NCAA Championship Week - Saturday's running diary

11:19 AM - Not sure if its the pep from my morning coffee, the growing excitement of my trip to Vegas next week or the anticipation of some stellar matchups today, but I've decided to turn the little extra spring in my step into a running commentary throughout the day on all the Championship Week action.

***for those of you also gorging on college hoops today or have questions before the brackets ar released, shoot me an e-mail at ben.standig@fftoolbox.com

As we get ready for the Conference USA Championship game to top in a few minutes, here are the key games on today's agenda:

C-USA: UTEP vs. Houston (11:30): Get my first look at the 25th ranked Miners, who are sporting a 16-game winning streak By the way, an 11:30 EST tip for a game being played in Tulsa? Really? Hope the UTEP and Houston had their coffee, yeesh.

America East: Boston U vs Vermont (12:00) - This is for the automatic bid, but since my UMBC Retrievers just missed out on being in position for this opportunity (um, not really), not sure how much I'll focus on this one. My college buddy Dave is the #1 AE guru in the land, so I'll get him to fill us in.

Atlantic 10 semis (starts at 1pm) - Very underrated conference. Temple has won eight straight and will be a very sneaky pick come bracket time, but Rhode Island has more motivation in this one as a win secures their tourney bid, but a loss and, well, you know...Richmond-Xavier played an overtime just two weeks ago with the Musketeers coming out ahead... I'll say the Owls and Spiders clash in Sunday's finals.

SEC semis (starts at 1pm) - Kentucky got a scare in their first round and it will be interesting to see how the baby Wildcats come out in another pressure packed game, this time against a Tennessee squad that handed them one of their two losses this season...Vanderbilt and Mississippi State are the other semi and the Bulldogs are one of those bubble teams in search of one more win. The survey says...sorry, but the Commodores gets the Wildcats in the final.

ACC semis (starts at 1:30pm) - Only Duke survived among the top seeds, as Miami, Georgia Tech and NC State all pulled off shockers on Tobacco Road. The Blue Devils should have little trouble closing the deal and securing a No. 1 seed, though the inside presence of Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal could expose their Achilles heel if the Yellow Jackets reach the final...The Hurricanes and Wolfpack need to win out to keep on keeping on.

Big 10 semis (starts at 1:40)- Ohio State's stud Evan Turner got an early start on the March Madness, sinking a 40-footer at the buzzer to get the Buckeyes past the hated Michigan Wolverines. Not sure if a Player of the Year candidate has ever flown under the national radar as much as Turner, Mr. Do-everything for the Buckeyes, but he will let his playing do his talking the rest of March, starting the Illinois Fighting Illini today... Purdue-Minnesota clash in the other semi with the Golden Gophers needing a win to get into the tourney.

Big 12: Kansas vs. Kansas State (6pm) - Can the Jayhawks sweep the season series or will the Wildcats claw their way to the tourney title and perhaps, a No. 1 seed in the NCAA's???

Big East: West Virginia vs. Georgetown (9pm) - Syracuse and Villanova deserved and receive much of the attention this season, but they were knocked in the quarterfinals. Easily the two best players in this tournament have been the Hoyas forward Greg Monroe, the best passer in the country, and Da'Sean Butler, who has made one game-winning shot after another for the Mountaineers. For me, this is the game I am most looking forward to watching. Hoyas baby...

...OK, we know there are more games to come, with finals in the Pac 10, Mountain West and others, but if I don't wrap this up, I'll never get my game face on. It's tip-off time, let's get it on...

12:03 pm - I have to admit that my growling stomach is distracting me somewhat from the Miners-Cougars. Plus, I just want the clock to hurry up _ partially so I can get some grub at halftime _ and the game to remain close so we can get another high energy, buzzer beater call from Gus Johnson, who is in the mic today with the solid Dan Bonner...Whoa, what is with the vertigo-inducing overhead camera. That works for football, but not only does it miss half the court in hoops, but is starting to remind me what I had for dinner last night and not in a good way ..UTEP's Randy Culpepper is making Houston sick as the point guard has 13 points with 4-plus minutes left in the first half, his last basket on a nifty baseline, reverse layup. On the other hand, Aubrey Coleman, the leading scorer in country, is a John Starks-like 1 for 8 from the floor, but the Cougars are staying right with the top seed, needing the auto bid to get in the tourney...

