NEWS, NOTES AND LINKS
Folks, we’ve got Championship Week covered!!
-For our latest Championship Week Video Notebook, where we review all of last night’s conference tournament action and preview tonight’s action, along with today’s viewing guide – CLICK HERE
-For our updated NCAA Tournament Survival Board, which is the most reliable and valued resource of the NCAA Selection Committee – CLICK HERE
-For all the Conference Tournament information you need – CLICK HERE
-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-We will be recording our Bracket Rundown Video Podcast tonight, and we will have a full roster. Chad will be joined by David, Warren, John and Joby, who have submitted their seed lists in advance. We don’t know what the final tally of those seed list rankings will be, but we will find out tonight when the bracket is built.
TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-TEMPLE AT EAST CAROLINA (American). Temple is right on the bubble and can’t afford a loss to a weak East Carolina team, even if it is a road loss.
-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). The one thing Wisky is lacking in terms of being a #1 seed is a road win against a protected seed caliber team, and tonight isn’t going to change that. Minney is outside the bubble and although winning this game would be a huge step in the right direction, they’d still have work to do after this.
-ARKANSAS AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). Arkansas can still end up as a protected seed if they finish strong and pick up some big netural floor wins in the SEC Tournament.
-MEMPHIS AT UCONN (American). If UConn wins out to the championship game of the AAC, they’ll have a chance, and even then it is just a chance.
-VCU AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten). This is a hugely important game between a VCU that appears to be safely in, but who’s program needs stabilizing, and a Davidson team that’s right on the bubble and needs a quality win. Expect a fun and energetic atmosphere.
-CALIFORNIA AT ARIZONA (Pac Twelve). Zona is at least a solid #2 seed and still has a chance to get up to the #1 line, but I think it’s a very small chance. Even if they win out their profile probably still won’t be strong enough.
-STANFORD AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Twelve). Stanford is outside the bubble, and although they’ll have chances to play their way back in, I question whether or not they’re good enough. That’s not why we’re highlighting this, though. We’re highlighting it because of the Curtain of Distraction!!! The best thing in the history of sports fandom will once again be on display tonight!!
-UTAH AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve). Despite not winning at Arizona and not having a whole lot in the way of big wins, Utah is still high in the rankings and still has a very good chance of ending up as a protected seed, especially if they finish strong.
Championship Week News and Notes, and Other Highlighted Games for Wednesday, March 5th
NEWS, NOTES, AND IMPORTANT LINKS
BREAKING NEWS!!!! NJIT HAS ACCEPTED A BID TO THE CIT!!! THE TEAM OF THE PEOPLE HAS DONE IT!! – CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ABOUT IT!!
–For our most recent Championship Week Video Notebook, which includes our most recent podcast as well as a viewing guide of tonight’s conference tournament action – CLICK HERE
-For our NCAA Tournament Survival Board, which is the most valuable and most relied upon resource that the actual Selection Committee has – CLICK HERE
-For all other Conference Tournament Info – CLICK HERE
-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day and BREAKING NEWS ON NJIT!!! – CLICK HERE
TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
For a viewing guide of all of tonight’s action, check out Matt Sarzyniak’s site by – CLICKING HERE
-OHIO STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). This is a winnable road game for an Ohio State team that hasn’t played well on the road. A loss may sour their profile a little bit, but they appear to be safe either way.
-NOTRE DAME AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Notre Dame’s weak OOC schedule is holding them back, so they’re having to pull more weight in conference to show they are a legitimate protected seed. Louisville is still adjusting to life without Chris Jones, and tonight’s game against a good team will give us a chance to make a statement that they can still win big games without him.
-PROVIDENCE AT SETON HALL (Big East). Providence has been schizophrenic this year, so you don’t want to ever say they can’t be beaten, but they are in the rankings and should be a first ballot team, and a road win tonight will help solidify that.
-TENNESSEE AT LSU (SEC). LSU should be in good shape so long as they hold serve, which means not losing at home to non-tournament teams.
-MAINE AT ALBANY (America East Quarterfinals). I highlight this game because I have been assigned the Maine Black Bears, which means I must zealously support them! Their march to greatness begins tonight!
-WAKE FOREST AT DUKE (ACC). With as good as Duke’s profile is I can’t see them ending up anywhere else other than the #1 line so long as they hold serve.
-MIAMI FL AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). This is a hugely important and pivotal game between two teams that are right on the bubble.
-PURDUE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). This is a hugely important game for both teams. Purdue is right on the bubble and this is the kind of win that helps get them on the right side of it. Michigan State is inside the bubble, but has a lot of room to improve and could end up not making the field if they go into the tank.
-TCU AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve). Okie State is going backwards. They’re still safe, but they really can’t afford to lose this and fall to 7-10 in league play. The Big Twelve is tough, so they have to take advantage of and win the winnable games.
-CINCINNATI AT TULSA (American). This game has a pivotal feel for both teams. Tulsa is right on the bubble, and Cincinnati is inside of it, but with a small margin for error. A win would be helpful and a loss would be damaging to either team.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT MARQUETTE (Big East). I like how Saint John’s has been playing these last few weeks and think they can put together a strong profile and get a decent seed if they keep it up.
-USC AT UCLA (Pac Twelve). UCLA is right on the bubble, but this is not the kind of game that helps them at all. A win does nothing, and a loss really hurts, especially with it being a rivalry game.
-NEBRASKA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Illinois appears to be right on the bubble and can’t afford to lose at home against a non-tournament team.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). San Diego State is in good shape and should be a first ballot team. They can add another road win to their profile tonight.
-OREGON AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve). Oregon is right on the bubble, and they’ve struggled on the road. Oregon State, while nowhere close to being a tournament team, has been very tough at home this year, so it’s a win that Oregon will get a lot of credit for if they pull it off. It’s a high stakes rivalry game both on and off paper, so it should be fun.