Visit Bubbleteams.com to view each conference tournament bracket and check out the other conference tournament previews.
Thursday saw a few minor upsets in conference tournament action and set up some interesting matchups for Friday's games.
Atlantic Sun:
Number 6 seed Stetson upset Florida Atlantic, three of the remaining top four seeds (Lipscomb, Belmont and Gardner-Webb) all advanced and the host East Tennessee State Buccaneers failed to make it to the semifinals.
At Memorial Center
Johnson City, Tenn.
QUARTERFINALS
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 1 Lipscomb 78, No. 8 Mercer 62
Game 2: No. 4 Gardner-Webb 64, No. 5 East Tennessee State 63
Game 3: No. 2 Belmont 90, No. 7 Campbell 76
Game 4: No. 6 Stetson 54, No. 3 Florida Atlantic 44
SEMIFINALS
Friday, March 3
Game 5: No. 1 Lipscomb vs. No. 4 Gardner-Webb, 7 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Belmont vs. No. 6 Stetson , 9:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday, March 4
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Big South:
The Winthrop Eagles advanced to the title game to face the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
FIRST ROUND
At higher seeds
Tuesday, Feb 28
Game 1: No. 1 Winthrop 93, No. 8 Liberty 52
Game 2: No. 5 High Point 87, No. 4 Radford 84
Game 3: No. 2 Coastal Carolina 78, No. 7 UNC Asheville 62
Game 4: No. 6 Charleston Southern 97, No. 3 Birmingham Southern 76
SEMIFINALS
At Winthrop Coliseum
Rock Hill, S.C.
Thursday, March 2
Game 5: No. 1 Winthrop 77, No. 5 High Point 65
Game 6: No. 2 Coastal Carolina 73, No. 6 Charleston Southern 67
CHAMPIONSHIP
At Winthrop Coliseum
Rock Hill, S.C.
Saturday, March 4
Game 7: No. 1 Winthrop vs. No. 2 Coastal Carolina
Missouri Valley:
Indiana State advanced to face league champion Wichita State in the quarterfinals and Evansville defeats Illinois State to set up a rematch with Southern Illinois.
At Savvis Center
St. Louis, Mo.
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 9 Indiana State 72, No. 8 Drake 63
Game 2: No. 7 Evansville 52, No. 10 Illinois State 45
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 3
Game 3: No. 1 Wichita State vs. No. 9 Indiana St, 1 p.m.
Game 4: No. 4 Creighton vs. No. 5 Bradley, 3:30 p.m.
Game 5: No. 2 Southern Illinois No. 7 Evansville
Game 6: No. 3 Missouri State vs. No. 6 Northern Iowa, 9:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 7: Winners of Games 3 and 4, 2:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winners of Games 5 and 6, 5 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 5
Game 9: Winners of Games 7 and 8, 2 p.m.
Northeast:
At higher seeds
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson 66, No. 8 Quinnipiac 65
Game 2: No. 2 Central Connecticut 86, No. 7 Sacred Heart 68
Game 3: No. 3 Monmouth 74, No. 6 LIU-Brooklyn 63
Game 4: No. 5 Robert Morris 67, No. 4 Mount Saint Mary's 66
SEMIFINALS
At higher seeds
Sunday, March 5
Game 5: No. 1 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. No. 5 Robert Morris, 1 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Central Connecticut vs. No. 3 Monmouth, 4 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Wednesday, March 8
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Southern:
Two of the three lower seeds (The Citadel and NC Greensboro) advanced to the Southern quarterfinals along with Appalachian State, advancing to face top seed Georgia Southern.
At North Charleston Coliseum
North Charleston, S.C.
FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 2
Game 1: No. 8 Appalachian St. 66, No. 9 Wofford 65
Game 2: No. 10 UNC Greensboro 69, No. 7 Western Carolina 65
Game 3: No. 11 The Citadel 65, No. 6 Furman 53
QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 3
Game 4: No. 1 Georgia Southern vs. No. 8 Appalachian St., 12 p.m.
Game 5: No. 4 College of Charleston vs. No. 5 Chattanooga, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 2 Elon vs. No. 10 UNC Greensboro, 6 p.m.
Game 7: No. 3 Davidson vs. No. 11 The Citadel, 8:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 2:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 5
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Conference Tournament Previews-(Colonial, MAAC, Sun Belt, Patriot, America East, WCC)
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.
Colonial:
At the Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Va.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 8 Drexel vs. No. 9 Delaware, 12 p.m.
