-If Creighton is somehow in danger of not receiving an at-large spot (and the Bluejays shouldn’t be) then one other little nugget that should work in their favor is if point guard Josh Dotzler is healthy for the NCAAs. A little-mentioned injury note from the past few weeks is the Jays have been playing without their starting point guard since Valentine’s Day, no doubt a possible reason why Creighton lost three of its last five games, all to likely future NCAA Tournament teams and all three by seven points or less. Creighton’s ballhandling has suffered with him out and was especially noticeable in Friday’s MVC quarterfinal loss to Bradley, where turnovers plagued the team. If the selection committee is taking into account injuries when evaluating teams, then this is one that absolutely should be looked at. As it is, there’s little reason why the Bluejays should be out of the tourney; if Dotzler is back in time, there is practically no reason to shut out Dana Altman’s team. 

-IF somehow Creighton does miss the tourney, though, then go right back to the Bracket Buster weekend as a good reason why. In a game that is theoretically supposed to help out teams like the Jays, CU drew Fresno State, a team currently ranked #129 in the RPI. While the Bulldogs were a worthy opponent, that game did absolutely nothing to help out Creighton’s at-large chances, and the blow the Bluejays took as a result of poor matching by the Bracket Buster organizers would also be a certain blow to the overall relevance of the event.

-Six bids for the Missouri Valley? All we’ll say for now is it’s a better possibility today than it was yesterday. And after watching MVC quarterfinal games all day, we’re certain that, when comparing them to other ‘bubble’ teams, there are six NCAA Tournament worthy teams in this league. There is no great, surefire Final 4 contender in the league, but there are six teams that are good enough to win at least one game in the tourney, if not more. The defense across the board in the MVC is incredible and these are true teams in every respect. Unfortunately for the Valley, that emphasis on team could be a detriment as the postseason goes on. Hate to say this, but would not be surprised if, as the NCAAs move on and games get rougher and individual, one-on-one play becomes more important, that many MVC teams’ ultimate downfall may be a lack of go-to scorers.

-It could be rather ironic that a year when the MVC and maybe CAA are poised to strike serious blows for the non-football conferences also could be a year when the distribution of at-large bids is as narrow as ever. It’s quite possible that no more than 10 conferences will get at-large bids to the NCAAs, with Conference USA and the Mountain West maybe joining the CAA & MVC. A few others (WAC and Atlantic 10/14 among them) have chances, too, but it’s also possible it could be even less than that ‘10’ figure. (No guarantee that the CAA, MWC or C-USA are getting at-large bids just yet) And if you look at it from the standpoint that this year the MVC is essentially replacing Conference USA from previous years, the CAA has moved up to the MVC’s recent level, and the Atlantic 10 and C-USA have receded a bit, one realizes that while anywhere from 4-6 bids for the Valley would be a tremendous accomplishment, it would be foolish to go overboard and consider it a sign of changing times.

-To describe the feeling when I first saw the final score of the Seton Hall-Pittsburgh game flash on the screen…how about a kick to the stomach? One supposes they should be happy for the Pirates for getting too big wins this week against Cincinnati and now Pitt, as well as for picking up some very nice wins throughout the season. But those three straight losses to the bottom of the Big East preceding them, as well as L’s to Northwestern and Richmond and those horrible losses to Duke and Connecticut…it just doesn’t seem right that this team is about to get into the NCAA Tournament. A truly bizarre case study, this Seton Hall team.

-Bucknell survived a minor scare from Army, allowing all bubble teams to breathe easier for a day. However, the top four teams in the Patriot League are still alive, meaning the Bison’s path back to the NCAAs is still far from clear.

-Shockingly, either Tennessee-Chattanooga or Appalachian State will be playing in the Southern Conference final. #5 seed UTC and #8 App State knocked out College of Charleston and Georgia Southern, respectively, sending the latter two schools to yet another early SoCon tourney exit. Just two of the upsets in what has been a crazy Southern Conference tournament that, when all is said and done, may have longtime SC standbys UTC and Davidson playing for the title yet again.

-When we first heard about it, we weren’t sure that we liked the new rule allowing sub-.500 teams entry into the NIT. If the NCAA is going to have a rule, though, then Indiana State is the perfect example of a team that should benefit from it. The Sycamores finished this year 13-16, but were 13-8 when star guard David Moss was in the lineup, 13-7 if you take out the game he got injured in very early. Moss was one of the top players in the Missouri Valley this year, and the senior deserved better than to be injured in his final season. Most importantly relative to other potential NIT teams, it is undeniable that the Trees would’ve finished with a better record this year if Moss hadn’t been hurt at midseason.

