Championship Week Update #2

Championship Week marched on Tuesday as 3 more teams punched their tickets to the NCAA's.  There were also first round games in the Big East and Atlantic Ten Conferences as well.  Things are beginning to shape up as we get closer to Selection Sunday.

Horizon: In past years, Butler has dominated the regular season, only to fall short in the conference tournament.  This year, Butler easily beat Wright State to qualify for the NCAA's and save a Bubble spot.  I picked this one correctly.

Summit: Oakland qualifies for the NCAA's for just the second time.  I picked this correctly as well.

Sun Belt: North Texas needs overtime, but gets in the Big Dance.  My pick, Western Kentucky, did not make the finals.

Picks update:  So far, I am 5-6.  Typical.....

Big East:  I'm not sure what was more shocking in the first round: The puzzling blowout loss by UConn or the amazing  near comeback from a 29 point deficit by Providence.  UConn looked awful yet again as many wonder if Jim Calhoun will be retiring.  Seton Hall built a 29 point lead against Providence, before having to sweat out a last second three point attempt to hang on.  South Florida and Cincinnati also won to advance.

Atlantic Ten: Rhode Island and Dayton each won to improve their shrinking Bubble chances.  Interesting matchups in the quarterfinals: Xavier vs. Dayton and Rhode Island vs. St. Louis.

Today, we will see only two championships decided: NEC and the Big Sky.  The Big East continues with another set of first round games.  I will update once again tomorrow.

JP

Some Non March Madness Stuff

There is more to life in March than Bubbles and Championship Week.  There really is!!  Some interesting stuff has happened in the last couple days:

-Of course as I mentioned a couple of days ago Ben Rothlisberger may be in trouble again as he is being investigated for sexual assault along with 7 of his associates.  Given that this is two off seasons in a row this is happened, there should be some concern.

-The big news in the NBA isn't LeBron's possible uniform change or the Lakers' 3 game losing streak.  It's the trouble Allen Iverson apparently is in.  AI was taking time off "to be with his daughter", but the reality of his situation may be more serious.  AI has a drinking and a gambling problem, the latter so bad that he's been banned from casinos in New Jersey and Detroit.  He's also in the middle of a divorce.  Life is not good for AI.  Could his NBA career be over?  More importantly, can he get his life in order??

-DC baseball fans should be excited today as Stephen Strasburg makes his spring training debut today.  The Nats have been nothing short of sucky so far as they have given up runs like crazy.  Maybe they're getting the bad out the way now, but I'm sure there's concern already.

- With one blow out exception to the White Sox, the Cubs have looked decent so far.  There are some injury issues to overcome, but if they can get to May in good shape, they should be okay.  Will being an underdog benefit the Cubs like in 2007??

-I attended the Caps hockey game last Saturday.  The Caps have managed to sell out 46 straight games (as of the game I went to).  They looked ordinary overall to me.  Defensively they were great; offensively, not so much.  They did do enough to win, but I wonder if their trades will be enough to go all the way.  

-And lastly, the UConn women's basketball team won its 71st consecutive game, an new NCAA record for women's basketball.  ESPN suggested this didn't seem like it's a big deal.  In light of the PSU women's basketball team volleyball over a 100 games in row during the fall, maybe it's not.  While the sports are very different, which streak would have the most impact?  Both teams did play its share of ranked teams.  Can UConn carry this streak on another year to try and eventually get the overall winning streak PSU might break next year?  Of course winning championships are more important; given how UConn's head coach may be, could he place importance on this streak?

That is it for now.  Keep up with my Championship Week updates!!

JP

Championship Week Update #1

Championship Week is now in full force as 9 teams now have punched their tickets to the Big Dance.  Teams that were favored to win their conferences even helped out by winning their conferences in most cases.  Today's post will update where we are through Monday night.  and we'll have a picks update.

Ivy: Cornell wins twice to win the regular season title and the automatic bid that goes with it.  As the top 3 point shoot team in the nation, Cornell not only will get a good seed, but that could upset somebody in the first round.

