{"id":1663,"date":"2011-03-08T12:55:29","date_gmt":"2011-03-08T16:55:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1663"},"modified":"2011-03-09T11:23:22","modified_gmt":"2011-03-09T15:23:22","slug":"ctc-day-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1663","title":{"rendered":"CTC: Day Eight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Update: 10:18 AM
\n*Denotes recent update<\/strong><\/p>\n

And, so it begins!\u00a0 As “mad” as the first 7 days have been, the true Madness is about to start.\u00a0 Today is somewhat mad, but tomorrow and Thursday are certifiably insane.\u00a0 Not sure much intro is needed here.\u00a0 Let’s just play ball.<\/p>\n

HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP<\/span><\/strong> (48 points)
\n<\/span><\/em>So, after three days off to possibly relocate (which wasn’t necessary), the Horizon is ready to declare a champion.\u00a0 While both teams are currently in Joe Lunardi’s most recent bracket, UW-Milwaukee is only there because they are leading the Horizon (they are a 15-seed in his bracket) and Butler is barely hanging on with a 12-seed.\u00a0 So, Milwaukee absolutely must have this game, and Butler could really, really use it.\u00a0 A Butler win would complete a perfect Horizon bracket for Bry, while a Milwaukee win would complete nearly perfect brackets for Gersh and Primm (they only missed on opening round game).<\/p>\n

#1 UW-Milwaukee vs. #2 Butler<\/em>
\nThe old adage goes (which I think it pretty dumb), “it’s hard to beat a team three times in one year.”\u00a0 Well, UW-Milwaukee will try and do just that tonight against Butler, having swept the season series from the defending Final Four team.\u00a0 The Panthers, on their home floor, took care of a good Valpo team by shooting the lights out in an 88-78 win on Saturday night.\u00a0 In the early game Saturday,\u00a0Butler knocked off a really good Cleveland State team in impressive fashion, giving the Bulldogs a shot to avenge the season sweep they suffered at the hands of Milwaukee.\u00a0 Only Lynch (Cleveland State) and Mac (Valparaiso) do not have a shot at the 48 points up for grabs tonight in Milwaukee.\u00a0 Doogan, Stri, Cheryl, Dave, Gersh, and Primm have Milwaukee.\u00a0 The other 12 entries have Butler.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Butler 59 – UW-Milwaukee 44<\/strong>
\nOne of the most impressive things that happened during Championship Week took place just seconds after the final whistle in the Horizon League championship.\u00a0 The Bulldogs acted as if they had just won a regular season game.\u00a0 There wasn’t the jubilant celebration; there wasn’t the leaping and yelling usually associated with the clinching of an automatic bid.\u00a0 Butler acted as if they expected to win and that this was just another step.\u00a0 While they are very excited to return and try and defend their Final Four trip, but it was very workmanlike.\u00a0 Matt Howard was a beat, scoring 18, but it was the Butler defense tonight, who gave up 86 and 76 in two regular season losses to the Panthers, but today it looked like a whole new team.\u00a0 A dozen CTC’ers had Butler winning this tournament, including Bry, who completes a perfect Horizon bracket to win his second CTC HL title in the last three years.\u00a0 Defending CTC HL champ, Teddy, only missed one game.<\/p>\n

SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP<\/span><\/strong> (16 points)
\n<\/span><\/em>Instead of\u00a018 regular season games and a 3-round tournament, why didn’t we just have a best of 21 between Oakland and Oral Roberts?\u00a0 Far and away the two best teams for 3 months now and they will now play 40 minutes for all the marbles.\u00a0 A whole slew of entries have hit this tournament exactly right so far, but only two of them (Waters and Gersh) would finish off perfection with an ORU win here.\u00a0 If Oakland wins, this conference title will be shared a nine-way tie, including Bry and Lohse, who would each pick up a second straight Summit title.<\/p>\n

#1 Oakland\u00a0vs. #2 Oral Roberts <\/em>
\nOakland dropped 110 points on South Dakota State last night, while ORU took care of business against a good IUPUI team, setting up the league’s dream final.\u00a0 KA is the only one that doesn’t have either of these two teams winning this tournament (IPFW).\u00a0 Of the other 19, only 3 have ORU – Waters, Dave, and Gersh.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Oakland 90 – Oral Roberts 76<\/strong>
\nThe Golden Grizzlies completed a year-long domination of the Summit League with an impressive 14-point win in the championship game.\u00a0 Keith Benson (a big-time college player in a small-time program) scored 28, while his sidekick Reggie Hamilton added 26.\u00a0 This is one of the most potent offenses in any conference and will give some #4-seed next week some headaches in preparation.\u00a0 16 entries had Oakland winning this tournament, including nine who completed a perfect Summit bracket and will share the 2011 CTC title 9 ways (Mac, Gross, Cheryl, Teddy, Lil Lohse, Lohse, Lynch, Stri, and Bry).<\/p>\n

SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP<\/span><\/strong> (16 points)
\n<\/span><\/em>a I bet if you asked 20 educated basketball fans to come up with the two Sun Belt finalists this year, you’d only get about four people to even get ONE of them.\u00a0 At least, that is what my research tells me.\u00a0 This conference has completely blown up and we are left with the 8-seed versus the 10-seed in the championship game.\u00a0 J, who does have N. Texas winning this tournament, has already locked up the 2011 Sun Belt title, since no one has UALR.<\/p>\n

#4W N. Texas\u00a0vs. #5W AR-Little Rock
\n<\/em>The crazy, unexpected final is here.\u00a0 The Mean Green versus the\u00a0Trojans –\u00a0set your DVRs!\u00a0 N. Texas has rolled through this tournament like they were expected to do in the regular season, winning last night by 19 over WKU.\u00a0 UALR has mainly been a one-man show all year – Solomon Bozeman – and that one man has been good enough this week to get them three wins and reach the finals.\u00a0 It should be interesting to see how the 4 games in 4 nights affects either of these teams.\u00a0 You might think that N. Texas (the deeper team) would have the edge, but when you have\u00a0a guy like Bozeman guarded by tired legs, you never know what he can do.\u00a0 Clearly no one has UALR here (no one had them even getting out of the quarters), but J, Lohse, and Cheryl do all have N. Texas winning this thing.\u00a0 What an amazing pick that will turn out to be if it comes through.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: AR-Little Rock 64 – N. Texas 63
\n<\/strong>An absolutely wild Sun Belt tournament comes to a fitting finish, with the most thrilling title game we’ve had yet this year.\u00a0 This game was nip and tuck the whole way, until N. Texas opened up a 7 point lead with 1:30 to play.\u00a0 But the Trojans scored 6 quick points.\u00a0 Fast forward to 7 seconds remaining, and N. Texas going to the free throw line with a 1 point lead.\u00a0 They make 1 of 2, then the Little Rock gets the ball down the floor and to the Sun Belt Player of the Year, Solomon Bozeman, who hits a 3 at the buzzer to give the Trojans the game, the conference title, and a trip to the First Four in Dayton next week.\u00a0 Wow.\u00a0 Nobody picked them to win here, and J, Lohse, and Cheryl see their excellent N. Texas pick doomed at the last second.<\/p>\n

ATLANTIC 10 OPENING ROUND<\/span><\/strong> (10 points each)
\n<\/span><\/em>On the first day of the 5x tournaments, the A-10 gives us 4 opening round games at various sites around the league before the scene shifts to America’s Playground for the rest of the tournament Thursday through Sunday.\u00a0 It was another interesting year in the A-10, but, for once, I’m not sure that this league in underrated this year.\u00a0 I think Temple and Xavier have gotten their just due, and though I believe Richmond to be highly underrated, I also think that Duquesne was highly overrated for most of the season, so I guess it all evens out.<\/p>\n

#7 St. Bonaventure vs. #10 LaSalle<\/em>
\nA decent season for\u00a0one of these teams will end in Olean, NY, tonight.\u00a0 St. Bonaventure’s season was a little more “decent” than LaSalle’s.\u00a0 While, they didn’t really beat any of the best teams in the conference, and didn’t beat anyone any good outside of Olean, they did finish at .500 in the conference and knocked off St. John’s in the non-conference.\u00a0 This is another step forward from a program that not too long ago faced questions about its future in D-I.\u00a0 LaSalle, who simply cannot seem to put it all together in any one season, had another up-and-down season that was not supposed to end in double-digit conference losses after a decent non-conference.\u00a0 The Bonnies are awfully tough at home, so it’s a tall order for LaSalle here.\u00a0 The winner will get #2 Temple in the quarters. \u00a0J and Rikey are the only two with the Explorers in the upset pick, and no one has either of these teams upsetting the Owls in the quarters.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: La Salle 75 – St. Bonaventure 73 (2OT)
\n<\/strong>La Salle goes into Olean, NY and comes back from an 11-point halftime deficit to send the game to OT and eventually edge the Bonnies.\u00a0 The Explorers will now face Big 5 rival Temple when they get to Atlantic City.\u00a0 J and Rikey hit this upset pick.<\/p>\n

