For cheap last minute air travel try www.lastminute.com.  I don't work for them or own stock but used this to go to Salem one year and it was the only way possible at the time. 

Titan Q, you are usually right on target but this time I'm not sure about your comments on Dylan Richter.  He may be quicker than you think.  Whether he can defend most 2 guards may depend more on whether he wants to play that position than on his physical ability.  Regarding ball handling, you're right that it's important, but not sure we've seen enough to judge.

Another thought on the Wash U weekend activity:  few have given adequate credit to the Case team, which seems much improved by the return of an injured starter.  They matched up well with the Bears and played hard.  Their biggest problem might be lack of depth--only one reserve played significant minutes, and their shooting clearly fell off in the waning minutes of the game.  Have to wonder if fatigue might have been evident on Sunday against Chicago also. 

The comments on Wash U are right on target.  Gay's emergence is a great help, and he continues to improve with more playing time.  This team has excellent depth with 4 quality players off the bench, including Ross Kelly, who was the starting point guard for the 2009 championship team, a real asset, plus Dylan Richter and Caleb Knepper, a forward who also shoots beyond the arc, and Alex Toth at center.  Can't wait for March Madness!!   

Interesting discussion about Wash U's chances in March.  It is probably true that the guys playing in Tyler Nading's position are not his equal in all around skills--neither have the experience he did as a senior--but they do contribute significantly to this year's team, and both are capable of scoring in double digits.  What Wash U does have over last year's team is 5 players who have been at this for 4 years and know what it takes to win it all.  They have always been able to maintain their poise, they are patient, they are unselfish, and they play good defense.  Those are important ingredients in a tournament.  No team is likely to dominate this year, in my opinion.  Wash U has a good shot at it, but so do several others, and any of them could stumble with a bad game.  

Nice article.  No question that Spencer has made a significant contribution this year and he continues to improve.  He and Caleb Knepper bring somewhat different skills and the combination adds flexibility as well. 

Quote from: Pat Coleman on February 08, 2010, 11:14:07 AM
I am not sure that your fourth negative is necessarily a negative, r-buddy. I don't think it's meant to be like a college gymnasium. This is the national championship, after all.

To clarify (as I meant to do in my concluding comments), I agree that the seating located 20 feet from the court is not a negative a championship event that should have the feel of a neutral court.  For games during the season I share the preference for seating that is closer to the court. 

From the perspective of this fan who has attended 3 final 4's at Salem, it has both advantages and disadvantages.  

Positives:  ample seating that is reasonably comfortable
                spacious facility, lobby space, meeting rooms, reception rooms, etc
                excellent parking availability and accessibility
                experienced event management
                lots of community participation in hosting the event
                adequate hotel and restaurant facilities
                scenic area  
                located in a medium size city

Negatives:  not geographically equidistant to all potential participants
                event facility located several miles from most amenities
                travel to location moderately inconvenient for many who attend
                facility lacks ambiance of college campus
               
The geographic issue is most difficult since the participating institutions are never known in advance.  In my view, having the seating as it is at Salem is an advantage:  it would be unfair if a school that happened to be located near the event could fill 1000 or more seats within a couple feet of the court, as is common in campus facilities.  A team located at much greater distance from Salem, and having less potential for fans to attend, would be at a marked disadvantage, just like home court vs road court differences.  For a championship event, court neutrality is desirable.  Finally, it seems unrealistic today to expect more than several hundred fans for any school to travel to the final 4.  A facility that accommodates more than 3-4000 will rarely be needed, it seems.  Moving the event to a large city would increase some hassles, make travel potentially easier, make the event more expensive for fans, and maybe make other attractions more numerous and accessible--entirely a matter of personal taste.  Salem is OK with me.    
               
               

A good weekend for the Wash U Bears, with decisive wins over Emory and Rochester.  Defense was tough as usual, and the offense was as effective as any time this year.  One amazing stat in the Emory game:  29 goals scored and 29 assists.  That must be rare--anyone seen a game in which a team scored an assist for every one of its goals? 

The Student Life editorial is unusually ill informed and naive.  It does not mention the positives that are found in D3 sports, among other things mentioned by other posters, and makes me wonder if the writer has attended a WU game recently.  There are good reasons why D3 is the largest division in the NCAA.  Most D1 sports programs are not worth emulating.  The editorial makes me laugh but then makes me cry.  Strangely, students today must be just like we were. 

To this WU fan it appears that opponents are gearing their defenses to stop AT and the Bears have not yet figured out how to cope, though making some progress.  In addition, some aspects of the Bears' play are just not crisp--too many turnovers, sloppy screens, passes that arrive just a fraction late so that the shot is not quite open. When pure athletic skills are fairly well matched it is often the subtle little things that make a difference.

The previous summary of the WU-Transy game seems generally accurate to me.  Transy hit some incredible shots against good defense and at other times WU's defense was not as tight as it might have been. Transy was very well prepared for the game.  All in all the trip might prove a useful wake up for WU as well as a confidence builder for some of the less experienced players.  Every team needs a go-to guy, but at times WU may have looked to AT more than is ideal --it will be good if others are more willing to step up.