March 5-11, 2018
Through the conference tournaments, we had 4 feature games to talk about, so here we go:
3/7/18- Conference USA Second Round -
(12) Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) vs.
(5) Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- This one was much better than expected, as Rice turned it over 20 times but was able to shoot a whopping 56.3% from the field. That was enough, as the Owls advance to the next round.
Final Score: (5) Rice- 79, (12) Charlotte- 71
3/9/18- Pac 12 Semifinals-
(3) Colorado (Rob Nielsen) vs.
(2) Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- This one was pretty even throughout, and it might not have even been as close had Colorado made more free throws. They were 17-27 from the line, but made 9 three pointers, and that was enough to give them a big win and send them to the Pac 12 Championship.
Final Score: (3) Colorado- 68, (2) Stanford- 60
3/9/18- SEC Quarterfinals-
(6) #25 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) vs.
(3) Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- The Gators looked like they were going to run away with this one early, as they built a double digit lead in the first half. But Alabama hung tough and actually had it tied late. But they had a couple turnovers at really bad times. Florida only made 7 free throws, but the biggest 2 makes came at the end of the game, as the Gators survive and advance.
Final Score: (6) #25 Florida- 68, (3) Alabama- 65
3/10/18- Pac 12 Championship-
(3) Colorado (Rob Nielsen) vs.
(1) #9 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- This one was a shootout, as Colorado shot 50% from the field, but UCLA shot 54%. There were 26, yes you heard me right, 26 three pointers made in this one. The difference was turnovers. The Bruins committed just 6 turnovers all game, allowing them to take and make a lot more shots. The Bruins win their 3rd Pac 12 Tournament in as many years since this dynasty started, and get another automatic berth.
Final Score: (1) #9 UCLA- 95, (3) Colorado- 85
Now we move to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 16-15, 8-8 America East.
The Hawks played their conference tournament last week, and are hoping 16-15 is enough to at least get them a CIT bid, but probably not.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 10-20, 6-12 American.
3/8/18- American First Round vs. (10) Tulane (W 85-83).
3/9/18- American Quarterfinals vs. (2) SMU (L 71-59).
Not a bad effort for the Pirates against SMU, as they had it tied at halftime. At 10-20, their season is over.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 20-11, 12-6 American.
3/9/18- American Quarterfinals vs. (5) UConn (L 88-80).
Tough loss for the Golden Hurricane in the American Quarterfinals, who probably needed to win this one to get an NCAA bid. My prediction is they'll be a top seed in the NIT.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 22-10, 13-5 Atlantic 10.
3/9/18- Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals vs. (13) Mississippi State (W 71-61).
3/10/18- Atlantic 10 Semifinals vs. (1) #23 Richmond (L 63-58).
The Wildcats shot themselves in the foot against Richmond by scoring just 19 first half points. Regardless, they were a lock coming into this tournament, so they'll be dancing.
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- 14-15, 8-10 ACC.
3/7/18- ACC Second Round vs. (8) #20 Syracuse (L 79-78).
Tough loss for the Tigers, who fell just short of what really would have been an upset. At 14-15, their season is almost certainly done.
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 17-14, 7-11 ACC.
3/6/18- ACC First Round vs. (12) Wake Forest (W 78-70).
3/7/18- ACC Second Round vs. (5) Louisville (L 69-43).
A disappointing season by all accounts for the Blue Devils. We know they won't be dancing, but does name alone get them into one of the secondary tournaments? I say yes, but I don't think it'll be the NIT. I think they are CBI bound.
#6 Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- 25-7, 15-3 Big 12.
3/8/18- Big 12 Quarterfinals vs. (8) Kansas State (W 79-54).
3/9/18- Big 12 Semifinals vs. (5) Texas (L 81-75).
Everyone who was expecting a Kansas/Baylor Big 12 Championship game was disappointed with the Texas/Kansas result, as the Jayhawks may have been looking ahead. Either way, they'll be dancing, and probably be a top 2 or 3 seed.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 12-20, 3-15 Big 12.
3/7/18- Big 12 First Round vs. (7) Oklahoma State (W 61-38).
3/8/18- Big 12 Quarterfinals vs. (2) # 5 Baylor (L 68-42).
The Horned Frogs stunned everyone with their dominating First Round performance, but Baylor brought them down to earth. At 12-20, they are showing slight improvement every season, but are still a long way from being a tournament team.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 15-18, 6-12 Big Ten.
3/7/18- Big Ten First Round vs. (13) Penn State (W 69-60).
3/8/18- Big Ten Second Round vs. (5) Nebraska (W 79-60).
3/9/18- Big Ten Quarterfinals vs. (4) Iowa (L 82-65).
The Cinderella run ended in the Quarterfinals for the Wolverines, who were never really in that game. They needed to win the Big Ten tourney to extend their season, so they will be done with a 15-18 record.
#19 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 23-8, 13-5 Big Ten.
3/9/18- Big Ten Quarterfinals vs. (6) Minnesota (L 75-67).
