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oscopelabs · 5 years

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3D, Part 1: James Cameron and the Broken Promise of the Third Wave by Vadim Rizov

[Note: This essay is the first in a two-part series on 3D. Part 2, coming soon, will discuss the unexpected peak of 3D as an artistic form. —ed.]

It’s not fair to say that James Cameron ruined projection standards by pushing for a digital changeover—the industry impetus was already under way—but Avatar left less of an impression as a movie than as technological advocacy, resulting in unintended, still-lingering side effects. Cameron dreamed of 3D cinema arriving, finally, at what he viewed as its overdue narrative fruition; he couldn’t have imagined compromising projection standards or undermining film archiving in the process. This is a two-part essay: The first is a grim recap of the Third Wave of 3D, which has unfolded over the last decade. The second will advocate for a secret classic of 3D cinema at its inadvertently experimental peak.

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The not-too-reductive standard narrative goes like this: 3D was popularized contemporaneously with widescreen in the ‘50s as half of a two-pronged initiative to lure audiences away from their TV screens by giving the theatrical experience something unavailable at home. By decade’s end, widescreen was normalized; ’60s and ‘70s one-offs excepted, 3D wasn’t. 1980’s Comin’ at Ya! kicked off its second wave, which had a similarly short lifespan. In both runs, 3D failed to transition from passing gimmick to standard filmmaking option, mostly due to the diminishing thrill of seeing things flying at you, but also due to technological flaws that made the results physically difficult to watch. This history’s a bit of an oversimplification: like sound, color, and widescreen (all of which were experimented with long before they became standard options), 3D had test-run incarnations well before its ‘50s boom. Still, this story is largely accurate. So what makes the third wave different?

Cameron’s ideal 3D would be to create totally immersive worlds, refusing to throw objects at viewers the way the first two 3D waves had done. These effects were presumably cheap grabs for attention, while Cameron was focused more on depth rather than breaking the proscenium. In a (troublesomely unattributed) quote from 2009, a collaborator summed up his approach: “There’s a scene early in [Avatar] where something jumps out of the screen. Jim said, `I just did that so that they would know I know how to do it. But then I stopped doing it because that’s not what 3D is; 3D is bringing the audience completely into the environment of the movie.’” Narrative disruption was not on the agenda; Cameron’s films have always followed conventional dramatic arcs, and Avatar has a particularly unchallenging (“archetypal”) story. This meant yoking 3D to digital projection, which would straighten out the format’s numerous problems once and for all by eliminating both the visual eyestrain and eyeline problems of watching 3D, either polarized (the default standard until digital) or in anaglyph (the infamous red-and-blue glasses format that became a stand-in image for the format, despite being relatively rare) and the double potential for error caused by an incompetent projectionist. Cameron had spent years preparing audiences—and, more importantly, the industry—for a digital conversion. In 2005, he, George Lucas, and Peter Jackson appeared at ShoWest, the trade theater convention to boost for 3D and, by association, digital projection. “I’m giving you guys plenty of warning,” Cameron said. “You’ve got two years to get ready.” His timeline was off, the larger idea was not: In 2009, 16,000 screens worldwide were digital-ready. The next year, that had shot up to 36,000.

It’s not clear digital projection is the optimal way to see Avatar; the late 3D advocate Ray Zone saw the film five times in multiple formats in its first run, concluding not only that film-based IMAX 3D (with two 70mm projectors running simultaneously) was the correct way to see the film, but that “One hint that IMAX 3-D 15/70mm was the native 3-D format for Avatar was that the new large platters would only hold two hours and forty minutes of 15/70mm film—the exact running time of the film.” Nonetheless, Avatar’s overwhelming success sped up a slow-moving push to digital conversion, which the industry had been inching towards for some time. George Lucas had some digital screenings of Phantom Menace, but locally, I remember digital first rearing its head at the arthouse—specifically Austin’s long-closed four-screen Dobie Theatre, an independent that had by then been bought by Landmark Theatres. The arthouse chain went in early for digital projectors, a bright future ushered in Windows Media Player 9. (From a press release at the time: “The film is a milestone in digital origination — a genuine work of art that takes full advantage of new technology. Windows Media 9 Series will show it in all its glory.”) “We can hear the techies in the crowd oohing and ahhing already,” The Austin Chronicle’s Marc Savlov wrote. “It'll only be a matter of time before the entire industry goes digital and the notion of scratched and blotchy film and frazzled frame adjustments will seem very quaint indeed. Progress, baby. We live for it.” My first screening in that format was Russian Ark, Alexander Sokruov’s one-take Hermitage film that would have been impossible to realize on celluloid, with its inherent time limits on how long each reel can be. That projection (the Dobie was only one of four US theaters to play it that way in the film’s initial run) made sense: digital in, digital out.

