Feb. 26-March 3, 2024
27 games on the schedule this week, and 1 feature game, in the Pac 12. Let's jump to it:
3/2/24-
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) @
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- A close one here, but turnovers did Washington State in. They had 20 of them, allowing the Buffs to get several fast break points. That was enough to survive a tough game.
Final Score: Colorado- 77, Washington State- 72
Now for the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 17-14, 8-8 America East.
2/29/24- America East Quarterfinals vs. (5) Vermont (W 85-64).
A win at the most important of times for the Hawks, who break a 3 game losing streak, advance to the America East semifinals, and keep their very, very feint postseason hopes alive.
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 14-14, 10-8 T-4th American.
3/2/24 vs. Cincinnati (W 55-47).
1 more for the Huskies, as they go into the conference tournament on a 7 game winning streak. Had they been able to produce like this earlier, they could be talking NCAA Tournament right now. As it stands, they'll go into the American Tournament as the #4 seed, getting a match-up against 5th seeded Houston. They still need to win out to have a chance at the postseason.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 12-18, 8-10 7th American.
2/28/24 at UCF (W 80-47).
3/2/24 at Tulane (W 61-58).
2 big road wins for the Golden Hurricane, who are also hot going into the conference tournament. That win over 2nd place Tulane was huge, and they could see them again. As it stands, they'll be the 7th seed and open up against SMU, in an all or nothing tournament. They have to win it to get into the postseason.
Notre Dame (Al Mighty) -- 16-14, 9-9 7th ACC.
2/28/24 at Clemson (W 80-73).
3/2/24 vs. N.C. State (W 67-56).
It's 3 in a row for the Fighting Irish. Love seeing some of our teams getting hot going into conference tournament play. They'll be the 7th seed and open up with the winner of a First Round game between (10) Duke and (15) Georgia Tech, a game that they must win. They probably need to win their semifinal too, to feel good about a postseason berth.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 17-13, 10-8 5th Big 12.
2/27/24 at Stephen F. Austin (L 75-65).
3/2/24 vs. Kansas (W 74-51).
A split for the Horned Frogs, who win the conference game this week to record their second best finish in the Big 12 since this dynasty started. They'll be the 5th seed in the Big 12 Tournament and open up in the Quarterfinals against 4th seed Oklahoma. They are in a much better position than last year, looking like an NIT team at least.
#17 St. John's (Dean Hoo) -- 21-9, 10-8 T-4th Big East.
2/28/24 at #24 DePaul (W 68-60).
3/2/24 at Marquette (L 85-77).
A road split for the Red Storm, who could have clinched the 4th seed outright with a win over Marquette. Instead, they lose the tiebreaker and will be the 5th seed, facing 4th seed Creighton in the quarterfinals.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 14-16, 7-11 T-8th Big Ten.
2/28/24 vs. Maryland (W 91-82).
3/2/24 at Michigan (L 108-100).
A split for the Wildcats, and a terrible road loss at an awful Michigan team. That would have put them at .500 going into the Big Ten Tournament. As it stands, they lose all tiebreakers in a 3 way tie for 8th, and will be the 10th seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They'll open up against 7th seed Purdue and need to win the tourney to keep their season alive.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 12-16, 8-8 T-5th Big West.
2/29/24 vs. Cal Poly (L 78-71).
3/2/24 at UC Santa Barbara (W 91-84).
A split for the Warriors, and Coach Gunn has already started packing his suitcase. He knows it'll take a miracle to stay at Hawaii next season. They lost the tiebreaker for 5th, and will enter the Big West Tournament as the 6th seed, facing off against the team they just beat, 3rd seed UC Santa Barbara. They need to win the tourney to keep playing, and to keep Coach Gunn's job alive.
FIU (Brett Hawkins) -- 13-17, 8-10 T-8th Conference USA.
2/29/24 vs. Southern Miss (L 69-54).
3/2/24 vs. George Mason (W 76-66).
A split for the Golden Panthers, who vastly underseeded expectations this season. They lost all tiebreakers in a 3 way tie for 8th, that means they'll be the 10th seed in the Conference USA Tournament, opening up against 7th seed UTEP.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 19-10, 11-7 T-3rd Conference USA.
2/29/24 vs. Old Dominion (W 65-55).
3/2/24 at Louisiana Tech (L 86-64).
A last second buzzer beater is the only thing that stopped the Owls from getting their 20th win of the season and 3rd place in Conference USA. Instead, they drop to 5th place in the C-USA Tournament after losing a 3 team tiebreaker for 3rd. They'll definitely be playing in the postseason, and should pick up win #20 as they'll face the winner of 13th seed George Mason and 12th seed South Dakota State in the Second Round of the C-USA Tourney.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 16-14, 10-8 6th Pac 12.
