In the biggest day of the CTC thus far, Alexi had the biggest day of all. Nearly doubling his score from the first four days combined, Alexi has gone from the middle of the pack to a clear leader. Ina, J, and Doogan were also over 200 for the day.
DAY 5 SCORES (days won):
232 – Alexi (1)
206 – Ina
202 – Doogan
200 – J
196 – Lil Lohse
190 – Bry (2)
190 – Stri
172 – Lohse (2)
172 – Teddy
156 – Lynch (1)
154 – Waters
130 – KA
OVERALL STANDINGS (conference titles):
480 – Alexi (1)
462 – Bry (1)
444 – Ina
414 – Doogan
410 – Lohse
390 – Teddy
386 – Stri
384 – J (1)
382 – Lynch
372 – KA (1)
340 – Lil Lohse (1)
332 – Waters
BIG SOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
The first conference tournament champion was crowned Saturday afternoon and it was…a three-way tie. Alexi, Lil Lohse, and KA all had perfect Big South brackets to share the title three ways, taking it from defending champ, Bry, on the last day of the tournament. Oh, right, and Winthrop won the Big South, but nobody really cares about that.
#3 Winthrop 64 – #1 Coastal Carolina 53. The Golden Eagles played a perfect game, defensively, and knocked off Cliff Ellis’s Chanticleers on the road to advance to their second tournament in three years. They did this despite losing their starting point guard to foul trouble and their backup to an injury, so for the majority of the second half, they played an 18-year old freshman point guard who had only played 41 minutes all year, on the road with a shot at the NCAA tournament on the line. He came in with the game tied and about 10 minutes left. When he left the game in favor of the foul-troubled starter with just under 4 minutes left, the Eagles had a 14-point lead and were headed to the tournament. Only in March. Alexi, Lil Lohse, and KA were the only three that had Wintrhop. Teddy, Lohse, Lynch, Stri, Doogan, J, and Bry all lost out on the 16 points, as they had CCU.
FINAL BIG SOUTH STANDINGS (prior Big South titles; *perfect bracket):
*54 – Alexi
*54 – KA
*54 – Lil Lohse
34 – Bry (’09)
34 – Doogan
34 – Lohse
30 – Stri (’08)
24 – Ina
24 – Teddy
16 – J
16 – Lynch
12 – Waters
OHIO VALLEY CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
The OVC crowned its champion on Saturday and it was a new one, as J took home the 2010 OVC title, stripping it from Lohse’s grasp on the final day. Lohse had a perfect bracket coming in, but missed the final game. J, who had only missed one game all tournament, nailed the champion pick and stole the crown. Both the ’09 champ, Alexi, and the ’08 champ, Bry, had a strong showings, but finished 10 points back.
#1 Murray St. 62 – #2 Morehead St. 51. The Murray St. Racers let the Selection Committee off the hook by securing the OVC automatic bid. Otherwise, the Selection Committee would have obviously left them out of an at-large bid, even though they may have been deserving. But, that is all moot now, as the Racers are dancing. Lohse and Stri missed out on a big opportunity, as they were the only ones with Morehead winning this tournament (Lohse missed a perfect bracket because of it). Everyone else, except KA (who had Austin Peay), had Murray St. in this one.
FINAL OHIO VALLEY STANDINGS (prior OVC titles):
50 – J
44 – Teddy
42 – Lynch
40 – Alexi (’09)
40 – Bry (’08)
40 – Doogan
40 – Ina
40 – Waters
38 – Lohse
28 – Lil Lohse
24 – Stri
0 – KA
ATLANTIC SUN CHAMPIONSHIP (16 points):
There was no drama in the A-Sun for the CTC, as no one had either finalist winning this tournament. No points were awarded, and Bry took home the 2010 A-Sun title. Two-time defending champion, J, finished 32 points back.
#5 E. Tennessee St. 72 – #6 Mercer 66. The Cinderella story ends here, as Mercer, a .500 team in the regular season, rode their home crowd to two big wins over co-regular season champs in the first two rounds, but ran out of gas with about 5 minutes to go. The ETSU Bucanneers are going back to The Dance. No one had either team, so no points could have been awarded here.
