{"id":1577,"date":"2011-03-04T15:24:13","date_gmt":"2011-03-04T19:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1577"},"modified":"2011-03-05T02:46:11","modified_gmt":"2011-03-05T06:46:11","slug":"ctc-day-four","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1577","title":{"rendered":"CTC: Day Four"},"content":{"rendered":"

You know that “storm” that has been brewing?\u00a0 Well, it has officially started.\u00a0 The rain is coming down and the winds are starting to howl.\u00a0 22 games today, including a noon start time\u00a0in the east should bring a lot of movement in the CTC standings.<\/p>\n

MISSOURI VALLEY QUARTERFINALS<\/strong> (12 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\n“Arch Madness” gets into full swing today with a quarterfinal quadruple-header starting at 1:00 eastern.\u00a0 S. Illinois avoided the upset last night, beating Illinois State, but Drake could not, as 10-seed Bradley got through to play again today.<\/p>\n

*CTC UPDATE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Primm is the only one to nail all four quarterfinal matchups in The Valley today, but after missing both opening round games, he still trails Doogan and Gross, who lead the MVC.<\/p>\n

#1 Missouri State vs. #8 S. Illinois\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe top-seeded Bears of Missouri State open their postseason today in the early game against the Salukis who, just 15 hours prior to tip time finished off a 3-point win over Illinois State.\u00a0 Missouri State did have some bubble aspirations for much of the season, but a BracketBusters loss to Valparaiso might have popped their bubble.\u00a0 That being said, with all the rich conference bubble teams losing, they may be right back on it – but anything less than an MVC tournament finals appearance and it’s probably an NIT season for Cuonzo Martin’s crew.\u00a0 All 20 entries have Missouri State winning this game.\u00a0 Waters, Lil Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, and Dan, though, are the only ones with the Bears winning it all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

IN-GAME UPDATE:\u00a0 <\/strong>Upset Alert –> S. Illinois leads Missouri State\u00a032 – 24\u00a0at halftime
\nIN-GAME UPDATE:\u00a0 <\/strong>S. Illinois continues to MSU, 46-37, with 10 minutes left to play.\u00a0 Could be disastrous for a couple CTC brackets and Missouri State’s already slim at-large chances.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Missouri State 58 – S. Illinois 56<\/strong>
\nMADNESS!!!\u00a0 Missouri State comes all the way back for assured elimination to win it on a buzzer-beater by Kyle Weems from just inside the three-point line.\u00a0 Weems and Adam Leonard combine for 34 of the Bears 58 points and the top seed survives a terrifyingly close quarterfinal here in Arch Madness.\u00a0 For MSU championship supporters – Waters, Lil Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, and Dan – this one was a little close for comfort, but a win is a win.<\/p>\n

#4 N. Iowa vs. #5 Creighton<\/em>
\nI have to say that the graduation of Ali Farukmanesh from N. Iowa last year made writing these CTC posts a lot easier.\u00a0 But, aside from that, the loss of Faruk and Adam Koch hit the Panthers pretty hard (more Koch than Faruk, who only really made a name for himself with his onions in the tournament), which was not unexpected.\u00a0 That being said, the momentum of a Sweet 16 run and the coaching acumen of\u00a0Ben\u00a0Jacobson has probably brought UNI into perpetual upper-division status here in\u00a0The Valley.\u00a0 This quarterfinal is fantastic, as Creighton has some talent as well, albeit a\u00a0bit underachieving this year.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This game, aside from being great on the hardwood, is going to be great in the brackets, as well.\u00a0 The CTC is very split on this game and it could go a long way to crowning this year’s CTC MVC champion.\u00a0 The majority, actually, seems to prefer\u00a0the Blue Jays of Creighton – only 9 entries (Bry, J, Alexi, Waters, Cheryl, Dan, Rikey, Gersh, and Mac) have the favored UNI.\u00a0 And, not only does the majority of entries have Creighton winning this game, but a lot of those that like the Blue Jays\u00a0really like them.\u00a0 Lynch, KA, Teddy, Dave, Primm, and Gross all have Creighton in the finals, though no one has them winning the title.\u00a0 On the\u00a0other side, none of the 9 entries that have UNI in the semis have them beating Missouri State.\u00a0<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Creighton 60 – N. Iowa 57
\n<\/strong>The Blue Jays held UNI to just 17 points in the first half – leading by 8 at the break – and held on down the stretch to eliminate the Panthers and move on to face Missouri State in the semis tomorrow.\u00a0 They got 18 points off the bench from a guy who only averaged 8 per game in the regular season, Kenny Lawson.\u00a0 This is the last MVC game for Kwadzo Ahelegbe – one of the best players to go through the UNI system – who missed some crucial shots down the stretch.\u00a0 Lynch, KA, Teddy, Dave, Primm, and Gross are the happiest with this result, as they keep a finalist alive.<\/p>\n

