Live Blogging the Conference Tournaments- Day 2

Yesterday, yours truly (Mark Buckets) live blogged the college basketball conference tournaments. It was the trial run for live blogging basketball games on Drive and Dish. But based on the results of extensive market and focus group feedback conducted by Drive and Dish founder and editor Trashtalk Superstar, we can report that it was a resounding success.

So let's do this again, people:

2:00PM- Tennessee holding serve against South Carolina. The Gamecocks have played a wonderful game thus far. Devan Downey is probably the best player you've never heard of. If USC could make their FTs, this game might have a different outcome. Right now, UT leads by 4 with about six to play.

2:00PM- It appears that the Big 10 Network have coaxed Comcast to allow their programming to be free of charge. Great timing boys. By the time the contract is finalized, the basketball season will be over.

2:01PM- The buzzards are circling around South Carolina. It's crunch time for them, as they trail by four with 3:15 to play. This hasn't been a good season for Dave Odom and company (Talent-wise, not a bad roster) but a win here would quell some of the pain of his tenure in Columbia.

2:03PM- Earlier in the Ohio State-Michigan State, Kosta Koufos left the crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse speechless as he slammed it home from a tough angle. They haven't had much to get excited about thus far in the Big 10 Tournament.

2:05PM- I was pretty harsh on the Michigan-Iowa game yesterday. Turns out, the Wisconsin-Michigan game came to an absolute crawl as the top-seeded Badgers "outran" Michigan by a score of 51-34. A little advice: Remove the shoulder pads and lift the lid off of the hoop. Just my two cents.

2:08PM- South Carolina has cut it to one with about 90 seconds remaining. Fans in Lawrence, Durham and Austin are crossing their fingers for a South Carolina victory. A Tennessee loss - which would drop them to a two seed - coupled with strong performances in their respective conference tourneys, and each team makes a strong case for a #1 seed. (Obviously, Texas and Kansas will battle it out for that opportunity.)

2:11PM- What a game in Atlanta. It's been a see-saw battle for most of the game and now the Gamecocks have a chance to pull the upset of the year.

2:13PM- The Gamecocks have inched ahead by one, 87-86. Digger Phelps apparently wants USC to foul Tennessee to quote "Extend the game." Digger, South Carolina is up one, why would they even FATHOM that thought?

2:14PM- I guess years of inhaling Mr.Sketch markers distorts reality a bit. Digger finally corrects himself, realizing that South Carolina was up one. D'oh!

2:15PM- Chris Lofton is lethal, draining a huge three and South Carolina is about to lose...

2:16PM- But wait, there's still 1.1 to go....

2:17PM- Fitting of South Carolina's season, the Gamecocks fail to get a shot off as the clock expires. Final Score: Tennessee-89 South Carolina-87

2:18PM- Pure sleaze(Bruce Pearl) wins over pure class(Dave Odom). The world just ain't right.

2:19PM- It is cliche to say, but you never know what can happen during Championship Week. During the NCAA Tournament - you'll get your first weekend upsets and maybe a second week - the cream eventually rises to the top. During Championship Week, however, lower seeds can advance and win their tournaments. Nevertheless, this is the best month of the year.

2:26PM- For the past two days, "Jim Rome is Burning" has been preempted by the Big Ten Tournament. For the life of me, I can't decipher the more painful proposition hmmmm...

2:27PM- Earlier today, Texas took out Oklahoma State in the Big XII Tournament. The result wasn't shocking, and winning here sets up Texas nicely for a rematch with Kansas Sunday afternoon. The time slot of the Championship Game often hurts the Big XII, with NCAA brackets taking shape well before the final whistle. I'll be interested to see how that shakes out.

2:30PM- The game between Miami and Va Tech could be a defacto elimination game. However, with a huge portion of "bubble" teams losing yesterday, the loser here could still back their way in.

2:38PM- Is there a more annoying voice on TV than Anish Shiroff of ESPNEWS? You're probably asking yourself "who in the hell is Anish Shiroff," and rightfully so. His voice makes Ron Burgandy's sound ligit. A little backround: He went to Syracuse. He was on that fabricated ESPN show "Dream Job." Picture this marquee sign: "Syracuse Broadcasting vs. Missouri Journalism. Winner gets to talk about their school the rest of the year."

2:43PM- A Lefty Drissell sighting in Charlotte. The old man is still pesky as ever, and seems to be in good health. Huge crowds convene around him whenever he makes public apperances. Be it the Final Four or the ACC Tournament, he's still a draw.