Still, the stakes of first digital conversion were relatively small; Avatar’s success upped digital’s presence significantly while coupling it to 3D. This is the part that’s different: where previous pushes for 3D worked with (extensively) modified versions of existing film hardware, this time the medium’s perfection accelerated the wholesale rethinking of film production and exhibition. Striking and shipping 35mm prints was expensive, as was paying qualified projectionists, and said prints would get beat up; the longer you waited to see a film, odds were the worse it would look. And “qualified” projectionists certainly weren’t the baseline standard by any means: I remember going to see Talk to Her improperly projected in 2002, the frame misaligned so that the bottom of the frame showed as a sliver at the top from start to finish. (Here’s a much more dramatic projection fail story from back in the day; probably everyone has at least one.) As with any new tech rollout, unforeseen problems followed: smaller theaters crowdsourced funds for new projectors or risked going out of business, digital files proved anything but foolproof in practice, a push for digital archiving placed the history of film at risk as new storage formats proved highly unstable relative to well-preserved film. (This last sentence is a heavily compressed version of what David Bordwell tracked at length in his highly recommended “Pandora’s Digital Box” series.) More succinctly, this is the first time 3D introduced a specific ghost in the machine: every time you go to a multiplex to see a movie that looks way too dark, the odds are good someone left the 3D lens on, and no one’s around who can fix it or who would even care to. What started as an attempt to perfect 3D had the inadvertent effect of undoing 2D digital projection standards.

Again, none of this is directly James Cameron’s fault. He’s just the one who helped push through a change faster than it might have been implemented otherwise. Avatar’s blockbuster breakthrough was followed the next year by Alice in Wonderland, which harvested a billion-plus dollars worldwide, making the case that it didn’t matter whether 3D was native or, as in Tim Burton’s film, post-converted. Not a year later, Jeffrey Katzenberg—another 3D booster—was already worried “the bloom was off the rose” because cynical types “thought they could just deliver a kind of low-end crappy version of it, and people wouldn't care, or wouldn't know the difference.” Five years later, Katzenberg was blunter, quoting (intentionally or not) Easy Rider to convey the extent of his disappointment: “we blew it.” 3D’s never had as big a year since 2010: its revenue has declined every year since, and production of 3D films has gone down. The technology stuck, but 3D’s potential as a normative storytelling tool remains once again questionable until further notice.

Setting aside the grim trajectory of 3D’s current wave, which has seen revenue (and audience demand) for the format decrease, it’s worth reflecting on Cameron’s original idea that 3D would add “depth” to the familiar, instead of a better brand of comin-at-ya effects. For years, whenever people would ask which 3D movies I liked, I’d say Yogi Bear. This is (not entirely) a smartass answer: obviously Goodbye to Language would be a better response, but Godard sought to dismantle all 3D’s rules one event shot at a time, and no one will (be able to) follow up on its visual inquiries. Pina made visual sense (the performers are dancing outside, depth is important), Hugo looked neat, and Tron: Legacy was a cool lightshow (though that had more to do with sheer color overload and Daft Punk’s super-loud score as rendered on the biggest speakers theatrically available, and a 3D expert friend swears it has some of the worst use of the medium he’s ever seen); otherwise, my 3D sampling has mostly been review assignments of bad-looking movies. The worst are the post-converted monstrosities. A real low here was the new Pete’s Dragon, which Disney screened in 3D: it looked extremely dark, which was predictable, but worse, a bunch of shots which were clearly shallow-focus, had all been rendered as three to four separate planes of depth, casting blurry background areas in semi-sharp relief, each shot an unintentional diorama. It was sort of possible to tell what the compositional intent was, but impossible to really envision it.

So Yogi Bear is peak 3D. Why not? At a cost of $80 million, Yogi Bear renders a depth-filled Jellystone Park entirely on par with Pandora, with all of the depth and none of the tacky colors. Both movies tell stories, both benefit from depth to spatially reconstruct a largely external environment: the differences are mostly details. In an interview Google will no longer let me find, but which I swear I remember, Cameron said only 19 shots (or thereabouts, let me hedge) in Avatar featured zero CG. These are, I presume, the shots of Jake Sully back on base; to me, they’re easily the most memorable parts of the movie, capturing the full depth of a set (and its metal walls) in a way that’s way more compelling than a fully rendered fake ecosystem . What if Cameron was wrong and 3D is, fundamentally, not just a way to enhance immersiveness but one which, when deployed in the non-CG constructed world, can recode the nuts and bolts of narrative filmmaking visual language itself? In Part II, I’ll look back at the much-derided second wave of ‘80s 3D to make the case that 1983’s Treasure of the Four Crowns, a little-regarded Raiders of the Lost Ark knock-off, is one of the format’s greatest, most progressive and inadvertently suggestive moments.

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itsjaybullme · 6 years

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The Best Gifts for the Movie & TV Fanatic: Holiday 2017

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1. Adult Swim In A Box

Courtesy of Adult Swim

For some shows, continuity isn’t as important as the experience. So maybe the best way to watch the bizarre, other-worldly comedy of Adult Swim isn’t to binge watch a series from start to finish, but to sample a little bit of everything AS has to offer. "Adult Swim In A Box" has you covered. This 13-DVD set—which says “Cash Grab” on the back of the box—presents Seasons One of Metalocalype and Moral Orel, Seasons Two of Sealab, Robot Chicken, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Season 3 of Space Ghost, and a bevy of pilot episodes. Microwave some popcorn and be sure to invite over your weirdest friends.

