Conference Tournament Results: March 15th

A whopping 11 Conference Tournaments concluded on Saturday. Exciting times for 11 college basketball programs, but not for me. After starting out so strong with these Conference Tournament picks, I have absolutely bottomed out. My winning percentages are going downhill faster than Steve Gutenberg's career. I had three of my predicted Conference Tournament champions lose in the finals of their respective tournaments today (BYU, Stanford, & Morgan State). That killed any chance I had of going 50% in picking Conference Tourney champs. I will continue moving forward though. The big Tournament starts next week, and that's all that matters.

PAC 10:

• Actual Champion: UCLA (42nd NCAA appearance)
• My Predicted Champion: Stanford (lost in finals to UCLA)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 77.8% (7 of 9 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 74% (91 of 123 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 46.7% (7 of 15 correct)

Conference USA:

• Actual Champion: Memphis (21st NCAA appearance)
• My Predicted Champion: Memphis
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 63.6% (7 of 11 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 73.1% (98 of 134 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 50% (8 of 16 correct)

Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC):

• Actual Champion: Coppin State (4th NCAA appearance, first since 1997)
• My Predicted Champion: Morgan State (lost in finals to Coppin State)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 70% (7 of 10 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 72.9 % (105 of 144 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 47% (8 of 17 correct)

Big East Conference:

• Actual Champion: Pittsburgh! (20th NCAA appearance, 7th in a row)
• My Predicted Champion: Louisville (lost in quarterfinals to Pittsburgh)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 63.6% (7 of 11 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 72.3% (112 of 155 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 44.4% (8 of 18 correct)

Atlantic 10:

• Actual Champion: Temple (26th NCAA appearance, first since 2001)
• My Predicted Champion: Massachusetts (lost in quarterfinals to Charlotte)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 45.5% (5 of 11 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 70.5% (117 of 166 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 42.1% (8 of 19 correct)

Mid-American Conference (MAC):

• Actual Champion: Kent State (5th NCAA appearance, first since 2006)
• My Predicted Champion: Kent State
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 81.8% (9 of 11 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 71.2% (126 of 177 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 45% (9 of 20 correct)

Mountain West Conference:

• Actual Champion: UNLV (16th NCAA appearance)
• My Predicted Champion: BYU (lost in finals to UNLV)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 37.5% (3 of 8 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 69.7% (129 of 185 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 42.9% (9 of 21 correct)

Big West Conference:

• Actual Champion: Cal St. Fullerton (2nd NCAA appearance, first since 1978)
• My Predicted Champion: UC Santa Barbara (lost in semifinals to UC Irvine)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 28.6% (2 of 7 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 68.2% (131 of 192 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 41% (9 of 22 correct)

Southwest Athletic Conference:

• Actual Champion: Mississippi Valley State (4th NCAA appearance, first since 1996)
• My Predicted Champion: Alabama State (lost in semifinals to Jackson State)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 42.9% (3 of 7 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 67.3% (134 of 199 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 39.1% (9 of 23 correct)

Western Athletic Conference:

• Actual Champion: Boise State (5th NCAA appearance, first since 1994)
• My Predicted Champion: Utah State (lost in semifinals to Boise State)
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 62.5% (5 of 8 games correct)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 67.1% (139 of 207 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 37.5% (9 of 24 correct)

America East Conference:

• Actual Champion: UMBC (1st ever NCAA appearance)
• My Predicted Champion: UMBC
• Bracket Winning Percentage: 100% (8 of 8 games correct - second perfect bracket)
• Overall Bracket Winning Percentage: 68.4% (147 of 215 games correct)
• Overall Predicted Champion Winning Percentage: 40% (10 of 25 correct)

What a terrible day for my Conference Tournament brackets. At least two of my Bracket Busters selections won their Tournaments (Kent State & UMBC). Five more Conference Tournaments tomorrow then the Selection Show at 6pm.

Bracket Busters (Definitely! Maybe?) #1

What's better than being the smart (lucky) person to correctly choose an obsure team to upset a much higher seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? (pause for stupid and outlandish responses) Thats right.....being the smart (lucky) person who correctly chooses those teams BEFORE the conference tournaments even happen, let alone the brackets for the NCAA Tournament. With little to no research, and way too much time on my hands...here is the first in a series of 5 teams that I think could become sexy/trendy first-round upset picks come next month. Then again, these teams might not even make the tournament. This is what makes these picks so exciting and meaningless right now. Every first-round upset pick is stolen from somewhere else (newspaper, espn, radio, friend, etc.), so please remember, you heard it here first. (These teams are in no particular order, I think that goes without saying...although you should all pay me $20 a piece if all 5 teams make the Tourney)

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#1 BRACKET BUSTER:

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It's the UMBC Retrievers (19-7, 11-2)!!! From the always beloved come Tournament time, America East Conference, which also sports recent sexy first-round upset picks Albany and Vermont. UMBC (which is the University of Maryland Baltimore County for those who did not already know) currently has a two game lead over Hartford (Go Whale!) in the America East with an 11-2 record. I know that it is never smart to go with the best team in these minor conferences because come conference tournament time, everything goes to shit and the 5th seed moves on to the Big Dance. But UMBC has a few things going for them - their mascot is a retriever, they sport the black and gold, they sound like a Pittsburgh area health care subsidiary, Kathleen Turner is perhaps their most noted alumni, and they have NEVER made the NCAA Tournament (as far as I could tell). Soon enough Baltimore will be known for three things: crab cakes, The Wire, and UMBC Basketball.