Well, for one year, we got to experience a truly fascinating conference. The 16-team A-10 this year may not have lived up to the highest of expectations, still gave us a pretty incredible season for one season. With newcomers VCU and Butler entering, the league gained even more competitiveness. Butler’s year was a single year, and with Temple also leaving next year, it won’t ever be like this again. But, I enjoyed it.
The cream of the crop this year was St. Louis. The Billikens had a really slow start, but have been playing at a Top 15 level for a solid month and a half now and enter the 
tournament as one of the favorites. They have to be joined by VCU, who definitely has the ability to beat anybody on any given night, Butler, who has beaten “anybody” (Indiana and Gonzaga to name two), and Temple, who is the hottest team in the league, including an impressive win over VCU on Sunday to cap a late surge that should put them in the Dance, regardless of their performance here in Brooklyn. And, let’s not forget about LaSalle, who should also be in the tournament, though one win in this tournament could go a long way. But, it wasn’t all positive this year. St. Joe’s was picked to win this league in the preseason and finished as a total also-ran in 10th place (another piss-poor coaching job by the most overrated coach in college basketball). UMass should be at least a bubble team, but never got it together. Xavier was actually better than expected in a total rebuilding year. What is interesting is that St. Bonaventure, who is not here after losing a total head-scratcher at home to Fordham in a win-and-you’re-in game to close the regular season was actually playing really well and may have been a dark horse. But, instead, they lose, don’t qualify for the tournament, allowing an even more dangerous dark horse into the tournament, Dayton.
CHAMPIONSHIP (March 17th – 54 points)
#1 St. Louis vs #2 VCU
With all due respect to my favorite team, the A-10 championship pits the two best teams in the league this year. St. Louis looked awfully good in a win over Butler on Saturday, while VCU took care of a feisty UMass team. Now, we’ve got a SLU team that could be playing for a 3-seed in the Big Dance, while VCU is probably looking at a 6 or so, if they can win this one.
Seven people (Alexi, Caleb, Lohse, Mac, Primm, Rikey, and Stumpf) have VCU here, but only Bry, Doogan, GrossJr, and Scoot have the top-seeded Billikens. Stumpf has clinched at least a share of the 2013 CTC A-10 title. If VCU wins, he takes it outright, but even if St. Louis wins, he gets a share of it along with Bry and Doogan.
SEMIFINALS (March 16th – 36 points each)
#1 St. Louis vs #5 Butler
The Billikens blew out Charlotte in the quarters, while Butler took care of a desperate LaSalle team. This is an NCAA Tournament second round-caliber game here in the A-10 semis and should be a really good one. There is still a chance that SLU gets as high as a 3-seed in next week’s tournament. Butler is probably looking to get away from the 7 through 10 seed lines and into the more workable 5- or 6-range.
TEN people have Butler in this big upset (Alexi, Caleb, Dave, Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, Rikey, RDoc, Stumpf, and Teddy). Only 7 people (Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossJr, J, Mac, and Scoot) have SLU here, with Bry, Doogan, GrossJr, and Scoot taking them to win it all. Dave, Lynch, and Teddy all have Butler winning this tournament.
#2 VCU vs #6 Massachusetts
UMass pulled off the biggest upset of the A-10 Tournament so far, as, for the second straight year, they knocked off a favored Temple team in the quarterfinals. This one really hurt because the Owls may be on the bubble. As for VCU, they had a tough game with St. Joe’s, but took care of business to set up this semifinal. It will be big for Chaz Williams to see if he can handle the “havoc.”
Half the field has VCU in this game (Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Dave, Doogan, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, Primm, Rikey, Stumpf, and Teddy), and the other half had Temple. So, the half with Temple is rooting for UMass to try and zero this game out. Alexi, Caleb, Lohse, Mac, Primm, Rikey, and Stumpf are the biggest VCU fans, as they have the Rams winning this tournament.
QUARTERFINALS (March 15th – 18 points each)
#1 St. Louis vs #9 Charlotte
And, enter the top team in the 16-team A-10, the St. Louis Billikens. The legend of the late Rick Majerus is something special and his fingerprints are all over this SLU team – which is a very good thing. Jim Crews was the perfect choice to step into the spot vacated by Majerus, and he has to be considered for national COY award. If this SLU team wins this tournament, they have an argument to be as high as a 3-seed on Sunday. They open this tournament against a Charlotte team that maybe shouldn’t even be here after the Madness of Thursday’s opener.
Dave has the huge upset pick here, with Charlotte. GrossSr and Waters have both already lost this game with Richmond. Surprisingly, only four people (Bry, Doogan, GrossJr, and Scoot) took the top seed here to win it all, so they are big Billiken fans this weekend.
St. Louis 72 – Charlotte 55
The Billikens looked every bit the number one seed in their first game of this tournament as they, led by a fantastic game from Dwayne Evans, cruise past Charlotte with little resistance.
