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NEWS AND NOTES:
-In regular season action, Miami OH finished the season undefeated after pulling off yet another thriller. Ohio U had a chance to win at the end of regulation and the game came down to the wire of the overtime, but Miami finished off a perfect regular season.
-St. John’s clinched the top seed in the Big East conference tournament with a win at Seton Hall. They will likely finished tied with UConn, but the Johnnies own the tiebreaker by virtue of a season sweep over Creighton.
-VCU did what they needed to do with a win at Dayton to potentially put themselves on the right side of the cut line.
-UCF is flirting with potential disaster as they continue to melt down with a loss at West Virginia. We still think the Knights are making the field, but they are getting perilously close to Checkpoint Dayton.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VIRGINIA TECH AT VIRGINIA (ACC). This is a rivalry game and it’s one that VA Tech needs to win in order to help get them inside the bubble. They won the first meeting in triple OT, but winning on the road is a whole other level. I think Virginia can wrap up a protected seed if they can hold on in this one
-ARKANSAS AT MISSOURI (SEC). Arkansas is in the top half of the bracket, but their resume will look a lot more polished if they can add another quality road win to it. Mizzou is likely in the field win or lose, but a win makes it almost a guarantee. This is usually a fun game.
-LOUISVILLE AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Miami has had a really good season and can finish it off with another notable win today. Louisville is a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but they could really help their seed out by picking up a road win today. It would arguably be their best win of the year on paper since they’ve not beaten anyone inside the bubble in a true road game.
-VANDERBILT AT TENNESSEE (SEC). It’s a rivalry game and it’s one that both could use. Tennessee is still fighting for a protected seed and Vandy is playing for seeding as well. Both should easily land in the top half of the bracket and this would be another quality win for whoever pulls it off.
-CINCINNATI AT TCU (Big 12). This game suddenly has extreme bubble implications. TCU just picked up a huge win at Texas Tech to put themselves back in the picture, and Cincinnati has won six of their last seven, picked up several big wins in that stretch, and according to our JNG they are squarely on the bubble and can still play their way into the field. Bubble teams around the country will be cheering hard for TCU in this one.
-FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Florida is still within reach of a #1 seed. They’re good enough to win today and win the SEC Tournament next week and if they do all that they could get it. Kentucky should land in the top half of the bracket and can help their seed out if they can pull off the win at home.
-WISCONSIN AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Purdue has all but locked up a #1 seed and Wisconsin is safely in the field. They better not overlook the Badgers, who have not always played at a high level, but who does have wins at Illinois and at Michigan, which are two of the best wins that any team has managed this whole season. (Silly Puppet, there’s a team called Michigan that’s more of a 1 seed than Purdue is. Is there another tournament for the Boilers?)
-SAINT LOUIS AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic 10) – SLU has been less than great these last couple of weeks, but they’re still a lock for the NCAA Tournament and can virtually lock themselves into the top half of the bracket with a win today.
-NEW MEXICO AT UTAH STATE (Moutnain West). Utah State is in the field, but their seeding could really improve if they win this game and then win the MWC Tournament next week. New Mexico is right on the bubble and a win in a game like this could make the difference as to whether or not they get in. Unfortunately, the Lobos are probably on the wrong side of said bubble after a midweek loss against Colorado State.
-INDIANA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This is a major bubblicious game. Both teams are straddling the bubble, both need to win, and neither can really afford to lose. Even after winning this game the teams may still have some work to do. This almost has the feel of a play-in game.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT DUKE (ACC). Off the court it is the premier rivalry in all of college basketball and the teams are just eight miles apart. On the court Duke is trying to avenge their loss at UNC from earlier this season and is in the hunt for the #1 overall seed. UNC is looking for a sweep and for a major boost to their profile.
-AUBURN AT ALABAMA (SEC). This has the feel of a near must-win for Auburn. The problem is that it’s not going to be an easy game at all to win. It’s a rivalry game, and while Auburn is battle tested it’s still a long shot. Alabama is still fighting for a protected seed and would love to hand Auburn yet another loss.
-TEXAS TECH AT BYU (Big 12). Texas Tech is looking to bounce back from a somewhat surprising loss to TCU earlier in the week, and BYU has just gone over the edge since having to deal with injuries. They will still make the field, but they are not going to be well positioned and probably won’t go very far.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Houston @ Oklahoma State (Big 12) – Houston can close out the regular season with yet another road win
-Xavier @ Villanova (Big East) – Nova is a virtual lock for the top half of the bracket and should be able to hold serve in this one
-Georgia Tech @ Clemson (ACC) – Clemson is a lock, but this would really be a nasty dent on their resume if they didn’t hold serve in this one. Win or lose, this will be the Jackets’ finale since they failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament.
-Connecticut @ Marquette (Big East) – UConn can almost assuredly lock up a #1 seed if they avoid a loss today and avoid a loss in the Big East Quarterfinals
-Arizona State @ Iowa State (Big 12) – Iowa State still has a small chance to earn a #1 seed. Either way they should be well positioned in both the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA Tournament
-Kansas State @ Kansas (Big 12) – it’s a rivalry game, but it is also a massive mismatch. Kansas should roll
-SMU @ Florida State (ACC) – SMU is on the outside looking in. They need this win on the road and some big wins next week in the ACC Tournament. (Note from Stalica – I don’t think the Ponies are on the wrong side of the bubble yet, but they are way too close now. Their sinking ship can’t take on any more water.)
-Stanford @ NC State (ACC) – it’s important that NC State hold serve because while they will likely make the NCAA Tournament they have a Swiss Cheese Profile that’s full of holes
-Georgia @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Georgia has been playing well these last couple of weeks and they should be able to end the regular season with another road win
-California @ Wake Forest (ACC) – I’m not even sure we are still looking at Cal, but I’ll go ahead and include this in case we are
-Texas A&M @ LSU (SEC) – TAMU is coming off a big win against Kentucky and should be able to close their season out by picking up another conference road win
-Oklahoma @ Texas (SEC) – Texas has really been playing well and should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-UCLA @ USC (Big Ten) – I think UCLA is close to being a lock, but they are still not completely safe. They’ve also really struggled on the road and a win like this will make their profile look a little better. Not to mention this is a rivalry game. Of course, this could be a very one-sided rivalry this year with USC having mentally checked out.
-Arizona @ Colorado (Big 12) – I still think Arizona has a very strong case for the #1 overall seed. I also think they’re good enough to win out through the Big 12 Tournament
UTR WATCH:
-Princeton @ Yale (Ivy League) – Yale can clinch 1st place outright in the Ivy League
-Sam Houston @ Liberty (Conference USA) – despite hitting a recent skid Liberty is still the strongest team in CUSA and will be dangerous in the Round of 64 if they win the auto bid
-UC Davis @ UC Irvine (Big West) – UC Irvine is still in the hunt for a first place finish. It’s the Davine Rivalry! (Good lord where does Stalica come up with this stupid rivalries?)
-Long Beach @ Hawaii (Big West) – Hawaii and UC Irvine are tied for 1st going into today; this logjam at the top may not be sorted out very cleanly after this game.
