On the Fourth day of Conference Tourneys, the Buffet gave to me...

Hijinks in the Big South

LIU/Wagner on collision

How bad is Binghamton, really?

and, welcome to Arch 1st, Twenty-Twelve

Welcome back boys and girls, children of all ages -- the first real full down of conference tournament, saw the Big South bracket get turned upside down, yadda yadda and yadda. And now we're at day four, 3 more conferences get going, with the NEC going full force, the Missouri Valley just wading, and the America East dipping their toe...

Tonight's Schedule

America East

8 Maryland-Baltimore County v. 9 Binghamton, 8:15pm ET, (http://www.americaeast.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?&&DB_OEM_ID=14000)

Atlantic Sun

5 North Florida v. 4 East Tennessee State, 230pm ET, ESPN3

6 Florida Gulf Coast v. 3 USC Upstate, 830pm ET, ESPN3

The Valley

8 Indiana State v. 9 Southern Illinois, 7:05pm ET, ESPN3/Fox Sports MW/IN/KC/FCS/Comcast Chi

7 Drake v. 10 Bradley, 9:35 pm ET, ESPN3/Fox Sports MW/IN/KC/FCS/Comcast Chi

Northeast Conference

8 Sacred Heart @ Long Island Univ-Brooklyn, 7PM ET (audio available at northeastconference.org)

7 Central Connecticut @ 2 Wagner, 7 pm ET (webcast available at northeastconference.org)

6 Monmouth @ 3 Robert Morris, 7 pm ET (webcast available at northeastconference.org)

5 Quinnipiac @ 4 St. Francis (NY), 7pm ET ET (webcast available at northeastconference.org)

Ohio Valley Conference

#5 Southeast Missouri vs. #4 Tennessee Tech, 7pm ET, (OVCSports.TV)

#3 Morehead State v. #7 Jacksonville State, 9pm ET, (OVCSports.TV)

West Coast Conference

#5 San Francisco v. #8 Portland, 9pm ET, (BYU.tv)

#6 San Diego v. #7 Pepperdine, 11pm ET, (BYU.tv)

Last night in...

the Atlantic Sun:

Kerron Johnson's 19 points and 5 assists led Belmont to a 76-62. The Bruins led the entire way, the Dolphins made a brief second half run, but couldn't get within 7. Belmont used a tremendous FT advntage (31-13) and rebound advantage 44-26 to really force the issue and push JVille into submission.

Perhaps taking their come court for granted, Mercer let Lipscomb hang around for entirely too long before finally quashing the upset bid, 61-53. The Bears got 19 and 8 from Jakob Gollom (whose late 3 sealed this one) and double-digits from 3 others (Bud Thomas (10), Langston Hall (11) and Travis Smith (11 off the bench to go with 8 rebounds). Hall filled the stat sheet fir 11, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, as finally Mercer overwhelmed the pesky Bisons. Who were led by Zavion Williams 17 points and 4 steals against a turnover happy (16 to 8) Mercer team. Malcolm Smith also added 10 points and 5 rebounds.

the Big South...

In one of the two Big South Upsets, VMI behind Keith Gabriel's 20 points, took out the #2 Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina. VMI just 5 days ago shot 28% in losing 81-64 to CCU, went bananas from 3, shooting 14-28, including Jordan Weethee's 5 of 6 for all of his 15 points. Sam McLaurin had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Kierre Greenwood had 11 and 8, both in the losing effort.

Say goodbye to the 3 seed as well, as Reggie Middleton had 25 points, including 5 3pointers as Winthrop, battle tests no matter the coach, punished a not quite ready for elite status Campbell team 71-55. Andre Jones had 14 points and Joab Jerom went stat sheet, with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assist and 2 steals for the Eagles, who had lost 3 straight (and 5 of 6) coming in. Darren White had 15 points for Campbell, who has swept the season series.

So, in a night of upsets, one of the 2 that didn't happen was the Buffet's upset special? Saah Nimley had 19 points, as Charleston Southern get withstanding Liberty runs to get a 88-74 victory. Kelvin Martin and Arlon harper added 18 points for a Buccaneer team that led by as many as 18 points. David Minaya paced the Flames, with 17 points, and Jesse Sanders was as advertised - 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals - but Liberty's 5 game Big South winning streak comes to an end, right with their season.

UNC-Asheville put a stop to the upset nonsense, putting 5 guys in double figures, led by Chris Stephenson's 18 and 7 (Jeremy Atkinson had 16/8, J.P. Primm: 15 and 6 assists, and, oh yeah, Matt Dickey, only 11 points, but his scoring leadership wasn't needed - Jaron Lane added 13 points and 7 rebounds off the bench - as Asheville crushed High Point 86-61. Shay SHine has 22 points and 6 rebounds in a losing effort.

the Ohio Valley...

SE Missouri got 20 points from Marland Smith, and 18/11 from Tyler Stone in a wire to wire 75-65 win that saw the Redhawks oust Eastern Kentucky for the second straight year, and early 13-0 run made the score 15-2, and lead reached as many as 17, E Ky, as ALWAYS happens in college hoops made a run, but close with 5. The Jones', Jaron (28) & Joshua (17), each had 3 triples and tried to keep the Colonels in it, but SE and their 2pt marksmanship (49%) proved too much. Watchout for SeMo's poor FT shooting, that helped keep EKy in this game.

An upset in the OVC send Austin Peay home early as they fell to Jacksonville State, 75-70. Brian Williams 3-pointer with 33 seconds left gave JVille a 72-70 lead, and then a break-away bucket finished the scoring. Williams finished with 18 points, Darion Rackley added 16 points off the bench, as J'Ville moved to 2-17 all time against the Governors. TyShawn Edmonson in what became his collegiate finale, has 22 points, but 6 turnovers, as Austin Peay, the preseason OVC favorite got bounced in the first round.

the Patriot League...

