As the 2013 CTC winds down, we want to track the race for the overall crown as the scores unfold.

Albany beats Vermont 52-49
No one had Albany, but Vermont losing costs a few contenders (Primm, Doogan, and RDoc) 24 valuable points that they could have picked up on the leaders.  Also, Teddy and Stumpf need everything to go right to steal a title, so this makes it an even longer shot.  Cheryl, Dave, and Scoot also missed out here.

Memphis survives Southern Miss 91-79 in double-OT
Mac, Lazarow, and Cheryl are the only ones not to get the 42 points here.  This has HUGE implications, as Mac falls out of first.  Bry is now in the lead.  Lazarow and Cheryl each fall 3 spots with this one.  Lazarow could have really entered the fray up top with this one.

Florida comes back to beat Alabama, 51-41
Doogan, J, and Lazarow miss out on this one.  RDoc passes Doogan into 4th place.  Lazarow drops three more spots, which should just about end his shot at an overall title.

Miami takes care of business against N.C. State
Ten people had N.C. State, which would have been huge, particularly for RDoc.  But, the Miami W here drops RDoc two spots to 6th, as Doogan and Alex both enter the top 5.  LohseJr, Stumpf, and GrossSr all move into the Top 10, dropping Lohse, Rikey, and Teddy out of the Top 10.

St. Louis handles Butler, 67-56
Only 7 people got this one, including three of the top 4 – Bry, Mac, and Doogan.  Bry stays #1 27.5 points ahead of Mac, but pushes his lead over #3 Primm to 142.5.  Doogan is now just 7.5 points behind Primm for 3rd.

Wisconsin shocks Indiana by 12
Only Cheryl and Lynch got this right, which vaults them each up 3 spots into the Top 15.  Bry and Mac miss a great chance to pick up ground on Doogan and RDoc, who had Michigan in this one.  Alex, would have moved into 4th with an IU win, but didn’t get it.

4:00pm STANDINGS – CONTENDERS WITHIN 250 of LEADER
(points behind in parentheses)

1. Bry (–)
2. Mac (27.5)
3. Primm (142.5)
4. Doogan (150)
5. Alex (202)
6. RDoc (213.5)
7. Alexi (230.5)

Ole Miss goes to the SEC Finals with a 12-point win over Vandy
Primm picks up a big 55 points to get within 100 of the lead . Stumpf and GrossSr both get within 260.

North Carolina survives furious comeback attempt by Maryland
Alex is among five who hit this one and passes Doogan into 4th place within 150 from the overall lead.  And, here comes Stumpf, who has already gained 7 spots today, including passing Alexi and RDoc with this win.  He’s only 202 points behind the leader.

VCU havocs their way past Butler, 71-62, to head to tomorrow’s final
Half the field hit this one, including the leader, Bry, and contenders, Mac, Primm, Doogan, Alexi, and the red-hot Day Twelve leader, Stumpf.  Doogan is back to 4th.  RDoc loses his 3rd spot of the day and falls to 8th.

An ENORMOUS CTC game goes to Ohio St. over Michigan St., 61-58
13 people had OSU – the other 11 had MSU.   Mac hits this to take the overall lead.  Bry (now #2), Primm (#3), and Doogan (#4) all missed with MSU.  Maybe more importantly, this keeps alive points tomorrow for contenders like Stumpf (now #5) and RDoc (#8).

Southern barely nips Prairie View to win the SWAC
While this probably is as meaningless as it seems, our leader Mac, did miss this, so just about everyone picked up 12 points on him, including Bry, who is now just a half-point behind (harkening memories of the 2011 CTC, where Rikey came from behind to beat Bry 2,652 to 2,651 – the final recap sourly linked here.).

N.C. A&T comes back to beat Morgan St. to win the MEAC
This one actually is meaningless.  No one had either of these teams.

Kansas beats up on little brother, K-State, in 16-point Big XII win
The top 6 all got this one right.  #7 Alexi and #8 RDoc fall further behind with this loss and now are both more than 250 behind.  This may have cut our field of contenders to just 6.  Teddy was one of the few with K-State here, so it looks like he missed his last chance here.  Lazarow also had K-State and has a tough-luck Day Twelve – missing a lot of possible picks.  He has fallen from 8th to 18th, but was two or three games from maybe winning this thing.

New Mexico looks REALLY good in M-West title win over UNLV
A pretty big CTC win here for Mac and the rest of the UNM backers.  Mac is now up 60.5 on Bry and 148 on Primm, who both had UNLV here, which would have been HUGE.  Doogan, Stumpf, and Alex also all missed it, so Mac gains on everyone within 300 points of him.  Alexi and RDoc both miss this and can officially be put to bed for their overall title chances.   Stumpf and Alex might be in trouble now, too, with this loss.  Teddy and GrossSr get it right to improve to 7th and 8th.

An incredible second half gives Akron a 19-point win in the MAC over Ohio
A last gasp here for GrossSr and Alexi, though they will fall short.  J climbs way out of the basement with this one.  Primm is really the big winner here, as he would have lost either way, but the Ohio loss saves him from losing 48 points to Mac and Bry ahead of him and Doogan, Stumpf, and Alex behind him.

8:00pm STANDINGS – CONTENDERS WITHIN 250 of LEADER
(points behind in parentheses)

1. Mac (–)
2. Bry (60.5)
3. Primm (148)
4. Doogan (210.5)
5. Stumpf (222.5)
6. Alex (243.5)

Chicago St. beats Houston Baptist in the Great West tournament
No one really cares, but Bry did pick up 10 points on any of the other contenders.

Louisville outscores Syracuse 56-26 in an utterly dominating second-half comeback
This was a huge blow to Primm’s chances for a repeat championship and Stumpf’s chances at a huge 11th hour comeback, as they both had the ‘Cuse, while pretty much all the other contenders had Louisville.  Primm falls behind Doogan into 4th – 228 points off the lead.  Stumpf drops 4 spots to 9th and is more than 300 points behind.

Northwestern St. edges Stephen F. Austin in a thrilling Southland championship
A huge result for Mac here, as he had NW State for 24 points, while pretty much everyone chasing him had SFA.

Montana protects the house in beating Weber St.
No big change here, as the contenders were part of the minority that took the Grizz.

11:00pm STANDINGS – CONTENDERS WITHIN 300 POINTS
(points behind in parentheses)

I extended it to 300 just to get more than 3 people on the list, but it looks like it might just be a two-person race going into the final day (if Mac doesn’t clinch tonight…that is)

1. Mac (–)
2. Bry (74.5)
3. Doogan (234.5)
4. Primm (252)
5. Alex (291.5)
6. GrossSr (298.5)

It looks like the Pac-12 might be on the rebound from some seriously down seasons.  But, they probably will never be the dominating West Coast league that they were for so long because of the budding programs in the Mountain West, WCC, and even the WAC.  But, this year was a lot better, albeit a little bizarre.

Somehow, UCLA ended up as the outright regular season champs, even though there were memorial services for them all through the months of November, December, and even into January.  But, the Bruin freshmen came together and won the league.  The three-way tie for second between Arizona, Cal, and Oregon is strange, as Arizona was #1 in the country for several weeks, but Cal and Oregon looked like NIT teams, at best, for a lot of the season.  But, that is the story of the Pac-12 this year – every team seems to have transformed – sometimes several times – over the course of this single season.  Colorado looked like an elite team, nationally, at times, while at others, they looked like an NIT team.  Arizona St. was competing for a conference title – out of NOWHERE – and now they have a ton of work to do just to get in the tournament.  Utah looked like a low-major team for a while, and then just started beating people.  USC had an even wider spread, from looking absolutely dreadful at times and then world-beaters at others.  Oh, and did I forget to mention Washington?  They had an embarrassing non-conf performance, but then won their first 5 Pac-12 games.  But, in the end, they came back to the pack and showed their true “mediocre” colors.  Or, maybe all these teams aren’t as good or bad as they seem and they just all keep beating each other to bring the “good” ones down and the “bad” ones up.  Maybe…

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 60 points)

#1 UCLA vs #3 Oregon
The top-seeded Bruins won two tough games against the Arizona schools to get to the finals on Saturday night.  Oregon had a brutally tough quarterfinal with Washington, which they won in OT, and then cruised past Cinderella Utah in the semis.  It looks like UCLA’s Jordan Adams (honestly, their most consistent offensive player, despite being so unheralded) won’t play in this one, so maybe that’s why Vegas actually installed the Ducks as a 2-point favorite here.

Dave, GrossSr, Lazarow, and PapaCim have Oregon here.  Cheryl, Doogan, Lohse, LohseJr, Primm, and Waters have UCLA.  The other 14 people have no shot at points here.  Doogan’s very impressive Pac-12 has already clinched him at least a share of this year’s Pac-12 CTC crown no matter what happens tonight.  He can win it outright with a UCLA win (which would give him 345 points in this league), or split it with Lazarow and PapaCim, if Oregon wins (winning even a share without the champion is very impressive).

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 40 points each)

#1 UCLA vs #4 Arizona
There are a TON of great games today, but this one is among the best.  The Bruins, led by the super-freshmen, Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson, snuck past a game Arizona St. team on Thursday, setting up another battle with the Cactus State on Friday, after the Wildcats beat Colorado.  With Cal out and Oregon a little shaky, the winner of this game will probably be the clear favorite in the title game on Saturday.

This is not only a big game, basketball-wise, it’s a huge game CTC-wise.  Dave is the only one without a horse in the race here, as he had Colorado.  Of the other 23, 10 of them have Arizona in the upset (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, J, Mac, PapaCim, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, and Stumpf), with all but Gersh and PapaCim picking the ‘Cats to win this title.  Of the 13 that picked UCLA here, six of them (Cheryl, Doogan, Lohse, LohseJr, Primm, and Teddy) took the Bruins to win this tournament.

#3 Oregon vs #10 Utah
The overused glass slipper metaphor can be thrown in here to describe the Utah Utes, who have actually looked very good lately.  They won their last four regular season games before coming to Vegas and knocking off #7 USC on Wednesday and #2 Cal in overtime on Thursday.  Now, they will try to continue their crazy run on Friday against #3 Oregon.  Bubble teams everywhere are Duck fans tonight, hoping that Utah doesn’t steal the auto-bid.

14 people (Alex, Alexi, Cheryl, Dave, Doogan, GrossSr, Lazarow, LohseJr, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, RDoc, Stumpf, and Waters) have Oregon here.  The other 10 have all already lost this game with Cal.  Dave, GrossSr, Lazarow, and PapaCim have the most at stake here with the Ducks, as they have them winning this tournament.

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 20 points each)

#1 UCLA vs #9 Arizona St.
A thrilling opening round overtime win for the Sun Devils has them in a position to put themselves back into the bubble conversation with another win here against #1 UCLA.  The Bruins – amidst a season of criticism and questioning – just kept on trucking, eventually turning a “shaky” year into a Pac-12 title-winning year.  Good for Ben Howland.  he completely changed his style – slow, methodical, defensive – to fit his personnel (athletic and offensive) and it worked.  This could be a dangerous team because they have as much talent as anyone in the country.  Then again, would anyone be surprised if they didn’t win a game in the Dance?

Alex has already lost this game with Stanford, but Mac can get a HUGE upset here if ASU comes through.  Everyone else has the Bruins, including Cheryl, Doogan, Lohse, LohseJr, and Primm, who all have them winning this tournament.

#4 Arizona vs #5 Colorado
Colorado survived a tough Oregon St. team in the opening round on Wednesday and now they earn themselves a shot at redemption against an Arizona team that flat-out stole one in Tucson in January.  The Wildcats were on top of the college basketball world for a while, but it was a bit of smoke and mirrors with lucky wins and soft scheduling.  But, just because they were ill-suited to be the #1 team in the country doesn’t mean they are a bad team.  In fact, they are a really, really good team.  The problem is that Mark Lyons is not really as good as people may have thought, and the frontcourt is basically all freshmen.  But, and I’ve said this all year – this team is as good as Nick Johnson.  And, most nights, he is elite.

Dave and Doogan are the only two with Colorado in the mild upset here.  Dave actually has them going to the finals.  Eight people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Mac, RDoc, Rikey, Scoot, and Stumpf) have UA winning this tournament.  Five more (Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, J, and PapaCim) have the ‘Cats going to the finals.

#2 California vs #10 Utah
The Runnin’ Utes upset #7 USC Wednesday night in Vegas, setting up a quarterfinal matchup with the Cal Bears.  I gushed the other day about Larry Brown, but my coach-love for Mike Montgomery is even higher.  Honestly, I have no idea why Montgomery is so incredibly overlooked.  He just flat-out wins.  And, he has done it again this year.  This Bears team is weak in the frontcourt and not very deep, yet somehow, Montgomery has gotten this team that is basically based entirely on the backcourt of Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs to 2nd place in the Pac-12 and an assured tournament bid that looked very far-fetched even a month ago.  Now, they are in search of a tournament title.

