The Pi-Rate Ratings

March 2, 2023

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Thursday, March 2, 2023

Thursday’s PiRate Ratings Spreads

HomeVisitorSpread
Arkansas Pine BluffJackson St.0.9
ArmyBoston U3.6
Cal St. NorthridgeHawaii-8.3
Cleveland St.Robert Morris5.0
ColgateLoyola (MD)15.0
Delaware St.Maryland Eastern Shore-6.9
FairfieldQuinnipiac-1.7
Georgia SouthernLouisiana Monroe4.6
GramblingAlabama A&M9.5
HoustonWichita St.19.1
HowardNorfolk St.-1.7
IllinoisMichigan4.5
Indiana St.Evansville17.3
IonaMarist17.9
Kennesaw St.Lipscomb4.3
LehighLafayette2.4
LibertyEastern Kentucky12.8
Long Beach St.Cal St. Bakersfield9.6
Louisiana TechFlorida Intl.6.9
MilwaukeeWright St.-0.9
MinnesotaRutgers-11.3
Mississippi Valley St.Alcorn St.-6.5
Missouri St.Illinois Chicago8.0
Morgan St.Coppin St.7.2
Murray St.Valparaiso2.6
NavyAmerican8.1
North TexasMiddle Tennessee7.2
Northern IowaIllinois St.3.1
Northern KentuckyOakland7.9
Old DominionTexas St.3.7
OregonCalifornia17.8
Oregon St.Stanford-4.6
PacificPepperdine-0.8
PortlandSan Diego2.3
RiceFlorida Atlantic-9.5
Saint Peter’sRider-3.5
SienaManhattan8.8
SMUMemphis-8.7
South AlabamaAppalachian St.3.5
South Carolina St.North Carolina Central-8.4
Southern U.Alabama St.9.3
TempleCentral Florida-1.5
Tennessee St.Southeast Missouri St.-0.5
TroyArkansas St.9.4
UC DavisUC Santa Barbara0.5
UC RiversideUC Irvine-0.6
UC San DiegoCal Poly4.6
UCLAArizona St.12.4
USCArizona-1.7
UT-MartinSIU Edwardsville-0.9
UTEPWestern Kentucky1.0
UTSACharlotte-8.9
WashingtonWashington St.-0.7
WisconsinPurdue-4.9
Youngstown St.Detroit7.6


Thursday’s Conference Tournament Schedule


Atlantic Sun Conference (Higher Seed Hosts)

Semifinals — Both games start at 7 PM EST on ESPN+

#3 Eastern Kentucky (20-12) at #2 Liberty (25-7)

#5 Lipscomb (20-12) at #1 Kennesaw St. (24-8)


Horizon League (Higher Seed Hosts)

Quarterfinals — All Games on ESPN+

#5 Oakland (13-18) at #4 Northern Kentucky (19-12) 7 PM EST

#8 Detroit (14-18) at #1 Youngstown St. (23-8) 8 PM EST

#7 Wright St. (18-14) at #2 Milwaukee (20-10) 8 PM EST

#6 Robert Morris (16-16) at #3 Cleveland St. (19-12) 8 PM EST


Missouri Valley Conference (Arch Madness–St. Louis) (All Games on MVC TV Network)

#8 Northern Iowa (13-17) vs. #9 Illinois St. (11-20) 1 PM EST

#5 Indiana St. (20-11) vs. #12 Evansville (5-26) 3:30 PM EST

#7 Murray St. (16-14) vs. #10 Valparaiso (11-20) 7 PM EST

#6 Missouri St. (16-14) vs. #11 Illinois-Chicaco (12-19) 9:30 PM EST


Ohio Valley Conference — Evansville, IN

Quarterfinals — Both Games on ESPN+

#4 Tennessee St. (18-13) vs. #5 Southeast Missouri St. (16-16) 7:30 PM EST

#3 UT-Martin (18-13) vs. #6 SIU Edwardsville (19-13) 10 PM EST


Patriot League — Higher Seeds Host

Quarterfinals (All Games on ESPN+)

#4 Army (16-15) vs. #5 Boston U (15-16) 6 PM EST

#8 Loyola (MD) (13-19) at #1 Colgate (23-8) 7 PM EST

#6 Lafayette (9-22) at #3 Lehigh (16-13) 7 PM EST

#7 American (16-14) at #2 Navy (18-12) 7 PM EST


Sun Belt Conference — Pensacola, FL

2nd Round (All Games on ESPN+)

#8 South Alabama (16-15) vs. #9 Appalachian St. (16-15) 12:30 PM EST

#5 Troy (19-12) vs. #13 Arkansas St. (13-19) 3 PM EST

#6 Old Dominion (19-11) vs. #11 Texas St. (14-18) 6 PM EST

#7 Georgia Southern (16-15) vs. #10 Louisiana Monroe (11-20) 8:30 PM EST


West Coast Conference — Las Vegas

1st Round (Both Games on BYUtv)

#8 Portland (13-18) vs. #9 San Diego (11-19) 9 PM EST

#7 Pacific (14-17) vs. #10 Pepperdine (9-21) 11:30 PM EST

February 28, 2023

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Tuesday’s PiRate Ratings Spreads

HomeVisitorSpread
AkronBall St.6.1
AmericanBucknell3.8
BinghamtonUMBC-1.2
Boise St.San Diego St.0.9
Bowling GreenEastern Michigan4.4
ButlerMarquette-7.8
Central MichiganToledo-13.2
Coastal CarolinaArkansas St.1.7
DaytonLa Salle14.1
DetroitPurdue Ft. Wayne3.5
DukeNorth Carolina St.4.7
Eastern KentuckyNorth Alabama6.2
GeorgiaFlorida-4.7
IndianaIowa5.2
KansasTexas Tech9.6
Kennesaw St.Queens6.8
Kent St.Ohio8.5
LibertyBellarmine16.4
LouisvilleVirginia Tech-10.2
Loyola (MD)Holy Cross5.4
MaineBryant-2.9
MississippiTexas A&M-4.6
Mississippi St.South Carolina15.9
NebraskaMichigan St.-3.3
New HampshireNJIT5.5
New MexicoFresno St.11.4
Northern IllinoisBuffalo-0.5
Robert MorrisIUPUI14.8
San Jose St.Colorado St.2.0
Seton HallVillanova2.4
StetsonLipscomb2.3
SyracuseGeorgia Tech7.7
TennesseeArkansas6.6
Texas St.Georgia St.2.9
VCUSaint Louis5.7
VermontAlbany16.9
VirginiaClemson5.5
Wake ForestBoston College9.8
Western MichiganMiami (O)0.5
Wright St.Green Bay19.5

Tuesday’s Conference Tournament Schedules


Atlantic Sun

Quarterfinals–All Games Start at 7 PM EST on ESPN+

#9 Queens (18-14) at #1 Kennesaw St. (23-8)

#5 Lipscomb (19-12) at #4 Stetson (17-12)

#8 Bellarmine (15-17) at #2 Liberty (24-7)

#6 North Alabama (18-13) at #3 Eastern Kentucky (19-12)


Horizon League

1st Round–All Games Start at 7 PM EST on ESPN+

#11 IUPUI (5-26) at #6 Robert Morris (15-16)

#10 Green Bay (3-28) at #7 Wright St. (17-14)

#9 Purdue Ft. Wayne (17-14) at #8 Detroit Mercy (13-18)


Patriot League

1st Round–Both Games Start at 7 PM EST on ESPN+

#9 Holy Cross (10-21) at #8 Loyola (MD) (12-19)

#10 Bucknell (12-19) at #7 American (15-14)


Sun Belt Conference — Pensacola, FL

1st Round — Both Games on ESPN+

#12 Coastal Carolina (11-19) vs. #13 Arkansas St. (12-19) 6 PM EST

#11 Texas St. (13-18) vs. #14 Georgia St. (10-20) 8:30 PM EST

March 1, 2022

PiRate Ratings College Basketball–Tuesday, March 1, 2022

Tuesday’s Conference Tournaments
Atlantic Sun–1st Round –Campus Sites
HomeVisitorsSpread
Central ArkansasStetson-0.2
Kennesaw St.Eastern Kentucky3.7
Florida Gulf CoastNorth Alabama10.0
LipscombNorth Florida1.3
Horizon League–1st Round–Campus Sites
HomeVisitorsSpread
OaklandIUPUI23.1
DetroitGreen Bay11.3
Youngstown St.Robert Morris7.4
MilwaukeeIllinois Chicago-1.1
Patriot League–1st Round–Campus Sites
HomeVisitorsSpread
Holy CrossAmerican0.8
LafayetteBucknell4.4
Regularly Scheduled Games
HomeVisitorsSpread
VillanovaProvidence9.2
GeorgiaTennessee-16.2
RichmondDayton0.6
KentuckyMississippi17.1
Ohio St.Nebraska15.2
ManhattanSaint Peter’s-4.0
MaineVermont-19.6
Stony BrookNJIT8.8
UMass LowellNew Hampshire3.1
AlbanyHartford2.8
Maryland Baltimore Co.Binghamton5.2
OklahomaWest Virginia4.6
Eastern MichiganWestern Michigan4.9
Bowling GreenOhio-7.4
Ball St.Akron-3.7
BuffaloToledo-0.4
Central MichiganMiami (O)-2.3
South CarolinaMissouri7.8
TCUKansas-6.3
PittsburghDuke-15.1
Northern IllinoisKent St.-7.9
MichiganMichigan St.3.2
VCUSt. Bonaventure3.7
VanderbiltFlorida0.3
WisconsinPurdue-2.6
HoustonCincinnati15.6
Montana St.Southern Utah2.8
Virginia TechLouisville10.2
Boise St.Nevada10.6
Air ForceSan Jose St.4.9
UC Santa BarbaraCal St. Northridge15.2
USCArizona-5.4

March 2, 2020

PiRate Ratings Basketball Conference Tournament Update: March 2, 2020

Championship Fortnight is 24 hours away!  Can you believe it is Meteorological Spring already?  Some of you reading this may be saying that it has been Spring where you live for most of Winter, and if you are like us on the PiRate Ship in Nashville, we wonder if we need to get those instructions for building an ark.  The Captain’s back yard has a new little lake that has developed and basically stayed there since November.  It figures to increase in size this week as severe thunderstorms return.

With the weather being so wet, it just makes it easier to stay indoors and watch basketball until one can close his or her eyes and still see the ball bouncing up and down.

Starting Tuesday night, four conferences begin tournament play.  Three more conferences start on Wednesday, two more begin on Thursday, and one begins on Friday.  Four conferences wait until Saturday to begin.

