19 Mar18 - Batman Returns (PRECONTEST)

Volume XXIII, No. 20 - 19 Mar18: PRECONTEST - [] FINAL TOP 25 BALLOT Batman Returns Back on the court for the ACC tournament in Charlotte,NC, [3]@Duke fZion Williamson wasted no time in reasserting his case for Player of the Year. He was a perfect 13-for-13 in the D-Blue Devils' win over [6a]Syracuse (@84-72 as his 29p14r dueled 29p3a from gFrank Howard); then, finally at full strength against arch-rival [1b]@North Carolina, his 31p11r;GWFG was just enough to edge the Tar Heels (@74-@73); [3]@Duke then beat giant-killer [4]Florida State (@73-63) in the final for its second tourney crown in three years. [4]FlaSt earlier edged [5]Virginia Tech in overtime (65-63[OT] on Terance Mann's game-winner) and then stunned [1a]Virginia (69-59 controlling the boards 45-30). Also, [1b]@UNC beat [6b]Louisville (@83-70) and [1a]UVa dumped [8a]North Carolina State (76-@56).      The strongest Anti-Spoiler out there, UNBEATEN 5-GAP [1]Gonzaga laid an egg in the WEST COAST final at ORLEANS ARENA in Las Vegas,NV as [2a]St. Mary's stole an NCAA bid with a 60-47 win.      In the BIG 10 tournament at the UNITED CENTER in Chicago,IL, [5]Maryland fell right away to forgotten [13]Nebraska (63-69). [7]Minnesota surprised [1b]Purdue in the quarters (75-73 as fJordan Murphy[27p8r] starred). [3]Michigan impressed with two rout wins: first, dumping [6]Iowa (74-53 holding the Hawkeyes to woeful 1-for-16 on threes); then dumping [7]Minn (76-49). But it was [1a]Michigan State who came through, beating forgotten [8a]Ohio State (77-70), handling [4]Wisconsin (67-55) and then completing the 3-sweep of [3]Mich (77-70).
     In the SEC tournament at the BRIDGESTONE ARENA in Nashville,TN, [6b]Mississippi tripped right away against forgotten [8b]Alabama (57-62 as the Crimson Tide dominated the boards 50-30). All those squeak finishes came back to haunt [1]Louisiana State as [8]Florida edged [1]LSU (76-73 on pAndrew Nemhard's game-winning three despite 26p14r from cNaz Reid). [2b]@Tennessee beat [6a]Mississippi State (@83-76) and then won the much anticipated rubber game against [2a]@Kentucky (@82-@78). But it was [4b]Auburn who won four games, edged [8]Fla in the semis (65-62 on gJared Harper's game-winning three) and then routed a spent [2b]@Tenn squad in the final (84-@64 sinking 15-for-40 three-pointers) to claim the crown (its FIRST IN OVER 20 YEARS [and only its second tourney crown-ever] - - EXCELLENT!)      In the BIG 12 tournament at the SPRINT CENTER in Kansas City,MO, forgotten [10]West Virginia edged [7a]Oklahoma (72-71) and then stunned [1b]Texas Tech (79-72 as fEmmitt Matthews[28p8r] dueled 26p10r from xJarrett Culver). But it was [5]Iowa State who recovered from a late-season slump to thump [4]Baylor (83-66), edge [1a]@Kansas State (63-@59) and handle [3]@Kansas (78-@66) to claim its FOURTH TOURNEY CROWN IN SIX YEARS - - OUTSTANDING!!!      At the AMERICAN tournament in Memphis,TN, [3a]Temple fell right away to [6]Wichita State (74-80 as cMarkis McDuffie[34p12r] starred). [3b]UCF tanked against forgotten host [5]Memphis (55-@79 only managing one double-figure scorer). [1]Houston did edge [5]Memph (61-@58 only allowing 24 percent shooting and 4 total assists); but it was [2]Cincinnati who reversed the season sweep loss to handle [1]Hous in the final (69-57 as tJarron Cumberland[33p8r] starred) for its second-straight tourney crown.      The BIG EAST tournament at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN in New York City didn't get the anticipated rematch between its top two teams. [2]Marquette dumped host [7]St. John's (86-@54 as bMarkus Howard[30p7r6to] starred); but then [3a]@Seton Hall spoiled the party with a 81-79 win in the semis. In the final [1]Villanova edged [3a]@Seton (74-@72 despite 25p4a5r from bMyles Powell) for its third-straight tourney crown (and FOURTH IN FIVE YEARS - - OUTSTANDING!!!).      The PACIFIC-12 tournament at T-MOBILE ARENA in Las Vegas,NV turned out to be another bid-stealing disaster for those teams waiting on The Bubble for an At-Large nod. Forgotten [4b]Oregon put it all together winning four times, including rubber-game semis and finals, edging [2]Arizona State in overtime (79-75[OT]) and then dumping [1]Washington in the final (68-48 allowing no double-figure scorers) to claim a Party-Crashing invite to the NCAAs.      At the MID-AMERICAN tournament in Cleveland,OH, [2/W1]Toledo tripped right away against [7a]Northern Illinois (@76-80 on as bEugene German[27p7r] starred). Ultimately, [1/E1]Buffalo had no trouble, thumping forgotten [3]@Bowling Green in the rubber-game final (87-@73 on bJeremy Harris[31p5r]'s star turn). That's now FOUR TOURNEY CROWNS IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS for the B-Bulls - - OUTSTANDING!!!      UNBEATEN 3-GAP [1]Wofford took care of its Anti-Spoiler duties in the SOUTHERN tournament in Asheville,NC, including handling [2]@UNC-Greensboro in the final (70-@58).      At the MOUNTAIN WEST tournament in Las Vegas,NV, [1a]Nevada fell in the semis against [4a]San Diego State (@56-65 only managing 5 assists). That opened the door for [1b]Utah State, which beat [4a]SDgoSt in the final (64-57 only allowing one double-figure scorer).      