15 Mar 9 - Eleven For Twelve (PRETOURNAMENT)

Volume XIX, No. 18 - 15 Mar 9: PRETOURNAMENT - []

Eleven For Twelve

Iowa State rallied from down 21 points (including a 22-0 run) to beat Oklahoma, @77-70 (despite 26p5r from bBuddy Hield), which eliminated the Sooners from the conference title race. When OK beat Kansas @75-73, the Jayhawks had already clinched their ELEVENTH-STRAIGHT BIG 12 TITLE (all under coach Bill Self). (This was supposed to be -- and was, frankly -- a "rebuilding year" for KU and the title came when the BIG 12 was the highest rated conference in the nation.) It's become such a routine occurrence that it's easy to underestimate the magnitude of this accomplishment. It's MAGINIFICENT.
     Meanwhile, Kentucky completed its regular season schedule UNDEFEATED -- Ho, hum. Georgia actually played well, leading midway throught the second half in Athens, but the Wildcats are too poised to be rattled this deep into the season and won 72-@64. UK is the first team from a B-Major conference to go unbeaten since Indiana 1976 ran the table and won it all. (Even as strong as the rest of the Hard Eight are this year; this Kentucky team is beyond a lock to win out in the postseason. Remember, the Wildcats won't face a hostile crowd rooting against them again this year.)

Give full credit to Davidson (and second-place Coach Of The Year, Bob McKillop [behind UK's John Calipari]) for making the jump from the 1BC SOUTHERN CONFERENCE to the Mid-Major ATLANTIC 10 and winning the regular season title! Carpetbaggers, indeed!
     Both San Diego State and Boise State cruised home the final week to stay tied for the MOUNTAIN WEST title.
     Tulsa couldn't deliver against its tough final week schedule, falling @47-56 vs Cincinnati and then 62-@67 in the title showdown at SMU as 30p6r;10/16 3s from bJames Woodard wasn't enough to prevent the Mustangs from claiming the AMERICAN title. (It's the first league title in 22 years [and three conferences ago] for SMU.)

The MID-AMERICAN title race went down the wire ... and ended in a three-way tie. Buffalo edged Bowling Green (77-@75) to earn its share; Central Michigan beat Toledo @85-77 for its share and Kent State edged twice (81-@80 at Bowling Green despite 29p9r from fRichaun Holmes; and @79-77 vs Akron) for its share.
     Sam Houston State had a chance to tie up the SOUTHLAND standings if it could pull off the road win at Stephen F. Austin, but the hosts completed the season sweep @64-55 to clinch the solo title by two games.
     Georgia State entered the week in a three-way tie for the top spot in the SUN BELT and faced the other two tri-leaders. After a 58-@50 road win at Louisiana-Monroe and a @72-55 thumping of new arch-rival Georgia Southern, the Panthers stood alone with their second-straight regular season title.
     Yale did the hard part -- winning on the road at Harvard (62-@52) -- and only needed to close things out at 6-7 Dartmouth to clinch the IVY LEAGUE title outright (and its first trip to the NCAA tournament in over 50 years); but it let the game slip away on an endplay (58-@59)! Now, the Bulldogs have to beat the Crimson again in a one-game playoff (Saturday) at the PALESTRA in Philadelphia. AAARRRGGGHHH!!! (Meanwhile, that means Harvard clinched a share of its FIFTH-STRAIGHT REGULAR SEASON TITLE, all under coach Tommy Amaker -- PRETTY EXCELLENT in its own right.)
     Sacramento State dropped two (65-@69 at Southern Utah; 68-@70 at Northern Arizona) to go from alone in first place to out of the running in the BIG SKY race. Meanwhile, Montana cruised on the road while Eastern Washington survived two endplays as those two tied for the title, instead.
     Texas Southern handled Southern @88-78 to wrap up the SWAC regular season race with a two-game gap (thanks to Alabama State's @65-67 loss vs Prairie View A&M).

[3b]Illinois State spoiled the local party (and nearly crashed The Big One), knocking off [1]Wichita State (65-62) in the MISSOURI VALLEY tournament semifinals and preventing a rubber-game rematch for WichSt with [2]Northern Iowa. After giving the Panthers a scare early, IllSt faded as NoIowa took over down the stretch to claim the MVC tourney crown (69-60).

