CTC Day 11 Recap: Doogan and Teddy Continue to Shine, But a New Contender Emerges as Stri Wins the Day

Posted on March 13, 2010 by bry

Stri comes up huge when he needs it, winning the day with over 600 points.  Teddy, after 712 on Thursday had 598 more on Friday.  Doogan still doesn’t win a day, but his 588 is enough to keep a razor-thin overall lead heading into the final two days.  Ina is still alive, though it’s looking bleaker.  Bry’s dream of three straight probably ended late last night when BYU lost to UNLV.  Alexi and J are on life support at this point.  And, the Lohses, Lynch, KA, and Waters are all looking forward to 2011.

DAY 11 SCORES (days won):
606 – Stri  (2)
598 – Teddy (1)
588 – Doogan
556 – Lohse (2)
544 – Alexi (2)
508 – J
498 – Bry (3)
490 – Ina (2)
484 – Lil Lohse (2)
458 – Lynch (1)
408 – KA
258 – Waters

OVERALL STANDINGS (conference titles):
2154 – Doogan (1 – Horizon*)
2144 – Teddy (2 – Horizon*, Patriot)
2057 – Stri (3 – MVC, SoCon, Sun Belt)
2041 – Ina (1 – Summit)
2004 – Bry (4 – A-Sun, CAA, MAAC*, Summit)
1963- Alexi (2 – Big South*, Summit)
1931 – J (1 – OVC)
1883 – Lohse (1 – Big Sky)
1798 – Lil Lohse (3 – Big South*, NEC, Summit)
1609 – Lynch (1 – WCC)
1484 – KA (1 – Big South*)
1218 – Waters

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
a

#1 Lehigh 74 – #3 Lafayette 59. 

FINAL PATRIOT LEAGUE STANDINGS:
50 – Teddy
46 – Ina
40 – Doogan (’08)
36 – Lil Lohse
36 – Lohse
32 – Bry
32 – Stri
32 – Waters
26 – J
22 – KA
20 -Lynch
8 – Alexi (’09)

BIG EAST SEMIFINALS (40 points each):
a

#8 Georgetown 80 – #5 Marquette 57. 

#3 West Virginia 53 – #7 Notre Dame 51. 

BIG EAST STANDINGS:
240 – Teddy
235 – J
175 – Lynch
165 – Alexi
130 – Doogan (’08, ’09)
130 – Lil Lohse
115 – Ina
115 – Lohse
115 – Stri
90 – Bry
40 – KA
40 – Waters

BIG XII SEMIFINALS (40 points each):
a

#1 Kansas 79 – #4 Texas A&M 66. 

#2 Kansas St. 82 – #3 Baylor 75. 

BIG XII STANDINGS:
170 – J
170 – Stri
160 – Alexi (’09)
160 – KA
150 – Ina
120 – Teddy
120 – Waters
110 – Bry
110 – Lohse
100 – Doogan (’08)
100 – Lil Lohse
100 – Lynch

PAC-10 SEMIFINALS (40 points each):
a

#1 California 85 – #5 UCLA 72. 

#3 Washington 79 – #7 Stanford 64. 

PAC-10 STANDINGS:
170 – Stri
170 – Teddy
160 – Alexi (’09)
140 – Lil Lohse
140 – Lohse
140 – Lynch
130 – Bry
130 – Doogan (’08)
130 – Ina
120 – J
30 – KA
30 – Waters

ATLANTIC 10 QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
a

#1 Temple 69 – #8 St. Bonaventure 51. 

#5 Rhode Island 63 – #4 St. Louis 47. 

#2 Xavier 78 – #7 Dayton 73. 

#3 Richmond 77 – #11 UMass 72.

ATLANTIC 10 STANDINGS:
*180 – KA
150 – Ina
140 – Bry (’09)
140 – Doogan
140 – Lil Lohse
110 – Alexi
100 – Teddy
80 – Stri
70 – J
70 – Lohse
60 – Waters (’08)
50 – Lynch

ACC QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
a

#1 Duke 57 – #9 Virginia 46. 

#12 Miami (FL) 70 – #4 Virginia Tech 65. 

#7 Georgia Tech 69  – #2 Maryland 64. 

#11 N.C. State 58 – #3 Florida St. 52. 

ACC STANDINGS:
280 – Stri
180 – Lohse
170 – Doogan (’09)
130 – Teddy
120 – Ina
100 – Bry (’08)
80 – KA
50 – J
30 – Alexi
30 – Lynch
20 – Lil Lohse
20 – Waters

BIG TEN QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
a

#1 Ohio St. 69 – #8 Michigan 68. 

#5 Illinois 58 – #4 Wisconsin 54. 

#2 Purdue 69 – #7 Northwestern 61. 

#6 Minnesota 72 – #3 Michigan St. 67 (OT). 

BIG TEN STANDINGS:
70 – Lil Lohse
70 – Waters
60 – Alexi
60 – Bry (’08, ’09)
60 – Doogan
60 – Ina
60 – J
60 – Lohse
60 -Lynch
50 – KA
50 – Stri
50 – Teddy

SEC QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
a

#1E Kentucky 73 –  #4W Alabama 67. 

#3E Tennessee 76 – #2W Ole Mess 65. 

#1W Mississippi St. 75 – #4E Florida 69. 

#2E Vanderbilt 78 – #6W Georgia 66. 

SEC STANDINGS:
*180 – Alexi (’09)
170 – Doogan
160 – Stri
150 – Bry
150 – Ina
150 – J
140 – Teddy
120 – KA
100 – Lohse
100 – Lynch
90 – Lil Lohse
10 – Waters (’08)

MOUNTAIN WEST SEMIFINALS (32 points each):
a

#4 San Diego St 70 – #1 New Mexico 69. 

#3 UNLV 70 – #2 BYU 66. 

MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS:
160 – Doogan
120 – KA
104 – Alexi
104 – J (’08)
104 – Lohse
104 – Lynch (’09)
104 – Teddy
104 – Waters
80 – Bry
72 – Ina
48 – Lil Lohse
48 – Stri

MAC SEMIFINALS (24 points each):
a

#3 Akron 66 – #7 W. Michigan 64. 

#9 Ohio 54 – #4 Miami (OH) 42. 

MAC STANDINGS:
*258 – Teddy
120 – Doogan (’08, ’09t)
114 – Ina (’09t)
114 – Lil Lohse
102 – Alexi
78 – Lohse
78 – Waters
72 – Lynch
66 – KA
66 – Stri
60 – Bry
60 – J

CONFERENCE USA SEMIFINALS (24 points each):
a 

#7 Houston 74 – #6 S. Mississippi 66. 

#1 UTEP 75 – #5 Tulsa 61. 

CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS:
126 – Lohse
108 – J
102 – Doogan
96 – Lynch
84 – Bry (’09)
84 – Teddy
78 – Alexi
72 – Ina (’08)
72 – Lil Lohse
66 – Stri
54 – KA
24 – Waters

WAC SEMIFINALS (16 points each):
a

#1 Utah St. 85 – #4 Louisiana Tech 55. 

#3 New Mexico St 80 – #2 Nevada 79. 

WAC STANDINGS:
60 – Teddy
48 – Alexi
48 – Bry
48 – Doogan
48 – Ina
48 – J
48 – Lil Lohse
48 – Stri
48 – Waters
40 – Lohse
24 – Lynch
16 – KA

MEAC SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
a

#3 S.C. State 70 – #2 Delaware St. 66 (OT). 

#1 Morgan St. 74 – #5 Hampton 67. 

MEAC STANDINGS:
40 – KA
34 – Bry
34 – Ina
32 – Alexi (’08)
28 – J
24 – Doogan
22 – Lohse
20 – Lil Lohse
20 – Teddy
14 – Lynch (’09)
14 – Stri
14 – Waters

BIG WEST SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
a

#3 Long Beach St 68 – #2 Pacific 61. 

#1 UC-Santa Barbara 76 – #4 UC-Davis 62. 

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

SWAC SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
a

#2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 46 – #3 Alabama St 44. 

#5 Texas-Southern 60 – #8 Grambling St 57. 

SWAC STANDINGS:
30 – Lohse
22 – Bry
22 – Ina (’09*)
22 – Teddy
18 – J
16 – Lynch
14 – Alexi
14 – Lil Lohse
14 – Waters (’08)
12 – KA
10 – Doogan
10 – Stri

GREAT WEST SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
a

#1 South Dakota 76 – #5 Texas-Pan American 71. 

#2 Houston Baptist 74 – #6 N.J. Tech 64. 

GREAT WEST STANDINGS:
*36 – Stri
30 – Lil Lohse
30 – Lohse
26 – Doogan
24 – J
22 – Waters
20 – Bry
20 – Ina
18 – Alexi
18 – KA
18 – Lynch
10 – Teddy

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Day 11 Preview

Posted on March 12, 2010 by bry

47 games yesterday.  Only 39 today.  But, have no fear, there are a LOT of points at stake as each tournament moves on to another round of play.  This might be the fifth best sports day of the year (behind next thursday through sunday).

Before we get into today’s preview, I thought that, heading into the title weekends, it might be interesting to see the breakdowns of champions with the 12 CTC’ers.

  • ACC – Duke 9, Maryland 2, Florida St. 1
  • A-10 – Temple 4, Xavier 3, Richmond 5
  • Big XII – Kansas 10, Kansas St. 1, Baylor 1
  • Big East – Syracuse 8, Pittsburgh 0, West Virginia 1, Villanova 3
  • Big Ten – Ohio St. 4, Purdue 3, Michigan St. 4, Wisconsin 1
  • Big West – UCSB 6, Pacific 6
  • Conf USA – UTEP 7, Memphis 4, UAB 1
  • Great West – South Dakota 10, Houston Baptist 1, North Dakota 1
  • MAC – Kent St. 6, Akron 6
  • MEAC – Morgan St. 7, Delaware St. 2, S.C. State 1, Norfolk St. 2
  • Mountain West – New Mexico 6, BYU 2, UNLV 2, San Diego St. 2
  • Pac-10 – California 4, Arizona St. 3, Washington 5
  • SEC – Kentucky 8, Mississippi St. 0, Vanderbilt 2, Ole Miss 1, Tennessee 1
  • Southland – Sam Houston St. 9, Stephen F. Austin 2, UT-San Antonio 0, SE Louisiana 2
  • SWAC – Jackson St. 6, AR-Pine Bluff 4, Alabama St. 2
  • WAC – Utah St. 9, Nevada 3

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
Remember the Patriot League?  Ya, it’s still going.  The last time we caught up with the PL was Sunday, when Lehigh and Lafayette both won home semifinal games to set up today’s championship–the only championship of the day.  The current leader is Doogan (the ’08 champ), and he will win the title if Lafayette comes through.  If Lehigh wins, at home, then Teddy will win his first CTC conference crown (it won’t be his last with his performance here in the seconed week).

#3 Lafayette at #1 Lehigh.  The Mountain Hawks of Lehigh won the regular season, so they got home games througout the tournament.  Well, this is final one.  Fran O’Hanlons Leopards will try and take the title and go to The Dance.  J and Doogan both have Lafayette in a nice upset title pick.  Bry, Ina, Stri, both Lohses, and Teddy all have Lehigh.

BIG EAST SEMIFINALS (40 points each):
Four unlikely teams remain after Upset Thursday in MSG.  But, this conference is so deep that the matchups are still great, and the title is still of incredibly high prestige.

#5 Marquette vs. #8 Georgetown.  Marquette STUNNED Villanova yesterday and now get to wear the home whites in the conference semis.  G’town put in a STUNNING performance against Syracuse yesterday.  No one has either of these teams winning this game, so there are no points at stake here in the CTC

#3 West Virginia vs. #7 Notre Dame.  WVU is, all of a sudden, the best remaining seed in the Big East tournament, after an amazing game-winner last night by Da’Sean Butler gave them a win over Cincinnati.  Notre Dame is red-hot and the ‘Gody looks healthy, so they are gonna be tough.  Everyone except Waters and KA have a horse in this race.  Lohse has the great upset pick of Notre Dame here.  The other 9 have West Virginia going to the finals.  But, Bry is the only one that has WVU winning this tournament.  In fact, he’s the only one with their Big East champion still alive, so this game is biggest for him.

BIG XII SEMIFINALS (40 points each):
The top four teams all came off of their byes yesterday and won their quarterfinals matchups.  That sets up a fantastic double-header in Kansas City tonight and we are guaranteed to have a great matchup in the title game tomorrow.

#1 Kansas vs. #4 Texas A&M.  Both teams took care of business yesterday and meet in the early game tonight.  Everyone has KU winning this game.  Doogan and KA are the only two that do not have them winning it all, so they are probably rooting for an upset here.

#2 Kansas St. vs. #3 Baylor.  The second game of the double-header is going to be a war between a K-State team that is probably still dreaming of a #1-seed and a red-hot Baylor team.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Alexi, Lil Lohse, adn Teddy all have Baylor in the mild upset.  KA, J, and Stri have K-State.  Waters, Lynch, and Lohse all had Oklahoma St. and have, therefore, already lost this game.  The game is biggest for Doogan and KA, as they have Baylor and K-State, respectively, to win it all.

PAC-10 SEMIFINALS (40 points each):
The Pac-10 nearly had a nightmare of a quarterfinals, but UW pulled it out late to probably secure that the Pac-10 will not have to deal with the ignominity of being a one-bid league this year.

#1 California vs. #5 UCLA.  Ben Howland’s team is still kicking, as they are two wins from somehow pulling out an NCAA bid from this forgettable season.  Cal is heading to the tournament, but could use a Pac-10 tourney title for a favorable seed.  Waters and KA have already lost this game (Arizona), but everyone else has Cal.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, and Alexi have Cal winning this tournament.

#3 Washington vs. #7 Stanford.  This matchup, one that was supposed to be a de facto NCAA tournament play-in game, has been crashed by Stanford who knocked off ASU yesterday.  So, UW has an easier matchup in the semis, but does not have any more excuse for losing it.  J, Waters, and KA has already lost this game (Arizona St.).  Everyone else has yoo-dub.  Stri, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy all have the Huskies winning this tournament.

ATLANTIC 10 QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
Two A-10 teams didn’t make the tournament.  Then, four games across the conference’s campuses eliminated four more on Tuesday night.  So, we are down to eight A-10 teams to battle it out on the boardwalk.

#1 Temple (14-2) vs. #8 St. Bonaventure.  The Owls grab the conference’s top-seed for the first time in nearly a decade and open the quadruple-header with the Bonnies.  Everyone has Temple winning this game.  Bry, J, Doogan, and Lynch all have Temple winning the tournament. 

#4 St. Louis (11-5) vs. #5 Rhode Island.  URI’s bubble hopes probably rest on knocking off the Bilikens today in the second game.  Let’s stop and talk, for a second, about how great Rick Majerus is.  Honestly.  There are no senior and no juniors on this St. Louis team, and Mr. Majerus has coached them up and they are going to the Dance.  Plus, since it’s St. Louis (and none of them are Larry Hughes), it’s not like any of them are going to leave early for the Association, so the next two years in the A-10 are going to be Majerus and then the rest of the field.  So, get the Bilikens now because you won’t be getting them for a while now…at least until one of the big-money schools realize just how amazing Rick Majerus is and offer him the world to come coach for them.  Anyway, back to today (fortunately, for the rest of the A-10), KA, Teddy, and Alexi have URI in the mild upset.  KA has the Rams in the finals.  Waters has already lost this game (St. Joe’s); everyone else has St. Louis.  Stri and Lohse have SLU in the finals.

#2 Xavier (14-2) vs. #7 Dayton.  In the first game of the night session (and one of the best games of the day around the country), two in-state rivals will battle for a shot at the semis.  Dayton needs this game to just about secure a big, but XU is red-hot.  Waters, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy all have Dayton in a big upset here.  Lynch has the Flyers in the finals.  Everyone else has the X.  Ina, Lil Lohse, and KA have Xavier winning the A-10.

