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Post by Commissioner on Mar 4, 2019 23:17:25 GMT -5
Monday, March 4
Big Games #2 Virginia 79, Syracuse 53. Virginia (27-2) actually trailed this game at halftime.
#8 Texas Tech 70, Texas 51. #16 Kansas State 64, Texas Christian 52. Texas Tech (25-5) and Kansas State (23-7) stay tied atop the Big 12, 1.5 games ahead of Kansas. For Kansas to extend its streak of 14 straight Big 12 regular season titles, it needs to win its last two games against Baylor and Oklahoma, while Kansas State loses its season finale to Oklahoma and Texas Tech loses its final game at Iowa State.
Liberty 72, Jacksonville 58. Hot Atlantic Sun tournament action! Liberty (26-6) wins the first conference tournament game of the year! Prairie View A&M 96, Alabama State 69. SWAC Attack! Prairie View clinches a share of the SWAC regular season title for only the second time in its history. Norfolk State 74, Delaware State 66. Norfolk State (19-11) clinches the MEAC regular season title.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 6, 2019 8:45:04 GMT -5
Tuesday, March 5
Horizon Green Bay 82 UIC 77. Chokers gonna choke, and UIC--as has been its modus operandi for the past 3 years, coughed up a late lead and lost to Green Bay tonight. It wasn't a big lead--the Flames were up 5 with under 4 minutes to play. But Green Bay scored 9 in a row before Tarkus Ferguson hit a 3 with 20 seconds to play. That cut Green Bay's lead to 1, but J'Quan McCloud hit 4 free throws down the stretch to win it. It will be mildly interesting to see if UIC (16-16) seeks a CBI or CIT bid. Green Bay will first Wright State in the semis in Detroit.
Wright State 71, IUPUI 56. This one was never close, as Wright State sprinted to a 12-2 lead and was up by 13 at the half and as many as 31 in the second half. IUPUI finishes the season 16-16.
Figuring there is a limited supply of upsets, I was glad to see both favorites win tonight.
Titan Non-Conference Foes Butler 71, Xavier 66. Butler (16-14) stopped Xavier's late run for an NCAA bid by knocking off the Musketeers (16-14). Kamar led with 24.
Toledo 76, Western Michigan 57. Toledo (24-6) led by 19 at halftime and claims the MAC West title. Western (8-22) will have its worst season since 2001.
Eastern Michigan 68, Ball State 61. James Thompson had 20 points and 23 rebounds as EMU (15-15) got back to .500. The Eagles have been playing better of late, and may yet make some noise in the MAC tournament.
Akron 91, Bowling Green 67. It's pretty clear that BGSU (20-10) peaked early. They're 6-5 since their 10 game win streak ended, and tonight's loss was embarrassing. Akron is 16-14.
#19 Buffalo 82, Ohio U. 79. Can Buffalo (27-3) get a top 6 seed?
Kent State 75, Miami (Oh) 66. Jaylin Walker had 29 for Kent (21-9).
Boston U. 71, Loyola (Md) 63. Loyola's season ends in the first round of the Patriot Conference Tournament. The Greyhounds finish 11-21.
Other Games #9 Michigan State 91, Nebraska 76. Northern Illinois 89, Central Michigan 86. CMU fans are looking forward to the CIT. The Chips are 20-10.
#3 North Carolina 79, Boston College 66. #4 Duke 71, Wake Forest 70. The Zionless Dukes (26-4) squeaked past 11-18 Wake Forest when Chaundee Brown's jumper rimmed out at the buzzer. #5 Tennessee 71, Mississippi State 54. #6 Kentucky 80, Mississippi 76. Minnesota 73, #11 Purdue 69. Purdue (22-8) missed a chance to clinch a tie for the Big 10 title tonight and to win it outright this weekend. Now they'll have to beat Northwestern on Saturday to tie with the winner of the MSU/UM game. A big win for Minnesota (19-11) as Selection Sunday looms.
