Good news, everyone! (/Farnsworth'd) In case you haven't heard, SB Nation has an awesome new Youtube Channel. You should go check it out. I am disturbingly excited to watch Spencer Hall and Jason Kirk's new show, Shutdown Fullback. My point is, it launched today. I'll be contributing a lil bit, and over the next two weeks, part of that will be me making Never-Made-the-Tourney videos for my channel. But I'm way too busy with stuff to deal with it today - look out for it tomorrow. In fact, so busy, this post is very curtailed!
Atlantic Sun Tournament, Macon GA (both games on ESPN3 for weirdos)
1:30: No. 4 East Tennessee State Buccaneers (16-13, 10-8, kenpom ranking 150) vs. No. 5 North Florida Ospreys (16-15, 10-8, kenpom ranking 199)
Our squad: North Florida
Thoughts: Ospreys! Skreeeeee! Do it for that one time we played you in basketball three years ago! Remember? East Tennessee swept the season series, proving once and for all to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that there's only room for one buccaneering team in North Florida, which none of them noted.
7:30: No. 3 USC-Upstate Spartans (20-11, 13-5, kenpom ranking 130) vs. No. 6 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (13-16, 8-10, kenpom ranking 197)
Our squad: Florida Gulf Coast.
Thoughts: This, sirs, is dedication to teams not wanting to be directional schools. "Upstate" and "Gulf Coast" are both pretty good substitutes for, like, "North" and "West." However, at least in New York, saying someone went upstate is a way to say someone went to jail, so they might want to rethink that.
NEC Tournament
6 p.m., New York, NY: No. 4 St. Francis (NY) Terriers (15-14, 12-6, kenpom ranking 205) vs. No. 5 Quinnipiac Bobcats (17-12, 10-8, kenpom ranking 145)
Our squad: BOTH!
Thoughts: Shame on the Northeast Conference for pitting two of its never-been-to-the-tourney teams against each other in one no-dancing massacre of a game. Kenpom likes this game, saying it'll be a one-pointer in Quinny's favor. The Terriers, adorable as they are, won both games of the season series despite seeming like the worse team, and earned the better seed and the home date in the tourney. Since they're an OG no-tourney team, I'm pulling for them. But if Big Q wins, so be it.
6 p.m., New York, NY: No. 1 LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds (22-8, 16-2, kenpom ranking 176) vs. No. 8 Sacred Heart Pioneers (14-17, 8-10, kenpom ranking 235)
Our squad: Sacred Heart
Thoughts: Some nice conference tournament action going on in the BK tonight, huh? Lawng Oiyyyland kind of dominated the NEC this year, but Sacred Heart pushed them to OT in their previous trip to Brooklyn.
OVC Tournament
8 p.m., Nashville, TN: No. 3 Morehead State Eagles (17-14, 10-6, kenpom ranking 200) vs. No. 7 Jacksonville State Gamecocks (15-17, 8-8 OVC, Kenpom ranking 188)
Our squad: Jacksonville State
Thoughts: The 'Cocks finished with their Peay yesterday and now are back for Morehead. (I don't consider this a job, but I should be fired from it.) Jacksonville State trailed by eight at the half to Austin Peay behind 19 first-half points from the awesomely named Tyshwan Edmondson, but the less-awesomely named Brian Williams wouldn't let his team go down, putting up 18 in the second half including a three with the game tied with 33 seconds left giving Jacksonville State a 75-70 win. It was only their second win in the OVC Tournament, first in six years, and second in 19 tries against Austin Peay. Since the tourney format is weird, they move on to face No. 3 Morehead State, who despite the better conference and overall records, Kenpom seems to think is the lesser of the two teams. He says J-State will eek out a one-point win. That said, between Jacksonville State, North Florida, and Florida Gulf Coast, a lot of unpopular regions of Florida dueling it out today.
We'll do eulogies later - the list is after the jump.
Alive
Northwestern Wildcats, Big Ten
Youngstown State Penguins, Horizon
UC-Davis Aggies, Big West
Cal Poly Mustangs, Big West
UC-Riverside Highlanders, Big West
UC-Irvine Anteaters, Big West
Sacramento State Hornets, Big West
Grambling State Tigers, SWAC
Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks, MEAC
Norfolk State Spartans, MEAC
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, MEAC
NC Central Eagles, MEAC
Savannah State Tigers, MEAC
Buffalo Bulls, MAC
San Jose State Spartans WAC
Army Black Knights, Patriot League,
The Citadel Bulldogs, Southern Conference
Maine Black Bears, America East
New Hampshire Wildcats, America East
Stony Brook Seawolves, America East
Hartford Hawks, America East
Denver Pioneers, Sun Belt
Jacksonville State Gamecocks, OVC
Central Arkansas Bears, Southland
Elon Phoenix, Southern,
North Florida Ospreys, Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Atlantic Sun
USC Upstate Spartans, Atlantic Sun
IPFW Mastodons, Summit
South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Summit
Western Illinois Leathernecks, Summit
South Dakota Coyotes, Summit
The dead:
Lipscomb Bison, Atlantic Sun
Stetson Hatters, Atlantic Sun
Kennesaw State Owls, Atlantic Sun
High Point Panthers, Big South
Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks, OVC
Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs, Big South
Texas Pan-American Broncs Great West
NJIT HIghlanders, Great West
North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Great West
Utah Valley State Wolverines, Great West
Chicago State Cougars, Great West
Longwood Lancers, Independent
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, Independent