This will be the thread to document the second annual Blue Earth Classic, held in Mankato, MN and named after Mankato’s county and the river that runs nearby. The tournament will run games 5-9. We’ll try to rotate some of the better teams into the tournament each season, and hopefully showcasing these strong teams can be a source of pride and competitiveness for conferences with a participating team. Schools in the tournament aren’t just in it for themselves, but they also represent their conference.


SCHEDULE
Game #5:
California San Diego @ Pittsburgh Johnstown
Tampa @ U of Indianapolis
Georgia College @ Seattle

Game #6:
Pittsburgh, Johnstown @ Georgia College
U of Indianapolis @ California San Diego
Tampa @ Seattle

Game #7:
Seattle @ Pittsburgh, Johnstown
U of Indianapolis @ Georgia College
California San Diego @ Tampa

Game #8:
Pittsburgh, Johnstown @ Tampa
Seattle @ U of Indianapolis
Georgia College @ California San Diego

Game #9:
U of Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh, Johnstown
Tampa @ Georgia College
Seattle @ California San Diego



RANKINGS:
Pre-S Team Current Rank
#3 Seattle #2
#4 California San Diego NR
#14 Georgia College NR
#19 Pittsburgh, Johnstown #15
NR U of Indianapolis #10
NR Tampa #7

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Seattle - Ho Ching, PG
To this point in the season, Seattle’s offense has been paced by senior PG Ho Ching. Not only is he leading the team in scoring (14.0/PPG), but he ranks 6^th in the nation in assists (6.8/game). While his overall ratings are solid, only his ball handling and passing combo would qualify as elite. However, with a very solid cast surrounding Ho Ching, that creates an ideal situation for him to thrive. With three other players averaging double digits, Ching makes defending Seattle much more difficult.

California, San Diego - Gary Neveu, PG, 1^st Team All-American
Gary Neveu is simply an elite D2 player, as his pre-season accolades attest to. To begin with, he is a 5^th year senior with an A+ IQ in Cal, SD’s offense and defense. This is particularly important for a point guard, but he is also the leading scoring, chipping in 18.8 points a game. While his 98 perimeter rating is sure to draw the most attention, a PG with speed and a 77 Low Post rating is deadly.

Georgia College - Sheng Chiu, C
With an offense that has three perimeter shooters rated 87 or above and three post players with rating of 80 or above at LP, it is hard to single out a key player. However, what stands out about Sheng Chiu is his ability to impact the game in other ways. While Chiu is an effective scorer averaging near 12 points a game, it is the combination of ability to score and dominate on the boards with a team leading 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks a game, good enough to place him 5^th in D2.

Pittsuburgh, Johnstown - Steven Stevens, SF, 2nd Team All-American
With a name like Steven Stevens, you just knew this guy was going to be a legend at UPJ. Like Nevuu, Stevens has a lethal combination of perimeter (97) and post (65), with good speed (69) for a SF. Perhaps it is due to the relative speed advantage at his position that he has been so much trouble for defenses from the perimeter, hitting over 51% of his shots this season, which is no fluke hitting 50% last season as well.So far this season, Steven(s) is averaging a team leading16.8 point a game.

U of Indianapolis - Edward Vavra, C
Heading up a group of four post players all with at least 79 ratings for rebounding, Edward Varga adds additional dimensions to the game through his blocking (99), strong defense (85) and ability to score from the post (98). Thus far this season, Varga is second on the team in scoring and leads a strong post group with 8.5 rebounds a game. Varga helps spearhead a high percentage offense that is second in D2 in terms of FG%.

Tampa - Leroy Burnette, PG, Honorable Mention
While Chad Robeson is the leading scorer (17.3 PPG) and is probably the best player, Leroy Burnette might have the biggest impact on Tampa’s success. First off, how he gets used is key, as Burnette is not a strong defense player (48) but makes up for it offensively. Not only does he average a solid 10+ points a game with nearly a 54% 3-pt%, but Burnette is also over 90 in both ball handling and passing. He does tend to pick up some fouls, but despite the mediocre defense, he helps ignite the Tampa offense when in the game.