Let’s take a look at the pairings for the tournaments that start between Tuesday and Friday (Saturday’s tournament information will be published Friday.

Every day there is conference tournament action, there will be a publication here with updated results and schedules.

 

TOURNAMENTS STARTING TUESDAY, MARCH 3

Atlantic Sun Tournament

Quarterfinals

March 3

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

1 Liberty (27-4)

8 NJIT (9-20)

7:00 PM

ESPN+

4 Stetson (15-16)

5 North Alabama (13-16)

7:00 PM

ESPN+

3 Lipscomb (14-15)

6 Florida Gulf Coast (10-21)

7:00 PM

ESPN+

2 North Florida (20-11)

7 Jacksonville (14-17)

7:00 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 5

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

Liberty/NJIT

Stetson/North Alabama

TBA

ESPN+

N Florida/Jacksonville

Lipscomb/FGCU

TBA

ESPN+

 

 

 

Championship

March 8

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

3:00 PM

ESPN

 

Liberty can move up to as high as a #11 seed if they win this tournament, but the Flames are most likely NIT-bound if they lose in this tournament.

North Florida split with Liberty during the regular season, while Lipscomb enters this tournament as the hottest team.

 

Big South Tournament

1st Round

March 3

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

7 USC Upstate (12-19)

10 High Point (9-22)

7:00 PM

ESPN3

6 UNC-Asheville (14-15)

11 Campbell (15-15)

7:00 PM

ESPN3

8 Charleston Sou. (13-17)

9 Presbyterian (10-21)

7:00 PM

ESPN3

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 5

at #1 Seed Radford

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

2 Winthrop (21-10)

USC-U/High Point

12:00 PM

ESPN3

3 Gardner-Webb (15-15)

UNCA/Campbell

2:00 PM

ESPN3

1 Radford (20-10)

Chas Sou./Presbyterian

6:00 PM

ESPN3

4 Longwood (14-17)

5 Hampton (13-18)

8:00 PM

ESPN3

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 6

at #1 Seed Radford

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

2/7/10 Seed

3/6/11 Seed

6:00 PM

ESPN+

1/8/9 Seed

4/5 Seed

8:30 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Championship

March 8

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

1:00 PM

ESPN

Radford and Winthrop split their two regular season games with both teams winning on the other team’s home floor.  It would be a major surprise if these two teams failed to meet up in the Championship Game.

Number three seed Gardner-Webb and number four seed Longwood ended the season on four-game winning streaks, and in GWU’s winning streak was a road upset of Radford.

 

 

Horizon League Tournament

1st Round

March 3

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

4 Illinois Chicago (14-17)

9 IUPUI (7-24)

8:00 PM

ESPN+

5 Youngstown (17-14)

8 Milwaukee (12-18)

7:00 PM

ESPN+

6 Oakland (13-18)

7 Cleveland St. (11-20)

7:00 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 5

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

3 Green Bay (16-15)

Lowest Remaining

8:00 PM

ESPN+

Highest Remaining

Second Lowest Remaining

7:00 or 8:00 PM 

ESPN+

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 9

Indianapolis

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

1 Wright St. (25-6)

Lowest Remaining

7:00 PM

ESPNU

2 Northern Kentucky (21-9)

Highest Remaining

9:30 PM

ESPN2

 

 

 

CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10

Indianapolis

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

7:00 PM

ESPN/ESPN2

 

Wright State and Northern Kentucky have been alternating as regular season and conference tournament champion for three years.  The last team other than these two to win the Horizon League Tournament was Green Bay in 2016.  The Phoenix are the number three seed in this year’s tournament, but the top two appear to be far more talented than the rest of the league, and a WSU-NKU championship game would be a good one for the league.

If one of the top two teams wins this tournament, they could move up to a 14-seed if there are some mid-major upsets, but they are most likely looking at a 15-seed.

 

 

Patriot League Tournament

1st Round

March 3

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

7 Bucknell (12-19)

10 Holy Cross (3-28)

7:00 PM

Pat League Network

8 Lehigh (10-20)

9 Loyola (MD) (15-16)

7:00 PM

Pat League Network

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 5

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

2 American (16-13)

Bucknell/Holy Cross

7:00 PM

Pat League Network

3 Boston U (18-13)

6 Navy (14-15)

7:00 PM

Pat League Network

4 Army (15-14)

5 Lafayette (18-11)

7:00 PM

Pat League Network

1 Colgate (23-8)

Lehigh/Loyola (MD)

7:00 PM

Pat League Network

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 8

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

American/Bucknell/HCU

Boston/Navy

12 or 2 PM

CBSSN

Colgate/Lehigh/Loyola

Army/Lafayette

12 or 2 PM

CBSSN

 

 

 

Championship

March 11

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

Higher Seed

Lower Seed

7:30 PM

CBSSN

 

This figures to be a wide-open affair.  Colgate will get to host every game they play in the Patriot League Tournament, but the Raiders are not overpowering.  Having to play a possible quarterfinal game with fourth-seeded Lafayette will be quite interesting as the Leopards swept the Raiders in two close games.

There is one caveat to the above statements: Colgate was a little weaker in 2019 than they were this year, and the Raiders romped to the Patriot League Championship with three double-digit wins in the tournament.  They followed that up by taking number one Tennessee to the last few minutes in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

 

 

TOURNAMENTS STARTING WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4

 

Mountain West Tournament

1st Round

March 4

Las Vegas (Thomas & Mack Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

8 Fresno St. (11-18)

9 Air Force (11-19)

3:00 PM

Mountain West Net.

7 New Mexico (18-13)

10 San Jose St. (7-23)

5:30 PM

Mountain West Net.

6 Colorado St. (20-11)

11 Wyoming (7-23)

8:00 PM

Mountain West Net.

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 5

Las Vegas (Thomas & Mack Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

1 San Diego St. (28-1)

Fresno St./Air Force

2:30 PM

CBSSN

4 UNLV (17-14)

5 Boise St. (19-11)

5:00 PM

CBSSN

2 Utah St. (23-8)

New Mexico/San Jose St.

9:00 PM

CBSSN

3 Nevada (19-11)

Colorado St./Wyoming

11:30 PM

CBSSN

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 6

Las Vegas (Thomas & Mack Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

SDST/Fresno/Air Force

UNLV/Boise St.

9:00 PM

CBSSN

Utah St./N. Mexico/S J St.

Nevada/Col St/Wyoming

11:30 PM

CBSSN

 

 

 

Championship

March 7

Las Vegas (Thomas & Mack Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

5:30 PM

CBS

 

San Diego St. most likely secured a one-seed by finishing 17-1 in the league and 28-1 overall in the regular season.  Utah St. is squarely on the Bubble, and the Aggies need to get to the Championship Game to lock up an at-large bid.

Nevada, UNLV, Boise State, and Colorado State have enough talent to make a run in this tournament, but the Aztecs look like a near lock to cut the nets.

 

 

Northeast Tournament

Quarterfinals

March 4

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

1 Robert Morris (17-14)

8 St. Francis (NY) (13-17)

7:00 PM

http://necfrontrow.com/

2 St. Francis (PA) (20-9)

7 Bryant (15-16)

7:00 PM

http://necfrontrow.com/

3 Sacred Heart (19-12)

6 Mount St. Mary’s (11-20)

7:00 PM

http://necfrontrow.com/

4 Long Island (14-17)

5 Fairleigh-Dickinson (11-18)

7:00 PM

http://necfrontrow.com/

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 7

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

Highest Remaining Seed

Lowest Remaining Seed

12 or 2 PM

ESPN3

2nd Highest Remaining Seed

3rd Highest Remaining Seed

12 or 2PM

ESPN3

 

 

 

Championship

March 10

at Higher Seed’s Home Court

Home

Visitor

Time (ET)

TV

Higher Remaining Seed

Lower Remaining Seed

7:00 PM

ESPN2 or ESPN3

 

This is one of the most wide open tournaments of the season.  Unfortunately, the best team in this league is not eligible for the NCAA Tournament (or NIT) and will not play in this conference tournament.  First-year Division 1 member Merrimack became the first team ever to move from Division 2 to Division 1 and win their conference in the first season.  The Warrior will be allowed to play in the CIT Tournament.

So, which team is the second best team in the NEC?  St. Francis of Pennsylvania finished tied for second place with Robert Morris, with RMU winning the tiebreaker.  Number three seed Sacred Heart and number five seed Fairleigh-Dickinson finished the season on three-game winning streaks.  FDU beat Robert Morris twice, but they didn’t show up against SF (PA) or Long Island.

No matter which team wins this tournament, they will be a 16-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and barring some big upsets in other mid-major conferences, the NEC Champion will probably be faced in a play-in game in Dayton. 

 

 

Ohio Valley Tournament

1st Round

March 4

Evansville, IN (Ford Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

5 Tennessee St. (17-14)

8 Morehead St. (13-18)

7:30 PM

ESPN+

6 Eastern Illinois (16-14)

7 Jacksonville St. (13-18)

9:30 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 5

Evansville, IN (Ford Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

4 Eastern Kentucky (15-16)

Tenn St./Morehead St.

7:30 PM

ESPN+

3 Austin Peay (20-11)

E. Illinois/Jacksonville St.

9:30 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 6

Evansville, IN (Ford Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

1 Belmont (24-7)

EKU/Tenn St./Morehead St.

8:00 PM

ESPNU

2 Murray St. (22-8)

APSU/E. Ill./Jax St.

10:00 PM

ESPNU

 

 

 

Championship

March 7

Evansville, IN (Ford Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

8:00 PM

ESPN2

 

The OVC has become something of a little ACC.  Murray State plays the role of North Carolina.  Belmont is the league’s Duke, and Austin Peay is the league’s Virginia.  Murray is the long-time dominant team in this league, while Belmont is the more recent dominant team.  Austin Peay found a great coach a few years ago and plays excellent defense and smart offense.

So, which one of these three teams will win the conference tournament?  Most likely, it will be either Belmont or Murray State, because the OVC’s tournament format gives the top two seeds byes to the semifinals.

Belmont must be considered the odds-on favorite to win the tournament, as the Bruins have won 10 games in a row by an average score of 79-67.

A potential second night match between Eastern Illinois and Austin Peay might be the best game of the tournament.  The Panthers have the best inside game in the league, and if the Governors don’t hit from the outside, EIU could be the surprise team in the semifinals.  EIU beat Murray State and Austin Peay down the stretch to give Belmont the OVC Championship.

