Tie for First, Leaderboard Tightens as Conferences Close

Tie for First

Gunz' lead finally eroded after a dismal 9-9 week, netting only 15 points (6 less than Musashisan). Babblemur took advantage of that netting 40 points off a 16-3 record, including two wins over Top 10 teams (USC over Arizona, Colorado over Texas) and 6 points for the Sun Belt Championship. Gunz and Babblemur now sit tied at 334 points, but with more competition nipping at their heels.

Tightening of the Pack

Only 50 points separate 9th place from first place, and Week 17 and 18 coming up can dump 40-50 points on a player with conference champs and conference tournaments.

Mad Mader brought in the most points last week, netting 42 points off a 14-6 record, including two wins over Top 10 teams (Virginia Tech over Duke, UCLA over Arizona) and 6 points for the Southern. On the other hand, Mooseye stumbled, going 11-9 for 25 points, 6 of that from winning the SWAC. Moose needs to try to win the Big 12 with Kansas and the SEC with Florida for 9 points each to stay in the top 4.

Winning is everything now, and Boaris (15-3), Jutdog (16-3) and McGrumps (14-4) have teams that are winning. Boaris picked up 34 points and won the WAC to move into 5th place. He is in a strong position to win the CUSA, the IVY and the Big Sky, so more points are on the way. Jutdog also added 34 points with a huge win over Top 10 San Diego State that will likely also give him the Mountain West. If he keeps winning like this he could add the Big 12, the MAC, and if Duke stumbles, a share of the ACC. McGrumps hit 29 points with a share of the WCC for 7 and big wins over UCONN and Florida, but can he capture any more tournaments? Memphis is a game back in the CUSA, and Ball State is a game back in the MAC...

The CEO got a big win when Gonzaga beat St. Mary's for a share of the WCC making 27 for the week, but 7 losses included Buffalo giving up on the MAC, Vandy giving it up in the SEC, and Minnesota dropping two in the Big 10. The CEO at 46 points down is not out though. Nor is brother Jaybird, although a 10-13 week for a paltry 18 points does not look good. Pitt lost and is clinging to the top of the Big East, Arizona dropped two instead of clinching the PAC 10, UTEP lost two and the lead in the CUSA, and Morgan St fell a game behind Bethune in the MEAC.

What's that noise in the Cellar?

Akaoni isn't in the Cellar yet, but another 6-11 week will put him there. His teams are collapsing all around him, Villanova 0-2, Northwestern 0-2, Dayton 0-1, Colorado St 0-2, Southern Miss 0-1, Denver 0-2 - Jesus, who won? Butler somehow managed to win a share of the Horizon...

But just 20 points below Akaoni lays Some Guy in Illinois, who picked up 31 points on a 12-8 week which included winning the Ohio Valley and the Colonial, a Cincinnati win over Georgetown, and two wins for McNeese State which could pull off the Southland this week. Just below SGII is Slake B, who went 11-8 for 26 points, including winning a share of the Horizon, and a lot of potential as Ohio State is a game up in the Big 10, Xavier is poised to win the A-10, and Miami Ohio is in the hunt for the MAC. Musashisan has cursed every team he has selected, but still managed 21 points thanks to Long Beach State, now if Alabama can manage not to blow the SEC, well, anything's possible?

More Conference Championship Points Distributed (on top of the 42 points distributed last week):

• Big West (6) goes to Long Beach State (Musashisan)
• OVC (6) goes to Murray State (SGII)
• Southern (6) goes to Charleston (Mad Mader), who finished tied with Wofford (CEO) but beat Wofford at both meetings.
• SWAC (6) goes to Texas Southern (Mooseye), with a 3 game lead (and two wins over) Jackson St (McGrumps)
• Sun Belt (6) goes to Florida Atlantic (Babblemur)
• Colonial (7) goes to George Mason (SGII)
• Horizon (7 + 7) with a three way tie, and since Butler swept Cleveland State, and Milwaukee swept Butler, and Milwaukee and Cleveland St split, 7 points for both Butler (Akaoni) and Cleveland St (Slake)
• Missouri Valley (7) goes to Missouri St (Akaoni)
• West Coast (7 + 7) with a tie, and split victories, both St. Mary's (McGrumps) and Gonzaga (CEO) get 7 points each for the West Coast.
  
