[JohnR34231]

UCLA has lost at least 3 buzzer beaters this year.   Ouch.  

(this one,  us and usc.  Maybe twice to usc)

Yeah, I figured since UCLA had a lot of experience with down to the wire games and Gonzaga didn't, it might be in the Bruins favor.
They missed a chance for a last second win in regulation, though, and Gonzaga had the same opportunity in OT and took advantage.

[JohnR34231]

UCLA has lost at least 3 buzzer beaters this year.   Ouch.  

(this one,  us and usc.  Maybe twice to usc)

Yeah, I figured since UCLA had a lot of experience with down to the wire games and Gonzaga didn't, it might be in the Bruins favor.
They missed a chance for a last second win in regulation, though, and Gonzaga had the same opportunity in OT and took advantage.

[Phogge]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

[Phogge]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

[Farm93]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

[Farm93]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

[JohnR34231]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

Agree, and UCLA is a nice Cinderella story, going from play-in to the final four.
However I will draw the line at cheering for U$C. I could never bring myself to do that.

[JohnR34231]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

Agree, and UCLA is a nice Cinderella story, going from play-in to the final four.
However I will draw the line at cheering for U$C. I could never bring myself to do that.

[gailtate]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

Never thought of it that way but it makes sense. Still, not having data that that suggest some "embrace" that fans in the other Power Five conferences put on their respective leagues, I can't be sure that there's a connection. What I do see are some pretty nasty attitudes among rivals in the SEC, Big 10/12 and ACC. They make the ones in the Pac12 pale in comparison. I can relate to Lex's schadenfreude complex but direct it mainly toward USC. Can't imagine Buckeye fans rooting for Harbaugh or Auburn people ever supporting Bama, either.

[gailtate]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

Never thought of it that way but it makes sense. Still, not having data that that suggest some "embrace" that fans in the other Power Five conferences put on their respective leagues, I can't be sure that there's a connection. What I do see are some pretty nasty attitudes among rivals in the SEC, Big 10/12 and ACC. They make the ones in the Pac12 pale in comparison. I can relate to Lex's schadenfreude complex but direct it mainly toward USC. Can't imagine Buckeye fans rooting for Harbaugh or Auburn people ever supporting Bama, either.

[BostonCard]

Yeah, not sure that Michigan fans are going to be rooting for tOSU, ever. And I don’t think us not rooting for USC or Cal has much of an impact on the PAC-12. Plus you can crow about what a great basketball conference we are without rooting for a PAC-12 team to advance.

BC

[BostonCard]

Yeah, not sure that Michigan fans are going to be rooting for tOSU, ever. And I don’t think us not rooting for USC or Cal has much of an impact on the PAC-12. Plus you can crow about what a great basketball conference we are without rooting for a PAC-12 team to advance.

BC

[82lsju]

Never thought of it that way but it makes sense. Still, not having data that that suggest some "embrace" that fans in the other Power Five conferences put on their respective leagues, I can't be sure that there's a connection. What I do see are some pretty nasty attitudes among rivals in the SEC, Big 10/12 and ACC. They make the ones in the Pac12 pale in comparison. I can relate to Lex's schadenfreude complex but direct it mainly toward USC. Can't imagine Buckeye fans rooting for Harbaugh or Auburn people ever supporting Bama, either.

well I grew up in Ohio and I cannot imagine ever rooting for Michigan (well maybe if they were playing USC) and I have not lived there since 1978...

[82lsju]

Never thought of it that way but it makes sense. Still, not having data that that suggest some "embrace" that fans in the other Power Five conferences put on their respective leagues, I can't be sure that there's a connection. What I do see are some pretty nasty attitudes among rivals in the SEC, Big 10/12 and ACC. They make the ones in the Pac12 pale in comparison. I can relate to Lex's schadenfreude complex but direct it mainly toward USC. Can't imagine Buckeye fans rooting for Harbaugh or Auburn people ever supporting Bama, either.

well I grew up in Ohio and I cannot imagine ever rooting for Michigan (well maybe if they were playing USC) and I have not lived there since 1978...

[bbm233]

I married into a UVa family, and I can tell you there is no love for Duke or Carolina. There is support for the rest of the ACC.