-It’s too bad this year’s Atlantic Sun tourney isn’t being played in Nashville, because what a party it would be to have longtime former NAIA Music City rivals Lipscomb and Belmont facing off back home for a spot in the NCAAs on the line. As it is, they’re on the other side of the state to play this one, which nevertheless should be a good introduction of these two schools to the nation. This will be the first time either one has appeared on national television as Division I schools, though we’re thinking Lipscomb may have appeared on ESPN back in 1986 when it won the NAIA title. ESPN used to televise the NAIA championship game, not sure if they did yet at that time, but do remember seeing current D-I school Birmingham-Southern and the alma mater, Wisconsin-Eau Claire, playing on TV in the 1990 final.

-Been a tough year for Niagara, not that this was a surprise after losing stars Juan Mendez, David Brooks and Alvin Cruz from last year’s NCAA Tournament team. Glad to see the Purple Eagles are still getting up and down the court, though, and they’re into the Metro Atlantic quarterfinals after holding off Fairfield. In Kent State transfer Clif Brown, the Purps have someone who has developed into a serviceable replacement for Mendez. How about the performances by Brown (24 points, 13 rebounds) and James Mathis (27 points on 10-for-11 shooting, 12 rebounds) against the Stags Friday night? Up next is Iona, and while Niagara’s defense leaves something to be desired, wouldn’t recommend counting them out for a run to the MAAC title game just yet.

-Speaking of tough years, that would be an understatement in describing Drexel’s season. The Dragons finished their year losing in much the same way they did all season, which is to say in painful fashion. Delaware beat Drexel in a first-round CAA tourney game, 52-49, finishing Bruiser Flint’s team at 16-15. Just once did the Dragons lose by more than 12 points this year, and they finished 5-12 in games decided by eight points or less. As the nation saw in the preseason NIT when they matched toe-to-toe with Duke and UCLA, this was a team that wasn’t far from NCAA caliber. Whether Drexel can tidy up some loose ends next year will determine a lot about if the Dragons can take the next step up or at least keep pace with the leaders in the CAA. 

-Congratulations to Pennsylvania for clinching yet another Ivy League title and NCAA bid. As if there was much doubt about it.

-Saturday’s Ohio Valley final is a worthy follow-up to what should be excellent championship games in the A-Sun and Big South. Murray State and Samford have had some good battles ever since the slow motion Bulldogs joined the OVC, with Jimmy Tillette’s team and its disciplined offense frequently giving the Racers problems. This has become a growing rivalry in the OVC, and this will be the most meaningful of their meetings yet. Looking forward to it. Just a thought: what if Murray State hadn’t lost at the wire to Tennessee and Cincinnati very early this season. The Racers should’ve beaten the Bearcats and stayed right with the Volunteers. At that time, MSU was quite disappointed by that result because it was thought Murray had lost to an SEC also-ran, little was it known the Big Orange would become one of the stories of the season. Wins by MSU in both of those games, and it’s very possible the Racers are in all of the bubble talk this week.

-Finally, Northwestern State concluded its regular season with a win on Friday to finish at 22-7 and with a 15-1 record in the Southland Conference. If the committee for some reason decides it is going away from RPI and top 50 numbers, etc., then we sure hope the Demons benefit. This is a team that would deserve an at-large bid if they lost in the SLC tourney, but will never get it just because the numbers don’t add up. They’re good enough to deserve one, though, and tried very hard to schedule up in their non-conference schedule. Even though it didn’t work out as well as hoped (many teams NW State scheduled had worse-than expected years) the Demons still picked up some nice road wins, proved they can play almost anyone on the road, and would deserve to be rewarded for their attempt more than they will be.

Up next:

-The first three automatic bids via tournament are settled, with the Big South, Atlantic Sun and OVC tourneys finishing up in that order.

-A big quarterfinal Saturday in the CAA, with top seeds UNC-Wilmington and George Mason teeing off and Hofstra making its final push for at-large consideration. If the top four seeds all advance, it will set up two terrific must-see semifinal games on Sunday.

-Of course, two huge semifinals in the MVC, with Wichita State facing Bradley and Southern Illinois against Northern Iowa. The Panthers looked to be a resurgent team in the second half against Missouri State on Friday night. WSU and UNI should have no NCAA worries, a win should put Bradley safely into the NCAAs, and SIU needs to just keep winning, baby.

-Quarterfinals take place in the MAAC (should they be called ¾-finals, since top seed Manhattan still has another bye?) Looking forward to seeing Siena fans liven up the atmosphere in the Pepsi Arena; anytime the Saints play in Albany in the postseason, it is a game worth watching.

-Horizon League semifinals in Milwaukee with Wisconsin-Green Bay against Butler and Loyola vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Four solid teams, all capable of winning the automatic bid. The great CigarBoy will be there, and we wish we could be too.

-A few tourneys kick off, including the Big Sky and Mid-Continent. Teams to watch include favorites IUPUI and Northern Arizona and top challengers Oral Roberts and Montana.