CTC Day 11 Recap: Waters Wins the Day, Ina Finishes 2nd to Get Closer to Another Overall Title

More crazy upsets abound in Day 11 of the 2009 CTC.  It is extremely close from 2 through 8, Ina might be on her way to her 2nd title in 3 years.  Then again, there are a TON of points still up for grabs, so it really is anybody’s game.

DAY 11 SCORES:
Waters-474
Bry-426
Ina-402
Alexi-390
Stri-364
J-350
Lynch-338
Doogan-330

OVERALL STANDINGS (points behind leader with 1876):
Ina-0
Bry-141
Alexi-174
Waters-207
Lynch-232
Doogan-265
Stri-303
J-308

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP:
In a conference tournament that started on March 4th, we finally completed it and American University is going back to The Dance.

• #1 American 73 – #2 Holy Cross 57.  The top-seeded Eagles hammer HC and take the automatic bid to the Big Dance for the second straight year.  Waters had Holy Cross; everyone else had American winning this title.  That means that Alexi, who only missed one quarterfinal game, takes the 2009 CTC Patriot League title.

FINAL PATRIOT LEAGUE STANDINGS:
Alexi-50
Ina-44
Bry-40
J-32
Stri-32
Doogan-28 (defending champ)
Lynch-28
Waters-20

ATLANTIC 10 SEMIFINALS:
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!  Fight, fight, fight for the Cherry and the White, for the Cherry and the White, we’ll fight, fight, fight!!!  One more win and we’re dancing again!  MADNESS!!!  No one picked this final.

• #4 Temple 55 – #1 Xavier 53.  WOOOOOOOOO!!!  The Owls are going to try and defend their title on Saturday night in the A-10 championship game.  Bry and J were the only ones to get this one right, and they both kept their champion alive.
• #7 Duquesne 77 – Dayton 66.  The Dukes of Duquesne make their first conference tournament final since the conference was called the Eastern 8.  Dayton should be fine for an at-large bid, so the A-10 is just about guaranteed 3 bids.  No one got Duquesne, obviously.  Bry, J, and Stri lost finalists.  Lynch lost his champion.

BIG EAST SEMIFINALS:
The Big East final is set for Friday night in The Garden.  It is Louisville and Syracuse.  For all the talk in the regular season, with three in the preseason top 5 (Pitt, UConn, and Notre Dame) and one more in the Top 10 (Georgetown), it is Louisville and Syracuse playing for the conference title.  Clearly no one in the CTC got this right.

• #1 Louisville 69 – #4 Villanova 55.  The top-seeded Cardinals erased an 8-point halftime lead to knock off the Wildcats and move on to Saturday night’s final.  Waters missed on the Villanova pick; Lynch lost Marquette here earlier; everyone else had Louisville winning this game.  Doogan kept his champion alive.
• #6 Syracuse 74 – West Virginia 69 (OT).  Another overtime for Syracuse?!?  And, Johnny Flynn played all 45 minutes–after playing 67 the night before and 36 the night before that!  I have always hated Syracuse, but there is something about what they are doing now that is so appealing and impressive that I find myself rooting for them.  Anyway, no one had the ‘Cuse of WV winning this game, so this had no impact on the CTC.

PAC 10 SEMIFINALS:
The Pac 10 is looking good for four locked bids with the shot of as many as six, as USC stayed alive last night.

• #6 USC 65 – #2 UCLA 55.  A big win last night for the Trojans, as they have put themselves in the at-large conversation, though they probably still need the auto bid.  Everyone lost this game; Bry, J, Doogan, and Alexi all lost their champion.
• #4 Arizona State 79 – #1 Washington 65.  My dark horse Final Four pick looked real good on Friday in knocking off the top-seeded Huskies.  Waters and Alexi both correctly picked this.  Waters kept his champion alive.

