Conference Tournament Previews 3/04/06-(Mid Continent, Big Sky)

We are continuing to post the conference tournament previews from our other website here.

Visit Bubbleteams.com to view each conference tournament bracket and check out the other conference tournament previews.

Mid Continent:

At John Q. Hammons Arena
Tulsa, Okla.

FIRST ROUND

Saturday, March 4
Game 1: No. 1 Oral Roberts vs. No. 8 Western Illinois, 7 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 IUPUI vs. No. 7 Oakland, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 5
Game 3: No. 4 Valparaiso vs. No. 5 Southern Utah, 7 p.m.
Game 4: No. 3 UMKC vs. No. 6 Chicago State, 9:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

Monday, March 6
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Tuesday, March 7
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Recap: Oral Roberts made a late season run to win eight of their last ten games and forge a tie for the regular season conference title. IUPUI finished in a first place tie with Oral Roberts after losing their last two games. Oral Roberts also earned the 1 seed for the conference tournament, which will be played in their hometown of Tulsa, but not on their home court. IUPUI had been the hottest team in the Mid-Continent Conference, winning 13 of 14 games after starting the season 3-6. The Jaguars spit the season series with the Titans, with each team winning on their home court.

Favorite: Oral Roberts started to live up to their preseason hype once the conference season kicked into gear. With guard Ken Tutt slowly returning to form off the bench, the Titans are finally playing like most pundits expected them to when the season started. Tutt, sidelined by a foot injury most of the season. finally returned to Titans in late February. Tutt has been relegated to coming off the bench since his return. After a slow start, Tutt regained his all-conference from in his final two regular-season games. Tutt averaged 17.0 points, shooting 63 percent from the field and 86 percent from the line. Tutt scored 18 in his regular-season finale against Valparaiso. The Titans are once again the favorite to take the Mid-Continent Conference crown. Oral Roberts hopes to erase the disappointment suffered in last season's conference title game, when the Titans lost to Oakland by one, and make a run to this year's NCAA Tournament.

Darkhorse: Last season was the first since 1999 that Valparaiso did not either tie or win the regular season conference title or win the conference tournament. This season the Crusaders are in the unenviable position as conference underdogs. Valparaiso makes a quaint choice as a darkhorse, yet given their inability to win on the road (only four road wins all season), they are not a solid choice as a darkhorse this year. Chicago State has won eight of their last 12 games, after starting the season 1-14. The Cougars picked up two crucial road wins in that span and defeated conference co-champion IUPUI in their next to last game of the season. Chicago State faces an inconsistent Missouri-Kansas City in the first round. Should the Cougars get past the Kangaroos, they would likely face IUPUI again, just a little more than a week since defeating IUPUI. In a league that rarely has a darkhorse emerge, Chicago State looks to be the best of a mediocre lot.

Big Sky:

FIRST ROUND

At higher seeds

Saturday, March 4
Game 1: No. 4 Montana State vs No. 5 Sacramento State, 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 3 Eastern Washington vs. No. 6 Portland State, 10 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

At Walkup Skydome
Flagstaff, Ariz.

Tuesday, March 7
Game 3: Higher seed vs. No. 2 Montana, 7 p.m.
Game 4: Lower seed vs. No. 1 Northern Arizona, 9:30 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP

At higher seed

Wednesday, March 8
Game 5: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Recap: Northern Arizona swept through the Big Sky winning 12 of 14 league games. The Lumberjacks only league losses came at Eastern Washington and Montana. Northern Arizona earns the top seed and is the host for the conference tournament. Number 2 seed Montana started their non-conference campaign 8-2 and seemed poised to make a run at a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately, a few bad losses during the conference season (at Weber State and Idaho State-two teams that did not even make the conference tournament) kept the Grizzlies from winning the regular season championship.

Favorite: Northern Arizona finished the season 12-1 at home and did not lose a Big Sky Conference game at home. However, the Lumberjacks did not win a single conference home game (seven games in all) by more than 10 points. Does that mean that Northern Arizona knows how to win close games, or is just a indicator that the Lumberjacks have been lucky enough to get the right bounce of the ball in the right situation. Northern Arizona will face either Sacramento State or Montana State, two teams that stayed within six points of the Lumberjacks on their home floor. Northern Arizona will be aided by conference alignment that allows the top two seeds to advance to conference semifinals without having to play a game. Should the Lumberjacks somehow lose in the semifinals, Montana will be waiting in the wings to step into the top spot. Last season the Grizzlies emerged from a 3 seed to advance to the NCAA Tournament after top seed Portland State lost in the conference semifinals to Weber State. Montana played a solid non-conference schedule and despite the possibility of having to face the top seed Northern Arizona on their home floor, we will declare the Montana Grizzlies our choice as Big Sky favorite.

Darkhorse: Montana State lost two close games to the top seeded Northern Arizona and seem poised to take a run at the Lumberjacks in the semifinals. The Bobcats must get past Sacramento State, losers of nine of their last 10 games, in the first round. Should Montana State make it to the conference semifinals, we like their chances against top seeded Northern Arizona. In 2000, 2002 and 2005, the regular season conference champion has been upset at some point during the conference tournament. In two of those three tournaments, the Montana Grizzlies have been there to fill the void and emerge as Big Sky Conference Tournament champion.