Category: College Basketball (Page 77 of 153)

      Three Big 12 teams still have work to do

      March 3, 2009 /

      Joe Lunardi (ESPN “bracketologist”) projects four Big 12 teams to be safely in the NCAA tournament: Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Texas. Three other teams — Oklahoma State, Kansas State and Texas A&M — are on the bubble.

      Lunardi has Oklahoma State as a #10 seed, so they are semi-safe. The Cowboys play Kansas State tonight in a game that the Wildcats desperately need. Oklahoma State closes the season with arch-rival Oklahoma on Saturday. OSU probably just needs to win one more game to feel safe, but if the Cowboys lose three straight to close the season (KSU, OU and the Big 12 tourney opener), it may knock them out of contention. It doesn’t help their cause that they are just 1-5 against Top 25 teams, but the Cowboys’ #32 RPI (a product of the NCAA’s 11th-toughest schedule) does help.

      Lunardi projects Kansas State to be one of the eight teams to just miss a berth. A win at Oklahoma State would be huge, but they definitely need a win at home against Colorado to stay alive. Whether or not they win tonight, they’re still going to have to do some work in the Big 12 tourney to punch their ticket. They are just 1-4 against Top 25 teams and they don’t have the RPI (#72) that OSU does.

      The team with perhaps the longest shot at an NCAA berth is Texas A&M. The Aggies are just 1-4 against Top 25 teams and the one win was in January against Baylor, a team that has lost nine of its last 11 games (and one win was against Texas A&M). The Aggies definitely need to beat Colorado tomorrow night and they could really use a win against Missouri on Saturday along with a good performance in the Big 12 tourney.

      Lunardi projects five Big 12 teams and I think that’s the right number (barring two of these bubble teams meeting in the conference tournament final). OSU has the inside track to that fifth spot, but KSU or A&M could make a push with a strong finish to the season.

      College Basketball

      Five Big Ten teams yet to punch a ticket

      March 2, 2009 /

      After Michigan State, Purdue and Illinois, there are five Big Ten teams with a legitimate shot with a postseason berth. Right now, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the conference getting six NCAA berths. (The aforementioned three, plus Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State.) Both Michigan and Minnesota are listed amongst the first four teams out. This means that a lot can change over the next couple of weeks.

      My former coach, Bo Ryan, has his Badgers in the best position of all the Big Ten bubble teams. Lunardi has Wisconsin as a #9 seed, so they are relatively safe, though if they lose at Minnesota and at home against Indiana, they’ll be in a more precarious position. They are just 2-7 against Top 25 opponents, but they are a combined 5-1 against the other four Big Ten bubble teams. Plus, they have won six of their last seven, so they are playing pretty well right now. A pair of wins to close the season will guarantee a spot. A loss against Minnesota and a win against Indiana might mean that the Badgers still have some work to do in the Big Ten tourney.

      Lunardi has Ohio State as a #10 seed and with games against Iowa and Northwestern remaining, the Buckeyes should finish at 10-8 in the conference. If they finish 9-9, their situation may be a little dicey heading into the conference tournament. They are 5-6 against Top 25 teams, though they don’t really have a marquee win unless you count their victory over #13 Purdue on Feb. 3. A pair of wins against the Hawkeyes and Wildcats should make Ohio State a safe bet for the tourney. If not, they’ll have to win a game or two in the tourney to get off the bubble.

      ESPN projects Penn State to be a 12-seed, so they are the last Big Ten team to make the NCAA tourney. A win Thursday against #23 Illinois would probably seal the deal. If they lose to the Illini and beat Iowa, they probably will need to win a game or two in the Big Ten tourney to punch their ticket.

      Minnesota has an interesting finish to their regular season schedule. They host both the Badgers and the Wolverines this week and two wins would go a long way towards getting them back in the hunt. Also working for the Gophers is their Dec. 20 win over then-#9 Louisiville. A pair of wins plus a win or two in the conference tourney should get Minnesota off the bubble.

      Michigan looks to be the longest shot for an NCAA berth. They are just 8-9 in conference and desperately need a win at Minnesota to keep their postseason hopes alive. If they can beat the Gophers and then make a little run in the Big Ten tournament, the Wolverines could quickly get back in the discussion, thanks to wins over then-#4 UCLA in November, then-#4 Duke in December, a tough loss against UConn in February and a recent win against #16 Purdue. However, it’s doubtful that the selection committee would give the Wolverines the nod if they finish below .500 in conference, so the Minnesota game is pretty much a must-win.

      College Basketball, March Madness

      Couch Potato Alert: 3/2

      March 2, 2009 /

      It’s going to be a great week of college basketball action as a number of bubble teams will need wins to keep their NCAA tourney hopes alive. On Monday, Notre Dame will be desperate for a win against visiting Villanova. On Tuesday, Maryland help their postseason chances with a win over Wake Forest. On Wednesday, Virginia Tech can probably seal a bid with a win over visiting North Carolina. And on Thursday, Providence could really use a win at Villanova.