• WAC (7) goes to Utah State (Boaris)
  

Conference Champ Points Remaining:

• Big Sky: Northern Colorado (Boaris) is one game up on Montana (MM) with two games remaining.
• Ivy: Princeton (Boaris) has a one game lead over Harvard (Gunz) with 3 games remaining.
  
• MEAC: Bethune Cookman (Boaris) has a one game lead over Morgan St (Jaybird) with one game remaining. If they wind up tied, Morgan State wins the tie breaker, and the points.
  
• Southland: Can McNeese St (SGII) hold on for two more games?
• Atlantic 10: Xavier (Slake) 13-1; Temple (Jay) 12-2;
  
• C-USA: UAB (Boaris) one game up but 7 teams in the running...
  
• MAC: 2 games left, 6 teams in contention...
• MWC: BYU (Jut) has a 1 game lead over SDSt (Babs) with 2 games remaining...
• ACC: 3 teams, final week
• Big East: 4 teams, final week
• Big 12: Kansas (Mooseye) or Texas (Jut), final week
• Big 10: 3 teams, final week
• Pac 10: 3 teams, final week
• SEC: 3 teams, final week

Tournament Time! Week 17 Tournaments:

• America East --
• Atlantic Sun --
• Big South --
• Colonial --
• Horizon --
• MAAC --
• Missouri Valley --
• Northeast --
• Ohio Valley --
• Patriot --
• Summit --
• Sun Belt --
• West Coast --

Standings after Week 16

• Current with all Feb 27 (Sunday) Games
• 1. Babblemur 334 (165-77)
• 2. Gunz 334 (160-85)
• 3. Mad Mader 319 (158-79)
• 4. Mooseye 302 (156-85)
• 5. Boaris 297 (167-71)
• 6. Jutdog 296 (164-77)
• 7. McGrumps 289 (168-75)
• 8. The CEO 288 (163-77)
• 9. Jaybird 284 (159-85)
• 10. Akaoni 281 (159-85)
• 11. Some Guy in Illinois 262 (153-88)
• 12. Slake B 261 (144-96)
• 13. Musashisan 215 (127-113)

Bow Before the Mighty Babblemur

Babblemur went to the bank this week, bringing in an un-surmountable +44 points off 14-4 record for the week. How all the points? Purdue knocked off #10 Wisconsin and #2 Ohio State for 10 points alone; St. Johns knocked off #4 Pitt plus Marquette for 8 points, lowly USC beat California and Stanford for 6 points, and Long Island won two to win the Northeastern Conference for 6 points. All in all, Babs went 9-3 against other players.



But Babs wasn't the only one kicking ass. Boaris went on a rampage, and despite a Tennessee loss to Georgia and a Louisville loss to Cincy Boaris went 14-4 for 34 points, including K-State knocking off #1 Kansas on Monday, and Nebraska nipping #3 Texas on Saturday. Boaris shot up from 9th place to 6th.

The CEO turned in 35 points of his own, although 12 of them were for winning the MAAC and the Patriot. But that shouldn't overshadow a 15-4 week including a sweep in the bracket busters.

Breakdown performance chart

Babblemur +44 (14-4)
The CEO +35 (15-4)
Boaris +34 (14-4)
Gunz +27 (9-11)
Mad Mader +26 (12-7)
McGrumps +26 (12-8)
SGII +25 (13-7)
Jutdog +24 (10-8)
Jaybird +23 (13-7)
Akaoni +23 (15-4)
Slake B +23 (11-8)
Mooseye +21 (9-11)
Musashisan +19 (9-10)

Conference Champ Points Allocated (Week 15):

America East = Vermont (Gunz) 6 pts
Atlantic Sun = Belmont (Jut) 6 pts
Big South = Coastal Carolina (Mooseye) 6 pts
MAAC = Fairfield (CEO) 6 pts
NEC = Long Island (Babs) 6 pts
Patriot = Bucknell (CEO) 6 pts
Summit = Oakland (McGrumps) 6 pts

Many more conference championships should be determined this week (Week 16), so expect to see the points flying. Below is a breakdown of the Conferences yet to be determined.

