Minnesota bolstered their NIT chances with a win last night, and could get some help tonight with losses by a few teams ahead of them. A win over Ohio State tonight would lock up their invite.
1's: Illinois, Boise State, Connecticut, UCLA
2's: Richmond, Stanford, Miami (FL), Rhode Island
3's: Alabama, BYU, Tennessee, Florida
4's: Michigan, Saint Mary's College, Pittsburgh, UTEP
5's: Memphis, George Washington, Minnesota, South Carolina
6's: Louisiana Tech, Murray State, Central Michigan, Iona
7's: William & Mary, South Dakota State, Albany, Georgia Southern
8's: Bucknell, Sacramento State, Charleston Southern, Saint Francis (NY)
FFO: Kansas State, Seton Hall, Vanderbilt, Wyoming
NFO: Green Bay, Clemson, UNLV, Illinois State
Thursday, March 12, 2015
March 12, 2015
Lafayette sealed up the 12th auto-bid last night. There are 20 left, most of which will be decided on Saturday. Actually, of those 20, only 9 have potential bubble impacts. 11 of them are for conferences with no at-large contenders, so they'll simply be filling a 12-16 seed line.
There really wasn't a whole lot of noteworthy results last night. Of the games I had an eye on, the favorite won each. The only bubble impact was the loss of Pittsburgh, who fell to NC State. Stanford and Miami each held on with wins in their respective tournaments, but it will get tougher for both teams tonight.
-Stanford faces a Utah team that has lost three of its last five, including most recently at Washington, who the Cardinal beat last night. With a win tonight, the Cardinal would advance to face Oregon, and those two wins may be enough to put them in the field, especially if a few teams ahead of them stumble.
-Miami faces Notre Dame in a rematch of a very hard fought Irish victory at Notre Dame in January. Miami's road is significantly more challenging, with Duke waiting for them tomorrow if they survive tonight.
Here are a few more games tonight with significant bubble implications:
-Alabama vs. Florida. Alabama is in a really bad place. A win against Florida is unfortunately not enough to get them over the bubble, and they'd face Kentucky tomorrow if they pass tonight's test. Barring a miraculous perfection-ending win over the Wildcats, the Tide will be rolling into the NIT come Sunday.
-Auburn vs. Texas A&M. The Aggie's saving grace is that they have no bad losses. Otherwise their resume would have them on the outside of the bubble. As it stands, I have them as one of the last four in, and a loss tonight would knock them out. To make matters worse, a win doesn't gaurantee a spot either, as they'd then face fellow bubbler LSU tomorrow night for what could be a winner-take-bid situation. Unless several other bubble teams falter, either A&M or LSU could be NIT bound tomorrow.
-Middle Tennessee vs. Old Dominion. OD is in an interesting spot. They would be a FFO team if they weren't my favorite to win C-USA. If they were to make it to the finals and lose, they could still have a chance at one of the last few at-large bids if other teams slip.
-USC vs. UCLA. UCLA is in a similar spot as Alabama. Even if they advance tonight, they'd most likely face Arizona tomorrow. To be fair, UCLA over Zona wouldn't quite be the upset of the year like Bama over KY, but it's still a sufficiently difficult task that I'm ready to put a fork in the Bruins.
-Northwestern vs. Indiana. Indiana's 3/4/8 quality win line with just 1 bad loss is relatively safe at this point, but a loss tonight would put them in a precarious position. It would be their 13th overall and 2nd bad loss, enough to move them into a slightly stickier situation.
-South Florida vs. Connecticut. UConn likely has the easiest path of all teams currently outside the bubble. They'll be heavily favored tonight, then would face Cincy and Tulsa, both of whom the Huskies have beaten already this season. The only thing working against UConn is their 13 regular season losses. If they manage to win only two of these three games, they'd end at 19-14, which could be a prohibitively poor record, even with 5 top-50 wins.
-South Carolina vs. Ole Miss. Mississippi needs at least one win to feel secure with their spot on the inside of the bubble. Wins over South Carolina and Georgia would clinch an at-large bid, but a loss to SC would most likely drop them to the FFO.
Finally, a couple top-25 games to watch that will impact the seedings towards the top of the bracket.
