It's time to play your way in... or out! (2017-18 CBB thread, part 3)

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Thursday, March 8th

Now the messy part of "Tournament Week" begins: Where ALL the major conferences get serious and trot out the top teams. So you know what that means? I'm gonna leave all of those major conferences alone today and tomorrow (Don't worry; if anything BIG happens, I'll let you know in the recap).
As for the smaller conferences, here's what to watch: (All times are Eastern)

Atlantic 10 2nd Round [From Washington D.C]:
Dayton vs. VCU (12:00)
George Mason vs. UMass (Around 2:30)
Duquesne vs. Richmond (6:00)
Saint Louis vs. George Washington (Around 8:30)

MAC Quarterfinals [From Cleveland, OH]:
Central Michigan vs. Buffalo (12:00)
Kent State vs. Ball State (Around 2:30)
Miami-Ohio vs. Toledo (6:30)
Eastern Michigan vs. Akron (Around 9:00)

Mountain West Quarterfinals [From the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas]:
UNLV vs. Nevada (3:00) (A BIG in-state rivalry will start today's action in the Mountain West... and the bubble teams are REALLY hoping Nevada pulls through here.)
San Diego State vs. Fresno State (5:30)
Boise State vs. Utah State (9:00)
Wyoming vs. New Mexico (Around 11:30)

WAC Quarterfinals [From the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas]:
UMKC vs. Grand Canyon (3:00)
CSU-Bakersfield vs. Utah Valley (Around 5:30)
Chicago State vs. New Mexico State (9:00)
UT-Rio Grande vs. Seattle (Around 11:30)

Big West Quarterfinals [From Anaheim, CA]:
UC-Davis vs. UC-Riverside (3:00)
CS-Fullerton vs. Long Beach State (Around 5:30)
Hawaii vs. UC-Irvine (9:00)
Cal-Poly vs. UC-Santa Barbara (Around 11:30)

Big Sky Quarterfinals [From Reno, NV]:
North Dakota vs. Montana (3:05)
Northern Colorado vs. Weber State (Around 5:35)
Southern Utah vs. Idaho (8:35)
Eastern Washington vs. Portland State (Around 11:05)

MEAC Quarterfinals [Part 2] {From Norfolk, VA}:
North Carolina Central vs. Savannah State (6:00)
Norfolk State vs. North Carolina A&T (Around 8:30)

Southland 2nd Round [From Katy, TX]:
New Orleans vs. San Houston State (6:00)
Stephan F. Austin vs. Central Arkansas (Around 8:30)

Conference USA Quarterfinals [From Frisco, TX]:
Middle Tennessee vs. Southern Miss (7:00)
UTSA vs. Marshall (7:30)
Old Dominion vs. Louisiana Tech (Around 9:30)
Western Kentucky vs. UAB (Around 10:00)​

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

3/8 recap

So here's what happened last night: Baylor got eliminated from the NCAA's by West Virginia, we're gonna have to deal with Duke-UNC again tonight, Kansas State and Providence looks to be in the clear, and Utah and Boise State now looks to be out.

Southern Miss vs. Middle Tennessee - Game Summary - March 8, 2018 - ESPN And then came THIS game: A penultimate disaster for both Middle Tennessee and (maybe) bubble teams everywhere.
Oh, and also in C-USA we had Marshall, Western Kentucky, and Old Dominion all winning.

Now let's get to everybody else!

Atlantic 10 2nd Round:
VCU over Dayton 77-72
George Mason over UMass 80-75
Saint Louis over George Washington 70-63
Richmond over Duquesne 81-68

Mountain West Quarterfinals:
Nevada over UNLV 77-72
San Diego State over Fresno State 64-52; will meet Nevada in semis
Utah State upsets Boise State 78-75 (And now Boise is officially OUT.)
New Mexico over Wyoming 85-75; will meet Utah State in semis

MAC Quarterfinals:
Buffalo over Central Michigan 89-74
Kent State over Ball State 76-73; will meet Buffalo in semis
Toledo over Miami-Ohio 71-69
Eastern Michigan over Akron 67-58; will meet Toledo in semis