Game 2: No. 5 Northeastern vs. No. 12 James Madison, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Towson vs. No. 10 Georgia State, 6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 6 VCU vs. No. 11 William & Mary, 8:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 5: No. 1 UNC Wilmington vs. Game 1 winner, 12 p.m.
Game 6: No. 4 Old Dominion vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 George Mason vs. Game 3 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8: No. 3 Hofstra vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Recap: The Colonial Conference had one its best seasons in the history of the conference. The CAA had four teams with at least 20 wins this season. Old Dominion started the season as the favorite to repeat for the conference title. The Monarchs experienced a few struggles through the CAA campaign and finished in fourth place with a very respectable 13-5 conference record. The Hofstra Pride surprised a few pundits with their third place a finish and 14-4 conference mark. George Mason and NC Wilmington tied for the top spot with an amazing 15-3 conference record. The Patriots and Seahawks were the class of the league winning what turned out to be on the top ten conferences in the NCAA. New conference member Northeastern did experience a few potholes on their way to a very strong 12-6 league mark and a fifth place finish. The Huskies are looking to repeat their success from last season, when they made the America East Conference finals against Vermont.
Favorite: League co-champions NC Wilmington and George Mason made their mark with striking similarity. The Patriots are have won 18 of 21 games since starting the season 4-3. The Patriots only league losses came at Hofstra, NC Wilmington and Old Dominion. NC Wilmington also lost to the Hofstra Pride and the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Seahawks other loss came at the hands of the Patriots. NC Wilmington has won 13 of their last 15 games (and 10 of their last 11) since suffering a three game losing streak just after Christmas. The Seahawks earned the benefit of the #1 seed for the conference tournament, thus avoiding having to face George Mason or Hofstra until the conference finals. The Seahawks do have the possibility of facing defending champion Old Dominion in the semifinal round, should the Monarchs advance. Hofstra faces the prospect of having to face VCU in the quarterfinals, George Mason in the semifinals and either Old Dominion or George Mason in the finals. Should the Pride run through those three solid teams to win the CAA Conference Tournament, it would be considered a victory well earned.
Darkhorse: The Virginia Commonwealth Rams are not playing on their home court, but the Richmond Coliseum is as close as home to the Rams as can be. VCU previously called the Coliseum home and have been a solid home court team this season. VCU fought their way to the conference tournament championship last season and the Rams are capable of doing the same this season. The Rams would have to win four games in four days, a daunting task for ay team, but even more difficult considering the level of competition in this year's Colonial Conference Tournament.
Sun Belt:
At the Murphy Center
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: W4 New Orleans vs E5 Florida International, 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: E4 Arkansas-Little Rock vs. W5 North Texas, 7 p.m.
Game 3: E3 Arkansas State vs. W6 Troy, 9:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 4: E2 Middle Tennessee vs. W3 Denver, 1 p.m.
Game 5: E1 Western Kentucky vs. Game 1 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: W1 South Alabama vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 7: W2 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Game 3 winner, 9:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 6
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 10 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 7
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: The Sun Belt Conference started the season having to deal with the loss of former league member New Mexico State to the WAC and the inclusion of former Atlantic Sun member Troy. The league also has to face the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina to the University of New Orleans and the rescheduling dilemmas that were left in the aftermath. Te league also had to overcome the loss of several talented players at Louisiana-Lafayette, Denver and Middle Tennessee State. The league also was looking for ways to improve on sending three league members to the post-season, the most since 1994. Two teams, South Alabama and Western Kentucky, dominated the regular season. The Hilltoppers and Jaguars were the only two league teams to finish with double digit conference wins. The Sun Belt also only had four teams finish with winning records-Eastern champion Western Kentucky, Western Champion South Alabama, Denver and Middle Tennessee State. The league tournament moves this season to the Murphy Center, the home court of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
Favorite: Western Kentucky is a solid favorite to win their first conference championship since 2003. The Hilltoppers were the class of the league, losing at Troy and Middle Tennessee State during the regular season conference schedule. WKU won their only meeting with the Jaguars during the regular season, winning by a point at South Alabama in late January. The Jaguars won what was considered the weaker of the two divisions. South Alabama was the only team with a winning league mark in the Western Division of the Sun Belt.
Darkhorse: Middle Tennessee State plays the Sun Belt Tournament on their home court this season, where the Blue Raiders won nine games. Middle Tennessee State was one of only two teams to defeat Western Kentucky during the regular season, beating the Hilltoppers by six points in late February. The Blue Raiders have also played well of late, winning eight of their last 10 games to finish the season. Unfortunately, home teams have rarely fared well in the Sun Belt Tournament, and in a league with such dominance from the top two teams, finding a darkhorse is a true challenge.