BIG XII SEMIFINALS:
In what has been the most shocking of all the conference tournaments, the Big XII has an interesting finals matchup coming up on Saturday.  They might get their 7th bid.  The CTC contestants went 1-for-16 in their semifinal picks.  Only Lynch got one right.  No one has a champion left.

• #3 Missouri 67 – #7 Oklahoma State 59.  For a while, it looked like it was going to be a 7 vs. 9 Big XII final, but Missouri came back for a nice victory.  The Cowboys should be okay come Selection Sunday, so the Big XII is looking at 6 at least six bids.  No one got this one.
• #9 Baylor 76 – #5 Texas 70.  The Baylor Bears do it AGAIN!  MADNESS!  I knew this team had talent.  I even thought of putting them in my college hoops preview post on the teams that have a shot to win the title (I’m glad I didn’t-haha).  But, it took them a little too long to show it–or did it?  They now advance to Saturday’s Big XII championship game.  Obviously, no one has this pick, but this game took 80 points away from Alexi, who had Texas in the finals.

ACC QUARTERFINALS:
An exciting day in Atlanta gets us to the ACC Final Four.  Waters went 4-for-4 on Friday here in the ACC.  Doogan and Alexi lost their champions.  Lynch, J, and Ina lost finalists.

• #1 North Carolina 79 – #8 Virginia Tech 76.  Va Tech gave it everything they had, but, for the second straight year in this spot, fell just short.  Hopefully for them they won’t just miss the tournament for the second straight year, but it’s looking that way.  Everyone got this pick correct.
• #7 Maryland 75 – #2 Wake Forest 64.  Another big win for the underappreciated coach Gary Williams and his Terps.  This one should put them in the tourney, but it’s not a given yet–one more would clinch it.  Only Waters hit this big upset, keeping a finalist alive.  Alexi and Doogan both lost their champions.  Ina, J, and Lynch all lost finalists.
• #3 Duke 66 – #6 Boston College 65.  A tough, tough game for the Dukies, but they hold on and move to the semis to face Maryland.  Lynch just missed on a big upset pick.  Stri and Bry kept a finalist alive.
• #4 Florida State 64 – #12 Georgia Tech 62.  Florida St. takes out a pesky, tough G. Tech team on Friday, as the Seminoles move on to the semis against UNC on Saturday.  Alexi, Bry, and J all missed this, having Clemson in this spot.  Doogan’s big pick of FSU over UNC in the semis remains alive with this win.

BIG TEN SEMIFINALS:
An ugly quadruple-header in Indianapolis is pretty much par for the course in Big Ten basketball.  Personally, I kind of like it because it’s tough, gritty, and defense-oriented.  But, at times, it is also pretty awful to watch.  Waters, Bry, Ina, and Stri did the best here–each getting 3 out of 4.  Everyone else had two.  Only Stri lost a champion.  Alexi lost a finalist.

• #1 Michigan State 64 – #8 Minnesota 50.  In an ugly, ugly game, the Spartans take out the Gophers, putting Minnesota right on the bubble.  The Spartans will move into the semifinals on Saturday.  Everyone had MSU winning this game.

• #2 Illinois 60 – #7 Michigan 50.  Yet another ugly Big Ten game–I know, shocking–resulted in the #2 seed, Illinois, putting Michigan squarely on the bubble.  Bry and J both missed out on the big upset pick; everyone else got this pick right.
• #3 Purdue 79 – #6 Penn State 65.  In a game that wasn’t as close as the final score, the Boilermakers looked really good, in moving into Saturday’s semifinals against #2 Illinois.  Penn St. is now going to have a long, long day on Sunday, waiting for the Committee to decide their fate.  Only, Stri, J, and Bry got this one right.  Bry and J kept a finalist alive.
• #5 Ohio State 61 – #4 Wisconsin 57.  In a bubblicious game in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes got a huge win.  I think both of these teams will make it, but this was especially big for OSU.  Bry, Ina, and Waters all nailed this mild upset pick.  Stri lost his Big Ten champion.