Ohio Valley:  Murray State wins their 30th game as they take the automatic.  Another team that could scare favorites in the first round of the NCAA's.  Jared's pick: correct.

Big South: Winthrop gets in again as they beat Coastal Carolina.  C-C will get the automatic in the NIT, as they won't be able to squeeze out an at large bid to the NCAA's.  Jared's pick: incorrect.

Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State gets their second straight bid.  No Belmont as I get this one wrong.

Missouri Valley.  Northern Iowa helps the Bubble as they take the automatic.  I thought  Wichita State may pull the upset, but they falter in the second half.  

CAA.  Old Dominion takes the automatic.  While ODU was probably in line for an at large,this opens up another Bubble spot.  A correct pick for me.

MAAC.  Siena overcomes a 15 point deficit to win a thriller in overtime.  This is three straight Dances for Siena, who cannot be taken lightly in the NCAA's.  Another correct pick here.

WCC.  In a mild surprise, St. Mary's comes through in a rout of Gonzaga.  The best likelihood was that St. Mary's was going to get in, but this assures that they are and keeps Bubble slots open.  Gonzaga was a lock no matter what.  A wrong pick here.

Southern.  Wofford gets their first Dance card punched as they beat Appalachian State.  Jared gets this one wrong.

Tuesday's action will see three more championships decided-the Horizon, Summit and Sun Belt.  Bubble watchers have been lucky so far and should root for Butler.

With no major surprises happening so far, those teams in precarious position still have chances.  That means teams like Georgia Tech, Seton Hall, South Florida, Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Illinois, California, Arizona State and Washington in the major conferences still have a pulse.  San Diego State, Rhode Island, Dayton, St.Louis, Memphis and UAB in the mid major's should still be alive as well.

My next update will be on Wednesday...

JP

College Basketball This Week:Time To Get Mad

Well folks-the time is here.  Even though Selection Sunday officially kicks off frenzy we call March Madness, Championship Week is the walk-through that prepares us for the big bash.  I really enjoy the conference tournaments that make or break a team's season. This year's series may be the most interesting in a long time as many teams are fighting for position into the Big Dance.  This week, I'll take a different approach than I have in the past as I assess who I think will really get in.

Before we get started, some congratulations are in order for the first four teams who officially in the tournament:  Cornell, East Tennessee State, Murray State and Winthrop.  Today, the Missouri Valley will crown their champ.

This week, I will try to pick the field, which will include the teams already in.  For my picks, I'm already in the hole, as I picked only two of the conference tournament winners (if you count Cornell in the Ivy, which does not have a tournament).  The conferences with the automatic spot only will reflect my tournament pick.

Best chances for Top Seeds:  Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse and Duke.  Dark horses: Ohio State and West Virginia.

Preliminary Final Four: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky and Ohio State.

Best chances for upsets (if they get in): Butler, Siena, Murray State, Richmond, Winthrop.

ACC: I think 6 will get in.  My pick to win: Duke.  Teams in: Duke, Maryland, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.  I just can't justify Georgia Tech getting in and Wake is iffy at best.  If the Committee had any balls, only 4 or 5 teams should truly come out of here.

America East: Automatic only.  My pick to win: Vermont. 

Atlantic 10:At this point, I think 3 teams get in.  This could be one of the three best tournaments (next to the Big East and Big 12).  My pick to win: Xavier.  Teams in for sure: Xavier, Temple and Richmond.   Rhode Island, Dayton or St.Louis may have a chance at a 4th spot.

Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State is in.  Automatic only.  I wrongly picked Belmont, who didn't even make the final.  Don't pick ETSU in your brackets...

Big 12: My team to win is Kansas.  I think 7 teams will get in: Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M, Missouri and Oklahoma State.  I'm still iffy on the last two, but this tournament should be rockin'.  A couple of things here: K-State had a bad loss Saturday and now has almost no chance at a #1 seed.  Also, will Kansas tank this for the sake of rest??

