VCU

Best performance: Eric Maynor, VCU

Eric Maynor had reason to be nervous. After all, here he was playing in his first ever NCAA Tournament. He had just come off a brilliant performance against George Mason in the Colonial Athletic Conference title game, to earn his team only their second NCAA berth in 20 years. And who did they find themselves matched up with come Selection Sunday? The Duke Blue Devils.

If you think that the Blue Devils I'm referring to in the title hail from Durham, NC...you're incorrect. These guys are the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, and they hail from New Britain, aka "hard-hittin' New Britain". Howie Dickenman's bunch, picked by the coaches to finish fourth in the NEC, lead Sacred Heart by one game in the loss column heading into their game at Quinnipiac tonight. Junior guard Tristan Blackwood is the reigning NEC PLayer of the Week after lighting up St. Francis (NY) and Sacred Heart to the tune of 27.5 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists per game. Blackwood went 14-for-29 from behind the arc in the two games, and a win over the Bobcats would give CCSU even more distance between themselves and the rest of the NEC. And with the higher seeds in the the conference tournament getting home court advantage, any team hoping to get to the NCAA Tournament will have to go through New Britain to do so.

#4 UNC at #17 Arizona, VCU at Drexel, #8 Oregon at #18 Washington State, and #23 Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech.

Air Force (19-2)

Butler (17-2)

Memphis (16-3)

Nevada (17-2)

Southern Illinois (16-5)

VCU (17-3)