MARCH MADNESS-LADY INDIAN STYLE!!!

I am so excited for our Lady Indian Basketball team! We won the Conference Championship over the weekend and now we are headed to the D3 Dance! We get to host the first two rounds in our own gym and when we get to the Sweet 16, we may be awarded the next two rounds as well! The Final Four is in Springfield, Mass in a couple of weeks! I am so proud of these young ladies-I have 10 of the 14 members of the team in my women's hall-

GO L.I.B!!!

TOP TRIBE NEWS

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
McMurry set to host first two regional rounds of NCAA tourney

(Feb. 26) It's dancing time for the Lady Indian basketball team and McMurry will start things off Friday in a familiar place against a familiar foe.

Just one day after winning the American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship, the Lady Indians received word from the NCAA that they would play host to the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III national tournament. Their first opponent: Hardin Simmons.

Another Cowgirls vs. Lady Indians battle will take place at Kimbrell Arena Friday at 8 p.m. following Trinity and Howard Payne's matchup at 5 p.m. Howard Payne and the two Abilene universities are the only three teams from the ASC to reach the national tournament.

Though the Cowgirls lost three of their last four contests, they received an at-large bid and will come to Kimbrell where they lost to McMurry Dec. 12 73-65. The season series is split, however, as Hardin Simmons made sure to pay revenge to McMurry Jan. 30 on its home floor beating the Lady Indians 63-54.

McMurry is coming off of their first outright ASC West Division title and its first ASC Tournament championship after beating Mary Hardin-Baylor Sunday in Clinton, Miss.

If the Lady Indians advance past Hardin Simmons for a second time this season, they'll play the winner of Howard Payne and Trinity at 6 p.m. on Saturday. If the Lady Indians were to win both games they would gain their second Sweet 16 appearance under the helm of head coach Sam Nichols.

The NCAA requires that tickets be sold on a day-to-day basis during the tournament. There will be no all-tournament passes. Fans can attend both of Friday's contests on one ticket, but if they want to return for Saturday's game, they'll have to purchase another pass. Tickets will be $6 for general admission and $3 for students, children and senior citizens.

All of McMurry's games will be broadcast on KZQQ 1560 AM. The pre-game show brought to you by Kit Kimbrell and Leon Rawlings, Jr. will begin Friday at 7:40 p.m.

Bubble Watch

SEC striving for six; MVC picture muddles Change Bubble Watch Version: 2/24/2006 2/21/2006 2/17/2006 2/13/2006 2/10/2006
By Andy Glockner
ESPN.com

The Missouri Valley may still be in good shape to get five teams in, but which five may have changed from just a week ago, as rampaging Missouri State and Bradley are putting huge pressure on slumping Southern Illinois.
Elsewhere, the SEC continues to look strong and could land a previously unthinkable six bids.

On to the current distribution ...

Figuring in locks and teams likely to be in, and taking the relative status of the current teams on the bubble, the best current power conference estimate looks like this:
• ACC: 4 bids
• Big 12: 4
• Big East: 8
• Big Ten: 6
• Pac-10: 4
• SEC: 5

Making the fairly safe assumption that the automatic bid winners in each conference will come from the pools of teams below (and therefore not potentially "steal" an extra bid for the conference), the six power conferences are taking 25 of the 34 at-large spots (31 total projected bids minus six auto bids).

That leaves nine spots open, although the power conferences probably will grab one or two more as things shake out. That still leaves seven or eight at-large spots available for everyone else, assuming teams like Bucknell and Gonzaga win their conference tournaments so the Patriot and WCC don't get an extra team. Memphis very well could be in that mix, too, unless UAB strengthens its case.

Who looks best set to fill that void? As mentioned, the Valley looks like a near lock right now to get four bids (three at-larges) and could even get five. The A-10 could grab an at-large, and the CAA is looking very good to get two in. The MAC still looks as though it's in for another one-bid season; will the Mountain West follow suit?


(Note: Starting Tuesday, Feb. 28, Bubble Watch will be updated daily through Selection Sunday. Records are D-I only.)

Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Maryland, Florida State, Virginia, Miami

Four are locks. Can the ACC grab one more from what looks to be a very soft bubble? Florida State just beat Virginia and Maryland and probably is next in line.
Work left to do:

Maryland [15-10 (6-7), RPI: 49, SOS: 8] Terps have entered serious jeopardy phase after falling at FSU. The profile is still devoid of any real heft. Very strong SOS doesn't mask very questionable at-large RPI and 1-6 against the RPI Top 50.

