THE BUFFET HAS FOUND A HOME!

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. What started as a fledgling email that took much longer to write than most people took to read, has graduated to the next level.

Now, you can get helping after helping. Your plate is never full enough, and the line is never too long.

Eventually, this will be a completely well-rounded destination -- With features like "Otter Pops" -- Greg Ott's Political Corner. "#3 On Paper, but #1 In Your Hearts" -- a look at Division III athletics with Stephen J. Avillo. "Futbol! The World's Pastime" -- from Leiferton Beaver. "Where in the World is Roberto Bermejo?" -- as penned by two of the world's foremost experts on disappearing, Shawny "the Greek" Fuller & SuperSweet/Sophomore Slump Craig Hoffman. And, finally, "Parenting and Gambling: Finding your Delicate Balance" -- from Jack & Claire's Dad.

But, for now, the Buffet will stick to its roots, and start at the place where its doors first opened -- the finest 12 days of the 365 (or 6, in 2008) -- The Twelve Days of NCAA Division 1 College Basketball Conference Tournaments.

So without further ado, grab your plates, bring you appetites, and let's dive in...

THE BUFFET:

On the first day of Conference Tourneys, the Buffet gave to me:

A team is already dancing, we're tipping just over the Horizon, Cooking up goodness in the Big South, and looking for the invite in the O-V-C...

The ball is tipped ... and there you are.
You're running for your life ... you're a shooting star

GO BIG RED!
Nebraska? The Arizona Football Cardinals? Angie Everhart?

No! No! No! The school best known for hospitality and graduating Baby Grace's father is 2008 first tournament team. Projected now anywhere from 13-15 seed, this team is working on a perfect Ivy League season, currently 12-0, looking to be the first team to do so since Penn pulled it off back in 2002-2003 ... they did fail their only major tests this season: A 16 point loss to Syracuse, when the more-physical Orange took it to Cornell early and never really let them back in. And then a 14 point loss to a Duke team who hadn't played in 17 days...

Cornell, what to know: They are led by Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale. Wittman, a 6'6 sophomore from Minnesota, has averaged 15 points, 4 rebounds and is shooting 89% from the charity stripe and 47% from downtown. He's seconded by Cornell all-around champion, Mr. Dale. A 5'11 sophomore from Birmingham, Alabama -- who averages 13 points, 5 assists (and a 3 to 1 Assist/Turnover ratio), and despite his diminutive frame, still skies for 4.4 rebounds per game (good for 3rd on the team).

The Others: 7-footer Jeff Foote is the team's leading rebounder at 6 per, and has been pulling near double-doubles for the past 3 Ivy games, which suggest he's finally got his comfort zone going after missing the first 5 games of the season. Adam Gore, a 6'0, and Alex Tyler, a 6'7 swingman, are the other major contributors, with varying degrees of success...

Sign of Things to Come: Cornell only has two seniors on their roster, and only one, big man, Jason Hartford, plays any regular minutes.

Can they win a game? Cornell can shoot, ranked 10th in the country in FG%, can especially hit from long-range (at 8.2 three-point fgs per game, they rank 47th in the nation and are #2 in the country in 3pt FG%), and are the country's best FT shooting team. And they share (ranked 35 in assists) ... this year the tournament could be a high-seeded blood bath, once you get beyond the top teams, you start getting into some undisciplined teams with talent, if one of those teams that see "Cornell" on the opposing jersey, and suddenly feel an Ivy league can't run with them, and let the Big Red get open for shots and commit silly fouls, Cornell could make a long day and short tournament for someone.

However, Duke & Syracuse both showed if you push Cornell around, pressure them, and make this young (but well-coached) outfit press a bit, it will be a great, successful season for Cornell after just one tournament game.

Did You Know? Leading score Ryan Wittman is the son of Big Ten Player of the Year, and member of the 1981 Indiana NCAA Championship team, Randy Wittman

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What's on the HORIZON

The Horizon League, a Hotline favorite, gets going with seeds 3-10 playing games at the home court of the higher seeds.

It's been the tale of 3 teams, with the middle of the Horizon pack featuring a newcomer who has shown a bit of bite (especially when busting up a 4-team Buffet parlay). But, as was predicted, bringing back five key contributing seniors, especially the all-world backcourt of Mike Green and AJ Graves, Butler shook off 2 early conference losses, to rattle off 11 straight conference wins and take the conference's top seed going away, and the right to host the 2nd/3rd round of the conference tournament (which positions them to host the conference title game as well).