Conference Champ Points TBD:

Minors:

• Big Sky: Montana (MM) or Northern Colorado (Boaris)
  
• Big West: Long Beach St (Musa) or Cal Poly (_)
  
• Ivy: Harvard (Gunz) or Princeton (Boaris)
• MEAC: Beth-Cook (Boaris), Morgan St (Jaybird) or Hampton (Mooseye)
  
• OVC: 4 teams in the running
• Southern: 5 teams in the running
• Southland: 10 teams in the running
• SWAC: 5 teams in the running
• Sun Belt: 4 teams in the running

Mid Majors (7 pts each)

• A-10: Xavier (Slake), Temple (Jaybird), Richmond (McGrumps), Duquesne (Musa), Rhode Island (Jut);
• Colonial: George Mason (SGII), Old D (Jut), VCU (Gunz), Hofstra (Akaoni)
  
• C-USA: 10 teams in the running
  
• Horizon: Cleveland St (Slake), Valpo (Jaybird), Butler (Akaoni), Milwaukee (_)
  
• MAC: 8 teams in the running
  
• MVC: Wichita St (Mooseye) or Missouri St (Akaoni)
  
• MWC: San Diego St (Babs), BYU (Jut) or Colorado St (Akaoni)
  
• WCC: St. Mary's (McGrumps), Gonzaga (The CEO) or San Fran (_)
  
• WAC: Utah St (Boaris) or New Mexico St (SGII)
  

Majors: (9 points each)

• ACC: With three to four games remaining, it is down to Duke (Gunz) at 12-1, North Carolina (Jut) at 10-2, and Florida State (Akaoni) at 9-3. North Carolina travels to Florida State March 2, and Duke travels to North Carolina for a big game March 5th, but for this week all three need to win win win to survive to next week.
  
• Big East: With four games left, 'technically' 10 teams could still tie up for a share of the title, but realistically this is down to Pittsburgh (Jaybird) at 12-2 who could almost lock it up with two wins this week. 2 games back is Notre Dame (Mad Mader) at 10-4, who beat Pitt at their only meeting this year. Others (Georgetown, Villanova, Louisville, St. John's etc.) are longshots at best, needing Pitt to lose the rest of their games to be in contention.
  
• Big 10: With four games remaining the Big 10 is down to Ohio State (Slake) at 12-2, Purdue (Babs) at 11-3, and Wisconsin (Gunz) at 10-4. Purdue split their games with Ohio State and Wisconsin, but Wisconsin is 1-0 vs. Ohio State with one final game coming up March 6 that could determine a share of the Big Ten Title (and points for all!)
  
• Big 12: There are four games remaining, and Texas (Jut) at 11-1 has a slim lead over Kansas (Mooseye) at 10-2, while technically in the hunt is Texas A&M (Mad Mader) at 8-4 and Missouri (The CEO) at 7-5. Texas beat Kansas in their only matchup, meaning Kansas would need to win the Big 12 outright to get those 9 points - a tall order at this point.
  
• Pac 10: It is down to three, and Arizona (Jaybird) is looking to lock it up this week, giving Jaybird potentially two major conference champs. Arizona is 12-2, they play this week UCLA (Mad Mader) at 10-4, while the third contender Washington (SGII) at 10-5 needs a small miracle to pull of the Pac 10 this year.
  
• SEC: The SEC is CrAzY! Four games left - Alabama (Musashisan) at 10-2 and Florida (Mooseye) at 10-2 have a two game lead over a pack that includes Vandy (CEO) at 8-4, Kentucky (McGrumps) at 7-5, Georgia (Babs) at 7-5, Missississippi State (Jaybird) at 6-6 and Tennessee (Boaris) at 6-6. This week should eliminate three or four of those teams, but the Big Show will be March 1 when Alabama heads to Florida for their only matchup this year. Florida has a tough row to hoe given their next four games (Georgia, Kentucky, Alabama, Vandy), as does Vandy (Tenn, LSU, Kentucky, Florida).
  

STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 15:

• Current with all Feb 20 (Sunday) Games
• 1. Gunz 319 (151-76)
• 2. Babblemur 294 (149-74)
• 3. Mad Mader 277 (144-73)
• 4. Mooseye 277 (145-76)
• 5. Jaybird 266 (149-72)
• 6. Boaris 263 (152-68)
• 7. Jutdog 262 (148-74)
• 8. The CEO 261 (151-70)
• 9. McGrumps 260 (154-71)
• 10. Akaoni 257 (153-74)
• 11. Slake B 235 (133-88)
• 12. Some Guy in Illinois 231 (141-80)
• 13. Musashisan 194 (120-100)

Week 14 & 15 Things are getting HOT

Well it is in the 40s in Wisconsin, H-O-T!

The top of the Leader Board showed why they are there last week with the Top 6 players scoring +24 or greater, while the Bottom 7 could barely squeak past +20, if that. There was no change in the Top 4 as Gunz (+30), Mooseye (+26), Mad Mader (+24) and Babblemur (+26) all found reasons to be happy this week, like Wisconsin (Gunz) knocking off Ohio State, or Florida (Mooseye) sweeping two big games to take the SEC Lead, or Notre Dame (Mad Mader) beating Louisville and moving into second place in the Big East, or St. Johns (Babblemur) upsetting UCONN and moving into the top half of the Big East.

However two bad-ass brothers have moved up into the #5 and #6 slots. Jaybird hit +30 for the week with Pittsburgh winning two big games to build a solid lead in the Big East, Arizona moved into first place in the Pac 10, and Valparaiso beat Wright State and Detroit to move into first place in the Horizon. Brother Jut though passed two more players with a +26 week, and more importantly he now has first place in the Big 12 (Texas), MWC (BYU), Atlantic Sun (Belmont), and the MAC (Kent State) and Old Dominion is playing strong two games out of first in the Colonial.

Player Performances for Week 14:

• Gunz +30 (14-5)
• Jaybird +30 (12-5)
• Mooseye +26 (12-5)
• Babblemur +26 (11-8)
• Jutdog +26 (14-5)
• Mad Mader +24 (12-5)
• Akaoni +21 (11-8)
• McGrumps +20 (12-6)
• The CEO +20 (14-6)
• SGII +20 (14-4)
• Boaris +19 (11-9)
• Slake B +17 (11-9)
• Musashisan +12 (7-10)

Bracket Busters

This week we have Bracket Buster Games Friday-Sunday, pitting mid-majors and minors against each other for our amusement. I've highlighted those head-to-head games on the sidebar. Best games?

• VCU (Gunz) vs. Wichita St (Mooseye) - First we have the #1 and #2 players on the leader board facing off, both with exceptionally good teams. Wichita State was the pre-season mid-major darling that failed to stun and is now locked into a first place tie in the MVC. VCU just lost to Old Dominion and is one game out of first place in the Colonial.
  
• Austin Peay (Jaybird) vs. Fairfield (CEO) - a butter brother battle in a bottle, Fairfield has gone 20-5 for the CEO, 13-2 in the MAAC, a three game lead with three games remaining. Austin Peay has gone 2-2 since being drafted, but still sits 2 games back in the Ohio Valley.
  
• Missouri State (Akaoni) at Valparaiso (Jaybird) - Valpo is on a 3 game win streak with 2 wins against other players, they now have a half game lead in the Horizon. At 32 points, Missouri State is the best 7th round draft pick on the board for Akaoni, and is tied up with Wichita State for first place in the MVC.
  
• Cleveland State (Slake) at Old Dominion (Jut) - this is the marquis matchup. Cleveland State came out of nowhere to become the dominant force in the Horizon until two recent losses to Butler and Detroit. Their point guard last game scored 41 points, 20 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals - that's good. Old Dominion at 2 games back in the Colonial might be counting on an at-large bid - a loss here would hurt a LOT. Old D has won 6 of their last 7, the only loss to George Mason (are they ranked in the top 25?)
  

Conference Showdowns

America East - Vermont (Gunz) can seal the America East conference with a win over Maine (Babblemur) on Wednesday.

Atlantic 10 - Temple (Jaybird) and Richmond (McGrumps) are both 9-2 and in second place, half game behind Xavier (Slake). They face off on Thursday.

Atlantic Sun - Belmont (Jut) can lock up the Atlantic Sun with a win over East Tennessee State on Thursday.

