Yeah, the Heels pretty much stunk up the place, no matter what place it was this season. So it goes. Congratulations to Duke for keeping Maryland from taking more than half of the ACC season crown out of the state of North Carolina - for even though Dook may not be a North Carolina school (with only 15% of its student body in-state, they obviously don't give a crap about educating the native population) - it most decidedly is IN the state of North Carolina, whether they like it or not. And congratulations to the Blue Devil seniors for finally beating the Tar Heels in Cameron, in their 4th and final chance.

Now let's see if they can keep their high seeding throughout the ACC Tourney, and if they can refrain from getting knocked out of the NCAAs early - like they've allowed to happen for, what, every year for about a decade now? :-)

And congratulations to Murray State for getting to The Dance. Good luck to them. However, were I their AD, I woudn't book a second night at the motel. :-)

Regular update to follow.
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The prelims of March Madness continue, and we now have a few more RSVPs back. Aside from the aforementioned Cornell (Ivy) and Murray State (Ohio Valley), there are these conference winners also:

East Tennessee State - Atlantic Sun
Winthrop - Big South
Northern Iowa - Missouri Valley

And of these 5 teams so far, I can see NIU winning a game in The Dance, with all the others having a meet-and-greet, then hit the street.

As for the balance of the action over the weekend, take note of these:

Arizona State 56 - UCLA 46 = This give the Sun Devils 22 wins for the season. If they don't receive an at-large . . . well, then I don't wanna hear any mid-majors baitching if they don't get a 3rd or 4th bid, or the also-rans if they don't get a 2nd.

Baylor 92 - Texas 77 = What in the holy hell has happened to the 'Horns? Am I the only person in the country who thinks Rick Barnes is one pretty crappy excuse for a coach?

Mississippi 68 - Arkansas 66 = This may have insured the Rebels get in, and almost certainly insured that the 'Hogs are out.

Butler 68 - Wisc. Milwaukee 59 = Butler's the class of the Horizon, and has been for a while. Unless there is some upsets in their tourney, the Bulldogs and maybe Wright State will be their dancers . . . if they get that 2nd bid. It's a decent mid-major, but I'd not give them 3.

VCU 75 - George Mason 60 = But I might give the Colonial 3 . . . which might leave both of these out. That would be a shame, but you can only cut the cake into so many pieces.

Virginia Tech 88 - Georgia Tech 82 = The Hokies were likely in before this win, and the Jackets were likely out. This should guarantee that, both ways.

Iowa State 85 - Kansas State 82 (OT) = OK, there were a few upsets in the last week or so, but perhaps none bigger than this one. Before their loss to the Jayhawks, K-State was dreaming of snatching a #1-seed from somebody. Now that've lost again, and to a crap Cyclones team to boot, they should feel lucky to get a #3.

Tennessee 75 - Mississippi State 59 = OK, I'd expect the Vols to take this one, but here's the thing: How many bids do you think the Committee's gonna give the SEC? Will all 6 above .500 in conference play get in? The Bulldogs better hope so.

Purdue 64 - Penn State 60 = Without Hummel, the Boilermakers looked like dogs against the Spartans the previous weekend. Beating PSU's PU squad by 4 points is fairly canine too. They will dance, but if they keep up this type of play they may not even make the Sweet Sixteen.

South Florida 75 - U. Conn 68 = This will not get the Bulls in, but it did bull the Huskies out, you can bank on it. They can't win the Big East tourney, any more than the Tar Heels can win the ACC.


On Sunday:

Kentucky 74 - Florida 66 = A decent-enough win over a pretty good (at times) Gator team. But again, WTF is going on in Lexington? I watched a bit of the 1st half, and UK was all over the Gators like stink on skunks so, expecting a blowout, I moved on to something else. But once again the Wildcats let their opponent right back into the game . . . just like they've done 2 dozen times this season. They may have the best talent of all going into the NCAAs, but talent alone rarely wins it all, and this trend may not stand them in good stead that 2nd weekend . . . and certainly not that 3rd, if they make it that far.