Tournament Favorites:

Butler: You know about AJ Graves (6'1 guard, floor leader, average 13 points), but AJ's shot has been off this year (shooting only 38% from the field and 34% from three (but still hitting an 87% clip at the line); you know about Mike Green -- backcourt running buddy and team leading scorer -- 14.5 points, to go with 6.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists -- but let the Buffet introduce you to Pete Campbell, 6'7 senior forward and his 11.3 points, and the newest Bulldog-star to-be, Matt Howard, a 6'8 freshman who has seamlessly fit into the Butler gameplan with 12 points, 6 points, and 1.2 blocks per game. Butler puts on the clamps -- only gives up 59 points per game, and fires from deep (9 threes per game (18th in the Country) and just doesn't make mistakes (fourth in the country in fewest turnovers committed per game)

Cleveland State: If only the last week in January and first week of February could be erased. Nonetheless, a really nice season for the Vikings. An up and down non-conference season, some questionable losses shined up by a solid OT win versus Florida State, was transitioned into a blistering start to the Horizon season, a 7-0 start punctuated by 56-52 stunner over Butler. But then the wheels fell off, losses at UW-Green Bay, at UW-Milwaukee, at Illinois-Chicago, and at Loyola, Chicago was capped by a loss to Wright State at home. But then the Vikings got their mojo back, winning 6 of 7, with only a tough 5-point loss at Butler the blip on that screen. This team can stick with Butler, and have genuine designs on securing their second tournament berth in school history and first since 1986. Only 2 seniors are in the rotation, and CSU is led by a pair of juniors, Cedric Jackson, a 6'2 guard, averaging 14 points, 5 rebs and 5 assists and J'Nathan Bullock, a 6'4 forward from Flint (a Flintstone?) and his 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 80% FT shooting. The problem with Cleveland St is, while 9 players play more 14 minutes or more, only Bullock and Jackson put up double-digit scoring and you shut one of them down, and the Vikes are in trouble.

Wright State: Exit DaShaun Wood, enter the youngsters. A pair of upstart sophomores, Vaughn Duggins and Todd Brown have picked up the torch, and led Wright State to a 3rd place Horizon finish and a nice early conference season win over Butler. Duggins, a 6'3 guard, averaging 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists & Brown, a 6'5 guard, with 13 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. But height is an issue, 6'8 and 6'6 senior forwards (Jordan Pleiman and Scottie Wilson respectively) are all the bulk that Wright State provides, and while that shouldn't necessarily catch up with them in the undersize Horizon League, the Buffet sees the forest from the trees and wants the Hotline ready if the Raiders should pull the conference tourney stunner.

Who Should & Will Win: Cleveland State makes for a good story, they could certainly give Butler a run, but in the end, between the home court advantage and the stellar backcourt, which is always gold during end of season tournaments, Butler just looks too good to beat

Upset special: Cleveland St is far from an upset at this point, but given their lack of recent Horizon success, a championship here would be a great cap to a Cinderella-like season.

Also, watch out for Valparaiso. Competing in their first Horizon League Tournament, after coming over from the Artist Formerly Known as the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit, the impact of which is only that it moves down in the alphabetical order for conferences), they surprised a lot of teams to finish 9-9 in conference. That 9-9 is a bit misleading, as perhaps the pressure of playing a more competitive/intense conference season caught up, mid-season, when they hit the skids, dropping 5 in a row (it started innocently enough, a close loss to Loyola, a gut-wrenching 3-point loss to Butler, and a OT loss at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was followed by a pair of double-digit losses Illinois-Chicago & Cleveland State. The UIC loss especially took them off a lot of radars (and dropped them to 5-8 in conference). But they bounced back, finishing the season off with a nice home OT win over Wright St (that dropped the Raiders to the 3rd seed and into the first round of the Horizon tourney), and a 4 game winning streak. Watch for Seniors Shawn Huff (50% 3pt shooter) & Jarryd Loyd, and the Vowel Twins: Urule Igbavboa and Samuel Haanpaa.

