Feb. 27-March 5, 2017
2 feature games to tell you about this week, as we start with a big one in the SEC.
3/1/17-
#22 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) @
#25 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- As expected, this one was a doozy. Neither team took care of the ball, neither team shot well, and both teams fouled, a lot. The difference was that Florida made 23 free throws while Kentucky only made 14. The Gators get a huge victory to deny Kentucky an SEC championship, at least for now.
Final Score: #25 Florida- 72, #22 Kentucky- 64
Now we head over to the Pac 12:
3/2/17-
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) @
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- The Cardinal could not avoid a letdown in this one if they wanted to keep their NCAA hopes alive, and they didn't. The D stepped up to force 24 Washington State turnovers and Stanford couldn't miss as they roll to an easy road victory.
Final Score: Stanford- 92, Washington State- 71
Now to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 14-16, 8-8 America East.
3/2/17- America East Quarterfinals vs. (3) Albany (W 67-52).
The Hawks keep their season alive and in what might be the weirdest scheduled conference tournament ever, have to wait until next week to play the semifinals. Crazy.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 7-22, 5-13 T-8th American.
3/1/17 at #2 Cincinnati (L 83-67).
3/4/17 at SMU (L 78-57).
2 road losses for the Pirates, nothing surprising, but would have liked a little better effort after last weeks effort. They'll be the 9th seed in the American Tournament after losing a tiebreaker to 8th seed Tulane, who they conveniently play in the First Round.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 16-14, 11-7 4th Atlantic 10.
3/1/17 vs. George Mason (W 84-65).
3/4/17 vs. Dayton (W 85-82, OT).
The Wildcats take some momentum into the Atlantic 10 tournament after 3 straight wins. They'll be the 4th seed and get one of those quirky double byes into the quarterfinals.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 10-20, 4-14 9th Big 12.
2/27/17 vs. Kansas State (L 66-56).
3/4/17 vs. West Virginia (W 72-65).
The Horned Frogs steal one against West Virginia to end the regular season and will be the 9th seed in the Big 12 Tournament where they'll, how convenient, take on that same West Virginia team they just beat.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 16-14, 9-9 T-7th Big Ten.
3/1/17 at #19 Iowa (L 111-81).
3/4/17 vs. Minnesota (W 76-66).
So the Wolverines try something different this week, instead of winning both or losing both, they decide to split. They lost the 7th place tiebreaker and will be the 8th seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
#3 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 26-5, 14-4 1st Big Ten.
3/1/17 at Minnesota (L 69-58).
3/4/17 vs. Purdue (W 102-45).
The Spartans almost let the Big Ten title slip away, but they weren't about to let that happen as they dismantled Purdue. With that win, they win the Big Ten regular season title and will be the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-13, 12-4 T-1st Big West.
2/28/17 at Long Beach State (W 82-74).
3/4/17 UC Davis (L 70-68).
Tough break for the Warriors, who were just 3 points away for winning the Big West title outright. Instead, they have to settle for a share. What's even worse is they lose the tiebreaker and will be the 2nd seed in the Big West Tournament.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 13-16, 9-9 8th Conference USA.
3/2/17 vs. Florida Atlantic (L 61-52).
3/4/17 at UTSA (W 59-47).
The 49ers finish off the regular season with a win, which is always nice. They'll be the 8th seed in the Conference USA Tournament.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 12-17, 7-11 T-9th Conference USA.
3/2/17 vs. Marshall (W 77-61).
3/4/17 vs. UAB (L 71-53).
A split for the Owls to finish the regular season. They win the tiebreaker and get the 9th seed in the Conference USA Tournament, meaning our 2 FOFC teams in Conference USA will square off in the First Round.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 14-16, 11-9 MAAC.
3/4/17- MAAC Quarterfinals vs. (4) Iona (L 62-44).
The Hawks really weren't competitive in their quarterfinal game. They pretty much needed to win out to see a postseason tournament, their season is over.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 16-14, 11-5 T-2nd MEAC.
2/27/17 at Florida A&M (W 73-52).
So the Spartans finish the regular season with a big road win, and win the tiebreaker, so they'll be the 2nd seed in the MEAC Tournament. They get a bye into the quarterfinals but more importantly, they won't have to see NC Central until the championship if both teams make it that far.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 16-14, 11-7 T-4th Pac 12.
3/2/17 vs. Oregon (L 79-70).
3/4/17 vs. Oregon State (W 60-56).
