RTC Live is proud to have the entire NCAA Tournament covered from First Four to Final Four this season. Our correspondents have scattered throughout the nation in order to report from the most consistently entertaining and fulfilling American sporting event. The format of our NCAA version of RTC Live is a little different than what we do during the regular season — rather than focusing separately on individual games, we will instead utilize our multiple correspondents who are courtside at each site to report from all of the games in a given session. For example, this afternoon we will be reporting on the ins and outs from the eight Second Round games in Chicago, Charlotte, Cleveland and Tulsa; later this evening we’ll be back with another RTC Live session to cover the evening games. To make this as interactive as possible, we welcome questions and commentary from those of you out there watching on television or tracking from your computers — let us act as your eyes and ears from the court level. Join us all day as we drown ourselves in a hoops bacchanalia!

Evening Schedule

• 6:50 pm – BU vs. Kansas
• 7:15 pm – LIU vs. UNC
• 7:20 pm – St Peters vs. Purdue
• 7:27 pm – Marquette vs. Xavier
• 9:20 pm – Illinois vs. UNLV
• 9:45 pm – Georgia vs. Washington
• 9:50 pm – VCU vs. Georgetown
• 9:57 pm – Indiana St vs. Syracuse
  

RTC Live is proud to have the entire NCAA Tournament covered from First Four to Final Four this season.  Our correspondents have scattered throughout the nation in order to report from the most consistently entertaining and fulfilling American sporting event.  The format of our NCAA version of RTC Live is a little different than what we do during the regular season — rather than focusing separately on individual games, we will instead utilize our multiple correspondents who are courtside at each site to report from all of the games in a given session.  For example, this afternoon we will be reporting on the ins and outs from the eight Second Round games in Chicago, Charlotte, Cleveland and Tulsa; later this evening we’ll be back with another RTC Live session to cover the evening games.  To make this as interactive as possible, we welcome questions and commentary from those of you out there watching on television or tracking from your computers — let us act as your eyes and ears from the court level.  Join us all day as we drown ourselves in a hoops bacchanalia!

Afternoon Schedule

• 12:15 pm – Oakland vs. Texas
• 12:40 pm – Tennessee vs. Michigan
• 1:40 pm – Akron vs. Notre Dame
• 2:10 pm – Villanova vs. George Mason
• 2:45 pm – Memphis vs. Arizona
• 3:10 pm – Hampton vs. Duke
• 4:10 pm – Florida St vs. Texas A&M
• 4:40 pm – UTSA vs. Ohio St
  

 

RTC Live is proud to have the entire NCAA Tournament covered from First Four to Final Four this season.  Our correspondents have scattered throughout the nation in order to report from the most consistently entertaining and fulfilling American sporting event.  The format of our NCAA version of RTC Live is a little different than what we do during the regular season — rather than focusing separately on individual games, we will instead utilize our multiple correspondents who are courtside at each site to report from all of the games in a given session.  For example, this afternoon we will be reporting on the ins and outs from the eight Second Round games in Tampa, Washington, Denver and Tucson; later this evening we’ll be back with another RTC Live session to cover the evening games.  To make this as interactive as possible, we welcome questions and commentary from those of you out there watching on television or tracking from your computers — let us act as your eyes and ears from the court level.  Join us all day as we drown ourselves in a hoops bacchanalia (green color is purely coincidental)!

Evening Schedule

• 6:50 pm – Florida vs. UC Santa Barabara
• 7:15 pm – BYU vs. Wofford
• 7:20 pm – UConn vs. Bucknell
• 7:27 pm – Wisconsin vs. Belmont
• 9:20 pm – UCLA vs. Michigan State
• 9:45 pm – St Johns vs. Gonzaga
• 9:50 pm – Cincinnati vs. Missouri
• 9:57 pm – Kansas State vs. Utah State

 

RTC Live is proud to have the entire NCAA Tournament covered from First Four to Final Four this season.  Our correspondents have scattered throughout the nation in order to report from the most consistently entertaining and fulfilling American sporting event.  The format of our NCAA version of RTC Live is a little different than what we do during the regular season — rather than focusing separately on individual games, we will instead utilize our multiple correspondents who are courtside at each site to report from all of the games in a given session.  For example, this afternoon we will be reporting on the ins and outs from the eight Second Round games in Tampa, Washington, Denver and Tucson; later this evening we’ll be back with another RTC Live session to cover the evening games.  To make this as interactive as possible, we welcome questions and commentary from those of you out there watching on television or tracking from your computers — let us act as your eyes and ears from the court level.  Join us all day as we drown ourselves in a hoops bacchanalia (green color is purely coincidental)!

Afternoon Schedule

• 12:15 pm – Clemson vs. West Virginia
• 12:40 pm – Butler vs. Old Dominion
• 1:40 pm – Louisville vs. Morehead State
• 2:10 pm – Temple vs. Penn State
• 2:45 pm – Kentucky vs. Princeton
• 3:10 pm – Pittsburgh vs. UNC-Asheville
• 4:10 pm – Vandy vs. Richmond
• 4:40 pm – San Diego State vs. Northern Colorado

Tonight, two more from the First Four in Dayton. First, at 6:30 PM ET, SWAC Tournament champions Alabama State take on Texas-San Antonio, winners of the Southland Conference tournament. ASU prides itself on its defense, ranking in the top 30 nationally in turnovers forced and 2FG%. The Roadrunners, on the other hand, are more of a balanced squad and will look to speed things up. The Hornets won’t shy from a fast pace, but as good as their defense within the three-point arc is, their defense of the three point shot ranks as one of the worst in the game, so you can bet UTSA will look for long range opportunities in transition. The winner gets overall #1 Ohio State on Friday.