Others to Look For (all statistics during Horizon League play only)
Jon Goode, Detroit: 21 points, 3 assists
Josh Mayo, Illinois-Chicago: 18 points, 3.2 assists, 48% 3pt shooter
J.R. Blount, Loyola (Chicago): 15.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3 assists
Mike Schachtner, UW-Green Bay: 14.9 points, 4.6 rebounds
Byron Davis, Youngstown State: 14.4 points, 2.2 assists
John Barber, Youngstown State: 14.0, 7.6 rebounds

Otter Watch (top conference assist to turnover ratio):
Jarryd Loyd, Valparaiso -- 1.87 A/TO
Mike Green, Butler -- 1.82 A/TO
Ricky Franklin, Wisconsin-Milwaukee -- 1.76 A/TO

Horizon League Tournament schedule

Tuesday, March 4 (hosted by higher seeds)
#10 Detroit @ #3 Wright State (7 pm CST)
#6 Valparaiso @ #7 Wisconsin-Green Bay (7 pm CST)
#9 Youngstown St. @ #4 Illinois-Chicago (7 pm CST)
#8 Loyola (Chicago) @ #5 Wisconsin- Milwaukee (7 pm CST)

Friday, March 7 (at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Butler U, Indianapolis, In)
Wright State/Detroit winner v. Wisconsin-GB/Valpo winner (Game 1)

Illinois-Chicago/Youngstown State winner v. Loyola (Chicago)/UW-Mil winner (Game 2)

Saturday, March 8 -- Semifinals
Game 1 Winner vs. #2 Cleveland State, ESPNU (4:30 pm EST) (Game 3)

Game 2 Winner vs. #1 Butler, ESPNU (ESPNU, 6:30 pm EST) (Game 4)

Tuesday, March 11 -- Championship (@ Higher Seed)

Game 3 Winner v. Game 4 Winner

Did You Know:

Remember me? Butler senior Julian Betko began his college career at Clemson

Butler senior Pete Campbell began his college career at Indiana University/Purdue University - Fort Wayne

Butler senior Mike Green transferred to Butler from Towson University

Cleveland State sophomore Joe Davis is the cousin of former Michigan Fab-Fiver, Jalen Rose

Cleveland St Freshman Norris Cole is the cousin of Philadelphia Eagle starting defensive tackle, Trent Cole

Cleveland State junior Cedric Jackson is a transfer from St. John's

Cleveland State head coach, Gary Waters, most recently coached at Rutgers

Detroit sophomore Mychael Broom is from Phoenix, AZ (home of the Buffet) and played at Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe

Detroit Sophomore Eulis Stephens is the nephew of former Washington Redskin linebacker Rod Stephens

Detroit standout senior Jon Goode's hairstyle is clearly inspired by Kid of House Party/Kid n' Play fame

Wisconsin-Milwaukee Junior, Deion James, is actually named Tyler James, but he prefers to go by Deion. From now on, even though the given name is, The Buffet, we prefer to be called Bison Dele. Thank you for respecting our wishes.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee's season took a direct hit when leading scorer, and Ok State transfer Torre Johnson was dismissed from the team after an arrest for substantial battery on a female companion. He was found hiding in a closet and subsequently arrested. He came to Wis-Mil after being dismissed from Oklahoma State...

Illinois Chicago senior Karl White Jr. is the son of Karl White

Wright St. freshman Troy Tabler, is the son of former Cleveland Indian Pat Tabler

Youngstown St senior John Barber is the cousin of Tiki & Ronde Barber

Wright State freshman Cooper Land's father is the voice of the San Antonio Snores

Wright State freshman PG Vance Cooksey is not related to former Different Strokes star, Danny Cooksey

You know when you aren't much of a contributor -- when the media guide doesn't publish your per game averages, but just your totals in nearly 60 games: Scored 334 points, grabbed 154 rebounds, dished out 105 assists, had 11 blocks and had 41 steals...played in 57 games while starting 35 contests...made 52 3-pointers, 114 field goals and 54 free throws (Wright State senior guard Byron Davis)

All-Conference Awardees:
Play of the Year: Mike Green, Butler (Sr.)
Newcomer of the Year: Matt Howard, Butler (Fr.)
Co-Coaches of the Year: Gary Waters (Cleveland St.) & Brad Brownell (Wright St.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Terry Evans, Wisc-GB
Sixth Man of the Year: Jarryd Loyd, Valpo

All-Horizon First Team:
Mike Green, Butler (Sr. G)
AJ Graves, Butler (Sr. G)
J'Nathan Bullock, Cleveland St (Jr. F)
Josh Mayo, Illinois-Chicago (Jr. G)
Vaughn Duggins, Wright St. (Soph. G)

Waiting Line Impact: Butler is a lock. However, if, and especially since they are hosting the only two rounds they are required to participate in, Butler were to fail to capture the conference tournament championship, they seed they are ultimately slotted in by the Selection Committee may surprise many, and will undoubtedly disappoint Coach Brad Stevens

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Cook me up something down in the BIG SOUTH...