 

 

TOURNAMENTS STARTING THURSDAY, MARCH 5

 

Missouri Valley Tournament (Arch Madness)

1st Round

March 5

St. Louis (Enterprise Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

8 Drake (18-13)

9 Illinois St. (10-20)

7:00 PM

MVC TV Network

7 Valparaiso (16-15)

10 Evansville (9-22)

9:30 PM

MVC TV Network

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 6

St. Louis (Enterprise Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

1 Northern Iowa (25-5)

Drake/Illinois St.

1:00 PM

MVC TV Network

4 Bradley (20-11)

5 Southern Illinois (16-15)

3:30 PM

MVC TV Network

2 Loyola (Chi.) (21-10)

Valpo/Evansville

7:00 PM

MVC TV Network

3 Indiana St. (18-11)

6 Missouri St. (15-16)

9:30 PM

MVC TV Network

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 7

St. Louis (Enterprise Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

UNI/Drake/Ill St.

Bradley/Southern Illinois

3:30 PM

CBSSN

Loyola/Valpo/Evansville

Indiana St./Missouri St.

6:00 PM

CBSSN

 

 

 

Championship

March 8

St. Louis (Enterprise Center)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

2:10 PM

CBS

 

Arch Madness has ended with Cinderella cutting down the nets quite often in the last several years.  Bradley won the Tournament last year after going 9-9 in regular season conference play.

Northern Iowa has played a tough enough schedule so that three more wins in St. Louis could boost the Panthers up to as high as a number 10 seed.  Yet, at the same time UNI is not an overwhelming favorite to win the tournament, and if another team can pull off the upset, The Missouri Valley could get two teams into the Dance at the expense of a Bubble team.

Keep an eye on Indiana State.  The Sycamores won eight of their final 11 games, including wins over the top two seeds.  ISU played a tough out-of-conference schedule, including games against Dayton, Louisville, and Wright State.  They narrowly lost to Dayton and beat Wright State, so this team has the firepower to win three games in three days.

Missouri State is the mystery team in this league.  The Bears can dominate inside and control the glass at both ends, but they disappear for long stretches at a time.  They were blown away twice by Northern Iowa, but in a tournament scenario on a neutral floor, don’t count them out until they are.

 

 

West Coast Tournament

1st Round

March 5

Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

8 Loyola Marymount (10-20)

9 San Diego (9-22)

9:00 PM

BYUtv

7 Santa Clara (19-12)

10 Portland (9-22)

11:30 PM

BYUtv

 

 

 

2nd Round

March 6

Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

5 San Francisco (20-11)

Loyola Marymount/San Diego

9:00 PM

BYUtv

6 Pepperdine (15-15)

Santa Clara/Portland

11:30 PM

BYUtv

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 7

Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

4 Pacific (23-9)

USF/LMU/San Diego

10:00 PM

ESPN2

3 Saint Mary’s (24-7)

Pepperdine/Santa Clara/Portland

12:30 AM

ESPN2

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 9

Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

1 Gonzaga (29-2)

Pac/USF/LMU/USD

9:00 PM

ESPN

2 BYU (24-7)

SMC.Pepp/SCU/Portland

11:30 PM

ESPN2

 

 

 

Championship

March 10

Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)

Team

Team

Time (ET)

TV

9:00 PM

ESPN

Gonzaga could lose this tournament and still be the number one seed in the West or at worst the East.  The news in this year’s WCC get-together will be whether or not three league teams can receive bids to the Dance.

BYU is squarely in the Field, but Saint Mary’s is vulnerable.  The Gaels need to definitely win their first tournament game, and they might need to knock off BYU to be guaranteed a spot in the field.  

Fourth-seeded Pacific and fifth-seeded San Francisco must be considered dark horses to contend for the Conference Tournament Championship.  They are likely going to meet in the quarterfinal round with the winner advancing to meet Gonzaga.  The Bulldogs handled both with relative ease during the season, but USF was a pest in their two games.

 

 

TOURNAMENT STARTING FRIDAY, MARCH 6

 

Southern Tournament

1st Round

March 6

Asheville, NC (Harrah’s Cherokee Center)

Team

Team

Time ET

TV

8 Samford (10-22)

9 VMI (8-23)

5:00 PM

ESPN+

7 Wofford (16-15)

10 The Citadel (6-23)

7:30 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Quarterfinals

March 7

Asheville, NC (Harrah’s Cherokee Center)

Team

Team

Time ET

TV

1 East Tennessee St. (27-4)

Samford/VMI

12:00 PM

ESPN+

4 Mercer (17-14)

5 Western Carolina (18-11)

2:30 PM

ESPN+

2 Furman (25-6)

Wofford/The Citadel

6:00 PM

ESPN+

3 UNC Greensboro (23-8)

6 Chattanooga (19-12)

8:30 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Semifinals

March 8

Asheville, NC (Harrah’s Cherokee Center)

Team

Team

Time ET

TV

ETSU/Samford/VMI

Mercer/Western Carolina

4:00 PM

ESPN+

Furman/Wofford/Citadel

UNCG/Chattanooga

6:30 PM

ESPN+

 

 

 

Championship

March 9

Asheville, NC (Harrah’s Cherokee Center)

Team

Team

Time ET

TV

7:00 PM

ESPN

 

Of the early tournament starting this week, The SoCon may be the deepest.  Six teams are talented enough to win this tournament.  There are two shelves here.  East Tennessee State, Furman, and UNC Greensboro are the upper crust, while Mercer, Western Carolina, and Chattanooga are the second tier of the top six.

If East Tennessee wins the tournament championship, the Buccaneers could move up to a single-digit seed.  ETSU enters this tournament riding a nine-game winning streak, and the Bucs have wins against LSU and Little Rock out of conference.

Western Carolina just lost by a point at East Tennessee after being up double digits in the first half.  The Catamounts might be a tough out in a potential semifinal game against ETSU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 10, 2019

PiRate Ratings College Basketball For Sunday, March 10, 2019

Today’s PiRate Ratings Spreads

Home

Rating

HCA

Visitor

Rating

Spread

Lipscomb

109.0

3.0

Liberty

105.9

6.1

Radford

102.7

2.5

Gardner-Webb

99.3

5.9

Hofstra

106.5

0.0

James Madison

93.8

12.7

William & Mary

97.6

0.0

Delaware

94.7

2.9

Northeastern

105.6

0.0

UNC Wilmington

94.7

10.9

Charleston

103.4

1.0

Drexel

95.2

9.2

Siena

95.4

2.5

Iona

97.7

0.2

Canisius

95.1

0.0

Monmouth

93.3

1.8

Northern Iowa

99.1

0.0

Bradley

99.5

-0.4

Colgate

102.1

2.5

Navy

92.8

11.8

Bucknell

101.4

2.5

Lehigh

100.3

3.6

Wofford

112.9

0.0

East Tennessee St.

106.6

6.3

UNC Greensboro

105.5

0.0

Furman

107.9

-2.4

North Dakota St.

97.5

0.0

Oral Roberts

92.8

4.7

South Dakota

97.4

1.0

Purdue Fort Wayne

98.7

-0.3

Cincinnati

111.8

3.0

Houston

114.5

0.3

Penn St.

109.9

2.5

Illinois

106.5

5.9

Indiana

110.4

3.0

Rutgers

106.3

7.1

East Carolina

93.7

2.5

Connecticut

105.2

-9.0

Nebraska

110.5

3.0

Iowa

110.8

2.7

South Florida

103.5

3.0

SMU

103.8

2.7

Ohio St.

110.3

3.0

Wisconsin

115.5

-2.2

Conference Tournaments Update

America East Conference

All games at home floor of higher seeds

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9

Md.-Baltimore Co.

62

Albany

54

Vermont

73

Maine

57

Binghamton

73

Stony Brook

71

Hartford

78

UMass Lowell

70

 

Semifinals–Tuesday, March 12

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1

Vermont (25-6)

7

Binghamton (10-22)

3

Maryland-Baltimore Co. (20-12)

4

Hartford (18-14)

 

 

Atlantic Sun Conference

*** Championship Game–Sunday, March 10 ***

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1

Lipscomb (25-6)

2

Liberty (27-6)

 

 

Big South Conference

*** Championship Game–Sunday, March 10 (at Radford) ***

Seed

Home Team

Seed

Visitors

2

Radford (22-10)

4

Gardner-Webb (22-11)

 

 

Colonial Athletic Association

Site: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC

First Round–Saturday, March 9

James Madison

74

Towson

73

UNC Wilmington

93

Elon

86

Quarterfinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1

Hofstra (25-6)

8

James Madison (14-18)

4

William & Mary (14-16)

5

Delaware (16-15)

2

Northeastern (20-10)

10

UNC Wilmington (10-22)

3

Charleston (23-8)

6

Drexel (13-18)

 

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Site: Times Union Center, Albany, NY (Siena)

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9

Monmouth

98

Quinnipiac

92

Siena

87

Rider

81

 

Semifinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1

Iona (15-15)

5

Siena (17-15)

2

Canisius (15-16)

6

Monmouth (13-20)

 

 

Missouri Valley Conference (Arch Madness)

Site: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO

Semifinals–Saturday, March 9

Bradley

53

Loyola (Chi)

51

Northern Iowa

60

Drake

58

*** Championship Game–Sunday, March 10 ***

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

6

Northern Iowa (16-17)

5

Bradley (19-14)

 

Northeast Conference

All games at home floor of higher seeds

Semifinals–Saturday, March 9

St. Francis (PA)

72

Long Island

64

Fairleigh-Dickinson

66

Robert Morris

62

 

Championship Game–Tuesday, March 12

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1

St. Francis (PA) (18-13)

2

Fairleigh-Dickinson (19-13)

 

 

Ohio Valley Conference

*** Championship Game–Saturday, March 9 ***

Murray St.

77

Belmont

65

Champion:  Murray St.  27-4

 

 

 

Patriot League

All games at home floor of higher seeds

Semifinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1

Colgate (22-10)

5

Navy (12-18)

2

Bucknell (20-10)

3

Lehigh (20-10)

 

 

Southern Conference

Site: US Cellular Center, Asheville, NC

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9

Wofford

99

VMI

72

East Tennessee St.

68

Chattanooga

64

UNC Greensboro

77

Samford

70

Furman

85

Mercer

74

 

Semifinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1

Wofford (27-4)

4/5

East Tennessee St. (24-8)

2

UNC Greensboro (27-5)

3

Furman (25-6)

 

 

Summit League

Site: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, SD

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9

Western Illinois

79

South Dakota St.

