Well, well, well… It seems as if I’ve gone cold. I scratched and clawed to stay an even .500. I doubled my losses from the first 4 days combined. It sucks. Hopefully we can bounce back with today’s slate. I figured that because teams like Campbell and Missouri State who I thought would make runs before the tournaments started, I’d count the games as losses. I’ve officially decided to count any losses that come from picking a team to win in a future round as a loss. Some of the tournaments that’ll be starting up I’ll go game by game as to not stack the losses against myself and keep it fair. Overall we are 40-12. Anyways, Here’s the slate.
America East Quarterfinals
#1 Vermont vs. #8 Maine
Maine won less games than Vermont lost. Vermont lost 6 games. Catamounts are going to win.
#2 Stony Brook vs. #7 Binghampton
A similar boat to Vermont, Stony Brook is really good and Binghampton, to be brutally honest, isn’t. Stony Brook made the honorable mentions of really good mid majors to watch.
#3 UMBC vs. #6 Albany
Flip the records and they have one another. UMBC went 19-12 and Albany went 12-19. After the incredible upset of Virginia as a 16 seed last season, UMBC looks to try and reclaim the magic of March. It’ll have to start here because an auto-bid will be the only way back into the tournament. I’m sure the Retrievers will be sniffing the auto-bid as they glide to the semifinal round.
#4 Hartford vs. #5 UMass-Lowell
Hartford has won 4 of 5. Lowell has lost 4 of 5. Hartford won 3 more conference games that Lowell did this season. They don’t shoot quite as well or rebound as well, but they did win a close one against Lowell recently. It’ll be a barn burner that ends in a Hartford win.
Colonial Athletic 1st Round
#7 Elon vs. #10 UNC-Wilmington
Two teams that endured a couple of tough seasons, this one is sure to be a good game. Although Elon took both meetings during the season, Wilmington is favorited in Vegas. I think that Elon will sweep the 3 game series this season.
#8 James Madison vs. #9 Towson
The home team won both matches this season. This game is played at a neutral site so we might truly see who the better team is. I think it will be James Madison. The offense is a touch better and defense is a touch better.
MAAC Quarterfinals
#3 Quinnipiac vs. #6 Monmouth
Monmouth is coming off a 4 point win against Niagara on Thursday. Fortunately for them, they get an extra day to prep and relax before they play a really good Quinnipiac team. Quinnipiac won both meetings this season. I think the Hawks of Monmouth will come up short while riding a small hot streak.
#4 Rider vs. #5 Siena
In what’s sure to be a closely contested game, we’ll see if Rider can ride their great rebounding to a victory. The Broncs will try to avenge a 2-point loss to Siena earlier this season. Their ability to score and 9.2 steals a night gives me confidence in them to win. I’m not sure how many schools have 3 players with at least 1.5 steals a game.
MVC Semifinal
#1 Loyola-Chicago vs. #5 Bradley
What I’m sure will be a good game, Loyola-Chicago’s last game on the court was against Bradley. They came out with a 13-point win. Although, they did split the season series. Loyola-Chicago shoots 6% better from the field and almost shoots 50% in total. Their lacking in rebounding might make this game a close one.
#2 Drake vs. #6 Northern Iowa
Drake is coming off a big win against a tough Illinois State team. While Northern Iowa played a close one down to the wire. Drake is a good team with a chance to get win number 25 and a shot to play for the auto-bid from this conference.
NEC Semifinal
#1 St. Francis-PA vs. #4 LIU-Brooklyn
Evenly matched in the numbers department, these teams split the season series. LIU-Brooklyn won the last matchup between these teams in late February. The series was split, the road team won each time. It’s going to be a close game, well fought but the Red Flash will hang on to win.
#2 Farleigh Dickinson vs. #4 Robert Morris
FDU has won 6 straight games. It’s tough to ignore a team that shoots 4% better than the other team. It helps when FDU is coming off a 38-point victory against a lesser conference team. Robert Morris has had a couple days to rest and prepare, but did only win a squeaker in overtime. The Knights are going to call checkmate on Robert Morris.
Southern Conference Quarterfinal
#1 Wofford vs. #8 VMI
Wofford is ranked for the first time in history. They’ve won 26 games already. Make it 27.
#2 UNC-Greensboro vs. #7 Samford
There are 4 teams in this conference that won at least 23 games this season. UNC-Greensboro has won 26 games and looks to stay hot. They do just about everything right and will in this one and stroll to a win.
#3 Furman vs. #6 Mercer
Furman has won 8 of 9 and started the year 12-0. They’ve gotten up to 24 wins now and I don’t see them having too much trouble beating Mercer.
#4 ETSU vs. #5 Chattanooga
The 4 best teams in this conference won almost twice as many conference games as there lower counterparts. I imagine all 4 of the higher seeds will be at least 10 point favorites per Vegas. It doesn’t matter if they’ll cover, but they’ll all win, including ETSU.
Summit League Quarterfinal
#1 South Dakota St vs. #8 Western Illinois
South Dakota State is the best team in the conference with one of the most decorated players of all-time. Mike Daum is a stud and will “Dauminate” this one.
#2 Omaha vs. #7 North Dakota
This Omaha team is good. They beat South Dakota State by 1 earlier this year. They’ve won 12 of 14 and will continue to play at a high level. They already beat North Dakota twice and will do it for a third time.
West Coast Quarterfinal
#3 BYU vs. #7 San Diego
San Diego is on a roll. They’ve won 2 straight games and just won by 17. After playing 2 straight days, it’ll be tough to win a third. BYU is fresh. They won their last game. Against? San Diego. They’ll do it again.
#4 San Francisco vs. #8 Pepperdine
San Francisco has lost 3 straight games. Despite that, they’ve won 21 games this season. 2 of those wins came against Pepperdine. They do everything just a little bit better than Pepperdine and will go on to win.
OVC Championship
#1 Belmont vs. #2 Murray State
Folks, this is the main event! Two teams, with identical records at 26-4 face off. Get to the tv screen and watch this one because you’ll be watching a fantastic game. Ja Morant and Murray State plays Belmont. Belmont has won 14 straight and Murray State has won 10 straight. This game is also intriguing because we’ll see if the loser of this game gets an open bid to the tournament. They are both so incredibly talented. If Murray State wins, I think Belmont will get a bid regardless. However, Murray State might have a tough shot getting in if they lose. I think Belmont wins and we’ll have to wait until a week from Sunday to know if Ja Morant will be playing in the big dance.
With the way I’m keeping track of my record, I’ll say it in the best way I can… I start the day at a disadvantage of 3 games. 3 games under .500, what are the odds we comeback big time?
