Dead or Alive March 10

Smaller schedule on Sunday but I'll take it.  We ended up with two more AUTO bids, some more deceased teams, and our first LOCK and ZOMBIE.  And how about that Indiana vs. Michigan ending?  Crazy that ball didn't go down for Michigan.  The highlight of the day though?  Well, that was the Temple win over VCU of course.  Great win for the Owls.  That should stop all the bubble talk.  Here is who officially put their names in a category today.

DEAD:
Big South - CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
MAAC - NIAGARA, FAIRFIELD
Colonial - GEORGE MASON, DELAWARE
America East - UMBC, STONY BROOK
Southern - APPALACHIAN STATE, ELON
Summit - OAKLAND, UMKC
Sun Belt - ARKANSAS STATE



AUTO:
Missouri Valley - CREIGHTON (Wonder how high their seed will be.  7?  6?)
Big South - LIBERTY (20 losses, great tourney, pack your bags to Dayton for a first four game.)

LOCK:
Missouri Valley - WICHITA STATE (8 Top 100 RPI wins, winning road record, among other good stats, they're in.)



ZOMBIE:
Sun Belt - MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (28-5, 11-3 on the road, 0 Top 50 RPI wins, but 2 Top 100 wins with one on the road.  I think they are in, but definitely no guarantee.)

STANDINGS:
TEAMS            347
DEAD              148            
AUTO                  5                                                
LOCK                  1
ZOMBIE             1
ALIVE             199

Two conferences start their tourneys on Monday.  Here they are, and who I like...
MEAC - I'll take UNC Central in this one.  Norfolk State is undefeated in the conference, but due to some quirky scheduling, they didn't have to play Central.  It's just Central's time if you ask me.
MAC - Well, ummm, ya, I'll take my alma mater, the Bobcats of Ohio.  Kent is hot right now, so they worry me, but Akron lost Abreu so I'm not worried about them.  And I don't feel bad for Abreu, definitely the most hated player in the MAC this year.

We have three more Championship games on Monday, which will give us eight AUTO Bids when they are all said and done.  Here are the matchups and who I like...

Colonial - James Madison vs. Northeastern
Northeastern was the class of the Colonial all year.  They looked dead on Sunday vs. George Mason but made a great comeback and stole the win.  I think they carry the momentum and win the bid.

West Coast - St. Mary's vs. Gonzaga
Will the Zags finish off a perfect WCC season?  Will St. Mary's finally topple Gonzaga?  I think Gonzaga wins this, but I'll be rooting for St. Mary's.

MAAC - Manhattan vs. Iona
Like I've said many times, I always like the team that has the best player that can put their team on it's back.  Iona's Mo Mo Jones is that guy.  I'll take Iona in this one.

But back to that Temple game.  Did Wyatt officially put his name on the A10 player of the year trophy or what?  The guy can just take over any game at any time.  Never seen a game with so many runs.  Temple up 12-3, then VCU goes on an 18-0 run.  Then Temple down 41-25, they go on a 43-15 run to basically put the game away, crazy.  HAVOC didn't work against the Owls.  HAVOC is great, it gets VCU wins, but it doesn't work against good, veteran guards, just tires out their own players.  Oh well, may see them again on Saturday in the A10 semis.



Good Bubble Wins: Temple, Virginia, Davidson
Bad Bubble Losses: Illinois, Maryland, Middle Tennessee State

What are your thoughts on Sundays games?  Who do you think will be the Top seeds in the Tourney?  Should Temple be ranked?  Until next time, thanks for reading.

And oh, 7 Days until Selection Sunday.

Curt