Hoops HD

While The Madness has already started, today is the first official day of March, so….HAPPY MARCH MADNESS EVERYBODY!!!

-All the Championship Week Info you need is RIGHT HERE!!  CLICK HERE FOR OUR LATEST CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK with brackets, links to the Survival Board, and much more!!

-For Jon Teitel’s Title Updates – CLICK HERE

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Let’s see…where to start??  Oh yeah!!  A dog took a dump on the floor at the Virginia Tech v Louisville game.  It was one of the more notable things that’s happened at Louisville all season!!

-It was a close call, but Kansas escaped Texas Tech 67-63 in a game that came down to the final couple of possessions.  Kansas led the whole way, but it was very close all throughout.  I don’t want to say this hurt Texas Tech because a loss on the road to a team like Kansas is never going to set anyone back, but I will say that it was the kind of win that they needed in order to get selected for the tournament.  As of now it looks like they’re still on the wrong side of the bubble.

-Virginia got a 64-57 win against Clemson which may have meant more off paper than on paper.  The Hoos had really not looked good their last few games, so perhaps yesterday will snap them out of it.  Clemson has a scattershot resume and remains hovering around the bubble.

-Indiana had their heads in the clouds after beating Purdue on the road for the season sweep.  Unfortunately it looks like they weren’t able to get their feet back on the ground.  They were at home against Iowa, and just got blown off the floor 90-68.  The Hawkeyes were coming off of a crazy win of their own, so they must have had a lot of energy coming into this one.

-Boise State is right on the bubble, and really needed a big win, and got it last night against San Diego State 66-60.  It was a home win, but they’ll still get some credit for it given how good San Diego State is.

-Duke got a 71-67 home win against rivals NC State to go perfect on their home court this year.  I don’t think this result really moves either team’s place on the seedlist right now.

-Villanova continues to rack up wins and got another one at Seton Hall yesterday 76-72.  They are currently too far outside the bubble to reach it by the end of the season, but they are really playing well and can make some noise in the Big East Tournament.  I’m not going to go so far as to pick them to win it, but I will say that it wouldn’t shock me at all if they did given how well they’re playing.  As for Seton Hall, I now think they’re only way into the NCAAs is to win the Big East Tournament.  They’ve fallen to a very modest 16-14 on the year.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-XAVIER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  There have been a lot of great Big East games this year, and it seems whenever Xavier and Providence get together it’s always some crazy, back and forth, multiple overtime game, so hopefully we are in for another good one tonight.  Both teams are safely in the field and are really just playing for seeding the rest of the way.  Xavier is fighting for a protected seed and Providence is fighting to move up the top half of the bracket.

-AUBURN AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Round 2 of the Hoops Iron Bowl.  Alabama is almost a unanimous #1 seed and perhaps the consensus overall #1 seed, but they have struggled in their last couple of games (understandably so) and may still be a little vulnerable.  Auburn is squarely on the bubble and needs a big time win to help ensure they end up on the right side of it.

-MARYLAND AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Maryland has been a terrible road team this year.  As good as a lot of their season has been, none of those good things have happened on other teams’ floors.  Ohio State has been horrible since Big Ten play started, and if Maryland can’t get this win on the road, then it could really end up hurting their seeding.

-FORDHAM AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic Ten).  I highlight this game only to point out that Fordham is going for their 24th win of the season!  If you don’t think that’s amazing then don’t bother visiting Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon.  Those won’t impress you either.

-TEXAS AT TCU (Big 12).  Both teams are probable protected seeds, and Texas has a shot at ending up as a #1 seed depending on how things play out.  This storyline seems to be a recurring theme in the Big 12 this year.

-UTAH STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West).  I suppose Utah State still has a chance??  But it’s a very steep and narrow path if they want to land inside the bubble.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-DePaul @ UConn (Big East) – UConn’s Big East record is somewhat lagging compared to everything else on their resume due to a slump back in January, but they are playing as well as anyone else in the league right now
-Vanderbilt @ Kentucky (SEC) – It took it a lot longer than usual for it to happen, but Kentucky is playing at a high caliber and can improve their seed between now and the end
-Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame (ACC) – Pitt is in the rankings, safely inside the bubble, and barring a collapse should go in to the field on the first ballot
-Oklahoma @ Kansas State (Big 12) – I wouldn’t call this an easy game because Oklahoma has shown they can beat really good teams, but it is perhaps the most winnable conference game K State will play all year.  At home against the Sooners
-Georgetown @ Creighton (Big East) – a conference buy game for the Bluejays
-Chicago State @ Gonzaga – buy game
-Penn State @ Northwestern (Big Ten) – an NIT team is on the road against an NCAA Tournament team
-Missouri @ LSU (SEC) – Missouri is a solid tournament team, but more road wins will help them get a better seed

NEWS, NOTES AND CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK RELATED LINKS:

-Championship Week OFFICIALLY got underway yesterday with the start of the Atlantic Sun Tournament, so we have now begun to record our nightly CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOKS.  Check that out, along with our latest HOOPS HD REPORT where we recap a crazy weekend and look ahead to the big games this week. – CLICK HERE

