NEWS, NOTES, AND LINKS:
-For our latest (and last of the regular season) HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast, which has our nightly CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK at the end – CLICK HERE
-I want to sincerely congratulate Grambling for clinching at least a share of 1st place in the SWAC last night with their 69-60 win at Bethune Cookman. This is a program that has certainly seen some lows, but they have an amazing campus culture and a rich athletic history, and it has been a joy as a fan of the sport to watch them become competitive within the SWAC, and now they will be finishing as the 1st place team! Well done Tigers!!
-Other than that it was kind of a chalky night. Eastern Washington got a huge scare from a Sacramento State team I think we were all expecting them to blow out, but they got the 91-88 win on the road and end the regular season on a 4-game winning streak.
-Duke had no trouble at NC State, and Texas hung with Baylor early, but the Bears came back in the second half and got another Big 12 win.
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SURVIVAL BOARD WATCH (click here to see the whole board):
-BALL STATE AT KENT STATE (MAC). Ball State is eliminated if they lose tonight
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-PURDUE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Purdue has an amazing resume for the season, and even if they lose today they are probably still on the #1 line for now. Having said that, one thing that is missing from Purdue’s profile is a true road win against a solid protected seed. They did get the win earlier against Wisconsin, but the Badgers have digressed since then. So, this would still be a big win for Purdue if they can pull it off. Illinois looks like a protected seed, their fans should be jacked way up for this one, and it would be another nice win on their resume if they can manage to get this one.
-NOTRE DAME AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). Notre Dame has surprised some people lately, but those surprises have come at home against teams that aren’t quite as good as the Tarheels. UNC should roll in this one and stay in the 1-2 seed range.
-ALABAMA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Alabama is looking to (yellow) hammer down a protected seed, and a road win in a game like this could all but lock it up. It won’t be easy (which is obviously why it would be such a good win for Alabama). The Gators are coming off a loss at South Carolina, but they have been a noticeably improved team over the last three weeks, are really starting to hit their stride, and can improve their NCAA Tournament seed quite a bit between now and the end.
-TULANE AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). South Florida is squarely on the bubble and they need to win out in order to stay there.
-SYRACUSE AT CLEMSON (ACC). Syracuse is getting closer and closer to the bubble, and if they can get a road win in a game like this it may be enough to move them to the right side of it. Clemson is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Notre Dame and will be looking to bounce back tonight at home. They are pretty much a lock for the NCAA Tournament and are just playing for seeding at this point.
-TEXAS TECH AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). Texas Tech is a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament and is just playing to help out their seeding. A win in this game would help even though Oklahoma State is nowhere near the field. It would give the Red Raiders another road win.
-CINCINNATI AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). Oklahoma will skate into the NCAA Tournament so long as they are able to hold serve the rest of the way. Cincinnati is outside the bubble so the Sooners need this one at home.
-AUBURN AT MISSOURI (SEC). Auburn is within reach of a protected seed and should get there so long as they hold serve. That would mean winning on the road against a very weak Mizzou team tonight.
-KANSAS STATE AT KANSAS (Big 12). There is some debate over where Kansas should be on the seedlist, but pretty much everyone agrees that they are a protected seed. They’re at home in a rivalry game, and while they lost the first meeting between these two, they weren’t at home for that game. K State would probably need to win out until the Big 12 Championship Game to get any sort of a look from the committee.
-DAYTON AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). Dayton is safely inside the bubble and most are projecting them into the top half of the bracket. They should stay in that range so long as they can hold serve. They are coming off a loss, so they do need to bounce back tonight. Another thing about this game is that it is the Arch Baron Cup!! It is the most intense rivalry in all of sports!!!
-GEORGIA TECH AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Wake is squarely on the bubble and needs to hold serve tonight in order to stay there. A loss at home to a team that’s nowhere near the fiedl may bury their postseason hopes.
-FLORIDA STATE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). Pitt is another team that is right on the bubble, and perhaps just outside of it. Either way, they cannot afford a home loss to a team that’s nowhere near the field.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT DEPAUL (Big East). Saint John’s is clinging onto the bubble for dear life, and simply cannot afford a loss on the road to a team that is as weak as DePaul.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). UNLV has been playing like an NCAA Tournament team for the last month or so. They don’t have an NCAA Tournament profile, and likely won’t be selected if they don’t win the auto-bid, but right now, on the court, they are an NCAA Tournament caliber team. This will NOT be an easy road game for San Diego State.
-NEVADA AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). These are two virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament and both appear to be heading for the top half of the bracket. They are both playing for seeding, as well as trying to position themselves for the conference tournament, so it’s a chance for each of the m to pick up another notable win.
-AIR FORCE AT WYOMING (Mountain West, Front Range). We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!!! This game has MAJOR 10th place implications in the Mountain West standings!! It will be a war!!!
-PROVIDENCE AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Providence is squarely on the bubble so every game has a pivotal feel to it. A loss in a game like this could doom their season.
-EASTERN MICHIGAN AT AKRON (MAC). Akron can clinch at least a share of 1st place with a win in this one.
-VERMONT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE (America East). Vermont has already clinched 1st place in the AEast.