Conference tournament play starts on Monday with the Patriot League. Tuesday begins the Horizon and A-Sun tourneys.
Championship Week(s): Conference Tournament Thread
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
What do you think about the SWAC getting an exemption to have its ineligible teams compete in the conference tournament? The auto-bid will go to the eligible team that goes the furthest and if all eligible teams get eliminated in the same round the bid goes to the highest-seeded eligible team. Just wild.
Here are conferences at-a-glance that have their tournaments starting this week.
Patriot League
First Round(at campus sites)
Monday March 3rd
#9 Lafayette at #8 Loyola(MD) 7:30
#10 Navy at #7 Colgate 7:00
Quarterfinals(at campus sites and all at 7:00 unless noted)
Wednesday March 5th
#8/#9 winner at #1 Boston University
#5 Army at #4 Bucknell
#6 Lehigh at #3 Holy Cross
#7/#10 winner at #2 American 7:30
Semifinals(at campus sites)
Saturday March 8th 3:30 and 5:30(CBS Sports Network)
Finals(at home court of best team left)
Wednesday March 12th 7:30(CBS Sports Network)
Atlantic Sun
Quarterfinals(at campus sites Tuesday March 4th all at 7 pm)
#7 Jacksonville at #2 Mercer
#8 Stetson at #1 FGCU
#6 North Florida at #3 USC Upstate
#5 Lipscomb at #4 ETSU
Semifinals(at campus sites on Thursday March 6th)
6:30 and 8:30 CSS/ESPN 3
Finals(at home of higher seed Sunday March 9th)
2:00 ESPN2
Horizon League
First Round(Tuesday March 4th at campus sites)
Game 1: #9 UIC at #4 Valpo 8:05
Game 2: #8 Detroit at #5 Milwaukee 7 pm
Game 3: #7 Youngstown State at #6 Oakland 7 pm
Second Round(Friday March 7th at UW-Green Bay)
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 9:30
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. #3 Wright State 7:00
Semifinals(Saturday March 8th at UW-Green Bay)
Winner Game 4 vs. #1 UW-Green Bay 9:30 ESPNU
Winner Game 5 vs. #2 Cleveland State 7:00 (tape-delay on ESPNU at 11:30)
Finals(Tuesday March 11th at highest remaining seed)
7 pm ESPN
Patriot League
First Round(at campus sites)
Monday March 3rd
#9 Lafayette at #8 Loyola(MD) 7:30
#10 Navy at #7 Colgate 7:00
Quarterfinals(at campus sites and all at 7:00 unless noted)
Wednesday March 5th
#8/#9 winner at #1 Boston University
#5 Army at #4 Bucknell
#6 Lehigh at #3 Holy Cross
#7/#10 winner at #2 American 7:30
Semifinals(at campus sites)
Saturday March 8th 3:30 and 5:30(CBS Sports Network)
Finals(at home court of best team left)
Wednesday March 12th 7:30(CBS Sports Network)
Atlantic Sun
Quarterfinals(at campus sites Tuesday March 4th all at 7 pm)
#7 Jacksonville at #2 Mercer
#8 Stetson at #1 FGCU
#6 North Florida at #3 USC Upstate
#5 Lipscomb at #4 ETSU
Semifinals(at campus sites on Thursday March 6th)
6:30 and 8:30 CSS/ESPN 3
Finals(at home of higher seed Sunday March 9th)
2:00 ESPN2
Horizon League
First Round(Tuesday March 4th at campus sites)
Game 1: #9 UIC at #4 Valpo 8:05
Game 2: #8 Detroit at #5 Milwaukee 7 pm
Game 3: #7 Youngstown State at #6 Oakland 7 pm
Second Round(Friday March 7th at UW-Green Bay)
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs Winner Game 2 9:30
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. #3 Wright State 7:00
Semifinals(Saturday March 8th at UW-Green Bay)
Winner Game 4 vs. #1 UW-Green Bay 9:30 ESPNU
Winner Game 5 vs. #2 Cleveland State 7:00 (tape-delay on ESPNU at 11:30)
Finals(Tuesday March 11th at highest remaining seed)
7 pm ESPN
America East
Quarterfinals(Saturday March 8 at Albany)
#8 New Hampshire vs. #1 Vermont Noon ESPN3
#5 UMBC vs. #4 Albany 2:30 ESPN3
#7 Maine vs. #2 Stony Brook 6:00 ESPN3
#6 Binghamton vs. #3 Hartford 8:30 ESPN3
Semifinals(Sunday March 9 at Albany)
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 5:00 ESPN3
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 7:30 ESPN3
Finals(Saturday March 15 at higher seed)
11:30 AM ESPN2
Quarterfinals(Saturday March 8 at Albany)
#8 New Hampshire vs. #1 Vermont Noon ESPN3
#5 UMBC vs. #4 Albany 2:30 ESPN3
#7 Maine vs. #2 Stony Brook 6:00 ESPN3
#6 Binghamton vs. #3 Hartford 8:30 ESPN3
Semifinals(Sunday March 9 at Albany)
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 5:00 ESPN3
Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 7:30 ESPN3
Finals(Saturday March 15 at higher seed)
11:30 AM ESPN2
The Big South Tournament starts this week as well. All games at the HTC Center, Conway SC (just outside Myrtle Beach)
First Round (Wed, March 5th)
12:00 pm - Game 1 - #4S Winthrop vs. #5N Liberty
02:00 pm - Game 2 - #3N Radford vs. #6S Presbyterian
06:00 pm - Game 3 - #4N Campbell vs. #5S Charleston Southern
08:00 pm - Game 4 - #3S Gardner-Webb vs. #6N Longwood
Quarterfinals (Fri, March 7th)
12:00 pm - Game 5 - #1N High Point vs Game 1 winner (ESPN3)
02:00 pm - Game 6 - #2S NC-Asheville vs Game 2 winner (ESPN3)
06:00 pm - Game 7 - #1S Coastal Carolina vs Game 3 winner (ESPN3)
08:00 pm - Game 8 - #2N VMI vs Game 4 winner (ESPN3)
Semifinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 09 - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (ESPN3)
02:00 pm - Game 10 - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (ESPN3)
Championship (Sun, March 9th)
12:00 pm - Game 9 winner vs Game 10 winner (ESPN2)
First Round (Wed, March 5th)
12:00 pm - Game 1 - #4S Winthrop vs. #5N Liberty
02:00 pm - Game 2 - #3N Radford vs. #6S Presbyterian
06:00 pm - Game 3 - #4N Campbell vs. #5S Charleston Southern
08:00 pm - Game 4 - #3S Gardner-Webb vs. #6N Longwood
Quarterfinals (Fri, March 7th)
12:00 pm - Game 5 - #1N High Point vs Game 1 winner (ESPN3)
02:00 pm - Game 6 - #2S NC-Asheville vs Game 2 winner (ESPN3)
06:00 pm - Game 7 - #1S Coastal Carolina vs Game 3 winner (ESPN3)
08:00 pm - Game 8 - #2N VMI vs Game 4 winner (ESPN3)
Semifinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 09 - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (ESPN3)
02:00 pm - Game 10 - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (ESPN3)
Championship (Sun, March 9th)
12:00 pm - Game 9 winner vs Game 10 winner (ESPN2)
I believe this is the first year that the Big South has had an actual tournament setting where all the games are in one building. They used to always play them all at campus sites. Also, this is the final year for the America East to have a traditional tournament as all games starting next year will be at the home of the higher seeds. The conference believes the regular season will be more valued that way.
West Coast Conference
All games at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas NV ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament)
First Round (Thur, March 6th)
09:00 pm - Game 1 - #7 Portland vs #10 Loyola Marymount (BYUtv)
11:30 pm - Game 2 - #8 Pacific vs #9 Santa Clara (BYUtv)
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
03:00 pm - Game 3 - #2 BYU vs Game 1 winner (BYUtv)
05:30 pm - Game 4 - #3 San Francisco vs #6 San Diego (BYUtv)
09:00 pm - Game 5 - #1 Gonzaga vs Game 2 winner (BYUtv)
11:30 pm - Game 6 - #4 St. Mary's vs #5 Pepperdine (BYUtv)
Semifinals (Mon, March 10th)
09:00 pm - Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner (ESPN)
11:30 pm - Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (ESPN2)
Championship (Tue, March 11th)
12:00 pm - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (ESPN)
All games at Orleans Arena, Las Vegas NV ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament)
First Round (Thur, March 6th)
09:00 pm - Game 1 - #7 Portland vs #10 Loyola Marymount (BYUtv)
11:30 pm - Game 2 - #8 Pacific vs #9 Santa Clara (BYUtv)
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
03:00 pm - Game 3 - #2 BYU vs Game 1 winner (BYUtv)
05:30 pm - Game 4 - #3 San Francisco vs #6 San Diego (BYUtv)
09:00 pm - Game 5 - #1 Gonzaga vs Game 2 winner (BYUtv)
11:30 pm - Game 6 - #4 St. Mary's vs #5 Pepperdine (BYUtv)
Semifinals (Mon, March 10th)
09:00 pm - Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner (ESPN)
11:30 pm - Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (ESPN2)
Championship (Tue, March 11th)
12:00 pm - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (ESPN)
Summit Conference
All games at Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls SD ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... 1st & semifinal rounds on FCS Atlantic/Midco Sport Network.
First Round (Sat, March 8th)
07:00 pm - Game 1 - #2 IPFW vs #7 IUPUI
First Round (Sun, March 9th)
07:00 pm - Game 2 - #4 Denver vs #5 South Dakota
09:30 pm - Game 3 - #3 South Dakota St vs #6 Western Illinois
Semifinals (Mon, March 10th)
07:00 pm - Game 4 - #1 North Dakota St vs Game 1 winner
09:30 pm - Game 5 - Game 2 winner vs Game 3 winner
Championship (Tue, March 11th)
09:00 pm - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner (ESPN2)
All games at Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls SD ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... 1st & semifinal rounds on FCS Atlantic/Midco Sport Network.