-For our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE, which includes all 32 conference tournament brackets, schedules, and TV information – CLICK HERE

-For the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which is updated throughout the day, and where w show who we feel is a lock, who is under consideration, and who is still playing but needs to win the automatic bid – CLICK HERE

-For our latest BRACKETOLOGY, which includes Jon Teitel’s projections who is among the best in the world at guessing the actual Selection Committee – CLICK HERE

As for what happened on the court last night…

-Baylor got yet another nice road win as they knocked off Oklahoma State 74-68.  Baylor is 11-6 In Big 12 play, but many forget that they started off 0-3 and since then have not just been one of the best teams in the conference, but one of the best teams in the nation.  As for Oklahoma State, it was their 5th straight loss, and they’ve gone from looking like a team that had turned it around to looking like a team that will probably end up in the NIT if they keep sinking into the quicksand.

-West Virginia got a really big win at Iowa State that they really needed.  They are squarely on the bubble, and whenever a bubble team wins on the road against a team that’s squarely in the field, it helps them out.  As for Iowa State, they are squarely in the field, but are no longer a protected seed caliber team.  They’ve now lost 8 of 11 and are sliding down the seedlist.

-Nevada did something that IS NOT good for teams that are on the bubble, and that’s lose to a team that is nowhere near the bubble.  They fell on the road to a Wyoming team that is just 9-20 on the year, and suddenly their tournament hopes are in jeopardy.

SURVIVAL BOARD WATCH (courtesy of Chad Sherwood):

-AMERICA EAST – Albany is out with a loss (at Vermont) or an NJIT win (at New Hampshire).  If Albany wins and NJIT loses, NJIT is out instead.

MAC (up to 4): 

-Western Michigan is out with a loss (home vs Miami-Ohio) or wins by Eastern Michigan (at Northern Illinois) and Central Michigan (home vs Toledo)

-Bowling Green is out with a loss (home vs Eastern Michigan)

-Miami-Ohio is out with a loss (at Western Michigan) and an Eastern Michigan win (at Bowling Green)

-Central Michigan is out with a loss (home vs Toledo) and an Eastern Michigan win (at Bowling Green)

HIGLIGHTED GAMES:

-CLEMSON AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Clemson’s resume is all over the map.  They have some really nice wins that outweigh most of what the rest of the bubble has, but they also have several really bad losses and have shown very little consistency this year.  This is yet another very pivotal game for them.  Virginia is solidly in the field, but they are sliding down the seedlist and haven’t looked all that good in their last several games.  A win tonight is more about turning things around on the court than shoring up their resume.

-IOWA AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Iowa is coming off an amazing and improbable come from behind win against Michigan State, and Indiana is coming off what is perhaps an even more improbable road win at Purdue.  Both are solidly in the field and Indiana looks to me like a solid protected seed.  Both these teams are more or less just playing for seeding tonight.

-NC STATE AT DUKE (ACC).  Both teams are in the bracket with Duke being around or 6 or 7 line, and NC State hovering around the 8 line.  Both have opportunities to improve their seeding between now and the end of the ACC Tournament, and a win tonight for either team would help.  Oh yeah, and this is also one of those Tobacco Road rivalries that are always so much fun!

-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS (Big 12).  Kansas has a path to a #1 seed, and while Texas Tech still does have a path to the NCAA Tournament it is considerably more narrow now than it was before their last loss, and would likely require a win tonight.  Obviously, winning at Kansas is a VERY tall order.

-ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Tennessee has been inconsistent throughout the season, but they’ve played really well enough of the time to remain a solid protected seed and can be dangerous.  Arkansas is probably inside the bubble either way, but they will definitely be MUCH safer if they can find a way to win tonight.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  San Diego State is moving up the seedlist, and some believe they are as high as a 5 seed and even have a shot at a protected seed if they can win out.  They are good, and they did pick up a really nice and tough road win in their last game against San Diego State, and I will give them even more props if they can win tonight, but I cannot agree with anyone who likes them so much that they think the deserve a protected seed.  As for Boise State, they are squarely on the bubble and really need this win tonight to help ensure that they end up on the right side of it.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Marquette @ Butler (Big East) – Marquette looks like the best team in the Big East and is cruising toward a protected seed
-Boston College @ Wake Forest (ACC) – If Wake wins out to the ACC Championship game then perhaps they’ve got a shot at getting selected
-Saint Louis @ VCU (Atlantic Ten) – VCU almost assuredly needs the auto-bid to get in, but if they win out the regular season they will likely at least get looked at
-Texas A&M @ Ole Miss (SEC) – TAMU is on a roll despite coming off of a loss, and should safely make it into the field barring a complete collapse
-Michigan State @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – Sparty is safely in the field and can add another road win to their resume tonight.  I think they are good enough to improve their seed between now and the end of the B1G Tourney
-South Carolina @ Mississippi State (SEC) – we have Mississippi State in, but they are also close to the bubble and need to hold serve tonight
-Fresno State @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico is in a tailspin and just missed what would have been a big win against San Diego State when they lost on a last second shot.  They need to hold serve tonight and pick up some wins between now and the end of the MWC Tourney