It is a good thing that teams like North Carolina and Michigan St. didn’t play on Thursday because they probably would have lost. Kansas, Oklahoma, Pitt, UConn, Clemson…all OUT. Unbelievable. And, it was all topped off by one of the most amazing games that has ever been played. Yes, I was up for ALL SIX overtimes last night. And, it was awesome. Don’t believe me? Just ask Doogan–he was up too.
DAY 10 SCORES:
Lynch-598
Doogan-594
Ina-500
Alexi-488
Stri-444
Waters-440
Bry-422
J-404
OVERALL STANDINGS (points behind leader with 1474):
Ina-0
Alexi-162
Bry-165
Lynch-168
Doogan-193
J-256
Stri-265
Waters-279
ATLANTIC TEN QUARTERFINALS:
The A-10 is down to its Final Four and three teams are not surprising and one is. No one got all four of the semifinalists, but everyone has their champion left.
- #1 Xavier 66 – #9 St. Louis 47. The Musketeers show why they are the class of the A-10, as they hammer Rick Majerus’s Billikens. Everyone had Xavier in this game.
- #7 Duquesne 78 – #2 Rhode Island 74. Pop! There goes another bubble bursting, as the Rams get beat by a really good Duquesne team in the quarters. This was a huge upset pick for Stri, and Stri alone. Doogan and Alexi both lost finalists.
- #3 Dayton 69 – #6 Richmond 64. The Spiders gave Dayton a real fight, but the Flyers came out on top. Only Ina and Waters lost this game, but they both lost a finalist as well. Lynch kept his champion alive.
- # 4 Temple 79 – #5 St. Joe’s 65. A great win for Fran Dunphy’s squad–their third over the Hawks this year–ends SJU’s NCAA hopes. Only Stri missed this one. Bry and J keep their champ alive.
BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS:
There were other games in the Big East yesterday–and a couple of them were pretty good, but it doesn’t matter because the nightcap was so amazing. Everyone missed the Pitt game, and only Ina and Doogan got the other three games right. Everyone lost their champion except Doogan (Louisville).
- #1 Louisville 73 – #8 Providence 55. The top-seeded Cardinals put PC’s fate in the hands of the committee. Everyone had Louisville winning this game. Doogan keeps his champ alive.
- #7 West Virginia 70 – #2 Pittsburgh 64. Pitt goes down! MADNESS! WVU just flat-out beat the Panthers in this quarterfinal matchup. Everyone lost this game, but some lost more than others. Ina, J, Alexi, Waters, and Lynch all lost their champion. Doogan also lost a finalist.
- #6 Syracuse 127 – #3 Connecticut 117 (6 OTs). Ya, I’m sure you’ve all heard enough about this game. It was RIDICULOUS. There needs to be word better than MADNESS–but, well, there isn’t. Ina, Doogan, and Lynch picked this upset. Bry and Stri both lost their champion–albeit in the most dramatic of fashions.
- # 4 Villanova 76 – #5 Marquette 75. A tough loss for the Golden Eagles, as they came all the way back and had the lead until Dwayne Anderson’s buzzer-beating layup to win it for ‘Nova. J, Stri, and Lynch all lost this game. Lynch lost a finalist in Marquette.
PAC-10 QUARTERFINALS:
last night…
- #1 Washington 85 – #9 Stanford 73. Top-seeded UW got a run for its money, but held on and beat a game Stanford squad. Everyone got this right. Ina, Stri, and Lynch kept their champion alive.
- #2 UCLA 63 – # 7 Washington State 54. UCLA advances to try and defend their title. Everyone had UCLA winning this game. Alexi, Doogan, J, and Bry all kept their champ alive.
- #6 USC 79 – #3 California 75. USC led wire-to-wire, until Cal tied the game with less than a minute left. But, Daniel Hackett took over the final minute and keeps USC’s tournament hopes alive–barely. J, Doogan, Stri, and Alexi all got this upset pick right.
- # 4 Arizona State 65 – #5 Arizona 56. A big win for the Sun Devils, putting their arch-rivals squarely on the bubble. Only Stri and Lynch had Arizona. Neither of them had them going any further.
BIG XII QUARTERFINALS:
In the debacle that was the Big XII in the quarterfinal round in Oklahoma City. Only Mizzou survived. Ina and Stri went 0-for-4. Bry, Waters, and Lynch did the best with 2 out of the 4.