WAC Quarterfinals:
Grand Canyon over UMKC 77-74
Utah Valley over CSU-Bakersfield 81-74; will meet Grand Canyon in semis
New Mexico State over Chicago State 97-70
Seattle over UT-Rio Grande 77-60; will meet NMSU in semis

Big Sky Quarterfinals:
Montana over North Dakota 84-76
Northern Colorado over Weber State 80-55; will meet Montana in semis
Southern Utah upsets Idaho 92-78
Eastern Washington over Portland State 78-72; will meet Southern Utah in semis

Big West Quarterfinals:
UC-Davis over UC-Riverside 70-66
CS-Fullerton over Long Beach State 76-74; will meet UC-Davis in semis
UC-Irvine over Hawaii 68-67
UC-Santa Barbara over Cal Poly 75-53; will meet UC-Irvine in semis

MEAC Quarterfinals [Part 2]:
North Carolina Central over Savannah State 58-56
North Carolina A&T over Norfolk State 70-64

Southland 2nd Round:
Sam Houston State over New Orleans 85-63
Stephan F. Austin over Central Arkansas 86-64​

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

March 9th [Part 1: Major tournaments]

So WHY am I covering the major tournaments today? Because there's still a LOT of chances for a bubble team to rise up and steal a coveted NCAA berth. And with all of the majors now in either quarterfinal or semifinal action, something HAS to go down today. It just HAS to. So... (All times are Eastern)

American Quarterfinals [From Orlando, FL]:
SMU vs. Cincinnati (12:00)
Tulsa vs. Memphis (30 minutes after above game)
Temple vs. Wichita State (7:00)
Houston vs. UCF (30 minutes after above game)

SEC Quarterfinals [From St. Louis, MO]:
Auburn vs. Alabama (1:00) [If Alabama pulls off the upset, maybe they CAN get an NCAA bid!]
Georgia vs. Kentucky (30 minutes after above game)
Tennessee vs. Mississippi State (7:00)
Florida vs. Arkansas (Around 9:30)

Big East Semifinals [From Madison Square Garden]:
Providence vs. Villanova (6:30)
Butler vs. Xavier (9:00)

ACC Semifinals [From the Barclays Center in Brooklyn]:
Clemson vs. Virginia (7:00)
Yet another installment of Duke-UNC (30 minutes after above game)

Big 12 Semifinals [From Kansas City, MO]:
Kansas vs. Kansas State (7:00)
Texas Tech vs. West Virginia (30 minutes after above game)

PAC-12 Semifinals [From the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas]:
Game of the Day: UCLA vs. Arizona (9:00) [Much like Alabama, UCLA can seal an NCAA berth with a win today.
Oregon vs. USC (Around 11:30)​

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

March 9th [Part 2: Other conference tourneys]

...Well, might as well get this over with. Soon, I'll be knee-deep in screaming over "Bingo Blitz", so I better do this while I'm still in a good mood: (All times are Eastern)

Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals [From Washington, D.C]:
VCU vs. Rhode Island (12:00) [After what happened to Middle Tennessee yesterday, the Rams have to be careful here.]
George Mason vs. Saint Joseph's (Around 2:30)
Richmond vs. St. Bonaventure (6:00)
Saint Louis vs. Davidson (Around 8:30)

Sun Belt Quarterfinals [From New Orleans, LA]:
Texas State vs. UL-Lafayette (12:30)
Appalachian State vs. UT-Arlington (Around 3:00)
Troy vs. Georgia State (6:00)
UL-Monroe vs. Georgia Southern (Around 8:30)

Conference USA Semifinals [From Frisco, TX]:
Southern Miss vs. Marshall (1:30)
Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion (Around 4:00)

SWAC Semifinals [From Houston, TX]:
Southern vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff (3:30)
Texas Southern vs. Prairie View A&M (9:30)

MEAC Semifinals [From Norfolk, VA]:
North Carolina A&T vs. Hampton (6:00)
Morgan State vs. North Carolina Central (Around 8:30)