If you're reading about Arizona "AZ" Reid, The Mad Bomber Jack Leasure, and the Highs -- you know what that means. It's Big South tournament time!

Live from various college campuses, one round at the Justice Center in Asheville, North Carolina, then back to whatever campus is home to the highest remaining seed in the Championship game ... it's the 2008 Advance Auto Parts Big South Conference Tournament.

Tournament Favorites

UNC-Asheville, the Bulldogs, have nabbed the top seed, behind the strength of a resounding 13-point road victory over Winthrop in the final game of the regular season, to tie the Eagles at 10-4 in conference, but garnering a season sweep and the tourney top seed. Asheville is led by Big South conference first-teamer Bryan Smithson (Senior G -- 16.4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 83% FTs and 42% 3s) and his backcourt-mate (Sr.) K.J. Garland (13.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6 assists). But clearly the best part about watching UNC-Asheville is to get a look at 7'7" inch center, Kenny George, the Big South defensive player of the year. With specially-designed 28 inch sneakers from Nike, and a YouTube furor that is more notorious than celebratory (he was dunked on emphatically by Tyler Hansbrough --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htwkRYa0gOk -- but he's got some highlights of his own: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUp3mtr43Ww&feature=related) George, a junior, stayed somewhat healthy this year, averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks in just over 19 minutes per game.

Winthrop seemed to be primed for yet another regular season conference crown, with the backcourt duo of Chris Gaynor and Michael Jenkins leading the way ... but a inexplicable double-digit home loss to close the season derailed those hopes. Now an angry team, who has lost the guaranteed home-based championship, begins their quest for a fourth straight NCAA tournament berth. Gone from the 2007 team are standouts Craig Bradshaw and Torrell Martin, as well as head coach Gregg Marshall, and it seemed as though the Eagles have taken all season to re-steady that ship in their absence. The high points (no pun intended) included a Paradise Jam run to the tournament final (which included a win over Georgia Tech along the way), a pair of wins to close out December over perennial tournament- appearer Old Dominion and bubble hopeful Miami (Fl), and a 5 out of 6 start to the Big South season. But losses at Mount Saint Mary's, Marshall and the home loss to close the season left Eagle fans wondering if the glory years are gone. This team's conference and NCAA tournament experience (In addition to Gaynor and McCullough, also back is senior forward Taj McCullough) bodes well, but they will need more than a nominal contribution from senior Antwon Harris, freshman Charles Cordin and sophomore Mantoris Robinson.

Who is the only team to hold conference victories over the conference's top two seeds? Why the High Point Panthers. Its long been the contention of the Buffet that anytime you get into a conference tournament setting with smaller conferences, anytime you bring the conference player of the year and the leading scorer in conference play to the party, you always have an opportunity to make some noise. Well, Arizona "AZ" Reid, has RSVP'd for this shindig, and in addition to his own Big South leading rebounding credentials to the table, he comes with reserves -- Big South assist leader, Mike Jefferson (7.1 assists to go with 13 points) as well as sophomore reinforcement Eugene Harris (12.3 points per game). Their issue was on the road, where they spent the season 3-11 ... and to win the Big South tourney from any perch other than the top seed, you are ONLY guaranteed a single home game. They'll have to jell as a unit, and win on the road, and do it quickly.