76

Omaha

81

North Dakota

76

 

Quarterfinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

Purdue Fort Wayne (17-14)

5

South Dakota (13-16)

North Dakota St. (15-15)

6

Oral Roberts (11-20)

 

 

West Coast Conference

Site: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9

San Diego

80

BYU

57

Pepperdine

89

San Francisco

72

 

Semifinals–Monday, March 11

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

2

Saint Mary’s (20-11)

6

San Diego (21-13)

1

Gonzaga (29-2)

8

Pepperdine (16-17)

 

Teams In The Big Dance

Murray St.  (OVC)  27-4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 3, 2019

PiRate Ratings College Basketball For Sunday, March 3, 2019

Games Scheduled for:

Sunday

Home

Rating

HCA

Visitor

Rating

Spread

Charlotte

91.7

2.5

UTEP

93.3

0.9

Connecticut

105.5

3.0

South Florida

103.4

5.1

DePaul

103.9

2.5

St. John’s

108.6

-2.2

Florida Int’l.

96.9

2.5

Louisiana Tech

101.7

-2.3

Georgia Tech

103.9

3.0

Boston College

104.8

2.1

Illinois

106.9

2.0

Northwestern

106.7

2.2

Louisiana

100.0

2.5

Appalachian St.

97.7

4.8

Louisville

113.5

3.0

Notre Dame

105.9

10.6

Marist

95.5

2.5

Rider

98.6

-0.6

Marquette

113.5

3.0

Creighton

109.5

7.0

Maryland

113.4

3.0

Michgan

117.8

-1.4

Niagara

92.2

2.5

Siena

95.3

-0.6

North Texas

101.6

3.0

Marshall

98.7

5.9

Oregon St.

106.2

3.0

Arizona St.

108.0

1.2

Quinnipiac

96.9

2.5

Manhattan

90.5

8.9

Rice

94.4

2.5

Middle Tennessee

94.9

2.0

Saint Peter’s

92.1

2.0

Fairfield

93.4

0.7

SMU

104.3

3.0

Wichita St.

104.3

3.0

Stanford

104.5

2.5

Washington

110.2

-3.2

Temple

106.8

3.0

Tulane

92.3

17.5

Tulsa

103.0

3.0

East Carolina

93.6

12.4

UTSA

100.1

2.5

UAB

99.7

2.9

Western Kentucky

103.3

3.0

Southern Miss.

102.2

4.1

 

Updated Conference Tournament Brackets

The Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament commences Monday night with four quarterfinal games.  In all, 11 conference brackets are now set and will begin play in the next week.  Here in order by the date these tournaments begin, are the 11 brackets.

Atlantic Sun Conference

All games at home floor of higher seeds

Quarterfinals–Monday, March 4

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1

Lipscomb (23-6)

8

Kennesaw St. (6-25)

2

Liberty (25-6)

7

Jacksonville (12-19)

3

North Florida (15-16)

6

North Alabama (10-21)

4

Florida Gulf Coast (14-17)

5

NJIT (20-11)

Semifinals–Thursday, March 7

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1/8

Higher Seed

4/5

Lower Seed

2/7

Higher Seed

3/6

Lower Seed

Championship Game–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1/8/4/5

Higher Seed

2/3/6/7

Lower Seed

 

Big South Conference

Site: Home and #1 Seed

First Round–Tuesday, March 5 (at Higher Seeded Teams)

Seed

Home Team

Seed

Visitors

7

Presbyterian (17-14)

10

UNC-Asheville (4-26)

6

Charleston Southern (15-14)

11

USC Upstate (6-25)

8

Hampton (14-15)

9

Longwood (15-16)

Quarterfinals–Thursday, March 7 (at Campbell)

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

2

Radford (20-10)

7/10

Presbyterian/UNC-Asheville

3

Winthrop (18-11)

6/11

Chas Sou./USC Upstate

1

Campbell (19-11)

8/9

Hampton/Longwood

4

Gardner-Webb (20-11)

5

High Point (16-14)

Semifinals–Thursday, March 8 (at Campbell)

Seed

Home Team

Seed

Visitors

2/7/10

3/6/11

1/8/9

4/5

Championship Game–Sunday, March 10 (at Higher Seeded Team)

Seed

Home Team

Seed

Visitors

 

Horizon League (Motor City Madness)

Site: Higher Seed and Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

Quarterfinals–Tuesday, March 5 & Wednesday, March 6 (at Higher Seed)

Seed

Home Team

Seed

Visitors

1

Wright St. (19-12)

8

IUPUI (16-15)

4

Green Bay (16-15)

5

Illinois-Chicago (16-15)

3

Oakland (15-16)

6

Youngstown St. (12-19)

2

Northern Kentucky (23-8)

7

Detroit (11-19)

Semifinals–Friday, March 15 (Detroit for last two rounds)

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1/8

Wright St./IUPUI

4/5

Green Bay/Illinois-Chi.

2/7

N Kentucky/Detroit

3/6

Oakland/Youngstown St.

Championship Game–Saturday, March 16

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

 

Patriot League

All games at home floor of higher seeds

First Round–Tuesday, March 5

Seed

Home

Visitors

8

Boston U (14-17)

9

Loyola (MD) (11-20)

7

Lafayette (10-19)

10

Holy Cross (15-16)

Quarterfinals–Thursday, March 7

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1

Colgate (21-10)

8/9

Boston/Loyola (MD)

2

Bucknell (19-10)

7/10

Lafayette/Holy Cross

3

Lehigh (19-10)

6

Army (13-18)

4

American (15-14)

5

Navy (11-18)

Semifinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1/8/9

Higher Seed

4/5

Lower Seed

2/7/10

Higher Seed

3/6

Lower Seed

Championship Game–Wednesday, March 13

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

Higher Semifinal Winner

Lower Semifinal Winner

 

Northeast Conference

All games at home floor of higher seeds

Quarterfinals–Wednesday, March 6

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

1

St. Francis (PA) (16-13)

8

Bryant (10-19)

2

Fairleigh-Dickinson (17-13)

7

Wagner (13-16)

3

Sacred Heart (15-16)

6

Long Island (15-15)

4

Robert Morris (16-15)

5

St. Francis (Bklyn) (17-14)

Semifinals–Saturday, March 9

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

Highest Remaining Seed

Lowest Remaining Seed

2nd Highest Remaining Seed

3rd Highest Remaining Seed

Championship Game–Tuesday, March 12

Seed

Home

Seed

Visitor

Higher Semifinal Winner

Lower Semifinal Winner

 

Ohio Valley Conference

Site: Ford Center, Evansville, IN

First Round–Wednesday, March 6

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

5

Morehead St. (12-19)

8

SIU Edwardsville (10-20)

6

Eastern Illinois (14-17)

7

UT-Martin (11-18)

Quarterfinals–Thursday, March 7

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

4

Austin Peay (21-10)

5/8

Morehead/SIU-Edwardsville

3

Jacksonville St. (23-8)

6/7

E. Illinois/UT-Martin

Semifinals–Friday, March 8

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1

Belmont (25-4)

4/5/8

APSU/Mhead/SIUE

2

Murray St. (25-4)

3/6/7

JvilleSt/EIU/UTM

Championship Game–Saturday, March 9

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

 

Missouri Valley Conference (Arch Madness)

Site: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO

First Round–Thursday, March 7

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

8

Indiana St. (15-15)

9

Valparaiso (14-17)

7

Illinois St. (16-15)

10

Evansville (11-20)

Quarterfinals–Friday, March 8

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1

Loyola (Chi) (19-12)

8/9

Ind St./Valpo

4

Missouri St. (16-15)

5

Bradley (17-14)

2

Drake (23-8)

7/10

Ill St./Evansville

3

Southern Illinois (17-14)

6

Northern Iowa (14-17)

Semifinals–Saturday, March 9

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1/8/9

Loyola/Ind St./Valpo

4/5

MSU/Bradley

2/7/10

Drake/Ill St/Evans

3/6

SIU/UNI

Championship Game–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

West Coast Conference

Site: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, NV

First Round–Thursday, March 7

Seed

Home Team

Seed

Visitors

7

San Diego (18-13)

10

Portland (7-24)

8

Pepperdine (13-17)

9

Pacific (14-17)

Second Round–Friday, March 8

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

6

Santa Clara (16-14)

7/10

USD/Portland

5

Loyola Marymount (20-10)

8/9

Pepper/Pacific

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

3

BYU (19-12)

6/7/10

SCU/USD/Portland

4

San Francisco (21-9)

5/8/9

LMU/Pepper/Pacific

Semifinals–Monday, March 11

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

2

Saint Mary’s (20-11)

3/6/7/10

BYU/SCU/USD/Portland

1

Gonzaga (29-2)

4/5/8/9

USF/LMU/Pepper/Pacific

Championship Game–Tuesday, March 12

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

 

Southern Conference

Site: US Cellular Center, Asheville, NC

First Round–Friday, March 8

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

8

VMI (10-20)

9

Western Carolina (7-24)

7

Samford (16-15)

10

The Citadel (12-17)

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1

Wofford (26-4)

8/9

VMI/Western Carolina

4

East Tennessee St. (23-8)

5

Chattanooga (12-19)

2

UNC Greensboro (26-5)

7/10

Samford/Citadel

3

Furman (24-6)

6

Mercer (11-19)

Semifinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1/8/9

Woff/VMI/WCU

4/5

ETSU/Chatt

2/7/10

UNCG/Sam/Cit

3/6

Furman/Mercer

Championship Game–Monday, March 11

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

 

Colonial Athletic Association

Site: North Charleston Coliseum, North Charleston, SC

First Round–Saturday, March 9

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

8

James Madison (13-18)

9

Towson (10-21)

7

Elon (11-20)

10

UNC Wilmington (9-22)

Quarterfinals–Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1

Hofstra (25-6)

8/9

JMU/Towson

4

William & Mary (14-16)

5

Delaware (16-15)

2

Northeastern (20-10)

7/10

Elon/UNCW

3

Charleston (23-8)

6

Drexel (13-18)

Semifinals–Monday, March 11

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1/8/9

Hofstra/JMU/Towson

4/5

Wm&Mary/Delaware

2/7/10

NEastern/Elon/UNCW

3/6

Charleston/Drexel

Championship Game–Tuesday, March 12

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

 

Summit League

Site: Denny Sanford Premier Center, Sioux Falls, SD

Quarterfinals–Saturday, March 9 & Sunday, March 10

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1 (sat)

South Dakota St. (24-7)

8

Western Illinois (9-20)

4 (sun)

Purdue Fort Wayne (17-14)

5

South Dakota (13-16)

3 (sun)

North Dakota St. (15-15)

6

Oral Roberts (11-20)

2 (sat)

Omaha (19-10)

