NCAA Tournament Second Round
2:10 PM ET
(7) West Virginia (25-10, 11-7 Big East)
(2) Duke (28-5, 13-3 ACC)
Notes: Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers WVU are really going to push Duke after the Blue Devils lackluster performance against Belmont. Could Coach K's boys be the first No. 2 seed to bow out of the tourney?
4:20 PM ET
(11) Kansas State (21-11, 10-6 Big 12)
(3) Wisconsin (30-4, 16-2 Big Ten)
Notes: Bill Walkers inspired first half performance helped set the tone of these young cats against the men of Troy. Beasley is a pro, he brings it every game, inside, outside, it doesn't matter he will gets his points every game. Walker needs to show up early, against a better defensive team making them honest early will be the key. Stewart and Pullen should combine for 18 points. The difference in the game may be a forgotten name in the Wildcat rotation highly touted G Blake Young who has been silent from downtown. Left unmolested on the perimeter he wasn't taking wide open three point looks against USC. He finished the game with 0 points. Bo Ryan's Wisconsin Badgers don't have a lot of razzel dazzel but get the job done, they are the Big 10 champ for a reason.
4:40 PM ET
(6) Purdue (25-8, 15-3 Big Ten)
(3) Xavier (28-6, 14-2 A 10)
Notes: Xavier is just too strong. Purdue is a young team they'll be back again.
6:40 PM ET
(5) Notre Dame (25-7, 14-4 Big East)
(4) Washington State (25-8, 11-7 Pac-10)
Notes: Washington State may be one of the ugliest teams in the tournament. Winthrop had them tied at half before they couldn't hit wide open looks and got blown out by the Cougs in the second half. Washington State will try and slow down the Irish attack but the Irish should have no problems advancing on.
6:45 PM ET
(6)Marquette (25-9, 11-7 Big East)
(3)Stanford (27-7, 13-5 Pac-10)
Notes: Stanford is on a collision course with the big boys Marquette will be just another bump in the road.
6:50 PM ET
(8) UNLV (27-7, 12-4 MWC)
(1) Kansas (32-3, 13-3 Big 12)
Notes: If UNLV thinks it can get away with the kind of game they played against Kent State, the Rebs will be in a world of hurt against the Jayhawks. Vegas says the jayhawks are 7 better. I think they will crush Lon Kruger's bunch and give him flashbacks to his K-state days. I expect a close game for 7 minutes before KU wins in a walk.
9:10 PM ET
(5) Michigan State (26-8, 12-6 Big Ten)
(4) Pittsburgh (27-9, 10-8 Big East)
Notes: The winner has a great chance to make the Final Four.
9:15 PM ET
(9)Texas A&M (25-10, 8-8 Big 12)
(1)UCLA (32-3, 16-2 Pac-10)
Notes: Since BYU can't seem to get out of the first round, the Aggies will have their hands full with the Bruins. Good luck.
NCAA Tournament First Round
12:20 PM ET
(14) Georgia (17-16, 4-12 SEC)
(3) Xavier (27-6, 14-2 A 10)
Notes: Georgia isn't your typical 14 seed. Tornadoes and magical SEC championship runs have a way of catching people's attention. I had yet to see them play this year and watched them beat Arkansas in the SEC title game. I was impressed with the starting five for the Bulldogs. If I didn't know about their sub-par conference record, I would have thought they were a top-level SEC team. How much gas is left in the Bulldog tank? Their season is already a success, anything more would just be icing on the cake. After jumping out to an early lead on the Razorbacks in the SEC title game, the Bulldogs had some prolonged periods of sloppy play, bad passing and let Arkansas rally. I think Xavier is going to have their hands full and may even be down at half before they storm back. Georgia becomes its own worst enemy with turnovers and a scoring drought to end the game. A win could make the Bulldogs the tournament's first Cinderella.
12:30 PM ET
(12) Temple (21-12, 11-5 A 10)
(5) Michigan State (25-8, 12-6 Big Ten)
Notes: When George Mason went on their 2006 final four run, the first team they beat was Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans. Could the Spartans fall again to another mid major on a magical run? The Owls have been hot recently. They are on a seven-game winning streak culminating with an A-10 championship. A win could setup a potential showdown with in-state rival Pittsburgh with state bragging rights on the line and a sweet sixteen berth to boot. This game will be decided in the trenches. Whoever plays more physically and controls the boards, will win.
2:55 PM ET
(9) Kent State (28-6, 13-3 MAC)
(8) UNLV (26-7, 12-4 MWC)
Notes: Lon Kruger's Rebels have really over achieved this year as they return to the big dance. Kent State has some talented athletes and I don't think UNLV will keep up. The Flashes have a great shot to upset Kansas in the second round. That could be one of the tourneys best games. Well, I was wrong, flat out wrong. This wasn't the same Kent State team that showed up today. So many unforced turnovers early, not many teams could dig out of that hole. If UNLV wants to play with Kansas they can't turn the ball over.
5:00 PM ET
(14) Cornell (22-5, 14-0 Ivy)
(3) Stanford (26-7, 13-5 Pac-10)
Notes: This was the worst draw the Big Red could have pulled. A 14 seed is too low for Cornell and getting a team like Stanford negates the size the Big Red has. It will take a great rebounding and three point shooting effort to down the Cardinal. I just don't see it happening. But it has potential.
7:10 PM ET
(11) Kansas State (20-11, 10-6 Big 12)
(6) USC (21-11, 11-7 Pac-10)
Notes: Can the Wildcats with freshman sensation Michael Beasley be considered a Cindy as an 11 seed? This was the second best draw for K-state as only WVU and Bob Huggins could have the Cats more motivated. The game is in K-state's backyard, Omaha, Neb. I find it hard to believe there will be a lot of people rooting for the Trojans. Mayo was Bill Walkers high school teammate, Mayo was suppose to play at K-state, Walker should be pumped up to play him. With Walker as a scoring threat it could alleviate pressure on Beasley and open up shooting for either Pullen or Stewart. This is the game everybody is talking about. They should pass out bibs to the scouts before the game.
7:20 PM ET
(13) Winthrop (22-11, 10-4 B. South)
(4) Washington State (24-8, 11-7 Pac-10)
Notes: I am going to go out on a limb and say the Eagles have a good shot to gut out a victory over the Cougars. They're experienced, they play good defense and they can score. Washington State may have a hard time scoring and will need a big game from their front court to win this one. If WSU controls the boards they should win the game. A Winthrop win could setup a rematch of last years thrilling Eagle win over Notre Dame in the second round. That could be a dandy of a game.
7:25 PM ET
(9) Texas A&M (24-10, 8-8 Big 12)
(8) Brigham Young (27-7, 14-2 MWC)
Notes: I don't think A&M can keep up with BYU. The Cougs have too much scoring punch. A second round game against UCLA most likely awaits the winner. This one should be close the whole way.
9:50 PM ET
(12) George Mason (23-10, 12-6 CAA)
(5) Notre Dame (24-7, 14-4 Big East)
Notes: The Irish won't get bounced in the first round this year. Mason doesn't have the guns to keep pace with Notre Dame. The Irish will win by 8-10. If Winthrop can deliver their end of the bargain, I'm sure the Irish would love a rematch.
3:00 PM ET
(13) Oral Roberts (24-8, 16-2 Summit)
(4) Pittsburgh (26-9, 10-8 Big East)
Notes: Pitt will win this game but it will be a battle at times. The Panthers are just playing too well right now to fall victim to a first round upset. Coach Sutton may be a hot commodity on the coach market in the offseason. Could this be his last game as coach of Oral Roberts?
Continue reading "What We've All Been Waiting For" »
The Saints of Siena are a strong call to upend SEC foe Vanderbilt. The Saints have already downed Stanford this season on route to their first tourney appearance since 2002. This is a young team with only one senior, G Tay Fischer, on the 13 man roster. This could be the first of game of what could become an annual trip to the dance for these young pups in the next few years. The Saint's are led by a scoring threesome of quick and athletic guards. Sophomore G/F 6-6 197 Edwin Ubiles (17.3 ppg), Junior G 6-3 192 Kenny Hasbrouck (15.6 ppg), and Sophomore G/F 6-5 228 Alex Franklin (15.2 ppg) form a lethal offensive trio. Ubiles was a preseason First Team All-MAAC Selection. Last year he was the MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year and a MAAC All-Rookie team selection. Tip is set for 7:20 p.m. Friday night at St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL.
America East Championship
12:00 PM ET ESPN2
Hartford (18-15, 10-6 Am. East)
UMBC (23-8, 13-3 Am. East)
Notes: Neither team has ever advanced to the NCAAs. The America East Championship Game? That would be a first for both as well. Going into their semifinals game Hartford was 0-9 in conference semifinal play, UMBC was 0-8 in Division I conference semifinal games. The Hawks set a school record for Division I wins this season and come in winners of three straight. The Hawks got here by defeating New Hampshire 68-65 and then with a 59-52 victory over Boston University in the semifinals. Could this be the Banner year the Hartford faithful have been waiting for? UMBC tied a school mark for wins with 23 and a win over Hartford would cement their place, as perhaps the best UMBC team ever? A school record 24 wins and a tournament appearance would be huge feathers in that cap.
By winning the regular season crown UMBC is assured an NIT bid even if they lose, a loss would have Hartford waiting for next season. The Retrievers dropped Stony Brook 76-60 and then defeated Vermont 73-64 in the semis to set up this match-up. UMBC leads the conference in scoring (74.9) and Hartford ranks third (71.0). UMBC PG Jay Greene is second in the nation in assists averaging more than seven a game. UMBC has too much firepower for Am-East foes, they had only three conference losses all by three points or less. Shootouts favor the Retrievers. SG Ray Barbosa has been on fire lately picking up the slack for an injured Brain Hodges. Hodges suffered an ankle injury and has shown some rust in his return. Is he due for a solid outing? Darryl Proctor is a great defender and has a knack for grabbing caroms, in addition to being able to score. Cavell Johnson will come off the bench for the Retrievers and always seems to make good things happen. It's a testament to his team play, he could easily be a starter but told me the game unfolds before his eyes when he comes off the bench and he can come in and contribute immediately. I agree wholeheartedly. I was impressed with his all around game offense, defense, rebounding and ball handling. Matt Spadafora and Justin Fry know their roles and are solid defenders. I expect Fry to shut down whomever he is guarding.