I generally cheer for all of the other Pac 12 teams, even USC, if they are playing somebody outside of the West. As for the UCLA - Gonzaga game, I didn't particularly care which team won since both are from the West, but was enthralled with the quality of the play. What a fabulous game. In the championship game, I will absolutely be cheering for Gonzaga because of their regional affiliation, but also because I can't stand anything about Baylor.

[bbm233]

I married into a UVa family, and I can tell you there is no love for Duke or Carolina. There is support for the rest of the ACC.

I generally cheer for all of the other Pac 12 teams, even USC, if they are playing somebody outside of the West. As for the UCLA - Gonzaga game, I didn't particularly care which team won since both are from the West, but was enthralled with the quality of the play. What a fabulous game. In the championship game, I will absolutely be cheering for Gonzaga because of their regional affiliation, but also because I can't stand anything about Baylor.

[Goose]

well I grew up in Ohio and I cannot imagine ever rooting for Michigan (well maybe if they were playing USC) and I have not lived there since 1978...

My brother and I root for stadium collapse when there are games like tOSU vs USC.

[Goose]

well I grew up in Ohio and I cannot imagine ever rooting for Michigan (well maybe if they were playing USC) and I have not lived there since 1978...

My brother and I root for stadium collapse when there are games like tOSU vs USC.

[lex24]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

Bunk.  Do you think Bama fans ever root for Auburn and vice-versa?  How bout Mich- tOSU.  The Pac-12’s problem is apathy.  Driven in part by teams being in areas where pro sports are king.  Unlike the SEC and most of the real Big 10. 

Having a solid dislike for rivals suggests one actually gives a damn.  Which most Calif sports fans do not when it comes to College sports.  That is the Pac-12’s issue.

[lex24]

Such a crushing finish.  I was so hoping the Bruins would win.

So proud of UCLA.   They really did a great job showing the nation that even the 4th best team from the Pac-12 can hang with the best team in the USA.  Wanted them to win for the Pac, but not super worried about it since it was an all upside deal for the conference and its rep.

Now I want to see Gonzaga absolutely thrash Baylor.    Baylor has amazing athletes, so my guess is they will be unable to resist playing at the Zags preferred pace.

The day I root for any Calif sports team south of Santa Barbara will be a cold day in hell.  UCLA having a nice run does nothing for Stanford.

Gee Lex, I thought you were a big Pt. Loma fan.

The Lex perspective is one of the Pac-12's many PR problems.
Good luck to our next Pac-12 commissioner on that issue BTW.

Our collective inability to completely embrace the brand of the conference is part of the reason the conference is a weak brand.   The weak brand creates a bounty of problems.  Demographics and time zone challenges will persist for a long time, but maybe the conference commissioner can work on creating some conference pride beyond Bill Walton's odd efforts on ESPN during hoops season.

Bunk.  Do you think Bama fans ever root for Auburn and vice-versa?  How bout Mich- tOSU.  The Pac-12’s problem is apathy.  Driven in part by teams being in areas where pro sports are king.  Unlike the SEC and most of the real Big 10. 

Having a solid dislike for rivals suggests one actually gives a damn.  Which most Calif sports fans do not when it comes to College sports.  That is the Pac-12’s issue.

[SamuelMcF]

The Pac-12's $1.5m per-school payout for each of the next six years, thanks to doing well in March Madness, is a tangible reason why we should be (begrudgingly) rooting for fellow teams in the tourney.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/202...onal-money

Except Andy Enfield. F*** that guy.

[SamuelMcF]

The Pac-12's $1.5m per-school payout for each of the next six years, thanks to doing well in March Madness, is a tangible reason why we should be (begrudgingly) rooting for fellow teams in the tourney.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/202...onal-money

Except Andy Enfield. F*** that guy.

[Farm93]

The Pac-12's $1.5m per-school payout for each of the next six years, thanks to doing well in March Madness, is a tangible reason why we should be (begrudgingly) rooting for fellow teams in the tourney.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/202...onal-money

Except Andy Enfield. F*** that guy.

And that's one of the many reasons why the SEC fans do support each other in post-season play.  