12:23 - UTEP 43-38. Cougars are still in it despite Coleman shooting 2 for 12 from the field. More importantly, its go time...breakfast bagel sandwich or grilled chicken sandwich. Decisions, decisions...brb

12:59 - Whew, that sucked. After the DC area got pounded with snow all winter, Mother Nature wants to make doubly sure those April flowers get their water because we are getting doused. Since I couldn't find a space within a three-puddle vicinity of the bagel store, I went straight deli and got corned beef on rye. Always a money call...ok, still got the last 11-plus minutes of this game and this is where it gets good anyway...

1:05 - With the Miners up nine and Bonner almost going Apollo 13 on us by saying "Houston is in trouble now", lets focus on the Miners resume...they have the long winning streak, but if Memphis does not get an at-large bid, the Miners will not have beaten one tourney team. Their best wins are over UAB (2), Memphis and New Mexico State and they lost to BYU by six at home...Very good defensive numbers, ranking high nationwide in FG percentage defense (14th, 38.7), steals (19, 8.7 per game) and 3-pt FG defense (20, 30.1). UTEP also scores enough (75.9 ppg) to rank 13th in scoring margin, but they are not much of a threat from the perimeter and have issues at the foul line where they shoot 66.9 percent, 233rd in the country.

1:17 - Those Cougars are not done yet, down two with 5-plus to go, and we are get a look at their overly tanned coach Tom Penders. I actually forgot the former Rhode Island, Texas and George Washington coach had resurfaced. When it came to running a program,never quite trusted that guy, so I can't say I am pulling for the underdog in this case...Hmm, that gets me thinking, I guess a ranked UTEP squad is still in the field even if they lose and without any signature wins, right?

1:24 - We now have four games going, including Kentucky and Temple, with Duke on deck. The remote workout begins, with battery backup at the ready...by the way, for those that care about such things, my friend Johnny Onion says the lock of the day is Vandy playing in Nashville and giving 1.5 points. I'd have to agree, with K St (+6), Illinois (+7.5) and Minnesota (+3) right behind them. Of course, these thoughts are just for (clearing throat) informational purposes only...

1:29 - Whoa nelly, Houston takes the lead! One game in and we already have a nail biter...one of my goals today, in terms of tourney prep, was to see how teams that I am not as familiar with handle pressure in the final five minutes. The Miners just tossed up an airball and a bad pass turnover, leading to back-to-back 3's on the end, Cougars now up four...then after scoring a basket, the Miners commit two more turnovers which led to two fast break layups. Houston is now 41.9 seconds away from getting Joe Lunardi's computer to start smoking...

1:40 - So the Houston Cougars are in, some yet to be determined bubble team is out. Despite looking like the Bad News Bears down the stretch, I won't dismiss the Miners just yet as their last two losses were to the same team and sometimes certain squads, especially in conference, just have your number. On the other hand, I don't see me rushing to put them in the Sweet 16 either.

2:23 - My boy Dave just informed that Vermont punched their ticket with the America East crown and added his thoughts on their NCAA chances in the comments section. We also spent 10 minutes arguing the merits of a 14-loss Illinois squad vs. generic mid-majors in terms of an at-large bid. He is of the opinion that any team losing that many games doesn't deserve a bid, even if they have wins over Wiscy (2), Michigan State, Vandy, Clemson, among others. He also has a certain excitable political activist take on the subject which makes it all more fun for me, especially when I counter with the standard arguments against the little guys (who did they beat, wouldn't they have as many losses if they played in a BCS conference). Good times...

