Stimpy's Sh*tty Sunday

Stimpy got...

 
IN: N Iowa
On Life Support: Wichita St - They aren't officially dead yet but it's highly unlikely that the Shockers get an at-large bid. 
Dead:

Stonybrook

College of Charleston

W Carolina

Portland

VCU

Loyola Marymount

Rider

Stimpy's World

It was a tough day in the mid-major ranks for Stimpy.  First the beloved LMU Lions come up 2 games short of their first NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years.  Their impessive run ended in the WCC semifinals against perennial power Gonzaga.  The Lions got off to an awful start turning the ball over on their first 4 possessions.  They found themselves in a huge 16 point hole at halftime.  But Max Good kept his troops in line and LMU made a valiant run in the second half.  With about 8 minutes left, Kevin Young's spinning layup cut the lead to 61-55.  However, they got no closer as Gonzaga pulled away late.

Next stop on Stimpy's disappointment train were the early exits of Stonybrook (American East #1 seed) and double whammy of losing both SoCon teams W Carolina and College of Charleston.  Thus, neither Ren nor Stimpy will have the SoCon's representative.  Finally, the losses by Illinois and Florida while not surprising, has both teams playing their way out of the tournament field.  The Illini who appeared to be in good shape a month ago after wins at Wisconsin and Michigan St at home, have dropped 4 straight and 6 out of 7.  

There were some positives.  N Iowa ousted Ren's Wichita St dreams en route to the Arch Madness title.  Also, William and Mary's 47-45 win over #2 Northeastern coupled with Old Dominion's win clinches the CAA for Stimpy.  If the Tribe prevail on Monday, there's a good chance Old Dominion would still get an at-large bid as well.  The same can be said in the MAAC where Stimpy has both title game participants in Siena and Fairfield.  And W Kentucky dodged a major bullet when Arkansas St missed a last second layup that would have given them the win.  Instead, the Hilltoppers survived 65-64 and will face top seeded Troy on Monday.

All about Ren

Besides Stimpy's misfortune, Ren can take solace in the continued success of expected title contenders Vermont, Lehigh, and Robert Morris.  All three advanced to their conference championships.  Vermont will not have to face Stonybrook either (whot beat them) and instead will get Boston University who they've already beaten twice.   Lehigh will face Lafayette in a rubber match. Then there's the clash of the titans in the NEC where Robert Morris and Quinnipiac will battle it out to the death.  The two teams have been #1/#2 all year and split a pair during the regular season.   

There's even more good news in the Sun Belt, where Ren is guaranteed a title shot.  Both Denver and N Texas advanced to the semifinals and will play each other.  In the other semifinal, W Kentucky will have to pull the upset over red hot #1 seed Troy.  Advantage Ren in the Sun Belt.  The WCC went as planned as Gonzaga will face St. Mary's in the final tomorrow night.  Should St. Mary's pull the upset, Ren would get 2 bids from the conference.  Even if Gonzaga wins as expected, St. Mary's is in the hunt for an at-large bid.  And in the uncontested Summit conference, Ren will have 3 of the 4 semifinalists with only 5th seeded IPFW there to spoil the party. 

On the downside, Ryan Thompson's storied career ended Sunday as Rider lost a close one to Siena in the MAAC semifinal 72-62.  

What to watch for on Monday

Sun Belt- Semifinals 

2 N Texas vs 6 Denver

1 Troy vs 4 W Kentucky

MAAC Championship
1 Siena vs 2 Fairfield

Colonial Athletic Championship

3 William and Mary vs 1 Old Dominion 

WCC Championship 

2 St. Mary's vs 1 Gonzaga

Summit Conference Semifinals

3 Oral Roberts vs 2 IUPUI

1 Oakland vs 5 IPFW

Totals:

IN: Ren 11 Stimpy 21

Alive: Ren 31 Stimpy 18

Bubble: Ren 14  Stimpy 15

DEAD: Ren 9 Stimpy 12