2017 NCAA tournament game thread

[cordera89]

When will Arizona ever get to what UNC just did.

[MrBug708]

well done, NCAA. A team that should be on multiple years of probation for academic fraud just won your championship.

[CalStateTempe]

No shit bug. But if that keeps Roy there another 4-5 years, i'm happy

[prh]

well done, NCAA. A team that should be on multiple years of probation for academic fraud just won your championship.

Only reason they have guys staying 4 years

[Spaceman Spiff]

No shit bug. But if that keeps Roy there another 4-5 years, i'm happy

I'd be more worried about this making Roy thinking about going out on top.

[Dosia]

That game sucked

[CalStateTempe]

No shit bug. But if that keeps Roy there another 4-5 years, i'm happy

I'd be more worried about this making Roy thinking about going out on top.

Yes that is my other fear.

[Longhorned]

I hope there weren't a bunch of NBA-watching kids who gave college basketball a first shot with tonight's game.

And not even One Shining Moment was well put together this year.

[Macho Grande]

Anyone catch Mark Few throwing some shade there when he was interviewed by Tracy Wilson after the game? Made a comment about how his players "did it the right way...high character...good students."

[UAEebs86]

Is it true that UNC hasn't had a one and done since 2007? How is that possible with a roster full of McD's All-Americans?

[Longhorned]

Is it true that UNC hasn't had a one and done since 2007? How is that possible with a roster full of McD's All-Americans?

It's more ridiculous than if Jarryd Bayless, Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson, and Lauri Markannen all came back for their sophomore years.

And probably Derrick Williams would come back for his junior year.

Yeah, we'd have made some Final Fours.

[MrBug708]

Justin Tigner @JustinTigner

Oregon should play Gonzaga on Wednesday to decide who gets the title when NC has to vacate it.

[Longhorned]

Congratulations Gonzaga on winning first place on Kenpom.

[RaisingArizona]

I'm so relieved that Gonzaga is on the Butler trajectory rather than the UCONN trajectory.

[az91]

Is it true that UNC hasn't had a one and done since 2007? How is that possible with a roster full of McD's All-Americans?

It's more ridiculous than if Jarryd Bayless, Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson, and Lauri Markannen all came back for their sophomore years.

And probably Derrick Williams would come back for his junior year.

Yeah, we'd have made some Final Fours.

Don't forget about Grant Jarrett.

[azcat49]

That might have been the worst played championship game I have ever watched. Sloppy, no flow and the officiating was horrendous.
I will say both teams played very hard and each really wanted this game. I think UNC with there experience of the final game last year had a distinct advantage because of that

[Longhorned]

Is it true that UNC hasn't had a one and done since 2007? How is that possible with a roster full of McD's All-Americans?

It's more ridiculous than if Jarryd Bayless, Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson, and Lauri Markannen all came back for their sophomore years.

And probably Derrick Williams would come back for his junior year.

Yeah, we'd have made some Final Fours.

Don't forget about Grant Jarrett.

But I have.

[Chicat]

It was fantastic watching those refs put it all out on the floor last night.

[MrBug708]

That might have been the worst played championship game I have ever watched. Sloppy, no flow and the officiating was horrendous.
I will say both teams played very hard and each really wanted this game. I think UNC with there experience of the final game last year had a distinct advantage because of that

Butler-UConn was pretty bad

[Spaceman Spiff]

It was fantastic watching those refs put it all out on the floor last night.

The call? Jump ball, possession UNC. This was late second half too.

[zonagrad]

Lots of bad calls and missed calls both ways. Safe to say both teams shot poorly and the refs had a bad game as well. Perhaps if the shots were falling more for both teams there would have been fewer whistles.

[gumby]

Anyone catch Mark Few throwing some shade there when he was interviewed by Tracy Wilson after the game? Made a comment about how his players "did it the right way...high character...good students."

Almost positive this wasn't the intent.

[gumby]

It was fantastic watching those refs put it all out on the floor last night.

The call? Jump ball, possession UNC. This was late second half too.

Yep. Heels up one, then Hicks makes it three.

Was called flagrant.

Then he bashes people who complained about officiating.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Anyone catch Mark Few throwing some shade there when he was interviewed by Tracy Wilson after the game? Made a comment about how his players "did it the right way...high character...good students."

Almost positive this wasn't the intent.

Depends. Did he say that you can't do book reports on children's books and stay eligible at Gonzaga?

The most charitable thing you can say about the reffing was that it was pretty bad on both ends. It completely changed the complexion of the game and turn a close, hard fought game into a rhythm free slog to the free throw line. Even when the bad calls are going both ways, it messes with a player's head when a call is blown.

It was a good game where the refs made themsleves part of the show in a bad way. Any time the reffing is a major discussion point after the game, it hurts the overall credibility.

