-VILLANOVA AT NOTRE DAME (Big East). Nova appears to have played their way onto the bubble and can continue to play their way inside it if they keep winning.
-NORTHWESTERN AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). People say that with all the parity there is no dominant team. I think Michigan is as dominant of a team as there is. Now that I’ve said that, watch them lose tonight.
-SETON HALL AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Georgetown is coming off of two straight big wins and should be able to handle a non-tournament team at home.
-RICHMOND AT TEMPLE (Atlantic Ten). Temple has some big wins, but they are very schizophrenic and are all over the map. To say that this is a pivotal game might be overstating it, but a loss at home to a non-tournament team is the last thing the Owls need right now.
-VCU AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten). VCU needs to rebound from back to back losses. They need more road wins, and really can’t afford a loss to a team as bad as Rhody.
-RUTGERS AT CINCINNATI (Big East). Rutgers has the opportunities to play their way inside the bubble, but they need to put together a string of wins. Cincinnati is having a good year and should be able to win this one at home.
-OKLAHOMA AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve). I have both these teams on the bubble, and I think most of the rest of the Hoops HD nation does as well. It’s a big game for both teams.
-UMASS AT LA SALLE (Atlantic Ten). I have La Salle inside the bubble, and UMass outside of it. In fact, I have Umass a good ways outside of it, but this would be a big road win for them and get them closer to being in the discussion if they pull it off.
-MEMPHIS AT EAST CAROLINA (Conference USA). Memphis has a good record and a small margin for error because they don’t have any really big wins. Any road win will help.
-BUCKNELL AT AMERICAN (Patriot League). As good as I think Bucknell is, their profile just isn’t good enough. Winning out may get them a look, but even that may not be enough.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Florida is a #1 or #2 seed caliber team and shouldn’t have any trouble at home tonight.
-MISSOURI AT LSU (SEC). Missouri needs road wins. Badly. A road win against a sub par team is much better than no road wins at all.
-DUKE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Duke is still looking for their first true road win, and won’t be taken seriously by the committee as a #1 or #2 seed until they get a few.
-TEXAS AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve). K State is in good shape and can still end up as a protected seed.
-IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve). I have Iowa State on the bubble and Oklahoma State just inside of it, so this is a rather pivotal game for both teams.
-MISSOURI STATE AT CREIGHTON (Missouri Valley). Creighton is coming off an upset loss, but they shouldn’t have too much trouble rebounding at home.
-INDIANA AT PURDUE (Big Ten). This appears to be a mismatch. It is a mismatch, but it is also a rivalry game.
-MIAMI, FL AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Miami appears to be playing as well as anybody right now. They are one of the surprise stories in college basketball this year.
-DAYTON AT XAVIER (Atlantic Ten). Both teams are far away from the bubble, but Dayton’s schedule was front loaded and they didn’t lose by much against the top teams in the league. If they can win their next four games (all of which are winnable) they’ll be in the picture.
-DEPAUL AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Saint John’s is inching closer and closer to the bubble. They need to keep winning.
-BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Boise has dropped some games to non-tournament teams lately, and this is a very pivotal game for them. Colorado State has struggled, but they appear to be improving as the season goes along. Both teams have room for improvement, so this is a big game.
-NEW MEXICO AT WYOMING (Mountain West). Wyoming has struggled in conference play, and although they were unbeaten out of conference, they didn’t play a tough schedule so the pressure is really on them.
-USC AT UCLA (Pac Twelve). UCLA has looked good lately, and shouldn’t have any trouble tonight against their crosstown rivals.
-SAINT MARY’S AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). SMC is on the bubble with very few opportunities remaining at quality wins. Their margin for error is zero.
-OREGON AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve). I really like this Oregon team, and if they can blow through the Pac Twelve like they’ve been doing I think they deserve a very high seed.
Griggs