      College Hoops
      Mon, 7 PM: #16 Villanova @ Notre Dame (ESPN)
      Tues, 8 PM: #24 Florida State @ #7 Duke (ESPN360)
      Tues, 9 PM: #10 Wake Forest @ Maryland
      Wed, 7 PM: #2 North Carolina @ Virginia Tech (ESPN)
      Wed, 7:30 PM: #15 Marquette @ #4 Pittsburgh (ESPN2)
      Wed, 9 PM: #5 Oklahoma @ #12 Missouri (ESPN360)
      Thurs, 7 PM: Providence @ #16 Villanova (ESPN2)
      Thurs, 9 PM: #23 Illinois @ Penn St. (ESPN)

      NBA
      Mon, 7:30 PM: Cavs @ Heat
      Tues, 7 PM: Suns @ Magic (NBA TV)
      Wed, 9 PM: Spurs @ Mavs (ESPN)
      Wed, 9 PM: Rockets @ Jazz
      Thurs, 8 PM: Mavs @ Hornets (TNT)
      Thurs, 10:30 PM: Blazers @ Nuggets (TNT)

      NHL
      Tues, 7 PM: Flyers @ Bruins
      Wed, 7:30 PM: Canadiens @ Sabres
      Thurs, 7 PM: Flames @ Flyers

      College Basketball, Couch Potato Alert, March Madness, NBA, NHL, Television

      Big East has at least three teams on the bubble

      March 2, 2009 /

      The Big East (apparently) doesn’t have a regular season championship. They call their postseason tourney the Big East Conference Championship. The “bracketologists” over ESPN project that the conference will get eight bids — UConn, Pitt, Louisville, Marquette, Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia and Providence, with the Friars being one of the last teams in. That leaves Cincinnati and Notre Dame on the outside looking in.

      Cincy plays at South Florida and at home against Seton Hall this week, so with two wins, they would finish the regular season at 20-11 and 10-8 in conference. If that happens, it would be tough for the selection committee to leave them out. However, they are just 1-6 against Top 25 teams and the one win was against an overrated Georgetown team. Basically, they’ve been winning games that they should win, but aren’t beating any “superior” opponents. They don’t have a single marquee win on the season, so unless they win out and make some noise in the Big East tourney, they may not get a bid.

      Notre Dame is in an even tougher position. The Irish are 7-9 and 16-12 on the season. They did beat Texas early in the season and spanked Louisville by 33 in February, so a win tonight against Villanova and another win on Friday at St. John’s might put the Irish back in the hunt. They’d be 9-9 in conference, so if they were to win a few games in the conference tourney (including a win against UConn, Pitt or Louisville), they would be back in the conversation.

      Providence needs to be careful not to close out the season with back to back losses. They visit a good Villanova team on Thursday and will probably enter the conference tourney at 10-8 in the conference (18-12 overall). An early exit in the tourney might spell doom for the Friars.

      College Basketball, March Madness

      ACC race coming down to the wire

      March 2, 2009 /

      Duke got a big win on Saturday against Virginia Tech to stay alive in the race for the conference championship. They host a good Florida State team on Tuesday before their showdown next Sunday at North Carolina. The Tar Heels travel to VT on Wednesday. The Blue Devils are one game back, so a pair of wins to close the regular season would give Duke at least a share of the ACC championship. Most pundits have written Duke off for a #1 seed, but if they were to win out and then win the ACC tournament, they could sneak in as a top seed.

      As a basketball fan, it would be great to see Duke beat FSU tomorrow guaranteeing that the Duke/UNC tilt on Sunday is for the conference title. Even if the Tar Heels beat Tech and guarantee themselves at least a share of the ACC title, they won’t want to miss out on an opportunity to slam the door on the Dookies. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils need to be careful not to look past a Florida State team that is 22-7. Duke beat FSU in Tallahassee back in January, so the Seminoles will have revenge on their minds.

      Joe Lunardi (ESPN “bracketologist”) says that if the season ended today, seven ACC teams would make the NCAA tourney — UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Florida State, Boston College and Virginia Tech. Maryland has been making a move, but they could really use a win against Wake Forest and then a win at Virginia to put themselves in good shape. Otherwise, they’d have to make some major noise in the ACC tourney to get a bid. Likewise, Miami is sitting at 6-8 in conference, but they have two winnable games (@ Georgia Tech, vs. N.C. State) to close out the season. If they win both, they’d be at 8-8 and be in position to earn a bid with a good showing in the ACC tourney.

      Of the teams Lunardi listed, Virginia Tech is in the most tenuous position. They have a tough pair of games to close out the season — they host the Tar Heels and have to travel to Florida State. They need to win at least one of those games to stay in the hunt for an NCAA bid. If they lose both, they won’t finish at .500 in conference.

      College Basketball, March Madness, Television

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