NEWS AND NOTES
-Folks, the conference tournaments haven’t actually begun yet, but the win-and-advance stage of the season sort of has. The Survival Board, which is the #1 most valued and relied upon resource that is available to the Selection Committee, is now in full force with a team or two coming off it each day. You can check that out by CLICKING HERE
-In addition to that, several conferences have completed their seasons, and their tournaments are already set. We have complete information in the match-ups, as well as the dates and times for each conference tournament. All you need to do is CLICK HERE
-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day, which has CENTENARY AWARD Implications – CLICK HERE
-I’ve really liked Texas for weeks now, and yesterday they picked up a huge home win against Oklahoma. Since I think they’re playing like a protected seed, the win wasn’t that shocking. It definitely helps their profile, though.
-North Carolina still doesn’t have a true road win against a team that’s anywhere close to being a protected seed. Although they played well at Virginia yesterday, they didn’t win it. I think teams need at least one of those to be considered a slam dunk for a #1 seed. UNC is good, and definitely talented, but they don’t have that massive road win yet.
-Utah picked up a huge win at home against Arizona, who has now dropped to straight. I’m beginning to think Utah is probably going to end up as a protected seed when you look at how well they’ve played down the stretch.
-Maryland came into yesterday with their best win away from home being at Wisconsin, and that came at a time when Wiscy wasn’t playing too well. Well, after yesterday’s loss at Purdue, that’s still their best win. I don’t see them getting up on the #1 or #2 line without at least one big road win, and right now they don’t have it. They look more like a #4 or #5 seed than a #1 or #2 seed based on how they’ve played on the road.
-Vanderbilt continues to get closer and closer to our bubble, and they picked up another big win against Kentucky yesterday. Kentucky hasn’t exactly been a road warrior this year, but it’s still a nice win for a Vandy team that’s been fairly disappointing this year, but is now beginning to make a case for themselves.
-Notre Dame went down to Florida State yesterday, and must have gone to the beach instead of showing up at the game. FSU, who has not looked good at all recently, absolutely ran them off the floor, which is the kind of result they needed considering they had been slipping out of the picture.
-Temple really does look good at times. Yesterday was not one of those times. They did win, against UCF, at home, by two, but I guess they won and that’s what’s important.
-Dayton has not looked good at all these past two weeks, and they got absolutely boat raced at home by a Rhode Island team that’s nowhere near the field. Dayton is in free fall mode right now.
-VCU got a much needed road win against a George Washington team yesterday. Both teams were on the bubble, both really needed it, and VCU came out with it.
-San Diego State missed seven straight freethrows down the stretch, and fell at home to Boise State 66-63. San Diego State had clinched first place, but their profile is still really weak, so they’ll likely need to win the automatic bid in order to make the field.
-Florida desperately needed to win at LSU yesterday. Florida did not win at LSU today. I think Florida is now in serious trouble.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-PENN STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Michigan State could still end up as high as the #1 line depending on how strong they finish.
-XAVIER AT SETON HALL (Big East). Xavier is coming off their big win against Villanova, but they better get their feet back on the ground because Seton Hall has been playing really well lately, and this is a showcase game for a team that will likely make the tournament, and perhaps definitely will if they pick up this win.
-HOUSTON AT UCONN (American). UConn is inside the bubble for now and will stay that way so long as they hold serve, but they’re by no means a lock. They don’t want to end the season by dropping multiple games to non-tournament teams.
-SAINT LOUIS AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten). Saint Joe’s should be okay so long as they avoid bad losses, and a loss today would be a very bad loss.
-DUKE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). These two teams appear to be going in the wrong direction. Duke is now looking like a protected seed, and another road win will help strengthen the case that they are. Pitt has hit the skids somewhat and could use a notable win to pull them out of it.
-VALPARAISO AT GREEN BAY (Horizon League). I don’t think Valpo has any shot at an at-large bid, but I suppose they’ll at least get a look if they win out.
-TULSA AT MEMPHIS (American). Tulsa is a fringe bubble team that needs to finish strong. A road win at Memphis isn’t the best win that a team can pick up, but any road win against a team with any sort of a pulse helps.
-IOWA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Iowa is a solid protected seed and this is the type of road win that protected seeds are expected to be able to get. Ohio State is outside the bubble and is a long way from reaching it. If they want any shot at all they pretty much need to win out.
-ARIZONA STATE AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve). Colorado picked up a big win earlier this week against Arizona, which helped a ton, and they shouldn’t have too much trouble winning today.
-NIAGARA AT MONMOUTH (Metro Atlantic). Monmouth is right on the bubble, and a loss today will almost assure that their only way in is the automatic bid. Even a win today doesn’t guarantee them a spot.
-MICHIGAN AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). I love how Wisconsin has been playing and expect that they’ll pick up a few more big wins between now and then end. Michigan is very close to the bubble, and although it’s a tall order a win in a game like this would make a world of difference.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve). Oregon State is still in contention for a bid, and we believe they’re right on the cut line so they don’t want to drop a home game like this one.
-USC AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve). Both teams are safely inside the field, and both are likely in on the initial ballot, but both have room to improve their resume and therefore improve upon their overall seed.
-WASHINGTON AT OREGON (Pac Twelve). Washington is squarely on the bubble, and a win in a game like this will make a huge difference on whether or not they make it. Oregon is looking like a solid protected seed and they’ll stay that way so long as they hold serve.
