After 30 games last night, there are\u00a044 more today.\u00a0 Is this heaven?<\/p>\n
BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS\u00a0ROUND<\/strong> (20 points each):<\/em><\/u> #8 Georgetown vs. #1 Syracuse (15-3)<\/em>.\u00a0 In a game that is more qualified for a Sweet 16 game in the NCAA tournament is the 1-8 game in the Big East tournament.\u00a0 Has there ever been a better 1-8 matchup in a conference <\/em>tournament?\u00a0 You’ve got a dark horse Final Four contender against a legit top three team in the country.\u00a0 Wow.\u00a0 Everyone has Syracuse winning this game.\u00a0 Though they have them in this game, Teddy, KA, Alexi, and Bry may be rooting against the ‘Cuse\u00a0because they are the only four that don’t have them winning the tournament.<\/p>\n #5 Marquette vs. #4 Villanova (13-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 The second game of the day is another fantastic matchup with top 20 teams.\u00a0 The ‘Cats of Villanova start their postseason against\u00a0a Marquette team that barely survived a St. John’s scare yesterday.\u00a0 Doogan and Lil Lohse are the only two with Marquette in this one.\u00a0 J has already lost it (UConn).\u00a0 The game is biggest for Teddy, Alexi, and KA, who all have ‘Nova winning the tournament.<\/p>\n #7 Notre Dame vs. #2 Pittsburgh (13-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 The first game of the night session introduces us to the unlikeliest of #2-seeds in the best conference in the country, the Pitt Panthers.\u00a0 Despite losing a TON of talent, Jamie Dixon shows the world that college hoops is all about the coach, and he is one of the best.\u00a0 They take on Notre Dame, who should have wrapped up an at-large bid with a win over Seton Hall yesterday.\u00a0 J, Lynch, Lohse, and Teddy all have Notre Dame in this big upset.\u00a0 Lohse has them going to the finals.\u00a0 Waters and KA are the only two that have Pitt reaching the finals; neither of them have them winning.<\/p>\n #11 Cincinnati vs. #3 West Virginia (13-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 Cincinnati has had a couple of firsts in the last two nights.\u00a0 Tuesday, they held on to beat Rutgers to secure their first ever Big East tournament win.\u00a0 Then, last night, they became the first team in this new format to win a game in the first round and then another in the second round.\u00a0 Under this format, the one-bye teams had been 7-0 in their first games until the late game last night, when Cincinnati knocked off Louisville.\u00a0 Now, they will try and make the semis by beating a coach that they know well–Bobby Huggins.\u00a0 No one has Cincinnati winning this game, but Lohse and KA both have Louisville, so they will be rooting for WV to zero this game out.\u00a0 Bry is the biggest WV fan in this field, as he is the only one with them taking the Big East title.<\/p>\n BIG XII QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(20 points each):<\/em><\/u> #9 Texas Tech vs. #1 Kansas (15-1)<\/em>.\u00a0 In the first game, the #1 team in the country begins its postseason with a game against Pat Knight’s Texas Tech Red Raiders.\u00a0 All 12 entries have KU winning this game.\u00a0 Only KA and Doogan have someone other than Kansas winning this tournament.<\/p>\n #12 Nebraska vs. #4 Texas A&M (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 The shocker of the day yesterday was Nebraska not only beating Mizzou, but beating them badly.\u00a0 Now, they get to try and do the same to Texas A&M in the quarters.\u00a0 Doogan, Lynch, and Lil Lohse have already lost this game with Missouri.\u00a0 Everyone else has Texas A&M.\u00a0 No one has A&M going to the finals.<\/p>\n #7 Oklahoma St. vs. #2 Kansas St. (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Cowboys hammered their in-state rivals, Oklahoma, yesterday and now get to take on K-State.\u00a0 A shocking number of entries have OSU in the upset here.\u00a0 In fact, only J, Stri, Alexi, KA, and Ina have the #2 seed in this game.\u00a0 The other seven entries all have Oklahoma St. in the upset.\u00a0 KA has K-State winning the tournament.\u00a0 Lohse, Lynch, and Waters all have Ok State going to the finals.