- #9 Baylor 71 – #1 Kansas 64. Uh…wow! MADNESS! The Baylor Bears (who I said could be a sleeper because they are immensely talented) knocked off the top-seeded Jayhawks–convincingly, even. Obviously, no one had this pick, but the biggest winners are Alexi and Ina, who both had KU going out in the semis. The biggest loser is Lynch, who was the only one to pick the Jayhawks to win this tourney.
- #7 Oklahoma State 71 – #2 Oklahoma 70. BEDLAM!!! MADNESS!!! Unbelievable! The Bedlam rivalry adds another chapter, as OSU knocks off Oklahoma. Unreal! No one had this, obviously. Everyone except Lynch (who had Kansas, who lost) had OU winning this whole tournament.
- #3 Missouri 81 – #11 Texas Tech 60. Apparently, this Singletary guy is human. Mizzou hammered the Red Raiders and move to the semis as the top seed remaining. Lynch, Waters, and Bry are the only ones to get this right. Lynch is the only one that has Mizzou going any further, as he has them winning one more game and going to the finals.
- #5 Texas 61 – #4 Kansas State 58. In a HUGE game, the Longhorns knock off the Wildcats by 3, to advance to the semis, where they will take on #9 Baylor, not #1 Kansas. Though, Bry, J, Doogan, Waters, and Lynch all got this game correct, Alexi was the big winner as he had Texas in this round and the next. Ina missed out the most, as she had K-State beating Kansas next round, now she’s just in the same boat as the rest of us–rooting for Baylor, so that Alexi won’t get the free points.
ACC OPENING ROUND:
One of the best tourneys got going yesterday in Atlanta. No one hit all four, but Lynch, Ina, Doogan, and Waters hit three of the four. Bry took an 0-fer.
- #12 Georgia Tech 86 – #5 Clemson 81. Only on a day where Kansas lost would this not be the biggest shocker of the day, but either way, this game would also constitute as MADNESS! Clemson, one of the top 15 or so teams in the country won’t even play in the quarterfinals of their own conference. Georgia Tech pulls off the mighty upset and will move on to face Florida St. in the quarters.
- #6 Boston College 76 – #11 Virginia 63. Another disappointing season comes to a close for the Cavaliers. BC moves on to the quarters to face #3 Duke. Bry and J missed the upset pick. Lynch keeps a semifinalist alive.
- #7 Maryland 74 – #10 North Carolina State 69. The Terrapins keep their bubble from bursting with a 5-point win over N.C. State on Thursday. The Terps now have #2 Wake Forest on Friday in the quarters.
- #8 Virginia Tech 65 – #9 Miami (FL) 47. The Hokies gave the committee something more to think about–they should be in, but you never know. Now, they get a shot at cementing it against #1 UNC in the semis. Alexi, Stri, and Bry all missed on the upset pick.
BIG TEN OPENING ROUND:
The Big Ten got going on Thursday with three opening rounds games. The conference’s two really bad teams got blown out and the only Big 6 school (Northwestern) that has never made the tournament is probably going to have to wait another year. Ina, J, Waters, and Lynch all went 3-for-3 in this round. No one lost any future wins.
- #6 Penn State 66 – #11 Indiana 51. PSU is right on the bubble, so every little bit counts. This win is a little bit because of how bad IU is, but, again, it counts. Penn St. now has their season on the line against #3 Purdue on Friday. I think win and they’re in, lose and they’re probably out, but we shall see. Everyone picked the Nittany Lions in this one. Doogan, Alexi, Ina, Waters, and Lynch all have them going to the semis.
- #7 Michigan 73 – #10 Iowa 45. An impressive postseason debut for the Wolverines, another bubble team in this bubblicious conference. Everyone except Stri got this pick correct.
- #8 Minnesota 66 – #9 Northwestern 53. Northwestern is on the right track, but this won’t be the year that they finally make the tourney. Minnesota, yet another bubble team in this tournament, will move on to face #1 Michigan St. on Friday, in the quarters. Bry, Doogan, and Alexi missed this upset pick.
SEC OPENING ROUND:
A couple bubble teams survived last night in the SEC opening round. Only Ina and Alexi hit all four of these games yesterday. Bry, J, and Doogan all missed 2 of the 4.
- #3W Mississippi State 79 – #6E Georgia 60. MSU looked good in their opener, knocking off the SEC defending tournament champ, Georgia. Bry, J, Doogan, and Waters all missed out on a huge upset pick. Stri and Alexi keep their semifinalist alive.
- #3E Florida 73 – #6W Arkansas 58. The Gators stay alive and now have what is probably an elimination game against Auburn in the quarters. Everyone got this one right.