Here is the preview of the teams in this year’s Blue Earth Classic.

Seattle – With a coaching change over the off-season resulting in 83 and 88 NT champ irrev0cable heading back to his previous team at Southern Florida, presentense takes over a very strong team. With very little background, it will be interesting to see how a new coach with a great roster does against some of the better coaches in Naismith.

California, San Diego – Entering his 20^th season with UCSD, mike1004 has developed the squad into a consistent contender, reaching the NT the last 13 seasons, with multiple Sweet 16 trips and making it as far as the Elite 8. Despite a couple of early setbacks to ranked teams, UCSD looks to be able to make a deep NT run this year with the 2^nd overall rated team and is this year’s Cal CAA rep.

Georgia College – rocksolid33, a former conference mate of those of us in the North Central, has a long track record in which he has accumulated over 1200 victories. The longest stint was with W Chester, where he won a NT and appeared in 3 additional Final Fours. Now coaching at Georgia College, rocksolid has turned them into a contender, where last season they won 30 games.

Pittsburgh, Johnstown – North Central rep tj43 has coached at UPJ for now over 40 seasons. While always fielding a competitive team, the last few years have seen him push his team into consistently elite territory. In the last dozen seasons, tj43 has taken UPJ to the Final Four 5 times, including last year’s team that had a 31-3 record. The last time UPJ missed the NT was season 77, and it looks like this team is going to be powerful despite only having 2 seniors.

U of Indianapolis – Representing the elite GLV conference this season is mcbellows and his Indianapolis team. Having also been with this current school for over 40 years (starting in the same season tj43 did at UPJ), U of Indianapolis have consistently made the NT and been competitive in the tough GLV. With a number of Sweet 16’s under his belt, mcbellows has also made a couple of trips to the E8 and looks to break through that this season.

Tampa – Looking for his 1100^th victory during this tournament, osgonlz has now been coaching Tamp for just over 30 seasons. A consistent participant in the NT, osgonlz has reached the Final 4 on a couple of occasions, most recently in season 95. Staring of the season unranked, Tampa showed quickly the team was much better than that, climbing to #7 and looking like a potential contender to return to the Final Four.

California, San Diego is extremely proud to be the initial representative of the Cal CAA in this great tournament.. Unfortunately the first contest did not go well. Inexplicably the team played a zone instead of their fierce man-to-man.This probably produced a large number of poor fouls, and the game was lost at the free throw line. UPJ was given constant opportunities to blow the game, but they ignored each one down the stretch and captured the win. Chalk it up to coach error. While the double team of Steven Stevens (with a name like that he just BEGS for a double team) was successful (1 of 7 when doubled), the poor zone defense was too much for the squad too overcome. Did that error also lead to the broken finger suffered by Jimmie Adams? Who can say. We are hoping for a better result tonight.

That was great, mike!

STANDINGS
Seattle 1-0
Pittsburgh Johnstown 1-0
Tampa 1-0
U of Indianapolis 0-1
Georgia College 0-1
California San Diego 0-1

ROUND ONE RESULTS

California San Diego 56 @ Pittsburgh Johnstown 65

Key Stat: With both teams shooting below 40% from the floor, UPJ shot .867 from the line, resulting in 13 more points from FT than UCSD, more than the margin.
Key Moment: After trailing much of the second half by double digits, UCSD was able to make it a 5-point game and get the ball back with just over a minute left. However, a turnover and the need to foul led to UPJ hitting 9 of 10 free throws in the last 41 seconds to put the game away.
Key Performance: The trio of Thomas Kacprowski, Greg Bell, and Steven Stevens (UPJ’s starting Center and Forwards) collectively created a substantial rebounding advantage against UCSD. Those three had 11 offensive rebounds and 24 total rebounds against UCSD’s total team effort of 11 offensive and 28 total rebounds.


