SB Nation - Lester Hudson

BtB 2009-10 Ohio Valley Conference Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:53:25 -0000

Murray State was the last team to claim the Ohio Valley's automatic bid in consecutive seasons, and that was back in 1998 (under Mark Gottfried) and 1999 (under Tevester Anderson). Since then, the Racers, Austin Peay, and Eastern Kentucky have basically played musical chairs with the conference's auto bid, with Southeast Missouri and Eastern Illinois making cameos at the turn of the century. Last year, when it already looked like that Tennessee-Martin was going to break this particular triad, the Skyhawks tumbled in the OVC semis. The team that kept Lester Hudson off the national stage was another interloper, Morehead State. The Eagles knocked off Peay in the final to clinch their tournament bid in a quarter century.

Now, the target is on their back. Morehead will have to defend their title without the graduated Leon Buchanan, though rebounding machine Kenneth Faried, who's only a junior, leads the Eagles' four returning starters. Austin Peay brings back three starters themselves, but that group doesn't include Drake Reed, who averaged just under 22 points a game last year. The Skyhawks are in rebuilding mode, as they lost two starters other than Hudson. The Murray State Racers, who finished in second last year (and a game ahead of Morehead in the standings) looks like the best option to challenge their in-state rivals, as they return three starters, three double figure scorers, and some key bench components.

The real proof will come when the conference season starts in December. OVC teams play a grinding 18-game double-round robin schedule, which can lead to some surprising results during the regular season. However, given how the league has been dominated by three schools over the past decade, expect some sort of order to be restored in the tournament. The key question is whether last year's champs are now part of that order or simply an anomaly. Given how tight this league can get, f you have the chance to see an OVC game live or on TV (even if it is televised against some major conference showdown) this year, do it.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville will become the conference's 11th member next season, so the double-round robin may very well end. This year, the Cougars will play a varied schedule, including several future league opponents. More on the ten teams in this year's edition of the OVC after the jump.

Let's start with a look at last season's final OVC standings.

Ohio Valley Conference Standings

(updated 3.20.2009 at 11:51 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks	14	4	22	10
Murray St. Racers	13	5	19	12
Austin Peay Governors	13	5	19	14
Morehead St. Eagles	12	6	20	16
Eastern Kentucky Colonels	10	8	18	13
Tennessee St. Tigers	9	9	12	18
Eastern Illinois Panthers	8	10	12	18
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles	6	12	12	18
Jacksonville St. Gamecocks	5	13	11	17
SE Missouri St. Indians	0	18	3	27

Now here are my picks for the 2009-10 season, presented in reverse order.

Southeast Missouri (last NCAA: 2000) Former Arkansas State coach Dickie Nutt, brother of Ole Miss football coach Houston, takes over in Cape Girardeau, and he has quite a mess to clean up. Former head coach Scott Edgar was fired right before the New Year for a variety of infractions just appealed the three-year "show cause" penalty the NCAA tagged him with. On the court, things don't look promising, as the Redhawks three leading scorers of a year ago are all gone, taking an average of 52 points and 14 boards with them. Considering SEMO hasn't won an OVC game since January 29, 2008, the new regime will have to be patient. The out-of-conference schedule is manageable, however, as road trips to St. Louis and Memphis, and a round-robin tournament at Illinois State are the most challenging outings.

Tennessee State (last NCAA: 1994) Much like SE Missouri, the Tigers will have a new bench boss this season. Former Auburn assistant John Cooper takes over for Cy Alexander, who was relieved of his duties back on February 9, when the Tigers stood at 4-9 in the league. They rallied to six in a row, five OVC games and a BracketBuster with Detroit, to finish with a .500 league mark. They closed the season with a loss to Murray State in the OVC tournament. Tennessee State's won't have much momentum heading into this year though, as four of the starters off last year's team are now gone, with only guard Jeremiah Crutcher returning. Cooper will need big contributions from his four JC transfers and five freshmen to avoid the basement. The Tigers welcome Siena to Nashville and participate in the low-major bracket in the Chicago Invitational, after taking probable road beatings at the hands of Iowa State and Northwestern.

Tennessee-Martin (last NCAA: None) The Skyhawks will attempt to replicate the greatest season in their history without superstar Lester "Done Ruthless" Hudson, a newly minted Boston Celtic, and head coach Bret Campbell. His replacement, former assistant Jason Jones, is young (my age in fact...oy), and it may be a rough first year for him. The Skyhawks return only two starters, guards Marquis Waddle (13.8 ppg) and Delrico Lane (5.1 ppg, 4.9 apg), and feature an inexperienced frontcourt.

Jacksonville State (last NCAA: None) The Gamecocks won 9 Division I games in their first year under James Green, an improvement over the five they won the year before. However, JSU lost their final six contests of last season. Three starters were due to return, until 6-5 F Geddes Robinson (8.2 ppg. 4.9 rpg) transferred to Western Nebraska CC in August. Leading scorer Jeremy Bynum (12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) is back for his junior year; however, Green has to replace DeAndre Bray, who averaged nearly 5 assists per game at the point. JC transfer B.J. Miller and freshman Samir Rolley are possibilities. Meanwhile, much is expected of 6-5 swingman Trenton Marshall, another JC transfer.

Tennessee Tech (last NCAA: 1963) The Golden Eagles bring back four starters off a team that won only 6 league games last year. Unfortunately, leading scorer and rebounder Daniel Northern (12.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg) isn't among them. 6-8 freshman Terrell Barnes is expected to fill the void left by Northern's departure. The returnees are led by sharpshooter Frank Davis (10 ppg, while shooting 42.9% from 3), point guard Will Barnes--no relation to Terrell (9.8 ppg, 2.8 apg, and 6-6 forward Kevin Murphy (9.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg). The Golden Eagles travel to Memphis, Kansas, and Minnesota this season, while Summit League favorite Oakland visits.

Eastern Illinois (last NCAA: 2001) With a little bit of consistency, the Panthers should be able to improve on their 8-10 league record of a season ago. Mike Miller's squad returns four of five starters from a year ago, senior guard Romain Martin (15.4 ppg), junior All-Name team selection Tyler Laser (11.4 ppg, 3.1 apg), point guard T.J. Marion (9 ppg, 3.5 apg), and 6-8 senior center Ousmane Cisse (8 ppg, 7.5 rpg). The fifth starter could very well be freshman Shaun Pratl, a football and basketball standout in Chicago.

Eastern Kentucky (last NCAA: 2007) The Colonels have a leg up on most of the league, as they return four starters. They'll have a hard time improving on last year's 5th place finish, however, when you consider that 20 point a game/does everything well-man MIke Rose is the missing starter. Senior forward Josh Taylor (10.9 ppg, 3 rpg) and junior swingman Justin Stommes (10.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg) are the only two returnees who averaged in double figures last season. Making matters worse for head coach Jeff Neubauer, sophomore Jorge Camacho, a 6-7 forward who averaged 6.3 points and 3 boards a contest, left the program during the offseason, giving EKU one less option. The Colonels will host one of the low-/mid-major "subregionals" in the CBE Classic, after they visit Pitt for their first game in the event.