$55.57, amazon.com

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2. 'Planet Of The Apes' Trilogy, 4K

Courtesy of Fox

The new Planet of the Apes Trilogy should be taught as a case study in how to properly reboot a beloved franchise. These movies forge new ground without ruining what made the originals so great. This six-disc set presents each of the films of the new Apes trilogy: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes, in 4K and HD Blu-ray, plus a digital token so you can take all of them to go. (A Blu-ray + Digital trilogy is also available, nixing the 4K and knocking 20 bucks off the price). Each film gets its own black plastic shell, and all three shells fit inside a matte-finished slipcase with raised detailing that you can display on a shelf from either end—film artwork on the box side, or all three movie titles on the disc side. Includes a mini foldout Planet of the Apes poster.

$59.99, bestbuy.com

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3. DC Gallery Bat-Signal Prop

Courtesy of DC Comics

Now you can turn any man cave into a proper Bat-Cave with the ultimate Bat-Signal lamp. You might be tempted to get this as a desk ornament, but it’d better be a damn big desk. This thing is lightweight for its size, but it’s still big: nearly 13 inches tall, 9 inches wide, and 8 inches deep, which is sizable enough to serve as a focal point in most rooms. It’s seriously powerful, too, and in a dark room can project a picture-perfect Bat-Signal onto any flat surface up to eight feet away. It rotates 180 degrees on top of its faux granite (but surprisingly sturdy) base. It powers on via a USB cord or three AA batteries installed underneath. The best part: it comes with three interchangeable Bat-Symbols—one pulled from Tim Burton films, one from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and a traditional “Knightfall” symbol from the comics—which easily install on the lamp face via magnets. DC is only making 5,000 of these, so if you want to get your hands on one, you might want to pull the trigger soon or risk markups at conventions and auction sites.

$300, purchase info at dccomics.com

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4. 'Close Encounters Of The Third Kind' 4K Box Set

Courtesy of Sony

For fans of Steven Spielberg’s seminal sci-fi classic about contacting alien visitors, this is the ultimate treat: not only has the film been remastered, but you have the option of watching the theatrical cut, director’s cut, or special editions in 4K or on regular Blu-ray. The three-disc set includes a disc of bonus features, plus a glossy visual history booklet with lots of behind-the-scenes shots of iconic moments and Spielberg hard at work. The box itself makes a killer display piece. A ribbon of artwork from the film’s climactic scene stretches across the front; press a button on the side of the box and it lights up and plays the five unmistakable musical notes that every fan has burned into their brains.

$48.59, amazon.com

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5. 'Die Hard' Nakatomi Plaza Gift Set

Courtesy of Sony

Includes all five Die Hard movies on Blu-ray and digital, plus villain cards, and a making-of booklet—all in a box set that tucks away into the base of a model of Nakatomi Plaza. The model stands 15 inches tall and sports some nice detailing, including the Nakatomi logo in front. Set it up on the shelf in your office and people will might think you’re an architect…then they’ll get close and realize you’re just a movie nerd.

$79.88, amazon.com

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6. 'Firefly': The Complete Series: 15Th Anniversary Collector’s Edition

Courtesy of Fox

The cancelled show that was so beloved that fans demanded and got a movie after it was gone, is back once again. Fox has just re-released Joss Whedon’s western-styled sci-fi romp in its entirety. This 15th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Blu-ray set features all 14 original episodes on three discs, nine character cards, and a fold-out map of the United Alliance of Planets. The price makes this one a no-brainer. Twenty bucks? How can you say no?

$19.99, amazon.com

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7. 'The Godfather' Trilogy: Omerta Edition

Courtesy of Paramount

It’s been 45 years since Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece The Godfather hit the big screen. To celebrate, Paramount is making a limited run of 45,000 copies of this Godfather Trilogy Omerta Edition box set. The box is eye-catching for your book shelf or entertainment center, coated in matte white with gold lettering and artwork. This four-disc set comes with all three films mastered on high definition Blu-ray, plus a bounty of extras, including quote cards, trivia cards, character portraits, an “anatomy of a scene” foldout that breaks down the infamous restaurant scene from the original script, magnets that let you rearrange classic quotes on your fridge, plus a disc full of bonus features. All three films can be watched with feature-length commentary by Coppola.

$34.99, amazon.com

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8. 'Justice League' Movie Statues

Courtesy of DC Comics

The long-anticipated release of Justice League gave DC Collectibles cause to recreate all six superheroes involved in the big screen team-up in lifelike detail in these gorgeous, 12” poly-resin statues. Take your pick of Superman, Batman (in tactical suit), Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg. The statues are solidly constructed and pack some considerable heft, requiring an included base emblazoned with “JL” to stand free. DC Collectibles is making only 5,000 of each character, but you can get your hands on Cyborg and a few other DC goodies by entering our exclusive giveaway HERE.