Tampa 77 @ U of Indianapolis 74 OT

Key Stat: This was a battle of Indianapolis’ rebounding and Tampa’s passing. Indianapolis had 47 total rebounds, 13 ore than Tampa. However, Tampa had 23 assists, 9 more than Indy.
Key Moment: In a game that went into the final minute of OT only a 1-point game, Leroy Burnette’s 3-pointer for Tampa with 16 seconds to go was the fatal blow for Indy.
Key Performance: In a losing effort, Indy’s C Edward Varga put in a monstrous performance, pouring in 27 points and 14 rebounds, both game highs for both squads.


Georgia College 73 @ Seattle 80

Key Stat: A combination of a higher shooting pct (.509 vs .446) and assist/turnover ration (19/11 vs 13/15) provided the edge for Seattle.
Key Moment: After trailing by 17 at the half, George College nearly pulled an incredible comeback, getting to within 3 points with less than 2 minutes remaining. However, 5 unanswered points from Seattle over the last minute-and-a-half prevented Georgia College from completing the comeback.
Key Performance: While not the best performance, Georgia College’s PG John Williams was most impactful. After a poor first half where he had 1 assist and early foul trouble that limited his minutes for the game (18 minutes total), when he did play in the second half he collected 5 points and 5 assists, leading the comeback, before fouling out in the final minute.


ROUND TWO
#8 Pittsburgh, Johnstown (1-0) @ Georgia College (0-1)
#20 U of Indianapolis (0-1) @ California San Diego (0-1)
#7 Tampa (1-0) @ #3 Seattle (1-0)


After surviving an OT game against U of Indianapolis, #7 ranked Tampa goes on the road to take on 3^rd ranked Seattle, who survived the furious comeback from Georgia College. While the #7 @ #3 game is the night’s marque match-up, the winner would also have a decidedly important 2-0 early edge in the tournament. UPJ goes on the road to Georgia College to try to keep pace with the Tamp/Seattle winner, while U of Indianapolis versus Cal San Diego features the representatives for two of Naismith’s best conferences, GLV and Cal CAA, as both teams try to avoid falling out of the race.

STANDINGS
Seattle 2-0
Pittsburgh Johnstown 1-1
Tampa 1-1
Georgia College 1-1
California San Diego 1-1
U of Indianapolis 0-2

ROUND TWO RESULTS

Pittsburgh, Johnstown 59 @ Georgia College 66

Key Stat: A night after shooting over 86% from the line, UPJ shot just over 48% last night from the line against Georgia College.
Key Moment: With Georgia College scoring with 1-minute remaining to break a 59-all tie, UPJ had the chance to answer, but Theodore Wedgeworth missed both free throws. Just down 2, UPJ let the clock run down to 22 seconds before a shooting foul took place, and Georgia College’s Jerome Bohn hit both shots. That sequence of events clinched the game for Georgia College.
Key Performance: Georgia College’s Aleksander Murawski was 6 of 10 from the floor for 14 points while also collecting 6 assists. Not only that, but in a M2M defense, the starting player he was responsible for, Theodore Wedgeworth, went scoreless.


U of Indianapolis 79 @ California San Diego 86

Key Stat: U of Indianapolis committed 30 fouls (10 more than UCSD) resulting in five players with at least 4 fouls and sent UCSD to the line 44 times, twice as much as Indy (22). Interestingly, Cal, San Diego only shot about 57% from the line, which kept the game so close.
Key Moment: With the game tied at 79 and Indy having possession with less than 2 minutes remaining, Indianapolis turned the ball over and then proceeded to miss 3’s on the next 3 possessions while UCSD built a 7-point lead.
Key Performance: California, San Diego’s PG Gary Neveu contributed 20 points and 4 assists. Interestingly, he also grabbed 6 rebounds, almost equally the total of UCSD’s starting PF and C (7 total) and to some extent nerfing the rebounding advantage U of Indianapolis had against UCSD.


