On this edition of UTR, Chad and David start off with the disappointing news that Southern, through no fault of the current players or coaches, will be unable to compete in the SWAC Championship or any other postseason tournament including the NCAA Tournament. It is the consensus of this show that it is a raw deal because the people who are largely responsible for not submitting the information to the NCAA aren’t the ones being punished. The players and coaches are.
As we do every week, we run through every conference and project who the favorites are to win the upcoming conference tournaments, and where we feel they’ll be placed in the NCAA Tournament. Several teams have clinched first place finishes already, whereas other conferences like the MAC, Big South, CUSA and Big West are log jammed and entirely up for grabs.
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK NOTEBOOK
-As hard as this is to believe, the conference tournaments begin this upcoming Monday with the opening round of the Patriot League Tournament. Although we are not to the conference tournaments, we are to the stage in the season where we are seeing elimination games as teams from the one bid leagues are fighting for spots in those conference tournaments. In addition to Southern being eliminated due to an NCAA ban, Lamar, Long Island and Kennesaw State were also mathematically eliminated from making their conference tournaments last night. The win-and-advance/lose-and-go-home stage of the season is here!! That means we are debuting this year’s edition of the Hoops HD Tournament Survival Board!! Here it is!!!
LEGEND:
CHAMPION (BOLD AND ALL CAPS)
Locks (Bold)
Under Consideration (Italics)
Lose and You’re Screwed (normal text)
325 TEAMS REMAIN!!!!
ACC – 15 (Virginia, Syracuse, Duke, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Clemson, NC State, Maryland, Florida State, Miami FL, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Virginia Tech)
AMERICA EAST – 8 (Vermont, Stony Brook, Albany, Hartford, UMBC, Binghamton, New Hampshire, Maine)
AMERICAN ATHLETIC – 10 (Cincinnati, Louisville, Memphis, UConn, SMU, Houston, Rutgers, South Florida, UCF, Temple)
ATLANTIC TEN – 13 (Saint Louis, VCU, George Washington, UMass, Dayton, Saint Joseph’s, Richmond, Saint Bonaventure, La Salle, Rhode Island, Duquesne, Fordham, George Mason)
ATLANTIC SUN – 8 (Mercer, Florida Gulf Coast, East Tennessee State, USC Upstate, Lipscomb, North Florida, Jacksonville, Stetson)
BIG TWELVE – 10 (Kansas, Iowa State, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Texas Tech, TCU)
BIG EAST – 10 (Creighton, Villanova, Georgetown, Xavier, Saint John’s, Providence, Marquette, Seton Hall, Butler, DePaul)
BIG SKY – 10 (Weber State, Northern Colorado, Montana, Sacramento State, North Dakota, Eastern Washington, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Idaho State)
BIG SOUTH – 12 (VMI, High Point, Coastal Carolina, Gardner Webb, Radford, UNC Asheville, Campbell, Winthrop, Liberty, Charleston Southern, Presbyterian, Longwood)
BIG TEN – 12 (Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois, Penn State)
BIG WEST – 9 (UCSB, UC Irvine, Long Beach State, CS Northridge, Cal Poly, CS Fullerton, UC Davis, UC Riverside)
COLONIAL – 9 (Delaware, Towson, William & Mary, Drexel, Charleston, James Madison, Northeastern, Hofstra, UNC Wilmington)
CONFERENCE USA – 15 (Lousiana Tech, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, UTEP, Tulsa, Tulane, Old Dominion, UAB, Charlotte, North Texas, Florida Atlantic, East Carolina, UTSA, Marshall, Rice)
HORIZON LEAGUE – 9 (Green Bay, Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Wright State, Milwaukee, Youngstown State, Detroit, Oakland, UIC)
INDEPENDENT – 0
IVY LEAGUE – 4 (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown)
METRO ATLATNIC – 11 (Iona, Quinnipiac, Manhattan, Canisius, Rider, Siena, Marist, Saint Peter’s, Monmouth, Fairfield, Niagara)
MEAC – 13 (NCCU, Hampton, Norfolk State, Morgan State, Savannah State, Florida A&M, Coppin State, South Carolina State, Delaware State, Howard, North Carolina A&T, Bethune Cookman, UMES)
MID-AMERICAN – 12 (Toledo, Western Michigan, Buffalo, Ohio, Akron, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami OH, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Ball State)
MISSOURI VALLEY – 10 (Wichita State, Indiana State, Missouri State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Loyola IL)
MOUNTAIN WEST – 11 (San Diego State, New Mexico, Boise State, UNLV, Wyoming, Nevada, Fresno State, Colorado State, Utah State, Air Force, San Jose State)
NORTHEAST – 8 (Robert Morris, Wagner, Bryant, Mount Saint Mary’s, SFNY, SFPA, Fairleigh Dickinson, Central Connecticut)
OHIO VALLEY – 9 (Belmont, Murray State, Morehead State, Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Tech, SIUE, Southeast Missouri State, Eastern Illinois, Austin Peay)
PAC TWELVE – 12 (Arizona, UCLA, Stanford, California, Colorado, Arizona State, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Oregon State, Washington State, USC)
PATRIOT LEAGUE – 10 (Boston U, American, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Army, Lehigh, Lafayette, Loyola MD, Colgate, Navy)
SEC – 14 (Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri, Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Auburn, Mississippi State, South Carolina)
SOUTHERN – 11 (Davidson, Elon, Wofford, Western Carolina, Chattanooga, Georgia Southern, UNC Greensboro, Samford, Appalachian State, Furman, The Citadel)
SOUTHLAND – 9 (SFA, Sam Houston State, TAMUCC, Nicholls State, Oral Roberts, Northwestern State, McNeese State, Southeast Louisiana, Central Arkansas)
SUN BELT – 10 (Georgia State, Western Kentucky, Arkansas State, Louisiana Lafayette, TX Arlington, UALR, UL Monroe, Troy, Texas State, South Alabama)
SWAC – 6 (Alabama State, Texas Southern, Alabama A&M, Alcorn State, Prairie View A&M, Jackson State)
SUMMIT LEAGUE – 7 (North Dakota State, IPFW, South Dakota State, Denver, South Dakota, Western Illinois, IUPUI
WEST COAST – 10 (Gonzaga, BYU, San Francisco, Saint Mary’s, Pepperdine, Portland, San Diego, Pacific, Santa Clara, LMU)
WAC – 8 (New Mexico State, Utah Valley, Chicago State, CS Bakersfield, Idaho, UMKC, Seattle, TX Pan American)
