{"id":1708,"date":"2011-03-10T13:45:33","date_gmt":"2011-03-10T17:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1708"},"modified":"2011-03-11T12:27:20","modified_gmt":"2011-03-11T16:27:20","slug":"ctc-day-ten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=1708","title":{"rendered":"CTC: Day Ten"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Update:\u00a010:59 AM
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, first of all, I need to apologize in advance.\u00a0 I had this post completely written (8,000+ words) – by far the longest post of the two weeks, and, somehow, it all got deleted.\u00a0 It totally sucks, but I guess it’s “just basketball.”\u00a0 So, this is not going to be as in-depth as I want it to be, but I’ll try and get as much as I can.<\/p>\n

And, of course, it happens on the biggest day of the whole CTC.\u00a0 50 games today – a ton of points at stake.\u00a0 But, I guess the bright side is that you all can watch the games instead of reading 8,000 pointless words from some guy.\u00a0 As an insane perfectionist, though, I am going to try and recreate it as much as I can.<\/p>\n

BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(20 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nAfter 8 games in 2 days, the Big East gives us yet another quadruple-header, as the four best teams in the league enter the fray.<\/p>\n

#1 Pittsburgh vs. #9 Connecticut<\/em>
\nIt has been the Kemba show over the past two days, as Kemba’s Huskies have dispatched of DePaul and G’town to get to the quarters here against the league’s best team.\u00a0 Pitt has been great all year.\u00a0 I have heard so many times that this team just isn’t a championship-type team, but I disagree.\u00a0 I can definitely see this team cutting down the nets next month.\u00a0 Ashton Gibbs may not be a superstar, but he can be a real go-to guy.\u00a0 Plus, their size is really intimidating and crippling to smaller teams.\u00a0 J and Gross have both already lost this game, but everyone else has Pitt.\u00a0 7 people (Doogan, Alexi, Lil Lohse, KA, Scoot, Rikey, and Gersh) have the Panthers winning this tournament.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 UConn 76 – Pitt 74
\n<\/strong>A lot of computer issues here today.\u00a0 Even some updates somehow got deleted.\u00a0 Oh well.\u00a0 This was one of the better games I’ve seen this season, with Kemba Walker hitting the game-winning jumper as time expired.\u00a0 Ashton Gibbs’s career-high 27 points wasn’t enough to avoid the upset.\u00a0 7 entries lose their champ.<\/p>\n

#4 Syracuse vs. #5 St. John’s <\/em>
\nAfter an incredibly controversial win yesterday on their “home” floor, the Johnnies now get the Garden’s other favorite team.\u00a0 It should be interesting to see how the crowd reacts to this game, as St. John’s plays a lot of their regular season home games here, and Syracuse is always a big favorite in the Garden.\u00a0 This Syracuse team has been interesting to me all year.\u00a0 They have a lot of positives and a lot of negatives.\u00a0 Rick Jackson has emerged as a star, which is good because Fab Melo has been more like Barely Serviceable Melo.\u00a0 And, in the backcourt, they have one very good guard and one pretty bad guard.\u00a0 But, it was supposed to be Jardine as the former, Triche as the latter.\u00a0 But, Brandon Triche has been really, really good.\u00a0 And,\u00a0I think Jardine is pretty terrible.\u00a0 Kris Joseph has been decent.\u00a0 It should be interesting to see how far this team goes.\u00a0 Doogan, Alexi, Waters, Lynch, Cheryl, Dan, Dave, Gersh, and Gross all have SJU here.\u00a0 Dan has them going to the finals and losing, while Waters, Lynch, Cheryl, and Dave all have them winning this tournament.\u00a0 J, Lohse, Teddy, and Primm all have the ‘Cuse winning the tournament, so no matter what, four entries will be without a Big East champion after this game.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Syracuse 79 – St. John’s 73
\n<\/strong>Barely Serviceable Melo had his best game of the year, with 12 points on 5-5 shooting, and the Orange hold off the upstart Johnnies.\u00a0 Waters, Lynch, Cheryl, and Dave lose their champion.<\/p>\n

