What happened on "Semifinal Saturday"? Well, you're about to find out right now!
Peach Belt Conference (at Aiken, S.C.): Folks call it "March Madness" for good reason. While the men's bracket went exactly according script (with top two seeds Augusta State and USC Aiken) playing for all of the marbles there, it's a completely different story on the women's side, as No. 3 seed and host USC Aiken plays No. 5 seed Lander for the PBC autobid. Both the Lady Pacers and Lady Bearcats pulled off a pair of upsets to get there. Oh, and the USCA men needed four overtimes to finally beat Armstrong Atlantic State, 90-87, in what ranks as one of the best conference tournament games of all-time anywhere.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.): It's the opposite situation in the "Magic City", as both No. 1 Fort Valley State and No. 2 Clark Atlanta meet as expected for that league's automatic NCAA tournament bid on the women's side. CAU outlasted Kentucky State 64-54 to advance to Sunday's final game, while FVSU held off Tuskegee 68-63 in Saturday's other semifinal contest. But it's the men's bracket that provides the most unlikely of all match-ups, as both of the top two seeds were upset in Saturday's semifinal action. No. 3 seed Lane (22-7) stunned No. 2 Benedict 64-63, while No. 4 seed LeMoyne Owen shocked No. 1 Claflin 65-61 in overtime.
Gulf South (at Southaven, Miss.): March Madness has spread in this tournament, too! West No.1 seed Delta State advanced to Sunday's title game with a 55-52 overtime win over Valdosta State, while West No. 2 seed Arkansas-Monticello knocked off East No. 1 seed West Georgia, 67-65, also in overtime. The men's semifinals, though, didn't have as much drama, as East top seed Valdosta State advanced to the finals with a 78-61 win over Delta State, while Arkansas Tech moved on to the title game with a 73-63 win over Harding.
Showing posts with label conference tournaments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conference tournaments. Show all posts
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Conference (Tournament) Calls--Day 3 In Review
A little late, but better late than never. Here's what happened on Day 3 of the fortnight called March Madness in D-II South Nation.
Gulf South Conference (at Southaven, Miss.): Harding scores a huge upset in men's quarterfinal action Friday. Valdosta State, Delta State, and Arkansas Tech also advance.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.): Overtime thrillers, heartbreaking losses, and even one blowout thrown in just for good measure.
Peach Belt Conference (at Aiken, S.C.): All top four seeds in the men's quarterfinals advance to Saturday semifinal action (Augusta State, USC Aiken, Armstrong Atlantic State, and GC&SU).
Gulf South Conference (at Southaven, Miss.): Harding scores a huge upset in men's quarterfinal action Friday. Valdosta State, Delta State, and Arkansas Tech also advance.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.): Overtime thrillers, heartbreaking losses, and even one blowout thrown in just for good measure.
Peach Belt Conference (at Aiken, S.C.): All top four seeds in the men's quarterfinals advance to Saturday semifinal action (Augusta State, USC Aiken, Armstrong Atlantic State, and GC&SU).
Friday, March 06, 2009
Conference (Tournament) Calls--Day 2 In Review
So much to talk about, so little time. Let's get started.
Gulf South Conference Women's Quarterfinals (at Southaven, Miss.): The higher seeded teams all held serve in Thursday's all-ladies session. But the first two games were close until the end, as GSC East top seed West Georgia held off West No. 4 seed Ouachita Baptist, 67-64, while East No. 2 seed Valdosta State broke a close game open down the stretch against West No. 3 seed Arkansas Tech, and set the Golden Suns 56-47.