Doogan has this HUGE upset here, which, if he hits it, will net him a cool HUNDRED points on the rest of the field.  Dave and GrossSr have already lost this game with USC, but the other 21 people have Cal, with six people (Caleb, Gersh, GrossJr, J, Lynch, and Teddy) picking the Golden Bears to win this tournament.

#3 Oregon vs #6 Washington
The Huskies barely survived their in-state rivals Wazzu late last night to set up a border war with the Ducks.  This Oregon season has been impressive.  They probably would have won the league if point guard Dominic Artis hadn’t been injured.  But, this roster is really good for Coach Altman, including former Duke star Kyle Singler’s younger brother, E.J., and Rice transfer – and the best Iranian player ever – Arsalan Kazemi.  This is a good Oregon team and should be a tough out in both tournaments.

J and Teddy have already lost this game with Wash St.  The other 22 people all have Oregon here, so a UW win would be a net zero.  But, it would be good for the minority of the field that doesn’t have Oregon going to the finals.  Dave, GrossSr, Lazarow, and PapaCim all have the Ducks winning this tournament, so they would like that they survive here.

OPENING ROUND (March 13th – 10 points each)

#8 Stanford vs #9 Arizona St.
A great season for ASU has fallen apart recently, but I guess when you rely so much on a freshman point guard, that’s what can happen, even with a terrific coach like Herb Sendak.  Stanford looked like they were also heading to the tournament in early February, when they ran off a nice 4-game winning streak, but they haven’t kept that momentum and now they probably need at least a run to the finals to make the Dance.  This is clearly an elimination game for these two teams.  The winner will get an important crack at #1 UCLA on Thursday.

Eight people (Bry, Dave, Lazarow, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, Stumpf, and Waters) have the Sun Devils in a mild upset here.  Mac has the Devils beating UCLA in the quarters.  Alex has the most at stake with Stanford, as he has them beating UCLA.

Arizona St. 89 – Stanford 88 (OT)
A really entertaining game to start the Pac-12 tournament here, as ASU’s stud freshman Jahii Carson stepped up on the big stage with 34 points, pretty much dominating all 45 minutes of this game.  The Sun Devils were up 4 in regulation with :38 seconds left when Aaron Bright hit a three and was fouled.  He completed the 4-point play to tie the game, eventually forcing overtime.  Stanford’s star Dwight Powell went for 23 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in the loss.  The Cardinal is now heading to the NIT with a disappointing fade down the stretch.  ASU, who has also faded, is still alive and might get themselves in with a win over UCLA on Thursday.

Eight people hit this mild upset pick, with Mac keeping alive a semifinalist.  Alex took the biggest hit here, losing a semifinalist of his own.

#5 Colorado vs #12 Oregon St.
What a disaster of a season for an Oregon St. team that had upper-le-ague aspirations.  I guess the loss of current Dallas Maverick Jared Cunningham was a lot bigger than people realized.  As for Colorado, I really like this team – a lot.  But, they just can’t get any consistent play outside of Boulder.  It doesn’t make sense because they have some great pieces.  Andre Roberson is an NBA rebounder and interior defender right now.  And, their backcourt of Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker is very underrated.  This team could be pretty dangerous in next week’s tournament – if they get there.  The winner here will get the 4th-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the quarters.

Seven people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossJr, Lynch, and PapaCim) took a shot at a big upset with OSU.  Caleb has the Beavers beating Arizona in the quarters.  Surprisingly, only Dave and Doogan have the Buffs going to the semis.  Dave actually has them in the finals.

Colorado 74 – Oregon St. 68
This OSU team’s season is over just like that, and it ends with a last-place finish and a first-round exit in the conference tournament.  It was the Colorado defense, particularly a ten-minute stretch at the end of the first half and beginning of the second, which turned a small deficit into a comfortable lead against a live ‘dog here in the first round.  An important win for the Buffs probably puts them into the Dance, but a win Thursday over Arizona would help a lot.

A Colorado win on Thursday would also help Dave and Doogan a lot, as they have them beating ‘Zona. Dave has the Buffs in the finals.  Seven people missed a big upset pick here, with Caleb losing a semifinalist.

#7 USC vs #10 Utah
Two teams that are very hard to figure out.  Maybe jettisoning Kevin O’Neill from the USC sidelines had to be done because they have been a lot better without him.  And, with the talent – or lack thereof – on this Utah team, it’s amazing that they won 5 conference games and were legitimately better than two other Pac-12 teams.  I have no idea what to say about this game – anything is possible with these two teams.  The winner will get #2 Cal in the quarters.

Seven people (Alex, Bry, Cheryl, Doogan, GrossJr, Lynch, and PapaCim) have Utah in the upset.  Doogan has the Utes with another upset over Cal in the quarters.  Dave and GrossSr both have USC going to the semis.

#6 Washington vs #11 Washington St.
One of the better rivalries in the conference chock-full of good ones will write another chapter right off the bat in the 2013 Pac-12 tournament.  The Huskies swept WSU this year, but both games were really tight and down to the wire.  By the way, is it me or is Lorenzo Romar really overrated?  I mean if we can kill Rick Barnes for recruiting studs and then not doing anything with them, why can’t we do the same for Romar?  Think of the STUDS that have come through UW in the past couple of seasons?  The winner here will get a border war with #3 Oregon in the quarters.

13 people saw a lot of value in taking Wazzu in this upset, as only 11 (Alexi, Cheryl, Gersh, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, Scoot, and Teddy) have UW.  J and Teddy actually have Wazzu beating Oregon in the quarters.  Nobody has Washington going past the quarters.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 UCLA (6)
• #2 California (6)
• #3 Oregon (4)
• #4 Arizona (8)

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #12 Oregon St. (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossJr, Lynch, PapaCim)
• QF – #12 Oregon St. (Caleb)
• SF – #5 Colorado (Dave)
• Champ – #4 Arizona (many)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Doogan
• 2009 – Alexi
• 2010 – Stri
• 2011 – Lynch
• 2012 – GrossJr

2013 Scores

1). 30 (perfect) – Dave, Lazarow, Mac, Primm, Stumpf, Waters

7). 20 – Bry, PapaCim

9). 10 – Alexi, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, J, Lohse, LohseJr, RDoc, Rikey, Scoot, Teddy

21). 0 – Alex, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossJr, Lynch

This new WAC is rather interesting.  They raided the Southland of its best teams not named Stephen, coupled that with a top Sun Belt program and – voila – you’ve got yourself a totally revamped and solid basketball conference.  Well done, WAC.  Now if we can get the “Midnight Snack” package back with ESPN, we’ve got something.

I have honestly been kind of riveted with the WAC this year.  The Louisiana Tech team is really easy to like.  Denver is just all-around solid, and New Mexico St. and Utah St. are terrors on their home floors.  Even UT-Arlington came around and showed something down the stretch.  It is a good league at the top this year, but the bottom was a bit shaky.

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 36 points)

#3 New Mexico St. vs #4 UT-Arlington
The fact that NMSU is here is not that surprising, but UTA is a bit of a shock.  Though, if you look back at the recent results, it probably shouldn’t have been, as they have been really good recently.  NM State got here with an easy win over Idaho and then a relatively tough win over #7 Texas St.  UTA took out a good Utah St. team in the quarters, before ousting their rival UTSA in the semis.

Nobody has Arlington winning this game.  Alexi, GrossSr, Lynch, and Stumpf are the only four with NM State.  Caleb will take the 2013 CTC WAC title with an Arlington win, while Alexi and Lynch will split it with an Aggie win.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 24 points each)

#3 New Mexico St. vs #7 Texas St.
This tournament was supposed to be a huge battle between the three superior teams of the WAC.  Well, two of them failed to win a single game here, leaving just New Mexico St. standing as the odds-on favorites to take this title.  Now, anything short of a WAC championship will be disappointing for the Aggies.  They open the semis on Friday with the 7th-seeded Texas St. team that started the quarterfinal Madness by knocking off red-hot Denver.  TSU got to the quarters by beating 10th-seeded Seattle team by a dozen on Tuesday.

Obviously, no one has Texas St. winning here to go to the finals, so those who do not have NMSU will be rooting for them to zero this out.  Seven people do have the Aggies here (Alexi, GrossSr, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, Rikey, and Stumpf) with four of them (Alexi, GrossSr, Lynch, and Stumpf) feeling really good about their championship pick here all of a sudden.

#4 UT-Arlington vs #9 UT-San Antonio
These two arch-rivals probably thought they were finished with each other after two tough regular season contests (both won by Arlington in close games).  But, with Arlington’s win over Utah State on Thursday and San Antonio’s wins over San Jose St. and then the HUGE upset of Louisiana Tech, here they are – old foes to face off for a date with ESPN and a shot at the tourney.  It is amazing to think that the WAC final will have one of these two WAC newcomers (maybe two newcomers, if TSU beats NMSU), as the middle of the season looked like a 3-, maybe 4-team race (with USU being the 4th team, not Arlington), but Arlington has been red-hot and UTSA has the talent for this run, they just never showed it.

Caleb, J, and PapaCim could be huge beneificiaries of this Madness, as they have UT-Arlington winning this game (which will count as a decent upset) to go to the finals, though none of them have them winning it.  No one even had UTSA playing in this game, let alone winning it, so a Roadrunner win here would zero it out for all the La Tech supporters.

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 12 points each)

#3 New Mexico St. vs #6 Idaho
New Mexico St. is definitely one of the clear favorites to win this tournament, as the Aggies have had a terrific season, yet again.  In a three-team race, though, they finish 3rd and will have to face another team that didn’t have to play a pigtail game, Idaho.  The Vandals, led by Kyle Barone, had an up and down season that was more down than up.

Eleven people (Caleb, Dave, Doogan, Gersh, GrossJr, J, Lazarow, Lohse, PapaCim, Primm, and Teddy) took Idaho in a nice upset pick here.  Dave has the Vandals in the WAC finals.  Alexi, GrossSr, Lynch, and Stumpf have put their champion at stake here with NMSU.

#2 Denver vs #7 Texas St.
The Pioneers of Denver will play their first ever WAC tournament game on Thursday, after a move from the Sun Belt last year.  Denver was awfully close to winning the league in their inaugural season, but, at 16-2, lost in a tiebreaker to La Tech.  The Pioneers do enter the tournament riding a 10-game winning streak, though, so they are awfully confident.  Their first opponent is Texas St. – picked for last in the league, but finished 7th – who knocked off Seattle in the opening round on Tuesday.  If all goes right, we’ll have a great semifinal on Friday between Denver and NMSU, but things don’t always go right in March.

All 24 people have Denver here, with a huge number of people taking Denver to reach the finals, and 14 people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossJr, J, Lazarow, Lohse, PapaCim, Primm, RDoc, Scoot, Teddy, and Waters) taking the Pioneers to win this tournament.

#1 Louisiana Tech vs #9 UT-San Antonio
The best year in the history of La Tech (men’s) basketball that didn’t have a guy named Karl Malone on its team ended with a scary two-game losing streak.  It wasn’t just that they went from 16-0 to 16-2 and ended any shot at an improbable at-large bid, but it’s that they weren’t competitive in either game against their two biggest threats.  They lost by 18 at New Mexico St. last Thursday and then by 26 at Denver two days later.  Now, they get five days to think about it before hitting the hardwood again – for all the marbles – against 9th-seeded UTSA.  The Roadrunners got here with an easy win Tuesday night over San Jose St.  Oh, and if you haven’t seen La Tech play this year, tune in – sophomore guard Raheem Appleby is worth the price of cable.

All 24 people have La Tech winning this game, with 16 people taking the Techsters to reach the finals and six people (Dave, Doogan, Gersh, LohseJr, Mac, and Rikey) picking them to win this tournament.

#4 UT-Arlington vs #5 Utah St.
This conference was supposed to be a four-team race, but because Utah St. didn’t live up, it was only a three-team race.  But, the Aggies are still tough, even away from their crazy homecourt advantage.  UT-Arlington had a really nice first year in the WAC, including a sprint to the end to finish in the top 4.  It was a good regular season for Arlington, but they are looking for more.

Only ten people (Alex, Caleb, Gersh, J, Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, PapaCim, and Teddy) took the favored Mavericks of UTA here, but Caleb, J, and PapaCim have the most at stake with the Mavs going to the finals.  Alexi, Cheryl, GrossSr, RDoc, and Waters have Utah St. going to the finals, so they need them to win this one.

OPENING ROUND (March 12th – 6 points each)

#7 Texas St. vs #10 Seattle
Seattle enters a D-I tournament for the first time, and they get the bottom seed and are stuck in a pigtail – that’s how it goes.  The Redhawks actually weren’t terrible this year, playing really good defense and getting a real balanced scoring attack.  They open with a Texas St. team that started to put it together down the stretch.  This program is on the rise, so don’t be surprised if they are competing for a WAC title within 5 years.  The winner of this game will face #2 Denver in the quarters on Wednesday.

Only nine people (Caleb, Cheryl, Gersh, Lohse, Lac, Rikey, Scoot, Stumpf, and Waters) have the favored Texas St. in this one.  No one has either of these teams beating Denver in the quarters.