#3 Richmond (13-3) vs. #11 UMass.  The nightcap was supposed to be another big game for the bubble, but Charlotte’s bubble burst at home on Tuesday when they lost to UMass.  Now, the Minutemen will try to continue in  their spoiler role, as they get the Spiders.  Lynch had Charlotte here, but everyone else has Richmond.  The Spiders are actually a pretty popular CTC pick here, as more people picked Richmond (Teddy, Lohse, Waters, Stri, and Alexi) to win the A-10 than any other team.  Throw in J, who has them losing in the finals, and you’ve got half the field with Richmond in the finals.

ACC QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
The top four teams in the ACC join the party in Greensboro today, joining the four survivors of a top-seed massacre yesterday.

#1 Duke (13-3) vs. #9 Virginia.  The Dukies start their quest for yet another #1 seed in the NCAA tournament as they take on a young UVa team that knocked out BC yesterday.  Everyone has Duke winning this game.  Alexi and KA are the only two that do not have Duke in the finals.  Those two and J are the only three that do not have Duke winning this tournament.

#4 Virginia Tech (10-6) vs. #12 Miami (FL).  Miami pulled off the massive upset of Wake yesterday and now get to give Va Tech a shot.  No one has Miami winning this game.  J, Waters, Lynch, and KA all had Wake here, so they have lost it already.  The other 8 entries have Va Tech here.  Alexi has Va Tech going to the finals.

#2 Maryland (13-3) vs. #7 Georgia Tech.  The game that everyone where I live is talking about is the 7:00 game tonight as the Terps take on Ga Tech.  The Yellow Jackets came from behind last night against UNC to set up this matchup.  Tech is squarely on the bubble, so they could really use a win here.  Lohse is the only one with Georgia Tech here in a nice upset pick.  KA had UNC, but everyone else has Maryland.  J and Alexi are the only two with the Terps winning the ACC.

#3 Florida St. (10-6) vs. #11 N.C. State.  N.C. State pulled off the second big upset of the day yesterday, as they took out Clemson.  Now, they will get the Seminoles of FSU in the nightcap of the quadruple-header tonight in Greensboro.  Bry, Ina, J, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy have all already lost this game, as they all had Clemson here.  Stri has what will be a fantastic upset pick of N.C. State here.  Everyone else has the Seminoles.  KA has the most faith in FSU, as she has them winning the tournament.  Doogan and Waters are the only other two that have them in the finals.

BIG TEN QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
After the bottom three teams were eliminated yesterday, the top eight will battle it out in the Big Ten quarters today in Indianapolis.

#1 Ohio St. (14-4) vs. #8 Michigan.  The Buckeyes are also in the market for a #1-seed in the NCAA tournament.  Michigan may have had the most diappointing season of anyone in the country, but they beat Iowa yesterday and are, therefore, still alive.  Everyone has OSU in this one.  Bry, Ina, Alexi, and Waters have the Buckeyes winning the tournament.

#4 Wisconsin (13-5) vs. #5 Illinois (10-8).  Illinois has somehow played itself back to the bubble, and now they may be in a must-win position here.  Wisconsin, as usual, has been rock-solid under the most underrated coach in the country, Philly’s own Bo Ryan.  Waters is the only one to take Illinois in this one.  Stri, Lohse, KA, and Teddy all have Wisconsin in the finals.  Lohse has them winning it.

#2 Purdue (14-4) vs. #7 Northwestern.  Northwestern ended Indiana’s season yesterday and now they get to test the Boilermakers sans Robbie Hummel.  All 12 entries have Purdue winning this one.  Stri, KA, and Lil Lohse have Purdue winning the Big 10.

#3 Michigan St. (14-4) vs. #6 Minnesota.  Tubby has his boys playing very well right now and are a pretty scary quarterfinal draw for the Spartans.  The Gophers rocked Penn St. yesterday to get here.  Everyone has MSU winning this one, but some have them going further than others.  J, Doogan, Lynch, and Teddy have them going all the way.  Lohse, Bry, and Waters have them losing in the finals.

SEC QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
The SEC welcomes the top two teams from each division, including the #2 team in all the land, Kentucky.

#1E Kentucky (14-2) vs. #4W Alabama.  Alabama knocked off S. Carolina yesterday to get themselves a date with UK.  KA has the huge upset pick of Alabama here, but everyone else has the ‘Cats.  More than half of the field (Bry, Ina, J, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Lil Lohse, and Teddy) has UK winning the SEC.

#2W Ole Miss (9-7) vs. #3E Tennessee.  Don’t look now, but Ole Miss may be on the bubble all of a sudden.  They get a good chance to add to that resume as they get nationally-ranked Tennessee in the quarters, after the Vols took care of LSU yesterday.  KA and Waters are the only two that took Ole Miss in this one.  Everyone else has Tennessee.  Someone is going to lose a champion in this game, as KA has Ole Miss winning the SEC, and Lynch has Tennessee winning it.  Doogan and Lohse both have Bruce Pearl’s squad losing in the finals.

#1W Mississippi St. (9-7) vs. #4E Florida.  The other team from the Magnolia State may also be on the bubble now, but they would need a win today against Florida.  The Gators took out Auburn last night.  KA, Doogan, and Alexi are the only three to take Mississippi St. in this one; everyone else has the upset with Florida.  Waters and Teddy both have the Gators reaching the title game.  KA has Mississippi St. in the finals.

#2E Vanderbilt (12-4) vs. #6W Georgia.  The Dawgs pulled off a nice upset yesterday, taking out Arkansas in the opening round.  Now, they get a bigger test with Vandy in the quarters.  Ina and Teddy both think they can do it again, as they have them in this upset.  Ina actually has UGa going all the way to the finals.  Lohse and Doogan have the Commodores winning the SEC.  Most of the field (Bry, J, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Lynch, and both Lohses) has Vandy going to the finals. 

MOUNTAIN WEST SEMIFINALS (32 points each):
I’m not going to lie to you, I’m about as interested in the final four of the Mountain West as I am in any other conference.  We got the top four teams through the quarters, setting up a double-header that, though it lacks the “star” power, is every bit as good as the semifinals in most of the “major” conferences.  And, I lucked out that I get these games in my cable package, so it looks like we’re staying in and watching the Mountain West tonight–fun Friday night, huh?  I think so.

#1 New Mexico vs. #4 San Diego St.  Steve Alford’s Lobos struggled, but took care of Air Force yesterday, while SDSU really struggled, but survived against Colorado St.  Now, they play in the first of two fantastic semifinal games.  Doogan, Lynch, Lohse, and KA all have the Aztecs in the upset.  LA and Lynch have SDSU winning this tournament.  Everyone else has New Mexico winning this game.  Half of the field (Ina, J, Stri, Alexi, Waters, and Lil Lohse) have the Lobos going all the way. 

#2 BYU vs. #3 UNLV.  In the nightcap, we will see if Jimmer Fredette has an encore performance after dropping 45 on TCU last night.  He will have to do it against UNLV and their home fans, as the game is in the Thomas & Mack Center in Sin City.  5 entries (J, Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and Teddy) have UNLV here.  Five more (Both Lohses, Stri, Ina, and Bry) have BYU.  The other two had Utah.  Bry and Lohse are the only two in the field that have BYU winning this tournament.  Doogan and Teddy are the only two with UNLV winning it.  No matter who you slice it, this is a HUGE game.  And, just to make it more interesting–the sportsbooks have it as a pick ’em, so it’s anybody’s ball game. 

MAC SEMIFINALS (24 points each):
If you told me that you correctly predicted the MAC semifinals, then I would take my hat off to you.  If you then told me that you also correctly predicted the four opening round games, I would probably stop believing anything you say.  Well, Teddy, consider yourself not being believed.  Teddy has amazingly predicted these crazy results in the MAC this year, so I have already called the bookie and told him to put the house on an Ohio-Akron parlay tonight.

#3 Akron vs. #7 W. Michigan.  At about 4:30 yesterday, it looked like the Zips were going to be going home from Cleveland disappointed that they could not even get out of the quarters.  But, they rallied, beat E. Michigan in double-OT and then watched as the top two seeds both went down, making Akron now the odds-on favorites to represent the MAC in the Big Dance.  Everyone has Akron winning this game, so the six entries that do not have the Zips winning it all (Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, and Lil Lohse) will be hoping their pick here is wrong.  The other six have Akron winning this game and the title.

#4 Miami (OH) vs. #9 Ohio.  The Bobcats are miraculously still alive.  They won an OT game on the road against Ball St. on Sunday just to get themselves to Cleveland.  Then they took out the top-seeded and tournament favorites, Kent St. yesterday in the quarters.  Now, they get a Miami team that can, all of a sudden, smell the auto-bid.  Teddy got the two Ohio upsets so far, and he’s going for the trifecta tonight.  KA is the only other contestant that can score with this game, as she has Miami.  Everyone else had either Kent St. or Buffalo and are out of this game.

CONFERENCE USA SEMIFINALS (24 points each):
Three upsets yesterday paved the way for the UTEP Miners to roll through the C-USA tournament…maybe.

#6 S. Mississippi vs. #7 Houston.  The first game of the double-header will decide which Cinderella will go to the finals against either the top-seed or the tournament hosts.  Houston started the wreckage yesterday by ousting Memphis, and S. Miss followed suit, taking care of UAB.  Lohse is the only one that can get any points in this unlikely semifinal matchup, as he actually has S. Miss going to the finals. 

#1 UTEP vs. #5 Tulsa.  The Miners, the only favorite to win in the quarters, now gets the host team, Tulsa, in the semis, after the Golden Hurricane came from behind to beat Marshall yesterday.  Everyone has UTEP here, except Waters, who had Marshall here.  Most of the field (Bry, Ina, J, Doogan, Alexi, and both Lohses) has UTEP winning the tournament.  No one has Tulsa, obviously, so those who picked Memphis or UAB to take the C-USA title are rooting for Tulsa here.

WAC SEMIFINALS (16 points each):
All four favorites won in the quarters yesterday in the WAC, so the double-header in Reno will involved the best four teams in the WAC.

#1 Utah St. vs. #4 Louisiana Tech.  The Aggies of Utah St. may actually be an at-large contender on Selection Sunday, but not if they lose here.  And, the way the Committee pisses all over the little guys, they might just want to take the auto-bid.  La Tech is a solid team that had a bit of a disappointing regular season, but they have the talent to take this tournament.  Lynch is the only one with La Tech winning this game.  KA has already lost it with Fresno St.  Everyone except Waters and KA (who have Nevada) have Utah St. winning this tournament.

#2 Nevada vs. #3 New Mexico St.  The Wolfpack of Nevada, hosts of the tournament, took care of Idaho last night and then watched New Mexico St. take apart San Jose St., setting up this excellent semifinal.  Teddy has New Mexico St., but everyone else has Nevada. 

MEAC SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
Finally, we get to a little normalcy in the MEAC, as the semifinal round is just a simple double-header–ya know, like every other conference tournament.

#2 Delaware St. vs. #3 S.C. State.  The Hornets of Delaware St. are two wins from the second ever trip to the Big Dance (and a nice trip to Dayton on Tuesday for the play-in game), but it’ll be two tough games before they will be cutting any nets down.  They open the semis tonight against S.C. State.  Teddy, KA, Bry, and J all have S.C. State in the mild upset.  Everyone else has Delaware St.  Waters and Lynch have Delaware St. taking the MEAC title.  KA has S.C. State winning the title.

#1 Morgan St. vs. #5 Hampton.  Morgan St. has dominated this conference for a couple years now and are two games away from another NCAA appearance.  They will battle Hampton tonight in the second semifinal.  Teddy, Lynch, and Stri have already lost this game, as they had Norfolk winning here.  Waters is the only one with Hampton in the finals, so this would be a big win for his bracket.  Everyone else has Morgan here.  Most of the CTC has Morgan winning the title.

BIG WEST SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
Finally, the Big West invites its top two seeds to the tournament party, as they both received double-byes for their work through the regular season.  The system definitely made sense this year, as those two teams were both four games better than third-place Long Beach St. 

#2 Pacific (12-4) vs. #3 Long Beach St.  The Pacific Tigers have had a pretty decent history in the Big West tournament and now they enter this year’s version against Long Beach St.  Interestingly, everyone in the CTC has Pacific going to the finals.  Half of the field (Bry, Alexi, Waters, Lohse, KA, and Teddy) has Pacific winning this tournament.

#1 UC-Santa Barbara (12-4) vs. #4 UC-Davis.  The Gouchos of UCBS won the Big West regular season title and now are two games from The Dance.  They open their postseason tonight against #4 UC-Davis.  No one has UC-Davis in this game.  Waters and KA both had CS-Fullerton, but everyone else has UCSB.  The half of the field that did not take Pacific to win, took UCSB.

SWAC SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
The bottom half of the SWAC looks as it is supposed to, but the top half blew up.  The ramifications of the Jackson St. loss struck far and wide, as two days later we get the semis without the Tigers.

#2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. #3 Alabama St.  The first semi in Shreveport will give us which team is going to be the favorites in the title game tomorrow.  AR-Pine Bluff struggled, but beat Mississippi Valley St. two nights ago, then took the night off to watch their semifinal opponent, Alabama St., knock off Alabama A&M last night.  Alexi, Waters, and both Lohses have Alabama St. winning this game.  Bry, Ina, Lynch, KA, and Teddy all have AR-Pine Bluff winning here.  Doogan and Stri have already lost this game, with MVSU.  Ina, J, KA, and Teddy all have AR-Pine Bluff winning this tournament.  The two Lohses have Alabama St. winning it.

#5 Texas-Southern vs. #8 Grambling St.  In the most unlikely of semifinal matchups, TX-Southern, who hammered Prairie View A&M last night, will take on Grambling, who pulled off the crazy upset of Jackson St. two nights ago.

GREAT WEST SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
And the tournament that doesn’t matter…to anyone but us…is down to just four teams remaining.  South Dakota, the top-seed, joins the three winners from two nights ago in Oren, UT, for the semis.

#1 South Dakota (11-1) vs. #5 Texas-Pan American.  The first ever regular season champion in the Great West is South Dakota.  Now, they will try and be the first ever tournament champion, as well, though it will not result in an NCAA bid.  UT-Pan American edged the host school, Utah Valley, on Wednesday night to get to face the top-seeded Coyotes.  KA and Teddy both have UT-PA pulling off a big upset here, though neither of them has the Broncs winning the tournament.  Everyone else has South Dakota winning the whole thing, so this upset would be huge for Teddy and KA.

#2 Houston Baptist vs. #6 N.J. Tech.  The #2-seed in the inaugural Great West tournament is Houston Baptist–the only other team over .500 in league play.  They played a great game with Chicago St. in the quarters and came out victorious.  Now, they get N.J. Tech, who beat North Dakota on Wednesday.  J, Alexi, and Waters all have N.J.I.T. going to the finals in a really nice upset pick here.  Teddy and Lynch have already lost the game with North Dakota in this spot.  The other seven entries have Houston Baptist going to the finals.

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CTC Day 10 Recap: Doogan Takes the Overall Lead, But a Historic Day for Teddy Makes it Very Interesting

Posted on March 12, 2010 by bry

Last year on Day 10, CTC rookie, Lynch, broke the all-time single-day scoring-record.  It was a record that last one year–exactly.  Day 10 of the 2010 CTC, another CTC rookie, Teddy, smashed that record, becoming the first player to ever top the 700-point mark on a single day.  Doogan also had a very big day (well over 600) to take the overall lead with just three days to go.  Doogan has been the model of consistency, having not won a single day yet.  Ina had a nice day and is still right in the thick of things.  Bry struggled and has fallen back a bit, though still in striking distance.  Stri, J, and Alexi are still alive.  The two Lohses are now long-shots.  Waters just couldn’t catch a break on Day 10.

DAY 10 SCORES (days won):
712 – Teddy (1)
634 -Doogan
598 – Stri (1)
556 – Ina (2)
538 – J
516 – Alexi (2)
512 – Lohse (2)
474 – Bry (3)
400 – Lynch (1)
382 – Lil Lohse (2)
348 – KA
246 – Waters

OVERALL SCORES (conf titles):
1566 – Doogan (1 – Horizon*)
1551 – Ina (1 – Summit)
1546 – Teddy (1 – Horizon*)
1506 – Bry (4 – A-Sun, CAA, MAAC*, Summit)
1451 – Stri (3 – M-West, SoCon, Sun Belt)
1423 – J (1 – OVC)
1419 – Alexi (2 – Big South*, Summit)
1327 – Lohse (1 – Big Sky)
1314 – Lil Lohse (3 – Big South*, NEC, Summit)
1151 – Lynch (1 – WCC)
1076 – KA (1 – Big South*)
960 – Waters

[individual game recaps in progress…]

BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS ROUND (20 points each):
The Thursday massacre leaves us a ridiculous Big East final four.  There were four winners on Thursday, and there are 12 people in the CTC, so there were 48 picks yesterday in the Big East.  Only 16 of them were correct.  Through the first three games, we were a combined 6-for-36.  J, Doogan, Lynch, Lil Lohse, and Teddy led the way with TWO correct yesterday.  KA missed them all.

