Deadspin: Ncaa Tournament

Penn Tries To Reconcile NCAA Tourney Tradition With Fact That They Don't Make The NCAA Tourney Anymore

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:10:00 EDT

Back in 1969, UPenn began "The Line." The day before season tickets would go on sale, thousands of students would camp out overnight in the Palestra to be first in line. On Friday night, for the 2011 edition of The Line, 50 fans showed. More »

Former UConn Star Tate George Charged In $2 Million Ponzi Scheme

Dom Cosentino — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:35:00 EDT

Lacrosse Hidden-Ball Trick Video Makes Me Interested In Lacrosse For Another Hot Second

Brian Hickey — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:00:00 EDT

In a NCAA Tournament game against UNC, the Maryland Terrapins successfully pulled off the "hidden ball" trick. They went on to win the game 13-6 in no small part because people don't really ever recover from getting hidden-balled by guys named Drew Snider. More »

Your UConn-Butler NCAA Championship Open Thread

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:00:00 EDT

This one's for a considerable amount of the Tostitos. Will it be the likable Bulldogs, swiftly moving from giant-killers to giants? Or the Huskies, who haven't lost since we still considered the Big East fearsome? More »

Remember When UConn Won A Title, And They Wanted You To Narc On The Rioting Students?

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 10:15:00 EDT

It was just seven short years ago that the Dean asked the UConn community to email him at helpful_dean@uconn.edu with the identities of those tipping cars and starting fires in the great Storrs Conflagration of '04. The school had posted the photos stolen from Facebook, in an all-time shady move. It would be totally douchey if Huskies fans act like this tonight; totally awesome if it's Butler students, though. [Mirror] (h/t everyone who sent this in claiming it was from this Saturday) More »

This Time, Butler's The Favorite

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:15:05 EDT

Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Brad Stevens on his gameplan for VCU. More »

John Calipari Celebrates His First Final Four Appearance, Technically

Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:35:07 EDT

Yes, Someone Bet $10 On VCU To Win It All

Barry Petchesky — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EDT

Forget those two perfect Final Four brackets on ESPN.com. How about someone who stands to earn some real money? One lone soul laid down a ten-spot on the Rams at the Las Vegas Hilton during the regular season, and got 5000-1 odds. That's looking a little closer right now. [USA Today] More »

Shaka Smart's Key To Success: Quoting Scarface

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:20:00 EDT

Scarface" alt="Click here to read Shaka Smart's Key To Success: Quoting Scarface" src="http://cache.deadspin.com/assets/images/11/2011/03/small_alg_ncaa_joey_rodriguez_coach_smart.jpg"/>

Sad Jayhawk Has "Absolutely No Regrets" About Being Sad Jayhawk

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:30:03 EDT

Before he was Sad Jayhawk, Matt Rissien was just another superfan: going to away games, wearing a costume, posing with luminaries like Erin Andrews and Scot Pollard. But, thanks to the vagaries of the universe and an alert cameraman, he's become more: a symbol of fallen hubris. A Crying Duke Kid or Weepy Tebow for a new generation. More »

VCU Students Need To Step Up Their 'Riots'

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:35:10 EDT

Virginia Commonwealth is celebrating their upset in the time-honored small school way: causing more mischief than destruction (that's fire extinguisher smoke, not tear gas). Fans jammed Richmond's Broad Street, and even had an old fashionedwelcome-the-team-back-from-the-airport pep rally. I won't say "act like you've been there before," because...you know. More »

VCU Has No Business In The Final Four, And We're Glad They're Here

Barry Petchesky — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EDT

Last week at this time, we were laughing at the Big East for being a weak conference, despite all the late winter talk about it being the best in college basketball. The evidence proffered was the number of teams left in the tournament. By that logic, the best conferences in college basketball at this moment are the Big East, the SEC, the Horizon League, and the good old Colonial Athletic Association. More »

Your Second Sweet Sixteen Open Thread

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:10:00 EDT

Remember kids, now that Duke is gone, UNC is the new Duke. They're up first tonight against Marquette. Also on the slate: Richmond-Kansas, Kentucky-Ohio State, and an intriguing VCU-Florida State game that will decide our weekend's Cinderella representative. More »

Newark A Horrible Place To Visit, But Better Than Syracuse

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:40:00 EDT

Yesterday, the big news was that John Calipari had moved the Wildcats out of their Newark hotel, giving some excuse about wanting a place "on the outskirts of the city ... so they didn't have any distractions." I don't know if I buy that, because I don't think you can get any more outskirty than an airport Wyndham in North Jersey. More »

