March Madness Betting Action

2006-04-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

March Madness '06 one for the ages

College basketball is the type of sport that treasures the underdog. We admire the will to win and the will to fight.

We want to see stars born before our eyes and teams triumph through adversity. We love to see tears of joy careen down players' faces through times of pure euphoria and coaches kiss their wives knowing that they've finally won the "big one."

It happens every year around this time, the closing moments of March Madness culminating in that superior setting, the National Championship game. Each year it's at a different location, but it always yields the same type of feeling.

This year in Indianapolis was no exception, as UCLA, Florida, LSU and George Mason graced the Final Four with the same type of wide-eye awakening that every team probably feels walking into this type of national spotlight.

George Mason, despite incomparable odds, sliced through its bracket as an unknown. Critics questioned the validity of its selection into the field of 65, but soon let their notions go once the 11th seeded Patriots won four games, defeating three former National Champions-North Carolina, Michigan State and Connecticut-en route to the Final Four.

All across the nation, an epidemic of green and yellow fanfare followed, as the Patriots were the first 11th seed to overcome such a feat since LSU did the same in 1986. The Cinderella story was born yet again.

LSU had a story of its own to fight through, as the thoughts of Hurricane Katrina resonated throughout the year. In the process of reaching the Final Four, they resurrected a New Orleans town that was looking for hope and found it in the hands of two players, "Big Baby" Glen Davis and Tyrus Thomas.

"Big Baby," with his chubby round face, braces and a smile that could light up a room, dominated in March, carrying his team on his shoulders when they needed a sure lift of spirit. Thomas, a relative unknown before the tournament, skyrocketed into stardom in mere weeks as he denied teams like Duke and Texas A&M the chance to fight another day with his defensive forte.

UCLA, with a storied history, used tradition as the backdrop during the tournament, honoring the greats of old while creating moments of its own on the court.

In one of the most defining moments of the tournament, UCLA stormed back from an 11-point deficit late in the second half against third-seeded Gonzaga, efficiently breaking down the Bulldogs with full-court pressure until they lost the lead and game. With 2.9 seconds left, they even forced an All-American, Adam Morrison, to cry before the game was even over. Talk about frustration.

The Florida Gators, with no real story or dramatic backdrop, quietly moved through the tournament the first couple of games. They were no Cinderella story, they had no tragedy in their hearts, nor did they have anything near to a notable tradition-the first time Florida reached the tournament was in 1986. UCLA had already won 10 titles.

Florida was quiet until, well, everyone realized how good they were. They went unnoticed until everyone discovered Joakim Noah and Al Horford. They were overlooked until Corey Brewer became the college basketball version of Tayshaun Prince and Lee Humphrey became the latest Gerry McNamara.

Devoid of any true power teams, the Final Four brought college basketball into a state of reality, once again allowing the tournament to bring parity back into the rotation.

George Mason and LSU were eliminated in the semifinals, but they were engraved as two teams that, despite facing criticism due to their seedings in the tournament, willed themselves to the spotlight.

The UCLA vs. Florida finale didn't turn out to be as melodramatic as some had hoped, but it did confirm the suspicions that Noah was once again unstoppable, Horford was uncontrollable, Humphrey was lights out and Brewer was a stifling defender.

UCLA just couldn't handle the obstacles that Florida had to offer. If they doubled inside, they left shooters wide open for three. If they played tight on the outside shooters, they opened up lanes for penetration. When they tried to limit penetration, Florida found its big men for nine dunks in the second half. UCLA, despite a valiant effort, just didn't match up well with Florida.

The Gators convincingly won the National Championship, 73-57, proving that their core of youth-Brewer, Horford, Noah and Taurean Green-could handle the big game pressure. All sophomores, they determined the outcome of the game.

It's nothing new, this day in age in sports. Any athlete can show his talent or have "his" day. The right ones will pick their moments and utilize them, while the wrong ones will slide into mediocrity and wither to the depths of that 12-man bench.

That's college basketball, though. The chance at glory is only a split second away from the possibility of pain and agony. Some rise up to the challenge and hit that final shot to clinch it, while others unravel and begin to cry.

College basketball is so much different from the past, but it also is so much the same.

By Cory M. Mull

For more information about the March Madness or other sport events check our blogs or IAS Sportsbook website.

2006-03-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

Let the game begin...

Today is the first day for the March Madness 2006, the players are ready and the tickets are sold...
Who is your favorite team?... Well you can tell us and win with the next NCAA Champion

Check out the instantactionsports web page!

todays games:
12.20pm at Greensboro Coliseum:
10 Seton Hall / 7 Wichita St.

