NEWS, NOTES AND CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK RELATED LINKS:
-Championship Week OFFICIALLY got underway yesterday with the start of the Atlantic Sun Tournament, so we have now begun to record our nightly CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOKS. Check that out, along with our latest HOOPS HD REPORT where we recap a crazy weekend and look ahead to the big games this week. – CLICK HERE
-For our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE, which includes all 32 conference tournament brackets, schedules, and TV information – CLICK HERE
-For the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which is updated throughout the day, and where w show who we feel is a lock, who is under consideration, and who is still playing but needs to win the automatic bid – CLICK HERE
-For our latest BRACKETOLOGY, which includes Jon Teitel’s projections who is among the best in the world at guessing the actual Selection Committee – CLICK HERE
As for what happened on the court last night…
-Baylor got yet another nice road win as they knocked off Oklahoma State 74-68. Baylor is 11-6 In Big 12 play, but many forget that they started off 0-3 and since then have not just been one of the best teams in the conference, but one of the best teams in the nation. As for Oklahoma State, it was their 5th straight loss, and they’ve gone from looking like a team that had turned it around to looking like a team that will probably end up in the NIT if they keep sinking into the quicksand.
-West Virginia got a really big win at Iowa State that they really needed. They are squarely on the bubble, and whenever a bubble team wins on the road against a team that’s squarely in the field, it helps them out. As for Iowa State, they are squarely in the field, but are no longer a protected seed caliber team. They’ve now lost 8 of 11 and are sliding down the seedlist.
-Nevada did something that IS NOT good for teams that are on the bubble, and that’s lose to a team that is nowhere near the bubble. They fell on the road to a Wyoming team that is just 9-20 on the year, and suddenly their tournament hopes are in jeopardy.
SURVIVAL BOARD WATCH (courtesy of Chad Sherwood):
-AMERICA EAST – Albany is out with a loss (at Vermont) or an NJIT win (at New Hampshire). If Albany wins and NJIT loses, NJIT is out instead.
MAC (up to 4):
-Western Michigan is out with a loss (home vs Miami-Ohio) or wins by Eastern Michigan (at Northern Illinois) and Central Michigan (home vs Toledo)
-Bowling Green is out with a loss (home vs Eastern Michigan)
-Miami-Ohio is out with a loss (at Western Michigan) and an Eastern Michigan win (at Bowling Green)
-Central Michigan is out with a loss (home vs Toledo) and an Eastern Michigan win (at Bowling Green)
HIGLIGHTED GAMES:
-CLEMSON AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Clemson’s resume is all over the map. They have some really nice wins that outweigh most of what the rest of the bubble has, but they also have several really bad losses and have shown very little consistency this year. This is yet another very pivotal game for them. Virginia is solidly in the field, but they are sliding down the seedlist and haven’t looked all that good in their last several games. A win tonight is more about turning things around on the court than shoring up their resume.
-IOWA AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Iowa is coming off an amazing and improbable come from behind win against Michigan State, and Indiana is coming off what is perhaps an even more improbable road win at Purdue. Both are solidly in the field and Indiana looks to me like a solid protected seed. Both these teams are more or less just playing for seeding tonight.
-NC STATE AT DUKE (ACC). Both teams are in the bracket with Duke being around or 6 or 7 line, and NC State hovering around the 8 line. Both have opportunities to improve their seeding between now and the end of the ACC Tournament, and a win tonight for either team would help. Oh yeah, and this is also one of those Tobacco Road rivalries that are always so much fun!
-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS (Big 12). Kansas has a path to a #1 seed, and while Texas Tech still does have a path to the NCAA Tournament it is considerably more narrow now than it was before their last loss, and would likely require a win tonight. Obviously, winning at Kansas is a VERY tall order.
-ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Tennessee has been inconsistent throughout the season, but they’ve played really well enough of the time to remain a solid protected seed and can be dangerous. Arkansas is probably inside the bubble either way, but they will definitely be MUCH safer if they can find a way to win tonight.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is moving up the seedlist, and some believe they are as high as a 5 seed and even have a shot at a protected seed if they can win out. They are good, and they did pick up a really nice and tough road win in their last game against San Diego State, and I will give them even more props if they can win tonight, but I cannot agree with anyone who likes them so much that they think the deserve a protected seed. As for Boise State, they are squarely on the bubble and really need this win tonight to help ensure that they end up on the right side of it.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Marquette @ Butler (Big East) – Marquette looks like the best team in the Big East and is cruising toward a protected seed
-Boston College @ Wake Forest (ACC) – If Wake wins out to the ACC Championship game then perhaps they’ve got a shot at getting selected
-Saint Louis @ VCU (Atlantic Ten) – VCU almost assuredly needs the auto-bid to get in, but if they win out the regular season they will likely at least get looked at
-Texas A&M @ Ole Miss (SEC) – TAMU is on a roll despite coming off of a loss, and should safely make it into the field barring a complete collapse
-Michigan State @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – Sparty is safely in the field and can add another road win to their resume tonight. I think they are good enough to improve their seed between now and the end of the B1G Tourney
-South Carolina @ Mississippi State (SEC) – we have Mississippi State in, but they are also close to the bubble and need to hold serve tonight
-Fresno State @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico is in a tailspin and just missed what would have been a big win against San Diego State when they lost on a last second shot. They need to hold serve tonight and pick up some wins between now and the end of the MWC Tourney