NEWS AND NOTES:
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In addition to the eliminations in conference tournaments today, there are several teams that could be eliminated from qualifying for their league tournaments, as follows:
– CAL POLY: Eliminated from qualifying for the Big West Tournament with a home loss to Cal State-Fullerton AND a Cal State-Bakersfield home win over Hawai’i.
– NIAGARA: Eliminated from qualifying for the MAAC Tournament with a loss at St. Peter’s or a Rider home win over Canisius.
– ST PETER’S: Eliminated from qualifying for the MAAC Tournament with a home loss to Niagara AND a Rider home win over Canisius AND a Fairfield win at Siena.
BLEACHER BROTHERS APPEARANCE!
Our expert “mixologist” Chad Sherwood made a guest appearance with AJ and Junior on the Bleacher Brothers Show last night, and had to answer why do we have a Puppet on our podcasts?!?
Check it out right here:
DAILY RUNDOWN:
Last night was a relatively busy night with teams in the SEC not only making claims for a #1 seed, but teams around the bubble began lobbying on the court (and not just in the postgame pressers) with much needed wins.
– We need to start with Florida; the Gators beat Alabama 99-94 on the road to complete a road sweep of both Alabama and Auburn. That is a massive double and there may now be a discussion of whether or not Florida can leapfrog Houston (and maybe Duke if they lose at UNC this Saturday) as a result.
– Ole Miss got a desperately-needed quality win with a 78-76 victory at home against Tennessee. That clinches at least a single bye in the SEC Tournament for the Rebels; if they can win at Florida in their regular season finale and get some help, they could also sneak into a double bye with a #4 seed!
– Oklahoma kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a 12-point home win against Mizzou. The Sooners have a massive finale at Texas that they absolutely must win (also keep in mind that Texas could also finish a must-win week at 2-0). Mizzou’s profile has a yellow flag with only 3 wins away from Columbia.
– While Wisconsin won in Minnesota without much trouble, Maryland went on the road to Michigan and got a 71-65 victory that now puts the Terrapins in the discussion for a possible protected seed. The Wolverines’ ship is starting to take on water at the wrong time of the year.
– Clemson and Louisville both won to remain a game behind Duke in the ACC standings, but the Cards now have yet another injury issue as Reyne Smith left in the first half with a lower leg injury. Currently he’s day-to-day, but losing their best 3-point shooter is something Louisville can’t afford as they get set for the ACC Tournament next week.
– UConn completed a season sweep of Marquette with a 72-66 victory in the Basketball Capital. This steers the Huskies back into the top half of the bracket and now Marquette is headed into storm clouds to end their season. Particularly a Red Storm looming for them in the regular season finale.
– Xavier managed to withstand a hot-shooting Butler team from 3-point range and blew open what was a close game at halftime with a 19-4 run sandwiched around halftime en route to a 91-78 victory on the road. The Musketeers are now guaranteed a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament and are likely going to be paired against Marquette in their conference tournament opener.
– It was also a relatively quiet night in the Big 12 with Texas Tech getting a comfortable win at home against Colorado. Cincinnati was anything but comfortable going into last night and has now been swept by Kansas State after losing 54-49 at home. Wes Miller had a few choice words for himself and his team in the postgame presser.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
MICHIGAN STATE AT IOWA (B1G) – On paper, this game means a lot more to Iowa in that the Hawkeyes need to win this to get into a 6-way tie for 11th place in the conference. If they lose this game, they are going to need a lot of help over the weekend just to qualify. I’ll leave it to Chad Sherwood to confirm.
LIBERTY AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (C-USA) – Tonight’s game will be on CBS Sports Network and the winner of this game joins Jacksonville State in a first-place tie atop the league standings. Liberty is getting a few mentions as a long shot at-large, but if they lose tonight those mentions will be relegated to DMs.
UC-IRVINE AT UC-DAVIS (Big West) – This is the first of two critical road games remaining for the Anteaters; a loss here pretty much finishes their at-large hopes and could all but sew up a #2 seed in the conference tournament.
LONG BEACH STATE AT UC-SAN DIEGO (Big West) – A win here and the Tritons will clinch a share of the Big West crown. They will also clinch the #1 seed by virtue of a split with UC-Irvine and a sweep of 3rd place Cal State-Northridge.