7

North Dakota (12-17)

Semifinals–Monday, March 11

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

1/8

SDSU/WIU

4/5

PFW/USD

2/7

Omaha/UND

3/6

NDSUORU

Championship Game–Tuesday, March12

Seed

Team

Seed

Team

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 27, 2018

PiRate Ratings Conference Tournament Update–February 27, 2018

Last Night’s Games

Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
Quarterfinals–February 26
   
Florida Gulf Coast 96 USC Upstate 76
North Florida 80 NJIT 76
Lipscomb 89 Stetson 73
Jacksonville 87 Kennesaw St . 68

Atlantic Sun Bracket

All times EST

Semifinals–March 1
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #1 Florida Gulf Coast #5 North Florida ESPN3
8:00 PM #2 Lipscomb #3 Jacksonville ESPN3
       
Championship–March 4
Time Home Visitors TV
3:00 PM Higher Remaining Seed Lower Remaining Seed ESPN

Conference Tournaments in Action Today

Big South Conference Tournament
1st Round & Championship Game at Higher Seeds
Quarterfinals and Semfinals at #1 Seed
All Times EST
       
First Round–February 27
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #7 High Point #10 Longwood BSN
7:00 PM #8 Charleston Southern #9 Presbyterian BSN
BSN TV at http://bigsouthsports.com    
Quarterfinals–March 1
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
1:00 PM #2 Radford High Point or Longwood ESPN3
3:30 PM #3 Winthrop #6 Gardner-Webb ESPN3
7:00 PM #1 UNC-Asheville Presbyterian or Chas Sou. ESPN3
9:30 PM #4 Campbell #5 Liberty ESPN3
       
Semifinals–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:00 PM Rad/HP/Longwood Winthrop/G-Webb ESPN3
8:30 PM UNCA/Presby/Chas Sou Campbell or Liberty ESPN3
       
Championship–March 4
Time Home Visitors TV
1:00 PM Higher Seed Lower Seed ESPN

UNC-Asheville should make it to the Championship Game, but Liberty could be a tough out in the semifinals.  Radford and Winthrop are fairly evenly matched on the other side of the bracket, but Radford probably has the better overall talent and is playing a little stronger at this point in the season.  Both Radford and Winthrop split their series against UNCA, with the home team winning every game, but UNCA narrowly won their home games over the two contenders, while they were blown out on the road.  The big news is that UNCA as the #1 seed will be at home for all games it plays in this tournament.

Patriot League Tournament
All Games Played at Higher Seed
All Times EST
       
First Round–February 27
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #7 Lafayette #10 American Stadium
7:00 PM #8 Loyola (MD) #9 Army Stadium
       
Quarterfinals–March 1
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #1 Bucknell Loyola or Army Stadium
7:00 PM #4 Lehigh #5 Boston U Stadium
7:00 PM #2 Colgate Lafayette or American Stadium
7:00 PM #3 Navy #6 Holy Cross Stadium
       
Semifinals–March 1
Time Home Visitors TV
12/2 Bucknell/Loyola/Army Lehigh or Boston U CBSSN
12/2 Colgate/Lafayette/American Navy or Holy Cross CBSSN
       
Championship–March 4
Time Home Visitors TV
7:30 PM     CBSSN

Bucknell is the overwhelming favorite to cruise to the Patriot League Championship.  The Bison did lose at home to Boston U during the regular season, but they won 15 of 16 games after that, with the only loss coming on the road against Lehigh in overtime.

One player to watch in this tournament is forward Zach Thomas of Bucknell.  He averages 21 points and 9 rebounds per game.  He is a multi-tool player, as he might be the best passer on the team as well.

Colgate has a couple of streaky three-point shooters in Will Rayman and Jordan Swopshire, but the Raiders have no inside muscle and will have to rely on hot shooting to have a chance to get past Bucknell, if they make it to the title game.

Lehigh is the team to watch in this tournament.  The Hawks are red hot and ride an eight-game winning streak as the tournament begins.  Included in that streak is a win over Bucknell, where the Hawks connected on 11 of 21 three-point shots.  Lehigh has what Clark Kellogg calls “spurtability.”  They get hot streaks and go on big runs, fueled by excellent defensive play from their guards that can pressure the ball.   A player to watch for Lehigh is tiny guard Kahron Ross.  He can pick your pockets clean and then feed a teammate for an easy bucket.  A potential semifinal game with Bucknell could be the most exciting tournament game this week.

If you were wondering what Stadium TV is, this is a free over the air network that is available in most markets.  It was American Sports Network at one time and merged with Campus Insiders online.  You can check for the proper channel in your market here: https://23455-presscdn-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Stadium-Active-Markets-February-5.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 26, 2018

PiRate Ratings Bracket Gurus Report for February 26, 2018 & Conference Tourneys

A lot has changed in the week since the Gurus released their bracketology seedings.  However, as of this moment, the Gurus are sticking with normalcy.  Whereas some teams might eventually be declared ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, until it happens, the Gurus are going to keep seeding the teams where their resumes show they should be seeded.  To be more precise, the Gurus are not actually seeding the teams where THEY think they should be seed, but instead they are seeding the teams where they believe THE SELECTION COMMITTEE will seed the teams.  Please make a note of this:  The Gurus are not to blame if your favorite team (hear that Nebraska fans) is not included in the field.  It is plain and simple–The Committee has a set of criteria to select its teams and place them in proper seed lines.  Where a team finishes in its conference and conference record is not even in the criteria.  So, a Cornhusker team that is 13-5 in the Big Ten and tied for fourth with Michigan is not even among the last six teams in the Dance.  Nebraska only scheduled two non-conference opponents this year that could have helped their resume.  Losing at Creighton and losing at home to Kansas is not enough to put the Cornhuskers on the Bubble.  The KU loss was by a single point, but a miss is as good as a mile.  The only win that really helps them is the home win over Michigan.  Thus, if you are a Cornhusker fan, you better hope your team is still playing this Sunday, which would be the Big Ten Championship Game.  It will take wins over Michigan and Michigan State to even put Nebraska on the Bubble, and if Nebraska makes it to the title game without facing both Michigan teams, then they must win the automatic bid with no chance to make the field any other way.  So, Nebraska fans must cheer for Michigan to win Thursday and Michigan State to win Friday, just so your team can have a chance to pick up two Quadrant One wins.

A couple of teams made major moves forward in the Bracketology Gurus seed line this week.  Tennessee moved up to the 3-line with a win over Florida and another at Ole Miss.  The Volunteers now have a chance to win the SEC regular season championship if Auburn falters and loses its final two games (at Arkansas and vs. South Carolina), while the Vols win at Mississippi State and at home against Georgia.  Auburn has lost three of its last six games and has been moderately affected by the injury loss of Anfernee McLemore, who was one of the Tigers’ few talented big men.

Mississippi State is in a similar boat as Nebraska, but the Bulldogs are in better shape.  The Bulldogs are in a third place tie in the SEC and have won 21 games overall, but unless they upset Tennessee in Starkville and then close with a win at LSU, they will have to make it to the Championship Game of the SEC Tournament to have a chance.  Even if MSU finishes with two wins, at 11-7/23-8, they will still need to do some damage in the SEC Tournament.

In the Pac-12, UCLA has collapsed, and the Bruins are now on the outside, looking in.  Utah failed to win a crucial home game against USC after knocking UCLA to the Bubble.  Washington split on the road in the Bay Area, losing at Stanford and winning at Cal, but the Huskies have that win over Kansas at Phog Allen, plus wins against Arizona, Arizona State, and USC, so they are in contention for a bid.  USC made a slight upward move with road wins over Colorado and Utah, giving the Trojans four consecutive victories.  Arizona, most likely with Lorenzo Romar as interim head coach, closes at home with Stanford and Cal, so the Wildcats are likely to edge the Trojans for the top seed in the Pac-12 Tournament, but this is a team that has been wounded and may falter early.

In the ACC, North Carolina State has now won four consecutive games to move to 10-6 in the league.  The Wolf Pack have two winnable games to close out the season, and they could sneak up to the third seed in the ACC Tournament if they get to 12-6.  First year coach Kevin Keatts, who worked the same magic at UNC-Wilmington may be the best overall coach in college basketball, and he should compete with Tony Bennett for ACC COY and National COY.

In the Big East, Butler moved up thanks to home wins over Providence and Creighton, while Seton Hall won twice to earn a three-game winning streak after suffering a four-game losing streak prior.  After a 1-4 slide in conference play, Creighton rebounded with a big win over Villanova.

Middle Tennesse State and Western Kentucky continued winning big in CUSA play, and the two mid-major powers and arch-rivals could be headed to a momentous CUSA Tournament Championship Game where only the winner will be safely in the Dance.  Old Dominion and Marshall cannot be overlooked, but it would be ashamed if neither Middle or Western get in the tournament.  Both have Sweet 16 talent.

Out West, Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, Nevada, and New Mexico State continued to win, and the first three on this list are locks for the NCAA Tournament.  NMSU might still have an outside chance to get in if they lost in the WAC Tournament, but the Aggies most likely must win the WAC automatic bid.  Grand Canyon, Utah Valley, and Seattle all have enough talent to pull off an upset.

Here is this week’s Bracket Gurus Bracketology Report

Seed Team Conference
1 Villanova B-East
1 Virginia ACC
1 Xavier B-East
1 Kansas B12
2 Duke ACC
2 Auburn SEC
2 North Carolina ACC
2 Michigan St. BTen
3 Purdue BTen
3 Cincinnati AAC
3 Tennessee SEC
3 Texas Tech B12
4 Wichita St. AAC
4 Clemson ACC
4 West Virginia B12
4 Arizona Pac12
5 Ohio St. BTen
5 Kentucky SEC
5 Gonzaga WCC
5 Rhode Island A-10
6 Michigan BTen
6 Houston AAC
6 Seton Hall B-East
6 TCU B12
7 Nevada MWC
7 Texas A&M SEC
7 Arkansas SEC
7 Florida SEC
8 Oklahoma B12
8 Arizona St. Pac12
8 Butler B-East
8 Creighton B-East
9 Florida St. ACC
9 Alabama SEC
9 Missouri SEC
9 Miami (Fla.) ACC
10 North Carolina St. ACC
10 Providence B-East
10 Virginia Tech ACC
10 Saint Mary’s WCC
11 St. Bonaventure A-10
11 Texas B12
11 Middle Tennessee CUSA
11 New Mexico St. WAC
12 Kansas St. B12
12 USC Pac12
12 Washington Pac12
12 Louisville ACC
12 Loyola (Chi.) MVC
12 UL-Lafayette SBC
13 Buffalo MAC
13 South Dakota St. Summ
13 Vermont A-East
13 Murray St. OVC
14 UNC-Greensboro Socon
14 College of Charleston CAA
14 Rider MAAC
14 Bucknell Pat
15 Montana B-Sky
15 UC-Davis B-West
15 Northern Kentucky Horiz
15 Wagner NEC
16 Penn Ivy
16 UNC-Asheville B-Sth
16 Nicholls St. SLC
16 Florida Gulf Coast A-Sun
16 Bethune-Cookman MEAC
16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff SWAC

 

Top 6 Out  Conf.
Baylor B12
UCLA Pac12
Syracuse ACC
Utah Pac12
Mississippi St. SEC
Marquette B-East

 

Last 10 Byes (highest to lowest)
Florida St.
Alabama
Missouri
Miami (Fla.)
North Carolina St.
Providence
Virginia Tech
Saint Mary’s
St. Bonaventure
Texas

 

First Four Round
Kansas St. vs. Washington
USC vs. Louisville
 
Florida Gulf Coast vs. Bethune-Cookman
Nicholls St. vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

 

Conference Tournament Action Tips Off Tonight

Championship Fortnight begins tonight, as the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament begins on campus sites.  The A-Sun holds its tournament on the home floors of the higher seeds, so tonight’s quarterfinal round finds four games playing simultaneously.  ESPN3 will carry all four games.

