As Week One comes to a close, Lil Lohse steps up big time to get right back into the mix heading into the major tournaments. After 196 points on Saturday, he takes it to another level on Sunday with a CTC-best 238 on Sunday. Bry and Doogan were right behind with 232 and 228, respectively, as they take the top two spots in the overall race. No one else topped 170 on the day.
DAY 6 SCORES (total days won):
238 – Lil Lohse (1)
232 – Bry (2)
228 – Doogan
170 – Ina
170 – Stri
156 – J
144 – Lohse (2)
140 – Lynch (1)
138 – Teddy
130 – Alexi (1)
130 – Waters
96 – KA
OVERALL STANDINGS (conference titles):
694 – Bry (1)
642 – Doogan
614 – Ina
610 – Alexi (1)
578 – Lil Lohse (1)
556 – Stri (1)
554 – Lohse
540 – J (1)
528 – Teddy
522 – Lynch
468 – KA (1)
462 – Waters
MISSOURI VALLEY FINALS (48 points):
Arch Madness comes to a close with yet another great game. KA just missed on her perfect MVC bracket, as Stri snuck in to take his second straight Valley title.
#1 N. Iowa 67 – #2 Wichita St. 52. In a game that was much closer than the final score indicated, it looked like WSU was going to pull away. But, UNI picked up the defense (as they have all season) and took home their second straight Valley trophy. Stri also took his second straight Valley trophy, as he, Bry, Doogan, and Lil Lohse nailed this champion pick. Ina, J, Alexi, Waters, Lynch, and KA all missed out on a big 48 points with Wichita St.
FINAL MISSOURI VALLEY STANDINGS (prior MVC titles):
138 – Stri (’09)
120 – Bry
114 – KA
108 – Doogan
108 – Lil Lohse
102 – Ina
96 – J
96 – Waters
90 – Alexi
90 – Lynch
48 – Lohse
18 – Teddy
COLONIAL SEMIFINALS (24 points each):
The best tournament of the first week is now down to two after an absolutely thrilling semifinal double-header in Richmond. The dulcit tones of Scott Graham described all the action–and it was great.
#1 Old Dominion 73 – #5 VCU 69 (OT). VCU is so good in Richmond and had this game in hand. But, ODU battled back, tied it in regulation and won a thriller in OT. The Monarchs are now one game from the CAA auto-bid. Lil Lohse, Alexi, Stri, J, Ina, and Bry all had ODU in the finals. With all of them except Alexi having them winning it. Doogan, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy just missed on a big upset pick of VCU. Lohse and Teddy lost their CAA champions in the process.
#3 William & Mary 47 – #2 Northeastern 45. Who says low-scoring, offensively-challenged games are not exciting? This one was about as ugly as it gets on the offensive side, but it was incredibly exciting the whole way. The Tribe held on to advance to Monday’s finals against ODU. Stri was the only one with Northeastern winning this game, so he just missed what would have been 24 free points on the rest of the field. J had already lost this game with Drexel. Everyone else had W&M in the minor upset. Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, and KA keep their CAA champion alive in this one.
COLONIAL STANDINGS (prior CAA titles):
144 – Bry
126 – Alexi (’08)
114 – Ina (’09)
96 – KA
96 – Teddy
90 – Lil Lohse
90 – Lohse
84 – Doogan
84 – Lynch
72 – Stri
66 – J
66 – Waters
WEST COAST SEMIFINALS (16 points each):
The top two teams in the WCC entered the tournament, did their jobs and are now heading to the finals. Ina, Stri, and Alexi lost their dreams of a perfect WCC in 2010. Bry, J, Doogan, Waters, Teddy, and the two Lohses all correctly nailed both semis. Everyone had at least one finalist correct.
#1 Gonzaga 77 – #5 Loyola Marymount 62. The ‘Zags started their postseason with a nice win over LMU (avenging an earlier loss this season), leading from wire-to-wire. Not that the Zags need it, but they are now one win from the WCC auto-bid. Everyone except Lynch (who had San Fran) got this one right. Lynch is the only one that does not have Gonzaga winning this tournament.
