For our latest Championship Week Video Notebook and Viewing Guide, CLICK HERE.
Howard at NJIT, 8:00 PM Eastern, No TV
The Team of the People. The only Independent. The New Jersey Institute of Technology, our adopted team here at HOOPS HD, plays its final regular season game tonight in Washington, DC against the MEAC’s Howard Bison. And once this game ends, the goal is to see the People’s Team’s season continue. Join us in our assault on social media to let the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) know that the Highlanders belong. And not only do the belong in the CIT, they deserve a home game in it as well!
NJIT enters tonight’s regular season finale at 17-11 on the season, a school record for total wins and for number of games above the .500 mark. The highlight of their season was the win at Michigan, though they have also collected solid home wins over St. Frankis (Brooklyn) and Yale. Even though Ky Howard has been out for well over a month, the Highlanders are still led by several very good players, including Damon Lynn and Tim Coleman. Most importantly, not a single key player on the roster is a senior this year, meaning that we expect an even better season next year! But for now, NJIT deserves a chance to keep playing after tonight — in the CIT.
NJIT’s final opponent of the season is the Howard Bison, who are also playing their regular season finale (though the MEAC tournament still awaits). Howard finished the MEAC season at 10-6 in conference, and will be at least the #4 seed in the conference tournament. The Bison are 16-14 overall and can guarantee a winning record on the season with a victory tonight, though none of their victories came against anyone in the top 150 of the RPI. They are led by sophomore James Daniel, one of the top players in the MEAC. The Bison, in the very least, will want to use tonight’s game as a springboard to a potential conference tournament run. Given that KenPom calls this game a virtual tossup (51-49 percent edge to Howard), it should be a good one.
UPDATE 1: The game was moved to NJIT’s campus because Howard’s arena is not available tonight.
UPDATE 2: The CIT has invited NJIT!! They will get a home game too!!!!! ARTICLE HERE
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.