Dayton

Non-BCS Top 25: Dayton, Santa Clara Drop Out

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 19:46:42 -0800

The Non-BCS Top 25 is a CollegeHoops.net original, copied by multiple major outlets. As a weekly companion to our popular CHN Top 50 ranking, it takes an in-depth look into the underrated universe of teams outside of the big six. The original Non-BCS ranking.

Non-BCS Top 25: January 13th

by Shawn Siegel: Collegehoops.net Editor

	Team	Record	Last
1	Gonzaga	15-1	1
2	Creighton	16-1	2
3	Butler	14-2	3
4	San Diego St	14-2	4
5	New Mexico	15-2	6
6	UNLV	14-3*	5
7	Wichita St	15-2*	7
8	VCU	14-3	9
9	Wyoming	14-1*	8
10	Memphis	12-3	12
11	Boise St	13-2	13
12	Temple	11-4*	10
13	Bucknell	14-3	14
14	Colorado St	13-3*	11
15	BYU	14-4	19
16	Belmont	13-4	18
17	Saint Louis	12-4*	15
18	St. Mary's	13-4*	17

Not in CHN Top 50 Ranking

	Team	Record	Last
19	North Dakota St	15-3	22
20	MTSU	14-4	20
21	Charlotte	14-2	21
22	Murray St	12-4*	16
23	Utah St	14-1	25
23	Southern Miss	13-4	NA
24	Akron	11-4	NA

last = last week's ranking

* = Losses this week

Next 5: Stephen F Austin (14-1), Louisiana Tech (14-3), Eastern Kentucky (14-3), Xavier (9-6), La Salle (11-4*)

Further 5: Stony Brook (12-4), Western Illinois (14-3), Lehigh (11-4), Saint Joseph's (9-5*), Evansville (11-6)

Out of Top 25: Santa Clara (12-6**), Dayton (10-6**)

Agree/Disagree? Post your thoughts below or join us @collegehoopsnet

Check out last week's Non-BCS Top 25 Ranking

Friday's Conference Tournament Primer

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 07:25:01 -0800

ACC - Quarterfinals
#1 North Carolina vs. #8 Maryland, Noon (ESPN2/ACC Network)
#4 Virginia vs. #5 NC State, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN2/ACC Network)
#2 Duke vs. #10 Virginia Tech, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2/ACC Network)
#3 Florida State vs. #6 Miami, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2/ACC Network)

After wins on Thursday both NC State and Miami have shots at quality wins on Friday, and should both accomplish that the ACC may be able to grab six NCAA tournament bids. The Wolfpack take on Virginia, and with the lone regular season meeting decided by a single point (61-60 Virginia win on January 28th) this should be a close contest.

Tony Bennett's team has been banged up for much of the season and with freshman Malcolm Brogdon being ruled out for the season the Cavaliers are essentially down to six players in their rotation. But the most important one is still on the floor, as Mike Scott has been one of the best players in the ACC all season long.

The key for Virginia is getting consistent production from guard Sammy Zeglinski, because when he's shooting it well the Cavaliers are tougher to slow down. Tony Bennett's pack line defense can frustrate teams, so the Pack have to be smart in not settling for too many perimeter shots. C.J. Leslie scored 17 points in the first meeting and Richard Howell put up 11 and 18 rebounds, and as a team NC State out-rebounded Virginia 42-25 in Raleigh.

But they shot 2-for-15 from three and just 12-for-21 from the foul line, thus negating that edge on the glass. The Wolfpack may average 15 three-point attempts per game and if a decent chunk of those are taken by Scott Wood that's fine. But they can't fall in love with the shot as that's what Virginia wants teams to do. Work the ball inside and take advantage of their depth, and NC State likely wins.

As for Miami, the Hurricanes and Seminoles split the regular season series with the home team winning both meetings. Jim Larranaga's team won in Coral Gables with Reggie Johnson sitting due to an NCAA issue, with Miami shooting 61% from the field and scoring 54 points in the second half of the 78-62 win. And the Hurricanes got it done with offensive balance, as four players finished in double figures.

If they can be balanced, with Johnson and Kenny Kadji inside and guards Malcolm Grant, Shane Larkin and Durand Scott producing on the perimeter, Miami can pose problems for one of the ACC's best defensive teams. Florida State has to take care of the basketball, not just for tonight but also for the remainder of the season if they're to make any kind of noise.

Leonard Hamilton's team turns the ball over on 24% of their possessions, which is not part of the formula for winning in March. Luke Loucks and Ian Miller have to perform better in this area if the Seminoles are to hang around, because despite FSU's ability on the defensive end that can be nullified if they're giving away too many possessions.

Of course North Carolina and Duke can't be forgotten but both take on teams who aren't going to the Big Dance unless they win the ACC tournament. Maryland's a young team led by Terrell Stoglin, whose shot selection at times leaves much to be desired, and if the Terps are hot they can hang around with UNC. But don't expect that to happen, and while Virginia Tech tends to play Duke tough they likely don't have the horses even with Duke's Ryan Kelly missing the tournament with a foot injury.

Atlantic 10 - Quarterfinals
#1 Temple vs. #8 Massachusetts, 12:00pm (CBS SN syndicated)
#4 St. Bonaventure vs. #5 Saint Joseph's, 2:30pm (CBS SN syndicated)
#2 Saint Louis vs. #7 La Salle, 6:30pm (CBS SN syndicated)
#3 Xavier vs. #6 Dayton, 9:00pm (CBS SN syndicated)

In the final game of the night in Atlantic City, Xavier and Dayton are essentially playing for a trip to the NCAA tournament. Not sure if there's any other way to describe the game between the two rivals, which should make for a heated battle at Boardwalk Hall. Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons still haven't played their best basketball, and what better time to get going than right now? Dayton's led by point guard Kevin Dillard and they've got some good players on the wings, led by senior Chris Johnson.

Saint Joseph's can also work their way into the bubble chatter, and clearly getting to the semis with a win over St. Bonaventure would be a good start. The battle between C.J. Aiken and A-10 Player of the Year Andrew Nicholson will have a lot to say about the outcome, but the Bonnies will need to slow down guard Carl Jones as well. Temple and Saint Louis are well on their way to the Big Dance, but a loss today could have a negative impact from a seeding standpoint.

Big 12 - Semifinals
#4 Baylor vs. #1 Kansas, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
#2 Missouri vs. #6 Texas, 10:00 p.m. (ESPNU)

While the buzz may be the fact that we're one win apiece away from a third meeting between Missouri and Kansas, the truth of the matter is that both have business to attend to tonight. The Jayhawks take on a Baylor team they beat decisively in both regular season meetings, with Thomas Robinson doing what he does and Jeff Withey absolutely killing the Bears inside. Baylor will need Perry Jones III to come out with the same aggression he did in Thursday's win over Kansas State, putting up 31 points and 11 boards.

The second game matches Missouri and six-seed Texas, who played well in the second half of their win over Iowa State on Thursday. It will be important for J'Covan Brown and Myck Kabongo to play well for the Longhorns, but if anything they're going to need Clint Chapman and the rest of their big men to go to work on the glass. It won't hurt to get Ricardo Ratliffe in foul trouble either but that can be easier said than done. Marcus Denmon, Phil Pressey and Kim English lead the way for the Tigers, who could still be in the discussion for a one-seed.

Big East - Semifinals
#1 Syracuse vs. #4 Cincinnati, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
#7 Louisville vs. #3 Notre Dame, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Louisville is the lone team not in the top four to reach the Big East semifinals, as they jumped Marquette early and hung on to beat the Golden Eagles on Thursday night. They take on Notre Dame, who survived a comedy of errors down the stretch in their overtime win over USF. The key for the Cardinals will be to achieve a near-chaotic tempo within possessions against the Irish, who are extemely difficult to speed up. That game follows Syracuse and Cincinnati, with the Bearcats in position to help themselves out in the seeding department with a win. But beating the Orange is tough anywhere, much less in the Garden. Who steps up for Syracuse tonight? To have as many answers as they do is a nice luxury to have, but if Yancy Gates and Cashmere Wright play well the Bearcats can win.

Big Ten - Quarterfinals
#1 Michigan State vs. #8 Iowa, Noon (ESPN)
#4 Wisconsin vs. #5 Indiana, 2:25 p.m. (ESPN)
#2 Michigan vs. #10 Minnesota, 6:30 p.m. (BTN)
#3 Ohio State vs. #6 Purdue, 8:55 p.m. (BTN)

With Northwestern going down the bubble suspense has likely left the Big Ten tournament, unless either Iowa or Minnesota can get hot and get to Sunday's final. They take on the top two seeds in the event, and while Michigan State and Michigan won shares of the regular season title (along with Ohio State) they can be beat. The 4/5 matchup is the one to watch, not only because of how evenly matched Wisconsin and Indiana are but also because of the fact that this will be the first game for IU without Verdell Jones III, who tore his ACL on Thursday. This will be a good test for Tom Crean's team in that regard, because while they're deep enough rotation-wise to lose an important senior at this point in the year does require some adjusting.

Big West - Semifinals
#1 Long Beach State vs. #7 UC Irvine, 9:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
#3 UCSB vs. #4 Cal Poly, Midnight (ESPNU)

Top-seed Long Beach State, who is without their best defender (Larry Anderson) this weekend due to injury, received a nice break as UC Irvine knocked off two-seed Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night. With the Big West re-seeding its teams after the quarterfinals the 49ers take on the Anteaters, and while Russell Turner's team isn't to be underestimated this is a better semifinal matchup for Casper Ware and company than a battle with Cal Poly would have been. The Mustangs take on UCSB, who has won the last two conference tournament titles and with Orlando Johnson leading the way a third is not out of the realm of possibility. If the Gauchos have James Nunnally going as well look out.