Coastal Carolina: Wow, does this shape up for a fun Big South open round game. High Point and their conference POY versus the Mad Bomber, Jack Leasure, and the Chanticleers. This is a bittersweet Conference Tourney preview for the Buffet, as it is the Mad Bomber's, discovered by the Buffet in his sophomore year and led CC to a big run to the tournament final and a crushing 1-point loss at Winthrop, final run through the Big South tourney. He leaves the college ranks as the current NCAA active leader in 3-pointers per game, and is sixth all time in career three pointers made. He comes in averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists -- he is seconded this season, which has been a bit disappointing for such a upper class-laden team, by senior Everage Robinson (13.8 pts, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists), junior Jumpin Joe Harris (8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists) and the newcomer, Anthony Breeze (averaging just under 10 points per game, but started to find in his rhythm towards the end of the conference season, putting up double-figures in 4 of his last 7 contests, including a double-double to close the regular season.

Who Should & Will Win: Hosting all rounds of the tournament, a huge confident-boosting win to close the regular season on the road, and Andre the Giant in the middle all points to the Bulldogs second tournament berth ever...

Upset Special: Don't sleep on VMI, the Keydets come into the tourney as an under the radar 5th seed, but here's the evidence. On the morning of January 20, VMI was 2-1 in conference, and coming off a 3 point thrilling OT loss to Big South top seed, UNC Asheville (which included 23 points and 19 rebounds from leading scorer (and #2 in the nation) Reggie Williams). One ankle injury later, and VMI was dropping every game in sight. Williams returned, and VMI won 4 of 7, including a victory on the same floor that they take tonight against Liberty, just one week ago. This also boosted the star power of Junior Chavis Holmes, who immediately took to the starring role in Duggar Baucom's Greatest Show on Hardwood.

Others to Watch:
Reggie Williams, Sr. VMI: 27.7 pts, 9.7 rebs, 3.9 assists,
Chavis Holmes, Jr. VMI: 18.1 pts, 4.3 rebs,
Travis Holmes, Jr. VMI: 15.5 pts, 5.8 rebs, 2.7 assists
Omar Carter, Fr. Charleston So.: 15.4 pts, 6.6 rebs, 1.7 assists
Jamarco Warren, Fr. Charleston So.: 13.9 pts, 2.2 rebs, 2.8 assists
Alex McLean, Sr. Liberty: 15.8 pts, 8.9 rebs
Anthony Smith, Jr. Liberty: 14.8 pts, 4.8 rebs
Martell McDuffy, Jr. Radford: 14.8 pts, 4.4 rebs
Amir Jonson, Soph. Radford: 14.8 pts, 4.0 rebs
Kenny Thomas, Jr. Radford: 13.6 pts, 3.9 rebs, 5.7 asts

Otter Watch:
Chris Gaynor, Winthrop: 2.37 Assist/TO
K.J. Garland, UNC-Asheville: 2.13 A/TO
MIke Jefferson, High Point: 1.98 A/TO
TeeJay Bannister, Liberty: 1.90 A/TO

Big South Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals, Tuesday, March 4 (@ top 4 seeds)
#7 Radford @ #2 Winthrop, 7:00 pm EST (Rock Hill, SC)
#6 Coastal Carolina @ #3 High Point, 7:00 pm EST (High Point, NC)
#8 Charleston Southern @ #1 UNC-Asheville, 7:00 pm EST (Asheville, NC)
#5 VMI @ #4 Liberty, 7:00 pm EST (Lynchburg, Va)

Semifinals - Thursday, March 6 (@ Justice Center, Asheville, N.C.)
Radford/Winthrop winner v. High Point/Coastal Carolina (6:00 pm EST - ESPNU)

UNC-Asheville/Charleston So v. Liberty/VMI winner (8:00 PM EST - ESPNU)

Championship (at highest remaining seed)
Saturday, March 8: 11:30 am ET, ESPN2

Did You Know:
VMI Juniors Travis & Chavis Holmes are twin brothers

VMI head coach Duggar Baucom got his degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1995, while serving has head coach at North Mecklenburg High School.

Remember me? Coastal Carolina coach Cliff Ellis previous coached at Auburn (the 1999 John Wooden Coach of the Year recipient) and Clemson

The Buffet not-so-secretly wishes The Mad Bomber's other unofficial nickname is Leasure Suit Jack.

Jerald "Peanut" Minnis is the cousin of former KC Chief WR and Hotline favorite Snoop Minnis, and played his hs basketball at Miami Senior HS, alma mater of former Maryland star Steve Blake

Radford Head Coach Brad Greenberg is the brother of Virginia Tech Seth Greenberg, and former GM and VP of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers (and drafted Allen Iverson)

NC-Asheville Junior Center Kenny George is 7'7 and 360 pounds, and is the current opponent for Floyd Mayweather Jr. at Wrestlemania 24.

