Still-Life of a Floor Stormin': Temple Owls

Our fearless founder Marco was at the A-10 tournament this week, and it just so happens that his Temple Owls won the battle of Philadelphia by knocking off the St. Joe's Hawks for the NCAA auto-bid.

Fortunately for us, Mid-Majority's Kyle Whelliston was in the center of the maelstrom, and captured the post-game insanity in pictures.



Marco gave the Temple Owl a heee-yoooge "Bro Hug"



And, while the Owl probably appreciated the sentiment, he promptly fled the scene.



Congrats, Owls. We'll look forward to seeing you in the Big Dance.

Man on the Street at the Big East Tournament

Here's a little something to start your weekend off right. Debut video from the best damn conference tournament going right now - the Big East. Find out what fans think about... everything.

Portrait of a Floor Stormin': American

Even after a late night in AC, I can still find some time for floor stormin'. American fans gets to storm the floor for the best possible reason; first NCAA trip in school history. Congrats Eagles! Party at Guapo's!

STF Bubble Watch: 3/14/08

This week on Bubble Watch we'll be tracking a number of teams and letting you know just where we see them in the pecking order. Expect the bubble to fluctuate quite a bit as we head down the final stretch this week and teams hop on and off the bubble as they're eliminated from their conference tournaments (or even win them). It's now a daily scope folks. So no more waiting until Monday/Friday to see how much your A-10 squad has damaged their status this week. If there's any team not mentioned here that you're curious about just drop a comment or e-mail me here.


What Bubble? (Should be in):
St. Mary's, South Alabama, Kent State, Illinois State, Arizona, Arizona State, Texas A&M, Arkansas, UNLV, Kentucky, Ohio State, and West Virginia.

Let There Be Life (More than enough chances to get in, but out for now):
Virginia Tech, Temple, and St. Joe's.

Neutral (Season's over, and need a lot of luck to get in.)
VCU, UMass, and Oregon.

Auto-Bid Or Bust? (Can still play in, but it'll take a conference final appearance to make it happen and even that might not be enough):
Stephen F. Austin stands alone.

Let's Get Eliminated (Season over...):
Southern Illinois, Creighton, Syracuse, Florida, Dayton, Maryland, Houston, Ole Miss, New Mexico and Rhode Island.

Changes:
Florida, UAB, Dayton, Maryland, Houston, Ole Miss, New Mexico and Villanova Eliminated
Ohio State moves back in as 'Nova plummets
UMass hits neutral making way for Texas A&M
Oregon hits neutral, but is very much alive

A Few Thoughts

- First of all.. HOLY CRAP! Is it possible for more costly losses to have occurred on one day? After the last few days were slow, yesterday more than made up for it with numerous teams all but officially watching their bubbles burst. For teams like South Alabama, VCU and Illinois State as the bubble shrinks their odds only improve. To the point that it appears USA is damn near a sure thing.

- The Phantom over the back call loss to USC isn't enough to knock the Sun Devils out of the dance, yet.

- The A-10 is at least a two bid league, if Temple knocks off Charlotte they become that team. And they'll make it three if St. Joe's can topple Xavier for the 2nd time in a week.

- Conference USA is officially a one-bid league barring a huge upset of Memphis.

- A win over Utah should cement UNLV into the dance with New Mexico's loss. So much for that play-in game, eh?

- If you maintain a beef with Arizona it's simple: their overall numbers are spectacular and I fully expect them to get some consideration for their losses when Jerryd Bayless was hurt.

- Shockingly it looks like Ohio State could survive a loss today, but it'd be in their best interest to avoid tempting fate.

Bracket Racket 3/14

BRACKET RACKET 3/14

Yesterday's Important Results

Georgetown 82 Villanova 63
Hoyas nail 17 threes, Nova fails to keep it close

Xavier 74 Dayton 65
X-an most likely crush in-state rivals tourney hopes

Tulsa 78 UAB 68
Cross off the Blazers, who really had no wins of merit anyway

Texas-Arlington 81 Lamar 75
Top seed in Southland goes down

West Virginia 78 UConn 72
Alexander's 34 leaves no doubt about West Fucking Virginia

Miami (FL) 63 NC State 50
Canes make it official

USC 59 Arizona State 55
Sun Devils now must wait it out.....most intriguing bubble team of 2008

Colorado 91 Baylor 84 (OT)
Bears should be thankful that the bubble is terrible this season and that no one wants to make the tournament

Temple 84 La Salle 75
Look! A team on the bubble that actually won a game!

Pitt 76 Louisville 69 (OT)
Jamie Dixon officially petitions NCAA to move all regionals to MSG

Alabama 80 Florida 69
Gators officially toast

Marquette 89 Notre Dame 79
We just want to see the light blue unis for the Big East Championship

Charlotte 69 UMass 65
It was almost painful to watch UMass blow a 17-point second half lead

Washington State 75 Oregon 70
Ducks remain on bubble but prospects are looking bleak

Utah 82 New Mexico 80 (OT)
Seriously? Anyone want to make the tournament?

