NEWS AND NOTES
-For Jon Teitel’s latest Bracket Projections – CLICK HERE
-For Jon Teitel’s interview with Hall of Famer Debbie Brock – CLICK HERE
-For the THIRD time this season, we had a quadrupler!!! Cal State Fullerton held off Cal Poly in four overtimes!! What a season we are having!!! The win puts Cal State Fullerton in a position to where they can make the NCAA Tournament if they win the Big West Tournament, so HUGE development yesterday!
-Louisville dropped their second straight road game to an unranked team that’s very far away from making the NCAA Tournament. Clemson pretty much dominated the Cardinals. Louisville is still okay and will in all likelihood still be a protected seed, but they have certainly had better weeks.
-Maryland got a really nice road win against Michigan State, and actually played very well in the final minutes of the game as they were trailing and appeared to have all the momentum going against them. On paper, it is probably the biggest win for the Terps since it was a road win against a Michigan State team that’s struggled, but still has a good chance of ending up as a protected seed.
-Providence jumped out to a 25-point lead early on Seton Hall, and then held on to win, but just barely. The Pirates actually came back and were in a position to win the game in the final minutes, but just couldn’t get over the top. The game ended with Providence fans rushing the floor a little too early, which created a long replay and three meaningless free throws before the fans got to rush the floor again.
-When Auburn fell behind by double digits to Mizzou, no one was concerned because they’ve been doing that for the past two weeks. Yesterday, they were not able to come back and get the win. Missouri wins in a bit of a shocker 85-73.
-Georgetown was even more shorthanded than usual yesterday, but were able to go on the road and get the win at Butler. Georgetown is an amazing case. They are 15-10 overall with some really solid wins, including the one yesterday, so they can actually end up inside the bubble if they can pick up a few more.
-Houston trailed SMU for most of the game, and although they got the game to overtime they weren’t able to get over the top. It’s a bit of a setback for a Houston team that had been playing so well, but they are still probably inside the bubble.
-Rutgers won again at home by sprinting away from Illinois in the final minutes. Rutgers is in great shape, but they desperately need some wins away from the RAC.
-Texas Tech fell on the road at Oklahoma State, which was another somewhat surprising result. The Red Raiders aren’t in any real danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, but their profile isn’t going to look as good as what we’ve seen in the past.
-LSU lost their third straight game (after starting off 8-0 in SEC play) as they fell to Alabama 88-82. The Tigers really need to get things turned around.
-Arkansas needed to win at home against a Mississippi State team that’s squarely on the bubble, but couldn’t get it done. One has to think that this drops them even further down the seed list, and perhaps out of the field altogether right now.
-Richmond blew out VCU, which should shut the door on the Rams unless they’re able to do something crazy like win out to the conference championship and beat Dayton twice in the process. The Spiders, on the other hand, were already on the bubble, and are probably inching their way closer to making the NCAA Tournament.
-Northern Iowa, who we had been talking about as a solid at-large caliber team and who was on the verge of cracking the rankings, feel to Loyola Chicago yesterday. They fell behind big early, but came back to make it close. They never could get control of the game, though, and after hitting a crazy 3-pointer to force overtime and looking like they were finally going to pull away, they actually fell behind. Despite the loss, there is still a chance that they make the NCAAs even if they don’t win the conference tournament, but they are literally now down to their last strike.
-Virginia survived at North Carolina 74-72 to keep their bubble hopes alive. If you reread that sentence and think about it, you’ll realize that things are a little different this year than they’ve been for the last five or six years. Even more amazing is that North Carolina is all alone in last place in the ACC. Let that also sink in.
-Arizona picked up another road win at Stanford. They’ve now strung together several road wins, which has really improved the value of their resume, and yesterday was probably their most impressive one yet. Stanford, on the other hand, is in big trouble.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-CINCINNATI AT EAST CAROLINA (American). Cincinnati has been playing much better since the middle of January, and does have a path to landing inside the bubble, but their margin for error is virtually zero. If they can win five of their last six and avoid an early exist in the AAC Tourney then it may be enough to land them in the field.
-VILLANOVA AT TEMPLE (Big Five). Villanova steps out of their real conference for a game in their mythical Big Five Conference. It’s a chance to add another road win to their resume.
-IOWA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Iowa has hit a bit of a skid, but a win today would definitely pull them out of it. It’s a road rivalry game that they’re good enough to win, but that won’t be easy because of how strong the Gophers have been at home this year.
-INDIANA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Indiana has a decent resume, but they’re still a bit of a home court hero. A win today would increase their NCAA Tournament chances by a ton.
-TULANE AT WICHITA STATE (American). Wichita is now squarely on the bubble, and needs a strong finish to the season to ensure that they make the field. That means not losing at home to non-tournament teams.
-MEMPHIS AT UCONN (American). I’m about to give up on Memphis, but if they finish really strong I guess they still have a chance of making it.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is a virtual lock for the tournament, and if they win this one today they will probably go from being a virtual lock to an actual lock. In fact I’m expecting them to win out and end up on the #1 line.
-NC STATE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (AAC). NC State continues to look like a bubble team, which means every game for them is going to have a pivotal feel. They can’t afford to lose this one, even if it is on the road.
-ARIZONA STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac 12). Arizona State has played their way inside our bubble, and just picked up a nice road win against Stanford which helps their chances out even more. This is a winnable road game that they also need to pick up.
-UTAH AT OREGON (Pac 12). Oregon is slipping a little bit, but they’re still solidly in the field and still have a good shot at ending up as a protected seed. They got a nice home win against Colorado earlier in the week and should be able to hold serve tonight.