Let’s ramp it up, folks.\u00a0 If you thought that the first week was crazy, just wait until we start handing out massive amounts of points for each game.\u00a0 Here we go…<\/p>\n
HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP <\/u><\/strong>(32 points): #1 Butler vs. #2 Wright St.<\/em>\u00a0 Bubble teams across the nation are rooting hard for Butler tonight, as Wright St. could steal an at-large with a win.\u00a0 No one in the CTC has Wright St. winning this tournament, but two entries (Lynch and KA) have someone other than Butler, so they will be rooting for Wright St. to zero this game out across the board.\u00a0 The other 10 entries will get 32 points if Butler wins tonight at home.<\/p>\n SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP <\/u><\/strong>(16 points): #1 Troy vs. #2 N. Texas<\/em>.\u00a0 Troy has held its opponents to 55 and 48 points, respectively, in the first two rounds of this tournament, including a really nice win over a solid W. Kentucky squad.\u00a0 N. Texas has gotten lucky with its draw, but struggled somewhat with #10 LA-Monroe and #6 Denver.\u00a0 But, there are no style points in the Sun Belt, it’s all about the W’s.\u00a0 The teams will battle tonight for the conference’s auto-bid.\u00a0 Only three CTC’ers have anything at stake tonight.\u00a0 Waters is the only one with top-seeded Troy winning this tournament.\u00a0 Doogan and Stri both have N. Texas taking the title.<\/p>\n SUMMIT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP <\/u><\/strong>(16 points): #1 Oakland vs. #2 IUPUI<\/em>.\u00a0 Oakland has done their job with two business-like wins over UMKC and IPFW to get here to the finals.\u00a0 IUPUI beat W. Illinois in the quarters and then a hard-fought semifinal win last night over Oral Roberts got them here, 40 minutes from glory.\u00a0 Nine CTC’ers have a horse in this finals race:\u00a0 5 for Oakland (Bry, Ina, J, Alexi, and Lil Lohse) and 4 for IUPUI (Doogan, Stri, Waters, and Teddy).<\/p>\n ATLANTIC TEN OPENING ROUND<\/strong> (10 points each):<\/em><\/u> #9 Duquesne (7-9) at #8 St. Bonaventure (7-9)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Bonnies have been playing pretty well in the later stages of the season, and Duquesne has had a pretty disappointing season, considering the expectations that last year’s success brought to the program.\u00a0 But, there is always a redemption chance in the A-10 tournament.\u00a0 Though, this year it’s tougher.\u00a0 Duquesne has to travel up to Olean, NY, tonight to play the Bonnies who are really tough at home.\u00a0 The winner would play #1 Temple (I love typing that) on Friday in Atlantic City.\u00a0 J, Doogan, and Alexi all have the underdog Dukes in a mild upset.\u00a0 Everyone else has the Bonnies.\u00a0 No one picked against Temple in the quarters, so no one can lose a semifinalist here.<\/p>\n #12 St. Joseph’s (5-11) at #5 Rhode Island (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Rams were well on their way to an at-large bid, but just like last year, they threw it all away in the second half of February.\u00a0 Their RPI was as high as 12, at one point, but now it has dipped to bubble-bursting levels.\u00a0 They have a must-win tonight at home against St. Joe’s.\u00a0 The Hawks were in real jeopardy of missing the A-10 tournament altogether (in fact, until the final day of the season, they were out), but they finally passed LaSalle to take the final spot.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The winner of this game will play St. Louis on Friday in the quarters.\u00a0 Waters and Bry have St. Joe’s in a big upset here.\u00a0 Waters even has them going to the semis.\u00a0 KA has the most at stake here with URI, as she has them going to the finals.<\/p>\n #11 Massachusetts (5-11) at #6 Charlotte (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 UMass also qualified for the A-10 tournament on the last day of the season, as they beat Rhode Island to get into the tournament.\u00a0 Charlotte, like URI, was well on their way to an at-large bid before they lost six of the last seven games, and now they probably need to win the tournament (or at least reach the finals) to get in.