Austin Peay (last NCAA: 2008) The Governors nearly made it two NCAA trips in a row last season, but they had to settle for the CollegeInsider tournament after dropping a double OT thriller to Morehead State. Dave Loos' squad should compete for the crown again, though like EKU, they'll have to do so without their Mr. Everything. Drake Reed, who averaged almost 22 points a game, while grabbing 7.5 boards a contest is gone. However, his key backcourt-mate, Wes Channels (16.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg) is back. If Loos can get some of the other returnees and even freshmen Eric Mosley and Chris Reaves to contribute some more points, APSU should challenge their Kentucky rivals for the crown. The Govs will travel to Daytona Beach to take on IUPUI, NC State, and Niagara in the Glenn Wilkes Classic, after traveling to Akron for the same event.

Murray State (last NCAA: 2006) While the Racers lost two starters from the team that finished a game behind Tennessee-Martin in last year's OVC race, Billy Kennedy still has a roster that can challenge for the top spot. In the backcourt, two double figure scorers are back, Danero Thomas (12.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Isacc Miles (10.6 ppg, 3 rpg), and Jewaun Long (4.3 ppg in '07-08) returns from a knee injury to provide some bench support. The frontcourt is in good shape as well, thanks to the presence of 6-6 Jeffery McClain (6.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg), 6-7 Ivan Aska (10.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg), and 6-9 center Tony Easley (6.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg). The Racers participate in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, where they'll visit California, then travel to Miami to take part in the Florida International-hosted "subregional."

Morehead State (last NCAA: 2009) Leading scorer Leon Buchanan (15.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) may be gone, but just about everyone else is back from the team that returned Morehead to the tournament for the first time in 25 years. First among these is 6-8 F/C Kenneth Faried, who averaged almost 14 points and an amazing 13 boards a game. Maze Stallworth, who averaged a little more than 12 points and 4 rebounds a contest, also returns, as does guard Demonte Harper (10.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.4 apg). Besides Buchanan, the other major loss for head coach Donnie Tyndall is 8 point a game performer Robert Murry, who transferred. Outside of a visit to Rupp Arena, the Eagles biggest challenge of the non-conference season is a trip to Logan, Utah, where they'll face three other teams who could win their leagues--Cal State-Fullerton, Weber State, and hosts Utah State.

I'm picking the Eagles to repeat in the OVC, so they'll have the league's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. However, given how hard it is to repeat in this conference, Morehead's name won't be carved in stone. Now, to wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-OVC team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-OVC Team

Player of the Year: Kenneth Faried, 6-8 F/C, Jr. (Morehead State)

Remainder of the Team
Wes Channels, 6-3 G, Sr. (Austin Peay)
Romain Martin, 6-3 G, Sr. (Eastern Illinois)
Maze Stallworth, 6-4 F, Sr. (Morehead State)
Danero Thomas, 6-4 G, Sr. (Murray State)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the OVC this season?

Austin Peay

4 votes

Eastern Illinois

0 votes

Eastern Kentucky

1 votes

Jacksonville State

0 votes

Morehead State

4 votes

Murray State

3 votes

Souheast Missouri

0 votes

Tennessee-Martin

0 votes

Tennessee State

0 votes

Tennessee Tech

0 votes

12 votes | Poll has closed

Conference tournament wrap: 3/6/09

Mike Rutherford — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:03:47 -0000

Cornell became the first squad to punch its dance ticket last night by clinching an outright Ivy League title. Friday also saw a great day of quarterfinal action in the Valley, as well as the first toppling of a No. 1 seed this postseason.

Three titles are on the line Saturday, but first, let's look at the best of the day that was.

Game of the Night

2) Creighton 63, 7) Wichita State 62 (Missouri Valley)

All four quarterfinal tilts in the Valley were entertaining, but second-seeded Creighton and No. 7 Wichita State provided the game of the '09 postseason thus far.

After trailing by as many as 22 in the second half, Wichita State took a one-point lead after Toure' Murray buried a three-pointer with nine seconds to play. Creighton failed to convert on the other end, but a Shocker player dropped the rebound and the ball went our-of-bounds and back to the Bluejays with 1.9 to play. Naturally, MVC Player of the Year Booker Woodfox got the ball in his hands and buried a jumper (see the video here) to beat the buzzer and keep Creighton's Missouri Valley - and probably NCAA Tournament - title hopes alive.

"I'm excited we won but I'm extremely disappointed with what happened in that last 10 minutes," Creighton coach Dana Altman said. "By the time I got to the locker room, I was very upset. I didn't let them off the hook.

"I got after them. If we're going to win a championship, we're going to have to play better basketball than that."

Woodfox missed all five shots he attempted in the first half, but scored 17 in the second.

Creighton (26-6) moves on to face Illinois State in Saturday's semifinals.

Upset of the Night

4) Morehead State 62, 1) Tennessee-Martin 55 (Ohio Valley)

Lester...no exclamation point.

Two-time OVC PLayer of the Year Lester Hudson scored 34 of UT-Martin's 55 points and snatched 10 of its 27 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to get the top-seeded Skyhawks into the conference title game for the first time.

I am more upset for No. 5 (Hudson) than anybody else," said UTM coach Bret Campbell. "He came to play, and he didn't get any help.

"Lester makes his teammates better, but his teammates didn't allow that to happen. After everything he has done for this program, we couldn't let him dance. It is disappointing that the country won't see him in the NCAA's field of (65)."

Morehead State was led by Kenneth Faried's monster 22-point, 17-rebound performance.

As a result of their regular season title, Tennessee-Martin has earned an automatic bid to the NIT.

Player of the Night

Lester Hudson (Tennessee-Martin/Ohio Valley)

Martin earns the honor for the second time this week after dropping 34 and 10 in his final collegiate game.

Honor Roll

Kenneth Faried (Morehead State/Ohio Valley)

Scored 22 points and snatched 17 rebounds in his team's semifinal upset of NO .1 UT-Martin.

Courtney Pigram (East Tennessee State/Atlantic Sun)

Scored a game-high 30 points as ETSU knocked off three-time defending champion Belmont in the A-Sun semis.

Ryan Wittman (Cornell/Ivy League)

Led Cornell with 25 points as the Big Red clinched their second consecutive Ivy League championship.

Shy Ely (Evansville/Missouri Valley)

Kept the Purple Aces in their quarterfinal loss to Illinois State by scoring 29 points.

Dior Lowhorn (San Francisco/West Coast)

Scored a career-high 32 points for the Dons in a losing effort.

