CTC Day 9 Recap: Alexi Edges Teddy and J for the Day Title, As the Race Gets a LOT Closer

Thirty games = amazing day.  And, this race just got a lot tighter.  Just when it looked like the top 4 might pull away from the field, the middle pack fires back and makes a free-for-all.

DAY 9 SCORES:
188 – Alexi
186 – Teddy
184 – J
134 – Waters
130 – Lohse
124 – Ina
120 – Lil Lohse
114 – KA
110 – Bry
110 – Stri
108 – Lynch
86 – Doogan

OVERALL STANDINGS:
1032 – Bry
995 – Ina
932 – Doogan
932 – Lil Lohse
903 – Alexi
885 – J
853 – Stri
834 – Teddy
815 – Lohse
751 – Lynch
728 – KA
714 – Waters

NEC CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
A nice NEC tournament ends with one road team winning all tournament…in the final game.  Congrats to Robert Morris, who will be going back to The Dance.  More importantly, congrats to Lil Lohse, who clinches the 2010 NEC title.

#2 Robert Morris 52 – #1 Quinnipiac 50.  Quinnipiac hadn’t lost a home game all year.  No road team had won an NEC tournament game all year.  Until Wednesday night, when it all mattered.  QU led most of the way until the end, as the RMU defense took over.  A familiar championship name for any Philadelphia fan, Dallas Green, hit the twwo game-winning free throws, as the Colonials head back to The Dance.  Lil Lohse was the only one who had Robert Morris winning this title.  KA, Bry, Ina, Doogan, and the two-time defending NEC champ Stri had Quinnipiac.  Bry, Doogan, and Stri lost a shot at a perfect bracket and a conference title with Green’s free throws.

FINAL NEC STANDINGS:
46 – Lil Lohse
32 – Bry (’09t*)
32 – Doogan
32 – Stri (’08, ’09t*)
24 – Alexi
24 – Ina
24 – Lohse
24 – Teddy
20 – J
20 – KA
20 – Lynch
8 – Waters

BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
MADNESS!!!!!!  I read a really good piece on this game last night, I just don’t remember where.  Well, Lohse owes Anthony Johnson something, as he pulls off the miracle Big Sky domination.  Great job, Mr. Lohse, this was an impressive performance.

#4 Montana at #1 Weber St.  Okay, I’m not going to go off on this game because it was just so amazing.  Montana down 22, on the road.  Their senior scores 42 of their 66 points, including 34 in the second half and the team’s last 21 points.  And, even more amazingly, did you know that Montana’s coach’s name really is Wayne Tinkle?  (Sorry.)  Anyway, Lohse was the only one to get this right.  Lil Lohse, Waters, Alexi, Stri, J, Ina, and Bry must all feel robbed of 16 CTC points.

FINAL BIG SKY STANDINGS:
50 – Lohse
22 – Bry
22 – Doogan
22 – Ina
22 – Lil Lohse
22 – Lynch
22 – Teddy
12 – Alexi
12 – J
12 – Stri
12 – Waters
0 – KA

BIG EAST SECOND ROUND (10 points each):
The second straight quadruple-header in MSG was just as good as the first.  And, it sets up an amazing third.  Teddy was the only one to go four-for-four here on Wednesday night.  Waters and KA only got one of the four. 

#8 Georgetown 69 – #9 S. Florida 49.  The Bulls of USF took care of DePaul on Tuesday, but ran into a buzzsaw in G’town on Wednesday afternoon.  The Hoyas move on face #1 Syracuse on Thursday.  Doogan, Lynch, and KA missed this one.  Everyone else got it right.

#5 Marquette 57 – #13 St. John’s 55.  It was there for the taking, but the Johnnies could not give me an embarrasingly awful Kaplan.  Damn.  Marquette will move on to the quarters to take on Villanova.  KA, both Lohses, Lynch, Ina, Doogan, and Stri all got this right.  Lil Lohse and Doogan keep a semifinalists alive here.

#7 Notre Dame 68 – #10 Seton Hall 56.  Luke Harangody is back, and this ND team actually looks pretty good all of a sudden, as they take care of business against The Hall.  They now will move on to play the MSG darlings, Pitt, on Thursday night.  Waters, Lil Lohse, and KA missed on the Seton Hall upset.  Teddy, Lohse, Lynch, and J all kept their semifinalists alive.