#2 Notre Dame vs. #7 Cincinnati <\/em>
\nThe Bearcats hammered USF last night to set up this quarterfinal matchup.\u00a0 But, today the competition steps up, as they get a really, really good Notre Dame team.\u00a0 I have been on this Notre Dame team from the beginning, calling them the Team to Watch in our Big East preview<\/a>.\u00a0 But, I didn’t think they’d be quite this <\/em>good.\u00a0 They have a ton of experience and some great long-range shooting all over the floor.\u00a0 And, as good as Ben Hansbrough has been this year, I think their best and most versatile player is the often-overlooked Tim Abromaitis.\u00a0 One issue that might arise is that they are not incredibly deep, so foul and fatigue issues could get them.\u00a0 No one has Cincinnati here, but KA, Teddy, Cheryl, and Dave all had Villanova.\u00a0 Bry, Dan, Gross, and Mac all have ND winning the tournament.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 89 – Cincinnati 51<\/strong>
\nA nice start to the postseason for the best Irish team in a generation, as this one got really ugly.\u00a0 Hansbrough led a balanced attack with 23.<\/p>\n

#3 Louisville vs. #11\u00a0Marquette <\/em>
\nHow great of a job has Rick Pitino done this year?\u00a0 Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva are nice player, but not stars, by any stretch.\u00a0 In fact, this roster is more like\u00a010th place team than a 3rd place team in this league, but Pitino has worked wonders here.\u00a0 We will see, though, if they get exposed in the postseason.\u00a0 They start it tonight against a Marquette team that looked real good in beating West Virginia last night.\u00a0 J, Alexi, Waters, Lil Lohse, Teddy, and Gross have already lost this game with WVU.\u00a0 Cheryl and Gersh have a nice upset pick of Marquette here, with Gersh having the Golden Eagles in the finals.\u00a0 Stri has Louisville winning this tournament.\u00a0 Doogan, KA, Scoot, and Dave all have the Ville in the finals.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Louisville 81 – Marquette 56<\/strong>
\nAnother blowout as the Big East nighttime double-header didn’t exactly give us the drama of the daytime version.\u00a0 Cheryl and Gersh miss a nice upset pick; Stri keeps his champ alive.<\/p>\n

BIG XII QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(20 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nQuite the interesting opening round in the Big XII, which saw the complete implosion of Baylor, the end of the great Pat Knight Era, and the disappearance of any tournament shot for Nebraska.<\/p>\n

#1 Kansas vs. #9 Oklahoma\u00a0State <\/em>
\nThe Cowboys have never lost their first Big XII tournament game, and that trend continues as they send the ‘Huskers to the NIT yesterday.\u00a0 KU rarely loses any games, and this year is no exception.\u00a0 One\u00a0of the Morris twins would create a matchup nightmare, but they have two of them.\u00a0 Marcus is clearly the better and more versatile player (wouldn’t that be weird to be considerably better than your twin?), but Markieff is no slouch.\u00a0 Add in a freshman PG in Selby who only has two months of play in him and two seniors in Reed and Morningstar who have been dreaming of wearing Jayhawk blue since they could walk.\u00a0 The one thing that could get them is if Ty Taylor actually thinks he’s a star because he is not.\u00a0 Everyone has KU here, with 8 people (Bry, Stri, Alexi, Lohse, KA, Dan, Rikey, and Mac) with KU as their champ.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Kansas 63 – Oklahoma St. 62
\n<\/strong>Okie State led most of the game, but the Jayhawks manage to pull it out at the end and avoid the big upset.\u00a0 Marcus Morris leads the way with 16 points\/11 boards.<\/p>\n

#4 Kansas State vs. #5\u00a0Colorado <\/em>
\nThe Buffs avoided an absolutely devastating loss yesterday by edging Iowa State.\u00a0 They now have\u00a0a shot to play their way into the draw with a win here.\u00a0 But, that’s not easy task.\u00a0 K-State is on fire, playing the kind of ball that everyone thought they would when they were a preseason Top 5 team.\u00a0 Jacob Pullen has found it, and it seems like they finally learned how to play without Clemente.\u00a0 Plus, Rodney McGruder has become a really solid player, and I still think Curtis Kelly is their most important guy.\u00a0 I just can’t wait for the Frank Martin Stare all day.\u00a0 You have to think that the Wildcats are looking ahead to a possible semifinal, in Kansas City, against their domineering big bros, KU.\u00a0 17 people have K-State here; Lohse, Cheryl, and Dave have the Buffs.\u00a0 Waters, Lynch, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Scoot, and Primm have K-State winning it all.\u00a0 Gross, J, and Doogan have them in the finals, but losing to Texas.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Colorado 87 – Kansas St. 75
\n<\/strong>Alec Burks scores 24 and gets 28 from backcourt-mate Cory Higgins as Colorado douses the red-hot Wildcats and probably lockup an NCAA bid.\u00a0 An impressive offensive display by the Buffs.\u00a0 Lohse, Cheryl, and Dave hit this nice upset, while 6 entries lose their champion.<\/p>\n

