-GEORGETOWN AT SYRACUSE (Big East). We won’t get to enjoy this rivalry much longer, at least not as a conference game. Both teams are highly ranked and will likely end up as protected seeds. Syracuse still has a shot at a #1, but they’ll need a strong finish. The rivalry and storyline regarding conference realignment is the most intriguing element to this game, though.
-NEW MEXICO AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Colorado State lost a close one at UNLV earlier in the week, which would have given their profile a huge quality road win. They’re still a very good team, especially at home. It’s possible for one or both of these teams to end up as protected seeds, but this is the kind of game they’ll need to win to get there.
-CREIGHTON AT SAINT MARY’S (Bracket Buster). Creighton is inside the bubble, but could use another notable road win. SMC is outside the bubble and needs a notable win. This is their last shot at a tournament caliber team unless they meet Gonzaga in the conference tournament, so it is extremely pivotal for them.
-IONA AT INDIANA STATE (Bracket Buster). I think Indiana State is too far outside the bubble to get back on it. Anything short of winning out and they’ll have no chance.
-CLEMSON AT MARYLAND (ACC). Maryland is on the bubble and has a small margin for error. They need to take care of business at home against a sub-tournament caliber team.
-SETON HALL AT LOUISVILLE (Big East). A #1 seed probably isn’t in the cards for Louisville, but they could still earn a high seed and be dangerous come March.
-EASTERN KENTUCKY AT VALPARAISO (Bracket Buster). Neither team is in the at-large picture, but both are strong teams within their conferences. Valpo will likely finish first in the HL, and although EKU has lost twice to Belmont, they’ll still be among the teams who have a good chance of winning the OVC Tourney.
-MIAMI, FL AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Miami can continue to play toward a #1 seed, and a first place finish in the ACC.
-SOUTHERN MISS AT MEMPHIS (Conference USA). The two met earlier in the season and Memphis won rather easily. Some think Southern Miss is a tourney team, but if they want any consideration at all then I believe this is a must win for them. Memphis has just three losses on the year and is climbing the rankings, so although they’re not in desperation mode like Southern Miss, it’s still a big game for them.
-ALABAMA AT LSU (SEC). Many people, including myself, wrote off Alabama after their loss to Auburn, but they’ve won every game since and are just a game out of first place in the SEC.
-TEXAS TECH AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve). Iowa State is unbeaten at home and shouldn’t have much trouble winning today. They’ll need to hold serve in games like this and probably pick up a big win before it’s all over if they want to land inside the bubble.
-VCU AT XAVIER (Atlantic Ten). VCU is in good shape and can add another road win to their profile. Xavier has struggled this year, but they’ve only lost two games at home, so it would be a win of note for VCU.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve). Okie State is coming off an overtime loss at home against Kansas, and cannot afford a letdown today. WVU hasn’t had a big year, but they have been stronger at home.
-IOWA AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). Iowa has just two true road wins, and if they want to land inside the bubble they need more than that. They have to at least demonstrate they can win at Nebraska.
-MONTANA AT DAVIDSON (Bracket Buster). These are two teams that are outside the at-large picture, but for the most part have dominated their conference and will both likely get in via the automatic bid. It’s a game that will impact seeding, which could mean a more winnable game in the round of 64.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT ARIZONA (Pac Twelve). Arizona is coming off a decisive win against Washington and although it is unlikely they’ll end up anywhere near the #1 line, they still have a very strong profile and should end up as a protected seed.
-NC STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). NC State has not played well away from home. They’re safely in the field, but if they want a good seed they’ll need to win a game like this one. UNC appears to be safe as well, but there is certainly room for improvement. It’s a rivalry game off paper, and on paper it will go down as a notable win for whoever pulls this off.
-DETROIT AT WICHITA STATE (Bracket Buster). This appears to be a mismatch. Detroit is one of the better teams in the Horizon, but even with a big win like this wouldn’t put them on the bubble. A win for Wichita wouldn’t help their profile too much either.
-TENNESSEE AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Tennessee has been coming on a little bit lately with four straight wins, but they need more road wins. Well, they need all kinds of wins, but as of now they’re just 2-6 in true road games.
-TCU AT KANSAS (Big Twelve). TCU pulled off a hugely surprising upset in the first meeting. Kansas has since recovered and won’t get caught overlooking them this time.
-BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA (Big Twelve). Baylor has lost five of their last seven, including a home loss to fellow bubble team Iowa State in their last game. Winning a road game against a solid tournament team would do wonders for them. A loss keeps them outside the bubble.
-AUBURN AT OLE MISS (SEC). Ole Miss has gone from being the national darlings to losing five out of seven against very substandard competition. If they win out they’ll likely be safe, but anything short of that and they’ll probably be sweating it out.
-CALIFORNIA AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve). Cal has won six out of seven, including wins at Oregon and at Arizona, and is beginning to make a case for themselves. If they pick up this road win they’ll be inside the bubble on Sunday.
-NEVADA AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State has not dominated the conference the way it once looked like they would, but this is a winnable home game for them and will improve them to 8-5.
-MARQUETTE AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Marquette is looking very good and can pick up another notable win today. They do have just three true road wins, so it would help their profile. Nova has some good wins, but is still on the bubble, so it’s big for them as well.
-LOUISIANA MONROE AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (Sun Belt). This is a huge mismatch that is bound to hurt MTSU even if they win. I still like their chances of an at-large if they win out.
-ARKANSAS AT FLORIDA (SEC). Arkansas won the first game convincingly, but they’re not the same team on the road. Florida is coming off a road loss to Missouri and is looking to rebound, which they should be able to.
-SAN DIEGO AT GONZAGA (West Coast). A bit of a mismatch in the WCC. Gonzaga has an outside shot at a #1 seed, but they’ll need to win out to get it.
-UNLV AT WYOMING (Mountain West). Wyoming is just 4-8 in conference, but still has some good things on their resume. They need to finish strong, though. They may only have one or two strikes left. UNLV’s profile has room to grow as well, and this would be a notable road win for them if they’re able to pull it off.
-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT MURRAY STATE (Bracket Buster). South Dakota State has some good wins on their profile, and this would certainly be another. They also have some bad losses and aren’t likely to get an at-large if they need it, but they will be a very dangerous team if they win the automatic bid. Murray has many of the same players they did a year ago and could also potentially be dangerous if they manage to win the OVC automatic bid.
-STANFORD AT OREGON (Pac Twelve). Oregon is in good shape to make the field, but there is a lot of room to improve in regards to their seed goes.
-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big Twelve). K State continues to roll. They could use a few more road wins to help hold serve as far as their status goes.
-MISSOURI AT KENTUCKY (SEC). This game is what the bubble is all about. Kentucky needs this a lot more than Mizzou does, but both need it. Mizzou still has just one true road win and that is a huge problem. Kentucky is still outside looking in and just needs any wins they can get.
-OHIO AT BELMONT (Bracket Buster). Both teams are very strong. Belmont is on the bubble, but has no shot at getting in without the automatic bid if they don’t win today. Ohio is also outside the bubble, and perhaps has a tougher road to the automatic bid with a team like Akron in their conference. Both teams will have trouble making the NCAAs, but both teams are potentially very dangerous if they were to make it in.
-BOISE STATE AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West). Boise is on the outside looking in and cannot afford losses to non-tournament caliber teams.
