March 1-7, 2027
34 games on the schedule, with a few conference tournament games, and 1 feature game. Let's get to it, staring in the Northeast:
3/3/27- Northeast Quarterfinal -
(8) Bryant (Rob Nielsen) vs.
(1) Wagner (Will Brown) -- A definite surprise in this one, as what was a 1 point halftime lead turned into an 18 point win for Bryant, who pulls a huge stunner in the Northeast Quarterfinal.
Final Score: (8) Bryant- 84, (1) Wagner- 66
Now for the rest of the weekly recap:
#4 Notre Dame (Al Mighty) -- 25-5, 15-3 1st ACC.
3/3/27 vs. Clemson (W 89-69).
3/6/27 at #18 Syracuse (W 74-68).
2 more wins for the Fighting Irish. Coach Mighty came into this season on a hot seat. I think we can forget about that now. What a turnaround, and he has to get some consideration for National Coach of the Year. Notre Dame wins the ACC regular season title and will be the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament. They will open up against either (9) Virginia Tech or (8) Louisville, getting a double bye into the Quarterfinals.
North Florida (Felix Abel) -- 16-15, 8-6 Atlantic Sun.
3/2/27- Atlantic Sun Quarterfinal vs. (6) Lipscomb (W 70-47).
3/4/27- Atlantic Sun Semifinal vs. (2) USC Upstate (L 75-74).
A heartbreaking loss for the Ospreys, as they led by 15 at halftime in the Atlantic Sun Semifinal, but ended up losing. Just a game over .500 overall, and playing in one of the lowest rated conferences in the NCAA, any postseason chance they have.. well let's get real, they have none unfortunately.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 13-17, 6-12 T-8th Big 12.
3/1/27 vs. Kansas (W 71-51).
3/6/27 vs. Kansas State (W 54-50).
2 great wins for the Horned Frogs, who manage to stay out of the cellar. They lose the tiebreaker for the 8th seed, and will be the 9th seed in the Big 12 Tournament, opening up in a First Round game against a team they just beat, 8th seed Kansas.
#24 St. John's (Dean Hoo) -- 21-9, 12-6 T-2nd Big East.
3/3/27 at #1 Providence (L 98-76).
3/6/27 at DePaul (W 81-79).
Another split for the Red Storm to finish out the regular season. They lose a 2 way tiebreaker for 2nd place, and will be the 3rd seed in the Big East Tournament. They'll take on 6th seed Butler in a Quarterfinal game.
Sacramento State (David Ginsberg) -- 19-9, 14-4 1st Big Sky.
3/4/27 vs. Northern Colorado (W 77-73).
3/6/27 at Southern Utah (W 77-44).
2 more wins for the Hornets as they go into conference tournament play with a lot of momentum. They win the Big Sky regular season title and will be the top seed in the Big Sky Tournament. They'll get a bye to the Quarterfinals and will take on the winner of a First Round game between 9th seed Montana and 8th seed Portland State.
#7 Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 23-7, 14-4 T-1st Big Ten.
3/3/27 vs. Michigan (W 69-64, OT).
3/6/27 vs. Illinois (L 52-41).
A split for the Wildcats, and miss a chance to win the Big Ten regular season title outright with a loss in their final regular season game. They lose the tiebreaker and will be the #2 seed in the Big Ten tournament. They get a double bye into the Big Ten Quarterfinals and will take on the winner of a Second Round game between 10th seed Iowa and 7th seed Purdue.
FIU (Brett Hawkins) -- 18-12, 11-7 5th Conference USA.
3/4/27 at Middle Tennessee (L 78-68).
3/6/27 at South Dakota State (W 62-52).
Another split for the Golden Panthers, who take the 5th seed in the Conference USA Tournament and will open up with the winner of a First Round game between 13th seed North Texas and 12th seed Florida Atlantic.
Fairfield (Ariel Pryde) -- 21-11, 15-5 MAAC.
3/6/27- MAAC Quarterfinal vs. (10) Iona (W 69-34).
3/7/27- MAAC Semifinal vs. (6) Niagara (W 80-64).
2 easy tournament wins for the Stags, who roll into the MAAC championship game next week against the #1 seed.
San Jose State (Thomas Shepard) -- 14-16, 8-10 T-6th Mountain West.
3/3/27 at Air Force (W 81-74).
3/6/27 vs. UNLV (L 58-52).
A split for the Spartans, who far exceeded expectations again this season. Unfortunately, they drew the short straw in a 3 way tie for 6th, and will be the 8th seed in the Mountain West Tournament. They'll open up against 9th seed Boise State.
Bryant (Rob Nielsen) -- 12-19, 7-11 Northeast.
3/3/27- Northeast Quarterfinal vs. (1) Wagner- feature game, highlighted above.
3/6/27- Northeast Semifinal vs. (2) Fairleigh Dickinson (W 65-56).
The Bulldogs have gotten hot at the right time, taking down the top 2 seeds in the Northeast Tournament (thanks to reseeding after the quarterfinals). Coach Nielsen picked up career win #200 against Fairleigh Dickinson, and now has 1 more quest to conquer for the seemingly impossible to happen.