Big South - Coastal Carolina (Mooseye) is 15-0 with three conference games remaining. Undefeated in conference would be a bonus +3 points...

Big Ten - There are only 3 teams that can win the Big 10 now: Ohio St (Slake) at 11-1, Purdue (Babs) at 9-3, and Wisconsin (Gunz) at 9-3. Wisconsin heads to Purdue on Wednesday, followed by Ohio State going to Purdue on Sunday. After this week there may be only two contenders remaining.

Colonial - Tuesday - George Mason (SGII) 13-2 takes on VCU (Gunz) 12-3 in a critical game for both. This is their only regular season game together, so it is the tie breaker as well. There are three games remaining for both in the Colonial including this one.

Conference USA - There are four teams within a game of first place in the CUSA, UTEP 7-2, UAB 8-3, Memphis 7-3, Southern Miss 7-4. Every game is a bracket buster for these four, an at-large bid will not come easily. UAB (Boaris) plays Memphis (McGrumps) on Wednesday, while UTEP (Jaybird) takes on Southern Miss (Akaoni) the same day.

MAAC - Fairfield (CEO) could lock up the MAAC with a win over Marist on Wednesday.

MAC - Kent State (Jutdog) at 8-2 holds a slim lead in the conference over Miami Ohio (Slake) at 8-3. They play on Wednesday, its a big game for the MAC. Kent State won their last match up.

MEAC - Saturday Hampton (Mooseye) at 9-2 faces conference rival Bethune-Cookman (Boaris) at 8-3. Hampton won the last match up, a win here could seal the conference.

PAC 10 - Saturday first place Arizona (Jaybird) at 10-2 faces Washington (SGII) at 9-4 in a key conference game for both.

Summit - If Oakland (McGrumps) sweeps the Dakotas this week they will have the Summit all locked up.

Leader Board after Week 14:

• Current with all Feb 13 (Sunday) Games
• 1. Gunz 292 (142-65)
• 2. Mooseye 256 (136-65)
• 3. Mad Mader 251 (132-66)
• 4. Babblemur 250 (135-70)
• 5. Jaybird 243 (136-65)
• 6. Jutdog 238 (138-66)
• 7. McGrumps 234 (142-63)
• 8. Akaoni 234 (138-70)
• 9. Boaris 229 (138-64)
• 10. The CEO 226 (136-66)
• 11. Slake B 212 (122-80)
• 12. Some Guy in Illinois 206 (128-73)
• 13. Musashisan 175 (111-90)

Perspective on the upcoming 8 weeks of Babblemur

Just how huge can end of year point bursts be? Consider conference reg season points, all of the head to heads in league play in a condensed time period, topped with tourney points and more, and you get a scenario in which anyone but Mushasisan can win.

As of Feb 12, 2011, the standings in league play are as follows:
1. Gunz 285 (139-65)
2. Mooseye 253 (135-65)
3. Mad Mader 245 (130-65)
4. Babblemur 244 (133-70)
5. Jaybird 239 (134-64)
6. Jutdog 238 (138-66)
7. McGrumps 234 (142-62)
8. Akaoni 234 (138-69)
9. Boaris 229 (138-64)
10. The CEO 224 (134-66)
11. Slake B 209 (121-80)
12. Some Guy in Illinois 205 (127-71)
13. Musashisan 175 (111-86)


So where were we last year on Feb 15, 2010? The post title of the day was "Jutdog Suffers Worst Performance in Three Year History of Babbleball". Akaoni was the sure lock to win the league, with about a 40 point lead - a 76 point lead over Jutdog!

Standings as of Feb 15, 2010:
•1. Akaoni - 287 (155-51)
•2. Jaybird - 249 (148-58)
•2. Gunz - 247 (145-62)
•4. Boaris - 245 (155-51)
•5. Babblemur - 222 (144-60)
•6. The CEO - 216 (140-65)
•7. NotaTurtle - 215 (125-77)
•8. Phunmunki - 214 (131-71)
•9. Jutdog - 211 (136-62)
•10. Some Guy in Illinois - 189 (135-73)