News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Feb 28th
NEWS AND NOTES
-Folks, the conference tournaments haven’t actually begun yet, but the win-and-advance stage of the season sort of has. The Survival Board, which is the #1 most valued and relied upon resource that is available to the Selection Committee, is now in full force with a team or two coming off it each day. You can check that out by CLICKING HERE
-In addition to that, several conferences have completed their seasons, and their tournaments are already set. We have complete information in the match-ups, as well as the dates and times for each conference tournament. All you need to do is CLICK HERE
-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day, which has CENTENARY AWARD Implications – CLICK HERE
-I’ve really liked Texas for weeks now, and yesterday they picked up a huge home win against Oklahoma. Since I think they’re playing like a protected seed, the win wasn’t that shocking. It definitely helps their profile, though.
-North Carolina still doesn’t have a true road win against a team that’s anywhere close to being a protected seed. Although they played well at Virginia yesterday, they didn’t win it. I think teams need at least one of those to be considered a slam dunk for a #1 seed. UNC is good, and definitely talented, but they don’t have that massive road win yet.
-Utah picked up a huge win at home against Arizona, who has now dropped to straight. I’m beginning to think Utah is probably going to end up as a protected seed when you look at how well they’ve played down the stretch.
-Maryland came into yesterday with their best win away from home being at Wisconsin, and that came at a time when Wiscy wasn’t playing too well. Well, after yesterday’s loss at Purdue, that’s still their best win. I don’t see them getting up on the #1 or #2 line without at least one big road win, and right now they don’t have it. They look more like a #4 or #5 seed than a #1 or #2 seed based on how they’ve played on the road.
-Vanderbilt continues to get closer and closer to our bubble, and they picked up another big win against Kentucky yesterday. Kentucky hasn’t exactly been a road warrior this year, but it’s still a nice win for a Vandy team that’s been fairly disappointing this year, but is now beginning to make a case for themselves.
-Notre Dame went down to Florida State yesterday, and must have gone to the beach instead of showing up at the game. FSU, who has not looked good at all recently, absolutely ran them off the floor, which is the kind of result they needed considering they had been slipping out of the picture.
-Temple really does look good at times. Yesterday was not one of those times. They did win, against UCF, at home, by two, but I guess they won and that’s what’s important.
-Dayton has not looked good at all these past two weeks, and they got absolutely boat raced at home by a Rhode Island team that’s nowhere near the field. Dayton is in free fall mode right now.
-VCU got a much needed road win against a George Washington team yesterday. Both teams were on the bubble, both really needed it, and VCU came out with it.
-San Diego State missed seven straight freethrows down the stretch, and fell at home to Boise State 66-63. San Diego State had clinched first place, but their profile is still really weak, so they’ll likely need to win the automatic bid in order to make the field.
-Florida desperately needed to win at LSU yesterday. Florida did not win at LSU today. I think Florida is now in serious trouble.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-PENN STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Michigan State could still end up as high as the #1 line depending on how strong they finish.
-XAVIER AT SETON HALL (Big East). Xavier is coming off their big win against Villanova, but they better get their feet back on the ground because Seton Hall has been playing really well lately, and this is a showcase game for a team that will likely make the tournament, and perhaps definitely will if they pick up this win.
-HOUSTON AT UCONN (American). UConn is inside the bubble for now and will stay that way so long as they hold serve, but they’re by no means a lock. They don’t want to end the season by dropping multiple games to non-tournament teams.
-SAINT LOUIS AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten). Saint Joe’s should be okay so long as they avoid bad losses, and a loss today would be a very bad loss.
-DUKE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). These two teams appear to be going in the wrong direction. Duke is now looking like a protected seed, and another road win will help strengthen the case that they are. Pitt has hit the skids somewhat and could use a notable win to pull them out of it.
-VALPARAISO AT GREEN BAY (Horizon League). I don’t think Valpo has any shot at an at-large bid, but I suppose they’ll at least get a look if they win out.
-TULSA AT MEMPHIS (American). Tulsa is a fringe bubble team that needs to finish strong. A road win at Memphis isn’t the best win that a team can pick up, but any road win against a team with any sort of a pulse helps.
-IOWA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Iowa is a solid protected seed and this is the type of road win that protected seeds are expected to be able to get. Ohio State is outside the bubble and is a long way from reaching it. If they want any shot at all they pretty much need to win out.
-ARIZONA STATE AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve). Colorado picked up a big win earlier this week against Arizona, which helped a ton, and they shouldn’t have too much trouble winning today.
-NIAGARA AT MONMOUTH (Metro Atlantic). Monmouth is right on the bubble, and a loss today will almost assure that their only way in is the automatic bid. Even a win today doesn’t guarantee them a spot.
-MICHIGAN AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). I love how Wisconsin has been playing and expect that they’ll pick up a few more big wins between now and then end. Michigan is very close to the bubble, and although it’s a tall order a win in a game like this would make a world of difference.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve). Oregon State is still in contention for a bid, and we believe they’re right on the cut line so they don’t want to drop a home game like this one.
-USC AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve). Both teams are safely inside the field, and both are likely in on the initial ballot, but both have room to improve their resume and therefore improve upon their overall seed.
-WASHINGTON AT OREGON (Pac Twelve). Washington is squarely on the bubble, and a win in a game like this will make a huge difference on whether or not they make it. Oregon is looking like a solid protected seed and they’ll stay that way so long as they hold serve.