The other two games weren't as close, as West No. 2 seed Arkansas-Monticello eased past East No. 3 seed North Alabama 84-69, while West top seed Delta State had no trouble rolling past West No. 5 seed Harding 79-53.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.): In the men's bracket, top seeded Claflin managed to move on, but not without a struggle against Miles, as the Panthers pulled out a 70-65 win Thursday. In fact, that contest was one of four games decided by five points or less. No. 6 seed Clark Atlanta rallied in the second half to defeat and eliminate No. 11 Morehouse 50-49. No. 10 seed Kentucky State pulled off the upset of the SIAC tournament so far, as No. 7 seed Albany State found itself on the wrong end of March Madness after the Golden Rams season ended with a 64-59 loss. And No. 5 seed Fort Valley State held off a scrappy No. 13 seed in Paine, as the Wildcats pulled out a 79-75 win.
On the women's side, No. 1 seed Fort Valley State carried over its winning ways from the regular season to the postseason, as the Wildcats downed ninth-seeded LeMoyne-Owen 80-60 to advance to Saturday's semifinal round against Tuskegee. The fifth-seeded Tigerettes punched their ticket to the semis after knocking off No. 4 seed Claflin, 58-54.
Peach Belt Conference Women's Quarterfinals: Except for one game, all of the higher seeded teams advanced to semifinal action with wins Thursday. Top seeded Francis Marion surprised very few observers in moving to Saturday's semifinal round with a convincing 80-61 win over No. 9 seed North Georgia. No. 5 Lander had just as easy a time in downing No. 4 seed Armstrong Atlantic State 83-63. In the night session, No. 2 seed Clayton State rallied from an early 10-point first half deficit to defeat No. 7 seed Columbus State 55-52, while third seed and host USC Aiken pulled away from No. 6 seed Georgia College & State University to claim a 62-48 win.
Gulf South Conference Women's Quarterfinals (at Southaven, Miss.): The higher seeded teams all held serve in Thursday's all-ladies session. But the first two games were close until the end, as GSC East top seed West Georgia held off West No. 4 seed Ouachita Baptist, 67-64, while East No. 2 seed Valdosta State broke a close game open down the stretch against West No. 3 seed Arkansas Tech, and set the Golden Suns 56-47.
The other two games weren't as close, as West No. 2 seed Arkansas-Monticello eased past East No. 3 seed North Alabama 84-69, while West top seed Delta State had no trouble rolling past West No. 5 seed Harding 79-53.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.): In the men's bracket, top seeded Claflin managed to move on, but not without a struggle against Miles, as the Panthers pulled out a 70-65 win Thursday. In fact, that contest was one of four games decided by five points or less. No. 6 seed Clark Atlanta rallied in the second half to defeat and eliminate No. 11 Morehouse 50-49. No. 10 seed Kentucky State pulled off the upset of the SIAC tournament so far, as No. 7 seed Albany State found itself on the wrong end of March Madness after the Golden Rams season ended with a 64-59 loss. And No. 5 seed Fort Valley State held off a scrappy No. 13 seed in Paine, as the Wildcats pulled out a 79-75 win.
On the women's side, No. 1 seed Fort Valley State carried over its winning ways from the regular season to the postseason, as the Wildcats downed ninth-seeded LeMoyne-Owen 80-60 to advance to Saturday's semifinal round against Tuskegee. The fifth-seeded Tigerettes punched their ticket to the semis after knocking off No. 4 seed Claflin, 58-54.
Peach Belt Conference Women's Quarterfinals: Except for one game, all of the higher seeded teams advanced to semifinal action with wins Thursday. Top seeded Francis Marion surprised very few observers in moving to Saturday's semifinal round with a convincing 80-61 win over No. 9 seed North Georgia. No. 5 Lander had just as easy a time in downing No. 4 seed Armstrong Atlantic State 83-63. In the night session, No. 2 seed Clayton State rallied from an early 10-point first half deficit to defeat No. 7 seed Columbus State 55-52, while third seed and host USC Aiken pulled away from No. 6 seed Georgia College & State University to claim a 62-48 win.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Conference (Tournament) Calls--Day 1 in Review
So much to talk about, so little time. 13 was a lucky number for one team Wednesday. So was 9, 8, and of course, 7. Read on to find out what happened on a busy first day of conference basketball tournament action in D-II South Nation.
