Broad Street Believers

Bry, who shared the lead in each of the first two days (and was the overall leader) took Day Three by himself, going 11-for-11.  “I’m getting far too lucky right, and I’m just waiting for the bottom to fall out.  These brackets have a way of humbling people – and rather quickly,” he was quoted as saying after hearing the news that he got all 11 right on Thursday.  But, Bry wasn’t the only one who did well on Day Three.  Doogan, Lynch, Lil Lohse, and Gross all topped the 70-point mark for the day and are up in striking distance of the lead in these early stages.  Cheryle struggled today, landing at the bottom with just 26, but Mac, Dave, and Primm were only slightly better on this day.  But, as always, we need to be reminded that it is awfully early in the competition – call it the first TV timeout.

DAY THREE:
92 Bry*
76 Doogan
76 Lil Lohse
76 Lynch
70 Gross
68 Lohse
60 Gersh
58 J
56 Alexi
50 Scoot
50 Teddy
48 Dan
46 KA
46 Waters
34 Primm
34 Rikey
30 Dave
28 Mac
26 Cheryl

OVERALL STANDINGS:
176 Bry
152 Doogan
136 J
132 Lil Lohse
130 Lynch
124 Lohse
120 Gross
118 Gersh
110 Teddy
108 Alexi
96 Scoot
94 Waters
94 Mac
90 Rikey
88 Dan
78 Dave
76 KA
70 Primm
68 Cheryl

LAST UPDATE:  12:02 am

The clouds are circling and the winds are starting to pick up slightly.  The sky is a little darker, and it is starting to “smell like rain.”  Yes, my friends, a storm is a-brewin’.  After 8 games Tuesday and 8 more last night, we have ourselves 13 today, including our first round of semifinals.  5 conferences are in action today – 3 of which are brand-new to the docket.  And, this is only the beginning as we can now start counting down the hours until the black clouds and heavy rains are upon us (I swear I had no idea that the storm cliche was getting stale…).

BIG SOUTH SEMIFINALS (8 points each)
The 2011 CTC kicked off, as usual, in the Big South conference with their four quarterfinals.  We got one crazy upset and a couple other near-misses.  The Big South is now the first conference to enter the semifinal round.  The players know that they are playing for 8 CTC points each game (plus upset points), so you will see the intensity rise a bit on the court.  The winners tonight will earn a date with the ESPN family of networks for the title game on Saturday.  As for the CTC race, Bry, J, and Doogan have large leads here (at least 10 points on anyone else), so it may already be a three-horse race for the 2011 Big South crown.

#3 UNC-Asheville vs. #7 High Point
We will see how High Point responds coming off the biggest upset of the conference tournament season so far.  High Point knocked off #2 Liberty on Tuesday night, while Asheville looked impressive in a 12-point win over Charleston-Southern.  No one in the CTC has High Point winning this game, but plenty of people have UNC-Asheville going to the finals – Bry, J, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Scoot, Primm, and Gross.  Primm, Waters, Alexi, and Doogan actually have them winning it all.

UPDATE:  UNC-Asheville 62 – High Point 45
A close game for about 25 minutes until some guy named Primm started to score at will, enabling some other guy named Primm to grab 8 CTC points.  High Point actually had a lead in the second half, but Asheville caught fire and ended up winning pretty handily to get themselves to the Big South title game on Saturday.  Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and some guy named Primm (hmm…) keep alive their champion here.

#1 Coastal Carolina vs. #4 VMI
Both of these teams are coming off difficult home wins on Tuesday night.  Coastal’s was not supposed to be tough against Gardner-Webb, but it was.  VMI was expecting a barnburner against Winthrop, and they got it – pulling it out 78-73.  Now, we will see if the Keydets can knock off the undermanned Chanticleers and go to the finals.  Doogan, Teddy, and Cheryl are all hoping so, as they have them winning this game.  Cheryl and Teddy actually have them winning it all.

UPDATE:  Coastal Carolina 89 – VMI 81
VMI had almost as many missed three-pointers (21) than total rebounds (24).  Now, I am no basketball coach, but I would not exactly draw up a gameplan like that.  No to mention allowing an undermanned opponent to shoot almost 57% from the field.  I don’t want the secret to get out that this is bad basketball strategy because it’s so damn interesting and exciting, but, honestly, it is not the way to win games.  Coastal now takes their controversy-riddled team to the Big South championship against UNC-Asheville on Saturday.  Most CTC’ers kept their Big South champion here.  Cheryl and Teddy actually lost theirs.

MISSOURI VALLEY OPENING ROUND (6 points each)
Obviously, as a die-hard Temple fan, the A-10 tournament provides the most intrigue from a personal fan level for me.  And, as much as I rip the “major” (i.e. rich) conferences, it is pretty great to see the best teams in the country play in a conference tournament as a warm-up for the Dance.  But, of the 32 conference tournaments, there are two that always stand out above the rest for me because of their combining of quality basketball, hard-core STUDENT fans, and the intensity of teams playing for the auto-bid because at-large bids are never guaranteed.  One of those two conferences starts today with its “Arch Madness” in St. Louis – and that is the Missouri Valley.  A bit of a down year for The Valley, as a whole, but there is still a ton of intrigue heading into Arch Madness 2011.  As the CTC stands, no one has any of these four teams winning today and tomorrow, but both games are about as hotly contested as games can be, as far as split down the middle with the picks.

#8 S. Illinois vs. #9 Illinois State
An argument can be made that the Salukis of S. Illinois made The Valley what it is today with their consistent run of success in the regular season and the postseason.  They were even given a 4-seed in 2007 (and rewarded the Committee’s confidence by knocking off 5th-seeded Tennessee to reach the Sweet 16.  Granted The Valley was always a decent mid-major conference (4 separate programs in the Sweet 16 in the past 5 years), but a 4-seed?  That means the conference had arrived.  However, the downside of raising the level of your entire conference is that, well, you just raised the level of your entire conference – the very teams you have to play twice every year.  So, the Salukis have fallen back as a program, falling into the opening round of the MVC tournament this year, where they will play Illinois State.  The Redbirds lost a ton to graduation and never really got going with a young team this year.  And, now they have a tough road to walk here, with SIU and then #1 Missouri State just to reach the semis.  While no one has Missouri State losing to either of these teams in the quarters, the CTC was rather split on the outcome of this game.  9 of the 20 entries have Illinois State in the minor upset (Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Dave, Primm, and Mac).