#5 George Washington vs. #12 St. Joe’s<\/em>
\nThe real surprise team of the year in the A-10 was GW, and they did it with a very young team, and, even more impressively, with their one elite player (sophomore star Lasan Kromah) missing the whole season with an injury.\u00a0 As overdue as I believe Karl Hobbs from needing a new job to be, I think he may have been the coach of the year in the conference this year.\u00a0 On the other side of this matchup is the St. Joe’s Hawks.\u00a0 My mother said that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything, so I will not comment on their arrogant, highly overrated, obnoxious coach.\u00a0 I am a St. Joe’s fan, but until they go in a new direction on the sidelines, I cannot support them.\u00a0 That being said, I was very pleased with how this season played out because, well, they stink, and it is all because that guy is just not a very good coach – he just got lucky that no one else wanted some guy named Jameer Nelson.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play the upstart Duquesne Dukes in the quarters.\u00a0 Bry, Waters, Cheryl, Rikey, and Dave all have the Hawks in a pretty big upset here.\u00a0 And, on the other side,\u00a06 people (Lynch, Lil Lohse, KA,\u00a0Teddy, Dan, and Gersh) have GW upsetting Duquesne next round.\u00a0 Lynch even has the Colonials going to the finals.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: St. Joe’s 71 – George Washington 59 (OT)
\n<\/strong>On a night when Nova goes down, St. Joe’s and La Salle pick up conference tourney wins.\u00a0 It’s Bizarro Big 5.\u00a0 After blowing a big 2nd half lead, the Hawks showed a lot of heart by outscoring GW 22-10 in the overtime for the win.\u00a0 Bry, Waters, Cheryl, Rikey, and Dave hit this big upset pick.<\/p>\n

#6 Rhode Island vs. #11 St. Louis<\/em>
\na The A-10 is a good league with several good (possibly elite) teams.\u00a0 Rhode Island wasn’t one of them.\u00a0 They were okay, but not great, by any means.\u00a0 The A-10 named its first-team all-conference team the other day and it did not include any Rams.\u00a0 However, I am wiling to go out on a limb and say that the best NBA player currently on an A-10 roster will be URI’s Delroy James.\u00a0 If he gets his head on straight and commits himself on the defensive end, this guy has all the tools to be a productive NBA player.\u00a0 And, tonight, James leads his 6th-seeded Rams up against Rick Majerus’s St. Louis Bilikens.\u00a0 It has been a really disappointing season for the hefty former Utah coach, as he has everyone back from a year ago and yet, they seemed to take a step backwards.\u00a0 We wil see if they can get it together at the right time.\u00a0 The winner of this game will go to AC to battle Richmond in the quarters.\u00a0 The Bilikens were a popular upset pick here in the first round.\u00a0 Bry, J, Doogan, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Cheryl, Dave, Primm, and Gross all have StL in this one.\u00a0 Dave even has them again next round over Richmond.\u00a0 KA (a proud URI alum) has the Rams going to the semis.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Rhode Island 70 – St. Louis 61
\n<\/strong>I can second Bry’s assertion that Delroy James is an NBA player, and he stuffed the stat sheet tonight with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 6 turnovers, helping the Rams to a pretty easy home win over the underachieving Billikens.\u00a0 Most of the field mistakenly went for the upset.<\/p>\n

#8 Massachusetts vs. #9 Dayton<\/em>
\nChris Wright is a mystery to me.\u00a0 This guy should be so good by now, his senior year, and he is just kind of okay – just like his Dayton team.\u00a0 Chris Johnson is a nice player, and I\u00a0LOVE their freshman point guard, Jawan Staten, but this team grossly underachieved again this year.\u00a0 It is coach Gregory?\u00a0 On the other side, the year started off pretty well for the Minutemen, but in the end, they dissolved back into what they really are these days – a middle-of-the-road A-10 team that is good at home and not so good on the road.\u00a0 The winner of this game will get #1 Xavier on Thursday in Jersey.\u00a0 It is not surprising that Dayton is a popular upset pick here, but this is pretty ridiculous.\u00a0 Only KA, Dave, and Gersh have UMass winning here even in Amherst.\u00a0 Gross has Dayton beating Xavier in the quarters.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Dayton 78 – Massachusetts 50<\/strong>
\nOne of the most talented #9-seeds you will see in any conference in America shed off the season-long underrated play – at least for one night – in absolutely pummelling UMass on their home floor.\u00a0 17 entries hit this mild upset, and Gross keeps alive his longshot prediction of Dayton knocking off Xavier in the quarters.<\/p>\n