- #4W Alabama 82 – #5E Vanderbilt 75. ‘Bama, after a disappointing regular season, opens their postseason with a nice win over a pretty good Vandy team. Only Ina, Alexi, Stri, and Waters got this game correct.
- #4E Kentucky 71 – #5W Ole Miss 58. UK needed AT LEAST this win, probably at least one more, to keep their 18-year streak of making the tournament alive. Well, they got this one. Now, they will get a shot at LSU Friday night. Stri missed out on his upset pick. Bry’s big upset of UK over LSU is still alive with this win by the ‘Cats.
MOUNTAIN WEST QUARTERFINALS:
A nice night for the Mountain West, sets up an interesting final four. Doogan, J, and Bry only went 2-for-4; everyone else got 3.
- #1 BYU 80 – #9 Air Force 69. AFA, who got their only conference win Wednesday night in the opening round against Colorado St., gave BYU a little more than they expected, but the Cougars came out in the end. Everyone had BYU winning this game, but Ina is the only one that has them winning the whole tourney.
- #2 Utah 61 – #7 TCU 58. The second-seeded Utes survive a quarterfinal scare from the Horned Frogs. Everyone had Utah in this one. Bry, J, and Lynch keep their champion alive.
- #6 Wyoming 75 – #3 New Mexico 67. Pop goes the bubble for the Lobos, and pop goes a couple championship picks in the CTC. Lynch was the only one that got the Wyoming upset. Stri and Alexi lost their champion. Ina lost a finalist.
- #4 San Diego State 71 – #5 UNLV 57. The Aztecs make a nice statement to the committee, beating the Runnin’ Rebels in the Thomas & Mack Center. Ina, Stri, Alexi, and Waters all got this one right. Alexi kept his finalist; Waters kept his champion. The big loss went to Doogan, who lost his champion.
CONFERENCE USA QUARTERFINALS:
Memphis won…that’s all that matters. Ina, Doogan, Alexi, and Lynch all went 4-for-4 last night in the C-USA.
- #1 Memphis 51 – #8 Tulane. It wasn’t pretty for the 3rd-ranked team in the nation, but they pulled out the win and move on to the semis on Friday. Everyone has Memphis winning this whole tournament.
- #2 Tulsa 73 – #10 Rice 51. Tulsa moves on with an easy win over #10 Rice. Only Stri got this wrong–he had Marshall. Ina, Bry, and Doogan all kept a finalist.
- #3 UAB 74 – #11 Southern Mississippi 73 (OT). Paul Delaney III was MAD! He hit a three-pointer with :04.7 seconds left in regulation to tie it and send it to overtime. Then, in OT, he hit the game-winner at the buzzer. MADNESS! All of this to set up a great semifinal matchup between UAB and Tulsa. Everyone had the Blazers here. J, Stri, Alexi, Waters, and Lynch all keep a finalist alive.
- #5 Houston 89 – #4 UTEP 85 (OT). Houston gets a HUGE win over the Miners of UTEP and now they get a shot at Memphis. Everyone but Bry, J, and Waters got this mild upset pick.
MAC QUARTERFINALS:
Maybe the most important conference to the CTC because of the vast discrepencies in picks, the MAC had a big quarterfinal round last night. Half of us (Ina, Doogan, Waters, and Lynch) went 3-for-4, while the other half went 2-for-4 last night.
- #1 Bowling Green 74 – #9 Ohio 61. Top-seeded Bowling Green knocks of the U of Ohio, advancing to the semis on Friday. Only J went for the upset here and missed. Bry, Ina, and Doogan all kept their champion alive.
- #2 Ball State 64 – #7 Central Michigan 61 (OT). Ball St. held on to beat CMU, in a game with big CTC implications. Bry, Ina, and Stri all missed out on what would have been a big upset pick. Waters and Lynch are the only two to get this right. Lynch kept a finalist; Waters kept a champion.
- #3 Buffalo 65 – #6 Kent State 62. Another game with huge CTC implications also went down to the wire, as the Buffalo Bulls knocked off Kent St., to advance to the semis on Friday. Kent St. going out costs Bry a finalist and Stri and Alexi a champion. Buffalo staying in saves Ina, J, and Doogan a finalist.
- #5 Akron 73 – #4 Miami (OH) 63. A tale of two halves here, as Miami (OH) dominated the first half, while Akron took the second and more important half. The Zips move on to the semis to face #1 Bowling Green. Everyone but Waters, Lynch, and J got this mild upset. The losses were big losses, though, as both J and Lynch lost their champions.