UPDATE:  S. Illinois 57 – Illinois State 54
After a close game for the entire first half, the Salukis built a 10-point lead around the midway point of the second half, only to see it completely evaporate in less than 4 minutes.  But, a Justin Bocot three-pointer finally put them ahead to stay, as SIU earns – get this – their first MVC tournament win since 2007.  That’s a stunner.  It will probably be their last until at least 2012, though, as they are lined up to face #1 Missouri State in the quarters tomorrow.  The 11 entries who took the favorite here are 6 points richer in CTC wealth.

#7 Drake vs. #10 Bradley
Drake had that magical regular season in 2008, earning themselves a 5-seed (and a chance to have their hearts ripped out by a miracle W. Kentucky buzzer-beater to end their season), but are still trying to get back to that level.  Bradley actually had pretty lofty expectations this season and were an absolute disaster.  They actually lost their first 11 conference games, before recovering at the end and playing a little better.  But, it was a totally lost season for the Braves…barring a miracle run here in St. Louis.  Just like the first opening round matchup, no one has either of these teams advancing into the semifinals (the winner gets #2 Wichita State in the quarters), but the 20 CTC’ers are split exactly down the middle on this game – 10 with Drake and 10 with Bradley.  For the sake of documentation, Bry, Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Gersh, and Gross have the underdog, Bradley, here.  Everyone whose name was not listed there went with the favorite, Drake.

UPDATE:  Bradley 63 – Drake 48
26 of Bradley’s 63 points came from Dyricus Simms-Edwards (a career high to go along with a career-high 9 rebounds), as the Braves win relatively easily in the MVC opening round.  Bradley, winners of 6 of their last 9 after a terrible first three-quarters of the season, will take their momentum up against #2 Wichita State tomorrow night in the quarters.  Bry, Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Gersh, and Gross all hit this upset pick.

NEC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each)
12 teams playing almost a true round-robin with 6 conference games every Thursday and 6 more every Saturday from the end of December to the end of February makes the NEC a fun conference to follow.  The level of basketball is a little lacking, but there is still a lot intrigue throughout the year.  This conference splits up their rounds, with the quarters tonight, the semis on Sunday, and then the championship on Wednesday, so we’ll get a taste today and then pick it back up over the weekend.

#1 Long Island vs. #8 St. Francis (PA)
The Blackbirds were very impressive all year, and they are rewarded with the #1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the NEC tournament.  St. Francis (PA) snuck into the tournament (4 of the 12 teams are left out of the tourney), so they are playing with house money.  Waters and Teddy both went for huge upset pick here with St. Francis (PA).  Waters even has the Red Flash making the finals.  LIU is the NEC champion pick for the majority of the CTC field.

UPDATE:  Long Island 90 – St. Francis (PA) 75
One of the highest scoring teams in the country – averaging just shy of 83 points per game – the LIU Blackbirds flexed their offensive muscles in their first tournament game, hammering St. Francis (PA) in a game that was over almost as soon as it started.  A very impressive start to the postseason for the NEC’s top team.  Waters and Teddy missed out on what would have been a fantastic upset pick here.  Waters actually even lost a finalist in this game.

#2 Quinnipiac vs. #7 Mount St. Mary’s
Quinnipiac, the preseason pick to win the NEC, struggled in the middle of the season and lost by in their only meeting with LIU (on the island).  But, the Bobcats were good enough to earn the #2 seed in the tournament.  Mount St. Mary’s recovered from a terrible start to win 9 conference games and enter the NEC tournament rather safely as the 7-seed.  The Mountaineers did beat QU the only time these two played in the regular season, though.  Alexi, Waters, KA, Teddy, Dave, and Gross all went with MSM in a pretty big upset here, though none of them have them going any further.  Lynch, Gersh, and Mac all have the most at stake here with QU, as they have them winning this tournament.

UPDATE:  Quinnipiac 78 – Mount St. Mary’s 59
The final score doesn’t really tell the tale of this game, as it was a good bit closer than the 19-point win might indicate.  MSM actually led for the majority of the first half, until QU went on a 14-1 run to grab the lead at the break.  Alexi, Waters, KA, Teddy, Dave, and Gross all missed out on this upset pick.  Lynch, Gersh, and Mac are relieved to have their NEC champion pick still alive.

#3 Robert Morris vs. #6 Wagner
Another team that got up off the proverbial mat after a slow start this year is Robert Morris.  Maybe the hottest team entering the tournament, Robert Morris has won 6 in a row (granted, all six wins were against teams in the bottom 5 of the NEC standings) and certainly knows what it takes to take down this title.  Wagner has pretty much the opposite story.  Not picked to do much at all in the preseason, they started conference play with a blitz of victories that catapulted them to the top of the NEC in the early going.  But, they hit a couple snags down the stretch and are limping into the tournament as losers of their last 4 and 5 of their last 6.  J, KA, Dave, and Gersh all like Wagner here in a nice upset pick.  Gersh and KA both have the Seahawks making the finals, and KA actually has them cutting down the nets and going Dancing.  Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Primm, and Gross all went with Robert Morris to win this whole tournament – the second most popular pick behind #1-seed LIU.

UPDATE:  Robert Morris 78 – Wagner 74
Leading the whole way, Robert Morris looked like they had this game well in hand when they took a 69-57 lead into the under-4-minute time out.  But, out of that timeout, the Seahawks, fighting for the season, went on a 13-3 run to cut the lead to 2 with :25 seconds left.  But, the Colonials (like good teams do) cooly sunk their final 6 free throws to ice the game and live to fight another day.  RMC moves on to the semis, where they will take on Quinnipiac.  Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Primm, and Gross keep their NEC title team alive.  Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Primm, and Gross all miss on an upset pick.  KA lost her champion with this one.

#4 C. Connecticut State vs. #5 St. Francis (NY)
CCSU is one of the perenial power of the NEC and were picked to contend again this year.  They started slow, but have started to hit their stride as of late and inched their way into the top four, which means they get to host this first-round game.  St. Francis (NY), who won 10 conference games for the first time in a long time may not just be happy to be here.  Though CCSU is the higher seed here, the majority of the CTC went with the upset pick here.  Only Bry, Doogan, J, Stri, Alexi, Lynch, Scoot, and Dave took the Blue Devils.  Lynch and Dave have CCSU in the finals; Dave has them winning it.  On the other side, Lohse, KA, and Teddy all have St. Francis (NY) in the finals, though none have them winning.

