Like it is : Former Reddies SID soaks up March Madness
Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2006
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/150183/
Dave Worlock has moved up in the world of perspiring arts.
Before joining the NCAA staff, Worlock was the sports information director for the Henderson State Reddies. He was promoted to executive director of the NCAA Basketball Tournament last year.
Worlock is taking a short break this morning from his duties to be a guest on 103. 7 The Buzz at 8 a. m.
Worlock replaced Bill Hancock, who had the job for 13 years before becoming director of the Bowl Championship Series.
Both were in Atlanta for the NCAA regionals, Hancock as a spectator and Worlock as a tireless worker who had to return to Indianapolis on Friday for more preparations for this week’s Final Four.
“Dave has been like a kid in a candy store for the last few months,” said Greg Shaheen, an NCAA vice president. “He’s loving every minute of putting the tournament together, and he’s doing a great job.”
Last Sunday, The Atlanta Journal Constitution ran a story on the upcoming NBA draft.
Like many of the Web sites that make predictions on the draft, the largest newspaper in Georgia had Ronnie Brewer going as the 11 th pick overall.
Brewer, who has not made an announcement if he intends to enter the draft, would be an instant millionaire if he is taken in the lottery.
Every player drafted in the first round is guaranteed money if they sign a contract, and it goes down with each spot and drops even more after the first 13 spots, which are the lottery picks.
ESPN had more than 3 million entries in its annual Tournament Challenge contest.
Only four picked the exact Final Four.
More than 66 percent of the entries completely missed the Final Four.
Of all those entries, only 1, 853 had George Mason making the Final Four, and only 284 picked the Patriots to win.
ESPN’s contest results so far give new meaning to the phrase March Madness.
Consider that of all the entries, 30 percent have at least one Final Four team, but 0. 1 percent have three.
LSU was picked to make it by just 5 percent, but of that only. 4 have the Tigers winning it all.
In the history of the NCAA Tournament, only 17 teams have started the tournament undefeated.
Only seven times has an undefeated team won the national championship, and of those seven, one coach, John Wooden at UCLA, did it four times.
The last time it happened was 1976, when Indiana finished 28-0.
It has been 15 years since a team started the tournament undefeated, and that was Jerry Tarkanian and UNLV.
The Rebels lost to Duke in the semifinals.
Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams (now 65 with the play-in game ) in 1985, this will be the first time a No. 1 seed did not make the Final Four.
Yet, expect TV ratings to be better than ever.
Everyone loves an underdog, and while the term really doesn’t fit anymore, George Mason, the 13 seed whom Billy pACCker bellyached about on Selection Sunday, is going to be the sentimental favorite.
However, it won’t hurt the ratings that UCLA made it because there are a few million TVs in Los Angeles.
A columnist recently referred to LSU’s John Brady as “Shady Brady.”
It didn’t sit well with the Tigers’ head coach, but instead of blowing a fuse as he has in the past, he just quipped, “Only my close friends get to call me Shady.”
Oh, and Brady might help the TV ratings too, or at least his wife, Misty, may.
Brady, 51, and Misty Champagne, 34 and a personal trainer, were married last year, and so far the TV cameras have loved showing her in the stands.
The two young ladies with her at every game are John’s daughters from his previous marriage.