BIG EAST FIRST ROUND<\/span><\/strong> (5 points each)
\n<\/em><\/span>The only conference tournament that goes 5 rounds is the Big East and, as much as I love to pile on the Big East for their arrogance and, most of all, for their incredible annual overratedness, I actually love <\/em>the Big East tournament.\u00a0 As you can probably tell from all of these write-ups, I love mid-major basketball and always go to bat for those that deserve more respect.\u00a0 And, because of that, I tend to rip on the Big East and ACC a little more than they deserve.\u00a0 This might come as a surprise (it surprises me), but I don’t think there is any question that this conference deserves 11 bids next Sunday.\u00a0 And, with 11 deserving tournament teams in one tournament, it should be fascinatingly interesting, even today, when some of the worst rich conference teams take the floor at MSG.\u00a0 However, for the record, just because I think they will get 11 teams in doesn’t mean I think they are a great conference.\u00a0 I think they have 1 legit championship contender (Pitt), whereas at least 4 other conferences have 2.\u00a0 I think they have some pretty bad bottom-feeders – way worse than teams like Iowa State, Indiana, or Arizona State.\u00a0 And, I think a lot of these “tournament” teams are vastly overrated (UConn, Villanova, Cincinnati, even St. John’s).\u00a0 So, yes, this conference is deserving of 11 teams, but is still vastly overrated.<\/p>\n

#9 Connecticut vs. #16 DePaul<\/em>
\nDePaul is terrible.\u00a0 The fact that the conference generally considered as the best in the country has a team that is so bad almost offends me.\u00a0 But, at least, they are penciled in for the noontime opening round game every year in the tournament, and, by 2:00 on Tuesday, before we even know what’s happening, we can forget they even played in the Big East this year.\u00a0 UConn, though they drew DePaul, really got punished for their troubles down the stretch, as they now have to win 5 games in 5 nights to be crowned Big East champion.\u00a0 For all the crap I talk about the Big East, for teams like UConn, Villanova, and Marquette to not even finish in the top eight <\/em>is a pretty impressive feather in a conference’s cap.\u00a0 UConn might make some noise in this tournament because MSG usually brings out the best in individual players, and UConn’s Kemba Walker is one of the best there is.\u00a0 Plus, the winner of this game gets a\u00a0beat up G’town team in the second round before a possible date with #1 Pitt.\u00a0 And, crazy things happen in the Garden in March.\u00a0 Depite everything that he said about them in this previous paragraph, Bry is taking the longshot of DePaul to beat UConn here – ya, it’s no surprise that he’s the only one.\u00a0 In fact, UConn is getting a lot of love after this game, as only Bry, J, Waters, Cheryl, Dave, and Gross do NOT have them winning again in\u00a0Round 2.\u00a0 No one has them beating Pitt in the quarters, though.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Connecticut 97 – DePaul 71<\/strong>
\nThis game actually got a little bit tight in the 2nd half, but Kemba Walker scores 26 points, Alex Oriakhi grabs 19 rebounds, and the Huskies dispatch lowly DePaul with relative ease to kickoff the Big East tourney.\u00a0 Bry, with memories of an 0-18 DePaul picking up a win in this tourney a year or two ago, swung for the big upset but missed.<\/p>\n

#12 Seton Hall vs. #13 Rutgers<\/em>
\na The cut line for good teams versus not very good teams is pretty distinct in the Big East this year, and it is drawn just above these two teams.\u00a0 So, the “best of the worst” in the conference will face off in a 12\/13 game for the right to play the two most heavily supported teams in the Garden – #5 St. John’s next round and #4 Syracuse in the quarters.\u00a0 But, this is a different Seton Hall team now with a healthy Jeremy Hazell, so we’ll see what they have here in NYC.\u00a0 Bry, J, KA, Cheryl, Dave, Gross, and Mac all have Rutgers in a mild upset pick here.\u00a0 KA has Rutgers reaching the quarters.\u00a0 Scoot has The Hall in the quarters.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Rutgers 76 – Seton Hall 70 (OT)
\n<\/strong>A really uninteresting game to anyone outside northern New Jersey at least provided some excitement.\u00a0 It was a battle of the two star players: Jonathan Mitchell for Rutgers and Jeremy Hazell for the Hall.\u00a0 Mitchell hit a 3 in the final minute to put Rutgers in the lead, but Hazell, who finished with 27 points, hit a 3 of his own with 4 seconds left to tie it.\u00a0 In the OT, Mitchell scored 8 of the team’s 12 points and Hazell scored none, and that was the difference.\u00a0 7 entries hit the upset pick here.<\/p>\n

