Well, here we go, folks. The 2009 CTC Title is on the line today. There are a TON of points out there to be won. Oh, and some pretty good basketball games as well.
ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP:
Not exactly the matchup that anyone predicted, but it looks like the A-10 is just about guaranteed three bids this year. Oh, by the way, GO T-U, GO T-U, GO T-U!!!
- #4 Temple vs. #7 Duquesne. So, the Owls have a good shot to defend their title and go back to The Dance. But, watch out for this gritty Duquesne team. No one has Duquesne here, obviously, but Bry and J both have Temple winning this tournament. Regardless of the outcome, Bry is going to fly the CTC A-10 championship banner this year.
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP:
A tournament that everyone is going to be talking about for a long time is coming to a conclusion tonight in New York. It is certainly one I will never forget.
- #1 Louisville vs. #6 Syracuse. Can Syracuse possibly pull this off? Can Louisville grad a #1 seed (I think they should have it regardless, but that’s just me)? No one has the ‘Cuse winning this, and only Doogan has L’ville. As far as the CTC title goes, Doogan is going to repeat as the Big East champion. The only question is by how much.
PAC 10 CHAMPIONSHIP:
The Pac 10 will get anywhere from 4 to 6 bids on Sunday. They can guarantee a 5th if USC can pull off another upset today.
- #4 Arizona State vs. #6 USC. James Harden is the best shooting guard in the country–hands down. Is is an NBA player playing in the Pac 10 this year. Can he lead his Sun Devils to the promised land in the Pac 10 tournament or will USC get the much-needed auto bid? We shall see. Only Waters can gain the 110 points that this ASU win will give him; everyone else has to root for USC.
BIG XII CHAMPIONSHIP:
Uh, who? What did you say was the Big XII matchup? Really? What about Kansas? Oh, really? Well, how about Oklahoma? Texas? Oklahoma St? Well…wow.
- #3 Missouri vs. #9 Baylor. The Baylor Bears are on a roll–and they’re very talented. But, their season comes down to one game. No one has either of these teams winning it, so the 2009 CTC Big XII trophy will say “Lynch” on it.
ACC SEMIFINALS:
The Final Four in the most storied basketball conference takes place on Saturday in Atlanta.
- #1 North Carolina vs. #4 Florida State. Florida St. will try and avenge their buzzer-beating loss in Tallahassee earlier this season. Ty Lawson is probably not going to play, so we could see a big upset today. Doogan has the big FSU upset pick here; everyone else has UNC.
- #3 Duke vs. #7 Maryland. Can Maryland do it again? They knocked off another giant Friday in Wake Forest. Now, they get the Dukies. Waters has the UMd upset pick. Bry and Stri have Duke. Everyone else had Wake.
BIG TEN SEMIFINALS:
Four of the top five seeds make up the Big Ten’s Final Four this year. The three locks for a bid will be playing in Saturday’s double-header, along with the pretty safe bubble team in OSU.
- #1 Michigan State vs. #5 Ohio State. The Buckeyes should be in, but another win couldn’t hurt. The Spartans are playing for a #1 seed (which I think they should have, if they win this tournament). Everyone except Stri (who has eliminated Wisconsin) has Michigan St. winning this game and the whole tournament.
- #2 Illinois vs. #3 Purdue. In a nice matchup here in the semis, #2 Illinois will battle #3 Purdue. Alexi (who had Penn St. here) is the only one without a horse in this race. Bry and J have Purdue, while everyone else has Illinois.
SEC SEMIFINALS:
The Final Four of the SEC will take place in Tampa on Saturday afternoon.
- #1W LSU vs. #3W Mississippi State. A big semifinal between two of the better Western Division teams in the SEC. MSU probably can’t get in without the auto bid, but a win here would look nice. Bry, Waters, and Doogan all have lost this game already, having South Carolina. Everyone else has LSU in this one. Ina and J both have LSU winning the title.
- #1E Tennessee vs. #2W Auburn. A bit of a surprise here as Auburn reaches the semis to take on the Vols, who are finally playing up to their potential. Stri has Auburn in the upset; everyone else has Tennessee. Lynch, Alexi, Doogan, and Bry have the Vols winning the whole thing.
AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP:
This tournament started early last week, as they have a week in between the semifinals and the finals. So, the two finalists have been preparing for this huge game for a week now.
- #1 Binghamton vs. #6 UMBC. UMBC is trying to repeat as America East champions, while Binghamton is trying to go to their first tournament in school history. Bry and Ina have Binghamton. Lynch has UMBC. Everyone else had Vermont, who is out. If UMBC wins, Lynch will take this title. If not, it will be Bry taking the title.
CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP:
Memphis made the finals? Who knew that would happen? Well, all 8 of us did. Now, we will see if they can carry that impressive streak into next year’s conference season. Or, will the C-USA get a second team?
- #1 Memphis vs. #2 Tulsa. The Tigers have Tulsa lined up next on their chopping block. Everyone has them winning this title, so the CTC here has been decided. Bry is going to take this championship this year.