Georgia 97 Ole Miss 95 (OT)
Of course

Boston College 71 Maryland 68
Figures

Stanford 74 Arizona 65
Wildcats probably still get in but in no way did they play their way into this



Today's Conference Championships

Colgate at American Patriot ESPN2 4:45
Eagles looking for first trip to NCAAs....Bender should be rocking



Today’s Big Games

Georgetown vs West Virginia
Hoyas looking like Final Four team again, WVU looking like 05 team

Miami (FL) vs Virginia Tech
Hokies will get in the Dance if they can win this on

Michigan State vs Ohio State
Buckeyes are in with a win

Vanderbilt vs Arkansas
Razorbacks looking to make statement by beating Dors for second time in two weeks

Xavier vs Saint Joseph's
Hawks need this one to make the Dance

Boise State vs Utah State
WAC title may be decided in the semis

UCLA vs USC
Trojans are peaking at exactly the right time

Temple vs Charlotte
Owls will make things very interesting if they make the A-10 Championship

Georgia vs Kentucky
Wildcats would be wise to win this one



Keep an Eye on….

- Atlantic 10 elimination day. Temple and Saint Joesph's both need to make the finals

- If USC can continue its hot streak and play it's way into a top 4 seed

- If it's possible for anymore bubble team to lose in one day. ESPN is going to need some extra camera crews to follow all the teams waiting to hear their fate on Selection Sunday this year.


Moving Up the Bracket

USC (to 6 seed)

West Virginia (to 9 seed)

Miami (to 8 seed)


Falling Down The Bracket

UConn (to 5 seed)



Top 8 Seeds

1. North Carolina (E)
UCLA (W)
Tennessee (M)
Memphis (S)

2. Wisconsin (M)
Georgetown (E)
Texas (S)
Kansas (W)


Last 6 In
Baylor
South Alabama
Ohio State
Illinois State
Arizona
Villanova


Last 6 Out
Arizona State
VCU
Temple
Saint Joseph's
UMass
Virginia Tech

STF Conference Report - Big Ten

Right now, as you read this, the first round of the Big Ten Tournament is taking place over at ESPN2. I'll give you a minute to flip the channel...

Got it? Great. So there you have it. Things could not be more un-exciting in the first round of the Big Ten Tourney. But have no fear - business is about to pick up. With arguably four teams in the hunt to win the tournament (Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Michigan State) and three teams who could easily play the role of spoiler (Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio State), simple math tells me that there are seven quality teams in this tournament. Unfortunately, for myself and the rest of the Big Ten analysts this year, math has doesn't sh*t to help.

With that said, here's a quick preview of this year's tournament, despite it already having started:

Team to Beat - Wisconsin. The Badgers battled through their Big Ten schedule en route to a regular season title. Don't expect them to skip a beat in the conference tournament and into the NCAAs, as long as Brian Butch can act like the 6-foot-11 big man that he is.

Team to Watch - Purdue. The Boilermakers have arguably the most upside and potential out of any of the Big Ten squads. With young talents such as Robbie Hummel, Scott Martin and E'Twaun Moore, there's no question that Purdue will be a dangerous foe in the tournament. But will inexperience hurt them in the end? Stay tuned to find out.

Team to Fear - Michigan State. The preseason favorites. The wise elders. The Spartans. Michigan State has been here before, and with Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan leading the way, the Spartans could easily plow through the tournament and head into the NCAAs with the momentum they've been searching for all season long.

Player to Watch - Eric Gordon, Indiana. This may seem like a no brainer, but it's not for the reason you may think. Gordon, who many scouts have slated as a lottery pick in next year's NBA Draft, is NOT ready for the pros. I repeat, Eric Gordon is nowhere near ready to enter the NBA. Therefore, the Big Ten Tournament - and subsequently the NCAA Tourney as well - will be his final auditions for the big stage. If the last few weeks are any indication, Gordon is going to get eaten alive by the bigger guards of the NBA.

Quick Prediction - Purdue will win the Big Ten Tournament.

STF Bubble Watch: 3/13/08

This week on Bubble Watch we'll be tracking a number of teams and letting you know just where we see them in the pecking order. Expect the bubble to fluctuate quite a bit as we head down the final stretch this week and teams hop on and off the bubble as they're eliminated from their conference tournaments (or even win them). It's now a daily scope folks. So no more waiting until Monday/Friday to see how much your A-10 squad has damaged their status this week. If there's any team not mentioned here that you're curious about just drop a comment or e-mail me here.


What Bubble? (Should be in):
St. Mary's, South Alabama, Kent State, Illinois State, Arizona, Arizona State, UMass, Arkansas, UNLV, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Villanova

Let There Be Life (More than enough chances to get in, but out for now):
Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Ohio State, Dayton, Temple, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oregon, and St. Joe's.

Neutral (Season's over, and need a lot of luck to get in.)
VCU

Auto-Bid Or Bust? (Can still play in, but it'll take a conference final appearance to make it happen and even that might not be enough):
Florida, Maryland, Stephen F. Austin, UAB, and Houston.

Let's Get Eliminated (Season over...):
Southern Illinois, Creighton, Syracuse and Rhode Island.

