WCC TOURNAMENT

Reading that wiki page for next year, the play-in games are still on Wednesday, so P-nut got that wrong. Thursday is no men's games, as the women quarterfinals take place, then the men's quarterfinals on Friday. Semis on Saturday, final on Monday. So a bottom 4 team would have a much better chance to go through. you'd have to win 4 games, over 6 days, with only one back-to-back game.

PilotNut wrote:Final score: #9 LMU 60, #4 SCU 58!

LMU advances to play GU tomorrow at 6pm.

Congratulations to the Lions and their run! (Not to mention taking out my 2 least-favorite WCC coaches!)

So LMU has won three games in a row, and they have looked very athletic doing it. Their wins have not been flukes. Considering they could only win one game in the regular season, what does that says about Max Good's performance? Coming off a coach of the year season, his team seriously underperformed this year. He'll be 72 this year. Should LMU make a change?

Saw some LMU players walking through the casino today, including Anthony Ireland. He had his legs wrapped in ice packs, it looked like. I would think so. In the last three nights, he has played 39, 44, and 39 minutes.

If they didn't retail for $32 here at The Orleans, I'd buy an LMU T-shirt for tonight's game against GU. Very, very impessed with their performances and grit these last four nights!

(Relatively) subdued GU crowd so far.

GU 27 LMU 26 @ the half

Congrats to LMU for their performance in the tournament. It will go down as one of the gutsiest efforts since Pepperdine beat SCU with Steve Nash.

They will have won more games than the Champs, whoever they are.

And congrats to Max for getting them playing.

Congrats to the Zags for winning their first game since they were ranked #1, but judging from their performance tonight, USF will remain the only National Champs from the WCC.

Zags 66-48

SMC 69 - 66 USD. USD had a 3 point lead in the final seconds of regulation, but they let Matthew D take a 3pt, and he nailed it. Perhaps they should have fouled before the shot? Anyway, Johnny D missed a 3pt in the closing seconds. IMHO, he shot too soon (6 seconds left), and since they were tied, he could have driven and forced a foul. A couple USD strategic errors in regulation, and SMC upped their energy in OT to pull it out while USD was playing their 3rd game in 3 days.

So as expected, it's Gonzaga and SMC in the final....but the entire rest of the tournament has been anything but expected. Gonzaga only up one at the half against the Cinderella 9 seed. SMC needing OT to beat a USD team playing its third game in as many nights.

Been a fun tourney with the exception of the whole "Pilots being the first team out of it" thing.

Agreed. Lots of close games, including two overtimes. I think the format change that is coming will be good for the conference. The top two seeds deserve the advantage of playing lower seeds, but the double bye is too much help. LMU was absolutely exhausted in the 2nd half tonight, and I am sure it affected USD tonight.

LMU's Anthony Ireland for tournament MVP?

So far, no one more deserving---and it would be impossible for anyone else to play more minutes or contibute as much to their team.

I nominate SMC's Brad Waldo for most courageous player for scrambling to find his front tooth on the floor while bleeding from the mouth---then running down the court and handing his tooth to Coach Bennett.

He was finally benched for some treatment, but quickly came back into the game for SMC's stretch run.

His mom was NOT pleased!

His mom should have made him wear a mouth guard.

What big doesn't?

DoubleDipper wrote:LMU's Anthony Ireland for tournament MVP?

So far, no one more deserving---and it would be impossible for anyone else to play more minutes or contibute as much to their team.

This is a great point. No one else will lead their team to more wins.

They could give the award between games on Monday...

Well, LMU went down to Gonzaga which is really not shocking at all. I'm still kind of shocked LMU went as far as they did with such a short starting lineup. I wouldn't say that they underachieved during the regular season as much as they overachieved in the WCC tournament. Really surprising.

WCC Release

Not sure if this has been posted yet. WCC tourney to stay in Vegas through 2016. I'd like to go one of these years!

This is great news, IMO. The Orleans Arena is a good size for this event (not too big, not too small... and yes they could probably sell a few more tickets in a bigger place, but then you are playing in a cavernous & empty arena for most games).

The Orleans casino & hotel are a good fit, as well. There is plenty of free parking on site, easy access to the strip, etc... and being off-strip, the room rates are reasonable, as are the food & beverage options. (The buckets of beer are a good deal--much less than the $10 beer you find on the Strip). I have also found the employees of the Orleans (arena and casino/hotel) to generally be very helpful/professional/friendly.

Now, if we could just find me some better luck at the Pai Gow tables...

Las Vegas isn't exactly a craft beer Mecca, though.

PurpleGeezer wrote:Las Vegas isn't exactly a craft beer Mecca, though.

You live in the Mecca. I think you can stand to leave for a couple days a year...

PilotNut wrote:

PurpleGeezer wrote:Las Vegas isn't exactly a craft beer Mecca, though.

You live in the Mecca. I think you can stand to leave for a couple days a year...

I'm sure he'd be willing to leave October 10-12 for a trip to Denver.

PilotNut wrote:This is great news, IMO. The Orleans Arena is a good size for this event (not too big, not too small... and yes they could probably sell a few more tickets in a bigger place, but then you are playing in a cavernous & empty arena for most games).

The Orleans casino & hotel are a good fit, as well. There is plenty of free parking on site, easy access to the strip, etc... and being off-strip, the room rates are reasonable, as are the food & beverage options. (The buckets of beer are a good deal--much less than the $10 beer you find on the Strip). I have also found the employees of the Orleans (arena and casino/hotel) to generally be very helpful/professional/friendly.

Now, if we could just find me some better luck at the Pai Gow tables...

Damn, I wish I was there

Next year for sure!

PilotNut wrote:

PurpleGeezer wrote:Las Vegas isn't exactly a craft beer Mecca, though.

You live in the Mecca. I think you can stand to leave for a couple days a year...

Look.

When the best beer offerings are a bucket of Bud Light, and the top ten places includes two Aces and Ales and Lee's Discount Liquors, and the brewpub names start with Casino and why bother?
http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/35

If you ask for something with hops they give you a Pogo stick.

McMullans Irish Pub, across the side street from The Orleans ( http://www.mcmullansirishpub.com/index.shtml ) has a fair beer list, by Vegas standards, including Smithwicks. Oh, and several tables have beer taps built right in, for convenience.

I also forgot to mention the The Orleans also has a reasonably-priced, full service liquor store on premises. (My "free" drinks while gaming would be much cheaper if I would just buy them there to begin with...)

Not much beer that I like in the Orleans liquor store. You can't even get a last resort Sam Adams, which almost everywhere sells.

So you're saying there's not an entire side of a refrigerated grocery aisle dedicated just to beer? Then it should be possible to try every beer in the whole city! Something you'll never accomplish in Portland.