Broad Street Believers

I am ready to declare the Thursday before Selection Sunday as the most underrated day on the sports calendar.  Yesterday, there were 49 tournament games across the country.  To put that in perspective, the best four days in sports (the first two rounds of the tournament) have 48 games COMBINED.  Granted, yesterday doesn’t quite have the same win-or-go-home feel for the true national title contenders, so history isn’t always altered like the tournament does.  And, yesterday never gives you the David vs. Goliath stuff because it’s all teams from the same conference playing each other.  So, in no way am I saying that this day even rivals next weekend; I’m just saying that maybe we should start adding the Thursday (and Friday) before Selection Sunday to the pantheon of great days on the sports calendar (this sounds like a future post).

Anyway, enough with the rant on how great that day is, in generality.  Let’s just get down to what that day was YESTERDAY.  49 games.  10 overtimes.  9 non-overtime games decided by 3 points or less.  5 more non-overtime games within 2 possessions.  A #1-seed losing the semis; another one losing in the quarters.  Just sheer, downright MADNESS.  And, there’s more to come…

RDoc had a huge day when it mattered most, gaining over 700 points yesterday.  The day total jumped him from 15th place at the beginning of the day to 5th place by the end of it all – and very much in striking distance of an overall title.  Doogan also went from also-ran to serious contender overnight, climbing 7 spots from 13th to 6th.  They are all now chasing two new guys at the top of the standings.  Mac, who finished 2nd to RDoc on the day, jumped all the way from 7th place to 2nd.  But, he remains 86 points behind our new leader, Bry, who finished third on the day, which was enough to move from 2nd to the top spot.  Lohse, who had held the lead almost from the get-go, falls to 3rd place, but still very much in the hunt.  Dave remains a serious contender for the overall title in 4th place.  There are 6 people left within just about 200 points of the top spot.

The biggest fall on the day was suffered by Alexi, who was 5th place at the start of the day, but couldn’t get anything going and fell to 11th at day’s end.  Gross also took a hit, as he had to be considered one of the favorites for the title when the day began, but only managed 418 points on the day, dropping him 5 spots to 8th place and probably on the outside looking in for a possible overall title, as he is now 275 points off the pace.  Primm, who climbed a spot to 7th is barely holding on to overall title contention, but still 231.5 points off the lead.

Others that fell on the day include RSmith, who dropped 5 spots to 14th; Stri, who fell 3 spots to 13th; and Teddy, who also fell 3 spots to 9th.  Scoot is the only one other than RDoc, Doogan, and Mac to climb more than one spot, as he goes from 18th to 16th after a solid showing.

DAY ELEVEN SCORES (days won):

1. RDoc – 712.5 (1)
2. Mac – 695
3. Bry – 681.5
4. Doogan – 660.5
5. RSmith – 583
6. Dave – 570.5 (1)
7. Lynch – 540.5
8. Waters – 539.5
9. J – 537.5 (1)
10. Lohse – 518.5 (3)
11. Scoot – 512.5 (1)
12. Gersh – 462
13. Primm – 462
14. Rikey – 460 (1)
15. Teddy – 456 (1)
16. Stri – 454 (1)
17. Alexi – 428.5
18. Gross – 418
19. Lil Lohse – 418
20. KA – 384.5

OVERALL STANDINGS (confs won):

1. Bry – 1975.5 (BSky*)
2. Mac – 1889.5 (NEC*)
3. Lohse – 1836 (BSouth, Horizon, OVC, ASun)
4. Dave – 1831.5
5. RDoc – 1796.5 (BSky*)
6. Doogan – 1774
7. Primm – 1744 (NEC*)
8. Gross – 1700.5 (ASun, CAA, Summit)
9. Teddy – 1678 (ASun, MAAC, SunBelt)
10. J – 1672.5 (BSouth)
11. Alexi – 1656 (OVC, WCC)
12. Lynch – 1654.5 (BSky*)
13. Stri – 1616.5 (OVC, ASun)
14. RSmith – 1615 (MVC*)
15. Rikey – 1573 (OVC, ASun, NEC*)
16. Scoot – 1496 (ASun)
17. Gersh – 1469.5 (ASun)
18. Lil Lohse – 1413 (NEC*, SoCon)
19. Waters – 1374
20. KA – 1162