Changes:
Syracuse and Rhode Island eliminated.
Villanova in
Ohio State out

A Few Thoughts

- Syracuse probably could have lost yesterday and still squeaked in if everything fell perfectly, but after basically quitting yesterday it's all but official.

- Rhode Island was down to needing the auto-bid anyway, but after last nights loss to Charlotte I'm not even sure they get to the CBI.

- Villanova moves in narrowly ahead of the Buckeyes with the blowout of 'Cuse. A close win I probably don't move them in, but it was convincing and when you consider the hole they started it out in the way the won is that much more impressive. I'd recommend beating the Hoyas though if they'd like to sew it up for good.

- West Virginia-Providence is one of the roughest games I've ever watched. The Friars probably should have won that game and knocked WVU to the edge of the in group, but it looked like they didn't want to. I'm sure many teams were disappointed when that one ended.

- Arizona did what they had to in blowing out Oregon State and may be a lock if they can avoid a blowout against Stanford.

- Dayton, Temple and St. Joe's all picked up must wins but are going to need more to squeeze into the dance. It's a start, though Dayton needing overtime to dispatch St. Louis isn't a great sign (to be fair St. Louis is playing better). They get a big shot today against Xavier.

- Today we kick off the Southland, SEC and ACC tournaments kicking off in full force. I'd expect to see a bit a movement by tomorrow with nearly every team hitting the floor today.

Bracket Racket 3/13

Bracket Racket 3/13


Welcome to the Dance!

Portland State
Viking dance for the time in team history, but have feel bad for NAU, who are fast becoming the Buffalo Bills of auto-bids.

Mount Saint Mary's
The lowest seed to earn an auto-bid so far, MSM looks like this year's mid-major Cinderella.



Yesterday's Important Results

Villanova 82 Syracuse 63
Nova could have been shooting from Central Park and hitting threes yesterday. Cuse preparing to set NIT attendance record once again.

Dayton 63 Saint Louis 62 (OT)
Flyers survive after nearly letting this one slip away, have one final shot at an at-large bid with game against Xavier today at noon.

West Virginia 58 Providence 53
If Friars could make a lay-up, they would have won this one. Mountaineers most likely erase any doubts.


Today’s Big Games

Xavier vs Dayton Noon
Flyers season on the line vs in-state rival. Muskies pissed about A-10 award snubs

Villanova vs Georgetown Noon ESPN
Wildcats need to keep it in single digitis, but can erase any doubt with revenge win

Florida vs Alabama 7:30
Gators long trek from bubble hell begins with game vs better-than-you-think Bama squad

USC vs Arizona State 3:00
Today is Pac-10 bubble elimination day. Sun Devils probably need this to sty in the bracket

Arizona vs Stanford 11:30
I personally think the Wildcats are in more trouble than people think. You can't blame 10 losses on injuries.

Oregon vs Washington State 9:00
More bubble action. Must win for surging Ducks

Marquette vs Notre Dame 9:30 ESPN
Irish can lock up a top four seed with victory

Miami vs NC State 2pm ESPN-FC
Canes will erase any doubt with a win

Utah vs New Mexico 11:30 CSTV
Lobos can get caught looking ahead to UNLV


Keep an Eye on….

- If any teams playing a major power (Villanova, Dayton) can go from "bubble" to "lock" in one day

- If the A - 10, the most unpredictable conference of the year, continues to have a very predicable tournament (every higher seed won)

- The Pac-10 bubble situation. One or possibly two teams will be eliminated after today.



Moving Up the Bracket

West Virginia (to 10 seed)



Top 8 Seeds

1. North Carolina (E)
UCLA (W)
Tennessee (M)
Memphis (S)

2. Wisconsin (M)
Georgetown (E)
Texas (S)
Kansas (W)


Last 6 In
South Alabama
Illinois State
Villanova
Ohio State
Arizona
Ole Miss


Last 6 Out
Arizona State
VCU
Oregon
Dayton
UAB
Virginia Tech

Portrait of a Floor Stormin': Portland State

For never making the Dance in school history, the Viking fans sure seemed to know how to storm a floor with ease. Congrats Vikings!

Portrait of a Floor Stormin': Mount Saint Mary's

Yup, The Mount is going to be the STF Cinderella for March. They have the cool name, energetic coach, and fanbase that had the balls to storm the opponent's floor. Count us as fans. Congrats MSM!

Gerry Mac Ain't Walking Through That Door....

And cross the Cuse off the bubble list. "Syracuse NIT Attendance Record" now leader for best bracket name.

STF Bubble Watch: 3/12/08

This week on Bubble Watch we'll be tracking a number of teams and letting you know just where we see them in the pecking order. Expect the bubble to fluctuate quite a bit as we head down the final stretch this week and teams hop on and off the bubble as they're eliminated from their conference tournaments (or even win them). It's now a daily scope folks. So no more waiting until Monday/Friday to see how much your A-10 squad has damaged their status this week. If there's any team not mentioned here that you're curious about just drop a comment or e-mail me here.


What Bubble? (Should be in):
St. Mary's, South Alabama, Kent State, Illinois State, Arizona, Arizona State, UMass, Arkansas, UNLV, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio State.