Tampa 68 @ Seattle 72

Key Stat: In a close game where many stats were similar (for instance shooting pct was .444 vs .448), one area that really stood out was the offensive rebounding. Tampa pulled down 9 offensive boards, while Seattle grabbed 17, and that was likely more than the difference in such a tight contest.
Key Moment: Down by 2 with just over a minute to go, Tampa responded to a Seattle score with a turnover, followed by another Seattle basket, pushing the lead from 2 to 6, with about 30 seconds remaining. Despite two Tampa 3-pointers in the last 23 seconds, that sequence put Seattle firmly in control.
Key Performance: Seattle’s SG Curtis McGee obtained POG honors and was highly effective, shooting 5 of 7 from the floor for 14 points, while also collecting 6 rebounds and 3 steals.

ROUND THREE
#3 Seattle (2-0) @ #17 Pittsburgh, Johnstown (1-1)
U of Indianapolis (0-2) @ Georgia College (1-1)
California San Diego (1-1) @ #10 Tampa (1-1)

Last night we saw all three games go into the last minute undecided. All games were tied with 4 minutes or less, and 2 were tied with less than 2 minutes left. While Seattle now has an early 2-0 advantage, last night also shows these teams are all very close and individual match-ups could play a significant factor in deciding this season’s Blue Earth Classic. Tonight, Seattle travels to UPJ in a critical game. Going to 3-0 and owning 3 potential tie-breakers would put them close to clinching. However, traveling to UPJ will be tough despite Vegas giving Seattle 8 points. A UPJ victory would mean at least 3, possibly 4 teams could be tied at the top and really open things up with only 2 games remaining. U of Indianapolis goes to Georgia College to try to get back in the mix while Georgia College tries to move into contention. California, San Diego will go on the road to take on #10 Tampa, who Vegas only gives a 1-point edge to on their home court.

(first and foremost, this is excellent commentary and analysis)

Georgia College 73 @ Seattle 80 (F)

While Vegas had Georgia College (GC) as severe underdogs (-11) for this match up, after reviewing of Seattle's game tape, the coaching staff at GC felt there were a few areas where we had an advantage. Although those ideas were quickly thrown out the window as we found ourselves down 17 at the half. After "going ballistic" in the locker room at the half, we played more inspired in the second half but could not complete the comeback. Congrats to Seattle and Coach presentense for thoroughly dragging my guys up and down the court.

Pittsburgh, Johnstown 59 @ Georgia College 66

On the heels of a tough loss in the prior game, the staff at Georgia College realized a few changes were necessary to get this team moving in the right direction. After a conversation with John Williams about unnecessary fouls, his importance to the team and our future success, he proceeded to foul out again. Luckily for us Aleksandar Murawski and Sheng Chiu paced the team offensively while under-performing Jerome Bohn provided key free-throws in the final seconds to clinch the win. Contributing to the win was Pittsburgh, Johnstown's players going 7-20 from the free-throw line in the second half which appears to be a statistical anomaly.

*** Gripe Corner ***

Senior SF Scott Paramore continues to have a disappointing season, after productive Sophomore and Junior campaigns he was projected to be a key contributor this season. Although he has time to pull it together, waiting for a Senior to contribute was not anticipated by the GC coaching staff.

Cal San Diego was eager to bounce back in round 2 against the GLV opponent U of Indianapolis. Indy scored the first 4 points but then Cal SD scored 24 of the next 30 points. That featured runs of 8 and 9 points, but the Indianapolis squad refused to fold. They closed the gap to six points by the half, and eventually took the lead early in the second half. The teams fought back and forth for most of the second half. Edward Vavra scored the last of his game-high 21 points on a put back with 2:00 remaining to put Indianoplis ahead 79-78. But Cal SD scored the final 8 points of the contest with Leon Knight going 4 for 4 from the line and adding a basket, enabling Cal SD to get their first victory in the tournament.
Jimmie Adams played 17 minutes with a broken finger and dominated on the boards to neutralize the strong rebounding of the Indianapolis front court. Gary Neveu captured POG honors with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and strong leadership to help his team overcome a bad night at the charity stripe (24 of 44).

Good stuff rock & mike, entertaining too. By the way, if anyone ever wants to be a ‘guest columnist’, whether they are in the tournament or not, and do the regular commentary, I’d be totally cool with that (made a note about that at the end of last season’s thread). It would be interesting to get someone else’s take. Just send me a message and we’ll get it set up.