First Round (Sat, March 8th)
07:00 pm - Game 1 - #2 IPFW vs #7 IUPUI
First Round (Sun, March 9th)
07:00 pm - Game 2 - #4 Denver vs #5 South Dakota
09:30 pm - Game 3 - #3 South Dakota St vs #6 Western Illinois
Semifinals (Mon, March 10th)
07:00 pm - Game 4 - #1 North Dakota St vs Game 1 winner
09:30 pm - Game 5 - Game 2 winner vs Game 3 winner
Championship (Tue, March 11th)
09:00 pm - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner (ESPN2)
jmanny24 said:
Yeah, this has disaster written all over it. For those unaware, the 4 SWAC schools facing Academic Progress Rate suspensions were current #1 Southern U (which has already clinched the top seed with a 4-game lead), #4 Arkansas-Pine Bluff, #9 Mississippi Valley St, and #10 Grambling. Seeds 2 through 10 are all subject to change as there are still 13 regular season games remaining.
It's atrocious that the NCAA is essentially telling these schools (and pretty much any school facing an APR prohibition) that in the end, grades don't matter because you still get to play and you can still end up on national television. Just go ahead, play the games, sell the tickets, collect the revenue, and pretend nothing ever happened. What an awesome message.
Core issue aside, to think that a team that loses in the semifinals would start celebrating their bid and holding up their index fingers for the cameras as their fans all go nuts is a little ridiculous. The title game, with neither team able to advance, would be a joke. Similarly a championship game involving just one eligible team is going to be anticlimactic, since their bid will have already been clinched. The only real reason to watch is to see if any brawls break out over the inevitable bad blood prompted by "We don't care if we're losing, because we're going to the Big Dance and you dumb fucks are going home" trash talk.
I have no idea how ESPN would handle their presentation of the championship game broadcast in either case.
Southern Conference
All games at U.S. Cellular Center, Asheville NC ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... First, quarterfinal & semifinal rounds on ESPN3.
First Round (Fri, March 7th)
11:00 am - Game 1 - #8 Samford vs #9 Appalachian State
01:30 pm - Game 2 - #7 Georgia Southern vs #10 Furman
04:00 pm - Game 3 - #6 NC-Greensboro vs #11 The Citadel
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 4 - #1 Davidson vs Game 1 winner
02:30 pm - Game 5 - #4 Elon vs #5 Western Carolina
06:00 pm - Game 6 - #2 Chattanooga vs Game 2 winner
08:30 pm - Game 7 - #3 Wofford vs Game 3 winner
Semifinals (Sun, March 9th)
06:00 pm - Game 8 - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner
08:30 pm - Game 9 - Game 6 winner vs Game 7 winner
Championship (Mon, March 10th)
09:00 pm - Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner (ESPN2)
All games at U.S. Cellular Center, Asheville NC ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... First, quarterfinal & semifinal rounds on ESPN3.
First Round (Fri, March 7th)
11:00 am - Game 1 - #8 Samford vs #9 Appalachian State
01:30 pm - Game 2 - #7 Georgia Southern vs #10 Furman
04:00 pm - Game 3 - #6 NC-Greensboro vs #11 The Citadel
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 4 - #1 Davidson vs Game 1 winner
02:30 pm - Game 5 - #4 Elon vs #5 Western Carolina
06:00 pm - Game 6 - #2 Chattanooga vs Game 2 winner
08:30 pm - Game 7 - #3 Wofford vs Game 3 winner
Semifinals (Sun, March 9th)
06:00 pm - Game 8 - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner
08:30 pm - Game 9 - Game 6 winner vs Game 7 winner
Championship (Mon, March 10th)
09:00 pm - Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner (ESPN2)
Ohio Valley Conference
All games at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville TN ... First & second rounds on OVC Digital Network ... The field is 8 teams, including the two division winners and the next six teams with the highest winning percentages regardless of division. As it turns out, the 2014 field includes the top 4 teams from each division, but the East Division had 4 of the OVC's 5 best records.
First Round (Wed, March 5th)
07:00 pm - Game 1 - #5 Tennessee Tech vs #8 SIU-Edwardsville
09:00 pm - Game 2 - #6 SE Missouri St vs #7 Eastern Illinois
Second Round (Thur, March 6th)
07:00 pm - Game 3 - #4 Morehead St vs Game 1 winner
09:00 pm - Game 4 - #3 Eastern Kentucky vs Game 2 winner
Semifinals (Fri, March 7th)
07:00 pm - Game 5 - #1 Belmont vs Game 3 winner (ESPNU)
09:00 pm - Game 6 - #2 Murray St vs Game 4 winner (ESPNU)
Championship (Sat, March 8th)
07:00 pm - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (ESPN2)
All games at Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville TN ... First & second rounds on OVC Digital Network ... The field is 8 teams, including the two division winners and the next six teams with the highest winning percentages regardless of division. As it turns out, the 2014 field includes the top 4 teams from each division, but the East Division had 4 of the OVC's 5 best records.
First Round (Wed, March 5th)
07:00 pm - Game 1 - #5 Tennessee Tech vs #8 SIU-Edwardsville
09:00 pm - Game 2 - #6 SE Missouri St vs #7 Eastern Illinois
Second Round (Thur, March 6th)
07:00 pm - Game 3 - #4 Morehead St vs Game 1 winner
09:00 pm - Game 4 - #3 Eastern Kentucky vs Game 2 winner
Semifinals (Fri, March 7th)
07:00 pm - Game 5 - #1 Belmont vs Game 3 winner (ESPNU)
09:00 pm - Game 6 - #2 Murray St vs Game 4 winner (ESPNU)
Championship (Sat, March 8th)
07:00 pm - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner (ESPN2)
Northeast Conference
All games hosted at higher seed at campus sites ... The field consists of the top 8 teams, meaning LIU-Brooklyn and Sacred Heart failed to qualify ... Teams are re-seeded after quarterfinals ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... The quarterfinal between Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis NY will be broadcast on MSG+2, Fox College Sports and Root Pittsburgh. No other quarterfinals will be televised ... The semifinals will air on MSG+ and Fox College Sports.
Quarterfinals (Wed, March 5th)
07:00 pm - #1 Robert Morris vs #8 Fairleigh-Dickinson
07:00 pm - #2 Wagner vs #7 Central Connecticut
07:00 pm - #3 Bryant vs #6 St. Francis (PA)
07:00 pm - #4 Mount St. Mary's vs #5 St. Francis (NY)
Semifinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed
02:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed
Championship (Tue, March 11th)
07:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed (ESPN or ESPN2)
All games hosted at higher seed at campus sites ... The field consists of the top 8 teams, meaning LIU-Brooklyn and Sacred Heart failed to qualify ... Teams are re-seeded after quarterfinals ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... The quarterfinal between Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis NY will be broadcast on MSG+2, Fox College Sports and Root Pittsburgh. No other quarterfinals will be televised ... The semifinals will air on MSG+ and Fox College Sports.
Quarterfinals (Wed, March 5th)
07:00 pm - #1 Robert Morris vs #8 Fairleigh-Dickinson
07:00 pm - #2 Wagner vs #7 Central Connecticut
07:00 pm - #3 Bryant vs #6 St. Francis (PA)
07:00 pm - #4 Mount St. Mary's vs #5 St. Francis (NY)
Semifinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed
02:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed
Championship (Tue, March 11th)
07:00 pm - Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed (ESPN or ESPN2)
This probably belongs in the Pet Peeves thread in P&G, but I really hate when some of these conferences refer to the round prior to the semifinals as the "quarterfinals" when less than 4 games are played. Fucking idiots. I refuse to follow suit.
Missouri Valley Conference (aka "Arch Madness")
All games at Scottrade Center, St. Louis MO ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... First, quarterfinal & semifinal rounds on MVC TV Network.
First Round (Thur, March 6th)
07:05 pm - Game 1 - #8 Drake vs #9 Evansville
09:35 pm - Game 2 - #7 Bradley vs #10 Loyola-Chicago
Quarterfinals (Fri, March 7th)
01:05 pm - Game 3 - #1 Wichita St vs Game 1 winner
03:35 pm - Game 4 - #4 Missouri St vs #5 Illinois St
07:05 pm - Game 5 - #2 Indiana St vs Game 2 winner
09:35 pm - Game 6 - #3 Northern Iowa vs #6 Southern Illinois
Semifinals (Sat, March 8th)
02:35 pm - Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner
05:05 pm - Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner
Championship (Sun, March 9th)
02:05 pm - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (CBS)
All games at Scottrade Center, St. Louis MO ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... First, quarterfinal & semifinal rounds on MVC TV Network.
First Round (Thur, March 6th)
07:05 pm - Game 1 - #8 Drake vs #9 Evansville
09:35 pm - Game 2 - #7 Bradley vs #10 Loyola-Chicago
Quarterfinals (Fri, March 7th)
01:05 pm - Game 3 - #1 Wichita St vs Game 1 winner
03:35 pm - Game 4 - #4 Missouri St vs #5 Illinois St
07:05 pm - Game 5 - #2 Indiana St vs Game 2 winner
09:35 pm - Game 6 - #3 Northern Iowa vs #6 Southern Illinois
Semifinals (Sat, March 8th)
02:35 pm - Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs Game 4 winner
05:05 pm - Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs Game 6 winner
Championship (Sun, March 9th)
02:05 pm - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (CBS)
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)
All games at Springfield Civic Center, Springfield MA ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... Quarterfinal & semifinal rounds on ESPN3.
First Round (Thur, March 6th)
05:00 pm - Game 1 - #8 Rider vs #9 Monmouth
07:00 pm - Game 2 - #7 St. Peter's vs #10 Fairfield
09:00 pm - Game 3 - #6 Marist vs #11 Niagara
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 4 - #1 Iona vs Game 1 winner
02:30 pm - Game 5 - #4 Canisius vs #5 Siena
06:30 pm - Game 6 - #2 Manhattan vs Game 2 winner
09:00 pm - Game 7 - #3 Quinnipiac vs Game 3 winner
Semifinals (Sun, March 9th)
04:30 pm - Game 8 - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner
07:00 pm - Game 9 - Game 6 winner vs Game 7 winner
Championship (Mon, March 10th)
07:00 pm - Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner (ESPN2)
All games at Springfield Civic Center, Springfield MA ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament) ... Quarterfinal & semifinal rounds on ESPN3.