-UNC vs. Louisville. At 1/2/9 quality wins, Louisville is in need of another top-25 win to bolster their top-4 seed resume. With 10-losses, UNC could really use a deep ACC run in order to reinforce a top-5 seed with double digit losses. Their #2 SOS and 1/4/9 quality win line both help, but the committee may see a 22-11 record as prohibitive to a top-20 seeding.
-Baylor vs. West Virginia. This quarterfinal matchup is all you need to see to understand how deep the Big 12 is this year. 70% of their conference will be in the field, and all 7 are legitimate Sweet 16 teams. Ultimately, a loss in this game won't seriously hurt either team. In fact, I don't think either would drop a seed line. Baylor's upside is minimal - they could potentially pass Maryland for the top 3-seed, especially if the Terps fail to win the Big 10 tourney. WVU, on the other hand, could move up to the 3-line with a win tonight. This would likely require losses by both Notre Dame and Oklahoma, but it could happen. The winner faces Kansas, who swept Baylor and split with WVU - losing by just 1 in Morgantown.
Okay...enough rambling, here's today's update.
1's: Kentucky, Virginia, Villanova, Duke
2's: Kansas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga
3's: Maryland, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma
4's: Notre Dame, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgetown
5's: North Carolina, Utah, SMU, Northern Iowa
6's: Wichita State, Arkansas, Butler, VCU
7's: Colorado State, Providence, Saint John's, Iowa
8's: Oklahoma State, Texas, San Diego State, Cincinnati
9's: Oregon, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Xavier
10's: Michigan State, Davidson, Indiana, Georgia
11's: Dayton, Temple, LSU, Tulsa, Texas A&M
12's: Ole Miss, Purdue, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, Wofford
13's: Buffalo, Harvard, Valparaiso, UC Davis
14's: North Dakota State, Georgia State, Northeastern, Eastern Washington
15's: North Carolina Central, Belmont, Stony Brook, New Mexico State
16's: Coastal Carolina, Lafayette, Texas Southern, North Florida, Manhattan, Robert Morris
FFO: Illinois, Boise State, Connecticut, UCLA
NFO: Richmond, Stanford, Miami (FL), Rhode Island, Alabama (Next FIVE Out)
Any teams not listed above will need to win their tourney to secure an automatic bid.
There really wasn't a whole lot of noteworthy results last night. Of the games I had an eye on, the favorite won each. The only bubble impact was the loss of Pittsburgh, who fell to NC State. Stanford and Miami each held on with wins in their respective tournaments, but it will get tougher for both teams tonight.
-Stanford faces a Utah team that has lost three of its last five, including most recently at Washington, who the Cardinal beat last night. With a win tonight, the Cardinal would advance to face Oregon, and those two wins may be enough to put them in the field, especially if a few teams ahead of them stumble.
-Miami faces Notre Dame in a rematch of a very hard fought Irish victory at Notre Dame in January. Miami's road is significantly more challenging, with Duke waiting for them tomorrow if they survive tonight.
Here are a few more games tonight with significant bubble implications:
-Alabama vs. Florida. Alabama is in a really bad place. A win against Florida is unfortunately not enough to get them over the bubble, and they'd face Kentucky tomorrow if they pass tonight's test. Barring a miraculous perfection-ending win over the Wildcats, the Tide will be rolling into the NIT come Sunday.
-Auburn vs. Texas A&M. The Aggie's saving grace is that they have no bad losses. Otherwise their resume would have them on the outside of the bubble. As it stands, I have them as one of the last four in, and a loss tonight would knock them out. To make matters worse, a win doesn't gaurantee a spot either, as they'd then face fellow bubbler LSU tomorrow night for what could be a winner-take-bid situation. Unless several other bubble teams falter, either A&M or LSU could be NIT bound tomorrow.
-Middle Tennessee vs. Old Dominion. OD is in an interesting spot. They would be a FFO team if they weren't my favorite to win C-USA. If they were to make it to the finals and lose, they could still have a chance at one of the last few at-large bids if other teams slip.
-USC vs. UCLA. UCLA is in a similar spot as Alabama. Even if they advance tonight, they'd most likely face Arizona tomorrow. To be fair, UCLA over Zona wouldn't quite be the upset of the year like Bama over KY, but it's still a sufficiently difficult task that I'm ready to put a fork in the Bruins.
