Fellow roundball junkies, welcome to the 2013 CTC!  We are always trying to tweak what we do here to help you all follow along, so this year, we decided to just have a single page for each conference tournament that will be periodically updated and bumped up the blog.  I hope this makes following along easier on everyone.  There will still be the daily standings posts, and I will send an email when those posts go up, but I encourage anyone interested to check back periodically as we are trying harder and harder to enable people to follow along in “real time” as much as possible.  As always, if there are any ideas/suggestions/etc., don’t hesitate to contact us.  On to our first tournament…

The Big South Conference expanded to 12 eligible teams for their tournament this year, giving us the earliest start in CTC history – Tuesday at noon.  Trust me, that is not a complaint.  The Big South was pretty disappointing up and down this year, as preseason favorites, Campbell, Coastal Carolina, and UNC-Asheville all struggled through mediocre conference seasons.  Gardner-Webb had a terrific non-conference season, but lost a few tight games early to dig a hole from which they couldn’t recover enough to truly challenge for a top spot.  However, there were two teams that capitalized nicely on the down year conference-wide, and they were Charleston-Southern and High Point, who each won their respective divisions, earning the top two seeds in the conference tournament.  The Big South is the only remaining holdout that seeds the tournament strictly by division, giving VMI a first-round bye, despite their 8-8 conference record being worse than both UNCA and CCU.  First-year full D-I participants, Presbyterian and Longwood will make their CTC debuts today.

SEMIFINALS (March 9th – 12 points each)

#1S Charleston-Southern vs #2N VMI
Charleston-Southern won an ugly noontime quarterfinal on Thursday over Winthrop, 54-47, while VMI survived a high-paced, defense-free game with Longwood, 90-86.  This game is the ole good offense vs. good defense…or, more realistically, bad offense vs. bad defense.

Teddy is the only one here with VMI, so he could pick up a quick 26 points on the rest of the field if the Keydets can go back to the Big South title game for the second straight year.  Alexi, Dave, GrossJr, GrossSr, Lazarow, and Scoot have all already lost this game with UNC-Asheville.  Everyone else has CSU here, with nine people (Caleb, Cheryl, Lohse, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, RDoc, Rikey, and Waters) having CSU as their Big South champions.

#2S Gardner-Webb vs #5N Liberty
-insert generic Cinderella reference here-  You have all heard the “glass slipper” and the “pumpkin carriage” and whatnot, so I’ll save it.  The point is that a semifinal appearance for Liberty this year is quite surprising to all, but they have earned it.  They blew out Coastal Carolina (the tournament hosts) in the second half of Tuesday’s opening round game and then blew out High Point (the North Division champs) in the first half before holding on for a 1-point win in Thursday’s quarterfinal.  Now, they get a shot at the hottest Big South team, Gardner-Webb, who took care of Campbell on Thursday night rather easily. 

Eight people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossJr, Lynch, and Teddy) have GW winning this tournament, while 7 more (Caleb, Cheryl, Lazarow, LohseJr, PapaCim, Primm, and RDoc) have them winning here, but losing in the finals.  It probably goes without saying, but nobody has Liberty winning this game, so the people that picked High Point to reach the finals will be rooting for more Cinderella magic from the Flames.

QUARTERFINALS (March 7th – 6 points each)

#1S Charleston-Southern vs #5S Winthrop
And, the Big South welcomes its top four seeds to the party, including the Southern Division champs, Charleston-Southern.  This was supposed to be “the year” for CSU, and it has been thus far.  They played a really tough non-conference schedule and then played like the best team in the league throughout the conference schedule.  They went 12-4, including two overtime losses to Gardner-Webb.  One of the other two losses, though, was a 5-point loss to Winthrop, their quartefinal opponent on Thursday, after a 2-point OT win for the Eagles over Radford on Tuesday.

22 people have Charleston-Southern winning this game.  Dave has already lost it with his Radford pick.  GrossJr could pick up some massive upset points on everybody else if Winthrop can come through.  Ten people (Caleb, Cheryl, Lohse, LohseJr, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, and Waters) have CSU cutting down the nets.

