{"id":1564,"date":"2011-03-03T15:08:40","date_gmt":"2011-03-03T19:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1564"},"modified":"2011-03-04T01:08:36","modified_gmt":"2011-03-04T05:08:36","slug":"ctc-day-three","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1564","title":{"rendered":"CTC: Day Three"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAST UPDATE:\u00a0 12:02 am<\/strong><\/p>\n

The clouds are circling and the winds are starting to pick up slightly.\u00a0 The sky is a little darker, and it is starting to “smell like rain.”\u00a0 Yes, my friends, a storm is a-brewin’.\u00a0 After 8 games Tuesday and 8 more last night, we have ourselves 13 today, including our first round of semifinals.\u00a0 5 conferences are in action today – 3 of which are brand-new to the docket.\u00a0 And, this is only the beginning as we can now start counting down the hours until the black clouds and heavy rains are upon\u00a0us (I swear I had no idea that the storm cliche was getting stale…).<\/p>\n

BIG SOUTH SEMIFINALS <\/strong>(8 points each)<\/em>
\n<\/span>The 2011 CTC kicked off, as usual, in the Big South conference with their four quarterfinals.\u00a0 We got one crazy upset and a couple other near-misses.\u00a0 The Big South is now the first conference to enter the semifinal round.\u00a0 The players know that they are playing for 8 CTC points each game (plus upset points), so you will see the intensity rise a bit on the court.\u00a0 The winners tonight will earn a date with the ESPN family of networks for the title game on Saturday.\u00a0 As for the CTC race, Bry, J, and Doogan have large leads here (at least 10 points on anyone else), so it may already be a three-horse race for the 2011 Big South crown.<\/p>\n

#3 UNC-Asheville vs. #7 High Point
\n<\/em>We will see how High Point responds coming off the biggest upset of the conference tournament season so far.\u00a0 <\/em>High Point knocked off #2 Liberty on Tuesday night, while Asheville looked impressive in a 12-point win over Charleston-Southern.\u00a0 No one in the CTC has High Point winning this game, but plenty of people have UNC-Asheville going to the finals – Bry, J, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Scoot, Primm, and Gross.\u00a0 Primm, Waters, Alexi, and Doogan actually have them winning it all.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 UNC-Asheville 62 – High Point 45<\/strong>
\nA close game for about 25 minutes until some guy named Primm started to score at will, enabling some other guy named Primm to grab 8 CTC points.\u00a0 High Point actually had a lead in the second half, but Asheville caught fire and ended up winning pretty handily to get themselves to the Big South title game on Saturday.\u00a0 Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and some guy named Primm (hmm…) keep alive their champion here.<\/p>\n

#1 Coastal Carolina vs. #4 VMI
\n<\/em>Both of these teams are coming off difficult home wins on Tuesday night.\u00a0 Coastal’s was not supposed to be tough against Gardner-Webb, but it was.\u00a0 VMI was expecting a barnburner against Winthrop, and they got it – pulling it out 78-73.\u00a0 Now, we will see if the Keydets can knock off the undermanned Chanticleers and go to the finals.\u00a0 Doogan, Teddy, and Cheryl are all hoping so, as they have them winning this game.\u00a0 Cheryl and Teddy actually have them winning it all.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Coastal Carolina 89 – VMI 81<\/strong>
\nVMI had almost as many missed three-pointers (21) than total rebounds (24).\u00a0 Now, I am no basketball coach, but I would not exactly draw up a gameplan like that.\u00a0 No to mention allowing an undermanned opponent to shoot almost 57%\u00a0from the field.\u00a0 I don’t want the secret to get out that this is bad basketball strategy because it’s so damn interesting and exciting, but, honestly, it is not the way to win games.\u00a0 Coastal now takes their controversy-riddled team to the Big South championship against UNC-Asheville on Saturday.\u00a0 Most CTC’ers kept their Big South champion here.\u00a0 Cheryl and Teddy actually lost theirs.<\/p>\n