2:31 - Turned on Duke-Miami and the Blue Devils were up 30-18. Five minutes later, the Canes have a 35-32 lead heading into halftime. Even if they beat Duke and sport a then 21-12 record, the Canes probably still need to win the ACC Tourney to makes the NCAA's. That's what happens when you go 4-12 in conference and have 11 wins against schools with an RPI of 200 or greater. Still, they have wins over Wake (2), Va Tech (2), Ga Tech and Minnesota. Not bad for a 12th seed! If they do shock the Dukies, no doubt they could take down the GT-NC State winner and take away another at-large bid. With all that said, Singler, Scheyer and company probably win by eight or more...

2:42 - First look at Temple-Rhode Island. Would have checked it out sooner, but I always forget to check CBS College Sports. For years and years I have had an excellent grasp on where to find games, but now with channels ranging into the 700 range on my cable, I need a Sherpa to help me find some games...So the Owls are up 17 with seven min left. That means the Rams are seven minutes away from likely seeing their bubble burst, even after knocking off the fourth seed St. Louis. This is a good time to look at my last in/out scenarios...

Heading into today, I had the conference breakdown as follows:

Big East (8), ACC (7), Big 10 (5), Mountain West (4), SEC (4), A-10 (4), Pac-10 (2), West Coast (2)

That list includes bubble teams Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Illinois, San Diego State, Florida, Rhode Island and Washington. From that group, I think Virginia Tech, Florida, Rhode Island and Washington have the most to lose today if the available at-large bid pool shrinks and the Rams can probably assume they are not on the outside looking in once their game with the Owls goes final. While I personally think the overall strength of the A-10 means they should get a fourth bid, not sure how you identify a clear winner from the group of Rhode Island, Dayton and St. Louis and thus all are likely on the outside looking in.

On the other hand, Minnesota has a fantastic opportunity to impress the committee today and the same goes for Mississippi State. Ole Miss, Seton Hall and Arizona State have no option other to cross their fingers and wait it out. The road looks even bumpier for Memphis, UAB and Wichita State after early conference tournament losses.

2:58 - Kentucky is routing the fraudulent Tennessee Vols, Illinois is up eight on Ohio State and Duke back on top by one. Speaking of the Dukies...

Even though they have been rather ordinary in the NCAA's recent years, lost to Maryland last week and have not looked like world beaters over the last day and a half, I have a pretty good feeling about them this year. Ultimately their lack of post scoring will catch up to them, but they have three big time scorers in Singler, Scheyer and Nolan Smith, and big men Lance Thomas and Greg Zoubek are not shrinking violets on the glass. They have spurt-ability, make their free throws and play good defense. As much as it pains me, Duke looks good for the Elite Eight and maybe more with a good draw...as if they knew I was talking about them, Duke scores 10 straight points and now Miami will need yet another comeback to survive...

3:13 - 15 straight points put the Buckeyes up four with 8:29 to go. That's more like it. I've been warming to the Buckeyes as a Final Four team, and not just because of Evan Turner. William Buford and David Lighty are solid wing scorers and Jon Diebler is an unreal threat from beyond the arc. The 6-6 sharp-shooter makes 42 percent of his 3-point attempts and he has hit at least five 3's in 10 games this season. The Buckeyes do not have a lot of size, but Turner plays bigger than his slender size would indicate...uh oh, Turner just picked up his fourth foul with 5:13 to go and Ohio State up 59-52. By the way, for all you degenerates out there, the line was OSU by 7.5...

3:26 - The basketball action remains hot and heavy, but my snacks choices are becoming scarse and pitiful. I like me some fruit and veggies, but that is not exactly college hoops marathon kind of a food. Sadly, I forgot about this scenario when I was out earlier, which is as bad as John Calipari not getting his Memphis Tigers to foul before Mario Chalmers had a chance to launch his tying three-ball. With no break in the hoops action from here on out, might have to rely on the kindness of strangers _ or the Domino's delivery guy _ to help me out. Seriously, if I put up a bigger tip up front, can;t the guy stop at the CVS next door to his store and pick up some Doritos and Peanut M&M's? Just saying...

