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| Threes and controversy were popular yesterday, but the number 11, as in 11 Big East bids, was the talk of the day |
Bubble teams started falling to the curbside on the road to the Final Four yesterday as Nebraska and Baylor (un)officially ended their campaigns to reach the NCAA Tournament. Speaking of things that are (un)official, with Marquette's win over West Virginia, the Golden Eagles sealed up a record 11-bids from the Big East this March. The Big East Tournament is always something to watch, just asked Rutgers, but with 11-bids all wrapped up focus can shift on to the other conference tournaments. Before the bracket, let's take a look at some games today with huge bubble implications. If these teams lose they will immediately fall down a level, whether it is onto the bubble, or off the bubble. If they win? That means they move one level closer to locking up their status.
Penn State vs. Indiana - 7:30PM - Big Ten Network
- Big Ten Tournament
- Penn State continues to be that pesky team that won't go away from the bubble picture this. Their record is absolutely atrocious and does them no favors, but their small handful of good wins, and solid RPI is what keeps them alive. A win won't do much for Penn State's resume, but they must win at least two games, and most likely three to get into the NCAA Tournament. Tonight is when Penn State needs to start their run if they want to get in.
Colorado vs. Kansas State - 3:00PM - ESPN3
- Big XII Tournament
- If Colorado can pull off their second win in the Big XII Tournament they should be in. A loss might knock them out for good.
Auburn vs. Georgia - 1:00PM - ESPN3
- SEC Tournament
- Georgia is considered in by many and there is a chance a loss would keep them in, but it certainly will negatively effect them. A win for Georgia would set them for a "lock status" game in round two.
East Carolina vs. Alabama-Birmingham - 1:00PM
- Conference USA Tournament
- Alabama-Birmingham might not need to win the tournament in order to get into the NCAA Tournament. With that being said, they will not be in with a first round knockout at the hands of the East Carolina Pirates.
Northwestern vs. Minnesota - 2:30PM - ESPN2
- Big Ten Tournament
- Both of these teams are pretty far off the bubble picture, but a loss would eliminate one team for good. The winner still could make a magical 2010-Minnesota-esque run this season and make their way into the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest vs. Boston College - 2:30PM - ESPN3
- ACC Tournament
- Wake Forest is an awful team this season so this game can only hurt Boston College. All a win does is set Boston College up for more opportunities, while a loss might be such a dagger that it knocks them out of the NCAA Tournament.
California vs. Southern Cal - 3:00PM
- Pac-10 Tournament
- This is a pure elimination game out in Los Angeles this afternoon. Both teams have slowly crept onto the bubble watches across the country and the loser will be out, while the winner will live to see another day.
Iowa vs. Michigan State - 4:30PM - ESPN2
- Big Ten Tournament
- Michigan State has already lost to Iowa once this season, and a second loss would make the Spartans sweat it out until Selection Sunday. Iowa is a on a little hot streak after upsetting Purdue, so Tom Izzo's squad must be aware of a dangerous potential bubble popping game.
Southern Miss vs. Memphis - 3:30PM
- Conference USA
- Both teams have the exact same records, but really only Memphis has potential at-large hopes. At times Memphis can be dominant, but at other times they lose to teams like SMU and Rice. So this game could be a wild ride as Memphis tries to get back into the NCAA Tournament.
New Mexico vs. Colorado State - 5:30
- Mountain West Tournament
- The Lobos and Rams are both fighting for their bubble lives in this game in an exciting elimination game. They split their season series, but New Mexico is on a roll and riding high off their blowout victory over Brigham Young, while Colorado State is still stumbling down the stretch. New Mexico may have the upper hand, but this game will be a fierce battle.
Arkansas vs. Tennessee - 7:30PM - ESPN3
- SEC Tournament
- The media is trying their best to make the SEC Tournament dramatic, and saying Tennessee is on the bubble is a prime example. If the media wants to market Tennessee as a bubble team then they will need the Volunteers to drop to Arkansas in round one of the conference tournament.
Marshall vs. Texas-El Paso - 7:30PM
- Conference USA
- Playing at home in the conference tournament, Texas-El Paso is the sexy pick to potentially gain bid thief status by winning it all. In order to do that there would need to be a Conference USA at-large bid, but if Texas-El Paso can snag the automatic bid then that scenario is very possible.
Georgia Tech vs. Virginia Tech - 9:30PM - ESPN3
- ACC Tournament
- The Hokies went from riding the highest of highs, to riding the lowest of lows in the last two weeks. The win over #1 ranked Duke has now become an after though as Virginia Tech has played themselves back onto the bubble. A loss to Georgia Tech would almost certainly knock the Hokies out of the NCAA Tournament, but a win would keep their "what else is knew" bubble status alive.
