Broad Street Believers

After an uneventful pigtail game, there is a forgettable second round double-header.  When do the good teams get to play again?  12 people are still perfect through 3 WCC games.

#5 San Francisco 87 – #8 Portland 66
An easy win for USF gives them a spot in the quarters against #4 LMU.  Everyone except RSmith (Santa Clara) got this one right.  A host of people have San Fran reaching the semis; Dave has them beating St. Mary’s and going to the finals.

#6 San Diego 76 – #7 Pepperdine 54
The San Diego Terreros are the answer to the trivia question – who did BYU play in their first ever WCC tournament game?  USD easily beat Pepperdine in the Second Round to earn a date with the Cougars.  Dave, Lynch, Mac, and Waters all missed on the Pepperdine pick here.  RSmith gets a potentially important win, as he has USD beating BYU.

WCC STANDINGS:
1). 17.5* – Alexi, Doogan, Gersh, Gross, J, KA, Lil Lohse, Primm, Rikey, RDoc, Scoot, Stri
13). 14 – Bry (’11*), Lohse, Teddy
16). 7 – Dave, Lynch (’10), Mac, RSmith, Waters (’08)

Arch Madness kicks off with an underwhelming Opening Round, but it sets up a terrific Quarterfinal Round.  Most people got them both R1 games right.  Only Waters got them both wrong.

#8 Indiana St. 66 – #9 S. Illinois 51
Funny how the Salukis were the ones that put this conference on the map and now it seems as if the rest of the league has passed them by.  Well, another season ends in Carbondale as Indiana St. handles SIU handily in the opener of the 2012 MVC tournament.  The Sycamores will be the first team to take a crack at #1 Wichita St. in the quarters.  Alexi, Gersh, Gross, Rikey, and Waters all missed this mild upset pick.

#7 Drake 65 – #10 Bradley 49
Drake led this game wire-to-wire, but there were times when it looked like the Braves might take control.  They never did, and their season is over.  Drake moves on to face the McDermotts in the quarters.  Bry, Doogan, Teddy, and Waters missed this upset pick.  J keeps alive his big upset pick of Drake over Creighton next round.

MVC STANDINGS:
1). 16* – Dave, J, KA, Lil Lohse, Lohse, Lynch, Mac, Primm, RDoc, RSmith, Scoot
12). 8 – Alexi (’11), Bry, Doogan, Gersh, Gross, Rikey, Teddy
20). 0 – Waters

After the Opening Round Wednesday night, the OVC quarters took place Thursday night, with the top two seeds to enter the fray Friday.  Gersh picked up two more OVC wins to stay perfect.  Gross got his first win, but is still only 1-for-4 in this tourney.

#4 Tennessee Tech 77 – #5 SE Missouri St. 73
A nip and tuck game all the way through, but TTech ends up on top at the end, ending a decent season for SEMO.  Tech will now be the first team that every bubble team in America is unified in their dislike, as they will take on Murray St.  Lil Lohse, Mac, and Scoot all lose this one with SEMO.  Lynch had already lost with E. Kentucky.  Gersh, who has been perfect so far, is the only one with Tennessee Tech beating Murray in the semis.

#3 Morehead St. 68 – #7 Jacksonville St. 54
In a game that was much closer than the final score, Morehead survives against a game JSU team.  Morehead will now get the hosts, Tennessee St. in the semis on Friday night.  Quite a few people (Alexi, Dave, Doogan, J, Lohse, Teddy) had JSU in this upset, so they just missed.  Also, Gross, KA, and RDoc had Austin Peay here, so they miss out on the 8 points.  J lost the most, having JSU in the finals.  Gersh, RSmith, and Waters are the happiest about this result, as all three have Morehead winning this whole tournament.

OVC STANDINGS:
1). 26* – Gersh
2). 20 – Rikey, Stri
4). 18 – Alexi, Dave, Lil Lohse, Lohse
8). 16 – Bry, Primm, RSmith, Waters (’08)
12). 14 – Doogan, J (’10/’11), Lynch, Teddy
16). 12 – KA, Mac, RDoc, Scoot
20). 8 – Gross

Just what the worst 2012 postseason game (and one of the worst in NCAA history) needed…FIVE EXTRA MINUTES.

#9 Binghamton 73 – #8 UMBC 67 (OT)
Mark Macon’s Bearcats win their second game of the year, ending another awful season for the Retrievers.  Binghamton can now play the role of the Washington Generals in the quarterfinals on Saturday against #1 Stony Brook.  KA, Mac, and Primm were the only three to hit this mild upset.  No one had either of these teams going any further after this.  Is anyone really still reading this…?