Conference USA - Semifinals
#2 Southern Miss vs. #6 Marshall, 4:00 p.m. (CBS SN)
#1 Memphis vs. #4 UCF, 6:30 p.m. (CBS SN)

With Memphis safely in the NCAA tournament field the question for Conference USA is whether or not another team can pop up and earn a bid. That chatter focuses on Southern Miss, who likely wrapped up a spot with their escape against ECU. Larry Eustachy's team has an impressive set of computer numbers, so that likely means two bids for C-USA, but if DeAndre Kane can go off for 40 as he did in Marshall's win over Tulsa the Thundering Herd can earn a trip to the title game. Opposing Memphis is UCF, who likely needs to win the tournament if they're to go dancing, but with Keith Clanton leading the way they don't lack for talent either.

Great West - Semifinals
#4 NJIT vs. #1 Utah Valley, 1:00 p.m.
#3 Texas-Pan American vs. #2 North Dakota, 3:30 p.m.

MAC - Semifinals
#4 Kent State vs. # 1 Akron, 7:00 p.m. (STO)
#3 Ohio vs. # 2 Buffalo, 9:30 p.m. (STO)

The top four seeds in the MAC all hail from the East Division, and it should come as no surprise that these four meet in the semis. The question now is who has enough left to grab two wins and the league's automatic bid. The conversation has to start with regular season champion Akron, who won the tournament last season and in Zeke Marshall have a big man who can change games with his shot-blocking ability. Two-seed Buffalo counters with forwards Javon McCrea and Mitchell Watt, two very good players who will be a handful for Ohio tonight. The Bobcats have the league's best point guard in D.J. Cooper, and Kent State has three players averaging double figures with forward Justin Greene leading the way. Thursday may have gone according to plan with Ohio and Kent State moving on, and it wouldn't be a surprise if those two won again tonight.

MEAC - Semifinals
#8 Hampton vs. #4 Bethune-Cookman, 6:00 p.m.
#2 Norfolk State vs. #11 Florida A&M, 8:00 p.m.

Mountain West - Semifinals
#1 San Diego State vs. #4 Colorado State, 9:00 p.m. (CBS SN)
#2 New Mexico vs. #3 UNLV, 11:30 p.m. (CBS SN)

The two semifinals in Las Vegas promise to be entertaining affairs with both being regular season splits. San Diego State didn't look their best against a young Boise State team that's going to be good in years to come, and Jamaal Franklin and the rest of the Aztecs have to sharpen things up if they're to beat the Rams. Colorado State looked impressive in their win over TCU, and with Wes Eikmeier and Dorian Green leading the way Tim Miles' crew definitely has a shot at the tournament crown. In game two how UNLV defends Drew Gordon will go a long way in determining the outcome, as they were unable to slow him down in the second half of their loss in Albuquerque last month. Mike Moser also struggled in that game, and if he can get going early the Runnin' Rebels can take advantage of their home floor.

Pac-12 - Semifinals
#9 Oregon State vs. #4 Arizona, 9:10 p.m. (FSN)
#2 California vs. #6 Colorado, 11:40 p.m. (FSN)

Who wants an NCAA tournament bid? That's the question in Los Angeles as California is likely the only team secure with their prospects. Arizona has to beat Oregon State if they're to go dancing, but the same could have been true even if Washington were their opposition since the Huskies swept the regular season series from the Wildcats. Colorado and Oregon State know at this point that they'll have to win the automatic bid, and both are capable of doing just that. There's an awful lot on the line at Staples Center, truthfully more than many would expect to be in the semifinals of a BCS AQ conference tournament.

SEC - Quarterfinals
#8 LSU vs. #1 Kentucky, 1:00 p.m. (SEC Network)
#5 Alabama vs. #4 Florida, 3:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
#7 Ole Miss vs. #2 Tennessee, 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)
#11 Georgia vs. #3 Vanderbilt, 10:00 p.m. (SEC Network)

Ole Miss/Tennessee is the game to watch from a bubble standpoint as both teams need wins, and with a number of bubble team across the country faltering of late either one can step up and earn a bid. Jarnell Stokes has helped change the prospects for the Volunteers, who with his addition had two tough players inside who give opponents fits (Jeronne Maymon). The Rebels will need Terrence Henry to play well again if they're to advance, and Murphy Holloway has played well for much of the season too. The other three games seem to be straightforward with Kentucky already having a one-seed in the NCAA tournament and Vanderbilt, Florida and Alabama all headed to the Big Dance as well.

SWAC- Semifinals
#2 Texas Southern vs. #6 Alcorn State, 1:30 p.m. (SWAC TV)
#1 Mississippi Valley State vs. #5 UAPB, 9:00 p.m. (SWAC TV)

WAC - Semifinals
#6 Hawai'i vs. #2 New Mexico State, 9:00 p.m. (WSN)
#5 Louisiana Tech vs. #1 Nevada, 11:30 p.m. (WSN)

Detroit Grabs First Bid Since 1999: Tuesday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:09:23 -0800

When Western Kentucky fired Ken McDonald on January 6th few envisioned the young Hilltoppers earning a bid to the NCAA tournament. But they did just that, beating North Texas 74-70 in the Sun Belt title game.

1. Another team playing their best basketball at the right time is Detroit, who pulled away to beat top-seed Valparaiso on the Horizon League title game.
Ray McCallum Sr.'s Titans struggled offensively in the first half of thir contest with top seed Valparaiso, shooting just 29% from the field. But they trailed by just three points thanks to their effort on the defensive end, forcing the Crusaders into 11 first half turnovers. Things would change for Detroit in the second half, as Ray McCallum Jr. took control of the contest and as a team the Titans shot 57.7% while limiting Valpo to 31.8% from the field. The end result was a 70-50 win for Detroit, who has now won ten of their last eleven games heading into the Big Dance.

McCallum Jr. finished with a team-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds, four steals and three assists. Jason Calliste added 17 points and LaMarcus Lowe 14 and ten rebounds, and three of Valparaiso's four best players were kept in check. Will Bogan, Ben Boggs and Erik Buggs combined to score just five points, shooting a poor 1-for-12 on the night. Depending on their seed Detroit is more than capable of throwing a scare into a high seed, and with the amount of talent at McCallum Sr.'s disposal it likely wouldn't be a stunner if they were to pick up a win next week.

2. South Dakota State caps the five-year trek with an NCAA bid, beating Western Illinois in overtime to win the Summit League.
To become a full-fledged Division I member schools have to go through a five-year provisional period, meaning that while they can compete in conferences and win regular season titles they're ineligible to compete in NCAA championship events. That five-year wait for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits was likely a rough one in that regard, but they were able to make up for Nate Wolters' off night to beat Western Illinois 54-52 in overtime.

Wolters shot 5-for-22 from the field, 4-for-17 from beyond the arc due in part to WIU's play defensively. But others stepped up, most notably Griffin Callahan, as he scored ten points and grabbed six rebounds to help lead the charge. If the Jackrabbits are to have any shot at a tournament win next week Wolters will need to have one of his best games of the season, but it will help matters if his teammates take advantage of their opportunities as well.

3. Princeton knocks off rival Penn, which gives Harvard their first NCAA tournament bid since 1946.
Rivalry games with a title on the line can be tricky affairs, especially if one team no longer has a shot at the title. That's exactly what Penn had to deal with on Tuesday night, as they visited rival Princeton looking for the win that would result in sharing the regular season title with Harvard and setting up a one-game playoff. Penn came out of the gatest slow, scoring just 17 points in the first half of what would become a 62-52 Princeton win. Zack Rosen scored 19 points to lead the Quakers, but he also had seven turnovers. Shooting would be the bigger issue for Jerome Allen's team as they shot 38.6% from inside of the arc, squandering an opportunity to take advantage of 20 Princeton turnovers. Add in a nearly unstoppable Ian Hummer and it becomes rather simple to figure out why the Crimson were able to wrap up an outright Ivy League title despite not playing. .

Quick Hitters

1. Day one at the Big East Championship didn't provide much in the way of drama as all four games were decided by at least 14 points. But most importantly both Connecticut and Seton Hall advanced, and they'll both have good opportunities for quality wins on Wednesday. UConn, who beat DePaul 81-64, takes on eight seed West Virginia in the first game of the day. Seton Hall will look to follow their 79-47 win over Providence with a win over seven-seed Louisville, and it's safe to say that both the Huskies and Pirates need to do the bare minimum and keep winning.

2. The home teams held serve in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament, with all four winning to advance to Atlantic City. This development also set up what will be a huge quarterfinal between four-seed Xavier and five-seed Dayton, as both teams are in serious need of wins at this point. The Flyers beat 12-seed George Washington 67-50, limiting the Colonials to 17 first-half points.

3. The fans will get what they wanted to see in the Big Sky: round three between regular season champion Montana and runner-up Weber State, as both won their semifinal matchups on Tuesday night. Mathias Ward scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the Grizzlies' 74-66 win over Eastern Washington but it was Kareem Jamar who left his fingerprints all over the game, accounting for 18 points, 13 rebounds and two steals. Damian Lillard put up 22 points, four assists and four steals to lead Weber State to a 69-63 win over Portland State. The home team won both meetings during the regular season, but that tends to go out of the window in tournament finals.

4. Back to the Big East for a second, as it is important to point out how critical the offseason will be for Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights ended their season with a 70-49 loss to Villanova on Tuesday, and while the addition of Kansas State transfer Wally Judge will help those youngers who were thrown into the fire this season need to improve if Mike Rice's team is to make a move in the Big East.

5. A lack of familiarity can spark some interesting (and unexpected) happenings, which was the case in Florida A&M's 74-72 win over Coppin State in the first round of the MEAC tournament. FAMU trailed 43-28 at the half and by six with 4:38 to go, but an 11-3 run put the Rattlers in the driver's seat. The only other lower-seeded team to win in Winston-Salem was Howard, who beat North Carolina A&T 51-50 on a Calvin Thompson layup with 46 seconds remaining

Bracketology: Remaining Teams That Can Steal Bids

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:55:54 -0800

While bubble teams were able to breathe easier when Murray St and Creighton won close conference titles, the coast is not entirely clear.