#2 Wichita State vs. #10 Bradley\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe other team that played last night, Bradley, at least gets the whole day to recover before taking on the #2-seeded Shockers of Wichita State.\u00a0 The Shockers have had a good year, but a rather inconsistent one.\u00a0 This inconsistency, while rewarded in the rich conferences (see:\u00a0\u00a0Missouri, Michigan State, Texas A&M, Florida State, and on and on) is punished in the mid-majors.\u00a0 All year, these are their 7 losses:\u00a0 UConn (neutral court) by 4,\u00a0@San Diego State by 14, Missouri State by 3, N. Iowa by 3, S. Illinois by 3, VCU by 1, @Missouri State by 5.\u00a0 You mean to tell me a 21-win team in a good conference with only 1 bad loss (and only one loss by double-digits) will not, should they lost to MSU in the finals, be one of the best 35 at-large candidates?\u00a0 Who is better?\u00a0 Memphis?\u00a0 Minnesota?\u00a0 Colorado?\u00a0 Really?\u00a0 Not in my book.\u00a0 J.T. Durley and Toure Murry and big-time college players, and they have a ton of depth – going 10 deep of all\u00a0guys who would get quality minutes on just about any team in America.\u00a0 Sorry for the rant, I just think that this team is absolutely a tournament team.\u00a0 In case you couldn’t tell, the author of this post has Wichita State winning this tournament.\u00a0 He is joined by 12 other people (J, Doogan, Stri, Lynch, Lohse, KA, Teddy, Rikey, Dave, Gersh, Gross, and Mac).\u00a0 No one has them losing this game.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Wichita State 70 – Bradley 56<\/strong>
\nThe deepest mid-major team in the country got 36 of their 70 points from their bench, including 16 from their “big ugly,” Garrett Stutz.\u00a0 13 CTC’ers have WSU winning this tournament, so they were happy to see a relatively breezy quarterfinal.<\/p>\n

#3 Indiana State vs. #6 Evansville<\/em>
\nThe two most surprising teams in the MVC this year match up in the nightcap of the quartefinal quadruple-header.\u00a0 Picked in the preseason to finish last and second-to-last in The Valley, respectively, Indiana State and Evansville surprised everyone by finishing in the top 6 and avoiding the first round of the tournament.\u00a0 The Sycamores even knocked off Missouri State, Creighton, and N. Iowa along the way.\u00a0 Evansville, aside from a decent conference season, got a big win over Butler in the non-conference.\u00a0 This is a very popular upset pick in the CTC, as only Alexi, Dan, Rikey, Primm, and Mac have them winning this game.\u00a0 Primm and Alexi have them winning the whole tournament, actually.\u00a0 No one else has them in the finals.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Indiana State 52 – Evansville 50
\n<\/strong>Resilient.\u00a0 That is the perfect word for the Sycamores this season, as they keep overcoming adversity.\u00a0 Picked to finish last in the conference, they managed to beat most of the top teams and finish third.\u00a0 Then, getting little respect heading into the conference tournament, they trailed Evansville pretty much all game, before coming back at the end and winning on a 17-footer from Jake Odum at the buzzer.\u00a0 The Sycamores will have to bring back up their emotion tomorrow in the semis, as they face #2 Wichita State.\u00a0\u00a0A bunch of people missed an upset pick here, while Primm and Alexi\u00a0keep their\u00a0champions alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n

HORIZON LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS<\/strong> (12 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nAfter a two day respite to rest and relocate, the Horizon League continues with its two quarterfinal games.\u00a0 The next two rounds will be hosted by regular season champion, UW-Milwaukee, though the hosts and the defending champs (Butler) get a night off tonight, as they await their semifinals opponents.\u00a0 All four of the teams tonight took care of business on their home floors Tuesday to get themselves here.\u00a0 As for the CTC, we had 8 perfect opening round entries, so we are still looking for a favorite to take the 2011 CTC Horizon League belt.<\/p>\n

*<\/em>CTC UPDATE:<\/strong>\u00a0 A slew of people got both quarterfinals right here in the Horizon, including Bry, Alexi, Teddy, and Mac, who all remain perfect in this bracket.<\/p>\n

#3 Cleveland State vs. #6 Wright State<\/em>
\nThe Vikings were not incredibly inspiring in their 12-point win over lowly UIC on Tuesday night, but the theme of this time of the year is survive and advance, and that is what they did.\u00a0 Wright State also survived and advanced against a much tougher opponent, Green Bay.\u00a0 This is a war.\u00a0 I know that the Horizon League does not get much attention, but I would put this matchup up there against any quarterfinal matchup anywhere, including “star power,” as Norris Cole and Vaughn Duggins may not be household names, but they can flat-out play.\u00a0 This should be a good one with the winner moving on to a semifinal date with Butler tomorrow night.\u00a0 Everyone has a horse in the race here, except Dan, who had Green Bay winning this game and going to the semis.\u00a0\u00a0Waters and Stri have Wright State here, while the other 17 all have CSU.\u00a0 A loss by the Vikings would hurt the bracket of Lynch the most, as he has them winning this tournament, but it would also be a blow to Cheryl and Primm, who have them beating Butler.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Cleveland State 73 – Wright State 59<\/strong>
\nNorris Cole “only” had 15 for the Vikings, but he scored 13 of them in a 9-minute span in the second half that blew this game wide open.\u00a0 Regardless of your CC affiliations, you have to be somewhat happy to see this result, setting up a great Butler-CSU semifinal tomorrow night in Milwaukee.\u00a0 A pretty good season for Wright State comes to an end; a great career for Vaughn Duggins does, as well.\u00a0 Lynch keeps his finalist alive, while Stri and Waters both miss out on this upset.<\/p>\n