3:33 - and back come the Illini, with a 9-1 run of their own to get within one, over two minutes to go. Even if they pull this one out, still not buying them as a NCAA threat, though Demetri McCamey is trying to make me a believer as he drains a three for the lead...splash!..Turner sets up Lighty for the hoop and the harm, but the '08 Final Four vet misses the free throw...McCamey make his two freebies on the other end for a two-point Illinois lead, 26 seconds left...Illinois might be in the field already, but maybe not. Of course, none of this would matter if the NCAA goes ahead with the insane plan to expand the field to 96. Seriously, are you kidding me with that? Worst idea since the Redskins signed Larry Johnson yesterday. The one thing they had was an aging running back, why add another??? Ok, OK, football talk another day.

3:38 - Turner has the ball in his hands, dribbling into the left corner, appears to have no room and yet...he goes baseline and throws in the reverse with 12 seconds left, tie game, wow...Illinois a little confused, now calls timeout with 3.1 to go...McCamey in the lane, throws it down low and...he missed the layup! But wait, refs said it wouldn't have counted anyway. That guy would have been a goat for sure, but now we have ooooooovertime. Win or lose, hard to see Illinois not making the Tournament no matter what now...

3:46 - Illinois up four, Duke closes out Miami...Temple ends Rhode Island and wow, Kentucky CRUSHED Tennesee by 29 with DeMarcus Cousins going for 19 and 15 while John Wall finishes with 14 points and nine assists. With all the youngsters in their rotation, Kentucky needs the SEC tourney experience before they get on the big stage. Still, of the likely No.1 seeds, I think the Wildcats are the mostly likely squad to get bounced early because of their inexperience, especially when compared to Kansas, Syracuse and Duke...

3:51 - Down two, Turner does it again, tying the game with a drive to the bucket. And again, Illinois can't get a shot off before the final buzzer, unreal. Is Colt McCoy calling their last second plays? Double-OT/..and remember, the real fun starts next week...

3:56 - Diebler hits his fourth from beyond the arc and Turner uses a silly spin move for a bucket to put the Buckeyes up five, but the Illini answer with a three. Down two with 2:43 to go...Turner has 31 points, 11 in the overtimes, beastly...quick peek at Richmond-Xavier, three-point lead for the Musketeers early. This will be the underrated great game of the day, count on it...

4:02 - One minute to go and Turner fouls out with the Buckeyes up four. He does post a Greivis Vasquez-like triple-double before he departs; 31 points, 10 boards, 10 turnovers...Lighty steps up, scores on a tough drive and then turns a steal into a layup, Buckeyes up seven. ..88-81, final. Like I said earlier, I have the Illini in even with the loss and the Buckeyes continue to look like a Final Four-caliber squad...taking a quick break before carpal tunnel starts to kick in

4:52 - To ensure I qualify for the nerd Hall of Fame, I am working on my bracket as we speak. Up through the nine seeds right now. Speaking of bracket projections, nothing against Joe Lunardi (who I met briefly the other day and seems like a very nice guy), but it drives me CRAZY when ESPN touts his record when it comes to picking the field. I think the number mentioned is like 97% accurate and then is based on his final bracket which is finalized just before the brackets are released. Ok, let's break it down...

- There are 31 automatic bids; that is almost half the field...then you have all the obvious at-large teams (examples this year include Syracuse and about seven other Big East squads, Maryland, Michigan State, Gonzaga etc)...That gets you to around 60...so really, we are talking about maybe five or so spots where you can have some argument. Seriously, any donkey who follows college hoops and has access to the sports section could get 90% or so. I'll give Lunardi or others credit if they mention a certain off-the-radar team weeks in advance as likely to make the tourney and created the RPI. I'll pat myself on the back if I get at least 64 teams correct, but not terribly hard...