$150, purchase info at: dccomics.com

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9. 'Men In Black' Trilogy, 4K

Courtesy of Sony

It’s been 20 years since the first Men In Black film hit theaters and every sci-fi comedy made since owes it a debt of gratitude. To celebrate, Sony has remastered all three films in 4K and collected them in this six-disc box set, which includes regular Blu-ray versions of each film and a digital download key. The trilogy hit a rough spot with the 2002 sequel, but the original film remains a classic, and Men In Black III marked a fine return to form. Well worth taking the plunge and getting them all.

$59.99, bestbuy.com

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10. Marvel Legends Series Mjolnir Electronic Hammer

Courtesy of Disney

“Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Now, if you have 100 bucks to burn, you can be worthy, too. As a pure display piece, this model of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, might be worth it. It’s five pounds and measures almost 20 inches tall, is etched with gorgeous Norse designs around its edges, and sits in a dock that props it up at an angle. The handle, wrist-strap, and pommel all bear details that make it look MCU-worthy. But when you pick it up and swing it around it starts spewing thunder sound effects and the edges of the hammer light up blue to simulate lightning. Speak the word “Thor” and the symbol of Odin appears on the side.

$99.99, toysrus.com

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11. Sphero R2-D2 App-Controlled Droid

Courtesy of Disney

Shockingly well-made. That’s the most succinct review we could offer here. Standing six-inches tall and perfectly resembling the detail and proportion of the famous R2 unit who appears in every Star Wars film, this app-controlled droid can mimic every sound and movement you know so well (Episode II’s jet thrusters notwithstanding). This is all easily controlled through the app, which you can download for free from the Apple or Google Play store. The app gives you control not only over all the aforementioned special effects, but offers patrol mode, AR mode, and watch mode, where R2 will chime in appropriately if you happen to be watching Episodes IV, VII, or Rogue One (functionality for the other films in the saga is on the way). When at rest, R2 stands on two legs. When you connect to the app, his retractable front center tread descends and he leans back, ready to roll. Be sure to give him some space, too, because he can roll pretty fast. It should be noted, too, that this droid is big step up from Sphero’s BB-8 droid, released in advance of The Force Awakens in 2015. While the BB-8 droid was similarly authentic and worked well, the sphere robotics were a little more complex and a little less practical. It wasn’t unusual, for instance, for BB-8 to get stuck in the corner and for his magnetic head to pop off. This R2 unit is twice the size and twice as stable when roaming around your home or office.

$179, bestbuy.com

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12. 'Samurai Jack': The Complete Series

Courtesy of Adult Swim

Thirteen years passed from the end of Season 4 in 2004 to the climactic Season 5 in 2017. That’s a hell of a long wait, but the story of Jack, a samurai thrown into the future, at last has a proper ending. Luckily, Adult Swim isn’t making you wait to collect everything. This box set features all five seasons of Samurai Jack on Blu-ray and digital; that’s 62 episodes spanning almost 23 hours. Since the first four seasons predated the HD era, they’ve been remastered for this set. Happy watching.

$104.99, bestbuy.com

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13. 'Spider-Man' 4K Box Sets

Courtesy of Sony

The original Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire Spider-Man trilogy helped build the foundations of the modern superhero genre, with the second film in the series still standing as one of the best superhero films ever made. Sony has updated all three films in 4K and placed them inside this limited-edition collection, which includes regular Blu-ray versions of each film, plus a bonus disc of features that includes the Editor’s Cut of Spider-Man 3. Sony gave the same attention to Andrew Garfield’s two-film run as the title character in Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2. Both box sets open like books, with glossy artwork and several pages of backstory on the making of all the films. Whichever iteration you prefer, a lot of love went into the making of these sets. Given the limited production run, any fan of the web-crawler will want to get their hands on one now.

$59.99, original trilogy, bestbuy.com

$44.99, Amazing Spider-Man set, bestbuy.com

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14. 'Star Trek' 50Th Anniversary Box Set

Courtesy of CBS

The complete Star Trek original series has been made available as a box set before, as have the original movies. But getting them all together in one set with the full animated series? That’s what you’ve got here, which is an appropriate way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking sci-fi adventure. This set is massive, spanning 30 Blu-ray discs. In addition to every adventure of the original cast, you get 20 hours of bonus content, including a two-and-a-half-hour documentary on the history of the series. Includes a 50th anniversary Starfleet pin plus art prints commemorating the six films. It’s a must-have for any die-hard fan, and that’s before you consider the price: no matter what retailer you prefer, this bad boy will run you less than 100 bucks.

$91.39, amazon.com

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madpicks · 7 years

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New Post has been published on https://www.madpicks.com/sports/ncaab/best-worst-everything-march-madness-day-2/

The best and worst of everything from March Madness Day 2

It’s time to recap everything that went right and everything that went wrong on day two of the most exciting postseason in sports.