-Northwestern vs. Indiana. Indiana's 3/4/8 quality win line with just 1 bad loss is relatively safe at this point, but a loss tonight would put them in a precarious position. It would be their 13th overall and 2nd bad loss, enough to move them into a slightly stickier situation.
-South Florida vs. Connecticut. UConn likely has the easiest path of all teams currently outside the bubble. They'll be heavily favored tonight, then would face Cincy and Tulsa, both of whom the Huskies have beaten already this season. The only thing working against UConn is their 13 regular season losses. If they manage to win only two of these three games, they'd end at 19-14, which could be a prohibitively poor record, even with 5 top-50 wins.
-South Carolina vs. Ole Miss. Mississippi needs at least one win to feel secure with their spot on the inside of the bubble. Wins over South Carolina and Georgia would clinch an at-large bid, but a loss to SC would most likely drop them to the FFO.
Finally, a couple top-25 games to watch that will impact the seedings towards the top of the bracket.
-UNC vs. Louisville. At 1/2/9 quality wins, Louisville is in need of another top-25 win to bolster their top-4 seed resume. With 10-losses, UNC could really use a deep ACC run in order to reinforce a top-5 seed with double digit losses. Their #2 SOS and 1/4/9 quality win line both help, but the committee may see a 22-11 record as prohibitive to a top-20 seeding.
-Baylor vs. West Virginia. This quarterfinal matchup is all you need to see to understand how deep the Big 12 is this year. 70% of their conference will be in the field, and all 7 are legitimate Sweet 16 teams. Ultimately, a loss in this game won't seriously hurt either team. In fact, I don't think either would drop a seed line. Baylor's upside is minimal - they could potentially pass Maryland for the top 3-seed, especially if the Terps fail to win the Big 10 tourney. WVU, on the other hand, could move up to the 3-line with a win tonight. This would likely require losses by both Notre Dame and Oklahoma, but it could happen. The winner faces Kansas, who swept Baylor and split with WVU - losing by just 1 in Morgantown.
Okay...enough rambling, here's today's update.
1's: Kentucky, Virginia, Villanova, Duke
2's: Kansas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga
3's: Maryland, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma
4's: Notre Dame, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgetown
5's: North Carolina, Utah, SMU, Northern Iowa
6's: Wichita State, Arkansas, Butler, VCU
7's: Colorado State, Providence, Saint John's, Iowa
8's: Oklahoma State, Texas, San Diego State, Cincinnati
9's: Oregon, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Xavier
10's: Michigan State, Davidson, Indiana, Georgia
11's: Dayton, Temple, LSU, Tulsa, Texas A&M
12's: Ole Miss, Purdue, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, Wofford
13's: Buffalo, Harvard, Valparaiso, UC Davis
14's: North Dakota State, Georgia State, Northeastern, Eastern Washington
15's: North Carolina Central, Belmont, Stony Brook, New Mexico State
16's: Coastal Carolina, Lafayette, Texas Southern, North Florida, Manhattan, Robert Morris
FFO: Illinois, Boise State, Connecticut, UCLA
NFO: Richmond, Stanford, Miami (FL), Rhode Island, Alabama (Next FIVE Out)
Any teams not listed above will need to win their tourney to secure an automatic bid.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
March 11, 2015 - NIT
Two more NIT auto-bids were secured last night as St. Francis (NY) and South Dakota State lost in their respective conference tournament finals. That brings the current total to 6, with additional 6 likely. That leaves just 24 at-large spots in the field, and makes it even that more important for the Gophers to secure two wins in the Big10 tournament.
1's: Ole Miss, Illinois, Connecticut, Richmond
2's: UCLA, Miami (FL), Stanford, Pittsburgh
3's: Alabama, BYU, Rhode Island, Michigan
4's: Kansas State, Florida, Memphis, Tennessee
5's: Seton Hall, South Carolina, Saint Mary's College, Minnesota
6's: Louisiana Tech, Murray State, Central Michigan, William & Mary
7's: Iona, South Dakota State, Albany, Georgia Southern
8's: Bucknell, Sacramento State, Charleston Southern, Saint Francis (NY)
FFO: Clemson, Vanderbilt, UTEP, George Washington
NFO: Wyoming, Arizona State, UNLV, Green Bay
1's: Ole Miss, Illinois, Connecticut, Richmond
2's: UCLA, Miami (FL), Stanford, Pittsburgh
3's: Alabama, BYU, Rhode Island, Michigan
4's: Kansas State, Florida, Memphis, Tennessee
5's: Seton Hall, South Carolina, Saint Mary's College, Minnesota
6's: Louisiana Tech, Murray State, Central Michigan, William & Mary
7's: Iona, South Dakota State, Albany, Georgia Southern
8's: Bucknell, Sacramento State, Charleston Southern, Saint Francis (NY)
FFO: Clemson, Vanderbilt, UTEP, George Washington
NFO: Wyoming, Arizona State, UNLV, Green Bay
March 11, 2015
Four more big winners last night, and four days left until showtime!