#8 Georgetown 91 – #1 Syracuse 84.  In this, the noon game, it looked like it was a just a nice game by the Hoyas to beat #1.  But, no, it was the start of a landslide of losses for the favorites.  No one had this.  Both Lohses, Lynch, Waters, Stri, Doogan, J, and Ina all lost their champs here. 

#5 Marquette 80 – #4 Villanova 76.  An impressive win for Marquette ends Villanova’s hopes for a Big East tournament title.  Doogan and Lil Lohse were the only two that got this pick right.  Alexi, KA, and Teddy all lost their champions.

#7 Notre Dame 50 – #2 Pittsburgh 45.  And the third of the trifecta of upsets is an ugly, UGLY, Big East-style affair.  Notre Dame is assuredly in the field of 65 now, but they have bigger fish to fry now, as they are only two wins from a most unlikely tournament title.  Teddy, Lohse, Lynch, and J got this nice upset pick correct.  Lohse keep alive a finalist.

#3 West Virginia 54 – #11 Cincinnati 51.  Finally, a little normalcy…barely.  It took a wild banked three at the buzzer for West Virginia to avoid overtime and an opportunity for an underdog sweep.  Oh, and Bobby Huggins beat his alma mater to tie some guy named Wooden on the all-time wins list.  Lohse and KA were the only two that lost this game (they had L’ville, so they were hoping for zeros across the board).  The other ten actually all have WVU in the finals.  Bry, though, is the only one that has WVU winning this tournament.  In fact, of the 12 CTC’ers, Bry is the only one that didn’t lose his Big East champion on Thursday.

BIG EAST STANDINGS:
190 – Teddy
185 – J
125 – Lynch
115 – Alexi
115 – Lohse
80 – Doogan (’08, ’09)
80 – Lil Lohse
65 – Ina
65 – Stri
40 – Bry
40 – KA
40 – Waters

BIG XII QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
A quarterfinal quadruple-header of all chalk on Thursday should make for a nice semifinal round on Friday.  Ina, Stri, and Alexi all nailed all four of these games.  No one lost their champ.

#1 Kansas 80 – #8 Texas Tech 68.  The #1 Jayhawks were in a dogfight for about 34 minutes, before pulling away and advancing to Friday’s semi.  Everyone got this pick.  Ten entries have KU as the champion here.

#4 Texas A&M 70 – #12 Nebraska 64.  Nebraska almost did it again, but fell six points short from back-to-back upsets.  Doogan, Lynch, and Lil Lohse all missed this with Missouri, but the other nine had A&M.

#2 Kansas St. 83 – #7 Oklahoma St. 64.  K-State looked really good in a slaughter of Ok State.  KA, Ina, J, Stri, and Alexi all got this right.  KA kept her champ alive.  Lynch and Lohse lost a finalist here.

#3 Baylor 86 – #6 Texas 67.  After watching K-State dominate Ok State, Baylor went out and matched them, completely handing the Longhorns and moving on to face K-State on Friday.  J, Waters, and KA missed on this upset pick.  Doogan kept his champion alive. 

BIG XII STANDINGS:
120 – Alexi (’09)
110 – Ina
90 – J
90 – Stri
80 – KA
80 – Teddy
80 – Waters
70 – Bry
70 – Lohse
60 – Doogan (’08)
60 – Lil Lohse
60 – Lynch

PAC-10 QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
The Pac-10 quarterfinals were nearly the nail in the coffin for this conference.  For a while during the season, it looked like they might be a 1-bid league.  But, then three teams emerged that had a real shot, including Cal, who is a sheer lock.  And, with the other two (ASU and UW) in the bottom of the bracket, it looked like they would be playing for the bubble in the semis.  But, then ASU lost.  Then, Oregon St. had a 14-point lead on Washington.  But, the Huskies responded and ended up taking it and keeping their at-large chances alive.  J, Stri, Alexi, and Teddy all went 3-for-4 on the day.

#5 UCLA 75 – #4 Arizona 69.  UCLA is still alive, as they take out Arizona.  And, it’s official–the longest NCAA tournament appearance streak in the country is over.  I was 5 years old the last time the tournament didn’t have Arizona in it, but their name will not be called on Sunday.  J, Stri, Alexi, and Teddy all got this upset pick right.  Waters and KA lost a finalist.

#1 California 90 – #8 Oregon 74.  The Bears showed the conference who the big dog is, beating up on Oregon in the second game.  Everyone got this pick right.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, and Alexi all kept their champ alive.

#7 Stanford 70 – #2 Arizona St 61.  And, this was the big surprise of the day in LA.  Johnny Dawkins’ Cardinal probably ended the NCAA tournament hopes for the Sun Devils.  Everyone got this wrong, but it hurt some more than others.  J, Waters, and KA all lost their champ here.

#3 Washington 59 – #6 Oregon St. 52.  Down big for a long time, but Isaiah Thomas and Malcolm Pondexter just took over, as they went on a 23-2 run midway through the second half to turn a 12-point deficit into a 9-point lead.  The Huskies survived, despite scoring more than 20 points fewer than their season average.  Everyone got this right, as UW was the most popular champion pick in this tournament.  Stri, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy all have them taking this title.

PAC-10 STANDINGS:
80 – J
80 – Stri
80 – Teddy
70 – Alexi (’09)
50 – Lil Lohse
50 – Lohse
50 – Lynch
40 – Bry
40 – Doogan (’08)
40 – Ina
30 – KA
30 – Waters

ACC OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
As nuts as the Big East was, the ACC was just as crazy, it just wasn’t the high-profile teams that lost.  But, the upsets that took place in Greensboro were probably even more surprising than those that took place in the NYC.

#9 Virginia 68 – #8 Boston College 62.  Tony Bennett can flat-out coach.  He has taken this under-talented UVa team, put together a nice regular season, and now picked up an ACC tournament win.  Nice work, Tony.  Ina, J, Stri, and Teddy got the Cavs right on Thursday.   

#12 Miami (FL) 83 – #5 Wake Forest 62.  This wasn’t just an upset, this was domination.  From tip to horn, the ‘Canes looked like the big favorites in this one.  You can’t feel good about your chances next week if you’re a Wake fan, huh?  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Lohse, and Teddy all nailed this upset.  KA lost a finalist.  J, Waters, and Lynch all lost semifinalists.

#7 Georgia Tech 62 – #10 N. Carolina 58.  And, the only favorite to win on Thursday actually trailed for most of the game, before coming through at the end.  The end of one of the worst seasons in program history comes here for UNC.  KA, Lil Lohse, Stri, Ina, and Bry all missed this upset pick.  KA lost a semifinalist.

#11 N.C. State 59 – #6 Clemson 57.  And, the one that rocked the CTC was this one.  Clemson was beloved by the CTC’ers and they lose to the lowly Wolfpack.  KA, Stri, and Doogan all nailed this upset pick.  Stri even kept a semifinalist alive.  Lil Lohse, Lynch, Alexi, J, Ina, and Bry all lost semifinalists.  Lohse and KA both lost finalists.  Madness!

ACC STANDINGS:
160 – Stri
150 – Doogan (’09)
110 – Teddy
100 – Ina
90 – Lohse
80 – Bry (’08)
60 – KA
30 – J
10 – Alexi
10 – Lynch
0 – Lil Lohse
0 – Waters

SEC OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
The SEC kicked off in Music City with an opening round quadruple-header.  Stri, Alexi, and Teddy all went 4-for-4 to open the SEC campaign.  Waters only got one.

#4W Alabama 68 – #5E S. Carolina 63.  Devan Downey’s season is over.  He was great, but the team wasn’t.  ‘Bama moves on to get a shot at #1 Kentucky.  Stri, Alexi, Lohse, Lynch, KA, and Teddy all got this one right.

#3E Tennessee 59 – #6W LSU 49.  Tennessee struggled all day, but finally knocked off the Tigers.  Did you guys know that Tasmin Mitchell was 17 points shy of TWO THOUSAND POINTS?  Wow.  They kept posting it during the game.  He passed Chris Jackson and Shaq on the all-time LSU scoring list.  He’s third behind Pistol Pete and some guy I’d never heard of, but the announcers seemed to think he was pretty good way back when.  I didn’t realize the career he had down there.  Waters was the only one to pick LSU, everyone else got this right.  Most of the field has the Vols in the semis.  Doogan and Lohse all kept a finalist.  Lynch kept his champion.

#4E Florida 78 – #5W Auburn 69.  The Gators also struggled, but won.  They move on to face Mississippi St. in the quarters.  KA missed this pick.  Waters and Teddy kept a finalist alive.  Several others kept alive a semifinalist.

#6E Georgia 77 – #3W Arkansas 64.  And, the one big upset of the day in Nashville was the Georgia Bulldogs taking out Arkansas.  Teddy, KA, Alexi, Stri, Doogan, J, Ina, and Bry all got this nice upset, but it’s more important to some.  Teddy has Georgia in the semis.  Ina has Georgia in the finals, so this win was big for both of them.

SEC STANDINGS:
*90 – Alexi (’09)
*90 – Stri
*90 – Teddy
80 – Bry
80 – Doogan
80 – Ina
80 – J
80 – KA
30 – Lohse
30 – Lynch
20 – Lil Lohse
10 – Waters (’08)

BIG TEN OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
The Big Ten had three ho-hum opening round games in Indy on Thursday.  Even though it was all chalk, only Lil Lohse got all three right.  No one lost a semifinalist.

#7 Northwestern 73 – #10 Indiana 58.  The Wildcats have never made the NCAA tournament.  They still have a shot, after beating Indiana.  Now, they will get Purdue in the quarters.  J, Doogan, and the two Lohses were the only ones to get this right.

#6 Minnesota 76 – #11 Penn St. 56.  Minnesota hammered PSU.  The Gophers will now take on Michigan St. on Friday.  Lohse, Teddy, J, Doogan, and Waters all missed this big upset pick.

#8 Michigan 59 – #9 Iowa 52.  The Wolverines still have a shot to redeem themselves after maybe the most disappointing regular season in the nation, as they take care of Iowa on Thursday.  Michigan will now get Ohio St. in the quarters.  Stri, Waters, and KA missed on this upset pick.

MOUNTAIN WEST QUARTERFINALS (16 points):
The M-West got what it (or, at least, I) wanted–the top four teams to survive the quarters to set up an awesome semifinal double-header in Vegas.  All chalk (in a top-heavy conference) makes it so there were very few incorrect picks here.  Bry and Ina stay perfect, as they were one of many to go 4-for-4, but they also got the opening round game on Wednesday.

#1 New Mexico 75 – #9 Air Force 69.  New Mexico survived against Air Force, though it wasn’t pretty.  Only Stri got this wrong (with Wyoming).  Many entries have the Lobos winning this tournament.

#4 San Diego St. 72 – #5 Colorado St. 71.  D.J. Gray hit two clutch free throws as the Aztecs survived against Colorado St.  They will now get New Mexico on Friday night.  Waters missed this one.  Lynch and KA kept their champions alive.

#2 BYU 95 – #7 TCU 85.  BYU struggled all night defensively, but in the end Jimmer Fredette won it for them, as he dropped 45 on the Horned Frogs.  Everyone got this one right.  Bry and Lohse kept their champs alive.

#3 UNLV 73 – #6 Utah 61.  The Utes are a far cry of the team they used to be, as they got beat pretty bad by UNLV on Thursday night, to set up a date with BYU on Friday night.  KA, Lil Lohse, and Lynch missed the upset pick here.  Lynch and KA both lost a finalist here.

MOUNTAIN WEST STANDINGS:
*80 – Bry
72 – Ina
64 – Alexi
64 – Doogan
64 – J (’08)
64 – KA
64 – Teddy
64 – Waters
48 – Lil Lohse
48 – Lohse
48 – Lynch (’09)
48 – Stri

CONFERENCE USA QUARTERFINALS (12 points each):
The C-USA took a huge blow on Thursday, as their only two bubble teams both lost to lower teams.  And, for the first time since 2006, the C-USA will crown a champion that doesn’t start with M-, and end with -emphis.

#7 Houston 66 – #2 Memphis 65.  The Memphis Tigers lose in the conference tournament.  This hasn’t happened since 2006.  But, Tommy Penders and his Houston Cougars get it done.  J, Lynch, and Lohse get this upset pick right.  Stri, Waters, KA, and Teddy lost their champion.

#6 S. Mississippi 58 – #3 UAB 44.  Another big upset of a C-USA team on the bubble is S. Miss over UAB.  Cannibalization in the C-USA.  Doogan and Lohse both nailed this upset pick.  Lohse keeps his finalist alive.

#5 Tulsa 80 – #4 Marshall 64.  Tulsa, at home, hammer Marshall in the second half to advance to the semis.  Only J, Waters, Lynch, and KA got this one wrong.  Waters lost a finalist.

#1 UTEP 76 – #9 C. Florida 54.  And the top-seeded Miners move on to the semis against Tulsa.  Everyone got this right.

CONFERENCE USA STANDINGS:
102 – Lohse
84 – J
78 – Doogan
72 – Lynch
60 – Bry (’09)
60 – Teddy
54 – Alexi
48 – Ina (’08)
48 – Lil Lohse
42 – Stri
30 – KA
24 – Waters

MAC QUARTERFINALS (12 points each):
The MAC just got crazier.  And, with all this craziness, one man stands above the rest–Teddy.  Another incredible 4-for-4 and he is only three games away from a miraculous perfect bracket.

#7 W. Michigan 69 – #2 C. Michigan 60. The first game showed what we were in for in the MAC this year, as Western upset Central.  Ina, Doogan, Alexi, Lil Lohse, and Teddy all nailed this upset pick.

#3 Akron 97 – #6 E. Michigan 89 (2 OTs).  Akron, trailing all game, tied it in regulation.  Then, they fought back in the first OT to send it to a second, where they finally put Eastern away.  Wow.  Everyone got this right.  Teddy, KA, Lohse, Lynch, Waters, and J all kept their champ alive…barely.

#9 Ohio 81 – #1 Kent St. 64.  And, the shock of the day was the Ohio Bobcats over the top-seeded Golden Flashes.  Somehow, Lohse and Teddy nailed this one.  Yes, this is the tournament where Teddy is still perfect.  Teddy keeps a finalist alive here.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, and Lil Lohse lost a champion.

#4 Miami (OH) 73 – #5 Buffalo 59.  In a back-and-forth game, Miami pulled away at the end to knock off Buffalo and advance to the semis to face Ohio.  Teddy, KA, Waters, Stri, and Doogan got this right.  KA keeps a finalist alive.

MAC STANDINGS:
*156 – Teddy
90 – Doogan (’08, ’09t)
84 – Ina (’09t)
84 – Lil Lohse
48 – Lohse
48 – Waters
42 – Lynch
36  – KA
36 – Stri
30 – Bry
30 – J

SOUTHLAND SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
The Southland is down to two teams for one bid.  The top two teams advance, as nine CTC’ers get them both right.  Lohse and KA missed them both.

#1 Sam Houston St 88 – #4 SE Louisiana 85.  A close win for Sam Houston St. (the best offensive team in the conference) and now they’re only a win away from the Dance.  Lohse and KA lost this game, and their champion in the process.

#2 Stephen F. Austin 60 – #3 Texas A&M – CC 53.  SFA played a typical defensive struggle, taking out Corpus Christie to advance to the finals against SHSU.  KA missed this one.  J and Lohse had already missed it with earlier picks.

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

WAC QUARTERFINALS (8 points each):
The WAC tipped off in Reno and it was all chalk.  Most of the field got all four.

#1 Utah St. 84 – #8 Boise St. 60.  The top-seeded Aggies absolutely crushed Boise.  Everyone got this right.

