Feb. 26-March 4, 2018
2 feature games to talk about this week, so let's jump to it.
2/28/18-
#24 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) @
#10 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- The Wildcats were determined not to lose their grip on the SEC title, and they took control of this one early, leading by 22 at halftime. The margin probably would have been bigger except Kentucky missed 11 free throws. It didn't make a difference though, as Kentucky rolled to an easy victory.
Final Score: #10 Kentucky- 84, #24 Florida- 67
3/1/18-
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) @
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- It's hard to win games when you shoot only 29.4% from the field, and that's what the case was tonight for Stanford. Despite turning it over 19 times, the Cougars got a very important home victory that will definitely help improve their postseason chances.
Final Score: Washington State- 50, Stanford- 41
Now for the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 16-15, 8-8 America East.
3/1/18- America East Quarterfinals vs. (4) Vermont (L 68-60).
Tough loss for the Hawks, who seemed to be heading in the right direction. With the 16-15 record, their season is most likely over, but it has been a record setting season so far, at least as far as number of wins goes.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 9-19, 6-12 T-7th American.
2/28/18 at Temple (L 90-60).
3/3/18 at #7 Cincinnati (L 77-69).
2 losses for the Pirates, but they played Cincinnati very tough. They swept South Florida to win the tiebreaker and they'll be the 7th seed in the American Tournament where they'll take on 10th seed Tulane in the First Round.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 20-10, 12-6 4th American.
2/28/18 vs. Tulane (L 73-64).
3/3/18 at UConn (W 81-76).
A split for the Golden Hurricane, but that loss to Tulane was a very damaging loss. They'll be the 4th seed in the American Tournament and turn right around to take on UConn again, who is the 5th seed. That'll be a Second Round game.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 21-9, 13-5 T-3rd Atlantic 10.
2/28/18 vs. Fordham (W 88-71).
3/3/18 at Dayton (L 87-63).
A split for the Wildcats, who end the regular season on a sour not by getting hammered at Dayton. That loss to Dayton drops them to the 4th seed, where they still get a double bye into the Quarterfinals where they will take on either (12) George Mason, (13) Mississippi State, or (5) Rhode Island.
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- 14-14, 8-10 9th ACC.
3/3/18 vs. Notre Dame (L 84-69).
Just 1 game for the Tigers this week, who limp into the ACC Tournament on a 2 game winning streak. They'll be the 9th seed and open up in the Second Round against (8) Syracuse.
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 16-13, 7-11 T-10th ACC.
2/28/18 at Louisville (W 49-47).
3/3/18 vs. Florida State (W 72-62).
A big momentum builder for the Blue Devils as they get 2 much needed wins. Unfortunately, they lost every single tiebreaker in their 4 way tie for 10th place, so they drop all the way to the 13rd seed in the ACC Tournament, where they'll take on (12) Wake Forest in the First Round.
#4 Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- 24-6, 15-3 T-1st Big 12.
3/3/18 vs. Kansas State (W 79-58).
The win over their in-state rivals give the Jayhawks a share of the Big 12 title. They'll share it with Baylor, but because they swept Baylor, Kansas will be the #1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament. They'll get a bye into the Quarterfinals where they'll take on the winner of the First Round game between (9) Texas Tech/(8) Kansas State.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 11-19, 3-15 10th (last) Big 12.
2/26/18 at Texas Tech (W 83-61).
3/3/18 at #5 Baylor (L 77-59).
A split for the Horned Frogs, who continue their dominance over Texas Tech. They'll be the 10th seed in the Big 12 Tournament and open up in the First Round against (7) Oklahoma State.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 13-17, 6-12 T-11th Big Ten.
2/28/18 vs. Indiana (L 64-53).
3/3/18 at #23 Illinois (L 78-70).
2 more losses for the Wolverines, who finish the regular season losing 7 of 8. They lost their only game to Purdue this season, meaning Purdue gets the tiebreaker for 11th, and Michigan will be the 12th seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They'll take on (13) Penn State in the First Round.
#16 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 23-7, 13-5 T-2nd Big Ten.
2/28/18 vs. Iowa (L 82-66).