Every year, it seems I have some weird basketball mancrush.  And, it’s oftentimes rather unusual.  It’s never a guy like Jimmer or John Wall, or someone like that.  Last year, it was Austin Freeman, and a couple of years ago it was Terrance Williams from Louisville.  And, they never turn out to be stars in any way at the next level.  I think it all started with guys like Randolph Childress from Wake Forest, Shawn Respert from Michigan St., and Randy Rutherford from Oklahoma St.  Not sure what it is, but I can’t really look at these guys objectively.  It’s the guys that I would pay to just watch play.  Well, this year’s version is pretty intense.  I love Casper Ware.  Love him.  I think he’s absolutely incredible.  I would absolutely pay straight cash, homey, to watch that guy play the game of basketball.  I was actually pretty upset when the Beach lost in the Big West tournament last year, but it will be nothing like this year.  I think I would actually trade a Temple A-10 title for a Long Beach Big West title this year (mainly because TU would still get in)…it’s pretty weird and pretty embarrassing, but whatever.

Along with Kentucky in the SEC, The Beach is the most popular championship pick.

Championship Picks
17 for #1 Long Beach St.
1 for #2 CS-Fullerton (Waters)
1 for #3 UCSB (RDoc)
0 for #3 Cal Poly
0 for #5 UC-Riverside
1 for #6 Pacific (KA)

Biggest Upsets
QF – #7 UC-Irvine (Bry, J, Mac, Primm)
SF – #6 Pacific (KA)

Previous CTC Champions
2011 – J
2010 – Stri
2009 – Bry*
2008 – Doogan

#3 UC-Santa Barbara vs. #6 Pacific
The Big West was supposed to be a really heated two-team race all year, but one of those teams didn’t show up.  The Gouchos do have Orlando Johnson – who was Casper Ware before Casper Ware – winning the Big West POY as a sophomore two years ago.  But, they just fell flat this year, losing to upstart CS-Fullerton and also a head-scratcher against Riverside.  Oh, and even if they hadn’t lost those two, they got absolutely pummeled by the Beach in both showdowns.  Pacific, who used to be the pride of this conference, was pretty bad this year.  The only reason they finished in the middle of the standings is because this conference is full of really bad teams.

6 people have Pacific in this upset (Dave, KA, Lil Lohse, Primm, RSmith, Waters).  KA has them winning this tournament.  8 people have the Gouchos in the final (Alexi, Bry, J, Lynch, Mac, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot), with RDoc picking them to break The Beach’s heart again in the finals.

#2 CS-Fullerton vs. #7 UC-Irvine
The Titans in Fullerton were kind of the forgotten team in the BW this year, but they were right there and actually won the non-LBSU regular season title.  They did it with a high-flying offense and just barely enough defense.  They take on the Anteaters of UC-Irvine, who aren’t very good.

Bry, J, KA, and Primm all have this pretty big upset.  Waters has Fullerton winning the tournament.

#1 Long Beach St. vs. #8 UC Davis
But, this Beach team is not just Casper.  This is a really fantastic team, honestly.  But, then again, I can’t be objective in any way on them right now.  Trust me, though, Larry Anderson and T.J. Robinson are truly outstanding players.  Throw in a really solid JUCO transfer on the perimeter, Eugene Phelps and you’ve got yourself a potential Sweet 16 team.  It all starts tonight against a team that started the season 1-27, but won 2 of the last 3 games to, somehow, qualify for the Big West tournament.

No one took the upset here, and 17 people have LBSU winning the whole thing.

#4 Cal Poly vs. #5 UC-Riverside
UC-Riverside was not supposed to compete in the Big West this year, but they pulled off a couple of nice conference wins and ended up finishing in 5th place, after spending most of the season in 2nd or 3rd.  Cal Poly was supposed to be the best team after LBSU and UCSB this year, as they have been building for this year for a while, but they really struggled at points.  They still have a lot of talent, but even at their best, they were overmatched by the two big dogs, so now that they haven’t hit their expectations, it’s hard to imagine them beating them both in consecutive nights.  Hell, they might have trouble beating Riverside tonight.

7 people went with the mild upset of Riverside here (Alexi, Dave, Gross, J, Primm, RSmith, Scoot).  Dave, Primm, and RSmith have Riverside going to the finals.  KA has Cal Poly in the title game.

