RTC (Sorta) Live Championship Game Edition

Posted by rtmsf on April 5th, 2010

You guys ready for some Duke-Butler tonight? Only 6.5% of Americans in ESPN’s National Bracket picked either the Devils or Bulldogs to be playing tonight on the game’s grandest stage, yet here they are (we can safely presume less than 1% had both). You already know the key matchups and what each team likes to do, the question is which team will bend first tonight. Will it be Duke with the pressure of the favorite and an estimated 50,000 vociferous fans pulling against them; or will it be Butler who finally senses the gravitas of the sitaution and gets out of their game. Both teams are so well-drilled that it’s difficult for us to believe either of them, but someone will have to lose tonight. Who’ve you got?

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RTC (Sorta) Live: Final Four Edition

Posted by rtmsf on April 3rd, 2010

It’s time, people.  The NCAA Tournament has reached its glorious Saturday crescendo, where four teams who have come through the battles of each region with some bruises, scratches and open wounds but are still standing, will tip it off in front of 75,000 fans to earn the right to play on Monday Night.  And you know what that means.  High-quality basketball on both ends of the court.  There’s no need to discuss these teams any further — they’ve already been talked and written about to death.  We know what they’re capable of, and any resulting combination after tonight’s two games wouldn’t shock us.  As we’ve been there throughout the Tournament, we’ll be here again tonight, encouraging you to join us for a chat during the games.  We hope to see you there.

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RTC (Sorta) Live: The Elite Eight – Sunday 03.28.10 Edition

Posted by nvr1983 on March 28th, 2010

After 59 mostly amazing NCAA Tournament games, we are down to the last two before we head to Indianapolis for the Final Four. Butler and West Virginia have already sealed trips to Indianapolis, but there are still two more tickets waiting to be punched. One Elite 8 match-up (the South) features a pair of teams–Duke and Baylor–that nobody is really surprised to see here. The other Elite 8 match-up (the Midwest) features two teams–Michigan State and Tennessee–that were expected to contend for a Final Four spot at the beginning of the season, but basically fell off the map during parts of the season only to be miraculously resurrected. Either way all four are just one win away from making the trip to the promised land: the Final Four.

We will kick things off at 2 PM and follow both Elite 8 games:

  • 2:20 PM: #5 Michigan State versus #6 Tennessee
  • 5:05 PM: #1 Duke versus #3 Baylor

So stop by to hear ground-breaking analysis, chat with fellow hoops heads, and ask us any questions you have about all things basketball.

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RTC (Sorta) Live: The Elite Eight – Saturday 03.27.10 Edition

Posted by jstevrtc on March 27th, 2010

No doubt, getting to the Elite Eight is an accomplishment…but teams don’t hang banners for Elite Eights (at least they shouldn’t).  All the weights lifted, all the miles run, all the shots hoisted in practice, all the interviews done — tonight is finally one of those occasions where these guys can say, “This is what it was all for.”  They play for national championships, but they also play for the Final Four.  That final destination, the final city on the long road that started back in October.  As if I had to tell you the lineup:

  • 4:30 PM ET — Kansas State vs Butler
  • 7:30 PM ET — Kentucky vs West Virginia

There’s nothing left to say.  This is for the Final Four.  That’s all you need to say.

Can’t wait.  Hope to see you around here for some conversation while we watch the games.

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RTC (Sorta) Live: Sweet Sixteen Day Two

Posted by rtmsf on March 26th, 2010

Whew.  From now on when it comes to Thursday nights, we’re just going to take the Valium with us on the road.  Otherwise we’re not going to be able to sleep at night after yet another fantastic evening of games.  What does Friday night have in store for us?  We know that the eight teams lacing them up tonight (lineup above) will bring their best games, so the only question is whether we’ll see more Cinderella action from the likes of Northern Iowa and St. Mary’s, or if it’ll be chalky-tasting like it was last Friday.  RTC (Sorta) Live will be live-blogging the whole thing and we encourage you to join us throughout the evening for hopefully another spectacular evening of hoops moving forward into the Elite Eight.