#4 Louisiana Tech 74 – #5 Fresno St. 66.  La Tech is a nice team and will now get a shot at Utah St. in the semis.  Lohse and KA both missed this.  KA lost a finalist.  Lynch kept a finalist alive.

#2 Nevada 87 – #7 Idaho 71.  The host Wolfpack hammered the Vandals.  Only Teddy missed this one.

#3 New Mexico St. 90 – #6 San Jose St. 69.  NM State took care of SJ State with ease.  KA and Lynch got this one wrong.  Teddy keeps a finalist alive. 

BIG WEST QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The 3- and 4-seeds enter the fray in the Big West and take out the survivors from the opening round en route to the semis, when the 1- and 2-seeds will arrive.  Bry and Alexi were the only two to get both of these.

#4 UC-Davis 68 – #5 CS-Fullerton 65.  Davis comes from behind to knock off Fullerton.  They will get #1 UCSB in the semis.  Bry, Stri, Alexi, and Lynch got this right.  Waters and KA lost finalists. 

#3 Long Beach St. 79 – #6 Cal Poly 69.  Dan Monson’s squad came through to knock off Cal Poly as they head to the semis against Pacific.  Stri and Lynch missed Cal Poly.  Doogan had already missed this.  Everyone else had LBSU.

MEAC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
Two more quarters for the MEAC, completes a divided quarterfinal round.  Alexi, Ina, and KA got both of these right.

#3 S.C. State 59 – #6 MD-Eastern Shore 53.  S.C. State ended a nice season for Eastern Shore.  Doogan had E. Shore here.  Stri and Waters had Coppin St.  Everyone else got it right.  KA kept her champion alive.

#5 Hampton 73 – #4 Norfolk St. 70.  In a tight, back-and-forth game, Hampton eliminates a solid Norfolk team.  KA, Alexi, Doogan, and Ina got this right.  Waters kept a finalist alive.  Teddy and Stri lost their champions.

SWAC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
And the SWAC completes their quarterfinal round one day after the elimination of #1 Jackson St.  Most of the field nailed both of these games.

#5 Texas-Southern 66 – #4 Prairie View A&M 49.  In a game that would decide who would enter the semis as a favorite to reach the finals, TX-Southern hammered Prairie View.  Only Lynch and KA missed this one.  Lohse has TX-Southern in the finals, which looks like a great pick now with Jackson St. out.

#3 Alabama St. 56 – #6 Alabama A&M 45.  ASU took out in-state rival, A&M.  They will move on to face AR-Pine Bluff in the semis on Friday.  KA missed this one.  The two Lohses kept a champion alive.

SWAC STANDINGS:
22 – Bry
22 – Ina
22 – Teddy
18 – J
16 – Lynch
14 – Alexi
14 – Lil Lohse
14 – Lohse
14 – Waters
12 – KA
10 – Doogan
10 – Stri

Posted in challenge, College Hoops, conf tourney challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Day 10 Preview

Posted on March 11, 2010 by bry

After 30 games last night, there are 44 more today.  Is this heaven?

BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS ROUND (20 points each):
The third consecutive day with a Big East quadruple-header in Madison Square Garden is today.  The first two days were fantastic and produced four survivors.  Add those four to the top four seeds in the conference, and you have yourself an incredible quarterfinal day in NYC.

#8 Georgetown vs. #1 Syracuse (15-3).  In a game that is more qualified for a Sweet 16 game in the NCAA tournament is the 1-8 game in the Big East tournament.  Has there ever been a better 1-8 matchup in a conference tournament?  You’ve got a dark horse Final Four contender against a legit top three team in the country.  Wow.  Everyone has Syracuse winning this game.  Though they have them in this game, Teddy, KA, Alexi, and Bry may be rooting against the ‘Cuse because they are the only four that don’t have them winning the tournament.

#5 Marquette vs. #4 Villanova (13-5).  The second game of the day is another fantastic matchup with top 20 teams.  The ‘Cats of Villanova start their postseason against a Marquette team that barely survived a St. John’s scare yesterday.  Doogan and Lil Lohse are the only two with Marquette in this one.  J has already lost it (UConn).  The game is biggest for Teddy, Alexi, and KA, who all have ‘Nova winning the tournament.

#7 Notre Dame vs. #2 Pittsburgh (13-5).  The first game of the night session introduces us to the unlikeliest of #2-seeds in the best conference in the country, the Pitt Panthers.  Despite losing a TON of talent, Jamie Dixon shows the world that college hoops is all about the coach, and he is one of the best.  They take on Notre Dame, who should have wrapped up an at-large bid with a win over Seton Hall yesterday.  J, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy all have Notre Dame in this big upset.  Lohse has them going to the finals.  Waters and KA are the only two that have Pitt reaching the finals; neither of them have them winning.

#11 Cincinnati vs. #3 West Virginia (13-5).  Cincinnati has had a couple of firsts in the last two nights.  Tuesday, they held on to beat Rutgers to secure their first ever Big East tournament win.  Then, last night, they became the first team in this new format to win a game in the first round and then another in the second round.  Under this format, the one-bye teams had been 7-0 in their first games until the late game last night, when Cincinnati knocked off Louisville.  Now, they will try and make the semis by beating a coach that they know well–Bobby Huggins.  No one has Cincinnati winning this game, but Lohse and KA both have Louisville, so they will be rooting for WV to zero this game out.  Bry is the biggest WV fan in this field, as he is the only one with them taking the Big East title.

BIG XII QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
After an interesting opening round in the Big XII, the big boys have arrived in Kansas City to join the party.

#9 Texas Tech vs. #1 Kansas (15-1).  In the first game, the #1 team in the country begins its postseason with a game against Pat Knight’s Texas Tech Red Raiders.  All 12 entries have KU winning this game.  Only KA and Doogan have someone other than Kansas winning this tournament.

#12 Nebraska vs. #4 Texas A&M (11-5).  The shocker of the day yesterday was Nebraska not only beating Mizzou, but beating them badly.  Now, they get to try and do the same to Texas A&M in the quarters.  Doogan, Lynch, and Lil Lohse have already lost this game with Missouri.  Everyone else has Texas A&M.  No one has A&M going to the finals.

#7 Oklahoma St. vs. #2 Kansas St. (11-5).  The Cowboys hammered their in-state rivals, Oklahoma, yesterday and now get to take on K-State.  A shocking number of entries have OSU in the upset here.  In fact, only J, Stri, Alexi, KA, and Ina have the #2 seed in this game.  The other seven entries all have Oklahoma St. in the upset.  KA has K-State winning the tournament.  Lohse, Lynch, and Waters all have Ok State going to the finals.

#6 Texas vs. #3 Baylor (11-5).  Has Texas righted the ship?  It’s hard to say simply after a win against Iowa St., but we might know late Wednesday night after they take on a very good Baylor team in the quarters.  J, Waters, and KA all have Texas in this upset, though none of them have the ‘Horns in the finals.  Doogan has the most faith in his Baylor Bears, as he has them winning this tournament.

PAC-10 QUARTERFINALS (20 points each):
After an OT-thriller late last night (more on that later because one of my pet peeves was very much in display in that one), the Pac-10 is ready to get going with their quarterfinals in LA.  Down year or no down year, you can expect really good basketball in the Staples Center this week because this conference, regardless of how much talent they’ve lost to The Association, they still have one of the best collection of head coaches in America.  Any time you have Ben Howland, Mike Montgomery, and Herb Sendak, you’ve got yourself some really good basketball.

#5 UCLA (8-10) vs. #4 Arizona (10-8).  In a game that is supposed to be the Pac-10 final every year is just a simple 4-5 quarterfinal between two middling teams who need the auto-bid to make The Dance.  But, don’t ever count out ben Howland–one of the best coaches in America, hands down.  Teddy, J, Stri, and Alexi all have the mild upset of UCLA in this one.  Everyone else has ‘Zona.  No one has either of these teams reaching the finals.

#8 Oregon vs. #1 California (13-5).  The Ducks managed to hold on in OT last night, thanks to some questionable coaching decisions on the other bench.  But, either way, Tajuan Porter and the rest of the Ducks get to take on top-seeded Cal today.  The Bears won their first Pac-10 title in two generations thanks to yet another amazing coaching job by Mike Montgomery (whom I have said many times, is easily one of the best 5 college coaches I have seen in my lifetime).  Waters has the big upset pick with Oregon today.  Everyone else has Cal.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, and Alexi have Cal winning this tournament.

#7 Stanford (7-11) vs. #2 Arizona St. (12-6).  One of the two players that taught me the art of playing the point is now the head coach at Stanford.  Johnny Dawkins (along with Temple’s Howie Evans) showed me, in my “formative” basketball-learning years, what being a point guard was all about.  He’s had a pretty good season in his coaching debut.  Dawkins and his Cardinal were probably the biggest beneficiaries of the USC debacle, as they went from the 8-seed and playing a play-in game for the right ot play Cal to a 7-seed with a bye to the quarters and a date with Arizona St.  Another amazing coach, Herb Sendak, has brought ASU back to national prominence and has a good shot to go back to the tournament, despite losing a lottery pick, another draft pick, and a solid senior leader at the point.  No one has Stanford winning this game.  But, only J, Waters, and KA have the Sun Devils in the finals.  All three of them have ASU winning this tournament.

#6 Oregon St. (8-10) vs. #3 Washington (11-7).  This was supposed to be the year for the Beavers, and they did have a nice season, but I’m guessing that Coach Robinson isn’t looking for an 8-10 conference record to be his “up-year.”  Likewise, I would think that UW is probably a bit disappointed by their season, even though they have a good chance to make the tourney again, despite losing Jon Brockman.  But, they have enough talent to have won this conference and not have to worry about the committee.  Either way, it looks like whichever teams reaches the finals from the bottom of this bracket (be it UW or ASU), should get in.  But, it starts today.  KA is the only one to take Oregon St. in the upset.  But, a lot of people have a lot at stake in the Huskies, as they were the most popular Pac-1o title choice, as Stri, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy all have UW winning this tournament.

ACC OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
I hate the ACC.  Just like I hate the Big East.  I hate that they just hand-pick their recruits from anywhere in the country.  I hate their five or six automatic bids to the tournament every year.  I hate their over-exposure-creating TV alliances.  I hate their entitled fans and their privileged coaches.  But, I only hate these things because I’m jealous.  And, when it comes to conference tournament time, I “profess” my hatred for them, all the while giddy with excitement for the potential matchups all week.  So, because of the ACC and the Big East, I am leaving work today at 11:30.  I am sitting on my couch with channel 4 (Big XII), channel 5 (ACC), channel 6 (Big East), channel 200-something (Pac-10), and even channel 700-something (MAC).  And, yes, I hate it, but I am incredibly excited.  Doogan is the defending ACC champ; Bry won in ’08.

#9 Virginia (5-11) vs. #8 Boston College (6-10).  UVa got off to an incredible start, and there were even some quiet (very quiet) whispers about potential ACC title contention.  But, then the wheels fell off and they stumbled to another lower-division finish.  But, all in all, you have to hand it to another great coach, Tony Bennett, and his success and possiblity of future success at UVa.  BC, on the other hand, is too talented to finish in 8th place of any conference that is having a “down year.”  But, if they can beat UVa today, they get a shot to put themselves more on the map with a shot at #1 Duke.  Ina, J, Stri, and Teddy all have the mild upset in UVa.  No one has either of these teams beating Duke in the quarters.

#12 Miami (FL) (4-12) vs. #5 Wake Forest (9-7).  The Demon Deacons may be looking at the soft bubble thinking that they are safe.  And, they might be.  But, if you’re asking me, they might want to avoid a loss to Miami today in the opening round, so that the Committee doesn’t have a reason to leave them out.  The winner of this game gets Virginia Tech, so they would get a shot at another good win to secure their spot.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Lohse, and Teddy all have Miami in this upset.  J and Waters have Wake in the semis.  KA has them in the finals.

#10 North Carolina (5-11) vs. #7 Georgia Tech (7-9).  Is that a zero next to the 1 in the seed of UNC?  Really?!?  Well, unless they win four games in the four nights, the Tar Heels are NIT-bound.  Georgia Tech thinks they’re safe.  I don’t.  They should probably try and avoid a loss here.  The winner gets Maryland tomorrow night.  Bry, Ina, Stri, Waters, Lil Lohse, and KA all have UNC in the upset.  KA has them in the semis.  Lohse is the only one that has Georgia Tech over Maryland in the quarters, so he’s hoping they come through today to give him a shot at that upset.

#11 N.C. State (5-11) vs. #6 Clemson (9-7).  The Wolfpack fans ran out Herb Sendak and now they can watch ASU make the tournament every year, as their team hasn’t made it since.  Clemson is about as good of a 6-seed as you will find anywhere, in any year.  That just goes to show you how unimpressive their conference season was.  But, the slate is clean here.  The winner of this game gets Florida St. in the quarters.  KA has N.C. State in this upset.  Stri has N.C. State not only winning this one, but also has them beating Florida St. for some huge upset potential.  Clemson, on the other hand, is a very popular CTC pick.  Eight entries have Clemson beating FSU and going to the semis.  Lohse and Teddy even have them in the finals, so there would be a lot of points lost if they were to fall tonight against N.C. State.

SEC OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
The SEC opens today with their opening round quadruple-header in Nashville.  The eastern division was much better than the western division this year, so there are two solid teams (Tennessee and Florida) that probably would have won the west, that have to play the opening round because of divisional alignment.  The two Mississippi schools get the benefits, as they finished 1-2 in the West and got the byes.  Alexi is the defending SEC champ, while Waters won back in ’08.  Bry has finished last in the SEC in back-to-back seasons, so he will try and figure something out in this conference.

#5E South Carolina (6-10) vs. #4W Alabama (6-10).  S. Carolina has had some big wins, but has not had a great season.  Alabama just has not broken out to be the program that they believe they can be.  The winner of this game will get a shot at Kentucky.  Lil Lohse, Bry, J, Doogan, Ina, and Waters all have S. Carolina in this upset.  KA is the only one with either of these teams in the semis, as she has Alabama knocking off Kentucky in the quarters.

#6W LSU (2-14) vs. #3E Tennessee (11-5).  What another incredibly coaching job by Bruce Pearl.  In my mind, he is the national coach of the year (with all respect to Steve Alford).  The Vols open the SEC tournament with a bad LSU team, who has actually won back-to-back conference games after losing their first 14 straight.  The winner of this game will get Ole Miss in the quarters.  Waters is the only one that took the bait on the huge upset point associated with an LSU pick.  Everyone who picked Tennessee here, except KA, has Tennessee also beating Ole Miss in the next round.  Doogan and Lohse all have them in the finals.  Lynch has them winning the whole thing.

#5W Auburn (6-10) vs. #4E Florida (9-7).  The Gators might be on the bubble, so they better avoid a loss to Auburn in the opening round here.  The winner of this game will get western division champion, Mississippi St., in the quarters tomorrow.  KA is the only one to pick Auburn in this one.  Florida is a very popular pick to advance deep in this tournament.  Of the 11 that picked Florida in the first round, only Doogan and Alexi do not have them moving to the semis.  Waters and Teddy even have them going to the title game.

#6E Georgia (5-11) vs. #3W Arkansas (7-9).  The Dawgs of Georgia have had a very up and down year, but it’s nothing compared to the roller-coaster that has been Arkansas’s season.  Late tonight, they will play for the right to meet Vanderbilt in the quarters tomorrow night.  Only Waters, Lynch, and the two Lohses have the favored Razorbacks in this one.  Everyone else has UGa.  Teddy has UGa reaching the semis.  Waters has the most faith in Arkansas, as he has them in the semis.

BIG TEN OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
The Big Ten conference runs about six deep this year, so the real games won’t start until tomorrow, but there is still some jockeying for position with the bottom six teams that play today.  Bry is the two-time defending champion in the Big Ten, so he will try and make it a three-peat this year.