5:08 - Oh my, the Golden Gophers are pounding the Boilermakers 23-4! I guess Tubby got his boys seriously motivated this week...Vandy was down 15 when I turned it on, but they cut it to three after the Bulldogs go six minutes without a bucket. I've like the Commodores and their offensive flow whenever I've seen them play, but statistically speaking they are not ideal; 180th in turnovers per game, 182nd in rebounding margin and 250th in steals per game. They get by on their shot-making, though Mississippi State's shot blocker supreme Julius Varnado is having none of it the final few minutes, swatting shot after shot. If the Bulldogs hold on, I think the Florida Gators should be very, very nervous...by the way, Purdue cracked the 10-point plateau in the final seconds of the first half and now trail 37-11 at the break. Ouch...

5:34 - catching up with Richmond-Xavier on Tivo, which is easily the best invention since the TV itself...watched the Musketeers live earlier this season and came away very impressed. Guard Jordan Crawford averages almost 20 a game and Jason Love uses his lunch bucket style for 12 and 8 nightly. They have size inside (25th in rebounding margin) , shooters on the perimeter (7.1 3's per game) and defend the perimeter (10th in the country). Turnovers are a problem and their defense can be a lot spotty. I wouldn't say this is the best Xavier team in recent years, but do not sleep on them..,Same goes for the disciplined Spiders, who have now cut the lead down to two in th final minute. Not a big time scoring offense, the Spiders beat you by being efficient (7th in turnover margin) and playing great defense (15th in FG percent defense, 12th against the 3). However they rank 306th in the country in rebounding margin...

Another fantastic close to a game as the Spiders knot the score at 73-all with 3.1 seconds when the Musketeers defense parted like the Red Sea for Atlantic-10 Player of the Year Kevin Anderson...overtime, here we come.

5:46 - The Johnny Onion lock goes down in flames; Vandy falls 62-52. Mississppi State has a tourney bid on their racket if they beat Kentucky tomorrow, but might be in anyway with this win...

5:55 - Kevin Anderson goes with the baseline stutter-step for a layup and the Spiders are up five!...now up four, Richmond throws a horrid inbounds pass and Xavier picked it off, but only made one of two at the line, then missed the putback...These A-10 teams are just rock steady. I expect to have at least two, probably Temple and Richmond, in my Sweet 16...Xavier cut it to two and their pressure caused a loose ball in the backcourt for a split second, but the Spiders recovered and head to the foul line with 17.4 left...Good...Good, up four...another Xavier miss, Anderson hits two more at the line, ball game.

6:20 - When the day started, the bubble scenario was looking pretty clear, but now Houston wins C-USA, Mississippi State and Minnesota get huge resume victories (or will as as the Big 10 contest goes final). Rhode Island is out for sure, as are the other A-10 bubble teams...Florida, and Va Tech should be getting very nervous while Illinois and San Diego State are not out of the woods yet, but the Aztecs have a shot for the auto bid tonight...Georgia Tech holds off NC State and likely have done enough to earn a bid, but that losing regular season record in conference stands out like a sore thumb...the Big 12 and Pac 10 finals have begun and the Big East clash I have been waiting for is still to come. If I don't pace myself I'll never make it...

7:21 - Here is the latest and greatest with regards to is in or out...the way I see there seven teams playing for four spots; San Diego State, Illinois, Washington, Minnesota, Mississppi State, Virginia Tech, Florida, SD St and Washington can stamp their ticket with wins todays in their respective tourney finals and the Huskies lead at halftime.

That would mean two Big 10, two SEC and one ACC school face off for the final two slots. With their win over Florida yesterday, Mississippi State should be ahead of theiir SEC rival. Based on how the Golden Gophers dominated the Boilermakers in the semis, that likely gives them the momentum edge of the Ilini. As for the Hokies, they have some good wins, but their brutal strength of schedule and the loss in the ACC quarters could doom them. Also, even though the committee claims that the number of teams per conference doesn't matter, will they take a 7th ACC team over a 4th SEC squad? Right now, I say Minnesota and Va Tech get the final two spots, but...also, Utah State better take care of business tonight or they are NIT bound...