Let There Be Life (More than enough chances to get in, but out for now):
Syracuse, Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Villanova, Dayton, Temple, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oregon, and St. Joe's.

Neutral (Season's over, and need a lot of luck to get in.)
VCU

Auto-Bid Or Bust? (Can still play in, but it'll take a conference final appearance to make it happen and even that might not be enough):
Florida, Maryland, Rhode Island, Stephen F. Austin, UAB, and Houston.

Let's Get Eliminated (Season over...):
Southern Illinois, and Creighton.

Changes:
WKU off the bubble

A Few Thoughts

- Bubble teams rejoiced last night as Western Kentucky picked up the Sun Belt auto-bid and moved off the bubble. And Butler dispatched Cleveland State to keep another bid alive as well.

- Outside of WKU moving off the bubble their wasn't any movement on the bubble, but that'll change today as the Big East, C-USA, MAC, A-10, SWAC, MEAC, Big West, and Pac-10 tournaments all kick off with plenty of bubble games to watch out for.

- With no major movement to speak of I bid you adieu for today, but expect a whole bunch of shuffling tomorrow.

STF Conference Reports: Atlantic 10

(By Brett Kahn)

The field is set for what could be the most unpredictable conference tournament yet. The four coveted byes in this year’s tournament went to Xavier, Temple, UMass, and Richmond. Certain teams are getting hot at the right time and certain teams could not be getting colder. Right now, this conference is lucky if it gets two NCAA bids, but if Xavier runs the table, it might be the loan gunman in a field full of trigger-happy cowboys.

TEAM WITH THE BEST WEEK

After a so-so stretch from January to February, there isn’t a team hotter in the A-10 right now than UMass. Winners of six straight, the Minutemen are ready to do battle in this fierce tournament. Gary Forbes continues to make his case for conference player of year as he dropped 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 100-63 win over La Salle. He also added yet another 20-pt. effort in a 67-63 win at G.W that clinched a bye for the Minutemen. UMass is slated to play the winner of Charlotte and URI in the second round. They beat both of those teams during the regular season.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

I would probably give this coveted award to Gary Forbes again, but there is another player who is doing something remarkable this year. Christmas is said to come all-year round and that’s no exception in the A-10. Temple’s Dionte Christmas continues to score the basketball at a ridiculous level. Christmas averaged 22 points and 5.3 rebounds in Temple’s three straight wins this week. He also set a new school record for most 3-pointers in a season with 96. He is now tied with Forbes with a 20.3 scoring average to lead the conference. His play is coming at the right time as Temple has won four straight to lock up the #2 seed and a first round bye.

TEAM WITH THE WORST WEEK

After being a lock earlier in the season to go dancing, the Rhode Island Rams are now anything but. They have lost six of their last seven and go into the conference tournament as the #11 seed facing the #6 seed Charlotte, whom they just lost to. It is anything but smooth sailing for the Rams. For them to have any chance to make another magical run, like last year, Jimmy Baron has to give them a spark shooting the ball. The Rams have a nice inside presence with Will Daniels and Kahiem Seawright, but they need to shoot better than 33% from the field, which they did against Charlotte.

GAMES TO WATCH

A-10 Tournament 1^st round- Wednesday 3/12

Game 1 - #8 Dayton vs. #9 Saint Louis - 12:00

Game 2 - #5 Saint Joseph's vs. #12 Fordham - 2:30

Game 3 - #7 La Salle vs. #10 Duquesne - 6:30

Game 4 - #6 Charlotte vs. #11 Rhode Island - 9:00

Bracket Racket: 3/12

BRACKET RACKET 3/12

Welcome to the Dance!

Oral Roberts - This must be the year of the Mid-Major dynasties, as ORU wins third straight Summit/Badlands title and become just the latest team to repeat

Butler - Cleveland State put up fight, but Philly native Green and the Bulldogs were too much, winning the Horizon for the first time since 2001.

Western Kentucky - Now that is how to get yourself off the bubble! Lack of floor storming still slightly lame


Today’s Conference Finals


NEC
Sacred Heart vs Mount Saint Mary's ESPN2 7pm

Big Sky
Northern Arizona vs Portland State ESPN2 9pm


Keep an Eye on….

- The start of major conference tournament play. The bubble will be different tomorrow morning than it is today

- Villanova-Syracuse - It doesn't get any better than a virtual play-in at the Garden today at noon. Practice your basketball watching skills at work one week early.

- Which tournament bound Big East team (Pitt, Marquette, WVU) falls in the opening round and hurts its seeding


Top 8 Seeds

1. North Carolina (E)
UCLA (W)
Tennessee (M)
Memphis (S)

2. Wisconsin (M)
Georgetown (E)
Texas (S)
Kansas (W)

Last 6 In
South Alabama
Illinois State
Ohio State
Syracuse
Arizona
Ole Miss


Last 6 Out
Arizona State
VCU
Oregon
UAB
Villanova
Virginia Tech

Protrait of a Floor Stormin': Oral Roberts

Golden Eagle fans will not be called home tonight, as ORU dances for thrid straight season. Congrats ORU!