Full Results

Ohio Valley (Semifinals)

4) Morehead State 62, 1) Tennessee-Martin 55
2) Austin Peay 67, 3) Murray State 50

Atlantic Sun (Semifinals)

1) Jacksonville 88, 4) Lipscomb 72
2) East Tennessee State 88, 3) Belmont 74

Horizon League (Quarterfinals)

3) Cleveland State 67, 7) Illinois-Chicago 64
4) Wright State 80, 5) Milwaukee 70

Missouri Valley (Quarterfinals)

1) Northern Iowa 73, 9) Indiana State 69
2) Creighton 63, 7) Wichita State 62
3) Illinois State 78, 6) Evansville 68
4) Bradley 67, 5) Southern Illinois 55

America East (First Round)

9) Hartford 65, 8) Maine 56

Colonial Athletic Association (First Round)

5) Hofstra 79, 12) UNC-Wilmington 66
11) Towson 73, 6) Drexel 62
7) James Madison 70, 10) William & Mary 48
8) Georgia State 54, 9) Delaware 41

Metro Atlantic Athletic (First Round)

10) Marist 43, 7) Iona 40
9) Canisius 74, 8) Loyola 68

Southern (First Round)

3N) Samford 57, 6S) Furman 52
3S) Charleston 69, 6N) UNC-Greensboro 56
4N) Appalachian State 86, 5S) Georgia Southern 75
5N) Elon 62, 4S) Wofford 55

West Coast (First Round)

5) San Diego 62, 8) Loyola Marymount 56
6) Pepperdine 93, 7) San Francisco 85

Lucky Bracket 13 - 7 March 2009

Chris Dobbertean — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:08:41 -0000

As I mentioned in the comments yesterday evening, we're at the point of the season where things are going to move very quickly.

Here's a rundown of last night's action and how it impacts today's bracket. (All game info from the always valuable Basketball State.)

Tennessee-Martin, the top seed in the Ohio Valley, lost to Morehead State, 63-55. That means the Skyhawks, featuring Lester "Done Ruthless" Hudson, are bound for the NIT. The Eagles meet up with #2 seed (and the auto bid holder for this bracket) Austin Peay in tonight's final.
The top two seeds in the Atlantic Sun, Jacksonville and East Tennessee State, will meet tonight to determine that league's auto bid.
Creighton very nearly found themselves out, as it appeared that Wichita State had beaten them. However, the refs added 1.9 seconds to the clock. That was just enough time for Valley POY Booker Woodfox to hit a jumper to give the Jays the win, 63-62. The Shockers won the rebounding battle by 20!
And the Cornell Big Red are the first team in, after they beat Penn 83-59 and Princeton lost to Columbia by 14. Like all teams who win their conference's auto bid, they'll appear in bold in the bracket from here on out.

In terms of the bracket as a whole (seed list, trends), there's been a little bit of shuffling among the protected seeds since my last update on Monday. Connecticut, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina are still hanging around on the top line. Oklahoma falls down to the two line, however, after dropping three of their last four. Memphis, nearing another perfect Conference USA run, replaces the Sooners.

Joining OU on the two line are three teams who are regulars: Duke, Louisville, and Michigan State. Of these four, the Sooners and Cardinals probably have the best shot at stealing a #1 seed, but the Blue Devils can't be counted out, especially with a game in Chapel Hill Sunday and the ACC tournament to come.

Kansas, Missouri, and Wake Forest stay on the three line, but Clemson drops down to the 4 line. Villanova replaces them, as the Wildcats recovered from a disappointing loss to Georgetown last Saturday by closing out their Big East slate with two 17-point wins over former contender Notre Dame and current bubble team Providence.

Joining the Tigers on the 4 line are Marquette, Washington, and Xavier. The Golden Eagles may not stay here for long, as they've yet to show they can win without Dominic James. The Musketeers, meanwhile, replace Purdue. The Boilermakers fall down to the 5 line after their home loss to suddenly alive Northwestern on Wednesday night.

For lines 5 on down, here are your jumps and declines for the week, presented in their seed line order:

Jumps: Florida State, UCLA, Syracuse, West Virginia, UNLV, Texas A&M, Minnesota, Binghamton, Morgan State

Declines: Purdue, LSU, Illinois, Utah, Wisconsin, Boston College, South Carolina, Creighton, Dayton, Cornell, Jacksonville

At the bottom of the at-large pool, there are quite a few changes. Arizona is out after they lost their fourth in a row Thursday night. Kentucky is also gone after they lost to hapless Georgia at Rupp Wednesday night. Maryland and Virginia Tech both drop out after they lost key midweek games.

Replacing them are four teams who are actually attempting to play, not back, their way in. Penn State is in after their thrilling victory over Illinois on Thursday night, a far different one than their infamous 38-33 win in Champaign a few weeks ago. Oklahoma State has won six straight and is 8-4 in their last 12. The four losses include three on the road and three to probable tournament teams (and the fourth is to Texas A&M, who is also on the bubble.) The Cowboys own a win over Rhode Island, another newcomer. The Rams have also won six straight, but they're 10-2 in their last 12. New Mexico is the last team in. The Lobos are 9-3 in their last 12 and have split with all of their competition in the Mountain West. That's a big reason why they're 4-5 against the RPI Top 50. Depending on what happens today, they can still claim a regular season conference title, which would definitely boost their case.

I'm headed off to Richmond for the CAA quarterfinals. I'll be tweeting during my time there, so be sure to follow along. My next bracket will be out on Tuesday instead of the normal Monday, as real life permitting, I'll be at the CAA championship game.

Happy Hoops Viewing!

Note: To keep with the theme I've developed over the past couple of years, I use Roadgeek fonts extensively in my files. You can download them for free from Mike the Actuary's Musings.

Championship Week -- Day Four

rockchalk — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 16:00:11 -0000

After a mostly encouraging first OGT on Championship Week, here we go again. Being a Friday night, it is virtually barren of meaningful Bubble Games (actually, it's completely barren), but there are oodles and oodles of conference tournament games. A bunch.

Use this as your OGT for al things Championship Week, today.

We'll be adding some more, random sections to the CW previews as the "Week" progresses. All in an effort to be as comprehensive as possible, of course.

Championship Week

As always, times listed are EST.

CW Game of the Day: #3 Murray State vs. #2 Austin Peay (ESPNU, 9 PM) Ohio Valley Semis -- There wasn't a whole lot of great selection, and I didn't really want to pick a quarterfinal matchup. So, I went here. Peay swept the Racers, but Murray State is the much better team, if you listen to KenPom. Austin Peay narrowly escaped getting upset on Tuesday in the quarters; let's see if they can't rebound.

Player to Watch: F Lester Hudson (UT-Martin) -- I'm sure most have read his story, by now, but if not, check it out. Basically, the dude is mad talented, but grew up in the wrong part of Memphis with the wrong influences, and had some wrong turns along the way. Still, he has enough talent to play in the NBA, and it's a delight to watch him play. I hope that UT-Martin can make it to the NCAA Tournament, just so he gets shown off. He has the talent to scare some 2 seed, though, in the first round.

With all of that said, the complete schedule listing is posted after the break...