WAC QUARTERFINALS:
An interesting night in the WAC sets up that conference’s final four for Friday night. Bry was the only one to hit all four quarterfinal games.
- #1 Utah State 85 – #9 Fresno State 68. Top-seeded Utah St. moves on to the semis with an easy win over Fresno St. Everyone had this game. J and Waters keep their champion alive.
- #2 Nevada 78 – #7 San Jose State 69. Everyone had Nevada in this one. In fact, only Waters and J do not have Nevada winning this tournament.
- #6 Louisiana Tech 70 – #3 Idaho 62. The Vandals proved themselves a fraudulent #3 seed by losing to La Tech. Bry, Lynch, and Ina both had this pick. Waters lost a finalist in this one.
- #5 New Mexico State 80 – #4 Boise State 70. The Aggies knocked off a popular CTC team, Boise St. Bry was the only one to get this mild upset. Doogan, Stri, Alexi, and Lynch all lost a semifinalist in this game.
BIG WEST QUARTERFINALS:
The two with the byes proved their worth by moving on to the semis against the two with the double-byes. Only J, Stri, and Waters failed to get both of these picks right.
- #3 Pacific 67 – #8 UC-Davis 60. The bottom seed, UC-Davis, almost pulled off another upset, but Pacific fought back and now move on to the semis to face #2 Long Beach St. Only Waters and J failed to have Pacific in the semis. Stri and Lynch kept their champions alive.
- #4 UC-Santa Barbara 73 – #8 Cal State-Fullerton 64. The Gouchos move on with a nice win over CS-Fullerton on Thursday night. Only Stri missed this pick.
SOUTHLAND QUARTERFINALS:
The Southland quarters on Thursday set up Friday night’s Final Four. No one got all 4, but only Doogan and Bry missed more than 1.
- #1 Stephen F. Austin 67 – #8 Southeast Louisiana 56. The top-seed in the Southland picked up a nice quarterfinal victory on Thursday. Everyone had SFA in this game.
- #2 Nicholls State 80 – #7 Texas State 75. Texas St. gave Nicholls a game, but fell just short at the end, as NSU moves on to the semis on Friday. Waters, Doogan, and Bry all missed out on a big upset pick–he also lost a finalist, as he had TSU going to the finals.
- #6 Texas-San Antonio 83 – #3 Sam Houston State 74. A HUGE upset, by CTC implications, as a popular team, Sam Houston St., goes down in the quarters. Waters was the only one to nail this upset pick. Lynch and Doogan both lost champions. Bry, Alexi, and J all lost finalists.
- #4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christie 79 – #5 Texas-Arlington 72. UT-Arlington, the defending champion, gets bounced in the quarters here by Texas A&M-CC. Surprisingly, everyone nailed this pick. J kept his champion alive with this win.
MEAC QUARTERFINALS:
The second half of the MEAC quarters were Thursday night, setting up the Friday semifinal double-header. Waters and Lynch were the only two to get both games right. Both of them completed a perfect MEAC quarters–after both of them went 0-for-3 in the opening round.
- #3 Norfolk State 63 – #6 Bethune-Cookman 58. Somewhere John Chaney is upset, as his alma mater, a popular CTC pick this year, is eliminated from the MEAC tournament. Norfolk St. will move on to the semis against #2 S.C. State on Friday. Only Waters and Lynch got this right, even though NSU was favored. Lynch kept a finalist, Waters a champion. J lost a finalist in this one.
- #5 Coppin State 66 – #4 North Carolina A&T 63. The defending MEAC champs, Coppin St., opened their title defense with a 3-point win over N.C. A&T. They now advance to the semis on Friday to face #1 Morgan St. Only Doogan missed this upset pick, losing his champion in the process.
SWAC QUARTERFINALS:
The SWAC quarters produced the expected Final Four for Friday night. Ina, J, and Alexi hit all 4 quarterfinals between Wednesday night and Thursday night.
- #3 Prairie View A&M 65 – Mississippi Valley State 60. PVAM gets a tough quarterfinal win over MVSU on Thursday. They move on to the semis against #2 Jackson St. Everyone except Waters and Lynch had PVAM.
- #4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 65 – #5 Southern 58. The Southern Jaguars, once the dominant team in this conference, fails to get out of the quarters this year, as UAPB knocks them out on Thursday night. UAPB will get #1 Alabama St. on Friday in the semis. Ina, J, and Alexi got this pick right. Lynch lost his champion.