The hottest team is gone, 25 points from Rob Delaney, and Lafayette used a torrid first half (64%) shooting and clutch free throw shooting (8 FTs to ice a 76-73 game with 41 seconds left) to beat Holy Cross 84-76. Jim Mower had 18 of his own and Ryan Willen chipped in 12 pts, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. For the Crusaders, RJ Evans had 18 points and 7 rebounds, Devin Brown had 17 and Dave Dudzinski contributed 16. These teams had split the regular season series, but in a bout of foreshadowing, each had one on the others home floor.

1 down, 2 to go for Bucknell -- Joe Willam had 18 points, Bucknell shot 63% from the field (and 33% from 3) as Bucknell led by 20 at halftime and cruised to a 87-63 win. Isaiah Roberts had 20 points for the hot shooting (52%) but careless Midshipmen, as Navy has not won a Patriot league tournament game in 12 tries. Bryson Johnson had 15 points, and Cameron Ayers added 10 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Conspicuously quiet was Mike Muscala, which doesn't bode well for the rest of the Patriot League.

CJ McCollum had 15 points, 5 rebs, 4 assists and 7 steals, and Mackey McKnight had 16 points, 4 rebs, 3 assists and 2 steals as Lehigh stretched a 7 pt halftime lead into a 70-57 victory. Sterlin Melville, who hadn't scored double digits in 10 games, came off the bench to score 21 points in a losing effort.

23-11 was the halftime score, not a football final. In a game that may have set back American offenses, American Unversity ousted Army 57-40. An altogether shooting struggle, Army sot 26%, American ended up at 39%, only two players for either team ended up in double-figures. (Daniel Munoz, American with 11 & Elia Ellis, Army, 13)

the West Coast Conference...

Ryan Nicholas notched a career high 24 points to go with 11 rebounds, and they needed all of them in a 74-70 win over Santa Clara. After Evan Roquemore closed the game to 72-70, SCU had one more shot, but a Roquemore turnover with 7 second left, led to a Tanner Riley dunk (12 points), and Portland moves on to face 5th seeded San Francisco. Kevin Bailey added 13 for Portland. Meanwhile Roquemore finished with 21 points and 3 assists, Niyi Harrison had 15 and 4, and Raymond Cowels III had 11 more, as Santa Clara finished the perfect season, in a bad way - 0-17 (including last night) in West Coast Conference play this season.

Conference tournament previews:

2012 America East Men's Championship: Presented by Newman's Own

Hartford '12

March 1-4: University of Hartford, Chase Arena @ Reich Family Pavilion, capacity: 4017

March 10: Championship game @ higher seed

A season long American East steam roll was shortly paused by a resounding win that may us believe Vermont was back, but the Catamounts they went and lost to a team that has LITERALLY lost to everyone (0-26 at tipoff), and the Buffet was compelled by an unwritten law to stop taking them seriously.

The Seawolves, who have been a division one program since 1999, have never advanced to the NCAA tournament, yet this is their second conference title in those 12 years (only Vermont has won more). Stony Brook enters the tournament on a modest 3 game winning streak, which followed their disappointing, "not quite ready for the crown" loss at Vermont, but have won 11 of 12 overall. their most impressive moments this year came at Northwestern, where SB were only down 3 with 2:52 left to go, in a 63-58 loss. But overall they dominated, winning games in the AmEast by an average of 13 points (not including the loss to Vermont) - this has the distinct feeling like this could be a Seawolf year.

How do you take Vermont? Seriously? With a grain of salt? This is a team who has won 11 of 12 and 14 of 16 - but the losses were to 1-26 Binghamton and 6-13 New Hampshire, they seem to lack to AmEast killer instinct that Tom Brennan made famous up there. You can never discount them, because of the talent gap the often enjoy, Vermont owns the conferences best win, a 65-63 OT win at Old Dominion and they swept the other top contender - BU and Albany, to go with their split and most recent trouncing of Stony Brook. Which VU team shows up on Saturday? That will be the telling point.

It's funny, when the top two teams lose 2 and 3 games, respectively, somehow a 4-loss conference team gets loss in translation. But that's what the Terries were and they come in winning 5 of 6 conference games. They did struggle against the cream of the crop, going 1-3 against SB and Vermont, but they seemed to have turned the corner from the team who lost 7 in a row in late December/early Jan. When BU gets in trouble is when the don't score, they aren't up tempo, but they need to not let themselves get into a routine of only defense, because their losses, save a few, have seemed to be when they didn't put the ball in the basket.

Albany fell out of conference contention with a late losing streak, pretty much right when they started playing the top seeds (they were swept by VU, SB and BU), which suggest, a not quite ready for prime time feel for this squad.

The Buffet picks: Always a sucker for good stories, Stony Brook will complete the chalk, get a home court championship game, and get to their first NCAA tournament.

Upset special: Hartford is hosting the opening rounds, Hartford also went 4-8 at home this season, this isn't like walking into the Pit. No, the upset, will be more of a team overlooked than truly an upset - the Boston University Terrier. With the 1-2 punch of Darryl Partin and D.J. Irving, the firepower is there to run the table.

Stony Brook Seawolves (20-8, 14-2)

Ken Pom: 152

ESPN BPI: 122

RPI: 146

SOS: 324

Best wins: Vermont (159) 65-59; Columbia (174) 67-53

Best losses: @Northwestern (44) 58-63

Worst losses: @E.Illinois (288) 69-72; @Sacred Heart (237) 63-74; @Bos Coll (185) 51-66; @Indiana (15) 66-96

Players to watch

Bryan Dougher - 13.4 pts, 2.5 rebs, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals

Tommy Brenton – 7.9 pts, 7.8 rebs, 3.3 ats, 1.5 steals,

Dave Coley, 9.8 pts, 3.5 rebs, 1.3 asts

Al Rapier – 8.3 pts, 5.2 rebs, 1.2 assists

Dallis Joyner – 8.7 pts, 6.5 rebs

Anthony Jackson – 5.8 pts, 1.4 rebs, 43% 3pts

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Joyner - 56% Bryan Dougher - 79%

Brenton - 62% Coley - 78%

Ron Bracey – 40% Jackson - 82%

Marcus Rouse - 78%

Vermont Catamounts (20-11, 13-3)