Wisconsin 72 - Illinois 57 = Two weeks ago I'd have said the Illini were a shoo-in for an at-large bid. Now, with 3 Ls inna row, I'm more inclined to say they are in danger of becoming a shoo-out. As for the Badgers, they are in.

Michigan State 64 - Michigan 48 = This was the 2nd week in a row I've watched the Spartans. They reeked against Purdue . . . who reeked even more, and lost . . . and they were not all that impressive against a putrid Logan team either. And this is the Big Ten co-tri-champion, and a Top Ten (well, 11th, to be perzact) team? Shoot, at this point only the Buckeyes are playing like champs.

ODU 73 - VCU 69 (OT) = The Monarchs are in, and were regardless. The Rams needed this one, not badly but rather desperately, so this is one killer of a tough loss.

Wake Forest 70 - Clemson 65 = This puts both these squads at 9-7 in the ACC, and tied for 5th place. How many bids will the Committee grant? Four, certainly, and almost certainly a 5th . . . but a 6th? Hmmmmmm. Makes it important for BOTH these teams to do something positive in the ACC tourney.

N. C. State 66 - Boston College 54 = And here's two teams with twenty left feet on the court at any given time, so even if they WERE invited to dance . . . which won't happen . . . they wouldn't be able to keep time, much less keep up. But it does get Jerry's Wolfpack out of the conference basement. Besides, when was the last time they finished a regular season tied in conference play with the Tar Heels? That's gotta be worth something! :-)


Tonight there are some great games in conference tourament action, between some damn good teams:

Siena vs. Fairfield = The Metro Atlantic may get a 2nd bid, but it's dangerous to bank on that, especially considering the parity in the "power" players.

William&Mary vs. ODU = Pretty much the same story here, though the Colonial does normally get a slight nod over the MAC this time of year.

Appalachian State vs. Wofford = Same story here, though the Southern is often denied that 2nd shot.

Gonzaga vs. St. Mary's = I'd expect both these West Coast teams to get in, particularly as the 'Zags have become perennials now. But it's still one heck of a game.

As always,, brothers, enjoy.
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:-):-) I'm hoping they stay at a Holiday Inn Express...maybe that'll work :-).

Watching the Sun Belt tourney right now; Western is down to Troy, but coming on.

I'm with you on UK, Poet. Calipari has not exercised them of the bad habit of coasting. That ain't gonna cut it in the Dance, some little school is going to knock their block off if they don't find a way to stay interested in a game.

I was also very surprised with Kansas State's performance. I was hoping they'd snatch the 4th #1 seed from dook, but it doesn't look likely now.

Fun week ahead!
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Always a fun week, Joe, what with all the conference tournaments leading up to the start of that best weekend in sports - four days of solid hoops from noon to midnight. As for all you guys who are loving those conference wars - be they little, mid-major, or the Big Boys - and speaking as a loyal ACC fan who spent the first half of my life listening to all of you tell me that my guys were freakin' nutz to base their season on a tournament for all the marbles - well, you are welcome very much. :-)

Update to follow.
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Well, there's 4 more going to The Dance for sure now. Old Dominion took care of Wm.&Mary for the Colonial while Wofford topped App. State for the Southern, both in fairly close games. It took Siena an extra 5 minutes to rid themselves of Fairfield for the Metro Atlantic, but they got the job done. They and ODU have a chance to win one game come next weekend, but I'd not expect Wofford to get 'er done. The 4th team to get in, St. Mary's, may also win a game, for last night they laid a 19-point whuppin' on perennial fan fave darkhorse - and total braggards - Gonzaga.

Tonight there's more conference tourney action, most notably in the Big East. In fact, that's already started. South Florida took out DePaul 58-49, and with 49 ticks left St. John's is beating the tar out of U. Conn. In lieu of updating more, I'll be back in a flash with the final, and we'll go from there.
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Final: St. John's 73 - U. Conn 51 = As I said on here earlier, UNC won't be the only #1-seed from last year to sit out this dance. As for the Johnnies, this won't get them into the NCAAs, and it may not even save Norm Roberts' job, but at least it keeps their hopes alive for one more day. Survive and advance, as V put it.
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There looks to be three more automatics up for grabs this evening:

Butler vs. Wright State = Here's the Horizon crown for you. Butler is the people's pick, and have to be favored in this game. But as some experts have pointed out, their outstanding winning record may be a bit deceiving. True, they beat an overrated Northwestern team, and Ohio State (when Turner was out injured, I believe), and the yo-yo Xavier squad. However, they didn't play much of anybody else out of conference - of which they are the class - and those they did play (Minnesota, Clemson, Georgetown, & UAB) all beat them. Yeah, I can see them winning their first game next week, but after that it all depends on whom they are paired against.