MISSOURI VALLEY OPENING ROUND <\/span><\/strong>(6 points each)
\n<\/span><\/em>Obviously, as a die-hard Temple fan, the A-10 tournament provides the most intrigue from a personal fan level for me.\u00a0 And, as much as I rip the “major” (i.e. rich) conferences, it is pretty great to see the best teams in the country play in a conference tournament as a warm-up for the Dance.\u00a0 But, of the 32 conference tournaments, there are two that always stand out above the rest for me because of their combining of quality basketball, hard-core STUDENT fans, and the intensity of teams playing for the auto-bid because at-large bids are never guaranteed.\u00a0 One of those two conferences starts today with\u00a0its “Arch\u00a0Madness” in St. Louis – and that is the Missouri Valley.\u00a0 A bit of a down year for The Valley, as a whole, but there is still a ton of intrigue heading into Arch Madness 2011.\u00a0 As the CTC stands, no one has any of these four teams winning today and tomorrow, but both games are about as hotly contested as games can be, as far as split down the middle with the picks.<\/p>\n

#8 S. Illinois vs. #9 Illinois State<\/em>
\nAn argument can be made that the Salukis of S. Illinois made The Valley what it is today with their consistent run of success in the regular season and the postseason.\u00a0 They were even given a 4-seed in 2007 (and rewarded the Committee’s confidence by knocking off 5th-seeded Tennessee to reach the Sweet 16.\u00a0 Granted The Valley was always a decent mid-major conference (4 separate programs in the Sweet 16 in the past 5 years), but a 4-seed?\u00a0 That means the conference had arrived.\u00a0\u00a0However, the downside of raising the level of your entire conference is that, well, you just raised the level of your\u00a0entire conference – the very teams you have to play twice every year.\u00a0 So, the Salukis have fallen back as a program, falling into the opening round of the MVC tournament this year, where they will play Illinois State.\u00a0 The Redbirds lost a ton to graduation and never really got going with a young team this year.\u00a0 And, now they have a tough road to walk here, with SIU and then #1 Missouri State just to reach the semis.\u00a0 While no one has Missouri State losing to either of these teams in the quarters, the CTC was rather split on the outcome of this game.\u00a0 9 of the 20 entries have Illinois State in the minor upset (Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Dave, Primm, and Mac).<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 S. Illinois 57 – Illinois State 54<\/strong>
\nAfter a close game for the entire first half, the Salukis built a 10-point lead around the midway point of the second half, only to see it completely evaporate in less than 4 minutes.\u00a0 But, a Justin Bocot three-pointer finally put them ahead to stay, as SIU earns – get this – their first MVC tournament win since 2007.\u00a0 That’s a stunner.\u00a0 It will probably be their last until at least 2012, though, as they are lined up to face #1 Missouri State in the quarters tomorrow.\u00a0 The 11 entries who took the favorite here are\u00a06 points richer in CTC wealth.<\/p>\n

#7 Drake vs. #10 Bradley<\/em>
\nDrake had that magical regular season in 2008, earning themselves a 5-seed (and a chance to have their hearts ripped out by a miracle W. Kentucky buzzer-beater to end their season), but are still trying to get back to that level.\u00a0 Bradley actually had pretty lofty expectations this season and were an absolute disaster.\u00a0 They actually lost their first 11 conference games, before recovering at the end and playing a little better.\u00a0 But, it was a totally lost season for the Braves…barring a miracle run here in St. Louis.\u00a0 Just like the first opening round matchup, no one has either of these teams advancing into the semifinals (the winner gets #2 Wichita State in the quarters), but the 20 CTC’ers\u00a0are split exactly down the middle on this game – 10 with Drake and 10 with Bradley.\u00a0 For the sake of documentation, Bry, Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Gersh, and Gross have the underdog, Bradley, here.\u00a0 Everyone whose name was not listed there went with the favorite, Drake.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Bradley 63 – Drake 48<\/strong>
\n26 of Bradley’s 63 points came from Dyricus Simms-Edwards (a career high to go along with a career-high 9 rebounds), as the Braves win relatively easily in the MVC opening round.\u00a0 Bradley, winners of 6 of their last 9 after a terrible first three-quarters of the season, will take their momentum up against #2 Wichita State tomorrow night in the quarters.\u00a0\u00a0Bry, Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Teddy, Gersh, and Gross all hit this upset pick.<\/p>\n

