Very quickly before the games get underway tonight:Play-In Game:
- I'm picking Mount Saint Mary's to defeat Coppin State in the Play-In game tonight. The University of Dayton has had the privilege of hosting the Play-In game ever since it was introduced in 2001. Every year I get into an argument with someone about whether or not the Play-In game is actually a NCAA Tournament game. OF COURSE IT IS!!! 65 teams make the field, how complicated can this be? The Play-In game is listed on the official bracket. These teams have won their Conference Tournament and therefore have made the NCAA Tournament. There are always "haters" of the Play-In game, and these gripes will probably never go away. I'm not debating the fact that it's a shame that one of these two teams won't be part of the regional festivities on Friday (being interviewed by the national media, rubbing elbows with the famous, getting the opportunity to be blown-out by a #1 seed, etc.). What I am saying is that the Play-In game is completely, definitely, and with out a doubt...part of the NCAA Tournament. Coppin State's run to a conference championship is a fun little story as they are the first 20+ loss team to ever make it in to the NCAA Tournament. I also have history with Coppin State, being present for their historical upset when they defeated #2 South Carolina as a #15 seed in 1997. With all of that being said, I'm going with Mount Saint Mary's here because they are the better team by far and they defeated my Robert Morris squad in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament. I can't have Robert Morris losing to a team that lost to Coppin State. Hail the Play-In game. Thank you good people of Dayton!
NIT:
- I just filled out a NIT bracket and I discovered that there is less rhyme, reason, and logic involved with filling out a NIT bracket than there was filling out a SWAC Tournament bracket. For anyone who cares, this is how I see the NIT playing out:
- Round of 16: #4 California over #1 Ohio State, #3 Dayton over #2 Illinois State, #1 Virginia Tech over #4 VCU, #2 Ole Miss over #6 Charlotte, #1 Arizona State over #4 Southern Illinois, #2 Florida over #3 Creighton, #5 Maryland over #8 Robert Morris, #3 Florida State over #7 Stephen F. Austin
- Round of 8: #3 Dayton over #4 California, #1 Virginia Tech over #2 Ole Miss, #1 Arizona State over #2 Florida, #3 Florida State over #5 Maryland
- Final Four: #1 Virginia Tech over #3 Dayton, #1 Arizona State over #3 Florida State
- NIT Champion: #1 Virginia Tech over #1 Arizona State
CBI (College Basketball Invitational):
- There is yet another postseason tournament in college basketball this year, the CBI. Odds are you haven't heard of this...and even if you have...you probably don't care. And that's a good thing...you shouldn't care. Fans of the colleges and universities that make this tournament shouldn't care. I don't care. But...if there is a bracket involved, I will fill it out. So here are my CBI picks:
- Round of 8: #1 Washington over #3 Nevada, #1 UTEP over #3 Tulsa, #1 Virginia over #4 Rider, #1 Bradly over #3 Ohio
- Final Four: #1 Washington over #1 Virginia, #1 Bradley over #1 UTEP
- CBI Champion: #1 Bradley over #1 Washington
Some more information on the CBI for those who are confused, amazed or interested:
Introducing the CBI:
- What's the CBI? The College Basketball Invitational is a new 16-team tournament that selects teams left over after the NCAA tournament makes its 65 picks and NIT make its 32 picks.
- Who runs it? The Gazelle Group, a company based in Princeton, N.J., that also organizes preseason tournaments.
- What's the reason for the tournament? To give more teams a chance to play in the postseason. The NIT reduced its field from 40 to 32 teams in 2007 and also now must take regular-season conference champs that don't quality for the NCAA tournament. CBI organizers felt that left out some deserving teams who could put on an interesting tournament. They used Washington's situation in 2007 as one of its prime examples, when the Huskies went 19-13 and didn't make the NIT.
- The format? Teams are seeded in groups of four in four geographic regions. Washington is the No. 1 seed in the West Region. Each regional winner advances to the semifinals. There, the teams will be reseeded with the higher seeds hosting. The two semifinal winners will play a best-of-three championship series alternating at home sites, with the higher seed hosting Game 1 and Game 3, if necessary. That means the two finalists could play six games.
- TV coverage: Eleven games will be shown on Fox College Sports.