FINAL ATLANTIC SUN STANDINGS (prior A-Sun titles):
54 – Bry
44 – Lynch
32 – Lohse
26 – Alexi
26 – Ina
26 – Stri
26 – Teddy
26 – Waters
22 – J (’08, ’09)
10 – Doogan
10 – Lil Lohse
4 – KA
MISSOURI VALLEY SEMIFINALS (24 points each):
In Arch Madness’s semifinal double-header in St. Louis, we have set up Sunday’s final on CBS. KA continues to roll in the MVC, nailing both semifinal games, and putting herself one win away from perfection in the MVC.
#1 N. Iowa 57 – #5 Bradley 40. Defense continues to rule for the Panthers of N. Iowa, as the conference #1 seed moves to the finals on Sunday. NIU held Bradley (who scored 81 against Creighton the night before) to just 40 points on 33% from the floor. This is now two nights in a row that the Panthers have held their opponents to a mere 40 points. In fact, their two opponents are combined 0-11 from the field, with 8 turnovers, in the final 7:00 minutes of the first half. Alexi and Lynch missed a great opportunity, as they had Bradley winning this game. Teddy missed on this with Creighton. Everyone else had NIU winning this game. The Panthers win was most important for Lil Lohse, Stri, Doogan, and Bry, who all have NIU winning this tournament.
#2 Wichita St. 65 – #3 Illinois St. 61. In a back and forth game, the Shockers of Wichita St. took control midway through the second half and held on to beat the Redbirds to advance to the finals on Sunday against N. Iowa. Bry, Doogan, and both Lohses all had Illinois St., so this could have been big for them. Teddy had already missed this with Missouri St. Everyone else had WSU. And, everyone except Stri that has Wichita St. winning this one also has them winning the whole tournament.
MISSOURI VALLEY STANDINGS (prior MVC titles; *perfect bracket):
*114 – KA
102 – Ina (’08)
96 – J
96 – Waters
90 – Alexi
90 – Lynch
90 – Stri (’09)
72 – Bry
60 – Doogan
60 – Lil Lohse
48 – Lohse
18 – Teddy
HORIZON LEAGUE SEMIFINALS (16 points each):
The top two seeds entered the tournament on Saturday and showed why they are, in fact, the top two seeds. Seven CTC’ers (Teddy, Lil Lohse, Alexi, Doogan, J, and Bry) correctly predicted that the Horizon League finals would be between these two. Amazingly, Teddy and Doogan are still perfect in this tournament, and they have no clinched a two-way tie for the 2010 Horizon League title. The only question now is will they finish perfect.
#2 Wright St. 69 – #7 Detroit 50. The layoff was no problem for the Raiders of Wright St., as they led from almost the opening tip, leading by 21 at the half and winning by 19. Detroit made a nice run through this tournament, with a pair of upset wins, but the ride ends here. Lohse missed what would have been a great upset pick in Detroit here. Teddy, Lil Lohse, Alexi, Doogan, J, and Bry all had the Wright St. pick correct. No one has either of these two teams winning this tournament.
#1 Butler 68 – #4 Milwaukee 59. The Butler Bulldogs, on their home floor, do just enough to advance to the Horizon League finals against Wright St. on Tuesday. They looked sluggish from the beginning, as Milwaukee led for much of the first half, but Butler’s talent was just too much down the stretch. KA missed on a nice upset pick here of Milwaukee. Lynch had already missed on Cleveland St. Everyone else has Butler winning this game and the title game.
HORIZON LEAGUE STANDINGS (prior Horizon champs; *perfect bracket):
*84 – Doogan
*84 – Teddy
76 – Alexi
68 – Lohse
52 – J
48 – Bry (’09)
48 – Ina (’08)
40 – Lil Lohse
32 – Waters
28 – Lynch
24 – KA
24 – Stri
COLONIAL QUARTERFINALS (12 points each):
The great CAA tournament’s best day is the quarterfinal quadruple-header, and this year was no different. Now that I’ve moved to the Deep South (Baltimore), I get a lot of Colonial games throughout the year, and I get the whole tournament on TV (with the Philly flavor of the great duo of Scott Graham and John Gurovitch calling the action, nonetheless). Along with Camden Yards, that is one of the best parts about living below the Mason-Dixon line. Alexi and Teddy (B’more natives) obviously have grown up with this conference, as they both went 4-for-4 in the CAA quarters on Saturday. And, Alexi went 3-for-4 on the first day, so he is the driver’s seat for the 2010 CAA title.
