Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 11
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 11, 2010 9:34 AM EST
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Two NCAA bids were handed out on Wednesday, and since two regular season conference champions lost on their home floors, the NIT gained two automatic bids as well.
Northeast: Robert Morris became the first team to beat Quinnipiac on their home court this year, and advanced to their second straight NCAA Tournament with a 52-50 win (recap).
Big Sky: Fourth-seeded Montana stunned Weber State on their home floor to win 66-65. Anthony Johnson had 42 of the Grizzlies 66 points. (recap)
No bids will be handed out on Thursday, but there will be a loaded schedule of games, as almost all of the major conferences' postseason events will be underway. I'll run through all of the action after the jump.
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Bracketology: The Calm Before The Storm Edition
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 11, 2010 8:00 AM EST
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Editor's note: This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.
Conference tournament action will be well underway on Thursday, as every major conference (except for the Atlantic 10) will be in action. Therefore, expect to see things shuffle a little more between Friday and Sunday.
As for this projection, the biggest changes from Wednesday's bracket took place at the bottom of the at-large pool, where Seton Hall and South Florida fell out after unimpressive losses in the second round of the Big East Tournament. Their replacements were both idle Wednesday. Arizona State faces Stanford in a Pac-10 quarterfinal Thursday, while Ole Miss plays in the SEC quarterfinals Friday.
Click here to see Thursday's full bracket.
Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.
The field breaks down in this way with four days left in the race for bids.
The Rundown
Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: Illinois, Mississippi, Arizona State, San Diego State
First Four Out: Rhode Island, Washington, Dayton, UAB
Next Four Out: Memphis, Mississippi State, South Florida, Seton Hall
Conference Breakdown
Big East: 8
Syracuse (1), West Virginia (2), Villanova (3), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (6), Louisville (8),
Notre Dame (9), Marquette (9),
ACC: 7
Duke (1), Maryland (5), Clemson (7), Virginia Tech (8), Florida State (10), Wake Forest (10), Georgia Tech (11)
Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Texas A&M (6), Oklahoma State (7), Texas (9), Missouri (10)
Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (12)
MWC: 4
New Mexico (2), BYU (5), UNLV (8), San Diego State (13)
SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (4), Florida (11), Mississippi (12)
A-10: 3
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7)
Pac-10: 2
California (12), Arizona State (12)
WCC: 2
Gonzaga (6), St. Mary's (10)
One Bid Leagues (22): America East, Atlantic Sun (ETSU), Big Sky (Montana), Big South (Winthrop), Big West, Colonial (Old Dominion), Conference USA, Horizon (Butler), Ivy (Cornell), Metro Atlantic (Siena), Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley (Northern Iowa), Northeast (Robert Morris), Ohio Valley (Murray State), Patriot, Southern (Wofford), Southland, Southwestern, Summit (Oakland), Sun Belt (North Texas), Western Athletic
For a more detailed breakdown of the teams fighting for the final few spots in the tournament, visit Bubble Watch.
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Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 10
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 10, 2010 11:00 AM EST
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Tuesday night saw three bids handed out. The Sun Belt final turned out to be the championship game of the night, as the Horizon and Summit finals resulted in comfortable wins for the top seeds.
Sun Belt: Second seed North Texas claimed its third-ever NCAA bid with a thrilling 66-63 win over top-seeded Troy. (recap)
Horizon: Butler pounded Wright State, 70-45, to ensure one bid from the Horizon. (recap)
Summit: Top-seeded Oakland had a relatively easy time with two seed IUPUI, winning 76-64 to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. It's the Golden Grizzlies' second trip ever. (recap)
After the jump, I'll look ahead to Wednesday's busy slate of action.
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Bracketology Update: No At-Large Changes...Yet
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 10, 2010 9:00 AM EST
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Editor's note: This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.
Since the major conference tournaments (other than the Big East) are really getting underway Wednesday, I've updated this bracket to reflect the results of Monday and Tuesday's limited slate.
The biggest change is that Gonzaga drops down a line after their loss to St. Mary's in Monday's West Coast final. Butler moves up to the five line to replace them after their dominating Horizon League championship win Tuesday.