#2 St. Mary’s 69 – #3 Portland 55. In a must-win for St. Mary’s, they got it done against a tough Portland team. Now, St. Mary’s can ease their bubble anxiety with a win over Gonzaga on Monday. Otherwise, they will have a long Selection Sunday. Ina, Stri, and Alexi missed on a nice upset pick of Portland. Everyone else except KA (who had San Diego) got St. Mary’s. Lynch keeps his champion alive with this win.
WEST COAST STANDINGS (prior WCC titles; *perfect bracket):
48 – Lohse
48 – Teddy
44 – Alexi
44 – Doogan
44 – Ina (’09*)
44 – J
44 – Lil Lohse
44 – Stri
44 – Waters (’08)
40 – Bry
28 – Lynch
20 – KA
NEC SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
The NEC continued on Saturday, after three days off, with the top 4 seeds in action in a pair of semifinal matchups. Bry, Doogan, and two-time defending NEC champion Stri remain perfect in the NEC; neither Bry nor Stri have lost an NEC game since ’08. Waters is the only one to miss both semifinal games.
#1 Quinnipiac 83 – #4 Long Island 78. The LIU Blackbirds jumped out to a 10-0 lead here on the road, but QU battled back and battled back, finally taking the lead for good with just over 4 minutes to go. The top-seeded Bobcats improve to 14-0 at home this season and will try and go 15-0 there, as they now host the NEC title game on Wednesday. Only Waters missed this pick, as he had Monmouth in this spot. KA, Stri, Doogan, Ina, and Bry all have QU winning this tournament.
#2 Robert Morris 80 – #3 Mount St. Mary’s 62. The 11-game winning streak for The Mount comes to a screeching halt in Pittsburgh on Sunday, as the Robert Morris Colonials pounded MSM 80-62. RMC now heads to Quinnipiac for the NEC title game on Wednesday. Bry, Doogan, Stri, and Lil Lohse got this pick right. Everyone else had The Mount. This win was biggest for Lil Lohse, as he has RMC winning this tournament. J, Alexi, Waters, Lynch, and Teddy all lost the NEC champion in this one.
NEC STANDINGS (prior NEC titles; *perfect bracket):
*32 – Bry (’09*)
*32 – Doogan
*32 – Stri (’08, ’09*)
28 – Lil Lohse
24 – Alexi
24 – Ina
24 – Lohse
24 – Teddy
20 – J
20 – KA
20 – Lynch
8 – Waters
PATRIOT LEAGUE SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
The PL picks up again after four days off, with a pair of semifinal games on PL campuses. Ina, J, and Doogan were the only three to correctly predict the Patriot League final this year. Doogan is leading the PL, looking for his second PL title in three years.
#1 Lehigh 79 – #4 American 57. The top-seeded Mountain Hawks will now get to host the PL final on ESPN on Friday night, as they dispatched the defending tournament champs. Alexi and KA missed on this nice upset pick. Everyone else got this right. Bry, Ina, Stri, Teddy, and the two Lohses all have Lehigh winning this tournament. KA had American winning it all, so she lost her champion in this game.
#3 Lafayette 66 – #7 Holy Cross 63. The Crusaders nearly did it again. Four days after going into Bucknell and eliminating the Bison, they had the lead with less than a minute left, but Lafayette forward Jared Mintz scored 6 points in the final :35 seconds to send the Leopards to Lehigh for a shot at the Big Dance. Ina, J, Doogan, and Waters all got this one right. Teddy just missed another huge upset from HC. J and Doogan keep their PL champs alive in this one.
PATRIOT LEAGUE STANDINGS (prior PL titles):
40 – Doogan (’08)
34 – Teddy
32 – Waters
30 – Ina
26 – J
22 – KA
20 – Lil Lohse
20 – Lohse
20 – Lynch
16 – Bry
16 – Stri
8 – Alexi (’09)
SoCON SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
A double-header in Charlotte gave us the matchup for the Southern Conference final on Monday night, as the two division winners justified their regular seasons by reaching the finals of the conference tourney. Doogan and Lil Lohse were the only two who correctly predicted this final. Waters, Lynch, and KA got neither. Stri finally lost a SoCon game.
