Your conference tourney primer (Click away!)
If you’re behind on your reading for this week’s conference tournaments (three started Tuesday!) I’m here to help.
First stop, Kyle Whelliston’s mid-majority -- where else?
This page includes brackets of the three tournaments already in action, the Big South, Horizon League and Ohio Valley. Plenty of stats, previews of each game and updated results. As always, if your goal is to find out about the non-BCS conferences, The Mid-Majority should be the first place you look.
Dan Hanner at Yet Another Basketball Blog includes brackets, but also has quick rundowns on most leagues. He, like the NCAA Tournament seeding committee, is hoping Davidson continues its dominance and wins the tourney (I’m all for making things a little easier come Selection Sunday). Also on board with this thought:
“Yes, the league puts Gonzaga and St. Mary’s into the semis, virtually ensuring a title game rematch between two solid NCAA teams. But what’s wrong with the RPI saving format? Did anyone really want to see Gonzaga play Loyola Marymount again?”
Frankly, would anyone care if they just had those two play in the title game right now, then put them both in the NCAAs?
Ken Pomeroy also previews the Horizon, Big South and Ohio Valley tourneys, but with an added bonus: using the log5 method to predict winners. The gist?
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Butler’s nearly a lock (a little surprising given its split with Cleveland State this season.
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Winthrop is favored to beat UNC Asheville in the Big South final, though I’d be excited to if High Point (haven’t gotten to watch AZ Reid this season) or VMI (love Reggie Williams) made the final. Throw in 7-7 Kenny George, and it’s a damn entertaining tourney.
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Flip a coin between Austin Peay and Murray State. Peay won regular-season crown.
If you need a more mainstream look, check out USA Today’s feature from Tuesday. The margin for error story is a no-brainer, but there’s plenty to learn in their tourney capsules including a schedule for your TV viewing. (Be honest: You’re gonna watch to get pumped for Duke-North Carolina.)