3/3/18 at Rutgers (W 59-50).
A split for the Spartans to finish off the regular season, but that loss to Iowa cost them a seed in the Big Ten Tournament. They tied with Wisconsin for 2nd place, but the Badgers beat Sparty in the regular season game, so that drops Michigan State to the 3rd seed. They'll get a double bye into the Quarterfinals and will take on either (14) Rutgers, (11) Purdue, or (6) Minnesota.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 20-9, 9-9 T-7th Big Ten.
2/28/18 at Purdue (W 74-61).
3/3/18 vs. #14 Wisconsin (L 77-64).
A split for the Wildcats, who fell right in the middle of the 3 way tie for 7th. They'll be the 8th seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will take on (9) Illinois in the Second Round.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-13, 10-6 T-2nd Big West.
2/27/18 vs. Cal Poly (W 65-56).
3/3/18 at UC Davis (L 80-60).
Ugh! An embarrassing loss for the Warriors, as they get hammered at UC Davis. This cost them a chance for the Big West title, but their sweep of Long Beach State gives them the 2nd place tiebreaker. They'll be the 2nd seed in the Big West Tournament, and will take on (7) Cal St. Fullerton in the Quarterfinals.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 8-22, 5-13 T-11th Conference USA.
3/1/18 at UTSA (L 78-74, OT).
3/3/18 at Southern Miss (W 79-62).
A split for the 49ers, who fought back valiantly against UTSA, but still lost in OT. They were in the middle in the 3 way tiebreaker for 11th place, so they'll be the 12th seed in the Conference USA Tournament. They'll take on (13) Western Kentucky.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 18-11, 12-6 T-5th Conference USA.
3/1/18 at Western Kentucky (W 86-63).
3/3/18 vs. Marshall (W 68-47).
The Owls keep it going, now winners of 8 in a row heading into the C-USA Tournament. They won the 5th place tiebreaker by sweeping LA Tech, and will be the 5th seed in the C-USA Tournament. They'll open in the Second Round against the (13) Western Kentucky/(12) Charlotte First Round winner.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 15-17, 11-9 MAAC.
3/1/18- MAAC First Round vs. (11) Marist (W 60-48).
3/3/18- MAAC Quarterfinals vs. (3) Iona (L 66-52).
The Hawks ran out of steam against Iona, and they'll end their season with a 15-17 record.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 14-15, 9-7 T-4th MEAC.
2/26/18 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore (W 71-58).
The Spartans close the regular season on a good note, and take the middle of the 3 way tiebreaker for 4th. This gives them the 5th seed in the MEAC Tournament where they'll open up in the First Round against (12) Morgan State.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 16-13, 11-7 T-3rd Pac 12.
3/1/18 at California (W 62-53).
3/3/18 vs. Arizona (W 68-56).
The Buffaloes get 2 nice wins, 1 of them over an always powerful Arizona team. They swept Arizona State to win the 3rd place tiebreaker and the #3 seed in the Pac 12 Tournament. They'll get a bye into the Quarterfinals where they'll take on the First Round winner between (11) Oregon/(6) Washington State.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 21-9, 12-6 2nd Pac 12.
3/1/18 at Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
3/3/18 vs. Arizona State (W 60-54).
The Cardinal end the regular season with a split, but the win over Arizona State was enough to give them 2nd place outright. They'll be the 2nd seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, getting a bye into the Quarterfinals where they'll face the First Round winner between (10) Washington/(7) Oregon State.
#9 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 26-4, 16-2 1st Pac 12.
3/1/18 at Washington (W 73-72).
3/3/18 vs. Oregon State (W 85-63).
The Bruins survived a tough one at Washington, but end the regular season on a 5 game winning streak. They won the Pac 12 Regular Season title with ease, finishing 4 games ahead of Stanford. They'll be the top seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, getting a bye into the Quarterfinals. They'll take on the First Round winner between (9) Utah/(8) California.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 17-13, 9-9 T-6th Pac 12.
3/1/18 vs. Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
3/3/18 vs. Washington (W 63-52).