#4 Valparaiso vs. #5 Detroit<\/em>
\nDetroit hammered Loyola (IL) on Tuesday night, while Valpo survived a bad Youngstown State team.\u00a0 This, the nightcap, should be every bit as good as the first game with the winner moving on to play the hosts, UW-Milwaukee tomorrow night.\u00a0 Two entries already have L’s here (KA and Lynch) with the pick of previously eliminated Loyola.\u00a0 Of the 18 remaining entries alive in this game, only 5 have Detroit (Doogan, Cheryl, Rikey, Primm, and Gross).\u00a0 The other 13 have Valpo.\u00a0 Gross has the most to lose with Detroit, as he has them in the finals.\u00a0 On the other side, Mac is the biggest Crusader fan of the bunch, as he has them cutting down the nets in the Horizon.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Valparaiso 88 – Detroit 78<\/strong>
\nWhen the going get tough, good teams have guys they can turn to to come through.\u00a0 Valpo has that guy, and his name is Brandon Wood.\u00a0 Wood dropped 30 on the Titans tonight, including seven 7-pointers in the second half alone, as the Crusaders win to advance to play #1 UW-Milwaukee tomorrow night in the Horizon semis.\u00a0 Doogan, Cheryl, Rikey, Primm, and Gross missed their upset pick here.\u00a0 Mac keeps his Horizon champ alive.<\/p>\n

OHIO VALLEY SEMIFINALS <\/strong>(8 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nTwo nights of play; four teams eliminated; and, the OVC welcomes its top two teams to the mix for the semis tonight and the championship tomorrow.\u00a0 Gersh is still perfect in the OVC, so we’ll see if he can finish this thing off.<\/p>\n

*CTC UPDATE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Gersh lost both, so his dream of perfection is over.\u00a0 J is now in the lead for this year’s OVC title.<\/p>\n

#1 Murray State vs. #4 Tennessee Tech\u00a0<\/em>
\nTennessee Tech cruised past UT-Martin last night to earn themselves a date with the top-seeded Racers.\u00a0 Murray State, always one of the darlings of the mid-major circuit, had another stellar year and notched another OVC title on their headboard.\u00a0 The OVC this year had three very good teams and, as a reward for winning the regular season, Murray State gets to go through the bracket opposite the other two.\u00a0 J and Alexi both have Tennessee Tech in a nice upset pick here.\u00a0 Alexi has them winning this tournament.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Tennessee Tech 64 – Murray State 59<\/strong>
\nTennessee Tech jumped out to a big lead, as Murray State stuggled to hit shots all night.\u00a0 The Racers\u00a0– normally a great offensive team – was shooting less 35% from the floor and less than 20% from 3-point line in the first half.\u00a0 But, they started making shots midway through the second and made a furious comeback, turning a 12-point deficit into a 2-point lead with less than 2 minutes left.\u00a0 But, TT made the big shots down the stretch, including a huge 3-pointer by Zac Swansey to ice it.\u00a0 The Racers great guard attack was almost completely neutralized, including an uncharacteristically terrible shooting night from their star, B.J. Jenkins.\u00a0 J and Alexi were the only two to get this game right – Alexi has Tennessee Tech winning this, which would be a fantastic call if it comes through.\u00a0 A ton of people lost their champion in this one.<\/p>\n

