NEWS AND NOTES
-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Monmouth had to overcome a double digit deficit in the final minutes against Rider to come back and win, which probably saved their season in regards to being able to receive an at-large bid. With the MAAC Tournament being at Siena, Monmouth needs to remain inside the bubble because that’s not going to be an easy tournament for them to win. Siena currently has just one home loss (albeit to Monmouth), so winning the automatic bid is not automatic for them by any means.
-We also have 2 teams in danger of being knocked off of our Survival Board tonight – read below for details on SIU-Edwardsville and Dartmouth.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). To say Kentucky hasn’t looked like a road warrior this year is an understatement. They go into what should be an electric atmosphere against a South Carolina team that’s having a fantastic season.
-TCU AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve). There aren’t many conference games in the Big Twelve that are easy to win, but this is probably one of them.
-GEORGETOWN AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Providence should win this game, but they’re so schizophrenic that one never knows what they’re going to do. In looking at the kind of season they’ve had so far, it wouldn’t shock me if they lost this game, and then won at Xavier later on.
-NORTHERN IOWA AT WICHITA STATE (Missouri Valley). Wichita will be safely in the field, and should even be wearing white, if they’re able to win out, which they are certainly good enough to do.
-TEXAS A&M AT LSU (SEC). This is suddenly a really important game for both of these teams. TAMU has lost four of their last five, and could use this not only as a notable road win for their profile, but as a means of coming out of the tailspin that they’re currently in. We have LSU right on our bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it for them.
-KANSAS STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve). K State is nowhere near our field right now, but we haven’t written them off entirely just yet. We might if they don’t win this one, though.
-PURDUE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are in our field, and Purdue is knocking on the door of being a protected seed, but could use a little more meat on their profile when it comes to solid road wins. Michigan could just use a little more meat on their profile period, so there’s something significant to be gained here for both teams.
-GEORGIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC). Clemson can still play their way in, but their margin for error is virtually zero. They can’t afford to lose to a non-tournament team at home.
-WASHINGTON AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve). Washington is right on the bubble and this is the kind of win that could really help round out their profile. Colorado is fairly safe, but they haven’t always looked good. They really didn’t look good on Thursday as they needed double OT to knock off a really bad Wazzu team.
-KANSAS AT OKLAHOMA (Big Twelve). The first meeting between these two was epic, and I don’t say that lightly. It was one of the best games I’ve seen in the last five years or so. This could be an awesome game today, and it still wouldn’t be nearly as good as the first time they’ve played. Both are likely protected seeds, and Oklahoma still currently looks like the overall #1 seed, so it should be fun.
-XAVIER AT BUTLER (Big East). Butler has won three straight and appears to have righted their ship. A win today would really shore things up for them if they’re able to pull off the upset. Xavier is probably a long shot for a #1 seed after the loss at Creighton, but they’re still a solid team and this would be a nice win for Butler. It would also be a very nice road win for Xavier.
-CHATTANOOGA AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon). Chattanooga is coming off a loss at Western Carolina that has them on life support when it comes to landing inside the bubble. Even winning out may not be enough. Not winning out most definitely won’t be.
-WILLIAM & MARY AT TOWSON (Colonial). William & Mary’s chances of landing inside the bubble and getting in without the automatic bid took a huge hit when they fell at home to Hofstra last night. Anything short of winning out likely won’t be enough to get them in.
-EAST CAROLINA AT CINCINNATI (American). Cincinnati is dangerously on the bubble. Losing at home to a team with a losing record is something that would not be advised.
-LOUISVILLE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). Notre Dame’s profile continues to improve, and they have a shot at what should be a notable win today against a Louisville team that would be in the field if they were eligible.
-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten). Both teams are squarely on the bubble, and both teams have a lot of work to do if they want to feel safe on Selection Sunday. You get the sense that there may not be room for both of them, so this is a hugely important game.
-OREGON AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve). Things did not go well for Oregon on Thursday night against Cal. This came just hours after me thinking they were a #1 seed. Despite the loss, this is a very strong Oregon team with a very strong profile, and this is a winnable road game for them.