Here is the bracket and schedule for the A-Sun.

Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament
All Games Played at Higher Seed
All Times EST
       
Quarterfinals–February 26
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #1 Florida Gulf Coast #8 USC Upstate ESPN3
7:30 PM #4 NJIT #5 North Florida ESPN3
8:00 PM #2 Lipscomb #7 Stetson ESPN3
7:00 PM #3 Jacksonville #6 Kennesaw St. ESPN3
       
Semifinals–March 1
Time Home Visitors TV
TBA FGCU/USCU NJIT/N.Fla. ESPN3
TBA Lipsc./Stetson Jville/Kenn ESPN3
       
Championship–March 4
Time Home Visitors TV
3:00 PM Higher Remaining Seed Lower Remaining Seed ESPN

Florida Gulf Coast (12-2/21-10) is the sexy team in this league, but the Lipscomb Bisons (10-4/20-9) are the hot team.  Lipscomb closed out the regular season on a five-game winning streak, which included a win at FGCU.  Lipscomb’s non-conference schedule was considerably stronger than FGCU, so the Bisons might be able to move up to a 15-seed if they win the automatic bid, while the Eagles and anybody else in the league would be a 16-seed.  If somebody other than the top two wins the tournament, they can book reservations in Dayton for a First Four game.

Eight other leagues begin their conference tournaments between today and Friday.  Here is a look at the brackets and schedules for these conferences.

Big South Conference Tournament
1st Round & Championship Game at Higher Seeds
Quarterfinals and Semfinals at #1 Seed
All Times EST
       
First Round–February 27
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #7 High Point #10 Longwood BSN
7:00 PM #8 Charleston Southern #9 Presbyterian BSN
BSN TV at http://bigsouthsports.com    

 

Quarterfinals–March 1
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
1:00 PM #2 Radford High Point or Longwood ESPN3
3:30 PM #3 Winthrop #6 Gardner-Webb ESPN3
7:00 PM #1 UNC-Asheville Presbyterian or Chas Sou. ESPN3
9:30 PM #4 Campbell #5 Liberty ESPN3
       
Semifinals–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:00 PM Rad/HP/Longwood Winthrop/G-Webb ESPN3
8:30 PM UNCA/Presby/Chas Sou Campbell or Liberty ESPN3
       
Championship–March 4
Time Home Visitors TV
1:00 PM Higher Seed Lower Seed ESPN

 

Big Ten Conference Tournament
New York City
All Times EST
       
First Round–February 28
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
5:30 PM #12 Iowa #13 Illinois Big Ten
7:45 PM #11 Minnesota #14 Rutgers Big Ten
       
Second Round–March 1
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
12:00 PM #8 Maryland #9 Wisconsin Big Ten
2:15 PM #5 Michigan Iowa or Illinois Big Ten
6:30 PM #7 Penn St. #10 Northwestern Big Ten
8:45 PM #6 Indiana Minn. or Rutgers Big Ten
       
Quarterfinals–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
12:00 PM #1 Michigan St. Mary or Wisc Big Ten
2:15 PM #4 Nebraska Mich/Iowa/Ill Big Ten
6:30 PM #2 Ohio St. PSU or N’Western Big Ten
8:45 PM #3 Purdue Ind/Minn/Rutg Big Ten
       
Semifinals–March 3
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
2:00 PM MSU/Mary/Wisc Neb/Mich/Iowa/Ill CBS
4:30 PM OSU/Purd/NW Purd/Ind/Minn/Rutg CBS
       
Championship–March 4
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
4:30 PM     CBS

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament
Albany, NY
All Times EST
       
First Round–March 1
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
5:00 PM #8 Monmouth #9 St. Peter’s ESPN3
7:30 PM #7 Quinnipiac #10 Siena ESPN3
10:00 PM #6 Fairfield #11 Marist ESPN3
       
Quarterfinals–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
7:00 PM #1 Rider Monmouth or St. Peter’s ESPN3
9:30 PM #2 Canisius Quinn. or Siena ESPN3
       
Quarterfinals–March 3
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
7:00 PM #3 Niagara Fair. or Marist ESPN3
9:30 PM #4 Iona #5 Manhattan ESPN3
       
Semifinals–March 4
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
7:00 PM Rider/Monm/St. P Iona or Manhattan ESPN3
9:30 PM Can/Quinn/Siena Niag/Fair/Marist ESPN3
       
Championship–March 5
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
7:00 PM     TBA

 

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament
St. Louis (Arch Madness)
All Times CST
       
First Round–March 1
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:00 PM #8 Evansville #9 Northern Iowa ESPN3
8:30 PM #7 Missouri St. #10 Valparaiso ESPN3
       
Quarterfinals–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
12:00 PM #1 Loyola (Chi.) Evansville or UNI ESPN3
2:30 PM #4 Drake #5 Bradley ESPN3
6:00 PM #2 Southern Illinois MSU or Valpo ESPN3
8:30 PM #3 Illinois St. #6 Indiana St. ESPN3
       
Semifinals–March 3
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
2:30 PM Loyola/Evans/UNI Drake or Bradley CBSSN
5:00 PM SIU/MSU/Valpo Ill St. or Ind St. CBSSN
       
Championship–March 4
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
1:00 PM     CBS

 

Northeast Conference Tournament
All Games at Higher Seed
Top 8 Teams Qualify and Tournament Re-seeds after Quarterfinals
All Times EST
       
Quarterfinals–February 28
Time Home Team Visitors TV
7:00 PM #1 Wagner #8 Central Connecticut NEC *
7:00 PM #2 Mount St. Mary’s #7 Robert Morris NEC *
7:00 PM #3 St. Francis (PA) #6 Fairleigh-Dickinson NEC *
7:00 PM #4 Long Island #5 St. Francis (Bkn) NEC *
* NEC Front Row at http://necfrontrow.com/
       
Semifinals–March 3
Time Home Team Visitors TV
12:00 PM Highest Remaining Lowest Remaining ESPN3
2:00 PM 2nd Highest 3rd Highest ESPN3
       
Championship–March 6
Time Home Team Visitors TV
7:00 PM Higher Seed Lower Seed ESPN2

 

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament
Evansville, IN
Top 8 Teams Qualify, Southeast Missouri ineligible due to low APR Scores
All Times CST
       
First Round–February 28
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:30 PM #5 Tennessee Tech #8 SIU-Edwardsville OVC
9:00 PM #6 Tennessee St. #7 Eastern Illinois OVC
OVC Network at http://www.ovcdigitalnetwork.com/watch
       
Quarterfinals–March 1
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:30 PM #4 Jacksonville St. Tenn Tech or SIU-E OVC
9:00 PM #3 Austin Peay TSU or EIU OVC
       
Semifinals–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
7:00 PM #1 Murray St. JSU/TTU/SIU-E ESPNU
9:30 PM #2 Belmont APSU/TSU/EIU ESPNU
       
Championship–March 3
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
7:00 PM     ESPN2

 

Patriot League Tournament
All Games Played at Higher Seed
All Times EST
       
First Round–February 27
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #7 Lafayette #10 American Stadium
7:00 PM #8 Loyola (MD) #9 Army Stadium
       
Quarterfinals–March 1
Time Home Visitors TV
7:00 PM #1 Bucknell Loyola or Army Stadium
7:00 PM #4 Lehigh #5 Boston U Stadium
7:00 PM #2 Colgate Lafayette or American Stadium
7:00 PM #3 Navy #6 Holy Cross Stadium
       
Semifinals–March 1
Time Home Visitors TV
12/2 Bucknell/Loyola/Army Lehigh or Boston U CBSSN
12/2 Colgate/Lafayette/American Navy or Holy Cross CBSSN
       
Championship–March 4
Time Home Visitors TV
7:30 PM     CBSSN

 

Southern Conference Tournament
Asheville, NC
All Times EST
       
First Round–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
5:00 PM #8 The Citadel #9 VMI ESPN3
7:30 PM #7 Samford #10 Chattanooga ESPN3
       
Quarterfinals–March 3
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
12:00 PM #1 UNC-Greensboro Citadel or VMI ESPN3
2:30 PM #4 Mercer #5 Wofford ESPN3
6:00 PM #2 East Tennessee St. Samford or Chatt. ESPN3
8:30 PM #3 Furman #6 Western Carolina ESPN3
       
Semifinals–March 4
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
4:00 PM UNCG/Cit/VMI Mercer or Wofford ESPN3
6:30 PM ETSU/Sam/Chatt Furman or WCU ESPN3
       
Championship–March 5
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
9:00 PM     ESPN2

 

West Coast Conference Tournament
Las Vegas
All Times PST
       
First Round–March 2
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:00 PM #8 Loyola Marymount #9 Portland NBCSN
8:00 PM #7 Santa Clara #10 Pepperdine NBCSN
       
Quarterfinals–March 3
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
1:00 PM #3 BYU #6 San Diego NBCSN
3:00 PM #4 San Francisco #5 Pacific NBCSN
7:00 PM #1 Gonzaga LMU or Portland ESPN2
9:00 PM #2 Saint Mary’s Santa Clara or Pepperdine ESPN2
       
Semifinals–March 4
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:00 PM Gonz/LMU/Portland USF or Pacific ESPN
8:00 PM SMU/SCU/Pepperdine BYU or USD ESPN2
       
Championship–March 6
Time Higher Seed Lower Seed TV
6:00 PM     ESPN

All conference tournament brackets will be updated the morning after any conference games have been played. Check back here for up-to-date schedules and tip times.