How strange is this conference in its composition?  Even though it is called the “Great West,” one of its teams is the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Jersey City, NJ (not even the western part of NEW JERSEY).  Two more of the teams are Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, TX, and the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND.  For anyone who isn’t a geography afficianado (or doesn’t care enough to google it), Edinburg is about 20 miles from the Mexican border, while Grand Forks is about 75 miles from the Canadian border.  So, this conference has teams on the easternmost, southernmost, and northermost borders of the United States.  In fact, the only “direction” not really covered in the Great West is, well, the west.  Utah Valley is actually the only school that could even be considered western at all.  Very strange.  But, all of this is just sort of distraction from the fact that this is a pretty poor collection of basketball teams.  This conference doesn’t provide us with an NCAA team because they haven’t been given an automatic bid (not sure if that’s on the table or not), and, honestly, even me – the ultimate defender or the “little guy” – cannot possibly make an argument that one of these teams should get to play for a national championship.  This conference is basically a D-III basketball conference that plays D-I teams (sometimes) in their non-conference slate.

Oh, and to make this thing even more head scratching, only 5 of the 6 teams are in the conference tournament this year, which is hosted by Chicago St.  The only team left out – you guessed it – Chicago St.  So, the other 5 teams travel from all corners of the country to Chicago to play a tournament that doesn’t include Chicago St.  Which leads to the next question – who the hell is buying tickets to this tournament.  If the 5 teams are so far away, and Chicago St. isn’t in the tournament, who would possibly go?

Anyway, this 5-team format includes a pigtail game today.

Championship Picks
13 for #1 Utah Valley
6 for #2 North Dakota (Gersh, Lynch, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Teddy, Waters)
0 for #3 TX-Pan American
1 for #4 N.J.I.T. (KA)

Previous CTC Champions
2011 – J
2010 – Stri*

#4 N.J.I.T. vs. #5 Houston Baptist
These teams are terrible…

7 people have HB in the mild upset (Gross, Lil Lohse, Lohse, Mac, Primm, RDoc, Stri).  KA and Waters have N.J.I.T. winning again next round.  KA has them winning the whole thing.

The WAC isn’t quite what it used to be and, with the M-West moving in such a positive direction, and the Pac-12 still dominating the recruiting trails due to their immense resource advantages, this league may not be getting better any time soon, but it still puts forth some decent basketball and usually produces a champion capable of making a run in the Dance.

Championship Picks
11 for #1 Nevada
7 for #2 New Mexico St. (Gersh, Gross, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, Teddy, Waters)
2 for #3 Idaho (KA, Stri)

Biggest Upsets
QF – #7 Fresno St. (J, KA)
SF – #4 Utah St. (Waters)

Previous CTC Champions
2011 – Waters
2010 – Teddy
2009 – Bry
2008 – Alexi

#3 Idaho vs. #6 Hawai’i
Hawaii was supposed to actually compete in this league this year, but it is always going to be hard for the Warriors because, as much as Hawaii sounds like a huge recruiting advantage, it actually isn’t because every road game is the equivalent of a cross-country flight for the mainland programs.  And, if weather and lifestyle that dictated recruiting advantages, then I don’t think Lexington, KY; East Lansing, MI; Lawrence, KS; or Columbus, OH, would be the homes of some of the country’s elite programs.  The Vandals of Idaho have had a really nice season this year, and have the ability to win this tournament, if everything falls right.

Bry, Lohse, and Waters are the only 3 with Hawaii here.  Stri and KA both have Idaho winning this whole tournament, and 5 more people have them going to the finals (Alexi, Dave, J, RSmith, Scoot).

#2 New Mexico St. vs. #7 Fresno St.
Fresno St. was really bad early and pretty good late, so they’re playing their best ball at the right time, but it’s hard to imagine that even their absolute best would be good enough to beat a really good NMSU team on even an average day.

J and KA both have this big upset of Fresno.  7 people have NMSU winning this tournament (Gersh, Gross, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, Teddy, Waters).

#1 Nevada vs. #8 San Jose St.
The Wolfpack dominated the first month and a half of conference play, but showed signs of vulnerability late.  They shouldn’t have any trouble with a bad SJSU team, but you never know.

No one has SJSU here, and the majority of the field has Nevada taking this title.

#4 Utah St. vs. #5 Louisiana Tech
La Tech looked like they were heading for a last-place finish and then something clicked.  I have no idea what it was, but they just started beating teams, so we’ll see if they can carry it into this tournament.  USU is not the typical USU team that we’ve come to know.  They even lost a couple conference games at home – something previously unthinkable.