Oklahoma 81, #13 Kansas 68. And Kansas's string of 14 consecutive Big 12 championships comes to an end. #14 Florida State 73, #15 Virginia Tech 64 (OT). Tech (22-7) blew a 14 point lead and had to rally to just to force an OT, which did not go well--they scored just 3 points. FSU is 24-6 and has won 11 of 12. #17 Nevada 90, Air Force 79.
Virginia Commonwealth 71, George Mason 36. And it's a wrap--VCU (24-6) takes the A10 regular season title by clobbering Mason (16-14).
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 7, 2019 8:06:31 GMT -5
Wednesday, March 6
Horizon Northern Kentucky 99, Detroit 88. In three games against us, NKU averaged 97 points.
Oakland 88, Youngstown State 84. Oakland (16-16) led the entire second half, but couldn't put YSU (12-20) away until the final minutes. Javon Cumberland had 23 points, and Brad Brechting (11 points, 15 rebounds) and Xavier Hill-Maas (17/11) had double-doubles.
Titan Non-Conference Opponents Dayton 70, La Salle 39. Impressive defensive performance for Dayton (20-10).
Other Games Spring Arbor 85, Indiana Tech 50. 7th ranked Spring Arbor (26-7), #2 seed in its region, rolls in the first round of the NAIA National Championship.
#10 LSU 79, Florida 78 (OT). Seton Hall 73, #16 Marquette 64. Seton Hall (17-12) gets a win they really needed if they hope for an at-large bid, while Marquette lost its third in a row. Seton Hall held Markus Howard to just 6 points, 20 below his season average. Myles Powell had 35 points for Seton Hall, giving him 98 in the last 3 games.
St. Louis 85, Duquesne 75. Both old MCC rivals are 19-11. DePaul 101, Georgetown 69. A big night for DePaul may have squelched G'town's NCAA hopes. With just 1 regular season game left, the Blue Demons (15-13) will avoid a losing season for the first time since 2007. Max Strus had 30 points for DePaul, following up his 43 point barrage against St. John's on Sunday.
Creighton 76, Providence 70 (OT). Clemson 64, Notre Dame 62. Washington 81, Oregon State 76 (OT). Fresno State 76, San Diego State 74.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 8, 2019 1:30:11 GMT -5
Thursday, March 7
Titan Non-Conference Opponents Temple 78, Connecticut 71. The Owls (22-8) are clinging to the next to last spot in the field in Lunardi's bracket before tonight. Barring a big post-season, Connecticut (14-16) is looking at back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in 32 years.
Other Games of Note #12 Houston 90, SMU 79. Houston (28-2) would be pretty good with Antoine Davis on the team. #25 Central Florida 58, #20 Cincinnati 55. UCF (23-6) makes it back-to-back wins over Houston and Cincy (25-5). #21 Wisconsin 65, Iowa 45. Evan Happ celebrated Senior Night in Madison with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
Indiana 92, Illinois 74. Cal 64, Stanford 59. Cal wins its 3rd straight PAC 12 game, after dropping its first 15 in conference play. Valparaiso 77, Indiana State 55. Valpo (15-17) romps in a first round MVC tournament game. Arch Madness! Prairie View 73, Southern 55. Prairie View (18-12) has it most wins in a season since joining D-I in 1981.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 9, 2019 0:22:42 GMT -5
Friday, March 8
Titan Non-Conference Opponents: Toledo 64, Eastern Michigan 56. Toledo (25-6) will enter the MAC tournament on a 5 game winning streak, and as the main threat to Buffalo. EMU was picked to win the MAC west but finishes the regular season 15-16.
Central Michigan 82, Western Michigan 75. Western (8-23) lost 19 of its final 22, finishing the regular season with its worst record since 1991. Seth Dugan was their bright spot. He had 26 points and 15 rebounds tonight, his 15th double-double and his 4th game this year with at least 20 and 15. Central closes the regular season at 21-10.
Kent State 68, Akron 65. Kent State finishes the regular season 22-9, it's 17th 20-win season in 21 years. Akron will enter the post-season at 16-15.