#1S Wofford 77 – #2N W. Carolina 58. The best regular season SoCon team, Wofford, has been no less impressive here in the postseason, as they roll over WCU. Waters, Lynch, and KA missed a big upset here as they had WCU. Everyone else had Wofford. Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, both Lohses, and Teddy all have Wofford winning this tournament. Lynch lost his champion in WCU.
#1N Appalachian St. 77 – #2S College of Charleston 54. In the game that most surprised me, personally, on Sunday, App St. justified their regular season division title by beating down a very good C of C team in the SoCon semis. App St. will now play Wofford on Monday night for the auto bid. Doogan and Lil Lohse were the only two to have App St. going this far, though neither of them have them winning the tournament. Bry, Ina, J, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Lohse, and Teddy all their finalist in C of C in this game. J, Alexi, and Waters lost their champions. This game cost Stri a shot at a perfect SoCon bracket.
SoCON STANDINGS (prior SoCon titles):
46 – Stri
42 – Ina (’08)
38 – Bry
34 – Lil Lohse
32 – Lynch (’09)
28 – Doogan
26 – J
26 – Teddy
24 – KA
22 – Alexi
22 – Lohse
18 – Waters
MAAC SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
In another exciting tournament that has been broadcast live in the Baltimore area, we are all set for the final on Monday night. Bry was the only one to correctly predict the final in the MAAC, as he keeps his MAAC bracket perfect, and clinches a second consecutive MAAC title. Everyone had Siena correct, so everyone else has one of the two finalists.
#1 Siena 72 – #5 Rider 62. In a game that was probably closer than the Saints would have preferred, Rider hung tough with the conference’s #1. But, in the end, Siena’s talent and experience was just too much for the Broncs. Everyone got this right. Only Alexi does not have them winning the whole tournament.
#2 Fairfield 69 – #6 Niagara 63. Niagara had this game won, but FU just wouldn’t die, led by their freshman point guard Derek Needham and their senior big man, Anthony “Peanut” Johnson. The Purple Eagles made a nice run, but fell just short here in the semis. Bry was the only one that had Fairfield winning this one. Doogan, Alexi, Lohse, and KA all had Niagara in a very nice upset pick. Alexi had Niagara going all the way, so this one hurt.
MAAC STANDINGS (prior MAAC titles):
*46 – Bry (’09)
34 – Alexi
34 – Lohse
30 – KA
28 – Doogan
24 – Ina
24 – J (’08)
24 – Lil Lohse
20 – Teddy
18 – Stri
14 – Lynch
12 – Waters
AMERICA EAST SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
A semifinal double-header in Hartford gives us the two teams and the location of next Saturday’s Am East championship. This relatively surprising final was only correctly predicted by Lynch. Alexi, Waters, and KA got neither finalist. Only half the field still has their champion alive.
#4 Boston U 70 – #1 Stony Brook 63. The dream of Stony Brook is shattered by a red-hot BU team in the opener of the semifinal double-header on Sunday. BU led most of the way and comes away with a finals appearance, after an impressive two days in Hartford. Bry, J, Doogan, and Lynch all got the BU pick correct. Teddy, both Lohses, Waters, Alexi, Stri, and Ina missed on Stony Brook. Teddy lost his champion. Bry and Doogan kept their champions alive.
#2 Vermont 57 – #6 New Hampshire 38. After watching #1 Stony Brook go down in the first game, UVM took the floor in the nightcap knowing that they only had to win to get the Am East championship game on their home floor. And, they did just that, holding the Wildcats to just 27% shooting and 38 points. Vermont now hosts the title game against #4 BU next Saturday. Ina, Stri, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy all got this Vermont win. Ina, Lynch, Stri, and the Lohses all have UVM taking the title. Doogan had UNH in this game, so he missed what would have been 16 free points on the field here.