Ken Pom: 127

ESPN BPI: 145

RPI: 159

SOS: 277

Best wins: Old Dominion (113) 65-63 ot; Stony Brook (146) 68-49; Boston U x2 (185) @68-67; 83-69

Best losses: Harvard (37) 48-55, Iona (39) 72-73, USF (45) 59-61; Long Island (95) 75-80

Worst losses: New Hampshire (297) 65-72; Quinnipiac (169) 58-62; Northeastern (181) 51-53; @Binghamton (344) 53-57

Players to Watch

Four McGlynn, York, PA native – 11.9 pts, 1.7 rebs, 1.1 assists, 40% 3pts

Matt Glass – 11.9 pts, 3.7 rebs, 1.1 assists, 41% 3pts

Luke Apfeld – 10.3 pts, 3.9 rebs

Brendan Bald – 8.2 pts, 1.8 rebs

Sandro Carissimo – 6.6 pts, 2.9 rebs, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals

Brian Voelkel – 4.9 pts, 8.3 rebs, 5.0 assists, 1.7 steals

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Voelkel - 54% McGlynn - 89%

Ben Crenca - 58% Glass - 79%

Josh Elbaum – 55% Apfeld - 76%

Bald - 76%

Carissimo – 82%

Clancy Rugg – 88%

Boston U Terriers (16-15, 12-4)

Ken Pom: 174

ESPN BPI: 182

RPI: 185

SOS: 221

Best wins: Stony Brook (146) 61-55; Delaware (145) 73-67

Best losses: @St Joe’s (51) 68-75; v Clev St (79) 62-63

Worst losses: @Quinnipiac (169) 53-59; @Cornell (174) 66-71; Northeastern (181) 74-82 ot; New Hampshire (297) 54-56

Players to Watch

Darryl Partin – 19.7 pts, 3.9 rebs, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals

DJ Irving – 11.4 pts, 2.9 rebs, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals

Patrick Hazel - 6.7 pts, 5.2 rebs, 1.6 blks

Dom Morris – 6.7 pts, 5.9 rebs, 1.1 assists

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Hazel - 56% Partin - 73%

Morris - 65% Irving - 70%

Malik Thomas - 64% Matt Griffin - 80%

Travis Robinson - 96% (22/23)

Albany Great Danes (18-13, 9-7)

Ken Pom: 202

ESPN BPI: 219

RPI: 217

SOS: 334

Best wins: Rider (200) 70-61; @St Francis (NY) (204) 76-64

Best losses: None

Worst losses: @Siena (233) 60-64; @New Hampshire (297) 64-69; @Cornell (174) 82-85; Boston U x2 (185) @57-70; 78-81

Players to Watch

Gerardo Suero – 21.7 pts, 5.7 rebs, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 4.2 turnovers

Logan Aronhalt – 14.2 pts, 4.4 rebs, 1.0 assists

Mike Black – 13.6 pts, 2.8 rebs, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals

Jayson Guerrier - 6.3 pts, 3.4 rebs, 43% 3pts

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Luke Devlin - 61% Suero - 83%

Blake Metcalf - 29% Aronhalt - 89%

Ralph Watts - 66% Black – 75%

John Puk - 59%

Other players to watch

Gerald McLemore, Maine, Sr, 17.0 pts, 2.3 rebs, 1.3 assists, 40% 3pts

Chase Plummer, Maryland-Baltimore County, So, 15.3 pts, 7.5 rebs, 1.4 assists, 1.3 stls

Justin Edwards, Maine, Fr, 14.4 pts, 5.7 rebs, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals

Robert Mansell, Binghamton, So, 14.0 pts, 3.3 rebs, 1.5 assists

Alvin Abreu, New Hampshire, Sr, 13.7 pts, 3.6 rebs, 1.6 assists

Ben Dickinson, Binghamton, Fr, 13.0 pts, 6.1 rebs, 2.4 assists

Alasdair Fraser, Maine, So, 13.0 pts, 7.8 rebs, 1.4 blks

Ryan Cook, Maryland-Baltimore County, Jr, 12.4 pts, 4.0 rebs, 1.7 assists

Andres Torres, Hartford, Sr, 11.6 pts, 3.2 rebs, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals

Chandler Rhoads, New Hampshire, Jr, 11.5 pts, 3.4 rebs, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals

Brian Neller, Maryland-Baltimore County, Jr, 11.2 pts, 2.1 rebs, 1.0 assists

Brian Benson, New Hampshire, Sr, 8.1 pts, 8.4 rebs

Mike Allison, Maine, Jr, 7.1 pts, 6.8 rebs, 2.1 blks

America East Conference Jack Leasure Award: Gerald McLemore, Maine.73/184 - 40%. Weakest field to date, as none of the volume shooters hit more than McLemore's 40 percent (after rounding up). Brian Neller and Partin are volume shooters, especially Neller's 9 attempts per game - but they shouldn't be (31 and 32% respectively).

The America East postseason awards have not yet been announced.

Morels from the America East

One of Vermont's current assistant coaches is former Vermont star, Kyle Cieplicki

Vermont So Brian Voelker is the son of former American University star, Raymond Voelkel who continues to hold the NCAA record for most consecutive FGs (25).

Vermont freshman guard, Four McGlynn attended Dallastown high school in a hard knock river town.

New Hampshire Sr G Ryan Herrion is the son of UNH head coach Bill Herrion

On UMBC's staff is Jay Greene, a former 1st team all-Am East performer and the Reggie Lewis MOP of the 2008 AmEast tourney

Hartford freshman forward Nate Sikma is the son of 7-time NBA all-star Jack Sikma

BU Sr & ASU transfer Chris Kurz is younger brother of former Notre Dame star and NBAer, Rob Kurz

Binghamton is very bad - but their coach was very good at basketball - Temple's all-time leading scorer: Mark Macon

The Buffet approves of Binghamton freshman guard Storm Clonch's name.

If only Albany could go to their assistant coaching staff off the bench, then they could call on former star and current AC, Brent Wilson.