#19 Buffalo 84, Bowling Green 73. Milan's Nick Perkins led Buffalo (28-3) with 22 points. Detroit sophomore Justin Turner led Bowling Green (20-11) with 17.
Ohio 66, Miami (Oh) 57. Ohio (14-16) only shot 38%, but Miami (15-16) only shot 28%, and 38 beats 28 every time.
A few other games: Spring Arbor 85, Jamestown 81. 7th ranked Spring Arbor (27-7) beat 10th ranked Jamestown College (South Dakota) in the second round of the NAIA tournament. College of Idaho 86, Cornerstone 82. Cornerstone (26-9) of Grand Rapids falls in the second round of the NAIA national championship. Marian 83, Madonna 59. On Thursday, 11th ranked Marian beat 21st ranked Madonna (23-10) in the NAIA first round. Malik Eichler had 5 points and 2 rebounds.
#15 Virginia Tech 84, Miami (Fla.) 70. #24 Maryland 69, Minnesota 60.
Loyola 67, Valparaiso 54. Regular season champ Loyola (20-12) takes out Valpo (15-18) in the MVC quarters. Drake 78, Illinois State 62. Drake advances to the MVC semis. The Bulldogs are 24-8.
Belmont 83, Austin Peay 67. Dylan Windler had 32 points and 21 rebounds--about what Spencer Haywood averaged in 1968-69--as Belmont (26-4) knocked off Let's Go Peay (22-11) to reach the Ohio Valley Finals. Murray State 76, Jacksonville State 74. In a see-saw battle, Murray State got the final bucket on an old fashioned three point play by Ja Morant with 8 seconds left. That wins the Racers (25-4) a showdown with Belmont for an NCAA bid. Jacksonville State finishes 24-8 and is probably relegated to the buy-in tournaments.
Canisius 69, Manhattan 65 (OT). A MAAC Quarterfinal. Gardner Webb 79, Campbell 74. The nation's leading scorer, Chris Clemons, had 23 but Campbell fell in the Big South semi-final. Campbell has 3193 points in his career, 961 this year alone. He'll probably get to play on in the CIT.
Penn 77, Yale 66. Cornell 72, Harvard 59 Brown 67, Princeton 63. The top three teams in the Ivy all lost.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 10, 2019 9:16:29 GMT -5
Saturday, March 9 Big day as the P5 conferences end their regular seasons, and more conference tournaments start to rev up.
Titan Non-Conference Opponents Dayton 78, Duquesne 67. The Flyers finish the regular season at 21-10, Duquesne at 19-12.
Temple 67, #25 Central Florida 62. Temple (23-8) really, really, really needed this one for it's NCAA hopes, and got it behind 21 points from Shizz Alston. It was Fran Dunphy's last home game after 13 years as the Owls coach (with 17 years before that at Penn), and the Philly coaching legend needed a police escort to get off the floor as fans mobbed him. UCF (23-7), playing as a ranked team for the first time since 2011, committed 18 turnovers, which was more than Aubrey Dawkins' 36 points could overcome.
Providence 83, Butler 70. Providence (17-14) and Butler (16-15) will hope for NIT bids.
Xavier 81, St. John's 68. I think St. John's is still in the Big Tournament, but they've lost 3 straight, they finish in 7th place in the Big East, and their NET ranking is 66. With 5 "quadrant 1" victories they're probably OK, but maybe not. Xavier (17-14) could still muscle their way into at-large consideration with a run to the Big East Tournament final. Zach Hankins, last year's D-II Player of the Year at Ferris State, had 12 points today. He finishes the regular season averaging 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds for Xavier. For comparison's sake.
Other Games Spring Arbor 89, Indiana U-East 79. Spring Arbor (28-7) reaches the NAIA Final Four.
#9 Michigan State 75, #7 Michigan 63. Say what you will, that Izzo fellow is a darn good coach. The injury-riddled Spartans (25-6) are Big 10 co-champs. Cassius Winston had 23 points and 7 assists, and Kenny Goins had 16 rebounds. Michigan (26-5), which looked like a Final 4 team in January, is 4-3 in its last 7 games.