The favorites split last night's conference finals, with Gonzaga and Valpo winning the WCC and Horizon Leagues, respectively, and #2 seeds North Dakota State and Robert Morris winning the Summit League and Northeast Conference. No big surprises from these results, in fact only a Gonzaga loss would have carried shock value. As a result of that Zags victory, BYU will likely be left out of the NCAA field.
Just one ticket to punch tonight, and in a 180 from last night's chalk finales, #4 Lafayette will take on #6 American U in the Patriot League final. Neither of these teams were on many radars (and likely zero brackets) just a week ago. I'll pick the favorite Lafayette here, but given my 5 for 10 conference final pick 'em record so far, it could go either way.
Most of the remaining conference tournaments will begin this evening, with the last five starting tomorrow. Below are a few games with NCAA tournament implications worth keeping an eye on.
-UNC vs. Boston College. The Tar Heels could move up from the 5 line to a 4-seed with a deep run in the ACC tourney, possibly even a 3-seed if they win it. Conversely, they'd drop to a 6 or even 7 with a loss tonight.
Pittsburgh vs. NC State. Both teams are in tenuous positions, but on opposite sides of the bubble. Pittsburgh needs at least 2 ACC tourney wins to put themselves in serious at-large contention, 3 would put them in. NC State's at-large bid looks to be fairly safe with a #5 SOS and 3/4/8 quality wins (top-25/-50/-100), but a loss would be their 13th, which would drop them to an 11-seed and may mean playing a first-four game in Dayton.
VA Tech vs. Miami (FL). The Hurricanes need this game, and a win against Notre Dame in the quarterfinals to put themselves back in at-large contention. They have 4 bad losses working against them, but a trip to the ACC final should secure a bid.
Texas vs. Texas Tech. Texas is in a similar spot to NC State with 12-losses. They also have a solid resume - despite a modest 2/3/6 quality wins, they have the #12 SOS and no bad losses. A loss to the Red Raiders tonight would drop them to an 11-seed at best, and possibly a trip to Dayton.
Washington vs. Stanford. The Cardinal are another team at the very back end of the bubble, needing at least two, likely three, wins to get an at-large bid.
1's: Kentucky, Virginia, Villanova, Duke
2's: Kansas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga
3's: Maryland, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma
4's: Notre Dame, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgetown
5's: Northern Iowa, North Carolina, Utah, Wichita State
6's: SMU, Arkansas, Butler, VCU
7's: Colorado State, Providence, Saint John's, Iowa
8's: San Diego State, Oklahoma State, Texas, North Carolina State
9's: Cincinnati, Ohio State, Xavier, Oregon
10's: Michigan State, Indiana, Georgia, Davidson
11's: Temple, Dayton, LSU, Tulsa, Texas A&M
12's: Boise State, Purdue, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, Wofford
13's: Buffalo, Harvard, Valparaiso, UC Davis
14's: North Dakota State, Georgia State, Northeastern, Eastern Washington
15's: North Carolina Central, Belmont, Stony Brook, New Mexico State
16's: Coastal Carolina, Lafayette, Texas Southern, North Florida, Manhattan, Robert Morris
FFO: Ole Miss, Illinois, Connecticut, Richmond
NFO: UCLA, Miami (FL), Stanford, Pittsburgh
Others Still Alive: Alabama, Rhode Island...that's it folks. Any teams not listed above will need to win their tourney to secure an automatic bid.
The favorites split last night's conference finals, with Gonzaga and Valpo winning the WCC and Horizon Leagues, respectively, and #2 seeds North Dakota State and Robert Morris winning the Summit League and Northeast Conference. No big surprises from these results, in fact only a Gonzaga loss would have carried shock value. As a result of that Zags victory, BYU will likely be left out of the NCAA field.
