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-CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT WEST GEORGIA (Atlantic Sun). Both teams are tied for 10th place with just three games to go. This game could determine who gets the last spot in the conference tournament.
-CAL STATE FULLERTON AT UC SANTA BARBARA (Big West). Cal State Fullerton could be mathematically eliminated from the Big West with a loss in this game and/or a Cal State Bakersfield win at UC Davis
-EASTERN ILLINOIS AT SOUTHERN INDIANA (Ohio Valley). Eastern Illinois is eliminated with a loss. Southern Indiana would also be eliminated, but they are still a transitional team and already off the Survival Board anyway*
-WESTERN ILLINOIS AT SEMO (Ohio Valley). Western Illinois is eliminated with a loss*
*There are scenarios where Eastern Illinois and/or Western Illinois could be eliminated tonight even with a win — but the tiebreakers are too involved to describe here. Keep an eye on the Survival Board for updates!!
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NEWS AND NOTES:
-Auburn got a huge test on their home floor from Arkansas, but held them off 67-60 to hold their spot as the overall #1 team and continue to add to the most impressive tournament resume I think we’ve ever seen.
-Missouri sprinted ahead of Alabama in a high scoring affair. The halftime score was 59-46. Alabama just couldn’t catch up and they dropped their second straight game as Mizzou held on to win 110-98. After the game Missouri Head Coach Dennis Gates called timeout, got on the PA, and asked the fans not to storm the court. Clearly he was concerned that Chad Sherwood would disallow the win if there was a court storming.
-Nebraska, who had been looking very solid until recently, looked rather un-solid last night. Penn State dominated 89-72, and for much of the game it wasn’t even that close. This is a setback for a Nebraska team that’s still hovering right over the bubble.
-West Virginia is another bubble team. They came very close to blowing a 9pt lead in the last 7 seconds, but held on to win 62-59 after turning it over, giving Cincinnati an open 3 that would have tied the game, but having it rattle out.
-Oregon won their third straight game, but barely. They went on the road and beat the Hawkeyes 80-78, but it adds another road win to their resume, and helps stabilize it some.
-New Mexico had been flying high, but they couldn’t get it done at Boise State last night as the Broncos held them off 86-78. New Mexico is still safely inside the bubble, and Boise State is probably still outside of it, so the result of the game probably won’t be that pivotal to the bracket, but it does perhaps nudge Boise in the right direction.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-NORTHWESTERN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Ohio State is squarely on the bubble and like all bubble teams they need to be able to hold serve at home against teams that are nowhere near the field.
-USC AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). This should be a hold-serve game for Maryland. The Terps are looking like they have a shot at a protected seed if they can finish the season strong.
-UC SAN DIEGO AT CAL POLY (Big West). This is a game that UCSD should be able to win, but every Big West road game can be tricky. We keep saying this, but if UCSD wins out I think they make the field.
-CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE AT UC IRVINE (Big West). UC Irvine still has a really good shot at getting selected, but they need to win out to make it happen.
-PACIFIC AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). San Francisco is outside the bubble, but they are close enough to it to reach it if they can keep winning games.
UNDER THE RADAR WATCH:
-Eastern Kentucky @ Bellarmine (Atlantic Sun) – Eastern Kentucky is red hot and is just a game behind North Alabama in the standings
-UNC Asheville @ Radford (Big South) – UNC Asheville is tied with High Point and is trying to keep pace
-Central Connecticut @ Chicago State (Northeast Conference) – Central Connecticut can get within a game of clinching at least a share of 1st place, and home court advantage in the NEC Tournament with a win
-Bryant @ Vermont (America East) – Bryant can get within a game of clinching 1st place, and home court advantage in the conference tournament, with a win
-Towson @ Elon (Coastal Athletic) – Towson is the hottest team in the conference and while they have a bit of a tough road test, it’s a winnable game and they can get within a game of clinching at least a share of 1st place with a win tonight
–New Mexico State @ Jacksonville State (Conference USA) – Jax State has a one game lead in a very tight conference race with five games to go
-Lipscomb @ North Alabama – these are two of the top teams in the Atlantic Sun, which makes this a hugely pivotal game. Both can still finish 1st and clinch home court advantage
-Western Illinois @ SEMO (Ohio Valley) – whereas this game could eliminate Western Illinois, it could get SEMO one game closer to clinching 1st place
-Utah Valley @ Utah Tech (WAC, BeeHive) – Utah Valley has a 1 game lead over Grand Canyon and needs to keep winning to hold on to it
–SUN BELT – James Madison, Troy, and South Alabama are all within a half game of each other with just three games remaining. All are in action tonight.