Florida State [17-7 (7-6), RPI: 57, SOS: 119] Huge 11-point home win over Maryland gives 'Noles back-to-back bubble Ws. Huge opportunity at home against Duke awaits, but can FSU sneak in by beating Va Tech and Miami and notching an ACC Tourney quarterfinal win?

Virginia [14-10 (7-6), RPI: 59, SOS: 40] Big upset of BC keeps the Cavaliers in the hunt, but they still have a lot of work left to do. It won't be easy with two road games (2-8 away record) and no soft touches left. Would getting to 9-7 be enough for UVa? It at least would keep the Cavaliers in the mix heading into the ACC Tourney.

Miami [15-12 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 23] Beat VT, but probably need four more in a row (two in ACC tourney) to think about an at-large.



Big East Conference
Work left to do: Cincinnati, Syracuse, Seton Hall

The league has six, and looks pretty solid for eight. Could it get all nine? That's probably up to Seton Hall.

Work left to do:

Cincinnati [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 25, SOS: 6] Would have loved the W, but the near miss against Nova reflects well on the Bearcats. Probably only need to win one of their final two (at Seton Hall, WVU) to have a very legit claim. RPI is solid and SOS is great, but Bearcats are only 3-7 vs. RPI Top 50 (7-2 vs. 51-100).

Syracuse [19-8 (7-6), RPI: 26, SOS: 9] Back off the mat with an impressive rout of Louisville and an upset of West Virginia after the Orange had dropped six of eight. Still only 2-8 vs. RPI Top 50, but 6-0 vs. 51-100, which can't hurt the 'Cuse cause. Big shots left at G'town and vs. Nova.

Seton Hall [16-9 (7-6), RPI: 51, SOS: 37] Bad loss at St. John's puts Pirates back in bubble trouble. SHU needs to get the next two before a shot at Pitt in the season finale. 9-7 in conference play may be enough, barring a first-round exit in the Big East tourney.




Big Ten Conference
Teams that should be in: Michigan
Work left to do: Indiana, Minnesota

What looked like a lock for seven bids has completely unraveled with IU's struggles. Wolverines are still in good shape; Hoosiers are not. Can Minnesota continue its miracle rally?

Should be in:

Michigan [18-7 (8-6), RPI: 21, SOS: 43] Huge home win over Illinois more than likely ices a bid for the Wolverines. Still only 3-6 vs. RPI Top 50, but 7-0 vs. 51-100.

Work left to do:

Indiana [14-10 (6-7), RPI: 42, SOS: 20] IU barely scraped past Penn State to end its skid at five, but the Hoosiers are still in pretty deep bubble trouble. Must beat Purdue and probably Michigan in the finale to get to 8-8.

Minnesota [14-10 (5-8), RPI: 62, SOS: 19] Gophers are still alive after beating Purdue. They probably need to win out to have any chance (barring a miracle Big Ten tourney run); the trip to Wisconsin could determine things one way or another.



Big 12 Conference
Work left to do: Colorado, Texas A&M, Nebraska

Past the top three, the Big 12 is trying its best to play its way out of additional bids. I would imagine, when all is said and done, that the Big 12 will get four bids, but it's not a good idea to keep pushing things.

Work left to do:

Colorado [17-7 (7-6), RPI: 50, SOS: 110] Ugh. Getting blasted at Nebraska puts the Buffs in very dicey shape. Getting the final two home games might still be enough. Very well could come down to the Big 12 tourney.

Texas A&M [17-7 (7-6), RPI: 67, SOS: 131] Edged Missouri on the road to set up what looks like an elimination game at home against Nebraska. Being only 1-4 against the RPI Top 50 and having a brutal nonconf SOS don't help, but A&M has two winnable games and a home shot at Texas left to add to its current four-game winning streak.

Nebraska [17-9 (7-6), RPI: 97, SOS: 93] Playing the Monty Python "We're not dead yet" card with home rout of Colorado. If they win their last three, the Huskers have a chance, but their RPI is terrible. NU is 2-1 against the RPI Top 25 but 1-4 vs. 26-50.




Pacific-10 Conference
Teams that should be in: Arizona
Work left to do: California

We'll move Washington into lock status after the Huskies manhandled Stanford. Arizona looks to have settled its bubble doubts. Stanford falls off the watch after its recent slide. Cal scraped past Wazzu and now takes aim at Washington. A win there could be enough. Expect four from the Pac-10.