<\/p>\n #6 Texas vs. #3 Baylor (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 Has Texas righted the ship?\u00a0 It’s hard to say simply after a win against Iowa St., but we might know late Wednesday night after they take on a very good Baylor team in the quarters.\u00a0 J, Waters, and KA all have Texas in this upset, though none of them have the ‘Horns in the finals.\u00a0 Doogan has the most faith in his Baylor Bears, as he has them winning this tournament.<\/p>\n PAC-10 QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(20 points each):<\/em><\/u> #5 UCLA (8-10) vs. #4 Arizona (10-8)<\/em>.\u00a0 In a game that is supposed to be the Pac-10 final every year is just a simple 4-5 quarterfinal between two middling teams who need the auto-bid to make The Dance.\u00a0 But, don’t ever count out ben Howland–one of the best coaches in America, hands down.\u00a0 Teddy, J, Stri, and Alexi all have the mild upset of UCLA in this one.\u00a0 Everyone else has ‘Zona.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams reaching the finals.<\/p>\n #8 Oregon vs. #1 California (13-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Ducks managed to hold on in OT last night, thanks to some questionable coaching decisions on the other bench.\u00a0 But, either way, Tajuan Porter and the rest of the Ducks get to take on top-seeded Cal today.\u00a0 The Bears won their first Pac-10 title in two generations thanks to yet another amazing coaching job by Mike Montgomery (whom I have said many times, is easily one of the best 5 college coaches I have seen in my lifetime).\u00a0 Waters has the\u00a0big upset pick with Oregon today.\u00a0 Everyone else has Cal.\u00a0 Bry, Ina, Doogan, and Alexi have Cal winning this tournament.<\/p>\n #7 Stanford (7-11) vs. #2 Arizona St. (12-6)<\/em>.\u00a0 One of the two players that taught me the art of playing the point is now the head coach at Stanford.\u00a0 Johnny Dawkins (along with Temple’s Howie Evans) showed me, in my “formative” basketball-learning years, what being a point guard was all about.\u00a0 He’s had a pretty good season in his coaching debut.\u00a0 Dawkins and his Cardinal were probably the biggest beneficiaries of the USC debacle, as they went from the 8-seed and playing a play-in game for the right ot play Cal to a 7-seed with a bye to the quarters and a date with Arizona St.\u00a0 Another amazing coach, Herb Sendak, has brought ASU back to national prominence and has a good shot to go back to the tournament, despite losing a lottery pick, another draft pick, and a solid senior leader at the point.\u00a0 No one has Stanford winning this game.\u00a0 But, only J, Waters, and KA have the Sun Devils in the finals.\u00a0 All three of them have ASU winning this tournament.<\/p>\n #6 Oregon St. (8-10) vs. #3 Washington (11-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 This was supposed to be the year for the Beavers, and they did have a nice season, but I’m guessing that Coach Robinson isn’t looking for an 8-10 conference record to be his “up-year.”\u00a0 Likewise, I would think that UW is probably a bit disappointed by their season, even though they have a good chance to make the tourney again, despite losing Jon Brockman.\u00a0 But, they have enough talent to have won this conference and not have to worry about the committee.\u00a0 Either way, it looks like whichever teams reaches the finals from the bottom of this bracket (be it UW or ASU), should get in.\u00a0 But, it starts today.\u00a0 KA is the only one to take Oregon St. in the upset.\u00a0 But, a lot of people have a lot at stake in the Huskies, as they were the most popular Pac-1o title choice, as Stri, Lynch, both Lohses, and Teddy all have UW winning this tournament.<\/p>\n ACC OPENING ROUND<\/strong> (10 points each):<\/em><\/u> #9 Virginia (5-11) vs. #8 Boston College (6-10)<\/em>.\u00a0 UVa got off to an incredible start, and there were even some quiet (very quiet) whispers about potential ACC title contention.\u00a0 But, then the wheels fell off and they stumbled to another lower-division finish.\u00a0 But, all in all, you have to hand it to another great coach, Tony Bennett, and his success and possiblity of future success at UVa.