NEC QUARTERFINALS <\/span><\/strong>(4 points each)
\n<\/span><\/em>12 teams playing almost a true round-robin with 6 conference games every Thursday and 6 more every Saturday from the end of December to the end of February makes the NEC a fun conference to follow.\u00a0 The level of basketball is a little lacking, but there is still a lot intrigue throughout the year.\u00a0 This conference splits up their rounds, with the quarters tonight, the semis on Sunday, and then the championship on Wednesday, so we’ll get a taste today and then pick it back up over the weekend.<\/p>\n

#1 Long Island vs. #8 St. Francis (PA)<\/em>
\nThe Blackbirds were very impressive all year, and they are rewarded with the #1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the NEC tournament.\u00a0 St. Francis (PA) snuck into the tournament (4 of the 12 teams are left out of the tourney), so they are playing with house money.\u00a0 Waters and Teddy both went for huge upset pick here with St. Francis (PA).\u00a0 Waters even has the Red Flash making the finals.\u00a0 LIU is the NEC champion pick for the majority of the CTC field.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Long Island 90 – St. Francis (PA) 75<\/strong>
\nOne of the highest scoring teams in the country – averaging just shy of 83 points per game – the LIU Blackbirds flexed their offensive muscles in their first tournament game, hammering St. Francis (PA) in a game that was over almost as soon as it started.\u00a0 A very impressive start to the postseason for the NEC’s top team.\u00a0 Waters and Teddy missed out on what would have been a fantastic upset pick here.\u00a0 Waters actually even lost a finalist in this game.<\/p>\n

#2 Quinnipiac vs. #7 Mount St. Mary’s<\/em>
\nQuinnipiac, the preseason pick to win the NEC, struggled in the middle of the season and lost by in their only meeting with LIU (on the island).\u00a0 But, the Bobcats were good enough to earn the #2 seed in the tournament.\u00a0 Mount St. Mary’s recovered from a terrible start to win 9 conference games and enter the NEC tournament rather safely as the 7-seed.\u00a0 The Mountaineers did beat QU the only time these two played in the regular season, though.\u00a0 Alexi, Waters, KA, Teddy, Dave, and Gross all went with MSM in a pretty big upset here, though none of them have them going any further.\u00a0 Lynch, Gersh, and Mac all have the most at stake here with QU, as they have them winning this tournament.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Quinnipiac 78 – Mount St. Mary’s 59<\/strong>
\nThe final score doesn’t really tell the tale of this game, as it was a good bit closer than the 19-point win might indicate.\u00a0 MSM actually led for the majority of the first half, until QU went on a 14-1 run to grab the lead at the break.\u00a0 Alexi, Waters, KA, Teddy, Dave, and Gross all missed out on this upset pick.\u00a0 Lynch, Gersh, and Mac are relieved to have their NEC champion pick still alive.<\/p>\n