America East (First Round) -- Albany

#9 Hartford vs. #8 Maine (7 PM)

Atlantic Sun (Semifinals) -- Nashville

#3 Belmont vs. #2 East Tennessee State (FullCourt/ESPN360, 7 PM)
#4 Lipscomb vs. #1 Jacksonville (FullCourt/ESPN360, 9:30 PM)

Colonial (First Round) -- Richmond

#9 Delaware vs. #8 Georgia State (12 PM)
#12 UNC-Wilmington vs. #5 Hofstra (2:30 PM)
#10 William & Mary vs. #7James Madison (6 PM)
#11 Towson vs. #6 Drexel (8:30 PM)

Horizon League (Quarterfinals) -- Indianapolis

#5 UW-Milwaukee vs. #4 Wright State (6 PM)
#7 Illinois-Chicago vs. #3 Cleveland State (8 PM)

Metro Atlantic (First Round) -- Albany

#9 Canisius vs. #8 Loyola (Md.) (7:30 PM)
#10 Marist vs. #7 Iona (9:30 PM)

Missouri Valley (Quarterfinals) -- St. Louis

#9 Indiana State vs. #1 Northern Iowa (FSMW, 1 PM)
#5 Southern Illinois vs. #4 Bradley (FSMW, 3:30 PM)
#7 Wichita State vs. #2 Creighton (FSMW, 7 PM)
#6 Evansville vs. #3 Illinois State (FSMW, 9:30 PM)

Ohio Valley (Semifinals) -- Nashville

#4 Morehead State vs. #1 UT-Martin (ESPNU, 7 PM)
#3 Murray State vs. #2 Austin Peay (ESPNU, 9 PM)

Southern (First Round) -- Chattanooga

S5 Georgia Southern vs. N4 Appalachian State (2 PM)
N6 UNC-Greensboro vs. S3 College of Charleston (4:30 PM)
N5 Elon vs. S4 Wofford (7 PM)
S6 Furman vs. N3 Samford (9:30 PM)

West Coast (Quarterfinals) -- Vegas

#8 Loyola Marymount vs. #5 San Diego (9 PM)
#7 San Fransisco vs. #6 Pepperdine (11:30 PM)

OK, finally, that's all. A jam-packed slate ahead of y'all; as usual, I should be checking in around 6 PM, CST. Hope to see this place jamming about by then. First tip is at 12 EST, 11 CST, so this OGT opens an hour before, this time: at 10 CST. An hour to talk until you're blue about Delaware-Georgia State.

In total, there are 23 Championship Week games today. 11 First Rounders (America East, Colonial, MAAC and Southern), 8 Quarterfinals (Horizon, Valley, WCC) and 4 Semifinals (A-Sun and OVC). Not bad, not bad.

The A-Sun semis, OVC semis and Valley quarters are all televised, if you're interested. That's all, though. The rest are only GameCast-able.

The Race for 4,000 begins...NOW!

Conference tournament wrap: 3/3/09

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:54:31 -0000

It has begun.

Game of the Night

2) AUSTIN PEAY 57, 7) EASTERN ILLINOIS 54 (Ohio Valley)

The second-seeded Govs avoided becoming the first real upset victim of the postseason by rallying from a 10-point second half deficit to knock off No. 7 Eastern Illinois, 57-54.

Austin Peay trailed the Panthers after two Romain Martin foul shots put them up 54-53 with1:50 left. Drake Reed then tied the game at 54 with a free throw at 1:26 and Kyle Duncan made two free throws with 13 seconds remaining.

A three-point attempt by Eastern Illinois' Billy Parrish bounced off the rim, Peay rebounded, and Wes Channels made a free throw with 3 seconds left.

Duncan led the Governors with 16 points, and Reed added 15.

Upset of the Night

7) ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 73, 6) YOUNGSTOWN STATE 68 (Horizon League)

It wasn't exaclty Princeton over UCLA, but it was the only technical upset of the postseason's first night.

Rob Eppinger led four scorers in double digits with 20 points and 14 rebounds as Illinois-Chicago held off Youngstown State for a 73-68 win Tuesday night in the first round of the Horizon League tournament.

The Flames lost to Youngstown in both of the regular season meetings.

UIC gets third-seeded Cleveland State in the quarters.

Player of the Night

Lester Hudson (Tennessee-Martin/Ohio Valley)

The reigning OVC Player of the Year was 8-for-13 from 3-point range and dropped a season-high 42 points as the top-seeded Skyhawks rolled over Tennessee Tech in the first round of the OVC tourney.

Honor Roll

Seth Curry (Liberty/Big South)

Scored 30 points and handed out six assists in a first-round victory over Gardner-Webb.

Travis Holmes (VMI/Big South)

Scored 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the nation's highest scoring team rolled past Coastal Carolina and into the Big South semis.

Reid Augst (UNC-Asheville/Big South)

Scored 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting in an eight-point win over Winthrop.

Full Results

BIG SOUTH (Quarterfinals)

1) Radford 82, 8) High Point 58
2) VMI 86, 7)Coastal Carolina 76
3) Liberty 88, 6) Gardner-Webb 77
4) UNC-Asheville 76, 5) Winthrop 68

OHIO VALLEY (Quarterfinals)

1) Tennessee-Martin 93, 8) Tennessee Tech 75
2) Austin Peay 57, 7) Eastern Illinois 54
3) Murray State 88, 6) Tennessee State 74
4) Morehead State 91 5) Eastern Kentucky 72

HORIZON LEAGUE (First Round)

3) Cleveland State 56, 10) Detroit 43
4) Wright State 68 9) Valparaiso 56
5) Milwaukee 77, 8) Loyola 68
7) Illinois-Chicago 73, 6) Youngstown State 68

Championship Week(s) primer

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 04:00:09 -0000

With opening round action tipping off in the Big South, Ohio Valley and Horizon League tournaments Tuesday evening, the madness is officially upon us.

Thirteen days of nothing but dream-fulfilling, career-ending, win-or-turn-in-your-jersey action. All the elements that draw casual fans so completely into the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament are inherent in each and every one of the 30 conference tournaments that will take place over the course of the next two weeks.

Quite simply, it's high drama that you can't find anywhere else in sport.

We've taken our shots at ESPN since the start of the season, but the fact remains that each and every one of us are enormously indebted to the worldwide leader for what it does during college basketball's postseason. Between Thursday and Selection Sunday, ESPN will air 152 conference tournament games on its family of networks. If it was possible for me to get sick of the sport, I would.

Mid and low-major D-I basketball is an acquired taste, and it's one that's especially difficult to attain when the team you love and follow plays in a conference like the Big East. So while I'm fully aware that the majority of you likely aren't interested in any of what you're about to read, allow me to say this: I don't care. This is my favorite time of the year, I'm currently smiling as I type, and this post is going to happen whether you like it or not.

For the rest of you, it's time to get briefed for Championship Week...sans, of course, the six major and four mini-major (A-10, WAC, MWC, C-USA) conferences.

YOUR COMPLETE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT DATES AND LOCATIONS

It's the most logical, if not exciting, jumping off point, and we all know this blog has always been rooted in practicality.

Let's go ahead and include the big boys in this one just because we can.

Conference	Tournament site	Dates
ACC	Atlanta	March 12-15
America East	Albany, N.Y.	March 6-8, 14
Atlantic Sun	Nashville, Tenn.	March 4-7
Atlantic 10	Atlantic City, N.J.	March 11-14
Big East	New York	March 10-14
Big Sky	Ogden, Utah	March 7, 10-11
Big South	Campus sites (higher seeds)	March 3, 5, 7
Big Ten	Indianapolis	March 12-15
Big 12	Oklahoma City	March 11-14
Big West	Anaheim, Calif.	March 11-14
Colonial	Richmond, Va.	March 6-9
Conference USA	Memphis, Tenn.	March 11-14
Horizon	Campus sites (higher seeds)	March 4, 6-7, 10
Ivy League	No Tournament
MAAC	Albany, N.Y.	March 6-9
MAC	Cleveland	March 10-14
MEAC	Winston-Salem, N.C.	March 9-14
Missouri Valley	St. Louis	March 5-8
Mountain West	Las Vegas	March 11-14
Northeast	Campus sites (higher seeds)	March 5, 8, 11
Ohio Valley	Nashville, Tenn.	March 3, 6-7
Pac-10	Los Angeles	March 11-14
Patriot	Campus sites (higher seeds)	March 4, 8, 13
SEC	Tampa, Fla.	March 12-15
Southern	Chattanooga, Tenn.	March 6-9
Southland	Katy, Texas	March 12-15
Summit	Sioux Falls, S.D.	March 7-10
Sun Belt	Hot Springs, Ark.	March 4, 7-10
SWAC	Birmingham, Ala.	March 11-14
WAC	Reno, Nev.	March 10-14
West Coast	Las Vegas	March 6-9

I'm feeling sixy.