Here's a brief look at the remaining teams most likely to "steal" bids from the bubble hopefuls**.

ACC

With UNC and Duke lurking, its hard to imagine a spoiler coming from the ACC, but you never know..

Clemson (16-14, 8-8, RPI #138)

The ACC might be down this year, but .500 in that league still counts for something. The Tigers would need to beat VT in the opening round and then steal one from Duke. Clemson only lost to Duke by 7 at Cameron.

Maryland (16-14, 6-10, RPI #110)

The Terps have an easy opening game against Wake Forest, and they'd they have to beat UNC in the quarterfinals.

Atlantic 10
While Temple and St Louis are locks, there is a ton of parity in the A10. All of these teams deserve more respect than they get nationally and are extremely dangerous in the A10 tournament.

Dayton (20-11, 9-7, #73)

Dayton cruised past GW in the opening round and now faces Xavier. While Xavier is more likely to get an at-large bid, both teams have similar resumes. The loser of that game will be eliminated from at-large contention.

La Salle (210-11, 9-7, #79)

La Salle beat a tough Richmond squad in the opening round and now faces Saint Louis. La Salle struggled against the Billikens earlier in the year, but does have a geographical advantage playing in Atlantic City.

St Bonaventure (17-11, 10-6, #95)

A dangerous squad, St Bonaventure faces bubble team Saint Joseph's Wednesday afternoon. The Bonnies have already beaten Saint Joe's and with Andrew Nicholson leading the way, no one wants to face them.

UMASS (21-10, 9-7, #87)

UMASS topped Duquesne Tuesday night, which sets up an afternoon game with #1 seed Temple. UMASS took Temple to OT a few weeks, so they're far from scared.

Big East

UCONN showed that its not impossible to run through the Big East Tournament from a Tuesday start.

Pittsburgh (17-15, 5-13, #98)

Perhaps there is a little bit of magic left from this preseason top 25 team that struggled mightily.

Big Ten
These 3 teams have had their moments during the season, and would need to go on epic runs to win the league.

Illinois (17-14, 6-12, #82)

As bad as Illinois has been, how many teams have beaten the likes of Michigan St, Ohio St, and Gonzaga. The Illini would need Brandon Paul to go off for 40 every game in Indy..

Iowa (16-15, 8-10, #131)

Iowa has been surprisingly competitive this year, and has beaten Wisconsin twice along with beating Michigan and Indiana. They face Illinois in round one, the winner could have great momentum going forward.

Minnesota (18-13, 6-12, #81)

Once considered a potential tourney team, Minnesota's season went south in a hurry. They face bubble team Northwestern in round one and could seriously hurt the Wildcats at-large hopes.

Conference USA

While the RPI suggests Memphis and Southern Miss are by far the class of this league, these teams certainly have to be feared. If not for the tournament being in Memphis, the odds of one of these teams stealing a bid would be even bigger.

UCF (21-9, 10-6, #64)

With an opening round by, the Knights would face the winner of UAB or Tulane in round two. UCF is a close loss or two away from being firmly in the NCAA Tournament field. With the exception of one bad showing at Memphis, UCF has been competitive in every CUSA game.

Marshall (18-12, 9-7, #66)

Like UCF, Marshall is a dangerous squad that could be looking at the NCAA's with a little more luck. As it is, they have a very favorable spot in the bracket, opening against SMU and then potentially facing Tulsa in the quarterfinals.

Tulsa (17-13, 10-6, #112)

Most wouldn't have guessed that Tulsa would earn the #3 seed in the CUSA Tournament.

UTEP (14-16, 7-9, #158)

A real darkhorse as a #8 seed, UTEP has beaten Memphis and Southern Miss this year, so you never what could happen if they got hot.

MWC
The MWC is a small league, so you only have to win 3 games to earn the title.

Wyoming (20-10, 6-8, #80)

The Cowboys face UNLV in the opening round, and have already beaten the Rebels. While they've struggled away from home, they can't be written off.

TCU (17-13, 7-7, #101)

TCU can ruin Colorado St's bubble hopes in the opening round. The two split their season series, and the game should be close.

Pac-12
The Pac-12 is a complete mess. Cal and Washington can't be considered locks and a ton of teams could potentially win the league title.

Arizona (21-10, 12-6, #77)

Arizona awaits the winner of UCLA/USC after getting a first round bye.

Colorado (19-11, 11-7, #83)

The #6 seed opens with lowly Utah. The Buffs aren't that much worse than anyone else in the league.

Stanford (20-10, 10-8, #97)

The only team in the league to beat a Top 50 opponent in non-conference play, Stanford has been playing better after slumping a few weeks back.

UCLA (18-13, 11-7, #118)

With the tournament in Los Angeles, and a favorable bracket, you certainly can't write off the Bruins.

SEC

Outside of Kentucky, the SEC is much more even than you might think. Teams like Florida and Vanderbilt are overrated, and 2nd seed Tennessee is not that great away from home. Kentucky might lose focus, and then the league is up for grabs.

Arkansas (18-13, 6-10, #100)

If the Hogs can get by LSU, they'd face Kentucky in the quarterfinals. If they could somehow beat UK..

LSU (17-13, 7-9, #89)

The same exact situation as Arkansas.

**I'll define the bubble as including the following teams:

BYU

California

Colorado St

Drexel

Miami

NC State

Northwestern

Ole Miss

Oregon

Saint Joseph's

Seton Hall

South Florida

Tennessee

Texas

UCONN

Washington

Xavier

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Tuesday's Conference Tournament Primer

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:03:10 -0800

While there's plenty of conference tournament action on Tuesday's schedule, and three bids to be distributed, there's also a huge game in the Ivy League as Penn (19-11, 11-2) visits rival Princeton (18-11, 9-4). What's on the line for the Quakers? A share of the Ivy League title with Harvard, which would force a one-game playoff between the two teams at a site to be determined. Jerome Allen's Quakers are led by the outstanding senior guard triumvirate of Zack Rosen, Tyler Bernardini and Miles Cartwright, with Rosen being the likely choice for Ivy League Player of the Year.

Rosen (18.5 ppg, 5.3 apg) has scored 20 points or more in four of Penn's last six games, and in Penn's 82-67 win over Princeton back on January 30th he scored 28 and dished out five assists. Job one for any team taking on Penn is to limit Rosen's impact on the game, but that's a task that's far easier said than done. And in most instances this season it's fallen short. Bernardini had to deal with foul trouble in that game yet still managed to score 14 points in 25 minutes, and the Quakers will need him to snap out of his current slump tonight if they're to force a playoff.

While Penn's won seven straight it isn't as if the Tigers come in playing poorly, as they've won seven of their last eight. Forward Ian Hummer's been a critical factor all season long for Mitch Henderson, leading the team in both scoring and rebounding and ranking second on the team with three assists per game. Hummer's a versatile forward who can be a difficult matchup for teams, and he combined with center Brendan Connolly to score 36 points in the first meeting (21 for Hummer).

Those two got their points but rebounding was a problem at the Palestra, as Penn grabbed 13 offensive boards and out-rebounded the Tigers 33-19. Pretty easy to figure out what Princeton needs to change from that first meeting if they're to defend their home floor. Princeton also has senior Douglas Davis in the backcourt, who averages 13.0 points per game, and point guard T.J. Bray has proven himself to be effective as both a distributor (3.6 apg) and a rebounder (4.5 rpg) at his position. If Penn wins the battle on the glass and shoots 10-for-18 from three as they did at The Palestra, there will likely be a playoff this weekend. But with Princeton playing better now than they were at the end of January, look for the rematch to be a 40-minute dogfight.

Atlantic 10 - First Round
#9 Duquesne at #8 Massachusetts, 7:00 p.m.
#12 Charlotte at #5 Saint Joseph's, 7:00 p.m.
#10 Richmond at #7 La Salle, 7:00 p.m.
#11 George Washington at #6 Dayton, 7:00 p.m.

The four winners will advance to the quarterfinals in Atlantic City, where the top four seeds await. Tonight's action is most important for Saint Joseph's and Dayton, two teams clinging to hopes of making a run at an NCAA tournament bid. For that to happen one would think that the Hawks and Flyers need to get to Sunday's final given recent missteps, but the simplest thing to do at this point is go out and win; live to fight another day.

Carl Jones, Langston Galloway and C.J. Aiken have the ability to lead Saint Joseph's on a run, and it's not like Archie Miller's Flyers lack for talent either. But keep an eye on La Salle, who has one of the best point guards in the conference in Tyreek Duren, and that 8/9 matchup could be the most entertaining given the pressure applied by both Duquesne and UMass.

Big East - First Round
# 16 DePaul vs. #9 Connecticut, Noon (ESPN2)
# 13 Pittsburgh vs. # 12 St. John's, 2:00 p.m. (ESPN2)
# 15 Providence vs. # 10 Seton Hall, 7:00 p.m. (ESPNU)
# 14 Villanova vs. # 11 Rutgers (ESPNU)

So, UConn begins their Big East Championship in the same spot they began their "five games in five days" run last season. But it's an entirely different scenario for the Huskies, who were safely in the NCAA tournament last season, and they had an assertive leader in Kemba Walker. That guy hasn't stepped up yet for the Huskies, who are also taking a DePaul team that despite their last place finish has improved since last season. Cleveland Melvin and Brandon Young are both very good sophomores, and freshman Jamee Crockett has improved his play. UConn can't afford to stumble, but they're likely in better shape than a slumping Seton Hall squad that dropped games to Rutgers and DePaul to end the regular season. Providence lacks depth but with Bryce Cotton, Vincent Council and LaDontae Henton the Friars can definitely scare the Pirates if not win.

