Feb. 28-March 6, 2022
1 feature game to tell you about this week, and we go to the Pac 12:
3/5/22-
UCLA (Tim Shepard) @
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- Unbelievable what Washington State has done over the past couple weeks, as they steal another one, forcing 19 UCLA turnovers and holding them to 37.3% shooting. They got up by double digits early and never looked back to stun another team.
Final Score: Washington State- 76, UCLA- 62
Now to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 15-15, 9-7 America East.
3/3/22- America East Quarterfinals vs. (5) Maine (L 78-73).
It was a quick exit from the conference tournament for the Hawks, who pretty much needed to win it to ensure a postseason berth. With their .500 record and 205 RPI, it's safe to say they'll be staying home this postseason after 2 straight berths.
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 16-14, 11-7 T-3rd American.
3/2/22 at Cincinnati (L 77-69).
3/5/22 at #14 Memphis (L 89-88, OT).
The Huskies lost an OT heartbreak at Memphis, and also fell short at Cincinnati. They ended up in a 3 way tie for 3rd, and will pick up the 4th seed in the American Tournament. They'll open up in the Quarterfinals against (5) Houston.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 17-14, 10-8 6th American.
3/2/22 at #14 Memphis (L 103-79).
3/5/22 at Temple (W 61-60).
The Pirates ended the regular season with a split, narrowly defeating Temple on the road. They'll be the 6th seed in the American Tournament, where they'll open up in the First Round against (11) Temple, who they just squeaked out a win against.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 16-14, 11-7 T-3rd American.
3/2/22 at Houston (W 76-69).
3/5/22 vs. Cincinnati (W 86-56).
The Golden Hurricane took care of business this week, stealing the 3rd seed away from both UConn and Houston and will get a bye in the American Tournament, opening up in the Quarterfinals against the winner of (11) Temple/(6) ECU.
#17 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 23-7, 13-5 T-4th ACC.
3/5/22 vs. N.C. State (W 96-87).
Just 1 game this week for the Blue Devils who pick up a big win. They lost out on both the #4 seed and a double bye with their tough finish, but they'll still be the 5th seed in the ACC Tournament and get a single bye into the Second Round, where they'll await the winner of a First Round game between (13) N.C. State and (12) Virginia Tech.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 15-14, 9-9 T-4th Big 12.
2/28/22 at West Virginia (L 82-51).
3/5/22 at Texas Tech (W 80-54).
A road split for the Horned Frogs, and a pair of blowouts. They will be the 4th seed in the Big 12 Tournament and take on (5) Kansas State in the Quarterfinals.
#18 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 21-8, 13-5 2nd Big Ten.
3/2/22 vs. Illinois (L 68-67).
3/5/22 vs. #1 Wisconsin (L 76-73).
A pair of agonizing defeats at home for the Spartans, who battled in both games against tough competition. They were already locked into the 2nd seed in the Big Ten Tournament, and they'll get a single bye into the Quarterfinals and take on the winner of a Second Round game between (10) Maryland and (7) Indiana.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 17-13, 9-9 T-6th Big Ten.
3/2/22 at Penn State (L 97-74).
3/5/22 vs. Indiana (W 79-72).
A split for the Wildcats, who have some work to do, and not an easy draw. They drew the shortest straw in the 3 team tiebreaker for 6th, and will fall all the way to the 8th seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They'll open up against (9) Ohio State in the Second Round.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-12, 8-8 5th Big West.
3/5/22 vs. Long Beach State (L 77-72).
A gallant effort, but the Warriors fell short in a single game this week, narrowly losing against the conference winner. They'll be the 5th seed in the Big West Tournament, opening up in the Quarterfinals against (4) UC Santa Barbara. Remember, in the Big West Tournament (at least in FBCB, don't know if it's the same way in real life), the semifinal teams are reseeded.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 16-13, 8-10 T-7th Conference USA.
3/3/22 at Louisiana Tech (W 79-59).
3/5/22 at FIU (L 94-93, OT).
1 point, 1 lousy point is all that separated the Owls from raising their seed in the conference tournament. Instead, they come in 3rd out of a 4 team tiebreaker for 7th and will be the 9th seed in the Conference USA Tournament, opening up in the Quarterfinals against (8) Charlotte. On a bright note, the win at Louisiana Tech was career win #100 for Coach Shocker.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 21-9, 13-5 T-2nd Pac 12.
3/3/22 vs. #20 Arizona (L 71-69).
3/5/22 at California (W 84-82, OT).