Both [1]Bucknell and [2]Colgate bombed out in the PATRIOT semifinals, assuring an impostor will represent the league in the NCAAs.
     Perhaps the biggest Jack Dawson story of all, though, came in the OHIO VALLEY where unbeaten, five-gap regular season champ [1]Murray State (riding a 25-game win streak, no less) had to face its new arch-nemesis [5b]Belmont in the final (conveniently hosted in BU's hometown of Nashville). Murray's great season went bust as Belmt prevailed @88-87 to steal away the NCAA bid.
     [1]North Florida continued to run of "firsts" -- first winning season in Division I; first regular season conference title; and now first conference tournament championship and trip to the NCAA tournament as the Ospreys won three times while hosting the ATLANTIC SUN tourney.
     Continuing the trend of host schools taking home the crown, after both [1a]Charleston Southern and [1b]High Point bombed out right away, it was [3a]Coastal Carolina negiotaing the BIG SOUTH "Wars" field to earn its second-straight trip to the NCAAs.

- -

With 36 at-large bids, there's no longer any injustice about a quality team not getting into the NCAAs -- it's only case now of which bad teams got in anyway.
     Here are the locks (and nots) for this year's at-large bids among the BCS and MM leagues:

• BIG 12 (4/2) - Kansas + (lock: Iowa State, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Baylor;
  not: Texas, Oklahoma State)
  
• BIG EAST(5/0) - Villanova + (lock: Butler, St. John's, Xavier, Georgetown, Providence;
  not: NONE)
  
• ACC (4/2) - Virginia + (lock: Duke, Louisville, Notre Dame, North Carolina;
  not: Miami[Florida], N.C. State)
  
• PAC-12 (2/2) - Arizona + (lock: Utah, Oregon;
  not: UCLA, Stanford)
  
• BIG 10 (4/3) - Wisconsin + (lock: Ohio State, Maryland, Iowa, Michigan State;
  not: Illinois, Purdue, Indiana)
  
• SEC (1/4) - Kentucky + (lock: Arkansas;
  not: LSU, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas A&M)
  
• A-10 (2/3) - Davidson + (lock: VCU, Dayton;
  not: Rhode Island, Richmond, George Washington)
  
• MVC (1/1) - Northern Iowa + (lock: Wichita State;
  not: Illinois State)
  
• MWC (2/2) - San Diego State + (lock: Colorado State, Boise State;
  not: Wyoming, Utah State)
  
• WCC (0/2) - Gonzaga + (lock: NONE;
  not: BYU, St. Mary's)
  
• AMERICAN (0/5) - SMU + (lock: NONE;
  not: Temple, Cincinnati, Tulsa, Connecticut, Memphis)
  