Only 3 people (Dave, Mac, Stri) have this mild upset of La Tech.  Waters has USU going all the way to the finals.

The Mountain West conference was easily the best conference in the west and could easily be considered one of the best in America – and all of this in a year where they lost one of their better programs, BYU, to the WCC.  UNLV, New Mexico, and SDSU are all nationally legit programs that are, at least, in the same area code as any league’s top 3.  Plus, comparing conferences isn’t exactly easy when they all are different sizes.  Let’s look at the “middle” of this conference – Colorado St., TCU, and Wyoming.  Do they stack up with the 8-9-10 in the Big East (WVU, UConn, Seton Hall)?  Not quite, but it’s close.  What about the 5-6-7 in the Big XII (K-State, Texas, Ok State)?  Again, probably not, but it’s close.  Or, the 6-7-8 in the SEC (Miss St., Ole Miss, LSU)?  I might take the MWC.  The ACC’s 6-7-8 (Miami, Clemson, Maryland)?  I’ll definitely take the M-West.  Okay, enough senseless rambling, we’ve got 49 great games today…

Interestingly, only 3 people went with the top-seeded Aztecs to win this tournament.  The majority of the field took #3 UNLV, actually.  But, even though people don’t seem to believe in the top two seeds, not one person picked either of them to get upset before the semifinals.

Championship Picks
3 for #1 San Diego St. (Dave, Rikey, RSmith)
6 for #2 New Mexico (Alexi, Gross, Lil Lohse, RDoc, Stri)
11 for #3 UNLV

Biggest Upsets
QF – #6 Wyoming (Dave, J)
SF – #5 TCU (KA)

Previous CTC Champions
2011 – Bry/J*
2010 – Stri
2009 – Lynch
2008 – J

#1 San Diego St. vs. #8 Boise St.
Another fantastic job by Steve Fisher, as his team from last year was gutted (and now in the NBA), and yet they still won this great league and are heading for a white-jersey seed next week, with the possibility of a protected seed.  Boise St. is no walkover, though, as the Broncos are as good as (if not better) than every single last-place team in America.  In fact, I’ll make that an official opinion.  With the possible exception of Penn St., Boise St. is the best last-place team in America.

All 20 people took SDSU, but only 3 have them winning this tournament.

#4 Colorado St. vs. #5 TCU
TCU isn’t exactly on the bubble because the beginning of their season was terrible, but they are playing as well as anyone in this conference right now, so the bubbilicious CSU team better be careful.  I love this Colorado St. team, but, like most teams in that great state, it is always interesting to see them play away from the altitude.

5 people went with TCU in the mild upset here (KA, Lil Lohse, RSmith, Stri, Waters), with KA taking them to reach the finals.

#2 New Mexico vs. #7 Air Force
People talk about UNLV and SDSU, but tend to forget about how good New Mexico has been this year.  But, like SDSU in the opener today, they better be careful because Air Force is no pushover.  They can rise up and beat you, if you’re not ready.

All 20 people took New Mexico here, with 6 of them picking them to win the whole thing.

#3 UNLV vs. #6 Wyoming
Wyoming made a name for itself with a gaudy non-conference record that was built on the back of a borderline pathetic strength of schedule.  But, the Cowboys were learning how to win, and they brought it to the MWC.  They play fantastic defense, which is always a good thing this time of year.  And, remember they already have a UNLV victory on their resume this year, so this wouldn’t be a total shock.

Dave and J both have Wyoming winning here, but going no further.  The other 18 have the Runnin’ Rebels here, with 11 of them tagging them as their champion

This was not exactly a very interesting year in the SEC.  It was Kentucky and a bunch of underachievers.  Case in point is Tennessee grabbing the 2-seed.  But, the tournament could be interesting, especially after Calipari sort of alluded to the fact that they might not be trying to win this tournament – quote, “We are not trying to win this tournament.”

Well, even though Coach Cal isn’t going to try, Kentucky is the most popular single championship pick in any conference.