#2 Virginia 73, Louisville 68. #3 North Carolina 79, #4 Duke 70. UNC (26-5) held off a late Duke rally to sweep to Devils for the first time in a decade. Without Zion Williamson, Duke is still very good, but doesn't look to me like a championship team or a #1 seed.
Auburn 84, #5 Tennessee 80. Tennessee (27-4) played its way back into top seed competition with its win over Kentucky last weekend, and back out today. This won't hurt Auburn's seeding.
#6 Kentucky 66, Florida 57. Florida (17-14) could've used an upset. They probably need two wins in the SEC tournament. #8 Texas Tech 80, Iowa State 73. #10 LSU 80, Vanderbilt 59. And who's your outright SEC Champion? It's not Kentucky or Tennessee, but LSU (26-5), which didn't even enter the Top 25 until late January. In Bryce Drew's third season, Vanderbilt (9-22) goes winless in conference play for the 1st time ever. Drew's teams have gone 19-16, 12-20, and now 9-22. Maybe he should have stayed at Valpo, where he was the local legend and the team was moving up to the MVC. Vandy does have a lot of freshmen and sophomores on the roster.
#11 Purdue 70, Northwestern 57. Purdue (23-8) grabs a share of the Big 10 title. #13 Kansas 78, Baylor 70. #14 Florida State 65, Wake Forest 57. Georgetown 86, #16 Marquette 84. Marquette (23-8) missed a chance for the Big East title by losing at home to Georgetown (19-12). The Hoyas still look like a tournament long-shot barring a good run in the Big East tournament.
#17 Nevada 81, San Diego State 53. #18 Kansas State 68, Oklahoma 53. K State (24-7) and Texas Tech tie for the Big 12 title. #22 Wofford 99, VMI 72. When you were a kid, did you expect to see "Wofford" in the Top 25?
Seton Hall 79, #23 Villanova 75. Seton Hall (18-12) is sitting on the edge of the tournament, so this was a welcome win for the Pirates. It would be smart for them to win at least 1 Big East tournament game. Villanova (22-9) rallied from 16 down to within a point, but couldn't get the lead. With Marquette's loss, however, the Cats still claim the Big East title.
Clemson 67, Syracuse 55. A game Clemson (19-12) had to have if they want to dance. TCU 69, Texas 66. A game TCU (19-12) had to have if they want to dance.
Murray State 77, Belmont 65. Trailing by 5 at halftime, Murray State ((27-4) routed Belmont (26-5) with a 51 point second half. Ja Morant, Ohio Valley Player of the Year, played all 40 minutes and finished with 36 points (13-25 shooting, 9-9 from the line), 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Belmont's Dylan Windler--another possible NBA draft pick--had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. With a NET ranking of 45 non-conference wins over UCLA, Lipsomb (twice), and Western Kentucky, Belmont might get at-large consideration, but are unlikely to be selected. They've got an automatic bid to the NIT as OVC regular season champ.
Bradley 53, Loyola 51. Neither team could shoot (33% for Bradley, 36% for Loyola) but the Braves (19-14) dominated the boards (+13) to advance to the MVC finals. Marquis Towns missed a jumper with force seconds left. Loyola's salve is an automatic ticket to the NIT. The Ramblers are 20-13. Northern Iowa 60, Drake 58. Wyatt Lohaus hit a layup with 2 seconds left as Northern Iowa (16-17) upset Drake (24-9) in the other MVC semifinal. Lohaus, a senior, had a career high 27 points. Both MVC finalists--the 5th and 6th seeds in the tournament--have NET rankings in the 170s.
NC State 73, Boston College 47. Mississippi State 92, Texas A&M 81. Mississippi 73, Missouri 68. Creighton 91, DePaul 78. Creighton's Mitch Ballock had 39 points on a Big East record 11 three-pointers.
Georgia State 90, Georgia Southern 85. Georgia State (22-9), with Assistant Coach Ray McCallum and transfer redshirt Corey Allen on the sidelines, clinched the Sunbelt title.