The “other” quarterfinals took place a night after the top two seeds survived in the A-Sun.  The two games tonight give Dave and RDoc perfect A-Sun quarterfinal sheets.  Alexi, RSmith, and Lynch lose both games tonight, leaving Lynch with only one win in the quarterfinal round.

#4 E. Tennessee St. 68 – #5 N. Florida 66
Thanks to one of the WORST final possessions you will ever see, the Ospreys of N. Florida are going home.  ETSU survives and will move on to face #1 Belmont in Friday’s semifinal.  5 people missed this pick (Alexi, Bry, Doogan, Lynch, RSmith), with Bry taking the biggest hit in losing a finalist.  Dave and J keep their finalists alive.

#6 Florida Gulf Coast 71 – #3 USC-Upstate 61
An excellent season for USCU comes to a close earlier than they had hoped, but they can hold their heads up high.  The big story tonight is FGC.  In only their third year of D-I eligibility, this is the first time they have ever qualified for the postseason tournament and they come through with a big win in their first ever D-I postseason game.  They will now move on to face tournament hosts, Mercer in the semis.  Bry, Dave, KA, and RDoc hit this nice upset.  J and Primm lose the most here, as they had USCU winning the whole thing.  7 more had them reaching the finals (Alexi, Gross, Lynch, Scoot, Stri, Teddy, and Waters).

A-SUN STANDINGS:
1). 30* – Dave (’11), RDoc
3). 24 – KA
4). 18 – Bry (’10), Gersh, Gross, J (’08/’09/’11), Lil Lohse, Lohse, Mac, Primm, Rikey, Scott, Stri, Teddy
16). 12 – Alexi, Doogan, RSmith, Waters

After some Madness in the quarters, the Big South semis were ready for more.

#7 VMI 75 – #6 Winthrop 55
Madness!  VMI nearly lost at home to a terrible Radford team on Monday night.  Three days later, and they are preparing for an ESPN appearance and a shot at an NCAA tournament bid.  D.J. Covington scored a career-high 16 points off the bench and Stan Okoye registered a double-double, as the Keydets blew out Winthrop.  J and Lohse hit huge upsets AGAIN.  This is a pretty incredible run for these guys.

#1 UNC-Asheville 91 – #4 Charleston-Southern 64
Top-seeded Asheville has no trouble at all with CSU (thanks to JP Primm’s 27) and will host the Big South title game against VMI on Saturday morning with the first auto-bid at stake (unless Harvard clinches the Ivy Saturday night, which I’m not sure is possible).  Dave misses this upset pick here, but everyone else had Asheville, except KA, who had Liberty winning this game.

BIG SOUTH STANDINGS (with prior CTC titles):

1. J – 73
2. Lohse – 73
3. Doogan (’11) – 48
4. Stri (’08) – 42
5. Primm – 39
6. Lynch – 36
7. Teddy – 36
8. Lil Lohse (’10*) – 33
9. Waters – 33
10. Rikey – 30
11. Alexi (’10*) – 27
12. Bry (’09) – 27
13. Dave – 27
14. Gross – 27
15. Gersh – 24
16. Mac – 24
17. RDoc – 24
18. Scoot – 24
19. RSmith – 18
20. KA – 6

The four-game quarterfinal round took place all over the Northeast last night, and all four games were hard-fought and relatively competitive, but only one underdog came through, and it was the least surprising.  8 people nailed the quarterfinal round perfectly (Alexi, Bry, Dave, Lil Lohse, Mac, Primm, Rikey, Scoot).  Gross, J, RSmith, and Teddy all went 2-for-4, but Teddy and J at least hit the upset pick, so Gross and RSmith are the only two with 12 points from the night.

#1 Long Island 80 – #8 Sacred Heart 68
SH put up a nice fight, but fell short at the end, as Gross misses a HUGE upset pick.  A load of people keep their champion alive.

#2 Wagner 87 – #7 C. Connecticut St. 77
Danny Hurley’s squad moves on to the semis with a 10-point win against a tough CCSU team.  J and Teddy miss this big upset pick.

#3 Robert Morris 87 – #6 Monmouth 68
The Colonials probably looked the best of all teams in the quarters, taking care of a white-hot Monmouth team relatively easily.  Now, Robert Morris will travel to Staten Island on Sunday for a semifinal against Wagner.  RDoc is the happiest with this result, as he is the only one with RMC winning this tournament.  8 entries (Doogan, Gersh, J, KA, Lohse, Lynch, RSmith, and Teddy) all missed this decent upset pick.  J and Lohse lost the most here, as they had QU in the finals.