ARCH MADNESS: Missouri Valley Tournament

Missouri Valley Tournament

March 1-4, 2012, St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center, capacity: 21,000

The Valley is like THE tournament that made the Buffet what it is. Loud advocate for the small school. Unapologetic to the small school that doesn't try to schedule, but loud defender of those that do or try. And most importantly, absolutely convinced that the non-BCS conferences produced teams, even if not the individual talent, as good as the big boys. And what do you know, in the last 2 years, 3 of the 8 Final Four teams came from the smaller conferences. BAM.

It is always the Buffet's pleasure to preview the Archness when we get to discuss seeding more than which team will get the one bid out of this league, and thanks to some dominance, a late season run, and some good quality wins - Creighton and Wichita St have afford the Buffet exactly that.

Wichita State has the type of full-developed team that makes you think, yes, this could be the next smaller conference school to make a run. Guards Joe Ragland and Toure' Murry (yes, somehow he's still in school), big man Garrett Stutz, and forwards Ben Smith and Carl Hall - they've got a starting 5 filled with guys who have been the man at one point or another. A thinner bench, but that's to be expected, they still have 2 guys averaging 20+ minutes and 2 more hovering around 10 - this team has roles, they are well defined and it works well. To wit, Wichita St is #18 in the country in rebounding margin. The Shockers have dropped 4 games all year - a 10 points loss (that was just a 3 point halftime spread) to Alabama, where Wichita's bench outscored the Tide's 25-6, they outrebounded Alabama 48-38, and shot 35% as a team from 3. The problems were turnovers (15) and misfiring inside the arc (33.8%) after Alabama's Anthony Grant pressure got to them. Otherwise, an OT loss to Temple, a triple OT loss @Drake and a 7 point home loss to Creighton (that they later repayed in 21 point spades in Omaha). Riding an 8 game winning streak (16 of 17 as well), the Shockers seem to have no equal right now, and while its not Arch The Usual, it is Arch Madness, this still seems like a Shocker team playing at a different level.

Creighton disagrees, but have they finally turned the corner from their 3 game losing threak that culminated in their 20 point home loss to Wichita? It seemed that way when the withstood a relentless Long Beach team on a buzzer beater. But then followed that with an ugly 1 point OT home win against the Aces (who sought a season sweep!) and then a 1 point loss to 2012 Underachiever of the Year Indiana State. That just doesn't seem like a team who has the consistency needed. They do have the monster that is needed, in Coach Greg McDermott's son Doug, 2012 Valley POY and leading candidate for All-America status and a POY finalist. The kid can ball, and with Antoine Young (he of the LBSU buzzer beater) and the ever emerging Gregory Echenique, Creighton isn't a Wally Szczerbiak one man operation.

On the last Buffetology, Wichita St sat at 4 - and that seems to be the right place for them, they can reinforce their four seed, but it would be difficult to really make a move in either direction, at this point. Creighton, meanwhile, sat at a 7 - and their squeak by wins over Evansville & ISU won't do anything to push them up. They could end up in the 6, but Creighton just seems to profile like a prototypical 8/9 team.

The rest of the conference is Herman Cain approved. Not because they love women, all women, any women, as long as they aren't married to that woman. No, because the virtual the rest of the conference reads 9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9. They are teams who show elements of danger:

Northern Iowa beat Creighton in Omaha and took Wichita St to the limit at Koch Arena - and in non-conference they beat both Iowa St and Colorado State, as well as gave a nice run in their bracket buster game at Richmond. Their big issue was Jake Koch not stepping up and taking on a leadership role, leaving Anthony James alone to play that part, and he was game, but not prolific enough.

Drake knocked off Wichita in Wichita, in one of the classic games of the 2012 college hoops season.

Evansville opened the season winning in Butler, and even added a road win at Creighton (to go with a home OT loss against the Blue Jays), and are on a bit of a run themselves, 3 of 4, including that OT loss.

And do you want to be the one who tells Missouri St, with a road win at Creighton, they have no shot?

The Buffet picks: Wichita State. It's cooler to go against the chalk, but it's even cooler to get your picks right, and Wichita is just a v.good team.

Upset special: Only Jake Kelly, among the key stat contributors is gone from the Indiana State team who made the Arch Madness dash in 2011. And remember, before Drake and UNI bucked the trend, it had been 10 years since the top seed in St. Louis actually survived the insanity.

Schedule

The MVC games are available on ESPN3 (unless noted) except to those in Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska - those fans will can see the games on one of: Fox Sports Midwest/Fox Sports Indiana/For Sports Kansas City/Fox College Sports (Central)/Comcast Sports Chcago

Thurs, Mar 1

Game 1: #8 Indiana State v. #9 Southern Illinois, 7:05pm ET

Game 2: #7 Drake v. #10 Bradley, 9:35pm ET

Fri, Mar 2

Game 3: #1 Wichita State v. Winner Game 1, 1:05pm ET

Game 4: #4 Illinois State v. #4 Northern Iowa, 3:35 pm ET

Game 5: #2 Creighton v. Winner Game 2, 7:05pm ET (same stations except FCS (Pacific))

Game 6: #3 Evansville v. #6 Missouri State, 9:35pm ET (same stations except FCS (Pacific))

Sat, Mar 3

Game 7: Winner Game 3 v. Winner Game 4, 12:35pm ET (same stations + KSMO-TV (KC))

Game 8: Winner Game 5 v. Winner Game 6, 4:05pm ET (same stations + KSMO-TV (KC))

Sun, March 4

Championship Game, 2:05pm ET, CBS

Wichita State Shockers (26-4, 16-2)

Ken Pom: 8

ESPN BPI: 8

RPI: 10

SOS: 55

Best wins: UNLV (12) 89-70; @Creighton (24) 89-68; Northern Iowa x2 (65) @71-68; 82-57; @Davidson (64) 91-74; v.Colorado (76) 67-58