#10 Indiana (4-14) vs. #7 Northwestern (7-11).  Just when it looked like Northwestern would finally make the tournament (they are the only team in a power conference to have never made the tourney), they lose two games to last-place Penn St., all but destroying their at-large hopes.  It’s not over, as they can stil win the tournament and get in, but it’s a long road now.  They open with Indiana and their great coach, Tom Creen.  The young Hoosiers are playing a lot better lately, but they are still reeling, as a program, from the whole Kelvin Sampson debacle.  The winner of this game will play #2 Purdue.  The popular pick in this game is the underdog Hoosiers, as only the two Lohses, J, and Doogan have Northwestern in this one.  No one has either of these teams beating Purdue in the quarters.

#11 Penn St. (3-15) vs. #6 Minnesota (9-9).  Penn St. has Taylor Battle back on a team that won the NIT, but they have just not put it together this year, losing a lot of close games.  Tubby Smith’s Gophers have had a controversial year off the court, but on the court they are really starting to play well at the right time.  Don’t count them out from winning this tournament and stealing a bubble spot.  It’ll be a tough road, though, as the winner of this game has to turn around about play Michigan St. tomorrow in the quarters.  J, Doogan, Waters, Lohse, and Teddy all have Penn St. in the big upset.  No one has either of these teams beating MSU.

#9 Iowa (4-14) vs. #8 Michigan (7-11).  What is wrong with Michigan?  Don’t they have talent?  I really don’t get it because they just stink this year.  Well, they don’t stink as bad as the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they are so much more talented.  Either way, the winner of this game will take on Ohio St. in the quarters.  KA and Stri are the only two that have the mild upset of Iowa in this game.  No one has either of these teams to beat Ohio St. next round.

MOUNTAIN WEST QUARTERFINALS (16 points):
After a brutal 59-40 game between the conference’s worst two teams, the Mountain West fans can rejoice the start of the real tournament.  This is a very underrated, albeit top-heavy, conference this year, which should have a great tournament out in Sin City.

#9 Air Force vs. #1 New Mexico (14-2).  What a coaching effort by Steve Alford, as he has the New Mexico Lobos in the top 10 and with an outside shot at a #2 seed.  But, they have their work cut out for them before even thinking about NCAA seedings.  Well, the work probably won’t really start today, as they get a bad AFA squad.  Stri has already lost this game, with Wyoming, but everyone else has New Mexico.  Half of the field has New Mexico winning this tournament.

#5 Colorado St. (7-9) vs. #4 San Diego St. (11-5).  This has been a pretty good year for the Colorado St. program that is making real strides.  But, San Diego St. is one of the best #4 seeds in any conference tournament not named Villanova.  That shows you how good this tournament might get if the favorites all win today.  Only Waters has CSU in this one.  SDSU is a popular pick in the M-West.  Doogan and Lohse have them going to the finals.  Lynch and KA have them winning the title.

#7 TCU (5-11) vs. #2 BYU (13-3).  Free tip for next week’s bracket picks:  pay attention to BYU and their matchups.  They could be a dark-horse final four contender, but they would have to be in a region with a team like Kentucky or Kansas or even be able to avoid a team like Florida St. or Vanderbilt or someone like that.  But, if you can draw a path for BYU to the Final Four without them having to face a team with a dominant front line, don’t be afraid to take a chance.  You heard it here first…don’t bring it up if they lose to Virginia Tech in the first round.  But, the Cougars are focused now on the task at hand and the Horned Frogs in the opening round.  No one has TCU in this game, but only Bry, Stri, and the two Lohses have BYU reaching the finals.  And, only Lohse has BYU winning it.

#6 Utah (7-9) vs. #3 UNLV (11-5).  What a disappointing season for the Utes, and now to boot, they have to face UNLV in the quarters.  The Rebels are so tough in this tournament, which is held in the Thomas & Mack Center on their campus.  The Rebels should be okay for an at-large, but a win here wouldn’t hurt.  The two Lohses, Lynch, and KA all have Utah in this nice upset.  Lynch and KA have them in the finals.  Doogan and Teddy believe in the Vegas magic, as they both have UNLV winning this tournament.

CONFERENCE USA QUARTERFINALS (12 points each):
In the conference formerly known as The Memphis Conference, it’s a new era and the top four teams in the C-USA join the fray with a wide open field.

#7 Houston vs. #2 Memphis (13-3).  Memphis is about as bubbilicious as it gets right now, so a loss here would be absolutely devastating.  Houston dropped 93 on ECU yesterday, so their offense is rolling.  J, Lynch, and Lohse all have the Houston upset here.  Everyone else has Memphis.  Teddy, KA, and Stri have Memphis winning this tournament.

#6 S. Mississippi vs. #3 UAB (11-5).  S. Miss struggled to beat a bad Tulane team yesterday, but a win is a win and they moved on to get UAB today in the quarters.  But, they are going to need a better performance today, as UAB is looking to get into the bubble discussion.  Doogan and Lohse both have S. Miss upsetting UAB in this one.  Lohse has them going to the title game.  Lynch is the biggest UAB fan in the field, as he has them winning the title.

#5 Tulsa vs. #4 Marshall (11-5).  Tulsa may have looked past #12 Rice yesterday, as they struggled to beat the last-place Owls.  Well, they can’t look past Marshall today, as the Thundering Herd has had one of the better seasons in program history.  Tulsa is the popular pick here, as only J, Waters, Lohse, and KA have Marshall in this game.  Waters has them going to the finals, obviously in honor of Matthew McConaghy.

#9 C. Florida vs. #1 UTEP (15-1).  UCF ended SMU’s season yesterday with a 16-point opening round win.  Now, they get UTEP in the quarters.  When you ask what is the best team in the country that no one is talking about, the answer might just be UTEP.  Led by rising star in the former UMass swingman, Tony Barbee, on the sidelines, and controversial former Louisville big man (and, I do mean ‘big’), Derrick Caracter.  Everyone has UTEP in this game.  Half the field has UTEP winning this tournament.

MAC QUARTERFINALS (12 points each):
After the opening round taking place on campus sites, the MAC tournament shift to Quicken Arena in Cleveland for the quarterfinals.

#7 W. Michigan vs. #2 C. Michigan (9-7).  W. Michigan survived at home against Bowling Green to get themselves to Cleveland for the quarters against in-state rival C. Michigan.  J has already lost this game with Bowling Green, but the rest of the field is involved in a pretty big swing game, actually.  Teddy, Lil Lohse, Ina, Doogan, and Alexi all have W. Michigan in the upset.  The other six have Central.  No one has either of these teams making the finals, as every single entry had Akron in the finals from the bottom half of the bracket.

#6 E. Michigan vs. #3 Akron (12-4).  The Akron Zips lost the regular season title on the last day of the season and fell to the #3 seed because the MAC guarantees the top two seeds to the two division winners.  Either way, the Zips are still in the bottom of the bracket.  E. Michigan survived at home against a game N. Illinois team to get here to Cleveland.  Everyone has Akron winning this game and the next to get to the finals.  Half the field (J, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, KA, and Teddy) has Akron winning the title.

#9 Ohio vs. #1 Kent St. (13-3).  Kent was the team that beat Akron on the last day of the season to take the MAC regular season title and the #1 seed.  Ohio had a nice OT win at Ball St. on Sunday to get a shot at #1 Kent.  Lohse  and Teddy have huge upset potentials here, as they have Ohio winning this game.  Teddy even has them making the finals.  An upset here wouldn’t be that bad for J, Lynch, and KA either because they all have Kent losing in the semis.  The half of the field that does not have Akron winning the MAC title (Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, and Lil Lohse) have Kent St. winning it.

#5 Buffalo vs. #4 Miami (OH) (9-7).  Buffalo hammered a bad Toledo team on Sunday as a tune-up for the tournament in Cleveland.  They now get Miami (OH) in the quarters.  This is a bit of a swing game, as four entries have one of these teams playing in the finals.  J, Lynch, and Lohse have Buffalo in the finals.  KA has Miami (OH) in the finals.  Doogan, Stri, Waters, KA, and Teddy all have Miami in this game.  The other 7 have Buffalo in a mild upset.

SOUTHLAND SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
Well, I have to apologize to all the CTC’ers.  The bracket in the Southland was wrong, in that I had the SE La – Texas St. game as the 3-6 game and the Tx A&M CC – UTSA game as the 4-5 game, when that was backwards.  After all these years of doing this, this is the first time I’ve messed up a bracket and it happened several times.  My bad.  Fortunately, it all completely works out because no one has a final that cannot happen.  We’ll just keep the upset points as they should have been and pretend nothing happened.  Either way, we had some close games in the quarters last night, so we can expect a decent semifinal round today.

#4 SE Louisiana vs. #1 Sam Houston St.  Sam Houston St. held on last night against Nicholls St.  SE Louisiana needed OT to beat Texas St. by a single point.  Now, they face each other for a chance to play inthe Southland title game.  KA and Lohse both have SE Louisiana in the upset here, as they both have SE La winning this whole tournament.  Most of the field has SHSU winning this tournament.

#3 Texas A&M – CC vs. #2 Stephen F. Austin.  Corpus Christie took care of the Roadrunners of UTSA by 12.  The #2-seeded Lumberjacks of SFA took care of UT-Arlington by 23.  They face in the nightcap in the Southland.  KA is the only one with Corpus Christie in this one.  Lohse has already lost this game with UTSA.  Everyone else has Stephen F. Austin.  Defending Southland champion, Waters, is the only one to pick SFA to win this tournament.

WAC QUARTERFINALS (8 points each):
The midnight snack in the WAC gets underway today with their quarterfinal round.  In 2008, Alexi only missed the 8-9 play-in game en route to a WAC title.  Then, last year, Bry took a perfect bracket into the final, but lost it, though he still took the title.  We’ll see what happens this year, as they have eliminated the play-in game (presumably because they didn’t want to always make Hawaii fly in for one game).  The tournament is held in Reno–the home of the University of Nevada.

#8 Boise St. (5-11) vs. #1 Utah St. (14-2).  The first game of the day is the WAC’s dominant program, Utah St. against Boise St.  Everyone had USU in this one.  Only Waters, Lynch, and KA do not have Utah St. winning this whole tournament.

#5 Fresno St. (7-9) vs. #4 Louisiana Tech (9-7).  The second game pits a solid La Tech against Fresno.  Lohse and KA were the only two that took Fresno in this one.  KA has Fresno going to the finals.  Lynch has La Tech in the finals.

#7 Idaho (6-10) vs. #2 Nevada (11-5).  The hosts, Nevada will play the first game of the night session against #7 Idaho.  Teddy is the only one to take a shot with the Idaho big upset.  Waters, Lynch, and KA have Nevada winning the whole tournament.

#6 San Jose St. (6-10) vs. #3 New Mexico St. (11-5).  New Mexico St. will open their postseason with San Jose St. in the nightcap.  KA and Lynch both have the San Jose St. upset.  Teddy and Ina are the only ones that have NM State in the finals.

BIG WEST QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
Out in Anaheim, the Big West tournament continues after a double-header last night, they have another double-header tonight, as the 3- and 4-seeds play the winners from last night.  The two winners tonight will play the top two seeds tomorrow in a semifinal double-header.

#5 CS-Fullerton vs. #4 UC-Davis (8-8). Last night, the Titans of Fullerton knocked off CS-Northridge to advance to the quarters tonight.  Their opponent is UC-Davis, who had one of the best seasons in program history.  Bry, Stri, Alexi, and Lynch have UC-Davis in this one.  Waters and KA have CS-Fullerton in this game and the next.

#6 Cal Poly vs. #3 Long Beach St. (8-8).  Cal Poly edged the Anteaters of UC-Irvine last night to advance to this quarterfinal matchup with LBSU.  Dan Monson’s 49ers finished a disappointing third in the conference, but have a shot at redemption starting late tonight.  Bry, Alexi, Waters, Lil Lohse, KA, and Teddy all have LBSU in this one.  Lynch and Stri both have Cal Poly.  No one has either team reaching the finals.

MEAC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
After two nights in Winston-Salem, the MEAC is down to six teams left.  The final four will be decided tonight.

#6 MD-Eastern Shore vs. #3 S.C. State (10-6).  MD-Eastern Shore took out Coppin St. yesterday afternoon and now they get S.C. State.  Doogan has the MD-ES upset pick.  Waters and Stri had Coppin St.  Everyone else has S.C. State here.  KA has S.C. State winning this tournament.

#5 Hampton (8-8) vs. #4 Norfolk St. (9-7).  In a very big swing game in the CTC, Hampton meets Norfolk St. in the 4-5 game.  Neither of these teams played on either of the first two nights of the tourney, so this is their postseason debut.  Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and KA all have the Hampton upset pick.  Waters has Hampton reaching the finals.  The other eight entries have Norfolk St. winning here, but some are more invested than others.  Stri, Lynch, and Teddy have Norfolk St. going to the finals, with Stri and Teddy both having them win it.

SWAC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The night after…  Last night in Shreveport, the big favorites to win this whole thing, Jackson St., went down to the #8 seed, Grambling St.  Now the field is wide open, so these games are even bigger.

#5 Texas-Southern (11-7) vs. #4 Prairie View A&M (11-7).   With Jackson St. removed from the top of the bracket, this game becomes gigantic, as two 11-7 teams battle to be the favorite to go to the finals of the SWAC tourney.  KA and Lynch are the only two that have Prairie View winning this game.  But, this game is really biggest for Lohse, as he is the only one that didn’t have Jackson St. in the finals.  He has Texas-Southern making the finals, so if they can come through tonight, they have a good shot to pull off a Montana for him.

#6 Alabama A&M (8-10) vs. #3 Alabama St. (12-6).  The two Alabama schools will play each other in the quarters for the chance to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the semis tomorrow night.  J and KA both have Alabama A&M in the upset.  Everyone else has Alabama St.  This is biggest for the Lohse family, as they both have Alabama St. winning this whole thing.

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

Posted on March 11, 2010 by bry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted in challenge, College Hoops, conf tourney challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Montana Gets the Madness Going

Posted on March 10, 2010 by Doogan

anthony johnsonAs far as I’m concerned, this year’s edition of the Madness of March just got officially underway, and it happened in Ogden, Utah.  In the Big Sky Championship Game, #1-seed Weber State was up 40-20 at the half, playing on their home floor, against Montana.

At that point, Montana senior guard Anthony Johnson apparently decided that he wasn’t ready for his career to end, and he wanted to play in the Dance for the first time.  He scored 34 second-half points and ended up with 42 of Montana’s 66 points.  I flipped over from the Louisville-Cincy game when I saw Montana was coming back.  Johnson just couldn’t be stopped.  Weber St. started denying him the ball, so they moved him from 2-guard and had him start bringing the ball up the court himself for the last couple of minutes.  He didn’t let anyone else on his team touch the ball much from there on out.  Even though Weber St. absolutely knew he was going to be taking the shot every time down the floor, he just kept banging them in.  He made three shots at the end that put them back in the lead, including the game-winner that gave them the 66-65 win.  Pure madness.

Meanwhile, Cincy was engineering a comeback from a 12-point 2nd-half deficit over Louisville at the Garden.  An incredibly sloppy 2nd-half by the Cardinals leaves them with some big questions heading into the tourney.  The Madness has begun.  Enjoy it everybody.

Posted in College Hoops | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

CTC Day 9 Preview

Posted on March 10, 2010 by bry

Wednesday and Thurday of Championship Week are about as good as it gets in this sport.  So, buckle your seatbelts, put in your vacation requests, and turn on the TV, as there is wall-to-wall basketball for the next 72+ hours.

NEC CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
The NEC conference had center stage with the quarters last Thursday and the semis on Sunday, but now with the big conferences stepping up, their championship game is put down a rung.  Either way, this should be a great game between the conference’s two best teams.  Bry, Doogan, and Stri all have a shot at a perfect NEC bracket needing top-seeded Quinnipiac to come through tonight.  If not, Lil Lohse will sneak in and take the 2010 NEC title.

#2 Robert Morris vs. #1 Quinnipiac.  Quinnipiac has won two tough games to get here, while Robert Morris just pounded Mt. St. Mary’s in the semis.  But, this one in on the home floor of QU, where they are 14-0 this season.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, and KA all have Quinnipiac.  Lil Lohse is the only one with Robert Morris and will take the NEC title if they win.

BIG SKY CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
The Big Sky championship is set, and it hasn’t struck midnight yet on the Grizzlies.  Tonight is the biggest test they will face, however.  Lohse, the current leader in the Big Sky standings, is the only one with Montana winning this tournament, so if they do, he will finish a Big Sky domination.  If not, Bry, Ina, and Lil Lohse will share the 2010 Big Sky crown.