 

 

 

 

 

March 9, 2011

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 9 Update

Filed under: College Basketball — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — piratings @ 8:25 am

Three More Tickets Punched

Horizon League Championship

Butler 59  Milwaukee 44

 The Bulldogs held Milwaukee to 30% shooting from the field, and Matt Howard connected on seven of nine shots to pace Butler with 18 points, as the defending National Final runner-up earned another spot in the Big Dance.

 Summit League Championship

Oakland 90  Oral Roberts 76 

The Golden Grizzlies displayed a great offensive show with the aid of numerous first half steals by Drew Valentine and Reggie Hamilton to build a double-digit lead by the break.  After withstanding an early second half run by the Golden Eagles, Oakland pulled away to win the automatic bid.  

Keith Benson topped Oakland with 28 points and 14 rebounds.  Hamilton added 25 with six assists, while Will Hudson recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

 

Sunbelt Conference Championship

U A L R  64  North Texas  63 

The Trojans won their first Sunbelt Championship and earned their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since 1990.

 

SBC Player of the Year Solomon Bozeman drove from the backcourt to the left side of the top of the key and drained a three-pointer with 1.5 seconds remaining to give UALR the decisive points.  Bozeman scored a game-high 20 points. 

North Texas had led by seven points with less than two minutes to go, but the Mean Green wilted under the Trojan pressure defense.  With one last chance to try to win, UNT committed a turnover on the inbounds pass. 

11 Automatic Qualifiers To Date

Team Conference Record
Arkansas-Little Rock Sunbelt  19-16
Belmont  Atlantic South 30-4
Butler  Horizon 23-9
Gonzaga West Coast 24-9
Indiana State  Missouri Valley  20-13
Morehead State  Ohio Valley  24-9
Oakland  Summit  25-9
Old Dominion Colonial 27-6
St. Peter’s Metro Atlantic 20-13
UNC-Asheville Big South 19-13
Wofford Southern 21-12

 

Two Tickets To Be Punched Tonight

Big Sky Tournament Championship @ 9PM ET On ESPN2

#2 Montana (21-9) at #1 Northern Colorado (20-10)

 

Semifinal Round

Montana 57  Weber State 40

Northern Colorado 73  Northern Arizona 70

 

These two split their regular season series with Northern Colorado winning 63-45 in Greeley, and Montana winning 55-42 in Missoula.  Tonight’s game will be played at Butler-Hancock Hall in Greeley, so Northern Colorado will enjoy the home court advantage. 

This game is a great study in contrasts.  Northern Colorado is a quicker team, but Montana is a stronger team.  Northern Colorado has one exceptionally dominant player, while Montana has more, albeit less exceptional, weapons.

 

The Bears’ offense runs through 6-1 senior guard Devon Beitzel.  Beitzel averages a league-best 21 points per game, and he is deadly at the free throw line, where he connects on 91% of his tosses. 

The rest of the team collectively shoots under 41% from the field and commits more turnovers than assists, so if the Grizzlies can stop Beitzel, or at least limit his touches, they have a chance of defending their crown.

 

Montana has the dominant big man in the conference in 6-11/260 senior center Brian Qvale.  If the Grizzlies can keep this game a half-court affair, they stand a great chance of winning with Qvale plugging the middle on defense and controlling the boards at both ends of the court.  Qvale averages 15 points and nine boards a game, and he had a double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds in the semifinal round.  Montana likes to limit possessions, so those numbers are even more impressive than they look. 

In the win over UNC, Montana held the Bears to 23.3% shooting, while they shot just 32.6% in the loss at Greeley.

 

It is our opinion that the visiting number two seed will pull off the mild upset over the host numbone seed, but it is not a strong feeling. 

 Northeast Conference Tournament Championship @ 7PM ET On ESPN2

#3 Robert Morris (18-13) at #1 Long Island (26-5)

Semifinal Round

Long Island 69  Central Connecticut 67

Robert Morris 64  Quinnipiac 62

Brooklyn has not been this excited over one of their own sports teams since the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series.  Long Island is one of the most exciting teams in the nation, and their 26-5 record has throngs of Brooklynites cramming into the Wellness, Recreation, and Athletic Center.  The WRAC holds just 2,500 seats, but you can bet that more than that amount will find their way into the game tonight, as they “Pack the WRAC.” 

Those fans will be converging to the corner of Ashland and Dekalb tonight, dressed in all white, to watch what could be a blowout win for their team.   

LIU is on a roll.  The Blackbirds have won 12 games in a row (longest current streak in the nation) and 20 of their previous 21 games.  They average almost 83 points per game.  The Blackbirds have exceptional depth with eight players capable of scoring 15 or more points. 

 

The Blackbirds pose difficult matchups with their roster, as they rely on quick guards and medium-sized forwards with great leaping ability to play at a fast pace.  There is no center on the roster, but the two 6-7 forwards have controlled the boards in most games this year. 

Those forwards are Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere, who team up for 25.4 points and 15.7 rebounds per game.

 5-10 backup guard Jason Brickman plays just 22 minutes per game, but he leads the team with 5.3 assists per game.  When he comes in the game, the pace picks up, and the Blackbirds shoot a lot of threes in transition.

 

Robert Morris is definitely not cannon fodder.  The Colonials are the two-time defending NEC Tournament champions, and they believe they can three peat even on the road in hostile conditions. 

The Colonials have won eight games in a row, relying on a stellar defense that limits possessions and pressures the guards.  They are missing their leading scorer, as 5-9 guard Karon Abraham’s season ended two weeks ago with a torn Achilles Tendon.  On the positive side, Abraham missed RMU’s win at LIU on December 2, as he was serving a multi-game suspension. 

Velton Jones and Russell Johnson will have to shine tonight for the Colonials to pull off the upset.  The duo are the only double figure scorers left, but both shoot less than 39% from the field. 

Without Abraham, RMU shoots just 33.7% from behind the arc, so the only way they can possibly win tonight is to replicate the formula that was successful more than three months ago—control the tempo and prevent LIU from getting off any uncontested three-pointers. 

We believe this game will begin slowly with RMU taking the lead in the early stages.  Somewhere in the first half, LIU will go on one of their patented runs and gain the lead.  Then, a second spurt will give them a commanding lead.  RMU might cut into that lead, but we believe in the end, the Blackbirds will be celebrating at the WRAC.  We do not believe the Brooklynites will be crying “Wait ‘Til Next Year.”  This will be like October of 1955 in the borough.

 

Yesterday’s Other Tournament Results

Atlantic 10 Conference

First Round

LaSalle 75  St. Bonaventure 73  2ot

St. Joseph’s 71  George Washington 59  ot

Rhode Island 70  St. Louis 61

Dayton 78  U Mass 50

 

Big East Conference

First Round

Connecticut 97  DePaul 71

Rutgers 76  Seton Hall 70 ot

South Florida 70  Villanova 69

Marquette 87  Providence 66 

M A C

First Round

Bowling Green 74  Northern Illinois 54

Ohio U 74  Toledo 57

Akron 67  Eastern Michigan 53

Buffalo 64  Central Michigan 50

 

M E A C

First Round

MD-Eastern Shore 87  F A M U 85  2ot

S. C. State 64  Delaware State 59 

Ivy League Playoff Set

Princeton defeated rival Penn 70-58 last night in Philadelphia, forcing a one-game playoff for the Ivy League’s automatic berth.  Princeton (24-6) will take on co-champion Harvard (23-5) Saturday afternoon at 4PM Eastern Time.  The game will be played at Yale University in New Haven, CT, and it can be seen live on ESPN3.com.

Princeton has appeared in all seven Ivy League tiebreaking playoff games in the history of the league.  This is Harvard’s first Ivy League basketball championship of any kind.  The Crimson last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1946. 

There is a chance that the loser of this game could hold a slim chance of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Harvard is ranked #35 in the RPI, while Princeton is ranked #49.  Harvard has two wins over top 50 teams as well as three losses.  Their biggest win was at Boston College.  Princeton has just one win against the top 50 and two losses.  For the Ivy to earn two bids, the Tigers have to win Saturday and hope Harvard’s high RPI is enough to earn the second bid. 

Conference Tournaments In Action Today

Big 12 Conference

Tournament Site: Kansas City

1st Round Games

#8 Nebraska (19-11) vs. #9 Oklahoma State (18-12)  12:30 PM ET

#5 Colorado (19-12) vs. #12 Iowa State (16-15)  3 PM ET

#7 Baylor (18-12) vs. #10 Oklahoma (13-17)  7PM ET

#6 Missouri (22-9) vs. #11 Texas Tech (13-18) 9:30 PM ET 

Big East Conference

Tournament Site: New York City

2nd Round Games

#8 Georgetown (21-9) vs. #9 Connecticut (22-9)  12 Noon ET on ESPN

#5 St. John’s (20-10) vs. #13 Rutgers (15-16)  Approx. 2:15 PM ET on ESPN

#7 Cincinnati (24-7) vs. #15 South Florida (10-22)  7 PM ET on ESPN

#6 West Virginia (20-10) vs. #11 Marquette (19-13)  Approx. 9:15 PM ET on ESPN 

Conference USA

Tournament Site: El Paso, TX

1st Round Games

#8 East Carolina (16-14) vs. #9 Central Florida (19-10)  1 PM ET

#5 Southern Miss (21-9) vs. #12 Tulane (13-16)  3:30 PM ET

#6 Marshall (21-10) vs. #11 Houston (12-17)  7:30 PM ET

#7 S M U (17-13) vs. #10 Rice (13-17)  10 PM ET 

M E A C

Tournament Site: Winston-Salem, NC

Note: The MEAC has a unique way of scheduling their tournament.  As a result, one first round game will be played today as well as two quarterfinal round games.  The other two quarterfinal round games will be played Thursday. 