Since Seton Hall and South Florida both won their Big East tournament openers, and there weren't any major shocks in the early conference finals, the at-large pool remains the same as it did in Monday's bracket.
I'll have a more complete update on Thursday after the Big 12 opening round and Big East second round.
Click here to see Wednesday's full bracket.
Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.
Here's a look at how the field breaks down with five days left.
The Rundown
Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: Seton Hall, San Diego State, South Florida, Illinois
First Four Out: Mississippi, Arizona State, Washington, Dayton
Next Four Out: UAB, Memphis, Rhode Island, Mississippi State
Conference Breakdown
Big East: 10
Syracuse (1), West Virginia (2), Villanova (2), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (6), Louisville (8), Marquette (10),
Notre Dame (10), Seton Hall (12), South Florida (12)
ACC: 7
Duke (1), Maryland (5), Florida State (7), Virginia Tech (8), Clemson (9), Wake Forest (10), Georgia Tech (11)
Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Texas A&M (6), Missouri (7), Oklahoma State (7), Texas (9)
Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (12)
MWC: 4
New Mexico (2), BYU (5), UNLV (9), San Diego State (12)
SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (4), Florida (11)
A-10: 3
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7)
WCC: 2
Gonzaga (6), St. Mary's (10)
One Bid Leagues (23): America East, Atlantic Sun (ETSU), Big Sky, Big South (Winthrop), Big West, Colonial (Old Dominion), Conference USA, Horizon (Butler), Ivy (Cornell), Metro Atlantic (Siena), Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley (Northern Iowa), Northeast, Ohio Valley (Murray State), Pacific-10, Patriot, Southern (Wofford), Southland, Southwestern, Summit (Oakland), Sun Belt (North Texas), Western Athletic
For a more detailed breakdown of the teams fighting for the final few spots in the tournament, visit Bubble Watch.
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Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 9
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 9, 2010 12:01 PM EST
in Conference Tournaments
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I had to drive back from Richmond after the Colonial final Monday night, so this post will be really quick.
Four teams clinched NCAA bids on Monday night, with three teams getting themselves off the bubble in the process.
Colonial: Old Dominion held off William & Mary, 60-53. Read my recap over at SB Nation.
Metro Atlantic: For the third game in a row, Siena had to come back. They defeated Fairfield in overtime to claim the MAAC crown. (recap)
Southern: Wofford claimed the Southern Conference crown for the first time, thanks to a 56-51 win over Appalachian State. (recap)
West Coast: St. Mary's booked their place by pounding Gonzaga in the championship game in Las Vegas. (recap) The loss means the Bulldogs are likely to be shipped away from Spokane for the first weekend of the Tournament.
After the jump, I'll take a look at today's action, which features three championship games and the start of the Big East Tournament.
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Bracketology: Duke Back On Top Line; Ten Big East Teams In With Six Days Left In The Race
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 8, 2010 12:00 PM EST
in bracket projections
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This bracket is cross-posted at SB Nation.
Selection Sunday is six days away. Hopefully in that time, there will be some clarity regarding the teams at the bottom of the at-large pool. You know, the ones I've been tracking over on Bubble Watch.
It's become increasingly difficult and frustrating to try to separate the last 12 or so teams fighting for the final five or six spots. Would you have thought, just one week ago, that teams like Arizona State, Memphis and Washington would seriously be in the hunt for an at-large?
While I may not take their chances as seriously as some (especially in the case of the Tigers), they all have a chance over the next few days to get in, either by winning their conference tournaments or by winning enough games to pass the teams who are sure to fall simultaneously.
But for the moment, I have 10 Big East teams in Monday's projection.
Click here to see Monday's full bracket.
Here are links to my seed list and tracking spreadsheet.
Why? (Especially since I had Ole Miss as the last team in for my Sunday Bubble Watch update.) Well, the Pirates have more wins over teams in this projection than USF or Mississippi do. The Rebels have a better road/neutral mark than both, and the Bulls have more top 50 wins. In this case, I knock Ole Miss down a peg because of the weakness of the SEC West. All nine of their conference wins came against teams that are fighting for NIT spots at best, with several of those being closer than necessary.
