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NEWS AND NOTES
-Western Kentucky lost at home to Old Dominion, which probably means their only way into the NCAA Tournament is to win the C-USA Tourney. The Toppers will be a dangerous team if they can get there, and they do have some good wins on their resume, but they’ve also stubbed their toes a few too many times against non-tournament caliber teams.
-Colorado jumped out to a big lead at Nevada and appeared to be on cruise control. The problem was they cruised for a little too long and ended up losing 85-82. They did hit an incredible shot right at the end of the game, but the shooter stepped out of bounds. And the shot didn’t get off in time. But, it did go in!
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-FLORIDA STATE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). The top of Florida State’s resume isn’t packed full of wins against protected seeds, but they still look like the best team in the ACC right now. They should get a protected seed without too much trouble, and it wouldn’t shock me at all if they won out through the ACC Tourney.
-GEORGETOWN AT UCONN (Big East). UConn is skating around the bubble and desperately needs to hold serve. Georgetown has had a rough year, but they’ve been playing better lately so the Huskies don’t want to overlook them.
-RUTGERS AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Rutgers is, in all likelihood, a tournament team. A road win in a game like this would help boost their resume, though.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). These two met earlier in the week and WVU picked up a big win. WVU still has a shot at a #1 seed (but they’d really need to finish strong) whereas Oklahoma State can play their way into a protected seeds.
-INDIANA AT PURDUE (Big Ten). I really like how this Purdue team has been playing, and it actually wouldn’t surprise me at all if they played their way into a protected seed. Indiana is in a tailspin and is running out of chances to make the tournament.
-VILLANOVA AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Nova will be without Collin Gillespie for the rest of the year, which is a crushing blow to him and his team. The committee will likely take a closer look at what they do without him and factor that in to the seeding process.
-LSU AT MISSOURI (SEC). Missouri went through a bit of a slump, but appears to have come out of it and can start to climb back up the seedlist. LSU, from all accounts, will safely make the field. This is still a really good resume boosting opportunity for them.
-ILLINOIS AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This game has #1 seed implications for both teams. Both are ranked in the top ten, and while Ohio State has dropped a few games recently they’re still a Final Four candidate.
-VIRGINIA AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Virginia has a pretty clear path to a protected seed. We have Louisville inside the bubble, but I still think they’re a little closer to it than where most are projecting them. A win today would be huge.
-USC AT UCLA (Pac 12). It’s a rivalry game between two Pac 12 frontrunners, so first place implications as well as bragging rights are on the line. They’re also both safely in the field and can improve their resume with a win today.
-TEXAS A&M AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Arkansas has been playing great lately and has a very winnable game tonight. If they hold serve they’ll probably end up as a protected seed.
-OLD DOMINION AT WESTERN KENTUCKY (Conference USA). If WKU wins and avoids an early loss in the conference tournament there is a really good chance that the committee will select them even if they don’t win the auto-bid.
-DUKE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). It’s rare that the storyline for this game is that it’s bubblicious, but that’s exactly where we are with it. North Carolina has been playing better and is right on the bubble, whereas Duke is outside of it and needs a big finish to the season and a strong showing in the ACC Tournament just to make the field.
-VANDERBILT AT OLE MISS (SEC). Ole Miss is hovering around the outside of the bubble. They need to hold serve tonight and pick up some big wins in the SEC Tournament in order to have a chance.
-SETON HALL AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Both teams desperately need to win this game. They are both right on the bubble and both need a notable win. Simple as that.
-XAVIER AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Xavier is another team that is squarely on the bubble. A road win at Marquette could make the difference of whether or not they get in. A win doesn’t absolutely put them in, but it certainly helps. A loss could very well knock them out, though.
-UTAH STATE AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West). Utah State continues to hover around outside the bubble and needs a strong finish to the season in order to make it in.