The 5th Annual: Buffet Live Blog!

You didn't ask for it.

You didn't know it was coming.

You may not have wanted it.

But, you will be entertained by it.

Or, you can just not read it.

THE 2012 XII DAYS OF CONFERENCE TOURNEYS BUFFET LIVE BLOG

3:12pm: Murray St and Tennessee State about to kick off the 2nd half. This just became the most important 10 minutes for the Bubble this season. Tenn State wins, you can tick off one of those last 4 teams in and send them directly to First 4 Out.

3:14pm Xavier. It's gross. Seriously. You fought. You handled it weird. Your school handled it worse. Time to get over it.

3:17: Georgetown is NOT the second best team in the Big East, Marquette is.

3:18: Honestly, is it the color blue? What is it about the Tennessee State that not only puts Murray is just out of sorts, but makes them commit silly, senseless turnovers. No rhythm, giving the ball away, and if you let Robert Covington loose, you won't be the OVC tournament champs

3:20: Covington just picked up foul #3, 16 minutes left. That could be more decisive than anything Murray State does themselves

3:23 Shamrock shakes are back! Do you think the Boulder City, Nevada McDonald's has finally for Arizona road trippers heading northwest for free money?

3;25: 7 point game in Nashville. But Cinvington just picked up his 4th foul. Honestly, what is he thinking? Your coach trusts you. You don't challenge shot and lead with your thigh. Dumb

4:02: Wow. Jewuan Long. Invisible most of the game. He and Donte Poole have picked up Isaiah Canaan during a rare off-game. 54-52 Murray St, with 1.1 seconds to go. Tennessee State ball under the basket

4:06: Xavier got over it. Win doesn't necessarily "help" them, but a loss would've crushed them.

4:07: Murray State wins the OVC. 2 plates handed out today. And a collective sigh of relief was just heard all over the country.

4:08: Washington about to lose a game they can ill-afford. I like it. A hatchet job of an article. I mean, really, show me a college program where preferential treatment isn't given to superstars and coaches are forced to look the other way more often than not, and I'll show you a program doing a better job of hiding it. If this is the UCLA team who went to multiple final fours under Howland, that article never happens

4:19 ahhh, that's more like it, it wouldn't be Arch Madness if the top seed and tournament lock didn't get disinterested long before the tournament final. Illinois State leads Wichita St 59-58, 7:43 left

4:29: Not enough people are talking about Marquette. They are the second best team in the Big East.

4:13: That's goaltending Fab, not a good play.

4:40: Bless you ESPN3, like giving a methhead his personal lab below his house. And, yes, the Buffet might overdose. Will any reader start a anti-ESPN3 campaign like the AZ anti-meth campaign of a few years back. 64-63 Shocker, 18.1 left, Illinois State ball, under their own basket.

4:46: Wow. wow. wow. Tyler Brown nails 2 free throws. Illinois State up 1. Toure' Murray has a great look, but comes up short. Ball out of bounds to the Shockers. But the controversy is the small delay when Wichita grabbed the in bound and when the ball went out. 1.1 seconds left.

4:49: Arch Madness sounds like a clever name some marketing firm came up with. Really, it's just plain apt. Gregg Marshall draws up a great play, we'll call him the anti-Stan Heath today. Garrett Stutz gets a great look, but it falls just short. Clock expires and Illinois State moves on to the Missouri Valley tournament final. Creighton v. Evansville later today, the Blue Jays playing for the title, their tournament seed and the hearts and minds of Waiting Line... teams everywhere.

4:49.10: Creighton's following just increased by a factor of 1000

5:00: Fun to get to watch Iona again, their games are just not stop

5:25: This just in, Louisville's offense is gross.

5:30: I am SIENA.

5:40: Tennessee is going to make the Buffet care about them, aren't they? Now, all sorts of respect for Cuonzo Martin

5:53: Forgot how much I loved the MAAC tournament coverage. WELCOME TO MAACACHUSETTS

5:54: Momo Jones sighting! Arizona fans rejoice!

6:03: Tennessee upends Vandy on senior night in Knoxville - Cuonzo likes February and March. And remember this is a different team with Jarnell Stokes than without, that could play a role. See how they do in the SEC tournament.

6:05: I will say, Jay Bilas is getting savvier and savvier discussing the tournament selection process. He's absolutely right, UConn's win over Pitt is bit embellish when you laud it too much, and when teams like Texas, USF, Arizona, Northwestern and Colorado St are bubblicious, UConn is a lock.

6:14: Creighton 49-31 Evansville at halftime. Since Wichita just made Sunday a day of sweat, at a minimum, Creighton losing would guarantee a stolen bid as well as 0.2 share for CBS' ratings.

6:33: I'm not saying it had to get inappropriate - but isn't Erin Andrews offering an autograph for the last Diet Mountain Dew EVER just a little pretentious and underwhelming?