Gulf South Conference (at Southaven, Miss.)
Good day for the state of Arkansas, not so good for the state of Alabama. GSC run ends for both Montevallo teams with loss.
Peach Belt Conference (at Aiken, S.C.)
Clayton State men take first step towards defending tourney title. Lander men outlast Columbus State. North Georgia women stun UNC Pembroke. CSU women hold off Augusta State.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.)
13 a "lucky" number for the Paine College Lions. No. 9 Le-Moyne-Owen women edge No. 8 Benedict in thriller. Tuskegee women move on, men don't. Find out more by clicking here.
Gulf South Conference (at Southaven, Miss.)
Good day for the state of Arkansas, not so good for the state of Alabama. GSC run ends for both Montevallo teams with loss.
Peach Belt Conference (at Aiken, S.C.)
Clayton State men take first step towards defending tourney title. Lander men outlast Columbus State. North Georgia women stun UNC Pembroke. CSU women hold off Augusta State.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.)
13 a "lucky" number for the Paine College Lions. No. 9 Le-Moyne-Owen women edge No. 8 Benedict in thriller. Tuskegee women move on, men don't. Find out more by clicking here.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Conference (Tournament) Calls...Before The Madness!
Is it March (Madness) yet? Yes, it's here! It's time of the year again. The time of the season where the unexpected can be expected.
The season where the underdogs come out of nowhere, and pull off one upset after another, until they win their conference tournament, and get what's usually an elusive to the NCAA tournament.
Speaking of which, for some teams, they're hoping at least one of two teams in their conference tournament, in solidifying their chances of advancing to the Division II big dance.
For other squads, the conference tournament basically becomes a one-game season and Final Four all wrapped into one.
And still a select few squads, such as the Georgia Southwestern women, UNC Pembroke, and even the West Georgia men didn't even earn the privilege of playing in their own league tourney, much less winning a game there.
So, with that in mind, let's take a quick look at each of the championship fortnights (or days) if you will, in each of the three conferences of D-II South Nation.
Peach Belt (at Aiken, S.C.): After an exciting regular season, especially on the men's side, it all comes down to just five days, starting Wednesday. While No. 1 seed Augusta State and No. 2 USC Aiken are obvious to win the men's title, teams such as Armstrong Atlantic State and Georgia College & State University are capable a strong run, while North Georgia and Francis Marion could come out of nowhere to pull off one upset after another. On the women's side, FMU coasted to a regular season title, but Clayton State could give the Patriot women a run for their monedy.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.): Unlike their other brethren in D-II South Nation, the SIAC will have all 25 of its teams (13 men, 12 women) compete in this marathon of a March Madness affair. The Fort Valley State women (23-4 overall) accomplished one of the hardest, if not impossible, of feats in all of sports: finish conference play a perfect 22-0. Oh, and the Wildcats haven't lost so far in 2009 either. But don't count out Clark-Atlanta, whose Lady Panthers were the only other women's team in the league to finish the regular season with at least 20 wins (24-3 overall, 20-2 SIAC).
As for the men, it was a two-team race during the regular season as well, with newcomer Claflin (23-2, 22-2) finishing first, and defending tournament champion Benedict (23-4, 21-3) coming in a close second. Another team to watch is Lane, whose Dragons (20-7, 18-6) enter the SIAC tourney seeded third. But the sleeper team to pay attention just might be Albany State (13-14, 12-12). Although the Golden Rams have been up and down all season, they've won five of their last six games to close out the regular season.
Gulf South Conference (at Southaven, Miss.): This could be among the most competitive conference tournaments in all of D-II, as seven of the 10 teams in the women's bracket have won at least 18 games overall, while nine of the 10 teams in the men's bracket finished the regular season with a .500 or better overall record.
While No. 12 (NABC) Christian Brothers is favored to win the autobid to the NCAA tournament, there are plenty of teams that want take home the title, like GSC East champion Valdosta State (22-5), Delta State (20-7), Arkansas Tech (19-8), and Arkansas-Monticello (19-8), among others.