Big week for the Cougars, who win a big game over Stanford and beat their in-state rivals to take some momentum into the Pac 12 Tournament. They swept Oregon State to win the 6th place tiebreaker. They'll be the 6th seed in the tourney and open up in the First Round against (11) Oregon.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-12, 13-5 T-2nd SEC.
2/28/18 vs. Arkansas (W 72-64).
3/3/18 at Tennessee (L 64-55).
The Crimson Tide split their final 2 regular season games, missing out on a chance to win the SEC title. They also lost to Ole Miss in the regular season, losing the 2nd place tiebreaker to them. They'll still be the 3rd seed in the SEC Tournament. They get a double bye into the Quarterfinals where they'll take on either (14) Missouri, (11) Texas A&M, or (6) Florida.
#24 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 21-9, 11-7 T-5th SEC.
2/28/18 at #10 Kentucky- feature game, highlighted above.
3/3/18 vs. Georgia (W 87-74).
The Gators fell apart against Kentucky, missing a chance for a higher seed. They recovered to beat Georgia, but lost their only regular season game to Tennessee. That drops them down to the 6th seed in the SEC Tournament where they'll take on the First Round winner between (14) Missouri/(11) Texas A&M.
#10 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 25-5, 14-4 1st SEC.
2/28/18 vs. #24 Florida- feature game, highlighted above.
3/3/18 at Vanderbilt (W 86-78).
The Wildcats win a big game against Florida and win their 3rd straight SEC title in the Coach Hutt era. They'll obviously be the top seed in the SEC Tournament and get a double bye into the Quarterfinals where they'll take on the Second Round winner between (9) Georgia/(8) Vanderbilt.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 10-19, 7-13 10th Sun Belt.
3/1/18 at Arkansas State (L 63-62).
The Trojans lose a heartbreaker to end not only the regular season, but their season completely. The Sun Belt Tournament only takes the top 8 teams, and the Trojans failed to qualify, so they are done. They end the season on an 8 game losing streak.
Let's look at the national top 25 going into the rest of the conference tourneys:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Ohio State (72) 29-2 1800 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Virginia 27-3 1725 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Gonzaga 30-1 1646 3 West Coast Conference
4. Wichita State 30-3 1595 6 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Baylor 27-4 1509 5 Big 12 Conference
6. Kansas 24-6 1428 4 Big 12 Conference
7. Kentucky 25-5 1336 10 Southeastern Conference
8. Cincinnati 26-4 1300 7 American Athletic Conference
9. UCLA 26-4 1221 9 Pacific-12 Conference
10. Villanova 25-5 1200 8 Big East Conference
11. Marquette 23-7 1040 13 Big East Conference
12. Iowa State 23-7 1015 11 Big 12 Conference
13. Wisconsin 24-7 939 14 Big Ten Conference
14. Miami 22-8 797 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. Illinois State 28-5 785 15 Missouri Valley Conference
16. VCU 22-8 692 12 Southeastern Conference
17. Stephen F. Austin 26-3 633 19 Southland Conference
18. La Salle 25-5 615 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Michigan State 23-7 576 16 Big Ten Conference
20. Syracuse 21-9 346 21 Atlantic Coast Conference
21. Boise State 23-7 245 NR Mountain West Conference
22. Creighton 21-9 206 NR Big East Conference
23. Richmond 24-7 175 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. Memphis 24-6 154 20 American Athletic Conference
25. Florida 21-9 111 24 Southeastern Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Cleveland State 22-8 110 Horizon League
Harvard 24-6 72 Ivy League
American 25-6 66 Patriot League
Notre Dame 22-8 42 Atlantic Coast Conference
Eastern Kentucky 25-6 15 Ohio Valley Conference
Illinois 21-9 4 Big Ten Conference
Louisiana Tech 22-7 2 Conference USA
Despite winning their game this week, Kansas drops 2 spots in the polls. Kentucky got 2 key wins and rises 3 spots. UCLA stays put, while Michigan State drops 3 spots after a split this week, and Florida drops 1 spot.
