March Madness: Old Dominion University vs. Butler

One of the first games of the 2011 NCAA basketball tournament ended with a buzzer-beater at the Verizon Center in Washington DC. Last year's runner-up, Butler University, took out the Old Dominion Monarchs 60-58 after a last second put-back by senior forward Matt Howard.

This assignment from Old Dominion was my first ever NCAA tournament game and I walked around the arena while the place was fairly empty, soaking up the atmosphere. I noticed that the venues that host the NCAA tournament are interestingly devoid of any sponsors or advertising and are transformed into large, blue velvet arenas complete with blue carpet, blue drapes and blue NCAA logos. The only other color/logo allowed was that of the red cups with the Powerade emblem. Next time you watch a tourney game, I challenge you to look for any in-arena ads.

The occasion seemed like a good time to break out the good old floor remote. Although this camera angle elicited a LOT of crap, I was able to get a few good frames but nothing terribly exciting. I was also angling to get some great access to the team, but apparently NCAA rules state that no one is allowed in the locker room before the game or during half time. It's not like I was passing out $100 dollar bills. Shout out to ODU's seniors, that was a tough way to go out.