RAC Arena is sold out. I have been to a couple of UMBC games at the RAC this season. The crowds have been getting progressively larger and the atmosphere more intense. This game will be the culmination of Retriever success. Unlike the Sacred Heart game I attended earlier in the week, this UMBC squad will not beat themselves. It's not a fluke that they are here. Coach Randy Monroe has these guys playing well and Mr. Intensity on the sidelines won't allow his to team to come out lackadaisical. The Retrievers don't turn the ball over, they play extremely well as a team and contrary to popular belief they can play defense. Hartford is going to give them all they've got but UMBC pulls away late and cuts down the nets at home. 73-65 UMBC. UMBC will be a 15 seed on Selection Sunday.
Bob Wischusen and Mike Kelley will call the game for ESPN2.
Don't be surprised to see UMBC draw Duke in their opening round game.
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Sacred Heart chose a bad night to lay an egg like this. On a night when they shoot 16-55, a whopping 29%, the Pioneers behind Brice Brooks scratched and clawed back into the game only to watch it slip away late with back-to-back turnovers by Drew Shubik.
Continue reading "Madness" »
These teams have already punched their ticket to this year's NCAA Tournament:
Belmont, Atlantic Sun Champ 25-8 (AS 14-2) Last Tournament appearance 2007. Two prior appearances. Potential 15/16 seed.
Drake, Missouri Valley Champ 28-4 (MVC 15-3) Last Tournament appearance 1971. Three prior appearances. Potential 4/5 seed.
Winthrop, Big South Champ 22-11 (BS 10-4) Last Tournament appearance 2007. Eight prior appearances. Potential 14/15.
Cornell, Ivy League Champ 22-5 (Ivy 14-0) Last Tournament appearance 1988. Four prior appearances. Potential 13/14 seed.
Austin Peay, Ohio Valley Champ 24-10 (OVC 16-4) Last Tournament appearance 2003. Five prior appearances. Potential 15/16 seed.
George Mason, Colonial Athletic Champ 23-10 (CAA 12-6) Last Tournament appearance 2006. Four prior appearances. Potential 13/14 seed.
Siena, Metro Atlantic Athletic Champ 22-10 (MAAC 13-5) Last Tournament appearance 2002. Three prior appearances. Potential 13/14 seed.
Davidson, Southern Champ 26-6 (SoCon 20-0) Last Tournament appearance 2007. Nine prior appearances. Potential 8-11 seed.
San Diego, West Coast Conference Champ 21-13 (WCC 11-3) Last Tournament appearance 2003. Three prior appearances. Potential 13-15 seed.
Butler, Horizon League Champ 29-3 (Horizon 17-2) Last Tournament appearance 2007. Seven prior appearances. Potential 3/4 seed.
Oral Roberts, Summit League Champ 24-8 (SL 17-2) Last Tournament appearance 2007. Four prior appearances. Potential 13/14 seed.
Western Kentucky, Sun Belt Champ 26-6 (SB 17-2) Last Tournament appearance 2003. Nineteen prior appearances. Potential 12/13 seed.
Northeast Championship Game
7:00 PM ET ESPN2
Mount St. Mary's (17-14, 11-7 NEC)
Sacred Heart (18-13, 13-5 NEC)
Notes: After beating Quinnipiac in the first round of the NEC tourney, four seed Mount Saint Mary's knocked off top-seeded Robert Morris, snapping a fourteen-game win streak for the NIT bound Colonials. The Mountaineers have won four straight games on route to the NEC championship game, their first since 1999 under the direction of then coach Jim Phelan. Phelan holds the NCAA record for most seasons coached at one institution. He retired after 49 years of coaching the Mount in 2003. He may be best known for his bow ties. Fashion statements aside, he guided the Mountaineers to two tournament berths, the last being in 1999.
Current coach Milan Brown who was an assistant under Phelan during the 1999 season, has a 41-76 record with the Mount. A win over Sacred Heart would do wonders for him stepping out of Phelan's shadow and establishing his own program. The Mount located in Emmitsburg, Md. is an hour drive from Baltimore. The Mount is one of the smallest schools in D-1 with an undergraduate enrollment of 1,500. Established in 1808, it is the oldest independent Catholic university in the country.
Sacred Heart is making back-to-back NEC title game appearances. The Pioneers lost to Central Connecticut State 74-70 in the championship game last year. Sacred Heart took care of Central Connecticut State in the first round and then knocked off two seed Wagner to get here. The Mount is a very solid defensive team and will give Sacred Heart all they can handle, but home court with a packed house will put Sacred Heart over the top. I would expect a close game with Pioneers pulling away late. The Pioneers started the season 0-6 but have since turned things around going 18-7 since then. Whoever wins this game will play Alabama State in the play in game.
Continue reading "On Deck" »
With conference tourneys about to begin, these teams could go on a magic carpet ride into the tournament and help erase their less than memorable regular seasons. The teams were chosen because if today were Selection Sunday their names would not be heard. They have only one shot, their conference tournament.
Continue reading "Wench To Wonderful" »
Winthrop 66, North Carolina-Asheville 48
I was riding the Eagle train all month until I decided to jump off and board the Bulldog express. With the home gym and a healthy team the Bulldogs were my pick, bad move. Experience is something talent can't buy. Nothing wrong with me. It's now four straight Big South Titles for the Eagles and twelve consecutive victories in the Big South Tournament. I'd say that's a league dynasty, after last year's signature tourney win over Notre Dame, will we see a repeat this year? This is a very athletic team whose best win is over Miami, Fl. It's hard to say were they'll be seeded, no higher than 14 for sure.
UMBC 76, Stony Brook 60
The Retrievers take care of Stony Brook in the America East quarterfinals. UMBC advances to Saturday's semifinal against the winner of the game between No. 4 Vermont and No. 5 and host Binghamton. This team has a legit claim to a 14 seed but will probably have to settle for a 15.
VCU 57, Towson 46
The Rams down the Tigers in the quarterfinals of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. VCU has now won five straight games heading into Sunday's semifinals against either Old Dominion or William & Mary.
No. 3 Memphis 94, UAB 56
This won't help the Blazers at large hopes. They will need a strong showing in the Conference USA tourney. Houston could have a slight edge after this loss.
No. 25 Davidson 82, Wofford 49
The Wildcats now have the nation's longest winning, 20 games, to go along with a perfect league record and a top 25 ranking as well. With the win Davidson will advance to the Southern Conference tournament semifinals.
No. 21 Drake 75, Creighton 67
The Bulldogs continue a banner year and will advance to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final for the first time.
Continue reading "Saturday Recap" »
No. 21 Drake 68, Indiana State 46
Drake rolls into the semis of the Valley with a tournament quarterfinal victory over Indiana State. Drake tied a school record for victories and ended an eight-game quarterfinal losing streak in the process. The Bulldogs are looking at a five seed. Led by Adam Emmenecker, the Valley player of the year, Drake is seeking its first NCAA tournament berth since 1971.
Valparaiso 72, Wright St. 67
Valpo is on fire right now. The Crusaders will face Cleveland State in Saturday's semifinals. The Horizon could be a two-bid league if the winner of Saturdays semis can land the upset of Butler.
Austin Peay 78, Tenn.-Martin 77
The Governors need free throws with 2.2 seconds to get past Skyhawks. One more win gets them dancing, only Tennessee State stands in their way.
Illinois St. 63, Missouri St. 58
The Redbirds are now a lock to go dancing even if they don't win the Valley.
Cornell 94, Penn 92
The Big Red is already in the field of 65, anything else is just gravy. A perfect Ivy record is nothing to scoff at. A very dangerous 13 seed.
N. Iowa 54, S. Illinois 49
I was never under the impression the Salukis were at large material but I did believe they could win the Valley tournament. The NIT awaits.
Belmont 69, ETSU 65
The Belmont marches onto the finals on the Atlantic Sun, albeit not without controversy. The Bruins (24-8) will face Jacksonville on Saturday night in the championship game with an automatic NCAA tournament bid on the line.
Saint Joseph's 71, (8) Xavier 66
In front of a packed house that included former stars Jack Ramsay and Jameer Nelson Saint Joseph's closed Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse with an upset. Xavier becomes the highest-ranked opponent ever to lose at the Fieldhouse. After losses to lower echelon A-10 teams like La Salle, Duquesne, and Saint Louis in the past few weeks I had written the Hawks off. This win coupled with a win over Dayton and a strong showing in the A-10 tourney could get them in as an at-large. The Hawks remain in a three-way tie for third in the A-10. My projections still only show Xavier and Massachusetts but the Hawks should be added as a bubble team after this win.
Winthrop 61, High Point 53
N.C.-Asheville 75, Liberty 57
This wasn't hard to forecast. Winthrop will meet UNC Asheville for the Big South Title. By all estimations this is the best UNCA team, perhaps ever? With a healthy Kenny George this is a very dangerous team and it's ludicrous to believe that they should be in the play in game. The Bulldogs have already secured an NIT berth as Big South regular season champs. The Winthrop Eagles have now won 11 straight Big South Conference Tournament games and three consecutive Big South Titles. I have been riding the Eagle train for a while now but its time for me to derail as I will project the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville as Big South Champs.
Robert Morris 64, Monmouth, N.J. 50
Northeast Conference top seed Robert Morris had a hard time with eight seed Monmouth in their tournament quarterfinal game. Still, Bobby Mo extended their school-record winning streak to 14 games. Led by Tony Lee, the NEC player of the year, Robert Morris tied Cornell for the nation's second-longest active winning streak behind Davidson's 19. The Colonials will play host to No. 4 seed Mount St. Mary's Sunday in the semifinals. Mount St. Mary's was a 80-70 winner over Quinnipiac Thursday. The championship game will be played Wednesday at the home of the highest remaining seed.