#11 Cincinnati 69 – #6 Louisville 66.  Cincinnati has now won two games by 4 total points, but they’re still kicking, as they knock off Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals.  They will now play #3 West Virginia (and former coach Bobby Huggins) on Thursday night.  J, Alexi, and Teddy did a great job nailing this upset pick.  KA and Lohse lost a semifinalist in L’ville.

BIG EAST STANDINGS:
100 – Teddy
95 – Alexi
95 – J
45 – Ina
45 – Lohse
45 – Stri
40 – KA
35 – Lynch
30 – Doogan (’08, ’09)
30 – Lil Lohse
20 – Bry
20  – Waters

BIG XII OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
Kansas City is the site for the Big XII tournament, which kicked off on Wednesday night.  There was one huge upset that knocked off all 12 CTC’ers.  Other than that, only Ina, Waters, and Alexi hit the other three.  Bry, Lohse, and Stri all went 1-for-4.

#9 Texas Tech 82 – #8 Colorado 67.  A nice win for Pat Knight’s Red Raiders, as they end the CU season sooner than they had hoped.  T.Tech now advances to play #1 Kansas.  Ina, J, Alexi, and Waters got this mild upset.

#12 Nebraska 75 – #5 Missouri 60.  Madness!  Not only did the Huskers knock off Mizzou, but they embarrased them in their home state.  In a really surprising result, Nebraska will now face Texas A&M in the quarters.  No one got this pick right.  Doogan, Lynch, and Lil Lohse lost semifinalists.

#7 Oklahoma St. 81 – #10 Oklahoma 67.  OSU was up 20-2 and never looked back, just hammering the Sooners.  The Cowboys will now face Kansas St. in a great quarterfinal matchup.  J is the only one to miss this pick.  Bry, Doogan, Lil Lohse, and Teddy all kept a semifinalist alive.  Waters, Lynch, and Lohse all kept a finalist alive.

#6 Texas 82 – #11 Iowa St. 75.  In a game that was close for most of the way, Texas did finally win over Iowa St.  Quick note:  how does Greg McDermott still have a job?  With Brackens and Gilstrap, they should be at least the middle of the pack, if not contending for a conference title.  But, 4-13 in conference?  I know there have been injuries and close losses, but I still think that McDermott did a pretty terrible job this year.  Oh well, I’m not a Cyclone fan, so whatever.  Either way, we definitely get a much more intriguing quarterfinal game now as Texas takes on Baylor.  In fact, think about that amazing nightime double-header in KC on Thursday.  K-State vs. Ok State and THEN Baylor vs. Texas.  Wow!  Lohse, Stri, and Bry missed on this upset pick.  Ina, J, Waters, and KA kept a semifinalist alive. 

BIG XII STANDINGS:
40 – Alexi (’09)
40 – Waters
30 – Ina
30 – J
20 – Doogan (’08)
20 – KA
20 – Lil Lohse
20 – Lynch
20 – Teddy
10 – Bry
10 – Lohse
10 – Stri

PAC-10 OPENING ROUND (10 points):
With one game at Staples, the Pac-10 tournament is under way.  A great quarterfinal round is to come on Thursday.

#8 Oregon 82 – #9 Washington St. 80 (OT).  Okay, here we go–a pet peeve.  Expect to hear this again at some point, but I HATE this new thing of fouling when you’re up three.  It’s stupid.  It opens yourself up to WAY too many bad things.  Unless you can be sure to do it without the guy shooting, with less than :04 seconds or so, then fine, but enough with this new obsession.  It’s not like no one has ever thought of it before, Jay Bilas.  It happened last night.  Wazzu was up three with :08 seconds left and they decided to foul Tajuan Porter.  Of course, he hit both (because he shoots over 90%).  Then, Wazzu got fouled, hit only one of two, and now they’re opened up to possibly losing in regulation.  Fortunately (for them), Oregon went for the tie, got it, and won in OT.  Okay, people, it’s stupid.  Stop extending the game WHEN YOU’RE AHEAD.  Please.  I have a novel idea…PLAY DEFENSE.  If you’re up three with only seconds left, it should be rather easy to defend the other team.  THEY HAVE TO SHOOT A THREE.  Sorry, it really bothers me…maybe because I had Wazzu in this one.  Ina, Doogan, and Alexi also had the Cougars.  Waters kept a semifinalist alive here.