Metro Atlantic:
At Pepsi Arena
Albany, N.Y.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 Saint Peter's vs. No. 10 Rider, 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 7 Niagara vs. No. 8 Fairfield, 7 p.m.
Game 3: No. 6 Loyola, Md. vs. No. 9 Canisius, 9:30 p.m.
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, March 4
Game 4: No. 4 Siena vs. Game 1 winner, 5 p.m.
Game 5: No. 2 Iona vs. Game 2 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 3 Marist vs. Game 3 winner, 10 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 7: No. 1 Manhattan vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 8:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: The Iona Gaels and Manhattan Jaspers battled for the MAAC regular season title down to the last game of the regular season. In the end it was the Jaspers taking the regular season crown from the Gaels and earning a valued 1 seed in the conference tournament. Manhattan gets the privilege of being able to sit out until the semifinal round of the MAAC Tournament. The Jaspers earned their regular season crown on the basis of a season sweep of Iona. Manhattan overcame an 0-4 start to their season with ten game winning streak, which included a 19 point win at Iona in early January. The Jaspers nearly blew their regular season title after suffering a series of bad losses (75-56 loss to #10 seed Rider, 67-51 home loss to 7 seed Niagara, 86-75 loss to 9 seed Canisius) during the regular season. Iona suffered a slightly similar fate losing the league title after dropping their last two games after winning 12 of 14 games from the start of January through the middle of February.
Favorite: A cursory glance would seem to indicate the conference tournament is a two horse race between Iona and Manhattan. However, this season has been marked by unexpected losses and poor play ate odd moments by both league leaders. Iona lost four games at home and only one game on the road, their season finale at Manhattan, all season. The Gaels dropped home game to Manhattan, St. Peter's, Marist and Siena. The Siena Saints, usually a solid home team, lost three games at home this season. Despite hosting the conference tournament, even the Saints are not a strong choice as a favorite. This might be one of the most wide open conference tournaments contested this week.
Darkhorse: St. Peter's has been a team of streaks this season. On two occasions the Peacocks have posted four game losing streaks and one three game losing streak. St. Peter's has also posted a four and five game winning streak. Although putting all your faith in the Peacocks as a darkhorse is a shaky prospect, any team with Keydren Clark as a senior leader is a strong team to sneak through the field. Expect Clark to have a solid tournament, in what will be his last go-around in the MAAC. It would be quite miraculous for any of the five teams from the bottom half of the bracket to make much noise in the conference championship. All five teams seeded 6-10 finished with losing conference records and the prospect of having to win four straight games would seem to be too much for any of these teams to overcome.
Patriot:
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 1: No. 4 American vs. No. 5 Lafayette, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Bucknell vs. No. 8 Army, 8 p.m.
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 3: No. 3 Lehigh vs. No. 6 Colgate, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 2 Holy Cross vs. No. 7 Navy, 8 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Friday, March 10
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: Bucknell is one of four teams currently undefeated in their regular season conference race. The Bison stormed through the Patriot League winning by no less than five points in any league game and winning ten of 14 league games by 10 or more points. The Bison also have the benefit of playing the conference tournament on their home floor. Bucknell was pushed for a while during the regular season by Lehigh. The Engineers had a chance to tie Bucknell for the league lead in their next to last game of the year. Unfortunately, Lehigh was unable to grab a victory at Bucknell and lost to the Bison, 81-70. The Engineers also lost a shot at a second place finish after losing their regular season finale at Holy Cross. The loss was crushing for Lehigh as being a 2 seed would have given them home court for the first two rounds of the conference tournament.
Favorite: Bucknell is the class of the league and it would take an upset of monumental proportions for the Bison to miss taking a second straight league title. Should Holy Cross somehow weave their way to the championship game, they would be looking for redemption; after losing last season's championship game to the Bison on their home floor.
Darkhorse: The bottom five league teams finished a combined 0-30 against the top three seeds in the conference tournament and 1-31 against the top 4 seeds in the tournament (somehow Navy managed a 77-68 home win against American). This is a league dominated by one great team and two solid teams. The rest of the league is best left to start rebuilding for next season. We have NO choice for a darkhorse in this league this season.
America East:
FIRST ROUND
At Events Center
Vestal, N.Y.