#10 Villanova vs. #15 S. Florida<\/em>
\nEveryone is talking about the complete free fall that has stricken a once-elite Villanova team this year.\u00a0 On February 9, when Villanova led Rutgers by 3 in the waning seconds of a game in East Rutherford, the ‘Cats were on the verge of improving to 8-2 in the league and 20-6 overall.\u00a0 They were in the top 10 in the country and comfortably in position for one of those double-byes in the Big East tournament.\u00a0 Then, they gave up a ridiculous 4-point play at the buzzer, lost to Rutgers, and started their apparent tailspin.\u00a0 They lost three days later to Pitt, then barely beat two Big East bottom feeders, including DePaul in OT, and then lost four straight to close out the season as the #10-seed.\u00a0 But, as far as “free falls” go, this one is not nearly as scary as most.\u00a0 Every one of these four straight losses came to ranked teams, including the last two @Pitt and @ND – not exactly killer losses.\u00a0 All that being said, though, I think it’s how they are playing that is worrying people the most.\u00a0 They just don’t look good.\u00a0 Where is Corey Fisher?\u00a0 I thought he was a superstar?\u00a0 No?\u00a0 Anyway, the ‘Cats open their Big East tournament with a bad USF team and then would get a beatable Cincinnati team, so they may just end up in that quarterfinal round after all – they will just have 80 extra minutes of basketball in their legs.\u00a0 No one was tempted with the USF upset pick here over ‘Nova.\u00a0 In fact, most people have ‘Nova doing pretty well.\u00a0 Everyone except Doogan, Alexi, Dan, and Gersh have them beating Cincy next round.\u00a0 KA, Teddy, Cheryl, and Dave have them then beating Notre Dame in the quarters.\u00a0 And, Teddy and Cheryl even have them going all the way to the finals.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 South Florida 70 – Villanova 69
\n<\/strong>An absolute stunner here on Day 1 of the Big East tourney, as Nova’s late season collapse hits its worst point yet, with a loss to lowly S. Florida.\u00a0 Mouphtaou Yarou left the game in the 1st half with an injury, but that doesn’t come close to explaining this loss.\u00a0 Could the Wildcats actually miss the NCAA tournament?\u00a0 That would be an amazing turn of events.\u00a0 S. Florida PG Anthony Crater only scored 6 points all game, but his two late layups delivered the win.\u00a0 Condolences to all you Nova fans out there after this one.\u00a0 Brutal loss.<\/p>\n

#11 Marquette vs. #14 Providence<\/em>
\nHands-down, the best 11th-place basketball team I have ever seen.\u00a0 I know it’s a ridiculous statement because half the conferences in the country don’t even have 11 teams, let alone a ridiculous 16, but this ‘Quette team is\u00a0real good.\u00a0 Jimmy Butler\u00a0and Darius Johnson-Odom are legit stars and they can run a couple of talented bigs at you.\u00a0 This is going to be a good\u00a0sleeper team in that other tournament next week.\u00a0 But, for now, they have to deal with a pesky Providence team that made most of their\u00a0bones in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this year, but is always a tough out in MSG.\u00a0 The winner here will get West Virginia tomorrow and\u00a0is lined up with Louisville in the quarters.\u00a0 Bry, Waters, KA, and Gross have Providence in the upset here, which would be bad news for a lot of the rest of the field, as ‘Quette is another popular pick to move on.\u00a0 Scoot, Cheryl, Dan, Dave, Primm, Gersh, and Mac all have Marquette beating WVU next round.\u00a0 Cheryl and Gersh have them in the semis.\u00a0 Gersh has them reaching the championship.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Marquette 87 – Providence 66<\/strong>
\nThe Golden Eagles have probably cemented their at-large bid by getting fat on a team that really plays terrible defense.\u00a0 The stars were shining for Marquette, as Darius Johnson-Odom had 23, and Jimmy Butler nearly messed around a got a triple-double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists).\u00a0 4 people missed this upset, including KA, who loses a quarterfinalist.\u00a0 A bunch of people kept alive a Marquette team they have a lot of faith in, including Gersh, who has them in the finals.<\/p>\n

BIG SKY SEMIFINALS<\/span><\/strong> (8 points each)
\n<\/em><\/span>Well, it’s now been three days since the Big Sky’s thrilling quarterfinal round when the two favorites both erased 15+ point second-half deficits to advance to this round in Greeley, CO, where we will welcome the top two seeds to the tournament.\u00a0 As for the CTC, everyone except Alexi has a chance to correctly pick the final matchup, but as for the predictions, they are absolutely all over the map between these four teams, so these games could go a long way in the CTC.<\/p>\n