First Round (Thur, March 6th)
05:00 pm - Game 1 - #8 Rider vs #9 Monmouth
07:00 pm - Game 2 - #7 St. Peter's vs #10 Fairfield
09:00 pm - Game 3 - #6 Marist vs #11 Niagara
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 4 - #1 Iona vs Game 1 winner
02:30 pm - Game 5 - #4 Canisius vs #5 Siena
06:30 pm - Game 6 - #2 Manhattan vs Game 2 winner
09:00 pm - Game 7 - #3 Quinnipiac vs Game 3 winner
Semifinals (Sun, March 9th)
04:30 pm - Game 8 - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner
07:00 pm - Game 9 - Game 6 winner vs Game 7 winner
Championship (Mon, March 10th)
07:00 pm - Game 8 winner vs Game 9 winner (ESPN2)
Hope it's an Iona\Manhattan final in the MAAC. They've played 2 real good game against each other.
As a Quinnipiac alum i'd like to take the title this year but I am not sure they can do it.RedOctober3829 said:
Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)
All games at Baltimore Arena, Baltimore MD ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament)
First Round (Fri, March 7th)
07:00 pm - Game 1 - #8 Hofstra vs #9 NC-Wilmington (CAA.TV)
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 2 - #1 Delaware vs Game 1 winner (Comcast SportsNet)
02:30 pm - Game 3 - #4 Drexel vs #5 Northeastern (Comcast SportsNet)
06:00 pm - Game 4 - #2 Towson vs #7 James Madison (Comcast SportsNet)
08:30 pm - Game 5 - #3 William & Mary vs #6 College of Charleston (Comcast SportsNet)
Semifinals (Sun, March 9th)
02:30 pm - Game 6 - Game 2 winner vs Game 3 winner (NBCSN)
05:00 pm - Game 7 - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner (NBCSN)
Championship (Mon, March 10th)
07:00 pm - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (NBCSN)
All games at Baltimore Arena, Baltimore MD ... All times Eastern (clocks change for daylight savings time on 3/9, which is mid-tournament)
First Round (Fri, March 7th)
07:00 pm - Game 1 - #8 Hofstra vs #9 NC-Wilmington (CAA.TV)
Quarterfinals (Sat, March 8th)
12:00 pm - Game 2 - #1 Delaware vs Game 1 winner (Comcast SportsNet)
02:30 pm - Game 3 - #4 Drexel vs #5 Northeastern (Comcast SportsNet)
06:00 pm - Game 4 - #2 Towson vs #7 James Madison (Comcast SportsNet)
08:30 pm - Game 5 - #3 William & Mary vs #6 College of Charleston (Comcast SportsNet)
Semifinals (Sun, March 9th)
02:30 pm - Game 6 - Game 2 winner vs Game 3 winner (NBCSN)
05:00 pm - Game 7 - Game 4 winner vs Game 5 winner (NBCSN)
Championship (Mon, March 10th)
07:00 pm - Game 7 winner vs Game 8 winner (NBCSN)
Patriot 1st Round:
#7 Colgate upends bottom-seed Navy 57-51 behind Damon Sherman-Newsome's 16 pts off the bench. Ethan Jacobs added 10 to go with 9 boards and 2 blocks. The Middies did just about everything better tonight, winning the rebounding, steals, blocks & turnover battles, But only one of them could put the biscuit in the basket. Brandon Venturini tallied 26 in a losing cause on 11-of-19 shooting, while his teammates were just 9-for-37 from the floor and only 5 of 10 on FTs. Overall Navy was just 6-for-27 on threes.
#9 Lafayette led at #8 Loyola-MD by 7 at the half and by 10 early in the 2nd before the Greyhounds drew to within 3 with 12:41 left in the game behind strong rebounding (a 30-22 margin thus far, and 14-2 on the offensive glass). But the Leopards have been shooting the lights out tonight (64% from the field, including 20-for-27 on 2-pointers) along with 16-of-22 from the line (73%) and are pulling away, up 80-64 now with 2:04 left.
EDIT - It's an 84-71 final as the Leopards put 4 in double figures, led by Seth Hinrichs' 22 and Joey Ptasinksi's 18.
#7 Colgate upends bottom-seed Navy 57-51 behind Damon Sherman-Newsome's 16 pts off the bench. Ethan Jacobs added 10 to go with 9 boards and 2 blocks. The Middies did just about everything better tonight, winning the rebounding, steals, blocks & turnover battles, But only one of them could put the biscuit in the basket. Brandon Venturini tallied 26 in a losing cause on 11-of-19 shooting, while his teammates were just 9-for-37 from the floor and only 5 of 10 on FTs. Overall Navy was just 6-for-27 on threes.
#9 Lafayette led at #8 Loyola-MD by 7 at the half and by 10 early in the 2nd before the Greyhounds drew to within 3 with 12:41 left in the game behind strong rebounding (a 30-22 margin thus far, and 14-2 on the offensive glass). But the Leopards have been shooting the lights out tonight (64% from the field, including 20-for-27 on 2-pointers) along with 16-of-22 from the line (73%) and are pulling away, up 80-64 now with 2:04 left.
EDIT - It's an 84-71 final as the Leopards put 4 in double figures, led by Seth Hinrichs' 22 and Joey Ptasinksi's 18.
Ill be down in Baltimore for the CAA tournament. Bunch of friends went to Northeastern so I root for them but I'm a Drexel guy. Kinda blows that they open with each other.
I write a shitty blog about the Dragons here, it includes my bracket for the conference tourney
I write a shitty blog about the Dragons here, it includes my bracket for the conference tourney
I used to love conference tourney time when I was in college (and the few years after I left). A group of us would get a hotel room, sometimes in the same hotel multiple teams and/or cheerleaders were in, stuff 6 or 7 guys in that room, and just have a blast.
Growing up sucks.
EDIT: This also means the college basketball pool is right around the corner. I hope Murfman is doing that again.
Growing up sucks.
EDIT: This also means the college basketball pool is right around the corner. I hope Murfman is doing that again.
Yes I do too. I have to make my annual donation because I suck at picking. I should just either pick names out of a hat or go by team colors.DrewDawg said:
Tuesday scores:
Horizon
All three favored seeds held serve at home, but one of them had a close call.
#4 Valpo over #9 IL-Chicago 73-63, as freshman 6'8" forward Alec Peters hangs 29 on the scoreboard on 10-for-11 shooting along with 8 rebounds. UIC was abysmal from the floor (36%) with guard Kelsey Barlow leading the futility brigade (2-for-15). A chippy game as each team loses three players to foul-outs.
#5 Milwaukee knocks out #8 Detroit 83-73, as the Panthers have 5 players in double figures. As if I didn't already feel old, Titans forward Juwan Howard Jr. ends his junior year by leading all scorers with 21.
#6 Oakland needed overtime to dispatch #7 Youngstown, 96-92 in a slugfest. Guard Travis Bader led all scorers with 39 despite shooting just 7-for-21 from the floor. However all of his buckets were threes, and he was a perfect 18-for-18 from on FTs. His counterpart for the Penguins, Kendrick Perry, drained 35 in a losing cause.
Friday's 2nd-round games will see Milwaukee at Valpo, while Oakland travels to #3 Wright State.
Atlantic Sun
A similar story in the A-Sun as all four hosts advance, but one had issues getting there.
Top seed Florida Gulf Coast (21-11) continues its quest to repeat the Cinderella run as they demolish #8 Stetson, 77-55. The Eagles led by 20 at the half and coasted from there. Balanced scoring and solid shooting (26/54 FG, 19/24 FT) led the way as they outrebounded the Hatters 41-30 and hold them to 36% from the floor.
#2 Mercer (24-8) handled #7 Jacksonville with ease, 85-64, behind Anthony White's 29 points. The Bears logged 9 steals as a team on the way to forcing 14 Dolphin turnovers.
#3 South Carolina-Upstate (19-13) moves on over #6 North Florida, 80-74, behind Ricardo Glenn's 22. Ospreys forward Chris Davenport ends his freshman year with 27 pts & 10 boards (his season averages were 7.1 & 5.3).
#4 East Tennessee (18-14) needed two OTs and a 28-pt, 10-rb night from G Jalen Riley to send #5 David Lipscomb packing, 89-88. Both teams had horrid shooting nights (ETSU 36%, DL 37%), and Lipscomb missed 11 of their 27 free throws. Riley hit 16 of 21 from the stripe.
Thursday's semis have ETSU @ FGCU and SC-Up @ Mercer.
Horizon
All three favored seeds held serve at home, but one of them had a close call.
#4 Valpo over #9 IL-Chicago 73-63, as freshman 6'8" forward Alec Peters hangs 29 on the scoreboard on 10-for-11 shooting along with 8 rebounds. UIC was abysmal from the floor (36%) with guard Kelsey Barlow leading the futility brigade (2-for-15). A chippy game as each team loses three players to foul-outs.
#5 Milwaukee knocks out #8 Detroit 83-73, as the Panthers have 5 players in double figures. As if I didn't already feel old, Titans forward Juwan Howard Jr. ends his junior year by leading all scorers with 21.
#6 Oakland needed overtime to dispatch #7 Youngstown, 96-92 in a slugfest. Guard Travis Bader led all scorers with 39 despite shooting just 7-for-21 from the floor. However all of his buckets were threes, and he was a perfect 18-for-18 from on FTs. His counterpart for the Penguins, Kendrick Perry, drained 35 in a losing cause.
Friday's 2nd-round games will see Milwaukee at Valpo, while Oakland travels to #3 Wright State.
Atlantic Sun
A similar story in the A-Sun as all four hosts advance, but one had issues getting there.
Top seed Florida Gulf Coast (21-11) continues its quest to repeat the Cinderella run as they demolish #8 Stetson, 77-55. The Eagles led by 20 at the half and coasted from there. Balanced scoring and solid shooting (26/54 FG, 19/24 FT) led the way as they outrebounded the Hatters 41-30 and hold them to 36% from the floor.
