Feb. 23-Mar. 1, 2026
36 games on the schedule this week, with 1 feature game, in the Pac 12. Let's start there:
2/28/26-
#14 Stanford (Benito Sanchez) @
UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- Awful shooting for Stanford in this one, as they shot just 27.5%, and made more free throws than they did field goals. The Bruins got a big home win.
Final Score: UCLA- 71, #14 Stanford- 51
Now to the rest of the weekly recap:
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 12-16, 7-10 8th American.
2/25/26 vs. ECU (L 79-75, OT).
2/28/26 at Houston (W 78-64).
Another split for the Huskies, and that OT loss to ECU hurts as they'll miss a chance to finish .500 in the conference with 1 game left.
Notre Dame (Al Mighty) -- 14-14, 8-8 T-5th ACC.
2/25/26 at #5 Syracuse (L 85-68).
2/28/26 vs. Boston College (W 65-52).
Another split for the Fighting Irish as they continue to toe the line of finishing over .500. There is a huge separation between the top 4 teams in the ACC and the rest of the ACC, so depending on how they finish in their final 2 regular season games, the Irish could finish anywhere between 5th and 11th in the conference.
North Florida (Felix Abel) -- 13-17, 7-7 T-4th Atlantic Sun.
2/26/26 at Stetson (L 90-70).
2/28/26 at Jacksonville (L 73-59).
2 more losses for the Ospreys who finish the regular season on a 3 game losing streak. They'll go into the Atlantic Sun Tournament as the 5th seed, and will take on the same Jacksonville team that just beat them.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 12-16, 3-13 10th (last) Big 12.
2/23/26 at #13 Oklahoma (L 76-69).
2/28/26 at Kansas (W 75-67).
A split for the Horned Frogs, and don't look now, but if TCU can win both their games next week, they could jump out of the cellar. They've got a chance, and they are playing better ball right now.
#7 St. John's (Dean Hoo) -- 25-4, 15-2 1st Big East.
2/25/26 vs. Butler (W 85-57).
2/28/26 vs. #11 Villanova (W 64-37).
2 more wins for the Red Storm including an impressive victory over Villanova in which they held them to 10 first half points and 28.8% shooting. The Red Storm have clinched the regular season Big East Title and are now playing for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Sacramento State (David Ginsberg) -- 18-9, 10-6 T-2nd Big Sky.
2/26/26 vs. Southern Idaho (L 65-62).
2/28/26 vs. Idaho (W 61-54).
A tough split for the Hornets, who do break a 3 game losing streak but have fallen out of a first place tie. They have the new conference leaders next week in a very, very important game.
#10 Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 23-5, 12-4 T-2nd Big Ten.
2/25/26 at Rutgers (W 81-53).
2/28/26 at #8 Wisconsin (L 104-79).
A road split for the Wildcats, both blowouts, and they are now in a three way tie for 2nd place. They should win both their games next week if they play to their abilities, and would need Wisconsin to lose at least 1 to share a title.
FIU (Brett Hawkins) -- 20-6, 14-2 1st Conference USA.
2/26/26 at Florida Atlantic (W 81-78).
2/28/26 vs. UTEP (W 87-78).
Big week for the Golden Panthers who get a big win over the conference leaders and have taken over the position. They have 2 more games next week, and both are big.
Fairfield (Ariel Pryde) -- 22-6, 14-6 T-1st MAAC.
2/27/26 vs. Manhattan (W 68-62).
An important win for the Stags, who break a 3 game losing streak with the win and split the MAAC regular season title 3 ways. Because of tiebreakers they will be #1 seed in the MAAC Tournament and will take on the winner of the game between 9th seed Iona and 8th seed Monmouth. But first, they have 1 more non-conference game next week.
San Jose State (Thomas Shepard) -- 11-18, 7-10 7th Mountain West.
2/25/26 vs. Fresno State (L 91-80).
2/28/26 at Nevada (L 78-61).
2 more losses for the Spartans who have now lost 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5. They've got 1 more conference game next week, but it won't be an easy one.
Wagner (Will Brown) -- 22-7, 15-3 1st Northeast.
2/26/26 vs. Sacred Heart (W 64-63).
2/28/26 vs. St. Francis (PA) (W 86-67).
2 more wins for the Seahawks, who win the Northeast regular season title by 2 games. They've clinched at least a spot in the NIT, but they want more. They'll obviously be the #1 seed in the Northeast Tournament, and their first opponent will be 8th seed St. Francis (PA).
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 13-15, 10-6 T-3rd Pac 12.
2/26/26 at Gonzaga (W 91-84).
