Two main venues, two great tournaments, just miles apart. A day filled with some very good basketball and interesting stories. Why not ? It is March Madness….
11:30 AM – Riding the subway to Brooklyn. The preceding train ride from New Jersey to Penn Station was spent talking with a Cincinnati fan. The train has fans wearing gear from Pitt, Syracuse (most prominent) and of course, Cincinnati. The Bearcats, our new found basketball friend admits, have a tough assignment facing Georgetown at noon. Overall he is satisfied with the way things are going with Cincinatti but would like to see a little more inside play on offense. For now the Big East can wait. It’s onto the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the Atlantic 10. It is difficult typing on a moving train.
12:05 – Teams are tipping off. I ask an usher the way to the press room, and he directs me to the men’s room. The staff here st Barclays is personable but, as beautiful as this place is, kinks are being ironed out. I gradually settle in to watch (chart) Charlotte against Richmond.
Among those watching with more than a casual interest are La Salle coach John Giannini and two of his assistants. The game is closely contested. The last five seconds proved legendary. Ahead three, Richmond elects to foul before the (three-point) shooter can set and release. After the first free throw there is a technical on Richmond’s Derrick Williams. At that point things deteriorated and by the final buzzer Richmond coach Chris Mooney had been ejected and Charlotte, trailing by three with seconds left walked off with a 68-63 victory.
2:30 -Heading to the media room I pass A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade. Earlier we were chatting amicably. Now, as I pass she is leaving her press row seat with no smile in sight.
Not here to criticize (I do officiate, remember) the game officials. The only thought is their position of having to explain the last few seconds to supervisor Reggie Greenwood would not be a situation you would want to encounter.
Post-game Chris Mooney is relaxed and apologizes for his action. He and his players feel the hurt of the loss but adds, “we could have put ourselves in a position where the game would be ours.” Before those last few ticks of the clock.
3:00 – In the second game, higher seed Butler is getting all they can handle from Dayton. Josh Benson is giving the Flyers a solid effort. I really like the game of Butler’s 6-11 Andrew smith. He can step out and hit the three and is effective inside – a prototype Brad Stevens big man.
In the stretch Butler hits the shots and advances to the next round. Post-game I ask a member of the Butler cheer squad where their live bulldog mascot is. “He stayed home,“ she said. His name is “Blue” and he is retiring. The Butler cheerleader said there is a new bulldog named “Trip”. “That‘s short for triple,” she said, “as in three-pointer.” Evidently Brad Stevens‘ style has had an effect on the spirit squad.
Following formal interviews, I get the chance to meet Brad Stevens and discuss tempo free statistics. Our meeting is a few short minutes but you can’t help but be impressed with Stevens and see why Butler is so successful.
5:30 – The media bill of fare at Barclays features steak. We are eating like kings. Not to mention unlimited coffee.
6:30– Saint Joseph’s and Xavier tip it off in a Jesuit battle. Not very artistic, but the first half is competitive. Someone at the scorer’s table said C. J. Aiken of Saint Joseph’s is getting NBA looks. He’s thin but athletic and active inside. The 6-9 junior would need some bulk for that next level.
Saint Joseph’s leads 28-25 at the half. It’s time to get to the Garden. Before leaving, I spend a few minutes with VCU’s Shaka Smart and two of his assistants. Mentioning tempo-free, I point out VCU opponents are getting forced into a turnover rate of over 25%. “That’s what we want,” Smart said, “that’s the Havoc.’” Discussing pace and possessions I told them Seton Hall-South Florida had 22 possessions the first half. “We are near that,” said the one VCU assistant, “by our first media timeout.”
8:00– I wanted to leave a little earlier but timing is not too bad as the train arrived in just two minutes. Now, fifteen minutes and I am at the Big East Tournament.
8:25- I settle into the MSG media room. There are 16 minutes left in the Villanova-Louisville game and Rick Pitino’s Cardinals have a healthy double-digit lead. A breakdown of halftime stats show ‘Nova was forced into a 49% turnover rate. That’s not a surprise given the score.
The press room is still buzzing over that late game play in Brooklyn to finish the Charlotte-Richmond contest. There are hot dogs and soft pretzels in the dining area. Not a bad late night treat.
Villanova never makes a run as Louisville controls play en route to a 74-55 victory. Editor Phil Kasiecki joins yours truly in the interview room. Phil tells me how the Saint Joseph’s game ended with a narrow Hawk victory. Suffice to say, it’s anything but boring at Barclays. Post game interviews are delayed a few minutes as former President Bill Clinton visits the Louisville locker room. During post game interviews Russ Smith, a 28 point scorer, speaks in saddened tones of the passing of his former high school coach Jack Curran. Pitino also speaks about Curran, whom he called, “a great friend and a great teacher.” Pitino goes on to explain in their regular season loss at Villanova, his club did not defend the three shoot free throws or cause “havoc” (that word is popping up frequently these days). Tonight the Cardinals did all three and did them well.
10:00-Back out to the floor and Marquette has an early lead over Notre Dame. The Irish are wearing florescent green uniforms which need to be photographed. Eight minutes to go in the half, Marquette leads 21-14. The Irish are simply having a tough time scoring.
Gradually Notre Dame chips away. Mike Brey’s group runs their offense, never panics or rushes things. Of added importance, they are getting defensive stops. Notre Dame takes a 29-25 led into halftime.
A surprise, Bill Clinton exiting the Garden via a vehicle picking him up in a holding area on the way to the press room. Clinton said hello and greeted those in the area (including your author) and took a photo with the Notre Dame cheerleaders.
The second half saw both teams come out strong. ND had a two-point lead four minutes into the final half. But it was evident, the Irish had difficulty stopping Marquette’s guard penetration. As it turned out, this was the more entertaining and contested of the two evening meetings at the Garden.
11:35– Train time. Had to leave with minutes trickling down in a hotly contested one possession game. I love the job Buzz Williams does on the Marquette sideline in terms of thorough preparation and game coaching. Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, a very good coach in his own right, is using this week as motivation. This will be the last chance for the Irish to appear in the Big East Tournament at the Garden. A last chance to play on Saturday night with the chance to cut down the nets.
12:00– On the ride home the conductor sees my media notes I am working on and starts to discuss Big East and realignment. Everyone is a full-fledged fan in March and it’s great.
12:24 – I get home and see the Irish pulled it out. First thought, the poise they showed after trailing early. Second thought, they could be a team of destiny. If they can handle that Cardinal pressure. Tomorrow will tell.