Troy vs. North Texas = And here's your Sun Belt representative. I admit I know next to nothing about either one, and I believe it will not matter anyway. Toss a coin, as they both are one-and-dones.

Oakland vs. IUPUI = A different "Who are they?" conference - the Summit League in this case - but the same story here. One of them will get one check from the NCAA, and the other will save some travel expenses.


Aside from that, and continuing Big East early-round games, we have action in the Mid-Eastern Conference - with powers such as Bethune-Cookman and Howard playing - and the Big Sky guys, pitting giants like Weber State and Northern Colorado against other "Hunh??" programs. Oh, and as for one that actually might matter, play will occur in the decent mid-major Atlantic 10 Conference. Out of the 14 schools in the A-10 (?????? - hey, don't ask me), there are two or three capable of, at the very least, scaring some of the best teams in the nation.

Whatever you do, enjoy. And hey, if you can't enjoy this time of year, you're a Commie, or a girl, or both. :-)
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Just ran across an interesting factoid: Today's loss in MSG to St. John's has extended U. Conn's losing streak in the Big East tourney to six games. The Huskies have not won a game - no, not a championship, a GAME! - in the conference tournament since the quarterfinals in 2005.

Wow. Just freakin' wow.
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The Sun Belt title game is pretty good, so far.
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And if the final is any indication, it remained that way also. North Texas took care of Troy 66-63 to take the automatic of the Sun Belt. The other two autos from last night were not nearly as close, as Oakland beat IUPUI for the Summit 76-64, and Butler spanked Wright State 70-45 for the Horizon. So now we have two more one-and-dones in our field of 64+1, plus one who may - MAY, I said - have a chance to reach the Sweet 16.

Regular update to follow.
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OK, aside from those Final finals above, I saw four other games to note:

Cincinnati 69 - Rutgers 68 = Both of these teams are 'way back of the bubble, and the Bearcats are nearly as unlikely to win the Big East tourney as are the Scarlet Knights they eliminated last night. In fact, I think Louisville will take them out before this day is over. But it was a heck of a game nonetheless.

The other three were all in the A-10 Conference, since I don't lend much credence to the validity of those also-rans who played yesterday - no offense, but there it is.

U. Mass 59 - Charlotte 56 = This puts the 49ers out for the year, and they fell on their own dang court to boot. Mass is still on the far far side of the bubble. But they still breathe, and as this tourney is on break until the 12th, they can breathe until then anyway.

Dayton 70 - George Washington 60 = Same story here.

Rhode Island 87 - St. Joe's 76 = More of the same, since I can't see the Committee going 5-deep in the Atlantic 10. Three? Sure, OK. Four? Maybe. Five? Gimme a break. The A-10 is decent, but it ain't that great.


As for today's action, some of it is already over - more so for some than for others:

Georgetown 69 - South Florida 49 = Such as the Bulls. They are done. The Hoyas were in before the ball tipped off.

Marquette 57 - St. John's 55 = So was Marquette, at least in my book, and this should insure that. As for the Johnnies . . . well, mebbe they should have saved a few baskets from that spanking they gave U. Conn yesterday.

Texas Tech 82 - Colorado 67 = And in this early Big 12 action, the Red Raiders cow the Buffaloes. It won't get them in, but they still have a prayer. And what with all the Big Boys in the Big 12, it will take all the prayers they can muster.

Houston 93 - East Carolina 80 = There are a full handful of decent teams in the CUSA. These two are NOT amongst them. However, the Cougars are still on the prowl, whereas the Pirates are sunk.