[zonagrad]

I think part of the reason the reffing sucked was because the shooting sucked. Both teams were brutal from the field. And not just threes. Karnowski missed a bunch of bunnies. When shots are falling, the game develops a rhythm and flows better. There were so many contested rebounds that led to physical play and fouls. Some whistles weren't necessary. But part of the reason there were so many fouls was because both teams played poorly.

[legallykenny]

That might have been the worst played championship game I have ever watched. Sloppy, no flow and the officiating was horrendous.
I will say both teams played very hard and each really wanted this game. I think UNC with there experience of the final game last year had a distinct advantage because of that

Shocking that the combination of one-and-done era and teams fully exploiting the transfer/grad transfer rules has resulted in crap games.

[gumby]

Last year's game was great. One of the best ever.

I agree it was a function of poor shooting by both teams on the same night. Couple that with two teams determined to jam it inside and guards who like to drive, and you get this.

Still, pretty exciting stuff.

[97cats]

i thouroghly enjoyed myself at all three games -- my first ever Final Four and I had a blast.

[legallykenny]

Last year's game was great. One of the best ever.

For a game between two teams that would have been drilled if Kentucky and Duke had returned all of the underclassmen eligible to return from their 2014-2015 teams.

[gumby]

i thouroghly enjoyed myself at all three games -- my first ever Final Four and I had a blast.

How close were you? Thoughts on a stadium as a venue?

I'd like to see them return to basketball arenas.

[gumby]

Last year's game was great. One of the best ever.

For a game between two teams that would have been drilled if Kentucky and Duke had returned all of the underclassmen eligible to return from their 2014-2015 teams.

So you've stopped watching? I prefer what you want, but I still wouldn't miss it, and thought it was compelling.

[97cats]

How close were you? Thoughts on a stadium as a venue?

I'd like to see them return to basketball arenas.

13th row center floor

[gumby]

Dude! That's incredible! Do you have to stand most of the time? (which would be fine with me).

[97cats]

Dude! That's incredible! Do you have to stand most of the time? (which would be fine with me).

no i was able to sit the entire time actually.

the two center court sections on both sides were for the NCAA and its sponsors. i sat right behind Tim Brando and the American Athletic Conf representatives.

Lute Olson was just a few rows in front of me, Mike Montgomery, Lorenzo Romar, Larry Scott, and a large host of others.

at the stadium the NCAA took out the first 20 row of the Cardinals seating (there are 41 rows in the lower deck at University of Phx Stadium normally) and added rows A-Z (1-27), AA-ZZ and single row AAA in its place all the way to the press row which obviously encroached on the field -- rows 21-41 stayed in place giving the lower center sections 75 rows.

we sat Section 109 Row M Seats 5&6 which were 4 seats from the aisle which was dead center.

the rows closer to the floor (A-F or 1-6) can be obstructed sometimes by the media and cameramen and people traversing and securing press row and the floor. they can block the view at times especially because of the very gradual slope of the added seating which enabled the NCAA to get in as many rows as possible.

rows 7-18 (G-R) center floor were literally the best seats in the house -- it was an experience i will never forget

[Jefe]

Damon and his son were sitting with Lute as well

[PHXCATS]

Damon and his son were sitting with Lute as well

ok.... what did they eat?

[Jefe]

All I know is there was no beer

[Jefe]

http://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/19 ... vada-march" target="_blank

Record $439.5 million bet on basketball in March

More money was bet -- and lost -- on basketball at Nevada sportsbooks in March than in any other month in the state's regulated sports betting history.

A record $439.5 million was wagered on basketball, both college and professional, last month, according to numbers released Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

The books kept a record $41.2 million of the amount bet on basketball, shattering the previous mark set in March 2015 by more than $13 million and making March 2017 by far the most lucrative basketball month ever for the house.

Gaming control does not separate bets on professional and college basketball, lumping them into one "basketball" category. But the betting interest on the NCAA tournament can be seen in the monthly revenue numbers. For example, in February, almost $213 million was bet on basketball at Nevada's books.

Bookmakers estimate that the NCAA tournament accounts for 60 to 80 percent of the amount bet on basketball in March, which also features a bevy of conference tournaments in addition to regular-season NBA action.

The massive March haul comes after a rough stretch to end the football season for the books. In January, the books suffered one of their worst football months ever, losing $8.25 million to bettors.

They bounced back in a big way in March, winning $31.4 million overall, a 225.3 percent increase from March 2016. Leftover football bets from the season that were cashed in March took a $13 million bite out of the basketball profits, but the books had enough to spare.

"I guess, like they say, in the long run, it does even out," Jeff Stoneback, assistant manager for MGM race and sports, told ESPN on Wednesday. "I was just in a meeting and heard that this was our best quarter since 2005."

While Nevada's regulated sports betting industry continues to grow, it remains only a small piece of casino profits. In March, for example, the state's casinos won $273.5 million off penny slots.