The second day of the 2017 NCAA tournament was built up as one that would feature a handful of the highest-scoring teams in the field of 68 squaring off against one another in highly competitive contests where defense would seem at times to be optional.

Things didn’t play out exactly like that, but as it always does, the first Friday of the big dance provided us with some of the moments and images that are destined to be remembered from this tournament when all is said and done. We had two early session games go right down to the final buzzer, we had one ridiculous dunk that’s going to be hard to dunk over the next two weeks, and we had some ridiculous and hilarious things happen both on and off the court.

Let’s get into all of the best and the worst from the second day of first round action at the NCAA tournament.

2 BEST GAMES

1. (11) USC Trojans 66, (6) SMU Mustangs 65 (East)

Everybody knows about the success that 12 seeds have had in the first round of the tournament over the years. Even with that being the case, the wildest phenomenon currently at play in March Madness might be the fact that at least one at-large team from the First Four has won one or more games in the main draw of the tournament in every season since the advent of the First Four in 2011.

USC made sure that trend will live into 2018 by erasing a 12-point deficit to stun an SMU team that many believed could play its way deep into the tournament. Elijah Stewart’s corner three-pointer with 36 seconds to go proved to be the game-winner. SMU had one final chance to answer, but star guard Shake Milton’s potential game-winning floater came up just short.

The victory was especially painful for SMU when you consider that the Mustangs were beaten in similarly heartbreaking fashion in their last tournament appearance. Facing an 11th-seeded UCLA team that had advanced out of the First Four, the 2014-15 Mustangs were beaten in the closing seconds on a controversial goaltending call. Despite its recent success, SMU still hasn’t won a game in the big dance since 1988, and it hasn’t won multiple games since 1956.

2. (7) Michigan Wolverines 92, (10) Oklahoma State Cowboys 91 (Midwest)

Depending on your own personal criteria for what constitutes a “great game,” there’s certainly a case to be made for this game sitting at No. 1 on the list. No tournament game so far has been more consistently entertaining than the offensive showcase clinic that Michigan and Oklahoma State put on Friday afternoon.

Red-hot Michigan made a school record 16 three-pointers, and it needed every last one of them to take down the Cowboys. In the second half alone, the Wolverines were 11-of-15 from beyond the arc, with star guard Derrick Walton’s 6-of-9 effort leading the barrage. Walton is looking an awful lot like former Michigan star Trey Burke these days, and his team just might be riding more momentum than any other still dancing. It’ll put that momentum (which includes beating a plane accident) to its toughest test yet on Sunday against the second-seeded Louisville Cardinals for a trip to the Sweet 16.

THE TEAM(s) THAT WON IT BEST

The No. 1 seeds

We ripped on No. 1 seeds for looking lackluster on Thursday, so we feel obligated to reward the North Carolina Tar Heels and Kansas Jayhawks for doing the exact opposite on day two. UNC wasted no time breaking the will of the Texas Southern Tigers and could have named whatever score it wanted in a 103-64 first round romp. Kansas started a little slower, but still had absolutely no issue dispatching of the UC Davis Aggies, 100-62. The dream of a 16 seed playing its way into round two will have to hibernate for another year.

Honorable mention goes to the Baylor Bears for exorcising their first round demons of the past two years and taking care of New Mexico State by 18.

THE TEAM THAT WAS THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

SMU

It’s hard to label a team that was a few inches away from winning as a “disappointment,” but this was a Mustang squad that a lot of people believed was under-seeded and would play its way into the second weekend. You can say what you want about USC making all the plays down the stretch and I won’t disagree with you, but what’s disappointing about SMU’s early exit is that it was even in that position in the first place. The Mustangs seemed to be in control of the contest for most of the afternoon, and had ample opportunity to put the game away before it entered the closing seconds.

THE ALL-DAY TWO TEAM

Derrick Walton Jr., Michigan

Nobody is hotter on America’s hottest team than Walton. He drilled 6-of-9 three-pointers, scored a game-high 26 points, and dished out 11 assists in Michigan’s 92-91 win over Oklahoma State.

Norbertas Giga, Jacksonville State Gamecocks

Giga almost single-handedly kept the Gamecocks in their game with Louisville, scoring a career-high 30 points on 11-of-13 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Giga had made just eight three-pointers heading into Friday’s game, but was 5-of-5 from beyond the arc against the Cardinals. He had scored 20 points just once before this game.

Semi Ojeleye, SMU

In what may well wind up being his last college game, the junior big man for SMU scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and threw down the best dunk of the tournament so far.

Moses Kingsley, Arkansas Razorbacks

Despite being in college for what feels like a decade, it still seems Kingsley is one of the more under-appreciated players in the country. Perhaps scoring 23 points on 10-of 13-shooting, snagging six rebounds, and blocking four shots against the Seton Hall Pirates will help change that.