1st Round

#6 Norfolk State () vs. #11 Howard ()  3 PM ET

Quarterfinal Round

#1 Bethune-Cookman (20-11) vs. #9 South Carolina State (10-21)  7 PM ET

#2 Hampton (21-8) vs. #10 Maryland-Eastern Shore (9-21)  9:30 PM ET 

Mountain West Conference

Tournament Site: Las Vegas

1st Round

#8 Wyoming (10-20) vs. #9 T C U (10-21)  5 PM ET 

Pac-10 Conference

Tournament Site: Los Angeles

1st Round

#8 Stanford (15-15) vs. #9 Oregon State (10-19)  9 PM ET on Fox Sports Net

#7 Oregon (14-16) vs. #10 Arizona State (12-18)  11:30 PM ET on Fox Sports Net 

Southland Conference

Tournament Site: Katy, TX (Houston Area)

Quarterfinal Round

#2 Northwestern State (LA) (18-13) vs. #7 Texas-San Antonio (16-13)  1 PM ET

#3 Sam Houston (17-12) vs. #6 Stephen F. Austin (18-10)  3:30 PM ET

#1 McNeese State (19-10) vs. #8 Nicholls State (14-13)  7 PM ET

#4 Texas State (15-15) vs. #5 Southeastern Louisiana (15-13)  9:30 PM ET 

S W A C

Tournament Site: Garland, TX (Dallas-Ft. Worth Area) 

Quarterfinal Round

#2 Jackson State (16-14) vs. #7 Prairie View (10-21)  12:30 PM ET

#1 Texas Southern (18-11) vs. #8 Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-23)  9 PM ET

W A C

Tournament Site: Las Vegas

1st Round

#5 Hawaii (18-11) vs. #8 San Jose State (15-14)  3 PM ET

#6 Nevada (12-18) vs. #7 Fresno State (14-16)  5:30 PM ET

March 8, 2011

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments–March 8 Update

 

The Four Newest Dance Invitees

Did you see those conference championship games last night?  Was this the Monday Night Fights or basketball?  There were more cut men and cut women than in your average boxing card.

 

When it is all or nothing for these smaller conferences, you get what we saw last night—teams playing like their lives were on the line.

 

Colonial Athletic Association

Old Dominion 70

Virginia Commonwealth 65

 

Old Dominion 27-6

 

The Monarchs are capable of making a semi-surprise run in the Big Dance.  They lead the nation in rebounding margin, and they can score points in the paint. 

 

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

St. Peter’s 62

Iona 57

 

St. Peter’s 20-13

 

The Peacocks beat Alabama earlier in the season, and their defense could keep them within striking defense in an opening round game, but we cannot see SPC advancing to the second round.

 

Southern Conference

Wofford 77

College of Charleston 67

 

Wofford 21-12

 

The Terriers finally beat the Cougars (we predicted this yesterday), and they will not roll over and play dead in the first round.  This team returns to the Dance for the second consecutive season, and they will not back down.  They may not advance, but they will not be in awe of their heavily favored first round opponent.

 

West Coast Conference

Gonzaga 75

Saint Mary’s 63

 

Gonzaga 24-9

 

This edition of Zags may not be the most talented in the Coach Mark Few era, but they are playing their best ball at the right time.  It will depend on their bracket, but this team has Sweet 16 potential.

 

Three More Invitations Go Out Tonight

By 11:15 PM Eastern Time tonight, we will know the names of three more NCAA Tournament participants.  Let’s break down these games.

 

Horizon League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN

Butler (22-9)  at  Milwaukee (19-12)

 

Butler defeated Cleveland State in the semifinal round Saturday evening, while Milwaukee topped Valparaiso.  During the regular season, Milwaukee swept the Bulldogs, winning 76-52 at home and 86-80 in overtime on the road.  The top-seeded Panthers host this game.

 

Both teams are red hot coming into this title match.  Milwaukee has gone 10-1 in their last 11 games, and the only loss was in the Bracketbuster to Buffalo.  Their defense is what got them here, as they shoot only 43% from the field and 65% at the foul line.

 

Three Panthers average double figures in scoring, led by Anthony Hill.  Hill averages just under 16 points per game, but he broke out with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance in the semifinal game against Valpo.  Kaylon Williams is the X-factor for Panthers.  He can score when needed, rebound with the big men, and run the offense.  He recorded a triple-double earlier in the season against Butler (10 points-10 rebounds-10 assists), and he added a double-double in the second win over the Bulldogs.

 

Butler missed Gordon Hayward even more than most experts predicted.  The Bulldogs played a tough pre-conference schedule and limped into February.  With their backs against the wall, they reeled off eight consecutive victories to get to the title game tonight.

 

Most basketball fans know Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack from last year’s team that made the surprise run to the National Championship Game.  The duo has teamed for 32 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this year.  However, it has been the emergence of 6-11 sophomore center Andrew Smith that has allowed Butler to turn things around and look like a force to be reckoned with once again.  Smith averaged 11 points per game over the second half of the season.  In the eight game winning streak, he has averaged 32 minutes per game and pulled down close to eight rebounds per game.  His 63% field goal percentage has forced defenses to stop him first, giving Howard and Mack more room to get open.  Smith was a non-factor in the two games against Milwaukee, and he is the key to tonight’s game.  If he plays 32 minutes and gets double figure points and eight rebounds, Butler will be cutting down the nets yet again.

 

Summit League Championship @ 9PM ET on ESPN2

Site: Sioux Falls, SD

Oakland (24-9)  vs. Oral Roberts (19-14)

 

If you like high-scoring, fast-paced games, you will definitely clear your schedule to view this one.  Oakland is the second best offensive team in the nation, averaging 86 points per game (92 ppg in their last 10 games).  The Grizzlies connect on close to 50% of their field goal attempts, and they tend to hit spurts where they score 10 points in two minutes.  Oral Roberts averages 81 points per game and has no qualms running with Oakland.

 

Both teams are riding major winning streaks entering tonight’s title game.  Oakland has won 17 of their last 18 games, while the Golden Eagles have won 10 in a row.  In the regular season, Oakland won both high-scoring games, but both were nail-biters that went down to the wire. 

 

Oakland has a tall and short combination that has done a lot of the damage on opponents.  6-11 center Keith Benson is the best player in the league.  Benson averages 17.7 points and 10 rebounds per game.  He showed he can do it against the big schools, as he had 17 points and 12 rebounds in a close loss to Michigan State and 26 points and 10 rebounds in a big win at Tennessee. 

 

5-11 guard Reggie Hamilton is a threat to top 20 points any night.  He is quick and can get open without help from screens.

 

Oral Roberts has a star in its own right.  Dominique Morrison averages just under 20 points per game, and he doesn’t need to heave up 25 shots per game to get those points.  Morrison shoots 51.3% from the field, 40% from behind the three-point line, and 78.4% at the foul line.  He scored 56 points in the two games against Oakland.

 

This should be a great game, and we don’t believe Oakland is that much of a favorite.  ORU has been to the Big Dance four times in the last six years, while Oakland is the defending tournament champion.  We expect the winner to top 90 points in this game, and it is too close to call.  We say Oakland has about a 54% chance and Oral Roberts a 46% chance of winning.

 

Sunbelt Conference Championship @ 7PM ET on ESPN2

Site: Hot Springs, AR

 

North Texas (22-10)  vs. U A L R (18-16)

 

On paper this looks like a mismatch, even though the teams finished one game apart in the regular season.  North Texas finished fourth in the West with an 8-8 league mark, while Little Rock finished fifth at 7-9.

 

North Texas was one of the biggest underachievers this season.  The Mean Green returned four starters from their 2010 conference champion team and were expected to win again this year with the best backcourt and one of the best frontcourts in the league.  Instead, a 3-9 swoon in the middle of the season placed them out of contention for the West crown.  Since that awful slide, UNT has recovered with five consecutive victories.

 

6-5 senior guard Tristan Thompson has led the way for the Mean Green in the tournament, scoring 80 points in the first three games.  He has done a lot of the damage at the foul line, where he is 31-35 in Hot Springs, including an unbelievable 20-20 performance in the win over top-seed Florida Atlantic.  Thompson combines a quick move to the basket with a sweet shot from outside.  Beefy forward George Odufuwa averages 11 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and UALR has a tough matchup problem against him.

 

The Trojans dropped both regular season games to North Texas, mostly because they could not compete under the basket.  Their chance to win this game will come down to limiting possessions and trying to win 55-50.  They have won three games in the tournament by getting to the foul line and hitting foul shots, while using the clock and taking 30 seconds to shoot on most possessions.  UALR’s big star in this tournament has been senior guard Solomon Bozeman.  Like Thompson, Bozeman has gotten to the free throw line and made the most of his opportunities.  He has connected on 37 of 42 attempts including an eye-popping 19 of 22 against Middle Tennessee last night.

 

We expect a low-possession, low-scoring game.  There may be fewer than 100 field goal attempts tonight.  North Texas has been there before, while UALR has never won the Sunbelt Conference Tournament.  We think that trend will continue, but it wouldn’t surprise us if this game stays relatively close for the entire 40 minutes.  We could see North Texas winning 60-54.

 

The Other Tournaments In Action Today

 

Atlantic 10 Conference

First Round At Higher Seed Home Court

 

#9 Dayton (19-12) at #8 U Mass (15-14)  9PM ET on CBSC

#12 St. Joseph’s (9-21) at #5 George Washington (17-13)  7PM ET on CBSC

#10 LaSalle (14-17) at #7 St. Bonaventure (16-13)  5 PM ET on CBSC

#11 St. Louis (12-18) at #6 Rhode Island (18-12)  7 PM ET no TV

 

Big East Conference

Madison Square Garden in New York City

 

#16 Depaul (7-23) vs. #9 Georgetown (21-9) 12 Noon ET on ESPN2

#13 Rutgers (14-16) vs. #12 Seton Hall (13-17) Approx. 2:15 PM ET on ESPN2

#15 South Florida (9-22) vs. #10 Villanova (21-10) 7PM ET on ESPNU

#14 Providence (15-16) vs. #11 Marquette (18-13) Approx 9:15 ET on ESPNU

 

Big Sky Conference

Semifinal Round At Higher Seed Home Court

#3 Weber State (18-11) at #2 Montana (20-9)

#4 Northern Arizona (19-11) at #1 Northern Colorado (19-10)

 

Mid-American Conference

1st Round At Higher Seed Home Court  All Games At 7PM ET

 

#10 Northern Illinois (9-20) at #7 Bowling Green (13-18)

#11 Eastern Michigan (9-21) at #6 Akron (19-12)

#9 Central Michigan (10-20) at #8 Buffalo (17-12)

#12 Toledo (4-27) at #5 Ohio U (17-14)

 

Mideastern Athletic Conference

Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC

 

#9 South Carolina State (9-21) vs. #8 Delaware State (9-20)  9PM ET

#10 Maryland-Eastern Shore (8-21) vs. #7 Florida A&M (12-19)  6:30 PM ET

 

Note: One more 1st round game Wednesday plus two quarterfinal games

 

 

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