Championship Picks
17 for #1 Kentucky
0 for #2 Tennessee
3 for #3 Vanderbilt (KA, Mac, RDoc)

Biggest Upsets
R1 – #12 South Carolina (RDoc)
QF – #7 Ole Miss (Dave, Doogan, J, KA, Mac, Primm)
SF – #6 Mississippi St. (Gersh, Gross, Rikey)

Previous CTC Champions
2011 – Rikey*
2010 – Alexi
2009 – Alexi
2008 – Waters

#8 LSU vs. #9 Arkansas
It wasn’t a terrible year down on the Bayou – at least it wasn’t as bad as it was expected to be.  But, either way, the Trent Johnson Era is not exactly a smashing success.  As for the Mike Anderson Era at Arkansas, well, it wasn’t much of anything away from home.  Both teams struggled this year and are probably just playing for the right to get smashed by UK next round.

This game is pretty split in the CTC, as 9 people have the Razorbacks here (Alexi, Dave, Gersh, Gross, J, Lohse, Mac, Rikey, RSmith).  Everyone has Kentucky beating the winner of this game next round.

#5 Alabama vs. #12 South Carolina
I love Anthony Grant.  He is a no-nonsense guy who is building a program, not just trying to win games.  And, he sent a message this year and may not have cost his team a tournament bid.  He did, however, probably cost them a first-round bye.  So, they have to play a bad USC team today before a date with Florida tomorrow.

RDoc is the only one that took USC in this huge upset.  7 people have Bama winning again tomorrow (Alexi, Dave, Gross, J, KA, Lynch, Teddy).  KA has them going to the finals.

#7 Ole Miss vs. #10 Auburn
After the absolutely miserable season Auburn had last year, a 10th place finish in the SEC is a pretty big step up.  On the other side, Ole Miss is a popular “bubble” team these days.  But, honestly, I don’t see the meat on the resume.  Either way, they almost certainly need a couple of wins here in New Orleans to even be in the discussion.  It starts today with Auburn and then they’d get Tennessee tomorrow.

Bry and Waters are the only two that have Auburn in this upset pick.  And, a lot of the rest of the field has a lot of confidence in the Rebels, as 6 people have them winning again tomorrow (Dave, Doogan, J, KA, Mac, Primm).

#6 Mississippi St. vs. #11 Georgia
How bad is it going to get for Miss State?  I’m starting to ease off my constant defense of Rick Stansbury as a coach because, at some point, you have to hold him responsible for the people he brings into the program.  They are so immensely talented, but they are so immature – particularly, Renardo Sidney.  They should be in the tournament, but a loss here to UGA and all bets are off.  The Dawgs can get it done, too, they beat them handily earlier this season.  The winner of this game will get #3 Vandy.

This is probably the most important CTC game of the day in the SEC, as 8 people have a pretty big upset here (Bry, Doogan, J, Mac, Primm, RDoc, RSmith, Waters), and 3 people have Mississippi State winning again tomorrow (Gersh, Gross, Lynch), with Gersh and Gross having them going to the finals.

UNC and Duke are still elite programs, but what in the world happened to the rest of the ACC?  This conference used to run 9, 10, sometimes 11 teams deep, and this conference tournament was can’t miss television.  Now, does anyone really want to sit through a Maryland-Wake Forest game or Clemson-Va Tech?  Really?  No, you don’t.

19 of the 20 have either UNC or Duke winning this tournament…go figure.

Championship Picks
10 for #1 North Carolina
9 for #2 Duke (Dave, J, KA, Lil Lohse, Lynch, Mac, RSmith, Teddy, Waters)
1 for #3 Florida St. (Primm)

Biggest Upsets
R1 – #12 Boston College (Lil Lohse, RSmith, Waters)
QF – #12 Boston College (Waters)
SF – #6 Miami (FL) (RDoc)

Previous CTC Champions
2011 – Alexi
2010 – Stri
2009 – Doogan
2008 – Bry

#8 Maryland vs. #9 Wake Forest
It’s amazing that Wake Forest was able to finish ahead of three other ACC teams.  I’m not sure if that is a testament to the Deacons or an indictment of this conference’s lack of depth.  Mark Turgeon’s first year in College Park was up and down, but he’ll turn this thing around, don’t worry, Terp fans.

Primm is the only one that took Wake in this mild upset.  KA is the only one that doesn’t have UNC beating the winner of this, as she has Maryland in the semis.

#5 N.C. State vs. #12 Boston College
Maybe this Wolfpack team, despite having a ton of talent, just doesn’t have “it.”  And, it probably all stems from their best player.  Let’s finally admit that C.J. Leslie is a dog.  A phenomenally talented player that just doesn’t know what it takes to win.  Good luck in the the D-League, C.J.  BC is just completely devoid of talent, but they are well-coached.