AMERICA EAST STANDINGS (prior Am East titles):
36 – Doogan
30 – Lynch
30 – Stri
26 – J
20 – Ina
20 – Lil Lohse
20 – Lohse
18 – Bry (’09)
12 – Alexi (’08)
12 – Teddy
8 – KA
8 – Waters
SUN BELT QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The great Sun Belt tournament continued on Sunday with four more games in Hot Springs, AR. Three new teams joined the field after a thrilling quintuple-header on Saturday. J and Waters were the only two to nail all four quarterfinals. Everyone got at least two of the four correct.
#1 Troy 67 – #9 S. Alabama 55. The Troy Trojans grabbed the top seed in the Sun Belt tourney after a 13-5 regular season, so they got to enjoy Saturday off and then got the #9 seeded Jaguars of S. Alabama in the quarters on Sunday. Troy was slow to get started, but turned it on in the second half to advance to the semis on Monday. Lil Lohse missed on a good upset pick of USA. Lohse and Lynch had FAU here, so they missed it too. Everyone else had Troy. The win was most important to Waters, who was the only one in the whole field to pick the top-seeded Trojans to win this tournament.
#4 W. Kentucky 65 – #4 Arkansas St. 64. Arkansas St., fresh off an OT victory on Saturday in the opening round, went down to the wire again in the quarters. This time, however, they were beat by the more experienced Hilltoppers. ASU was up 62-56 with less than 2 minutes left, before back-to-back threes by the ‘Toppers Anthony Sally and A.J. Slaughter tied the game. Undeterred, the Red Wolves turned to their leading scorer, Martavius Adams, who scored with :26 second left to give ASU a 64-62 lead. But, the veteran Slaughter hit another three, with less than :05 seconds left to win it for the ‘Toppers. WKU now advances to the semis on Monday to play #1 Troy. No one had Red Wolves in this one. Everyone except KA had W. Kentucky. Bry, J, Lynch, and Teddy can breathe a sigh of relief, as they all have WKU winning this tourney.
#2 N. Texas 69 – #10 LA-Monroe 66. Another great game where the favorite survived by the skin of its teeth. LA-Monroe had the lead with less than a minute to go, but the Mean Green rallied to win 69-66 and move on to Monday’s semis. No one had LA-Monroe winning this game, but Bry, Alexi, and Teddy all had LA-Lafayette, so they were rooting for Monroe to pull off the upset and zero out this game. It didn’t happen and N. Texas moves on. Doogan and Stri both have N. Texas winning this tournament, so they are relieved to get the win here.
#6 Denver 73 – #3 Middle Tennessee 58. After three lackluster performances by the top seeds in the first three games resulted in them barely hanging on, Middle Tennessee put in a poor performance of their own, but was not able to pull it out in the end, as Denver beats up on the #3 seed and co-regular season champs. Denver advances to the semis, where they will take on N. Texas on Monday night for a spot in the Sun Belt title game. J, Waters, and KA all nailed this nice upset pick. Ina, Alexi, and both Lohses all lost their Sun Belt champion. Teddy and Bry lost a finalist. No one has Denver going any further.
SUN BELT STANDINGS (prior Sun Belt titles):
38 – J
28 – KA
28 – Waters
22 – Stri
20 – Lohse
18 – Doogan
16 – Ina (’09)
16 – Lil Lohse
14 – Alexi (’08)
14 – Bry
12 – Lynch
10 – Teddy
SUMMIT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The 3- and 4-seeds took the court for their quarterfinals on Sunday, trying to join the top two seeds in the Summit League’s final four. Since everyone all had the top 3 seeds in this conference advancing (and they all did), the only difference in entries was the 4-5 game. Those who hit the 4-5 game are perfect; those who didn’t are 3-for-4.