UPDATE:  C. Connecticut State 64 – St. Francis (NY) 62
A pretty great game between the 4- and 5-seeds in the NEC ends up with CCSU prevailing and advancing to the semis, where they will take on top-seeded LIU.  There was a bit of madness in this one, as St. Francis drew within a single point, 63-62, with :29 seconds to play and then got the ball back, down 2.  But Ricky Cadell, their leading scorer, missed a shot at the buzzer that would have forced OT.  By the skin of his teeth, Dave keeps his title team alive.  Lohse, KA, and Teddy all lose a finalist in this one.  The majority of the field went with the upset, so there was a lot at stake here.

ATLANTIC SUN QUARTERFINALS (4 points each)
The first two quarterfinals took place in Macon, GA, last night, and the remaining two games will be played today to see who joins the top two seeds – Belmont and ETSU (who narrowly avoided a big upset) – in the semis tomorrow.

#3 Jacksonville vs. #6 N. Florida
I am going to be honest, I have no idea if these two teams are major rivals, but we can assume there is some sort of rivalry, right?  They are in the same conference and the same city, so let’s just call this a “heated” rivalry.  The winner of this game will play E. Tennessee State tomorrow night for a berth in the A-Sun finals on Saturday.  Though they are a lowly 6-seed, the 18-loss Ospreys of N. Florida got a TON of love in this year’s CTC.  12 people had them upsetting Jacksonville here in the quarters (only Alexi, Scoot, Cheryl, Rikey, Gersh, Primm, and Mac had the favorites).  And, 4 more had them winning again in the semis to reach the finals (J, Waters, Dan, and Dave).  No one went all the way to have them win the tournament.  And, on the flip side, not much love for the Jacksonville Dolphins, as only Alexi, Scoot, and Primm even have them reaching the finals (not a big stretch for a 3-seed) and only Scoot has them winning it.

UPDATE:  N. Florida 68 – Jacksonville 64
For most of the game, it looked like Jacksonville would cruise to a semifinal meeting with ETSU, but then, as often does in this crazy month we call March, it all went awry for the Dolphins.  Down by 6 at the half and double-digits through most of the first 10 minutes of the second half, UNF, led by some guy named Jerron Granberry, who went 7-8 from the floor and 8-9 from the line, came all the way back to upset #3 Jacksonville.  The 12 people who had UNF in this upset are pretty happy about the result, while no one is more unnerved than Scoot, who lost his A-Sun champion in the process.  Alexi and Primm also lost finalists here.

#4 Lipscomb vs. #5 Mercer
While we don’t know about the Jacksonville – N. Florida rivalry, the one rivalry that we do know that is probably the greatest rivalry you’ve never heard of is that of Nashville neighbors Lipscomb and Belmont.  Well, we are one Lipscomb victory away from getting that matchup with the bright lights of the A-Sun semis upon it.  But, that is a long 40 minutes away.  The Mercer Bears have been playing the best basketball as of late, and they get to play the A-Sun tournament on their home floor.  Lipscomb had a decent year and has an excellent team, but this should be a really good game.  Bry, Doogan, Waters, Scoot, and Gersh were all tempted by the single upset point here and took the underdog Mercer team.  Waters went all-in with the Bears and has this 5-seed winning the whole thing.  KA has the most at stake with Lipscomb, as she has them winning this tournament.  No one else even has them in the finals.

UPDATE:  Mercer 73 – Lipscomb 63
Brian Mills had 27 for Mercer in a game that wasn’t really all that close after the first 7 or 8 minutes.  Adnan Hodzic, one of the best players to don a Lipscomb uniform, came up real small (just 9 points) in his what probably will turn out to be his final collegiate game.  Mercer moves on to the semis where they will get a shot at top-seeded Belmont.  Bry, Doogan, Scoot, and Gersh are all happy with the upset pick here, but Waters is ecstatic, as he has Mercer winning this whole tournament.

OHIO VALLEY QUARTERFINALS (4 points each)
After Upset Night in the OVC last night, the dust has settled and we have two new teams entering the fray, hoping not to be the latest victims.  The top two seeds in this tournament get another night off before they join the party tomorrow for the semis.  With Gersh being the only one to hit both first-round games, he is the only one left with aspirations for a perfect OVC in 2011.  To continue his dream, he will need both favorites here tonight.

#4 Tennessee Tech vs. #8 UT-Martin
UT-Martin had a big come-from-behind win last night, eliminating Tennessee State, and bring their momentum back tonight to try and knock off Tennessee Tech.  If they win this, they move on face the Tennessee Volunteers and then the Tennessee Titans.  Well, that or Murray State, whichever sounds more reasonable.  The Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech had a really good year, winning 12 conference games and even leading the conference for a short period of time in late January.  They earned the night off last night and now get rewarded with the 8th-seed in a game to see who takes on #1 Murray State.  No one has UT-Martin winning this game, but Doogan, Alexi, Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, and Gross are all rooting for them because they have already lost the game (picking Tennessee State) and everyone else has Tech.  J has Tennessee Tech winning tonight and tomorrow; Alexi has the Golden Eagles winning this whole tournament.

UPDATE:  Tennessee Tech 83 – UT-Martin 59
After an exciting night of upsets last night, it looked like the trend might continue in the OVC, as UT-Martin dominated the first 6 or 7 minutes of this game, opening up as much as an 8-point lead.  But, Tech finished the half on a 26-6 run and never looked back, cruising to an easy quarterfinal win and setting up a semifinal date with #1 Murray State tomorrow night.  Alexi is happy to see this easy win, as he has Tech winning it all.

#3 Austin Peay vs. #7 SE Missouri State
Austin Peay is one of the staples of the OVC.  They have a rich basketball tradition so rich that in his spare time, their head coach, Dave Loos, is the school’s athletic director for all the “other” sports.  The Governors have had a resurgence this year, leading this pretty solid league, for the majority of the season, until finishing in a tie for second place – one game behind regular season champion, Murray State.  They lost the tiebreaker to Morehead State for the 2-seed and are relegated to this extra round of play.  Fortunately, for them, they get to face 6-12 SEMS instead of 9-9 E. Kentucky because of the upset last night.  Not surprisingly (because they’re very good), Austin Peay got a decent amount of love in the CTC picks.  Stri, Scoot, Gersh, Gross, and Mac all have them winning this tournament.  Lynch, Lil Lohse, Cheryl, and Primm have them reaching the finals.  Everyone in the CTC has them winning this game.