2/28/26 at Oregon (W 78-70).
2 wins for the Buffaloes who get off their snide and can still finish .500 overall. They'll finish between 3rd and 6th in the conference, but even then it may not be enough to keep Coach Nielsen's job.
#14 Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 22-6, 14-2 1st Pac 12.
2/26/26 vs. Utah (W 89-67).
2/28/26 at UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
A split for the Cardinal, who still control their own destiny in the conference. 1 win next week will clinch at least a share of the Pac 12 regular season title. Winning both will clinch the title outright.
UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 19-9, 9-7 5th Pac 12.
2/26/26 at Oregon (W 78-67).
2/28/26 vs. #14 Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
2 big wins for the Bruins, who could and should win 20 games this season. The best they can hope for in the conference is 3rd, but that would be remarkable considering how they started the conference this season. However, losing both games next week would drop them to 7th.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 12-15, 4-12 T-11th (last) Pac 12.
2/26/26 vs. Washington (L 77-75).
2/28/26 vs. Utah (L 74-65).
2 more losses for the Cougars, who go winless in February. They've got to win at least 1 game next week or they'll most likely be looking at the cellar, again.
#15 Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 20-8, 10-6 T-5th SEC.
2/25/26 at Arkansas (L 87-75).
2/28/26 at South Carolina (L 63-56).
The Crimson Tide are collapsing at the wrong time, losers of 4 in a row. Any hopes of an SEC regular season title are over. They could still finish in the top 4 and earn a double bye in the SEC Tournament, but they have to right the ship and win both next week.
Arkansas Pine Bluff (B.B. Gunn) -- 13-14, 11-5 3rd SWAC.
2/23/26 at Prairie View A&M (W 79-58).
2/28/26 at Texas Southern (W 76-67).
2 very important wins for the Golden Lions who are now just 1 game behind the conference leaders. They are facing a pair of 8-19 teams next week, both who they have already blown out once, both at home. Should be in good position to win both and still have a chance at a SWAC Title.
Troy (Benton Gale) -- 18-9, 13-5 T-2nd Sun Belt.
2/26/26 vs. Texas State (W 77-53).
2/28/26 vs. Appalachian State (W 97-91).
2 more wins for the Trojans who have put themselves in position for a 20 win season. They need to win both next week to have a chance at the Sun Belt regular season title.
San Diego (Charlie Shocker) -- 15-14, 8-10 T-6th WCC.
2/26/26 at Santa Clara (W 93-72).
2/28/26 at San Francisco (W 85-65).
2 wins for the Toreros who get over .500 for the first time since late January. They'll be the 6th seed in the WCC Tournament and will open up against 3rd seed USC, but first a tough non-conference game next week against Indiana State. Win that and they'll at least assure themselves of a winning record this season, still a far cry from where they've been the last 2 seasons though.
Here's a look at the national top 25 going into the week of Mar. 2-8:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Virginia (72) 28-1 1800 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Syracuse 25-3 1686 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Arizona 23-5 1624 4 Pacific-12 Conference
4. Louisville 25-3 1624 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Baylor 24-4 1534 3 Big 12 Conference
6. St. John's 25-4 1426 7 Big East Conference
7. Wisconsin 23-5 1374 8 Big Ten Conference
8. Vanderbilt 22-6 1286 6 Southeastern Conference
9. Oklahoma 21-7 1190 13 Big 12 Conference
10. Northwestern 23-5 1160 10 Big Ten Conference
11. Villanova 22-7 1059 11 Big East Conference
12. Iowa 23-6 1026 9 Big Ten Conference
13. Providence 21-7 946 17 Big East Conference
14. Stanford 22-6 827 14 Pacific-12 Conference
15. Towson 25-4 796 12 Colonial Athletic Association
16. Oklahoma State 22-7 712 22 Big 12 Conference
17. Florida State 19-9 660 23 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. BYU 23-7 608 16 West Coast Conference
19. Alabama 20-8 517 15 Southeastern Conference
20. LSU 20-8 380 NR Southeastern Conference
21. Boise State 21-7 320 25 Mountain West Conference
22. Indiana 19-8 242 20 Big Ten Conference
23. Wichita State 22-8 229 21 Missouri Valley Conference
24. FIU 20-6 149 NR Conference USA
25. UCF 21-6 59 18 American Athletic Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Davidson 19-7 55 Atlantic 10 Conference
Illinois State 21-7 33 Missouri Valley Conference
Fairfield 22-6 30 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Southern Miss 21-6 17 Conference USA
UCLA 19-9 12 Pacific-12 Conference
Middle Tennessee 20-8 5 Conference USA
Western Michigan 20-9 5 Mid-American Conference
Delaware 22-7 4 Colonial Athletic Association
Massachusetts 20-8 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
Texas A&M 18-10 2 Southeastern Conference
St. John's moves up 1 spot while Northwestern and Stanford stay in their spots after their splits. Alabama moves down 4 spots, while FIU jumps into the top 25. Fairfield keeps receiving votes, and UCLA is now getting votes.