Best losses: v.Temple (14) 74-78ot; Creighton (24) 61-68

Worst losses: @Drake (132) 86-93 3ot

Players to watch

Garrett Stutz – 14.1 pts, 8.0 rebs, 1.1 assists, 1.0 blocks

Joe Ragland 13.2 pts, 2.9 rebs, 3.4 assists, 48%

Toure’ Murray – 12.1 pts, 4.8 rebs, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals

Carl Hall – 8.7 pts, 5.0 rebs

Ben Smith - 9.8 pts, 2.9 rebs, 40% 3pts

David Kyles - 8.8 pts, 3.6 rebs, 2.0 assists

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Hall - 66% Stutz - 82%

Smith - 69% Ragland - 83%

Murry - 79%

Kyles – 81%

Demetric Williams - 87&

Creighton Bluejays (25-5, 15-4)

Ken Pom: 39

ESPN BPI: 28

RPI: 24

SOS: 97

Best wins: @Wichita St. (10) 68-61; @San Diego St (27) 85-83; Long Beach (33) 81-79; Northwestern (44) 87-79; Northern Iowa (65) 63-60

Best losses: @Northern Iowa (65) 62-65; @Saint Joseph's (51) 71-80

Worst losses: @Evansville (140) 57-65; Wichita St (10) 68-89

Players to watch

Doug McDermott – 23.1 pts, 8.1 rebs, 1.1 assists, 48% 3pt

Antoine Young – 12.3 pts, 2.0 rebs, 4.5 assists

Gregory Echenique – 9.5 pts, 7.4 rebs, 1.6 blocks

Grant Gibbs – 6.9 pts, 4.3 rebs, 5.4 assists, 1.1 steals

Ethan Wragge – 6.7 pts, 2.7 rebs, 42% 3pts

Jahenns Manigat – 6.8 pts, 2.1 rebs, 1.6 assists, 48% 3pts

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Echenique - 69% McDermott - 80%

Josh Jones - 56% Young - 73%

Gibbs – 70%

Manigat – 88%

Wragge – 82%

Missouri State Bears (16-15, 9-9)

Ken Pom: 93

ESPN BPI: 95

RPI: 111

SOS: 70

Best wins: @Creighton (24) 77-65; Northern Iowa (65) 63-51; @Nevada (55) 68-46)

Best losses: Creighton (24) 65-66; v.West Virginia (53) 68-70 ot; @Northern Iowa (65) 60-61; Wichita St (10) 67-74; @Oral Roberts (40) 63-68

Worst losses: Evansville x2 (140) @70-75 ot, 82-87 ot; Illinois St x2 (124) 60-68; @69-76 ot; Oklahoma St (117) 67-72; Indiana St (129) 46-59

Players to watch

Kyle Weems – 15.4 pts, 7.1 rebs, 40% 3pts

Caleb Patterson – 12.2 pts, 2.7 rebs

Anthony Downing – 11.6 pts, 3.2 rebs, 2.3 assists

Jarmar Gulley – 10.5 pts, 5.8 rebs, 1.0 steals

Michael Bizoukas – 4.0 pts, 3.2 rebs, 5.5 assists

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Gulley - 67% Weems - 78%

Bizoukas - 48% Patterson - 81%

Downing – 83%

Keith Pickens – 68%

Northern Iowa Panthers (19-12, 9-9)

Ken Pom: 80

ESPN BPI: 75

RPI: 65

SOS: 54

Best wins: Creighton (24) 65-62; Colorado St (26) 83-77; @Iowa St (32) 69-62;

Best losses: Wichita St (10) 68-71; @Creighton (24) 60-63

Worst losses: @Bradley (257) 67-78; Evansville x2 (140) 65-76, @62-63; @Indiana St (129) 54-59; @Illinois St (124) 61-65; Ohio (74) 59-76; @Wichita St (10) 57-82; @St. Mary’s (31) 41-57

Players to watch

Anthony James – 13.3 pts, 4.3 rebs, 1.7 assists, 40% 3pts

Seth Tuttle – 9.4 pts, 5.4 rebs, 1.1 assists,

Jake Koch – 8.8 pts, 5.5 rebs, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.1 blocks

Marc Sonnen – 8.5 ppg, 2.2 rebs, 1.8 assists, 45% 3pts

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Tuttle - 66% James - 76%

Johnny Moran - 69% Koch - 81%

Austin Pehl – 58% Sonnen – 74%

Deon Mitchell – 71%

Chip Rank – 78%

Other players to watch

Colt Ryan, Evansville, Jr, 20.5 pts, 4.3 rebs, 3.3 assists, 2.0 steals, 43% 3pts

Rayvonte Rice, Drake, So, 16.6 pts, 5.7 rebs, 1.6 assists, 2.0 steals

Ben Simons, Drake, Jr, 16.2 pts, 3.4 rebs, 1.4 assists, 43% 3pts

Taylor Brown, Bradley, Sr, 14.8 pts, 6.4 rebs, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steals

Jackie Carmichael, Illinois St, Jr., 13.6 pts, 9.4 rebs, 1.0 assists, 1.2 blks

Mamadou Seck, Southern Illinois, Sr, 13.3 pts, 7.8 rebs, 2.6 assists, 1.1 steals

Tyler Brown, Illinois St, Jr, 12.8 pts, 3.8 rebs, 2.5 assists, 43% 3pts

Dwayne Lathan, Indiana St, Sr, 12.5 pts, 5.0 rebs, 1.5 assists

Walt Lemon, Bradley, So, 12.5 pts, 3.0 rebs, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals

Denver Holmes, Evansville, Sr, 11.5 pts, 1.4 rebs, 3.6 assists, 43% 3pts

Dyricus Simms-Edwards, Bradley, Jr, 11.5 pts, 3.8 rebs, 2.9 assists

Jake Odum, Indiana St, So, 10.9 pts, 5.8 rebs, 5.2 assists, 1.8 steals

Kenneth Harris, Evansville, Sr, 10.8 pts, 4.3 rebs, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals

Carl Richard, Indiana St, Sr, 10.0 pts, 5.0 rebs

Missouri Valley Conference Jack Leasure Award: Colt Ryan, Evansville, 68/157, 43%. Tough call, with apologies to close runner-up Jahenns Manigat of Creighton and his 48% accuracy, but the volume 157 to 110, in one less game, while still hitting 42% is what proved to be a difference maker.