SIX SQUADS FOR THE BUBBLE BOYS TO PULL FOR

If you're a major conference fan still with us, I'll humor you.

The crop of mid-major squads poised to head to the dance regardless of league tourney performance is as thin I can ever recall, which is great news for middling squads in BCS conferences. With rare exception, a regular season champion getting knocked off is not going to result in a stolen spot this year.

Rapidly aging fans of teams that haven't done enough yet to warrant "lock" status should adopt these squads as their own for the next couple of weeks.

1. Gonzaga (West Coast)

A perennial occupant of any such list, the 'Zags are merely playing for seed at this point.

2. Butler (Horizon)

The Bulldogs don't appear to have a squad as capable of advancing past the first weekend of the tournament as they have in recent years, but a 25-4 record still has them safely in.

3. St. Mary's (West Coast)

Though they've dropped four games in a weak West Coast Conference, the Gaels were 18-1 when Patty Mills injured his right hand against Gonzaga, a fact the selection committee will surely to take into consideration. Mills is apparently ready for the postseason, meaning a semifinal win may well be enough to send St. Mary's dancing.

4. Davidson (Southern)

Sure, they're low on quality wins, and sure, they lost three games in February, but the selection committee is still comprised of humans (Rosie from The Jetsons got the boot after her now infamous Rutgers-backing in '07) and those humans are well aware of who Stephen Curry is and what he did a year ago.

5. Creighton (Missouri Valley)

The Missouri Valley isn't the league it's been the last few years, but the Bluejays are still a sparkling 25-6 and own non-con victories over Dayton, New Mexico and George Mason.

6. Siena (Metro Atlantic Athletic)

Like Davidson a year ago, Siena played (and lost to) the best in the country early in the season, a fact that should work in the Saints' favor should MAAC Madness get the best of them. Also, at least a few of those same selection committee humans probably remember what they did to Vanderbilt in the first round last year.

This sixy feeling just won't go away.

SIX MORE BIG TIME FAVORITES

These runaway regular season champs are all expected to go dancing, but will be relegated to the NIT with an upset.

1. American (Patriot)

Few defending conference champs are able to boast five starting seniors, but that's the case with the American Eagles. AU hung right with second-seeded Tennessee in the first round a year ago, and will serve as a scary draw for some three or four seed should they capture their second Patriot League tourney title in as many seasons.

2. North Dakota State (Summit)

Best known for going on the road and stunning Wisconsin in January of 2006, the high-scoring Bison captured their first Summit League crown by two games, and now look to crash the NCAA Tournament in their first season of being eligible for postseason play.

3. Weber State (Big Sky)

The Wildcats (20-8, 14-1) have won 11 straight and currently own a four-game advantage over second place Portland State.

4. Robert Morris (Northeast)

Despite dropping back-to-back tilts in late February, the Colonials captured the regular season NEC crown by three games and are now looking to make amends for getting bounced in the semifinals of last year's league tournament.

5. Morgan State (Mid-Eastern Athletic)

Todd Bozeman's team was stunned by Coppin State in last year's MEAC title game, but the Bears wrapped up another regular season title last week and get a shot at redemption next week.

6. Alabam State (Southwestern Athletic)

ASU hasn't lost since Jan. 26 when last-place Alcorn State handed the Hornets their lone league loss.

20 PLAYERS NOT NAMED STEPHEN CURRY WHO WILL BE HEARD FROM

1. Seth Curry (Liberty/Big South)

Naturally.

Stephen's younger brother was recently named the Big South's Freshman of the Year after averaging 20.6 ppg and shattering nearly all of the conference's rookie records. If there's another Curry out there somewhere, and you're major conference coach thinking about not giving him a scholarship because of his size, my advice to you is to reconsider.

2. Patrick Mills (Saint Mary's/West Coast)

The Australian guard was having a tremendous sophomore season before a broken hand forced him to miss the last five weeks. Mills has been cleared for the WCC Tournament, which is outstanding news for perhaps the nation's most hotly debated bubble team.

3. Lester Hudson (Tennessee-Martin/Ohio Valley)

Hudson figured his first season in Division I-A would be his last, but a poor showing at last summer's pre-NBA Draft camps has him back at UT-Martin and the Skyhawks on the verge of their first trip to the NCAA Tournament. He's the nation's second-leading scorer at 26.6 ppg, and is still the only player in D-1 history to record a quadruple-double. The OVC semis will be on ESPNU Friday night.

4. Eric Maynor (Virginia Commonwealth/Colonial Athletic)

Still known most for being the guy who hit the shot that beat Duke, Maynor has evolved into a surefire NBA draft pick and VCU's all-time leading scorer. The soon-to-be two-time CAA Player of the Year currently boasts a career-best 22.4 ppg scoring average as well as some sort of championship belt.

5. Ben Woodside (North Dakota State/Summit)

The most exciting player on one of the country's most intriguing teams made a name for himself on Dec. 12 when he drilled 30-of-35 free-throws and dropped 60 in a one-point loss to Stephen F. Austin. Woodside enters the postseason averaging 23 ppg and coming off of a week in which he scored 32 and 29 points in a pair of victories.

6. Josh Akognon (Cal-State Fullerton/Big West)

Akognon, who averages 23.5 ppg, may have the biggest green light in the country. It hasn't always translated into success for the Titans, who find themselves at 7-8 and right in the middle of the wide-open Big West.

7. Johnathon Jones (Oakland/Summit)

The nation's leader in assists (7.8 apg), Jones is the biggest reason is the biggest reason the Golden Grizzlies roll into the postseason winners of seven straight.

8. Matt Howard (Butler/Horizon)

Leading the Bulldogs to yet another conference title by averaging 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds, the 6-8 forward became the Horizon League's first sophomore Player of the Year since 1992.

9. Tywain McKee (Coppin State/Mid-Eastern Athletic)

A tremendous story of success, McKee leads his team and ranks second in the MEAC in scoring at 18.3 ppg.

10. Michael Bramos (Miami of Ohio/Mid-American)

The MAC championship generally runs through Miami, so it's not a good sign for the rest of the league that the Redhawks' leading scorer just went off for 34 in a win over Kent State. A guy who can get it done on both ends of the floor, Bramos has a golden opportunity to carry MU back to the dance in his senior season.

11. Marqus Blakely (Vermont/America East)

The probable America East Player of the Year can do this:

12. Garrison Carr (American/Patriot)

Backcourt mate Derrick Mercer just brought home league POY honors, but it's Carr's offensive ability that gives this team a legit shot at pulling off a big-time upset in two and-a-half weeks.