Morgan St. 68, Coppin St. 64
Morgan State earns their first 20-win season in 32 years with the win. The Bears who clinched the MEAC regular season title on March 1, have won 13 of their past 14 games and finished the regular season unbeaten at home. The Bears have clinched their first appearance in a Division I postseason tournament by qualifying for the NIT. The goal however is always the big dance and we should expect this team to be there.
Lamar 84, Nicholls St. 67
Who will win the Southland? Lamar is more than capable, but it's totally wide open.
Utah St. 88, Boise St. 69
The WAC is insane. Boise gets blown out at home again. First it was Siena in the BracketBuster and now USU controls their own destiny for the conference crown. Look at the WAC standings, Boise is done for the season and the rest have one game to play.
Boise State 12-4 22-8
Utah State 11-4 22-9
Nevada 11-4 19-10
New Mexico State 11-4 18-13
I have absolutely no clue who is going to take the bid, none. I believe the line from Wedding Crashers was, "You lock it up, team player!" Boise got manhandled like they were at the Blue Oyster from Police Academy. Utah State out rebounded Boise State 38-22 and the Broncos hit just two of their seventeen three-point attempts.
UC Santa Barbara 77, CS Northridge 66
Anything with "West" in the conference title means it has to be gunslinger crazy. UC Santa Barbara clinched a share of the Big West Conference regular-season title with one game to play with this win. A win at eighth-place Long Beach State on Saturday earns the top seed in the Big West Tournament for the Gauchos. Even with the loss CS Northridge can still claim a share of their first regular-season title and the two seed in the conference tournament. The Matadors will be playing for their sixth 20-win season in 50 years when they host Cal Poly on Saturday. The top two seeds earn byes into the tournament semifinals in the Big West Tournament.
Bucknell 87, Navy 86 Triple O.T.
Wow, three overtimes and a 40-footer at the buzzer downs Navy in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. Unlike most mid majors the second seeded Midshipmen have some size, enough to alter game plans down low. They swept American in the regular season and I thought they had the edge on them if they met again with a tournament appearance on the line, the madness has already begun. Navy has not advanced past the first round of the league tournament since 2001. Patriot League Player of the Year Greg Sprink led all scorers with 37 points in his last collegiate game, at 16-14 the Mids probably won't be offered an NIT bid. Sprink received his fourth foul with eight minutes to play in the second half but didn't foul out until the second overtime.
American 62, Holy Cross 60
The Eagles sowed this one up with 18 seconds left to play to survive the upset bid by Holy Cross. American the one seed had their hands full with the eighth seeded Crusaders. American is just two games away from the promise land, with Bucknell, Colgate and Army left in the mix for the Patriot Crown.
Massachusetts 100, La Salle 63
This is what I'm talking about, Umass crushes La Salle. I project the A-10 to be a two-bid league, Xavier is the lock and I think the Minute Men will take the other. This was win number twenty for Umass, making it back-to-back seasons of twenty wins, this time they won't get snubbed out of a tournament berth. Umass (20-9 overall, A-10 9-6) remains one game back of Temple for second place in the A-10.
UAB 84, Tulsa 70
The win assures the Blazers second place in Conference USA and the second seed in the upcoming league tournament in Memphis, Tenn. UAB improved their home record to 13-1 with this win. This will be a two-bid league. UAB has the edge over Houston right now.
Houston 73, UCF 68
With the home win the Cougs clinched the No. 3 seed in the Conference USA tournament. I think it's simple, if Houston advances deep in the league tourney and beats UAB they go dancing.
Stephen F. Austin 71, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 56
I have been on the Lumberjack train for a while now and I'm not getting off. SFA is still my pick for Southland Champ. The Lumberjacks secured the No. 2 spot in the Southland Conference tournament with the win. If SFA drops the ball look for Lamar, Sam Houston State or maybe even Texas Arlington to take the league bid.
Belmont 75, Campbell 66
Top seeded Belmont got by a feisty bunch from Campbell in a quarterfinal victory in the Atlantic Sun Conference basketball tournament. The Bruins play again on Friday against the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal game between Lipscomb and East Tennessee State.
(24) Brigham Young 78, Wyoming 61
The win clinched the Mountain West title with one game remaining in the regular season for the Cougars. It's the second straight title for BYU (24-6, 13-2 Mountain West), the only team in Mountain West history to win two outright titles. BYU owns the longest active home winning streak in the nation, 47 consecutive, that's two straight seasons without a home loss.
N.C.-Ashville 87, Charleston Southern 63
Top-seeded N.C.-Asheville downs eight seed Charleston Southern 87-63 in the opening round of the Big South Conference Tournament.
Winthrop 76, Radford 45
The second-seeded Eagles march on to Thursday's semifinal game against No. 3 seed High Point. My crystal ball tells me we are going to see UNCA and Winthrop for a third time this season, but this time for keeps.
Kent St. 50, Miami (Oh) 39
Kent State clinched the top seed in the Mid-American Conference tournament with the win.
Valparaiso 75, Green Bay 67
Wright State 60, Detroit 37
Valpo (20-12) will face Wright State (21-9) in the second round Friday in Indianapolis. If Butler stumbles look for one of these two teams to take the league crown.
Austin Peay 76, Eastern Kentucky 51
Not this time, Austin Peay avenges last years conference championship game loss to Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The top seeded Governors have the NCAA in their sights.
New Mexico 59, UNLV 45
This was a must win for the Lobo's and they delivered, barring some major upsets, I think the Lobo's will be the third Mountain West team dancing.
Portland St. 76, E. Washington 74
Hello 16 seed, maybe the play in game for Portland.
(11) Xavier 66, George Washington 56
Do teams have a natural letdown after they clinch a regular season title? Xavier didn't play focused at all, yet came away with the win. The Musketeers blew an 18 point lead but showed some grit down they stretch in winning their eleventh straight game. This was the 25th regular season wins for the Musketeers, a new school record. The previous record was held by the 1989-90 team that went 28-5 and reached the sweet sixteen.
(13) Butler 65, Detroit 31
Talk about going out in style, the Bulldogs final regular-season game at Hinkle Fieldhouse ends in a rout. Butler had already clinched the Horizon League regular-season title. They have an automatic berth to the semifinals of the conference tournament March 8 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
(20) Drake 73, Wichita State 63
The last time Drake won 25 games, 1969, they went to the final four, will history repeat itself? Will Drake kill the "Valley Reverse Curse" and win the conference tourney? Worries for another day, the Bulldogs enjoyed cutting down the nets and are assured a spot in the field of 65.
Gonzaga 88, (23) Saint Mary's 76
Circle game? The Zags have had since February 4th to stew over their road loss to the Gaels. Gonzaga pulled away from Saint Mary's in the second half and can clinch the regular season title by beating Santa Clara on Monday.
Bowling Green 89, (24) Kent State 83
It was nice while it lasted. Usually when a team is ranked 20-25 a loss pushes them out of the rankings. The Golden Flashes were the first MAC team to be ranked since 00-01. Though the remain in first in the MAC the regular season finale against second place Akron just became a bigger game.
#25 BYU 76, Air Force 57
46 home games, 46 straight wins, the longest current streak in D-1. 4 Seed? 5 seed? Where will the Cougars land and how far will they go?
Continue reading "Weekend Recap" »
12:30 PM ET
(24)Kent State (23-5, 11-2 MAC)
Bowling Green (12-14, 6-7 MAC)
2:00 PM ET
Navy (16-12, 9-4 Patriot)
Colgate (15-13, 6-7 Patriot)
2:00 PM ET
Detroit (7-21, 3-14 HOR)
(13)Butler (26-3, 15-2 HOR)
2:00 PM ET
Wichita State (11-18, 4-13 MVC)
(20)Drake (24-4, 14-3 MVC)
2:00 PM ET
Robert Morris (24-6, 15-2 NEC)
Long Island (15-13, 7-10 NEC)
4:00 PM ET
Morgan State (18-9, 12-2 MEAC)
Delaware State (12-14, 9-5 MEAC)
4:00 PM ET
North Carolina-Asheville (20-8, 9-4 B. South)
Winthrop (19-10, 10-3 B. South)
6:00 PM ET
Gardner-Webb (15-14, 9-6 A-Sun)
Belmont (21-8, 13-2 A-Sun)
7:00 PM ET
Houston (21-6, 10-3 C-USA)
East Carolina (9-17, 3-10 C-USA)
7:00 PM ET
Harvard (8-19, 3-8 Ivy)
Cornell (19-5, 11-0 Ivy)
7:00 PM ET
Massachusetts (18-9, 7-6 A 10)
Richmond (15-11, 8-5 A 10)
7:00 PM ET
Western Kentucky (23-6, 15-2 S. Belt)
Florida Atlantic (14-16, 8-9 S. Belt)
7:00 PM ET
TCU (14-12, 6-7 MWC)
UNLV (21-6, 10-3 MWC)
7:00 PM ET
Texas-Arlington (17-10, 6-8 Southland)
Stephen F. Austin (23-3, 11-2 Southland)
7:00 PM ET
Virginia Commonwealth (22-6, 14-3 CAA)
William & Mary (14-14, 10-7 CAA)
7:00 PM ET
George Washington (9-14, 5-8 A 10)
(11)Xavier (24-4, 12-1 A 10)
7:30 PM ET
Davidson (22-6, 19-0 Southern)
Georgia Southern (20-10, 13-6 Southern)
7:30 PM ET
South Alabama (24-5, 15-2 S. Belt)
Florida International (9-18, 6-11 S. Belt)
7:30 PM ET
Lamar (18-8, 12-1 Southland)
McNeese State (12-13, 6-7 Southland)
7:30 PM ET
Austin Peay (20-10, 15-4 OVC)
Morehead State (15-13, 12-7 OVC)
8:00 PM ET
Tulane (15-12, 5-8 C-USA)
UAB (20-8, 10-3 C-USA)
8:00 PM ET
(23)Saint Mary's (24-4, 11-1 WCC)
Gonzaga (22-6, 11-1 WCC)
8:00 PM ET
Oral Roberts (21-7, 16-1 Summit)
North Dakota State (15-13, 9-8 Summit)
8:30 PM ET
Illinois State (21-8, 12-5 MVC)
Southern Illinois (17-12, 11-6 MVC)
9:00 PM ET
Portland State (19-9, 12-2 Big Sky)
Montana (14-14, 8-7 Big Sky)
9:00 PM ET
Air Force (14-12, 6-7 MWC)
(25)Brigham Young (22-6, 11-2 MWC)
11:30 PM ET
Cal State Northridge (19-7, 11-2 B. West)
UC Irvine (13-14, 7-6 B. West)
12:00 AM ET
Boise State (21-7, 11-3 WAC)
Hawaii (11-15, 7-6 WAC)
Cornell 75, Dartmouth 59
The Big Red clinch a share of the Ivy League title with the win and remain undefeated in Ivy league play. Cornell has now won 13 games in row, a win over Harvard on Saturday brings home the undisputed crown for the Big Red. This will be the first championship season for Cornell since 1988. The league has been dominated by Penn and Princeton, with those teams on the down Cornell has stepped up and is an intriguing 13 seed.