\u00a0 BC, on the other hand, is too talented to finish in 8th place of any conference that is having a “down year.”\u00a0 But, if they can beat UVa today, they get a shot to put themselves more on the map with a shot at #1 Duke.\u00a0 Ina, J, Stri, and Teddy all have the mild upset in UVa.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams beating Duke in the quarters.<\/p>\n #12 Miami (FL) (4-12) vs. #5 Wake Forest (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Demon Deacons may be looking at the soft bubble thinking that they are safe.\u00a0 And, they might be.\u00a0 But, if you’re asking me, they might want to avoid a loss to Miami today in the opening round, so that the Committee doesn’t have a reason to leave them out.\u00a0 The winner of this game gets Virginia Tech, so they would get a shot at another good win to secure their spot.\u00a0 Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Lohse, and Teddy all have Miami in this upset.\u00a0 J and Waters have Wake in the semis.\u00a0 KA has them in the finals.<\/p>\n #10 North Carolina (5-11) vs. #7 Georgia Tech (7-9)<\/em>.\u00a0 Is that a zero next to the 1 in the seed of UNC?\u00a0 Really?!?\u00a0 Well, unless they win four games in the four nights, the Tar Heels are NIT-bound.\u00a0 Georgia Tech thinks they’re safe.\u00a0 I don’t.\u00a0 They should probably try and avoid a loss here.\u00a0 The winner gets Maryland tomorrow night.\u00a0 Bry, Ina, Stri, Waters, Lil Lohse, and KA all have UNC in the upset.\u00a0 KA has them in the semis.\u00a0 Lohse is the only one that has Georgia Tech over Maryland in the quarters, so he’s hoping they come through today to give him a shot at that upset.<\/p>\n #11 N.C. State (5-11) vs. #6 Clemson (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Wolfpack fans ran out Herb Sendak and now they can watch ASU make the tournament every year, as their team hasn’t made it since.\u00a0 Clemson is about as good of a 6-seed as you will find anywhere, in any year.\u00a0 That just goes to show you how unimpressive their conference season was.\u00a0 But, the slate is clean here.\u00a0 The winner of this game gets Florida St. in the quarters.\u00a0 KA has N.C. State in this upset.\u00a0 Stri has N.C. State not only winning this one, but also has them beating Florida St. for some huge upset potential.\u00a0 Clemson, on the other hand, is a very popular CTC pick.\u00a0\u00a0Eight entries have Clemson beating FSU and going to the semis.\u00a0 Lohse and Teddy even have them in the finals, so there would be a lot of points lost if they were to fall tonight against N.C. State.<\/p>\n SEC OPENING ROUND <\/strong>(10 points each):<\/em><\/u> #5E South Carolina (6-10) vs. #4W Alabama (6-10)<\/em>.\u00a0 S. Carolina has had some big wins, but has not had a great season.\u00a0 Alabama just has not broken out to be the program that they believe they can be.\u00a0 The winner of this game will get a shot at Kentucky.\u00a0 Lil Lohse, Bry, J, Doogan, Ina, and Waters all have S. Carolina in this upset.\u00a0 KA is the only one with either of these teams in the semis, as she has Alabama knocking off Kentucky in the quarters.<\/p>\n #6W LSU (2-14) vs. #3E Tennessee (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 What another incredibly coaching job by Bruce Pearl.\u00a0 In my mind, he is the national coach of the year (with all respect to Steve Alford).\u00a0 The Vols open the SEC tournament with a bad LSU team, who has actually won back-to-back conference games after losing their first 14 straight.\u00a0 The winner of this game will get Ole Miss in the quarters.\u00a0 Waters is the only one that took the bait on the huge upset point associated with an LSU pick.\u00a0 Everyone who picked Tennessee here, except KA, has Tennessee also beating Ole Miss in the next round.\u00a0 Doogan and Lohse all have them in the finals.\u00a0 Lynch has them winning the whole thing.<\/p>\n #5W Auburn (6-10) vs. #4E Florida (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Gators might be on the bubble, so they better avoid a loss to Auburn in the opening round here.\u00a0 The winner of this game will get western division champion, Mississippi St., in the quarters tomorrow.