Missouri Valley Larry Bird Player of the Year: Doug McDermott, Creighton, So

Missouri Valley Coach of the Year: Named March 1

Missouri Valley Newcomer of the Year: Carl Hall, Wichita State, Jr.

Missouri Valley Freshman of the Year: Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa

All-Missouri Valley First Team:

Doug McDermott, So, F, Creighton

Joe Ragland, Sr, G, Wichita State

Colt Ryan, Jr, G/F, Evansville

Garrett Stutz, Sr, C, Wichita State

Kyle Weems, Sr, F, Missouri State

All-Missouri Valley Second Team:

Jackie Carmichael, Jr, F, Illinois State

Jake Odum, So, G, Indiana State

Rayvonte Rice, So, G, Drake

Ben Simons, Jr, F, Drake

Antoine Young, Sr, G, Creighton

Morels from the Valley

Jake Koch is the younger brother for former UNI forward, Adam Koch

Former Kansas team MVP Steve Woodberry sits on coach Paul Lusk's bench at Missouri State

Carl Richard, a senior G/F on Indiana State is the cousin of Miami Heat all-star, Dwyane Wade

Jordan Printy a Sr Guard on Indiana State has a sister, Jamie on the ISU women's team and they were the only brother/sister tandem to both play in the NCAA tournament in 2011

ISU So Lucas Eitel's bro Derek, was drafted in the 17th rd of the MLB Amateur draft by the AZ D'backs

Former Arizona State captain Jamelle McMillan is the coordinator of bball operations at Drake

Michigan coach John Beilein's son Patrick is an assistant coach at Bradley

Bradley freshman Jalen Crawford is the younger brother of 2 NBA players - Jordan & Joseph

2012 Northeast Conference Basketball Championship

presented by: RubyTuesday

Do Greg Ott & Abbie Broughton get VIP access to games? Their names mentioned during broadcasts?

March 1st, 4th, and 7th, 2012, all games played at home of higher seed

Teams reseeded following quarterfinals

Only top 8 teams qualify

257, 129, 153, 194, 147, 188. Those are the RPIs of last year's 16 seeds. 88. 99. Those are the RPIs of the top two teams in the NEC this year, who combined had as many losses as the #3 seed. It's the Hurley family versus a returning Blackbird family. Just seems like while those in the Waiting Line... may be a collection of one ugly resume after another, the strength of the small conference team has led to some really strong auto bid receivers. Now, upsets will happen, and I expect when the dust settles for the NEC to end up on line 15. But, for now, before the insanity unfolds, that's where they sit. Now let's see who is going to win this thing.

The Buffet is disappointed in LIU-Brooklyn. The Blackbirds, whom you may or may not have heard the Buffet "singing" "Blackbird singing in the dead of night" thorugh a lost voice coming from the Sports House Bar & Grill (formerly ESPNZone) were a willing opponent for UNC in the tournament last year and had their first round matchup tied through 15 minutes, but then was overwhelmed by UNC's size and strength (hey Tucci, did that game go under?). And the Buffet thought we might be seeing a Siena like development developing (see what we did there?), as this team was all freshmen and sophomores - they return (2011/2012 class in parentheses) Olasewere (junior), Julian Boyd (junior), CJ Garner (junior), Kenny Onyechi (junior) and Texas PG and budding small college star, Jason Brinkman (sophomore). But the early season development was just not evident. They opened the season with 3 road losses - Hofstra, Old Dominion and Penn State. Needless to say, none of those teams will appear in a Waiting Line... analysis any time soon, although ODU is not an embarassing loss. But LIU was not competitive against Iona, fell to Columbia and Norfolks state, and the season seemed to be going nowhere fast. But then something happened - the NEC conference season and LIU hit their stride. They won their first 8 games, dropped a road game to Robert Morris, before another 8 game win streak had them at 16-1 in conference play. A small source for concern is their play in the regular season finale - a 28 point loss at Monmouth, was it the let down game after their top seed and regular season championship had already wrapped? It is a team devoid of senior leadership, so losing focus wouldn't be an absolute shock. At the end of the day - how much weight do you give it? Yes, Monmouth has some added confidence heading into the tournament as have nothing to lose 6 seed. But so then does Central Connecticut, who finds themselves matched back up with the same Wagner team they defeated just 5 days ago by 17. But, 28 points isn't just a let down, it's a not show up. Concerns abound as LIU tips off tonight. Now, we also can't forget, this is a home court tournament, and LIU has secured their second regular season title, was 12-0 at home (all NEC games take place on your home floor), and when your home floor is called the WRAC (Wellness, Recreation & Athletic Center) and you can advertise to Pack the WRAC for the conference tournament - well, the Buffet pledges it's undying love.

So, we're giving equal short shrift to the final season dud put up by Wagner - who many feel is the best overall team in the NEC, regardless of LIU's sweep and season long dominance - let's be honest, the Hurley family can coach, and Danny has done a magnificent job with this team. They owned their Ivy opponents in their house (@Princeton by 16, @Penn by 6), won at the Zoo, beat Air Force and Santa Clara, and even refused to quit in a game they were down by as many as 18 to UConn. The thing is Latif Rivers and co. just couldn't get over the LIU hump. The first game was as 5 point final, but LIU pretty much took wire to wire - at Wagner, the game had a slightly different story line but with a similar ending, LIU stormed out to a nice lead, Wagner roared back to take the lead, LIU answered with a 3 point halftime lead, that Wagner finally whittled away at and took the lead, until a 10-0 Blackbird run sealed. A cast of young characters themselves (not only does 1 senior play a key role, he's the only one on the roster - which is the same amount LIU has on the roster, but their senior plays but 10 min again, if he gets in at all) - this should be an awesome developing NEC duel. Should chalk prevail - and other than a let down against Robert Morris and the bye week each team awarded themselves last Saturday, nothing about their conference play or home prowess (LIU was 12-0 and Wagner 12-2) suggests otherwise - there will a packed, sweaty, intense WRAC ready for a true war to be waged between two big time rivals.