At the COLONIAL tournament in Charleston,SC, forgotten [2]Northeastern edged host [3]College of Charleston (70-@67 despite 18p10r5a from xJarrell Brantley) and then knocked off [1]Hofstra in the rubber-game final (82-74). (Can't quite call [2]Nen a full Jack Dawson when they were only one game back in the standings, but on paper the N-Huskies are a far cry from the H-Pride.) 3-gap [1]New Mexico State didn't have to test whether it was a true Anti-Spoiler, taking care of business in the WAC tournament at ORLEANS ARENA in Las Vegas,NV, including a rout win in the final over forgotten [3]Grand Canyon (89-47 sinking 17-for-39 threes) to claim its third-straight tourney crown (and EIGHTH IN TEN YEARS for the dominant team of the 2010s - - OUTSTANDING!!!).      At the IVY LEAGUE tournament in New Haven,CT, [1a]Harvard knocked of [4a]Penn in the semis (66-58 despite 25p10r from cA.J. Brodeur). But home court proved to be enough to reverse the season sweep loss for host [1b]Yale in the final as the Y-Bulldogs won (@97-85 as pAlex Copeland[25p7a] dueled 38p4a from gBryce Aiken).      In the ATLANTIC 10 tournament at the BARCLAYS CENTER in Brooklyn,NY, [1]VCU tripped right away against [8]Rhode Island (70-75 despite 26p22r from cMarcus Santos-Silva). That left the door open for another bid-stealing opportunity as fogotten [6a]St. Louis won four games, including edging [4]St. Bonaventure in the final (55-53) to claim a bid-stealing invite to the NCAAs. It's the SIXTH-STRAIGHT YEAR that the A-10 regular season champ has failed to win the tourney (and this perennial Mid-Major league is a prime source of bid-stealers and Party-Crashers year-in and year-out). The top four teams at the SUN BELT tournament in New Orleans,LA all lived up to their seeding. [2a]Texas-Arlington beat forgotten [2b]Georgia Southern in the semis (67-58). But it was [1]Georgia State who shut down forgotten [2c]Texas State (59-46) and then beat [2a]TxArl in the final (73-64) for its second-straight tourney crown.      The HORIZON tournament in Detroit,MI came down to the expected rubber game between the regular season co-champs. [1b]Northern Kentucky won the neutral-site showdown with [1a]Wright State in the final (77-66) to claim its second tourney crown in three years.      The CONFERENCE USA race was close in the regular season with [1]Old Dominion on top after the round-robin phase; and the Monarchs finished in first place after the Group-Seed phase as well. Three tight wins yielded the same outcome as [1]ODU beat forgotten [2a]Western Kentucky in the final (62-56). 5-GAP [1]UC-Irvine had no chance of being a true Anti-Spoiler coming out of the Flop BIG WEST (but no one else deserved to represent the league). No worries - - the Anteaters thumped [2b]Cal State-Fullerton in the final (@92-@64 on 62 percent shooting).      Home court proved to be the difference in the rubber-game final of the PATRIOT LEAGUE as [1b]Colgate outran [1a]Bucknell (@94-80 on pJordan Burns[35p6]'s star turn), earning its FIRST TRIP TO THE NCAAs IN OVER 20 YEARS (back to the days of C-Raider-legend cAdonal Foyle).      In the SUMMIT tournament at the SANFORD PENTAGON in Sioux Falls,SD, with the door already open (after [1]South Dakota State lost right away last week), it was [3b]North Dakota State who came through, including beating [2]Omaha in the final (73-63) to claim a proper Jack Dawson ticket to The Dance.      In the SOUTHLAND tournament at Katy,TX, gap-champ [1]Sam Houston State tripped right away against [3b]New Orleans (@76-79). Forgotten [2]Abilene Christian stepped into the void, thumping [3b]UNO in the final (@77-60) to claim its FIRST-EVER TRIP TO THE NCAAs (in only its second year of full eligibility in Division-I) - - EXCELLENT!!      At the METRO ATLANTIC tournament in Albany,NY, [1]@Iona thumped [6]Monmouth in the final (@81-60 only allowing one double-figure scorer) to claim its FOURTH-STRAIGHT CROWN (TiTo, this year) - - OUTSTANDING!!!      In the AMERICA EAST tournament, home-court advantage helped [1]Vermont dump [3]Maryland-Baltimore County, (@66-49 as tAnthony Lamb[28p9r] starred), reversing the season sweep loss for its second (TiTo) crown in three years - - EXCELLENT!!      In the NORTHEAST tournament, home court was a disadvantage all year between [1b]Fairleigh Dickinson and host [1a]St. Francis(Pennsylvania) as the FD-Knights won (85-@76 on 64 percent shooting) to win the rubber game.      At the BIG SKY tournament in Boise,ID, [1]Montana beat [3]Eastern Washington (68-62) for its second-straight TiTo crown.      At the MEAC tournament in Norfolk,VA, forgotten [3a]North Carolina Central edged host [1]Norfolk State (50-@47) for its third-straight tourney crown (and FOURTH IN FIVE YEARS) - - OUTSTANDING!!!      At the SWAC tournament in Birmingham,AL, [1]Prairie View A&M outran arch-rival [2]Texas Southern (92-86 posting six double-figure scorers) for its FIRST TRIP TO THE NCAAs IN OVER 20 YEARS - - CONGRATS! - - - - - - Here's the full list of Tito champions (including Anti-Spoilers) vs. the bid-stealing Party-Crashers as well as Jack Dawsons who are attending The Dance under false pretenses:

TiTo	Party  Crasher	Sub/Jack  Dawson
BIG10: [1a]Michigan State BIG.E: [1]Villanova MAC: [1/E1]+3 Buffalo SOCON: [1]u+2 Wofford OVC: [1b]Murray State MWC: [1b]+2 San Diego State WAC: [1]+3 New Mexico State BIG.W: [1]+5 UC-Irvine AMER.E: [1]+2 Vermont IVY: [1b]+2 Yale SUN.B: [1]Georgia State HORIZ: [1b]+2 No. Kentucky C-USA: [1]Old Dominion PAT: [1a] Colgate A-SUN: [1b]+5 Liberty MAAC: [1] Iona NEC: [1b] Fairleigh Dickinson SKY: [1] Montana SWAC: [1]+2 Prairie View A&M	WCC: "[1]u+5 Gonzaga" (5-[2a] St. Mary's) PAC-12: "[1]+3 Washington" ([4a] Oregon) A-10: "[1]+2 VCU" ([6a] St. Louis)	ACC: "[1t]+2 Virginia/North Carolina" (2-[3]Duke) SEC: "[1]LSU" (4-[4b]Auburn) BIG12: "[1t]+2 Texas Tech/Kansas State" ([5] Iowa State) AMER: "[1]+2 Houston" (2-[2]Cincinnati) MVC: "[1t]+2 Drake/Loyola-IL" ([5a]+2 Bradley) SUMMIT: "[1]S.Dakota State" (4-[3b] N.Dakota State) SLAND: "[1]+2 Sam Houston State" (2-[2] Abilene Christian) BIG.S: "[1t]+2 Radford/Campbell" (2-[3b] Gardner-Webb) MEAC: "[1] Norfolk State" (3-[3a] N.C. Central)