Big East: My team to win-West Virginia.  This has changed as Villanova has looked bad lately.  I think 8 teams will get in: Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Pitt, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette and Notre Dame.  

Big Sky: Automatic only.  My pick: Northern Colorado

Big South: Automatic Only.  My pick: Coastal Carolina.  Winthrop gets the bid.  

Big Ten: My team to win-Ohio State.  I think 5 teams will get in:  Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Illinois.  Illinois is very iffy.

Big West: Automatic only.  My pick: Pacific. 

Colonial: Two will get in only if ODU does not win.  If ODU wins, automatic only.  My pick: ODU.  Bubble teams: root for ODU!!

Conference USA:  I think 2 teams will get in: UTEP and Memphis.  UAB is on the outside and has a chance if it gets to the finals.  My pick: UTEP.

Horizon: Automatic only if Butler wins.  If Butler does not win, then 2 get in.  Root for Butler!!

My pick: Butler.

Ivy: Cornell is in.   Think about Cornell for an upset in the NCAA's.

MAAC: Automatic only, although Siena will make things very interesting if they lose.  My pick: Siena. 

MAC: Automatic only, although Kent State could make a compelling case for an at large if they do not win.  My pick: Kent State.

MEAC: Automatic only.  My pick: Morgan State.

Missouri Valley: Very tricky.  Should be automatic only if Northern Iowa wins (and Bubble fans, you want UNI to win!!)  But...I pick Wichita State to win.

Mountain West. I think 4 teams will get in: BYU, New Mexico, UNLV and San Diego State.  SD State will be iffy, but I think they've done more than the other Bubble teams out there.  My pick to win: BYU.

NEC: Automatic Only. My pick: Robert Morris. 

Ohio Valley: Murray State is in.  I picked them and I think they can pull an upset in the NCAA's.

Pac 10: I think 2 teams will get in: California and Arizona State. My pick to win: California

Patriot League: Automatic only.  My pick: Lehigh.

SEC: I think 4 teams will get in: Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt for sure.  Something tells me someone out of Florida, Ole Miss and Mississippi State will get in.  If the Committee had balls, only 3 will get in. My pick to win: Kentucky.

Southern: Automatic only.  My pick: Charleston.

Southland: Automatic only.  My pick: Sam Houston State.  

Summit: Automatic only. My pick: Oakland.

Sun Belt:  Automatic only.  My pick: Western Kentucky.

SWAC: Automatic only.  My pick: Jackson State.

WAC: Automatic only, unless Utah State falters (Bubble teams-root for Utah State!!).  Then in that case, two will get in.  My pick: Utah State.

WCC: I think 2 teams will get in: Gonzaga and St. Mary's.  My pick to win: Gonzaga.

As I see it, there are six cases where Bubble teams need the favorite to win, or those teams go into the at large pool and are best likely to make the field: Old Dominion in the CAA, Butler in the Horizon, Kent State in the MAC, UNI in the Missouri Valley, Utah State in the WAC and Siena in the MAAC.  Some these will be debated next week, since we know upsets always happen in the conference tournaments.  With the bubble the way it is for the BCS conferences, this could get interesting.  Are the above teams better than Dayton, St.Louis, Rhode Island, Georgia Tech, the Mississippi schools, Florida, South Florida, UConn?  We shall see...

JP

Championship Week Kickoff

Today is the "official" beginning of what college basketball fans affectionately call Championship Week.  Sure, it was cooked up by the brain trust of ESPN, since almost all of the conference championship game imaginable are broadcast by the so called world wide leader in sports. But it really is a great lead in to March Madness.  Some may even think it's better.  So fasten your seat belts and enjoy!!

As I have said probably a million times over the last couple of weeks is that it seems there a lot more Bubble teams than normal this season.  One of the Bubble watchers even projected 20-25 teams fighting for a possible 9 spots.  That is if you believe all of the projections for "locked" teams and teams that "should be in".  Whether this is a good thing or not will be hotly debated.  What it says to me is there is a lot of basketball to follow, which from a fan's perspective, is a good thing.  It's kind of like the home stretch in baseball in late September-it's a lot of fun when there's many teams in line for divisional or wild card spots.  Maybe there are lots of teams probably undeserving of  at large spots in the NCAA's.  But it's driving interest.  The NCAA really needs to keep this in mind before they expand the tournament.  I just cannot imagine if the field is expanded, if anyone will care anymore about Championship week.