Ay-yi-yi! Don't think anybody saw that one coming. Gotta think the Spartans were looking ahead to future games a little bit. They'll still be dancing, but their seed line probably dropped a seed or 2.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 20-10, 9-9 Big Ten.
3/8/18- Big Ten Second Round vs. (9) Illinois (L 50-46).
While the Wildcats greatly exceeded expectations, they have to be disappointed with the way their season was down the stretch. They needed to beat Illinois to have any chance at making the NCAA Tournament. They'll be in the NIT, probably hosting a First Round game.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-14, 10-6 Big West.
3/8/18- Big West Quarterfinals vs. (7) Cal State Fullerton (L 80-63).
Wow! The Warriors laid an egg in this one. They really had it set up nicely if they could have won this one. They have a 17-14 record. That was the same record that got them into the CIT last season. I see no reason why it won't again. Hawaii, back to the CIT where they'll start on the road. Just my prediction of course.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 9-23, 5-13 Conference USA.
3/6/18- Conference USA First Round vs. (13) Western Kentucky (W 53-42).
3/7/18- Conference USA Second Round vs. (5) Rice- feature game, highlighted above.
The 49ers end their season with a whimper, and the whole season was a complete disaster. They finish with a 9-23 record.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 21-12, 12-6 Conference USA.
3/7/18- Conference USA Second Round vs. (12) Charlotte- feature game, highlighted above.
3/8/18- Conference USA Quarterfinals vs. (4) UTEP (W 83-71).
3/9/18- Conference USA Semifinals vs. (8) FIU (W 83-54).
3/10/18- Conference USA Championship vs. (6) Louisiana Tech (L 69-59).
Gotta think the Owls just ran out of gas, but let's give credit to LA Tech. They beat the #3, #2, and #5 seeds to win the tourney. As for Rice, I figured they probably needed 2 wins in this tournament to feel safe about an at-large bid. They went ahead and won 3 and got to the C-USA title game. It will be a crying shame if they aren't playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 15-17, 11-9 MAAC.
The Hawks were eliminated from their conference tournament last week and will finish their season with a 15-17 record.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 15-16, 9-7 MEAC.
3/5/18- MEAC First Round vs. (12) Morgan State (W 76-68).
3/7/18- MEAC Quarterfinals vs. (4) Florida A&M (L 61-53).
No MEAC title and no First Four game for the Spartans this season. They will be sitting at home as they'll finish with a 15-16 record.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 18-14, 11-7 Pac 12.
3/8/18- Pac 12 Quarterfinals vs. (11) Oregon (W 68-54).
3/9/18- Pac 12 Semifinals vs. (2) Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
3/10/18- Pac 12 Championship vs. (1) #9 UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
Good run for the Buffaloes, a run that might have saved their NCAA Tournament chances. I don't think so though, I think they'll be hosting a First Round game in the NIT.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 22-10, 12-6 Pac 12.
3/8/18- Pac 12 Quarterfinals vs. (7) Oregon State (W 59-46).
3/9/18- Pac 12 Semifinals vs. (3) Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
22 win teams should be playing in the NCAA Tournament, especially win they are a power conference team. But that loss to Colorado in the Pac 12 semis hurt. Their RPI is actually worse than Colorado's is, which makes me believe they'll get a chance to defend their NIT Title, hosting a First Round game.
#9 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 29-4, 16-2 Pac 12.
3/8/18- Pac 12 Quarterfinals vs. (8) California (W 67-59).
3/9/18- Pac 12 Semifinals vs. (4) Arizona State (W 68-59).
3/10/18- Pac 12 Championship vs. (3) Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
Another Pac 12 Tournament, another tournament title for the Bruins. They go into the NCAA Tournament with a ton of confidence, looking at a #1 seed. Looking at the teams ranked ahead of them, it's a very good possibility. I think they'll get bumped to a #2 seed though. Just a hunch.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 17-14, 9-9 Pac 12.
3/7/18- Pac 12 First Round vs. (11) Oregon (L 91-87, OT).
Damaging loss for the Cougars, who needed this win. With their RPI in the low 100's, I have a feeling their season is over, but if it is, it was still a heck of a season for their standards.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-13, 13-5 SEC.
3/8/18- SEC Quarterfinals vs. (6) # 25 Florida- feature game, highlighted above.
Tough loss for the Crimson Tide, who really could have used the extra win. They have a great RPI though, but those 13 losses have to make you think they could be looking at a First Four game.
#25 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 25-9, 11-7 SEC.
3/8/18- SEC Second Round vs. (11) Texas A&M (W 91-72).
3/9/18- SEC Quarterfinals vs. (3) Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
3/10/18- SEC Semifinals vs. (2) Ole Miss (W 75-67).
3/11/18- SEC Championship vs. (5) Tennessee (W 107-100, OT).
The Gators go on an incredible run to win the SEC Tournament, this being Florida and Coach Hutt's first conference tournament championship. This will most certainly do wonders to their seed, which should be in the 4-6 range, if not higher.
