Tourney Central 2008: March 2008 Archives

Bullet Points

• In the final final in mid-majordom, Texas-Arlington emerged as surprise Southland champs. All hail!
• We had 78 entries into our "guess-the-play-in-matchup" contest on Saturday, and not a single correct answer. The correct pairing, as we all know now, is Coppin State (MEAC) against Mount Saint Mary's (NEC).
• Championship Week 2008 is history. Final brackets for all 22 tourneys, for archival purposes, are below.

Bullet Points

• The autobid picture is nearly complete, as seven champions were named on Saturday.
• Kent State and UMBC followed up their regular-season trophies with tourney rings, in the MAC and America East respectively.
• In a low-seed shocker, No. 7 Coppin State upset No. 1 Morgan State in the MEAC.
• Temple took the A-14 crown by beating Philly rivals Saint Joseph's, but both teams are likely in. Mississippi Valley State won the SWAC on last-second free throws, and Cal State Fullerton emerged victorious in the Big West.
• There's always one game during Championship Fortnight that stands above the others in terms of thrills and drama. This year, it was the WAC battle between Boise State and New Mexico State; in three overtimes, BSU prevailed 107-102.
• One more championship game remains at our level: the Southland winner-take-all battle between Texas-Arlington and Northwestern State.
• You thought it might never come, but it's Selection Sunday.

Bullet Points

• Bow down before the altar of American, poxy fules. The Eagles are going dancing out of the Patriot League for the first time in school history.
• Today will see the crowning glory in seven conferences. The America East, Atlantic 14, MAC, SWAC, MEAC, WAC and Big West will all have champions by the end of Saturday's action.
• Friday will go down as one of the loopiest days in small-college basketball history. In 15 games last night, the higher seed only won five times. No fewer than five one-seeds went down: Xavier (A-14), UC Santa Barbara (Big West), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Alabama State (SWAC) and Utah State (WAC) all lost. We have two No. 7 seeds in the finals: Coppin State of the MEAC and Texas-Arlington in the Southland.
• Top seeds Kent State (MAC) and Morgan State (MEAC), however, survived... and will have the opportunities to become double-champions on Saturday.
• The first person who writes in with what turns out to be the correct matchup of Tuesday's play-in game wins a stuffed Bally. With all the upsets in Mid-ville yesterday, we couldn't even begin to guess.

Bullet Points

• No autobids given out on Thursday, but high seeds fell like falling things. Texas-Arlington showed No. 2 Lamar the door in the Southland quarterfinals. In the Atlantic 14, No. 6 Charlotte defeated No. 3 UMass, and there was a six-over-three in the SWAC, as Arkansas-Pine Bluff dumped Alabama A&M.
• Some upsets were less dramatic, but threw their conference brackets into disarray nonetheless. No. 5 UC Irvine took out No. 4 Pacific in the Big West. The A-14's No. 5, Saint Joseph's, trounced No. 4 Richmond in Atlantic City. Miami (Oh.), the MAC's No. 5, eliminated four-seed Ohio.
• The Patriot League will determine a champion this afternoon, as Colgate takes on American.
• Semifinals in the A-14, Big West, MEAC, Southland, SWAC and WAC tonight, leading up to the final weekend of league elimination.

Bullet Points

• Make way on the big bracket for two more mid-major champions: Mount Saint Mary's, surprise winners of the NEC out of a No. 4 seed, and Portland State, double-champions of the Big Sky.
• There were three exciting finishes in the Atlantic 14, with La Salle, Dayton and Charlotte pulling out thrilling first-round wins to keep their seasons alive.
• A sizeable upset in the MEAC quarterfinals, as No. 7 seed Coppin State stunned No. 2 Hampton 75-74.
• A big day for quarterfinals around Hoops Nation as the final wave of tourneys moves forward. The A-14, MAC, Southland and WAC whittle eights into fours. The SWAC and MEAC will complete quarterfinal rounds that began yesterday.

Bullet Points

• Three more automatic bids were awarded last night. Full 100 percent congratulations to Butler, double-champions of the Horizon League, as well as Oral Roberts, three-time titlists of the Mid-Con cum Summit cum Badlands Conference. Western Kentucky is back in the Dance from the Sun Belt for the first time since 2003.
• Two more tonight... the Northeast and Big Sky send their winners on to the NCAA's.
• The Atlantic 14 and MAC begin play with first-round quadruple-headers today, and the Big West joins in as well with first-round games. The SWAC will stage two quarterfinals in Birmingham, while the MEAC will finish its first round and play two quarters of its own in Raleigh.

Bullet Points

• Scissors and ladders were indeed used last night, as four mid-major champions ascended to thrones. Davidson streaked to a third consecutive title in the SoCon, George Mason survived the Colonial tourney, Siena is the double-champ in the MAAC, and San Diego stole the WCC title from Gonzaga.
• USD wasn't the only surprise last night. In the Sun Belt, Middle Tennessee State beat top seed South Alabama for the second time in a month, effectively ending USA's at-large dreams.
• Three more finals tonight. The Horizon League, Summit Badlands Conference, and Sun Belt will name their autobid winners.
• The Big Sky moves to its semifinal stage.
• Two more conferences kick off their events. The MEAC showcases two quarterfinal games in Raleigh, while the WAC holds a campus-site play-in game in advance of its quarters in Las Cruces, N.M. later this week.