Big Sky - Semifinals (at Montana)
#3 Portland State vs. #2 Weber State, 7:30 p.m. (Altitude)
#4 Eastern Washington at #1 Montana, 10:00 p.m. (Altitude)

The top four teams in the Big Sky meet up in Missoula, and few are expecting anything less than a Weber State/Montana rubber game on Wednesday night. Tyler Geving's Portland State team has won four straight and seven of their last eight game, and with Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott he's got two of the better players in the Big Sky. But the question for PSU is whether or not they can limit Damian Lillard, and if the two regular season meetings are any indication of what could happen tonight their chances aren't good. Lillard's two point totals against the Vikings this season: 38 points on the road, 40 at home.

Eastern Washington has won three of their last four games, but in a weird scheduling quirk all three wins came at the expense of Idaho State (two regular season games, then their conference tournament meeting on Saturday). And they're running to a Montana squad that swept the two regular season meetings, and the Grizzlies are hot right now as well with a streak of 12 straight wins. Will Cherry and Kareem Jamar have played well on the perimeter all season long, and even with Cliff Colimon it's going to be tough for the Eagles to win on the Grizzlies' home floor.

Horizon League - Title Game
#3 Detroit at #1 Valparaiso, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN)

Valparaiso hosts a Detroit team that's gotten things going at just the right time, winning four straight and nine of their last ten heading into tonight's title game. The two regular season meetings were close but Bryce Drew's Crusaders won both, most recently beating the Titans at home on February 2nd. It was a tale of two halves, as Detroit shot 61% and scored 45 points in the first half, only to see VU clamp down and limit them to 34.5% shooting in the second half. Ray McCallum Jr. and Eli Holman are two key figures for Detroit but it's important to point out that five Titans finished that game in double figures.

The key for Detroit: slow down Horizon League Player of the Year Ryan Broekhoff, who scored 26 points in the second meeting (6-6 3PT). Kevin Van Wijk has done well inside for the Crusaders, averaging 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in Valpo's last two games, and if he can come close to those numbers tonight Valparaiso will have a better shot at returning to the Big Dance for the first time since 2004.

MEAC - Opening Round
# 8 Hampton vs. # 9 Morgan State, 11:00 a.m.
# 7 North Carolina A&T vs. #10 Howard, 1:30 p.m.
# 5 North Carolina Central vs. # 12 UMES, 4:00 p.m.
# 4 Bethune-Cookman vs. # 13 South Carolina State, 6:30 p.m.
# 6 Coppin State vs. # 11 Florida A&M, 9:00 p.m.

Given the nature of the MEAC race beneath regular season champion Savannah State and second-place finisher Norfolk State this could be a wild five days in Winston-Salem. The top three seeds take Tuesday off, and Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina Central shouldn't have much trouble with South Carolina State and UMES, respectively.

But beginning with Coppin State/FAMU things could get interesting, especially considering the fact that somehow the two teams didn't meet during the regular season. Tony Gallo leads four Eagles in double figures, and with both teams having issues defensively this could be a wild contest that goes down to the wire. Hampton/Morgan State shouldn't lack for entertainment value either with the two teams splitting their regular season meetings, but neither winner reached 70 points so don't expect offensive fireworks.

Summit League - Title Game
#4 Western Illinois vs. #2 South Dakota State, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

Many expected the top two seeds to meet for the Summit League crown, but the Leathernecks took care of those plans with a 54-53 win over Oral Roberts on Monday night. Defending Dominique Morrison was tough enough and he still finished with 23 points, but just as it was on Monday the key for WIU in beating the Jackrabbits will be to make Nate Wolters' teammates don't go off as well.

Wolters, who led SDSU to a 63-47 win over Southern Utah with 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists, has an impact in all facets of the game for the Jackrabitts, and if he's able to get his teammates going offensively there's no telling how many points they could end up scoring (they hung 93 on Washington earlier this season). Ceola Clark III and Obi Emegano lead the way offensively for WIU, who will need a low-scoring (and low-possession) game if they're to pull off the upset.

Sun Belt - Title Game
#5 North Texas vs. #7 Western Kentucky, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN2 - Summit Arena)

When Ken McDonald was fired on January 6th, few people thought that a young Western Kentucky squad would have enough left to make a run at a Sun Belt title. But thanks in large part to new head coach Ray Harper and a freshman in Derrick Gordon who is going to win a conference Player of the Year award before his career's over, the Hilltoppers find themselves one win away from an improbable NCAA tournament appearance. On the other side of the floor is North Texas, a team many pegged as a team that could win the league thanks to the addition of one-time Missouri signee Tony Mitchell.

North Texas won the lone regular season meeting 84-67 back on January 12th, but this is a far different WKU team than the one that set foot in Denton on that night. Does WKU have enough left in the tank, playing their fourth game in four days, to win the title? It will be tough, but there's no reason to assume that can't at this point.

Afternoon Upsets in the Big South: Wednesday's Quick Hitters

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 23:14:27 -0800

The biggest development on Wednesday night were the wins picked up by Cincinnati, Colorado State and USF, as all three strengthened their arguments for an NCAA tournament bid.

1. Two of the top three seeds in the Big South saw their seasons come to an end in the quarterfinals.
The beginning of an almost nonstop afternoon basketball got underway on Wednesday, and from an upset standpoint the Big South certainly didn't disappoint. But if you're a fan of either Coastal Carolina or Campbell it wasn't a good day, as both saw their seasons come to an end (unless selected for a postseason tournament) despite entering the conference tournament as the two and three seeds. CCU ran into a VMI team that got hot from three, knocking down 14 of their 28 attempts from beyond the arc on the way to an 85-68 victory. Starters Keith Gabriel (20 points) and Stan Okoye (15) played well, but the 17-point outing from Jordan Weethee (5-6 3PT) off the bench was just as important. CCU didn't help themselves by turning the ball over 16 times either.

As for Campbell turnovers were a problem for them as well in their 71-55 loss to six-seeded Winthrop. The Camels turned the ball over 16 times to just eight for the Eagles, who are looking to rid themselves of the bad taste left in their mouths following a disappointing regular season. Campbell also couldn't slow down Reggie Middleton, who scored a game-high 25 points (5-10 3PT) and dished out four assists to lead the way for Winthrop. Darren White led Campbell with 15 points but no other Campbell player reached double figures, and when combined with the turnovers that proved to be too much to overcome. On the other side of the bracket top seed UNC Asheville and four-seed Charleston Southern advanced, and the key for UNCA at this point is to remain focused on the task at hand instead of worrying about how the bottom half of the bracket opened up. Do that and Eddie Biedenbach's team could make a return trip to the Big Dance.

2. Miami follows up their big win over Florida State with...a loss at NC State.
What the Hurricanes have done over the last four days is exactly why concrete verdicts shouldn't be rendered in regards to the tournament prospects of teams based on one game. On Sunday Jim Larranaga's team looked very good as they beat Florida State with Reggie Johnson out of the lineup. But with Johnson back the Hurricanes were unable to build on the positive momentum as they fell to the Wolfpack 77-73. And if not for their 22 offensive rebounds the margin of defeat could have been even larger for Miami, who shot just 35.6% from the field while NC State made half of their field goal attempts.

C.J. Leslie led four NC State players in double figures with 21 points while also grabbing 11 boards as the Pack snapped their four-game losing streak. Rion Brown led the Hurricanes with 15 points off the bench but with Kenny Kadji and Durand Scott shooting a combined 6-for-24 from the field Miami couldn't counter NC State scoring 43 second-half points. With a home game against Boston College being the regular season finale, it's likely that Miami will need to make some noise in the ACC tournament to further state their case.

3. It was also a bad night for bubble teams in the Atlantic 10 as both Dayton and Saint Joseph's fell.
One day after Xavier fell hard at Saint Louis two more teams suffered defeats that could have the A-10 sliding toward being a two-bid league. Phil Martelli's Hawks were unable to build on their win over Temple in Olean as they fell to St. Bonaventure 98-93 in double overtime. Andrew Nicholson, who is a candidate for A-10 Player of the Year, scored 32 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead the Bonnies to a win that locked up a first-round bye in next week's conference tournament. The Hawks got themselves in trouble by getting out-rebounded 49-30, with the Bonnies grabbing 20 offensive rebounds.

As for the Flyers, their loss was even more damaging as they fell 82-71 at Richmond. Darien Brothers led the Spiders with 30 points and Kendall Anthony added 20 off the bench as Richmond dropped Dayton into a three-way tie for sixth. Chris Johnson scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead Dayton, who was outscored 19-9 at the charity stripe. Richmond held the edge in bench points (29-15) thanks in large part to Anthony, and they were also able to score 21 second-chance points to just 13 for the Flyers. A win over George Washington won't do much for Dayton's profile and Saint Joseph's regular season is done, meaning that both are looking at the prospect of likely needing the automatic bid to go dancing.

Quick Hitters

1. The top two seeds took the floor in the Atlantic Sun quarters, and while Mercer had to work a bit harder than anticipated both the Bears and Belmont advanced. Jake Gollon led Mercer to their 61-53 win over Lipscomb with 19 points and eight rebounds, and as a team the Bears made up for committing twice as many turnovers (16) as Lipscomb by making nine three-pointers. Belmont beat Jacksonville 76-62 behind Kerron Johnson's 19 points, five rebounds and five assists.

2. Three of the four quarterfinals in the Patriot League went according to seed on Wednesday. The lone exception: Lafayette's 84-76 win at Holy Cross in the 4/5 game. Rob Delaney (25 points) and Jim Mower (18) combined to score 43 points for the Leopards, who will visit top-seed Bucknell in the semifinals on Saturday.

3. Mitchell Watt scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds to Buffalo to a 74-70 win at Akron in a key MAC battle. The win moves the Bulls to within a game of the Zips for first place in the MAC East with one game remaining, and just as importantly they're a game up on Ohio in the race for second place.

4. Sheldon McClellan scored 24 points and J'Covan Brown 22 as Texas avoided what would have been a rough loss to have on their resume, as they beat Oklahoma 72-64 in Austin. The Longhorns end the regular season with a trip to Kansas, and an upset in Lawrence would undoubtedly punch their ticket.

