A funny thing happened between Midnight and March Madness: College basketball suffered through a full-fledged existential crisis.

It had been a long time coming. For the past two years, realignment has ripped rivalries and leagues apart. The one-and-done rule, in place since 2006, has led to constant accusations that the game lacks talent and, most of all, continuity.

The all-in focus on the NCAA tournament sprouted assumptions that the regular season doesn’t matter. The game is slower, more physical, and over-officiated within an inch of its life.

How many scorelines lived in the 50s? The 40s? The 30s? Too many.

And yet, despite all that, this season has been as fun as any in recent memory. There have been an inordinate number of tight games and exciting finishes, buzzer-beaters and court stormings.

Five straight weeks saw five new No. 1 teams. We watched five overtimes in South Bend and have sat glued to the television for entire Saturdays, whole weeks, when every game felt destined to thrill — and usually did.

No wonder everyone kind of freaked out. The game was being criticized from every corner while keeping us glued to the television. The criticisms were valid, and yet they missed the point. Or did they? Does any of this stuff even matter? Should we value process over outcome? Should we reward pragmatism or ambition? Science or art? And what does it say that I’m asking these things in the first place?

Are we overthinking this?

When your eyes tell you one thing and your heart tells you another, things can get confusing in a hurry.

In the end, this season proved at least one thing: College basketball will always have the insanity market cornered. Even when it’s bad, it’s oh so good. Never is that more true — or more widely apparent — than in March.

Each year at this time, we fill out our bracket and make up lame excuses to leave work and gather around the nearest TV and kneel before the glory of March, where anything can and usually does happen.

It’s why you’re here right now, reading this. March smiles upon us all.

But we shouldn’t settle for mere derangement, even come tourney time. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice aesthetic enjoyment in the first 35 minutes of a game to experience the thrill of last-second heroics in the final five.

We should strive for something higher, something much harder to define, something we have to see to know.

Allure. Glamor. Beauty. Watchability, for lack of a better term.

If you’re looking for crazy this time of year, you don’t have to look too hard. But if you’re looking for that something extra, for those qualities that elevate basketball into the sublime, you’ve come to the right place.

Before you dig into the field, and calculate your clearest path to bracket domination, let’s rank every team in the field according to that magical alchemy that we call “watchability.”

Here we value creativity, fluidity, pace, star power, eccentricity, execution, beauty and, yes, good old-fashioned success.

Here, if only for a moment, let’s ditch the science and appreciate the art.

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The post Sweet science of March Madness appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

Overall No. 1 Louisville is a slight betting favorite to win the NCAA tournament, but Las Vegas casinos think any one of several teams have a legitimate shot at winning college basketball’s national championship.

Executive Director Jay Kornegay of the race and sports book at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino had Louisville at 9-2 odds on Sunday night after the tournament’s seedings were announced. Right behind the Cardinals were third overall No. 1 seed Indiana at 7-1 and three teams at 8-1 – No. 2 seeds Duke and Miami, along with Florida, a No. 3 seed.

But good luck finding a consensus.

”When people look at the odds, it reflects opinion and money and not necessarily in that order,” Kornegay said.

Miami, for example, has been a big fan favorite after opening the season at 200-1 odds to win the national championship, Kornegay said.

Jay Rood, vice president of race and sports for MGM Resorts International, said Louisville would also be the top favorite at its 10 casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, but that opinions will vary widely among bookmakers.

”I think there are a dozen or so teams that could legitimately end up in the championship game,” Rood said. ”The first 16 teams that you’re going to see on our list could be very different.”

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The post Louisville tops, but no strong NCAA fave in Vegas appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

For a short period of time, Padraig Harrington, the greatest golfer to come out of the Republic, was untouchable in the golf world. Harrington compiled three major victories in 2007-08, including the 2007 British Open at Carnoustie, the 2008 British Open at Royal Birkdale (pictured) and the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.

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The post Irish Major Champions appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

Alicia Keys at Mandalay Bay Events Center

Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Alicia Keys set Mandalay Bay Events Center on fire Friday night with her “Set This World on Fire Tour” stop, and contributing photographer Tom Donoghue was onsite for a photo gallery.

