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It is the last day of the regular season, it is one week before Selection Sunday, and we are full blown into conference tournaments!!

-For our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK – which contains a run through of all of yesterday’s and today’s conference tournament action along with links, brackets, and more – CLICK HERE

NEWS AND NOTES:

-This is just a rundown of the regular season action.  If you want the conference tournament info check out the links posted above.

-Alabama had been winning, but they just hadn’t looked the same since all of the off the court issues surfaced.  Yesterday at Texas A&M, they didn’t win.  They did fight back after being behind on the road against a really good team, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.  TAMU has silenced all the critics that were questioning how good they were when they were racking up wins against a backloaded schedule.  Well, they now racked up enough wins on the back end to convince me, including their 67-61 win over the Tide yesterday.

-Texas did to Kansas at home what Kansas did to Texas when Kansas was at home.  They won handily 75-59, and it shouldn’t really be a surprise.  Texas can still get up to the #1 line, but they’ll have to win the Big 12 Tournament to do it.  The thing is, I think the Horns are good enough to do just that.

-UCLA did to Arizona at home what Arizona did to the Bruins when the Wildcats were at home, and that’s win the game handily.  It wasn’t a blowout, but at no point were the Bruins really sweating.  UCLA puts a nice ribbon on the end of their regular season, and many feel they can get a #1 seed if they do the double and win the Pac 12 Tournament.

-Iowa State, who had looked like a top ten team at times this year, but who had recently been in an absolute tailspin, went into Baylor yesterday and for 40 minutes looked like perhaps the best team in the nation.  They controlled the entire game and won 73-58, and the score probably doesn’t indicate just how dominant the Cyclones were.  Baylor had been on an absolute roll going into yesterday, so this was a surprise.

-West Virginia needed a huge win yesterday, and got it.  They knocked off Kansas State 89-81, and while it was at home, it’s still a big win against a protected seed and may be enough to put the Mountaineers into the field.

-Auburn also got a big win at home against Tennessee 79-70.  After several close calls they finally got a win that they needed.  Their season and resume have not exactly been overwhelming, and yesterday’s win was at home against a Tennessee team that just lost one of their best players to an injury, but even with all that I still think it’s enough to put Auburn on the right side of the bubble.  At least that’s what I think the committee will think.

-UConn got an impressive 71-59 win at Villanova that’s probably a much better when than what most people will initially think given how well Nova had been playing recently, and given that it was on the road, and given that they won rather handily.

-Providence completely slept through their alarm yesterday and were blown out 82-58 at home by a Seton Hall team that’s looked underwhelming more often than not this season.

-Kentucky got yet another nice win at Arkansas 88-79.  I now this season wasn’t as good as what many Kentucky fans were hoping for, but they are unquestionably a better team now than they were just six or seven weeks ago, and they’ve put together a fairly decent profile.  I don’t think the teams facing them in the early rounds of the tournament will be all that excited to see them.

-Nevada, who was squarely on the bubble, lost 69-67 at home to UNLV, who is so far outside the bubble that they need binoculars to see it.  This is NOT a good loss for the Wolfpack.

-Oklahoma State got a win that they very much needed as they knocked off Texas Tech on the road 71-68.  If they can win their opening round Big 12 Tournament game against Oklahoma that may be enough to just sneak them into the field.  If they can win two games then I think they’re a lock.

-Duke, who I had been picking on all year for not being a good road team, got a good road win yesterday as they knocked off rivals North Carolina 62-57.  North Carolina is a team I’ve picked on even more than Duke, but the Tarheels have been very good at home this year, so Duke deserves legit credit for this win.

-Florida Atlantic ended the regular season with a 76-72 nail-biter at Louisiana Tech.  I think they’ve done enough to go in on the first ballot, although some will say they at least need to win their quarterfinals game in the CUSA Tournament.

-Vanderbilt, despite losing their best player to an injury, still got the win over Mississippi State yesterday 77-72.  Mississippi State is straddling the bubble and probably needs a win in the SEC Tournament to get them into the field, whereas Vandy has finished the season very strong and might be able to play their way into the discussion.  Had Vandy played all season like they have the last 3-4 weeks, they’d be in the top half of the bracket right now.