Horizon Second Half Blog

This Should Help SMC Fans Cope

Saint Mary's fan distraught over your team's WCC semifinal loss and fall to the bubble? This video from Big East madman Ted and ESPN the Mag may soothe your concerns for a bit...

STF Bubble Watch: 3/11/08

This week on Bubble Watch we'll be tracking a number of teams and letting you know just where we see them in the pecking order. Expect the bubble to fluctuate quite a bit as we head down the final stretch this week and teams hop on and off the bubble as they're eliminated from their conference tournaments (or even win them). It's now a daily scope folks. So no more waiting until Monday/Friday to see how much your A-10 squad has damaged their status this week. If there's any team not mentioned here that you're curious about just drop a comment or e-mail me here.


What Bubble? (Should be in):
St. Mary's, South Alabama, Kent State, Illinois State, Arizona, Arizona State, UMass, Arkansas, UNLV, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio State.

Let There Be Life (More than enough chances to get in, but out for now):
Syracuse, Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Villanova, Dayton, Temple, Ole Miss, Western Kentucky, Texas A&M, Oregon, and St. Joe's.

Neutral (Season's over, and need a lot of luck to get in.)
VCU

Auto-Bid Or Bust? (Can still play in, but it'll take a conference final appearance to make it happen and even that might not be enough):
Florida, Maryland, Rhode Island, Stephen F. Austin, UAB, and Houston.

Let's Get Eliminated (Season over...):
Southern Illinois, and Creighton.

Changes:
Davidson off the bubble
VCU into neutral
Ohio State replaced Oregon in the dance

A Few Thoughts

- While not a surprise at all, San Diego's win over Gonzaga last night effectively pushes VCU out of the dance as they stood as my last team in yesterday. This creates a new category as I'm not ready to eliminate the Rams all-together just yet. Though it's likely to happen if Cleveland State knocks off Butler tonight.

- After being asked to look over Ohio State's resume again against those currently in I've moved them into the dance at the expense of Oregon. It came to Syracuse and OSU over Oregon and the head-to-head match up put the Buckeyes in. Oregon remains very much alive though.

- I fully expect the Sun Belt to get both WKU and South Alabama in at this point. That is, assuming the Hilltoppers manage to knock off the Middle Tennessee State team that just tamed the Jaguars.

- The other auto-bid at stake tonight is in the Summit League. Where Oral Roberts hosts IUPUI, and while rooting for IUPUI I think ORU will once again reach the dance. Either way though it won't effect the bubble in the least.

Bracket Racket 3/11

Bracket Racket 3/11


Welcome to the Dance! George Mason
Think any major school wants to face these guys in a week?

Siena
Saints shut down Thompson, clinch first bid since 2002

San Diego
Finally! A Cinderella to get behind! Now claim wins over Gonzaga, Kentucky and SMC (twice)

Davidson
Finish off perfect SoCon season with win over pesky Elon Fighting Bryan James'


Yesterday's Important Results

Middle Tennessee State 82 South Alabama 73
....and we have our first bubble burst. Team USA is dancing and may steal bid from VCU in the process

Oral Roberts 58 IPFW 42
Eagles rally from eight-point halftime deficit.

Western Kentucky 70 Arkansas Little-Rock 55
Hilltoppers may not have to sweat out Selection Sunday after all


Today’s Conference Finals

Sun Belt
Western Kentucky vs Middle Tenn State

Summit/Badlands
Oral Roberts vs IUPUI

Horizon
Cleveland State vs Buter 9 p.m. ESPN


Keep an Eye on….

- If Cleveland State can continue Monday's upset trend and steal another bid with a win over Butler

- If WKU can seal the deal and avoid an anxious Selection Sunday by winning the Sun Belt auto-bid


Moving Up the Bracket

George Mason (to 11 seed)


Moving Down the Bracket

Gonzaga (to 6 seed)

South Alabama (to 11 seed)


Top 8 Seeds

1. North Carolina (E)
UCLA (W)
Tennessee (M)
Memphis (S)

2. Wisconsin (M)
Georgetown (E)
Texas (S)
Kansas (W)


Last 6 In
South Alabama
Illinois State
Ohio State
Syracuse
Arizona
Ole Miss


Last 6 Out
Arizona State
VCU
Oregon
UAB
Villanova
Virginia Tech

Portrait of Floor Stormin': San Diego

The Toreros are the early Cinderella of championship week. And if you can't root for a guy like Rob Jones (who came up huge with 15 points), I don't know what you tell you. Congrats Toreros!

Portraint of a Floor Stormin': Siena

Whenever you get to seal the bid on your home floor, you know that you in for an impressive storm. Congrats to Siena on a floor stormin' that made Tom Brennan cry. Seriously.

Portrait of Floor Stormin': George Mason

Wasn't sure if we should include Mason for this feature, but if STF is ever going to be accused of anything, it's being very pro-Gunston. Congrats Mason!

Live-blog of MAAC Championship

Kevin Dwire, friend of the site, is live-blogging the MAAC tournament. Hit his link:

SI.com live blog

Perhaps this will keep you from having to make those tough choices of which game to watch!