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play #3 Richmond on Friday.\u00a0 Bry, Ina, Doogan, Lil Lohse, and KA all took the bait of the upset points with UMass.\u00a0 Lynch is the only one that has either of these teams in the semis, as he has Charlotte beating Richmond next round.<\/p>\n #10 George Washington (6-10) at #7 Dayton (8-8)<\/em>.\u00a0 And, yet another team that looked on their way to an at-large until February hit.\u00a0 The Dayton Flyers have too much talent to make the field of 65, but that looks like it is going to be the case unless they go on a run this week.\u00a0 The first step is tonight at home (where they are incredibly tough to beat) against GW.\u00a0 A win tonight for Dayton and they will get a shot at a big RPI win against Xavier on Friday.\u00a0 But, they have to get past the Colonials first.\u00a0 J and Lil Lohse are the only two that took GW in this one.\u00a0 Dayton, however, is a popular pick to win this game and another, as four entries (Waters, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy) have Dayton knocking off GW and Xavier.\u00a0 Lynch has Dayton going to the final game.<\/p>\n BIG SKY SEMIFINALS <\/u><\/strong>(8 points each): #6\u00a0Montana vs. #2 N. Colorado (12-4)<\/em>.\u00a0 Montana knocked off N. Arizona at home on Saturday to advance to the semis tonight.\u00a0 And,\u00a0the\u00a0night was even more sweet for Grizzlies fans, as their arch-rivals, Montana St. lost at home to Portland St.\u00a0 Not only does that loss make the fans happy, but it also, indirectly, helps Montana a great deal.\u00a0 If MSU had won, Montana would have had to play the top-seeded (and hosts) Weber St. in the semis.\u00a0 But, instead, they get a neutral-court game against N. Colorado.\u00a0 J and Stri had Montana St. going to the finals, so they’ve already lost\u00a0this game.\u00a0 Lohse has a lot at stake here, as he has Montana winning the whole tournament.\u00a0 Doogan, Lynch,\u00a0and Teddy would like to see N. Colorado move\u00a0on, as they have them winning it all.<\/p>\n #6 Portland St. at #1\u00a0Weber St. (13-3)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Wildcats of Weber St. won the regular season title by one game over N. Colorado and, in doing so, not\u00a0only earned the top-seed, but they also\u00a0get to host the semis and finals of the conference tournament.\u00a0 So, they get to play at home for the rest of the way.\u00a0 Their semifinal opponent is Portland St., who is no stranger to road upset, as they are coming fresh off a\u00a0win at Montana St. in the quarters.\u00a0 Only Lohse has Portland St. in this one.\u00a0\u00a0More than half of the field (Bry, J, Ina, Stri, Alexi, Lil Lohse, and Waters) have Weber St. winning the Big Sky.\u00a0<\/p>\n BIG EAST FIRST ROUND<\/u><\/strong> (5 points each): #9 S. Florida (9-9) vs. #16 DePaul (1-17)<\/em>.\u00a0 DePaul if familiar with this spot in the Big East tournament, as they are the only team to ever be seeded #16 in a Big East tournament.\u00a0 Last year, in the first year of the 16-team format, DePaul entered the tournament at 0-18 in-conference…and won!\u00a0 They knocked Cincinnati right off the bubble at noon on Tuesday one year ago.\u00a0 This year they come in at 1-17 in-conference and have the chance to do what they did to Cincy to USF this year.\u00a0 The Bulls have had a decent year, and they are quietly building a nice program down there.\u00a0 But, to get to the tournament, they may have to win at least <\/em>three games in this tournament–not an easy thing to do.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play #8 Georgetown, with the winner of that getting #1 Syracuse.\u00a0 Bry is the only one that went for the upset points by picking DePaul.\u00a0 Doogan, Lynch, and KA all have USF beating G’town in the second round.<\/p>\n #12 Connecticut (7-11) vs. #13 St. John’s (6-12)<\/em>.\u00a0 We all know about the trials of UConn hoops this year.\u00a0 It’s amazing to think that, barring some craziness this week, it looks like we will have an NCAA field without UConn, N. Carolina, Arizona, or UCLA.\u00a0 Unthinkable.\u00a0 But, UConn still has a shot, as they open today with the Johnnies.\u00a0 St. John’s has fallen off the map, but they have a shot–at home, pretty much–to get back to relevancy.