MOUNTAIN WEST OPENING ROUND (8 points):
The M-West had their incredibly exciting play-in game last night in Vegas. 

#9 Air Force 59 – #8 Wyoming 40.  Yeah, so not only did these fans have to sit through a game between Wyoming and Air Force, but they didn’t even get 100 points between the two teams.  Ugh.  Hey, at least they were in Vegas.  Bry, Ina, Waters, and KA all got this upset.  Stri lost a semifinalist here.   

CONFERENCE USA OPENING ROUND (6 points each):
The C-USA played out their bottom eight teams on Wednesday before welcoming the top 4 on Thursday.  J, Alexi, and Teddy went 4-for-4 on Wednesday. 

#7 Houston 93 – #10 E. Carolina 80.  The Cougars offense looked good on Wednesday afternoon, but they did give up 80 points to the ECU Pirates.  Now, Houston gets a shot at #2 Memphis, which has won four straight C-USA tournament titles.  Everyone got this one right.  J, Lohse and Lynch keep a semifinalist alive.

#6 S. Mississippi 57 – #11 Tulane 47.  A little closer than S. Miss would have liked, but they do hold on and beat a bad Tulane team.  S. Miss will now play #3 UAB in the quarters on Thursday.  Stri, Waters, and KA all missed on this big upset pick.  Doogan kept a semifinalist alive.  Lohse kept a finalist alive.

#5 Tulsa 73 – #12 Rice 62.  The Golden Hurricane trailed for a lot of this game, even though they were playing in their home town against 1-15 Rice.  But, they do win, and now they get a shot at #4 Marshall.  KA was the only one that took the bait on Rice and missed.  Most of the CTC has Tulsa in the semis.

#9 C. Florida 69 – #8 SMU 53.  The Mustangs just didn’t show up on Thursday night, as UCF just rolled over them.  Now, UCF will get #1 UTEP in the nightcap on Thursday.  J, Alexi, Teddy, and KA all nailed this mild upset. 

CONF USA STANDINGS:
*30 – Alexi
*30 – J
*30 – Teddy
18 – Bry (’09)
18 – Doogan
18 – Ina (’08)
18 – KA
18 – Lil Lohse
18 – Lohse
18 – Lynch
12 – Stri
12 – Waters

SOUTHLAND QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The amazing Southland kicked off in Katy, TX, on Wednesday.  ’09 Southland champ, Waters, is the only one to get all four of these quarterfinal games.  Everyone got at least two.

#2 Stephen F. Austin 77 – #7 UT-Arlington 54.  SFA started off the Southland with a bang, as they hammered UT-Arlington.  Everyone got this one right.  This was big for Waters, as he is the only one with the Lumberjacks winning this tournament.

#3 Texas A&M – Corpus Christie 78 – #6 UT-San Antonio 66.  Corpus Christie got a nice win in the second game, knocking off the Roadrunners of San Antonio.  Only Stri, Alexi, Waters, and KA got this one right.  KA kept a finalist alive.

#4 SE Louisiana 79 – #5 Texas St. 78 (OT).  A thrilling OT win for SE Louisiana moves them along to the semis on Thursday.  Waters, Lynch, Lohse, KA, and Teddy all got this one right.  Lohse and KA kept alive their champions.

#1 Sam Houston St. 62 – #8 Nicholls St. 57.  Sam Houston, who dominated the SL in the regular season, actually struggled against a team that barely qualified for the SL tournament.  But, a win is a win, especially in March.  They move on to face SE Louisiana in the semis.  Only KA gave Nicholls St. a shot here.  Most of the CTC has SHSU winning this tournament.

SOUTHLAND STANDINGS:
*16 – Waters (’09)
12 – Alexi
12 – KA
12 – Lohse
12 – Lynch
12 – Stri
12 – Teddy
8 – Bry (’08)
8 – Doogan
8 – Ina
8 – J
8 – Lil Lohse

SWAC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The SWAC started on Wednesday with a double-header with the top two teams in Shreveport, LA.  And, it was MADNESS!  An unbelievable upset of top-seeded Jackson St.  No one got them both. 

#2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 69 – #7 Mississippi Valley St. 66.  Though they didn’t know it at the time, AR-Pine Bluff needed a win to become the highest-seeded team left in the SWAC.  But, they struggled mightily with a very feisty MVSU team, which led most of the way.  Doogan and Stri both missed on this one and lost a finalist in the process.  KA, Teddy, and J all kept the champion alive here.