Today, we will see championships decided in 3 conferences.  We'll see the Big South, Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley conferences decide their automatic qualifiers to the Big Dance.  None of these teams have Bubble aspirations-it's win and you're in.  Pretty simple.  

One team has punched their ticket already: Cornell.  The Ivy League is the only conference left that actually believes the regular season means something (that's another annual rant for another time).  So congratulations Cornell-you have saved a potential Bubble slot.

I will try to keep everyone up to date with Championship Week activities.  Unlike in past years, today I will miss a lot of the championship games, as I am attending-gasp!!!-a hockey game!!.  So I will recap the events on Sunday.

Enjoy!!

JP 

It's Black Friday

Okay...I'm a day late on this one, but I really did intend on writing this last night.  But I didn't.  And yes, I am aware that Black Friday normally occurs in November...after we've had turkey and all of the Thanksgiving Day stuff.  But if you're an NFL team, Friday was the first day that you could go shopping.  For free agents (and you can't find them at Target or Wal-Mart). So this morning, I will catch you up on that and other happenings in the world.

My Chicago Bears decided to make a splash and signed defensive lineman Julius Peppers. Maybe about 2-3 years ago, I would have real excited about this.  Today, I'm not so sure.  I hope for the bears sake, he has something left in his tank.  The Baltimore Ravens should be excited as well, as they acquired Anquan Boldin from the Arizona Cardinals for draft picks.  It may way too early to tell, but Baltimore already may put its stamp on a AFC North title.  Especially if Big Ben is in jail (more on that in a jiffy).  The Deadskins cut most of their team as they try gain space for their annual free agent party.   There were other moves; none were as big.

Now to Big Ben.  Once again..and this makes two years in a row... Ben Rothlisberger has been accused of some sort of sexual misconduct.  This time, Big Ben was accused of sexually assaulting a college girl in Georgia on Thursday night.  This on the heels of Big Ben being sued in Nevada after being accused of rape.  You'd think Ben would be smart and keep it in his pants.  In all seriousness, even if charges aren't filed, this does attract unwanted attention for Big Ben.

In non football stuff, spring training games in baseball have started in full force.  I guess this will mean some preliminary predictions.  but that's another post for another day.  The Cubs have started well, winning their first two games.  I think they started well last year.  And we know how last year ended up.....

Hockey highlights my social calendar tonight as I see the Caps play in DC.  I hate the Caps, but one never turns down an opportunity to a major league sporting event, especially if it's a gift.  Thanks mrs. sportsriff!!

College basketball dilemma in the household today: PSU plays Purdue in a probably meaningless Big Ten game.  Or George Mason vs. VCU in a potential beatdown in the CAA quarterfinals (how times have changed in 2010-GMU and VCU have played in 2 of the last three CAA championship games, with VCU victorious in both).  What shall I do???

Anyway, that's my Black Friday update for this Saturday morning.  Happy shopping NFL teams!!

JP

 

Championship Week: Conference Tournament Preview

Well, we are just about here. It's the week that really gets March Madness started. To me, it's what the Madness is truly about. I love Championship week, as you see teams battle for entry into the NCAA tournament. I especially love to see the small conference and mid major teams battle it out for what could be their only chance to reach the Big Dance. Beginning Saturday morning all the way up to Selection Sunday, there is non stop basketball action!

For the last two years, I picked who I thought would win the conference tournaments. I wasn't very successful, but I figured I would try again. Could a year wiser mean better results??