The Buffaloes split this week and really don't have any momentum going into the Pac 12 Tournament. They win the tiebreaker though and get the 4th seed and a bye into the Quarterfinals.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 20-10, 11-7 T-4th Pac 12.
3/2/17 at Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
3/4/17 at Arizona State (W 73-62).
The Cardinal take care of business with a couple wins this week, but lose the tiebreaker to Colorado and they'll be the 5th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, having to play in the First Round.
#1 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 28-2, 17-1 1st Pac 12.
3/2/17 vs. California (W 69-61).
3/4/17 at Arizona (L 60-59).
Ugh! 1 point, 1 lousy point is all that separated the Bruins from perfection in the Pac 12. It's a bittersweet regular season title, but UCLA does get the top seed in the Pac 12 Tournament and they are already thinking about a rematch with Arizona.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 10-20, 5-13 T-9th Pac 12.
3/2/17 vs. Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
3/4/17 at California (L 81-52).
Not a good week for the Cougars who get smoked twice. They lose the tiebreaker and get the 10th seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, which is a bit of a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that they'll be playing Arizona State, a team they beat twice in the regular season. The bad news is everybody knows it's tough to beat a team 3 times in the same season!
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 11-19, 9-9 T-8th SEC.
3/1/17 vs. Auburn (L 72-66).
3/4/17 at Texas A&M (W 80-69).
The Crimson Tide get an unconventional split this week as they lose at home and win on the road. They also lose a tiebreaker so they'll be the 9th seed in the SEC Tournament.
#25 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 23-7, 13-5 T-1st SEC.
3/1/17 vs. #22 Kentucky- feature game, highlighted above.
3/4/17 vs. Georgia (W 49-48).
Big week for the Gators, who survive 2 huge tests to get a share of the SEC title. That win over Kentucky gives them the tiebreaker and they'll be the top seed in the SEC Tournament.
#22 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 22-8, 13-5 T-1st SEC.
3/1/17 at Florida- feature game, highlighted above.
3/4/17 vs. LSU (W 95-72).
A split for the Wildcats, but they miss a chance to win the SEC title outright, and they'll have to share it with Florida. What's worse is that game cost them the tiebreaker and they'll be the 2nd seed in the SEC Tournament.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 15-15, 10-10 T-5th Sun Belt.
3/2/17 vs. South Alabama (W 68-57).
3/4/17 vs. Arkansas State (L 68-56).
A split for the Trojans who see their 3 game winning streak come to an end. They win the tiebreaker and will be the 5th seed in the Sun Belt Tournament.
Let's take a look at the national top 25 going into next weeks conference tournaments:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Cincinnati (65) 30-0 1793 2 American Athletic Conference
2. UCLA (7) 28-2 1734 1 Pacific-12 Conference
3. Michigan State 26-5 1656 3 Big Ten Conference
4. Baylor 26-5 1566 4 Big 12 Conference
5. La Salle 27-3 1476 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. VCU 26-4 1464 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Georgetown 25-5 1382 7 Big East Conference
8. North Carolina 25-5 1257 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Kansas 23-7 1249 8 Big 12 Conference
10. Villanova 24-6 1130 10 Big East Conference
11. Stephen F. Austin 28-2 1022 15 Southland Conference
12. Virginia 23-7 982 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Wichita State 28-5 835 14 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Miami 23-7 769 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
15. San Diego State 24-6 713 13 Mountain West Conference
16. Iowa 23-7 699 19 Big Ten Conference
17. BYU 26-5 566 20 West Coast Conference
18. Syracuse 23-7 541 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
19. Gonzaga 27-4 513 21 West Coast Conference
20. Florida 23-7 495 25 Southeastern Conference
21. Ohio State 23-8 461 24 Big Ten Conference
22. New Mexico State 26-3 387 23 Western Athletic Conference
23. Arizona 22-8 257 NR Pacific-12 Conference
24. Akron 25-5 119 NR Mid-American Conference
25. Wisconsin 22-9 104 NR Big Ten Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Duke 21-8 90 Atlantic Coast Conference
Kentucky 22-8 63 Southeastern Conference
Marquette 24-7 48 Big East Conference
Murray State 27-4 13 Ohio Valley Conference
Boise State 24-5 9 Mountain West Conference
Oregon 22-9 6 Pacific-12 Conference
Harvard 24-6 1 Ivy League
UCLA falls to #2 after their loss this week, no surprise there. Michigan State stays at #3, Florida moves up 5 spots after the big win over Kentucky. Speaking of Kentucky, they drop out of the Top 25 but are still receiving their fair share of votes.