UPDATE:  Austin Peay 76 – SE Missouri State 60
And, the nightcap was not all that competitive, either.  Senior star Caleb Brown had 28, while St. John’s transfer Ty’Shawn Edmondson chipped in with 13 as the Governors cruise past SEMS in their 2011 postseason debut.  Everyone got this pick right.  Stri, Scoot, Gersh, Gross, and Mac all keep their champion alive.

AMERICA EAST OPENING ROUND (2 points)
The great America East starts today with its ‘pigtail’ game between the league’s bottom two teams.  After undergrad life at a small D-III school, I only got even a glimpse of D-I college sports in my final year of grad school when UMBC won the America East title in 2008.  I’m not gonna lie, as great as undergrad was, the one thing that was missing was big-time college sports…even if my only knowledge of it is a combination of Temple games with my dad growing up and one year of America East basketball as a 28-year old in grad school.

#8 UMBC vs. #9 Binghamton
Since that great 2008 season, it has been a freefall for the UMBC program.  This year looked like it might hit rock bottom when they lost their first 12 en route to an abysmal 1-16 start to the season.  But, then they, somehow, beat a good BU team at home and then won at Hartford.  Later in the season they actually went to Orono and knocked off a solid Maine team.  They still finished in 8th place in the league, but managed 4 conference wins.  Binghamton was almost as bad, but it was worse because there were more expectations of this team.  The Bearcats only had 2 non-conference wins and both were against bad teams (Manhattan and Cornell) and both by a single point.  But, they started conference play with three straight wins, and it looked like they were going to turn it around.  Then they lost 12 of their last 13 and finished in last place.  While, no one has either of these teams beating Vermont in the quarters, Bry, Doogan, J, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Cheryl, Dan, and Primm all went for the underdog Bearcats of Binghamton.

UPDATE:  Binghamton 91 – UMBC 65
In maybe the least competitive game we have seen thus far, UMBC just doesn’t show up.  The Retrievers were down by as many as 35 in this one and end up ending an abysmal season with a 26-point loss to the last-place team in the America East.  Binghamton will move on to the quarters tomorrow to face top-seeded Vermont.  Bry, Doogan, J, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Cheryl, Dan, and Primm all hit this minor upset.

CTC SNAPSHOT – MISSOURI VALLEY

Championship Picks:

• #1 Missouri State (5) – Waters, Lil Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, Dan
• #2 Wichita State (13) – everyone else
• #3 Indiana State (2) – Alexi, Primm

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds:

• OR – #10 Bradley – Bry, Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Gersh, Gross
• QF – #6 Evansville – Bry, J, Doogan, Stri, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Scoot, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, Gross
• SF – #6 Evansville – Scoot, Cheryl

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – Ina
• ’09 – Stri
• ’10 – Stri

CTC SNAPSHOT – NEC

Championship Picks:

• #1 Long Island (9) – everyone else
• #2 Quinnipiac (3) – Lynch, Gersh, Mac
• #3 Robert Morris (5) – Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Primm, Gross
• #4 C. Connecticut State (1) – Dave
• #5 St. Francis NY (0)
• #6 Wagner (1) – KA

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds:

• QF – #8 St. Francis PA – Waters, Teddy
• SF – #8 St. Francis PA – Waters

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – Stri
• ’09 – Bry/Stri (perfect)
• ’10 – Lil Lohse

CTC SNAPSHOT – AMERICA EAST

Championship Picks:

• #1 Vermont (12) – everyone else
• #2 Boston U (7) – Doogan, J, Waters, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Dave
• #3 Maine (1) – Gersh

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds:

• QF – #7 New Hampshire – Gross
• SF – # 6 Hartford – Lynch, Gross

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – Alexi
• ’09 – Bry
• ’10 – Stri/Lynch

The top of the standings for Day Two of the 2011 CTC looks a lot like the top of the Day One standings.  Bry and J, who were 1st and 3rd on Day One, shared top honors here on Day Two.  Doogan, who tied Bry for the Day One title, finished in a not-too-distant tie for 4th.  Lynch had a real nice day, finishing third.   A host of others were tied with Doogan in that fourth spot, including both Lohses, Gross, and Mac.  There was a three-way tie at the bottom today, between Waters, Cheryl, and Dan.  All in all, there wasn’t that much separation, as only 22 points separated the top and the bottom.  And, like yesterday, we cannot stress this enough, this competition has barely even started.

DAY TWO SCORES:
38 Bry
38 J
34 Lynch
34 Mac
30 Doogan
30 Gross
30 Lil Lohse
30 Lohse
28 Gersh
28 Teddy
26 Dave
20 Alexi
20 KA
20 Primm
20 Rikey
20 Scoot
20 Stri
16 Cheryl
16 Dan
16 Waters

OVERALL STANDINGS:
84 Bry
78 J
76 Doogan
66 Mac
60 Teddy
58 Gersh
56 Lil Lohse
56 Lohse
56 Rikey
56 Stri
54 Lynch
52 Alexi
50 Gross
48 Dave
48 Waters
46 Scoot
42 Cheryl
40 Dan
36 Primm
30 KA

LAST UPDATE:  11:41 am

If yesterday’s Opening Day to the 2011 CTC got us off with a quiet rustle (8 games over two conferences), today just continues that calm before the storm (8 more games from three conferences).  Yesterday’s tournaments – the Big South and Horizon League – take the day off to relocate, and three new ones (all 1x) begin in earnest.  What we do get here is our first afternoon affair, as Belmont meets Kennessaw State in the Atlantic Sun quarters at 2:30.

PATRIOT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS (4 points each)
One of the purest conference in college hoops, the Patriot League, starts its plodding trek towards crowning a champion.  This great league, with some of the best rivalries around, is still just an 8-team league that plays a true round-robin and then gives home court advantages throughout its tournament to try and reward regular season success (well, that and to sell tickets).  But, as far as the CTC goes, the PL sometimes gets lost because they take three days off between the quarters and semis and then four days off before the finals.  From a CTC standpoint, this tournament often gets lost – but it doesn’t mean that there aren’t valuable points to be won here.