ACC:  Duke.  This year's ACC is the weakest it's been in a while.
America East: Vermont
Atlantic 10: Xavier. The A-10 may have the best conference tournament this year.
Atlantic Sun: Belmont.  I still remember the Belmont-Duke thriller from DC in 2008.
Big 12: Kansas. Don't be surprised, however,if someone else steps up.
Big East: Villanova.  Some may say this will have the best tournament.
Big Sky: Northern Colorado. 24-6 overall, but only #2 in the Big Sky.
Big South: Coastal Carolina has 27 wins.  Radford and Winthrop lurk.
Big Ten: Ohio State.  The beginning of a Final Four run?
Big West: Pacific.
Colonial: Old Dominion.  This is the third year in a row I've picked ODU.  Is this year the charm? 
Conference USA: UTEP.  First time in a while someone other than Memphis
Horizon: Butler.
MAAC: Siena.  All or nothing.
MAC: Kent State
MEAC: Morgan State.  The re-birth of Todd Bozeman?
MVC: . Wichita State. They call this tourney "Arch Madness"
Mountain West: BYU.  I think they'll upset New Mexico
NEC:Robert Morris.  I picked them last year...
Ohio Valley: Murray State.  with 28 wins, any shot of an at large if they falter??
Pac Ten: California
Patriot: Lehigh
SEC: Kentucky
Southern: Charleston.  Very deadly with the 3.
Southland: Sam Houston State.  No bionic team this year.
Summit: Oakland.  Da Raiders do something right...ooops...wrong sport...
Sun Belt: Western Kentucky.  4th in the conference,perhaps my "upset" pick.
SWAC: Jackson State
West Coast: Gonzaga
WAC: Utah State
Ivy: Cornell. First school to qualify for NCAA's.

 

Like last year, I'll keep you posted with daily updates as championships are decided.

Enjoy!!

Jp

Picking the NCAA Field

It must be March Madness, so I figure I may as well be like everyone else and try my hand at picking the NCAA field. I'll try this a couple of times between now and Selection and see how I fare.  Keep in mind I am not an expert and I'm not using any scientific methods. I'll let the true Big Bangers do that.  Here we go.

Going into each year, we always have to figure on 30 bids being accounted for as they are the automatic qualifiers.  By my count, because of the potential for multiple bid conferences, I feel there are only 19 true gimmies without hope for multiple bids.  So that does mean I think teams like Butler, Gonzaga, Cornell, even Murray State will win their conference tournaments.  I also think we may only see one from the CAA and the Pac Ten conferences.  So here we go...

ACC: I say 6: Duke, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Florida State. The 6th will come between Georgia Tech or Wake Forest; not both.
America East: Auto only
Atlantic 10: I say only 4: Temple, Xavier,and Richmond for sure.  The 4th spot will be a dog fight between Rhode Island, St. Louis and Dayton.  Don't be surprised to see a fifth if another Bubble team falters. 
Atlantic Sun: Auto only. 
Big 12: I say 7: Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor,Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Missouri and Texas.
Big East: I say 8: Syracuse, Villanova, Georgetown, West Virginia, Pitt, Marquette,Louisville and Notre Dame
Big Sky: Auto only
Big South: Auto only
Big Ten: I say 5: Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Illinois.
Big West: Auto only.
Colonial: One only, although don't be surprised if ODU falters, they could get in. 
Conference USA: I say 3: UTEP, Memphis and UAB.
Horizon: Auto only, although Butler gets in no matter what happens
MAAC: Auto only
MAC: Auto only
MEAC: Auto only
MVC: If Northern Iowa wins tourney,auto only.  UNI, I feel is safe if they falter.
Mountain West: I say 3: New Mexico, BYU and UNLV
NEC: Auto only.
Ohio Valley: Auto only.
Pac Ten: Unbelievably, auto only.
Patriot: Auto only.
SEC: I say 5 : Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida and Mississippi State.  But something tells me we could see as little as 4, as Florida and Mississippi State are tenuous at the current moment.  One of those two could be replaced by Ole Miss.
Southern: Auto only.
Southland:Auto only
Summit: Auto only.
Sun Belt: Auto only.
SWAC: Auto only. 
West Coast: I say 2: Gonzaga and St. Mary's
WAC: I say 2: Utah State and Louisiana Tech
Ivy: Auto only, provided Cornell wins.  