#5 Quinnipiac 80 – #4 St. Francis (NY) 72
A real nice season for the Terriers comes to a close, as they are the only home team to lose in the quarters.  A hot Quinnipiac team moves on to Long Island on Sunday for a semifinal against the regular season champion Blackbirds.  Most of the field hit this upset, but Gross lost the most, as he had St. Francis in the finals.

NEC STANDINGS (with prior CTC titles):
1). 26* – Alexi, Bry (’09*), Dave, Lil Lohse (’10), Mac, Primm, Rikey, Scoot (’11)
9). 20 – Doogan, Gersh, KA, Lohse, Lynch
13). 18 – RDoc, Stri (’08/’09*/’11)
15). 14 – J, Teddy
17). 12 – Gross, RSmith

I prefer the first week of the CTC to the second, surprisingly.  Probably because, as great as the major tournaments are next week (and they are phenomenal), I think that my two favorite conference tournaments every year are the MVC and the CAA.  And, the Valley begins tonight!  The tournament known as “Arch Madness” gets going with a double-header to whet the appetite for tomorrow’s always-thrilling quarterfinal quadruple-header.  And, this year is shaping up to be the best yet.

Championship Picks
12 for #1 Wichita St.
5 for #2 Creighton (Alexi, Bry, Mac, RSmith, Teddy)
0 for #3 Evansville
1 for #4 Illinois St. (Dave)

Biggest Upsets
R1 – #10 Bradley (Bry, Doogan, Teddy, Waters)
QF – #7 Drake (J)
SF – #6 Missouri St. (Doogan, RDoc)

Previous CTC Champs
2011 – Alexi
2010 – Stri
2009 – Stri
2008 – Ina

#7 Drake vs. #10 Bradley
When the sun rose on January 29th, Drake fans were probably as excited as they’ve been in several years – at least since that Selection Sunday that saw them chosen as a 5-seed in the Big Dance.  They had just beaten first-place Wichita State in a quadruple-overtime thriller the night before and they could finally consider themselves true contenders in the tough MVC.  Then, the hangover happened.  They lost three straight to slip back under .500 in the league.  They rebounded to finish at 9-9.  The good news?  9-9 is good enough to be in a tie for 3rd-place.  The bad news?  It is a ridiculous FIVE-way tie and they ended up losing out with the crazy tiebreaker procedures to finish in 7th place – the only team of the 5 not to earn a first-round bye in the conference tournament.  So, they are stuck playing a bad, but dangerous Bradley team in the opening round just for the chance to face Doug McDermott and Creighton tomorrow in the quarters.  4 people (Bry, Doogan, Teddy, Waters) have Bradley in this decent-sized upset.  None of them have them going any further.  J is the biggest fan of the Koffee Kakes, as he has them in the semis.

#8 Indiana St. vs. #9 S. Illinois
Just as disappointing Drake’s finish was – that’s how disappointing Indiana St’s whole conference season was.  This team did everything they needed to do in the non-conference to really put themselves on the map.  But, they were do disappointing in the conference season – losing to the two bottom feeders (Bradley and SIU) along the way.  But, they are a talented team that is battle-tested, so if I were a Wichita State fan, I’d be rooting hard for the Salukis tonight because I wouldn’t want any part of Indiana State in the quarters tomorrow.  4 people went with the minor upset pick of SIU here (Alexi, Gersh, Gross, Waters).  No one has either of these teams beating Wichita in the quarters.

Warning:  I think I write the following two sentences every year at this time.)  I love the NEC.  I’m not sure why, but I do.  And, now we get a pretty decent 8-team tournament from a 12-team regular season.  And, it is usually a pretty intriguing tournament.  And, this year is EASILY the most intriguing of all.  This field is completely wide open and it wouldn’t be shocking to see all hell break loose, especially on the heels of one of the more bizarre days in any conference all year occurring on the NEC’s final regular season day.  The top 4 teams – who had seemed to separate themselves a little from the rest of the league – all lost…convincingly.  First-place LIU lost by 28 to 6th-place Monmouth.  Second-place Wagner lost by 17 to 7th-place CCSU.  At least 3rd-place Robert Morris had a close one on the road to a decent team (Quinnipiac).  While 4th-place St. Francis (NY) lost to a Farleigh Dickinson team that didn’t even qualify for the NEC tournament after a 3-26 season.  This bizarre ending to the regular season adds even more intrigue to pretty wide open field of really good teams.  And, with Stri and his recent domination of this conference out this year, this title is wide open for the taking.

