Over the next 13 days, the brackets will start to take shape. Teams with no at-large aspirations will make one final push at the post-season. Teams on the bubble will look to assert themselves as worthy members of “The Big Dance”, and contenders will start priming their engines for a national Championship run. While “March Madness” officially begins following Selection Sunday, the real madness starts now.
Until Sunday, March 11, this will be your home for Championship Week recaps and previews. The players and teams are starting to prepare for March Madness, so you should too.
Game of the Night: Murray State 54, Tennessee State 52
Tennessee State was just a Robert Covington 3-pointer away from handing Murray State their second loss of the season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the shot caromed off the rim, and the Racers were able to hold on. Jewaun Long hit a tough baseline lay-up with 4.4 seconds left to give Murray State the lead and the Tigers could not answer at the other end. Tennessee State led by as many as seven in the second half, but Covington, the team’s leading scorer, sat for a long period of time due to foul trouble, and Murray State mounted their comeback. The game featured ten ties and eleven lead changes.
– They Were Good Too: George Mason 61, Georgia State 59
A Bryon Allen lay-up with 3.4 seconds remaining broke a 59-5 tie and won the game for the George Mason Patriots in Richmond last night. Georgia State led by as many as 11 points, but the experienced Patriots rallied behind Mike Morrison and Sherrod Wright, who scored all 11 of his points during a four-minute stretch in the second half. The victory of the Panthers sets up a classic rubber-match against VCU.
Player of the Night: Ryan Broekoff, Valparaiso
The Horizon League Player of the Year scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Crusaders 65-46 victory over Butler in the Horizon League semifinals. The last time these two teams met, a week ago Friday, Broekoff scored just six points and shot 22 percent (2-of-9) from the field and was 0-of-4 from the foul line. But on Saturday, he shot 67 percent (6-of-9) from the field and 83 percent (5-of-6) from the foul line. The Butler Bulldogs will not be making a third consecutive trip to the National Championship game, and Broekoff is one of the reasons why.
– He Was Good Too: Michael Glover, Iona
The senior forward scored 29 points, and provided seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in the Gael’s 87-63 win over Marist in the MAAC semifinals. Glover was 11-of-18 from the field and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. This was the eleventh game of the season in which he has scored 20 or more points.
Team of the Night: Hartford Hawks
The No.6-seed Hawks provided the upset of the night, defeating the No.3-seed Boston Terriers 53-49 in the America East quarterfinals. The Hawks snapped a two-game losing streak, which included a 64-55 loss in the season finale to the Terriers. Nate Sikma scored 16 points, Andres Torres chipped in with 12 points and Mark Nwakamma provided 13 points and 16 rebounds. Despite being the lower-seed, the Hawks benefited from being the host team, and after the victory, received a court-storming from the fans.
– They Were Good Too: Illinois State Redbirds
The No.4-seed Redbirds trailed for much of the game, and were down by eight at the half, but put together a furious second half comeback in order to knock off No.1-seed Wichita State in the MVC semifinals. Tyler Brown led all scorers with 25 points and Jackie Carmichael chipped in with 12 points and 11 rebounds. During the final six minutes of play, Illinois State held Wichita State to just four points. The Redbirds will meet the Bluejays of Creighton in the finals of “Arch Madness”.
Saturday Results:
America East Quarterfinals
#6 Hartford 53, #3 Boston 49
#4 Albany 63, #5 New Hampshire 45
#2 Vermont 50, #7 Maine 40
#1 Stony Brook 78, #9 Binghamton 69
Atlantic Sun Finals
#1 Belmont 83, #6 Florida Gulf Coast 69
Big Sky Quarterfinals
#4 Eastern Washington 81, #5 Idaho State 75
#3 Portland State 75, #6 Montana State 53
Big South Finals
#1 UNC-Asheville 80, #7 VMI 64
Colonial Athletic Association Quarterfinals
#4 Old Dominion 88, #5 Delaware 74
#3 George Mason 61, #6 Georgia State 59
#2 Virginia Commonwealth 75, #7 Northeastern 65
#1 Drexel 59, #9 UNC-Wilmington 47
Horizon League Semifinals
#3 Detroit 63, #2 Cleveland State 58
#1 Valparaiso 65, #5 Butler 46
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Quarterfinals
#6 Siena 84, #3 Manhattan 82
#4 Fairfield 65, #5 Rider 63
#2 Loyola (Md.) 86, #7 Niagara 73
#1 Iona 87, #8 Marist 63
Missouri Valley Conference Semifinals
#4 Illinois State 65, #1 Wichita State 64
#2 Creighton 99, #3 Evansville 71
Ohio Valley Conference Finals
#1 Murray State 54, #2 Tennessee State 52
Patriot League Semifinals
#2 Lehigh 85, #3 American 66
#1 Bucknell 79, #5 Lafayette 52
Southern Conference Quarterfinals
#3N Western Carolina 82, #2S Wofford 59
#2N Elon 65, #3S Georgia Southern 58
#1N UNC-Greensboro 65, #5N Appalachian State 55
#1S Davidson 73, #5S Furman 54
Summit League Quarterfinals
#2 South Dakota State 77, #7 IUPUI 56
#1 Oral Roberts 71, #8 IPFW 67
Sun Belt Conference First Round
#9 Arkansas State 70, #8 Florida Atlantic 55
#7 Western Kentucky 67, #10 Florida International 63
#6 South Alabama 87, #11 Troy 81
West Coast Conference Semifinals
#1 Saint Mary’s 83, #5 San Francisco 78
#2 Gonzaga 77, #3 BYU 58