BYU And The Mid-Major Hype Cycle

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:10:00 EDT

Today's Sports Illustrated asks the question: Are the BYU Cougars America's Team? (They also have an awesome cover photo, by Robert Beck.) The answer is no, BYU's not America's Team, because that phrase really has no meaning beyond a marketing slogan formulated more than 30 years ago. But it speaks to the myth of the underdog, a mantle BYU and teams like them will happily cling to. More »

NBA Scouts Agree: Jimmer Fredette Is Very, Very White

Luke O'Brien — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:15:35 EDT

The best part about yesterday's foreseeable New York Times story on Jimmer Fredette wasn't the obvious notion that Fredette might make for a less-than-dominant NBA player. Far better and more obvious was the list of less-than-dominant NBA players that several front-office types used to assess Fredette: Jeff Hornacek, Steve Kerr, Kyle Korver, and Jason Kapono. (Adam Morrison makes an appearance later in the story; how J.J. Redick doesn't is a mystery.) Notice a common theme? More »

Your Night Games Open Thread

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:45:00 EDT

This one's your open thread for the rest of the evening. First up we've got BU-Kansas, LIU-UNC, St. Peter's-Purdue, and Marquette-Xavier. More »

Your Open Thread For The Second Block/Batch/Wave Of NCAA Tourney Games

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:40:00 EDT

Memphis-Arizona, Hampton-Duke (in Charlotte), FSU-Texas A&M, and UTSA-OSU. Fun fact: late afternoon is always the lowest-rated block of games on TV. It's why you see a ton of mismatches there, and we could be in for a few blowouts today. Let's hope not: go Hampton. More »

What It Feels Like To Hit A Buzzer-Beater

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:25:00 EDT

Your Tourney Day 2 Open Thread, Featuring The Debut Of Gus Johnson

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 12:10:00 EDT

The opening slate of games features Oakland-Texas, Tennessee-Michigan, Akron-Notre Dame, and George Mason-Villanova. We've been aware of a growing mini-backlash against Gus recently, so we'll lay down our official position now: he seems like a nice guy who really likes basketball, and isn't overexposed by CBS yet. So let him do his thing. More »

Today's Viewing Guide For March Madness: Office Tricks, Game Schedules, And Gus Johnson

Emma Carmichael — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:30:00 EDT

Day One of the 2011 NCAA tournament was The Best Day One Anyone Can Remember, which no one ever says! But there were four buzzer-beaters and a sad bird, which is a pretty damn good day. Here's your guide to watching in the workplace, along with an updated broadcast-announcer schedule for today's action. It starts with Oakland (of Michigan)-Texas at noon on CBS. More »

Your Early Evening NCAA Tournament Open Thread

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:45:00 EDT

Have a nice, refreshing mini-break? After dinner, it's time for UCSB-Florida, Wofford-BYU, Bucknell-UConn, and Belmont-Wisconsin. Remember, just because everyone's picking upsets, doesn't mean you have to. Now, isn't it about time you went home and figured out what channel number TruTV is. More »

Here Are The Four Buzzer-Beaters From The First Five Games

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:50:00 EDT

Matt Howard's putback at the horn to put Butler over Old Dominion. Great whistle-swallowing by the refs. More »

Your NCAA Tournment Open Thread, Continued

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:40:00 EDT

Let's make this the place for the Greek chorus to comment on Princeton-Kentucky, UNCA-Pitt, Richmond-Vanderbilt, and N. Colorado-SDSU. Viewer's guide here, complaints about no Gus Johnson on day 1 below. We'll be in occasionally with updates, so go start pretending like you hate Princeton more than Kentucky. More »

Your NCAA Tournament Early Games Open Thread

Barry Petchesky — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 12:10:00 EDT

Consider this a break room to discuss the first block of today's games. First up: Clemson-WVU, ODU-Butler, Morehead State-Louisville, and Penn State-Temple. As always, the viewing guide to the tourney is here, and we'll pop in occasionally with highlights and upset alerts. More »

The Officeworker's Viewing Guide To March Madness

Emma Carmichael — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EDT

Since we did our very best to ignore the play-in games, the NCAA men's tournament officially kicks off with Clemson-West Virginia today just after noon EDT on CBS. In the olden times, watching the opening game required a 3D television (and by that I mean, of course, one that was more than three inches wide). No more. The television network demigods have been especially cruel to American employers this year: Turner Sports and CBS have made every single tournament game available for online streaming at the NCAA's website, March Madness On Demand (MMOD). We know you're probably dexterous enough to hastily click out of Deadspin windows in the office, so this shouldn't present any real problems. More »