Just one ticket to punch tonight, and in a 180 from last night's chalk finales, #4 Lafayette will take on #6 American U in the Patriot League final. Neither of these teams were on many radars (and likely zero brackets) just a week ago. I'll pick the favorite Lafayette here, but given my 5 for 10 conference final pick 'em record so far, it could go either way.
Most of the remaining conference tournaments will begin this evening, with the last five starting tomorrow. Below are a few games with NCAA tournament implications worth keeping an eye on.
-UNC vs. Boston College. The Tar Heels could move up from the 5 line to a 4-seed with a deep run in the ACC tourney, possibly even a 3-seed if they win it. Conversely, they'd drop to a 6 or even 7 with a loss tonight.
Pittsburgh vs. NC State. Both teams are in tenuous positions, but on opposite sides of the bubble. Pittsburgh needs at least 2 ACC tourney wins to put themselves in serious at-large contention, 3 would put them in. NC State's at-large bid looks to be fairly safe with a #5 SOS and 3/4/8 quality wins (top-25/-50/-100), but a loss would be their 13th, which would drop them to an 11-seed and may mean playing a first-four game in Dayton.
VA Tech vs. Miami (FL). The Hurricanes need this game, and a win against Notre Dame in the quarterfinals to put themselves back in at-large contention. They have 4 bad losses working against them, but a trip to the ACC final should secure a bid.
Texas vs. Texas Tech. Texas is in a similar spot to NC State with 12-losses. They also have a solid resume - despite a modest 2/3/6 quality wins, they have the #12 SOS and no bad losses. A loss to the Red Raiders tonight would drop them to an 11-seed at best, and possibly a trip to Dayton.
Washington vs. Stanford. The Cardinal are another team at the very back end of the bubble, needing at least two, likely three, wins to get an at-large bid.
1's: Kentucky, Virginia, Villanova, Duke
2's: Kansas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga
3's: Maryland, Baylor, Iowa State, Oklahoma
4's: Notre Dame, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgetown
5's: Northern Iowa, North Carolina, Utah, Wichita State
6's: SMU, Arkansas, Butler, VCU
7's: Colorado State, Providence, Saint John's, Iowa
8's: San Diego State, Oklahoma State, Texas, North Carolina State
9's: Cincinnati, Ohio State, Xavier, Oregon
10's: Michigan State, Indiana, Georgia, Davidson
11's: Temple, Dayton, LSU, Tulsa, Texas A&M
12's: Boise State, Purdue, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, Wofford
13's: Buffalo, Harvard, Valparaiso, UC Davis
14's: North Dakota State, Georgia State, Northeastern, Eastern Washington
15's: North Carolina Central, Belmont, Stony Brook, New Mexico State
16's: Coastal Carolina, Lafayette, Texas Southern, North Florida, Manhattan, Robert Morris
FFO: Ole Miss, Illinois, Connecticut, Richmond
NFO: UCLA, Miami (FL), Stanford, Pittsburgh
Others Still Alive: Alabama, Rhode Island...that's it folks. Any teams not listed above will need to win their tourney to secure an automatic bid.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
March 10, 2015 - NIT
Minnesota was dealt a tough blow last night, after Iona and William & Mary were both upset in their respective conference finals. That adds two more to the NIT automatic qualifiers, making it even more crucial for the Gophers to secure two victories in the Big Ten tourney, which gets underway tomorrow night.
1's: Illinois, Boise State, BYU, Connecticut
2's: Richmond, UCLA, Stanord, Miami (FL)
3's: Alabama, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Kansas State
4's: Saint Mary's College, Florida, Seton Hall, Michigan
5's: South Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee, Minnesota
6's: Murray State, Louisiana Tech, Green Bay, Clemson
7's: Central Michigan, Iona, Willian & Mary, Albany
8's: Georgia Southern, Bucknell, Sacramento State, Charleston Southern
FFO: Illinois State, UTEP, George Washington, UNLV
NFO: Wyoming, Arizona State, Yale, Vanderbilt
1's: Illinois, Boise State, BYU, Connecticut
2's: Richmond, UCLA, Stanord, Miami (FL)
3's: Alabama, Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, Kansas State
4's: Saint Mary's College, Florida, Seton Hall, Michigan
5's: South Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee, Minnesota
6's: Murray State, Louisiana Tech, Green Bay, Clemson
7's: Central Michigan, Iona, Willian & Mary, Albany
8's: Georgia Southern, Bucknell, Sacramento State, Charleston Southern
FFO: Illinois State, UTEP, George Washington, UNLV
NFO: Wyoming, Arizona State, Yale, Vanderbilt
March 10, 2015
Just five action packed days left before Selection Sunday!