All-Conference Awardees:
Big South Player of the Year: Arizona "AZ" Reid, Sr. F, High Point
Defensive Player of the Year: Kenny George, Jr., C, UNC-Asheville
Big South Freshman of the Year: Omar Carter, Charleston So.
Big South Coach of the Year: Eddie Biedenbach, UNC-Asheville

All Conference First Team:
Arizona Reid, F, Sr., High Point
Reggie Williams, F, Sr. VMI
Bryan Smithson, G, Sr. UNC-Asheville
Jack Leasure, G, Sr. Coastal Carolina
Alex McLean, F, Sr. Liberty

Waiting Line Impact: None. Unfortunately, no Craig Bradshaw, no Torrell Martin seems to = no at-large invitation for any Big South squad
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Let's take a trip down to Nashville, Tennessee (with a detour through higher seeded campuses), into OVC country.

Austin Peay. Murray State. Names synonymous with OVC in March ... well, after a brief Eastern Kentucky foray, it appears to be stick to the basics in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2008 (stick the basics! stick to the basics! stick to the basis!)...

Austin Peay: Dominating at home, competitive on the road, Austin Peay finished the conference season three games clear of the next closest OVC opponent, and was involved in from of Division 1 basketball most entertaining games of the season, a 121-116 triple overtime loss at Southeast Missouri State ... led by Junior Drake Reed (15 pts, 5.7 rebs, and 2 assists), Derek Wright, 5'9 senior (11.7 pts, 2.4 rebs, 4.7 assists), and senior F, Fernandez Lockett (10.8 pts, 6.8 rebs) .... they come in winning 8 of 9, doing most of their damage as notorious thieves (they rank 3rd in the nation in steals)

Murray State: Before limping to the finish line, the Racers put on a January display, shaking off a January 3rd, OT loss to Eastern Illinois to rip off 8 straight wins .. Senior Bruce Carter (14.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2 assists) and Sophomore Danero Thomas (12.2 pts, 4.8 rebs, 1.4 assists) lead this Racer outfit ... and they enter the tourney with the memory of a thoroughly dominating home win over top seed Austin Peay (82-70) in their arsenal.

Upset Alert: UT Martin Skyhawks -- a surprise 4th place finish was highlighted by a 6 of 7 (and 8 of 12) run to the end of the season. Lester Hudson seems to have taken to the OVC, a Junior College transfer, the 6'3 junior guard, put up 25.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists in his Division 1 debut season. Marquis Weddle (16.3 points and 2.8 rebounds) and Gerald Robinson (14.3 pts, 8.2 rebounds) are his cohorts in their upset bid

Don't Sleep on: Eastern Kentucky. They've won 2 of the last 3 OVC tournaments, have last year's OVC tournament MVP (Mike Rose), and a member of the 2007 OVC all-tournament team (Adam Leonard) ... After losing Travis Ford to UMass, EKU hired Jeff Neubauer away from West Virginia and installed the goofy Jon Beilein offense that gives top programs fits, let alone, lesser outfits not as equipped to guard the 3.

Who Should and Will Win: Too many questionable losses for the Racers to really hold that 12 point win as convincing enough to pick the Murray State upset here, other than the still inexplicable 3OT loss to a team who otherwise lost 14 of 15, Austin Peay has reigned over the OVC this year and is the Buffet's Pick for this conference.

Others to Look for:
Bruce Price, Tennessee State -- 17.8 pts, 4.8 rebounds, 4.83 assists, 2.21 steals,
Anthony Fisher, Tennessee Tech -- 16.8 pts, 3.42 assists, 1.55 steals,
Mike Rose, Eastern Kentucky -- 15.7 pts, 1.86 steals, 2.07 3pts/G
Gerald Robinson, Tennessee State -- 15.6 pts, 8.2 rebounds, 1.72 steals
Amadi McKenzie, Tennessee Tech -- 14.6 pts, 8.4 rebs,
Leon Buchanan, Morehead State -- 13.3 pts, 6.0 rebs,