That's only 25 lock bids, leaving 11 soft bids up for grabs among 26 contenders who could still play themselves in or out of a bid. Living up to your seeding in the conference tournament is the bare minimum. (Plus: Illinois State has the bonus win over Wichita State; Minus: St. Mary's bombed out of the WCC tournament early.) - - Kentucky's a lock for the overall No. 1-seed; the other three No.1s are down to who can win their conference tournament between Duke/Virginia, Villanova and Wisconsin; only if all four bomb out before the semis could a TiTo finish move up Arizona, Gonzaga and Kansas to a top seed. (You'd think that going TiTo in the toughest conference would automatically make Kansas a No.1, but that's how strong the top teams are this year.)      The BIG 12 and BIG EAST may be deeper overall, but it's the ACC that has the glamour teams at the top as any of the top five ([1]Virginia, [2]@Duke [3]Notre Dame, [4]Louisville and [5]@North Carolina) could get on a roll. [1]Kansas won't have it easy, mind you, as [2a]Iowa State, [2b]Oklahoma, [4a]Baylor and [4b]West Virginia are all more than capable of stepping up. As good as the BIG EAST has been, [1]Villanova has been dominant and hardly turned in a bad performance all year -- the proper pecking order behind them among [2a]Georgetown, [2b]Butler, [4]Providence, @[5]St. John's and [6]Xavier is another matter, however. Who's really the second-best team in the BIG 10 behind [1]Wisconsin is still an open question -- [2]Maryland, [3a]Michigan State, [3b]Purdue, [3c]Iowa and [6]Ohio State have each looked the part at various points in the season (and [7a]Indiana and [7b]Illinois are good enough to pull off an upset or two). The PAC-12 has collapsed underneath [1]Arizona as only [2a]Oregon and [4]UCLA seem to be playing well (while [2b]Utah seems to be sputtering). [1]Kentucky won't be headed in the SEC tourney, but more interesting will be the scramble behind [2]Arkansas among [3a]Georgia, [3b]LSU, [3c]Texas A&M and [3d]Mississippi to play their way into an NCAA at-large bid. [1]Davidson is a shaky top seed in the ATLANTIC 10 -- [2a]Dayton and [4b]VCU have the postseason tradition while [2b]Rhode Island, [4a]Richmond and [6a]George Washington have much work to do to prove themselves bid-worthy. The top MOUNTAIN WEST teams look better on paper than they seem to in person -- [1b]San Diego State and [3]Colorado State are probably the best two, but [1a]Boise State, [4a]Wyoming and [4b]Utah State have been able to pull them back to the pack.      Not much was settled in the regular season with tri-champs in the MID-AMERICAN; as many as five teams have a shot at the tourney crown (Monday, Wednesday-Saturday). 3-gap title champ [1]UC-Davis should have no problem in the BIG WEST tourney (Thursday-Saturday). The proper two teams ([1b]Northeastern and [1a]William & Mary) are meeting in the COLONIAL final (Monday) -- take preseason favorite Ne'n to come through. Home court should make the difference for [1]Valparaiso over [2]Green Bay in the HORIZON final (Tuesday). 3-gap title champ [1]Albany should roll at home in the AMERICA EAST final (Saturday). [1]Stephen F. Austin should take the SOUTHLAND tourney over three contenders (Wednesday-Saturday). [1]Georgia State won't have an easy final against the [2a]Georgia State/[2b]Louisiana-Monroe winner in the SUN BELT final (Sunday). It's a pick'em between title co-champs [1a]South Dakota State and [1b]North Dakota State to make it out of the SUMMIT (Tuesday). [1x]Yale has had the better season, but it's veteran [1x]Harvard who won't feel the pressure in the IVY playoff (Saturday). 3-gap title champ [1]St. Francis(New York) should cruise at home in the NORTHEAST final (Tuesday). It'll be a crime if anyone but [1]New Mexico State represents the WAC (Thursday-Saturday). Only host [2]Norfolk State figures to have a shot to deny [1]North Carolina Central in the MEAC tourney (Monday-Saturday). Home court may not be enough for host [1a]Montana against [1b]Eastern Washington, [3a]Sacramento State and [3b]Northern Arizona in the BIG SKY tourney (Thursday-Saturday). Host [1]Texas Southern should have its way past [2]Alabama State in the SWAC tourney (Tuesday-Saturday). -- Ron P.S. Look for the official Hoops Contest invite Sunday overnight. (And don't forget the deadline is TUESDAY 6:30P because of the FIRST FOUR games.)

Key games this week:

Monday:

COLONIAL TOURNAMENT Final @BaltimoreMD/Towson/
-([1a]William&Mary-[1c]Northeastern),
SOCON TOURNAMENT Final @AshevilleNC
-([1]Wofford-[10]Furman[SC]),
MAAC TOURNAMENT Final @AlbanyNY/Siena/
-([1]@Iona-[3a]@Manhattan),

Monday-Tuesday:

WCC TOURNAMENT Semis,Final @LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/
-([1]Gonzaga-[4]Pepperdine, [2a]BYU-[6a]Portland),
SUMMIT TOURNAMENT Semis,Final @SiouxFallsSD
-([1a]@SD State, [1b]NDState),

Monday-Saturday:

MEAC TOURNAMENT @NorfolkVA/NorfolkSt/
-([1]NCCentral, @[2]NorfolkSt, [3]MDEaShore, [4]Howard),

Monday, Wednesday-Saturday:

MAC TOURNAMENT on-campus/@ClevelandOH
-([1a/W1]CMichigan, [1b/E1a]Buffalo, [1c/E1b]@KentSt, [4a]@Toledo, [4b]@BowlingGreen),

Tuesday:

HORIZON TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
-(@[1]Valparaiso-[2]GreenBay),
NEC TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
-(@[1]StFrancisNY-[2a]RobertMorris),

Tuesday-Saturday:

ACC TOURNAMENT @GreensboroNC
[8]Syracuse is ineligible.
-(Tue Open/32s: [12]@WakeForest-[15]VirginiaTech, [13]BostonCol-[14]GeorgiaTech);
   Wed 1st/16s: [5]@NCarolina-[13]/[14]GeorgiaTech, [6a]MiamiFL-[12]/[15], [6b]@NCState-[9c]Pittsburgh, [9a]Clemson-[9b]FloridaSt;
   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Virginia-[9a]Clemson/[9b], [2]@Duke-[6b]@NCState/[9c]Pittsburgh, [3]NotreDame-[6a]MiamiFL//[12]/[15], [4]Louisville-[5]@NCarolina//[13]/[14]GeorgiaTech),
SWAC TOURNAMENT @HoustonTX/TexasSo/
-(@[1]TexasSo, [2]AlabamaSt, [3]Southern(inelig), [4]PrairieViewA&M),

Wednesday:

PATRIOT TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
-(@[4a]Lafayette-[6a]American),

Wednesday-Saturday:

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT @NewYorkNY/MSG/
-(Wed 1st/16s: [7a]DePaul-[9b]Creighton, [7b]SetonHall-[9a]Marquette;
   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Villanova-[7b]SetonHall/[9a], [2a]Georgetown-[7a]/[9b]Creighton, [2b]Butler-[6]Xavier[BG], @[5]StJohns-[4]Providence),
PAC-12 TOURNAMENT @LasVegasNV/MGM/
-(Wed 1st/16s: [5a]ArizonaSt-[12]USC, [5b]Stanford-[11]Washington, [7]OregonSt-[8c]Colorado, [8a]California-[8b]WashingtonSt;
   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Arizona-[8a]California/[8b], [2a]Oregon-[7]/[8c]Colorado, [2b]Utah-[5b]Stanford/[11]Washington, [4]UCLA-[5]/[12]),
BIG 12 TOURNAMENT @KansasCityMO
-(Wed 1st/16s: [6b]Texas-[10]TexasTech[TX], [6c]@KansasSt-[9]TCU;
   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]@Kansas-[6c]@KansasSt[KS]/[9]TCU, [2a]IowaSt-[6b]Texas/[10], [2b]Oklahoma-[6a]OklahomaSt[OK], [4a]Baylor-[4b]WVirginia),
MWC TOURNAMENT @LasVegasNV/UNLV/
[11]San Jose State is ineligible for the postseason (due to an NCAA ban).
-(Wed 1st/16s: @[7]UNLV-[10]@Nevada[NV], [8]NewMexico-[9]AirForce;
   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1a]BoiseSt-[8]/[9], [1b]SanDiegoSt-@[7]UNLV/[10], [3]ColoradoSt-[6]FresnoSt, [4a]Wyoming-[4b]UtahSt),
C-USA TOURNAMENT @BirminghamAL/UAB/
-(Wed 1st/16s: [4b]WeKentucky-[11b]Marshall, [6]MidTennessee-[11a]Charlotte, [7a]TXSanAntonio-[7d]FLInternational, [7b]NTexas-[7c]Rice[TX];
   Thu 2nd/Qtrs: [1]LouisianaTech-[7b]/[7c]], [2a]UTEP-[7a]/[7d], [2b]OldDominion-[6]/[11a], [4a]UAB-[4b]WeKentucky),
SOUTHLAND TOURNAMENT @KatyTX
-([1]@StephenFAustin, [2]@SamHoustonSt, [3a]@TexasA&MCC, [3b]NorthwesternSt),

Wednesday-Sunday:

SEC TOURNAMENT @NashvilleTN/Vanderbilt/
-(Wed Open/32s: [11a]SCarolina-[14]Missouri, [11b]MississippiSt-[13]Auburn;
   Thu 1st/16s: [3c]TexasA&M-[11b]/[13], [3d]Mississippi-[11a]SCarolina/[14], @[7]Vanderbilt-[10]@Tennessee[TN], [8a]Florida-[8b]Alabama;
   Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]@Kentucky-[8a]Florida/[8b], [2]Arkansas-@[7]/[10]@Tennessee, [3a]Georgia-[3d]Mississippi//[11a]SCarolina/[14], [3b]LSU-[3c]TexasA&M//[11b]/[13]),
BIG 10 TOURNAMENT @ChicagoIL/UNITED/Northwestern/
-(Wed Open/32s: [10b]Minnesota-[14]Rutgers, [12]Nebraska-[13]PennSt;
   Thu 1st/16s: [3c]Iowa-[12]Nebraska/[13]PennSt, [6]OhioSt-[10b]Minnesota/[14], @[10a]Northwestern-[7a]Indiana, [7b]@Illinois-[9]Michigan;
   Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Wisconsin-[7b]@Illinois/[9]Michigan, [2]Maryland-@[10a]Northwestern/[7a]Indiana, [3a]MichiganSt-[6]OhioSt//[10b]Minnesota/[14], [3b]Purdue-[3c]Iowa//[12]Nebraska/[13]PennSt),
A-10 TOURNAMENT @BrooklynNY/BARCLAYS/
-(Wed Open/32s: [11]Duquesne-[14]StLouis, @[12a]Fordham-[12b]GeoMason;
   Thu 1st/16s: [4b]VCU-[12a]/[12b], [6a]GeoWashington-[11]/[14], [6b]@StBonaventure-[10]StJosephs, [6c]Massachusetts-[9]LaSalle;
   Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]Davidson-[6c]Massachusetts/[9], [2a]Dayton-[6b]/[10], [2b]RhodeIsland-[6a]GeoWashington//[11]/[14], [4a]Richmond-[4b]VCU[RichmondVA]//[12a]/[12b]),