2/29/24 at Utah (W 73-69).
3/2/24 vs. Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
The Buffaloes couldn't find a way to beat the best of the best, especially in conference, as they'll probably need to win a game or 2 to feel good about an NCAA berth. An NIT or CBI berth could still be good, but they'll enter as the 6th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, and they'll open up against 11th seed Oregon State in a must win game.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 21-9, 11-7 T-3rd Pac 12.
2/29/24 at Washington (W 70-68).
3/2/24 vs. #22 California (W 85-77).
A couple close wins to end the regular season, as the Cardinal will go into the Pac 12 Tourney on a 5 game winning streak. They drew the right straw in a 3 team tiebreaker for 3rd place, and they'll get the 3rd seed and bye into the Quarterfinals, where they'll take on the winner of the Colorado/Oregon State game.
#20 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 23-8, 13-5 2nd Pac 12.
2/29/24 at #22 California (W 84-61).
3/2/24 vs. Utah (W 60-49).
The Bruins win 2 this week, and finish safely in 2nd place in the Pac 12. They will be back in the postseason, without a doubt, back where they belong, in the NCAA Tournament. As for the Pac 12 Tournament, they get the 2nd seed and a bye into the Quarterfinals where they'll take on the winner of a First Round game between 10th seed Washington State and 7th seed Gonzaga.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 16-13, 5-13, T-10th Pac 12.
2/29/24 at Gonzaga (L 87-60).
3/2/24 at Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
Not a good week for the Cougars, as the Pac 12 continues to be a challenge for them. They won't finish last, which means Coach St. John will keep his job for another season, but what could have been. Even if they had won 2 or 3 more conference games, they'd feel good about their first postseason berth, but as it stands, they'll probably have to win a minimum of 2 games to continue their season. They won the tiebreaker for the 10th seed and will face 7th seed Gonzaga in the First Round.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 20-9, 14-4 1st SEC.
2/28/24 at VCU (L 76-65).
3/2/24 vs. Kentucky (W 80-52).
The Crimson Tide finished the regular season winning 13 of their last 15 games, including 8 of their last 9, and won the SEC championship outright! Congrats to Coach Rogers for being the only FOFC coached team to win a regular season conference title this season. Despite all that, they still can't get a frikkin vote in the polls. Anyways, they'll be the top seed in the SEC Tournament, getting a bye to the Quarterfinals where they'll take on the winner of a Second Round game between 9th seed Florida and 8th seed Ole Miss.
Here's a look at the national top 25 going into the week of March 4-10:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Arizona (72) 28-2 1800 1 Pacific-12 Conference
2. Louisville 27-3 1721 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Syracuse 27-4 1606 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Virginia 27-3 1573 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Georgetown 24-6 1552 4 Big East Conference
6. Baylor 26-4 1468 2 Big 12 Conference
7. Providence 23-7 1337 7 Big East Conference
8. Iowa State 23-7 1297 9 Big 12 Conference
9. Wisconsin 26-5 1234 8 Big Ten Conference
10. Iowa 24-6 1137 11 Big Ten Conference
11. Ohio State 22-6 1111 10 Big Ten Conference
12. Villanova 21-9 985 12 Big East Conference
13. Indiana 23-7 880 15 Big Ten Conference
14. Yale 26-4 879 16 Ivy League
15. UCLA 23-8 774 20 Pacific-12 Conference
16. Creighton 21-9 725 13 Big East Conference
17. St. Bonaventure 22-7 590 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. St. John's 21-9 516 17 Big East Conference
19. North Carolina 22-8 493 19 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Texas A&M 22-8 393 18 Southeastern Conference
21. Xavier 20-10 346 23 Big East Conference
22. Memphis 23-7 302 NR American Athletic Conference
23. Vanderbilt 21-9 232 21 Southeastern Conference
24. UC Irvine 23-7 126 NR Big West Conference
25. Stanford 21-9 78 NR Pacific-12 Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
La Salle 23-7 62 Atlantic 10 Conference
Oakland 22-6 53 Horizon League
Oklahoma 20-10 43 Big 12 Conference
Kent State 22-8 24 Mid-American Conference
George Washington 22-8 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
UAB 21-8 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
BYU 22-9 10 West Coast Conference
California 19-11 8 Pacific-12 Conference
North Texas 24-7 7 Conference USA
DePaul 19-11 3 Big East Conference
American 25-7 2 Patriot League
Bradley 23-9 1 Missouri Valley Conference
So UCLA moves up 5 spots after 2 big wins, while St. John's continues to slide, moving down 1 spot. Stanford is back in the top 25, and still no love for Alabama. How the **** does a regular season conference champion of a P5 conference not even receive 1 lousy vote? Unbeliveable.