Now for the mid-major top 25:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Gonzaga (51) 30-1 1775 1 West Coast Conference
2. Wichita State (21) 30-3 1749 3 Missouri Valley Conference
3. Cincinnati 26-4 1660 2 American Athletic Conference
4. Illinois State 28-5 1577 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. La Salle 25-5 1485 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Stephen F. Austin 26-3 1373 9 Southland Conference
7. Cleveland State 22-8 1346 7 Horizon League
8. Boise State 23-7 1316 10 Mountain West Conference
9. Richmond 24-7 1241 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Memphis 24-6 1152 6 American Athletic Conference
11. Harvard 24-6 1066 14 Ivy League
12. American 25-6 959 15 Patriot League
13. Louisiana Tech 22-7 881 17 Conference USA
14. Davidson 21-9 756 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. UTEP 22-7 699 12 Conference USA
16. Quinnipiac 25-7 691 18 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
17. UAB 23-7 656 21 Conference USA
18. Dayton 22-8 529 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
19. SMU 21-9 520 20 American Athletic Conference
20. Eastern Kentucky 25-6 515 22 Ohio Valley Conference
21. Middle Tennessee 22-8 319 11 Conference USA
22. Buffalo 21-9 253 23 Mid-American Conference
23. Drexel 23-7 216 NR Colonial Athletic Association
24. Belmont 22-9 178 16 Ohio Valley Conference
25. BYU 19-12 140 19 West Coast Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
San Diego State 17-12 60 Mountain West Conference
South Dakota State 23-8 53 Summit League
North Carolina Central 23-7 46 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Old Dominion 22-8 46 Conference USA
Stony Brook 23-7 41 America East Conference
Rhode Island 20-10 33 Atlantic 10 Conference
UNLV 19-11 19 Mountain West Conference
Georgia State 21-11 14 Horizon League
Oakland 22-8 14 Horizon League
Manhattan 22-9 8 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
North Florida 24-8 6 Atlantic Sun Conference
Tulsa 20-10 5 American Athletic Conference
Sam Houston State 22-7 2 Southland Conference
Northeastern 21-8 1 Colonial Athletic Association
Davidson drops 1 spot, and Tulsa is still receiving a few votes.
The final edition of the Bubble Watch has been released, and we have 2 of our teams in the Overall Bubble Watch:
Code:
OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Arizona State 19-11 .568 (44) 2-3 4-4 10-4 3-0 64 In
Rhode Island 20-10 .573 (38) 0-5 6-4 9-1 5-0 77 In
Connecticut 19-11 .567 (46) 2-6 4-1 7-3 6-1 52 In
Alabama 18-12 .584 (29) 4-5 4-2 8-5 2-0 24 In
Belmont 22-9 .556 (60) 2-1 0-3 5-4 15-1 142 In
West Virginia 18-12 .579 (34) 4-8 2-1 8-3 4-0 13 In
Rice 18-11 .567 (47) 3-3 2-2 4-5 9-1 54 In
Pepperdine 19-11 .558 (57) 0-5 5-4 6-2 8-0 84 In
BYU 19-12 .584 (28) 1-6 8-2 5-1 5-3 12 Out
Dayton 22-8 .551 (67) 4-4 2-2 6-1 10-1 183 Out
Georgetown 18-12 .569 (43) 1-9 6-2 7-1 4-0 23 Out
UNLV 19-11 .579 (32) 0-3 2-3 9-5 8-0 28 Out
George Washington 17-11 .558 (54) 2-5 4-4 5-2 6-0 66 Out
Georgia State 21-11 .558 (55) 0-6 0-0 7-5 14-0 108 Out
Arizona 18-12 .560 (53) 2-5 5-2 7-5 4-0 39 Out
Despite the record, Alabama looks to be in a good position. Their strength of schedule has really helped them. They could probably lose their first game in the SEC Tournament and still get in, but if they were to get blown out, it might change things.
Rice, on the other hand, is barely in the Last Four In. They really, really need to win their first game in the C-USA Tournament. Even that might be enough, as they may need to win 2 games. Still, it's been a great season for Coach Shocker and the Owls. Now let's take a look at the other teams:
Locks: Davidson, Kansas, Michigan State, UCLA, Kentucky, Florida
In: Stanford