Charleston-Southern 54 – Winthrop 47
In a close game throughout, the top-seeded Buccaneers survived the upset threat of Winthrop to advance to the tournament semis.  But, they didn’t exactly light the place on fire, shooting 28% in the…win.  In Friday’s semifinal, they will face the winner of the second quarterfinal of the day between VMI and Longwood.

GrossJr was oh so close to pulling off a massive upset here, but fell short.  Dave also saw everyone else pick up 6 points on him here, as his Radford pick cost him.  The ten people with CSU as their Big South champ can breathe a little easier, as they do the ole March tradition and “survive and advance.” 

#2N VMI vs #6N Longwood
After their surprising upset of UNC-Asheville, the Longwood Lancers get actually a lesser opponent in the quarters.  Because of the ridiculous divisional seeding system, VMI was seeded above UNC-Asheville, despite being two games worse against an easier schedule, and got the bye.  Now, they get to play the last-place team in their division that just knocked off Asheville.  The Keydets have never really committed to defense at all, but they actually did get some stops this year.  They were near the top of the league for a while, but hit a skid in late January.  But, either way, they are three wins from The Dance, and the first is against a last-place team.

No one has Longwood winning this game, but only nine (Cheryl, J, Lohse, LohseJr, Mac, Rikey, Teddy, and Waters) have VMI, so everyone else will hope Longwood pulls off another upset to zero out this spot.  Teddy is the biggest VMI fan, as he is the only one that has them going to the finals.

VMI 90 – Longwood 86
As expected, VMI played zero defense, but they scored enough points (including 31 by someone named Stan Okoye) to hold off a game Longwood team.  The Lancers were within a bucket with :14 seconds left, and then had the ball, down 3 with :03 seconds left, but turned the ball over, and their first conference tournament ends respectably.  Longwood’s Michael Kessens put up a monster line of 36 points and 16 boards.  VMI moves on to Saturday’s semis against top-seeded Charleston-Southern.

The nine people with VMI pick up 6 points on the rest of the field.  Teddy, the only one with VMI in the finals, has a shot at a 12-point gain on the whole rest of the field on Saturday.

#2S Gardner-Webb vs #3N Campbell
These two teams played all the way back on January 5th – the first day of Big South play – and that was an epic 3-overtime war won by Campbell.  It was the first of several really tough conference losses for GW that cost them a shot at a regular season title.  As for Campbell, that may have been the high point of an otherwise very disappointing season for the team many picked to win this league before it started.  And, it almost ended Tuesday night, as the Camels blew a 5-point lead in the final :12 seconds of regulation against Presbyterian.  But, they recovered and won in overtime, setting up this pretty interesting quarterfinal.

GrossSr, Scoot, and Waters have Campbell here, with GrossSr and Waters both have them in the finals.  There are a whole lot of people with GW in the finals, eight of whom (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossJr, Lynch, and Teddy) have them winning it all.

Gardner-Webb 71 – Campbell 57
A rather disappointing Campbell season comes to a close here in the conference quarters with a wire-to-wire defeat to a hot Gardner-Webb team that moves on to the semis on Saturday.  The Camels did pull with 3 midway through the second half, but GW scored 10 straight after that to put it away.

GrossSr, Scoot, and Waters miss out on a nice upset pick, with GrossSr and Waters costing themselves finalists.  The eight people who backed GW to win this tournament are happy with this result.

#1N High Point vs #5N Liberty
The game could have been a lot tougher for the Northern Division champs, High Point, but Liberty pounded tournament hosts, Coastal Carolina, on Tuesday allowing High Point this neutral site matchup instead of facing the Chanticleers on their home floor.  Now, the Panthers are hoping to end the best season in program history with their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.  They will have to get through the red-hot Flames (see what I did there?) to do it, though.

Nobody has Liberty winning this game, but nine people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Gersh, GrossJr, PapaCim, Primm, RDoc, and Waters) had Coastal in this spot, so they will be rooting against High Point in this one.  Dave, Scoot, and Stumpf are the biggest High Point fans, as they are the only three that have them winning this tournament.