Siena 94, Niagara 78
The Saints keeps pace with Loyola and Rider, the loss sends Niagara from the frying pan to the fryer. Siena is playing really well right now. They destroyed Boise at Boise in the BracketBuster and now handle a solid Purple Eagle team from start to finish. There is little doubt in my mind, Siena will represent the MAAC.
Rider 88, St. Peter's 76
Rider keeps pace with the win. Its a three way tie at the top of the MAAC standings with Loyola and a surging Siena squad.
7:00 PM ET
Dartmouth (9-15, 2-8 Ivy)
Cornell (18-5, 10-0 Ivy)
Notes: The Big Red of Cornell look to stay undefeated in Ivy league play. If they keep it up, the 13 seed will be their reward. This is a young team that nobody knows about.
7:00 PM ET
Niagara (18-8, 11-5 MAAC)
Siena (17-10, 11-5 MAAC)
Notes: One of these team will fall back of Loyola and one will keep pace in what amounts to a separation game in MAAC play.
7:00 PM ET
St. Peter's (6-21, 3-13 MAAC)
Rider (19-9, 11-5 MAAC)
Notes: Rider will try and make it a three way race for the top spot in conference.
No. 13 Butler 66, Wright State 61
Wright State could have made a case for a possible at-large bid with a sweep of Butler but it was not to be. The Bulldogs earned the one seed in next week's Horizon League tournament with the win. This will be a two bid if Butler fails to win the conference tournament.
UMBC 85, Maine 68
Jay Greene had a double-double, 11 points and 14 assists for UMBC (21-7, 13-2 America East) and Ray Barbosa poured in 31 points as the Retrievers set a school records for wins with twenty one. If they stay on course UMBC will host the America East championship game at the RAC March 15.
Loyola, Md. 88, Canisius 77
Loyola took a half game lead in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with the win. It remains crowded at the top of the standings with Niagara, Siena and Rider right behind them.
Robert Morris 82, Sacred Heart 69
The Colonials have gone from play-in game to 15 seed in the span of 10 days by churning out solid wins. Bobby Mo clinches their first conference regular season title since 1992.
Saint Louis 64, Saint Joseph's 55
Wow, just when you think the Hawks are tournament worthy they lay another egg. This loss puts them in a four way tie for second place in the Atlantic Ten. Saint Joe's still has 3 games remaining against Temple 3/02 7:00pm,
Xavier 3/06 9:00pm, and @Dayton 3/8 2:00pm. I think they A-10 has become a two bid league, if Umass keeps winning they will join Xavier in the dance. Dayton, Rhode Island, and Saint Joseph's have all wilted down the stretch with teams like La Salle, Temple, Richmond and now Saint Louis playing spoiler.
Austin Peay 65, E. Kentucky 59
The Governors clinched their second straight Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title with the win. Austin Peay could be a 15 seed, but mostly likely a 16, they still must win their conference tournament.
Oral Roberts 67, S. Dakota St. 52
With the BracketBuster loss to Creighton last week Oral Roberts at large chances diminished greatly. They will have to win the conference tournament to get their dance card. IUPUI will mostly likely stand in their path.
South Alabama 81, New Orleans 61
The Jaguars keep adding wins (24-5, 15-2 S. Belt) as they inch closer to a NCAA appearance.
Belmont 75, Campbell 64
With the win the Bruins land the one seed in the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Belmont will most likely be a 15 seed come March.
Portland St. 96, Montana St. 68
With the win the Vikings earned hosting rights to the conference tournament and the number one seed, not a bad combo for dance ability. Portland State looks to be a 16 seed.
Boise St. 74, San Jose St. 68
After getting routed by Siena, the Broncos rebound for a much needed WAC win. They remain atop the WAC with a one game lead over Nevada who downed New Mexico State. Boise has two games left and travels to Hawaii on Saturday, the Broncos have never won at Hawaii.
Nevada 98, New Mexico St. 85
The Wolfpack move into second place in the WAC with a win over an Aggie team that came in winners of five straight. Can Mark Fox get these guys dancing again?
CS Northridge 82, Cal State Fullerton 74
Northridge didn't give any ground to second place Fullerton. Northridge is probably a 14 seed.
7:00 PM ET
UMBC (20-7, 12-2 Am. East)
Maine (7-20, 3-11 Am. East)
7:00 PM ET
Canisius (5-22, 2-14 MAAC)
Loyola (MD) (17-12, 11-5 MAAC)
7:00 PM ET
Robert Morris (23-6, 14-2 NEC)
Sacred Heart (16-11, 13-3 NEC)
7:00 PM ET
Saint Louis (15-12, 6-7 A 10)
Saint Joseph's (17-8, 8-4 A 10)
7:30 PM ET
Austin Peay (19-10, 14-4 OVC)
Eastern Kentucky (14-13, 10-8 OVC)
8:00 PM ET
Oral Roberts (20-7, 15-1 Summit)
South Dakota State (8-19, 3-13 Summit)
8:05 PM ET
New Orleans (18-10, 8-8 S. Belt)
South Alabama (23-5, 14-2 S. Belt)
8:15 PM ET
Campbell (10-17, 5-9 A-Sun)
Belmont (20-8, 12-2 A-Sun)
9:00 PM ET
Wright State (20-7, 12-4 HOR)
(13)Butler (25-3, 14-2 HOR)
9:05 PM ET
Portland State (18-9, 11-2 Big Sky)
Montana State (15-12, 7-7 Big Sky)
10:00 PM ET
Boise State (20-7, 10-3 WAC)
San Jose State (12-14, 4-8 WAC)
10:00 PM ET
New Mexico State (16-12, 9-3 WAC)
Nevada (17-10, 9-4 WAC)
10:05 PM ET
Cal State Northridge (18-7, 10-2 B. West)
Cal State Fullerton (18-7, 10-3 B. West)
Davidson 68, Appalachian St. 55
Total Control? In a game they lead the whole way the Wildcats of Davidson extend the nations longest streak to eighteen straight games. The Wildcats look to finish the season perfect in conference play when they play Georgia Southern March 1 at 7:30pm. Is this the best team in Southern history? At 19-0 Southern and 22-6 overall, whoever draws this team is a real candidate for upset city. Davidson projects as a 12 seed, setting up the classic 12 over 5 upset.
Navy 83, American U. 68
Navy is making some seeding waves with this monster win. I have seen American listed as a 14/15 in many bracketology previews. With this win Navy sweeps the season series and now owns the tiebreaker against American. A Navy win or American loss in the last game of the season would give Navy the regular season crown. Navy has won six in a row. If the Midshipmen win the conference tournament and make the dance they will play Alabama State for the right to meet a number one seed.
N.C.-Asheville 78, Coastal Carolina 72
UNC Asheville brings down win number twenty, for the first time since 85-86. The wins also sets up a showdown with league Leader Winthrop. The synopsis is simple, winner take all. At 9-4 in the Big South the Bulldogs trail the Eagles of Winthrop by one game. They have already beat the Eagles on their home court, another win gives them the tie break as both teams would have 10-4 conference records. These are the type of games we wait for all year. As we inch closer to March we are going to get inspired basketball on a nightly basis.
Illinois St. 68, Creighton 54
Illinois State (21-8, 12-5 Missouri Valley) got a much needed season sweep of Creighton. This sets up a big game with Southern Illinois for Redbirds. A win would make it hard to leave the Redbirds out of the field and give them some momentum heading into the conference tourney. The "Valley reverse Curse" lives. This was the first season sweep of Creighton since 97-98 for the Redbirds.
VCU 72, N.C.-Wilmington 58
Its now back-to-back Colonial regular season crowns for the Rams of VCU. This was a good Wilmington team and VCU is playing very well right now. The Rams clinched the top seed in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
George Washington 85, Rhode Island 68
I don't think Rhode Island can recover from this loss, they are now 6-8 in conference. A really solid NIT team. GW is a 9-14 overall and 5-8 in conference, you can't lose to a team like that when you desperately need to be over .500 in conference for an at-large.
Lamar 79, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 72 Stephen F.Austin 74, Texas St. 70
Lamar (18-8, 12-1 Southland) has now won eleven straight games and remains in first place in the Southland. The Southland tournament will be exciting. I still think Stephen F. Austin who beat Lamar early this year will pull it out and get the bid but it could easily be Lamar or Sam Houston State. That's why you play the game. With the win tonight Stephen F.Austin has now won eight straight.
W. Kentucky 69, Fla. International 54
The Hilltoppers are going to need every win they can get. Can the Sun belt squeeze out two teams? Western Kentucky can play with anyone. Just as good as any middle of the pack Big 6 power conference team. It would be a shame to not have them compete in the same arena.
Houston 95, Southern Miss 67
A few more strong showing like this and Houston could be dancing. Robert McKiver scored 52 points, a season high in D-1, for Houston as they blow out Southern Miss.
UAB 88, UTEP 81
UAB keeps pace with a win tonight. A win over Memphis would have put this team in for sure, but neither Houston or UAB have a lack of wins, just quality ones.
