HAPPY MARCH MADNESS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!
HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD WATCH (Click here to see the whole board):
-IVY LEAGUE:
-Columbia eliminated if they lose to Princeton
ATLANTIC SUN:
-Jacksonville is eliminated with a loss to FGCU AND if either Central Arkansas or Bellarmine win. If Queens and Central Arkansas both win, Jacksonville is out regardless if they win or lose.
-Central Arkansas is eliminated if they lose to North Alabama, or if both Jacksonville and Kennesaw State both win
.
NEWS AND NOTES:
-For the latest HOOPS HD BRACKET RUNDOWN, where we build a seedlist on the air line by line and assess each team as we go – CLICK HERE
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Washington State held on against a sub-par USC team, but barely. They trailed for much of the game and had to go on a run in the second in order to pull it out 75-72. USC had several chances at a game-tying 3-pointer on their last possession, but couldn’t get it to fall.
-Gonzaga hasn’t looked good for the entire duration of the season, but they have looked really good over the past few weeks, and they got an impressive looking win last night against a pretty good San Francisco team. It’s not the kind of win that jacks up their resume, but it is an indicator that this team is playing at a higher level now than they had been prior to February.
-Nebraska, who has struggled on the road all year, fell on the road again at Ohio State 78-69. I think the Huskers are inside the bubble, but the lack of road wins will hurt their seed. It may be too little too late for Ohio State, but they have been playing exceptionally well since Chris Holtmann (who I like) was replaced as head coach.
.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-DAYTON AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Atlantic 10). This will likely be a very tough road game for the Flyers. This game is a lot of things. It’s a litmus test to see how good Dayton is and whether or not they can beat a team that’s been playing really well on the road, and it impacts the conference race. If Dayton loses they will fall two games behind Richmond, and a game behind Loyola in the A10 standings.
–Arkansas State @ Appalachian State (Sun Belt) – App State can still get on the bubble if they win this and avoid any early losses in the Sun Belt Tournament. A win today and they clinch 1st place in the SBC
–Dartmouth @ Yale (Ivy League) – it’s still a three horse race in the Ivy League between Yale, Princeton, and Cornell
–Cornell @ Penn (Ivy league) – see above^^^
-Columbia @ Princeton (Ivy League) – see above, and see furtther above^^^. Princeton is in a race for 1st place, and a loss eliminates Columbia
–Harvard @ Brown (Ivy League) – this is not an elimination game, but it has major conference tournament implications as both teams are tied for the 4th place spot, which is the last team to get in
-James Madison @ Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt) – JMU is right on the bubble, but any loss between now and the conference championship game would knock them off of it
–Eastern Kentucky @ Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun) – a win for EKU clinches them 1st place outright, but this is a tough road game against a talented Lipscomb team that is also trying to position themselves in the standings and earn home court advantage through the semifinals
–Fresno State @ Nevada (Mountain West) – Nevada is solidly inside the bubble and will remain there so long as they continue to hold serve
–Air Force @ Utah State (Mountain West) – Utah State is solidly inside the bubble and will remain there so long as they continue to hold serve