First, though, last night was the first time I had been to a NCAA tournament game. OSU was sent to the Dayton field, so we figured "why not?". Tickets were available on StubHub, but of course there was a huge markup. $65 face value...to ~$165 asking price. Plus the StubHub fees led to a total cost of ~$360. Good thing I had a $100 StubHub credit.
On the day of the game (3/20/09), it was an easy drive to Dayton. No traffic until we got off the interstate and waited in line for a while to park right next to the interstate (and the arena). Going from the parking lot ($5 to park?? shocking!), we had to squeeze through a gap in the fence (or go the LONG way around). After the games, there was quite the logjam, with jokes rampant about crossing over into a new country.
The Dayton Arena had an interesting profile...easy to see where the "upper deck" was at.
MEDIA!! (surprise, surprise)
The court had some interesting sightlines. Certainly on a smaller scale than some 'big' arenas that I've been to (Illinois, Iowa, PSU, OSU, ....). I liked how right upon entering the building, you had views of the court from the corners.
From a side view, looking across the court, the "lower bowl" (A-section) and "upper bowl" (B, C-sections; all red seats). We were about 15 rows from the top, in C, on the side opposite what is seen here.
The BIG BOYS, Louisville, are warming up before their game with Morehead State, who won the "play-in" game. I don't like the play-in game - if a team wins their league, they should start the tournament when everyone else does. One less bubble at-large team won't hurt the field...but, yeah, some Big 6 conference team will have a greater risk of a sub-par season. Oh well...money sells!
Requirement to host NCAA games: "luxury" suites: CHECK! (Morehead State fanbase in the foreground.
With 4 minutes left in the first half, Louisville is wondering how it can get rid of pesky Morehead.
At half, we wondered, could we witness a miracle? Could Morehead State actually beat Louisville? Wouldn't that be awesome? But, in the back of our minds, we knew Louisville would run away with it...
Kenneth Faried had an active game, hustling for rebounds and getting some nice dunks. His free throw form, though? ugh! Leaning backwards with the wrong foot forward. No wonder he shoots below 60%.
After Louisville pulled away and won the game by 20, Morehead got a standing-O from the fans during the post-game hand-shake.
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Game 2, what we were there for: 8th seeded Ohio State against 9th seeded Siena. With the game in Dayton, barely an hour from Columbus, it was filled with OSU fans. (there were a ton of locals, proudly wearing their Dayton gear - their allegiances seemed to sway easily - at first for the home state, but later pulling for the small school) When the O-H-I-O chant went around the arena, everyone knew there was no neutrality.
But, for a matchup between the mascots, who would win? The Saint Bernard from Siena, or the Nuthead (Brutus Buckeye) from OSU? You'd think a dog would crack that nut, but the Buckeye was much more active during the game, strutting and knocking around his oversized head.
Evan Turner is a stud. I like his silky-smooth game. Too often the OSU offense would bog down, and the team could only look to get him the ball. He'd create, driving and whirling to the basket for either a shot or a nice pass to an open player. His stat line was fantastic: 25 points (18 shots - 2-2 3pt, 7-8 FT) with 9 boards, 8 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals but also 5 turnovers (all were team leaders. I'd take him in a second on my team.
OSU was in control for most of the game, or at least they seemed to be. Siena's star, Kenny Hasbrouck only had 1 point at half, and didn't do much in the second half until taking over late. But, Siena stepped up their pressure, which OSU didn't handle well, and started hitting shots. When BJ Mullins missed two FTs late, there was a feeling that Siena could make it interesting, and they did, tying it up. I missed that, but I got OSU's failed attempt to win the game, with 8 seconds remaining. Turner got a good shot off, but it didn't fall.
As OT started, Siena seemed to have the momentum, scoring the first 4 points. But, OSU came back and took the lead. Until this sequence to end the OT.
In the second overtime, both teams went back and forth. Siena took a late lead. With around 30 s left, OSU had the ball, and Evan Turner made a tough shot with 10 seconds left to tie. But, did he go too early? I had a feeling, and Siena made them pay...
OSU's final shot came close but didn't go, and the Siena crowd started their celebration.
Although this isn't a good shot (taken while moving towards exit), the still-celebrating Siena crowd and final score can be seen.
It was an expected traffic jam getting out. There were a lot of unhappy Buckeye fans, including this guy with the over-decorated Jeep. Love the writing on the spare - "I don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan."
It was a lot of fun going to the event. It had the feeling of a high school basketball tournament, with different sections of fanbases. Some groups becoming fans of others, and plenty of neutral fans pulling for the underdog. While I was pulling for Ohio State, I'm glad that I wasn't fully invested, as that would have been pretty depressing to lose like that...and then have a 3 hour drive from 12:30 am until 3:30 am before getting to bed. Yeah, that was a long night.
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