Tough week for the Buffaloes. They narrowly defeated Cal in OT, but before that, lost a heartbreaking buzzer beater to Arizona, who ended up winning the Pac 12 regular season title. Still a great season for Coach Nielsen, as he and Colorado will be the 2nd seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, getting a bye into the Quarterfinals and taking on the winner of a First Round game between (10) Oregon and (7) Washington.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 20-8, 13-5 T-2nd Pac 12.
3/3/22 at Arizona State (W 60-52).
3/5/22 at Oregon (L 55-45).
A split for the Cardinal, who missed a chance to share the Pac 12 regular season title, maybe even win it outright, as they dropped their regular season finale to Oregon. Instead of a possible 1 or 2 seed, they'll still be a respectable 3rd seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, getting a bye into the Quarterfinals and taking on the First Round winner between (11) Utah and (6) Oregon State.
UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 20-10, 12-6 4th Pac 12.
3/3/22 vs. Utah (W 68-54).
3/5/22 at Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
The Bruins split, and also missed a chance for a higher seed after a loss to a suddenly hot Washington State team. They'll be the 4th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament and get a bye into the Quarterfinals, where they'll open up against the winner of a First Round game between (12) Washington State and (5) Gonzaga.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 11-19, 3-15 12th (last) Pac 12.
3/3/22 at Gonzaga (L 97-63).
3/5/22 vs. UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
A split for the Cougars, who go 3-3 in their last 6 games. Not bad considering they lost their first 12 conference games. They'll obviously be the 12th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, and will open up in the First Round against (5) Gonzaga, who just beat they by 34 points. Do the Cougs have another upset in them?
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-12, 12-6 T-2nd SEC.
3/2/22 vs. #12 Arkansas (L 88-80).
3/5/22 at VCU (L 66-60).
2 damaging losses for the Crimson Tide, who might be fighting for an at-large berth now. They finish in the middle of a 3 way tie for 2nd and will be the 3rd seed in the SEC Tournament. They'll get a double bye into the Quarterfinals and will take on either (14) South Carolina, (11) Florida, or (6) Ole Miss.
#25 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 23-8, 12-6 T-2nd SEC.
3/2/22 at Texas A&M (W 79-57).
3/5/22 at Auburn (W 78-61).
2 dominating road wins for the Wildcats, who finish on a 5 game winning streak. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, as Kentucky misses out on either a share of, or the SEC title outright, for the first time in this dynasty. They win all the tiebreakers for 2nd place though and will be the 2nd seed in the SEC Tournament. They'll get a double bye to the Quarterfinals and open up against the winner of a Second Round game between (10) Texas A&M and (7) Missouri.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 18-12, 12-8 3rd Sun Belt.
3/5/22 at Arkansas State (W 77-69).
1 game for the Trojans this week, but it was a win. Coach Hawkins has led Troy to their best season so far in this dynasty, setting the team record for both the most conference and overall wins in a season. In the quirky Sun Belt Tournament format, they'll get a bye into the Second Round and will take on the winner of a First Round game between (7) Arkansas Little Rock and (6) South Alabama.
Here's a look at the final national top 25 poll before March Madness begins:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Wisconsin (72) 31-1 1800 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Wichita State 32-1 1728 2 Missouri Valley Conference
3. Baylor 27-3 1656 3 Big 12 Conference
4. Oklahoma 23-7 1526 4 Big 12 Conference
5. Virginia 24-6 1517 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. San Diego State 26-4 1409 7 Mountain West Conference
7. Texas 24-6 1323 8 Big 12 Conference
8. Florida State 24-6 1319 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Old Dominion 27-2 1177 10 Conference USA
10. Syracuse 23-7 1143 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Arkansas 24-6 1121 12 Southeastern Conference
12. Notre Dame 24-6 1089 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. St. John's 24-6 894 13 Big East Conference
14. Memphis 25-5 864 14 American Athletic Conference
15. Arizona 24-6 722 20 Pacific-12 Conference
16. Georgetown 21-8 703 19 Big East Conference
17. Duke 23-7 647 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Oakland 25-5 554 16 Horizon League
19. Louisville 22-8 525 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Villanova 22-8 383 21 Big East Conference
21. BYU 24-7 353 23 West Coast Conference
22. Buffalo 22-7 347 24 Mid-American Conference
23. Kentucky 23-8 333 25 Southeastern Conference
24. Michigan State 21-8 76 18 Big Ten Conference
25. Sacred Heart 25-5 76 22 Northeast Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
North Carolina 20-10 52 Atlantic Coast Conference
FIU 22-7 21 Conference USA
Vanderbilt 22-9 15 Southeastern Conference
Kansas State 20-10 10 Big 12 Conference
Fresno State 22-9 6 Mountain West Conference
Loyola MD 25-6 6 Patriot League
Florida Gulf Coast 26-7 3 Atlantic Sun Conference
Southern Utah 23-6 2 Big Sky Conference
Duke stays put at 17 while Kentucky moves up 2 spots, and poor Michigan State drops 6 spots. Feels like a bit of a tough drop, especially since they only lost both their games this week by a combined 4 points. Stanford and Colorado both lose their votes.