Keys, whose wardrobe theme this tour seems to be see-through black and cabaret in a nod to “Cabaret” and “Chicago,” performed nonstop for nearly two hours, according to a spywitness, and was “absolutely fabulous.”

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The post Photos: Alicia Keys sets Mandalay Bay Events Center on ‘Fire’ appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

LAS VEGAS — A few quick thoughts from New Mexico’s 63-56 victory over UNLV in the championship game of the Mountain West Conference tournament Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Overview: Tony Snell scored 21 points and Kendall Williams added 12 points and seven assists to lead New Mexico past UNLV in front of 18,500 fans. The Lobos led 34-32 at intermission and used an outstanding defensive effort to run away with the game in the second half.

Snell accounted for all of his team’s points during a 10-2 run that ended with New Mexico leading 56-47 with about three minutes remaining. UNLV made just one basket during a nearly 10-minute span in the second half.

Still, the Rebels gave themselves a chance when back-to-back 3-pointers by Bryce Dejean-Jones shaved New Mexico’s cushion to 56-53. UNLV forced a turnover on New Mexico’s next possession and got the ball to Katin Reinhardt in transition. But Reinhardt missed a wide-open 3 — a wiiiidddeee-open 3 — from the right wing. New Mexico responded with a 3 from Snell that made it 59-53 with 1:06 remaining. That was basically the ballgame.

Reinhardt is typically one of UNLV’s top shooters, but he suffered through a brutal Saturday, making just 4 of his 16 field goal attempts, including a handful of crucial misses that would have either given UNLV the lead or, at the very least, the momentum. Somehow, he was named to the all-tournament team.

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The post Rapid Reaction: New Mexico 63, UNLV 56 appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

Bitches Brew
Ingredients – Havana Club (3yr old rum), Havana Club Silver Dry rum, splash of overproof rum, curacao, creme de mure, orange juice, grapefruit juice and orange wedges. This little mix of madness is gonna stir things up like buzzer beaters, ballers and brackets in March. You might need a holiday to drink it.

Happy Hour Drinking Topics:
1. March Madness: Tell us your coolest holiday; in a word?

2. March Madness: Selection Sunday is this Sunday, March 17 so don’t forget I told you this but getting out with a clean bracket for the first weekend let alone choosing a Final Four this year is gonna be a total bitch!

3. Las Vegas: If you’re not in Las Vegas next week for MARCHVEGAS, tell us where you’re going?

3.5 Las Vegas: If you are in Las Vegas next week for MARCHVEGAS, then you know what’s going down!

4. MARCHVEGAS: Believe in a 4-day Holiday™, today – March 21-24, 2013.

5. March Mandess Predictions: Georgetown will take it all this year. Who do you like?

 
By Dolores Guiterrez

[half-s7lvin] – noun 1. The amount of drinks it takes to reach your full potential during MARCHVEGAS (March 21 – 24, 2013); affects judgment, memory, relationships, commitment, vision, speech and grammer. 2. The numerical equivalence equal to or between 3.5 – 7.5 cocktails consumed.

The post The half-s7lvin™ Cocktail Minute – Bitches Brew appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

In the first episode where we count down from 75-56, my favorite moment has to be the 1981 title game between Indiana and North Carolina on a day that the nation stood still. Earlier in the day, President Ronald Reagan was hit by a bullet in an assassination attempt in Washington, DC. The national championship game, about 130 miles to the northeast of DC in Philadelphia, was in jeopardy of being canceled as the nation’s mind was on Reagan’s well-being.

“As far as we knew President Reagan could die and we were going to play a basketball game?” questioned Dick Enberg, who was a CBS Sports announcer from 2000-2011.

The game was played — as was the third-place game, the last in Final Four history — but there was one fan who wished he could be there. Reagan supposedly was upset he missed the game, and while he was intubated reportedly scribbled a note to a nurse mentioning, “All in all, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”

For more….

The post 75 greatest moments of March Madness: 75-56 appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

Georgetown puts a thumpin’ on the Syracuse Orangemen.. Ranked as the 17th team in the nation, you really couldn’t tell as the Orange were ran out the gym by a score of 39 to 61 by the 5th ranked Hoyas.