And then, shoot forward several weeks to the conclusion of the league:
Final Standings for 2009-10 (with last team "alive")
•1. Jutdog - 483 (207-90) West Virginia lost to Duke in the Final Four
•2. Gunz - 478 (203-101) Duke as National Champions
•3. Akaoni - 469 (210-89) Baylor lost to Duke in Elite 8
•4. Babblemur - 455 (205-90) Butler lost to Duke in championship game
•5. Boaris - 448 (214-85) Ohio St lost to Tennessee in Sweet 16
•6. Jaybird - 429 (206-94) Dayton won NIT championship
•7. The CEO - 409 (192-104) Michigan St lost to Butler in Final Four
•8. NotaTurtle - 376 (176-113) Purdue lost to Duke in Sweet 16
•9. Phunmunki - 335 (173-110) Xavier lost to Kansas St in Sweet 16
•10. Some Guy in Illinois - 311 (185-112) North Carolina lost to Dayton in NIT finals


So what does that mean? Well, a few things:
1. Bab's and CEO's claims that GUNZ has sealed the league is just foolish. He might even have DUKE win it all and somehow still lose.

2. Less than half of the points available have been distributed. The season is just getting started.

3. Akaoni really sucked down the stretch last year!

4. Gunz is actually doing worse this year than AKAONI was doing last year at this time, considering he has fewer points and we have far more teams this year providing additional head to head opportunities.

5. If a 76 point lead is able to be overcome, that would mean that Slake B is right in contention for the championship along with the other 10 players ahead of him. A comeback from SGII and Musash would be unprecedented.

6. So who is doing better this year (in terms of points) than last year besides the obvious in Gunz (up 38 pts)? Jutdog is up 27 points. Babblemur is up 22 points. McGrumps (player formerly known as Turtle) is up 19 points. Even SGII is up 16 points! And rounding out the batch, the CEO is actually up 8 points. Everyone else is doing worse this year.

7. CEO feels better about his season after reading this.

Gunz Extends his Lead

Gunz won Week 13, scoring 35 points off a 15-5 record, including an 11-2 record against other players. His top four teams went undefeated for 22 of his 35 points. If there is a bright side for the rest of us, Harvard lost to Princeton which may be enough to keep Gunz from winning the Ivy, but otherwise it looks bad as Gunz' lead is now at 32 ahead of second place with Duke, VCU and Vermont poised to win their conference titles.

How did the rest of us fare?

Gunz +35 (15-5)
Mooseye +28 (14-4)
Akaoni +26 (12-8)
Jutdog +24 (14-5)
Slake B +23 (13-7)
Mad Mader +21 (9-10)
Babblemur +19 (11-7)
Jaybird +19 (11-7)
Musashisan +17 (9-9)
Boaris +15 (13-7)
McGrumps +15 (9-8)
SGII +15 (9-8)
The CEO +13 (9-10)

Best Expanda-Draft Squad

In a short week for the expanda-draft teams, Babblemur can brag about the most success so far as Florida Atlantic went 2-0 with a win over North Texas to take a 2 1/2 game lead in the Sun Belt; and Long Island went 2-0 with a win over Quinnipiac to take a 1 game lead in the NEC.

Conference Leaders:

Jutdog (A-Sun, Big 12, MAC, MWC)
Mooseye (Big South, MEAC, MVC, SWAC)
Jaybird (Big East, C-USA, PAC 10)
Gunz (American East, ACC, Colonial)
Musashisan (A-10, Big West, SEC)
Slake B (A-10, Big 10, Horizon)
Boaris (Big Sky, Ivy, WAC)
McGrumps (Summit, West Coast)
SGII (Colonial, OVC)
CEO (MAAC, Patriot)
Babblemur (NEC, Sun Belt)
Mad Mader (Southern)
Akaoni (_)

Standings after Week 13

* Current with all Feb 6 (Sunday) Games
* 1. Gunz 262 (128-60)
* 2. Mooseye 230 (124-60)
* 3. Mad Mader 227 (120-61)
* 4. Babblemur 224 (123-62)
* 5. McGrumps 214 (130-57)
* 6. Jaybird 213 (124-60)
* 7. Akaoni 213 (127-62)
* 8. Jutdog 212 (124-61)
* 9. Boaris 210 (127-55)
* 10. The CEO 206 (122-60)
* 11. Slake B 195 (111-71)
* 12. Some Guy in Illinois 186 (114-69)
* 13. Musashisan 163 (105-80)

Mid Major Standings

The Mid Majors are very competitive this year. A team that wins a mid-major regular season earns 7 points, and the conference tournament is worth 5 points (and an automatic bid to the Big Dance, another 3 points). Plus, if a team should go undefeated in their conference, there is an additional +3 for the super-feat.