#2 Mercer (24-8) handled #7 Jacksonville with ease, 85-64, behind Anthony White's 29 points. The Bears logged 9 steals as a team on the way to forcing 14 Dolphin turnovers.
#3 South Carolina-Upstate (19-13) moves on over #6 North Florida, 80-74, behind Ricardo Glenn's 22. Ospreys forward Chris Davenport ends his freshman year with 27 pts & 10 boards (his season averages were 7.1 & 5.3).
#4 East Tennessee (18-14) needed two OTs and a 28-pt, 10-rb night from G Jalen Riley to send #5 David Lipscomb packing, 89-88. Both teams had horrid shooting nights (ETSU 36%, DL 37%), and Lipscomb missed 11 of their 27 free throws. Riley hit 16 of 21 from the stripe.
Thursday's semis have ETSU @ FGCU and SC-Up @ Mercer.
In the Patriot, all 4 home seeds are holding serve. #1 BU's destroying Lafayette 58-38 (12:00 left), #2 American is up on Colgate 26-11 (nearing halftime), #3 Holy Cross leads Lehigh by a dime (13:00 left), and #4 Bucknell leads Army by 6 (16:00 to play)
BIG SOUTH
Top seed Radford nearly gagged an 11-pt lead over woeful Presbyterian (6-26), who were led by Jordan Downing's 32 points. The Blue Hose cut it to 1 with under a half-minute to play, but the Highlanders nailed their free throws when it counted most and they hung on for their 21st win, 78-73.
#2 Gardner-Webb closed the first half on a 15-6 run, blowing open a 4-pt game, and they never looked back against #7 Longwood, 81-65. Jerome Hill grabbed 16 boards to go with a dozen pts, and the Runnin' Bulldogs bench scored 40 including 15 by Tyrell Nelson who added 4 reb & 3 blocks.
#3 Winthrop sent defending champs Liberty packing, 77-65. A balanced attack led by Keon Johnson (15) and 14 apiece from Joab Jerome, Andre Smith & Keon Moore, who also grabbed 8 boards. Most impressive stat of the night in Conway: The Eagles were a perfect 21-for-21 from the free throw line.
Campbell earned the 4-seed and home court through a tiebreaker anomaly, but after a slow start #5 Charleston Southern emerged as the superior team last night. Trailing by 9 at the half, the Buccaneers outscored the Camels by 19 in the 2nd and sent them home with their 20th loss, 81-71. Arlon Harper & Will Saunders each shot 6-for-12 from the floor on the way to 20 and 18 pts respectively, and Paul Gombwer grabbed 13 boards. As a team, CSU out-rebounded Campbell 41-26, including 13-4 on the offensive glass, yet despite that aggression they were only whistled for 14 fouls vs 23 for the hosts.
Top seed Radford nearly gagged an 11-pt lead over woeful Presbyterian (6-26), who were led by Jordan Downing's 32 points. The Blue Hose cut it to 1 with under a half-minute to play, but the Highlanders nailed their free throws when it counted most and they hung on for their 21st win, 78-73.
#2 Gardner-Webb closed the first half on a 15-6 run, blowing open a 4-pt game, and they never looked back against #7 Longwood, 81-65. Jerome Hill grabbed 16 boards to go with a dozen pts, and the Runnin' Bulldogs bench scored 40 including 15 by Tyrell Nelson who added 4 reb & 3 blocks.
#3 Winthrop sent defending champs Liberty packing, 77-65. A balanced attack led by Keon Johnson (15) and 14 apiece from Joab Jerome, Andre Smith & Keon Moore, who also grabbed 8 boards. Most impressive stat of the night in Conway: The Eagles were a perfect 21-for-21 from the free throw line.
Campbell earned the 4-seed and home court through a tiebreaker anomaly, but after a slow start #5 Charleston Southern emerged as the superior team last night. Trailing by 9 at the half, the Buccaneers outscored the Camels by 19 in the 2nd and sent them home with their 20th loss, 81-71. Arlon Harper & Will Saunders each shot 6-for-12 from the floor on the way to 20 and 18 pts respectively, and Paul Gombwer grabbed 13 boards. As a team, CSU out-rebounded Campbell 41-26, including 13-4 on the offensive glass, yet despite that aggression they were only whistled for 14 fouls vs 23 for the hosts.
NORTHEAST (NEC)
#1 Robert Morris got an early battle from 8-seed Fairleigh Dickinson but still advanced with their 20th win, 60-53. FDU held conference player of the year Karvel Anderson scoreless over his 28 minutes on the night, and the Knights trailed by just a bucket at the half. But the Colonials' press and man-to-man forced FDU into some bad shots (20-for-55, 3-for-17 on threes), and they built an 11-pt lead behind 19 pts & 7 boards from Lucky Jones. Anderson, who was averaging 19.6 ppg, sat out the final 8:37, exiting with RMU leading by 6, but the Knights wouldn't get any closer. No word yet on whether he's hurt (he only took 3 shots) or if he was pulled due to sucking.
#2 Wagner blew away #7 Central Connecticut, 83-59, behind 21 from Kenneth Ortiz. But the real stars were Wagner's big men. With both teams struggling badly from the floor (Wag 35.5%, CCSU 33.9%), there were plenty of rebounds to be had -- 100 in all. The Seahawks grabbed most of them, led by Orlando Parker (10) and Naofall Folahan (12), who also had 9 offensive boards between them. Overall Wagner had a 23-11 ORB margin. CCSU turned the ball over 15 times, the Seahawks only 4.
Quite the battle in Smithfield RI, where #3 Bryant sprinted to an early 17-10 lead only to trail #6 St. Francis (PA) by three at the half. The Bulldogs stormed back to take a 49-38 lead past the midway point of the 2nd half, and it looked like the Red Flash were on their way to their 21st and final loss of the season. But Bryant would only make one more FG over the final 9:32 as SFU pulled off the 55-54 upset. Ronnie Drinnon led the way with 20 pts and a beastly 18 boards including 10 ORB.
The other St. Francis, the Terriers of Brooklyn Heights NY, weren't quite so fortunate. Despite a better overall résumé at 18-14, SFC lost out on the 4-seed & home court to 14-16 Mount St. Mary's. Nevertheless, the #5 Terriers took control early, led by a dozen at halftime, and built the margin to 37-21 in the opening minutes after the break. But the Mountaineers regrouped behind senior guard and all-time, all-name team nominee Rashad Whack, who scored 24 of his team's 51 2nd-half points on the way to a game-high 28.
SFC still held an 8-pt lead with 59 seconds to play, when Brent Jones fouled Sam Prescott on a 3-pt shot. Prescott nailed all three FTs, and on the ensuing inbounds play Jones screwed up again with a turnover. That led to him fouling Julian Norfleet and another pair of FTs, and suddenly it was a 3-pt game with 44 ticks on the clock. A layup by Whack got them to within a point with :26 left, and an SFC free throw by Lowell Ulmer made it a 2-pt margin. MSM's Norfleet then committed a turnover with 11 secs left that put the Terriers on the verge of a win. All Ulmer had to do was hit a couple from the stripe. Clang. Clang.
MSM's Gregory Graves grabbed the rebound and the Mountaineers got it down the court to -- who else? -- Whack, who buried the game-winning three at the buzzer. And somewhere, a bow-tied Jim Phelan was all smiles.
Saturday's re-seeded semifinals will see #5 MSM travel to Staten Island to face #2 Wagner, while #6 SFU heads to Pittsburgh for a date with #1 RMU.
#1 Robert Morris got an early battle from 8-seed Fairleigh Dickinson but still advanced with their 20th win, 60-53. FDU held conference player of the year Karvel Anderson scoreless over his 28 minutes on the night, and the Knights trailed by just a bucket at the half. But the Colonials' press and man-to-man forced FDU into some bad shots (20-for-55, 3-for-17 on threes), and they built an 11-pt lead behind 19 pts & 7 boards from Lucky Jones. Anderson, who was averaging 19.6 ppg, sat out the final 8:37, exiting with RMU leading by 6, but the Knights wouldn't get any closer. No word yet on whether he's hurt (he only took 3 shots) or if he was pulled due to sucking.
#2 Wagner blew away #7 Central Connecticut, 83-59, behind 21 from Kenneth Ortiz. But the real stars were Wagner's big men. With both teams struggling badly from the floor (Wag 35.5%, CCSU 33.9%), there were plenty of rebounds to be had -- 100 in all. The Seahawks grabbed most of them, led by Orlando Parker (10) and Naofall Folahan (12), who also had 9 offensive boards between them. Overall Wagner had a 23-11 ORB margin. CCSU turned the ball over 15 times, the Seahawks only 4.
Quite the battle in Smithfield RI, where #3 Bryant sprinted to an early 17-10 lead only to trail #6 St. Francis (PA) by three at the half. The Bulldogs stormed back to take a 49-38 lead past the midway point of the 2nd half, and it looked like the Red Flash were on their way to their 21st and final loss of the season. But Bryant would only make one more FG over the final 9:32 as SFU pulled off the 55-54 upset. Ronnie Drinnon led the way with 20 pts and a beastly 18 boards including 10 ORB.
The other St. Francis, the Terriers of Brooklyn Heights NY, weren't quite so fortunate. Despite a better overall résumé at 18-14, SFC lost out on the 4-seed & home court to 14-16 Mount St. Mary's. Nevertheless, the #5 Terriers took control early, led by a dozen at halftime, and built the margin to 37-21 in the opening minutes after the break. But the Mountaineers regrouped behind senior guard and all-time, all-name team nominee Rashad Whack, who scored 24 of his team's 51 2nd-half points on the way to a game-high 28.
SFC still held an 8-pt lead with 59 seconds to play, when Brent Jones fouled Sam Prescott on a 3-pt shot. Prescott nailed all three FTs, and on the ensuing inbounds play Jones screwed up again with a turnover. That led to him fouling Julian Norfleet and another pair of FTs, and suddenly it was a 3-pt game with 44 ticks on the clock. A layup by Whack got them to within a point with :26 left, and an SFC free throw by Lowell Ulmer made it a 2-pt margin. MSM's Norfleet then committed a turnover with 11 secs left that put the Terriers on the verge of a win. All Ulmer had to do was hit a couple from the stripe. Clang. Clang.