Southland Semifinals [From Katy, TX]:
SE-Louisiana vs. Sam Houston State (6:00)
Stephan F. Austin vs. Nicholls State (Around 8:30)

MAC Semifinals [From Cleveland, OH]:
Kent State vs. Buffalo (6:30)
Eastern Michigan vs. Toledo (Around 9:00)

Big Sky Semifinals [From Reno, NV]:
Northern Colorado vs. Montana (8:35)
Southern Utah vs. Eastern Washington (Around 11:05)

Mountain West Semifinals [From the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas]:
San Diego State vs. Nevada (9:00) [The Aztecs are on a roll right now, so be careful Nevada.)
Utah State vs. New Mexico (Around 11:30)

Big West Semifinals [From Anaheim, CA]:
UC-Davis vs. CS-Fullerton (9:30)
UC-Santa Barbara vs. UC-Irvine (30 minutes after above game)

WAC Semifinals [From the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas]:
Utah Valley vs. Grand Canyon (9:00)
Seattle vs. New Mexico State (Around 11:30)​

 

[tducey]

Thanks for the great analysis @Dolgevillefootballfan. Good to follow along and see what's happening.

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

3/9 recap

So on Friday we had Providence officially punching it's NCAA ticket by beating Xavier, USC punching their ticket after making the PAC-12 final, Alabama almost punching their ticket after beating Auburn, and the Mountain West...
OK, no more spoilers. Let's just check the smaller conferences to see what's up: (All times are Eastern)

Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals:
Rhode Island over VCU 76-67
Saint Joseph's over George Mason 67-49; will meet Rhode Island in semis
St. Bonaventure over Richmond 83-77
Davidson over Saint Louis 78-60

Sun Belt Quarterfinals:
UL-Lafayette over Texas State 80-54
UT-Arlington over Appalachian State 84-68; will meet UL-Lafayette in semis
Georgia State over Troy 73-51
Georgia Southern over UL-Monroe 63-55

Conference USA Semifinals:
Marshall over Southern Miss 85-75
Western Kentucky over Old Dominion 57-49

SWAC Semifinals:
Arkansas Pine-Bluff over Southern 71-65
Texas Southern over Prairie View A&M 88-74

Southland Semifinals:
SE Louisiana over Sam Houston State 89-79
Stephan F. Austin over Nicholls State 78-66

MEAC Semifinals:
Hampton over North Carolina A&T 96-86
North Carolina Central over Morgan State 79-70

MAC Semifinals:
Buffalo over Kent State 78-61
Toledo over Eastern Michigan 64-63 (Heard that it was a wild finish here.)

WAC Semifinals:
Grand Canyon over Utah Valley 75-60
New Mexico State over Seattle 84-79

Big Sky Semifinals:
Montana over Northern Colorado 91-89 in OT
Eastern Washington over Southern Utah 82-70

Big West Semifinals:
CS-Fullerton over UC-Davis 55-52
UC-Irvine over UC-Santa Barbara 61-58
​

And finally in the Mountain West, New Mexico is left to try to conquer... San Diego State? And not NCAA-bound Nevada?! WHAT... THE F-

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

March 10th [Part 1: Semifinals and major finals]

Strange... There are almost NO "bubble teams" left in the major conference tourneys. I think Alabama's the only one left.
Let's see if I'm right, as I begin this look on today's action! (All times are Eastern)

Ivy League Semifinals [From Philadelphia, PA]:
Harvard vs. Cornell (12:30)
Yale vs. Penn (Around 3:00)

Sun Belt Semifinals [From New Orleans, LA]:
UL-Lafayette vs. UT-Arlington (12:30)
Georgia State vs. Georgia Southern (Around 3:00)

American Semifinals [From Orlando, FL]:
Memphis vs. Cincinnati (1:00)
Houston vs. Wichita State (Around 3:30)

Atlantic 10 Semifinals [From Washington, D.C]:
Rhode Island vs. Saint Joseph's (1:00) [First Middle Tennessee, and now Nevada. Bubble teams are again praying that the Rams hold firm here.]
St. Bonaventure vs. Davidson (Around 3:30) [And to a lesser extent, for the Bonnies to hold firm.]