Wagner (Will Brown) -- 23-7, 15-3 Northeast.
3/3/27- Northeast Quarterfinal vs. (8) Bryant- feature game, highlighted above.
A damaging loss for the Seahawks, as even with 23 wins on the season, probably needed to win the Northeast Tournament to ensure an NCAA bid. Those are the breaks of playing in a small conference, and they are more than likely headed to the NIT.
#14 Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 22-8, 13-5 T-1st Pac 12.
3/4/27 at #17 Arizona (L 73-63).
3/6/27 at Utah (W 80-68).
A split for the Cardinal, who can't get it done at ranked Arizona. They split the Pac 12 regular season title but lose the tiebreaker. They'll be the #2 seed in the Pac 12 Tournament, opening up against the winner of a First Round game between 10th seed Utah and 7th seed Colorado.
#5 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 22-6, 13-5 T-1st Pac 12.
3/4/27 vs. Utah (L 63-55).
3/6/27 at Gonzaga (L 96-88).
2 damaging losses for the Bruins, who just needed to win 1 game this week to win the Pac 12 regular season title outright. Instead, they back their way into a share of it, and also back their way into the top seed by winning the tiebreaker. They'll be the #1 seed in the Pac 12 Tournament and open up against the winner of a First Round game between 9th seed California and 8th seed Washington.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 7-21, 3-15 12th (last) Pac 12.
3/4/27 vs. California (L 85-82).
3/6/27 at Oregon (L 71-49).
2 more losses for the Cougars, and they finish the regular season on a 12 game losing streak, finishing in the cellar yet again. Coach St. John has to be concerned about job security as he'll take his team to the Pac 12 Tournament as the #12 seed, taking on 5th seed Oregon in the First Round.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 18-12, 14-4 T-1st SEC.
3/3/27 at VCU (W 62-53).
3/6/27 at Kentucky (L 92-84).
A split for the Crimson Tide, who miss a chance to win the SEC regular season title outright. but they still manage a share. They lose the tiebreaker though and will be the #2 seed in the SEC Tournament. They'll get a double bye into the Quarterfinals and open up against the winner of a Second Round game between 10th seed Ole Miss and 7th seed LSU.
Alabama State (Randolph Childress) -- 16-13, 13-5 1st SWAC.
3/1/27 vs. Southern (W 96-75).
3/6/27 vs. Alcorn State (W 83-65).
2 dominating wins for the Hornets, as Coach Childress takes them to the SWAC regular season title in his first season here. Work still to be done though, as they'll be the top seed in the SWAC Tournament, opening up against the winner of a First Round game between 9th seed Mississippi Valley State and 8th seed Grambling State.
Arkansas Pine Bluff (B.B. Gunn) -- 12-18, 9-9 T-5th SWAC.
3/6/27 at Mississippi Valley State (W 84-76).
The Golden Lions manage to finish the regular season with a .500 record in conference. Coach Gunn has taken a huge step back this season. They lost the tiebreaker for the 5th seed and will be the #6 seed in the SWAC Tournament. They'll open up against 3rd seed Alcorn State.
Troy (Benton Gale) -- 17-13, 12-8 3rd Sun Belt.
3/4/27 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (L 70-65).
3/6/27 at Georgia Southern (L 78-68).
2 more losses for the Trojans, who are limping to the finish line here. They've lost 4 in a row, and need to right the ship before the Sun Belt Tournament. They still have a shot at the postseason, and will be the #3 seed in the Sun Belt Tournament. They'll open up against the winner of a First Round game between 7th seed Arkansas Little Rock and 6th seed Appalachian State.
San Diego (Charlie Shocker) -- 22-9, 13-5 WCC.
3/6/27- WCC Quarterfinal vs. (7) Santa Clara (W 91-84).
Only 1 game played this week for the Toreros, but they win their WCC Quarterfinal game and move on to the semifinals and hopefully the ship next week.
