HAPPY MARCH MADNESS EVERYBODY!!!! Conference Tournaments begin tomorrow, but we still have multiple elimination games today, so the climactic win-and-advance stage of the season is officially underway!!!
–Boston College eliminated from ACC if they lose at California
–NC State eliminated from the ACC if they lose at Georgia Tech, and Cal and Notre Dame both win
– Penn State eliminated from Big Ten if they lose at home to Maryland and Minnesota wins at Nebraska
–Washington eliminated from Big Ten if they lose at home to Indiana and Minnesota and USC both win
–Long Beach eliminated from Big West if they lose at UC Irvine or if Hawaii wins at home against UC Davis
–Harvard eliminated from Ivy League if they lose at home to Yale or if both Cornell and Dartmouth win (NOTE: The Cornell game is Sunday)
–UTRGV eliminated from Southland if they lose at home to New Orleans or if Incarnate Word wins at East Texas A&M
–Stephen F Austin eliminated from Southland if they lose at home to Nicholls or if Incarnate Word wins at East Texas A&M
–Arkansas Pine Bluff eliminated from SWAC if they lose at Mississippi Valley State and Prairie View wins at Alcorn State
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CONNECTICUT AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). This is a rivalry game and UConn is on the road, so it won’t be a cake walk. It is a game they should win, and sort of need to win to make sure their resume doesn’t keep sliding backward.
-AUBURN AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Auburn appears to have a #1 seed all but wrapped up, but they are still facing tough litmus tests like this. They’re on the road against a Kentucky team that can play their way up to a protected seed if they can finish strong and a win today would go a long way.
-ARKANSAS AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). Arkansas has to pick at the low hanging fruit when it becomes available. They are on the bubble and cannot afford to lose this game
-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS (Big 12). This will be a tough road test for a Texas Tech team that appears to be solid protected seed and could end up as high as the 2-line. Kansas hasn’t been that good away from Lawrence, but in their own building they’re as tough to beat as anyone in the country and they’ll almost assuredly land in the top half of the bracket.
-OKLAHOMA AT OLE MISS (SEC). Oklahoma had a tough loss to Kentucky early in the week in a tough game that came down to the buzzer. They have some good things on their resume, but are just 4-11 in SEC play and need to get some wins between now and the end in order to get selected. Ole Miss appears to be safely in the field, and almost assuredly safely in the top half of the bracket.
-ALABAMA AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Both these teams are within reach of a #1 seed and there may not be room for both of them on the 1-line. This game will play a huge role in determining which teams ends up higher on the seedlist. And, it should just be an all around great game to watch!
-UTAH STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Utah State looks to be the superior team and is well on their way to the NCAA Tournament, but this won’t be an easy road game. The two are actually tied in the loss column of the conference standings and while Colorado State hasn’t always played up to their ceiling they’ve shown us at times this year that they can be hard to beat.
-CREIGHTON AT XAVIER (Big East). Creighton is solidly in the field and Xavier appears to be squarely on the bubble. This is a hugely pivotal game for Xavier that they pretty much have to win. It’s their last chance for a big notable win during the regular season. Creighton looks to be in the top half of the bracket and they will get some chances to improve the quality of their resume between now and the end of the conference tournament. This would be a really nice road win for them if they can pull it off, so both teams have something big to play for.
-MISSOURI AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Vandy just picked up a huge road win at Texas A&M and they’ve shown us all year that they can beat highly ranked teams at home. While Mizzou has some huge road wins they still have just three true road wins on the season. Getting another one today, especially against a team that’s as tough at home as Vandy is, would make their resume look a lot stronger.
-GEORGIA AT TEXAS (SEC). Both of these teams are squarely on the bubble and both need this win. It’s as simple as that. Georgia has just one true road win on the season and needs another to even be considered. While Georgia got a massive win against archrival Florida, they squandered a 26-point lead before coming back in the final minute. Texas keeps slipping further and further down the seedlist and needs to hold serve at home.
-TEXAS A&M AT FLORIDA (SEC). Both teams are likely protected seeds, and Florida is gunning for the #1 line. Texas A&M had a surprise loss at home to Vanderbilt earlier in the week, but a win on the road against Florida would offset that and then some. The Gators are just looking to add another big win to an already very impressive profile.
-ARIZONA AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Both teams are on the path for a protected seed, but both have had some slip ups and both still have a little bit of work to do. This will be a really big road test for an Arizona team that’s played well, but who probably doeesn’t have a road win as big as this one would be on their resume yet.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT BYU (Big 12). West Virginia remains squarely on the bubble, but a win in a game like this could almost assredly put them on the right side of it. BYU has really come on strong lately and they are particularly tough to beat at home.
-GONZAGA AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). This will be a really tough road test for the Zags, but they had a big win earlier in the week as they won at Santa Clara rather handily, and could help virtually lock themselves into the top half of the bracket with a win in this game. San Francisco is probably too far outside the bubble to get inside of it, but they are a pretty strong team and can still at least get a look if they can win this and then go on to win some games in the WCC Tournament. (Note from Stalica – this game will be at the Chase Center and not on USF’s campus, so this may feel at times like a neutral court with more Zags fans in attendance than normal.)