Arizona State 72, Arizona 64. The PAC 12 needed this. ASU (21-9) is their best, and maybe only, chance for an at-large bid if regular season champ Washington wins the conference tournament. Oregon 55, Washington 47.
Yale 81, Princeton 59. Harvard 83, Columbia 81 (OT). Harvard (17-10) and Yale (20-7) tie for the Ivy league title.
New Mexico State 75, Cal Baptist 63. The Aggies (27-4) will head into the post-season with 16 straight wins.
And finally... Binghamton 78, Stony Brook 72. Binghamton (10-22) beat Stony Brook (24-8) in an America East quarterfinal. The Sea Wolves beat Binghamton by 26 in their last meeting. That's why they play the games.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 10, 2019 16:18:35 GMT -5
Some notes on the above.
Happy for Dunphy at Temple, and I hope the Owls get a bid. I'm glad the fans showed him their appreciation. A friend of mine works for the basketball program there.
As things stand now, I'd rather see Belmont get an at large bid than a team like Indiana. The Hoosiers are 17-14, but getting credit for losing games to high major teams in conference.
Chris Beard would probably get my vote for national Coach of the Year, although I would also give some consideration to Izzo, Sampson, and a couple of others.
I continue to be happy watching Boston College struggle after they ran Al Skinner out of town. Since Coach Skinner was fired in 2010, the Eagles haven't come close to making the NCAA tournament, and have had only two overall winning seasons.
Georgia State has won 3 conference championships in 6 years. Coach Hunter has done a nice job there, and they will be good again next season.
Washington could become an NCAA tournament that hasn't beaten another NCAA tournament team. Pretty much unheard of for a Power five conference.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 10, 2019 17:56:50 GMT -5
I would much rather watch a first round game with Belmont than the 8th place team from a power conference.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 10, 2019 19:49:20 GMT -5
I would much rather watch a first round game with Belmont than the 8th place team from a power conference. Amen. It feels like every rating system is geared towards helping average high major teams make the NCAA tournament.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 10, 2019 20:43:50 GMT -5
Sunday, March 10
Other Really Important Games #12 Houston 85, #20 Cincinnati 69. Houston (29-2) claimed the American Conference title with an impressive win at Cincinnati (25-6). Corey Davis had 31 points for the winners.
#21 Wisconsin 73, Ohio State 67. OSU (18-13) overcame a 22 point deficit in the final 7 minutes, scoring the final 12 points in regulation. All to no avail. Ethan Happ finished with 16 points 14 rebounds, and 8 assist for Wisconsin (22-9).
#22 Wofford 81, East Tennessee State 72. Fletcher McGee had 26 as Wofford (28-4) advanced to the Southern Conference final. ETSU finishes 24-9 and will hope for an NIT bid.
Liberty 74, Lipscomb 68. With non-conference wins over SMU and TCU, and an 20-4 record, there was some talk a month ago of Lipscomb competing for an at-large bid. But the Bison (25-7) went just 5-3 down the stretch, allowing Liberty (28-6) to steal a share of the regular season title and now the Atlantic Sun tournament and NCAA bid. When Liberty last made the NCAAs, in 2013, they entered with a 15-20 record. This year's team is a like 13 or 14 seed.
Gardner Webb 76, Radford 65. Gardner Webb (23-11), the #4 seed in the Big South tournament, claims its first ever NCAA bid (they joined D-I in 2003). Senior DJ Laster led the Bulldogs with a career high 32 points. It's neat to see seniors step up in these games, which are do-or-die for teams like Gardner-Webb. Regular season co-champ Radford is 22-11 and possible CIT bait.