21 people got this one right, with Bry, Doogan, GrossJr, and Scoot keeping alive their champ.
#4 LaSalle vs #5 Butler
A very interesting matchup here in the second game of the afternoon session in the BK. Butler survived a really good Dayton team on Thursday and now gets the forgotten top A-10 team, LaSalle, in the quarters. The Explorers should be going back to the tournament for the first time since Lionel Simmons and it sort of came out of nowhere. Ramon Galloway and Tyreek Duren make up a very good backcourt, but no one really expected this team to compete. But, compete they did, and they were at or near the top of the league all year. Now, they get a tough Butler team that is fighting for seeding.
Only seven people (Alex, Bry, LohseJr, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, and Waters) have the Explorers in this one, but the believers really believe, as of those seven only Bry and Mac have them not going to the finals. Dave, Lynch, and Teddy all have Butler winning this tournament, with Alexi, Caleb, Lazarow, Lohse, Rikey, RDoc, and Stumpf all taking the Bulldogs to make the finals, but lose.
Butler 69 – LaSalle 58
LaSalle’s bubble chances took a huge hit in this quarterfinals loss to Butler and may not be able to snap their 21 year Tournament drought. Butler will move on to face top-seeded St. Louis in Saturday’s first semifinal.
17 people got this one right, including Dave, Lynch, and Teddy, who keep alive their A-10 champion.
#2 VCU vs #10 St. Joe’s
“40 Minutes of Hell” got its own ESPN 30 for 30. I wonder if “Havoc” will get a 60 for 60 on ESPN37. Shaka Smart has brought an identity to VCU, and they just keep winning. Another great year for the Rams will have them in the tournament (and a brutal matchup for anyone), but they are looking for seeding now. And, they want to finish their first A-10 season with a title. The Rams run a bunch of guys in and out, but are led by the big bodies of Juvante Reddic and Treveon Graham. St. Joe’s survived Xavier on two clutch free throws by Langston Galloway on Thursday, leaving the Hawks a real sleeper in this tournament right now.
Lazarow has the huge upset here with St. Joe’s. Gersh, GrossJr, and Scoot have already lost this game with Xavier. The other 20 people all have VCU, including seven people (Alexi, Caleb, Lohse, Mac, Primm, Rikey, and Stumpf), who have the Rams winning this tournament.
#3 Temple vs #6 Massachusetts
Last year, the Owls were the #1-seed in this tournament and lost the noon quarterfinal to this UMass team. That memory should be brought back up because they have the Minutemen again this year. This is a different Temple team, though, as its led by the gunslinger (and incredibly irritating), Khaliff Wyatt. But, the story is the same, as Fran Dunphy has his boys in position to make another NCAA tournament, despite some shaky losses this year.
Stumpf and Teddy have the nice upset pick here. The other 22 people all have the Owls, including 10 people (Alex, Cheryl, Gersh, GrossSr, J, Lazarow, LohseJr, PapaCim, RDoc, and Waters), who have them winning this tournament.
OPENING ROUND (March 14th – 9 points each)
#8 Richmond vs #9 Charlotte
The Spiders lost a ton to graduation this year, but Coach Mooney’s Princeton-style offense is still really tough to play against, and this Richmond team will flat-out guard you. They had a really good non-conf schedule and parlayed that into a solid conference season, as well. Charlotte may have been the big surprise of this league had they not completely faded down the stretch. The 49ers were not supposed to compete, but were in the top three or four all year before the talent finally caught up with them. It has been a good year for the Niners, though.
Dave, Lazarow, Mac, PapaCim, and Scoot took the minor upset pick of Charlotte here, with Dave taking them to beat St. Louis in the quarters. Waters has a lot at stake with Richmond, as he has them beating St. Louis, but GrossSr has the most at stake, as he has them going all the way to the finals.
Charlotte 68 – Richmond 63
UNADULTERATED MADNESS!!! Up by three, Chris Mooney decided to foul the opposition to prevent the tying three. Well, that’s when all hell broke loose (see? don’t foul!). There was an entanglement during a dead ball, which resulted in a technical foul against Richmond. About which, Mooney went crazy. EIGHT free throws later, Richmond’s season was over. I wish words could do this Madness justice, but they can’t – or at least I don’t have them. Charlotte will take on St. Louis at noon on Friday.
Dave, Lazarow, Mac, and PapaCim nailed this upset pick. Dave keeps alive a shot at a BIG upset on Friday. Waters loses a semifinalist, while GrossSr loses a finalist.
#5 Butler vs #12 Dayton
The Flyers have the 5th-best tempo-free numbers in the conference, but finished in 12th place and needed that shocking Fordham win at St. Bonaventure on Saturday just to make this A-10 tournament. Now, they get this crazy 5/12 game against Butler. The Bulldogs can’t be happy with this draw, as not only were they barely squeezed out of a bye by losing a three-way tiebreaker to Temple and LaSalle, but they are saddled with LITERALLY – and rather UNQUESTIONABLY – THE best 12-seed in the country.
