The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel culminates our coverage from Las Vegas with some illustrious images from the UConn postgame celebration.
That is 1 nice looking West Regional trophy!
Everyone was in a great mood as the Huskies hoisted the trophy amid the confetti.
Exactly 1 month ago Dan Hurley’s brother Bobby ruined my weekend thanks to Desmond Cambridge making a 60-footer at the buzzer to upset my Wildcats in Tucson: how great was it that I got to see him in person in Vegas cheering on the Huskies?!
In 1989 PJ Carlesimo led Seton Hall to the title game and lost by a single point in OT. A couple of years later he had a freshman name Dan Hurley join his team, and today PJ was the Westwood One college basketball radio analyst watching his former player make the Final 4.
Amazingly, PJ is not even the greatest coaching influence on Dan, whose father Bob Sr. Hurley won 26 state titles in 39 years as a high school coach and in 2010 became only the 3rd high school coach to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
1 of the warmest scenes was seeing Dan’s wife Andrea leap into his arms to give him a huge embrace.
The band/mascot/cheerleaders all had a lot of spirit left over despite a hectic month of travel: Philly to face Villanova in the regular season finale, NYC for the Big East tourney, Albany for the 1st 2 rounds of the NCAA tourney, and Vegas for this unforgettable weekend. 
I just wish that Coach Hurley could get a little more hyped about making the Final 4:
1 of the best sightings was Dr. Charles McClelland: I got to interview him last month, and next year he will become the 1st person from an HBCU league/school to chair the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee.
Joey Calcaterra had been winless vs. Gonzaga in 7 games while at San Diego but he decided 8 was enough as he scored 8 PTS in 13 minutes last night.
Some people from Joey’s cheering section were very excited to take a postgame photo…
And some were not (although I am loving his hoodie):
FR Alex Karaban played like a SR during his 2 games in Vegas with 12 PPG/6 RPG/71.4 FG%.
Adama Sanogo dominated the paint during his 1st 4 NCAA tourney games with 20 PPG/10 RPG/65.5 FG%.
Jordan Hawkins turned into the best shooter in the NCAA tourney with 16-31 3PM through his 1st 4 games.
Donovan Clingan’s shirt says it all, as the 7’2” giant was “Made Four This”.
Andre Jackson Jr. is a co-captain along with Sanogo and had 1 of the best all-around performances vs. the Zags that you will ever see: 8 PTS/9 REB/10 AST/0 TO.
Everyone got to climb the ladder to cut down a piece of the net, including UConn assistant coach Luke Murray, while his 2 young sons hung on for dear life.
You might have heard of Luke’s father Bill, who I hear is an actor of some acclaim. 
After the postgame conference they packed up the trophy and headed back to Storrs before hopping on a plane to Houston later this week.
That is a wrap from Vegas, hope you enjoyed all the coverage, and we cannot wait for 1 wild weekend to determine a champion!