Championship Picks
10 for #1 Long Island
7 for #2 Wagner (Alexi, Dave, Gross, Lohse, Lynch, RSmith, Scoot)
1 for #3 Robert Morris (RDoc)

Biggest Upset
QF – #8 Sacred Heart (Gross)
SF – #6 Monmouth (J)

Previous CTC Titles
2011 – Scoot/Stri
2010 – Lil Lohse
2009 – Bry*/Stri*
2008 – Stri

#1 Long Island vs. #8 Sacred Heart
The Blackbirds have dominated this conference recently and did it again this year, though they did lose a game this time around (after going 21-0 including the conference tournament last year).  In their regular season finale against Monmouth they were absolutely plastered by 28 points.  So, with that taste still left in their mouth, they have to take on a pretty hot Sacred Heart team in the quarters.  Gross went for the long ball here, picking Sacred Heart in what would be a massive upset.  Most of the field has LIU winning this tournament.

#2 Wagner vs. #7 C. Connecticut St.
The last team Danny Hurley and company wanted to see end up as the 7-seed was CCSU.  Not only did the Blue Devils hammer Hurley’s team on Saturday by 17, but they are one of the more talented teams in the conference that just fell on some hard times in the middle of the season and ended up 7th.  This incredible turnaround that Hurley has brought to Staten Island could hit a bit of a snag if they don’t come to play tonight.  J and Teddy went for the big upset here with CCSU.  Neither of them have the Blue Devils going to the finals.  Just about everyone that doesn’t have LIU winning the tournament has Wagner.

#3 Robert Morris vs. #6 Monmouth
Lost in the great seasons that LIU and Wagner have put in is the fact that Robert Morris won another 22 games this year, including wins over James Madison, LaSalle, and Duquesne (a few of the only teams that will play the Colonials).  Monmouth, who was absolutely dreadful for the first half of the year, enters this game red-hot, including back-to-back wins over #4 St. Francis and #1 LIU, the latter by a shocking 28-point margin.  Monmouth seems to be a live ‘dog here, as 7 people (Doogan, Gersh, J, Lohse, Lynch, RSmith, Teddy) went with Hawks here in an upset.  RDoc is the biggest RMC fan, as he is the only one that has them winning this tournament.  Lil Lohse, Mac, Primm, and Rikey all have the Colonials making the finals.

#4 St. Francis (NY) vs. #5 Quinnipiac
In a crazy NEC season, it is quite clear what the most surprising development has been – the St. Francis Terriers.  A team that is always on the brink of even making the NEC tournament, the Terriers were picked for 10th-place this year in the preseason (one spot ahead of Monmouth, actually).  And, they looked the part in the non-conference, as they entered conference play at 3-8 against some bad competition.  But, they started hot and rode that streak to a 12-6 conference record and a first-round home game.  Their reward is a date with #5 Quinnipiac, who is one of the more talented teams in the conference, who is also playing some of their best ball of the season right now.  Speaking of live ‘dogs, Quinnipiac might be the livest we have seen thus far in the CTC.  Only 4 people have picked the favored Terriers here (Gross, RDoc, RSmith, Stri).  Everyone else has QU in the upset.  Teddy and Dave have the Bobcats making the finals.

So, the America East tournament starts today with their pigtail game.  It might be the worst game of the entire CTC, as it pits two obscenely bad teams in a top-heavy conference, whose champion awaits the winner of this game to pound on in the quarters.  But…I care.  And, it took a lot to get me to care, actually.  As for the rest of the conference…I don’t really care.  This year’s Am East has been as boring as the basketball is bad.  While it could be a decent tournament when we reach the semis, I’m kind of ready to just turn the page on this one.

Championship Picks
8 for #1 Stony Brook
8 for #2 Vermont
0 for #3 Boston U
1 for #4 Albany (Primm)

Biggest Upsets
R1 – #9 Binghamton (Mac, Primm)
QF – #7 Maine (Bry)
SF – #6 Hartford (Dave, Primm)

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

#8 UMBC vs. #9 Binghamton
So…why do I care about a pigtail game between teams with RPIs 335 and 344 (out of 344)?  Well, one, because I am a somewhat proud alum of UMBC, and two, my first ever sports hero was a guy named Mark Macon.  The National Freshman of the Year in 1988 (or would have been if they hadn’t started that award the next season) and 8th-overall NBA selection in 1991, Macon led the best Temple team in history to the #1 overall seed in the 1988 tournament.  And, now he is the head coach of the Binghamton Bearcats.  And, yes, they are the team with the DEAD-LAST RPI and the 1-28 record.  Ugh…  Mac and Primm are the only two that took the Bearcats tonight.  Obviously, no one has either of these teams beating #1 Stony Brook tomorrow.