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play #5 Marquette, with the winner of that playing #4 Villanova.\u00a0 KA is the only one to take St. John’s in this one.\u00a0 UConn is a popular upset pick down the line.\u00a0 Bry, J, Alexi, and Waters all have UConn winning today and tomorrow.\u00a0 J then has them continuing on to the semifinals.<\/p>\n #11 Cincinnati (7-11) vs. #14 Rutgers (5-13)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Bearcats have probably played themselves off of the bubble, but the beauty (and challenge) of the Big East tournament is that you have plenty of opportunities to have season-changing wins over the next 5 nights.\u00a0 This one wouldn’t be a season-changer, but it’s a start.\u00a0 RU has not exactly taken off since leaving the A-10 for the Big East, but they did win 5 conference games this year and have a nice following in New York City.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play Louisville in the second round, with the winner of that playing West Virginia in the quarters on Thursday.\u00a0 Bry, Doogan, Lil Lohse, and Jersey-lovin’ Waters have Rutgers in this one.\u00a0 Waters has them beating Louisville tomorrow.<\/p>\n #10 Seton Hall (9-9) vs. #15 Providence (4-14)<\/em>.\u00a0 Not many people are talking about Seton Hall as an at-large, but the bubble is so incredibly soft that, with a good showing at MSG this week, they might just get in.\u00a0 But, it has to start tonight, as they take on the #15-seeded Friars of Providence.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play tomorrow against Notre Dame, with the winner of that taking on Pitt in the quarters.\u00a0 Bry and Teddy are the only two to take PC in the upset.\u00a0 Waters, Lil Lohse, and KA all have Seton Hall beating Providence tonight and Notre Dame tomorrow night.<\/p>\n MEAC OPENING ROUND <\/strong>(2 points each):<\/em><\/u> #7 Bethune Cookman (8-8) vs. #10 Florida A&M (4-12)<\/em>.\u00a0 Bethune-Cookman (alma mater that educated one of the greatest humans to ever live, John Chaney) had a decent year in the MEAC this year, but lost their final two games and now are stuck in the opening round.\u00a0 Their first-round opponent is FAMU, who struggled this season.\u00a0 The winner will play #2 Delaware St. in the quarters tomorrow night.\u00a0 Surprisingly, only Alexi and KA have the favored Bethune-Cookman in this one.\u00a0 Teddy and J both have FAMU going to the semis.<\/p>\n #8 Howard (6-10) vs. #9 N.C. A&T (6-10)<\/em>.\u00a0 The 8-9 matchup is between two 6-10 teams playing for a shot at #1 Morgan St. in the quarters.\u00a0 Howard started strong this year, but has really struggled down the stretch.\u00a0 N.C. A&T has struggled on and off throughout the season.\u00a0 Bry, Ina, and Alexi all have N.C. A&T in the mild upset.\u00a0 No one has either team beating Morgan St. next round.<\/p>\n Enjoy the games…<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let’s ramp it up, folks.\u00a0 If you thought that the first week was crazy, just wait until we start handing out massive amounts of points for each game.\u00a0 Here we go… HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (32 points): After the opening round … Continue reading
\n<\/u><\/em>After the opening round way back on Day One, and the quarters and semis on Friday and Saturday, the Horizon League, a week after its tournament began, is ready to finally crown a champion.\u00a0 The top two seeds, who both only needed to win one game to get here, will battle for the auto-bid.\u00a0 Through it all, Doogan and Teddy have somehow remained perfect in this bracket and have clinched the title.\u00a0 The only question now is:\u00a0 will they go perfect?<\/p>\n
\n<\/u><\/em>After 11 great games in Hot Springs, we are down to just two teams–the top two seeds–for all the marbles in the Sun Belt.\u00a0 J currently has the CTC Sun Belt lead, but the W. Kentucky elimination means that he cannot win the ultimate title.\u00a0 If Troy wins, Waters wins the Sun Belt going away.\u00a0 If N. Texas wins, Stri will take his third CTC conference title of the 2010 season.<\/p>\n
