-PURDUE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Purdue is within reach of a #1 seed, and Michigan State is in a tailspin and may be falling into the bottom half of the bracket. This is a chance for the Spartans to turn things around.
-FLORIDA AT GEORGIA (SEC). Florida is right around the bubble, and they better not lose to an awful Georgia team.
-BUTLER AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Marquette has a strong profile with a lot of high caliber wins. They should be able to hold serve in this one today.
-KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS (SEC). This is a huge game between a Kentucky team that is knocking on the door of a #1 seed, and an Arkansas team that is climbing the seedlist and has some massive wins at home. Arkansas actually has a path to a protected seed, but it would involve winning a few more big games like the one they’re going to play today.
-TEXAS AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). The wheels have come off at West Virginia. Road wins look good on resumes, and this is a winnable road game for the Longhorns.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT NC STATE (ACC). North Carolina looks to be outside our bubble, but they are still on the board. They need a strong finish, and that includes being able to win this one on the road.
-IOWA STATE AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). I know K State’s overall record is 14-13, but half of those losses have come to teams that are likely to be seeded on the #5 line or higher, and they have some good wins. Despite their record, I believe they still deserve some SERIOUS consideration for a bid. Now, having said that, this is the kind of game they need to be able to win. Iowa State is good, but they’re not 5-seed-or-better good, and K State is at home.
-DAYTON AT LA SALLE (Atlantic Ten). Dayton hasn’t been on many radars this year, but I believe they are close to making it inside the bubble. They were our first team out last night, and don’t be surprised if they get a serious look by the committee, and even end up getting selected if they finish strong.
-FORDHAM AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten). We have Davidson rather safely inside the bubble, but they aren’t a lock. They need to hold serve in order to stay there, which they should be good enough to do.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT MIAMI FL (ACC). If VA Tech wants any real chance at all of making the field, they need to thunder down the stretch and beat some good teams in the ACC Tournament. I like this Miami FL team and think they’ll be fine so long as they hold serve, which means winning at home in a game like this.
-SETON HALL AT XAVIER (Big East). Neither team NEEDS this, but both could REALLY use it. Xavier has lost five out of six (including a close one at Seton Hall), and while none of the losses are horrible, the overall accumulation is starting to drag them down. Seton Hall has won two straight, but it was against DePaul and Butler. A win in this one would give their resume a nudge upward.
-AUBURN AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Both were projected as protected seeds last week, and Auburn is on pace to get a #1 seed. A win today would really solidify that they deserve it, but a loss wouldn’t knock them out of it. It would obviously be a resume boost for Tennessee as well.
-UCLA AT OREGON STATE (Pac 12). UCLA slipped up at Oregon the other night, but that wasn’t that damaging of a loss. Losing this one certainly would be, though.
-LOUISIANA TECH AT NORTH TEXAS (Conference USA). I think North Texas is squarely on the bubble and is a team the committee should definitely look at, and so long as they hold serve the rest of the way, they should select them if they trip up in the CUSA Tournament. LA Tech is pretty good as well, but North Texas should be able to beat them at home.
-FLORIDA STATE AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Virginia is not on the bubble, but they are perhaps on the bubble for being on the bubble. They need a very strong finish to the season.
-VCU AT UMASS (Atlantic Ten). If VCU wins out and avoids an early exit in the Atlantic Ten Tournament they should get a serious look.
-MURRAY STATE AT SEMO (Ohio Valley). I believe Murray State is already a lock (or at least they should be). If they win this one, they will almost definitely be.
-SAN FRANCISCO AT SAN DIEGO (West Coast). San Francisco must hold serve in games like this if they want to land on the good side of the bubble.
-GEORGIA TECH AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). Notre Dame needs to be in holding-serve mode in this one. They are inside the bubble (we think), but their resume is flimsy and it wouldn’t take much to knock them onto the wrong side of it.
-DUKE AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Duke appears to be on a path to a protected seed. Syracuse had been playing better, but is still unlikely not within reach of an at-large bid. But, this is a showcase game for them, so Duke certainly won’t want to overlook them.
-TEXAS TECH AT TCU (Big 12). Texas Tech’s profile is amazing, and adding another road win to it against what looks to be a very solid TCU team would make it even more amazing. I believe TCU is rather safely inside the bubble, but a win today would certainly give them an upward nudge.
-WISCONSIN AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Wisconsin is a likely protected seed, and Rutgers is likely good enough to be selected, but it’s kind of hard to read them. Their good is very good, but their bad is worse than the bad of most tournament teams. They’re also a bit of a home court hero. Fortunately for them, they’re at home today.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT ALABAMA (SEC). South Carolina has been playing noticeably better, but still appears to be a mile from making the field and winning at Alabama is a huge ask. The Tide have been very strong at home this year.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley). I think this is one that Loyola Chicago needs. I wouldn’t call them a lock even if they win it, and I wouldn’t say they’re completely out even if they lose it, but it VERY MUCH help them if they win this game. Northern Iowa has been playing well, and won’t be easy to beat at home. In fact a win for UNI jumps them over Loyola Chicago in the standings, so…it’s a huge game.
-LOUISVILLE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Wake appears to be hovering around the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one.
-ARIZONA AT COLORADO (Pac 12). Arizona seems to be getting closer and closer to locking up a #1 seed. It’s never easy to win on the road at Colorado, but it is the kind of game you’d expect a #1 seed to be able to win.