Now a look at the mid-major top 25 going into the week of Mar. 2-8:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. BYU (51) 23-7 1772 2 West Coast Conference
2. Towson (14) 25-4 1731 1 Colonial Athletic Association
3. Boise State 21-7 1591 5 Mountain West Conference
4. Davidson (7) 19-7 1578 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Wichita State 22-8 1515 3 Missouri Valley Conference
6. FIU 20-6 1392 11 Conference USA
7. Massachusetts 20-8 1246 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. UCF 21-6 1239 4 American Athletic Conference
9. San Diego State 19-9 1219 10 Mountain West Conference
10. Kent State 20-9 1152 15 Mid-American Conference
11. Illinois State 21-7 1131 8 Missouri Valley Conference
12. Southern Miss 21-6 972 14 Conference USA
13. Utah State 20-8 908 18 Mountain West Conference
14. Western Michigan 20-9 880 9 Mid-American Conference
15. Middle Tennessee 20-8 750 19 Conference USA
16. Delaware 22-7 698 22 Colonial Athletic Association
17. Indiana State 20-9 664 12 Missouri Valley Conference
18. Fairfield 22-6 517 21 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
19. Toledo 21-8 509 24 Mid-American Conference
20. Tennessee State 21-8 360 NR Ohio Valley Conference
21. Oakland 19-9 261 NR Mid-American Conference
22. Boston University 21-8 259 NR Patriot League
23. East Carolina 17-9 257 NR American Athletic Conference
24. George Washington 17-9 188 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Georgia State 20-9 121 NR Horizon League
Others Receiving Votes:
UT Arlington 19-7 82 Sun Belt Conference
Wagner 22-7 75 Northeast Conference
Fresno State 19-10 60 Mountain West Conference
Green Bay 19-9 48 Horizon League
Kennesaw State 21-8 44 Atlantic Sun Conference
Saint Joseph's 18-10 38 Atlantic 10 Conference
Long Beach State 18-10 37 Big West Conference
UTEP 19-8 31 Conference USA
USC Upstate 21-9 30 Atlantic Sun Conference
SMU 18-10 18 American Athletic Conference
Eastern Illinois 21-9 17 Ohio Valley Conference
Charleston Southern 20-9 5 Big South Conference
Princeton 18-8 5 Ivy League
FIU moves up 5 spots with their big week, while Fairfield moves up 3 spots. Wagner gets a little closer to the mid-major top 25.
Now we get to the Overall Bubble Watch, and that sees none of our teams in it:
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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California 17-11 .574 (33) 5-4 3-1 6-4 3-2 21 In
Xavier 17-11 .562 (40) 4-4 6-1 4-3 3-3 40 In
Kentucky 18-10 .541 (80) 4-5 1-1 9-4 4-0 162 In
Arkansas 16-11 .597 (18) 5-7 2-3 8-1 1-0 2 In
Southern Miss 21-6 .544 (74) 1-2 3-0 7-2 10-2 275 In
West Virginia 17-12 .588 (22) 5-9 4-2 6-0 2-1 3 In
SMU 18-10 .545 (72) 5-3 2-1 7-2 4-4 133 In
USC Upstate 21-9 .546 (65) 1-1 3-0 4-2 13-6 195 In
Wichita State 22-8 .544 (73) 2-2 4-2 4-0 12-4 250 Out
Delaware 22-7 .544 (75) 0-2 2-1 8-1 12-3 268 Out
Green Bay 19-9 .545 (71) 1-3 0-2 3-3 15-1 171 Out
Saint Joseph's 18-10 .539 (83) 2-3 4-4 6-2 6-1 151 Out
Oakland 19-9 .533 (96) 2-3 2-1 5-4 10-1 239 Out
Temple 18-11 .536 (86) 2-4 2-4 7-3 7-0 152 Out
Georgetown 18-10 .536 (87) 1-6 3-1 9-2 5-1 122 Out
Now for the FOFC Teams:
Locks: St. John's, Northwestern, FIU, Stanford, UCLA, Alabama
Troy and Fairfield, who were both on the bubble last week, are both projected out this week. That's no doubt due to their SOS, which both went down this week. No other changes.