I know we’re all anxious for the releasing of the brackets, but I have been meaning to put up some reader photos for a few days now. David Dressel is a reader/commenter here at CHJ, and he hit up Allen Field House for a couple of games at the end of KU’s regular season.

I’m very grateful for all of you that check in on the site on a daily basis but don’t comment (I see the stats, I know you’re out there!) So if any of you are ever at an event and take photos, just send ‘em to editor@collegehoopsjournal.com and I’ll put them up on the site.

A few of David’s photos from the trip are after the jump.  (more…)

I was going to post earlier, but why not cram it all into one? Today I got back down to press row, so that was a big plus. The afternoon action was certainly more thrilling and crowd-involved than yesterday’s, too. Also, we’ve officially had our first “upset” of the Big East tournament with West Virginia’s thorough handling of UConn.  A few pictures I got before my camera died are on the other side. It also just dawned on me: I think I’m the only person that’s not getting paid to do this. I think I like that feeling. (more…)

I’ve gotten back into the belly of the “world’s most famous arena” and I guess I’ll watch some more basketball. I suppose. If it’s not too much trouble.

We’re about 45 minutes away from Villanova-Georgetown, and I think I’m the most excited for that one. I’m sans actual tickets today, so I’m hanging on by the strength of this Big East (sorry, BIG EAST) lanyard in order to keep you updated. Let’s hope MSG staff is willing to cooperate.

I was a goof and forgot to pick up some AA batteries, so I’m not sure how much camera life I have left, but I’ll try and get a few more clicks in for ya as well.

And I’m going to put up a new bubble post in a few minutes, because it deserves to be updated by now.

The best news: All of the big tournaments start today! We are officially one week away from the start of The Tournament.

It was pretty interesting to bounce around the bowels of the Garden yesterday, soaking all of the media experience in and seeing how exciting (and at the same time boring) the first day of the Big East tournament can be. I’ve got plenty of pictures on the other side, so take a peek. (more…)

Nothing beats your brother calling you during the middle of a game and asking, “Dude, are you watching right now?”

It’s amazing how many sports reporters have mustaches.

Luke Winn of SI.com is about 10 feet to my right (he’s sans facial follicles), but he appears busy with his paid-to-blog business, so I’ll let him be for now. However, I still do need a USB cable to get some of these pictures up, so maybe he’d be so kind.

West Virginia just defeated Providence in a game where, I think it’s safe to say, WVU escaped. The win puts them into The Tournament, though one reporter asked Huggy Bear in the post-game presser if he thought his team needed this win to cement their place. I paraphrase:

“You win 11 games in this league, why wouldn’t you make the NCAA tournament?”

Oh Bob, we were hoping you’d be a little more animated than that, but perhaps he also knows that his team almost was put firmly on the bubble by Providence.

I don’t have a USB cord to show you any pictures right now, but rest assured: I am at Madison Square Garden and am covertly blogging from the inside! Yes, I’m in the media rotunda and it’s quite hectic (yet quite at the same time).

I’ve broken into enemy territory!

What a boner-killer that second half was, right? From a first-and, 10-feet-away account, I can tell you that the Orange were noticeably confused and frustrated with each other on defense.

As for the media … there are a lot of chunky men here, and many of them are grumpy. As for fuel, they’re currently serving a few soft drinks, soda, cold pasta, a huge salad mix and about 25 pounds of that instant mashed potato mix. (See, it’s really not all THAT great to be with the media, but you knew that.) I sat in on the ‘Nova and ‘Cuse pressers, but the only notable thing worth mentioning is that Paul Harris said he would not be watching the Selection Show this year. He definitely alluded to the fact that he doubts Syracuse is getting in. (Who can blame him?)

I’m going to try and hunt down a USB cord from some nice photo guy and update these photos before I get back to my friend’s apartment tonight. I also hope they don’t throw me out in the process. Wish me luck. Oh, and if you’re able to watch the games now, I’m the guy in the light blue shirt on the left side of the court near the bottom. My hair’s a little poofy today, so forgive me.

Time to go catch the second half of Providence/WVU.

I’ll be firmly planted in my couch for the entire Tournament and writing for you from home, so I deduced that I had get away from Connecticut and do some leg work for the site. I woke up in Manhattan today, and it’s pretty cool to feel a little buzz in the air about the Big East tournament.

I’ll be at Madison Square Garden for today—and maybe tomorrow—covering the action and attempting to bother Bill Raftery before the games start (pro-FESSIONAL!). So look for some updates late in the night after I’ve gotten back to the computer at my friend’s apartment (thanks, Shaz!). I’ll try to include anything that you may or may have not seen at MSG.

And don’t ask me how, but I’ve stumbled upon court-side seats, so I hope I can get some great photos for the site. Also—and here’s what I’m really hoping for—I may be in line to get press access. Don’t worry, I’m a step ahead of you: I’ve already thought about how I’ll try to piss off Jim Boeheim on the ESPN News postgame press conference.

This week is such a great appetizer.

No, I’m not in the bag for the Rams, but it just so happens that some of my friends have been going to games in the past week. Hey, I don’t have much else to put up here as Saturday unfolds itself on the tubes.

Anyway, Kevin Duffy is an undergrad at the University of Connecticut. He occasionally writes for nbadraft.net and attended the fantastic UMass-URI tilt on Thursday night at the Ryan Center in Kingston. I asked him to recount anything funny or interesting from the experience. Instead, he related almost everything to UConn. Freaking Huskies fans.

Anyway, his report is after the jump.

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I told you about my former college buddy who is a die-hard URI fan (though we both attended a D-III school in southwest Connecticut). Well, he (Justin) decided to take a trip to the Family Guy State on Monday and catch both the G’Town-Providence and Xavier-Rhode Island tilts. I asked him to bring a camera to capture the event so vividly and enable me to share his experiences with all who stop by this little shack every day.

Justin forgot the camera. I wish the above photo was compliments of him, but it is not. I still think the guy owes me about 10 frozen pizzas in lost bets from the past three years, so it might’ve been a pipe dream to begin with.

In fact, I’m pretty sure he just finished writing this recap while drunk off of Pabst and eating some DiGiorno’s. Either way, his words are after the jump.

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Nothing groundbreaking here, but a few photos from the game yesterday. To begin, we have Billy Packer seemingly laughing at a child (off camera) who cannot find his parents. (more…)