#3 Robert Morris vs. #6 Wagner<\/em>
\nAnother team that got up off the proverbial mat after a slow start this year is Robert Morris.\u00a0 Maybe the hottest team entering the tournament, Robert Morris has won 6 in a row (granted, all six wins were against teams in the bottom 5 of the NEC standings) and certainly knows what it takes to take down this title.\u00a0 Wagner has pretty much the opposite story.\u00a0 Not picked to do much at all in the preseason, they started conference play with a blitz of victories that catapulted them to the top of the NEC in the early going.\u00a0 But, they hit a couple snags down the stretch and are limping into the tournament as losers of their last 4 and 5 of their last 6.\u00a0 J, KA, Dave, and Gersh all like Wagner here in a nice upset pick.\u00a0 Gersh and KA both have the Seahawks making the finals, and KA actually has them cutting down the nets and going Dancing.\u00a0 Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Primm, and Gross all went with Robert Morris to win this whole tournament\u00a0– the second most popular pick behind #1-seed LIU.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Robert Morris 78 – Wagner 74
\n<\/strong>Leading the whole way, Robert Morris looked like they had this game well in hand when they took a 69-57 lead into the under-4-minute time out.\u00a0 But, out of that timeout, the Seahawks, fighting for the season, went on a 13-3 run to cut the lead to 2 with :25 seconds left.\u00a0 But, the Colonials (like good teams do) cooly sunk their final 6 free throws to ice the game and live to fight another day.\u00a0 RMC moves on to the semis, where they will take on Quinnipiac.\u00a0 Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Primm, and Gross keep their NEC title team alive.\u00a0 Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Primm, and Gross all miss on an upset pick.\u00a0 KA lost her champion with this one.<\/p>\n

#4 C. Connecticut State vs. #5 St. Francis (NY)<\/em>
\nCCSU is one of the perenial power of the NEC and were picked to contend again this year.\u00a0 They started slow, but have started to hit their stride as of late and inched their way into the top four, which means they get to host this first-round game.\u00a0 St. Francis (NY), who won 10 conference games for the first time in a long time may not just be happy to be here.\u00a0 Though CCSU is the higher seed here, the majority of the CTC went with the upset pick here.\u00a0 Only Bry, Doogan, J, Stri, Alexi, Lynch, Scoot, and Dave took the Blue Devils.\u00a0 Lynch and Dave have CCSU in the finals; Dave has them winning it.\u00a0 On the other side, Lohse, KA, and Teddy all have St. Francis (NY) in the finals, though none have them winning.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 C. Connecticut State 64 – St. Francis (NY) 62<\/strong>
\nA pretty great game between the 4- and 5-seeds in the NEC ends up with CCSU prevailing and advancing to the semis, where they will take on top-seeded LIU.\u00a0 There was a bit of madness in this one, as St. Francis drew within a single point, 63-62, with :29 seconds to play and then got the ball back, down 2.\u00a0 But Ricky Cadell, their leading scorer, missed a shot at the buzzer that would have forced OT.\u00a0 By the skin of his teeth, Dave keeps his title team alive.\u00a0 Lohse, KA, and Teddy all lose a finalist in this one.\u00a0 The majority of the field went with the upset, so there was a lot at stake here.<\/p>\n

ATLANTIC SUN QUARTERFINALS<\/strong> (4 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nThe first two quarterfinals took place in Macon, GA, last night, and the remaining two games will be played today to see who joins the top two seeds\u00a0– Belmont and ETSU (who narrowly avoided a big upset) – in the semis tomorrow.<\/p>\n

#3 Jacksonville vs. #6 N. Florida<\/em>
\nI am going to be honest, I have no idea if these two teams are major rivals, but we can assume there is some sort of rivalry, right?\u00a0 They are in the same conference and the same city, so let’s just call this a “heated” rivalry.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play E. Tennessee State tomorrow night for a berth in the A-Sun finals on Saturday.\u00a0 Though they are a lowly 6-seed, the 18-loss Ospreys of N. Florida got a TON of love in this year’s CTC.\u00a0 12 people had them upsetting Jacksonville here in the quarters (only Alexi, Scoot, Cheryl, Rikey, Gersh, Primm, and Mac had the favorites).\u00a0 And, 4 more had them winning again in the semis to reach the finals (J, Waters, Dan, and Dave).\u00a0 No one went all the way to have them win the tournament.\u00a0 And, on the flip side, not much love for the Jacksonville Dolphins, as only Alexi, Scoot, and Primm even have them reaching the finals (not a big stretch for a 3-seed) and only Scoot has them winning it.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 N. Florida 68 – Jacksonville 64<\/strong>
\nFor most of the game, it looked like Jacksonville would cruise to a semifinal meeting with ETSU, but then, as often does in this crazy month we call March, it all went awry for the Dolphins.\u00a0 Down by 6 at the half and double-digits through most of the first 10 minutes of the second half, UNF, led by some guy named Jerron Granberry, who went 7-8 from the floor and 8-9 from the line, came all the way back to upset #3 Jacksonville.\u00a0 The 12 people who had UNF in this upset are pretty happy about the result, while no one is more unnerved than Scoot, who lost his A-Sun champion in the process.\u00a0 Alexi and Primm also lost finalists here.<\/p>\n