Continue reading "Wednesday Recap" »
7:00 PM ET
Appalachian State (17-11, 12-6 Southern)
Davidson (21-6, 18-0 Southern)
7:00 PM ET
American University (17-10, 9-3 Patriot)
Navy (15-12, 8-4 Patriot)
7:00 PM ET
Coastal Carolina (13-12, 6-6 B. South)
North Carolina-Asheville (19-8, 8-4 B. South)
7:00 PM ET
North Carolina-Wilmington (18-11, 11-5 CAA)
Virginia Commonwealth (21-6, 13-3 CAA)
7:30 PM ET
Rhode Island (20-8, 6-7 A 10)
George Washington (8-14, 4-8 A 10)
7:30 PM ET
Lamar (17-8, 11-1 Southland)
Texas A&M-CC (8-17, 5-7 Southland)
7:30 PM ET
Western Kentucky (22-6, 14-2 S. Belt)
Florida International (9-17, 6-10 S. Belt)
8:00 PM ET
Southern Miss (15-11, 7-5 C-USA)
Houston (20-6, 9-3 C-USA)
8:00 PM ET
Stephen F. Austin (22-3, 10-2 Southland)
Texas State (12-14, 5-8 Southland)
8:05 PM ET
Creighton (19-8, 9-7 MVC)
Illinois State (20-8, 11-5 MVC)
8:00 PM ET
IUPUI (22-6, 14-3 Summit)
Chicago State (11-16)
9:05 PM ET
UAB (19-8, 9-3 C-USA)
UTEP (16-9, 7-5 C-USA)
9:00 PM ET
William & Mary (14-13, 10-6 CAA)
George Mason (19-9, 11-5 CAA)
The Missouri Valley will be a two-bid league this year, just as they have been for the past nine seasons. Drake who lives and dies by the three won't be the conference tournament champions. If they did, then it could be a one bid. But the "Valley Reverse Curse" lives my friend. No regular-season champion has won the conference tournament since 1998. Southern Illinois is surging right now, Illinois State has some big games left and is the closest thing to a bubble team, I wouldn't count out Dana Altman's Creighton Bluejays who play Illinois State on Wednesday. A loss by Illinois State would kill their at large shot. One of these three teams will represent the league along with Drake.
Missouri State 86 #20 Drake 83
If you're a believer in trends, emotion and nostalgic value, this was the game for you. It was senior night for five Bear players and it was the last game in the John Q. Hammons Student Center, number 494 to be exact. They will be moving to the multimillion dollar JQH Arena. Missouri State sent the old place off in fashion with the upset of #20 Drake. With the win Missouri state extended its home winning streak against Drake to seven. After a school record 21 game winning streak Drake has now lost three out of its last five. The Bulldogs were coming off a great win over a solid Butler squad but this won't help their fuzzy tournament seeding.
Southern Illinois 71, Bradley 60
The Salukis are hitting their stride at just the right time, winners of five straight games after downing a Bradley team who was without PG Daniel Ruffin, who has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested. The Salukis last game of the season will be against Illinois State at home, with a win they could catch Illinois State or maybe even pass them in the standings, which would have seeding implications in the conference tournament. These teams last played Jan 5 at Illinois State with the Salukis losing 47-56.
Winthrop 63, Charleston Southern 49
Big South Dynasty? With the win the Eagles of Winthrop secure at least a share of their sixth Big South regular season title in seven years. Randy Peele's first season at the helm can end with an outright league title with a victory over UNC Asheville on Saturday. This should be a great game. UNCA went on a slide, but now has all their players back. I think experience prevails and Winthrop gets back to the tournament.
UNLV 68, San Diego St. 58
The Mountain West will more than likely be a three-team league, with the win UNLV looks safe, as does BYU. Can San Diego State push the issue and win the conference tournament? Outlook, not so bright.
BYU 70, New Mexico 69 in O.T.
New Mexico had their six-game winning streak snapped but not without a fight. The game came to down to free throws with 5.7 left in O.T. before BYU finally got the win. The Lobo's still have two games left against UNLV March 4th and at Colorado State March 8th. Is the UNLV game a must win? I think so, you can't have back-to-back losses to tournament teams this time of year.
7:00 PM ET
Southern Illinois (16-12, 10-6 MVC)
Bradley (17-12, 9-7 MVC)
7:00 PM ET
Charleston Southern (9-18, 3-9 B. South)
Winthrop (18-10, 9-3 B. South)
8:05 PM ET
No. 20 Drake (24-3, 14-2 MVC)
Missouri State (14-15, 6-10 MVC)
10:00 PM ET
No. 25 Brigham Young (21-6, 10-2 MWC)
New Mexico (22-6, 9-4 MWC)
10:00 PM ET
San Diego State (18-9, 8-5 MWC)
UNLV (20-6, 9-3 MWC)
(23) Saint Mary's 61 San Diego 54
The Gaels had a score to settle with Toreros, the only team to beat them in conference this season. The win helped wash out the lingering taste of defeat from a Kent State squad in the BracketBuster just two days' prior. The Gaels are now 7-1 in February and will battle Gonzaga March 1st at 8:00pm. The game will decide if the Gaels land their first conference title since 1997. San Diego will host the WCC tournament this year and have played very well on their home floor this season. Don't be surprised to see them battle Gonzaga or Saint Mary's again, this time for keeps.
Morgan State 66, Hampton 62
It took overtime but Morgan State takes another step forward in their quest for a tournament berth. The Bears have a one game lead in the MEAC with two games remaining. They will face a tough test against Delaware State in their next game.
South Alabama 64, Presbyterian 49
This non con game really didn't do much to help Jaguars SOS or RPI, Presbyterian came in with an RPI of 327. These kind of games can really hurt a teams' focus. South Alabama played uninspired and even let Blue Hose tie the game, 47-47, with 7:08 left in the game before putting them away.
Alabama State 65, Southern U. 46
SWAC leader Alabama State cruised to an easy victory. With four games left they have a two game lead in conference. This team is a prime candidate for the play-in game.
7:30 PM ET
Hampton (15-10, 8-4 MEAC)
Morgan State (17-9, 11-2 MEAC)
8:05 PM ET
Presbyterian (5-24, 0-22 away)
South Alabama (22-5, 14-2 S. Belt)
8:30 PM ET
Southern University (8-17, 6-8 SWAC)
Alabama State (14-9, 10-3 SWAC)
10:00 PM ET
San Diego (16-12, 9-2 WCC)
(20)Saint Mary's (23-4, 10-1 WCC)
Kent State 65 No. 23 Saint Mary's 57
Al Fisher had another big game for the Golden Flashes of Kent State. This picture sums up the day, the way only a picture can.
Fisher scored 28 points as the Flashes beat a ranked team in the regular season for the first time in school history. This game only helps the Kent resume if their fate should fall into the selection committee's hands. Saint Mary's has a convincing resume, an RPI of 26, to withstand taking this hit. With the health of a few players in question and big games with WCC foes San Diego and Gonzaga on the horizon could this be the start of a three game slide for the Gaels?
Drake #16 71 Butler #8 64
In the battle of the Bulldogs, Drake came out triumphant. Drake is already the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion and looks to go dancing for the first time since 1971. It could be a year of milestones, as 1982 was the last year Drake beat a top-10 team. The BracketBuster matchup brought the two schools together for first time in 35 years.
Virginia Commonwealth 57 Akron 52
VCU limited Akron to a season-low 28-percent shooting in a grind it out contest. The Rams remain in first place in the Colonial. Which looks only to be a one bid league this year, with George Mason falling to Ohio 67-57 in Athens. The Bobcats have won twenty consecutive non-conference home games. Mason took a 32-19 lead into the locker room at half only to watch as they would get outscored 50-25 in the second half.
New Mexico 72, Utah 71
The Lobos (22-6, 9-5 Mountain West) snapped an 18-game losing streak to the Utes at the Hunstman Center, dating to 1989. New Mexico has now won six straight games. They now have back-to back games with BYU and UNLV.
UNLV 73, Wyoming 65
The Rebels (20-6, 9-3 Mountain West Conference) land win number twenty on the road at Wyoming. The Rebels led by double digits for most of the game.
San Diego St. 69, BYU 65
The Cougars have now lost four straight at Cox Arena. San Diego State snapped Brigham Young's nine-game winning streak with a big performance down the stretch from Lorrenzo Wade as they look to finish the season strong and try and make a run for a tournament berth.
Creighton 65, Oral Roberts 64
Booker Woodfox three-pointer with 26 seconds left gives the Bluejays the win. It was the first home loss for Oral Roberts at home this season and they still have a two game lead in the loss column over IUPUI in Summit League play. Creighton will hope this game gives them some much needed momentum for a conference tourney run, their only hope for a dance card.
S. Carolina St. 97, Norfolk St. 86
Norfolk State takes a tough road loss to fall out of a first place tie with Morgan State in the MEAC. This is the first of five consecutive road games for the Spartans to end the year.
Morgan State 64 Howard 59
With the win Morgan State sits alone at the top of the MEAC standings with three games to go. Next up for the Bears, third place Hampton in Hill Field House, where Morgan has yet to lose this season.