Texas St. 68 – Seattle 56
Texas St. was in control for most of this game – though Seattle made it close in the middle of the second half – thanks to Joel Wright, who went for 26 as the Bobcats extend a pretty decent inaugural WAC season.  Seattle showed signs of competing all year, but, in the end, were a last place team who lost in the pigtail.  TSU moves on to face Denver on Wednesday.

Only nine people correctly picked the favorite in this one.

#8 San Jose St. vs #9 UT-San Antonio
San Jose St. has had quite a season.  They looked like they might be the surprise of the WAC early on, but then they kicked their leading scorer (20 ppg) James Kinney off of the team for violating team rules (most likely, academic-related).  The Spartans tanked after that, particularly on the offensive end, finishing the season on a 13-game losing streak – most of which were completely non-competitive.  They will hope to extend their season against UTSA, who is probably ready to close the book on 2012-13, as well.  Expected to compete for an upper-level finish in their first year in the WAC, UTSA was anything but competitive early on.  They did start to play better as of late, but the season had slipped away by then.  They can make a little noise in this tournament, but with the next stop against #1 La Tech, it’s unlikely that their “sleeper” role will last all that long.

Half the field (GrossSr, J, Lazarow, Lohse, LohseJr, Lynch, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, Stumpf, Teddy, and Waters) have the favored SJSU in this one.  No one has either of these teams beating La Tech in the quarters.

UT-San Antonio 67 – San Jose St. 49
An absolutely dreadful season for SJSU comes to a merciful close here in the 8/9 pigtail game, as the Roadrunners of UTSA dominate this one start to finish.  SJSU ends the season losers of their last 14 games after the suspension of James Kinney.  UTSA will take their shot at #1 La Tech on Wednesday.

Half the field got this one right.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Lousiana Tech (6)
• #2 Denver (14)
• #3 New Mexico St. (4)

Biggest Upsets

• QF – #6 Idaho (many)
• SF – #6 Idaho (Dave)
• Champ – #3 New Mexico St. (Alexi, GrossSr, Lynch & Stumpf)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Alexi
• 2009 – Bry
• 2010 – Teddy
• 2011 – Waters
• 2012 – Lohse & Waters

2013 Scores

1). 18 (perfect) – Caleb, Cheryl, Gersh, Mac, Scoot

6). 12 – Alex, Alexi, Bry, Dave, Doogan, GrossJr, RDoc

13). 6 – Lohse, Rikey, Stumpf, Waters

17). 0 – GrossSr, J, Lazarow, LohseJr, Lynch, PapaCim, Primm, Teddy

(Conference season recap upcoming…)

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 30 points)

#2 Pacific vs #4 UC-Irvine
Bob Thomason is one of the biggest legends of West Coast basketball.  He has been the Pacific head coach for 25 years – and this is his last run.  A Travis Fulton last-second tip-in against Cal Poly in the semis on Friday forced Coach Thomason to make at least one more gameplan.  But, Pacific fans are hoping that his last gameplan will be for an NCAA Tournament game.  But, first, they will have to get past a confident and talented Anteater team that eliminated top-seeded Long Beach St. on

Alex, Dave, GrossJr, Lazarow, and Scoot all have UCI in a nice championship pick here.  Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Lohse, and Primm have Pacific here.  The other 13 people have already lost this one.  An Anteater win would give Scoot the 2013 BW title.  Alexi would win it with a Pacific win here.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 20 points each)

#1 Long Beach St. vs #4 UC-Irvine
Long Beach St. graduated the best class in school history, came back and won the league anyway.  Now, they are trying to win the tournament anyway.  And, this is no small task, as the Big West is MUCH improved from any time that their predecessors won it.  They opened Thursday night with a business-like win over a tough 8-seed in CS-Fullerton and will face an even tougher 4-seed in the semis, UC-Irvine, who eliminated Hawaii on Thursday.  A great Big West semifinal double-header kicks off with a good one in Anaheim.

15 people (Caleb, Cheryl, Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, J, Lazarow, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, Stumpf, and Waters) have The Beach in this one – nine of whom have them winning it all.  Nine others (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Dave, GrossJr, Lazarow, Scoot, Teddy, and Waters) have UC-Irvine here.  Because of the quirkiness of reseeding, GrossJr, Lazarow, and Waters all have both of these teams going to the finals, so they will have one finalist right and one wrong.  GrossJr and Lazarow are better off if Irvine wins because of the upset points and they have them winning this title.  Waters would like the upset points, but he may also like to keep The Beach alive, as he has them winning this tournament.  Alex and Dave are joining GrossJr and Lazarow as taking the Anteaters for their BW champ.

#2 Pacific vs #3 Cal Poly
Of the four winners on Thursday night, 3rd-seeded Cal Poly was the most impressive – and it wasn’t really close.  They took #6 UC-Davis to the woodshed in a 25-point cruise control victory.  Pacific, on the other hand, got all they could bargain for with #7 UCSB, though they finally came through with a tough win over the Gouchos.  Now, the two will face off for a date with ESPN late Saturday night in the title game.

Ten people have Pacific here (Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Doogan, Gersh, Lohse, Primm, Rikey, and RDoc), while 7 others (Doogan, Lohse, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, Scoot, and Stumpf) have Poly.  Like the three people in the early game, because of the quirkiness of reseeding, Doogan has both of these teams going to the finals, so he’s guaranteed to get one right and one wrong and will be rooting for Poly for the exra upset point – and because he has them taking the title.  Along with Doogan, only Lynch and Stumpf have Poly as their champs.  Six people have Pacific winning this whole tournament (Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Lohse, and Primm).

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 10 points each)

#2 Pacific vs #7 UC-Santa Barbara
Pacific was supposed to be the team to beat with all of the Long Beach guys graduated, but The Beach regrouped and won the league going away.  But, it isn’t like the past couple seasons, when there were wasn’t really any competition for the Beach (except maybe UCSB), as this tournament is wide open and the Tigers can certainly get this one done.  Speaking of UCSB, it was a disappointing way to send out a legendary coach, as the Gouchos struggled and barely even made this tournament.  But, the slate is clean and they’re ready for one last run.

GrossJr, Lazarow, and PapaCim all took the big upset of UCSB in this one, though none of them have the Gouchos making the finals.  Six people took the Tigers to win this tournament (Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Lohse, and Primm).

#3 Cal Poly vs #6 UC-Davis
Two more fascinating teams will take the floor in the second game of a great Big West quarterfinal quadruple-header.  Cal Poly finally put together the promise that they have been showing for a couple seasons now.  They are no longer the doormat of the league and might be ready to take the next step.  They actually have looked like the best team in this league for a couple weeks now.  But, they face another former league doormat that had a really good year and peaking at the right time.  UCD was supposed to be at least a year away, but they arrived way ahead of schedule this year and should be a tough out in this tournament.

Only 11 people (Alexi, Doogan, GrossJr, Lazarow, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, and Stumpf) actually took the favorite here in Cal Poly, though three of them (LohseJr, Mac, and Scoot) have Poly reaching the finals, with another three (Doogan, Lynch, and Stumpf) having them going Dancing for the first time ever.  Teddy puts his champion at risk here with UC-Davis.  Lohse and PapaCim have Davis reaching the finals, but losing.

#1 Long Beach St. vs #8 CS-Fullerton
When you call a tournament “wide open,” it’s really an indictment of the top seed, right?  Well, The Beach isn’t happy about that.  Doesn’t anyone remember Casper Ware and company?  Okay, I know that Casper graduated, but I might name my son Casper Ware Cimorelli, so I have to mention him every CTC.  Anyway, Coach Dan Monson has done a great job retooling after the greatest class in Beach history graduated.  They brought in a bunch of really good transfers and handed the keys of the program to holdovers, James Ennis and Mike Caffey.  A regular season title is a really good achievement for a program that lost so much, but they don’t want to stop here.  Their first opponent is the most disappointing team in the league this year.  But, I guess what can you expect from a team allergic to defense and rebounding.  The Titans have some unbelievably talented scorers (Kwame Vaughn and D.J. Seeley, in particular), but they have such an incredible lack of toughness, it’s scary.  But, honestly, when you have the two best pure scorers in the league on one team, you probably don’t want to face that team in a win-or-go-home situation.

Alex, Bry, Dave, and Doogan took Fullerton in this huge upset pick.  Alex and Dave actually have the Titans going to the finals.  Nine people (Gersh, GrossSr, J, LohseJr, Mac, PapaCim, Rikey, RDoc, and Waters) took The Beach to return to the Dance.

#4 UC-Irvine vs #5 Hawaii
This was Hawaii’s first year in the Big West and, for a while, it looked like they might step right into a conference title.  But, in the end, the roadtrips were just too tough for this team with all the really good teams in the league this year.  One of those really good teams was the Anteaters of UC-Irvine, who pulled off one of the biggest upsets this year when they went into Pauley Pavilion and handled UCLA.  The tempo-free numbers love Irvine, who can score with anyone, but also plays really tough D.

Nine people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Dave, GrossJr, Lazarow, Scoot, Teddy, and Waters) have UCI reaching the finals, with Alex, Dave, GrossJr, Lazarow, and Scoot taking them to win this tournament.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Long Beach St. (9)
• #2 Pacific (6)
• #3 Cal Poly (3)
• #4 UC-Irvine (5)
• #5 Hawaii (-)
• #6 UC-Davis (1)

** – NOTE – for the first time in CTC history, ALL EIGHT TEAMS were picked to reach the finals.  In fact, each team has at least TWO people taking them in the finals.  MADNESS!

Biggest Upsets

• QF – #8 CS-Fullerton (Alex, Bry, Dave & Doogan)
• SF – #8 CS-Fullerton (Alex & Dave)
• Champ – #6 UC-Davis (Teddy)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Doogan
• 2009 – Bry (perfect)
• 2010 – Stri
• 2011 –  J
• 2012 – Bry & Mac (perfect)

2013 Scores

1).

(Conference season recap upcoming)

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 24 points)

#1 Montana vs #2 Weber St.
We could have all saved a lot of time – and had a pretty fantastic viewing experience – if we had, instead of a Big Sky tournament, we just let these two teams play a best of seven.  They are – by a mile – the two best teams in the conference.  Now, they have 40 minutes to decide it all.  They each won at home in the regular season, but the Grizz were 18-0 against the rest of the league, while Weber was 17-1 (slipping up at Montana St.), so Montana gets the homecourt advantage in this winner-take-all showdown.  But, Weber has been playing a lot better, so this could be really good.

Cheryl and PapaCim have already lost this one with North Dakota.  The rest of the field favored Weber St. 12 to 10.  The ten with Montana are Bry, Dave, Doogan, Gersh, LohseJr, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Scoot, and Waters.  Primm and Scoot will share the 2013 CTC Big Sky crown with a Montana win, while Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, and Rikey will have a four-way if Weber wins.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 16 points each)

#2 Weber St. vs #3 North Dakota
Weber pounded Northern Arizona on Thursday night, while North Dakota did pretty much the same to Southern Utah.  UND has been playing really well – the best of the rest in the Big Sky – but are they playing well enough to jump a level and take out one (and probably another on Saturday) of the big boys?  Unlikely, but that’s why we play the games.

Cheryl, LohseJr, PapaCim, and Waters took a shot at the mild upset here, with Cheryl and PapaCim taking the Fighting Sioux to win this tournament.  The other 20 have Weber St., including half the field taking them to win this tournament (Alex, Alexi, Caleb, GrossJr, GrossSr, J, Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, Rikey, Stumpf, and Teddy).

#1 Montana vs #5 Northern Colorado
While North Dakota finished in 3rd and is playing really well, I think there is a clear delineation in this league not only between the top two and the rest of the pack, but in #3 and the rest of the pack.  I don’t think NCU is in the class of Montana and Weber, but I think they are a cut above everyone else.  And, who knows, maybe they rise up and take out the Grizz here in Missoula.  They sure looked good in taking care of Montana St. here in Missoula.  But, the Grizz are a whole different animal.  I would take Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar up against any low-major backcourt (and most mid-majors) in the country.  Cherry is an incredible defender, and Jamar can score, at will.  Throw in their leading scorer, 6’7″ forward Mathias Ward, and you’ve got yourself an incredibly talented team – on any level.  So, it should come as no surprise that they rolled through the Big Sky at 19-1 this year – and gave Davidson all they could handle on the road in a great BracketBusters matchup.  This is a serious team – at home.  Tough spot for the NCU Bears.

23 people have Montana here – the lone dissenting opinion belongs to GrossSr, who is all alone on Northern Colorado and will pick up 40 free points on the rest of the field with a Bears win on Friday night.  Ten people have Montana winning this tournament (Bry, Dave, Doogan, Gersh, LohseJr, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Scoot, and Waters).