Now for the mid-major top 25 going into the week of March 4-10:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. St. Bonaventure (43) 22-7 1764 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
2. Yale (14) 26-4 1722 2 Ivy League
3. Memphis (7) 23-7 1610 5 American Athletic Conference
4. BYU (7) 22-9 1581 3 West Coast Conference
5. La Salle 23-7 1465 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Kent State (1) 22-8 1420 7 Mid-American Conference
7. George Washington 22-8 1334 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
8. UC Irvine 23-7 1313 9 Big West Conference
9. Oakland 22-6 1235 6 Horizon League
10. Wichita State 23-10 1127 11 Missouri Valley Conference
11. Bradley 23-9 1063 19 Missouri Valley Conference
12. UAB 21-8 1042 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Massachusetts 22-8 965 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. North Texas 24-7 849 12 Conference USA
15. Tulane 21-9 810 13 American Athletic Conference
16. Drexel 23-8 725 15 Colonial Athletic Association
17. Akron 22-8 653 17 Mid-American Conference
18. American 25-7 558 20 Patriot League
19. Old Dominion 21-9 506 18 Conference USA
20. San Diego 20-10 392 25 West Coast Conference
21. Illinois State 20-11 376 14 Missouri Valley Conference
22. Arkansas State 22-8 296 NR Sun Belt Conference
23. Florida Gulf Coast 20-8 210 21 Sun Belt Conference
24. Utah State 19-11 142 NR Mountain West Conference
25. Western Carolina 22-9 57 NR Southern Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Detroit 19-10 39 Horizon League
Mercer 22-9 36 Southern Conference
Robert Morris 23-8 28 Northeast Conference
Colorado State 19-11 23 Mountain West Conference
Richmond 19-11 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
San Diego State 18-12 17 Mountain West Conference
Houston 19-10 16 American Athletic Conference
Northwestern State 21-8 6 Southland Conference
Albany 19-10 1 America East Conference
Radford 23-9 1 Big South Conference
UT Arlington 18-10 1 Sun Belt Conference
More BS, as Rice can't crack a vote in the mid-major top 25. I still say the ranking system in this game has issues.
Now here's a look at the final edition of the Bubble Watch before Selection Sunday, starting with the overall bubble watch which features 1 of our teams:
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Illinois State 20-11 .550 (60) 3-4 4-3 6-3 7-1 98 In
San Diego 20-10 .557 (51) 1-2 4-2 9-5 6-1 101 In
Florida Gulf Coast 20-8 .548 (62) 0-2 3-3 7-2 10-1 201 In
Rice 19-10 .552 (57) 2-1 1-3 6-5 10-1 168 In
Detroit 19-10 .564 (48) 2-3 1-0 7-3 9-4 93 In
Michigan State 18-11 .546 (67) 1-4 6-2 5-4 6-1 94 In
Colorado State 19-11 .546 (66) 3-0 1-3 9-5 6-3 129 In
Albany 19-10 .546 (65) 0-4 3-2 3-0 13-4 132 In
Arkansas State 22-8 .543 (71) 1-1 1-3 4-3 16-1 244 Out
Richmond 19-11 .539 (77) 3-6 2-1 5-2 9-2 143 Out
Indiana State 19-12 .539 (79) 3-2 6-4 2-3 8-3 141 Out
South Alabama 18-11 .540 (75) 1-3 3-3 5-3 9-2 146 Out
Cal Poly 17-12 .570 (39) 3-4 1-0 9-6 4-2 31 Out
Loyola Marymount 18-13 .552 (58) 1-3 4-3 7-6 6-1 55 Out
Princeton 19-11 .542 (73) 0-3 1-2 6-3 12-3 153 Out
Rice is still in a good position, and although the SOS isn't great, it's not the worst of the teams that are projected in. The 2-1 record against teams in the RPI top 50 definitely helps. The Owls feel good where they are at, but would still like to win 1 or 2 games in the C-USA Tourney to leave no doubt.
Now for the rest of our FOFC teams:
Locks: St. John's, UCLA, Stanford
In: Alabama
Man, this game just does not like Alabama apparently, at least not this season. 1 loss in their last 9 games, and they go from a lock, to being just projected in. Just ridiculous in my opinion.