Georgetown controlled the tempo, the ball and the boards on the defensive end. However with only a half-time score of 25 to 18 it wasn’t totally clear they were going to runaway with it completely as they did but that’s why they play the games. The Hoyas controlled offense and strength on the inside created problems all day as the Orange shot 1-11 from the 3 point line and 15 for 47 from the field making it an especially hard against a tough-nosed defensive minded team.

For Geogetown Markel Starks had 19, D’Vauntes Rivera ended with 15 and Jabril Trawick added 11 as they cruised to an easy victory and their claimed the shared title of Big East Champions along with Marquette and Louisville. As the prize of the Big East tournament and March Madness looms near, we’ll see how the Hoyas respond and perform as they are poised to go deep in the March tourney.

MARCHVEGAS 2013
To catch the Georgetown Hoyas for March Madness, why not take a break, “March to Vegas” and see all the excitement at once for the first round of the tournament? Watch hoops and gamble by day, play and party by night for 4 blissful days; it’ll feel just like a 4-day™ holiday.

MARCHVEGAS 2013 is from Thursday March 21st till Sunday March 24th. Though visiting Las Vegas is the greatest during this time, it is only optional. You must think real hard young Jedi and decide if you want to “work” or take the MARCHVEGAS 4-day Holiday. If you choose the later, then Sign the Petition, “Make MARCHVEGAS a 4-day holiday and check out our travel options to Las Vegas.

 
By Roy George
 
 

The post Georgetown puts thumpin’ on the Orangemen 61 -39 appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

Indiana has lost the number one ranked spot 4 times this season which means they can win or lose on any given night against any given team at any given time.

Georgetown impresses with tough defense and disciplined offensive attack.

Michigan State climbs back into the Top 10 at no 8., definitely one to watch.

Sign the Petition and “Make MARCHVEGAS a 4-day™ Holiday” – March 21-24. Then book a trip to Vegas for March Madness at MARCHVEGAS.com.
 

The Associated Press Top 25 Poll: “Jordan Adjusted”

 1. Duke  27-4
 2. Georgetown  24-5
 3. Indiana  26-5
 4. Gonzaga  31-2
 5. Louisville  26-5
 6. Michigan  25-6
 7. Kansas  26-5
 8. Michigan St.  24-7
 9. Miami  24-6
 10. Ohio St.  23-7
 11. Kansas St.  25-6
 12. Marquette  23-7
 13. Florida  24-6
 14. Oklahoma St.  23-7
 15. New Mexico  26-5
 16. Saint Louis  24-6
 17. Pittsburgh  24-7
 18. Arizona  24-6
 19. Syracuse  23-8
 20. Memphis  27-4
 21. UCLA  23-8
 22. Wisconsin  21-10
 23. Creighton  27-7
 24. Notre Dame  23-8
 25. VCU  24-7

 
By Roy George

[MARCHVEGAS] – noun 1. “March to Vegas” which symbolizes the humanistic tendency to march, migrate, or advance as a deliberate or organized body in a habitual manner back to Las Vegas. 2. Marriage of March Madness and Las Vegas, especially during tournament time. 3. The “MARCHVEGAS 4-day™ Holiday” (March 21 – 24, 2013) – Sign the Petition.

The post 4-Point RoundUp & AP Top 25 – “Jordan Adjusted” appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.

Woods was perched atop the leaderboard with Sweden’s Freddie Jacobson, Spain’s Sergio Garcia, Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and American Bubba Watson, the defending Masters champion.

Phil Mickelson was one of four players a stroke behind the leaders as the elite field took advantage of easy scoring conditions.

The Blue Monster course at Doral was once considered a beast but has become a toothless resort course over the years, tamed by equipment changes as players deal comfortably with the lengths.

Owner Donald Trump has ordered the bulldozers in after this tournament to begin a massive rebuilding project, which is aimed at making the course far more challenging.

More info….

The post Woods in share of Doral lead, McIlroy struggles appeared first on MARCHVEGAS PRESS | March Madness & Las Vegas Blog.