The first round is interesting, as the only two teams able to put an L next to LIU's name during the conference season face off - and Robert Morris, having been the more competitive outfit top to bottom through the regular season seems the more likely future NEC champion of the 2. They opened nicely, winning 4 of 5, losing by just 6 points at Penn, by only 10 at Pitt, just 4 to Cleveland St and really handled all lesser competition they faced in the non-conference - coming into NEC play, it seemed like they were to be a real contender (and truthfully, this is a bit dramatic, they only lost 5 games in the NEC, and handed LIU their first conference loss in the middle of the Blackbirds 8 game NEC win streak, and pretty secure 75-66 win. The Colonials could play spoiler, coming out of the 3 seed.

the Buffet predicts: This is why small conferences elect to have schools host their own individual games, to protect the top of the bracket. LIU with home protection suggests to the Buffet that they are LIU with an automatic bid in their future.

Upset special: Watch out for Robert Morris. 3 seeds aren't necessarily huge upset calls, but when the top two dominate the headlines and lose combined as many games as you did, you tend to forget, but Robert Morris collected 3 of the conferences top 7 wins, including the 2 best - Ohio & La Salle, so they don't get shaken in the face of adversity. Watch out for CCSU - their time will likely end up being brief, as the 7 seed, they open with Wagner, but with three players averaging 17, 18 and 20 - this team can put up points.

Potential game to watch. Click this: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Long+Island+University,+University+Plaza,+Brooklyn&daddr=St.+Francis+College,+Remsen+Street,+New+York,+NY&hl=en&geocode=FeDlbAIdTSSX-yHpGmZHDMJCNSmtOcGbtFvCiTGarcL7OALslw%3BFULubAIdPfmW-yHyaypKN0Q8RQ&aq=0&oq=St+fran&sll=40.69362,-73.98748&sspn=0.005686,0.013078&vpsrc=0&dirflg=w&mra=ltm&ie=UTF8&ll=40.692231,-73.986354&spn=0.005686,0.013078&t=m&z=17

That's the route from LIU-Brooklyn to St. Francis. It has spawned the legendary Battle for Brooklyn series. And as St. Francis comes as the #4 seed, and LIU-Brooklyn the #1, the Battle for Brooklyn just might get another installment this year.

Schedule

First round NEC games are available on the Web as noted

Action can also be followed on Twitter @NECBBT

Thurs, Mar 1

#8 Sacred Heart @ #1 LIU Brooklyn, 7pm ET

#7 Central Connecticut @ #2 Wagner, 7pm ET (http://wagnerathletics.com/showcas)

#6 Monmouth @ #3 Robert Morris, 7pm ET (http://www.rmucolonials.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPID=6516&db_oem_id=13900)

#5 Quinnipiac @ #4 St. Francis (NY), 7pm ET (http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/stfrancis.portal#)

Sun, Mar 4

Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed, 12pm or 6pm ET, MSG Network

Third Highest Remaining Seed @ Second Highest Remaining Seed, 12pm or 6pm, MSG

Wed, Mar 7

Championship Game, @ Highest Remaining Seed, 7pm ET, ESPN2

Long Island Blackbirds (22-8, 16-2)

Ken Pom: 176

ESPN BPI: 166

RPI: 99

SOS: 273

Best wins: Wagner x2 (88) @73-66, 78-73

Best losses:

Worst losses: @Hofstra (260) 71-89; @Columbia (183) 53-63; @Penn St (152) 68-77; @Old Dominion (111) 69-77; @Norfolk St (134) 62-73; @Rob Morris (119) 66-75; @Iona (40) 84-100; @Monmouth (231) 78-106

Players to watch

Julian Boyd – 17.3 pts, 9.7 rebs

Jamal Olasewere – 17.0 pts, 9.7 rebs, 1.2 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.1 blocks

C.J. Garner – 12.5 pts, 2.7 rebs, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals

Jason Brickman – 9.1 pts, 2.6 rebs, 7.1 assists, 44% 3pts

Michael Culpo – 9.6 pts, 3.3 rebs, 1.1 assists

Kenny Onyechi – 5.7 pts, 3.3 rebs

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Onyechi - 50% Olasewere - 74%

Boyd - 74%

Garner - 81%

Brickman – 81%

Culpo – 80%

Wagner Seahawks (24-5, 15-3)

Ken Pom: 106

ESPN BPI: 98

RPI: 88

SOS: 281

Best wins: @Pittsburgh (94) 59-54; @Penn (96) 71-65; @Princeton (98) 73-57

Best losses:

Worst losses: Lehigh (108) 69-70; Long Island x2 (99) 66-73; @73-78; @Central Connecticut (230) 61-78

Players to watch

Latif Rivers – 14.4 pts, 2.6 rebs, 2.1 assists

Jonathon Williams – 13.6 pts, 5,0 rebs

Tyler Murray – 11.8 pts, 3.7 rebs, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 49% 3pts

Kenneth Ortiz – 7.9 pts, 4.5 rebs, 4.2 assists, 1.9 steals

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Ortiz - 63% Rivers - 88%

Williams - 75%

Murray - 81%

Chris Martin – 87%

Robert Morris Colonials (22-9, 13-5)

Ken Pom: 141

ESPN BPI: 149

RPI: 119

SOS: 266

Best wins: @Ohio (73) 70-67; vs.La Salle (84) 51-44; Long Island (99) 75-66

Best losses: Cleveland State (78) 58-62; @Pennsylvania (96) 60-66

Worst losses: @Central Connecticut (230) 53-68; St. Francis NY (205) 68-81; Quinnipiac x2 (166) @69-74, 76-78; @Pennsylvania (112) 60-66

Players to watch

Velton Jones – 16.5 pts, 2.9 rebs, 4.3 assists, 1.9 steals

Coron Williams – 10.2 pts, 2.6 rebs, 1.3 assists

Mike McFadden – 8.4 pts, 4.2 rebs, 1.1 steals

Russell Johnson – 8.6 pts, 5.6 rebs, 1.4 assists, 1.3 steals

Lucky Jones – 8.1 pts, 6.0 rebs, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