#2 Morehead State vs. #3 Austin Peay\u00a0<\/em>
\nThe other late arrival to the OVC dance is the Morehead State Eagles and some guy named Kenneth Faried.\u00a0 If you haven’t seen Faried play, you are truly missing out.\u00a0 Maybe it’s the dreads, but he appears to be everywhere on the court.\u00a0 He plays with an unbelievable energy level and crashes the boards like a madman.\u00a0 He is an absolute force and should give the Governors (who lack some inside strength) all they can handle all night.\u00a0 This is one of the biggest CTC games of the night, as the field was quite torn on this game (understandably, as it is a great game).\u00a0 9 entries had Austin Peay in the upset here (Stri, Lynch, Lil Lohse, Scoot, Cheryl, Gersh, Primm, Gross, and Mac), with 5 of those having the Governors winning the whole thing (Stri, Scoot, Gersh, Gross, and Mac).\u00a0 On the other side, of the 11 who picked Morehead in this one, 6 of them have the Eagles winning the tournament (J, Doogan, Waters, KA, Teddy, and Dave).<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Morehead State 68 – Austin Peay 49<\/strong>
\nIf you are going to set a record – a pretty major one – you might as well do it in style.\u00a0 With his\u00a03rd rebound of the night, Kenneth Faried passed Tim Duncan as the all-time NCAA D-I rebounder.\u00a0 Only needing 3, the record was pretty assured, but Faried decided to extend his lead a little bit, so he added EIGHTEEN <\/em>more to finish with 21 boards in leading his Morehead State team into the OVC finals to take on Tennessee Tech tomorrow night.\u00a0 It was a comfortable lead for most of the game, but it wasn’t a blowout until Austin Peay just stopped playing with about 6 minutes left.\u00a0 Morehead took a 10-point lead and just walked away with it.\u00a0 J, Doogan, Waters, KA, Teddy, and Dave are the happiest with this win because they have Morehead winning this tournament.\u00a0 Stri, Scoot, Gersh, Gross, and Mac took the biggest blow, as they had Austin Peay winning it.<\/p>\n

ATLANTIC SUN SEMIFINALS<\/strong> (8 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nAfter four quarterfinal games over two days, the A-Sun will crown its champion in tomorrow night.\u00a0 To get to that point, we have to resolve the semifinal contests tonight in Macon.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, and Waters all submitted perfect A-Sun quarterfinal picks, so they will be going for perfection this weekend.<\/p>\n

*CTC UPDATE:\u00a0 <\/strong>J, Dan, and Dave all hit both semifinals in the A-Sun, and are all tied for the A-Sun lead.\u00a0 And, with no one picking N. Florida to win the title, and all three of them having Belmont, they will all tie for the 2011 A-Sun title.<\/p>\n

#1 Belmont vs. #5 Mercer\u00a0<\/em>
\nMercer upset Belmont’s arch-rival, Lipscomb, last night to get a shot at the top-seeded Bruins, who survived against #8 Kennesaw State on Wednesday night.\u00a0 Waters is the only one with the upset call of Mercer here.\u00a0 KA is already out, having gone with Lipscomb here, and everyone else has Belmont (including most people who have them winning it all).<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Belmont 80 – Mercer 72<\/strong>
\nBelmont is officially the first team in the country to reach the 29-win mark, as they win a pretty tight game against the tournament hosts, Mercer.\u00a0 The Bruins – who lead the country in bench scoring – got 48 points off the pine tonight and will advance to tomorrow night’s championship.\u00a0 Waters missed a big upset pick here and lost a finalist in the process.<\/p>\n

#2 E. Tennessee State vs. #6 N. Florida\u00a0<\/em>
\nETSU\u00a0survived a real scare on Wednesday night, inching past #7 Campbell and now they get #6 N. Florida, who pulled off the upset of #3 Jacksonville last night.\u00a0 Three entries (Alexi, Scoot, and Primm) have already lost this game, having picked Jacksonville.\u00a0 J, Waters, Dan, and Dave all would have a really nice upset here if UNF can come through.\u00a0\u00a0 Everyone else has ETSU.\u00a0 Bry has the Bucs winning this tournament.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 N. Florida 59 – E. Tennessee State 55<\/strong>
\nWell, we have a winner of the annual “first team to be called Cinderella,” and it is N. Florida.\u00a0 The Ospreys are one win away from the First Four.\u00a0 And, they did it in style, beating ETSU for the first time in their school’s history.\u00a0 Mike Smith, the A-Sun Player of the Year, did score 20\u00a0in defeat, but ETSU’s destiny is probably the CBI, at this point.\u00a0 N. Florida’s destiny is yet to be defined, as they have a shot to write it tomorrow against Belmont.\u00a0 J, Waters, Dan, and Dave all hit this upset – which is very <\/em>impressive\u00a0to nail a 6-seed in the finals.\u00a0 Bry loses his champion here.<\/p>\n

COLONIAL OPENING ROUND<\/strong> (6 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nI mentioned yesterday how the “Arch Madness” of the MVC is my second favorite conference tournament of the entire two weeks.\u00a0 Well, the suspense is over – the Colonial is my absolute favorite.\u00a0 Maybe because, living in the deep south of Baltimore, I get a ton of Colonial games or maybe because I just love Bruiser Flint.\u00a0 Maybe it is because the divergent styles of the best teams make for fascinatingly intriguing matchups on a nightly basis,\u00a0but, honestly, I\u00a0think it’s just because the quality of basketball is so vastly underrated by the general public that I feel a bit of a kinship with CAA fans and their teams.\u00a0 It is like a hipster and their obscure band.\u00a0 Hopefully, this conference doesn’t “sell out” and sign with a major record label or I may go into a deep depression pining for the days when they were “pure” and\u00a0struggled to\u00a0sell out 250-seat holes in the wall and I could wait in line for 2 hours for tickets instead of\u00a0having to\u00a0sit in my living room with that bastard of convenience called TicketMaster and\u00a0everything was great because they were “mine.”\u00a0 (and, yet, we digress…)\u00a0 So, yes, I love the CAA simply because very few other people realize how great it is.\u00a0 I am a little ashamed to admit that that is the reason, but that’s me.<\/p>\n