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 8 points each)

#2 Weber St. vs #7 Northern Arizona
With Damian Lillard in the NBA and two stud guards at Montana, Weber St. was supposed to “settle” for second place in the Big Sky this year.  But, they had other plans and nearly crashed the Montana party.  But, with no margin for error, a 5-point loss at Montana St. cost the Wildcats a conference title, a bye to the semis, and the homecourt advantage for the tournament.  A big deal, to say the least.  But, WSU has looked like – clearly – the best team in the league for over a month now, so they will take their chances.  They will take on a Northern Arizona team that snuck into the Big Sky tournament by the skin of their teeth.  Now, the Lumberjacks will have a tall order in the quarters, but all you need is a chance.

PapaCim is all alone here with his upset pick of UNA.  Everyone else has Weber, including half the field taking them to win this title.

#3 North Dakota vs #6 Southern Utah
North Dakota proved to be the “best of the rest” in the BSky this year, coming out of nowhere to win 12 conference games and finish in 3rd place.  They get to take on a Southern Utah team that looked good for a while, but is reeling entering this tournament.  Thunderbirds have lost four in a row, turning what could have been a really good season into a season where they barely hung on to make their first BSky tournament.

Eight people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Dave, Doogan, GrossJr, J, and RDoc) went for the upset here with the Thunderbirds.  LohseJr and Waters have the Fighting Sioux of UND reaching the finals, while Cheryl and PapaCim want to ride the Sioux to a Big Sky title.

#4 Montana St. vs #5 Northern Colorado
This is a really intriguing quarterfinal matchup between a team that was up and down all throughout the year (Montana St.) and a team that was way down early and way up late.  If the conference season were another month, I think N.Colorado would easily take that 3rd spot, and it seems – to me – that they are clearly the third-best team in this league.  But, I haev thought that all year, while they slogged their way to a 10-10 conference record that included an embarrassing 23-point loss to the worst team in the league (Idaho St.).  It is now time to see what they’re actually made of.

15 people took NCU here, leaving only nine (Alexi, Dave, Doogan, Gersh, LohseJr, Mac, Stumpf, Teddy, and Waters) to back the favorite, Montana St.  GrossSr is the only one with either of these teams making the finals, as he has NCU going to the title game.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Montana (10)
• #2 Weber St. (12)
• #3 North Dakota (2)

Biggest Upsets

• QF – #7 Northern Arizona (PapaCim)
• SF – #5 Northern Colorado (GrossSr)
• Champ – #3 North Dakota (Cheryl & PapaCim)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Bry
• 2009 – J
• 2010 – Lohse (perfect)
• 2011 – Bry (perfect)
• 2012 – Bry, Lynch, Rikey & RDoc (perfect)

2013 Scores

1).

You know when you really like some unknown band from the very beginning?  You saw them live before their first album.  The first album wasn’t big, but you got it when it was first released.  You told all your friends about them, and they liked them, but they were still “your band.”  Then, when the second album came out, they got a little bigger and other people started hearing about them – and not through you – but you felt like they were still “your band.”  But, in the back of your head you knew you needed to enjoy that feeling now because it was fleeting.  And, then on the release of that huge third album, they were too big not to be noticed by everyone.  While they were still awesome and you still loved them, it wasn’t cool (nor true) to even try and claim them as “yours” anymore.  Well, that’s kind of how my twisted mind feels about the Mountain West.  Though, I think this year is still in that “second album” phase, but this postseason might be the release of the third album, if these teams get done what they are capable of getting done.

First of all, there is New Mexico.  Before the loss to Air Force on Saturday to wrap up the regular season, UNM had a legit case for a #1-seed.  As it is, they should get a 3-seed.  Oh, and, they don’t have a single senior, and I don’t see anyone leaving early, with the possible exception of Kendall Williams if he has a dominant postseason.  This Lobo team might be preseason top-5 next year.  UNLV is another team that is primarily freshmen and sophomores and uber-talented.  It is not a stretch to say that this Vegas team might be among the 5 most “talented” rosters in the nation.  They have the likely #1 overall NBA pick in Anthony Bennett and a front-line so loaded that another potential lottery pick – Mike Moser – can’t even get on the floor.  Add in the fantastic Colorado St. and San Diego St. teams, plus the really tough Boise St.’s and Air Forces, and you’ve got yourself a great league…oh, did I mention that they are #2 in conference RPI – and have been for most of the season and had a long stretch at #1?  This tournament is going to be something.

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 60 points)

#1 New Mexico vs #3 UNLV
After a great – though somewhat Madness-free – semifinal double-header, we are set up for a fantastic title game between two teams that could really make some noise in next week’s tournament.  These two teams are developing quite the rivalry.  They split a pair in the regular season after a thrilling semifinal in last year’s MWC tournament won by the Lobos.  This is a must-see game on a day chock full of them.

Eight people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, and Scoot) have UNLV here, while six (Gersh, GrossSr, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, and Teddy) have UNM.  A New Mex win would make GrossSr and LohseJr 2013 co-champs in the MWC.  A UNLV win would complete a perfect MWC bracket for Alexi.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 40 points each)

#1 New Mexico vs #4 San Diego St.
I think the Mountain West scheduled a day off between the quarterfinals and semifinals, so that people like me can take a breath and relax before the best semifinal double-header in the country.  All four of the Mountain West’s great teams made it to the semis for what should be the best show in Vegas on Friday night.  It kicks off with an opening act of New Mexico, who struggled a bit with Wyoming in the quarters against San Diego St., who won a hard-fought 4/5 game with Boise.  Awesome!

Six people (Alex, Cheryl, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, and Stumpf) have a nice upset pick here with San Diego St.  11 more (Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, and Teddy) have New Mexico.  The remaining seven people have already lost this game with Boise and will lose ground here.  Six people (Gersh, GrossSr, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, and Teddy) have the Lobos winning this tournament, while only Cheryl and Stumpf have SDSU taking the title.

#2 Colorado St. vs #3 UNLV
And, if the showstopping opener wasn’t enough for you, you’ve got a showstopping nightcap.  The host team, UNLV, pounded a good Air Force team in Wednesday’s quarters, while #2 Colorado St. got all they could handle from Fresno St.  The big question in this one is will CSU point guard Dorrian Green be able to go.  If not, UNLV might have the decided advantage.  If so, this one is anybody’s guess.

With the exception of Teddy (Air Force), everyone has something to win here.  Ten people took the 2nd-seeded CSU Rams here (Caleb, Cheryl, Dave, Doogan, Gersh, GrossJr, J, Lazarow, Lohse, and Waters), while the other 13 all have UNLV – eight of whom (Alex, Alexi, Bry, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, and Scoot) have Vegas winning this tournament.  Seven people have CSU winning this tournament (Caleb, Dave, Doogan, GrossJr, J, Lohse, and Waters), so no matter what a ton of people will lose their M-West champion in this one.  This game is GIGANTIC!

QUARTERFINALS (March 13th – 20 points each)

#3 UNLV vs #6 Air Force
The Runnin’ Rebels probably have one of the 3 or 4 most talented rosters in the country.  But, they are so LOADED in the frontcourt and a little shallow in the backcourt, which means that they are inconsistent by nature.  Anthony Marshall is not a true point guard, but has to play there because he’s the only one on the roster who can do it.  But, as I said, this frontcourt is LOADED.  Air Force has had one of their best years in a long time (kind of a trend for the military academies this year, actually).  If they hadn’t played such a ridiculously soft non-conf schedule, the Falcons might be in the at-large conversation.

Caleb, J, Lazarow, and Teddy have AF in this big upset, with Teddy having them go to the finals.  Eight people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, and Scoot) went all-in on UNLV and have the Rebels winning this tournament.

UNLV 72 – Air Force 56
Notwithstanding the strange loss at home to Fresno St. to close out the regular season, the Runnin’ Rebels have been playing really well lately.  And, they continued that Wednesday with a pretty dominant performance to open the M-West quarterfinals here in Vegas.  That being said, it may have to be taken with a grain of salt, as Michael Lyons (the MWC’s leading scorer) left the game with a knee injury before the first TV timeout.  But, the best freshman in the country, Anthony Bennett, and company looked really good.

Caleb, J, Lazarow, and Teddy missed on a nice upset pick here, while eight others kept alive the champions.

#2 Colorado St. vs #7 Fresno St.
What a great year for Larry Eustachy in his first year in Fort Collins.  After leading Southern Miss to the Dance last year, Eustachy is about to do the same for this CSU team that is very, very dangerous.  I’m still not sold on Dorian Green at the point, but everywhere else they are rock solid.  Wes Eickmeier is one of the most underrated players you’ll find anywhere, and we all know what Minnesota transfer, Colton Iverson, is capable of down low.  Iverson will probably earn an NBA salary for the next 7 or 8 years.  CSU is the leading offensive rebounding team in the country, so Fresno will have to keep them off the boards for any real shot at the upset here.  Fresno is kind of the forgotten team in the M-West, but they are solid.  They are top-100 in the tempo-free rankings and even swept UNLV this year, so watch out.  They played the Rams tough in Fort Collins earlier this year, as well.

PapaCim is all alone here on Fresno St., so a Bulldog upset here would give him a free and clear 70-point gain on the rest of the field.  That upset would be most upsetting (sorry…) for Caleb, Dave, Doogan, GrossJr, J, Lohse, and Waters, who all have the Rams winning this tournament.

Colorado St. 67 – Fresno St. 61
While I’m “still not sold” on CSU point guard Dorian Green, I definitely think he’s obviously incredibly important to this Rams team’s chances this March.  But, they showed something Wednesday without Green, holding off a hot Fresno team in a hard-fought game that could have gone either way.  Wes Eikmeier came up huge for the short-handed backcourt of the Rams in more ways than his 18 points.  The Rams backcourt held high-scoring Tyler Johnson in check, setting up an AWESOME semifinal on Thursday night against UNLV.

PapaCim was awfully close to a CTC-making upset pick here, but fell just short.  The seven people with CSU winning this tournament are glad to get this win, but hope Green is ready to play in the semis.

#1 New Mexico vs #8 Wyoming
Can Wyoming put it together and make a run?  It will have to be at the expense of one of the nation’s best teams.  As I mentioned above, New Mexico has NO seniors on this roster and with the possible exception of Kendall Williams, they don’t really have an early entry candidates either, so don’t be surprised to see the Lobos in the preseason Top 5 next year…or, at least they should be.  But, they aren’t thinking about next year because they have a contending team this year.  If Williams is a star, this team has national championship upside.  Tony Snell is solid, and forget “stretch-four,” Alex Kirk is a “stretch-FIVE.”  The dude is 7-feet, 300+ pounds and has a deft outside stroke.  He’s fun to watch…at times.

Everyone has UNM winning this game.  It is most important, however, for Gersh, LohseJr, Lynch, Mac, and Teddy, who all have the Lobos winning the M-West.

#4 San Diego St. vs #5 Boise St.
This is a big-time matchup here to cap off the M-West quarters.  Boise probably cemented their at-large case by beating the Aztecs on Saturday, but a follow-up performance on a neutral court would be nice, as well.  Derrick Marks and Anthony Drmic are flat-out scorers that can play with anyone.  But, the Broncos will have to do it on the defensive end – particularly against SDSU’s Jamal Franklin if they want to go to the semis.  Franklin – a possible lottery pick in June – is the only player in the country to lead his team in points, assists, rebounds, and steals.  He is really, really good.  And if Xavier Thames is healthy, this Aztec team is absolutely loaded in the backcourt with Franklin, Thames, the do-everything completely underrated Chase Tapley and the sharpshooter James Rahon.  They also have maybe the nation’s best pure “glue” guy in J.J. O’Brien.  This game is worth the lack of sleep to stay up and watch…trust me.

This is a huge CTC game, as expected.  This game is completely split down the middle, with half the field (Caleb, Dave, Gersh, GrossJr, J, Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, and Waters) taking Boise and the other half taking SDSU.  The biggest Aztec fans are Cheryl and Stumpf, who have them winning this tournament.  Alex, Rikey, and Scoot have them in the finals.  Lazarow is the biggest Boise supporter, as he has them winning the whole thing.  Caleb, Dave, GrossJr, J, and Waters all have them in the finals.

OPENING ROUND (March 12th – 10 points)

#8 Wyoming vs #9 Nevada
Does anyone even remember that Wyoming was the last unbeaten teams in America?  They didn’t lose until January 9th.  Of course that was all before the crazy Luke Martinez bar fight, which pretty much derailed what could have been a great season in Laramie.  Instead, they are stuck playing in the pigtail game for the right to probably get waxed by New Mexico in the quarters.  The Wolfpack of Nevada had a rough welcome to life in the Mountain West, winning just 3 conference games and finishing in the basement of the league.  But, this wasn’t supposed to be the best Nevada team, anyway, so they can have a pass on this season, especially if they can snap their 7-game losing streak in the pigtail game on Tuesday night.

Nine people (Bry, Doogan, Gersh, Lazarow, LohseJr, PapaCim, Scoot, and Stumpf) went for the mild upset with Nevada in the opening round.  No one has either of these teams beating New Mexico in the quarters.

