Two of the three teams who won their conference tournament titles are both ones that I know I will be keeping my eye on when the bracket comes out for the Big Dance. Let’s look at Tuesday’s action as there are 13 squads in the tournament automatically now. On Wednesday, four Big East Tournament games comes at you on the ESPN family of networks, the MAC gets going as Quicken Loans Arena action begins, and Championship Week continues to heat up.
Tuesday’s Action
South Dakota State Outlasts North Dakota State 73-67, to Win Summit League Title
It was a battle of the Dakota’s on Tuesday night as Sioux Falls Arena was sold-out. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were a #14-seed in 2012, but they could not get past the Baylor Bears in the first round of the tournament. They have another shot this year to make a statement. They will most likely be a #14-seed this year as well. Nate Wolters scored 27 points to lead SD State, as the Jackrabbits are on their way from Sioux Falls to the Big Dance. Watch out for this team in your bracket, because Wolters is a guy that analysts are making a lot of noise about to get big-time honors in the postseason.
Valparaiso Gets the Best of Wright State 62-54 as Crusaders Win the Horizon League Championship
Valpo closed out the Raiders of Wright State on Tuesday night on the Crusaders’ home court. Valparaiso celebrated the big victory in front of their own home crowd, as guards Erik Buggs scored a career-high 22 points and Will Bogan scored 14 points. It will be the first appearance for Valparaiso in the NCAA Tournament since 2004. A team that is 7th in the country in field goal percentage (.488 %), the Crusaders are a definite team to watch as well in the Big Dance. This is a team that is very disciplined and plays stout defense, so keep an eye on Valpo.
LIU Brooklyn Rolls Mount St. Mary’s 91-70, to Win the Northeast Conference
C.J. Garner scored 31 points for the Blackbirds a LIU Brooklyn ran ship on their own home floor. Mount St. Mary’s did not have an answer for Garner all night long, as LIU punches an automatic bid. They will most likely receive a #16-seed.
BIG EAST Tournament Scores
The first round of the Big East Tournament began, as the final tournament in the conference (as we know it now) is underway at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Seton Hall Clips South Florida 46-42 in OT, to Advance to the 2nd Round of the Big East Tournament
It wasn’t pretty, but Seton Hall’s ship would not go overboard at MSG on Tuesday night. They found away past USF to move on to 2nd round action, which is against Syracuse on Wednesday at 2 pm (ESPN). Junior 6’6’’ small forward Fuquan Edwin scored 17 points to lead the Pirates to another day in the historic Big East Tournament. Was tonight’s win pretty? No, but a win is a win, and for a 15-17 Seton Hall team, it’s good enough.
Wally Judge Scores 20 Points to Lead Rutgers by Depaul 76-57
The Scarlet Knights of Rutgers are on to the 2nd round of the Big East Tournament, as Wally Judge matched a Big East record for accuracy in shooting, as he hit on nine shots in nine attempts. Rutgers will play Notre Dame on Wednesday at 9 pm.
WEDNESDAY
Only one Automatic Bid on the Line
Lafayette Battles Bucknell in the Patriot League Final at 7:30 (CBS Sports Network), this will be the 14th automatic bid to go out.
BIG EAST WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE
FULL BRACKET at
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket/_/id/137/2013-big-east-tournament
*Numbers are Seedings 2nd Round Action
12:00 pm- #8 Providence vs. #9 Cincinnati on ESPN – Winner Plays #1 Georgetown
2:00 pm- #12 Seton Hall vs. #5 Syracuse on ESPN – Winner Plays #4 Pittsburgh
7:00 pm- #7 Villanova vs. #10 St. John’s on ESPN 2 – Winner Plays #2 Louisville
9:00 pm- #6 Notre Dame vs. #11 Rutgers on ESPN 2 – Winner Plays #3 Marquette
BIG EAST TOURNAMENT CHAMPION PREDICTION
Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals (#2-Seed) head into the Big Eat tournament with a seven-game winning streak. Junior guard Russ Smith averages 17.9 points per game and big man Gorgui Dieng averages 10 points per game and 10 rebounds a game, and is very tough to handle on the offensive glass, as he has racked up 2nd chance points for the Cards all season. I see Pitino and the Cards facing the #5-seeded Syracuse Orange. Yes, they had a bad loss to #1-seed Georgetown, but Jim Boeheim still has a very athletic team that just needs to take the next steps in transition. They have lost three of four, but the Orange may be thanking this bad skid when it’s all set and done. Junior C.J. Fair leads the way with 14.5 points per game for Syracuse, and I see the Orange and Hoyas meeting in the Big East Semis. Does Jim Boeheim get beat three straight times by G-Town? No.
LOUISVILLE wins Big East.
MAC Tournament Schedule
2nd Round
#5 Ball State vs. #8 Buffalo at 6:30 pm – Winner faces #4 Kent State on Thursday at 6:30 pm
#7 Eastern Michigan vs. #11 Miami at 9:00 pm – Winner faces #3 Western Michigan at 9:00 pm
Akron and Ohio U are the top two seeds and await the winners of Thursday for Friday
MAC Tournament Prediction- Akron has lost two of three and has had a loss in guard Alex Abreu, who has had issues with illegal substances. I like D.J. Cooper and the Bobcats to win the MAC Tournament for the second straight year. OU can shoot the ball really well, and they love to wear down teams with different types of tempos. This is a fun Bobcats squad to watch, but when they try to do too much, the squad from Athens is less than desirable.
Both games are on Sportstime Ohio.
Pac-12 Tournament
1st Round Action at MGM Grand Garden Arena
#8 Stanford vs. #9 Arizona St. (3 pm) – Winner Plays #1 UCLA
#5 Colorado vs. #12 Oregon State (5:30 pm) – Winner Plays #4 Arizona
#6 Washington vs. #11 Washington State (11:30 pm ) – Winner Plays #3 Oregon
#7 USC vs. #10 Utah (9 pm) – Winner Plays #2 California
Pac-12 Prediction- It’s been an odd year in the Pac-12, as the standings have fluctuated so much. Although they have had some head-scratching losses, they have had big-time wins throughout the season. I like the #2-seed California in the Pac-12.
SEC Schedule (More on this Thursday)
1st Round Games
#12 South Carolina vs. #13 Mississippi State at 7:30 pm – Winner Plays #5 Tennessee
#11 Texas A & M vs. #14 Auburn at 10 pm – Winner Plays #6 Missouri