Oh, and the women's bracket doesn't lack any drama either, as West Georgia (21-6) and Delta State (23-6) could very well find themselves playing in the title game come Sunday, while Valdosta State (20-7), Arkansas-Monticello (18-7), and Arkansas Tech (19-8) could be the teams that disrupt that order.
So, there you have it. March Madness. Will the favorites go all the way, or will there be chaos the between now and Selection Sunday? Those will be among the obvious questions that will be answered over the next five days. So sit back and enjoy all the fun that is the postseason in NCAA Division II basketball.
The season where the underdogs come out of nowhere, and pull off one upset after another, until they win their conference tournament, and get what's usually an elusive to the NCAA tournament.
Speaking of which, for some teams, they're hoping at least one of two teams in their conference tournament, in solidifying their chances of advancing to the Division II big dance.
For other squads, the conference tournament basically becomes a one-game season and Final Four all wrapped into one.
And still a select few squads, such as the Georgia Southwestern women, UNC Pembroke, and even the West Georgia men didn't even earn the privilege of playing in their own league tourney, much less winning a game there.
So, with that in mind, let's take a quick look at each of the championship fortnights (or days) if you will, in each of the three conferences of D-II South Nation.
Peach Belt (at Aiken, S.C.): After an exciting regular season, especially on the men's side, it all comes down to just five days, starting Wednesday. While No. 1 seed Augusta State and No. 2 USC Aiken are obvious to win the men's title, teams such as Armstrong Atlantic State and Georgia College & State University are capable a strong run, while North Georgia and Francis Marion could come out of nowhere to pull off one upset after another. On the women's side, FMU coasted to a regular season title, but Clayton State could give the Patriot women a run for their monedy.
SIAC (at Birmingham, Ala.): Unlike their other brethren in D-II South Nation, the SIAC will have all 25 of its teams (13 men, 12 women) compete in this marathon of a March Madness affair. The Fort Valley State women (23-4 overall) accomplished one of the hardest, if not impossible, of feats in all of sports: finish conference play a perfect 22-0. Oh, and the Wildcats haven't lost so far in 2009 either. But don't count out Clark-Atlanta, whose Lady Panthers were the only other women's team in the league to finish the regular season with at least 20 wins (24-3 overall, 20-2 SIAC).
As for the men, it was a two-team race during the regular season as well, with newcomer Claflin (23-2, 22-2) finishing first, and defending tournament champion Benedict (23-4, 21-3) coming in a close second. Another team to watch is Lane, whose Dragons (20-7, 18-6) enter the SIAC tourney seeded third. But the sleeper team to pay attention just might be Albany State (13-14, 12-12). Although the Golden Rams have been up and down all season, they've won five of their last six games to close out the regular season.
Gulf South Conference (at Southaven, Miss.): This could be among the most competitive conference tournaments in all of D-II, as seven of the 10 teams in the women's bracket have won at least 18 games overall, while nine of the 10 teams in the men's bracket finished the regular season with a .500 or better overall record.
While No. 12 (NABC) Christian Brothers is favored to win the autobid to the NCAA tournament, there are plenty of teams that want take home the title, like GSC East champion Valdosta State (22-5), Delta State (20-7), Arkansas Tech (19-8), and Arkansas-Monticello (19-8), among others.
Oh, and the women's bracket doesn't lack any drama either, as West Georgia (21-6) and Delta State (23-6) could very well find themselves playing in the title game come Sunday, while Valdosta State (20-7), Arkansas-Monticello (18-7), and Arkansas Tech (19-8) could be the teams that disrupt that order.
So, there you have it. March Madness. Will the favorites go all the way, or will there be chaos the between now and Selection Sunday? Those will be among the obvious questions that will be answered over the next five days. So sit back and enjoy all the fun that is the postseason in NCAA Division II basketball.
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