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RTC (Sorta) Live: Sweet Sixteen Day One

Posted by jstevrtc on March 25th, 2010

It’s here.  We’ve endured the three-day layoff and it’s time for more hoops.  We know you already know, but here’s our lineup for today in the order in which they’ll be showing up on our screens:

  • #1 Syracuse vs #5 Butler
  • #2 West Virginia vs #11 Washington
  • #2 Kansas State vs #6 Xavier
  • #1 Kentucky vs #12 Cornell

Everyone’s been talking about Cornell  (and Northern Iowa in the Midwest) — and well they should — but we doubt Butler, Xavier, and Washington will go quietly.  That’s how great this tournament has been; because of the achievements of teams like Cornell and Northern Iowa, we’ve heard next to nothing about what Xavier and Washington have done! Syracuse will not have Arinze Onuaku and you’ve heard about the Darryl Bryant injury by now, so we expect the Huskies will try to make life difficult for Joe Mazzulla.  It should be an amazing four games tonight, to say the least, and we’ll crank up the live window (located after the jump) about 15 minutes before the first tip.  We hope that as you watch the games you’ll join us for some live discussion, as well.  It’s Sweet Sixteen time!

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RTC (Sorta) Live: Friday Afternoon Games

Posted by rtmsf on March 19th, 2010

Yesterday’s Zeitlin/Moore/Walsh live-blog of the afternoon games was such a roaring success that we’ve decided to do it again.  Except without Zeitlin, Moore and Walsh.  Right.  Well, maybe they’ll stop by as guest panelists.  There is absolutely no way no how that today’s slate of games could possibly come close to matching the madness of yesterday, but we’ll still be there waiting on the next IshDanerAli shot to go down.  We obviously can’t promise you excitement on the court, but we can assure you that there will be zero mentions of Penn, St. Joe’s and Boston University.  Hope to see you guys around this afternoon…

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RTC (Sorta) Live: Thursday Afternoon Games

Posted by rtmsf on March 18th, 2010

We’ve often said at RTC that the first Thursday of the NCAA tournament is like Christmas. Well, what better way to spend the holidays than with family. OK, maybe RTC contributors and Backdoor Cuts columnists Dave Zeitlin, Steve Moore and Mike Walsh aren’t exactly family, but at the very least they should be your friends. And from Noon until whenever the second set of afternoon games ends today, they will be with you, hosting a live chat where all are invited. They won’t be able to watch all the games, so everyone across the country should feel free to chip in with their thoughts. And for whatever poor souls are stuck at work during the greatest day in all of sports, this will be a great forum for you to get nothing done — unless your job entails reading semi-witty banter about college basketball all day. So unless you’re at the sports bar, there’s no excuse not to stop in and join the chat. There’s only one rule: Always root for the dark jerseys.

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RTC Live: NIT – Texas Tech @ Seton Hall

Posted by rtmsf on March 16th, 2010

The Red Raiders of Texas Tech come east to kick off their last run in the 2010 season, as they will face the Pirates of Seton Hall at the Rock in Newark, New Jersey. The Big 12 schedule was not kind to Texas Tech; after stumbling to an 0-3 start, the Red Raiders, led by junior Mike Singletary at the forward spot and John Roberson at the point, rallied for a 4-2 run that included as sweep of Oklahoma and wins over Iowa State and NCAA-bound Oklahoma State, before hitting a seven-game losing streak to close out their conference schedule. A brief revival in the Big 12 Conference Tournament (an 82-67 win over Colorado) ended in the quarterfinals with a loss to the Kansas Jayhawks, 80-68. Seton Hall faced their own Murderer’s Row in the Big East. The Pirates’ first 11 games came against postseason teams, eight of whom are NCAA-bound. The Pirates managed a 4-7 record through that stretch, and finished with a 5-2 flourish to head into the Big East Tournament with a 9-9 record. Like Texas Tech, they won their first round game (a 109-106 horse race with Providence) before bowing (to Notre Dame, 68-56), in a game unofficially dubbed a “play-in” to the NCAAs. This is the season where every game is the last game, and each team just wants to keep playing. Join RTC as we go to the Rock tonight for Texas Tech at Seton Hall in the opening round of the 2010 National Invitational Tournament.

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RTC Live: Bracket Selection Special

Posted by nvr1983 on March 14th, 2010

We’re back for the last RTC Live before the NCAA Tournament begins. And when I say we’re back I mean it. For this special RTC Live we will be reuniting the original members of RTC (rtmsf and nvr1983) for the first time all-season on a RTC Live to analyze the bracket and what the analysts are saying about it. We will be starting at 5:45 to get a head start on the Selection Show although the way that Ohio State is working Minnesota CBS might just start the Selection Show early. So join us while we analyze the bracket in real-time, take your questions, and help your with your bracket.

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