Should be in:

Arizona [16-10 (9-6), RPI: 18, SOS: 5] With three home games left, hard to see Cats not getting to 11 wins, which would be more than enough. Frankly, one more is probably sufficient.

Work left to do:

California [17-7 (11-4), RPI: 60, SOS: 120] Big win at Washington State keeps Bears on track. Would like to see a big road win at Washington to help settle things.



Southeastern Conference
Work left to do: Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Vanderbilt

Getting two of Kentucky, Alabama and Arkansas wouldn't be a shocker. Could all three make it and get the SEC six?
Work left to do:

Kentucky [18-9 (8-5), RPI: 37, SOS: 28] Cats are finding their A-game at just the right time. Smushed Ole Miss in a must-get home game to set themselves up nicely for brutal final three (at LSU, at Tennessee, Florida). Still a terrible 1-7 vs. the RPI Top 50, with ugly blowout losses to IU and Kansas to keep in mind, but one more SEC win probably is enough to justify a bid.

Alabama [15-10 (8-5), RPI: 39, SOS: 7] Very tough loss at Arkansas puts a slight damper on the monster home win over Tennessee, but with Auburn and Miss State still remaining, Bama looks to be in very good shape.

Arkansas [18-8 (7-6), RPI: 53, SOS: 88] Rallied from 18 down to stop Alabama in a game that featured one of the most exciting final minutes of the season. Wins over Miss. State and Georgia would get the Hogs to at least nine SEC wins, with a shot at Tennessee left, too. RPI and SOS are middling but improving.

Vanderbilt [14-10 (5-8), RPI: 69, SOS: 34] Loss to LSU probably leaves the Commodores needing to win five straight (including SEC tourney) to have a chance.


Other at-large contenders
Teams that should be in: Nevada, Northern Iowa, Creighton, Bucknell
Work left to do: Missouri State, NC Wilmington, Hofstra, Bradley, Western Kentucky, Utah State, Air Force, Southern Illinois, UAB, Wisc. Milwaukee, Houston, Temple, San Diego State, Charlotte

The Valley weakened a little this week, with rampaging Mo State and Bradley really putting the heat on fading SIU, and Northern Iowa dropping out of mortal lock status. A couple of other teams (UAB, UNCW, Air Force) are getting some help and keep winning, which is helping their causes.
Should be in:

Nevada [20-5 (10-3), RPI: 27, SOS: 92] Have a hard time seeing Nevada not make it at this point, but will stop just short of calling the Pack a lock. That would come if they win at USU. No huge win (1-2 vs. RPI Top 50) but lots of solid ones (6-1 vs. 51-100).

Northern Iowa [20-7 (11-6), RPI: 28, SOS: 49] I still think UNI is fine, but losing three of four, including two at home (one by 22 points) is not what the Committee wants to see. As long as UNI doesn't lose its next two games, the Panthers probably are in, but it's not the absolute lock it was just a few days ago.

Creighton [19-7 (12-5), RPI: 32, SOS: 65] Creighton is now clearly in the top three in the MVC, which should be enough for an at-large, even though SIU swept the Bluejays. A win at Missouri State locks it up.

Bucknell [21-4 (13-0), RPI: 35, SOS: 153] Gave away the game at UNI, but bounced back to beat second-place Lehigh. If the Bison can survive the boredom of back-to-back home games against Army, that should wrap up a berth.

Work left to do:

Missouri State [19-7 (11-6), RPI: 23, SOS: 48] Searing hot Bears have a big shot at Creighton to close the MVC regular season. A win there and one MVC tourney win and the Bears look to be in extremely good shape. Even one more win gives them a very valid case.

NC Wilmington [21-7 (14-3), RPI: 34, SOS: 85] Should be in position to gain at least a share of the CAA crown by beating Georgia State at home. Barring a first-round CAA tourney flameout, UNCW should join George Mason in the NCAAs. 10-6 road/neutral record helps, but two sub-150 losses and a 1-3 mark against the RPI Top 50 don't.

Hofstra [21-5 (13-4), RPI: 38, SOS: 177] Pride dumped George Mason into a first-place tie with UNCW in the CAA and gave themselves a chance to force their way into the picture. Probably need to make CAA finals, but in a league that should get two, that could be enough.