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 8 Maryland-Baltimore County vs. No. 9 Stony Brook, 7 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 2: No. 2 Binghamton vs. No. 7 Maine, noon
Game 3: No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 6 Maine, 2:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 1 Albany vs. Game 1 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 5: No. 4 Hartford vs. No. 5 New Hampshire, 8:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 6: Winners of Games 2 and 3, Noon
Game 7: Winners of Games 4 and 5, 2:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Saturday, March 11
Game 8: Winners of Games 6 and 7, Noon ET (ESPN2)
Recap: The America East Conference had a solid season in 2004-05. The league posted its first win in NCAA Tournament play after Vermont upset #4 seed Syracuse. Three teams made postseason play with Boston and Northeastern making the NIT. This season has seen a slip in talent and team quality. Albany won the regular season league title with a 12-4 record. The Danes were the class of the league in non-conference play as well, posting a league high seven wins against non-conference opposition. No other league member had more than four out of conference wins. The Danes were pushed for the league title by the Binghamton Bearcats. The Bearcats are the only other league team to finish with a winning record. Favorite: Albany was the class of the league, losing just three games (twice to New Hampshire ?? and once at Vermont).
Favorite: The Danes are a solid favorite to make the league championship game where they will likely face Binghamton, the host team for the first three rounds of the America East Tournament. The Danes get the good fortune of having to avoid to possibility of playing Binghamton until the champion game, thus avoiding a conference tournament game on the Bearcats' home court. Should Albany somehow lose before the title game, Binghamton is in solid position to sweep to the title game.
Darkhorse: Amazingly, the New Hampshire Wildcats are in good position to be a darkhorse in the conference tournament. A fifth place finish puts the Wildcats in position to possibly face Albany (a team they defeated twice in overtime during the regular season) in the semifinals. Despite starting the season 2-11, New Hampshire was able to win nine of their last 14 games and finish in fifth place. We will continue to post conference previews, conference tournament brackets (with scoring updates), bubble updates and our NCAA Tournament bracket projections throughout the opening weekend of Championship Week.
West Coast:
At McCarthey Athletic Center
Spokane, Wash.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 San Diego vs. No. 8 Pepperdine, 9 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 Portland vs. No. 7 Santa Clara, 11:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 3: No. 4 San Francisco vs. Game 1 winner, 9 p.m.
Game 4: No. 3 Saint Mary's vs. Game 2 winner, 11:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 5: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. Game 3 winner, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 6: No. 2 Loyola Marymount vs. Game 4 winner, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Visit Bubbleteams.com to view each conference tournament bracket and check out the other conference tournament previews.
Colonial:
At the Richmond Coliseum
Richmond, Va.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 8 Drexel vs. No. 9 Delaware, 12 p.m.
Game 2: No. 5 Northeastern vs. No. 12 James Madison, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 7 Towson vs. No. 10 Georgia State, 6 p.m.
Game 4: No. 6 VCU vs. No. 11 William & Mary, 8:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 5: No. 1 UNC Wilmington vs. Game 1 winner, 12 p.m.
Game 6: No. 4 Old Dominion vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: No. 2 George Mason vs. Game 3 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8: No. 3 Hofstra vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Recap: The Colonial Conference had one its best seasons in the history of the conference. The CAA had four teams with at least 20 wins this season. Old Dominion started the season as the favorite to repeat for the conference title. The Monarchs experienced a few struggles through the CAA campaign and finished in fourth place with a very respectable 13-5 conference record. The Hofstra Pride surprised a few pundits with their third place a finish and 14-4 conference mark. George Mason and NC Wilmington tied for the top spot with an amazing 15-3 conference record. The Patriots and Seahawks were the class of the league winning what turned out to be on the top ten conferences in the NCAA. New conference member Northeastern did experience a few potholes on their way to a very strong 12-6 league mark and a fifth place finish. The Huskies are looking to repeat their success from last season, when they made the America East Conference finals against Vermont.
Favorite: League co-champions NC Wilmington and George Mason made their mark with striking similarity. The Patriots are have won 18 of 21 games since starting the season 4-3. The Patriots only league losses came at Hofstra, NC Wilmington and Old Dominion. NC Wilmington also lost to the Hofstra Pride and the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Seahawks other loss came at the hands of the Patriots. NC Wilmington has won 13 of their last 15 games (and 10 of their last 11) since suffering a three game losing streak just after Christmas. The Seahawks earned the benefit of the #1 seed for the conference tournament, thus avoiding having to face George Mason or Hofstra until the conference finals. The Seahawks do have the possibility of facing defending champion Old Dominion in the semifinal round, should the Monarchs advance. Hofstra faces the prospect of having to face VCU in the quarterfinals, George Mason in the semifinals and either Old Dominion or George Mason in the finals. Should the Pride run through those three solid teams to win the CAA Conference Tournament, it would be considered a victory well earned.