Lil Lohse, RDoc, and Waters all have BC in this huge upset pick.  Waters even has the Eagles in the semis.  5 people have N.C. State beating UVa next round (Doogan, Gross, J, Lynch, RSmith).

#7 Clemson vs. #10 Virginia Tech
What is a Selection Sunday without a livid Seth Greenberg?  Personally, I’m gonna miss the Va Tech bubble popping.  The Clemson Tigers need to rebuild a bit, and all Tiger fans hope that they can do that.  I don’t think people understand just how good the Oliver Purnell Era was, as opposed to the typical Clemson eras.  We’ll see if they revert back to the ACC doormat that they were for pretty much my entire childhood.

The field is exactly split on this game, as 10 of the 20 took Va Tech in the upset (Bry, Dave, Doogan, J, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, RDoc, Stri, Teddy).  No one has either of these teams beating Duke next round.

#6 Miami (FL) vs. #11 Georgia Tech
Another coach that was probably unappreciated was Paul Hewitt.  Then again, it was probably time for him to go at GTech, as he wasn’t able to win even with a whole load of lottery picks.  Miami is a different team with Reggie Johnson, and they have him now, so this team might be heading to the Dance.  But, they, at the very least, have to avoid a bad loss here to GTech.

Bry, J, and Lil Lohse were the only three people to take Ga Tech in this upset pick.  Alexi, Dave, Doogan, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, RDoc, RSmith, and Stri all have Miami reaching the semis.  RDoc has them in the finals.

Don’t get me wrong, I love watching great defensive basketball.  I also really like hard, physical styles of play.  Hell, I grew up rooting for John Chaney defenses and, well, John Chaney offenses, so I am no stranger to slow, ugly, methodical basketball.  But, this Big Ten is, at times, nearly unwatchable.  We’ll see how the atmosphere of the conference tournament affects what was a great, but ugly Big Ten season.

A testament to the depth of this conference is that there are 5 different championship choices.

Championship Picks
4 for #1 Michigan St. (Gersh, Scoot, Stri, Waters)
1 for #2 Michigan (Lil Lohse)
12 for #3 Ohio St.
0 for #4 Wisconsin
2 for #5 Indiana (Lynch, RSmith)
1 for #6 Purdue (KA)

Biggest Upsets
R1 – #12 Penn St. (Bry, Waters)
QF – #10 Minnesota (J)
SF – #6 Purdue (KA, Stri)

Previous CTC Champions
2011 – Primm
2010 – Waters
2009 – Bry
2008 – Bry

#8 Iowa vs. #9 Illinois
The Bruce Weber swan song begins today at 11:30 am.  As for the other side of this one, can we please start talking about how great of a coach Fran McCaffery is?  With all due respect to Tom Izzo (who, I have always said is clearly the second-best coach in the country), who did another great job, why can’t the coach of the 8th-place team win the Coach of the Year?  Considering what was expected of this Hawkeye team, I think McCaffery did, clearly, the best job in the conference.  There is even some at-large talk surrounding the Hawkeyes.  Incredible!  The winner of this game will get #1 Michigan St. in the quarters.

The majority of the field (12) have Illinois in this mild upset, as only 8 took Iowa (Alexi, Doogan, Gersh, KA, Lil Lohse, Lohse, Scoot, Teddy).  No one has either of these teams beating MSU next round.

#5 Indiana vs. #12 Penn St.
College basketball is a coach’s game, and Tom Crean can flat-out coach, so the only surprise about this Indiana resurgence is how deep the Kelvin Sampson problems ran and how long it took one of the nation’s best head men to return this team to prominence.  Now, they are heading for the Dance and a probable protected seed.  If you haven’t heard of Tim Frazier, it might be a good idea to tune into this one because he’s the real deal.  #4 Wisconsin awaits the winner of this one.

This is a pretty huge CTC game.  Bry and Waters are the only two to take PSU in this huge upset.  15 people actually have Indiana beating Wisconsin next round, so the 5 that don’t (Bry, Gross, Rikey, RDoc, and Waters) might be rooting for PSU here.  7 people have IU in the finals (Dave, Doogan, Lil Lohse, Lynch, Mac, Primm, RSmith).  Lynch and RSmith have the Hoosiers cutting down the nets.