Otter Watch:
DeAndre Bray, Jacksonville State, Jr. - 2.98 Ast/TO
Adam Leonard, Eastern Kentucky, Soph -- 2.43 Ast/TO
Derek Wright, Austin Peay, Senior -- 2.26 Ast/TO
Carlos Wright, Tennessee-Martin, Jr. -- 2.19 Ast/TO
Nikola Stojakovic, Morehead State -- 2.03 Ast/TO

Tournament Schedule:
Tuesday, March 4 -- @campus of high seeds
#8 Eastern Kentucky @ #1 Austin Peay, 7:00 pm CST

#5 Samford @ #4 Tennessee-Martin, 7:00 pm CST

#7 Tennessee Tech @ #2 Murray State, 7:30 pm CST

#6 Tennessee State @ #3 Morehead State, 6:00 pm CST

Friday, March 7 -- @Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Samford/Tenn-Martin winner versus E.Kentucky/Austin Peay winner (ESPNU)

Morehead St/Tenn St winner versus Tenn Tech/Murray State winner (ESPNU)

Saturday, March 8 -- @Municipal Auditorium
Championship -- 4:00 PM, CST, ESPN2

Did You Know?
Gina Kincaid's most convincing moment as an actress comes as the President orders the air strike against Alcatraz, the Buffet felt her pain.

Eastern Illinois Senior Guard Gino Myers-Kyles is the son of former Chicago Bull guard and current Bull assistant coach Pete Myers.

Eastern Illinois Senior swingman Bobby Catchings is cousins with women's all-everything Tamika Catchings and former Auburn Tiger football start Kenny Irons.

Jacksonville State Junior guard Jonathan Toles is the younger brother of former UAB Blazers (and Buffet all-time favorites) Ronell & Donell Taylor

Joe Ross Merritt, Senior Guard for Samford is the younger brother of former OVC player of the year J. Robert Merritt

Tennessee State Senior Guard LaDarious DeAntwone Weaver has a sweet name, but it is still no DeShaun Hardell

Waiting Line Impact: The Buffet loves non-BCS conferences as much as the next fictional staff of writers, but let's not lose our heads here.

OVC Conference Awardees

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In the Waiting Line (March 4, 2008):

*In the Waiting Line is the section of the Buffet where we analyze those games on the calendar that will have a potential impact on the 35 teams invited to NCAA tournament who do not win their conference tournament -- essentially, invited to grab a plate and join the Buffet, rather than just sit In the Waiting Line*

Florida State @ North Carolina: North Carolina is a lock, probably on their way to Roy-Will's 9th career #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Florida State is not on a lot of radars, but those radars are grossly overestimating the # of quality resumes for at-large berths this Spring. At 17-12 and 6-8 in the ACC, FSU MUST win out (and probably go at least 1-1 in the ACC Tourney to have a shot) ... but when one of those wins would hypothetically be UNC, there's no counting any team out. Florida State is certainly towards the end of the Waiting Line, but they haven't been sent home, just yet.

Wake Forest @ Virginia Tech: Once upon a time, it was February 18th, and Wake Forest was 6-5 in the ACC, 16-8 overall, and had just upset Duke. Now it is March 4, Wake Forest is 6-8 in the ACC and 16-11 overall, and pretty much gasping for Waiting Line air. A sad finish to what has had to be a heart-heavy season in Winston-Salem. But a questionable RPI (84), and some potential Waiting Line ejecting losses (22 points at Georgia, 39 points at Boston College really damage the nice wins over BYU (#22), Miami (#25) and Duke (#4). Pretty much, Wake needs to win out and make a run to the ACC final. Virginia Tech is in a much better spot, but still not a great one. They lucked on their conference slate, facing Duke, Miami, Clemson and UNC only once -- so their 8-6 is not as impressive as it first seems. They finish with this game, then @Clemson and then the ACC tourney. Hokies cannot lose here, because that would force a win at Clemson and some ACC tourney damage.

Colorado @ Kansas State: In this day and age, you have to live and die with youth in NCAA Division 1 BCS-conference hoops ... K-State is learning that youth and an overmatched coach can spell Waiting Line doom. Losing 5 of 6, including to 107 ranked Nebraska has put Kansas State in a bit of a hole, and their other big wins are starting to sour (@Oklahoma, Texas A&M), not to mention losses to other NCAA locks and Waiting Line hopefuls (George Mason (10), Oregon (3, OT), Notre Dame (9), and Xavier (26)) really is hurtful. They finish w/ CU and at Iowa State, which should get them to 10-6 in the Big XII, which not only put them in good position, but sets them up for a fellow Liner in the Big XII tourney semis, and what could be a Waiting Line elimination game. That win over Kansas is nice, but you need something to compliment it. Like Batman & Robin. Peanut Butter & Jelly. Leif & Love Chess. Stephen John & Larry Oriole. Otter and Compartmentalized Food.