Three more automatic bids were secured last night. Northeastern, Wofford, and Manhattan joined the field, bringing the total to seven. Wofford was nearly upset in the SoCon final by Furman, who would have been the first 21-loss team in more than 40 years to earn an NCAA bid.
Four more conferences will finalize their auto-bids this evening:
-Horizon League: The top two teams all season will square off for the conference championship. I'm going to give #1 Valparaiso the very slight edge over #2 UW-Green Bay in this one. They split the regular season matchups, with each team squeaking out a very narrow home win.
-Northeast Conference: In another chalk final, #1 St. Francis-Brooklyn will face #2 Robert Morris. And again, the teams split their regular season meetings, except here the road team narrowly won. Once again I'll give the edge to the top seed in a close finish.
-Summit League: There's a trend here...#1 vs #2 yet again. Top seed South Dakota State faces #2 North Dakota State, and they split the season series with the home team taking each game. And again, I'll give the slight edge to the top seeded Jackrabbits.
-West Coast Conference: Although this one is yet another #1 vs #2 matchup, the likely outcome here is a bit more obvious. Gonzaga will be heavy favorites against BYU, who desperately needs this win to secure their at-large bid.
1's: Kentucky, Virginia, Villanova, Duke
2's: Kansas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga
3's: Maryland, Baylor, Iowa State, Notre Dame
4's: Oklahoma, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgetown
5's: Utah, Northern Iowa, North Carolina, Wichita State
6's: SMU, Arkansas, Butler, Colorado State
7's: VCU, Providence, Saint John's, Iowa
8's: San Diego State, Oklahoma State, Texas, North Carolina State
9's: Cincinnati, Ohio State, Xavier, Michigan State
10's: Oregon, Davidson, Indiana, Temple
11's: LSU, Georgia, Dayton, Tulsa, Texas A&M
12's: Ole Miss, Purdue, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, Wofford
13's: Harvard, Buffalo, UC Davis, Valparaiso
14's: Georgia State, Northeastern, South Dakota State, Eastern Washington
15's: Stony Brook, Belmont, North Carolina Central, New Mexico State
16's: Lafayette, Coastal Carolina, Texas Southern, Saint Francis (NY), North Florida, Manhattan
FFO: Illinois, Boise State, BYU, Connecticut
NFO: Richmond, UCLA, Stanford, Miami (FL)
Three more automatic bids were secured last night. Northeastern, Wofford, and Manhattan joined the field, bringing the total to seven. Wofford was nearly upset in the SoCon final by Furman, who would have been the first 21-loss team in more than 40 years to earn an NCAA bid.
Four more conferences will finalize their auto-bids this evening:
-Horizon League: The top two teams all season will square off for the conference championship. I'm going to give #1 Valparaiso the very slight edge over #2 UW-Green Bay in this one. They split the regular season matchups, with each team squeaking out a very narrow home win.
-Northeast Conference: In another chalk final, #1 St. Francis-Brooklyn will face #2 Robert Morris. And again, the teams split their regular season meetings, except here the road team narrowly won. Once again I'll give the edge to the top seed in a close finish.
-Summit League: There's a trend here...#1 vs #2 yet again. Top seed South Dakota State faces #2 North Dakota State, and they split the season series with the home team taking each game. And again, I'll give the slight edge to the top seeded Jackrabbits.
-West Coast Conference: Although this one is yet another #1 vs #2 matchup, the likely outcome here is a bit more obvious. Gonzaga will be heavy favorites against BYU, who desperately needs this win to secure their at-large bid.