*CTC UPDATE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Stri and KA were the only two to hit all four opening round games in the CAA.\u00a0 Dave and Gross only hit 1 of 4.<\/p>\n

#8 UNC-Wilmington vs. #9 Georgia State<\/em>
\nGeorgia State started the conference season like gangbusters, beating two of the preseason favorites, James Madison and VCU, to start conference play.\u00a0 Led by a great defense, they actually led the CAA as late as mid-January.\u00a0 But, it started to unravel for the Panthers and they stumbled to 3-11 record down the stretch and a 9th place finish.\u00a0 UNC-Wilmington was pretty consistent all season, beating the teams they should and rarely beating those they shouldn’t.\u00a0 The winner of this opening round noon game with another noontime affair tomorrow against #1 George Mason.\u00a0 The field is pretty split on this game, as 9 of the 20 picked Georgia State in the minor upset (Primm, Cheryl, Teddy, KA, Lohse, Stri, Doogan, J, and Bry).\u00a0 What the field is not split on is that no matter who wins this game will go down tomorrow to #1 George Mason.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Georgia State 58 – UNC-Wilmington 52<\/strong>
\nA close game throughout, Georgia State, who was led by the defense all year, got the big stops down the stretch to move on in the first CAA tournament game of 2011.\u00a0 The Panthers got 37 of their 58 points from their bench and will now move on play #1 George Mason in the opener of tomorrow’s quarterfinal quadruple-header.\u00a0 9 CTC’ers picked up 12 points for this upset pick.\u00a0 KA, Primm, and Cheryl all pass Dave, who falls to the cellar overall.\u00a0 Bry gains no ground on either of the 2 closest chasing him (Doogan and J), but does pick up ground on Lil Lohse, who is passed by his big bro into 4th.<\/p>\n

#5 Drexel vs. #12 Towson<\/em>
\nI have to say that of all 6 Philly school, Bruiser Flint’s coaching performance at Drexel this year may have been the best.\u00a0 He came in with a team picked towards the bottom of the conference and, on top of that, battled several injuries along the way.\u00a0 But, he rallied the team to pretty good heights all year, none higher than a win at the Yum! Center in Louisville.\u00a0 They suffered a couple close losses in conference play (including a heartbreaker at VCU) and just didn’t have the horses to compete with the top 4 in the conference and finished just outside of bye position here in the 5-12 game.\u00a0 Fortunately, they earned a “virtual” bye by drawing Towson in the first round.\u00a0 Pat’s Cats, as they called down here, failed to win a conference game in 18 tries this year.\u00a0 That being said, there are still three people (all of whom live in the general Towson vicinity, including this author) have the Cats in the upset here – Bry, Teddy, and Gross.\u00a0 Teddy even has them winning again tomorrow.\u00a0 Drexel is a popular pick to win their quarterfinal game, as J, Stri, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, Primm, and Mac all have them beating VCU in the quarters.\u00a0 Lynch and Dave even have them making the finals.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Drexel 75 – Towson 69<\/strong>
\nIt wasn’t pretty, but the Dragons move on to face VCU tomorrow afternoon.\u00a0 Tied at the half, Drexel extended their lead to as many as 13 before Towson came storming back to draw with 3 point, with possession, with :33 seconds left.\u00a0 But, a missed layup by the Tigers’ leading scorer, Josh Brown gave the ball back to Drexel, who salted it away at the free throw line.\u00a0 The Dragons were led by 6’5″ junior from Academy of the New Church High in Philly, Samme Givens, who had a monster game of 22 points and 14 boards.\u00a0 The Dragons outrebounded Towson 41-24, which was pretty much the difference in this one.\u00a0 Bry, Teddy, and Gross all missed their longshot upset pick.\u00a0 Teddy lost a semifinalist here.\u00a0 KA remains perfect on the day; Gross is struggling today.\u00a0 Bry’s overall lead is cut to 18 by Doogan here.<\/p>\n