Wyoming 85 – Nevada 81
The son of some guy named Larry Nance scored 19 points for a Cowboys team that staves off the bitter end to a once-promising season for at least one night, as they survive a decent (and young) Nevada team.  Nevada actually led at halftime and for much of the second half, but they just couldn’t get any stops down the stretch, allowing Wyoming to shoot 57% from the floor.  The Cowboys probably won’t face the same lack of defense on Wednesday, when they take on #1 New Mexico.

15 people got this one right.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 New Mexico (6)
• #2 Colorado St. (7)
• #3 UNLV (8)
• #4 San Diego St. (2)
• #5 Boise St. (1)

Biggest Upsets

• QF – #7 Fresno St. (PapaCim)
• SF – #6 Air Force (Teddy)
• Champ – #5 Boise St. (Lazarow)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 –  J
• 2009 – Lynch
• 2010 – Stri
• 2011 – Bry & J (perfect)
• 2012 – RDoc (perfect)

2013 Scores

1). 50 (perfect) – Alex, Alexi, Cheryl, Dave, GrossJr, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Rikey, Waters

13). 40 – Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, LohseJr, Scoot, Stumpf

20). 30 – Caleb, J, Teddy

23). 20 – Lazarow, PapaCim

I have been a die-hard Temple fan for my entire life.  And, when you’re a fan of a non-power conference, you pretty much adopt the entire conference as your own.  You feel pride for the conference; you defend the conference; you are happy when it does well, even if it’s not your team.  So, because of that – and my requisite love affair with the Atlantic Ten – I was required to despise the Big East.  I called it overrated, too physical, overexposed.  I ripped its 16 teams and its completely unbalanced schedules.  I berated teams like DePaul and Seton Hall.  I enjoyed watching Syracuse and Georgetown fail.  But, to be completely honest, I am really going to miss this league – particularly during the second week of March.  Maybe it is the rivalries and passion of the teams.  Maybe it is the quality of the games.  Maybe it is simply the Madison Square Garden effect.  Hell, maybe it is the three straight days with noon start times.  Whatever it is, I am going to miss it.  It is magical.  So, I am sure we will get one more crazy ride through MSG this year – for old time’s sake.

This year, you won’t hear me rip the Big East for being overrated because I actually think that it is – gasp – a tad underrated.  Louisville, Georgetown, and even Syracuse still are elite national teams with national title potential.  Notre Dame looks like a legit Sweet 16-caliber team at times.  Marquette and Pitt might be the two best teams in the country that nobody EVER talks about.  And, UConn might be the third of that bunch.  Villanova, Cincinnati, and St. John’s (when fully healthy) are brutal to match up with, and even Providence has been playing lights-out basketball as of late, led by a trio of high-powered scoring machines.  This tournament is – and it goes without saying – wide open.  It’s gonna be great.  And, I’m going to enjoy it guilt-free – for once.

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 60 points)

#2 Louisville vs #5 Syracuse
The ‘Cuse has come the hard way.  They had to beat #12 Seton Hall on Wednesday, then a really tough 3-point win over #4 Pitt on Thursday followed by an OT win over #1 Georgetown on Friday, and now they have to battle the physical pressure defense of Louisville on Saturday night in The Garden.  The Cardinals, on the other hand, have made it look somewhat easy.  They pounded #7 Villanova on Thursday night before taking care of business against #6 Notre Dame on Friday night.  The Cardinals are clearly the fresher team, but that doesn’t always matter in MSG on this night.  The Big East Championship on Saturday night is the signature event of Championship Week, and it rarely disappoints.

Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Waters have Syracuse here, while eleven people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, Mac, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, and Teddy) have Louisville winning it.  A Louisville win will give Mac the 2013 Big East title.  A Syracuse win will hand the crown to Stumpf for 2013.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 40 points each)

#1 Georgetown vs #5 Syracuse
These two teams have met twice in the past three weeks and both times were convincing wins for the Hoyas – catapulting then to the top of the conference, and relegating the Orange out of the top 4.  Both teams looked really good on Thursday, as G’town pounded Cincinnati, and Syracuse took care of a tough Pitt team.  Now, they will play a very fitting opener to the final Big East semifinal night.

Shockingly, only Lazarow and LohseJr have top-seeded G’town here tonight, though both have the Hoyas cutting down the nets on Saturday.  Eleven people (Bry, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, GrossSr, Lohse, Lac, Primm, Rikey, Stumpf, and Waters) have the ‘Cuse going to the finals, with Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Waters taking them on Saturday, as well.  The other eleven have already lost this game with Pitt.

#2 Louisville vs #6 Notre Dame
The nightcap pits a L’ville team that looked really good against ‘Nova on Thursday against a Notre Dame team that came from behind to solidly beat Marquette in the nightcap.  Is it me or can we take some solace in the fact that only one of those “Catholic Seven” schools are playing in the final Big East semis?

Dave is the only one with Notre Dame here, which would give him a cool 100 points on everyone else.  Caleb, Cheryl, J, Lazarow, Lynch, and PapaCim have already lost this one with some ill-fated pick of one of those “Catholic schools.”  Eleven people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, Mac, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, and Teddy) have the Cardinals winning this tournament in their last go-round.

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 20 points each)

#1 Georgetown vs #9 Cincinnati
A dominating defensive performance for the Bearcats on Wednesday afternoon against Providence sets them up to take on the Big East’s top seed on Thursday in the opener to a TERRIFIC quarterfinal quadruple-header in the Garden.  Georgetown, led by National POY candidate, Otto Porter, sprinted to the finish of the season to take the regular season title and set themselves up for a possible #1-seed next week.  The teams with the double-byes in the Big East tournament have typically struggled, particularly the #1-seeds, who play at noon.  But, this G’town team seems pretty resilient and really tough.

Alex, Bry, and Primm all have the potential for a HUGE upset pick (100 points) here with Cincy.  Gersh and Teddy have already lost this game with Providence.  Lazarow and LohseJr are the only two that took the Hoyas to win this tournament, so they have the most at stake here.

#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Syracuse
This is at least a Sweet Sixteen-caliber game, if not better, here in the quarterfinals of the Big East at Madison Square Garden.  Man, am I gonna miss this tournament.  The Panthers rebounded from Jamie Dixon’s first missed tournament last year to put the pieces back together and put an impressive season together.  The tempo-free numbers LOVE Pitt – some having them as high as #6 in the country.  I love the Panthers, too, but I don’t think they’re that good.  Their quarterfinal opponent, Syracuse is coming off of a shaky 12-point win over Seton Hall on Wednesday, but have the talent to beat anyone in the country, obviously.  The zone would seem to play well against a team like Pitt that doesn’t shoot the ball all that well from the outside, but the Panthers won the only regular season matchup by 10 points at home.

Everyone has a horse in this race, and the field is completely split, making this a classic CTC matchup.  And, it gets better, from a CTC standpoint.  Of the 12 people with Pitt (Alex, Alexi, Caleb, Doogan, GrossJr, J, Lazarow, Lynch, PapaCim, RDoc, Scoot, and Teddy), ELEVEN of them have the Panthers winning again on Friday to go to the finals (only Lazarow does not).  GrossJr, Lynch, and PapaCim have Pitt winning this tournament.  Of the 12 people that have the ‘Cuse here today, ELEVEN OF THEM have them going to the finals (only LohseJr does not).  Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Teddy all have Syracuse winning the tournament.  It would not be a stretch to call this game THE BIGGEST QUARTERFINAL in the 2013 CTC and, quite possibly, the biggest quarterfinal in CTC history…

#2 Louisville vs #7 Villanova
And, enter Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals to the MSG Party.  The Cards are definitely on the short list of national championship contenders.  They have much of last year’s Final Four team back this year to make another run.  The problem is that they really struggle to score way too often to feel too comfortable about them.  I’ve always said – when you are looking for a good upset pick, find the great defensive team, but when you’re looking for a national championship team, find the great offensive team.  It’s just too hard to win six in a row when any one of them can be total clunkers offensively.  Villanova takes on the Cards tonight after a 13-point win over St. John’s.

Caleb, Cheryl, J, Lazarow, Lynch, and PapaCim took ‘Nova in this big upset.  Lazarow, Lynch, and PapaCim have the ‘Cats losing in the finals.  Cheryl has them winning the whole thing.  Eleven people have L’ville winning this tournament (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, Mac, RDoc, Rikey, Scoot, and Teddy).

#3 Marquette vs #6 Notre Dame
A great nightcap to the last Big East quadruple-header pits the tough, physical Marquette team against the tough, physical Notre Dame team.  It pits the coach that everyone thinks is underrated, but I think is actually really OVERrated (Buzz Williams) against a coach that actually is underrated (Mike Brey).  Notre Dame survived Rutgers on Wednesday night to set up this matchup.  All that said about Buzz, this year was a pretty fantastic job, so it’s not good timing to rip him.  But, look at the talent they have every year – they should win this many games.

Eight people (Alex, Dave, Doogan, GrossSr, Lazarow, Mac, Primm, and Stumpf) have ND in this one.  Dave has them going to the finals.  Cheryl has already lost this one with Rutgers.  Everyone else has Marquette, including Caleb and J, who both have them winning this tournament.

SECOND ROUND (March 13th – 10 points each)

#8 Providence vs #9 Cincinnati
The Friars enter the Big East tournament red hot, but because they started way too late, they probably have next to no shot at an at-large without reaching the final of this tournament.  And, that would be no small task, as they are likely to be facing tournament teams every step of the way.  But, when you have two guys who can flat-out score as well as Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Betts, you’ve always got a chance.  This should be a really interesting matchup between the high-scoring Friars and the tenacious, grind-it-out defense of Cincinnati.  The Bearcats are – as always tough and physical – but this year they have a really skilled and talented backcourt in Cashmere Wright and Sean Kilpatrick.  This Cincy team is more talented than their Big East results might suggest, so either they don’t quite have the balance and depth or they’re a really dangerously overlooked team here.  The winner here gets top-seeded Georgetown in the quarterfinals.

Only nine people (Caleb, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, GrossJr, GrossSr, LohseJr, Teddy, and Waters) took the favored Friars here, with Teddy actually taking them to beat Georgetown in the quarters.  Alexi, Bry, and Primm have the most at stake with the Bearcats here, as they all have them beatig G’town and going to the semis.

Cincinnati 61 – Providence 44
Good defense beats good offense in this one, as the Bearcats get a big win between two teams kind of on the bubble.  This should seal the deal for both of them – Cincy to the Dance and Providence to the NIT.  This was a solid effort for a dangerous team.

15 people got this mild upset here.  Teddy lost a semifinalist here, while Alexi, Bry, and Primm keep one of theirs alive.

#5 Syracuse vs #12 Seton Hall
The Hall scored 37 points in regulation on Tuesday night, yet somehow is still alive Wednesday.  They will have to step it up slightly in the second round, though, as they face a really good Syracuse team.  The ‘Cuse, fueled in part by the winner of this year’s Jess Settles Memorial Been-There-Forever Award, Brandon Triche, were on their way towards a possible #1-seed in the Big Dance, when the wheels started coming off a bit.  But, the talent is still there with Triche and Michael Carter-Williams in the backcourt.  And, C.J. Fair (who I think is ridiculous…), a recently eligible Southerland, and the big body, Rakeem Christmas down low.  This is a Final Four caliber team, as the 5th-seed in this tournament.  The winner of this one will get #4 Pitt in the quarters on Thursday.

Everyone has Syracuse here, except GrossJr, who has already lost the game with South Florida.  This game could bust a lot of brackets, though as Dave, Lohse, Primm, Stumpf, and Waters all have the ‘Cuse winning this whole tournament.  Bry, Cheryl, Gersh, GrossSr, and Mac all have them going to the finals, but losing.

Syracuse 75 – Seton Hall 63
It wasn’t pretty but, the Orange, behind James Southerland’s 20 points and MCW’s 14 assists survived a feisty Hall to move on to the quarters to take on a good Pitt team.  Seton Hall came to play, especially in the first half, but the ‘Cuse is just the better team and feels quite at home at the Garden.

GrossJr is the only one not to get the 10 points here and is actually still scoreless through the first FOUR Big East games.  The other 23 people got this one right.  And, while the ‘Cuse didn’t look all that good today, they did survive, so five people keep alive their champion and five more kept alive a finalist.

#7 Villanova vs #10 St. John’s
If you ignore the three top-5 wins from Villanova’s resume, they look like barely an NIT team.  But, who can ignore THREE Top-5 wins?  Not the Committee and nor should they.  And, while I still hate this program – for totally unfair reasons – if there is anything that will bring me back it’s a Tamberma man.  There is a very small African tribe in northeast Togo and northwest Benin called the Tamberma people.  I lived with the Tamberma people for two years.  There are only about 10,000 of them in the world (if that).  The largest Tamberma city is Natitingou, Benin.  Mouphtaou Yarou is from Natitingou.  And, since the Tamberma people are amazing people, I assume Mouph is an amazing person, as well, so I root for that man.  I just wish he didn’t choose Villanova to go to school – maybe he hates fun…  The winner of this game won’t be in for much fun against the Louisville defense in the quarters.

