Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the March Madness tournament games that are in town in Cleveland. I was able to get a ticket to see George Mason vs. Villanova in the first game, and then my favorite team The Buckeyes vs. University of Texas at San Antonio in the second game.
Below are the pictures that I took from those two games. Keep in mind that I sitting up in one of those corner, nose-bleed sections. I was fortunate that the security guards at the gate didn't mind me bringing my large 75-300 mm telephoto lens. Without that, I wouldn't have been able to produce these kinds of shots from so far away. Most shots are at the maximum 300 mm focal length, hand-held, sitting in my seat, with image-stabilization turned on.
The George Mason mascot, who I originally thought was a Pirate, was really a Patriot. I guess it makes sense since they are from the D.C. area.
The band director for George Mason literally looked like a pimp. He even had the same swagger. Unfortunately, the cheerleaders for George Mason were very boring compared to those from Villanova.
I am not a fan of Villanova. In fact, I'm pretty much against any Big-East team. I was rooting for George Mason the whole time.
This was a weird move... quite awkward if you ask me.
Finally the game was over. Even though Villanova led pretty much the entire game, George Mason came back in the closing minutes and won the game. It was a great game!
Next up were my beloved Buckeyes!
The Roadrunner mascot was pretty cool though.
Getting ready to bring their game...
And so it began... Dallas Lauderdale was a beast from the start of the game.
Thad Matta calling some play...
It's a shame Craft got two fouls quickly in the game. The refs weren't letting the guys just play out there. Anyways, we didn't see much of him until the second half, unfortunately.
Sullinger at the line...
And by halftime, the game was well out of reach for the Roadrunners.
Time to celebrate! By the way, while I was editing this photo I noticed a nice little banner towards the top center of the photo.
Thomas was probably thinking "give me the damn ball already".
20,164 people attended the game. They even sold folding chairs as valid seats in the stadium.
With several minutes left in the game, Matta was smart by replacing everyone with the bench. It gives them experience and some game time incase they are called upon further in the tournament. When the final whistle blew we nearly won by 30 points!
Next up are George Mason tomorrow...
GO BUCKS! 