#7 Northwestern vs. #10 Minnesota
A lot has been written about the long history of Northwestern without a tournament appearance.  Well, this might be their best chance, but they cannot afford to lose this game or they’re probably NIT-bound again.  The Gophers have had a decent season, considering they weren’t immensely talented to begin with and they lost their best player, Trevor Mbakwe in November.  They shouldn’t be taken lightly.  The winner here gets #2 Ohio St. in the quarters.

This is another huge CTC game.  9 people actually have Minnesota in this upset (Bry, Gersh, Lil Lohse, Lynch, Mac, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot). J has the Gophers in the semis.  6 people have NW winning again tomorrow (Alexi, Dave, Gross, Lohse, RSmith, Waters).

#6 Purdue vs. #11 Nebraska
It was a tough first season in the Big Ten for the ‘Huskers, as they went 4-14 in their inaugural season here.  Purdue finally gets Robbie Hummel through a full season and should go on to another tournament, thanks in most part to Hummel himself.  Now, we’ll see what they’ve got.  The winner here gets Michigan tomorrow.

Primm is the only one that took Nebraska here, so he’ll get a quick 60 points if they can pull off the upset.  Stri and KA are the only two that have Purdue winning again tomorrow, and they actually both have Purdue going to the finals.  KA has them winning it.

After the top seed in the MEAC was dismissed last night, and the #2-seed squeeked by, the #3-seed enters the tournament, as well as two winners from Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

#3 Delaware St. vs. #11 Florida A&M
The Hornets of DSU have been, by far, the hottest team in the MEAC for about a month now.  They came all the way back from being buried to earn the third bye.  Now, they get a shot at the 11th-seeded FAMU team that edged Coppin St. on Tuesday.  The winner here will get #2 Norfolk St., who won their quarterfinal last night.

Doogan is the only person who has this gigantic upset.  7 people have already lost this game with Coppin (Dave, J, Primm, Rikey, RSmith, Scoot, Teddy).  The other 14 have DSU.  Alexi, Gersh, Lil Lohse, Lohse, Mac, RDoc, and Waters all have the Hornets winning this tournament.

#4 Bethune-Cookman vs. #5 N.C. Central
Both teams played on Tuesday in the quarters against the dregs of the MEAC.  NCC hammered MD-Eastern Shore in the second half, while BCC needed about 38 minutes to put away S.C. State.  Now, the two face for a shot in the semis against #8 Hampton, who upset top-seeded Savannah St. last night.

BCC is an unpopular favorite here, as only 7 people picked them to win this game (Dave, Gersh, Rikey, RDoc, RSmith, Scoot, Teddy).  Waters has already lost this game with S.C. State.

After a really, really ugly display of basketball all day at the Staples Center, the Pac-12 will try and redeem itself by including its best four teams now.

#1 Washington vs. #9 Oregon St.
Lorenzo Romar gets another Pac-12 Coach of the Year award, and I can’t even make up  a reason for him deserving this award.  But, the Huskies are going to the tournament because, well, I have no idea why.  Hey, maybe they will win this tournament and make it all moot.  OSU knocked off Wazzu yesterday, 69-64.  Everyone has Washington here except RDoc, who has Oregon St. in a huge upset, and J, who has already lost it with Wazzu.

#4 Arizona vs. #5 UCLA
The Bruins held USC to 4o points last night in an opening round victory.  Now, they get a reeling Arizona team that has vastly underachieved based on their talent.  But, the slate is clean, let’s see what you can do, guys.  Only 7 people have the favored Wildcats of Arizona today (Alexi, Dave, Doogan, Gross, Primm, RSmith, Waters).  Doogan and Gross have the ‘Cats winning it all.

#2 California vs. #7 Stanford
Mike Montgomery is probably the most underrated coach in America.  What a hire that was for the Bears, and Coach is getting it done again.  However, his team did fall to cross-town rivals, Stanford on the last day of the regular season, costing them a #1-seed and making it so that they would rematch in this round.  Alexi, J, Lohse, and Lynch  all have this upset pick.  J has Stanford in the finals.

#3 Oregon vs. #6 Colorado
Unfortunately, my baby decided she didn’t want to sleep last night, so I was up with her.  And, because I was up, I was subjected to the sorry excuse for a basketball game that Colorado won last night over Utah.  It was dreadful.  Oregon, who may be the one team in this league that can go up and down the court on a consistent basis is the Buffs opponent today.  Dave, Gross, Mac, and Scoot have Colorado in the upset here.  A handful of entries have Oregon winnin it all.