For today’s Hoops HD Daily Rundown – CLICK HERE
College GameDay (aka ESPN College GameDay covered by State Farm) made its Saturday morning debut more than 20 years ago and remains the best in the business. Host Rece Davis and analysts Jay Bilas/Seth Greenberg/Jay Williams/Andraya Carter break down all the results/news/games that you need to know as it travels from campus to campus. Since the game of the day is a 1-off non-conference game in DC tonight featuring Duke & Michigan, the crew headed south from Bristol to get everyone hyped up for the possible NCAA title game preview. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel was in attendance and prepared this photo essay from a memorable morning.
You know it is a big deal when the big red bus comes to your city:
I was unsure how many people would show up at 10AM on a (finally) decent weather day to see 2 teams whose campuses are not anywhere near DC, but the lower-level sideline was pretty packed:
As the clock struck 10AM, it was lights/camera/action (with Stanford Steve standing to the side):
No cheerleaders/dance team for Duke, but they did send their band/mascot:
Usually the GameDay crew set up shop right on the court, but today they were behind the basket so that each team could hold an open practice and then get their emotions in check before heading back to their respective hotels:
I did not get any good shots of the Michigan players/coaches, but national POY frontrunner Cameron Boozer and his coach Jon Scheyer were a little easier for me to see:
During the final minutes of the show the crew came onto the court to cheer on 1 lucky fan who tried to make a half-court shot for a lot of money (close, but no cigar):
Props to J-Will and Rece for taking time to walk over to the crowd after the show to shake some hands/take some selfies:
Rece was kind enough to autograph my own homemade sign, which made the whole morning worth it!
And last, but certainly not least, here are some of the best signs I saw during my 2 hours at the arena:
That is a wrap for now, but check back tonight for what just might be the game of the year!