Bradley [17-9 (10-7), RPI: 41, SOS: 58] Braves made the Valley statement of the week by hammering Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls to get a season sweep of the Panthers. Braves are now 6-5 vs. RPI Top 50. If the Braves win their last MVC game and make the conference tourney semis, they have a very legitimate chance.

Western Kentucky [19-6 (11-2), RPI: 44, SOS: 95] Loss to MTSU was very damaging for modest at-large hopes, but WKU is still in line to win the Sun Belt, which gives them a lifeline. Probably needs to get to tourney finals and lose a tough one to South Alabama to have a chance.

Utah State [18-6 (9-4), RPI: 45, SOS: 126] Escaped feisty NW State in BracketBusters and at Boise State to set up big home game against Nevada that could give USU a season sweep of the Pack. Sweep at hands of New Mexico State doesn't help cause, but profile has improved.

Air Force [20-5 (10-4), RPI: 46, SOS: 175] Got help from BYU, which beat SDSU, to bring the Falcons within a game of SDSU. Air Force just needs to keep winning games and hope a gaudy record overshadows the SOS problem. Another team that might finish second in a solid conference and will be sweating heavily on Selection Sunday. Having no RPI Top 50 W's hurts more than the 4-2 mark vs. 51-100 helps.

Southern Illinois [18-9 (11-6), RPI: 47, SOS: 72] We said SIU should be concerned after BracketBusters; that concern should be five times greater now after an inexcusable loss at Evansville and sizzling Mo State and Bradley right on its heels. 4-3 vs. RPI Top 50 and 8-7 on the road are both big pluses for a mid.

UAB [18-5 (9-2), RPI: 54, SOS: 189] Helped by UTEP's loss at Memphis but still zero RPI Top 50 W's. Blazers might need to win against Memphis on March 2.

Wisc. Milwaukee [18-8 (12-4), RPI: 55, SOS: 102] After home loss to Mo State in BracketBusters, UWM no longer appears to be a viable at-large team. Panthers had better win the Horizon tourney.

Houston [17-6 (8-3), RPI: 56, SOS: 116] Two big Top 25 wins and two big C-USA chances (vs. UTEP and at Memphis) put Cougars in the picture for now.

Temple [15-10 (8-6), RPI: 61, SOS: 67] Temple smoked Richmond, but it may be too little, too late. Have to beat Duke to have an at-large chance.

San Diego State [16-8 (11-3), RPI: 65, SOS: 99] Couldn't afford a loss at BYU, which brings three others just a game back in the MWC standings. At-large claim with a two-game margin in conference much stronger than if they eke it out by one. Huge game at New Mexico on Saturday.

Charlotte [17-9 (10-3), RPI: 96, SOS: 152] One-point escape at UMass means the 49ers likely will have won eight of nine entering the game at GW -- what could be a must win. RPI and nonconf SOS are still very weak, but the 49ers still could finish second in what should be a multibid league. Strange case.

Today's Sign of the Apocolypse

In my effort to start the "Hype-Machine" for the March Madness Tournament, I will be trying to take a look each day at some of the teams and games that will have impact on the Dance.

Today's look will be self-serving as I look at the University of Northern Iowa who are ranked #25 in the AP Poll.

UNI struggled on Thursday, losing 71-49 to Bradley and will face Southern Illinois this Saturday at 1 on ESPN2. Even thought UNI lost this game, it is significant to spotlight the Missouri Valley Conference due to its significance on the national scene. It has long been debated in college basketball expert circles where and how to rank the "Mid-Majors" and at what point does a Mid-Major get elevated to 'Major' status in terms of National ranking.

The MVC is comprised of UNI, Wichita State, Bradley, Creighton, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois. The men's conference in basketball has 6 teams that have 17 or more wins and a couple of teams (UNI and Wichita State) that have been in and out of the Top 25. Some of these teams should be very familiar to those obsessed with March Madness, sending Southern Illinois, Creighton, and Northern Iowa to last year's tournament. Southern Illinois made it to the second round last year and played Oklahome State tough, losing 85-77. Both Creighton and UNI played well in their opening round games but the Blue Jays got Pintznoggled and lost to West Virginia by 2. UNI lost to Wisconsin 57-52.

It will be interesting to see how the year finishes out in the MVC Conference Tournament during the first week of March. Depending on how the tourney goes, the MVC should probably get in at least 3-4 teams again, sending Wichita State, Creighton, UNI, and either Missouri State (formerly SW Missouri State) or Southern Illinois.

