Q&A
Gus Johnson, CBS play-by-play man in Denver
Q: How do you feel about being a celebrity in your own right when people talk about the “Gus factor” at games?
A: I’m very flattered by it. I don’t understand it. I’m just a guy who calls the games. I’ve been lucky, and some good games have come my way. The pressure’s there, especially after a day like Thursday, when there weren’t any good games.
Q: What do you think of the atmosphere at the Pepsi Center?
A: I thought it was incredible. The games from the very beginning were not only sellouts, but full houses way high in the rafters.
Q: How were you able to fill some of the space in the second halves Thursday?
A: You have great stories on these teams, these schools. You try to tell stories about individuals, especially on the losing team. This is a big moment for them. For a lot of these guys, it was their one and only opportunity to get in the NCAA Tournament.
Q: Have you ever lost your vocal cords for the next game or next day?
A: I’ve never lost my vocal cords. I’m just kind of a big, loud guy who’s used to yelling and screaming and having a good time.
Q: Do you have a favorite all- time game that you called?
A: Princeton beating UCLA. They were Ivy League kids taking on the defending national champs, and it was my first year. It left an indelible impression in my mind.
Natalie Meisler, The Denver Post
Bests
Fall down 3-pointer.
Washington State guard Derrick Low took a seat well behind the arc when he got off a buzzer-beating 3-pointer just before halftime for a 32-19 lead. It tied the school record for 3-pointers in a season at 89. He set the record with a 3-pointer in the second half.
Countdown.
In a bit of gamesmanship, Michigan State fans counted down from five when Pitt had the ball with 10 seconds on the shot clock.
Rim rattler.
Pitt’s 6-foot-6 forward Sam Young made the most of a breakaway in the first half, soaring through the lane and pounding a dunk.
David Krause, The Denver Post;
Worsts
Irish shooting ice-cold
First half.
Notre Dame finished with just 19 points in the first 20 minutes, not a good ratio for a team averaging 80.2 this season. It took the Irish nearly 18 minutes to score 19 points in the second half.
Return.
Down just two points at halftime, Pitt went scoreless in the first 4 minutes, 35 seconds of the second half and fell behind by 10 before DeJuan Blair’s jumper started a run.
Teamwork.
A floating jump from the right baseline by WSU’s Caleb Forrest late in the first half barely hit the backboard, but Kyle Weaver was coming in for a rebound to knock in two points.
David Krause, The Denver Post
Best team huddle
Gather ’round for a winning story.
The setup during timeout has become more than the reserves removing themselves from the bench so the starters can rest. While Notre Dame sets out a few padded metal stools, Washington State has a nice little campfire setting on the court. When the whistle blows, a pair of WSU student managers hustle out to the court and set up a group of camping chairs around a stool for coach Tony Bennett and his eraser board. And he isn’t telling them campfire stories.
Big pep in the band
Spartan sound isn’t sparse.
Michigan State’s pep band of 30, which is the maximum allowed at the tournament by the NCAA, put out the biggest sound and had the best moves, not to mention the best mix. At home games, the squad is up to 90 musicians.
“We play everything from polkas to ’90s rock to jazz,” said band director John Madden, who has been leading the band for 19 years. “It’s not very often you get to play in a situation like this.”
And the dance moves, well, “those keep evolving every year,” Madden said with a laugh.
Best fan plea
Sign of respect.
The family of Washington State starting guard Taylor Rochestie, above, kept unfurling a red and white banner proclaiming “RESPECT” while the Cougars built a comfortable first-half lead over Notre Dame.
The Cougars had the liveliest cheering section of family and friends. “They don’t give us any respect, that’s all the media,” said Alex Rochestie, the brother of the Cougar guard.
Cheer factor
Turning out for Dad.
Four Denver-area men sitting together two rows above courtside had different rooting interests.
Brad Robinette, an ardent Pitt fan, had a special reason to be at the game. “My father was a Pitt alum, and he died recently,” said Robinette, who was accompanied by Michigan State booster Mike Murray, who had another MSU grad along as backup.
David Krause and Natalie Meisler, The Denver Post