#1 Old Dominion 86 – #8 Towson 56. If you can believe it, this was actually a close game for about, well, 6 or 7 minutes. Then, the Monarchs showed everyone why they won the CAA regular season, as they blew the doors off of Towson the rest of the way. This was the only blowout of the day. KA had Towson in the upset pick (she had them going to the finals), but everyone else had ODU.
#5 VCU 75 – #4 George Mason 60. The defending tournament champs in the CAA, VCU, won a really good game against arch-rivals George Mason. The score didn’t show nearly as close of a game as it was. The Rams, who are just so tough in Richmond, move on to face #1 Old Dominion in the semis. KA, Lil Lohse, Waters, and Stri all had George Mason in this one. Waters actually had them winning the whole thing. The VCU win was biggest for Lohse and Teddy, as they both have the Rams repeating in the CAA.
#2 Northeastern 74 – #7 Hofstra 71 (2 OTs). In the best game of the day–anywhere–#2-seeded Northeastern survived, barely, against #7 Hofstra. The Flyin’ Dutchmen had chances to win in regulation and the first OT, but missed a tying three at the end of the second OT. A great win for Northeastern and their star, Matt Janning, as they move on the CAA semis. Teddy, Alexi, and Stri were the only three that had the favored Huskies in this one. Stri is the only one that has them winning again on Sunday. Everyone else had Hofstra in what would have a been a really nice upset. No one had Hofstra in the finals.
#2 William & Mary 70 – #11 James Madison 65. JMU almost did it again. One night after shocking Drexel in the opening round, the Dukes gave #3 William & Mary all they could handle for 40 minutes on Saturday night. The Tribe, however, made just enough plays down the stretch to advance to a semifinal date with Northeastern. J (who had Drexel winning here) was the only one of the 12 entries not to have W&M winning here. In fact, four entries (Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, and KA) have the Tribe winning this whole thing. Stri (Northeastern) and J (Drexel) are the only two that do not have W&M reaching the finals.
COLONIAL STANDINGS (prior CAA titles):
90 – Bry
72 – Alexi (’08)
66 – KA
66 – Teddy
60 – Ina (’09)
60 – Lohse
54 – Doogan
54 – Lynch
48 – Stri
42 – J
36 – Lil Lohse
36 – Waters
WEST COAST QUARTERFINALS (8 points each):
The WCC added two more teams to the fray to take on Friday’s winners, LMU and San Diego. Ina, Stri, and Alexi remain perfect through Saturday (interestingly, though, all three that are perfect, have the same picks the rest of the way as well, so they will either win or lose together). Ina hasn’t missed a WCC game since 2008 (when she finished second place).
#5 Loyola Marymount 84 – #4 San Francisco 76. The Lions of LMU continue to honor the 20-year memorial of the late, great Philadelphian Hank Gathers with a second straight win in the WCC tournament. The USF Dons had a nice season, but could not come through at the end and will go home. LMU now moves on the semis on Sunday night to play the vaunted Gonzaga Bulldogs. Ina, Stri, and Alexi all had this upset pick correct. Everyone else, except Waters, had USF here. Lynch took the biggest hit here, as he had USF going to the finals.
#3 Portland 72 – #6 San Diego 57. San Diego, trying to make something of their very disappointing season, beat Santa Clara on Friday, but fell short against a very solid Portland team on Saturday. The Pilots now move on to face #2 St. Mary’s in the semifinals on Sunday. KA was the only one with San Diego here, so she missed an opportunity to gain ground on the whole field. She also lost future points, as she had USD winning this tournament. Everyone else had Portland. Ina, Stri, and Alexi were the happiest to see the Pilots win, as they all have them in the finals.