Only Bry, RDoc, Stumpf, and Waters took St. John’s here, but the Red Storm can break some CTC brackets here, as Caleb and J have them beating Louisville in the quarters; Lynch and PapaCim have them going to the finals; and Cheryl has them winning the whole thing.

Villanova 66 – St. John’s 53
A tie game at halftime turned into the TAMBERMA show!  Mouphtaou Yarou – the native of Natitingou – hit his first 7 shots from the floor en route to 18 points and a nice second round win for the ‘Cats.  Ryan Arcidiacano and JayVaughn Pinkston chipped in with 15 and 12, respectively, and the Wildcat defense completely a total collapse by the Johnnies down the stretch of this season.  #2 Louisville is next on the docket for the ‘Nova on Thursday.

Bry, RDoc, Stumpf, and Waters all missed on the Johnnies upset pick.  Caleb and J keep alive semifinalists.  Lynch and PapaCim keep alive finalists.  Cheryl keeps alive her champion.

#6 Notre Dame vs #11 Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights looked real good in Tuesday night’s nightcap win over DePaul.  But, they have a much tougher opponent in Wednesday’s nightcap, a the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish will try and make one last run through MSG.  The Irish are tough, experienced and led by maybe the most underrated coach in the country (I feel like I say that during the CTC every year – and he still doesn’t get the credit he deserves).  A veteran backcourt and a bruising frontcourt is a good recipe for March success.  We will see if RU can step up tonight or if ND is too tough.  Either way, the winner of this game will get another tough, hard-nosed team in the quarters, 3rd-seeded Marquette.

Cheryl and PapaCim have Rutgers in a nice upset pick here.  Lohse has already lost this game with DePaul.  Seven people (Alex, Doogan, GrossSr, Lazarow, Mac, Primm, and Stumpf) have Notre Dame beating Marquette in the quarters, but losing in the semis.  Dave has the Irish going all the way to the final Saturday night.

Notre Dame 69 – Rutgers 61
It looked like this would be a total blowout for a while.  Then, it looked like it would be a total collapse.  Finally, it ended being a hard-fought second round win for the Irish paced by a couple of guys that aren’t used to leading the offense.  Pat Connaughton and Tom Knight (a couple of guys destined to play for the Irish) both had career-highs in this one, as ND ends the Rutgers season and advances to the quarters on Thursday to face Marquette.

Cheryl and PapaCim miss on a nice upset pick here, while everyone else except Lohse pick up the 10 points for the win here.  Eight people keep alive semifinalists, including Dave, who keeps his finalist alive.

OPENING ROUND (March 12th – 5 points each)

#12 Seton Hall vs #13 South Florida
Does everyone forget just how good USF was last year and how they brought back a lot of that team, including their best player?  What the hell happened to Anthony Collins and company this year?  What a trainwreck.  THIS is the team that ended the Temple careers of Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez?  Brutal.  Well, they get to open the final Big East tournament – as we know it – in style, against another lousy team, Seton Hall.  The winner of the game will get the ‘Cuse in the second round on Wednesday.

Eleven people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Dave, GrossJr, Lynch, PapaCim, RDoc, and Teddy) have the USF Bulls tonight in a minor upset.  No one has either of these teams beating Syracuse on Wednesday.

Seton Hall 46 – South Florida 42 (OT)
There is no truth to the rumor that they will play the second half of this game tomorrow. What a way to kick off the final Big East Tournament, as we know it – with an awful, awful game that actually subjected us all to 5 extra minutes of awfulness.  USF should have had this game in the bag, but completely folded down the stretch of regulation and completely folded in overtime.  What an awful season for the Bulls, who expected big things after winning two NCAA tournament games last year.  Now, Seton Hall gets a shot at the ‘Cuse on Wednesday.

Eleven people just missed a mild upset pick here.  The other 13 all get a quick 5 points in the Big East.

#11 Rutgers vs #14 DePaul
Mike Rice was supposed to do more with this Scarlet Knight team this year.  But, the pieces never came together and Rutgers struggled mightily all season, finishing just 5-13 in league play.  DePaul looked a lot better this year and yet still finished dead-last in the league.  What else is new?  By the way, is Oliver Purnell the smartest man in America?  He takes a different uncoveted power-conference job every five years, does very little with them, earns a ton of money, and moves to the next one just as the natives get restless.  He never coaches a pressure game.  He’s seen as a savior for AT LEAST a season or two and gets out before the boos.  He’s got it all figured out.  The winner here gets #6 Notre Dame in Wednesday’s second round.

Ten people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Doogan, GrossJr, J, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, and RDoc) went with the Blue Demons in the upset here.  Lohse has DePaul winning again on Wednesday over Notre Dame.  PapaCim has Rutgers upsetting Notre Dame in Wednesday’s second round, so he needs them to get by DePaul here.  Cheryl went even further with the Scarlet Knights, as she has them beating DePaul, Notre Dame, and Marquette over these three days, so she really would like them to survive this first hurdle.

Rutgers 76 – DePaul 57
Rutgers looked like they could have beaten both of the teams in the early game – at the same time – in the MSG nightcap, as the Scarlet Knights (particularly, K-State transfer, Wally Judge) looked really good in trouncing a DePaul team that closes out their “old Big East” existence in typical last-place, first-round-exit fashion.

14 people got this one right.  PapaCim and Cheryl are really encouraged by how good RU looked, as PapaCim has them beating Notre Dame on Wednesday and Cheryl has them beating Marquette on Thursday.  Lohse loses a quarterfinalist here.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Georgetown (2)
• #2 Louisville (11)
• #3 Marquette (3)
• #4 Pittsburgh (3)
• #5 Syracuse (5)
• #6 Notre Dame (-)
• #7 Villanova (1)

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #14 DePaul (many)
• R2 – #14 DePaul (Lohse)
• QF – #11 Rutgers (Cheryl)
• SF – #7 Villanova (Cheryl, Lazarow, Lynch & PapaCim)
• Champ – #7 Villanova (Cheryl)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Doogan
• 2009 – Doogan
• 2010 – Teddy
• 2011 – Scoot
• 2012 – Primm

2013 Scores

1). 60 (perfect) – Alexi, Lazarow, Primm, Rikey, Scoot

6). 55 – Doogan, J, Mac

9). 50 – Alex, Lynch, Stumpf

12). 45 – Lohse, PapaCim

14). 40 – Bry, Gersh, LohseJr, RDoc

18). 35 – Dave, GrossSr, Teddy

21). 30 – Caleb, Waters

23). 25 – Cheryl

24). 20 – GrossJr

It was a bit of a new look Big XII this year, as they have lost Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, and Texas A&M in just the past two seasons.  They replaced them with West Virginia (nice) and TCU (not nice).  But, the more things change, the more they stay the same, as Kansas wins the regular season…again.  Bill Self now has more Big XII titles at KU than he does home losses…wow.  Bruce Weber proved his doubters at Illinois wrong by going to K-State and putting himself in the discussion for National Coach of the Year (a la Frank Haith at Mizzou last year).  And, then there is Marcus Smart.  The Oklahoma St. point guard is worth the price of cable, and he carried the Cowboys back from the depths of the past couple of years and probably single-handedly saved Travis Ford’s job.  Another reclamation project was done cross state at Oklahoma, where the great Lon Kruger was destined to bring the Sooners back to relevance, but who knew it would happen so quickly?  “The Mayor” Freddy Hoiberg has Iowa St. going to the tournament again (I don’t care what anyone says – that is a tournament team).  But, it wasn’t all rosy in the Big XII this year.  They may be the home of – quite possibly – the three biggest flops of the 2012-13 season.  Baylor, with NBA talent on the bench, is a bubble team…huh? West Virginia finished 6-12 in its inaugural season in the Big XII – and this was the first time that a Bobby Huggins-coached team was below .500 in conference play (amazing stat…).  And, of course, my old buddy, Rick Barnes, who once again proves Doogan right and me wrong about his gameday coaching abilities (or lack thereof), as he finished 15-16 with a load of talent at Texas.

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 60 points)

#1 Kansas vs #2 Kansas St.
These in-state rivals are only really rivals the way a hammer and a nail are rivals.  Kansas owns K-State.  But, K-State can write a really nice chapter in this story here if they can steal the Big XII Tournament title after owning a share of the regular season title with the Jayhawks.

Dave, Lazarow, Teddy, and Waters have K-State winning here, while 13 people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Doogan, Gersh, GrossSr, J, LohseJr, Mac, PapaCim, Primm, Scoot, and Stumpf) have rock chalk Jayhawk.  If Kansas wins here, LohseJr will win the 2013 Big XII title.  If K-State wins, Lazarow will steal it.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 40 points each)

#1 Kansas vs #5 Iowa St.
The Cyclones picked up a HUGE win for their bubble chances on Thursday night, coming from behind to beat Oklahoma.  Now, they can essentially cement their bid if they can knock off the top-seeded Jayhawks in the semis.  Kansas cruised by Texas Tech on Thursday, barely breaking a sweat.

Dave (who could have a gigantic night, as he’s be on the contrarian side of most big games), GrossJr, Lohse, Lynch, and Teddy all have the big upset pick of ISU here.  Cheryl has already lost with her Oklahoma pick.  The other 18 all have KU, with 13 of them picking the Jayhawks to win the tournament.  Lohse and Lynch have Iowa St. cutting down the nets in this one, so this is a huge game for their 2013 CTCs.

#2 Kansas St. vs #3 Oklahoma St.
Oklahoma St. survived a ferocious comeback by Baylor on Thursday night, while K-State rolled past Texas, setting up a really interesting Big XII semifinal nightcap.

Gersh, J, Scoot, and Stumpf have Baylor here, so they’ve already lost, but the rest of the field is split exactly in half on this one, with ten people for K-State and ten for OSU (Alex, Alexi, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossJr, GrossSr, Lohse, Lynch, Rikey, and RDoc) in a mild upset.  Dave, Lazarow, Teddy, and Waters have K-State winning this tournament, while Alexi, Cheryl, Grossjr, Rikey, and RDoc have OSU winning it.  This is a pretty huge CTC game, to say the least.

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 20 points each)

#4 Oklahoma vs #5 Iowa St.
Oklahoma is probably safely in the tournament (which is amazing considering how far new coach Lon Kruger had to go in such a short time), but, apparently, Iowa St. is not.  To me, this is a tournament team.  They have a ton of great wins and were completed robbed of another one against Kansas.  Two JUCO guys, Will Clyburn (via JUCO and Utah) and Tyrus McGee have been leading Freddy Hoiberg’s team straight back to relevance after losing a lot to graduation.  As for OU, they have a ton of talent, so it’s more of an indictment on the former Sooner coaching staff that had could never take advantage of the full talents of a Romero Osby.  Maybe it’s the freshman backcourt that Coach Kruger has brought in that has made the difference.  Or, maybe it’s just Coach Kruger himself.

To say ISU is a popular upset pick here is an understatement, as only Cheryl, Mac, and Waters have the Sooners in this one.  Cheryl has OU going to the finals.  Dave, GrossJr, Lohse, Lynch, and Teddy all have the Cyclones reaching the finals, and Lohse has them winning it.

#1 Kansas vs #9 Texas Tech
There are very few guarantees in sports, but Kansas winning the Big XII is becoming as close to a guarantee as you will find.  It is getting ridiculous.  This is a fantastic league with big-time programs – how can none of them EVER win this league?  Why is Kansas never rebuilding?  Maybe it’s because they never lose at home.  Maybe because Bill Self is just that good.  I don’t know, but it’s really, really impressive.  It is entering the Roger Federer semifinals streak territory now.  They even lost three in a row this year, including an embarrassing loss to lowly TCU.  This team is really, really good.  Ben McLemore is terrific offensively and Jeff Withey is a monster on the defensive end.  They don’t have a lot more (I like Perry Ellis, but he’s still raw), but if Elijah Johnson can play like he did in February and not like he did in the first three months, they are a legit national title contender.  As for Texas Tech, it was cute and all that they upset West Virginia on Wednesday, but it probably stops here.

No one has TT here, but Cheryl does have West Virginia, so she’ll be rooting for a Red Raider upset to zero out this game.  More than half of the field (13) have KU winning this tournament.

#2 Kansas St. vs #7 Texas
What a year for K-State.  The Wildcats took Frank Martin’s toughness and combined that with Bruce Weber’s offensive acumen and won a share of the Big XII with their rivals, KU.  And, there is a ton of talent here, led mostly by the overlooked superstar, Rodney McGruder.  They also have toughness at point in Angel Rodriguez and in the pivot with Jordan Henriquez.  Now, they will take on a Texas team that struggled, but beat a bad TCU team on Wednesday night.

GrossSr and RDoc are the only two with Texas here in the big upset pick – neither of them have the ‘Horns in the final.  Dave, Lazarow, Teddy, and Waters all have K-State winning this whole tournament.