#4 Lipscomb vs. #5 Mercer<\/em>
\nWhile we don’t know about the Jacksonville – N. Florida rivalry, the one rivalry that we do know that is probably the greatest rivalry you’ve never heard of is that of Nashville neighbors Lipscomb and Belmont.\u00a0 Well, we are one Lipscomb victory away from getting that matchup with the bright lights of the A-Sun semis upon it.\u00a0 But, that is a long 40 minutes away.\u00a0 The Mercer Bears have been playing the best basketball as of late, and they get to play the A-Sun tournament on their home floor.\u00a0 Lipscomb had a decent year and has an excellent team, but this should be a really good game.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, Waters, Scoot, and Gersh were all tempted by the single upset point here and took the underdog Mercer team.\u00a0 Waters went all-in with the Bears and has this 5-seed winning the whole thing.\u00a0 KA has the most at stake with Lipscomb, as she has them winning this tournament.\u00a0 No one else even has them in the finals.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Mercer 73 – Lipscomb 63<\/strong>
\nBrian Mills had 27 for Mercer in a game that wasn’t really all that close after the first 7 or 8 minutes.\u00a0 Adnan Hodzic, one of the best players to don a Lipscomb uniform, came\u00a0up real small (just 9 points) in his what probably will turn out to be his final collegiate game.\u00a0 Mercer moves on to\u00a0the semis\u00a0where they will get a shot at top-seeded Belmont.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, Scoot, and Gersh\u00a0are all happy with the upset pick here, but Waters is ecstatic, as he has Mercer winning this whole tournament.<\/p>\n

OHIO VALLEY QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(4 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nAfter Upset Night in the OVC last night, the dust has settled and we have two new teams entering the fray, hoping not to be the latest victims.\u00a0 The top two seeds in this tournament get another night off before they join the party tomorrow for the semis.\u00a0 With Gersh being the only one to hit both first-round games, he is the only one left with aspirations for a perfect OVC in 2011.\u00a0 To continue his dream, he will need both favorites here tonight.<\/p>\n

#4 Tennessee Tech vs. #8 UT-Martin<\/em>
\nUT-Martin had a big come-from-behind win last night, eliminating Tennessee State, and bring their momentum back tonight to try and knock off Tennessee Tech.\u00a0 If they win this, they move on face the Tennessee Volunteers and then the Tennessee Titans.\u00a0 Well, that or Murray State, whichever sounds more reasonable.\u00a0 The Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech had a really good year, winning 12 conference games and even leading the conference for a short period of time in late January.\u00a0 They earned the night off last night and now get rewarded with the 8th-seed in a game to see who takes on #1 Murray State.\u00a0 No one has UT-Martin winning this game, but Doogan, Alexi, Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, and Gross are all rooting for them because they have already lost the game (picking Tennessee State) and everyone else has Tech.\u00a0 J has Tennessee Tech winning tonight and tomorrow; Alexi has the Golden Eagles winning this whole tournament.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Tennessee Tech 83 – UT-Martin 59<\/strong>
\nAfter an exciting night of upsets last night, it looked like the trend might continue in the OVC, as UT-Martin dominated the first 6 or 7 minutes of this game, opening up as much as an 8-point lead.\u00a0 But, Tech finished the half on a 26-6 run and never looked back, cruising to an easy quarterfinal win and setting up a semifinal date with #1 Murray State tomorrow night.\u00a0 Alexi is happy to see this easy win, as he has Tech winning it all.<\/p>\n