Now for the final mid-major poll of the season:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Wichita State (72) 32-1 1800 1 Missouri Valley Conference
2. San Diego State 26-4 1723 2 Mountain West Conference
3. Old Dominion 27-2 1660 3 Conference USA
4. Memphis 25-5 1583 4 American Athletic Conference
5. BYU 24-7 1466 6 West Coast Conference
6. Oakland 25-5 1466 5 Horizon League
7. Buffalo 22-7 1387 7 Mid-American Conference
8. FIU 22-7 1264 11 Conference USA
9. Sacred Heart 25-5 1173 8 Northeast Conference
10. Fresno State 22-9 1116 14 Mountain West Conference
11. Loyola MD 25-6 1063 12 Patriot League
12. Florida Gulf Coast 26-7 971 10 Atlantic Sun Conference
13. Richmond 21-9 955 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Massachusetts 22-9 869 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. SMU 21-9 855 15 American Athletic Conference
16. Manhattan 23-7 722 13 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
17. Southern Utah 23-6 652 20 Big Sky Conference
18. UNC Wilmington 22-9 538 16 Colonial Athletic Association
19. William & Mary 22-10 529 19 Colonial Athletic Association
20. Saint Joseph's 20-10 420 24 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Rider 23-9 302 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
22. UNLV 18-12 217 17 Mountain West Conference
23. Boise State 17-12 186 22 Mountain West Conference
24. Green Bay 20-12 159 NR Horizon League
25. Harvard 20-9 105 NR Ivy League
Others Receiving Votes:
New Mexico 18-12 45 Mountain West Conference
Alabama A&M 21-8 38 Southwestern Athletic Conference
Indiana State 19-12 38 Missouri Valley Conference
Portland 20-11 23 West Coast Conference
Davidson 18-12 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
George Washington 18-12 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
Belmont 20-11 11 Ohio Valley Conference
Long Beach State 19-10 9 Big West Conference
Texas A&M Corpus Christi 20-9 9 Southland Conference
Mercer 21-11 6 Southern Conference
Rhode Island 16-12 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
Bowling Green 19-11 1 Mid-American Conference
Wagner 21-9 1 Northeast Conference
As expected, none of our FOFC teams are in the mix.
Here's a look at the final edition of this seasons Bubble Watch, starting with the Overall Bubble Watch in which none of our teams are involved:
Code:
OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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UNLV 18-12 .578 (27) 3-4 5-2 7-5 3-1 12 In
Iowa 18-12 .562 (42) 3-9 3-1 8-1 4-1 26 In
Mississippi 18-12 .552 (56) 4-7 1-3 7-1 6-1 55 In
Penn State 18-12 .565 (40) 4-6 2-1 7-3 5-2 30 In
George Washington 18-12 .552 (57) 3-4 4-1 2-7 9-0 75 In
New Mexico 18-12 .558 (46) 1-4 6-3 8-5 3-0 53 In
Indiana State 19-12 .566 (39) 0-4 3-3 9-3 7-2 47 In
VCU 20-10 .542 (72) 4-5 1-4 6-1 9-0 145 In
SMU 21-9 .539 (76) 1-2 6-5 6-0 8-2 189 Out
UAB 17-11 .543 (69) 1-4 1-3 5-3 10-1 100 Out
Colgate 19-11 .543 (70) 0-3 5-0 5-3 9-5 147 Out
Houston 18-11 .539 (77) 2-2 4-5 1-1 11-3 126 Out
Utah State 18-12 .540 (75) 3-6 2-2 5-3 8-1 114 Out
Davidson 18-12 .539 (78) 1-3 4-4 4-3 9-2 117 Out
Portland 20-11 .524 (107) 2-0 0-3 6-7 12-1 223 Out
And a final look at what our 17 FOFC teams are predicted to do:
Locks:
Duke,
Michigan State,
Stanford,
Colorado,
Kentucky
In:
UCLA,
Alabama
A few changes, as Colorado goes back to the lock line, they were on the in line last week. And UCLA and Alabama both go from the lock line to the in line, which means while they aren't on the bubble, they still have some work to do.