UPDATE:  There was only one upset in the four quarterfinals here in the PL, and that upset was a popular pick, so, as expected, we still have a slew of perfect brackets in this conference, including Mac, Gross, Lil Lohse, Lohse, Lynch, Doogan, J, and Bry.

#1 Bucknell vs. #8 Army
The Bison of Bucknell were said to be a year away from really competing for a Patriot League title, but they blew that notion out of the water, winning the regular season crown going away.  Bucknell went through the conference round-robin with one single defeat.  Who managed to knock off Bucknell?  That’s right – their first round opponent, the Army Cadets.  Army was only 3-11, but played a lot of close games and beat two upper-division teams (Bucknell at home and Lehigh on the road).  But, despite the regular season split, not one person went for the big upset points with Army in this one.

UPDATE: Bucknell 78 – Army 51 

Top-seeded Bucknell jumps out to a 34-12 halftime lead and then coasts to an opening round win over the Cadets.  Freshman Cameron Ayers, son of former Sixers coach Randy, comes off the bench and drops 26 points for the Bison.  Everyone got this right.

#2 American vs. #7 Colgate
The PL this year was a two-team race from pretty much the first tip.  Bucknell, in sweeping American, won the regular season, but the Eagles went 11-1 in games against everyone other than the Bison, so their overshadowed season was pretty darn good as well.  Colgate, on the other hand, was pretty bad this year.  Opening 1-15 (including a 100-43 loss in the Carrier Dome), the Raiders righted the ship a little bit and won 4 conference games.  But, it wasn’t enough to get out of the #7 spot, earning them a date with American.  Just like the Bucknell game, this game is a walkover in the CTC, as all 20 entries has the favorite winning here.  However, Scoot has a lot more at stake here than everyone else, as he is the only one with this #2-seed winning the Patriot League.

UPDATE: American 69 – Colgate 53  

No drama here either, as American takes care of business.  Ironically for a school called American, their best player is Romanian forward Vlad Moldoveanu, who scores 31 points in this win.  Everyone hit this game and Scoot keeps his champ alive.

#3 Holy Cross vs. #6 Lafayette
It was quite an interesting season for the Crusaders of Holy Cross.  While they were picked for third in the conference before the season started (ahead of both Bucknell and American), they went 1-13 in the nonconference and it looked like the prognosticators were wrong.  But, then they started winning conference games and ended up right where they were supposed to – third.  Lafayette had a slightly different trek.  Picked to win the league by most people, the Leopards also had a rough non-conference, but never really got back on track in the league, finishing sixth.  This is as big of quarterfinal game can get, as far as CTC implications go.  Just on this game, along, the entries were split nearly right down the middle.  11 people picked Holy Cross; 9 went with Lafayette in the upset (Bry, Doogan, J, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Dave, Gross, and Mac).  Further, 7 people (Waters, KA, Teddy, Cheryl, Dan, Gersh, and Primm) have Holy Cross in the finals, with Waters and Dan having them as their champion.  On the other side, Dave and Gross both have the Leopards in the final, though neither have them winning it.

UPDATE: Lafayette 77 – Holy Cross 70  

Lafayette pulls off the lone upset of the Patriot’s opening round, as they go up to Massachusetts and knock off 3rd-seeded Holy Cross.  Bry, Doogan, J, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Dave, Gross, and Mac all hit this upset.  Waters and Dan are the first entrants of the contest to see a champion pick go down.

#4 Lehigh vs. #5 Navy
The defending champion Mountainhawks were supposed to compete with Lafayette for the PL title this year, but it never came together for Lehigh, though they did win just enough games to get a home game in the conference tournament.  Navy had an up-and-down year, ending up in the 5-spot with a winnable first-round game, albeit on the road.  Six people actually went with the upset pick of Navy here (Waters, KA, Cheryl, Dan, Dave, and Gersh), and Waters has the Midshipmen going to the finals.  Somewhat surprisingly, no one has Lehigh winning anything after this game.

UPDATE:  Lehigh 87 – Navy 75

In the Lehigh Valley, the Mountain Hawks get 25 points from star guard C.J. McCollum and pick up a relatively easy win over Navy.  Waters takes another hit here, as he had Navy going further than anyone else, and 5 others also fall short on their upset pick.

ATLANTIC SUN QUARTERFINALS (4 points each)
I really enjoy the A-Sun, and honestly, I am not really sure why.  It is not great basketball.  Other than the amazing rivalry of Belmont-Lipscomb, it does not have a ton of history.  It has an awkward number of teams (11), with two of them (Florida Gulf Coast and USC-Upstate still transitioning to D-1).  But, for some reason, it interests me.  And, the tournament has, in the recent past, provided some great CTC moments.  One of my best CTC memories is sitting at work, exchanging emails with Lohse about whether or not we really thought Kennessaw State could pull off an upset of #1 Lipscomb (which they did, and we both went crazy at our respective places of employment about a team that we never really even knew existed).  Anyway, last year’s tournament went haywire, as the #5 and #6 seeds played for the championship, so anything can happen down in Macon, GA.  As for the format, the A-Sun rewards its top two seeds with the chance to earn an offday in the middle of the tournament, as they split up the quarterfinals, with the top two seeds playing today, then the 3- and 4-seeds playing tomorrow, before the semis on Friday and the finals on Saturday.

UPDATE:  With only two games, both of which were quarterfinal games with a top 2 seed winning, you would expect a lot of perfect brackets here so far in the A-Sun.  But, would you expect ALL 20 to be perfect?  I wouldn’t have, but that is the case.  No one had either of the underdogs tonight, so everyone is 2-for-2 in the A-Sun.

#1 Belmont vs. #8 Kennessaw State
Be careful, Bruins!  Kennessaw State, who only qualified for the tournament because Florida Gulf Coast (who finished ahead of them in the standings) was not eligible for postseason play, knows all about upsets.  As mentioned in the opening, they knocked off top-seeded and heavily favored Lipscomb in this game last year.  And, this year, they were supposed to have a much better team.  They didn’t – in the regular season – but the slate is clean.  Belmont, who cruised to a 19-1 record and the A-Sun regular season title, is trying to head back to the dance for the fourth time in their history (their only three trips were three straight from 2006 to 2008).  I guess no one learned from last year, as no one picked KSU in this one.  In fact, 15 of the 19 people have Belmont winning the whole thing – and no other team in the league even has two people who picked them to win.  The four people that don’t have Belmont winning (Bry, Waters, KA, and Scoot) are probably wishing for an upset here, even though they didn’t pick it.

