Tourney Central 3/4/07

by Kyle Whelliston on March 4, 2007 8:00 AM • Permalink

Bullet Points

We have four champions on the busiest day of Championship Fortnight: all hail Winthrop of the Big South and Davidson of the SoCon, double champions both. Second seeds who rose up to claim tourney championships and dance tickets: Eastern Kentucky of the Ohio Valley and Belmont of the Atlantic Sun.
Nos. 1 and 2 Southern Illinois and Creighton advanced to play in the Missouri Valley final, today's only autobid game. (They're both in, anyway.)
Butler survived an overtime scare from recent nemesis Loyola (Ill.) to reach Tuesday's Horizon League final; they're safely into the NCAA's now.

Cinderella! George Mason upset Hofstra in the CAA quarterfinals.

In other minor upsets, Maryland-Baltimore County reached the America East semis, and San Diego is going to the WCC final four. Both were five-seeds.

Plenty of semifinals today: the Colonial, Metro Atlantic, America East, Patriot League and Northeast are cutting their fields in half from four to two. Two more quarterfinals in the Mid-Con, and the Sun Belt will recommence play at Louisiana-Lafayette, even though the host school was eliminated on the road in the first round.

Brackets

(2) Eastern Kentucky 63, (1) Austin Peay 62 | GameFlo

(1) Davidson 72, (2) College of Charleston 65 | GameFlo

(2) Belmont 94, (1) East Tennessee State 67 | GameFlo

(1) Winthrop 84, (6) Virginia Military Institute 81 | GameFlo

(1) Southern Illinois 53, (5) Bradley 51 | GameFlo
(2) Creighton 75, (4) Missouri State 58 | GameFlo

(1) Wright State 67, (4) Wisconsin-Green Bay 51 | GameFlo
(2) Butler 67, (3) Loyola (Ill.) 66 | GameFlo

(3) Montana 70, (6) Idaho State 63 | GameFlo
(4) Portland State 96, (5) Montana State 71 | GameFlo

(1) Virginia Commonwealth 73, (9) Georgia State 60 | GameFlo
(4) Drexel 64, (5) Northeastern 50 | GameFlo
(3) Old Dominion 58, (7) Towson 55 | GameFlo
(6) George Mason 64, (3) Hofstra 61 | GameFlo

(1) Vermont 81, (8) Hartford 62 | GameFlo
(2) Albany 64, (7) New Hampshire 47 | GameFlo
(3) Boston University 62, (6) Binghamton 58 | GameFlo
(5) Maryland-Baltimore County 70, (4) Maine 61 | GameFlo

(1) Marist 87, (8) Canisius 63 | GameFlo
(2) Niagara 77, (7) Rider 52 | GameFlo
(3) Loyola (Md.) 76, (6) Fairfield 72 | GameFlo
(4) Siena 75, (5) Manhattan 72 | GameFlo

(1) Oral Roberts 79, (8) Centenary 59 | GameFlo
(2) Oakland 74, (7) Western Illinois 57 | GameFlo

(5) San Diego 77, (4) San Francisco 75 | GameFlo
(3) Saint Mary`s 87, (7) Portland 47 | GameFlo

Previews
Will turn into boxscores once play is compete.

Missouri Valley Final
Creighton vs. Southern Illinois

America East Semifinals
Boston University vs. Albany
Maryland-Baltimore County vs. Vermont

Colonial Semifinals
Drexel vs. Virginia Commonwealth
George Mason vs. Old Dominion

Metro Atlantic Semifinals
Siena vs. Marist
Niagara vs. Loyola

Northeast Semifinals
Mount Saint Mary`s vs. Central Connecticut State
Quinnipiac vs. Sacred Heart

Patriot League Semifinals
American vs. Holy Cross
Army vs. Bucknell

West Coast Semifinals
San Diego vs. UMPFN
Saint Mary`s vs. Santa Clara

Mid-Continent Quarterfinals
Southern Utah vs. IUPUI
Missouri-Kansas City vs. Valparaiso

Sun Belt Quaterfinals
Louisiana-Monroe vs. North Texas
Middle Tennessee State vs. South Alabama
New Orleans vs. Arkansas State
Florida Atlantic vs. Western Kentucky

Good Night

Thunder only happens when its raining, and players only love you when they're playing. But the players on the following teams still love you, as they're sitting there contemplating the faraway postseason thunder, because there will be no more raining of threes for them. Charleston and VMI, you came so close but they are now in the stillness of remembering what they had. For UWGB, Loyola, Idaho State, Montana State, Georgia State, Northeastern, Towson, Hofstra, Hartford, New Hampshire, Binghamton, Maine, Canisius, Rider, Fairfield, Manhattan, Centenary, Western Illinois, San Francisco and Portland. Seasons, they will come and they will go.