Now for the mid-major top 25:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Cincinnati (72) 30-0 1800 1 American Athletic Conference
2. La Salle 27-3 1705 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. VCU 26-4 1675 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. San Diego State 24-6 1547 4 Mountain West Conference
5. Wichita State 28-5 1534 5 Missouri Valley Conference
6. BYU 26-5 1448 6 West Coast Conference
7. Stephen F. Austin 28-2 1351 7 Southland Conference
8. Gonzaga 27-4 1305 8 West Coast Conference
9. Akron 25-5 1214 9 Mid-American Conference
10. Boise State 24-5 1130 10 Mountain West Conference
11. New Mexico State 26-3 1099 11 Western Athletic Conference
12. Harvard 24-6 1011 12 Ivy League
13. Murray State 27-4 860 13 Ohio Valley Conference
14. Cleveland State 23-8 826 14 Horizon League
15. Northern Iowa 26-7 791 15 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Valparaiso 23-7 713 16 Horizon League
17. North Dakota State 27-4 581 18 Summit League
18. Memphis 23-7 499 17 American Athletic Conference
19. Vermont 26-5 427 22 America East Conference
20. SMU 23-6 359 21 American Athletic Conference
21. Portland 24-6 352 20 West Coast Conference
22. Mercer 26-6 336 19 Southern Conference
23. Georgia State 21-11 182 NR Horizon League
24. New Mexico 23-7 175 NR Mountain West Conference
25. Louisiana Tech 23-7 149 25 Conference USA
Others Receiving Votes:
Illinois State 21-9 130 Missouri Valley Conference
Eastern Kentucky 26-7 95 Ohio Valley Conference
Charleston Southern 26-7 27 Big South Conference
UC Irvine 22-8 19 Big West Conference
Richmond 20-10 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
Stony Brook 23-6 17 America East Conference
Green Bay 20-8 14 Horizon League
American 23-7 9 Patriot League
North Florida 26-6 3 Atlantic Sun Conference
Surprised? I'm not.
Now for the Bubble Watch, the final Bubble Watch of the season and we'll start with the overall bubble watch where we have 1 FOFC team in:
Code:
OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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New Mexico 23-7 .560 (60) 3-2 1-2 8-3 11-0 212 In
Kansas State 19-12 .573 (49) 5-8 2-3 4-1 8-0 36 In
Stanford 20-10 .566 (52) 2-5 3-3 10-2 5-0 112 In
Georgia State 21-11 .579 (44) 2-3 7-5 4-2 8-1 69 In
George Washington 18-11 .598 (22) 2-6 3-3 8-1 5-1 10 In
Middle Tennessee 21-9 .582 (41) 1-1 3-4 8-2 9-2 87 In
Oakland 20-12 .558 (64) 3-6 3-3 4-1 10-2 94 In
Seton Hall 18-12 .585 (38) 4-9 1-1 10-1 3-1 27 In
Memphis 23-7 .558 (68) 1-2 7-0 9-2 6-3 179 Out
Drexel 20-11 .558 (65) 1-1 4-3 6-7 9-0 122 Out
Portland 24-6 .554 (73) 1-3 2-1 6-2 15-0 245 Out
SMU 23-6 .554 (74) 0-3 2-3 8-0 13-0 249 Out
Washington 20-10 .551 (79) 3-5 3-1 8-4 6-0 138 Out
Eastern Michigan 17-11 .556 (70) 3-1 4-5 4-2 6-3 72 Out
South Dakota State 22-9 .550 (80) 1-0 1-5 5-4 15-0 175 Out
Those poor Cardinal just can't get off the bubble, even with a couple easy wins this week. At least they are no longer in the First Four out. A win in their first game of the Pac 12 Tourney would certainly seal the deal. A loss, and who knows.
As for the other teams:
Michigan State, UCLA, and Florida are considered locks, and even with the loss, Kentucky is still projected in. That strength of schedule is awful though, for the Wildcats I mean. It's the 4th worst in the SEC, meaning only 3 teams played a weaker schedule than Kentucky. No wonder they've been projected out and on the bubble and all that. Oh yea, I'm rambling. So other than those 4 teams, and of course Stanford, that's it for possible NCAA Tourney teams.