Darkhorse: The Virginia Commonwealth Rams are not playing on their home court, but the Richmond Coliseum is as close as home to the Rams as can be. VCU previously called the Coliseum home and have been a solid home court team this season. VCU fought their way to the conference tournament championship last season and the Rams are capable of doing the same this season. The Rams would have to win four games in four days, a daunting task for ay team, but even more difficult considering the level of competition in this year's Colonial Conference Tournament.
Sun Belt:
At the Murphy Center
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: W4 New Orleans vs E5 Florida International, 3:30 p.m.
Game 2: E4 Arkansas-Little Rock vs. W5 North Texas, 7 p.m.
Game 3: E3 Arkansas State vs. W6 Troy, 9:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 4: E2 Middle Tennessee vs. W3 Denver, 1 p.m.
Game 5: E1 Western Kentucky vs. Game 1 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: W1 South Alabama vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 7: W2 Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Game 3 winner, 9:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Monday, March 6
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 10 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Tuesday, March 7
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: The Sun Belt Conference started the season having to deal with the loss of former league member New Mexico State to the WAC and the inclusion of former Atlantic Sun member Troy. The league also has to face the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina to the University of New Orleans and the rescheduling dilemmas that were left in the aftermath. Te league also had to overcome the loss of several talented players at Louisiana-Lafayette, Denver and Middle Tennessee State. The league also was looking for ways to improve on sending three league members to the post-season, the most since 1994. Two teams, South Alabama and Western Kentucky, dominated the regular season. The Hilltoppers and Jaguars were the only two league teams to finish with double digit conference wins. The Sun Belt also only had four teams finish with winning records-Eastern champion Western Kentucky, Western Champion South Alabama, Denver and Middle Tennessee State. The league tournament moves this season to the Murphy Center, the home court of the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
Favorite: Western Kentucky is a solid favorite to win their first conference championship since 2003. The Hilltoppers were the class of the league, losing at Troy and Middle Tennessee State during the regular season conference schedule. WKU won their only meeting with the Jaguars during the regular season, winning by a point at South Alabama in late January. The Jaguars won what was considered the weaker of the two divisions. South Alabama was the only team with a winning league mark in the Western Division of the Sun Belt.
Darkhorse: Middle Tennessee State plays the Sun Belt Tournament on their home court this season, where the Blue Raiders won nine games. Middle Tennessee State was one of only two teams to defeat Western Kentucky during the regular season, beating the Hilltoppers by six points in late February. The Blue Raiders have also played well of late, winning eight of their last 10 games to finish the season. Unfortunately, home teams have rarely fared well in the Sun Belt Tournament, and in a league with such dominance from the top two teams, finding a darkhorse is a true challenge.
Metro Atlantic:
At Pepsi Arena
Albany, N.Y.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 Saint Peter's vs. No. 10 Rider, 4:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 7 Niagara vs. No. 8 Fairfield, 7 p.m.
Game 3: No. 6 Loyola, Md. vs. No. 9 Canisius, 9:30 p.m.
SECOND ROUND
Saturday, March 4
Game 4: No. 4 Siena vs. Game 1 winner, 5 p.m.
Game 5: No. 2 Iona vs. Game 2 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 3 Marist vs. Game 3 winner, 10 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 7: No. 1 Manhattan vs. Game 4 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 8:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: The Iona Gaels and Manhattan Jaspers battled for the MAAC regular season title down to the last game of the regular season. In the end it was the Jaspers taking the regular season crown from the Gaels and earning a valued 1 seed in the conference tournament. Manhattan gets the privilege of being able to sit out until the semifinal round of the MAAC Tournament. The Jaspers earned their regular season crown on the basis of a season sweep of Iona. Manhattan overcame an 0-4 start to their season with ten game winning streak, which included a 19 point win at Iona in early January. The Jaspers nearly blew their regular season title after suffering a series of bad losses (75-56 loss to #10 seed Rider, 67-51 home loss to 7 seed Niagara, 86-75 loss to 9 seed Canisius) during the regular season. Iona suffered a slightly similar fate losing the league title after dropping their last two games after winning 12 of 14 games from the start of January through the middle of February.
Favorite: A cursory glance would seem to indicate the conference tournament is a two horse race between Iona and Manhattan. However, this season has been marked by unexpected losses and poor play ate odd moments by both league leaders. Iona lost four games at home and only one game on the road, their season finale at Manhattan, all season. The Gaels dropped home game to Manhattan, St. Peter's, Marist and Siena. The Siena Saints, usually a solid home team, lost three games at home this season. Despite hosting the conference tournament, even the Saints are not a strong choice as a favorite. This might be one of the most wide open conference tournaments contested this week.