WEST COAST STANDINGS (prior WCC titles; *perfect bracket):
*28 – Alexi
*28 – Ina (’09*)
*28 – Stri
16 – Lohse
16 – Teddy
12 – Doogan
12 – J
12 – Lil Lohse
12 – Lynch
12 – Waters (’08)
8 – Bry
4 – KA
SoCON QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The SoCon had their quarterfinal quadruple-header in Charlotte on Saturday, and, somewhat surprisingly, all four of the top seeds advanced–all by double-figures. Stri and Lil Lohse went 4-for-4 in the SoCon on Saturday. Stri’s bracket remains perfect.
#1S Wofford 59 – #4N UNC-Greensboro 47. The top seed in the SoCon opened their postseason with a business-like win over UNC-Greensboro. Waters missed what would have been a great upset pick in UNC-G. KA had already lost this with Furman. Everyone else got the Wofford pick correct. Seven entries have Wofford going all the way.
#2N W. Carolina 68 – #6N Elon 57. Down early, the Catamounts of W. Carolina took control with about 12 minutes to go in the first half and never looked back. They will move on to face top-seeded Wofford in the semis on Sunday. Teddy, Lohse, Alexi, and Doogan all had Davidson here, but everyone else had WCU.
#1N Appalachian St. 71 – #4S The Citadel 61. The league’s leading scorer, Donald Sims, dropped 30 on the The Citadel, as App St. (who was the surprise winner of the northern division) moves on the conference semis. Five entries (Bry, Ina, J, Lynch, and KA) all had The Citadel in this upset pick. Everyone else had App St. Doogan and Lil Lohse have App St. going further than anyone else, as they each have them in the finals. Lynch had The Citadel in the finals.
#2S College of Charleston 96 – #3N Chattanooga 69. The Cougars opened their postseason by plastering the Mocs of Chattanooga. Charleston now moves on to face App St. in the semis. KA missed on this nice upset pick; everyone else had C of C. Waters, Alexi, and J all have the Cougars winning this tournament.
SoCON STANDINGS (prior SoCon titles; *perfect bracket):
*38 – Stri
34 – Ina (’08)
32 – Lynch (’09)
30 – Bry
24 – KA
18 – J
18 – Lil Lohse
18 – Teddy
18 – Waters
14 – Alexi
14 – Lohse
12 – Doogan
MAAC QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The MAAC had their quarterfinals in Albany on Saturday, and Alexi, Lohse, and Bry were all tuned in, as they nailed all four picks. Defending MAAC champion, Bry, actually still has a perfect MAAC bracket here in ’10. Waters and Lynch struggled, only getting one right on Saturday.
#1 Siena 78 – #9 Manhattan 61. The top-seeded Saints flexed their muscles in the second half and beat Manhattan by 17. The Jaspers did give them a run for it in the first half, but ran out of gas. Everyone had Siena in this game. Alexi is the only one that doesn’t have them winning this tournament, so he’s looking for an upset at some point along the way.
#5 Rider 69 – #4 St. Peter’s 57. The Broncs of Rider were pretty impressive in knocking off a pretty decent Peacocks squad from St. Peter’s. Rider now moves on the semis to face the top-seeded and host school, Siena. This was a popular upset pick, as only Doogan, Waters, and Lynch had the favored Peacocks. No one had either of these teams going any further than this game.
#2 Fairfield 67 – #7 Canisius 57. The Golden Griffins of Canisius put in a solid effort, but fell just short against FU. Fairfield, the #2-seed, got a career-high 29 points from Derek Needham to lead them to the semifinals on Sunday. This was another somewhat popular upset pick, considering it would have been a big one, as Lynch, Teddy, and KA all had Canisius in this one. Throw in the fact that Waters and Stri both had Marist winning this game, and you’ve only got 7 entries that had this pick correct. Bry is actually the only one to have FU going to the finals.
#6 Niagara 68 – #3 Iona 64. In one of the biggest (and most meaningful as far as the CTC goes) upsets of the day, the Purple Eagles of Niagara edged Iona by 4 in the MAAC nightcap. Niagara now advances to the conference semis to take on #2 Fairfield. This was a nice upset pick by KA, Lohse, Alexi, Doogan, and Bry. Losing Iona was a big loss to several brackets. No one had Iona winning this tournament, but Ina, J, Stri, Waters, Lynch, Lil Lohse, and Teddy all had them going to the finals. Keeping Niagara alive was big for Lohse (who has them in the finals) and huge for Alexi, who has them winning it all.
