Bracket Watch - Chalky Tuesday

Last night the chalk held up in 3 of the 4 games that decided bids for the NCAA, but not without some tense moments. In the Colonial final in Richmond, Old Dominion held the lead for most of the game, but William & Mary never gave up the ghost until late. Siena had to rally from 15 points down to force overtime vs. Fairfield in the MAAC final on it's homecourt. The Saints subsequently won it by 7. Wofford exploded to a 15 point lead over Appalachian State in the Southern final in Charlotte, but the roles reversed as the Mountaineers started to reel the Terriers in. It was, however, all in vain as Wofford scored a 56-51 win for it's first Big Dance invite. On the other hand, Gonzaga could not take down the steely resolve of Saint Mary's in Las Vegas for the West Coast title. With the score 46-43, Gaels center Omar Samhan was whistled for a technical foul. From that point onward, the Gaels went on a 35-19 binge to end it, and to insure that they wouldn't sweat it out on Sunday. Where does this all bring us? Read on.

Final Four pairings
Midwest(1) vs. West(4)
East(2) vs. South(3)

Midwest region

@ Oklahoma City
1-Kansas(Big 12) vs. 16-Lehigh(Patriot)
8-NORTHERN IOWA vs. 9-Notre Dame
@ Spokane
4-Vanderbilt vs. 13-Kent State(Mid-American)
5-Butler(Horizon) vs. 12-Georgia Tech*
@ Milwaukee
2-Purdue vs. 15-Troy(Sun Belt)
7-Texas vs. 10-Virginia Tech
@ Providence
3-Villanova vs. 14-Oakland(Summit)
6-Xavier vs. 11-Florida*

West region

@ Jacksonville
1-Duke(Atlantic Coast) vs. 16-Quinnipiac(Northeast)
8-Texas-El Paso(Conference USA) vs. 9-California(Pacific-10)
@ Spokane
4-Pittsburgh vs. 13-Mississippi*
5-Baylor vs. 12-San Diego State
@ Buffalo
2-Ohio State(Big Ten) vs. 15-EAST TENNESSEE STATE
7-Louisville vs. 10-OLD DOMINION
@ San Jose
3-New Mexico(Mountain West) vs. 14-Weber State(Big Sky)
6-Gonzaga vs. 11-Utah State(Western Athletic)

East region

@ New Orleans
1-Kentucky(Southeastern) vs. 16-Vermont(America East)
8-Missouri vs. 9-Marquette
@ San Jose
4-Maryland vs. 13-SIENA
5-Brigham Young vs. 12-Memphis*
@ Providence
2-West Virginia vs. 15-Morgan State(Mid-Eastern)
7-Richmond vs. 10-Clemson
@ Jacksonville
3-Michigan State vs. 14-WOFFORD
6-Texas A&M vs. 11-CORNELL

South region

@ Buffalo
1-Syracuse vs. 16-Opening Round winner
Opening Round: WINTHROP vs. Jackson State(Southwestern)
8-Wake Forest vs. 9-Oklahoma State
@ New Orleans
4-Tennessee vs. 13-Arizona State*
5-Temple(Atlantic 10) vs. 12-MURRAY STATE
@ Oklahoma City
2-Kansas State vs. 15-UC Santa Barbara(Big West)
7-Florida State vs. 10-SAINT MARY'S
@ Milwaukee
3-Wisconsin vs. 14-Sam Houston State(Southland)
6-Georgetown vs. 11-Nevada-Las Vegas*

Procedural moves: Cornell(up 1), Notre Dame(up 1), Texas-El Paso(up 1), Clemson(down 1), Georgia Tech(down 1), Oklahoma State(down 1)

Last four in the field: Memphis, San Diego State, Arizona State, Mississippi
First four left out: Illinois, Washington, Uab, Rhode Island
Next four left out: South Florida, Dayton, Mississippi State, Minnesota
Also on board: Saint Louis, Connecticut, Seton Hall, Marshall, Wichita State, Nevada

Should there be any "upsets" tonight, here's how I would seed them:
Wright State(Horizon): 13-15
IUPUI(Summit): 14-15
North Texas(Sun Belt): 15-16