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Most of us have had the same complaints in recent years. College basketball has gotten slower and less fun. The tempo is down, the whistles are up, and there's a timeout every 45 seconds or so. A given game could produce 40 fouls and 50 free throws, last nearly two and a half hours, and produce a 68-64 final score. The payoff for following the sport isn't as grand as it once seemed to be. And if you're a Missouri fan, that feeling goes double. Triple, maybe.
The relationship has grown stale, in other words. But if that's ever going to change, it's during Championship Week and the NCAA Tournament. On Saturday, the number of games continues to trickle down while the stakes ratchet up. Kentucky's going to beat Auburn by 60, but otherwise there should be some awesome basketball today.
Let's see if we can't fall in love with this sport all over again.
Today's happy links
Davidson beats La Salle at the buzzer.
Oklahoma beats itself at the buzzer!
Basically, yesterday was a spectacular day of hoops as long as you don't acknowledge that the Auburn-LSU game (of which I somehow watched almost every second) actually happened.
Today's action
| CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY Sat, Mar 14, 2015 |
|||
| America East Conference Championship | |||
10 a.m. CT
|
 (3) Stony Brook (23-10, 12-4 AEC) |
at |
(1) Albany (23-8, 15-1 AEC) |
| Big Ten Conference Semifinal | |||
noon CT
|
 (4) Purdue (21-11, 12-6 Big 10) |
vs |
 (1) Wisconsin (29-3, 16-2 Big 10) |
| Mid-Eastern Conference Championship | |||
| noon CT
|
(6) Hampton (15-17, 8-8 MEAC) |
vs |
(5) Delaware State (18-16, 9-7 MEAC) |
| Southeastern Conference Semifinal | |||
noon CT
|
 (13) Auburn (15-19, 4-14 SEC) |
vs |
 (1) Kentucky (32-0, 18-0 SEC) |
| Atlantic Ten Conference Semifinal | |||
12:30 p.m. CT
|
(5) VCU (24-9, 12-6 A10) |
vs |
(1) Davidson (24-6, 14-4 A10) |
| Sun Belt Conference Semifinal | |||
1:00 p.m. CT
|
(4) UL-Lafayette (20-12, 13-7 SBC) |
vs |
(1) Georgia State (22-9, 15-5 SBC) |
| American Athletic Conference Semifinal | |||
| 2 p.m. CT
|
(4) Temple (23-9, 13-5 AAC) |
vs |
(1) SMU (25-6, 15-3 AAC) |
| Southeastern Conference Semifinal | |||
| 2:00 p.m. CT
|
 (3) Georgia (21-10, 11-7 SEC) |
vs |
 (2) Arkansas (25-7, 13-5 SEC) |
| Big Ten Conference Semifinal | |||
| 2:25pm CT
|
 (3) Michigan State (22-10, 12-6 Big 10) |
vs |
 (2) Maryland (26-5, 14-4 Big 10) |
| Conference USA Championship | |||
2:30 p.m. CT
|
(6) MTSU (19-15, 9-9 CUSA) |
vs |
(4) UAB (18-15, 12-6 CUSA) |
| Atlantic Ten Conference Semifinal | |||
| 3 p.m. CT
|
(3) Rhode Island (21-8, 13-5 A10) |
vs |
(2) Dayton (24-7, 13-5 A10) |
| Ivy League Playoff | |||
| 3 p.m. CT
|
Harvard (21-7, 11-3 Ivy) |
vs |
Yale (22-9, 11-3 Ivy) |
| Sun Belt Conference Semifinal | |||
| 3:30 p.m. CT
|
(3) UL-Monroe (21-11, 14-6 SBC) |
vs |
(2) Georgia Southern (21-8, 14-6 SBC) |
| American Athletic Conference Semifinal | |||
| 4 p.m. CT
|
 (6) Connecticut (19-13, 10-8 AAC) |
vs |
(2) Tulsa (22-9, 14-4 AAC) |
| Big 12 Conference Championship | |||
| 5 p.m. CT
|
 (2) Iowa State (24-8, 12-6 Big 12) |
vs |
 (1) Kansas (26-7, 13-5 Big 12) |
| Mountain West Conference Championship | |||
| 5 p.m. CT
|
 (4) Wyoming (24-9, 11-7 MWC) |
vs |
(2) San Diego St (26-7, 14-4 MWC) |
| Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship | |||
5:30 p.m. CT
|
(3) Southern (18-16, 13-5 SWAC) |
vs |
(1) Texas Southern (21-12, 16-2 SWAC) |
| Mid-American Conference Championship | |||
| 6:30 p.m. CT
|
 (2) Buffalo (22-9, 12-6 MAC) |
vs |
 (1) C. Michigan (23-7, 12-6 MAC) |
| Big East Conference Championship | |||
| 7 p.m. CT
|
 (6) Xavier (20-12, 9-9 Big East) |
vs |
 (1) Villanova (30-2, 16-2 Big East) |
| Atlantic Coast Conference Championship | |||
| 7:30 p.m. CT
|
 (5) North Carolina (24-10, 11-7 ACC) |
vs |
 (3) Notre Dame (28-5, 14-4 ACC) |
| Big Sky Conference Championship | |||
| 8 p.m. CT
|
(1) E. Washington (25-8, 14-4 Big Sky) |
AT |
(1) Montana (20-11, 14-4 Big Sky) |
| Southland Conference Championship | |||
| 8:30 p.m. CT
|
(2) Sam Houston St (25-7, 15-3 Big 12) |
vs |
(1) SF Austin (28-4, 17-1 SLC) |
| Pac-12 Conference Championship | |||
| 10 p.m. CT
|
 (4) Oregon (25-8, 13-5 Pac-12) |
vs |
 (1) Arizona (30-3, 16-2 Pac-12) |
| Western Athletic Conference Championship | |||
| 10 p.m. CT
|
(2) Seattle (16-14, 7-7 WAC) |
vs |
(1) New Mexico St (22-10, 13-1 WAC) |
| Big West Conference Championship | |||
| 10:30 p.m. CT
|
(4) Hawai'i (22-12, 8-8 Big West) |
vs |
(1) Cal-Irvine (20-12, 11-5 Big West) |
Together, we will learn to love again.