Continue reading "Weekend Recap" »
BracketBuster Saturday:
11:00 AM ET
Virginia Commonwealth (20-6, 13-3 CAA)
Akron (19-7, 9-4 MAC)
5:00 PM ET
No. 18 Drake (23-3, 14-2 MVC)
No. 8 Butler (25-2, 14-2)
1:00 PM ET
George Mason (19-8, 11-5 CAA)
Ohio (17-9, 8-5 MAC)
2:00 PM ET
New Mexico (21-6, 8-4 MWC)
Utah (15-9, 6-5 MWC)
3:00 PM ET
Creighton (18-8, 9-7 MVC)
Oral Roberts (20-6, 15-1 Summit)
4:00 PM ET
Howard (5-21, 2-9 MEAC)
Morgan State (16-9, 10-2 MEAC)
4:00 PM ET
Norfolk State (14-10, 10-2 MEAC)
South Carolina State (9-17, 5-7 MEAC)
4:30 PM ET
UNLV (19-6, 8-3 MWC)
Wyoming (10-15, 3-9 MWC)
6:00 PM ET
Alcorn State (5-21, 4-9 SWAC)
Alabama State (14-8, 10-2 SWAC)
7:00 PM ET
Brown (15-8, 7-2 Ivy)
Cornell (17-5, 9-0 Ivy)
7:00 PM ET
New Hampshire (8-18, 5-9 Am. East)
UMBC (19-7, 11-2 Am East)
7:00 PM ET
Wagner (20-6, 13-2 NEC)
Robert Morris (22-6, 13-2 NEC)
8:00 PM ET
Louisiana-Monroe (10-17, 4-11 S. Belt)
Western Kentucky (21-6, 13-2 S. Belt)
8:00 PM ET
Georgia Southern (20-8, 13-5 Southern)
Austin Peay (18-10, 14-4 OVC)
8:00 PM ET
Northwestern State (12-14, 8-4 Southland)
Lamar (16-8, 10-1 Southland)
9:00 PM ET
Rider (18-9, 11-5 MAAC)
Cal State Northridge (18-6, 10-2 B. West)
10:00 PM ET
Siena (16-10, 11-5 MAAC)
Boise State (20-6, 10-3 WAC)
10:30 PM ET
Portland State (18-8, 11-2 Big Sky)
Cal State Fullerton (17-7, 10-3 B. West)
11:00 PM ET
Brigham Young (21-5, 10-1 MWC)
San Diego State (17-9, 7-5 MWC)
12:00 AM ET
Kent State (22-5, 11-2 MAC)
No. 20 Saint Mary's (23-3, 10-1 WCC)
Davidson 60, Winthrop 47
It took 16 years for these two schools only separated by 45 miles to finally play. Stephen Curry, didn't have a big game. The Wildcat star registered a season-low 12 points. Jason Richards led all scorers with 21 points for Davidson(21-6, 18-0 Southern). This was a much needed win if Davidson's fate fails into the selection committee's hands. The Wildcats played a challenging non con schedule but didn't bring home many wins, just close games. The Wildcats will take on Southern North division leader Appalachian State on Wednesday, February 27. Winthrop(18-10, 9-3 B. South) really had nothing to lose in this game. They don't have a strong enough schedule to warrant an at large selection but still remain in first place in the Big South.
Cornell 85, Yale 65
Cornell remains undefeated in the Ivy League this year. The Ivy does not have a conference tourney. The regular season champ gets the automatic big. With five games left Cornell (17-5, 9-0 Ivy) has a two game lead over Brown, who they play tomorrow. Brown defeated Columbia 67-52 tonight.
Belmont 74, Lipscomb 65
Two miles is all that separates these two schools in Nashville. Some road trip. Belmont (20-8, 12-2 Atlantic Sun) won its eight straight game and remains in first place in the Atlantic Sun with the victory.
7:00 PM ET
Massachusetts (16-9, 5-6 A 10)
Rhode Island (20-6, 6-5 A 10)
7:00 PM ET
Dayton (17-7, 5-6 A 10)
La Salle (11-13, 5-5 A 10)
7:00 PM ET
Mount St. Mary's (13-13, 9-6 NEC)
Robert Morris (21-6, 12-2 NEC)
7:00 PM ET
Wagner (19-6, 12-2 NEC)
St. Francis (PA) (6-19, 4-10 NEC)
7:00 PM ET
Duquesne (16-8, 6-5 A 10)
No. 12 Xavier (22-4, 10-1 A 10)
8:00 PM ET
South Alabama (21-5, 13-2 S. Belt)
Western Kentucky (21-5, 13-1 S. Belt)
7:30 PM ET
IUPUI (21-5, 13-2 Summit)
Oakland (13-12, 8-6 Summit)
8:05 PM ET
UMKC (9-18, 4-10 Summit)
Oral Roberts (19-6, 14-1 Summit)
8:00 PM ET
Central Arkansas (13-12, 3-8 Southland)
Lamar (15-8, 9-1 Southland)
8:00 PM ET
Sam Houston State (19-5, 7-4 Southland)
Stephen F. Austin (21-3, 9-2 Southland)
Colonial Scores
VCU 66, Northeastern 62
George Mason 70, Delaware 58
America East Scores
UMBC 81, Albany, N.Y. 77 in OT
Big South Scores
Radford 62, N.C.-Asheville 53
Winthrop 80, VMI 70
Patriot Scores
American U. 49, Army 40
Conference USA Scores
UAB 101, Houston 99
Horizon Scores
#8 Butler 51 Illinois-Chicago 46
Missouri Valley Scores
Illinois St. 49, Evansville 47
WAC Scores
Boise St. 81, CS Bakersfield 56
Mountain West Scores
New Mexico 68, Air Force 51
BYU 67, Utah 59
Big Sky Scores
Portland St. 88, N. Colorado 79
Big West Scores
UC Santa Barbara 60, Pacific 53
CS Northridge 82, Long Beach St. 78
7:00 PM ET
Virginia Commonwealth (19-6, 12-3 CAA)
Northeastern (12-13, 8-7 CAA)
7:00 PM ET
UMBC (18-7, 10-2 Am. East)
Albany (13-12, 8-5 Am. East)
7:00 PM ET
North Carolina-Asheville (18-7, 7-3 B. South)
Radford (8-17, 3-7 B. South)
7:00 PM ET
Winthrop (17-9, 8-3 B. South)
Virginia Military (13-11, 5-5 B. South)
7:30 PM ET
Army (11-13, 4-6 Patriot)
American University (16-10, 8-3 Patriot)
8:00 PM ET
Houston (19-5, 8-2 C-USA)
UAB (17-8, 7-3 C-USA)
8:00 PM ET
(8)Butler (24-2, 13-2 HOR)
Illinois-Chicago (14-12, 8-7 HOR)
8:05 PM ET
Illinois State (18-8, 10-5 MVC)
Evansville (8-17, 3-12 MVC)
9:00 PM ET
Cal State Bakersfield (8-17)
Boise State (19-6, 10-3 WAC)
9:00 PM ET
New Mexico (20-6, 7-4 MWC)
Air Force (13-11, 5-6 MWC)
9:00 PM ET
Delaware (11-14, 8-7 CAA)
George Mason (18-8, 10-5 CAA)
9:05 PM ET
Portland State (17-8, 10-2 Big Sky)
Northern Colorado (11-14, 4-8 Big Sky)
10:00 PM ET
Utah (15-8, 6-4 MWC)
Brigham Young (20-5, 9-1 MWC)
10:00 PM ET
Cal State Northridge (17-6, 9-2 B. West)
Long Beach State (6-18, 3-8 B. West)
10:00 PM ET
UC Santa Barbara (19-6, 8-4 B. West)
Pacific (17-8, 8-4 B. West)
Bradley 72, (18) Drake 71
Drake is suffering from some late season hiccups as they now drop two out their last three games with the loss tonight. Bradley gives Drake problems as they barely escaped them the first time they played 69-68. Maybe they were looking ahead to a big game with #8 Butler on Feb. 23.
Davidson 75, UNC-Greensboro 66
Davidson has now won sixteen straight games and is 18-0 in conference play. They have a big Game at Winthrop Feb 22 that is a must win if Davidson's fate falls in the selection committee hands. Stephen Curry led all scorers with 30 points in the game, the wildcat guard came in averaging more than 25 a game.
Kent St. 76, Buffalo 66
Win number one thousand for the Golden Flashes in program history comes on the road continues another solid season. Kent State now moves to 22-5 overall and 11-2 MAC. The Golden Flashes could be a dangerous 12 or 13 seed come tournament time. This was the Flashes fifth straight win.
Continue reading "Tuesday Recap" »
7:00 PM ET
Kent State (21-5, 10-2 MAC)
Buffalo (8-16, 2-10 MAC)
7:00 PM ET
UNC Greensboro (14-10, 8-7 Southern)
Davidson (19-6, 17-0 Southern)
8:05 PM ET
Southern Utah (8-17, 6-8 Summit)
Oral Roberts (18-6, 13-1 Summit)
8:35 PM ET
Bradley (15-12, 8-7 MVC)
(18)Drake (23-2, 14-1 MVC)
9:00 PM ET
San Diego State (16-9, 6-5 MWC)
Wyoming (10-14, 3-8 MWC)
No. 10 Xavier (22-4, 10-1 A 10) downs Rhode Island (20-6, 6-5 A 10), 81-77, to win their eighth straight game. They have now won 14 of 15. The A-10 is a good conference and Xavier looks like the cream. Xavier will host Duquesne Feb 21. Duquesne has been playing very well as of late and I'm sure Xavier will be in for another hard fought conference game.
La Salle 90 (11-13, 5-5 A 10)
Saint Joseph's 89 (16-8, 7-4 A 10)
The Hawks really needed to make it nine straight against city rival La Salle but the Explorers broke an eight game losing streak against them. Will Philly have any dance partners this year? The hawks are the best shot but any more losses to teams with losing records isn't going to help.
MAAC Scores
Niagara 71
St. Peter's 69
Manhattan 73
Siena 72
Loyola-Maryland 73
Rider 68
Fairfield 87 game went to double OT
Marist 85
I still think Rider is the team to beat here, but the conference standings have a four way tie for first with Fairfield one game behind and Marist two games back.
MAAC - Standings
Niagara 11-5 17-8
Rider 11-5 18-9
Siena 11-5 16-10
Loyola (Md.) 11-5 16-12
Fairfield 10-6 12-14
Marist 9-7 15-12
MEAC Scores
Morgan State 63 (16-9, 10-2 MEAC)
Bethune-Cookman 52 (10-16, 4-8 MEAC)
Norfolk State 68 (14-10, 10-2 MEAC)
Maryland-Eastern Shore 61 (4-23, 2-10 MEAC)
Hampton 67 (15-9, 8-3 MEAC)
Winston-Salem (9-15)
Morgan and Norfolk State are tied atop the standings, with Norfolk having the tie break by beating Morgan earlier in the season, Hampton is 1.5 games behind.