5. Brian Williams scored all 18 of his points in the second half, and his three-pointer with 33 seconds remaining gave Jacksonville State the lead for good in their 75-70 win over Austin Peay in an OVC first round matchup. In the other OVC tournament game Southeast Missouri State beat Eastern Kentucky 75-65.

6. A rough run through WCC play mercifully came to an end for Santa Clara in Las Vegas as they fell 74-70 to Portland in the first round of the WCC tournament. Losing Marc Trasolini on the preseason trip to Canada with a torn ACL was hard enough to deal with, but once Kerry Keating had to suspend Kevin Foster the Broncos seemed destined for a winless league campaign.

7. Northwestern had a golden opportunity to pick up a signature win, but Jared Sullinger's bucket in the final seconds gave Ohio State the 75-73 win in Evanston. Drew Crawford and John Shurna combined to lead the Wildcats with 45 points but that wasn't enough as the Buckeyes had four players put up double figures. The Northwestern storyline is going to be one of the interesting stories to keep an eye on in Indianapolis next week.

#5 Kansas vs. #3 Missouri: Saturday's Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:00:17 -0800

Late offensive fouls and the foul line made the difference in the first meeting between #5 Kansas (23-5, 13-2) and #3 Missouri (25-3, 12-3), with the Tigers gaining the edge in both categories and ultimately winning 74-71. There's a lot more on the line in the rematch as the Jayhawks can clinch at least a share of the Big 12 regular season title with a win, but a Missouri win would not only move the Tigers into a tie for first but also give them the all-important head-to-head tiebreaker. Two of the central figures in Saturday's contest will have an impact in different areas: one on the perimeter and one in the paint.

Missouri guard Marcus Denmon is the leading scorer for Frank Haith's team, and his performance in the first meeting was a clear signal that the senior had snapped out of the slump he was mired in at the start of league play. Denmon scored 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds, knocking down ten of his sixteen field goal attempts. To say the least the Jayhawks will keep tabs on Denmon at all times, meaning that Michael Dixon Jr. could enjoy a little more freedom to roam the floor when he's in the game (Dixon Jr. attempted just five shots in Columbia).

Point guard Phil Pressey has been one of the best in the country, with his being to set up the Tigers' capable scorers holding more importance than scoring (he does average 9.9 ppg, however). The matchup between he and Kansas senior Tyshawn Taylor will be interesting to watch given the fact that the Jayhawks are more reliant on Taylor to score than the Tigers are Pressey.

Taylor scored 21 points and dished out three assists in the first meeting but he also turned the ball over six times, most notably a charge with just over ten seconds remaining and the Jayhawks down a point (72-71). If Taylor's making sound decisions the Jayhawks are a tough team to beat. But even if he is struggling Kansas still has a shot due to the presence of one of the frontrunners for national Player of the Year.

Junior forward Thomas Robinson scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the first meeting, and his skill set makes Robinson a guaranteed double-double on the block. The key for Robinson in the return match is to take better care of the basketball, as he accounted for five turnovers in Columbia. It should help matters that Jeff Withey is playing excellent basketball, meaning that Ricardo Ratliffe (who leads the nation in field goal percentage) and Steve Moore when he gets into the game can't focus solely on Robinson.

Two players (in addition to Denmon and Robinson) to keep an eye on are Missouri's Kim English and Kansas' Elijah Johnson. English is a tough matchup for most teams given the fact that Frank Haith uses him at the four, as his perimeter skills can expose the traditional four-man on the perimeter. The senior from Baltimore made just two of seven three-pointers in the first meeting but he still finished with 18 points.

As for Johnson, he's a very good athlete who has shown flashes of the skills needed to be a guy Kansas can rely on offensively to help out Robinson and Taylor. But he's still a work in progress, meaning that there would be no better time for Johnson to put together a performance on par with his 21-points outing against Texas A&M earlier this week. Missouri outscored Kansas by 12 from three (30-18) and by nine at the foul line (14-5) in the first meeting. Kansas can afford to lose one category but not both if they're to settle the score, so keep an eye on those areas as well.

Saturday's action has a number of critical matchups in regards to the NCAA tournament bubble, most notably UConn hosting #2 Syracuse at Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies hung around for 35 minutes or so in the first meeting before the wheels fell off in an 18-point Syracuse win. UConn needs consistent play from Jeremy Lamb and Alex Oriakhi throughout; drifting in and out of the action won't cut it against one of the nation's best teams. And keep an eye on Colorado State as they look to back up their win over New Mexico with a victory at #24 San Diego State. Tim Miles' Rams beat SDSU by 17 in Fort Collins, and if Pierce Hornung can play as he did in the win over New Mexico on Tuesday night they can sweep the season series.

Vanderbilt and Virginia are going to be in the NCAA tournament, but games against #1 Kentucky and #7 North Carolina would give their resumes a serious boost when considering seeding possibilities. John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor have to shoot well if the Commodores are to win in Lexington, as the Wildcats are playing better than any team in America. Marquis Teague has taken better care of the basketball and Anthony Davis has a bigger impact defensively than any player in America. Virginia was able to slow down the tempo in their first meeting with UNC but that didn't matter as the Tar Heels pulled away in the second half. Sammy Zeglinski has to get going if the Cavaliers are to have a shot at knocking off Kendall Marshall and company.

Other bubble teams looking to improve their resumes include Purdue (at #13 Michigan), and there are also games matching bubble teams to keep track of. George Mason at VCU may not net an at-large bid at this point but if one of these two (or Drexel) were to grab the CAA's automatic bid the others may need to win out until the title game in order to impress the selection committee.

UMass and Dayton play each other with the loser being in serious trouble with just a week left in their regular seasons, and Saint Joseph's has a great opportunity to boost their profile with Big 5 rival #22 Temple making the short trek across town. There are many important games on the slate as Championship Week is right around the corner, be it with bubble implications or teams in one-bid leagues jockeying for seeding in their conference tournaments. Enjoy.

Top 25 Games
12:00 PM Vanderbilt at (1) Kentucky (CBS)
9:00 PM (2) Syracuse at Connecticut (ESPN)
4:00 PM (3) Missouri at (5) Kansas (CBS)
12:00 PM Virginia Tech at (4) Duke (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Nebraska at (6) Michigan State (BTN)
4:00 PM (7) North Carolina at Virginia (ESPN)
2:00 PM Villanova at (8) Georgetown (CBS)
4:00 PM (11) Florida at Georgia (ESPN3)
8:30 PM (12) Murray State at Tennessee Tech (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Purdue at (13) Michigan (BTN)
1:45 PM Oklahoma at (14) Baylor (ESPN3)
12:00 PM (18) Notre Dame at St. John's (ESPN)
1:30 PM Drake at (19) Wichita State
4:00 PM Air Force at (20) UNLV (NBC SN)
7:00 PM (21) New Mexico at TCU (The Mtn.)
7:00 PM (22) Temple at Saint Joseph's (ESPNU)
11:00 PM (23) Saint Mary's at San Francisco (CSN CA)
10:00 PM Colorado State at (25) San Diego State (The Mtn.)