#7 Delaware vs. #10 Northeastern<\/em>
\nThe Fightin’ Blue Hens of UD have one of the greatest nicknames in all of sports.\u00a0 However, their basketball history is not quite as amazing.\u00a0 They did have a decent season this year, led by two guys I watched\u00a0play in high school – D.J.\u00a0Boney and Jawan Carter – but they really just don’t have the talent to compete with the big boys in the CAA.\u00a0 Northeastern is rebuilding after a solid run over the past couple of years and struggled to find the right mix throughout this season.\u00a0 But, they have been playing better as of late.\u00a0\u00a0The winner of this game will get Old Dominion tomorrow in the quarters.\u00a0 This is another popular upset pick as 8 entries have Northeastern in this one (Bry, J, Doogan, Teddy, Scoot, Cheryl, Dave, and Primm).\u00a0 Everyone except KA (who has Delaware upsetting ODU tomorrow) has their winning pick here losing in the quarters to Old Dominion.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Delaware 60 – Northeastern 58<\/strong>
\nThe Fightin’ Blue Hens and the most overrated high school player I’ve ever seen (Jawan Carter) did everything they could to give this game away down the stretch – a ton of missed free throws, bad turnovers, and stupid fouls – but Northeastern just couldn’t get enough shots to fall to take advantage.\u00a0 The Blue Hens survive to fight another day and will get ODU tomorrow in the quarters.\u00a0 8 CTC’ers missed an upset chance here, while KA keeps a semifinalist alive.<\/p>\n

#6 James Madison vs. #11 William & Mary<\/em>
\nWho is the best player that you have never heard of?\u00a0 Many people would say Norris Cole at Cleveland State, and while he is a truly fantastic player, his 41-point, 20-rebound, 9-assist game a couple weeks ago probably put him into the level of “heard of.”\u00a0 Mickey McConnell at St. Mary’s is a great player that very few people know, but the Gaels have been ranked most of the season, so hoops fans should know their best player.\u00a0 My vote for this distinction is Denzel Bowles at James Madison.\u00a0 The dude is a flat-out stud, but because the Dukes have been a bit disappointing this year, he is really not getting any ink.\u00a0 But, trust me, their Dukes struggles have very little, if anything, to do with Bowles.\u00a0 If you are around a TV and this game is on late tomorrow night, tune in for Bowles alone.\u00a0 He is worth the effort.\u00a0 On the other side, you will see a William & Mary team that, well, isn’t very good.\u00a0 After heartbreaking near-misses the last couple of years to break the streak of never making the NCAA tournament, this year won’t be as heartbreaking when it finally ends.\u00a0 The winner here will move on to the nightcap of tomorrow’s quarterfinal quadruple-header against Hofstra (who sports another unknown player that should not really be unknown – 23-point per game Charles Jenkins).\u00a0 A\u00a0few people went for the William & Mary upset here (Teddy, KA, Stri, Waters, and Bry).\u00a0 Stri and Teddy actually have the Tribe going to the semis.\u00a0 JMU, on the other hand, is a popular pick to pull of the upset next round, so J, Doogan, Scoot, Dave, Primm, Gross, and Mac are all hoping they survive this round to give themselves a shot at the upset tomorrow.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 William & Mary 72 – James Madison 68<\/strong>
\nIf you told me that one team’s star would take over this game, while the other’s would be rendered essentially inconsequential, I definitely would have predicted which one was which in the CAA nightcap.\u00a0 Denzel Bowles, whom I rapped poetic about in the preview for this game, scored a whopping 5 points in a foul-plagued 24 minutes for the Dukes, while the most nondescript 1,200-point junior you will see, Quinn McDowell, lit it up for 35.\u00a0 McDowell, who is not that quick, not that athletic, not that big is just a flat-out gamer, and he put the Tribe on his back tonight and carried them into the quarters, where his team will get to try and matchup with Charles Jenkins and the Hofstra Flying Dutchmen (they will never be the “Pride” to me).\u00a0 Teddy, KA, Stri, Waters, and Bry all nailed a pretty nice upset here.\u00a0 Stri and Teddy are still alive to hit the Tribe as a semifinalist.<\/p>\n

SoCON OPENING ROUND <\/strong>(4 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nThe Southern Conference gets its tournament underway today with a quarterfinal quadruple-header in Chattanooga.\u00a0 While Steph Curry is gone, there are still some great individual players with guys like Donald Sims at App State, Emu Saaka at Furman, and Andrew Dahlman at Wofford.\u00a0 But, none are better than the future pro from College of Charleston, Andrew Goudelock.<\/p>\n

*CTC UPDATE:\u00a0 <\/strong>The great decathletes, Dan and Dave, were the only two to hit all 4 SoCon games in the opening round.\u00a0 Bry, Waters, and Primm only got 1.<\/p>\n

#4S Davidson vs. #5N UNC-Greensboro<\/em>
\nSteph Curry is not walking through that door.\u00a0 But, Davidson is still a quality team with a very strong coach in Bob McKillop.\u00a0 UNC-Greensboro, after an 0-11 non-conference slate, somehow managed to win 6 SoCon games this year and not finish last in the North Division.\u00a0 The winner of this game will get the North Division champion W. Carolina tomorrow in the quarters.\u00a0 KA, Dan, and Dave went for a nice upset pick here with Greensboro.\u00a0 Everyone else went with Davidson – but it doesn’t stop there.\u00a0 You ready?\u00a0 Bry, J, Stri, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, Teddy, Scoot, Primm, and Mac all have Davidson making the semis.\u00a0 J, Alexi, Lynch, and Teddy all have them making the finals.\u00a0 And, Lynch and Teddy went all the way and picked them to win the SoCon tournament.\u00a0 So, a Greensboro upset here could be a real “bracket buster.”\u00a0 It would also be great news for Dave, who has the Spartans beating W. Carolina tomorrow as well.<\/p>\n