#2 Texas vs. #10 Oklahoma <\/em>
\nWell, the Longhorns might have just gotten a walkover into the semis, as Baylor completely implodes and rolls over against a pretty bad OU team.\u00a0 The Longhorns, for about two months, looked like the best team in the country.\u00a0 I have always been a Rick Barnes apologist (on which Doogan calls me out quite often), so I guess I overrate this team, but I think they’re fantastic.\u00a0 They seemed to fade down the stretch (as usual), so we will see if Barnes can reverse this alarming trend.\u00a0 KA and Dave had Baylor here; no one has OU.\u00a0 Doogan, J, Gersh, and Gross have the ‘Horns winning it all.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Texas 74 – Oklahoma 54<\/strong>
\nTexas rolls right through OU into the semis.<\/p>\n

#3 Texas A&M vs. #6 Missouri <\/em>
\nIn the late game last night, Mizzou nearly gave the game away against Texas Tech.\u00a0 They had the game in hand and then just started turning the ball over at will.\u00a0 But, they survived and now get to play a game with a fascinating contrast of styles.\u00a0 You all know my thoughts on Mizzou, and I have similar thoughts about A&M in a much different way.\u00a0 First of all, I think Mark Turgeon is one of the best coaches in the country that no one ever talks about.\u00a0 He just wins – and he does it with defense.\u00a0 Loubou and Middleton are pretty solid offensive players, and B.J. Holmes is decent, but they really don’t have Top 15 talent, but they’ve been there all year – at least until a late-season slide.\u00a0 This team is dangerous in any tournament, so don’t overlook them here or next week.\u00a0 This is a bit of a swing game in the CTC, as most people have the underdog Tigers.\u00a0 Only Bry, KA, Rikey, Dave, and Primm have A&M.\u00a0 KA has A& in the finals; Dave has them winning it all.\u00a0 Alexi, Scoot, Cheryl, and Dan have Mizzou in the finals.\u00a0 Cheryl has them winning it all.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Texas A&M 86 – Missouri 71<\/strong>
\nA&M, usually a defensive team, pummelled Mizzou in the nightcap, setting up a date with the rival Longhorns.\u00a0 The Aggies shot 57% from the floor and held the Tigers to 33%.\u00a0 A whole lot of people missed this upset pick; Dave kept his darkhorse champ alive.<\/p>\n

PAC 10 QUARTERFINALS<\/strong> (20 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nThe Oregon schools swept the opening round last night, as\u00a0Stanford and\u00a0ASU’s seasons come to an end.\u00a0 Now, the Pac-10 really gets going in LA.<\/p>\n

#4 USC vs. #5 California<\/em>
\nIf you told me I had to win one basketball game to save my life, and I could choose anyone in the world to coach for me, Mike Montgomery might be the first guy I call.\u00a0 He is at least on the short list.\u00a0 As much as I like Austin Freeman as a player, that’s how much I like Montgomery as a coach.\u00a0 This team was supposed to be terrible, with massive graduation losses, but he keeps them going.\u00a0 Today they will take on a USC team that has plenty of bubble teams pretty scared.\u00a0 With the wide openness of the Pac-10 tournament, it is not out of the question that a team with the talent of USC can run through the tournament and steal a bid.\u00a0 Nik Vucovic has been on fire, scoring at least 18 points in 11 straight.\u00a0 Bry, both Lohses, Teddy, Cheryl, Dave, and Gross have Cal in the mild upset. Gross and Cheryl have the Bears losing in the finals.\u00a0 Dave has them winning it.\u00a0 Lynch and Dan have the Trojans in the finals, though neither have them winning.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: USC 70 – California 56
\n<\/strong>The Trojans have very little depth, but they have a few guys that can really play, and they get it done here in their tourney opener.\u00a0 7 entries miss on the mild upset pick.<\/p>\n