13. Bilal Benn (Niagara/Metro Atlantic)

The most complete stat-stuffer in the MAAC, Benn ranks among the league-leaders in scoring, rebounding and steals. He scored 21 points, snatched 12 rebounds and made three steals in a recent 15-point win over regular season champion Siena.

14. Orlando Mendez-Valdez (Western Kentucky/Sun Belt)

With Courtney Greene and Tyrone Brazelton now being paid to play the game, most figured this would be a perfect year for someone besides Western Kentucky to win the Sun Belt. It didn't happen, as Mendez-Valdez increased his scoring average by nearly ten points and guided the 'Toppers to yet another top seed in the Belt.

15. John Bryant (Santa Clara/West Coast)

Though guys like Patty Mills, Josh Heytvelt and Jeremy Pargo are about as close to household names as there are in mid-major basketball, it's the relatively unknown Bryant who was recently named the WCC's Player of the Year. After shedding 30 pounds in the offseason, Bryant currently leads the nation in rebounding (13.9 rpg) and is the WCC's third-leading scorer (18.0 ppg). He recorded a double-double in all but one conference game, and his streak of 14 double-doubles is the longest by a Division I player since Tim Duncan had 17 in a row for Wake Forest in 1996.

16. Stephen McDowell (Chattanooga/Southern)

McDowell’s 18.8 point-per-game average ranks second in the SoCon, while his 4.0 three-pointers made per game leads the league and ranks third nationally. The Mocs are the North Division champions, meaning a spot on the side of the bracket opposite Davidson.

17. Artsiom Parakhouski (Radford/Big South)

The 6-foot-11 Big South Player of the Year averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds in helping the Highlanders win the regular-season title. A little known fact is that his name is awesome.

18. Jeremy Chappell (Robert Morris/Northeast)

The senior leads the league at 2.6 steals per game, is third in scoring (16.6 ppg), made three pointers (73, 2.4 per game) and free-throw percentage (.854), eighth in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and ninth in three-point percentage (.403). He was recently named the NEC's Player of the Year for a second straight season, and is a former NEC Rookie of the Year.

19. Anthony Vereen (Texas-Arlington/Southland)

A 6-foot-7, 230-pound beast, Vereen is a matchup nightmare for opposing teams in the Southland. He leads the Mavericks in scoring (17.3 ppg), and has hit double figures in all but four contests.

20. Ryan Wittman (Cornell/Ivy)

There's no tournament, but defending champion Cornell currently holds a game and-a-half lead over Princeton in the race for the Ivy League crown. The two will meet in the regular season finale on Saturday. The Big Red are again led by sharp-shooting Ryan Wittman (18.5 ppg), the son of ex-NBA player and coach Randy Wittman.

FIVE TITLE GAMES YOU WANT TO HAPPEN

1. Gonzaga vs. Saint Mary's (West Coast)

The first meeting between these two was shaping up to be a classic before Mills went down, an injury which sealed the Gaels' fate in the rematch two weeks later. But the Australian sensation is reportedly back to full strength and the two teams are both just one win away from each other, as the WCC awards its top two seeds automatic byes to the tournament semifinals.

2. Virginia Commonwealth vs. George Mason (Colonial Athletic)

The Rams were stunned by Bill & Mary in the semis a year ago, depriving the (interested) public of the game it thirsted for. But the CAA powerhouses are back at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, once again, and just a pair of wins away from meeting for the second time this season. Mason dropped the regular season meeting on the road, 76-71.

3. Siena vs. Niagara (Metro Atlantic Athletic)

Last year's MAAC regular season and tournament champions - as well as first round NCAA Tournament victors - have the viewing public debating their merits as a possible at-large team, but it was the runners-up from Niagara who smoked the Saints 100-85 on Feb. 27. Siena prevailed by an even wider margin (82-67) when the pair met a month earlier, making a possible rubber match that much more interesting.

4. Northern Iowa vs. Creighton (Missouri Valley)

Creighton is the Valley squad getting the most national love, but it's the Panthers of Northern Iowa who won the tiebreaker and are carrying the top seed into Arch Madness. Each beat the other on the road in the regular season.

5. Binghamton vs. Vermont (America East)

A month after losing to Binghamton in overtime, Vermont blew a 23-point halftime lead and fell by two to the Bearcats in Burlington. The loss ultimately cost the Catamounts the America East's top seed.

FIVE CRAZY COMPETITIVE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

Parity reigns supreme and should make for some tremendous games in each of these leagues.

1. Mid-American

With just a week left in the regular season, Buffalo and Bowling Green stand tied atop the East Division at 10-4 with Miami of Ohio and Akron both just a game back, while last-place Ohio owns the same record (7-7) as West Division leader Ball State.

2. Missouri Valley

The play inside the Scottrade Center might not be at as high a level as it has been in recent years, but it will undoubtedly be every bit as competitive.Northern Iowa and Creighton are the two unquestioned top dogs, but every other team in the league besides Missouri State finished within four games of one another.

3. Ohio Valley

Preseason pick UT-Martin lived up to the hype and captured the regular season title, but perennial powerhouses Murray State and Austin Peay charged late to finish just a game back. Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky also finished the 18-game slate with records above .500.Also worth noting: if No. 7 Eastern Illinois mysteriously drops out, then this becomes a tournament comprised completely of teams from the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. So, yeah.

4. Colonial Athletic Association

VCU and George Mason have made names for themselves on the national stage recently, but six teams in the CAA finished the regular season with double-digit conference wins, and both teams at the top of the standings were handed multiple losses by squads that finished in the bottom half.

5. Sun Belt

Western Kentucky and Arkansas-Little Rock both finished the regular season with 15-3 records and won their respective divisions without the aid of a tiebreaker, but it might be 14-4 Troy who heads into the postseason playing the best basketball. North Texas and chronic contender South Alabama are right there as well.

FIVE CRAPPIER CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

There's been a growing trend in recent years of leagues starting their regular season champions, or top two seeds, in the semifinals of the postseason tournament. It makes sense in that it adequately rewards regular season performance and gives the league its best shot to be well-represented in the NCAA Tournament, but it's like, not as fun.

Here are five conference tournaments that hope the prince cheats on Cinderella in ten years.

1. Big Sky

Not only does the Big Sky automatically place its top two seeds in the semifinals, but it only includes six teams in the whole tournament. A conference tournament that has as many total games as a first round baseball playoff series is un-American. I said it.

2. Horizon League

The Horizon has been utilizing this practice for a few seasons, but last year they stepped it up a notch. Now the top two seeds get an automatic bye into the semis, while the other eight teams have to win four games in four days. Green Bay earned the second seed over Cleveland State by a mere game and now sits in the semifinals, while the poor Vikings have to win a pair of games just to get there.

3. West Coast

Gonzaga and St. Mary's will both begin league play in the semifinals, making this the easiest championship game to predict in the history of college basketball.

4. Big West

The Big West gives its top two seeds a bye into the semis, but it's also one of the few leagues that employs the NHL style of having the highest remaining seed play the lowest remaining seed in each round. Smart, yes. Kind of annoying for fans of chaos, absolutely.

