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-EASTERN ILLINOIS AT WESTERN ILLINOIS (Ohio Valley). In what I think is our earliest Survival Board game of all time, Western Illinois will be mathematically eliminated from making the OVC Tournament with a loss tonight, which would mean they would be the first team to be removed from the Survival Board. We could be down to as few as 359 teams tomorrow that are still alive and can still win it all!
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NEWS AND NOTES:
-Arizona fell from the ranks of the unbeaten last night. They had a lead all throughout the first half at Kansas, then fell behind but kept it close, but Kansas made the big plays down the stretch that they had to and the Jayhawks held on for a big 82-78 win. Not only do I not think this loss knocks Arizona off the #1 line, I don’t think it even knocks them down from being the #1 overall seed. They’ve still had a great year and are in great shape.
-Saint John’s got a big scare from Xavier and X had the chance to win the game at the end of regulation, but couldn’t get up a decent shot. Saint John’s held on to win in OT 87-82 and may end up as a protected seed if they can keep stringing together wins.
I thought NC State would give Louisville a game last night and perhaps even beat them on the road. That did NOT happen. Louisville blew their doors off 118-77 in what was perhaps one of their most impressive performances of the year considering how well NC State had been playing coming into that game.
-Stephen F Austin got a scare from East Texas A&M, but held on to win 74-70 and hold on to their two game lead in the Southland.
-Belmont struggled at Bradley and couldn’t get it done in regulation despite having a 3pt lead with less than a minute to play. Bradley then pulled away in overtime for a 95-84 win. This pretty much ends Belmont’s at-large hopes.
-UNC Wilmington got a big win at Charleston 76-64, which may be their best one of the year so far considering that it was for 1st place and how well Charleston had been playing.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-PURDUE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). Both teams are likely protected seeds, both have managed big wins throughout the year, and depending on how things play out between now and the end both may still be within reach of a #1 seed (although it is a bit of a far reach). It should be a wild and fun atmosphere in Lincoln tonight.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Miami is squarely on the bubble and needs some big wins to solidify their profile. This is a game that could make the difference of whether or not they make the field. UNC is coming off an emotional win against Duke, which was their fifth straight win, but they should be tested tonight because they’re on the road against a team that’s desperate for a win.
-VANDERBILT AT AUBURN (SEC). Vandy has been up and down this year, but they’ve mostly been up. They’re looking to rebound from a somewhat surprising loss to Oklahoma over the weekend where they almost completed a huge comeback, but came up short. Auburn is inside our bubble, but still has work to do and getting this win tonight would help.
-WISCONSIN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Illinois is coming off an overtime loss at Michigan State, but it still playing at a very high caliber and looking like a team that could make it to the Final Four. Wisconsin is inside our bubble, but their resume could use some stabilizing. Having said that, this would be about as stabilizing a win as you could imagine.
-IOWA STATE AT TCU (Big 12). TCU is hovering around the bubble. They’ve shown moments of being good, but more moments of not being good. Having said that, if they could somehow pull off this win tonight it changes the entire complexion of their profile and likely shoots them back up the seedlist.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Virginia @ Florida State (ACC) – this should be a chance for the Hoos to pick up another road win, which would be their 7th of the year. right now we have them as a protected seed and they have the chance to climb the seedlist even more
-Notre Dame @ SMU (ACC) – SMU needs to be able to hold serve at home in this one
-Marquette @ Villanova (Big East) – Nova is in the top half of our bracket and should be able to hold serve in this one, although Marquette has been playing a little better lately
-Houston @ Utah (Big 12) – It’s not easy to win on the road, but Houston has been known to make it look easy. The Cougars should be able to get this one
-Duke @ Pittsburgh (ACC) – it’s not easy to win on the road, but some games are less difficult to win than others and Pitt is one of those games. Duke should be able to rebound from their loss on Saturday
-Arkansas @ LSU (SEC) – Arkansas isn’t the best road team, but they’re good enough on the road to where they should win this one, which would be their 4th of the year
-Fresno State @ Utah State (Mountain West) – Utah State needs to hold serve at home against teams that are nowhere near the bubble
-Oklahoma State @ Arizona State (Big 12) – if Oklahoma State is going to reach the bubble they need to start stringing together wins between now and the finish, and they can’t afford to drop this one
-Washington State @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – Gonzaga should roll in this one
