[The Poet]

Action kicked off last night in the A-10, which is one of the best mid-majors. But there were no shockers there, though I am a bit disappointed the Richmond Spiders lost, and lost any chance to Dance. Shoot, in my book any team calling itself an arachnid instead of another unimaginative moniker such as any feline, ursine, bovine, equine, or raptor deserves some props.

Scores of most NCAA-import include:

Princeton 62 - Penn 52 = I told you the Quakers had a tough row to hoe to steal the Ivy away from Harvard, and the Tigers did what they did last season by acting the spoilers. Congratulations to the Crimson for getting to Dance for the first time since 1946. Now let's see if one of those math whizzes in Cambridge can figure their odds for surviving even a first-round loss. Where's Matt Damon when you need him?

South Dakota State 52 - Western Illinois 50 (OT) = And here's your Summit Conference automatic for you, which will almost certainly be an automatic "one-and-done" for somebody. Serves them right for naming themselves Summit, instead of a more-appropriate Nadir.

Detroit 70 - Valparaiso 50 = I'm not all that surprised that Detroit could steal the Horizon from Valpo, as they've had a good team all season also. But Bryce Drew's boys were better, yet did not show up for this one. I sort of feel for them, but you don't play well enough to win, you don't deserve to do so.

Western Kentucky 74 - North Texas 70 = If your team is on the bubble, count your lucky stars that the Sun Belt will NOT get any at-large consideration, for this Cinderella sub.500 champion would steal away a slot from somebody. Joe may not like WK, but he can at least take solace in the fact that (by my unofficial count) his Bluegrass State will have at least 4 teams Dancing.


Big East tourney games yesterday:


U. Conn 81 - DePaul 67 = No surprise the Huskies beat the crappy Blue Demons, though their high level of play was reminiscent of their miracle run last year. Did this get them off the bubble? Maybe not by itself, but see below.

Pitt 73 - St. John's 59 = A game between two who needed to run the table in or der to Dance. One survived, for now.

Seton Hall 79 - Providence 47 = Though the Friars were better than DePaul this year, they sure didn't play like it in this one. Again, this one was huge for the bubbly Pirates.


Following up on those Big East scores above, today we've seen:


U. Conn 71 - West Virginia 67 (OT) = The Mountaineers had this one, and let it get away from them at the end of regulation. Does this get the Huskies off that dreaded bubble. Likely so. Does it put WVA back on it? Maybe, maybe not. I personally hate the idea of the Big Mouth getting twice as many bids as do the other power conferences, but with the chairman of the Selection Committee being a U Conn guy . . . well, I don't need to say it, do I?

Georgetown 64 - Pitt 52 = The Panthers lost season ends with a thump. They would have had to make it at least to the championship game to even get ON the bubble, much less get over it. The Hoyas move on, as one may have thought unlikely in November, but figured would happen come March.


Action kicks off in some other name conference tourneys today, such as the Big 12Minus2, the Pac-12, and the CUSA. It will also continue in other leagues, and will end in three other automatic berths:


Robert Morris vs. Long Island = This will give us the automatic in the Northeast Conference. Who will win? I don't much care.

Lehigh vs. Bucknell = Nor do I care much about who's Dancing out of the Patriot, as it won't last long.

Weber State vs. Montana = And pretty much the same for the Big Sky automatic bid. Don't get me wrong . . . I congratulate any and all these winners, when it happens, as I fully realize that making the NCAAs may very well be the highlight in the careers of these young men. But I'll get excited about it when they manage to give somebody a scare, even if they cannot manage the Cinderella upset.


Two more Big East games may have NCAA implications tonight:


Seton Hall vs. Louisville = I'm not sure the Pirates are over the bubble yet, and I'm not sure the Cardinals will hang around long even if they are safe, considering how they closed out their season. This becomes big for both teams, as one tries to set their sails while the other tries to right the ship.

Villanova vs. South Florida = As with several other teams, I'm not as sure as some that the Bulls are safely over the bubble yet. As I've said already, I don't much like the idea of one conference getting half or more of their teams into the Dance. As for the Wildcats, I have no such concerns; they will have to win the league tourney in order to get Wright's boys right.


That's all for me this evening. Pick your poison, from either these or the other league tournament action not specified, and enjoy.