23 years ago, the Cleveland State Vikings made the term "Cinderella" fashionable when they shocked #3 seed Indiana in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament, and came within a whisker of going to the Elite Eight. The coach of that team? Current Indiana Pacers college scout Kevin Mackey. Buff emailed the Pacers asking for permission to talk to Mackey yesterday, and within an hour, had him on the horn. The result? A fascinating conversation with the former Vikings coach. And a reminder of how much I miss reading Buff's writing. 25 days till B-List season!

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For the first time since their magical run in 1986, the Cleveland State Vikings are headed to The Big Dance. Behind Cedric Jackson's MVP performance, 19 points (on 7-12 and 4-8 from the arc), 8 assists and 7 rebounds, Cleveland State defeated Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse, by a score of 57-54. In doing so, the Vikings won the Horizon League's automatic bid. If you missed this one, all I have to say is "I'm sorry". Jay Pearlman was there for us. And reports on the glorious win by the Vikes.

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For the second time in as many nights, Cleveland State showed the toughness and resilience that Gary Waters has been instilling in his troops since he first stepped foot on campus. After trailing by six at the half, the Vikings put the clamps down on the defensive end and clawed their way back into the game, not leading in the game until the 10:48 mark in the second half. Behind a gritty defense, clutch baskets and a highlight reel dunk from George Tandy, the Vikings pulled out a 73-67 victory over second-seeded Green Bay to move onto the Horizon League championship Tuesday against top-seeded Butler.

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Tonight's second Horizon League quarterfinal game between No. 3 Cleveland State and No.7 Illinois-Chicago turned into a shootout between UIC's all-league senior and conference second leading scorer Josh Mayo, and CSU's budding star sophomore guard Norris Cole. Assigned both to guard Mayo and provide the bulk of CSU's scoring, Cole was up to the task, and behind Cole's 26 points (on 9-16, 2-5 from the arc and 6-6 from the line), CSU came back from a late 9-point deficit to defeat UIC 67-64. The Vikings moved to the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament with the win, which Jay Pearlman tells our readers about.

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