full-tilt saturday: nothing set in stone for march madness...yet.

Men’s Hoops Wrap-up: Jags Turn Back ORU, Still Hunting for Top Seed
Full-Tilt Saturday settled plenty of drama and answers for post-season seeding in men’s basketball. The top two seeds are locked down between ORU and IUPUI while the bottom two seeds are all but determined. The middle four brackets are shaping up to be a horse race all the way to the end of the season; perhaps relying on a series of tie-breakers to determine seeding.

In the biggest showdown of the night, ORU and IUPUI went at each other like Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. It would be unfair to call the second-place Jaguars an underdog, as both teams are poised to Dance in March Madness™. While the Golden Eagles notched a tough, one-point victory in the first salvo at Mabee Center last month, George Hill and Co. staved off a fierce ORU comeback to win 69-66, giving ORU its first conference loss of the season and narrowing the gap between first and second place to a half-game. Austin Montgomery led the Jags with 18 points. Moses Ehambe scored 19 for the Golden Eagles to lead all scorers.

The game was more of a must-win situation for IUPUI to maintain at least a #2 seed, with Oakland still within shouting distance. As Tulsa broadcast announcers said, ORU wanted to win, but IUPUI needed to win.

The Jags win coupled with IPFW’s upset victory over Oakland at Rochester clinched the top two seeds for ORU and IUPUI. David Carson’s 18 points led the Mastadons to a 71-66 victory over the Golden Grizzlies, keeping Dane Fife’s squad in contention for the #3 seed. Were it not for Ehambe’s 40-point explosion vs. Western Illinois Thursday night (and the fact that IPFW only played one conference game this week), Carson might get consideration for POTW honors. As it stands, Ehambe will probably win out over SUU’s Geoff Payne or George Hill (by default) for the simple fact he blew up for 40 points.

Saturday Scoreboard — Men’s Hoops:
IPFW @ Oakland — IPFW 71-66
North Dakota State @ Southern Utah — SUU 72-67
Oral Roberts @ IUPUI — IUPUI 69-66
Centenary @ Western Illinois — WIU 68-67
South Dakota State @ UMKC — UMKC 68-63

Men’s Standings (thru Saturday, 16 Feb 08)
1. Oral Roberts — 13-1 / 18-6
2. IUPUI — 13-2 / 21-5
3. Oakland — 8-6 / 13-12
3. IPFW — 8-6 — 11-14
5. North Dakota State — 7-8 / 13-13
5. Western Illinois — 7-8 / 12-14
7. Southern Utah — 6-8 / 8-17
8. UMKC — 4-10 / 9-18
8. Centenary — 3-11 / 9-17
10. South Dakota State — 3-12 / 8-18

Thursday Night Summit League Action:
IUPUI @ Oakland, 7:30 p.m.
Southern Utah @ Centenary, 7 p.m.
UMKC @ Oral Roberts, 7:05 p.m.
Western Illinois @ IPFW, 7 p.m.

Friday Night Summit League Action:
North Dakota State @ South Dakota State, 7 p.m.

Saturday Night Summit League Action:
IUPUI @ IPFW, 4 p.m.
UMKC @ Centenary, 5:30 p.m.
Western Illinois @ Oakland, 6 p.m.
Creighton @ Oral Roberts, TBA

On the Women’s Side…
South Dakota State is serving notice in the Summit League: there’s a new sheriff in town. At 12-2, the Jackrabbits have quickly established themselves as the team to beat. With hopes of an at-large berth to the NCAA or NIT, SDSU took UMKC behind the woodshed yesterday, 74-48. Stacie Oistad led a balanced attack with 18 points. Western Illinois maintains a scant 1-1/2 games lead over ORU for the top seed in the conference tournament by virtue of beating Centenary 67-43. The Ladies are in an absolute tailspin right now at 0-13 for the season. Stephanie Lovingood went bonkers for the Westerwinds, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

But Lovingood’s efforts on the day were outdone by IUPUI’s Julia Whitted. She scored 26 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Jags to a comeback victory over ORU, 69-66. Jernisha Cann added 21 points and 17 boards in the win. Depending on Monday night’s outcome, I think we can safely say this week’s POTW will be Lovingood, Whitted or Cann.

As it stands, five teams are still jockeying for the top seed in the conference tournament: WIU, ORU, Oakland, IUPUI and IPFW. Monday night’s ORU-WIU game should provide some answers.

Saturday Scoreboard — Women’s Hoops:
IPFW @ Oakland — Oak 79-64
Oral Roberts @ IUPUI — IUPUI 69-66
Centenary @ Western Illinois — WIU 67-43
South Dakota State @ UMKC — SDSU 74-48
North Dakota State @ Southern Utah — NDSU 87-62

Women’s Standings (thru Saturday, 16 Feb 08)
1. South Dakota State — 12-2 / 19-6
2. Western Illinois — 10-4 / 12-13
3. North Dakota State — 9-5 / 14-10
4. Oral Roberts — 8-5 / 14-10
5. Oakland — 8-6 / 15-9
5. IUPUI — 8-6 / 12-14
7. IPFW — 7-7 / 10-15
8. Southern Utah — 4-9 / 6-18
9. UMKC — 2-11 / 9-15
10. Centenary — 0-13 / 3-20

Monday Night Summit League Action:
North Dakota State @ UMKC, 7 p.m.
Centenary @ IUPUI, 7 p.m.
South Dakota State @ Southern Utah, 7 p.m.
Oral Roberts @ Western Illinois, 7 p.m.

Saturday Night Summit League Action:
Western Illinois @ IPFW, 1 p.m.
UMKC @ Oral Roberts, 2:05 p.m.
IUPUI @ Oakland, 3:30 p.m.
Southern Utah @ Centenary, 3 p.m.
North Dakota State @ South Dakota State, 7 p.m.