UPDATE:  Belmont 72 – Kennesaw State 57 

The very beginning of this game – when KSU jumped out to an early 7-point lead – looked eerily similar to last year’s A-Sun tournament opener, when KSU upset #1 Lipscomb.  But, the offensive juggernaut Bruins took over at about the midway part of the first half and cruised to a first-round victory.  Everyone in the CTC got this right and are 4 points richer.

#2 East Tennessee State vs. #7 Campbell
Lost in the 19-1 Belmont regular season was a pretty solid season in Johnson City, TN.  The Buccaneers (clearly Waters did not know that this was their nickname or he would have had them winning this thing) were 16-4 in the A-Sun and a clear second-place.  The Fighting Camels of Campbell struggled all year and now have a tall order if they want to make a run in Macon.  All 19 A-Sun entries (with still at least one outstanding) have ETSU winning this game.  But, the biggest ETSU fan in this group is Bry, as he is the only one with them winning the whole sha-bang.

UPDATE:  E. Tennessee State 54 – Campbell 53

The second-seeded Bucs of ETSU got a real scare in their conference tournament opener.  Campbell, down 15 with 15 minutes left, went on a furious comeback to draw within one with :35 seconds left.  They got a stop and took possession of the ball, down one, with :03 seconds left and a date with madness.  But, it was not to be as Mike Smith (who led ETSU with 24 points) stole the ball and time expired on the Camels.  ETSU will move on to the semis on Friday against the winner of tomorrow’s game between Jacksonville and N. Florida.  Everyone in the CTC got this game right, but Bry is the most relieved about this near upset being averted, as he is the only one with ETSU winning the A-Sun.

OHIO VALLEY OPENING ROUND (2 points each)
The OVC changed up their format this year to mirror that of the WCC – giving the top two teams double-byes, then the next two teams single-byes.  It is a very smart move for a predominantly one-bid league because, without sacrificing the income of the conference tournament (which only the Ivy League can survive without these days), it still offers the best chance to put your best team forward for the world to see.  This is particularly important now that four low-major teams will have participants in the “First Four” (a crock, if you ask me, as it should be the last eight at-large teams, but, well, no one really asked me).  You really want your team in the main draw and, for these lower-rated conferences a middle-of-the-pack team winning the conference tournament almost assures their place in a play-in game.  Anyway, enough of the soapbox, we’re all here for the CTC…

UPDATE:  It was the opposte of the A-Sun in the OVC’s opening round, as both favorites lost.  Granted, these weren’t exactly two great teams that went down, but they were upsets nonetheless.  1 out of 20 actually nailed both, so everyone give Gersh a nice congratulations.  On the other hand, plenty of entries (Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, Dan, Rikey, Dave, Primm, and Gross) got them both wrong.  Doogan, Alexi, Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, and Gross all lost a semifinalist, while Doogan even lost a finalist.

#5 Tennessee State vs. #8 UT-Martin
Tennessee State had a decent year this year and was actually in contention for the OVC title midway through the season.  They lost a couple tough games at the end and no find themselves needing four wins in four days to go dancing.  UT-Martin’s season was more of a tale of two seasons.  Before the Tennessee game and after.  They were really, really bad before they went to Knoxville and gave the Vols everything they could handle.  They ended up losing that game, but gained some life to their otherwise listless season.  They still only managed 6 conference wins, but are playing some of the best basketball here down the stretch.  For a #5 vs. #8 seeded affair here, it has some decent CTC implications.  5 entries have UT-Martin in a relatively big upset (Bry, J, KA, Teddy, and Gersh), while Tennessee State has gotten some love to do more damage than just a first-round win.  Doogan, Alexi, Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, Dave, and Gross all have the Skyhawks (I admit, I looked that one up) beating Tennessee Tech next round and going to the semis.  Doogan actually has them then going on to upset #1 Murray State and reaching the finals.

UPDATE:  UT-Martin 68 – Tennesee St. 64  

The OVC gets started off with an upset, as UT-Martin trails almost the whole game but rallies to steal this one.  Tenn. St. was up by 10 points in the second-half and up by 7 with 6 minutes to play, but freshman Terence Smith made some big plays down the stretch for the Skyhawks and they move on to Round 2.  Bry, J, KA, Teddy, and Gersh all hit this upset, while Doogan’s OVC chances take a hard hit because he had Tennessee St. in the finals.

#6 E. Kentucky vs. #7 SE Missouri State
E. Kentucky was one of the more disappointing teams in the OVC this year (though, not nearly as disappointing as their directional friend, E. Illinois, who didn’t even make the OVC tournament), as they were supposed to compete for third right behind the two big guys, but lost 9 conference games and slipped to 6th.  SE Missouri State was consistently bad pretty much all year.  As far as the CTC goes, let’s just say that whoever wins the whole thing won’t be looking back as this game as a critical juncture.  Only one entry (Doogan – E. Kentucky) has either of these teams beating Austin Peay in the quarters, so everyone else has their winner here as a one-and-done.  Lynch, Gersh, and Mac are actually the only three that took SEMS in the minor upset here.

UPDATE:  SE Missouri State 65 – E. Kentucky 49

E. Kentucky’s disappointing season comes to an end in fittingly disappointing fashion, as they get upset in the first round by a bad SEMS team.  Marland Smith’s 6 three-pointers highlighted his double-double night to lead the Bears into a quarterfinal date with third-seeded Austin Peay.  This game was a 1-point game at halftime, but SEMS dominated the second half.  Lynch, Gersh, and Mac were the only 3 to hit this upset pick.  But, only Doogan lost anything more than this game, as he lost a second OVC semifinalist in as many games.