Darkhorse: St. Peter's has been a team of streaks this season. On two occasions the Peacocks have posted four game losing streaks and one three game losing streak. St. Peter's has also posted a four and five game winning streak. Although putting all your faith in the Peacocks as a darkhorse is a shaky prospect, any team with Keydren Clark as a senior leader is a strong team to sneak through the field. Expect Clark to have a solid tournament, in what will be his last go-around in the MAAC. It would be quite miraculous for any of the five teams from the bottom half of the bracket to make much noise in the conference championship. All five teams seeded 6-10 finished with losing conference records and the prospect of having to win four straight games would seem to be too much for any of these teams to overcome.
Patriot:
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 1: No. 4 American vs. No. 5 Lafayette, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Bucknell vs. No. 8 Army, 8 p.m.
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 3: No. 3 Lehigh vs. No. 6 Colgate, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 2 Holy Cross vs. No. 7 Navy, 8 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
At Sojka Pavilion
Lewisburg, Pa.
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
At Hart Center
Worcester, Mass.
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Friday, March 10
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Recap: Bucknell is one of four teams currently undefeated in their regular season conference race. The Bison stormed through the Patriot League winning by no less than five points in any league game and winning ten of 14 league games by 10 or more points. The Bison also have the benefit of playing the conference tournament on their home floor. Bucknell was pushed for a while during the regular season by Lehigh. The Engineers had a chance to tie Bucknell for the league lead in their next to last game of the year. Unfortunately, Lehigh was unable to grab a victory at Bucknell and lost to the Bison, 81-70. The Engineers also lost a shot at a second place finish after losing their regular season finale at Holy Cross. The loss was crushing for Lehigh as being a 2 seed would have given them home court for the first two rounds of the conference tournament.
Favorite: Bucknell is the class of the league and it would take an upset of monumental proportions for the Bison to miss taking a second straight league title. Should Holy Cross somehow weave their way to the championship game, they would be looking for redemption; after losing last season's championship game to the Bison on their home floor.
Darkhorse: The bottom five league teams finished a combined 0-30 against the top three seeds in the conference tournament and 1-31 against the top 4 seeds in the tournament (somehow Navy managed a 77-68 home win against American). This is a league dominated by one great team and two solid teams. The rest of the league is best left to start rebuilding for next season. We have NO choice for a darkhorse in this league this season.
America East:
FIRST ROUND
At Events Center
Vestal, N.Y.
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 8 Maryland-Baltimore County vs. No. 9 Stony Brook, 7 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 2: No. 2 Binghamton vs. No. 7 Maine, noon
Game 3: No. 3 Boston University vs. No. 6 Maine, 2:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 1 Albany vs. Game 1 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 5: No. 4 Hartford vs. No. 5 New Hampshire, 8:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 6: Winners of Games 2 and 3, Noon
Game 7: Winners of Games 4 and 5, 2:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP
At higher seed
Saturday, March 11
Game 8: Winners of Games 6 and 7, Noon ET (ESPN2)
Recap: The America East Conference had a solid season in 2004-05. The league posted its first win in NCAA Tournament play after Vermont upset #4 seed Syracuse. Three teams made postseason play with Boston and Northeastern making the NIT. This season has seen a slip in talent and team quality. Albany won the regular season league title with a 12-4 record. The Danes were the class of the league in non-conference play as well, posting a league high seven wins against non-conference opposition. No other league member had more than four out of conference wins. The Danes were pushed for the league title by the Binghamton Bearcats. The Bearcats are the only other league team to finish with a winning record. Favorite: Albany was the class of the league, losing just three games (twice to New Hampshire ?? and once at Vermont).
Favorite: The Danes are a solid favorite to make the league championship game where they will likely face Binghamton, the host team for the first three rounds of the America East Tournament. The Danes get the good fortune of having to avoid to possibility of playing Binghamton until the champion game, thus avoiding a conference tournament game on the Bearcats' home court. Should Albany somehow lose before the title game, Binghamton is in solid position to sweep to the title game.
Darkhorse: Amazingly, the New Hampshire Wildcats are in good position to be a darkhorse in the conference tournament. A fifth place finish puts the Wildcats in position to possibly face Albany (a team they defeated twice in overtime during the regular season) in the semifinals. Despite starting the season 2-11, New Hampshire was able to win nine of their last 14 games and finish in fifth place. We will continue to post conference previews, conference tournament brackets (with scoring updates), bubble updates and our NCAA Tournament bracket projections throughout the opening weekend of Championship Week.
