Conference Tournaments Starting March 5th

Two more Conference Tournaments got underway tonight with battles in the Missouri Valley and Northeast. There's some personal attachment going on with both of these leagues.....I'm an alumni of Robert Morris University and I've selected Creighton as one of my Bracket Busters. These are already the 7th and 8th Conference Tournament brackets that I've filled out. It's really time to get down to the business of this blog and focus. This is a marathon, not a sprint. As always, my predicted champions are in bold.

• Northeast Conference - Robert Morris - It's time for the Colonials to shake off the pain from last season's NEC semi-final loss to Mount St. Mary's. Playing as the #1 seed in this tournament for the second year in a row, Coach Mike Rice has this team ready to play title winning basketball. Led by NEC player of the year Jeremy Chappell, Robert Morris (21-10, 15-3) won the conference by three games. The Colonials are solid all-around, having the second best scoring offense and scoring defense in the league. Robert Morris has not made the NCAA Tournament since 1992. They're due. They deserve their moment in the spotlight before Coach Rice moves up the professional ladder. It's time for my alma mater to become a winner. Notable seeds: #1 Robert Morris (props to Chris H. and myself), #2 Mount Saint Mary's, #3 Sacred Heart, #4 Long Island, #5 Quinnipiac, #7 Wagner

• Missouri Valley Conference - Creighton - The Missouri Valley (aka: The Valley) is stacked. They always are. Five or six teams could legitimately win this thing. The Valley's conference RPI is #9...this is ahead of such "decent" leagues as Conference USA and the WAC. Northern Iowa won the #1 seed for this tournament on a tie-breaker...but Creighton and Illinois State are probably the two best programs due to their skill players and athleticism. As wild as this tournament could be, only twice has a seed lower than #3 won the event in 32 previous champions. Over the last ten years or so...this Conference Tournament has been one of the most reliably competitive and entertaining. The Creighton Bluejays are just going to be a little more competitive and a little more entertaining. Notable Seeds: #1 Northern Iowa, #2 Creighton, #3 Illinois State, #4 Bradley, #6 Evansville, #7 Wichita State, #8 Drake

0201

Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #1

Ladies and Gentlemen...for my first Bracket Busters selection...may I introduce to you...the Creighton Bluejays!

Last year I went to the Missouri Valley Conference for a solid Bracket Busters selection when I backed the Drake Bulldogs. Unfortunately, Drake fell victim to the #5 seed curse and lost to #12 Western Kentucky (best mascot in college hoops - Big Red) in a 101-99 overtime thriller. Last year's result will not deter me, as I'm going back to the MVC well and predicting the Bluejays to do big things come tourney time. Creighton's last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2007, their last Tournament win was in 2002. The team may have God on their side this year as Creighton is one of 28 member institutions in the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The Bluejays may need that help because this is not a particularly strong year for mid-major teams. Creighton might have to win the MVC Tournament in order to make the "Big Dance". I believe they have done enough to earn an at-large bid should they not win their conference tourney. Here are some facts about Creighton along with the reasons I like them to make some noise in the next few weeks:

• Creighton University is located in Omaha, Nebraska which is also the home of Conor Oberst and Saddle Creek Records. Umm...those guys put out some very sad and dark music. Possibly because they're home town teams never win. Not really a good omen.
• The Bluejays currently have an RPI of 39, better than potential NCAA Tourney teams such as Boston College, South Carolina, and St. Mary's.
• Creighton has quality wins against Dayton, George Mason, and New Mexico. They also split the season series with Illinois St. and Northern Iowa...their closest competition in the MVC.
• The Bluejays' mascot is named Billy Bluejay.
• Creighton has not lost a game since January. They are the hottest team in the MVC, riding a 10 game winning streak heading into the Conference Tournament.
• One of the best names in college basketball can be found on this team. Booker Woodfox is a senior guard who averages 16 points a game and shoots over 50% from 3-point land.
• Now to bring back America's favorite running segment from last year's blog! Notable Creighton Alumni include: Mike Fahey (Current Mayor of Omaha, Democrat), Matt Maginn (bassist for the Saddle Creek Records band, Cursive), Kyle Corver (former Creighton basketball standout and NBA player for the Utah Jazz), Todd Fink (lead singer of the Saddle Creek Records band, The Faint), Nancey Murphy (professor at Fuller Theological Seminary), and baseball legend Bob Gibson (Hall of Fame pitcher).

Creighton could end up anywhere between an 8 seed and a 12 seed. No matter where they end up, they will be playing a team that won't be considered one of college basketball's elite in the first round. ESPN's Bracketology Joe Lunardi currently has Creighton as an #11 seed, playing #6 Syracuse in the first round. With that kind of match-up, I'd take the Bluejays every time. They have great senior leadership, decent outside shooting, and enough skill players to make a little run. I'm aware that Creighton is only the #2 seed in the MVC Tournament. Northern Iowa had the same conference record as them at 14-4 and won the tiebreaker for the #1 seed. I should be going with a team from Iowa here, but more than giving props to my home state this year...I want to be right. That's why I'm going with the Creighton Bluejays. Happy Busting.