Washington vs. Washington State - 11:30PM
- Pac-10 Tournament
- Washington would like nothing more than to pop the bubble of their instate rivals Washington State. That is the exact chance they have tonight in Los Angeles when they take on the Cougars. The resume Washington State has is very meek and unimpressive, a loss tonight would put an end to their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Read more after the jump
Who made the bracket:
American East - Boston
Atlantic Coast - Boston College, Duke*, Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech
Atlantic Sun - Belmont
Atlantic 10 - Temple, Richmond, Xavier*
Big East - Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh*, St. John's, Syracuse, West Virginia, Villanova
Big Sky - Northern Colorado
Big South - UNC-Asheville
Big Ten - Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State*, Purdue, Wisconsin
Big XII - Colorado, Kansas*, Kansas State, Missouri, Texas*, Texas A&M
Big West - Long Beach State
Colonial - George Mason, Old Dominion
Conference USA - Alabama-Birmingham
Horizon - Butler
Ivy - Harvard
Metro Atlantic - Saint Peter's
Mid-American - Kent State
Mid-Eastern - Bethune-Cookman
Missouri Valley - Indiana State
Mountain West - Brigham Young, Nevada-Las Vegas, San Diego State*
Northeast - Long Island
Ohio Valley - Morehead State
Pacific-10 - Arizona*, Washington, UCLA
Patriot - Bucknell
Southeastern - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky*, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Southern - Wofford
Southland - McNeese State
Summit - Oakland
Sun Belt - Arkansas-Little Rock
Souhtwestern - Texas Southern
Western (WAC) - Utah State
West Coast - Gonzaga, St. Mary's
* - Automatic Bid
Italic - New Addition
Bold Green - Automatic Bid EarnedRead more after the jump
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Conference Bids
Big East - 11
Big Ten - 6
Southeastern - 6
Big XII - 6
Atlantic Coast - 5
Mountain West - 3
Atlantic Ten - 3
Pacific-10 - 3
West Coast - 2
Colonial Athletic - 2
Horizon League - 1
Missouri Valley - 1
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Bracket Notes
Last Four In
- Virginia Tech
- Boston College
- Colorado
- Alabama
First Four Out
- Missouri State
- Clemson
- Penn State
- Southern Cal
Next Four Out
- Washington State
- Colorado State
- Texas-El Paso
- California
Also Considered
- Virginia Commonwealth
- Harvard
- Princeton
- Nebraska
- Fairfield
- Minnesota
- Memphis
1st Round Games
12 - Penn State vs. Wichita State
12 - Duquesne vs. Gonzaga
16 - Texas Southern vs. McNeese State
16 - Long Beach State vs. Montana
New Additions (Power Conferences)
- None
Dropped Out (Power Conferences)
- None
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NCAA Tournament Seeding
#1 Seeds -
- Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Notre Dame
#2 Seeds -
- Brigham Young, Duke, Texas, San Diego State
#3 Seeds -
- North Carolina, Purdue, Syracuse, Florida
#4 Seeds -
- St. John's, Louisville, Kentucky, Wisconsin
#5 Seeds -
- West Virginia, Connecticut, Xavier, Arizona
#6 Seeds -
- Kansas State, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Georgetown
#7 Seeds -
- Temple, Vanderbilt, Old Dominion, California-L.A.
#8 Seeds -
- Missouri, Nevada-Las Vegas, Villanova, George Mason
#9 Seeds -
- Utah State, Illinois, Florida State, Tennessee
#10 Seeds -
- Washington, Butler, Gonzaga, Marquette
#11 Seeds -
- Richmond, Michigan, St. Mary's, Alabama-Birmingham
#12 Seeds -
- Georgia, Michigan State, Boston College vs. Colorado, Virginia Tech vs. Alabama
#13 Seeds -
- Belmont, Harvard, Oakland, Indiana State
#14 Seeds -
- Wofford, Saint Peter's, Bucknell, Kent State
#15 Seeds -
- Morehead State, Long Island, Long Beach State, Northern Colorado
#16 Seeds -
- Boston University, UNC Asheville, Arkansas-Little Rock vs. Bethune Cookman, Texas Southern vs, McNeese State
Procedural Bumps (Seeding Adjustments) -
- None
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The Bracket
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Contact on Twitter: @JeffDLowe or E-Mail: JeffDBrackets@gmail.com
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