Scoochie Smith, Dayton Flyers

Playing in his final college game, Smith carried Dayton as far as he could. He scored a game-high 25 points, had four assists and made four steals in the Flyers’ 64-58 loss to Wichita State.

THREE DAY TWO JEERS

1. Pretty much everything that happened at the end of Arkansas-Seton Hall

This could have also just been the entire Arkansas-Seton Hall game since both sides did some really ridiculous things throughout, but let’s just focus on the end.

For starters, Seton Hall’s Khadeen Carrington — who was terrific for most of the day — did this with his team down by a single point in the game’s final minute.

Arkansas attempted to give the ball right back with an inexcusable travel of its own, but the officials refused to let them be so generous.

Is this the travel that everyone was referring to?? Because, well, I can see why people are mad. pic.twitter.com/UdhqdgQ6hR

— Big East Coast Bias (@becb_sbn) March 17, 2017

What the officials did call was an extremely questionable flagrant foul on this play:

The call gave Arkansas two shots and the ball and effectively ended the game. NCAA National Coordinator of Men’s Basketball Officiating J.D. Collins attempted to explain the call after the game, but his words did little to ease the pain of Seton Hall fans.

Arkansas won, 77-71, and will face top-seeded North Carolina on Sunday.

2. Butler Blue still being banned from the tournament

Butler Blue III is the official mascot of Butler Bulldog athletics, as well as a noted very good dog. Unfortunately, BB3 (as his friends call him) won’t be in attendance when his guys take on the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders in a big second round game on Saturday. The reason is because the NCAA has a ban against live mascots in the early rounds of championship competitions. This is very dumb, and there is a simple and persuasive counter-argument for each one of the NCAA’s points.

#FreeBB3

3. The missed dunk trend continuing

Players getting rejected by the rim on uncontested dunk attempts was both the most troubling and kind of hilarious storyline from day one at the big dance. The trend carried over into day two, with Jaylen Johnson doing this early on in Louisville’s game against Jacksonville State.

THREE DAY TWO CHEERS

1. The First Four magic continuing

In every season since its inception in 2011, the First Four has produced at least one at-large team that has won at least a game in the main draw. It’s also spawned one Final Four team and four Sweet 16 squads. That last number has the potential to grow this season after USC’s upset of SMU.

The Trojans advanced to the main draw after toppling the Providence Friars in Dayton on Wednesday. In both of their tournament wins, Andy Enfield’s team trailed by double-digits. They’ll face Baylor on Sunday with a trip to the tournament’s second weekend on the line.

2. LeVar Burton’s handling of misguided LaVar Ball hecklers

To be fair, both the overbearing father and the Reading Rainbow host have a shared belief in the notion that anything is possible.

Friend to know Ways to grow And a son named Lonzoooo

3. Everybody being right about picking the Rhode Island Rams to “upset” the Creighton Bluejays

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen America so united in a belief that a double-digit seed was going to win an NCAA tournament game before. Congrats, everybody. We all nailed it. Free pizza for everyone tomorrow.

If you picked Creighton, you still get pizza, but it has to have pineapple on it.

THE BEST DAY TWO DUNK

It’s going to be hard for anyone else in this tournament to top what SMU’s Semi Ojeleye did on Friday.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/nxE6bOedmm

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 17, 2017

THE BEST DAY TWO PICTURE

It feels almost wrong to refer to something like this as “the best,” but the obvious emotion flowing out of Iona’s Jordan Washington in the final moments of the Gaels’ loss to Oregon was a brutal reminder of the other side of March Madness. This photo was especially moving.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

THE BEST DAY TWO QUOTE

We’re playing against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. So I’ve never seen — I watched the second half. I’ve never seen shooting like that since I’ve been a coach. It’s incredible the way they shoot the basketball.

—Rick Pitino discussing Michigan’s shooting performance on Friday and his team’s matchup against the Wolverines on Sunday

FULL SATURDAY SCHEDULE

If I told you that you could have more of this, would that be something you might be interested in? You’re in luck then. The show isn’t stopping.

No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 12:10 p.m.

West region | Buffalo, N.Y.

TV: CBS | Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel, Allie LaForce

No. 1 Villanova Wildcats vs. No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers, 2:40 p.m.*

East region | Buffalo, N.Y.

TV: CBS | Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel, Allie LaForce

No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. No. 8 Northwestern Wildcats, 5:15 p.m.

West region | Salt Lake City, Utah

TV: CBS | Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Jamie Erdahl

No. 3 Florida State Seminoles vs. No. 11 Xavier Musketeers, 6:10 p.m.

West region | Orlando, Fla.

TV: TNT | Announcers: Ian Eagle, Steve Lavin, Evan Washburn

No. 4 Butler vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee, 7:10 p.m.

South region | Milwaukee, Wisc.

TV: TBS | Announcers: Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski, Debbie Antonelli, Lisa Byington

No. 2 Arizona Wildcats vs. No. 7 Saint Mary’s Gaels, 7:45 p.m.*

West region | Salt Lake City, Utah

TV: CBS | Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Jamie Erdahl

No. 4 Florida Gators vs. No. 5 Virginia Cavaliers, 8:40 p.m.*

East region | Orlando, Fla.