The Big East Tournament Breakdown

I was going to write a post before Saturday's Louisville vs. Georgetown tilt, and then I got lazy, and went on a series of bad Match.Com dates, and I realized in the back of my mind, surrounded by a ridiculous amount of bitterness, that the game didn't really matter. Sure, as a Georgetown alum, I wanted back-to-back Big East regular season crowns, but is the difference between a 1 and a 2 at MSG, especially when the other school would be from Kentucky and not have a strong alum base, really that important? Naw. Anyway, one of the most storied conference tournaments opens Wednesday. With a limited dosage of Family Guy references, let's overanalyze this bad boy, shall we?

WEDNESDAY

VILLANOVA VS. 'CUSE (NOON): I love Scottie Reynolds as much as the next guy, and Jay Wright's devilish handsomeness bewitches me just like the next man. Still, it's March, it's MSG, and it's Boeheim. How can you possibly pick 'Nova? PICK: SYRACUSE

WEST VIRGINIA VS. PROVIDENCE (2pm): Providence might be coming in on a little high, having beaten UConn last Thursday night. Still, it's, uh, Providence. Bands go there when their bus breaks down, not by choice. Morgantown isn't much better as a pop culture fixure, but I'll take Huggs in his WVU Big East Tourney debut to win at least one. PICK: WVU.

PITT VS. CINCY (7pm): The real key to this game is, can I use morning session tickets to sneak back in? To quote Rick Pitino, Kenny Satterfield ain't walking through that door. Pittsburgh's been hurt by scrapes and bruises this season, but they'll get out of this one with a win. PICK: PITT.

MARQUETTE VS. SETON HALL (9pm): My first three picks have been boring, and conventional. I think Marquette's a good team, although Tom Crean looks like he should have been in the movie "Hard Candy." Bobby Gonzo is a fiery son of a gun, Brian Laing might be ready to put his name in lights, and as a result, I'm taking Hall here. PICK: SHU.

THURSDAY

GEORGETOWN VS. 'CUSE: This game scares the living crap out of me, because 'Cuse always has Georgetown's number with that vaunted zone. Boeheim knows he needs a deep Tournament run to get off the bubble, so he'll have his dudes fired up. It's gonna be close, but for the sake of my weekend plans, I'll take Georgetown in a thrilla. PICK: GEORGETOWN.

CONNECTICUT VS. WVU: A.J. Price should be BE Player of the Year. Jeff Adrien is nasty - and talk about devilishly handsome! Thabeet will subject us to a bunch of "Tanzania" graphics. UConn will roll WVU in the process. PICK: UCONN.

LOUISVILLE VS. PITT: This one should be the best game of Thursday. Dixon is an underrated coach, and he loves to try and beat coaches with better reps. Pitt will wanna prove their early Top 10 ranking wasn't a fluke, and current media darling Louisville would be a good foe to topple as evidence. Still, the Cardinals have way too many dudes, so I'll take 'em. PICK: LOUISVILLE.

NOTRE DAME VS. SETON HALL: My friend tells me last night, "I'm terrified of ND." I found this statement interesting, because Georgetown utterly rolled them during the regular season. Harangody, to me, is the biggest disappointment return on potential promise since Jessica Simpson's film career (why can't someone find an appropriate role for her?). Still, since I went out on a limb with Seton Hall even getting to this game, I gotta take ND here. PICK: NOTRE DAME.

FRIDAY

GEORGETOWN VS. UCONN: This is where the dream dies. Even though UConn's great season should be NEXT year, I think they have enough dudes to get by GU in the 7pm Friday night game. Recall this: Georgetown beat them this year in DC only because their 7 foot tall center had to bury a three pointer late. Calhoun comes strapped (bad choice of words) for Big East games, and the lights are always brighter - and the arena full of more soused alums - on Friday. PICK: UCONN

NOTRE DAME VS. LOUISVILLE: This is where the Harangody Proxy completely falls apart, and David Padgett hands him his lunch - in a flaming bag of feces. PICK: LOUISVILLE.

SATURDAY NIGHT

UCONN VS. LOUISVILLE: I'm going out on a limb here and taking UConn to win the whole kit and kaboodle, slotting them into a 4 seed in Memphis' bracket, and creating an entertaining Sweet 16 game between Calhoun and Calipari in three weeks. This one should be a pretty good - let's be honest, there's no way this prediction is holding up, and somehow Seton Hall and 'Cuse are playing for the ring - and I'm taking Jeff Adrien to be the man here, capturing a Tourney MVP award that will pale in comparison to Caron Butler's in terms of "inspiring stories the New York Post can run the next day." PICK: UCONN.

I'll be back Wednesday with some nice ("I like!") Big East content. I'll be at Hotel Penn at 11am, and while I can't say I'll be live-blogging from there, I'll have something good for you bastards, I promise.

STF Bubble Watch: 3/10/08

This week on Bubble Watch we'll be tracking a number of teams and letting you know just where we see them in the pecking order. Expect the bubble to fluctuate quite a bit as we head down the final stretch this week and teams hop on and off the bubble as they're eliminated from their conference tournaments (or even win them). It's now a daily scope folks. So no more waiting until Monday/Friday to see how much your A-10 squad has damaged their status this week. If their's any team not mentioned here that your curious about just drop a comment or e-mail me here.