5. Ivy League

Say what you will about the other four, but at least they have tournaments. Also, studying: not cool.

FIVE TEAMS EVEN THOSE WHO STOPPED READING AN HOUR AGO SHOULD WATCH

1. VMI (Big South)

Lots and lots and lots of points.

2. North Dakota State (Summit)

Lots of white men, lots of running, lots of scoring: it's the American recipe for success.

3. Tennessee-Martin (Ohio Valley)

Lester!

4. Liberty (Big South)

A high scoring guard with the last name Curry certainly warrants a glance.

5. Niagara (Metro Atlantic Athletic)

Lots of pressing, lots of steals, lots of fast-breaking.

TEN POTENTIAL NON-TOP SEEDS WHO COULD GO DANCING

1. Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun)

The fourth-seeded Bisons are winners of seven straight, and knocked off league champ Jacksonville by ten a week ago. They open the A-Sun tourney against No. 5 Campbell, the team at the top of the streak.

2. Old Dominion (Colonial Athletic Association)

The Monarchs finished the regular season winning nine of their last ten, including a victory over top-seed VCU on Feb. 14. They knocked off third-seeded Northeastern in the regular season finale in order to snag the league's fourth and final first-round bye.

3. Niagara (Metro Atlantic Athletic)

OK, so the league runner-up isn't really a sleeper, but the Purple Eagles roll into MAAC Madness winners of 10 of their last 11, and just a week removed from a 15-point slaying of champion Siena.

4. North Carolina A&T (Mid-Eastern Athletic)

The Aggies will likely finish no better than third in the MEAC, but they've won eight of nine, their only loss being a one-point defeat versus Hampton on Monday.

5. Murray State (Ohio Valley)

The Racers generally find themselves sitting as the team to beat in the OVC Tournament, and despite their No. 3 seed the same might be true this season. Murray has won seven straight conference tilts, including a 15-point win over regular season champ UT-Martin on Feb. 23.

6. The Citadel (Southern)

Despite playing in the same conference as Davidson, this might be the The Citadel's best opportunity to crash the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs have won 12 of 13 since late January and wouldn't have to see Steph Curry until the title game.

7. Texas-Arlington (Southland)

The Southland is wide open and the Mavericks are charging hard late, taking six of seven.

8. Jackson State (Southwestern Athletic)

The Tigers are two games back of Alabama State with just two to play, but they've won 9-of-10 and 13-of-15 since Jan. 5.

9. Oakland (Summit)

Rawle Marshall University will carry the three seed into the Summit Tournament, but they've won seven straight, all but one by double-digits.

10. Troy (Sun Belt)

There's no hotter team in the Belt than the Trojans, who have won 12-of-13 and knocked off division champs Western Kentucky and Arkansas-Little Rock.

And that's it. If you didn't read every word, you're tacky and I hate you.

Assorted college basketball musings

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 10:00:14 -0000

Fo' yo' Wednesday mo'...rning.

1. You're lying to yourself if you don't think North Carolina is still the runaway favorite to win the national championship. You may not want them to be, but they are.

Statistics show that offense - and yes, a touch of defense - wins championships in the modern era, and the Tar Heels are easily the best team in the country when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. I'm aware that the same could have probably been said 12 months ago, but they're better than they were a year ago, and I just don't see a squad out there with the weapons to accomplish what Kansas was able to do in San Antonio last April.

They're going to get bored and lose at least one more time before Selection Sunday, but in the end I wouldn't be surprised to see a Florida '07-esque unchallenged run through the field of 65.

2. Folks like you and I are going to adore this year's NCAA Tournament because of the parity that will exist between seeds 2-12, but expect to hear a lot of bitching from the casual fan about the absence of compelling storylines due to the lack of mid and low major talent. There simply aren't the "unknown" teams with "unknown" talent capable of winning a game or two in the dance like there were last year.

I still think Siena is the best bet because, like Davidson a season ago, they played - and lost to - some of the best teams in the country early in the season, have gotten progressively better as the year has worn on, and are in the process of dominating an ordinarily competitive conference. Also, the Saints boast four of the same starters who helped trounce Vanderbilt in the first round of last year's tourney.

Though I haven't seen them play and they're yet to knock off anyone legit, Utah State (a mid-major team by name, but maybe not by conference) is apparently capable of at least hanging with a mid-level team from a major conference, a statement that also applies to whichever team wins the MAC, Missouri Valley and - assuming it's VCU, George Mason or Northeastern - Colonial conference tournaments.

And then there's Butler and Davidson.

Brad Stevens should probably be the front-runner for national coach of the year, but the Bulldogs aren't as experienced or talented as they've been in years where they've been successful in the dance, and they don't have the athletes to compete if they're pitted against a high-major foe in the first round. If anyone is good enough to single-handedly lead his team to victory in a game it has no business winning, it's Stephen Curry, but the Wildcats aren't the squad that rolled through the SoCon and came within a shot of knocking off the eventual national champions and crashing the Final Four. If they lose to Butler on Saturday and get knocked off in the conference tournament, Bob McKillop's club will be the topic of much conversation in the days leading up to Selection Sunday.

Upsets and Cinderellas are what makes March Madness so sexy to outsiders, but in a season where conference superiority has been debated so hotly, first round matchups like Syracuse/Miami or Texas/Florida will serve as college basketball porn for people like us.

3. I decided last night that if I were a gargantuan shot-blocker (I'm not, by the way), I'd opt against the time-tested post-swat shouts of "get out" or "gimme that" in favor of things that make absolutely no sense.

If you had your shot blocked by a foot-taller Mike Rutherford, you'd be serenaded by screams of, "BUTTON IT UUUPPPP!!!" or "BILLINGS MONTAAANNNAAA!!!!."

Obviously, this is a dream I can never make a reality, but if you are a large man proficient in the art of the blocked shot who plays major college or professional basketball and you're reading along right now, well, I think this is a possible addition to your game that you should consider very seriously.

4. I always cringe when I hear war terms applied to sporting events, but Monday night's Pittsburgh/Connecticut tussle made the faux-pas as close to appropriate as possible.

The Panthers won by eight and Dejuan Blair thoroughly dominated Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien, but you turned off the television thinking that the Huskies could win by the same margin and Blair could be completely shut down when the two meet again at the Peterson Events Center on March 7.

Being able to watch two No. 1 seeds go at it in mid-February was a treat.

5. The Big East Tournament is going to be incredible, but the race for the regular season title might have it topped in terms of intrigue.

You have the favorite, Connecticut, which probably has the hardest remaining schedule of the four teams currently locked in a virtual tie. Then Pittsburgh, which knocked off the favorite but still has to play them again on the last day of the regular season. Louisville, which has already beaten Pitt, lost to Connecticut and appears to have a relatively easy last six games, but does have the unenviable task of dealing with a handful of squads desperate for a big-time win to boost their at-large resumes. And then Marquette, the ordained long-shot which has to play the other three teams in a back-to-back-to-back stretch from Feb. 25 - March 4.

I don't think anyone would have predicted in December that the '09 Big East champ would have to finish the regular season with a record at least equal to that of the '08 king, but it certainly looks like anything short of 15-3 is not going to be enough.

The crown will likely be decided by the head-to-head tilts between the contenders, and that's the way it should be.