I really don't know how the committee will look at these teams since UNI is the only team that has any kind of quality win, when they beat then ranked 13 Iowa. Wichita State lost by one to then ranked 14 Illinois but could not come away with the win on the road. In the end, I think that the MVC will send 3 teams: Wichita State, UNI and Missouri State, who is finishing strong with 4 straight wins at this point.

TOMORROW: I will preview the Big Ten and the GREAT matchup on Saturday between #22 Iowa and #8 Illinois.


SUNDAY: Look forward to a possible Final Four preview, in the GAME OF THE WEEK, as #2 Villanova travels to #4 Connecticut.



THIS WEEK'S SIGN OF THE APOCOLYPSE:



I watched American Idol last night.

TIME TO GET CRAZY!!!

IT'S TIME FOR THE MADNESS!!!

I have to say that the next few weeks are probably my favorite time of the year as the games start to matter and then we start gearing up for Championship Week (March 6th through the 12th on ESPN and its sister networks!)with all of the Conference Tournaments and then FINALLY Selection Sunday (March 12th @ 6pm on CBS). I love to convince myself that watching all of these games will help me to predict every game in the Tourney and win tons of glory as I correctly predict all of the Cinderellas and Bracket Busters. Speaking of brackets, check out this great site:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology

DISCLAIMER:This site is only for the HARD CORE-ADDICTED COLLEGE HOOPS FANS!!!

The most exciting thing is that while I was doing some research for this BLOG, I found an article that is totally AMAZING to me! The NCAA and Sportsline.com have partnered to bring FREE access to all of the March Madness games so that you can watch your favorite team. Check out the article below:

CBS Sports, CBS SportsLine.com and CSTV Team up with the NCAA to Provide Exclusive Live Out-of-Market Video Streaming of 2006 NCAA® Division I Men's Basketball Championship
CBS Sports, CBS SportsLine.com and CSTV (College Sports Television) have teamed up with the NCAA to provide the exclusive live video streaming rights for out-of-market game coverage of the 2006 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

For the first time, NCAA March Madness on Demand will be offered free of charge. Beginning March 16, 2006, fans will be able to watch live CBS Sports broadcasts of the NCAA Tournament from outside their viewing area via NCAAsports.com, the official NCAA website, produced by CBS SportsLine.com. NCAA March Madness on Demand will be supported by advertising sales.

The game of primary regional interest will be shown exclusively on the local CBS affiliate. NCAA March Madness on Demand will feature the out-of-market games being played concurrently.

This is great! So if you have a computer and a reasonably fast connection, you can check out all of the great #1/#16 Seed matchups you want!!!



And on that note, GO NORTHERN IOWA!!!

If you want to catch the madness-Just look for me curled up in my favorite chair with a Big bowl of popcorn and a soda ready to accept all of my glory as I claim the title of Bracketologist of the Year!!!

Check back here everyday from now until Selection Sunday for my Daily Rants on teams and trends leading up to The Big Dance!!!

SURPRISE ME GOD

This week my church started a journey called simply, "Surprise Me God". The easy premise is that each day you begin by praying, "Surprise Me God" without any expectations of where that might take you. You enter into this time with nothing more that an expectant heart and a willingness to be open to whatever "Surprises" God might challenge you with and then you reflect upon each day in a journal. My life has been filled with a lot of challenges (as has everone's) and I feel like this next 30 days can be something that I look back on as a turning point in my life-but especially my relationship with God. I have created a new blog page to act as my online journal for this experiment and I hope that you all will partner with me through encouragement and prayer. Thanks!!!

6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER!!! OH NO!!!

Phil Says Six More Weeks of Winter!

Today is Ground Hog Day and Phil once again saw his shadow indicating 6 more long weeks of winter. I just wanted to say that I so upset by this prediction. I mean 6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER!!! I do not know if I can handle that! I mean, it was 68 degrees today and the low tonight is supposed to be 48. The highs for Friday and Saturday are only going to be in the mid 60's. I guess we do get a break on Super Bowl Sunday a predicted high of 76 but it is going to be WINDY!!! I just thought that I would share my frustration with all of my friends in the North!!!






Here is the official prediction from Punxsatawney Phil:
Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/06 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Around the country there are many imitators of me.

In Harrisburg there is Gus who appears on TV
working for the lottery.

Then all around town,
Cute groundhog statues abound.
They all look like me, I found.

Today on the Knob as I'm doing my job,
I don't like this likeness of me.

It's my shadow I see. Six more weeks of mild winter there will be.