SEC QUARTERFINALS:
The SEC is having a down year, but it is still good basketball, especially in the tournament.  The Final Four was decided on Friday and should be pretty good to watch.  Stri actually nailed all four of these games.  Bry only got 1 right.  Waters was the only one to lose his champion.  Doogan and Bry both lost finalists.

• #1W LSU 67 – #4E Kentucky 58.  This should do it for the ‘Cats.  Their 18-year streak of making the tournament is probably going to end this year.  LSU moves on to the SEC semis on Saturday.  Boy, this Trent Johnson guy can flat-out coach, huh?  Bry is the only one to take UK, so everyone else got this right.  Ina and J kept their champion alive.

• #1E Tennessee 86 – #4W Alabama 62.  The Vols made a statement in their postseason opener.  They will move on to the semis on Saturday.  Everyone had UT winning this game.  Bry, Doogan, Alexi, and Lynch all keep their champ alive. 

• #2W Auburn 61 – #3E Florida 58.  In what might turn out to be a play-in game, Auburn came from behind to beat Florida.  The Tigers will move on to face Tennessee in the semis on Saturday.  Only Stri and Lynch actually took the favored Tigers in this one.

• #3W Mississippi State 82 – #2E South Carolina 68.  Pop goes another bubble, as S. Carolina is probably NIT-bound now.  Mississippi St. will move on to the semis to face LSU on Saturday.  Stri and Alexi got the nice upset pick.  Bry and Doogan lost finalists; Waters lost his champion.

CONFERENCE USA SEMIFINALS:
The top two seeds move on in the C-USA semis.  Bry, Ina, and Doogan correctly predicted this finals matchup

• #1 Memphis 74 – #5 Houston 49.  As predicted, Houston was “next” on the C-USA chopping block for Memphis.  This wasn’t ever close.  Everyone has Memphis winning this whole tournament, so this did nothing towards the overall CTC.

• #2 Tulsa 70 – #3 UAB 67.  A nice, big win for the Golden Hurricane and they are now “next.”  They will get Memphis on Saturday in the C-USA finals.  This was a big swing game in the CTC, as everyone had one of these two teams playing Memphis in the finals.  Bry, Ina, and Doogan were on the winning side of this one.

MAC SEMIFINALS:
Another interesting day in the interesting MAC.  Ina, J, and Doogan are the only ones to even get one finalist correct, let alone both of them.

• #5 Akron 63 – #1 Bowling Green 55.  The Zips have completed a very unlikely run to the MAC finals, with yet another come-from-behind win–this one over the conference’s top seed.  If they go on to win this tournament, it will be amazing, considering they were down big in all their games so far, including needing a last-second shot in overtime to beat the bottom-seeded Toledo Rockets in the first round.  No one had this Akron team reaching the finals.  Bry, Ina, and Doogan all lost their champion picks, so those who had Kent St. or Miami (OH) winning this tournament aren’t going to lose nearly as many points as they could have because of Akron’s run through the touranment.

• #3 Buffalo 64 – #2 Ball State 52.  The Bulls move on to the finals of the MAC, with a nice 12-point win over Ball St. Friday in the quarters.  Ina, J, and Doogan correctly predicted Buffalo reaching the finals.  Waters and Lynch missed the Ball St. pick, with Waters losing his champ in the process.

MOUNTAIN WEST SEMIFINALS:
The Mountain West–a very underrated conference–had a couple good semifinals on Friday night.  Only Waters correctly predicted the two semifinal winners.   Stri, Doogan, and Ina all got both wrong.

• #4 San Diego State 64 – #2 BYU 62.  The Aztecs have probably just clinced themselves an at-large bid to The Dance by knocking out #1 BYU in the M-West semis.  Alexi and Waters both correctly predicted SDSU reaching the finals.  Waters even has them winning the tournament.  Ina lost her champion.