West Coast:
At McCarthey Athletic Center
Spokane, Wash.
FIRST ROUND
Friday, March 3
Game 1: No. 5 San Diego vs. No. 8 Pepperdine, 9 p.m.
Game 2: No. 6 Portland vs. No. 7 Santa Clara, 11:30 p.m.
QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, March 4
Game 3: No. 4 San Francisco vs. Game 1 winner, 9 p.m.
Game 4: No. 3 Saint Mary's vs. Game 2 winner, 11:30 p.m.
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, March 5
Game 5: No. 1 Gonzaga vs. Game 3 winner, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 6: No. 2 Loyola Marymount vs. Game 4 winner, 10 p.m. (ESPN2)
CHAMPIONSHIP
Monday, March 6
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Tiny Bubbles
Visit Bubbleteams.com to check out updated scores and schedules.
More Movers and Shakers:
Florida State: Conventional wisdom would be to drop the Seminoles right into the field of 65 after their win against Duke. After all, doesn’t beating the #1 team in the nation deserve the reward of an at-large bid? Not yet! Florida State still needs to win at least two more games to safely slide into the NCAA Tournament. Should the Seminoles lose this weekend at Miami, they would destroy the good feeling earned after their win against the Blue Devils. FSU needs to win their last game (at Miami) and probably win at least one game in the ACC Tournament to feel safe about inclusion in this year's Big Dance.
Indiana: The Hoosiers are one more win away from a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Given their success against the top 25 RPI and what is now assured to be at least an 8-8 record in the #1 RPI conference, Indiana just needs to win either at Michigan this weekend or win their first game in the Big Tournament. Lose both games and Indiana will hard-pressed to feel secure in an at-large bid.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores are 16-10, 7-8 SEC, and still scratching and clawing their way to an at-large bid. Vanderbilt owns two wins over Kentucky and a win at Georgetown. Unfortunately, that is about all Vanderbilt has in its favor for now. The Commodores need at least three more wins to erase the negative stigma from a midseason four game losing streak and lackluster play in this year's SEC. Vanderbilt must defeat reeling Tennessee this weekend and then make it to the SEC semifinals to have even an outside shot at an at-large bid.
Texas A&M: The Aggies were one of the key winners from Wednesday night's games. Texas A&M extended their winning streak to six games and are only two wins away from an at-large berth. Texas A&M needs to win at Texas Tech to end the season and then win their opener in the Big 12 Tournament. Amusingly, the Aggies might just be playing fellow Big 12 bubble boy Colorado for the right to grab the fourth at-large bid from the Big 12. Should the Aggies lose their next two games, they would likely be on the cold outside looking in this season.
Kentucky: The Wildcats got the marquee win they needed, defeating suddenly cold Tennessee. Kentucky earned a solid road win in Knoxville and is now in solid position to make the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats can finish no worse than 8-8 in the SEC and even a first round loss in the SEC Tournament should not cost Kentucky an at-large bid.
Alabama: The Tide defeated a weak Mississippi for their 10th SEC win. The Tide are in the field of 65, even if they lose their last two games.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks won their 20th game, ninth in the SEC, guaranteeing them a winning conference record. Arkansas has done more than enough with their recent marquee wins and a solid four game-winning streak. A loss at Georgia ad in the first round of the SEC Tournament would be bad, but even losses in both games would not be likely to drop the Razorbacks from an at-large bid.
Colorado: The Buffaloes do not just lose.... they lose in STYLE. Colorado continued to underimpress the selection committee with another poor road loss at Kansas. The Buffaloes still have a chance to finish above .500 in the Big 12 with a win at home against Iowa State this weekend. Unfortunately, even finishing above .500 is not sufficient for the Buffaloes to feel safe about an at-large bid. Colorado finished 10-6 in the Big 12 in 2004 and a first round loss in the Big 12 Tournament that season doomed the Buffaloes to the NIT. Colorado needs to win their season finale and win at least one game in the Big 12 Tournament to move them on the right side of the bubble.
Maryland: Many a Maryland fan still hold out distant hope that their Terrapins can make the NCAA Tournament. Maryland needs to win at Virginia and win at least three games in the ACC Tournament. Anything less than that and Maryland will likely be playing in their second straight NIT.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have a MUST WIN game this weekend against West Virginia. Cincinnati has to win this game to finish .500 in the Big East. Given their decent slate of marquee wins and their solid strength of schedule, a .500 record in the Big East and their 18th win might just be enough to push them over the top. An extra win in the Big East Tournament would add the resume of the Bearcats. This is one team that will be sweating it out on Selection Sunday.