That makes a potential 135 points out there for Mid-Majors. There are 42 player teams in these 9 conferences. WINNING GAMES NOW IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER.

Note that in the case of a tie for the conference championship, the tie breaker is head to head matchups. If those are a tie, both teams get full points.

"Official" Babbleball Mid-Majors: Atl 10, CAA, CUSA, Horizon, MAC, MWC, MVC, WAC, & WCC

Standings as of February 4, 2011:

Atlantic 10
1. Duquesne (Musa) 8-0, 16-5
2. Xavier (Slake) 7-1, 15-6
3. Temple (Jaybird) 6-2, 15-6
3. Richmond (McGrumps) 6-2, 17-6
5. UMASS (Mad Mader) 5-3, 13-8
5. Rhode Island (Jut) 5-3, 14-8
7. Dayton (Akaoni) 4-4, 16-7
12. Charlotte (Moose) 2-6, 10-12

Colonial
1. George Mason (SGII) 10-2, 18-5
2. VCU (Gunz) 10-2, 18-6
3. Old Dominion (Jut) 9-3, 18-5
4. Hofstra (Akaoni) 8-4, 14-9

Conference USA
1. UTEP (Jaybird) 5-2, 17-5
2. Southern Miss (Akaoni) 6-3, 17-5
3. Memphis (McGrumps) 5-3, 16-6
3. Tulsa (SGII) 5-3, 12-10
3. UAB (Boaris) 5-3, 15-6
7. Marshall (CEO) 3-4, 15-7

Horizon
1. Cleveland St (Slake) 10-2, 21-3
2. Valparaiso (Jaybird) 8-3, 16-7
3. Wright St (Slake) 8-4, 15-9
5. Butler (Akaoni) 6-5, 14-9
7. Detroit (Jut) 6-6, 12-12

Mid American
1. Buffalo (CEO) 6-2, 14-6
1. Bowling Green (_) 6-2, 11-11
3. Kent State (Jut) 5-2, 14-7
4. Ball State (McGrumps) 5-3, 13-8
4. Miami-Ohio (Slake) 5-3, 10-12
7. Ohio (Babblemur) 3-5, 10-12

Missouri Valley
1. Wichita St (Moose) 10-2, 19-4
2. Northern Iowa (Musa) 9-3, 18-6
2. Missouri St (Akaoni) 9-3, 17-6
6. Creighton (Jaybird) 6-6, 14-10

Mountain West
1. BYU (Jut) 7-1, 21-2
2. San Diego St (Babs) 7-1, 22-1
3. Colorado St (Akaoni) 5-3, 15-7
3. UNLV (Boaris) 5-3, 17-5
5. New Mexico (Moose) 4-4, 16-7

West Coast
1. St. Mary's (McGrumps) 7-1, 19-4
2. Santa Clara (Gunz) 5-2, 15-9
2. San Fran (_) 5-2, 11-11
4. Gonzaga (CEO) 5-3, 15-8

Western Athletic
1. Utah St (Boaris) 10-0, 21-2
2. New Mexico St (SGII) 6-4, 12-12

2011 PowerHouse Trios

As we learned last year, it is important to have the best team in the country (Gunz and his perennial favorite Duke), but possibly more important to have the best trio of teams (Jutdog's West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kansas State, which generated enough points for the win). So, who looks to be in a good position with a dominant trio to challenge for the Hall of Fame spot this year:

1.Moose Eye: This guy has Kansas, UCONN, and Florida. This is a good bunch. Kansas has no faults on the year, and in most places is a lock for a 1 seed in the tourney. UCONN has gone beyond everyone's expectations in reaching 17-3 with a top 10 SOS and no bad losses. This wins list is pretty impressive: Texas, UK, Michigan State (when they were #2), NOVA, and Tennessee. Florida brings in a big question mark. They are 4-3 against sub-100 talent, while going 5-1 against top 50 talent. They are 17-5 though, a top 25 team, and leading the SEC. They are a strong #3 team to have, placing Moose Eye with the best TRIO.