Fair Swap COLON "[1]Hofstra" ([2]+2 Northeastern) That's 19 thoroughbreds against 12(8) imposters - - stronger than last year (15 up, 9[7] down). A very good representation of the best performing teams from the regular season. - - - - - - The new NCAA NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) gets mixed reviews compared to the old RPI. With 68 bids, it's no longer so much about "deserving" teams not getting in as it is about "undeserving" teams that do get in. So how well the teams are seeded is the best evaluation of the NET. Overall, the Top 16 are pretty good; the Bottom 16(+) are "must carry" automatic bids, anyway. In the middle, I'm not so crazy about how teams were seeded. (We'll see whether it makes much of a difference in the Hoops Contest, in the Selection Committee's "expert pick" entry based on NET instead of RPI.) That being said ... there's no explanation that works for me as to how Michigan State isn't the overall No.1 seed - - the MS-Spartans are the TiTo champions of the top-rated B-Major league in the nation (with a 3-sweep of Elite Michigan to boot!) Instead, they're No.6 overall seeded #2 in the East and have to get through Duke just to make the Final Four - - OUTRAGEOUS!! (Yet another case of "Blue Devil Blindness" - - everything revolves around what Duke did and who did what to Duke. It's the "if only fZion weren't out, they wouldn't have lost" argument. Some teams get their losses excused away; some don't.) Instead, all hail overall No.1 [E1]Duke. No particular issue with [S1]Virginia or [M1]North Carolina. [W1]Gonzaga clearly gets the nod because they beat full-strength Duke at MAUI. (I get it; don't agree. For me, the sin of failing to Anti-Spoil and allowing [S11]St. Mary's to steal a bid is way worse than, say, [W2]Michigan falling three times to [E2]MichSt.) Not much changed from the official "Pre-Sixteen" five weeks back - - the top eight teams only shuffled around; Marquette fell from a 3-seed to a 5, Iowa State fell from 4 to 6 and Nevada fell from 4 to 7 while Texas Tech and LSU came from outside up to 3-seeds. I do generally agree that the Top 8 (i.e., The Carousel) were pretty stable all season long. No real qualms with the entire top 16 seeds, really.      The attempt to Rig The System from the BIG 10 by adjusting its conference schedule (increasing from 18 to 20 games) was a whopping success, garnering a record 8 bids (way up from last year's 4). CONFERENCE USA's preseason rating was decidedly in the Red Swirl range, so boosting the calibre of the final four (Group-Seed) games didn't help [2]Western Kentucky get in. For the WEST COAST, reducing its schedule from 18 to 16 games probably wouldn't have gotten [2a]St. Mary's in without its bid-stealing tourney crown win. The Flop SUMMIT didn't get much benefit to its rating by adding head-to-head CHALLENGES with the Mid-Major WAC and fellow Flop BIG SKY (and gets no props for its title-champ South Dakota State's failing to pull off a TiTo double).      Three Spoilers stole bids off the NCAA Bubble: St. Mary's[won WCCt(beat Gonzaga)] as well as forgotten teams Party-Crasher Oregon[won PAC12t(edged Arizona State in OT; dumped Washington) and St. Louis[won A10t]. Among last week's non-lock teams, only Minnesota(edged Purdue) and Seton Hall(edged Marquette) improved their lot. Most everyone else lost to better teams: Iowa(lost Michigan), N.C. State(tanked Virginia), Texas(lost Kansas), UNC-Greensboro(lost Wofford), Belmont(lost Murray State), South Carolina(lost Auburn) and St. John's(tanked Marquette). A couple took a step back: Arizona State(tripped Oregon) and Temple(lost Wichita State).      The "Last Four Teams In" were apparently [E11a]Belmont, [E11b]Temple, [W11a]Arizona State and [W11b]St. John's with the "First Four Teams Out" being UNC-Greensboro, Alabama, TCU and Indiana. I whole-heartedly agree with Belmont's getting in (and glad to see it). No way does BIG12(7-11/-xWVA)[S9]Oklahoma get in for me (but there's the glare of "the win that ended Kansas' 14-year title streak" that surely was key). BIG10(8-12/+xIU)[M11]Ohio State has no business getting a bid for me (but maybe the preseason win over Cincinnati looks great now). Wouldn't have taken BIGE(9-9)[W11b]St. John's. At least SEC(9-9/+LSU)[W10]Florida and BIGE(9-9/+MARQ)[M10]Seton Hall both won their way in for me. [W11a]Arizona State and [E11b]Temple are acceptable "filler" teams now that there are more bids than quality teams these days. Would have loved to see a bid go to SOCON/UNCG and A-SUN/Lipscomb while COLON/Hofstra(-xNEN) and MAC/Toledo(-NoIll) both ruined their slim paths with upset tourney losses.      On the plus side of the cut line, I only had: Belmont(-Murray), N.C. State(-UVa) and Lipscomb(-Libty). On the minus side, I had: UNC-Greensboro(-Woff), Hofstra(-xNen), Toledo(-), Iowa(-Mich), Minnesota(+Purd), South Dakota State(-), Oklahoma(-xWVa), Syracuse(-Duke), Texas(-Kans), Mississippi(-xBama), Drake(-), Ohio State(-Mich), Temple(-), Baylor(-IowaSt), Florida(+LSU), Arizona State(-Ore), Seton Hall(+Marq) and St. John's(-Marq). (So officially, a dozen "undeserving" teams got in ... Ugh.)      Worst over-seeds for me are [E5]Mississippi State and [S8]Mississippi; [W8]Syracuse, [W9]Baylor, [W11a]Arizona State, [W11b]St. John's and [E13]St. Louis; as well as [W5]Marquette, [M10]Seton Hall and [W10]Florida. Worst under-seeds for me are [M12]New Mexico State (by far); [W12]Murray State, [W13]Vermont, [E14]Yale and [M15]Abilene Christian; [W6]Buffalo and [S13]UC-Irvine; as well as [S7]Cincinnati and [W7]Nevada.      [W1]Gonzaga placed in Salt Lake City,UT was a no-brainer. Someone had to be the odd-one-out among the three ACC juggernauts - - no problem with [M1]North Carolina getting third choice while [E1]Duke and [S1]UVa both got Columbia,SC (but I might have swapped [M1]UNC to Jackonville,FL and sent [M2]Kentucky to Columbus,OH, instead). Likewise, no problem where [E3]LSU(Jacksonville) and [E2]Tennessee(Columbus) were sent. At least, third-choice [S3]Purdue got to stay on the East Coast(Hartford,CT) after [E2]MichSt and [W2]Mich both got Des Moines,IA. Tough luck for third-choice [M4]Kansas(SaltLakeCity) to miss out on Tulsa,OK behind [M3]Houston and [W3]Texas Tech (but that's the right call). Fair enough that [W4]Florida State(Hartford) and [E4]Virginia Tech/[S4]Kansas State(San Jose,CA) all got catch-as-catch-can.      With at least a No.4 seed and multiple bids, the BIG 10, ACC, SEC and BIG 12 all qualify as B-Majors (as well as by rating). The multi-bid AMERICAN and WEST COAST both qualify as B-Majors by seed (if not by rating; but, frankly, WCC/[S11]St. Mary's doesn't get in without stealing a bid). The BIG EAST and MID-AMERICAN both qualified as B-Majors by rating (but neither had a No.4 seed [and the MAC only got one bid]). Multi-bid Mid-Majors were the PACIFIC-12 and OHIO VALLEY full on as well as the ATLANTIC 10 (by rating yes, but A10/[E13]St. Louis' bid was stolen) and the MOUNTAIN WEST (only Red Swirl by rating).      8 BIG 10 teams got placed 3 in the East and South - - ([S5]Wisconsin and [E6]Maryland could have been moved to the Midwest and West). With 7 bids, the ACC didn't deserve 3 all in the East when 7 SEC were split up no more than two per Region. 6 BIG 12 teams all got doubled-up with no one in the East at all - - ([M6]Iowa State deserved to be split from [M4]Kansas). Only 4 BIG EAST teams didn't deserve 2 in the West; likewise, 4 AMERICAN teams didn't deserve 2 in the East - - (just swap [E11a]Temple and [W11b]St. John's); both A-10 teams are in the East - - Ugh. The Splashworthy 1BCs who got in have some winnable match-ups, especially [W6]Buffalo all over either [W11a]Arizona State/[W11b]St. John's (and will give [W3]Texas Tech a run for the Sweet 16), [M7]Wofford over [M10]Seton Hall, [E11a]Belmont over [E11b]Temple (and will give [M6]Maryland a go), [W12]Murray State over [W5]Marquette (and will give [M4]Florida State a go), [M12]New Mexico State over [M5]Auburn. Toughest first-round games: [M4]Kansas State/[M13]UC-Irvine, [W4]Florida State/[W13]Vermont, [E3]LSU/[E14]Yale, and [M5]Auburn/[M12]New Mexico State. [W5]Marquette(pMarkus Howard)/[W12]Murray State(pJa Morant) is a dazzling match-up. [S7]@Cincinnati has a great shot to win in Columbus past [M2]Tennessee in Round Two. Nice touch giving [E16b]N.C. Central the chance to earn a game against crosstown-Durham,NC "Big Brother" [E1]Duke. Likewise, [E9]UCF(Johnny Dawkins) is a win away from facing his alma-mater [E1]Duke as well. Plus, [W11a]Arizona State(Bobby Hurley) can win his way to facing his previous school, [W6]Buffalo. It's kind of creepy putting [E10]Minnesota(Richard Pitino) up against [E7]Louisville (which fired his dad just last year). - - - - - - Because so many teams went TiTo and got into the NCAAs, the NIT field is mostly forgotten B-Major also-rans. Too bad [e5]Lipscomb and [e1]UNC-Greensboro were placed in the same Regional (along with [e7]Hofstra to boot). [s6]Toledo and [m3]Furman are the only other 1BCs worth keeping an eye on - - don't expect anything from last year's darlings, [w7]Loyola(Illinois). [e2]N.C. State is the best B-Major team in the draw. Look for [e2]NCSt past [m1]Indiana all the way over [w1]TCU past [s6]Toledo. (The experimental rules in effect are the same as last year: bonus after 5 fouls [resets after 10 minutes], wider lane [NBA size], deeper three-point arc [international distance].)      "Slumming" B-Majors [eA1]BIG12/West Virginia was a trackable team at some point in the season. [mA1]BIGE/DePaul and [sA1]AMER/South Florida all start out at home. [wA2]WCC/Loyola Marymount and [eA2]WAC/Grand Canyon both were trackable at some point as well. Hats off to [wA1]WAC/{California Baptist} for earning a postseason bid in its first season at Division-I. The WV-Mountaineers are the big favorites to go all the way past [mA1]BIGE/DePaul, [wA2]WCC/Loyola Marymount and [sA1]AMER/South Florida.      MVC co-title champ Drake got squeezed out of an NIT bid and fell all the way to the CIT. CUSA/Marshall was expected to be Splashworthy at the start of the season (but disappointed greatly). SWAC/Grambling State was trackable this season. SUNB/Texas State, HORIZ/IUPUI and SWAC/Texas Southern all drew attention at some point. MAC/Kent State, SOCON/East Tennessee State, WAC/Seattle and WAC/Texas-Rio Grande Valley all have the best pedigrees, otherwise. Only Drake has proven its ability to come through. - - - - - - The NCAA Seeding Committee did no favors to either [E1]Duke or [E2]Michigan State by placing them in the same Regional - - that matchup belongs in Minneapolis,MN, not Washington,DC. [M1]North Carolina-[M2]Kentucky-[M3]Houston as well as [W1]Gonzaga-[W2]Michigan-[W2]Texas Tech are both very tough threesomes topping those brackets. [S1]Virginia has so much to prove after last year's ignomy, but at least the draw is the "easiest" among the four top seeds.      [E6]Buffalo is the highest rated team in its half of the Tulsa,OK Pod, so not making the Sweet 16 will be an upset. Even with an extra Play-In game, [E11a]Belmont has a pretty winnable path the first weekend. [M12]New Mexico State's rating on paper makes it the favorite to win twice. [W12]Murray State is every bit as good as any one in its way as well. -- Ron P.S. If you're interested, the 36th Annual Hoops Contest is now open for entry (through 6:30PMet TUESDAY, 19 MARCH).