NCAA money is not the only money linked to that support.   Since many SEC fans love to watch any SEC team destroy BigTen teams, the SEC bowl games are better for advertisers too.    

The Pac-12 loses ground financially to the SEC and BigTen for so many reasons but the relatively lack of unconditional Pac-12 love in the Pac-12 footprint is one of the many.   I expect here in the next decade the Pac-12 will work a touch harder to get non-alums in the Pac-12 footprint to watch and support the other schools in the footprint.

Without that broad support the Pac-12 will continue to be the 5th conference in the Power 5.

Props to Tara for using her post-game time in the media to shower the Pac-12 with love.   Just wish that was more common, but most coaches have not literally worked to make the conference into a force in a sport like Tara has done for women's hoops.  She is talking the post-game talk because for decades she has worked so hard to improve the game at Stanford, the Pac-12 and the USA.

[Farm93]

The Pac-12's $1.5m per-school payout for each of the next six years, thanks to doing well in March Madness, is a tangible reason why we should be (begrudgingly) rooting for fellow teams in the tourney.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/202...onal-money

Except Andy Enfield. F*** that guy.

And that's one of the many reasons why the SEC fans do support each other in post-season play.  

NCAA money is not the only money linked to that support.   Since many SEC fans love to watch any SEC team destroy BigTen teams, the SEC bowl games are better for advertisers too.    

The Pac-12 loses ground financially to the SEC and BigTen for so many reasons but the relatively lack of unconditional Pac-12 love in the Pac-12 footprint is one of the many.   I expect here in the next decade the Pac-12 will work a touch harder to get non-alums in the Pac-12 footprint to watch and support the other schools in the footprint.

Without that broad support the Pac-12 will continue to be the 5th conference in the Power 5.

Props to Tara for using her post-game time in the media to shower the Pac-12 with love.   Just wish that was more common, but most coaches have not literally worked to make the conference into a force in a sport like Tara has done for women's hoops.  She is talking the post-game talk because for decades she has worked so hard to improve the game at Stanford, the Pac-12 and the USA.

[BostonCard]

Here are Tara's quotes about the rest of the Pac-12.

“I’m really excited to take the trophy back to the Pac-12, and also I want to thank the Pac-12 coaches, and every university in the Pac-12, the Pac-12 network, for the commitment to women’s basketball. The great coaches we have in our league got us ready for this moment. This was a tough tournament.”

https://pac-12.com/article/2021/04/04/mi...-champions

BC

[BostonCard]

Here are Tara's quotes about the rest of the Pac-12.

“I’m really excited to take the trophy back to the Pac-12, and also I want to thank the Pac-12 coaches, and every university in the Pac-12, the Pac-12 network, for the commitment to women’s basketball. The great coaches we have in our league got us ready for this moment. This was a tough tournament.”

https://pac-12.com/article/2021/04/04/mi...-champions

BC

[PVTree]

Wow! The Zags got blitzed tonight. Baylor went wire to wire and destroyed the Zags 86-70. No undefeated champion for another year.

[PVTree]

Wow! The Zags got blitzed tonight. Baylor went wire to wire and destroyed the Zags 86-70. No undefeated champion for another year.

[82 Card]

Wow! The Zags got blitzed tonight. Baylor went wire to wire and destroyed the Zags 86-70. No undefeated champion for another year.

Worse, no west coast monopoly on basketball championships.

[82 Card]

Wow! The Zags got blitzed tonight. Baylor went wire to wire and destroyed the Zags 86-70. No undefeated champion for another year.

Worse, no west coast monopoly on basketball championships.

[Farm93]

Bunk.  Do you think Bama fans ever root for Auburn and vice-versa?  How bout Mich- tOSU.  The Pac-12’s problem is apathy.  Driven in part by teams being in areas where pro sports are king.  Unlike the SEC and most of the real Big 10. 

Having a solid dislike for rivals suggests one actually gives a damn.  Which most Calif sports fans do not when it comes to College sports.  That is the Pac-12’s issue.

Lots of 1980s style thinking and excuses on this issue, apparently
The answer to your question in 2021 about the other schools is now YES, though admittedly not in all situations.