#8 Grambling St. 65 – #1 Jackson St. 57.  And, here is the shocker of the day.  Jackson St. completely dominated this conference during the regular season, going 17-1.  But, it’s all for naught.  They will have to settle for the auto-bid…to the NIT.  Grambling moves on to the semis on Friday.  No one had this pick, and most people had JSU winning this tournament.

GREAT WEST QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The Great West tournament is even more meaningless than most because there is no auto-bid.  But, it is not meaningless in the all-important CTC.  The three quarterfinals matchups took place in Oren, UT, on Wednesday.  Stri and Doogan both went three-for-three on the day.

#5 Texas-Pan American 56 – #4 Utah Valley 53.  UT-Pan American took care of business against UVU in the first ever Great West tournament game.  They advance to take on top-seeded South Dakota.  J, Doogan, Stri, Lynch, KA, and Teddy all got the mild upset in this one.  KA and Teddy kept finalists alive. 

#2 Houston Baptist 80 – #7 Chicago St. 77.  Houston Baptist, the #2-seed in the conference struggled against the bottom-seeded Chicago St.  But, as we always say, a win is a win, and HB moves on.  J and Alexi missed this nice upset pick.  KA keeps alive her champion.

#6 N.J. Tech 70 – #3 North Dakota 57.  N.J.I.T., the owner of the longest losing streak in the history of D-I basketball (I think they still hold the record, but I clearly don’t feel like looking it up), wins their first postseason game against UND.  J, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Waters, and both Lohses nailed this upset pick.  J, Alexi, and Waters all keep alive their champions.

MEAC OPENING ROUND/QUARTERFINALS (2 points each/4 points each):
That strange MEAC tournament hits its strangest day, as two separate rounds are played at the same place on the same day.  The afternoon game was an opening round game, while the nightime double-header were the two semifinals.  Ina, Doogan, Lynch, Lohse, and KA hit this strange three-for-three day. 

#6 MD-Eastern Shore 64 – #11 Coppin St. 58.  Coppin St. won this tournament as the 10-seed two years ago, but they could not muster enough this time, as they fall in the opening round to MD-ES.  E. Shore now advances to the quarters to take on #3 S.C. State.  Bry, Stri, Alexi, Waters, and Lil Lohse all went for the upset here.  Waters must remember that run in ’08, as he had Coppin in the semis.  Doogan keeps his semifinalist alive.

#2 Delaware St. 75 – #7 Bethune-Cookman 55.  And in the first quarterfinal, Delaware St. flexed its muscles and pounded Bethune-Cookman.  Teddy and J both had FAMU here, so they missed it.  Everyone else got DSU.  Waters and Lynch keep their champions alive.

#1 Morgan St. 84 – #9 N.C. A&T 57.  After watching #2 win big, #1 decided to win bigger.  Morgan smashed N.C. A&T in the nightcap to advance to the semis on Friday.  Everyone had Morgan here.  Seven entries have Morgan winning this tournament.

MEAC STANDINGS:
*16 – Ina
14 – Alexi
14 – Stri
12 – Bry
12 – KA
10 – Doogan
10 – Lohse
10 – Lynch
8 – Lil Lohse
8 – Waters
6 – J
6 – Teddy

BIG WEST OPENING ROUND (2 points each):
The Big West kicked off their tournament in Anaheim on Wednesday with a pair of opening round games.  Even though both favorites won on Wednesday, only Stri got both picks right.  Bry, J, Doogan, and both Lohses all got them both wrong.  The 12 entries were a combined 7-17 in the Big West, even though both favorites prevailed.

#5 CS-Fullerton 84 – #8 CS-Northridge 76.  Fullerton looked good in their postseason debut, knocking off Northridge in a game that wasn’t as close as the score may appear.  Fullerton now advances to the quarters to take on UC-Davis.  Ina, Stri, Alexi, and KA were the only four that got this one right.  Waters and KA both kept a finalist alive.  J, Doogan, and Teddy all lost semifinalists.

#6 Cal Poly 73 – #7 UC-Irvine 69.  Cal Poly won a back-and-forth game with the Anteaters on Wednesday.  Cal Poly will now play Don Monson’s Long Beach St. squad on Thursday in the quarters.  Stri, Lynch, and Teddy were the only three to get this right.  Doogan and both Lohses lost semifinalists in this one.