TV: TNT | Announcers: Ian Eagle, Steve Lavin, Evan Washburn

No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers vs. No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones, 9:40 p.m.*

Midwest region | Milwaukee, Wisc.

TV: TBS | Announcers: Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski, Debbie Antonelli, Lisa Byington

*game time estimated, after the conclusion of previous game in region

#march madness #NCAAB

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junker-town · 7 years

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The best and worst of everything from March Madness Day 2

It’s time to recap everything that went right and everything that went wrong on day two of the most exciting postseason in sports.

Things didn’t play out exactly like that, but as it always does, the first Friday of the big dance provided us with some of the moments and images that are destined to some of the most remembered from this tournament when all is said and done. We had two early session games go right down to the final buzzer, we had one ridiculous dunk that’s going to be hard to dunk over the next two weeks, and we had some ridiculous and hilarious things happen both on and off the court.

Let’s get into all of the best and the worst from the second day of first round action at the NCAA tournament.

2 BEST GAMES

1. (11) USC 66, (6) SMU 65 (East)

Everybody knows about the success that 12 seeds have had in the first round of the tournament over the years. Even with that being the case, the wildest phenomenon currently at play in March Madness might be the fact at least one at-large team from the First Four has won one or more games in the main draw of the tournament in every season since the advent of the First Four in 2011.

USC made sure that trend will live into 2018 by erasing a nine-point deficit to stun an SMU team that many believed could play its way deep into the tournament. Elijah Stewart’s corner three-pointer with 36 seconds to go proved to be the game-winner. SMU had one final chance to answer, but star guard Shake Milton’s potential game-winning floater came up just short.

2. (7) Michigan 92, (10) Oklahoma State 91 (Midwest)

Depending on your own personal criteria for what constitutes a “great game,” there’s certainly a case to be made for this game sitting at No. 1 on the list. No tournament game so far this year has been more consistently entertaining than the offensive showcase clinic that Michigan and Oklahoma State put on Friday afternoon.

Red-hot Michigan made a school record 16 three-pointers, and they needed every last one of them to take down the Cowboys. In the second half alone, the Wolverines were 11 of 15 from beyond the arc, with star guard Derrick Walton’s 6 for 9 effort leading the barrage. Walton is looking an awful lot like former Michigan star Trey Burke these days, and his team just might be riding more momentum than any other still dancing. They’ll put that momentum (which includes beating a plane accident) to its toughest test yet on Sunday when they take on second-seeded Louisville for a trip to the Sweet 16.

THE TEAM(s) THAT WON IT BEST

The No. 1 seeds

We ripped on No. 1 seeds for looking lackluster on Thursday, so we feel obligated to reward North Carolina and Kansas for doing the exact opposite on day two. UNC wasted no time breaking the will of Texas Southern and could have named whatever score they wanted in their 103-64 first round romp over the Tigers. Kansas started a little slower, but still had absolutely no issue dispatching of UC Davis, 100-62. The dream of a 16 seed playing its way into round two will have to hibernate for another year.

Honorable mention goes to Baylor for exorcising their first round demons of the past two years and taking care of New Mexico State by 18.

THE TEAM THAT WAS THE BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

SMU

It’s hard to label a team that was a few inches away from winning as a “disappointment,” but this was a Mustang team that a lot of people believed was under-seeded and would play its way into the second weekend. You can say what you want about USC making all the plays down the stretch and I won’t disagree with you, but what’s disappointing about SMU’s early exit is that they were even in that position in the first place. They had seemed to be in control of the contest for most of the afternoon, and had ample opportunity to put the game away before it entered the closing seconds.

THE ALL-DAY TWO TEAM

Derrick Walton Jr., Michigan

Nobody is hotter on America’s hottest team than Walton. He drilled 6 of 9 three-pointers, scored a game-high 26 points, and dished out a tournament-high 11 assists in Michigan’s 92-91 win over Oklahoma State.

Norbertas Giga, Jacksonville State

Giga almost single-handedly kept the Gamecocks in their game with Louisville, scoring a career-high 30 points on 11 of 13 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds. Giga had made just eight three-pointers heading into Friday’s game, but was 5 for 5 from beyond the arc against the Cardinals. He had also scored 20 points just once before this season, and had never scored more than that total.

Semi Ojeleye, SMU

In what may well wind up being his last college game, the junior big man for SMU scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and threw down the best dunk of the tournament so far.

Moses Kinglsey, Arkansas

Despite his being in college for what feels like a decade, it still seems like Moses Kinglsey is one of the more under-appreciated players in the country. Perhaps scoring 23 points on 10 of 13 shooting, snagging six rebounds and blocking four shots today against Seton Hall will help change that.

Tyler Dorsey, Oregon

Oregon had no shortage of scorers on Friday, but none filled the nets up more than Dorsey. The sophomore guard hit 9 of his 13 field goal attempts and scored a game-high 24 points.

