-Buffalo was removed yesterday leaving only 346 teams with a chance to win the national title. Miami could be eliminated tonight if Syracuse wins at home against NC State, giving the Hurricanes no path to qualify for the ACC Tournament.
NEWS AND NOTES:
-Florida trailed at Georgia by as much as 26, but came all the way back and got the lead in the final couple of minutes. After mounting that kind of comeback it just felt like they were going finish them off and get the win, but Georgia was able to battle, get the lead back, and escape with an 88-83 win. For Florida it is a setback in terms of them getting a #1 seed, and for Georgia it’s a huge win for a team that was right on the bubble. Georgia still needs road wins, though.
-Iowa State fell on the road to Oklahoma State 74-68, which will give them another knock down the seedlist. They’re still almost certainly a protected seed, but it is a bit of a setback.
-Baylor REALLY needed to get the road win last night at Cincinnati, but came up short 69-67. They are now just 16-12 on the year and nothing on their resume really stands out or blows you away all that much. They are likely squarely on the bubble.
-VCU’s profile may have some issues, but on the court they really have been looking like an NCAA Tournament caliber team. After beating George Mason handily over the weekend, they went on the road and absolutely dominated Richmond 78-60. At no point did it feel like this game was close.
-Gonzaga probably played one of their best games of the season last night as they won handily at Santa Clara 95-76. It’s not so much that it was a resume booster (which it really wasn’t that much of one), but the idea that they actually went out and faced a team that had been playing well on that team’s home court and blew them out of the gym. The Zags really needed that.
-San Diego State got a big win at home against New Mexico 73-65. Both teams are inside the bubble, but San Diego State probably needed this one in order to feel a little safer.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MICHIGAN STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Michigan State is coming off what is probably their best win of the year and looking to follow that up with another really strong road win. The Spartans are also in a tie for 1st place and this can get them one step closer to winning the Big Ten Title. Maryland is red hot right now having won eight of their last nine and is very tough to beat at home. They are trying to play their way up to a protected seed and a win today gets them closer to that.
-GEORGETOWN AT UCONN (Big East). UConn has perhaps underperformed given what their expectations were this year, but they are still very safely in the field and will remain that way so long as they continue to hold serve.
-OLE MISS AT AUBURN (SEC). Auburn continues to be the top team in the country and while they should get somewhat of a test against an Ole Miss team that’s easily in the top half of the bracket, it’s a game that pretty much everyone is expecting them to win.
-VANDERBILT AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Vanderbilt is inside the bubble, but they have not been good away from home. Something they can do to plug that hole in their resume would be to pull off this win today, but it won’t be easy. TAMU appears to be on their way to a protected seed and is not easy to beat on their floor.
-NOTRE DAME AT CLEMSON (ACC). Clemson is in great shape and will remain that way so long as they continue to hold serve. In fact they are just one game behind Duke in the ACC standings.
-FORDHAM AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic 10). George Mason probably won’t get inside the bubble, but they are still tied for 1st in the A10 and should get a very strong look if they win out.
-RICE AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis should cruise in this one and cruise to a spot in the top half of the bracket.
-DRAKE AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley). Drake is inside the bubble and should stay there so long as they win their last two regular season games.
-PENN STATE AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Indiana has somehow played their way onto the bubble and they actually appear to have a path to the NCAA Tournament. They need to finish strong, and they need to hold serve in games like this, but they do appear to have some momentum built up.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT BUTLER (Big East). This is potentially a tricky road test for the Johnnies, but they’ve shown all year that they can win, and win away from home. They look to be the strongest team in the Big East and could clinch at least a share of 1st place with a win tonight.
-KENTUCKY AT OKLAHOMA (SEC). This is a massively important game. Kentucky could use another win or two away from home to really shore up their resume, and Oklahoma needs to string together some wins down the stretch just to land on the right side of the bubble.
-UTAH AT ARIZONA (Big 12). Despite getting hosed on a really bad call at the end of their last game, Arizona is still in really solid shape. They have a path to a protected seed and should be able to bounce back tonight against a Utah team that’s nowhere near the field.
-VIRGINIA AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Wake basically can’t afford to lose any games to teams that are nowhere near the field. They are squarely on the bubble and need to hold serve in this one.
-DEPAUL AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Creighton is cruising toward the NCAA Tournament and still has a chance to build up their profile. They need to hold serve and win this one at home tonight.
-TEXAS AT ARKANSAS (SEC). This game is super-bubblicious and very critical for both teams. Texas has lost four out of their last five and a case could be made that they don’t belong in the field at all. Having said that, a road win in a game like this would do a lot to fix their issues. Arkansas is also squarely on the bubble and really needs this win themselves.
-BYU AT ARIZONA STATE (Big 12). BYU is suddenly red hot, especially after their win at Arizona, and can add another road win to their resume tonight which would make it look even stronger.
-UTAH STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). This is a really tough road test for Utah State, and it’s one the committee would likely give them a fair amount of credit for if their able to win it. Boise State is inching closer and closer to the bubble and a win tonight would be another step closer to them somehow sneaking into the field.
-OHIO STATE AT USC (Big Ten). Ohio State’s profile is extremely scattershot, but they still have a path to making the field. They basically need to win out to do it, though. A loss tonight would be damaging.
-SMU AT CALIFORNIA (ACC). I don’t think SMU will end up making the field, but I do feel they will end up being on the board.
-SAN FRANCISCO AT OREGON STATE (West Coast). San Francisco’s case for being selected is rather weak, but they do at least have a case and depending on how they finish and who they end up facing in the conference tournament…who knows?
UTR WATCH:
-USC Upstate @ High Point (Big South) – High Point can clinch 1st place outright with a win. A UNC Asheville loss at home to Presby (which isn’t likely) would also give it to them
-Navy @ American (Patriot League) – American clinches at least a share of 1st place if they win this one
-Queens @ North Alabama (Atlantic Sun) – North Alabama is deadlocked with Lipscomb in the conference standings, and this is the last night of the season
-Central Arkansas @ Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun) – Lipscomb can finish in at least a tie for 1st place with a win. They split the regular season with North Alabama, so it’s possible that it will come down to tiebreakers