Nebraska @ Texas: Ok, Nebraska is out and Texas is really in. But, Texas belongs in a 5 minute Waiting Line timeout after blowing a gimme (and a shot at the outright Big XII Regular Season title, in the first year AD (After Durant)) to the same team that was allegedly on the court with Kansas last night. Disgusting.

Purdue @ Ohio State: Purdue is a lock, and Matt Painter's work this year is impressive. Ohio State is not, losing 6 of 8, being 0-9 versus the RPI top 50 (gross), and losses at Michigan and at Iowa are imperiled the Buckeyes invitation hopes. They do have one of the better non-conference strength of schedules and with Purdue and Michigan St still left, they have 2 chances to impress the committee, and these are chances they must capitalize on.

Miami (OH) @ Kent St: Man oh Man. You go to St. Mary's, pull off a great win. So how do you celebrate? A soul-crushing loss to Bowling Green, the same team who lost at home to Duquesne by 18, and give up 89 points in the process. Kent St has road games at Buffalo and Miami, Ohio left, and if they need to get an Invite that means that drop another game, and really while Akron (89) and Ohio (55) have decent RPIs, no loss in the MAC can be a good or neutral one. That Bowling Green loss hurt, because it removed the Golden Flashes' margin for error. The Buffet says don't lose again until the Conference Tourney final, or else feel really uncomfortable on selection day.

UNLV @ New Mexico: Doesn't it seem like every season New Mexico makes a late season run, explained by injury, altitude, or the fact that The Buffet's Editor almost ran off the road in Las Cruces after falling asleep at the wheel. Their late season 6-game win streak will be completely irrelevant, however, if they can't get tonight's game over UNLV. The 1-point OT loss to BYU is hurtful, because their schedule is filled with more questionable losses (TCU, New Mexico St) than nice wins (Texas Tech is really the pick of the litter, and Texas just got sent to a timeout for losing to them) ... New Mexico cannot lose to UNLV, and really would likely need UNLV to fall at home to Utah (not bloody likely), so they can catch them in the Mountain West Standings. UNLV, meanwhile, is the poster-child for the 2008 at-large season. A nondescript schedule, but because they beat everyone they should, and lost to only top-100 teams, their numbers get to look good (RPI: 27, SOS: 78), but UNLV is likely needing to win out to the conference final to feel real comfortable about where they stand (and given that the tourney is on their home floor, they really have no excuse not to). They need to stop losing by 26 to BYU, and really could have used that 3 point home loss to Arizona to have turned the other direction.

Arkansas @ Mississippi: Arkansas is an interesting case ... and could've lived without that 3 point loss at Alabama last week, however, the bounce back win on Saturday, exploiting the road shakiness of Vanderbilt, was big-time momentum turning, leading to a pretty decent-sized Waiting Line eliminator tonight @ Mississippi. Arkansas are a bit of home court heroes, with a record of 17-3 at home (from their 19-9 overall record), and a nice win over a top-50 team would go a long way. Even without it, they would simply have to beat Auburn and not flame out in the SEC tournament in order to shore up a bid. Non-conference wins over Baylor, VCU and to some extent, Missouri are nice. Losses to App St and Providence are not so much (especially if you are going to lose to Georgia, which this season, no tournament team should). But with a 38 RPI and 39 SOS, the prescription is the same. Split the last two, and get a couple in the SEC, or win out and just avoid a first-round SEC disaster. Now, it's ironic that Mississippi plays Arkansas in this edition of the Buffet, because it is 2007 Arkansas that Mississippi must most closely resemble to finish this season. They cannot lose another game until the SEC title game if they want any realistic shot at a trip out of the Waiting Line and into the Buffet...

Well kids, the Buffet hopes this first installment has whet your appetites, because we're into it now ... and the food is just starting to get served, and the basketball is just starting to get played.

Welcome Back ....

to the Buffet.