MAAC STANDINGS (prior MAAC titles; *perfect bracket)
*30 – Bry (’09)
26 – Alexi
26 – Lohse
22 – KA
20 – Doogan
16 – Ina
16 – J (’08)
16 – Lil Lohse
12 – Teddy
10 – Stri
6 – Lynch
4 – Waters
AMERICA EAST QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The America East kicked off on Saturday. Usually, the Am East has a play-in game to whet the appetite before the quarterfinal quadruple-header, but Binghamton’s indiscretions cost us all that luxury, so we just dove right into the Am East on Saturday with every eligible team in action. Doogan and Stri nailed the conference, going a perfect 4-for-4. Defending champion Bry really struggled, going just 1-for-4. Also interesting is the immense variety of America East champions among the 12 contestants. Each of the top 4 seeds had at least two entries with them as champs, and no team was picked by more than 4 people (2 for Stony Brook, 4 for Vermont, 4 for Maine, 2 for BU).
#1 Stony Brook 68 – #8 Albany 59. Top-seeded Stony Brook struggled for a while, but pulled away late against the Great Danes of Albany, who was swept by everyone in the conference except UMBC. Bry and Lynch took a shot at this upset and came up short. This was an important survival for Teddy, who is the only two with SB winning this tournament.
#4 Boston U 87 – #5 Hartford 46. In maybe the most surprising result of the day–not the winner, but the amount by which they won–the BU Terriers absolutely destroyed the host school, Hartford, in the second quarter of the day. BU will try and carry this momentum into Sunday’s semifinal against top-seeded Stony Brook. Even though this was a 4-5 game in Hartford, the upset point only swared KA to pick the underdog Hartford in this one. Bry and Doogan were especially happy to see the BU victory, as they have them winning this tournament.
#2 Vermont 76 – #7 UMBC 59. Two years after dominating the Am East and then surprising the whole conference with a finals appearance last year, the Retrievers bowed out early in this year’s tournament, as Vermont beat them pretty bad. The Catamounts are now two wins away from another NCAA appearance. Bry and Waters both took UMBC to win this game. The win of UVM is important to Ina, Lynch, Stri, and both Lohses, who have the Catamounts winning the Am East.
#6 New Hampshire 68 – #3 Maine 57. In the game that rocked the CTC America East, UNH capped off the quarters with a big upset of the Maine Black Bears. Doogan and Stri both nailed this upset. And, it was most important for Doogan, who has UNH winning again and going to the finals. Maine going out crushed many Am East brackets. J, Alexi, Waters, and KA all have the Black Bears winning this tournament. Bry has them in the finals.
AMERICA EAST STANDINGS (prior Am East titles; *perfect bracket):
*22 – Doogan
*22 – Stri
12 – Alexi (’08)
12 – Ina
12 – J
12 – Lil Lohse
12 – Lohse
12 – Teddy
8 – KA
8 – Lynch
8 – Waters
4 – Bry (’09)
SUMMIT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The Summit League started on Saturday with the top two seeds playing their quarterfinal games. They both won, and everyone had them both, so, well, nothing to report. Back to you…
#1 Oakland 85 – #8 UMKC 70. Oakland, the top-seed, showed how they won the regular season title with an all-business 15-point win over the Roadrunners of UMKC. Everyone had Oakland in this one. Bry, Ina, J, Alexi, and Lil Lohse all have Oakland winning this tournament. Stri, KA, Teddy, and Lohse wouldn’t have minded an upset here, as they all have Oakland losing in the semis.
#2 IUPUI 77 – #7 W. Illinois. In the nightcap, IUPUI had a little more trouble, but ended up winning by 9 over W. Illinois. Again, everyone had this pick. Teddy, Waters, Stri, and Doogan all have IUPUI winning this tournament. Lynch, Alexi, J, Ina, Bry, Lil Lohse, and KA wouldn’t have minded an upset here, as they all have IUPUI losing in the semis.
SUMMIT LEAGUE STANDINGS:
everyone has 8 points
BIG SKY QUARTERFINALS (4 points each):
The Big Sky opened their conference tournament Saturday with two games in two different corners of Montana. Despite one big upset, Bry, Ina, Doogan, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy all nailed both games on Saturday.