#3 Weber State vs. #2 Montana
\n<\/em>a Weber State erased a 15-point second-half deficit against E. Washington in the quarters to advance to the semis.\u00a0 The defending champion Montana Grizzlies enter the tournament after a solid season.\u00a0 The Grizz had a shot at the #1-seed and the ability to host this tournament, but they fell to E. Washington in OT on the last day of the regular season.\u00a0 So, now they have to play in Greeley in a neutral site here in the semis.\u00a0 The Grizzlies are led by a couple of really skilled 7-footers in Brian Qvale and Derek Selvig.\u00a0 Qvale is the real star, but Selvig has just enough athleticism to go along with his 84 inches of height to, at times, dominate a conference like the Big Sky.\u00a0 But, Weber State – the preseason pick to win the conference – is no slouch.\u00a0 This should be an excellent semifinal.\u00a0 As well an a great basketball game, this will have a big impact on the CTC.\u00a0 Alexi has already lost this game (EWU), but the other 19 all have one of these two in the finals.\u00a0 9 people (J, Doogan, Lohse, Lil Lohse, KA, Scoot, Cheryl, Gersh, and Gross) have Weber State.\u00a0 The other 10 have Montana.\u00a0 J, Lohse, KA, Scoot, Gersh, and Gross all have Weber State winning this tournament.\u00a0 Stri, Waters, Rikey, and Dave all have Montana winning it all.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Montana 57 – Weber St. 40
\n<\/strong>Definitely a tale of two halves here, as Montana scores just 12 points in the 1st (and trailed by 10) and then 45 points after the break to win going away.\u00a0 Brian Qvale picks up 16 points\/17 boards and Weber St. shoots a ridiculous 21% from the field.\u00a0 Montana moves on to the championship, where Stri, Waters, Rikey, and Dave will root ’em in.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

#1 N. Colorado vs. #4 N. Arizona
\n<\/em>a N. Arizona, like Weber, stared elimination right in the face and lived to\u00a0tell about it.\u00a0 They were down 16 points to a decent Montana State team in the second half before a furious comeback ended with the Lumberjacks moving on to the semis and a shot at\u00a0#1 N. Colorado.\u00a0 The Bears of the “other UNC” had one of the more surprising seasons in the country, coming from nowhere to win the Big Sky’s regular season title, mostly as a result of going 12-0 at home all year.\u00a0 Because of their regular season title, that is where they will get to play their most important games of the year, starting tonight against N. Arizona.\u00a0 This is another crazy game for CTC implications.\u00a0\u00a0Everyone has one of these two teams in the final.\u00a0 12 have the upset with NAU (J, Alexi, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, KA, Teddy, Dave, Gersh, Primm, Gross, and Mac).\u00a0 9 have N. Colorado.\u00a0 How does that work?\u00a0 Well, Primm has both because of reseeding, so he’s guaranteed to get one right and one wrong.\u00a0 The 8 not listed as picking NAU plus Primm have UNC.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 N. Colorado 73 – N. Arizona 70<\/strong>
\nA pretty awesome Big Sky tournament has another thriller in the nightcap, as the “other UNC” erases an 8-point second half deficit to beat NAU and move to the finals Wednesday night against Montana.\u00a0 Cameron Jones had a good look at a three to tie at the buzzer, but it didn’t fall, and NAU will go home.\u00a0 12 people miss this nice upset pick, and 6 people (Bry, Doogan, Lil Lohse, Cheryl, Dan, and Primm) keep their champ alive.<\/p>\n

MAC OPENING ROUND<\/span><\/strong> (4 points each)
\n<\/em><\/span>I\u00a0have the say that the MAC might be the worst conference to try and follow if you are not a hard-core fan because all these directional Michigans are impossible to keep straight.\u00a0 In recent years, it has not been that bad because they’ve all been pretty decent, but this year, I pretty much gave up on the MAC because one of them (Western) was good, one was okay (Central), and one was really bad (Eastern).\u00a0 But, how is the casual fan going to remember that when the scores come along the bottom line or you see a game on TV?\u00a0 By the way, if you are a gambling man, let me know and I will send you Teddy’s MAC picks.\u00a0 Based on his performance last year, he has some sort of connection with this conference.\u00a0 See the link in the snapshot below, if you want to get a sense of the epic performance from last year.<\/p>\n

#5 Ohio vs. #12 Toledo<\/em>
\na The Bobcats came out of absolutely nowhere last year to win the MAC title and then knock of Georgetown in the first round of the NCAAs.\u00a0 So, with nearly their whole team coming back, naturally, big things were expected of them this year.\u00a0 But, it just never materialized.\u00a0 They seemed unfocused and undisciplined, averaging more than 14 turnovers a game and playing lackluster defense.\u00a0 But, the talent is there, and they started to find it down the stretch, winning 5 in a row before losing at Miami (OH) to end the regular season.\u00a0 Toledo, on the other hand, wasn’t good all year, at any point.\u00a0 The winner of this game will get 4th-seeded Ball State in the quarters on Thursday.\u00a0 This team is bad.\u00a0 No one picked Toledo in the upset here.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, Alexi, Lil Lohse, KA, Scoot, Dan, Dave, Gross, and Mac all have Ohio winning again in the quarters.\u00a0 Scoot and Dave have them going to the finals.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Ohio 74 – Toledo 57
\n<\/strong>Despite getting just 4 points from star guard D.J. Cooper, Ohio rolls over a really terrible Toledo team.\u00a0 Good job by the CTC’ers of putting absolutely no faith in the Rockets of Toledo.<\/p>\n