Seton Hall: The Pirates righted their ship with a home win against their Big East and bubble brethren Cincinnati. Seton Hall now needs to win their season finale at Pitt to solidify an at-large bid. Should the Pirates win that game, they would lock up the eighth bid from the Big East and put themselves in tight with the election committee.
We will have our updated conference tournament brackets and projections posted later this evening.
More Movers and Shakers:
Florida State: Conventional wisdom would be to drop the Seminoles right into the field of 65 after their win against Duke. After all, doesn’t beating the #1 team in the nation deserve the reward of an at-large bid? Not yet! Florida State still needs to win at least two more games to safely slide into the NCAA Tournament. Should the Seminoles lose this weekend at Miami, they would destroy the good feeling earned after their win against the Blue Devils. FSU needs to win their last game (at Miami) and probably win at least one game in the ACC Tournament to feel safe about inclusion in this year's Big Dance.
Indiana: The Hoosiers are one more win away from a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Given their success against the top 25 RPI and what is now assured to be at least an 8-8 record in the #1 RPI conference, Indiana just needs to win either at Michigan this weekend or win their first game in the Big Tournament. Lose both games and Indiana will hard-pressed to feel secure in an at-large bid.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores are 16-10, 7-8 SEC, and still scratching and clawing their way to an at-large bid. Vanderbilt owns two wins over Kentucky and a win at Georgetown. Unfortunately, that is about all Vanderbilt has in its favor for now. The Commodores need at least three more wins to erase the negative stigma from a midseason four game losing streak and lackluster play in this year's SEC. Vanderbilt must defeat reeling Tennessee this weekend and then make it to the SEC semifinals to have even an outside shot at an at-large bid.
Texas A&M: The Aggies were one of the key winners from Wednesday night's games. Texas A&M extended their winning streak to six games and are only two wins away from an at-large berth. Texas A&M needs to win at Texas Tech to end the season and then win their opener in the Big 12 Tournament. Amusingly, the Aggies might just be playing fellow Big 12 bubble boy Colorado for the right to grab the fourth at-large bid from the Big 12. Should the Aggies lose their next two games, they would likely be on the cold outside looking in this season.
Kentucky: The Wildcats got the marquee win they needed, defeating suddenly cold Tennessee. Kentucky earned a solid road win in Knoxville and is now in solid position to make the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats can finish no worse than 8-8 in the SEC and even a first round loss in the SEC Tournament should not cost Kentucky an at-large bid.
Alabama: The Tide defeated a weak Mississippi for their 10th SEC win. The Tide are in the field of 65, even if they lose their last two games.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks won their 20th game, ninth in the SEC, guaranteeing them a winning conference record. Arkansas has done more than enough with their recent marquee wins and a solid four game-winning streak. A loss at Georgia ad in the first round of the SEC Tournament would be bad, but even losses in both games would not be likely to drop the Razorbacks from an at-large bid.
Colorado: The Buffaloes do not just lose.... they lose in STYLE. Colorado continued to underimpress the selection committee with another poor road loss at Kansas. The Buffaloes still have a chance to finish above .500 in the Big 12 with a win at home against Iowa State this weekend. Unfortunately, even finishing above .500 is not sufficient for the Buffaloes to feel safe about an at-large bid. Colorado finished 10-6 in the Big 12 in 2004 and a first round loss in the Big 12 Tournament that season doomed the Buffaloes to the NIT. Colorado needs to win their season finale and win at least one game in the Big 12 Tournament to move them on the right side of the bubble.
Maryland: Many a Maryland fan still hold out distant hope that their Terrapins can make the NCAA Tournament. Maryland needs to win at Virginia and win at least three games in the ACC Tournament. Anything less than that and Maryland will likely be playing in their second straight NIT.
Cincinnati: The Bearcats have a MUST WIN game this weekend against West Virginia. Cincinnati has to win this game to finish .500 in the Big East. Given their decent slate of marquee wins and their solid strength of schedule, a .500 record in the Big East and their 18th win might just be enough to push them over the top. An extra win in the Big East Tournament would add the resume of the Bearcats. This is one team that will be sweating it out on Selection Sunday.
Seton Hall: The Pirates righted their ship with a home win against their Big East and bubble brethren Cincinnati. Seton Hall now needs to win their season finale at Pitt to solidify an at-large bid. Should the Pirates win that game, they would lock up the eighth bid from the Big East and put themselves in tight with the election committee.
We will have our updated conference tournament brackets and projections posted later this evening.
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