The second game has a pair of at-large bid earners battling for the right to face Georgetown in Chicago in 48 hours. Nikola Vucevic averaged a double-double (17.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG) this year and Alex Stepheson (10/9.2) wasn’t far from one, but they and the rest of their USC mates will have their hands full trying to keep up with a VCU team that launches threes with abandon. It will also be interesting to see if the Rams play with a bit of a chip on their collective shoulder; since the bracket was released on Sunday, VCU (along with UAB) has been treated like an uninvited guest who shows up at a party and then promptly knocks over the drink table.

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Welcome to…history.

RTC is proud to be in Dayton for the debut of the First Four. No mere kickoff event, this, and certainly no play-in set of games, so don’t even call it that. This is the official first round of the NCAA Tournament. Each of the two days will feature a game between two winners of smaller-conference tournaments followed by a game pitting two of the last four at-larges granted admission. On Tuesday, Solomon Bozeman leads his Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans and one of the best three point shooting teams in the nation (their 39.8% from range was 12th in the country) against Big South Tournament champions UNC-Asheville, who will try to keep the pace quick and coax unforced errors out of UALR (UNCA forced 17 turnovers per game against its opponents, 7th nationally). After that one, UAB and their trio of double-figure scorers — namely, Jamarr Sanders (17.7 PPG), Cameron Moore (14.3 PPG, 9.3 RPG) and Aaron Johnson (12.0 PPG, 7.7 APG) — take on Clemson, a team whose defense held opponents to 0.898 points per possession during the season, 10th in the nation. The first game tips off at 6:30 PM ET on TruTV. We hope you’ll have us alongside for both of them, and join in the conversation. Let’s Dance!

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For all of us around here, it’s Christmas, our birthday, graduation and St. Patty’s all in one — Selection Sunday.  A true national holiday.  Let’s celebrate with some analysis and chat throughout the show this evening.  Join us!

Game #220: The eyes of the college basketball world are on Indianapolis for other reasons, today. But first, there’s the small matter of the Big Ten Tournament title game.

Here’s the biggest reason why this will be an interesting one: Ohio State knows its status. It’s not just a 1-seed. It’s the 1-seed. Even a loss here won’t change that. They’re playing for the right to print t-shirts, cut nets, and to take home that big brass and wood trophy sitting about 30 feet from where I type this. Penn State is playing for all of that, and maybe even their Tournament existence. Can the Buckeyes avoid playing this game without one eye focused on a bracket that’s being pieced together mere minutes from here? You know where the Nittany Lions’ focus is. Join us just before 3:30 PM ET as we see how it plays out.

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Game #219.  The top two programs in the SEC meet on Sunday afternoon with a championship on the line.

In yesterday’s semifinal matchup with Vanderbilt, Florida guards Kenny Boynton and Erving Walker took over in the second half to recover from a 12-point deficit.  The two guards shot a combined 8-15 from behind the arc, an uncharacteristic number from a pair that often struggles from three.  The team as a whole shot 11-21 from three.  The Gators had to make a second consecutive second half comeback to get the win.  Kentucky on the other hand easily cruised past SEC West leader Alabama, leading at one point by as many as many as 26.  Kentucky Coach Calipari shrugged the performance off as one of those days where you just can’t go wrong saying, “We’d have smacked anybody the way we played today.”  He also expressed his displeasure with Kentucky’s seven turnovers saying that only having seven turnovers is a sign his team isn’t playing fast enough.  Not a lot of coaches out there demanding more turnovers.

Today in the SEC Championship we have the two best teams in the league.  They split wins during the season with the home team winning each time.  These two programs have learned a special disgust for each other.  Yesterday during the Florida/Vanderbilt game a picture of Joakim Noah was displayed on the giant screen as the SEC Tournament stars were honored.  That picture caused loud boos from the many Kentucky fans in attendance, so many that they drowned out the Florida cheers.  This should be an exciting matchup.  Kentucky wins it 71-68.

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Game #217.  These two teams have played once or twice before, right?  RTC Live will experience its first such battle.

Isn’t this the matchup that everyone really wanted deep down? Carolina and Duke, bitterest rivals, settling their split series in the conference finals. The Coliseum is going to be packed and it is going to be loud. Duke, despite the thumping they took in Chapel Hill, is still the better team on paper. Despite Jimmer and Kemba’s masterwork performances, Nolan Smith isn’t done making his case as the best player in college basketball. Yet a surging and emergent Harrison Barnes spell trouble for this Duke team. Carolina is playing like they believe they can’t lose and, given the finishes in their other tournament games, who can blame them? Singler may be the deciding factor. Duke doesn’t need a great game from him to win games, as they showed today against Virginia Tech, but it sure helps. Singler has struggled against the defense of Barnes and John Henson, both possessing the speed and length to match up effectively. Carolina has established itself as the better team on defense, but Duke is no slouch on defense and throughout this season, their offense has been consistently better. Duke wants to prove that they deserve a number one seed, and North Carolina wants to go from being a “dark horse” Final Four pick to an acknowledged member of this year’s most elite teams. Of course this is Duke and Carolina: There may be other stakes, but this games is about pride. For the rest of us, it’s one last scintillating spectacle before the Big Dance starts.

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