NCAA Division I Games
11:00 AM Robert Morris at Quinnipiac (ESPNU)
12:00 PM Northeastern at Delaware (CSN NE)
12:00 PM Saint Francis (PA) at Sacred Heart (MSG+)
1:00 PM Boston College at Wake Forest (ESPN3)
1:00 PM UMBC at Vermont
1:00 PM La Salle at Fordham (YES)
1:00 PM Coastal Carolina at VMI
1:30 PM Iowa State at Kansas State (ESPN3)
1:45 PM LSU at Ole Miss (ESPN3)
2:00 PM UCLA at Arizona (CBS)
2:00 PM Duquesne at George Washington
2:00 PM Illinois State at Bradley
2:00 PM Green Bay at Illinois-Chicago (CSN CHI)
2:00 PM St. Francis (NY) at Fairleigh Dickinson
2:00 PM Texas A&M at Oklahoma State (ESPN2)
2:00 PM Saint Louis at Rhode Island (CBS SN Regional)
2:00 PM Providence at DePaul (ESPN3)
2:00 PM Wright State at Cleveland State
2:00 PM Winthrop at UNC-Asheville
2:00 PM Appalachian State at Western Carolina
2:00 PM Georgia State at William & Mary
2:00 PM Longwood at NJIT
2:00 PM Stetson at USC Upstate
2:05 PM Missouri State at Evansville
2:05 PM Detroit at Youngstown State (ESPN3)
2:30 PM Maryland at Georgia Tech (ESPN3)
2:30 PM North Carolina State at Clemson (ESPN3)
3:00 PM Hartford at Boston University
3:00 PM Miami (OH) at Buffalo
3:00 PM Charleston at Citadel (SoCon TV)
3:05 PM Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois
3:05 PM Urbana at Chicago State
3:30 PM Wagner at Central Connecticut State
4:00 PM Arkansas at Auburn (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Lafayette at American
4:00 PM Towson at James Madison
4:00 PM Memphis at Marshall (FSN)
4:00 PM Creighton at Indiana State (ESPN2)
4:00 PM Drexel at Old Dominion (CSN)
4:00 PM Lehigh at Army
4:00 PM Norfolk State at Bethune-Cookman
4:00 PM Navy at Bucknell
4:00 PM Holy Cross at Colgate
4:00 PM Florida Gulf Coast at East Tennessee State (ESPN3)
4:00 PM UNC Wilmington at Hofstra
4:00 PM Hawaii at Louisiana Tech (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Milwaukee at Loyola (IL) (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Nicholls State at McNeese State
4:00 PM Morgan State at Maryland-Eastern Shore
4:00 PM North Carolina Central at Savannah State
4:00 PM North Carolina A&T at South Carolina State
4:00 PM Texas at Texas Tech (ESPN3)
4:00 PM Boise State at Wyoming (The Mtn.)
4:00 PM Mount St. Mary's at Bryant
4:30 PM Ball State at Eastern Michigan
4:30 PM Presbyterian at Gardner-Webb
4:30 PM Belmont at Mercer
4:30 PM Charleston Southern at Radford
5:00 PM UAB at East Carolina
5:00 PM Houston Baptist at North Dakota (FCS)
5:00 PM Lipscomb at Kennesaw State
5:00 PM Southern University at Alcorn State
5:00 PM Southeastern Louisiana at Central Arkansas
5:00 PM Rutgers at Seton Hall (ESPNU)
5:00 PM Texas State at UTSA
5:30 PM Alabama State at Texas Southern
6:00 PM Hampton at Florida A&M
6:00 PM Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Kent State at Bowling Green (ESPN3)
6:00 PM Columbia at Brown
6:00 PM Portland at BYU (BYUtv)
6:00 PM Mississippi State at Alabama (ESPN)
6:00 PM Massachusetts at Dayton (CBS SN)
6:00 PM George Mason at VCU (ESPN2)
6:00 PM Mississippi Valley State at Grambling State
6:30 PM Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Jackson State
7:00 PM Cornell at Yale
7:00 PM Pennsylvania at Harvard (ESPN3)
7:00 PM Princeton at Dartmouth
7:00 PM Davidson at Georgia Southern
7:00 PM Gonzaga at San Diego (ROOT)
7:00 PM Howard at Delaware State
7:00 PM Eastern Illinois at Eastern Kentucky
7:00 PM UNC Greensboro at Elon
7:00 PM Troy at Florida Atlantic
7:00 PM Campbell at Liberty (MASN)
7:00 PM LIU Brooklyn at Monmouth
7:00 PM St. Bonaventure at Charlotte
7:00 PM Texas A&M-CC at Stephen F. Austin
7:00 PM Western Michigan at Toledo
7:00 PM Furman at Wofford
7:05 PM UC Riverside at Long Beach State
7:30 PM Samford at Chattanooga
7:30 PM South Alabama at Florida International
7:30 PM SIU-Edwardsville at Morehead State
8:00 PM USC at Arizona State (FSN AZ)
8:00 PM SMU at Houston
8:00 PM Northwestern State at UT-Arlington
8:00 PM Washington at Washington State (ROOT)
8:00 PM Arkansas State at Arkansas-Little Rock
8:00 PM UTEP at UCF (CBS SN)
8:00 PM Lamar at Sam Houston State
8:00 PM Rice at Southern Miss (CSS)
8:00 PM Tennessee at South Carolina (ESPN3)
8:00 PM Tulsa at Tulane
8:00 PM Richmond at Xavier (ESPN2)
8:05 PM IPFW at UMKC
8:15 PM Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette
8:30 PM Oakland at South Dakota
8:30 PM Stanford at Utah (CSN Bay)
8:30 PM Southeast Missouri State at Austin Peay
8:30 PM Western Illinois at North Dakota State
8:30 PM Alabama A&M at Prairie View A&M
8:30 PM IUPUI at South Dakota State
8:45 PM Tennessee-Martin at Jacksonville State
9:00 PM Montana State at Montana
9:00 PM San Jose State at New Mexico State (ESPN3)
9:00 PM Northwestern at Penn State (ESPNU)
9:05 PM Sacramento State at Idaho State
9:05 PM Texas-Pan American at Utah Valley
9:30 PM Oral Roberts at Southern Utah
10:00 PM Nevada at Fresno State (ESPN3)
10:00 PM Cal State Fullerton at UC Davis
10:00 PM Nebraska Omaha at Cal State Bakersfield
10:05 PM Eastern Washington at Portland State
10:30 PM Cal State Northridge at UC Irvine
11:00 PM Santa Clara at Loyola Marymount (CSN Bay)
11:00 PM Cal Poly at UC Santa Barbara (ESPNU)

Lobos Strengthen Grip on Mountain West: Saturday's Recap

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:37:42 -0800

With games at #13 San Diego State and against #11 UNLV this week, Steve Alford's New Mexico Lobos had a great opportunity to not only take control of the Mountain West but also make a statement nationally.

Mission accomplished.

Drew Gordon was outstanding, scoring 27 points and grabbing 20 rebounds as the Lobos whipped UNLV 65-45 in Albuquerque. And while Gordon was outstanding the effort of New Mexico on the defensive end of the floor shouldn't be ignored. UNLV shot just 31.1% from the field for the game, by far their worst performance of the season, and the Runnin' Rebels scored just 18 points in the second half. Anthony Marshall, who finished with 18 points, scored 12 of those second half points and outside of the junior UNLV shot 2-for-13 from the field.

Meanwhile Gordon was a man among boys in the final 20 minutes as he shot 9-for-13 from the field and accounted for 18 points and 11 rebounds. Tony Snell added 12 points in a game that saw both teams go on runs early, but neither could establish any kind of distance in the first half. But the Lobos' intensity on the defensive end combined with heavy doses of Gordon proved to be too much in front of a frenzied crowd at The Pit.

"I don't know if we are the best team in this league yet but there is no team in the last month that has guarded the way that we have guarded," remarked Alford. "To hold a team like this who is averaging 80 points a game, and you hold them to four field goals in one half is great."

In addition to their victory New Mexico received some help from an unlikely source as San Diego State fell 58-56 at Air Force. As a result the Lobos find themselves two games up on both the Aztecs and Runnin' Rebels with four league games to go. Remember that SDSU/UNLV "round three" that many (myself included) were clamoring for in light of their split of the season series? We may get that matchup, but thanks to New Mexico it will likely have to come a round early in the Mountain West tournament.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Murray State takes care of a hobbled Saint Mary's in the Sears BracketBusters headliner.
Much importance was placed on the Sears BracketBusters matchup between Murray State and Saint Mary's, with many hypothesizing that the Racers would have to get this game in order to have a shot at an at-large bid (at 25-1 coming in, this talk seemed to be an absurd overreaction). The Gaels were with a hobbled Matthew Dellavedova and without the injured Stephen Holt, and Isaiah Canaan and company took care of business accordingly. Canaan scored 23 points and dished out four assists in leading Murray State to the 65-51 win, and despite their size disadvantage inside Steve Prohm's club out-rebounded SMC 31-24.

Just as important as Canaan however was the Murray State effort on the defensive end, as they limited Saint Mary's to 37.7% shooting and 2-for-14 from beyond the arc. Dellavedova managed a team-best 17 points but getting outscored by 21 points from beyond the arc (27-6) and Jorden Page and Rob Jones combining to shoot 3-for-18 from the field proved to be too much to overcome. The win should satisfy the masses with regards to Murray State's chances should they not win the OVC's automatic bid, and the task for Randy Bennett's team is to simply get healthy and protect their one-game lead in the WCC.

2. Trey Burke makes the difference as Michigan beat Ohio State in Ann Arbor.
It may be time to end the debate as to not only who the best freshman point guard in America is but also the conversation regarding the Big Ten's best point guard regardless of class. Michigan's Trey Burke scored 17 points and dished out five assists in the Wolverines' 56-51 win over #6 Ohio State to pull into a tie with the Buckeyes a game behind Michigan State in the loss column. His work against Aaron Craft proved to be the difference as Craft struggled, scoring four points on 1-for-6 shooting with three assists and two turnovers.

Deshaun Thomas led the Buckeyes with 25 points and Jared Sullinger was able to muster 14 despite being the focus of Michigan's interior defense, but with Tim Hardaway Jr. adding 13 points and Jordan Morgan a double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) Michigan was able to give the home folks what they wanted. Guard play wins out more times than not especially in March, and it's very apparent that Michigan is in a good position thanks to Burke.

3. Antoine Young's shot with three-tenths of a second remaining completes the Creighton comeback.
This Sears BracketBuster did not fail to live up to the hype that preceded it as the 49ers and Bluejays put on a show in Omaha. Dan Monson's club led for much of the night but down the stretch Creighton was able to turn the momentum in their favor. And they were able to do so by ramping up their intensity of the defensive end of the floor. "Holding" a team to 50% shooting from the field isn't all that impressive until two factors are noticed: Long Beach State shot 68% in the first half, and the 49ers were just 1-for-5 from beyond the arc after shooting 60% in the first half. Antoine Young would cap the rally with a jumper over T.J. Robinson with less than a second remaining, giving Creighton a needed 81-79 win.

Long Beach State's versatility allows them to switch just about any ball screen, and to head coach Greg McDermott and his players' credit they were able to take advantage of it. Creighton's win can't be mentioned without noting the play of Doug McDermott either, who took full advantage of playing a team unfamiliar with his skill set by scoring 36 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Robinson (20 points, eight rebounds) and Casper Ware (21 points) led the way for the 49ers, who have the remainder of the Big West season to look forward to. Creighton likely locked up an at-large bid barring a collapse, and while Long Beach State has seen some of their bigger wins devalued two things need to be remembered. One, it's not their fault that Xavier and Pittsburgh haven't performed to expectations, and two 37 teams are needed should the 49ers not win the automatic bid. Are there really 37 teams better than Long Beach State? No.

4. Kansas State picks up a win they truly needed as they beat #10 Baylor in Waco.
Given the tough four-game stretch that Frank Martin's team is currently in, it was clear that the Wildcats would have their work cut out for them from a tournament resume standpoint. But those games can be looked at as either a challenge or an opportunity, and how they're seen is up to the team and no one else. Opportunity knocked in the form of a trip to Baylor on Saturday and the Wildcats took advantage, beating the Bears 57-56 in a weird finish. A Jordan Henriquez dunk with 1:55 remaining gave K-State a 57-56 lead, and with neither team scoring another point that would be the final score as well.

Quincy Acy, who finished with 14 points, looked to have been fouled just over 20 seconds later on a shot attempt but no call came and Quincy Miller (12 points, 11 rebounds) missed a shot that would have given the Bears the lead in the final seconds. Angel Rodriguez and Rodney McGruder scored 15 apiece to lead the Wildcats, but the biggest story on the box score has to be the lack of production from Perry Jones III. Jones III managed just four points and four rebounds before fouling out in just 22 minutes of action, and if Baylor's to do anything of note in March these kind of performances can't happen. Kansas State picked up a win they desperately needed however, helping to relieve some of the pressure they may have felt going to their game at Missouri on Tuesday night.