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Clemson @ Virginia (ACC) – Virginia just got a win against Wake Forest and Clemson never wants to take a conference road game for granted, but this should be a chance for Clemson to likely add another road win to their profile
-Maryland @ Penn State (Big Ten) – Maryland is on the brink of a protected seed and should be able to add another conference road win to their profile today. Penn State is still working on just trying to qualify for the B1G Tournament themselves.
-George Mason @ Duquesne (Atlantic 10) – George Mason is still tied with VCU in the A10 standings and can keep themselves on the board so long as they can win out
-Air Force @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico is cruising and should be able to win this game as if it were a home buy game
-Minnesota @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – Nebraska is squarely on the bubble and needs to hold serve and avoid a loss at home to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble
-Seton Hall @ Saint John’s (Big East) – Seton Hall has been showing signs of life lately, but Saint John’s should still win this one going away and hang on to 1st place in the Big East and on a path to a protected seed. This would also make the Johnnies the outright Big East regular season champion with a win.
-LSU @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Mississippi State should hold serve at home. A strong finish could earn them a protected seed
-USC @ Oregon (Big Ten) – Oregon hasn’t always been the most consistent team, but they’re still really good, are on a four game winning streak, and should be able to get this one at home
-Cincinnati @ Houston (Big 12) – Houston is still in the hunt for a #1 seed and this should be a hold-serve game for them. Cincinnati does have a pulse, but they are a long way from the bubble. Having said that, a win today would be a huge step toward it if they could somehow pull it off
-SMU @ Stanford (ACC) – I don’t think SMU can get inside the bubble, but if they have any shot at all at doing it they need to win this game, and then win all the rest of them, and then get some big wins in the ACC Tournament
-Notre Dame @ Wake Forest (ACC) – Wake is right on the bubble, and probably just outside of it. They need to hold serve today to keep themselves within reach of it, and they still got some work to do on top of that
-Pittsburgh @ Louisville (ACC) – Louisville is cruising and shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve at home in this one
-Indiana @ Washington (Big Ten) – Indiana is making a run at the bubble and it looks like they could end up inside of it. This is a winnable conference road game that has a pivotal feel to it since they are right on the bubble
-Florida State @ Duke (ACC) – Florida State can play at a high level, but they seldomly seem to do it. Duke, on the other hand, appears to be cruising toward the #1 line
-Boise State @ Fresno State (Mountain West) – Boise State is making a run at the bubble and may be able to sneak into the field with a strong finish. This should be a winnable conference road game for them today
-Arkansas Pine Bluff @ Mississippi Valley State (SWAC) – this game has Centenary Award Implications
-Marquette @ Georgetown (Big East) – Marquette has had their struggles lately and Georgetown has improved a lot this year. Marquette should win this one, but they don’t want to overlook the Hoyas. Even a Hoyas team without freshman sensation Thomas Sorber who is now out for the rest of the season with an injury
-Oklahoma State @ Baylor (Big 12) – Baylor is squarely on the bubble and a home loss to an Oklahoma State team that is nowhere near it could knock them out of it. And, they don’t want to overlook the Pokes, who beat Iowa State earlier this week
-San Diego State @ Wyoming (Mountain West) – this can be a really tough road game, but it’s one that San Diego State can and should win. If they hold serve, they’ll stay inside the bubble
-Oregon State @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – Saint Mary’s will almost assuredly be placed in the top half of the bracket and should be able to hold serve against Oregon State at home tonight
-Cal State Fullerton @ UC San Diego (Big West) – I think UCSD will be inside the bubble and in the field if they win out for the rest of the regular season
-Long Beach State @ UC Irvine (Big West) – it’s the Black and Blue Rivalry!!! UC Irvine still has an outside shot of getting selected, but they basically cannot afford another loss until the Big West final
UTR WATCH:
-American @ Colgate (Patriot League) – American and Bucknell are tied with just one game to go. The 1st place team gets home court advantage throughout the PL Tournament
-Chattanooga @ VMI (SoCon) – Chattanooga has already clinched 1st place
-Bryant @ Maine (America East) – Bryant has already clinched 1st place and will have home court advantage, but this will be a good test to end the regular season against a Maine team that’s had a good season and played well at home
-Oral Roberts @ Omaha (Summit League) – Omaha clinches 1st place with a win, which means they can win the auto-bid if Saint Thomas wins the Summit Tourney
-Norfolk State @ South Carolina State (MEAC) – Norfolk State can clinch at least a share of 1st place with a win today
-Yale @ Harvard (Ivy League) – Yale is cruising through Ivy League play and should wrap up 1st place by the end of the weekend
-Southern Utah @ Utah Valley (WAC, Bee Hive) – Utah Valley has a one-game lead over Grand Canyon with just three games to go
-SEMO @ Eastern Illinois (Ohio Valley) – SEMO has wrapped up 1st place and is just wrapping up the regular season and looking to extend their winning streak to 11
-Montana @ Portland State (Big Sky) – Montana can clinch at least a share of 1st place with a win today
-Central Connecticut @ Wagner (Northeast) – Central Connecticut has already wrapped up 1st place and home court advantage and is just looking to extend their winning streak
-McNeese @ Lamar (Southland) – McNeese ran away with the Southland as we expected them to. They’re talented and could potentially be a dangerous team in the Round of 64