When the SEC plays in a neutral venue for most sports you will hear S...E...C once the SEC team is up big, especially if the venue has another SEC team playing that day.  Why is that?   The alums of the actual school will use their own school's cheer, so the SEC chant is likely coming from others in the stands, at least initially.  And to be clear I have heard that SEC cheer at the WCWS, CWS, Men's & Women's Hoops, so it extends well beyond football.  The way those from the conference can show that support is with the conference cheer.    As a weak brand the Pac-12 doesn't have that type of cheer.     I feel the TV revenue in the upcoming contract disappearing while explaining this.   :(

I didn't go to the San Antonio because of COVID-19 concerns, but if I had I would have supported UofA on Friday.   As the conference lacks a good conference cheer I likely would have chanted UofA.   However, I would actually prefer it if the conference had something like...."SEC".
It would be a way for fans like me to say, "I am not from UofA, but they are better than the other team because they are from MY conference."

Lex, perhaps it is easier to break free of the football only realm.  Think WCWS or CWS.  I would always want Stanford to advance to the championship game.   In a number of sports (tennis, golf, softball, baseball and many others) I would certainly rather see Cal as Stanford's opponent in the championship game than a strong national power from some other conference.

UofA as Stanford's Final Four opponent was best for the conference, and best for Stanford for a number of reasons.   I was very comfortable cheering for UofA over UConn and absolutely would have wanted Cal, UCLA or USC to beat UConn in the semis if they were there.

[Farm93]

Bunk.  Do you think Bama fans ever root for Auburn and vice-versa?  How bout Mich- tOSU.  The Pac-12’s problem is apathy.  Driven in part by teams being in areas where pro sports are king.  Unlike the SEC and most of the real Big 10. 

Having a solid dislike for rivals suggests one actually gives a damn.  Which most Calif sports fans do not when it comes to College sports.  That is the Pac-12’s issue.

Lots of 1980s style thinking and excuses on this issue, apparently
The answer to your question in 2021 about the other schools is now YES, though admittedly not in all situations.

When the SEC plays in a neutral venue for most sports you will hear S...E...C once the SEC team is up big, especially if the venue has another SEC team playing that day.  Why is that?   The alums of the actual school will use their own school's cheer, so the SEC chant is likely coming from others in the stands, at least initially.  And to be clear I have heard that SEC cheer at the WCWS, CWS, Men's & Women's Hoops, so it extends well beyond football.  The way those from the conference can show that support is with the conference cheer.    As a weak brand the Pac-12 doesn't have that type of cheer.     I feel the TV revenue in the upcoming contract disappearing while explaining this.   :(

I didn't go to the San Antonio because of COVID-19 concerns, but if I had I would have supported UofA on Friday.   As the conference lacks a good conference cheer I likely would have chanted UofA.   However, I would actually prefer it if the conference had something like...."SEC".
It would be a way for fans like me to say, "I am not from UofA, but they are better than the other team because they are from MY conference."

Lex, perhaps it is easier to break free of the football only realm.  Think WCWS or CWS.  I would always want Stanford to advance to the championship game.   In a number of sports (tennis, golf, softball, baseball and many others) I would certainly rather see Cal as Stanford's opponent in the championship game than a strong national power from some other conference.

UofA as Stanford's Final Four opponent was best for the conference, and best for Stanford for a number of reasons.   I was very comfortable cheering for UofA over UConn and absolutely would have wanted Cal, UCLA or USC to beat UConn in the semis if they were there.

[BostonCard]

Unlike the women's tournament, which had the highest audience since 2014, the TV audience for the men's tournament was the least viewed championship on CBS since 1982 (though it did beat the 2018 championship which was on Turner).

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/06/ncaa-202...ns-up.html

Still a ways to go, though.  Audience for the women's final was about a quarter of the men's.

BC

[BostonCard]

Unlike the women's tournament, which had the highest audience since 2014, the TV audience for the men's tournament was the least viewed championship on CBS since 1982 (though it did beat the 2018 championship which was on Turner).

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/06/ncaa-202...ns-up.html

Still a ways to go, though.  Audience for the women's final was about a quarter of the men's.

BC