Here Are Some Famous People's Brackets That You Thought We Should Know About

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:25:00 EDT

Take from this what you will: Colin Cowherd's bracket is strikingly similar to President Obama's bracket. For the record, Cowherd went a little chalkier. [h/t concerned readers] More »

The Hater’s Guide To The Field Of 68, Part I

Drew Magary — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:50:00 EDT

It's that time of year again. Time to break out the roasting jacket and say horrible, awful, incredibly mean-spirited things about every school participating in the NCAA tournament. And while I fucking hate the new 68-team bracket, that does give us a chance to hate on three extra schools this go round. So that's nice. More »

Shit-Stirring Writer, Coach's Mom Both Pick Temple For The Final Four

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:40:50 EDT

A Roundup Of Alternative NCAA Brackets For The Obsessed And The Clueless

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:55:00 EDT

The men's bracket is out, and we can now look forward to three weeks of dealing with the smug assholes who were right about everything or of being the smug asshole was right about everything ("I just can't believe you didn't have the Wofford Terriers advancing to at least the Sweet 16. That's all I'm saying"). But just like we learned in kindergarten, not all brackets have to look the same. Here's a sampling of some of the best alternative brackets from around the interwebs. More »

Sports Network Snubbed By NCAA Tournament Especially Vocal About Teams Snubbed By NCAA Tournament

Emma Carmichael — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:10:00 EDT

Just over a year ago, ESPN lost out on the rights to broadcast the NCAA college basketball tournament after CBS and Turner Sports teamed up with $10.8 billion to secure the big dance for the next 14 years. It was a bit of a snub to the Worldwide Leader, which ultimately couldn't match the bill. A snub like the selection committee leaving Colorado, Alabama, Virginia Tech, St. Mary's, Boston College, Harvard — and whomever else you think deserved a bid — out of this year's 68-team field. Snubs abound. More »

They Ruined The Goddamn Bracket

Drew Magary — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:00:11 EDT

I was ready for the 68-team field to fuck with the process of filling out a bracket for your NCAA office pool. But I didn't quite realize the extent of it until yesterday, when they unveiled just how this retarded new format will work. More »

Charles Barkley's "Jackass" Rant Was The Perfect Pregame Show

Barry Petchesky — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:15:50 EST

With Turner stations like TNT getting some of the preliminary NCAA Tournament games, they'll be forced to use their NBA announcers not well-versed in the college scene. Billy Packer, formerly of CBS, levelled the criticism in an interview last month. But last night, someone finally told Barkley. More »

CBS Almost Paid ESPN To Take The NCAA Tourney Off Their Hands

Barry Petchesky — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:00:00 EDT

It's the most important event in the country for three weekends every year. And yet, it's hemorrhaging money to the point where CBS considered paying a rival to broadcast it. Are there implications for the free March Madness On Demand? More »

NCAA Tournament Adds Networks, Expands To "Only" 68 Teams

Dashiell Bennett — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:30:18 EDT

In a surprising move, the NCAA signed a new television deal that will add more networks to CBS's coverage of the men's basketball tournament, but will not expand the field to 96 teams. Wait, did they actually listen to us? More »

You Should Be Watching Hockey This Weekend, Seriously

Katie Baker — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:27:08 EDT

Remember when everyone was so into hockey that time? Ha! But there's plenty to love: the NCAA championship, an NHL playoff berth battle, and oh yeah, some Slovenian hockey players who won their league title then beat up their coach! More »

Last Night's Winner: Butler Haters

Dashiell Bennett — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 10:10:14 EDT

In sports, everyone is a winner—some people just win better than others. Like the Duke Blue Devils, who captured the hearts of basketball fans world-wide by finally stopping the merciless hoops juggernaut known as Butler. More »

Indy Newspaper, Butler Cheerleader Botch Their "Victory" Celebrations

Dashiell Bennett — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:40:00 EDT

The Indianapolis Star website may have jumped the gun slightly on their Final Four recap. At least they had the excuse of not yet knowing the outcome. One confused Butler cheerleader was not as fortunate. More »

The NCAA Is Destroying The Men's Basketball Tournament

Dashiell Bennett — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:20:05 EDT

The 2010 men's championship has been one the most exciting and competitive basketball tournaments ever. I hope you enjoyed it, because it will be the last time. The NCAA is determined to ruin the best thing it ever created. More »

Letter From Durham: Why You Shouldn't Hate Duke, And Why You Probably Will Anyway

Ben Cohen — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:00:10 EDT

The first game of Duke's season, against UNC-Greensboro on Nov. 13, was broadcast only on Fox Sports South, which meant that my friends up North had to wait another few days to get their initial glimpse of this year's team. More »