4 days until Spring Break

Let's not waste anytime, let's get to it:

• Old Dominion 73, Virginia Commonwealth 66, OT. Alex Loughton played like a conference player of the year should play in the conference final. He scored 28 points on 12/19 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds, including the 3 point play that sent the game to overtime. Loughton seemed to be the only Monarch player that wanted the ball down the stretch, as his teammates got tight after VCU went on an 11-0 run early in the 2nd half to tie the game. Loughton was unguardable in the post, making jumpshots, dropsteps, taking it strong to the hole. He will present matchup problems for whoever draws ODU in the NCAAs. If the Monarchs lost, they would've been an interesting bubble case. A 27-6 record that contained 0 wins against NCAA teams. Luckily, ODU doesn't have to worry about it, they have the automatic berth from the Colonial.
• Niagara 81, Rider 59. In what started as a track meet, by the end, the Purple Eagles were literally running circles around Rider, winning the Metro Atlantic championship, clinching their first NCAA bid since 1970. Niagara doesn't play much defense, they're the smaller version of Wake Forest, but they played enough in the 2nd half to make the game a blowout. Rider made it hard on themselves, taking quick shots, which they often missed, while playing minimal defense, letting Juan Mendez dominate with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Niagara could present someone problems the way they get up and down the floor and score, but I don't think they play good enough defense to beat anyone.
• Creighton 75, SW Missouri St. 57. Creighton won their 5th Valley title in 7 years beating SMS, who lost in the finals for the 2nd straight year. Creighton led 52-50 with 7 minutes left, but cranked it up on offense, making big 3s, while SMS took quick shots and failed to take advantage of their strength inside. Creighton is a team that lives and dies by the 3, and tonight they lived, making 12/25 from deep. The Blue Jays, if they can stay hot, will give someone fits with their 3 point shooting, but they don't have much inside, something the SMS coaching staff should be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of.
• Gonzaga 80, St. Mary's 67. In the year that was supposed to see someone knock the Zags off as West Coast Conference top dawg, all Gonzaga did was win the regular season and conference tourney titles. St. Mary's rode hot 3 point shooting early to run out to a 9 point lead, but the one-dimensional Gaels lost their only dimension, and the Zags worked their way back into the game, then took control early in the 2nd half led by Adam Morrison. Gonzaga probably played their way to a 3 seed with the win while St. Mary's, most likely in, still must play the waiting game until Sunday.
  
• Mid-American. Surprisingly, there were no upsets in the 1st round of the MAC in games that were played on campus. The top 8 teams will be in Cleveland for the quarterfinals that start Thursday.
• Mid-Continent. It will be top seed Oral Roberts vs. 11-18 and 7 seed Oakland for the automatic berth tomorrow night. An Oakland win most likely sends them to Dayton for the play-in game next Tuesday.
• Mid Eastern Athletic. Morgan St. and Florida A&M advanced to the quarterfinals that will be played on Wednesday and Thursday. Delaware St. is the top seed.
• Sun Belt. It will be a showdown between the Best of the West as Denver beat Western Kentucky, and the Ragin Cajuns of La-Lafayette took care of Florida International to advance to tomorrow night's championship.
  

9 teams are now automatically in the tournament. 3 more will punch their tickets tomorrow night.

I watched tonight's premier episode of The Contender, and I came away impressed. I like how the families are around the fighters, especially before and during their elimination bouts from the show. Sylvester Stallone doesn't dominate the show, which is a very good thing. The show allows each individual's story to be told, which is good. It was like watching a mini-Rocky. I'm hooked.