-VIRGINIA AT DUKE (ACC). Virginia has suddenly turned into gangbusters and has convincingly won in their last few road games, which were against good teams. The way they’re going it wouldn’t shock me to see them end up on the #1 line. Duke is safely in the field, and will probably be wearing white in the round of 64, but they probably won’t end up as a protected seed. Unless, of course, they can string together some wins in games like this.
-LITTLE ROCK AT LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE (Sun Belt). Little Rock is coming off a rather damaging loss, and that was likely their last strike. If they win out until the conference tournament they should be alright, but anything short of that will likely result in them needing the automatic bid.
-ALABAMA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Florida looks to be safely inside the bubble. Alabama is not, but they’ve been playing better as of late and it’s not completely unrealistic to think they could end up there. They’d need a very strong finish, and they’d need to pick up multiple wins in games like this.
-SAINT LOUIS AT VCU (Atlantic Ten). VCU is coming off what is perhaps their most damaging loss of the season, and doesn’t want to follow that up with a loss that would be even more damaging.
-WISCONSIN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Wiscy has been playing well lately, and I think they’ve managed to play their way onto the bubble. A win like this against a Maryland team that has been really strong at home would be huge. Maryland is almost a definite protected seed, and could end up as high as the #2 line if they’re able to pick up some big road wins between now and the end.
-OREGON STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve). Oregon State picked up a road win against Stanford that they desperately needed in their last game. They’re still on the bubble, and another road win in a game like this could make the difference as to whether or not they get in. Cal is also on the bubble, and the biggest thing they need is road wins, but they need to hold serve at home as well.
-TEXAS TECH AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve). This Baylor team is one of the teams that we’re not in complete agreement over, but we all feel that at worst they’ll be wearing white in the Round of 64, and at best they’ll end up as a solid protected seed. They need to take care of business against non tournament teams at home, though.
-TULSA AT UCONN (American). Tulsa is suddenly right outside the bubble, and UConn is in a situation where if they can’t hold serve then they will miss the field. This is a really big game for both of these teams that both really need to win.
-WRIGHT STATE AT VALPARAISO (Horizon League). Wright State is the only team to beat Valpo in conference this year, and the Crusaders are looking to avenge the loss. If Valpo wins out, I think they’re okay for a bid.
-CREIGHTON AT MARQUETTE (Big East). It would take a big finish for Creighton, and they’d have to win on the road in games like this to make it happen, but it’s still possible for them to end up on the bubble, or even inside the bubble. I don’t know how probable it is, but it is possible, and they’re coming off a decisive win against a Xavier team that should end up as a protected seed.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Half of these teams are really good and will likely end up as a #1 seed. The other half won’t be playing in any sort of postseason tournament whatsoever, but did somehow manage to beat Syracuse.
-LA SALLE AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten, Big Five). Saint Joe’s is coming off what I think is easily their most impressive and most important win of the year at GW, and should make the field so long as they don’t fall on their face in games like this.
-TEXAS AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve). Texas did not beat Oklahoma, but they led for most of the game and took them down to the buzzer. The game was at Oklahoma, and it’s by far the most impressive a team has looked at them in Norman. I really like how they’re playing and think they could end up way up on the seed list if they’re keep playing like that and pick up a couple wins in games like this.
-AIR FORCE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is coming off of a loss, but I still think they’ll get a serious look if they win out the rest of the way, and may even get selected if they fail to win the automatic bid.
-GONZAGA AT SMU. This is an out of conference showcase game between two teams who wanted a high caliber opponent late in the season, but had limited opportunities in their conferences. SMU is banned from the tournament, but the fans will still be jacked up for this one. Gonzaga is right on our bubble. If they can manage a win in a game like this it would really cement their profile and indicate that they do belong in the field.
-SIU EDWARDSVILLE AT EASTERN ILLINOIS (OVC, Survival Board). We could potentially be looking at our first team to be eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration today due to non-APR and postseason ban issues. SIU-E needs to win today and have either Austin Peay or Eastern Kentucky lose a game to remain alive for the OVC Tournament (8 out of the top 12 teams are considered). Either a loss by the Cougars or wins by both Peay and EKU will knock SIU-E off of our Survival Board tonight.
-YALE AT HARVARD (Ivy, Survival Board). We highlight this game not just for the rivalry involved between the Bulldogs and the Crimson, but a Yale win combined with a Dartmouth loss will also knock the Big Green off of our Survival Board tonight.