Later tonight we have more action in a number of conferences . . . most of whom don't matter. F'instance, there's the Mid-Eastern Conference, pitting powers like Morgan State or NC A&T against other monsters. Then there's the scary Southland, featuring such beasts as Nicholls State or TAMU Corpus Christi. And if that's not enough, we have the perennial contenders of the Great West Conference, with TX Pan American or NJIT (NJIT?? Great West?? WTF??). Oh, and they also kick off play in the Mountain West and the Pac-10, and I'll leave it to the experts to decide which one is for real and which one isn't here. Aside from that, two more tickets will get punched tonight:

Montana vs. Weber State = This will give us our Big Sky representative. I suppose it is possible for one or the other of these to beat somebody in the NCAA . . . but since neither one has actually beaten anybody much of anybody all year, I'd doubt it seriously.

Quinnipiac vs. Robert Morris = And I further suppose one of these from the Northeast Conference could win a game also . . . if they are paired against one of those immediately above. As the latter will not happen, the former will not too.

I might be back with more a bit later, but for now . . . enjoy.
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Nebraska, the 12th-seed in the Big 12, and bottom feeder with their 2-14 conference record, has knocked 5-seed Missouri (10-6 in Big 12 play) out of the tournament in the opening round by beating them like a red-headed stepchild, 75-60.

Whoa.
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Well, some interesting things keep happening. But to get to the things which are NOT first:

Robert Morris 52 - Quinnipiac 50 = A close game for the Northeast automatic bid. Welcome, and goodbye.

Montana 66 - Weber State 65 = An even closer one for the Big Sky seat . . . in the temporary bleachers.

Cincinnati 69 - Louisville 66 = Well, this is notable. I didn't think the Bearcats could take this one, since the Cardinals have been playing fairly OK of late. Just shows to go ya. But that's not the MOST interesting outcome, as you'll see.

Aside from what's ongoing in prior mentioned leagues, action has either already begun or shall soon begin in the ACC, Big Ten, SEC, and WAC conference tourneys. Fact is, we already have a few finals for y'all:

Kansas 80 - Texas Tech 68 = About what one would expect, save that the Jayhawks struggled a bit, but notable for one reason: Kansas now becomes the third school, AND THE THIRD SCHOOL THIS SEASON!, to reach the 2,000-win mark. Congratulations to them. Now let's see how many more they can get before they stub their toes, like:

Georgetown 91 - Syracuse 84 = Wow. The Hoyas were in freefall two weeks ago, and the Orange was rolling. Now that's turned around . . . at least for now. Syracuse may or may not get that #1 seed now, depending upon what Dook and the Buckeyes do in their tourneys. As for this tourney, the Big East seems to be up for grabs at the moment, especially when you consider:

Marquette 80 - Villanova 76 = And another of the higher seeds falls. If Marquette wasn't in before now, this should seal the deal. As for 'Nova, their shot at a #2-seed may drop to a #4.

Miami 83 - Wake Forest 62 = What? WHAT?? The 'Canes just purely suck, even worse than my Heels suck, while the Deacs needed this to get off that damn bubble. And this wasn't just an upset, this was a butt-stomp! Ohhhhhh my!

Houston 66 - Memphis 65 = OK, the Cougars are not as terrible, and the Tigers not as "bubbly", but this here is more of the same in the CUSA. If the last few days have been any indication, there's dang few teams going into the NCAAs who know what a tournament is, much less how to win one.

Virginia 68 - Boston College 62 = No biggie either way here, save that the Cavs survive to play another day.

There's a bulging handful of meaningful games in progress as I post, and several more throughout the evening, so I'll be back soon. Until then, enjoy.
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There are a few more finals, but in games where either the favorite won or where neither team much matters . . . hey, who cares if Michigan eliminated Iowa, f'instance? There is one to keep an eye on: With 9 minutes to play, Southern Miss has UAB by a dozen, and if they hold on it will be another middlin' upset - not huge, but not mild either.
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Nebraska shot their bolt against Missouri yeaterday, and Texas A&M ends the Huskers' season with a 70-64 final. UCLA ends Arizona's, 75-69. And Southern Miss still up double-digits with 4 1/2 to go.
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The Tide washes the 'Cocks, 68-63. New Mexico grounds the Air Force, 75-69. Vols about to lose LSU. UAB cuts it to single digits, with maybe enough time left.
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Vols win by 10, and Southern Miss a minute from winning by dang near 20.
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Oh, and in case you're keeping track, nobody's gonna win a ticket to The Dance today . . . although a few teams may lose one, if they haven't already.
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Good coverage, Poet! Pitt is getting a good game from Notre Dame right now. Hope I can stay awake to watch Cinci and WV next, but 4:30 comes early.