\u00a0 KA is the only one to pick Auburn in this one.\u00a0 Florida is a very popular pick to advance deep in this tournament.\u00a0 Of the 11 that picked Florida in the first round, only Doogan and Alexi do not <\/em>have them moving to the semis.\u00a0 Waters and Teddy even have them going to the title game.<\/p>\n #6E Georgia (5-11) vs. #3W Arkansas (7-9)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Dawgs of Georgia have had a very up and down year, but it’s nothing compared to the roller-coaster that has been Arkansas’s season.\u00a0 Late tonight, they will play for the right to meet Vanderbilt in the quarters tomorrow night.\u00a0 Only Waters, Lynch, and the two Lohses have the favored Razorbacks in this one.\u00a0 Everyone else has UGa.\u00a0 Teddy has UGa reaching the semis.\u00a0 Waters has the most faith in Arkansas, as he has them in the semis.<\/p>\n BIG TEN OPENING ROUND <\/strong>(10 points each):<\/em><\/u> #10 Indiana (4-14) vs. #7 Northwestern (7-11)<\/em>.\u00a0 Just when it looked like Northwestern would finally make the tournament (they are the only team in a power conference to have never made the tourney), they lose two games to last-place Penn St., all but destroying their at-large hopes.\u00a0 It’s not over, as they can stil win the tournament and get in, but it’s a long road now.\u00a0 They open with Indiana and their great coach, Tom Creen.\u00a0 The young Hoosiers are playing a lot better lately, but they are still reeling, as\u00a0a program, from the whole Kelvin Sampson debacle.\u00a0 The winner of this game will play #2 Purdue.\u00a0 The popular pick in this game is the underdog Hoosiers, as only the two Lohses, J, and Doogan have Northwestern in this one.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams beating Purdue in the quarters.<\/p>\n #11 Penn St. (3-15) vs. #6 Minnesota (9-9)<\/em>.\u00a0 Penn St. has Taylor\u00a0Battle\u00a0back on\u00a0a team that won the NIT, but they have just not put it together this year, losing a lot of close games.\u00a0 Tubby Smith’s Gophers have had a controversial year off the court, but on the court they are really starting to play well at the right time.\u00a0 Don’t count them out from winning this tournament and stealing a bubble spot.\u00a0 It’ll be a tough road, though, as the winner of this game has to turn around about play Michigan St. tomorrow in the quarters.\u00a0 J, Doogan, Waters, Lohse, and Teddy all have Penn St. in the big upset.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams beating MSU.<\/p>\n #9 Iowa (4-14) vs. #8 Michigan (7-11)<\/em>.\u00a0 What is wrong with Michigan? \u00a0Don’t they have talent?\u00a0 I really don’t get it because they just stink this year.\u00a0 Well, they don’t stink as bad as the Iowa Hawkeyes, but they are so much more talented.\u00a0 Either way, the winner of this game will take on Ohio St. in the quarters.\u00a0 KA and Stri are the only two that have the mild upset of Iowa in this game.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams to beat Ohio St. next round.<\/p>\n MOUNTAIN WEST QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(16 points):<\/em><\/u> #9 Air Force vs. #1\u00a0New Mexico (14-2)<\/em>.\u00a0 What a coaching effort by Steve Alford, as he has the New Mexico Lobos in the top 10 and with an outside shot at a #2 seed.\u00a0 But, they have their work cut out for them before even thinking about NCAA seedings.\u00a0 Well, the work probably won’t really start today, as they get a bad AFA squad.\u00a0 Stri has already lost this game, with Wyoming, but everyone else has New Mexico.\u00a0 Half of the field has New Mexico winning this tournament.<\/p>\n #5 Colorado St. (7-9) vs. #4 San Diego St. (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 This has been a pretty good year for the Colorado St. program that is making real strides.\u00a0 But, San Diego St. is one of the best #4 seeds in any conference tournament not named Villanova.\u00a0 That shows you how good this tournament might get if the favorites all win today.\u00a0 Only Waters has CSU in this one.\u00a0 SDSU is a popular pick in the M-West.\u00a0 Doogan and Lohse have them going to the finals.\u00a0 Lynch and KA have them winning the title.