Getty Images photographer Streeter Lecka wins his round.

During the NCAA men’s final four weekend there is always one off day between Saturdays’s semi-final and Monday’s final game.

Typically, the Getty Images crew heads to the local bowling alley for some afternoon bowling. However, after figuring out that there were two ping pong tables by the pool at the Marriott, it just seemed to perfect to pass up.

Getty Images photographer Streeter Lecka pays tribute to the Marriott ping pong table.

Myself, Brandon Lopez, Streeter Lecka and Jamie Squire (Getty Images staffer who was shooting for ESPN The Mag) headed down to the tables.

Brandon Lopez (director of photography at Getty Images) returns a serve.

Not one to lose a game of ping pong I send it back to Brandon.

Victory!

The consensus among the crew was none of us had played pong for years (beer pong not included) but we all knew what we were doing, so to speak.

Jamie Squire falls in defeat.

I think we were all trying to hustle each other. The play was quite stellar and we even got some passerby’s (I mean fans) stopping to watch us play.

Streeter Lecka celebrates his win.

Some six hours later after some amazing points, bruised egos and strong play we finally ended. We never did crown an official champion but there is always next year. What else are we going to be doing in Detroit?

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Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

SAN ANTONIO – APRIL 07: The Kansas Jayhawks celebrate after defeating the Memphis Tigers 75-68 in overtime during the 2008 NCAA Men’s National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 7, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.

Right before the tip-off for the first game of the NCAA men’s final four I looked over at Brandon Lopez and said, “Let’s just hope it’s not Memphis and Kansas in the final game. “I just felt like with what our coverage of this game could be that would be the worst scenario.

Of course I jinxed it and Memphis against Kansas it was. However, we ended up pleasantly surprised.

It turned out to be one of the top championship games of all time.

With Kansas down nine points with just about two minutes left, the Jayhawks were able to comeback and tie the game with a last second three-pointer to make the game go into overtime. In OT, KU was able to pull away for the shocking victory.

It marked a fantastic end to what was a month-long “journey” of coverage for Getty Images.

Throughout the month of March I traveled to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament, Little Rock, Ark. for the 1^st and 2^nd round, back to Charlotte for the East Regional and then finally in San Antonio for the Final Four. Lots of time spent in the south for a guy based on the west coast.

But I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. March Madness has always been my favorite event as I remember being allowed to miss class while in junior high and high school to watch games. Now I get to watch the games live and in person. So it’s hard to complain about the travel.

In San Antonio for the Final Four our crew once again continued to amaze me. Our three photographers (Ronald Martinez, Jed Jacobsohn and Streeter Lecka) captured all the emotion and our photographs ran in newspapers/websites/publications all over the country. Thanks as always to Bob Covington , our IT guru, for enabling Brandon and I to get the photos out to those clients faster.

One photo from the championship game stands out to me. Streeter was able to capture the last second three-pointer by Mario Chalmers to bring the game into overtime.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

SAN ANTONIO – APRIL 07: Mario Chalmers #15 of the Kansas Jayhawks shoots and makes a three-pointer to tie the game to send it into overtime against the Memphis Tigers during the 2008 NCAA Men’s National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 7, 2008 in San Antonio, Texas.

Now that college is done, it’s off to cover the NBA playoffs which start next week. Check the blog page for our NBA basketball playoff coverage.

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Doug Benc/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL – MARCH 21: The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers bench celebrates their team’s overtime win against the Drake Bulldogs in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament West Regional at the St. Pete Times Forum on March 21, 2008 in Tampa, Florida.

March Madness! These words says it all. At least I thought they did, until my latest assignment was to cover the first and second rounds in the NCAA basketball tournament in Tampa.

The sixty four teams (+1 play-in) are selected from all of the division one basketball programs across the nation to play for a chance at a national championship. Some say that many of these teams do not deserve to be there. Some “experts” say that the field of 64 is too much and should be cut in half.

Western Kentucky, Siena, University of San Diego and Villanova all are examples of the “madness” that can ensue when given a chance to play in a format of “one and done.”

These four teams were all seeded either 12 or 13 in the Tampa region of play. Each year in the tournament, there seems to be at least on upset of a 12 beating a 5 seed. But even more rare for a 13 seed to defeat a 4 seed, and to have two upsets of that magnitude in the same region is nearly unheard of.

When I got the assignment for the Tampa region, I was excited. I have worked as an editor in the past for Getty Images photographers Jonathan Daniel and Brian Bahr. I have even spent a little time on the floor during these games. The excitement that flows during a “sudden death” basketball game is incredible. But being on the floor for a game is much different than sitting in the back room or in front of my television.