Bullet Points

• All hail Drake, double-champions of the Missouri Valley Conference. Not only did the Bulldogs capture their first MVC tourney ever, it was the first time in 10 years the regular season champs survived Arch Madness.
• Four finals tonight: we'll have autobids delivered in the Colonial, Metro Atlantic, SoCon and WCC.
• On Semifinal Sunday, CAA No. 5 William & Mary won its third straight game with a basket in the final 10 seconds, upsetting top seed VCU. WCC No. 2 Saint Mary's lost on No. 3 San Diego's home court in double OT, so now the Rams and Gaels will sweat out the next week to see if either or both will receive at-large NCAA bids.
• After a tame quarterfinal round, the NEC saw its top two lose at home to Sacred Heart and Mount Saint Mary's.
• We learned final pairings for several other conferences: America East (UMBC-Hartford), Metro Atlantic (Siena-Rider), Patriot (American-Colgate), SoCon (Davidson-Elon).
• The Badlands/Summit and Sun Belt are down to final fours, and will contest semis tonight.

With the end of the regular season today, all conference tournament brackets in the mid-major (and A-14) domain have been finalized. After the jump, opening brackets for this week's events: the MEAC, SWAC, Mid-American, Big West, Atlantic 14, WAC and Southland.

Bullet Points

• Three autobids were given out yesterday. All hail mighty Winthrop of the Big South, Austin Peay of the Ohio Valley Conference, and the Atlantic Sun's Belmont. All are off to the Big Dance!
• One final today -- the championship of the Missouri Valley Conference. Drake and Illinois State won semifinals yesterday.
• The final of the Horizon League is set, with Cleveland State playing at Butler on Tuesday.
• Big semifinal day today. Final fours will be contested in the CAA, America East, Metro Atlantic, WCC, NEC and Patriot League and SoCon today. The quarterfinal round continues in the Badlands Conference (a/k/a Summit), and begins in the Sun Belt.

Bullet Points

• Today, three autobids to the NCAA Tournament will be awarded! The Big South, Ohio Valley and Atlantic Sun will crown champions.
• The No. 6 was a lucky number yesterday -- surprising Tennessee State moved to the finals of the OVC, Northern Iowa upset No. 3 Southern Illinois in the MVC, and Valparaiso continued its Horizon League run by advancing into the semis.
• The Colonial, Metro Atlantic, America East, SoCon and WCC had first rounds with few shocks, though No. 10 Canisius overcame No. 7 Iona in the MAAC and the CAA's Towson (No. 9) pulled off a mild upset over No. 8 Hofstra.
• More tourneys continue on. The Horizon League and MVC will stage semifinal rounds today, and quarterfinal quadruple-headers are happening in the America East, Metro Atlantic and SoCon. The West Coast moves to a second round.
• Two more conference tournaments get under way: the Summit League (Badlands Conference) kicks off in Tulsa, while the Big Sky will hold a campus-site first round.

Bullet Points

• There was an upset in the Atlantic Sun quarters, as No. 6 Gardner-Webb routed No. 3 Stetson.
• The Big South final is set: UNC Asheville and Winthrop, the league's top two seeds. The game will be played Saturday.
• In the MVC first round, No. 8 Indiana State and No. 7 Missouri State advanced to play top seeds Drake and Illinois State, respectively.
• The Northeast Conference quarters went as planned; all four top seeds advanced.
• It's First Round Friday -- or "Pillowfight Friday," if you prefer -- in several leagues tonight. These leagues will hold play-in games while their top seeds look on: the CAA, Metro Atlantic, the SoCon, America East and WCC.
• The Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley semifinals play out tonight, in advance of championship games tomorrow. The Missouri Valley continues with a quarterfinal round in St. Louis, and the Horizon League will hold its second round at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Bullet Points

• All four Patriot League quarters were decided by three points or less, and the round featured two upsets as No. 7 Bucknell and No. 5 Army advanced. Bucknell beat No. 2 Navy 87-86 on a John Griffin 40-foot buzzer-beater in triple overtime.
• In the Sun Belt, the campus-site first round produced a 12-over-5 upset, as Troy won at Louisiana-Lafayette.
• Atlantic Sun top seeds Belmont and Jacksonville advanced to Friday's semifinal round.
• Two tourneys get under way tonight: the Missouri Valley holds its first round in St. Louis, while the Northeast Conference quarterfinals get going at campus sites.

Bullet Points

• The first two upsets of Championship Fortnight occurred yesterday. The OVC's No. 6 Tennessee State won at No. 3 Morehead State, while Horizon No. 8 Loyola (Ill.) shocked No. 5 Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
• The Big South's four top seeds won to set up Thursday's semifinals.
• OVC No. 4 Tennessee-Martin beat No. 5 Samford 101-94 in triple overtime, ending the Bulldogs' stay in the conference. Samford will join the SoCon in 2008-09.
• Three more tourneys get under way tonight: the Sun Belt holds a campus-site first round in advance of quarterfinals this weekend, the Patriot League's campus-site quarterfinal round begins, and the Atlantic Sun will stage two quarterfinal contests.

Bullet Points

• Championship Week, which is technically 13 days long, begins tonight. You can call it Championship Fortnight if you prefer.
• The OVC and Big South will hold campus-site quarterfinals, while the Horizon League will stage four low-seed qualifiers for this weekend's rounds at regular-season champion Butler.