<\/p>\n #7 TCU (5-11) vs. #2 BYU (13-3)<\/em>.\u00a0 Free tip for next <\/em>week’s bracket picks:\u00a0 pay attention to BYU and their matchups.\u00a0 They could be a dark-horse final four contender, but they would have to be in a region with a team like Kentucky or Kansas or even be able to avoid a team like Florida St. or Vanderbilt or someone like that.\u00a0 But, if you can draw a path for BYU to the Final Four without them having to face a team with a dominant front line, don’t be afraid to take a chance.\u00a0 You heard it here first…don’t bring it up if they lose to Virginia Tech in the first round.\u00a0 But, the Cougars are focused now on the task at hand and the Horned Frogs in the opening round.\u00a0 No one has TCU in this game, but only Bry, Stri, and the two Lohses have BYU reaching the finals.\u00a0 And, only Lohse has BYU winning it.<\/p>\n #6 Utah (7-9) vs. #3 UNLV (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 What a disappointing season for the Utes, and now to boot, they have to face UNLV in the quarters.\u00a0 The Rebels are so tough in this tournament, which is held in the Thomas & Mack Center on their campus.\u00a0 The Rebels should be okay for an at-large, but a win here wouldn’t hurt.\u00a0 The two Lohses, Lynch, and KA all have Utah in this nice upset.\u00a0 Lynch and KA have them in the finals.\u00a0 Doogan and Teddy believe in the Vegas magic, as they both have UNLV winning this tournament.<\/p>\n CONFERENCE USA QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(12 points each):<\/em><\/u> #7 Houston vs. #2 Memphis (13-3)<\/em>.\u00a0 Memphis is about as bubbilicious as it gets right now, so a loss here would be absolutely devastating.\u00a0 Houston dropped 93 on ECU yesterday, so their offense is rolling.\u00a0 J, Lynch, and Lohse all have the Houston upset here.\u00a0 Everyone else has Memphis.\u00a0 Teddy, KA, and Stri have Memphis winning this tournament.<\/p>\n #6 S. Mississippi vs. #3 UAB (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 S. Miss struggled to beat a bad Tulane team yesterday, but a win is a win and they moved on to get UAB today in the quarters.\u00a0 But, they are going to need a better performance today, as UAB is looking to get into the bubble discussion.\u00a0 Doogan and Lohse both have S. Miss upsetting UAB in this one.\u00a0 Lohse has them going to the title game.\u00a0 Lynch is the biggest UAB fan in the field, as he has them winning the title.<\/p>\n #5 Tulsa vs. #4 Marshall (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 Tulsa may have looked past #12 Rice yesterday, as they struggled to beat the last-place Owls.\u00a0 Well, they can’t look past Marshall today, as the Thundering Herd has had one of the better seasons in program history.\u00a0 Tulsa is the popular pick here, as only J, Waters, Lohse, and KA have Marshall in this game.\u00a0 Waters has them going to the finals, obviously in honor of Matthew McConaghy.<\/p>\n #9 C. Florida vs. #1 UTEP (15-1)<\/em>.\u00a0 UCF ended SMU’s season yesterday with a 16-point opening round win.\u00a0 Now, they get UTEP in the quarters.\u00a0 When you ask what is the best team in the country that no one is talking about, the answer might just be UTEP.\u00a0 Led by rising star in the former UMass swingman, Tony Barbee, on the sidelines, and controversial former Louisville big man (and, I do mean ‘big’), Derrick Caracter.\u00a0 Everyone has UTEP in this game.\u00a0 Half the field has UTEP winning this tournament.<\/p>\n MAC QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(12 points each):<\/em><\/u> #7 W. Michigan vs. #2 C. Michigan (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 W. Michigan survived at home against Bowling Green to get themselves to Cleveland for the quarters against in-state rival C. Michigan.\u00a0 J has already lost this game with Bowling Green, but the rest of the field is involved in a pretty big swing game, actually.\u00a0 Teddy, Lil Lohse, Ina, Doogan, and Alexi all have W. Michigan in the upset.\u00a0 The other six have Central.\u00a0 No one has either of these teams making the finals, as every single entry had Akron in the finals from the bottom half of the bracket.