I arrived four hours before the game on Friday and found my workspace already set up with a high speed transmission line. I had Scott Miller to edit for me; a must when you have four games in twelve hours.

I made my way out to the floor and found some of the other photographers milling about and working on positioning their remotes and discussion strategies. But one cloud that hung over the court, was the fact that we had two games for 13 seed vs. 4 seed, and 12 seed vs. 5 seed. Most of us agreed we had a few blowouts on hand for the rest of today. Maybe with a little luck, one of the lower seeds would make a game close and allow us some nice images of one of the teams. Even Nostredomus could not have predicted the massacre that followed.

The first game was Western Kentucky vs. Drake. Neither team conjures up a “basketball powerhouse,” but Drake seemed to be the better team and deservedly had the higher seed. As the game played on, WKU was looking every bit as good as Drake. We were hoping for a good celebration photo of Drake, since this would be a miracle win given the circumstances that WKU faced.

During the second half I had a remote that was focused on the bench of WKU. The photo that I was anticipating as players saw their season come to an end never happend. Instead, players sprang off the bench as a basket was scored at the buzzer (see picture above). Rogers raced down court toward me with his face lit up and teammates in chase to celebrate as the first higher seed in the Tampa region had fallen.

Doug Benc/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL – MARCH 21: Ty Rogers #5 of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers celebrates his game-winning basket against the Drake Bulldogs during the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament West Regional at the St. Pete Times Forum on March 21, 2008 in Tampa, Florida.

This was a chance for an image that you never expect, but hope for in a region like Tampa. The photographers on the sidelines were moving fast to get their cards out of their remotes and get them on the computers to transmit what might be the biggest upset of the day. Our hearts were pounding as all of us, in some way, are part of this game. Very few of us (if any) are fans of either of these teams, but we all have a smile as if they were. The energy that flows from a game-ending three-pointer, in a win or go home game, is contagious.

During the break between games I check my batteries, lenses and memory cards then prepare to shoot three more games (none of which could possibly compare with what I had just witnessed.

The next game on my schedule was Connecticut vs. San Diego. Early in the game, UCONN lost A.J. Price. Price, the point guard who makes things happen for his team and who is the best player on the team, injured his knee and could not return to the game. After that, the outcome was apparent. A small section of San Diego students stood the ENTIRE game and never stopped cheering, chanting and yelling.

Doug Benc/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL – MARCH 21: San Diego Toerros fans cheer for their team during their game against the Connecticut Huskies during the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament West Regional at the St. Pete Times Forum on March 21, 2008 in Tampa, Florida.

As San Diego took control late in the game, some of those students were in tears. You could read their lips from 30 ft away “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

A second upset as the 5 seed defeated the 12 seed. This was going to be a good day for the photographers on the baseline of these two games. Most of us had never had the chance to witness a day of upsets quite like this.

At the end of the very long day, it was reflection time. Four games, four upsets and the energy that had carried me throughout the day was now drained. According to ESPN, four upsets in a single region had never been accomplished before. The upsets guaranteed that at least two seeds of either 12 or 13 would reach the “Sweet 16.”

While watching the highlights on ESPN later that day I got the chance to see my photo from the WKU bench being mentioned as the “most telling image of the day.” Having the chance to shoot a day like this is incredible! When friends ask about my job, it is usually just another day, but today it was much more than typical – it was historical.

Doug Benc/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL – MARCH 21: Gyno Pomare #21, Rob Jones #22 and Devin Ginty #3 of the San Diego Toreros celebrate their team’s 70-69 overtime win against the Connecticut Huskies in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament West Regional at the St. Pete Times Forum March 21, 2008 in Tampa, Florida.

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With the game starting so late (after nine) the Getty Images crew had plenty of time to prepare and go over our game plan. We are all hoping for an exciting game and the hours leading up to tip off seem to drag on.

Staff photographer Andy Lyons gives a pep talk to staffers (L-R) Michael Heiman, Travis Lindquist and Streeter Lecka. (Photo by Win McNamee)

The Getty Team prepares for the evening with some pre-game jumping exercises. (Photo by Streeter Lecka)

Don’t mess with these guys. (Photo by Streeter Lecka)

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The days leading up to the final four are no walk in the park. For the editors and the photographers making sure everything is set up correctly takes careful planning and discussion. Shooting positions needs to be set up, remotes need to be hung and secured and our computers, cameras and networks need to be configured.

Staff photographer Streeter Lecka sets a remote up in the cat walk of the Georgia Dome. (Photo by Travis Lindquist)

One of our remote camera’s points down to the court below. (Photo by Travis Lindquist)

Tech guru Bob Covington helps staff photographer Streeter Lecka fix his camera. (Photo by Michael Heiman)

This year’s final four team consists of staff photographers Andy Lyons, Streeter Lecka, Win McNamee, tech guru Bob Covington, sports assignment editors Travis Lindquist and myself.