3 DAY TWO JEERS

1. Pretty much everything that happened at the end of Arkansas-Seton Hall

This could have also just been the entire Arkansas-Seton Hall game since both sides did some really ridiculous things throughout, but let’s just focus on the end.

For starters, Seton Hall’s Khadeen Carrington -- who was terrific for most of the day — did this with his team down by a single point in the game’s final minute.

Arkansas attempted to give the ball right back with an inexcusable travel of its own, but the officials refused to let them be so generous.

Is this the travel that everyone was referring to?? Because, well, I can see why people are mad. http://pic.twitter.com/UdhqdgQ6hR

— Big East Coast Bias (@becb_sbn) March 17, 2017

What the officials did call was an extremely questionable flagrant foul on this play:

The call gave Arkansas two shots and the ball and effectively ended the game. NCAA National Coordinator of Men's Basketball Officiating J.D. Collins attempted to explain the call after the game, but his words did little to ease the pain of Seton Hall fans.

Arkansas won, 77-71, and will face top-seeded North Carolina on Sunday.

2. Butler Blue still being banned from the tournament

Butler Blue III is the official mascot of Butler Bulldog athletics, as well as a noted very good dog. Unfortunately, BB3 (as his friends call him) won’t be in attendance when his guys take on Middle Tennessee State in a big second round game on Saturday. The reason is because the NCAA has a ban against live mascots in the early rounds of championship competitions. This is very dumb, and there is a simple and persuasive counter-argument for each one of the NCAA’s points.

#FreeBB3

3. The missed dunk trend continuing

3 DAY TWO CHEERS

1. The First Four magic continuing

In every season since its inception in 2011, the First Four has produced at least one at-large team that has won at least one game in the main draw. The opening round has spawned one Final Four team and four Sweet 16 squads. That last number has the potential to grow this season after USC’s upset of SMU on Friday.

The Trojans advanced to the main draw after toppling Providence in Dayton on Wednesday. In both of their tournament wins, Andy Enfield’s team trailed by double digits. They’ll face Butler on Sunday with a trip to the tournament’s second weekend on the line.

2. LeVar Burton’s handling of misguided LaVar Ball hecklers

To be fair, both the overbearing father and the “Reading Rainbow” host have a shared belief in the notion that anything is possible.

Friend to know Ways to grow And a son named Lonzoooo

3. Everybody being right about picking Rhode Island to “upset” Creighton

If you picked Creighton, you still get pizza, but it has to have pineapple on it.

THE BEST DAY TWO DUNK

It’s going to be hard for anyone else in this tournament to top what SMU’s Semi Ojeleye did on Friday.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. #MarchMadness http://pic.twitter.com/nxE6bOedmm

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 17, 2017

THE BEST DAY TWO PICTURE

It feels almost wrong to refer to something like this as “the best,” but obvious emotions flowing out of Iona’s Jordan Washington in the final moments of the Gaels’ loss to Oregon were a brutal reminder of the other side of March Madness. This photo was especially moving.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

THE BEST DAY TWO QUOTE

We're playing against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. So I've never seen -- I watched the second half. I've never seen shooting like that since I've been a coach. It's incredible the way they shoot the basketball.

—Rick Pitino discussing Michigan’s shooting performance on Friday and his team’s matchup against the Wolverines on Sunday

FULL SATURDAY SCHEDULE

If I told you that you could have more of this, would that be something you might be interested in? You’re in luck then. The show isn’t stopping.

No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 5 Notre Dame, 12:10 p.m.

West region | Buffalo, N.Y.

TV: CBS | Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel, Allie LaForce

No. 1 Villanova vs. No. 8 Wisconsin, 2:40 p.m.*

East region | Buffalo, N.Y.

TV: CBS | Announcers: Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel, Allie LaForce

No. 1 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Northwestern, 5:15 p.m.

West region | Salt Lake City, Utah

TV: CBS | Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Jamie Erdahl

No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 11 Xavier, 6:10 p.m.

West region | Orlando, Fla.

TV: TNT | Announcers: Ian Eagle, Steve Lavin, Evan Washburn

No. 4 Butler vs. No. 12 Middle Tennessee, 7:10 p.m.

South region | Milwaukee, Wisc.

TV: TBS | Announcers: Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski, Debbie Antonelli, Lisa Byington

No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 7 Saint Mary’s, 7:45 p.m.*

West region | Salt Lake City, Utah

TV: CBS | Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Jamie Erdahl

No. 4 Florida vs. No. 5 Virginia, 8:40 p.m.*

East region | Orlando, Fla.

TV: TNT | Announcers: Ian Eagle, Steve Lavin, Evan Washburn

No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 5 Iowa State, 9:40 p.m.*

Midwest region | Milwaukee, Wisc.

TV: TBS | Announcers: Carter Blackburn, Mike Gminski, Debbie Antonelli, Lisa Byington

*game time estimated, after the conclusion of previous game in region

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