CTC SNAPSHOT – PATRIOT LEAGUE

Championship Picks:

• #1 Bucknell (17) – everyone else
• #2 American (1) – Scoot
• #3 Holy Cross (2) – Waters, Dan

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds:

• QF – #7 Colgate – KA
• SF – #6 Lafayette – Gross

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – Doogan
• ’09 – Alexi
• ’10 – Teddy

CTC SNAPSHOT – ATLANTIC SUN

Championship Picks:

• #1 Belmont (15) – everyone else
• #2 E. Tennessee State (1) – Bry
• #3 Jacksonville (1) – Scoot
• #4 Lipscomb (1) – KA
• #5 Mercer (1) – Waters

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds:

• QF – #6 N. Florida – Bry, Doogan, J, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Dan, Dave, Gross
• SF – #6 N. Florida – J, Waters, Dan, Dave

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – J
• ’09 – J
• ’10 – Bry

CTC SNAPSHOT – OHIO VALLEY

Championship Picks:

• #1 Murray State (8) – everyone else
• #2 Morehead State (6) – J, Doogan, Waters, KA, Teddy, Dave
• #3 Austin Peay (5) – Stri, Scoot, Gersh, Gross, Mac
• #4 Tennessee Tech (1) – Alexi

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds:

• OR – #8 UT-Martin – Bry, J, KA, Teddy, Gersh
• QF – #6 E. Kentucky – Doogan
• SF – #5 Tennessee State – Doogan

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – Waters
• ’09 – Ina (perfect)
• ’10 – J

LAST UPDATE:  11:25 pm

Here we go!

Opening Day.  The grass is never as green.  The sun is never as bright.  The air is never as clear.  Everyone has optimism.  Everyone has hope.  Everyone is in first place.  That is the feeling right now, as no one has seen their title team go down in the quarters; no one has watched as their big upset pick fall in overtime.  Everyone has a zero in the L column.  But, only for a couple hours…

(NOTE:  There are two entries that have not come in at the time of posting, so there might be an edit or two.)

HORIZON LEAGUE OPENING ROUND (6 points each)
The Horizon League is one of the two tournaments that starts tonight, and it is actually a relatively important tournament.  Being upgraded from 2x to 3x this year (possibly because they placed a team in the championship game last year…), this tournament should get someone off to a good start here in 2011.

UPDATE:  Day One in the Horizon and all is well.  Four favorites win – some convincingly, some not as much, but it does lead into what should be a great weekend in Milwaukee.  No first round upsets usually leads to at least a couple perfect brackets, and this is no exception.  Mac, Rikey, Teddy, Waters, Alexi, Stri, Doogan, and Bry can all be embarrassed to say that they are conservative enough to have gone 4-for-4 tonight.  KA, at least with the integrity of a girl who loves a good upset, only hit one of these games.  OVERALL HORIZON LEADERS (perfect 24 pts) – Bry, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Teddy, Rikey, and Mac.

#3 Cleveland State vs. #10 Illinois-Chicago
The Vikings have probably lost all hope at an at-large bid, so all they have left is the Horizon tournament – and they didn’t even get one of the double-byes, so they have a long road ahead of them.  The first game previewed in a tournament with 20 people and, somehow, we have a unanimous pick.  No one has UIC in this one.  Lynch has the most at stake here, as he has the Vikings winning the whole thing.  Cheryl and Primm have them going to the finals.

UPDATE:  Cleveland State 73 – Illinois-Chicago 61
The Vikings built a 17-point lead a halftime, fell asleep at the start of the second and woke up in time to beat UIC rather handily.  Future first-round NBA pick, Norris Cole, went for 26.  Everyone got this right.  Lynch kept his champion alive.

#4 Valparaiso vs. #9 Youngstown State
Valpo, like CSU, is probably out of at-large possibility, so this is all they’ve got.  KA, Primm, and Gross were the only three tempted by the big upset pick here.  Mac has the most at stake with Valpo, as he has them winning the whole thing.

UPDATE:  Valparaiso 80 – Youngstown State 71
A back-and-forth game for the first 17 minutes, opened up as Valpo went on a 9-0 run to end the first half with a 10-point lead.  They led in the second half by as many as 19 and looked like they would walk to Milwaukee for the quarters, but Youngstown State wouldn’t go quietly and actually drew the game within one, 71-70 with less than 2 minutes to go, but couldn’t get over the hump.  Brandon Wood and the Crusaders hung on and ended the upset hopes of KA, Primm, and Gross.  Mac kept alive his champion.

#5 Detroit vs. #8 Loyola (IL)
A decent Detroit team opens their tournament at home against Loyola.  As mundane as it seems, this game does have some some CTC implications.  J, Lynch, KA, and Dan all have Loyola in the upset.  Gross has Detroit going all the way to the Horizon finals.

UPDATE:  Detroit 90 – Loyola (IL) 69
Our first utter blowout of the CTC is offered up by Detroit.  The Titans cruised past Loyola to earn themselves a quarterfinal date with Valpo.  This results looks pretty nice to Gross, who has Detroit in the Horizon title game.

#6 Wright State vs. #7 Green Bay
This Green Bay team does not have Aaron Rodgers, but maybe they have his magic.  Wright State, on the other hand, has let a good season go down the drain with a fading finish.  They still are not a team to be overlooked, though, as Vaughn Duggins and company can flat-out play.  This game is the most hotly contested first-round matchup, as far as the CTC goes (though, there are very few down-the-road) implications.  11 of the 19 entries that have been submitted actually went with the underdog, Green Bay, in this one.  A minor upset, but an upset nonetheless.  Only Bry, J, Doogan, Alexi, Teddy, Rikey, and Mac took the favorite here.  Looking ahead, though, there are very few ramifications.  Only two people have Cleveland State beating either one of these teams in the quarters (Dan has Green Bay going to the semis and Waters has Wright State).

UPDATE:  Wright State 60 – Green Bay 50
Vaughn Duggins and his awkward style of play pour in 22 points as the Wright State Raiders slip past Green Bay into the quarters.  This very popular underdog pick didn’t materialize, and Wright State keeps the dreams of Waters and Stri alive to nail Wright State in the semis.  Dan lost the most in this game, as he had Green Bay in the semis.

BIG SOUTH QUARTERFINALS (4 points each)
The other conference that kicks off tonight is the Big South.  The Big South is a critical one in the CTC because it is almost always the first one, so it sort of sets the pace.  In the end, though, there are not a ton of points at stake here.  But, every conference crown is important.

UPDATE:  Day One of the Big South gave us some great games and one major upset.  Bry, Doogan, and J all hit the High Point upset and two of the three favorites that won to lead the way with 22.  KA, Dave and Primm struggled, going just 1-for-4.  OVERALL BIG SOUTH LEADERS (22 pts):  Bry, Doogan, and J.