#3 Oklahoma St. vs #6 Baylor
Are we sure that  Scott Drew can coach?  He struggled last year with one of the most talented teams I’ve ever seen.  Then, this year, they have totally retooled with – again – some of the most impressive physical specimens you will ever see on a basketball court and – again – they have struggled.  They might not even make the tournament this year.  (By the way…would Kentucky-Baylor be an incredible First Four matchup or is it just me?)  As for OSU, it starts and ends with Marcus Smart – he’s unbelievable.  But, the guy whose talent just tantilizes me is LaBryan Nash.  He could be so good, and he just never really seems to care.  If someone can light a fire under Nash, watch out, because he and Smart could be an unstoppable 1-2 punch.

This has serious CTC implications here.  Eleven people (Bry, Dave, Doogan, Gersh, J, Lazarow, PapaCim, Primm, Scoot, Stumpf, and Waters) have Baylor in the upset here, with Gersh, J, Scoot, and Stumpf picking the Bears to reach the finals.  The biggest Cowboy supporters are Alexi, Cheryl, GrossJr, RDoc, and Rikey, who all have OSU winning this tournament.

OPENING ROUND (March 13th – 10 points each)

#9 Texas Tech vs #8 West Virginia
The opening round is littered here with a pair of disappoinments and a pair of really bad major-conference teams.  The opener pits the 18-loss Mountaineers (major disappoinment) against the 19-loss Red Raiders (really bad major-conference team).  Silly me, though, I still think West Virginia is dangerous, and I’m not sure why.  The winner here will get #1 Kansas in the quarters on Thursday.

Caleb, Dave, LohseJr, and Primm went for the upset pick of Texas Tech.  Cheryl is the only one that has anything other than this game at stake, as she has the Mountaineers beating Kansas in the quarters.

#10 TCU vs #7 Texas
And then the nightcap in the themed opening round pits Texas (major disappoinment) against TCU (really bad major-conference team).  The Horned Frogs – complete with stunning wins over Kansas and Oklahoma on their otherwise-disgusting resume – are not fun to watch.  But, for the viewers of this game, it is fun to watch how wrong I was (and how right Doogan was – I know, everyone’s shocked…) about Rick Barnes and his ability to coach.  These guys are studs and look like they’re playing pickup.  There, Doogan, you win, you happy?

GrossJr and Waters are the only two to take a shot at TCU here.  GrossSr and RDoc are the only two that have Texas going any further than this game, as they have the ‘Horns in the semis.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Kansas (13)
• #2 Kansas St. (4)
• #3 Oklahoma St. (5)
• #4 Oklahoma (-)
• #5 Iowa St. (2)

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #10 TCU (GrossJr & Waters)
• QF – #8 West Virginia (Cheryl)
• SF – #6 Baylor (Gersh, J, Scoot & Stumpf)
• Champ – #5 Iowa St. (Lohse & Lynch)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Doogan
• 2009 – Alexi
• 2010 – J & Stri
• 2011 – Bry
• 2012 – KA

2013 Scores

1).

The MAC adjusted their tournament last year away from the stupid divisional format to the more trendy (and completely warranted and smart) multiple-bye format, rewarding regular season success.  The top two seeds will get triple-byes, followed by double-byes for the 3- and 4-seeds.  This year, because of the academic ineligibility of Toledo (which is a big loss because the Rockets were pretty good this year), the 5-seed will get a single bye, and there will be three opening round games on campus sites on Monday.

With all due respect to the top two teams in the MAC – this year has been a real down year in the conference.  Though, the disappointments may have found their strides late in the season, so we could have a really good tournament this year.  Kent St. and Buffalo, in particular, have been playing their best ball of the year.  Last year’s NCAA Tournament darlings, Ohio, finished behind one of my favorite mid-majors all year, the Akron Zips.  Unfortunately, my pet mid-major here just took an incredible blow with the suspension of point guard Alex Abreu for drug trafficking.  That is HUGE because Abreu, while not the best player (that would be 7-foot NBA prospect Zeke Marshall – who I hate as a player, by the way), I think Abreu was the most important for a Zips team that had a 19-game winning streak before losing to Kent without him.  Western Michigan has been under-the-radar all year, as they are young, but talented.  Also, Ball St., after a dreadful start to the season, has won 5 straight and looks like they could be poised to make a run.

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 36 points)

#1 Akron vs #2 Ohio
These two teams have been on a collision course for March 16th all season long.  The Alex Abreu situation looked like it might derail this showdown, but it didn’t, as Carmelo Betancourt played well at the point, and the Zips took care of Kent St. in the semis.  Ohio held off a big comeback attempt by Western Michigan to get to this matchup.  This one should be really good.

Alexi, Gersh, GrossSr, and J are the only four with Akron here.  Caleb, Lohse, Lynch, PapaCim, and Primm have already lost this game with either WMU or Kent St.  The other 15 all have Ohio winning this tournament.  If Akron wins this game, J will take the MAC title in 2013.  If Ohio wins, Cheryl will lock up the title.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 24 points each)

#1 Akron vs #4 Kent St.
All year long, the Zips have been the best team in this league.  They had a 19-game winning streak and were pushing for a possible at-large bid even if they didn’t win this tournament.  In fact, they were one of my favorite mid-major teams for a while, and now that this team is senior-laden, it was “the year.”  But, then the bomb dropped.  Playmaking junior point guard, Alex Abreu was busted with enough marijuana to be charged with drug trafficking.  Needless to say, his season (and probably career at Akron) are over.  It still remains to be seen if they can rally without him and just who will take over the point, as PG is the one position where they have very little depth.  Will they slide Xavier transfer 2-guard, Brian Walsh to the 1, or will the inexperienced backup PG, Carmelo Betancourt step into first-string responsibilities.  They do, however, have a ton of good, athletic wings (Demetrius Treadwell, Chauncey Gilliam, etc.) and they have the one thing most mid-majors (and, most high-majors, for that matter) do not – a legit 7-footer who will probably play at the next level.  Zeke Marshall is a shot-blocking extraordinaire and a serviceable low-post threat on the offensive end.  I am not a fan of his sulky, aloof demeanor, but I’ve never been 7-feet in a 6-footers world, so it’s hard for me to criticize.  Here in the semis, they will face a red-hot Kent St. team that beat them in their only game without Abreu at the end of the regular season and then survived a gutsy Buffalo team in the quarters on Thursday.  The Zips have made the MAC finals for a ridiculous four years in a row and are one game from a fifth straight.

Everyone has skin in this game, as 15 people have Akron and 9 (Bry, Caleb, Dave, GrossJr, Lohse, PapaCim, Rikey, Scoot, and Waters) have Kent.  Caleb, Lohse, and PapaCim all have Kent St. winning this tournament, while Alexi, Gersh, GrossSr, and J have the Zips.

#2 Ohio vs #3 Western Michigan
Last year’s tournament darlings, Ohio, are two games from going back again – with pretty much the whole lineup back from the Sweet Sixteen team of a year ago.  That, by the way, shows you how good Akron was, to beat out this Ohio team with everyone back.  Walter Offutt, the Ohio St. transfer, is excellent, as is Clark Kellogg’s son, Nick.  But, this team starts and stops with a guy who has had one of the greatest unknown careers anywhere in past couple of decades.  D.J. Cooper is a stud.  Get these numbers:  2,000+ points, 900+ assists, 600+ rebounds, 250+ three-pointers, and, unbelievably, 300+ steals against barely 400 turnovers.  Which means, that he erases 3/4 of his turnovers (as a point guard) with a STEAL.  Throw in the ridiculous offensive numbers and you’ve got yourself one of the best players in a generation.  I just hope we get to see one more run in the tournament.  They will have to beat WMU in the semis to do that, though, after the Broncos convincing win over rival Eastern Michigan in the quarters.

21 people have Ohio here, with only Lynch, PapaCim, and Primm took WMU.  Lynch and Primm have the Broncos winning this tournament.  Ohio is the championship pick of 15 people here.

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 12 points each)

#4 Kent St. vs #8 Buffalo
And, enter the next two MAC teams to the tournament – one of which is the 4th-seeded Golden Flashes of Kent St.  Kent is red hot entering this tournament, as they closed the regular season on an impressive 5-game winning streak that began with an OT win over this Buffalo team and ended with a 4-point win at 1st-place Akron.  Now, they get a Buffalo team that needed OT to beat Central Michigan in a play-in game on Monday just to get to Cleveland, but they knocked off Ball St. on Wednesday.  The winner here will take on #1 Akron.

Alexi, Lynch, and Teddy all have the big Buffalo upset pick here.  Primm, LohseJr, and Stumpf have already lost this game, having picked Ball St. here.  Caleb, PapaCim, and Lohse all have KSU winning this tournament.  Bry, Dave, GrossJr, Rikey, Scoot, and Waters all have them going to the finals.

#3 Western Michigan vs #7 Eastern Michigan
The second quarterfinal welcomes 3rd-seeded WMU to take on their bitter rival from the Eastern part of the state.  EMU beat NIU on Monday by a point to get to Cleveland, then took care of Miami (OH) when they got here.  WMU enters the tournament as one of the surprise teams this year in the MAC.  Last year, they had what was supposed to be their best team – possibly – in program history.  But, injuries and distractions led them to a disastrous season and then they all graduated.  This year, they were supposed to struggle to rebuild, but they found new life and played a lot harded than their more-talented predecessors, and, in turn, won a lot more games.  Now, they will take that energy to the MAC tournament.  The winner of this one will get #2 Ohio in the semis.

Caleb and Teddy have the big EMU upset here.  Lynch and Primm have WMU winning this tournament.  PapaCim has them reaching the finals.

SECOND ROUND (March 13th – 6 points each)

#5 Ball St. vs #8 Buffalo
Ball St. enters this tournament as one of the hottest teams in the MAC – winners of five straight to earn themselves a bye to Cleveland.  They will open their tournament tonight against a good, but underachieving Buffalo team that had to scrape and claw its way to a first round OT win over Central Michigan.  BSU is led by senior, 1000-point scorer, Jauwan Scaife, who is averaging 25 points per game during the winning streak.  Buffalo will have to contain Scaife and get their own star, Javon McCrea, off if they are to advance.  The winner here takes on #4 Kent St. in the quarters.

Buffalo is a pretty popular upset pick here, as nine people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossJr, Lazarow, Lynch, and Teddy) have the Bulls in this one.  Alexi, Lynch, and Teddy have them winning again on Thursday and going to the semis.  LohseJr, Primm, and Stumpf have the most at stake with Ball St., as they all have them beating Kent St. tomorrow after a win today.

#7 Eastern Michigan vs #11 Miami (OH)
Did Miami (OH) figure something out on Monday night in a big road upset of Bowling Green?  Possibly.  And, if so, they could be tough.  Here in Cleveland, they will take on EMU in the second round, with the winner to face 3rd-seeded Western Michigan in the quarters.  EMU won an ugly 45-44 game at home against Northern Illinois to get themselves to Cleveland for the matchup.

Cheryl is the only one with a really nice upset pick here with Miami (OH), so she’s due for 36 quick points if they can pull it off.  13 people (Bry, Caleb, Dave, GrossSr, J, Lazarow, Lynch, PapaCim, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, Teddy, and Waters) have what amounts to being a mild upset, actually, with EMU here.  (NOTE:  since #6 Bowling Green was supposed to be in this spot, #7 EMU counts as a mild upset, even though they would be beating #11 Miami (OH))

FIRST ROUND (March 11th – 3 points each)

#6 Bowling Green vs #11 Miami (OH)
Miami (OH) looked for a while like they might be a mid-conference team, but something happened and the wheels fell off around the middle of January.  They enter the MAC Tournament losers of 9 straight, though, as we’ve seen with LMU and Furman – teams with 9+-game losing streaks are not to be messed with.  Bowling Green will welcome the Redskins into town for an opening round game.  BG has played a lot better than they did in the beginning of the year, but they really haven’t lived up to their talent level.  They have never really looked like a true contender, even though they probably have top 3 or 4 talent in a really down year for the conference, as a whole.  The Falcons do have a couple of guys who can really fill it up, though in Jordan Crawford and Austin Calhoun, so they might not be an easy out in this tournament.

Seven people (Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossSr, J, Lynch, and PapaCim) took Miami (OH) in this pretty decent upset pick.  Most of the field has Bowling Green winning in each of the first two rounds, while Alex, GrossJr, Lohse, and LohseJr all have them upsetting Western Michigan in the quarters to reach the semis.

Miami (OH) 63 – Bowling Green 52
A disappointing year for Bowling Green ends at home in an 11-point loss to a team that had lost 12 or their last 13.  Miami (OH) kept the Falcons at arm’s length for most of the game and will advance to the second round in Cleveland on Wednesday.

Seven people (Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossSr, J, Lynch, and PapaCim) hit this big upset pick, while Alex, GrossJr, Lohse, and LohseJr all lost semifinalists in this one.

