[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5032-5033]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            NCAA TOURNAMENT

  Mr. COATS. Mr. President, maybe this should have occurred to me 
before I last spoke and I should have addressed this. But since no one 
else is on the floor seeking to be recognized, it occurred to me that 
the Presiding Officer of the Senate represents the State of 
Connecticut, and I represent the

[[Page 5033]]

State of Indiana. The two of us are the only ones on the floor of the 
Senate at this particular time. The Presiding Officer and I have an 
event that is very much going to draw our attention this evening; that 
is, the final game of the NCAA basketball tournament, Connecticut 
versus Butler.
  I can extoll the virtues of Butler for a long time. I can also take 
some advantage of the Presiding Officer because he is in the chair and 
can't reply, but I will not do that. I am just here to say we have a 
friendly bet on for this. I have some good Indiana-produced goodies 
coming the way of the Presiding Officer, should Connecticut prevail, 
and I think the Presiding Officer has some good Connecticut-produced 
goodies coming my way--by goodies I mean popcorn and a can of beans or 
whatever our States are famous for producing. I don't want anybody 
getting the wrong impression of what we possibly are exchanging.
  Butler has been a dream and a joy for those of us from Indiana and, 
hopefully, from across the country, to watch this small school of 4,400 
students in Indianapolis that produced a team that comes out of a 
midmajor conference. These schools perhaps aren't familiar to very many 
people, but yet they have knocked off the giants, with one more giant, 
I might say, to face this evening. But this little Midwestern school 
plays basketball the Hoosier way. They are a credible collection of 
players who were not recruited by the big schools but came together and 
worked together as a team under the inspired leadership of their young 
coach. They have now found themselves as NCAA finalists 2 years in a 
row, I think something no one would have predicted, particularly after 
they lost their star player last year who left the school a year early 
to go to the NBA.
  My best wishes to the Presiding Officer for his team. As much as I 
give you those best wishes, I am looking forward tomorrow to receiving 
your part of the bargain delivered to my office, but if not, I will be 
standing at your front door. It is already assembled just in case. But 
we are rooting for a great game tonight. I think probably one of the 
most exciting events that happens in sports is the amateur basketball 
tournament that is played in by our NCAA colleges. It is a joy to watch 
these young men.
  Then, tomorrow, I might mention, the Notre Dame women's team will be 
playing in the finals against Texas A&M. So Indiana is certainly 
putting forth some of its best during these next two nights. I am 
looking forward to seeing those games tonight. Our hopes are that we 
will not be in session this evening in the Senate. I don't think we 
will be. So you and I will be, unfortunately, not in Houston but in 
front of a big screen TV cheering on our teams.
  With that, I note the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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