Continue reading "Monday Recap" »
7:00 PM ET
No. 13 Xavier (21-4, 9-1 A 10)
Rhode Island (20-5, 6-4 A 10)
7:00 PM ET
Rider (18-8, 11-4 MAAC)
Loyola (MD) (15-12, 10-5 MAAC)
7:00 PM ET
Siena (16-9, 11-4 MAAC)
Manhattan (10-15, 4-11 MAAC)
7:30 PM ET
Morgan State (15-9, 9-2 MEAC)
Bethune-Cookman (10-15, 4-7 MEAC)
8:00 PM ET
La Salle (10-13, 4-5 A 10)
Saint Joseph's (16-7, 7-3 A 10)
8:30 PM ET
Austin Peay (18-9, 14-3 OVC)
Tennessee State (11-15, 8-9 OVC)
10:00 PM ET
Utah State (18-8, 8-3 WAC)
San Jose State (11-13, 3-8 WAC)
10:00 PM ET
No. 23 Saint Mary's (22-3, 9-1 WCC)
Pepperdine (9-17, 3-7 WCC)
11:00 PM ET
Gonzaga (20-6, 9-1 WCC)
San Diego (15-11, 8-1 WCC)
CATONSVILLE, Md. -- It was a dogfight at RAC Arena, one Michael Vick couldn't attend.
The Terriers of Boston University came into the game on a five game win streak. BU was voted the preseason favorite to win the conference.
Their counterparts the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers also came into the game on a five game win streak and sole possession of first place in the America East.
It wasn't pretty at times, but UMBC came away with their sixth straight victory, a hard fought 76-73 win at home.
Continue reading "Sunday Recap" »
12:00 PM ET
American University (15-10, 7-3 Patriot)
Colgate (12-12, 4-6 Patriot)
Notes: American beat Maryland this season for the first time since 1928, now they have their sights set on representing the Patriot league in March
2:00 PM ET
Saint Louis (14-10, 5-5 A 10)
Massachusetts (15-9, 4-6 A 10)
Notes: Are they in or out? UMass is on everyones bubble.
4:00 PM ET
Boston University (10-14, 7-5 Am. East)
UMBC (17-7, 9-2 Am. East)
Notes: Who says you can't go back home? Yours truly will be back home and at the game, giving you the goods on UMBC.
7:00 PM ET
Cornell (14-5, 6-0 Ivy)
Harvard (6-16, 1-5 Ivy)
Butler downs Youngstown State 89-73 on Thursday night for their seventh consecutive win. A.J Graves broke out of a slump scoring 15 points for the Bulldogs who remain atop the Horizon league.
Belmont remains atop the Atlantic Sun standings with a 87-75 win over East Tennessee State. Belmont took care of a squad that had won six of its last seven with ease leading all way.
Oral Roberts remain perfect in Summit league play with a 76-71 win over Western Illinois. Moses Ehambe scored 40 points for Oral Roberts (18-5, 13-0).
Middle Tennessee knocks off League leader South Alabama 76-70. Middle Tennessee built a 43-29 halftime lead and held on for the upset win.
Portland State (16-8, 9-2 Big Sky Conference), beat Idaho State 81-58 on Thursday night. Portland State remains in first place in the Big sky and has won seven straight games.
Pacific falls 74-59 to UC Irvine in a wide open Big West race. Four teams can make a legitimate claim as the best in conference. This one should go down to the wire.
The Northeast conference has a great race going for the top spot in league. Three teams came into the day tied for first. Robert Morris University(20-6, 11-2 NEC) beat Central Connecticut State 80-74 to reach the twenty win mark. Sacred heart lost a thriller in double OT to Wagner (18-6, 11-2 Northeast Conference). 100-92. Sacred Heart (14-11, 11-3 Northeast Conference) had opened the season 0-6 but came into the game on an eight game winning streak.
7:00 PM ET
Belmont (17-8, 9-2 A-Sun)
East Tennessee State (14-10, 8-3 A-Sun)
7:00 PM ET
Youngstown State (8-16, 4-10 HOR)
(9)Butler (22-2, 11-2 HOR)
7:00 PM ET
Robert Morris (19-6, 10-2 NEC)
Central Connecticut State (12-12, 8-5 NEC)
8:00 PM ET
Oral Roberts (17-5, 12-0 Summit)
Western Illinois (11-13, 6-7 Summit)
7:00 PM ET
Sacred Heart (14-10, 11-2 NEC)
Wagner (17-6, 10-2 NEC)
8:30 PM ET
South Alabama (20-4, 12-1 S. Belt)
Middle Tennessee (11-12, 8-5 S Belt)
10:05 PM ET
Pacific (17-6, 8-2 B. West)
UC Irvine (10-13, 5-5 B. West)
10:05 PM ET
Idaho State (9-14, 6-4 Big Sky)
Portland State (15-8, 8-2 Big Sky)
The 12th-ranked Musketeers survived their third straight close call, 62-60 over Atlantic Ten foe Charlotte. Xavier moves to 21-4 overall and 9-1 Atlantic 10. The Musketeers are in line for high seed come March.
The Phillies best hope for a dance partner this year may be the Hawks of Saint Joseph's. St. Bonaventure was just the cure for a two game losing streak as the Hawks beat them for the 13th straight time, 81-56.
Davidson clinched the Southern Conference South Division with a 83-78 road win over UNC Greensboro. Stephen Curry had a career-high 41-point showing and hit some big free throws late to seal the deal for the Wildcats. Davidson has now won 14 straight games.
The Rams of VCU have now won 11 of their last 12. Virginia Commonwealth was up 17 at half and cruised to a 75-56 victory over James Madison. The Rams are now 19-5 overall and 12-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The 14th-ranked Bulldogs' 21-game winning streak and conference title aspirations both came to an end for Drake tonight. They leave Southern Illinois a loser, 65-62. Drake will have to wait for their first conference title since 1971. This is the second Cinderella the Salukis have slain also beating then-No. 21 Saint Mary's. Drake was sluggish from the start and needed a three with timing running out to send the game into overtime, it was just barely off.
The Owls of Temple mounted a furious comeback Wednesday night in downing Rhode Island at home. Down by 12 at half the owls would wind up sending the game to overtime before winning this one 92-89. All of the Rhode Island losses have come on the road this season.
Continue reading "Upset City" »
After their sixth loss in eight games, Dayton's 63-61 loss to Duquesne has the repo man coming for the slipper.
A day after Akron's upset loss, Ohio goes down to Toledo ending their hope for an at large selection. Toledo came into the game 7-15 overall, 4-6 MAC.
Two steps forward and then one back, seems to be the story of Sam Houston State. Yet another two game win streak snapped this time by Northwestern State 78-69. Stephen F. Austin will represent the Southland conference.
I only see the Missouri Valley getting two teams in this year, Drake and Illinois State. After Creighton losses to Evansville 60-56 tonight. Evansville came into the game only 2-11 in conference and 7-16 overall. The Bluejays could still make it a three team league by winning the conference tourney, that's about it.
With a 73-63 win tonight over San Diego State, New Mexico's hopes are still alive while the Aztecs hopes are on the ropes. Only BYU and UNLV are locks for the tournament. With win the Lobos fight on another day while it will probably be NIT for SDSU.
I think it's safe to say the Dayton stay on the Cindy watch list is over. After dropping a home tilt with the Dukes of Duquesne, 63-61, the Flyers are now losers of six of their last eight. Without the services of freshman forward Chris Wright, the team's No. 2 scorer, and junior forward Charles Little, the Flyers just aren't the same team. That is 18 points a game the team is missing from its forwards. Dayton has just been treading water and now they're starting to sink.
7:00 PM ET
Rhode Island (20-4, 6-3 A 10)
Temple (12-10, 5-3 A 10)
7:00 PM ET
Duquesne (15-7, 5-4 A 10)
Dayton (16-6, 4-5 A 10)
7:00 PM ET
UNC Asheville (18-5, 7-1 B. South)
High Point (13-10, 5-4 B. South)
7:00 PM ET
St. Bonaventure (7-15, 1-7 A 10)
Saint Joseph's (15-7, 6-3 A 10)
7:00 PM ET
Davidson (17-6, 15-0 Southern)
UNC Greensboro (13-9, 7-6 Southern)
7:00 PM ET
James Madison (11-12, 4-9 CAA)
Virginia Commonwealth (18-5, 11-2 CAA)
7:00 PM ET
Ohio (16-7, 7-3 MAC)
Toledo (7-15, 4-6 MAC)
7:30 PM ET
Bucknell (10-13, 5-4 Patriot)
American University (14-10, 6-3 Patriot)
7:30 PM ET
(13)Xavier (20-4, 8-1 A 10)
Charlotte (14-8, 5-3 A 10)
8:00 PM ET
Troy (10-14, 3-10 S. Belt)
Western Kentucky (19-5, 11-1 S. Belt)
8:00 PM ET
Northwestern State (10-13, 6-3 Southland)
Sam Houston State (18-4, 6-3 Southland)
8:00 PM ET
Central Arkansas (13-10, 3-6 Southland)
Stephen F. Austin (19-3, 7-2 Southland)
8:05 PM ET
(15)Drake (22-1, 13-0 MVC)
Southern Illinois (12-12, 7-6 MVC)
8:05 PM ET
Creighton (17-6, 8-5 MVC)
Evansville (7-16, 2-11 MVC)
8:05 PM ET
Missouri State (12-13, 5-8 MVC)
Illinois State (17-7, 9-4 MVC)
9:00 PM ET
George Mason (17-7, 9-4 CAA)
Towson (9-14, 5-8 CAA)
11:00 PM ET
New Mexico (18-6, 5-4 MWC)
San Diego State (16-7, 6-3 MWC)
Lon Kruger's Rebels had a tie game on their hands with six minutes to go against Mountain West foe Air Force before using a 5-0 run to pull away from the Falcons for good, 58-51. UNLV (19-5, 8-2 Mountain West Conference) looks to reach the twenty win mark for back to backs years with a big match up at conference front runner BYU. A win could vault the Rebels into first place in conference. Back on Jan. 16th the Rebels beat the Cougars at home 70-41. The two teams are hardly strangers as they also met in last year's league title game.