#5 IPFW 71 – #4 South Dakota St. 66. IPFW breaks the logjam in the Summit League, as they pull off a minor upset of SD State, 71-66. A back-and-forth game throughout was won by the Mastadons down the stretch to advance them to the Summit League semis and a date with #1 Oakland on Monday night. J, Stri, Waters, and KA missed this game. Everyone else nailed it and went perfect in the Summit quarters. Stri and KA both lost a finalist in this game. Lohse and Teddy both kept their finalist alive. Lohse has them winning the title, so this game was huge for him.
#3 Oral Roberts 65 – #6 North Dakota St. 64 (OT). After opening up a 13-point lead midway through the second half, it looked like ORU was going to cruise the same way the top two seeds did the night before. But, then, ND State saw their season’s mortality and rose from the dead. They went on a 16-4 run from about the 9-minute mark to tie it with 1:15 to go. After ORU went back up with :40 seconds left, the Bison’s Michael Tveidt forced OT with a game-tying jumper. The OT session was back-and-forth, and ND State had the ball, down one, with :10 seconds left. They ran a play, but couldn’t get the ball to go down, and the #3-seeded Golden Eagles survive by the narrowest of margins. No one had this upset, but some have more invested than others. Lynch and KA have ORU winning the tournament. Bry, Ina, J, Alexi, and Lil Lohse all have them reaching the finals.
SUMMIT LEAGUE STANDINGS (prior Summit titles; *perfect bracket):
*18 – Alexi
*18 – Bry
*18 – Doogan
*18 – Ina (’08*, ’09)
*18 – Lil Lohse
*18 – Lohse
*18 – Lynch
*18 – Teddy
12 – J
12 – KA
12 – Stri
12 – Waters (’08*)
MAC OPENING ROUND (6 points each):
The MAC’s opening round was played on Sunday at the campus sites, after which eight teams will head to Cleveland for the rest of the tournament Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Ina, Lynch, Lil Lohse, and Teddy all nailed all four games on Sunday.
#9 Ohio 85 – #8 Ball St. 77 (OT). Armond Bassett scored 25 for Ohio, including the OT-forcing basket, as Ohio pulled off the minor upset of Ball St. on Sunday. The Bobcats move on to face the top-seed, Kent St. Only Alexi and KA missed this upset pick. Lohse and Teddy are glad to see it, as they both have Ohio upsetting Kent in the quarters on Thursday.
#5 Buffalo 72 – #12 Toledo 54. The Rockets of Toledo went 1-15 in the regular season and were given a quick exit here in the conference tournament. This was a nice tune-up for Buffalo before meeting #4 Miami (OH) on Thursday in Quicken Arena. No one took the bait on Toledo in this one. J, Lynch, and Lohse all have Buffalo going to the finals, so this was an important win for their brackets.
#6 E. Michigan 65 – #11 N. Illinois 59. NIU (a far cry from their national championship days–just go with it, trust me) put up a good fight against EMU, but fell just short in the end, as E. Michigan moves on to Cleveland to face #3 Akron on Thursday in the quarters. Bry, J, Doogan, and Stri all went for the NIU upset. Everyone has Akron winning the quarterfinal matchup.
#7 W. Michigan 75 – #10 Bowling Green 73. The Falcons of Bowling Green led for most of the game, but WMU’s leading scorer, David Kool turned it on, scoring 15 second-half points to get WMU to quarters, where they will meet arch-rival Central Michigan (for the record, I have no idea if they are really rivals, in the same conference, you have to think that Western, Eastern, and Central Michigan all hate each other, right? I would hate the other two if I was a fan of one of those schools.) This was a popular upset pick, as only Ina, Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, Lil Lohse, and Teddy went with the favorite. Most of those who liked W. Michigan in this one also like them in the next round (Ina, Doogan, Alexi, Lil Lohse, and Teddy). J had Bowling Green in the semis and is the only one to lose a semifinalist before they reach Cleveland.
MAC STANDINGS (prior MAC titles; *perfect bracket):
*30 – Ina
*30 – Lil Lohse
*30 – Lynch
*30 – Teddy
24 – Doogan (’08, ’09)
24 – Lohse
24 – Waters
18 – Alexi
18 – Bry
18 – J
18 – Stri
12 – KA
