arm against a defender, but the defender was pushing his body on Rush at the time and his hand was on Brandon's arm doing a hand check after his first attempt ended up in Brandon' groin. I don't see how you call a foul on Rush, if you don't on the defender originally. Wright and Kaun were called for phantom fouls when they just went up straight and didn't touch the shooter. Darrell Arthur was called for a foul when his defender was doing the "swim" move which is a foul on the defender, and Arthur was jockeying for position.

Three balls went out on KU, that were actually off an SIU player. One was kind of difficult to decipher. The other two were obvious, and one couldn't have gone off a Kansas player since none were around the ball. On all three an official was right in front of the play.

These were all in the first half. I think the refs gave SIU about 5-10 points and may have kept SIU in the game. In the second half the officials were better for Kansas, but still missed an out of bounds call and another phantom foul on Arthur. They called a shot clock violation on SIU they shouldn't have. SIU was also hurt by a foul that should have been called on KU (I think it was Chalmers), and one that shouldn't have been called on SIU.

Then Bilas again started harping abouting a basket interference/goaltending non-call that was actually the right call. A KU player hit the rim right as the player was shooting and another player was called for a foul. The shot had no chance to go in and the rim touch didn't alter the shot.


Section 4. Basket Interference
Art. 1. Basket interference occurs when a player:
a. Touches the ball or any part of the basket while the ball is on or
within the basket;
b. Touches the ball while any part of it is within the cylinder that has
the ring as its lower base; or
c. Reaches through the basket from below and touches the ball before
it enters the cylinder.
A.R. 68. The ball is touching the side of the ring of Team A. B1 jumps and contacts the
net. The ball is not touching the top of the ring. RULING: No violation. The ball shall
remain live.
A.R. 69. While the ball is touching the top of the ring on a field-goal attempt, a player
emphatically grasps the ring. RULING: Double infraction. Both basket interference and
an indirect technical foul shall be called. The moment the hand touched the ring, it was
basket interference. When the player emphatically grasped the ring, an indirect technical
foul occurred. (See Rule 10-3.12.)
A.R. 70. The ball enters the basket during a field-goal try by A1. Before the ball is
in flight for the try, A1 is fouled. A2 touches the ring while the ball is in the basket.
RULING: Basket interference on A2. The goal shall be canceled. A1 shall be awarded
two free throws because of the foul.
A.R. 71. A1 rebounds the ball while part of the ball is in the cylinder and, in the same
continuous motion, dunks. RULING: Basket interference. The ball shall be ruled dead
when A1 contacts the ball in the cylinder, and the dunking of the dead ball shall be
ignored. The basket shall be disallowed.
Art. 2. Basket interference also occurs when a movable basket ring is pulled
down by a player so that it contacts the ball before the ring returns to its
original position

Section 32. Goaltending
Art. 1. Goaltending shall have occurred when a player touches the ball
during a field-goal try and each of the following conditions is met:
a. The ball is in its downward flight; and
b. The entire ball is above the level of the ring and has the possibility,
while in flight, of entering the basket and is not touching the
cylinder.
Art. 2. It is goaltending to touch the ball outside the cylinder during a free
throw, regardless of whether the free throw is on its upward or downward
flight.

I think Bilas was confused with NBA rule, but the play didn't even qualify for their interpretation.

c. For goaltending to occur, the ball, in the judgment of the official, must have a chance to score.
i. Vibrate the rim or backboard so as to cause the ball to make an unnatural bounce.

It has to meet both requirements, and that play didn't meet either one, but Bilas harped on it for some time in the second half.

I actually like Bilas and think he is very intelligent, but I really get annoyed with his utter disregard for the mid-majors. He doesn't watch them and he does not respect anything they accomplish, unless it happens right in front of him. SIU is an excellent team. If not one of the teams that could win the whole thing they were still in the top 10-15 teams in the country all year and with a couple of breaks could have made the Final Four. Yet Bilas was so disrespectful of them coming into this game he was shocked that they could upset KU (with a little help from the refs), that he ovecompensated by gushing about them for most of the second half.

Go Butler, even if it would mess up my bracket more.

Darn it, I jinx them.

What a tough shot. 3 No. 1s and 3 No. 2s. To keep up with this year's theme, might as well have two more nail-biters with the higher seeds advancing.

that was too fucking close GT.

The Tournament of Almost-Upsets.

sigh

go UNLV!

Yep, that's indeed traveling, but hard to see/call at that juncture.

When was the last time it was 4 No. 1s and 4 No. 2s in the elite 8?

EDIT - Nevermind never realized No. 2 Wisconsin was eliminated already. Still high seed domination so far. I'm betting on UNLV winning this game though.