2. Gunz. Things seem good for Gunz, and he has built a decent lead. However, Duke has lost 2 of their last 6 games, and appears to be entering the toughest part of their season. Despite this, they are still elite-8 material. Georgetown has rebounded and is actually 17-5 with the #2 SOS. They have NO bad losses and 7 wins over top 50 teams. That places them as at least a sweet 16 contender. However, isn't this the same Georgetown team that bowed out last year in the opening round (this year's team is far worse inside without Monroe). They appear to be playing far better this year as a team and could contend for a Big East titel. Then you have Wisconsin, who beat Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois, and has 5 close losses all on the road. He also has Clemson who is 15-6 but with no real impressive wins. So Gunz is most likely a contender, but clearly not a lock for even a top 3 finish. Further, he does not have the best trio in our league.

3. Mad Mader: The Cuse have been slippin, and the XCuse is because they don't play D. 4 Straight losses (note that two were against top 10 talent) has their future in doubt. Thankfully the mad man has a supporting cast of Notre Dame who is 17-4 (!) with a top 10 SOS (!) and 7 (!) wins over top 50 teams including Wisconsin, Georgetown, UCONN, and PITT. Up until meeting Texas, his third team in Texas A&M was looking pretty good. At 17-4 and no losses to terrible teams, they are looking great aside from the losing 3 of their last 4. Mader was probably the most dangerous player 4 games ago, before the Cuse and A&M entered their winter falls.

4. Jutdog: Of course, no list would be complete without the Hall of Fame representation, and Jutdog has again assembled a worthy collection of teams. Texas has proven to be a great pick, giving Kansas their only loss while also picking up wins against Illinois, UNC, Michigan St, A&M (twice), and Mizz. Losses against UCONN and PITT are excusable, but at USC?? They have won 7 straight and play NO additional ranked teams for the remainer of the regular season. BYU comes in at the second spot, with the #12 SOS including wins over San Diego St, Utah St, St Marys, Arizona, and UTEP. They are 6-1 on the road, and have no bad losses. However, they have yet to face a real national contender and may be considered unproven. The final team is UNC, who is tied for first in the ACC with a 16-5 overall record. Somehow, these guys scored 106 last night at Boston College while only producing 58 at Georgia Tech. They are 2nd in the nation in rebounding, and have quietly won 9 of their last 10 games. At only 2-4 against top 50 talent, they have yet to prove themselves.

Honorable Mention:

6. Babs?? Purdue is obviously a contender, but with only two starters and 12 subs, it is a serious stretch to call them a final four lock. San Diego State? They have only one loss (BYU), and have wins over St Marys, Gonzaga, California, UNLV, and New Mexico. All very impressive wins over what will likely be teams that do NOT make the sweet 16. San Diego St is at best an uncertainty - they might dominate, or they may fade against the best in the country.

But even if we give both Purdue and San Diego St tickets to the Sweet Sixteen, who else? Georgia? St Johns? How 'bout Maine? Babs will at best finish 2nd this year, and more likely will be somewhere in the 4 - 8 range, which is not too bad considering his main squad took a serious blow on the first day of practice (See Robbie Hummel).

6. Jaybird?? PITT, Temple, and Arizona. Well.. probably better than Babs, but good enough to win? Temple has been his major let down, while by some accounts Arizona has exceeded expectations. If PITT stays focused, they are well coached and skilled, and are a leading candidate for a 1 seed.

6. Slake B. Ohio State is by almost all accounts the best team in the nation. 7-0 on the road, 5-0 against top 50 teams, and unbeaten. However, they only have played 4 rated teams all year, including Florida and Purdue. If they can win AT Minnesota, AT Wisconsin, and AT Purdue, then I will be sold. Until then, and considering that over half of their wins are from teams outside of the top 100, they are not enough to be considered a lock. Maryland is 1-6 against top 50 teams, and 7 of their wins came from sub-200 teams. West Virginia is only 6-4 in their last 10 games, but they do have 5 wins over top 50 talent including Purdue and Georgetown.