Final Four

Three out of four ain't bad right?

I took UConn and UNC despite injury concerns - Dyson being out and Lawson being hobbled - but both advanced. 

I nailed my upset pick in Villanova and totally missed on Wake Forest. 

In retrospect I had Michigan State and Louisville in the Sweet 16 but had them both getting bounced before the match-up that actually happened today.

My bracket seemed busted at the beginning but I took my lumps early and held on for a pretty solid outcome.

Still sticking with UNC and UConn in the finals, though Nova has looked great to this point.

March Madness is here

On the eve of the NCAA Tourney I thought I would throw some picks your way. I just rushed through a Yahoo! bracket and while I hastily threw the thing together I'm willing to put my final four picks out there although they are subject to change.

Semifinal 1

Wake Forest v Connecticut

Semfinal 2

Villanova v North Carolina

Final

UConn v UNC

Both have injuries to guards... Dyson is out for the Huskies and Lawson's status is uncertain for UNC. Might cause me to change my mind but it's Tuesday right?

Pacific ends the 'Niners NCAA hopes

Long Beach State fell to Pacific late Friday night in Anaheim 65-60, ending their bid to win the Big West and earn a spot in next week's NCAA Tournament.

It was a bitter departure for a team that exceeded all the expectations of outsiders but within its own confines struggled with consistency and ultimately fell short.

It's easy to say and hard to swallow but the best really is yet to come for LBSU under Dan Monson and with the three T-L-C starters returning there won't be a lot of holes to fill.

They desperately need a big man. A guy that can rebound and block shots. That can clog up the middle and keep other teams from penetrating and finishing. He doesn't need to be a scoring machine, just a threat.

Time will tell if 7'2" Mike Vantrimpont can be that guy but that is the kind of player they need to put them over the top.

All in all it was a big leap in year two.

The jump from six wins to fifteen, from doormat to formidable happened quickly and the next step should be just as swift and just as sweet.

Good luck in the future boys and go Beach!

LBSU to take on Pacific Friday night

Despite two opening round upsets the top seeds held on Thursday and Long Beach will play Pacific while UCSB will battle Northridge. Both games will be live on ESPNU.

Results - Big West Quarterfinals

(3) Pacific 67, (8) UC Davis 60

(4) UCSB 73, (7) CSUF 64

Friday's Schedule

(4) UCSB vs. (1) Cal State Northridge - 5:30 p.m.

(3) Pacific vs. (2) Long Beach State - 8 p.m. (approximately)

It's game time

See you in Anaheim!

Big West Tourney Preview/Update

First Round, Last night's scores

(Anaheim Convention Center)

(8) UC Davis 59, (5) UC Irvine 58

(7) CSUF 59, (6) UC Riverside 46

Tonight's games

(8) UC Davis vs. (3) Pacific - 6 p.m.

(7) CSUF vs. (4) UCSB - 8:30 p.m.

Tomorrow's games

Davis/CSUF/UCSB vs. CSUN - 5:30 p.m.

CSUF/UCSB/UOP vs. LBSU - 8 p.m.

Full Rundown of Remaining Teams

Anderson highlights All-Big West Selections

In the shocker of the day Larry Anderson was named first team all Big West and Freshman of the Year.

Donovan Morris, Steph Gilling and T.J. Robinson got honorable mention.

Anderson, Robinson and Ware were all named to the All-Freshman team.

TLC gets it done

and....

Full list of selections here

The Beach took yesterday and today off from practice. They will meet in the morning and try to regroup after the stunning loss at UCSB.

Three days of practice - especially with Morris around - are critical to getting back on track.

UCSB wins at the buzzer

Oh so close to number one
LBSU beats Cal Poly, loses at buzzer to UCSB

With Cal State Northridge's loss at Pacific Saturday Long Beach was 6.8 seconds from a share of the conference title and the number one seed in the Big West tournament.

But UCSB's James Nunnally hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Gauchos the 76-75 win and leave LBSU (15-14, 10-6 Big West) as the number two seed.