#7 Eastern Michigan vs #10 Northern Illinois
Oftentimes in these conference tournaments, you can get rematches of amazingly memorable regular season games.  This is one of them, but not really for the reasons you might think.  When EMU faced off against NIU earlier this year, the halftime score was 18-4.  Yes, Eighteen to Four.  NIU shot 3% from the field in the first half (1-for-31).  They scored a fastbreak layup in the opening minute and then missed their next TWENTY-NINE shots from the field.  The game finished up 42-25 in one of the ugliest games ever played.  NIU’s first-year head coach Mark Montgomery was a light-scoring, incredible play-making point guard for Tom Izzo in the early 90’s.  Well, it seems that the team is taking after him in scoring, but not really in playmaking.  The good news for NIU fans is that the team is very, very young and Montgomery looks like he might be a program-builder in a school that I’ve often called a “sleeping giant” because of their proximity to the great basketball city of Chicago that doesn’t really have any school that dominates Chicago recruiting (except, of course, Duke…).  As for EMU, they aren’t good, but they took advantage of a weak MAC and grabbed enough wins in conference play to be a middle-of-the-road team this year.

GrossJr and Stumpf are the only two to take NIU in this upset pick.  A decent number of people have EMU winning again in the second round, but only Caleb and Teddy have them reaching the semifinals.

Eastern Michigan 45 – Northern Illinois 44
Another ugly game between these two was, at least, exciting down the stretch.  EMU was up 11 with just over 7 minutes left, when NIU went on a spirited 15-2, possibly season-saving run to take a 44-42 lead with less than a minute to go.  But, a 3-pointer by Jalen Ross (no, not that Jalen) put the Eagles back up by a point with :32 seconds left.  NIU then had three shots for the win, but none of them fell, and EMU survives and advances to Cleveland for a second round game against Miami (OH) in Cleveland on Wednesday.

GrossJr and Stumpf just missed a nice upset pick here.  Caleb and Teddy barely keep their semifinalist alive.

#8 Buffalo vs #9 Central Michigan
CMU was picked to finish in 11th place in the MAC – ahead of only NIU – but came around in the end and actually look pretty solid in the advanced metrics.  Buffalo, on the other hand, has had a very disappointing, injury-riddled season, but they look relatively healthy now and might be a sleeper in this tournament.  The Bulls have upper-league talent, so if they can get it together, they could be a tough out.  The winner of this game will play 5th-seeded Ball St.

Eight people (Dave, Gersh, GrossJr, Lohse, PapaCim, Scoot, Stumpf, and Waters) went with CMU in the upset pick here, with only Lohse having them win again next round over Ball St.  However, the Bulls are a very popular pick to go somewhat far in this tournament, so brackets could be busted here in the first round.  Seven people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Caleb, GrossJr, Lazarow, and Teddy) have the Bulls going to the quarters, while Alexi and Teddy have them going to the semis.

Buffalo 74 – Central Michigan 72 (OT)
What an incredible game.  18 lead changes and no lead greater than 6 points all game ended in a thrilling Buffalo overtime victory at home.  Javon McCrea went 8-10 from the floor, scoring 21 points (6 in overtime) along with filling up the stat sheet with 8 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks.  After dropping 31 in regulation, CMU’s Kyle Randall went 0-for-5 in the overtime session, including missing a potential game-winning three at the buzzer.  It is a tough way to end the season for the Chippewas, but they look like they are improving.

Eight people missed this minor upset, while seven others keep alive a quarterfinalist, including Alexi and Teddy, who keep their semifinalist.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Akron (4)
• #2 Ohio (15)
• #3 Western Michigan (2)
• #4 Kent St. (3)

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #11 Miami (OH) (Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, GrossSr, Lynch & PapaCim)
• R2 – #11 Miami (OH) (Cheryl)
• QF – #8 Buffalo (Alexi & Teddy)
• SF – #4 Kent St. (many)
• Champ – #4 Kent St. (Caleb, Lohse, PapaCim)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Doogan
• 2009 – Doogan
• 2010 – Teddy (perfect – probably the single greatest performance in CTC history – check out the tournament results that he aced)
• 2011 – Doogan & J
• 2012 – Mac

2013 Scores

1). 24 (perfect) – Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, J, Lynch

6). 21 – GrossSr, PapaCim

8). 6 – Alex, Alexi, Doogan, Lazarow, LohseJr, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Rikey, Teddy

18). 3 – Dave, Gersh, GrossJr, Lohse, Scoot, Waters

24). 0 – Stumpf

This conference used to be called – here during CTC – as simply “Conference Memphis.”  Well, after a few years back as Conference USA, it seems we got one last year of Conference Memphis before the Tigers finally get out next year.  And, one of the few teams that could actually challenge the Tigers – UCF – isn’t even eligible for the conference tournament because of academics.  So, there is an 11-team tournament with 10 teams thatare, well, flat-out mediocre.  With the exception of Rice there aren’t really any terrible teams, but with the exception of Memphis there aren’t any good teams either.  Southern Miss is okay.  UTEP can be scary when they’re on, but they’re so inconsistent.  ECU, UAB, Houston?  They’re all…okay.  Obviously, the sky is the limit for SMU once (if) they get some players because they have one of the best pure basketball minds to ever walk the earth (Larry Brown) as their head coach, but their roster is completely talentless.  Larry Brown’s second most famous player-coach relationship was with the head man at Tulsa – Danny Manning.  And, then there are the total disappoinments of Tulane and Marshall.

CHAMPIONSHIP (March 16th – 42 points)

#1 Memphis vs #2 Southern Miss
The Eagles of Southern Miss treated their two regular season games with Memphis as the biggest games of the year and possible tickets to the Dance as an at-large.  But, neither of those games were all that close, and Southern Miss really has no shot at an at-large now.  But, they have a third shot at Memphis – and this one wouldn’t just “boost their resume,” it would put them in automatically.  And, they looked like they wanted it after trouncing UAB in the quarters and UTEP in the semis.  Memphis is playing really, really well right now, though, so it will be no easy task.

Lazarow can pick up a huge win here with Southern Miss, as he is the only one to take them.  On the other hand, an all-time CTC record 21 people picked Memphis as the conference champion here, with Cheryl and Mac having already lost this game with UTEP.  If Memphis wins, RDoc will take the 2013 C-USA CTC title, but if Southern Miss wins, Lazarow will steal the crown.

SEMIFINALS (March 15th – 28 points each)

#2 Southern Miss vs #3 UTEP
Southern Miss go past UAB on Thursday, while UTEP took care of a game Houston team, setting up a semi-decent semifinal for a league that was pretty bad all year.  UTEP is playing well as of late, while Southern Miss has been pretty good all year – they just haven’t beaten anyone that’s any good.  Take your pick of their best wins – OT over Western Kentucky, by 11 against Denver, OT at Georgia, or at home against this UTEP team.  They are the only four that could even be considered marginal.  That is why they are auto-bid or bust, despite their 24 wins.

Nine people (Alexi, Bry, Cheryl, Dave, Doogan, GrossSr, Mac, Rikey, and Stumpf) have UTEP in the upset here.  Gersh, J, Lohse, and PapaCim all took either UAB or Houston and have already lost this one.  The other 11 have S.Miss.  Cheryl and Mac have UTEP winning this tournament, while Lazarow is the only one with Southern Miss.

#1 Memphis vs #5 Tulsa
The hometown Golden Hurricane of Tulsa eliminated East Carolina late Thursday night, setting up a date with prohibitive favorite, Memphis, in the semis.

Everyone has Memphis here, including 21 people who have them winning this tournament (the most of anyone in the CTC this year).

QUARTERFINALS (March 14th – 14 points each)

#2 Southern Miss vs #7 UAB
It’s been a pretty solid year for Southern Miss, considering they lost a lot to graduation and their great coach, Larry Eustachy to Colorado St.  But, they haven’t done nearly enough to feel all that confident of an at-large (I think they’re clearly out right now – and probably can’t do anything other than win the tournament to get themselves in), so they better just keep winning.  That will start on Thursday in the quarters against a UAB team that barely squeeked by 10th-seeded SMU in the opening round on Wednesday.

Alexi, Dave, and Gersh have the nice upset pick of UAB here.  Gersh even has them reaching the finals.  Everyone else has Southern Miss here, including Lazarow, who picked them to win this whole tournament.

#3 UTEP vs #6 Houston
The Miners are a dark horse in this tournament, as they have been playing really well recently.  They even had Memphis beat on March 5th.  But, they have been very up and down all year, so it’s hard to know what team will show up – the early season team that was TERRIBLE or the much better team as of late?  Houston, who took care of cross-town rival, Rice in the opening round, has been a wild card all year, so we will see what they have here.

Eight people (Caleb, J, Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, PapaCim, Scoot, and Teddy) have Houston here in the upset with J and Lohse picking them to go to the finals.  Mac and Cheryl both have UTEP winning this tournament, while a decent number of others have them in the finals.

#1 Memphis vs #8 Tulane
The heavily favored Tigers take the floor in the C-USA tournament for the first time Thursday night against a Tulane team that came from behind to beat Marshall on Wednesday night.  The Tigers were undefeated in C-USA, but don’t get (nor really deserve) all that much respect.  Get this:  did you know that Josh Pastner has NEVER beaten a ranked team?  At Memphis???  That’s a terrible statistic that proves that, well, he’s not that great of a coach.

Everyone has Memphis in this one, with 21 of them taking the Tigers to win this tournament.  So, Cheryl, Lazarow, and Mac will be rooting against Memphis at every turn, as they are the only 3 without them winning this tourney.

#4 East Carolina vs #5 Tulsa
This was a solid season for ECU, as they were one of the better non-Memphis teams in the league this year.  The key to stopping ECU is stopping Maurice Kemp, a 6’8″ senior, who has developed into an absolute star in C-USA.  As for the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa, if were born in the mid- to late-70’s, you might be a Tulsa fan, for no other reason than they are coached by the great Danny Manning and they sport some kid named Pat Swilling, Jr. in the post.  It’s not just me, right?

This game is – not surprisingly – pretty split.  Eleven people (Alex, Alexi, Bry, Cheryl, Dave, Doogan, GrossSr, Mac, Primm, RDoc, and Waters) have Tulsa, while the other 13 have ECU. No one has either of these teams beating Memphis in the semis.

OPENING ROUND (March 13th – 7 points each)

#10 SMU vs #7 UAB
Well, it was pretty much how you figured it would be for Larry Brown in his first season at SMU.  The roster is totally bereft of talent, but the man can flat-out coach.  So, they won considerably more games than they probably even though possible, but they were still 5-11 in C-USA and 11th place.  UAB started slowly in conference play (after a TERRIBLE non-con), but played a lot better during the second part of conference play.  They are playing well at the right time, but they aren’t coached by one of the greatest basketball minds in history.  The winner of this one will take on Southern Miss in the quarters.

Ten people (Alex, Bry, Caleb, Cheryl, Doogan, J, PapaCim, Primm. Rikey, and Scoot) took Larry Brown and the Mustangs in the upset, though none of them have SMU beating Southern Miss.  Alexi, Dave, and Gersh have the Blazers knocking off Southern Miss and going to the semis.

#11 Rice vs #6 Houston
The transfer of Arsalan Kazemi to Oregon was the last piece of the puzzle that returns Rice to conference doormat status.  They weren’t good with him, but he was, at least, a threat on any given night.  Now, they’re just plain bad.  They were 0-15 against conference teams that they will not play in the opening round, but they are 1-0 (by double-digits) against Houston.  The Cougars have had a crazy season.  They were 11-2 in the non-conference against one of the worst schedules I have ever seen.  Then, they start conference play against a soft schedule and jump out of the gates.  But, when it came down to it, well, they just weren’t very good after all.  They finished 7-9 and got the 6-seed, so they can avoid Larry Brown, but they can’t avoid UTEP if they beat Rice here.

Doogan, GrossJr, and GrossSr took a shot at Rice here in the upset, with none of them having the Owls going any further.  Eight people (Caleb, J, Lazarow, Lohse, Lynch, PapaCim, Scoot, and Teddy) all have the Cougars beating UTEP in the quarters.  J, Lohse, and PapaCim actually have Houston in the finals.

#9 Marshall vs #8 Tulane
The Disappoinment Bowl in round one.  Marshall has the talent (most notably the two studs DeAndre Kane and Elijah Pittman) to have challenged Memphis for this conference, and they finished in 10th place.  Tulane has everyone back and healthy from a promising, but injury-riddled 2011-12, and they finished in 9th place.  There is plenty of room for disappoinment on both sides of the aisle in this one, but only one will have their season ended in the opening round – the other will have it ended in the quarterfinals against Memphis.

Surprisingly, only six people (Bry, Cheryl, GrossJr, GrossSr, PapaCim, and Waters) went for this mild upset.  No one has either of these teams beating Memphis in the quarters.

CTC UPDATE

Championship Picks

• #1 Memphis (21)
• #2 Southern Miss (1)
• #3 UTEP (2)

Biggest Upsets

• R1 – #11 Rice (Doogan & GrossJr)
• QF – #7 UAB (Alexi, Dave & Gersh)
• SF – #7 UAB (Gersh)
• Champ – #3 UTEP (Cheryl & Mac)

Previous CTC Champions

• 2008 – Ina
• 2009 – Bry
• 2010 – Lohse & Teddy
• 2011 – Lynch
• 2012 – Lohse

2013 Scores

1).