#1 Coastal Carolina vs. #8 Gardner-Webb
Coastal Carolina had the nation’s longest winning streak at one point this season, but lost its only two conference games in the last week of the season, so, despite a 16-2 conference record, they are not exactly playing their best basketball.  Gardner-Webb would not have even qualified for the Big South tournament if Florida Gulf Coast was eligible, but a chip and a chair, right?  If they win every game they play from here on out, we will crown them national champions.  Doogan and Primm swung for the fences here, going for the huge Gardner-Webb upset pick.  On the other side, Coastal, the top seed, was the champion pick of 10 people (Bry, J, Lynch, both Lohses, Scoot, Rikey, Dave, Gross, and Mac).

UPDATE:  Coastal Carolina 83 – Gardner-Webb 72
And there is a 17-way tie for first in the CTC!  In the first final score of the 2011 CTC, the Chanticleers overcame their “issues” to win their opening tournament game at home.  Gardner-Webb led much of the first half, but Coastal held them at arm’s length for most of the second half, winning a game that was a lot closer than the final score.  Doogan and Primm’s longshot upset pick was close, but didn’t quite come through.

#2 Liberty vs. #7 High Point
Liberty, the surprise of the Big South this year, had a remarkable year, considering they only lost one game to anyone other than Coastal, even though they were only picked to finish 8th in the conference in the preseason.  High Point, well, wasn’t very good this year.  Despite that, three entries (the BSB contingent – Bry, Doogan, and J) have High Point in the upset here.  Surprisingly, though they are the #2-seed, only 3 people have Liberty winning this whole tournament (KA, Dan, and Gersh), so those three are big-time Liberty fans for the next week.

UPDATE:  High Point 66 – Liberty 60
Madness!  Shay Shine drops 26 on the Flames and High Point moves on.  Liberty looked like they were going to win big, opening up an 18-9 lead early in the first half and then a 39-30 lead midway through the second, but the last 14 minutes were dominated by Shine and High Point.  J, Doogan, and Bry all nailed the first big upset of the CTC.  KA, Dan, and Gersh all lost their champion.

#3 UNC-Asheville vs. #6 Charleston-Southern
Barring a big Gardner-Webb upset of Coastal, this game will probably go the furthest of all quarterfinal games in determining this year’s Big South CTC champion.  5 people have Charleston-Southern in the upset (KA, Teddy, Cheryl, Dave, and Mac), while 4 others have UNC-Asheville cutting down the nets as Big South champ on Saturday (Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and Primm), with a boatload of others having UNC-Asheville as least in the finals.  Teddy and Dave actually have CSU in the finals.  This is a big see-saw game in the Big South quarters.

UPDATE:  UNC-Asheville 72 – Charleston-Southern 63
Asheville takes care of business at home, never really being threatened.  With the Liberty loss giving them a home semifinal and a short-handed Coastal squad, Asheville has become the new favorite to win this tournament.  Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and Primm would like that result.  Teddy and Dave lost finalists here.

#4 VMI vs. #5 Winthrop
VMI – maybe the most exciting team in the country to watch because of their astromonical number of three-point attempts and their complete aversion to defense – played really well down the stretch to earn the 4-seed and a home game in the first round.  The downside – they get an experienced, well-coached (albeit, slightly down on their usual talent) Winthrop team.  While VMI is the favorite and the home team, the majority went against the Keydets here.  Only Doogan, Stri, Teddy, Cheryl, Dan, Rikey, Gersh, and Mac took VMI at home.  But, those who like them seem to love them.  Doogan has the Keydets in going to the finals, while Teddy and Cheryl actually have them winning the whole thing.  Alexi, KA, and Primm have the most at stake with the Golden Eagles, as they have Winthrop going to the finals.

UPDATE:  VMI 78 – Winthrop 73
VMI played just enough defense to hold off the Golden Eagles in a game that was close all night.  Alexi, KA, and Primm lose a finalist.  Teddy and Cheryl keep their champion alive.

As promised, I want to give an overall preview of each conference and its CTC implications on the day they get started, so we will see how this works.

CTC SNAPSHOT – HORIZON LEAGUE

Championship Picks:

• #1 UW-Milwaukee (5) – Doogan, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, Primm
• #2 Butler (12) – everyone else
• #3 Cleveland State (1) – Lynch
• #4 Valparaiso (1) – Mac

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds: 

• OR – #9 Youngstown State – KA, Primm, Gross
• QF – #8 Loyola IL – Lynch, KA
• SF – #4 Valparaiso – J, Alexi, Waters, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Mac

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – Ina/Waters
• ’09 – Bry
• ’10 – Doogan/Teddy (perfect)

CTC SNAPSHOT – BIG SOUTH

Championship Picks:

• #1 Coastal Carolina (10) – everyone else
• #2 Liberty (3) – KA, Dan, Gersh
• #3 UNC-Asheville (4) – Doogan, Alexi, Waters, Primm
• #4 VMI (2) – Teddy, Cheryl

Lowest Seed Picked to Win in Earlier Rounds: 

• QF – #8 Gardner-Webb – Doogan, Primm
• SF – #6 Charleston-Southern – Teddy, Dave

Previous CTC Winners:

• ’08 – Stri
• ’09 – Bry
• ’10 – Alexi/Lil Lohse/KA (perfect)

That’s right, my friends.  It is the greatest time of the year – the time to bring yet another Conference Tournament Challenge to Broad Street Believers!  I wish I wasn’t such a gigantic dork and loved this stuff so much, but, alas, we all are who we are – nothing more, nothing less.  I will not pretend to be someone I’m not. 

Fortunately, there are others…

And, this year, the CTC has exploded with “others.”  We have a whopping 20 committed entries to the 4th Annual BSB Conference Tournament Challenge (we are actually probably well into the double-digits in years, but we’ve only had the website for four years…). 

This year, I will (like last year), try to get out at least a preview of the day’s action every day (though, this year might be the most difficult because I have a lot more actual “work” to do these days, but we will see just how far I can push the envelope…).  Last year, I tried to do a recap every day, but that got a bit cumbersome and repetitive, so this year, I am going to try something new for the reporting of results.  I might try and just update the “preview” post at different periods throughout the day, so that it turns into a “recap” by the end.  I think it might work better and will be more “real time” (and, will save the repitition that dominated last year’s).  Not sure how it will all work, so feel free to let me know if it’s useful.  It is definitely a “labor of love,” but I want to make sure that it creates the most enjoyment for everyone, as well.

Anyway, enough with all the logistical stuff, let’s get on to the Day One Preview.