McFadden - 53% V.Jones - 75%

Williams - 88%

Johnson - 70%

L.Jones – 80%

Lijah Thompson – 79%

Anthony Myers – 77%

St. Francis (NY) Terriers (15-14, 12-6)

Ken Pom: 205

ESPN BPI: 222

RPI: 205

SOS: 291

Best wins: @Robert Morris (119) 81-68

Best losses: @Seton Hall (47) 71-75 ot

Worst losses: @Fairleigh Dickinson (331) 44-45; @Army (301) 70-79; @Colgate (297) 63-65; @Hofstra (260) 59-63; Albany (219) 64-76; @Lafayette (200) 73-79; @St. John’s (135) 48-63; Norfolk St (134) 75-84

Players to watch

Ben Mockford – 11.6 pts, 1.8 rebs, 1.0 assists

Akeem Johnson – 11.6 pts, 5.2 rebs

Stefan Perunicic – 11.6 pts, 2.5 rebs, 1.2 assists, 42% 3pts

Jalen Cannon - 8.1 pts, 8.8 rebs

Travis Nichols – 9.2 pts, 4.1 rebs, 40% 3pts

Brent Jones – 7.4 pts, 2.8 rebs, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals

Who to foul: Who not to foul:

Perunicic - 67% Mockford - 75%

Cannon - 60% Johnson - 70%

Nichols – 80%

Jones - 72%

Other players to watch

Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart, Jr, 22 pts, 4.6 rebs, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, 44% 3pts

Ken Horton, Central Connecticut, Sr, 18.7 pts, 8.9 rebs, 1.7 assists, 1.4 blks, 2.1 steals

Kyle Vinales, Central Connecticut, Fr, 18.0 pts, 2.0 rebs, 3.6 assists, 1.1 steals

Robby Ptacek, Central Connecticut, Sr, 17.6 pts, 3.9 rebs, 2.3 assists

Alex Francis, Bryant, So, 17.0 pts, 7.4 rebs, 1.5 assists

James Johnson, Quinnipiac, Sr, 16.3 pts, 3.3 rebs, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals

Ike Azotam, Quinnipiac, So, 15.9 pts, 9.5 rebs, 1.0 blks

Melquan Bolding, Fairleigh Dickinson, Jr, 15.1 pts, 3.0 rebs, 1.9 assists

Scott Eatherton, St. Francis (PA), So., 14.0 pts, 7.0 rebs, 1.0 assists, 1.2 blks

Julian Norfleet, Mt. St. Marys, So, 13.7 pts, 4.2 rebs, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals

Frankie Dobbs, Bryant, Jr., 13.3 pts, 3.5 rebs, 4.6 assists

George Goode, Fairleigh Dickinson, Sr, 12.8 pts, 7.4 rebs, 1.6 assists, 1.4 blks

Jesse Steeler, Monmount, Jr, 12.6 pts, 1.9 rebs, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals

Justin Swidowski, Sacred Heart, Jr, 11.1 pts, 5.2 rebs, 1.3 blks

Missouri Valley Conference Jack Leasure Award: Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart, 85/195, 44%. Ben Mockford (228) and Frankie Dobbs (211) are more conscience free, but Gibson has made more than both, and is 1 game away from crossing the 200 3pt barrier himself.

Northeast Conference Player of the Year: Julian Boyd, LIU Brooklyn, Jr, F

NEC Jim Phelan Coach of the Year: Glenn Braica, St Francis (NY)

Northeast Conference Freshman of the Year: Kyle Vinales, Cen Conn, G

All- Northeast Conference First Team:

Julian Boyd, Jr, F, LIU Brooklyn

Shane Gibson, Jr, G, Sacred Heart

Ken Horton, Sr, F, Central Connecticut

Velton Jones, Jr, G, Robert Morris

Jamal Olasewere, Jr, F, LIU Brooklyn

All- Northeast Conference Second Team:

Ike Azotam, So, F, Quinnipiac

Jason Brinkman, So, G, LIU Brooklyn

James Johnson, Sr, G, Quinnipiac

Tyler Muray, Sr, G, Wagner

Latif Rivers, So, G, Wagner

Morels from the Northeast

You all know who the Hurleys are. They coach for Wagner. Really glad that guy decided 18 years later it was time to apologize. Wait, what? Bobby Hurley is in the news again? Oh, in that case, I'm really sorry I ruined your life 18 years ago.

Brent Jones says in 10 years he hopes to be "Healthy and still playing basketball as a job." Sounds like an NCAA violation to the Buffet

Sacred Heart sophomore Evan Kelley is the son of former UConn standout Earl Kelley

Former Maryland guard, Matt Hahn, is an assistant with Robert Morris.

The brother of Quinnipiac Sophomore and 2nd-team all NEC'er Ike Azotam, was a Kellogg classmate, consulting project partner and Facebook friend of the Buffet's editor in chief

Former Georgetown & NC State guard, Tony Bethel is on Mt St Mary's coach staff (in a bit of upheaval as their head coach went on adminstrative leave this week. Paging Jim Phelan!)

Brian Reese, a former UNC championship team key contributor, is an assistant with RoMo

As is Derrick Phelps.

Tony DiLeo has basketball playing genes, the Sr VP of the 76ers son, Max is a freshman at Monmouth

Former Duquesne guard and A-10 All Rookie team honoree, Melquan Bolding is now plays at Fairleigh Dickinson

Fairleigh Dickinson freshman Dylan Moody is the cousin of Pitt Panther Gilbert Brown.

Anthony Avent Jr., of Fairleigh Dickinson, is just who we think he is - son of former Seton Hall Pirate and NBA player, his name, without the Jr. How are we, Buffet readers that Anthony Avent has a son in college...

Dan Callandrillo is the son of, well, Dan Callandrillo, who played a Seton Hall and was the first-ever MVP of the Big East Conference

In Waiting Line... will be released with this afternoon's newest edition of the Buffetology