Key games this week:

[NCAA]

Tuesday:

OpenRd/128s FIRST FOUR @DaytonOH
• [E11a]Belmont v [E11b]Temple
• [W16a]Prairie View A&M v [W16b]Fairleigh Dickinson

Wednesday:

OpenRd/128s FIRST FOUR @DaytonOH
• [W11a]Arizona St v [W11b]St John's
• [E16a]ND State v [E16b]NC Central

Thursday, Saturday:

1stRd/64s POD @ SaltLakeCityUT
• [W1]Gonzaga v {[W16a]PrairieViewA&M/[W16b]FairleighDickinson}
• [W8]Syracuse v [W9]Baylor
• [M4]Kansas v [M13]Northeastern
• [M5]Auburn v [M12]New Mexico St

1stRd/64s POD @ DesMoinesIA
• [E2]Michigan St v [E15]Bradley
• [E7]Louisville v [E10]Minnesota
• [W2]Michigan v [W15]Montana
• [W7]Nevada v [W10]Florida

1stRd/64s POD @ JacksonvilleFL
• [M2]@Kentucky v [M15]Abilene Christian
• [M7]Wofford v [M10]Seton Hall
• [E3]LSU v [E14]Yale
• [E6]Maryland v {[E11a]Belmont/[E11b]Temple}

1stRd/64s POD @ HartfordCT
• [S3]Purdue v [S14]Old Dominion
• [S6]Villanova v [S11]St Mary's
• [W4]Florida St v [W13]Vermont
• [W5]Marquette v [W12]Murray St

Friday, Sunday:

1stRd/64s POD @ ColumbiaSC
• [E1]Duke v {[E16a]NDState/[E16b]NCCentral(Durham,NC)}
• [E8]VCU v [E9]UCF
• [S1]Virginia v [S16]Gardner-Webb
• [S8]Mississippi v [S9]Oklahoma

1stRd/64s POD @ ColumbusOH
• [M1]N Carolina v [M16]Iona
• [M8]Utah St v [M9]Washington
• [S2]Tennessee v [S15]Colgate
• [S7]@Cincinnati v [S10]Iowa