5. Washington beats Arizona but was there anything gained from the result?
There's no denying the fact that the game between the Huskies and Wildcats was an important one within the Pac-12, as the Huskies (tied with California) enjoyed a one-game lead over Arizona (Colorado and Oregon as well) going into Saturday's action. But what does the game, which Washington won 79-70, mean to both in regards to their hopes of an at-large berth? For Arizona it seems quite simple in defeat: win out with games against the L.A. schools at home and a trip to Arizona State and then do some damage at the Pac-12 tournament.

The Wildcats shot just 35.5% from the field in the second half, 2-for-13 from three, as they were unable to make up the two-point halftime deficit (39-37). Terrence Ross led the Huskies with 25 points and Tony Wroten added 22 and nine assists, but with computer numbers that don't jump off the screen at first glance and an 0-4 record against RPI Top 50 teams it will be interesting to see what's made of the Huskies. To say the least a regular season Pac-12 crown would help their cause immensely, and Washington took a step in that direction on Saturday afternoon.

Quick Hitters

1. There were few results more impressive than Wichita State's 91-74 win at Davidson, moving the Shockers to 24-4 on the season. Joe Ragland scored 30 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way for Wichita State, who shot a scalding 63.5% from the field. Jake Cohen led the Wildcats, who are the prohibitive favorite to win the SoCon's automatic bid, with 25 points.

2. The story of Florida State's 76-62 win at NC State should be the Seminoles limiting the Wolfpack to 29.3% shooting from the field, but thanks to the actions of official Karl Hess that's not the case. Hess thought it necessary to throw Wolfpack legends Tom Gugliotta and Chris Corchiani out of the RBC Center, and according to those in the area it was a blatant overreaction. Much has been made about officials being overworked, but the real problem is that some act as if the fans show up to watch them. This really needs to be dealt with.

3. Things have gotten even worse for Connecticut and Illinois as both teams were on the receiving end of whippings on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies fell to #13 Marquette 79-64 thanks to 53 combined points from Jae Crowder (29 points, 12 rebounds) and Darius Johnson-Odom (24 points). But the bigger issue was point guard Shabazz Napier calling out his teammates following the game. The Huskies don't have the look of a team capable of turning things around and neither does Illinois, who was whipped at Nebraska. In the 80-57 loss the Fighting Illini saw Bo Spencer score 27 points and Nebraska shoot 55.3% from the field.

4. Saint Mary's may have lost but they actually gained a game in the loss column with regards to the WCC race. Rashad Green's jumper with 3.3 seconds remaining pushed San Francisco past #24 Gonzaga by the final score of 66-65. Gonzaga's now tied with BYU for second place at 11-3 with Saint Mary's a game ahead at 12-2 with all three having two games remaining, and the Bulldogs and Cougars meet in Spokane on Thursday night.

5. One way to make earning an NCAA berth tougher than it should be is to lose games you're supposed to win, which is exactly what #23 Mississippi State did. The Bulldogs struggled offensively, shooting 35.2% from the field and 5-for-22 from three in a 65-55 loss at Auburn. Frankie Sullivan led the Tigers with 16 points and Kenny Gabriel added 15 and nine boards.

6. Drexel went on the road and beat Cleveland State 69-49, and while the Vikings are a far different team without D'Aundray Brown this was an impressive result for the Dragons. Drexel has now won 15 in a row, and it may be time to consider where Bruiser Flint's team stacks up against last year's George Mason squad. The Patriots won 16 in a row but would eventually need an at-large bid (8-seed), and a quick look at the numbers (see the "Rankings" area) for both teams shows how difficult it could be for the CAA to get two bids.

7. Both Memphis and Southern Miss dropped games they weren't expected to, meaning that not only do the two teams remain tied for first in Conference USA but they also move closer to the pack. UTEP was able to come back and beat Memphis 60-58 for their first road win of the season, and Houston knocked off Southern Miss 73-71 as Jonathon Simmons led the Cougars with 28 points and eight rebounds. Conference USA needed Southern Miss and Memphis to separate in order to feel good about two bids, and that may not happen at this rate.

8. The streak will live for another year as Dayton was once again unable to win at Xavier, losing 86-83 in overtime at the Cintas Center. The Flyers, who were led by Kevin Dillard's 20 points and six assists, haven't beaten the Musketeers in Cincinnati since 1981. Tu Holloway (32 points, six rebounds, five assists) and Mark Lyons (20 points, three rebounds) led the way for the Musketeers, who remain in the A-10 race with the win.

9. The Patriot League race has become much tighter than expected with two games remaining. While both American (74-50 win at Army) and Lehigh (72-53 win over Lafayette) took care of business they received the help they needed from Holy Cross, who beat first-place Bucknell 54-52 despite 20 points and ten rebounds from Mike Muscala. The Bison are now just a game up on the Eagles and Mountain Hawks, and with two to go there's always the chance that Bucknell could drop all the way down to the 3rd seed. Bucknell and American meet in D.C. on Thursday night.

10. Not only did Belmont take care of what they needed to do in beating East Tennessee State 80-58 but they also received help in the form of Jacksonville's 81-75 win over Mercer. This gives the Bruins a one-game lead over the Bears in the Atlantic Sun with three to go, and the regular season finale is a battle between the two at Mercer (the Bears also host the conference tournament).

11. Similar to the battle between Arizona and Washington, the second meeting of the season between Wyoming and Colorado State is a contest that we'll still have some work to do when it comes to figuring out the meaning. Behind Greg Smith (14 points, eight rebounds) and a defense that limited the Cowboys to 38.6% shooting, the Rams picked up a much-needed split of the season series with a 54-46 win (Wyoming won the first meeting in Laramie by 19). Both teams have plenty of work to do (despite solid computer numbers for CSU) but this is a good step for the Rams.

12. Not only did Northwestern pick up a much-needed win (64-53 over Minnesota) but John Shurna became the school's all-time leading scorer. The senior was all over the stat sheet for the Wildcats, finishing with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots. At 6-8 in league play Northwestern has opportunities remaining as they host Michigan and Ohio State, while the remaining road games are Penn State and Iowa.

13. Harvard once again took care of Yale, this time by the final score of 66-51, to remain alone in first place in the Ivy League. Brandyn Curry scored 18 points and Keith Wright ten as the Crimson, who host Princeton and Penn next week, soundly defeated the Bulldogs for the second time this season despite 22 and 11 from Greg Magnano. A sweep of next weekend would guarantee Tommy Amaker's bunch at least a share of the Ivy crown.

14. The nation's second-longest win streak came to an end on Saturday night as Weber State edged out UT-Arlington 72-70 in Ogden. The Mavericks, who had won 16 in a row, limited the nation's leading scorer (Damian Lillard) to 17 points but Scott Bamforth scored 16 of his 19 in the second half to propel the Wildcats to the victory.

15. Two teams in need of wins took losses on the road Saturday as Texas fell 90-78 to Oklahoma State and Seton Hall dropped a 62-57 decision at Cincinnati. Safe to say that both the Longhorns and Pirates have work to do if they're to go dancing, but the good news for both is that their leagues will provide the opportunities needed to strengthen their case.

Five Notable Performances

1. F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)
27 points and 20 rebounds in the Lobos' 65-45 win over #11 UNLV.

2. G Keiton Page (Oklahoma State)
40 points (20-20 FT) in the Cowboys' 90-78 win over Texas.

3. F/C Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)
32 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots in the Bonnies' 81-61 win over Rhode Island.

4. F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
36 points and 11 rebounds in the Bluejays' 81-79 win over Long Beach State.

5. G Louie Krogman (South Dakota)
37 points, six assists and four steals in the Coyotes' 93-92 loss to Texas State.

Wednesday Recap: Lineup Changes Spark Nothing As UConn Falls

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:56:20 -0800

Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun knew heading into Wednesday's game that his struggling team, losers of three straight, needed some kind of spark to get things going. That meant shuffling the lineup, with Shabazz Napier and Alex Oriakhi being replaced as starters by Ryan Boatright and Roscoe Smith, and for a short time on Wednesday night the move paid off. UConn got out to a 13-7 lead at the first media timeout and generally played better basketball on the offensive end, which was likely the desired effect of the move.

But Georgetown went to their 2-3 zone defense, and against zones UConn has shown neither the confidence nor the basketball IQ needed to solve such a riddle. It didn't help matters that Boatright, who did a good job of facilitating the offense, picked up his second foul with just over ten minutes left in the half and the Huskies leading 15-14. It was essentially all downhill from there as the Hoyas woud outscore the Huskies 17-6 the remainder of the half, going on to beat UConn 58-44 and lead many to ask whether or not the defending national champs had what it took to turn things around.

"We come back from six [down] and somebody went for a steal, next thing you know we took a bad shot and now were down ten," remarked Calhoun of his team's struggles. "And you can't keep running up the hill for only so long and so that's where we picked up our fourth straight loss and should have lost all four games."

So how did the four players involved in the lineup changes respond? Not well, with Boatright having his performance short-circuited by foul trouble (zero points, four assists) being the biggest blow given how the flow of the contest changed when he had to sit. Napier, who earlier in the season lamented the lack of a response to his attempts to be a leader, shot 0-for-9 from the field and scored just one point while Oriakhi went scoreless. And Smith opened the scoring 33 seconds into the game...only to not score again.

Last year's team struggled in conference play, but the difference is that (in addition to having Kemba Walker) they were a lot tougher mentally than this group. Who steps up to change the path that this season is currently travelling? Jeremy Lamb's not the vocal type and while he scored 14 points it took 18 shots to do so (making four), and while Andre Drummond (18 points, seven rebounds) was UConn's best player on the floor it's tough to ask a freshman to become the team leader.