#6 Akron vs. #11 E. Michigan<\/em>
\na The Zips are another team that had expectations derailed this year because of a slow start.\u00a0 But, like Ohio, they seem to be putting it together at just the right time.\u00a0 And, also like Ohio, they get to open their conference tournament against a really bad team.\u00a0 E. Michigan wasn’t supposed to be this bad, but they were.\u00a0 A 6-21 record and an embarrassing 328 RPI has the Eagles at the bottom of the MAC this year.\u00a0 The winner of this game will move on to the quarters to face #3 Miami (OH).\u00a0\u00a02 people (Lynch and Lil Lohse) went for the E. Michigan upset pick.\u00a0 But, other then them, there was a lot of love for Akron.\u00a0 Bry, J, Doogan, Alexi, Teddy, Dave, Primm, and Gross all have them winning again in the quarters.\u00a0 J, Doogan, Alexi, Teddy, and Gross all actually have the Zips in the finals, though no one has them winning it.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Akron 67 – E. Michigan 53
\n<\/strong>Doesn’t look like any thing worth noting happened here, so we’ll move along.\u00a0 Lynch and Lil Lohse see their upset pick fall short.<\/p>\n

#7 Bowling Green vs. #10 N. Illinois
\n<\/em>These two teams have pretty much the opposite story of Ohio and Akron.\u00a0 They had little to no expectations this year at the start, but both got off to fast starts in the league and looked like they might surprise some people.\u00a0 But, as the season progresses, they both fell back into who they are – which is mediocre, at best, MAC teams.\u00a0 The winner here will go to Cleveland for the quarters and a date with W. Michigan.\u00a0 Lynch, Lohse, Teddy, Scoot, Cheryl, Dan, Dave, Primm, and Gross all have NIU in a pretty popular upset pick.\u00a0 J is the only one that has either of these teams winning next round, as he has Bowling Green in the semis.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Bowling Green 74 – Northern Illinois 54
\n<\/strong>A close game for a while, but Bowling Green eventually pulls away and blows out N. Illinois.\u00a0 A’uston Calhoun leads the way with 25 points\/9 boards for the Falcons.\u00a0 9 entries (including Teddy) miss on this upset pick.<\/p>\n

#8 Buffalo vs. #9 C. Michigan<\/em>
\nThe Buffalo Bulls came out of the gates like gangbusters in the MAC season this year.\u00a0 After losing in double-OT to Bowling Green and then by 3 @Miami (OH), the Bulls reeled off six straight wins during the most difficult part of their schedule.\u00a0 These wins including a 25-point beatdown of the league’s best team, Kent State, and then road wins against two of the other legit contenders (WMU and Akron).\u00a0 It looked like we had a real dark horse in the MAC this year.\u00a0 But, they slipped back to reality with a couple tough losses and are now sitting as the #8-seed.\u00a0 Their opponent tonight is C. Michigan, how had an up-and-down season after coming in as the preseason favorite to win the Western Division.\u00a0 The Chippewas just couldn’t find any offense whatsoever, and are relegated to an opening round road game at Buffalo just to survive to Cleveland and take on #1 Kent State.\u00a0 Alexi, Waters, Scoot, and Cheryl went for the mild upset pick of the Chippewas here.\u00a0 Only one person has either of these teams doing anything in the next round – but that person is a believer.\u00a0 Teddy (the king of the MAC) actually has Buffalo winning <\/em>this tournament.\u00a0 I’m calling my bookie right now…<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Buffalo 64 – C. Michigan 50<\/strong>
\nSo far, so good for Teddy in the MAC.\u00a0 His pick to win this tournament starts off well with an easy win at home over the Chippewas.\u00a0 Star C. Michigan freshman Trey Zeigler may be regretting his decision to play for his dad’s team after this season.\u00a0 Buffalo’s leading scorer, Zach Filzen, delivers with 21 points.<\/p>\n