12.25pm at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena:
11 Wis.-Milwaukee / 6 Oklahoma

12.40pm at Jon M. Huntsman Center:
13 Pacific /4 Boston College

2.40pm at Cox Arena:
10 Alabama /7 Marquette

2.40pm at Greensboro Coliseum:
15 Winthrop / 2 Tennessee

2.45 at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena:
14 South Alabama / 3 Florida

3.00pm at Jon M. Huntsman Center:
12 Montana /5 Nevada

4.55pm at Cox Arena:
15 Belmont / 2 UCLA

7.10pm Greensboro Coliseum:
9 NC-Wilmington / 8 G. Washington

7.30 pm at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena:
13 Iona / 4 LSU

7.20pm at Jon M. Huntsman Center:
14 Xavier / 3 Gonzaga

7.25pm at Cox Arena:
13 Air Force / 4 Illinois

9.30pm Greensboro Coliseum:
16 Southern U. / 1 Duke

9.30pm at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena:
12 Texas A&M / 5 Syracuse

9.40pm at Jon M. Huntsman Center:
11 San Diego St. / 6 Indiana

9.45pm at Cox Arena:
12 Utah St. / 5 Washington

2006-02-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

GM swerves, revives March discounts
Despite its strategy to limit rebates, automaker adds bonuses to clear out slow-moving inventory.

Brett Clanton / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. has told dealers it will launch a nationwide discount promotion next month that could spark sales but detract from its long-term goal of steering away from big incentives.
The "March Madness" event, tied to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, will run from March 15 to April 4.

It will be similar to a promotion GM ran last March that included temporarily lowered sticker prices on select models across GM's eight brands and cash bonuses of $500 to $1,500 on models that had been on dealer lots for more than 125 days.
While details of the new program have not been announced, internal GM documents obtained by The Detroit News indicate the promotion will kick off with a mass mailing to current and former GM customers early next month, offer customers a chance to win a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV and give dealers incentives to clear out older inventory.

Under a separate program, GM is offering between $150 and $700 in cash incentives to dealers who accept extra vehicles during the last week of February, according to another internal GM memo obtained by The News.
In an apparent bid to boost sales before the month closes, GM is making the offer on select models by its Chevrolet, Hummer, GMC and Cadillac brands.
GM and other automakers are scheduled to report February sales on Wednesday.
The programs could be viewed as a step backward for GM, which in January announced a sweeping effort to move away from profit-eating incentives by cutting the price of most of its vehicles to reflect what consumers actually pay for them.

GM clarifies its plan
GM never intended to drop incentives altogether, company spokesman Deborah Silverman said. Rather, it is trying to use them in a "more targeted fashion" than in the past.
"We'll continue to look at opportunities where they give us a competitive advantage," she said.
Silverman would not discuss the March Madness program, but said the automaker was not planning to announce any new incentive programs on Wednesday.
GM may not need a new discount program now as much as it has previously.
Although the automaker saw sales decline 4.4 percent last year, it increased sales in January and is expected to be up again or flat in February.

"Early reports show that consumers have been attracted by GM's lower prices, helping the company to gain market share from Ford and Chrysler," Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy said in a recent report.

Vehicle stockpiles shrink
With just over 1 million vehicles on dealer lots at the end of January, GM's stockpiles are smaller than a year ago. And the automaker has cleared out most 2005 model-year vehicles. That means there could be less of a need to pare down inventories with steep discounts.
"There are no '05s out there," said John Rogin, who owns GM dealerships in Michigan and Ohio. "It's a non-issue within GM right now."

Yet a new incentive program, backed by national and local advertising, could shine a light on GM products as customers get in the mood to shop for vehicles after months of winter.
And a tie-in with the NCAA tournament is in keeping with the automaker's strategy of aligning itself with premier sporting events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl.
Rogin had not heard details of GM's March Madness program, but said it is common for manufacturers to roll out new incentives in the spring.

GM, which lost $8.6 billion in 2005, has made a priority of returning its North American auto business to profitability. Central to the effort is the launch of 19 new cars and trucks this year, including a new lineup of full-size SUVs, the Pontiac G6 convertible and its first mass-market gas-electric hybrid, the Saturn VUE Green Line.

After earlier announcing it will cut 30,000 U.S. hourly jobs by 2008, GM in January said it would lower the sticker prices of 57 models by $1,300 on average.
GM said the move was mainly designed to put the focus back on its product and move away from making discounts the centerpiece of promotions.
Jesse Toprak, an industry analyst with Edmunds.com in Santa Monica, Calif., said GM has managed to stay with the plan so far, tweaking rebates only in highly competitive categories such as full-size SUVs.
"Last month, they really stuck to it," Toprak said.

GM can't break the habit
In January, GM dealers sold vehicles at an average of 15 percent off sticker price, down from 20 percent a year ago, he said. And they have reduced incentive spending in recent months.
But GM is still far from breaking the habit.
Last month, the automaker's incentive spending was second only to Chrysler, at $3,177 per vehicle on average, and was about three times what Toyota Motor Corp. used to lure buyers, according to Autodata Corp.

The March Madness program is likely to find GM shelling out again to get the attention of consumers.
And it is likely to bring a few headaches to dealers.
Dealers get extra work
Like GM's Red Tag clearance sale in December, the March Madness program requires dealers to append an extra sticker price onto each vehicle that is eligible for the discount.
Then, there are signs that go up in the showroom and hundreds of pamphlets to mail to customers.
"The administration of incentives can be a nightmare," Rogin said. "In a perfect world, we'd love not to have them."

© Copyright 2006 The Detroit News. All rights reserved.