Really was surprised at the Webber State loss; they were up over 20 points in the first half, and then I come back home to see they lost!

Not much exciting happening in the PAC-10, it appears. How long will it be before UCLA or Arizona are relevant again?
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Yeah buddy, the Irish gave the Panthers more than they could handle, knocking another of the ranked teams out of MSG with their 50-45 victory. As for Weber State, well, there has been bigger surprises over the last few days. And re the Pac-10, I think UCLA will find the magic fairly soon, since they have so much to offer there, in so many ways. As for Arizona, I believe they may get smacked around a bit by the NCAA for some of the things Lute Olson did there, so it may take them longer.

And speaking of the Pac-10:

Stanford 70 - Arizona State 61 = You may have noticed me lobbying for the Sun Devils getting an at-large on this thread. Well, this loss does not help them one damn bit.

In other action yesterday:

Baylor 86 - Texas 67 = Holy crud. After going 17-0, the Longhorns have now gone 7-9, and fallen off the map entirely . . . and when you consider how large a map of Texas is, that's a looooong way. They should get an at-large, but it won't be a very good one.

Kansas State 83 - Oklahoma State 64 = The Big 12 have been pushing for 7 bids, which means they want the Cowboys to be that #7. This thrashing doesn't help their cause.

Tulsa 80 - Marshall 64 = And this may not help Tulsa enough to get in, yet may hurt Marshall enough to keep them out. I myself would not give the CUSA 5 bids, so you need to make the cut somewhere.

West Virginia 54 - Cincinnati 51 = Well, it wasn't easy, but at least one more of the "top" teams of the Big East lived to play another day. Will the Hoyas and the Mountaineers fight to the finish? Or will Marquette and Notre Dame continue the upset parade in the Garden? We'll find out soon enough.

N. C. State 59 - Clemson 57 = As with Wake Forest, Clemson needed this to put that bubble past their backsides. But Jerry's Pack denied them. God, don't ya just love this . . . not necessarily this in particular, but this in toto.


There will be a ticket punched for the Patriot League when Lafayette meets Lehigh this evening, but in the meantime other action proceeds. There's a few finals already today:

Duke 57 - Virginia 46 = So far the Blue Devils did what the Orange did not, which is "what they needed" to hold onto that #1-seed they want. And they had an easier time of it than:

Ohio State 69 - Michigan 68 = That's much too close for comfort for the Buckeyes, especially as poorly as the Wolverines have played this year. Does not bode well for OSU.

Kentucky 73 - Alabama 67 = Does not bode well for the Wildcats either, as this one was . . . again . . . closer than the score. The Tide had the lead up to double-digits early, and outrebounded UK too. But they did survive their first tourney experience, and may still learn from it. We'll see. Hey, at the least they did better than:

Miami 70 - Virginia Tech 65 = WTF? The Hurricanes couldn't win a big game all year, and now they take two in a row in the ACC Tourney? I don't think this hurts the Hokies at-large bid, but it cannot help their confidence much.

Illinois 58 - Wisconsin 54 = Have the Illini rightened their canoe again? This is a good win for them, and likely puts them safely off the bubble. The Badgers were off it already, but this does not help their seeding position.

Rhode Island 63 - Saint Louis 47 = What a spanking, and one that may hurt the A-10 too. Before this, the Billikens may . . . MAY, I say . . . have gotten some consideration for a 4th A-10 at-large. But the Rams can't convince the Committee to go 5-deep, so need to win to get the automatic . . . which puts somebody else out. As it won't be Temple, or Xavier, that means the Richmond Spiders. Ouch.

I have some work to do now, so may or may not be back later today. Regardless, I'll be here tomorrow. Until when, enjoy.
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