What Bubble? (Should be in):
St. Mary's, South Alabama, Kent State, Illinois State, Arizona, Arizona State, UMass, Arkansas, UNLV, Kentucky, West Virginia, Oregon, and VCU.

Let Their Be Life (More than enough chances to get in, but out for now):
Syracuse, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, New Mexico, Villanova, Dayton, Temple, Ole Miss, Western Kentucky, Texas A&M, and St. Joe's.

Auto-Bid Or Bust? (Can still play in, but it'll take a conference final appearance to make it happen and even that might not be enough):
Florida, Maryland, Rhode Island, Davidson, Stephen F. Austin, UAB, and Houston.

Let's Get Eliminated (Season over...):
Southern Illinois, and Creighton.

A Few Thoughts

- Syracuse and Villanova square off on Wednesday to open the Big East tournament. The loser is out while the winner likely moves into the field for at least that day.

- VCU is barely in for now in my eyes, but as my final team in their certainly out should a team like Gonzaga fall in their tourney final.

- I'm torn on Illinois State they seemed in easily before falling by 30 to Drake yesterday. They remain in, but their non-conference schedule could catch up to them in the end.

- I still have Ohio State out, but if they manage to knock off MSU again in their Big Ten opener their likely in to stay.

- The biggest gripe I'm likely to catch is Texas A&M and I'd probably see your point, but I cancel out the Texas win with the Texas loss and the assorted blowouts have me thinking NIT for this crew right now. Can you say Clemson 2007? These guys are going to regret blowing that lead at Arizona if they fail to knock off K-State in the Big 12 quarters.

Bracket Racket 3/10

Bracket Racket 3/10


This Weekend's Important Results

North Carolina 76 Duke 68
Heels close to wrapping up a #1 seed with decent ACC showing

Kentucky 75 Florida 70
Cats win SEC play-in game, will be dancing this season

USC 77 Stanford 64
Tough turnaround for Cardinal after emotionally draining UCLA loss

Oregon 78 Arizona 69
We said this may have been the biggest bubble game of the year and the Ducks take advantage

Syracuse 87 Marquette 72
Cuse set up play-in game with Villanova in Big East opener

Georgetown 55 Louisville 52
Hoyas in position for #2 seed with Big East championship

Ohio State 63 Michigan State 54
Gotta give the Buckeyes credit, they have played their way into the bracket

Virginia 91 Maryland 76
Thanks for playing Terrpians!

Dayton 79 Saint Joseph's 67
All of the good that the Xavier win did is gone, now Hawks must beat Muskies again in A-10 tourney to Dance

William and Mary 56 VCU 54
Our first bubble may have been burst with VCU loss....

Clemson 70 Virginia Tech 69
Hokies drop a must win that they hands their hands on...

Villanova 73 Providence 63
Did we mention that we are excited for the Nova-Cuse play-in game on Wednesday at MSG?

Temple 85 La Salle 66
A-10 bracket sets up nicely for the Owls

Drake 79 Illinois State 49
Does the blowout knock the Redbirds out of the tournament?

Memphis 94 UAB 56
Blowout loss does knock the Blazers out of the tournament


Welcome to the Dance!

Austin Peay
Everyone gets to Peay!

Winthrop
We're kinda sad we'll be missing Big Kenny, but give credit to the Yankees of the Big South

Belmont
Bruins make it a three-peat in the A-Sun with rout of Jacksonville

Drake
Easy to forget thanks to all the media attention that Drake hasn't danced since 1971


Today’s Conference Finals

William and Mary vs George Mason ESPN 7 p.m.
Tribe look to become the Cinderella of Championship Week

Gonzaga vs San Diego ESPN 9 p.m.
WCC title game won't feel the same without seeing the 3rd Round of Zaga-SMC

Rider vs Siena ESPN2 7 p.m.
Pulling for Rider just to see Jason Thompson play in March

Elon vs Davidson ESPN2 9 p.m.
Elon victory would be the shocker of championship week shockers


Keep an Eye on….

- If William and Mary can buck the early trend of favorties winning big this Championship and pull shocker over the GMU

- If Gonzaga can use a rout of SD to sneak into a #5 seed

- If the bubble eligible teams in the Sun Belt (USA and WKU) can reach the title game

Moving Up the Bracket

USC (to 6 seed)

Gonzaga (to 5 seed)

Drake (to 4 seed)


Moving Down the Bracket

Indiana (to 5 seed)

Vanderbilt (to 6 seed)

Duke (to 3 seed)


Top 8 Seeds

1. North Carolina (E)
UCLA (W)
Tennessee (M)
Memphis (S)

2. Wisconsin (M)
Georgetown (E)
Texas (S)
Kansas (W)



Last 6 In

Ohio State
Syracuse
Arizona
Ole Miss
Arizona State
VCU

Last 6 Out

Oregon
UAB
Villanova
Virginia Tech
Western Kentucky
New Mexico

Portrait of a Floor Stormin': William and Mary

It's about time we got to run this feature during Championship Week! William and Mary following its semifinal upset of #1 seed VCU. While you're at it, help us making a ruling.