• #2 Utah 68 – #6 Wyoming 55.  The Utes move on to the finals with a nice win over Wyoming in the semis on Friday night.  Bry, J, Waters, and Lynch all correctly predicted that Utah would reach the finals.  Bry, J, and Lynch all have them winning it.

WAC SEMIFINALS:
The top two seeds go to the finals in the WAC.  Bry, Ina, and J all correctly predicted this final.

• #1 Utah State 71 – #5 New Mexico State 70.  Utah St., who was the last team to lose a game in D-1 this year, pulled out a huge win in the semis on Friday night over New Mexico St.  Bry, Ina, J, and Waters all got this one right.  Waters and J both have them winning this tournament.

• #2 Nevada 77 – #6 Louisiana Tech 68.  The Wolfpack caught a break not having to face Idaho and took advantage in beating #6 La Tech to advance to the finals.  Everyone except Waters got this pick correct.  Everyone except Waters and J have Nevada winning the whole tournament.

BIG WEST SEMIFINALS:
The top two seeds finally took the floor in the Big West tournament on Friday night, and they went 1-1.  Bry, Ina, Stri, and Lynch all got the finals correct.  Alexi and J got neither.

• #1 Cal State-Northridge 67 – #4 UC-Santa Barbara 60.  In a close game throughout, Northridge hangs on and advances to the Big West finals.  Alexi and J both had UCSB in this one; everyone else got it right.

• #3 Pacific 65 – #2 Long Beach State 60.  The Pacific Tigers upset LBSU and move on to the finals against CS-Northridge.  Stri, Lynch, Bry, and Ina all got this pick correct.  Stri and Lynch have the Tigers winning it all.  J loses his champion here.

MEAC SEMIFINALS:
The MEAC finals are all set to go in Winston-Salem on Saturday.  Waters and Lynch both got both finalists right.  Doogan got neither, and is the only one to lose a champion here.

• #1 Morgan State 75 – #5 Coppin State 67.  A game Coppin St. team falls short of upsetting Morgan St. in the semis.  Maybe, if Morgan St. can win, they will not get placed in the play-in game and will, therefore, make the main draw.  If so, it will be the first MEAC team in the main draw since 2005, as three straight years, the losing team in the play-in game has been the MEAC champ.  Everyone had Morgan St. in this one.

• #3 Norfolk State 74 – #2 South Carolina State 71.  Norfolk St. is going to be the one that tries to spoil the party for Morgan in Saturday’s final, as they top S.C. State on Friday night.  Waters and Lynch got this pick right, with Waters keeping his champion alive.  Bry, Ina, and Doogan lost S.C. State in this one.

SOUTHLAND SEMIFINALS:
One team surprise and one no-surprise in the Southland on Friday.  Only J got neither finalist, but no one got them both.  Five of us still have our champion alive.

• #1 Stephen F. Austin 66 – #4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christie 63.  It was close all the way through, but SFA pulled it out in the end.  They move on to the title game.  Everyone except J got this right.

• #6 Texas-San Antonio 57 – #2 Nicholls State 55.  The Roadrunners of UTSA pull off their second upset in as many nights–they knocked off #3 Sam Houston St. in the quarters.  Now, they take out #2 Nicholls St. in the semis, saving a lot of points for those who took Sam Houston to the finals.  No one had UTSA.  Stri and Ina both had Nicholls St. in the finals.

SWAC SEMIFINALS:
In a conference dominated by two teams, those two teams have advanced to the finals.  Everyone except Lynch and Stri got this finals matchup correct. 

• #1 Alabama State 63 – #4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 55.  The top seed, ASU moves on to the finals, as expected, in a game against a ready Pine Bluff team.  Everyone except Lynch got this one right.

• #2 Jackson State 66 – #3 Prairie View A&M 53.  Jackson St. completes the destined finals matchup in the SWAC with a 13-point win over PVAM.  Only Stri had Prairie View in this one; everyone else had Jackson St.  Bry, J, Doogan, and Alexi all keep their champ alive here.