Bradley 57, Northern Iowa 51. After scoring just 15 points in the first half, Bradley (20-14) rallied from 16 down to win the MVC tournament and an NCAA invite. Bradley won the tournament despite shooting under 40% in both the semifinals and finals. It will be their first NCAA appearance since 2006. UNI finishes 16-18. Nebraska 93, Iowa 91 (OT). Indiana 89, Rutgers 73. UNC Greensboro 66, Furman 62. Furman (25-7) was ranked for a few weeks early in the year after beating Villanova and Loyola, but Greensboro (28-5) earns the right to take on Wofford in the Southern Conference final tomorrow. It's been noted that the top 4 in the Southern this year--Wofford (NET Rank 14), Greensboro (57), Furman (41), and East Tennessee State (72)--are probably a significant bit better than the top 4 in the PAC 12.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 11, 2019 22:37:55 GMT -5
Monday, March 11
Horizon The Little Ceasar's looked great for the Horizon semi-finals. It is a shame we were simply not competitive for the 4 years the tournament was held in Detroit. In fact, the two Detroit area teams went 1-7 in four years at the Joe and the Arena.
Wright State 66, Green Bay 54. Wright State (21-12) shot very poorly, but won on the boards 40-34, won on turnovers 10-16, and outscored Green Bay by 13 at the foul line. The Phoenix might get a CIT offer if they want to host a first round game.
Northern Kentucky 64, Oakland 63. Oakland made 10 of its first 17 from the floor to take a 17 point lead midway through the first half. NKU battled back to tie at the half and take an 11 point lead with 4 minutes to play, then fell apart as the Grizzlies went on a 13-0 run to lead by 2 with 10 seconds to play. Most of the NKU players looked utterly defeated at that point, but NKU has a not-so-secret weapon--HL Player of the Year Drew McDonald, who calmly knocked down a three with 2 ticks left on the clock. OU finishes 16-17 (though I could see OU playing in the CBI or CIT, and given their all-underclassman roster, that wouldn't be a bad idea for them). NKU takes a 25-8 record into tomorrow's tournament final.
Titan Non-Conference Opponents Central Michigan 81, Western Michigan 67. Western's season come to a merciful end. The Broncs started the year OK, but were 3-20 after the first week of December. Fifth-seed Central Michigan (22-10) faces Kent State on Thursday in the MAC tournament.
Ball State 61, Eastern Michigan 41. Eastern also ends a disappointing season in which they were expected to contend for the MAC title, but instead finished 15-17, just 11-17 versus D-I competition. James Thompson ended his EMU career having averaged a double-double in each of his 4 years; yet as he was so often during his 4 years there, he was MIA in a crucial game, finishing tonight with just 4 points. Eastern loses it's top 3 scorers, top two rebounders, and top assist man to graduation, and you have to wonder if head coach Rob Murphy isn't feeling some real heat.
Akron 80, Miami (Oh) 51. Akron (17-15) rolled in the first round of MAC tournament play behind 25 points from Loren Jackson.
Northern Illinois 80, Ohio U 61. Ohio finishes 14-17.
Other Games You Don't Care About Now That the Titans Season is Over Spring Arbor 66, Marian 50. Spring Arbor (29-7), a little school outside Jackson affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, beat Marian to advance to the NAIA championship game. They'll face Oregon Tech tomorrow night in Sioux Falls, if you want to head out for the game.
#1 Gonzaga 100, Pepperdine 74. I think Gonzaga (30-2) is good on selection Sunday.
#20 Wofford 70, UNC-Greensboro 58. What does Wofford head coach Mike Young have to do to get a better job? Tonight the 20th-ranked Terriers (29-4) clinched their 5th NCAA bid in the last 10 seasons under Young, beating a good, 28-win UNC-Greensboro team. There's talk of Wofford being seeded as high as 5th. Their NET ranking is currently #14.
Iona 81, Monmouth 60. Iona (17-15) was just 4-9 in non-conference play this year. The Gaels have a NET ranking of #208 (that puts them behind IUPUI), but they had enough juice to win the MAAC regular season in a very, very down year for that conference, and tonight steamrolled Monmouth (14-21) to claim their 4th straight NCAA bid, and 6th in 8 years.
Hofstra 78, Delaware 74 (OT). Colonial regular season champ Hofstra (27-6) had to go to overtime to beat Delaware (17-16) in the conference tournament semi-finals. Justin Wright Foreman, the nation's #2 scorer, had 42 points. Northeastern 70, Charleston 67. Northeastern (22-10) will play Hofstra in the CAA finals tomorrow.