1stRd/64s POD @ TulsaOK
• [M3]Houston v [M14]Georgia St
• [M6]Iowa St v [M11]Ohio St
• [W3]Texas Tech v [W14]No Kentucky
• [W6]Buffalo v {[W11a]ArizonaSt/[W11b]StJohns}

1stRd/64s POD @ SanJoseCA
• [S4]Kansas St v [S13]@UC-Irvine
• [S5]Wisconsin v [S12]Oregon
• [E4]Virginia Tech v [E13]St Louis
• [E5]Mississippi St v [E12]Liberty

[NIT]

Tuesday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ [e1]UNC-Greensboro v [e8]Campbell (NC)
• @ [m1]Indiana v [m8]St Francis-PA
• @ [e2]NC State v [e7]Hofstra
• @ [w2]Creighton v [w7]Loyola-IL
• @ [m2]Clemson v [m7]Wright St
• @ [s2]Texas v [s7]SD State
• @ [w3]Memphis v [w6]San Diego
• @ [e4]Davidson v [e9]Lipscomb
• @ [m4]Providence v [m5]Arkansas
• @ [s4]Colorado v [s5]Dayton

Wednesday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ [s1]Alabama v [s8]Norfolk St
• @ [w1]TCU v [w8]Sam Houston St (TX)
• @ [s3]Xavier v [s6]Toledo (OH)
• @ [e3]Georgetown v [e6]Harvard
• @ [m3]Furman v [m6]Wichita St
• @ [w4]Nebraska v [w5]Butler

Thursday-Monday week:

16s on-campus
• @{[e1]UNCGreensboro/[e8]Campbell} v {[e4]Davidson/[e9]Lipscomb}
• @{[e2]NCState/[e7]Hofstra} v {[e3]Georgetown/[e6]Harvard}
• @{[s1]Alabama/[s8]NorfolkSt} v {[s4]Colorado/[s5]Dayton}
• @{[s2]Texas/[s7]SDState} v {[s3]Xavier/[s6]Toledo}
• @{[m1]Indiana/[m8]StFrancisPA} v {[m4]Providence/[m5]Arkansas}
• @{[m2]Clemson/[m7]WrightSt} v {[m3]Furman/[m6]WichitaSt}
• @{[w1]TCU/[w8]SamHoustonSt} v {[w4]Nebraska/[w5]Butler}
• @{[w2]Creighton/[w7]LoyolaIL} v {[w3]Memphis/[w6]SanDiego}

Tuesday week-Wednesday week:

Qtrs on-campus

Tue 2 Apr, Thu 4 Apr

Semis,Final @ New York NY /MSG/
• {e/UNCGreensboro} v {m/Indiana}
• {s/Alabama} v {w/TCU}

[CBI]

Tuesday:

1stRd/16s on-campus
• (sB): @ UT Valley v Cal St-Northridge

Wednesday:

1stRd/16s on-campus
• (eA): @ W Virginia v Grand Canyon
• (mA): @ DePaul v C Michigan
• (wA): @ {Cal Baptist} v Loyola Marymount
• (sA): @ S Florida v Stony Brook
• (wB): @ Brown v UAB
• (eB): @ Co Carolina v Howard
• (mB): @ Longwood v So Mississippi

Monday week:

Qtrs on-campus (by region)
• (e): {WVirginia/GrandCanyon} v {CoCarolina/Howard}
• (m): {DePaul/CMichigan} v {SoMississippi/Longwood}
• (w): {LoyolaMarymount/{CalBaptist}} v {Brown/UAB}
• (s): {SFlorida/StonyBrook} v {UTValley/CalStNorthridge}

Wednesday,Thursday week:

Semis on-campus (re-seeded)

Mon 1 Apr, Wed 3 Apr, (if necessary: Fri 5 Apr):

Finals on-campus (Best of 3)

[CIT]

Monday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ NJIT v Quinnipiac

Tuesday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ Robert Morris v Cornell
• @ Marshall v IUPUI (JIM PHELAN CLASSIC)

Wednesday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ E Tennessee St v Green Bay (HUGH DURHAM CLASSIC)
• @ Seattle v Presbyterian
• @ TX-RG Valley v Grambling St
• @ New Orleans v Texas So

Thursday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ LA-Monroe v Kent St (LOU HENSON CLASSIC)
• @ Cal St-Fullerton v Cal St-Bakersfield (CA) (RILEY WALLACE CLASSIC)
• @ Charleston So v FL Atlantic
• @ Hampton v St Francis-NY (JOHN McLENDON CLASSIC)

Friday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ So Utah v Drake

Saturday:

1stRd/32s on-campus
• @ Texas St v FL International

Sunday-Tuesday week:

16s on-campus

Wednesday week-Sunday week:

Qtrs on-campus [re-seeded] (3 first-round winners receive byes into the quarters.)