<\/p>\n #6 E. Michigan vs. #3 Akron (12-4)<\/em>.\u00a0 The Akron Zips lost the regular season title on the last day of the season and fell to the #3 seed because the MAC guarantees the top two seeds to the two division winners.\u00a0 Either way, the Zips are still in the bottom of the bracket.\u00a0 E. Michigan survived at home against a game N. Illinois team to get here to Cleveland.\u00a0 Everyone has Akron winning this game and the next to get to the finals.\u00a0 Half the field (J, Waters, Lynch, Lohse, KA, and Teddy) has Akron winning the title.<\/p>\n #9 Ohio vs. #1 Kent St. (13-3)<\/em>.\u00a0 Kent was the team that beat Akron on the last day of the season to take the MAC regular season title and the #1 seed.\u00a0 Ohio had a nice OT win at Ball St. on Sunday to get a shot at #1 Kent.\u00a0 Lohse\u00a0 and Teddy have huge upset potentials here, as they have Ohio winning this game.\u00a0 Teddy even has them making the finals.\u00a0 An upset here wouldn’t be that bad for J, Lynch, and KA either because they all have Kent losing in the semis.\u00a0 The half of the field that does not have Akron winning the MAC title (Bry, Ina, Doogan, Stri, Alexi, and Lil Lohse) have Kent St. winning it.<\/p>\n #5 Buffalo vs. #4 Miami (OH) (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 Buffalo hammered a bad Toledo team on Sunday as a tune-up for the tournament in Cleveland.\u00a0 They now get Miami (OH) in the quarters.\u00a0 This is a bit of a swing game, as four entries have one of these teams playing in the finals.\u00a0 J, Lynch, and Lohse have Buffalo in the finals.\u00a0 KA has Miami (OH) in the finals.\u00a0 Doogan, Stri, Waters, KA, and Teddy all have Miami in this game.\u00a0 The other 7 have Buffalo in a mild upset.<\/p>\n SOUTHLAND SEMIFINALS <\/strong>(8 points each):<\/em><\/u> #4\u00a0SE Louisiana\u00a0vs. #1 Sam Houston St<\/em>.\u00a0 Sam Houston St. held on last night against Nicholls St.\u00a0 SE Louisiana needed OT to beat Texas St. by a single point.\u00a0 Now, they face each other for a chance to play inthe Southland title game.\u00a0 KA and Lohse both have SE Louisiana in the upset here, as they both have SE La winning this whole tournament.\u00a0 Most of the field has SHSU winning this tournament.<\/p>\n #3\u00a0Texas A&M – CC\u00a0vs. #2 Stephen F. Austin<\/em>.\u00a0 Corpus Christie took care of the Roadrunners of UTSA by\u00a012.\u00a0\u00a0The #2-seeded\u00a0Lumberjacks of SFA took\u00a0care of UT-Arlington by 23.\u00a0 They face\u00a0in the nightcap in the Southland.\u00a0 KA is the only one with\u00a0Corpus Christie in this one.\u00a0\u00a0Lohse has already lost this game with\u00a0UTSA.\u00a0\u00a0Everyone else has Stephen F. Austin.\u00a0 Defending Southland champion, Waters, is the only one to pick SFA to win this tournament.<\/p>\n WAC QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(8 points each):<\/em><\/u> #8 Boise St. (5-11) vs. #1 Utah St. (14-2)<\/em>.\u00a0 The first game of the day is the WAC’s dominant program, Utah St. against Boise St.\u00a0 Everyone had USU in this one.\u00a0 Only Waters, Lynch, and KA do not have Utah St. winning this whole tournament.<\/p>\n #5 Fresno St. (7-9) vs. #4 Louisiana Tech (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 The second game pits a solid La Tech against Fresno.\u00a0 Lohse and KA were the only two that took Fresno in this one.\u00a0 KA has Fresno going to the finals.\u00a0 Lynch has La Tech in the finals.<\/p>\n #7 Idaho (6-10) vs. #2 Nevada (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 The hosts, Nevada will play the first game of the night session against #7 Idaho.\u00a0 Teddy is the only one to take a shot with the Idaho big upset.\u00a0 Waters, Lynch, and KA have Nevada winning the whole tournament.<\/p>\n #6 San Jose St. (6-10) vs. #3 New Mexico St. (11-5)<\/em>.\u00a0 New Mexico St. will open their postseason with San Jose St.\u00a0in the nightcap.\u00a0 KA and Lynch both have the San Jose St. upset.\u00a0 Teddy and Ina\u00a0are the only ones that have NM State in the finals.<\/p>\n BIG WEST QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(4 points each):<\/em><\/u> #5 CS-Fullerton vs. #4 UC-Davis (8-8)<\/em>.