First of all, this is no place for college basketball. It’s too vast. Wait until you see it on television tomorrow. In some venues, the fans are right on top of the action. Here, they might as well be in Kalamazoo. There will be no atmosphere, which belies the fact that 70,000 or so people will be at Ford Field for the games. I’m not a big fan of this place. I’m sure it’s a wonderful place for the Detroit Lions, but there are just a few too many Lions vibes around here for my tastes.
Don’t really have a feel for the city yet, as all I’ve done is take a cab from the airport to our downtown hotel, the Marriott, and ride the media shuttle to Ford Field. I’m not sure I want a feel for the city, although a few of “the guys” are probably headed somewhere tonight to watch the NCAA games. Can’t wait to see the Louisville-Tennessee and North Carolina-Washington State games. Of course, I’m interested in Xavier-West Virginia, too. Bob Huggins can flat coach. I wonder what Kansas State would have done with Huggins on the bench this season? That’s not a slap to Frank Martin, but Huggins is one of the best coaches in the game. I think K-State would have done better than 9-7 in the Big 12 and I think the Wildcats would still be around in the NCAA Tournament if Huggins hadn’t bolted for his alma mater.
It’s been snowing here for the past several hours. And not just a little bit. I wonder if the media people in Charlotte, Phoenix and Houston are dealing with snow? My guess is that they’re not.
Our contingent down here is a good one. Kansas State beat writer Jeffrey Martin is bringing his immense talent to covering Kansas the rest of the way. Of course, we have the tireless Rick Plumlee, who in my opinion is one of the best beat reporters at any paper in the country. And Scott Paske is here to take care of the stuff only Scott Paske can take care of. He’s working on a feature about Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds for tomorrow’s paper. Of course, photographers Jeff Tuttle and Travis Heying are on the scene, as well. Those guys sure do take pretty pictures.
There’s a little bit of a weird setup here for the media (as if you care). The workroom is in the basement of Ford Field; the interview area is two floors up. I’m just saying it’s weird, not bad. I don’t mind Final Fours being played in indoor football facilities. But I still think regionals should be held in basketball venues, just in case the folks at the NCAA are reading this and want my opinion.
This is an exciting time of the year for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I’m fortunate enough to get to cover the NCAA Tournament, my favorite event. But it also means basketball season is nearly over and there’s that week of time off coming in April that I look forward to so much. I’m planning on pulling out the clubs then and trying to get a little better at golf. Last year, I didn’t play nearly enough and my game suffered.
OK, enough for now. I’ll check in tomorrow, before the games. There will be plenty of time, since the Wisconsin-Davidson game doesn’t tip off until after 7 p.m. (EDT). KU gets going at 9:40, which means deadline pressure. One of these days, I’m going to fold under that pressure.