IN-GAME UPDATE:<\/strong>\u00a0 UPSET ALERT –> Greensboro up on Davidson, 30-22,\u00a0with\u00a04 minutes left in the first half.
\nIN-GAME UPDATE:\u00a0 <\/strong>Greensboro leads Davidson 32-24 at the half.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 UNC-Greensboro 71\u00a0– Davidson 64<\/strong>
\nA devastatingly bad way to end the season for Bob McKillop’s Davidson team.\u00a0 Trailing pretty much the whole way, they are eliminated by 6-23 UNC-Greensboro.\u00a0 It was also devastating for a ton of CTC’ers.\u00a0 Lynch and Teddy got hit the hardest, as they had Davidson winning the whole thing.\u00a0 You know who was not devastated?\u00a0 KA, Dan, and Dave, who picked up a cool 16 points for this upset pick.<\/p>\n

#3N Appalachian State vs. #6S Georgia-Southern<\/em>
\nThe second game of the day has App State – probably the most disappointing team in the SoCon this year, all things considered – against Georgia-Southern – the worst team in the SoCon this year, all things considered.\u00a0 GA-Southern won one conference game (home against The Citadel) and were not really competitive in many others.\u00a0 App State – who was the preseason pick to win the North – was seriously up and down, seemingly able to beat or lose to just about anybody.\u00a0\u00a0Defending SoCon champ, Wofford, awaits the winner of this game in tomorrow’s quarterfinal.\u00a0 Primm was the only one bold enough to go for the big upset\u00a0pick of GA-Southern here.\u00a0 J, Doogan, Lohse, and Cheryl all have App State in the semis.\u00a0 Lohse actually has them winning it all.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Appalachian State 65 – Georgia-Southern 57<\/strong>
\nIn a game that App State probably didn’t want to be as close as it was, they do survive and advance.\u00a0 This game was tied as late as the 10-minute mark in the second half, but the Mountaineers, led by one of the best players in the SoCon, Donald Sims and his 20 points, made enough plays down the stretch to get the W.\u00a0 They get a big matchup with Wofford in the quarters tomorrow.\u00a0 Primm missed a real nice upset pick here; Lohse kept his longshot champion pick alive.<\/p>\n

#3S Furman vs. #6N Samford<\/em>
\nA hell of a year for the Furman Paladins, winning 20 games and 12 conference games.\u00a0 But, because they are stuck in the far superior South Division of the SoCon, they are stuck playing in the first round.\u00a0 Samford was not very good this year, finishing last in the inferior North.\u00a0 The winner tonight will earn themselves a showdown with the tournament hosts, Chattanooga.\u00a0 Bry, Waters, and KA all took a shot at the big upset here and went with Samford.\u00a0 Furman is the darling of Doogan’s bracket, as he is hoping to ride them all the way to a SoCon championship.\u00a0 Dave has the Paladins in the finals, but not winning it.\u00a0 J, Gersh, and Gross have them in the semis.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Furman 61 – Samford 48<\/strong>
\nIn a game that must have been incredibly exciting to watch, the Paladins smother Samford to move on to the SoCon quarters against Chattanooga tomorrow.\u00a0 Bry, Waters, and KA missed a large upset pick here, while Doogan keeps alive his champion.<\/p>\n

#4N Elon vs. #5S The Citadel<\/em>
\nElon started slowly, but started to play better down the stretch, finishing in 4th in the North.\u00a0 The Citadel had a bit of a disappointing season, but still managed a 6-12 conference record in the tougher South Division.\u00a0 The two teams will play in the nightcap in Chattanooga with the winner earning a shot at South Division regular season champ, College of Charleston, in tomorrow night quarterfinal nightcap.\u00a0 8 people like The Citadel in the mild upset – Bry, J, Doogan, Stri, Waters, Teddy, Gersh, and Primm.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams beating C of C tomorrow night.<\/p>\n

WCC OPENING ROUND<\/strong> (4 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nFor the first time in a very long time, Gonzaga did not win the West Coast Conference.\u00a0 The Australian National Team, sorry, I mean the St. Mary’s Gaels took the regular season title and the subsequent #1 in this year’s WCC tournament.\u00a0 Along with a top-2 seed, the Gaels (and Zags) get a double-bye and aren’t slated to play until the semifinals on Sunday.\u00a0 The opening round between the league’s bottom four teams gets underway in Sin City tonight.<\/p>\n