8:07 - Washington leads Cal by three with 50 seconds left. The Huskies have been one of the most disappointing teams this season, but they have turned it on at the right with what will likely be their seventh straight win. Also, they did knock off Texas A&M earlier in the year and now _ they just closed out the Bears _ have defeated Cal twice. Another bubble team is officially in trouble...as for the Bears, their regular season title should get them in the tourney, but their only significant win was against Washington. Not sure they

9:08 - Georgetown-WVU...its go time! Just listening to the crowd, how can LeBron not want to play in the Big Apple?...As long as they stay out of foul trouble _ especially Greg Monore and Chris Wright _ the Hoyas win, 65-61.

9:32 - There are times where a suppossed superstar player just rubs you the wrong way. Not so much in terms of attitude (i.e. J.J. Reddick), but in terms of style. Some shoot too much, some defer to often. Some make the smart pass and some cant shoot beyond 10 feet. But I dare anyone to not like Monroe's game. What can't he do? Yes, earlier in his career he was not aggressive enough, too often letting others get theirs at his expense. About halfway through this season, that all changed. Now the super soph demands the ball in the post, but not just to shoot. When they are at their best, the offense runs through him...

9:42 - I have watched several games this year called by Raftery and Bilas. I still can't tell if they like each other. ..WVU 21-20, over 5 min left...

9:55 - Was it me or did Sean McDonough sounds surprised as he was reading off Bob Huggins college education stats? maybe he was really emphasizing the words so we would believe it...Chris Wright with the slam! I've stood next to him and he can't be more than an inch taller than me and I am 5-9. Big run their for the Hoyas, but the Mountaineers get the final bucket of the half, up 32-28. Not real surprises so far...

10:27 - UC Santa Barbara _ my fav Big West team even though have zero alligience _ wins the Big West. I always think that conference is better than it cause I am always shocked when they end up a 15th seed...And how about the Ohio Bobcats! The ninth seed, albiet won with 20+ wins, earns the bid.. Guessing a 13 for them...Hoyas look like a team that has played four games in four days. WVU is a strong bunch...

10:38 - What a play by Wright! Going full out for a loose ball and with a WVU defender knocking him to the ground, he scoops it up and finds an open Freemna for a layup. Down two...and then freekin Butler nails a three. Not sure if he will be a pro, but he is a baller on this level.

11:00 - Freeman, beast. Hoyas down three...If they had just ONE more solid bench front court player, they would be a No. 1 seed. WVU is pounding them on the boards and Monroe can't stop them all...

11:14 - Freeman does it again, strokes the tying-3, but then Wright inexplicably commits an "intentional" foul to put WVU at the line with the score tied. Did he really lose track of the score and think the Hoyas were down? WVU up two, 32 seconds...but does Wright lose focus, hell no. The spin, the bank, the tie...

11:16 - Nine seconds left. You know it is going to Butler. He can't dop it againm, can he...He gets it, he bulls his way to the hoop...bounce...bounce...in. Oh my...four seconds...Wright is moving like Usain Bolt down the court and...just shy. Out of control, couldn't quite get the ball up to the rim. Ball game...another great, tight Big East game. Kudos to WVU, they are just tough.

11:21 - OK, we are nine minutes away frorm 12 hours of this. While I have enjoyed most of it _well, other the end of that last game _ its time to call it a night. Utah State is up four with 13 min to go. The way I see it, they need to win to get in. Too many at-large spots were swallowed up today, even for a 27-6 team...Good days for Washington, San Diego State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Houston, among others, but the news was not as good for Rhode island, Florida and a handful of other teams that were still hoping they had a shot...Mississippi State, Minnesota and Georgia Tech all get their chance for an auto bid tomorrow. If all three win, the window will close on those already on the outside and Illinois/ Va Tech should get very, very nervous...Until tomorrow, may all your shots go through the net...Swish