#4 Montana at #1 Weber St.  Weber St., on the heels of their regular season title, gets to play the semis and finals of the conferent tournament on their home floor.  Montana, who hammered N. Arizona, at home, in the quarterfinals, and then knocked off #2 N. Colorado in the semis last night.  Tonight, they get a shot at #1 Weber St.  Lohse has Montana.  Lil Lohse, Waters, Alexi, Stri, J, Ina, and Bry all have Weber St.

BIG EAST SECOND ROUND (10 points each):
After the first of three straight MSG quadruple-headers yesterday, the second one takes place today.  The four winners from yesterday are all back today to take on the #5- through 8-seeds, who enter the tournament today.

#9 S. Florida vs. #8 Georgetown (10-8).  USF, after a closer-than-should-have-been first round game with DePaul now get to take on one of the best #8-seeds you will ever see in the Georgetown Hoyas, with the winner taking on Syracuse tomorrow in the quarters.  Doogan, Lynch, and KA all have USF in the upset.  Everyone else has G’town.  No one has either of these teams beating the ‘Cuse next round.

#13 St. John’s vs. #5 Marquette (11-7).  In the most unexpected result of the Big East first round, St. John’s hammered UConn, setting up a second-round matchup with Marquette.  For those of you who know a guy named Kaplan, he promised that if St. John’s wins this tournament, he will wax his entire body and grow a comb-over in time for his wedding on Labor Day.  So, everyone root like hell for the Johnnies…PLEASE.  Anyway, the winner of this game will take on Villanova tomorrow in the quarters.  Since KA was the only one that correctly had SJU winning the first round, no one has SJU winning this one.  However, Bry, Alexi, J, and Waters all have UConn winning here, so they have already lost this game.  Everyone else has Marquette.  Doogan and Lil Lohse have the most at stake with Marquette, as they both have them in the semis. 

#10 Seton Hall vs. #7 Notre Dame (10-8).  In a thriller last night, Seton Hall nearly blew a THIRTY-point lead, but hung on to knock off Providence, 109-106.  Their reward is a second round date today with Notre Dame.  The winner of this game will play Pitt tomorrow.  Waters, Lil Lohse, and KA all have Seton Hall in this upset.  Everyone else has Notre Dame.  This is a big game for J, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy, who all have ND in the semis.  Lohse has them all going all the way to the finals.

#11 Cincinnati vs. #6 Louisville (11-7).  Cincinnati, despite atrocious free throw shooting down the stretch, did get one FT to fall when it mattered most and knocked off Rutgers in the nightcap last night.  They will cap off tonight with a date with Louisville for the right to face West Virginia in the quarters.  J, Alexi, and Teddy all have the Bearcats in a nice upset pick.  Everyone else has Louisville, except Waters, who had Rutgers winning here.  Lohse and KA both have Louisville going to the semis.

BIG XII OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
2009-10 may be the best year in the history of the great conference known as the Big XII.  And, the conference tournament should be amazing to go along with this historic year for the conference.  They probably have 6 NCAA tournament bids locked up, with the 7th just about locked up.  So, as far as qualification for the Big Dance goes, the drama is over here, but there are some incredible matchups that will take place over the next couple of days in Kansas City, starting tonight.  Lynch is the defending Big XII champ, while Bry won in ’08 with a near-perfect bracket (only missing on opening round game).

#9 Texas Tech (4-12) vs. #8 Colorado (6-10).  The Buffs have started to put the pieces together down the stretch, while the Red Raiders have been pretty terrible all season long.  The winner of this game gets a shot at #1-seed (and #1 ranked, nationally) Kansas.  Ina, J, Alexi, and Waters all went with the minor upset of Texas Tech.  No one has either of these teams beating Kansas in the next round.

#12 Nebraska (2-14) vs. #5 Missouri (10-6).  The Missouri Tigers have made a nice follow-up year to a great season last year, even though they lost a ton of talent.  Nebraska has become the doormat of this league, winning only 2 conference games all season.  The winner of this game will get the 4-seeded Texas A&M Aggies.  No one has Nebraska winning this game.  Doogan, Lynch, and Lil Lohse all have Mizzou going to the semifinals.

#10 Oklahoma (4-12) vs. #7 Oklahoma St. (9-7).  The battle of the Sooner State has gone against the Sooners twice already this year, as they try to avoid what would be a rough 3-game sweep at the hands of their in-state rivals.  The Cowboys are probably in, regardless, but should sew up an at-large bid with a win tonight.  The winner of this game will get #2 Kansas St. tomorrow.  J is the only one who has the Sooners pulling off the upset here.  In fact, the CTC’ers tend to have a LOT of faith in the Cowboys.  Seven entries (Bry, Doogan, Waters, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy) have OSU beating K-State in the quarters.  Three of them (Waters, Lynch, and Lohse) have them going to the finals.

#11 Iowa St. (4-12) vs. #6 Texas (9-7).  It has hard to say what has happened in Amex this year.  The Cyclones have a load of talent, but they have just had a terrible season.  But, March brings redemption chances and theirs begins tonight against the Longhorns, with the winner advancing to the quarters to play #3 Baylor.  Texas has had a well-documented rollercoaster of a season thus far.  Well, not exactly a roller coaster, as it hasn’t kept going up and down, up and down.  It is more like a mountain–both sides–as it started going straight up, reached the ultimate pinnacle (#1 in the country) and has been steadily falling ever since (possibly becoming the first team ever to be #1 that late in the season and then finish the season unranked).  It should be interesting what they do here in the Big XII tournament going into the NCAA tournament.    Bry, Stri, and Lohse all have Iowa St. in the upset.  KA, Waters, and J all have Texas winning two games in this tournament.

PAC-10 OPENING ROUND (10 points):
The worst regular season in the history of the Pac-10 has ended, and it’s time to crown a champion of all unranked teams.  Defending champion USC (thanks to O.J. Mayo) is on probation and will not be competing.  Alexi is the defending Pac-10 champ.  Doogan won it back in ’08.

#9 Washington St. (6-12) vs. #8 Oregon (7-11).  The only game of the night is a battle between the bottom two teams in the conference.  The winner of this game will play #1 Cal in the quarters tomorrow.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, and Alexi have the minor upset with Wazzu in this one.  Waters has Oregon going to the semis.

MOUNTAIN WEST OPENING ROUND (8 points):
The Mountain West, maybe the most top-heavy league in the country, has its one opening round game tonight between its two worst teams.  Lynch took the Mountain West title last year; J won it in ’08.  Doogan has finished last in the M-West in back-to-back seasons, so he’s trying to turn it around.

#9 Air Force (1-15) vs. #8 Wyoming (3-13).  The two worst teams in the M-West tip-off its conference tournament in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, with the winner taking on #1 New Mexico tomorrow in the quarters.  KA, Waters, Ina, and Bry all have the Air Force in the mild upset.  No one has either team beating New Mexico tomorrow. 

CONFERENCE USA OPENING ROUND (6 points each):
The conference formerly known as The Memphis Conference tips off tonight for the first time in recent memory without Memphis being the overwhelming favorite to take the title.  Then again, the Tigers are the #2 seed and have a great shot at continuing their dominance of this tournament here in Tulsa.  After Ina took the 2008 C-USA title, Bry took it away last year with 204 points in a near perfect bracket.

#10 E. Carolina (4-12) vs. #7 Houston (7-9).  The opening game of the tournament is ECU vs. the Houston Cougars, with the winner getting Memphis tomorrow afternoon.  Even though it is only a 7-10 matchup, no one took the underdog Pirates.  Lohse, Lynch, and J all have enough faith in Houston to have them beating Memphis tomorrow as well as ECU today.

#11 Tulane (3-13) vs. #6 S. Mississippi (8-8).  The Green Wave of Tulane have a struggling program, as they finish another poor year in C-USA.  They open their postseason against S. Miss, with the winner to face #3 UAB.  Stri, Waters, and KA all have Tulane beating S. Miss here.  Doogan and Lohse both have S. Miss going to the semis; Lohse has them winning again and reaching the C-USA finals.

#12 Rice (1-15) vs. #5 Tulsa (10-6).  The Golden Hurricane of Tulsa get (a) to play the tournament in their home city and (b) to get to play the hapless Rice Owls in the first round.  The winner of this game will play the upstart Marshall Thundering Herd.  KA has the big upset pick of Rice in this one.  Teddy, Lil Lohse, Alexi, Stri, Doogan, Ina, and Bry all have Tulsa going to the semis.

#9 C. Florida (6-10) vs. #8 SMU (7-9).  A very disappointing season for the SMU Mustangs, as they were supposed to have a very talented squad this year, yet they finished in the middle of a mediocre conference.  UCF has also taken a downturn after it looked like they might establish themselves as a serious program.  The winner of this game will get the C-USA’s top-seed, UTEP, in the quarters.  Teddy, KA, Alexi, and J all have UCF winning this game.  No one has either of these teams knocking off UTEP in the quarters.

SOUTHLAND QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The Southland Conference (who I have no idea why they don’t play their tournament a week earlier) opens their tournament today with a quadruple-header in Katy, TX, today.  Waters is the defending Southland champion.  Bry won the conference title in ’08 with a whole 11 points, and exactly zero correct picks after the first round.

#7 UT-Arlington (8-8) vs. #2 Stephen F. Austin (11-5).  The Lumberjacks of SFA take on the Mavericks of UTA in the opening game of the Southland Conference.  All 12 CTC’ers picked the Lumberjacks in this one (probably because of the amazing nickname).  Waters has the most at stake here, as he has SFA winning this tournament.

#6 Texas St. (9-7) vs. #3 SE Louisiana (10-6).  In the second game of the day, SE La will play Texas St.  These two teams were only separated by one game in the standings, so it should be a good game.  (Can you tell that I have absolutely NOTHING to say about this one?)  Less than half the field (Teddy, KA, Lohse, Lynch, and Waters) have the favored SE Louisiana in this one.  But, two of those five (Lohse and KA) believe enough in the Lions to have them winning the entire tournament.  J has Texas St. in the finals.

#8 Nicholls St. (7-9) vs. #1 Sam Houston St. (14-2).  The first game of the night portion of the double-header features the regular-season champ, Sam Houston St. taking on Nicholls St. who barely even qualified for the SL tournament.  KA is the only one who took Nicholls St. in this nice upset pick.  Most of the CTC has SHSU winning this whole tournament.

#5 UT-San Antonio (9-7) vs. #4 Texas A&M – Corpus Christie (10-6).  Just when you thought that the Lumberjacks was the best nickname in the conference, you are introduced to the Roadrunners of UT-San Antonio.  They take on Texas A&M – CC tonight in the nightcap of the MUCH-anticipated Southland quadruple-header.  Only KA, Waters, Alexi, and Stri have the favorites in this one.  Obviously, they didn’t know the nickname.  KA has Texas A&M – CC in the finals.

SWAC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
And another conference where I have no idea why they don’t play last week, but, well, they don’t.  And, they split up their quarters, with the top two seeds playing the first night and the 3- and 4-seeds playing tomorrow.  Waters won the SWAC in ’08, but then Ina went perfect last year.

#7 Mississippi Valley St. (8-10) vs. #2 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (14-4).  The first game of the night is AR-Pine Bluff versus the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley St.  I’m already sick of typing Mississippi Valley St., so I hope they lose.  Doogan and Stri have MVSU not only winning this game, but going to the finals.  Everyone else has UAPB in this one.

#8 Grambling St. (4-14) vs. #1 Jackson St. (17-1).  JSU dominated the SWAC this year and they open the tournament tonight against Grambling.  All 12 CTC’ers have Jackson St. taking care of business tonight.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Lynch, and Waters all have JSU winning the SWAC.

GREAT WEST QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
In the first ever Great West tournament, the top seed gets a bye to the semis, while the other six battle it out in the quarters.  This conference does not provide an automatic bid to the tournament, but they might play hard anyway.  Since this is the inaugural year of the GW, there is no defending champ.  Don’t expect much analysis from me on this conference.  Sorry all you Great West fans.

#5 Texas-Pan American (4-8) vs. #4 Utah Valley (5-7).  In a conference that spreads from Texas to North Dakota and Utah to New Jersey, the Utah Valley Wolverines get to play the conference tournament in their home state.  They open the tournament tonight against TX-Pan American, with the winner having to face #1 South Dakota.  J, Doogan, Lynch, KA, and Teddy all have Texas-Pan American in this mild upset.  Teddy and KA both have UTPA going to the finals.

#7 Chicago St. (4-8) vs. #2 Houston Baptist (9-3).  In the second game, the only above-.500 team in the conference playing tonight, Houston Baptist, takes on the bottom seed, Chicago St.  Alexi and J both have Chicago St. in a nice upset pick.  KA has Houston Baptist winning this tournament.

#6 N.J. Tech (4-8) vs. #3 North Dakota (5-7).  NJIT has had quite the road schedule this year playing in a conference called “the Great West.”  They come all the way across the country again for the tournament and they give them the latest game on the schedule, facing North Dakota.  J, Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and Lohse all have NJIT in this upset.  J, Waters, and Alexi even have them going to the finals.

MEAC OPENING ROUND/QUARTERFINALS (2 points each/4 points each):
In the strangest scheduled tournament of the bunch, the MEAC plays one opening round game and two quarterfinals tonight. 

#11 Coppin St. (3-13) vs. #6 MD-Eastern Shore (8-8).  In the holdover opening round game, Coppin St. (who went 3-13 this year despite building a huge new arena–good job, guys) takes on MD-Eastern Shore, who didn’t finish last in the MEAC for the first time in the history of the CTC.  Bry, Stri, Alexi, Waters, and Lil Lohse all have the Coppin St. upset pick here.  Stri and Waters took it even further with Coppin St. going to the semis.

#7 Bethune-Cookman vs. #2 Delaware St. (11-5).  Bethune-Cookman, who won an opening round game last night takes on the #2-seeded Delaware St. squad.  No one has Bethune-Cookman in this one, but Teddy and J have already lost it, having picked FAMU to win this one.  Lynch and Waters have the most at stake here with DSU, as they have them winning the title.

#9 N.C. A&T vs. #1 Morgan St. (15-1).  N.C. A&T, the other opening round winner last night, gets rewarded with the MEAC juggernaut, Morgan St.  Everyone has Morgan in this one.  More than half of the field has Morgan St. winning this tournament.

BIG WEST OPENING ROUND (2 points each):
The Big West opens their pointless second week tournament tonight.  Sorry, it’s not pointless, but it should not be played in the second week.  Bry is coming off a perfect Big West bracket.  Doogan dominated (almost perfect) the Big West in ’08.

#8 CS-Northridge (6-10) vs. #5 CS-Fullerton (8-8).  The Matadors versus the Titans in a great clash tonight in Anaheim.  Less than half of the field (KA, Waters, Alexi, Stri, and Ina) actually took the favorite here.  J, Doogan, and Teddy all have Northridge going to the finals.  Waters and KA both have Fullerton winning this whole tournament.

#7 UC-Irvine (6-10) vs. #6 Cal Poly (7-9).  And, finally it’s Cal Poly versus the Anteaters of UC-Irvine.  Stri, Lynch and Teddy are the only three with Cal Poly in this one.  Stri has them going to the finals.  Both Lohses have the Anteaters making the finals.

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CTC Day 8 Recap: Ina Wins Her Second Straight Day, As the Leaders Put a Little Distance on the Field

Posted on March 10, 2010 by bry

In the day that starts the craziness that is the second week, Ina wins her second straight.  The top four going into the day were top four on the day, as they extend their lead over the field.