#3 Austin Peay vs. #7 SE Missouri State<\/em>
\nAustin Peay\u00a0is one of the staples of the OVC.\u00a0 They have a rich basketball tradition so rich that in his spare time, their head coach, Dave Loos,\u00a0is the school’s athletic director for all the “other” sports.\u00a0 The Governors have had\u00a0a resurgence this year, leading\u00a0this pretty solid league, for the majority\u00a0of the season,\u00a0until\u00a0finishing in a tie for second place – one game\u00a0behind regular season champion, Murray State.\u00a0 They lost the tiebreaker to Morehead State for the 2-seed and are relegated to this extra round of play.\u00a0 Fortunately, for them, they get to face 6-12 SEMS instead of\u00a09-9 E. Kentucky because of the upset last night.\u00a0 Not surprisingly (because they’re very good), Austin Peay got a decent amount of love in the CTC picks.\u00a0 Stri, Scoot, Gersh, Gross, and Mac all have them winning this tournament.\u00a0 Lynch, Lil Lohse, Cheryl, and Primm have them reaching the finals.\u00a0 Everyone in the CTC has them winning this game.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Austin Peay 76 – SE Missouri State 60<\/strong>
\nAnd, the nightcap was not all that competitive, either.\u00a0 Senior star Caleb Brown had 28, while St. John’s transfer Ty’Shawn Edmondson chipped in with 13 as the Governors cruise past SEMS in their 2011 postseason debut.\u00a0 Everyone got this pick right.\u00a0 Stri, Scoot, Gersh, Gross, and Mac all keep their champion alive.<\/p>\n

AMERICA EAST OPENING ROUND<\/strong> (2 points)<\/em><\/span>
\nThe great America East starts today with its ‘pigtail’ game between the league’s bottom two teams.\u00a0 After undergrad life at a small D-III school, I only got even a glimpse of D-I college sports in my final year of grad school when UMBC won the America East title in 2008.\u00a0 I’m not gonna lie, as great as undergrad was, the one thing that was missing was big-time college sports…even if my only knowledge of it is a combination of Temple games with my dad growing up and one year of America East basketball as a 28-year old\u00a0in grad school.<\/p>\n

#8 UMBC vs. #9 Binghamton<\/em>
\nSince that great 2008 season, it has been a freefall for the UMBC program.\u00a0 This year looked like it might hit rock bottom when they lost their first 12 en route to an abysmal 1-16 start to the season.\u00a0 But, then they, somehow, beat a good BU team at home and then won at Hartford.\u00a0 Later in the season they actually went to Orono and knocked off a solid Maine team.\u00a0 They still finished in 8th place in the league, but managed 4 conference wins.\u00a0 Binghamton was almost as bad, but it was worse because there were more expectations of this team.\u00a0 The Bearcats only had 2 non-conference wins and both were against bad teams (Manhattan and Cornell) and both by a single point.\u00a0 But, they started conference play with three straight wins, and it looked like they were going to turn it around.\u00a0 Then they lost 12 of their last 13 and finished in last place.\u00a0 While, no one has either of these teams beating Vermont in the quarters, Bry, Doogan, J, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Cheryl, Dan, and Primm all went for the underdog Bearcats of Binghamton.<\/p>\n

UPDATE:\u00a0 Binghamton 91 – UMBC 65
\n<\/strong>In maybe the least competitive game we have seen thus far, UMBC just doesn’t show up.\u00a0 The Retrievers were down by as many as 35 in this one and end up ending an abysmal season with a 26-point loss to the last-place team in the America East.\u00a0 Binghamton will move on to the quarters tomorrow to face top-seeded Vermont.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, J, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Cheryl, Dan, and Primm all hit this minor upset.<\/p>\n

CTC SNAPSHOT – MISSOURI VALLEY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Championship Picks:<\/p>\n