Here's a look at the national top 25 going into the week of Mar. 8-14:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Providence (71) 28-2 1799 1 Big East Conference
2. Baylor (1) 29-2 1729 2 Big 12 Conference
3. Wisconsin 25-5 1656 3 Big Ten Conference
4. Ohio State 24-6 1582 8 Big Ten Conference
5. Notre Dame 25-5 1477 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Wichita State 27-5 1449 10 Missouri Valley Conference
7. Indiana 23-7 1364 6 Big Ten Conference
8. Colorado State 26-3 1265 11 Mountain West Conference
9. Northwestern 23-7 1237 7 Big Ten Conference
10. Florida State 22-8 1106 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. UCLA 22-6 1098 5 Pacific-12 Conference
12. Georgetown 23-7 1021 12 Big East Conference
13. George Washington 24-6 902 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Massachusetts 23-7 887 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Stanford 22-8 728 14 Pacific-12 Conference
16. Arizona 21-9 621 17 Pacific-12 Conference
17. UT Arlington 24-5 587 22 Sun Belt Conference
18. Long Beach State 24-6 498 25 Big West Conference
19. Boston University 26-6 482 23 Patriot League
20. Pepperdine 24-7 446 16 West Coast Conference
21. Syracuse 21-9 420 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
22. Toledo 23-6 336 20 Mid-American Conference
23. Texas A&M Corpus Christi 23-5 201 NR Southland Conference
24. Kentucky 22-8 144 NR Southeastern Conference
25. St. John's 21-9 136 24 Big East Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Duke 21-9 110 Atlantic Coast Conference
Iowa State 21-10 59 Big 12 Conference
Illinois 20-10 33 Big Ten Conference
Virginia 20-10 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
New Mexico 21-7 9 Mountain West Conference
Manhattan 24-8 3 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
North Carolina State 20-10 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
Gonzaga 20-10 1 Pacific-12 Conference
Kent State 20-8 1 Mid-American Conference
And a look at the Mid-Major Top 25 going into the week of Mar. 8-14:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Wichita State (69) 27-5 1797 1 Missouri Valley Conference
2. Colorado State (3) 26-3 1716 3 Mountain West Conference
3. Massachusetts 23-7 1659 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. George Washington 24-6 1571 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Pepperdine 24-7 1500 5 West Coast Conference
6. Toledo 23-6 1407 6 Mid-American Conference
7. Boston University 26-6 1342 7 Patriot League
8. Long Beach State 24-6 1328 9 Big West Conference
9. UT Arlington 24-5 1247 8 Sun Belt Conference
10. Kent State 20-8 1102 11 Mid-American Conference
11. San Diego 22-9 1027 12 West Coast Conference
12. Manhattan 24-8 961 14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
13. New Mexico 21-7 948 10 Mountain West Conference
14. Texas A&M Corpus Christi 23-5 791 19 Southland Conference
15. UAB 21-9 746 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Morehead State 23-8 725 20 Ohio Valley Conference
17. La Salle 20-10 683 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Temple 21-9 587 22 American Athletic Conference
19. Tulsa 21-8 490 15 American Athletic Conference
20. Towson 23-9 466 NR Colonial Athletic Association
21. Cal State Northridge 20-9 408 16 Big West Conference
22. Oakland 20-10 299 24 Mid-American Conference
23. Wagner 23-7 197 18 Northeast Conference
24. Middle Tennessee 19-9 122 NR Conference USA
25. Ohio 20-10 111 NR Mid-American Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Fordham 18-11 40 Atlantic 10 Conference
Lehigh 21-10 36 Patriot League
UTEP 19-9 23 Conference USA
Arkansas State 20-10 21 Sun Belt Conference
Fresno State 18-12 16 Mountain West Conference
Louisiana Tech 20-10 12 Conference USA
UC Irvine 18-12 9 Big West Conference
Northern Iowa 21-12 8 Missouri Valley Conference
Kennesaw State 22-10 3 Atlantic Sun Conference
Sacramento State 19-9 2 Big Sky Conference
Here's a look at the Overall Bubble Watch, which has 3 of our teams in it.
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
San Diego 22-9 .559 (52) 2-3 5-0 8-4 7-2 126 In
North Carolina 18-12 .553 (57) 6-6 3-2 6-3 3-1 53 In
Fordham 18-11 .575 (29) 4-4 2-3 5-1 7-3 37 In
Oakland 20-10 .562 (44) 1-5 2-1 12-4 5-0 97 In
Ohio 20-10 .555 (55) 5-1 0-2 7-3 8-4 139 In
Lehigh 21-10 .558 (53) 2-4 0-1 10-3 9-2 132 In
Alabama 18-12 .561 (48) 3-5 5-3 7-2 3-2 32 In
Arkansas State 20-10 .561 (47) 1-4 2-0 6-4 11-2 90 In
Texas A&M 17-11 .553 (58) 1-7 6-1 4-3 6-0 73 Out
UC Irvine 18-12 .568 (38) 2-5 4-1 9-6 3-0 25 Out
Northern Iowa 21-12 .546 (64) 1-4 2-4 6-1 12-3 113 Out
Washington 19-11 .545 (66) 3-5 4-4 3-2 9-0 101 Out
FIU 18-12 .554 (56) 1-2 3-5 4-4 10-1 82 Out
New Mexico 21-7 .546 (65) 0-1 1-1 11-3 9-2 255 Out
Temple 21-9 .545 (67) 0-2 2-0 6-5 13-2 171 Out
San Diego is in a great position. Even with a loss in the WCC Semifinals, they are probably still in, unless it is a blowout loss. A win in the WCC Semifinals would almost certainly make them a lock.
Alabama is only in this position because of their conference record. Their 4-8 non-conference record is hurting them. Granted, it was a tough non-con schedule, which is another reason they are still hanging in the Last Four In. They can't afford a letdown though. If they lose their first game of the SEC Tournament, they are most likely NIT bound.
FIU is stumbling to the finish line. Their SOS and RPI have both taken hits this week, and it's pretty simple at this point. They aren't even in the Last Four Out, they are down to the Next Four Out, which means they need to win a minimum of 2 games in the C-USA Tournament to feel safe about an at-large bid, and they may not even be enough.
Now for the rest of the Bubble Watch:
Locks: Notre Dame, St. John's, Northwestern, UCLA, Stanford.
No changes this week