DAY 8 SCORES (days won):
167 – Ina (2)
148 – Doogan
146 – Lil Lohse (2)
140 – Bry (3)
122 – KA
99 – Stri (1)
97 – Alexi (1)
91 – Lohse (2)
81 – J
80 – Teddy
70 – Waters
53 – Lynch (1)

OVERALL STANDINGS (conference titles; *perfect):
922 – Bry (4 – A-Sun, CAA, MAAC*, Summit)
871 – Ina (1 – Summit)
846 – Doogan (1 – Horizon*)
812 – Lil Lohse (2 – Big South*, Summit)
743 – Stri (3 – MVC, SoCon, Sun Belt)
715 – Alexi (2 – Big South*, Summit)
701 – J (1 – OVC)
685 – Lohse
648 – Teddy (1 – Horizon*)
643 – Lynch (1 – WCC)
614 – KA (1 – Big South*)
580 – Waters

HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (32 points):
The HL finished up just as expected all year long–with Butler dominating.  The Butler win completed an amazing perfect bracket by Teddy and Doogan.  To complete a 10-team tournament with several upsets perfectly is certainly impressive, so hats off.

#1 Butler 70 – #2 Wright St. 45.  The Butler Bulldogs take care of their “bubble duties,” as they hammer #2 Wright St. to take the Horizon League title.  No one had Wright St., but KA and Lynch both lost with other teams.  The other 10 entries all had Butler.

FINAL HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS (prior HL titles; *perfect bracket):
*116 – Doogan
*116 – Teddy
108 – Alexi
100 – Lohse
84 – J
80 – Bry
80 – Ina
72 – Lil Lohse
64 – Waters
56 – Stri
28 – Lynch
24 – KA

SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
The end of the Sun Belt.  Yes, part of me is pretty sad.  It’s a good thing that there are some great “other” tournaments still going on.  The N. Texas win gave Stri his 3rd conference title of the 2010 season.

#2 N. Texas 66 – #1 Troy 63.  In a great game to finish out the Sun Belt tournament, the Mean Green of N. Texas beat Troy to win their third ever invite to the NCAA tournament.  Doogan and Stri got this one right.  Waters missed on Troy.

FINAL SUN BELT STANDINGS (prior SB titles):
48 – Stri
46 – J
44 – Doogan
44 – Waters
36 – KA
20 – Lohse
20 – Lynch
16 – Ina (’09)
16 – Lil Lohse
14 – Alexi (’08)
14 – Bry
10 – Teddy

SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
Top-seeded Oakland defended their regular season championship with a tournament championship.  Their win created a four-way tie for the CTC Summit League championship.  Ina wins her third consecutive Summit League title.  She is joined by Bry, Alexi, and Lil Lohse in a four-way tie for the conference crown.

#1 Oakland 76 – #2 IUPUI 64.  The Jaguars of IUPUI jumped out to a big lead, but they just could not stop Derick Nelson, who dropped 36 points with a broken nose.  What a time for a career game for a guy whose season scoring average was less than 12 points per game.  But, the 6’5″ senior would not be denied in his last chance to go to The Dance, as he was 15-23 from the floor, 3-8 from three, and 3-5 from the line for a career-high 36 points.  Wow.  Bry, Ina, J, Alexi, and Lil Lohse all nailed this champion.  Teddy, Stri, Waters, and Doogan missed on IUPUI.

FINAL SUMMIT LEAGUE STANDINGS (prior SL titles; *perfect):
42 – Alexi
42 – Bry
42 – Ina (’08t*, ’09t)
42 – Lil Lohse
36 – J
34 – Doogan (’09t)
28 – Waters (’08t*)
26 – Lohse
26 – Lynch
26 – Teddy
12 – KA
12 – Stri (’09t)

ATLANTIC TEN OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
The first A-10 tournament games played on campus sites took place on Tuesday night (though no one could watch it because the conference completely screwed their TV deal).  Ina and KA both went 4-for-4 on the night.  J was the only one to go 1-for-4, but he still has all his semifinalists.  Lynch and Waters both lost semifinalists on Tuesday night. 

#8 St. Bonaventure 83 – #9 Duquesne 71.  The Bonnies showed how tough of a place Olean, NY, is, as they handled Duquesne behind 28 from Chris Matthews (not that Chris Matthews) and 25 from Andrew Nicholson.  The Bonnies are hot and will now move on to play the top-seeded Temple Owls on Friday in AC.  Alexi, Doogan, and J missed on the Dukes.

#5 Rhode Island 87 – #12 St. Joseph’s 76.  URI kept their dimming tournament hopes alive on Tuesday, as they held off a feisty St. Joe’s team at the Ryan Center.  It was close down the stretch as St. Joe’s was within four with less than four to play, but they never got any closer, and URI will move on to AC to face #4 St. Louis in the quarters on Friday.  Bry, Stri, and Waters went for the upset here and missed.  Waters lost a semifinalist in St. Joe’s.  KA has URI in the finals.  Teddy and Alexi have the in the semis.

#11 UMass 59 – #6 Charlotte 56.  In the big shocker of the night in the A-10 (and probably the biggest shocker of the night), the Minutemen slammed the door on Charlotte’s season, with a 59-56 win on the road.  Ricky Harris just did not want his career to end so soon, scoring 24 points, including 11-12 from the line–many of them down the stretch.  UMass now advances to the quarters on Friday, where they will open with #3 Richmond.  The big upset of the day was the Minutemen on the road.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Lil Lohse, and KA all hit this nice upset pick.  Lynch lost the most, as he had Charlotte in the semis.

#7 Dayton 70 – #10 George Washington 60.  In a game that was a lot tougher than it should have been for the Flyers, they did hang on and wil move on to face arch-rival Xavier in the quarterfinals.  GW even battled to a tie with less than 5 minutes left, but Dayton, who is so tough on their home floor, managed to do what they needed to down the stretch to get the W.  They are still going to be a very tough out in this tournament, but the Flyers are not exactly playing their best ball at the right time.  J and Lil Lohse both had GW in the upset here.  Waters, Lohse, and Teddy keep a semifinalist alive.  Lynch keeps a finalist alive.

ATLANTIC 10 STANDINGS (prior A-10 titles; *perfect):
*90 – Ina
*90 – KA
80 – Bry (’09)
80 – Doogan
80 – Lil Lohse
30 – Lohse
30 – Lynch
30 – Teddy
20 – Alexi
20 – Stri
20 – Waters (’08)
10 – J

BIG SKY SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
The semis in the Big Sky are complete, and Wednesday’s final is set.  No one got both finalists right, but everyone except KA got at least one.

#4 Montana 68 – #2 N. Colorado 63.  In another nice upset, the Grizzlies take down N. Colorado and are one win away from an unlikely NCAA tournament appearance.  Lohse was the only one to nail the Montana pick.  He will be rooting hard for them Wednesday night, as he has them winning it all.

#1 Weber St. 69 – #6 Portland St. 60.  On the road, the Pilots of Portland St. put together a nice game, but fell just short, as the top-seeded Weber St. moves on to the finals to take on Montana.  Only Lohse and KA did not have Weber St. in the finals.  Add Doogan and Lynch to the mix that do not have Weber St. winning the title.

BIG SKY STANDINGS (prior Big Sky titles):
28 – Lohse
22 – Bry (’08t)
22 – Doogan
22 – Ina (’08t)
22 – Lil Lohse
22 – Lynch
22 – Teddy
12 – Alexi
12 – J (’09)
12 – Stri
12 – Waters
0 – KA

BIG EAST FIRST ROUND (5 points each):
The only conference that has five rounds of a tournament started their marathon on Tuesday, as the bottom half of the 16-team Big East took the floor in New York for a great quadruple-header.  KA and Bry had the exact opposite picks on the day.  KA got all four right; Bry got all four wrong.  J was the only one who lost a semifinalist.  Waters lost two quarterfinalists.  Bry and Alexi each lost one.

#9 S. Florida 58 – #16 DePaul 49.  In the opening game of the 15-game Big East tournament, S. Florida took care of business against DePaul–though it wasn’t pretty.  USF now moves on by holding DePaul to under 30% from the floor.  Only Bry had DePaul in this one.  Lynch, KA, and Doogan all keep USF alive, whom they have going to the quarters.

#13 St. John’s 73 – #12 UConn 51.  In the most surprising result of the day, the Johnnies absolutely smoked UConn, ending any hope of their at-large bid.  This was a big result in the CTC, as UConn was a popular pick.  Only KA had St. John’s winning this game.  Bry, Alexi, and Waters had UConn going to the quarters.  J had them going all the way to the semis.

#10 Seton Hall 109 – #15 Providence 106.  In an absolutely ridiculous display of basketball, Seton Hall nearly blew a 30-point lead, but held on at the end, as Duke Mondy missed a three that would have sent it to an unlikely overtime.  Jamine Peterson went for 38 points and 16 rebounds in a stupidly offensive game.  Bry and Teddy missed on this upset pick.  Waters, Lil Lohse, and KA all have Seton Hall going to the quarters.

#11 Cincinnati 69 – #14 Rutgers 68.  And the fourth game of the first of three straight quadruple-headers at MSG was a real thriller, but like the game right before it, it shouldn’t have been.  All Seton Hall had to do was play any defense and they would have walked home to a 20-point victory.  Well, all Cincinnati had to do was hit a free throw at some point and they would have advanced much easier than they did.  They finally did hit a free throw, as freshman star Lance Stevenson capped off his homecoming with the game-winning free throw to beat RU and advance to the second round against Louisville.  It was the first Big East tournament win in the history of the Bearcats.  Bry, Doogan, Waters, and Lil Lohse all missed on the upset pick.  Waters had Rutgers in the quarters.

BIG EAST STANDINGS (prior Big East titles; *perfect):
*30 – KA
15 – Alexi
15 – Ina
15 – J
15 – Lohse
15 – Lynch
15 – Stri
10 – Doogan (’08, ’09)
10 – Lil Lohse
10 – Teddy
10 – Waters
0 – Bry

MEAC OPENING ROUND (2 points each):
The MEAC started with 2/3 of their opening round in Winston-Salem on Wednesday.  Alexi, Stri, and Ina all nailed both games.  More than half of the field missed them both.

#7 Bethune-Cookman 63 – #10 Florida A&M 54.  The Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman had never had a D-I winning season until last year and they have now clinched their second straight, as they knock off FAMU by nine on Wednesday night.  They advance to the quarterfinals to take on #2 Delaware St.  Only Ina, Stri, Alexi, and KA had Bethune-Cookman in this one.  Teddy and J both lost a semifinalist in FAMU.

#9 N.C. A&T 65 – #8 Howard 55.  The Aggies of N.C. A&T take out Howard, ending the Bison’s season in the opening round of the MEAC tournament.  Bry, Ina, Stri, and Alexi hit this mild upset.  No one had either of these teams going any further.

MEAC STANDINGS (prior MEAC titles; *perfect):
*6 – Alexi
*6 – Ina
*6 – Stri
4 – Bry
2 – KA
0 – Doogan
0 – J
0 – Lil Lohse
0 – Lohse
0 – Lynch
0 – Teddy
0 – Waters

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CTC Day 8 Preview

Posted on March 9, 2010 by bry

Let’s ramp it up, folks.  If you thought that the first week was crazy, just wait until we start handing out massive amounts of points for each game.  Here we go…

HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (32 points):
After the opening round way back on Day One, and the quarters and semis on Friday and Saturday, the Horizon League, a week after its tournament began, is ready to finally crown a champion.  The top two seeds, who both only needed to win one game to get here, will battle for the auto-bid.  Through it all, Doogan and Teddy have somehow remained perfect in this bracket and have clinched the title.  The only question now is:  will they go perfect?

#1 Butler vs. #2 Wright St.  Bubble teams across the nation are rooting hard for Butler tonight, as Wright St. could steal an at-large with a win.  No one in the CTC has Wright St. winning this tournament, but two entries (Lynch and KA) have someone other than Butler, so they will be rooting for Wright St. to zero this game out across the board.  The other 10 entries will get 32 points if Butler wins tonight at home.

SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
After 11 great games in Hot Springs, we are down to just two teams–the top two seeds–for all the marbles in the Sun Belt.  J currently has the CTC Sun Belt lead, but the W. Kentucky elimination means that he cannot win the ultimate title.  If Troy wins, Waters wins the Sun Belt going away.  If N. Texas wins, Stri will take his third CTC conference title of the 2010 season.

#1 Troy vs. #2 N. Texas.  Troy has held its opponents to 55 and 48 points, respectively, in the first two rounds of this tournament, including a really nice win over a solid W. Kentucky squad.  N. Texas has gotten lucky with its draw, but struggled somewhat with #10 LA-Monroe and #6 Denver.  But, there are no style points in the Sun Belt, it’s all about the W’s.  The teams will battle tonight for the conference’s auto-bid.  Only three CTC’ers have anything at stake tonight.  Waters is the only one with top-seeded Troy winning this tournament.  Doogan and Stri both have N. Texas taking the title.

SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
The Summit League has played down to its final two, as the top two seeds will battle it out for the conference’s NCAA tournament bid.  With an IUPUI win tonight, Doogan will complete a perfect bracket and a successfully defend his share of the ’09 Summit League title.  If Oakland wins, Ina will continue her Summit dominance by winning a share of three straight Summit League titles (including perfection in ’08).  If that happens, she will share the crown this year with Lil Lohse, Alexi, and Bry.

#1 Oakland vs. #2 IUPUI.  Oakland has done their job with two business-like wins over UMKC and IPFW to get here to the finals.  IUPUI beat W. Illinois in the quarters and then a hard-fought semifinal win last night over Oral Roberts got them here, 40 minutes from glory.  Nine CTC’ers have a horse in this finals race:  5 for Oakland (Bry, Ina, J, Alexi, and Lil Lohse) and 4 for IUPUI (Doogan, Stri, Waters, and Teddy).

ATLANTIC TEN OPENING ROUND (10 points each):
Just when the A-10 takes a step towards creating a “Big Seven” conference in college hoops, they take two steps backwards.  This year, they have their title game on Selection Sunday (like the ACC and the SEC and the Big XII).  That’s a step in the right direction (even though I hate it, from a fan’s perspective).  But, they also took two steps backwards, as they decided this year to play the opening round on campus sites, and then ship the eight quarterfinalists to Atlantic City for the weekend.  A big-time conference has to be able to sell their entire tournament without having to go to the campuses of the higher seeds to do so.  Then, in this down year for the “Big 6,” the A-10 was poised to make a huge step forward, as seven teams looked in really good shape to get an NCAA invite–a step forward.  But, then the last two weeks of February happened, and it all fell apart for teams like Dayton, Charlotte, and URI–two steps back.  It’s all pretty upsetting, if you ask me.  Anyway, I still believe that they will get there eventually.  The Temple Owls won the regular season conference title and will try and make it three straight tournament titles this weekend.  Xavier, Richmond, and St. Louis also earned a bye to AC.  Bry is the defending A-10 champ, riding the Owls to 260 points (70 more than second place).  Waters won the A-10 back in ’08.

#9 Duquesne (7-9) at #8 St. Bonaventure (7-9).  The Bonnies have been playing pretty well in the later stages of the season, and Duquesne has had a pretty disappointing season, considering the expectations that last year’s success brought to the program.  But, there is always a redemption chance in the A-10 tournament.  Though, this year it’s tougher.  Duquesne has to travel up to Olean, NY, tonight to play the Bonnies who are really tough at home.  The winner would play #1 Temple (I love typing that) on Friday in Atlantic City.  J, Doogan, and Alexi all have the underdog Dukes in a mild upset.  Everyone else has the Bonnies.  No one picked against Temple in the quarters, so no one can lose a semifinalist here.

#12 St. Joseph’s (5-11) at #5 Rhode Island (9-7).  The Rams were well on their way to an at-large bid, but just like last year, they threw it all away in the second half of February.  Their RPI was as high as 12, at one point, but now it has dipped to bubble-bursting levels.  They have a must-win tonight at home against St. Joe’s.  The Hawks were in real jeopardy of missing the A-10 tournament altogether (in fact, until the final day of the season, they were out), but they finally passed LaSalle to take the final spot.   The winner of this game will play St. Louis on Friday in the quarters.  Waters and Bry have St. Joe’s in a big upset here.  Waters even has them going to the semis.  KA has the most at stake here with URI, as she has them going to the finals.

#11 Massachusetts (5-11) at #6 Charlotte (9-7).  UMass also qualified for the A-10 tournament on the last day of the season, as they beat Rhode Island to get into the tournament.  Charlotte, like URI, was well on their way to an at-large bid before they lost six of the last seven games, and now they probably need to win the tournament (or at least reach the finals) to get in.  The winner of this game will play #3 Richmond on Friday.  Bry, Ina, Doogan, Lil Lohse, and KA all took the bait of the upset points with UMass.  Lynch is the only one that has either of these teams in the semis, as he has Charlotte beating Richmond next round.