-KANSAS AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Kansas was given a #1 seed by the committee a week ago. To me, the ONLY thing missing from their resume that would lock them into a #1 seed is a true road win against another top four seed. Well, they can check that box today. It won’t be easy. Baylor is also Final Four good, and isn’t in the habit of losing at home.
-PEPPERDINE AT BYU (West Coast). This is a virtual buy game for BYU.
-NEVADA AT WYOMING (Mountain West). Wyoming should lock up a tournament bid if they can hold serve the rest of the season, which means winning games like this one.
-CREIGHTON AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Providence is on the brink of wrapping up a first place Big East finish, which should all but assure them a protected seed. I think Creighton is safely in the field, but not everyone is as big of a fan of theirs as I am. Well, if they could somehow win this game, they’ll be in great shape.
-MISSOURI AT LSU (SEC). it’s hold-serve-mode time for LSU.
-GONZAGA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast). This is probably the toughest test Gonzaga will face in conference. That being said, it’s still a test that we are fully expecting them to pass. If the Zags win this one, I think they should lock up a #1 seed regardless of what happens in the conference tournament. Winning the conference tournament would merely be repeating what they’ve already accomplished, and losing a game in the conference tournament should not erase what they’ve already accomplished, which is running the table in regular season league play.
-USC AT OREGON (Pac 12). USC barely escaped the other night, but appears to be safely inside the bubble and will likely go in on the first ballot. Oregon won a big one against UCLA the other night, and as a team that’s right on the bubble, they could really use this one as well.
-BOISE STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). I really like this Boise State team. I think they have a good resume. I think they have a team that’s even better than their resume indicates. I think they belong in the top half of the bracket. Now, all that being said, although UNLV is nowhere near the field, they have been very tough for a lot of good teams to beat at home.
-COLORADO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). This won’t be the easiest of road games for Colorado State, but they’re good enough to win it, and even if they don’t I still think they’re in good shape.
UNDER THE RADAR WATCH. CLICK HERE to view the SURVIVAL BOARD
-WAGNER AT BRYANT (Northeast Conference). The winner gets the #1 seed and home court advantage for the Tournament.
-AMERICA EAST – Vermont has clinched home court. Maine has been eliminated
-NORTH ALABAMA AT JACKSONVILLE STATE (ASun). Jax State clinches top seed with a win. Liberty and Jacksonville are both a game back in the other division
-BIG SKY – Montana State clinches at least a share of first place if they win at Montana tomorrow
-LONGWOOD AT CAMPBELL (Big South). Longwood clinches first place outright with a win. Winthrop Is just a game behind, but they don’t own the tiebreaker
LONG BEACH STATE AT UC IRVINE (Big West). UC Irvine is red hot all of a sudden, but is still a game behind Long Beach, who has won 12 of 13. Just one game separates the two at the top of the standings with just three games to go, so this is pivotal
-UNC WILMINGTON AT DELAWARE (Colonial Athletic). UNCW Clinches first place with a win. Towson is just a half game behind them and can jump over them if they win at James Madison and UNCW loses today
-CONFERENCE USA – mentioned above. North Texas is on pace to finish first, and should be seriously considered for a bid if they don’t win the conference tournament.
-CLEVELAND STATE AT OAKLAND (Horizon League). This is Cleveland State’s fifth straight road game, which is a rough way to end the year, but if they win it they clinch first place.
-IVY LEAGUE. Princeton and Yale are deadlocked. Princeton faces Harvard today and Yale plays at Cornell. The other thing to watch is that Cornell, Harvard, Brown, and Dartmouth are all separated by just one game for the 4th place spot, and with just two to play all those games are huge in regards to making the conference tournament
-MAAC – Iona is mentioned above. They have clinched first place
-MEAC – Norfolk State and NC Central are separated by just one game with just three to go.
-MAC – this league is very exciting all of a sudden. Toledo, Ohio U, Kent State, and Buffalo are all within a game of each other at the top of the standings, Akron is starting to play some good ball as well. Any of those teams would be dangerous in the Round of 64, and we should be set up for an exciting end to the season and a great conference tournament.
-MISSOURI VALLEY – As mentioned above, the game between Loyola Chicago and Northern Iowa will determine the first place finisher
-OHIO VALLEY – Murray State has clinched. SIUE and UT Martin are tied for 8th place, and Eastern Illinois is one game behind them. Only 8 teams make the conference tournament, so we will see two of them get eliminated today.
-PATRIOT LEAGUE – Colgate has clinched first place and home court
-SOCON – After two straight losses, Chattanooga finally got the win they needed to clinch first place this past Wednesday
-SOUTHLAND – Nicholls and New Orleans are deadlocked at the top of the standings with just three games to go. They will face each other in the season finale.
-SUN BELT – Texas State has clinched first place after their win at Troy last night, and the bracket is set. CLICK HERE to see it
-SWAC – Texas Southern, Alcorn State, and Southern are all tied atop the standings in the loss column with three or four games to go (depending on the team)
-SUMMIT LEAGUE – South Dakota State has clinched first place, and will complete a perfect regular season if they win at Kansas City today. North Dakota has been eliminated,
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT CHICAGO STATE (WAC). A win gives New Mexico State at least a share of first place