-Utah State knocked off Boise State at home yesterday 86-73.  Had Boise State won I think it would have all but locked them into the field, but seeing as they didn’t, they are now floating around the area that is very close to the bubble.  Utah State is also floating around the bubble, but I think they’re still on the outside part of it.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-HOUSTON AT MEMPHIS (American).  I think Houston is a lock for a #1 seed, and while Memphis may not be locked into the NCAA Tournament yet, I think they’re a virtual lock even if they lose this game.  If Memphis can WIN this game, then they’ll be a complete lock and will move themselves up the seedlist.

-MARYLAND AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  Maryland has been a terrible road team and while I do think they’ll make the field, I don’t think they deserve that good of a seed.  I will change my mind a little bit if they’re able to win today.  But I simply cannot ignore the fact that they have no decent road wins.  The only two they have are against Minnesota and Louisville and both of those teams are so bad that I wonder if those should even count as road wins.  They’ve lost on the road to multiple teams that won’t even make the NIT.  They NEED this win to convince me that they even belong.  I think they’ll get in regardless of what I think, but a win today would certainly help their resume because it would give them at least one decent road win, and one is infinitely more than zero (mathematical fact!).

-ILLINOIS AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Both teams are locks to make the dance and are just playing for seeding.  Purdue is trying to finish with a #1 seed, and Illinois is trying to improve their resume and move up the seedlist, and a win in a game like this would help them out big time.

-NEBRASKA AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Iowa should be able to hold serve without too much trouble.

-MICHIGAN AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Michigan has been making all kinds of noise lately.  A win today gets them to 18-13 on the year, 12-8 in the Big Ten, and puts another high quality win on their resume.  They will be seriously considered, and perhaps even selected, if they can manage a win today and avoid an early exit from the Big Ten Tournament.

-NORTHWESTERN AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  I think both teams are in, but both can certainly do a lot to improve their seed with a win today and a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament.

For our latest CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK where we recap and preview all of the conference tournament action that’s going on, as well as links to all the brackets, the Survival Board, and more – CLICK HERE

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-KANSAS AT TEXAS (Big 12) (***Spotlight Game***).  Both teams are in the top ten and Kansas is solidly on the #1 line.  This would be their single most impressive win of the year if they’re able to pull it off, which is saying a lot because of how many good wins they already have.  Texas can still get to the #1 line with a win today and a strong showing in the Big 12 Tournament next week.

-ALABAMA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  This is a big showdown between Alabama, who most have as the overall #1 seed but who has also struggled in their last few games, and Texas A&M who has been red hot who can continue to move up the seedlist with a win today.  This one should be a lot of fun!

-IOWA STATE AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Baylor has been playing like one of the better teams in the country since the end of January, and Iowa State is a complete tailspin and while they’re in no danger of missing the field, they may not end up anywhere close to a protected seed if they lose this game and then don’t win a single game in the Big 12 Tournament.

-KANSAS STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  K State is pretty much assured a protected seed and is just playing to get as high on the seedlist as they possibly can, and West Virginia is just trying to get into the field.  They’re coming off a big road win at Iowa State, and a near huge upset at Kansas before that, so they are in a stretch where they are playing really well.

-TENNESSEE AT AUBURN (SEC).  Tennessee pretty much has a protected seed locked up, but is still trying to get used to not having their point guard for the rest of the year due to an injury.  Auburn is simply trying to make the field.  They’ve had several near big wins, including their last game where they lost to Alabama on the road, they still don’t have enough actual wins on their resume yet to assure them a spot in the NCAA Tournament, so a win today would be huge.

-KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Kentucky is coming off a bit of a surprising loss to Vanderbilt, but is still in the middle of a stretch where they’ve been playing well and have looked as good as they have all year.  They can shine up their profile even more if they can get this one on the road.  Arkansas is probably solidly in the field as well, but this is a chance for them to make their resume look a little better.

-TCU AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  TCU has dealt with injuries throughout the year, but when they’ve been healthy they’ve played as good as anyone.  This is a chance for them to add another road win to their resume.  Oklahoma has shown they can play with the very best in the nation at times, but they’ve also shown they’re an NIT caliber team most of the time.