#4 Montana 81 – #5 N. Arizona 60. First, in Missoula, the Grizzlies hammered the NAU Lumberjacks. This game wasn’t close from the start, and the Grizzlies move on to face top-seeded (and host school) Weber St. in the semifinals. Only KA had NAU in this game, and it was a big loss, as she had the Lumberjacks winning this tournament. Lohse was happy to see this result, as he has Montana winning this tournament. Lil Lohse is the only other entry that has Montana beating Weber in the semis.
#6 Portland St. 68 – #3 Montana St. 65. The big upset came on the other side of the state, in Bozeman, as the MSU Bobcats were stunned by a buzzer-beating three-pointer by Melvin Jones to give Portland St. the road win and get them to Weber for the semis, where they will play the #2-seed N. Colorado. Bry, Ina, Doogan, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy all got this upset correct. The biggest winner, though, was Lohse, who has Portland St. winning again in the semis.
BIG SKY STANDINGS (prior Big Sky titles; *perfect bracket):
*14 – Bry
*14 – Doogan
*14 – Ina (’08)
*14 – Lil Lohse
*14 – Lohse
*14 – Lynch
*14 – Teddy
4 – Alexi
4 – J (’09)
4 – Stri
4 – Waters
0 – KA
SUN BELT OPENING ROUND (2 points each):
The only quintuple-header of the CTC took place in two different arenas in Hot Springs, AR, on Saturday. No one hit all five games, but J and Stri went 4-for-5 on the day. Bry, Ina, Lynch, and KA all got three wrong.
#9 S. Alabama 52 – #8 Florida-Atlantic 51. Brian Sherrer’s game-winning shot with :04 seconds left ended FAU’s season and allowed USA to move on the quarterfinals with a shot at #1 Troy. Bry, J, Stri, and Lil Lohse had this minor upset pick. Lil Lohse got the important win because he has USA beating Troy in the quarters. Lohse and Lynch lost the most in this game, as they had FAU beating Troy in the quarters.
#5 Arkansas St. 89 – #12 AR-Little Rock 82 (OT). In what would have been a big upset for several CTC brackets turned into just a nice OT victory for a team that no one has going anywhere. KA, Lohse, J, Ina, and Bry all missed on this upset. Everyone else had Ark St. No one has either team going past the quarters.
#4 W. Kentucky 83 – #13 New Orleans 56. The Hilltoppers, a popular pick for the CTC’ers, stomped UNO on Saturday. WKU now will get Arkansas St. in the quarters on Sunday. Only KA lost this game, but she lost more than just a game, as she had the Privateers winning the Sun Belt. Bry, J, Lynch, and Teddy all have the Hilltoppers winning the Sun Belt.
#6 Denver 71 – #11 Florida-International 64. The end of Isiah: Year 1 at FIU came a lot earlier than FIU fans would have liked. After a terrible regular season, they give #6 Denver a good game, but fall short, ending a miserable season. Denver will now get #3 Middle Tennessee in the quarters on Sunday. Bry and Lynch missed this upset pick, but Lynch lost more, as he had FIU winning two games this tournament. KA and Waters are especially happy to see Denver survive, as they have the Pioneers beating Middle Tennessee in the quarters.
#10 LA-Monroe 76 – #7 LA-Lafayette 75. The nightcap of this thrilling quintuple-header lived up to the whole day’s action. LA-Lafayette’s Lamar Roberson hit a jumper with just :02 seconds left in the game to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a 75-73 lead, but Tony Hooper (who had 30 points on the night) buried a game-winning three at the buzzer to eliminate Lafayette and propel Monroe into the quarters to face #2 N. Texas. KA, Lohse, and J nailed this upset pick, though none of them have Monroe going any further. Teddy, Bry, and Alexi were hit hardest by Hooper buzzer-beater, as they all have the Ragin’ Cajuns going to the semis.
SUN BELT STANDINGS (prior Sun Belt titles):
16 – J
12 – Lohse
10 – KA
10 – Stri
8 – Lil Lohse
6 – Alexi (’08)
6 – Bry
6 – Doogan
6 – Teddy
6 – Waters
4 – Ina (’09)
4 – Lynch