STANDINGS
Pittsburgh Johnstown 2-1
Seattle 2-1
Tampa 2-1
Georgia College 1-2
California San Diego 1-2
U of Indianapolis 1-2

ROUND THREE RESULTS

Seattle 72 @ Pittsburgh, Johnstown 80

Key Stat: Continuing the wild swings on FT%, UPJ went from 48% last night to 80% tonight. Notably, with UPJ running uptempo, both starting guards for Seattle fouled out, a problem made worse by running a 10-man roster last night.
Key Moment: With just over 12 minutes to go, Seattle trailed UPJ by 2. Over the next minute and a half, UPJ went on a 7-point run to extend the lead to 9. Seattle was never able to get within striking distance the rest of the way.
Key Performance: UPJ’s Steven Stevens scored a game high 18 points in winning POG honors, but also had everyone seeing double with 5 steals and 5 assists.


U of Indianapolis 58 @ Georgia College 56

Key Stat: Stat Georgia College PF/C Cheng Shui fouled out in only 11 minutes and was a non-factor in the game. In Georgia College committing 5 more fouls than Indy resulted in 7 more points from the line for Indy.
Key Moment: Up by 3 with 44 seconds, U of Indianapolis was able to gain an offensive rebound after missing a 3. This effectively allowed Indy to run another 30 seconds off the clock before adding 2 Free Throws. In Georgia College’s next possession, they nailed a 3, which would have tied the game were it not for the offensive rebound extending the earlier Indy possession.
Key Performance: U of I PG Owen Rockwood poured in 22 points including several keep baskets down the stretch, gaining POG honors.


California San Diego 85 @ Tampa 90 OT

Key Stat: Taking nearly half of their shots from 3-point land, Tampa ended up hitting just enough (40%) to win. However, the Tampa comeback was keyed by Cal SD’s 19 fouls after the 1st half (7 in the 1^st half) and Tampa’s 20 points from the charity stripe.
Key Moment: With Tampa trailing by 13 with less than 5 minutes remaining, they went on a 13-point run to tie the game and to force the game into overtime, where they eventually completed the unbelievable comeback.
Key Performance: In a battle of star PG’s, UCSD’s Gary Neveu scored 26, although wasn’t as efficient as normal (9-23). Tampa’s Leroy Burnette contributed 23, but was more efficient (6-11 with 8 of 10 from the line).


ROUND FOUR

#13 Pittsburgh, Johnstown (2-1) @ #9 Tampa (2-1)
#4 Seattle (2-1) @ U of Indianapolis (1-2)
Georgia College (1-2) @ California San Diego (1-2)


Three great games last night. First, UPJ’s upset over Seattle really opens up the tournament many potential endings, as all teams are still in it and all teams are within a game with a 3-way tie at the top. Tampa kept pace by overcoming at late second half improbable 15-point comeback, and U of Indianapolis crept back into the race with a last-minute win.

Tonight, the marquee match-up is #13 UPJ @ #9 Tampa. Vegas considers this a toss-up. Notably, the only team that controls their own destiny at this point is Pittsburgh, Johnstown. If they win tonight, a victory in the final game when they host Indianapolis would clinch the title. If Tampa wins, they still need Seattle to lose another game to win the title. Seattle of course needs UPJ to lose. Despite starting 0-2, U of Indianapolis is closer than the other 1-2 teams to controlling their destiny since they have one game against Seattle (2-1) tonight and one against UPJ (2-1) on the final night. Winning both would establish tie-breakers in their favor, but they still have a loss to Tampa that could haunt them. The loser of tonight’s Georgia College vs Cal San Diego contest will be eliminated, while the winner will still be one game back and hoping for the right help to enable a tie and the right tie-breakers to win the Classic.