Tue 2 Apr:

Semis on-campus [re-seeded]

Thu 4 Apr:

Final on-campus

---

FINAL TOP 25 - 19 Mar18: PRECONTEST - [] Column

1. Michigan State (28-6) [2v2:LVI-THANX] , repeat .5BIG10 [BIG10t]
2. Duke (29-5) (@@CHAMPS) (vBIG10) (vAI) , [vACCt]
3. Virginia (29-3) (@BIG10) [v3:ATLANTIS] , repeat .5ACC+2
4. Michigan (28-6) (@BIG.E) (vACC) [2v2:HOF-F-CT TO]
5. North Carolina (27-6) 3rd/4 .5ACC+2
6. Tennessee (28-5) (vBIG12) (:COLANGELO)
7. Gonzaga (29-3) (@JESUIT) [v3:MAUI] , 7-PEAT;18TH/19 WCCu+5
8. Houston (31-3) [4rr@BY/COUGAR] , AMER+2
9. Louisiana State (26-6) (:LV-NEON) , SEC
10. Kentucky (27-6) (@@CB/SPORTS) (vBIG12) (@KY) [4rrvOHIO.VAL]
11. Iowa State (23-11) (@SEC) , [@BIG12t]
12. Cincinnati (28-6) (vXTOWN) [2v2:EMERALD] , repeat [AMERt]
13. Florida State (27-7) (vBIG10) (vFL) (vORANGE) (:NVR.FRGT)
14. Texas Tech (26-6) (vSEC) (:HOF-MIAMI) [2v2:CBE] , .5BIG12+2
15. Kansas (25-9) (@@CHAMPS) (vJAYHAWK) [2v2:NIT.T-O]
16. Purdue (23-9) 2nd/3 .5BIG10
17. Kansas State (25-8) (vWILDCAT) [v3:PARADISE] , .5BIG12+2
18. Villanova (25-9) [v3:A/ORLANDO] , 5TH/6 BIG.E , 3-peat;4TH/5 [@BIG.Et]
19. Auburn (25-9) (@SLIVE) [@SECt]
20. Buffalo (30-3) (@HELLENY) [2v2:HOF-BELFAST] , repeat MAC+3 , repeat;4TH/5 [MACt]
21. Wofford (26-4) SOCONu+3 , [@SOCONt]
22. Murray State (25-4) repeat .5OVC , repeat [OVCt]
23. Utah State (27-6) .5MWC+2 , [MWCt]
24. Nevada (28-4) (@MVC) (:HOF-LA) (@COLANGELO) [2v2:LVI-HOLDAY], 3-peat .5MWC+2
25. New Mexico State (27-4) (vSUMMIT) , repeat WAC+3 , 3-peat;8TH/10 [WACt]

Honorable Mention:

St. Mary's (22-11) (:HOF-LA) , [WCCt], Florida (19-15) (:JIMMY.V) (@@ORANGE), Minnesota (21-13) [v3rr:VANCOUVER], West Virginia (14-20) (vBACKYD), Oregon (23-12) [PAC12t], San Diego State (21-13) (@MVC), Northeastern (23-10) [@COLONt], UC-Irvine (28-5) 3rd/4 BIG.W+5 , [@@BIG.Wt], Vermont (26-6) 3-peat AMER.E+2 , 2nd/3 [vAMER.Et], St. Louis (22-12) [A10t], Yale (21-1) (@PAC12) (@HOF-MIAMI) , .5IVY+2 , [vIVYt], Georgia State (23-9) (:GA) , SUN.B , repeat [SUN.Bt], Northern Kentucky (24-8) [3rrvNORSE] , repeat .5HORIZ+2 , 2nd/3 [HORIZt], Old Dominion (26-8) C-USA , [C-USAt], Colgate (23-10) .3[C-NY] , .5PAT , [vPATt], North Dakota State (16-15) [SUMMITt], Abilene Christian (23-6) [3rr@P/TIGER] , [vSLANDt], Iona (17-15) MAAC , 4-PEAT [vMAACt], Fairleigh Dickinson (18-13) .5NEC , [@NECt], Montana (24-8) (vSUMMIT) (@SUMMIT) , repeat SKY , repeat [SKYt], North Carolina Central (15-15) 3-peat;4TH/6 [@MEACt], Prairie View A&M (21-12) SWAC+3 , [SWACt].