The truth of the matter is that Napier and Oriakhi should be the leaders for this team, and yet neither has shown the ability to do so. The teams that leave a mark in March will fight for everything in the face of adversity, pulling together to accomplish the common goal. That hasn't been a trait of this current edition of Huskies, as they either fail to respond or the "fight back" dissolves into guys trying to close the gap all by themselves.

Georgetown, a team picked to finish tenth in the Big East in the preseason, should be the story here given the play of Hollis Thompson (18 points, nine rebounds) and Jason Clark (11 points, five rebounds), and they're likely to improve even more as the season approaches it's defining month. Can the same be said for UConn? That's a tough question to answer at this point, but with a game against a Seton Hall team that's also struggling a lot will be learned about the toughness of both teams on Saturday.

Other Notable Happenings

1. Michigan jumps out to a big lead and holds off Indiana's second half rally to remain undefeated at home.
There's no doubt that Tom Crean's Hoosiers can win big games at home, with the energy provided by the Assembly Hall crowd providing a needed boost to a program that's definitely improved. But what about on the road, where teams have to manufacture their own energy in the face of a hostile crowd? That question remains unanswered thanks to Indiana's slow start in Ann Arbor, as they trailed Michigan by as many as 20 points in the first half on the way to a 68-56 defeat. Indiana was able to get as close as two points (52-50) with less than four minutes remaining but they couldn't overtake the Wolverines, who were led offensively by Trey Burke (18 points, four assists), Zack Novak (13 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (13 points).

Indiana shot a respectable 42.9% from the field in the first half but they turned the ball over eight times to just one for Michigan, and the Wolverines converted those miscues into eleven points (led 33-22 at the half). Michigan's now 13-0 at home this season while Indiana remains with just one conference road victory (Penn State) this season. While the Hoosiers are in a dogfight to remain in the top half of the league standings Michigan's bounce back from the loss at Ohio State shows that they remain a serious contender for the Big Ten crown.

2. UT-Arlington opens their new arena with a win over UTSA, increasing their lead in the Southland.
Wednesday night was a special night in the history of UT-Arlington, with the Mavericks playing in the new College Park Center for the first time. And they picked a good matchup for the debut, as defending Southland tournament champ UTSA was in town looking to move into a tie for first place with the Mavericks. But despite turning the ball over 23 times on the night UT-Arlington found a way to win, beating the Roadrunners 67-66 to expand their lead to two games. A pair of Kevin Butler free throws with 13.7 seconds remaining proved to be the points the Mavs needed to remain on track for the regular season crown in their final campaign before they head to the WAC in July.

LaMarcus Reed III scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the way while Butler added 21 and eight, and these two are a big reason why the Mavs were able to make up for their turnovers by out-rebounding the Roadrunners 46-33 and score 16 second-chance points to just seven for UTSA. Kannon Burrage led the Roadrunners with 21 points off the bench and Melvin Johnson III added 14, but with Michael Hale III and Stephen Franklin combining to shoot 2-for-18 UTSA wasn't able to take full advantage of their turnover margin edge. With these two meeting in the regular season finale UTSA essentially has to win out while hoping for some help, and with UT-Arlington having won 12 straight that strategy may not bear fruit.

3. Pierre Jackson and Quincy Acy make big plays late to lead Baylor past Texas A&M.
Scott Drew's Bears seemed to try their best to give Texas A&M the game in the second half as they shot 31% from the field while the Aggies made half their field goals. But thanks to big plays down the stretch from Pierre Jackson (14 points, five assists) and Quincy Acy (11 points, four rebounds) Baylor escaped College Station with a 63-60 win in what could be the last regular season meeting in the "Battle of the Brazos" for a long time. A Jackson three with 17 seconds remaining proved to be the push Baylor needed to get to the finish line, and his two free throws with just over a second remaining sealed it.

Those two free throws came as a result of a hustle play by Acy, whose quick move to tip Jackson's missed free throw out (which Jackson was able to chase down), gave the junior college transfer a second chance at increasing the Bears' lead and he cashed in. After a Ray Turner basket gave A&M a 49-44 lead it was Acy who scored six of Baylor's nine points in a 9-0 run that put them up 53-49 with 6:13 to go. While the lottery picks (Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller) will enjoy the majority of the attention the contributions of a player like Acy cannot be ignored. In fact, that may be what allows Baylor to go deep into the NCAA tournament.

Quick Hitters

1. While the Atlantic 10 has enough quality teams to warrant four bids to the NCAA tournament, the chances of that happening become slimmer when teams at the top of the conference don't take care of business as they should. Wednesday's results of note were UMass losing 81-78 in overtime at Rhode Island and Dayton losing 83-73 at home to Duquesne. Xavier nearly joined those two teams but Tu Holloway's layup with 30 seconds remaining capped a good night for him (21 points, seven assists, six rebounds) and pushed the Musketeers past George Washington 59-58.

2. In a battle for sole possession of first place in Conference USA, Southern Miss finally got over the hump as they beat Memphis 75-72 to snap an 18-game losing streak in the series. Darnell Dodson and Neil Watson combined to score 40 points off the bench for the Golden Eagles, who are now 7-1 in conference play.

3. Center Garrett Stutz has been outstanding in road games for Wichita State this season and that trend continued in the Shockers' 74-67 win at Missouri State as he scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on the night. Ben Smith added 21 for Wichita State, who remains a game behind first-place Creighton (102-74 win over Illinois State) as a result of the victory.

4. With seven freshmen and three sophomores on the roster many expected the first year of Mountain West play to be a tough one for Boise State and it has been. But they've also shown signs of growth, and if not for a missed Thomas Bropleh three as time expired the Broncos would have left San Diego State with a win. Leon Rice's team has the ability to scare some teams in the MWC, and with the likes of Bropleh and Anthony Drmic the future looks to be bright for Boise State.

5. There's now a three-way tie for first place in the CAA as Delaware beat George Mason 65-60 in Newark. Kyle Anderson shot 8-for-11 from the field and scored 21 points to lead the way for the Blue Hens, and as a team Delaware shot 7-for-14 from deep (Mason finished 3-for-16). Drexel and VCU both picked up victories on Wednesday, and with the league's profile being poorer than in seasons past the fight for the CAA crown should be even fiercer than it's been of late.

6. Huge news in the recruiting world was broken by ESPN's Dave Telep, who reported that Tilton School big man Nerlens Noel move back to the 2012 class. Noel, who counts Kentucky and Syracuse among his most vigorous suitors, returns to his original class and is now right there with Shabazz Muhammad for the honor of being the best player in the class.

7. Vermont held off a Boston University rally to beat the Terriers 68-67 in Boston to take over sole possession of second place in America East. Luke Apfeld scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Catamounts, who swept the season series as a result of the win.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
19 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists in the RedHawks' 62-57 overtime win over Eastern Michigan.

2. F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
20 points, 17 rebounds and four assists in the Jayhawks' 84-62 win over Oklahoma.

3. F Orion Outerbridge (Rhode Island)
29 points and 11 rebounds in the Rams' 81-78 overtime win over Massachusetts.

Bubble Watch: Dogfight in the A10

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:22:44 -0800

Based on CollegeHoops.net's most recent Bracketology projection, here is how the NCAA Tournament Bubble currently stands. CHN will publish Bubble Watch on Tuesday's following the Bracketology update.

As always, the field below is a prediction of what the committee would do as things stand today, not what they should do. Teams are listed in order of likelihood of making the tournament. (Records listed only against D1 teams.)

This week's notes: Minnesota and NC State join the field of 68 in place of Northwestern and Texas. Northwestern has lost 6 of 8 games and is fading fast. BYU and Stanford still hang onto the bubble despite dropping down the list. Stanford hangs on, mostly because I figure the committee will be biased towards putting 2 Pac-12 teams into the field. BYU hangs on by default, because no other contender stepped up and had a big week. BYU lost a home game to LMU, which is hard to justify, but they now have 3 games in a row against Top 50ish teams, so have a chance to redeem themselves.

Notre Dame enters the picture due to their win over Syracuse, and with the understanding that the committee will overrate power-conference home wins against marquee teams. Belmont, despite some early season buzz, no longer has a place in the bubble discussion. Similarly, Virginia Tech is no longer included in Bubble Watch, but they have more than enough time to win some ACC games and get back on track.

Change	Seed	Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	Sagarin	KenPom	AP
	10	New Mexico	MWC	14-4	59	28	28
	11	Saint Louis	A10	14-4	51	24	44
	11	Southern Miss	CUSA	15-3	15	50	62
	11	Xavier	A10	13-6	43	54	51
	11	Iowa St	B12	14-5	53	45	44
	12	Memphis	CUSA	13-6	28	26	27
	12	Minnesota	B10	15-5	45	44	45
	12	NC State	ACC	15-5	55	53	54
	13	BYU	WCC	15-5	56	29	31
	13	Stanford	P12	15-5	80	44	49
Bubble
		UCF	CUSA	14-4	57	87	89
		Northwestern	B10	12-7	37	62	64
		Texas	B12	12-7	70	34	24
		Arizona	P12	13-7	72	59	63
		Ole Miss	SEC	13-6	34	97	110
		Oregon	P12	15-5	58	90	102
		Notre Dame	BE	12-8	98	85	82
		Arkansas	SEC	14-5	61	72	81
		Wyoming	MWC	14-3	88	55	43

Dropped Out of Bubble Watch: Virginia Tech

Projected Conference Champs that would be on the Bubble if they lost title:

Change	Seed	Team	Conf.	Record	RPI	Sagarin	KenPom	AP
	12	Marshall	CUSA	12-6	46	63	75
	12	Middle Tennessee	SB	18-2	52	30	30	34
Bubble
	13	Oral Roberts	SUM	18-4	44	56	46
	13	Long Beach St	BW	12-6	40	37	38	37
	13	Davidson	SOU	13-4	48	60	63
	14	Iona	MAAC	15-5	50	58	61	36
	14	Nevada	WAC	14-3	73	95	99

Projected Conference Leaders Out of Bubble Watch: Belmont

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