We're Going to Need a Ruling: W&M; Fans Storm Floor after Making First-Ever CAA Final

William & Mary fans are in uncharted waters. A different hero has emerged for the Tribe every afternoon as they wend their way through the CAA tournament. As you may remember, W&M had never won a second-round game until this weekend. Nathan Mann's three pointer rattled in to give them a shot at #1 seed Virginia Commonwealth in the semifinals. That shot was not wasted, as Laimis Kisielius hit a jumper to give the Green and Gold a 56-54 trip to the finals.

After that, the student section threw down the plastic barriers in front of them and stormed the floor, eager to celebrate with the best damn Tribe team the world has ever seen. If you look at our rules for floor storming, you'd think I was against it. But sitting here in the Richmond Coliseum, watching middle-aged Tribe fans crying and hugging one another, it seemed somehow right. Granted, the perennial league doormats have to play the winners of the George Mason/UNC-Wilmington tilt that is playing out right in front of me at this moment, but I think a little euphoria is warrented - who knows what tomorrow will bring?

STF readers: Can we get a ruling?

STF Fan Rant: Is UCLA a Team of Destiny?

Today's Fan Rant is written by Neil Joshi of The Sports Lounge.

There's no doubting that the UCLA Bruins are one of the most talented teams in the nation. Armed with super freshman Kevin Love, and one of the nation's most improved players in Russell Westbrook, the Bruins have added a slasher and a reliable post presence to their already talented nucleus of Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, among others. Ben Howland's club is aiming for the their third straight trip to the Final Four when the Tournament begins on March 20th, and with the Florida Gators finally out of the way, the Bruins no longer have their kryptonite standing in front of them. Never before has that 12th championship banner seemed so close for the Bruins.

You would be hard pressed to find a more physical and imposing defensive team than Howland's Bruins, who have brought an air of toughness that hasn't usually been associated with the Pac-10. His new formula has helped UCLA to three straight regular season conference titles, something that hasn't been achieved since John Wooden, the Wizard of Westwood, was coach. With a unique blend of experienced veterans that have been through the rigors of the Tournament before, a hungry and supremely talented freshman that brings an unmatched hunger, and the ideal coach leading the way, the Bruins possess all the ingredients for a championship run. However, there appears to be even more that UCLA's got going for them.

For all the things that have gone right for the 27-3 Pac-10 Champions, it appears that a divine force has guided the Bruins up late. Case in point, Thursday's showdown with Stanford, a match-up that would decide the regular season conference champion of the toughest conference in America. UCLA started slowly, and was outclassed by the Cardinal for about 39 minutes. It appeared that Stanford had all but scored a monumental road victory that would parlay them into being the top seed in the Pac-10 Tournament. But, like they always seem to do in crunch time, UCLA conjured up something that seemed hard to believe. Missed Bruin free throws turned into unbelieveable put-back layups, shots that were bouncing off the rim in a listless first half were going in during the final moments, and most importantly, an extremely questionable foul call helped save the game, and quite possibly, the Pac-10 Championship, for UCLA.

Down 63-61 with six seconds to go, Collison took the ball the length of the floor, and stopped on a dime to take a shot to try and tie it. Stanford forward Lawrence Hill stymied Collison's attempt by blocking it 100%, -- the body contact was absolutely not enough to warrant a foul in that situation - yet the official blew his whistle and called a horrific foul call. Down 11 with five minutes to go, UCLA had come all the way back with a chance to tie it and force overtime. Of course, everyone knew there was no way Collison would miss the free throws, and he converted. The rest was history as UCLA walked away a 77-67 winner and Pac-10 champions.

One of these fortunate calls from the zebras was enough, but Saturday afternoon's game against Cal proved otherwise. Once again, after a shaky performance, the Bruins found themselves down double digits in the second half, but had another magical comeback in them. Down 80-76 with 30 seconds to go, UCLA struggled to find a quality shot to cut into the lead. Love received the ball at the perimeter, and double-pumped before hitting a remarkable three-point shot over Ryan Anderson, the conference's leading scorer. Still down one with 17 seconds to go, UCLA still had to foul, and they did, hacking Anderson immediately to save time. Only this time, the refs didn't call a foul, and in the madness that followed, the Bruins somehow got the ball back when it was called that Cal had knocked the ball out of bounds, even though Shipp and Westbrook were fighting for the ball as it went out of play.

That missed call only served as the appetizer for what would transpire over the final moments. Inbounding the ball from under their basket, Shipp received the ball and drove toward the hole, but was forced to shoot the ball over the backboard, a shot that remarkably went in. According to NCAA Rule 7, Section 1, Article, "The ball shall be out of bounds when it passes over the backboard from any direction." Clearly, Shipp's shot fit that description to a tee, but again the refs botched the call and it changed the outcome of the game in UCLA's favor for the second time in three nights. No matter how you interpret the events of the last two games, it's clear that this Bruins team has something special. A Team of Destiny? You decide.