Thursday-Saturday:

BIG WEST TOURNAMENT @AnaheimCA
-([1]@UCDavis, [2a]@UCSantaBarbara, [2b]@UCIrvine, [4]@LongBeachSt),
WAC TOURNAMENT @LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/
-([1]NewMexicoSt),
BIG SKY TOURNAMENT @#1[Montana]/MissoulaMT
-(@[1a]Montana, [1b]EaWashington, [3a]SacramentoSt, [3b]NoArizona),

Thursday-Sunday:

AMERICAN TOURNAMENT @HartfordCT/Connecticut/
-(Thu 1st/16s: @[5b]Connecticut-[11]SFlorida, [7a]Tulane-[10]Houston, [7b]ECarolina-[9]UCF;
   Fri 2nd/Qtrs: [1]SMU-[7b]/[9], [2]Tulsa-[7a]/[10], [3a]Cincinnati-@[5b]Connecticut/[11], [3b]Temple-[5a]Memphis),
SUN BELT TOURNAMENT @NewOrleansLA
-([1]GeorgiaSt, [2a]GeorgiaSo, [2b]LAMonroe, [4]@Louisiana),

Saturday:

AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT Final on-campus
-(@[1]Albany-[2b]StonyBrook[NY]),
IVY Playoff @PhiladelphiaPA/PALESTRA/Penn/
-([1x]Yale-[1x]Harvard),

Sunday:

(NCAA BRACKET SELECTION),
(NIT BRACKET SELECTION),
(CBI COLLEGE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL BRACKET SELECTION),
(CIT COLLEGEINSIDER.COM TOURNAMENT BRACKET SELECTION).

---

Top 25 - 15 Mar 9: PRETOURNAMENT - [] Column

1. Kentucky (30-0) SECu+5
   
2. Duke (28-3)
   
3. Villanova (29-2) BIG.E+4 BIG5u
   
4. Wisconsin (28-3) BIG10+2
   
5. Virginia (28-2) ACC
   
6. Arizona (28-3) PAC12+3
   
7. Gonzaga (29-2) WCC+4
   
8. Kansas (24-7) BIG12
   
9. Iowa State (22-8) .5BIG4
   
10. Oklahoma (21-9)
    
11. Maryland (26-5)
    
12. Notre Dame (26-5)
    
13. Louisville (24-7)
    
14. Baylor (22-8)
    
15. West Virginia (23-8)
    
16. North Carolina (21-10)
    
17. Wichita State (27-4) MVC
    
18. Northern Iowa (30-3) [MVCt] .5BIG4
    
19. Utah (22-7)
    
20. Georgetown (20-9)
    
21. Butler (22-9)
    
22. SMU (23-6) AMER
    
23. Iowa (21-10)
    
24. Davidson (21-6) A-10
    
25. Boise State (21-7) .5MWC
    

Honorable Mention:

Texas (19-12), Illinois State (21-12), Washington (16-14), LSU (22-9), La Salle (16-15), Cincinnati (22-9).

San Diego State (23-7) .5MWC,
Buffalo (20-9)/Central Michigan (18-7)/Kent State (20-10) triMAC,
Stephen F. Austin (22-4) SLAND+2,
Georgia State (21-9) SUN.B,
Yale (20-9)/Harvard (18-7) coIVY+2,
Eastern Washington (20-8)/Montana (16-11) coSKY,
Texas Southern (19-12) SWAC+2

Belmont (21-10) [vOVCt],
North Florida (20-11) A-SUN [vA-SUNt],
Coastal Carolina (20-9) [vBIG.St].