Omaha 61, Fort Wayne 60. Omaha scored just 3 points in the final 3:55, but that was enough not only to win, but to rally and win. The Mavericks held Fort Wayne (18-15) scoreless for the game's final 4:27. Omaha (21-10) faces North Dakota State tomorrow in the Summit final, where a win will get them to the NCAAs for the first time ever.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 12, 2019 22:08:02 GMT -5
Tuesday, March 12
Horizon Northern Kentucky 77, Wright State 66. Northern Kentucky took control early and fought off every WSU rally. Drew McDonald had an off night but Jalen Tate was good for 17 points and Dantez Walton had 15 points and 14 rebounds. This is probably the result they wanted down at HL HQ, because Northern Kentucky has a better chance of moving up to a 14 or even 13 seed than WSU, and this also guarantees WSU an automatic bid to the NIT, which otherwise the league probably would not have received.
Other Games Spring Arbor 82, Oregon Tech 76. Well, Michigan will have one national champ--Spring Arbor (30-7) won the NAIA D-II National Title behind 32 point from Brandon Durnell, a sophomore from Fort Wayne.
St. Mary's 60, #1 Gonzaga 47. St. Mary's (22-11) held the nation's top offense to 47 points to win the WCC tournament. In the process probably stole an NCAA bid from someone else--it's highly doubtful they would have received a bid had they lost tonight. But the Gaels were very impressive in this game, leading the entire second half. Gonzaga (30-3) is still a probable top seed.
Northeastern 82, Hofstra 74. Another 2-seed over a 1-seed in a tournament final, one of four such results tonight. Northeastern (23-10) took the lead for good about 5 minutes in, led by as many as 18, and held off a rally that brought Hofstra briefly to within 2 late in the game. Hofstra (27-7) gets an automatic NIT bid.
Farleigh Dickinson 85, St. Francis (Pa.) 76. Regular season Northeast Conference co-champs FDU (20-13) and St. Francis (18-14) met in the league's tournament final. During the season, each won big on the other's home court, and that happened again tonight, though the score was a bit closer. This is a good result for the NEC, because St. Francis won their regular season tie-breaker, meaning they'll get an automatic bid to the NIT.
North Dakota State 73, Omaha 63. The Summit bid goes to 18-15 ND State, the #4 seed. Omaha (21-11) can probably play in the CIT or CBI.
Notre Dame 78, Georgia Tech 71. Opening round of ACC tournament. UMBC 90, Hartford 85 (2OT). In an America East Conference semi-final, Hartford (18-15) came from 26 down to force an OT. But in the end, it was last year's NCAA Cinderella UMBC (21-12) that advances to face Vermont in the final.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 13, 2019 14:44:31 GMT -5
Monday, March 11HorizonThe Little Ceasar's looked great for the Horizon semi-finals. It is a shame we were simply not competitive for the 4 years the tournament was held in Detroit. In fact, the two Detroit area teams went 1-7 in four years at the Joe and the Arena. #1 Gonzaga 100, Pepperdine 74. I think Gonzaga (30-2) is good on selection Sunday. It's always going to feel like we blew a great opportunity with the tournament being in Detroit the past four years. I think the only win we got was the win at JLA in Coach Ray's last season. OU probably feels like they blew it, too, because they actually had some very talented teams for a couple of those years. On another note, Pepperdine was an interesting story this year. Last year the Waves were 6-26, 2-14. This season, in year one under Lorenzo Romar, they finished 16-18, 6-10. Pepperdine won three straight in the conference tournament to reach the quarterfinals, before the loss to the Zags. They also had a win over conference tourney champ St. Mary's in the regular season. Romar is adding a couple of solid high school recruits to the roster in 2019, and a couple of transfers from Oregon will be eligible. Keep an eye on Pepperdine.