Despite the tie a LBSU win would have created atop the Big West standings, because of their two wins against the number three seed Pacific, they would have won the second tiebreaker and been awarded the number one seed over Northridge.

Stephan Gilling led all scorers with 23 points (going 6-of-11 from 3-point range) while Donovan Morris had 17 and T.J. Robinson scored 16, making all seven of his field goal attempts.

Nine of LBSU's last ten conference games were decided by six points or less.

They have alternated wins and losses for their last 11 games - a trend they would like to break this weekend - as they need two wins to clinch the Big West and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Long Beach plays in the semi-finals of the Big West tournament Friday night at the Anaheim Convention Center. The game will tip-off thirty minutes after the end of the first game which starts at 5:30 p.m.

LBSU holds off Cal Poly

The Beach held off a spirited attempt by the Mustangs and won 63-60 Thursday night to claim at least a top two finish in the Big West after winning just three games in the conference last season.

For a team that won six games in 2007-2008 and went just 1-15 on the road, the 'Niners ran their record to 15-13 and captured their sixth road win of the season.

The win guarantees them a spot in the semifinals of next week's Big West tourney leaving them just two wins away from the big dance.

Donovan Morris had 17 off the bench, making clutch plays down the stretch, while T.J. Robinson added 13 and Larry Anderson and Stephan Gilling had 10.

The re-emergence of Morris gives the team a veteran presence and leadership that has been lacking despite the tremendous play of the freshman.

LBSU overcame a rough night shooting the ball in beating a team that had nothing to play for.

At 3-11 in the Big West coming in Poly was already eliminated from postseason contention.

What's particularly interesting is the way the match-ups could fall in Anaheim. If seeds hold LBSU would get Pacific in the semi-finals (a team they beat twice) and avoid Riverside (a team they lost to twice) until the finals if the Highlanders upset Northridge.

Box Score

Big West Standings

CSUN (11-4)

LBSU (10-5)

Pac  (9-6)

UCR  (7-8)

UCSB (7-8)

CSUF (7-8)

UCI  (7-8)

UCD (7-9)

Poly (3-12)

Beach heads North to finish Big West schedule

@ Cal Poly tonight, UCSB Saturday....

Long Beach (14-13, 9-5) started Big West play the same way they will finish it - by taking on Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.

When LBSU last took on Cal Poly (7-19, 3-11) it was their most lopsided Big West win as they knocked off the Mustangs 70-57 to run their conference record to 2-0.

The 'Niners overcame a sluggish start with some hot outside shooting from Greg Plater and Stephan Gilling. The two combined for 29 points making 9-of-16 from 3-point range.

Senior guard Chaz Thomas had 17 points in the loss for Cal Poly.

The Mustangs have lost six of their last seven in conference play and are yet to win a Big West game at home this season going 0-6 so far.

Back on January 2nd, The Beach kicked off conference play with a 76-64 win over UCSB (13-14, 6-8) at the Pyramid.

Casper Ware had 21 points - 15 of which came in the second half - while Donovan Morris scored 16 and Brian Freeman had a double-double adding 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Chris Devine was one of just two Gauchos in double figures scoring 20 points and grabbing eight rebounds while James Powell had 10.

UCSB has been hot of late winning five of their last six games.

The freshman big-men are carrying the load for The Beach in a big way of late. Over the last six games Larry Anderson is averaging 18.8 points and 6.5 rebounds while T.J. Robinson is getting 17.3 points and pulling down 8.5 rebounds.

LBSU currently sits one game behind Cal State Northridge (10-4 Big West) and one half-game ahead of Pacific (9-6) in the standings.

With a win this weekend they can clinch at least a number two seed in next week's conference tournament at the convention center in Anaheim.

Magic number down to one

Last weekend of regular season play for LBSU as they take on Cal Poly and UCSB.

That brought to mind the scenarios for securing a top-2 seed in the Big West

Here's the breakdown

Big West Tournament starts a week from tomorrow at the Convention Center in Anaheim. The Beach won't play until at least Thursday.