MOUNTAIN WEST CHAMPIONSHIP:
intro…
- #2 Utah vs. #4 San Diego State. The Aztecs are probably in the tournament no matter what happens today, but it might be good for them to take the auto bid. Waters is the only one with SDSU winning this tournament. Bry, J, and Lynch all have Utah winning.
MAC CHAMPIONSHIP:
A wild MAC tournament culminates today with the finals in Cleveland.
- #3 Buffalo vs #5 Akron. The Buffalo Bulls and the Akron Zips. That is your MAC final, folks, and it’s fantastic. No one has either of these teams winning the title, so the 2009 CTC MAC championship is going to be shared by Ina and Doogan.
MEAC CHAMPIONSHIP:
Morgan St. has now been the dominant school in the MEAC for three seasons, and has yet to play in the NCAA tournament. Is this the year?
- #1 Morgan State vs. #3 Norfolk State. Norfolk St., much closer to Winston-Salem, will probably need the home fans if they are going to knock off Morgan St. and go to The Dance. Waters is the only one to have Norfolk St. winning this tournament. Doogan had N.C. A&T, who is out. Everyone else has Morgan St. winning. If Norfolk pulls the upset, Waters will win this CTC title. If Morgan wins, Lynch will take this title.
SOUTHLAND CHAMPIONSHIP:
In the Southland, the final is going to be the favorite vs. the underdog.
- #1 Stephen F. Austin vs. #6 Texas-San Antonio. We will see if the Roadrunners can steal the bid again this year. J, Doogan, and Lynch all have teams that have already been eliminated. Everyone else has Stephen F. Austin.
SWAC CHAMPIONSHIP:
All year long it was clear that there were two teams better than the rest of the pack in the SWAC. And now, we get to see these two teams play for all the marbles.
- #1 Alabama State vs. #2 Jackson State. Here we go. If you’re a fan of the SWAC, this is what you wanted. Other than Lynch, who had Southern winning this tournament, everyone has a horse in this race. Ina, Stri, and Waters have Alabama St. Bry, Doogan, J, and Alexi have Jackson St. If Alabama St. wins, Ina will take this crown by herself. If Jackson St. wins, then Alexi and J will share it.
This is a dangerous thing to say, but doesn’t playing Duquesne in the A-10 Final kind of feel like playing the Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game?
It’s a shame for Penn State. They kind of screwed themselves by playing absolutely NOBODY in non-conference play. I guess Dechellis didn’t think his team would be as good as they were. Can’t blame him.
By the way Bry, reading between the lines of what you were saying about Louisville deserving a #1 and Michigan St. potentially deserving one. Obviously, that’s a moot point now that they lost to OSU, but it seems like you didn’t think that UConn necessarily is guarunteed a #1. I agree, and I’ve been surprised that everyone has had them as a lock for a #1 for the past week or so. If you look at what they’ve done since Dyson went down, they really haven’t played like a #1 seed. But I guess now the only team that could take a #1 away from them is Memphis and I just don’t think that Memphis has enough good wins to deserve a #1.
Not to change topics in the middle of a pretty awesome march college hoops tourney, but has anyone been following this Josh McDaniels / Jay Cutler stuff? I’m by no means a Jay Cutler fan, but he is absolutely right in how he’s acting toward McDaniels. The guy comes in and the first thing he does is try to trade Cutler for Matt Cassel. Okay, so you’re a rookie coach trading away the face of the franchise, a third-year quarterback coming off a PRO BOWL season, for a guy who is either worse or just as good. Fine. But if you’re going to do that, you’d better be CERTAIN the deal is going to go through. Otherwise, you’re obviously going to create a serious rift between you and a guy you can’t win without. So, what happens? The deal falls through and McDaniels basically goes to Cutler and says “I’m the coach, shut your mouth and get over it.” Really? Rah Rah attitude you’re instilling in your starting QB there coach. Way to compound the problem. If I were Jay Cutler I would want out of Denver too. How can you play for someone who doesn’t think you’re better than his old team’s back-up?
I hate to tell McDaniels this but 3rd year pro bowl quarterbacks don’t exactly grow on trees and, no matter what McDaniels thinks about his being in charge, Cutler CAN force his way out of Denver. All he has to do is consistently do the bare minimum. Need me to stay late and watch film? Sorry, I don’t stay late. Need me to set an example by coming to your volunatry conditioning program? Sorry, it’s voluntary. Cutler is in a position to undermine this guy at every turn just through his body language and how he pays attention – or doesn’t – when McDaniels talks. And those are just little things. If Cutler really wants out, he can go all TO on McDaniels. Like when a reporter asks “So, Jay, what did you think of the radiers defense today?” he answers “It’s a tough defense. I’m just glad I was able to summon my inner Matt Cassel to get the win.” You don’t think that will be a distraction as the season goes on? Cutler’s already started down this path by putting his Denver area houses on the market. And what’s McDaniels leverage exactly? That he can trade Cutler? Awesome. That’s exactly what Cutler wants. And how much are you going to get in return for a guy everyone knows you’re dying to get rid of?
So, let me be the fist to say nice job McDaniels. You’ve alienated (and de-valued) the most important position on the field before a single snap has been taken. Good luck winning with Chris Simms and Danrell Hackney, whoever the hell that is.