0201

Bracket Busters Predictions

Dateline - McKeesport, PA

If ESPN is going to trot out 26 mid-major teams and pit them against one another under the guise of cross-strata competition while making a bunch of money off the whole deal...then I'm just going to have to predict the winners of each game. To make deadline, these are going to be quick.

Here are your winners of this weekend's Bracket Busters match-ups:

Friday, February 20th

Illinois St. (22-5, 11-5 MVC) at Niagra (21-7, 12-4 MAAC) - Both of these teams are probably the second best in each of their respective conferences. The Missouri Valley is the stronger conference, but I'm going with the home team because they need a moment of glory before losing to Siena in the MAAC Tournament. Winner - Niagra Purple Eagles

Virginia Commonwealth University (19-8, 12-4 Colonial) at Nevada (15-10, 8-4 WAC) - It makes no sense that ESPN would send VCU across the country to play this contrived Bracket Buster game...and that's exactly why they are going to win. Winner - VCU Rams

Saturday, February 21st

Northeastern (16-10, 11-5 Colonial) at Wright St. (16-11, 10-6 Horizon) - Northeastern has disappointed me all season. Wright St. plays in the best Mid-Major conference in the country. I hate to do it...but I gotta. Winner - Wright State Raiders

Liberty (20-8, 11-5 Big South) at Old Dominion University (17-9, 10-6 Colonial) - Both of these teams stink. There were better representatives in both of their conferences. Fortunately, the team that sucks less is also hosting this game. Layup. Winner - ODU Monarchs

Butler (22-4, 13-3 Horizon) at Davidson (22-5, 15-2 Southern) - Obviously the best and most marquee match-up of Bracket Busters weekend. I don't think that either team is as good as it was last season. Butler is very young. Davidson is all Stephen Curry this year. Winner - Davidson Wildcats (if Curry plays), Butler Bulldogs (if Curry is out)

Buffalo (17-7, 9-3 MAC) at Vermont (21-7, 12-3 America East) - I LOVE this Vermont team. They could very well be one of my own Bracket Buster choices in the upcoming days. Buffalo has a higher RPI, but I don't care. Great nickname here. Winner - Vermont Catamounts

Northern Iowa (18-9, 12-4 MVC) at Siena (21-6, 15-1 MAAC) - Normally, I'd be taking Northern Iowa here due to my Midwest bias. The problem is, they're playing Siena on the road. Siena is a really good team who could win a game or two in the NCAA tournament. Winner - Siena Saints

Miami Ohio (15-9, 8-4 MAC) at Evansville (15-11, 7-9 MVC) - Another game where I don't agree with the teams involved. I should go with the MVC team at home, but I'm not. Call it instinct. It's my column. Plus, MU Ohio produced a two time Super Bowl champion quarterback. Winner - Miami (Ohio) Red Hawks

Utah State (25-2, 12-1 WAC) at St. Mary's (21-5, 8-4 WCC) - This SHOULD be the marquee game of the weekend. Both of these teams are Tournament bound. Utah State does have to play on the road, but St. Mary's is missing super star Aussie Patrick Mills. Winner - Utah State Aggies

UW Green Bay (20-8, 12-4 Horizon) at Long Beach St. (13-11, 8-4 Big West) - Yet another game that doesn't make sense geographically. Look at Long Beach State's record...they stink. There's so much trouble in the L.B.C. Green Bay plays in the Horizon League, what else do you really need to know? Winner - UW Green Bay Phoenix

Hofstra (18-9, 10-6 Colonial) at Fairfield (15-12, 8-8 MAAC) - Those Fairfield fans are notorious for being crazy and really getting pumped up for big games like......I have no idea what I'm saying. Even I can't get excited for something like this. Winner - Hofstra Pride (I'm not making this up)

Boise State (17-8, 7-5 WAC) at Portland State (18-9, 9-5 Big Sky) - Boise State has a way better RPI, plays in a better conference, and has a much better football team. But I will NOT give up on this Portland State team...and they're not being denied at home. Winner - Portland State Vikings

George Mason (18-8, 11-5 Colonial) at Creighton (22-6, 12-4 MVC) - One doesn't travel into the land of Conor Oberst and expect to come away with a victory. I'm tired of George Mason. I think you know where I'm going here. Winner - Creighton Bluejays

Those are my Bracket Busters predictions. It may have been a complete waste of time, but then again, if there is a convoluted set of games to be played in college basketball this time of year...I'm going to make some predictions.

Props here to John and the town of McKeesport as the research for this column was done at the offices of the Daily News.

I'll be back soon with the third and final Blog Intro post. Thanks for reading.

0201