MEAC OPENING ROUND<\/span><\/strong> (2 points each)
\n<\/em><\/span>The dumbest (i.e. most confusing) conference tournament, for a format-perspective, kicks off today in the MEAC.\u00a0 I am (obviously) a junkie for these conference tournaments, and I have trouble\u00a0figuring out who is playing when or even what round it is during this\u00a0clusterF of a tournament.\u00a0 Even ESPN is confused, as their “schedule” page lists a game today at TBD time between Hampton and Howard (two teams that couldn’t possibly meet until the finals).\u00a0 Anyway, I think I might have it, sort of, figured out this year, but no guarantees.\u00a0 I think they start with two\u00a0of the three opening round games today.\u00a0 Then, tomorrow, there is the third opening round game and two quartefinals.\u00a0 Then, on Thursday will\u00a0be the other two quarterfinals, before\u00a0a typical Friday-Saturday semis and finals.\u00a0 It seems to be an attempt to give the top two seeds some\u00a0scheduling advantage, but who knows?\u00a0 Fortunately, they are set to add a 12th team (N.C. Central) to the conference shortly, so maybe they’ll have a somewhat normal format.<\/p>\n

#7 Florida A&M vs. #10 MD-Eastern Shore<\/em>
\na This was supposed to be the year for UMES.\u00a0 This team has been the doormat of the MEAC since its entrance into the league.\u00a0 But, last year, they finished 8-8 in league play and sixth place (out of last-place for the first time ever).\u00a0 They even won their first-round MEAC tournament game over Coppin State before bowing, by three, to eventual finalists South Carolina State.\u00a0 So, with a lot of that team back this year, they set their sights on possibly even competing for a MEAC title.\u00a0 But, it went very wrong, as their bad non-conference turned into a bad conference season.\u00a0 They did avoid an ignominious return to the cellar, but only on a tiebreaker with Howard.\u00a0 FAMU, who was picked to finish in last in the league, was actually a bit of a pleasant surprise this year towards the end of the year.\u00a0 They had a dreadful non-conference and a pretty bad start to conference play, but really had a nice second-half in conference, highlighted by a solid four-game winning streak that included Morgan, Coppin, and Delaware St.\u00a0 They also pulled off an impressive season sweep of one of the league’s best teams – Hampton.\u00a0 They will get a shot to do it a third time if they win tonight, as the winner gets Hampton in the quarters tomorrow.\u00a0 UMES is a relatively popular upset pick, as Bry, J, Doogan, Alexi, Lynch, Lohse, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Dave, and Gross all went with the Hawks\u00a0over the Hornets here.\u00a0 Stri and Scoot are the only two with either of these teams in the semis, as they has FAMU beating Hampton\u00a0in the quarters.\u00a0 Stri even has the Rattlers in the finals.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 MD-Eastern Shore 87 – Florida A&M 85 (2 OTs)<\/strong>
\nA thrilling way to kick off the 2011 MEAC tournament, as UMES knocks off FAMU in double-OT.\u00a0 Avery Moore for FAMU tied the game in\u00a0regulation, and Hillary Haley hit a three late in the first OT to keep UMES alive and send the game to double-OT, where the Hawks jumped out to a 5-point lead and held on at the free throw line.\u00a0 A good number of people hit this upset, and Stri saw his bracket busted, as he had\u00a0FAMU going to the finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

#8 Delaware State vs. #9 South Carolina State<\/em>
\nWhile UMES was probably the most disappointing team in the MEAC this year, the two teams in the 8\/9 game tonight were right behind.\u00a0 DSU made a step up to the upper division last year and expected to stay there for at least another year.\u00a0 And, in the beginning of the year, it certainly looked like they would.\u00a0 After their expected struggles through a very ramped-up non-conference schedule, they seemed ready for the MEAC, starting 4-1 in conference, including a win over perennial top dog, Morgan St.\u00a0 But, then the bottom fell out.\u00a0 They lost 4 straight, by a combined 14 points, including 2 OT games and suddently they found themselves at 4-5.\u00a0 They beat Norfolk State to even their record at 5-5, but then proceeded to drop 6 in a row and enter the tournament playing their worst ball of the season.\u00a0 S.C. State has been very disappointing, but heading in a different direction.\u00a0 Picked to finish 3rd in the preseason, the Bulldogs lost 10 of their first 12 conference games and were in dead last for most of the season.\u00a0 They finished on an uptick, winning 3 of their last 4, but it is still not the season they expected.\u00a0 The winner here will take on top-seeded Bethune-Cookman in the quarters tomorrow.\u00a0 Only 6 CTC’ers went with the favorite, Delaware State, here\u00a0– Alexi, KA, Scoot, Cheryl, Gersh, and Mac.\u00a0 Teddy is the only one with either of these teams doing anything after this round, as he has SC State beating BC in the quarters.<\/p>\n

*FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 South Carolina State 64 – Delaware State 59<\/strong>
\nThe collapse of the Hornets is complete, as they lose their first round game to S.C. State.\u00a0 A close game for most of the way just went to the better basketball team, and S.C. State will now get top-seeded Bethune-Cookman in the quarters.<\/p>\n

CTC SNAPSHOT – ATLANTIC 10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Championship Picks<\/span><\/p>\n