MSM's Gregory Graves grabbed the rebound and the Mountaineers got it down the court to -- who else? -- Whack, who buried the game-winning three at the buzzer. And somewhere, a bow-tied Jim Phelan was all smiles.
Saturday's re-seeded semifinals will see #5 MSM travel to Staten Island to face #2 Wagner, while #6 SFU heads to Pittsburgh for a date with #1 RMU.
OHIO VALLEY (OVC)
#5 Tennessee Tech withstood a late charge from #8 SIU-Edwardsville but advanced, 74-67. After yielding a game-opening three, the Golden Eagles went on a 17-2 run and built a 16-pt lead by halftime. The Cougars chipped away after the break, cutting the margin to 5 with 38 seconds left, but TTU hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to seal it. Jeremiah Samarrippas led the way with 16 pts and 11 assists, while Dwan Caldwell added 10 pts and grabbed 9 boards. The Eagles out-shot SIUE 58% to 39%, and Kris Davis's 19 pts weren't enough to keep the Cougars from their season-ending 20th loss. TTU (17-15) plays #4 Morehead State (19-12) tonight for a 2nd-round match-up after splitting their two conference games. The Eagles finished their regular season slate with 3 straight losses.
#6 Southeast Missouri had no trouble at all with #7 Eastern Illinois, winning 79-61. The Redhawks closed the opening half with a 16-6 run and led by a dozen at the break. 6'8" senior forward Tyler Stone dominated with 27 pts, 11 reb and 3 blocks, while his frontcourt mate Nino Johnson added 12 pts & 8 reb. Their guards were solid as well, with Lucas Nutt dishing out 10 assists, and Antonius Cleveland adding 15 pts & 3 steals off the bench. Only 4 Panthers players scored, with three of them (Sherman Blanford 22, Chris Olivier 19 & Reggie Smith 14) accounting for over 90% of their points in a losing cause. Amazingly, 8 EIU reserves logged 54 minutes between them with nary a point. SEMS (18-13) faces #3 Eastern Kentucky (21-9) tonight. The Colonels, who've won 4 straight, hosted their only prior meeting this season, edging the Redhawks 79-78 back on Feb 1.
#5 Tennessee Tech withstood a late charge from #8 SIU-Edwardsville but advanced, 74-67. After yielding a game-opening three, the Golden Eagles went on a 17-2 run and built a 16-pt lead by halftime. The Cougars chipped away after the break, cutting the margin to 5 with 38 seconds left, but TTU hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch to seal it. Jeremiah Samarrippas led the way with 16 pts and 11 assists, while Dwan Caldwell added 10 pts and grabbed 9 boards. The Eagles out-shot SIUE 58% to 39%, and Kris Davis's 19 pts weren't enough to keep the Cougars from their season-ending 20th loss. TTU (17-15) plays #4 Morehead State (19-12) tonight for a 2nd-round match-up after splitting their two conference games. The Eagles finished their regular season slate with 3 straight losses.
#6 Southeast Missouri had no trouble at all with #7 Eastern Illinois, winning 79-61. The Redhawks closed the opening half with a 16-6 run and led by a dozen at the break. 6'8" senior forward Tyler Stone dominated with 27 pts, 11 reb and 3 blocks, while his frontcourt mate Nino Johnson added 12 pts & 8 reb. Their guards were solid as well, with Lucas Nutt dishing out 10 assists, and Antonius Cleveland adding 15 pts & 3 steals off the bench. Only 4 Panthers players scored, with three of them (Sherman Blanford 22, Chris Olivier 19 & Reggie Smith 14) accounting for over 90% of their points in a losing cause. Amazingly, 8 EIU reserves logged 54 minutes between them with nary a point. SEMS (18-13) faces #3 Eastern Kentucky (21-9) tonight. The Colonels, who've won 4 straight, hosted their only prior meeting this season, edging the Redhawks 79-78 back on Feb 1.
MISSOURI VALLEY
Two first round games last night, and both were upsets.
#9 Evansville finished the first half strong after a slow start against #8 Drake, using a 33-16 run to build an 11-pt lead at the break. The Aces stretched it to 14 early in the 2nd before the Bulldogs regrouped with 8 unanswered to cut the deficit to 44-38 with 16:39 left. But Drake would get no closer and Evansville advanced 69-61, led by sophomore guard D.J. Balentine's 30 points. But the real stud for the Aces was Egidijus Mockevicius, a 6-10 soph from Lithuania, who tied a career-high with 19 points, had a career-best eight blocks and grabbed 10 boards. Evansville moves on to face top-seed Wichita State to lead off today's quarterfinals.
#10 Loyola-Chicago broke open a tight contest midway through the 1st half when Devon Turk buried a pair of threes, giving the Ramblers a 21-15 lead over #7 Bradley. They remained ahead by as many as 11 until the Braves' Tyshon Pickett sank both free throws with 37 seconds left in the game for a 70-69 lead. Pickett was called for a foul on the ensuing Loyola possession, and Milton Doyle returned the favor by draining both shots with 11 seconds left to regain the edge, 71-70. Yet another Loyola foul was called with :06 on the clock, and when Bradley's Walt Lemon hit both shots it appeared the Braves might escape. But Loyola got the ball to Doyle again on the left side of the arc, and this happened...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT9h6YGoiAg
Arch Madness indeed. And that's why college basketball in March, even between two shitty teams, kicks complete and total ass.
The Ramblers (10-21) advance past Bradley (12-20), 74-72, and face 2-seed Indiana State tonight. The other quarterfinals in St. Louis will pit #4 Missouri St vs #5 Illinois St in today's second afternoon tilt, and #3 Northern Iowa vs #6 Southern Illinois in the nightcap.
Two first round games last night, and both were upsets.
#9 Evansville finished the first half strong after a slow start against #8 Drake, using a 33-16 run to build an 11-pt lead at the break. The Aces stretched it to 14 early in the 2nd before the Bulldogs regrouped with 8 unanswered to cut the deficit to 44-38 with 16:39 left. But Drake would get no closer and Evansville advanced 69-61, led by sophomore guard D.J. Balentine's 30 points. But the real stud for the Aces was Egidijus Mockevicius, a 6-10 soph from Lithuania, who tied a career-high with 19 points, had a career-best eight blocks and grabbed 10 boards. Evansville moves on to face top-seed Wichita State to lead off today's quarterfinals.
#10 Loyola-Chicago broke open a tight contest midway through the 1st half when Devon Turk buried a pair of threes, giving the Ramblers a 21-15 lead over #7 Bradley. They remained ahead by as many as 11 until the Braves' Tyshon Pickett sank both free throws with 37 seconds left in the game for a 70-69 lead. Pickett was called for a foul on the ensuing Loyola possession, and Milton Doyle returned the favor by draining both shots with 11 seconds left to regain the edge, 71-70. Yet another Loyola foul was called with :06 on the clock, and when Bradley's Walt Lemon hit both shots it appeared the Braves might escape. But Loyola got the ball to Doyle again on the left side of the arc, and this happened...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT9h6YGoiAg
Arch Madness indeed. And that's why college basketball in March, even between two shitty teams, kicks complete and total ass.
The Ramblers (10-21) advance past Bradley (12-20), 74-72, and face 2-seed Indiana State tonight. The other quarterfinals in St. Louis will pit #4 Missouri St vs #5 Illinois St in today's second afternoon tilt, and #3 Northern Iowa vs #6 Southern Illinois in the nightcap.
METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC (MAAC)
A highly entertaining Day 1:
* #8 Rider used a 12-0 run in the final 4:12 of the first half to take a 33-25 lead over #9 Monmouth at the break. The Hawks regrouped with a 21-5 counterattack over the first 8:41 of the 2nd, taking a 46-38 lead. But the Broncs responded with a 17-2 "No, no... fuck YOU!" bitchslap to grab a 55-48 lead with just under 7:00 left. Monmouth got to within 4 a minute later, but they were toast. An Anthony Myles steal and dunk with :53 left put Rider up 14, and a few garbage points for the Hawks in the waning moments made it a 71-60 final. 6'7" senior Daniel Stewart led the way with 25 pts (12/14 from the line) and 9 boards (5 ORB), and Rider's press forced 21 Monmouth turnovers leading to 30 points. The Hawks finish at 11-21 on the year, while Rider (14-16) advances to face top-seed Iona tomorrow at noon in Springfield.
* #7 St. Peter's had swept the regular season pair from #10 Fairfield. Both wins were by a measly point, and both had ended in identical dramatic fashion (more on that later). So you just knew the Peacocks & Stags would put on a show. They were tied 30-30 at the half, courtesy of a Steve Johnston three at the buzzer for Fairfield. No team led by more than a half-dozen (after the Stags' K.J. Rose hit a jumper just inside the 7:00 mark of the 2nd).
That was one of just two Stags FGs over the final 8:15 (Rose hit a layup with 4:14 left), but the Peacocks couldn't put them away. St. Peter's tied it 53-53 with 3:33 to play, but an ill-advised Desi Washington foul on a Fairfield trey attempt gave Johnston three shots, and he sank them all. Washington redeemed himself with a pair of jumpers, and the Peacocks led by a point with just over a minute left. The teams exchanged shooting fouls in the final minute, with the Stags' Marcus Gilbert hitting both FTs. But Marvin Dominique missed his front end for St. Peters with 0:28 left, and had to hit the second to force overtime.
It would come down to the final seconds of the extra frame, and after Fairfield's Maurice Barrow tied it 62-62 on a hard-earned put-back layup with :07 left, this happened...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6hncq6L2d4
Yup, Desi Washington of St. Peter's with his THIRD GAME-WINNING BUZZER BEATER AGAINST FAIRFIELD THIS SEASON. You cannot make this shit up. The Stags end their dismal year in crushing fashion at 7-25, while the Peacocks strut into the quarterfinals to face #2 Manhattan on Saturday evening.