SEC Semifinals [From St. Louis, MO]:
Alabama vs. Kentucky (1:00)
Arkansas vs. Tennessee (Around 3:30)

Big 12 Championship:
Kansas vs. West Virginia (6:00)

Big East Championship:
Providence vs. Villanova (6:30)

ACC Championship:
Virginia vs. North Carolina (8:30) [Wait a minute... Are you telling me, ESPN, that if UNC wins this game they'll be a #1 seed? ...That's means this is our Game of the Day!]

PAC-12 Championship:
Arizona vs. USC (10:00)​

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

March 10th (Part 2: Championship games list)

Some people will be fighting to MAYBE get an NCAA berth today. This is the list of people that we KNOW are fighting for NCAA berths today: (All times are Eastern)

American East Championship:
UMBC @ Vermont (11:00 A.M)

MEAC Championship:
North Carolina Central vs. Hampton (1:00)

SWAC Championship:
Texas Southern vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff (5:00)

Mountain West Championship:
New Mexico vs. San Diego State (6:00)

MAC Championship:
Buffalo vs. Toledo (7:00)

Big Sky Championship:
Eastern Washington vs. Montana (8:00)

Conference USA Championship:
Marshall vs. Western Kentucky (8:30)

Southland Championship:
SE-Louisiana vs. Stephan F. Austin (9:00)

WAC Championship:
New Mexico State vs. Grand Canyon (10:00)

Big West Championship:
UC-Irvine vs. CS-Fullerton (12:00 midnight)​

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

3/10 recap

...Lots of stuff happened yesterday. With the big question we asked being "How can it be 'Daylight Savings Time' already?!"
Oh, and there were some NCAA bids handed out today. For example...

American East: UMBC upsets Vermont 65-62 (I had no idea that UMBC had lost so many consecutive games to Vermont until this game was over.)
MEAC: North Carolina Central over Hampton 71-63
SWAC: Texas Southern over Arkansas Pine-Bluff 84-69 (And now Texas Southern advances to the "NCAA First Four" round, their opponent yet to be determined.)
Mountain West: San Diego State over New Mexico 82-75
Big Sky: Montana over Eastern Washington 82-65
Conference USA: Marshall over Western Kentucky 67-66
Southland: Stephan F. Austin over SE Louisiana 59-55
Big West: CS-Fullerton over UC-Irvine 71-55
MAC: Buffalo over Toledo 76-66
WAC: New Mexico State over Grand Canyon 72-58

Semifinal games:

Atlantic 10 Semis:
Rhode Island over Saint Joseph's 90-87
Davidson over St. Bonaventure 82-70 (Not really a disaster; the Bonnies look to be safely in. Now if Davidson wins tomorrow, THEN it'll be a disaster.)

Sun Belt Semis:
UT-Arlington over UL-Lafayette 71-68 (Oh dear... A 27-6 team now looks to be OUT of the NCAA picture. Dammit, Cajuns!)
Georgia State over Georgia Southern 73-67

Ivy League Semis:
Harvard over Cornell 74-55
Penn over Yale 80-57​

 

[Dolgevillefootballfan]

Sunday, March 11th

A little confession here: I'll be tuning in to this "NCAA Selection" thing at around 6:30. Mainly because after all the chaos that's been going on, I'm not in the mood for faffing about. Best for me to take it in all at once.

Oh! Isn't there still some spots to fill? Okay, let me check: (All times are Eastern)

Ivy League Championship:
Penn vs. Harvard (12:00)

Atlantic-10 Championship:
Game of the Day: Rhode Island vs. Davidson (1:00) [Why is this the Game of the Day? Because if Davidson wins this, one more bubble team will bite the dust?)

SEC Championship:
Tennessee vs. Kentucky (1:00)

Sun Belt Championship:
Georgia State vs. UT-Arlington (2:00)

American Championship:
Cincinnati vs. Houston (3:30)
​

 

[DJ]

What's this new Quad system I'm hearing on the CBS pre-game show?