Cal SD went into the game against Tampa looking to get back into the title chase. A hard fought overtime loss all but derailed those aspirations. Another poor night at the free throw line and an off night of shooting by PG Gary Neveu (credit the Tampa defense) contributed to the loss. The refs certainly played a major role in the outcome. Despite shooting from the perimeter all game Tampa went to the stripe 11 more times than Cal SD. With 2:28 left Cal SD still held a 4 point lead and possession. But the refs seemed to swallow the whistle on one end of the court and Tampa tied the game at the stripe. Those same factors carried into overtime, and the ability to hit free throws gave Tampa the win.

Finally on the board after two tight losses. Glad one went my way to save face for the GLV.

STANDINGS
Seattle 3-1
Tampa 3-1
Pittsburgh Johnstown 2-2
California San Diego 2-2
Georgia College 1-3
U of Indianapolis 1-3


ROUND FOUR RESULTS

Pittsburgh, Johnstown 68 @ Tampa 73

Key Stat: Tampa’s more efficient shooting, particularly from the line (15/16) overcame UPJ’s big advantages in offensive rebounds (16 to 8) and opposing fouls (22 to 13). Interestingly, UPJ’s erratic FT% game to game continued, dropping from 80% to 53%.
Key Moment: When Tampa took the lead 69-68 with 1:02 left, UPJ’s Theodore Wedgeworth was unable to hit the next shot to answer a game that had been changing leads constantly down the stretch. Tamp was able to wind the clock down to 12 second before extending the lead to 3.
Key Performance: While Tampa’s Chad Roberson earned POG honors with his 18 points, you cannot overlook PG Harvey Bordner’s contributions off the bench, chipping in 10 points with 5 assists and 2 steals.


Seattle 67 @ U of Indianapolis 61

Key Stat: With U of Indianapolis committing 9 more fouls (25 to 15) it resulted in Seattle getting 18 points more from Free Throws than Indianapolis. Despite a 54% to 43% advantage shooting from the floor for Seattle, Indianapolis outscored 54-42 from the floor.
Key Moment: After trailing by 16 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, Indianapolis made it into a game in the last minute, largely due to hitting three key 3-pointers in a 15 second period to get within 3 points. However, with 15 seconds remaining, Seattle hit both free throws to extend the lead back to 5 and Indianapolis missed the next 3-point attempt, ending their comeback bid.
Key Performance: Seattle’s Curtis McGee not only hit the two free throws to ice the game, but he had a very efficient game, going 4 of 5 from the floor and 6 of 6 from the line for 16 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists to earn POG honors.


Georgia College 75 @ California San Diego 84

Key Stat: California, San Diego’s offense was clicking last night, limiting themselves to 10 turnovers, while hitting over 54% of their shots, including 5 of 8 from 3-point land.
Key Moment: After keeping the game tied or close for several minutes, the score was 62-62 with less than 6 minutes to go. UCSD was able to go on a 9-point run that included going 6 of 6 from the line and hitting a 3-pointer to push the lead to 9 with less than 4 minutes to go. Georgia College was unable to get close enough to challenge after that.
Key Performance: San Diego’s Gary Neveu had another high scoring game with 24 points to get POG honors, but he was more accurate than usual hitting 80% of his shots and also adding 4 assists and 3 steals.


FINAL ROUND

U of Indianapolis (1-3) @ #19 Pittsburgh, Johnstown (2-2)
#7 Tampa (3-1) @ Georgia College (1-3)
#5 Seattle (3-1) @ #24 California San Diego (2-2)

Last night’s Pittsburgh, Johnstown vs Tampa game lived up to its billing going into the final minute before being decided. That leaves Seattle back in the pole position going into the final night facing a California San Diego team coming off a big win against Georgia College and still alive in the race. Here’s where we stand. If Seattle wins against California San Diego, Seattle wins the Classic due to the tie-breaker with Tampa. If Seattle loses and Tampa wins, Tampa would win outright without any tie-breaker, being the only 4-win team. If Georgia College is able to beat Tampa (with Seattle losing), this opens up a tie-breaker we’ll have to sort out (using the Yarnell tie-breaker rules hackerhog established). Already, that scenario would result in a 3-way tie with Seattle, Tampa, and Cal San Diego all tied, but it would be a 4-way tie if UPJ is able to defeat U of Indianapolis.