* But wait... THERE'S MORE! We still had bottom-seed Niagara facing #6 Marist. Well, who could blame the scant few fans still at MassMutual Center for leaving early in this one. After all, the underdog Purple Eagles had sprinted to a 16-3 lead over the Red Foxes and built it to a ridiculous 43-24 by halftime. Game over, right? Both teams traded buckets & free throws early in the 2nd half, but a Marcus Ware layup with 13:28 left pushed Niagara's lead to 57-33. OK, so can we go home now?? More back-and-forth play over the next few minutes, and Niagara's Antoine Mason hits a jumper with 9:45 left for a still-daunting 64-42 Eagles lead. That's it, we're outta here.
Marist started chipping away, forcing the ball inside, drawing fouls, hitting their shots & FTs, and setting up their press. Over the next 5 minutes Niagara spat the ball up 6 times, were called for 5 hacks, and went ice-cold at the line missing 7 FTs. They also managed to get off just three FGA over that span, hitting only on a layup. Still, after Mason broke Niagara's cold streak at the line by sinking a pair with 4:04 left, the Eagles still had an 11-pt lead. They'd apparently survived the onslaught, and the early departures were proven prescient. Right?
A 7-0 Marist run cut it to 70-66 with 2:47 left. But it was still a 4-pt margin after Mason hit his 3rd straight bucket for Niagara with a minute to go at 76-72. A frantic final 60 seconds ensued, with Marist missing two FGA but getting both ORBs and Chavaughn Lewis converting a lay-in at 0:35. A Lewis foul led to a pair of made FTs by Marvin Jordan and the Eagles were back up 4. Marist then missed a three but scored on a Khallid Hart put-back to make it 78-76 Niagara with 0:16 left. The Foxes then fouled Mason, who'd put up 38 points on the night, and he missed both FTs with :13 left. Jay Bowie grabbed the DRB and Marist worked it around for a final-possession shot. But Hart's three at the buzzer was off the mark.
Despite nearly blowing a 24-point lead, 11-seed Niagara (7-25) holds on to stun 6-seed Marist, 78-76. About a dozen fans were there 'til the end, but thousands will claim they were witnesses to history. Despite 26 from Lewis and 20 from Hart, the Red Foxes end their year at 12-19. As for the Purple Eagles, the Cinderella story's next chapter may well be written starting at 9 pm Saturday night against #3 Quinnipiac. Or they'll get their asses kicked back to reality.
#4 Canisius and #5 Siena will square off in the late afternoon quarterfinal.
A highly entertaining Day 1:
* #8 Rider used a 12-0 run in the final 4:12 of the first half to take a 33-25 lead over #9 Monmouth at the break. The Hawks regrouped with a 21-5 counterattack over the first 8:41 of the 2nd, taking a 46-38 lead. But the Broncs responded with a 17-2 "No, no... fuck YOU!" bitchslap to grab a 55-48 lead with just under 7:00 left. Monmouth got to within 4 a minute later, but they were toast. An Anthony Myles steal and dunk with :53 left put Rider up 14, and a few garbage points for the Hawks in the waning moments made it a 71-60 final. 6'7" senior Daniel Stewart led the way with 25 pts (12/14 from the line) and 9 boards (5 ORB), and Rider's press forced 21 Monmouth turnovers leading to 30 points. The Hawks finish at 11-21 on the year, while Rider (14-16) advances to face top-seed Iona tomorrow at noon in Springfield.
* #7 St. Peter's had swept the regular season pair from #10 Fairfield. Both wins were by a measly point, and both had ended in identical dramatic fashion (more on that later). So you just knew the Peacocks & Stags would put on a show. They were tied 30-30 at the half, courtesy of a Steve Johnston three at the buzzer for Fairfield. No team led by more than a half-dozen (after the Stags' K.J. Rose hit a jumper just inside the 7:00 mark of the 2nd).
That was one of just two Stags FGs over the final 8:15 (Rose hit a layup with 4:14 left), but the Peacocks couldn't put them away. St. Peter's tied it 53-53 with 3:33 to play, but an ill-advised Desi Washington foul on a Fairfield trey attempt gave Johnston three shots, and he sank them all. Washington redeemed himself with a pair of jumpers, and the Peacocks led by a point with just over a minute left. The teams exchanged shooting fouls in the final minute, with the Stags' Marcus Gilbert hitting both FTs. But Marvin Dominique missed his front end for St. Peters with 0:28 left, and had to hit the second to force overtime.
It would come down to the final seconds of the extra frame, and after Fairfield's Maurice Barrow tied it 62-62 on a hard-earned put-back layup with :07 left, this happened...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6hncq6L2d4
Yup, Desi Washington of St. Peter's with his THIRD GAME-WINNING BUZZER BEATER AGAINST FAIRFIELD THIS SEASON. You cannot make this shit up. The Stags end their dismal year in crushing fashion at 7-25, while the Peacocks strut into the quarterfinals to face #2 Manhattan on Saturday evening.
* But wait... THERE'S MORE! We still had bottom-seed Niagara facing #6 Marist. Well, who could blame the scant few fans still at MassMutual Center for leaving early in this one. After all, the underdog Purple Eagles had sprinted to a 16-3 lead over the Red Foxes and built it to a ridiculous 43-24 by halftime. Game over, right? Both teams traded buckets & free throws early in the 2nd half, but a Marcus Ware layup with 13:28 left pushed Niagara's lead to 57-33. OK, so can we go home now?? More back-and-forth play over the next few minutes, and Niagara's Antoine Mason hits a jumper with 9:45 left for a still-daunting 64-42 Eagles lead. That's it, we're outta here.
Marist started chipping away, forcing the ball inside, drawing fouls, hitting their shots & FTs, and setting up their press. Over the next 5 minutes Niagara spat the ball up 6 times, were called for 5 hacks, and went ice-cold at the line missing 7 FTs. They also managed to get off just three FGA over that span, hitting only on a layup. Still, after Mason broke Niagara's cold streak at the line by sinking a pair with 4:04 left, the Eagles still had an 11-pt lead. They'd apparently survived the onslaught, and the early departures were proven prescient. Right?
A 7-0 Marist run cut it to 70-66 with 2:47 left. But it was still a 4-pt margin after Mason hit his 3rd straight bucket for Niagara with a minute to go at 76-72. A frantic final 60 seconds ensued, with Marist missing two FGA but getting both ORBs and Chavaughn Lewis converting a lay-in at 0:35. A Lewis foul led to a pair of made FTs by Marvin Jordan and the Eagles were back up 4. Marist then missed a three but scored on a Khallid Hart put-back to make it 78-76 Niagara with 0:16 left. The Foxes then fouled Mason, who'd put up 38 points on the night, and he missed both FTs with :13 left. Jay Bowie grabbed the DRB and Marist worked it around for a final-possession shot. But Hart's three at the buzzer was off the mark.
Despite nearly blowing a 24-point lead, 11-seed Niagara (7-25) holds on to stun 6-seed Marist, 78-76. About a dozen fans were there 'til the end, but thousands will claim they were witnesses to history. Despite 26 from Lewis and 20 from Hart, the Red Foxes end their year at 12-19. As for the Purple Eagles, the Cinderella story's next chapter may well be written starting at 9 pm Saturday night against #3 Quinnipiac. Or they'll get their asses kicked back to reality.
#4 Canisius and #5 Siena will square off in the late afternoon quarterfinal.
ATLANTIC SUN
A couple of great games in the semifinals:
* #4 East Tennessee State didn't make it easy, but top seed Florida Gulf Coast is still alive. The Eagles needed a strong finish in the first half just to make it a game, hitting 5 of their last 7 shots including a Filip Cvjeticanin trey to take a 34-33 lead into the locker room. They traded the lead with the Buccaneers 6 times in the 2nd half along with 7 ties, and the teams were still knotted 62-62 approaching the 2-minute mark. But Brett Comer's dunk gave FGCU the lead with 2:06 left, and Jamail Jones followed with a 3-pointer and then a pair of threes to seal the 69-64 win. After shooting just 33% from the field, ETSU (led by Rashawn Rembert's 18 pts) finishes the year at 18-15. The Eagles, with Chase Fieler's 22 pts & 15 boards topping all performers, improve to 22-11 and will host Sunday's title game.
* #2 Mercer tried to distance itself from #3 SC-Upstate several times in the first half, and a three by Ike Nwamu put the Bears up 6 with 4:00 left. But the Spartans closed on an 8-0 run to lead 31-29 at the break. USCU stayed in front until Mercer's Bud Thomas tied it at 40-40 with 14:16 to play. Four minutes later, a Langston Hall three had capped off an 11-0 Bears run, and they'd taken a 48-40 lead. After some push-back from the Spartans, another Mercer trey by Anthony White Jr. again made their lead 8 with 6:16 left. The Spartan's stormed again, with Ty Greene hitting a pair of threes and Ricardo Glenn converting two layups for a 10-0 run and a 57-55 lead with 3:30 left. Hall drained another three, only to be answered by a Glenn FT and a Torrey Craig slam to retake the lead by a deuce with 1:22 to play. A Daniel Coursey ORB for Mercer enabled Hall to finish a lay-in with 37 secs left, and it was tied 60-60. Greene's three at the buzzer was no good for USCU, and they headed to overtime.
A pair of threes by Mercer's Jakob Gollon were answered by a pair of Spartan two-pointers, and the Bears led by two in the final minute. But a Coursey foul led to Craig hitting a pair from the stripe to tie it 66-66 with :15 to go, Mercer missed their final two shots, and on they went to a second OT.
Craig's two FTs with 2:01 left tied it 72-72, but Mercer forged ahead by 4 on a pair of layups by T.J. Hallice, who earned both scores off his own ORB and steal. A Craig three for USCU cut the deficit to 1 with :30 to play, but Hall hit both his free throws with :26 left. The Spartans still had a chance, but Mario Blessing missed his early three, and Craig missed another one at the buzzer.
Mercer (25-8) survives, 78-75, led by Hall's 21 (7 in OT). The Bears travel to FGCU for Sunday's championship (2 pm, ESPN2). Craig had 24 pts and Glenn grabbed 11 boards in a losing effort for SC-Upstate. The Spartans finish 19-14 and will hope for an unlikely bid to the NIT, CIT, or CBI.