6:50: 4 minutes until Duke/UNC? How did I not know this game was happening? I guess ESPN decided not to hype it all

6:57: Reaction #2: Yawnnnnnn. Oh, I'm sorry ESPN, were you trying to elicit a different response?

6:57: Coach K is walking! Suspense. Well, at least we know his team didn't stink this year. Or else he'd be out with a back injury.

7:01: Speaking of which, anyone else notice Jim Calhoun had back surgery and he was back in 5 days. Coach K had back surgery and he was out as long as it took Duke University to purge itself of the crappy players he had recruited.

7:02: Remember when Roy Williams didn't "give a shit about North Carolina, Bonnie"? The Buffet still doesn't.

7:30: Harvard races out to a big lead, can clinch a share tonight with a win. Lots of vitriol headed Amaker's way recently. Don't quite get it - this is Harvard, And I don't mean that derisively - they're playing at a level they're unaccustomed to in Cambridge, people ought to stop analyzing in the micro so much.

7:34: FLORIDA GULF COAST! Guessed the Buffet targeted the wrong Upstart. But we've now watched 43-47 of this teams last 50 minutes, and WE BELIEVE

7:35: Duke may make a run, not counting them out. BUT, this game has the total feel of a game that won't be close but those delusional fans and the even more delusional color commentator will be yelling for the next hour, twenty minutes, and make us think the game is still relevant.

7:35:15: Turn to ESPN2 for relevance: GULF COAST!

7:45: Penn up 8 on Yale, we're still on pace for the great Ivy Playoff. You don't tournaments, smart guys? We will make you have tournaments.

7:48 Cool fact - Belmont star Kerron Johnson beat out DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe for Mr. Basketball Alabama 3 years ago

7:50 Rick Byrd just put on a coaching clinic, 10-2 run to close the half, Belmont only trails by 4, 42-39 at halftime, now we throw it back to the studio where the former voice of WWE Monday Night Raw will take us through the day's action

7:51 Aren't you embarassed if you are part of a crowd where the coach comes out on the court to tell you to stop a chant? Or part of a culture where that even happens? We apologize Duke followers of the Buffet. Sort of.

7:53: The biggest sports network in the world has spent the week and $$$ promoting this game. They pretty much sell their souls for you. And you can't muster a few words at halftime because you're getting blown out? Lame Coach K, lame.

7:56: LOVE it. Ray McCallum v. D'Aundray Brown in the first Horizon semi. Buffet pick v. Upset special 49-47 Detroit, 4:00 left.

8:11: Jeremy Montgomery just hit a crazy three ... but he a strong reason why Cleveland State is in this predicament. The head scratching foul of Ray McCallum, down 2, 50 seconds left, non-trapping situation in the backcourt. Then, Detroit deflects the ball, it heads out of bounds, and Montgomery tries to save it and steps out, costing Cleveland St the possession

8:13: Detroit fouls on a 3 with 10 seconds left up 4? Good lord.

8:14: Again, know the rule color commentators, as long as it isn't blatantly intentional, there is no "before the throw-in" rule in college.

8:15 Detroit misses the first, best they can do is go up 3, 9.6 seconds left

8:16 Here we go - Cleveland St ball, trying to tie...

8:17: BLOCKED. Incredible play by LeMarcus Lowe. D'Aundray is not happy. Cleveland State is not winning. The Buffet's Upset Special rolls on!

8:29: Belmont starting to flex their muscles, first time all weekend FGCU has been on their heels, and it shows, lots of rushed 3s, tipped passed, plays without confidence. 55-50 Belmont, 11 min left.

8:33: Honestly, how many times does a coach not a call a obviously necessary timeout because of a impending tv timeout, only to be forced to call it seconds later when his time bleeds further? Enough already.

9:10 Texas playing their, free shot at a bid game. A loss changes nothing, a win and you can use their name with pen.

9:46 San Francisco didn't like their rude guests and are acting like it in Vegas, they led 38-34 at the half.

10:23: wow that injury for Wagmene was horrible to see.

10:56 from a depressed Buffet, but Thomas Robinson's free throw shooting is a potential issue.

11:03: how bitter? Watching KU/Tx with a KU fan - and we discuss the BXII tourney site. It's KC. The Buffet says, "oh, so as long as you don't face Davidson, you guys will be ok?". BITTER.

11:16: pretty sure Kansas just put in T-Rob's son. Wow is that kid young.

11:19: do those DIRECTV commercials elicit an irrationally angry reaction from everyone or just

The Buffet? Paging Time Warner...

11:45: Brandon Davies warming up ... Has he had pre-marital sec tonight?

1:34: no one. NO ONE calls their insurance agent at 3am. Just doesn't happen.

2:14: ok, readership - lets say it together, it's fun - PAN - GOS