#1 Arizona vs. #9 Oregon State <\/em>
\nIf Derrick Williams played in the Big East, people would be talking about him as possibly the best player in the country.\u00a0 But, he is stuck in a bad Pac-10, so his greatness is almost completely overlooked.\u00a0 This ‘Zona team is good.\u00a0 Not title contender good.\u00a0 Not Final Four good.\u00a0 Probably not even Elite Eight good, unless they get a break in a bracket, but they are good.\u00a0 A solid Pac-10 champ that won’t be an easy out this week or next.\u00a0 Oregon State won a rather unexciting opening round game over Stanford last night.\u00a0 Everyone has AZ winning here, with Bry, J, both Lohses, KA, Teddy, Scoot, Rikey, Gersh, and Mac having them win the tournament.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Arizona 78 – Oregon St. 69
\n<\/strong>Derrick Williams is 6-8 and shooting over 60% on 3’s this year.\u00a0 He had never made more than 3 in a game though, until today.\u00a0 Williams shoots 8-12 from the field and 5-6 from distance, totaling a rather efficient 22 points, to lead the top-seed into the semifinals.\u00a0 Hart to imagine him NOT being a Top-5 pick in June.<\/p>\n

#2 UCLA vs. #7 Oregon <\/em>
\nThe last game of the night last night saw Kyle Singler’s brother dominate Arizona State, marking the end of a great career for ASU point guard, Ty Abbott.\u00a0 Now, the Ducks go up in competition, taking on a surprising UCLA team.\u00a0 Acutally, it shouldn’t be surprising, I mean are there many better coaches than Ben Howland?\u00a0 Is it any surprise that he has this team playing at the highest level their talent will allow.\u00a0 I am very interested to see just how far he can take all this slightly better than mediocre talent.\u00a0 They should be good again next year, though, as Nelson, Lee, and Honeycutt are all pretty good, but not anywhere near good enough to leave early.\u00a0 Everyone has UCLA here, with Doogan, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Cheryl, and Dan picking them to win it all.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE:\u00a0 Oregon 76 – UCLA 59<\/strong>
\nA stunner here in LA, as Oregon takes out the #2 seeded Bruins.\u00a0 The less talked about Singler in the country scored 24 for the red-hot Ducks, who are probably scaring some bubble teams right now.\u00a0 No one hit this big upset, but 6 people lose their title pick.<\/p>\n

#3 Washington vs. #6 Washington State<\/em>
\nI don’t think it’s that much of a surprise that the Huskies of UW have been good, but not great, this year.\u00a0 Yes, the have Isaiah Thomas back and Abdul Gaddy and Matthew Bryan-Amaning have taken that next step.\u00a0 But, people seemed to forget that they lost their heart and soul from last year’s team in Quincy Pondexter.\u00a0 It is hard to replace a guy that means that much.\u00a0 Wazzu, who did not have the expectations of their in-state neighbors, but they did<\/em> bring back their heart and soul – Klay Thompson – so who knows?\u00a0 Wazzu is a popular upset pick here (Bry, J, Stri, Alexi, Waters, Lil Lohse, Teddy, Primm, and Mac).\u00a0 J, Teddy, and Primm have the Cougars going to the finals.\u00a0 Primm has them winning it.\u00a0 Lynch, Lohse, Gersh, and Gross have UW in the finals.\u00a0 Lynch and Gross have them winning it all.<\/p>\n

FINAL SCORE: Washington 89 – Washington State 87<\/strong>
\nThe Huskies comeback and avoid a 3-game sweep at the hands of Wazzu, despite Klay Thompson’s Pac-10 tournament record 43 points.\u00a0 A popular upset pick almost pulls it out.\u00a0 Lynch and Gross barely kept alive their champ, who now has a clearer path the finals with UCLA gone.<\/p>\n

ACC OPENING ROUND<\/strong> (10 points each)<\/em><\/span>
\nI hate the ACC, but I have finally come to grips with why.\u00a0 I am jealous.\u00a0 The best basketball year in and year out is played in the ACC.\u00a0 Yes, they are a bit top-heavy, but only because they have the two best basketball programs of our generation, so any conference would be top-heavy.\u00a0 Listen to some of these facts:<\/p>\n