For me, it’s my first Final Four and having worked the last three rounds and the Big East Tournament before that, I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, I am sure that something out of the ordinary will happen as always seems to be the case with big events.

The Florida Gators (R) practice as the media work (L). Photo by Win McNamee)

Click here to see the coverage captured so far.

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Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

As a North Carolina Tar Heel graduate there is nothing better than college basketball tournament time. My road to the Final Four began Thursday in Winston-Salem with my North Carolina Tar Heels playing the last game of the second session. As a number one seed I hope that I will see them cutting down the nets at the end of the month in Atlanta. Don’t worry, you won’t see me celebrating with the team (though it may be hard) as I would much rather have the picture that I will always be able to look back on.

From a photographer’s perspective the NCAA tourney can sometimes be tough in the first couple of rounds because you aren’t allowed to do some of the remote shots that you do throughout the year. However, this also makes you think of other ideas you may not have used during the regular season. For me, Thursday was the beginning of a great month filled with great pictures. There’s nothing better than knowing I will have the chance, at some point along the way, to make a special picture.

In Winston-Salem I have a position on the floor that is usually not considered a prime spot but, never-the-less, it is my spot for the first two rounds. I immediately noticed that the black out of bounds area in front of me might be nice if used correctly. It can produce a nice reflection that adds a little something special or different to the picture. I chose to put a remote on the floor in that area that usually would not have a high chance for a picture. I really just set it up for one picture. The thought was that if someone dove in front of me for a loose ball it would be a cool angle and the black reflection would add a nice pop to the picture. The only thing is it only happened two times in four games and that was actually more than I expected. Sometimes you just have to plan for the unexpected. Fortunately for me it did happen and made a cool frame. However, as a photographer it’s hard to be satisfied and I know it can always be better.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

After the remote and other basic shots were done there was still more to look for. I have never been in this floor position for a game even though I probably shot around 30 or so college games this year. As the day went on I continued to look for something different and creative. I began to notice that I had an interesting angle of the coaches. Being closer than normal to the bench I could occasionally see the coach in the huddle through the players. It was really cool to listen in and begin to focus on the eyes of the coaches and trying to work all that intensity into a picture.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

At each site there will be something new and different. Sometimes it may not be what we want or expect but that is what makes it fun. And by the way my Tar Heels came out on top in their first game and I feel like myself and talented editor Maxx Wolfson did as well. So, it’s on to round two and figuring out who will make it to the sweet 16!

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Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

WINSTON-SALEM, NC – MARCH 15: Drew Neitzel #11 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after making a basket in the first half against the Marquette Golden Eagles during round one of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum on March 15, 2007 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

It’s NCAA tournament time and once again the Getty Images photographers and editors are spread out all over the country covering the opening round games. With eight locations for the 1^st and 2^nd round of the tournament this opening weekend is a great opportunity to make some great pictures.

One of the major differences between the college game and the NBA variety is the emotion shown out on the court by the players and our photographers do a great job every year capturing it.

Our day begins as photographer Streeter Lecka and I step into the arena here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Television personalities like Jay Bilas and Bob Ryan are talking about this opening round location having the best set of teams and match-ups. With two trendy Final Four picks in Georgetown and North Carolina playing here today, plus power-programs like Texas Tech, Michigan State, Boston College and Marquette, their stands a good chance some upsets could be made out here on Tobacco Road.

However, by the end of the first night, the games (not the pictures) were a complete let-down with the favorites winning all four games by a margin of victory of 16.5 per game.

As anti-climatic as the games in Winston-Salem have been, the biggest story for the people here happened at an arena 600 miles away. Inside the media room, people gathered to watch the Duke Blue Devils upset by Virginia Commonwealth. Being in ACC country and having the Dukies biggest rival UNC in the house, the media room focused on the Duke game for the majority of its second half. Even the fans in the stands were anxiously waiting for the end of the Michigan State-Boston College blow-out so they could watch the end of the Duke-VCU game on the Jumbotron. Loud cheers erupted from the typically quiet media room as VCU’s upset was in the books preventing Duke from reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time in 10 years. The UNC faithful couldn’t have had a better day with the Tar Heels winning and the Blue Devils losing.

All-in-all we made some nice pictures here today but the lack of a buzzer beater, upset or even a tight game shifted the focus elsewhere. We still have two games left here on Saturday – Georgetown-Boston College and Michigan State-North Carolina – so hopefully those games will be more exciting.

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