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

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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.

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