1's: Kentucky, Virginia, Villanova, Duke
2's: Kansas, Wisconsin, Arizona, Gonzaga
3's: Maryland, Baylor, Iowa State, Notre Dame
4's: Oklahoma, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgetown
5's: Utah, Northern Iowa, North Carolina, Wichita State
6's: SMU, Arkansas, Butler, Colorado State
7's: VCU, Providence, Saint John's, Iowa
8's: San Diego State, Oklahoma State, Texas, North Carolina State
9's: Cincinnati, Ohio State, Xavier, Michigan State
10's: Oregon, Davidson, Indiana, Temple
11's: LSU, Georgia, Dayton, Tulsa, Texas A&M
12's: Ole Miss, Purdue, Old Dominion, Stephen F. Austin, Wofford
13's: Harvard, Buffalo, UC Davis, Valparaiso
14's: Georgia State, Northeastern, South Dakota State, Eastern Washington
15's: Stony Brook, Belmont, North Carolina Central, New Mexico State
16's: Lafayette, Coastal Carolina, Texas Southern, Saint Francis (NY), North Florida, Manhattan
FFO: Illinois, Boise State, BYU, Connecticut
NFO: Richmond, UCLA, Stanford, Miami (FL)
Monday, March 9, 2015
March 9, 2015 - NIT
Minnesota layed a major egg by losing to Penn State last night. Their NIT hopes aren't completely dead, but now on major life support. They will need at least one victory in the Big 10 tournament in order to secure a spot. They may need a second tournament win, depending on how many other regular season champs fail to win their own tournaments.
The loss dropped Minnesota to the #11 seed, which may actually be a blessing in disguise based on the way the Big 10 tournament bracked lined up. As the #10 seed, Minnesota would have had to face #7 Indiana followed by #2 Maryland, both of which the Gophers failed to put up much of a fight against during the regular season. Instead, as the #11 they get to start against #14 Rutgers, who they beat during the regular season. If they win that game, they'll face #6 Ohio State, who needed Overtime to beat the Gophers back on January 6th. The Buckeyes have had a rough patch lately, losing 3 of their last 6, including an absolute drubbing from the top-seeded Badgers. Finally, if they manage to get past those two games, they'd face #3 Michigan State, who they just beat in East Lansing two weeks earlier. It's still a quite daunting path to the semis, but I'd rather have to play three games against beatable teams than two against opponents we've already lost miserably to.
1's: Illinois, Ole Miss, Connecticut, UCLA
2's: Richmond, Alabama, BYU, Miami (FL)
3's: Pittsburgh, Stanford, Saint Mary's College, Rhode Island
4's: Seton Hall, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas State
5's: Florida, Michigan, Memphis, Minnesota, Clemson
6's: Clemson, Murray State, George Washington, Central Michigan
7's: Valparaiso, Louisiana Tech, High Point, Albany
8's: Georgia Southern, Bucknell, Sacramento State, Charleston Southern
FFO: Massachusetts, UTEP, Wyoming, Arizona State
NFO: UNLV, Vanderbilt, Sam Houston State, Illinois State
The loss dropped Minnesota to the #11 seed, which may actually be a blessing in disguise based on the way the Big 10 tournament bracked lined up. As the #10 seed, Minnesota would have had to face #7 Indiana followed by #2 Maryland, both of which the Gophers failed to put up much of a fight against during the regular season. Instead, as the #11 they get to start against #14 Rutgers, who they beat during the regular season. If they win that game, they'll face #6 Ohio State, who needed Overtime to beat the Gophers back on January 6th. The Buckeyes have had a rough patch lately, losing 3 of their last 6, including an absolute drubbing from the top-seeded Badgers. Finally, if they manage to get past those two games, they'd face #3 Michigan State, who they just beat in East Lansing two weeks earlier. It's still a quite daunting path to the semis, but I'd rather have to play three games against beatable teams than two against opponents we've already lost miserably to.
1's: Illinois, Ole Miss, Connecticut, UCLA
2's: Richmond, Alabama, BYU, Miami (FL)
3's: Pittsburgh, Stanford, Saint Mary's College, Rhode Island
4's: Seton Hall, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas State
5's: Florida, Michigan, Memphis, Minnesota, Clemson
6's: Clemson, Murray State, George Washington, Central Michigan
7's: Valparaiso, Louisiana Tech, High Point, Albany
8's: Georgia Southern, Bucknell, Sacramento State, Charleston Southern
FFO: Massachusetts, UTEP, Wyoming, Arizona State
NFO: UNLV, Vanderbilt, Sam Houston State, Illinois State
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