\u00a0Last night, the Titans of Fullerton knocked off CS-Northridge to advance to the quarters tonight.\u00a0 Their opponent is UC-Davis, who had one of the best seasons in program history.\u00a0 Bry, Stri, Alexi, and Lynch have UC-Davis in this one.\u00a0 Waters and KA have CS-Fullerton in this game and the next.<\/p>\n #6 Cal Poly vs. #3 Long Beach St. (8-8)<\/em>.\u00a0 Cal Poly edged the Anteaters of UC-Irvine last night to advance to this quarterfinal matchup with LBSU.\u00a0 Dan Monson’s 49ers finished a disappointing third in the conference, but have a shot at redemption starting late tonight.\u00a0 Bry, Alexi, Waters, Lil Lohse, KA, and Teddy all have LBSU in this one.\u00a0 Lynch and Stri both have Cal Poly.\u00a0 No one has either team reaching the finals.<\/p>\n MEAC QUARTERFINALS <\/strong>(4 points each):<\/em><\/u> #6 MD-Eastern Shore vs. #3 S.C. State (10-6)<\/em>.\u00a0 MD-Eastern Shore took out Coppin St. yesterday afternoon and now they get S.C. State.\u00a0 Doogan has the MD-ES upset pick.\u00a0 Waters and Stri had Coppin St.\u00a0 Everyone else has S.C. State here.\u00a0 KA has S.C. State winning this tournament.<\/p>\n #5 Hampton (8-8) vs. #4 Norfolk St. (9-7)<\/em>.\u00a0 In a very big swing game in the CTC, Hampton meets Norfolk St. in the 4-5 game.\u00a0 Neither of these teams played on either of the first two nights of the tourney, so this is their postseason debut.\u00a0 Doogan, Alexi, Waters, and KA all have the Hampton upset pick.\u00a0 Waters has Hampton reaching the finals.\u00a0 The other eight entries have Norfolk St. winning here, but some are more invested than others.\u00a0 Stri, Lynch, and Teddy have Norfolk St. going to the finals, with Stri and Teddy both having them win it.<\/p>\n SWAC QUARTERFINALS<\/strong> (4 points each):<\/em><\/u> #5 Texas-Southern (11-7) vs. #4 Prairie View\u00a0A&M (11-7)<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>With Jackson St. removed from the top of the bracket, this game becomes gigantic, as two 11-7 teams battle to be the favorite to go to the finals of the SWAC tourney.\u00a0 KA and Lynch are the only two that have Prairie View winning this game.\u00a0 But, this game is really biggest for Lohse, as he is the only one that didn’t have Jackson St. in the finals.\u00a0 He has Texas-Southern making the finals, so if they can come through tonight, they have a good shot to pull off a Montana for him.<\/p>\n #6 Alabama A&M (8-10) vs. #3 Alabama St. (12-6)<\/em>.\u00a0 The two Alabama schools will play each other in the quarters for the chance to play Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the semis tomorrow night.\u00a0 J and KA both have Alabama A&M in the upset.\u00a0 Everyone else has Alabama St.\u00a0 This is biggest for the Lohse family, as they both have Alabama St. winning this whole thing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After 30 games last night, there are\u00a044 more today.\u00a0 Is this heaven? BIG EAST QUARTERFINALS\u00a0ROUND (20 points each): The third consecutive day with a Big East quadruple-header in Madison Square Garden is today.\u00a0 The first two days were fantastic and … Continue reading
\nThe third consecutive day with a Big East quadruple-header in Madison Square Garden is today.\u00a0 The first two days were fantastic and produced four survivors.\u00a0 Add those four to the top four seeds in the conference, and you have yourself an incredible quarterfinal day in NYC.<\/p>\n
\nAfter an interesting opening round in the Big XII, the big boys have arrived in Kansas City to join the party.<\/p>\n
\nAfter an OT-thriller late last night (more on that later because one of my pet peeves was very much in display in that one), the Pac-10 is ready to get going with their quarterfinals in LA.\u00a0 Down year or no down year, you can expect really good basketball in the Staples Center this week because this conference, regardless of how much talent they’ve lost to The Association, they still have one of the best collection of head coaches in America.\u00a0 Any time you have Ben Howland, Mike Montgomery, and Herb Sendak, you’ve got yourself some really good basketball.<\/p>\n