#10 George Washington (6-10) at #7 Dayton (8-8).  And, yet another team that looked on their way to an at-large until February hit.  The Dayton Flyers have too much talent to make the field of 65, but that looks like it is going to be the case unless they go on a run this week.  The first step is tonight at home (where they are incredibly tough to beat) against GW.  A win tonight for Dayton and they will get a shot at a big RPI win against Xavier on Friday.  But, they have to get past the Colonials first.  J and Lil Lohse are the only two that took GW in this one.  Dayton, however, is a popular pick to win this game and another, as four entries (Waters, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy) have Dayton knocking off GW and Xavier.  Lynch has Dayton going to the final game.

BIG SKY SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
After three days off, and completely overshadowed by the beginnings of the Big East and A-10 tournaments, the Big Sky picks back up with its semifinals on the Weber St. campus.  The two winners from Saturday’s games meet the top two seeds in the semis, with the finals tomorrow night.

#6 Montana vs. #2 N. Colorado (12-4).  Montana knocked off N. Arizona at home on Saturday to advance to the semis tonight.  And, the night was even more sweet for Grizzlies fans, as their arch-rivals, Montana St. lost at home to Portland St.  Not only does that loss make the fans happy, but it also, indirectly, helps Montana a great deal.  If MSU had won, Montana would have had to play the top-seeded (and hosts) Weber St. in the semis.  But, instead, they get a neutral-court game against N. Colorado.  J and Stri had Montana St. going to the finals, so they’ve already lost this game.  Lohse has a lot at stake here, as he has Montana winning the whole tournament.  Doogan, Lynch, and Teddy would like to see N. Colorado move on, as they have them winning it all.

#6 Portland St. at #1 Weber St. (13-3).  The Wildcats of Weber St. won the regular season title by one game over N. Colorado and, in doing so, not only earned the top-seed, but they also get to host the semis and finals of the conference tournament.  So, they get to play at home for the rest of the way.  Their semifinal opponent is Portland St., who is no stranger to road upset, as they are coming fresh off a win at Montana St. in the quarters.  Only Lohse has Portland St. in this one.  More than half of the field (Bry, J, Ina, Stri, Alexi, Lil Lohse, and Waters) have Weber St. winning the Big Sky. 

BIG EAST FIRST ROUND (5 points each):
I know it was done for money, not excitement, but I love the 16-team Big East tournament.  Every year, the pairings are so intriguing, especially with the double-bye format.  It rewards good regular seasons, but still allows everyone a shot.  And, the argument that the DePaul’s of the world should not be given a shot at an auto-bid are ridiculous.  If you mean to tell me that if DePaul is able to win five games in five nights in Madison Square Garden against progressively more difficult BIG EAST opponents, they don’t deserve a 14-seed, then you’ve got to be kidding yourself.  It’s not going to happen, but if one of these teams wins 5 Big East games in 5 nights, they at least deserve a 14-seed in The Dance.  If you want advice on Big East picks, call Doogan.  He has won back-to-back Big East CTC titles, including a complete domination last year, when his 275 points was 95 points better than second-place Ina and ONE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY points better than anyone else.  Doogan will start his quest for a three-peat today with the First Round action.

#9 S. Florida (9-9) vs. #16 DePaul (1-17).  DePaul if familiar with this spot in the Big East tournament, as they are the only team to ever be seeded #16 in a Big East tournament.  Last year, in the first year of the 16-team format, DePaul entered the tournament at 0-18 in-conference…and won!  They knocked Cincinnati right off the bubble at noon on Tuesday one year ago.  This year they come in at 1-17 in-conference and have the chance to do what they did to Cincy to USF this year.  The Bulls have had a decent year, and they are quietly building a nice program down there.  But, to get to the tournament, they may have to win at least three games in this tournament–not an easy thing to do.  The winner of this game will play #8 Georgetown, with the winner of that getting #1 Syracuse.  Bry is the only one that went for the upset points by picking DePaul.  Doogan, Lynch, and KA all have USF beating G’town in the second round.

#12 Connecticut (7-11) vs. #13 St. John’s (6-12).  We all know about the trials of UConn hoops this year.  It’s amazing to think that, barring some craziness this week, it looks like we will have an NCAA field without UConn, N. Carolina, Arizona, or UCLA.  Unthinkable.  But, UConn still has a shot, as they open today with the Johnnies.  St. John’s has fallen off the map, but they have a shot–at home, pretty much–to get back to relevancy.  The winner of this game will play #5 Marquette, with the winner of that playing #4 Villanova.  KA is the only one to take St. John’s in this one.  UConn is a popular upset pick down the line.  Bry, J, Alexi, and Waters all have UConn winning today and tomorrow.  J then has them continuing on to the semifinals.

#11 Cincinnati (7-11) vs. #14 Rutgers (5-13).  The Bearcats have probably played themselves off of the bubble, but the beauty (and challenge) of the Big East tournament is that you have plenty of opportunities to have season-changing wins over the next 5 nights.  This one wouldn’t be a season-changer, but it’s a start.  RU has not exactly taken off since leaving the A-10 for the Big East, but they did win 5 conference games this year and have a nice following in New York City.  The winner of this game will play Louisville in the second round, with the winner of that playing West Virginia in the quarters on Thursday.  Bry, Doogan, Lil Lohse, and Jersey-lovin’ Waters have Rutgers in this one.  Waters has them beating Louisville tomorrow.

#10 Seton Hall (9-9) vs. #15 Providence (4-14).  Not many people are talking about Seton Hall as an at-large, but the bubble is so incredibly soft that, with a good showing at MSG this week, they might just get in.  But, it has to start tonight, as they take on the #15-seeded Friars of Providence.  The winner of this game will play tomorrow against Notre Dame, with the winner of that taking on Pitt in the quarters.  Bry and Teddy are the only two to take PC in the upset.  Waters, Lil Lohse, and KA all have Seton Hall beating Providence tonight and Notre Dame tomorrow night.

MEAC OPENING ROUND (2 points each):
The MEAC, with the wackiest schedule of all the conference tournaments, plays two of its three opening round games tonight in Winston-Salem.  The other one will be tomorrow, along with two of the four quarterfinals.  The remaining two quarters will be on Thursday, with the semis Friday, and the finals on Saturday.  Lynch’s pulled off a fantastic comeback last year to win the MEAC.  After going 0-for-3 in the opening round, he went perfect from there on out to edge Stri for the MEAC title.  In a very low-scoring MEAC in ’08 (where no one correctly picked Coppin St. to win the tournament), Alexi took the CTC title.  Doogan has struggled in this conference, finishing last in the MEAC in each of the past two years, scoring only 18 points, total, in those two MEAC CTCs.

#7 Bethune Cookman (8-8) vs. #10 Florida A&M (4-12).  Bethune-Cookman (alma mater that educated one of the greatest humans to ever live, John Chaney) had a decent year in the MEAC this year, but lost their final two games and now are stuck in the opening round.  Their first-round opponent is FAMU, who struggled this season.  The winner will play #2 Delaware St. in the quarters tomorrow night.  Surprisingly, only Alexi and KA have the favored Bethune-Cookman in this one.  Teddy and J both have FAMU going to the semis.

#8 Howard (6-10) vs. #9 N.C. A&T (6-10).  The 8-9 matchup is between two 6-10 teams playing for a shot at #1 Morgan St. in the quarters.  Howard started strong this year, but has really struggled down the stretch.  N.C. A&T has struggled on and off throughout the season.  Bry, Ina, and Alexi all have N.C. A&T in the mild upset.  No one has either team beating Morgan St. next round.

Enjoy the games…

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CTC Day 7 Recap: Four-Way Tie for the Day 7 Title Including Lil Lohse for His Second Straight

Posted on March 9, 2010 by bry

In the quiet day that is the middle Monday, there were only 8 games played.  But, there were still a lot of points to be won.  The day actually finished with a four-way tie for first, including yesterday’s winner and the top two overall leaders.  Alexi had a rough day with a slew of costly near-misses, so he put himself back behind the 8-ball heading into the big tournaments.

DAY 7 SCORES (days won):
88 – Bry (3)
88 – Ina (1)
88 – Lil Lohse (2)
88 – Stri (1)
80 – J
68 – Lynch
56 – Doogan
48 – Waters
40 – Lohse
40 – Teddy
24 – KA
8 – Alexi

OVERALL STANDINGS (conference titles; *perfect bracket):
782 – Bry (3 – A-Sun, CAA, MAAC*)
704 – Ina
698 – Doogan
666 – Lil Lohse (1 – Big South*)
644 – Stri (2 – MVC, SoCon)
620 – J (1 – OVC)
618 – Alexi (1 – Big South*)
594 – Lohse
590 – Lynch (1 – WCC)
568 – Teddy
510 – Waters
492 – KA (1 – Big South*)

COLONIAL CHAMPIONSHIP (48 points):
The last game of the 2010 CAA season was yet another good one.  Old Dominion won the auto-bid (all bubble teams rejoice), and Bry won the CAA CTC title.

#1 Old Dominion 60 – #3 William & Mary 53.  William & Mary falls short again.  They have still never made the NCAA tournament, but they should not hold their heads down, as they did have a fantastic year.  They are on their way to the tournament in the near future.  But, for now, it’s ODU.  They won’t have to wait for the Selection Committee to screw them over because they’re not in a Big Resource conference.  They did it the old-fashioned way…they earned it.  Lil Lohse, Stri, J, Ina, and Bry all got ODU winning this.  Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, and KA missed the W&M title.  Bry’s win gave him the CAA title, which would have gone to Alexi if W&M had won.

FINAL COLONIAL STANDINGS (prior CAA titles):
192 – Bry
162 – Ina (’09)
138 – Lil Lohse
126 – Alexi (’08)
120 – Stri
114 – J
96 – KA
96 – Teddy
90 – Lohse
84 – Doogan
84 – Lynch
66 – Waters

WEST COAST CHAMPIONSHIP (32 points):
The bubble teams took a blow last night, as St. Mary’s pounded Gonzaga in the WCC title game.  Could this St. Mary’s team actually be better than last year’s, even though they lost the two best individual players in the school’s history?  Maybe.  The biggest news from the night, though, was the ramifications of the St. Mary’s win on the CTC.  A free 34 points for Lynch catapulted him from worst to first, winning the 2010 WCC title.

#2 St. Mary’s 82 – #1 Gonzaga 61.  A shocking second-half, to say the least.  A very physical, hard-fought first half gave way to an utter domination by the Gaels in the second half.  They do not have to wait for the selection committee now, as they’re in.  But, this loss may have dropped Gonzaga from a 4-5 seed to a 7-8 seed.  Lynch was the only one to have St. Mary’s winning this game.  Everyone else had Gonzaga.  It’s nice to grab a free 34 points over the other 11 contestants.

FINAL WEST COAST STANDINGS (prior WCC titles; *perfect bracket):
64 – Lynch
48 – Lohse
48 – Teddy
44 – Alexi
44 – Doogan
44 – Ina (’09*)
44 – J
44 – Lil Lohse
44 – Stri
44 – Waters (’08)
40 – Bry
20 – KA

SoCON CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
The Wofford Terriers have clinched their first ever trip to the Big Dance, and along with it clinch the second conference title of the 2010 CTC for Stri.

#1S Wofford 56 – #1N Appalachian St. 51.  In what looked like it was going to be a complete blowout, App St. made a spirited comeback run in the second half that fell just short.  The Terriers now move on to the tournament for the first time in school history.  Teddy, both Lohses, Stri, Doogan, Ina, and Bry all had Wofford winning this tournament.  No one had App St., so the others were only hoping for zeros.

FINAL SoCON STANDINGS (prior SoCon titles):
62 – Stri
58 – Ina (’08)
54 – Bry
50 – Lil Lohse
44 – Doogan
42 – Teddy
38 – Lohse
32 – Lynch (’09)
26 – J
24 – KA
22 – Alexi
18 – Waters

MAAC CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
It wasn’t pretty all tournament, but the Siena Saints win their third consecutive MAAC tournament championship.  Watch out in the NCAA’s, as they have won first round games in back-to-back seasons.  Bry completed a perfect MAAC bracket for the title.

#1 Siena 72 – #2 Fairfield 65 (OT).  In the quarters, Siena trailed by 12 against Manhattan and won by 17.  Then in the semis, they trailed by 8 against Rider, and won by 15.  Here in the finals, they were down FIFTEEN, and came back to win, in OT.  They played with fire and lived to tell about it and will now be a tough out in the next tournament as well.  Everyone except Alexi (who had Niagara) got Siena right in winning this tournament.

FINAL MAAC STANDINGS (prior MAAC titles; *perfect bracket):
*62 – Bry
50 – Lohse
46 – KA
44 – Doogan
40 – Ina
40 – J
40 – Lil Lohse
36 – Teddy
34 – Alexi
34 – Stri
30 – Lynch
28 – Waters

SUN BELT SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
The Sun Belt is down to its final pairing, as the top two seeds advance to the championship on Tuesday night in Hot Springs.  Waters was the only contestant to hit both finalists, and is one of only 3 that still have their champion alive, even though it is the top two seeds still playing.  Bry, Ina, Alexi, Teddy, and the two Lohses all got shut out of the title game.

#1 Troy 54 – #4 W. Kentucky 48.  In the first semifinal, the top-seeded Trojans knocked off everyone’s favorite W. Kentucky.  It looked like it was going to be a colossal collapse for the Trojans, as they blew a 16-point second half lead and trailed by one with less than 2 minutes left after a three-pointer by WKU’s A.J. Slaughter.  But, they fought back and ended up finishing it off.  They move on to the Sun Belt championship game on Tuesday night.  Waters is the only one to have Troy in this one.  KA had New Orleans, and everyone else had WKU.  Waters has Troy winning this tournament.  Bry, J, Lynch, and Teddy all lost their Sun Belt champions.

#2 N. Texas 63 – #6 Denver 56.  And, Denver’s run it cut two wins shy of their goal, as the Mean Green of N. Texas move into Tuesday’s championship to take on #1 Troy.  No one had Denver winning this game, so no one lost a good opportunity, but there were some winners in this.  KA, Lynch, Waters, Stri, Doogan, and J all nailed this finalist.  Doogan and Stri keep their Sun Belt champs alive.

SUMMIT LEAGUE SEMIFINALS (8 points each):
The top two seeds in the Summit League will battle for the auto-bid in Sioux Falls on Tuesday night, as they both survived semifinals on Monday.  Two of the twelve contestants correctly predicted this matchup–Doogan and Waters.  In fact, Doogan remains perfect in the Summit League.

#1 Oakland 71 – #5 IPFW 58.  Top-seeded Oakland held off a game IPFW squad and will advance to the Summit League championship on Tuesday night.  Lohse and Teddy missed on this nice upset pick.  KA and Stri had already lost it.  Everyone else had Oakland in this one.  Lil Lohse, Alexi, J, Ina, and Bry all keep their Summit League champ alive.  Lohse lost his champ.

#2 IUPUI 69 – #3 Oral Roberts 65.  IUPUI holds on to win a hard-fought game against #3 Oral Roberts.  They shot 56% from the floor, but almost blew a double-digit second-half lead after a furious comeback by the Golden Eagles.  Either way, the Jags will move on to face Oakland in Sioux Falls on Tuesday night for a shot in The Dance.  Even though I had Oral Roberts in this one and Oakland winning this tournament, it’s hard not to root for Ron Hunter and his work with Samaritan’s Feet.  Doogan, Stri, Waters, Lohse, and Teddy all nailed the IUPUI win.  The other 8 entries all had ORU, so this was a big win for the IUPUI supporters.  Doogan, Stri, Waters, and Teddy all have the Jags winning this tournament.  Lynch and KA both lost their Summit League champs in this one.

SUMMIT LEAGUE STANDINGS (prior SL titles; *perfect bracket):
*34 – Doogan (’09t)
28 – Waters
26 – Alexi
26 – Bry
26 – Ina (’08*, ’09t)
26 – Lil Lohse
26 – Lohse
26 – Lynch
26 – Teddy
20 – J
12 – KA
12 – Stri (’09t)

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