Liberty 61 – High Point 60
MADNESS!  In a conference tournament that has been chock full of madness over its first two quadruple-headers, the quarterfinal nightcap was no different.  High Point came out totally flat and looked like they were going to get blown out of the building, with the Flames building up a 17-point halftime lead.  But, the Panthers roared back in the second half and were only held off by some clutch foul shooting down the stretch.  After two solid upsets, the Flames will get a crack at 3rd-seeded Gardner-Webb in the semis on Saturday.

The nine people with Coastal Carolina here are happy with the result, as it grants no one any points.  Also, the eight people with Gardner-Webb winning this title might be happy about this because the higher-seeded HP is gone, but the way Liberty is playing is a bit scary.

OPENING ROUND (March 5th – 3 points each)

#4N Radford vs #5S Winthrop
One of the pleasant surprises early in the Big South season was Radford, who was expected to be one of the worst teams in the league.  But they came back to earth down the stretch and finished 4th place in the North.  Winthrop, a perennial power in this conference struggled all year with a really young team, but stated to show signs of life down the stretch.  Radford is definitely the more experienced team, but Winthrop probably has more overall talent on the roster.  This should be an interesting game to see who faces Southern Division champs, Charleston-Southern, in the quarters.

Most of the field has Winthrop here in the minor upset, as only six people (Dave, Lazarow, Lohse, Primm, Teddy, and Waters) went with the favorite.  GrossJr has the most at stake here, as he has Winthrop beating #1 Charleston-Southern in the quarters.  Everyone else has their winner here going out in the next round.

Winthrop 60 – Radford 58 (OT)
Nothing an overtime game to kick off the festivities.  A game-winner for some guy named Joab Jerome finished off the OT comeback overcoming a 5-point deficit in the extra period. Winthrop will now try their luck in the quarters against top-seeded Charleston-Southern.

Most people hit on this minor upset pick for 6 points, and GrossJr is happy, as he didn’t lose his semifinalist pick in Winthrop.

#3S UNC-Asheville vs #6N Longwood
After losing possibly the two best guards to ever play for the Bulldogs (Matt Dicky and J.P. Primm), everyone thought that it would take some time for this new look Asheville squad to take off, but when they did, they would be very good.  Well, it seems like it was the exact opposite.  The Bulldogs took off in conference play to the tune of a 9-2 start, including 7 straight wins, but stumbled down the stretch, losing 4 of their last 5 to actually finish outside of bye position, forcing them to play in the Opening Round.  Fortunately, for them, their opponent – Longwood – is one of the worst teams in D-I.  Unfortunately, for them, the Lancers have been playing pretty well recently, winning 3 of their last 4, including a 13-point win AT Campbell.  A good team playing poorly against a bad team playing well…interesting.  Either way, the winner will match up with VMI in the quarters.

J is the only one who took a shot here at the potentially HUGELY profitable upset pick of Longwood.  Many other people have Asheville beating VMI in the quarters, but GrossSr and Lazarow have the most at stake here, as they have the Bulldogs cutting down the Big South nets.  Alexi, Dave, GrossJr, and Scoot all have Asheville reaching the finals, so they need them to survive here, as well.

Longwood 87 – UNC-Asheville 72
Two games into the 2013 CTC and we’ve got ourselves MADNESS in several ways.  First, an OT minor upset at the buzzer in the early game and a wire-to-wire huge upset in the late afternoon game.  To quote the wise Stumpf, “brackets busted.”  Longwood gets VMI in the quarters on Thursday.

J NAILS this huge upset and picks up two dozen points in the process.  GrossSr and Lazarow learn quickly in their inaugural campaigns how cruel the CTC gods can be sometimes, as they are already down a champion.

#3N Campbell vs #6S Presbyterian
The Fightin’ Camels of Campbell were picked, by some, to win the Big South this year.  Well, no one told them that, as they started and ended terribly, with their only saving grace coming in two strong weeks in late January.  The Blue Hose of Presbyterian built their entire program around their 2012 team and its entry into D-I with a bang.  They had 5 seniors, who all redshirted in 2011 to be ready for D-I in 2012.  Well, a simple clerical error of misplaced paperwork in the school’s Athletic Office, made it so they did not get all of their paperwork in on time, which meant that they had to wait until this year to be eligible for the NCAA tournament.  A gut-wrenching result, to say the least, but they have rebuilt and are actually entering D-I the way it was meant to be entered – difficultly.  We will see if their first run through the Big South Tournament is as glorious as they expected it to be last year.  Don’t count on it with all of their talent having graduated a year too early.  The winner of this one will take on a tough Gardner-Webb team in the quarters.