\nI hate the ACC.\u00a0 Just like I hate the Big East.\u00a0 I hate that they just hand-pick their recruits from anywhere in the country.\u00a0 I hate their five or six automatic bids to the tournament every year.\u00a0 I hate their over-exposure-creating TV alliances.\u00a0 I hate their entitled fans and their privileged coaches.\u00a0 But, I only hate these things because I’m jealous.\u00a0 And, when it comes to conference tournament time, I “profess” my hatred for them, all the while giddy with excitement for the potential matchups all week.\u00a0 So, because of the ACC and the Big East, I am leaving work today at 11:30.\u00a0 I am sitting on my couch with channel 4 (Big XII), channel 5 (ACC), channel 6 (Big East), channel 200-something (Pac-10), and even channel 700-something (MAC).\u00a0 And, yes, I hate it, but I am incredibly excited.\u00a0 Doogan is the defending ACC champ; Bry won in ’08.<\/p>\n
\nThe SEC opens today with their opening round quadruple-header in Nashville.\u00a0 The eastern division was much better than the western division this year, so there are two solid teams (Tennessee and Florida) that probably would have won the west, that have to play the opening round because of divisional alignment.\u00a0 The two Mississippi schools get the benefits, as they finished 1-2 in the West and got the byes.\u00a0 Alexi is the defending SEC champ, while Waters won back in ’08.\u00a0 Bry has finished last in the SEC in back-to-back seasons, so he will try and figure something out in this conference.<\/p>\n
\nThe Big Ten conference runs about six deep this year, so the real games won’t start until tomorrow, but there is still some jockeying for position with the bottom six teams that play today.\u00a0 Bry is the two-time defending champion in the Big Ten, so he will try and make it a three-peat this year.<\/p>\n
\nAfter a brutal 59-40 game between the conference’s worst two teams, the Mountain West fans can rejoice the start of the real tournament.\u00a0 This is a very underrated, albeit top-heavy, conference this year, which should have a great tournament out in Sin City.<\/p>\n
\nIn the conference formerly known as The Memphis Conference, it’s a new era and the top four teams in the C-USA join the fray with a wide open field.<\/p>\n
\nAfter the opening round taking place on campus sites, the MAC tournament shift to Quicken Arena in Cleveland for the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
\nWell, I have to apologize to all the CTC’ers.\u00a0 The bracket in the Southland was wrong, in that I had the SE La – Texas St. game as the 3-6 game and the Tx A&M CC – UTSA game as the 4-5 game, when that was backwards.\u00a0 After all these years of doing this, this is the first time I’ve messed up a bracket and it happened several times.\u00a0 My bad.\u00a0 Fortunately, it all completely works out because no one has a final that cannot happen.\u00a0 We’ll just keep the upset points as they should have been and pretend nothing happened.\u00a0 Either way, we had some close games in the quarters last night, so we can expect a decent semifinal round today.<\/p>\n
\nThe midnight snack in the WAC gets underway today with their quarterfinal round.\u00a0 In 2008, Alexi only missed the 8-9 play-in game en route to a WAC title.\u00a0 Then, last year, Bry took a perfect bracket into the final, but lost it, though he still took the title.\u00a0 We’ll see what happens this year, as they have eliminated the play-in game (presumably because they didn’t want to always make Hawaii fly in for one game).\u00a0 The tournament is held in Reno–the home of the University of Nevada.<\/p>\n
\nOut in Anaheim, the Big West tournament continues after a double-header last night, they have another double-header tonight, as the 3- and 4-seeds play the winners from last night.\u00a0 The two winners tonight will play the top two seeds tomorrow in a semifinal double-header.<\/p>\n
\nAfter two nights in Winston-Salem, the MEAC is down to six teams left.\u00a0 The final four will be decided tonight.<\/p>\n
\nThe night after…\u00a0 Last night in Shreveport, the big favorites to win this whole thing, Jackson St., went down to the #8 seed, Grambling St.\u00a0 Now the field is wide open, so these games are even bigger.<\/p>\n