Game four in the tournament found Cal SD having the night their fans were dreaming about. They displayed a balanced offense, scoring 28 points in the paint and 29 from the perimeter - with 27 from the stripe. With starting C Leon Knight playing only 12 minutes before fouling out, Jimmie Adams stepped up with 22 minutes and 9 boards. Stat monster Gary Neveu once again was named POG with 24 points, 5 assista, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Equally important was playing 25 minutes with only one turnover.
Georgia’s squad fought fiercely to keep it a game, but their shorter bench may have been their undoing. With the score tied 62-62 with 6 minutes left, Cal SD outscored Georgia 22-13 the rest of the way to take the victory and keep their championship hopes alive.

Entering the final night, lots of potential outcomes were open. When Pitt, Johnstown prevailed, that left them alive depending on how Tampa and Seattle did. When Tampa won, that eliminated UPJ and left Tampa alive depending on the Seattle game. When Seattle beat UCSD, it eliminated both UCSD and Tampa and clinched the Classic for Seattle, based on owning the tie-breaker against Tampa in their 72-68 nail biter on the second night of the tournament. Congrats to Seattle and thanks to everyone for their participation in the Blue Earth Classic this season. I hope to see everyone back before long. Seattle gets an auto-invite for season 106. Not to diminish the accomplishment at all, but I’ll also extend the auto-invite to irrev0cable and his Florida Southern team for his role in building Seattle.


STANDINGS
Seattle 4-1
Tampa 4-1
Pittsburgh Johnstown 3-2
California San Diego 2-3
Georgia College 1-4
U of Indianapolis 1-4

FINAL ROUND RESULTS


U of Indianapolis 52 @ Pittsburgh, Johnstown 67

Key Stat: Simply, shooting pct. was the story last night. U of Indianapolis was unable to get the offense going and shot just under 38%. UPJ had their offense rolling, shooting just under 57%.
Key Moment: With under 8 minutes to go in the first half, UPJ led by 6. Over the next 5+ minutes, UPJ went on a 13-2 run to give them a 17-point led and establish a 15 point halftime lead that Indy was never really able to challenge in the second half and provided the final margin of victory.
Key Performance: The effective shooting Pittsburgh, Johnstown brought last night was enhanced by their bench. Collectively, the UPJ bench shot 11-17, nearly 65% from the floor, adding 28 total points.


Tampa 73 @ Georgia College 66

Key Stat: Two areas seemed to tell the story last night. First, Tampa rebounded well. Where that has been a disadvantage most of the Classic, Tampa had more offensive and overall rebounds than Georgia College. Second, in a close game, Georgia College struggled at the line, going 10 of 19 for under 53%.
Key Moment: With the game tied at 55-55 with less than 6 minutes to go, Tampa nailed two 3’s to push the advantage to 6 points during a time Georgia College didn’t score, leaving a little more than 2 minutes on the clock. Notably, both teams were shooting a lot of 3’s during this time. Georgia College, though, went 3 of 3 from downtown the final minute but they were having to foul to try to catch up.
Key Performance: Tampa’s John Roberson had a good night in earning POG honors, chipping in 16 points, including going 4 of 7 from 3-pt range and added 3 assists and 3 steals.



Seattle 78 @ California San Diego 71

Key Stat: Second half free throws…UCSD was a perfect 7 of 7 but didn’t get to the line much. Seattle was 12 of 18 after a rough first half, creating a lead there. Defensively, Seattle held Cal SD to just over a 40% shooting pct for the game.
Key Moment: Seattle started strong to open the 2^nd half, outpacing California, San Diego 17-8 over the first 7+ minutes to open up a 16-point lead. While UCSD was able to climb back in and make it close in the last minute or two, getting to within 4, it was too late.
Key Performance: Seattle’s Jeremy Bussey won POG honors with a 14-point performance, but UCSD’s Arthur Fredericksen had an interesting game as a supporting cast for star Gary Neveu. Fredericksen scored 7, but also had 4 offensive rebounds from the SG position, as well as 5 assists.