6. You can't question their credentials as a No. 1, but I think it's safe to say that every potential two or three seed is going to be hoping they see their name pop up in Oklahoma's region when the bracket is unveiled in a month.

7. Did Louisville play Oklahoma in last year's tournament?

8. Computer rankings still frighten and confuse me. So does The Mentalist.

9. When Sean McDonough said Monday night that, "often this season, Big East officials have had far too much of an impact on the way the games have been played," I wanted to give him a hug.

Just be consistent and try to remember that nobody came to see you. Don't give me that look, Hightower.

10. The Bilas/Raftery/McDonough trio should make the first afternoon of the Big East Tournament (9/16 and 12/13 games) must-see material. The guys are always golden at MSG, but a heavily diminished level of play will undoubtedly provide even more of an opportunity to shine.

11. Was Mike Patrick really this bad in the '90s? If he was, how did we not notice?

12. I'll admit it: I have absolutely no idea how good any of the teams in the Pac-10 are.

13. This one is down on the list because I've had to work my way up to it...Jodie Meeks deserves even more pub than he's getting. If the man had been healthy and had 3/4 of the season Stephen Curry did in '08, then he'd be an unquestionable first team All-American and serious contender for national POY. Remarkably, Meeks is putting up Curry-like numbers on a daily basis on a team that gives him a bit more support than Davidson does Steph, and against competition better than Curry sees in the SoCon (insert SEC joke here).

I don't care if the team is down, I don't care if the league is down, when you average just under 26 points per game for Kentucky and have dropped 54 and 45 in SEC road games, you're having a season that demands over-the-top national attention.

Jodie Meeks is the real deal.

14. The lack of runaway conference leaders in the mid-major ranks may be bad for the NCAA Tournament, but it should make for some immensely entertaining conference tournaments.

The jumbled standings in the Mountain West, Atlantic 10, MAC, Missouri Valley, Big West, Colonial, Southland and Big South all point to three or four rounds of intense games where every possession could be the difference between the end of the season and an NCAA Tournament bid.

The college sports package: a necessity that trumps warm water.

15. When it comes to picking out All-Americans, there are three givens and then a handful of guys fighting for the fourth and fifth spots on the first team. Where it gets really interesting is when you try to pick the next ten guys to fill out the second and third teams.

Here are my efforts:

First Team

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
Stephen Curry, Davidson
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
Jodie Meeks, Kentucky
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

Second Team

James Harden, Arizona State
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut
Dejuan Blair, Pittsburgh
Ty Lawson, North Carolina
Jeff Teague, Wake Forest

Third Team

Sam Young, Pittsburgh
Jerel McNeal, Marquette
Tyrese Rice, Boston College
Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin
Nick Calathes, Florida

16. I really, really, really want UT-Martin to win the OVC tourney so Lester Hudson gets to play in the dance.

17. Things are about to get very fun.

What to watch: 2/5/09

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:55:27 -0000

Vanderbilt at Alabama (7 p.m./ESPN)

Anyone remember that stomping the Tide gave us circa 2000 when Rod Grizzard and company ended up with like half of the plays on SportsCenter's top 10? Yeah, that was less than cool.

Temple at Xavier (7 p.m./ESPN2)

Temple's like 'Sconsin in that they're always going to be tough ~~at home~~ uh, on the road, but I'll take the X-men to stay unbeaten in the A-14.

Georgia Tech at Florida State (7 p.m./ESPNU)

I think Florida State's been on the bubble every year of my entire life. I'm four, by the way.

Penn State at Michigan (7 p.m./Big Ten Network)

For the love of god, someone get the Nittany Lions off the Big Ten Network.

Quinnipiac at Sacred Heart (7 p.m./FCS Atlantic/MSG)

Taking on a Division-I men's team should be a tall task for the Valkyries.

It never gets old.

Butler at Detroit (8 p.m./FCS Atlantic)

Wondering how FCS Atlantic can carry a game at seven and eight? Repeat to yourself "it's just a show, I should really just relax."

Western Kentucky at Louisiana Monroe (8 p.m./FCS Atlantic)

OK, now I'm interested.

Arizona at Oregon State (8:30 p.m./FSN)

If 'Zona's going to keep its NCAA Tourney streak alive, then the time to make a move is officially upon it.

Illinois at Wisconsin (9 p.m./ESPN)

Step 1: Wisconsin beats Illinois at home. Step 2: They win a few more games and finish the season with a respectable conference record. Step 3: Everyone given a chance to speak on national television refers to the Badgers as a "sleeper team" in the Big Ten Tournament. Step 4: They lose in the first round of said tournament.

St. John's at Seton Hall (9 p.m./ESPN2)

All the makings of a 12/13 matchup on the first day of the Big East Tournament.

UT-Martin at Austin Peay (9 p.m./ESPNU)

Lester!

Arizona State at Oregon (10:30 p.m./FSN)

I wish I had James Harden's body, talent and financial prospects.

Gonzaga at Portland (11 p.m./ESPN2)

If Portland wins, well, technically Gonzaga will stay in first place of the WCC and nothing will really change, but both will have one conference loss. So, yeah, this is big.

Williams named finalist for Senior CLASS Award

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:15:03 -0000

Wednesday, Terrence Williams was named as one of ten finalists for the Senior CLASS Award, an honor presented annually to an outstanding senior student-athlete.

According to the official release, "each finalist displays numerous accomplishments across all four award pillars: classroom, community, character, and competition"

The other nine finalists are A.J. Abrams (University of Texas, Austin), Jimmy Baron (University of Rhode Island), Dionte Christmas (Temple University), Tyler Hansbrough (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), Lester Hudson (University of Tennessee at Martin), Curtis Jerrells (Baylor University), Jerel McNeal (Marquette University), Andy Wicke (Belmont University) and Sam Young (University of Pittsburgh).

You can vote for T-Will here. The fan vote will be combined with the ballots of the coaches and media to decide the winner.

What to watch: 1/15/09

Mike Rutherford — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 23:33:29 -0000

Connecticut at St. John's (7 p.m./ESPN)

If the Johnnies are for real about being the surprise team of the conference, then we'll know tonight.

Purdue at Northwestern (7 p.m./ESPN2)

No, that glare doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your TV.

Northeastern at Delaware (7 p.m./ESPNU)

I stopped being a Blue Hen fan the day they screwed Kevin Willard over. Lost the Blue Hen jogging suit, the custom Blue Hen license plate, and the Blue Hen adult onesie.

LIU at Mount St. Mary's (7 p.m./MSG/MASN)

I gotta have 100% more Jim Phelan in this game.

Xavier at Rhode Island (8 p.m./CBS College Sports)

The A-10 is looking like it's going to be wacky yet again. Crazy wacky.

North Carolina at Virginia (9 p.m./ESPN)

Oh, UVA. You poor, poor bastards.

Washington State at Oregon State (9 p.m./FSN)

Two teams bound to see their seasons come to an end whenever they exit the Pac-10 tourney.

UT-Martin at Tennessee Tech (9 p.m./ESPNU)

Lester!

Minesota at Wisconsin (9 p.m./Big Ten Network)

Tubby!

Arizona at UCLA (11 p.m./FSN)

Lute! Damnit.