Tuesday's Madness

Seeing as championship week has officially started, we are going to be doing a new daily madness segment. Here, you can find the daily scores and schedules for every conference tournament game that day as Trizzle will once again be taking over BIAH. For a full schedule of the conference tournaments and a listing of the automatic bids, click here.

Four conferences handed out tickets to the big fiesta last night. Although the true performance of the night came from the Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade (48 points, game winner in 2OT, trust me its worth your click) there were plenty of good games on the night.

GAME OF THE DAY: Siena 77, Niagara 70

This game was MUCH closer than the final score indicates. Niagara created a big lead in the first half, connecting on open shots and stifling Siena's potent offense. But the Saints toughened up and chipped away at the lead for the end of the first half and beginning of the second half. For 14 minutes of the second half, the teams traded the lead. But with six minutes left, Senior Kenny Hasbrouck led one final push, and ultimately fended off the Purple Eagles. He also scored 19 in the points (17 in the second half), as Siena punches a ticket to their second straight NCAA tournament.


I gotta show some love for the local news podcasts.


PLAYER OF THE DAY: Larry Sanders, VCU

Eric Maynor led the VCU Rams with 25 points, but Sanders stat sheet was much more robust. He logged CAA Finals records with 20 rebounds and 7 blocks, to go along with his 18 points. I mean, with a name that similar to the beastly Detroit Lions great, you expect these types of numbers. VCU is headed to the tourney with the CAA title after knocking off George Mason. This looks like a team good enough to register at least one win.

TEAM OF THE DAY: Gonzaga Bulldogs

It was almost common knowledge that the Bulldogs were going to win the WCC title, but not by 21 points. They thrashed rivals St. Marys in a game that Patty Mills never really seemed to get it going. You want an idea of how dominant Gonzaga was last night? The literally led all 40 minutes. St. Mary's center Omar Samhan was called for a technical foul for dunking in the lay-up lines, and Matt Bouldin hit a free throw to put the 'Zags ahead. Micah Downs led six 'Zags in double figures with 12 points and 12 rebounds. This team clearly has the talent to win at least 3 games in the NCAA tournament. They have won 19 of 20 games, but the loss came in the form of an 18 point whooping in Seattle to Memphis. Has this team figured out their chemistry issues?

Monday's Results

CHAMPIONSHIPS

Colonial Athletic Final (Richmond, VA)
#1 VCU 71, #2 George Mason 50

MAAC Final (Albany, NY)
#1 Siena 77, #2 Niagara 70

Southern Final (Chattanooga, TN)
#1 Chattanooga 80, #3 Charleston 69

West Coast Final (Las Vegas, NV)
#1 Gonzaga 83, #2 St. Marys 58

Summit Semis (Sioux Falls, SD)
#1 North Dakota St. 79, #5 Southern Utah 67
#3 Oakland 74, #7 South Dakota St. 56

Sun Belt Semis (Campus Sites)
#1 Western Kentucky 77, #4 North Texas 70
#6 Southern Alabama 54, #2 AR-Little Rock 44


Tuesday's Games
Today features the opening round of the Big East tournament. This is the first year that all 16 teams get to participate in the tournament, and at least three teams playing today - Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Cincinnati - have to run the table a la Gerry McNamara and Syracuse in 2006, in order to make it to the Big Dance. The Don Juan of College Hoops, Rob Dauster, will, of course, be blogging live from all the games at MSG. BET Day 1 Live Blog

CHAMPIONSHIPS

Horizon Final (Indianapolis, IN)
- 9:00PM: #1 Butler vs. #3 Cleveland St.

Summit Final (Sioux Falls, SD)
- 8:00PM: #1 North Dakota St. vs. #3 Oakland

Sun Belt Final (Hot Springs, AR)
- 10:00PM: #1 Western Kentucky vs. #6 Southern Alabama

Big East First Round (New York City, NY)
- NOON: #9 Cincinnati vs. #16 DePaul
- 2:00PM: #12 Georgetown vs. #13 St. Johns
- 7:00PM: #10 Notre Dame vs. #15 Rutgers
- 9:00PM: #11 Seton Hall vs. #14 South Florida

Big Sky Semis (Ogden, UT)
- 7:00PM: #2 Portland St. vs. #6 Montana St.
- 9:30PM: #1 Weber St. vs. #4 Idaho St.

MEAC First Round (Winston-Salem, NC)
- 6:30PM: #10 Delaware St. vs. #7 Hampton
- 9:00PM: #8 Florida A&M vs. # 9 Howard

Western Athletic Opening Round (Reno, NV)
- 10:30PM: #8 Hawaii vs. # 9 Fresno St.