by Producer Sean Campbell
I had a great weekend this week, not because the weather was great (rained everyday), or I went somewhere interesting (unless rounds at St. Andrews or TPC Sawgrass in Tiger Woods ’09 count). No, it was great because I was reminded that Madness is just around the corner. This fact was made clear to me by the last of the conference tournaments and the only invitation show that I’ll ever watch, Selection Sunday.
There were two games this weekend that had great finishes and whetted my appetite for madness: USC/ASU on Saturday and Mississippi State/Tennessee on Sunday. I got the chance to see USC play Arizona last year at the Galen center and I have been following them closely ever since. I love watching DeRozan play this season and I always enjoy the drama of the “win and you’re in” conference championship games (teams like Penn State, and St. Mary’s would probably feel differently this year however).
The other game that I thought was a great warm-up for the Tournament was the Mississippi State/Tennessee game. It was Mississippi State’s chance to punch their own ticket to the dance and it was pretty tight all game long, but the craziest part of the game was the last 10 seconds. After Prince missed his second FT that would have tied the game for Tennessee, each team turned the ball over TWICE trying to inbound the ball in Mississippi State’s end of the court. Every coach’s nightmare! IT WAS CRAZY! I hope games with dramatic endings like this are a sign of things to come in the upcoming weeks.
That brings me to the other reason the weekend was so good, Selection Sunday. I got really amped up for the Selection Show after explaining to a bunch of family and friends how this whole process and the tournament worked. The drama and excitement around the selection of teams and assigning of match-ups creates so many interesting storylines. And when the storylines are paired with the excitement that comes with the win or go home element of a single elimination tournament structure, it’s understandable why they call it “March Madness.”
I love the fact that the biggest and best basketball tournament has a whole show dedicated to the selection of teams. It is such a good way to get fans involved and excited for the tournament. Our whole team was feeling the excitement begin as everyone was in the office until 3am this Sunday watching the Selection Show and updating the team ratings and brackets for the Tournament Edition and our DLC (for the retail version of the game), so it was definitely a weekend to remember.
There are some great first round match-ups that I am looking forward to seeing, notably: BYU/Texas A&M, Marquette/Utah State, Clemson/Michigan and Florida State/Wisconsin. I’m getting my TV and both computer monitors warmed up for maximum game watching during the beauty and craziness that is the first 2 rounds.
There is so much to get excited about when it comes to March and College Basketball. But this year there is one more thing to add to the list. I am really excited that this year we have released the March Madness Tournament Edition as a downloadable game on Xbox Live. This I a standalone playable game offered on Xbox Live for $15.00 (1200 MS Points).
I think this is a really unique chance for everyone, from tournament die-hards to casual fans, who haven’t had the opportunity to experience NCAA Basketball 09, or any college basketball video game, to have the chance to play at the most exciting part of the year. It’s a great video game to get into anytime of the year, but in March it’s a whole other story, it’s Madness.
It’s an opportunity to participate in and interact with all the drama that unfolds when the tournament begins. Basketball is the game we will all be glued to our TV’s watching when the flood gates open on March 19th, and the March Madness Tournament Edition will be a participation sport for everyone who wants to hit the floor. From top seeds to Cinderellas, everyone has the chance to play along with their favorite team on the road to the final four or avenge a loss and experience what could have been. Whatever the case, this week Madness won’t be around the corner, it will be everywhere.
Enjoy the Madness,
Sean.