#7 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 26-6, 14-4 SEC.
3/9/18- SEC Quarterfinals vs. (9) Georgia (W 71-61).
3/10/18- SEC Semifinals vs. (5) Tennessee (L 94-84).
A shocking loss for the Wildcats, who had some really unexpected conference losses. They are still a lock for the NCAA Tournament though, and will probably be looking at the same seed line as Florida.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 10-19, 7-13 Sun Belt.
The Trojans failed to qualify for the Sun Belt Tournament, and end their season at 10-19.
Now, we take a look at the final polls heading into Selection Sunday, starting with the national top 25:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Ohio State (72) 32-2 1800 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Baylor 30-4 1674 5 Big 12 Conference
3. Virginia 27-4 1664 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Gonzaga 30-1 1620 3 West Coast Conference
5. Wichita State 30-3 1511 4 Missouri Valley Conference
6. UCLA 29-4 1407 9 Pacific-12 Conference
7. Kentucky 26-6 1360 7 Southeastern Conference
8. Kansas 25-7 1320 6 Big 12 Conference
9. Cincinnati 28-5 1243 8 American Athletic Conference
10. Villanova 26-6 1160 10 Big East Conference
11. Iowa State 24-8 1018 12 Big 12 Conference
12. Miami 26-8 1008 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Marquette 23-8 876 11 Big East Conference
14. Wisconsin 25-8 856 13 Big Ten Conference
15. Illinois State 28-5 769 15 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Stephen F. Austin 28-3 743 17 Southland Conference
17. Memphis 27-6 568 24 American Athletic Conference
18. Florida 25-9 548 25 Southeastern Conference
19. Syracuse 23-10 467 20 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. La Salle 25-6 378 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Boise State 26-7 366 21 Mountain West Conference
22. VCU 22-9 355 16 Southeastern Conference
23. Richmond 27-7 334 23 Atlantic 10 Conference
24. Michigan State 23-8 246 19 Big Ten Conference
25. Louisiana Tech 26-7 72 NR Conference USA
Others Receiving Votes:
Georgetown 21-12 16 Big East Conference
Harvard 24-6 16 Ivy League
Creighton 22-10 2 Big East Conference
Cleveland State 23-9 1 Horizon League
Eastern Kentucky 25-6 1 Ohio Valley Conference
Notre Dame 22-9 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
UCLA rises 3 spots after winning the Pac 12 Tournament, while Kentucky stays put at 7. Kansas drops 2 spots after their Big 12 Semifinal lost, while Florida jumps 7 spots after winning the SEC Tournament. Michigan State was the big loser this week, dropping 5 spots after their Big Ten Quarterfinal loss.
Now for the Mid-Major Top 25:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Gonzaga (57) 30-1 1777 1 West Coast Conference
2. Wichita State (14) 30-3 1742 2 Missouri Valley Conference
3. Cincinnati (1) 28-5 1665 3 American Athletic Conference
4. Illinois State 28-5 1554 4 Missouri Valley Conference
5. Boise State 26-7 1479 8 Mountain West Conference
6. Stephen F. Austin 28-3 1409 6 Southland Conference
7. Memphis 27-6 1327 10 American Athletic Conference
8. Richmond 27-7 1323 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. La Salle 25-6 1234 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Cleveland State 23-9 1184 7 Horizon League
11. Louisiana Tech 26-7 1130 13 Conference USA
12. Harvard 24-6 988 11 Ivy League
13. Quinnipiac 26-7 879 16 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
14. American 25-7 781 12 Patriot League
15. Eastern Kentucky 25-6 709 20 Ohio Valley Conference
16. Davidson 22-10 685 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Dayton 23-9 534 18 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. North Carolina Central 26-7 519 NR Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
19. SMU 22-10 490 19 American Athletic Conference
20. UTEP 22-8 446 15 Conference USA
21. UAB 23-8 398 17 Conference USA
22. Middle Tennessee 23-9 272 21 Conference USA
23. BYU 19-12 196 25 West Coast Conference
24. Belmont 22-9 177 24 Ohio Valley Conference
25. Buffalo 21-10 116 22 Mid-American Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
San Diego State 19-13 101 Mountain West Conference
Drexel 23-8 77 Colonial Athletic Association
South Dakota State 24-9 48 Summit League
Stony Brook 24-8 39 America East Conference
Green Bay 23-9 25 Horizon League
Old Dominion 22-9 25 Conference USA
Manhattan 22-9 17 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
North Florida 24-8 16 Atlantic Sun Conference
Oakland 22-8 11 Horizon League
UNLV 20-12 9 Mountain West Conference
Mercer 22-9 7 Southern Conference
Connecticut 20-12 6 American Athletic Conference
North Dakota State 24-9 3 Summit League
Northeastern 21-8 2 Colonial Athletic Association
Davidson drops 2 spots despite their efforts against Richmond, and Tulsa loses their remaining votes.