-PITTSBURGH AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Both teams are solidly in the field, but both of them also can improve their seed with a strong finish to the season.  Miami FL recently lost to Florida State, which is a bit of a setback, but they’re still really good and I think they can actually win out through the ACC Tournament and end up with a protected seed.  Pitt also has some head-scratching losses, but also has some really good wins and to get this one on the road would improve their seed in They Big Dance.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  This is a very bubblicious game between two teams that can still make the NCAA Tournament, but who are right on the cut line and and need some big wins between now and the end.  A win today doesn’t lock either team in, but it certainly helps.  A loss doesn’t totally end their hopes, but it will make it exceedingly difficult.

-DUKE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  8 miles apart!!!  And have never met in the NCAA Tournament in a round prior to the Final Four!!  Duke is in the field, but has a lot of room to move up the seedlist and getting this one on the road would certainly help.  North Carolina is squarely on the bubble, but has been really strong at home and a win today would certainly help their case.  Either way I think they need some notable wins in the ACC Tournament next week, though.

-UCONN AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Nova is finally healthy, and they are on an absolute rampage right now.  It took them too long to start playing like a top 25 caliber team for them to make The Tournament without the auto-bid, but they are in fact playing like a top 25 caliber team right now.  It wouldn’t shock me to see them win today and do quite a bit of damage in the Big East Tournament next week.  UConn is also playing really well and can probably lock up a protected seed if they’re able to win this one today.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  Mississippi State is a team that we have inside the bubble, and while they’ve played well over the past month or so they still don’t have it entirely locked yet.  A road win against a Vanderbilt team that’s also been playing really well lately and who perhaps has an outside shot at reaching the bubble if they can win this and win a few big games in the SEC Tournament, but will now have to do it without Liam Robbins, who was probably their best player and will miss the rest of the season due to injury.

-BOISE STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  A bubblelicious game between a Boise State team that is squarely on the cut line and who could come very close to locking up a spot if they can get a road game tonight, and a Utah State team that needs to win this and win multiple games in the MWC Tourney next week just to get solidly in the discussion.

-ARIZONA AT UCLA (Pac 12).  A massive showcase game for the Pac 12, and perhaps a preview of next week’s Pac 12 Championship game.  UCLA is within reach of the #1 line, and if they win out, which I think they are good enough to do, they could end up with a 1 seed.

-ARIZONA STATE AT USC (Pac 12).  This is a hugely important game for both teams.  We have USC just inside the bubble and Arizona State right on the bubble.  Today’s game is extremely pivotal for both teams and could make the difference as to whether or not they end up making it.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Seton Hall @ Providence (Big East) – Providence is solidly in the field and is very tough to beat at home, so they should be able to hold serve in this one
-Ohio State @ Michigan State (Big Ten) – Sparty has played well for a lot of the year, but has also lost some really close games that they were right in that could have made their resume look even better.  They should be able to get this one at home
-Saint John’s @ Marquette – Marquette has locked up 1st place in the Big East and has a chance to end up as high as a #2 seed if they can win out through the Big East Tournament
-Louisville @ Virginia (ACC) – UVA has been in a bit of a tailspin, but they did look good in their last game and should have no trouble winning this one at home today
-UNLV @ Nevada (Mountain West) – it’s a rivalry game, but it means a lot on paper as well as Nevada is squarely on the bubble and losing at home to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble will hurt them
-Butler @ Xavier (Big East) – Xavier is coming off one of their biggest wins of the year after knocking off Providence on the road.  Strangely enough, Butler won the first meeting between these two, so X will look to get revenge for that today
-Notre Dame @ Clemson (ACC) – Clemson has been all over the map this year as far as the quality of their wins and the awfulness of their losses.  They need to hold serve at home tonight in order to remain on the bubble.
-Creighton @ DePaul (Big East) – Creighton is a team that will go into the NCAA Tournament on the first ballot and should be able to hold serve today.
-Wyoming @ San Diego State (Mountain West) – San Diego State will be wearing white in the Round of 64, and is basically playing to sustain their seed for the rest of the year