Some things to think about as this week's games have played out:

-The ACC looks interesting in the middle.  While I think Clemson appears safe, Wake, Georgia Tech and Florida State may be fighting for two spots.

-Don't be surprised if the Pac Ten squeezes one more spot than just the automatic-almost to make up for some of the BCS shortcomings.

-In the Big Ten, I'm not big on Illinois.  We could really only see 4 teams in.

-The SEC seems to be faltering as well.  They could top out at 6 teams, but realistically, we could see as little as 3.

And the Big East.  Bigger is not always better.  Most would like to see 9 teams.  Don't be surprised to see as little as 7.

Stay tuned; I'll update this list over the weekend as the regular season wraps up for the BCS schools.

JP

Humpday Aftermath

It's late at night...and the Maryland students are out. and that means celebration Terps style.  No reports of burned couches...as of yet.  Yes...Maryland beat Duke Wednesday night..and now shares the ACC lead with the Dukies. Could we really see an ACC championship from Maryland this year??  Who knew???

In the other blockbuster matchup from Wednesday night, Kansas beat Kansas State to sweep the regular season series.  A nice bounce back for the Jayhawks after their loss last weekend.  This will solidify Kansas' position not only for the Big 12, but also on the national scene.  I find it hard pressed that no matter what happens at this point, pencil in Kansas as a #1 seed.  Perhaps excepting Syracuse and maybe Kentucky, there's no true lock in anything to me at this point..

Elsewhere, things are taking better shape in the Atlantic Ten.  Temple is solidifying itself as a Sweet Sixteen or better team as it won a tough one over St.Louis on Wednesday.   Notre Dame and Rhode Island won key bubble games, probably eliminating Charlotte and UConn from the scene.  UAB, Wake Forest and Mississippi State also lost, severely hurting their chances.  Which means those teams will win their conference tournaments.  This would be bad.  Very bad...

Here's hoping for a PSU upset over Michigan State on Thursday.  More wishful thinking...

UPDATE:  As I woke up this morning, I was disgusted to see the Maryland students act out yet again.  Please tell me any justification for students to race out in the streets?  It's only Duke...a team barely ranked in the Top 5.  Maryland-you continue to give yourself a black eye as your students still haven't figured out how to act like adults.  And students fromthis generation why adults don't respect them??  Booooooooo...

JP

Humpday Doubleheader

Gotta love March (have I said how much I love March???).  Baseball's around the corner, as is Spring (finally!!!).  But March is really about college basketball.  And as we await the conference tournament season, we have a night a major conference proportions.  We will see Duke-Maryland and Kansas-Kansas State.

The hype for tonight will center around the Duke-Maryland game, as is typical of ACC games.  The Big 12 could be better, but Duke-Maryland!!  These teams hate each other.  It's not a rivalry like Duke-Carolina, but these days, it's not far behind.  I'll never forget the Maryland choke a few years back, as the Terps blew a 10 point lead with 52 seconds left (!!!) and went on to lose in OT.  The first time Maryland made the Final Four, they met up with Duke.  Again the Terps blew a big lead, this time I believe 20 points, top go on to lose.  Tonight's game, nothing major on the line.  Just a possible ACC regular season championship.  Hope you took your nap; this should be good!!

Sadly the matchup of two top 6 teams, and possible future #1 NCAA seeds, takes a back seat.  Kansas and Kansas State has all kinds of implications of  their own.  #1 in the Big 12.  Kansas State has a chance to position itself as a #1 seed.  Bragging rights in Kansas.  The need for Kansas to bounce back.  and yet, NO ESPN coverage.  How can that be?  Does Dickey V have anything to do with this???

If your suffering from post Olympic traumatic stress syndrome, heal yourself with great college basketball action tonight.  Don't forget about UConn-Notre Dame, Charlotte-Rhode Island and Temple-St.Louis.  NCAA bubble action as a bonus.  You will not be disappointed!!

JP