The College Basketball Blog: 2010 Superfluous Postseason Tournament Predictions

This is the best time of the year to be a sports fan, isn't it? Well, unless you're a super fan (nerd?) like me or a compulsive gambler (like me) you probably could care less about the other postseason tournaments being held apart from the Big Dance. But I like predicting things so that's what you get. No time for much else. I will post my predictions for the real tournament of course but I'm waiting for the ridiculous play-in game to be over with tonight.


2010 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) Predictions

Note: Can you believe this thing is back for a 2nd run? Remember that this thing doesn't really have a bracket because matchups aren't determined until after each round. So that obviously makes it hard to predict. Also, each and every game is played at the home site of one of the teams. Last year Bradley and Old Dominion each won 3 home games on their way to the title game and then ODU beat Bradley on the road to win the tournament.

First Round

Fairfield over George Mason
Marshall over Western Carolina
Creighton over South Dakota
Appalachian State over Harvard
Missouri State over Middle Tennessee State
Northern Colorado over Portland
Pacific over Loyola-Marymount
Louisiana Tech over Southern Miss

Quarterfinals

Northern Colorado over Pacific
Marshall over Fairfield
Louisiana Tech over Missouri State
Appalachian State over Creighton

Semifinals

Northern Colorado over Louisiana Tech
Marshall over Appalachian State

Finals

Marshall over Northern Colorado


2010 CBI Tournament Predictions

Note: This is year 3 of the CBI. This one is also hard to predict because the teams are re-seeded before the semifinals. All games are played at the home site of one of the teams. This tournament's calling card is the "best of 3" series in the finals, with the higher seeded team getting 2 home games and the other team getting 1. So far the winners have been Tulsa and Oregon State. Once again, home court advantage has been huge. In 2008 Tulsa won 3 home games to get to the finals and then beat Bradley 2 games to 1 to win the tournament, winning both games at home. Last year Oregon State came into the CBI with a 13-17 record but they hosted 3 home games and won all of them to reach the finals, where they were given home court advantage over UTEP. The Beavers defeated UTEP 2-1, winning both home games, to win the tournament. Because Oregon State won they were automatically invited back this season and they will again be a #1 seed, despite a 14-17 record.

Opening Round

Midwest

#1 St. Louis over #4 Indiana State
#2 Akron over #3 Wisconsin-Green Bay

South

#4 VCU over #1 George Washington
#3 College of Charleston over #2 Eastern Kentucky

West

#1 Oregon State over #4 Boston University
#2 Morehead State over #3 Colorado State

East

#4 IUPUI over #1 Hofstra
#2 Princeton over #3 Duquesne

Regional Finals

Midwest

#1 St. Louis over #2 Akron

South

#3 College of Charleston over #4 VCU

West

#1 Oregon State over #2 Morehead State

East

#2 Princeton over #4 IUPUI

Semifinals

#1 St. Louis over #4 College of Charleston
#2 Oregon State over #3 Princeton

Championship

#1 St. Louis over #2 Oregon State, 2-1


2010 NIT Predictions

Note: All games are played at the home site of the higher seeds until the semifinals (or Final Four if you want) when the scene shifts to Madison Square Garden for the 2 semifinal games and the championship game. The structure of the NIT makes the most sense, but again, home court advantage is just enormous. Especially in the first round when you're dealing with small-majors playing majors the home court advantage basically eliminates the chance of any real upsets. One other note about this year's bracket: due to scheduling issues, Illinois will play at the #8 seed Stony Brook in round 1. The fact that the Illini are still favored by 7 should let you know how unlikely it is for any of the #1 seeds to lose at home.

First Round

West

#1 Arizona State over #8 Jacksonville
#2 Mississippi over #7 Troy
#3 Memphis over #6 St. John’s
#4 Seton Hall over #5 Texas Tech

East

#1 Virginia Tech over #8 Quinnipiac
#2 Rhode Island over #7 Northwestern
#3 Wichita State over #6 Nevada
#4 Connecticut over #5 Northeastern

Midwest

#1 Illinois over #8 Stony Brook
#2 Cincinnati over #7 Weber State
#3 Dayton over #6 Illinois State
#4 Kent State over #5 Tulsa

South

#1 Mississippi State over #8 Jackson State
#2 UAB over #7 Costal Carolina
#3 South Florida over #6 NC State
#4 North Carolina over #5 William & Mary

Second Round

West

#1 Arizona State over #4 Seton Hall
#3 Memphis over #2 Mississippi

East

#1 Virginia Tech over #4 Connecticut
#2 Rhode Island over #3 Wichita State

Midwest

#4 Kent State over #1 Illinois
#2 Cincinnati over #3 Dayton

South

#1 Mississippi State over #4 North Carolina
#2 UAB over #3 South Florida

Regional Finals

West

#1 Arizona State over #3 Memphis

East

#1 Virginia Tech over #2 Rhode Island

Midwest

#2 Cincinnati over #4 Kent State

South

#2 UAB over #1 Mississippi State

Semifinals

#2 Cincinnati over #1 Arizona State
#1 Virginia Tech over #2 UAB

Championship

#2 Cincinnati over #1 Virginia Tech