#5 Portland vs. #8 Loyola Marymount<\/em>
\nPortland is a very good team that somehow finds themselves in the WCC first round because they just didn’t quite win enough games.\u00a0 LMU was supposed to be a very good team that finds themselves in the first round because, well, they didn’t really win any <\/em>games.\u00a0 The winner tonight will play #4 Santa Clara in the quarters tomorrow.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, and KA all went with the underdog here.\u00a0 Doogan and KA actually have LMU reaching the semis.\u00a0 13 entries – J, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Scoot, Rikey, Dave, Primm, and Gross – have Portland upsetting Santa Clara next round, though only 1 (Gross) have the Pilots going to the finals.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Loyola Marymount 72 – Portland 68<\/strong>
\nThe Pilots, one of the dark horses in this tournament, just couldn’t stop Drew Viney and are eliminated from the tournament almost as soon as it starts.\u00a0 LMU will advance to face #4 Santa Clara tomorrow in the quarters.\u00a0 Gross got hit the hardest here, as he lost a finalist.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, and KA picked up a pretty big upset pick here.\u00a0 Doogan and KA now have a shot for another one, as they have LMU winning again tomorrow.<\/p>\n

#6 Pepperdine vs. #7 San Diego<\/em>
\nWhy would either of these teams even care about basketball?\u00a0 One side lives in the San Diego and the other in Malibu.\u00a0 Well, apparently, neither did care all that much this year, as both teams were pretty bad.\u00a0 The survivor of this sure-to-be-thrilling game gets to play San Francisco in the quarters.\u00a0 Stri, Alexi, Waters, Dan, Dave, and Mac all have San Diego in the minor upset.\u00a0 Stri, Waters, and Dave all has USD beating USF next round, too.\u00a0 Doogan, Lynch, Lohse, KA, Teddy, and Gross all have Pepperdine beating the Dons tomorrow.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Pepperdine 84 – San Diego 81<\/strong>
\nLeading by double-digits most of the game, the Waves held off a late comeback attempt by USD to advance to Saturday’s quarters to take on San Francisco.\u00a0 This loss ends a very forgettable season for the Torreros and also puts\u00a0a bit of a hurt on the WCC brackets of Stri, Waters, and Dave.<\/p>\n

MAAC OPENING ROUND <\/strong>(2 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nWithout a completely dominating Siena team, life in the MAAC is a lot more interesting.\u00a0 And, as it would have it, life in the MAAC tournament should be a lot more interesting this year, too, as it moves out of Siena’s gym.\u00a0 The only catch?\u00a0 It has been moved to the gym of maybe the new dominant team – Fairfield.<\/p>\n

#8 Niagara vs. #9 Marist<\/em>
\nIt was not that long ago when Niagara was the one real threat to Siena in the MAAC.\u00a0 Those days seem distant because the Tides were rather dreadful this year.\u00a0 Fortunately for Niagara fans, their opening round opponent, the Red Foxes of Marist, may have been one of the few teams even more dreadful.\u00a0 The winner here will get the chance to take a shot at #1 Fairfield.\u00a0 KA, Scoot, Dan, Dave, and Primm all have Marist in the mild upset.\u00a0 KA actually has a real nice upset pick with Marist going to the semis.\u00a0 No one has Niagara any further than this.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Marist 73 – Niagara 61<\/strong>
\nA pretty terrible season for the Waves ends with a 32% shooting night and a 12-point loss to a really bad Marist team.\u00a0 The Red Foxes advance to the quarters tomorrow, where they might just be cannon fodder for #1 Fairfield.\u00a0 KA, Scoot, Dan, Dave, and Primm all hit this mild upset.\u00a0 KA keeps alive what would be an epic semifinal prediction.\u00a0<\/p>\n

#7 Siena vs. #10 Manhattan<\/em>
\nMy how the mighty have fallen.\u00a0 I guess that Philly guy, Fran McCaffrey is a pretty good coach, huh?\u00a0 With McCaffrey gone for the riches of the Big Ten, the Saints are left to pick up the pieces and they fell from the perennial #1 spot all the way to #7 this year and into the opening round.\u00a0 They did catch a break, though, as they get a pretty terrible Manhattan team today before, if they hang on, gearing up for #2 Iona tomorrow.\u00a0 Lynch and Gross took a shot at Manhattan in the upset here, while Bry, Waters, Lohse, Teddy, Dan, and Dave all need Siena to win here to keep alive their shot at correctly predicting a semifinals appearance for the Saints.\u00a0 Dan really needs them to survive here, as he has them going all the way to the finals.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Siena 68 – Manhattan 66 (OT)<\/strong>
\nA huge three by Owen Wignot in overtime lifted Siena into the quarterfinals over a very poor Manhattan team.\u00a0 The Saints will now get #2 Iona in the quarters.\u00a0 Ryan Rossiter (yes, he’s still <\/em>there) had 17 points, 14 rebounds and huge block to help seal the win.\u00a0 Lynch and Gross came awfully close to a nice upset here.\u00a0 A lot of people can breathe a sigh of relief with the Siena survival, but none more than Dan, who has them in the finals.<\/p>\n

CTC SNAPSHOT – COLONIAL<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Championship Picks:<\/p>\n