Alex, Bry, Mac and PapaCim took the longshot on Dayton here, though none of them have them beating LaSalle in the quarters. A whole slew of people have Butler making the semis and the finals, with Dave, Lynch, and Teddy riding them the whole way.
Butler 73 – Dayton 67
A tough, hard-fought game goes to the Bulldogs here, as Rotnei Clarke dropped 21, and Dayton’s bizarre season comes to a close. Butler will take on LaSalle in the quarters on Friday.
Four people missed the upset here, while three people kept alive their champ.
#7 Xavier vs #10 St. Joe’s
What a terrible season for Coach Overrated on Hawk Hill. This St. Joe’s team was picked to win the league and, frankly, should have at least competed. C.J. Aiken is an absolute stud who will make a living in the NBA and the backcourt of Galloway and Jones is solid. 10th place is unacceptable. As for the X, this was supposed to be a complete rebuilding year, and yet they have wins over Butler, Purdue, Memphis, Temple, and St. Louis this year. They are not quite in the NCAA tournament conversation, but for a total rebuild, this was a really fine season for the X.
Ten people (Alex, Bry, Dave, J, Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, RDoc, Stumpf, and Waters) took the Hawks here, though none of them have them beating VCU in the quarters. Gersh, GrossJr, and Scoot all have the Musketeers beating VCU on Friday.
St. Joe’s 58 – Xavier 57
TOTAL MADNESS!!! This stuff only happens in March, I swear. What a crazy, crazy day of basketball in the Barclay’s Center. This back-and-forth game that was close throughout ended incredibly. Down by 1, with the ball, St. Joe’s Langston Galloway drove to the basket and drew a foul with :01.4 seconds left. With the season on the line, Galloway calmly drained both free throws to give the Hawks the lead. Xavier’s desperation inbounds pass bounced off the backboard RIGHT INTO the hands of Isaiah Philmore RIGHT UNDER THE BASKET. But, Philmore, who may have been too surprised to do anything, bricked the WIDE OPEN layup and Xavier’s season ended thusly. WOW!
Ten people hit this upset pick, while Gersh, GrossJr, and Scoot lost semifinalists here.
#6 Massachusetts vs #11 George Washington
Anyone remember a GW guard named Shawnte Rodgers (no idea if I spelled that right or not)? He wore 54 on his jersey because he was 5’4″. And, yet, he was an amazing scorer, distributor, and, most amazingly, rebounder. Well, there’s a guy in this game that reminds me completely of him – on UMass. Chaz Williams is amazing. He’s listed at 5’9″, but if he’s 5’9″, then I’m 6’9″. Williams is averaging 16 points, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 4 REBOUNDS. He’s great. And the Minutemen have a solid, athletic front line to boot. GW has been a real pleasant surprise this year. It looks like they’ve got themselves a coach in Mike Lonergan, who led a D-III dynasty at Catholic. The future is bright in the nation’s capital.
It turns out that GW is a pretty popular upset pick here, as 11 people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Doogan, GrossJr, J, Lynch, RDoc, and Waters) have the Colonials pulling off the upset, with none of them picking GW over Temple in the quarters. Stumpf and Teddy believe enough in UMass to take them on Thursday and again on Friday against Temple.
Massachusetts 77 – George Washington 72
An incredible quadruple-header in Brooklyn ended on Thursday with yet another great game. There were 15 lead changes in this one, but, in the end, it was too much Chaz Williams, and the Minutemen to move on to face Temple in the nightcap on Friday.
13 people got this one right, including Stumpf and Teddy, who have them beating the Owls.
CTC UPDATE
Championship Picks
- #1 St. Louis (4)
- #2 VCU (7)
- #3 Temple (10)
- #4 LaSalle (-)
- #5 Butler (3)
Biggest Upsets
- R1 – #12 Dayton (Alex, Bry, Mac & PapaCim)
- QF – #9 Charlotte (Dave)
- SF – #8 Richmond (GrossSr)
- Champ – #5 Butler (Dave, Lynch & Teddy)
Previous CTC Champions
- 2008 – Waters
- 2009 – Bry
- 2010 – Doogan
- 2011 – Waters
- 2012 – Teddy
2013 Scores
- Lazarow – 117 (perfect)
- Dave – 99
- Lohse – 99
- Stumpf – 99
- J – 90
- Lynch – 90
- RDoc – 90
- Scoot – 81
- Gersh – 63
- Rikey – 63
- Teddy – 63
- Alex – 54
- Alexi – 54
- Bry – 54
- Caleb – 54
- Cheryl – 54
- Doogan – 54
- GrossJr – 54
- GrossSr – 45
- Mac – 45
- PapaCim – 45
- Waters – 45
- LohseJr – 36
- Primm – 36