The Bulldogs of Butler will hang onto their highest ranking ever after surviving Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 83-75, on Tuesday night in OT. The No. 9-ranked Bulldogs (22-2 overall, 11-2 Horizon League) pulled away in OT after they were outplayed most of game, this is second game in a row Butler was pushed to the brink. Second half turnovers ultimately did in a scrappy UWM bunch in thier upset bid. The Bulldogs are no strangers to big games this time of year, the senior laden squad will continue its push to make waves come tournement time. Next up for Butler a home contest with Youngstown State Feb, 14th.
Ten straight seasons, the same result, Kent State reaches the twenty win mark. The Golden Flashes defeated Central Michigan 79-66. With the win the Flashes move to 20-5 overall and 9-2 in MAC play. The win also sets up a home showdown with second place Ohio Saturday Feb 16th at 3 pm ET.
So much for being the second best team in the MAC, installed as a huge home favorite against a team at the bottom of the MAC standings Akron comes out a loser, 88-78, to Northern Illinois. The Zips had been undefeated at home this season. An at large selection is probably out of reach as the Zips fall to third in the MAC east behind Kent and Ohio. The Bobcats and Golden Flashes are the only hope to make the MAC a two team league.
Liberty's 11-game home win streak came to an end Tuesday night at the hands of the Eagles of Winthrop. The Eagles return an experienced team from last years NCAA squad. Now on a two game win streak the Eagles could easily be 18-9 heading into a Feb 22 showdown with Davidson (17-6 overall 15-0 1st Southern South Division) with two very winnable games against Radford and Virginia Military. In my estimation a 19-10 Eagle team will meet League Leader UNC Asheville at home and try to secure an important twentieth regular season win.
No. 10 Butler travels to UW-Milwaukee (12-10 overall, Horizon 7-5) in a Horizon League game. Butler (21-2 overall, Horizon 10-2) has won five straight games but looked shaky in its last effort, a 62-57 win over Wisconsin-Green Bay. Butler is led by five seniors and is looking to make an even deeper run into the NCAA Tournament this year. Game time is set for 7 pm ET.
Winthrop (15-9 overall, Big South 6-3) at Liberty (13-11 overall, Big South 5-4). The three-time defending Big South champion Winthrop Eagles took down Notre Dame in last year's NCAA Tournament but are being shown up by UNC Asheville (18-5, 7-1 Big South) this year. Liberty upset league leader UNC Asheville at home just last week and remains unbeaten in the Vines Center.
Expect another raucous crowd as this game has been billed a "White Out." A loss here by Winthrop would be very damaging to its tight chances on a return trip to the big dance. Liberty could move into a three-way tie for second in the conference and boast wins over the top two teams. If Liberty pulls off their 12th straight win at home, it could be an entirely new season for them. Game time is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Kent State is the best team in the MAC and leads the MAC East (19-5 overall, Mid-American 8-2), they will travel to Central Michigan (10-12 overall, Mid-American 5-5). Game time is 7 p.m. ET.
Akron is the second best team in the MAC (17-6 overall, 7-3 Mid-American) and are tied for second behind Kent with Ohio in the division they will host Northern Illinois (5-17 overall, Mid-American 2-8) at 8 p.m. ET.
Can the MAC land two schools in the Big Dance? Ohio (16-7 overall, Mid-American 7-3) would also like to push its way into the tourney after scoring a win over Maryland earlier in the year.
Fresh off win No. 400 of his career, Lon Kruger and his UNLV Runnin Rebels (18-5 overall, 7-2 Mountain West) will host Air Force (12-10 overall, 4-5 Mountain West), in a Mountain West clash at 10 p.m. ET. The much-traveled Kruger led UNLV to a Sweet 16 appearance last season with a 30-7 record and has a 82-39 record in four years with the Rebels.
Kruger has made collegiate stops at Pan American (1982-86), Kansas State ('86-'90), Florida ('90-'96) and Illinois ('96-'00), not to mention two stints in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks (2000-03) as a head coach and as an assistant for the New York Knicks ('03-'04). He also led Florida to the Final Four in 93-94. So how far can Kruger take this team?
Steve Nash's alma mater fell short of the revenge upset as the Broncos of Santa Clara watched as the No. 25 Gaels of Saint Mary's (CA) scored the games final four points to pull away in a closer than expected WCC match up. The Gaels were up 10 at half only to see it erode away with the game tied late in the game.
The difference in this one was simple, seniors stepping up and making plays and a good team taking advantage of mistakes. The Gaels (21-3, 8-1 WCC) got a different team this time around after 31-point rout of Santa Clara last month. Saint Mary's got a big game from seniors Diamon Simpson with 12 points, including some big free throws late and Tron Smith off the bench for 15.
The 6-foot-10, 305-pound John Bryant of Santa Clara posted his 11th double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Will Saint Mary's have a tough time with a bigger more physical teams come tournament time?
That will be on the 6-foot-11 Omar Samhan, who left the game with 17:05 left to play with a bruised shoulder, scoring only two points. Perhaps, Saint Mary's could trade for Shaq?
St Mary's will play a Bracketbuster Feb. 23 at home against MAC leader Kent State. That game will be followed by a rematch of the only team to have beaten the Gaels this year in WCC play, San Diego, who currently sits at 7-1 in league play.
Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nev., remains a tough place to play. The four-time defending WAC champs downed league leading Utah State, 85-80. The homestanding Wolfpack are now winners of three straight and six of their last seven. They've now won 35 of 38 games at Lawlor.
Marcelus Kemp led all scorers with 35 points, 22 in the second half. Kemp moved into third place on Nevada's all-time scoring list with 1757 points. The only players ahead of him are Nick Fazekas, 2,464 (2003-07) and Edgar Jones 1,877 (1975-79). Kemp was the only returning starter from last years record setting team.
A tourney run for Nevada would solidify Mark Fox as a hot commodity on the coaching market, as this would be the fifth consecutive year the Wolfpack would be dancing -- in a rebuilding year no less -- and that's quite a feat if he pulled it off.
Utah State is now 4-7 away from Logan and 14-0 at home. The lack of signature wins coupled with this loss is making the USU slipper tighter by the second. Jaycee Carroll dropped 29 points in a losing effort, 24 of which came in the second second half for the Aggies. The WAC only projects to be a one bid league -- it's either win the conference tourney or NIT. No. 1 seeds, of course, have the path of least resistance.
Continue reading "Utah State Gives Ground In Tightening WAC Race" »
Morgan State remains perfect at Hill Field House in Baltimore, Md., improving their home record to 9-0 with a 81-55 conference win over South Carolina State. The win was the Golden Bears eight in a row. The last Morgan team to win eight straight? You'll have to go back to 1974, that team would go on to the Division II Final Four.
Continue reading "Morgan State Still Perfect at Home" »
1. Baylor 116, Texas A&M 110 5OT
Not a "true" Cinderella match-up with two teams from a BCS league, but damn, how could we not include the Game of the Year (That No One Saw)? Truth be told, with all the turmoil Baylor went through a few years back, they are every bit of a true Cinderella. The meeting was the first time in 196 meetings between the two schools that BOTH schools were nationally-ranked. It was also the longest game in Baylor history and longest game in Texas A&M history and saw 17 ties in the game, 20 lead changes and lasted over 3 1/2 hours.
2. Xavier 77, UMass 65
The Musketeers are clearly the class of the Atlantic 10, but recent weeks have shown that the next-best team in the league is anyone's guess. The league's RPI is now at 7 and what was once being discussed as a five bid league may have to settle for three if the internal beatings and upsets continue. Some had believed the biggets challenger to Xavier may be UMass, but with two straight league losses and a 2-3 A-10 record, those thoughts need to be revisited. The Minutemen have lost two to St. Joseph's and now play three of their next four on the road (at Duquense, St. Louis and Temple). Anything less than 3-1 in those four games (with Rhody at home mixed in) and UMass could be headed back to the NIT.
Our vote for the second bid out of the A-10 would currently go to Rhody, which has won three of its last four and checks in with a solid RPI of 24 (despite a weak strength of schedule in the 130s).
Continue reading "Cindy's Seven Faves" »
Hello Cinderella Sweethearts and welcome back to the Glass Sneaker Blog, or as we call it around here at Cindy's Castle, "My Diary."
Wednesdays will be dedicated to our Cinderella Player and Team of the Week, but we're just two days into and feared it would be a bit difficult to offer up the season's inaugural winners. Fortunately Tennessee-Martin partook in the first two rounds of the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic, at the Memphis regional.
Just 8-23 last year in the OVC, UT-M starts off 1-1 after a competitive loss to Memphis and a two-point win over Maine (America East). There's a lot of high level basketball being played in Tennessee at Memphis and UT by themselves, maybe we shouldn't be surprised if some of it wears off on UT-M.
Wrapping up the daily double for UT-M and coach Bret Campbell was the play of junior guard Lester Hudson who had 35 vs. Memphis and 31 against Maine.
The Memphis-native was a combined 24 of 47 from the field (10 of 23 from 3-point land), and while UM's Derek Rose was the "regional's" most impressive player, Hudson could very well have been the most valuable.
Continue reading "Cindy's Back For 2007-08!" »
Hello Hoops Heads and welcome to the debut of CSTV.com’s “Cindy’s Diary,” a new feature that looks at the Big Dance from the perspective of the event’s Grande Dame herself, Cinderella. In an exclusive agreement with CSTV, Cindy – as her friends call her – will provide a twice-weekly compilation of thoughts as HER time approaches. Crack open Cindy’s Diary here, at the Glass Sneaker blog, on Mondays and Fridays from now through the end of the Big Dance in Atlanta.
• My favorite numbers cruncher, the reader of basketball palms, Jerry Palm, done gone and bumped my early Cindy Sweetheart, Drexel, out of the Dance field.
Note to self: Don’t invite The Palmist to next Cinderella Palace Party. Also, self: Remove Palm from IM list and MySpace ‘friends.’
We happen to still like Bruiser Flint’s Dragons, not to mention the CAA as a whole. Last year’s four Valley berths proved that my Dance Committee looks favorably on the “hot,” up-and-comer leagues. They always have and this year that love is going to have to go to the conference that gave the world my all-time best beau, George Mason. Through Sunday, three CAA teams – VCU, Drexel and Hofstra – are all on pace for 20-win seasons.
Continue reading "Cindy's Diary - The Debut" »
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