Of course, all three teams will have to win some games in their conference tournaments this week to get closer to the real bracket.
Here's a look at how the field breaks down with less than a week to go.
The Rundown
Top Four Seeds: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Duke
Last Four In: Seton Hall, San Diego State, South Florida, Illinois
First Four Out: Mississippi, Arizona State, Washington, Dayton
Next Four Out: UAB, Connecticut, Memphis, Rhode Island
Conference Breakdown
Big East: 10
Syracuse (1), West Virginia (2), Villanova (2), Pittsburgh (3), Georgetown (6), Louisville (8), Marquette (9),
Notre Dame (10), Seton Hall (12), South Florida (12)
ACC: 7
Duke (1), Maryland (5), Florida State (7), Virginia Tech (8), Clemson (9), Wake Forest (10), Georgia Tech (11)
Big 12: 7
Kansas (1), Kansas State (2), Baylor (5), Texas A&M (6), Missouri (7), Oklahoma State (7), Texas (9)
Big Ten: 5
Purdue (2), Ohio State (3), Michigan State (3), Wisconsin (4), Illinois (12)
MWC: 4
New Mexico (2), BYU (5), UNLV (9), San Diego State (12)
SEC: 4
Kentucky (1), Vanderbilt (4), Tennessee (4), Florida (11)
A-10: 3
Temple (4), Xavier (6), Richmond (7)
WCC: 2
Gonzaga (5), St. Mary's (11)
One Bid Leagues (23): America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Conference USA, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Pacific-10, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, Western Athletic
After the jump, I'll take a look at some of the stories to watch for this final week.
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Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 8
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 8, 2010 8:26 AM EST
in Conference Tournaments
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There was only one automatic bid up for grabs on Sunday, and Northern Iowa practically ensured that the Missouri Valley will be a one-bid league, as they defeated Wichita State in the championship game in St. Louis by a 67-52 score.
Monday will see four tickets punched. All game times are p.m. Eastern.
Colonial
Both semifinal games on Sunday were thrillers with Old Dominion dispatching VCU in overtime and Northeastern missing seven game-tying or winning attempts at the end against William & Mary.
(1) Old Dominion 73, (5) VCU 69 (OT)
(3) William & Mary 47, (2) Northeastern 45
Monday's Final
(1) Old Dominion vs. (3) William & Mary, 7 (ESPN)
Metro Atlantic
The top two seeds advanced to Monday's final on Siena's homecourt. Can the Saints get in even if they lose to Fairfield? Doubtful, but with this bubble anything is possible.
(1) Siena 72, (5) Rider 62
(2) Fairfield 69, (6) Niagara 63
Monday's Final
(1) Siena vs. (2) Fairfield, 7 (ESPN2)
Southern
The top seeds from each division won their semifinals easily and will meet for the championship Monday night.
(S1) Wofford 77, (N2) Western Carolina 58
(N1) Appalachian State 77, (S2) College of Charleston 54
Monday's Final
(S1) Wofford vs. (N1) Appalachian State, 9 (ESPN2)
West Coast
Gonzaga and St. Mary's will meet for the third time this season, with the Gaels looking for their first win at the most crucial time.
(1) Gonzaga 77, (5) Loyola Marymount 62
(2) St. Mary's 69, (3) Portland 55
Monday's Final
(1) Gonzaga vs. (2) St. Mary's, 9 (ESPN)
After the jump, I'll take a look at Sunday's other tournament action.
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Conference Tournament Go-Round: March 7
by Chris Dobbertean on Mar 7, 2010 10:40 AM EST
in Conference Tournaments
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Three teams punched their Tournament tickets on Saturday, as Championship Week is well and truly underway.
Big South
Coastal Carolina, the regular season champion, fell at home to Winthrop, 64-53. That's the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Eagles.
Atlantic Sun
Sixth-seeded Mercer, also playing at home, fell to fifth-seeded East Tennessee State, who's dancing for the second season in a row, by a 72-66 score.
Ohio Valley
Murray State avenged their only conference loss of the season by beating Morehead State, 61-52, in Nashville.
After the jump, I'll take a look at Saturday's non-championship Championship Week action.
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