A couple of great games in the semifinals:
* #4 East Tennessee State didn't make it easy, but top seed Florida Gulf Coast is still alive. The Eagles needed a strong finish in the first half just to make it a game, hitting 5 of their last 7 shots including a Filip Cvjeticanin trey to take a 34-33 lead into the locker room. They traded the lead with the Buccaneers 6 times in the 2nd half along with 7 ties, and the teams were still knotted 62-62 approaching the 2-minute mark. But Brett Comer's dunk gave FGCU the lead with 2:06 left, and Jamail Jones followed with a 3-pointer and then a pair of threes to seal the 69-64 win. After shooting just 33% from the field, ETSU (led by Rashawn Rembert's 18 pts) finishes the year at 18-15. The Eagles, with Chase Fieler's 22 pts & 15 boards topping all performers, improve to 22-11 and will host Sunday's title game.
* #2 Mercer tried to distance itself from #3 SC-Upstate several times in the first half, and a three by Ike Nwamu put the Bears up 6 with 4:00 left. But the Spartans closed on an 8-0 run to lead 31-29 at the break. USCU stayed in front until Mercer's Bud Thomas tied it at 40-40 with 14:16 to play. Four minutes later, a Langston Hall three had capped off an 11-0 Bears run, and they'd taken a 48-40 lead. After some push-back from the Spartans, another Mercer trey by Anthony White Jr. again made their lead 8 with 6:16 left. The Spartan's stormed again, with Ty Greene hitting a pair of threes and Ricardo Glenn converting two layups for a 10-0 run and a 57-55 lead with 3:30 left. Hall drained another three, only to be answered by a Glenn FT and a Torrey Craig slam to retake the lead by a deuce with 1:22 to play. A Daniel Coursey ORB for Mercer enabled Hall to finish a lay-in with 37 secs left, and it was tied 60-60. Greene's three at the buzzer was no good for USCU, and they headed to overtime.
A pair of threes by Mercer's Jakob Gollon were answered by a pair of Spartan two-pointers, and the Bears led by two in the final minute. But a Coursey foul led to Craig hitting a pair from the stripe to tie it 66-66 with :15 to go, Mercer missed their final two shots, and on they went to a second OT.
Craig's two FTs with 2:01 left tied it 72-72, but Mercer forged ahead by 4 on a pair of layups by T.J. Hallice, who earned both scores off his own ORB and steal. A Craig three for USCU cut the deficit to 1 with :30 to play, but Hall hit both his free throws with :26 left. The Spartans still had a chance, but Mario Blessing missed his early three, and Craig missed another one at the buzzer.
Mercer (25-8) survives, 78-75, led by Hall's 21 (7 in OT). The Bears travel to FGCU for Sunday's championship (2 pm, ESPN2). Craig had 24 pts and Glenn grabbed 11 boards in a losing effort for SC-Upstate. The Spartans finish 19-14 and will hope for an unlikely bid to the NIT, CIT, or CBI.
OHIO VALLEY
Last night's second-round games:
* #4 Morehead St scored the first 13 point of the game, but only led #5 Tennessee Tech by a nickel at the break. But the Eagles opened the 2nd half on an 18-5 run to blow it open on the way to a 76-61 win. Morehead's guards dominated with Angelo Warner (23 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, only 1 turnover) and Kareem Storey (17 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl) leading the Eagles to their 20th win and a date with #1 Belmont in the semifinals tonight (7:30 pm, ESPNU). The Golden Eagles, led by Josiah Moore's 18, finish 17-16.
* #3 Eastern Kentucky finished things before #6 SE Missouri even got started. The Colonels led 8-0 after 4:30, and had pushed it to 28-8 with just under 8:00 left in the 1st half. The Redhawks trailed 39-25 at the break, but EKU put the pedal down to open the 2nd on an 8-2 run to get their 20-point margin back. SEMO attempted a small run with around 14:00 left as Tyler Stone scored all 11 of their points over a 2:20 span, but that only cut the deficit to 14. EKU led by 15 with 1:30 to play, and the Redhawks made their final push against the Colonels reserves. Jarekious Bradley and Jamaal Calvin each nailed a pair of threes, twice cutting the EKU lead to 6, but they ran out of steam and time as Isaac McGlone hit all 4 of his FTs to ice it, 84-76. Just another case of the final score being far closer than it was on the court. SE Missouri finishes 18-14, while EKU (22-9) squares off with #2 Murray State in tonight's second semifinal (10 pm, ESPNU).
Last night's second-round games:
* #4 Morehead St scored the first 13 point of the game, but only led #5 Tennessee Tech by a nickel at the break. But the Eagles opened the 2nd half on an 18-5 run to blow it open on the way to a 76-61 win. Morehead's guards dominated with Angelo Warner (23 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 4 stl, only 1 turnover) and Kareem Storey (17 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl) leading the Eagles to their 20th win and a date with #1 Belmont in the semifinals tonight (7:30 pm, ESPNU). The Golden Eagles, led by Josiah Moore's 18, finish 17-16.
* #3 Eastern Kentucky finished things before #6 SE Missouri even got started. The Colonels led 8-0 after 4:30, and had pushed it to 28-8 with just under 8:00 left in the 1st half. The Redhawks trailed 39-25 at the break, but EKU put the pedal down to open the 2nd on an 8-2 run to get their 20-point margin back. SEMO attempted a small run with around 14:00 left as Tyler Stone scored all 11 of their points over a 2:20 span, but that only cut the deficit to 14. EKU led by 15 with 1:30 to play, and the Redhawks made their final push against the Colonels reserves. Jarekious Bradley and Jamaal Calvin each nailed a pair of threes, twice cutting the EKU lead to 6, but they ran out of steam and time as Isaac McGlone hit all 4 of his FTs to ice it, 84-76. Just another case of the final score being far closer than it was on the court. SE Missouri finishes 18-14, while EKU (22-9) squares off with #2 Murray State in tonight's second semifinal (10 pm, ESPNU).
Plantiers Wart said:
I don't believe there's a specific host school. Why Springfield? Well, other than big sponsorship bucks from the Hall of Fame, MassMutual, and the Mass Convention Center Authority, and the hope that fans from CT (QU, Fairfield), NYC/NJ (Manhattan, Iona, St. Peter's, Rider, Marist, Monmouth) and upstate NY (especially Siena) would make the drive since it's wasn't all that much farther than Albany for most members, here's how the conference spun it:
Unfortunately (and predictably) the event has resulted in nothing more than a trickle of net tourism dollars at best, and attendance has sucked from the outset. As a result, it'll be moving back to Albany for a three-year gig starting next season.
WEST COAST (WCC)
A pair of first-round surprises last night in Vegas:
* #7 Portland sprinted to leads of 9-2 and 19-7 over #10 Loyola-Marymount in the 1st half, only to see the Lions respond with a 24-11 run to take a 31-30 lead at the break. The Pilots came out fast again in the 2nd, with a pair of Bobby Sharp threes capping a 13-2 run and giving them a 10-pt lead. Portland led by 13 at the 12:00 mark, but LMU scored 12 straight before Sharp stemmed the tide with another three with 7:00 to play. A pair of threes by LMU's C.J. Blackwell, aided by a Pilots turnover, turned a 4-point Lions deficit into a 2-point lead with 6:00 left. Back and forth they went until the final minute, when an Evan Payne jumper and a Nick Stover layup put LMU back up by 2.
Sharp then committed a critical turnover with 15 seconds left, forcing a teammate to foul and allowing Stover to sink a pair from the line for a 4-point lead. A Portland layup and a subsequent foul gave them a last gasp, but after LMU's Anthony Ireland hit one of two from the line, missing the second one with 5 ticks left, the Pilots grabbed the board but couldn't get a shot off. The 13-18 Lions advance, 67-64, led by Payne's 19 while Stover & Ireland kicked in 14 apiece. They'll face #2 in Saturday afternoon's first quarterfinal. For 15-16 Portland, led by Sharp (18 pts) and and center Thomas van der Mars (18 pts, 10 reb), it's the end of the line.
* #9 Santa Clara was more clandestine in its assault on #8 Pacific, as the Tigers were within 3 or fewer points for most of the first half, and held the lead for several minutes along the way. But after a pair of Khalil Kelley drew Pacific back to within 3 early in the 2nd half, the Broncos made their move. Jared Brownridge hit a bucket and a pair of threes as Santa Clara went on a 17-8 run to lead by 12 with 12:00 left. Pacific then went ice cold and started making a shit-ton of mistakes, and by the time SC's Brandon Clark hit a pair of FTs with 6:12 to play, the Broncos were up 70-49.
How awful was it? Over the preceding 5 minutes, the Tigers made just 1 FG, 5 FT, committed 3 TOs & 6 fouls, and missed 4 shots from the floor. And while they tried to chip away down the stretch, it was no use. An Evan Roquemore jumper with 1:16 left put Santa Clara up by 20 again, and it ended as an 81-64 upset for the Broncos. Pacific closes out its year at 15-15. Santa Clara (14-18) got 20 from Brownridge, 17 from Roquemore, and 15 from Clark. Meanwhile they out-boarded Pacific 37-28 including a 15-9 ORB margin. They'll advance to face top-seeded Gonzaga tomorrow night.
The other quarterfinals pit #3 San Francisco vs #6 San Diego, and #4 St. Mary's vs #5 Pepperdine.
A pair of first-round surprises last night in Vegas:
* #7 Portland sprinted to leads of 9-2 and 19-7 over #10 Loyola-Marymount in the 1st half, only to see the Lions respond with a 24-11 run to take a 31-30 lead at the break. The Pilots came out fast again in the 2nd, with a pair of Bobby Sharp threes capping a 13-2 run and giving them a 10-pt lead. Portland led by 13 at the 12:00 mark, but LMU scored 12 straight before Sharp stemmed the tide with another three with 7:00 to play. A pair of threes by LMU's C.J. Blackwell, aided by a Pilots turnover, turned a 4-point Lions deficit into a 2-point lead with 6:00 left. Back and forth they went until the final minute, when an Evan Payne jumper and a Nick Stover layup put LMU back up by 2.