Alex, Bry, Dave, Doogan, and Gersh took shots at the Presbyterian upset here, though none of them have the Blue Hose beating Gardner-Webb in the quarters.  GrossSr and Waters have the most to lose here with Campbell, as they both have them reaching the finals.  Scoot has a lot to lose, as well, as he has them in the semis.

Campbell 81 – Presbyterian 73 (OT)
Three for three in the “Madness” department for the Big South today.  Presbyterian scored 5 points in the final TWELVE SECONDS of regulation to force overtime, but the Fightin’ Camels survived by outscoring the Blue Hose 14-6 in the extra period.  Campbell advances to take on Gardner-Webb in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup.

Almost huge upset points for five people, and GrossSr and Waters dodge a big bullet and keep their finalist pick of Campbell alive.  Dave is still looking for his first CTC points of 2013.

#4S Coastal Carolina vs #5N Liberty
The Chanticleers of CCU slipped down to the 4-seed from the Southern Division, meaning they line up for a quarterfinal date with Northern Division champ, High Point, if they can get past a feisty Libery team.  Can anyone imagine what this Liberty team would be like if they still had Duke’s starting shooting guard, Seth Curry?  The Northern Division champions, High Point, await the winner of this one in the quarterfinal nightcap on Thursday.

The two Lohses are the only two to take Liberty here in the upset, with neither of them taking the Flames to go any further.  J joins GrossSr and Lazarow as the only entries whose Big South championship picks are up at stake, as he has the Chanticleers winning this whole tournament.  He is actually the only one with them even reaching the final, so he’s boom-or-bust on CCU this year (and, as the defending co-champ in the Big South, he might be on to something).  Nine others (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Gersh, GrossJr, PapaCim, Primm, RDoc, and Waters) all have CCU upsetting High Point in the quarters, so they are hoping for a Chanticleer victory here.

Liberty 78 – Coastal Carolina 61
Liberty’s Davon Marshall, has been a scoring machine as of late, but tonight was a special night for the first-year JUCO transfer.  A 28-point performance to knock off the tournament hosts, Coastal Carolina, if one to remember.  It looked like it might be an easy night for the Chanticleers, as they scored the first 8 points of the game.  But, the Flames responded and actually took a 3-point lead into the locker room before an impressive second half performance.  Liberty will now face off with Northern Division Champ, High Point in the quarterfinals.

The two Lohses were the only two to hit on this upset, but that is not the big news.  The only remaining perfect Big South bracket is, all of a sudden, busted, as, only hours after cashing in on a huge upset pick of Longwood, J loses his Big South champion.  Nine others lost a semifinalist here, as well.  Quite the madness-filled opening day in the Big South…

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Charleston-Southern (10)
• #2 High Point (3)
• #3 Gardner-Webb (8)
• #4 VMI (-)
• #5 UNC-Asheville (2)
• #6 Campbell (-)
• #7 Coastal Carolina (1)

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #12 Longwood – J
• QF – #9 Winthrop – GrossJr
• SF – #7 Coastal Carolina – J
• Champ – #7 Coastal Carolina – J

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Stri
• 2009 – Bry
• 2010 – Alexi & Lil Lohse (perfect)
• 2011 – Doogan
• 2012 – J & Lohse

2013 Scores

1). 51 – J

2). 39 – LohseJr

3). 33 – Lohse

4).  27 – Cheryl, Mac, Rikey

7). 21 – Alexi, Caleb, Lynch, PapaCim, RDoc, Stumpf, Teddy

14). 18 – Alex, Bry, Doogan, Gersh

18). 15 – GrossJr, GrossSr, Lazarow, Primm, Scoot, Waters

24). 6 – Dave