\n<\/u><\/em>The Summit League has played down to its final two, as the top two seeds will battle it out for the conference’s NCAA tournament bid.\u00a0 With an IUPUI win tonight, Doogan will complete a perfect bracket and a successfully defend his share of the ’09 Summit League title.\u00a0 If Oakland wins, Ina will continue her Summit dominance by winning a share\u00a0of three straight Summit League titles (including perfection in ’08).\u00a0 If that happens, she will share the crown this year with Lil Lohse, Alexi, and Bry.<\/p>\n
\nJust when the A-10 takes a step towards\u00a0creating\u00a0a “Big Seven” conference in college hoops, they take two steps backwards.\u00a0 This year, they have their title game on Selection Sunday (like the ACC and the SEC and the Big XII).\u00a0 That’s a step in the right direction (even though I hate it, from a fan’s perspective).\u00a0 But, they also took two steps backwards, as they decided this year to play the opening round on campus sites, and then ship the eight quarterfinalists to Atlantic City for the weekend.\u00a0 A big-time conference has to be able to sell their entire tournament without having to go to the campuses of the higher seeds to do so.\u00a0 Then, in this down year for the “Big 6,” the A-10 was poised to make a huge <\/em>step forward, as seven teams looked in really good shape to get an NCAA invite–a step forward.\u00a0 But, then the last two weeks of February happened, and it all fell apart for teams like Dayton, Charlotte, and URI–two steps back.\u00a0 It’s all pretty upsetting, if you ask me.\u00a0 Anyway, I still believe that they will get there eventually.\u00a0 The Temple Owls won the regular season conference title and will try and make it three straight tournament titles this weekend.\u00a0 Xavier, Richmond, and St. Louis also earned a bye to AC.\u00a0 Bry is the defending A-10 champ, riding the Owls to 260 points (70 more than second place).\u00a0 Waters won the A-10 back in ’08.<\/p>\n
\n<\/u><\/em>After three days off, and completely overshadowed by the beginnings of the Big East and A-10 tournaments, the Big Sky picks back up with its semifinals on the Weber St. campus.\u00a0 The two winners from Saturday’s games meet the top two seeds in the semis, with the finals tomorrow night.<\/p>\n
\n<\/u><\/em>I know it was done for money, not excitement, but I love the 16-team Big East tournament.\u00a0 Every year, the pairings are so intriguing, especially with the double-bye format.\u00a0 It rewards good regular seasons, but still allows everyone a shot.\u00a0 And, the argument that the DePaul’s of the world should not be given a shot at an auto-bid are ridiculous.\u00a0 If you mean to tell me that if DePaul is able to win five games in five nights in Madison Square Garden against progressively more difficult BIG EAST opponents, they don’t deserve a 14-seed, then you’ve got to be kidding yourself.\u00a0 It’s not going to happen, but if one of these teams wins 5 Big East games in 5 nights, they at least deserve a 14-seed in The Dance.\u00a0 If you want advice on Big East picks, call Doogan.\u00a0 He has won back-to-back Big East CTC titles, including a complete domination last year, when his 275 points was 95 points better than second-place Ina and ONE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY points better than anyone else.\u00a0 Doogan will\u00a0start his quest for a three-peat today with the First Round action.<\/p>\n
\nThe MEAC, with the wackiest schedule of all the conference tournaments, plays two of its three opening round games tonight in Winston-Salem.\u00a0 The other one will be tomorrow, along with two of the four quarterfinals.\u00a0 The remaining two quarters will be on Thursday, with the semis Friday, and the finals on Saturday.\u00a0 Lynch’s pulled off a fantastic comeback last year to win the MEAC.\u00a0 After going 0-for-3 in the opening round, he went perfect from there on out to edge Stri for the MEAC title.\u00a0 In a very low-scoring MEAC in ’08 (where no one correctly picked Coppin St. to win the tournament), Alexi took the CTC title.\u00a0 Doogan has struggled in this conference, finishing last in the MEAC in each of the past two years, scoring only 18 points, total, in those two MEAC CTCs.<\/p>\n