2017 NCAA tournament

[tornado]

well if this score holds up...Kavell Bigby-Williams is going to go to the Final Four...

[tornado]

Kansas did not play well and was beat by Oregon - but Dana Altman immediately got on the phone and thanked Jim Les for the scouting report !!

Speaking of Jim Les... UC-Davis is having a big post-season banquet and it's open to the public, and I hear they are getting swamped with calls from fans! **

[Da Coach]

2 NCAA games today-

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard/_/date/20170326

[Da Coach]

2 really great games today, especially the Kentucky-North Carolina game. What a finish!

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard

Final Four: Oregon, Gonzaga, UNC, South Carolina next weekend in Glendale, Arizona.

I am in Glendale right now enjoying the 83?° weather. The area is expecting 70,000 visitors by next weekend and an influx of more than $250 million to the local economy.

North Carolina opens as a 5 point favorite over Oregon, and Gonzaga opens as a 6.5 point favorite over South Carolina.

[MacabreMob]

Just curious how long til we hear NCAA will want to "re-seed" after the Final 4 is set.... heck.... after the Sweet 16 is set.

[Chico]

2 really great games today, especially the Kentucky-North Carolina game. What a finish!

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/scoreboard

Final Four: Oregon, Gonzaga, UNC, South Carolina next weekend in Glendale, Arizona.

I am in Glendale right now enjoying the 83?° weather. The area is expecting 70,000 visitors by next weekend and an influx of more than $250 million to the local economy.

North Carolina opens as a 5 point favorite over Oregon, and Gonzaga opens as a 6.5 point favorite over South Carolina.

That's quite a building they will be playing in out there. I've never been inside, but walked around the building and saw how they move the football field outside after the games. Right down the road from where the Sox and Dodgers train.

[Da Coach]

That's quite a building they will be playing in out there. I've never been inside, but walked around the building and saw how they move the football field outside after the games. Right down the road from where the Sox and Dodgers train.

Just got back from a Sox game.

[wily coyote]

BAYWATCH

I know most of you on here could give a rats behind about who's officiating the next to last weekend of the year but I would like to give a congrats to baywatch. He was assigned to the Kentucky vs N.C. game yesterday. I'm sure the assignors thought that would be the hardest game to work, so you put the best on the toughest game. Another way to look at it is, there were 4 games this weekend and that means only 12 people in the whole Country were still working. So for those that don't care for him evidently his bosses realize his ability. Don't get me wrong. I've seen him have bad games but they are few and far between. Next weekend they will be down to 9 officials and I'm hoping the ex Valley ref will be still working. Go Zags

[Da Coach]

I know most of you on here could give a rats behind about who's officiating the next to last weekend of the year but I would like to give a congrats to baywatch. He was assigned to the Kentucky vs N.C. game yesterday. I'm sure the assignors thought that would be the hardest game to work, so you put the best on the toughest game. Another way to look at it is, there were 4 games this weekend and that means only 12 people in the whole Country were still working. So for those that don't care for him evidently his bosses realize his ability. Don't get me wrong. I've seen him have bad games but they are few and far between. Next weekend they will be down to 9 officials and I'm hoping the ex Valley ref will be still working. Go Zags

As much ridicule as some MVC fans have given John Higgins, I think he is a very good official. And as you said, the NCAA obviously does, too. He has done 6 Final Fours.

Here was an article about him in Sports Illustrated a year ago-

http://www.si.com/college-basketball/2016/01/28/ncaa-basketballs-most-recognized-referee-well-traveled-john-higgins

The top officials, like the ones who did the Kentucky-North Carolina game have to be in very good shape. Top officials like Higgins officiate about 90 games per season, and earn between $1000 and $3000 per game. Higgins doesn't do many MVC games any more, mostly Big 12 games, because they pay much more.


By the way, the NCAA does not make a decision on who will officiate the Final Four games until after all the Elite Eight games are completed. They select a group of 10 officials. So we will probably hear today or tomorrow who the officials for the Final Four are.

[tornado]

Some reports suggest they get somewhere between $2,000-$4,000 per game for the Final Four

[Da Coach]

By the way, the NCAA does not make a decision on who will officiate the Final Four games until after all the Elite Eight games are completed. They select a group of 10 officials. So we will probably hear today or tomorrow who the officials for the Final Four are.

The NCAA announced their selections for the officials for the Final Four, and John Higgins is again selected for his 7th Final Four-

http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-0638141339162124110-4

Ref assignments for the Final 4:
Mike Eades, Doug Sirmons, John Higgins, Ron Groover, Ted Valentine, Jeff Anderson, Michael Stephens, Tony Padilla, Verne Harris.
Terry Ogelsby is the standby. Eades, Harris and Stevens in the championship game.

[MacabreMob]

Ref assignments for the Final 4:
Mike Eades, Doug Sirmons, John Higgins, Ron Groover, Ted Valentine, Jeff Anderson, Michael Stephens, Tony Padilla, Verne Harris.
Terry Ogelsby is the standby. Eades, Harris and Stevens in the championship game.

I like all those guys, even Higgins, except for Valentine. He officiates like HE is part of the game. And almost like it is ALL ABOUT HIM.

[Chico]

I hope whoever was working the South Carolina-Florida game isn't one of these guys. That obvious traveling call on the long pass by Carolina that wasn't called was a back breaker for Florida. Only down by 2 at the time.

[Da Coach]

This is completely disgusting- Kentucky fans have found the Facebook site for John Higgins' business and are bombarding it with negative reviews in retaliation for what they perceived as Higgins not favoring them enough in their loss to North Carolina.

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/846718934044852224

Higgins' business site-

https://www.facebook.com/pg/rooferees/reviews/

Prior to the Kentucky game, he had 148 reviews that were 100% at the top of the review scale. But now in the last 24 hours, he has 657 reviews that are the lowest possible. What is even worse than trying to ruin a man's livelihood is reading the justification those Kentucky morons post explaining why they believe it is OK to attack him and try to destroy his business.

[Da Coach]

Followup on NCAA official John Higgins- Police investigating death threats from Kentucky fans

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/19029689/ncaa-official-john-higgins-receiving-death-threats-kentucky-wildcats-fans-following-loss-north-carolina-tar-heels