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Post by motorcitysam on Mar 13, 2019 14:51:41 GMT -5
Tuesday, March 12HorizonNorthern Kentucky 77, Wright State 66. Northern Kentucky took control early and fought off every WSU rally. Drew McDonald had an off night but Jalen Tate was good for 17 points and Dantez Walton had 15 points and 14 rebounds. This is probably the result they wanted down at HL HQ, because Northern Kentucky has a better chance of moving up to a 14 or even 13 seed than WSU, and this also guarantees WSU an automatic bid to the NIT, which otherwise the league probably would not have received. Other GamesSpring Arbor 82, Oregon Tech 76. Well, Michigan will have one national champ--Spring Arbor (30-7) won the NAIA D-II National Title behind 32 point from Brandon Durnell, a sophomore from Fort Wayne. St. Mary's 60, #1 Gonzaga 47. St. Mary's (22-11) held the nation's top offense to 47 points to win the WCC tournament. In the process probably stole an NCAA bid from someone else--it's highly doubtful they would have received a bid had they lost tonight. But the Gaels were very impressive in this game, leading the entire second half. Gonzaga (30-3) is still a probable top seed. Northeastern 82, Hofstra 74. Another 2-seed over a 1-seed in a tournament final, one of three such results tonight. Northeastern (23-10) took the lead for good about 5 minutes in, led by as many as 18, and held off a rally that brought Hofstra briefly to within 2 late in the game. Hofstra (27-7) gets an automatic NIT bid. Farleigh Dickinson 85, St. Francis (Pa.) 76. Regular season Northeast Conference co-champs FDU (20-13) and St. Francis (18-14) met in the league's tournament final. During the season, each won big on the other's home court, and that happened again tonight, though the score was a bit closer. This is a good result for the NEC, because St. Francis won their regular season tie-breaker, meaning they'll get an automatic bid to the NIT. North Dakota State 73, Omaha 63. The Summit bid goes to 18-15 ND State, the #4 seed. Omaha (21-11) can probably play in the CIT or CBI. Notre Dame 78, Georgia Tech 71. Opening round of ACC tournament. UMBC 90, Hartford 85 (2OT). In an America East Conference semi-final, Hartford (18-15) came from 26 down to force an OT. But in the end, it was last year's NCAA Cinderella UMBC (21-12) that advances to face Vermont in the final. Gotta give NKU credit. They have done a very good job since joining the HL. NIT last season, NCAA bid this season. Doesn't say much for the state of the long time members of the conference that the Norse could move up the way they did and have such success here. I went to a very good basketball camp at Spring Arbor prior to my senior year in high school, so I always root for them. Glad to see the get that title.
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Post by Commissioner on Mar 13, 2019 22:49:07 GMT -5
Wednesday, March 14
Titan Non-Conference Opponents: Providence 80, Butler 57. Butler lost 5 of its last 6, including this 1st round Big East Tournament game, to finish 16-16.
Big--I mean BIG--Games around the country
#16 Virginia Tech 71, Miami (Fl) 56.
Colgate 94, Bucknell 80. Top-seeded Colgate dominated #2 seed Bucknell to win the Patriot League's automatic bid. This is Colgate's first bid since back-to-back appearances behind Adonal Foyle in 1995 and 1996. Sophomore Jordan Burns led the Raiders (23-10) with 35 points, all in the first 30 minutes.
NC State 59, Clemson 58. This may have been an NCAA at-large play-in game. NC State (22-10) came from 16 down at halftime, the largest second half rally in ACC tournament history, and won it on Markell Johnson free throws with 3 seconds left. Clemson is 19-13.
St. John's 82, DePaul 74. St. John's probably needed at least this game to assure a tournament berth. DePaul finishes 15-15--assuming they don't play in the NIT or CBI, this will be their first non-losing season since 2007. In fact, they've lost at least 19 games every year since then.
Louisville 75, Notre Dame 53. Nebraska 68, Rutgers 61. UCLA 79, Stanford 72. USC 78, Arizona 65. Texas Christian 73, Oklahoma State 70. TCU (19-12) once looked like a tournament lock, but after losing 6 of 8 they had to win this one to have a chance. They did--just barely. A 3 pointer by Desmond Bane put them up a point with 16 seconds left, and free throws by Alex Robinson with 7 seconds left closed out the scoring.
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