The Sun Belt switched. The MAC adapted after decades of history. Even the mighty SEC made the change. So, why can’t the SoCon figure out that the way they organize their tournament is not only unfair, but counterproductive to the advancement of the conference. It’s fine to have unbalanced schedules (check that, it sucks, but it’s at least acceptable as a necessary evil to 12+- team leagues), but to further the gross injustice by granting each division two byes in the conference tournament is just dumb. There is absolutely no reason why a 19-win Wofford team – clearly no worse than the third-best team in the league, probably second – would have to play a first-round game (which they were a tiebreaker away from having to do), while 12-18 UNC-Greensboro and 14-15 Elon get byes. Just hold firm to the idea of divisional play? While it may not seem to be a big deal, I really think that it is because the result is one side of the bracket is, inevitably, overloaded, which could pave the way for a middling team in your conference to get a break or two and win the tournament. Now, instead of a Davidson or Wofford grabbing a seed somewhere in the 11-14 range, and having a real shot to win a game or two in the tournament and really bring national attention to your little conference, you’ve got UNC-Greensboro or Samford playing in the First Four, or, at best, 15- or 16-seed cannon fodder for a Final Four favorite. Get me the SoCon commissioner on the phone…
Championship Picks
16 for #1 Davidson
1 for #2 UNC-Greensboro (Scoot)
1 for #3 Wofford (Mac)
1 for #4 Elon (KA)
Biggest Upsets
R1 – #12 Chattanooga (Bry, Doogan, Gersh, Gross, J, KA, Lil Lohse)
QF – #12 Chattanooga (Bry, Doogan, Gross, J, KA)
SF – #7 College of Charkeston (Doogan, RDoc, Teddy)
Previous CTC Champions
2011 – Gross
2010 – Stri
2009 – Lynch
2008 – Ina*
#3S Georgia-Southern vs. #6N Chattanooga
The whole “injustice” of the divisional system wouldn’t seem so bad if the Northern Division wasn’t so goddam disappointing this year. And, leading that charge are the Moccassins of Chattanooga. They were awful. Georgia-Southern was the big surprise of the conference this year, coming from nowhere to win 12 games (with a Southern Division schedule) and nearly earn a bye. But, now they just have to settle for an opening round game with Chattanooga and then, possibly, a quarterfinal against Elon. This is a huge upset pick for a slew of people (Bry, Doogan, Gersh, Gross, J, KA, Lil Lohse). Bry, Doogan, Gross, and J have them reaching the semis.
#3N Samford vs. #6S The Citadel
Samford was dead and buried for a while there, before running off a really impressive stretch of games, including a shocking win over Davidson on January 28th. The Citadel was bad pretty much all year, but did grab back-to-back wins two weeks ago to keep their record respectable. Bry, Gersh, and Primm took The Citadel here in an upset. Lil Lohse has WCU in the semis.
#4S College of Charleston vs. #5N Appalachian St.
If Chattanooga is tops on the list of utter disappoinments in the Northern Division, then App State has to be a very close #2. The Mountaineers and Mocs should have battled all year for top spot in this division and yet, they finished last and second-to-last in this upside-down divisions. College of Charleston is a fascinating case. I’m not sure what happened to them, to be honest. They actually looked like a potential at-large team in the non-conference and beginning of conference play and then, just like that, they get pummeled by Davidson and the wheels fell off. The limped in in a disappointing 4th place, but at least, by not finishing 3rd, they are on the opposite side of the bracket as Davidson, and, as the team with clearly the second-best talent in the league, they can save their season with one good week. This is yet another crazy game for CTC implications. 4 people (Dave, Gersh, KA, RSmith) have App St. in the upset, with Gersh and Dave picking them to make the semis. As for CofC, they are getting a lot of love. 9 people have them beating Greensboro in the quarters (Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gross, J, Lohse, Lynch, RDoc, Teddy). 5 more (Doogan, Lohse, Lynch, RDoc, Teddy) have them reaching the finals.
#4N W. Carolina vs. #5S Furman
The Furman Paladins probably would have won the Northern Division, but they finished 5th in the South. W. Carolina was left for dead before reeling off four straight wins to end the season and gain some momentum heading into the tournament. The majority of the field has Furman in a mild upset. Only KA, RSmith, Stri, and Scoot have WCU.