Sharp then committed a critical turnover with 15 seconds left, forcing a teammate to foul and allowing Stover to sink a pair from the line for a 4-point lead. A Portland layup and a subsequent foul gave them a last gasp, but after LMU's Anthony Ireland hit one of two from the line, missing the second one with 5 ticks left, the Pilots grabbed the board but couldn't get a shot off. The 13-18 Lions advance, 67-64, led by Payne's 19 while Stover & Ireland kicked in 14 apiece. They'll face #2 in Saturday afternoon's first quarterfinal. For 15-16 Portland, led by Sharp (18 pts) and and center Thomas van der Mars (18 pts, 10 reb), it's the end of the line.
* #9 Santa Clara was more clandestine in its assault on #8 Pacific, as the Tigers were within 3 or fewer points for most of the first half, and held the lead for several minutes along the way. But after a pair of Khalil Kelley drew Pacific back to within 3 early in the 2nd half, the Broncos made their move. Jared Brownridge hit a bucket and a pair of threes as Santa Clara went on a 17-8 run to lead by 12 with 12:00 left. Pacific then went ice cold and started making a shit-ton of mistakes, and by the time SC's Brandon Clark hit a pair of FTs with 6:12 to play, the Broncos were up 70-49.
How awful was it? Over the preceding 5 minutes, the Tigers made just 1 FG, 5 FT, committed 3 TOs & 6 fouls, and missed 4 shots from the floor. And while they tried to chip away down the stretch, it was no use. An Evan Roquemore jumper with 1:16 left put Santa Clara up by 20 again, and it ended as an 81-64 upset for the Broncos. Pacific closes out its year at 15-15. Santa Clara (14-18) got 20 from Brownridge, 17 from Roquemore, and 15 from Clark. Meanwhile they out-boarded Pacific 37-28 including a 15-9 ORB margin. They'll advance to face top-seeded Gonzaga tomorrow night.
The other quarterfinals pit #3 San Francisco vs #6 San Diego, and #4 St. Mary's vs #5 Pepperdine.
Another shining moment in today's Big South quarterfinals. Adam Weary of #1N High Point buried a jump hook from the right side of the key to give the Panthers a 60-59 lead with 5.9 seconds left. #4S Winthrop gets the ball to junior guard Andre Smith, and then this happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaQ9nbJ4Jow
March Madness, baby. Smith finished with 12 pts, while Keon Moore lit it up for 23 on 8-of-12 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.
It's being called an "upset" since the Panthers won the North division, the Eagles' conference record (10-6) was 2 games worse than High Point's (12-4), and they also trailed HP in RPI this morning (169-195). But Winthrop's now 19-12 overall while the Panthers are 16-14, and the Eagles were also ranked higher heading into today's action by both KenPom (221-249) and Sagarin (233-270). Anyway, High Point is on its way to the NIT with an auto-bid as a regular-season conference champion.
Winthrop moves on to face #2N UNC-Asheville (17-14), 96-87 winners over #3N Radford (21-12) in a semifinal tomorrow at noon. The Bulldogs barely ran 2 deep into the bench today, with reserve center Jaleel Roberts getting only 5 minutes while the 5 starters and backup guard Corey Littlejohn, the only others to see action, all played at least 28 minutes. Guards Jaron Lane (29) & Andrew Rowsey (27) led the UNCA onslaught, while center D.J. Cunningham was a beast with 19 boards & 18 pts. The Bulldogs were also whistled for a shockingly low 12 fouls, while Radford was called for 26.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaQ9nbJ4Jow
March Madness, baby. Smith finished with 12 pts, while Keon Moore lit it up for 23 on 8-of-12 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line.
It's being called an "upset" since the Panthers won the North division, the Eagles' conference record (10-6) was 2 games worse than High Point's (12-4), and they also trailed HP in RPI this morning (169-195). But Winthrop's now 19-12 overall while the Panthers are 16-14, and the Eagles were also ranked higher heading into today's action by both KenPom (221-249) and Sagarin (233-270). Anyway, High Point is on its way to the NIT with an auto-bid as a regular-season conference champion.
Winthrop moves on to face #2N UNC-Asheville (17-14), 96-87 winners over #3N Radford (21-12) in a semifinal tomorrow at noon. The Bulldogs barely ran 2 deep into the bench today, with reserve center Jaleel Roberts getting only 5 minutes while the 5 starters and backup guard Corey Littlejohn, the only others to see action, all played at least 28 minutes. Guards Jaron Lane (29) & Andrew Rowsey (27) led the UNCA onslaught, while center D.J. Cunningham was a beast with 19 boards & 18 pts. The Bulldogs were also whistled for a shockingly low 12 fouls, while Radford was called for 26.
America East Quarterfinals
#8 UNH opened up a 27-19 lead on #1 Vermont but UVM finished the half on a 16-0 run to hold a 35-27 lead.
#8 UNH opened up a 27-19 lead on #1 Vermont but UVM finished the half on a 16-0 run to hold a 35-27 lead.
In the Northeast, #4 Mount St. Mary's trying to pull off the upset at #2 Wagner, up 66-62 with 4:00 left.
EDIT - The Mountaineers get it done, 77-72. They'll face the winner of Robert Morris/St. Francis PA (underway now) in Tuesday night's championship.
EDIT - The Mountaineers get it done, 77-72. They'll face the winner of Robert Morris/St. Francis PA (underway now) in Tuesday night's championship.
RedOctober3829 said:
Are you in Albany?
Might shoot up tomorrow for Hartford game if they win tonight.
No I'm not. Wish I was.Plantiers Wart said:
Vermont ended up winning 77-60. #5 seed UMBC is without 4 players(including it's 2nd leading scorer) today and is getting killed by #4 Albany. It's 24-7 Albany midway though the 1st half.
Northeast #6 St. Francis PA (10-20) trying to upset #1 Robert Morris, up just 20-15 at halftime. An atrocious shooting half for both teams (SF 31%, RMU 25%). Only 7 fouls called combined, and just one free throw was attempted (and made, by RMU).
2nd half just underway in Pittsburgh.
EDIT - The Colonials trailed at one point 20-11, but they're on a 15-2 run and now lead 26-22 just 4:00 into the 2nd half. Looks like Coach Toole ripped them a new asshole at the break.
2nd half just underway in Pittsburgh.
EDIT - The Colonials trailed at one point 20-11, but they're on a 15-2 run and now lead 26-22 just 4:00 into the 2nd half. Looks like Coach Toole ripped them a new asshole at the break.
In the Big South semis, #4S Winthrop's Cinderella run continues. After beating #1N High Point last night, they beat #2S UNC-Asheville this afternoon 80-79 to advance to the championship game. They will meet the winner of VMI-Coastal Carolina tomorrow for the automatic NCAA bid.
RedOctober3829 said:
After seeing the score, I was so hoping it was another buzzer-beater. Turns out they had to hang on for life down the stretch with a 3-pt lead in a frantic final minute. The Eagles didn't score a point while UNCA aggressively grabbed 4 boards & blocked 2 shots, but the Bulldogs missed both their FGA and only sank a pair of free throws.
mabrowndog said:
RMU ultimately built a 12-pt lead with 9:00 to play, and they were still up 10 with 4:30 left. But the Red Flash went on a 10-1 run, led off by Malik Harmon's consecutive threes, to get back within a point with 2:00 remaining. Harmon missed a three with 1:01 on the clock, and while crashing the boards for the rebound committed a foul on David Appolon, who sank both FTs to put the Colonials up 3. SFU's Earl Brown went to the line with :41 left and hit just 1 of 2. Then after another SFU foul, Apolon hit just 1 of 2, but it was still a 3-pt game with :14 to play. The Flash held for the final shot, but Harmon's three at the buzzer was off and Robert Morris held on for the 60-57 win.
It'll be the Colonials hosting the MSM Mountaineers on Tuesday night at 7 pm for the dance ticket. TV will be either ESPN or ESPN2.
Patriot top seed BU struggling a bit with #5 Army in the first semifinal of the day. The Terriers were up 10, but lead by just 4 at the half, 39-35. It's on CBSSN, which will also have Holy Cross & American U in the other semi at 5:30.
MAAC quarterfinals update...
#1 Iona had no trouble whatsoever with #8 Rider, 94-71. The Gaels led by 16 at the half and just cruised behind Tre Bowman's 28 (9/13 shooting, 5/9 on threes), Sean Armand's 20, and David Laury's 18 with 11 boards. As a team, Iona shot 60% from the floor (31/52). They hit 11 of 25 threes, so they were 20/27 on 2-point buckets (74%).
#4 Canisius just advanced past #5 Siena, 71-65, as Billy Baron (Jim's kid) leads 5 starters in double-figures with 17. Chris Manhertz grabbed 11 boards, 5 of them ORBs. Brett Bisping had 22 pts & 9 reb for the Saints (15-17).
So the Gaels (21-9) & Golden Griffins (21-11) will meet in the first of tomorrow's semifinals. Still to come tonight in the quarters: #2 Manhattan vs #7 St. Peter's, and #3 Quinnipiac vs #11 Niagara.
#1 Iona had no trouble whatsoever with #8 Rider, 94-71. The Gaels led by 16 at the half and just cruised behind Tre Bowman's 28 (9/13 shooting, 5/9 on threes), Sean Armand's 20, and David Laury's 18 with 11 boards. As a team, Iona shot 60% from the floor (31/52). They hit 11 of 25 threes, so they were 20/27 on 2-point buckets (74%).
#4 Canisius just advanced past #5 Siena, 71-65, as Billy Baron (Jim's kid) leads 5 starters in double-figures with 17. Chris Manhertz grabbed 11 boards, 5 of them ORBs. Brett Bisping had 22 pts & 9 reb for the Saints (15-17).
So the Gaels (21-9) & Golden Griffins (21-11) will meet in the first of tomorrow's semifinals. Still to come tonight in the quarters: #2 Manhattan vs #7 St. Peter's, and #3 Quinnipiac vs #11 Niagara.